The Dayton Jewish Observer, November 2024

Springfield's only rabbi regrets JTA interview denigrating p. 3 David Moss designs Grace After Meals in comic book formHaitians p. 22

THE DAYTON Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton

November 2024 Tishri/Cheshvan 5785 Vol. 29, No. 2

OBSERVER

The Miami Valley’s Jewish Monthly • daytonjewishobserver.org Marshall Weiss

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People at the Jewish Federation's one-year commemoration of the Oct. 7 massacre wrote their thoughts and feelings on stones to be incorporated into a future Oct. 7 memorial installation.

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Oct. 7 one-year memorial

Photos: Peter Wine

Rabbis recited prayers and Psalms, leaders of Jewish community organizations lit memorial candles, and "victory before peace" emerged as a rallying cry at the Jewish Federation's program to mark one year to the day since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre.

From the podium of the multipurpose room at the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education in Centerville, Temple Beth Or's Rabbi Judy Chessin noted that the Jewish community's prayers for peace may be out of order.

"Of course we want peace," she said. "We dream of peace.

There’s nothing that we wouldn’t give for every child of God to dwell without fear under his vine or under her Temple Beth Or song leader Mary 'Mahira' Rogers sings One Day, an anfig tree. But this last year has them of peace made famous by Matisyahu, at the Jewish Federation's metaught us that maybe that morial program to mark one year since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre. prayer for peace comes second. person in the region — Jewish, a blessing for all sides of the "Today, we understand that Muslim, and Christian — could conflict, and it comes from at first we must beseech God live not in fear, not strength. And then, peace will to grant victory to afraid of harm of the follow."

Israel and the forces other. Victory would A false peace, Chessin added, of Western civilizamean that each party would be a recipe for continued tion." to this long conflict suffering and conflict.

Victory for Israel, would drop their "This war is horrible. Every the rabbi said, would delusional view that war is horrible. Today’s sufmean victory for the their adversaries will fering is immense. But that’s entire region and that someday disappear. the reason we should be more Israelis could return "Victory first. That determined than even a year to their homes.

Rabbi Judy Chessin kind of victory is ago."

— Marshall Weiss "And that every Peter Wine

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PAGE 2

Gideon Shapero (L) and Isaac McManus work together to transport their favorite pumpkins at PJ Library & PJ Our Way's Down on the Farm event with JCC Camp Shalom, Sept. 29 at Candlebrook Farms in Bellbrook.

Arts..............................24 Ca l e n da r. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 7

Mazel Tov.................................19 Obituaries........................... 27

O p i n i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 8 Religion.......................... 20

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

THE REGION

Springfield's only rabbi regrets JTA interview denigrating Haitians Though he insists he was taken out of context, interview was 'politicized.'

Marshall Weiss

By Marshall Weiss, The Observer A day after JTA distributed the news story, The only rabbi in Springfield, Ohio, says local Haitian migrants lack ‘Western civilized values,’ the rabbi, Cary Kozberg, issued a statement that he took “responsibility for the pain I have caused and deeply regret it.”

In the Sept. 19 article by Andrew Lapin, Kozberg, the part-time rabbi for Springfield’s Temple Sholom, was quoted as saying about Springfield’s Haitian community: • “This is about a culture clash. We, as the citizens of Springfield, are being disenfranchised.” When asked to clarify which communities he believed have been disenfranchised, Kozberg said, “White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant” people.

• “Haiti is not known for its, shall we say, adherence to Western civilized values.”

• “When Jews came here, they wanted to assimilate, they wanted to be good Americans. In fact, they jettisoned a lot of their Temple Sholom President Laurie Leventhal with Rabbi Cary own Jewish background to become good Kozberg in 2016, when Kozberg returned to the Springfield Americans. That’s not necessarily the case congregation as its part-time rabbi with these folks, and that’s where a lot of the frustration is.” much more about the immigration situation in • “Tzedakah (giving) is about concentric circles. Springfield. My opinions have definitely been If other people are helping the Haitians, God modified.” bless. I’m not saying they shouldn’t be helped.

Also on the phone with Kozberg at Temple But I think there needs to be a focus on the folks Sholom in Springfield was the congregation’s that have been disenfranchised by what’s going president, Laurie Leventhal, who issued her own on.” statement on behalf of Temple Sholom.

• He claimed some of his congregants had “Our members embrace the Jewish teachings been forced to move from their apartments beof welcoming the stranger and we practice social cause “the Haitians were trashing the complex.” justice or tikun olam,” her statement read. “We • “Another congregant was injured in a car ac- were quite saddened to read Rabbi Kozberg’s cident because Haitians don’t drive the way we interview in the JTA. He was not speaking for the drive here in this country.” congregation when he was interviewed. He tried In Kozberg’s statement of apology, which to clarify certain points, and we appreciate that he read to The Observer via phone on Sept. 20, he has done more research since the interview. he said, “As a part-time rabbi living an hour He has come to a better understanding of the from Springfield (in Columbus), I was not situation here in Springfield.” well-informed on the situation with the Haitian Leventhal said Temple Sholom supports its immigrants. Since the interview, I have learned Continued on Page Four

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Rabbi regrets interview

Continued from Page Three rabbi. “We stand with him as a person. He represents the Jewish community here, but not with that article.

We are here because of him, because of our rabbi. He’s made us stronger.”

‘People make mistakes’

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PAGE 4

during our interview — that Trump and Vance were very much a part of this story.”

Lapin added that Kozberg expressed a strong interest in talking to him about how he viewed the presence of the Haitian community in Springfield.

Kozberg told The Observer he could understand why people who read his JTA interview would think what he said was racist. He also confirmed that he was not misquoted.

But the rabbi insisted his words were taken out of context.

“He has been a very open Trump supporter,” Lapin said of Kozberg.

“And so that seemed relevant to talk about. And so, yes, this was a political story, but I do not believe that I politicized it. As a journalist, it was my job to inquire about the political elements of this very political story.”

Kozberg told The Observer it wasn’t his intention to make racist statements. “I misspoke,” he said. “I don’t believe all Haitians are bad. Most people don’t know me as a racist.

People make mistakes. And I made a mistake. I should have been more clear in terms of how I expressed my understanding of the situation.”

The rabbi added he did not expect the JTA interview to be “so politicized.”

‘Are we going to ruin a person’s “I should have shut the interview life because of this? No.’ down,” he said. “That was another Leventhal, the congregation’s mistake.” president, said she doesn’t agree with When asked how JTA’s Andrew what Kozberg said in the JTA article.

Lapin politicized the interview, “I live here,” she said. “He didn’t Kozberg said the reporter wanted understand that, really about the a specific response about RepubliHaitian community. If you don’t can presidential candidate/former live here, and you’re only President Donald Trump’s coming in for an hour to do comments. services, and you’re doing “He obviously did a class on Zoom, maybe he research about my politishould have been a little bit cal views and things I had more aware of it before he written, and injected those spoke. Mistakes happen. into the interview,” KozPeople make mistakes. Are berg said. “I did not want to we going to ruin a person’s go there. But unfortunately, life because of this? No.” I was too wrapped up in Because of incidents and what was being said and the legitimate, continuing trying to clarify that I obvithreat of hate groups doxously misspoke, and he ran with it the way he needed JTA Senior Reporter ing Springfield residents via Andrew Lapin social media, The Observer to.” agreed to interview memLapin is JTA’s senior reporter. He told The Observer that after bers of Temple Sholom for this story without using their names. several days of seeing Springfield in Doxing is to publicly publish prithe headlines “for Trump and Vance vate information about someone, esspreading the lies about Haitian migrants, it was clear that a Jewish angle pecially as a punishment or revenge.

All four congregants The Observer was starting to emerge.” interviewed agreed they had never National Jewish groups began to heard the rabbi say anything racist or speak out on behalf of the Haitian community in Springfield, specifically write anything racist in his role as the congregation’s rabbi. citing Jewish texts and the history They also agreed that the rabbi of American attitudes toward Jews, always had guardrails for his role Lapin said. within the congregation against talk“There are many Jewish leaders ing or writing about politics. who feel there was a parallel in how They knew that beyond the conTrump and Vance were talking about gregation, the rabbi had expressed the Haitians in Springfield,” Lapin his staunch support online for current said. “This story really just started Republican policies and that he supwith my editor and I saying, ‘I wonder what the Jews who are in Spring- ports Donald Trump for president.

And although Temple Sholom field — who are the most proximate identifies as a Reform Jewish conto the community everybody is talkgregation and is a founding member ing about — are thinking about and of the Union for Reform Judaism, responding to these challenges?'” congregants are aware of Kozberg’s Lapin said the obvious person to disdain for the Reform movement. interview was Kozberg because he is “A few years ago, it became apparthe only rabbi serving the only Jewish congregation in Springfield. When he ent that Reform Judaism — through the efforts of its rabbinic and layleadreached out to Kozberg, Lapin said, ers — was moving away from these the rabbi agreed to be interviewed. core Jewish beliefs,” Kozberg wrote “He understood that we were on two years ago in a White Rose Magathe record, and he understood very zine essay, The Reform Movement Left well — because we talked about it

THE DAYTON

OBSERVER daytonjewishobserver.org Editor and Publisher Marshall Weiss mweiss@jfgd.net 937-610-1555 Contributors Rabbi Leibel Agar, Talia Doninger, Candace R. Kwiatek Advertising Sales Executive Patty Caruso, plhc69@gmail.com Administrative Assistant Samantha Daniel, sdaniel@jfgd.net 937-610-1555 Billing Sheila Myers, smyers@jfgd.net 937-610-1555 Proofreaders Rachel Haug Gilbert, Steven H. Solomon Observer Advisor Martin Gottlieb Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton Dan Sweeny President Marni Flagel President Elect Meredith Levinson Secretary Neil Friedman Treasurer Ben Mazer VP Personnel Teddy Goldenberg VP Resource Dev. Mary Rita Weissman Immed. Past Pres.

Cathy Gardner CEO The Dayton Jewish Observer, Vol. 29, No. 2. The Dayton Jewish Observer is published monthly by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, a nonprofit corporation, 525 Versailles Dr., Dayton, OH 45459.

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Me. “Reform Judaism is embracing the values and teachings of political progressivism, while moving away from Jewish values and teachings derived from Jewish texts.”

pointed and hurt by things that were in that article: things he said that he didn’t think before he said them. He didn’t do the research before he said them. He has owned up to that.

He made a mistake, and we were really Congregants on disappointed that his the apology mistake pulled us into Of the Temple something that we Sholom members The didn’t want to be in on.

Observer interviewed “My rabbi is just for this story, two shaken to the core with Temple Sholom President Laurie Leventhal and Rabbi believed Kozberg’s this mistake he’s done.

Cary Kozberg in Temple Sholom’s Memorial Room, 2016. apology was genuine.

And we are not giving The other two hoped it was. ‘we’ experienced this, and my him a pass. He has asked lots “It’s kind of a hard pill to congregants as a whole experiof questions and learned lots of swallow, because while I’m a ence this is a gross overstep.” stuff about what’s going on in firm believer in restorative jusThis congregant was glad to Springfield, and he has changed tice, I also think that there are hear that the rabbi “hopefully his views. And that is how husevere repercussions that can genuinely feels like he made a man beings grow. And that is happen to our congregants,” mistake for the words that he what we are about. And I hope one member said. says.” that you will not go on a witch“No matter what we say How much of that is hearthunt and take a situation in a in the congregation, we may felt, that person added, remains city that is so hurting and make forgive, and that’s an especially to be seen. “I hope it’s a genuit worse.” wonderful thing, especially in ine sentiment from him and not the season of teshuva (return), something just to try and kind ‘We are small, but but we need to remember that of pray it away.” we are diverse.’ somebody from the outside is Another aspect of Kozberg’s going to look at that and think, ‘A lifetime view' rabbinate this congregant noted this is what Jews think. And A third congregant said sevis that he has made the temple whether that’s right or wrong eral Temple Sholom members welcoming to everyone.

— and I believe it’s wrong — have had a relationship with “We have people who have they’re going to assume we all Kozberg since 1977. come here for education. We hold that view and it’s going to “We were his first congregahave people who have come make us a target.” tion. And then, luckily, he came here for conversion and have To this Temple Sholom back to be our part-time rabbi, converted. We have community member, Kozberg’s words in which has kept our congregagroups, different congregathe JTA article were racist. “To tion going.” tions that have come here, who call another group of people This congregant also viewed want to come sit in one of our uncivilized and unassimilated what Kozberg said in the JTA services. We have had people is incredibly racist. It’s somepiece as racist. here who are Black, who are thing that was used to describe “Many of us were horrified Hispanic, who are Muslim, who Jews at one time and it’s just with the interview. But we are Hindu. uncalled for and should not be have a lifetime view of Rabbi “We are small, but we are used.”

Kozberg: what he’s done, how diverse. And it’s because he Another congregant was he handles himself in the comwelcomes people, and he tries angry at the rabbi after readmunity. I’m not a believer in to explain Judaism. He’s been ing the article. “The Haitian throwing Rabbi Kozberg under offering weekly online classes community is such a vulnerthe bus for one interview. I’m to people who are crazily able community right now. not happy about it, but the diverse, people who I probAnd their vulnerability makes survival of our temple is critiably wouldn’t say hi to in the us all vulnerable because the cal, and Rabbi Kozberg plays a grocery store because we’ve attention on the Haitians has critical role in that.” had historical issues, you know, brought in Blood Tribe memA fourth congregant emabout something. But we sit bers. We are a nation of imphasized that Temple Sholom together in these classes. He migrants. And Springfield is doesn’t do litmus tests on brings people together.” just so emblematic of our larger peoples’ politics. “But the probFor his part, Kozberg said nation. The other part that gets lem here is that the mistake that he’s doing teshuva. “I’m planme is that I’m not indigenous I think Cary made and I think ning to meet with some of the to the Americas. So much of my that you’re trying to do, you’re Haitian leaders. I’m going to own personal history is tied up still trying to couple two things be speaking about forgiveness, with immigration. If my greatthat are separate. Somebody admission of guilt, on Yom Kipgrandmother didn’t immigrate, talking to Cary Kozberg in pur.” she would have died with her Columbus in his car about poKozberg told The Observer brother in Auschwitz. litical issues is not the same as Oct. 15 that he had met with “And I don’t personally feel Cary Kozberg representing the Viles Dorsainvil, executive disenfranchised. I have Haitian Springfield congregation.” director of Springfield's Haineighbors. They’ve been wonThis congregant told The tian Community Health and derful. I don’t feel the disenObserver that “all of us felt Support Center, and that they franchisement the rabbi says deeply disappointed and hurt talked about working together.

I’m feeling. He can absolutely by some of the things that we express that he has heard from read in that article. Absolutely his congregants that one has disappointed. Hurt. Shocked.

