MA Jewish Ledger • October 16, 2020 • 28 Tishrei 5781

Friday, October 16, 2020 28 Tishrei 5781 Vol. 21 | No. 10 | ©2020 $1.00 | majewishledger.com

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Israel Bonds at 1

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| OCTOBER 16, 2020

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INSIDE

this week

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | OCTOBER 16, 2020 | 28 TISHREI 5781

8 Bulletin Board

8 What’s Happening

10 Jewish Federation of Western Mass.

14 Jewish Federation of Central Mass.

Conversation with… ......................4 Rabbi Daniel Goodman

Voicing their vote .......................... 5 BBYO members registering voters and working the polls

Enthusiasm & experience ......... 6 Getting to know Rabbi Eve Eichenholtz of Agudat Achim in Leominster

16 Milestones

17 Synagogue Directory

20 Arts & Entertainment

22 Obituaries

A Pillar of the Community ........................................................................................ 7 Bench at Bet Shalom dedicated to Jordan Robbins

A Reminder From

Gary M. Gaffin

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Every dollar invested strengthens the only Jewish state on the planet.”

PAGE 12 majewishledger.com

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A Night of Heroes............................ 9 Lone Soldier from Newton honored at FIDF Gala

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Conversation with…

DANIEL ROSS GOODMAN

Vol. 21 No. 10 JHL Ledger LLC Publisher Henry M. Zachs Managing Partner Leslie Iarusso Associate Publisher Judie Jacobson Editor judiej@jewishledger.com • x3024 Hillary Sarrasin Digital Media Manager hillaryp@jewishledger.com

Springfield native writes literary romance novel for the Orthodox crowd

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BY STACEY DRESNER

PRINGFIELD – In Rabbi Daniel Ross Goodman’s first novel, A Single Life, the main character Eli desperately wants to find a frum wife. His friends try unsuccessfully to make a shidduch and Eli fears he may always be a bachelor. Eli’s quest for love and his questioning of religion and relationships take him from a Baltimore yeshiva to a Jewish high school in West Hartford where he becomes a Judaic studies teacher. Once there, Eli indulges his love of secular literature and develops a crush on a co-worker – an English teacher who is a lapsed Catholic.

Oy! A Single Life, published by KTAV Publishing House in August, is not an autobiography, but a few bits and pieces might have been pulled from Goodman’s life.

Born in Springfield and raised in Longmeadow, Goodman, 35, was raised Conservative by his father, Alan Goodman, a personal injury attorney, and his mother, Joan Freedman Goodman, a former television news anchor, now director of lay leadership at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

His maternal grandfather, Frank Freedman was Springfield’s first and only Jewish mayor in the 1960s.

Goodman attended Heritage Academy in Longmeadow; then went for one year to the Hebrew High School of New England in West Hartford (now New England Jewish Academy). He then decided he wanted a more religious education and began attending Yeshiva University High School in New York.

He later went to Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School and was ordained in 2016.

Along the way he also got a law degree; currently he is a PhD candidate at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Goodman spoke to the Jewish Ledger and about his novel and his own single life.

JEWISH LEDGER: So, are you single?

RABBI DANIEL GOODMAN: I’m technically single, but in a long-distance relationship. It has been difficult maintain during the pandemic. She is in Brazil. Her name is Devorah and we have been in contact since early February. Right as we were feeling comfortable getting to know each other and were like, ‘Yeah we should meet up,’ that’s when [COVID] and the travel restrictions started.

JL: Can you tell us about your Jewish education in Springfield and West Hartford?

DG: We had a great day school in Springfield, Heritage Academy. It was really fabulous, and I got a wonderful education, both secular and Judaic. In 9th grade I went to what was then the Hebrew High School of New England. So in my book you will see the high school there in West Hartford is modeled a little bit on it.

I didn’t graduate from HHNE, I ended up transferring in the 10th grade to MTA, which is the Yeshiva University High School for Boys. And so that’s where my yeshiva background really started to come in.

RABBI DANIEL ROSS GOODMAN

JEWISH LEDGER: Why did you switch to MTA? DG: I loved my friends [at HHNE] and I loved the area, but at that time in my life, I was in a very zealously religious space.

I had not grown up Orthodox; I grew up in a Conservative household, moderately observant of some things…By the time I was about 14, I was really craving something very frum -- very yeshivish -- and I had a lot of conversations with my parents about really wanting to go to yeshiva. We looked at a few in Muncie but they didn’t want me to go to a place that was just a yeshiva; I also needed to get secular high school education. So they found this place, Yeshiva University High School, both a yeshiva and high school. And that worked out really well.

JL: So what were your career plans or goals? Did you want to be a rabbi back then?

DG: I remember my first grade teacher

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at Heritage said I was rabbi material. I remember other people saying “You would make a good professor.” And I’ve always been attracted to study. I’m studious, that’s just who I am.

It’s manifested itself in different ways and different directions at different times of my life so during high school when I was in my very frum years, I just studied mostly Gemara, Talmud, Jewish texts as often as I could. I really wanted to be a yeshiva rebbe, and that’s what I thought I was going to be when I was in yeshiva high school.

That started to change a little bit when I went on to YU and I started reviving my interest in secular studies again in history and literature. At that point I was thinking I would really like to teach, whether in high school or in college, but I knew that to teach in college I would need to get a PhD. My father really wanted me to go to law school. I figured, well okay, I might as well do that, so I went to law school at Western New England – the same law school my father went to. I finished up, passed the bar, and worked for a small independent copyright, trademark law firm in New York, but quickly realized that that was just not going to be for me.

And that’s when I found out about Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical school.

That was a really great experience too. I made some great friends there. But I still felt like that wasn’t exactly the culmination of what I wanted to do; where I needed to be. I didn’t want to be a pulpit rabbi, and I didn’t want to be a rabbi in a high school. I really needed to be in a college setting. I applied to graduate programs and JTS seemed like the best option. I started a fellowship for a doctoral program in Modern Jewish Thought and Theology. I’ve been there for going into my fifth year; it should be my last year.

JL: It sounds like you are very busy with you studies; what made you decide to write a novel?

DG: I started to write fiction and publish short stories maybe five years ago now. I had never written fiction before… The novel came originally from an idea for a short story, but I realized that I couldn’t confine it to a short story alone, this was much more expansive than any work of fiction I had written so far.

JL: Did the idea for A Single Life come

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UP FRONT

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | OCTOBER 16, 2020 | 28 TISHREI 5781

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Through “Voice Your Vote” BBYO Gets the Vote Out

PRINGFIELD/LONGMEADOW -- Although she is 17 and unable to vote in the Nov. 3 presidential election, Anna Gorfinkel of Longmeadow is still participating in the election process.

She, along with her fellow BBYO Connecticut Valley Region members, as well as BBYO members around the country, are participating in Voice Your Vote, a national non-partisan initiative of BBYO aimed at registering young voters ahead of the upcoming election.

A corps of BBYO of field organizers across the country currently are busy getting out the vote in their communities.

BY STACEY DRESNER

citizens to engage in voting, registration and democracy.”

“We’re calling upon all teens, alumni and supporters to join as we ensure that every person is registered to vote, has a plan to vote, and also has safe fair access to vote,” said Jennifer Kruzansky, regional director of BBYO CVR. “We’re also working on having 100 BBYO teens registered to work the polls because we know that poll workers are very hard to come by now with COVID. Most of the people who work at the polls are older and could be high risk.”

Each year CVR holds a large regional kickoff to the upcoming year, as well as smaller chapter kickoff events.

“Because of COVID we couldn’t have our normal regional kickoff where we bring 500 teens together in person,” Kruzansky DORON LOWENBERG, A BBYO MEMBER FROM STAMFORD, CONN., said. “This year we MANS A VOICE YOUR VOTE TABLE AT THE STAMFORD JCC. decided if we can’t have everybody together, “I think Voice Your Vote is an important let’s pivot to a model where we bring the movement because it allows kids under 18, regional kickoff to your community.” who aren’t eligible to vote yet, to be part of BBYO CVR is now showing up to the election process as well as learn how every chapter’s community with a 20-foot parts of the election process work,” Anna inflatable movie screen for a “drive-in Gorfinkel said. movie” night.

Besides registering voters and And every one of those drive-in presenting important information about movie events will have a Voice your Vote voter registration, BBYO members are component to it. also recruiting teens 16 years old and up The Springfield/Longmeadow Kickto volunteer to staff in-person voting polls Off Drive in Movie/Voice Your Vote event in place of older volunteers who this year will take place on Sunday, Oct. 18 at the may have stepped down over concern about Springfield JCC. Covid-19.

“We want to reach as many teens as Massachusetts is one of 45 states that possible. It’s like okay ‘let’s do an event allow 16-year-olds to serve as poll workers that the teams are going to be drawn into -- not just due to the dangers of Covid -and build upon it so that they have a more but according to the National Conference rounded experience. It’s fun to go to a of State Legislatures “to encourage young drive-in movie with your friends and really

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learn about Voice Your Vote, rather than just sit at a table and register people to vote.

We want to meet teens where they are at,” Kruzansky said.

“Every kickoff will have a table with information about registering to vote and to get people registered to work the polls.

And we also have a couple of different partners which is really exciting.”

Those partners include Sen. Ed Markey of Springfield, who is among the politicians who taped video snippets that are run viewed before the drive-in about the importance of voting.

“Whether you’re working the polls this Nov. 3 or taking the time to help your friends and family register to vote, each of you are proving that the young people of this country will be the leaders for a more just, equitable and more fruitful future for everyone,” said Sen. Markey in the video.

“You are all part of a movement fueled by young people who are not afraid to raise their voices and demand much needed change in this country, and it’s time for elected leaders to listen, to trust and follow those young voices.”

According to Voice Your Vote’s website, there are 47 million 18 to 29 year olds who are eligible to vote in the 2020 election, and 15 million of them have turned 18 since the last presidential election.

According to Pew Research Center, one in 10 eligible voters are between the ages of 18 and 23 (referred to as Generation Z).

“The primary focus of Voice Your Vote is to teach teens how to be civically engaged from a young age,” explained Ryan Ladd, BBYO’s digital strategy manager. “Our nearly 150 teen Field Organizers from across the U.S. are working hard to register voters, pledge voters, recruit poll workers, and get people involved in this effort in general. Since August, more than 1,300 members of the BBYO community have taken action in one of our key campaign areas. We’re also proud that we’re quickly MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

climbing to recruiting 300 poll workers.”

“The majority of our order – the members -- are younger than 18,” said Dara Sadinsky, a Connecticut Valley Region member from West Hartford. “We want to get everyone who can be registered registered, but those of us who can’t vote in the election just want everyone as involved in as possible.”

Dara has also been reaching out to BBYO’s alumni network as well as beyond her BBYO peers.

“I’ve also been reaching out to a lot of family members because I have a lot of cousins specifically that are voting age, and also just making sure all of my aunts and uncles are registered and they’re updated; and my grandparents, even family friends.

I’m just reaching out to everyone.

“I definitely think that this is a very important election,” she added. “No matter which way it goes. Not just our country but potentially the world could see a lot of things change.” n CORRECTION The wrong advertisement for Rep. Jim McGovern was published in the September 18, 2020 issue of the Massachusetts Jewish Ledger. The mistake was made by the Jewish Ledger production department and not by Rep. McGovern or his staff.

The Massachusetts Jewish Ledger deeply regrets this error. |

OCTOBER 16, 2020

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Rabbi Eve Eichenholtz brings enthusiam & experience to Agudat Achim

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BY STACEY DRESNER

EOMINSTER – When she was in high school Eve Eichenholtz dreamed of going into politics.

