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Southeastern Virginia | Vol. 55 No. 18 | 4 Sivan 5777 | May 29, 2017
Fifty years since the
Six-Day War
11 First trip to Israel after the Six-Day War
—page 7 21 Shavout: Five ways to celebrate
23 One Night of Israeli food
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25 B’nai Israel’s Scholar-in-Residence Friday, June 16 supplement to Jewish News May 29, 2017 jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Staycation | Jewish News | 13
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Letter
Jewish news jewishnewsva.org Published 22 times a year by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
Leadership transition
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N
ext week we will hold our biennial meeting of United
Most importantly, we continue to raise the dollars needed to
Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Simon Family JCC,
support our agencies—both large and small, and to send well
where I will transition out of the board presidency and introduce
over a million dollars overseas to save and enhance lives in Israel
John Strelitz as the incoming president. John’s presidency will
and around the world. Thank you to all who step up year after
continue a Strelitz legacy that has benefitted our community tre-
year with your generosity and spirit of giving. We ask a lot of you
mendously over the years.
and you always come through.
John’s father, Joseph “Buddy” Strelitz and his uncle, Leonard
We are also blessed in our community with professionals and
Strelitz, were dynamic and passionate leaders, who worked with
staff within our agencies and organizations who are talented and
other venerable families to build this community to previously
hard working and who care deeply about achieving excellence for
unforeseen heights in support of a dynamic Federation and a
their and our behalf.
more secure Israel.
So as we bestow honors and celebrate the leadership transition
The Strelitz brothers set the bar and we, the present beneficia-
at our June 7 Biennial meeting, know that there are certainly
ries, have worked hard to maintain our lofty position in order to
challenges ahead in the Jewish World and in our community—
provide for those in need here and around the world, to encour-
there always are. But also know that we will have the leadership
age Jewish culture and awareness in our community and to help
strength of the Strelitz legacy, embodied by John Strelitz, as we
secure our Jewish homeland in Israel. We are a small, but mighty
continue to work together with the passion and dedication for
community with a respected national reputation.
which our proud community is known.
Still, to stay strong, we have made critical changes during the
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About the cover: Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, Chief of staff Yitzhak Rabin, Gen. Rehavam Zeevi (R) and Gen. Narkis in the old city of Jerusalem. (GPO)
Issue Date June 12 June 26 July 17 Aug. 14 Sept. 11 Sept. 25
Quotable
Five ways to celebrate Shavuot . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Better Together: Ohef Sholom kids and Beth Sholom seniors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
“We all shared tears of joy,
One Night of community and Israeli food. . . 23
we all felt privileged to be
Hal Sacks Jewish News Archives. . . . . . . . . . . 6 50th Anniversary of Six-Day War. . . . . . . . . . 7 How the Six-Day War changed American Jews. . 7 Israeli paratroopers re-creat iconic photo. . . . 9 Locals recall the Six-Day War. . . . . . . . . . . . 10
What’s Happening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Mazel Tov. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Who knew?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Netanyahu scrambles to give Trump a warm welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Arts & Culture: Carl Reiner . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Staycation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Special Section—Staycation
Topic Father’s Day Senior Living Legal Jewish Living Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur
Deadline May 26 June 9 June 30 July 28 Aug. 25 Sept. 8
Candle lighting
Letter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Torah Thought. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
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moved JFS operations into our main campus building and we
Contents
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Jay Klebanoff, President Alvin Wall, Treasurer Stephanie Calliott, Secretary Harry Graber, Executive Vice-President www.jewishVA.org
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bining management of the Federation and Simon JCC, we have
art in the face of ever-increasing competition.
Terri Denison, Editor Germaine Clair, Art Director Sandy Goldberg, Account Executive Heather Sterling, Account Executive Marilyn Cerase, Subscription Manager Reba Karp, Editor Emeritus
L’dor v’dor.
past two years. We have streamlined our organization by com-
have completely renovated our fitness gym to remain state-of-the-
Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462-4370 voice 757.965.6100 • fax 757.965.6102 email news@ujft.org
Friday, June 2/8 Sivan Light candles at 8:02 pm Friday, June 9/15 Sivan Light candles at 8:05 pm
alive when Jews again
Friday, June 16/22 Sivan Light candles at 8:08 pm
could be in Jerusalem.”
Friday, June 23/29 Sivan Light candles at 8:10 pm
—page 10
Friday, June 30/6 Tammuz Light candles at 8:10 pm Friday, July 7/13 Tammuz Light candles at 8:09 pm
jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Jewish News | 3
Briefs All 50 governors sign anti-BDS statement Governors of all 50 states have signed a pledge to reject the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. Organized by the American Jewish Committee, the Governors United Against BDS statement declares that “the goals of the BDS movement are antithetical to our values and the values of our respective states, our support for Israel as a vital U.S. ally, important economic partner and champion of freedom.” The statement does not commit the governors to specific actions, although signers “reaffirm our support for Israel as a vital U.S. ally, important economic partner and champion of freedom.” At least 16 states have passed legislation targeting BDS, usually by banning state entities from investing in businesses that boycott Israel or its settlements. “[O]ur nation’s 50 governors, as well as the District of Columbia mayor, recognize the pernicious goals of the BDS movement, which singles out Israel from among all the nations of the world for relentless and undue criticism, and whose efforts undermine the prospects for advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace,” AJC CEO David Harris said in a statement. The signers also affirm support for the two-state solution. (JTA)
UN Ambassador Nikki Haley says Western Wall belongs to Israel Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the Western Wall belongs to Israel and Israel’s capital should be in Jerusalem. Haley made the comments during an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network in the wake of reports that a Trump administration official, responding to a request that Israeli officials accompany President Donald Trump when he visited the Western Wall, replied that the Western Wall “is not your territory, it’s part of the West Bank.” A White House spokesman later told JTA that the staffer’s remarks “do not represent the position of the United States and certainly not of the president.” “I don’t know what the policy of
the administration is, but I believe the Western Wall is part of Israel and I think that that is how we’ve always seen it and that’s how we should pursue it,” Haley said in a video clip posted on the CBN website. “We’ve always thought the Western Wall was part of Israel.” In another segment of the interview, Haley reiterated her support for moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. “Obviously I believe that the capital should be Jerusalem and the embassy should be moved to Jerusalem because if you look at all their government is in Jerusalem,” she said. “So much of what goes on is in Jerusalem, and I think we have to see that for what it is.” (JTA)
Secretary of State urged to deport former Nazi guard living in New York City A New York congressman has asked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to deport a former Nazi guard living in New York City. Rep. Joseph Crowley, a Democrat, sent Tillerson a letter urging him to deport Jakiw Palij, 92, of Queens, who was a guard at the Trawniki concentration camp in occupied Poland. “The United States has long acknowledged that Nazi crimes were beyond heinous, and I urge you to act quickly on this matter,” Crowley wrote, according to the New York Daily News. “If action isn’t taken, it could mean that this individual may never face any form of justice.” Palij, who has lived in the United States as a war refugee since 1949, has claimed that he was forced into working as a guard and never actually killed anyone. His U.S. citizenship was revoked 13 years ago, but Poland, Germany, and Ukraine all declined to take him. Local Jewish students staged a protest outside of Palij’s home in the Jackson Heights neighborhood on Holocaust Remembrance Day in late April. Crowley sent similar letters to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly the Daily News reported. (JTA)
4 | Jewish News | May 29, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org
Gravestones toppled at a second Philadelphia Jewish cemetery Gravestones were toppled at a Philadelphia Jewish cemetery, the second time a Jewish cemetery in the city was vandalized this year. Five headstones were discovered knocked off their bases at the Adath Jeshurun Cemetery in the Frankford neighborhood, in the northeastern part of the city. The gravestones were not defaced by graffiti, according to the news website Philly.com. Police reportedly do not have any suspects. The cemetery, which is more than 160 years old, does not have surveillance cameras. The groundskeeper, who first noticed the vandalism, lives on the premises. Police told the CBS Philadelphia affiliate that it was clear that the stones were pushed over and did not fall due to age or weather. In August 2015, at least 124 tombstones were toppled in the same cemetery, which has only a few burials a year. In February this year, some 175 headstones were toppled at Philadelphia’s Mount Carmel Cemetery. (JTA)
Charlottesville’s Jewish mayor faces anti-Semitic tweets The mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia was hit with anti-Semitic tweets following protests by white nationalists over the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a local park. White supremacist leader Richard Spencer, who attended University of Virginia, led protests on May 13, one during the day and another at night with demonstrators holding tiki torches. The Charlottesville City Council had voted to remove the statues of Lee and another Confederate general, Stonewall Jackson. A court injunction will halt the action for six months. “What brings us together is that we are white, we are a people, we will not be replaced!” Spencer said during the daytime protest. Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer, who is Jewish, issued a statement calling the protesters “profoundly ignorant.”
“This event involving torches at night in Lee Park was either profoundly ignorant or was designed to instill fear in our minority populations in a way that hearkens back to the days of the KKK,” Signer wrote on his Facebook page. “Either way, as mayor of this City, I want everyone to know this: we reject this intimidation. We are a welcoming City, but such intolerance is not welcome here.” The statement sparked anti-Semitic and racist comments on Twitter. One tweet, from the account of someone calling themselves Great Patriot Trump, read “I smell Jew. If so, you are going back to Israel. But you will not stay in power here. Not for long.” Signer responded: “Here is what this great country faces in this age of @realDonaldTrump—a sitting mayor subjected to anti-Semitism. I will not be intimidated.” Signer told Reuters that the protests came on the day the city marked its annual Festival of Cultures celebrating diversity. “You’re seeing anti-Semitism in these crazy tweets I’m getting and you’re seeing a display of torches at night, which is reminiscent of the KKK,” Signer told Reuters. “They’re sort of a last gasp of the bigotry that this country has systematically overcome.” (JTA)
Trump’s Twitter profile features his Western Wall prayer President Donald Trump changed his Twitter profile’s background picture to feature a photo of his prayer at Jerusalem’s Western Wall. Trump or one of the people he trusts with his personal Twitter account posted the photo after Trump had prayed at the wall. The previous picture showed Trump seated in the Oval Office surrounded by staff. Trump’s feed also included tweets reflecting his assessment that his Middle East tour was a success. He thanked Israel’s leaders for their warm reception. (JTA)
Torah Thought
Taking the plunge
T
hree thousand, three hundred, and twenty-nine years ago, Moshe (Moses) announced to the Jewish people that He would be ascending Mount Sinai to receive the Torah for the Jewish people. The Midrash tells us that the Jewish people protested. They said, “We want to see our G-d; we want to receive the Torah directly from its author.” Moshe transmitted the Jewish peoples’ beautiful request to G-d. G-d agreed and gave Moshe detailed instructions on how the people must prepare and purify themselves for a three-day period. The people rejoiced at the news and enthusiastically threw themselves into the task of preparing to literally ‘meet their creator’ and receive his Torah. By the third day, everything was in place. The purification process was completed and at dawn trumpeting and thunder were heard. The presence of G-d began to descend on Har Sinai. Nobody showed up. Moshe quickly ran back to the camp and spoke to the people. He woke them, comforted them, calmed them, and convinced them to come to Mount Sinai and receive the Torah. Our sages tell us that G-d himself came toward the camp to greet and encourage our forefathers as they gathered beneath the mountain to receive the Torah. This is very strange. The Jewish people begged for an audience with G-d, but needed to be convinced to attend! As children, many of us are taught that the Jewish people were sleepyheads—hey just forgot to set their alarm clocks. I don’t think this explanation is sufficient. We need to consider that the Jewish
people had been the chosen people since the times of Abraham and his covenant with G-d. Nonetheless, this was the first time that the people were forced to make a commitment. It could be said that until now the Jewish people had enjoyed a very long engagement. Mount Sinai was to be the wedding ceremony between us and G-d. The Torah was the contract, the rules and the promises that came with the relationship. When it came to actually tying the knot, our forefathers were scared. They were the first (and only) nation in history to enter into a covenant with G-d. Other nations refused the Torah outright but the Jewish people—with a little encouragement from Moshe and from Hashem himself, were able to take
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the plunge, tie the knot, and make the commitment. Generations later we have a close relationship with Hashem because our forefathers made that plunge. Sometimes in order to grow as people and as Jews we need to be strong enough to do something new; to take on something daunting. Often we do not need that strength, because it’s already been done by our fathers and their fathers before them. —Rabbi Sender Haber, B’nai Israel
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jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Jewish News | 5
from the hal Sacks Jewish News Archives
May 25, 2007 On May 16, The Tidewater Jewish Foundation hosted its Seventh Annual Professional Appreciation Event to honor individuals who have helped their clients reach the important balance between the needs of family beneficiaries and the desire to support their community when they are gone. The first award went to Kurt Rosenbach. Mayer, Lonny and Ed Sarfan, Gary Nachman and Herb Zukerman also received awards.
