CT Jewish Ledger • February 19, 2021 • 7 Adar 5781

Friday, February 19, 2021 7 Adar 5781 Vol. 93 | No. 8 | ©2021 $1.00 | jewishledger.com

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INSIDE

this week

CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | FEBRUARY 19, 2021 | 7 ADAR 5781

7 Briefs

14 Around CT

16 Torah Portion

17 Hamantaschen Recipe

17 Crossword

Classroom Blues.................................................................. 5 An effort to reflect the experiences of California’s minority communities in its educational curriculum faces criticism from a range of groups over charges of antisemitism as well as concerns about whose stories are being told.

Urban Matters....................................................................... 5 On the NY mayoral campaign trail, Andrew Yang says there is a “complete lack of trust” between the haredi Orthodox community and city government.

OPINION.................................................................................11 Bruce Springsteen’s Super Bowl ad was a meditation on national unity that left everyone but Christians wondering if they really belong.

Telling Their Story.............................................................14 Stamford high school students took responsibility for bringing the stories of local Holocaust survivors – and the lessons to be learned from them – to fellow students, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

18 What’s Happening

19 Purim Celebrations

20 Obituaries

21 Business and Professional Directory

22 Classified

CANDLE LIGHTING

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The 25th Annual Mandell JCC Virtual Hartford Jewish Film Festival featuring 19 films – all linked to theme of strength and resilience – will open Feb. 28 and run through April 2. PAGE 12 jewishledger.com

New Haven: 5:12 p.m.

Bridgeport: 5:13 p.m.

Stamford: 5:14 p.m.

To determine the time for Havdalah, add one hour and 10 minutes (to be safe) to candle lighting time.

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UP FRONT

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The controversy over California’s ethnic studies curriculum, explained

NYC mayoral candidate Andrew Yang hints at handsoff approach to yeshiva education

BY BEN SALES

BY HANNAH DREYFUS

(JTA) – How and where do Jews fit into America’s minority communities?

That’s the question at the center of a debate that has raged for more than a year over new school curriculum guides that are being adopted in California. Lawmakers there required the creation of an ethnic studies curriculum, and the effort to fulfill their mandate has spurred a yearslong process that has included multiple opportunities for public comment.

Jewish groups strenuously objected to the first draft of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, or ESMC, saying it did not reflect the American Jewish experience and even advanced some forms of antisemitism.

Many of those same groups praised the third draft of the curriculum when it was released in December. The revision responded to their concerns, they say: Two sections of the curriculum deal principally with the American Jewish experience, and many of the sections that they had identified as objectionable were gone.

Not everyone is happy with the latest draft: On Wednesday, the authors of the original curriculum disavowed the project in protest of the revised versions, which they feel “silenced the voices of Ethnic Studies teachers/educators, who are all from racially and politically underrepresented groups.”

And other Jewish activists say that regardless of how the project discusses Jews, its basic ideology is unacceptable.

They see this as the latest front in an ongoing battle over critical race theory, an approach to education that views race and racism as embedded in, and central to, society and its institutions. Opponents of critical race theory see it as a threat to open debate and a return to classifying people based on their race, which they see as a danger to Jews.

In recent days, two long articles have been published in Jewish publications – both objecting to the revised version from those two opposing sides of the debate. Whatever the final draft looks like, California law does not require schools to use the proposed materials it is making available.

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Mizrahi, or Middle Eastern Jewish, community was dissatisfied with the draft.

The Mizrahi Jewish activists felt that their experience, which includes fleeing their home countries, was excluded from the curriculum, even though the experience of Arab Americans, whose communities hail from some of the same countries, were featured.

Jewish groups were upset, too, that the curriculum included a number of antiIsrael sections. It counted the movement to boycott Israel among social movements to discuss positively alongside Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, among others.

Critics complained that the inclusion of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement effectively discriminated against Jews and was an outlier among movements that otherwise focused on domestic issues.

The initial draft also referred to Israel’s War of Independence as the Nakba, the Palestinian term for the conflict and meaning “catastrophe.” The curriculum also included a song lyric that appeared to accuse the Jews of manipulating the press, a long-standing antisemitic stereotype.

“The ESMC is inaccurate and misleading in several critical respects and is drafted in a manner that reflects an anti-Jewish bias,” read a July 2019 letter from a coalition of

(New York Jewish Week via JTA) – New York mayoral candidate Andrew Yang waded into the debate over the push for secular education at yeshivas, affirming “parental choice” and saying there is a “complete lack of trust” between the haredi Orthodox community and city government.

Organizations that oppose government scrutiny of secular education at the Jewish private schools were quick to praise Yang for his comments.

“We commend any candidate who affirms the importance of parental choice and who recognizes the healthy results of yeshiva education,” said Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, director of New York government relations for Agudath Israel of America, the haredi umbrella group.

“This is indeed an issue of fundamental importance to our community.”

But a nonprofit organization that advocates for reform at city yeshivas isn’t having it.

Talk of a “breach of trust” is a “totally made-up” issue, said Naftuli Moster, executive director of Yaffed, which advocates for secular education at New York City’s yeshiva schools.

“What broken trust?” asked Moster, who described the relationship between the current administration and the haredi Orthodox community to be “more friendly than any city administration in the history of New York City.”

Yang, a businessman and a former Democratic presidential candidate, discussed the issue earlier this week with the Forward, saying “we shouldn’t interfere with their [yeshivas’] religious and parental choice as long as the outcomes are good.”

In a statement to The Jewish Week, Yang doubled down on his previous statements.

“There has been a complete lack of trust recently between the ultraOrthodox community and City and

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AN EMPTY CLASSROOM IN HOLLYWOOD, CALIF.

(RODIN ECKENROTH/GETTY IMAGES)

California’s ethnic studies curriculum and why it has roiled Jews in the state.

Reflecting diversity in the school curriculum The goal of California’s ethnic studies curriculum is to increase understanding of the state’s ethnic minorities and have them feel more included in the state school system. After state lawmakers required an ethnic studies curriculum, a panel of 20 ethnic studies scholars convened and drafted a version focused on four minority groups: African-Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and Native Americans. The curriculum discusses the experiences and contributions of those minorities in the state, as well as the growth of their communities and the ongoing discrimination they face.

But when the first draft of the curriculum was released in the middle of 2019, numbering hundreds of pages, Jewish organizations in the state and across the political spectrum were upset that it did not include the experience of California’s Jews. The state has more than one million Jews, with Los Angeles and the Bay Area hosting two of the nation’s largest Jewish communities.

In one example JIMENA, an organization representing the state’s

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California Jewish state lawmakers. “We cannot support a curriculum that erases the American Jewish experience, fails to discuss antisemitism, reinforces negative stereotypes about Jews, singles out Israel for criticism, and would institutionalize the teaching of antisemitic stereotypes in our public schools.”

Jewish organizations were not the only ones to object to exclusions in the first draft. Advocates for Sikh-American and Armenian-American interests also called for their communities to be included. A letter signed by a coalition of organizations representing Middle Eastern immigrant communities, spearheaded by JIMENA, protested what they saw as a lack of representation in the curriculum.

“We fear that our exclusion from a curriculum, which we support, would contribute to the ongoing cultural genocide and erasure of minority voices from the Middle East and North Africa,” read the letter, which also was signed by representatives of the Assyrian, Coptic, Kurdish, Iranian, Baha’i and Zoroastrian communities. “Our inclusion in the curriculum would affirm the important and compelling minority voices from the MENA region.”

A revised version reflects Jewish concerns Following the backlash to the first draft, the state’s Education Department said it recognized changes were needed. Ahead of the release of the latest draft, according to the department, members of the public sent in 57,000 comments on the curriculum.

“A model curriculum should be accurate, free of bias, appropriate for all learners in our diverse state, and align with Governor Newsom’s vision of a California for all,” read CALIFORNIA GOV. a statement GAVIN NEWSOM IN 2019. made in August (AGUSTIN PAULLIER/AFP 2019 by the VIA GETTY IMAGES) leadership of the state Board of Education. “The current draft model curriculum falls short and needs to be substantially redesigned.”

The following year, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have made ethnic studies a high school graduation requirement, citing the controversies over the draft as a reason.

A number of Jewish groups campaigned for the inclusion of the Jewish experience in later drafts. The latest curriculum does 6

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include two lessons on American Jews, including one on the Mizrahi experience.

JIMENA drafted the lesson plan on Mizrahi Jews last year.

Another lesson plan focuses on the complex nature of American Jewish identity, including the ways in which some Jews experience “conditional whiteness and privilege.” Both lesson plans discuss antisemitism – includes definitions of antisemitism from the Anti-Defamation League as well as the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

The sections echoing anti-Jewish stereotypes and discussing the movement to boycott Israel have been removed. So have references to the Nakba. The latest draft also includes lessons on other communities, including Sikhs and Armenians, who had protested their earlier exclusion.

Jewish groups that had campaigned for the changes said they were pleased with the latest draft.

“We are encouraged by the IQC’s support this week for including the Jewish American experience as a part of the new ethnic studies model curriculum for all the state’s public schools,” Tyler Gregory, executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Council, said in a statement ahead of the release of the latest draft, referring to the committee that put together the curriculum.

“The IQC has endorsed holistic and equitable changes to the curriculum that protect our community and other communities through the inclusion of language that seeks to prevent discrimination against any group in the classroom.”

Objections persist despite – and because of – the changes Some Jewish commentators and activists still aren’t happy. Even with the changes, they say, the curriculum advances a narrow ideology despite aiming to increase tolerance and inclusion. Some critics, including the former New York Times editor and writer Bari Weiss, have called for the philosophy underpinning it to be rejected.

“The Ethnic Studies Model curriculum proposed for K-12 California public schools is divisive, encourages victimization, and promotes a narrow political ideology,” reads the website of the Alliance for Constructive Ethnic Studies, a group mobilizing opposition to the curriculum that was co-founded by Elina Kaplan, a Jewish activist who emigrated from the former Soviet Union and is a self-identified Democrat. “The Ethnic Model Studies Curriculum should be revised to provide a balanced range of perspectives, remove the political agenda, and inspire mutual respect and dignity.”

In a January tweet criticizing the curriculum, Weiss wrote, “There is no more important story in the Jewish world this

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GLADYS ALVAREZ, A FIFTH-GRADE TEACHER, TALKS TO HER STUDENTS REMOTELY FROM THEIR LOS ANGELES CLASSROOM, AUGUST 2020.

(MEL MELCON/LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES)

month.”

Weiss told JTA her issue with the curriculum is its embrace of critical race theory.

“There are some people who think CRT can be made kosher,” Weiss told JTA. “It cannot. It is, at its root, hostile to Jews, to liberalism and to American values. And it is the framework for every single draft that has been proposed.”

Opponents of critical race theory have generally come from the right, and last year President Donald Trump instructed federal agencies not to fund any program that employs critical race theory. In the case of the ethnic studies curriculum, some of its opponents are not Trump supporters.

Kaplan is a Democrat and Weiss has been vocally critical of Trump. The members of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, who objected to the initial draft and praised the later ones, are all Democrats.

The curriculum has gained renewed attention of late, including from liberal activists like actor Josh Malina, due to a critical article in Tablet magazine. The article features the objections raised to the first draft, claims the latest version includes anti-Jewish language and notes that school boards have been lobbied to teach the original draft rather than the revised one.

But two of the story’s objections to the latest draft are either inaccurate or misleading. In one instance, the article said the curriculum includes a resource with an anti-Semitic statement, but the essay with the offensive statement is not actually cited in the draft.

The article’s author, Emily Benedek, has countered that the antisemitic statement in question is found in a larger publication linked to in the draft.

An author’s note appended to the Tablet article following criticism of its claims does not address the apparent inaccuracies. In the note, Benedek took aim at critical race theory, which she called “dangerous” and “fundamental” to the curriculum. She wrote that the revisions celebrated by Jewish groups are insufficient.

