Salute to the Military - October 26, 2020

Salute to The Military Supplement to Jewish News October 26, 2020 jewishnewsva.org | October 26, 2020 | Veterans | Jewish News | 13

Military Observing Veterans Day Dear Readers,

V

eterans Day will be observed on Wednesday, November 11 this year. I say ‘this

SERVE. PROTECT. SUPPORT.

year,’ because it is the only federal holiday that is actually marked on its date—

not on a Monday to extend the weekend with parties and extra time to shop or travel.

Perhaps this respect shown for Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is because of whom the day honors…military veterans who have served in the United States Armed Forces who were discharged ‘under conditions other than dishonorable.’

It is a day to show appreciation to the men and women of our nation who spent a

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This section offers articles not only about U.S. Vets and Active-Duty Military, but also a couple of pieces about Jewish service members in Germany and in Israel. The article on page 15 about Jewish chaplains training at Maxwell Air Force Base offers a

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Thank you to all U. S. Vets for all you’ve done for our nation! We hope you have a peaceful day on November 11.

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14 | Jewish News | Veterans | October 26, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org

Military Chaplains train at Maxwell Air Force Base Elizabeth Kratz

(JNS)—The weeks before, during and after Shavuot this year were unlike any other for two northern New Jersey rabbis.

Rabbi Ezra Frazer of Teaneck and Rabbi Yitzchok Lerman of Rutherford spent the holiday in Montgomery, at Maxwell Air Force Base.

Instead of spending the nights and days teaching Torah in quiet study or enjoying cheesecake with family, they, along with 400 other Air Force officer candidates, sat in flight rooms participating in officer training exercises, marching and running with their squadrons, going over military policy and conducting wargames. Later, they even went out into the field, sleeping in shipping containers, fulfilling their operational roles during a mock-national disaster.

The approximately eight-week officer-training course was one of the final steps in their appointments to the chaplaincy of the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

Frazer will spend summers in the foreseeable future working as a chaplain at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., while Lerman has been assigned to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Based on education level and years of work experience, Frazer, who also holds a Ph.D., is entering the Air Force Reserve as a captain; Lerman’s rank is first lieutenant.

Frazer is a Chidon (Bible Quiz) youth champion, a former coordinator of the youth Chidon for the Jewish Agency and a longtime Jewish-studies teacher who now works at the Heschel School in Manhattan. Lerman is the rabbi of Congregation Beth El in Rutherford and the Chabad of the Meadowlands, N.J. He also teaches at the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown. Frazer grew up in Teaneck; Lerman in Brooklyn, N.Y. Both found there was so much new material to learn. “I was reminded of when I first learned how to drive, when I felt like my brain was going to explode until I realized what to focus on. There

was so much new terminology and by the time the term came around again, I already forgot what it meant,” says Frazer.

With about 400 people going through officer training, there were 80 to 90 people in each squadron and then each was further divided into a flight of 16 people, who spent all their time together.

A total of 11 men and 5 women were in Frazer’s flight. “I came to feel my flight was my family there. We were all on the same floor in the dorm and had our classes all together in the flight room,” he says. Frazer expressed gratitude that his roommate assisted him with his religious accommodations, including handling money for his cafeteria meals in advance on Shabbat and Yom Tov. Religious accommodations in the Air Force are honored as long they don’t impact one’s performance—the mission comes first. Maj. Holly Hess, an Air Force media relations representative, explained that in deployed environments, kosher (and halal) food in the form of Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) are provided by the government. “This is also true for the specific dietary needs during Passover. There are protocols in place for airmen who are directed to eat at dining facilities—these are typically airmen who live in the dorm rooms on base—to request a religious accommodation waiver. In this instance, once approved, the member would be paid a meal allowance to purchase their own food instead of being required to dine at the dining facility,” she says.

Frazer noted that he went to great lengths to not overburden his fellow officers with his observances but also compensated when he felt he needed to.

“I made a lot of effort to study in advance and did very well on the first test, showing them that my keeping Shabbat was not a barrier. It was a very good feeling,” he says.