May 1, 1997 The Capitol Steps, a Washington DC based group comprised of former and current congressional staff members who satirize the people and places that employ them, will perform as part of a joint fundraising effort for Jewish Family Service and Jewish Community Center of Tidewater on Sunday, June 1 and the Harrison Opera House.
May 22, 1987 The Annual Meeting of the Jewish Community Center of Tidewater will be held June 11. Arty Stanton served as chair of the nominating committee.
May 27, 1977
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Dr. Bernard Einhorn will be installed as president of the Jewish Community Center at the Center’s Annual Meeting.
May 1, 1967 Irwin Berger, local Jewish leader, was elected and installed in office as president of the Norfolk Child and Family Service.
May 1, 1957 Nine teams representing the adult Jewish community have entered the annual 1957 Senior Softball League sponsored by the Jewish Community Center. Meeting weekly on Sunday morning at Dunn Field, the teams compete before a large group of spectators composed of wives, girl friends and children, rooting for the team that “daddy” or big brother play on.
May 1, 1947 Following approval by the board of directors of the Jewish Community Council of the tentative plans for a Jewish Youth Program in Norfolk, the Youth Planning Committee under the chairmanship of Albert Zenovitz is proceeding rapidly toward making those tentative plans a reality.
THE PILOT’S
READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
OF 2016
GOLD
6 | Jewish News | May 29, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org
To browse or search the Jewish News Archives, go to www.jewishnewsva.org and click on archives.
50th anniversary of the six-day war
How the Six-Day War changed American Jews
Tidewater teens at a Gadna Camp in 1974. Standing: Lisa Bresenoff Feierstein, Bobby Morell, Marcy Goldsticker Berger, Roger Leibowitz, Marty Einhorn, Kim Goldner. Front row: Phyllis White, Judy Rosenblatt, Terri Denison, Jonathan Leavitt, Jeff Goldman, Margie Marcus.
Six unforgettable days, 50 memorable years
S
itting in front of my grandparents’ black and white television set watching Abba Eban’s unforgettable speech before the United Nations General Assembly is certainly one of my most distinctive memories of the Six-Day War. Just 10 years old and not able to fully comprehend the complexities of the war and Israel’s tenuous position, I nevertheless experienced the fear that turned to relief and then to pride that engulfed my family and the rest of American Jewry. Shortly after the war, my grandmother managed to secure the sheet music for Yerushalayim Shel Zahav, Jerusalem of Gold. She played it often and it quickly became one of my favorite songs. Her copy is still in her piano bench, which now resides in our living room. After the Six-Day War, Israel’s reality and future appeared more assured. Contemporary Jewish music was now influenced by Israeli musicians and composers, Hebrew was pronounced ‘Israeli style’ in temple, teens took trips to Israel, and we learned to eat falafel and to rally on behalf of the Jewish state. The truth is, just about everything Jewish seemed different after June 1967. And, so, 50 years later, after far too many wars, bombs, deaths, and discord, alongside Israel’s tremendous growth with its countless medical, technological, cultural, culinary, and environmental contributions to the world, we dedicate a few pages to looking back, to remembering, and to considering the small state’s future. In addition to the articles that provide background and historical details about those six days and what led up to them, we asked several locals to share their memories and thoughts. Their brief pieces are interesting and at times, emotional. For those too young to recall the Six-Day War, we hope these pages offer another perspective, and for those who lived through it, we hope these articles evoke positive memories. Without a doubt, it was a war that changed the course of history and life in one particular Middle Eastern neighborhood.
Terri Denison, Editor
Front page of paper published by Norfolk Jewish Community Council, June 1967
Ben Sales
NEW YORK (JTA)—On the morning of June 5, 1967, as Arab armies and Israel clashed following weeks of tension, Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg sat anxious amid his congregants at daily prayers—fearful that the Jewish people would face extinction for the second time in 25 years. “One of the people said, ‘They’re going to wipe out Israel. What’s going to be?’” recalls Greenberg, then the spiritual leader of a synagogue in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. “I said, ‘They’re not going to wipe out Israel, and if they do, there’s going to be a sign up: The shul is closed.’ Faith could not go on with an unmitigated catastrophe of that size happening again.” The fear felt by Greenberg pervaded the air in American Jewish communities that week. Two decades after the world learned the full extent of the Holocaust, Americans looked on from afar as Egypt and Syria threatened the young Jewish state. Jonathan Sarna, then 12, remembers watching on TV as Israelis dug mass graves to prepare for potential slaughter. A teenage Yossi Klein Halevi remembers the broadcasts of mass rallies in Cairo calling for Israel’s death. But many American Jews, haunted by their failure to act during the Holocaust, didn’t just passively watch events unfold—they decided to mobilize. They raised tens of millions of dollars. They held rallies. They lobbied President Lyndon Johnson. Within days, however, the fear turned to relief. The relief turned to pride when Israel won the war
in six days, tripling its territory and taking control of Judaism’s holiest sites. The Six-Day War, as it quickly became known, intensified American Jews’ love for Israel and imbued them with a new confidence to advocate for their interests at home and abroad. And the terror that consumed the community in the run-up to the war led to an increased emphasis on Holocaust remembrance. The shift from terror to power experienced by the Jewish community in June 1967 set up Holocaust memory and support of Israel as the twin poles of American Jewish identity. At the same time, however, it sparked debates on territory, history, identity, and occupation—issues that continue to consume American Jews 50 years later. “There was an emotional trajectory that united Jewish people in a way I don’t think we’ve ever seen since the revelation at Mount Sinai 3,500 years ago,” says Klein Halevi, author of Like Dreamers, a chronicle of Israel’s Six-Day War generation. Growing up in Brooklyn, he recalls “moving from existential dread to relief when we realized that Israel had taken the offensive.” American Jews poured their money into supporting the embattled state—creating a precedent (and expectations) for Jewish philanthropy for decades to come, historians say. In the New York City area alone, the United Jewish Appeal raised more than $20 million during the week of the war, nearly $150 million in today’s dollars. Greenberg recalls a congregant taking out a second mortgage to donate $20,000 to Israel. In the New York continued on page 8
jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Jewish News | 7
Ruth’s
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What Does Your Will Say About You? As a “pink lady” Ruth Goodman accumulated more hours than any other volunteer at the Norfolk hospital where she greeted visitors. Before she died in 1995,Ruth arranged for a Hampton Roads Community Foundation bequest to forever give good health to the community she and her husband Victor loved. This year 15 students are studying to become physicians, physical therapists, nurses and other medical professionals thanks to scholarships generated by Ruth’s generosity. Many more Goodman Scholars will follow every year. Write your prescription for a better future by ordering a free bequest guide. Learn how easy it is to leave a gift for charity.
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50th anniversary of the six-day war
continued from page 7
suburb of Scarsdale, seven high school students raised $10,000 from their neighborhood on the war’s second day. “The unbelievable amounts of money that were collected before and during the war, nobody had ever seen anything like it,” says Sarna, a professor of Jewish history at Brandeis University. “American Jews didn’t want people to say we did nothing. There wasn’t much they could do, but they knew they could give of their wealth.” Jews also took to the streets to support Israel. On June 8, the third day of the war, 50,000 Jews rallied outside the White House, already demanding that Israel be allowed to keep its battlefield gains. The day after the war, 20,000 Jews filled this city’s Madison Square Garden to cheer the victory. While Jews had protested en masse before, the war showed Jewish leaders how powerful demonstrations could be, says Jack Wertheimer, a Jewish history professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary. The victory also gave American Jews an increased assertiveness to advocate for their own interests. Israel’s victory energized the movement to free Soviet Jewry, which would go on to organize large rallies in Washington, D.C., and protests at Soviet consulates, missions, and cultural events across the country. “Israel has been very good for American Jewish leaders,” Wertheimer says. “The emergence of Israel as a player on the international stage made it possible for American Jewish organizations to ratchet up their presence.” American Jews also became far more comfortable displaying their love for Israel, and Americans in general supported Israel in the war. Cold War calculations led the U.S.-Israel alliance to grow stronger, while among Jews, expressions of Israeli culture increased in America. The war led more American synagogues to adopt Israeli pronunciations of Hebrew, Wertheimer says, and to use Israeli melodies for prayers. Klein Halevi remembers his doctor decorating his waiting room with an enormous photo of Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan. “It really intensified a sense of Israel being central,” Sarna says. “American Jews love moments when their Americanness
8 | Jewish News | May 29, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org
and their Jewishness reinforce one another. There’s this sense that the SixDay War is a victory for America and for the Jewish people.” Jews also began traveling more to Israel, which experienced a period of euphoria following the war. Immigration to the Jewish state rose steadily in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, and American Jews would later have a disproportionate presence in the settlement movement. While American Jews make up about 5 percent of Israelis overall, they comprise 15 percent of West Bank settlers, according to Oxford professor Sara Yael Hirschhorn, author of the recent book City on a Hilltop, about American Jews in the settlement movement. “There was just this spontaneous need on the part of Jews around the world to physically connect to Israel because of this feeling that we almost lost Israel,” says Klein Halevi, who has written about channeling his own Jewish fears and pride into the militant Jewish Defense League— a youthful flirtation with extremism he eventually left behind. An Israeli since 1982, he recalls the post-war euphoria spoken about in Israel, where “there was this feeling that Jewish history is over, and we won. Certainly the wars were over. The Arabs would never be foolish enough to attack us again.” Even amid the celebration, cracks of discord began to appear. Jewish leaders bristled at criticism from liberal Americans who had allied with Jews on domestic policy fights like civil rights. Criticism of Israel’s military gains from some African-American leaders further weakened a once strong black-Jewish alliance that had begun fraying half a year earlier, when the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee expelled its white members. “In the liberal camp, there’s a hostility directed at Israel” following the war, Wertheimer says. “American Jews looked upon these individuals as their allies, as their colleagues in some of the great battles. They could not begin to understand why, when it came to this matter, these allies turned on Israel.” Half a century after the victory, organized American Jewry wrestles with its
The fear turned to relief. The relief turned to pride when Israel won the war in six days, tripling its territory and taking control of Judaism’s holiest sites.
legacy. Fundraisers and activists lament that there isn’t the same kind of unifying cause around which Jews can rally. Committed activists are split among a right wing that feels God delivered into Jewish hands a land that can never again be divided, and a left wing that sees the war and the decisions made in its aftermath as the start of what has become Israel’s most intractable problem: control of millions of Arabs living on lands seized during the victory. Five decades later, says Hirschhorn, the joy felt in 1967 has faded for many American Jews born long after the war. They don’t remember the Six-Day War as a massacre averted or a near miraculous victory of David over Goliath. For Jews with memories of 1967, Hirschhorn says, feeling strong was an exhilarating experience. Now American Jews are still grappling with the meaning of Jewish power. “The pride they felt in that moment has changed for our generation, who look at it in a different way and have seen the outcome of the war,” says Hirschhorn, who was born well after the war. “Now the question of our generation is, how do you manage Jewish power responsibly, whether that’s in the State of Israel or outside of it?”
