Jewish Journal March 2023

Note

Ellen Goldstein, Editor

This issue of The Jewish Journal of WNY, March 2023, marks ten years since we began this publication in March 2013. In the fall of 2012, the leadership of Federation decided that they wanted a regular, consistent, highquality newspaper for Jewish Buffalo to continue our agency’s mission of building a vibrant Jewish community in Western New York.

In partnership with the amazing and unsinkable Larry Levite (z”l), publisher of Spree Magazine, and his team including Barbara Macks and Cindy Oppenheimer, we began putting out a magazine every month. Current Federation CEO Rob Goldberg arrived in 2015, bringing with him a gift for enhancing community engagement, and helping to make the paper even better. And of course, our designers from Spree have been critically important. I feel very privileged to be able to work with the very talented Kim Miers, our current designer.

Among the more memorable stories we told and features and photos we printed were the “Thanksgivikkah” cover in 2013 when Hanukkah and Thanksgiving occurred together; the January 2014 issue which featured a vibrant and informative insert of the 2012 Community Population Study; numerous profiles of community Difference Makers; the 2017 cover featuring the Peace Bridge lit up to commemorate Yom HaShoah; our celebrations of Israel @ 70 in 2018; then the dramatic shift from our usual way of working to cope with, and survive, the changes wrought by the COVID Pandemic; our community’s response to the racist murders of Black shoppers at Tops in the spring of 2022, and finally this month’s issue, celebrating Purim with the children in our community, and all the activity and vitality of Jewish Buffalo coming out of the Pandemic!

Children from the Brown, Wittman and Komm families gathered at Sweet Jenny’s in Williamsville for a pre-Purim party, complete with hamantaschen and sweet treats. Photo credit: Jessica Wittman.

3 Message from the Federation President

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Published by Buffalo Jewish Federation 338 Harris Hill Rd., Suite 108B Williamsville, NY 14221 716-463-5050

www.buffalojewishfederation.org

CEO/Executive Director Rob Goldberg

President Margie Bryen

Editor Ellen S. Goldstein

Chief Creative Officer Jill Komm

The Buffalo Jewish Federation Is a proud member of the Jewish Federations of North America and the American Jewish Press Association

PRODUCED BY

BUFFALO SPREE PUBLISHING, INC.

President Sharon C. Levite

Vice President/Chief Revenue Officer Barbara E. Macks

Vice President/Administrative & Finance Michele Ferguson

Publisher.. Barbara E. Macks

ART, EDITORIAL, & PRODUCTION

Executive Editor Sabrina Kahwaty

Creative Director Jean-Pierre Thimot

Lead Designer Kimberly Miers

Senior Graphic Designers Josh Flanigan, Nicholas Vitello

Graphic Designers Rachel Kaznica, Taramarie Mitravich

ADVERTISING & SALES

Director of Advertising Barbara E. Macks

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National Ad Director Terri Downey

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ADMINISTRATIVE & FINANCE

Administrative & Finance Director Michele Ferguson

Members of

SUBMISSIONS:

Submit editorial stories, photos, and calendar items by the 1st of the preceding month of issue to ellen@buffalojewishfederation.org.

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Call Cynthia Oppenheimer at 716-308-4843

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TO SUBSCRIBE:

To subscribe to The Jewish Journal , please email info@ buffalojewishfederation.org. Free for Western New York area residents and donors to the Campaign.

The Jewish Journal of WNY (JJWNY) reserves the right to cancel any advertisement at any time. The Buffalo Jewish Federation and Buffalo Spree Publishing, Inc. are not liable for the content or errors appearing in the advertisements beyond the cost of the space occupied. The JJWNY does not assume responsibility for the kashrut of any product or service advertised in this paper. Editorials, columns, advertisements, agency reports and other outside articles do not necessarily represent the views of the newspaper or the Buffalo Jewish Federation, but rather express the view of the writer.

Ellen Goldstein - Editor

When we began, I was quite worried whether or not readers and advertisers would welcome our publication. And you were the key. You not only welcomed it, but have enjoyed and continue to read it, advertise in it and even contribute many, many stories, photos and articles. And the answer to what has made The Jewish Journal so successful and long-lived is you, our beloved community. The Journal reflects the light, the energy, the brilliance you produce right here in Jewish Buffalo! Thank you for enabling us to continue to grow, maintain and create a vibrant Jewish Buffalo for everyone.

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, which makes it “illegal to advertise “based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate that is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Embracing Winter and Welcoming Spring

BY MARGIE BRYEN

I love the winter season (well, except for the extreme blizzards that sometimes show up in these parts). How do you grow up and thrive in Buffalo as a kid and then choose to return as an adult, if you don’t embrace (literally) the snow! I love ice and snow sports; for me, bundling up is much preferred over putting on a bathing suit. Having said all of that, I am happy when the season of grey is over. Now that we’re in March, and spring is trying to push its way through the clouds and up from the ground, there is new hope, new life, a sense of renewed energy and excitement – and Purim!

This month I want to highlight some of the terrific things that are happening across our community, many of which are driven by the Buffalo Jewish Federation’s professionals and our amazing volunteers.

As I mentioned at the Annual Meeting in December, we are continuing our focus on what we call Immersive Experiences When we travel together, we discover new things about ourselves, our Judaism, and about the world around us. The Federation is putting more emphasis as we go forward on leveraging the special bonds built during these experiences and ensuring that those relationships remain strong in the future.

Our first ever Buffalo Jewish Federation Journey to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) happened in early February and it was an inspirational experience. Our group of twenty-three Buffalonians were led on a 9-day trip including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, by Randi Morkisz and Rob Goldberg. This trip included fun activities like dune bashing and falconry, meeting with Emiratis and dignitaries, understanding more about the growing relationship between the UAE and Israel,

and of course, experiencing the wonder that is Dubai, a major international Muslim city that was created within the last century, in a desert.

In addition, a second immersive experience also happened in February with our JCRC leading an 8-day Civic Leaders Trip to Israel. With professional leaders Mara Koven-Gelman, Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein and Rob Goldberg, this trip included over 30, mostly firsttime visitors to Israel. This trip brought together individuals from across the Buffalo community including political and civic leaders, CEOs of important non-profits, religious leaders and the Superintendents of both Williamsville and Clarence Central Schools, to name a few, to experience Israel in a truly unique way.

We look forward to the participants of both trips sharing their experiences with others in the community and continuing to learn together.

Earlier this year, in partnership with Jewish Family Services, the Holocaust Resource Center and its “Circle of Care” team of volunteers, led by Judge Lisa Bloch-Rodwin, Wendy Weisbrot and

Heidi Yellen, welcomed Buffalo’s first Jewish Ukrainian family. Every detail was taken care of by this great volunteer team. The family is now happily settled into a lovely home complete with Mezuzahs on the door posts. We are thrilled that two of their children are a part of the Kadimah Scholars program at Park School (read more on p.36).

Have you seen the information from LiNK on the Jewish Education Fund established by the family of Avy Sterman in his memory? The fund is matching gifts for all who donate to support the ongoing investment in Jewish education in our community. Avy Sterman was a vivacious and passionate advocate for the people and institutions of Jewish Buffalo and this fund will help to continue that legacy into the future. We hope you will consider making

a contribution, which you can do by visiting bit.ly/avystermanfund.

Another one of our ongoing areas of focus is around keeping our community safe. We are fortunate to be part of a midsize Jewish community that is supported by a strong and capable security team working proactively to keep us all safe. We have an exceptional grant writer in our community, Deborah Goldman, who has been busy writing compelling grant proposals to secure additional security funding for synagogues in the community. This month we are sponsoring a Critical Incident Management Tabletop Exercise, facilitated by Dept of Homeland Security, for senior leadership across Jewish Buffalo. This exercise is a priceless tool to help leadership from each agency and congregation, understand essential responses to particular emergency situations. Having been involved in simulations like this in the past, I know how valuable it can be for our Jewish leaders in the community.

These are just a few highlights of what’s going on with Buffalo Jewish Federation. I could go on, but instead, I hope that if you are not already involved, that you will look at ways to get engaged in activities that are interesting, volunteering your time, participating in adult learning opportunities, and of course giving. There is plenty of room at the table.

Happy Purim and Welcome Spring!

Margie Bryen

The Buffalo Day of Jewish Learning March 12

BY PROFESSOR ALEX GREEN

The second annual Buffalo Day of Jewish Learning will take place Sunday, March 12 from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at the Benderson JCC at 2640 N. Forest Rd. Highlights include Rabbis in Conversation, a Lifetime Achievement Award for Prof. Gerhard Falk and The Inaugural Rabbi Heschel Greenberg Lecture.

This is a unique day that brings together presenters on a diverse set of Jewish topics and experiences from around Buffalo featuring programs by leading students, educators, professors, rabbis and community leaders. Attendees may select from a choice of sessions led by a rich array of presenters throughout the day.

Topics include: “Humanitarian Work in Ukraine: A Story from the Front Lines”; “Introduction to Deli Pickling”; “Rabbis in Conversation: Three Essential Ideas for Jewish Buffalo”; “The Challenges of Building Jewish Community”; “When Jews Argue: Talmud in the University and the Beit-Midrash”; “Visiting the Middle East after the Abraham Accords”; and “Yoga Dance and Meditation.”

Two highlights include a Lifetime Achievement Award for Prof. Gerhard Falk and The Inaugural Rabbi Heschel Greenberg Lecture. Dr. Falk is a former professor at Buffalo State University who taught criminology, sociology of religion, juvenile delinquency,

and the treatment of offenders until his retirement in late 2016. He is the author of thirty books and forty-two journal articles. Rabbi Heschel Greenberg is the Director of the Jewish

Discovery Center and Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Jewish Studies. He has authored over one hundred books on Bible, Talmud, Maimonides, Jewish law, Kabbalah, Chassidic philosophy, Jewish Holidays and more. Rabbi Greenberg is celebrating fifty years as a rabbi in Buffalo. There will be an interview with the lead actor of The Jewish Repertory Theatre of WNY show “I’m Not a Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce”; a professional development session for Community Religious School teachers; a presentation by Park School Kadimah Scholars as well as Ohr Temimim students; a reception for the launch of the Art Show, and a class on “Understanding the Map of Israel” for fifth and seventh grade Community Religious School students led by UB students at Hillel of Buffalo’s Kol Yisrael program.

There will also be children’s activities designed for kids to experience Buffalo’s Jewish educational programs including art sessions, cooking, dance, food, story time, music and more. Parents can drop off children ages five up. Children four and younger must have parental supervision.

The Buffalo Jewish Day of Learning is a public project of the Home/Hub Partnership between the Buffalo Jewish Federation, Hillel of Buffalo and UB’s College of Arts and Sciences, which seeks to draw on the academic resources of the university to address critical issues facing the Jewish community while presenting opportunities to enhance Jewish life on campus and throughout Jewish Buffalo. Thanks to the Buffalo Jewish Federation, the UB College of Arts and Sciences at the University at Buffalo, Hillel of Buffalo, and Amherst Memorial Chapel, for hosting this event. A Learn-All-Day Pass is $18 for adults and free for children and students, which includes a kosher lunch (BVK supervised). Pre-registration is recommended and encouraged at buffalojewishfederation. org/day-of-jewish-learning-2023 or by scanning the QR code below. Sponsorship opportunities are also available to help support this initiative and provide more Jewish learning opportunities for the entire community.

Contact Alex at agreen6@buffalo. edu for more information.

Chef Moshe Morrison comes from NYC to UB

BY PROFESSOR ALEX GREEN

University at Buffalo hosted a Welcome and Tasting Celebration in late January to relaunch the New York Deli and Diner at UB’s North Campus. New chef, Moshe Morrison, who relocated to take on the position of chef and mashgiach of the deli, comes with decades of experience in the kosher food world, working both in restaurants and catering.

Morrison wants to emphasize that you do not have to be kosher to enjoy the food there. He wants something for everyone on the menu.

Morrison is also excited to come to Western New York to join his brother Armand and sister-in-law Lori Morrison, who runs Luscious by Lori, a kosher caterer in the area which has already changed the kosher scene in the Western New York Jewish community.

Morrison was a chef and mashgiach at Mr. Broadway in Manhattan before taking on this position at UB. He has a passion for cooking and is bringing with him new recipes for fresh soups and hummus. Some of the menu items available include deli sandwiches, such as corned beef, turkey and a new pastrami sandwich, which was not on the UB menu previously. Grilled chicken and shawarma will be served every day, along with hummus sandwiches and plates. They also welcome vegetarian eaters and offer chicken substitutes. And to top it all off, freshly baked cookies and muffins will be available as well. Mr. Morrison is also working on becoming Hallal certified.

The New York Deli and Diner is strictly kosher and under supervision of the Buffalo Vaad Hakashrut. It has been a mainstay at UB for many decades, though it was closed in early 2020 due to the pandemic. Since then, kosher food was available for takeout only, but the return of the Deli and Diner is an exciting moment of rebirth for the campus community.

The New York Deli and Diner is open to everyone, including the community who is welcome to join for lunch daily.

The New York Deli and Diner is located at 3 Talbert Hall on the UB North Campus and will be open during the fall and spring semesters, Monday to Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 p.m. The menu is viewable online at Myubcard.com.

Prof. Alex Green is a Visiting Associate Professor in the Department of Jewish Thought at SUNY, University at Buffalo, where he serves as the Buffalo Community Jewish Educator. He runs the Home/Hub Partnership between UB’s College of Arts and Sciences, Hillel and the Buffalo Jewish Community where he seeks to draw on the academic resources of the university to address critical issues facing the Jewish community while presenting opportunities to enhance Jewish life on campus and throughout Jewish Buffalo.

Chef Moshe Morrison with Rabbi Mendel Gurary

Spotlight on Adult Learning

LiNK Jewish Buffalo offers many opportunities for adult learners of all ages and levels. Contact Susan Schwartz at susan@ buffalojewishfederation.org for information about upcoming Hebrew classes, Intro to Judaism, learning cohorts, and Wise Aging groups. Or reach out to explore creating a new learning opportunity. Here is what some of our recent learners had to say about LiNK classes.

Intro to Jewish Living:

A Western New York native, Ian Artis was born in Lockport, attended the University at Buffalo School of Law and subsequently served as an Assistant District Attorney in Niagara County for two years before entering the private sector. He currently resides in Lewiston with his beloved Schnauzer mix pup, Piper.

“The Introduction to Jewish Living class has afforded me the chance to achieve spiritual wellness and completeness. I feel as though I have been called to Judaism from a young age, and simply lacked the

language and tools to be able to both articulate why this religion was right for me.... This class has been the vehicle by which I am able to not only learn deeply about Judaism and its storied and beautiful traditions, but to also move forward my process of converting.”

