Jewish News | June 10, 2019

33026Da281146

INSIDE

www.jewishnewsva.org

Southeastern Virginia | Vol. 57 No. 18 | 7 Sivan 5779 | June 10, 2019

12 Memorial Day tradition at area cemeteries

22 Sun and fun at Israel Fest 2019

VB Strong

25

—page 6

Moe Mernick at B’nai Israel June 14–June 15

Happy ther’s Day a F 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462-4370 Address Service Requested

Non-Profit Org. US POSTAGE Paid Suburban MD Permit 6543

20 BIENNIAL 19 MEETING

25

UJFT Biennial Meeting Thursday, June 13 Supplement to Jewish News June 10, 2019 jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Father’s Day | Jewish News | 13

National It’s time for a Torah emoji, and this organization is working to make it happen Marcy Oster

JERUSALEM (JTA)—Designing a new emoji is not simple.

Sefaria, the online free Jewish library, has found this out in recent months.

The organization wanted to reach more and younger people, to get them to use the resources on its website. They thought that a Torah emoji would put a kinder, gentler face on Jewish scholarship.

And while there are tiny web and smartphone ideograms for everything from soup to nuts, there are very few that are specifically Jewish.

And, says Rory Kress, Sefaria’s chief marketing and engagement officer, they wanted “to do something fun.”

But designing a tiny graphic Torah comes with so many questions. Open or closed?

Sephardic style (standing up) or Ashkenazic style (with two wooden dowels)? Should there be hands holding it? If there are hands,

then what skin tone should they be? Men’s or women’s?

There are already some other Jewishthemed emojis in use online and in various messaging platforms: A synagogue, two stars of David and an Israeli flag.

Several emojis also exist that while not specifically Jewish, could represent Jewish study, such as book and scroll emojis.

“The Torah is a very specific-looking object,” Kress says. That is what makes it a perfect candidate to get approved.

For a first try, the process can take about a year. Some emojis have been proposed more than once.

The non-profit Unicode Consortium is the organization that approves new emojis. The organization’s main function is to develop a universal character encoding scheme, allowing people around the world to use computers in any language.

But it is more commonly known for selecting the emoji icons used by the

world’s smartphones based on submissions from individuals and organizations who present their case with evidence for why each one is essential.

Late last month, the Conference of European Rabbis called on the consortium to add new emojis to represent Jews—namely, a man wearing a kippah and a woman wearing a head covering.

“There are emojis of women in the hijab and Arab clerics, and the Jews have been forgotten,” the statement from the Conference of European Rabbis read.

Kress says she thinks a Torah scroll would be more inclusive than an image of a person—since Jewish people come in all colors and all kinds of traditions.

“It’s about inclusion,” Kress says. “It is about creating a digital place for us.”

Sefaria started several months ago by commissioning designs from graphic artists. The staff narrowed the choices down to four images and posted them on their

social media pages to allow the public to vote. The four are down to two.

The two remaining images are pretty traditional. One depicts a Torah scroll open to roughly the middle, the other a closed scroll wrapped in a blue cover with a star of David on its front.

Thousands have voted across Sefaria’s social media platforms. A winner was set to be announced Friday, June 7, just in time for Shavuot (but after Jewish News went to press).

“It is definitely time that we have a voice and a place,” she says of Jewish emoji users of all ages.

Currently, more than 2,800 emojis are approved, and some 230 new emojis were approved in February 2019. The consortium is already processing proposals for 2020.

One day, Kress hopes young people will text each other the message “Hey, let’s get together to study” and end the sentence with a Torah emoji.

& SHMEARS Holiday entertaining is easy Entertaining isBagels! easy with Einstein Bros.

We can cater to any size group and with Einstein Bros.

Bagels!

deliver fresh-baked bagels, delicious egg

We cater to any size group and deliver sandwiches, fresh-brewed coffee & sofresh-baked much more bagels, delicious egg sandwiches, fresh-brewed to your home, office or anywhere. coffee & so much your home, office, or anywhere.

EBCATERING.COM www.EBCatering.com 1.800.BAGEL.ME

1.800.Bagel.Me (1.800.224.3563) (1.800.224.3563) 1148 Volvo Parkway

1 Columbus Center, Suite 104

Owned & Operated 1148 Volvo Pkwy.Locally • Chesapeake, VA 23320 • 757.410.3646 Chesapeake, VA 23320 Virginia Beach, VA 23462 Franchise Locations Franchise Location • Locally Owned & Operated 757.410.3646 757.965.3646

2 | Jewish News | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

Jewish news

upfront

jewishnewsva.org

Lawmakers launch congressional black-Jewish caucus Ron Kampeas

Al Franken’s talk to Jewish group is first public speech since resigning Senate

Published 21 times a year by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

QR code generated on http://qrcode.littleidiot.be

WASHINGTON (JTA)—Three black and two Jewish members of the U.S. House of Representatives from both parties launched a black-Jewish caucus.

The caucus, launched after a meeting convened by the American Jewish Committee in January, will work to bring blacks and Jews together to back hate crimes legislation and combat white supremacist ideology and actions. White supremacists carried out two lethal attacks on synagogues since last October, in Pittsburgh and in Poway, California.

“The African-American and Jewish communities have a history of standing together for the promotion of social justice and civil rights,” Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., said Monday, June 3 at the AJC’s annual Global Forum here. “To encourage and nurture this unique partnership, I have formed the Congressional Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations with the hopes of strengthening the trust and advancing our issues in a collective manner.”

The other members are Reps. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., Will Hurd, R-Texas and John Lewis, D-Ga., a revered veteran of the 1960s civil rights marches.

Along with Lawrence, present at the AJC event were Zeldin and Wasserman Schultz, who are both Jewish.

“It is clear our communities are still the target of hate and discrimination, and we will not stand idly by,” Zeldin said.

“White supremacy threatens both our communities and the Caucus will build on our common fight for a better world,” Wasserman Schultz said on Twitter.

Last month, members of the Congressional Black Caucus split with the party majority over a resolution meant to quell a controversy over remarks by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) that were widely perceived as invoking anti-Semitism. Some black lawmakers objected to their colleagues’ haste in rebuking an African-American lawmaker. The eventual resolution was broadened to denounce “anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism and other forms of bigotry,” and did not mention Omar by name.

Marcy Oster

Al Franken addressed a Jewish group, reportedly the first public speech he has delivered since resigning from the Senate 19 months ago.

He spoke on Sunday, June 2 to the Jewish Family Service of St. Paul, Minnesota Post columnist Eric Black reported.

Franken did not discuss the facts and circumstances that led to his resignation from the Senate, as he has not in any forum since his resignation.

Late last month Franken started the Al Franken Podcast, amid speculation that he is considering a political comeback.

In his talk, at the Midpointe Event Center, he shared biographical anecdotes and political commentary, according to Black. He mocked President Trump’s failure to come up with an alternative to the Affordable Care Act and his denials of climate change.

The event was billed as a “Celebration of Service.”

Franken resigned from the U.S. Senate in December 2017 in the wake of calls for him to step down following accusations of sexual misconduct by several women. At the time of his resignation he said on the floor of the Senate that some of the allegations against him were untrue and that he “remembered very differently” some of the other incidents.

Franken, a former Saturday Night Live performer and writer who was first elected to the Senate in 2008, apologized before his resignation to Leeann Tweeden, a Los Angeles radio host, who said he forcibly kissed and groped her during a 2006 tour of military bases. Tweeden released a photo showing Franken posing with his hands hovering over her chest as she naps wearing a flak vest aboard a military plane.

Other women allege Franken grabbed their buttocks while posing with them for photos during separate campaign events in 2007, 2008, and 2010. An unnamed former Democratic congressional aide told Politico that Franken tried to forcibly kiss her after a taping of his radio show in 2006, three years before he became a U.S. senator.

Time for a torah emoji. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Upfront. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nechama Rivlin passes away. . . . . . . . . . . .

Majority of Israelis want more lenient conversions. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Virginia Beach mourns and unites against horrific killings. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

UK holding Labour Party accountable for anti-Semitism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

VW funds ADL office in Germany . . . . . . .

San Francisco Holocaust memorial target of anti-Semitisim. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sanders calls Politico article anti-Semitic. .

2 3 4 5 5 6 7 8 8 9

Florida governor signs anti-Semitism law. . 9 Holocaust Commission’s 2019 Elie Wiesel Competitions. . . . . . . 10 Family honors veterans on Memorial Day. 12 Special Section: Father’s Day. . . . . . . . . . . 13 Lag B’Omer Bash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Israel Fest 2019. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Congressman meets community leaders. . 24 What’s Happening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 2019 Eurovision in Israel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Harold Grinspoon inspires locals. . . . . . . 31

Terri Denison, Editor Germaine Clair, Art Director Sandy Goldberg, Account Executive Ronnie Jacobs Cohen, Account Executive Marilyn Cerase, Subscription Manager Reba Karp, Editor Emeritus United Jewish Federation of Tidewater John Strelitz, President Alvin Wall, Treasurer Stephanie Calliott, Secretary Betty Ann Levin, Executive Vice-President www.jewishVA.org The appearance of advertising in the Jewish News does not constitute a kashrut, political, product or service endorsement.

The articles and letters appearing herein are not necessarily the opinion of this newspaper. © 2019 Jewish News. All rights reserved.

Subscription: $18 per year

JewishNewsVA

For subscription or change of address, call 757-965-6128 or email mcerase@ujft.org.

Upcoming Deadlines for Editorial and Advertising June 24 July 15 Aug. 12 Sept. 2 Sept. 16 Sept. 30 Oct. 28

Seniors Legal Guide to Jewish Living Home Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Military/Veterans

June 7 June 28 July 26 Aug. 16 Aug. 30 Sept. 13 Oct. 11

Candle Lighting

Quotable

Contents

Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462-4370 voice 757-965-6100 • fax 757-965-6102 email news@ujft.org

Friday, June 14/11 Sivan Light candles at 8:07 pm

“It is an honor to maintain the memory of those who served and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom.”

—page 12

Friday, June 21/18 Sivan Light candles at 8:10 pm Friday, June 28/25 Sivan Light candles at 8:10 pm Friday, July 5/2 Tammuz Light candles at 8:10 pm Friday, July 12/9 Tammuz Light candles at 8:08 pm Friday, July 19/16 Tammuz Light candles at 8:04 pm

jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Jewish News | 3

BRIEFS NYC police: Majority of hate crimes are anti-Semitic The number of hate crimes reported to the New York Police Department this year is nearly double the number reported in 2018 during the same period—and most incidents are anti-Semitic.

The NYPD received 176 hate crime complaints from Jan. 1 to May 19, constituting an 83 percent rise over the corresponding period last year, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Anti-Defamation League National Director Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted that 59 percent of the complaints were anti-Semitic hate crimes, up to 103 from 50 reported incidents in the same period last year.

Council Speaker Corey Johnson told the Wall Street Journal, “We have an anti-Semitism crisis in New York. It’s a national problem, but New York accounts for way too many incidents.”

In 2018, there were 353 total hate crime complaints, up from 325 in 2017, and the NYPD made 149 arrests. Of these hate crimes, 186—or nearly 53 percent—had anti-Jewish bias, up from 151 in 2017.

The NYPD tally is of reported complaints and arrests, not convictions. (JTA) Israeli army found significant Hezbollah attack tunnel The Israeli military said it uncovered the “longest” and “most significant” Hezbollah attack tunnel on the border with Lebanon.

The discovery of the nearly milelong tunnel was made in the winter during Operation Northern Shield, which aimed to expose and neutralize cross-border attack tunnels, but was announced Wednesday, May 29.

The tunnel is 22 stories deep, or 260 feet, and stretches more than 250 feet into Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said, calling it Hezbollah’s “flagship” tunnel. Inside was infrastructure for lights, a public address system, and stairs made of concrete.

The IDF said the tunnel took years to build and would be destroyed.

The Israeli army has found and destroyed six Hezbollah cross-border tunnels. (JTA)

Hundreds of thousands attend New York’s Celebrate Israel Parade Some 40,000 marchers participated in the Celebrate Israel Parade up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York.

Hundreds of thousands of onlookers lined the parade route on Sunday, June 2, many waving Israeli flags.

The annual event, a 55-year-old tradition which formerly was called the Salute to Israel parade, has been organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York since 2011.

Among the elected officials marching in the parade were New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. In addition, a delegation of United Nations ambassadors and diplomats from around the world marched behind a common banner.

A musical number from the off-Broadway show Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, was scheduled to be performed live by cast members at the parade. (JTA) Muslims and Jews break Ramadan fast at SodaStream’s factory in southern Israel SodaStream hosted a Ramadan break fast meal at its factory in the southern Israeli town of Rahat.

