Jewish News - October 25, 2021 Update

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Southeastern Virginia | Vol. 60 No. 4 | 19 Cheshvan 5782 | October 25, 2021

10 Israeli glass artist: Dafna Kaffeman Saturday, November 6

Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival 2021–2022

12 Sandler Foundation celebrates 25 years of giving

—page 26

18 Meet Tidewater’s Navy Rabbis

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Salute to the Military Supplement to Jewish News October 25, 2021

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31 Two panels focus on mental health with Stephen Fried

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UPFRONT

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Sweden’s foreign minister visits Israel, ending seven-year diplomatic freeze Katarzyna Andersz

STOCKHOLM (JTA)—Sweden’s foreign affairs minister visited Israel on Monday, October 18, ending a seven-year freeze in diplomatic relations between the two former allies that had started over disagreements on Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.

Foreign Minister Ann Linde’s visit opens “a whole new book of friendship and cooperation,” said her Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said it symbolized that the countries were “turning a new leaf.”

“Sweden and Israel have a deep and long-standing friendship, with extensive trade and cultural ties. There are also quite a few arguments. In recent years, these arguments have caused us to drift apart. Today we are changing that,” Lapid said at a press conference with Linde in Jerusalem.

The visit came less than a week after Sweden’s government hosted a high-powered international conference on combating antisemitism in Malmö, a city known in recent years for being a hotspot of that form of hate.

Put together, the two moves signal outgoing Prime Minister Stefan Löfven’s desire to repair relationships with Sweden’s local Jewish communities and

the Jewish state.

“On behalf of Sweden I promise that we say ‘never again,’ and mean it,” Linde tweeted after a visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial and museum. “We will continue to take action to combat antisemitism in all its forms, to make sure that we never forget.”

Israel and Sweden had ceased formal relations in 2014, after Sweden officially recognized a Palestinian state. The following year, after the multiple terrorist attacks in Paris that left 130 dead, Sweden’s then-foreign minister, Margot Wallström, linked the killings to what she argued was a feeling of hopelessness among Palestinians.

Wallström, a longtime outspoken supporter of a Palestinian state, then in 2016 called for an investigation into how Israeli security forces responded to Palestinian attackers during a spate of violence. In response, Lapid, then an opposition leader in Israel’s parliament, called her antisemitic.

Lapid—whose father and grandmother were among the tens of thousands of Jews saved by the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg during the Holocaust—welcomed Linde at a press conference in Jerusalem.

“In my parents’ house there is a wooden box in which my late father

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kept some souvenirs that survived the Holocaust. There is a yellow badge with the letter J, Jude—Jew, some photographs and letters that somehow survived the war,” Lapid said. “And there’s a ‘Wallenberg passport,’ a document laden with seals and signatures, designed to hide the fact that Raoul Wallenberg had virtually no authority to grant it to my father. But he did…and saved their lives.”

Linde said that “Sweden’s policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” which supports a two-state solution, “has not changed.” She added that she has been impressed by how Israel’s new government has shown it is interested in improving living conditions for Palestinians in Gaza, and that it has condemned violence by Israeli settlers.

On Tuesday, October 19, she visited Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah, and in talks emphasized that Sweden wants to play “a bigger role in renewing the peace process.”

“I have invited both [Israel’s and the PA’s] foreign affairs ministers to Stockholm,” Linde also told the Swedish newspaper Expressen. “Not at the same time though, we take it step by step.”

Upfront . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

JFS Chanukah Program accepting donations. . 25

Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 In Memoriam: Colin Powell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Blinken says what Israel wants to hear. . . . . . . . 8

Dickens and antisemitism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Texas law requires teaching opposing views of Holocaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

TJF: How to leverage giving opportunities. . . . 30

Israeli glass artist at Chrysler Museum . . . . . . 10

What’s Happening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Survey: Jewish New Yorkers suffer during pandemic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Sandler Family Foundation celebrates 25 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Louise Lubin offers tools for the journey. . . 38

Diverse events for UJFT Women’s Division . . 14

Who Knew?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Community discuses mental health. . . . . . . . . 31

Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

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CANDLE LIGHTING

QUOTABLE

CONTENTS

Special Section: Salute to the Military . . . . . . . 17

Published 20 times a year by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

Friday, Oct. 29/23 Cheshvan Light candles at 5:53 pm Friday, Nov. 5/1 Kislev Light candles at 5:45 pm

“Three rabbis walk into a bar…”

Friday, Nov. 12/8 Kislev Light candles at 4:40 pm

—page 18

Friday, Nov. 19/15 Kislev Light candles at 4:35 pm Friday, Nov. 26/2 Kislev Light candles at 4:32 pm Friday, Dec. 3/29 Kislev Light candles at 4:30 pm

jewishnewsva.org | October 25, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 3

BRIEFS ISRAELI-AMERICAN JOSHUA ANGRIST SHARES NOBEL PRIZE Professor Joshua Angrist, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with dual Israeli-American citizenship, was named one of three winners of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on how public policy developments impact society.

Angrist and Stanford University’s Guido W. Imbens shared half of the roughly $1 million in prize money for their joint work on these so-called “natural experiments,” and University of California, Berkeley professor David Card received the other half. Natural experiments, which track societal cause and effect, are far more difficult to conceptualize than scientific ones, which compare physical outcomes in highly controlled settings.

For example, Angrist and Imbens have recently studied the sociological effects of mask mandates and other COVID-19 public health measures, according to NPR. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Angrist earned his master’s degree and doctorate from Princeton before living in Israel for a few years in the 1980s. Angrist then taught at Hebrew University from 1991 to 1996 before becoming a professor in the economics department at MIT. He has written several papers about labor conditions in Gaza and the West Bank and served as a member of Israel’s Finance Ministry Working Group on Israeli-Palestinian Labor Market Relations in 1994. (JTA) GAVIN NEWSOM LAUNCHES COUNCIL TO BOOST CALIFORNIA HOLOCAUST EDUCATION California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the formation of a council on Holocaust and genocide education this month at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

The council will provide educational resources regarding the Holocaust and other instances of genocide to students at California schools and “provide young people with the tools necessary to recognize and respond to on-campus instances

of anti-Semitism and bigotry,” according to the governor’s office.

“We find ourselves in a moment of history where hate pervades the public discourse,” Newsom said. “National surveys have indicated a shocking decline in awareness among young people about the Holocaust and other acts of genocide.”

In the 2021 state budget, California allocated $10 million to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles as well as $2.5 million for an expansion of the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles. It also allocated $1 million for the renovation of the Tauber Holocaust Library and Archives at the Jewish Family and Children’s Services Holocaust Center in San Francisco. (JTA)

US REJOINS UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 3 YEARS AFTER TRUMP LEFT OVER ISRAEL CONCERNS The U.S. rejoined the United Nations’ Human Rights Council on Thursday, Oct. 14, three years after former President Trump pulled out of it over what his administration deemed a “shameless” bias against Israel.

President Biden’s envoy to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, argued in a statement that the move will not mean the U.S. does not stand with Israel.

“We will oppose the Council’s disproportionate attention on Israel, which includes the Council’s only standing agenda item targeting a single country,” she said.

The council, which investigates alleged human rights abuses in U.N. member countries, has for decades routinely singled out Israel in reports and resolutions, particularly in the wake of the country’s many armed conflicts in Gaza.

Nikki Haley, former envoy to the U.N. under Trump, said in 2018 after the U.S.’ pullout that the council “was not worthy of its name.” Then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu applauded the decision.

The pullout split Jewish lawmakers at the time, including Democrats.

The council, formed in 2006, held an internal election of its slate of 47 countries on Oct. 14, as it does every three years, and several countries with controversial

4 | JEWISH NEWS | October 25, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

human rights records made the cut— including China, Russia, Cuba, and Eritrea.

Hillel Neuer, the head of UN Watch, a watchdog group that often calls the council and other U.N. bodies out for its Israel critique, lamented to the AFP that so many of what he calls “oppressive regimes” were elected. (JTA)

ISRAEL’S NATIONAL LIBRARY TO DISPLAY NOTEBOOKS OF MYSTERIOUS SCHOLAR WHO TAUGHT ELIE WIESEL, EMMANUEL LEVINAS He knew some 30 languages, taught some of the greatest scholars of Jewish studies in the 20th century and is buried in Uruguay under a tombstone that champions his wisdom—but his identity was never known.

Now, what sounds like the beginning of a riddle is the description of an author whose notebooks are set for display by the National Library of Israel.

“Mr. Shushani,” or “Monsieur Chouchani,” was a wanderer and scholar who counted Elie Wiesel and the philosopher Emmanuel Levinas among his students. A brilliant teacher who was said to possess a photographic memory and knew the Bible, Talmud, and other Jewish texts by heart, he traveled around the world teaching while keeping his real identity secret. Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the scholar and spiritual leader of Mandatory Palestine, called Shushani “one of the most excellent young people… sharp, knowledgeable, complete and multi-minded.”

Shushani was born in Imperial Russia around the turn of the 20th century and died in 1968 in Uruguay. But few details about his life, including his real name, were known even to his closest students.

The notebooks were donated by Shalom Rosenberg, an Israeli professor of Jewish thought who was a student of Shushani’s at the time of his death.

Shushani’s writings are difficult to decode and contained everything from his thoughts, to memory exercises, to mathematical formulas and original ideas in the field of Jewish thought. While a small group of scholars has been working

through the notebooks for several years, they were made available to the public for the first time last week.

Yoel Finkelman, curator of the library’s Judaica collection, celebrated the opportunity to introduce more people to Shushani’s writings and their place at the National Library of Israel in a statement.

“We consider it of paramount importance to bring to the public’s attention the story of one of the most mysterious and influential figures in 20th-century Jewish thought,” Finkelman said. (JTA)

LONDON LAWMAKERS REJECT PLAN FOR HIGH-RISE BUILDING NEXT TO HISTORIC SYNAGOGUE City council members in London voted against a controversial plan to build a high-rise building near an 18th-century synagogue.

The plan by developers would have replaced a seven-story building adjacent to the Bevis Marks synagogue in central London with a 48-story tower. The plan was rejected by a vote of 14–7, the BBC reported.

The custodians of the synagogue, which today serves the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community of London, argued the envisioned building would block sunlight to the synagogue, though the developers disputed this.

As in other large synagogues of communities of Sephardi Jews who left the Iberian Peninsula after the Spanish Inquisition, which began in the 15th century, Bevis Marks depends for lighting on candle and sunlight.

“We already find it difficult at times to read prayers and carry out a normal service due to poor light conditions,” Shalom Morris, a resident rabbi at Bevis Marks, told the BBC. He said he was “delighted” that the plan was canceled.

Several thousand people signed a petition against the plan, including prominent British Jews such as Simon Schama, a renowned historian, author, and television presenter.

“Saving the light for Bevis Marks is a matter of the deepest historical and cultural significance,” the Jewish Chronicle quoted Schama as saying. (JTA)

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SCHEDULE A PERSONAL CAMPUS TOUR Contact our admissions office at admissions@capehenry.org or call (757) 963-8234 to schedule your visit! jewishnewsva.org | October 25, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 5

Bernard’s Legacy Lives Forever Norfolk architect Bernard Spigel died in 1968 leaving an enduring legacy of homes, schools, theaters and commercial buildings he designed.

In 1983 Lucy Spigel Herman honored her dad by creating a scholarship for future architects administered by the Hampton Roads Community Foundation.

Dozens of past Spigel Scholars are busy today designing buildings for us to enjoy while the scholarship continues to help future architects pay for their education.

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IN MEMORIAM Colin Powell, who brokered the Middle East ‘road map’ to peace, dies at 84

Colin Powell.

Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA)—Colin Powell will be remembered in history as the first Black U.S. national security advisor, the first Black military chief of staff and the first Black secretary of state.

He was also the first military chief to speak Yiddish as a second language, and he loved surprising Jews with his skill.

Powell, the former U.S. secretary of state who brokered the “road map” to a two-state peace deal that still informs much of U.S. policy in the region, died Monday, October 18 at age 84. He died of COVID-19, his family said on Facebook.

He was fully vaccinated and, according to news reports, had been undergoing treatments for blood cancer.

Powell made history three times as the first Black man in a senior security position: As President Ronald Reagan’s last national security adviser from 1987 to 1989; as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993 under President George H.W. Bush, who commanded the successful first Gulf War; and as secretary of state from 2001 to 2005 under Bush’s son, President George W. Bush.

Powell, the child of Jamaican immigrants who grew up in the Bronx, was a hero in Vietnam who upon his return stayed in the military and rapidly rose through the ranks.

From when he was 13 until his sophomore year at the City College of New

6 | JEWISH NEWS | October 25, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

York, Powell worked for Sickser’s, a Jewishowned shop in the Bronx that sold goods to new parents—many of them Jewish who spoke Yiddish as a first language. He also worked as a “Shabbes goy,” turning on the electricity for Orthodox families on the Sabbath, and picked up the language.

When he met Yitzhak Shamir, the Israeli prime minister ahead of the first Gulf War in 1991, he said, “Men kent reden Yiddish,” we can speak in Yiddish, to Shamir’s surprise. At least twice, addressing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, he joked about his Yiddish skills.

Shamir and Powell shared more than a language: In Powell, Shamir found the only senior national security official who was sympathetic to Israel’s reluctance to hold fire in the face of Iraqi Scud missile attacks on the country. The senior Bush and Brent Scowcroft, his national security adviser, were baffled that Israel did not want to rely on American protection.

Powell, as a military officer, understood Shamir’s concern that staying out would lower Israel’s deterrence, and his sympathetic ear helped bring Shamir around toward complying with the Bush administration’s demand that Israel lay low throughout the conflict.

Powell was consistently concerned about Jewish sensibilities; heading a volunteerism initiative under President Bill Clinton, he formally apologized to the Jewish community after the commission’s first summit was held on Passover.

The pro-Israel community, mindful of his history, welcomed his ascension to secretary of state under the younger Bush, a development that accelerated talk that Powell would eventually run for president as a Republican.

There were tensions, however, as Powell at times clashed with the government of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon over Israel’s actions during the Second Intifada.

Powell was the first Bush administration official—indeed the first U.S. official—to say, in 2001, that the likely outcome of peace talks would be a Palestinian state. The development stunned the pro-Israel community, which had expected the second Bush administration to step back from the intensive Middle East peace brokering that

had characterized the Clinton and first Bush administrations.

Powell had the ear of his boss; by the summer of 2002, Bush was speaking of Palestinian statehood, and by 2003, Powell had dragged a reluctant Sharon into endorsing—with caveats—the roadmap, which envisioned a process culminating in Palestinian statehood.

Sharon was signing onto the very thing he had accused his Labor Party opponents of rushing toward barely a decade earlier, when the Oslo Process, which did not explicitly envision Palestinian statehood, was launched under Clinton. Powell worked hard to bring the U.S. pro-Jewish community on board with the road map, mindful of how opposition among U.S. pro-Israel groups had helped frustrate the Oslo process.