“I love political campaigns and advocacy,” she says. “I wasn’t so much interested in being a politician or the policy person, but I loved the rest of that world.”

She changed her mind in the 10th grade on her way home from March of the Living, the educational program that takes students to the concentration camps of Poland and then to Israel to examine the Holocaust and roots of intolerance and hatred.

“I will remember the moment for the rest of my life,” she recalls. “I had an incredible mentor, Rabbi Arnie Samlan, and we were coming home from Israel on the plane and were having this conversation about the fact that I wanted to go into politics. He thought I would make a good rabbi…he was incredibly supportive and always pushing me towards the rabbinate.

“He asked, ‘So why do you want to go into politics?’ I’m young and naïve and I said, ‘I believe I can change the world. I believe that by listening to people’s individual stories I can hear what motivates them and then use that information to get them to vote in a way that I think is better for the world or support a policy that I think is good for our country…I liked hearing one-on-one stories and inspiring people to act and move and to engage…’ He looks at me, and goes, ‘And what’s the difference between all of that and being a rabbi?’ My eyes opened… I realized that being a rabbi ultimately meant I get to do everything I want to do without giving anything up. So when I was a kid, I was set on politics but I also loved theater. [As a rabbi] I get to do public speaking -- I get the theater… I love teaching; I love pastoral care; I love the board meetings -- I get to do everything as a rabbi and do it all within this context, that has just been part of who I am.”

Rabbi Eichenholtz tells this story with enthusiasm and exuberance. It is her outgoing and engaging nature that attracted Congregation Agudat Achim -- the 100-family synagogue in Leominster-- to bring her on as rabbi in July of 2019. Before arriving at the she had been in her first pulpit in Fayetteville, N.C. for five years.

“I came to Leominister for the job and the community, and could not be more pleased to be here and to be growing and journeying with this congregation,” Rabbi Eisenholtz said.

Despite her early desire to enter the world of politics, many who knew her during 6

her Conservative Jewish upbringing in Agudat Achim -- the vision I had of my Long Island thought she was meant for the synagogue was one that is like where I rabbinate. am now. In Leominster, we are the only “I was a Ramah Berkshires kid and synagogue. It takes 20, 30, 40 minutes to [went to] Schechter and was very active in be at the next synagogue, in bigger cities synagogue life,” Rabbi Eichenholtz said. like Worcester or even in Boston, our “As I like to say, I was THAT kid, the really surrounding Jewish community where you annoying ones running around like they can go to the Conservative synagogue, or owned the place. And it kind of stuck!” the Reform synagogue or the Orthodox After she graduated from high school, synagogue or Chabad or the havurah. I saw Eichenholtz was admitted to the Barnard myself working in communities where that College – Jewish Theological Seminary was not the case…AJR is a pluralistic school.

Double Degree It doesn’t say denominations program. aren’t part of our Jewish world “At Schechter, or aren’t ideal in our Jewish I just loved doing world. What it says is there is both Jewish wisdom, and value and room for studies in parallel a variety of Jewish streams...So with all of my knowing that I wanted to work secular subjects,” in that type of community, I she said. “So I felt I needed to learn in a place just kept going on that was going to foster those that dual track.” elements of my rabbinate.”

She went Eichenholtz also took a year on to get a BA to work in an accounting firm, from Barnard in which she says was just another economics and part of her rabbinical training. an undergraduate “I had never had to juggle degree from JTS the Jewish calendar with the in Bible. secular calendar at Schechter or “And then I rabbinical school…So what was started rabbinical it like for my congregants who school at JTS... didn’t have that, who needed to and while doing talk to bosses and schools about that I also how we navigate Jewish life in pursued, on the a largely non Jewish world? I side, classes wanted to make sure that I was RABBI EVE EICHENHOLTZ in nonprofit part of that world as well.” management That world turned upsideand budgeting and fundraising, because I down halfway through her first year leading always knew that my path was going to lead the 100-family Leominster congregation me to a community exactly like I have here when Covid-19 hit. in Leominster, where I get to spend most “It’s been a bit of a crazy year… There my time focused on the religious life of the are still things that I’m doing that probably community, but also, I get to be part of the should have been done in the first six community when we look at our budget and months, and other things I feel we are doing things like that and I wanted to be a rabbi years ahead of where we planned on being. who could speak to all of that.

We have technology in our sanctuary and all “One of my mentors used to say it’s of those things that were in the future, ‘let’s way easier to give a sermon on a Saturday talk about it’ are now a part of our reality.” morning if the roof isn’t leaking. And I took Since the summer Agudat Achim, like that to heart as to what it means to be a rabbi many congregations, has been holding and be able to be available to all parts of my services via Zoom, and is now venturing into community.” a hybrid mode.

While she first began attending JTS for “People can walk into the sanctuary and rabbinical school, Eichenholtz soon switched see three computers and video cameras to the Academy of Jewish Religion in New everywhere… I read from the bimah; we York. have others who participate and lead parts of “While I am very much part of services from their homes. We have Zoom; Conservative Judaism– as is Congregation we have a two-way connection to – I’m

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

| OCTOBER 16, 2020

hesitant to use the word normalcy in any kind of context -- but to keep as much of our communal and liturgical traditions as we can in this time…We are still honoring all of our lifecycle events and are there for each other at times of joy and sadness as we would in any year, and using technology to aid us in that and also create new ways of being.”

High Holiday services were hybrid, with some congregants participating in services over Zoom and some, socially-distanced and wearing masks, in the sanctuary.

“It was unusual looking out and seeing half the congregation in the sanctuary and half on the computer screen, but we move forward and still maintain our Judaism in N. Central Mass., even through everything.”

Rabbi Eichenholtz said she loves that her congregants are more likely to offer solutions to problems than complaints.

In the midst of the High Holidays, a congregant with children in the religious school mentioned to Rabbi Eichenholtz that they were trying to figure out what to do with the synagogue’s sukkah, usually decorated by the students of the religious school, which is still operating virtually.

“So, some of the parents got together and said, ‘We want to host Sukkot in the sukkah over Zoom,” she recalled. “I walk into the sukkah and people have decorated the sukkah. I think there are more decorations up this year than there were last year when we decorated it officially as part of religious school,” Rabbi Eichenholtz marveled.

“Families came in one at a time to decorate the sukkah and to eat in the sukkah. We are trying to maintain our social distancing, so we created a little calendar on our listserv and people are booking appointments to come in and eat in the sukkah or decorate the sukkah.”

No one had to send a call out to members asking for volunteers, the rabbi said, “This was two families who said we do this annually for the kids in religious school, we want to make this happen this year.

That’s incredible. I often say for me one of the greatest strengths of a small congregation is that we should be as adaptable to almost anything that you want.

“By and large what you dream your synagogue can be, it can be. I love being in partnership with the congregation and fostering that, and working together. That’s the community that we have here and it’s incredible.” n

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IDF Lone Soldier from Newton, Mass., highlighted at FIDF Virtual Gala

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BY STACEY DRESNER

rowing up in Newton, Mass., Noah* and his family visited Israel on a regular basis.

“We were a pretty Zionistic family, so we would go once or maybe twice a year, depending on the year,” he said. “Israel was always a very big thing in my life.”

Noah attended Jewish day school and went to the religious Zionist camp Moshava Indian Orchard in Pennsylvania. When he graduated from Maimonides School in Brookline, Mass. in 2016, he, like many of his classmates went to Israel for a gap year.

“I come from a background where everyone would graduate from high school and go to Israel for a year, and then go back home to college,” Noah explained.

But after an inspiring year participating in Mechinat Otzem – a pre-military program in the south of Israel -- Noah decided to stay. He made aliyah in 2017 and began serving in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Golani Brigade.

On Sept. 13, the experiences of Noah and other Lone Soldiers in the IDF were highlighted during the Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces (FID) National Gala, held virtually for the very first time.

The gala, themed “A Night of Heroes,” saluted IDF soldiers and veterans, and raised more than $15 million to support wellbeing and educational programs for IDF soldiers, families of fallen soldiers and wounded veterans.

“FIDF is in daily communication with the IDF to follow their directives and understand the soldiers’ on-going needs,” said FIDF National Director and CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Meir Klifi-Amir. “Even during…difficult times, we continue to fulfill the needs of our sons and daughters in uniform.”

Noah, who was discharged from the IDF as a Staff Sergeant in June, and next year will begin serving in the reserves, says that several things inspired him to make aliya and serve in the IDF. “First of all, my older brother was in the [IDF]. He was drafted in 2013. And that was a very big thing for me that my older brother was in Israel and was in the army,” Noah explained. His brother Jacob now lives in Haifa and studies at the Technion.

Noah’s year of study in Israel after STAFF SGT. NOAH (RES.), SECOND FROM high school also played a big role. He was THE LEFT, WITH HIS UNIT. STAFF SGT. AMIT one of seven Americans and 199 Israelis BEN YIGAL Z”L WHO WAS KILLED ON A PATROL IN MAY IS FIRST ON THE RIGHT. participating in Mechinat Otzem, a program that mostly Israelis go through between high school and the army.

“I was always like, Israel is a great place to visit, but I’m never going to live here,” he said. “But I got off the plane, and I became immersed in the culture and I fell in love with the place.”

Noah had attended Maimonides with Ezra Schwartz, the 18-year-old American yeshiva student who was killed in a terrorist attack in the West Bank on Nov. 19, 2015.

Ezra, who was spending a gap year studying at Yeshivat Ashreinu in Beit Shemesh, had gone with five classmates to the Etzion bloc, south of Jerusalem, to beautify a nature reserve dedicated to the three Jewish teens kidnapped and killed by terrorists the year before. A terrorist, reportedly a Palestinian, opened fire on them, killing Schwartz and wounding his classmates.

“Ezra was a year above me in high school, we didn’t have any class together, but we played baseball together for three years,” Noah said. “We weren’t in the same social circle, but some of his best friends were my very good friends. When he was killed, it was my first experience with the death of a peer. Did it affect my choice to draft? Not really, I already wanted to; it just kind of reaffirmed my mindset.”

PAID FOR AND AUTHORIZED FOR THE RE-ELECT MCGOVERN COMMITTEE

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

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MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

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BULLETIN BOARD Torathon: An Evening of Online Learning in Worcester The annual Torathon will take place virtually on Saturday night, Nov. 14 from 6:30-10 p.m.

The theme of Torathon is “Great Events, Personalities, and Ideas that have Shaped Judaism.” Classes will be taught by leading rabbis and educators of the greater Worcester Jewish Community.

Sample topics to be covered among the 18 classes offered include: • Jewish soul traits for navigating a pandemic • Why Climate Change is a Jewish Issue.

• How did R.B.G.’s Jewish identity inform her decisions.

• Roe v Wade and Abortion in Jewish Law. • How Story telling is part of our Jewish DNA. • The very first female rabbi did not come from America.

Register for one of six classes offered each hour (18 courses in total) starting between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Registration is required to attend and to receive links to all courses and the opening gathering. This year admission is gratis but any and all donations will be gratefully accepted. Find more important information and details on the website or by clicking on this link: www.jewishcentralmass.org/ torathon.

NCCJ Two-Day Anti-Racism Workshop Temple Beth El, Sinai Temple, and the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts have partnered with the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) for a 2-day Anti-Racism Workshop on November 8 & 9. The workshops will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

NCCJ’s flagship program will look at bias, discrimination, oppression and privilege in the United States.

Registration is required; Zoom information will be provided upon registration. Participants must attend the full program, both days, and participate from a quiet space.