The iftar meal was attended by Bedouins and Jewish Israelis, as well as the company’s Palestinian employees and other Palestinian guests, the Associated Press reported.

The meal was attended by the U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman.

“Tonight, I had the pure joy to attend the Ramadan Peace Festival at SodaStream’s factory in the Negev. Muslims, Druze, Christians, and Jews working together, each making the other better, happier and more prosperous. This is peace!” Friedman tweeted.

Daniel Birenbaum, CEO of SodaStream told his guests that the employees and managers of the factory “need to ensure coexistence and peace between us, not just during iftar, but every day. The thousands of people who are eating here tonight are the light that wins out over the darkness, both under missiles and intense periods,” the Jerusalem Post reported.

4 | Jewish News | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

In October 2014, SodaStream announced it would close its factory in Maale Adumim and move to southern Israel in the face of pressure from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS. The company now has more than 1,400 employees in the Idan Hanegev industrial park near Rahat, one-third of them Bedouin Arabs from the surrounding area. (JTA)

California man made ‘kill lists’ of Jews A California man who wrote “kill lists” of prominent Jews pleaded guilty to threatening three houses of worship in Orange County.

Nicholas Wesley Rose, 28, of Irvine, was sentenced for carrying a loaded firearm not registered to him and on three civil rights counts in relation to making the threats. Other felony charges were dropped.

His parents contacted the police last year after he said he wanted to “get a gun and kill some Jews,” The OC Register reported. Rose had composed lists of Jews he wanted to kill and threatened and visited a synagogue in Irvine that he wanted to attack. He also threatened and visited two churches, in Irvine and Lake Forest, that had expressed sympathy for the Jewish community.

He was sentenced to 825 days in jail, one year in residential mental health treatment and five years’ probation.

Rose’s lawyer, Brian Gurwitz, said his client was suffering from mental illness.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer decried Rose’s ideology.

“There is no place for hate,” Spitzer said. “He is a danger to society and every resident of Orange County should be aware of the threat he poses.” (JTA) New elections mean Netanyahu is set to become longest serving prime minister There is a silver lining for Benjamin Netanyahu in his inability to form a ruling government coalition: It virtually ensures he will become the longest serving prime minister in Israel’s history.

With new elections officially called for Sept. 17, Netanyahu will be in office

when the record-breaking day arrives, unless he steps down sooner.

Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, holds the mark at 13 years and 127 days over his two terms. Netanyahu would tie it on July 16 and break it the next day.

The incumbent holds the record for the longest single term for an Israeli prime minister: His current tenure began on March 31, 1999.

A pre-indictment hearing in the three corruption cases against Netanyahu was postponed from early July to October, meaning it will take place after he breaks the record and the September vote.

In February, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced his intention pending the hearing to indict Netanyahu in three separate cases on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust—the first time a sitting prime minister would face criminal charges.

Netanyahu has said he would not resign from office during any indictment hearing process. There is no legal obligation to resign. (JTA)

Knesset committee approves Jerusalem cable car plan A Knesset committee has approved controversial plans to build a cable car to the Old City of Jerusalem.

The $55 million project is planned to stretch nearly one mile from the First Station entertainment complex located near the German Colony in Jerusalem to the Dung Gate near the entrance to the Western Wall Plaza in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The plan was approved by the National Infrastructure Committee. It has been opposed by environmentalists, urban planners, architects, and Palestinian residents, among others.

It calls for 73 carriages strung on overhead cables carrying about 3,000 passengers in each direction every hour.

The Tourism Ministry has supported the year-old plan, calling it a way to reduce traffic congestion and a way to attract tourists. The plan must now be approved by the government. (JTA)

Israel

Nechama Rivlin, wife of Israel’s president dies HaNasi (the president’s JERUSALEM (JTA)— residence), and to pray Nechama Rivlin, the for her every day, every wife of President hour. Their love and Reuven Rivlin, has concern gave the presdied at the age of 73. ident and all members She died on of the family strength Tuesday, June 4, a and support that day before her 74th cannot be described in birthday, at Beillinson words.

Hospital in Petah The Rivlins also Tikvah, where she thanked the Halabli underwent a lung family who donated transplant three their late son Yair’s months ago. lung for the transplant.

Rivlin, who had Rivlin was born in in recent years rarely Nechama Rivlin, December 25, 2014.

Moshav Herut in the been seen in public Sharon region to parents who immigrated without being attached to a portable from the Ukraine and were founders oxygen tank, suffered from pulmonary of the moshav. She earned a bachelor’s fibrosis, which causes scar tissue to fill degree from Hebrew university in botany the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe, and zoology and also studied the history and her situation was getting more critical of art. necessitating the transplant. The surgery She set up a community garden in the for the transplant was described as “comgarden of the President’s Residence, where plicated” by doctors and she required a children from all over the country came second surgery several days later. to plant plants, spices, and flowers on a “The medical efforts to stabilize her regular basis. over time during the complicated rehabilCondolences poured in from all itation period after the transplant did not corners including politicians, religious succeed,” the hospital said in a statement. leaders, and Israeli citizens.

In a statement, the Rivlin family She was buried on Wednesday, June 5 thanked “citizens of Israel… who have at the national cemetery on Mount Herzl continued to ask after Nechama’s health, in Jerusalem. to send letters and wonderful children’s drawings to the hospital and to Beit

Discover A New Way To Show Your Love This

Virginia Beach Lynnhaven | 2728 North Mall Drive, Suite 106 757-463-3050 (Kosher Certified) Haygood | 1115 Independence Blvd., Suite 117 757-226-0099

Chesapeake Sam’s Circle | 1437 Sam’s Drive. Suite 30 757-410-8795 Great Bridge | 237 Battlefield Blvd. South, Suite 21 757-410-5969

edible.com

10

$

Anything over $29

code: JWSH0379 expires: 06/30/19

For pickup only. Not valid for delivery order. Valid for pick up at listed locations only. Must bring entire AD to redeem in store or use coupon code JWSH0379 online or by calling listed stores. Coupon and code expire June 30, 2019. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. One coupon per customer per day.

*Edible®, Edible Arrangements®, and the Fruit Basket Logo are registered Trademarks of Edible IP, LLC. © 2019 Edible IP, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

52% of Israelis want it to be easier to convert to Judaism, survey finds Josefin Dolsten

A

slight majority of Jewish Israelis want it to be easier for people to convert to Judaism, according to a new survey.

Respondents were asked about whether they want conversions to be performed as leniently as possible according to Jewish law.

Fifty-two percent of Jewish Israelis want that to happen, while 35 percent want conversions to be more stringent and 13 percent don’t know. Among secular

Jews, 68 percent want conversions to be easier; that number is only two percent among the haredi Orthodox.

The survey, performed by the Guttman Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research of the Israel Democracy Institute, comes amid a debate about conversions in Israel.

The Chief Rabbinate, which controls Jewish marriage, divorce, conversion and burial in the Jewish state, is largely run by haredi Orthodox leaders who have stringent rules for those wishing to become

Jewish. The rabbinate does not recognize any conversions performed abroad by non-Orthodox rabbis and has also rejected some performed by Orthodox rabbis. People whose conversions are not recognized cannot marry in Israel or be buried in a Jewish cemetery there.

Respondents were asked about who should have the authority to perform conversions in the country.

A plurality of 31 percent want a new conversion system to be set up, while 27 percent of respondents are happy with

the current system. Fifteen percent of respondents want the authority to rest with private conversion courts in Israel (the chief Rabbinate is state-sanctioned), while 7.5 percent want private courts in Israel and abroad to be in charge.

Five hundred eighty-six men and women were interviewed on the Internet and by phone last month as part of the survey, which has a margin of error of 3.7 percent. (JTA)

jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Jewish News | 5

Ruth’s Life Said a Lot About Her As a “pink lady” Ruth Goodman volunteered more hours than anyone else at the Norfolk hospital where she greeted visitors for years.

Before she died in 1995, Ruth arranged for a Hampton Roads Community Foundation bequest to forever give good health to the community she and her late husband Victor loved.

This year 15 students are studying to become physicians, physical therapists, nurses and other medical professionals thanks to scholarships generated by Ruth’s generosity. Many more Goodman Scholars will follow every year.

Write your prescription for a better future by ordering a free bequest guide.

Learn how easy it is to leave a gift for charity.

Adding Charity to Your W or IRA ill

A quick

guide to the ple of charitab asure and prom ise le bequest s

Inspiring Philanthro py. Chan ging Lives .

www.leaveabequest.org (757) 622-7951

Tidewater

Community mourns and stands strong together following tragic killings in Virginia Beach Terri Denison

T

he horrific shooting that took place on Friday, May 31 at Virginia Beach’s Municipal Center, resulting in 13 deaths, shook the entire Hampton Roads community and brought world-wide attention and offers of sympathy to the area. It was the type of attention Virginia Beach never thought it would experience.

In the days following the shooting, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Community Relations Council played a significant and supporting role in assisting in the organization of VB Remembers, a community gathering to begin the healing process.

CRC hosted two meetings at the Sandler Family Campus to plan the Thursday, June 6 event. Attended by city, civic, and faith leaders, as well as by first responders, including fire, police, and FBI personnel, the meetings not only served as planning sessions, but also connected people, organizations, and communities.

Virginia Beach City Councilman Michael Berlucchi, along with Councilwoman Jessica Abbot, initiated the gathering.

“As Virginia Beach confronts the worst tragedy we have ever faced, we knew we needed to come together to comfort each other, support survivors, and remember the victims. That is why we knew we needed to act swiftly to plan VB Remembers. The events that occurred at the Municipal Center have hurt us but they have not defeated us—we will emerge from this experience stronger and better connected as neighbors,” says Berlucchi.

“I am grateful to the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, their Community Relations Council, and the Simon Family JCC for not only lending its building and facilities to our City planning team, but for lending their hearts and talent to this important and needed project,” Berlucchi says.

In addition to Governor Ralph Northam, Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kane,

6 | Jewish News | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

Congresswoman Elaine Luria, Mayor Bobby Dyer, and many other civic and faith leaders, Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg, r epr e s enting HUBB L eadership Council, C a n t o r Jennifer Reuben and Ohef Sholom Temple’s music director, Charles Woodward and his Virginia Chorale, were slated to participate in the program, which was held at the Rock Church. Symphonicity, Christian Broadcasting Network’s Gordon Robertson, Imam Rachid Khould, and the Mennonite Choir were just some of the program’s other participants.

While for some people, attending community gatherings and vigils heals, for

others, individualized support is preferred. That support is available from area clergy and from Jewish Family Service.

“JFS counselors are available to support those who may be affected by this tragedy, and will be strictly confidential.

Please call 757-459-4640 or visit our web-site www. jfshamptonroads.org for more information on counseling services,” says Kelly Burroughs, JFS chief executive officer.

“Our community will stand together and support each other during these difficult days and weeks ahead,” says Betty Ann Levin, UJFT executive vice president.

United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and UJFT’s Community Relations Council shared this message on Saturday, June 1

U

nited Jewish Federation of Tidewater and its Community Relations Council stand with the victims, families, and friends of the senseless tragedy that occurred in Virginia Beach last night. We are heartbroken.

There has been an outpouring of support from our friends across the country, for which we are grateful; from our national agency partners, Jewish community leaders, former visiting experts, and more.

We send our deepest gratitude to the first responders who ran into harm’s way to protect and to serve, the volunteers who risked their lives helping others escape from the shooting, and the medical professionals who rushed to area hospitals to treat the wounded. Our hearts go out to those who lost friends, family, and colleagues.

As our community and our nation mourn ​this heartbreaking tragedy, it is our fervent hope that, in the days ahead, Americans will stand shoulder to shoulder with their neighbors to address the underlying causes of gun violence​in our country. ​ Now is the time when we must come together, and act together, for the victims— may their memories be a blessing.

As we share our sorrow, we pray for a day that our nation—and our world—will know peace.

anti-semitism

The UK is finally taking Labour’s anti-Semitism seriously Gideon Falter

(JTA)—On a recent speaking tour in North America, I was asked repeatedly about anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn.

Corbyn’s Labour has become an existential threat to British Jews, and audiences smartly inquired what could be done to stop growing anti-Semitism in U.K. politics from endangering Britain’s Jews.

We hear from members of our community constantly that they are preparing to leave the country should Corbyn become prime minister.

At Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, the volunteer-run charity that I am proud to lead, we have been at the forefront of calling out Labour in the media.