The Trump administration suspended some provisions of the road map, deemphasizing statehood as an outcome for Palestinians. The Biden administration has reinstated its parameters.

Powell wanted a second term as secretary of state; he forever regretted becoming the leading pitch man for the Iraq War ahead of its 2003 launch, notably with a speech to the United Nations that was later revealed to have included distortions, and wanted to stick around to clean up the mess. Powell clashed with Vice President Dick Cheney over how the war developed.

Bush, however, chose in his second term to let Powell go and elevated his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to the job, making her the first Black woman to be secretary of state. Once again the pro-Israel community, noting Rice’s reputation for hawkishness, rejoiced; once again, it was disappointed when she spearheaded pressure on Israel to enter the Annapolis peace process in 2007.

Powell, meantime, disillusioned with the course of the Bush presidency and resigned to the fact that his own presidential hopes were dashed in Iraq, endorsed Barack Obama for president in 2008. He remained a critic of the rightward drift of his party, endorsing Obama again in 2012, and Hillary Clinton in 2016, although he disliked her; Donald Trump, he said then, was a “national disgrace.”

Hanukkah Community-Wide Celebration IN HONOR OF

CONGREGATION BETH EL’S 171ST ANNIVERSARY Sunday, December 5, 2021 4:00 to 5:30 pm (in-person and virtual) Congregation Beth El

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INTERNATIONAL

With Yair Lapid at his side, Blinken uses a word that Israel has been longing to hear on Iran Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA)—Yair Lapid got what he wanted out of his Washington visit: the word “every,” instead of “other.”

During Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s first meeting with President Biden in August, Bennett was happy with what he heard: the American president, despite his desire to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal, said that if Iran does not engage in good faith diplomacy with the nations involved in the deal, the U.S. would consider “other options” in getting Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions.

It was a sign that Israel and U.S. Democrats, long far apart in their opinions on how to best contain Iran, were coming closer together.

Lapid, on his official trip as foreign minister in Washington, pushed things along even further.

He looked on Wednesday, October 13 as Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, said “every” option was on the table if Iran does not engage in a good faith effort to negotiate the U.S. reentry into the nuclear deal.

It was one of those blink-and-youmiss-it moments in diplomacy, but it had significant weight. According to insiders involved in the issue, “other options” can be seen as referring to enhanced sanctions, or other non-military forms of pressure. “Every option” means military action may be on the table as well.

“We will look at every option to deal with the challenge posed by Iran,” Blinken said at a press conference called to announce initiatives that would advance the Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab nations. “We continue to believe that diplomacy is the most effective way to do that, but it takes two to engage in diplomacy, and we have not—we have not seen from Iran a willingness to do that at this point.”

Blinken made the statement on the State Department’s eighth floor, flanked

by Lapid and the United Arab Emirates

foreign minister, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The foreign ministers were together to announce new Abraham Accords initiatives, but the symbolism of Blinken’s stronger language in the company of two of the Middle East nations who feel Iran’s threat most sharply was unmistakable.

A senior Israeli official told reporters after the meetings that the Israeli and U.S. delegations discussed Iran extensively behind closed doors. “While there may not have been agreement, there was the discussion of options that have not been on the table previously,” said the official, who spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the information.

Along with Bennett, Lapid has spear-

Antony Blinken said “every” option was on the table if Iran does not engage in a good faith effort to negotiate the U.S. reentry into the nuclear deal. headed the effort to repair Israel’s ties with the Democratic Party, which were corroded during the 12 years Benjamin Netanyahu was prime minister. Netanyahu was antagonistic toward that half of the American polity, toward which the clear majority of American Jews are oriented.

Netanyahu has accused Bennett and Lapid of showing weakness by not more robustly opposing the Biden administration’s efforts to reenter the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which former President Donald Trump left in 2018 at Netanyahu’s behest.

Bennett and Lapid’s strategy appeared to pay dividends during Lapid’s 48 hours in the U.S. capital. The Biden administration, frustrated with the new hard-line Iranian government elected this summer, is edging closer to Israel’s posture, a

8 | JEWISH NEWS | October 25, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

development that came speaker of the U.S. House of about without tensions.

Representatives. In a brief Blinken’s language on appearance for reporters, Iran was tougher than it Pelosi emphasized biparhas been since President tisan support for Israel, a Joe Biden made good on pointed rejection of the calls his pledge to seek to reenby progressives within her ter the 2015 sanctions party to cut funding to the relief for nuclear rollback country. deal, known as the Joint On the U.S. side, Comprehensive Plan of Blinken said the Biden Action. Biden sees it as the Antony Blinken, 2021 administration remains best option to keep Iran dedicated to reviving the from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Biden, “Despite the fact that we’ve made he said at the press conference, has been abundantly clear over the last nine “clear that a two-state solution is the best months that we are prepared to return to way to ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish full compliance with the JCPOA if Iran and democratic state, living in peace does the same, what we are seeing—or alongside a viable, sovereign, and demomaybe more accurately not seeing from cratic Palestinian state.” Bennett has said Tehran now—suggests that they’re not,” that a Palestinian state will not arise on Blinken said. “I’m not going to put a spehis watch, while Lapid has been less clear cific date on it, but with every passing day on the issue. and Iran’s refusal to engage in good faith, Blinken did not refrain from menthe runway gets short.” tioning points of contention, including Lapid culled other dividends from his American plans to reopen a dedicated visit. The Biden administration showed consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem, itself fully committed to cultivating the replacing the one shuttered by the Trump Abraham Accords, one of the few areas of administration. agreement it has with the Trump admin“We’ll be moving forward with istration, which brokered the accords. the process of opening a consulate as Blinken at the press conference announced part of deepening those ties with the the launch of two working groups comPalestinians,” Blinken said, although the prising Israeli, U.S. and Emirati officials, Israeli government is on the record as one tackling religious intolerance and the opposing it. other fostering cooperation on water and State Department statements on the energy. meetings also pointedly said that China Lapid also met with World Bank offiwas a topic of discussion with Lapid. The cials to discuss plans to seek investors Biden administration, like the Trump for infrastructure projects in the Gaza administration before it, objects to the Strip as a means of lifting the standard extent of Israel’s commercial ties with the of living in the poverty-stricken enclave, most formidable rival to the United States while limiting the influence of Hamas, in the international arena. the terrorist group controlling the strip Lapid also met with Jewish organiwith which Israel periodically wars. The zational leaders in Washington before United Arab Emirates would likely also returning to Israel. He made the case to play a role in the investments. them that he wants to repair relations Lapid, who is set to take over as neglected by Netanyahu, who gravitated Israel’s prime minister in 2023, also toward evangelical Christians as a more met with Vice President Kamala Harris, natural pro-Israel base. and with Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic

NATION

Jewish Texans raise concerns after teachers were told that Texas law requires ‘opposing’ views of the Holocaust Ben Sales

(JTA)—Jews in the Texas school district where an administrator told teachers that a new state law meant they should include “opposing” views of the Holocaust in their classrooms are speaking out against her statement and the law that prompted it.

“The facts are that there are not two sides to the Holocaust,” Jake Berman, an alum of the district who said he had experienced antisemitic bullying while enrolled, said in testimony at a school board meeting Monday, October 18 that was reported on by NBC News and has since been shared widely on social media.

“The Nazis systematically killed millions of people.” He added, “There are not two sides to slavery. White Europeans enslaved Black Africans in this country until June 19, 1865, a moment we’re barely 150 years removed from. There are not two sides to Jim Crow. There are not two sides to racism and that same oppression continues today.”

Earlier this month, the administrator was recorded telling teachers in the Carroll Independent School District that, in order to comply with a law requiring teaching “diverse and contending perspectives” on controversial issues, they would have to offer “opposing” and “other perspectives” on the Holocaust.

The administrator signaled that she was uncomfortable while she gave that guidance, and teachers on the recording protested. Berman said her remarks were “assuredly a misstep.”

The law in question was motivated by growing Republican opposition to critical race theory, a concept in legal studies that says racism is baked into the country’s laws and institutions. Opponents of the theory—including some Jewish activists—claim that it is being taught broadly in schools with no room for opposing perspectives.

Earlier this month, the superintendent of the school district apologized for the administrator’s remarks, saying that “the comments made were in no way to convey that the Holocaust was anything less than a terrible event in history. Additionally, we recognize there are not two sides of the Holocaust.” He added that the state law “does not require an opposing viewpoint on historical facts.”

State Sen. Bryan Hughes, the Republican who wrote a companion bill to the law in question, denied that his legislation requires teaching opposing views on matters of “good and evil.” Hughes’ bill expands the law’s restrictions, and is moving through the legislative process now.

Rob Forst, a parent in the district who identified himself at the school board meeting as a descendant of Holocaust survivors, called the administrator’s comments “completely unacceptable,” according to NBC News.

Berman said he attended schools in the district through eighth grade, when a principal advised him to leave to escape the antisemitic bullying he was enduring.

He said that the slurs directed at him drove him to contemplate suicide and led to depression in his adult life.

“I was subject to a rash of bullying, almost all of which was antisemitic in nature,” he said. “I received everything from jokes about my nose to gas chambers, all while studying for my bar mitzvah from a Holocaust survivor as my primary tutor.”

“The message you and the state are sending to your teachers opens the door for more of this type of behavior in your students,” he said. “If you don’t think that these same attacks are happening in your schools today with regard to someone’s skin color, gender or religion, you are sorely mistaken.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Curating Israeli flame-worked glass is an organic process for Carrie Needell Israeli artist Dafna Kaffeman now on view at the Chrysler Museum Lisa Richmon

A

few months into her new job as curator at the Chrysler Museum’s Perry Glass Studio, Carrie Needell was leafing through an auction catalogue to get a feel for glass artists’ names and work. Not just the ones who had been at it for a while, up-and-comings were on her radar, too.

A photo of a spiny sea urchin-like creature caught her off guard.

“I was mesmerized,” says Needell. “It was absolutely amazing. I never saw anything like it before.”

Credit for “Tactual Stimulation,” the new object of her affection, goes to Dafna Kaffeman, an Israeli artist, born in Jerusalem. It was created in her Tel Aviv studio in 2007 and is composed of flameworked glass filaments on a silicone base.

Everything about it aligned with Needell’s role as a curator. What touched her personally was the way Kaffeman links plant life and glass, fusing danger with delicacy and fragility. She was blown away by this force of nature in the glass art world and was pretty sure others would be too.

That’s when she did nothing.

“I tucked it away in my brain.”

A full year later, on a Renaissance glass gallery trip to London, Needell visited the Victoria and Albert Museum, where she

Visiting Israeli glass artist Dafna Kaffeman Saturday, November 6 7:30 pm Chrysler Museum’s Perry Glass Studio Free for Museum members $5 for non-members To register or learn more, visit JewishVA.org/ IsraelToday or Chrysler.org.

See page 34 for additional information

spotted the peach-colored glass creature from the picture.

Note to self: “I need to get one of these.”

Immediate and emphatic.

The creamy glass creature checked all the boxes for glass art that nobody saw before.

“In one small intricate object, you have powerful messaging, an international woman, and a new technique. I knew this was perfect for the Chrysler’s collection.

This would appeal to the broader community in many ways we aspire to serve it.”

It took a little leg work on Needell’s part, but a gallery in Portland and the Renee Diamonstein Memorial Fund helped make it happen. “Tactual Stimulation” is now part of the Chrysler’s permanent glass art collection.

Whenever a new work of art is considered for collection at the Chrysler, it’s introduced to the entire museum team, not just curators.

“We think about community impact quite heavily,” says Needell. “How will it serve the community?

“We purchased Dafna’s piece in 2019, but she created it in 2007. I wondered, ‘what is she doing now? What’s her work like these days?’”

A complex question with an organic answer.

If You Thirst for a Homeland, now on exhibit at the Chrysler, is inspired by the natural world in which Kaffeman lives and works. Each botanical form reflects her Israeli homeland’s natural environment.

The glass specimens she fuses are mounted onto fabric, and surrounded by quotes, many from current events in Israel—either in Hebrew or Arabic—expressing juxtapositions that define modern life in Israel.

In her effort to prepare to host the exhibit, Needell dug deep to learn the profound meaning behind the symbolism of flowers and insects, both of which are staples in Kaffeman’s body of work.

Candidly, she was nervous at first.

“Dafna is not in our face. She’s doesn’t tell you anything outright. We’re not taking a stance, that’s not our role.”

10 | JEWISH NEWS | October 25, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

A mindful thought process helped her overcome concern and move to host the exhibit. Forging a collaboration with Jewish Federation of Cleveland allowed both institutions to save on transport expenses and introduce If You Thirst for a Homeland to their communities.

A fantastical constellation of elements was completely aligned with her curator’s vision. Flame-work is a rather unique technique, far different than glass blowing and the diversity of her work from blowing a vase to stained glass was equally impressive. Needell looked forward to bringing international talent to the museum; Kaffeman is the first Jewish glass artist featured there.

“I knew it would bring a lot to the community if we hosted an exhibit.”

There were so many reasons for so many people, not just glass collectors or patrons to find something here.

Additionally, she couldn’t overlook the possibility to gain new educational partners and programming.

“The Education department was really excited about the work’s potential to connect with our large Jewish community, schools, and temples—and so many others they don’t reach on a regular basis,” says Needell.

“Kirk Levy is one of our museum board members. He put me in touch with Robin Mancoll at United Jewish Federation of Tidewater where there has been so much excitement. UJFT is co-sponsoring the Visiting Artist lecture that Dafna will give while she visits, and we are hosting a couple of joint events—so it looks like this exhibition is doing the work of the museum’s mission!”

Needell notes there is also some interest by the Israeli Embassy to support a catalog for the exhibition—which should be coming out and available for purchase at the museum shop by early November.

“I’m personally drawn to the connection between humans and plants—offspring and lifecycles. And the fragility of glass as it relates to both is very meaningful.

It’s beautiful how she links it all together.”

Eric Tschernow

Dafna Kaffeman, A brother in front, a snake in the back.

Elad Sarig

Dafna Kaffeman, Circle, 2010 Butterflies series

Docents have shared feedback from fifth graders up to seniors of all ages about how strikingly realistic the objects are.

“Her work has a way of reminding you that things are going on,” says Needell.

“You can bring your own references to it and decide what you think. The graphic reference to a tortured prisoner draws attention to something happening, but leaves room for the viewer. Her work comes across like ‘don’t forget about things going on.

“I appreciate a beautiful flower made of glass. That magic is all some people need.”

For those who thirst for more, the deeper meaning is there.

