Keeping Jewish - May 2023

Forgotten tragedies

The Jewish outreach and education network of Southern Arizona

2443 E 4th Street, Tucson, AZ 85719

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Rabbi Yossie Shemtov

REBBETZIN

Chanie Shemtov

OUTREACH DIRECTOR

Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Feigie Ceitlin

Affiliates:

Congregation Young Israel, Chabad at the University of Arizona, Chabad on River, Chabad of Oro Valley, Chabad of Sierra Vista, Chabad of Vail and Lamplighter Chabad Day School of Tucson

Honoring freedom Thoughts on Yom HaShoah, Shavuot and Memorial Day

By Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin

EDITOR

Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin

COPY EDITOR

Suzanne Cummins

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Feigie Ceitlin, Yossi Feller, Libby Herz, Mordechai Schmutter, Yehuda Shurpin, Benjamin Weiss

PHOTOS

Jacqueline Soffer Studio

SPECIAL THANKS Chabad.org

EDITORIAL INQUIRIES OR ADVERTISING

Phone: 520-881-7956

Email: info@ChabadTucson.com

Keeping Jewish is published in print periodically by Chabad Tucson and is distributed free in Tucson and around Southern Arizona

Chabad Tucson does not endorse the people, establishments, products or services reported about or advertised in Keeping Jewish unless specifically noted. The acceptance of advertising in Keeping Jewish does not constitute a recommendation, approval, or other representation of the quality of products or services, or the credibility of any claims made by advertisers, including, but not limited to, the kashrus of advertised food products. The use of any products or services advertised in Keeping Jewish is solely at the user’s risk and Chabad Tucson accepts no responsibility or liability in connection therewith.

Note: “G-d” and “L-rd” are written with a hyphen instead of an “o .”This is one way we accord reverence to the sacred divine name. This also reminds us that, even as we seek G-d, He transcends any human effort to describe His reality.

On Yom HaShoah (April 18, 2023), the state of Colorado erected a statue honoring Major General Maurice Rose, a Jewish American hero who fought in both World War I and World War II. His is an inspiring story.

As a sixteen-year-old, he lied about his age to enlist in the Colorado National Guard. Though his father tried to talk him out of a military life, Maurice was undeterred.

He was not naive to the difficulties and dangers that would lay ahead, but he was committed to the higher path. He lied again about his age to make it into OCS (Officer Candidate School) at the age of 17. At 18, he was a lieutenant commanding troops in the Meuse–Argonne offensive in World War I.

In his military career, he received the Distinguished Service Cross; the Distinguished Service Medal; the Silver Star (awarded three times); the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and Purple Heart — each awarded twice.

World War II saw Maurice promoted to Major General. He assumed command of the legendary 3rd Armored Division. His were the first tanks to breach the Siegfried Line and enter Germany. Tragically, though, he would not live to see peace. While leading from the front, German tanks ambushed and killed him. He was the highest-ranking American killed by the enemy in World War II.

General Rose had had a bar mitzvah. He spoke Yiddish. He was everything the Nazis sought to destroy — and ultimately, he lost his life to them. But his sacrifice paved the way for a resurgence of Jewish life after the War. The survivors liberated by American soldiers and the Allies — the remnants who Hitler could not wipe out — made a new life for themselves and their descendants.

The sacrifice of General Maurice Rose can be remembered in the context of the fight for freedom that Jews have engaged in since the dawn of our peoplehood.

As recounted in the Book of Exodus, the Jewish People were enslaved in Egypt for more than 200 years. They suffered forced backbreaking labor, torture and genocide. They cried out to G-d — and G-d listened, and put in place the sequence of events that would set them free. After the tenth and final miraculous plague, the Egyptian Pharaoh let the Jewish People go.

They were now free from their oppressors, but honoring that freedom and using it for good purposes took some time.

For 49 days after leaving Egypt, the Jewish people counted each day, slowly elevating themselves from rock bottom. On the 50th day, G-d gave them the Torah, a book of guidance and instruction — a book that gives us the freedom to live lives imbued with true purpose and meaning.

We recall our exodus from Egypt each year

at Passover, and we remember the giving of the Torah fifty days after the second Seder, on Shavuot. This year we celebrate Shavuot beginning on the evening of May 25, and continuing through the evening of the 27th.

In between Passover and Shavuot, we count the days, focusing on improving our perspective. Like General Rose, we learn not to ask, “How do I make my life better?” but to instead ask, “How do I make the world a better place to live in?”

The life of General Maurice Rose is a testament to fundamental Jewish values. He knew it was not enough to live a life focused on himself. He was free to live as a Jew in America. He was far from the jackboots and tanks and gas chambers that terrorized, enslaved and murdered millions of his brothers and sisters.

But he chose true freedom, to the benefit of all of us.

- Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin is the Outreach Director of Chabad Tucson.

Master Sergeant Clifford D. Johnson thanks Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin of Chabad Tucson for speaking about Major General Maurice Rose at Fort Huachuca, on April 26, 2023 * Photo: US Army NETCOM

Orthodox Jewish influencer talks in Scottsdale

By Shannon Levitt - Phoenix Jewish News

Elizabeth (Lizzy) Savetsky, an Orthodox Jewish social media influencer was hosted by the Phoenix women’s division of American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA) in Scottsdale on April 23, for a conversation on antisemitism and how social media can be used to support Israel.