The writer of this article was interhad to move, that another got And I will tell you that our viewed by Andrew Lapin for JTA’s into an accident, but to say that rabbi also feels deeply disaparticle about Kozberg.

Marshall Weiss

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

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Jews should “demonstrate support for immiRabbi Cary Kozberg’s Sept. 19 interview for grants because we were once in their position. a JTA story in which he disparaged Haitians We should naturally be expressing solidarity. in Springfield was condemned by Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Especially because they’re being maligned on the basis of a lie.”

Reform Judaism.

Following Kozberg's comments, other Jewish “The lies being spread about the Haitian groups issued statements supporting Springmigrant community in the U.S. are not only field’s Haitians and condemning the “demoniabsurd, but deeply dangerous. Political leaders, zation” of the group without naming Kozberg community leaders, and faith leaders – includdirectly, including the American Jewish Coming rabbis – have an obligation to push back,” mittee and 56 members of Jewish clergy across Pesner said in a statement to JTA. “As Jews, we Ohio, who published an unsigned letter with are all too familiar with the danger of spreading HIAS. conspiracy theories about minor“As Jewish clergy in Ohio, we 'We come together ity groups. We condemn it and stand in solidarity with the Haiurge others to do the same.” to stand against tian community in our state who Mark Hetfield, CEO of the have been slandered in ways that xenophobia and Jewish refugee aid group HIAS, impact their safety and the safety made a similar argument before for immigrant of our shared communities,” the Kozberg's interview. He said the communities.' letter said. anti-Haitian invective was “a "Jewish tradition has long new brand of blood libel.” HIAS understood the direct line between speech and issued a joint statement with the Jewish Council violence, placing lashon hora — evil speech for Public Affairs, a progressive group, and two — among the most grievous of sins for the other groups denouncing rumors about Hailife-threatening harm it can unleash. For these tians. reasons, we come together to stand against “It is ironic that this libel against Haitian immigrants coincides with the 100th anniversary of xenophobia and for immigrant communities. We demand our political leaders do the same.” the Johnson-Reed Act, where Congress legislated drastic immigration quotas largely motiLocal Jewish responses vated by antisemitism and a belief that Jewish Viles Dorsainvil, a local Haitian community immigrants were unassimilable,” Hetfield told leader in Springfield and the executive director JTA, referring to the 1924 legislation that all but ended Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe. of the Haitian Community Health and Support Center, said he was glad to receive a letter of Hetfield, who said he worried that Haitians could be the target of a violent attack, added that support from the Jewish Federation of Greater

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THE REGION Dayton, which it sent to him Sept. 19, the same day JTA published Kozberg’s interview.

In the letter, Jewish Federation CEO Cathy Gardner, Jewish Community Relations Council Director Jeff Blumer, and JCRC Chair Bonnie Beaman Rice introduced themselves as “your Jewish neighbors to the west” and added, “It is a core tenet of our faith to ‘welcome the stranger.’ We, along with so many others of different faiths and cultures, whose ancestors made this journey before you over the decades, support your quest, and welcome you. We are sending all our virtual thoughts of goodwill your way, including our prayers for your safety.”

The letter was touching, Dorsainvil said. “We’re so happy that the Jewish community in Dayton reached out to us,” he said, adding that he, too, saw similarities between what Jewish immigrants to the United States experienced in the past and what Haitian migrants are currently experiencing.

“When you first get to a place, you are just being denigrated,” he said. “Not only the Jewish, but other communities as well, went through the same thing.”

Dan Sweeny, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, and three rabbis from the Dayton area also issued statements after Kozberg's interview with JTA. "The Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton offers our support to all the residents of Springfield, including those who have more recently come to this country for the prom-

ise of opportunity," Sweeny's statement said. "We stand with you and extend our thoughts and prayers for your safety and your right to live peacefully."

Beth Abraham Synagogue's Rabbi Aubrey Glazer emphasized a lesson from Rabbi Judah Loew of Prague. "If words create and destroy worlds, then verbal oppression (ona'ah) is more severe and irreversible than monetary oppression, as it reflects a lack of reverence for the divine. If God created humanity in the divine imprint, then every creature deserves dignity and respect (kavod). If God created the world from a blueprint of compassion, then our interaction within the fabric of society holds the potential for holiness that is revealed and redeemed through our words that lead to acts of lovingkindness."

Rabbi Judy Chessin of Temple Beth Or cited the command in Deut. 10:19, "Love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt," to remind Jews that compassion and justice are stronger than the forces dividing members of the Jewish community.

"In a time when social media and political rhetoric seek to drive us apart, the debate around immigration, especially in places like Springfield, Ohio, can feel polarizing. Jewish voices from both the right and left offer solid and thoughtful opinions, yet we can find unity through the shared teachings of Hebrew scripture."

Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz of Temple Israel noted she was "profoundly disturbed" by Kozberg's comments about the

Haitian community in Springfield.

"Generalizing or devaluing others based on their culture or origins contradicts core Jewish values. Our tradition teaches us to treat all people with dignity and respond with empathy and understanding, no matter their background or circumstances.

We are called to uphold principles of compassion, justice, and the welcoming of strangers."

Bodney-Halasz was among the interfaith clergy to deliver prayers at a vigil in support of Haitian migrants on Sunday, Sept. 22 at Greater Grace Temple in Springfield.

Hate groups empowered

The Dayton Daily News reported Oct. 1 that the Ku Klux Klan, Blood Tribe, and Proud Boys were "routinely visiting Springfield, marching through city streets or distributing recruitment flyers and raising fear of intimidation and violence."

The article included reports that neo-Nazi Blood Tribe members stood in front of the home of Springfield's mayor, Rob Rue, and waved swastika flags there; people held a banner outside Springfield City Hall that read, "Haitians Have No Home Here" in English and Haitian Creole; a group associated with the KKK in Kentucky has distributed hate flyers in neighborhoods across Springfield; and that people who have identified themselves as members of the Proud Boys hate group have harassed local residents.

— Andrew Lapin, JTA and Marshall Weiss, The Observer

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THE REGION

Survivor, retired CSU prof., philanthropist dies at 93 Contributed

he didn't talk for about three through The Dayton FounRobinson said. months. When they got to the dation's African American He arrived at Central prison camp, he didn't talk. BeCommunity Fund. To date, State University — the cause he was told to be quiet." the fund has awarded scholpublic historically Black Svager managed to roam the arships totaling $101,000 to land-grant university in streets around the prison camp 28 students.

Wilberforce — in 1964 in Italy and became a money "I wanted a way to reas a professor of physchanger for the shopkeepers in member my wife," he told ics. Within a year, he the surrounding town. the Springfield News-Sun. chaired CSU's first ComHe obtained food to sustain "Since she and I had always puter Science Departhis family from sympathetic helped students, I needed to ment. townspeople and on the black create a scholarship fund."

It was at CSU where market. "And the shopkeepers Robinson said Aleksanhe met his future wife, liked him because they didn't dar Svager wasn't religious Prof. of Mathematics think that the police would until after his wife died.

Thyrsa Frazier. Accordcome after him since he was "They did have a menorah ing to the American a boy," Robinson said. "It was in their window, but he also Physics Society, she was bad, but it could have been gave each of the nieces and the 10th African Amerimuch worse." can woman to receive a Wilberforce residents and Central State University nephews (his wife's family) professors Aleksandar and Thyrsa Svager were When World War II ended, a crisp $100 bill for ChristPh.D. in math. the Svager family returned to mas, even after they graduOn CSU's commence- married for 31 years until her death in 1999.

Yugoslavia. Aleksandar Svager department, it was a lot better ated from college. He was ment day in 1968, they studied and taught generous." were married at her than it could have been."

The couple lived parents' home in at the Nuclear The Svagers decided they Temple Israel Rabbi EmeriInstitute of Zagreb on one paycheck. Wilberforce. wanted to help female African tus David Sofian met Svager in and the University American students pursue and 2004 when he came to the DayAlthough interThey saved of Sarajevo. ton congregation to talk about racial marriage had obtain mathematics degrees.

He obtained The couple lived on one burying his mother. the other to fund been legal in Ohio a student visa in paycheck. They saved the other "I distinctly remember meresince 1887 — when 1960 to study in the scholarships. ly asking him to tell me about the state's "anti-mis- to fund scholarships.

United States and "They never had children," her," Sofian said. "His answer cegenation" law of left the Communist country for Robinson said. For three was long and detailed, giving 1861 was repealed — it didn't Texas Christian University in decades, they helped students me everything I needed to probecome legal across the United Fort Worth, where he earned ceed with the funeral. He used States until June 12, 1967, when they knew who were in need. his master's degree in physics.

"Whenever a kid needed to tell me I got him to talk more the Supreme Court ruled in "After that, he got a master's money, we gave it and we about himself and his family favor of Mildred and Richard of art so he could get a teaching Loving in Loving v. Virginia. never said it was a gift or a that day than anyone else ever job and prolong his educational had. We became friendly after "They were a good match for loan," Aleksandar Svager told stint without putting his relathe Springfield News-Sun in a that." each other," Robinson said of tives (in Yugoslavia) in danger," Thyrsa and Aleksandar Svager. 2017 interview.

The rabbi said Svager joined Thyrsa Svager retired from the temple and attended its "Since Wilberforce is preCSU as provost and vice presiTorah study class almost every dominantly African American, dent for academic affairs in Shabbat morning, "contributing they were much more accept1993. Aleksandar Svager retired interesting comments, mostly ing of my brother-in-law, and in 1996. stemming from his backsince he was on the faculty After his wife's death in 1999, ground, which everyone in the and chairperson of the physics he established the Thyrsa Fragroup enjoyed." department, and she was the Sofian said Svager was often chairperson of the mathematics zier Svager Scholarship Fund the first one to arrive for Torah A Healthy Alternative study. "He liked to laugh, and We Use The Best Ingredients I was happy to see him each Prepared Fresh Daily Shabbat morning. Indeed, he was such a regular, if he wasn't there, we worried that maybe something happened."

Svager was the lead donor 536 Wilmington Ave. when the temple commissioned a new Torah scroll in 2007.

Dayton, OH 45420 It was at about that time 937-259-9866 when Svager began sharing his story with students and community groups in Xenia.

ND LOCATION! He lit one of the six memorial candles at the 2018 Greater 2747 W. Alex Bell Rd. Dayton Yom Hashoah ObMoraine, OH 45459 servance, held at Beth Jacob Congregation. * Hot Pot Available * One middle school student 937-259-8882 who heard his testimony at school wrote," Dr. Svager's Mon-Thu: 10:30 am-10 pm story is one that I'll remember Fri-Sat: 10:30 am-10:30 pm MSG for the rest of my life."

— Marshall Weiss Sun: 11:30 a.m-10 pm

Aleksandar Svager, who along with his wife, the late Thyrsa Svager, funded numerous college scholarships for African American women to complete their degrees in mathematics, died Oct. 3 at Brookdale Oakwood. He was 93.

"He always thought about helping people in my sister's culture because education was quite important to the man," Thyrsa Svager's sister, Constance Robinson, told The Observer.

"He was always about educating people in math and science. He really wanted people to excel."

At age 10 in 1941, Svager and his parents fled their home in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia hours before the Nazis were to arrest and transport them to Auschwitz, Robinson said.

"They got as far as Italy before they were taken to a prison camp. I'm not sure which one it was."

Robinson said her late brother-in-law rarely talked about his story of survival when he married into her family. To her knowledge, he never wrote about his Holocaust experiences or recorded them for an oral history.

She shared as much as she knew.

"When they were escaping,

CJ CHAN www.mycjchan.com

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THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

DAYTON

Gala to benefit Hillel Academy

The Dayton region's Jewish day school, Hillel Academy, will host One Enchanting Evening, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16 at the PNC Arts Annex, 46 W. Second St., Dayton. The fundraiser will feature the Hauer Swing Band, a gaming parlor, kosher hors d'oeuvres and desserts, cocktails and mocktails.

The cost is $95 per person, $180 per couple and includes free parking at the Arts Garage, 121 W. Second St. RSVP by Nov. 8 at daytonhillel.org.

History of the Jewish vote topic of brunch discussion Nov. 24 Gary Zola, executive director emeritus of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati, will present the talk, Ballot Box Priorities: Do Jews Consider Themselves Jewish Americans or American Jews When They Vote? as part of Temple Israel's Ryterband Lecture Series, 9:45 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 24. Zola is Gary Zola the Ackerman Family Distinguished Professor of the American Jewish Experience and Reform Jewish History at

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

The Temple Israel Brotherhood sponsors the Ryterband Series, which also includes brunch. Beth Abraham Synagogue Men's Club's Rick Pinsky Brunch Speaker Series is partnering for this program. The cost is $7.

Temple Israel is located at 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. For more information, go to tidayton.org or call 937-496-0050.

The Synagogue Forum of Greater Dayton presents its 14-session Introduction to Judaism course on Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. beginning Nov. 12 and running through March 4.

The annual class is open to anyone interested in Jewish learning, dialogue, and exploration. A hybrid course, some sessions are held at local synagogues, some via Zoom, with all sessions available online.

The course offers an indepth look at Judaism from

Conservative, Orthodox, Traditional, and Reform perspectives. Instructors are rabbis from Dayton’s synagogues.

Topics include God and theology, sacred texts, peoplehood, Zionism, Jewish history, personal observance, life cycles, Shabbat, community, holidays, prayer and liturgy, antisemitism and the Holocaust.

Registration is $36 for an individual or couple. For more information or to enroll, email Rabbi Judy Chessin at rabbichessin@templebethor.com.

2419 Far Hills Ave. Oakwood, OH 45419 937.461.9450 Tue-Fri 10am-5:30pm Sat 10am-4pm jaffejewelry.com

Temple Beth Or PTSD session for veterans Introduction to Judaism course Temple Beth Or will honor veterans in the Dayton area with an awareness session about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder led by psychiatrist Dr. Steve Taylor, 9:30 a.m. to noon, Sunday, Nov. 10.

Taylor, who has extensive experience treating PTSD, will talk about causes, symptoms, treatments, and resources available for veterans and their families.

The free event is open to the public and will include refreshments and raffle prizes. Temple Beth Or is located at 5725 Marshall Rd., Washington Township. Register at templebethor. com/adult-education.

Virtual info. session for int'l Jewish gen conference in Ft. Wayne next summer The International Association of Jewish Genealogy Societies will host its annual conference in Fort Wayne, Ind., Aug. 10-14, 2025 — only a 2-hour, 15-minute drive from Dayton. Fort Wayne is known for its exceptional genealogical resources through the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.

IAJGS will host a virtual information/Q&A session at 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 10 about the 2025 conference.

Miami Valley Jewish Genealogy & History, a project of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, is a member of IAJGS. Marshall Weiss is Miami Valley JG&H's project director.

To register for the Nov. 10 virtual program and for conference details, go to iajgs2025.org or contact Weiss at mweiss@ jfgd.net.

