September October 2023

The Award Winning

BUFFALO, ISRAEL & THE JEWISH WORLD | BUFFALOJEWISHFEDERATION.ORG

OCTOBER 2023 | ELUL 5783 - TISHREI - HESHVAN 5784

LIVE DJ | FOOD/DRINKS | AGE GROUP MEDALS | PRIZES FOR KIDS

*FIRST 300 REGISTRATIONS WILL RECEIVE A RACE T-SHIRT* GROUP

HUMMUS NATION

Wednesday, September 13

Lippman Lounge | 6:00 PM

BATTLEFIELD BRAVERY

Thursday, October 5

Lippman Lounge | 6:00 PM

Cover Editor’s Note

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

Ellen Goldstein, Editor

The Jewish month of Elul leads us into the High Holy Days that begin this month and out of 5783. It is a time of prayer, reflection, learning, and repentance. And hopes for a new year… of peace, health, joy, success, and prosperity. And this month, The Jewish Journal reflects all of these aspirations, and more.

On the cover, a little girl picks up a piece of trash from a stream, repairing the world with her actions, and invites us to do the same (see page 5) at our 3rd annual Reverse Tashlich event on Sunday, September 10. The 2024 Kickoff Event Wednesday, September 20 (see information and registration on page 8) honoring Gary Greenfield and Randi Morkisz is held at a new venue this year, UB Center for the Arts! Everyone is invited to honor these leaders as well as to support Jewish Buffalo through the Campaign for Jewish Buffalo.

Elul is also a time when we remember our deceased family members and all those who came before us. Please read about the important Stones of Remembrance Campaign (pages 6 & 7) to repair many of the Jewish cemeteries here in Western New York that have fallen into disrepair. Working together with the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies, the Jewish Federation Cemetery Corporation aims to repair broken stones, damaged trees and grounds and recreate sidewalks and paths inside the cemeteries through this critical campaign, to which you can contribute.

Learning opportunities for adults and children abound this autumn! Check out LiNK’s listing of courses for adults and teens on pages 10 & 11 and be sure to sign up soon.

5783 saw hate rise around the world, and Buffalo has not been spared. But read the way Howard Cadmus and his family have answered hate with love in his essay in “Not The Last Word” on page 52. The Williamsville business owner and attorney would not let hate win when someone carved a swastika into a doorframe at his business. It’s a lesson to absorb and learn from to carry into 5784.

Finally, please accept warm wishes from Mitch and me for a happy, healthy, sweet and meaningful new year.

Shanah Tovah U’metukah!

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event will be at Unity Island Park and is geared to families with young children. Design by Jessica Wittman.

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Ellen Goldstein - Editor

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Happy New Year Jewish Buffalo

BY MARGIE BRYEN

The end of summer has always been a bittersweet time of year for me. I love the longer lazy days of August; I soak up the sunshine that we fail to see as often in the winter months, and I treasure extra time with friends and family for fun and adventure. But I also look forward to the fall; the excitement and anticipation of new things to come with the start of a new year – be that the academic school year or the Jewish New Year, a calendar full of events, and especially for me, the start of the time of year for scarves!

The fall’s hottest and most exciting event in town is the Buffalo Jewish Federation’s Campaign Kickoff Event on Wednesday, September 20. This year our Campaign Kickoff will take place in the spectacular UB Center for the Arts. In addition to a new space, we have a refreshed event program designed to welcome and engage all members of our community and focus on why we gather: time to be together and our sacred task of raising funds to sustain our flourishing community. The Kickoff will include plentiful drinks and delicious kosher food along with live music and dancing. Yes - I did say dancing!

We are thrilled to be honoring two exceptional community leaders at this year’s event. Gary Greenfield is the recipient of the Nathan Benderson Community Service Award. This award is given periodically to an individual whose extraordinary service and commitment to the Buffalo Jewish community exemplifies the leadership of the award’s namesake, Nathan Benderson. Gary Greenfield, the CEO of Goldman Titanium, and past president of the Buffalo Jewish Federation (2008- 2010), has been an ardent supporter of the Jewish community for his entire adult life.

Randi Morkisz, most recently the Federation’s assistant executive director, and has led the Campaign for Jewish Buffalo for the past two decades, is the recipient of the Judith and Daniel Kantor Professional Service Award. The Kantor award is given to a current Jewish professional working in Jewish Buffalo, who exemplifies the highest level of dedication to their agency or organization and helps to strengthen the vibrancy and health of Jewish Buffalo.

We are so fortunate to have both Gary and Randi in our community and we will all have a chance to show them our appreciation as we present the awards to them.

If you have never attended the Campaign kickoff event before – this is your year! If you have been a regular attendee over the years, we thank you and look forward to seeing you and your friends again this year at the new venue with the new twists. The event is designed to give attendees the ability to mingle with friends and meet new people before and after the formal presentation, in a setting that is welcoming and easy to navigate. It’s also designed to reinforce why we are here – why your dollars are essential – and why each person in

the community matters. We will have seating available, but no assigned tables to worry about – giving everyone a chance to connect with different people throughout the evening. We will have a formal, yet brief, presentation in the theater including awards and videos, but no outside speaker.

The kickoff event is not just a celebration with good food and friends, but it is also the official start of the 2024 Federation Campaign for Jewish Buffalo. This year we are lucky to have two exceptional volunteer leaders partnering with the Federation’s team of professionals to guide us through a successful campaign year. Amélida Ortiz Weinmann is returning for the second year of her term as the Women’s Philanthropy Chair. Amélida is a member of the Federation Board of Governors and has been actively involved with the Campaign for Jewish Buffalo, working in different fundraising leadership roles

with Federation and in leadership at Temple Beth Zion for many years. We are fortunate to have her energy and passion leading this effort.

Marc Brown has taken on the mantle as the Federation’s Campaign Chair. Marc, a partner, and co-chair of the Business and Commercial Group at Goldberg Segalla, is a commercial and real estate litigator covering New York State and Pennsylvania. Marc is currently Vice President of the Buffalo Jewish Federation Board of Governors as well as being active in leadership roles with Young Israel, the Buffalo Vaad Ha’Kashrus (BVK), Kadimah, the JCRC and other Jewish organizations. Marc and Amélida are working closely with our team to make this campaign year a success.

I hope that after reading this article, if you have not already signed up, you will immediately go to buffalojewishfederation.org/kickoff to register for the Kickoff and join me on September 20th. I look forward to seeing you then. Please come find me to say hello.

One last note taking me back to where I started from, with the change of season and the start of the New Year. If you are looking for the next new challenge and are ready to get more involved in the Jewish community – there are many different opportunities for you to engage at the Buffalo Jewish Federation. Reach out to me at marjorie.bryen@gmail.com and let me know about your interests. I can’t wait to learn more about you and what we can do together for Jewish Buffalo!

I wish you and your family a happy and healthy New Year.

The National Comedy Center Celebrates 5th Anniversary

BY GARY HAHN

The National Comedy Center (NCC) in Jamestown, NY recently celebrated its fifth anniversary as the nation’s official cultural institution for the art form of comedy. Named the “Best New Museum” in the country by USA Today and one of the “World’s Greatest Places” by TIME magazine, the NCC is one of the most interactive and immersive museums in the world. Condé Nast Traveler called it “one of the best museums in the country,” and People magazine named it one of “100 Reasons to Love America.”

Over the past year, the NCC has been featured in media across the country including The New York Times and CBS Sunday Morning U.S. News & World Report named it a “25 Top Weekend Family Getaway in the U.S.” joining a prestigious list of national attractions including Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

The Comedy Center is an interactive playground for comedy fans, offering an immersive experience for visitors of all ages, featuring state-of-theart technology and personalization throughout the 37,000-square-foot museum complex. With over 50 exhibits, there is a wide variety of experiences to choose from as guests explore every genre of comedy, from standup, sketch and improv, to television, radio, movies and more. The Center has collaborated with dozens of artists and estates to preserve materials that represent comedy’s significant artistic, social, and political contributions to American culture including collections illustrating the careers of legendary artists like George Carlin, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Carl Reiner, Don Rickles, Betty White, Lenny Bruce, The Smothers Brothers, Rodney Dangerfield, Shelley Berman, Laugh-In creator George Schlatter, and the development of

groundbreaking creative work such as sketch comedy series In Living Color, Saturday Night Live, and more.

“Comedy is such a vital part of the American Jewish experience,” stated Gary Hahn, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the National Comedy Center. “Now we have a state-ofthe-art cultural institution that explores this art form in-depth, including the invaluable contributions to our culture made by so many legendary Jewish comedians, performers, writers and producers.

“The National Comedy Center is the Cooperstown of comedy – it’s the Rock Hall of comedy,” added Hahn. “This is a world-class, award-winning museum – fun for all ages -- that’s an easy drive from Buffalo. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’ve got to visit for a day filled with laughter.”

Last year, the National Comedy Center opened the new Johnny Carson: The Immersive Experience Hosted by Jimmy Fallon, a multi-screen theater presentation celebrating Johnny Carson’s 30 years hosting The Tonight Show 30 years later, featuring Jimmy Fallon as the hologram host, plus Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, Bette Midler, Martin Short, Byron Allen, Billy Crystal, Paula Poundstone, Jay Leno and more. A special

highlight of the exhibit is a display of Tonight Show artifacts and wardrobe in the Comedy Center’s galleries, including a portion of the original, iconic Tonight Show rainbow curtain, Johnny’s wardrobe for classic characters Art Fern and Floyd R. Turbo, a jacket worn by Tonight Show band leader Doc Severinsen, and the dress worn by Bette Midler during her memorable appearance as the final guest on Johnny’s Tonight Show

The Comedy Center also recently debuted Carl Reiner: Keep Laughing, a multi-media, interactive exhibit that honors and celebrates Carl Reiner’s seven-decade career as a writer, director, producer, author and performer, and his extraordinary collaborations with Mel Brooks, Sid Caesar, Steve Martin, Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore.

The Reiner exhibit, which opened with a ribbon cutting by Reiner’s children, director/producer/actor Rob Reiner and his sister Annie and brother Lucas, showcases hundreds of neverbefore-seen archival materials spanning Reiner’s remarkable career. Visitors can explore interactive stations that feature rare audiovisual clips, creative papers, photographs, and artifacts that intimately chronicle a lifetime of creative output: from Reiner’s early years as a performer on Sid Caesar’s legendary Your Show of Shows to his creation of the seminal The Dick Van Dyke Show, from his collaboration with Mel Brooks on the Grammy-winning 2000 Year Old Man to his acclaimed cinematic partnership with Steve Martin (The Jerk, All of Me

and more), and across his far-reaching contributions to the comedic art form.

In June, the Comedy Center announced that it will be the home of comedy legend Joan Rivers’ career archives including a file cabinet containing over 65,000 original jokes spanning from the start of her career in the 1950s to 2014 when she passed away.

The archive thoroughly chronicles Rivers’ artistic evolution and creative process, from her early years navigating 1950s Greenwich Village nightclub gigs and performing at Chicago’s Second City, through her historic rise in standup comedy and on late-night television, to her influential later years changing the face of celebrity interviews and fashion commentary and becoming a key architect of reality TV. A new interactive exhibit on Rivers will open in 2025.

For information on planning a visit to the National Comedy Center, visit ComedyCenter.org.

Gary Hahn is, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the National Comedy Center.

Joan Rivers Archives will be at the National Comedy Center

Carl Reiner- Mel Brooks Room

Reverse Tashlich Returns Sunday, September 10

For the third year, Buffalo Jewish Federation will sponsor Reverse Tashlich, Sunday, September 10 from 2 – 3 pm at Unity Island Park in Buffalo.

Reverse Tashlich is a unique world-wide event inspired by Repair the Sea, an organization dedicated to appreciating the wonders of water through a Jewish lens. Tashlich, a ritual which occurs during the High Holiday season, is a way to symbolically cast away our sins into the water to begin the New Year with a fresh start. Reverse Tashlich reinterprets the mindset behind traditional tashlich and instead removes pollution from the world’s waterways. The practice is designed to combine the practical act of cleaning our water with the spiritual reflection and sense of renewal that comes from tashlich.