COVID-19

Survey: Jewish New Yorkers’ employment, mental health suffered during pandemic Julia Gergely

(New York Jewish Week via JTA)—Nearly one in six adult Jewish New Yorkers experienced financial setbacks during the pandemic, and three quarters of Jewish New Yorkers who said they have a substance abuse problem said it worsened during that period.

That’s according to a new study by UJA-Federation, which surveyed 4,400 Jews in and around New York City to guide its philanthropic efforts to meet the most pressing needs of New Yorkers.

The survey found that while Jewish New Yorkers overall experienced less severe economic and psychological effects of the pandemic than other populations, they were hardly unaffected.

The poll found that 22% of adults in Jewish households faced reduced hours or income in the last year, 8% had been laid off and 12% had been furloughed. It also found a 12% unemployment rate for adults in Jewish households compared with 10% in the overall population in New York City and Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties.

The study found that 1 in 5 adults in Jewish households reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, and 1 in 5 has experienced more symptoms since the start of the pandemic. One in 10 adults in Jewish households indicate they have a substance abuse problem, and 72% of those who reported an abuse problem said it worsened during the pandemic.

Those numbers are lower than the Centers for Disease Control reported for the population as a whole from August 2020 through February 2021, when the percentage of adults with recent symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder increased from 36.4% to 41.5%. Similarly, almost half of all workers and a majority of low-wage workers in New York City lost employment income in the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Robin Hood, an anti-poverty foundation.

The federation, which raised $250 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30, distributes funds to health and human services providers, community centers, food pantries, and community-based mental health efforts. (The New York Jewish Week receives UJA-Federation funding as well.) Mark Medin, the federation’s executive vice president of financial resource development, told eJewishPhilanthropy earlier this month that smaller donors were challenged during the pandemic, but high-level donors stepped up to give more, enabling the organization to increase giving for hunger relief and other pressing needs.

Brooklyn, home to large haredi Orthodox communities, represented the highest levels of Jewish poverty in New York, with 37% of Jewish households classified as poor or near poor, according to the survey. Across the region, 4% of adults in Jewish households are not up-to-date on rent or mortgage payments, and 9% of adults in Jewish households are food-insecure.

The survey authors point out that cash benefits and government transfers prevented a much more sizable increase in poverty than New York City would have seen during the pandemic, and that “as relief efforts subside, these rates are likely to rise.”

A similar study of the New York Jewish community hasn’t been done since 2011, measuring the effects of the 2008 economic downturn. And according to Eric Goldstein, UJA-Federation’s CEO, it is so far unique during the pandemic.

The survey is “the first representative survey in the nation offering statistics about social isolation, mental health, domestic violence, and substance abuse in the Jewish community,” Goldstein said in a statement. “There is no vaccine for poverty or hunger, and the effects of the pandemic will be felt in our community for years to come.”

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Sandler Family Foundation celebrates 25 years of charitable giving Sam & Reba Sandler Annual Foundation Golf Tournament

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ontinuing a tradition begun 25 years ago, the Sandler family of companies, along with their valued sponsors, vendor partners, and employee volunteers, celebrated a quarter century of giving at the Sam & Reba Steve and Art Sandler.

Sandler Annual Foundation Golf Tournament on Tuesday, October 5.

“In 2020, we had to cancel our golf event and fundraise only, due to the pandemic,” says Lynn Easton, Tournament director, “but this year gave us reason to celebrate even more—being back together to golf, have fun, and celebrate the 25th Year!”

The tournament had a huge turnout, and is played on two Virginia Beach golf courses, Heron Ridge and Virginia Beach National. This year, supported by more than 50 volunteers from the Sandler family of companies, more than 110 golfers per course enjoyed unique “hole experiences,”

such as Tarnished Truth bourbon tastings, Emerson’s cigars, BBQ sliders, homemade kettle chips, sweet treats, “adult” snow cones and more. The event concluded with a happy hour, dinner buffet, comments by Art and Steve Sandler and the charity directors.

Sponsors and vendor partners traveled from across the country to participate in this highly anticipated charitable event.

“As a sponsor, we look forward to this tournament every year and appreciate the valuable causes it supports,” says Reid Killen, vice president and real estate Loan officer of TowneBank.

“While we all enjoy the tournament, we really try to direct focus on the importance and impact of the charities it supports,” says Art Sandler of L.M. Sandler & Sons. “Their work is what should be celebrated.”

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Elena Barr Baum, Sharon Slipow, Elka Mednick, and Jody Luck.

Beneficiaries of the tournament include: • F.A.C.T.— Families of Autistic Children in Tidewater, currently the only local organization providing programs specifically designed to meet the complex needs of individuals with autism.

• Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish

Local Relationships Matter

IT’S A WRAP Federation of Tidewater, whose mission is to foster an understanding of the uniqueness and magnitude of the Holocaust and to champion human dignity in a constantly changing world.

• The Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, which strives to establish constructive dialogue, create educational opportunities, and maintain positive exchanges within the Jewish community and other area communities.

• The Samaritan House, with a mission to end violence in all forms and offer hope and healing through programs and resources designed to work with each individual’s needs.

“The Sander Family Foundation and this annual event was borne out of Sam and Reba Sandler’s passion and dedication to

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“We have to give back. This community has been generous to me and I want to do all I can to help the community and those who live here. There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t try to do something for someone in the community.”

Margot Miller picks up a cigar at the Emerson’s Cigar Tent on the fairway.

being responsible stewards, helping our fellow humans in their time of need,” says Steve Sandler of L.M. Sandler & Sons.

“This tournament serves to help carry on their legacy. I’m happy to be celebrating its 25th anniversary. I think they would be as well.”

The Sandler Family of supporting companies includes L.M. Sandler & Sons, Inc., Tidewater Finance Company, Chesapeake Homes, Equity Title Company, Tidewater Mortgage Services, Inc., Wakefield Development, Westview Financial Services, and Today Homes Realty. More information about The Sandler Family Foundation may be found at TheSandlerFamilyFoundation.org.

Participants enjoy Tarnished Truth Bourbon cocktails along the course.

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jewishnewsva.org | October 25, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 13

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Women’s Division begins the 2022 Campaign Year with diverse and exciting events Amy Zelenka

Ruby Lions learn what is taking place throughout the Jewish world The roar of the Ruby Lions could be heard throughout Virginia Beach as United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s women donors giving $10,000 or greater to the Community Campaign gathered to hear from the newly placed CEO of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) at the home of Martha Glasser.

JDC’s first woman CEO, Ariel Zwang, brought greetings from JDC’s professionals around the world, as well as from the beneficiaries that Tidewater’s Campaign dollars help and assist in communities near and far. She spoke about her own personal and professional journey which brought her to her new role—after a lifetime spent leading professional non-profit social service organizations.

Zwang took the Ruby Lions on a journey around the Jewish globe to discuss the kinds of challenges that are presenting themselves and which are being

exacerbated by rising antisemitism in seemingly every corner of the world.

She also spoke about the emerging challenges posed by the sunsetting of Claims Conference funding, and JDC’s efforts to illustrate the need for continued funding in places that were ravaged by the Nazis and later by Communism.

While it’s clear that the challenge of taking care of Jews in need (and of Jewish communities at risk) are great, hearing Zwang talk about the work that she and her colleagues are doing on behalf of the Tidewater community and other Federations who support the JDC, gave the ladies in the room great confidence in the ability to meet the challenges. As Zwang continues to learn and employ her creative problem-solving skills, the JDC will surely continue to improve Jewish life around the world, and it was gratifying for the Ruby Lions who heard her that day, that this Federation continues to play a role in making that happen.

And while on the topic of strong, women leaders…

A small group of women’s division leaders met with special guest Ellie Cohanim. A Senior Fellow with the Center for Security

Chef Deanna Freridge instructs participants in the finer points of charcuterie.

14 | JEWISH NEWS | October 25, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

Ariel Zwang, new JDC CEO, meets with Ruby Lions Martha Glasser, Shari Friedman, Stacy Brody, Women’s Cabinet co-chair Mona Flax, UJFT Campaign chair Laura Gross, Women’s Cabinet co-chair Barbara Dudley, Annie Sandler, UJFT chair-elect Linda Spindel, and Jodi Klebanoff.

Policy, Cohanim also hosts a weekly newsmagazine show, Global Perspectives with Ellie Cohanim for the Jewish News Service (JNS) and serves as a Senior Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum focusing on U.S. foreign policy. Cohanim previously served as U.S. Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism at the U.S. Department of State, by appointment of the President of the United States and the U.S. Secretary of State.

Cohanim was the State Department’s first Iranian-born Envoy, and she led diplomatic initiatives which resulted in forging groundbreaking partnerships in the Arab world to combat antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and Islamophobia. She also persuaded

Debbie Wilson and Shari Berman.

the first-ever Muslim faith group to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, all as part of the Abraham Accords efforts. Cohanim talked about her early childhood—coming to the United States as a refugee in the immediate aftermath of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, assisted

by HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society).

The family had to completely re-build their lives, and it left an indelible impression.

Years later, that experience would lead Cohanim to accept a position with the U.S. government which enabled her to fight the kind of antisemitism from which her family had fled when she was a child.

Cohanim also spoke of her immediate past role as Deputy Envoy and her myriad experiences working with foreign counterparts in an effort to improve the treatment

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JEWISH TIDEWATER

Exploring Questions &

Jill Smith and Tina Moses.

of Jews living in less democratic societies, often at-risk or afraid. Her insider’s view of the Abraham Accords was fascinating to learn about, as were the political dynamics that marked the atmosphere of the multilateral discussions. Her message to the women? “Stay educated and stay connected with elected officials. They listen to their constituencies. They want to hear from the people who ultimately determine their electability.”

And moving from electability to “delectability…”

UJFT’s Women’s Division has been trying to hold women’s Sukkot event for the past three years. Year one was planned as a Progressive Sukkah “Hop” through Ghent, with each of the Ghent congregations hosting one course of a four-course meal. Ghastly weather kept the event from taking place. It was replaced a few months later by an indoor event featuring author Amy Blumenthal and her book The Cast, which was all about friendship. The women who attended the event also celebrated friendships—both life-long and more recent—and enjoyed a beautiful dinner together.

Last year, the event (along with nearly every other fall event in the community) was canceled due to COVID-19. This year, determined to hold a Sukkah event, the Women’s Division invited area women to a special Charcuterie-making class to be held in the Sukkah of the Sandler Family Campus. It was so close to happening, when… Boom! Rain! Again! Undaunted, the Women’s Division brought the event indoors (with a smaller group to ensure social distancing and safety) and held the

event anyway.

Local chef and culinary instructor, Deanna Freridge, led the class. Each participant received a slate charcuterie board on which to create her masterpiece using kosher cheeses, pickled vegetables (cucumbers, olives, roasted red peppers), mustards, fresh and dried fruits (apples, grapes, dates, and apricots), condiments (mustard, fig jam), cracker crisps, pecans, and dark chocolate. Freridge’s instructions on how to slice the cheese and how to mix the various flavors and textures to bring out a new way of tasting, really struck a chord with the participants.

She provided each participant with a printed packet of food history, recipes, websites, and suggested wine pairings. The evening, marked by “ooohs” and “aaaahs” of appreciation from the fellow Charcuterists, also featured a dash of camaraderie and a sprinkling of giggles. But more importantly, it brought together women from across the Jewish community, representing nearly all of the congregations, age groups, and various levels of Federation involvement.

A special shoutout to Chef Deanna Freridge for volunteering her time to make everyone who attended better food artists and friends!

The Women’s Division of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is responsible for community-building and fundraising for the Federation’s annual Community Campaign.

Anyone interested in supporting the Annual Campaign (and thereby ensuring future programs like this one) can contact Amy Zelenka, UJFT chief development officer, at the Federation at 757-965-6139.

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and

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Presidential portrait of Thomas Jefferson,

by Rembrandt Peale, 1800.

Shira Hanau

(JTA)—The statue of Thomas Jefferson that will be removed from the chambers of the New York City Council at the urging of Black lawmakers was a gift in 1834 from one of the first Jewish officers in the U.S. military.

The city’s Public Design Commission decided to remove the statue following complaints from Assemblymen Charles Barron, Councilwoman Inez Barron and others that Jefferson was a slaveholder.

The statue, which has stood in the city council’s chambers for over a century, was commissioned by Uriah Phillips Levy, a lifelong fan of Jefferson’s. Levy was a member of Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish-Portuguese synagogue in New York City.

Levy served in the U.S. Navy, including during the War of 1812, eventually earning the rank of commodore. Having faced antisemitic prejudice in the Navy, Levy fought against religious discrimination and commissioned a bronze sculpture of Jefferson that stands in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, in honor of

Jefferson’s support for religious freedom.

The New York version is a copy. Levy even purchased Monticello, Jefferson’s mansion in Virginia, in 1836 and restored it.

It is not yet clear where the statue will end up after it is removed from the city council chambers. Possible new locations include another place within City Hall or at the New-York Historical Society, where it can be displayed with historical context.

In the same week that the decision was made to remove the Jefferson statue, a statue of a Jewish woman was put up in New York City. A life-size bronze of Diane Arbus, a photographer who was born on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in 1923, was erected in Central Park, where she took some of her most famous photos. The statue, only the second sculpture in the park to honor a real-life woman, will be on display until August 2022.

Having faced antisemitic prejudice in the Navy, Levy fought against religious discrimination and commissioned a bronze sculpture of Jefferson that stands in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, in honor of Jefferson’s support for religious freedom.

SALUTE TO THE MILITARY Supplement to Jewish News October 25, 2021

jewishnewsva.org | October 25, 2021 | Military | JEWISH NEWS | 17

Military FIRST PERSON

Navy has three rabbis stationed in Tidewater Rabbi Yonatan Warren, BCC Lieutenant Commander U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps

Three rabbis walk into a bar.

One Reform, one Conservative, one Orthodox.

T

he story is significantly less funny than you might imagine. While, in general, rabbis tend to be pretty funny people when you get them together in social settings, this was a business meeting. It just happened to be in the bar of the hotel where the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council was engaged in annual training.

The three rabbis walked into a bar in Miami Beach, Florida to talk explicitly about building connection and community for Jewish military service members and their families in Tidewater. While synagogues and community organizations have long supported Jewish military

members in the area, many military Jews (for a variety of reasons) still feel isolated or outside the mainstream community.

Now, for the first time (possibly in the history of armed forces chaplaincy), three Navy rabbis would be stationed in the Norfolk area and they committed to working together to enhance Jewish Military connection and experience in Tidewater.

It is unclear which is more rare: three Navy rabbis stationed in Norfolk or the fact that these three rabbis from different backgrounds, experiences, ranks, and denominational affiliations like each other and want to work together to make things happen.