“The exclusion of Jews from the original ESMC, which was what the various

organizations spent their energies on, was offensive,” she wrote. “But focusing on that is akin to painting a house that is rotted from the foundation.”

An article about the curriculum in the left-wing Jewish Currents magazine also featured objections to the revised version, but for the opposite reason. The piece, by Gabi Kirk, reports on the resignation of the original draft’s authors, who contended in an open letter that the principles of ethnic studies have been “compromised due to political and media pressure.”

“Our association with the final document is conflicting because it does not reflect the Ethnic Studies curriculum that we believe California students deserve and need,” they wrote.

The Jewish Currents piece also reviews Jewish groups’ advocacy regarding the curriculum. And it quotes Devin Naar, one of the professors cited as a resource in the lesson on Mizrahi identity, saying that his work has been misrepresented because the lesson does not discuss Ashkenazi Jewish discrimination against Mizrahi Jews.

In the article, Kirk wrote that the latest draft of the curriculum puts forward “a version of ethnic studies unrecognizable to scholars and community organizers engaged in the field – and heavily influenced by those who oppose the discipline’s very existence.”

The Jewish Currents piece also appears to include an inaccuracy. It said the current draft “excised all Palestine-related content from the draft,” when in fact there’s a story about a Palestinian American experiencing anti-Arab discrimination.

The curriculum also includes a line about Palestinian population centers in the United States. Kirk wrote to JTA that “There is no mention of ‘Palestine’ as a place in any section” of the current curriculum and that more extensive exploration of Palestinian American identity that was present in earlier drafts has been taken out.

The Education Department is required to make a final decision on the curriculum

by March 31.

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Briefs Trump lawyer wears kippah on Senate floor (JTA) – Attorney David Schoen was wary of wearing his kippah on the Senate floor on the first day of the impeachment trial of his client, former President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Schoen told CNN following the hearings that he was worried it was not “appropriate,” that it was “awkward” and that it might offend someone. He had been seen entering the Capitol wearing the kippah. But the yarmulke’s absence while the attorney spoke drew more attention than its presence might have. While addressing the chamber, Schoen repeatedly covered his head with his hand when he drank water, leading to an explosion of social media questions. On Wednesday, Schoen opted to wear the kippah on the floor. He did not speak, however – the entire proceeding was given over to Democrats making their case that Trump should be convicted for his role in spurring the deadly Jan. 6 raid on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters, who sought to stop the affirmation of Joe Biden’s election as president.

Steven Spielberg gets 2021 Genesis Prize, the ‘Jewish Nobel’ (JTA) – Director Steven Spielberg has won the 2021 Genesis Prize, the award nicknamed the “Jewish Nobel.” The award, which “honors extraordinary individuals for their outstanding professional achievement, contribution to humanity, and commitment to Jewish values,” was announced Wednesday. “Key Jewish themes are often woven into his narratives: importance of identity and belonging, maintaining humanity in a ruthless world, caring for the other, and honoring the moral obligation to do the right thing,” the Genesis Prize Foundation wrote about the Oscar winner in a statement.

The foundation also says it is honoring “his extraordinary work to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and prevent future genocides through film, public advocacy and philanthropy.” Spielberg is founder of the USC Shoah Foundation, which preserves Holocaust survivor testimonies and which he created in the wake of the acclaim for his 1993 Holocaust film, “Schindler’s List.”

In contrast to past years, the foundation considered votes on a winner from people around the world. “While the Prize Committee had the ultimate discretion about the selection of the recipient of this prestigious award, the fact Spielberg received the most votes was a major determining factor,” the statement jewishledger.com

continued.

The honor comes with a $1 million prize.

Past recipients, including Michael Douglas, Michael Bloomberg, Natalie Portman and Natan Sharansky, have donated the winnings to philanthropic causes. Launched in 2013 by a group of Russian-Jewish philanthropists, the prize is financed through a permanent endowment of $100 million established by The Genesis Prize Foundation.

Germany, Hungary criticize ICC ruling on Israel probe (JNS) The foreign ministers of Germany and Hungary on Tuesday, Feb 6, criticized last week’s ruling by the International Criminal Court that Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip and eastern Jerusalem are within its jurisdiction, clearing the way for ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to open a war-crimes probe into actions of the Israel Defense Forces. “Our legal view on the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court regarding alleged crimes committed in the Palestine territories remains unchanged: the court has no jurisdiction because of the absence of the element of Palestinian statehood required by international law,” tweeted German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

“Like Israel, we don’t agree with this decision either. During the procedure, we already announced that Palestine does not have criminal jurisdiction over Israeli citizens,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó wrote on Facebook. “We have always supported Israel’s right to self-defense and believe that only mutual respect-based negotiations can lead to peace in the area. Unfortunately, the decision of the International Criminal Court will not bring you closer to this.”

Germany and Hungary join the United States and other countries – such as Canada, the Czech Republic, Austria, Australia, Brazil and Uganda, the latter five of which filed documents with the ICC as amici curiae (outside observers) providing information in support of Israel – condemning the ICC ruling.

In a phone conversation on Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi thanked U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken for America’s having condemned the ruling – on the grounds that the Palestinian Authority does not qualify as a sovereign state – and for voicing “serious concerns about the ICC’s attempts to exercise its jurisdiction over Israeli personnel.”

Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Tuesday dismissed the International Criminal Court’s ruling last week that it has jurisdiction to investigate Israel for war crimes, saying the court has no authority over the Jewish state. “Since according to international law there is CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

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no such thing as a ‘state of Palestine’ this [decision] poses no immediate threat to Israel,” he said. Israel is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, from which the ICC draws its power. The Palestinian Authority joined in in 2015, with the explicit intention of pursuing action against Israeli officials.

ADL: Iranian textbooks more antisemitic than ever (Israel Hayom via JNS) Iranian students are exposed to the hatred of and incitement to violence against the United States, Israel and the Jewish people, according to a special report by the Anti-Defamation League released on the 42nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

Predicated on extensive research of official Iranian textbooks, the report reveals that schools in the Islamic Republic teach students to chant “Death to Israel,” and present the Jewish state as an illegitimate regime that must be destroyed. The educational material claims that the Jews have plotted against Islam since its inception, have falsified Islamic texts and have always been quick to use violence to achieve their goals.

The author of the report, ADL’s Washington director for international affairs David Weinberg, also noted that “Tehran’s educational antisemitism and incitement to violence are as militant as ever. From demonizing Jews in lessons about ancient history to glorifying antisemitic terrorists as recently as 2020, Tehran’s current curriculum is brimming with state-sponsored bigotry.”

ADL national director and CEO Jonathan Greenblatt concludes: “It is no secret that the Iranian regime continues to promote extremism and terrorism and feeds its people on a steady diet of antisemitic and anti-American propaganda. Iran’s textbooks show how deeply ingrained this official campaign of incitement is within society, and how they are reaching impressionable young people with these xenophobic and dehumanizing messages as part of the formal teaching curriculum.”

Stevie Wonder earns Israel’s prestigious Wolf Prize (JNS) Legendary singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder was awarded Israel’s prestigious Wolf Prize on Tuesday, Feb. 6, along with a group of laureates in the arts and sciences.

The “Superstition” singer received the award for “his tremendous contribution to music and society enriching the lives of entire generations of music lovers,” according to a statement from Israeli President Reuven Rivlin’s office. Wonder, 8

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70, is only the second black recipient to receive the Wolf Prize in the music field, following opera singer Jessye Norman.

He shares the music award with Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth. “Both Neuwirth and Wonder, though fundamentally different in genre and style, have pushed the boundaries of their art, each in his/ her own realm of expression, to serve as a vehicle for universal values and humanistic ideals,” said the state-owned nonprofit Wolf Foundation, which administers the award to promote excellence in science and the arts.

Giorgio Parisi received the prize for physics; Joan Steitz, Lynne Maquat and Adrian Krainer won the medicine prize; and Leslie Leiserowitz and Meir Lahav won in the field of chemistry. Each honoree receives a certificate and a monetary award of $100,000. Owing to the pandemic, the laureates will receive their prizes at their respective homes.

Israel joins Dubai-led international trade program (Israel Hayom via JNS) Israel on Wednesday became the 10th country to join the United Arab Emirates-led World Logistics Passport program, in a move that will allow Israeli firms to expand trade to countries in the southern hemisphere.

India, South Africa, Indonesia, Brazil and Columbia are all members of the WLP. At a virtual ceremony to sign the agreement, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, the chairman of Dubai’s Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation said, “We welcome the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce (FICC) into the World Logistics Passport, as we further strengthen and elevate ties between our two nations.

Through the WLP, we aspire to forge closer economic ties and harness our collective experience, to unlock new trade opportunities for Israel with the world, via Dubai, and with Tel Aviv as a major logistics center.” FICC vice president Amir Shani said, “This partnership will allow Israeli companies to reduce cost and improve their supply chain to and from Israel, using Dubai as a logistical hub for new markets.”

Pro-Zionist letter by China’s Sun Yat-Sen resurfaces in Israel (JNS) The original, signed copy of a letter written by Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, considered to be one of the greatest leaders of modern China, expressing support for Zionism has been rediscovered in the archives of the National Library of Israel, the library announced on Wednesday. The letter, dated April 24, 1920, was addressed to Nissim Elias Benjamin Ezra (N.E.B.) Ezra, and surfaced while the library was reviewing its archived items. Ezra was an influential Jewish writer, scholar and publisher who

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was born in Lahore (now in Pakistan) and lived most of his life in Shanghai. He founded the Shanghai Zionist Association and its official newspaper, Israel’s Messenger.

Sun Yat-Sen’s letter, which can now be viewed online, reads, “I have read you [sic] letter and the copy of ‘Israel’s Messenger’ with much interest, and wish to assure you of my sympathy for this movement–which is one of the greatest movements of the present time. All lovers of Democracy cannot help but support wholeheartedly and welcome with enthusiasm the movement to restore your wonderful and historic nation, which has contributed so much to the civilization of the world and which rightfully deserve [sic] an honorable place in the family of nations.”

Sun Yat-Sen, who lived from 18661925, served as the first provisional president of the Republic of China, which was established in 1912 His support of Zionism was well known as was the text of the letter. “N.E.B. Ezra passed away in 1936. The fact that the letter arrived in 1938 at latest indicates that – like many Zionist figures of the period – Ezra himself may have bequeathed it to the library, or perhaps someone came across it after his death and sent it to us after determining that the National Library was its rightful home,” said Rachel Misrati, an archivist for library. The library’s blog notes that “Sun Yat-Sen and other members of the Chinese leadership had warm relations with local and international Jewish communities and figures, many of them cultivated during years of exile prior to the ultimate fall of the Qing dynasty.

Netanyahu to Blinken: Golan Heights ‘will remain forever part of Israel’ (JNS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office pushed back against U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken over his comments that stopped short of endorsing the Trump administration’s recognition of the Golan Heights in 2019. In an interview with CNN on Monday, Blinken said while he supports Israel controlling the Golan Heights for now, he cast doubt on whether or not Israel had the legal right to control the region in the long-term. “As a practical matter, the control of the Golan in that situation I think remains of real importance to Israel’s security,” he told CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer. “Legal questions are something else, and over time, if the situation were to change in Syria, that’s something we look at, but we are nowhere near that.”

Former President Donald Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019. Last November, Blinken’s predecessor, Mike Pompeo, made a rare visit to the Golan Heights, where he said “this is a part of Israel and central part

of Israel.”

In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said that “the Golan Heights will remain forever a part of the State of Israel.” “The Israeli position is clear. In any possible scenario, the Golan Heights will remain Israeli,” added the statement.