50th anniversary of the six-day war
Israeli paratroopers re-create iconic photo on 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War Andrew Tobin
JERUSALEM ( JTA)—David Rubinger’s iconic photograph of three paratroopers at the Western Wall is the defining image of the 1967 Six-Day War. The men in the photo—Dr. Yitzhak Yifat, Tzion Karasenti and Chaim Oshri— have proudly served as symbols of the historic Israeli victory for the past five decades. But in an interview with JTA, they said the war for them was just as much about loss. “To liberate the Kotel was something amazing,” Yifat says, referring to the Western Wall. “But we never celebrated. What was there to celebrate? We had lost many of our friends.” Between June 5 and 15, in honor of the Six-Day War’s 50th anniversary, the three former paratroopers, now in their 70s, will re-create Rubinger’s photo in their first-ever tour of the United States—with stops at Jewish communities and other locations in the Cleveland, Detroit, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, and Baltimore areas. They will also recount some of the sacrifices that were made in the battle for Jerusalem. On June 5, 1967, the 55th Paratroopers Brigade was deployed to Jerusalem by bus. The official mission was to protect supply convoys headed to Mount Scopus, the only enclave in eastern Jerusalem that Israel had managed to hold on to in the 1948 War of Independence. But there was talk in the High Command and among soldiers about taking the Old City in Jordanian-controlled eastern Jerusalem. As they approached the divided city, Yifat recalls being surprised by how loud the sounds were of Jordanian shells hitting Jewish neighborhoods. He, Karasenti and Oshri were reservists in their early 20s and had never seen serious combat. Soon after they arrived, Jews came into the streets to greet them, offering coffee and sandwiches and welcoming them into their homes. Some of the paratroopers accepted offers to make phone calls
to wives, girlfriends, and parents back home. “It was amazing to see how everyone embraced us,” Karasenti says. “All the sectors of Israeli society came together, it didn’t matter if you were Ashkenazi, Sephardi, religious, haredi, a kibbutznik, whatever.” Following some hurried planning, the paratroopers crossed into no-man’s land after midnight. Dozens were wounded by Jordanian fire before they even entered eastern Jerusalem. Through the night and the next day, the paratroopers fought their way toward Mount Scopus, the only Jewish enclave in eastern Jerusalem, and to the outskirts of the Old City. The 66th division—to which Karasenti, Yifat and Oshri were assigned—faced the hardest fighting, hand-to-hand combat against elite Jordanian troops in the trenches at Ammunition Hill, which overlooked the road to Mount Scopus. Yifat narrowly avoided being impaled by a Jordanian bayonet—and still has a scar on his face to show for it. “It was like a hell. The trenches were filled with bodies, and you couldn’t tell if they were friends or enemies,” Yifat says. “At one point, I jumped on an Arab and shot him dead. As I was reloading my magazine, another Arab attacked me with a bayonet, and got me right here. I kicked him between the legs and shot him dead, too.” Nearly 100 of the paratroopers were killed and 400 wounded before they paused for the night. The next morning, June 7, the paratroopers found that most of the Jordanian troops had retreated from Jerusalem. Israel’s Cabinet, long divided about whether to capture the Old City, finally gave the go-ahead. Motta Gur, the paratroopers’ famed commander, delivered the news over the radio, saying: “Fiftyfifth paratroopers brigade, we are sitting on the ride overlooking the Old City, and we shall soon enter it—the Old City of Jerusalem, which generations have
dreamed of and longed for. We will be the first to enter.” The paratroopers rushed forward amid sniper fire from remaining Jordanian soldiers and rammed their way through the Lions’ Gate of the Old City. From there they made their way through narrow stone alleys and up to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall. “The Temple Mount is in our hands,”
I started to cry. Everyone was emotional. The whole nation of Israel was in ecstasy, euphoria. You can’t even imagine what it was like.
Gur reported. Religious and secular paratroopers alike were awed by their return to the heart of the ancient Jewish homeland. “I didn’t realize where I was until I saw the Israeli flag flying above the stones,” says Karasenti, an observant Jew. “I started to cry. Everyone was emotional. The whole nation of Israel was in ecstasy, euphoria. You can’t even imagine what it was like.” While Yifat, Karasenti, and Chaim Oshri were walking along the wall, Rubinger, who died in March at 92, lay on the ground and snapped the photo that would make them—and him—famous. Within days, the image had appeared in newspapers around the world. After the war, Oshri became a chemist whose research was key in dairy production. In 1996 he worked for the minister of religious affairs. Karasenti, a director and choreographer, went on to found a dance troupe and performed all over Israel. Itzhak earned his medical degree from the Technion in Haifa in 1974 and specialized in gynecology. Soon after the war—which saw Israel capture the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the Sinai—the survivors of the 66th division returned to Ammunition Hill, where they stacked stones into a memorial for the paratroopers who died there. Atop of the pile, they placed a helmet. On the other side of the hill, they erected a smaller memorial for the Jordanian soldiers. “We thought they fought very bravely, and many of them died,” Yifat says. “Somebody has since removed that memorial. I’m very angry about it.” While Yifat has publicly expressed some ambivalence about Israel’s rule over Palestinians who live in the territories it took in 1967, he says he had no doubt that Israel must retain all of Jerusalem. “We fought and lost so many friends to unite Jerusalem for the Jewish world,” he says. “There’s no going backwards.”
jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Jewish News | 9
50th anniversary of the six-day war
Don’t mess with us! Steve Sandler
I
t was almost the end of my freshman year at Washington & Lee University. In those days, college wasn’t over until the middle of June. My best friend in college and roommate to be for the next three years was a Jewish boy from Cincinnati, Ohio—the best friend anyone could have. Strangely, coming from an ultra-Reform family, he didn’t have a Bar Mitzvah. At the time, I didn’t know any Jewish guys that were not Bar Mitzvahed. I mention this because in the afternoon of the first day of the war, Scot found me on campus and insisted that we leave school immediately and go to Israel and help in the war effort. Neither of us had ever been and the idea was so out of left field that I didn’t even consider it. Drop our exams and go fight in a war in a place I had heard about but knew little of? It made no sense. But in hindsight, what an opportunity lost. What a great idea Scot had and how small minded of me and unadventurous of not seizing the moment to be not only a Jew, but a Zionist. At the time, there was a great deal of anti-Semitism on the Washington & Lee campus. Art and Steve Sandler at the Western Wall in 2006. In May, I had run for an elected office at school, for The Executive Committee. With no social media, you distributed posters all over campus with your picture and some personal information. Many of my posters were defiled with swastikas and no one seemed to care. A Jewish quota existed at Washington & Lee, with Jews limited to no more than 10% of the freshman class. As far as fraternities were concerned, only two fraternities took Jews: Phi Ep and ZBT. Seems crazy today, but this is now, and that was 1967. I believe that many of the changes that happened in respect to anti-Semitism were due to the Israeli success in June of 1967. Success was an understatement. The pride we Jewish boys felt was un-measurable. Remember that we were just old enough to know something about the Holocaust and it never made sense that so few Germans killed so many Jews. There was always the question: Were Jews cowards? How did so many march to their deaths without defending themselves? And now, in 1967, Jews not only defended themselves, but overwhelmed an enemy 10 times its size. Pride was an understatement! Don’t mess with us Jewish guys. We had won the inter-fraternity scholarship trophy for 10 years in a row, and now we felt like superman, as well.
Six days in June, 1967 Robert Copeland
T
he Six-Day War was one of the most miraculous events in Jewish history—six incredible days that restored the Jewish image from victim to patriot and provided
the Jewish world with protection, dignity, and self-esteem forever.
Marilyn Goldman, an Israeli Colonel, Mindy Futterman, and Bootsie Goldmeir on a UJA Mission in 1969 near the Suez Canal.
Consumed Bootsie Goldmeier
I
t took over our lives. I remember going to the Federation, which was located in the Center, from morning until late at night. We were raising money…on the phones constantly. Personally, I was getting my house painted and Morty and I would go home and have no place to sleep because we weren’t around to take care of our home. We never planned meals. The war took over physically and mentally everything that we did. Our hearts, our minds, our time, and energy were directed to and for our love for Israel.
Proud to be Jewish Marc Jacobson
Lee Copeland and Buddy Strelitz at the Western Wall.
I
distinctly remember the start of the Six-Day War and indeed the triumph of the IDF. How proud we were to be Jewish! Yet some 50 years later we face the same problems—anti-Semitism and neighbors that are determined to destroy Israel. Hopefully we will always remember with pride the resilience and courage of Israel and the Jewish People.
Marc Jacobson at the Western Wall. 10 | Jewish News | May 29, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org
50th anniversary of the six-day war
Developing armaments under pressure and for future use
An overjoyed neighborhood
Avraham Ashkenazi
Harry Graber
O
n May 23, 1967 Gamal Abdel Nasser closed the Straits of Tiran – the entrance to the Red Sea, ordered the UN force to leave Sinai, and moved six divisions (130,000 soldiers) into Sinai. This was against the agreement with the U.S. and United Nations after the 1957 war. Israel then mobilized its reserve IDF forces and prepared for war. On May 26, U.S. President Johnson warned Israel against unilateral war. Eventually, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol said, “That’s it.” He elevated Gen. Moshe Dayan to Minister of Defense. Gen. Yitzkah Rabin was chief of staff, head of the IDF. Israel was ready. Israeli Ambassador to France, Mr. Meir Roseanne with Avraham Prior to my studies in the Technion (Israel Ashkenazi. Photograph taken on June 7, 1981 at the French air show in the Le Bourget Airport in Paris in the Israeli pavilion. Institute of Technology) I was working at RAFAEL This was the same day that Israel carried out the strike on the Advanced Defense Systems, the government center Iraqi nuclear site near Bagdad. for military development. After my graduation in 1966, I was assigned for reserve service at RAFAEL. A few days before June 6, I kept calling my reserve unit and asked, “What’s happening, when are we going to be called?” Eventually, on the 4th of June, I drove my old car from Tel Aviv to RAFAEL, a 2½ hour drive. As soon as I got to the gate, the engine died. The war started on June 6, 1967. The IDF destroyed and wiped out the Egyptian Air Force in a surprise attack with results never seen before. On the Syrian front, escalation started the same day. We spent most of the war developing special munitions to help penetrate the bunkers in the Golan Heights. These munitions were assembled, tested, and used soon after. On June 9, the IDF advanced the 8th brigade to the north of the Golan Heights—the means what we developed were used by IAF (Israel Air Force) and the artillery in the fight at the Golan. IDF captured all the Golan including Kuneitra (40km from Damascus). On June 10, at 18:00 hrs, Gen. Dayan agreed to a cease-fire. That’s my story for this war.