I have been in the area for several years. I grew up in Hampton, matriculated through Hebrew Academy of Tidewater and stayed active in the southside community through USY in high school. Ordained

by the Jewish Theological Seminary, I joined the Navy in 2011. In 10-years on Active Duty, my tours include 3d Marine Logistics Group in Okinawa, Japan, the Brigade of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, and sea duty aboard the USS Oak Hill (LSD-51). I now serve the Navy as a clinical staff chaplain (hospital chaplain) at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center.

I have been working for years to make Jewish connections between servicemembers and the community and with each other. But, I have never been more delighted than when I found out I would be able to work with these two exceptional other chaplains in realizing this dream.

The senior rabbi of the group, Rabbi Aaron Kleinman, grew up in Virginia Beach. A graduate of Norfolk Collegiate School, Kleinman studied at the U.S. Naval Academy before commissioning as

NORFOLK NORFOLK

18 | JEWISH NEWS | Military | October 26, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

Rabbi Yonatan M. Warren, BCC, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps.

a Naval Aviator. After tours at VAW 120 and VAW 121 here at NAS Norfolk, as well as DCMA Saint Augustine, FL, he entered the Reserves and began his Judaic studies. Ordained by Yeshivas Pirchei Shoshanim, Rabbi Kleinman has been

Military

CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVER SIT Y PRESENTS

assigned to Naval Station Great Lakes, IL; USS Harry S. Truman CVN 75 in Norfolk; Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.; Marine Aircraft Group 16 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.; and is wrapping up a tour as the Chaplain Corps Officer Community Manager at Naval Support Activity Mid-South, Millington, Tenn. Rabbi Kleinman is a Commander (O-5) in the Chaplain Corps and will be serving as the Deputy Command Chaplain for Marine Forces Command (MARFORCOM) at NSA Hampton Roads.

“We’re not just colleagues—we are friends,” says Rabbi Kleinman. “We certainly have our differences, including different approaches to Judaism. But there is far more that binds us together than separates us, and we are certainly united in our desire to elevate the services available to Jewish military personnel and families in Hampton Roads.”

While Rabbi Yoni Greenberg has no youth connections to the area, his story might be the most eclectic. Having grown up in the Greek Jewish community, Rabbi Greenberg served in Greek Army’s Special Forces before emigrating to Israel. He studied at an orthodox yeshiva in Bnei Brak and received an orthodox ordination after four years. After also being ordained at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Rabbi Greenberg’s previous tour was with Marine Corps Installations in Okinawa, Japan. He is currently in the Naval Air Station Oceana area.

Over the coming year, the rabbis will roll out a plan for holidays and education.

Working with national projects produced

by Aleph and the JWB: Jewish Chaplain’s Council, we hope to provide educational programming at all levels to military families. Coming from different backgrounds but working together, we hope to synergize trans-denominational Jewish education in a way that will enhance the spiritual experience of each service member and each family member.

“Judaism teaches that all Jews are responsible for one another regardless of denomination of level of observance,” says Rabbi Greenberg. “As military rabbis we are eager to help Jewish service members and their dependents in any way we can.”

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jewishnewsva.org | October 25, 2021 | Military | JEWISH NEWS | 19

Military

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the Olympics, so the chances of meeting an American medal winner is low, but not impossible. Given that Israeli athletes have won only 13 medals, what are

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the chances of meeting an Israeli medal winner, much less meeting one in the United States? It turns out the answer is 100%. At least it was for a group of local supporters of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF). FIDF is the sole organization authorized to collect charitable donations on behalf of the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces across the United States of America.

The athlete they met was Avishag Semberg, the youngest Israeli Olympic medalist, and the first Israeli to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Semberg was the featured speaker at the FIDF Virginia Chapter Celebration on Sunday evening, October 3 at the Cavalier Golf

and Yacht Club. While FIDF intentionally kept the group of attendees small to accommodate COVID protocols, it did not hold back on flying in a prominent group of IDF service members for the crowd.

“It was unbelievable,” says Joel Nied, the President of the Virginia chapter of FIDF. “We have a strong group of FIDF supporters in this area. FIDF did not disappoint us with the dazzling group of guests. When I first heard who was coming, I thought it was a mistake—how in the world was Virginia Beach Avishag’s first stop in her U.S. tour? I know FIDF has a huge base of support here, but wow.

We were all so excited.”

Before Avishag regaled the crowd with the details of her stunning medal-winning taekwondo match, the attendees heard from another Israeli hero: Major General (Res) Nadav Padan, the national director of Friends of the IDF. Padan is a legend in the Israeli military. He began his military service in Duvdevan, the special forces unit on which the series Fauda is based. Over a 36-year career, Major General Padan held several command positions within the IDF, including Commander of the Central Command and Founder and Head of the IDF C4i and Cyber Defense Directorates.

Padan pointed out to the crowd that the IDF does not just defend Israel, but it helps shape Israeli society. As the primary instiSimone and Joel Nied. tution that brings Israel’s diverse youth together, the IDF relies on the FIDF’s programs, like Project Overcome, which gives troubled youth the opportunity to serve in the IDF. After dinner was served in the dockside party tent at the Cavalier, Padan told the crowd that the overwhelming majority of Israeli political and business leaders served in special forces units. If kids who had encounters with the law or the need to get a job Avraham Ashkenazi, Corporal Semberg, and Nathan Drory. to help support their families

Military can’t serve, they won’t be able to reach the highest levels of success. FIDF programs give those kids that opportunity.

Another speaker, Major Y. (whose name cannot be disclosed for security reasons) told the story of his last-minute wave-off of an Israeli strike on a Hamas missile emplacement this summer during Hamas’ horrific missile attack on Israel’s civilian population. Hamas had intentionally placed the missile launchers near a kindergarten. When Major Y. realized the proximity of the launchers to the innocent civilians, he called off the attack just in time. Despite the threat posed to the Israeli civilian population by the terrorists’ weapons, Yuval made the decision mandated to him by the IDF’s strong Code of Ethics—Ruach Tzahal (literally, “Spirit of the IDF”) —to call off the strike.

Finally, Joel Nied discussed FIDF’s commitment to provide IDF soldiers over $3,000,000 worth of vouchers—holiday travel vouchers for “Lone Soldiers” (people from around the world who enlisted in the IDF), food vouchers for combat and combat support soldiers facing food insecurity, and pre-enlistment vouchers for low-income recruits who lack the means to purchase hygiene products and other necessities for basic training.

“Thanks to the success of Sunday night’s events,” Nied says, “we are well on our way to providing this essential support.”

Nied, however, says he needed to clear the air about a rumor circulating at the event: that he had challenged Israel’s 108-pound taekwondo champion to an exhibition match. “That is categorically false,” Nied says. “I had heard, however, that Avishag was planning to challenge me to a match. After all, I did wrestle in high school.” Nied says he skirted the issue by avoiding eye contact with Avishag during the celebration. He did, nonetheless, inadvertently lock eyes with her for a moment. “It was,” Nied says, “very intimidating.”

Interested in getting involved with the FIDF through one of its many programs? Contact Jasmine Amitay, Associate Director, FIDF Virginia Chapter, at jasmine.amitay@fidf. org or Joel Nied, FIDF Virginia Chapter President, at joelnied@gmail.com.

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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: Jerome “Jerry” Greenberg US Navy

Lawrence J. Goldrich US Army Air Force

Alvin Margolius, Jr., MD US Army

Judge Norman Olitsky US Army

Leonard Willard Saunders US Army

Louis Padersky US Army

Dr. Bonnie Louis Reshefsky US Air Force

Stanley Graber, MD US Navy

Wade Louis Preddy US Army

Louis Brenner US Navy

Lawrence E. (Larry) Cooper US Air Force

Harry Sandler US Army

Gerald Pributsky US Navy/US Army Reserves

Leonard “Lenny” D. Levine US Navy/JAG

Dr. Jack Cherin US Air Force

Bessie Silver Finder US Army Corp of Nursing

Edward F. Kraus US Navy

Harvey Warren Steen US Air Force

Dr. Theodore (Ted) Adler US Army

William Hirsch Kittner US Army

Harold “Boodie” Friedman US Army

Norman Blumenson US Army Air Corps

Bernard “Bernie” Schloss US Coast Guard

Thomas Bachman US Navy

Cantor Aaron Hersh Sachnoff US Navy

Herbert Alan Levin US Navy

Darby Beetham US Air Force

List updated as of October 12, 2021

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

For more information, contact Ann Swindell aswindell@ujft.org | 757-965-6106 foundation.jewishva.org

22 | JEWISH NEWS | Military | October 26, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

New novel, The Serpent Papers, focuses on Vietnam War

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he Serpent Papers by Jeff Schnader, an area author and professor of medicine, is set on Columbia University’s campus amidst protests against the Vietnam War. This is the first book written about Columbia’s 1972 demonstrations. For the Vietnam War generation, the war is still the defining event of their lives and rivets their interest. The war created a generational rift between those who fought and those who protested, which this novel aims to heal with rapprochement.

In the book, J-Bee, scion of a military family, is raised in a violent milieu during the 1960s where he commits a retaliatory act of brutality. While his best friend volunteers to fight in Vietnam, J-Bee is repulsed by his own violence and refuses to follow in his father’s military footsteps.

Instead, he matriculates at Columbia in 1971, an era of counterculture, in order to seek redemption. Although he feels loyalty to his friend fighting overseas, he strongly sympathizes with his girlfriend’s rationale against the war. Torn between supporting the war or protesting against it, his paradoxical feelings are fueled when his best friend, on furlough from Vietnam, visits him at Columbia. With ratcheting tensions and bullhorns inciting students to protest, pro-war and anti-war factions collide in campus riots, and J-Bee redeems his prior acts of violence by making the choice that comes to define his life.

Publication date for the 302-page hardcover book is January 2022.

Jeff Schnader was at Columbia in 1972 where he participated in student-held massive demonstrations and was beaten by the N.Y. Tactical Police in full battle regalia, an experience which he uses as inspiration for true-to-life scenes in the novel. After training at Johns Hopkins, he has been a physician, journal editor, research scientist, and Professor of Medicine for 25 years.

He has authored 50 medical publications

(including in The New England Journal of Medicine); he has spoken and chaired more than 130 national medical panels and symposia in front of audiences of 200–1,000 scientists. He has also appeared on NPR more than 20 times as an expert guest. He resides in Norfolk and notes that two of the book’s characters are Jewish.

One Review of The Serpent Papers

by David Aldridge If you want to know what it was like in the early ’70s in America’s colleges as the Viet Nam War dragged on and on, then this is your ticket to the tiedyed, psychedelic, bell-bottomed world of Columbia University at the peak of the Anti-Establishment, Anti-Vietnam War, Make-Love-Not-War Woodstock Era of America’s youth. This book takes you right back to those days of ‘Hell No, We Won’t Go’, when Students for a Democratic Society and the notorious Weathermen held sway across campuses from coast to coast.

I was amazed that I identified so much with the main character, J-Bee. As I read, I was rooting for the students to win their fight. J-Bee is thrust into the maelstrom of political turmoil complicated by his fiery first love, strained relationships with his parents, childhood friends, Anti-War friends, and the Mysterious Serpent, a coffee house sage who speaks pearls of wisdom and Truth to those who will hear. A rollicking ride of conflict through the trials and tribulations of a young American torn between his family who want him to serve the nation honorably and those opposed to serving and who are competing for his very soul.

David Aldridge: Recipient of 3 Purple Hearts & 2 Bronze Stars, Army Commendation Medal with “V” Device with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Gold Palm Award, Meritorious Service Medal.

US Army, 1st Infantry & Americal Divisions; Vietnam, 1966–67, 68–69, 70–71 (served 1000 days). https://jschnaderauthor.com/author-bio

Military

Join Our Team!

Dr. Jill Biden, lawmakers, and advocates urge solutions to confront Military hunger First Lady endorses basic needs allowance, legislative solution crafted and championed by MAZON: A Jewish Response To Hunger Washington, D.C.—The bipartisan Congressional Military Family Caucus (CMFC) convened a virtual summit to discuss the most pressing concerns affecting military families on Thursday, October 14.

Among the topics discussed was food insecurity, which impacts thousands of military families on every military installation in the United States. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden delivered remarks, urging lawmakers to support legislation to address the obstacles that prevent military families from accessing many of the benefits to which they are entitled—including nutrition benefits. “By supporting a basic needs allowance, we’re going to confront food insecurity and promote well-being in our military community,” she said, adding, “This is a top priority in the Biden administration.”

The U.S. House of Representatives’ version of the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes a provision that would enshrine a basic needs allowance for military families facing food insecurity into law. This month, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger sent a letter—co-signed by two dozen national organizations that advocate for military families—to the White House, Department of Defense, and other Administration officials, urging them to use their influence with Congress to close loopholes that currently prevent military families from accessing food benefits. The letter also urged the administration to leverage its executive authority to address food insecurity on military bases and to convene a White House Summit on hunger, including discussions about longterm solutions to military hunger.

Biden’s remarks signal the White House’s strong support for legislative

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solutions that MAZON and others have advocated for nearly a decade. Earlier this year, MAZON released a comprehensive report, Hungry in the Military: Food Insecurity Among Military Families in the U.S., detailing the pervasive and persistent problem of military hunger and outlining policy recommendations to address this longstanding issue.

A representative from MAZON participated in the summit on a panel about food insecurity.

“It’s just unconscionable that we’re still talking about this issue—an issue that’s grown far worse during the course of the pandemic, but an issue that can be solved,” says Josh Protas, vice president of Public Policy at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. “This is a preventable problem, and this problem is the responsibility of the federal government.

It should not be up to the charitable sector to address this. It’s critical that this year’s NDAA includes our full provision for a Military Family Basic Needs Allowance, as outlined in the bipartisan House bill.” jewishnewsva.org | October 25, 2021 | Military | JEWISH NEWS | 23

Military BOOK REVIEW

Untold Story X Troop— The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II Leah Garrett Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021 351 pages

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sk most American Jews about Jewish warriors and they will promptly mention the Maccabees and contemporary Israeli soldiers. In X Troop—The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II, author and historian Skip Sacks.

Leah Garrett, provides a long overdue addition to that list with a well-researched account of Jewish/British Commandos and their extraordinary contributions to the defeat of Nazi Germany.

The opening chapters take readers to late 1930’s Germany and Austria where well-established Jewish families must cope with the Nazi’s steadily escalating anti-Jewish measures. In 1938, following Kristallnacht, many desperate Jewish families make the heart wrenching decision to send their children to England as part of the Kindertransport. Rather than providing a collective, historian’s description of this time-period, the author combines meticulous research and a storyteller’s touch to introduce individual families and their sons as they try to escape the Nazi’s ever tightening grip.

Upon arrival in Britain, these young men are initially placed with relatives, sympathetic families, and charitable organizations. However, when England declares war on Germany, the boys who were outcasts in Germany due to being Jewish are now seen as a threat to their new home due to being German. They are promptly rounded up and placed in internment camps much as the Japanese were in the U. S.. Garrett’s account of the deprivation and gratuitous cruelty suffered by the occupants of internment camps in England, Canada, and Australia shines a spotlight on a dark and little-known chapter of British history.