This year partners of Buffalo Jewish Federation include Hillel of Buffalo, Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Services, Temple Beth Tzedek, Temple Beth Zion, Congregation Beth Abraham, and Congregation Shir Shalom.

To register visit repairthesea.org/rt2023 and select “Buffalo” when filling out the form.

WARSAW | KRAKOW | VIENNA

Stones of Remembrance: A Tribute to our Jewish Ancestors and The Bicentennial Anniversary of Jewish Life in our Community

BY JUDY SPERRY

The Jewish Federation Cemetery Corporation, in partnership with the Buffalo Jewish Federation and the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies, is pleased to announce the commencement of The Stones of Remembrance Campaign. This new endeavor will raise much-needed funds for ongoing restoration and preservation projects within the ten Jewish Cemeteries owned by the Jewish Federation Cemetery Corporation. A matching gift program has also been established, and every dollar that is donated will be doubled and invested into The Stones of Remembrance Campaign.

Irv Levy, Executive Director of The Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies stated, “The Stones of Remembrance Campaign is especially significant as it is coinciding with the bicentennial anniversary of Jewish Life in our region.” If you are an avid historian, documentation illustrates that Jewish immigrants arrived in The City of Buffalo in approximately 1825. They settled on Buffalo’s East Side and purchased sacred plots of land that became Jewish cemeteries, some of which are still in existence today.

Rob Goldberg, CEO of the Buffalo Jewish Federation, added, “Beth Jacob Cemetery on Doat Street in the heart of Buffalo’s East Side is one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries. Proceeds raised by The Stones of Remembrance Campaign will be invested into a multi-year preservation plan to restore Beth Jacob, along with other Jewish cemeteries on Pine Ridge Heritage Boulevard in Cheektowaga, NY.”

When asked about the greatest challenge Jewish Cemeteries face, Goldberg explained, “as the Jewish

population increased in the early 1900s and synagogues flourished, the maintenance and upkeep of their individual cemeteries were supported by each congregation. Over the last fifty years, so many synagogues have dissolved or merged, which directly impacted how the Jewish cemeteries were maintained. Numerous Jewish cemeteries became abandoned, which prompted The Jewish Federation Cemetery Corporation to acquire and care for them,” he said. “Due to budgetary restraints, we have been able to work on cemetery restoration projects in stages. The Buffalo Ohel Project where Rabbi Joseph Rabinowitz is buried, located at the entrance of the Jefferson Street Shul and B’nai Israel Cemeteries on Pine Ridge Heritage Boulevard, is one of the completed projects of which we are especially proud.”

Jonathan Schechter, the newly elected President of The Jewish Federation Cemetery Corporation’s Board of Directors noted, “one of the most critical restoration projects at the Jewish Cemeteries recently occurred this past spring. 1,000 headstone markers in Jewish cemeteries sited on Pine Ridge Heritage Boulevard in Cheektowaga that had tipped over or had fallen into disrepair due to aging, were repaired and restored.”

Gates will be repaired and replaced along with fencing to enhance safety & security

Schechter further explained, “private donors who learned about this specific restoration project provided additional resources and matching funds that were critical in restoring those headstone markers which were unstable or had fallen into disrepair due to aging, environmental circumstances, and abandonment. We are currently working on researching the living descendants of Jewish community members who no longer reside in Western New York, yet still have strong ties to their ancestors and loved ones who are buried in these Jewish cemeteries.”

To ensure the Jewish cemeteries continue to serve as historic and sacred burial sites where Jewish citizens have been laid to rest over the span of nearly two centuries, The Stones of Remembrance Campaign will positively impact sustainability planning for ongoing restoration and preservation projects. The Jewish cemeteries are especially important in documenting the lives of Holocaust survivors, as well as other Jewish survivors who fled pogroms in Poland and Ukraine.

Plans to nominate the Jewish cemeteries to appear on the National Historic Register are also being taken into consideration. By appearing on the National Historic Register, the Jewish cemeteries will become eligible for

grant funding that can be invested into ongoing capital improvements, preservation efforts, and restoration projects.

The Stones of Remembrance Campaign will be especially critical in preserving eight of the Jewish Cemeteries on Pine Ridge Heritage Boulevard, as well as Beth Jacob Cemetery located off of Doat Street in Buffalo. Funds raised will be invested into repairing headstones, restoring monuments, repaving paths, adding

new walkways, enhancing handicap accessibility, fixing fencing, replacing gates, rebuilding walls, and improving irrigation.

In addition, this Campaign will also raise funds for cemetery beautification, creating signage, enhancing environmental safety, and implementing security measures that are needed to protect the Jewish cemeteries. Novel capital improvement projects will also be funded and announced on the launch

date of The Stones of Remembrance Campaign.

Buffalo native Dr. Steve Chernoff, who specializes in Jewish Genealogical research is especially passionate about supporting The Stones of Remembrance Campaign. “I believe that living descendants of Jewish immigrants, who may not have been previously aware of where their great grandfather or great grandmother is buried, will be moved to learn the headstone in the Jewish cemeteries of Buffalo was repaired or restored, and is being watched over by caring organizations and Jewish community members who believe in preserving and restoring the Jewish cemeteries to their previous grandeur.”

Individuals who are especially interested in learning about the historic Jewish cemeteries can sign up for seasonal tours through Explore Buffalo led by Sharon Cramer.

If you would like additional information about The Stones of Remembrance Campaign or wish to make a monetary contribution to preserving the current and future state of the Jewish Cemeteries, please visit: jewishphilanthropies.org/stones-ofremembrance.

Judy Sperry is a Development Consultant working with the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropy.

Paths and walkways will be repaved and improved

Fallen markers will continue to be repaired and restored

It’s Moments Like This: Gary Greenfield and Randi Morkisz to be Honored on 9/20

The 2024 Campaign for Jewish Buffalo Kickoff event will be held Wednesday, September 20 at UB Center for the Arts. The community will gather for the biggest party of the year as we celebrate Jewish Buffalo in all its rich diversity and two extraordinary leaders who have made a significant impact.

Established in 1994, The Nathan Benderson Community Leadership Award is given to a veteran leader who has provided exemplary service and philanthropy to Federation and the greater Jewish community. This year, we are honored to present this award to Gary Greenfield. Born and raised in Buffalo, Gary became the president of his family’s metal recycling business in his 30’s. Over the past 40 years, Goldman Titanium grew to become one of the world’s leading recyclers of titanium metal. The company provides jobs to local residents and supplies critical material used in the medical, defense, and aerospace industries. In addition, Goldman Titanium has been philanthropic across Buffalo, working to beautify their local neighborhood and has made a commitment to protecting the environment through thoughtful stewardship of natural resources. Gary has served many volunteer roles throughout Jewish Buffalo, including President of Federation, Chair of the United Jewish Fund Campaign, and as a board member of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies. Gary’s wife Carin is a past chair of the Buffalo Jewish Coalition for Literacy. They are the parents of two adult children (Daughter Stacie and Son-in-law Nathan are also part of leading the family business) and proud grandparents of three grandchildren.

Established in 2017, The Judith & Daniel Kantor Professional Service Award honors a Jewish professional who exemplifies the highest level of dedication to Jewish professional leadership and has a deep commitment to both strengthening their organization and to contributing to a thriving Jewish Buffalo, much like Judy and Danny Kantor, who as a professional team made significant contributions to the Jewish people and institutions of Western New York. This year, we are recognizing Randi Morkisz, who has been part of the Buffalo Jewish Federation team for 24 years! During her tenure at Federation, Randi served in various roles associated with the Campaign for Jewish Buffalo and was the agency’s Assistant Executive Director for the past four years. She has developed and maintained deep relationships with many of the Federation’s most treasured and essential supporters. In many other communities, annual campaigns have dwindled, however under Randi’s meticulous management, the Campaign for Jewish Buffalo has remained strong, despite a shrinking community. In July, Randi transitioned to a part-time role and now serves as the Federation’s Major Gifts Officer. Randi is married to Gerry, and they are the proud parents of two adult children and two grandchildren.

Join us to celebrate Gary, Randi and our community in the beautiful atrium of UB’s Center for the Arts. The evening will begin at 6:00 pm with cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres. At 7:00 pm, we’ll move to the main stage theatre for a 40-minute program to honor Gary and Randi, and hear about three unique "Moments," seeded by the

Federation, that have made significant impacts on individuals who are part of our community’s fabric! The afterparty begins at 7:45 pm with more cocktails, desserts, and dancing back in the atrium. Dietary laws will be observed under the supervision of the Buffalo Vaad HaKashrus. Free Valet parking is available as well. You won’t want to miss schmoozing with 500 of your closest friends (and making new friends) as we celebrate Jewish Buffalo together.

The Buffalo Jewish Federation’s mission is to convene, inspire, collaborate, lead and enrich the Jewish community locally, and to be a part of a vibrant movement that supports Jews around the world. We are a vibrant hub of a community that celebrates Jewish life. With the support of the Campaign for Jewish Buffalo, Federation is committed

to funding our organizational and agency partners, strengthening the fabric of community, and inspiring individuals to access Jewish tradition in powerful and transformative ways. Tickets for the Kickoff are $80/person. Kindly RSVP by September 6. To attend, a primary individual minimum $100 gift to the 2024 Annual Campaign is requested. RSVP online at buffalojewishfederation.org/kickoff or call Stacey Block, Senior Director of Operations and Donor Experience at 716-463-5053.

Gary Greenfield

Randi Morkisz

The Fear of Failure

BY RABBI ORI BERGMAN

It was the end of Summer of 2001 when I attended a post high school Israeli yeshivah (institute for Talmudic and Judaic studies) in full gear preparing for the upcoming High Holydays. Like in virtually all yeshivot during this time, tremendous energy is expended in preparation for the High Holidays. I recall inspiring speakers who focused on some aspect of personal growth. What was clear from all them was that Judaism expects great things from the Jewish people, in general, and every Jew in particular.

Said Shakespeare: “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, but some have greatness thrust upon them.” “To be a Jew,” said Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l, “is to have greatness thrust upon you. The standard of excellence expected in our relationship between us and others (Bein Adam L’Chavero) and us and G-d (Ben Adam LaMakom) is outstanding. Every act is viewed as an opportunity to align with the Divine will, and every encounter a chance to reveal the Divine spark within each person.”

Given Judaism’s high standard and expectations, it is only natural for a person to feel (not irregularly) like they have fallen short. In fact, this is inherent to any system where you set out to reach a significant goal. Consider weight loss and healthy living. How many of us (who struggle with this) constantly encounter setbacks - perhaps even at every meal. Falling short is a necessary prerequisite to reaching one’s goals. Michael Jordan said: “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Yet, for a person like me who has a fear of failure, the setbacks could be significantly detrimental. They could lead to feelings of dejection and inadequacy. Even worse, fearing to fail can undermine the entire will to succeed, leading to a preference for mediocrity and a life of settling. Fearing to fail is often deeply psychologically rooted, immune to rational thought. I recall a Rabbi once telling me: “Ori, you need to go easier on yourself.” If only it was that easy.

No group has emphasized the need

to live Jewishly with joy (on one hand) and overcome feelings of failure and despair (on the other) than Breslover chassidim. Rebbe Nachman (the founder of Breslov chassidut) said, “Don’t despair, it is forbidden to despair. If a difficult time comes, one should only be happy!”

This sentiment came from the depths of a struggle to overcome the downward pull towards sadness and despair. It was Rebbe Nachman that penned: “The entire world is a very narrow bridge, and the main thing to recall is to have no fear. This is the fear of falling, of failing…” It is these sentiments that have inspired popular Breslov singer, Joey Newcomb, to write songs such as: “You fall down, you get back up” and “It’s never too late.” In the latter song he sings: “A righteous person falls constantly (seven times) yet [still] gets up. No, it’s never too late to fix your mistakes because we know there’s no despair in the world.”