This media campaign has borne fruit: According to a May 17 YouGov survey, 80 percent of British voters are now aware of Labour’s anti-Semitism crisis, and just 19 percent are still convinced by Labour and Corbyn’s arguments that they are not anti-Semitic.

But media campaigning alone is insufficient, and we needed to hold Labour to account—not just in the media, but in a way that Corbyn and his acolytes could not deflect or avoid.

That’s why we appealed to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the U.K.’s equality watchdog, which on Tuesday, June 4 announced a full statutory investigation into anti-Semitism in Labour.

Campaign Against Anti-Semitism first contacted the EHRC during Labour’s annual conference in 2017, when fringe activists demanded the right to debate “Holocaust: yes or no” and senior figures claimed that anti-Semitism allegations were mere “mood music.” We followed up by formally referring the party to the EHRC in 2018, submitting legal arguments and extensive dossiers of evidence.

With the unprecedented announcement of a full statutory inquiry, Labour will finally be held accountable for the

way it has emboldened Jew-haters in its party and institutionalized anti-Semitism.

Labour’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has played an outsized role in enabling the torrent of anti-Semitic incidents flowing from the once anti-racist Labour Party.

He has his own history of anti-Semitism: He has blamed Islamist terrorist attacks on Israel, defended an appalling anti-Semitic mural, called for Holocaust Memorial Day to be renamed Genocide Memorial Day, participated in a ceremony honoring the Black September terrorists, described British Zionists as having “no sense of English irony” and much more.

So far, nine members of Labor have quit the party in protest as it slides into what one New York Times opinion writer described as Corbyn’s “rule by diktat.”

How did we British Jews arrive at such a dire situation?

For years, British Jews watched and failed to do enough as the far-left allied with Islamists, and as their warped hatred took hold on university campuses and in sections of the media.

Then, in 2015, hundreds of thousands of new activists joined Labour, many of them from the far-left, following a change in membership rules which reduced membership fees to only £3 per year. They wasted no time in electing the little-known Jeremy Corbyn to lead them.

Soon after Corbyn’s improbable ascent to the Labour leadership, we saw two changes: Anti-Semites in the Party, who saw Corbyn as a kindred spirit, became bolder, and those anti-Semites ceased to be firmly punished, thereby emboldening others. One of the first, Sir Gerald Kaufman, claimed at an event in Parliament that British Jews donated to

the Conservative Party so that Israeli Jews could kill what he referred to as “Arablooking people.” Corbyn took no action.

There are lessons to be learned in North America from our experiences in Britain.

Communities elsewhere should learn from the mistakes made in Britain. Do not dismiss anti-Semites as fringe lunatics: They breed on the extremes of society and eventually seep into the mainstream. Use the media and litigation to take the fight to the anti-Semites. Ensure that anti-Semites face ruinous consequences for their actions, and learn from our experiences: When asked by communities around the world for assistance, we stand ready to help.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

Local and Experienced…a winning combination!

With a combined 40 years of experience, whether you’re buying, selling or investing, we can assist you with all of your real estate needs.

NANCY EVANS Associate Broker (757) 287-5765 NancyEvans@HowardHanna.com

HEATHER EVANS Property Manager (757) 287-5762 HeatherEvans@HowardHanna.com

HowardHanna.com

jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Jewish News | 7

Security & Beauty

anti-semitism Volkswagen funds ADL office in Germany for combating anti-Semitism

• Ornamental Fence • Custom Wood • Polyvinyl Fence

• Pool Fencing • Gate Systems Since 1955

SECURITY IN EVERY JOB

WASHINGTON (JTA)—Volkswagen, the car manufacturing giant, is joining with the Anti-Defamation League to fund a Berlin-based office that will research and combat anti-Semitism in Europe.

“The initiative will focus on assessing the root causes of anti-Semitism, extremism and bigotry in society and develop programs to counter it through advocacy and education,” ADL said in a release.

A Volkswagen spokesman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the venture would open an ADL office in Berlin, the first ADL presence in Europe in more than a decade. The funding, over the three years, would be in the low seven figures, the official said, with an option to expand and continue the initiative thereafter.

Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen Group, the largest car manufacturer in the world, announced the bid Monday, June 3 at the ADL’s annual Washington conference. In an interview with JTA, he said he was concerned about the recent spike in anti-Semitism in Europe, and that Volkswagen had a special obligation to combat racism because of its origins in Nazi Germany.

“We have more obligation than others,” he said. “The whole company was built up by the Nazi regime.”

The initiative will have four components: Education in schools, education in work places, lobbying in European capitals, and research through surveys.

HerculesFence.com • 757.321.6700 Norfolk Yorktown Richmond Manassas Jessup

Congratulations

to our local 2019 graduates and their families.

May your futures be filled with success and prosperity, and may you never lose your hunger to learn.

150 West Main Street | Norfolk, VA 23510 l 757.625.4700 l www.wec-cpa.com

8 | Jewish News | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

Neighbors of San Francisco Holocaust memorial receive anti-Semitic hate mail Marcy Oster

(JTA)—Residents of San Francisco that live on the same street as a Holocaust memorial received anti-Semitic hate mail including a reading list of Holocaust denial titles.

The letters arrived at every home on San Francisco’s 34th Avenue in late May, J. The Jewish News of Northern California reported.

“It is hoped that you will all buy some of these books in this list and that you will realize that the Holocaust is a complete lie,” the letter said.

The full-page, single-spaced letter was signed by the Barnes Review. The Barnes Review is a bi-monthly magazine founded in 1994 by Willis Carto’s Liberty Lobby and headquartered in Washington, D.C. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, The Barnes Review is “one of the most virulent anti-Semitic organizations around,” and its journal and website are “dedicated to historical revisionism and Holocaust denial.”

The Holocaust Memorial at California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco’s Lincoln Park is located in a grove of trees outside the Legion of Honor museum. Mounted in 1984, it depicts a man standing behind a barbed wire fence, flanked by corpses. It is maintained by the San Francisco Arts Commission.

The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, which hosts the sculpture, responded in a statement.

“These hateful mailings prove the necessity of hosting pieces like the Holocaust Memorial in our public spaces,” Tamara Barak Aparton, spokesperson for the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, said in a statement. “The Holocaust Memorial inspires empathy in thousands of our visitors each year and reminds us to be vigilant against the rising tide of anti-Semitism.”

The letter also reportedly was sent to every home on Grove Drive, in Los Angeles, where the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust is located.

anti-semitism Bernie Sanders: Politico article on my wealth was anti-Semitic Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA)—Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., among the leading candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination, said a Politico story on his wealth that called him “cheap” was anti-Semitic.

“Call that what it is, an anti-Semitic article,” Sanders said Saturday, June 1 in an interview with the progressive political online show, The Young Turks.

One of the show’s hosts, Cenk Uygur, was asking Sanders what he thought of the negative media coverage he gets and cited last week’s Politico article, prompting Sanders’ interjection.

Politico drew condemnation for the article from Sanders’ fellow Democrats and from the Anti-Defamation League, and for a since-deleted tweet that said: “Bernie might still be cheap, but he’s not

poor.” Politico deleted and apologized for the tweet, but did not offer an explanation.

Sanders was more measured in addressing another controversy earlier this year, when a Democratic freshman, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said that support for Israel in Congress was driven by campaign donations. He defended Omar against some of the Republican attacks on her as anti-Semitic but also told Fox News Channel, “I think that Ilhan has got to do maybe a better job in speaking to the Jewish community.”

Sanders in 2016 ran in the Democratic primary and was the first Jewish candidate to win major-party nominating contests, although he lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton.

This year, he and former Vice President Joe Biden are leading a crowded field of candidates.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs legislation against anti-Semitism into law Marcy Oster

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially signed into law legislation against anti-Semitism two days after a ceremonial signing in Jerusalem.

DeSantis had held the ceremonial signing during a Florida Cabinet meeting at the U.S. Embassy last month. He officially signed the bill on Friday, May 31 in Tallahassee.

Using the State Department definition as its template, the legislation defines as anti-Semitism calls for violence against Jews, advancing conspiracy theories about Jewish control and Holocaust denial. It also includes “applying double standards”

to Israel “by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.”

The measure also mandates that discrimination against Jewish people be treated the same as acts of racial discrimination in Florida’s public education institutions.

“I’m proud to sign this bill to make clear through a bipartisan effort that anti-Semitism has no place in our state and our educational institutions will not tolerate discrimination against the Jewish people,” DeSantis said at the signing.

He called Florida “the most Israelfriendly state in the country.” (JTA)

LOCAL RELATIONSHIPS MATTER MEET:

Martin A. Einhorn,

CPA/ABV, CVA

“I feel blessed to live and work in this community. Working with other local businesses provides benefits within the community. It is critically important to support those less fortunate and support economic development to make our area the best it can be. My parents are very active in the community and raised me to feel that commitment.”

“Our experience [with Payday] has been very positive. Payday is the only outsourced payroll company we have used. We believe doing payroll is something that really needs an expert and the Payday Payroll team are the experts. Whenever there is anything we need done they find a solution.”

Start a relationship that matters today, call 757-523-0605.

Comprehensive payroll solutions

HR support center

Time & attendance

ACA compliance & reporting

Labor law poster compliance

Employee/applicant background checks

Accounting software interface

PD-adC-3 eighths V-Jewish News-Marty Einhorn-CPA-111617.indd 1

Home

Finfit employee loans Pay-as-you-go workers comp Payroll debit cards

11/16/17 3:41 PM

Reserve Now! Home is coming in the September 2 issue.

To advertise, call 757.965.6100 or email news@ujft.org

jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Jewish News | 9

it’s a Wrap Holocaust Commission’s 2019 Elie Wiesel Competitions Ciara Whitty

T

he Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s month-long 2019 Elie Wiesel

Art display of winner, Gavin Ventura, 1st place, Senior.

Visual Arts exhibit officially closed on May 31. The annual Elie Wiesel Competitions for students include visual arts and writing. TowneBank and the Simon Family Foundation generously support these programs.

On May 7, the Holocaust Commission

Art display of winner, Delondo Davis, Chairs’ Choice, Senior.

held a reception to welcome student winners and finalists, their parents, and teachers. The exhibit honored winning and finalist students’ two- and three-dimensional artworks, as well as winning multimedia videos, which were shown in the Fleder Multipurpose Room throughout the reception.

The 80 guests, including members of the Holocaust Commission and Phyllis Sperling and Leslie Siegel, chairs for the Visual Arts Competition, were awe-struck by the quality of the submissions. Eleven middle schools and seven high schools were represented, which included students from Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New York.

A total of 295 entries were submitted.

For the exhibit, 66 pieces were selected, including all winners of the 2019 contest.

The chairs say it was difficult for them to select these pieces due to the number and

Art display of winners, Adrianna Bievre, Honorable Mention, Junior; and Emily Skroch, 3rd place, Senior.

Celebrating Dads Who Get Us Outside!

Hilltop East Shopping Center, Virginia Beach, VA GreatOutdoorProvision.com

10 | Jewish News | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

LE AR N WH Y A DO N O R ADVI S E D F U N D I S R I G HT FO R YO U AN D YO U R FAM I LY

it’s a Wrap

M E ET TH E SCHRANZS

Susan Schutte, Ella Tessitore, Elise Tessitore, Chloe Schuck, Izzy Robinson, Caitlin Lindgren, and Amy Lindgren.

Craig, a Navy veteran, and his wife Joanna are strong believers in tzedekah and volunteerism.

They support many organizations including several synagogues, Jewish War Veterans, and the Food Bank. For them, it’s important to share these philanthropic experiences with their three children and pass on these cherished values.

Together with the Tidewater Jewish Foundation (TJF), a team they know and trust, Craig and Joanna established a Donor Advised Fund (DAF), ensuring that their tradition of tzedakah lives on for generations.

Alexander Bradshaw, Junior art winner.

visual excellence of so many entries.

Across all competition categories, this year, saw 1,300 entries. Dozens of local and out-of-state schools submitted writing, as well as visual arts entries, including from Wisconsin, Florida, Tennessee, and Arizona. The Commission even had a writing entry from South Korea, which won 1st place in the Senior Essay category.

All student winners were honored at the annual Yom Hashoah commemoration in May at Temple Israel. Their winning pieces—including essay, poetry, art, and multimedia—are posted online at holocaustcommission.jewishva.org/ home-page/elie-wiesel.

The Holocaust Commission’s 14th Biennial Educators’ Conference, which for the first time includes Evening with the Arts, will take place July 30–August 1. For information

Lilia Myers, Junior art winner.

YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD. LET TJF SHOW YOU HOW. Cate Dixon, Junior art winner.

on the Conference and other Holocaust Commission programs, visit holocaustcommission.jewishva.org/educators-conference, call 965-6125, or email info@holocaustcommission.org.

For more information, contact Scott Kaplan, President & CEO skaplan@ujft.com | 757-965-6111 foundation.jewishva.org

Let us help you get started by adding $2,500 in matching funds, when you open a DAF with $7,500 - giving you more money to support the causes you care about most.

jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Jewish News | 11

Tidewater

CALL FOR FELLOWSHIP NOMINATIONS & APPLICATIONS

NOW OPEN As an institute for leadership development, Hineni’s goal is to equip the next generation of Jewish leaders and philanthropists with the skills and passion needed to sustain a vibrant Jewish community.

All selected Fellows will receive on-going mentorship, personal and professional development, and a subsidized trip to Israel.

If you or someone you know between the ages of 22-39 in the Jewish community who would benefit from this expereince, please find forms to apply at Jewishva.org/Hineni.

First Person

Keeping tradition with the new guard Lt. Cmdr. Adam Goldberg (Ret)

T

his past Memorial Day, my family and I went to a few of the local Jewish cemeteries in Tidewater to place American Flags on the graves of those who have, “borne the brunt of battle.”

Ever since we moved to the area, some seven years ago, we have made this a family tradition. Being a Navy town, our local community has a rich history of honorable service. This is very apparent in the number of flags we have placed to include monuments of Jewish Service Members that have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation’s freedom.

This dedication, until recently, was shared by fellow veteran Capt. Jim Eilberg, a retired US Navy Captain, whom, for many years, diligently tended to the graves of the Jewish Veterans at Forest Lawn cemetery. He recently turned over the watch to Scott Levin, a Tidewater native. Though not a veteran himself, this year Levin ensured that the more than three dozen Jewish Veterans graves at Forest Lawn were properly decorated with American Flags.

“It is an honor to maintain the memory of those who served and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom.”

Levin says. “My father served proudly in the Navy, my father-in-law was a navel aviator, and my grandfather was a POW in WWII. As the son and a grandson of military veterans, placing flags on the graves of our Jewish War Veterans strengthens my bond with our military community.”

Our Jewish Veterans’ graves lie scattered throughout Tidewater, from the little Workman’s Circle cemetery in Chesapeake

Zipporah Goldberg, 2019.

to Forest Lawn, the large city cemetery in Norfolk, and to the historic Hebrew Cemetery. Many veterans’ graves are identified, but a fair portion are not.

As the Post Commander for the local chapter of the Jewish War Veterans, Post 158, it is not just my responsibility, but an obligation as an American Jew and Veteran to ensure that the service of members of our community get the proper honor that they deserve each Memorial Day. If you get the opportunity to walk through Forest Lawn, you will see that only the Jewish sections of the memorial park are covered with flags. We are the only organization in Tidewater, which I know about, that annually honors our war heroes with flags.

Many of the identified Veterans graves are still in need of a sponsor such as Edward Floum, B’nai Israel Cemetery, who received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart and was killed in Italy during WWII, or Emmanuel Baras, Workman’s Circle Cemetery, who was killed at age 19 in France.

If you are interested in sponsorship or know of any additional veterans graves, contact Adam Goldberg, Post Commander for JWV Post 158, at (831) 9173996 or email jwv. post158.se.virg inia@ gmail.com.

B’nai Israel Cemetery.

12 | Jewish News | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

p p y a H r ’ s e D h t a a y F

Supplement to Jewish News June 10, 2019 jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Father’s Day | Jewish News | 13

Father’s Day

Dear Readers,

C

elebrated on the third Sunday in June, Father’s Day was made a permanent national holiday by, you’ll never guess, President Richard Nixon, in 1972. Who knew?

R I S T O R A N T E I N S P I R E D

B Y

I T A LY

Father’s Day is usually filled with cards, gifts, and cookouts…though some dads get

lucky and, like most moms on Mother’s Day, are taken to restaurants.

This section, devoted really to all men, offers a few, I must admit, stereotypical male articles: on baseball, dad duties, and grilling.

The first is about a new documentary on Moe Berg. A Columbia Law School grad and pro baseball player, Berg is probably best known for his spy career during World War II. An incredibly interesting guy, so is the interview with the filmmaker. Page 15.

Most fathers—especially dads from the most recent couple of decades—would probably agree with the article that begins on page 16. It contends that being a dad isn’t just a job, that it’s actually a multitude of jobs! This is a fun read.

And, finally, it’s time to get the grill in gear. On page 20, we offer a few new recipes to add to the staples in your outdoor cooking repertoire.

Whether you’re purchasing gifts for that special man (or men—fathers, grandfathers, brothers, sons, sons-in-laws) in your life, or receiving them; and whether you’re firing up the grill or making reservations, we at Jewish News hope Sunday, June 16 is a Happy Day for all!

Terri Denison Editor

Celebrate Dad at Aldo’s

Sunday, June 16 | Open at 4pm RESERVE TODAY! L A

P R O M E N A D E

S H O P P E S

La Promenade Shoppes | 1860 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach 757.491.1111 | AldosVB.com

14 | Jewish News | Father’s Day | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

Father’s Day

Moe Berg’s life as ballplayer and spy, this time as a documentary Andrew Silow-Carroll

(JTA)—Moe Berg’s 15-year career as a major league shortstop, catcher, and coach in the 1920s and ’30s wasn’t much to speak of, but his story keeps being told in about as many ways as there are to tell it.

A Columbia Law School graduate who played for the Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, and others, Berg is best known for working as a spy for the Office of Strategic Services, a predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency, during World War II. His exploits include intelligence-gathering trips to Italy and Switzerland to uncover secrets about the Nazi nuclear program.

Berg’s story has been told in a nonfiction book and a feature film, but veteran filmmaker Aviva Kempner thought his story also deserved a full-length documentary. The Spy Behind Home Plate is in selected theaters nationwide.

Kempner, who lives in Washington, D.C., and is the director or producer of four previous documentaries, spoke with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency via email.

JTA: The story of Moe Berg has been told at least twice before—in the 1994 biography by Nicholas Dawidoff, The Catcher Was a Spy, and in the 2018 scripted movie of the same name starring Paul Rudd. What does your documentary add to what we know about Berg?

Kempner: I had the advantage of incorporating 18 interviews conducted from 1987 to 1991 by filmmakers Jerry Feldman and Neil Goldstein for The Best Gloveman in the League, which was never completed. Their interviews were archived at Princeton, and The Ciesla Foundation supported digitizing them for use in The Spy Behind Home Plate.

Their archival interviews include Moe’s brother, Dr. Sam Berg; Berg’s fellow players center fielder Dom DiMaggio, and pitchers Elden Auker and Joseph Cascarella; fellow OSS members Horace Calvert, William Colby and John Lansdale. Two interviews with former OSS members Earl Brodie and Edwin Putzell, conducted by ESPN

for its Sports Century-Moe Berg biography, were also included.

I also think the courage and accomplishments of the OSS, our too short-lived intelligence agency, should inspire numerous feature films, more documentaries, and even a heroic television series.

JTA: Your interest in Moe Berg’s story seems pretty natural—your previous films include Partisans of Vilna (1986), about Jewish commandos fighting the Nazis, and The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1998), about the legendary Jewish baseball player. But what was the specific impulse that led you to tell Berg’s story?

Kemper: Life-size wall hangings of my three favorite Jewish baseball players— Sandy Koufax pitching to Hank Greenberg and Moe Berg as catcher—adorn the curved wall of my home’s staircase. I was so proud of making The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg because he was a Jewish hero during times of teeming anti-Semitism in America and while the Nazis were raging in Europe.

Businessman William Levine asked me after seeing The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, “Do you want to make a film on an unusual Major League Baseball player?”

Levine pointed out that “Moe Berg was a great subject because he became a spy for the OSS during World War II, helping to defeat the Nazis.” I jumped at his generous offer to support a Berg bio film. The Spy Behind Home Plate fits perfectly into my goal to make historical documentaries about under-known Jewish heroes and my career focus on exploring courageous tales about those who fought the Nazis.

JTA: Berg is usually described as “enigmatic”—I’ve seen the famously eccentric baseball manager Casey Stengel quoted as describing Berg as “the strangest man ever to play baseball.” There was speculation on everything from his sexuality to how many languages he actually spoke. Is there a key interview or piece of evidence that you discovered that unlocked some of his mystery?

Kemper: Nothing we could find verified

he was gay. Quite the contrary, the interviews from 30 years ago with his fellow players point to Moe Berg being a lady’s man.

Also, the documentary has testimony from Babe Ruth’s daughter, Julie Ruth Stevens, who danced with Moe on the ship to Japan in 1934. She talked about how he “came on to her.” And finally, Paul Huni, the son of Estella Huni, who Moe had a relationship with for over a dozen years, talks about how they had a great love affair. He also provided photos of them together. Yet we could not find much footage of Moe actually talking, so he remains a mystery to some extent.

There are many myths and tall tales about Moe’s activities during the war, including the claim that he parachuted into Yugoslavia and met with partisan leader Tito. After extensive archival research, we found no evidence of this claim. Unfortunately, this story is featured in several museums and exhibits.

which you approached the Holocaust directly, although I often notice that with some of your other subjects—Hank Greenberg, the comedian and actress Gertrude Berg, and Moe Berg— the Holocaust is hovering just outside the frame either as a presence or an absence. After Partisans, did you make a conscious choice not to make another Holocaust documentary?

Kemper: After Partisans, I have concentrated on making films about the Jewish-American experience and their heroes. Also, it seems I like making films about subjects with Berg in their names. Seriously, I wanted to show Jewish heroes reflecting non-stereotypical roles and fighting the isms of fascism, sexism, McCarthyism, and again Nazism.

Hank Greenberg, Gertrude Berg, Julius Rosenwald, and now Moe Berg are all those role models that are good for us as American Jews to revere and emulate.

JTA: In what sense is the story of Moe Berg—beyond the biographical facts of his being a son of immigrant Jewish parents—a Jewish story? Did he face anti-Semitism either as a ballplayer or a spy? And did he have an affirmative Jewish identity?

Kemper: Moe Berg did not have a bar mitzvah, but did know Hebrew and Yiddish among his many languages.

While attending Princeton in the mid’20s, when Jews were labeled “Hebrews” in the yearbook, Berg took a courageous stand of not joining a dinner club if other Jews were not allowed. While in the MLB, Berg did not face the anti-Semitism that Hank Greenberg did as a slugger. And every day he was spying as a Jewish male in Europe during the war he was risking being caught and executed.

He is an American hero for sure.

JTA: You and I first met somewhere in between Partisans and Greenberg. I think I learned from you that documentary filmmaking is about 30 percent making the film and 70 percent fundraising. How do you get a funder excited about a project? Has it gotten any easier?

Kemper: My 501(c)(3) produces my documentaries, and yes, it’s a challenge to raise the funds in a timely fashion. I am so lucky that after 40 years in the business that one angel came to the rescue to fund this film. In the past there have been dozens upon dozens of generous funders.

I am just hoping there are other mensches like William Levine that want to support another Jewish hero or heroine.

JTA: You are the child of Holocaust survivors. Your first film, Partisans of Vilna, was I think the only one in

JTA: Bonus question: What are you watching these days? Are there some new documentaries you think our readers shouldn’t miss?

Kemper: There is a fun one called The Mamboniks about how Jews loved dancing mambo.

jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Father’s Day | Jewish News | 15

Father’s Day

Three Grilling Recipes for Father’s Day Shannon Sarna

W

ell, Father’s Day is here, so you will either be serving up breakfast in bed or heating up your grill (or both).

If your husband/partner/father/grandpa is anything like mine, then I know they will be excited to stand behind their grill proudly to serve up some awesome eats for friends and family. Here are three of my favorite recipes for a Father’s Day cook-out: Spiralized hot dogs because everyone, everyone, loves hot dogs. Especially kids.

Lamb kebabs for the dad who likes a little Middle Eastern flare.

Grilled pineapple for a sweet and easy dessert.

DON’T WORRY, WE KNOW WHAT DAD WANTS

STRESSLESS® Admiral Recliner

*PRICES START AT $1899.

STRESSLESS® CHAIRS $1899* Two sizes, 6 leather colors, 7 wood finishes.

16 | Jewish News | Father’s Day | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

Cutting hot dogs into a spiral isn’t just fun—it makes the hot dog better, because it gets crispier on the grill and condiments like relish and mustard fall into the meaty grooves.