“I’m here to talk about how passionate I am about Israel and, of course, the shocking and disturbing rise of antisemitism and antisemitic hate crimes,” Savetsky told Jewish News.

Savetsky entered the national spotlight in the fall of 2022 when she left season 14 of the reality television series “The Real Housewives of New York” after reportedly receiving a plethora of antisemitic messages.

During Israel’s war with Gaza in May 2021, “things really started to explode in terms of the hate that I was receiving online and for the first time, I realized that my public persona could endanger myself and my family,” she said.

At Sunday’s gathering, she also had some

words of advice for any young Jews hoping to become influencers: Don’t go in thinking you’ll get rich. The public is looking for authenticity and will see through anyone who thinks it’s an easy job, she said. Instead, having something unique to say or being able to share your passions, as she does for fashion, Judaism and Israel, is the key to gaining a loyal following.

Additionally, it’s important to be open to the possibility of change. When she first started her Instagram account, she mainly focused on fashion and “being a fashionable mom,” but it soon evolved into “teaching about Judaism and sharing my passion for Israel. Fashion is still very important but also more of an accessory to the rest,” she said.

Sarah Langert, a Tucson native, has been following Savetsky on Instagram for years, and when she heard the influencer was coming to town, she quickly signed up to listen to what she had to say.

“I really appreciate some of her Israel advocacy and antisemitism work and she’s opened my eyes to different perspectives on

how to be an advocate,” Langert said.

Dana Luksenburg is another of Savetsky’s many Instagram followers who attended Sunday’s event.

“When it was announced that Lizzy was coming, I was very interested to come and hear her speak, especially with all the current events that are going on with antisemitism,” she said.

Savetsky added that she was eager to promote the work of Magen David Adom, Israel’s national paramedic and Red Cross service. The organization includes roughly 30,000 volunteers from varying religious and cultural backgrounds, which demonstrates “the unity that you actually see and feel when you’re in Israel, when what we see in the media is controversy and divisiveness,” she said.

One 150 people attended Sunday’s event with Savetsky. Being in Arizona with so many young women who feel proud of Israel and their Judaism was wonderful, especially given that her goal as an influencer is to inspire young women, she said.

Lizzy Savetsky atop a Magen David Adom Medicycle * Photo: AFMDA

Musical delight. Rabbi Yossie Shemtov, Executive Director of Chabad Tucson, addresses the Sound of the Soul event, featuring Chassidic music and the Klezmerkaba band at the Loft Cinema, on April 2, 2023

Hard work. Sara, Mendel, and Zev from the kindergarten class at Lamplighter Chabad Day School work out during a trip to the We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym, on April 27, 2023

Fun under the sun. Janelle Rosenfeld, Monk Yun Rou (born Arthur Rosenfeld) and Goldie Ceitlin share a laugh at the Chabad Tucson booth at the Israel Day Festival at the Tucson JCC, on May 30, 2023

BACK TO SHUL

By Libby Herz

On the eve of Passover last month, Leah Levkowitz was conflicted. All she wanted was to celebrate with her mother as she had done since childhood. It seemed impossible.

Leah was recovering from surgery, and her mother, Barbara Levkowitz, now 95 years old, was unable to help. The rest of her family planned to go to Los Angeles. “I didn’t know how I could possibly do Passover,” she says.

Leah recalled how her mother had always prepared chicken, matzo ball soup, and her famous Passover nut sponge cake. “My mom couldn’t do that now because of her age, and I was physically unable to do anything this year as I was recovering from surgery.”

Finally, word about the situation got to Rabbi Yossie Shemtov, Executive Director of Chabad Tucson. Within a short while, Rabbi Shemtov stood in front of Leah’s

door with packages in hand. “He brought everything we needed to celebrate,” says Leah. “He brought Shmura matzo from Israel, the ingredients for the seder plate, and more than enough food for two Seders! It took all the stress off of me.”

Now, Leah thinks back to this past Seder as a special mother-daughter bonding experience. “We were able to hold a traditional Seder just like we always did,” she says. “And my mother wanted to do the whole Seder. No skipping anything!” she laughs.

Deep roots

Rabbi Shemtov’s swift response to the Levkowitz family was one many are familiar with in town. Yet, considering the family’s illustrious history, it carried an added significance.

Leah is the granddaughter of Clara and Harry Levkowitz, who played a central

role in the Jewish community in Tucson. The couple moved to Tucson with their family in 1919 and founded the Chicago Store, named after their hometown. The shop bought and sold everything under the sun, from pocket watches to clothing and sundries. If it was worth something, they would handle it, the family says.

Clara was a founding member of Congregation Young Israel when it was established in 1948 as the first Orthodox synagogue in Southern Arizona. Located at 2443 E 4th Street, the congregation drew traditionalist Jews who sought to remain true to Torah Judaism.

Clara volunteered for Young Israel. She donated property to be auctioned off at the congregation’s fundraiser. On Jewish holidays, she and her seven children would help prepare meals for the entire congregation. She was committed to keeping kosher and used to ritually slaughter, and kosher chickens by herself.

She cared deeply about living a Jewish life, and her intense efforts on behalf of the Jewish women in Tucson led to the construction of the first mikvah in the state of Arizona, located behind the Shul. It was renamed the Clara Levkowitz Mikvah upon her passing in 1979.