As we near the “Ten Days of Return” starting with Rosh Hashanah and culminating in Yom Kippur, one notices that the order of the holidays seems to be out of place. Yom Kippur (referred by our sages as the most joyous day of the year), which focuses on fixing, on repenting, on returning, on re-unification, precedes Rosh Hashanah, which focuses strictly on our relationship with God and others. Should we not first mend our ways with others before focusing on our relationships with them? This is the case for the person hyper-sensitive to setbacks, who feels that their relationships might be strictly dependent on how good they are (or perceive themselves to be). But the Torah reorients us to think differently. First, we dedicate ourselves to our most important relationships - with God,

family, friends. We contemplate our place in this world, our purpose and our direction. We think on Rosh Hashanah of how we want our relationships to look like. Only after a deep and uplifting look at our deepest relationships (which are independent of our sense of how good we are), we turn to Yom Kippur to evaluate how we might have undermined these relationships and what it would take to improve them. First on Rosh Hashanah, we embrace (unconditionally) those we love and only then reflect on how we can practically improve.

As our hearts and minds turn to the Holy and great opportunity of the High Holydays, we grasp the words of the prophet Jeremiah who speaks, not of wrongdoing, but of connection and relationship: “Return us God to you and we will return, renew our days like those of old.” We return and turn our gaze to those we love, to God, to family, to friends… and in so doing, rededicate ourselves to the most important part of our lives, our relationship. May you all experience a happy and healthy holiday.

Ori Bergman is rabbi at Kehillat Ohr Tzion.

I.Reiss Collection

~ Hand Crafted in Israel

Rabbi Ori Bergman

Fall 2023 Adult Learning Classes

LiNK Jewish Buffalo offers a variety of semester-long and year-long learning experiences for adults. Details about each class, cohort or learning experience can be found below. For more information, contact Mike Steklof at mike@buffalojewishfederation.org.

Adult Hebrew (Virtual Classes)

1st Semester: classes run 10/11/23 through 1/17/23

2nd Semester: classes run 1/24/24 through 4/17/24

Fee: $210/for each semester (book purchased separately)

Location: Zoom

Instructor: Zahava Fried

Beginners

Wednesdays, 6:00-7:00 pm

No experience necessary. This course is for beginners interested in learning the Hebrew alphabet, grammar, and vocabulary with a focus on reading prayers for Shabbat, synagogue services and traditional blessings.

Intermediate

Wednesdays, 7:30-8:30 pm

This course is to further develop skills for those who already know the Hebrew alphabet and can read several words and phrases. The focus of this course is on Hebrew prayer.

Intro to Judaism

Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 pm

Location: JCC

Fee: $136/semester course (books purchased separately)

Facilitated by local clergy and educators, this exceptional course is designed for: individuals interested in conversion, individuals (Jewish and non-Jewish) interested in learning more about Jewish religion and history, and couples of multiple faiths. This course will explore the Jewish calendar and life cycles, worship and beliefs, the Bible, Rabbinic literature, antisemitism, the Holocaust, Zionism and the State of Israel.

Jewish Buffalo Reads: The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land by Omer Friedlander

6 Tuesdays throughout the year, 7-8:30 pm

Join Susan Schwartz for a monthly book discussion of Omer Friedlander’s debut short story collection, The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land. Each month we will discuss two short stories from his collection. FREE BOOKS are available to the first 20 people who register. Omer Friedlander will visit Buffalo as part of Let’s Talk About Israel this spring. Attend any or all sessions.

Gathering Cohorts

Women Gathering

5 Thursdays throughout the year, 7:30-9:30 pm, begins 11/16/23

Women Gathering, facilitated by Miriam Abramovich and friends, is a monthly opportunity for women ages 30-55 to gather over food and drink for informal conversation, through a Jewish lens, about issues that matter to us the most such as business trends, gender equality, health, antisemitism and more.

Men Gathering

6 Thursdays throughout the year, 7:30-9:30 pm, begins 9/7/23

Men Gathering, facilitated by Rob Goldberg and Rabbi Ori Bergman, is a monthly opportunity for men ages 30-55 to gather over food and drink for casual conversation about issues and events that matter such as fatherhood, politics, Jewish culture, and antisemitism.

Wise Gatherings

6 Sundays throughout the year, 10 am-12 pm, begins 10/22/23

Wise Gatherings, facilitated by Rob Goldberg and Cantor Mark Horowitz, is a monthly opportunity for men ages 56+ to gather over food and drink for casual conversation about issues and events that matter such as politics, Jewish culture, antisemitism, and celebrating our collected wisdom and experiences through a Jewish context to help us age well.

Belonging is a core value of LiNK Jewish Buffalo. Individuals of all abilities, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender expressions are welcome. Please share your specific access needs with us as part of the registration process and we’ll ensure, to the best of our ability, that your experience is meaningful.

Fall 2023 Jewish Teen Initiative Gatherings

Offering a series of experiences to help Buffalo’s teens (grades 8-12) authentically encounter Judaism. Experiences are designed so that Jewish teens can build their knowledge, self-esteem, leadership and life skills, and shape their identities. Questions? Contact Mike Steklof at mike@buffalojewishfederation.org

IsraelNow

February 12-20, 2024

Grade 8

IsraelNow is the perfect Israel experience for Jewish 8th graders. The purpose of this program is to nurture and strengthen a long-lasting connection and commitment to Jewish life among our community’s youth. Every trip is an educational program designed to give eighth graders an immersive, emotional and memorable taste of Isreal and their Jewish heritage through a week-long, hands-on experience. For more information and to register, visit: https://buffalojewishfederation.org/ israelnow-teen-trip/

Student to Student® Training

Wednesday evenings, 6:30-8:00 pm

Grades 10-12

October 11, 18, 25, November 1, 8, 15, 29, December 6

Cost: $90

Through Student to Student® Jewish students share their lived experiences as Jewish teens in order to put a human face on Judaism and dismantle antisemitism especially in schools that lack a Jewish presence. Do you want to serve as a Student to Student® presenter this year? Participate in this training program led by area Rabbis and Jewish Educators to get prepared to share your Jewish story.

Teens for Good

Monthly on Sundays from 1-4 pm, begins 10/29

Learn. Act. Reflect. Impact. Teens for Good engages in meaningful service opportunities that combines hands-on action, and Jewish learning to help the many communities that make up Buffalo. Each month, we will volunteer with a different organization and throughout the year we will make a meaningful impact on issues such as hunger, homelessness and poverty, environmental issues, and more.

Teen Leadership Council

Grades 8-12

Do you want to be a trusted peer connector and change maker? By serving as a member of the Teen Leadership Council you will help cultivate communities where you can help your peers thrive, engage in meaningful self-discovery, and experience a strong sense of belonging. Through hands-on experiential learning, and activities framed and enhanced with unique Jewish wisdom, members are exposed to the principles and practices of relational engagement. If you are interested in joining the Teen Leadership Council, contact Mike at mike@buffalojewishfederation.org.

High Holy Days: A Time of Compassion and Renewal

The principles of charity and justice hold significant importance during the Jewish High Holy Days as ritual, culture and worship emphasize introspection, repentance, and renewal.

Charity (tzedakah), is an integral part of the season because it involves giving to those in need, promoting fairness and compassion. Repairing the world (tikkun olam) is a central principle in Judaism and aligns with the themes of the High Holy Days; it refers to the Jewish commitment to actively engage in acts that heal and improve the world. Loving kindness (gemilut chasadim) is a value that permeates Jewish teachings and is especially relevant during this time of year. It encourages individuals to extend acts of kindness, compassion, and empathy to others.

Overall, the High Holydays provide a meaningful opportunity to reflect on personal and collective responsibilities towards charity, justice, repair the world, and loving kindness, fostering a sense of spiritual renewal and growth.

The Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies empowers donors to fulfill their passions and dreams by establishing charitable vehicles designed to create a positive and enduring impact on Jewish Buffalo, Western New York and the World. The Foundation wishes you a fulfilling and healthy New Year.

TZEDAKAH (CHARITY AND JUSTICE)

GEMILUT CHASADIM (LOVING KINDNESS)

TIKKUN OLAM (REPAIR THE WORLD)

L’DOR V’DOR (GENERATION TO GENERATION)

New Programs from PJ Library

This Fall, PJ Library will be launching two new exciting Storytime programs: Babies & Books and Toddler Time! These programs are designed to engage the smallest members of our community and the adults who cherish them, offering an immersive experience filled with music, crafts, stories, all with a Jewish twist.

Created for infants and toddlers aged 3 months to 18 months old, Babies & Books is a delightful blend of sensory exploration and family and community togetherness. The idea behind Babies & Books is to create a nurturing space where families can come together to meet one another, find commonalities, and explore Jewish values and holidays through songs, PJ Library stories, and play. Join us for the first Babies & Books event on October 19th from 1:00-2:00 in the Temple Beth Tzedek playroom. Toddler Time is the natural stepping stone from Babies & Books, and will continue to provide meaningful and ageappropriate Jewish learning and play experiences. The first session of Toddler Time will take place in Nature Play at Glen Park on September 7th from 10:0011:00 am.

We are excited to continue offering Shabbat experiences for the entire family. Next up is: PJ Pals- Shabbat in the Sukkah: All PJ Library and community families are invited to join PJ Library and Congregation Shir Shalom for Shabbat in the Sukkah on Friday, October 6th from 5:30-6:30 pm. We will gather in Shir Shalom’s beautifully decorated sukkah and celebrate both Shabbat and the conclusion of Sukkot together through songs and stories, of course! Complementary dinner will be served as a part of the event.

To register for any of these events, visit: buffalojewishfederation.org/linkgatherings/.

For more information about PJ Library or to meet at a playground or over coffee, contact Zahava Fried at zahava@buffalojewishfederation.org.

LIFE & LEGACY® at Buffalo

Why We Support Jewish Buffalo’s Future

Total Legacy Commitments Received: 425

Total dollar amount: $12,596,529

Total Number of Donors: 243 Through 7/31/2023

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.

Chris and Julia Cohan were born and raised in the New York area, met as undergraduates at the University at Albany, moved to Cleveland for Chris to finish his PhD, and ultimately settled in Buffalo in 1986 as Chris secured a position at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine’s Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences. Julia worked at UB’s School of Management in IT Support.

At this time, Dr. Harold Brody, UB School of Medicine’s Chair, and his wife Anne were active in Jewish Buffalo and introduced Chris and Julia to other members of the Buffalo Jewish community including Ellen and Bob Reis. Over time, Chris and Julia’s participation in Jewish Buffalo led them to attend holiday services at Hillel of Buffalo with their sons Geoffrey and Jonathan.

As Chris and Julia sought to advance their sons’ Jewish

education, they joined Temple Beth Am, which merged with Temple Sinai 11 years ago to form Congregation Shir Shalom. Immediately, the Cohans found the synagogue to be their spiritual home and became active volunteers and lay leaders where their involvement continues.

After their sons grew, launched their careers, married, had children, and relocated to other communities, Chris and Julia couldn’t imagine

leaving the Greater Buffalo area: This is their home, filled with close friends, their synagogue and the Buffalo Jewish Community. They are fond of saying “Buffalo is an easy place to be.”

When asked about their legacy, Chris and Julia became interested in the LIFE & LEGACY® initiative. Over many years, they have made numerous donations to various not-for-profit organizations and were ready to make a gift to support Jewish Buffalo’s future. “It takes financial support to leave a strong foundation for our institutions, so they are here for the families that come after us,” the Cohans explain. “This is how we feel about the Buffalo Jewish community.” They have designated Congregation Shir Shalom, Hillel of Buffalo and Jewish Family Services of Western New York as their beneficiary organizations through LIFE & LEGACY® at Buffalo.

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

— Talmud (Ta’anis 23b)

Julia and Chris Cohan

“Get Out the Vote!”

Thanks to Voice Buffalo’s Tyrell Ford and several students, JCRC held a phone banking event to encourage citizens to vote in the June 27 primary. Using tablets and cell phones (with protected numbers), over 300 calls were made to encourage voters in the University District of the City of Buffalo to get out and vote.

“In order to see change in our communities,” Tyrell explained, “we must join into partnership with other stakeholders doing the work. Together, we need to be on our collective journey to educate and inform through a multigenerational lens. It’s not enough to just vote but actually staying in the fight after we have marked our ballot is critical,”

JCRC Intern Sam Lukin Johnson added, “This Get Out The Vote event was an amazing opportunity. Not only does it have a huge impact on voter engagement, the phone banking system allows for anyone, including young students like me to help out. I’m so grateful to have gotten this chance to help people and spread awareness about voting.”