Israel completes housing for Guatemalans who lost homes in volcano eruption (JNS) Israel’s embassy in Guatemala recently finished its housing development in the town of Escuintla for families whose homes were destroyed in the 2018 Fuego volcano eruption. On Jan. 31, Israel’s Ambassador to Guatemala and Honduras Mattanya Cohen personally handed over the deeds to all 39 families receiving new houses. The homes sit on “Jerusalem Capital of Israel Street,” the 19th street in Guatemala with that name. “The State of Israel promised, and we are happy,” said Cohen in a statement. “Israel will always continue to assist our friend and ally Guatemala.” Israel and Guatemala have seen growing ties in recent years. In May 2018, Guatemala moved its embassy to Jerusalem just two days after the United States opened its own mission in the city.

The blast in June 2018 killed more than 190 people.Following the blast, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered Israeli medical and logistical aid to Guatemala. A team of Israeli doctors and members of the Israeli emergency organization IsraAid also flew out to the Central American nation to help locals.

Israel’s ZAKA emergency service also provided equipment and necessities such as blankets, medicine, first-aid kits and waterpurification tablets.

Israeli company makes 3-D-printed ribeye steak (JTA) – The Israeli company Aleph Farms announced Tuesday, Feb. 9, that it had produced the world’s first “slaughterfree steak,” using a mix of 3-D printing technology and real cow cells. The startup boasted that it tastes like “a delicious tender, juicy ribeye steak you’d buy from the butcher.” Faculty at the country’s famed Technion-Israel Institute of Technology aided in the process, Bloomberg reported.

The “bio-printing” phenomenon takes live cells and replicates them to mimic a natural organism or product. Aleph Farms’ technology is in demand, and the company is partnering with Mitsubishi to bring its meat alternative to Japan. The world’s first lab-grown meat restaurant opened in Tel Aviv last year, serving exclusively chicken made by a company called SuperMeat. An Israeli rabbi told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in 2016 that the SuperMeat product was kosher.

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FEBRUARY 19, 2021

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Opinion Bruce Springsteen’s Super Bowl ad offered a powerful vision of American unity – for Christians

BY JEREMY BURTON

(JTA) – The two-minute advertisement, for Jeep, appeared late in Sunday’s Super Bowl. “The Middle,” narrated by Bruce Springsteen, is a meditation on the theme of national unity.

In the wake of President Biden’s call to honor unity, bipartisanship and civility, the words should have been compelling: “The middle has been a hard place to get to lately,” Springsteen recites. “Freedom belongs to us all. Whoever you are.

Wherever you’re from. It’s what connects us.” But before we arrived at this message, I found myself already excluded from the vision being offered.

The literal and figurative centerpiece of the commercial is a chapel in Kansas, located at the geographic center of the 48 contiguous states. And while the ad notes that “all are more than welcome” here, this is an exclusively Christian space. Above the altar we see a map of our nation, painted in flag colors, with a cross and a heart attached to it. Throughout this moving elegy on the challenges of our time, the images shown are those of a singular faith community.

With the election of Biden, a lifelong Catholic and liberal Democrat, we find ourselves in a moment where a progressive expression of faith in public life is enjoying an overdue renaissance.

But we should proceed with caution in embracing faith as a unifying civic principle.

Clergy have been at the forefront of justice work in recent years, leading a moral call to restore and reaffirm our nation’s commitment to fulfill the still unrealized promise of America for all of us. As we strive to build a multiracial democracy and an inclusive nation, however, we must reckon with the fact that our country was not built by or for all of us. Our dominant national culture is very much rooted in Western – and Christian – ideals and imagery.

This Christian dominance can be alien – and alienating – to those of us who come from outside that Christian tradition.

But the promise of America for Jews and Muslims, for Hindus and Buddhists, for those of faith and those with none, is built on the ideas of our founders’ vision that people of all faiths are welcome and equal as Americans.

When we abandon this principle, our attempts at unity quickly exclude rather 10

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than inspire. The Democratic National Convention last summer kicked off with a montage meditating on the challenges of the past year – the COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustice, violence and economic hardship.

Those images were set to “The Rising,” a Springsteen song about our resilience after 9/11. The song tells the story of a New York City fireman climbing the stairs to his own death: “Lost track of how far I’ve gone. How far I’ve gone, how high I’ve climbed.”

Springsteen has described the song as the story of Jesus on the cross, of Jesus resurrected.

“I see you Mary in the garden, In the garden of a thousand sighs” he goes on.

Now hear the fireman’s words anew: “How far I’ve gone, how high I’ve climbed. On my back’s a sixty-pound stone … Come on up for the rising.”

I love this song. I weep every time I listen to it. I think about those I knew who died in the towers that day, including New York City Fire Department chaplain Father Mychal Judge, who I had the opportunity to work with and who introduced me for the first time to the grotto of Jesus’ birth when I was privileged to travel with him to Bethlehem. But I also hear the song as situating America’s greatest trauma and its heroes in a faith that does not include me.

The messaging of a major political party during a political convention and a car ad meant to sell Jeeps are very different

| FEBRUARY 19, 2021

vehicles. But both are trying to plug into American’s civic faith with troublingly particularist messages. To hear “The Rising” played at the convention, as a call to purpose amid the challenges of 2020, made me question whether and where I fit in.

Such is the challenge of rebuilding an inclusive civic faith rooted in our shared national heritage. I don’t want to rewrite our nation’s history. But I do want to write a future that draws inspiration from all our heritages.

For Springsteen, as for me, faith is powerful and meaningful – something to be honored and affirmed. It enriches his art that inspires and challenges, filling us with ideas and untapping the emotions within us. Yet his religious faith, at least in the American civic tradition, is personal.

As we imagine a renewed civic faith to carry us forward in challenging times, we need not reject who we are – neither as a whole nor in our many parts. We must, however, do a better job of understanding how our faiths may not always invite others to be included in our shared civic space. We must commit to affirming a civic faith that binds us in united purpose, in a language that honors the many faiths and traditions that are woven into the tapestry that is America.

Jeremy Burton is the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston.

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Yang CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

State government,” he said. “We need to revamp this relationship and acknowledge that educators at Yeshivas and City education officials are all working towards the same goal – to ensure NYC students receive high-quality education.”

Yang is perhaps the first in a crowded field of candidates to broach the yeshiva issue, which has embroiled the haredi Orthodox community since the administration of Mayor Bill De Blasio announced in 2015 that it would investigate a complaint alleging that dozens of Brooklyn yeshivas were violating state law by giving their students a subpar education in English, math and other secular subjects.

Both sides in the debate declared partial victory in late 2019, when a long-delayed city Department of Education report found few yeshivas offering secular educations “substantially equivalent” to state requirements, but also that the majority were making progress.

De Blasio’s terms in office have demonstrated the importance, and pitfalls, of nurturing relations with the haredi Orthodox, who form powerful voting blocs in neighborhoods like Brooklyn’s Crown Heights and Williamsburg.

Last year, dozens of Jewish organizations and leaders criticized de Blasio for singling out the “Jewish community” in a tweet criticizing a large Hasidic funeral held in defiance of coronavirus restrictions. De Blasio later apologized for the comment.

Despite that controversy, Moster cited several policies instituted by the de Blasio administration that were well-received by the community. They included repealing regulations surrounding a controversial circumcision ritual that has been linked to the transmission of the herpes virus, permitting the use of government vouchers at religious schools, and increasing security funding for yeshivas and synagogues.

“Any notion that there’s some sort of broken trust that we need Andrew Yang to

NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE ANDREW YANG,.

(YANG FOR NEW YORK)

repair is just utterly insane,” Moster said.

In his statement to The Jewish Week, Yang went on to promise that if elected mayor, he will “always respect religious freedom including the freedom of parents to do what’s best for their kids educationally.

Thus, we shouldn’t interfere with their religious and parental choice as long as the outcomes are good.”

Moster criticized Yang for his “brazenness to opine on issues of religious freedom” without reaching out to discuss the issue with groups like Yaffed. He referred to subpar secular education at yeshivas as “a major civil rights issue, an education policy issue,” as opposed to an issue of religious freedom.

“If the way the city repairs ‘trust’ with the ultra-Orthodox community is by throwing kids under the bus, Yang is right on track,” he said.

Richard Bamberger, a spokesperson for a group that advocates for school choice and decreased supervision of New York City yeshivas, welcomed Yang’s comments.

“We are gratified that many of the mayoral candidates have acknowledged what we have always known: Parents choose yeshiva education for their children because they are confident that they will graduate with the skills and the knowledge to have a successful life,” said Bamberger, who represents Parents for Educational and Religious Liberty in Schools, or Pearls.

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FEBRUARY 19, 2021

11

The 25th Annual Hartford Jewish Film Festival focuses

DIM THE LIGHTS… February 28, 7 pm - March 3, 7 pm HOLY SILENCE

March 6, 7 pm - March 9, 7 pm WHEN HITLER STOLE PINK RABBIT

The 25th Annual Mandell JCC Hartford Jewish Film Festival featuring 19 films – all linked to theme of strength and resilience – will open Feb. 28 and run through April 2.

Documentary | 2020 | USA | 74min | English, Italian

Drama | 2020 | Germany, Switzerland | 119min German, English Subtitles

“Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic brought the 2020 film festival to a halt,” says Mandell JCC Executive Director David Jacobs. “Through the strength and resilience of our community, we were determined to carry on and curate a film festival this year to celebrate the 25th anniversary.”

Nine of the festival’s 19 films were scheduled to screen last year but had to be cancelled.

“None of this would be possible without our new Film Festival Director Jennifer Sharp,” says Jacobs. “Jennifer has served on the film festival committee – as a member and as co-chair – for several years, and when Jill Ziplow retired, we knew Jennifer would be able to pick up right where Jill left off.”

“This year is unlike any other year, and I’m grateful to our committee for their efforts during the selection process,” says Sharp. “It wasn’t easy, but I do believe we have put together an extraordinary festival this year to celebrate the 25th anniversary and to honor the strength and resiliency we see on screen. These films are exceptionally moving and they afford us the opportunity to come to together and have a deeper discussion about the realities of Jewish life right here at home in America.”

Five of the films selected will culminate in a series of ‘Reel Talk’ virtual panel discussions, featuring special guest panelists seeking to enrich the cinematic experience with background, opinions, and interpretations. These filmmakers, authors, academics, and historians join us for live programs along with Q&A sessions on Zoom. These five programs will include discussions about the following films:

March 2, 7 pm - March 5, 7 pm ASIA

Tuesday, March 2 Holy Silence

Dr. Suzanne Brown-Fleming, director, International Academic Programs – Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies – United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and moderated by Professor Avinoam Patt, Ph.D., UConn.

Thursday, March 11 ‘Til Kingdom Come The panel will include Amy Weiss, University of Hartford Greenberg Center and Joel Lohr, President of Hartford Seminary, moderated by Jeremy Pressman, UConn.

Thursday, March 18 Shared Legacies Susannah Heschel, professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College will lead the discussion.

Wednesday, March 24 Thou Shalt Not Hate & Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations The film’s director Andrew Goldberg will join the discussion, which is moderated

by David Waren, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford.

“We will miss the face-to-face interaction this year, but until we can all safely come together in our theater, we hope that people will feel connected during this year’s festival with the quality of films Jennifer and the committee have chosen. In reality, doing this virtually, allows audiences from all over the country to come together, and with our post-film discussions, we look forward to engaging more with our participants,” says Jacobs.

The panel will include Steven Pressman, director and producer Father Kevin Spicer, professor of History at Stonehill College, 12

JEWISH LEDGER

| FEBRUARY 19, 2021

Decades after the Holocaust, a controversial debate continues over what, if anything, Pope Pius XII might have done to resist the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazism and intervene on behalf of the Jews of Europe.

Drama | 2020 | Israel | 85min | Hebrew, Russian, English Subtitles Young mom Asia hides nothing about her work-hard, play-hard lifestyle, and expects the same openness from her teenage daughter Vika. But Vika is at an age where privacy and independence are paramount, and she begins to rebel. When health issues lead Vika to be confined to a wheelchair and her need for romantic and sexual exploration becomes more urgent, Asia must get out of the way so that her daughter can live her life.