Both chaplains described how they used pamphlets or paper instead of computers on Shabbat during class time. “All computer-related assignments I was able continued on page 16

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Military continued from page 15

to complete before or after Shabbat,” says Lerman.

Lerman had applied for and received a waiver to keep his beard and wear his kipah (Frazer wore his all the time as well). “Each week, one person is chosen to be the squadron commander. I was chosen our fifth week there to be the squadron commander. It was a tremendous kiddush Hashem [sanctification of God’s name]. We had a seven-and-a-halfmile run being led by a bearded Jew!” relates Lerman.

During the first full week of training, Frazer’s flight gave out call signs, often a term of endearment or a play on one’s name. They can also be a reminder of an embarrassing mistake someone made in training, or an inside joke of some kind.

“My call sign is “Rabbi.” I really saw it as a sign of warmth and affection,” says Frazer.

10,000 Estimated Jews in the U. S. military

Finding enough kosher food to eat on a very active military base in Alabama was, quite literally, no picnic. “Kosher food was my biggest challenge,” says Lerman. Frazer added that the Air Force required that service members march into the cafeteria as part of their training; they do not look left or right and have only 10 minutes to eat. “At some point, a medic noticed I was struggling to keep kosher and not getting enough to eat. She took me to the cafeteria when it was not a scheduled meal time so I could find out what was there that was kosher.” At some point, his instructor located some kosher-for-Passover meals of chicken and potatoes.

“The Air Force provided kosher MREs, and the kitchen staff went out of their way to assist me by making me a fresh salad for lunch daily. For the first four weeks, I would eat tuna, protein bars, MREs and

the salad for meals,” recounts Lerman.

“I kept kosher protein bars in the religious accommodation room, and I had a special dispensation to eat in the flight room because I kept kosher. No one else on my flight was allowed to eat in the room.

“I felt bad about this and wanted to make sure people were okay with it and understood why. At some point, part of a group activity was providing real, meaningful feedback to one another. I got feedback from my flight members, saying, ‘Stop apologizing, we want you to be healthy’.”

“Friday night I would make kiddush on a small bottle of grape juice that I brought with me—wine isn’t allowed on base—and had a meal of some matzah that I also brought with me,” says Lerman.

He described how he threw a “Fridaynight kiddush” the last Shabbat of training, which several chaplains from other faith groups attended, as well as many Jewish airmen and women. “We had a Jewish woman ‘light’ the candles— electric because fire wasn’t allowed.”

The Jewish Welfare Board estimates that there are 10,000 Jews in the U.S. military, and 50,000 military family members.

However, Hess noted the Air Force has only 1,105 Air Force members who have self-identified as Jewish, though she indicated that self-identification for faith groups is voluntary. Of 515 active duty chaplains in the Air Force, 18, serving in either active or reserve capacities, are Jewish, she says.

Chaplains are tasked with serving a unique role—not as social workers, but assisting service members with their religious needs and serving as confidential counselors. Rather than providing social services, they can provide assistance to service members experiencing personal or interpersonal issues at work. “The chaplain is the one person in the military who will not report a person to his or her commander. People benefit from having that one person they can go and let everything out to, to provide words of encouragement, without getting them into trouble,” says Frazer. “We can also update the leadership on morale of the unit and can share

16 | Jewish News | Veterans | October 26, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org

impressions regarding demoralization.

The commander can make adjustments in how they assign tasks or pace, based on the chaplain’s advice.”

The military chaplain’s role is threefold, according to Rabbi Irving Elson, the former Deputy Chaplain of the Marine Corps, who now serves as vice president of JWB’s Jewish Chaplains Council, a program of the JCC Association of North America. Chaplains first provide services and religious accommodation to people of their own faith; then they facilitate the religious needs for service members of other faiths; and third, they provide pastoral care to all who need it. “We are spiritually based, but not faith-specific, when serving those of other faiths,” says Elson. “They become great representatives of American Jewry.”