UD Kristallnacht observance Nov. 6

The University of Dayton will hold its annual Kristallnacht Remembrance, 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 6 at the Immaculate Conception Chapel. Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass — Nov. 9 and 10, 1938 in Nazi Germany — is considered the start of the Holocaust. Assistant Prof. Ryu-Kung Kim will conduct UD’s World Music Choir. The observance will also be livestreamed. For more information, contact UD Executive Director of Campus Ministry Crystal Sullivan at csullivan1@udayton.edu.

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THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

PAGE 9

DAYTON

One of Our Greatest Mitzvot

W

orking together to benefit our community, Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Dayton was formed to preserve the dignity of our three Jewish cemeteries in perpetuity. But consolidating the administration and operations of these properties is more than a good business strategy. It’s the ultimate act of tzedakah.

That’s why we created an endowment organization to maintain the sanctity, integrity, and perpetuity of Beth Abraham, Beth Jacob, and Temple Israel cemeteries.

Judaism teaches us that honoring, respecting, and caring for a person who has died is one of our greatest mitzvot.

Visiting a cemetery expresses respect for the departed, reinforces our connections with them, and shows that their memory has not been forgotten.

Join us in this sacred effort to preserve the eternal homes of the generations that came before us, care for our hometown Jewish community, and look out for future generations who will need our care.

Donations can be made to Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Dayton 525 Versailles Drive, Dayton, OH 45459 or scan the QR Code below to donate on our website.

Stories to connect generations — and one another Story and Photos by Talia Doninger Special To The Observer Local Native Americans visited children with Beth Abraham Synagogue's religious school Oct. 13 to share the art of their traditional storytelling.

The Conservative congregation's new religious school director, Elyssa Wortzman, organized the program to explore how Native Americans and Jews use stories to connect generations and preserve histories.

“Storytelling is essential to the identity of both cultures,” Wortzman said. “This program allows our students to learn that while our traditions may be different, the purpose behind our stories — teaching, connecting, and preserving values — is the same.”

Yavonne McGarry, a member of the Athabascan people, shared a story her grandmother first told her as a child in Alaska: The Beaver and the Porcupine.

“Animals are considered our relatives,” McGarry said. “Just like us, they have their own stories, and through them, we learn how to live in harmony with the earth.”

One student asked why animals were prominent in Native American stories; this prompted a discussion about symbolism and spirituality.

Another student said, “Animals are almost like their own medium of storytelling.”

Wortzman shared the story of Noah’s ark in Genesis, which draws on animals, the environment, and spirituality to convey lessons of kindness, sacrifice, and a connection to nature.

“Our stories may sound different, but they reflect universal human experiences: of struggle, resilience, and hope,” Wortzman said. “We’re teaching them that storytelling connects us not only to our past but also to one another.”

The session also provided hands-on experiences.

After each speaker shared a story, students were encouraged to draw their emotional responses, to engage in a creative form of midrash, of creating their own values-based stories.

“It was an organic process. The children were able to add their own layer of meaning,” Wortzman said.

Shelly Corbin, of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, introduced the concept of Wakan Tanka, the Native American term for Great Spirit or Great Mystery.

“Wakan Tanka isn’t just one entity,” Corbin explained. “It’s the spirit that moves through all of creation — plants, animals, humans, and even the wind.

Preserving Our Past Ensuring Our Future

daytonjewishcemeteries.org PAGE 10

Yavonne McGarry holds her grandmother's photo as she shares a story from her youth.

Guy Jones, president of the Miami Valley Council for Native Americans, shares a story with students at Beth Abraham Synagogue's religious school as the school's director, Elyssa Wortzman, listens.

It’s the understanding that everything is connected.”

Guy Jones, a member of the Hunkpapa band of the Lakota people of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and a founder of the Miami Valley Council for Native Americans, shared that he moved here nearly 40 years ago.

"What drew me to Dayton was the four rivers gathered, illustrating a hand. I went to the East and some of the first welcoming people I met were of Jewish faith,” Jones said.

Wortzman envisions this program as part of a broader religious school curriculum to incorporate more diverse learning experiences.

“Learning about other cultures helps deepen our appreciation for our own,” she said. “It opens our minds and enriches our traditions.”

Although Native American and Jewish storytelling share common themes, the methods they employ are different. Native American stories are typically presented orally and may involve visual symbols like sand paintings, totems, and even yarn to help illustrate the narratives. Jewish storytelling frequently draws on written texts from the Torah and the Talmud, though the Talmud was originally transmitted orally.

“Native American tales may evolve with each telling, with the adaptation of the storyteller's voice and the needs of the audience, compared to Jewish stories that retain a fixed form to preserve religious teachings,” Wortzman said.

Both traditions emphasize the importance of passing down stories to sustain cultural identity and moral values across generations.

“We are energy and speak our stories into existence. Storytelling creates emotion and memory, allowing us to connect with one another on a profound level,” Corbin said.

“In sharing our traditions, we not only preserve our past but also build bridges between our cultures, enriching the lives of Emelia Perkins draws an emotional everyone involved.” response to a story.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

DAYTON Sophia Cohen

Air Force Jr. ROTC cadets help clean headstones at Beth Jacob Cemetery

Before a Shabbat service, Who do you call when you need volunteers to help Orcutt heard Rabbi Leibel Agar clean headstones at a cemetery that dates to 1875? In talk about the need for volunBeth Jacob Congregation's case, they called on the Air teers to clean the headstones.

Force Junior ROTC at Tecumseh High School in New That's when he suggested his Carlisle. Nine cadets teamed up with cadets help with the job. seven members of the synagogue on Cadet Dylan Williams, a seSept. 15 to carefully clean more than nior, said the rabbi explained 100 stones in the cemetery's oldest the meaning of the Jewish section. symbols on the headstones as "It's buckets and toothbrushes and they cleaned. He also translatregular scrub brushes and water," ed the Hebrew for the cadets. said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. DenBeth Jacob Rabbi Leibel Agar (L) and congregant Chief Dennis Orcutt, Tecumseh High "It was kind of neat," nis Orcutt, Tecumseh High School's School AFJROTC instructor, guide three of the nine students — Cadets Salters, Miller, and Orcutt said, "when the rabbi AFJROTC instructor. Orcutt is also a Williams — who volunteered to clean headstones at the synagogue's cemetery, Sept. 15. explained the mitzvah (comBeth Jacob member.

— their great-grandfather — they still wanted to come mandment) of doing this."

Tecumseh ROTC's Kitty Hawk Air over and show their respect. That made me more moIn Judaism, kavod hamet, honoring the dead, is conSociety, the honor society for cadets, Chief Dennis Orcutt tivated to clean that gravestone." sidered one of the highest mitzvot (commandments), a already volunteers each year to clean veterans' headThough the volunteers didn't repair any broken selfless act of chesed (lovingkindness) with no possibilstones and markers at Medway Cemetery. headstones, Orcutt said they put some back that were ity of reciprocity.

For the Beth Jacob Cemetery project, Orcutt recruitoff their bases.

According to the synagogue, there are 1,307 coned volunteers from among all his cadets.

"And there was at least one that was broken, and it firmed burials at its cemetery. The earliest documentSynagogue board secretary Helen Halcomb said was off to the side. We picked it up and put it all right the headstone project came about when members first ed burial was a 9-year-old boy, C. Frank, in 1880. there where it was together, at least."

"Another thing we learned was there are a lot of went out to clean the cemetery grounds.

Halcomb said the volunteers who went out there rocks on top of the gravestones, symbolizing that "We got all the limbs off the tombstones, and then got out of it more than they gave. "The difference of you could really see how bad it was," she said. "People people came over and visited," Williams said. before and after is impressive. It's a great mitzvah."

"It was mind-blowing when we saw all those rocks who have family here, most of them take care of their Orcutt said he'll offer the project up to his cadets on old gravestones, just to realize that some people families' gravestones. It was for the people who don't again in the spring.

— Marshall Weiss actually do care. Even if they've never met the person have family, the older section, the baby section."

MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR

Tom Adinaro

It’s Easy To Make Friends

Meet Tom Adinaro, a 25-year Army veteran and retired colonel who embodies the spirit of community and vibrant living at Bethany Village. As an active women’s volleyball official, he referees at college, high school, and club levels, recently officiating an NCAA game. His passion for bringing people together is evident in the neighborhood get-togethers, fostering a sense of camaraderie and connection within his block.

Scan the QR code and discover how Tom continues to serve and engage with his community or call us to schedule a personal consultation with Dana today.

(937) 731-3900 BethanyLutheranVillage.org/neighbors

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

PAGE 11

THE NATION

ADL: antisemitic incidents in U.S. up more than 200% since last Oct. 7

Join us for an enchanting evening featuring the Hauer Swing Band. Immerse yourself in our elegant gaming parlor, savor delectable kosher hors d’oeuvres and desserts, and delight in our expertly crafted cocktails and mocktails.

Experience an unforgettable night where glamour and generosity unite to support Hillel Academy of Greater Dayton.

PAGE 12

By Kirsten Beard Cleveland Jewish News More than 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the United States were reported in the year since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s preliminary data, as stated in an Oct. 7 news release. This is the highest number of incidents ever recorded in any single-year period since the ADL began data tracking in 1979.

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, said in the release that since Oct. 7, 2023, “Jewish Americans haven’t had a single moment of respite. Instead, we’ve faced a shocking number of antisemitic threats and experienced calls for more violence against Israelis and Jews everywhere.”

The newly released figures from Oct. 7, 2023 to Sept. 24, 2024 represent over a 200% increase compared to the incidents reported to the ADL during the same period a year before, which saw 3,325 incidents, the release stated.

According to the ADL Center on Extremism, which gathers reports and tracks antisemitic incident data, the more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents break down into categories including over 8,015 incidents of verbal or written harassment, over 1,840 incidents of vandalism, and over 150 incidents of physical assault.

At least 1,200 of these antisemitic incidents happened on college campuses, according to the ADL. In the same

period a year before, the ADL recorded about 200 incidents, representing a 500% increase.

More than 2,000 of the incidents occurred at Jewish institutions including synagogues and Jewish centers, where more than half of all incidents took the form of bomb threats.

There were 81 bomb threats against Jewish institutions recorded in the same period in the prior year.

The ADL’s preliminary data found that more than 3,000 of all the incidents took place during anti-Israel rallies, which featured regular explicit expressions of support for terrorist groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine — one of the most concerning antisemitic trends the ADL captured since Oct. 7, 2023.

The ADL tracks incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and assault in the United States every year, and the data is published annually in its Audit of Antisemitic Incidents.

In 2023, the ADL recorded an unprecedented total number of 8,873 antisemitic incidents, a 140% increase from the previous year.

According to the release, the ADL expects these preliminary figures to increase as it receives more incident reports from partners, law enforcement, and victims. The final antisemitic incident data for 2024 will be published in the spring of 2025.

FBI: Jews targeted more often than other religious groups in '23

By Luke Tress, JTA Jews were targeted in 1,832 hate crimes in the United States last year, far more than any other religious group and a steep increase over 2022, according to FBI data released Sept. 23.

The number of anti-Jewish hate crimes last year, when Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel sparked a spike in antisemitism worldwide, represented a 63% increase over 2022, when there were 1,122 incidents reported.

Jews, who make up about 2.5% of the U.S. population, are regularly targeted more often than any other religious group, according to the FBI’s data.

In 2023, Jews were targeted in 68% of all hate crimes motivated by religion, and in 15% of the total 11,862 hate crimes tallied against all groups. That total number of incidents is an increase of about 250 from 2022.

Muslims were the second most targeted religious group, victim to a total of 236 incidents, an increase from the 205 recorded in 2022. Black Americans, who comprise around 13% of the U.S. population, were subject to 3,027 hate crimes and were the only group targeted more often than Jews.

The FBI said 16,009 agencies around the country sent in hate crimes data, covering 95.2% of the U.S. population, although not all agencies submitted data for every month of the year.

As in previous years, several large cities did not report any hate crime data, something Jewish organizations have long sought to address via legislation. For 2023, several large cities such as Orlando, Fla. and Newark, N.J. did not report any data.

There were 2,002 total offenses against Jews, including 1,000 cases of vandalism, 700 of intimidation, 112 cases of assault and 62 of aggravated assault. There were seven cases of antisemitic arson, and no antisemitic murders recorded by the FBI. There were 2,069 Jewish victims, of whom 1,136 were adults and 128 were minors.

Different groups use differing standards and methods to quantify the level of antisemitism in the United States.

The Secure Community Network, a Jewish security agency, said it had recorded more than 5,400 threats and suspicious incidents in 2023 and said the FBI’s report did “not fully reflect the scope of the threat.”

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

November 2024 JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2 - 4PM CABS Opening Event – Larry Tye, The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America

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UPCOMING EVENTS

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 7 - 11PM JYG Late Night @ the J SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 3 - 5PM PJ Our Way Topgolf Takeover TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 9AM - 1PM JFS Medicare Check Up Day

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 7 - 9PM CABS Zoom Event – Thomas Harding, The Maverick: George Weidenfeld and the Golden Age of Publishing SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 10:30AM - 1PM Women's Philanthropy Brunch

Connect with us! Check out our events.

For more information, check out our calendar at jewishdayton.org.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 7:30 - 10PM JCC Culture Club at the Schuster Center

PJ Our Way Topgolf Takeover Sunday, November 10, 3 – 5PM at Topgolf 9568 Water Front Drive, West Chester, 45069 PJOW Topgolf Takeover! Kids ages 9-12 hit the driving range for a fun afternoon with their friends.

We will have a special mitzvah activity to support those in need. Parents are welcome to drop off their children for this PJOW program or stay and chat! $18 per family. RSVP by November 7.

Saturday, November 9, 7 – 11PM at the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture & Education 525 Versailles Drive, Centerville, 45459 Jr. Youth Group will take over the J for late-night fun! We will play flashlight tag, make s’mores, play games, do crafts, and eat way too much junk food. This is also a great opportunity for parents to enjoy a dinner out alone!

To register, visit jewishdayton.org/events Questions? Please contact Kate Elder at kelder@jfgd.net

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

$10 per person. RSVP by November 1 at jewishdayton.org/events.

Questions? Contact Suzzy Nandrasy at snandrasy@jfgd.net.

PAGE 13

November 2024 JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

To purchase tickets for in person events or to register for free events, please visit jewishdayton.org/events or call 937-610-1555.

Sunday, February 2, 2025 at 2 PM In partnership with the Greater Dayton LGBT Center & Jewish Family Services of Greater Dayton

OPENING EVENT “ALL THAT JAZZ” Sunday, November 3 at 2PM In partnership with the University of Dayton Departments of Communication and Music and the Alumni Chair in the Humanities

via Zoom — enjoy from the comfort of your home!