Here, three great DIY toppings for spiral hot dogs:

Chicago-Style Salsa In a bowl, toss 1 finely chopped Persian cucumber with ½ cup celery leaves, ½ cup quartered cherry tomatoes, ¼ cup thinly sliced peperoncini, ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion, ¼ cup sweet pickle relish and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper; serve on hot dogs.

THE INNOVATORS OF COMFORT™

No golf ties here. This year give dad the gift he deserves, a great place to kick back and relax.

Spiralized hot dogs

301 West 21st Street Norfolk, VA 23517 757.623.3100 decorumfurniture.com Monday thru Saturday 10-6, Sunday Noon-5

Apricot Mostarda In a saucepan, combine ½ cup each of apple cider vinegar and water with 1 cup chopped dried apricots, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 minced shallot and 1 minced garlic clove. Bring to a boil, then simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the apricots are soft and coated in a light syrup, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard and 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard. Season with salt and let cool; serve on hot dogs.

Pickled Pepper Slaw In a bowl, toss 1 cup sliced sweet and/or hot pickled peppers with ½ cup shredded romaine, 2 tablespoons olive oil and ¼ cup each chopped parsley and dill. Season with salt and pepper; serve on hot dogs.

Father’s Day Lamb kebabs

Grilled Pineapple

Although lamb isn’t the most common meat found in Jewish American kitchens, it is still very popular in many Sephardic kitchens, particularly during Passover, and in the springtime.

Since the internet is already full of innovative ideas for grilling burgers, fish, vegetables, tofu, and even pizza, here is a simple, delicious recipe that uses up the last of the coals to make a festive dessert.

Ingredients 1 basket juicy red grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes 1 large red bell pepper cut into 1x2 inch pieces 2 portobello mushroom caps cut into 10 or 12 wedges 18 to 24 pieces lean lamb, from a boneless leg, cut into 1 inch square pieces 1 large sweet onion cut into 10 or 12 wedges ½ cup dry red wine 1 Tablespoon oregano generous pinch of Kosher salt generous grindings of good black peppercorns 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar ¼–¹⁄3 cup good olive oil

Ingredients ¼ cup raspberries 2 Tablespoons sugar, or to taste ½ cup brown sugar dissolved in a little water 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice 1 cup fresh whipping cream 1 whole pineapple

Directions Mix all the marinade ingredients in a deep glass bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Add the lamb chunks, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight if possible. Turn the lamb to make sure it gets fully coated with the marinade.

Prepare all the vegetables and have 6 skewers ready.

Remove the lamb from the marinade.

Discard the marinade.

Beginning and ending with a piece of onion, thread the lamb and vegetables onto the skewers, making them fit snugly against each other.

Place the kebabs in a roasting pan and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle them with kosher salt and black pepper.

Grill the kebabs over medium-high heat until the lamb reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees.

Remove the skewers from the heat and allow the kebabs to rest in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes. The lamb will continue to cook and rise in temperature to at least 145 degrees which is medium-rare. Grill lamb longer if you prefer it to be more done.

FATHER’S DAY WITH SOME NEW THREADS

Directions Using a sharp, sturdy knife, cut the bottom off of the pineapple. Stand the pineapple up on the flat surface and, slicing down along the fruit, remove the outer peel, rotating as you go until the peel is gone. Lay the pineapple down horizontally and slice into ½ inch rounds OR cut into ½ inch long wedges.

Mix together the dissolved brown sugar and lime juice in a bowl. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat each pineapple round or wedge with the mixture. Spray your grill with a little vegetable oil and grill pineapple on each side for a couple of minutes until it gets nicely caramelized and browned. Serve topped with raspberry cream.

For Cream Combine cream and sugar in a bowl.

Using an immersion blender or whisk (beating rapidly), whip air into cream until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl, mash the raspberries well with a fork.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the smashed raspberries into the whipped cream. Serve over grilled pineapple.

HILLTOP EAST THE PALACE SHOPS

1544 Laskin Rd, Ste. 216, Virgina Beach 306 W 21st, Norfolk

428-8615 627-6073

Personalized service since 1917.

e d i u G 2018

Coming Soon!

Guide to Jewish Living in Tidewater August 12 issue

ng Livir h s i w t o Je wate i n ti d e

To advertise, call 757.965.6100 or email news@ujft.org

jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Father’s Day | Jewish News | 17

Father’s Day First Person

Being a Dad Isn’t a Job. It’s Actually Many Jobs.

Raffi Bilek

P

arents are the original jack of all trades. The range of roles we are called upon to play in a single day is, if you think about it, quite staggering. It is really quite staggering even if you don’t think about it, and if you are yourself a parent, it is likely you don’t have the time to do so anyway.

The different hats we wear as parents are above and beyond the roles that adults already play in general, such as parent, spouse, employee, manager, sibling, child, friend, dog walker, barista, dish washer, cleaning staff, and sleep deficiency expert, to name a few. I am speaking instead of the hats specific to being a parent, of

which some are super-wonderful—and some are less so. One thing you can say about being a parent, few jobs have more variety or better benefits. It’s a labor of love.

Here’s an abridged list of some of the jobs that I fill as a parent, starting with my least favorite, followed by my more preferred ones.

7. Disciplinarian I think kids don’t realize how much we hate having to keep from them things that they want. There is nothing more I would like than to see my daughter enjoy a great big piece of chocolate cake. But if you haven’t eaten your dinner, well…we gotta lay down the rules and stick by them. Really,

BESTof of Readers’ Choice AWARDS 2019

Backyard Oasis is the perfect place to unwind, listen to Backyard Oasis is the perfect place to unwind, listen to A backyard oasis is the perfect place totunes unwind, listenyour to your favorite your favorite or watch favorite teamtunes, on the your favorite tunes or watch your favorite team on the or watch your favorite team on theTV. outdoor Domes can make it happen! outdoor SoundTV. impossible?

Call DomesAV for a outdoor TV. Sound impossible? Call DomesAV for a FREE demo of an outdoor audio system at your home.

Call DomesAV for a FREE Demo of anof outdoor audioaudio system for your home.

FREE demo an outdoor system at your home.

• Outdoor Entertainment • Automated Shades • Landscape Lighting

• Outdoor Home Theater DistributedAudio Audio nn Entertainment nn• Distributed Outdoor Entertainment Distributed Audio • Smart Home • Two-Channel Audio nnAutomated Shades nn Two-Channel Audio Automated Shades Two-Channel Audio • Security & Surveillance Outdoor Audio nn Landscape nn• Outdoor LandscapeLighting Lighting OutdoorAudio Audio Preferred nnHome Theater n Home Theater n Preferredbrand brandpartners: partners: Father’s Day Special Control4 and Savant nnSmart Home Smart Home Control4 and Savant nnSecurity &&Surveillance Security Surveillance Get a FREE on-site demo of landscape speakers, and qualify for $100 OFF installation724 for complete system.

724First FirstColonial ColonialRoad Road This offer may only be used on a complete Landscape Speaker System purchase from DomesAV. Virginia Beach, VA 23451 Virginia Beach, VA 23451 Offer may not be combined with any current bids, proposals, or recent sales. nnwww.DomesAV.com (757) 548-2020 Please mention Father’s Day Promotion to receive this discount.

Valid May 30 – June 30, 2019. www.DomesAV.com (757) 548-2020

724 First Colonial Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 • Open Mon. – Sat. | 10:00am – 6:00pm

18 | Jewish News | Father’s Day | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

757-548-2020 • www.DomesAV.com

Father’s Day “the brown stuff” off chicken, bananas, broccoli, toast, or even foods that are supposed to be brown!? This is very much a job I prefer to leave to my wife. I’ll load and unload the dishwasher instead.

I just want to give them everything good and tasty in the world. But then I will end up with lousy adults, and since they’re going to be adults for a lot longer than they’re going to be kids, it seems wise to invest in their adulthood.

6. Cook I know there are lots of folks who like to make food. I am not one of those folks. I really dislike food preparation. I am loath to even make myself a PB&J sandwich, or even just a J sandwich. And of course, even the really easy stuff becomes very not easy when dealing with children. Did you ever make the mistake of cutting the sandwich in half when they didn’t want it cut? Catastrophe! How about trying to get

5. Chauffeur This one isn’t so terrible, except that somehow you always seemed to be called into it at the most inconvenient times. You come in from a particularly exhausting day at work, only to be reminded, “Honey, did you forget to pick up Talia from swim practice?” And then back out you go, cursing the fool who invented swimming pools.

This job does have the perk that you sometimes get to spend nice one-on-one time with your child, but as they get older, you are increasingly relegated to the status of a chauffeur, in addition to the role, and your kids end up interacting with each other or their friends and behaving exactly as if they were in a driverless Uber that magically takes them to the correct location (for free).

4. Poopologist Changing diapers is already low on anybody’s list, but that’s not really even the worst of it. It’s when you have to continued on page 20

FATHER’S DAY Buffet

11:30AM - 8:30PM

UNLIMITED

• Prime Rib • Lamb Chops • Jumbo Fried Shrimp • • She Crab Soup • Eastern Shore Oysters • • Fresh Cajun Salmon • Homemade Desserts •

Family owned and operated for over 53 years.

Serving the best aged steaks, prime rib, and freshest seafood in Hampton roads since 1966.

5805 Northampton Boulevard, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23455 757.464.1580 • www.aberdeenbarn.net • Established Since 1966

Coming Soon!

Legal Matters Legal Matters in the Jewish community

July 15 issue

To advertise, call 757.965.6100 or email news@ujft.org

jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Father’s Day | Jewish News | 19

Father’s Day continued from page 19

Men's Barbering Lounge & Spa Men's only atmosphere

PLUS

all your grooming needs.

Haircuts, Hot Lather Shave, Ten Toe Touchdown, Handshake Maintenance, Facials And Much More

examine your child’s poop—closely—to determine what kind of ailment it is that is causing them to holler at irregular intervals through the night that really hits the low point of the job.

Okay, now here are my favorites.

3. Jester I’m really good at this one. This is often called for when the kids are in a little bit of a down mood. Or a silly mood. Or really, there aren’t a lot of moods I find a poor match for the jester (except the one where they’re really PO’d and want to stay that way—you do not want to make them laugh at that time).

It’s also a great role to call upon as a distractor, say when someone is fixated on getting a lollipop or on not putting on their underwear. I couldn’t tell you the number of times I have entered my kids’ rooms with underwear hanging

off my ear. This has proven an excellent way to break through underwear refusal and get it swiftly onto their tushy.

2. Teacher How do airplanes fly? How come the moon follows us when we walk? Why is it called a street? What are dogs from? These are just some of the questions I was asked in a recent four-minute interval as I was out on a walk with my seven-year-old. Sometimes I get to answer before she asks the next one.

Sometimes not.

It is admittedly satisfying to know the answers when I do. It’s nice to feel smart.

But the real satisfaction is observing the sponge-like qualities of my children as they drink up new information in the manner of the First Chinese Brother swallowing the

A gift Dad will enjoy every time he uses it!

Better Quality Cooking Tools From Around The World Since 1975

Give Dad a break from the ordinary.

With every gift card purchase receive a complementary Lounge Membership for Dad. THE ONLY REAL MEN'S SALON

222 W. 21st Street, Suite E Norfolk, VA 23517

757.627.5253 (JAKE) In Historic Ghent

WWW.JAKESPLACEGHENT.COM

Hilltop North Shopping Center 757-422-0888 · kitchenbarnonline.com

20 | Jewish News | Father’s Day | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

sea (if you aren’t familiar with the book I am referencing, you are missing out).

1. Counselor As a teacher, I aim to expand my children’s minds. As a counselor, I aim to expand their hearts. Emotional intelligence, which I aim to inculcate in them by example as much as by instruction, is critical to one’s long-term happiness. In addition to the proactive bit, I am also called upon to be reactive—when my daughter is distraught over her broken toy, her dead fish, her ailing BFF relationship, or when she is stressed, or elated, or apprehensive. I feel fortunate to be able to give over the emotional tools my children will need to weather the ups and downs of life.

W

hat, then, is a Dad? Is it just a catch-all for the list of jobs we do? I don’t think so. A Dad is more than the sum of his parts. Dadness is the moment when you give your kid an ice cream cone with the sprinkles already mixed in and her eyes light up like the sun. It’s the time you spend snuggling in bed saying nothing at all. It’s the hours when you struggle to bear her pain that you cannot take away.

And it’s also—so I hear—the bittersweet day that you realize she’s an adult and not your little girl anymore, that she packs up and moves out and wishes you well as she embarks on a life in pursuit of her own success and her greatest dreams.

