Jewish News June 13, 2016

30

INSIDE

www.jewishnewsva.org

Southeastern Virginia | Vol. 54 No. 19 | 7 Sivan 5776 | June 13, 2016

Simon Family JCC and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater seize the opportunity to merge

22 SRO to hear Matti Friedman

—page 10

23 Lag B’Omer’s fiery bash

24 HAT’s class of 2010 is off to college

CAMPUS RENOVATION 2 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462-4370 Address Service Requested

Father’s Day

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

30 What We Carry premiers three films Supplement to Jewish News June 13, 2016

It’s all Come Together Year-long Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus renovation project is complete article and photos by Laine M. Rutherford

F

or the past 12 months, the sounds of children’s voices and clacking keyboards mingled with those of hammers and drills in the classroom hallways, offices and common areas at 5000 Corporate Woods Drive. The renovation and construction project on the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community known as Coming Together began last June.

Except for a few finishing touches, the project was completed early this month when Jewish Family Service of Tidewater (JFS) and the Freda H. Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care of Tidewater (HPCT) completely moved from their former offices on Grayson Road into the north wing of the

Along with staff and office furniture, the Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Healing Garden also relocated to 5000 Corporate Woods Dr.

12-year-old main Campus building.

The facility also houses the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, the Simon Family JCC, Tidewater Jewish Foundation, Hebrew Academy of Tidewater/Konikoff Center of Learning, Strelitz Early Childhood Education Center, and the Cardo Café. The Personal Affairs Management program of JFS was an early relocator to the building, having moved there in 2013.

“Now that all of our JFS programs are together under one roof, we are immediately experiencing improved communication and collaboration among our staff,” says Betty Ann Levin, executive director of JFS. “Our relocation will take the partnerships we have with the other agencies on the Campus to a new level, and is already creating opportunities for new synergies in terms of program planning and outreach.”

Levin and the directors of all agencies involved in the project had significant input into how the spaces were designed, says Glenn Saucier, project manager and facilities director of the Sandler Family Campus.

The building’s new configurations ensure privacy for JFS clients, safety for children in the JCC’s Kids Connection before and after school program, new music and art rooms for HAT students, and much needed square footage for HPCT. “It feels good to be in our new offices,” says Jessica Willingham, administrator for HPCT. “We have a lot more space for our staff and are able to function better.”

Coming Together encompassed nine phases, included more than 18,000 square

Additional changes to the Campus including a full resurfacing of the JCC’s outdoor pool, is open and ready for swimmers.

2 | Jewish News | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

feet of interior space, and was accomplished with little to no disruption of services to the operation of busy programs and vital community organizations which call the Campus home.

Under Saucier’s direction, demolition, reconstruction and reconfiguration of existing space was thoroughly planned and executed. Delays, which are common in projects such as this, were attributable to a challenge which Saucier and his subcontractors couldn’t control: rain.

Initiated by community leaders and agreed to by the directors and boards of agencies involved, the goals of Coming Together were to advance collaboration among Jewish communal organizations, make better use of space and community resources, and to realistically plan for the community’s needs.

“There was some initial trepidation from those impacted, which has since given way to positive feedback,” says Andrew Weinberg, UJFT chief operating officer.

“The efforts we made to ensure everyone’s needs were met—which included moving approximately 250 new people into this main building, while running a successful summer camp, and sustaining a thriving educational and communal environment—exceeded expectations,” says Weinberg.

“We’re fortunate that our lay leaders had the foresight to make the best use of our campus footprint, which will translate into great savings for this community,” he says.

Betty Ann Levin, JFS executive director, in the client waiting room. The familiar mural, along with other artwork, will adorn the walls of JFS’ new home.

Jessica Willingham, administrator for Freda H. Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care of Tidewater in her new office.

Changes to the Campus include: • Relocation of JFS and HPCT offices and staff from Grayson Road to the main campus on Corporate Woods Drive.

• Addition of 98 parking places and a new entrance on the north wing to provide strict confidentiality for JFS clients.

• Construction of a new lobby and installation of elevator for JFS. • Moving and redesigning classroom spaces for HAT. • Turning the former cafeteria into the new “Zone,” for Kids Connection.

During the renovation, additional upgrades took place: • The JCC outdoor pool was entirely resurfaced, providing a more comfortable experience for members and guests.

• The outdoor playground was given a makeover, with a much needed drainage system added.

• A new garden was built for students at SECEC and HAT to incorporate scientific, environmental and culinary learning opportunities into their curriculum.

• A concrete play area was created for basketball and other games needing hard surfaces, to replace the area now used for JFS parking.

Jewish news jewishnewsva.org

upfront

Published 22 times a year by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

One dollar goes a long way at United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

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

“Charity is not something we wait to do when we feel like it. We know if we wait to be inspired the inspiration may never arrive,” says Karen Jaffe, chair of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Annual Campaign.

“So we perform acts of righteousness, whether or not we feel like it, because other Jews depend on us, and we will not abandon them,” she says.

Jaffe’s is the sort of passion that motivates Tidewater Jewish community members to donate to the Campaign year after year.

Among other organizations, funds from the Campaign are allocated to local agencies and schools, such as Jewish Family Service of Tidewater and BINA High School. Throughout Virginia, funds are distributed to campus Hillel groups; in Israel, help is given to people with disabilities, and in the Former Soviet Union, to Holocaust survivors.

Without donations and gifts from the community, the Federation would not be able to aid so many locally and around the world.

“I belong to a compassionate community. This community says anywhere a Jewish person has no job, no food, no opportunity or no hope, we will extend our hand to help,” Jaffe says.

To date, the 2016 Campaign fundraising goal has not been reached, but the number of donors and new donors to the

Campaign has increased. Those successes and accomplishments are due to the ‘team player’ attitude of UJFT’s small staff and dozens of dedicated volunteers working together for the greater good, says Alex Pomerantz, UJFT director of development.

This ‘go-getter’ mentality has produced visible results. There are 151 Federations in the nation, with 67 Federations comparable in size to Tidewater’s.

Pomerantz says UJFT has raised the most money of all those 67 Federations, and more than 14 other larger Federations.

Jaffe is beyond grateful to all the contributors to Campaign.

“Your donations loudly say, ‘I will not turn my back. Doing nothing is not an option. I will belong. I will help.

Even if I can’t do much, I will give. You can count on me,’” says Jaffe.

“Every dollar counts. If you have not given a gift to the Campaign, you have

Your

donations

loudly say, “I

will not turn my

back. Doing nothing

is not an option. I will belong. I will help.

Even if I can’t do

much, I will give.

You can count on me.”

Contents Sandler Family Campus renovation project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Up Front. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hal Sacks Jewish News Archives. . . . . . . . .5 Election 2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Simon Family JCC and UJFT merge . . . . 10 Father’s Day Special Section. . . . . . . . . . .13 YAD’s leadership meets Matti Friedman. 21 Beth El’s Men’s Club Shabbat. . . . . . . . . . 21 Lag B’Omer at Strelitz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

until June 30. You can call the office; you can call me personally, you can go online to JewishVA.org, or you can mail in a check,” Pomerantz says.

“When you give a dollar you are going to help people you don’t even know and that is what the Jewish people are all about—repairing the world, Tikkun Olam.”

Pomerantz adds, “The UJFT thanks each and every donor who has already given to AND who will generously contribute to the 2016 Annual Campaign. Your gifts enrich and touch the lives of so many Jews and others, in our community, in the United States, in Israel, and around the world.”

For more information or to donate, go to http://jewishva.org/annual-campaign, call 757-965-6100, or mail the UJFT at 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200, Virginia Beach, VA 23462.

Quotable CRC’s Israel Today with Matti Friedman. .

Lag B’Omer at Sandler Family Campus. .

HAT Class of 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

What’s Happening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Who Knew?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mazel Tov. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

What We Carry premier. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Special Section: Father’s Day

22 23 24 25 26 27 27 28 30

Terri Denison, Editor Germaine Clair, Art Director Hal Sacks, Book Review Editor Sandy Goldberg, Account Executive Mark Hecht, Account Executive Marilyn Cerase, Subscription Manager Reba Karp, Editor Emeritus Sherri Wisoff, Proofreader United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Jay Klebanoff, President Alvin Wall, Treasurer Stephanie Calliott, Secretary Harry Graber, 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. © 2016 Jewish News. All rights reserved.

Subscription: $18 year For subscription or change of address, call 757-965-6128 or JewishNewsVA email mcerase@ujft.org.

Upcoming Deadlines for Editorial and Advertising Issue Date Topic Deadline June 27 Senior Living June 19 July 18 Legal Matters July 1 Aug. 15 Guide to Jewish Living July 29 Sept. 5 Home Aug. 19 Sept. 19 Rosh Hashannah Sept. 2

Candle lighting

“Your kindness, your friendship,

Friday, June 17/11 Sivan Light candles at 8:07 pm

will always be admired,

Friday, June 24/18 Sivan Light candles at 8:09 pm

and I thank all, all, all of you.

Friday, July 1/25 Sivan Light candles at 8:09 pm

This is the greatest country in the world.”

—page 30

Friday, July 8/2 Tammuz Light candles at 8:07 pm Friday, July 15/9 Tammuz Light candles at 8:05 pm Friday, July 22/16 Tammuz Light candles at 8:00 pm

jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Jewish News | 3

Briefs Jewish groups welcome Facebook, Twitter pledge to crack down on hate speech Jewish groups welcomed a pledge by four internet giants to crack down on online hate speech, though some questioned the firms’ commitment to act.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft signed a code of conduct with the European Commission that requires them to delete the majority of reported illegal hate speech within 24 hours, The Telegraph reported.

The European Jewish Congress offered an “enthusiastic welcome” to the code of conduct in a statement Tuesday, May 31, but the World Jewish Congress reacted more coolly in a statement the same day, voicing “skepticism about the commitment of these firms to effectively police their respective platforms.”

YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and others “already have clear guidelines in place aimed at preventing the spread of offensive content, yet they have so far utterly failed to properly implement their own rules,” the CEO of the World Jewish Congress, Robert Singer, said.

“Tens of thousands of despicable video clips continue to be made available although their existence has been reported to YouTube and despite the fact that they are in clear violation of the platform’s own guidelines prohibiting racist hate speech.… Nonetheless, YouTube gives the impression that it has been cracking down on such content. Alas, the reality is that so far it hasn’t.”

Last month, France’s Union of Jewish Students, or UEJF, and the anti-racist organization SOS Racisme sued Twitter, YouTube and Facebook for failing to remove anti-Semitic, racist and homophobic content, Le Parisien reported.

The two groups, together with SOS Homophobie, said that on March 31 and May 10, they found 586 examples of such content.

Only 4 percent of the content was deleted by Twitter, 7 percent by YouTube and 34 percent

by Facebook, the groups said.

In 2013, the Paris Court of Appeals issued a landmark ruling forcing Twitter to block the hashtag #UnBonJuif—French for “a good Jew”—and to remove the thousands of associated anti-Semitic tweets that violated France’s law against hate speech.

YouTube has since permanently banned videos posted by Dieudonne, a French comedian with 10 convictions for inciting racial hatred against Jews.

In 2014, Facebook removed the page of the Holocaust denier Soral for “repeatedly posting things that don’t comply with the Facebook terms,” according to the company.

Despite complaints of partial compliance on hate speech removal by the internet giants, European Jewish Congress President Moshe Kantor celebrated the accord as “a historic agreement.” It is “very important” that governments and online companies “work in tandem to make the internet a safer space for all,” he said.

The president of the Conference of European Rabbis, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, was also optimistic, saying that “internet hate leads to a culture of fear. We hope that today’s announcement will be the first step in combating that culture.” (JTA)

US can file classified statement in Jonathan Pollard case, federal judge rules The U.S. government can file a classified statement to the court in the case of Jonathan Pollard’s strict parole limitations, a federal judge has ruled.

Pollard’s attorneys, who are trying to have the limitations eased, would not be permitted to see the “ex-parte” court submission.

Judge Katherine Forrest of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan ruled Monday, June 6 that the government could submit the classified statement, but that it must “disclose to Pollard’s attorneys the ‘gist or substance’ of its submission … at a high level of generality that will not disclose classified information,” the Hamodia newspaper and website reported.

Pollard’s attorneys, who were issued security clearances by the Department of Justice in order to represent Pollard, have strongly objected to the government being allowed to submit a secret filing that they would not be permitted to see, according to Hamodia.