This workshop is open to 30 participants.

Only one person per Zoom link.

To register, call the TBE office at (413) 733-4149. Zoom information provided upon registration.

YBC Great Jewish Books Book Club open for registration AMHERST – The Yiddish Book Center has opened registration for its 2021 Great Jewish Books Book Club, which offers readers around the world a unique opportunity to read and discuss great works of modern Jewish literature together in real time. Now in its fifth year, the book club sends four books over the course of a year—works

WHAT’S HAPPENING FRIDAY, OCT. 16 SPRINGFIELD – Virtual Tot Shabbat with Marlene Rachelle; Grab an instrument and a favorite stuffy as we welcome Shabbat together, for families with children ages 7 or younger, 5:30-6:15 p.m.; a program of Temple Beth El and PJ Library of Western Mass., via Zoom and live streamed via PJ Library Western Massachusetts’ Facebook page. This program is This program will also take place on Nov. 20.

Register: https://us02web. zoom.us/meeting/register/ tZIldOGtrjIjG93LsyTK8ANSe6VKa VF50Myj; For more information, contact Caryn Resnick at sklc@tbespringfield.org ALSO Nov. 20

seeds from Abundance Farm to plant for the future, for families with children ages 3-5. In the story of Noah’s Ark, Noah and Naamah partner to preserve seeds and animals during the flood; We’ll retell parts of this Torah story and then gather seeds from some of the many plants growing on Abundance Farm.

Families with can take their seeds home with them to plant; 10-11 a.m., limited to 10 families. (All families must bring their own blanket to sit on, wear masks if over two years old, and maintain at least a six-foot distance from anyone not in their family/ pod. Please stay home if anyone is not feeling well); For more information, contact Amy Meltzer, PJ Pals Coordinator at ameltzer@ landergrinspoon.org or (413) 584-6622; $10 fee per family

SUNDAY, OCT. 18

WEDNESDAY, OCT 21

NORTHAMPTON – PJ Pals at LGA: Let’s Save Seeds; Care for the earth by collecting

WESTERN MASS. – Jewish Family Jam; Explore Jewish holidays, language, culture and values through music, movement

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selected from the vast trove of modern Jewish literature, focusing on Yiddish literature. (All selections are in English.)

Book Club members read selections together. The idea is to have people across the country, and around the world, reading the same book at more or less the same time—and meeting up to talk about it online.

Together the four books offer a range of genres, themes, and diversity in the authors and backgrounds of the works. According to Mindl Cohen, the Center’s academic director, “We’re always going to pick books that make us ask complex questions about Jewish identity, history, and experience. In each book we hope readers will find perspectives and experiences that are both familiar and relatable, as well as totally new and eyeopening.”

The deadline to register for the 2021 Great Jewish Books Book Club is Nov. 29.

The cost for the one-year membership is $78 (includes four books and shipping within the U.S.). International shipping is available for an additional fee. Gift memberships may be purchased. For more information and to register online, visit register. yiddishbookcenter.org.

Social Innovation Virtual hackathonto teach teens solutions to world’s most pressing issues Teens across the country can register for a Social Innovation Virtual Hackathon taking place Sunday, October 25, 1-5 p.m., Eastern Time.

The purpose of the one-day event is to learn how to become a young social changemaker and use innovative thinking to turn problems into opportunities. The Hackathon is organized by the Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Funder Collaborative, and builds on a successful event model used previously by 4Front Baltimore (one of the ten communities in the Collaborative).

Facilitated by entrepreneur and VC investor Henrik Scheel of Startup Experience, teens will go through the entire entrepreneurial process to create innovative solutions to our world’s most pressing issues.

They will develop their entrepreneurial mindset, boost creative capacity, and work with other teens from around the country, while learning how to use business to make a positive impact in the world. Teens will have the opportunity to join forces for a hack-athon where they’ll explore some of the Covidrelated problems directly impacting young people in our country. Under the guidance of real-life serial entrepreneur Scheel, the teens will learn about the entrepreneurial mindset and the “lean start-up method” while ideating, validating, and pitching their own solutions to these problems. Throughout the day Jewish wisdom and content will be woven through so that teens understand how for-profit can become for-purpose and how their Jewish values motivate this transformation and worldview.

For more information, email Diana Solomon at dsolomon@4frontbaltimore.org.

OCT. 16 - OCT. 22 and drumming; presented by Jewish Family Service of Western Mass.; Join us on the LGA Facebook on Wednesday mornings; For children ages 0-5 and their caregivers; 10:30-11:30 a.m., Virtual Link: https://www.facebook.com/ events/2511735252422400/ Registration: http://jfswm.org/jewish-family-jam Website: http://jfswm.org/jewish-familyjam; For more information contact Roz Torrey at r.torrey@jfswm.org

services on October 23 and 24. For more information, visit office@tbespringfield.org.

TUESDAY, OCT 20 & 22 SPRINGFIELD – Music & Liturgy with Musician Rabbi Josh Warshawsky, nationally touring Jewish musician, song leader, composer, and teacher of Torah at Temple Beth El; study music and liturgy with Rabbi Josh Warshawsky virtually on Oct. 20 and 22, 7 p.m. (Besides the Oct. 20 and 22 sessions, Rabbi Warshawsky will lead Friday night and Shabbat morning

RABBI JOSH WARSHAWSKY

majewishledger.com

Around Massachusetts Bet Shalom Apartments Dedicates Memorial Bench to the Late Jordan Robbins

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ORCESTER - Bet Shalom Apartments in Worcester recently dedicated a memorial bench in honor of the late Jordan Robbins, formerly the president of the Board of Directors at Bet Shalom, a non-profit organization offering federally subsidized apartments to seniors and individuals with mobility impairments.

“Jordan was a pillar in both our community and in his family,” said Rabbi Aviva Fellman of Congregation Beth Israel in Worcester, the synagogue to which Robbins belonged.

“Whether off to the side working on a committee, project or board, or whether right in the center like he was for his family seders, Jordan was a rock, a mensch and always gave of himself. He always answered the call (even during dinner), was happy to help, and as a community we depended on him.”

Further remarks were made by Steven Sosnoff, president of Bet Shalom, and Erin Lewis of Barkan Management, Property Manager, followed by a dedication and blessing as the memorial bench was revealed by Jordan’s grandchildren.

Robbins was instrumental in raising funds, seeking financing and building Phase 2 of Bet Shalom, which included 24 additional units, expanded the community room, added a hair salon, and additional office space. He also established a sponsorship organization, the Friends of Bet Shalom, Inc., which raises funds in support of its mission to benefit and support the residents of Bet Shalom.

In the wider Jewish community, Robbins had held the position of adviser to AZA 346, a B’nai B’rith youth group based in the Worcester Jewish Community Center, and served as president.

He was involved with the Queen Esther scholarship program where he handled the finances, investing, scholarship applications, and the distribution of funds, along with his wife, Harriet.

He served on the finance committee of Congregation Beth Israel and had served as president of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts and as cemetery leader.

MA Congressional District - 2

JORDAN ROBBINS

TRACY

LOVVORN

I am respectfully asking for the opportunity to represent you in the U.S. House of Representatives…..

I will DEFEND:

Wife, Mother, Healthcare Provider, Small Business Owner, Outdoor, Nature & Animal Lover

• Israel as a sovereign, independent, democratic state.

• The U.S. Constitution, freedom of religion, freedom from persecution.

“Wishing you a • The American economy, small Happy Rosh Hashana and a business, and job growth.

Meaningful Yom Kippur” • Personal freedoms, personal accountability, family values, safety and prosperity.

SHOWN HERE AT THE DEDICATION OF A MEMORIAL BENCH OR JORDAN ROBBINS AT BETH SHALOM ARE, FRONT ROW, SEATED, LEFT TO RIGHT, JORDAN ROBBINS’ WIFE HARRIET ROBBINS AND HIS SON, BRADD ROBBINS. BACK ROW STANDING, LEFT TO RIGHT ARE, ABIGAIL MOHR, BENNETT MOHR, GLEN MOHR, ILYSE ROBBINS MOHR, ZACHARY ROBBINS, SYRENE ROBBINS, AND JACOB ROBBINS.

majewishledger.com

VOTE FOR

LOVVORN- NOV 3 TracyForCongress.com/JL

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

Paid for by Tracy Lovvorn for Congress

| OCTOBER 16, 2020

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Please Join our 2020 Annual Campaign If you’ve been involved in community activities, you’ve seen our logo, but do you know how the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts benefits you?

tegic thinking about our path forward together. In cooperation with all the Jewish organizations in the area, we are creating a road map for our community’s future.

•

We provide grants and allocations to local Jewish agencies, synagogues, and schools.

•

We provide free books to children through PJ Library Western Massachusetts.

•

We organize events and empower female leaders through Women’s Philanthropy.

As always, we are here to help see individuals, families, and Jewish organizations through challenging times like these. Over the past four months, we have been working in partnership with local agencies to keep our institutions and our people safe and strong through the Healthy Community Emergency Fund.

•

We reduce food waste and provide food to those in need through Rachel’s Table.

In the face of these unprecedented challenges, and on the cusp of the community’s bright future, we need your help.

We are building the future of Jewish life in the We recognize that these are unusual times, and we’re all struggling to adapt. Much is left to be Pioneer Valley through NextGen. done. We cannot do it without you. Your donation The Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts today to our 2020 Annual Campaign will help our has been supporting and sustaining vibrant Jewish people and our institutions not only to survive, but life in Western Massachusetts for 94 years, through to thrive. times of hardship and times of abundance.

Our community needs you. Will you help us?

Right now we are preparing to present the results of the first community study done in over 50 years.

This was a vital first step towards intelligent, stra•

If not now, when? jewishwesternmass.org/give majewishledger.com

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

| OCTOBER 16, 2020

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BONDS BUILDING BONDS

On its 70th birthday, honoring generations of sound (JNS) If anyone in your family celebrated a bar or bat mitzvah, a wedding or the birth of a baby after Sept. 3, 1950, then the chances are good at least one Israel bond was received as a gift – one that for seven decades remains a gift that keeps giving.

It’s been exactly 70 years this month since Israeli Prime Minister David BenGurion announced the concept of Israel bonds to a group of leaders at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. The following year (in 1951) he launched the U.S. campaign from the stage of New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Since that time, more than $45 billion has been invested in the State of Israel from the sale of Israel bonds, a flow of support in good times and bad. The organization continues to invite Diaspora Jewry, speaking with their investment dollars, to be a key partner in the blossoming of what was once a tiny beleaguered land into one of the world’s flourishing First World economies.

But how many of the millions on the receiving end of these bonds–and how many of those loving grandparents, aunts and uncles, second cousins (some once removed) and friends who purchased them could have known the miracles each bond performed?

And the ones that they continue to perform.

There is basically no area of Israel’s seismic growth and development that hasn’t benefited directly from bonds, the vast majority of them bought by Jews in the Diaspora over the last seven decades.

‘Surrounded by enemies who would not be trading partners’ Growing up in the Jewish state, Israel Maimon was surrounded with this very infrastructure – only years later did he realize how much of it was funded by Diaspora Jews’ purchases of bonds.

“In the beginning, Israel was an isolated island,” he says. “Unlike other countries, where they have markets in their neighboring countries, we were surrounded by enemies who would not be trading partners.”

In the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, Israel Bonds “was a key resource in the building of roads, bridges and tunnels needed for industries to grow, for neighborhoods to grow, as well as the development of Israel’s entire economy,” says Maimon, who served as government secretary for prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert before moving to New York four years ago to take the job of president and CEO of Israel Bonds.