Pastoral care, including caring for the morale and welfare of young people often far from home, is a job in great demand in the armed services. Elson explained that one of the roles of the JWB—an agency that serves as a go-between representing the American Jewish community to the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs—is to be an “ecclesiastical endorser.” They work with prospective chaplains to review their rabbinic credentials, and provide recommendations and endorsements to the military.

“These two young rabbis are really the tip of the iceberg. The military rabbinate is one of the best-kept secrets of American Jewry,” says Elson. While Frazer worked with the JWB, Lerman’s ecclesiastical endorser was the Florida-based Aleph Institute, led by Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipsker and Col. (ret.) Sandy Dresin.

Elson says that Frazer and Lerman were among seven other Jewish chaplains who entered military service this year.

“There is a tremendous shortage of military rabbis. We would love to talk to any ordained rabbi who would be interested in serving in the military chaplaincy. If, today, I had 50 or 75 rabbis apply, I would be able to take them all. That’s how far behind we are,” says Elson.

The financial benefits of serving in the military, even as a reserve chaplain, are not inconsiderable. “They say reserve

The military is something you join as part of your ideals, but it’s also a good career opportunity. provides full-time benefits with part-time employment,” says Frazer. Reservists are eligible for a particular version of military health insurance, a part of their pension program, and the military pay scale is publicly available. There is a scaled housing allowance as well.

“The military is something you join as part of your ideals, but it’s also a good career opportunity. The military recognizes in a country where there is no draft; this is something people are doing voluntarily. There are also jobs that will give them skills to use in the civilian sector as well. It’s helping people, but also a career that people can be proud of doing,” he explains.

For Frazer, serving as an Air Force chaplain is not something he considered doing several years ago, but as a dayschool rabbi and teacher, he does have availability in the summers and was considering what kind of work he could take up as a second career. “I was taken by the idea of doing something different that would give back to the country at large.

America safeguards our religious freedom, and a big part of what you are doing as a chaplain is ensuring religious accommodation,” he says.

Lerman says he was attracted to the role because there are very few Jewish chaplains in the Air Force and a need for many more, and he has a background in mentoring and consulting, in addition to running a traditional Chabad House and programs through Chabad of the Meadowlands. “We cater to Jewish people, but also to everybody, for counseling and teaching,” he says. “We with our heritage as Jews should be among those in the service, helping others.”

Military HBO Max to air Yom Kippur War drama Valley of Tears, Israel’s biggest-budget TV series ever Curt Schleier

(JTA)—HBO Max has bought the rights to Valley of Tears, a drama about the 1973 Yom Kippur War that is being touted as Israel’s biggest-budget TV series to date.

The 10-part series depicts the war through the eyes of young soldiers through four different plot lines. No premiere date has yet been announced.

It stars Lior Ashkenazi, familiar to international audiences from his role in Israel’s acclaimed film Foxtrot and his work opposite Richard Gere in Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer.

There is significant talent behind the scenes as well: It was created and co-written by Israeli-American writer Ron Leshem, who wrote HBO’s Euphoria, and Amit Cohen, who wrote the popular Israeli thriller series False Flag. The pair are also already at work on another Israeli series called Traitor, a thriller currently in post-production.

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jewishnewsva.org | October 26, 2020 | Veterans | Jewish News | 17

Military

Thank You Veterans The Tidewater Jewish community honors all those who have served

In remembrance of local veterans who have passed in the last year: Maurice Sidney Spivak US Army/US Naval Reserves

Allen Joseph Gordon US Army/US Air Force

Richard Leonard “Dick” Staub US Coast Guard

Alfred William Lehman US Navy

Richard B. Emanuel US Army Air Corp

Howard Morton Weisberg US Army Air Force

Jacob Cohen US Army Air Corp

Dr. Morris Victor Shelanski US Naval Reserve

Henry J. Abraham US Army

Robert “Bob” G. Liverman US Army Air Corps

Irvin “Buddy” Holzsweig US Army

Dr. Warren G. Karesh US Army

Bertrum Norman Legum US Army

Lorence “Ozzie” Roger Osmunson, III US Navy

Jack Burt Jacobson US Coast Guard Lawrence Herbert Coleman US Army Reserve Herbert Katz US Army Dr. Ronald I. Dozoretz US Navy Leo S. Simon US Navy Barry Steven Comess US Coast Guard Seymour D. Glanzer US Air Force

Top Guard earns recognition for hiring veterans

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op Guard Security is celebrating its 24th year in business and is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s largest woman-owned employer.