No Cost Sara Glass, Kissing Girls on Shabbat: A Memoir

Featuring a Performance by the Dayton Jazz Ensemble directed by Dr. Willie Morris III

Jewish Family Services OF GREATER DAYTON

University of Dayton Roger Glass Center for the Arts (29 Creative Way, Dayton 45479) Free parking in Lot S-1 Cost: $10 (No cost to students with valid student ID)

Sunday, February 16, 2025 at 7 PM In partnership with JCC Book Club

Larry Tye, The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America

via Zoom — enjoy from the comfort of your home!

No Cost

Thursday, November 14 at 7 PM

Eric Z. Weintraub, South of Sepharad: The 1492 Jewish Expulsion from Spain

via Zoom — enjoy from the comfort of your home!

No Cost

Sunday, March 9, 2025 at 4PM In partnership with Beth Abraham Sisterhood

Thomas Harding, The Maverick: George Weidenfeld and the Golden Age of Publishing

Beth Abraham Synagogue (305 Sugar Camp Circle, Oakwood, 45409) Cost: $10 FEATURING a sampling of the authors’ recipes

Sunday, December 8 at 2PM In partnership with Wright Memorial Public Library & Hadassah

Rachel Gordon Barnett & Lyssa Kligman Harvey, Kugels and Collards: Stories of Food, Family, and Tradition in Jewish South Carolina

Wright Memorial Public Library (1776 Far Hills Avenue, Oakwood 45419) No Cost Julie Satow, When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion

Sunday, March 30, 2025 at 7 PM via Zoom — enjoy from the comfort of your home!

No Cost

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at 7 PM

Philip Eil, Prescription for Pain: How a Once Promising Doctor Became the “Pill Mill Killer”

via Zoom — enjoy from the comfort of your home!

No Cost

C LO S I N G E V E N T

Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath, #antisemitism: Coming of Age During the Resurgence of Hate

“EXPEDITION TO EVEREST” Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 2PM In Partnership with Washington-Centerville Public Library & Women’s Philanthropy

Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 7 PM via Zoom — enjoy from the comfort of your home!

No Cost David S. Tatel, VISION: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice

Jewish Community Center OF GREATER DAYTON

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Woodbourne Library (6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, 45459) No Cost Jewish Federation

®

OF GREATER DAYTON

JCC CULTURAL ARTS PROGRAMMING IS MADE POSSIBLE BY A GRANT FROM OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORTER OHIO ARTS COUNCIL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

November 2024 JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER EVENTS OPENING EVENT “ALL THAT JAZZ” Sunday, November 3 at 2PM In partnership with the University of Dayton Departments of Communication and Music and the Alumni Chair in the Humanities

Featuring a Performance by the Dayton Jazz Ensemble directed by Dr. Willie Morris III University of Dayton - Roger Glass Center for the Arts (29 Creative Way, Dayton 45479) Free parking in Lot S-1 Cost: $10 (No cost to students with valid student ID) Books available for purchase and book signing at event Larry Tye, The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America The Jazzmen by Larry Tye is a captivating exploration of the lives and music of some of the most influential figures in jazz history. Tye delves into the personal and professional stories of three of the most iconic jazz legends, highlighting their contributions to the genre and their impact on American culture, especially the civil rights movement and their bonds with Jewish musicians and managers. Through rich anecdotes and thorough research, Tye paints a vivid picture of the jazz scene, bringing to life the vibrant and often tumultuous world of these groundbreaking musicians. The book is a tribute to the creativity, resilience, and enduring legacy of the jazzmen who shaped the soundscape of the 20th century.

Thursday, November 14 at 7 PM via Zoom — enjoy from the comfort of your home!

No Cost Thomas Harding, The Maverick: George Weidenfeld and the Golden Age of Publishing George Weidenfeld was a British publisher, philanthropist, and political activist. He founded the Weidenfeld & Nicolson publishing house in 1948, which became renowned for its contributions to the literary world. Weidenfeld introduced the works of over 6,000 authors. Included among them were Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, Saul Bellow’s Herzog, and Mary McCarthy’s The Group. Weidenfeld was also known for his humanitarian efforts, particularly his work in helping Jewish refugees, his ardent Zionism, and his involvement in various charitable organizations.

Sunday, December 8 at 2PM In partnership with Wright Memorial Public Library & Hadassah Wright Memorial Public Library (1776 Far Hills Avenue, Oakwood 45419) No Cost Books available for purchase and book signing at event Julie Satow, When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion When Women Ran Fifth Avenue by Julie Satow explores the dynamic and transformative period of the early 20th century when women began to assert their influence on New York City’s Fifth Avenue. The book delves into the lives of pioneering women who challenged societal norms, shaped fashion, and left an indelible mark on one of the world’s most famous streets. Through rich historical detail and vivid storytelling, Satow brings to life the social, cultural, and economic impact these trailblazing women had on the heart of Manhattan.

To purchase tickets for in-person events or to register for free events, please visit jewishdayton.org/events or call 937-610-1555

Jewish Community Center OF GREATER DAYTON

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

JCC CULTURAL ARTS PROGRAMMING IS MADE POSSIBLE BY A GRANT FROM OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORTER OHIO ARTS COUNCIL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL.

PAGE 15

November 2024 JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

Legacies, Tributes, & Memorials FEDERATION

ANNUAL CAMPAIGN In honor of Wendy Lipp receiving the JCC Volunteer of the Year Award Jared, Blayne, and Brendon Goldwasser JEWISH CEMETERIES FUND In memory of Marilyn Scher Brenda and Scott Meadow and Jeffrey Kantor Ellen Weprin Ellie and Bob Bernstein Rosalyn and Sharon Mosrow Marni Flagel Donna Holt

JCC

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER FUND In honor of Wendy Lipp receiving the JCC Volunteer of the Year Award Lori Lipp, Amy and Morris Maslia JFS

JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES DISCRETIONARY FUND In memory of Marilyn Scher Sue and Joe Gruenberg

JOE BETTMAN MEMORIAL TZADIK AWARD FUND Thank you, Bettman Family, for honoring us with the Joe Bettman Award Joan and Peter Wells In memory of the father of Debbie Lieberman Todd, Jean, Michael, and Jeremy Bettman

Let's do a KNITZVAH MEDICARE CHECK UP DAYS

Learn ways to: Stay Informed. Stay Healthy. Save Money.

Tuesday, November 12, 9AM – 1PM Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education (525 Versailles Drive, 45459) By appointment only.

Free Medicare Check Up Day with the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP) in partnership with Jewish Family Services at the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education. Schedule an appointment by calling 937-610-1555.

Medicare counselors from the Ohio Department of Insurance will be on hand to sit down with you individually.

The Annual Medicare Enrollment Period is October 15 – December 7. Get tips on how to enroll for 2025 coverage in a Medicare prescription drug plan (Part D) and/or a Medicare health plan.

PAGE 16

Calling all our crafty community members…Let’s do a KNITZVAH! Friday, November 1 to Friday, November 29, JFS will welcome your hand-knitted, crocheted, or sewn donations of hats, scarves, lap blankets, socks, or gloves to help make our Chanukah outreach extra special (and fuzzy).

For questions or to schedule a drop-off, please contact Jacquelyn Archie at jarchie@jfgd.net or 937-610-1555.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

CALENDAR Classes

Synagogue Forum of Greater Dayton Intro. to Judaism: Tuesdays, Nov. 12Mar. 4, 7 p.m. $36. Schedule & RSVP at jewishdayton.org/program/intro-to-judaism. For info., contact Rabbi Chessin at rabbichessin@templebethor.com.

Beth Abraham's Kabalah Curious: W. Rabbi Glazer. Thursdays, Oct. 31-Nov. 21, 7 p.m. In person & Zoom. $64 nonmembers, $48 members. Book included.

Register at 937-293-9520. 305 Sugar Camp Cir., Oakwood.

Beth Jacob Classes: W. Rabbi Agar.

Tuesdays, 7 p.m.: Torah Tuesdays on Zoom. Thursdays, 7 p.m.: Thursdays of Thought on Zoom. Call to register, 937-274-2149. bethjacobcong.org/bethjacob-happenings.

Chabad Classes: Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m.: Talmud Class in person & Zoom.

Call for Zoom link. Mondays, Nov. 4-Dec. 9, 7 p.m.: JLI Course, Nurturing Relationships. $64, online & in person.

Register at chabaddayton.com/jli. 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood. 937-643-0770.

Temple Beth Or Classes: Sun., Nov. 3, 10, 17, 12:30 p.m.: Adult Hebrew. Sat., Nov. 2, 16, 10 a.m.: Apocryphal Study in person & Zoom. templebethor.com/ events. 5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp. 937-435-3400.

Temple Israel Classes: Tues., Nov. 5 & 12, noon: Talmud Study in person & Zoom. Wednesdays, 10 a.m.: Weekly Torah Commentary w. Rabbi BodneyHalasz. Thurs., Nov. 14, 3:30 p.m.: Living w. Ambiguous Loss w. Rabbi Bodney-Halasz. Fri., Nov. 8, 11 a.m.: Living w. loss w. Rabbi Bodney-Halasz.

Sat., Nov. 2, 9:15 a.m.: Multi-access Torah Study, in person & Zoom. Sat., Nov.

9, 16, 23, 30, 9:15 a.m.: Virtual Torah Study on Zoom. For Torah Study Zoom info., email Fran Rickenbach, franwr@ gmail.com. tidayton.org/calendar. 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. RSVP to 937496-0050.

Children/Youths

Buffalo Soldiers National Monument, Wilberforce. 305 Sugar Camp Cir., Oakwood. 937-293-9520.

Temple Israel Sacred Stitching: Tues., Nov. 12, 26, 11 a.m. Make items for donations w. JCRC’s Upstander initiative. For info., email Alexandria King, garyuzzking@hotmail.com. 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. 937-496-0050.

JCC JYG Late Night at the J: Sat., Nov. 9, 7 p.m. $10. For info., email Suzzy Nandrasy, snandrasy@jfgd.net.

RSVP at jewisdayton.org/events by Nov. Temple Israel Newish to Jewish: 1. Boonshoft CJCE, 525 Versailles Dr., Thurs., Nov. 14, noon. Free. Learn Centerville. 937-610-1555. about Jewish food. Call to RSVP, 937-496-0050 or tidayton.wispform.

PJ Our Way Topgolf Takeover: Sun., com/5b616837. 130 Riverside Dr., Nov. 10, 3 p.m. $18 family. Kids 9-12.

Dayton.

For info., contact Kate Elder, kelder@ jfgd.net. RSVP at jewishdayton.org by Movie, A Real Pain: Nov. 14-28. The Nov. 7. Topgolf, 9568 Water Front Dr, Neon, 130 E. 5th St. For schedule, neoWest Chester. Register at 937-610-1555 nmovies.com. or jewishdayton.org/events.

Temple Israel’s So a Rabbi Walks into Adults a Bar: Wed., Nov. 20, 5:30 p.m. First Temple Beth Or Honoring Veterans, round on Rabbi Bodney-Halasz. Barrel Healing Wounds: PTSD Awareness: House, 417 E. 3rd St., Dayton. 937-496Sun., Nov. 10, 9:30 a.m. Free. W. Dr. 0050.

Steve Taylor. RSVP at templebethor. com/events. 5275 Marshall Rd., Wash.

Temple Israel’s How to Approach Twp. 937-435-3400.

Difficult Conversations w. Children: Sun., Nov. 24, noon. Free. W. Michelle Temple Israel’s Ryterband Lecture Prahl, MSW, LSW. RSVP at tidayton.

Series: Sundays, 9:45 a.m. $7. Nov. wispform.com/2ce22826. 130 Riverside 10: Dori Singer, GUCI, Why GUCI for Dr., Dayton. 937-496-0050.

Your Children? Nov. 17: Rabbi Shmuel Klatzkin, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz and the Women Great Conversation of Jewish Life. Nov. Chabad Women’s Circle Shabbat 24: HUC Prof. Rabbi Gary Zola, Ballot Dinner: Fri., Nov. 8. Candlelighting & Box Priorities: Do Jews Consider Them- Kabalat Shabbat, 5 p.m. Dinner, 6 p.m. selves Jewish Americans or American $36. RSVP at chabaddayton.com/cwc.

Jews When They Vote? 130 Riverside 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood. 937-643Dr., Dayton. 937-496-0050.

0770.

Beth Abraham’s Rick Pinsky Brunch Speaker Series: Sun., Nov. 10, 10 a.m. $9. W. Roger Osorio, education dir. & outreach coord., the Charles Young

Men

Chabad Bagels, Lox & Tefillin: Sun., Nov. 3, 9:30 a.m. 13+ welcome. chabaddayton.com. 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood. 937-643-0770.

Family

Beth Abraham Rhythm ‘N’ Ruach: Fri., Nov. 8, 5:30-6:15 p.m. 305 Sugar Camp Cir., Oakwood. 937-293-9520.

Chabad Kids Make Shabbat: Thurs., Nov. 14, 4 p.m. Free. Kids 3-13 welcome. RSVP to Rabbi Simon, rabbilevi@chabaddayton.com. Family Shabbat Dinner: Fri., Nov. 15, 5 p.m. $20 adults, kids free. RSVP at chabaddayton.com/rsvp. 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood. 937-643-0770.

Seniors

JFS Medicare Check-Up Day: Tues., Nov. 12, 9 a.m.-noon. By appointment only. RSVP to 937-610-1555. Boonshoft CJCE, 525 Versailles Dr., Centerville.

JCC Cultural Arts & Book Series

Complete schedule on Page 14.

Community

Readings of Anschel, a play by Michael London: Based on book by Renate Frydman. Mon., Nov. 4, 6 p.m.: Dayton Metro Library Bassani Theater Off Third, 215 E. Third St., Dayton.

937-463-2665. Tues., Nov. 12, 3 p.m.: Sinclair Community College Theatre Dept., Bldg. 2. 937-512-4580.

Univ. of Dayton Annual Kristallnacht Remembrance: Wed., Nov. 6, 5 p.m. Immaculate Conception Chapel.

Livestreaming available. Contact UD Exec. Dir. of Campus Ministry Crystal Sullivan, csullivan1@udayton.edu.

Hillel Academy One Enchanted Evening: Sat., Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m. PNC Arts Annex, 46 W. 2nd St., Dayton. $95 individual, $180 couple. RSVP by Nov. 8, daytonhillel.org or 937-277-8966.

PHOTOGRAPHER VINCENT J. MUSI Where The Wild Things Are JAN 5, 2025 VICTORIA THEATRE

PHOTOGRAPHER KEITH LADZINSKI Forces Of Nature FEB 2, 2025 VICTORIA THEATRE

Get Tickets And More Information At

937-228-3630

PRIMATOLOGIST MIREYA MAYOR Pink Boots And A Machete APR 13,2025 VICTORIA THEATRE

DL-JewishObsvr-AD-2425Perspectives2.indd 1

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

9/30/24 2:51 PM

PAGE 17

OPINION

I’m Haitian & Jewish. Standing up for all people I refuse to have my identities weaponized.