March 3, 7 pm - March 6, 7 pm GOLDEN VOICES Comedy | 2019 | Israel | 88 minutes Russian, Hebrew, English subtitles Victor and Raya Frenkel were the golden voices of Soviet film dubbing for decades.

All the western movies that reached Soviet screens were dubbed by them. In 1990, with the collapse of Soviet Union, the Frenkels move to Israel, just like hundreds of thousands of Soviet Jews. There’s no need in Israel for Russian speaking dubbing turn the new chapter of their life into an amusing, painful, and absurd experience.

March 5, 7 pm - March 8, 7 pm ADVOCATE Documentary | 2019 | Israel, Canada, Switzerland 110 minutes | Hebrew - Arabic, English subtitles Lea Tsemel defends Palestinians: from feminists to fundamentalists, from nonviolent demonstrators to armed militants. As a Jewish-Israeli lawyer, Tsemel pushes the praxis of a human rights defender to its limits. As far as most Israelis are concerned, she defends the indefensible. Advocate follows Tsemel’s caseload in real time while also revisiting her landmark cases.

Nine-year-old Anna is too busy with schoolwork and friends to notice Hitler’s face glaring from posters plastered all over 1933 Berlin. But when her father suddenly vanishes and the family escapes Germany, Anna begins to understand life will never be the same, as she and her family cope with the challenges of being refugees. An adaptation of Judith Kerr’s semi-autobiographical bestselling children’s novel.

March 8, 7 pm - March 11, 7 pm HERE WE ARE Drama | 2020 | Israel | 92 minutes | Hebrew Aharon has devoted his life to raising his son Uri. They live together in a gentle routine, away from the real world. But Uri is autistic, and now as a young adult it might be time for him to live in a specialized home. While on their way to the institution, Aharon decides to run away with his son and hits the road, knowing that Uri is not ready for this separation. Or is it, in fact, his father who is not ready?

March 9, 7 pm - March 12, 7 pm ‘TIL KINGDOM COME Documentary | 2020 | Israel, United Kingdom, Norway | 76 minutes | English, Arabic, Hebrew Among the millions of American Evangelicals praying for the State of Israel are the Binghams, a dynasty of Kentucky pastors who, together with their Evangelical congregants in an impoverished coal mining town, fervently believe the Jews are crucial to Jesus’s return. This film traces this relationship, exposing a backstory of the Trump and Netanyahu administrations, where financial, political and messianic motivations intersect with the apocalyptic worldview.

March 11, 7 pm - March 14, 7 pm SUBLET Drama | 2020 | Israel, United States | 89 minutes | English, Hebrew, English Subtitles Michael, a New York Times travel writer visiting Tel Aviv to research his latest article, get some space from his relationship, and jewishledger.com

es on strength and resilience – FEBRUARY 28 – APRIL 2

…A LOOK AT THE FESTIVAL FILMS recharge his batteries amid the thriving gay scene. Intending to sublet an apartment in Israel’s most populous city, he agrees to share a one-bedroom space when tenant Tomer has nowhere else to go. The age gap between the reserved Michael and the free-spirited Tomer lends itself to both humor an charm as the pair get to know one another. (Source: Tribeca Film Festival)

March 13, 7 pm - March 16, 7 pm MY NAME IS SARA Drama | 2019 | Poland, USA | 111 min English, Polish, English subtitles This film is the true-life story of Sara Góralnik, a 13-year-old Polish Jew who lost her entire family in the Holocaust, yet struggled to outlast the Nazis and fought to keep alive her Jewish faith. After a grueling escape, Sara steals her Christian best friend’s identity and finds refuge in a small Ukrainian village, where she is taken in by a farmer and his young wife and hidden in plain sight, masquerading as a Christian. But Sara soon discovers the dark secret of her employer’s marriage, which compromises the greatest secret she must protect at all costs, her true identity.

March 15, 7 pm - March 18, 7 pm CITY OF JOEL Documentary | 2018 | USA | 84 minutes | English Small-town politics and ancient tradition collide in City of Joel, an account of a turf war between an ultra-Orthodox community and its neighbors. Located in the rural upstate New York town of Monroe, Kiryas Joel is home to over 20,000 Satmar sect members, one of the country’s fastest growing Hasidic enclaves. When a plan is created to double the size of the village to keep up with its growth, their secular neighbors fight back, claiming that the expansion will disrupt their lives, harm the environment, and tilt the balance of local political power.

March 16, 7 pm - March 19, 7 pm SHARED LEGACIES Documentary | 2020 | USA | 97 minutes | English The crucial historical lessons of Black-Jewish cooperation are revisited and revived in this call to action. The modern alliance between African Americans and Jewish Americans dates to the NAACP founding in 1909. Since then, both groups have endured segregation jewishledger.com

and racism. Common cause was found in the turbulent ‘60s Civil Rights era, as Jewish leaders backed Dr. King’s efforts at racial equality. Yet, the relationship has frayed in recent years, as a once mighty bond of support and respect has seemingly faded.

(Source: JxJ DC)

March 18, 7 pm - March 21, 7 pm INCITEMENT Docudrama | 2019 | Israel | 123 minutes Hebrew with English subtitles A chronicle of the disturbing descent of a promising law student to a delusional ultranationalist obsessed with murdering his country’s leader, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Israel’s official Academy Award entry for Best International Feature Film and winner of the Israeli Ophir Award for Best Film, this psychological drama depicts the lead-up to the assassination through the worldview of his assassin, Yigal Amir.

March 20, 7 pm - March 23, 7 pm THOU SHALT NOT HATE Drama | 2020 | Italy | 96 minutes Italian, English Subtitles Simone Segre is a successful surgeon who leads a carefree existence, marred only by a difficult relationship with his recently deceased father, a Holocaust survivor. One day he finds himself assisting a victim of a hit and run accident. When Simone discovers a Nazi tattoo on the older man’s chest, he cannot set aside his own prejudice, and he leaves the injured man to suffer his fate.

Tormented by guilt, Simone seeks to find a measure of peace with his ethical dilemma by employing the man’s oldest daughter as his housekeeper. (Source JXJ - DCJCC)

March 21, 7 pm - March 24, 7 pm VIRAL: ANTISEMITISM IN FOUR MUTATIONS Documentary | 2020 | USA | 83 minutes A look at the rise of antisemitism today, through the eyes of some of those most affected by it in the US, France, the UK and Hungary. It examines the far-Right in the U.S. and how they have incited such acts as the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. In England, we find how the far Left often conflates Israel

and Jews which devolves into antisemitism.

Further East, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has launched a massive antisemitic media campaign based around George Soros, and in France, the film illuminates the seemingly endless wave of violence against Jews. The increasing violence within each of these four countries when viewed holistically paints a terrifying portrait of how global hatred begins and how easily it disseminates.

agency. Tsahi Halevi (Fauda, Bethlehem) stars as operative Guy Moran, a secret agent who can’t do anything right. When an American billionaire is kidnapped in Israel, Moran teams up with the CIA’s best agent to try to save the day... with wildly entertaining results.

March 23, 7 pm - March 26, 7 pm THOSE WHO REMAINED

When Danielle joins her family at a shiva, the last person she expects to run into is Max, the ‘sugar daddy’ she said goodbye to just a few hours earlier. With this unexpected clash of her worlds, Danielle is forced into juggling multiple roles: the good Jewish daughter, entertaining small talk with estranged relatives, playing it cool with her ex-girlfriend Maya, and keeping her relationship with Max a secret. (Source: Boston Jewish Film)

Drama | 2019 | Hungary | 83 minutes Hungarian (with English subtitles) Hungary’s official entry for the Academy Award for Best International Film is a tender tale set in Budapest after the end of World War II. Having survived the camps, 42-yearold Aldo lives a solitary life as a doctor in Budapest. Klara, 16, lives reluctantly with her great-aunt, holding on to hope that her father and mother will return. As they grow closer and closer, the joy in both of their lives slowly returns. A lyrical story of the healing power of love in the midst of conflict, loss and trauma.

March 25, 7 pm - March 28, 7 pm LATTER DAY JEW Documentary | 2019 | Israel – United States 85 minutes | English How does a gay, former-Mormon, cancersurvivor who converted to Judaism at the age of 34 prepare for his bar mitzvah?

Determined to be “the best Jew he can be” before becoming a man in the eyes of Jewish law, comedian H. Alan Scott ‘s adventure takes him to Israel during Tel Aviv Pride week, where he shops for his first tallit, prays at the Kotel, and takes a lesson in shofarblowing. A coming-of-age story about a person who literally finds his tribe, layered with comedy, pathos, and joy.

March 25-26, 7 pm & March 28-30, 7 pm MOSSAD

March 29, 7 pm - April 1, 7 pm SHIVA BABY Comedy | 2020 | USA | 77 minutes | English

March 31, 7 pm - April 3, 7 pm THE CROSSING Drama | 2020 | Norway | 90 minutes Norwegian, English Subtitles The story of 10-year-old Gerda and her brother Otto, whose parents are in the Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. One day in 1942, Gerda and Otto’s parents are arrested, leaving the siblings on their own. Following the arrest, they discover two Jewish children, Sarah and Daniel, hidden in a secret cupboard in their basement at home. It is now up to Gerda and Otto to finish what their parents started: To help Sarah and Daniel flee from the Nazis cross the border to neutral Sweden and reunite them with their parents. Source: Menemsha Films) Tickets for individual films are $12.

An ‘All Access’ pass, allowing access to all 19 films, is $10. “Pick Nine” tickets, which allow the filmgoer to select nine films, are available for $11 per film.

To purchase tickets, visit www.hjff. org. For more information on the featured films, contact Jennifer Sharp at jsharp@mandelljcc.org.

Comedy | 2019 | Israel | 95 minutes English and Hebrew with English subtitles A box office smash in its native Israel, Mossad follows the tradition of The Naked Gun series with a riotous laugh-a-minute sendup of the Mossad, Israel’s revered national intelligence

JEWISH LEDGER

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FEBRUARY 19, 2021

13

AROUND CT

Stamford students become a voice for Holocaust survivors

S

iegmund Listwa had a lot to teach Julianne Katz and, admits Julianne, “I had a lot to learn.”

And learn she did recently, when the Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy Upper School junior participated in the school’s new Holocaust Fellowship program. Presented in conjunction with the Anachnu Holocaust Survivor program of the Schoke Jewish Family Service of Fairfield County, the Holocaust Fellowship program partners students at the Stamford school with survivors to record the survivors’ stories, followed by a school presentation.

“In March 2020, Schoke JFS and BCHA launched a program through which students were trained in Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed (PCTI) practices prior to interviewing survivors with whom they were partnered, with the goal of creating a live history theater,” explains Rebekah Kanefsky, Schoke JFS Director of Case Management and Family Life Education Coordinator. “Our agency decided to revive the program this year and contacted the school, who then developed the idea to create the Holocaust Fellowship program with the goal of partnering student and survivor to record their story, followed by a live school presentation.”

Kanefsky, along with Schoke JFS Bilingual Program Director Miriam Sapir, then trained the BCHA students in PCTI and matched them with survivors.

Julianne Katz was one of five BCHA Upper School students who, over the course of six weeks, each interviewed a Holocaust

survivor about their experiences, under the guidance of Dr. Taly Ashkenazi, a member of the BCHA faculty.

The program culminated in a Zoom event held on Jan. 27 – International Holocaust Remembrance Day – at which the students recounted for classmates the story of the survivor they interviewed.

In addition to Julianne, the BCHA Holocaust Fellows included Noah Doft, Menucha Goldberg, Benny Grunblatt and Izzy Kanefsky.

Also joining the Zoom event was Holocaust survivor Agnes Vertes, president of Child Holocaust Survivors of CT, who stressed the importance of passing on survivor memories medor l’dor – from generation to generation. Vertes told the students that with the passing of the generation of Holocaust survivors it will soon become the responsibility of the younger generation of Jews to insure that the story of the Holocaust is not lost in time.

According to Julianne, Holocaust survivor Siegmund “Ziggy” Listwa would agree.