The 1,000+ employee firm provides uniformed unarmed and armed private security officers to both commercial and government properties. Governor Ralph Northam recognized Top Guard with the Virginia Values Veterans program’s (V3) 2020 Governor’s Award for Hiring the Largest Number of Veterans. Top Guard received the same recognition for hiring veterans across the Commonwealth in 2017. The firm’s founder, Nicole Stuart, is the granddaughter of a U. S. Army/ Air Corps veteran who served in the

Indo-China Theater in World War II and retired as a U. S. Air Force Senior Master Chief.

Top Guard has also been recognized for its unwavering support of the National Guard and Reserve by the Employer’s Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) with its prestigious “Seven Seals” Award, along with several Patriot’s Award recognitions for account manager’s support of officers fulfilling their service commitments. In addition, Top Guard has been selected as a Most Valuable Employer— Military Award by civilianjobs.com for supporting veteran and military spouse employment.

Dr. Irvin J. Coin US Army David Metz US Army Marvin Kuriloff US Army Norman Charles Shroyer US Air Force Stanley Irwin Goldberg US Air Force Herman Weisberg US Navy

Mazel Tov on your retirement after 32 years of service.

List updated as of October 8, 2020

Support the Jewish War Veterans Monument at the Sandler Family campus and honor a veteran by purchasing a monument paver in their name.

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18 | Jewish News | Veterans | October 26, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org

Military

Lawmakers urge VA chief to remove swastika from German POW gravestones at military cemetery Marcy Oster

( JTA) Lawmakers from two House committees called for the removal of gravestones from a military cemetery that are inscribed with Nazi symbols and sentiments.

The four lawmakers sent the bipartisan request to Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie in a letter. They include the top Democrat and the top Republican on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Two tombstones among 140 for World War II POWs at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, are marked with a swastika inside a German cross and inscribed, “He died far from his home for the Führer, people, and fatherland.” Another gravestone in the military cemetery in Salt Lake City is marked with a swastika.

There are an estimated 860 World War I and II-era German POWs buried in 43 cemeteries across the United States.

“Allowing these gravestones with symbols and messages of hatred, racism, intolerance, and genocide is especially

offensive to all the veterans who risked, and often lost, their lives defending this country and our way of life,” the lawmakers wrote. “It is also a stain on the hallowed ground where so many veterans and their families are laid to rest.

Families who visit their loved ones, who are buried in the same cemeteries with the Nazi soldiers whom they fought against, should never have to confront symbols of hatred that are antithetical to our American values.”

“It is particularly troubling that VA’s refusal to replace these offensive headstones comes at a time when documented anti-Semitic incidents in the United States have reached a new high.”

The lawmakers are Reps. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., and Kay Granger, R-Texas, the chairwoman and ranking member of the Appropriations Committee; and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and its ranking member, John Carter, R-Texas, the chair and ranking member, respectively, of the military construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations subcommittee.

In a previous request from Wasserman Schultz, who is among the most senior

Jewish Democrats in Congress, the VA responded that the headstones cannot be replaced because the National Historic

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(JTA)—The Israel Defense Forces opened two civilian coronavirus wards in an underground parking complex designed to be used for medical purposes during wartime.

The opening of the wards at Rambam Hospital in Haifa mark the first time the military has opened medical wards for civilians.

The wards, which opened to patients

last month, are in a facility constructed after the hospital came under fire during the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

The wards will be staffed by about 100 members of the military’s medical staff, the IDF said in a statement. Medical personnel assigned to the wards have undergone training by Rambam staff, according to the IDF. The effort is part of the military’s Operation Tribe of Brothers to help battle the coronavirus pandemic.