Fran Rickenbach

By Rachèl Laforest With their poll numbers sinking and desperation setting in, MAGA Republicans launched a brazenly racist campaign in September targeting Haitian immigrant communities in Springfield, Ohio. Their propaganda lit a match under White supremacist forces in the small town and beyond, resulting in Proud Boys marching through its streets, children staying home after bomb threats targeted their school, and local Haitian businesses shutting down due to threats.

I bring a unique perspective to this issue as the child of both Haitian and Jewish parents who worked tirelessly for community safety and democracy here in the United States.

These horrific scenes recall some of the darkest chapters of my Jewish history. It’s no accident that some labeled what was happening in Springfield as a pogrom, the term originating from mob violence against Jews in the Russian Empire.

That’s why it was so disturbing to read the words of Cary Kozberg, Springfield’s only rabbi, Sept. 19, taking aim at Haitian residents as lacking “Western civilized values.” Not only do these words — which Kozberg recanted after backlash — stand directly at odds with Jewish leaders in Ohio who said they support the Haitian community — they also belie a fundamental misunderstanding of the Haitian community in this country as well as the roots and machinery of antisemitism and racism.

Rachèl Laforest I learned early on that racism and antisemitism are intimately linked, two sides of the same ugly coin used together to stoke fear and spread lies. My parents worked tirelessly for community safety and democracy here in the United States. My father fled his cherished homeland, Haïti, in his early 20s, leaving behind beloved family and friends, organizations he’d helped build and strengthen, and a seemingly ceaseless battle with a vicious dictator. For more than a decade, he’d worked across class, religious and cultural differences, banded together in solidarity with his siblings, friends and neighbors to fight for communities and a country where families could be safe and thrive.

Because of the racism, greed, and constant quest for power under the dictatorship, with his life being threatened, he was forced to leave for safety in the United States. Under related circumstances, 200,000 other Haitians call the United States home under the Temporary Protected Status, granted by the Department of Homeland Security to those who can't safely return home.

My parents successfully fought for labor unions and built one of the most powerful tenants’ associations in the nation.

They knew they couldn’t do it alone. Their success is owed to the coalition they built with their Haitian, Jewish, Italian, Irish, Puerto Rican and Indian immigrant neighbors. They knew that their unity wasn’t just for unity’s sake. It was strategy.

The extremist forces behind the Springfield attacks know that they can only succeed with division. They employ the machinery of antisemitism and racism to distract from the root causes of our collective struggles and turn us against each other.

I walk in the footsteps of my parents, having worked with unions like my dad, and grassroots efforts like my mom.

I’ve also set out my own way, coleading the largest domestic policy group organizing Jews against these attempts to divide us from our communities. I know the machinery of racism and antisemitism can be slowed down at the ballot box, and that it can be broken with solidarity.

Rachèl Laforest is chief program officer at Bend the Arc: Jewish Action.

So, what do you think?

PAGE 18

Temple Israel Senior Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz offers a prayer at an interfaith vigil in support of Haitian migrants, Sunday, Sept. 22 at Greater Grace Temple in Springfield. Next to the rabbi is the event's main speaker, Bishop William J. Barber II, president of Repairers of the Breach interfaith advocacy organization based in North Carolina.

By Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz As you are aware, the situation in Springfield has been quite tenuous over the past several weeks. All of us should be deeply concerned by what is happening in our backyard. Springfield residents are facing bomb threats and gatherings of neo-Nazis and White supremacists.

Jewish values teach us to treat all people with dignity and uphold principles of compassion, justice, and welcoming of strangers. History has shown us the dangerous path that devaluing or generalizing people based on their cultural origins can lead to.

It is essential for the Jewish community to speak out against hatred directed at any minority group. I was proud to see the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton sent a letter of support to the Haitian community center and appreciate many of my colleagues asking for ways to offer support.

I had the opportunity on Sunday, Sept. 22 to participate in a prayer gathering in Springfield alongside diverse clergy from across Ohio and beyond. I wore a tallit (prayer shawl) once donned

by Rabbi Irving Bloom, of blessed memory, in honor of our congregation’s historical commitment to social justice. These were my words: I want to begin with a verse from Proverbs 31:9: "Open your mouth, judge righteously, and champion the cause of those in need and subject to oppression."

I stand here today because, as a Jew, my faith demands that of me. It is our responsibility to speak out against the xenophobic lies and misconceptions that threaten our neighbors. Haitian migrants, like all people, are created b'tzelem Elokim, in the image of God. When fear and prejudice dictate our actions toward others, we fragment our world further, moving us further from the world as it is meant to be.

In the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, we are commanded to protect, guard, and love the stranger no less

than 36 times. This is not simply a suggestion; it is a moral obligation rooted in empathy and shared history.

Leviticus 19:34 teaches, "The immigrant who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were migrants in the land of Egypt: I the Lord am your God." So today, we have come to speak up for the dignity of all people, regardless of where they come from or what they have endured. And so we pray: Oh God, we thank You for bringing us together today to work towards repairing our world. Thank You for reminding us that being created in Your image means diversity, not uniformity. Grant us the courage to stand up for the dignity of all, transcending fear and suspicion, and resisting the urge to turn away from those in need.

Inspire us to engage in acts of justice and compassion, working together to build a better future in Springfield alongside our Haitian brothers and sisters.

Thank you, Adoshem (Lord), for the opportunity to stand here this afternoon with my partners in faith.

Though we come from diverse backgrounds, we are united in our commitment to a God of compassion, who calls us to protect the most vulnerable among us. May our gathering today foster understanding and kindness among us.

Keyn yehi ratzon, may it be Your will. Amen.

In times like these, our voices and actions matter. We must stand together in solidarity, offering not only our prayers but also tangible support to those facing hatred and fear. Let us continue to live out the values of justice and compassion that our tradition calls us to uphold. Whether through advocacy, patronage, or simply reaching out to those in need, every gesture of support makes a difference. Together, we can help bring healing and hope to our neighbors in Springfield.

Karen Bodney-Halasz is senior rabbi of Temple Israel in Dayton.

Views expressed by columnists, in readers’ letters, and in opinion Send letters (350 words max.) to The Dayton Jewish Observer, pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinion of staff or layleaders of 525 Versailles Dr., Dayton, OH 45459 • MWeiss@jfgd.net The Dayton Jewish Observer or the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

MAZEL TOV! cinnati, Marc graduated from Wright State University's Boonshoft School of Medicine. He completed his fellowship in sports medicine and shoulder replacement surgery in Phoenix after his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. Marc specializes in shoulder, knee, and elbow injuries.

Rabbi Mendel Mangel

Mendel Mangel, son of Devorah and Rabbi Nochum Mangel, has received his rabbinic ordination through Chabad's Machon Limud Halacha Lemaan Yilmedu program.

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Marc Lubitz is now practicing with Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in Miamisburg.

Born and raised in Cin-

Dr. Marc Lubitz

Clara Hochstein celebrated her 100th birthday on Sept.

28 with friends and family. She received Clara Hochstein proclamations honoring her from the state of Ohio and from the city of Oakwood, where she and her husband, the late David Hochstein, owned and operated their fur business for 26 years.

Kyra Smith, managing director of University of Dayton's Roger Glass Center for the Arts, will teach the remote course, Yiddish Theatre From Then to Now, Monday afternoons, Nov. 25 to Dec. 16 for Case Western Reserve University's Siegal Lifelong Learning

program. Kyra has also just received her Ph.D. in theatre from Louisiana State University.

The JCC Early Childhood Education program has joined a pilot program of the Penn State Hammel Family Human Melissa Flaim, Rebecca Levi, Katie Lagasse, Julie Dickinson.

Rights Initiative and Penn State's Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education Initiative. Over a series of classes, educators learn to model empathy and create equitable learning spaces.

Dayton's JCC is one of four JCCs in the pilot. ECE instructors enrolled in the course are Director Katie Lagasse, Assistant Director Rebecca Levi, Julie Dickinson, and Melissa Flaim.

Temple Anshe Emeth in Piqua welcomed its rabbinic intern for the year, Jonathon Benzion, in October. Jonathon was born in Mexico City, lived in Israel, and holds a Ph.D. in Iberian and Latin American studies from the Sorbonne in Paris. He's a fourthyear rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.

Send your Mazel Tov announcements to mweiss@jfgd.net.

Kyra Smith

Jonathon, Boaz, and Yael Benzion at Temple Anshe Emeth, Piqua

Honoring Veterans, Healing Wounds: PTSD Awareness Temple Beth Or invites you to a special program honoring the Greater Dayton Veterans’ Community

Sunday, November 10, 2024 9:30 a.m. - noon Free & Open to the public Join us for an important and timely program on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), featuring Dr. Steve Taylor, a Psychiatrist with extensive experience in helping individuals afflicted with PTSD. The program will cover causes, symptoms, treatments, and available resources for veterans and their families. This free event is open to the public. Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to support our veterans and their families as they cope with the effects of PTSD. Refreshments will be provided, and there will be several raffle prizes for our veterans.

9:30 a.m. Refreshments 10:00 a.m. Program followed by questions

RSVP at www.templebethor.com THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

PAGE 19

RELIGION

CONGREGATIONS Beth Abraham Synagogue Conservative Rabbi Aubrey L. Glazer Fridays, 5 p.m.

Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.

305 Sugar Camp Circle, Oakwood. 937-293-9520. bethabrahamdayton.org

Beth Jacob Congregation

Traditional Rabbi Leibel Agar Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. Evening minyans upon request.

7020 N. Main St., Dayton.

937-274-2149. bethjacobcong.org

Temple Anshe Emeth

Reform Rabbinic Intern Jonathan Benzion Sat., Nov. 16, 10 a.m.

320 Caldwell St., Piqua.

Contact Steve Shuchat, 937-7262116, ansheemeth@gmail.com. ansheemeth.org

Temple Beth Or

Reform Rabbi Judy Chessin Asst. Rabbi/Educator Ben Azriel Fridays, 6:15 p.m.

5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp. 937-435-3400. templebethor.com

Temple Beth Sholom

Reform Rabbi Haviva Horvitz 610 Gladys Dr., Middletown.

513-422-8313. templebethsholom.net

Temple Israel

Reform Senior Rabbi Karen BodneyHalasz. Rabbi/Educator Tina Sobo Fri., Nov. 1, 6 p.m. Fridays, Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29, 6:30 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 2, 9, 10:30 a.m.

130 Riverside Dr., Dayton.

937-496-0050. tidayton.org

Temple Sholom

Reform Rabbi Cary Kozberg Fridays, 6 p.m.

2424 N. Limestone St., Springfield. 937-399-1231. templesholomoh.com

ADDITIONAL SERVICES Chabad of Greater Dayton

Rabbi Nochum Mangel Associate Rabbi Shmuel Klatzkin Youth & Prog. Dir. Rabbi Levi Simon. Beginner educational service Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. 2001 Far Hills Ave. 937-643-0770. chabaddayton.com

Yellow Springs Havurah

Independent Antioch College Rockford Chapel.

1st & 3rd Saturday each month.

Contact Len Kramer, 937-5724840 or len2654@gmail.com.

Attitude of gratitude Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, 91, writes the ‘big book’ his admirers had been waiting for

By Rabbi Leibel Agar holiday to be truly fascinating.

Beth Jacob Congregation Though most of us learned in As November rolls around, school about how the Pilmy thoughts turn to Thanksgrims and Native Americans giving. For many Americans, made a big feast to show their Thanksgiving is a chance to gratitude after a particularly take a break from work difficult winter, many or school and hang people are unaware out with our families. that the Thanksgiving We gather around the feast did not originate table and share a big at Plymouth Rock; it is dinner of turkey and really a tradition that stuffing, then top it all goes back millennia! off with homemade As far back as biblical apple and pumpkin times, there are referpies for dessert. Those ences to people making of us who are football Rabbi Leibel Agar a Sudat Hodahah, a Meal fans settle in on the of Thanksgiving as a couch to watch the Detroit way of thanking God for someLions and Dallas Cowboys thing. For example, the Kohen (the two teams who purchased Gadol, High Priest, would host exclusive rights from the NFL a Meal of Thanksgiving, for the entire city of Jerusalem on the day after Yom Kippur, as a way of thanking God for being able to play on Thanksgiving Day to enter and exit the Holy of back when football was first Holies safely. There was even a televised). Some of us wake up special offering of Thanksgivearly the next morning to take ing, the Korban Todah, which advantage of the Black Friday could be brought by someone deals at our malls and departwishing to thank God. ment stores.

Unfortunately, the reasons In my family, Thanksgiving behind Thanksgiving are often was special because we usually overlooked. Though the lack had a huge family gathering; of the Holy Temple and the even my relatives from upstate offering services conducted Ohio would be there. Most of there certainly play a role, I us, adults and children alike, believe there is a much greater would go outside to play the reason as to why the religious annual touch football “Thanks- connotations of Thanksgiving giving Bowl” before dinner. have faded — a simple lack of The meal was highlighted gratitude. Sometimes people by the birthday celebration we may see the things they have would have for my brother received as what they deserve (born on Thanksgiving Day). rather than as a gift. Worse still, After dinner, the adults and they may view these blessings older children settled down to as insufficient reward for what play nickel-and-dime poker they have done; instead of and the younger ones would appreciating the blessing, they entertain themselves channel complain and demand more. surfing on Grandma’s TV. No Perhaps the holiday of matter what else was going on Thanksgiving is meant to rein our lives, we always had fun mind us to be grateful for that on Thanksgiving. which we have and to always As a student of history, I've show the attitude of gratitude always found the origins of this toward God and toward others.

Perspectives

November

Tishri/Cheshvan Shabbat Candle Lightings November 1: 6:16 p.m.

November 8: 5:09 p.m.

November 15: 5:02 p.m.

November 22: 4:58 p.m.

November 29: 4:55 p.m.

PAGE 20

Torah Portions November 2: Noach (Gen. 6:9-11:32; Num. 28:9-15) November 9: Lech Lecha (Gen. 12:1-17:27) November 16: Vayera (Gen. 18:1-22:24) November 23: Chaye Sarah (Gen. 23:1-25:18) November 30: Toledot (Gen. 25:19-28:9)

The Modern Orthodox philosopher talks ideas he’s developed over seven decades, the toll the war in Gaza has taken on his family, and why he became a vegetarian.

By Andrew Silow-Carroll, JTA In the late 1990s, I would joke that my family and I lived on “Planet Yitz.”

Our children attended SAR Academy, the co-ed, educationally progressive Modern Orthodox day school co-founded by Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg in 1970.

I worked at CLAL, the Jewish think tank founded by Greenberg, Elie Wiesel, and Rabbi Steven Shaw in 1974 as an experiment in dialogue across the Jewish denominations.