“She loved Yiddishkeit,” says her grandson Danny Levkowitz. She passed on her love for living a Jewish life to her seven children. As for the Shul, “My grandmother Clara always believed in Young Israel. It is part of our hearts because of her.”

Amatch made in Shul

Barbara was born in 1927 to Lilly and Max Wendell. She was 14 when her family moved to Tucson from the Bronx in 1941. The family always held their Judaism dear, and while in New York, they had attended an Orthodox synagogue. Barbara recalls trudging in the snow to Hebrew School

Barbara Levkowitz with (from left) Leah, Mark and Anita Levkowitz at the Young Israel building on E 4th Street and Tucson Blvd.

The Levkowitz family helped establish and light up Congregation Young Israel

while still living in the Bronx.

Upon their move to Tucson, the Wendell family initially joined the conservative congregation Anshei Israel since there was no Orthodox synagogue then. Later, they became integral to Young Israel and got to know the Levkowitz family.

Marrying Jewish and ensuring Jewish continuity was a priority for Clara’s son, Mike Levkowitz. Mike and Barbara seemed meant for each other. They got married and the couple raised three children: Danny, Leah (Laurie), and Hal.

Barbara had learned how to keep a kosher home and observe the Jewish holidays from her parents. “My mother kept a kosher home, celebrated the Jewish holidays, and made sure we had our Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs,” Danny says. “She used to hold two Passover Seders for the whole family at my parent’s home.”

Barbara was an active volunteer in the Jewish community and with the local chapter of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America. One of her life’s highlights was hosting First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for an event. “It was the only time Eleanor came to Tucson,” Leah says.

The family remained connected to both Young Israel and Anshei Israel at different points in their lives. But no matter which Shul they attended, they were always committed to living Jewish values and traditions. Leah recalls being featured in the local newspaper after being crowned Queen Esther during a Purim party at Young Israel and says, “I remember making hamantaschen in their kitchen with my mom for that party,” she says.

Barabra’s Jewish cooking has taken on a life of its own. “My mother taught me how to make all the Jewish foods like chicken, matzo ball soup, chopped liver, and haroset for Passover,” Leah recalls. “Each year, my mother made a sponge-nut-wine cake from scratch. It was the best cake. She also made farfel kugel and passed the recipes down to me. Now, my cousins email me asking for my mother’s recipes. My mother brought the whole family together with the traditions that she got from her parents.”

Lighting the way

Over the past few years, Barbara’s memory has been waning, yet she still remembers the Jewish traditions which are so dear to her heart. To this day, she lights Shabbat candles with her daughter and makes kiddush and Hamotzi every Friday night.

It explains Barbara’s commitment to celebrate Passover this year and the predicament of her daughter Leah in wanting to make it happen.

Just last year, four generations of the Levkowitz family - now spread around Tucson, Phoenix and California - returned to Young Israel to participate in the Community Passover Seder. It felt like coming full circle for the family, sitting in the social hall at the Shul where their parents and grandparents prayed and celebrated.

Young Israel, also called The Shul of Tucson, has been put in the custody of Chabad Tucson, which Rabbi Shemtov heads. When the Shul recently needed new lighting fixtures, Rabbi Shemtov turned to the Sun Lighting company, founded by Mike Levkowitz in 1953. Mike’s and Barbara’s son Danny Levkowitz, who has taken over the business since, happily provided LED lighting for the Shul’s sanctuary.

In fact, one of the last orders of business Danny accomplished before selling Sun Lighting last year was to acquire and provide exquisite lighting systems for the new building of the Lamplighter Chabad Day School of Tucson. “My mother cared deeply about education, so it was an honor for us to be involved in this endeavor,” Danny says.

“Clara Levkowitz, Barbara Levkowitz and the Levkowitz family were instrumental in establishing deep Jewish roots within the Tucson community,” said Rabbi Shemtov. “They passed along the history and traditions of Judaism to the next generation and filled it with pride for the past and hope for the future. Barbara and her descendants continue to be a blessing to this community.”

Clara Levkowitz (center) with Mike, Barbara and family at a celebration at Young Israel

Barbara Levkowitz celebrates the Passover Seder with her daughter Leah, April 2023

Barbara Levkowitz celebrates her 90th birthday with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren

Shavuot is a two-day holiday, celebrated from sundown on the 5th day of the Hebrew month of Sivan (May 25, 2023) and lasting until nightfall on the 7th of Sivan (May 27, 2023). Every year on Shavuot, we renew our acceptance of the Torah, and G d “re-gives” it to us anew.

Here are 9 things you should know about it:

1. The festival has five names. -Shavuot—The word Shavuot means “weeks.” It marks the completion of the seven-week Omer counting period between Passover and Shavuot.

-Yom HaBikkurim—”The day of First Fruits.” Shavuot is also the celebration of the wheat harvest and the ripening of the first fruits, which is the reason for this name as well as the following one.

-Chag HaKatzir—The “Harvest Festival.”

-Atzeret—In the Talmud, Shavuot is also called Atzeret, which means “The Stoppage,” a reference to the prohibition against work on this holiday.

-Zeman Matan Torahteinu—In the holiday prayer service, we refer to it as the “Time of the Giving of Our Torah.”

2. Women and girls light candles to usher in the holiday.

Candles are lit on Thursday, May 25 at

9 SHAVUOT FACTS EVERY JEW EVERY SHOULD KNOW

By Yossi Feller

7:04 PM, and again on Friday, May 26 at 7:05 PM.