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Military Rabbis can be military chaplains in Germany for the first time since the 1930s Joe Baur

BERLIN (JTA) — Rabbis can be military chaplains again in the German military for the first time since they were kicked out by the Nazis in the 1930s, nearly a century ago.

The German Bundestag, or parliament, unanimously approved the move in a vote.

“The first clergymen are expected to begin their ministry this autumn,” a statement by the Department of Defense.

“Later, up to 10 pastoral workers of the Jewish faith are to serve in the German armed forces.”

The decision completes a promise made at the end of 2019 by Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. A state contract was signed in December with the Central Council of Jews in Germany, modeled after similar state contracts with

the evangelical and Catholic churches.

“Today at the Cabinet meeting, we sent an important signal to our Jewish soldiers,” Kramp-Karrenbauer said on Twitter. “After about 100 years, we will install a Jewish military rabbi in the #Bundeswehr again. A clear commitment: Jewish life is self-evident in our country.”

About 300 Jewish soldiers serve in the German army abroad, according to the New York Times.

“The military rabbis will play an important support role for Jewish soldiers,” says Central Council President Josef Schuster. “Particularly in times of growing anti-Semitism and the spread of conspiracy myths in society, this is an important step in supporting democratic attitudes among the soldiers.”

As many as 12,000 Jewish soldiers died fighting for Germany in World War I, before the Nazis came to power.

JWB Jewish Chaplains Council® held its first-ever National Jewish Community Observance of Memorial Day NEW YORK—On Monday, May 25, JWB Jewish Chaplains Council®, a program of JCC Association of North America, spearheaded the first-ever National Jewish Community Observance of Memorial Day, a commemoration that was livestreamed on the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council Facebook page. The commemoration featured greetings to the Jewish community from senior ranking military officials, messages from bereaved families, prayers honoring the fallen heroes of all wars and conflicts involving American troops, and a performance by the United States Naval Academy Glee Club.

Since 1917, JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, a signature program of JCC

Association of North America, has partnered with the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to meet the needs of the Jewish men and women who serve the United States in uniform by creating meaningful Jewish life for them. Through the recruitment and training of rabbis and lay leaders, JWB has created a global network of spiritual leaders to serve the brave men and women who in turn serve America.

Facing continued change and uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is reassuring to know that some things haven’t changed: Jewish commitment to the United States of America and to the men and women who serve in the armed forces remain steadfast.

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Pandemic doesn’t slow down Brith Sholom Rona Proser

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efore March, Brith Sholom members met at Beth Sholom Village monthly for some camaraderie, an enlightening speaker, and a delicious breakfast. Every few months the members also enjoyed dinner and an evening of entertainment together. Sometimes they took bus trips to museums or other cultural outings.

Then, the pandemic changed their lives. No longer able to meet in person, the decision was made to go virtual and keep everyone connected over Zoom.

Rabbi Michael Panitz led the first Zoom meeting with an informative presentation on Pesach. The series continued with Congresswoman Elaine Lauria, who spoke about current legislative topics in Washington. In September, the group previewed the documentary, Nobody Wants Us, written and directed

by Laura Seltzer Duny, a Newport News native. The film is the true story of how her great aunt and uncle helped Jewish refugees on the steamship Quanza remain in Norfolk rather than return to Germany in 1940. The documentary

was shown on WHRO-TV on October 1.

For more information on this film, visit nobodywantsus.com.

To add a little fun, Brith Sholom began sponsoring Zoom bingo games a few months ago. Winners received gift cards from a variety of local restaurants, grocery stores, or Amazon. These games will resume on October 25, November 22, and December 20 at 1 pm. All that’s needed to participate is to download the Bingo cards.

On Sunday, November 8, 1–2 pm, the group is sponsoring a “Safe Drive Thru Food Drive” in the parking lot across from Beth Sholom Village. Donors may safely drop off nonperishable food items or make a monetary donation without getting out of their car.