I
had just turned 15 and lived in an area of Brooklyn that had the highest concentration of Jewish people per square mile in the world. Therefore, it was hard to get away from the incredible tension and fear that existed in my neighborhood. Many immigrants and Holocaust survivors lived there— including my father and my friends’ parents, so Nasser’s threat of destroying Israel and the Jewish people was very real for everybody. It was also the era of the transistor radio and it seemed that every group was listening to one. My father’s group had their lead commentator and translator. I remember that because of some strange boundary setting, our school was not overwhelmingly Jewish. However, every day throughout the war, every Jewish teacher handed out a classroom assignment that was never Harry Graber at the checked and we all gathered around Western Wall in 2006. the radio listening to the bulletins regarding the war’s progress. There was no teacher, no friend of mine, no neighborhood resident, no friend of my father or my father, who could absorb and believe what they were hearing for six days over those transistor radios. The Jews in that neighborhood were overwhelmed and overjoyed and mostly, they were never the same.
A roller coaster of emotions Marcia Hofheimer
I
Marcia and Tom Hofheimer arrive in Israel for their first trip in the summer of 1968.
Tom and Marcia Hofheimer planting a tree in Israel, Summer, 1968.
remember having the family for dinner and walking into the den where Joyce and Leonard (Strelitz) were on the phone with national UJA office people in New York—there was no CNN back then. I felt a nervous immediacy being in the room with people getting news directly from Israel. They were listening to the reports with a look of extreme apprehension that chilled me. As the days passed, I remember the roller coaster of emotions, beginning to wonder: Can the Israelis do it?, and then the news of victory, and the pictures of Israeli soldiers at the Wall. We all shared tears of joy, we all felt privileged to be alive when Jews again could be in Jerusalem. It just made you weep…it was ours again.
jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Jewish News | 11
Nation
Netanyahu, a man in the middle, scrambles to give Trump a warm welcome Andrew Tobin
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did his best to give Donald Trump a warm welcome when he landed Monday, May 22 at Ben Gurion Airport on his first trip abroad as U.S. president. Netanyahu offered support for Trump’s stated aspiration to broker the “ultimate deal” between Israel and the Palestinians. But he also made clear his right-wing government has no plans to leave the West Bank anytime soon. “Israel’s hand is extended in peace to all our neighbors, including the Palestinians,” the Israeli leader said. “The peace we seek is a genuine one, in which the Jewish state is recognized, security remains in Israel’s hands, and the conflict ends once and for all.” Netanyahu has pushed his government to accommodate Trump both on his trip and in his effort to make an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. But many Israeli ministers have signaled they are not willing to yield much more political ground. Just getting all the ministers to show up at the airport for the welcoming ceremony reportedly took cajoling by Netanyahu. The prime minister had to angrily mandate attendance during the Cabinet meeting because several ministers had opted out upon learning they would not be included in the receiving line, according to Israeli media reports. “It’s a four-hour wait, work hours, phone calls, mail, meetings. I have things to do in those four hours,” Culture Minister Miri Regev told Army Radio ahead of Trump’s arrival. “To drag us there to stand as the scenery—that’s ugly. It’s beneath the dignity of the government of Israel and does not give any more respect to President Trump.” In the end, Trump shook hands with all the ministers, as well as dozens of deputy ministers, religious leaders, and the heads of the army, police, and Mossad
foreign intelligence service. Several officials, including Education Minister Naftali Bennett, urged Trump to break with decades of U.S. policy and recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Under pressure from his political right, Netanyahu has insisted he is applying similar pressure. Earlier in the month he went as far as to release minutes from his February meeting at the White House that he claimed proved as much. But Netanyahu has made an effort to defer to Trump in a way he did not always with his predecessor, Barack Obama. After the reported airport ultimatum, Netanyahu got the Cabinet to OK a raft of measures designed to signal goodwill to the Palestinians. They included the development of some West Bank industrial zones, opening the Allenby Bridge crossing between the West Bank and Jordan 24 hours a day and increasing building permits for Palestinians living in Area C of the West Bank, where Israel has full control. The Prime Minister’s Office later said the measures came at Trump’s request. Also, in April, Netanyahu won Cabinet approval for new restrictions on settlement construction in a gesture to Trump. The vaguely formulated policy is to build new West Bank housing, whenever possible, in already built-up areas of settlements. “This is a very friendly administration and we need to be considerate of the president’s requests,” Netanyahu explained to his ministers, according to Haaretz. Right-wing members of the governing coalition, led by Bennett, have gone along with Netanyahu. But they have made clear that their loyalty has limits. Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, both of the pro-settlement Jewish Home party, voted against the measure to boost Palestinian building in Area C. Bennett, the party’s leader, told fellow ministers that the move amounted to a de facto change in borders for which Israel would receive nothing in return, Army Radio reported.
12 | Jewish News | May 29, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org
Although Bennett was part of the unanimous Cabinet vote in April to restrict settlement building, he immediately criticized the policy. Several other right-wing members of the coalition, including Likud lawmaker Yehudah Glick, expressed concerns that it amounted to a settlement freeze. Most of the fire has been directed at Netanyahu for allegedly failing to push a right-wing agenda hard enough. Attacking the United States is not considered good politics in Israel, and politicians who heaped praised on Trump in the wake of his election in November may be hesitant to turn against him. But the Trump administration has recently tried their patience, including by backing off the president’s campaign promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Israel’s contested capital, Jerusalem, from Tel Aviv and by asking Israel to stop expanding settlements—if not to stop building them entirely. When the White House released a pre-trip promotion video that featured a map of Israel without any of the territory Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War—the West Bank and the Golan Heights—Shaked told journalists, “I hope this is a matter of ignorance and not policy.” Netanyahu had a chance to explain his political situation to Trump in person when they met in Jerusalem, first for work at the King David Hotel and later for dinner with their wives at the prime minister’s residence. But Bennett has promised to push ahead with a bill to annex Maale Adumim, a large settlement on the outskirts of Jerusalem, after Trump leaves. Even Issac Herzog, the head of Israel’s political opposition and the chairman of the center-left Labor Party, visited the city in what he said was a symbol to Trump that it must “remain under the sovereignty of Israel, as part of an agreement on Jerusalem that will remain a united city.”
Trump, at Yad Vashem, calls Israel a ‘soaring monument’ to ‘Never again’ JERUSALEM ( JTA)—President Donald Trump called the State of Israel “a soaring monument to the solemn pledge we repeat and affirm: ‘Never again’” during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. Trump and his wife, Melania, laid a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance on Tuesday, May 23. The president, wearing a black kippah, also was accompanied by his daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who are both Jewish. Trump also lit a candle at the eternal flame in the hall. Israel, Trump said, is “testament to the unbreakable spirit of the Jewish people.” “The Jewish people persevered. They have thrived. They have become so successful in so many places, and they have enlightened the world,” he said. Trump said it is every person’s duty “to remember to mourn, to grieve, and to honor” each life lost in the Holocaust. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who with his wife, Sara, attended the ceremony, responded that the people of Israel “pledge never to be defenseless against that hatred again.” To achieve this, he said, “Israel must always be able to defend itself.” Netanyahu thanked Trump for the U.S. commitment to Israel’s security. Trump was presented with a replica of a personal album that belonged to a teenage German Holocaust victim, Ester Goldstein. While most of the Jews who contributed photographs and handwritten messages were killed in the Holocaust, Ester’s older sister, Margot Herschenbaum, 91, survived and briefly met the president. Earlier, Trump met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem. In public statements, both leaders condemned the suicide bombing at a concert in Manchester, England, hours earlier that killed at least 22. The Islamic State later claimed responsibility.
Staycation Supplement to Jewish News May 29, 2017 jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Staycation | Jewish News | 13
Staycation A practically perfect vacation: Staying at home! Jewish News staff
M
illions of tourists flock to Tidewater each summer. If you find that hard to believe, consider that in 2015, Virginia Beach logged 6.4 million overnight visitors. And, that’s just Virginia Beach! For us locals, those numbers really shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, Tidewater offers myriad of activities and it’s a not-so-expensive place to vacation. So much so, that some wise locals are opting for staycations—they partake in the area’s leisure activities during the day and early evening and then get to sleep in their own beds Virginia Beach from Fishing Pier. at night. A vacation without packing and the nightmares and expense of summer travel almost sounds too good to be true. But, it’s really not. In addition to the obvious… all of the places to play on the water…plenty of area art shows and festivals take place during these summer months. The Boardwalk Art Show, for example is now in its 62nd year. In addition to The Coast Guard Cutter Eagle sails into Norfolk, Harborfest 2015. the 275 artists from across the country, family activities, food, and entertainment all feature prominently in this oceanfront tradition. Harborfest in Downtown Norfolk is billed as “the largest, longest-running, free maritime festival in the nation.” With the recent opening of the Waterside District, this year’s celebration is sure to be one not to miss. When was the last time you visited the Chrysler Museum, MacArthur Memorial, MOCA or the area’s historic houses? Maybe now’s the time. Have you seen the sculptures at Norfolk Botanical Garden, the new animals at the Virginia Zoo, the sea life at Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, or walked on the Battleship Wisconsin at Nauticus? They’re waiting for you. Do you to lean to hands-on activities? Places like Adventure Park in Virginia Beach test climbing skills and for those who might not be such risk-takers, the Mermaid Factory allows artistic abilities to flow. For kids, area day camps offer fun and flavors of Tidewater…sailing, fishing, hiking, going to the beach, etc. What’s not to like? We asked a couple of locals how they like to spend time relaxing in Tidewater. They offer still other ideas. What a great place to live! What a great place to staycation!
14 | Jewish News | Staycation | May 29, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org
Staycation East Beach offers myriad activities for all ages
Heading to Sesame Street Danny Rubin
I
Alyssa Muhlendorf
would say the Forest of Fun/ Sesame Street area at Busch Gardens is one of our favorite places to get away. It’s such a well done part of the park and feels like a step up from the children’s attractions elsewhere in Hampton Roads. Niv had the best time meeting Elmo!