Blessing 1: Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm ah-sher ki-deh-shah-noo beh-mitz-voh-tahv veh-tzee-vah-noo leh-hahd-lik nehr shehl (on the second night: shah-baht vih-shehl) yohm tohv.

Blessing 2: Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm sheh-heh-kheh-yah-noo veh-kee-mah-noo ve-hih-gee-ah-noo liz-mahn hah-zeh.

3. It is customary to stay up and learn Torah on the first night of Shavuot.

The Midrash relates that on the night before the giving of the Torah, the Jewish people did what anybody does before an important event—they turned in early for a good night’s sleep. Moses had to wake them—causing G d to later lament, “Why have I come and no one is here to receive Me?” To rectify our forefathers’ mistake, we stay up late every Shavuot night to show that our enthusiasm isn’t lacking.

4. All men, women and children should hear the reading of the Ten Commandments on the first day of Shavuot.

Before G-d gave the Torah to the Jewish people, He demanded guarantors. The Jews promised, “Our children will be our guarantors that we will cherish and

observe the Torah.” There is, therefore, special significance to bringing children to hear the Ten Commandments.

5. As on other holidays, festive meals are eaten, and no “work” may be performed.

Shavuot is a sacred time and work is prohibited.

6. It is customary to eat dairy foods on Shavuot.

There are a number of reasons for this custom. Here are a few:

-On the holiday of Shavuot, a two-loaf bread offering was brought in the Temple. To commemorate this, we eat two meals on Shavuot—first a dairy meal, and then, after the required break between eating milk and meat, we eat the traditional holiday meat meal.

-With the giving of the Torah, the Jews became obligated to observe the kosher laws. As the Torah was given on Shabbat, no cattle could be slaughtered nor could utensils be koshered, and thus on that day, they ate dairy.

-The Torah is likened to nourishing milk. Also, the Hebrew word for milk is chalav, and when the numerical values of each of the letters in the word chalav are added together—8 + 30 + 2—the total is 40. Forty is the number of days Moses spent on Mount Sinai when receiving the Torah.

7. On the second day of Shavuot, the Yizkor memorial service is recited.

Yizkor, a special memorial prayer for the departed, is recited in the synagogue four times a year: 1) Following the Torah reading on the last day of Passover, 2) on the second day of Shavuot, 3) on Shemini Atzeret and 4) on Yom Kippur.

8. Three famous Jewish personalities have a special connection to Shavuot.

-Moses, who received the Torah from G d at Mount Sinai on this day;

- King David, the second Jewish king who passed away on this day; and

-the Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chassidic movement also passed on this day.

9. Some decorate their homes and synagogues with flowers and sweetsmelling plants.

It became the custom to celebrate Shavuot with greenery to commemorate Mount Sinai being miraculously covered with abundant vegetation despite being in a desert. Therefore, trees are placed in the synagogue to remind us to pray for the trees and their fruits.

10 special women

From the Talmudic era to pre-war Europe, these women impacted Torah scholarship

By Yehuda Shurpin

Throughout Jewish history, there have been many women who made an impact on Jewish scholarship. This list is just a sampling of these outstanding women.

1. Beruriah

The Talmud recounts many stories about Beruriah, wife of the Talmudic sage Rabbi Meir and daughter of Chananiah ben Teradion. She studied daily, and the sages would ask her views regarding matters of law, especially those laws that applied to women.

Once there was a dispute between Beruriah and her brother. The rabbi who adjudicated the case declared: “Rabbi Chananiah’s daughter Beruriah is a greater scholar than his son.”

2. Sheindel (Schöndlein) Isserlin

Rabbi Yisrael ben Petachyah Isserlein (1390–1460) was the author of the classic halachic work Terumat HaDeshen, an important source of Ashkenazic practice. His wife, Sheindel, was highly educated and is known to have written at least one responsum on the topic of family purity (it was published in his name in Leket Yosher, a collection of Rabbi Isserlein’s customs and rulings).

3. Bayla Falk of Lemberg

Bayla was the only daughter of Rabbi Yisrael Edels, a wealthy philanthropist and head of the Jewish community in Lemberg (Lviv), which flourished in the early 17th century. Bayla married Rabbi Yehoshua Falk (Katz), author of the classic halachic work Meirat Einayim, a commentary on Choshen Mishpat (which covers interpersonal laws).

Students of Rabbi Falk recounted how Bayla would sit by her husband’s side, listening to pupils’ questions and occasionally offering her own answers. One of her greatest halachic contributions concerns candle lighting, and her opinion

was later acknowledged by noteworthy rabbis.

4. Estellina Conat

Estellina Conat took a lead role in running one of the earliest Jewish printing presses in Mantua, Italy, founded by her husband Abraham ben Solomon Conat in 1475. She is the first woman named as an editor in a printing house, Jewish or non-Jewish. Seven out of eleven of the earliest Hebrew manuscripts were printed in their press.

5. Rivkah bat Meir of Tiktin Rivkah bat Meir (d. 1605) of Tiktin (Tykocin), near Bialystok in Poland, was a teacher of women and the author of the Yiddish work Meineket Rivkah (“Nursemaid of Rebecca”). She would visit various communities and give lectures about the role of the Jewish woman. Her written work, seemingly a summary of some of her lectures, focuses on interpersonal relationships, social practices and an ethical approach to marital life.