As the war continues, Winston Churchill recognizes the potential value of adding German speaking refugees to British commando units. All the better to include German Jews seeking an opportunity to fight against Hitler and his antisemitic regime.

Eighty-seven volunteers are selected for “X Troop” and undergo extremely intense commando training. Previously urban, intellectual German Jews are

quickly transformed into fit and ferocious warriors who even take on Anglo names and identities in case they are captured.

Instead of fighting as a single unit, the X-Troop commandos are embedded with other British commando squads where their fluency in German can have the broadest impact. This disbursal complicates the author’s task. Rather than tracing a single commando squad through the war, the narrative follows individual Jewish commandos from unit to unit, campaign to campaign and operation to operation.

At times, the shifting narrative, combined with abundant military acronyms and the commandos’ dual identities can be daunting. However, readers are rewarded with astonishingly detailed accounts of each commando’s missions during critical engagements including the Normandy Invasion, the Battle of the Bulge, and the post-war de-Nazification of Germany.

The X Troopers’ bravery and ability to interrogate German prisoners in the heat of battle repeatedly provide crucial, actionable intelligence regarding German positions, numbers, armaments, minefields, and more. One Jewish commando uses his fluency and charm to convince the Germans to surrender their garrison on the Island of Corfu without a single shot being fired. Another helps lead his force through minefields on Normandy Beach based on intel gained from captured Germans. Yet another single handedly captures hundreds of German soldiers. The X Troop commandos suffer heavy losses with many killed, wounded, and missing in action, but some survive the war and play key roles in de-nazifying post war Germany and bringing Nazi war criminals to justice.

Franky, it is astonishing that this fascinating historical tale has remained untold for decades.

Whether a fan of World War II history or just looking to add to your list of Jewish war heroes, X Troop is that rare blend of historical treatise and gripping war story that will educate, engage, and inspire.

Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise A World War II-era romance Through November 7, Wells Theater

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en Ludwig’s joyous tale and heartwarming story of his parents’ courtship during World War II, Dear Jack, Dear Louise tells the story of a Jewish military doctor and a Jewish Broadway chorus performer’s unlikely romance. U.S. Army Captain Jacob Ludwig and Louise Rabiner fell in love entirely through letters and telegrams.

This beloved production from the spring returns to the Wells as a fully realized production. Real-life married couple, Dan Fenaughty and Larissa Klinger, return to Virginia Stage Company to reprise their roles.

The play is the winner of the 2020 Helen Hayes/Charles MacArthur Award for Best New Play or Musical of the Year.

For more information, go to www.vastage.com.

Crystal Tuxhorn

Larissa Klinger in VSC’s production of Ken’s Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise on the deck of the USS Wisconsin.

Skip Sacks is a native of Norfolk and is Virginia State Counsel for Stewart Title Guaranty Company. Sacks has served as an adjunct professor at ODU and occasionally reviews books to honor the memory of his father, Hal Sacks, who wrote hundreds of book reviews for this publication.

Leah Garrett will be in Tidewater on Thursday, October 28. See page 28.

24 | JEWISH NEWS | Military | October 26, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

Crystal Tuxhorn

Dan Fenaughty in VSC’s production of Ken’s Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise on the deck of the USS Wisconsin.

JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE

29 years of helping local Jewish children and teens Debbie Mayer

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ewish Family Service received this thank you note from an 11-year-old girl after Hanukkah last year: Dear JFS Helpers: Thank you for including me in the Chanukah gift drive. I live with my grandma and she and I have to watch how we spend money. My grandma surprised me with many, many gift cards (from JFS). We used the $50 Amazon card for camping equipment for summer camp. We bought sheets, towels, and pillows so that I would have all new things to bring. We used the $50 Target card so I would have new summer clothes and sandals.

My grandma and I want to say thank you to everyone that helped us.

Hanukkah arrives very early this year on November 28, during the weekend of Thanksgiving. Now in its 29th year, Jewish Family Services’ annual Chanukah Gift Program will begin collecting gift cards and cash donations this month.

The response last year was incredible from donors. Family recipients loved being able to order exactly what they needed and wanted for their children and teens. This program provides holiday gifts to local Jewish children and teens in financially struggling families. JFS will not ask donors to go shopping due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, JFS again requests either gift cards or cash donations. The families in need can then order their gifts online and have them delivered directly to their homes. Many gifts are used by these families during Hanukkah and throughout the year.

For donors, this is an opportunity to do a mitzvah for children who have no choice in their families’ financial situation. For young donors, this is an opportunity to learn and practice tzedakah, giving to others.

How to Help • P urchase gift cards for specific children and teens in need. Donors may call JFS at 757-459-4640 for a child’s gift card

wish list starting October 25, 2021.

• Send JFS gift cards from local stores or Amazon or Visa so that families may order gifts for their children on-line.

THE TRADITION THE TRADITIONS CONTINUE October–April “Local’s specials” CONTINUES

Thursday At The Oceanfront Parmigiana night 25.00 Eggplant, chicken or veal Through April 2019 parmigiana, pasta, salad

Monday–Friday

Happy hour in the bar 5–7 pm ½ price select drinks and appetizers

and a glass of banfi centine Daily Specials (super-tuscan) Dine for a cause

Monday

Hanukkah

Sunday A local non-profit receives 10%Monday Two for one of all sales “Dine for aBuy Cause” one entrée and receive Tuesday another of equal or We are giving 10% of our total Half price wine 5–9 p.m. lesser value free. sales to a different non profit Wednesday First come, first serve. cause each Monday thru are April Date night All special in house only 3 course dinner for 2 Onthe and Bar off premises catering Monday at and a bottle of wine 55.00 Live entertainment

arrives very

910 Atlantic Avenue • Virginia Beach, 23451 Tuesday-Friday at theVA Bar 757-422-6464 • ilgiardino.com

• Send JFS a tax-deductible cash donation and JFS will order gift cards for the families.

early this year on November 28, during the weekend of

Happy Hour 5-9 P.M. Happy Hour 5-7 P.M.

HELLO, DOLLY! MUSIC AND LYRICS BY JERRY HERMAN BOOK BY MICHAEL STEWART

Thanksgiving.

Hanukkah donations must be received by November 8, 2021. Make checks payable to JFS and send to Jewish Family Service, ATTN: Maryann Kettyle, 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 400, Virginia Beach, VA 23462.

Jewish Family Service assists local Jewish families in need all year and will keep any surplus donations for use throughout 2021-2022. For more information, contact Maryann Kettyle, at JFS at 757-459-4640 or MKettyle@jfshamptonroads.org.

NOVEMBER 12 THROUGH DECEMBER 12 LTVB.COM BOX OFFICE: 757.428.9233 jewishnewsva.org | October 25, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 25

United Jewish Federation of Tidewater & the Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival 2021–2022 The annual celebration of Jewish writers, books, and ideas, Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival provides opportunities to engage with talented authors about their latest books and projects.

The Simon Family JCC is a member of the Jewish Book Council, a group that supports more than 120 organizations across North America, including JCC’s, synagogues, Hillels, Jewish Federations, and cultural centers.

To register for events, go to Jewishva.org/bookfest The Unexpected Spy Tracy Walder

Monday, October 25 | 7:30 pm

X Troop: The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II Leah Garrett Thursday, October 28 | 7:30 pm

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm: The Adrenaline-Fueled Adventures of an Accidental Scientist Robert Lefkowitz

Thursday, November 4 | 7:30 pm (online only)

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hen Tracy Walder enrolled at the University of Southern California, she never thought that one day she would offer her pink beanbag chair in the Delta Gamma house to a CIA recruiter, or that she’d fly to the Middle East under an alias identity.

The Unexpected Spy is the riveting story of Walder’s tenure in the CIA and, later, the FBI. In high-security, steel-walled rooms in Virginia, Walder watched al-Qaeda members with drones as President Bush looked over her shoulder and CIA Director George Tenet brought her donuts.

Walder moved to the FBI, where she worked in counterintelligence. Catching the bad guys wasn’t a problem in the FBI, but rampant sexism was. Walder left the FBI to teach and encourage young women to find a place in the FBI, CIA, State Department or the Senate—and thus change the world.

In partnership with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Women’s Cabinet

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he incredible World War II saga of the German-Jewish commandos who fought in Britain’s most secretive specialforces unit—but whose story has gone untold until now.

Leah Garrett is a professor at Hunter College. Her last book, Young Lions: How Jewish Authors Reinvented the American War Novel, won and was short-listed for several major literary awards.

See review of X Troop on page 24.

In partnership with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Holocaust Commission

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Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm: The Adrenaline-Fueled Adventures of an Accidental Scientist is a rollicking memoir from the cardiologist turned legendary scientist and winner of the Nobel Prize that revels in the joy of science and discovery. In addition to his being a “yellow beret” in the public health corps with Dr. Anthony Fauci, to his time as a cardiologist, and his extraordinary transition to biochemistry, which lead to his Nobel Prize win, Lefkowitz has ignited passion and curiosity as a fabled mentor and teacher, and as one of today’s leading scientists.

United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival is held in coordination with the Jewish Book Council, a national organization whose sole purpose is the promotion of Jewish books.

All events are open to the community with RSVP or tickets required and will take place in-person at the Sandler Family Campus and online, unless noted online only.

For more information about the Festival, to register, sponsor, or volunteer, contact Jill Grossman at 757-965-6137 or JGrossman@ujft.org or jewishva.org.

26 | JEWISH NEWS | October 25, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL The Memory Monster Yishai Sarid

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel Elyssa Friedland

I Had a Brother Once: A Poem, A Memoir Adam Mansbach

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Monday, November 8 | 12 pm (online only)

he Memory Monster confronts difficult questions that are all too relevant to Israel today: How to honor the memory of horror without being consumed by it? How to process human brutality? Is force the only way to resist force?

Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Yishai Sarid is the son of the late politician and journalist Yossi Sarid. After five years in the Israeli Army, graduating from the IDF’s officers’ school and serving as an intelligence officer, Sarid studied law at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and has a Public Administration Master’s Degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Today, he is an attorney and arbitrator, the prize-winning author of six novels, and one of Israel’s prominent contemporary writers.

As part of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Jewish Community Relations Council, Simon Family JCC, and Community Partners’ 11th Annual Israel Today Series and a Simon Family JCC Book Club pick

Monday, November 15 | 12 pm

family reunion for the ages when two clans convene for the summer at their beloved getaway in the Catskills—perfect for fans of Dirty Dancing and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel —from the acclaimed author of The Floating Feldmans.

In partnership with Simon Family JCC’s Seniors Club and a Simon Family JCC Book Club pick

My Wild Garden: Notes from a Writer’s Eden Meir Shalev

Wednesday, December 8 | 7:30 pm

Had a Brother Once is an expansive and deeply thoughtful poetic reflection of loss and a raw, darkly funny, human story of trying to create a ritual of remembrance, mourning, forgiveness, and acceptance where once there was life.

Adam Mansbach’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, Esquire, The Believer, and The Guardian and on This American Life, The Moth, and All Things Considered.

In partnership with Jewish Family Service of Tidewater and the Konikoff Center for Learning

Sunday, November 21 | 2 pm (online only)

The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow Michael Roizen Wednesday, January 19 | 12 pm

Parenting with Sanity & Joy Susan Groner Sunday, November 14 | 2 pm

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n this “perfect parenting book for parents who don’t have time to read parenting books,” Susan Groner, the founder of The Parenting Mentor, distills the best parenting wisdom into one easy-to-read book, providing simple, fun, and effective guidance.

Parenting with Sanity and Joy will help parents feel more confident as they navigate one of the most important roles they will ever assume.

In partnership with PJ Library and PJ Our Way

nformed by Meir Shalev’s literary sensibility, his sometime riotous humor, and his deep curiosity about the land, My Wild Garden abounds with appreciation for the joy of living, quite literally, on Earth.

One of Israel’s most celebrated novelists, Shalev’s books have been translated into more than 25 languages and his honors include the National Jewish Book Award and Israel’s Brenner Prize for A Pigeon and a Boy. As part of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Jewish Community Relations Council, Simon Family JCC, and Community Partners’ 11th Annual Israel Today Series, in partnership with The Chrysler Museum of Arts Book Club

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n his third visit to Tidewater, New York Times best-selling author Michael Roizen, M.D. explains how to prepare for a longer, healthier future.

Over the next decade, people living to 100, 120, or even 130 years old will become increasingly common – and life past 100 may not look like what one would expect. In this groundbreaking narrative, Roizen reveals how current science and technology will revolutionize the ability to live longer, younger, and better.

In partnership with Simon Family JCC’s JFit and Hadassah Norfolk/Virginia Beach

GO TO JEWISHVA.ORG/BOOKFEST jewishnewsva.org | October 25, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 27

JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL Your Story, Well Told: Creative Strategies to Develop and Perform Stories that Wow an Audience Corey Rosen

JEWISH TIDEWATER

All Jewish teens are invited to join BBYO

Unorthodox: Live in Tidewater Stephanie Butnick, Liel Leibovitz, and Mark Oppenheimer Date and details TBD

Tuesday, February 15 | 7:30 pm

C

rafted to help ordinary people tell extraordinary stories, this laugh-out-loud handbook covers everything from how to tell a good story to going off-script. Using the best storytelling techniques from improvisational theatre, Corey Rosen designs an accessible guide for all ages and skill levels.

In partnership with Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art and the Konikoff Center for Learning

How Magicians Think: And Why Magic Matters Joshua Jay Thursday, March 3 | 7:30 pm

Dave Flagler

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njoy a night out with a LIVE taping of Tablet Magazine’s leading international flagship podcast, Unorthodox— always irreverent with discussions about Jewish news, politics, and so much more.

About the book: Written by the podcast hosts, this unput-down-able encyclopedia of all things Jewish and Jew-ish is deeply knowing, highly entertaining, and just a little bit irreverent.

In partnership with the Konikoff Center for Learning and Tidewater Together

A Wonderful Guy Eddie Shapiro

Thursday, June 30 | 7:30 pm

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here’s a saying: The door to magic is closed, but it’s not locked.

Professional magician and bestselling author of How Magicians Think , Joshua Jay will open the door and bring the audience inside, revealing the artistry, history, and fascinating traditions of a subject long shrouded in mystery.

Jay consulted on illusions for Game of Thrones and helped the US Postal Service with their “Art of Magic” postage stamps. He has performed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show with James Corden.

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night of music, singing, and laughter on the lawn.

In A Wonderful Guy, theatre journalist Eddie Shapiro sits down for intimate, career-encompassing conversations with 19 of Broadway’s most prolific and fascinating leading men. Full of detailed stories and reflections, these chapters tell the story of what it means to be a leading man on Broadway over the past 50 years.