Adult Engagement and Learning Vice Chair:

Dan Gattuso is an educator and a lifelong learner, originally from Olean, now residing in Buffalo. Professionally, Dan works as an elementary school librarian for the Ken Ton School District and is an active participant in LiNK Adult Engagement and Learning classes. He also serves as the librarian for Temple Beth Tzedek.

“LiNK adult learning experiences have brought me closer to Judaism and the Buffalo Jewish community. I am now excited to serve as Adult Learning vice chair to help others connect to Jewish Buffalo.”

Well Circle:

Leslie J. Koren is a filmmaker and artist. Leslie has a degree in Anthropology and Jewish Studies from Hampshire College and an MFA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University. She is currently an editor/producer for WNED/PBS/NPR at Buffalo Toronto Public Media.

“The Well Circle has revived my sense of Jewish community in a way that I hadn’t thought possible as an adult. It’s also opened me up to other connections, friendships, ideas and happenings in Buffalo which are all invaluable to me.”

Wise Aging:

Arlene Kaye Wasserman moved to Buffalo in 2011 with her husband Marc and son Jake. Their older son, Zach was already here attending the University at Buffalo. Arlene was recruited to Buffalo by New Era Cap to join their growing Global Team as Director of Merchandising and Product Development. In 2016, she founded Fashion Lab NY, which filled her passion for design and business development with her interest in inspiring the next generation of Fashion Designers.

“Our honest and warm monthly conversations have confirmed some of my beliefs about aging but more often have given me new perspectives from others’ experiences. We all navigate different challenges as we age, but so much is similar. It has been very helpful to have a forum for discussion on navigating this chapter of our lives.”

Ian Artis

Dan Gattuso

Leslie J. Koren

Arlene Kaye Wasserma

I Never Saw Another Butterfly at Starry Night

BY VILONA TRACHTENBERG

North Tonawanda’s Starry Night Theatre, Inc. will be putting on performances of I Never Saw Another Butterfly from March 23-26. The play centers on the story of Terezin Concentration Camp in the Czech Republic through the eyes of many of the more than 15,000 children who endured the camp. A teacher, Irena Synkova gives the children courage to write and draw about their experiences, and provides them with a utopian world of butterflies, flowers and laughter, even though their futures are grim. They draw pictures of life coalesced with death, and write poems about bright observations to distract them from the saturated death scene around them. They create these works of art and bury them, with the hopes that someone would find them one day.

The play, which is based on a poem by Pavel Friedmann, is named after a yellow butterfly, the famous symbol of hope. To prepare the cast of mostly child and young adult actors to perform this play, Holocaust survivor Dr. Sol Messinger recently shared his personal story of survival with them; Sol fled the Nazis by way of the ill-fated S.S. St. Louis as a child, and hid in France before the Jewish Organization rescued his family in 1942.

Kathy Ellis, an assistant director for this show and member of the WNY Jewish community, believes in the importance of showing this play widely and feels honored to be part of this production. “It is important for young children to understand this part of history,” Kathy said. “The survivors and their families are living proof of the horrors of the Holocaust and the hope it will never happen again. I believe that by telling this story we will send a message to young people not to repeat the mistakes of those before them, and to live [in] a better world with diverse and culturally different and positive people.

I Never Saw Another Butterfly

MARCH 23 • 7 P.M.

MARCH 24 - 25 • 8 P.M. SUN. MARCH 26 • 2 P.M.

Performed by Starry Night Theatre at the Ghostlight Theatre 170 Schenck St, North Tonawanda, NY 14120

(716)743-1614

starrynighttheatre.com

Cost: $10 (all seats are general seating)

Vilona Trachtenberg works in distribution at New Era Cap, and is a freelance writer and community advocate. For Vilona’s work, Buffalo Niagara Partnership honored her with an ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award in 2022.

Cast members of I Never Saw Another Butterfly with Dr. Sol Messinger (center)

A Partnership Story

BY TODD GEISE

Successful partnerships have a shared vision to support those who need it most. This is the case between Jewish Family Services (JFS) and West Side Community Services (WSCS).

The West Side has become a home for many immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers from around the world. West Side Community Services (WSCS) is a hub of activity in the heart of a part of the city that has evolved over the decades, today focusing on food security, early childhood bonding, substance abuse prevention, and activities for older adults. In 2022, the organization served more than 2,500 individuals.

Our work at JFS, that includes some of the same individuals at WSCS’ facility on Vermont Street, led us to establish a partnership in which both organizations could cross-deliver services with convenience for the people being served. According to WSCS Executive Director, Crystal Selk, “one of the major resources

we have to offer is physical space. We love to work with community partners who can take advantage of our classrooms, gym, playroom, and outdoor space in a way that supports their goals and benefits the wider community.”

One example is JFS’ Family Support Program, now being held at WSCS, where individuals in the program are typically new arrivals to the United States. One of the goals is to provide the concepts and the tools for successful family dynamics in American society. For parents of the program to be able to focus on their skill building, WSCS has a toy-laden playroom to capture the imagination of children in their new world.

“We are grateful for the partnership with WSCS,” said Dr. Molly S. Carr, CEO of JFS.

“It allows us to offer important training and services to new members of our community when they are ready for them; in a convenient, comfortable, and familiar setting.” In addition to the Family Support Program, JFS participates in large-scale

resource and education fairs for women. These fairs allow JFS and many other agencies to conduct lectures and activities about reproductive health, nutrition, and behavioral health. A mobile clothing pantry is also offered to participants.

The success of WSCS as a community hub was evident to JFS in a completely different way this past summer. As the recipient of funding to support an evening of wagon rides for families in the neighborhood, WSCS served as the location for Banner Farms to provide a fun experience for dozens of children and their parents. WSCS co-promoted the successful event, demonstrating the depth of the relationships they have built with those around them.

JFS is committed to finding ways for different organizations to work together, just like the successful partnership with WSCS. In the end, there will only be greater and more meaningful achievements for our community.

To learn more about JFS, visit jfswny. org, and to learn more about WSCS, visit wscsbuffalo.org.

Todd Geise is Director of Marketing at Jewish Family Services of Western New York.

Children enjoying themselves during a JFS parent program at WSCS

Open Seder Returns this April

It has been four years since more than 20 members of our Jewish community opened their homes to people from other faith, ethnic and cultural communities as part of the first Jewish Community Relations Council’s (JCRC) Open Seder.

JCRC’s Presence Throughout WNY

As a community partner, JCRC representatives attended the January 12 roll out of the Partnership for the Public Good’s 2023 Community Agenda. In addition to hearing from leaders in the non-profit sector, many elected officials were in attendance to highlight legislation that will help move these community improvements forward this year. Many of the selected initiatives are in clear alignment with the goals of the JCRC, including strengthening supports for refugees and immigrants to Buffalo and working to make greater Buffalo more equitable for all.

In April of 2019, through sharing a Seder, participants engaged in meaningful conversations about freedom and resilience, and shared stories to help forge and strengthen friendships across lines of difference. One guest remarked to their host, “learning about Passover feels like returning home and knowing there’s still more to learn about friends who we have been far from.”

JCRC is thrilled to bring Open Seder back to our community on Wednesday, April 5 and Thursday, April 6. We are actively looking for individuals who are interested in opening up their homes to one to four guests for this unique and meaningful opportunity. To help our hosts prepare, we will once again host an evening of in-person learning ahead of our Open Seder. This year, our session will be led by Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein at Congregation Shir Shalom on Wednesday, March 15 from 7-8. Please let us know by March 13 if you would like to host. If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Beerman at rachel@buffalojewishfederation.org.

Your Dreams. Our Guidance.

On January 13, members of the Buffalo Jewish Federation leadership attended the Second Annual MLK Legacy Luncheon sponsored by WNY Area Labor Federation AFL-CIO. It was a powerful event highlighting local leaders in labor and in the community.

Federation Webpage Addresses Antisemitism

The Buffalo Jewish Federation (BJF) has launched a new web page that addresses antisemitism. A collaborative effort between the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), the Holocaust Resource Center (HRC) and LiNK Jewish Buffalo, the site includes resources directing you where to turn if you need help or have questions, information about what the BJF is doing to address antisemitism, and steps you can take to address antisemitism. You can find the website by going to the Buffalo Jewish Federation’s homepage or directly at buffalojewishfederation.org/addressing-antisemitism/.

Please contact Mara Koven-Gelman at mara@buffalojewishfederation.org for any questions.

JCRC co-chair Deborah Goldman and JCRC Senior Director Mara KovenGelman represented the JCRC in January at the annual NAACP Buffalo branch swearing in ceremony of Rev. Mark Blue, the 2023 NAACP Buffalo Branch President.

Rob Goldberg, Miriam Abramovich, Rachel Beerman and Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein at the MLK Legacy event.

Reverend Mark Blue and Deborah Goldman at the NAACP Annual Meeting

From Tragedy to Philanthropy

BY LINDA D. POLLACK

The Buffalo Bills are playing Monday Night Football, the first Monday of 2023. The hopeful fans believe this is their Super Bowl year. The team holds the pent-up yearnings of our community in its collective heart. Cheering for the Bills embodies love and loyalty, identity and meaning. In an underdog city, it signifies our longing for recognition. This night came after Buffalo’s international headlines for its “bomb cyclone,” days of travel cancellations prior to the holiday season and New Year’s celebrations. A wicked wind kept us apart, leaving us powerless in many ways. Help came when they could get through the walls of snow. Volunteer firefighters, first responders, medical teams, snowmobilers all pitched in to help people. Forty-seven people died.

That night, Damar Hamlin, a young player in peak physical condition, collapsed on the field. Immediately, he was surrounded by a protective cluster of privacy and caring from both teams. Some players dropped to their knees to pray, some cried as concern overwhelmed them. The emergency action plan for trauma mobilized. Swift efforts brought him back from cardiac arrest.

In real time, Damar Hamlin collapsed in front of us, not only in Paycor Stadium, but across the country on every imaginable electronic device. Time

stopped for all. Our fear and collective worry set in for Damar. Two days later, a two-year-old Go Fund Me page gained national prominence. Damar’s Foundation, The Chasing M’s Foundation based in McKees Rock, PA, experienced a dramatic increase in donations. The outpouring of generosity has amounted to more than $9M from nearly 248,000 donors to support a stranger, a friend, a colleague in peril.

Damar’s frightening injury triggered an emotional groundswell of financial support for his foundation, largely because

the foundation was created by him and is a charitable cause for concerned donors to express their support for him in a fast and meaningful way. Broadcast events can make people feel more intimately connected to this and other tragic events because of the immediacy of the coverage and the realization that tragedy can strike any of us at any time. This heightened awareness and sense of connection inspire giving.

The Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies helps individuals and families fulfill their aspirations to financially support causes that inspire

them, and make an enduring impact, through efficient charitable vehicles.

During a subsequent home game, Damar was carefully taken to Highmark Stadium to attend the game. Doctors say it is “fairly remarkable.” His recovery is in its beginning stages.

But, the Bills meet the Bengals again! The trauma, the shock, mental and emotional health concerns, the uncertainty, and disruption are not over, not for the players, not for us, or for Damar or his family. Cognitive shocks will be with us even as athletes excel in competition.

We all know the outcome of the game. Wait until next year!

I believe in the constant of change and the learnings that transition brings us. What remains central in every pivot, shift, collaboration, is the future. In that regard it is essential we firm up the foundation we have built, stabilizing, and building community. The Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies is here for you. Visit jewishphilathropies.org to learn more.

African proverb:

Linda D. Pollack is an experienced community volunteer and team member for Hillel LIFE & LEGACY® at Buffalo. Her article here is abrideged. To read the full article, visit jewishphilanthropies.org/fromtragedy-to-philanthropy

“IF YOU WANT TO GO FAST, GO ALONE. IF YOU WANT TO GO FAR… GO TOGETHER.”

Damar Hamlin wall art by Adam Zyglis

Photo by Ellen Goldstein

Sokolivka: Once Home In Memory of Leslie Shuman Kramer (1961-2022)

BY CHANA REVELL KOTZIN, PH.D.

This March we launch a new online exhibition in memory of Leslie Shuman Kramer. Sokolivka: Once Home explores the ancestral home from where the Shuman family in Buffalo can trace their roots along with many other Jewish Buffalonians. The remains of this village are located in present day Ukraine, but it was once a tiny hamlet within the vast Russian Empire.

A small number of Sokolivkers left for America at the turn of the twentieth century, and settled in Philadelphia and New York, as well as Buffalo. The greater number of Buffalo Sokolivkers came after a series of pogroms, and together made up the largest Sokolivka community in the United States. This exhibition traces the interconnected histories of Sokolivka and Yustingrad (Ustingrad) and the routes to a new life and home in Buffalo, NY. Through family documents, photographs, ephemera and more, the exhibition highlights the links between identity and acculturation and connection told through an array of materials including

cousin club minute books as well as film clips and recipes.

We are grateful to the extended Shuman family for their deep involvement in this undertaking, as well as grateful to the many other Sokolivka families in Buffalo and the Buffalo Jewish diaspora who provided critical materials for the retelling of this story of community survival and relocation.

Leslie Shuman Kramer was a gifted community leader, attorney and a committed supporter and fundraiser for many causes, especially the fight against cancer. Born in 1961 in Buffalo, Leslie Shuman was educated in the Williamsville school district and studied at Cornell University and University at Buffalo Law School. She initially worked as a lawyer in Chicago and was quickly identified for her leadership skills and recruited for the Chicago Jewish Federation’s Young Leadership Board.

On returning to Buffalo, she joined the family law firm Gross Shuman, and after marriage to Jim Kramer, she channeled her energy

into community engagement. Working in the Buffalo Jewish community with a series of leadership roles in her synagogue, community agencies and the Buffalo Jewish Federation, she also made a name for herself in national Federation roles.

2017 and 2018. She chaired the 2015 and 2016 Campaigns for Jewish Buffalo and co-chairedtheBuffaloJewishFederation’s Leadership Development program. She served as president of the Buffalo Jewish Federation during Covid with distinction, maintaining connections in innovative ways.

In 2000, the Buffalo Jewish Federation awarded her the Milton and Ruth Kahn Young Leadership Award. The Jewish Federation’s National Women’s Philanthropy awarded her the KipnisWilson/Friedland Award in 2018, given to inspiring women in Jewish communities across North America. A keen cyclist and rider in the Ride for Roswell, she was recognized as one of its top fundraisers in2021.