Isn’t that, after all, Dad’s success and greatest dream as well?

it’s a Wrap JCC, YAD, and Chabad’s Lag B’Omer Bash is true to its name

T

Shaya.

he 33rd day of the Omer was celebrated this year with beautiful weather and people from all congregations together at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus.

As in past years, DJ Silver provided celebratory Israeli and Jewish tunes to set the mood in the JCC fields. A cookout dinner was served, along with Cona Ice. Hilby the Skinny German Juggle Boy wowed the crowd—both kids and adults—with his stilt walking, juggling, and entertaining performance. The night ended around the fire-pit with marshmallows roasting and S’mores. All through the Lag B’Omer Bash, kids enjoyed the

newly re-done mini golf course, bounce house, face painting, and outdoor games.

These types of memories are what

celebrating Jewish holidays are all about.

Mark calendars for next year’s Lag B’Omer community celebration on May, 12, 2020.

Yael Hass.

Kids enjoy a lifesize game of Connect 4.

CarEEr OppOrtunity Electrical Engineer Virginia Beach, VA

Provides design and research capability for ongoing engineering and manufacturing projects. This includes installation and modifications of electrical equipment and systems. Eligible candidates should have a Bachelor’s Degree or foreign equivalent degree evaluation in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Employer will accept any suitable combination of training, education or experience.

Interested candidates should mail their academic material and resume to: IMS Gear Virginia LLC ATTN: Amy Coburn 489 Progress Lane Virginia Beach, Virginia 23454

Hilby the Skinny German Juggle Boy in action.

Gear Technology. Worldwide.

iMS:GEAR jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Jewish News | 21

it’s a Wrap

Israel Fest 2019

Sun, fun, and lots of activities and people T

housands from across Tidewater joined the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus to celebrate Israel’s 71st year on a bright, sun-filled day.

Israel Fest 2019 was packed with authentic Israeli food, music, art, jewelry, games, and more. A variety of activities for both young and old included Maccabee jousting, Krav Maga for children, camel rides, a community graffiti project, and educational games. Even Congresswoman Elaine Luria and Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer attended.

Children take part in Maccabee Jousting.

Brad Martin and John Strelitz.

Brad Lerner, Mayor Bobby Dyer, and Hannah Mancoll.

Community Graffiti Project.

Congresswoman Elaine Luria with Leslie and Larry Siegel.

Sarah and Stephen Faircloth, Nadav Meirson, and Craig Dershowitz.

22 | Jewish News | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

David Leon, Leora Drory, John Strelitz, and Stephanie Calliott.

it’s a Wrap

Fun on mechanical surfing ride.

Mayor Bobby Dyer with Jeff and Amy Brooke.

Shany, Mia and Nitai Pinto.

Kids enjoying a camel ride.

Nadav Meirson teaches Krav Maga.

Erica Kaplan and Alyssa Muhlendorf.

Parents cheer on their babies during the diaper derby across Israel.

Myles Wood.

Mayor Bobby Dyer with Danny Mishkin and Lynn Lancaster of Sababa Beach Away Camp.

jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Jewish News | 23

it’s a Wrap

what’s happening

Community meets with Congressman Donald McEachin

A

t a meeting with Jewish community leaders last month, Representative Donald McEachin of Virginia’s 4th congressional district, said that his “passion and love of Israel comes from learning from his father (who was an army veteran), that you don’t abandon your allies, your friends.”

McEachin also voiced his concern about the uprising of hatred in the United States, specifically toward the Jewish, Africa American, and Muslim communities.

Arnold Leon, Kirk Levy, and Miles Leon with Congressman Donald McEachin.

Temple Israel bonds over kabobs

Lois Einhorn, Wendy Brodsky, Norman Soroko, Linda Longman, Barry Einhorn, Bobbie Fisher, Rita Weiss, and Ruth Ellen Gans. Not pictured: Shirley Legum.

Bobbie Fisher

N

o great community event ever happens without mountains of work being done behind the scene. The recent Israel Fest was certainly no exception.

Norfolk’s Temple Israel offered festivalgoers a tasty—and healthy!—reprieve from the heat of the day in the form of cool, refreshing fruit kabobs. And while the Temple’s kabob booth was a nice, quiet place to take a break from all the events and activities going on all around during Israel Fest, the scene in the TI kitchen just a few hours earlier was anything but.

Beginning well before 7 am that morning, a group of temple members gathered around a long table to begin assembling the honeydew melon, green and red grapes, cantaloupe, pineapple and

strawberries that comprised the treat. But first, of course, those melons had to be balled, grapes separated from their stalks, pineapples sliced, strawberries relieved of their leafy tops, and all washed and drained.

The kabob assembly team, some of whom were meeting each other for the first time, walked around the table, adding one piece of fruit at a time, piercing each with precision, and adding the strawberry topper before handing the finished product off to the wrapping team.

The booth was a success—of the more than 250 kabobs, there were but a very few left at the end of the festival. But Team Kabob agreed that the success started long before Israel Fest began: with a wonderful morning of camaraderie.

24 | Jewish News | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

Holocaust Commission invites educators, community members and students to Educators’ Conference Tuesday, July 30–Thursday, August 1

T

he Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s 14th Biennial Educators’ Conference, Teaching Difficult History: How Our Past Informs Our Present, will include an original dance performance, speakers, workshops, and a trip to the Virginia Holocaust Museum.

The highly praised conference provides educators with tools, strategies, and techniques for promoting respect, empathy, and accountability in their classrooms. Studying the lessons of the Holocaust provides educators with a platform for teaching tolerance and acceptance.

This year, the conference starts out with the new Evening with the Arts at Norfolk Academy, centered on an original dance presentation by the Elbert Watson Dance Company. The evening will also include light hors d’oeuvres, an opportunity to meet conference keynote speakers in an informal setting, and welcoming remarks from State Education Board member, Elizabeth Lodal. The conference includes an “in-school” segment on Wednesday, July 31, at Norfolk Academy, and a “field trip” on Thursday, August 1, to the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond.

Keynote speakers on July 31 are Dr. Alan Marcus of the University of Connecticut, Dr. Jeremy Stoddard of the University of Wisconsin, and Dr. Jeff Eargle of the University of South Carolina.

Meals, educational materials, and professional educational credits, are also provided for registered educators. As with the Holocaust Commission’s 2017 conference, a “community option” is offered to hear the keynote speakers and enjoy lunch with them and all participants.

Thursday’s group trip to the Virginia Holocaust Museum includes a presentation by Dr. Charles Sydnor, VHM senior historian, an educators’ tour of the museum, and two current special exhibits, including Holocaust By Bullets, showcasing the work of January visiting speaker, Father Patrick Desbois. Bus transportation, museum admission, and meals are included in the conference cost.

Registration before June 30, is $75; after June 30, is $100.

The community option, including the Evening of the Arts, costs $50. Email info@holocaustcommission.org for information.

To attend just the Evening of the Arts, the cost is $25.

Call 757‑965-6125, email info@holocaustcommission.org or visit holocaustcommission.jewishva.org/educators-conference for more information, to download a brochure, or to register.

Elizabeth Lodal.

Dr. Alan Marcus.

Dr. Jeremy Stoddard.

Elbert Watson.

Dr. Jeff Eargle.

what’s happening B’nai Israel to host Ann Zukerman Memorial Scholar-in-Residence, Moe Mernick Friday, June 14–Saturday, June 15

Moe Mernick.

A

nn Zukerman’s appreciation for Torah lectures and tasteful events inspired her family—under the leadership of Herb Zukerman—to initiate an annual Scholarin-Residence program in her memory. The idea is to bring high quality speakers to the community to address timely topics through the lens of both Jewish thought and professionalism.

This year’s speaker is acclaimed author and speaker, Moe Mernick, founder and CEO of Winfluencers, an early-stage startup that empowers micro-influencers to monetize their passion. Mernick previously served as the head of business development for

Hometalk, Strategy Consultant for Deloitte, and as regional director for the Lauder Foundation. Mernick holds an MBA and semichah and published his first book, The Gift of Stuttering in 2016. He also teaches a Daf Yomi shiur, produces inspirational videos for Aish.com, and lectures to audiences worldwide. Mernick lives in Israel with his wife and children. His website is www.moemernick.com.

Mernick’s topics over the weekend will include: “The Gift of Challenges: My personal story of embracing my stutter and discovering true happiness,” “Epic Encounters: How hitchhiking across America transformed my outlook on prayer,” and a Friday morning session with the Society of Jewish Professionals, “Vision, Mission & Passion: Lessons from top entrepreneurs that will help you lead a more successful life—both personally and professionally.”

On Friday night, a catered Shabbos dinner in honor of Ann Zukerman will take place for $60 per person.

For more information or to make reser‑ vation, contact Rabbi Gavriel Rudin at 757-386-3274 or email gavriel.rudin@ bnaiisrael.org or visit www.bnaiisrael.org/ scholar-in-residence.

First Shabbat service planned for new congregation Friday, June 14, 8 pm, Church of the Holy Apostles

T

emple Lev Tikvah (Heart of Hope), a new Reform Jewish congregation in Virginia Beach, will hold its first Shabbat service this month. Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman, is founder and spiritual leader of the congregation.

“My heart indeed overflows with hope, gratitude, and love as I humbly, yet proudly announce the blessed birth of the youngest synagogue in Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads,” says Rabbi Zoberman.

The new congregation will be housed in Church of the Holy Apostles, a unique

ecumenical Christian setting—the only such in the world—making it an even more exceptional interfaith center. Established in Virginia Beach in 1977, the church is both an Episcopal and Catholic congregation. “Their loving embrace of my new Reform Jewish temple is ample and inspiring testimony to their genuine ecumenical spirit reaching beyond their own common and diverse Christian traditions,” says Zoberman.

The church is located at 1593 Lynnhaven Parkway in Virginia Beach.

20BIENNIAL MEETING 19 2019 Biennial Meeting of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Thursday, June 13, Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus Reception begins at 6 pm; Program begins at 6:45 pm

T

he community is invited to attend the 2019 Biennial Meeting of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

The evening will include the nomination and election of Amy Moss Levy as the new UJFT president, as well as recognition of John Strelitz, the outgoing UJFT president. Leadership and special community awards will be presented.

Kosher hors d’oeuvres will be served. RSVP is required. Contact Tammy Mujica at tmujica@ ujft.org or 757-965-6124.

Where We Disappear, Simon Fink’s directorial debut set to premiere in Los Angeles Friday, June 21, 7 pm

T

he feature film, Where We Disappear, directed by Norfolk native Simon Fink, is getting its world premiere in Los Angeles at the historic TLC (Grauman’s) Chinese Theatres.

The film is the official selection of the 2019 Dances With Films festival. The festival, as noted by IndieWire, is “widely recognized as the premiere showcase of innovative cinema in the U.S” and is considered by the Huffington Post to be “L.A.’s Best Indie Film Festival.”

Where We Disappear is a story of survival about a woman’s first night in a Soviet prison camp.

For more details, go to facebook.com/wherewedisappear.

jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Jewish News | 25

Career Opportunities Community Relations Council Director

The CRC educates the community on issues impacting the rights of Jews locally, in the U. S., in Israel and around the world. Candidate should have managerial leadership and experience implementing its mission and programmatic direction. Position requires knowledge of current topics of interest to the Jewish community; knowledge and understanding of Jewish life, practices, customs, history, perspective and community infrastructure; involvement in Jewish communal life.

Jewish Innovation Director

JI director works with all departments to infuse Judaism into what takes place daily at the Sandler Family Campus. Candidate will bring a spirit of creativity to experiencing Judaism on campus and in the community by creating a culture of innovation and forward thinking through events, experiences, and study.

Bachelor’s Degree in related field, Master’s Degree preferred; Knowledge of Jewish values and traditions; 5+ years’ experience developing innovative programing including implementation and growth and demonstrated success as a Jewish educator for different demographics.

Arts + Ideas Manager

Responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of Jewish and Israeli cultural arts programs, events, exhibits and celebrations of the Simon Family Jewish Community Center and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

This includes direct responsibility for assigned program support personnel for all programs within Arts + Ideas.

Complete job descriptions at federation.jewishva.org/job-opportunities Submit cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to: resumes@ujft.org

EOE

Employment Oppor tunity

Executive Administrative Assistant The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater/Simon Family JCC seeks an Executive Administrative Assistant who is a master multi-tasker with excellent communication skills (both verbal and written) to support the Executive Vice President (EVP) in the execution of the organization’s development and operational goals.