JCRC team members Mara Kovin-Gelman, Rachel Beerman and Sam Lukin Johnson join Tyrell Ford, Sara Gabelnick, Hannah Gabelnick and Max Hodin.

PJ Library Multifaith Family Partnership

BY RACHEL BEERMAN

On a beautiful Sunday, families from the Jewish community and Pilgrim St. Luke’s United Church of Christ gathered at Tifft Nature Preserve. This was the second gathering of a year-long multifaith family initiative funded by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. Buffalo was one of three communities to receive this grant to build multifaith family partnerships. During our first gathering, we read books, made beautiful art together, and shared stories of who we are and how our

faiths teach us about the importance of the natural world. The children began to build new friendships, and the adults did as well. During our second gathering, not only did we get to know each other better while hiking the lovely trails of Tifft Nature Preserve, but we saw the roseate spoonbill which somehow found its way up from the Florida area to WNY! We are looking forward to our third gathering this fall.

Rachel Beerman is JCRC Manager at Buffalo Jewish Federation.

PJ Library Family event at Tifft Farm

Interfaith Group Tours East Side Gardens

Through the auspices of the Jewish Community Relations Council’s (JCRC) Racial Justice committee and Gardens Buffalo Niagara, JCRC gathered an interfaith group in late July of more than 60 individuals from several organizations to tour Buffalo’s East Side and some of its gardens on display on the East Side Garden Walk.

Organized by JCRC Manager Rachel Beerman and led by Jewish Journal Editor Ellen Goldstein, participants included those from First Shiloh Baptist Church, Congregation Shir Shalom, Temple Beth Zion, Trinity Episcopal Church, and Westminster Presbyterian Church. They visited several unique gardens that each represented change and revitalization in the Fruit Belt, Hamlin Park, Grider, Kensington, Emslie, and Masten Park areas of Buffalo. Included on the tour was a talk by Dr. Henry Louis Taylor of the UB Dept. of Urban Studies at Futures Academy Community Gardens on Carleton

St. about community decline and revival.

“The JCRC started on this journey to help build partnerships with communities on the East side, breaking down barriers within Buffalo and Erie County,” shared Deborah Goldman, JCRC Co-Chair. “These lovely gardens and communities rarely make it into the news. For participants who do not usually travel through East Side neighborhoods, this was an opportunity to see how people build their communities and have pride in their accomplishments,” she

continued. “We are also grateful that East Side residents generously opened their gardens to us and were happy to talk about their garden journeys. We applaud our community partners – we are building structural and personal relationships.”

Thanks to Angela Buchanan, Catherine Carr Lincoln, Audrey Clark, Valerie Cole, Charlene Galloway, Deborah Goldman, Rabbi Brent Gutmann, Joan Kwiatkowski, Phoebe McKay, Rev. Micah Nutter-Dowling, Sue Stone, Samantha White, and Karen Wiseman.

Participants in this summer's Interfaith East Side Garden Tour

Deborah Goldman joins Jewish Council of Public Affairs Board of Directors

Deborah Goldman, Co-chair of Buffalo Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and member of the Buffalo Jewish Federation Board of Governors, recently joined the Jewish Council of Public Affairs (JCPA) board of directors. The JCPA is the Jewish community’s national primary convener and consensusbuilder for community relations, and policy advocate.

Deborah has served in numerous volunteer leadership roles in the Jewish and general Buffalo Community. She is currently a consultant for behavioral health agencies, counties, and nonprofits across New York State. She supports counties in using data for planning, writing and reviewing grants for the Federal Government, and works on developing supportive housing for individuals with behavioral health disorders. In recent years she has written and offered advice on federal and state non-profit security grants. Deborah was

certified by both New York City and New York State as a Women-Owned Business Enterprise in 2019.

“I am thrilled and honored to have been asked to serve on the JCPA board,” reflected Deborah. “The JCPA is in the process of a reset to best address the growing external challenges facing American Jews, including rising antisemitism and other forms of bigotry, and extremist threats to an inclusive, multiracial democracy. The work of the JCPA has so much to offer Jewish Communities across the county.”

Deborah has served as Planned Parenthood of Western and Central

New York Board Chair. She has been recognized for her efforts with awards from the Buffalo Jewish Federation, the Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo, Temple Beth Zion, Network of Religious Communities, National Federation of Just Communities of WNY (with husband and co-philanthropist, Dr. Grant Golden), New York Care Coordination Program, Friends of Night People Board Recognition, United Way, Cazenovia Recovery Services, Crisis Services, and the Erie County Homeless Commission. Deborah’s philosophy of life is best explained by Lo Ta’amod Al Dam Rey’echa – Do Not Stand Idly By. She is grateful for “all the terrific people” she has met through both her volunteer and professional activities.

Gretchen S. Gross Labor of Love Committee Update and Gathering Planned

BY ALEX EADIE

The JCC of Greater Buffalo and the leadership of Camp Centerland invite the community to a reception to share updates from the Gretchen S. Gross Labor of Love committee. This gathering will be held Monday, September 18 at the Gretchen S. Gross Omanut Building at Camp Centerland. The building was named in honor of Gretchen by her husband, the late Gordon Gross, on the occasion of her 70th birthday. Camp Centerland is located behind the JCC Benderson Family Building at 2640 North Forest Road, Getzville, NY 14068.

After Gretchen’s untimely passing in 2021, the Labor of Love committee was formed at the JCC to honor Gretchen’s legacy and dedication to Camp Centerland. In August 2022, the committee planned the first annual Gretchen Gross Awesomesauce Day at Camp. This day was full of many things Gretchen loved: photography, ice cream, and the children of Camp. That evening, family and friends gathered to dedicate a new fireplace and plaque inside the Omanut, and the JCC announced the establishment of the Gretchen S. Gross Memorial Endowment, co-chaired by

Debbie DiMatteo and Donna Bryk.

The endowment supports both photography education and programming for children, as well as scholarships for children to attend Camp Centerland, ensuring funding for these programs will continue in perpetuity. “The endowment is a great way to honor Gretchen’s lifelong commitment to the JCC and Camp Centerland,” said Debbie DiMatteo, co-chair of the endowment committee.

“We are confident that this fund will touch

many lives, passing on her love of photography now and for the future to the children, families, and members of the JCC.”

Since last year’s Awesomesauce Day, the new School of Digital Media was launched, incorporating Gretchen’s love of photography into classes for school-age children. Over 40 children have enrolled in these classes to learn the basics of how to use a camera, how to take photos of

many different subjects, and how to edit their own work; samples of their work are displayed at the end of each session in a public showcase at both the Benderson Family Building and the Holland Family Building.

Risè Kulick, chair of the Camp Centerland Committee, noted that this summer at Camp Centerland has seen incredible growth; each of the last three summers have surpassed the previous year for a new record of camper weeks and campers. “The second annual Awesomesauce Day at Camp Centerland was held on August 8th, as part of Gretchen’s lasting legacy and the kids had a blast,” she said. The day included a visit from the Anderson’s ice cream truck, special crafts and games, tie-dying shirts, and more.

We hope you can join us on September 18th for an exciting update as we look to the future. Appetizers and refreshments will be served, tours of Camp will be offered, and a showcase of work from the School of Digital Media and a video of highlights from the last year will be shown. If you are interested in attending this event, please RSVP to Alexander Eadie, Director of Advancement for the JCC of Greater Buffalo, at aeadie@jccbuffalo.org or 716-9296258.

Alex Eadie is Director of Advancement at the JCC

Deborah Goldman

New TBZ Executive Director Mark Hayman

Mark Hayman has been named the new Executive Director at Temple Beth Zion (TBZ). Born and raised in North Buffalo and a third-generation TBZ member, Mark returns to the community after a long career in the music world, most recently serving as Executive Director of Meadowmount School of Music on Lake Champlain and previously as Executive Director of Young Concert Artists in New York City.

After attending Calasanctius and then Wesleyan University where he doublemajored in music and Russian/Soviet Studies and spent summers working and studying piano at Chautauqua, Mark built a career leading non-profit organizations in the music world. At Young Concert Artists for 30 years, Mark managed programming, artist management, strategic planning, development and donor relations, while overseeing a staff of 15. At Meadowmount, he directed all activities of the residential summer music school for 200 students including recruitment, enrollment, faculty and staff, programs, alumni development, and financial and facilities management. Living in Italy for a time in the 2000’s, Mark served as Artistic Director of Salvi Harps and Founding Executive Director of the Cartagena International Music Festival.

Mark joined the TBZ staff during the summer. “We are very excited to welcome Mark back to TBZ and Buffalo,” said Ken Polk, TBZ President. “He brings warmth, a love of community and so many skills to this new role.” Mark is excited to be a part of TBZ’s and Buffalo’s renaissance and is very happy to have returned home. “I’ve always felt a strong connection to Buffalo and to my Jewish identity, and with my background running non-profits, this seemed like a natural fit,” Mark said. Robin

Ostrov, chair of the Personnel Committee and head of the search agreed: “We were very fortunate to find a candidate like Mark. With years of nonprofit leadership experience, combined with a connection to TBZ and a desire to return to Buffalo, we could not have found another more suitable hire.”

An architecture and history buff, and an avid traveler to more than 100 countries, Mark and his husband Mark Penny reside in Kenmore, where they’ve had a house for 20 years. They love to cook, entertain, search for treasures at flea markets, and explore the hidden corners of Western New York. Mark’s parents were Barbara and David Hayman (z’’l), and his grandparents were Betty & Leon Hayman (z’’l) and Ann & Henry Amram (z’’l).

Mark Hayman

Peter Weinmann Joins Congressman Higgins for Herzog’s Address

Congressman Brian Higgins (NY26) invited attorney Peter Allen Weinmann as his guest to a joint meeting of Congress July 19, that featured remarks by the President of the State of Israel Isaac Herzog. “Peter Weinmann is a dedicated member of our community, serving Western New York both civically and professionally,” said Congressman Higgins. “As an established leader among the local Jewish community, he understands the importance of supporting freedom, democracy, and security in Israel. We are proud to welcome him to our nation’s capital to witness President Herzog’s historic address.”

Mr. Weinmann has been a practicing attorney for more than 34 years. He currently works as a tax assessment attorney at Wolfgang and Weinmann. He also serves as Vice President of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies. He previously served as President of the American Jewish Committee, Buffalo Niagara Chapter, a member of the Board of Trustees at Temple Beth Zion, Treasurer at the Kadimah School, and Trustee of the Buffalo Jewish Federation. In addition to his work within the Jewish community, Mr. Weinmann was also a member of the Development Committee at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Leadership Buffalo Class of 1999, and the Board of Trustees at the Elmwood-Franklin School. Peter is

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Cong. Higgins and Peter Weinmann in DC

BY LAUREN BLOOMBERG

Every Buffalonian knows that WNY is a special place, but soon the entire world will learn how our community was home to three extraordinary individuals that risked their own lives and those of their families, to rescue, hide and save Jews during the Holocaust. These incredible humans all from Hungary, Tibor Baranski, Clara Ambrus and Sister Margit Slachta, were honored and named by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations. While their stories are unique, their acts were shared: to defy the Nazis and save thousands of innocent Jewish lives from extermination. This fall their stories will be told through an extraordinary outdoor mural on the campus of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

HRC Partners with Roswell on Powerful Mural Project

disturbing levels world-wide and continues to rise. Young people know little about the Holocaust and traditional forms of outreach and education are outdated. By positioning murals in important and high-profile locations and using media and technology such as a scannable QR code, visitors to the mural can learn about the Holocaust and its heroes. Five of these pieces can be found in New York City, Los Angeles, Portugal, Greece, and Israel and number 6 will now be in Buffalo!

Tibor Baranksi , is credited with saving more than 3,000 Jewish lives as a young seminary student with the help of Monsignor Angelo Rotta, Hungary’s Papal Nuncio. They used letters of protection, hid Jews in Vatican apartments and wine

Your Dreams. Our Guidance.

cellars and provided Jewish citizens with food, medicine and supplies.