With fluency in Hebrew and family connections to Israel over decades, Leslie was a natural fit for leading the Partnership2Gether Consortium with the Western Galilee in Israel. This tenure was cut short by advancing cancer, but despite this, Leslie Shuman Kramer approached lifecyclingforward,withagoalofpersonal connection and a capacious heart that was fully present in life with her family, friends, colleagues and community Her loss at the age of 60 in February 2022, to cancer against which she both fought and fundraised for, has left a hole in the Greater Buffalo community. However, her life and the way she lived it has given us a legacyofexampleforall.

Ustingrader Ustingrader Unterstitzung Verein Drum Corp. 1943, Courtesy of Eric Recoon.

She chaired Women’s Philanthropy, leading their 2009 and 2010 fundraising campaigns and helped lead missions to Israel in 2012,

We are most grateful for the support of the Shuman/Kramer Family in underwriting the online exhibition, Sokolivka: Once Home in memory of Leslie Shuman Kramer. To explore this unique resource and remember Leslie, visit jewishbuffalohistory.org

Chana Revell Kotzin, Ph.D., is the coordinator of the Jewish Buffalo History Centerwebsite.

Leslie Kramer before the 2019 Ride for Roswell Peleton. Courtesy of the Shuman Family.

Leslie Shuman with Irv, Marilyn and Cathy Shuman and the extended Shuman family, 1960s. Courtesy of Charlie Shuman.

Hadassah’s Dynamic Duo

Buffalo Hadassah is lucky to have two amazing hardworking women chairs in the Program Committee. Marlene Katzel and Maxine Seller have been working together planning programs for Buffalo Hadassah for many years. Marlene, born in Albany, went to college at the University at Buffalo and taught reading in the West Seneca School District. Maxine, born in Wilmington, North Carolina, went to Bryn Mawr as an undergraduate and got her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. She and her husband Bob lived in Philadelphia before they both got positions at the University at Buffalo. Bob developed and then chaired the Department of Family Medicine and Maxine taught in the Education and History Departments.

Marlene and Maxine are both Life Members of Hadassah and have always been active in the Buffalo Chapter, but after they retired, they devoted more time to planning worthwhile programs for Hadassah members and others in the community. Over the years, they have planned programs that included visits to museums and places of cultural interest, both in and out of town. One of the more memorable visits was to the Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum at Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York.

Some recent programs have included assembling meaningful Dignity Grows packs, a fabulous English Garden Party at the home of Pam Weinrieb, a hands-on art project taught by Nancy Greenberg, and guest speaker Dr. Irving Massey.

One of the reasons Marlene and Maxine work so well together is that they are good friends, enjoy each other’s company and have a lot of the same interests, such as attending Buffalo Philharmonic Concerts and plays at the Jewish Repertory Theatre. They also are committed to Israel, Hadassah and the Buffalo Jewish Community. For more information about Hadassah programs email mkatzel@ me.com or mseller@buffalo.edu.

Marlene Katzel Maxine Seller

Ohr Temimim Gives Back!

The Ohr Temimim/Jewish Heritage Day School collected toys for Chai Lifeline, an organization that gives support to children and their families struggling with terminal illnesses. The campaign was met with much success as the kids reached out to community members to bring new, unwrapped gifts to the school.

Pictured (left to right): Sarah Munitz, Sophie Green and Miriam Khavis.

Enduring the Winter Rollercoaster

BY RABBI ADAM SCHELDT

Earlier this year, I was invited to the home of some dear friends for their annual “January Is NOT Depressing Party.” It is a fantastic little gettogether where we all convene and bring our favorite carb-laden, delicious, comfort-foodish things to

eat, and we slowly stuff ourselves while grazing into the evening, talking and laughing with family and friends. It’s become my favorite way to let go of the winter doldrums and break up the seemingly never-ending expanse of grey that is Western New York’s cold months. Even in times like these, in which we can begin to

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see that Spring is on its way, I still need that party to give me a bit of renewal each year.

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BlueFire Bar & Grill inside the Buffalo Niagara Marriott

This year, however, the party took on a new level of meaning for me. For the first months of this winter nearly everyone I know has been sick (including myself). And as a community, we endured one of the most horrible blizzards in memory which stole the lives of many Western New Yorkers. And then to top it all off, the shining beacon of happiness that is a good Bills game was brought to a halt with the nearly fatal health emergency of a beloved player (who thankfully is on the mend!).

This winter has been a bit of a rollercoaster—and not one that any of us would have waited in line for at Darien Lake. It’s been up and down, warmer, then cold, then colder still. And throughout, we’ve been hit with a lot. It reminds me of the Torah portion Vaera, in which the ancient Israelites are so burdened that God reaches out to Moses and puts together a plan to free our ancient ancestors from their oppressive lives. When I look back in my mind and think of this portion, the word, “yes” immediately springs to mind. Admittedly, my life (and I think, in general, most of our lives in Western New York) is clearly not as bad as the lives of the enslaved Israelites we read about in Vaera Nevertheless, inadvertently inspired by the text, a bit of a spontaneous prayer surfaces in my mind: “Yes, God, please get us a light at the end of this tunnel-this weird, sometimes frightening, unpredictable, seemingly endless grey tunnel known as this winter.”

Perhaps it’s a personal flaw, but I rarely ever put anything entirely in God’s hands. The only thing I really work to place solely in the hand of God, is one of my own, so we can hopefully work together to make life a little better. So,

the questions surface: What do we do? And, how do we cope when the burdens pile a bit too high or feel too precarious for us to really process?

If there was one perfect answer, we wouldn’t have the problems in the first place. So instead, let’s take things bit by bit, one step at a time. To be sure, even in the Torah portion I mentioned, God, Moses, and the Israelites have to chip away at Pharaoh before the light at the end of their tunnel becomes a reality.

So, we first start with ourselves. What are you actually feeling? Have you stopped to honestly check-in with yourself? If you haven’t, try it. When we take a few minutes to just sit with our thoughts we often end up with some good ideas about what we need in any moment.

Secondly, try taking a quick gratitude inventory. It’s easy to focus on all the negative things swirling around. It even feels natural to start your day on a down note, especially when the sky is cloudy enough to stretch the night a bit too far into the morning. But instead, set aside a few minutes to literally verbalize the good things you have in your life. No matter how many or how few, give them a little recognition, lift them up and let them make you smile a bit. Do this every day the sun doesn’t shine this winter, and it will change you.

And lastly, but certainly not least, be with one another. Find someone (healthy), and hang out. Get together and eat, reminisce. Grab a friend or two and try something new. (I am trying an aerial class in which the majority of the people are in their late 20s and flexible. I am not either of those things—ongoing thoughts and prayers are welcomed.) Or, get together with your nearest and dearest, have everyone bring their favorite comfort foods, and enjoy each other’s company. Actually, better yet, get your nearest and dearest together and throw a Purim party. Never heard of it?

No worries—take 5 minutes, ask Rabbi Google, and enjoy. There is no better holiday for feeling festive and blowing off stress than Purim—and the timing is perfect to give you and your loved one’s a much-needed boost.

When we are together, sharing stories and sharing time, we heal. When we get in touch with ourselves, we grow. And when we give thanks for the goodness before us, we become. And at moments like these, in winters like this one, nothing helps us see the tunnel’s end quite like that.

Rabbi Adam Scheldt is the Director of Spiritual Care at Hospice Buffalo.

Rabbi Adam Scheldt

UB students Visit Poland

Chabad on Campus Living Links is an inspirational seven-day trip to Poland for college students that explores the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust and how we live as Jews today. The weeklong journey traverses through cemeteries, death camps, ghettos and other vestiges of Jewish life and loss across Poland.

In December, five UB students - Evan Klein, Omeed Tartak, Brandon Meyer, Talia and Farrah Fuld - traveled with 80 students from around the world for this one-in-a-lifetime experience. “The trip to Poland provided me and my peers an

experience that truly changed my life,” shared Evan Klein. “The biggest takeaway for me is to always be proud to be Jewish, and to continue to live a life filled with Jewish traditions and happiness.” Evan also added his gratitude to Rabbi Moshe Gurary and Rivkah Gurary from Chabad of Buffalo, who made it possible for the local students to attend. “We are thankful for everything they do for all of us every day.”

Arts & Writing Contest

Going Big at KOT

BY PHYLLIS STEINBERG

Kehillat Ohr Tzion (KOT) may be a small synagogue. In fact, if you drive on Hopkins Road and you’re looking for KOT, you may not even notice it. Although we’re small, we like to have big events, and throughout the winter we’ve being “going big.”

In January and February KOT collected nonperishable food for FeedMore WNY. Led by the Social Action Committee (SAC), that was formed 9 years ago when Ted and Phyllis Steinberg moved to Williamsville from Fredonia, the SAC is now such an integral part of KOT. At the same time, a special shower was held where items that were needed by our synagogue were gift wrapped and opened by some of our children. The gifts included items for the dairy kitchen as well as toys and books for the children’s room upstairs. Of course, there was cake and champagne!

Recently, KOT celebrated the Brit Milah for the newest son of Rabbi Ori and Norah Bergman, Nadav Adin. Family and friends from near and far attended in person and on line. A beautiful kiddush sponsored by the Bergman family was enjoyed by all.

March 19 brings KOT’s biggest event yet! Beth Weiss leads a committee that is organizing KOT’s first large fundraiser since the start of the pandemic. The event includes a sit-down catered dinner with live entertainment by Kenny Byrd & Friends. For more information or to register and support KOT, please email bmweiss516@gmail.com

Syngogue leaders enjoying the giftgathering shower.

PJ Library® Recipient Becomes LIFE & LEGACY® at Buffalo Donor

When Stephanie Shapiro’s grandson was five years old, PJ Library® books were delivered to her and her late husband’s home. Their grandson, Elliot-Luis (named after Stephanie’s husband, Elliot Shapiro z”l) was interested in the books, especially reading them with his grandparents who acted out the characters’ voices.

Total Legacy Commitments Received: 254

Total dollar amount: $9,282,923

Total Number of Donors: 129 Through 2/14/23

LIFE & LEGACY® is a partnership with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation that promotes after-lifetime giving to benefit Jewish synagogues and organizations. Legacy giving ensures that you will be remembered by those who directly benefit from your generosity as well as those who will be inspired by your example for future generations.

In 2021, the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies, in collaboration with the Buffalo Jewish Federation, was selected to join more than 70 other communities across North America in this Jewish legacy giving initiative. To-date, the initiative has secured more than 30,000 permanently endowed commitments amounting to more than $1 Billion. The four-year LIFE & LEGACY® program provides coaching, training, and resources to ensure that a culture of philanthropy and legacy giving becomes an integral part of the Buffalo Jewish community. Together, the Foundation and Federation are committed to helping secure the future of Jewish Buffalo. Each month, please visit this LIFE & LEGACY® @ Buffalo section to learn about the local agencies and synagogues partnering in this effort.

For more information, please contact Linda Barat, LIFE & LEGACY® Coordinator for the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies at linda@jewishphilanthropies.org or 716-204-2259.

This was their Jewish connection. Soon younger Elliot wanted to share Shabbat dinners with his grandparents.

Stephanie, a mother of four children, two stepsons and grandmother to three grandchildren and a great-grandson, met her husband Elliott in 1977, married in 1983 and enjoyed 29 years of raising their children together and forming a close family bond through vacations, sharing holidays and more.

Stephanie’s early career included public relations work for Project Innovation – a part of the UB Foundation, Erie 1 BOCES, and D’Youville College. She then ventured into journalism – at The Buffalo News beginning with general assignments, night copy editing, and ultimately City Night Editor at a time when the

newsroom was mostly filled with men, some who referred to her as the “dame on a desk.” Elliot was City Desk editor at The News, whose shift spilled into the early part of the night. That is where Stephanie and Elliot first met.

They attended services at Temple Sinai, the first synagogue that was founded as a Reconstructionist congregation and the first synagogue in suburban Buffalo. Stephanie and Elliot remained congregants at Temple Sinai through its merger with Temple Beth Am which culminated in the creation of Congregation Shir Shalom in 2012. Elliott, a past-president of the congregation, passed away in 2012.

Elliot was Jewish by birth and Stephanie is a Jew by Choice, choosing Judaism in 1981. When explaining her inspiration, she says “I converted to simplify daily living. Attending services with Elliot is where I became interested in Judaism itself.” Stephanie noted the conversion process was fascinating as she was guided by Rabbi Joseph Herzog of Temple Sinai.

In 2022, Stephanie made a gift to LIFE & LEGACY® at Buffalo making the Buffalo Jewish Federation her beneficiary. She wants to enhance the Jewish threads of family with others –just as her connection with her grandson has for her – starting with the PJ Library®. Interestingly, both LIFE & LEGACY® at Buffalo and PJ Library® are programs initiated and supported by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

For information on how you can help to secure the future of Jewish Buffalo, please contact Linda Barat, LIFE & LEGACY® at Buffalo Coordinator for the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies at linda@jewishphilanthropies.org or 716-204-2259.

“As my forefathers planted these carob trees for me so I too plant these for my children.”

— Talmud (Ta’anis 23b)

Stephanie Shapiro, Paula Madrigal, Elliot Luis

Harold L. Cohen Art Exhibit on View Through April

Meibohm Fine Arts is honored to present “The Wonder of Nature” with artworks from esteemed Western New York artist, educator and activist Harold L. Cohen (19252021). As Dean of the University at Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Environmental Design, Cohen took a cross-disciplinary approach, rooted in the theory that design can be used as a tool to solve any human endeavor which guided him through his accomplished career. Raised in a socially conscious Orthodox Jewish household, Cohen’s faith was woven into the fabric of each of his endeavors as an educator, artist, designer, researcher, social reformer, as well as health and community activist.

The selected artworks for “The Wonder of Nature” showcase Cohen’s admiration and dedication to the natural world on a microscopic and macroscopic level. The prints included in this exhibition depict forests and weather conditions from many corners of the world where he and his wife Mary traveled, including intaglio etchings and linocuts.

Following his retirement in 2000, Cohen designed and built an art studio in Downtown Buffalo. Using the same purposeful approach that guided his career, Cohen returned to one of his first loves, art. Cohen described this transition as, “Doing my artwork is one of the most satisfying experiences in my life. I waited until I was seventy-five years old to do something I’ve held in check for most of my adult life....My work is the outside reality of the inside of me. What was in the past unusable and hiding is now open and visible.”

The exhibition will be on view through Saturday, April 22 at Meibohm Fine Arts, 478 Main Street, East Aurora NY 14052. Preview the exhibition at meibohmfinearts.com. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday 9:30-5:30 and Saturdays until 4:00.

Harold L. Cohen (19252021) “Planets” 2000, 20” x 16”, acrylic on gold foil

Embracing our Diverse Heritage at Temple Beth Zion

BY CHANA REVELL KOTZIN, PH.D.