This Full-Time position requires an upbeat attitude, and the ideal candidate should be resourceful and organized. The position supports the EVP’s work with the Senior Management Team, the UJFT Board of Directors and committees. An important responsibility is to ensure that operational information is communicated in a timely, accurate and appropriate manner. The qualified candidate must have two or more years of related office experience and proven proficiency using Windows and MS Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).

Calendar JUNE 11, TUESDAY YAD at Beachside Social, 2728 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, 7–9pm. Featuring floor shuffleboard, bocce, board games, craft cocktails and beer. Spots are limited to first 30 RSVPs. YAD, UJFT’s Young Adult Division is for ages 21–39. For more information, contact Jasmine Amitay at jamitay@ujft.org.

JUNE 12, WEDNESDAY JCAMP Meet and Greet, Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, outside on the fields— rain or shine, 6 pm. Snacks and music. Meet the new camp director, Eliana Rohrig. Pick up 2019 camp t-shirt and water bottles; get to know counselors and bunk mates. For information, call Latricia Allen at 321-2342.

JUNE 13, THURSDAY UJFT Biennial Meeting, 6pm. For information, contact Tammy Mujica at tmujica@ujft.org.

See page 25.

JUNE 13–14, FRIDAY–SATURDAY Moe Mernik in Tidewater for Ann Zukerman Scholar-in-Residence. For more information, visit bnaiisrael.org/scholar or contact Rabbi Gavriel Rudin at 386-3274 or gavriel.rudin@ bnaiisrael.org. See page 20.

JUNE 19, WEDNESDAY JCC Seniors Club tour Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, 9 am – 5 pm. Bus transportation will depart from and return to the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus. Cost for transportation, museum docent, and lunch is $30. To register by Wednesday, June 12, call 321-2338 or visit www.jewishva.org/seniors.

JUNE 19, WEDNESDAY Nadiv: Men’s Giving Circle Happy Hour at Circuit Social, 258 Granby Street, 5–7 pm.

Circuit Social is a retro arcade with classic games such as NBA Jam, X-Men, The Simpsons and duckpin bowling, skee-ball and Pop-A-Shot basketball. Contact Jasmine Amitay at jamitay@ ujft.org.

JULY 30–AUGUST 1, TUESDAY–THURSDAY 14th Biennial Educators’ Conference, “Teaching Difficult History: How Our Past Informs Our Present.” Holocaust Commission invites educators, community members, and students to attend. For more information, call 965-6125, email info@holocaustcommission.org or visit https://holocaustcommission.jewishva.org/educators-conference. See page 24.

Send submissions for calendar to news@ujft.org. Be sure to note “calendar” in the subject.

Include date, event name, sponsor, address, time, cost and phone.

Visit us on the web jewishnewsva.org Complete job description at federation.jewishva.org/job-opportunities Submit cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to: resumes@ujft.org Review of applications will begin immediately, and continue until the position filled.

EOE

26 | Jewish News | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

Follow us on Facebook JewishNewsVA

arts & culture First Person

Eurovision in Israel: Celebrating global connections through music

Summer is the BEST time to join the Simon Family JCC

Carly Glikman

T

el Aviv lit up with magic during the week of May 13 for the 64th annual Eurovision Song Contest.

With all of Europe’s eyes on Israel, Tel Aviv did not disappoint.

In 2018, Netta Barzili, representing Israel, was announced the Kobi Marimi represented Israel at 2019 Eurovision. winner of the 63rd Euro Village was compared to musical Eurovision Song Contest for her song festivals in the United States such as about strong women, Toy. This marked a Coachella, Boneroo, and Governor’s Ball. huge victory for Israel, and Toy was the A source in Tel Aviv says that on Thursday, new Israeli anthem, blasting at every wedMay 16, Euro Village became so full that ding, nightclub, and bar mitzvah for the cell phones stopped working.

12 months to follow. Barzili has become The Tel Aviv multiplicity arranged a star across Europe and an idol among for visitors to “just feel like tourists, but Israelis. experience the best Israel has to offer, “As you know Israel is not actually which is it’s people.” Tourists were placed part of Europe,” says Israel native, Chen in homes of Tel Avivians for an authentic Glikman. “And for us to be accepted into Shabbat Dinner. the competition and then win everything The finals at the Expo center began gains a lot of respect for Israel. on Saturday evening and were hosted by “There can be a lot of hate that comes Israeli celebrities such as Assi Azzar, Bar with being from Israel and the music Rafaeli, Arab Israeli Lucy Ayoub, and Erez competition accepts Israel and leaves the Tal, and with a special celebrity appearpolitics aside,” says Glikman. ance by Madonna. Kobi Marimi, Israel’s Barzili’s win also meant that Israel contest representative for the year gave became the hosting country for the 64th an emotional performance with his song annual contest for the third time. After Home. He concluded his performance in much debate and bidding, Tel Aviv was tears, which was felt throughout the audiselected as the host city and Expo Tel ence and all of Israel.

Aviv, the city’s convention center, was Although The Netherlands were chosen to host 39 European and Eurasian named this year’s Eurovision winner, the countries on May 18. big winner was Israel, who proved it can Euro Village was set up in Charles host such an extravagant and inclusive Clore Park near the beach and held more event in such a small country. Despite than 10,000 people for a four-day pre-Euthe terror they faced in the weeks prior to rovision festival with performances, stalls, the event, Europeans walked away with and bars. This also held the stage for all a different view of Israel, and that music of the semifinals of the competition. The connects all. lights from Euro Village were electrifying.

With your membership, enjoy • Outdoor waterpark • Free drop-in childcare while you workout • Fully-equipped playgrounds • Discounts to JCAMP and other programs • 9 hole mini golf • Walking trail • Special needs programming 4 days a week • State-of-the art fitness and cardio equipment • Free classes: more than 65 per week, including Zumba ® BODYPUMP ®, Yoga, Pilates, Dance, Spinning, and more • 2 Free Be Well orientations with fitness staff • Athletic thletic fields: baseball, softball, football, and soccer • 3 indoor pools • Locker rooms with steam room and sauna • Indoor and outdoor basketball courts • Convenient towel service *Go to simonfamilyjcc.org for full offer details

T WO ns: hip Optio s r e b m e M

nnual onth or A -M o -t th n Mo onthly* at $ 39 m rt ta s th Bo

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! SIMON FAMILY JCC

5000 Corporate Woods Dr. | Virginia Beach 757-321-2300 | simonfamilyjcc.org

jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Jewish News | 27

Obituaries Laurel Kanner Gutterman Philadelphia, Pa.—Laurel Kanner Gutterman of Philadelphia, passed away on June 4, 2019.

She was born in Brooklyn, New York, the older child of Rubell (Gevitz) and Herbert Lee Kanner.

She graduated from James Madison High School in Brooklyn and seeking a new environment, enrolled in the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa, married Morris B. Gutterman (who predeceased her in 1987) and moved to his home city of Norfolk, Virginia. She became active in the education field. With a grant from the Ford Foundation, she originated and taught Spanish on television to fourth and fifth graders. After receiving a Masters in American History, she taught American Studies (an American literature/history) course to 11th graders.

She became chair of the history department at Lake Taylor High School and left there to become an administrator/supervisor with the Norfolk Public Schools.

She completed all the course work for a doctorate at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

After retirement, she moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan and was able to enjoy the rich cultural and educational life of a university community.

She is survived by two daughters Jo (Robert Levy) and Nan (William Irby) and two granddaughters Zoe Gutterman (Marc Friend) and Noa Gutterman. Her brother, Merritt Kanner predeceased her.

Contributions in her memory to Planned Parenthood or a charity of your choice.

Barbara Goldstein Horwitz Virginia Beach—Barbara Horwitz passed away Sunday, June 2, 2019, at the age of 92.

She was born December 6, 1926 in Queens N.Y., the daughter of Joseph and Frances Goldstein (of blessed memory).

Barbara earned a B.S. in Chemistry at Queens College and an M.S. in Education at NYU. She taught school in NYC, becoming the assistant principal of P.S. 42 in the South Bronx.

She was a lifelong member of Hadassah.

Barbara and Lester met at a Saturday night dance at a Zionist event. Sunday, they went bicycling and by Wednesday, they were engaged. Married six months later, they celebrated over 72 years of marriage.

A life together filled with children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Over the years they travelled the world several times over, always coming back to what mattered most to them, family. They had a storybook life that is so very rare.

Barbara is survived by her loving husband Lester; Sons, Ethan Horwitz and Gloria Kindman, Abbey Horwitz and wife Brenda; Grandchildren Jessica and Jason Fruithandler, Matthew Horwitz and Anu Shrestha, Emily and Dan McGuinness, Nora, Shayna, and Jonathan Horwitz; Great grandchildren Libah and Micah Fruithandler; and her special “fur” grandchild Milo.

A very special thank you to Dr. Barbara Parks who gave Mom the very best of care.

Her extraordinary personal touch was a great comfort to Dad and all of us.

Funeral arrangements were handled by Altmeyer Funeral Home. A

“A Sensitive Alternative®”  

 

100% Service Appreciation, Commitment Guarantee Courtesy After Hours Drop Off Room and Private Pet Viewing Available Specialty Urns Available to Preserve Your Pet’s Memory Equine and Large Pet Services Now offering gentle and environmentally friendly Alkaline Hydrolysis! “Water-based Cremation”

Owner, A. Neal Kellum

Pet Cremation Services of Tidewater

757-340-0016

105 Happy St. | Virginia Beach, VA 23452 | Corner of Bonney Rd. & Happy St. Read our customer testimonials at www.petcremation.com

28 | Jewish News | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

graveside service took place at Princess Anne Memorial Gardens. Donations can be made to the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater or to Dorot in NYC at DorotUSA.org.

Shirley Belkov Lipman Virginia Beach—Shirley Belkov Lipman, a secretary to two rabbis who, with her late husband, founded an art materials and picture framing store in Maryland, died Tuesday, June 4, in Virginia Beach after suffering a stroke.

She was 95.

Born Shirley Belkov in Miami, she was the third daughter and sixth child of Ukrainian immigrants who had moved to Florida from Phoebus for the health of an older son. The family moved back to Norfolk after the hurricane of 1926 and Miss Belkov attended Blair Junior High School in Norfolk, where she was a reporter on the student newspaper.

Her future husband, Edgar Lipman, also worked on the paper as its business manager, although the two claimed they did not meet then. At 15, Miss Belkov moved to Washington, DC with her family and graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1941. During a visit to Norfolk, she met Edgar Lipman, then a student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI).

During World War II, she worked as a secretary for the federal government and was a volunteer nurse’s aide.

She and Mr. Lipman married on Oct. 27, 1946. In the early 1950s, she did occasional modeling and came in second in the Mrs. Washington, DC beauty pageant. That led to a walk-on appearance as an extra in the movie A Man Called Peter, based on the life of former U.S. Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall. Mrs. Lipman was the secretary to two rabbis: Rabbi David Panitz of Adas Israel In Washington DC, (father of Rabbi Michael Panitz of Temple Israel, Norfolk) and Rabbi Louis Weintraub of Temple Israel in Silver Spring, Md. In 1957, the couple opened The Art Shop & Gallery—later renamed Lipman’s Art Shop­—in Silver Spring, Md., which she owned until shortly after the death of her husband in 1983. Active in Jewish organizations, Mrs. Lipman was a life member of Hadassah and B’nai B’rith

Women and was president of the Free State chapter of B’nai B’rith Women in Silver Spring, 1967-68. She taught Sunday school at Temple Israel, Silver Spring, and both Israeli and international folk dancing at a summer camp near Thurmont, Md. Following the death of her husband, Mrs. Lipman moved to South Florida for several years, but returned to Norfolk in about 2000.

She was a member of Temple Israel, Norfolk. At the time of her death, she was a resident of Beth Sholom Village in Virginia Beach.

Mrs. Lipman is survived by two sons, Larry Lipman, of Falls Church, Va., and Eli Liron of Rishon LeTzion, Israel; a brother, Erwin Belkov of Warrenton, Va., four grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

A graveside service was held at King David Memorial Gardens, Falls Church, Va. The family requests contributions to either Beth Sholom Village, Virginia Beach, or Temple Israel, Norfolk. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.hdoliver.com.

Marsha Ornoff Merkle Portsmouth—Marsha Ornoff Merkle, 69, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, May 22, 2019. She was born in Portsmouth and was the daughter of the late Melvin and Frances Ornoff.

She is survived by her loving husband of 50 years, Marvin Merkle; two daughters, Jenefer Dayle Snyder and husband Michael and Heather Keller Umberger and husband Troy; three grandchildren, Brayden Douglas Snyder, Dylen Evan Keller and Seth Troy Umberger; and a host of loving friends and family.