Pollard, who was sentenced to life in prison for spying for Israel while working as a U.S. Navy analyst, was released from jail in November on mandatory parole after 30 years, during which time he reportedly was a model prisoner.

The restrictive conditions for Pollard’s five-year parole include wearing an electronic ankle bracelet with GPS tracking and surveillance of his and any employer’s computers. He also is confined to his New York home between 7 pm and 7 am—a condition,

4 | Jewish News | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

Pollard’s attorneys argue, that has precluded him from holding a job.

Pollard also is not permitted to join his wife, Esther, who he married while he was in prison, in Israel. He is restricted in his computer and internet use, which has prevented him from accepting a job offer to become a senior analyst at a financial firm, according to his attorneys. (JTA)

Helen Mirren urges Senate to pass bill that would assist recovery of stolen art Helen Mirren testified to the U.S. Senate about the importance of restoring art stolen

by Nazis to its rightful owners.

Mirren, the Oscar-winning British actress, appeared Tuesday, June 7 at a hearing on a bill that would grant claimants more time to reclaim stolen art works.

Mirren said she became steeped in the issue while playing Maria Altmann in the 2015 film Woman of Gold. Altmann battled the Austrian government for years until in 2004 she recovered works stolen from her family by the Nazis.

“Victims of Nazi theft should not have to demonstrate the boldness and capacity that Maria Altmann had to reclaim what was rightly theirs,” Mirren said.

“When the Jewish people were disposed of their art, they lost their heritage,” she said.

“To have no memories is to have no family.”

Mirren was testifying before a joint meeting of the Judiciary Committee’s subcommittees on the Constitution and on Oversight, chaired respectively by Sens.

John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, both Texas Republicans, who together with Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are sponsors of the bill.

The bill, introduced in April, would reset the statute of limitations, making it six years from the date that the art in question is identified and located, and from when the claimant has shown evidence of possession of the art. In some cases, defendants were able to avoid restitution because states had statutes of limitations as short as three years.

The full committee’s chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said he would expedite consideration of the bill.

Also testifying at the hearing were a number of experts on stolen art, including Ronald Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress and the chairman of the

World Jewish Restitution Organization.

“Make no mistake, this crime continues to stain the art world,” Lauder said, referring to the wholesale theft of Jewish-owned art by the Nazis. (JTA)

Mexico’s foreign minister links anti-Mexican sentiment, anti-Semitism Mexico’s foreign minister compared anti-Mexican “bigotry” in the United States to anti-Semitism in an address to the American Jewish Committee.

Claudia Ruiz Massieu won sustained applause with her remarks Monday, June 6 at the AJC’s Global Forum in Washington, D.C., the Washington Post reported.

“Let me say loud and clear, fighting anti-Semitism, like standing up to anti-Mexican sentiment, is not a Jewish issue or a Mexican issue. It is a common battle for human rights,” Massieu said, according to the newspaper.

Although she did not explicitly mention Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee who has made numerous derogatory remarks about Mexicans and Mexican Americans throughout his campaign, Massieu spoke about anti-Mexican misinformation in political rhetoric.

“To the dismay of those who prey on disinformation and fear for political gain, the Mexican people are and always have been a positive presence and force for good in the United States,” she said.

Massieu emphasized that Mexico-U.S. trade has benefited both countries and Mexico “did not steal jobs” from American workers.

She also said Mexican Americans are “No different from American Jews from all walks of life.”

According to an AJC news release, Massieu commended the organization for its “courageous defense of immigrants in the United States” and praised the Mexican Jewish community for its imprint on many spheres of the country’s life.

She also said Mexico wants to step up its collaboration with AJC, which the group says has grown dramatically since it launched the Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs more than 10 years ago.

“The Mexican and the Jewish people have forged an enduring friendship,” Massieu said, according to the AJC. (JTA)

Redi Carpet - VAB - 12.5.14.pdf 1 12/5/2014 4:53:43 PM

Make your house a home

Come by and visit one of our expert flooring consultants and view thousands of samples of Carpet, Hardwood, Ceramic Tile and more!

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

very pleased to have new “I was carpet all in one day. It looks

great. Wish I had done it sooner!

I will definitely recommend Redi Carpet to others.

-K. Rigney, Home Owner

(757) 481-9646

�

2220 West Great Neck Road | Virginia Beach, VA 23451 jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Jewish News | 5 www.redicarpet.com

from the hal Sacks Jewish News Archives

Election 2016 Donald Trump’s anti-Semitism controversies: A timeline

by Uriel Heilman

NEW YORK ( JTA)—Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is facing growing accusations that his campaign is countenancing anti-Semitism—if not encouraging it outright.

Trump’s foreign policy slogan, “America First,” echoes the World War II-era noninterventionist movement championed by a notorious anti-Semite. During the height of the primary campaign, Trump delayed disavowing the support of white supremacist David Duke. And the candidate has failed to condemn the recent anti-Semitic vitriol directed by supporters against journalists who have written critically of Trump, including New York Times reporter Jonathan Weisman and GQ writer Julia Ioffe.

In his defense, Trump and his supporters cite the fact that his daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren are Jewish (Ivanka Trump underwent an Orthodox conversion before she married Jared Kushner in 2009), that Trump was the grand marshal of the 2004 Salute to Israel Parade and that he has many Jewish friends.

“He’s not Hitler,” Melania Trump said of her husband in an interview last month after being told the comedian Louis C.K. compared the candidate to the Nazi leader.

Many, however, remain unconvinced of the defense.

Let’s take a closer look at the anti-Semitism controversies surrounding Donald Trump. Is he enabling anti-Semitism? You be the judge.

Slurring Jon Stewart, Trump accentuates the comedian’s original Jewish name.

On April 24, 2013, Trump seems to go out of his way to highlight the Daily Show host’s Jewish background, tweeting: “I promise you that I’m much smarter than Jonathan Leibowitz—I mean Jon Stewart @TheDailyShow. Who, by the way, is totally overrated.”

Trump tells Republican Jews: ‘I don’t want your money’ In a speech in Washington to the

Republican Jewish Coalition last December, Trump appears to traffic in stereotypes about Jews. “You’re not going to support me because I don’t want your money,” he told the Jewish audience. He also says, “Is there anyone in this room who doesn’t negotiate deals? Probably more than any room I’ve ever spoken.”

Trump muddles the message on David Duke.

After David Duke, the white supremacist and former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, says he supports Trump, CNN’s Jake Tapper asks Trump on Feb. 28 if he would disavow Duke’s support. Though Trump in the past had condemned Duke – and two days earlier at a news conference said, “David Duke endorsed me? OK, all right. I disavow, OK?” – this time Trump demurs.

“Just so you understand, I don’t know anything about David Duke. OK? I don’t know anything about what you’re even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists,” he tells Tapper. “So, I don’t know. I don’t know, did he endorse me or what’s going on, because, you know, I know nothing about David Duke. I know nothing about white supremacists.”

Pressed on whether he unequivocally disavows the support of the Klan, Trump dodges the question. A day later Trump blames a “bad earpiece” for failing to disavow Duke during the exchange with CNN and notes that he had disavowed Duke previously.

After the Anti-Defamation League releases a statement saying, “The onus is now on Donald Trump to make unequivocally clear he rejects those sentiments and that there is no room for Duke and anti-Semitism in his campaign and in society,” Trump responds with a statement saying, “Anti-Semitism has no place our society, which needs to be united, not divided.”

Journalist Julia Ioffe is inundated by anti-Semitic vitriol After Melania Trump criticizes Ioffe’s April 27 profile of her in GQ as “another example of the dishonest media and their

6 | Jewish News | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

continued on page 7

June 23, 2006 Cantor Jennifer Bern-Vogel of Ohef Sholom Temple sang the National Anthem to open the Tides game at Harbor Park. Attendance that night was 8,606, including 118 from Ohef Sholom as part of the Men’s Club Annual Tides Picnic.

June 7, 1996 The board of directors of the Hebrew Academy of Tidewater announced that Dr. Laurence Kutler accepted the position of Head of School.

Dr. Kutler, his wife Caren and two sons were to move to Norfolk in July.

June 6, 1986 Arnold Leon in accepting the position of head of the ’87 UJA Campaign, said “I didn’t think I had a right to turn down the responsibility. When one has the opportunity to contribute his resources, he also has a responsibility to contribute his time.”

June 4, 1976 Golda Meir, former Prime Minister of Israel was the featured speaker at a National UJA report assembly in N.Y. ”Buddy” Strelitz and Dr. Zvi Almog attended the meeting and presented a check for $300,000 from UJF. They reported that the federation should reach $2.2 to $2.3 million by the end of the campaign. Dr. Rubin, UJF president said, “ A pledge is a promise of Tzedakah while payment is the performance of Tzedakah.”

June 1, 1966 Two 16 ft by 40 ft temporary, in-ground swimming pools were installed to provide JCC campers a place to cool off while the permanent ones were being built.

June 1, 1956 Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Abba Eban and his wife were guests of the Tidewater Jewish community at the Ambassador’s Dinner and Ball held at the Cavalier Beach and Cabana Club.

To browse or search the Jewish News Archives, go to jewishnewsva.org and click on archives.

Election 2016 continued from page 6

disingenuous reporting,” the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer urges followers to “go ahead and send her [Ioffe] a tweet and let her know what you think of her dirty kike trickery.” Ioffe, who is Jewish, then is inundated with a deluge of anti-Semitic online wrath, including a doctored photo

of her wearing a Holocaust-era Jewish star, a cartoon of a Jew getting his brains blown out and threats that she would be sent “back to the oven.”

The online anti-Semitism directed at Ioffe is similar to online attacks directed at other Jewish commentators who denounced Donald Trump, such as

Forward columnist Bethany Mandel.

When CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, a Jew and former reporter for The Jerusalem Post, asks Trump if he has a “message” for supporters who were flooding Ioffe with “anti-Semitic death threats,” Trump says, “I know nothing about it. You’ll have to talk to them about that.” He then went on

to echo his wife’s criticism of Ioffe’s article. Pressed, Trump says, “I don’t have a message to the fans,” and added, “There is nothing more dishonest than the media.”

Trump champions ‘America First’ In a major speech designed to unveil his continued on page 8

jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Jewish News | 7

Election 2016 continued from page 7

prospective foreign policy agenda, Trump declares, “‘America First’ will be the overriding theme of my administration.” The theme carries echoes of the America First Committee, which lobbied hard against America’s entry into World War II and whose most prominent spokesman was aviator Charles Lindbergh, an avowed anti-Semite.

A Jewish New York Times editor becomes a target of Trump-supporting anti-Semites After tweeting a link to an essay about emerging fascism in the United States, New York Times editor Jonathan Weisman is attacked by anti-Semitic online trolls identifying themselves as Trump supporters.

“Trump God Emperor sent me the Nazi iconography of the shiftless, hooknosed Jew,” Weisman writes in a Times essay about the responses to his tweet. “I was

served an image of the gates of Auschwitz, the famous words ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ replaced without irony with ‘Machen Amerika Great.’ Holocaust taunts, like a path of dollar bills leading into an oven, were followed by Holocaust denial.”

Trump’s white supremacist delegate William Johnson, leader of the white supremacist American Freedom Party, is among the list of delegates the Trump campaign submitted in California ahead of the state’s May 9 deadline. After news organizations begin reporting about the controversial delegate, the Trump campaign blames Johnson’s inclusion on its list as a “database error.” Johnson then says he is resigning as a delegate and will not attend the convention.

Interpreting Trump Following Trump’s refusal to condemn the anti-Semitic vitriol against Ioffe, Daily

Stormer founder Andrew Anglin tells the Huffington Post, “We interpret that as an endorsement.”

Trump adviser and lawyer Jason Greenblatt, who is an Orthodox Jew, says, “I do not think Mr. Trump can be responsible for people who are anti-Semitic who support him.”

Ari Fleischer, a former spokesman for President George W. Bush and current board member of the Republican Jewish Coalition, shares Greenblatt’s view.

“The fact that the Black Panthers came out for Barack Obama doesn’t make Barack Obama a Black Panther sympathizer,” Fleischer tells the Huffington Post. “You cannot ascribe to a candidate the views of the worst radical fringes that may support them.… These arguments about how Donald Trump shouldn’t be supported because fringe radical groups have said good things about him—I reject entirely.”