6. Chava Bacharach

Chava Bacharach (1580–1651) was born in Prague and was a descendant of Rabbi Yehuda Lowe, the Maharal of Prague. She acquired a vast knowledge of Hebrew and rabbinic literature to the point where she often assisted rabbis in solving textual difficulties. “[When even great scholars] were confused by various texts... she came and explained,” testified her grandson, Rabbi Yair Chaim Bacharach (1639–1702), a leading halachic authority in the seventeenth century known by his work Chavot Yair.

7. Osnat Barzani

Osnat Barzani (1590–1670) was born into a well-known rabbinic family in Kurdistan, an autonomous region in Iraq. When her husband (and cousin) Rabbi Jacob Mizrahi became head of the yeshiva in Mosul, she began teaching students and providing them with rabbinic training. When her

husband passed away, the leadership of the yeshiva was passed on to her, and she became known as the lead teacher.

8. Odel

Odel (c. 1720–1787) was the only daughter of Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement. She was a wife and mother, but was also very active in her father’s court and bested the other students in learning. Many of her father’s students would later turn to her for advice, blessings, and clarifications.

9. Ellus bat Mordechai of Slutsk

One of the classic works on the laws and customs of death and mourning is the Ma’avar Yabbok, published in 1624 by Rabbi Aaron Berechiah of Modena. Ellus, the daughter of Mordechai of Slutsk (18th century), translated sections of the Ma’avar Yabbok from Aramaic and Hebrew into spoken Yiddish so women could learn how to care for the deceased. The translation

played—and continues to play—an important role in the work of the various Chevra Kaddisha burial societies.

10. Sarah Schenirer

Sarah Schenirer (1883–1935) was born into a Chassidic family in Poland. Seeing the allure of the Enlightenment movement on the one hand, and the lack of quality traditional Jewish education for girls on the other, she founded a network of Torah schools for girls under the banner of Bais Yaakov (literally “House of Jacob,” referenced in the Torah to the women).

By 1935, when cancer took her life at the age of 51, nearly 40,000 students were studying in her rapidly expanding empire of schools. The Bais Yaakov network has forever altered the course of Jewish education for girls and women. Many Jewish schools for girls were later modeled after it.

Ben Turgeman, 29, was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He received a bachelor’s from the University of Colorado, majoring in psychology and double-minoring in international studies and political science. He also lived in Israel, where he has relatives. He completed his Master’s in international relations at the University of Haifa, specializing in diplomacy studies.

Moving to Tucson: I moved to Tucson about a month ago to accept a job with the U.S. Department of State as a Passport Specialist (Adjudicator) at the Western Passport Center.

Currently reading/learning: Lessons in Tanya, and preparing for diplomatic exams.

Favorite Mitzvah/holiday: Rosh Hashana - I like the significance of welcoming the new year and starting it off

By Benjamin Weiss

sweet. I also like hosting and cooking for Shabbat.

Cherished Jewish memory: My Bar Mitzvah in Tiberias. It was during the 2006 Lebanon War, and air raid sirens went off as I was reading from the Torah. The ground vibrated from the Katusha rocket fired by Hezbollah into Israel. Because of the situation, I didn’t get to have an actual party, but I did the important part, so it will always be special for me.

Jewish app on phone: Siddur (prayer book).

Go-to Yiddish or Hebrew word: Achla (pronounced ah-ch-la). I use it to describe something or someone wonderful or awesome.

Languages: English, Hebrew, a little Spanish, and

phrases in Romanian and Arabic.

Historical Jewish figure: I’ll name two because it’s difficult for me to choose - Menachem Begin (Former Israeli prime minister) and Abba Evan (Israeli statesman). Both played a prominent role in the early days of Israel.

Chabad: Warm and down-to-earth rabbis who project joy regardless of what’s happening around them.

Tzedakah: A rabbi once jokingly told me, “You don’t need acid to do chesed” (kindness and charity). Everyone is able to do good.

Happiness: Embracing our heritage and living it.

Hobbies:

Hiking, fishing, cooking, weightlifting, cars, fashion, fine arts.

Comfort food: Shakshuka (poached eggs in tomato sauce and spices), which I often make.

Kvetch: Relatives arguing that their Moroccan fish recipe is the best.

Kvell / nachas: My time in Israel. It was a chance to get in touch with my roots, my relatives and the Israeli life.

Your claim to fame: Using the Covid pandemic to travel to Romania, Turkey, and Jordan.

Something you’re looking forward to… Getting to know the Jewish community in Tucson!

Savory cheese verenikas

By Feigie Ceitlin

Shavuot is a Jewish holiday commemorating the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. One of our family’s (and community’s) favorite traditions on this holiday is eating dairy foods such as cheese.

One explanation for it is that it symbolizes the sweetness and richness of the Torah, which is often compared to milk and honey. Another interpretation is that the numerical value of the Hebrew word for milk, “chalav,” is 40, which is the number of days Moses spent on Mount Sinai receiving the Torah.

Additionally, it is said that the Israelites received the laws of kashrut (kosher dietary laws) on Shavuot, and eating dairy foods was the quickest way to satisfy their appetite versus the lengthier process of preparing meat.