“Ziggy, without fail, always told me how much it meant to him that I wanted to grow and learn more about the war and his story,” Julianne wrote in the essay she presented at the Zoom program. “He told me how much he loved that I wanted to share his story. We may not be able to rewrite history or fix the past, but we have the ability to change the future, and make the most of our present.”

At the Mandell JCC...

Let It Snow!

Toddlers in the Mandell JCC’s Beatrice Fox Auerbach Early Childhood Center in West Hartford were treated to an afternoon playing in the snow…and they didn’t even have to don their snow suits and snow boots. The kids’ inventive teachers filled a big tub with the cold, fluffy stuff brought in from their snow-filled outdoor playground…and let the children go to it! The activity was loads of fun, as well as a learning experience: Hold the snow too long, the children learned, and it melts right in your hands!

HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR ELIZABETH “BETTY” DEUTSCH, WHO WAS INTERVIEWED BY BCHA UPPER SCHOOL FRESHMEN IZZY KANEFSKY, SHARES HER STORY AT THE STUDENTS’ ZOOM EVENT ON JAN. 27.

The experience of interviewing the survivors not only equipped students to pass on the reality of this tragic moment in Jewish history, notes Dr. Ashkenazi, it also served to strengthen their ties to their heritage.

“I personally feel that the Holocaust is an important part of Jewish identity,” she says. “Had it not been for COVID-19, I would have preferred that the students meet the survivors in person, and establish a continuous and lasting connection.

However, they were still able to connect virtually, and some, I believe, will continue to keep in touch.”

For the BCHA Holocaust Fellows, since interviewing the survivors the word

“Holocaust” has taken on a deeper, more profound meaning.

“You hear the word “Holocaust, but you don’t really think much about it. You might think, ‘yes that was a terrible time’, but you don’t really think about the meaning of the word, and all the history it carries,” explains Julianne. “From now, going forward, whenever you come across the word “Holocaust” I want you to really take a minute to think of the families broken, the lives shattered and torn.… I want you to ponder on the ways to carry the legacy of survivors who triumphed over the agony of the Holocaust, and how you can keep future generations from ever forgetting the past.”

Happy New Year…of the trees!

Children at the Mandell JCC’s Beatrice Fox Auerbach Early Childhood Center in West Hartford celebrated Tu B’Shevat – the New Year of the Trees – by using their arms, hands and fingertips to paint the branches of a tree filled with green leaves, colorful flowers and fruits.

EZRA, A PRESCHOOLER AT THE MANDELL JCC EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER, CONCENTRATED ON CREATING PRETTY FLOWERS AND LEAVES FOR THE ECC’S TU B’SHEVAT TREE.

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JEWISH LEDGER

| FEBRUARY 19, 2021

jewishledger.com

PURIM Around the State

B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom

180 Still Rd., Bloomfield, CT 860-243-3576 • office@btsonline.org Join us online Thursday, February 25 at 7pm for “COVID in Shushan,” our 2021 Purim spiel, and a zany Zoom megillah reading.

BYOB and grogger.

Funny masks, etc. encouraged but not required!

Sign up at https://bit.ly/BTS_Purim_5781 today.

Beth El Temple

2626 Albany Avenue, West Hartford, CT 860-233-9696 • BethElWestHartford.org We hope you have a festive Purim!

Purim looks different this year, But one thing remains the same.

We are a joyous, proud, resilient people!

We pray you find warmth, comfort and strength this year.

Chag Purim Sameach!

The Emanuel Synagogue

From your friends at:

Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation Emek Shalom

Celebrate Purim With The Emanuel!

Join us virtually – All are welcome Erev Purim: Thursday night, Feb. 25: LiveStream & Zoom Purim: Friday, Feb. 26 at 7:00 am on Zoom Visit our website for more details: emanuelsynagogue.org

1809 Whitney Avenue, Hamden, CT 203-288-7748 • www.tbshamden.com

55 Bushy Hill Road, Simsbury, CT 860-658-1075 • www.fvjc.org

Temple Beth Tikvah

196 Durham Road, Madison, CT 203-245-7028 • www.tbtshoreline.org

Adult Megillah Reading Live on Zoom Thursday, February 25, 5 p.m.: The TBS Purim Thursday, February 25 at 7:30 PM celebration will take place on Zoom. It will start Bring a libation and join us in a toast to Queen Esther! with a surprise guest, followed by Megillah reading Family Friendly Purim Shabbat Service narrated by our Hebrew School children, Friday, February 26 at 7:15 PM and end with a game on Kahoot!

Live on Zoom Shabbat Service & Spiel for All! Call to receive a Zoom link. jewishledger.com

Virtual Purim Celebration on February 25 from 7-9pm Free and open to everyone!

Megillah Reading & Spiel: “CHOZEN” Celebration to follow: Music • Dance • Origami Lessons • Make a Snowman Coloring Contest • Visit with Vashti • Door Prizes

Chag Purim Sameach!

160 Mohegan Drive, West Hartford, CT 06117 (860) 236-1275 / emanuelsynagogue.org

Temple Beth Sholom

Congregation Beth Israel

701 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, CT 860-233-8215 www.cbict.org

Temple Sinai

41 W Hartford Rd., Newington, CT 860-561-1055 • www.sinaict.org Chag Purim Sameach!

Laugh, sing & celebrate Purim with us!

Open to the entire community & free!

Virtual Purim Service Thursday, February 25th, 6:00 PM Megillah Reading & Festive Amusement Contact the office for the Zoom link.

JEWISH LEDGER | FEBRUARY 19, 2021

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TORAHPortion Terumah

BY SHLOMO RISKIN

“They shall make an ark of acacia trees. Overlay it with pure gold – outside and inside – and you shall make upon it a gold crown all around. Cast for it four gold rings and place them on its four corners, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Into these rings you must insert the [two] poles of acacia trees which you are to overlay with gold, and with which you are to carry the ark. The staves shall remain in the rings of the ark; they may not be removed from it. You shall place into the ark the Testimonial Tablets which I will give you” (Ex. 25:10-16)

At the Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation, we understand that comfort and familiarity is a key part of the journey to wellness. We also understand that maintaining your religious beliefs and principles is fundamental in continued enrichment of life.

Our Kosher meal services allow residents to maintain their dietary requirements throughout their stay with us. At the Hebrew Center, we ensure we follow all principles of Kosher including purchase, storage, preparation, and service.

At the Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation, we also offer a variety of other services and amenities to ensure your stay is as comfortable as possible.

THESE SERVICES INCLUDE: • Passport to Rehabilitation Program • Long-Term Skilled Nursing Care • Specialized Memory Care • Respite Care Program • Palliative Care and Hospice Services Coordination

HKC

‫כשר‬

OUR AMENITIES INCLUDE: • Barber/Beauty Shop • Café • Cultural Menus • Laundry and housekeeping services • Patient and Family education • Life Enrichment

For more information on our Kosher program, please contact: DIRECTOR, PASTORAL SERVICES - (860) 523-3800 Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation One Abrahms Boulevard, West Hartford, CT 06117

LIKE US ON

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JEWISH LEDGER

| FEBRUARY 19, 2021

T

he first of the Sanctuary’s accoutrements is the Ark of the Covenant, into which the Tablets of the Ten Commandments are to be deposited. These Tablets are the written record of the Revelation at Sinai, under whose rubric God transmitted the 613 commandments of the Torah.

Herein lay the message by which a holy nation was to be fashioned and the mission with which blessing was to be brought to all the families on earth. Hence, the production of this ark must contain many symbolic and instructive teachings; its very architecture is therefore divinely commanded.

The wood of the ark came from acacia trees (atzei shittim), a rare type of tree which grows even in a desert wilderness; it is therefore an early forerunner of the freshness and vitality of the cedars of Lebanon which, in the days of our redemptive Messiah, will spread its force throughout Israel and transform arid deserts into founts of water: “I will open up streams on the bare hills and fountains amid the valleys; I will turn the desert into ponds, the arid land into springs of water.

I will plant cedars in the desert, acacia and myrtle and the oil tree… that people may see and know, consider and comprehend, that the Lord’s hand has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it” (Isa. 41:18-20).

The fact that the Sacred Ark, receptacle for the Torah, the Tablets of Testimony, was fashioned from the acacia tree emphasizes the fact that the Revelation was given to Israel from the openspaced no-man’s land of the Sinai desert wilderness. This, our Sages teach us, is because “had the Torah been given in the Land of Israel, the Israelites could have demanded it only for themselves, arguing

that the nations of the world have no share in it; now, anyone who wishes to accept it, may come and accept it” (Mekhilta de R. Yishmael, BaHodesh 1, Lauterbach ed. p.

198).

Moreover, many researchers claim that the miraculous “burning bush” seen

by Moses at the very beginning of his ministry was actually a semi-parasitic plant which covers acacia trees, the Loranthus acaciae, whose fire-red blossoms seemed to Moses to be a flame which was burning, but which did not consume the tree it surrounded (Tree and Shrub in our Biblical Heritage, Nogah Hareuveni, p. 39). The message and mission of the wood from the acacia tree is clear; God entrusted us, inflamed us, with His “fiery law of love” (esh dat) to become a holy nation of priestteachers to humanity, to transform the wilderness wasteland of a corrupt world into a blooming Garden of Eden of fruits and flowers, piety and productivity, during the Time of Redemption.

The wooden ark was placed within a larger, outer box made of pure gold, and it itself enclosed a smaller, inner box of pure gold so that the wooden ark which encased the Tablet of Testimony was formed from the outside as well as from the inside with pure gold. Gold symbolizes eternity – it never decays; it is critical that the preciousness of God’s Torah must be expressed to the outside in words and deeds and must emanate from an inner purity of heart, soul and mind.

The essential, central ark was made of wood because a tree, unlike sterile gold, grows, develops branches, and often gives forth new fruit. Two staves, likewise made of wood, were inserted into gold rings on the sides of the ark, so that the ark – the Torah – would move, progress and travel along with the people of Israel.

Ours must be a living Torah. Our Torah must be found wherever human beings happen to be. Our Torah must apply eternal truths to changing conditions, maintaining deep roots which dig into the depths of ancient nutrients, but equipped with wings to fly into uncharted heights; it must bring us close to the One who revealed His will in the wilderness and endowed us with the wisdom and wherewithal to perfect his world. Herein lies the secret of the cherubs, in human form with wings poised heavenwards, ultimate guardians of an eternal people with an eternal Torah. “They shall make for Me a Sanctuary so that I may dwell in their midst,” in My Sanctuary, which must transform the world into a house of communion and communication with Me for all the nations of the world.

jewishledger.com

This Purim whip up a batch Nutella Hamantaschen

THE KOSHER CROSSWORD FEB. 19, 2021

“The Guinness Puzzle of Biblical Records” By: Yoni Glatt Difficulty Level: Medium

BY JESSICA HALFIN

With yet another holiday spent at home, and most likely without a costume either this year, you might want to try your hand at making the ultimate Purim cookie – the three cornered oznay haman – ears of Haman – aka MEDICAL EQUIPMENT hamantaschen. These LENT OUT BY YAD SARAH. fabulous butter cookies CREDIT: COURTESY. can be filled with Nutella, or all sorts of other special fillings.

Curbside pick up and local home delivery available!

SHABBAT DINNER TRADITIONAL DAIRY LUNCHEON DELI SANDWICH PLATTER DINNER MENU

Dough ingredients: 1 cup butter ½ cup sugar 1 egg Pinch salt Capful vanilla 2 ½ + 1 tablespoon flour Powdered sugar for cooled cookies Nutella for filling Topping: One bar each of white and dark chocolate melted separately.

100g shelled pistachios, pulsed in food processor Directions: Preheat oven to 175 Celsius or 350 F. Using a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix to combine.