But others note that candidates

historically disavow bigots who act in their name—without taking responsibility for their views. In February, the conservative American Spectator urges Trump to take a page from President Ronald Reagan, who forcefully repudiated an endorsement from the Ku Klux Klan.

In a letter to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 1984, Reagan wrote, “Those of us in public life can only resent the use of our names by those who seek political recognition for the repugnant doctrines of hate they espouse. The politics of racial hatred and religious bigotry practiced by the Klan and others have no place in this country, and are destructive of the values for which America has always stood.”

Shortly after the Ioffe episode, Sheldon Adelson, the hawkishly pro-Israel, superrich Jewish casino magnate, announces he will back Trump for president.

Serving our community An industry veteran, Janet believes that the Advisor-Client relationship goes beyond money; it’s about communication, trust, and confidence. After all, it’s your future. And she’s fully invested in helping you get there.

Financial guidance with a personal touch.

Asset Management • Retirement Plans • Wealth Distribution

Janet W. Mercadante, PRP First Vice President - Investments

Investment and Insurance Products:

999 Waterside Drive, Suite 1800, Norfolk, VA 23510 757.640.5909 direct | 800.628.4444 toll free | 757.640.8429 fax

▶ NOT FDIC Insured ▶ NO Bank Guarantee ▶ MAY Lose Value

Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Member SIPC is a registered broker-dealer and a separate non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

8 | Jewish News | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

Election 2016

Blog Three Jewish takeaways from Bernie Sanders’ run for president

by Ron Kampeas

( JTA)—Hillary Clinton is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

But that’s not the end for Bernie Sanders, by far the most successful Jewish presidential candidate in American history. The Independent Vermont senator is defiant and says he’s taking the fight to the Democratic National Convention.

He’s said he’ll try to flip the superdelegates, party officials who are free to change their minds about how they’ll vote, to his side by arguing he’s better positioned to defeat Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

Whatever happens before or at the nominating convention starting July 25, Sanders made history, winning at least 20 caucuses and primaries. It’s worth taking a look back at what we learned, as Jews, from his historic run.

Takeaway for Bernie Sanders: Don’t be afraid to claim your Jewishness I interviewed Sanders two years ago, at about the point he started to think seriously about a candidacy. Setting up the interview, I made clear to a Sanders aide what JTA was and that, while I would focus on his message of income equality, our readers would want to know about the Jewish thing.

Sanders shut down the Jewish talk fast, and his reluctance to talk about his upbringing and his beliefs persisted into his campaign. After his victory in New Hampshire, he called his father “Polish,” though very few Jews of his father’s generation would have described themselves as such, at least not without “Jewish” as a qualifier. In a debate, challenged about the significance of his campaign as opposed to Clinton, who would be the first woman president, he would only say his presidency too would be a “historical accomplishment,” neglecting to spell out why.

His reluctance was puzzling. Folks

close to Sanders in Vermont told me he has no issues talking about his Jewish identity in person. In the 1980s, as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, he donned a kippah and blessed a menorah. But once he started running for national office— Congress, then the Senate—he pushed his Jewishness into the background.

Mainstream media moderators and interviewers were puzzled. Instead of making room for Sander’s overarching message of the need to address income inequality, his reticence got in the way.

When Sanders finally got around to talk about growing up Jewish and how it had informed his belief system, it enhanced his message. His fierce embrace of the rights of the downtrodden and the voiceless came from a real place. Americans want to know their elected officials act not just from intellectual assessments of what works and what does not, but from the crucible of experience.

Takeaway for the Jewish community: Don’t be afraid to claim the Jewish candidate The organized Jewish community is agonizing over how to sustain its relationship with the progressive political community, how to patch things up with the Democrats after last year’s face-off between the party and the America Israel Public Affairs Committee over the Iran nuclear deal and how to keep the young interested in Jewish life.

Here’s a clue: Don’t incessantly dump on the Jewish, pro-Israel guy young progressive Democrats have embraced with a passion.

Yes, he said Israel used “disproportionate” force against Hamas during the 2014 Gaza Strip war without explaining what exactly he meant by disproportionate force. Yes, he hired a Jewish outreach director whose idea of outreach to the Israeli prime minister was a vulgar epithet (and he promptly fired her).

But he stands up to anti-Israel hecklers, he says he’s 100 percent pro-Israel

and—getting back to the biography thing —when he frames his criticism of Israel by noting that he lived in the country and has family there, he is making it clear that “Israel” and “Jews” are not separate, but linked.

Sanders should not be immune from criticism. But imagine for a moment if once this election season a pro-Israel PAC had made viral a montage of Sanders talking about his affection for Israel and ended it with the words: “Progressive.

Pro-Israel.” How much further would that have gone toward making the pro-Israel case than another reminder that Israelis invented instant messaging and have more gay pride than anyone, ever.

Takeaway for everyone: AntiSemites gonna anti-Semite The biggest Jewish story this election season has nothing to do with Sanders.

The open, insistent and abundant anti-Semitism generated by a certain strain of Trump supporters is the most shocking development of this election.

How Jewish candidates deal with Jews and vice versa is important in the same way family dynamics are important.

Hatred, though, is about more than mishpacha. It’s about the world outside our sometimes overheated salon, and how to make it viable.

Regardless of how Sanders’ campaign ends, that story will continue to be written.

The Best of Everything S e le c t io n • S er v i ce • Sav i ngs • Sa ti sfa c ti on

2717 Virginia Beach Blvd.

486-2717 www.beachford.com jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Jewish News | 9

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

Simon Family JCC and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater seize the opportunity to merge

S

uccessful nonprofits must change with the times. And so, to remain vital to their communities, Jewish organizations across the nation are making strategic structural moves. In the Tidewater Jewish community, two organizations with a closely aligned vision, the Simon Family Jewish Community Center and the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, are doing the same, resulting in a merger. The merger is slated to be complete in time for the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, 2016.

Marty Einhorn, David Leon and Terri Sarfan.

“The genesis for this merger,” according to Marty Einhorn, JCC president, “began when JCC leadership approached the Federation in late 2015 about combining operations.” A task force was then formed of community leaders from both organizations and a decision was made to move forward with consolidation.

“The merger makes so much common sense,” says Jay Klebanoff, UJFT president. “After all, since moving to the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community in 2004, both organizations have shared the same building, the same lobby, the same offices and meeting rooms. Plus, in some cases, we’ve also shared the same board members, financial resources and even employees.”

The “transition team” worked through months of careful thought and planning to work out the details of the newly combined organization. A decision was made to create seven departments —Development, Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Wellness, Children, Family & Jewish Education and Programming with a department

Marty Einhorn, Terri Sarfan, Jay Klebanoff and Harry Graber.

10 | Jewish News | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

head for each functional area. The task force also created the Chief Operating Officer position to assist the CEO and provide depth of senior management.

Members of the Transition Team are Marty Einhorn, immediate past JCC president; Andrew Art Sandler and John Strelitz.

Fink, JCC board member; Harry Graber, UJFT CEO; Jay with less overlap is a good thing.

The departure in January of Scott Katz, Klebanoff, UJFT president; David Leon, prospective JCC president; Sandra Porter JCC executive director, and the pending Leon, former JCC president; Art Sandler, retirement in 2018 of UJFT CEO Harry UJFT board member; Terri Sarfan, former Graber, seemed to be a rare opportunity JCC president; and John Strelitz, UJFT to hire a new CEO and COO to take the president-elect. This group met recently for organizations to a new level. a round table discussion.

Jewish News: What opportunities does this

merger present?

Jewish News: Why Merge?

John Strelitz: The combination of the JCC Jay Klebanoff: We’ll see better coordinaand the Federation is a natural process. tion of events and programming so there’s The two organizations have shared physi- less overlap. Better-run events and procal space for many years and now we are grams will, hopefully, bring more people utilizing the strengths of both to create a to the Campus. The more people we can better sustainable model. This will allow touch, the better off we are.

In addition, there will be more sponsorthe community to raise funds through many different avenues to appeal to diverse ship opportunities, as well as improved and interests throughout our community. As efficient coordination of our fundraising incoming president, I am excited to lead efforts. our new, better, stronger organization into Jewish News: What will stay the same? the future.

Marty Einhorn: We will maintain the separate branding associated with the Simon Jewish News: What spurred the merger?

David Leon: There is a tremendous overlap Family Jewish Community Center, the in programming and development between Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus and the JCC and UJFT, and we saw a benefit in the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

The JCC will continue to provide qualcombining the staff, operations and programming to create something bigger than ity programming such as Camp JCC, Kids Connection, the Lee and Bernard* Jaffe the two running separately.

Our ultimate goal is to bring more Family Book Fair, the Festival of Jewish people to the Campus, make people feel Film, Celebrate Israel, Adult Education, more involved and connected to the etc.

The UJFT will continue to be the Campus and raise more dollars to support all the good both agencies do. Having a primary fundraising agency through its combined organization that can do more annual campaign. It will also continue to

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

From

Datods s d a r G

Harry Graber, Art Sandler, Sandra Porter Leon, David Leon, Marty Einhorn, Terri Sarfan and Jay Klebanoff.

sponsor its legacy programs such as the Holocaust Commission, the Community Relations Council, Jewish News, Israel and Overseas, etc.

Jewish News: What’s changing?

David Leon: From the outside public’s view, there really shouldn’t be any changes. As Marty said, we’re keeping the brands. These organizations have decades of history, and we recognize the value there.

What we’re really doing is reorganizing the back office operations so that we have shared resources and programming, spending our donor’s dollars more efficiently.

Jewish News: What is taking place now on the Campus?

Sandra Porter Leon: What’s going on behind the scenes is very exciting. There is a renewed energy among department heads, with open lines of communication and consolidated programing, which will result in improvements in the quality and quantity of programming on Campus, from Cultural Arts to CRC to Children and Family. Stay tuned for an exciting, year long, integrated campus program focusing on art, food and politics, ensuring an opportunity for everyone to connect to Israel.

Jewish News: Which JCCs/Federations were considered for inspiration when crafting this merger?

Harry Graber: We looked at communities that had successfully merged and were of a similar size, such as the Jewish Community of Louisville, which merged five years ago.

We also contacted communities that had more recently completed the process, such as Austin.

Simply discussing the process, what worked and what didn’t gave us a wealth of knowledge to pull from as we planned for our own merger. In addition, these communities helped us develop our new organizational chart and committee structure that will play major roles in our success.

Jewish News: Can you tell us about the board structure and what it will look like?

Terri Sarfan: Each individual who sits on either the UJFT or SFJJ board will be offered a position on the newly established board of directors for a three-year term.

The important factor here is that the committee structure will change and be aligned with the seven departments mentioned above. We are looking to have strong working committees, enabling the board to take a more strategic role in the community.

Jewish News: How will this merger impact the future of the Tidewater Jewish community?

Art Sandler: The community leadership came together to make our future better through a dynamic and creative process.

We now are able to fully integrate what we offer.

Marty Einhorn: With our shared resources and programming opportunities, we hope our community’s involvement will be more robust, stimulating and welcoming to everyone throughout Tidewater.

W E H AV E T H E G O O D S F O R T H E G U YS I N YO U R L I F E .

any one (1) item priced at $125 or MENTION THIS AD FOR Buy more and take $50 OFF. Not valid toward

$50 OFF

previous purchases, shoes, gift certificates, alterations or special orders. May not be combined with any other offers. One discount per household. No cash value.

Expires Saturday, June 18

AUTHENTIC MENSWEAR. FOR WORK. FOR WEEKENDS.

Hilltop East•Virginia Beach 1544 Laskin Rd., Ste. 216•428-8615

The Palace Shops•Norfolk 306 W. 21st St.•627-6073

Tell our advertisers you saw it in

Jewish News It makes them smile! jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Jewish News | 11

Praised and reviled, Cuomo’s anti-BDS order seen as game changer by both sides You are cordially invited to the

2016 Biennial Meeting of the

Drinks and hors d’oeuvres

Wednesday, June 15th 7:00pm • At the Simon Family JCC On the Reba & Sam Sandler Family Campus 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Virginia Beach

State of the J: Outgoing President Marty Einhorn Community Awards Ceremony JCC-UJFT Internal Restructure Update

We look forward to celebrating with you.

Please RSVP by Monday, June 6th info@simonfamilyjcc.org • 757-321-2338

12 | Jewish News | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

by Ben Sales

NEW YORK ( JTA)—New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive order opposing BDS shouldn’t have made a splash—but it did.