After more than a year of activity, a reimagined Benjamin and Dr. Edgar R. Cofeld Judaic Museum will open on Sunday April 23 at Temple Beth Zion at 3:00 p.m. with an afternoon of ceremony and tours. The museum holds a diverse collection of ceremonial and ritual objects, Jewish art, and historical and cultural artifacts from across the diaspora. With a newly curated art gallery featuring many artists with Buffalo Jewish ties, the redesigned museum also offers a special focus on the history of Temple Beth Zion and its architectural design.

Since January 2022, a team of temple members and professional contractors have worked on creating a different experience of a museum, one that is physically integral to the main halls and walkways of the temple and one that immerses members and visitors alike as they move between the temple spaces. The main hallways and gathering spaces have been remodeled, repainted and carpeted, and new lighting installed. The philosophy of the museum has changed from densely arranged fixed displays into a core collection with cases and signage designed to allow for changing rotations that showcase the breadth of our holdings.

Originally opened in the late 1970s and expanded under the former

curators, Mortimer and Harriet Spiller in 1981, the new museum remains true to its original mission of engaging with Jewish heritage in America and the diaspora as well as showcasing the range of Jewish religious practice including Reform Judaism. Dedicated sections explore the themes of Torah, Shabbat, Holidays and Jewish Living in ways that highlights the international, national, local and member

Young Families Gather at TBZ

Six months after the arrival of new Temple Beth Zion (TBZ) Rabbi Brent Gutmann, a standing room only crowd filled the Sisterhood Chapel of the Historic TBZ Building at 805 Delaware for TBZ’s new monthly offering to young families. In partnership with LiNK Jewish Buffalo and PJ Library Shabbat ShaFamily, Rabbi Gutmann and Cantor Mark Horowitz led the crowd in an imaginative children’s prayer service, Magic and Miracles. The Rabbi played Moses and dazzled the crowd with his best magic tricks as he attempted to persuade Pharaoh, played by Cantor Horowitz, to let the Israelites go free. Children and adults alike were mesmerized from start to finish, and the evening was made complete with a free Kosher Israeli dinner in partnership with the Community Religious School.

Everyone is wondering what the imagination of Rabbi Gutmann intends to cook up next. TBZ currently offers two programs dedicated to young families. Once a month on Sunday mornings from 9:15-11 a.m. (next on March 19), a playgroup of 0-4 year old children gather with their caregivers for play, songs, stories and crafts TBZ’s Broder Center in Amherst, and on the third Friday of each month, TBZ offers a Young Family Shabbat in their Delaware Avenue Sisterhood Chapel for a special themed service at 5:30 p.m. and a dinner at 6:15 p.m., usually for a nominal fee. On March 17 young families will gather all the pieces they need to build the traveling tabernacle in the wilderness for LEGO Shabbat. All programs are open to members as well as nonmembers of Temple Beth Zion.

centered collections. Additional sections trace the cultural development of Temple Beth Zion, focusing on the synagogue’s history and its architecture in the context of Buffalo and beyond. To extend the physical experience of a visit to the museum, a “smart table” provides access to newly discovered and digitized materials from a simple touch menu.

The new museum is for the enjoyment of the entire Buffalo community and its reimagining has been enabled by the legacy of Bertha Cofeld, who created a significant endowment for the Cofeld Judaic Museum as well as donations from the Benderson family and other community members through the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.

Please join us on Sunday, April 23 to explore this new community resource in the heart of the city on Delaware Avenue.

Chana Revell Kotzin, Ph.D., serves as the Curator and Historian at the Benjamin and Dr. Edgar R. Cofeld Judaic Museum of Temple Beth Zion, NY.

Temple Beth Zion Confirmation, Rabbi Fink at Center, 1920s, Courtesy of Marcia Rashman Frankel

Families gather at TBZ’s Sisterhood Chapel for Shabbat

First Ever Community Menorah Lighting in Elmwood Village

Snow and cold weather did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Buffalo Downtown community as they gathered on Monday, December 19 to light the Menorah and celebrate the second night of Chanukah. The event, which was held at M&T Bank, was the first ever community Menorah lighting in the heart of Elmwood Village. Rabbi Mendy Labkowski, Rabbi of Center for Jewish Life Downtown, spoke about the importance of the outdoor Menorah lighting, noting: “Where we are today in history, it is important to bring light to the streets, for the light, the warmth, and the sense of community and diversity that Buffalo and Elmwood Village feel.” Larry Rubin lit the Menorah as many gathered and sang Chanukah songs while partaking

Community Religious School News

Community Religious School (CRS) students celebrated Tu Bishvat and welcomed Shabbat with dinners and service at Temple Beth Zion and Temple Beth Tzedek. The parents of students in grades K to 5 also participated in Family Education programs, providing them with an opportunity to learn alongside their children, and meet other parents in the class. Students in grades 6 and 7 had a mini-rotation of pottery with Cathy Shuman Miller, making Mezuzot and spice bowls for Havdalah.

in the refreshments and traditional Chanukah foods.

The Menorah lighting is part of the worldwide Chanukah campaign, with over 15,000 large public Menorahs in more than 100 countries worldwide, including in front of landmarks such as the White House, the Eiffel Tower, and the Kremlin, an initiative launched by the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, in 1973.

All students in grades 5 -7 attended the play Tuesday with Morrie at the Jewish Repertory Theatre with our Amberleigh friends as part of the Better Together program, linking seniors with teens. CRS teens learned the process and blessings involved in putting on T’fillin at the WorldWide Wrap initiative at TBT under the leadership of Rabbi Gutmann, Rabbi Lazarus-Klein and Rabbi Rosenbaum.

The CRS students continue advancing in their Hebrew studies with one-on-one tutors, where several parents also join the tutoring sessions with their children! Thank you to the donors who are making it possible! CRS is partnering with Buffalo Jewish Federation and Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies to raise additional funds for this fantastic endeavor, engaging more than 150 students.

In the month of March, CRS students will celebrate Purim with the community at the JCC, participate in the Buffalo Day of Jewish Learning, and engage in Family Education programs for grades 6 and 7.

The Community Religious School serves the students of Temple Beth Tzedek, Temple Beth Zion, Congregation Shir Shalom and unaffiliated families. CRS provides engaging curriculum on Sundays and convenient private, remote Hebrew lessons to students from 1st through 7th grade. You can find more information at crsbuffalo.com.

A student expresses thankfulness

The Media and Antisemitism at TBT on March 27

American Jews are at a crossroads. Synagogues need armed security. Many college students hide their identity as they face antisemitic incidents on campus. Due to record high antisemitic incidents in the U.S., many question what’s behind the rise in hate.

On Monday, March 27 at 7 PM, please join “The Media and Antisemitism,” sponsored by Temple Beth Tzedek’s Adult Education Committee and supported by Buffalo Jewish Federation. This unique virtual event seeks to answer that question. Sarit Catz, Director of the Media Response Team for CAMERA, The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis, will discuss the media’s connection to antisemitism, and Daniel H. Trigoboff, Ph.D., CAMERA’s 2018 Letter Writer of the Year will moderate.

Register in advance for this

program to find out how the media’s treatment of antisemitism can affect American Jews at bit.ly/MEDIA_AND_ ANTISEMITISM. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the program on March 27.

Sarit Catz

Dan Mink new president of Congregation Havurah

BY RICK KOLLINS

Congregation Havurah has named Daniel Mink as its new president. Mink succeeds Bernard Schenkler, who served as congregation leader for the past 10 years.

Mink has been a prayer leader and Hebrew teacher for many years, preparing many of Havurah’s children to become Bar and Bat Mitzvah over the years. In his new role, Mink said his priority is to offer Havurah members the opportunity to lead services and chant from the Torah. “As an independent Reform/Humanist congregation with no paid clergy, Havurah has always relied on our congregants to prepare and lead Shabbat and holiday services,” Mink noted. “Very few of our members can read and chant from the Torah, or are very knowledgeable concerning ceremonial activities such as blowing the Shofar on

Rosh Hashanah, so we have planned programs to allow more of our members to participate in these activities.”

The 68-year-old Mink is a Buffalo native who attended Kadimah School and Hebrew High School and gained fluency in Hebrew by spending time in Israel during his teenage years.

Mink recently retired after a 31-year teaching career in Buffalo Public Schools and has been involved in music and theater for many years. He is currently a cast member with O’Connell and Company Productions.

Mink and his wife Ronna live in Amherst and have four children and three grandchildren in Colorado, British Columbia, Toronto and Israel. Joining him on the Havurah board are Bernie Shenkler, Jane Jacobson, Richard Lepie, Paul Pearson, Regina Grol, Barbara WolffReichert, Jan Leibowitz, and Abby Unger.

Buffalo Jewish Film Festival Features 11 Films and 3 Special Events

BY RICK KOLLINS

The 38th Buffalo International Jewish Film Festival will again be presenting a hybrid program this year with three films available online and eight others at venues across the city. “Last year we used the hybrid model that allows us to also offer talkback discussions on Zoom in conjunction with specific films,” explained Katie Wzontek, Cultural Arts Director at the Jewish Community Center. “Another change for this year’s festival is it will be held in March rather than in late spring as has been the tradition,” she continued. The dates for this year’s festival are March 8 – March 26.

In addition to the 11 films, the festival will include three special events, starting with an opening celebration at the Buffalo History Museum on March 8 and a closing celebration at Temple Beth Zion on March 26. The kickoff for the festival will be screening of the documentary The Levys of Monticello, the story of the Jewish family that maintained Thomas Jefferson’s landmark home for nearly a century despite widespread antisemitism. The film will be preceded on March 8 by a light reception at the Buffalo History Museum and followed by a discussion led by noted Buffalo historian Maxine Seller.

The closing event at Temple Beth Zion on March 26 highlights the life of Canadian poet/songwriter/singer Leonard Cohen through the lens of his iconic anthem Hallelujah. The film Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song

will also be preceded by a light reception and followed by a performance of the Buffalo Philharmonic Chamber Chorus.

It is only fitting that since this year’s film festival is being held in March, the program reflect college basketball’s “March Madness” with the showing of On the Map, the story of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s unexpected victory over the Moscow Red Army team in the 1977 European basketball championship. American-born Tal Brody, who was captain of the Israeli team, was quoted as saying the “victory put Israel on the map, and we are staying on the map, not only in sports, but in everything.” This spontaneous statement resonated with the Israel populace at

the time of the Cold War and in the wake of the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich and the losses suffered in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

In his Zoom talkback March 14 at noon, Brody will reflect on his life and his decision to give up a pro basketball career in the U.S. to make aliyah in 1970. With Maccabi Tel Aviv, he won 10 Israeli basketball championships and led Israel to the gold medal at the 1973 Maccabiah Games. In 1979, Brody became the first sportsman awarded the Israel prize, his country’s highest civilian honor, and he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and the US National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. Since 2010, Brody has served as international Ambassador of Goodwill for Israel.

This year’s festival lineup includes five dramas, five documentaries and one romantic comedy, representing films from France, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Czech

38th Buffalo International Jewish Film Festival Opening Celebration

(Buffalo History Museum, 1 Museum Court)

Wednesday, March 8, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. – Light reception and cash bar 6:00 p.m. – Film: The Levys of Monticello 7:00 p.m. – Talkback with historian Maxine Seller

Closing Celebration

(Temple Beth Zion, 805 Delaware Avenue)

Sunday, March 26, 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. – Light reception

5:00 p.m. – Film: Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song 7:00 p.m. – Performance by the Buffalo Philharmonic Chamber Chorus

Republic, as well as the U.S. and Israel. Each of the three online films will be available for 72 hours between March 9 and 15, with six films showing twice each at the Dipson Amherst Theatre on Main St. between March 17 and 23.

Four of this year’s films have themes related to the Holocaust, including one of Ed Asner’s final performances before his passing last August at age 91. In Tiger Within, Asner plays a Holocaust survivor who creates a bond with a homeless teenager in a highly emotional drama that evokes complex human issues such as loss, neglect, resentment and hate, as well as love, compassion, redemption, and forgiveness.

Farewell Mr. Haffmann is the story of a Jewish jeweler who is forced to give up his business after the Nazis occupy Paris in 1941. Schachten – A Retribution

follows the actions of a young Austrian man who seeks revenge for the loss of family members in the Holocaust. And Reckonings is a documentary exploring the impact of war reparations on Holocaust survivors, as well as on Israel and Germany.

Two dramas that touch on cultural diversity are America , a highly acclaimed Israeli-German-Czech production that centers on a love triangle involving two lifelong friends and an Israeli Falasha woman; and Where Life Begins, an Italian film about an ultra-Orthodox woman who seeks to break away from the restraints of her religion through a relationship with a non-Jewish Italian farmer.

On the lighter side, Jews and the Blues is a documentary that explores the influence of various Middle Eastern musical genres on the Blues; while Our (Almost Completely True) Story is a romantic comedy based on the cross-cultural marriage of actress Mariette Hartley and her Jewish husband comic Jerry Sroka.

Complete information, including schedules, film synopses, trailers, ticket prices, and instructions for streaming the online films, is available on the Festival web site at jccbuffalo. org/bijff.com.

Rick Kollins is a member of The Buffalo Jewish Film Festival committee.

Tal Brody

MARCH 8 – MARCH 26

Virtual Screenings

(available for 72 hours from 6:00 p.m. on first date listed)

Thursday, March 9 – Saturday, March 11 Reckonings

Sunday, March 12 – Tuesday, March 14 On the Map

Tuesday, March 14, 12:00 Noon

Zoom Talkback with Tal Brody

Wednesday, March 15 – Friday, March 17 Jews and the Blues

In-Person Screenings

(Dipson Amherst Theatre, 3500 Main Street)

Friday, March 17 4:30 p.m. Tiger Within

Saturday, March 18 7:30 p.m.

Farewell, Mr. Haffmann

Sunday, March 19 4:30 p.m. America 7:30 p.m.

Schachten – A Retribution

Monday, March 20 4:30 p.m.

Our (Almost Completely True) Story

7:30 p.m.

Where Life Begins

Tuesday, March 21 4:30 p.m.

Schachten – A Retribution

7:30 p.m. America

Wednesday, March 22 4:30 p.m.

Farewell, Mr. Haffman 7:30 p.m. Tiger Within

Thursday, March 23 4:30 p.m. Where Life Begins 7:30 p.m.

Our (Almost Completely True) Story

Film synopses, trailers, ticket prices and streaming instructions available at jccbuffalo.org/bjiff For more information, please contact Katie Wzontek at kwzontek@jccbuffalo.org.

HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

The Buffalo Jewish Federation thanks and honors all of our 2022 donors and supporters. Their generosity enables our local and national agencies to provide much-needed services to ensure vibrant Jewish life here in Western New York, in Israel and around the world. The following names are people who have contributed to the 2022 Campaign through 1/15/2023. If you have any questions or your name is not listed, please contact Stacey Block at 716-463-5053 or e-mail her at Stacey@buffalojewishfederation.org.