Add flour and salt, and mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out until 4-5 mm thickness, and cut out 3 inch circles with a cookie cutter. Pipe 1 teaspoon of filling into the center of each circle, and fold up the edges in a triangle shape. Pinch the edges. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges and underside are golden. Let cool completely, and sprinkle with powdered sugar, or drizzle with chocolate and decorate with crushed pistachios.

ANSWERS TO FEB. 12 CROSSWORD

jewishledger.com

Across 1. Biblical record holder for longest serving leader of Israel 5. Diamond thefts: abbr.

8. Biblical record holder for most times mentioned in the Bible 13. Hit film with Iranian villains 14. “ ___ Haw” 15. Rod Laver in Melbourne, e.g.

16. Biblical record holder for most children 18. Like some ice cream or toothpaste 19. Repeated Torah portion 21. “... cup ___ cone?”

22. Biblical record holder for most miracles performed 25. Biblical record holder for most

wives 28. Moshav’s Beit or Yisrael 29. It’s so subjective 31. City abbr. within “Raptors,” aptly 32. Large composition 34. Strong wood 36. French class writing assignment 40. Biblical record for most performed miracle 43. Doglike African beast 44. Marty’s main leading man, other than Bobby 45. Kind of magic or chocolate 46. Letters before a pseudonym 48. Peron or Green 50. Slapstick pastry

51. Biblical record holder for height 55. Biblical record holder for a woman voluntarily fasting 57. Tuna type 58. Parsha often with Metzora 60. Barbara or Monica 63. Biblical record holder for longest sitting king 67. One might be full court 68. Drink in Jerusalem?

69. Cube maker Rubik 70. Biblical record holder for oldest to give birth and most times mentioned (for a woman) 71. Homer’s neighbor 72. Biblical record holder for the bird most mentioned in the Bible

Down 1. Body part with drums 2. 1,000-year Eur. realm 3. “Blecch!”

4. Destines to destruction 5. Part of Rosh Hashanah services 6. Something instinctively kept with a foot 7. Kinds of trucks 8. A river runs to it?

9. The ___ (Rabbi Isaac Luria) 10. Frenemy of Spider-Man 11. Start 12. Famous Moshe 17. “Who Let the Dogs Out” Men 20. Make like day old manna

(except on Shabbat) 22. Son of Seth (and ancestor of those in this puzzle as it were) 23. Full of sass 24. “You can’t beat me!”

26. Eponymous theater mogul 27. Mad, glad, ___ (some rhyming emotions) 30. Follow, as a suspect 33. Where many laws were enacted, long ago 35. Jerky joint 37. Kind of infection 38. Hawk’s nest 39. Annoying sort 41. “Mamash” alternative

42. Made like Schwarzenegger or Haley 47. T-Mobile competitor: Abbr.

49. Risk continent with 12 territories 51. Sounds of disbelief 52. Catherine of “Home Alone” 53. Eye pencil 54. Foe of 55-Across 56. Hit with a stun gun 59. Big name in jewelry 61. Inits. on an airport uniform 62. Fitting firewood?

64. “Full,” on B’way 65. Ltr. enclosure 66. Groundbreaking garden tool

JEWISH LEDGER

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FEBRUARY 19, 2021

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WHAT’S HAPPENING Jewish organizations are invited to submit their upcoming events to the our What’s Happening section. Events are placed on the Ledger website on Tuesday afternoons. Deadline for submission of calendar items is the previous Tuesday. Send items to: judiej@jewishledger.com.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16 “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis,” screening & discussion Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust presents a screening and discussion of the 1970 classic film “The Garden Of The Finzi-Continis” on Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. Ricky Ian Gordon, composer of the operatic adaptation of the film, and Portia Prebys, longtime companion of Giorgio Bassani, join Italian film and history experts for a discussion on the film. Attendees will receive a private link to screen the film during the fourday period before the program. For more information on this virtual program, visit: mjhnyc.org/events Exploring the history and evolution of Yizkor Books Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust presents Z”achor: Yizkor Books As Collective Memory Of A Lost World,” on Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. on Zoom. Speakers include Avraham Groll, executive director of JewishGen; Joyce Field, former JewishGen VP for Research and Data Acquisition and Yizkor Book Project Manager; Lance Ackerfeld, director of the Yizkor Book Project; and Joel Alpert, coordinator of the Yizkor Books in Print Project.,Compiled from memory by groups of former residents of Eastern European towns in the immediate decades after the Holocaust, Yizkor Books are some of the best sources for learning about prewar Jewish life in Eastern and Central Europe. For more information on this virtual program, visit: mjhnyc.org/events

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18 Jewish Ethics, Social Justice, and the 21st Century Rabbinate Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay of the Jewish Theological Seminary will discuss “Jewish Ethics, Social Justice, Community Organizing and the 21st Century Rabbinate ” on Feb. 18 at 7:30 on Zoom, as part of the 2021 series of virtual lectures surrounding the theme of “The Jewish Roots of Social Justice,” presented by the ALEPH Institute, a learning initiative sponsored by the Mandell JCC and UConn Judaic Studies.

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JEWISH LEDGER

Rabbi Ruskay will focus on raising the scope and profile of social justice work and community organizing skills in the role of the contemporary rabbi. For more information, visit judaicstudies.uconn.edu or mandelljcc.org.

Beyond the Ghetto Gates with author Michelle Cameron The book Beyond the Ghetto Gates by Michelle Cameron is set in 1796-97, a rare happy epoch in Jewish life when Napoleon marched into Italy and demolished the ghetto gates, freeing the Jews who had long been trapped behind them. This virtual book discussion with Cameron on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m., explores issues the novel raises issue that remain pertinent today, including antisemitism, the conflict between assimilation and religious tradition, intermarriage, and the struggle between love and familial duty. For more information, visit cbict.org/calendar.

A talk with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust presents “ Legacies: A Talk With Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla,” who has overseen the development of the world’s first safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, will discuss his experience as the son of Holocaust survivors and how his upbringing informed his accomplished career. He will be joined in conversation by Robert Krulwich, science and technology journalist and longtime host of the double Peabody Award-winning show Radiolab. Admission is complimentary with a suggested donation. For more information on this virtual program, visit: mjhnyc.org/ currentevents.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20 JTConnect’s Pink Shabbat raises breast cancer awareness In keeping with Sharsheret Pink Day 2021, a worldwide initiative to raise breast cancer awareness that will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 10, JTConnect will host its annual Pink Shabbat on Feb. 20, 7 - 8 p.m. Led by JTConnect teen engagement fellows and open to all ages, the evening will include Havdalah and a meal certified kosher by the HKC and ready for pick up

by Friday, Feb. 19. JTConnect Pink Shabbat Boxes that include a pink Havdalah set, Sharsheret swag, mitzvah cards, and more, may be purchased for $36. Procees will benefit Sharsheret, a national non-profit that improves the lives of Jewish women and families living with or at increased genetic risk for breast or ovarian cancer.

Reservations a must by Friday, Feb. 12.

Zoom link will be sent upon registration. To register, contact cara@jtconnect.org.

| FEBRUARY 19, 2021

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21 In concert: Alex Nakhimovsky & Friends Beth El Temple presents a Zoom concert featuring pianist pianist Alex Nakhimovsky and vocalists led by Cantor Joseph Ness. jazz and pop to classical and Israeli folk songs. Part of the 2021 BEMA online season. FREE. Register at https://tinyurl. com/BEMAandAlex

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22 UJF Community Read to feature author Rachel Barenbaum Author Rachel Barenbaum will discuss her debut novel A Bend in the Stars on Zoom, Monday, Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m. at the Community Read hosted by United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Darien. Set in Russia during World War I, in A Bend in the Stars Barenbaum melds the science relating to solving Einstein’s theory of relativity with a love story. The book was named a New York Times Summer Reading Selection and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. Barenbaum, who lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, is a reviewer for the LA Review of Books, the Tel Aviv Review of Books and DeadDarlings. She is an honorary research associate at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute. To register for this free program, visit ujf.org/ communityread, or email Diane Sloyer at dianesloyer@ujf.org.

AFTERLIFE: What does Judaism say about the world to come?

Cantor Abramson of Congregation Shir Ami will lead a virtual exploration on the Jewish perspective on the afterlife and the concepts of heaven and hell on Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Cantor Abramson cantorjea@gmail.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 Preserving Jewish Memory at Auschwitz Since 2000, the Auschwitz Jewish Center (AJC), a Polish satellite location of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust and the only Jewish presence remaining in the vicinity of Auschwitz, has preserved Jewish memory in the town of Oświęcim and educated about the contemporary dangers of antisemitism and other forms of prejudice. Barbara Posner and Shlomi Shaked, the daughter and grandson of survivors from Oświęcim, who have both reconnected with the town over the past two decades, will explore the Center’s commemoration efforts in Oświęcim and their impact on descendants

of the town’s Jewish residents, on Feb 23 5 p.m.For more information on this virtual program, visit: mjhnyc.org/events

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 Arthur Szyk & the Art of the Haggadah Irving Ungar, rabbi and antiquarian book dealer specializing in history Judaica, will present the Samuel and Bettie Roberts Lecture in Jewish Art, and co-editor, The Szyk Haggadah, publisher and editor, Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art (2017) on Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. The FREE webinar is part of the lecture series presented by Fairfield University’s Bennet Center for Judaic Studies. Registration required at fairfield. edu/bennettprogram. For questions, contact the Bennett Center at bennettcenter@ fairfield.edu or call (203) 254-4000 ext.

2066.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy’s annual dinner goes virtual Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy 65th Annual Celebration Dinner, to be held virtually on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m,. will honor several community leaders, including: Guests of Honor Stephanie and Josh Bilenker; Young Leadership Award recipients Nicole and Jonathan Makovsky; Doris Zelinsky, recipient of the Morton G. Scheraga President’s Award; and the many school alumni who are currently serving in the Israel Defense Force. In addition, Jacqueline Herman, who will be retiring as Bi-Cultural head of school at the end of this academic year, will receive the inaugural Walter Shuchatowitz Award for Excellence in Education. For more information, call (203) 329-2186 or visit bchact.org.

Looking for God in All the Right Places with author Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin will discuss his book Looking for God in All the Right Places, on Zoom, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. Rabbi Slakin is well known for his writing, teaching and activism. He has written or edited three Torah commentaries – two of which are for teens. Several of his books have won national awards. His award-winning blog, “Martini Judaism: for those who want to be shaken and stirred,” is published by the Religion News Service. He is currently spiritual leader of Temple Israel in West Palm Beach, Florida.For more information, visit cbict.org/calendar.

jewishledger.com

FEBRUARY 16 – MARCH 18 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3 Creating Meaningful Experiences and Moments With Grandchildren

Klezmer musician Michael Winograd & The Honorable Mentshn in concert

Jewish educator, Diana Gaber, MSW, a graduate of the Wexner Heritage Foundation and a recipient of the 2008 Covenant Award for Excellence in Jewish Education, and director of Ideal 18 a nonprofit bringing generations together through creative experiences, will discuss “Creating Meaningful Experiences and Moments With Grandchildren,” on March 3, 7 p.m., is the inaugural FREE event of the United Jewish Federation’s PJ Grandparents Group, hosted by United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford and PJ Library. To register and receive Zoom link, contact sharon@ujf.org, (203) 321-1373 x109. Email questions in advance to sharon@ujf.org.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust continues to bring live music to audiences at home through the Live from Edmond J. Safra Hall concert series, presented from its state-of-the-art theater. Next up in the series: A live performance by the celebrated klezmer musician Michael Winograd & The Honorable Mentshn on March 4 at 8 p.m..

The group will play hits from Winograd’s 2019 LP Kosher Style, classics from the golden age of Yiddish theater and Klezmer music. Winograd will lead the concert on the clarinet, joined by trombonist Daniel Blacksberg, accordionist Will Holshouser, pianist Carmen Staa, bassist Zoe Guigueno, and drummer David Licht.

For more information, visit mjhnyc.org.