It was that initial infrastructure that the country’s phenomenal economic growth is built upon, he adds. “Made possible by the support Israel received in her first three decades, in the 1980s, she began to emerge into the economy you see today – a world leader in high-tech powered by outside investments and a developed Westernculture country alone in a region that does not share its values.”

“Bonds are the best of both worlds,” insists the 54-year-old. “They give people who care about Israel the opportunity to combine their loyalty and love for her with a financially rewarding investment for them and their children. Every dollar invested strengthens the only Jewish state on the planet.”

‘Dire needs of a new state with enormous demands’ By 1950, two years after its birth, Israel was still hobbled by the aftereffects of its long and painful War of Independence and deflecting ongoing Arab attacks. Add to the costs of self-defense the influx of needy refugees – many of them Holocaust survivors – a scarcity of food and subpar

health conditions, and the infant state’s economy was seriously stymied.

Ben-Gurion knew that. And though he met with some initial resistance – there were those who worried that the bonds wouldn’t be worth the paper they were written on – leadership took an aggressive approach of canvassing Diaspora communities to sell them, making every purchaser a partner in the growth of the state.

But as visionary as Ben-Gurion proved to be, 70 years later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Bonds supporters at last month’s virtual celebration that “even he, Israel’s founding prime minister, could not have foreseen the extraordinary success of Israel Bonds.”

And Ben-Gurion was not alone in championing the idea of a bonds campaign, says Ilan Troen, the Karl, Harry and Helen Stoll Professor of Israel Studies Emeritus at Brandeis University.

In a little-known piece of history, says Troen, “the person who imagined and should be credited with the concept of Israel Bonds is Henry Morgenthau Jr., the long-serving secretary of the treasury under [President] Franklin D. Roosevelt and head of the United Jewish Appeal after the war.”

Having had experience launching

ISRAELI MILITARY LEADER AND POLITICIAN MOSHE DAYAN ADDRESSING AN EARLY ISRAEL BONDS RALLY.

ISRAEL MAIMON, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ISRAEL BONDS.

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d investment America’s “war bonds” (now known as savings bonds) just a few years earlier, Morgenthau “brought this option to Ben-Gurion’s attention even before the establishment of Israel in May 1948. BenGurion ultimately adopted the idea and launched the first Israel Bonds campaign in 1951.”

Though the prime minister was at first resistant to the idea – his concern, explains Troen, was that making Israel an investment might water down the philanthropic momentum driving financial support by Diaspora Jewry – “it was only the dire needs of the new state with enormous demands on its inadequate resources for meeting development, immigration and defense needs that persuaded Ben-Gurion to accept Morgenthau’s repeated attempts at persuasion.”

Once launched, early Bonds enthusiasts included American labor unions, most notably during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, along with state and municipal publicemployee pension and treasury funds that have bought up billions of dollars’ worth over the years. And no less than investment maven billionaire and philanthropist Warren Buffett has purchased $5 million worth of the bonds, describing them as “a deserved endorsement of a remarkable country.”

“Golda [Meir] liked to use the line, ‘The day should come when Israel doesn’t need a handout, but the day should never come when Israel is not a good investment.’ ” So says longtime Bonds activist Susan Weikers, who was the first female national chair and currently serves on Bonds’ National Campaign Advisory Council and as treasurer of its international board of directors.

Though she lives in Baltimore, Weikers’ “second life is in Israel,” where for more than a half-century she’s made the trip four or five times annually.

Highlights of her activity with Bonds include sipping tea with Netanyahu in her home and the privilege, due to their last name’s alphabetical proximity, of being seated next to author Elie Wiesel at numerous events over the years.

majewishledger.com

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER DAVID BEN-GURION CONVENES THE ISRAEL BONDS FOUNDING CONFERENCE.

The next generation: ‘They own this story’ But Weikers’ favorite audience remains not celebrities, but young people.

“They don’t know a world without Israel and, with survivors leaving us every day and their memories fading from world awareness, they don’t realize what Jewish life was like in 1950, just a few years after the camps were liberated,” she says.

So how does one keep the Jewish passion for Israel alive for the next generation? One of Weikers’ favorite tactics is approaching young adults at events to share stories of Jews, Israel and survival.

“I want them to begin to feel they own this story and this place – that Israelis are our brothers. And, if anyone says anything derogatory, that we need to tell them you don’t insult my brother.”

Indeed, Maimon reports the organization is grooming its next generation of leaders through mentoring, leadershiptraining programs, Israel trips, socialmedia campaigns and events that cater to the young. Other attractors include the affordability (bonds start at $36).

Moreover, whereas other organizations are dealing with shortfalls in the wake of COVID-19, Israel’s Finance Ministry agreed

to the request of Israel Bonds to extend its 2020 goal to $1.7 billion, which would be a record high.

The big difference? “We’re an investment,” states Maimon. “The economic forecast, despite temporary setbacks, is that Israel will rebound more quickly and stronger than other countries so that although the debt is rising due to the pandemic, the ability of the country to repay it is better. And the will of the Jewish people to support Israel is strong, so it’s considered a good investment no matter what.”

As Netanyahu told the celebration audience: “Bonds played a crucial role in the founding years of Israel’s economy, helped make it a free-market economy of first-rate innovators, the startup nation of the world. … The passion for the State of Israel has been with us over the decades in good times and bad.”

One point of particular pride: Never once, even in times of war or recession or intifada, has Israel defaulted on its bonds.

“After 70 years, everyone knows we will always stand behind them,” says Maimon.

“And there’s no commission, so every penny is an investment in Israel’s strong future.”

In fact, bonds strengthen the bonds between Israel and Diaspora Jews, he notes.

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

“These invisible but powerful ties go both ways. When you invest in something, you always check to see what’s going on with it; it’s important to you. And Israelis know that much of what they have now has been made possible by Jews living very different lives many miles away.”

So, when an Israeli Bond is given for a wedding or new baby or bar or bat mitzvah, “it’s a double mitzvah,” emphasizes Maimon. “You’re buying into the Jewish homeland and giving it as a gift to the next generation.”

For more information on Development Corporation for Israel/Israel Bonds, visit: www. israelbonds.com or contact Barbara Starr, Israel Bonds representative for Western Mass./CT at barbara.starr@israelbonds.com or hartford@israelbonds.com.; or in Central Mass. contact boston@israelbonds.com or call Toll Free No: 1 (800) 752-5651.

Photos courtesy of Development Corporation for Israel/Israel Bonds.

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News and Jewish Community Update

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jewishcentralmass.org

POSITIONED FOR SUCCESS ach year during the High Holidays I visit our local congregations to address our community members. I report on Federation’s work and our priorities for the year ahead.

This year because of COVID I didn’t have the opportunity to give these remarks so I am hoping during the course of the year I will be able to reach our local Jewish households in other ways. It’s essential that our community members recognize that Jewish Federation’s work is STEVEN SCHIMMEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR more relevant than ever, more needed this year than it was last year, more essential than it was before. Our Jewish institutions and our Jewish families need support and encouragement. Being Jewish in modern times is a choice- and data from around the country indicate that too often the choice is apathy over involvement. Jewish Federation is helping to reverse the course of this trend. In many ways our efforts have yielded promising results. Locally we have more young children receiving PJ Library books today than at any other time, we have more names in our database today than we did five years ago, there are more young leaders involved today than there were in recent years, we had over 100 new donors to this past year’s annual campaign and

more young people are giving, we gave out more scholarships to summer camp and other Jewish programs this past year than we have in recent years and our community is attracting new Jewish families. All of these are trends to celebrate, but we also need to recognize that if we are to reach our potential and ensure that Central MA is the strongest and most vibrant Jewish community that it can be, we must ensure that resources are there to make it so.

Jewish Federation’s Annual Campaign is the best way to be our partner in building, protecting and sustaining Jewish life. There is still so much opportunity- there are likely many hundreds of Jewish households and potentially thousands of Jewish individuals in our community living among us who aren’t involved. We need to find new ways of reaching them, and at the same time strengthening our institutions so that more new families move to our community. The future is bright in Central MA for so many reasons and forecasts show that this is a region poised for growth and development, we might not have an opportunity like this again for a long time and it will be disappointing if we don’t do all we can now to make sure that we are in a position to benefit from it. Let’s join together this year, let’s get everyone involved, each of us must act as an ambassador for our community, each of us should get our friends involved, become a members, become donors, celebrate Jewish life, be our partner.

STAY CONNECTED PJ LIBRARY AND PJ OUR WAY

Wednesday, November 4th, 8:00 pm via Zoom, “Session 3: How Covid-19 has Impacted Special Education” Daily Virtual PJ Library Programs at www.pjlibrary.org/familyactivities Bi-Monthly PJ Library Storytime with Beth Tikvah and Congregation B’nai Shalom TBA

YAD

Monthly Virtual Shabbats and Events TBA Sunday, November 1, 4:00 pm via Zoom, LEAD Program with Rachel Fish: “Combatting Antisemistism”

CHAVERIM TBA

COMMUNITY-WIDE See Flyers

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Mindy Hall, Director of Outreach and Engagement, mhall@jfcm.org.

YAD ENJOYING PHYSICALLY TOGETHER BUT SOCIALLY DISTANT GATHERINGS AT A PRE-ROSH HASHANAH PICNIC, AND A SUKKOT HIKE WITH SOME OF OUR PJ LIBRARY FAMILIES 14

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News and Jewish Community Update

jewishcentralmass.org

“WHEN WE GIVE CHEERFULLY AND ACCEPT GRATEFULLY, EVERYONE IS BLESSED” –Maya Angelou

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By Leah Shuldiner e are all familiar with Maimonides’s levels of giving:

The greatest level, above which there is no greater, is to support a fellow Jew by endowing him with a gift or loan, or entering into a partnership with him, or finding employment for him, in order to strengthen his hand so that he will not need to be dependent upon others ENDOWING HIM WITH A GIFT – that’s what LIFE & LEGACYTM is all about, helping you to reach the highest level of giving by endowing the Jewish organizations that are most important to you.

It reminds me of another quote from Kahlil Gibran: And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue; They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its

fragrance into space.

Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth.

I love the image of the flowering tree giving its fragrance to the winds, never knowing who will smell it or if it will be appreciated. Legacy giving is like that too.

It is a leap of faith that those who come after you will steward your gifts wisely for the good of the community.

It is giving for the joy of giving, not for the control of knowing how it will be spent.

It is trust in the future, faith in the children, love for what you will never know.

It is mystery and action and building foundation and adventure all rolled up into one.

I truly get giddy when I talk about legacy giving. This isn’t my profession because it’s a job that was available. It’s my profession because I am constantly inspired by the stories of you who give. I am constantly

awed by you who as volunteers put so much loving effort into creating the future. I am LEAH SHULDINER truly excited to watch communities come alive when you give with joy and we receive with pride and commitment.

I made my first legacy commitment when I was 27 and wrote my first will. It was a simple remainder statement, and I never told anyone, but it filled me with pride to know it was there. It was my secret gift to the world.

The myrtle give us its scent.

The apple gives us its fruit.

What will your legacy be?

To create your Jewish Legacy, contact Leah Shuldiner at legacy@jfcm.org

Physically together but socially distant for (pre) Rosh Hashanah. Thank you to all our wonderful staff and volunteers who helped make our Central Mass Community’s ON BEHALF OF THE Rosh Hashanah Drive -Thru a success.