O
ur favorite place is East Beach on the Chesapeake Bay. The beach was restored and rehabilitated more than 10 years ago, and is now a great place for families, pets, and long walks. We are fortunate to live within walking distance to this beach, although we often run into our friends from all over Tidewater there! We love to collect shells, fish, sail, and spend time on the beach with friends. Each year we love to celebrate Tashlich here during Rosh Hashanah.
Reba McConnell, Sun-kissed Bliss, 2017, watercolor. Courtesy of the artist.
Niv with his mom, Shikma Rubin.
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jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Staycation | Jewish News | 15
Staycation
Fun in your own kitchen C
ulinary vacations are gaining in popularity around the globe. With literally thousands of options, people are traveling across the ocean or to all
corners of the continent to tour food, spice, and wine markets and then settle
Tahini Marshmallow S’mores
into kitchens to cook.
Sheri Silver
If you’ve already decided to forgo dealing with passports and pricey airline tickets and tour fees, why not explore Tidewater’s outdoor markets, stock up on some fun ingredients, and create some fun culinary treats at home? After all, while you’ve got extra time and aren’t running in panic mode is a perfect time to dive into some new recipes. You know, the kind that are really just for fun and might take a little longer than you’d normally spend on an average weeknight…such as tahini marshmallow s’mores or a great cheesecake. Invite some friends over and give them a mixing bowl or put aprons on your kids to help in the creations. Pretend you’re on a cooking show. Have fun! Here are a couple of tasty options.
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(The Nosher via JTA)—Tahini is certainly having “a moment.” This ancient condiment is just about everywhere these days—most notably on the sweeter side of things, in treats and desserts. Stuffed into croissants. Turned into cake pops. Folded into brownie batter. And I love it all. This savory ground sesame seed paste taste lends an unexpected flavor and texture to so many different kinds of desserts, without overpowering. Even better, it can provide some depth and dimension to otherwise “one note” sweets. Like marshmallows. Don’t get me wrong—I LOVE homemade marshmallows—and they are miles above and away from the packaged variety. But at the end of the day, a marshmallow is nothing more than a pillow of sweet, spongy sugar. Rolled in sugar. So I knew it would be the perfect foil for a generous swirl of tahini.
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16 | Jewish News | Staycation | May 29, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org
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Staycation
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And boy was I right. All of a sudden that one note marshmallow had it all going on— and I immediately fired up the stove, roasted a few and sandwiched them with graham crackers and squares of semi-sweet and white chocolate. Delicious. Individually wrapped “stacks” of s’mores ingredients are a fun, easy and different dessert to put out at all your warm-weather celebrations, barbecues and picnics!
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Ingredients 1 cup cold water, divided 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin (kosher gelatin is available at natural food stores, some kosher markets and on Amazon) 2 cups sugar ¾ cup light corn syrup pinch of salt ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini confectioner’s sugar white and dark chocolate squares graham crackers, cut in half to form squares Directions Cut 2 squares of parchment or wax paper, to fit the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch baking pan. Coat the pan with non-stick cooking spray, place one of the paper squares in the bottom and spray the paper. Place ½ cup of the cold water into your mixer—sprinkle with the gelatin and let set. Place the remaining ½ cup cold water into a medium saucepan, along with the sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. When the mixture boils, cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the cover, attach a thermometer and continue to cook—without stirring—till the temperature reaches 240 F. Remove from heat, turn the mixer on low and slowly add the sugar mixture. When the mixture starts to thicken, gradually increase the speed—eventually bringing it up to high. Beat for 5 minutes. Add ½ cup tahini to the mixture and quickly, but gently, fold in, using a greased rubber spatula—do not overmix so that you can still see the swirls of tahini throughout. Transfer to your baking pan and drizzle over the remaining 2 tablespoons tahini. Use a thin knife to swirl the drizzle. Spray the reserved piece of parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray and place, sprayed-side down, over the marshmallow. Press gently to level and even out the top. Wrap with plastic wrap and let sit overnight. Sprinkle a work surface with confectioner’s sugar; place some more in a medium bowl. Remove the top sheet of parchment from the marshmallow and invert onto the work surface. Peel off the bottom sheet of paper and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar. Use a greased knife to cut squares, then roll the cut edges of each square in the bowl of sugar. Make your s’mores by roasting the marshmallows and sandwiching them with a piece of chocolate between 2 graham cracker squares. Marshmallows may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
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Sheri Silver is writer of the blog Donuts, Dresses and Dirt (http://sherisilver.com/), where she shares all of her passions, including baking and cooking, gardening and shopping, and her adventures in and around New York City with her husband and three kids.) The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at www.TheNosher.com.
jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Staycation | Jewish News | 17
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Ronnie Fein
Y
ou know Shavuot is coming when you begin to see cheesecakes everywhere. Countless variations in the bakeries and supermarkets. Endless numbers of recipes in the media. Cheesecake is the iconic Shavuot dessert, as sacrosanct as a Hanukkah latke or Passover matzah ball. Unfortunately, cheesecake is one of those deceptively simple recipes, the kind that requires some tips and techniques to get right. Also, not everyone agrees on what makes a cheesecake perfect. Some like it dense; others, fluffier. Purists say it should be simple, but lots of people prefer it fancy, with flavors and toppings. Long ago I created a basic batter that works for almost any type of cheesecake you can imagine. In our family we prefer a dense, rich, creamy version, so I use all cream cheese. But sometimes I make a slight change to lighten it up (I use 1 cup of ricotta cheese to replace 8 ounces of the cream cheese in my recipe). We like it slightly tangy too, so I usually include sour cream or unflavored Greek yogurt. But if I don’t have either of those in my fridge I substitute with an additional ½ cup of cream and add a tablespoon of flour to better bind the batter together. This basic batter is amazingly versatile. You can use it to concoct all sorts of fabulous variations—strawberry-topped or chocolate or pumpkin and even elaborate versions such as “turtle” cheesecake. Here are some of my favorite adaptations:
Staycation Chocolate Cheesecake: add 10 ounces melted, cooled semisweet chocolate to the batter. Half-and-Half Cheesecake: add 5 ounces melted chocolate to half the batter, spoon the chocolate batter into the pan, then carefully spoon the vanilla batter on top. Pumpkin Cheesecake: replace white sugar with brown sugar; omit the sour cream and replace with ¾ cup mashed pumpkin (canned is fine); stir in 1½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp grated nutmeg, one tsp ground ginger and one tsp grated orange peel to the batter.
Ronnie Fein is a freelance food and lifestyle writer. Over the years she has written for the food sections of various newspapers and is the author of four cookbooks: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cooking Basics, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to American Cooking, Hip Kosher, and The Modern Kosher Kitchen. The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at www.TheNosher.com.
Berry-topped Cheesecake: place whole berries on top of cooled cake, brush with melted apricot preserves or currant jam. “Turtle” Cheesecake: omit the graham cracker coating for the pan. Instead, make a bottom crust by combining 1 cup crushed graham crackers with ¼ cup brown sugar, then work in 4 Tbsp butter until crumbly. Press into the pan and bake (no need for the second pan yet) for 10–12 minutes. Spoon in the basic batter and bake as in the basic recipe. Let the cake cool. For the top: heat ¼ cup cream until hot, add 3 ounces chopped chocolate and stir until melted. Let cool slightly and spread over cool cake. Scatter 2 Tbsp chopped nuts on top. Optional: pour caramel sauce on top of cut slices of cake. Basic Cheesecake Recipe Ingredients 1½ tsp butter or margarine ¹⁄3 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately) 1½ pounds cream cheese (3 8-ounce packages) 1 cup sugar 1½ tsp vanilla extract ½ cup dairy sour cream or unflavored yogurt ¹⁄3 cup cream (whipping cream or half and half) 4 large eggs Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the butter on the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Sprinkle the inside of the pan with the graham cracker crumbs. Shake the pan to coat the bottom and sides of the pan completely. Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese has softened and is smooth. Gradually add the sugar and beat for 2–3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. Add the vanilla extract, sour cream and whipping cream and beat for one minute or until the batter is smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition to incorporate them. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the springform pan inside a larger pan. Fill the larger pan with enough hot water to come at least 1-inch up the sides of the baking dish. Bake the cake for 65–75 minutes or until the top of the cake is tanning lightly. Remove the springform pan from the water and let the cake cool in the pan. When the cake has reached room temperature, refrigerate it at least 4 hours or until it is thoroughly chilled. Remove the sides of the pan to serve.
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20 | Jewish News | Staycation | May 29, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org
shavout
Five ways celebrate Shavuot—without (necessarily) studying Torah Ben Sales
NEW YORK ( JTA)—Shavuot is the “Rodney Dangerfield of Jewish holidays,” says Rabbi Shira Stutman of Washington, D.C.’s Sixth and I synagogue. Meaning: It gets no respect. Considered by Jewish tradition to be on par with the fall and spring festivals of Sukkot and Passover, Shavuot is sometimes ignored because it is six days shorter—the holiday celebrating the biblical giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai is one day in Israel and two outside of it. Shavuot, which this year starts on the evening of May 30, also lacks iconic, family-centric rituals. One of its only unique traditions is to stay up until dawn studying Torah on the first night. Because the holiday demands knowledge and stamina (or lots of coffee), it’s no surprise that pulling an all-nighter poring over the Talmud isn’t as widespread as lighting a menorah. But in recent years, synagogues and Jewish organizations are trying to make the practice more accessible. Here are five ways American groups are reinterpreting the Shavuot all-nighter.
The Biblical Shavuot What if we celebrated Shavuot the way it is described in the Bible? That’s what a group at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Connecticut is attempting to do. At its Shavuot retreat, while there’s an option to study Torah on the holiday’s first night, there is also a group that will embark on a midnight hike meant to simulate Moses’ trek up Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. Hikers will proceed silently, sans flashlights, to an overlook. Because it will be very dark, the three-quarters-of-a-mile trek will take approximately 2½ hours. In the morning, participants will gather for a parade of animals, fruits and grains meant to reflect the ancient Shavuot procession up to the Temple in Jerusalem, when farmers were commanded to give their first fruits as a tribute. At the retreat center, a herd of goats will be decorated with ribbons.
Marchers, singing and dancing will carry two large baskets—one with a challah, and another with seasonal fruits.