A handful of states had already passed similar measures opposing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. So had the New York State Senate—though the State Assembly version has been stalled since last year.

Cuomo’s order, signed Sunday, June 5 was merely supposed to speed up the “tedious” voting process, as he said at the signing ceremony, just prior to New York’s annual Celebrate Israel Parade.

“We want to take immediate action because we want the world to know, we want Israel to know, we’re on their side,” Cuomo said. “If you boycott against Israel, New York will boycott you. If you divert revenues from Israel, New York will divert revenues from you. If you sanction Israel, New York will sanction you.”

Like anti-BDS measures passed in other states, Cuomo’s order bans New York state agencies and departments from investing in companies or groups that, as a policy, promote or engage in boycotts, divestment or sanctions against Israel. The order also requires the state to draw up a public list of companies that engage in or promote BDS. Cuomo’s order stands out, however, as it enacts opposition to BDS in the fourthmost populous state— and the home to the largest number of Jews in the country. And it places Cuomo, a prominent governor and national figure, at the center of the American debate over Israel.

Praised by pro-Israel groups, the order has engendered backlash in the left-wing press and among anti-Israel activists.

Publications lambasted it as “McCarthyism” and said it violates First Amendment rights.

Jewish Voice for Peace, which supports BDS, is organizing a protest of the order outside Cuomo’s office.

Supporters and opponents of the measure both say it marks a tipping point in the battle over BDS in the United States.

Backers say Cuomo is opening a new avenue to fight BDS in the absence of legislative approval. Opponents say the order is an unconstitutional act aimed at political pandering.

“There are a variety of tools to combat

BDS, and we need all of them,” says Ethan Felson, executive director of the Israel Action Network. “New York is a large economy, and ensuring that there is a wall between expenditures covered under the executive action and the BDS movement is a game changer.”

Seven states—including Alabama, Colorado and Illinois—have passed measures like New York’s, according to Americans for Peace Now. Lawmakers in more than 20 states have proposed similar legislation. But in Cuomo’s executive order, pro-Israel activists see a precedent that can work where bills are stalled.

Cuomo encouraged his fellow governors to follow his lead, comparing the order to New York’s enactment of same-sex marriage in 2011, four years before it was legal nationally.

“We’re already seeing a lot of states attempt to pass anti-BDS legislation,” says Noam Gilboord, Israel and international affairs director for the New York Jewish Community Relations Council. “What this executive order does is open another channel for enacting such legislation should there be difficulties doing so through the legislature.”

But Cuomo has also drawn criticism for enacting a measure his State Legislature did not pass. Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace, says Cuomo “is trying to hold on to a consensus that doesn’t exist anymore” in support of Israel.

Opponents of the executive order believe their best chance could be in court.

They cite legal experts who have said the measure unconstitutionally infringes on First Amendment rights: Because boycotts are a form of free speech, some experts argue, New York’s state government cannot deny government contracts to companies engaging in boycotts. Activists have also objected to the public list of companies that engage in BDS, with some comparing it to McCarthyism.

Eugene Kontorovich, a Northwestern University law professor who has consulted with anti-BDS groups, says the measure is mostly constitutional because it is akin to statutes prohibiting discrimination against gays and lesbians. He adds that the government needs a list of companies to execute the order, and that making that list public is more transparent than keeping it secret.

Father’s Day

Supplement to Jewish News June 13, 2016

Father’s Day Published 22 times a year by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

Dear Readers,

I

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

n honor of Father’s Day, we asked a few daughters and sons who work

with their dads to write a couple of paragraphs about the experience of spending their adult lives alongside

Terri Denison, Editor Germaine Clair, Art Director Hal Sacks, Book Review Editor Sandy Goldberg, Account Executive Mark Hecht, Account Executive Marilyn Cerase, Subscription Manager Reba Karp, Editor Emeritus Sherri Wisoff, Proofreader

their fathers. The responses were incredibly passionate, respectful, heartfelt and in some cases, humorous.

In all instances, however, they were longer than two or three paragraphs, a clear indication of just how grateful

Jay Klebanoff, President Alvin Wall, Treasurer Stephanie Calliott, Secretary Harry Graber, Executive Vice-President www.jewishVA.org

these people are to learn from and Delicious is in the details. That’s why we make our own mozzarella sourced from local grass-fed cows. It’s why we bake 19 different kinds of bread, roast our own tomatoes, and grow most of our own greens. Because it takes the best ingredients to make the very best food. Just ask our cows.

Savor happiness.

work beside their fathers. Thank you Bryan Konikoff, Rashi Brashevitzky, Bill Nusbaum, and Bill and Eric Miller for

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.

sharing. How lucky you all are!

Not able to veer far from politics this year, even on our pages for Father’s

COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL

Day, we have a fun piece about two © 2016 Jewish News. All rights reserved.

famous Jewish sons-in-law. In this especially combative election season, it

Subscription: $18 year For subscription or change of address, call 757-965-6128 or email mcerase@ujft.org.

seems that everything is a competition!

And, then there’s the article from the very tired Orthodox Jewish dad.

Working, studying and making certain to be home for family dinnertime is exhausting…but oh so rewarding. Just read his piece. Or speak to nearly any

Upcoming Special Features QR code generated on http://qrcode.littleidiot.be

parent with young kids.

This Father’s Day, Sunday, June

Deadline

June 27

Senior Living

June 10

dining out or cooking out, with gifts

July 18

Legal Matters

July 1

or with memories, we wish dads, grandfathers, uncles and favorite friends a very happy day!

Terri Denison Editor

14 | Jewish News | Father’s Day | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

Issue Date Topic

19, no matter how you celebrate…

Aug. 15 Guide to Jewish Living July 29 Sept. 5

Sept. 19

Home

Aug. 19

Rosh Hashannah

Sept. 2

Father’s Day

Trump vs. Clinton Battle of the Jewish sons-in-law

by Uriel Heilman

(JTA)—Somebody had better put a mezuzah on the Lincoln Bedroom.

Whoever ends up winning the election in November, one thing seems certain: For the first time in history, Jews will be in the president’s inner family circle.

Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have Jewish sons-in-law, and of course Bernie Sanders—in the unlikely event he makes it to the White House—is Jewish himself (though his daughter-in-law is not).

With the head-to-head contest between the two likely nominees heating up, we decided to take a closer look at Jared Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, and Marc Mezvinsky, who is married to Chelsea Clinton.

Age Kushner: 35 Mezvinsky: 38 Occupation Kushner: CEO of family real estate firm Kushner Properties and owner-publisher of The New York Observer.

Mezvinsky: Investment banker and co-founder of hedge fund Eaglevale Partners.

Education Kushner: High school at Frisch, a modern Orthodox yeshiva in Paramus, New Jersey; B.A. from Harvard (sociology); J.D. and MBA from New York University.

Mezvinsky: High school at Friends

Central in the Philadelphia suburb of Wynnewood; B.A. from Stanford (religious studies and philosophy); M.A. in international relations from the University of Oxford, England.

Family Kushner: Grew up in Livingston, New Jersey. Father: Charles Kushner ran a real estate empire until his imprisonment and is involved in various Jewish philanthropic endeavors. Mother: Seryl Kushner is involved in the family’s business and philanthropy. Has three siblings.

Mezvinsky: Grew up in Philadelphia. Both parents served stints in Congress as Democrats. Father: Edward Mezvinsky served two terms from Iowa in the 1970s (and decades later went to prison).

Mother: Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, a former TV journalist, served a single term from Pennsylvania in the mid1990s. Parents are now divorced. Has one full brother, four half-siblings and five adopted siblings.

Professional track record Kushner: Often described as a wunderkind, Jared Kushner has doubled the assets of his family’s real estate empire since taking over as CEO in 2008. In 2014, Kushner Properties did $2 billion in transactions.

Mezvinsky: Worked at Goldman Sachs for eight years before launching Eaglevale in 2011, which now has $326 million under management. But the hedge fund was

down 3.6 percent in 2014, largely due to Mezvinsky’s bad bets on Greek debt.

Campaign involvement Kushner: Helped draft Donald Trump’s AIPAC speech, advises the presumptive Republican nominee for president on Israel issues and is involved in assembling his White House transition team.

Kushner’s newspaper endorsed Trump for president.

Mezvinsky: Appears at non-political events with the Clintons, but has no known involvement with Hillary’s campaign.

Jewish practice Kushner: Belongs to an Orthodox synagogue, Manhattan’s Kehilath Jeshurun, observes Shabbat and kosher restrictions, and is raising children as Jews.

Mezvinsky: Grew up in a Conservative synagogue, has been seen in shul on occasion with wife Chelsea Clinton and is raising daughter with both Jewish and Methodist traditions.

Wife’s relationship to Judaism Kushner: Ivanka Trump underwent Orthodox conversion after studying with an Orthodox rabbi, Haskel Lookstein.

She now observes Shabbat and keeps a kosher home. “We’re pretty observant,” she has said.

Mezvinsky: Chelsea Clinton is still a practicing Methodist. The couple married in an interfaith ceremony featuring a huppah and co-officiated by Rabbi James Ponet of Yale University and Methodist

Rev. William Shillady.

Why Dad went to prison Kushner: Hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, secretly recorded the encounter and sent the tape to his sister as part of a blackmail scheme. He served 16 months after guilty pleas to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign donations.

Mezvinsky: Bilked friends, family and strangers out of some $10 million in bogus schemes disguised as investments in Africa and oil development. He served five years after pleading guilty to 31 counts of felony fraud, including bank fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud.

Residence Kushner: Stylish 10-room apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side at—where else?—Trump Park Avenue.

Mezvinsky: A sleek apartment in Manhattan’s Flatiron district, on 26th Street, that the couple bought in 2013 for $10.5 million.

Children Kushner: Theodore James, 2 months; Joseph Frederick, 2; Arabella Rose, 4.

Mezvinsky: Daughter Charlotte, 1, and one on the way.

Look Kushner: “Baby-faced,” “sandy haired” and “handsome.”

Mezvinsky: Bespectacled with a perennial 5 o’clock shadow.

Happy Father’s Day — June 19 jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Father’s Day | Jewish News | 15

Father’s Day WORKING WITH DAD

Bryan Konikoff Dad: Albert Konikoff

Instead of another tie, take your Dad to dinner W

hile many young boys dream of growing up to be police-

men or astronauts, I always knew I wanted to work with my dad as a periodontist. As a child I loved spending as much time as I could visiting my dad in his office. Not only

Make Reservations for Father’s Day

757.422.6464

910 Atlantic Ave. Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Albert and Bryan Konikoff.

did I love to run around the office, ride the dental chair and examine all the instruments, but I also truly loved just being around my dad and watching over his shoulder as he worked on patients.

I became my dad’s partner 10 years ago. My childhood dream came true.

I was so lucky to have him as my mentor during my schooling. We spoke on the phone almost daily, sometimes for hours sharing stories about each other’s work day. I wanted to hear all the details about the cases he was working on, and he was always available and willing to advise me. My wife would overhear our conversations and could not understand how we spent so much time passionately talking to each other about teeth.

Now as partners, our mentor-student relationship has evolved into one of mutual respect and collaboration. I truly love working with my dad. I am constantly asked questions such as: Do we have conflicts? Do we get sick of each other? Do we like working together? Our relationship has continued to grow even stronger as we have become partners. We spend three days a week working in the same office and take our lunch breaks together. On the evenings that we do not work in the same office, we speak on the phone. My wife is still in disbelief when she walks into the room and hears that I am on the phone talking to my dad about teeth.

I admire and respect him so much for his professional skill, work ethic and excellent patient care. The greatest compliment I receive from my patients is when they compare me to my dad and say that I am just like him. I am very fortunate to work with my dad, and look forward to each and every day together.

16 | Jewish News | Father’s Day | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

Father’s Day WORKING WITH DAD

Rashi Brashevitzky Dad: Rabbi Aaron Margolin

operation. I have always loved my

D

been a real treat.

ads are wonderful. They play with us and teach us as children and guide us and listen to us as adults. Throughout the years, my father has always been

a source of calm for me. Whenever an issue would come my way, I always knew I could count on my dad to listen and help me solve the matter at hand. I have always had a close relationship with him.

As a young adult, I began teaching at the Hebrew Academy of Tidewater, but at the same time, started to work with my father who directs Chabad of Tidewater.