One of our family’s favorite dishes is the half moon-shaped cheese verenikas. Also called Varenyky, it is a dumpling that is central to the Ukrainian culinary tradition. While they can be prepared in different ways, we like them fried, as the savory version of the more known sweet cheese blintzes.

INGREDIENTS:

For the dough:

1 and 3/4 cups of flour

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoon oil

3 tablespoons water

For the cheese filling:

2 cups cottage cheese

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, egg, water, and salt. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.

2. In a separate mixing bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Mix until everything is well combined.

3. Roll the dough out on a floured surface until it is about 1/8 inch thick.

4. Use a small cookie cutter or glass to cut out circles of dough.

5. Place a small spoonful of the cheese filling in the center of each circle of dough.

6. Fold the dough over to form a half-moon shape, and press the edges together to seal.

7. Heat frying pan low medium butter the pan, place verenikas in the pan until crispy 3-5 minutes and then flip to the other side.

8. Serve the cheese verenikas hot, topped with a dollop of sour cream and some chopped fresh dill.

Enjoy and happy Shavuot!

* The blessing: Mezonot

Baruch atah A-donay, Elo-heinu Melech Ha’Olam borei minei mezonot. Blessed are you L-rd our G d, King of the Universe, Who creates various kinds of sustenance.

Enjoy!

— Rebbetzin Feigie Ceitlin is the program director of Chabad Tucson and head of school of Lamplighter Chabad Day School.

Photo by Silar

The forgotten tragedies

The 20th of Sivan has been acknowledged as a day of fasting and atonement since the 12th century. It commemorates a number of tragedies that befell the Jewish people over the centuries. Some of them were so horrifying that historian Dr. Yitzchak Alfasi wrote that “the newer tragedies make earlier ones ...forgotten.”

The Martyrs of Blois: 1171

In the year 1171, in the French town of Blois, a local Christian servant claimed to have seen a Jew throw the corpse of a child into the Loire River. Despite the fact that no child was ever reported missing, no corpse was found, and there was a lack of any corroborating witnesses, the Jews of the town were arrested and tortured.

Initially, the count of Blois, Theobald V, was willing to free them if they gave a large ransom. However, an Augustinian bishop intervened and validated the servant’s testimony by ordeal (i.e., he “tested” if the servant was telling the truth by seeing if he would float on water), and the ransom negotiations collapsed.

The count then gave the prisoners the choice to either be baptized or burned alive. All of them chose to give up their lives rather than betray their faith. On May 26, the 20th of Sivan, in the year 1171 (4931 on

By Miriam Nevel

the Jewish calendar), 31 Jews—including 17 women as well as some children—were tied up and burned at the stake.

According to an eyewitness account, the fires weren’t consuming their bodies, so the count had the Jews beaten to death, and they then threw their bodies into the fire. As they were being killed, the Jews sang “Aleinu leshabei’ach,” (“It is incumbent upon us to praise the L rd of all”), which is usually recited at the conclusion of all daily prayers and includes praise to G d that we are able to recognize His true unity.

As a result of this tragedy, the Jews of England, France and the Rhineland, together with Rabbeinu Yaakov ben Meir, known as Rabbeinu Tam (grandson of Rashi and the Jewish leader at the time), declared the 20th of Sivan to be a day of fasting and atonement. Perhaps due to the tragic news, Rabbeinu Yaakov Tam died on the 4th of Tammuz, just three weeks later.

Although this was not the first blood libel, this was the first in which the government openly participated in it, and the first time that Jews were killed due to the libel. This was ultimately seen as the harbinger of many similar tragedies and the eventual expulsion of the Jews from France.

First Crusade: 1096

Even before the libel at Blois, which occurred between the Second and Third Crusades (1147–49 and 1189–1192, respectively), the month of Sivan was already considered a tragic time for the Jews of France and the Rhineland. During the Crusades, thousands of Jews were massacred.

After the First Crusade, in which Christian Crusaders destroyed the Jewish communities around the Rhine River, rabbis composed a prayer called Av Harachamim (Father of Compassion). Originally, it was recited on the Shabbat before Shavuot, which is at the beginning of the month of Sivan. This prayer not only commemorates those who were killed sanctifying G d’s name, but also foretells that G d will eventually avenge all the blood that was spilled.

As such, the 20th of Sivan became a general day that commemorated those killed during the Crusades.

Rintfleisch Massacres: 1298

Due to newer tragedies, the fast of the 20th of Sivan fell by the wayside until another tragedy struck at that time of the year.

In the year 1298, in the Franconian

region of Germany, due to accusations that the Jews desecrated the Christians’ holy bread, a certain Lord Rindtfleisch (or “Rintfleisch”) gathered a mob around him and convinced the masses to kill the Jews. The entire Rottingen community was destroyed. From there, the mob spread to additional communities, pillaging and burning. In some communities, they gave the choice for the Jews to either convert to Christianity or be burned. As such, entire families and communities were killed and burned, including many of the leading rabbis of the time. In all, over 145 communities in France, Bavaria and Austria were destroyed.

Following these massacres, the rabbis of the time reestablished the 20th of Sivan as a day of atonement since many of these massacres occurred during this time of the year.

Chmielnicki Pogroms: 1648–49

Over the centuries, this fast again fell by the wayside and wasn’t observed by the masses until a new tragedy struck.