The next two general membership meetings will be Sunday, November 1 and Sunday, December 6 at 1 pm. Speakers will be announced at a later date.

For more information on speakers or Bingo, contact Lee Anne Mallory at 757‑461‑1150 or Brith.Sholom1@gmail.com.

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jewishnewsva.org | October 26, 2020 | Jewish News | 21

Tidewater Jewish Foundation First person

Giving opportunities for you and your family during COVID-19 Naomi Limor Sedek

2

020 has been a tumultuous year, to say the least. As you and your advisors sit down to discuss year-end tax and charitable planning, there are several additional factors this year that can influence key decisions. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact virtually all aspects of the economy; and the upcoming election is bound to bring changes to Washington that could result in significant changes to the income tax and the estate and gift tax regimes.

Differing tax agendas could bring significant changes either way: There are major differences between the tax agendas of President Trump and former Vice President Biden. The Trump tax plan for the second term revolves around making permanent several key provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, as well as a potential cut in the tax rate on capital gains and dividends. The Biden tax agenda contemplates re-imposing a top income tax rate of 39.6 percent above $400,000 and taxing capital gains and dividends at ordinary income tax rates for those taxpayers with incomes over $1

million.

CHARITABLE GIVING This year, charitable giving takes on new meaning and importance. In a time of social distancing and uncertainty, giving is now a primary way to care for one another and remain connected. Also important is the increased reliance on charitable giving for community organizations and the many families who are struggling to make ends meet. There are few times in history where we have needed each other more.

Members of the Tidewater Jewish community, along with people across the globe, have risen to the challenge and are giving generously to care for others. As we near the end of the year and begin to evaluate personal finances, you may want to consider a handful of giving strategies to reduce your tax burden and make a greater impact.

DONATE TO THE TIDEWATER JEWISH COMMUNITY COVID-19 EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND The COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund provides support for cherished community

22 | Jewish News | October 26, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org

institutions and helps ensure our most vulnerable community members have the resources needed to navigate these unprecedented times. A joint effort between United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Tidewater Jewish Foundation, to date, the Fund has distributed more than $100,000 to assist vulnerable populations, agencies, and synagogues. Additionally, TJF donor advised fund holders have made more than 40 distributions to help meet COVID-related needs. Dollars have gone to area congregations, provided personal protective equipment for Beth Sholom Village and Jewish Family Service (JFS), helped JFS provide financial assistance for individuals in need, assisted the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and JFS Food Pantry combat rising food insecurity, and supported day schools’ preparations to reopen safely. These needs will continue.

CREATE A DONOR ADVISED FUND (DAF) A Donor Advised Fund is an excellent way to set aside dollars that you plan to distribute over time rather than all at once. This is a particularly valuable tool

if you are concerned about capital gains tax from non-recurring events or transactions and/or if you make multiple gifts to organizations throughout the year. For example, after the sale of a home, a donor may make a tax-deductible gift with some of those proceeds into a DAF and then use that fund to cover temple dues and annual campaign gifts over a number of years. In addition, a DAF streamlines the giving process and connects donors to expert philanthropic advisors.

A DAF allows you to make charitable gifts into the fund at any time while retaining the ability to make distribution requests from the fund to charitable organizations of your choice (Jewish or non-Jewish). You may also name your child(ren) as successor advisor(s) to your family fund. This type of fund may be established by an individual, a couple, or a family.

If you establish a new DAF through TJF with at least $7,500, TJF will match your gift with an additional $2,500, totaling $10,000 or more in your new fund.

That’s an extra $2,500 with which you can make a difference.

Tidewater Jewish Foundation LEGACY MATCH LIFE INSURANCE PROGRAM Charitable Life Insurance is one of the most impactful (and underutilized) ways to make a gift. If you donate $5,000 or more per year (including synagogue dues) and are under age 65, this is an excellent philanthropic vehicle to consider. For example, a couple, both age 40, can make annual tax-deductible gifts of $1,753 for a period of 10 years to make a $250,000 gift to their community.