BOARD STAFF300 boxes of sumptuous goodies, and 200 We putAND together OF THEgift bags. We couldn’t have done it without you PJ Library JEWISH all. A specialOF thank you to the Torah Center for being our FEDERATION co-partner in making this happen, as well as all of our CENTRAL MA, WE WISH YOU ALL community synagogues and organizations that participated.

A VERY HAPPY And, a big shout out to our PJ Library Parent Council for HEALTHY AND helping to sponsor the PJ Library gift bags.

SWEET NEW YEAR. #togetherasone majewishledger.com

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| OCTOBER 16, 2020

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MILESTONES B’NAI MITZVAH ANNA BELLVILLE, daughter of Amy and Dean Bellville, will celebrate her bat mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 17. They are members of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough.

JOSEPH CARRIGAN, son of John and Liza Carrigan, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 17. They are members of Temple Emanuel Sinai in Worcester.

WILLIAM EISENSTOCK, son of Jordan and Kimberly Eisenstock, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 7. They are members of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough.

SARAH GELARDI, daughter of Heather and William Gelardi, will celebrate her bat mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 24. They are members of Temple Emanuel Sinai.

LEXI JACKSON, daughter of Debbie and Martin Jackson, will celebrate her bat mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 7. They are members of Temple Emanuel Sinai.

ARI LEVINE, son of Jeremy and Susan Levine, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 17. They are members of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough.

NATHANIEL LEWIS, son of Laurie and Joseph Lewis, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 17. They are members of Sinai Temple in Springfield.

CONNOR MCINERNEY, son of Jodie and Timothy McInerney, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 31. They are members of Temple Emanuel Sinai in Worcester.

EVAN ORENSTEIN, son of David and Allison Orenstein, celebrated his bar mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 10. They are members of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough.

DANIEL SCHANZER, son of Andres and Andrea Schanzer, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 24. They are members of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough.

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MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

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SYNAGOGUE DIRECTORY Western and Central Massachusetts

AMHERST

Jewish Community of Amherst Reconstructionist Rabbi Benjamin Weiner (413) 256-0160 info@jcamherst.org www.jcamherst.org 742 Main St., Amherst, MA 01002

ATHOL

Temple Israel Unaffiliated/Egalitarian Reb Sarah Noyovitz (978) 249-9481 templeisraelathol@gmail.com 107 Walnut Street Athol, MA 01331

BENNINGTON, VT

Congregation Beth El Reconstructionist Rabbi Micah Becker Klein (802) 442-9645 cbevtoffice@gmail.com www.cbevermont.org 225 North St., Bennington, VT 05201

CLINTON

Congregation Shaarei Zedeck Conservative Lay Leadership - Elena Feinberg (978) 501-2744 sherryesq@yahoo.com www.shaareizedeck.org 104 Water St., Clinton, MA 01510

FLORENCE

Beit Ahavah, The Reform Synagogue of Greater Northampton Reform Rabbi Riqi Kosovske (413) 587-3770 info@beitahavah.org www.beitahavah.org 130 Pine St. Florence, MA 01062

GREENFIELD

Temple Israel of Greenfield Unaffiliated Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener (413) 773-5884 office@templeisraelgreenfield.org www.templeisraelgreenfield.org 27 Pierce St. Greenfield, MA 01301

HOLYOKE

Congregation Rodphey Sholom Orthodox Rabbi Tuvia Helfen Religious Leader (413) 534-5262 djs1818@aol.com 1800 Northampton St., Holyoke, MA 01040 Congregation Sons of Zion Conservative Rabbi Saul Perlmutter (413) 534-3369 office@sonsofzionholyoke.org www.sonsofzionholyoke.org 378 Maple St. Holyoke, MA 01040

LEOMINSTER

Congregation Agudat Achim Conservative Rabbi Eve Eichenholtz (978) 534-6121 office@agudat-achim.org www.agudat-achim.org 268 Washington St., Leominster, MA 01453

LONGMEADOW

Congregation B’nai Torah Orthodox Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe Rabbi Yakov Wolff (413) 567-0036 office@bnaitorahma.org rabbi@bnaitorahma.org www.bnaitorahma.org 2 Eunice Drive Longmeadow, MA 01106 Neighborhood Minyan 124 Sumner Avenue Springfield, MA 01108

Central Mass Chabad Rabbi Mendel Fogelman, Rabbi Chaim Fishman, Rabbi Michael Phillips, Cantor Eli Abramowitz (508) 752-0904 rabbi@centralmasschabad.com www.centralmasschabad.com 22 Newton Avenue, Worcester, MA 01602

WESTBOROUGH

Beth Tikvah Synagogue

Independent HARRY ENTEN

Rabbi Michael Swarttz (COURTESY OF CNN)

(508) 616-9037 president@bethtikvahsynagogue.org www.bethtikvahsynagogue.org 45 Oak St., Westborough, MA 01581

NORTHAMPTON

Congregation B’nai Israel Conservative Rabbi Justin David (413) 584-3593 office@CBINorthampton.org www.CBINorthampton.org 253 Prospect St. Northampton, MA 01060

Congregation B’nai Shalom Reform Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz/ Rabbi-Educator Joseph Eiduson (508) 366-7191 info@cbnaishalom.org www.cbnaishalom.org 117 East Main St., PO Box 1019, Westborough, MA 01581

PITTSFIELD

Temple Anshe Amunim Reform Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (413) 442-5910 rabbiliz@ansheamunim.org www.ansheamunim.org 26 Broad St., Pittsfield, MA 01201

SPRINGFIELD

WORCESTER

Temple Beth El Conservative Rabbi Amy Walk Katz (413) 733-4149 office@tbesprinfield.org www.tbespringfield.org 979 Dickinson St., Springfield, MA 01108

WESTFIELD

Sinai Temple Reform Rabbi Jeremy Master (413) 736-3619 rblanchettegage@sinai-temple.org www.sinai-temple.org 1100 Dickinson St., Springfield, MA 01108

Congregation Ahavas Achim Unaffiliated Cantor Colman Reaboi (413) 642-1797 ahavasachiminquiry@gmail.com www.congregationahavasachim.org Ferst Interfaith Center, Westfield State University PO Box 334, 577 Western Avenue, Westfield, MA 01086 Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AhavasAchimWestfield/

Congregation Beth Israel Conservative Rabbi Aviva Fellman (508) 756-6204 receptionist@bethisraelworc.org www.bethisraelworc.org 15 Jamesbury Drive Worcester, MA 01609 Congregation Shaarai Torah West Orthodox Rabbi Yakov Blotner (508) 791-0013 Brotman156@aol.com www.shaaraitorah.org 835 Pleasant St. Worcester, MA 01602 Temple Emanuel Sinai Reform Rabbi Valerie Cohen (508) 755-1257 amayou@emanuelsinai.org www.emanuelsinai.org 661 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609

To join our synagogue directory, contact Howard Meyerowitz at (860) 231-2424 x3035 or howardm@jewishledger.com majewishledger.com

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

| OCTOBER 16, 2020

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Briefs Homeland Security report: White supremacists the biggest terror threat in US (JTA) – A new report from the Department of Homeland Security names white supremacists as the biggest domestic terror threat in the United States. The Homeland Threat Assessment, released on Tuesday, Oct. 6, details an array of violent domestic threats in the United States. It also notes that, among other qualities, white supremacists are characterized by their hate of Jews, or by “their perception that the government is controlled by Jewish persons.”

The report comes a month after a whistleblower, Brian Murphy, alleged that in writing the Homeland Threat Assessment, he was asked by highranking Homeland Security appointees “to specifically modify the section on White Supremacy in a manner that made the threat appear less severe, as well as include information on the prominence of violent ‘left-wing’ groups.”

In the foreward to the report, Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said white supremacists are his main focus. “I am concerned about any form of violent extremism,” Wolf wrote. “However, I am particularly concerned about white supremacist violent extremists who have been exceptionally lethal in their abhorrent, targeted attacks in recent years.”

Trump frequently stresses what he perceived as the dangers of antifa, a loose network of anti-fascist activists. The word “antifa” does not appear in the Homeland Security report.

According to the report, since 2018, white supremacist extremists have been responsible for more attacks and more deaths than any other ideologically motivated extremists. White supremacists have also conducted half of the sixteen total extremist attacks committed since 2018, killing a total of 39 people. Though not specified in the report, that number presumably includes the victims of the synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway, California.

Among all domestic violent extremists, “racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists – specifically white supremacist extremists (WSEs) – will remain the most persistent and lethal threat in the Homeland,” the report says. “WSEs have demonstrated longstanding intent to target racial and religious minorities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, politicians, and those they believe promote multiculturalism and globalization at the expense of the WSE identity.”

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House resolution condems QAnon, including for its antisemitism (JTA) – The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly condemned the QAnon conspiracy theory, citing among other reasons its antisemitism. The nonbinding resolution passed 371-18, with all but one of the no votes by Republicans. The other was Rep. Justin Amash, I-Mich., who routinely votes against declarative resolutions. Reps. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., and Denver Riggleman, R-Va., sponsored the measure, which “condemns QAnon and rejects the conspiracy theories it promotes.”

Its preamble says that “many QAnon followers express antisemitic views, and the Anti-Defamation League has said that the movement’s central conspiracy theory includes antisemitic elements.” Conspiracy theories “have been a central driver of antisemitism for centuries,” the preamble adds, “and QAnon conspiracy theories are fanning the flames as antisemitism is on the rise in the United States and around the world.”

QAnon advances a baseless theory that President Donald Trump is seeking to rout a network of pedophiles deep inside the government. Trump has not denounced the theory.

Malinowski has been targeted for death threats by QAnon followers based in part on a false claim that he once advocated for pedophiles. An ad by the National Republican Congressional Committee made the false claim. Riggleman, a moderate Republican, was ousted this summer in a primary by a conservative challenger who made an issue of Riggleman’s support for gay rights. The passage of this resolution will be one of his final acts in his two years in Congress.

A number of Republican congressional nominees have been identified with the theory and one, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, is guaranteed election in her deeply conservative district.

Roman Polanski’s Holocaust saviors named Righteous Among the Nations (JTA) – Israel is set to honor the couple who rescued Jewish film director Roman Polanski from the Holocaust. A grandson of Stefania and Jan Buchała will accept the medal naming them posthumously as Righteous Among the Nations, a title that Israel confers on non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews from the Nazis, Haaretz reported. The ceremony will take place in Poland next week.

The Buchalas hid Polanski, then 10 years old, from 1943 to the end of World War II after his father smuggled him out

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of the Krakow ghetto. Yad Vashem, Israel’s state Holocaust museum, recognized the Buchałas’ actions last year. The couple died in the 1950s.

Last month, Israel also presented the medal to the descendants of four couples in neighboring Lithuania: Stanislava and Juozas Gaižauskas; Palionė and Juozas Sturonai; Petronėlė and Pranas Šimka and Petronė and Vincent Pocius. The ceremony was part of a Sept. 24 conference in the city of Kaunas celebrating the actions of Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who, along with his Dutch counterpart Jan Zwartendijk, gave life-saving visas to thousands of Jews fleeing the Holocaust.

Zwartendijk, who died in 1976, was also honored at a separate event in The Hague organized on Sept. 22 by the Lithuanian embassy to the Netherlands.

Polanski, 87, has been formally accused of raping a minor in 1977; he has evaded charges by living in Europe for decades.

Foreign ministers of Israel, UAE, Germany visit Berlin Holocaust Memorial (JNS) Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan visited the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin together on Tuesday, Oct. 6, during their first meeting together in the German capital. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who joined them on the tour of the site – officially called The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe – said during a “The willingness to deal together with the most horrific chapters of history is something that cannot be taken for granted, we know that also here in Germany. But it highlights how serious you are in your efforts for good bilateral cooperation and relations,” said Maas.