In 1648, the Ukrainian Cossack leader Bogdan Chmielnicki incited a rebellion against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which ruled over the Ukrainian region at the time. The Cossack

Tugay Bey meets Bohdan Khmelnytsky by Juliusz Kossak (1824-1899) * National Museum in Warsaw

hordes swarmed throughout Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania, destroying hundreds of Jewish communities in their wake.

Although the massacring continued to occur throughout the many years of the rebellion, the sudden destruction of many communities beginning in the spring of 1648 is considered the harshest time of all.

During these pogroms, thousands of Jews were burned, buried alive and cut to pieces, among other atrocities. The Cossacks’ sheer cruelty and heinousness would only be rivaled later by the Nazis.

The events of this era are known as Tach VeTat, an acronym for the Hebrew years [5]408–[5]409, equivalent to the years 1648–1649.

Following the Chmielnicki pogroms, a group of Jewish leaders known as the Council of Four Lands (Vaad Arba Aratzot) reestablished the 20th of Sivan as a fast day for the entire community of Poland.

Why the 20th of Sivan?

The 20th of Sivan was also the day that thousands of Jews in Nemirov, Ukraine, one of the first cities to be attacked by the Cossacks, were massacred.

Rabbi Yom Tov Lipmann Heller, known as the Tosafot Yom Tov, who actually had been the rabbi of Nemirov a mere five years before its destruction, decreed that the selichot (penitential poems) originally composed for the martyrs of

Blois be recited on the 20th of Sivan to commemorate the Chmielnicki pogroms as well.

Rabbi Shabbatai HaKohen, known as the Shach (1621–1662), one of the leading rabbis of the time, writes that an additional factor in choosing this date was that it never falls on Shabbat.

20 Sivan Nowadays

Until World War II, it was common for Jews in Poland to fast on the 20th of Sivan. Nowadays, however, it is primarily observed by certain Chassidic communities that originated in Hungary.

Between May and June of 1944, close to 500,000 Jews from Hungary were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, most to be killed in the gas chambers. After the war, Hungarian rabbis decided to commemorate the Holocaust and the destruction of the Jews of Hungary on the 20th of Sivan every year.

Although most don’t fast on the 20th of Sivan, the sadness of the events of this month is felt in the recitation of the Av Harachamim prayer on the Shabbat when we bless the new month of Sivan (unlike other Shabbatot, when we do not recite the prayer when blessing the new month).

May we soon see the fulfillment of the conclusion of this prayer, the time when our nation will dwell in security and safety in the Holy Land.

May

History of the First Crusades by Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki (Germany, Danzig, 1726-1801)

* Los Angeles County Museum of ArtNational Museum in Warsaw

MOTHER’S DAY

Reframing the caregiving experience

As I was walking into the entrance of a local retail store, I saw my friend Portia. We hadn’t connected in several months, and I was excited to see her. But my excitement quickly turned to concern as she relayed that her mother-in-law had recently fallen in the parking lot of a grocery store. (I live in Nebraska, where it is often icy in the winter and spring.)

I listened to Portia talk about how disruptive and tense it had been for her and her husband, figuring out where his mother should recuperate and how to make sure she was getting the best care. As a gerontologist, I am used to having these conversations. I often get frantic phone calls from friends (and friends of friends) who are navigating the way reality

By Dr. Sarah Teten Kanter

changes when an older relative gets hurt or becomes ill.

The concerns are valid, but there are positive aspects of caregiving that are often overlooked. Having to provide care also allows us to build deeper connections with a loved one while there is still time.

While I talked to Portia about caregiving from a positive perspective, she began to see that caring for her mother-in-law was an important and meaningful opportunity rather than just a problem to be solved. The same is true for any of us who find ourselves thrust into a caregiving role.

Because of recent changes in human history, we are all practically guaranteed to

become either caregivers, care recipients, or both. The sooner we find our way to accept this invitation, the sooner we can suffer less and savor more.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from 1960 to 1990, the number of people over the age of 65 in the United States doubled from around 16 million to 32 million. It is projected to more than double again to over 70 million by 2030. The increase in the United States is due in large part to the fact that during the last century, the average lifespan of Americans has risen from around 60 to 80. Of course, this increase in human longevity is something to be celebrated and revered. But there is a flip side:

We now have a significantly longer experience of aging. As we live longer, and as more of our population comprises those 65 and older, our cultural and social understanding of the human experience needs to change, too

There have been major innovations in how we provide care for the small percentage (less than 10 percent) of those who need some long-term care outside the home. Assisted living communities and living platforms like continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) that provide progressive care are examples of solutions for those who need and have access to it.

But the majority of older adults in the United States maintain their independence and remain in their own homes or their

Photo by Georg Arthur Pflueger / Unsplash

chosen community their entire lives— especially with the help of loved ones, paid caregivers, and in-home care services.

According to AARP, informal caregivers spend about 20 hours per week helping their care recipients, performing tasks that include everything from washing clothes, cooking, and shopping to administering medicine, attending doctors’ appointments, and managing insurance claims. This informal caregiving accounts for over 990 million hours of care a year.

In survey after survey, aging Americans overwhelmingly indicate that they want to “age in place,” remain independent, and “don’t want to be a burden” to family and friends.

The majority of caregiving research has been focused on the associations between caregiving and negative physical and psychological outcomes, such as depression, stress, anxiety, fatigue and obesity.