Follow us on Facebook JewishNewsVA 28 | JEWISH NEWS | October 25, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

Teens from across the Virginia Council of the Eastern Region of BBYO enjoy a day together at Busch Gardens.

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idewater BBYO invites all area Jewish teens to get involved.

BBYO provides teens in eighth through 12th grades the opportunity to make friends, gain leadership experience, and have fun being Jewish. All BBYO programming is peer led: the teens plan and create all their own programming and activities—with adult supervision. In addition to local programming, BBYO teens can travel and meet other teens from across the region, country, and even internationally. Older teens mentor younger teens from inside and outside the auspices of their leadership roles, and lifelong friendships are formed. BBYO is non-denominational and anyone can join.

BBYO has deep roots in the Tidewater Jewish community. Many community leaders participated in the program as youth. The legacy of the impact that the BBYO experience had on their lives is evident and helps to strengthen Jewish life in Tidewater today.

This is a great opportunity to have fun, connect with other teens, enjoy being Jewish, and plant the seeds for future Jewish life in Tidewater, To learn more about BBYO or other ways that teens can get involved in the Tidewater Jewish community, contact Dave Flagler, director of Camp and Teen Engagement at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, at DFlagler@UJFT.org or 757-452-3182.

Visit us on the web jewishnewsva.org

OPINION

Distressed by the Sally Rooney controversy?

Read how a Jewish fan once schooled Charles Dickens on antisemitism. gaslighting and mansplaining, he went further: “Any Jewish people who thought him unfair or unkind—and that included Eliza!—were not ‘sensible’ or ‘just’ or ‘good tempered,’” Churnin relates. Davis tried again; evidently, Dickens didn’t write back.

But the Jewish character in his next novel—the estimable Mr. Riah in My Mutual Friend—was no Fagin.

After that novel appeared, Davis thanked Dickens for “‘a great compliment paid to myself and to my people.’”

This time, Dickens responded much more warmly. He went further, notably in a magazine essay in which he referred to Jews as “an earnest, methodical, aspiring people” and in changes to a subsequent printing of Oliver Twist, when he instructed the printer to remove many

instances in which he referred to “the Jew” and to use Fagin’s name instead.

There’s still another aspect of Eliza Davis’s story that resonates: Instead of calling Dickens out publicly, Davis approached him one-to-one.

Although I’ve gone the public route from time to time, private communications with writer-friends and acquaintances— especially in the wake of the May 2021 war between Israel and Hamas—have proven far more fruitful, yielding corrections, deletions, and other changes.

For which I, like Davis, have expressed thanks.

I don’t expect “great compliments to me and to my people” from authorial idols and colleagues, particularly those of Palestinian descent. All I’m seeking is fairness—and freedom from vile prejudice.

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(JTA)—As a writer, literature professor and one of the 82% of U.S. Jews who report that “caring about Israel” is either “essential” or “important” to their Jewish identity, I am pained when I see authors whom I admire launch exaggerated or misinformed attacks on Israel.

But I also take solace in a correspondence, celebrated in a new children’s book, that showed how one Jewish reader engaged an author who she felt trafficked in anti-Jewish tropes. That the correspondence took place in the 19th century, and the author in question is Charles Dickens, does not make its lessons any less timely.

I was distressed when Irish novelist Sally Rooney said that she wouldn’t allow her latest novel to be published in Hebrew by an Israeli publisher “that does not publicly distance itself from apartheid and support the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people.”

Saddened but not surprised: Earlier this year, Rooney signed a “Letter Against Apartheid”—a text issued in the wake of the latest round of violence between Israel and Hamas. It called for governments to “cut trade, economic, and cultural relations” with the Jewish state, which it said had committed “ethnic cleansing,” “massacres” and more in its response to the thousands of rockets fired into Israel

by Hamas.

With their particular focus on words, writers should do better, especially when they organize, join, or promote such endeavors. If their misrepresentations are without malicious intent, they’re in desperate need of further education.

How such “education” might best be carried out is the subject of Dear Mr. Dickens, a new picture book written by Nancy Churnin and illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe. This true story of correspondence between the celebrated author and a reader named Eliza Davis—a Jewish woman who launched the exchange to protest antisemitic tropes in Oliver Twist— imparts a timeless lesson about speaking

out against injustice.

Davis (1817–1903) refused to be daunted when writing the famous author, whose portrayal of “the Jew” Fagin in Oliver Twist landed “like a hammer on [her] heart,” as Churnin describes it.

Davis lacked Dickens’s stature. But “she had the same three things that [he] had: a pen, paper, and something to say.”

Quoting the correspondence, Churnin conveys Davis’s message: Fagin “encouraged ‘a vile prejudice’” against her people.

According to Churnin, Davis had considered Dickens especially heroic—and the Fagin character especially discordant— because Dickens “used the power of his pen to help others.”

In response, Dickens declared that Fagin was based on real-life Jewish criminals. In a mix of what we’d today call

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Erika Dreifus

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EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL The music and life of jazz legend Billie Holiday Featuring Ashley Bishop-Diggs, Billie Holiday Directed by Anthony Mark Stockard, Director Norfolk State University Theatre Company

OCTOBER 29-31, 2021

HARLEM

ATTUCKS THEATRE, NORFOLK

IOO

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance

TICKETS: VAFEST.ORG OR CALL 757-282-2822

Purchase with confidence; CDC and VDH procedures implemented.

jewishnewsva.org | October 25, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 29

TIDEWATER JEWISH FOUNDATON

How to leverage giving opportunities at TJF Thomas Mills

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s the end of 2021 approaches, there’s a greater sense of normality: people are returning to society and the workplace. Yet, millions of people across the globe are still being impacted by COVID19. Still, there is a silver lining: according to Giving USA 2021, a record $471.44 billion in charitable giving was reached in 2020 to address needs around the world.

According to The Philanthropy Outlook, total giving is predicted to increase again in 2021 by 5.1%.

When sitting with advisors to discuss year-end tax and charitable planning, consider leveraging these opportunities, which are offered at the Tidewater Jewish Foundation: Gifting of Appreciated Securities It is possible to gift any appreciated securities directly to Tidewater Jewish Foundation into a current fund or to create a new fund, such as a Donor Advised Fund to benefit one or more organizations now—and in the future. Tax deductions are possible at the time of the gift of the securities. Which organizations will receive distributions from the fund may be determined later.

Create a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) When establishing a new DAF through TJF with at least $7,500, TJF will match the gift with an additional $2,500, totaling $10,000 or more in the new fund.

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

Legacy Match Life Insurance Program Charitable Life Insurance is one of the most impactful (and underutilized) ways to make a gift. When donating $5,000 or more per year (including synagogue dues) and if 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.

30 | JEWISH NEWS | October 25, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

Rates are for illustrative purposes only and based on recently quoted non-smoker preferred rates for a 2 lives (survivorship policy). Assumes combined federal and state marginal tax rate of 38%. Actual illustrated premiums may differ. *For single life policy sample numbers, contact TJF as noted below.

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

35% amount of match of premiums TJF currently offers for specific types of policies

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 the 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 much more. With this program, anyone can make a gift to ensure a strong, Jewish tomorrow. A variety of giving options are available that can be tailored to meet specific needs and help achieve personal philanthropic goals.

In just four years of the program, Tidewater Jewish organizations secured 578 commitments totaling $21.5 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.

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

Consult a personal financial advisor for information specific to each individual situation.

To discuss any of these gifting options, specific goals and objectives, contact Naomi Limor Sedek, Tidewater Jewish Foundation president & CEO at 757-965-6109 or email at nsedek@ujft.org.

JEWISH TIDEWATER

The Milton “Mickey” Kramer Scholar-in-Residence Fund presented two powerful conversations for the community Sierra Lautman

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ach year, the Milton “Mickey” Kramer Scholar-in-Residence Fund of the Congregation Beth El Foundation’s Tidewater Together Series shares opportunities for the community to connect Jewishly to a variety of topics. This year, the series impacted the Jewish community, as well as connected and inspired the greater Tidewater community in a twoevent series focusing on mental illness and wellbeing.

The evening of Sunday, October 3, Stephen Fried, investigative journalist and best-selling author of A Common Struggle, shared his presentation, Brain Health and Faith. Following his presentation, Rabbi Michael Panitz, Rabbi Rosalin Madelberg, Rabbi Ron Koas, Cantor Jennifer Rueben, and Cantor Wendi Fried joined Fried on the stage for a panel discussion that focused on the importance of bringing mental illness and addiction out of the shadows, and how the organized Jewish community can support those who need help.

The following evening, Fried participated in a conversation with representatives from four local organizations: Jewish Family Service of Tidewater, NAMI – Coastal Virginia (National Alliance of Mental Illness of Coastal Virginia), the Virginia Beach Police Department’s Crisis

Jewish Family Service of Tidewater CEO Kelly Burroughs and JFS staff.

Stephen Fried presents on Brain Health and Faith.

Intervention Team, and I Need a Light House. The panel discussed the work currently being done in Tidewater to help those with mental health problems. They reflected on what work still needs to be done, and ways the community could help.

“No matter what our background is, educationally, faith…” said Kathy Wakefield of I Need A Lighthouse, “we are all in this together, and we all need to work together.”

Representatives from the Sarah Michelle Peterson Foundation, Chesapeake Behavioral Health Services,

Kempsville Behavioral Health, Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center, Out of the Darkness Walks, and Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters were all available before and after the event with more resources for attendees.

“Bringing mental health and substance use disorders to the forefront of our Jewish community, with representation from our clergy, was powerful and timely,” says Brad Lerner, a Congregation Beth El member. “A recent study showed that during the pandemic, four out of 10 adults living in the United States reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, up

from one in 10 in 2019. We need to work together to help our family, friends, and community members to end suffering in silence—there are evidence-based treatments and help is available. When we talk about it, we reduce stigma and help others speak up.

“Stephen Fried eloquently framed discussions on how our Jewish community can work together (in partnership with the mental health organizations and resources available in the community) to improve dialogue and openness on this topic,” says Lerner. “Through his journalistic investigations and work with leading mental health advocate, Patrick Kennedy, Fried has had a front-row seat to see what solutions have been successful and what work is left to do. I can’t think of a better event to come out of my house during this pandemic to attend in-person. It was a meaningful and educational night.”

To learn more about the Milton “Mickey” Kramer Scholar-in-Residence Fund of the Congregation Beth El Foundation’s Tidewater Together Series, or the resources made available in these programs, visit JewishVA. org/TidewaterTogether or contact Sierra Lautman, director of Jewish Innovation, at SLautman@UJFT.org or 757.965.6107.

Stephen Fried, Rabbi Michael Panitz, Cantor Jennifer Rueben, Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg, Cantor Wendi Fried, and Rabbi Ron Koas.

jewishnewsva.org | October 25, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 31

WHAT’S HAPPENING ISRAEL TODAY

When memory overwhelms— The Memory Monster with Yishai Sarid Monday, November 8, 12 pm, Online

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hen collective memory and trauma becomes overwhelming, what does one do? What happens when someone becomes too immersed in the history of the Holocaust, or any dark part of history?

This is the primary question tackled in Yishai Sarid’s novel, The Memory Monster.

Sarid will join the community online from Israel as part of the Israel Today series presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, Embassy of Israel and Community Partners in partnership with the Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival.

In his recently translated book, Sarid explores the experiences of the unnamed narrator as he recounts his experiences working as an expert in the field of Holocaust studies, and how that dark part of history has impacted his overall psyche.

Written as a report to the chairman of Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, the narrator recounts his own undoing. Hired as a promising young historian, he soon becomes a leading expert on Nazi methods of extermination at concentration camps in Poland during World War II and guides tours through the sites for students and visiting dignitaries. He hungrily devours every detail of life and death in the camps and takes pride in being able to recreate the excruciating last moments of the victims’ lives for his audience.

Despite initial misgivings about the job, the narrator decides to pursue a career in Holocaust studies and education, which ultimately proves to overwhelm his sense of self. The job becomes a mission, and then an obsession. Spending so much time immersed in death, his connections with the living begin to deteriorate. He resents the students lost in their iPhones, singing sentimental songs, not expressing sufficient outrage at the genocide committed by the

Turn parenting challenges into parenting opportunities Sunday, November 14, 2 pm Sandler Family Campus and online Nofar Trem

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Yishai Sarid.

Nazis. Even more alarming, he begins to detect, in the students as well as himself, a hint of admiration for the murderers—their efficiency, audacity, and determination.

Force is the only way to resist force, he comes to think, and one must be prepared to kill.

Eventually the readers learn of the narrator’s meltdown and how his behavior begins to impact the people he interacts with.

An accomplished lawyer and the author of several novels, Yishai Sarid takes a critical look at the current model of Holocaust education throughout the world, but especially in Israel where he grew up. His last name, Sarid, means survivor in Hebrew, a reflection of the fact that only the part of his family to survive the Holocaust were those individuals who left Poland prior to World War II. Sarid explores the push and pull of how the Holocaust continues to impact Israeli culture, and how Jews of different backgrounds interact with the legacy of the Holocaust.

Hear from the author about what inspired him to write this captivating book that reflects on the question of how to honor the past—without being consumed by it.

Free and open to the community. For more information or to RSVP (required), visit JewishVA.org/IsraelToday.

32 | JEWISH NEWS | October 25, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

usan G. Groner—podcaster, author, and founder of The Parenting Mentor—will be at the Simon Family JCC for an interactive parenting workshop. Groner will share wisdom from her most recent book and coach parents through some of the everyday parenting decisions that inevitably arise in all family homes.

If this alone weren’t music to a parent’s ears, the Simon JCC is inviting participants to leave their children with Camp JCC counselors for Sunday Fun Day activities so they may join this free workshop.

Coffee, a copy of Groner’s book, and an armful of new tools for a parenting toolbox will also be provided.

Groner is a mother of two who knows well the stress parents face while raising tiny humans into respectable adults.

In her blog, book, and podcast, she has shared how the years spent parenting are filled with opposites. While exhilarating, the art of parenting can be both madly frustrating, incredibly rewarding, and a dizzying combination of the two. As her own children grew, Groner recognized the importance

of identifying her goals as their parent.

By starting small, she began to look at her own role as a parent. “My ‘parenting challenges’ became ‘opportunities’ for my kids to develop some of the characteristics I hoped for them,” says Groner.

“There was a plethora of books and articles on raising kids, but nothing that focused on helping parents to be happier and more relaxed,” explains Groner.

“Everyday stress and anxiety were universal parental issues that weren’t really being addressed.” Since becoming a parenting mentor, Groner has started a podcast, “The Parenting Mentor Sessions,” where listeners can hear real sessions with parents who open up about challenges they are facing with their children, Susan G. Groner.

whether they are toddlers or 22-year-olds.