I always admired his enthusiasm for sharing Judaism with the Tidewater Jewish community, and in my early 20s, finally had my chance to work alongside him.

After I got married in 2002, I took on a more formal role in the operating of Chabad House. All of a sudden I wasn’t just giving ideas or shopping or setting up—I had assumed the role of youth director, along with some other areas of

work in the Jewish community—and having my father to guide me has I find that working with my father makes my job all the more fun because we share the same humor. I find that I have expert guidance in all that I do because not only does my boss have great experience in my line

Rashi Brashevitzky and her dad, Rabbi Aaron Margolin.

of work, but he also has a great understanding of me, after all he and my mom raised me. I find that I frequently call on my father to help me figure things out and to create the best programming possible. When we work together, we are able to combine his past experience with my new ideas—and this works really well.

As a child I always imagined and assumed that I would just grow up one day and work with my dad. I am so glad that it has worked out this way!

Home Theater • Home Automation • Surveillance & Security Lighting Control • Home Audio/Video • Automated Shade Treatments

BRING YOUR AUDIO/VIDEO OUTDOORS FOR DAD! There’s no better way to celebrate this special occasion than having Dad’s favorite music or video selection playing on the deck or by the pool.

From planter speakers and landscape speakers to outdoor TVs, we have everything you’ll need. So this Father’s Day, give Dad a gift he’ll enjoy for years to come. Then light the grill and let the family good times begin!

Call 548-2020 or visit us to learn about all the exciting options available.

Domes Audio Video Environments installed the Projection & Control System in the Kramer Board Room on the Sandler Family Campus.

724 First Colonial Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 • Open Mon.–Sat. | 10:00am–6:00pm • 548-2020 • www.domesav.com jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Father’s Day | Jewish News | 17

Father’s Day WORKING WITH DAD

William Nusbaum Dad: Robert Nusbaum

before I was due to start work, Dad

I

don’t expect to get paid.” That was

t is Nusbaum family lore that when I was about five or six years old, I was arguing heartily about something over the breakfast table, when my father, Bob

Nusbaum (then about 36 years old), said, “Son, the way you’re arguing, some day you might make a pretty good lawyer. Would you like to come to work with me at the office?” Now, when you’re a child of five or six, you think your parents are already ancient, and becoming a grown-up is an eternity away, so it’s no wonder that I replied to him, with big, wide eyes, “Gee, Pop, I’d love to, if you live that long!”

Fortunately for me, he did live that long, and about 20 years later, in early August, 1980, I reported to Hofheimer, Nusbaum, McPhaul & Samuels as a newly minted lawyer. There was one last detail to attend to before starting work, however. During my last year of law school in Charlottesville, I had grown a full beard, to accompany the mustache I’d had since freshman year of college. The weekend

informed me, “You’re welcome to come to work with a beard—just

all the incentive I needed, and that Sunday night, the beard ended up in the bathroom sink, and I received my first paycheck as an attorney a month later.

My mother, Louise, of blessed memory, worried about how my

Bill Nusbaum with his dad, Bob Nusbaum.

father and I would get along working together, and so her unsolicited instructions to Dad were, simply put, to “Stay the hell away from Bill” at work. And, for those early years, he largely heeded Mom’s direction, leaving most of my training to other partners in the firm. There were moments, however (especially during the first four months at work, while I still lived at home), when he just couldn’t help himself. More than once, I would be driving us home, carpooling, and he would give me a work assignment—and I’m someone very dependent on taking copious notes, and was helpless to do so.

Once or twice, he even gave me an assignment when I’d come into his study at the end of the evening, in my pajamas, to tell him good night!

Our work relationship only changed when, in March 1985, after almost five years of practicing together, Hofheimer Nusbaum made me a partner, and I became more self-confident and more comfortable seeking out his wise opinion.

For the past 31 years, I have enjoyed the privilege of often consulting the man whom I often refer to as “one of the two wisest men I know” (Kurt Rosenbach being the other), and I think few would argue with that characterization. For many years, Dad shared the distinction (with one other Norfolk lawyer) of being listed in the most categories in Best Lawyers of America of any attorney in Hampton Roads, and I watched proudly the evening he was named First Citizen of Norfolk about 20 years ago. Even since he retired from Williams Mullen just before turning 90 two years ago, he continues to come to the office daily, and I still make my way down one floor to his office regularly to give him a hug, see how he’s doing, and to ask his advice, especially on matters for his former clients, for which I am now responsible. In six weeks after Father’s Day, I will mark having worked with him for 36 years—the same age he was when he asked that fateful question, and a double chai, indeed.

18 | Jewish News | Father’s Day | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

DAD

I’m an Orthodox Jewish father and I am exhausted

by Raffi Bilek

(KVELLER VIA JTA) — I have three children under 6 years old.

I am exhausted.

My rabbi is known to say that “life is not for wimps.” As a student in yeshiva (Jewish seminary school), I thought I understood his point. Now I really understand his point.

Just surviving the daily and weekly routine is hard work.

My day starts long before the sun’s does and includes an hour of Torah learning, an hour and a half of praying, eight hours at work, and three hours in the car commuting (yes, it’s lousy). Then, of course, there’s eating (which I do too much of), sleeping (which I do too little of), and—it looms large–childcare. Certainly there are physical challenges to such a lifestyle, but I think the mental challenges even more so give rise to the “life is not for wimps” slogan.

As an Orthodox Jew, I inhabit a world in which Torah learning is king. And so I rise each morning before it is even considered morning, in order to get in my daily dose of Torah. At the same time, my priorities have shifted as my family has grown. Formal learning at night is a thing of the past for me (and, I hope, a thing of the future).

My wife needs help cleaning up, packing lunches, getting ready to start another daily cycle over. Then she needs time engaged in conversation with someone who is not her child, and not about her children.

Yet the part of my daily routine for which I would say I am most “moser nefesh”—that is, the part that I put the most effort into ensuring it happens—is family dinnertime.

For me, this means leaving work early to fight through an hour and a half of traffic and land in my chair at the dinner table as close to 6 pm as possible so that we can hope to get the kids in bed by 7 (after which I do another half-hour to an hour of work to compensate for having left early). It’s worth it. Kids thrive on structure and predictability, and this provides it for them. On days when I work late, I don’t see my kids for a whole 24 hours, which I think is sad for all of us.

I think that this is what it means to be

a Jewish father. We are obligated to educate our children. Actually, we are obligated to mechanech them, which, though usually translated as “educate,” really means something closer to “initiate” or “inaugurate.”

Certainly I want my children to grow up learning and loving Torah—but even more than that, I want them to know that there is someone who loves them, and who will move heaven and earth to make sure they know it. Because if that awareness is part of their reality, if they know in their core that someone loves them, then they will also be able to know that Someone Else loves them, too. And if I can teach them that, then I know that my daily grind is producing an awful lot.

—Raffi Bilek, LCSW-C, lives in Baltimore where he is the director of the Baltimore Therapy Center.

MEDITERRANEAN SALAD greens, shrimp, artichoke, mushrooms, radishes, feta, pepperoncini, sardine, white anchovy, beets, tomato, cucumber, chickpeas, egg, fresh herbs, red wine.

jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Father’s Day | Jewish News | 19

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 •

Father’s Day WORKING WITH DAD

Bill and Eric Miller Dad: Jerry Miller

W

hen we were growing up, our dad was growing the

family business. We enjoyed hearing stories about his day at the office.

Often times we visited him on our days off and thought it would be cool to join his team. For our summer breaks (in our high school years), we worked as helpers in the

The Miller family: Laura, Jerry, Bill and Eric.

field or shadowed managers to learn more about our company.

We face some challenges as employees of his company. For instance, some of our co-workers think that we have a “free ride” because we are his sons.

Honestly, this is not the case; our Dad offers no one a free ride. Both of us agree that we have “big shoes to fill” so it is important for us to not take any shortcuts along the way. At this time in our career, we do not report directly to him; instead, two of his key leaders mentor us through the challenges of our given roles.

In the workplace there are folks from all walks of life; sometimes there are

50th year anniversary, family owned and operated... 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

personality conflicts within our organization. Like you, we do not mesh well with everyone we meet; however, we try to treat everyone with respect and dignity.

Before we joined his team, our dad told us, “there will be occasions when you have to work with someone that you do not like, but you have to do what is best for the company.” Some co-workers are more difficult than others; but so far, we have been able to adhere to his advice. Heck, we have to keep in mind that they have to work with us, as well.

Prior to our first day on the job (in a fulltime capacity), he met with us. Dad

Tell our advertisers you saw it in

Jewish News

said, “Work hard, stay focused and do not give your boss a reason to not employ you.” Our primary focus is to make our supervisors’ job easier for them. As we noted earlier, we work for two of his key leaders. On occasion they tell our dad that we do a good job. Hopefully he is proud of our accomplishments.

It makes them smile!

20 | Jewish News | Father’s Day | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

Dad—in case we have not said it recently; thank you for the opportunity to work for your company. It is a pleasure to be a member of your team. Enjoy your Father’s Day!

it’s a wrap YAD’s leadership dinner with Matti Friedman

by Jasmine Amitay

P

ast, present and future leaders of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult Division (YAD) gathered to hear the Community Relations Council’s Israel Today speaker Matti Friedman, and enjoy dinner and cocktails on Tuesday, May 10.

YAD offers different leadership opportunities for young adults to engage in outreach, engagement and fundraising; opportunities include Super Sunday, YAD Cabinet, the Tidewater Couples Project, Hineni! Institute for Leadership Development, and a new addition, the Kiryat Yam Committee.

YAD leaders don’t always get a chance to meet each other if they do not come through the same

path. This event offered a chance to gather all leaders of YAD to get an exclusive meet and greet with a phenomenal speaker. With a backdrop of a Jerusalem Street, the evening’s theme focused on Israel, as that is such a big part of being a leader in the Tidewater Jewish community.

Friedman, an author and journalist, and former Jerusalem Bureau reporter and editor for the Associated Press, spoke about his Jessica and Joe Ruthenberg. experiences in the Israeli To learn how to receive an invitaDefense Force and as a reporter during times of war. His discussion tion to the next YAD leadership event, focused on media bias and how to contact Leah Abrams, YAD director, at consume news about Israel with an 965-6127 or labrams@ujft.org. informed perspective. (See page 10)

Beth El’s Annual Men’s Club Shabbat

by Norman Soroko, chairman

C

ongregation Beth El Men’s Club celebrated its annual Men’s Club Shabbat on May 21. It was another opportunity for members of the club to participate in the life of the synagogue. For this special occasion, the members of Men’s Club led services, chanted from the Torah, had a chance to take an aliyah to the Torah, chanted the Haftorah and shared D’vrei torah (thoughts on the Torah portion and Haftorah). Many young adults also took part in the service.

Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz de-installed the past slate of officers and installed new officers. The Club’s outgoing president, Dr. Craig Schranz gave his farewell address and

Amie and Byron Harrell, David Calliott, Danny Rubin, and Sam and Stephanie Steerman.

Mike Simon, Jeff Werby, Fred Rose, and Shawn Lemke.

Lag B’Omer at Strelitz

the incoming president, Howard Horwitz gave his inaugural speech. Other officers installed were: Ron Gladstone, vice president; Gary Kell, treasurer; Norman Soroko, assistant treasurer; and Mark Kozak, secretary. The board of directors was also installed.

The service had another special treat.

Levi McCallan Foleck, newborn son to Dr. Adam and Kristy Foleck was entered into the Covenant of the Jewish faith at his Brit Mila during Shabbat Services.

Norman David Soroko was the chairman for the annual Men’s Club Shabbat service. A deluxe Kiddush was held in Meyer’s Hall, co-sponsored by the Beth El Men’s Club and the Foleck family.

Strelitz Early Childhood Education Center students celebrated Lag B’Omer on Thursday, May 26 with a Field Day. Students participated in parachute activities, bubble fun, a pretend bonfire, and educational crafts. Hotdogs and popsicles were served for lunch.

jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Jewish News | 21

it’s a wrap

CRC’s 5th annual Israel Today series ends with insight into mainstream media

by Nicole Farrar

I

t was a standing-room only crowd as the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and its community partners presented the final event in their 5th Annual Israel Today series on May 10. Matti Friedman, former Jerusalem Bureau reporter and editor for the Associated Press and author of two books, Aleppo Codex and Pumpkinflowers, captured the crowd’s attention with his engaging style and fascinating stories about mainstream media malfunction in the international press.