The Mountain Shavuot The Living Tree Alliance, a Jewish agricultural community that lives together on a 93-acre property in Vermont, will spend Memorial Day celebrating the lead-up to Shavuot by preparing for it like the Israelites did in the desert. The group will hike on Mount Mansfield, the state’s highest mountain, stopping along the way for seven readings of poetry and other texts to reflect the seven divine attributes referenced in Jewish mysticism. Halfway up, they’ll stop for a Torah service at an interfaith chapel. Ambitious hikers will spend the afternoon scaling the mountain’s peak, 4,300 feet high, to engage in a worship service. The Jewish-Muslim Shavuot If some people are taking Shavuot back 3,000 years, others want to make it relevant to the present, politically fraught moment. Sixth and I, a synagogue that has become a center for progressive Jewish activism, conducted its Shavuot night learning program early—and focused on Jews and Muslims in America. The program, on May 22, brought together Jeffrey Goldberg, the Jewish editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, and Duke University’s Imam Abdullah Antepli to discuss similarities and tensions between American Jews and Muslims. Antepli is also part of the Muslim Leadership Initiative, a Shalom Hartman Institute program that brings together young Muslim leaders to learn about Judaism and Israel. “If one of the things Shavuot is about is learning sacred texts together, sitting together for long periods of time—not just 140 characters of Twitter periods of time—we are taking all of that to this conversation,” Rabbi Stutman says. The Feminist Shavuot Another contemporary take on Shavuot is Feminism All Night, in Oakland, California, which shifts the all-night Shavuot learning to the following Friday,
June 2. Creator Hadar Cohen, who runs Pivot to Bloom, an organization advancing gender inclusivity in the tech world, organized the event because she felt there was a dearth of spaces focused on studying and discussing feminism. She is making that happen in a Jewish context. At Feminism All Night, participants of all genders will have a Shabbat dinner and prayers, followed by feminist classes and studying from 10 pm to 4 am. Topics will include Jewish texts related to women’s rights, like how a Talmudic chapter on reparations can be applied to gender equality, as well as lessons on political activism and the intersection of gender and spirituality.
The New York City Mega-Shavuots What do you do if you have a lot of Jews living in the same neighborhood? In the Big Apple, two groups are doing big Shavuot all-nighters, with a range of
Torah classes and plenty more. The JCC Manhattan, which has had an all-night program each Shavuot since 2004, has a schedule so full it’s dizzying. Offerings include text study, dance workshops, yoga, film screening, and meditation. And owing to the tradition of eating dairy on Shavuot, cheesecake and cookies will be offered. A similar program will happen across the East River, where Shavuot Across Brooklyn will bring together participants from the borough’s range of synagogues and independent prayer groups. Similar to the JCC array, sessions span from a “Free Minds Prison Poetry Workshop” to one on Hebrew slang. The top-billed event is a book reading and discussion by the author couple Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman focused on their thoughts on a recent trip to Israel and the West Bank.
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hen the seniors at Beth Sholom Village and the teens at Ohef Sholom Temple met for the first time last year at an Oneg Shabbat, there were jitters on both sides. But when the two groups came together a few weeks ago for their end-of-year banquet, those jitters were gone. Through Better Together, the teens and seniors formed relationships that left both sides smiling and with happy memories. The banquet, held at Ohef Sholom Temple on May 7, brought together the teens, seniors, and their families for a celebration of the year’s accomplishments. Better Together is a program that connects teens and seniors through monthly lunch-and-learn sessions and programming centered around building common bonds. Both the seniors and teens agreed that they had more in common than they initially thought. Activities included learning how the seniors get the news, the teens teaching about Facebook and Snapchat, discussing difficult situations, making an embroidery for Passover, and cards for Valentine’s Day, constructing terrariums, and playing board games and dreidel. The teens learned that they had a lot to gain from the older generation and the seniors were amazed at the skills the teens used with technology. Another valuable lesson the teens walked away with is that life is short. Over the course of the year, two Better Together seniors passed away. Kari Levi, one of the students, says, “Marjorie’s death taught me that life is fleeting and that we should enjoy all the special moments
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22 | Jewish News | May 29, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org
CELEBRATING SENIORS HAPPY, HEALTHY LIVING
together when we can, while we can. If I can bring happiness to these seniors and learn from them, then I feel I am doing a true mitzvah.” Each teen was required to write an essay about their experiences in Better Together. “Going into this program it hadn’t occurred to me the many lessons and values I’d be taking away from these meetings,” says Katelynn McAraw. “Our Sunday lunches weren’t just fun dates filled with food and laughter, they were days where we didn’t have to stress about obligations and what was going on in the world, whether it was figuring out how to work social media, discussing the difference between our generations or reminiscing of our fondest memories. We made Better Together a safe place where everyone was welcome. Regardless of the age gap, we always found a way to relate to each others’ experiences.” “For many of the seniors in our group, family plays an important role in their lives,” says Hailey Foer. “Listening to them reflect on this has lead me to cherish every minute with my parents and grandparents even more so than ever before. I now place a greater value on the things I get to do with my grandparents.” At the concluding luncheon, Katelynn McAraw read her award-winning essay. Her piece competed against other Better Together participants from around the country for a scholarship. Though she wasn’t a national winner, she did win a scholarship for a semester in Israel. For more information about Better Together, contact Leslie Shroyer at lmshroyer@cox.net.
Coming in the June 26 issue. To advertise call 757.965.6100 or email news@ujft.org
it’s a wrap One Night of community and food Erin Dougherty
T
he community gathered on Wednesday, May 3 to celebrate the Simon Family JCC with One Night of Israeli food, wine, and music. The fundraising event, hosted by John Stein of Baker’s Crust, featured Israeli chefs Guy Marom and Nir Margalith of the travel and catering company Puzzle Israel. Floral arrangements were donated by The Wandering Petal. Seven courses flowed to the table by way of the Baker’s Crust Hilltop staff. The strength of the community was felt not only through the generosity of Stein and Baker’s Crust, but also through the donations made by attendees which will allow local children to experience a week of leadership development, confidence building, problem-solving, and friendship at Camp JCC and JCC youth athletic programs. With globe lights hanging over head and greenery decorating every table, Jay Klebanoff, president of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, spoke about the upcoming year of the Simon Family JCC saying, “Our community leaders and professional staff work hard to ensure that the Simon Family JCC has the resources needed to provide the programs wanted and needed by both the Jewish and greater community. Everybody is welcome at the JCC. So that’s why we’re here tonight to have some fun and support the Simon Family JCC and all it provides and represents.” The One Night dinner served as the launch of the 2018 JCC Campaign. Fundraising will continue through the summer for all of its programming including Camp JCC, Kids’ Connection, and the educational series Israel Today, Michael and Kim Gross and Betty Ann and Scott Levin. which brought Puzzle Israel
Steve Noona, Renee and John Strelitz, Kim Gershen, Rachel and John Feigenbaum, Robin and Todd Copeland, and Louise Noona.
Jodi and Jay Klebanoff, Brant and Cary Feldman, Lawrence and Anne Fleder.
to Tidewater. This campaign and the community’s altruism is what makes it possible for the Simon Family JCC to promote the Jewish values of education, tolerance, diversity, kindness, and health and wellness. Of the fundraising event, Martha Glasser says, “It was so generous of John Stein to make this amazing event possible. Bringing Israel to us through food and culture and offering such a sense of community, you could feel it in the air. There’s nothing like sharing food together. It creates a welcoming place of conversation and comradery. I look forward to more Richard and Martha Glasser, Angela Phillips, and Joan London. events like this in the future.”
Deb Segaloff, Mark Lipton, Michele Fenley, Sallie Williams, Kisha Frazier, and Kim Simon Fink.
jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Jewish News | 23
what’s happening Frailache Klezmer Band promises a lively afternoon
B’nai Israel to host first Annual Ann Zukerman Memorial Scholar-in-Residence
Sunday, June 18, 2 pm, Beth Sholom Home
Friday, June 16
U
nder the direction of Marilyn Buxbaum, the Frailache Klezmer Band will perform at Beth Sholom Home. The program will feature traditional Eastern European melodies, songs of the Yiddish Theater, as well as more modern Israeli tunes. The purpose of the Klezmer Band is to “promote and preserve a very beautiful part of the Jewish musical heritage,” says Buxbaum. Cantor Elihu Flax, religious director of Beth Sholom, will be the guest vocalist during the performance. The Jewish community is invited for an afternoon of dancing, singing and a joyful experience.
T
David Lieberman
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Ann Zukerman*
he absence of Ann Zukerman* after her untimely passing late last year continues to be keenly felt by all who knew her. In keeping with Ann’s appreciation for Torah lectures and tasteful events, her family—under the leadership of Ann’s husband Herb—has initiated an annual Scholar-in-Residence program. The idea is to bring high quality speakers to the community to address timely topics through the lens of both Jewish thought and professionalism. The first Annual Ann Zukerman Memorial Scholar in Residence speaker, Dr. David Lieberman, is a leader in the fields of human behavior and interpersonal relationship. He has worked with law enforcement on criminal profiling, but his real passion is helping individuals, couples, and anyone in a relationship feel empowered and capable of change. Lieberman is often called upon as an expert for national news outlets and his books have sold more than three million copies worldwide. His website is www.drdavidlieberman.com. Lieberman’s topics over the weekend will include: Successful Relationships, Real Power, and How to make a good marriage great. On Friday night, a catered Shabbos dinner in honor of Ann Zukerman will take place. The cost is $75 per person. For more information or to make reservations, contact the B’nai Israel office at 757-627-7358 or office@bnaiisrael.org. * of blessed memory
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In Our Hands: The Battle for Jerusalem Thursday, June 1, 7 pm
T
he near-record audience turnout for In Our Hands: The Battle for Jerusalem on May 23, has prompted a one-night encore in cinemas nationwide. The film marks the 50th anniversary of Israel’s Six-Day War and brings to vivid life onscreen the miraculous events that restored to Jews the Old City of Jerusalem and the Western Wall.
For additional information or to reserve a seat, call Claire Roth at 757-961-3024
24 | Jewish News | May 29, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org
To purchase tickets online for this one-night encore Fathom Events presentation from CBN Documentaries, visit InOurHands1967.com.
what’s happening For Love and Vanity, the art of Elizabeth Passerieux Opens: Friday, June 2, Leon Family Art Gallery Opening reception: Tuesday, June 6, 5:30–8 pm
A
rtist Elizabeth Passerieux will exhibit her work in the Leon Family Art Gallery on the second floor of the Simon Family JCC. Passerieux was born in Montpellier, France in 1995, moved to Spain, and then settled in Virginia in 2007. Growing up in a variety of European cities surrounded by a rich history has deeply influenced her artwork, says Passerieux. She says she was supported by a family with “the love of art and history,” and was able to develop her expression and style from an early age. Passerieux says that reading broody Romantic novels of the 18th and 19th centuries that often featured intricate and haunting etchings, became a main source of inspiration, along with her growing collection of The Lovers by Elizabeth Passerieux curious Victorian photography. Passerieux works primarily in graphite, charcoals, and ink. Her style rangFor more infores from detailed, crosshatched scenes of mation about the gothic romance and melancholy, to loose Leon Art Gallery, charcoal portraits of imagined fops and contact Michele dandies. Themes of loss, pride, vanity, and Goldberg, director love populate her work. of cultural arts, at 757-321-2341.