“This step has also got things moving in the region; Bahrain, which has now also decided to take up diplomatic relations with Israel, is one example. Saudi Arabia, which has opened its airspace for direct flights from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi, is another. This momentum, and the same courage, will help us to create new momentum to overcome the impasse in the Middle East peace process,” said Maas.

Bin Zayed said that in the wake of the Abraham Accords, “the Middle East is witnessing a new chapter on its path towards freedom and peace.”

“I would like to assure you that the opportunities in our region for more cooperation in different sectors exist, in terms of security and also in terms of technology. On an international level, the Emirates is committed, together with its Israeli partners and its German partners, to fulfill this role,” he said.

Ashkenazi thanked his UAE counterpart for his initiative in setting up the meeting,

saying, “I would like to thank your country for the courage and the farsightedness and the vision you have for promoting peace through the peace accords,” he said.

Ashkenazi then turned to the joint visit to the Holocaust Memorial. Their presence there together symbolized the beginning of a new era of hope and peace, Ashkenazi tweeted.

“The three of us stood there in silence and we commemorated the victims, and for the first time in history, a representative – a foreign minister – of an Arab state was present. Together, we promised each other to never forget,” he said at the press conference.

At the press conference, Ashkenazi concluded his remarks by urging the Palestinians to resume peace talks. “I would like to take this opportunity to call on the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table,” he said. “Only through direct negotiations will we be able to find a solution to the conflict. The longer we drag this out and the longer we wait for negotiations to begin, the more complex it will be, and it will be transferred to future demonstrations. They will be faced with a difficult reality.”

US court: Iran must to pay $1.4 billion to family of former FBI agent (JNS) A U.S. court has ordered the Iranian government to pay more than $1.4 billion in punitive and compensatory damages to the family of former FBI agent and Jewish American Robert Levinson, who disappeared in 2007 while visiting Iran and working part-time for the CIA. He is believed to have died while in Iranian custody. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled last week that Levinson’s family be awarded $107 million in compensatory damages and $1.3 billion in punitive damages.

“Iran’s conduct here is also unique, given that – astonishingly – it plucked a former FBI and DEA special agent from the face of the earth without warning, tortured him, held him captive for as long as 13 years, and to this day refuses to admit its responsibility,” said Kelly in his ruling. “And his wife and children, and their spouses and children – while keeping Levinson’s memory alive – have had to proceed with their lives without knowing his exact fate.

These are surely acts worthy of the gravest condemnation,” he added.

Levinson’s family applauded the judge’s ruling. “This judgment is the first step in the pursuit of justice for Robert Levinson, an American patriot, who was kidnapped and subjected to unimaginable suffering for more than 13 years,” said his family in a statement.

“Until now, Iran has faced no consequences for its actions. Judge Kelly’s

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decision won’t bring Bob home, but we hope that it will serve as a warning against further hostage-taking by Iran,” said the family. “We intend to find any and every avenue, and pursue all options, to seek justice for Robert Levinson.”

Tehran has yet to respond to the ruling.

Jewish groups to Congress: Increase security funding for religious institutions (JNS) Three Jewish organizations joined almost a dozen faith groups calling on Congress to increase security funding for religious institutions.

The Orthodox Union, the Jewish Federations of North America and Agudath Israel of America joined eight other faith organizations to call on Congress to dramatically increase funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) so that synagogues, churches, mosques and other houses of worship, as well as religious schools and other at-risk nonprofit entities, can bolster building security against the threat of attacks.

In its letter to congressional leaders, the interfaith coalition called for quadrupling the annual allocation for the NSGP to $360 million for fiscal year 2021 so that more institutions can be covered under the program. The groups claimed that the program’s $90 million allocation for the past year left the majority of applicants empty-handed.

The NSGP provides grants of up to $100,000 each to nonprofits at risk of terrorist attacks so they may improve building security by acquiring and installing items ranging from fences, lighting and video surveillance to metal detectors and blast-resistant doors, locks and windows.

Funding may also be used to train staff and pay for contracted security personnel.

Facebook to ban pages supporting QAnon (JTA) – Months after beginning to remove QAnon content discussing violence, Facebook and Instagram are now removing all pages and accounts representing the pro-Donald Trump conspiracy theory with antisemitic overtones. QAnon is a false but growing conspiracy theory that alleges that a cabal of liberal, globalist elites sexually abuses children and harvests their blood, and wants to take down Trump. It has been endorsed by Republican candidates for Congress, and Trump has declined to condemn it. Officials say that it is also influencing voters ahead of next month’s election. Scholars of antisemitism say the conspiracy theory is a new version of ageold antisemitic stereotypes regarding Jewish conspiratorial control of world affairs.

They also say it echoes the blood libel, the antisemitic conspiracy theory claiming that

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Jews use the blood of non-Jewish children for ritual purposes.

Facebook first took action against QAnon in August, when it began removing 1,500 QAnon pages and groups that discussed violence. Now, it will remove all QAnon content, even if it doesn’t explicitly refer to violence. In August, before Facebook began taking action against QAnon, its affiliated groups had millions of members on Facebook, according to NBC. Its content is often created and spread by its adherents, which means that it has subsumed other conspiracy theories and expanded in scope as it has attracted more followers.

“While we’ve removed QAnon content that celebrates and supports violence, we’ve seen other QAnon content tied to different forms of real world harm,” Facebook said in a statement. “Additionally, QAnon messaging changes very quickly and we see networks of supporters build an audience with one message and then quickly pivot to another.”

The action by Facebook comes after a summer in which a coalition of civil rights groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, led an advertising boycott of Facebook to protest what they called its failure to adequately combat hate speech.

YouTube removes Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam channel (JTA) – YouTube has removed the video channel of the Nation of Islam, the organization led by Louis Farrakhan.

YouTube said it removed the channel on Oct. 2, citing its policies against hate speech. “We have strict policies prohibiting hate speech on YouTube, and terminate any channel that repeatedly or egregiously violates those policies,” said the statement.

YouTube said it has removed 25,000 channels for hate speech. Some individual accounts of Nation of Islam members are still up, with tens of thousands of followers.

Farrakhan is a longtime, vehement antisemite who has railed against “wicked Jews,” praised Adolf Hitler, condemned the “synagogue of Satan,” likened Jews to termites and accused them of controlling the U.S. government. He also has a history of homophobia. This past summer, a string of celebrities defended or praised Farrakhan and echoed his antisemitic rhetoric. A July 4 speech in which Farrakhan called Jews the “enemy of God” has been viewed more than a million times, according to the Anti-Defamation League. That month the ADL called Farrakhan the “most popular antisemite in America.”

YouTube has also removed white supremacists from its platform this year, including Richard Spencer and David Duke.

ELECTION 2020 Jewish Democratic Council releases ‘Kaddish’ ad, blasting Trump’s response to COVID-19

BY JACKSON RICHMAN

Our loss is magnified by the knowledge that this tragedy could have been avoided.

(JNS) The political action committee of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, JDCA PAC, released an ad on Tuesday featuring the Jewish mourner’s Kaddish in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial actions and video statements about COVID-19 after he returned to the White House on Monday, Oct. 5. The president had spent three nights at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center being treated for symptoms associated with the coronavirus.

The jarring ad features a photo of a stone about to be put on top of a grave marker that already consists of stones on top of it, in accordance with Jewish tradition.

Alongside the Kaddish being recited is audio of Trump’s past statements on the pandemic, such as “It is what it is,” as an increasing number of COVID-19 deaths flash across the screen. To date, more than 7.5 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 with nearly 215,000 recorded deaths as a result of the highly infectious disease.

The ad ends with the word “VOTE” at the conclusion of the Kaddish.

President Trump has shown he is incapable of protecting us from this pandemic.

We must vote for change.

– Jewish Dems ???? (@USJewishDems) “The Jewish community is in mourning due to the devastating human loss of from the coronavirus, and many of us are saying Kaddish. Each Saturday, my father and I attended shul together until he contracted and succumbed to the virus a few months ago,” said JDCA chairman and former Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.) in a statement.

“The Jewish community in South Florida, including my own family, has been deeply impacted by this devastating disease. The magnitude of this tragedy could have been avoided.”

Republican Jewish Coalition executive director Matt Brooks told JNS, “This ad does nothing to win over undecided voters; it’s awful. If a voter already feels Trump mishandled the virus, then they’re already voting for [Joe] Biden … couple that with the fact that they aren’t spending any money on it, and it all adds up to a big zero.”

The ad is actually part of a $250,000 ad campaign by JDCA PAC.

Jewish voters mourn the more than 210,000 American lives lost to COIVD-19.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ‘Tehran’ is a groundbreaking Israeli spy show about immigrant identity

BY LIO ZALTZMAN

(JTA) – It all started in 2014, with an e-mail that arrived in Dana Eden’s inbox with the subject line: “Tehran.”

“I said to myself, ‘Oh my God, that’s an amazing title,’” said Eden. “That’s a show I would really want to see, I hope that what’s written inside will be as good as the title is.”

What was inside were three possible opening scenes to “Tehran,” a thriller about a young Israeli Mossad agent in Iran. Eden would go on to create the show for Israel’s KAN11 broadcaster along with Maor Cohen and Moshe Zonder, a head writer for the Israeli hit “Fauda.” The show debuted on KAN earlier this year and the first three episodes became available to global audiences on Friday, Sept. 25, on Apple TV+.

easily master the Iranian tongue. But Farsi took her by surprise.

“The pronunciation of Farsi is so different than Hebrew, or Arabic, I had really to change things in my mouth in order to say those words,” Sultan said.

The show is unparalleled in its production values for an Israeli series. The crew re-modeled entire streets and houses in Athens to look like the Iranian capital.

Iranian refugees flew in from all over Europe to take part as extras.

“We also had an Iranian immigrant into Israel, he was in charge of authenticity on set, that it will look Iranian and authentic,” said Eden, who like most Israelis has never been to Iran. “And also he was in charge of the language, [ensuring] that [the cast] speak Farsi in an authentic way.”

The cast features Navid Negahban, who has appeared in “Homeland,” “Legion,” and “Aladdin,” and Shaun Toub, who has been in “Homeland,” “Snowpiercer,” and “Iron Man.” Toub plays Faraz, a top Iranian intelligence agent who is the cat to Tamar’s

mouse.

Toub is an Iranian Jew, but he said he didn’t draw on his personal experience for the role. “As an actor, I am blessed to say that I really approach a character in a way that I really take Shaun Toub, myself, out of it,” Toub said.

Still, he says Faraz was an incredible role to play. And he has been surprised by how many Iranians have enjoyed the show.

“I have been at the business for 33 years, and I’ve been waiting and hoping that that one day, there will be characters, as Persians and Iranians, that show [our] complexity as humans, you know, as doctors, as engineers, and not just terrorists,” he said.

Sultan, a 28-year-old rising Israeli star, says she was also drawn to Tamar’s complex, flawed character.

“She’s not, you know, the cliche of another Mossad Israeli superhero saving the world,” Sultan said. “She’s a real person.

She carries so many colors. And she’s so strong, physically and emotionally, but she’s

also afraid and insecure and makes mistakes.”

Zonder said the story is only superficially about the war between the Mossad and the Iranian nuclear program.

Its core is a tale of identity, immigration and family roots.

“The most moving reactions were from the people that families came from Iran,” Zonder said. “All of their lives, they were ashamed of their parents, and grandmother and grandfather, ashamed of their heritage.