After a brief moment of silence to mark Yom Hazikaron, Israeli Memorial Day, the evening’s “main event” began when moderator Kim Simon Fink took the stage with Friedman. The lively discussion centered on several questions submitted by audience members.

Friedman addressed what he called the “need for simple stories,” and how Israel, and its context in the Middle East, defies that description. He explained how attempts to simplify events, to write

600-word articles or fill 90-second soundbites, as is often required by print and television media, ends up framing the story in a certain way—a way that inevitably paints Israel as the aggressor, or “bad guy.” Friedman likened Israel to a “blank screen” upon which the negative characteristics of the age are seen through the lens of perceived Jewish moral failings.

Friedman spoke about the challenges reporters face, to churn out news-worthy stories daily, as well as the challenges readers face when confronted with vast amounts of information in what has become a 24-hour news cycle. While he remains a believer in mainstream media, Friedman cautioned that the responsibility rests with consumers to educate themselves on the broader history and context of what they may read or hear on any given day. The journalist-turned-author encouraged reading books for a fuller, more accurate perspective on Israel, suggesting Like Dreamers by Yossi Klein Halevi and My Promised Land by Ari Shavit.

Matti Friedman signs a copy of Pumpkinflowers for Arthur Rosenfeld.

22 | Jewish News | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

Delegate Glenn Davis, Delegate Steve Heretick, Charles Stanton of Senator Linwood Lewis’ office, Delegate Jason Miyares, David Brand, Delegate Joseph Lindsey, and Delegate Scott Taylor.

Matti Friedman and Joel Nied, incoming CRC chair.

Jay Klebanoff, UJFT president and Joel Palser.

Friedman also spoke about his own two books, including the recently released Pumpkinflowers: A Soldier’s Story, which he describes as his attempt to put Israel’s story in the context of the modern Middle East and explain why events in this country over the past 20 years are deeply connected to what has happened in the Middle East—not just the breakdown of the Middle East over the past five years—but also the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan and the experiences of American soldiers in those wars. “[In it] I’m trying to put the story in context and

suggest links between my experiences, and between Israel’s experiences, and the experiences of people from other countries.” Friedman signed copies of the book at the conclusion of the event.

Reflecting on the evening, Jay Klebanoff, president of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater says, “Matti Friedman provided great insight into the facts on the ground in Israel’s defense efforts to secure her populace, including his findings as an AP reporter as to why most international reporting on Israel

it’s a wrap incredible things on Israel’s behalf.

Hearing from them is inspiring,” says Klebanoff.

The free community event, which took place at the Reba and Sam Sandler family campus, began with an introduction by Joel Nied, incoming chair of the Community Relations Council, of Delegate s Joseph Lindsey, Jason Miyares, Glenn Davis, Steve Heretick, and Scott Taylor. The evening’s agenda also included the announcement of the 2016 Israel Poster Contest w inner, Brian Moderator Kim Simon Fink and Matti Friedman offer a lively discussion Cohn.

A sixth on mainstream media malfunction in the international press. grader at Ohef follows a pro-Palestinian story-line. Matti Sholom Temple’s Religious School, Brian is highly intelligent, charming and enter- highlighted the fact that “Israel’s Etenergy tainingly funny, yet has gritty credibility can get 40% more power from the sun with as a former IDF soldier and AP Middle lightweight solar energy trackers, based on the principles of kite surfing.” Brian East correspondent.

“The Israel Today series brings smart, received a warm welcome to the stage informative and compelling speakers to as audience members got their first look our community. Each was impressive at the winning entry. Elizabeth Hughes, and proved well worth the time. There winner of the first annual contest, was are wonderful people out there doing also in attendance and was recognized.

Allison Lawrence Jones, Matti Friedman, and Robin Mancoll, CRC director.

Art Sandler, Becky Chambliss, and Del. Jason Miyares.

Simon Family JCC, YAD, and Chabad celebrate Lag B’Omer with fiery bash

by Gaby Grune

T

he fire roared and embers floated up and danced among the stars as more than 400 people enjoyed the Lag B’Omer Bash on Thursday, May 26.

The smell of a sizzling grill overpowered the senses. The beating of drums matched the beating of hearts. Young and old of all faiths came together around the bonfire to eat, drum, and sing in celebration.

“We planned for 200 people, based on our ticket sales, but people kept coming.

It was incredible,” says Naty Horev, Simon Family JCC cultural arts assistant. “We were so happy with the turnout. This is definitely a repeat event.”

As the sun set over the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, the party raged on into the night. Fire jugglers flicked their flames—turning, twisting and twirling their light through the darkness. As they MJ Lemke. sliced their fiery blades into the curtain of night, others chowed down on finger licking burgers and hot dogs, fresh from the grill.

Before anyone could say Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (the name of the great Kabala rabbi for whom the day is celebrated), the holiday was over. The flame was extinguished, but nothing could douse the sense of community everyone felt that evening.

Light, love, joy, and song filled the air, making Lag B’Omer a very rare affair.

Ashley Lemke, Monique Werby, Bibi Jackson and Amy Weinstein.

jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Jewish News | 23

Hebrew Academy Class of 2010 is off to college

by Dee Dee Becker

W

ho doesn’t love a good before/after story? Hebrew Academy graduates from the Class of 2010 make a great one. And from the look of the photos, some pretty impressive growth happened in just a few short years.

These students make HAT proud with their good hearts and good deeds, not to mention very notable academic achievements: Echols Scholar, National Merit Scholar Finalist, Dorsey Leadership Scholar and Capstone Scholar, to name a few. Read on to find out what these scholars have been up to since their HAT days and where they are headed next.

Where they are now Ely Bloch—Since HAT graduation, Ely attended Torah Day School, Yeshivas Aish Kodesh (YAK) and Maury High School. Last summer Ely toured Israel, where he will study next year. Upon his return, Ely will attend either the University of Maryland or Yeshiva University in N.Y. Hunter Brown—Hunter is a recent graduate of Norfolk Academy and is a National Merit Scholar Finalist. Hunter will attend the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar.

Reflecting back at the Hebrew Academy 6th Grade Class of 2010. Standing: Rifka Silverman, Austin Kramer, Arianna (Ari) Lipton, Jules Millison, Channa Schachet-Briskin, Brett Pomerantz, Hunter Brown. Seated: Adam Epstein, Emma Segaloff, Ellie Gordon, Hanan Sibony, Ely Bloch, Emma Rosenblum.

Adam Epstein—Adam attended Kempsville Middle School and is a recent graduate of the Global Studies World Languages Academy at Tallwood High School. Adam will attend the University of Virginia.

Channa Schachet-Briskin—Channa attends Virginia Beach Friends School. Channa was selected as a Dorsey Leadership Scholar at Goucher College in Baltimore, Md. She will major in Communications and Media Studies, following a gap year focusing on Jewish education.

Ellie Gordon—Ellie is a recent graduate of Norfolk Academy. Ellie will follow her passion for International Relations at The School of International Service at American University.

Hanan Sibony—After HAT graduation, Hanan and his family moved to Israel in Bet Shemesh, where he attended Yeshivas Hakayitz. Hanan will soon begin his service with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Austin Kramer—Austin is a graduate of Cape Henry Collegiate School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. Austin will attend Clemson University.

Rifka Silverman—Rifka attends the Global Studies and World Languages Academy at Tallwood High School. Rifka will be attending Old Dominion University in the fall.

Arianna (Ari) Lipton—Ari attends the Health and Sciences Academy at Bayside High School, where she is captain of the track team. She will attend the Honors Program at Christopher Newport University and will be in the President’s Leadership Program.

Josh Mitnick—Josh is a recent graduate of Kempsville High School, where he was on the cross-country team and served on the Yearbook committee. He will study neuroscience at George Mason University.

Brett Pomerantz—Brett attends Western Branch High School. Brett will attend the Virginia Tech College of Engineering in the fall in the Galileo Engineering Living Learning Community.

24 | Jewish News | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

Emma Rosenblum—Emma attends Cox High School.

Emma will attend the College of Charleston, with her first semester in London.

Emma Segaloff—Since graduating from HAT, Emma enjoyed her middle school years at Norfolk Academy and her high school years at Norfolk Collegiate. Emma looks forward to attending the University of Colorado in Boulder this fall.

Gillian Blais—Past HAT student Gillian Blais will graduate from the American Hebrew Academy, in Greensboro, N. C. This fall she will attend American University.

Becca Cohen—Past HAT student Becca Cohen and her family moved to New York, so she was thrilled to attend

HAT graduates from the Class of 2010 along with a few of their past classmates recently gathered together for a reunion before heading off to college later this summer. Standing: Zach Kell, Brett Pomerantz, Becca Cohen, Ely Bloch, Josh Mitnick, Channa Schachet-Briskin, Gillian Blais, Emma Rosenblum, Austin Kramer, Emma Segaloff, Hunter Brown.

Kneeling: Rifka Silverman, Ellie Gordon, Adam Epstein.

the gathering and reunite with her old friends. After leaving HAT, she started playing soccer, serving as goalie on her middle school and varsity high school soccer teams.

She will pursue her love of soccer in the fall, playing for Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa. Zach Kell—Previous HAT student Zach Kell developed a passion for foreign languages in high school and was selected as one of 45 students in Virginia to study with the Governor’s Foreign Language Academy at Washington and Lee University last summer for immersion in German and Chinese. This Fall, Zach will study as a Capstone Scholar at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

what’s happening Challah Days—Highlights of featured speakers

Iota Gamma Phi reunion plans are underway

Friday, June 17–Sunday, June 19, Kempsville Conservative Synagogue

W

Belarus. She will share her hen Kempsville story of her journey from Conservative Belarus, to Israel, and then Synagogue/Kehillat Bet to Virginia Beach. Lifshitz Hamidrash began planhas many warm childhood ning A Taste of Challah memories that she will Days Around the World, balance with her stories no one imagined where it of anti-Semitism. She has would lead the congregation. shared many of her mothPlanning a Shabbat celebraer’s recipes, which will be tion that would look at Jews prepared and served at in different cultures could Shabbat dinner. Ever heard go in many directions, but Maly Gadai Jackson. of falshe fish? Attend the it led to two special women who both experienced lives of religious and evening for a taste.

Maly Gadai Jackson has also lived in political strife.

Galina Lifshitz was born in Gomel, three countries—Ethiopia, Israel, and the

Sculptures by Lorraine Fink Through June 16, Slover Library, Norfolk

M

ythically, with a wash of whimsy, this collection by Lorraine Fink includes 8- and 3-foot sculptures, which feature both obsolete and repurposed objects. The collection imparts a powerful, societal statement connecting past, present and future sensibilities.

Obsolete (replaced by LEDs) and discarded gymnasium light fixtures from the Simon Family JCC that were relegated to a landfill were rescued, reclaimed and brought back to life with a wink and a nod through Fink’s time-traversing vision and artistry. Newly sculpted with electrical wire, circuit boards, remote controls, washers, CDs, plastic laminate samples, non-recyclable VHS tapes,

toilet paper inner tubes, newspaper delivery bags, and other scratched, dented, discarded and found offerings, each became a fixture of a tribe complete with facial features, ritual adornments, body paint and a transcendence of place and time.

Patterned after her well-traveled encounters with the indigenous peoples of New Guinea, India, Nepal, China, Kenya and Mexico, to name only a few, Fink’s sculptural beings become kindred spirits inspired by the rich and varied cultures she has explored.

These tech-tribal sculptures standing 42-inch tall upon their pedestals, along with the 8-foot totems leave visitors wondering and smiling.

Admission to the library is free. The opening reception was filmed by WHRO for inclusion in an upcoming episode of The Scene, which will stream online on July 6.

United States. Her childhood experiences are very different from Lifshitz’s. As a seven-year-old, she walked for three weeks from Ethiopia to Sudan and then flew to Israel on an Israeli Air Force commissioned airplane. Jackson will share her Ethiopian Jewish life at Shabbat morning services, and will also discuss her amazing journey at breakfast on Sunday morning. Shabbat lunch will include her recipes from her Ethiopian Shabbat traditions. Jackson and her family recently relocated to Harrisburg.

The community is delighted to welcome her (and her family) back to Virginia Beach for this not-to-be-missed experience.

A Taste of Challah Days Around the World is made possible through funding of the United Jewish Federation, Tidewater Jewish Foundation and Simon Family Foundation.