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Tidewater Chavurah’s Second Friday Shabbat Service Friday, June 9, 7 pm
T
he Tidewater Chavurah will hold its second Friday of the month Shabbat service at the home of Hal and Elaine in the Great Neck Meadows area of Virginia Beach. Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill will lead the service, with prayers and joyful songs. An Oneg will follow. For event information and location address, email carita@verizon.net or dlqt@cox.net or call 499-3660 or 468-2675. Check out www.tidewaterchavurah.org or Tidewater Chavurah Face book page for upcoming events.
jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Jewish News | 25
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Calendar June 4, Sunday Brith Sholom board meeting at 10 am; regular members meet at 11 am; followed by brunch for $3 per member ($5 at the door with RSVP) $10 per guest. Annual memorial service led by Cantor Flax will take place with the reading of Brith Sholom members’ names who have departed. For information, contact LeeAnne Mallory at 757-461-1150 or email Brith.Sholom1@hrcoxmail.com. June 5, Monday Simon Family JCC’s Presidents’ Cup Golf Tournament. Heron Ridge Golf Club. simonfamilyjcc.org/about-us/support-your-jcc/presidentscup/. Call 757-321-2337 or email Corrie Lentz at clentz@simonfamilyjcc.org. June 7, Wednesday United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s 2017 Biennial Meeting. Sandler Family Campus. 6 pm. 757-965-6124. June 25, Sunday Brith Sholom Sea and Land Day. Start by boarding the Harbor Cruise on Victory Rover at 2 pm at Nauticus for a 2 hour cruise. After cruise, return to Beth Sholom for dinner and live entertainment at 5:30 pm. $20 for both cruise and dinner for members and $40 for guests. Dinner only $10. For information, contact LeeAnne Mallory at 757-461-1150 or email Brith. Sholom1@hrcoxmail.com.
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. HEBREW ACADEMY OF TIDEWATER
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Open to children regardless of Temple affiliation
CELEBRATE JEWISH HERITAGE
www.JewishVA.org/TJF 26 | Jewish News | May 29, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org
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THE ANNUAL ANN ZUKERMAN SCHOLAR-INRESIDENCE PROGRAM PRESENTS:
mazel tov to
Friday Night 6/16:
7:00 - Kabbolas Shabbos with introductory words from Dr. Lieberman
Achievement Katelynn McAraw, winner of the Better Together Program essay contest. A sophomore, Katelynn participated in the pilot year of Better Together, a lunch and learn series with Ohef Sholom Temple teens and seniors from Beth Sholom Village. She wrote about her experiences with the program in the essay. Nine other students at Ohef Sholom participated. Her essay was chosen from a panel of judges. Katelynn was awarded a scholarship for 50% of a semester program in Israel from Legacy Heritage.
8:00 - Elegantly catered meal at Bnai Israel (by reservation only, $75 per person) 9:30 - Successful Relationships with Difficult People: Practical Strategies to Reduce Conflict and Set Boundaries without Arguments or Guilt Shabbos Day 6/17:
11:00 - Real Power: Rise Above Your Nature and Never Feel Angry, Anxious, or Insecure Again
Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman for having his article on Holocaust Remembrance and the 69th anniversary of the State of Israel inserted into the Congressional Record by Congressman Scott Taylor.
11:30 - Gala Kiddush 5:00 - How to Make a Good Marriage Great: Blending Torah Wisdom with Leading-edge Research
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.
Drake breaks record with 13 honors at Billboard Music Awards
D
rake continued his record-breaking ways, taking home 13 honors at the Billboard Music Awards, including as top artist. The Jewish rapper also won as top male artist, top Billboard 200 artist and top rap artist on Sunday, May 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on the way to snapping the Billboard awards mark of 12 held by Adele.
Since releasing the album Views last year, which broke Billboard chart records, Drake has become one of the most popular artists in the world. His latest album, More Life, broke online streaming records when it was released in March. Billboard is a publication that covers the top-selling artists and songs in the country each week. (JTA)
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler jokes he’s moving to Israel, Jewish Agency responds ‘walk this way’ JERUSALEM (JTA)—The Jewish Agency for Israel invited Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler to apply to immigrate to Israel after the rocker said during his concert “I’m making aliyah!” Some 50,000 fans cheered Tyler’s announcement during the concert Wednesday, May 17 at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv, the opening of its “Aero Vederci” tour billed as the band’s last. Aerosmith last played in Israel 23 years ago. “Walk this way—to a Jewish Agency shaliach,” said Natan Sharansky, Jewish Agency chairman of the executive, in a statement, noting one of the group’s biggest hits and using the Hebrew word for emissary. “While some believe the Israeli experience entails living on the edge, life in Israel puts one back in the
saddle of Jewish history, and we know Mr. Tyler doesn’t want to miss a thing. Theodor Herzl said that if you will it, it is no dream. Mr. Tyler no longer has to dream on.” The Jewish Agency qualified Sharansky’s invitation, saying at the bottom of the statement that it “has no information to indicate whether Steven Tyler would indeed be eligible for Aliyah.” Tyler is not Jewish. In Israel, Tyler toured the country, including a trip to the Western Wall, where he bumped into the new U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman. Friedman was in attendance at the Aerosmith concert, with the Israeli media showing photos of him in casual clothes —a change from his usual suit and tie.
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DR. DAVID LIEBERMAN SHABBOS PARSHAS SHLACH 6/16-17
Dr. David Lieberman a legendary leader in the fields of human behavior and interpersonal relationships. His groundbreaking research and writings have established him as a remarkable force of influence across a spectrum of fields and industries. Dr. Lieberman is a best selling author and a frequent guest expert on national television and radio shows. Learn more at www.drdavidlieberman.com ALL PROGRAMMING WILL TAKE PLACE AT BNAI ISRAEL CONGREGATION 420 SPOTSWOOD AVE NORFOLK PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE AT 757.627.7358 OR OFFICE@BNAIISRAEL.ORG WITH ANY QUESTIONS AND FOR RESERVATIONS
13th Biennial Educators’ Conference Words Matter: Now More Than Ever
Keynote Addresses • $50 (box lunch included)
Speakers: Alexandra Zapruder • Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger
Wednesday, July 26 • 7:30am - 4:00pm Norfolk Academy • Batten Library • 1585 Wesleyan Drive, Norfolk, VA The Holocaust Commission’s 13th Biennial Educators’ Conference continues a tradition of enabling teachers, administrators, student advocates, historians, and humanitarians to better understand, and, in turn, more effectively teach and impact others about one of the most tragic and significant events in history. Community members are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to hear keynote addresses from noted Holocaust scholar Alexandra Zapruder and Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger, son of a Nazi tank commander who repudiated his father’s past and now speaks on behalf of victims and survivors. For more information and to register, email info@holocasutcommission.org or visit www.JewishVA.org/holocaust-educator-conferences.
jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Jewish News | 27
obituaries Jacqueline Banim Virginia Beach—Jackie passed away on May 6, just weeks after her diagnosis of metastatic bladder cancer. She leaves behind her husband of 22 years, Gary Banim, her 16-year-old son Joseph, 12-year-old daughter Sara, and her mother Sandra Forte-Nickenig and stepfather Pete Nickenig. Her father Joseph Forte predeceased her in 1996. Also grieving are her German Shepherd, Black Lab, and Bengal cat. Other family and friends too numerous to mention (some that date back to kindergarten in Brooklyn, N.Y.), will hold Jackie’s no drama, uncommon common sense, and “it’s no big deal” attitude with them forever. Although she holds a degree in Fashion ad Marketing, her true vocation became apparent at the age of 11 when she volunteered after school helping children with special needs. Her career of job coaching and supportive services to disabled adults began in New Jersey and resumed when she relocated to Virginia Beach in 1996. A memorial service was held at Ohef Sholom Temple. Donations can be made to the Virginia Beach SPCA, 3040 Holland Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23453. Leonard Edelstein Norfolk—Leonard Edelstein owner of the Record Shop of Wards Corner in Norfolk, died Tuesday, May 23 at the age of 98. He is best known for his retail business, however he was an accomplished
electronics technician and amateur radio operator. He was born In Shavertown, New York and was a maintenance technician in a dressmaking factory in Kingston, New York. He came to Norfolk/Virginia Beach during World War II when he was a Chief Petty Officer Radioman in the VP74 squadron flying seaplanes. At that time, he met and married his first wife, Winifred Hellen Pollock, of 28 years. He met and married his second wife Dorothy Fensterer of 33 years. His store started as an electronics repair, TV, and appliance retail sales. He resumed his electronics technician career with the Norfolk City School Board repairing educational equipment until 1999. He is survived by his son and daughter, William Edelstein and Carol Littman, and step children Nately Taylor, Roswell White, Raymond White and Kate White. He will also be missed by the family of Joice Fashbaugh. A memorial service will take place at a later date. John Fedida Virginia Beach—John Fedida, 64, passed away on Wednesday, May 10, 2017 at home surrounded by family and friends. Born in Casablanca on October 12, 1952, he is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Lesley, two sons, Michael and Jason, daughter-in law Emmy, and their son Asher, mother Rosa, brother Sami, sister Cecile, their families here and abroad.
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John attended the University of Maryland. He later received his GIA certification in gemology. John and Lesley opened Tidewater Keepsake Jewelers in 1980 and spent 37 years creating beautiful jewelry and friendships. A graveside service was held in Woodlawn Memorial Gardens by Rabbi Michael Panitz. Donations to Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma International, PO Box 665 Hartsville, SC 29551 www.accoi.org. Robert N. Levine Tucson, Arizona—Robert N. Levine passed away at his home on April 18, 2017. Bobby was born in Norfolk, Virginia, to Mike and Frances Levine on May 4, 1940. After graduating from Granby High School as valedictorian, he received his accounting (1962) and law (1965) degrees, both with honors, from the University of Virginia. In 1965, he won the American Bankers Association award for scoring the highest grade in the country on the CPA exam. After graduating from law school, Bobby elected to practice accounting and had a distinguished career as an executive partner with the national accounting firms of Laventhal and Horwath and later, Deloitte and Touche. While in Norfolk, Bobby served as treasurer of Temple Israel and Hebrew Academy of Tidewater. He also served as president of synagogues in Tampa, Florida and Marin County, California, when his career took him to those places. Bobby is survived by his dear wife of 52 years, Ina Rae (Sandler) Levine, his son, Lee Levine, his brothers Leonard Levine of Virginia Beach and Paul Levine of Norfolk, and four grandchildren. He was predeceased by two of his children, Dina Michelle Zauderer and Dr. Gary Levine. Graveside funeral services were held at Kol Shofar Cemetery at Mount Tamalpais in Fairfax, California. Bradley Osman Virginia Beach—Bradley Osman, of Virginia Beach and formerly of Hampton, passed away unexpectedly in his home. The son of the late Carolyn Osman and the late Stanley Harris, and adopted son of the late Charles Osman, Bradley struggled
with mental illness, which robbed him of contentment and a fulfilling life. However, his classic good looks, easy, self-effacing manner, and utter brilliance endeared him to many. Bradley attended the University of Virginia, he was a highly valued volunteer at an Israeli kibbutz for many years, and he was a fixture on the Virginia Beach oceanfront for more than a quarter century, befriending and charming countless visitors and residents alike. Bradley is survived by two brothers, Louis Osman and his wife Sheila Steinbach of Teaneck, New Jersey and Michael Osman, as well as nieces, Yael and Hannah Osman of Teaneck. Bradley will be dearly missed, but all who knew him hope he has finally found peace. A graveside service was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery with Rabbi Marc Kraus officiating. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts. Online condolences may be made to the family at hdoliver.com. Estelle Rose Sherman Norfolk—Estelle R. Sherman, 96, daughter of the late Samuel and Ida Blumenthal, died May 17, 2017. She was preceded in death by her husband, Allen V. Sherman, Sr., her son, Allen V. Sherman, Jr., and her brother, Bernard Blumenthal. She is survived by four children, Diane L. Pomberg (John), Patricia R. Sherman (Charles), Karen B. Whitley (Ken) and Kenneth R. Sherman (Joann); grandchildren, Laura Rudmin, Leesa Sherman-Hochmuth, Steven Pomberg, Rachel Pomberg, Victoria Denis, Emile Daigle, John Johnson, Ada Gregory, Tim Sherman, and Kim Berry; 12 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; nieces, Hope Blumenthal and Susie Herron; nephew, Robert Blumenthal; sister-in-law, Isabel Blumenthal; and daughter-in-law, Roberta Sherman. A funeral service was held at Altmeyer Funeral Home with Rabbi Dr. Michael E. Panitz officiating. Burial followed in Forest Lawn Cemetery. Donations to the Norfolk SPCA or Hope House. Condolences may be shared with the family at www.altmeyerfh.com.