$250,000+

International Leadership Reunion (ILR)

Any individual or family giving $250,000+

The Benderson Family

$100,000-249,999

Prime Ministers Council

Any individual or family giving $100,000-249,999

Weiss Family Philanthropic Fund*

$25,000-99,999

King David Society (KDS)

Any individual or family giving $25,000-99,999

Delaware North Companies, Inc.

Mr. George I. Gellman

Goldman Titanium, Inc.

Mr. Michael L. Joseph

The Late Leslie Shuman Kramer* and James S. Kramer

Mrs. Stanford Lipsey

Sylvia L and Melvin Morris Memorial Fund

Sanford M. Nobel

Eric and Cara Reich

Sheldon and Elsie Schneiderman Fund

West Herr Automotive Group

Bruce and Marianne Wisbaum

Howard and Leslie Zemsky

$18,000-24,999

Joshua Society (JS)

Any individual or family giving $18,000-24,999

Judith and Joel Brownstein

Mr. David H. Desmon**

M & T Bank

Howard Rosenhoch

Charles and Penelope Shuman*

Marilyn C. Shuman*

$10,000-17,999

Joshua Society (JS)

Any individual or family giving $10,000-17,999

Dr. Robert and Dr. Tova Ablove

Baird Foundation

Mrs. Elaine Brothman

Bonnie Clement*

Mr. Lawrence Dautch

Mrs. Janet Desmon* , * *

Jo Nasoff-Finton and The Late Eugene Finton

Rose and Bud Frank Fund

Jay and Ronna Gershberg

Rob and Shira Goldberg

Dr. Grant Golden and Ms. Deborah Goldman

The Late Gretchen Gross*

Mrs. Amy Heumann

Mr. Eduardo P. Heumann

Mrs. Roberta S. Joseph* *

Jerald and Terri Katz Kasimov

Holly W. Levy * , * *

Jordan A. Levy* *

Warren Lippa

Dr. Sol Messinger

Dr. Charles and Mrs. Ellen Niles

Margery S. Nobel * , * *

Mr. Kenneth Shuman

Benjamin Smith Charitable Fund

Mr. Joseph Sterman

Haskell and James Stovroff Memorial Fund

Michael and Heather Weisman

Mrs. Janet K. Wisbaum*

Dr. Gil Wolfe

Anonymous (2)

$5,000-9,999

Lion of Judah

Women’s individual gifts of $5000+

Joan B. and David H. Alexander

Altman Dental

Mrs. Susan K. Altman

Mrs. Maxine Awner* , * * *

* Lion of Judah Endowment (LOJ) * * King David Society * * * Joshua Society

Dr. Steven Awner * * *

Dr. Howard W. Benatovich * * *

Mrs. Lana D. Benatovich* , * * *

Mr. James R. Biltekoff

Mrs. Judi Biltekoff * *

Mr. Peter A. Biltekoff * *

Dr. Shira Brown

Mr. David N. Bunis

Mrs. Joan Cohen

Jane Cole Godin Fund

Mrs. Antoinette B. Dauber * *

Mr. Kenneth M. Dauber *

Mrs. Marsha A. Dautch *

Robert and Eileen Fine

Mr. Lawrence C. Franco

Mr. Arthur M. Gellman *

Mrs. Bodil K. Gellman* *

Mrs. Susan Gellman * *

Stuart A. Gellman, Esq.

Patty Glick

Byron and Dorothy Goldman Memorial Fund

Anna and Bernard Gross Memorial Fund

Mr. Todd Joseph and Cantor Barbara Ostfeld

Mr. Arnold N. Kahn

Daniel and Gunilla Kester

Mrs. Rise’ P. Kulick*

Drs. Carlos and Luisa Kurek

Mrs. Beverly R. Levin

Mrs. Karen Baker Levin

Sharon Levite*

Mrs. Arlyne G. Levy

Mrs. Susan L. Levy

Mr. Steven Lustig

Markel Family Fund

Mrs. Randi L. Morkisz

Mrs. Sandra G. Morrison

Northtown Companies

Dr. Arthur E. Orlick

Dr. Michele Pozarny

Mrs. Ellen S. Reis* , * * *

Dr. Ellen P. Rich* * *

Dr. and Mrs. Daniel I. Rifkin

Sylvia L. Rosen Fund

Dr. Laurie S. Sadler

Dr. Maxine Seller

Mrs. Joanne M. Shatkin* * *

Dr. Samuel Shatkin, Jr.* * *

Mrs. Marilyn Shine

Mr. James L. Shuman

Dr. Eric L. Snitzer* * *

Mrs. Cheryl Stein

Mrs. Linda E. Steinhorn

Mrs. Viola Sterman

Peggy Sullivan

Ms. Anne M. Virag*

Mrs. Hannah R. Weinberg

Mrs. Julie A. Weinberg

Ms. Amelida Ortiz Weinmann

Mr. Sheldon Yellen

Mrs. M. Kim Yonaty* * *

Mr. Stephen L. Yonaty* * *

Rabbi and Mrs. Pinny Young

Shirley Zemsky Fund

Anonymous (2)

$1,800-4,999 Pomegranate

Women’s individual gift of $1,800+

Miriam and Samuel Abramovich

Dr. Frank J. Altman

Mrs. Jessica Meyers Altman

Dr. Michael Altman

Mr. and Mrs. Stuart H. Angert

Judy Babat

Jordan and Nikki Balsom

The Late Dr. Barbara Segal Bernstein

Dr. Joel M. Bernstein

Mr. and Mrs. Marc Bernstein

Mrs. Joanne Biltekoff

Stacey E. Block

Dr. Drucy Borowitz

Marjorie Bryen

Dr. Irwin L. Burstein

Mr. Philip Celniker

Mr. Frederick B. Cohen

Dr. Michael E. Cohen

The Late Ann Holland Cohn

Dr. Iris Danziger

Albert and Estelle Deemer Fund

Mrs. Mindy A. Doerfler

Mr. David Doran

Mrs. Rivona Ehrenreich

Mr. and Mrs. Howard B. Epstein

Dr. and Mrs. Marshall D. Fagin

Eve Y. Feigelis

Marina Maulucci Finkelstein and Mark Finkelstein

Dr. Jane Vogel Fischman

Dr. Stuart Lee Fischman

Mrs. Ilene Fleischmann

Mr. Peter Fleischmann

Howard and Laurie Foster

Mrs. Florence Fox

Nina Lukin and Elliot Gabelnick

Dr. Irwin Gelman

Alan and Marcia Goldstein

Ellen Goldstein and Mitch Flynn

Dr. and Mrs. Andrew Green

Mrs. Carin Greenfield

Mrs. Sharon Greenfield

Anna and Bernard Gross Memorial Fund

Harold and Susan Halpern

Mr. Ralph L. Halpern

Fredric and Donna Hirsh

The Hon. Kathleen and William Hochul

Mr. Melvyn L. Hurwitz

The Boris and Renee Joffe Foundation, Inc.

Dr. and Mrs. Brian S. Joseph

Mr. Gary A. Joseph

Jeffrey H. Katz

Mrs. Susan Katz

Dr. Elias J. Kaufman and Dr. Madeleine Kaufman

The Doctors David and Emily Kaye

Mr. Donald M. Kohnstamm

Peggy Kulick and Arnold Zimmer

Mrs. Julie C. Kweller

Dr. Jeffrey Lackner and Dr. Ann Marie Carosella

Mr. Jeffrey Lapides

Steve Yellen and Karen Leeds

Dr. Joel Levin

Bruce Levine and Corey Wolfe Levine

Mr. Irving Levy

Mrs. Dana R. Lewis

Donald and Susan Lubick

Mrs. Marian B. Lustig

Cathy Shuman Miller and S. David Miller

Sharon Miller

Mrs. Shelley K. Miller

Stuart Scheff and Lori Morreale

Barry and Toby Muskat

Mrs. Cheryl Orlick

Janet Gunner and Glenn Pincus

Edwin and Georgina Polokoff

Dr. Lance Pozarny

Mrs. Zhanna Racine

Michael Rawl

Mr. Eric L. Recoon

Professor Robert I. Reis* * *

Hon. Lisa Bloch Rodwin

Mr. Kenneth A. Rogers

Mr. Richard A. Romer

Dr. Ronald J. Sadler

Dr. Alan R. Saltzman

Mr. Blaine S. Schwartz

Scott L. and Deborah L. Shiffner

Mr. Paul R. Shine

Dr. Amy Ludwig Shuman* * *

Mrs. Chaya Shuman

Rabbi Daniel Shuman

Rabbi Sharon L. Sobel

Mr. Irving Stein

Mr. Mitch Steinhorn

Judi and Mont Stern

The Late Dr. Herman Stone

Moises and Steny Sudit

Mr. Irving Sultz

Mrs. Marilyn Sultz

Mrs. Sheila Trossman*

Mrs. Ellen Warner

Mr. Gene Warner

Dr. Michael Weinberg

Mr. Neil Weinberg

Mr. Peter Allen Weinmann

Mr. Sidney N. Weiss

Howard and Shirley Wilinsky

Mrs. Heidi Yellen

Mr. Richard A. Zakalik

Anonymous (20)

$1,000-1,799

Congregation B’rith IsraelAnshe Ames

Harvey and Marian Arbesman

The Hon. Rosalie Bailey and Mr. Thomas Bailey

Robert and David Berghash Family Philanthropic Fund

Michael B. Berger, Esq.

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bergman

Mr. Alan L. Bernstein

Mr. Jack Bibas

Mrs. Lisa Bibas

Dr. and Mrs. Richard and Lauren Bloomberg

Mr. Jeffrey Blum

Mr. and Mrs. Edward M. Case

Stacey Spokane and David Cappretto

Mrs. Maura Cohen

Dr. Nancy J. Colligan

Jonathan and Ofir Danziger

The Late Dr. Neil Dashkoff

Susan and Joseph DeMari

Mrs. Ellen C. Freed

Dr. Anthony Freundel

Scott and Lisa Friedman

Mrs. Charlotte Gendler

Dan and Sharon Gerstman

Mrs. Claire Goldberg

Mr. Steven D. Goodwin

Mrs. Esther M. Greene

Mrs. Harriet Halpern

Kirstie Henry

Mr. Jeffrey Hirshberg

Mr. Fred and Mrs. Barbara Holender

Mark Horowitz

Mrs. Alice Isenberg

Jacobowitz Family Fund

Robert I. Jadd, Esq.

Mrs. Joanne Kahn

Anne and Benjamin Kaiser Memorial Fund

Mr. Mark Karlin

Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth A. Kellick

Rabbi Alex Lazarus Klein

Mr. and Mrs. Cyril Koren

Mrs. Tova Kristal

Dr. Karen L. Krutchick

Gail Kushner

Rion Kweller

Merredith Levin

Mr. Allan M. Lewis

Dr. P. Jeffrey Lewis

Andrea and Joel Lippes

Mr. and Mrs. Leonard G. London

Jerry and Eileen Markzon

Armand Morrison

Lori Morrison

Dennis Nadler

Dr. Jan M. Novak

Olin Chemical Corporation

Frances L. and Michael Paskowitz

Mr. Harvey Podolsky

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth T. Polk

Dr. Stephen B. Pollack

Mr. Paul Polokoff

The Late Mr. Louis Pozarny

Mrs. Rolene Pozarny

Dr. Kevin Pranikoff

Dr. Deborah Raiken and Mr. Charles Korn

Rabbi Sara and Mr. Ezra Rich

Lori and Rick Schkolnick

Schwartz Fast Food Limited

Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz

Dr. Susan Schwartz

Mrs. Patricia L. Simonson

Dr. and Mrs. Theodore Steinberg

Drs. Janice and Gerald Sufrin

Dr. Sephra Vigna

Mrs. Kenneth E. Wagner

Victor Wagner Memorial Fund

Mark and Susan Wallach

Michael and Gina Weiner

Bernard and Helen Weinstein

Aaron and Wendy Weisbrot

The Late Mrs. Helen Weiser

Mr. and Mrs. Howard Wiseman

Sandra Gross Wolchok

Mr. and Mrs. Martin P. Wolpin

Ms. Judy Sally Zeckhauser

Mr. and Mrs. Bruce S. Zeftel

Anonymous (28)