And we lived in Riverdale, N.Y., not far from where Greenberg and his wife, the Orthodox feminist pioneer Blu GreenRabbi Irving 'Yitz' Greenberg berg, raised five children and where Yitz had served as rabbi dialogue when other Orthodox at the Riverdale Jewish Center Jews resisted sitting down with in the 1960s. leaders of other religions.

“Planet Yitz” was also a state Traditionalists bristled at of mind: As a Modern Orthohis notion that the Holocaust dox philosopher, Greenberg had “broken” God’s covenant wrote about a Jewish world with the Jewish people, and shattered by the Holocaust that since Auschwitz, God had and forced to create a new, become paradoxically both life-affirming reality in what he more hidden and more availcalled the “Third Great Era” in able. And he sought to elevate Jewish history. This era would the status of Jewish philanbe marked by Jews taking full thropists and other lay leaders, responsibility for their own however secular they might be, destiny, from creating the suggesting they were at least state of Israel to developing equals with rabbis as religious new Diaspora institutions that role models and community would promote and celebrate leaders. the full range of Jewish reliOver seven decades, Greengious and ethnic identity. At berg explored these ideas the core of this philosophy was directly in a series of seminal the traditional concept that all papers and interviews and humans are created in God’s perhaps more indirectly in five image, radical pluralism and books, including a classic guide a reverence for life, its quality to the Jewish holidays and a and quantity. book about interfaith dialogue.

The institutions he created or What he hadn’t written was influenced — SAR, CLAL and the “big book” — the capstone the U.S. Holocaust Memorial volume laying out his theolMuseum, where he served as ogy and agenda for the Jewish chairman from 2000 to 2002 — people. Until now. reflected these ideas in someThe Triumph of Life: A Narratimes controversial ways. tive Theology of Judaism, pubLike Blu, he became a leadlished in August, is what Rabbi ing Orthodox feminist, pushing Shai Held, president and dean for expanded women’s roles at Hadar (where Greenberg is in learning and leadership. He now the senior scholar in resiwas a proponent of interfaith dence) calls a “culmination of a

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

RELIGION lifetime of theological reflection.”

“The truth is, I didn’t think it would take this long,” Greenberg, 91, told me.

“But I want to push the book not in the interest of sales, because I think the Jewish people need a narrative right now.”

Greenberg serves as president of the J.J. Greenberg Institute for the Advancement of Jewish Life. He was born in Brooklyn and in 1953 was ordained there at the Beis Yosef yeshiva. He was one of the founders of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry and earned a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University. In the 1970s, he served as professor and chairman of the Department of Jewish Studies of City College of the City University of New York.

Greenberg spoke with me from Jerusalem, where he and his wife have lived mostly full time for the past five years.

We spoke about the policy implications of his theology, the toll the war in Gaza has taken on his family, and why he became a vegetarian.

take power and overcome the enemies of life. It is not that God is uncaring, but God really wants humans to take full responsibility. Reward and punishment is no longer the model. It’s all about relationship and shared values.

And therefore, the covenant is not broken, not failed, but it is voluntary.

We’re choosing to do God’s work. So the book in one way walks back the notion of “brokenness” and on the other hand it claims that this is truly a voluntary, transformed covenant in which we each have a commitment to tikun olam — world repair.

Congratulations on the book. And I must be honest: I think many people were waiting many years for your magnum opus. I wonder if you thought about it the same way, that you wanted to write the big book and pull all your ideas together between two covers. Do you agree with Shai Held that this is a culmination of a lifetime of thinking?

In some ways, the answer is yes. I started working on it in 2009 when I retired. But it came out as a kind of academic, more abstract and more theoretical book, and at the end of four years, I said, “This isn’t the book that I want to write.” I wanted to write a book that would speak intelligently to a lay audience. So I just put it aside and started over again.

So while the book is a culmination, some of my main ideas have come and gone, meaning I had to revise them.

Tikun olam has come to be associated with liberal Judaism and universal social justice, but in the book, you claim the concept is a responsibility of every Jew, no matter their movement or denomination. Do you worry that Orthodox Jews might reject the idea of tikun olam precisely because it has become central to liberal movements?

Thank you for picking that up. That’s correct. Tikun olam is easy to dismiss if you want to interpret Judaism as a tribal religion. But it is a world religion.

Bereshit, the first book of the Torah, famously starts with the creation of the world, and not with the first mitzvah God commanded of Abraham. (The medieval commentator) Rashi said the point of starting there was to validate our claim to Israel — but if so, why not start with Chapter 12, when God promises the land to Abraham?

What I argue is that the purpose of starting with the creation of the world is to demonstrate that the first covenant is not Jewish, and that God wants to redeem the whole earth and all of humanity, not just the Jewish people. When it comes to overcoming oppression, discrimination, racism and sexism, if you strip away political and tribal visions, the idea of repairing the world is for everybody.

What’s an example of an idea you long held but felt you needed to revise?

In 1961 I was shattered when I immersed myself in the evidence of the atrocities of the Holocaust, and as a result had written that God had broken the covenant with the Jewish people by not protecting the Jews. When I said that, it was probably the peak of the backlash I faced from the more traditional sectors. I also argued that in the first great era of Jewish history, the biblical era, God was dominant and visible, and in the second, the rabbinic era, after the destruction of the Second Temple, God self-limited, essentially saying that human behavior will make much more of a difference should they take more responsibility for themselves. We’re now in the third stage, where God is completely hidden but wants humans to

Do you worry that tikun olam can become an end in itself, or just another word for universal justice, and you can end up losing the Jewish language or distinctiveness?

After the Shoah, I became a pluralist, and came to realize that the other versions of Judaism and its secular version are very, very important. In the Third Era, the most important thing is for humanity to take power. So the secular Zionists focused on the human and on the ethical and on the historical homeland, and the Haredim said no because they were trying to be faithful to an earlier encounter with God. But that’s not what God was asking for.

And unfortunately, many religious Jews focus on the ritual and not necessarily the ethical. So my answer is that Continued on Page 22

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PAGE 21

RELIGION

Greenberg

itself, with all of its good qualities, can be applied and harnessed for bad things, the way the Nazis perverted some of the most powerful and constructive elements of modernity and technology. Bureaucracy, for example, makes possible most of the great, constructive accomplishments, like Social Security.

But they took those forces of technology and rationality and bureaucracy and they harnessed them for death. Progress is real, but it’s not automatic and it’s still heavily driven by human choice.

vegetarian?

Since 1991. I was influenced by the Continued from Page 21 (biblical scholar) Jacob Milgrom’s evia lot of the so-called secular or non-Ordence that kashrut is at root an ethic of thodox Jews experience the covenant’s vegetarianism. You are allowed to eat sustaining power, and feel responsibilmeat, but the Torah puts restrictions, ity and a sense of belonging to a covheavy restrictions, on what you can and enant dedicated to battling for life in cannot eat, and all of these restrictions every field. apply to flesh.

If you are committed to maximizing Central to your theology, and it’s in life, you don’t kill and eat animals, and the title of your book, is that Judaism if you must, you kill them painlessly. prioritizes upholding the quantity You don’t eat blood, because that is your and quality of life over all competing admission that life really values and interests. You write, “In the What does belief in God add 'I believe Israel shouldn’t be taken away. So Third Era, all human actions should to this equation? kashrut is really a way of has been a light strive more intensely to make the One of the prices we pay, reshaping eating to maxiEarth more hospitable to life and more and in part I blame religious unto the nations, mize life, which extends to sustaining of a higher quality of life,” leadership, is that people say, which means but at the moment eco-kashrut, and you even apply that to the policy “Well, we’re the masters of for example not eating fish dimension, in terms of protecting the the universe. There is no god. its reputation that is being overfished, environment, investing in health care, Humans are doing all this.” is not showing and expanding the rights of housing and mass transit, protecting Modernity lost a sense of workers who bring meat to workers’ rights and regarding same-sex confidence, lost a sense of ac- much light.' the market. relationships as natural and even holy. countability, lost a sense that I had tried being vegetarAre you optimistic? Do you think the there is a power higher than us. A lot of ian earlier, but my mother served steak world is moving towards a place of the pathology we’re seeing now — glob- regularly because she loved her chilmaximizing life in both quantity and al crises, environmental crisis, global dren. If you didn’t eat her steak she felt quality? warming — these are all reflective of like a failure, so I came to feel that meat My answer is that there are major the breakdown of a sense of partnership is love. In 1991, my cholesterol was way breakthroughs in all these areas. Absowith a higher power. too high. A doctor suggested pills, but lutely. Overcoming poverty, developing I asked if I could change my diet and human dignity, the concept of liberal You apply the notion of the dignity of he reluctantly said yes. So I switched democracy, these are major accomplish- all life not only in the policy sphere to vegetarianism. I got my cholesterol ments. We’ve had amazing progress. but in personal behavior, including under control but sometimes feel I chose However, and this is what we learn sexuality and the things we eat. Remy cholesterol over a mother’s love. from the Shoah, number one: the culture mind me – I remember that you are a Have you been in Israel since Oct. 7, 2023 and during the war? I wonder if any of the awful events of the past nine months challenged your theology, or confirmed aspects of it.

We were here on Oct. 7 and have been Welcoming Sponsors for 2025! here since. It’s had a crushing, negative aspect in many ways. For example, one of my grandsons is (an Israeli equivalent of) a Navy Seal; he went south that day and arrived to see the catastrophic aftermath. He was devastated and angry.

As a moderate, a centrist, he saw evil and how vicious (Hamas) were. He has calmed down a bit but his anger was consuming.

The second, tougher example, is when another of my grandsons took part in a mission to free hostages, and wright.edu/ArtsGala Saturday, April 5, 2025 instead got involved in a bloody fight, and he was badly wounded. And here is the paradox of life and death: Israeli medicine is amazing. The doctor told our daughter, “If this happened 50 years ago, he would have been dead from loss of blood. If it happened 20 years ago, he would have lost the use of his legs.”

Instead, they were able to evacuate him to Soroka Hospital, and they have methods of growing bone that by the end will restore the use of his legs. He’s had 20 operations, but the bottom line is the huLearn more: man capacity to do amazing things. wright.edu/SoFPA And here is the last example. He is the middle of three older sons. Two weeks ago the wives of the number one and number three sons each had a baby.

We became great-grandparents twice in one week. When we asked them about the timing, they said, “After Oct. 7, what

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PAGE 22

can you do in the face of this tragedy?

Have a child.” In the book, I write about the Displaced Persons camps after World War II, which had an explosive birth rate — they responded to death by increasing life.

In your book, you describe the Israel Defense Forces as the “most moral army in the world” and the lengths it goes to avoid civilian casualties in asymmetrical wars like the one in Gaza. And yet the enormous death toll has given pause even to Israel’s supporters, including in the White House and to be honest in a number of synagogue pulpits here in the U.S. Has the war shaken your faith in the government or the military?

It’s a miserable government. I’ve written a number of articles about this. But a lot of the criticism of Israel is unfair, including distorted claims of a genocide.

I recall an article about Richard Kemp, head of the British forces in Afghanistan, who regarded it as extraordinary that Western armies reduced Afghan civilian casualties to three or four civilians for every Taliban fighter killed. And in the Gaza war, Israel claims to have kept that rate to one to 1.5 civilians for every fighter. (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Time magazine the ratio of civilians to combatants killed in the war has been “one-to-one.”) And this is a situation in which Hamas has taken over mosques and schools in order to maximize civilian casualties.

That being said, there has been real reputational damage to Israel, much of that self-inflicted, thanks to (far-right government ministers) like (Bezalel) Smotrich and (Itamar) Ben-Gvir.

Religious-based parties such as the Religious Zionist Party and Otzma Yehudit pushed the government to inflict more damage on Palestinians and to hold back humanitarian aid. Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have said they wanted Palestinians to die. To keep himself in power, Benjamin Netanyahu has allowed this.

I regard Israel as the greatest expression of Jews taking power for themselves for the sake of life, liberating millions of Soviet and Ethiopian Jews, and Jews from Arab countries. And they created a democracy. That was a great adventure, a great accomplishment, but it can be taken for granted, and power can be abused. There are no guarantees.

I believe Israel has been a light unto the nations, but at the moment its reputation is not showing much light.

But I believe that Hamas will fall, and we’ll see a future where on balance Israel’s democracy will extend more dignity to the Arabs. I do believe that.

After the Holocaust and from the beginning of the state of Israel, Jewry had to develop new ways of obtaining power to protect itself. That is the greatest challenge: exercising power for the sake of life. It is an unfinished agenda.

Andrew Silow-Carroll is editor at large of the New York Jewish Week and managing editor for ideas for JTA.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

JEWISH FAMILY EDUCATION

Sticks and stones Sacred Speech Series

The Talmud tells of a man who prepared a party, but the invitation to his friend Kamtza mistakenly went to his sworn enemy, Bar Kamtza. When the host discovered his enemy at the party, he ordered, “Get out!” Bar Kamtza offered to pay for his food, or half the cost of the party, even for the entire party to stay and avoid public embarrassment.

But the host threw him out as the sages and guests watched, silent. Hu-

Candace R. Kwiatek miliated and disillusioned, Bar Kamtza went to the Roman emperor and maliciously reported, “The Jews are rebelling against you.” The emperor asked for proof. “Send them an offering,” said Bar Kamtza, “and see whether they will offer it on the altar.” So the emperor sent him back with a calf on which Bar Kamtza made a blemish, making it ritually unacceptable for sacrifice. In order not to offend the emperor, the rabbis were inclined to offer it, but Rabbi Zechariah pointed out it would set an unholy precedent. So the sacrifice was not offered. As a result, the emperor appointed Vespasian to suppress the Jewish revolt. He reestablished Roman control over Judea and then besieged Jerusalem for three years before it fell in 70 C.E. This tale upends the old playground rhyme, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” In Jewish thought, language used improperly has the power to embarrass, endanger, destroy, and even kill.

Colloquially, all such language, true or not, is referred to as lashon hora, evil speech. One of its most ubiquitous forms is gossip (rechilut), described by

Maimonides as “going around telling David provisions and a weapon, but people what other people have said or implied that all the priests were condone.” spirators with David and had armed It is unambiguously prohibited in him to kill the king. Saul ordered Doeg Leviticus: “Do not go up and down as a to kill them all. Doeg eagerly killed the talebearer (rachil) among your people.”

85 priests along with their wives, chilThere are no exclusions either, Jewish dren, and nursing babies. author Tracey Rich clarifies: talebearing Religious educator Jay Gallimore is prohibited “even if it is not negative, concludes, “Such were the results of even if it is not secret, even if it hurts no ‘truth’ cooked into gossip for personal one, even if the person himself would gain and fed to an appetite that craved tell the same thing if asked!” it.”