But evidence supports a different narrative. While some negative effects of caregiving can’t be denied, not all caregivers experience the adverse outcomes so frequently attributed to it. In fact, more recent studies highlight that for most people, the positives associated with caregiving, such as deepened relationships with loved ones and a strengthened sense of purpose, outweigh the negatives. Multiple studies have found that caregivers actually have increased longevity and well-being compared to their non-caregiver counterparts—even among those with their own chronic health problems—and that the positive aspects of caregiving can mitigate negative effects that may arise.

How, then, can you move the needle on your caregiving experience toward the positive more than the negative? For a start, approaching caregiving with a positive outlook is crucial.

There are steps you can take to help in this regard.

1. Recognize and reframe your own perspective about what is most important in your life.

2. Steep yourself (and your care partner) in positive emotions and savor the moment.

3. Strengthen your bond with your care partner through reminiscence, and

4. Foster your own growth and resilience through personal practices.

When called to care, most people step up out of love and compassion. Using that love and compassion, as well as other positive emotions, to fuel your caregiving efforts is a step toward what can be a significant personal growth experience. Best of all, this reframing and these positive emotions are free, and easy to access for everyone—no matter your personal history, level of busyness, or income.

Choosing to view caregiving as a positive experience presents one of the most pivotal possibilities of our lifetime and for the future of humanity.

- Sarah Teten Kanter, Ph.D. is the author of Positive Caregiving: Caring for Older Loved Ones Using the Power of Positive Emotions (Publication date May 30, 2023). She holds a doctorate and a master’s in gerontology from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Before pursuing her passion in gerontology, she was an executive at Kenexa, now an IBM company. To learn more, visit positivecaregiving.com

By Mordechai Schmutter

It’s fun to be invited for Shabbat meals because someone else is making a great meal for you and your family gets a little vacation. Also, if the conversation goes bad, you can always talk about the food.

But sometimes, a host doesn’t know how to end the evening. They serve dessert, which ought to signal the end, but everyone can still talk for hours after that - even though the kids are climbing the walls and the husbands are missing their naps. There has to be a way to end Shabbat dinner more definitively.

Wait - you say - we can sing Birchat Hamazon (Grace After Meals)!

Arguably, that’s why it was invented.

But I can tell you that isn’t enough. Even after everyone gets up from the table, the conversation can keep going. Even opening the front door might not help. The conversation may still go on.

Most people, when they’re looking for a closing line to signify that they’re leaving, say, “Everything was delicious.” And it’s okay to say that, even if it’s not connected to what you’ve just been talking about for an hour. Of course, only guests can say that.

But when you say it as a guest, you’re clearly wrapping it up. It is equivalent to saying, “Let’s end this.”

And you mean it as a compliment, but it can sound very fake. That’s because everyone says it, even if everything was definitely not delicious. Like if the chicken was burned beyond recognition, and you didn’t say anything when it was served because you didn’t want to hurt the host’s feelings. And they already apologized for it. Then you have to retract the compliment. The line doesn’t work if you have to say, “Everything was delicious… Whoops! I mean, except the chicken.”

“Everything was delicious”

is so bad that you need to liven it up by talking about recipes. Although I don’t think this would actually reduce the boredom. I enjoy cooking, but few things are more boring than hearing a recipe in detail when you can’t even write it down.

Still, I definitely recommend asking for a recipe. And if you’re asking for a recipe, you don’t have to worry that they’ll wonder why you didn’t ask for the recipe for everything. There’s only so much you can hold in your head. And you really can’t ask for every single recipe anyway, or you’d be asked to leave. “What, are you opening a restaurant?”

Of course, it is always possible that the host might not take the request the wrong way. They might take it to mean that you are sitting there, thinking, “This is a good kugel. I want to make this kugel at home so that I could eat it without ever having to go to these people’s house again. No offense.”

But at least they know you like the food. And you have a good recipe. But then other people might ask you for the recipe when they come to you for Shabbat, and you don’t want it getting around that much. After all, you want people to want to come to your place for a special Shabbat meal that isn’t like everyone else’s

Since “Everything was delicious,” is just the code to get out of the house, you might someday need a way to believably compliment the food. You can try taking seconds. And then the hosts will think, “Oh! He really likes that!” although they might think, “Boy, did he not eat yesterday?”

So what some people do if they want to compliment the host -- and what I started

doing -- is I pick one specific food that I liked and ask about it: “Can I have the recipe for the kugel? You have to send me the recipe.” Of course, that might sound like you are actually saying, “You had me over, you introduced me to this kugel, and now you have a social obligation to tell me how to make it.”

But still, it is a sincere compliment unless it is brought up because the conversation

So what I like to do is, when I’m telling someone who asks for a recipe, I leave out one key step or ingredient. That way, their guests can taste it and think, “It tastes okay,” and the hosts will go, “I don’t know what’s wrong with it. It was so good when we ate it at the Schmutters’ house.” And then they mention my name.

And then their guests will be like, “Let’s go to the Schmutters’ house.”

And then they will all invite us back to their house for reciprocity. And we will get a great Shabbat meal, and the family will get a little vacation. Unless they are all following the wrong recipes... I still have to work that part out.

Photo by CottonBro/Pexels

Word search: The Bible

The Jewish Bible (Tanach) has three sections: Torah (i.e., the Five Books of Moses),

This is your Word Search!

(Prophets), and Ketuvim (the “Writings”). Find the names of each book.