$500-999

Mrs. Natalie Abramson

Mr. Scott M. Allen

Mrs. Paula Kopstick-Ames

Corey and Margaret Auerbach

Eric Balsom

Dr. Gerald Berkowitz

Cynthia Benderson

Mrs. Ellen Berman

Mr. Ernest Berman

Nancy and Lawrence Birzon

Neil S. Block

Sandra A. Block

Dr. Gale Burstein and Dr. Peter Bloom

Mrs. Barbara Blotnik

Mr. David and Mrs. Hadar Borden

Dr. Laurence Boxer

Mrs. Linda Boxer

Dr. Martin Brecher

Mr. Samuel M. Bronsky

Mr. Phillip Brothman

Mr. Marc Brown

Mr. David Buch

Ms. Molly Carr

Mrs. Judith E. Carrel

Ms. Debra L. Chernoff

Lawrence and Ann Cohen

Mrs. Evelyn Cohen

Mr. Richard Dopkins

Ms. Jean Dubow

John and Patricia Duffner

Dr. Carolyn P. Dukarm

Dr. Sanford Eisen

Dr. Howard S. Faden

Mr. Andrew Feldman

Eric and Brenda Feldstein

Stephen Foley

Mrs. Deborah Franco

Hon. Brenda Freedman and Mr. Martin Mutka

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Friedman

Mr. Sidney Friedman

Shawn and Kathie Frier

The Joseph and Anna Gartner Foundation

Dr. and Mrs. Michael D. Garrick

Robin Raphael and Alan Gellin

Dr. Lisa Gelman-Koessler

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Gersh

Caroline Gilfillan

Mr. Michael F. Godshaw

Debbie Gold

Mrs. Janice Goldstein

Dr. Kenneth T. Goldstein

Dr. Bianca Guttman-Weinstock

Mrs. Lisa M. Hotung

Mr. Andrew B. Isenberg

Mr. Fred Isenberg

Mrs. Jennifer Isenberg

Mrs. Beth Ann Joseph

Mrs. Marlene A. Joseph

Joseph Kanfer

Mr. Jacob Katz

Martin and Shelly Kerker

The Late Mr. Louis S. Kimmel

Mrs. Donna M. Klein

Mr. Mark S. Klein

Dr. Todd and Josie Koch

Mr. Dan D. Kohane

Jill and Michael Komm

Leon and Cynthia Komm

Fred and Laurette Kramer

Jody Kramer

Ms. Joan Kronman

Alon Kupferman

Dr. and Mrs. Richard Lepie

Mrs. Cookie Levin

Mr. Kenneth Levin

Mr. Lawrence H. Levin

Mrs. Faye S. Levy

Mr. Steven B. Levy

Mrs. Wendee G. Lorbeer

Mrs. Barbara E. Macks

Mr. and Mrs. Morton J. Merowitz

Mr. and Mrs. Alan R. Mollot

Jennie Morrison

Dr. Robert Moskowitz

Dr. Bennett Myers

Dr. Jeff Neu

Ms. Monica Neuwirt

John and Esther Northman

Mrs. JoAnne Nover

Mrs. Barbara Oliver

Mr. Steven B. Perelstein

Mrs. Rosalind Podolsky

Mrs. Merle Pranikoff

Mr. Val S. Racine

Mr. Mitchell Recoon

Dr. Phillip Recoon

Mrs. Susan E. Recoon

Robert and Barbara Reden

Mindy Robins-Reis and Shawn Reis

Mr. Edward C. Robinson

Sanford and Annette Rosenberg

Dr. Robert L. Rosenthal

Mr. Joel Aaron Ross

Max, Kalman and Rose Ruttenstein Memorial Fund

Mr. Lawrence Sadkin

Mr. Harvey Sanders

Joseph and Sandra Scheff

Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Schiller

Dr. Steven and Mrs. Sara Schultz

Dr. Stanley and Mrs. Diane Schwartz

Steven and Susan Schwartz

Karen and Bruce Sckolnick

Dr. Morton H. Sclair

Mr. Evan Shussett

Samuel Mosie-Silverman

Stewart and Gail Siskin

Mr. and Mrs. Marc Slonim

Craig Small

Mr. Carl E. Snitzer

Lesa Sobolewski

Dr. Mike Steklof

Mr. Gary Sterman

Mr. James Sterman

The Late Bernice Stern

Dana Stoffman

Judith Baron Stone and Steven Stone

Richard Tobe and Susan Bring Tobe

Jamie Von Ellen

Mrs. Cookie Weil

Dr. Norman L. Weinberg

Mrs. Margit Weinmann

Mr. Erwin Weinstein

Mrs. Evelyn Weinstein

Iris and Ken Weinstein

Dr. Arie Weinstock

Mrs. Sheila J. Weisman

Mrs. Linda C. Weiss

Mrs. Sylvia Weiss

Laura Wexler

Golda Willig Memorial

Mr. Ronald Willig

Mrs. Ronna Wiseman

Mr. Steven G. Wiseman

Mr. Wayne R. Wolchok

Mr. Sanford Wolffe

Mrs. Karen L. Zakalik

Ms. Margery Zeckhauser

Anonymous (29)

$100-499

Dr. Robert Ackerhalt

Mrs. Frima Ackerhalt

June Adler

Marc Adler

Patti Adler

Mrs. Rosalyn L. Algase

Mr. Michael Alpern

Beth Alt

Robert Alt

Dr. Martin J. Anisman

Mr. Robert E. Altman

Elizabeth Astridge

Mrs. Gertude Bacol

Roxana Bacon

Mr. Alan J. Rosenhoch and Dr. Gabrielle Balderman

Mrs. Barbara Barone

Alton Ray Baysden

Dr. Stephen B. Bellus

Mr. Michael Bendes

Mrs. Lea Bendes

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Berg

Hon. Jacqui Berger

Dr. Roseanne Berger

Mr. Robert J. Berkman

Mrs. Mary H. Berlow

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond S. Bernhardt, Jr.

Mrs. Ellen R. Bernstein

Women’s Network of Temple Beth Tzedek

Darcy Biltekoff

Mr. Robert Andrew Biltekoff

Keith and Dawn Birzon

Ms. Susan Black

Mr. Lincoln Blaisdell

Mrs. Annette Blanchard

Mr. Edward S. Bloomberg

Mrs. Leah Blum

Tara Singer-Blumberg

Susan Braun

Mr. Irving Brody

Mrs. Jill Bronsky

Mrs. Ronald Bronstein

Mrs. Judy Brothman

David Brown

Mrs. Gail E. Buch

The Hon. Deborah Bruch Bucki

Mrs. Pamela J. Buehler

Dr. Ruthellen Bunis

Mrs. Marna Burstein

Mr. and Mrs. Alan Camhi

Dr. Stephen R. Cavior

Mrs. Marnie Cerrato

Dr. Mark D. Chazen

Marc Chodorow

Mrs. Diane Church

Jeff Clark

Mr. and Mrs. Warren E. Clark

Dr. and Mrs. Christopher and Julia Cohan

Brian Cohen

Mr. Robert B. Cohen

Mrs. Norma K. Cohen

Peter Cohl

Bruce Corris

Dr. Michael J. Cowen

Doug and Ashley St. Cyr

Ms. Ellen J. Daly

Bruce and Teresa David

Mr. Henry L. Davis

Mrs. Judith S. Davis

The Late Mrs. Marlene DeCarlo

Mr. Robert Dekoff

Andrew Deyell

Speier Displays Inc.

Cheryl Finton DiVita

Mrs. Shelley C. Drake

Mr. Edward Drozen

Shari Jo Reich, Esq.

Michael and Beth Edbauer

Emily Epstein

Jane Epstein

Jonathan and Judith Epstein

Mr. David Essrow

Dr. Murray J. Ettinger

Mrs. Pepy Ettinger

Marty Feigen

Judith Fales

Cynthia Feldman

HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

Mr. Marwin L. Feldman

Mrs. Joy A. Feldman

Mr. Gabriel J. Ferber

Mr. Stephen Fey and Ann Jacobs-Fey

Karen and Pat Finnegan

Sherry Chase and Ben Fitt

Ted and Jackie Flaum

Mrs. Ruth Fleming

Kennedy for Senate

Ms. Brenda Fox

Mr. Victor P. Fradin

Cantor Arlene Frank

Lynda Freedman

Mr. Bernard B. Freedman

Mrs. Maryann Freedman

Mr. Robert K. Freeland

Rabbi Jonathan and Ginny Freirich

Mrs. Shoshanna Zucker Freundel

Ms. Hannah Friedler

Mr. and Mrs. Danny Friedman

Dr. Michael Mogerman and Carol Froehlich

David S. Garson, M.D.

Mr. Ryan L. Gellman and Dr. Wendy Gellman

Mr. and Mrs. Warren B. Gelman

Andrew and Pamela Gewurz

Ms. Roberta Giller

Seymour Gitin

Mrs. Thelma Glaser

Eric L. and Bonnie L. Glazer

Mr. Stephen M. Glick

The Late Mrs. Margot V. Glick

Mr. Joseph L. Glickman

Rabbi Jeff and Mindy Glickman

Angela Goldberg

Mrs. Sue Goldberg

Andrew Golden

Michele and Jeffrey Goldfarb

Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Goldman

Amy J. Goldstein

Jody Goldstein

Martin and Elaine Goldstein

Mr. Kenneth Graber

Mrs. Adrienne J. Rothstein-Grace

Noa Grant

Keren and Alex Green

Dr. Fred Greenberg

Mrs. Andrea Griebner

Mr. and Mrs. Ilya Grinberg

Rabbi Noson Gurary

Rabbi and Mrs. Avrohom Gurary

Rabbi Moshe and Mrs. Rivka Gurary

Mr. Jerry Haier

Stanley, Rose, and Abe Halbreich Endowment Fund

Ms. Judith P. Halpern

Dr. Jill E. Hamilton

Mrs. Janet Harris

Ms. Reine Hauser

Mr. Robert Hausman

Nan Haynes

Mrs. Robin Helak

Mrs. Ilene Herr

Mr. Philip Herzbrun

Mrs. June Iris Hesch

Bonita Hirsch

Darcy Hirsh

Mrs. Marilyn A. Hochfield

Mr. Alan S. Hoffman

Dr. Jody Holmlund

Mr. Morris L. Horwitz

Mary Hurley

Insyte Consulting

Mr. Symond Jacobson

Mrs. Susan Joffe

Mrs. Maxine K. Johnson

Ms. Dianne Jordan

The Late Mr. Lawrence D. Joseph

Dr. Kenneth R. Kahn

Mrs. Linda A. Kahn

Mrs. Kristie Kantor

Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Ellen Kayton

Mr. Leslie M. Greenbaum

Mrs. Helene G. Kershner

Marcie Kfare

Howard Kibrick

Mrs. Ruth G. Kirstein

Mr. Howard Kleiman

James Klein

Mrs. Renee Klein

Robert and Lynn Klein

Michael and Lauren Klenosky

Rick Kollins

Mr. Lynn Alan Konovitz

Dr. Sara Koritz

Mr. Ronald A. Korman

Mrs. Betty F. Korn

Mrs. Sharon D. Kostiner

Dr. Chana R. Kotzin

Ms. Susan S. Krasner

Veronica Krauas

Barry and The Late Sharon Krebs

Morgan J. Kristal

Mr. Robert Krohn

Jennifer Stein Kumble

Dr. Sharon Kuritzky

Robin Kurss

Ms. Francine V. Kurtz

Michele Lash

Dr. Richard S. Laub

Mrs. Shoshanna Laub

Mrs. Tillie Lazerson

Karen B. Leeds

Renata and The Late

Charles Lefcourt

Mr. David Lefkowitz

Ms. Brenda Lehrman

Jeff and Joanne Lendaro

Dr. and Mrs. Alan J. Lesse

Donald and Betsy Lesses

Miss Holly L. Lesses

Mr. Paul T. Levine

Mrs. Ilene R. Levine

Mr. Louis Levinsky

Mrs. Donna Levy

Michael and Dene Lewin

Mrs. Dawn Lewis

Mr. Harvey Lichtblau

Dr. Barbara Weitner-Lin

Dr. William Lin

Mr. David G. Cohen and Dr. Norah Lincoff

Joseph Lipsitz

Rubin and Luba Literman Memorial

Rachel Lithgow

James Lodge

Mr. Art Lorbeer

Miss Joan E. Loring

Kathleen Lynch

Mr. Sheldon Aaron Macks

Mr. Samuel D. Magavern

Dr. Annette M. Magid

Dr. Hillel Magid

Mr. Larry Magil

Mrs. Shirley Magil

Mrs. Agi L. Maisel

Marni Marciano

Mr. Lance J. Mark

Barbara Markel

Mrs. Roberta Burstein-Markel

Joanne Marquisee

Mrs. Lenore Marx

Orna McNamara

Mrs. Karen Meltser

Mrs. Rena and The Late Joseph M. Merrick

Mrs. Marcia Mesches

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Meyers

Mrs. Carri Milch

The Late Dr. Robert and Mrs. Linda Milch

Ms. Michelle Cohen-Monte

Dr. Linda Harris

Mrs. Eileen Mullaney

Karen Simon Neiman

Mrs. Joan Nemirov

Rich and Lori Newberg

David and Julie Newberger

Mrs. Sharon Nisengard

Phil and Nicole Nobel

Dr. and Mrs. Allyn Norman

Mr. Ari Goldberg and Dr. Kelly Norman

Mr. Gerald Nover

Mrs. Amy O’Donnell

Ms. Judith Olin

Lionel and Lisa Olmer

Dr. Benjamin D. Oppenheimer

Mr. and Mrs. Randolph C. Oppenheimer

Jill Palmeter

Terri Parks

Mrs. Lisa Pawlowski

Mr. Paul D. Pearson

Mr. Sanford R. Perlmuter

Yaron Perry

Philip and Ellen Phillips

Mr. Gregory P. Photiadis

Mrs. Beverly J. Pierce

Ms. Ann L. Pikoff

Mrs. Janie Polk

Mrs. Sharon Pollack

Hon. Mark C. Poloncarz, Erie Country Executive

Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Portin

Alan Potash

Mr. Menahem Ari Potash

Ms. Janet Presser

Joanne Privitera

Scott Propeack

Dr. Polina Purizhansky

Mr. Edward Purizhansky

Ms. Alissa Rabach

Charles and Ann Raderman

Shmuel and Laurie Rashkin

Dr. Phillip Recoon

Mrs. Robyn Recoon

Mr. Justin Reich

Mrs. Judy Reich

Mr. and Mrs. Andrei Reinhorn

Tova Reinhorn

David Reisman and Betsy Abramson

Martin Rich

Mr. Mark Richheimer

Richard Ridenour

Mrs. Janice M. Robins

Mrs. Marla Robinson

Mrs. Kathy Corff Rogers

Shiri Kester and Colton Rogers

Mary Roland

Mrs. Judi B. Romer

Mr. Jonathan M. Rosen

Mrs. Rosalie Rosenband

Rabbi Adam Rosenbaum

Robert Rosenberg

Dr. Nancy J. Rosenbloom

Dr. Alice M. Rosenthal

Mrs. Marcia Rosenthal

Thomas and Georgia Rosenthal

Mr. Leonard N. Rosokoff

Mrs. Sheila Ross

Ellen Rothschild

Dr. Stuart H. Rubin

Mrs. Mary Ellen Rubin

Mr. Lawrence M. Rubin

Mrs. Barbara Rubin

Vickie and Mitch Rubin

Mrs. Velina Ruckenstein

Ms. Shellie Rutstein

Mary Ruttenstein

Memorial Fund

Ms. Ina Sanders

Randi Sandlin

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Saperston

Ms. Melinda R. Saran

Jeffrey and Mireille Schapiro

Marjorie Scheff

Mr. William Schierlitz

Mrs. Marilyn Schillroth

David Schlein

Elizabeth Schram

Seth and Elana Schrank

Mrs. Judith Tulchin Schroff

Jennifer and Keith Schulefand

Mrs. Gertrude Schwab

Edward and Sharon Schwartz

Mr. Arthur Schwartz

Mrs. Ruth L. Schwartz

Carol Sellers

The Late Mr. Donald Serota

The Late Mr. Daniel A. Serure

Mrs. Rochel Shanowitz

Rabbi Shmuel Shanowitz

Dr. Caren Shapiro

Dr. Stuart C. Shapiro

Mrs. Geraldine Shatkin

Drs. Lawrence and Lucille Sherlick

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Sherman

Women of Shir Shalom

The Late Mrs. Adrienne Shleser

Judy Siehnel

Mrs. Clareanne Silver

Mr. and Mrs. Larry J. Skerker

Mr. George J. Skiba, Jr.

Max and Elizabeth Sloan

Dr. Bruce M. Small

Dr. Teresa Jen Small

Mrs. Anita Snyder

Mr. Steven C. Sofferin

Peter Solender

Ellen Silver and Russell Steinberg

Mrs. Beth Steinberg

Mr. James M. Steinhorn

Mr. David Stemerman

Mrs. Susan L. Stemerman

Luann Stenzel

Samuel Sternberg

Memorial Fund

Mr. Robert M. Stone

Stacie Stone

Mr. Randy S. Strauss

Strauss Group, Inc.