A graveside service was held at Gomley Chesed Cemetery by Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz. www.SturtevantFuneralHome.com.

Susan E. Maggiora Tucson, Arizona—Susan E. Maggiora, 67, died suddenly on May 30, 2019.

Susan was born on June 7, 1951 in Portsmouth, Virginia. She graduated from Churchland High School in 1969, subsequently getting her degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Obituaries in 1973.

Following school, she moved to Buffalo, N.Y. and worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration before moving to Tucson, Arizona.

She is survived by her beloved husband Gerry Maggiora; her son, daughter, and son-in-law, Max Weisel and Leah and Jake Miller; her brother and sister-in-law Mark and Karen Gilbert;, her sister Janet Gilbert; and brother and sister-in-law Seth and Gwen Gilbert; her cousins Steve Okyle and Jill Bailey; her nieces and nephews David, Rachel, Ethan, Perrin, Noah, Henry and Sam. She is preceded in death by her parents Arthur and Adele (Okyle) Gilbert.

Funeral services and burial were held, at Evergreen Cemetery.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Organ Donor Network of Arizona www. dnaz.org/about-us/make-a-contribution/.

Rita S. Meschel Fairfax, Va.—Rita S. Meschel, formerly of Norfolk and Virginia Beach passed April 6, 2019 in Fairfax, Va. She was predeceased by Harry Meschel and is survived by her sons Dr. Philip Frank, Robert Frank, Jeff Meschel; and daughters Marsha Frank, Maida Gutterman, and Lynne Bovenzi and many grand and great-grandchildren.

She was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery.

Murray Polner, founding and only editor of Present Tense magazine (JTA)—Murray Polner, the founding editor of the liberal Jewish magazine Present Tense who served as its editor until it folded, has died.

Polner, who also authored or edited eight books, died on Thursday, May 30 at the age of 91. He was a resident of Great Neck, New York.

Polner founded Present Tense in 1973 and remained its editor until the American Jewish Committee ended the publication of the magazine during a cost-cutting restructuring in 1990.

Present Tense was widely seen as an alternative to Commentary, the conservative magazine also published by the AJC.

The first issue described its mission as “expressing a wide diversity of opinion on the situation of Jews in countries around the world, the special problems of Israel, the relationships among Jewish communities, and those issues and events in the United States and abroad which affect Jewish life and institutions.” Polner later founded and ran a newsletter called PS: The Intelligent Guide to Jewish Affairs, in order to continue the same kind of work.

He was a pacifist, anti-war writer and activist, according to The Island Now blog, and often wrote magazine articles as well as letters to the editor about subjects of war and peace.

Days before he died he dictated to his friend Rick Shenkman, founder of the History News Network, a letter to the editor of the New York Times, asking why the editorial page had not warned about a possible U.S. war with Iran, Shenkman told Polner’s son Rob, according to a remembrance posted on the HNN website.

The child of Russian immigrants, he served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1947 to 1952 and then in the U.S. Army from 1953 until 1955, eventually becoming a pacifist and working with anti-war groups to prevent the reinstitution of a military draft.

He taught through the early 1960s at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn,

and then at Brooklyn College, Queens College and Suffolk Community College.

Polner received his undergraduate degree from the City University of New York. By the late 1960s he earned a Masters degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in Russian history at Union Institute and University in 1972. continued on page 30

Southside Chapel • 5033 Rouse Drive Virginia Beach • 757 422-4000

Chris Sisler, Vice President, Member of Ohef Sholom Temple, Board member of the Berger-Goldrich Home at Beth Sholom Village, James E. Altmeyer, Jr., President, James E. Altmeyer, Sr., Owner

Maestas Chapel • 1801 Baltic Ave. Virginia Beach • 757 428-1112

• Family owned and operated since 1917 • Affordable services to fit any budget

Chesapeake Chapel • 929 S. Battlefield Blvd.

Chesapeake • 757 482-3311

• Advance funeral planning • Professional, experienced, caring staff • Flexible burial options • Flexible payment options

Denbigh Chapel • 12893 Jefferson Ave. Newport News • 757 874-4200

WWW.ALTMEYER.COM Approved by all area Rabbis and Chevrah Kadisha

Riverside Chapel • 7415 River Road Newport News •757 245-1525

jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Jewish News | 29

Obituaries continued from page 29

He served as book editor for the History News Network until May 2017, and was the editor of Fellowship magazine, published by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, from 1991 to 1993.

He was until recently a regular contributor to the LA Progressive. In his last column, dated Jan. 27 of this year, he wrote of his lifelong love affair with the New York Times as a reader and contributor, and how it had begun to fade. “[A]t times the Times seems to fall for insider leaks from the huge and very secret ‘Intelligence Community’ in our post 9/11 national security state, a development embraced by our some of our most aggressive haters,” he wrote. “Add that to the growing hostility to Russia, China and Iran, which could bring us perilously close to triggering an accidental conflict.”

Polner also wrote a biography of Branch Rickey, the baseball executive who signed Jackie Robinson, the first black player in

Major League Baseball, to Polner’s beloved Brooklyn Dodgers.

He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Louise; a daughter, Beth Polner Abrahams; sons, Rob and Alex; and six grandchildren.

Robert Bernstein, Human Rights Watch founder who chided group for anti-Israel bias (JTA)—Robert Bernstein, a founder of Human Rights Watch who later distanced himself from the group over its criticism of Israel, has died.

Bernstein also headed Random House for nearly 25 years, emerging as a leading figure in the publishing world. Among many top authors of the day, his company also published the works of Soviet dissidents Natan Sharansky, Andrei Sakharov, Yelena Bonner and Arkady Shevchenko, as well as Jewish Argentine journalist Jacobo Timerman.

He died last month of respiratory failure at a Manhattan hospital. He was 96.

Bernstein was the founding chairman of Human Rights Watch, founded in 1978 as Helsinki Watch, serving until 1990, according to the organization.

According to its statement on Bernstein’s death, Human Rights Watch said that in 2009, Bernstein publicly criticized the NGO’s reporting on human rights in Israel, writing in an op-ed in the New York Times that it condemned “far more” human rights abuses in Israel than in other Middle Eastern countries ruled by “authoritarian regimes with appalling human rights records.”

Human Rights Watch and its board responded that the organization’s work on the region was tough and accurate, holding Israel to the same principles and standards applied to all governments around the world. Bernstein continued to serve on Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Advisory Committee until shortly before his death.

Gerald Steinberg, the president of the

Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor, which worked closely with Bernstein, described him as “a brave defender of human rights.”

On his willingness to criticize Human Rights Watch over Israel, Steinberg said of Bernstein “he understood that it was attempting to turn Israel into a pariah state.”

Bernstein’s memoir, Speaking Freely: My Life in Publishing and Human Rights, was published in 2016.

Bernstein, who began his career as a junior office boy at Simon & Schuster, according to the Washington Post, headed Random House from 1966 to 1990. During his tenure he published famed American authors including James Michener, Toni Morrison, William Styron, Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal, E. L. Doctorow and Robert Ludlum, as well as the Czech revolutionary Vaclav Havel.

He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Helen, and three sons, Peter, Tom and William; a sister; 10 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

a d r v e e m n t m u r u e s r a o t f J l l C A MP a c t s La

Simon Family JCC

June 17 – August 9 • Post camp: August 12 – 23 Full day | Half day |Before & After Care | Post Camp Register online at campjcc.org.

SIMON FAMILY JCC | 5000 Corporate Woods Dr. | Virginia Beach | 757-321-2342 30 | Jewish News | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

TIDEWATER Jewish Foundation

Harold Grinspoon’s LIFE & LEGACY inspires locals

Kaitlyn Oelsner

They were joined by hundreds of representatives from 58 different Jewish communities from across North America for three days of learning from experts and reflection about their community’s experience with the LIFE & LEGACY program.

For Kaplan, it was an opportunity to reconnect with a friend and mentor. He says, “Harold made (and continues to make) an incredible impact on my life and career. Fifteen years ago, he gave me the guidance and opportunity that would set me on course for a deeply fulfilling and exciting career path in Jewish philanthropy. It is always an honor and privilege to spend time with Harold.”

arold Grinspoon is active, intelligent, quick to crack a joke, and he is only 90 years old. A true renaissance man, he has traveled far and wide, owned and operated a successful business, and has recently begun creating massive art installations, many of which are installed in his and his wife’s, Diane’s sprawling backyard in Western Massachusetts.

He’s also the founder of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF), an organization that has helped bring numerous Jewish programs to Tidewater and has benefited Jewish communities worldwide.

To date, the Foundation has invested more than $200 million in Jewish causes.

Grinspoon’s impact in Tidewater is seen in nearly every local Jewish organization. Thanks to his and the Foundation’s efforts, programs such as PJ Library and LIFE & LEGACY help enrich Jewish life in Tidewater. In addition, One Happy Camper and B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy programs were inspired and modeled after HGF initiatives.

In May, three representatives from Tidewater traveled to Springfield, Mass. for HGF’s annual LIFE & LEGACY gathering. Scott Kaplan, president & CEO of Tidewater Jewish Foundation (TJF), Kaitlyn Oelsner, development associate and LIFE & LEGACY coordinator at TJF, and Ronnie Jacobs Cohen, donor relations manager, attended the event.

Harold Grinspoon Born in 1929 in Newton, Massachusetts, Harold Grinspoon was teased as a young boy for being one of the few Jewish youths in town. The anti-Semitic insults he endured and the subsequent events of World War II and the Holocaust left an indelible mark that would shape his worldview as both an entrepreneur and philanthropist.

In the early 1960s, Grinspoon’s life changed when he purchased a dilapidated two-family home with money borrowed from an in-law. He repaired the house, rented it out for a profit, and launched a career in real estate that has spanned six decades.

In 1978, Grinspoon met Diane Troderman, a former high school teacher who would become his wife and partner in Jewish charitable giving. A battle with tongue cancer in the 1980s had a dramatic impact on Grinspoon and instilled a desire to find meaning beyond profit making. Grinspoon, who credits his Jewish heritage and the values of Judaism as instrumental in his business success, chose to give back—investing his time, money, and energy into strengthening the Jewish community.

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation was established in 1991 with the mission of enhancing Jewish life. The Foundation’s philosophy is infused with Grinspoon’s

H

business acumen: visionary ideas, dynamic partnerships, a focus on return on investment, and a drive to understand and meet the needs of people served. By leveraging philanthropy, the HGF encourages others to invest in Jewish life.

A second foundation, the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation (HGCF) focuses on support for education, farming, energy, and entrepreneurship in the Western Massachusetts region where the HGF and the HGCF are based.

In addition to his work with the Foundations, Grinspoon has served as a founding partner and board member

for numerous national and international organizations.

In May 2015, Grinspoon joined Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates in signing the giving pledge, a commitment to dedicate the majority of his wealth to philanthropy.

The Grinspoons travel extensively around the world. Between them they have several awards and honorary degrees, as well as six children and 11 grandchildren.

Harold Grinspoon Foundation Programs in Tidewater • PJ Library® partners with communities around the world to provide families raising Jewish children with the gift of free, high-quality children’s books, music, and resources that foster deeper engagement with Jewish life. Through this simple gift, PJ Library connects a new generation to a colorful world of Jewish history, tradition, and values. Thanks to PJ Library, hundreds of Jewish children’s books have been distributed to children throughout Tidewater.

• LIFE & LEGACY™ assists Jewish communities across North America, through partnerships with Jewish Federations and Foundations, to promote after-lifetime giving to build endowments that will provide financial stability for Jewish day schools, synagogues, social service organizations, and other Jewish entities.

Since its launch, loyal community donors have committed nearly one billion dollars in future gifts, including more than $17 million in the Tidewater Jewish community to secure a strong Jewish future for the next generation and beyond.

• One Happy Camper, is an HGF inspired program that provides grants to send children and teens to Jewish overnight camp for the first time. Using matching funds from the Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) and from donors in Tidewater, TJF has helped send 38 kids to Jewish overnight camp in the past two summers.

• B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy is modeled after a similar HGF program aimed at encouraging teens to become philanthropists by establishing a charitable fund in their name for Jewish charitable giving.

jewishnewsva.org | June 10, 2019 | Jewish News | 31

CONFIDENCE DOESN'T TAKE DETOURS. THE ALL-NEW BMW X5.

Learn more about the all-new BMW X5, and enjoy exceptional offers at Checkered Flag BMW.

Checkered Flag BMW 5225 Virginia Beach Blvd.

Virginia Beach, VA 23462 757-648-1057 bmw.checkeredflag.com

32 | Jewish News | June 10, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org