During her first year of medical school in Hungary, Clara Ambrus bribed guards at both camps and ghettos in Nazi occupied Hungary to release Jewish prisoners who were hidden and cared for by her family until the end of WWII. She received the Courage of Care Award from the Anti-Defamation League in 2008. She was declared a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Science in Hungary and was named by the Pope as a Lady Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.

Sister Margit Slachta, a champion of human rights, formed the Union of Catholic Women and the Sisters of Social Services which was well-known all over Hungary for nursing, midwifery and orphanage services. When the first antiJewish laws were passed in Hungary in 1938, Sister Slachta published articles opposing anti-Jewish measures in her newspaper, The Voice of Spirit. She worked tirelessly to spare Jews from deportation, sent food and supplies to the Jewish ghettos and sheltered people in convents. Through her efforts with the Church, it is estimated that she helped to rescue more than 2000 Hungarian Jews.

Artists 4 Israel and the Combat Antisemitism movement have created the Righteous Among the Nations Global Mural Campaign. This project is a collaborative multimedia initiative in which artists paint large-scale murals honoring the heroes who saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust. Physical attacks against Jews, antisemitic events and Holocaust denial have reached

With the generous support of Senator Tim Kennedy, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the families of Tibor Baranksi, Clara Ambrus, the Buffalo Jewish Federation and community members, the mural featuring three remarkable heroes will be located on the eastern wall of the Research Studies Center Auditorium. This prominent location was chosen because of its street view and proximity to the main entrance of Roswell. It is also an important location, as Tibor’s wife, Katalin, and Clara and Julian Ambrus were researchers at Roswell. A talented Hungarian mural artist, Taker, will travel to Buffalo to paint the permanent mural.

The mural will be completed this fall and we hope to have the unveiling of the mural in conjunction with the HRC’s Kristallnacht program on Sunday, November 12. For more information about the mural or how you can contribute to the project please contact Lauren@buffalojewishfederation.org

Lauren Bloomberg is Director of the Holocaust Resource Center

Site of the future mural at Roswell Park Cancer Institute

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Initiative and Service as One

BY CHANA REVELL KOTZIN, PH.D.

Initiative and service have always been at the heart of Jewish community life in Buffalo. From helping those in need through fellowship, to honoring those who may have no other memorial, Jewish Buffalonians, have worked tirelessly for community endeavors locally and internationally. Two organizations are part of new additions to the Jewish Buffalo History Center as well as new materials from Marsha Dautch within our online Sokolivka exhibition.

Before WWII, Jewish culture, faith and heritage flourished in Poland. During the Nazi era this diverse community of many communities was all but destroyed with the planned murder of more than three million individual Jewish lives. In addition to the murder of millions of Jewish families, German troops, Nazi collaborators and Nazi forces also attempted to remove all evidence of former Jewish lives through the confiscation and destruction of Jewish property, community buildings, cemeteries and synagogues. As a result, thousands of Jewish cemeteries were desecrated and stripped of their monuments. In the postwar era, Communism continued this erasure, as former cemetery grounds became sport stadiums, roadways and garbage dumps, and the headstones or matzevot of generations of Jews became paving and construction materials for streets and buildings, just as they had during the Nazi era.

One Buffalo couple, Hannah and Norman Weinberg, originally from Canada, set out to restore Jewish family names and thereby their memories with the restoration of a 400-year-old cemetery in Ozarow, that was the resting place of many of Norman Weinberg's family. Although some of the matzevot (headstones) had been removed during the war by Germans troops, the Poland Jewish Cemetery Restoration Project (PJCRP) was able to organize local volunteers and a network of others to restore over 200 headstones. Along the way, they created a model for the education of younger Jews and Poles to work together. This created an ongoing community of care beyond the life of the project and one specific cemetery. Much closer to home, and with a

mission of service and community betterment, the Knights of Pythias, Jonathan David Lodge, worked to improve the lives of those in the community around them. The Knights of Pythias was founded by Justus H. Rathbone in Washington, DC, on February 19, 1864, as a fraternal organization that included lodges organized along sectarian lines. In the early 2000s, the Order had over two thousand lodges in the United States and around the world.

In Buffalo as elsewhere, lodges were organized along separate gender and religious lines. The Jonathan David Lodge served mainly Jewish male members, and provided social welfare as well as fraternity, while a Jewish women’s auxiliary provided sorority through the Pythian Sisters of Queen Esther. While we have almost no materials relating to the Pythian Sisters, many records of the Jonathan David Lodge were made available by David Essrow. Through these images and other records, we get a multigenerational glimpse of not just fraternal connections, but how fundraising, donating materials and time through service for all community members, young and old, was an essential component of the identity and work of the Knights of Pythias in Buffalo.

We are grateful to individuals and families who are willing to loan materials for digitization to help us bring local history and heritage to life.

These photographs and documents demonstrate the numerous ways in which Jewish Americans have played many roles in Buffalo within and beyond our own communities and how initiative and service have contributed to the benefit of all.

Chana Revell Kotzin, Ph.D., served as coordinator of the Jewish Buffalo History Center website until this past July. She currently resides in Kansas City where she teaches at William Jewell College and is completing an FJP commissioned manuscript about post-War II Jewish life in Buffalo.

Commemorative Ozarow Monument, Poland, Oct. 15, 2001. Courtesy of the Weinbergs

Knights of Pythias, Officers, 1956. Courtesy of Dave Essrow.

Birthright Reflections

William Berkowitz

BY WILLIAM BERKOWITZ UB ’23

I recently went on Birthright with Chabad at UB and 35 fellow UB students, and experienced things that really hit home and enhanced the trip for me. One of them was immersing ourselves during our visit to Tzvat. For the last 3 or so years, I have become captivated by the mysticism and the connection we have to our inner spirituality while on Earth. I spent a lot of time thinking about it early on at University. During that time,

I never even heard about the Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism) until less than a year ago when I took a class with Chabad in Buffalo about the soul and the afterlife. It was then that I learned that within my own religion I may be able to explore

this topic further with my own people. I didn’t know then, and still don’t know now exactly where to start, but after getting a glimpse of the spiritual nature of Tzvat and the people we met who lived there, it got me very hopeful and excited to pursue learning more about this topic within my own religion.

Another meaningful experience for me was having a Shabbat lunch at a family’s home in Jerusalem. We had phenomenal food, heard great stories, and talked about Birthright’s history, but it was more meaningful to me than that. Up until I became a teenager, my family used to have Shabbat dinner every single Friday night without exception. It was such a special thing that I naturally took for granted because I didn’t know any other way.

But ever since my parents got divorced, that’s been one aspect of Judaism and life that I miss a great deal. Maybe it’s just that I miss family time

together, but Shabbat dinner/lunch feels like more than that. During Shabbat, you move slower. You’re not rushing to eat to go to the next place, you’re not on your phone distracting yourself, and you’re not just eating a random meal without thinking about it. You have to take time to pray and express gratitude for the food that you eat; you discuss the week with each other and share stories, and you’re supposed to just be present. It’s a tradition that I hope to bring back into my life if I am a parent one day and I hope to share it with more people.

of Buffalo

Daniel Dreizin

BY ZOE FELBER

When Daniel Dreizin, a sophomore at University at Buffalo, signed up for the winter Birthright trip to Israel

William Berkowitz in Jerusalem

with Hillel of Buffalo, he assumed that this free trip to Israel would be a lighthearted, warm, 10-day vacation. Instead, Daniel says, “I found my people.”

Daniel is a first-generation American whose parents were born in the former Soviet Union. One of his dreams is to visit Russia, and he desperately wants to be involved with his culture. Growing up, he attended a huge Russian festival at a camp in upstate New York called KSP. During this festival, at the end of each night, Daniel and his family would play music together around the campfire. One of his mom’s favorite songs was Batareya, and he reminisced that this festival was one of his main exposures to Russian culture, outside of his family. A few days into Daniel’s Birthright trip, the group arrived at the Bedouin tents. The night sped by, but just as Daniel was drifting off, he heard a familiar Russian song. Could it really be that song they would sing around the campfire as a kid? Here, in Israel?

He walked to wherever this music was coming from, and yes, they were playing batareya. And yes, the group was from Russia.

They talked deep into the night, learning about each other and their shared culture, discussing the current war. The Russian group shared that they are all enlisted in the army. That was when Daniel realized, some of the kids he saw here right then, may not be alive within the next few months. “That really hit me. It opened my eyes up to the vast differences that exist between where they come from versus where I came from. And I never thought I would experience this on a Birthright trip,” he said.

As the night wore on, he felt an overwhelming gratitude for having been there, at the Bedouin tents, in Israel at that exact moment in time. It felt like there was a reason that he was on this trip. And maybe that reason was to meet them. His people. Daniel shared, “For me, I haven’t had too much exposure to Jewish culture [outside of Hillel]. But being there and embracing both Jewish culture and Russian culture together was something that I’ve never felt before in my entire life. That exceeded my expectations more than anything I could’ve possibly imagined.”

Not only did he find his Russian community through Birthright, but he also has found a home at Hillel of Buffalo now. Daniel encourages Jewish students to try Birthright. Registration for the next Hillel of Buffalo trip opens September 6th at birthrightisrael.com. Who knows? You might just find your people.

Freshly made soups, chopped romaine salad mix and fresh fruit salad. Huge selection of ingredients, toppings & dressings, complemented with garlic bread sticks and fresh rolls. Eat in or take out.

Daniel Dreizin in Israel

Zoe Felber is the Springboard Intrapreneurship Specialist at Hillel of Buffalo.

Tiferet 2023 Highlights World Refugee Day

BY TODD GEISE

On June 20, more than 200 people gathered at Jewish Family Services’ Barker Street location for the inaugural Tiferet event to celebrate World Refugee Day. The evening featured international foods, artisan goods produced by refugees who now call Western New York home, a Kids’ Zone, and an interactive African drum and dance performance.

One of the most poignant and heartfelt features of the program were the individual stories from those who fled their home countries due to war or persecution. Khalid, an Afghan evacuee and now JFS staff member working in refugee services, shared his story of the last days leading to those scenes on the Kabul tarmac when the Taliban was taking over the country following the US withdrawal at the end of August 2021.

Angel, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, recounted through an interpreter her struggles with gender oppression and her desire to help other women lift their voices to be heard. Elizabeth shared her challenges as a refugee from Venezuela suffering with cancer, the impacts of a long journey to the US in search of treatment, and the

challenges of navigating the legal system so she and her two sons could have a better life.

For JFS CEO Dr. Molly S. Carr, the goal of the event was not only to raise awareness about what is occurring in other countries and the many contributions that refugees make to the community, but also to highlight the

funding challenges faced by agencies like JFS, stating that “the resources we have are limited and the contributions that we receive allow us to provide a safety net support for families after they arrive here when things don’t always go the perfect way.”

It is expected that the annual Tiferet event will continue for years to come. With more than 30 million refugees across the globe and each with their own personal story, there will continue to be the need for community understanding and engagement.

As Rabbi Adam Scheldt expressed during his remarks, “I hope that by being here and being a part of all that JFS has to offer, we may all truly be blessed with abundant Tiferet – balance, compassion, harmony, and in a word, beauty.”

For more information on Jewish Family Services of Western New York, visit www.jfswny.org

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

Khalid and Angel shared their stories about fleeing from their home countries.

The Community Religious School

BY EINAV SYMONS

The Community Religious School (CRS) will start off its third year with a BLAST. Not just that of the shofar, but with all the students, Madrichim, staff, parents, and guests! On September 10th, students will participate in a round-robin of activities covering Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Parents will get an opportunity to meet, mingle and contribute to the exciting plans and goals for the year.