In her new book, Parenting with Sanity and Joy, Groner takes her experience from these parenting mentor sessions and offers readers 101 basic suggestions for managing everyday decisions.

For more information or to register, visit JewishVA.org/PJLibrary or contact Nofar Trem, PJ Library program coordinator, at NTrem@UJFT.org or 757-321-2334.

Jewish News Digital Version See the paper 3 days before the cover date:

JewishNewsVa.org/digital.

To have the paper emailed, send your email address to news@ujft.org.

WHAT’S HAPPENING My Wild Garden: Notes from a Writer’s Eden with Meir Shalev

OperaCNU presents world premiere of The Trial of God

Sunday, November 21, 2 pm, online

Performances highlight Holocaust Reflections events

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November 4–7, Ferguson Center for the Arts, Free

sraeli native Meir Shalev, who has written multiple best sellers, translated into more than 20 languages, will discuss his newest book, My Wild Garden: Notes from a Writer’s Eden. A series of essays, Shalev explores his garden, curiosity about land, and the joy life can bring.

This book is filled with anecdotes and humor that all readers will enjoy.

Together with the Chrysler Museum of Art’s book club, and inspired by Israel Today’s Dafna Kaffeman’s exhibit at the Chrysler Museum, Shalev will speak from Israel about his thoughts about the beauty of natural world.

Presented by the Jewish Community R e l a t i o n s Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, Embassy of Israel and Community Partners’ 11th Annual Israel Today Series, as part of the Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival.

Business Innovation, advancements and news

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Meir Shalev.

Free and open to the community, RSVP (required) at JewishVA.org/IsraelToday or visit Chrysler.org to learn more about the Chrysler Museum of Art’s exhibit by Dafna Kaffeman and the surrounding events.

BUSINESS Coming Nov. 29 To advertise call 757-965-6100 or email news@ujft.org

or the first time on an opera stage, OperaCNU will debut The Trial of God at Christopher Newport University’s Ferguson Center for the Arts next month.

Commissioned by CNU, the opera is based on the 1979 play by the late Elie Wiesel that offers audiences a way to make sense of the Holocaust.

The Trial of God will be paired with a production of Brundibár—a children’s opera. Both operas celebrate Jewish culture and spirit, while memorializing and honoring their experience during the Holocaust.

The Trial of God was inspired by events in Wiesel’s own life as a boy in Auschwitz.

He asks, “Where is God in our suffering and pain?” The innkeeper Berish and his daughter Hanna are the only survivors of a pogrom in their 17th-century Ukrainian village and must cope with the destruction, rape, and torture they experienced.

The Trial of God will be performed by students in OperaCNU and TheaterCNU under the direction of Dr. John McGuire.

J. Lynn Thompson will conduct. Dr. Jason Carney was the librettist and prominent film composer Andrew Scott Bell composed the music.

Brundibár is the story of a brother and sister banding together with the children of their village to triumph over an evil organ grinder. It will be performed by the Virginia Children’s Chorus under the direction of Carol Thomas Downing.

Tickets are free for the production, but must be reserved in advance and the shows are for mature audiences. The operas will highlight several weeks of events on campus—Reflections on the Holocaust.

Other highlights include:

• The Significance of Auschwitz at the Trible Library Theatre on Wednesday, Oct. 27. This lecture and panel discussion is led by Dr. Richard Freund, the Bertram and Gladys Aaron Professor of Jewish Studies and Christopher Newport students who accompanied Freund in 2021 to Poland.

Freund will also offer two pre-performance talks on the operas.

• Time to Act! Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Movement: The Defense of Democracy and Resistance to Tyranny at the Trible Library on Tuesday, Nov. 2. This Christopher Newport German Seminar talk will be delivered by Sebastian HeindelGaiser of the Embassy of Germany. It will be followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Brian Puaca, professor of history and Franz-Josef Paulus, Lt. Col. (ret) Bundeswehr and moderated by Dr. Mario Mazzarella, professor of German emeritus.

For the complete schedule of events, go to https://cnu.edu/reflectionsevent/.

Sponsors of the events include United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula Endowment, Diamonstein Family Charitable Fund, Eugene and Betty Levin Family Philanthropic Fund, Barbara and Ralph Goldstein Charitable Fund, and United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula.

jewishnewsva.org | October 25, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 33

WHAT’S HAPPENING LEON FAMILY GALLERY

ISRAEL TODAY

Then, Now, & Looking Forward: Lorraine Fink Retrospective extended through November

Visiting Israeli glass artist Dafna Kaffeman Saturday, November 6, 7:30 pm, Chrysler Museum’s Perry Glass Studio

Jill Grossman

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ribes, Tribesmen, For the Young at Heart. Silkscreens, collages, photographs, sculptures, and more than 100 ink and watercolor drawings. Dancers, musicians, masked forms, and women morphing into birds.

Now in her 10th decade, Lorraine Fink creates works that bear witness to a life rich in experiences of discovery, joy, celebration, and at times memories of sadness. Threedimensional works address memories, watercolors express Lorraine Fink. the creation of the world, wingless birds lament our limitations, humans morph into animals that dance, and discarded objects breathe new life.

Fink’s creativity knows no bounds. In addition to the Leon Family Gallery exhibit, Fink is part of the ODU Alumni Show at the Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries at Old Dominion University.

View and purchase Fink’s works through November 2021 at the Leon Family Gallery and throughout the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community.

To learn more, contact Jill Grossman, Arts + Ideas director, at JGrossman@ujft.org, 757965-6137, or visit www.JewishVA.org/gallery.

Dafna Kaffeman.

Elka Mednick SIMON FAMILY PASSPORT TO ISRAEL

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Are you a Jewish teen who wants to go to Israel?

Apply at bit.ly/tjf-simonfamilypassport through November 15 The Tidewater Jewish Foundation can help fund the trip through the Simon Family Passport to Israel Fund!

• Grants are available for students age 13 to 22, traveling to Israel on an organized and staffed peer trip.

• Incentive grants awards are up to 30% eligible expenses (maximum of $6,000 per student).

For more information, contact Ann Swindell aswindell@ujft.org | 757-965-6106 foundation.jewishva.org

he Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, Embassy of Israel and Community Partners’ 11th Annual Israel Today, along with the Chrysler Museum of Art’s Perry Glass Studio present a visiting artist lecture with Dafna Kaffeman.

An Israeli born glass artist, Kaffeman has been challenging people’s ideas about the Israel-Palestinian conflict through her work throughout the world. Her current flameworked glass is now on display at the Chrysler Museum of Art. If You Thirst for a Homeland is a continuation of that expression.

Inspired by the natural world, specifically the flora and fauna of Israel, Kaffeman’s glass pieces are replicas of plants and insects one might encounter in Israel. The exquisite flameworked glass is combined with embroidered texts of Hebrew and Arabic writing onto handkerchiefs which serve as the backdrop for the glass artifacts.

Many of the quotations on the fabric and handkerchiefs are pulled from newspaper articles about current events taking place in Israel. Some of the text has also been taken from a field guide from the early years of Israel, including the line that inspired the title of the exhibit, “If you thirst for a homeland and seek shelter in its bosom, love it and live in its mountains and valleys, its flora and fauna.”

Kaffeman’s combination of fabric, glass, and text denote both the inherent beauty and fragility in life, along with the simplicity of languages to those who understand them, and the exotic distant feel to those who do not.

While the exhibit is a must see, this is an opportunity to witness Kaffeman’s process in creating the glass pieces, along with further exploring what inspired this mixed-media exhibition, If You Thirst for a Homeland. In-person seating is limited, though online reservations are unlimited. Free for Museum members / $5 for non-members.

See article on the Chrysler Museum’s discovery of Dafna Kaffeman on page 8.

To register or learn more, visit JewishVA. org/IsraelToday or Chrysler.org.

Doron Lenzter

Dafna Kaffeman, Lantana, 2020 Crown of Creation series

34 | JEWISH NEWS | October 25, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

CALENDAR THROUGH NOVEMBER 30

THEN, NOW, & LOOKING FORWARD: Lorraine Fink Retrospective. View the first retrospective of local artist and arts supporter Lorraine Fink’s work. The exhibition is in the Leon Family Gallery and throughout the Simon Family JCC at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community. Free and open to the community. For more information, visit JewishVA.org/Gallery or contact Jill Grossman, director, Arts + Ideas, at jgrossman@ujft.org or 757-965-6137.

OCTOBER 25, MONDAY The Unexpected Spy with author Tracy Walder. From her tenure at the CIA and, later the FBI, Walder will share details from her life, beginning with her recruitment by the CIA out of her sorority house at the University of Southern California. This memoir is about a woman who made a career in a male-dominated field and what she has taken away from it now that she is no longer in government service. Presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival in partnership with the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Women’s Cabinet. 7:30 pm. Free and open to the community, in-person and online participation available, with registration required for both. For more information and to register, visit JewishVA.org/BookFestival or contact Jill Grossman, director, Arts + Ideas, at 757-965-6137, or jgrossman@ujft.org.

OCTOBER 28, THURSDAY Leah Garrett talks about her book, X Troop: The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II, the incredible World War II saga of the German-Jewish commandos who fought in Britain’s most secretive special-forces unit—but whose story has gone untold until now. Presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival in partnership with the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Holocaust Commission. 7:30 pm. Free and open to the community and offers in-person and online participation, with registration required for both. For more information and to register, visit JewishVA.org/BookFestival or contact Jill Grossman, director, Arts + Ideas, at 757-965‑6137, or jgrossman@ujft.org.

NOVEMBER 4, THURSDAY Join cardiologist turned legendary scientist and winner of the Nobel Prize, Robert Lefkowitz, as he discusses A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm: The Adrenaline-Fueled Adventures of an Accidental Scientist. Presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival. VIRTUAL event is free and open to the community with pre-registration required. 7:30 pm. For more information and to register, visit JewishVA.org/BookFestival or contact Jill Grossman, director, Arts + Ideas, at 757-965-6137, or jgrossman@ujft.org.

NOVEMBER 6, SATURDAY The Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, and Community Partners’ 11th Annual Israel Today series and The Chrysler Museum of Art’s Perry Glass Studio presents: If You Thirst for a Homeland, a visiting artist lecture with Dafna Kaffeman at 7:30 pm as a hybrid in-person or via zoom. Registration is required, and free for museum members. For more information or to register, contact the Chrysler Museum by visiting https://chrysler.org/ event/visiting-artist-lecture-with-dafna-kaffeman/.

NOVEMBER 8, MONDAY Join author, lawyer, arbitrator, prize winning author, and one of Israel’s prominent contemporary writers, Yishai Sarid as he discusses his New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2020, The Memory Monster.

Presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival, and the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, and Community Partners’ 11th Annual Israel Today series. 12 pm. VIRTUAL event is Free and open to the community with pre-registration required. For more information or to register, visit JewishVA.org/BookFestival or contact Jill Grossman at 757-965-6137, jgrossman@ujft.org.

NOVEMBER 14, SUNDAY Susan Groner, parent educator and author of Parenting with Sanity & Joy will present an interactive workshop. Through actionable tips, parenting mentor Groner will share the best parenting wisdom, which can also be found in her easy-to-read book, providing simple, fun, and effective guidance. Parents are invited

to join the workshop while their children enjoy Sunday Fun Day activities led by Camp JCC staff. Presented

by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival in partnership with PJ Library & PJ Our Way. Free and open to the community. In-person and online participation options, with registration required for both. 2 pm. For more information and to register, visit JewishVA.org/BookFestival or contact Jill Grossman, director, Arts + Ideas, at 757-965-6137, or jgrossman@ ujft.org.

Sunday Fun Day: Family-friendly field games and fun at the Simon Family JCC! Crafts, games, activities, and a sweet treat. This event is free to JCC members, Strelitz and Camp JCC families, YAD, and Tidewater synagogue members. 2–5 pm. For more information, or register, visit JewishVA.org/PJLibrary of contact Nofar Trem, PJ Library program coordinator, at nmtrem@ujft.org.

NOVEMBER 15, MONDAY Last Summer at the Golden Hotel with author Elyssa Friedland. Friedland will share details of her novel about two families presiding over a glamorous resort in the so-called Jewish Alps. What happens when the facilities and the management begin to fall apart? Presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival in partnership with the JCC’s Seniors Club. A Simon Family JCC Book Club pick. 12 pm. Free and open to the community with in-person and online participation. Registration is required for both. For more information and to register, visit JewishVA. org/BookFestival or contact Jill Grossman, director, Arts + Ideas, at 757-965-6137, or jgrossman@ujft.org.

NOVEMBER 18, THURSDAY Antisemitism: A Bipartisan Problem that Demands a Nonpartisan Solution—How Conservatives Can Counter Antisemitism on the Right, presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the ADL mid-Atlantic/Midwest, and the Jewish Community Relations Council, the second of two in a speaker series featuring leaders who have courageously and powerfully challenged anti-Jewish bigotry from their own political allies. 7 pm. Free and open to the community, registration for this virtual event is required; visit https://jewishphilly.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ebm63LmvR6yHUVQthy2p-A. For more information contact Elka Mednick, assistant director, JCRC, at emednick@ujft.org or 757-965-6112.

NOVEMBER 21, SUNDAY One of Israel’s most celebrated authors, Meir Shalev, will discuss his book My Wild Garden: Notes from a Writer’s Eden. A Chrysler Museum of Art Book Club discussion, inspired by the Chrysler’s current exhibition, If You Thirst for a Homeland: Flameworked Glass by Dafna Kaffeman. Both Kaffeman and Shalev find inspiration in the beauty and fragility of the natural environment. A Chrysler Museum partnership with the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, and community partners as part of the 11th annual Israel Today series as part of the Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival. 2 pm. This VIRTUAL conversation with the author is Free and open to the community with registration required. For more information or to register, contact the Chrysler Museum by visiting https://3243.blackbaudhosting.com/3243/Chrysler-Book-Club-My-Wild-Garden.

DECEMBER 5, SUNDAY Community-wide celebration of Congregation Beth El’s 171st Anniversary, featuring 613, a cappella male singing group. 4 pm. Free. Reservation requested. In-person and virtual attendance. For information on available sponsorships, contact Deb Segaloff at deb@segaloff.net or 285-9009. For more information on the event or to RSVP, contact Noelle Wright at noelle@bethelnorfolk.com or 625-7821.

DECEMBER 8, WEDNESDAY I Had a Brother Once: A Poem, A Memoir with Adam Mansbach. Mansbach was in the middle of his own busy life and approaching a career-high when the words from his father, “David has taken his own life” opened a chasm beneath his feet. I Had a Brother Once is the story of everything that comes after. Presented by the Konikoff Center for Learning in partnership with the Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival and Jewish Family Service of Tidewater. 7:30 pm. For more information or to register, visit JewishVA.org/BookFestival or contact Sierra Lautman at SLautman@UJFT.org.