And after seeing the show, they become proud of it.”

He added: “And they’re ashamed of themselves – of being ashamed for all those years.”

At the end, Eden says, her message for Jewish audiences is “to be proud.”

“We’re all immigrants. And wherever your homeland is, be proud of it and feel con-nected to it. And don’t lose your roots.

Always feel Jewish. And don’t ignore your past. Embrace it,” she said.

Bette Midler shines as an angry Jew in HBO’s ‘Coastal Elites’

BY CURT SCHLEIER NIV SULTAN AS TAMIR RABINYAN IN “TEHRAN.” (APPLE TV+)

“Tehran” revolves around protagonist Tamar Rabinyan, a Mossad agent played by Niv Sultan. Rabinyan is in Iran for her first mission – to hack into an Iranian nuclear reac-tor and help facilitate an Israeli Air Force attack on the site. When her mission fails, Tamar is stuck in Iran with intelligence officers on her tail.

But while the spy story of “Tehran” is suspenseful and captivating, it’s the human as-pect of the show, the way it explores the identity of Iranian immigrants to Israel and how they struggle to feel a sense of belonging, that is most compelling. Tamar immi-grated with her family to Israel as a child and her Mossad operator is of Persian back-ground as well.

Eden says “Tehran” tries to answer painful questions about Iranian Jews’ lived experi-ence.

“What do you do when you immigrate from a country and your homeland becomes your enemy country?” Eden said. “Where is your home? Where is your loyalty? Where do you put yourself?”

Sultan learned Farsi for the show. She thought that as the daughter of an Arabicspeaking Moroccan immigrant, she could 20

(JTA) – HBO debuted playwright Paul Rudnick’s “socially distanced satire” film “Coastal Elites” last week – and the star of the show is Bette Midler, whose Jewish character symbolizes the divide between America’s liberal cities and its heartland.

The film is built on five remotely filmed monologues from characters based in either New York or Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Midler plays Miriam Nessler, a retired New York City school teacher who may be the quintessential coastal elite. And one who is unapologetically Jewish, who also gets arrested for taking a red Make America Great Again hat off of a pedestrian on the street and running away with it.

“He’s wearing jeans and a windbreaker, and the hat – the red hat. You know the one. The MAGA hat. In New York City, two blocks from the Public Theater,” Nessler says of the hat-wearer. “It’s like me going to Nebraska, wearing a yarmulke, waving a rainbow flag while reading a book!”

Despite her words, Nessler doesn’t quite look down at the rest of the country.

But the truth is that she is by selfdefinition “a liberal Jewish woman. On the census, where it says religion, I don’t put down Jewish. I put down the New York

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Times.”

To clarify, the print edition.

“Reading the Times online is like having sex with a robot. It’s cleaner and faster, but you can tell the difference. New York Times online is for gentiles,” Nessler says.

The other characters are Mark Hesterman (played by Jewish actor Dan Levy), a gay actor auditioning to play the first gay super hero in a big movie; Callie Josephson (Isa Rae), a wealthy black woman who went to private school with Ivanka Trump; Clarissa Montgomery (Sarah Paulson), a woman who creates meditation videos; and Sharynn Tarrows (Kaitlyn Dever), a nurse from Wyoming who comes to New York to help during the pandemic.

Besides the very funny jokes, at the center of “Coastal Elites” is a sense of wariness, an unease because after all this time, after all the news, there is a national divide over something where there should be unity.

Rudnick noticed about a year ago that “everybody I knew on every side of the political divide was in a permanent state of anger and heart break over the future of the country.” “Coastal Elites” is the result of that feeling.

He was raised in a Jewish household, attended Hebrew school, had a bar mitzvah, but it was primarily “cultural Jewish. We’d focus on the Jewish traditions, education and culture and civic responsibility.” At dinner the family would discuss what was in the Times that morning and on that night. His parents, he says, “were very good liberals and also deeply curious. And they emphasized real engagement in life.”

Rudnick, who has written other screenplays, plays, and novels, says he is “grateful for that great Jewish comic tradition, a way of speaking that’s wry and skeptical and loving, all at the same time, which is nuts and doesn’t make any sense at all.”

BETTE MIDLER IN “COASTAL ELITES”

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Goodman

Lone Soldier

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

from your own experiences as a single person?

DG: Yes, in many ways. That’s probably been the most common question that I’ve been asked so far by people.

For me, the stakes in dating are so much higher when you are religious and the only reason you’re dating is looking for a marriage partner. And if you think that you have found the one or you have found a person that you could see yourself with, the emotions become so much more fraught. “Will she correspond with me? How come she hasn’t responded to my emails or texts for three days?”

You picture marriage, children and a family life together and at the moment that there’s a little bit of doubt about that, the whole image just disappears in your mind. So a lot of this is based on some my experiences in the actual world and in the emotional world.

JL: What would you say is the book’s genre?

DG: I wrote the back cover description of it and I think this is the best description … it “blends literary style, and a public sensibility with the romance tradition.’ So it is working within the romance tradition in a literary way, not like a mass-market romance you would pick up at the drugstore. More like Flaubert or Tolstoy literary romances, but also bringing in the traditions of the Jewish novel -- Sholom Aleichem -- and Jewish writers I studied at JTS like Henry Roth and Philip Roth and that whole tradition.

JL: Many of the characters are religious Jews and lot of the dialogue is in Yiddish and Hebrew, with sometimes a half a page of footnotes explaining them. It seems like it is for a Jewish audience, but what with all of the footnotes, do you expect a wider audience to read it too?

DG: This goes back to the intent when you are sitting down to write. I never intended anything that I’ve written in fiction to be for a particular audience But as I was writing the novel and working with the character and the way that the characters speak, it eventually became evident to me that even though I would like to have the novel read by as wide an audience as possible, the readers who will probably most appreciate this are Jewish readers with a bit of Jewish knowledge, maybe a little knowledge of Yiddish or Hebrew or both. But I put the footnotes in there so that I could attempt to make it accessible for people who do not have that knowledge.

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JL: So this book is about very religious Jews. You grew up in a Conservative household, became frum and went to yeshiva. Now you are getting your doctorate at JTS, a Conservative seminary. May I ask, what do you consider yourself to be religiously?

DG: I do not like the denominational labels. I go to Orthodox synagogues and I have an Orthodox rabbinic ordination, but I would identify as shomer mitzvoth, which literally means “one who observes the commandments” (i.e., an observant Jew). That’s what I primarily identify as, because it is a more traditional label than the newly invented 19th century terms like “Conservative, Orthodox, Reform.” I don’t not acknowledge that I’m Orthodox if someone wants to label me as such, but I just prefer the term “shomer mitzvoth.”

During his two years and eight months of IDF services, Noah served in the Special Forces unit attached to the Golani Brigade.

After eight months of training, he and his unit spent eight months of deployment throughout Judea and Samaria.

One of the most harrowing experiences Noah had was losing a fellow soldier in an explosion during an arrest his unit made in a town near Jenin this past May. “We immediately reacted to the situation, doing what we are trained to do,” he said.

“We did a search and that started a two-week long period of arrests, going to see the family, arrests, going to the family. We spent that time not sleeping, not eating, barely functioning, just on automatic…We spent two weeks from the incident until the guy was found.”

While Noah was able to call his parents in the U.S. to share his grief, as a Lone Soldier he depended a lot on the members of his unit.

“They are my best friends. These guys are going to be my best friends for the rest of my life. At the end of the day, I’ve seen these guys at their best and at their worst -- in the rain and in the cold and when you haven’t showered, when you are hungry and when you are tired, and when you have no energy for anybody, they love you from the start to the end.”

After the Covid-19 pandemic began, Noah was among thousands of IDF soldiers ordered to quarantine on base, not just to protect the soldiers from the virus, but also to maintain

JL: The main character sort of questions life and love and his situation. Do you think the book will speak to religious Jews who may have some of those same questions?

DG: I think it might resonate with certain people in the frum world who do think more and question more, and who maybe keep these questions and curiosities and conflicts to themselves. So I think there are people who are conflicted with the dueling claims on them -- how to deal with your sexuality when you have so many prohibitions that apply to it. How to deal with your creative impulses, when you’re compelled so often to just observe and follow.

The book does depict frum characters like the girl Reena, who questions it enough that she goes off the dereck -- off the path, and people of the religious Christian world, like Emma, who questioned it and left.

Eli never contemplates leaving religious observance. Its more about how is he going to deal with this romantic situation in the context of his religious observance and if it would be workable for him.

JL: The ending leaves things a little bit up in the air. Do you think you might write a sequel?

DG: I will never say never…but as of now, I have no intent to write a sequel… I will finish graduate school in May and then want to teach in a college or university. And at the same time I would love to continue writing fiction and working on my second novel. My publishers were very pleased with this novel, and they invited me to do a second novel, so that’s in the works. So I would really like to continue doing both. n

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, NOAH’S SISTER RACHEL; FATHER ROBERT; STAFF SGT. (RES.) NOAH; AND NOAH’S YOUNGER BROTHER ADAM.

military preparedness.

“It didn’t really affect us, except that we couldn’t leave base,” Noah said. “We did 41 days on base when usually you will go home for the weekend.”

It was during that time that the FIDF stepped in to address the needs of the soldiers, distributing tens of thousands of hygiene kits to combat soldiers and units adopted by FIDF. FIDF will also provided gym kits, which consist of various weights and equipment; additional snack and sweet packages; and Sony PlayStations.

“They brought a washer and dryer to the base and they brought us shampoo, shavers, and toothpaste. They play behind the scenes. Only the Americans know who the FIDF is not the Israelis. They just know that someone is looking out for them,” Noah said.

And while they look out for all IDF soldiers, FIDF takes special care of lone soldiers.

“They take Lone Soldiers on an outing each year to a water park; that was amazing. And they paid for one of my flights home,” Noah said. “Lone Soldiers are allowed to go home one month a year to visit family. And the FIDF pays for one of those flights.”

After his discharge from the IDF in June Noah took some time off, and now is looking for a job in his new home.

“I’m here for the long haul,” he said. “America is a great place to visit.” *Last name omitted for soldier’s protection. n

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OBITUARIES ABRAMOWITZ Gila (Kashi) Abramowitz, 54, of Worcester, died late last month at UMass Memorial Medical Center. She was the widow of David Abramowitz. Born and raised in London, England, she was the daughter of Ben Zion Kasha and Leah (Solemany) Halbfinger both of Israel. She graduated from Bais Chana High School in Worcester and worked as a local hairstylist for many years.

She was proud of her Jewish heritage and was an active member in the community. In addition to her parents, she is survived by two sons, Eli Abramowitz of Worcester, and Mendel Abramowitz and his wife, Menucha, of Montreal; a daughter, Chaya Abramowitz, of Worcester; three brothers, Moshe, Yakov and Shimmie, all of Israel; a sister, Chaya Miriam Biton of Israel; and three grandchildren, Chana Raizel, Aryeh Leib and Tzvi Dovid. Memorial contributions may be made to Chabad Lubavitch of Central Mass., 22 Newton Ave., Worcester, MA 01602; or Congregation Shaarai Torah West, 835 Pleasant St., Worcester, MA 01602.

RICHARD PERLMAN OF MILES FUNERAL HOME OF HOLDEN BRUNELL Charlotte (Philips) Brunell, 79, died Sept.

13 at UMass Medical Center, University Campus, after a brief illness. She was the wife of Herbert Peterson. Born in Worcester, she was the daughter of Edward Philips and Edith (Freeman) Philips Slater.