CRS is an inclusive pluralistic Community Religious School that inspires Jewish identity, literacy, and values. It serves the students of Temple Beth Tzedek, Temple Beth Zion, Congregation Shir Shalom and unaffiliated families. CRS provides engaging curriculum which includes Holidays, Israel, Torah, Ethics/ Values, Life cycle, History, Food/Cooking, Art and Music. The Hebrew curriculum is taught as private, remote lessons to students from 1st through 7th grade. Hebrew is reinforced during in-class T’fillah time on Sundays. Family programs are scheduled for each grade to follow this year’s theme of M’dor L’dor. New initiatives this year will focus on fostering friendships between the students and building school culture to create and reinforce the sense of community among the students, staff, parents, affiliated synagogues, leadership, and the greater Buffalo community. Increased programming at the affiliated synagogues for Holidays and Shabbat services, along with community-wide celebrations. CRS is continuing to collaborate with the JCC, UB Department of Jewish Thought and LiNK Jewish Buffalo to enhance programming for all ages. Wishing all a Healthy and Happy New Year! Shanah Tovah U’metukah! Please check out the website crsbuffalo. com for registration and updates. For more information on the academic program for Pre-K through 7th grade, the Madrichim program for 8th-12th graders, or to become a supporter, please contact Einav Symons, CRS Director at (716)574-6016.

Blended Voices: A musical journey across time and space

BY SHARON F. CRAMER, PH.D.

“The dross of everyday life is very, very powerful. So you need to protect your special relationship with your music.” Andre Watts, 2012.

“Blended Voices” offers ten extraordinary opportunities to experience the diversity of Jewish music, thanks to a “Making Music Happen” grant awarded by the JCC Association of North America. Details about the when/ where/what of the programs in September and October are provided on this page. “Blended Voices” is the brain-child of Katie Wzontek, Director of Cultural Arts, Buffalo JCC. The creative proposal Wzontek put together includes dozens of performers, some of whom are familiar local artists, while others come from afar.

Working with her JCC colleagues, Wzontek developed a series designed to take us down welltrod, long, winding roads (with Harold Arlen and Stephen Schwartz), as well as to climb up some unfamiliar hills and experience new vistas. All are invited to open their calendars, ears, taste buds and hearts to the series offered in multiple settings, September through December.

•Think of music as “soundtrack of our lives.”

Marty Kerker, developer of the Woodstock through a Jewish lens (September 10)

•Jewish music is not one thing – it includes the familiar and the new. It continues to evolve.

Mark Horowitz

• Take advantage of the “All Access” pass to join us for immersive experiences!

In Yiddish, “mishpuche” describes all members

BLENDED VOICES SCHEDULE

JCC Cultural Arts - 2023

The JCC Cultural Arts Department is excited to offer an All-Access pass for $54.00 which includes 1 ticket to all events in the BLENDED VOICES SERIES (except for the concert on 10/28 at Kleinhans Music Hall). Additionally, All-Access holders will receive 2 free guest tickets which can be redeemed ahead of time for any of the concerts, a special pre-show tour of the Presbyterian Church, and a swag bag at the Woodstock event! To purchase single tickets or passes or register for events please visit https://www.jccbuffalo.org/blended-voices/.

Sunday, September 10 | 1:00 – 4:00 pm

Woodstock Revisited—Remembering the Festival’s Jewish Organizers and Performers

of any very extended family – related by blood, marriage, as well as friends who are so close as to be family. This musical series brings together the far-flung members of the Jewish musical family. Consider this your engraved invitation to “Blended Voices.” See it as a huge family event -- get acquainted with both familiar and unfamiliar relations. Join us.

“Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But because I heard you, I have been changed for good.”

– Stephen Schwartz, “For Good,” Wicked (“knew” exchanged for “heard”)

Sharon F. Cramer is a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Emerita, and a member of the Buffalo JCC and Congregation Shir Shalom.

This multimedia event will feature Buffalo Hall of Fame musician Joe Rozler with members of the local Jewish Community: Marty Kerker, Dan Mink, and Rabbi Yonina Foster.

Irving M. Shuman Campgrounds | Rein Family Amphitheater

Tickets $10

Wednesday, October 18 | 5:00 – 7:30 pm

Celebrating Harold Arlen

Gallery exhibit and presentation on Harold Arlen in partnership with the Colored Musicians Club, with live music by musicians of the George Scott Big Band.

The Buffalo History Museum | 1 Museum Court

Tickets $10

Friday, October 27 | 10:30 am – noon

Behind the Music of Stephen Schwartz

Bagels, coffee, and a presentation and discussion about the Music of Stephen Schwartz.

JCC Benderson Building | Maxine and Robert Seller Theater Free

Friday, October 27 | 4:00 – 6:00 pm

Stephen Schwartz Sing-a-long

Pizza, snacks and sing-a-long including songs from Pocahontas, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Prince of Egypt, and more.

JCC Benderson Building | Lippman Lounge

Free

Saturday, October 28 | 7:30 pm

From Godspell to Wicked and Beyond!

Concert with Stephen Schwartz and the BPO, an unforgettable evening of musical theater.

Kleinhan’s Music Hall | 3 Symphony Circle

Tickets can be purchased through the BPO Box Office

JCC People of the Book Fall 2023 Series

This Fall the Jewish Community Center presents an exceptional line-up of authors in their People of the Book Speaker Series, with events beginning in September and continuing through December. In partnership with the Holocaust Resource Center, many of the books included in the series will feature Holocaust-related themes. All the events are $8 except for the Kids program with Rabbi Alex and PJ Library which is free. This series runs from September through December.

They were doctors and medical researchers at Roswell Park, Buffalo General Hospital and Children’s Hospital and professors at the University of Buffalo Medical School (see page 22).

September 11

Kicking off the series on September 11, Martin Bodek, author of Zaidy’s War: Four Armies, Three Continents, Two Brothers. One Man’s Impossible Story of Endurance (Holocaust Survivor True Stories WWII) will share his grandfather’s story which involves serving four armies under wildly unique circumstances, being present for both the largest land invasion in human history and the final battle of WWII, avoiding cannibalism under pain of death, eluding poisoning, surviving to walk 1,600 miles to his home country of Romania, emigrating to Israel, enduring the pummeling of his new community of Haifa during the Six Day War, and finally settling in peace in the U.S. where he served as a chef for 40 years, and finished Shas (Talmud) 14 times while he was doing all that. He passed away 8 years ago at the age of 95 The book was recently declared a finalist at the International Book Awards in the “GeneralHistory”category.

October 12

Native Buffalonian Linda Ambrus Broenniman, author of The Politzer Saga, returns to Buffalo for a book launch event. Linda is the middle child of seven, born to Hungarian parents, who survived World War II and came to the US in 1949. Her parents, Dr. Julian and Dr. Clara Ambrus, created a new life in Buffalo.

A nondescript brown box somehow survived a housefire in 2011. Its contents became the catalyst for a quest whose seeds were planted in 1983 – the day Linda learned that her Catholic father was Jewish and what little family history she knew was a lie. Searching for truth, Linda pieced together the astonishing story of eight generations of her Jewish ancestors — the Politzer family — highlighting their struggles, bravery, accomplishments, and resilience. Bolstered by historical research, these family stories

provide a uniquely personal lens that immerses readers in the cataclysmic forces that shaped the history of Hungarian Jews. Based on the stories and photographs in the book, the Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives mounted a permanent exhibit, The Politzer

Saga, in the newly renovated Rumbach Synagogue in Budapest.

October 30

Adding Buffalo to her US book tour, Austrian historian and author Lilly Maier shares her book Arthur and Lilly, originally published in German and recently republished in English. The book introduces the readers to American Holocaust survivor Arthur Kern who grew up in the same apartment as Lilly in Vienna, Austria. A moving tale of two lives that fatefully cross paths, and an immensely knowledgeable insight into an unknown Holocaust story: the rescue of hundreds of Jewish children to America on a Kindertransport. All events will have books for purchase, and include a light reception. To purchase tickets and view a complete schedule of events visit www.jccbuffalo. org.

Live the life you’ve earned.

5 THiNGS YOU CAN DO

Reverse Tashlich is Sunday, September 10 from 2-3 pm. For the third year, Buffalo Jewish Federation will sponsor Reverse Tashlich at Unity Island Park in Buffalo. The ecological exercise in repairing the world is a special way to start the high Holy Day season. For more information see page 5, and contact Rachel@buffalojewishfederation. org or Zahavah@buffalojewishfederation.org with questions Register at repairthesea.org/rt2023 and select “Buffalo” when filling out the form.

Don’t miss the most awesome community event of the year: The Campaign for Jewish Buffalo Kickoff event Wednesday, September 20 at the UB Center for the Arts. To attend, a primary minimum $100 gift to the 2024 Annual Campaign is requested. Go to buffalojewishfederation.org/kickoff for more information and to sign up! (See page 8).

Zachor! Remember the Holocaust this year before Yom Kippur at Kever Avot V’Imahot Sunday, September 24 at 11 am at Old B’rith Shalom Cemetery, 588 Pine Ridge Heritage Blvd. The service will be led by Federation CEO Rob Goldberg. Contact lauren@ buffalojewishfederation.org for more information.

Are you registered to vote in the November general election? If not, you have until October 28 to register by mail, in person or online. The JCRC has resources on its website to help you do just that. Go to buffalojewishfederation.org/vote to learn more today, while you still have time to do so, because every vote matters!

Fun is the order of the day at the JCC’s family-friendly 5K Sunday, October 15 at the Holland Building. The 5K Walk and Run begins at 10 am. The Family 2Mile Run/Walk begins at 10:30 am, and the Community Celebration post-race follows. You can sign up using the QR code on page 1, or visit jccbuffalo.org.

The first 5 people to correctly identify the location will be mentioned in the next issue of the Jewish Journal Email your answers to

For the July/August issue, Cheryl Tobias once again came up with the answer, identifying Lauren Belfer’s photo on the banner hanging on Washington Street, as part of the Lit City corridor of Buffalo, showcasing Buffalo authors.

The Jewish Repertory Theatre’s 21st season begins in October

BY ADAM YELLEN

The Jewish Repertory Theatre (JRT) is honored to present its 2023-2024 season. Once again, JRT will offer moving, thought-provoking, and entertaining productions. The season begins with the regional premiere of Sisters in Law, running October 26th through November 19th. Directed by the brilliant Josie DiVincenzo, this fascinating new production explores the real-life relationship of Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor. As they grapple with big questions, the gloves come off, revealing two very different people with a great deal in common.

Running February 1st through the 25th, JRT will present Kindertransport by Diane Samuels. Directed by JRT Artistic Director Saul Elkin, this powerful play follows nine-year-old Eva, a German

Jewish girl, who is sent by her parents on the Kindertransport to start a new life with a foster family in Britain just before the outbreak of World War II. Over forty years later, she has changed her name and denied her roots. When her own

daughter discovers some old letters and photos in the attic, she is forced to confront the truth about who she really is and reveal a dark secret that has kept everything hidden.

The season will conclude with Crossing

Delancey running May 9th through June 1st. In this beloved romantic comedy directed by Steve Vaughan, Izzy, a young Jewish woman, seeks love and purpose in New York City. With the help of her irascible grandmother, she struggles to choose between a handsome, successful author and a gentle, unpretentious pickle vendor. Starring JRT favorites Arin Lee Dandes, Darleen Pickering Hummert, and JCC Director of Performing Arts Adam Yellen.

In addition to these three plays we will there various events surrounding each production, including panel discussions and stage to screen movie showings. For more details and season subscription purchases, please visit www. jewishrepertorytheatre.org or call 716650-7626.

Adam Yellen is Director of Performing Arts, JCC of Greater Buffalo

Alleyway Theatre Welcomes TV Star Marc Summers

BY DANIEL F. LENDZIAN

The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers, which stars the television icon himself, is coming to Buffalo’s Alleyway Theatre September 9-30. Summers is a familiar face to many, because of his notable television career, (including hosting Nickelodeon’s DOUBLE DARE and Food Network’s UNWRAPPED), his work as a producer, and his public discussion of his obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Summers can trace his entertainment career back to a conversation he had with a rabbi during his formative years. “After my bar mitzvah, I thought, ‘maybe I want to be a rabbi,” said Summers. “But, I was also doing magic, and performing, and I had this conundrum: should I be a rabbi, should I be in the entertainment business?... So, I rode my bike over to the synagogue after school one day. Before Rabbi Weitzman became a rabbi, he studied radio and television, so I knew he would relate to what I was going through.” When Summers relayed that he wanted to be a rabbi because he wanted to

help people, his rabbi replied, “Here’s all I can tell you. Being a rabbi, you can help a small amount of people a lot, but if you’re in the entertainment industry, you can help a lot of people a little. No matter what you choose, you can’t go wrong.”