Right now, TJF is offering a 35% match of premiums for specific types of policies.

A Charitable Life Insurance Policy can help you make a greater gift than you ever thought possible.

LIFE & LEGACY— A GIFT TO SECURE A JEWISH FUTURE LIFE & LEGACY is a program that helps individuals and families create legacy gifts, providing a permanent source of support for the Jewish causes they care about.

These endowed gifts are already working to help care for our elderly, ensure local synagogues are able to keep its doors open for the next generation, feed the hungry, preserve Jewish identity, protect and strengthen Israel, and more. Legacy gifts are no longer exclusively for the wealthy.

With this program, anyone can make a gift to ensure a strong, Jewish tomorrow. There are a variety of giving options available that can be tailored to meet your needs and help you achieve your philanthropic goals.

In less than four years of the program, Tidewater Jewish organizations have secured 549 commitments totaling approximately $21 million in current and future endowed gifts. Tidewater LIFE & LEGACY partners include: Congregation Beth El, Strelitz International Academy, Ohef Sholom Temple, Beth Sholom Village, Jewish Family Service of Tidewater, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Temple Emanuel, Chabad of Tidewater, and Simon Family Jewish Community Center.

OVER 70½?

QCDS STILL AVAILABLE IN 2020 Thanks to the CARES Act, Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are waived for 2020. However, Qualified

Charitable Distributions (QCDs) remain available and offer tax benefits for donors older than 70½. The QCD, or charitable IRA rollover, is a special provision allowing certain donors to exclude from taxable income—and count toward their RMD in typical years—certain transfers of IRA assets that are made directly to public charities. In order for a gift to qualify for the charitable IRA rollover, the gift must be transferred directly from an IRA to a permissible public charity (such as TJF for the benefit of one or more organizations). Additionally, the gift must be completed during the applicable tax year. An individual taxpayer’s total charitable IRA rollover gifts cannot exceed $100,000 per tax year. A married couple may transfer up to $200,000. Many donors are using their IRA to fulfill their Life and Legacy commitments.

GIFTING OF APPRECIATED SECURITIES The end of year is a great time to consider a charitable contribution of long-term appreciated securities (stocks, bonds, and/or mutual funds that have realized significant appreciation). It is one of the most tax-efficient ways to give. Long-term appreciated securities with unrealized gains (they were purchased over a year ago, and have a current value greater than original cost) may be donated to a public charity (such as TJF) and a tax deduction taken for the full fair market value of the securities—up to 30% of the donor’s adjusted gross income. You may gift any appreciated securities directly to Tidewater Jewish Foundation into a current fund or create a new fund, such as a Donor Advised Fund to benefit one or more organizations now and in the future. Tax deductions may be received at the time of the gift of the securities and determine later which organizations you want to receive distributions from the fund.

OTHER CHARITABLE PROVISIONS OF THE CARES ACT The CARES Act, enacted to provide COVID19 relief, contains a provision that enables the current deduction of up to 100 percent of adjusted gross income for cash gifts to charity, up from 60 percent (other than to donor-advised funds, supporting organizations, and private foundations). Individuals

considering large cash donations may find this one-year lifting of the adjusted gross income (AGI) limitation beneficial. In addition, and only for 2020, the CARES Act made a new deduction available for charitable deductions for those taxpayers who only take the standard deduction (those who do not itemize their deductions). The deduction is up to $300 per taxpayer ($600 for married couples) and this is an “above the line” adjustment to income that will reduce a donor’s AGI and thereby reduce taxable income. A donation to a DAF will

also not qualify for this new deduction.

This information is not intended as tax, legal, or financial advice. Gift results may vary.

Consult a personal financial advisor for infor‑ mation specific to your situation.

To discuss any of these gifting options, specific goals and objectives, and to learn what is right for you and your family, contact Naomi Limor Sedek, Tidewater Jewish Foundation president & CEO at 757-965-6109 or nsedek@ujft.org.

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