Two women talking: A rabbi and a pastor sit down for coffee

TUESDAY, MARCH 16

The Open MINDS Institute of Fairfield University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts present “Women Who Transform Tradition: Or, What Happens When a Female Rabbi and a Female Pastor Sit Down for Coffee,” on March 3 at 1 p.m.

Rabbi Sarah Marion of Congregation B’nai Israel in Bridgeport and Reverend Vanessa Rose of First Church Congregational in Fairfield, talk about about women who serve as religious leaders: their history, opportunities, and challenges.

No registration is required for this FREE virtual program. For more information, visit quickcenter.com or call (203) 254-4010.

Jewish and Christian Women as Allies in Anti-Racism

THURSDAY, MARCH 4

15th Annual Lecture in Jewish Christian Engagement: “Lift Every Voice and Sing: Jewish and Christian Women as Allies in Anti-Racism,” with guest speaker Ann Millin, PhD, historian, Ida E King Distinguished Visiting Professor of Holocaust Studies, Richard Stockton University. A FREE webinar presented March 16 at 7:30 p.m. Co-sponsored by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies and the Center for Catholic Studies at Fairfield University.Registration required at fairfield. edu/bennettprograms. For information: bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or (203) 2544000 x2066.

ALEPH presents: “Performing Judaism and Social Justice”

THURSDAY, MARCH 18

How to both teach and deconstruct the dominant stereotypes that Jews reinforce when teaching about Jews and Judaism is the focus of “Performing Judaism and Social Justice,” will be presented on Zoom on March 4 at 7:30 p.m., as part of the 2021 series of virtual lectures surrounding the theme of “The Jewish Roots of Social Justice.” The Zoom-theatrical performance will feature Kendell Pinkney, a Brooklyn based theater-maker, Jewish-life consultant, and JTS rabbinical student; Avi Amon, a Turkish-American composer, sound artist, and educator; and Rebecca S’manga Frank, an actor, writer, director. The performance is part of the ALEPH Institute learning initiative sponsored by the Mandell JCC and UConn Judaic Studies.

For more information, visit judaicstudies.uconn.edu or mandelljcc.org.

jewishledger.com

Blacks, Jews, and Black Jews Susannah Heschel, The Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College, will explore the intertwined dimensions of relations between African Americans and Jewish Americans, Jewish involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, Jewish memory of the Civil Rights Movement in recent decades in light of the rise of white nationalism, and scholarship on racism and what they might contribute to our understanding of antisemitism, in her lecture “Blacks, Jews and Black Jews,” to be held on March 18 at 7:30 p.m. The lecture is part of the 2021 series of virtual lectures surrounding the theme of “The Jewish Roots of Social Justice,” presented by the ALEPH Institute learning initiative and sponsored by the Mandell JCC and UConn Judaic Studies. For more information, visit judaicstudies.uconn.edu or mandelljcc.org.

CELEBRATING PURIM! This year, Purim begins on Thursday evening, Feb. 25, and ends the evening of Feb. 26.

Looking for some Purim fun?

Check out one of the following events, all held virtually…and all guaranteed to get you in the Purim spirit. For a reading of Megilat Esther (virtual or otherwise), contact your local synagogue.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25 The Megillah In Yiddish The Museum and the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene will host a virtual Purim celebration on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m., featuring a lively reading of the Meglies Ester (Book of Esther) in Yiddish (with English subtitles), as translated by the great poet Yehoash, followed by a festive musical performance. The program will also include a presentation of historic artifacts from the Museum’s collection illustrating Purim and its role in 20th century European Jewish communities.

For more information, visit: mjhnyc.org/ events

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26 Purim Story Slam Congregation Shir Ami will host a Purim Story Slam on Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m.

A Story Slam is a live story-telling event where individuals share a personal story (about 3-5 minutes long) in the form of a story, a poem or a song; it can be funny, inspiring or dramatic. (If you have never heard a story slam before, listen to The Moth on NPR to get the idea). The Purim Story Slam theme is inspired by the way Mordechai and Queen Esther found a way to foil Haman’s nefarious plan to harm the Jews. If you can recall a time when you felt stuck but you found a way to get out of it, or if you have a personal story that speaks about confronting adversity? If so, contact Cantor Abramson at cantorjea@gmail.com with a brief description of your idea.

THURSDAY, FEB. 25 THRU SUNDAY, FEB. 28 YI Love Yiddishfest – Purim Edition!

The Yiddishkayt Initiative (“YI Love Jewish”) will serve up its first International VIRTUAL YI Love Yiddishfest – Purim Edition, Feb. 25-28.

The event is being simultaneously streamed on the yilovejewish.org website,

Facebook Live and YouTube Live.

Virtual visitors of all ages will hear the story of Purim as they enjoy a wide range of FREE performances, concerts, readings and interviews, featuring major American and International entertainers.

“We’re not able to spread the joy and traditions of Purim and Yiddishkayt in person, so we’re creating an online experience that will give everyone around the world a much-needed escape from the realities of the moment, for four days of frolic, festivity and frothy fun,” says Avi Hoffman, founder and CEO of YI Love Jewish.

The Yiddishkayt Initiative is a nonprofit organization that celebrates and promotes Jewish history, life, and culture, and their positive and far-reaching impact on the world. From performing arts, publishing, and education to language, philosophy and literature, YI offers a global clearinghouse of Jewish culture and entertainment staffed by experts in subject matter and production. The organization works with a wide range of organizations, including Federations, JCCs, synagogues, Hadassah chapters, Hillel chapters, youth groups, summer camp programs, and educational institutions, and more.

For more information, visit YILoveJewish.org, email info@ yilovejewish.org ,or call (888) 945-6835).

Here are some of the highlights of YI Love Yiddishfest-Purim Edition: • Bright Lights... Big Shushan: A Musical Megillah featuring Cantor Shira Ginsburg in Concert with Fantel Music in association with East End Temple - Feb. 25, 8 p.m.

• Shmoozing with Avi featuring Phillip Namanworth the Boogie Woogie Mystic – Feb. 25, 10 p.m.

• “Songs from the Heart,” a concern featuring singing sensation Aelita – February 26, 4 p.m.

• Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Classic Gimpel Tam (Gimpel the Fool) starring Dori Engel in association with Israel’s beloved Nephesh Theatre – Feb. 26, 8 p.m.

• PurimShpiel Concert with the ChorneyGhergus Duo – Feb. 27, 2 p.m.

• ‘KhapLop’: Children’s Stories in Yiddish - Dr. Seuss and More, featuring Avi Hoffman – Feb. 28, 12 p.m.

• The Megillah Cycle of Itzik Manger featuring Mike Burstein and an international celebrity cast – February 28, 2 p.m.

JEWISH LEDGER | FEBRUARY 19, 2021

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OBITUARIES COHEN Dorothy T. Cohen of Florida, formerly of Hamden and Orange, died Jan. 30 from Covid-19. She was the wife of Marvin L. Cohen. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children, Cathy Austin and her husband Tim, Scott Cohen and his wife Gail, and Marcy Cohen and her husband Michael Abeshouse; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; her friend Irma Bachman; many nieces and a nephew.

FISHMAN David S. Fishman, 87, died Jan. 31. He was the husband of Linda (Kessler) Fishman. Born in Providence, R.I., he was son of Harold and Tessie (Walder) Fishman.

He served in the U.S. Marine Corps. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Douglas Fishman and his wife Dena Rosenbloom, and Sarah Boyle and her husband Raul Cooke; his grandchildren, Zoe Fishman, Lili Fishman, Mathias Boyle and Casey Boyle; his step-grandchildren, Lia Rosenbloom and Aaron RosenbloomSnow; his brother Charles (Chuck) Fishman and his wife Margaret; his sisters, Bernice Simons, Laura Landes and her husband Jerald, and Susan Anderson; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

FISHMAN Eva (Eve) Stahl Fishman, 87, of West Hartford, died Feb. 10. She was the widow of Edward Fishman, who died Feb. 4.

Born in Munich, Germany, and raised in Queens, N.Y., she was the daughter of the late Edith and Walter Stahl. She is survived by her sons, Michael Fishman and his wife Evelyn of West Hartford, Kenneth Fishman and his wife Lisa of Southborough, and Ronald Fishman and his wife Kathy of West Hartford; her grandchildren, Carolyn, Eric, Andrea, Jeremy, Rachel, Alex, Ben and Dana; and her sisters-in-law, Helene Fishman and Hedyth Fishman.

GERSHMAN Sandra (Kaufman) Gershman, 91, of Mamaroneck, N.Y., formerly of West Hartford, Conn., and Naples, Fla., died Feb. 4. She was the widow of Melvin Y. Gershman. Born in Hartford, she was the daughter of the late Harry and Alice Kaufman. She was a long-time member of Beth El Temple in West Hartford.

She is survived by her children, Donald Gershman and his fiancée Deborah Lesser of West Hartford, and Karen Klein and her husband Jay of Scarsdale, N.Y.; her sister Rhoda Sumner of Silver Spring, Md.; and her grandchildren, Stephen Gershman and his wife Emily Holzman of Arlington, Mass., Carolyn Gershman of Washington, D.C., Sara Gershman of Washington, D.C., Julia Klein of New York, N.Y., Joshua Klein of Scarsdale, N.Y.; and Aliza Klein of Rochester, N.Y. GREENBERG Harold L. (“Hank”) Greenbaum, 99, of Ellington, formerly of West Hartford and Naples, Fla., died Feb. 4. His was the widower of Marjorie Greenbaum. Born in Hartford, he was the son of David and Anna (Boimel) Greenbaum. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, having served in the Pacific Theater of Battle. He is survived by his step-children, Andrea Levy and her husband Neal Freuden of West Hartford, Richard Levy and his wife Judy of Bloomfield, Bruce Levy and his wife Diane of Ellington; his step-daughter-in-law Sheila Levy of Bloomfield; his grandchildren, Norm Levy and his wife Kim, Diane Bigelow and her husband Todd, Scott Levy and his wife Joye, and Sarah Freuden and her husband Ross Johnston; his greatgrandchildren, Connor, Cole and Cassidy Levy, Sydney and Paige Bigelow, Ellie and Gabe Levy, and Adelaide Johnston; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by four brothers and three sisters, and his step-son Stephen M. Levy.

HUBELBANK Sidney Hubelbank, 100, died Feb. 4. He was the husband of Marian Revitch Hubelbank. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps in North America and Canada as part of the supply line for aircraft going to the war zone. In addition to his wife he is survived by his son Mark Hubelbank and his wife Jeanne; and his grandson David Hubelbank and his wife Laura. He was predeceased by his siblings, Diana Hubelbank, Hannah Jackson, Sophie Nadel, Beatrice Riback, Vivian Ruth and Arnold Hubelbank.

KAPLAN Joseph Seymour “Sy” Kaplan, 83, of Hamden, died Feb. 3. He was the husband of Eta (Popick) Kaplan. He was born in Brooklyn, In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughters, Robyn Buchter and Michelle Krupel and her husband Jeffrey; his brothers, Herbert Kaplan and Harold Mazurek; and his grandson Seth Krupel. He was predeceased by his son-inlaw Robert Buchter, and his brother David Bernie Kaplan.

LIESE Nadine Liese, 70, of Middletown, died Feb. 4. Born in New York, N.Y., she was the daughter of Ethel Siminoff and the late Louis Siminoff. She is survived by her children, Ryan Liese and his wife Nichole, and Jillian Thorne and her husband Sean; her grandchildren, Hannah, David, Samuel, and Ari; her sisters, Judy and Carol; her brother-in-law Henry; two nephews and two grand-nieces; and numerous cousins.

MILLER Kate Miller, 68, of West Hartford, died Feb. 4. She was the wife of Jeffrey Daniels.