The term for a gossip, rachil, comes Motzi shem ra, bringing about a bad from the word rocheyl — a peddler, name, involves spreading malicious or trader, or merchant. Thus, in the words damaging lies, hearsay, rumor, or false of Rabbi Jack Abromowitz, “the gossip reports about another person in speech is like a salesman, going door to door (slander) or writing and imagery (libel). hawking their merchanCollectively known as In Jewish thought, defamation dise…,” dealing in informaor calumny, it language used tion instead of goods. is considered in Judaism to While it may appear to be improperly has be the worst type of speech. innocuous, gossip often has Unfortunately, we can obunforeseeable negative re- the power to serve motzi shem ra reachpercussions. Illustrating its embarrass, ing epidemic proportions in pitfalls is a famous Jewish the social environment and endanger, destroy, media today. One particufolktale about a town gossip. When he sees the unin- and even kill. larly egregious example is tended unrest his gossip has the modern iteration of the caused, he goes to the rabbi for advice age-old blood libel against the Jews. on how to make amends. “Go home, “In recent years, there have been a cut open a feather pillow, and shake it number of antisemitic accusations of Isvigorously out the window,” the rabbi rael harvesting organs of Palestinians,” tells him. When the man returns to ask reports the ADL. Since the Oct. 7 maswhat to do next, the rabbi orders him to sacre in Israel, anti-Israel voices from collect all the feathers, every single one, America, Europe, and Australia have and stuff them back into the pillow. increased the volume of cartoons and The man stares at the rabbi in disbelief. social media posts that accuse Israel of “That’s impossible! I’ll be lucky to find any — they’ve flown everywhere!”

“Just like the feathers,” the rabbi points out, “words once spoken cannot be retrieved.”

There are two particularly egregious forms of talebearing: lashon hora and motzi shem ra. The precise meaning of lashon hora is negative talk about a person, often true and frequently expressed as insinuation or allegation, in a deliberate attempt to cause harm.

A biblical story about Saul’s jealousy of David provides a classic example.

Despite David’s sworn allegiance, King Saul set out to kill him, so David fled to the priestly city of Nob. Having observed the events there, the evil royal herdsman Doeg the Edomite accurately reported to Saul that the priest gave

stealing organs from Palestinians killed in Gaza, claim that murder of children is a preferred Israeli ritual, assert that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drinks Palestinian blood, and recall the ancient libel in images of bleeding babies.

Judaism is intensely aware of the wondrous power of speech as well as its potential for harm. We read in the Torah that the entire universe was created with words.

In the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra, Rabbi Yohanan teaches that the tongue is an instrument so dangerous it must be kept hidden from view and behind two protective walls (teeth and lips) to prevent its misuse.

Of the 43 sins enumerated in the confessional Al Chet prayer recited on Yom Kippur, 11 have to do with speech.

According to the prophet Jeremiah, speech is like an arrow: once words are released, they cannot be recalled, the harm they do cannot be stopped, and the harm they do cannot always be predicted, for words like arrows often go astray.

We are obligated to respect every person as created in the image of God, especially in our speech. And the Talmud warns that speech about a third party has the potential to kill three: the one who speaks, the one who listens, and the one about whom they speak.

We ought to keep these in mind every time we open our mouths to speak.

Literature to share The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic: Rereading the Women of the Talmud by Gila Fine. Among the mostly marginal and anonymous women of the Talmud are six exceptions who, at first glance, appear to be a feminist’s nightmare. But all is not as it seems on the surface. A lecturer of rabbinic literature at Pardes, author Gila Fine does a deep dive into these heroines’ stories in the Talmud and reveals unexpected richness in their characters, in rabbinic views of women, and in moral teachings about how we view the people in our lives.

A Feather, A Pebble, a Shell by Miri Leshem-Pelly. Through inviting watercolor images and lyrical text, the wondrously diverse land, nature, and history of Israel come to life in this unique picture book for primary grades. From the northern forests to the southern desert, a young explorer climbs through caves and canyons, hikes up and down hills, and splashes in rivers and seas.

Along the way, she discovers small objects to hold that bring history, the Bible, and more to life, and then leaves the treasures in their habitats for the next explorer to find.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

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PAGE 23

Arts&Culture

All that jazz

Jews and Black people mingled easily in the American music scene of the 1940s and ’50s because they had much in common, and because it was fun.

Author Larry Tye will open the JCC's Cultural Arts & Book Series Nov. 3 with an in-person talk at University of Dayton's Roger Glass Center for the Arts. The Dayton Jazz Ensemble, directed by Willie Morris III, will also perform.

By Larry Tye, Tablet magazine It’s getting difficult to remember that Black people and Jews once worked shoulder-by-shoulder to promote human rights and caroused together simply because it was such fun and they shared so much.

Nowhere was that alliance more inspired than in the arena of jazz, and no maestros did more to encourage it than three of the genre’s greatest musical titans—Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, and William “Count” Basie.

In his early years, Armstrong was as snakebit when it came to picking a manager as he was in choosing his spouses, of whom he had four.

First up to oversee his burgeoning career was then-wife Lillian Hardin Armstrong, whom he stopped trusting to look out for his professional interests when their marital bonds unraveled in the late 1920s.

Next came Tommy Rockwell. The brash record producer transformed Louis from jazz artist to pop star, but when he and his star parted ways on next steps, Rockwell goaded him with a pistol-packing mobster who left the trumpeter cowering in a phone booth.

Johnny Collins, a nervous and nervy booking agent, promised to clean up the mess. The mustachioed manager did catapult his industrious client to greater success, but Collins went too far first by telling the music man not just where to play but what, then by assaulting him with the N-word.

“Not that I haven’t been called a ‘n----’ before,” an enraged Satchmo admonished the blind-drunk Collins as he was firing him. “But from you?”

All of which made the trumpet master rethink the counsel drummer and mentor Black Benny Williams had given him years before, in Jim Crow New Orleans: Always have a White man with his hand on your shoulder warning, “This is my n----- and can’t nobody harm him.”

Rockwell and Collins were White, but turned out to be more Satans than saviors. Could Black Benny have gotten it wrong?

Louis’ third White man would prove

PAGE 24

to be his charm, unlikely as that seemed at the time.

Bertha and George Glaser had hoped their son Joseph would become a doctor like his dad, and a cultured patron of Chicago arts like both parents. Joe made it as far as medical school, but was stopped in his tracks at the first sight of blood.

Not long after, he was running what he boasted was “the biggest chain of whore houses on the South Side of Chicago” along with a lounge that was a favorite watering hole for Al Capone and his mob.

This being the time of Prohibition, police raided the Sunset Café on Christmas Day in 1926. The judge fined Joe $200 and pronounced his club “a public nuisance” after reviewing evidence that “girls of 17 were brought to the café by escorts and carried off the dance floor drunk.”

Glaser’s ticket back to solvency and respectability came courtesy of Black entertainers, and especially Louis Armstrong, who was as broke as Joe in 1935.

Desperate for a manager to reset his career, Louis believed his best option was another White scoundrel.

“I went to Papa Joe Glaser and told him I was tired of being cheated and set upon by scamps,” recalled Louis, who’d met Glaser years earlier. “I told him, ‘Pops, I need you. Come be my manager. Please! Take care of all my business and take care of me. Just lemme blow my gig!’"

Partners for life

A handshake later they were partners, for life. Louis hated managing his bands or his business affairs. This new arrangement would make Satchmo rich and Glaser richer, and set a template for the wider world of Black entertainers and their White handlers.

The showbiz world didn’t know what to make of this oddest of couples: a foul-mouthed, middle-class Jewish kid from Chicago’s North Side looking for some South Side street cred, and a Black child of the ghetto eager for respectability.

While their relationship was multilayered and not always on level terms, Joe Glaser meant it when he said of Louis Armstrong, “To me he’s like a son. A brother,” and when he told his most cherished ward, “Louis, you’re me and I’m you.”

Louis, who grew up essentially fatherless, returned the compliment:

“Askin’ me about Joe is like askin’ a chile ’bout its daddy.”

Irving Mills did as much to set the trajectory of Duke Ellington’s career as Joe Glaser did for Satchmo, although Mills didn’t last as long and was more of a spinmeister than a gangster. Mills had it easier because his client wasn’t a three-time loser when it came to picking managers, but Ellington did need handholding as he sought to break out of the big-band pack.

In Washington, when he was starting out in the early 1900s, Duke managed himself. He picked the tunes, booked the jobs, set and collected fees, and paid band members.

He reached out with his era’s best marketing devices — newspapers and phone directories — offering “irresistible jass” for “select patrons.” While many of his patrons were indeed select — highbrows from the countryside with the time and cash for horse shows and fox hunts — others were urban and Black.

He learned tricks like talking fast on the phone to make people think he was rushed. And he tapped his skills as a visual artist to run a sign-painting busi-

ness on the side, then “when customers came for posters to advertise a dance, I would ask them what they were doing about their music. When they wanted to hire a band, I would ask them who’s painting their signs.”

He’d need more than his knack for hustling when he left the slow-paced and familiar capital in 1923, and headed to the fast-track, less forgiving Gotham.

His first three years there showed his talents as a songwriter and bandleader, but they required moving from club to club, then, when city residents cleared out for the summer, to mill towns and oceanside resorts in New England.

The Washingtonians were known but The Jazzmen author Larry Tye and the Dayton Jazz Ensemble, directed by Willie Morris III, open the JCC Cultural Arts & Book Series, 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 3 at University of Dayton's Roger Glass Center for the Arts, 29 Creative Way. In partnership with the University of Dayton Departments of Communication and Music and the Alumni Chair in the Humanities. $10, free with valid student ID. Register at jewishdayton.org/event.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

not renowned. Duke seemed to have plateaued when, on a late night in 1926, he met Isadore Minsky — known then by the WASPy pseudonym Irving Mills that he bestowed on himself.

In Mills’ colorful version, it was love at first sight when the dapper 32-year-old with slicked-back hair heard Ellington and his orchestra at the Kentucky Club, a cramped basement night spot in Times Square.

A few days later, Mills came to Ellington with a proposition: “How about doing records, Duke?”

Irving wasn’t an obvious choice. Small and squat, he had the limited vocabulary one might expect of a young man who was born in Odessa and grew up with Russianspeaking parents in the Jewish enclave of New York’s Lower East Side. There’d been little time for school after his father died, when Isadore was just 11. He lacked the toughness, or tough friends, that made Joe attractive to Louis, but also came free of Glaser’s penchant for underage girls and grown-up mobsters.

Irving married at 21 and eventually had to support seven kids. He had a decent voice and an uncanny ability to reimagine songs he’d heard.

He plugged tunes by crooning them behind the music counter of Snellenburg’s Department Store in Philadelphia, nudging customers to buy, then for Broadway producer Lew Leslie, urging bandleaders to play Leslie’s verses.

A go-getter with chutzpah

More than anything, Irving was a go-getter with what his parents, Hyman and Sophia Minsky, would have called chutzpah. In 1919, he and older brother Jack started Mills Music to publish songs, and they soon progressed to producing records and scouting talent.

He paid desperate songwriters $20 to $30, which was a lifesaver for the musicians and a steal for the Millses. With Duke, Irving said he knew from the first they could go great places.

He had a simple plan for the Washingtonians: Promote Duke not as a run-of-the-mill bandleader or piano player, but as a composer, an artist, and a genial genius. It wasn’t a hard sell because it was true, or would be soon.

No one had ever tried making a pitch like that on behalf of a Black jazzman. Would the rest of the band, used to work-

ing collaboratively back when Duke replaced Elmer Snowden, tolerate Mills’ transparent bid to sideline their efforts as soloists, improvisers, and arrangers, and give all the credit to the bandleader-composer? And could Ellington really move from "Negroes-only race records" to the multiracial mainstream? Others had doubts, but not a natural-born fast talker like Irving Mills.

“When I got into the Black thing, I figured I might as well corral something so that I could have control of someLarry Tye thing, and these people are here and abroad from the Roarappreciative,” explained Mills, ing Twenties into the Threadwho fancied himself the Abe bare Thirties.

Lincoln of the music world.

The band grew as did its “A dollar don’t care where it record deals and booking fees. comes from, whether it’s black, Irving knew what the public green...Everybody looked wanted and he and Duke dedown at me. They said, ‘Geez, livered. Yes, that meant “jungle he fools around with n------. music,” with light-skinned, N----- bands.’ And just because barely clad chorus girls. Yet I started this and it worked so good, all the other Black people along the way, Irving and Duke — whose complexion The started to come around to me, New Yorker described as coffee all the best of them...We were with a strong dash of cream — always ahead of ourselves.” loosened those restrictions.

He stayed ahead, of his time Theirs was the first Black and his competitors. He fed ensemble in a major Holjournalists catch phrases to describe Duke, including “Har- lywood feature, the first in a Ziegfeld show on Broadway, lem’s Aristocrat of Jazz” and “the Rudy Vallée of the colored and, in time, the first to replace "jungle" with genius as its marrace.” keting master plan.

He linked his commercial It was no surprise that Mills, success to community-minded Glaser, and so many other causes, letting it be known managers of Black jazzmen that Duke “will appear anyThe Shedd Institute/public domain were not just where in behalf White but also of a milk and ice Jewish. Jews fund, shoe fund, always played a boys’ camp fund big role in jazz, as or any similar performers like activity, or for Benny Goodman the entertainment and Artie Shaw, of war veterans, club owners like crippled children, Frank Schiffman aged persons or at the Apollo and other hospital Max Gordon at shut-ins.” the Village VanHe and Duke guard, gangster burnished the benefactors like Ellington resume, Dutch Schultz suggesting that the bandleader Music publisher, musician, lyri- and Meyer Lanhad graduated cist & jazz promoter Irving Mills. sky, along with a legion of producfrom high school ers, bookers, and critics. and attended a conservatory.

Jews, like Black people, had Mills’ industriousness paid limited opportunities in whiteoff big. Prior to 1930, Duke’s name appeared a mere 15 times shoe fields like advertising, publishing, and broadcasting. in the national edition of the Such barriers are what made Chicago Defender, America’s leading Black newspaper. From the equally rebellious field of comic books so attractive to then until 1935, with Mills Superman creators Jerry Siegel overseeing a stable of publiand Joe Shuster and Batman cists, Ellington was mentioned inventors Bob Kane and Bill there in 284 separate stories.

Finger, all Jewish and all aware By branding his client as a they were getting in on the philanthropic artiste and incesground floor of a rapidly growsantly hyping him in the press, ing and super-profitable field Mills got Ellington into Harthat White American businesslem’s jazzy Cotton Club. He men foolishly wanted no part secured unmatched national of. radio play and singular tours

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • NOVEMBER 2024

Black people and Jews also shared long and rich histories of music as an outlet or escape in repressive circumstances.

Count Basie’s first and most influential manager didn’t fit that mold. John Henry Hammond was less of a handler than a spotter, enabler, producer, and critic.