For the complete schedule, reservations, and cost, e-mail kbhsynagogue@gmail.com.

Sunday, September 11, Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club

I

ota Sisters: Do you remember the green and gold of the Iota Gamma Phi Sorority banner? Do you still have your band and diary? Does this evoke a plethora of memories of teenage years? It is time to reunite as Sisters again as planning is underway for a reunion and brunch.

The local Rho chapter began nearly 70 years ago and was a major influence on high school girls during their formative years. It existed until 1982.

To make this reunion a success, help is needed to locate all of the sisters.

Iota Sisters who are interested in attending, should contact Sally Balaban Kocen at sallycsbk@aol.com or call her at 757-572-3599 or join the Facebook page—Iota Gamma Phi Sorority Norfolk and Richmond Virginia to keep up with details for the event.

Bill’s will said a lot about him.

What does your will say about you?

Norfolk businessman Bill Goldback valued good health and good music.

Before he died in 2007, Bill arranged for a bequest to the Hampton Roads Community Foundation to provide grants for arts and medicine in Hampton Roads.

Goldback grants have helped the Virginia Symphony and The Free Foundation, which provides wheelchairs for lowincome citizens. Thanks to Bill’s generosity he will forever bring music and health to his home region.

Connect your passions to the future by ordering a free bequest guide. Learn how easy it is to leave a gift for charity. Call 757-622-7951 or visit leaveabequest.org.

•

www.leaveabequest.org. (757) 622-7951

jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Jewish News | 25

Goldback Ad 2014 – Jewish News: 4.875” x 5.375”

Calendar Danny Kline President

JUNE 15, WEDNESDAY JCC Senior Club board meeting at 10:30 am, lunch at 12 noon, general meeting follows.

Ron Sable, a Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley and Bobby Darin impersonator will entertain. For information, call Bernice at 757-497-0229.

Andy Kline CEO

2016 Simon Family JCC Biennial Meeting. Members, donors and guests are invited to enjoy a reception and program honoring the contributions of special community volunteers and leaders, including recognition of Marty Einhorn, outgoing JCC president. 6 pm.

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.

Sandler Family Campus now hiring: SEASONAL LANDSCAPER The Landscaper is responsible for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of mowing turf, using both walk behind and riding mowers and performing various landscaping and grounds maintenance on the campus and auxiliary properties.

All Services. All Local.

Payroll, Taxes and W-2s • ACA Compliance and Reporting Web Based Time and Attendance • NCS Background Checks Employee Loans • Pay As You Go Workers Comp Insurance • HR Support Center Employee Self Service Online • Merchant Services • VISA Debit Payday Cards

Contact us today at 757-523-0605 or www.paydaypayroll.com PD-ad-JewishNews-QtrColor-102815.indd 1

26 | Jewish News | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

10/28/15 2:56 PM

• • • • • • •

Requirements

Excellent attention to detail while working in a fun & fast paced environment Able to work effectively with individuals of differing knowledge and background Punctual and dependable, polite and courteous Valid driver’s license with a clean driving record Previous experience with lawn care or landscaping is preferred but not required Able to lift, carry and push up to 50 lbs., stoop, kneel, occasionally climb Ability to prioritize and multi-task • Other duties as assigned Contact Taffy Hunter, Human Resources director at 757-965-6117 Submit resume and/or application to:

UJFT Community Campus, 5000 Corporate Woods Dr Beach, 23462 or: resumes@ujft.org The Sandler Family Campus is firmly committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, genetic information, non-disqualifying disability or military status.

WHO Knew?

mazel tov to

Israeli film about women soldiers to be made into American TV series JERUSALEM (JTA)—An Israeli film about women serving in the Israeli army will be adapted into a U.S. television series.

Zero Motivation will be remade into a comedy-drama by BBC America in conjunction with American actress and comedian Amy Poehler’s production company, Paper Kite Productions, Variety magazine reported.

The successful 2014 film, which was directed by

the Israeli filmmaker Talya Lavie, won two awards at the Tribeca Film Festival and was nominated for 12 Ophir Awards, Israel’s equivalent of the Oscars, winning six of them.

The TV rights were bought by Poehler, a former star of Saturday Night Live, and Natasha Lyonne, who stars in the hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black and is the daughter of Holocaust survivors.

Beyonce rocks Israeli-designed dresses on new world tour JERUSALEM (JTA)—The Israeli fashion designer Inbal Dror has created a line of dresses for Beyonce’s new world tour.

Dror, of Tel Aviv, posted photos on her Facebook page and Twitter feed of the performer wearing her creations in a Houston show for her Formation world tour.

Beyonce wore a Dror-designed wedding gown when she presented at the 58th Grammy Awards in February.

For inspiration for the custom-made line, Dror said she drew inspiration from Victorian and tribal influences that are featured in the singer’s music video for her single Formation, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Beyonce wore a red outfit created by Israeli designer Alon Livne for her 2013 world tour.

She is scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv in August as part of this world tour.

Peres to Queen Elizabeth II: “Life begins at 90” JERUSALEM ( JTA)—Former Israeli President Shimon Peres sent Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II a happy birthday video message telling her that “life begins at 90.”

The Queen’s 90th birthday took place in April, although the official celebrations in the United Kingdom will be held this month. In September, Elizabeth II became the country’s longest reigning monarch, after ascending to the throne at the age of 25.

Peres, who is 93, told the Queen in his message: “From my own experience I can tell you that in my judgment—life begins at the age of 90, and they go up better and better. It is really a blessing not just a

wish, a blessing to you, to us, that you will continue to guide, to inspire, to offer a smile, to the young and the old and make our lives different, despite all the problems and wars we went through. You are a great leader for the free world; you are a great hope for the coming generations. God bless you.”

In an official note sent for the occasion, Peres said further: “For nine decades the world has been graced by your reign. You are a beacon of light to your nation and serve as a source of inspiration for individuals across the world.”

He sent the Queen a birthday gift—a handpainted silk scarf with a motif of Jerusalem on it.

Seminary awards grant to local rabbi W YNCOTE, PA—Reconstructionist Rabbinical College awarded one of the first five grants of the Auerbach Entrepreneurial Grant Program to Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill, spiritual leader of Tidewater Chavurah.

Rabbi Jaffe-Gill, a 2014 graduate of the seminary, will use her $1,000 grant to fund an ongoing course, Torah Study for Skeptics.

The course will begin on Sunday, July 31.

Torah Study for Skeptics is geared to Jewish adults and teens with minimal background in Judaism, as well as those who are skeptical of the relevance of Jewish texts. The program aims to offer unaffiliated Jews the chance to study the Hebrew Bible outside of a synagogue setting, to engage Jews who may be alienated from Torah because of youthful experiences, and to expose Jews and spiritual seekers in Tidewater to foundational Jewish texts in a relaxed atmosphere.

Texts will be studied in English, and continuing students will receive a copy of the Jewish Publication Society’s Hebrew-English Tanakh.

The grant initiative is funded by the Auerbach Foundation Fund, which is under the auspices of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford. The program funds innovative pilot projects for Jewish living and engagement in the 21st century that have the potential to grow and be replicated.

Reconstructionist Judaism is the fourth denomination of American Judaism and teaches that Judaism is the continuously evolving civilization of the Jewish people encompassing culture, art, music, food, belief, ritual and everyday living.

For more information about Torah Study for Skeptics, contact Rabbi Jaffe-Gill at rabbicantorejg@gmail.com.

Mazel Tov submissions should be emailed to news@ujft.org with Mazel Tov in the subject line. Achievements, B’nai Mitzvot, births, engagements and weddings are appropriate simchas to announce. Photos must be at least 300k. Include a daytime phone for questions. There is no fee.

Employment Oppor tunities at Strelitz Early Childhood Education Center TEACHER POSITIONS The Strelitz Early Childhood Education Center is now accepting applications for full time lead teacher positions in the preschool program.

We are seeking engaging, inspiring and innovative individuals to implement an integrated general and Judaic studies curriculum for three- and four-year-olds.

Background knowledge in Jewish values, culture, tradition and religion is an advantage and preferred. Applicants must hold a four year degree, preferably in early childhood education. At least one year’s experience in early childhood education is necessary.

Please submit a cover letter and resume to: Lorna Orleans at lorleans@strelitzearlychildhood.org

jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Jewish News | 27

obituaries Lorraine M. Fleder Norfolk—Lorraine Manassee Fleder passed away Friday, June 3, 2016 at the age of 86 in her home at Harbor’s Edge in Norfolk.

Born in the Bronx, New York, she became a resident of Norfolk in 1958 after marrying Harry Fleder, a union which happily lasted for 42 years.

During the past several decades, Lorraine became a beloved member of the local community involving herself in many civic, artistic and philanthropic endeavors.

She will be greatly missed by scores of family and friends.

Lorraine is survived by her sister Ellen Manassee, also of Harbor’s Edge; her daughter and son-in-law Anne and Andrew Verner of Boca Raton, Florida; and her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter Gary, Lori and Zoe Fleder of Santa Monica, California.

A funeral service was conducted at the Norfolk chapel of H.D. Oliver Funeral Apartments by Rabbi Michael A. Panitz.

Burial was at Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Juliette Pearce Virginia Beach—Juliette (Allegria) Pearce, 87, passed away on Friday, May 20, 2016 in Virginia Beach.

Juliette was born in Rabat, Morocco to Maklouf Halioua and Louna Halioua on October 20, 1929.

She married Walter Lee Pearce, a U.S. naval officer, in 1951 on the beach in Rabat where she had formerly won a beauty contest and was named Miss Kenitra. Two years later the married couple moved to

the United States, where Juliette proceeded to obtain her United States citizenship.

After her husband’s death in 1974, Juliette raised her three young daughters as a single mother. Juliette lived for her children, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter.

She was renowned for her constant devotion to her family and friends and for her delicious native Moroccan cooking. She was a long time member of and a constant presence at Temple Emanuel Synagogue.

Juliette is preceded in death by her parents, Maklouf and Louna Halioua; siblings, Albert Halioua, Maurice Halioua, and Esther Blaza; husband, Walter Lee Pearce and daughter, Ava Loeb.

Juliette is survived by her daughters, Edna Mendelsohn and Jacqueline Furman (husband Randall Furman), sisters, Simy Benmron and Yvonne Harbert; grandchildren, Arielle Salasky (husband Aaron Slawsky), Stephen Salasky, Brittney Bloch (husband Adam Bloch), Erica Gerstin (husband Ari Gerstin), Marissa Furman and Amanda Furman and great-granddaughter, Layla Gerstin and extended family members and friends who loved her dearly.

A graveside service took place at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk with Rabbi Marc Kraus of Temple Emanuel officiating.

The family wishes to extend a special thank you to everyone at The Terrace at Beth Sholom Village and to Medi Hospice Care.

Donations to the Terrace at Beth Sholom Village, 1049 College Park Blvd., Virginia Beach, VA 23464. Online condolences may be made to the family at hdoliver.com.

Ingrid Schwartz Ingrid Schwartz died Wednesday, May 18, at 10:10 am. Her big brother, Garry and two wonderful nurses were with her at Mid-Michigan Medical Center.

Ingrid was born Dec. 15, 1950. She lived an extremely productive life even though she was mentally challenged from birth. She took every opportunity to make her life as relevant and meaningful as she could. She was child-like in many ways. This innocence gave her the ability to see the good in everyone and everything, appreciating the littlest and most important things in life. Along with that sweetness was a good amount of Schwartz stubbornness.

She was the 2015 recipient of the Tim Bartlett Award given each year by the ARC of Midland to a successful businessperson.

Her kiosk, the Bean Canteen, in the 555 Building was a source of great pride to her.

She formed lasting friendships with every office in the building by announcing the arrival of the daily mail.

She came to Midland 14 years ago after living most of her adulthood in Brigantine, N.J. and spending her childhood with her family in such exotic places as Panama, Okinawa, Germany, Fond Du Lac, Wis., and Bucksport, Maine. Her dad was Lt. Col. Craig Schwartz; her mother Ingeborg Pucher: they have preceded Ingrid in death as well as her younger brother, James Schwartz; and her beloved Mom-mom and Pop-pop. Her very best friend, Shirley Scibor, died in February of this year.