Born in Baltimore, she was the daughter of the late Dr. Mitchell & Helen Miller. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughters, Casey Talbott Daniels

and spouse Holger Goehl of Brooklyn, NY., and Jenna Knox Daniels and her partner Jamecia Estes of Northampton, Mass.; her stepson, Booth Geoffrey Daniels and his spouse Suzanne Maplewood, N.J.; her granddaughter Abigail of Maplewood, N.J.; her siblings, Tollie Miller and her partner Valerie Rossetti of Bloomfield, Marion “Bonnie” Miller of South Hadley, Mass., and Mitchell Miller and spouse Christine of New York, N.Y. SILVERBERG Ruth Lippy Silverberg, 94, of Cromwell, formerly of West Haven, died Feb. 2. She was the wife of Sidney K. Silverberg. She was born in the Bronx, N.Y. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her sons, Richard D. Silverberg, Howard J. Silverberg, Mitchell A. Silverberg; her grandchildren, Sarah, Beth, Elizabeth, Paul, Anna and Samantha; six great-grandsons and three great-granddaughters.

YOGEL Minna Yogel Of Boca Raton, Fla., formerly of Newton, Mass. and Hartford, died Jan. 29. She was the wife of Murray Yogel. She was the daughter of Bennie and Sarah Bassok. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children, Pamela, Eric, David and Linda; her brother Jack Bassok and his wife Miriam; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her sister Anne Shupack and her husband.

For more information on placing an obituary, contact: judiej@ jewishledger.

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LOOK for these MAGAZINES in your INBOX!

To Place An Ad: PH: 860.231.2424 x3035 • Fax: 860.231.2485 Email: howardm@jewishledger.com

The Jewish Ledger assumes no responsibility for the product and services advertised

TRENDING

CELEBRATIONS • JUNE SENIOR LIVING • AUG.

MARCH JUNE SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER

BLACK FRIDAY GIFT GUIDE: NOVEMBER

Kosher NEW ENGLAND

MARCH

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Needed, a live-in caregiver for an elderly female home owner in Bloomfield. Duties include trash out, availability at night in case of emergency - attached apartment provided at reduced rent. Applicant must submit 3 references. Call Vivian at 860301-2066.

Compassionate Elder Companion - Driver & Cook Beth: alifeofplantsandart@gmail. com.

CHAUFFEUR, WEST HARTFORD will drive you to New York, Boston, New England tri-state area. Reasonable rates.

References. Call Jeff 860-7124115.

CNA - Five or Seven Days - Live In - Seventeen Years Experience - References Available - 860938-1476.

Mary and Alex Housecleaning.

We have experience and references. We are an insured company. Please call or Txt for a free quote. 860-328-1757 or servicesam.llc@gmail.com.

NURSE SEEKING POSITION: GETTING BETTER TOGETHER! Adult care only. Live-in, days or nights and weekends.

Responsible and dedicated caregiver with medical education. Leave message: 860229-2038 No Text or Email.

Caregiver - Willing to care for your loved ones overnight - Excellent local references Avoid nursing home or hospital in light of Covid 19. Call 860550-0483.

Tricia’s Cleaning Service - Residential & Commercial Detailed cleaning for Home & Office - For Free Quote call 860477-8636.

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All Things

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CONNECTICUT September MASSACHUSETTS December For more information on advertising in these magazines, call Donna 860.833.0839 or DonnaE@jewishledger.com 22

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P.C.A. - HHA Caregiver - 17 Years Experience - Available Live In or Live Out - Five Days a Week - Car Available - Have References - Please Call K.B. 860-796-8468.

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Caregiver for your elderly loved one available Thursday evenings to Sunday evenings. Kosher experience, stellar references.

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Home Health Aide - Two Years Experience - Reliable - Livein seven days. References available, negotiable rates. Call Kwasi 774-253-5479.

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Caregiver looking for full time live-in job - HHA/Precursor CNA - 12 Years experience - Friendly, outgoing, dependable - Please call Janet at 412-527-9285.

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References available, and negotiable rates. Call Sandy 860-460-3051.

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CT SYNAGOGUE DIRECTORY To join our synagogue directories, contact Howard Meyerowitz at (860) 231-2424 x3035 or howardm@jewishledger.com.

BLOOMFIELD B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom/ Neshama Center for Lifelong Learning Conservative Rabbi Debra Cantor (860) 243-3576 office@BTSonline.org www.btsonline.org BRIDGEPORT Congregation B’nai Israel Reform Rabbi Evan Schultz (203) 336-1858 info@cbibpt.org www.cbibpt.org Congregation Rodeph Sholom Conservative (203) 334-0159 Rabbi Richard Eisenberg, Cantor Niema Hirsch info@rodephsholom.com www.rodephsholom.com Jewish Senior Services Traditional Rabbi Stephen Shulman (203) 396-1001 sshulman@jseniors.org www.jseniors.org CHESHIRE Temple Beth David Reform Rabbi Micah Ellenson (203) 272-0037 office@TBDCheshire.org www.TBDCheshire.org CHESTER Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek Reform Rabbi Marci Bellows (860) 526-8920 rabbibellows@cbsrz.org www.cbsrz.org

COLCHESTER Congregation Ahavath Achim Conservative Rabbi Kenneth Alter (860) 537-2809 secretary@congregationahavathachim.org

Temple Sholom Conservative Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz Rabbi Kevin Peters Cantor Sandy Bernstein (203) 869-7191 info@templesholom.com www.templesholom.com

EAST HARTFORD Temple Beth Tefilah Conservative Rabbi Yisroel Snyder (860) 569-0670 templebetht@yahoo.com

HAMDEN Temple Beth Sholom Conservative Rabbi Benjamin Edidin Scolnic (203) 288-7748 tbsoffice@tbshamden.com www.tbshamden.com

FAIRFIELD Congregation Ahavath Achim Orthodox (203) 372-6529 office@ahavathachim.org www.ahavathachim.org Congregation Beth El, Fairfield Conservative Rabbi Marcelo Kormis (203) 374-5544 office@bethelfairfield.org www.bethelfairfield.org GLASTONBURY Congregation Kol Haverim Reform Rabbi Dr. Kari Tuling (860) 633-3966 office@kolhaverim.org www.kolhaverim.org GREENWICH Greenwich Reform Synagogue Reform Rabbi Jordie Gerson (203) 629-0018 hadaselias@grs.org www.grs.org

MADISON Temple Beth Tikvah Reform Rabbi Stacy Offner (203) 245-7028 office@tbtshoreline.org www.tbtshoreline.org MANCHESTER Beth Sholom B’nai Israel Conservative Rabbi Randall Konigsburg (860) 643-9563 Rabbenu@myshul.org programming@myshul.org www.myshul.org MIDDLETOWN Adath Israel Conservative Rabbi Nelly Altenburger (860) 346-4709 office@adathisraelct.org www.adathisraelct.org

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NEW HAVEN The Towers at Tower Lane Conservative Ruth Greenblatt, Spiritual Leader Sarah Moskowitz, Spiritual Leader (203) 772-1816 rebecca@towerlane.org www.towerlane.org Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel Conservative Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen (203) 389-2108 office@BEKI.org www.BEKI.org Orchard Street ShulCongregation Beth Israel Orthodox Rabbi Mendy Hech t 973-723-9070 www.orchardstreetshul.org NEW LONDON Ahavath Chesed Synagogue Orthodox Rabbi Avrohom Sternberg 860-442-3234 Ahavath.chesed@att.net Congregation Beth El Conservative Rabbi Earl Kideckel (860) 442-0418 office@bethel-nl.org www.bethel-nl.org NEWINGTON Temple Sinai Reform Rabbi Jeffrey Bennett (860) 561-1055 templesinaict@gmail.com www.sinaict.org NEWTOWN Congregation Adath Israel Conservative Rabbi Barukh Schectman (203) 426-5188 office@congadathisrael.org www.congadathisrael.org NORWALK Beth Israel Synagogue – Chabad of Westport/ Norwalk Orthodox-Chabad Rabbi Yehoshua S. Hecht (203) 866-0534 info@bethisraelchabad.org bethisraelchabad.org

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Congregation Beth El-Norwalk Conservative Rabbi Ita Paskind (203) 838-2710 Jody@congbethel.org www.congbethel.org Temple Shalom Reform Rabbi Cantor Shirah Sklar (203) 866-0148 admin@templeshalomweb.org www.templeshalomweb.org ORANGE Chabad of Orange/ Woodbridge Chabad Rabbi Sheya Hecht (203) 795-5261 info@chabadow.org www.chabadow.org Congregation Or Shalom Conservative Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus (203) 799-2341 info@orshalomct.org www.orshalomct.org RIDGEFIELD Congregation Shir Shalom of Westchester and Fairfield Counties Reform Rabbi David Reiner Cantor Debora Katchko-Gray (203) 438-6589 office@ourshirshalom.org SIMSBURY Chabad of the Farmington Valley Chabad Rabbi Mendel Samuels (860) 658-4903 chabadsimsbury@gmail.com www.chabadotvalley.org Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation, Emek Shalom Reform Rabbi Rebekah Goldman Mag (860) 658-1075 admin@fvjc.org www.fvjc.org SOUTH WINDSOR Temple Beth Hillel of South Windsor Reform Rabbi Jeffrey Glickman (860) 282-8466 tbhrabbi@gmail.com www.tbhsw.org

SOUTHINGTON Gishrei Shalom Jewish Congregation Reform Rabbi Alana Wasserman (860) 276-9113 President@gsjc.org www.gsjc.org

TRUMBULL Congregation B’nai Torah Conservative Rabbi Colin Brodie (203) 268-6940 office@bnaitorahct.org www.bnaitorahct.org WALLINGFORD Beth Israel Synagogue Conservative Rabbi Bruce Alpert (203) 269-5983 info@BethIsraelWallingford. com www.bethisraelwallingford. org WASHINGTON Greater Washington Coalition Rabbi James Greene (860) 868-2434 admin@jewishlifect.org www.jewishlife.org WATERFORD Temple Emanu - El Reform Rabbi Marc Ekstrand Rabbi Emeritus Aaron Rosenberg (860) 443-3005 office@tewaterfrord.org www.tewaterford.org WEST HARTFORD Beth David Synagogue Orthodox Rabbi Yitzchok Adler (860) 236-1241 office@bethdavidwh.org www.bethdavidwh.org Beth El Temple Conservative Rabbi James Rosen Rabbi Ilana Garber (860) 233-9696 hsowalsky@bethelwh.org www.bethelwesthartford.org Chabad House of Greater Hartford Rabbi Joseph Gopin Rabbi Shaya Gopin, Director of Education (860) 232-1116 info@chabadhartford.com www.chabadhartford.com

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Congregation Beth Israel Reform Rabbi Michael Pincus Rabbi Andi Fliegel Cantor Stephanie Kupfer (860) 233-8215 bethisrael@cbict.org www.cbict.org Congregation P’nai Or Jewish Renewal Shabbat Services Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener (860) 561-5905 pnaiorct@gmail.com www.jewishrenewalct.org Kehilat Chaverim of Greater Hartford Chavurah Adm. - Nancy Malley (860) 951-6877 mnmalley@yahoo.com www.kehilatchaverim.org The Emanuel Synagogue Conservative Rabbi David J. Small (860) 236-1275 communications@emanuelsynagogue.org www.emanuelsynagogue.org United Synagogues of Greater Hartford Orthodox Rabbi Eli Ostrozynsk i synagogue voice mail (860) 586-8067 Rabbi’s mobile (718) 6794446 ostro770@hotmail.com www.usgh.org Young Israel of West Hartford Orthodox Rabbi Tuvia Brander (860) 233-3084 info@youngisraelwh.org www.youngisraelwh.org WETHERSFIELD Temple Beth Torah Unaffiliated Rabbi Seth Riemer (860) 828-3377 tbt.w.ct@gmail.com templebethtorahwethersfield. org WOODBRIDGE Congregation B’nai Jacob Conservative Rabbi Rona Shapiro (203) 389-2111 info@bnaijacob.org www.bnaijacob.org

FEBRUARY 19, 2021

23

Passover

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We’re not JUST kosher...we’re DELICIOUS! 24

JEWISH LEDGER

| FEBRUARY 19, 2021

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