He hadn’t risen from his bootstraps and wasn’t street smart. A Yale dropout, he’d grown up in a Manhattan mansion with a houseful of servants, private schools including St. Bernard’s and Hotchkiss, and a lineage that included great-great-grandfather Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt and a namesake father who worked as a banker, railroad executive, and lawyer.

Though from an establishment WASP family, John II always purposefully identified with underdogs, especially Jewish ones. He searched for Hebrew ancestors and told people, “I wanted to be Jewish.”

Hammond eventually yielded to more full-time and professional managers. Basie turned first to MCA, then to the William Morris Agency. As with Duke and Satchmo, the Count’s most trusted managers and business partners going forward were Jewish — including Milt Ebbins, who helped lift him out of debt; Sam Weisbord, a honcho at the Morris Agency, and the fierce-tempered, bigas-a-house hustler Teddy Reig, who produced some of the Count’s best records.

Beyond managers & bandmates

It wasn’t just the Count’s, Duke’s and Satchmo’s managers and bandmates who were Jewish, but their friends and enablers.

Armstrong was a proud pothead nearly all his adult life, lovingly referring to his drug of choice as gage, muta, pot, and “that good s---.” And his supplier of choice was the notorious dealer and clarinetist Mezz Mezzrow.

Born Jewish as Milton Mesirow, he married a Black woman, moved to Harlem, declared himself a “voluntary Negro,” and listed Negro on his draft card. Mezz’s name became slang for marijuana.

“I’d like for you to start right in and pack me enough orchestrations to last me the whole trip,” Satchmo wrote Mezz from the Queens Hotel in Birmingham, Ala. in 1932.

He wasn’t, of course, talking about music scores. But he was clear where he wanted the cache sent: “to the Ameri-

can Express Company, Paris, France. If you mail it now, it’ll about get there the same time as me. No doubt you’ve received the money I wired you, eh?”

Armstrong’s connection to Jewish people was about more than money, dope or even music. He considered them to be his family. The jazz titan began the last of his four memoirs, Louis Armstrong + the Jewish Family in New Orleans, La., from his hospital bed in 1969.

Inspired by the Jewish doctor who’d just saved his life, it was dedicated to his Jewish manager Joe Glaser, who died at New York’s Beth Israel Hospital at the same time Louis was being treated there. The handwritten 77-page document was mainly a tribute to the Karnofsky family of Lithuanian Jews who, like other Jewish refugees, supported their dozen-strong family by picking up work more established immigrants didn’t want.

That meant peddling rags, bottles, and bones, hawking stone coal, and selling secondhand clothing and hardware.

They also took in a 7-year-old Black orphan.

Louis proudly recounted opportunities the Karnofskys gave him to venture into otherwise verboten White Storyville to try out his first musical instrument, a 10-cent tin horn that, along with his singing, attracted rag buyers; to break with them Tillie’s challah or matzah, then listen to her soothing Russian lullabies; to hear the prayerful davening that would help inspire his nonsense scat singing; and to be embraced by the first White family he knew close-up, who “kept reminding me that I had talent.”

He acknowledged them not just in his writing—“I will love the Jewish people, all of my life”—but by wearing a Star of David around his neck for the rest of his life.

Can such bonds be reforged at a time when the fighting in the Middle East is, back in America, pitting these two communities of outsiders against each other? Perhaps not.

On the other hand, the bonds that united Black people and Jews at the height of the Jazz Age were less a matter of the politics of the moment than of deeply rooted historical suffering that bred a shared sympathy as well as great art.

This story originally appeared in Tablet magazine, at tabletmag. com, and is reprinted with permission.

PAGE 25

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world giant

By Talia Doninger Special To The Observer Lolita set the literary world of 1955 on fire. Controversial, provocative, and polarizing, Vladimir Nabokov’s novel was rejected by multiple publishers before George Weidenfeld took a chance on it.

Critics called it obscene, bookstores hesitated to display it. But for Weidenfeld, it was the kind of work that defined his audacious career.

He saw the tension between public outrage and literary merit as the heart of publishing’s true purpose. Lolita was more than feld as he balanced the world of publishing with the shadows of his past. He just a bestseller — it marked a piv- hosted raucous gatherings with intelotal moment in the lectuals; but beneath the laughter and debates was his sense of loneliness. legacy of George “Through his networking, through Weidenfeld. his parties, it was an antidote to his core Thomas Hardsense of isolation,” Harding said. ing explores WeiThe gatherings were a way to assert denfeld’s world himself in a world where, no matter in The Maverick, how successful he was, Weidenfeld was unearthing layers Thomas Harding still seen as an outsider partly because of the Austrian of his Jewish identity.

Jewish refugee in London who stood Weidenfeld’s rise to prominence in at the crossroads of art, politics, and the publishing world didn’t shield him history. from antisemitic tropes and accusations.

Harding’s first glimpse into WeidenHarding said the criticism often cenfeld’s life came through books Weidentered on perceptions of Weidenfeld as feld had published including I Am Madisloyal or unreliable. lala, Double Helix, The White House Years “Despite his extraordinary success,

by Henry Kissinger, and The Hedgehog the antisemitism never went away, even and the Fox. to the very end,” Hard“George revolutionized the art of publishing in the 20th Beneath the ing said. “He was covered by the media century, although his work laughter and extensively partly because he was being wasn’t just about the books, but his life as a Jewish refugee and debates was laughed at.”

Harding added that the lens through which he saw his sense of though Weidenfeld fought the world,” Harding told The for authors’ rights to exObserver via a Zoom interview loneliness. press themselves, he was from his home in Florence, Italy. hesitant to publish works that criticized Weidenfeld’s journey began in Vienna in the 1930s. As a Jewish teenager, or clashed with his personal beliefs.

His commitment to philanthropy, he fled to London on the eve of World particularly toward Israel, was one of War II. He carried with him the trauma his enduring legacies. He was deeply of persecution and a thirst to advocate connected to his Jewish heritage and the for those who were persecuted. survival of the Jewish people.

“He had a sense of anxiety and fear, Weidenfeld channeled much of his a trepidation of the world suddenly wealth and influence to support Ischanging," Harding said. "It was an rael’s development. He cofounded the inspiration for his work.”

Weidenfeld Fund for Israel Studies at Harding portrays scenes of WeidenOxford University and contributed to The JCC Cultural Arts & Book numerous initiatives to promote peace Series presents author Thomas and foster understanding in the region.

Harding via Zoom, 7 p.m., Thurs“His Judaism was important to him,” day, Nov. 14. Register for the free Harding said. “Israel was at the center program at jewishdayton.org/event. of his world.”

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Arts&Culture

Eisenberg's Holocaust film at The Neon Searchlight Pictures

Kieran Culkin (L) and Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain.

Tourism to Poland keeps Jewish culture on life support in places where it once thrived.

There are countless heritage packages available, bundled with cemetery tours and day visits to death camps.

In lieu of 3 million Jews murdered there, Poland takes its place on the map as a mass grave and, increasingly in films, a transformative locale for those hoping to eat, pray, cry their way into a sense of self-understanding.

Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, is an odd-couple road movie, with cousins Dave (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) tracking down their late grandmother’s childhood home.

As the two shuttle from monuments to lichen-covered headstones and the blue patina of gas chambers at Majdanek, we learn that Benji is masking a deep pain.

He’s affronted by their tour guide’s “constant barrage of factoids,” which lose sight of the victims’ humanity.

Eisenberg’s film hides a critique of the ghastlier parts of the heritage tour industry. In probing these parts of the past, the focus shifts from the dead to the obligations of the living.

The task is not to engage with history, but to find a personal context.

This doesn’t cheapen the Holocaust, but suggests no other narrative is available to so many of us. Just as no film can ever do justice to the horrors, no life can equal all those lost. And yet we keep returning to the scene of the crime, hoping for some answer.

— PJ Grisar, The Forward

OBITUARIES Henrietta "Henny" Torf Lubow, his parents escaped from Naziuniversity. Thus in 1960, Aleksan- proud of her family and volunteer activities such as chairing the Art 95, of Columbus, passed away on occupied Yugoslavia, only hours dar became a teaching assistant Ball at the Dayton Art Institute. She Oct. 19. Henny was born on March before they were to be transported in the Texas Christian University had an unfailing eye for fashion 9, 1929 into a large extended to Auschwitz but were instead physics department, where he reand an unwavering love for jewelry family in Cincinnati. She attended placed in a prisoner of war camp ceived one more degree, a master the University of Cincinnati and in Italy. Innately Aleksandar knew of arts; moreover he met wonderful which led her to start Charade, a received a bachelor’s degree in the meaning of the Lovelace line: colleagues and made many friends. costume jewelry business. She was education from The Ohio State “Stone walls do not a prison make When the Yugoslavian government no stranger to the jewelry business.

University in 1952 and a master’s nor iron bars, a cage.” He enjoyed asked him to return, he refused but Her father, Lawson Jaffe, whom she adored, was a gem salesman who degree in educarunning the streets surroundchose to seek faculty positions in tion from Wright ing the Italian prison camps and the United States. By an unexpected bought Mayor’s Jewelers in Dayton State University made friends of bakers and other instance of timing, a Master of Arts and which her former husband in 1971. Henny shopkeepers. They were charmed in Computer Science was the most eventually led and grew into Weber Jewelers. Her love of fashion led began her career by his intelligent conversation valuable credential for seeking a teaching elemenand straightforward demeanor. college professor’s position. Many, her to write newspaper reviews of major costume exhibitions for the tary school and They engaged Aleksandar to be many universities were beginning remedial reading their money changer. His earnest to establish their first computer sci- Dayton Daily News including Chain the Dayton willingness to do the job carefully, ence departments. Aleksandar chose nel (Metropolitan); Fashion Show: public school brought their appreciation and trust. Central State University because it Paris Collections (Boston Museum system and at Hillel Academy Moreover, his being a high spirited offered him the greatest autonomy of Fine Arts); and Reel to Reel: The Hollywood Designer After Film of Dayton, before pursuing her 11-year-old avoided the attention and allowed him to select his own (Columbus Museum). Loretta was a calling teaching developmentally of the police. The shopkeepers restaff. In 1964, Aleksandar became striking beauty, often mistaken for disabled students and unwed moth- warded him with coins and roasted professor of physics and chairperElizabeth Taylor. She was sharp, ers, helping them learn life skills chicken and goose, which he took son of Central State University’s and finding job placements for to his parents. Throughout his life, first Computer Science Department perceptive, and well read. Never shy about sharing her opinions, them. Henny enjoyed reading and he demonstrated an appreciation of and there he met Thyrsa Frazier, including on the radio, she always loved her memoirs-writing and money for showing generosity and chairperson of the Mathematics play-reading groups, investment kindness. When at last the war was Department. The couple worked to- let you know what she thought and club, and exercise group. She held over, the family returned to Yugogether to encourage African Ameri- what was in her heart. She knew the latest books, movies, plays, and leadership positions in the Dayton slavia, where he completed high can students to major in computer Chapter of Hadassah and the Day- school-level studies. Thereafter, science. On commencement day in world events and was engaging, witty, and fun to be around. She ton View Neighborhood Council. he attended the Nuclear Institute 1968, Aleksandar Svager married loved the Oscars, New York City, Henny and Howard had a large and of Zagreb where he completed un- Thyrsa Frazier. Internment was and most of all, her children. She close group of Dayton friends who dergraduate courses and remained at Massie Cemetery in Cedarville was predeceased by her former celebrated birthdays and holidays for postgraduate studies. After two Township. husband, Fred Weber and brother, together. For more than 30 years, years at the Nuclear Institute, the Louis Jaffe. Loretta is survived by Howard, Henny and their friends University of Sarajevo awarded Loretta Jaffe Weber, March 7, built a sukkah together in their him a graduate teaching fellow1934 — Oct. 7, 2024. Loretta Jaffe her three children, Rick (Susan) Weber, Lisa (Jeff) Greenberg, and backyard for their annual Sukkot ship which allowed him to teach Weber of Dayton died peacefully party. Henny loved correspondwhile completing his postgraduat the age of 90. Born in Evanston, Stephanie (Andrew Blazar) Weber; five grandchildren, Alison (Ryan) ing with her friends and her many ate program. But Yugoslavia, then Ill. to Ethel and Lawson Jaffe, she MacIntyre, Zachary (Amanda cousins. She took a special interest under Communist control, was a devoted her life to her family and in writing poems and limericks for very different place. Aleksandar instilled in them a lifelong love for Triplett) Greenberg, Laura (Jordan Chmara) Greenberg, Mack (Embirthday and anniversary celebrafound the Yugoslavian governlearning and the arts. She studied ily) Weber, and Nell Weber; along tions and loved collecting jokes. In ment control burdensome and at The Ohio recent years, she lived at Creekside wanted to go to the United States.

State University, with three great-grandchildren, Emma, Teddy, and Lilli. She is also at the Village in Columbus. Henny However, the governing body was where she met survived by her stepbrother, Larry used to joke that she wanted her particularly determined to keep her husband, Jaffe, and stepsister, Linda Peterparting words to be “Don’t put wet its top scientists and technologists Fred Weber, to son. Interment was at Riverview dishes on top of dry dishes in the from leaving its confines. For this whom she was dish rack.” Henny was preceded reason, Aleksandar was fearful married to for 30 Cemetery. If so inclined, donations may be made to the Dayton Art in death by her parents, Elias and of seeking asylum in the United years. She was Institute.

Edith Linder Torf; her sister, Judith States, which was likely to place crowned May Torf Strauss; her brother, Morton his family and former professors in Queen her freshAaron Torf; and her husband, danger. As a relative safe alternaman year, the first Jewish woman to Howard Lubow. She is survived by tive, he applied for and received a have that honor. After college, she her daughters, Cheryl and Judy of student visa through the Institute worked as a model before starting Columbus; her sons, Jeff (Anna) for International Education which a family. She was generous with of Dayton and Barry (Susan) of allowed him to study in a foreign her time and energy and was most Columbus; grandchildren Becca, Our Family Elias, Jenna, and Eden Lubow, and Serving niece Miriam Strauss. Interment Your was at Riverview Cemetery. ContriFamily butions in her memory may be For More made to the Temple Israel (Dayton) From Generation To Generation.

Buy-a-Book Fund, Hadassah, the Than Bexley Public Library, or another 90 Years nonprofit organization of your LICKLER choice.

Aleksandar Svager, age 93, died of natural causes on Oct. 3 in Oakwood. He was preceded in death by his parents, Greta Dohan Svager and Oskar T. Svager, and his wife, Thyrsa Frazier Svager.

A Real Pain opens at The Neon, He is survived by relatives in San 130 E. Fifth St., Dayton, Thursday, Paolo, Brazil and many friends in Nov. 14 and runs for two weeks, the Wilberforce Xenia community. with additional holdovers based on Aleksandar was born in what was its performance. For more informa- then Sarajevo, Yugoslavia on Aug. 10, 1931. In 1941, Aleksandar and tion, go to neonmovies.com.

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