Stories like this pepper Summers’ show, which was written by two-time Tony Award nominee Alex Brightman, with music by Drew Gasparini

and directed by Chad Rabinovitz. The show, however, is not just Summers telling stories on the stage. The audience is involved and participates in some of the physical challenges that made Summers famous. “We play Double Dare in some forms, we talk about my obsessivecompulsive disorder, we talk about my passion for the industry, we talk about staying focused, and how, if you have a passion, you have to follow it.”

Marc Summers has lived his life following his passion for entertaining. Rabbi Weitzman’s advice to him has proved prophetic, in that he has brought joy to countless people’s lives over the years, and soon to Buffalo’s Alleyway Theatre.

Tickets for The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers, including VIP and Slime Zone seats, are available at alleyway.com.

Daniel Lendzian is an artist, author, and educator and performed in hundreds of individual shows on international, national, and regional stages. Currently, he is a lecturer in SUNY Fredonia Department of Theatre and Dance as well as host of Buffalo Rising’s WNY Soundstage podcast.

Marc Summers

Theater Listings

September 1-23

A Great Wilderness at Buffalo United Artists

By Samuel D. Hunter

After decades as the gentle-natured leader of a Christian retreat that endeavors to “cure” gay teens, Walt is packing up his life and preparing for a reluctant retirement. But when his final client quietly disappears into the remote Idaho wilderness, Walt discovers that his previously unwavering moral compass no longer points the way. buffalounitedartists.com

September 6-October 8

Guys and Dolls at MusicalFare Theatre

Music and lyrics by Frank Loesser

Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows

Guys and Dolls tells the overlapping love stories of high roller Sky Masterson and mission worker Sarah Brown, and lovable rapscallion Nathan Detroit—on a quest to find a safe place for his floating crap game—and Miss Adelaide, his fiancée of fourteen years. musicalfare.com

September 7-November 5

An Inspector Calls at Desiderio’s Dinner Theatre

By J.B. Priestley

A wealthy family’s engagement celebration is interrupted by the arrival of an inspector investigating the suicide of a young woman. mybobbyjs.com/desiderio-dinner-theatre

September 8-24

Rent at Bellissima Productions

Music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson

Synopsis: A group of impoverished young artists struggle to survive and create a life in Lower Manhattan’s East Village in the thriving days of bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. bellissimaproductions.com

The Royale produced by Revelation Theatre Company and Paul Robeson Theatre

By Marco Ramirez

It’s the opening decade of the twentieth century, and Jay “the Sport” Jackson is the first Black Heavyweight Champion of the World. But for Jay, as his aspirations and success becomes real, so do the harsh truths of life in Jim Crow America, and the consequences it could have on his family back home.

revelationtheatre.org

September 8-24

What the Constitution Means to Me at the D’Youville Kavinoky Theatre

By Heidi Schreck

Fifteen-year-old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the US. She resurrects her teenage self to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives. kavinokytheatre.com

September 10-30

The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers at Alleyway Theatre

By Alex Brightman

Music by Drew Gasparini

Many know Marc Summers from his time hosting Nickelodeon’s Double Dare and Food Network’s Unwrapped, or as producer of hits like Dinner: Impossible and Restaurant: Impossible, but now audiences get to meet the real Marc Summers—a man who’s led a fascinating life of fame and frustration—on a guided tour through his life. alleyway.com

September 14-October 1

The Color Purple at Sheas 710 Theatre

(Co-produced by Sheas, Ujima, and Second Generation Theatre)

Music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray

Book by Marsha Norman

Celie, a teenage Black girl in Georgia, is given by her abusive stepfather to an even more abusive husband. This epic story follows her personal awakening over the course of forty years. sheas.org

September 14-October 15

Murder Ballad at Road Less Traveled Productions

Music and lyrics by Juliana Nash

Book by Julia Jordan

Uptown girl Sarah seems to have it all with husband Michael, but her downtown past with bad boy Tom lingers enticingly and dangerously. roadlesstraveledproductions.org

September 22-October 8

La Cage Aux Folles at O’Connell and Company

Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman

Book by Harvey Fierstein

Georges manages a Saint-Tropez

nightclub featuring drag entertainment— including his romantic partner and star attraction, Albin. Farcical adventures ensue when household dynamics intersect with an ultra-conservative politician. oconnellandcompany.com

September 22-October 15

Belfast Girls at Irish Classical Theatre Company

By Jaki McCarrick

The year is 1850, and five young women seek to escape the famine in Ireland aboard a ship bound for Australia. As they sail toward the promise of new lives in Sydney, they struggle to leave their pasts behind. irishclassical.com

September 24-30

Mrs. Doubtfire at Sheas Performing Arts Center

Music by Alan Menken

Lyrics by David Zippel

Book by Harvey Fierstein

After losing custody in a messy divorce, struggling, out-of-work actor Daniel Hillard creates the kindly alter ego of Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire in a desperate attempt to stay in his children’s lives. sheas.org

I NEVER SAW ANOTHER BUTTERFLY MARCH 21-24

THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE

SEPT. 21-OCT. 1

THE CHRISTMAS ROSE DEC. 7-17

TREASURE ISLAND

FEB. 15-25

LOTTIE AND BERNICE ROUGHIN’ IT APRIL 25-MAY 5

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Russian Jews’ Impact on Chamber Music Society

B

Y CLEMENTINA FLESHLER

The Buffalo Chamber Music Society, the nation’s second oldest chamber music presenter, will celebrate its 100th season in 2023-24. The occasion will be marked on October 3, with the opening concert by the Aizuri Quartet in the Mary Seaton Room of Kleinhans Music Hall, followed by a dessert and champagne reception.

The Buffalo Chamber Music Society owes its endurance and renown to the many appearances on the series by the Budapest String Quartet, four Russian Jews who brought the Quartet to worldwide fame. In 1934 when Nazi soldiers went backstage to congratulate the Quartet on their performance, the musicians realizing that the Budapest name would not protect them forever, decided to leave Germany and never return. They traveled to America where they became the first ever quartetin-residence at the Library of Congress.

Their long affiliation with Buffalo which began in 1931 continued until 1965 with over 45 performances on the Buffalo Chamber Music Society Series, a record unmatched by any other group.

In 1962, largely through the influence of Society trustees, the venerable Quartet became artists in residence and faculty members of the State University of New York at Buffalo, an unlikely home base for the world’s leading chamber ensemble.

The Chamber Music Society’s opening concert on October 3 at 7:30 pm will be performed by the Aizuri Quartet, recent winners of the Cleveland Quartet Award. The concert will include works by Haydn and Bartók and the world premiere of a quartet by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Jennifer Higdon, commissioned by the Society to honor the 100th season. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased at the door. Go to bflochambermusic.org for more information.

Clementina Fleshler is Director of the Buffalo Chamber Music Society.

CSS: Positively Pittsburgh

Earlier this summer, Congregation Shir Shalom hosted a trip called “Positively Pittsburgh.” Highlights of the trip included paying respects at the Tree of Life Synagogue, a visit to Rodef Shalom Congregation, a bus tour of the city, an evening boat ride, a baseball game and a guided tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. Guests enjoyed experiencing Jewish culture, highlights of Pittsburgh and sharing camaraderie as they traveled together.

Hadassah and AKG

Hadassah will hold a guided tour of the new Buffalo AKG Art Museum on Thursday, October 26 at 2:00 pm. The onsite tour is one of two special events sponsored by Buffalo Hadassah featuring the Buffalo AKG. The second will feature a talk by Jillian Jones, the Deputy Director of AKG on Thursday, October 19th at 2:00 pm at the Benderson JCC.

Jones will speak on: “Transformation of the Buffalo Albright-Knox to the AKG Art Museum.” Jones has served on the museum’s Leadership Team and previously managed the day-today operations of the ten-person Advanced Team, and shared leadership responsibilities to raise $230 million to fund the creation of the Buffalo AKG—the largest capital campaign for a cultural institution in the history of Western New York.

Prior to joining the Buffalo AKG, Jones served as Manager of Major

Gifts and, later, Manager of Individual Giving at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She began her professional career at the George Washington University School of Business, Office of Development and Alumni Relations, as Development Associate, Assistant Director of Development, and finally Associate Director of Development.

For questions or reservations to these two events, email Marlene Katzel mkatzel@ me.com

Hadassah Garden Tour

Above: Group in front of the Rodef Shalom Congregation building. Below: President of the Tree of Life Synagogue speaks about the October 2018 tragedy.

Buffalo Hadassah toured Rise’ Kulick’s beautiful garden in July and learned about the history of Garden Walk Buffalo from Ellen Goldstein.

Temple Beth Tzedek Leaders Recognized

As Temple Beth Tzedek prepares for its first High Holiday season with Rabbi Sara Rich, the congregation’s Men’s Club and Women’s Network were recently lauded at their respective national conferences.

The Temple Beth Tzedek Men’s Club is part of the Tri-State Region (comprised of congregations in Pittsburg, Buffalo, and Rochester) of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Club. Founded in 1929, today FJMC has 200 chapters reaching 20,000 men. Both the TBT chapter and the region are led by President Jonathan D. Epstein, a member of the synagogue’s board and a veteran of the organization. At their bi-annual convention in Philadelphia, Temple Beth Tzedek was honored with a Torch Award for its Yom HaAtzmaut celebration, which featured a delicious kosher BBQ followed by a presentation of “75 Years, 75 Songs” by Josh Shron, the veteran host of Israel Radio Hour. In August, the Men’s Club hosted a special brunch for Cantor Mark Spindler, who was named the chapter’s Man of the Year in honor of his 36 years of dedicated service to the congregation and his 50th year as a cantor!

KOT Celebrates Shabbat with Song

On August 18 the singing at Kehillat Ohr Tzion (KOT) was enhanced with musical instruments during the Kabbalat Shabbat service. Eldan Cohen, a talented musician from Toronto and a friend of Rabbi Ori Bergman, led several musical programs during the weekend including a musical pre-Shabbat program for children in the community. After the program the children and their families shared a kid-friendly dinner, and following the Kabbalat Shabbat service with musical instruments, Shabbat candles were lit, and the community had Shabbat dinner together. Shabbat was concluded with a musical Havdalah service and a Melavah Malka, where other KOT members and friends joined the musical

400 chapters. When their international convention was held in July in Chicago, the TBT chapter was a leader on multiple fronts. The congregation kvelled (beamed with pride) when local Past President, Linda Steinhorn was sworn into the role of Financial Secretary on the WLCJ Board. Later, TBT Women’s Network President accepted a Jewel of the Crown Award that recognizes Sisterhood Affiliates that are the best at educating, inspiring, and helping others.

The Women’s Network of Temple Beth Tzedek is a beloved chapter within the International Northeast Region (comprised of Upstate New York, Ontario, and Quebec) of the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism. Founded in 1919, the Women’s League is comprised of

TBT’s President Linda Boxer joined her colleagues leading the Torah Fund campaign to highlight the role Women’s League has had in supporting the seminaries of Conservative/Masorti Judaism globally for over 80 years. Additionally, Iris Zackheim and Ellen Jadd facilitated conference sessions.

To learn more about these groups as well as exciting learning opportunities with Rabbi Rich and Cantorial Intern Zahava Fried, please visit btzbuffalo. org.

REMEMBERED

TERRY GARDNER

Terry started his bagel journey at Rainbow Center Bagel Bros. As a teenager, he rose quickly into management. His efficiency, eye for quality and positivity paid dividends for him and our company. He was our first regional manager at Bagel Bros in Buffalo, and also helped develop our Cleveland stores.

He came back to Bagel Jay’s almost three years ago and continually proved to be an incredible asset. Customers loved his outgoing personality and outstanding service, and his team loved working with him. He was always upbeat and positive and had a huge smile on his face.

His friendship and loyalty will be sorely missed every day.