Dr. and Mrs. Bruce J. Stringer

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Stulmaker

Dr. and Mrs. Robert C. Sugarman

Steven Sugarman

Ms. Judy A. Sunshine

Mrs. Judith F. Swadron

Dr. Emily Tall

Edie Teibel

Mr. Richard Teibel

Mrs. Lori Teibel

Mr. Richard Teplitsky

Mr. Sheldon Tetewsky

Mrs. Marilyn Toth

Hon. Sharon and Bradlee W. Townsend

Miss Susan B. Tunis

Natalie Tupyckyj

Hon. Jeanne Vinal

Evelyn ad Samuel Wakshull

Mrs. Rus Devorah Wallen

Mrs. Lisa D. Wallenfels

Mr. David Wasserman

Zack Weinberg

Mr. Norman C. Weingarten

Dr. Alan G. Weinstein

Hon. Barry A. Weinstein

Mr. Barry E. Weinstein

Mr. Bernhard Weinstein

Mrs. Barbara Weinstein

Mrs. Sandra H. Weinstein

Mort and Ellen Weintraub

Mr. and Mrs. Bernard A. Weisbond

Dr. and Mrs. Everett Weiss

Dr. Steven D. Weiss

Elinor and Joel Weiss

Rachel Weiss

Joan A. Weissman

Mr. and Mrs. Alan Weissman

Mr. Richard L. Wexler

Mrs. Sharon Wexler

Samantha White

Lucille Wisbaum

Dr. Howard R. Wolf

Mrs. Michele Wolffe

Kara Wrazen

Nina Wright

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Wyner

Youngstown Area Jewish

Federation P2G

Mrs. Colette Zappia

Robyn Zimmer

Mr. Craig H. Zuckerman

Anonymous (49)

$1-99

Mrs. Barbara Abelson

Ms. Elaine Ablove

Mrs. Norma Adel

Rachel Adel

Mrs. Judith Alessi

Bruce and Colleen Alexis

Mr. Richard Alt

Ms. Fran Altman

Ms. Rachel R. Anderson

Marion Adrus

Larry and Helen Aronoff

Milos Atlas

Samuel Attea

Mr. Mac I. Barnett

Marcy Barson

Vicki Bashaw

Andy Baum

Rachel Beerman

Janice Bennett

Mr. Nissan Berg

Sarah Bergman

Alicia Kaufman-Bernhardt

Jeremy Besch

Carmen Billups

Elliot Biltekoff

Mr. Bruce Biltekoff

Mr. Jacob Biltekoff

Mrs. Lily Bink

Dirk Bird

Tricia Black

Ms. Lois R. Blaustein

The Late Harriet Block

Mr. Aaron Blum

Mrs. Laurie Bluman

Michael Boland

Matthew Boxer

Arlene Braun

Mr. and Mrs. Anthony J. Breckner

Suzanne Brecker

Mr. Laurence Brickman

Mr. Jeffrey Brodsky

Debra Brown

Mrs. Freda Brummer

Ms. Marcia Bugyi

Mrs. Sue Buyer

Lauren Caplan

Mr. David A. Carr

Mr. James E. Carr

Mrs. Marcia F. Carr

Jennifer Catherine

Nadine Chalmers

The Charleston Jewish Federation

Ms. Fredricka Cheek

Ms. Lynne A. Clarke

Mrs. Joy Cohan

Mrs. Naomi Cohan

Maxwell Cohen

Mr. Ronald S. Cohen

Mrs. Lee Cohen

Mrs. Adrienne Crandall

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Crawford

Cathaleen Curtis

Dr. Robert E. Kaplan

DeSpirt Foundation Inc.

Mrs. Laurie Dohn

Ms. Ellen Drexler

Mr. Samuel Z. Dudek

Arthur Edelman

Ally Efthemis

Tracy Efthemis

Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

Julie Eichelbaum

Eve Eisenberg

James Epstein

Mrs. Roberta Essrow

Mark Faber

Mr. Donald Falk

Mrs. Lillian Falk

Alan Feinberg

Mrs. Shirley Feld

Mr. Alan Feller

Mr. and Mrs. Edwin R. Feldman

Mr. Daniel Ferber

Mrs. Andrea S. Ferber

Mrs. June Feuerstein

Ms. Shelley Fitt

Yonina Andrea Foster

Nathan Fox

Jennifer Gans

Ms. Jesse Grossman

Madeline Franklin

Ms. Danielle Friedman

Teresa Garlock

Mr. Henry D. Gartner

Todd Geise

Janice Gelfand

Connie and Lloyd Gerbush

Mrs. Halli Glina

Ms. Ida Goeckel

Aron Goldfeld

Kitty Goldman

Mr. Glenn Goldman

Marcia Goldstein

Lisa Goss

Pamela Graves

Charmaine Gray

Dr. Stephen L. Jacobson

Mrs. Joyce S. Greenberg

Mrs. Marion Greenberg

Dr. Regina Grol

Ms. Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk

Mrs. Robin Hall

Marjorie Hamilton

Ellie Hare

Hugh Hartzberg

Steven Heffter

Mr. Scott W. Heller

Ms. Laura Hemlock

Mrs. Judy Henn

Mr. Steven Herzbrun

Bette Hoffman

Ms. Linda R. Hoffman

Mr. and Mrs. Harvey A. Horowitz

Mr. Stephen Hurwitz

Mrs. Hillary Hurwitz

Mrs. Judy Hurwitz

Jarret Izzo

Mrs. Susan Jesella

Mrs. Suzanne Kahn

Dr. Seth Kaiser

Leopold Kaiser

Mr. Barry H. Kantrowitz

Mrs. Marilyn Kaplan

Mr. Harvey Kardaman

Mrs. Deana Kardaman

Mr. Joseph C. Karg

Ms. Eileen Katz

Ms. Marlene Katzel

Melissa Kearns

Mrs. Lucy Kogler Kempner

Deborah and Charles Kenyon

Mr. Gerald Kershanbaum

Mrs. Carolyn Kershanbaum

Mrs. Edna Kielar

Justin King

Bill Klein

Ms. Laurie Asher-Knipfing

Bryna Konovitz

Mr. Nelson Korus

Mrs. Joan Korus

Noah and Cassie Koven

Mr. Leonid Kramer

Ms. Barbara Krigstin

Julie Kruszynski

Mr. Jan A. Kublitz

Mrs. Joan Kumor

Margo Lapides

Melissa Lavender

Michelle Lawson

Susan Leigh

Miss Linda Levin

Howard Levine

Ms. Ellen Levine

Arielle Levy

Jay Lewis

Mr. Louis Linsky

Sharon Lippes

Roma Margretta Lisick

Matilda Lorenzo

Nicholas Lowinger

Mrs. Sandra J. Ludwig

Kara Lukin

Mrs. Andrea Sachar-Luttinger

Lauren Maguire

Dr. Clifford R. Mahler

Dr. Philip I. Malnikof

Bobbie Burstein-Markel

Mr. Joshua Feinstein and Ms. Patricia Mazon

Mr. Jim McCabe

Mrs. Esther Melzer

Ms. Cheryl Mesch

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Miller

Nicole and Scott Mitnick

Ms. Gail A. Morgan

Jenna Morkisz

Mrs. Selma Morris

Dr. David L. Myrow

Ann and Greg Neumann

Carol Newman

Eric Niles

Kristin Nimmo

Lisa Norman

Gail Norry

Gerard Ojeda

Andy Oppenheimer

Jonathan Orlow

Steven Page

Ms. Ellen Goldberg Palmer

Ms. Laurie Pastena

George and Norma Pearlman

Mr. Steven Pollack

Eric Poniatowski

Donna Possenti

Mrs. Melania Puius

Carol Quarantillo

Mrs. Sally Raskin

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Reich

Douglas Rein

Mr. Gary P. Richmond

Nancy Robinson

Mrs. Brenda Rosen

Hannah Rosenblatt

Dr. Jerold C. Rosenfeld

Ms. Rachel Roth

Barbara Rothenberg

Steven and Susan Rubinstein

Alan Ruttenberg and Lori Rosenthal

Susan Sadkin

Mrs. Marcia Saran

Mr. Howard T. Saperston, Jr.

Mrs. Ann M. Sawusch

Mrs. Linda Scharf

Mrs. Heidi B. Schatz

Ina and Herb Scheer

Betty Scheldt

Monroe Schlanger

Ms. Carol Schmeidler

Lisa Schmidle

Mr. Barry Schonfeld

Mrs. Noreen Schreiber

David Schulenberg

Gayle Schultz

Jeffrey Schwartz

Sylvia and Stephen Schwartz

Mrs. Penny W. Sclair

Dr. Marla Segol

Mr. Richard Sellers

Daniel Septimus

Mrs. Karla Serapiglia

Christine Shafer

Mr. and Mrs. Gary Shapiro

Craig and Rachele Shaw

Rebecca Carmine Shaw

Mr. Grigory Shershnevsky

Mrs. Raisa Shershnevsky

Moses Shire

Donna Dye-Sholk

Mr. Ronald Shubert

Ms. Lynne M. Shuster

Mrs. Cecile E. Shmookler

Mr. Louis H. Siegel

Mrs. Janice R. Siegel

Marcy Sikorski

Leslie Sterman Silverman

Mrs. Carol Silverman

Tim Smith

Debbie and Jonathan Sokobin

Debra Soman

Mr. Sheldon S. Soman

Mrs. Patricia Spector

Marlene Schillinger

Sheryl Stapleron

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Steinacher

Mr. Richard A. Steinberg

Rebecca Steinfeld

Janet Sterman

Pearl and Nathan Sterman Scholarship

Mrs. Cindy E. Stover

Mrs. Annette Strauss

Mrs. Bernadine Strauss

Mrs. Penny Strauss

Samantha Sugarman

Robyn Suppa

Daniel and Shirley Syrcher

Mrs. Marion Tasman

Daniel Tobias

Ellen Toplin

Vilona Trachtenberg

Mrs. Wende Tragash

Molly Traynor

Dr. Lori Ullman

Mrs. Doris E. Usen

Mrs. Marcia Valente

Asher Varon

Debra Varon

Ms. Sophia Veffer

Christina Vinci

Tina A Vinci

John Vitale

The Late Mrs. Arlene Vogel

Mr. Howard J. Walter

Dr. Marc Halfon

Ms. Elissa Waykoff

Hadley Weinberg

Sharon Weinfurtner

Barbara Weinstein

Mr. Michael Weinstein

Mrs. Elaine Werner

Jodi Werts

Mrs. Elinor Wexler

Joan Winter

Mike and Rhonda Wise

Ben Wolfson

Mrs. Marcia Wright

Mary Jane Zak

Vicki Zell

Mr. Arnold N. Zelman

Mr. Nathan Zimmerman

Charlene Zoratti

Anonymous (13)

Did you know that if your employer has a wellness program, it must be voluntary?

Purim is celebrated this year on March 6 & 7, and there are four mitzvot that are practiced on Purim. Megillah: hearing the story of Purim read, Mishloach manot: sending gifts of food and drink to friends, Matanot le-evyonim: giving to the poor, and the last is Seudat Purim: enjoying a festive meal. Here are five ways to help you fulfill these four mitzvot.

In response to the damage of December’s blizzard, Federation and FJP are setting aside funds from the joint Community Compassion Fund, established at the onset of the Pandemic to assist those most impacted by the storm, and distributed through JFS. You are invited to support these relief efforts by contributing to the Compassion Fund today. Go to buffalojewishfederation.org/ donate and “designate your gift” to the Community Compassion Fund.

The Center for Jewish Life’s Kosher Meals on Wheels provides nutritious, affordable kosher meals home-delivered across the Greater Buffalo area, and delivered to those who are unable to shop or prepare meals because of illness, injury, disability, or other limitations. If you would like to donate or volunteer for this mitzvah, go to jewishbuffalo.com and click on “Kosher Meals on Wheels” where you can donate or volunteer.

The Dignity Grows program through the Federation empowers neighbors in need with free comprehensive hygiene supplies for everybody who needs them. For a gift of only $10, you can donate a Dignity Grows Tote to a neighbor in need, helping them to live a life uninterrupted while safeguarding their dignity. To donate or volunteer visit bit.ly/dignitygrowsbflo.

Join Jewish Buffalo Sunday, March 12 at the Benderson JCC Building from 10:00-3:00 p.m. for a Day of Jewish Learning featuring different presenters, teachers, and rabbis teaching and sharing Jewish knowledge and experiences. A Learn-All-Day Pass is $18 for adults and free for children and students, which includes a kosher lunch (BVK supervised). Pre-registration is recommended and encouraged at buffalojewishfederation.org/day-of-jewish-learning-2023

The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Federation supports Racial Justice for All. To learn more about what you can do right here in Buffalo to engage in racial justice from working side-by-side with our diverse community partners, learning more about inequality, and the Jewish community’s response and actions, go to buffalojewishfederation.org/racial-justice.

Where in JBFLO

Where is this found exactly in Jewish Buffalo?

For the January-February issue, Cindy Stover, The Late Sharon Krebs and Cheryl Tobias each identified the photo, which is a sign at the 805 Delaware Avenue building of Temple Beth Zion announcing that the new Cofeld Museum in the synagogue will be opening in the spring.