She worked for many years as a labor consultant for the Massachusetts Teachers Association. She was a longtime member of Congregation Beth Israel and Hadassah.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by two sons, Robert Storm Brunell and his companion, Brenda Landgren, of Worcester, and Jeffrey S. Brunell and his wife, Tara, or Hollywood, Fla.; three stepchildren, Paul F. Peterson and his wife, Carolyn, of St. Mary’s, Ga., Jon E. Peterson of Worcester, and Kristin M. Tupper and her husband, Bill, of Holden; 12 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by two brothers, Bernie and Hank. Memorial contributions may be made to Congregation Beth Israel, 15 Jamesbury Drive, Worcester, MA 01609; or to Rachel’s Table, 633 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609.

RICHARD PERLMAN OF MILES FUNERAL HOME OF HOLDEN DIETZ Ralph Dietz, 70, of Boston, Mass., formerly of Simsbury, Conn. and Springfield,died Sept. 7. He was the husband of Shelley (Greenberg) Dietz. Born in Niagra Falls, N.Y., he was the son of the late Russell and Mildred Diez. He graduated from Oswego State and Westfield State University with 22

a master’s in Education. He worked for Eastman Kodak and Danka, and taught in the Windsor and Springfield Mass. school systems. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Ryan, Ross (Veronica), and Brett (Tara); two grandchildren, Ronan and Greyson; and two sisters, Nancy Orsi and Margaret Diez.

He was predeceased by a sister, Sarah Lockhart.

ASCHER-ZIMMERMAN FUNERAL HOME EPSTEIN May Epstein, 102, of Leominster died Sept.

21. She was the widow of Ralph Sol Epstein.

She was born and raised in Manchester.

She was a gifted and talented student and skipped several grades as a child.

She was recognized as a talented classical violinist and studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. She worked in her family business, Economy Paint, as an interior designer until she was in her 90s. She directed and sang in the Jewish Choir at the Leominster Synagogue.

She is survived by two children, Shelia Hedges and her husband, Roy, of Granite Shoals, Tex., Mitchell Epstein and his wife, Betsy, of Oxford, Conn.; a daughterin-law, Hilda Epstein of Leominster; six grandchildren, Adrienne, Tracy, Ralph and Loren, Stewart and Marcy; and 13 greatgrandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Congregation Agudat Achim, 268 Washington St., Leominster, MA 01453.

RICHARD PERLMAN OF MILES FUNERAL HOME OF HOLDEN LEVENSON Marilyn (Slavin) Levenson, 89, formerly of Milton and Westboro, died Sept. 29, on Rosh Hashanah at the Jewish Healthcare Center in Worcester. She was the widow of Leon A. Levenson. Born in Dorchester, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Dora Slavin. She is survived by two children, Dr. Stanley Levenson and his wife, Debi, and Linda Hall and her husband, Daryl; four grandchildren, Adam Levenson, Jeremy Levenson and his wife Ali, and Danielle and Caroline Kent. She was predeceased by her son, Alan Levenson; and a brother, Gerald Slavin. Memorial contributions in her memory can be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

RICHARD PERLMAN OF MILES FUNERAL HOME OF HOLDEN LITVINOV Dr. Eugene Litvinov, 70, died Sept. 25 after complications from routine surgery. He was the husband of Yelena Litvinov. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, he was the son of Beatrisa Litvinova and Gregory Haikin. He came to the United States in 1991 with his family as a refugee from the Soviet Union and

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

| OCTOBER 16, 2020

became an American citizen, going on to volunteer his efforts to help other refugees establish fruitful lives in the Springfield area through Jewish Family Services. He worked in the field of engineering. He was chief technologist at ISO New England in Holyoke and Fellow of the IEEE. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences earlier this year for outstanding innovation, leadership, and pioneering research and development in his field. In addition to his wife he is survived by two daughters, Anna and Alexandra; two grandchildren, Jenna and Daniel; a brother, Viktor; and his extended family. Memorial contributions may be made to The Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, https:// jewishwesternmass.org/.

ASCHER-ZIMMERMAN FUNERAL HOME MEENES Rose (Perlman) Meenes, 100, of Worcester, died Sept. 26 at St. Vincent Hospital. She was the widow of Max Meenes. Born in Baltimore, Md., she was the daughter of Hyman and Lena Perlman. She had lived in Worcester for 75 years. She was a longtime member of Congregation Beth Israel, Jewish Healthcare Center, B’Nai Brith Women and The National Council of Jewish Women.

She is survived by a son, Steven Meenes of Worcester; a daughter, Deborah Schawbel and her husband, Stephen Schawbel, of Newton; and a grandson, Daniel Schawbel.

Memorial contributions may be made to Congregation Beth Israel, 15 Jamesbury Drive, Worcester, 01609; or to a charity of the donor’s choice.

RICHARD PERLMAN OF MILES FUNERAL HOME OF HOLDEN RITZ Charles (Charlie) Ritz, 93,of Cambridge, died Sept.12. He was the widower of Isa Hurowitz Ritz. Born in Worcester, he was the son of Ann and Benjamin Ritz. His father was proprietor of Slonimsky & Ritz, a kosher delicatessen that was a landmark for the Jewish residents of Worcester, and Charlie often worked there while attending Classical High School.

In 1945 he entered the Army and served for two years in Military Government in Germany, being discharged as a sergeant.

He graduated from Worcester Junior College in 1949 and became a salesman, first with The R&R Plumbing Supply, and then The Stewart Hall Chemical Company, a tennis racquet always in his car. In 1979 he established the Light and Lovely Fitness Center in Wellesley and was proprietor of the popular women’s exercise facility until his retirement in 1991. In 1992 he graduated from Hebrew College with an associates degree and then undertook the intensive two-year Me’ah Program in

Jewish Studies at the college. For the past 29 years he had been an active participant at the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement, in which he has taught a course on “The 3000-Year History of Jerusalem.” He was a member of the Worcester post of the Jewish War Veterans. He is survived by three children, Carey Goldberg and her husband, Steven (Sprax) Lines of Brookline, Morgan Ritz of Watertown; and Brett Goldberg and his wife, Eve Berenblum Goldberg of South Egremont; and three grandchildren, Tulliver (Tully ) Lines, Liliana Lines and Isa Goldberg.

He was predeceased by a sister and brotherin-law, Lillian Ritz Spiegel and Maurice Spiegel, of Worcester. Charlie had a number of close friends, among them several who have cherished him since they were boys together in Worcester. Memorial contributions may be made to The Cat Connection: https:// thecatconnection.org/donate/make-adonation/ RICHARD PERLMAN OF MILES FUNERAL HOME OF HOLDEN ROBERTS Stephen Morton Roberts, 78, died Sept. 13 of Covid-19 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He is survived by his wife Sharon (Smotrich-Kraimer) Roberts. Originally from Springfield, he moved to Enfield, Conn. where he spent most of his years until retiring and moving with his wife to Myrtle Beach, SC. He worked at Hamilton Standard and then Thrifty Car Rental, both in Windsor Locks, Conn. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a brother, Harvey Roberts and his wife, Irene, of Arizona; two daughters, Ilene O’Neil and her husband, Robert, of Coventry, Conn., and Michelle Margolis of West Hartford, Conn.; and eight grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Francine Roberts, and his grandson, Benjamin Margolis. Memorial contributions may be made to Make a Wish Foundation or Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Hartford, Conn.

ASCHER-ZIMMERMAN FUNERAL HOME ROSENBERG Herbert “Herb” Rosenberg, 63, of Feeding Hills, died Sept. 28 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was the husband of Donna Rosenberg. Born in Springfield, he was the son of the late Milton and Rhoda Rosenberg. He was an insurance salesman for many years.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, Jason Rosenberg and his wife Kelly, and their children Mason and Blake; a son David Rosenberg and his wife, Marissa, and their daughter Eliana; a daughter, Rebecca Griswold and her husband David, and their son James; a brother, Glenn Rosenberg; and a sister, Roberta Fletcher. Memorial contributions may be made to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

ASCHER-ZIMMERMAN FUNERAL HOME

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OBITUARIES

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Massachusetts court chief Ralph Gants remembered as a giant of justice

BY PENNY SCHWARTZ

OSTON (JTA) – Flags across Massachusetts were lowered to half-staff last week in honor of Ralph Gants, the first Jewish chief justice of the state’s highest court, whose death at 65 shocked the state’s legal community. Judges, lawyers, political figures and community leaders remembered Gants as a legal giant, passionate in his dedication to equal justice and steeped in compassion for people from all walks of life. “He spent his entire 40-year legal career dedicated to justice and the integrity of law,� Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Gants’ death was announced on Monday, Sept. 14 by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 10 days after he was hospitalized following a heart attack. Gants had anticipated resuming his duties, initially on a limited basis, according to a statement he released. The cause of death has not yet been disclosed. Courthouses across the state closed Friday, Sept. 18 in Gants’ honor.

Speaking emotionally about Gants, Baker described Gants as an exceptional leader who “led the court with honor and distinction.�

Gants was renowned for his intelligence and his humility. He pressed for prison reform and fair sentencing, among other issues. A report from Harvard Law School on racial disparities in the Massachusetts legal system Helen Reddy, who sang the feminist anthem ‘I Am Woman,’ dies at 78 (JTA) – Singer Helen Reddy, a Grammy Award winner for the feminist anthem “I Am Woman� that soared to No. 1 in the early ’70s, has died. Reddy, who converted to Judaism before marrying her second husband, died Tuesday at the age of 78. She was diagnosed in 2017 with dementia, and since then had lived at the Motion Picture and Television Fund’s Samuel Goldwyn Center for Behavioral Health in Woodland Hills, California. Her children confirmed her death in a post on Facebook.

Reddy was born in Melbourne, Australia, to

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released earlier this month was undertaken at Gants’ request.

In a 2015 speech to the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, Gants invoked his Jewish heritage, noting that his ancestors and those of other immigrant groups were at one time unwelcome in the United States. “I am here to assure you that you do not stand alone,� Gants said. “That kind of gesture and heartfelt statement to people he knew were vulnerable or targeted, that is so the essence of Ralph Gants,� said Jeffrey Robbins, a Boston lawyer who served as chair of the New England Anti-Defamation League and was close with Gants. Gants spoke at many New England ADL programs and several years ago made his first visit to Israel, leading a delegation of Massachusetts judges to meet with their Israeli counterparts.

Gants was born in New Rochelle, New York, in 1954. After graduating Harvard and its law school, he worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston. After some years in private practice, he was appointed to the state’s Superior Court.

In 2009, Gants was named an appointed associate justice at the Supreme Judicial Court and was elevated to the top position by then Gov. Deval Patrick in 2014.

He is survived by his wife, Deborah Ramirez, and two children.

performer parents, who took her on the road at the age of 4. She converted to Judaism prior to marrying her manager, Jeff Wald, in 1968 after moving to the United States, according to IMDb. Her first hit was a version of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him� from the Broadway rock musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.� “I Am Woman� reached the top of the Billboard charts at the end of 1972, which led to the Grammy for best female pop vocal performance. Five years later, Reddy starred in the Disney children’s film “Pete’s Dragon.� She made guest appearances on several television shows and in the 1980s on stage.

In 2002 she retired from show business and returned to her native Australia

to work as a practicing hypnotherapist and motivational speaker. She made a brief comeback in 2012, performing in several concerts, and sang “I Am Woman� in 2017 at the Los Angeles Women’s March.

In December 2000, at the release of her album titled “The Best Christmas Ever,� Reddy told the St. Louis Disptach that she had honored her Judaism by making sure that none of the songs mentioned Jesus.

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