obituaries Mel Sifen Norfolk—Mel Sifen of Virginia Beach, passed away peacefully in his home at the age of 90, surrounded by his loving family, on Tuesday, May 16, 2017. He was born on January 18, 1927, in Suffolk, Va. He grew up in Franklin, Va., and graduated from Franklin High School. On June 5, 1949, he married Yetta Cohen, and together they had five sons, Larry (Pam), David, Michael (Becky), Marc (Wendy) and Barry (Elizabeth). In addition, Mel and Yetta were blessed with 10 grandchildren (Joey, Lena, Philip, Joe, Rachael, Mamie, Jeremiah, Ben, Jeff and Harold) and one great grandson (Leo). Mel was very proud of having served in the Merchant Marines during WWII. He was awarded several medals for his meritorious service. After his honorable discharge from the service, Mel worked with his family in their business before opening his own retail business. He also developed and managed his own commercial properties in Norfolk. After his retirement, Mel became a gourmet chef for his family and enjoyed traveling and cheering for his favorite sports teams, the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Heat. Mel will always be remembered for the love he showed for his family and friends and his great sense of humor. Mel will be deeply missed by his wife, children, grandchildren, great-grandson, extended family and friends. He was predeceased by his parents, Mamie and Joe Sifen, his brother Paul Sifen and his sister Sylvia Mazur. A graveside service was held at Gomley Chesed Cemetery. Memorial donations in honor of Mel Sifen may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478 Oklahoma City, Ok., the Chabad of Tidewater, 1920 Colley Ave., Norfolk, Virginia 23517 or to Medi Home Health and Hospice, 530 Independence Parkway, Chesapeake, VA. 23320. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apartments. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.hdoliver.com.
Israeli spy Shulamit Cohen-Kishik Shulamit “Shula” Cohen-Kishik, a a spy for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency who worked undercover in Lebanon for 14 years, has died at 100. Cohen-Kishik, who was codenamed “The Pearl,” died Sunday, May 21 at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. The Buenos Aires, Argentina, native was raised by Zionist parents who moved the family to prestate Israel. She married Joseph Kishik, a wealthy Jewish-Lebanese businessman from Beirut, when she was 16 and the couple settled in Lebanon. At 27, she began working for the Mossad, spending the next decade and a half helping to bring persecuted Jews from Arab countries to Israel and gathering intelligence information about Arab military activities—information she was able to collect by getting herself accepted into Lebanon’s high society. She was caught smuggling in 1952 and taken to jail just three weeks after giving birth, where she spent 36 days in confinement. Cohen-Kishik continued her clandestine activities for another nine years before things became too dangerous and she moved to Rome for three months. Upon her return to Lebanon in 1961, she was arrested immediately for espionage. While in prison during the trial she was brutally tortured. Sentenced to death by hanging, the verdict was reduced to 20 years of hard labor because she was a mother of seven. In 1967, Cohen-Kishik was released in a secret prisoner exchange following the Six-Day War. She then immigrated with her family to Jerusalem, where she spent the rest of her life. Cohen-Kishik was chosen to light a torch for Israel’s Independence Day ceremony in 2007. “I never worked for a prize or for glory,” she said. “I did what I did because I wanted to, because I loved the country and I wanted to help its establishment.” A video made in 2011 by her grandson tells her history, and includes photos of Cohen-Kishik as a baby in Buenos Aires, in Lebanon and with her own testimony, and also singing an Argentinean tango song A Su Memoria, or To His Memory.
Her son Itzhak Levanon was Israel’s ambassador to Egypt from 2009 to 2011. She is survived by her seven children, and dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. (JTA)
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jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Jewish News | 29
ARTS and culture
Carl Reiner, 95, dishes his secrets to longevity Curt Schleier
(JTA)—The first thing Carl Reiner does every morning is pick up the paper and read the obituary section to check if he’s named there. “If I’m not, I’ll have my breakfast”—or so he says in the charming and appropriately titled HBO documentary If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast. Then, the 95-year-old actor, writer and director, the creator of the Dick Van Dyke Show—“my greatest achievement,” he tells JTA—goes to his computer to work on his latest project, a book. In fact, that’s what he was doing when a reporter calls to talk about the film and their shared genesis in the Bronx (and not necessarily in that order). Reiner, however, is not entirely in a reflective mood and dismisses the invitation to reminisce. “You know,” he says, “I wrote three books about growing up in the Bronx.” Instead, he quickly brings the conversation into the present. “It’s funny you mention the [Loew’s] Paradise [Theater on the Grand Concourse]. While we’re talking I’m working with a graphic designer,” he says. “We’re putting together a book of posters of movies that influenced me as I was growing up. Movies and TV moved me more than anything. Eddie Cantor. Jack Benny. Fibber McGee and Molly.” The book—tentatively titled Carl Reiner Alive at 95 Recalling Movies He Loved—is one of several recently published or in the works in his crowded pipeline. These include a newly released children’s book, You Say God Bless You for Sneezing and Farting, and the forthcoming memoir Too Busy to Die. Staying busy is one of the bromides offered in the the heartwarming HBO film Reiner hosts. The idea for If You’re Not in the Obit percolated from an obituary Reiner read for actress Polly Bergen, who died in 2014 at age 84. “It scared the bejeebers out of me,” he says in the film.
were 93-yearThe obit, Reiner old Harr iette goes on, stayed with Thompson, the him. oldest woman ever “How come we to finish a marathon, got the extra years and Jim “Pee-Wee” and we’re thriving?” Martin, who fought he wondered. in D-Day and still So at the suggesparachutes today. tion of his nephew, The film doesn’t the producer George provide a definitive Shapiro, Reiner set answer to living a out to find what long life. keeps some old “I think it’s people young. For partly your genes,” example, he visits Reiner says. “Also, 102-year-old Ida it’s your environKeeling, who does ment. Also, if you push-ups and jogs Carl Reiner at a ceremony for Jon Cryer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame have a funny bone; daily. She started in September 2011. if you grew up in a running at 67 to family with a sense overcome depresof humor.” sion resulting from For Reiner, at the drug-related Reiner points to family and least, religion or murders of her two friendships as an important spirituality hasn’t sons. aspect of achieving old age. played much of a Among others role in his longevappearing in this ity. He didn’t attend delightful film are Hebrew school Patricia Morrison, growing up. 101, who starred in the original produc“I got a bootleg bar mitzvah,” he says. tions of Kiss Me Kate and The King and I; “An old Jew taught me just enough to comic actress Betty White, 94, and fashion sneak by.” icon Iris Apfel, 94. Reiner’s spirituality hasn’t increased “People ask me where I get my vitality,” much with age—his belief in a higher Apfel says, “and to tell you the truth, I power was a casualty of World War II. don’t have a clue.” “Six million people died in the A funny bone is one thing that almost Holocaust and 6 million others yelling all the people interviewed had in common. to God, ‘Please stop this f***er,’ and He For example, the late Fyvush Finkel— didn’t.” who was 92 when he was interviewed in Reiner does, however, point to family 2015—says, “There’s nothing more boring and friendships as an important aspect of than a clean old man.” achieving old age, noting in the film, “The Kirk Douglas, 100, speaks about how key to longevity is to interact with other his wife urged him to go on the road with people.” a one-man show to show how he was His support system includes multiple recovering from a stroke. Emmy Award winner Norman Lear and “What does an actor who can’t talk longtime buddy Mel Brooks. If not reflecwait for? Silent pictures to come back?” tive about the Bronx, Reiner is more than he asks. willing to talk about his 67-year friendThey also shared a zest for life, a ship with Brooks. joie de vivre. Among those interviewed
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“Mel and I go back to 1950, the first day I came to the Show of Shows,” he says, recalling the 90-minute variety show featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. “I was hired as an actor, to be a straight man for Sid. Mel was in the office. He wasn’t on the [show’s] writing staff yet. He was working for Sid, giving him jokes. “I came in and didn’t know who he was. But Mel was standing there doing a Jewish pirate, saying, ‘You don’t know how hard it is to set sail. It’s $3.87 for a yard of sail cloth. I can’t afford to pillage and plunder anymore.’ “So I just started interviewing him, and I just interviewed him for the next 10 years.” The pirate warped into the 2000 Year Old Man—a routine they performed at parties and made a private recording “for our non-anti-Semitic friends,” Reiner quips. “Cary Grant loved it and asked if he could have a dozen records. He was going to England and wanted it for his trip. You know they speak English there. “When he got back he said, ‘she loved it.’ We asked, ‘Who?’ and he said, ‘the Queen Mother,’” he says. “What an endorsement. The biggest shiksa in the world loved it.” Reiner and Brooks became inseparable buddies; an intense friendship that continues to this day. Reiner says that what helped cement their relationship was that their wives, Estelle Reiner and Anne Bancroft, got along. Bancroft, an Academy Award-winning actress, died in 2005, and Estelle Reiner passed away in 2008. “It was easy; it was a foursome,” Reiner says. “Mel still comes over almost every night. We watched Captain Blood yesterday.” Who decides what to watch? “We talk it over,” he explains. “We’ll see anything on that’s worth a look. We also watch journalism—Rachel Maddow, who knows that Trump is a schmuck.” (That’s an opinion Reiner frequently shares about the president with his 169,000 followers on Twitter.)
You are Invited to Attend the
2017 BIENNIAL MEETING of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater
Wednesday, June 7 | 6:00pm Sandler Family Campus | 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Virginia Beach
Nomination & Election of New UJFT President
John Strelitz
Recognition of Outgoing President
Jay Klebanoff
Also Recognizing Wendy Juren Auerbach Karen Jaffe
Outgoing Chair, Holocaust Commission Outgoing Chair, General Campaign
Dr. Barbara Parks
Outgoing Chair, Israel & Overseas Committee
Megan Zuckerman
Outgoing Chair, Community Relations Council
Stephanie Calliott
Outgoing Chair, Women’s Campaign
Honoring Community Award Recipients Steven Zuckerman Ann and Bobby Copeland Rabbi Gershon Litt
Leonard R. Strelitz Memorial Award Joseph H. Strelitz Community Service Award Jewish Communal Professional Award
Kosher Hors d’Oeuvres | Cocktail Reception | Free & Open to the Community RSVP Today! Email tmujica@ujft.org or call 757-965-6124.jewishnewsva.org | May 29, 2017 | Jewish News | 31
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32 | Jewish News | May 29, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org