Ingrid is survived by many friends at the Arc of Midland, Voice, Central Michigan Community Mental Health, Chapel Lane Presbyterian; as well as one brother, Garry (Sandy) Schwartz of Sanford; and a sister, Gabi Rosenblum (Richard), of Virginia; step-mother, Heidi Schwartz; nieces, Natalie Schwartz and Emma Rosenblum; and nephews, David and Thomas Schwartz of Midland, Ethan and Aiden Rosenblum.

A memorial for Ingrid was held at Chapel Lane.

The Woodlands

Virginia Beach’s Premiere Jewish Garden

Private · Secluded · Dignified Your need may be years, even decades in the future. By planning now, you protect your family from the uncertainty, stress, and expense of making final arrangements.

“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 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

The Woodlands at Princess Anne Memorial Park 1110 North Great Neck Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23454 757-481-1097 · www.princessannememorialpark.com

obituaries The family can think of no way better to remember Ingrid’s spirit than by a kind act for another person. If you prefer, a donation in her name to Chapel Lane Church or the Arc of Midland would also keep the kindness going.

Dr. Peter Walker Norfolk—Dr. Peter Walker “Pete,” 67, of the 5400 block of Bulls Bay Drive passed away May 24, 2016 at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

He was born to the late Nettie Robinson Walker and Elijah Walker on January 26, 1949 in Harlem, N.Y. Peter was a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and received his Doctorate degree from the University of Virginia. He retired in 2014 after over 35 years of service as an educator. Peter worked for 10 years as a computer analyst.

Peter was a member of Ohef Sholom Temple. He leaves to cherish his memory his daughter, Crystal Walker; two brothers, Paul Walker (his identical twin) and Steven Walker, and a host of relatives and friends.

A graveside service officiated by Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg took place at Forest Lawn Cemetery. Metropolitan Funeral Service.

Brazil,” Osias Wurman, Israel honorary consul and former president of the Rio Jewish federation, told JTA. “He idealized the Holocaust memorial to be built soon.”

In 2009, Bergher inaugurated the Yitzhak Rabin bust at a Rio park in the presence of his Rabin’s widow, Leah.

Bergher was a vocal critic of Brazil’s decision to allow then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to visit the South American country in 2009, noting Ahmadinejad’s denial of the Holocaust.

In 1985, Bergher welcomed then-Brazilian President Jose Sarney at a Jewish book fair in Rio. At that time he presided over the Bialik Library, a cultural center dedicated to the preservation of the Yiddish language.

Rabbi Michael Lerner, Billy Crystal asked to speak at Muhammad Ali funeral Liberal American Rabbi Michael Lerner was invited to speak at boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s funeral.

“I am deeply humbled and honored to be invited to speak at Muhammad Ali’s funeral,” Lerner, the editor of Tikkun Magazine, wrote on Facebook. “It has been several decades since I worked with Muhammad Ali in the peace movement challenging the Vietnam War. The US government indicted both of us for our nonviolent actions against that war. But that was many decades ago. So imagine my surprise to receive a call on Sunday morning from Muhammad Ali’s family who invited him to be a speaker at the funeral/memorial ceremony.”

Ali died Friday, June 3 at 74. He had Parkinson’s disease for more than 30 years.

Jewish actor-comedian Billy Crystal, who is know for his imitation of Ali, was also asked to speak at the funeral, along with representatives of Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Mormonism and Catholicism.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton was to deliver a eulogy. Other speakers include

Ali’s wife, Lonnie; his daughter Maryum, and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and King Abdullah II of Jordan reportedly had been scheduled to speak at the ceremony and then were removed from the program due to the number of speakers.

The ceremony was to be led by California imam and scholar Zaid Shakir.

Jenazah, a traditional Muslim funeral service, was also held.

Lerner’s Tikkun reported that the Ali family member who called the rabbi to ask him to participate in the memorial ceremony told him that Muhammad Ali and his wife “had been fans of his for many, many years.” Lerner said he had not heard from Ali since 1995, when the boxer sent him a note to commend him on the book he wrote with Cornel West titled Jews and Blacks: Let the Healing Begin.

SouthSide Chapel 5792 Greenwich Rd. Virginia Beach 757 422-4000

Brazilian Jewish politician Gerson Bergher RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA)—Gerson Bergher, one of Brazil’s most prominent Jewish activists, has died at 91.

A former president of the Brazilian Zionist Organization, Bergher, who has served as a politician in Brazil for many years, died Monday, May 30 in Rio. He reportedly began his political career based on advice from Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion.

Bergher was first elected as lawmaker in the assembly of the Brazilian state of Rio in 1960.

He had a longtime and openly pro-Jewish and pro-Israel political career as a member of both the Rio State Assembly and City Council. In the 1990s and 2000s, as council president, he served as acting mayor a few times. In 2014, he assumed his latest term in the Assembly.

“Bergher was the dean of politicians of the Jewish-Brazilian community and a loyal activist of the Zionist movement in

Family owned and operated since 1917 M aeStaS Chapel 1801 Baltic Ave. Virginia Beach 757 428-1112

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

CheSapeake Chapel 929 S. Battlefield Blvd.

Chesapeake 757 482-3311

• Affordable services to fit any budget • Advance funeral planning • Professional, experienced, caring staff • Flexible burial options

denbigh Chapel 12893 Jefferson Ave. Newport News 757 874-4200

• Flexible payment options www.altmeyer.com

Approved by all area Rabbis and Chevrah Kadisha

Riverside Chapel 7415 River Road Newport News 757 245-1525

jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Jewish News | 29

first person

What We Carry premiere a huge success

by Elena Barr Baum

L

ike a blustery March day in 2012, May 22, 2016 was a day full of anticipation for the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

Four years ago, we had a new product no one had heard of called What We Carry.

The innovative and interactive program combined a documentary film in which the subject’s voice alone tells the story, with an accompanying vintage suitcase filled with replicas of mementos and artifacts seen in the film.

Our dedicated volunteer Commission members, donors, and the UJFT had put a lot of time, money, and effort into finding a successor to our survivor Speakers’ Bureau, and we thought we’d figured out the formula.

The overflow crowd who attended the East Coast Premiere of four What We Carry films on March 25, 2012, at the TCC Roper Center for Performing Arts in Norfolk proved that we were onto something.

Since then, What We Carry presentations

have been seen by more than 20,000 people—among them students, military audiences, and educator and community groups from California to Jerusalem.

Buoyed by the overwhelmingly positive response and repeat requests, we embarked on a journey to capture three more stories in 2014—that of Holocaust survivor Alfred Dreyfus, death camp liberator Bill Jucksch, and freedom fighter and righteous Gentile, Dame Mary Barraco.

We engaged our original filmmakers, Amber Howell and Janice Engel, and they began the creative process anew while we continued to share the original four stories based on the experiences of David Katz and Hanns Loewenbach (of blessed memory), and Dana Cohen and Kitty Saks.

May 22, 2016 was “show time” for the three new films and the exquisite new suitcases created, like the original four suitcases, by local artist, Perry Deglandon.

Anticipating at least as many audience members as we had at the first premiere, we booked the beautiful Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, which seats about

1,300 people. We had great press in the weeks leading up to the free event from radio, TV, and newspapers, as well as good old-fashioned word of mouth from hard working Commission members. While RSVPs were not required, more than 1,100 people let us know they’d be coming.

The more optimistic among us expected a full house, and we got one. The day was a huge success, with staff at the Sandler Center numbering the standing room only crowd at 1,380. All three of the films’ subjects were there, and were pleased and proud of the way Amber and Janice had brought their stories to life, and how Perry had encapsulated the items they would “carry.” The reactions and feedback from others who saw the new films were overwhelmingly positive and affirmed all of the hard work that went into the creative process, fundraising, and planning the premiere event.

If you missed the May 22 screening, the new films will be uploaded in the coming months to our website, www.

HolocaustCommission.org. Links to the first four films can be found on our What We Carry page, and we encourage you to book a presentation for your school or group. A presentation includes one film with an accompanying suitcase, and is led by a Holocaust Commission docent who provides supplemental information, guides discussion, and answers questions.

For more information, call 757-965-6125, or email info@holocaustcommission.org. To see photos from the Premiere, visit www.fb.com/ holcommission.

Responses following the What We Carry screening on May 22:

W Audience members take their seats before the premiere. By the time the film began, the Sandler Center had reached its seating capacity, and reported a standing room only crowd of more than 1350.

30 | Jewish News | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org

hen I was growing up, it was just another story. It wasn’t that big a deal. My uncles and grandfather told me many times that their story was not really that difficult. There were many that suffered a lot more, and that we should really be telling stories about them. I think what’s

What We Carry filmmakers, Amber Howell and Janice Engel.

really lost sometimes is that there were many people who risked their lives to save my father and his family, and I want you all to realize—each and every one of you have to stand up at some point and make a stand when you see something that’s not right and help others. That’s what I’ve learned from my Dad, and I hope you carry that with you today.

Mark Dreyfus, son of Alfred Dreyfus

W

hen there’s a miracle, you have to publicize it. It’s moving that such a large audience has heard these stories, and it’s gratifying to know they’ll continue to be heard. For me, and so many others, it’s part of our Jewish identity—this connection to the past and knowing what people before us have done to stay Jewish.

Brett Levi, grandson of Arthur Dreyfus

I

have heard these stories forever, and it was moving and powerful to experience it with so many others. While all the stories were so diverse, even though they were of the same moment in history, they all had

first person the same message—that of perseverance and doing whatever is necessary in order to survive. These films make the stories very personal, and don’t just summarize what happened. They make us go into our own minds and think about what we would do in those moments or at those decision points.

Claudia Dreyfus, daughter of Arthur Dreyfus

I

would like to thank everyone who is here today. This audience has touched me deeply. Believe me. I never thought when I was walking in here today that I would see so many faces, so many people to greet us and to say, “Thank you.” This is, to me, a gift from God. And I thank the people

who have been working so hard to make this possible. I refused it so many times, but I just thank God and thank you, for forcing me, and for coming to my home.

Your kindness, your friendship, will always be admired, and I thank all, all, all of you.

This is the greatest country in the world.

Dame Mary Barraco

I

just returned from the viewing of What We Carry. I cannot thank you enough for presenting these films to the public. It was such a remarkable journey through the eyes of those three remarkable individuals.

Diane Johnson, community member

K

udos to you on the three new documentaries in the What We Carry

project, and thank you for presenting them at the Sandler Center! I think high school and college students, who are considering how they can make an impact on the world, would be the ideal people to see them!

Susan Hurley, community member

I

can’t thank you enough for the hospitality shown at the Sandler Center. We sat directly behind Bill Jucksch and were deeply moved by the videos and the entire presentation. You touched many, and are destined to do the same to many more in the future.

Tabb Pearson, teacher, Salem High School

T

he What We Carry premiere was one of the all-time highlights of our Jewish communal programming. You each work hard and creatively all year to make What We Carry impactful and successful. I applaud your efforts throughout the year and, especially, on May 22. Congratulations on a job well done.

Jay Klebanoff, president, UJFT

Y

ou DO make a difference—but your work makes a greater difference because you preserve the stories for all time that sometimes are relegated to the back chapters of secondary school history books, or worse, become research for the few who choose to make it a part of their own personal enrichment. The call to action whilst these men and women are still with us is the only way to try to prevent another human calamity.

Nancy Wall and Alfred Dreyfus look at items included in his What We Carry suitcase.

Dame Mary Barraco with her grandson, Lee Smith.

Bobby Melatti, former board member, Virginia Beach Public Schools

T

oday’s What We Carry event was very powerful, very moving, very necessary, and most appreciated by the audience.

The audience was right there with each moment of the three films.

It was most impressive…I really just wanted to thank the donors and the Commission for their foresight for the production and fortitude. [The films] fulfill their purpose…They are vital repositories of survivor/rescuer/liberator history and lovely artistic renderings of individual lives. Most importantly, they are valuable pedagogical tools targeting school children and young adults.

Dr. Annette Finley-Croswhite, Old Dominion University

O

ur family found the stories of the What We Carry series profoundly moving. It seems impossible for anyone who views these important films to not have his or her view of the world changed forever. Thanks so much!

Jeff Jucksch, son of Bill Jucksch (Photos by Laine Rutherford, Joel Mednick and Laureen Richard)

An audience member reads about the impact What We Carry has on students— in their own words.

Holocaust Commission volunteers, Paula Alperin, Sue Ellen Teach and Joan London.

jewishnewsva.org | June 13, 2016 | Jewish News | 31

32 | Jewish News | June 13, 2016 | jewishnewsva.org