Jewish Community Organizations in Western New York

Buffalo Jewish Federation

338 Harris Hill Rd. – Suite 108B

Williamsville, NY 14221

716-463-5050

buffalojewishfederation.org

Rob Goldberg - CEO & Executive Director

Miriam Abramovich -Chief Operating Officer

Margie Bryen - President

Buffalo Vaad of Kashrus

49 Barberry Lane

Williamsville, NY 14221

716-534-0230

bvkkosher.com

buffalo@yahoo.com, bvkkosher@gmail.com

Michael Paskowitz - President

Center for Jewish Life

Suburbs: 757 Hopkins Road

Williamsville, NY 14221

716-639-7600

jewishbuffalo.com

Rabbi Laizer & Chani Labkovski

Downtown: 1016 Lafayette Avenue Buffalo, NY 14209

716-545-6806

Rabbi Mendy & Chaya Mushka Labkovski

Chabad House of Buffalo

2450 North Forest Road Getzville, NY 14068

716-688-1642

chabadbuffalo.com

Rabbi Moshe Gurary

Chai Early Childhood Center

757 Hopkins Road Williamsville, NY 14221 716-580-4600

chainursery.com

Chani Labkovski - Director

Community Religious School (CRS)

4660 Sheridan Drive Williamsville, NY 14221

716-574-6016

BuffaloCRS@gmail.com

Einav Symons - Director

Department of Jewish Thought

712 Clemens Hall - University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY 14260

716-645-3695

jewish-studies@buffalo.edu

jewishstudies.buffalo.edu

Dr. Noam Pines - Chair

Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies

2640 North Forest Road

Getzville, NY 14068

716-204-1133

jewishphilanthropies.org

Irv Levy - Executive Director

Daniel Kester - President

Hadassah

2640 North Forest Road

Getzville, NY 14068

716-929-6504

buffalohadassah@gmail.com

Frima Ackerhalt and Phyllis Steinberg -Co-Presidents

Hebrew Benevolent Loan Association

2640 North Forest Road in FJP offices Getzville, NY 14068

716-204-0542

wnyhbla.org

Judith Katzenelson Brownstein - President

Hillel of Buffalo Campus Center of Jewish Life

520 Lee Entrance/UB Commons Suite #101B

W.Amherst, NY 14228

716-616-0083

hillelofbuffalo.org

Rabbi Sara Rich - Director

Marc Adler - President

Holocaust Resource Center 338 Harris Hill Rd. – Suite 108B Williamsville, NY 14221

hrcbuffalo.org

Lauren Bloomberg - Director of Engagement

Mandy Weiss - Director of Operations Wendy Weisbrot - Chair

Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo, Inc. Benderson Family Building 2640 North Forest Road Getzville, NY 14068 716-688-4033

jccbuffalo.org

Mike Rawl - Executive Director Dr. Irwin Gelman - President Holland Family Building 787 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, NY 14209 716-886-3145

Jewish Community Relations Council 338 Harris Hill Rd. – Suite 108B Williamsville, NY 14221

buffalojewishfederation.org

Mara Koven-Gelman - Senior Director Adam Fogel - Co-Chair

Deborah Goldman - Co-Chair

Jewish Discovery Center 831 Maple Road Williamsville, NY 14221 716-632-0467

jewishdiscovery.org

Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

Jewish Family Services Of Western New York 70 Barker Street Buffalo, NY 14209 716-883-1914

jfswny.org

Molly Short Carr - CEO

Harold Star - Chair

Jewish Federation Apartments 275 Essjay Road Williamsville, NY 14221 716-631-8471

jewishfederationapartments.org

Kathleen Haggerty - Property Manager

Jewish Federation Cemetery Corporation, Inc. 338 Harris Hill Rd. – Suite 108B Williamsville, NY 14221

buffalojewishfederation.org

716-463-5050

Deborah Pivarsi - Director Jonathan Schechter - President

Kadimah

kadimah.org

Reneé Lehner - Administrator

Kosher Meals on Wheels

757 Hopkins Road Williamsville, NY 14221

716-639-7600

koshermow.com

Rabbi Laizer Labkovski - Director

Jeffery Pasler – President

LiNK Jewish Buffalo

338 Harris Hill Rd. – Suite 108B

Williamsville, NY 14221

Mike Steklof, Ed.D. - Senior Director

Brenda Feldstein - Chair

Ohr Temimim School

411 John James Audubon Parkway

W.Amherst, NY 14228

716-568-0226

ohrtemimimschool.com

Rabbi Shmuel Shanowitz - Principal

Sonia Gellman Young - President

One Stop Jewish Buffalo

A free website updated weekly about all that’s happening in Jewish Buffalo

onestopjewishbuffalo.com

Nathan Sull - Publisher

Aaron Sull - Editor

Weinberg Campus

2700 North Forest Road

Getzville, NY 14068

716-639-3311

weinbergcampus.org

Robert Mayer - President & CEO

Kenneth Rogers - Chairman of the Board

Western New York

Synagogues and Temples

Chabad House of Buffalo (unaffiliated)

2450 North. Forest Rd, Getzville, NY 14068

716-688-1642

chabadbuffalo.com

Rabbi Moshe Gurary - Director

Congregation Beth Abraham (Conservative)

1073 Elmwood Avenue Buffalo, NY 14222

congregationbethabraham.net

Cantor Irwin Gelman

Marty Kerker - President

Congregation Havurah (Reform)

6320 Main St., Williamsville, NY 14221

716-689-8059

congregationhavurah.org

info@congregationhavurah.org

Daniel Mink - President

Congregation Shir Shalom (Reform/Reconstructionist)

4660 Sheridan Drive Williamsville, NY 14221

716-633-8877

shirshalombuffalo.org

Rabbi Alexander Lazarus-Klein

Cantor Arlene Frank

Joanne Marquisee - Executive Director

Todd Sugarman - President

JDC Shul (Unafilliated)

831 Maple Road Williamsville, NY 14221

716-245-9520

jewishdiscovery.org

Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

Rabbi Levi Greenberg

Rabbi Yehoshua Greenberg

Kehillat Ohr Tzion (Modern Orthodox)

879 Hopkins Rd

Williamsville, NY 14221

ohrtzion.org/kot

Rabbi Ori Bergman

Cheryl Stein - President

Knesset Center (Orthodox)

500 Starin Avenue Buffalo, NY 14214

716-832-5063

chabadbuffalo.com

Rabbi Shmaryahu Charitonow

Saranac Synagogue (Orthodox)

85 Saranac Avenue

Buffalo New York 14216

716-876-1284

saranacsynagogue.org

President - Shmuel Rashkin

Vice President - Reuven Alt

Gabbai David Kunkel

Temple Beth Tzedek (Conservative)

1641 North Forest Road Williamsville, NY 14221 716-838-3232 btzbuffalo.org

Rabbi Adam J. Rosenbaum

Cantor Mark Spindler

Linda Boxer - President

Kim Jones - Administrator

Temple Beth Zion (Reform)

Sanctuary: 805 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, NY 14209

Offices: 700 Sweet Home Road Amherst, NY 14226 716-836-6565

tbz.org

Rabbi Brent Gutmann

Jeff Clark - Executive Director

Ken Polk - President

Temple Beth El (Reform)

720 Ashland Avenue Niagara Falls, NY 14301 716-282-2717

niagarafallstemple.com

Rabbi Ellen Franke

Cantorial Soloist Barry Rose

William Bell - President

Temple Hesed Abraham of Greater Jamestown (Reform)

Meeting biweekly at Jamestown, NY Lutheran Church

Rabbi Allen Podet

Joe Gerstel - President (716-665-2118) valprojdg@netsync.net

The Family Shul (Unaffiliated) 757 Hopkins Road Williamsville, NY 14221

Rabbi Laizer Labkovski 716-639-7600

Young Israel of Greater Buffalo (Orthodox) 105 Maple Road Williamsville, NY 14221 716-634-0212

yibuffalo.org

Richard Berger and Michael PaskowitzCo-Presidents

Remembering Dorothy Shaw: 1919- 2022

Dorothy Shaw died December 4, 2022 in the home she lived in as a child. She was the aunt of the late Gretchen (late Gordon) Gross and Craig (Rachele) Shaw; daughter of the late Phineas and Florence (nee Pollak) Shaw, sister of the late Franklin P. (Etta) Shaw, great-aunt of Yale F. Shaw. This remembrance comes from Craig Shaw’s eulogy at Dorothy’s December 12 funeral at Temple Beth Zion.

My dear aunt Dorothy loved people. She loved animals, and she loved the outdoors. She was remarkably selfsufficient, and her purpose in life was simply “doing for others” and never expecting anything in return. When I asked her why she was always helping others she responded, “This is how my mother raised me, and it makes me happy helping others.” In recent years I realized that the best way to make her

happy was to ask her to do you a favor! Just as a glassful of water can only overflow water, a pure, full heart can only overflow with love. So, with each new person she met in her 103+ years, each one naturally received an automatic stream of love from her overflowing heart. As a close family friend recently remarked, “Dorothy never met a stranger!” … meaning that once meeting a person, they would automatically become a friend.

Dorothy Shaw at her 100th birthday

Growing up, she had two major goals: One, from the age of 14 she wanted to become a physical therapist, and two, her plan was to buy land in the woods, and build a nice house there to enjoy her natural environment.

And Dorothy was able to fulfill her dreams. Thanks to her uncles, she was able to attend Mary Washington College in Virginia, and later became a physical therapist. Many years later, Dorothy and my father each bought adjacent wooded property in Ashford Hollow on Highway 219 about 10 miles from Springville. It took over 30 years for her to build the home of her dreams on this ideal land, called Gypsy Woods—after gypsies had traveled this land in the past.

She did 90% of the building herself. I will never forget the site of seeing her working with a cement mixer, and pouring concrete foundations and stone & concrete walls for what was becoming an impressive 3 level house. There was nothing she could not accomplish.

As many of you know, Dorothy was interested in many different activities, and she made lasting personal friends in every one of them, including working

as a public health physical therapist for Erie County and the state; playing the recorder; owning and showing corgis; teaching physical therapy at UB; doing Tai Chi; raising goats on her property at Gypsy Woods; playing cribbage; helping “senior citizens” through volunteer work with Canopy of Neighbors, and always making the time to help friends and family.

A few brief examples of her rare dedication and success in helping others include Albert, a 3-year old polio patient whom doctors had given up hope for; her offer to provide a kidney transplant for a friend, Shirley. She provided singlehanded hospice care at Gypsy Woods for her dear friend, Alice, and providing care for her quadriplegic corgi, John Reed.

And by the way, Dorothy introduced my parents to each other when they were Lafayette High School students, and I sure am glad! During her last year I spoke with Dorothy on the phone from my home in Iowa several times a week, and she ended every call, asking, “Do you know how much I love you?” Dorothy, do you know how much we love you?

Norma A. Stern of Williamsville passed away on January 19th 2023. She was 100 years old. Born in Buffalo to Leo and Fanny Davis Avrunin, Norma was a loving sister to the late Amy (Irving) Slater. During WWII, she proudly worked as a switchboard operator, legal secretary and in the rental control office for the Office of Price Administration. Norma married the late Sol Stern in 1945. Sol owned and operated Mayfair Motors with brother Harry Stern. Norma and Sol raised two daughters, Anita Sherman and Cheryl Stern. Anita resides in Sudbury Mass. and is married to Dr. Ralph Sherman. A Graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she was a medical technologist and also has an MBA. Cheryl, a Broadway veteran actress and writer and educator is married to Emmy winning composer Tom Kochan. They reside in New York City. After Sol’s passing, Norma remarried in 1986 to the late Nat Raskin of Long Island. Norma was a devoted grandmother to Michael (Ashlee) Sherman and David Sherman and an adoring great grandmother to Cole and Paige Sherman. She also had great affection for her many nieces and nephews and a deep love for all animals; large and small. She was passionate about art, theatre and music of all varieties. An active member of the Buffalo Jewish Community, Norma was a proud member of Hadassah, B’nai Brith and The National Council of Jewish Women. She was a long time member of Temple Beth Zion. Donations in her memory may be made to Temple Beth Zion and The Buffalo Jewish Federation.

Sheldon Berlow

Dr. Michael Bloom

Edythe Day

Marlene Zubin DeCarlo

Rose Marie Eisenberg

Alan M. Geldin

Doreen Brockman-Gold

Daniel I. Goldstein

Kenneth Goldstein

Karen Greenspan

Gary Katz

Esta Keller

Louis Kimmel

Julie Babat Kingsley

Mitchell Klein

Sharon Krebs

Linda Ludwig

Simon Marcus

Hyman B. Polakoff

Gerald Reisberg

Norma Avrunin Stern

Bernice Solnik Stern

Herman Stone

Dr. Sten Theander

H.June Vanglish

Sylvia Wishnoff

Jerald Wolfgang

Lita Zingaro

The following individuals in our community passed away during the period from Dec 20, 2022- Feb 18, 2023. May their memories forever be a blessing, and may their loved ones be comforted among the mourners of Zion. *If

NORMA A. STERN

FIXED ANNUITIES

Kadimah and Park Welcome Jewish Ukrainian Family

BY JONATHAN D. EPSTEIN

Back in the 1980s, Kadimah School of Buffalo and the Buffalo Jewish community were honored and excited to welcome many Russian Jewish families to Western New York. These families were able to escape from the Soviet Union after years of struggle and then emigrated to the United States, where they have become valuable and beloved members of our local community.

Kadimah and Jewish Buffalo are doing it again.

For the first time in at least 25 years, a new Jewish family like those in the 80’s has arrived in Western New York – this time, from wartorn Ukraine. Dymitri and Valentina Dyshlovyi and their children fled from a suburb of Kyiv; spent more than a year in Krakow, Poland, about 160 miles from the Ukrainian border; and arrived in Buffalo in December before settling into their new home, thanks to Jewish Family Services and the Holocaust Resource Center. They had chosen Buffalo over another option: Portland, Oregon.

Now, Kadimah Academy and the Park School of Buffalo, with support from the Buffalo Jewish Federation, are delighted to welcome and embrace their two oldest children as Kadimah Scholars at Park – because it’s our responsibility to help those in need.

From the moment Kadimah and Park learned of the family and their children, we have worked together to ensure that - if they chose a Jewish education - no financial or similar

obstacle would hinder their enrollment in our Jewish day school program on Park’s 34-acre campus in Amherst. At Park School, as with our other Kadimah Scholars, their daughter and son will learn Hebrew and Judaic Studies alongside secular studies, while benefiting from a host of extra-curricular activities. Most of all, they will do so in safety.

“We are so appreciative for the ability for our kids to study at the Kadimah-Park School,” Dmitri Dyshlovyi said. “I think they like the school very much and are very happy.”

Both are settling in quickly. Anna, the oldest daughter, is a freshman in high school, and loves the library. “I’m so happy to be in Kadimah-Park School,” she said. “I like all the buildings there and the people are so kind. I am so happy to study there.”

Asa Ransom House

Jacob, 12, loves his science class and the gym facility. “I like all the teachers at the school and also I really like the lunch,” he said. “Thank you for accepting us and allowing us to go there.”

Both Park and Kadimah have a long history of taking in refugees. While Kadimah did it during the Russian emigration wave in the 1980s, Park has been doing it since the 1930s –when German Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi regime and the start of the Holocaust arrived in Buffalo. This is who we are, and this is what we do.

“Park is honored to have Anna and Jacob and their wonderful family join our community,” said Park President Keith Frome. “Anna and Jacob have quickly settled in and our teachers and students have been thrilled to welcome them. At Park, everyone is a teacher and we know we have much to learn from Anna and Jacob.”

Please join us in welcoming our fellow Jews, by supporting Kadimah and Jewish education in Buffalo, to ensure our collective future.

Jonathan D. Epstein is past president of Kadimah Academy, a Kadimah Scholar parent, and President of the Temple Beth Tzedek Brotherhood and president of the Tri-State Region of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs.

Jacob studying at Park