May his memory live on while he rests in peace.

Cantor Spindler

Rachel Anderson with Women’s League Award

Kadimah Scholars

Begin 5th Year at Park

Kadimah Scholars is gearing up for another exciting year of Jewish learning at Park School of Buffalo, the fifth year of an innovative partnership between three distinct organizations: Kadimah Academy, the Park School of Buffalo, and the Buffalo Jewish Federation. It brings together the 64-year history of Kadimah as a traditional community Jewish day school with the century-old heritage of Park as an independent private school, by embedding Kadimah’s Hebrew and Judaic Studies within the broader secular program of Park.

Last year, there were 32 students from pre-K through 12th grade, including the first-ever high-school graduates. This year, there are 36 students enrolled including 13 in pre-K and Kindergarten alone.

Kadimah has a long and rich legacy of educating Jewish children in the Buffalo community. This year’s program is led academically by Michal Shmuel-Lewis for Hebrew and Einav Symons for Judaic Studies, each of whom bring dozens of years of combined experience to the classroom. The program will also benefit

TBZ Food Truck Shabbat

from additional community educators for after-school and supplemental learning, with as many as four rabbis from across the religious spectrum and two experienced teachers joining forces to enhance the program.

Students will also begin the day on Tuesdays and Fridays with morning prayers in the Theater at Helen Long. This is not only about ritual but is also an educational experience, where students learn morning prayers in a friendly and inviting environment.

Finally, students will also celebrate the holidays together, from sharing apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah, to putting up a sukkah on campus and enjoying a festive Megillah reading and Passover seder. The program is also looking forward to collaborative events with various local synagogues, to share the breadth of Kadimah Scholars diverse Jewish community.

If you’d like to learn more, check us out online at kadimah.org/kadimahscholars-program or theparkschool. org/academics/kadimah-academy. Or call Renee Lehner at (716)836-6903, or email office@kadimah.org.

More than 100 members and guests of Temple Beth Zion enjoyed Food Truck Shabbat on the final Friday evening of July. After enjoying Buffalo’s famous Beef on Weck and other delights, the crowd filled the lobby for Erev Shabbat services led by Rabbi Gutmann, accompanied by a lively and talented band which included Zack Steinberg on guitar and vocals, Steve Lattimore on the cajón (a Peruvian box-shaped percussion instrument that one sits atop and plays by slapping and drumming on it with one’s hands and fingers), and Evan Fuller on violin.

TBZ Fun Day at the Bisons

Kadimah Scholars at

In July, more than 40 members and guests of Temple Beth Zion enjoyed a day at the Ballpark to watch the Buffalo Bisons.

For military veteran caregivers, caregiving often starts earlier in life and lasts longer. To better care for your loved one, you must also care for yourself.

L’Shana Tova

From your friends at

Bubba’s Holiday Stuffed Cabbage

BY ROBIN KURSS

My daughter just asked me what food I make every year around Rosh Hashanah that I could never give up making. It’s my Grandma Esther Grossman’s stuffed cabbage recipe, baked with instructions thrown in from my Aunt Dolores Grossman…it’s a little bit of a “potchky” but so worth it, enjoy and Happy Healthy New Year to all!

Ingredients:

1 head cabbage, frozen

2 lbs ground beef

1 tsp garlic salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup rice, raw

Sauce:

1 can (35 oz) tomato purée

Juice of 2 lemons

1/2 cup brown sugar

(You can add more or less lemon or brown sugar, our family likes the sweet and sour.)

Directions:

Defrost the cabbage the night before. Separate the leaves. In a bowl, mix beef, salt, eggs,and rice. Place a couple tablespoons on bottom of each leaf. Tuck in the ends and roll up. Place rolls in a large roasting pan. Make sauce by combining ingredients in a bowl. Pour the sauce over the rolls. Cover and bake in a 250 oven overnight

Thank you, Aunt Dolores! This baking tip makes for luscious rolls and you wake up to the best smelling kitchen ever. These freeze well and can be made ahead and reheated before serving too.

Jewish Community Organizations in Western New York

Buffalo Jewish Federation

338 Harris Hill Road - 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

Jeff Clark - Executive Director

Dr. Iris Danziger - President

Holocaust Resource Center 338 Harris Hill Road – Suite 108B Williamsville, NY 14221 hrcbuffalo.org

Lauren Bloomberg - Director 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 Road – 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 Road – 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 Road – 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 Road, 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 Street, Williamsville, NY 14221 716-883-3165 congregationhavurah.org president.havurah@gmail.com

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 Road 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 Sara Rich

Cantor Mark Spindler

Cantorial Intern Zahava Fried

Linda Boxer – President

Kim Jones – Administrator

Temple Beth Zion (Reform)

Sanctuary 805 Delaware Avenue

Buffalo, NY 14209

Religious School & Offices 700 Sweet Home Road Amherst, NY 14226 716-836-6565

tbz.org

Rabbi Brent Gutmann Mark Hayman – Executive Director

Ken Polk – President

Temple Beth El (Reform) 720 Ashland Avenue Niagara Falls, NY 14301 templebethelniagara@gmail.com niagarafallstemple.com

Rabbi Ellen Franke

Cantorial Soloist Barry Rose

Adam DePriest - 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

Rabbi Avi Okin

Richard Berger and Michael PaskowitzCo-Presidents

In Remembrance

Remembering Robert Freeland: 1931-2023

BY LAUREN BLOOMBERG

Bob Freedland, longtime Holocaust Resource Center (HRC) Board member and former Vice President of the HRC, passed away at the age of 92. Bob enjoyed a long and prestigious career in the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda School District working as an art teacher, supervising the district art program, and eventually becoming an Interim Superintendent. His commitment to Holocaust education was inspired by his beloved late wife Mary Deane Freeland’s dedication to teaching the Holocaust. Mary’s Uncle Fred, a German Jew who left Germany in the early 1930’s, lost many family members in the Holocaust, and was the reason Mary felt committed to Holocaust education.

After Mary’s passing in 1996, Bob continued her work educating about the Holocaust and he established the Mary Deane Freeland Arts and Writing Contest through the HRC which continues to inspire middle and high school students to respond to the Holocaust through Art and Writing.

In 1999, Bob traveled to Poland with the Elderhostel program. There he visited four concentration camps and said, “I didn’t know how I’d handle what could be a very emotional experience. Nevertheless, I felt compelled to do it. That trip confirmed that I was on the ‘right path’ in my efforts and additionally provided me with a wealth of visual and cultural material.” Bob returned to his studio and began to explore “Golden Mean” relationships which are perfect shapes. In looking at his artwork he realized that the rectangles that he was creating appeared in the same proportions as the infamous Auschwitz railroad entrance. His work included flags, nationalistic emblems, death camps, railroad cars, graves, barracks and crematoria. Bob knew that the only way for him to deal with the Holocaust was through abstract art.

Pieter Weinrieb, a past president of the HRC and personal friend of Freeland said this. “In his own words, Bob was committed to responding to the Holocaust and considered it, ‘almost a moral imperative.’ He responded to that

moral imperative in word and deed. A talented artist, his legacy will live on through his art and the HRC’s Arts and

Writing Contest, which he administered and funded.” He explained. “The contest has inspired 1000s of young students to learn about The Holocaust by tapping into their creative abilities. He was thoughtful, compassionate and always the voice of reason. Bob’s impact on our community is immeasurable and we thank him for his dedication to teaching the lessons of the Holocaust. May his memory be of a blessing,” Weinrieb concluded.

Bob was a person of immense compassion and empathy and a palpable desire to help create a better world through art and education. Bob leaves behind an incredible legacy and will be missed greatly.

Lauren Bloomberg is the Director of the Holocaust Resource Center.

The following individuals in our community passed away during the period from June 18—August 20, 2023. May their memories forever be a blessing, and may their loved ones be comforted among the mourners of Zion.

Robert (Bob) Berkman

Richard W. Bronstein

Donald Davis

Stanley Dickson

Robert Freeland

Phyllis Goldstein

Britta Hausmann

Shirley Jaffe

Susan Schwartz Leigh

Julie L. Lewitzky

Malcolm Nisberg

Aaron S. Peck

David Albert Pierce

Richard G. Posner

Nancy S. Reingold

Louis H. Siegel

Bronya Umansky

Janet K. Wisbaum

Karla Wiseman

Dr. Richard E. Wolin

*If we inadvertently missed printing the listing of your loved one, please write to ellen@buffalojewishfederation.org and we will include the name next month.

Robert Freeland

THE LAST WORD

Fighting Hate with Love

BY HOWARD CADMUS, ESQ.

When we come face to face with racism or antisemitism, we have some decisions to make. The initial choices, possibly based on the perceived severity of the acts or words, are to simply ignore what has transpired or conversely, to take some form of action.

If you decide to ignore or accept what has happened, then the interaction ends there but the feelings that you carry around with you, for however long or short a period of time, do not. Likewise, the other actor (aggressor) can walk away unchanged or even emboldened by the fact that there were no repercussions in any way for the hate they said or did. That act of omission, or simply acting by not acting at all, can send a stronger message than doing or saying something. Apathy is in itself a powerful thing.

Let’s say that you decide to go another way, to engage with the person who said or did something that was hurtful or even hateful and dangerous. In that case, you have some choices to make. You can react with similar hate in your heart; you can match hurtful words with hurtful words, you can meet physical violence with like force. Or if you can, in some cases, if you are not in immediate danger, try to use this opportunity to open the other person’s heart or mind.

Fighting Hate with Love is not easy, not always possible, and can be one of the most difficult things that one can do.

I recently had a situation arise where I discovered that a widely recognized symbol of hate had been carved into one of the doorframes in the restrooms of our business. The initial feeling was one of shock at seeing this symbol and feeling vulnerable that someone was able to come into my place of business, where I spend almost as much time as I do anywhere else in the world, and commit this senseless, yet powerful act.

After the shock wore off, what was left was a feeling that I should just “let it go” because no one was hurt, and that this carving could have possibly been done by some confused kid or as a simple prank. But those musings quickly passed and as I came out of the bathroom hall and looked at my soon-tobe 8 year-old son, my thinking changed. I decided that this was a perfect opportunity to teach Carter and his younger brother, Cole, about never backing down from bullies, how to turn a bad situation into a positive one, and that

through community engagement, and by positing a message of love, instead of anger, you can foster conversation, and help create feelings of caring, compassion and even see change.

I then penned an open letter to the individual who had committed this act and posted the letter on our social media. And let me be clear that we understand that this is no minor thing, and that this act of hate can be considered a very serious crime.

In the letter, I stressed that our business is all about acceptance, love and inclusion, and that we will, in no way, ever roll over for things like this on our doorstep. We made sure to let people know that we view hate as a very dangerous thing. We felt that by alerting people in the community to its presence, we would open some eyes that might not see that antisemitism and racism are very much alive and well in this day and age, and that they exist even in our small part of the world.

We also wanted people to talk with their friends, family and coworkers about the ongoing existence of acts like these, hurtful statements that are used, rhetoric that is disseminated, and deeply held feeling that exist in the fringes of our community, and to see if like-minded individuals could embrace the struggle against it and take up arms, but arms that embrace and extend, and are not for striking or hurting but for reaching out in love.

The results were overwhelmingly positive. We had many members of our community reach out with offers to help sand and repair the doorframe, donate money to charities, offer kind words of hope and support, and so on. In the end our neighbors, friends, community members, coworkers and the like, did what they always do and rose to the occasion to show that good people exist and that we outnumber those who would stand in the shadows and perpetuate hate.

We decided not to repair the doorframe, but to alter the original symbol to look like four boxes with the letters L.O.V.E. in them. It stands as a reminder that we must be on guard and always vigilant against hatred, bigotry, racism and evil. And it also serves as a symbol that through love, we can transform heads, hearts and even someday, God-willing the world.

Howard Cadmus is an attorney, and the owner of Sweet Jenny’s Chocolates and Ice Cream, in the village of Williamsville, where the vandalism took place. He and his wife, Tara, are the parents of Carter and Cole.

hate image carved into the door frame: Before (left) and after (right)

Howard Cadmus and his sons at Sweet Jenny’s