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OBITUARIES ETHEL ARRINGTON NORFOLK—Ethel Arrington, age 72, passed away on Sunday, October 10, 2021.

She is survived by a brother, Larry Sonkin, a sister, Harriet Dunlap, brother-in-law, Paul Dunlap, and multiple cousins.

Ethel was a graduate of Old Dominion University with a bachelor of science degree in Chemistry. She taught math and science at Hebrew Academy of Tidewater and Portsmouth public schools. She then worked as a chemist at the Naval Air Rework Facility for 30 years.

She was a very charitable person, particularly with animal rescue organizations. She also spent countless hours bringing literature of encouragement and faith to victims of PTSD, police departments, as well as fire and rescue personnel.

Donations may be given to Hope for Life Rescue, Inc. A private service was held. Altmeyer Funeral Homes.

JILL RENEE HAVERSON VIRGINIA BEACH—Jill Renee Haverson passed away on October 1, 2021 at the age of 55.

She was born in Norfolk, Va. to her parents Sybil Friedberg and Jeffrey G. Haverson who both predeceased her.

Jill graduated from Kempsville High School in 1984, then after college expressed her passion for art through cosmetology and painting. She was a courageous fighter who spread love and uplifted others even while enduring many challenges. She was committed to and loved her family, and worked with her father in his law practice for years.

Jill is survived by her beautiful daughter Haley Haverson of Virginia Beach, and sisters and brothers-in-law from Maryland, Marci and Adam Steiner and Matt and Rachel Perlman, as well as her niece and nephews, Josh and Noa Steiner and Jake and Jack Perlman.

A private funeral service was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk. The recorded service is available for viewing on the HD Olicer Facebook page.

Contributions in Jill’s memory may be

made to Juvenile Diabetes Association, Temple Israel in Norfolk, or JWI-Jewish Women International.

HERBERT ALAN LEVIN BOCA R ATON, FLA.—Lieutenant Commander Herbert Alan Levin USN, Retired, passed away peacefully in the early evening hours of October 8, 2021, in Boca Raton, Fa., with his beloved wife Carol and her loving daughter Lauren at his bedside. His battle with chronic illness over the past few years demonstrated his courage while maintaining his kindness, compassion and appreciation of others.

Herb was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pa. as the son of the late Samuel and Rose Levin. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 1959, he joined the United States Navy to serve his country and see the world. While stationed in Norfolk, Va., he met his first wife, Elaine Mendelson Levin, of blessed memory. He circumnavigated the globe on the USS Canberra and ultimately retired as a Lieutenant Commander. Following his military service, Herb resided in the Tidewater area and became a CPA. He was a partner in the firms of Swartz, Bresenoff, Yavner & Jacobs and Failes & Associates, and developed many long-term relationships with clients who became his friends.

Herb was committed to supporting his family, friends, and community. He always helped others willfully with a smile. He was an active member in the Masonic Temple and the Portsmouth Host Lions Club for many years, serving as the Club’s president, 1981–1982. In 1986, he was appointed by the Governor of Virginia for a three-year term to the Virginia Health Services Cost Review Council. He also served on the board of Beth Sholom Home.

Herb’s faith in God and devotion to Judaism was lifelong as an active member in Gomley Chesed Synagogue and Ohef Sholom Temple in Tidewater, as well as Temple Beth El in Boca Raton, Florida, where he spent the last 20 years of his life.

Herb is survived by his wife Carol Gross Levin, who he married in

36 | JEWISH NEWS | October 25, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

1993; his three children Ronald Levin (Stephanie) of Charlottesville, Va., Scott Levin (Betty Ann) of Virginia Beach, Va., and Becky Levin (Stacey Folsom) of Washington DC; his three stepchildren Jeff Slepin (Susan) of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Robert Slepin (Kimi) of Toronto, Canada, and Lauren Antonino (Tom) of Atlanta, Ga.; his grandchildren Elayna, Alexandra, Sam, Julia, Emerson, Eliot, Tommy, Matthew, Jamie, David, Renee, and Ryan; his sister Beverly Lewis (Marvin) of Daytona Beach, Fla.; and his sister-in-law Colette Levin (Donald of blessed memory) of Indianapolis, Indiana. Chloe, Herb’s beloved feline companion for the past nine years, will continue to bless Carol with warmth, affection, friendship, and love.

To celebrate Herb’s life, a memorial service was held at Ohef Sholom Temple, with Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg and Cantor Jennifer Reuben officiating.

A private burial at Forest Lawn Cemetery followed.

Donations in Herb’s memory requested to Ohef Sholom Temple in Norfolk or Temple Beth El in Boca Raton.

Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.hdoliver.com.

LORRAINE PHYLLIS PESIN VIRGINIA BEACH—Lorraine Phyllis Pesin passed away the evening of Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at Beth Sholom Village in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Lorraine was born in Washington, DC in 1929 to Maurice (Mo) and Mina Grudd. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1930 where Mo took a job as a lawyer for the Veterans Administration and also befriended many people in show business who came by their house for food and drink. Lorraine’s sister Marcia and mother Mina both predeceased her in the 1940s from cancer. Lorraine attended UCLA for one year and met Chester (Chet) Shapiro who had recently returned from World War II service. They were married from 1948 to 1964.

In 1967, Lorraine married Byron (Bob) Pesin and she eventually attended law school in Los Angeles. While she was not successful in passing the California Bar, for several years she worked in various

administrative positions in legal practices. In the 1980s, Byron and Lorraine relocated their joint legal practice to the Palm Springs, California area. An avid reader, Lorraine continued her active participation in book clubs by having a leadership role in the local HadassahBrandeis Institute chapter. In addition, she was active in the Masonic Lodge and the Eastern Star. Bob and Lorraine took much pleasure in hosting their Los Angeles friends for marathon weekends of bridge.

After Bob died in 2012, Lorraine moved to a retirement home Durham, N.C. where she soon developed a new and extensive group of friends. Always the organizer, she and her friend Burt Sederholm organized a series of educational courses at the retirement home. A stroke in 2019 necessitated the move to Beth Sholom Village.

She is survived by her sons, Martin Sloane and his wife Karen Kopp of Germany, Richard Sloane and his wife Kimberly Smart of Durham, N.C., and Steven Sloane and his wife Lotte de Beer of Germany; eight grandchildren; three great grandchildren; and a host of other family and friends.

A graveside service will be held on Friday, October 29 at 10:30 am at Forest Lawn Cemetery with Rabbi Adam Ruditsky officiating. Express condolences to the family at www.altmeyerfh.com.

JIM FLEISCHER, CEO OF JEWISH FRATERNITY AEPI Bob Jacob

(Cleveland Jewish News via JTA)—Jim Fleischer, a Canton, Ohio native who served as CEO of the historic Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi since June 2018, died of cancer on Saturday, October 9. He was 52.

In a statement posted on its website, AEPi said, “Jim fought a courageous battle against cancer for the last three years, but the fight was too much and he passed away yesterday evening surrounded by his family and fraternity brothers.”

Fleischer graduated from Kent State University in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, and worked as an

OBITUARIES AEPi chapter consultant upon graduation before working as a fundraiser for UJA Federation of New York. He owned his own printing business on Long Island for nearly 18 years, during which time he was a volunteer chapter adviser and regional governor for AEPi. He was elected to the fraternity’s supreme board of governors in 2006.

In 2013, Fleischer rejoined the fraternity’s executive staff as its assistant executive director and COO. In 2019, AEPi’s supreme council awarded him the Order of the Lion, the fraternity’s highest honor, for exemplary dedication and service to the fraternity.

“Until he took his last breath yesterday, Jim demonstrated his love for two things above all else: his family and AEPi,” the fraternity said in the statement.

“Jim’s love for AEPi was unmatched.

Those of us who knew him well, knew that there was nothing that energized him more than having the opportunity to meet with undergraduate AEPi brothers, to help them better themselves and their chapters. His commitment to AEPi’s mission, our Jewish communities and Israel are why he devoted his life to our fraternity. We hope that we all use Jim’s life as further inspiration to better our fraternity and our communities.”

Founded in 1913, AEPi is active at around 180 campuses internationally, including in Israel, according to its website. Somewhere between 9,000 to 10,000 undergraduates are active in the fraternity every year, most but not all of them Jewish. The fraternity has more than 100,000 alumni.

Fleischer was described by colleagues as a successful leader who had a passion for Jewish causes and the state of Israel.

He was “very infectious with enthusiasm and energy, and Jewish community in his gut—that kind of person,” Ronald Klein, an AEPi foundation board of directors member, told the Cleveland Jewish News. “You could see even by the pictures, a very warm person, and I think that led to his being a successful leader, whether it was in different roles he took at AEPi or in other things he did in his life.”

“I just felt he knew the Jewish community and the value of AEPi in his gut,” Klein said. “AEPi has been sort of a predominant Jewish fraternity for a number of years now. There was a lot of responsibility that went with the fraternity moving toward that direction, as opposed to some of these other fraternities that became more assimilated, and he was one of the people along with others who felt the Jewish nature of AEPi was so important from developing the next level of community leaders from our Jewish community—young men who at a younger age felt the passion of Israel, felt the passion of Jewish values, and he just obviously took it upon himself to lead in that direction.”

Fleischer is survived by his wife of 26 years, Alison Braun Fleischer; his sons, Ethan and Spencer, his daughter, Madison “Madi”; his father, Frank Fleischer of Canton; his brother, Richard “Rick” of South Euclid; and his in-laws,

nieces and nephews.

A service was held at Congregation Beth El Zedeck in Indianapolis.

A version of this article was originally published in the Cleveland Jewish News and is reprinted with permission.

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OCTOBER: BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH FIRST PERSON

New book provides an interactive manual of important life skills Your Journey Beyond Breast Cancer: Tools for the Road Louise B. Lubin, PhD

E

very woman remembers the moment she heard, “You have breast cancer.”

These words begin a long winding journey with potential roadblocks and detours.

Wherever one may be on their cancer journey, it is vital to remember that each person is more than a statistic. The path to follow must be the one that is uniquely right for that individual. At each turn, one will be faced with hard choices and must decide their priorities and how they want to live.

Medical treatment has improved dramatically over the last 40 years since I began working with cancer patients. I have found, however, that the challenges continue long after the doctor “releases you“ and states “all is clear on your scans.”

Some challenges center around fear of the unknown and reoccurrence, loss, changes in relationships, facing mortality, and the importance of living in the present moment. Finding the way forward requires knowledge of one’s body, identifying the power of your mind and thoughts, and embracing the wisdom of one’s spirit and connection to something greater than oneself.

This interactive tool book is my attempt to give back to the sisterhood of women who have been my teachers. I have learned many life lessons, not just about cancer, but about facing any serious life challenge.

One important lesson is that each of us is unique and more than a diagnosis.

I have learned we must accept that life is always changing. Uncertainty, therefore, is a reality of life. I have seen that life is not fair, and people do not always get what they deserve. Bad things happen to good

Louise B. Lubin, PhD.

people. We must learn how to accept what is, rather than focus on what should be. When faced with any serious life-threatening illness, there is never enough time when we fear our life might be shortened. It is a gift of love to those who care about us to communicate to them what we want and need while we are able to do so.

The word “healing” means to seek a new balance and wholeness which can occur even without a physical cure. We all need life skills when we are facing the challenging road to healing. It is not a journey we can travel alone and requires support and community. Many have shared with me that cancer changed their lives in profound ways. Not only their body, but also their relationships, beliefs about themselves and others, and their discovery of what is truly meaningful and important in their lives has been revealed on their journey.

My greatest hope is that what I have learned by traveling with these amazing individuals will help make others’ journey more manageable and help them find their way back home to their true self and healing.

Louise B. Lubin, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist in Norfolk. She has practiced adult, marital, and family therapy for 40 years.

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WHO KNEW? ‘Sabbath for $400’: Cholent stumps Jeopardy! contestants in question about Shabbat restrictions

C

ontestants on an episode of Jeopardy! that aired Wednesday, October 13, were stumped when presented with a photo of cholent, a stew traditionally cooked by observant Jews over the course of Shabbat.

The clue, for $400 in the “Sabbath” category: “Exodus 35:3 bans doing this on the Sabbath, hence the Jewish dish ‘cholent,’ which can go on the stove Friday and cook until Saturday lunch.”

The contestants got close with guesses of “What is cooking?” and “What is work?” but failed to name the exact Shabbat prohibition Mayim Bialik, the show’s temporary host and herself an Orthodox Jew, was looking for.

In the end, Bialik explained the answer: “What is ‘lighting a fire?’ And the word ‘cholent’ is from the French

‘chaud lent,’ [meaning] ‘cooks a long time.’”

Explaining cholent on national television was a fitting role for Bialik, the first Jew to host the popular quiz show.

Bialik, who starred in The Big Bang Theory, served as a celebrity host during the search for longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek’s replacement and was named a host for primetime specials in August. After Mike Richards, the show’s executive producer who was selected to host the show full-time, was revealed to have made offensive comments about women and Jews, Bialik was temporarily promoted to full-time host. While Jeopardy producers continue to search for Richards’ permanent replacement, Bialik has said she’d like to keep the gig permanently.

At 95, Mel Brooks will finally deliver History of the World: Part II Ron Kampeas

(JTA)—You couldn’t Torquemada it: Mel Brooks is making a sequel to History of the World: Part I, the 1981 revue that delighted and/or appalled Jews with, among other segments, a cheery musical take on the Spanish Inquisition.

The original was a feature film; the sequel on Hulu will be a variety series, Variety reported on Monday, October 11.

Brooks, who is 95, will executive-produce and write; joining him will be professional funny people Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen and Kevin Salter.

Production is set to begin in 2022.

Most of the original film’s cast, including Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Gregory Hines, Cloris Leachman and Sid Caesar, have died in the 40 years since it was released.

“I can’t wait to once more tell the real truth about all the phony baloney stories the world has been conned into believing are History!” Brooks told Variety.

Brooks played a number of roles in the original History, including the Spanish inquisitor Torquemada in the Inquisition skit—a tough competition for the most joyfully tasteless segment. “We have a mission to convert the Jews,” Brooks sings as Torquemada, after sliding down a banister, Broadway-style, to greet his prisoners in the torture chamber.

“Jew, Jew Jew Jew Jew Jew Jews!” the chorus of monks replies. “We’re going to help them see the light and make an offer that they can’t refuse,” Brooks sings. “That the Jews just can’t refuse!” say the monks.

Other sketches covered cavemen, Moses, the Last Supper, the Roman era and the French Revolution, in which Brooks, as King Louis XVI, uttered the immortal catchphrase, “It’s good to be the king.”

The new series finally fulfills the teaser at the end of Part I, which promised a sequel that would cover “Hitler on Ice” and “Jews in Space.”

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