CT Jewish Ledger 2020 Year in Review • January 1, 2021 • 17 Tevet 5781

Friday, January 1, 2021 17 Tevet 5781 Vol. 93 | No. 1 | ©2021 $1.00 | jewishledger.com

2020

The Year in Review

This year more than ever...

Stay Safe.

Stay Healthy.

Stay Kosher.

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INSIDE Vol. 93 No. 1 JHL Ledger LLC Publisher Henry M. Zachs Managing Partner Leslie Iarusso Associate Publisher Judie Jacobson Editor judiej@jewishledger.com • x3024 Hillary Sarrasin Digital Media Manager hillaryp@jewishledger.com EDITORIAL Stacey Dresner Massachusetts Editor staceyd@jewishledger.com • x3008 Tim Knecht Proofreader ADVERTISING Donna Edelstein Senior Account Executive NonProfit & JHL Ledger LLC Media Marketing donnae@jewishledger.com • x3028 Joyce Cohen Senior Account Executive joycec@jewishledger.com • (860) 8369195 Joan Gaffin Central Mass. Account Executive joang@jewishledger.com • (508) 4146210 Trudy Goldstein Account Executive (860) 5731575 Amy Oved Account Executive amyo@jewishledger.com • (860) 8418607 PRODUCTION Elisa S. Wagner Creative Director elisaw@jewishledger.com • x3009 Christopher D. Bonito Graphic Designer chrisb@jewishledger.com

this week

CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | JANUARY 1, 2021 | 17 TEVET 5781

4 The Year in Review A look at some of the national and international stories that made headlines in the Jewish world this year.

15 Briefs Breaking news stories, as the Ledger went to press.

18 CT News 2020 The year’s top stories from Connecticut’s Jewish communities.

22 What’s Happening

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23 Crossword

24 Torah Portion

Samuel Neusner, Founder (19291960) Rabbi Abraham J. Feldman, CoFounder and Editor (19291977)

25

Berthold Gaster, Editor (19771992) N. Richard Greenfield, Publisher (19942014)

In Memoriam 2020

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29 Business and Professional Directory

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31 Synagogue Directory

CANDLE LIGHTING

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WORLD NEWS 2020 The Year in Review JANUARY n An estimate 25,000 people converge on Manhattan’s Foley Square and make their way to Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza, chanting “No Hate, No Fear,” where they hear from community leaders and organizations urging Jewish pride and unity in the face of escalating antisemitism. The march is in response to the steep rise in incidents of violence against Jews in New York City.

n Adding that the Chassids “are generally not too interactive with anybody other than themselves. Are we going to be displaced by the people who are not all that friendly.” n “Incitement,” a new film by IsraeliAmerican filmmaker Yigal Zilberman that examines the mindset of Yoga Amir, the young Orthodox man who assassinated Israel’s late prime minister Yitzchak Rabin, is released in New York theaters. n A journalist from Argentina’s state-run television uses a Jewish conspiracy theory to explain the death of NBA baseball great Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven other passengers in a Jan. 26 helicopter accident. “Sikorsky S76 helicopter, of Jewish nsurname, kills Kobe Brant” tweets Eduardo Salim Sad.

THOUSANDS OF NEW YORKERS CONVENE AT THE “NO HATE. NO FEAR” SOLIDARITY MARCH AGAINST ANTISEMITISM IN JANUARY 2020. THE MARCH FOLLOWED A YEAR IN WHICH ATTACKS AGAINST JEWS SPIKED.

n The Oxford English Dictionary adds a slew of Jewish-themed and Yiddish terms, some of which are sure to offend, to its list of new entries for January 2020. They include terms such as bialy, yeshiva bochur, chrain, Jewfro, Jew York, kvetching, and more.

FEBRUARY n A group of Jewish undergrads at Harvard form the Harvard Coalition for Peace — a group that, they say, addresses “the need for an organized anti-Zionist organization outside of Hillel for Jewish students who support Palestinian liberation, the end to Israel’s settler-colonial project of occupation, colonization, disposition and apartheid in Palestine.” n The student government at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne votes to adopt a resolution that supports the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

MARCH n As the COVID-19 crisis deepens, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft sends the team plane to China to pick up new protective gear for medical personnel. n A court in Pakistan overturns the murder conviction and death sentence of Jewish -American journalist Daniel Pearl’s killer who is subsequently released from prison.

n Academy Award-winning director Quentin Tarantino and his wife, the Israeli model and singer Daniella Pick, welcome their first child; a son whom they name Leo after Pick’s maternal grandfather, Ari Shem-Or. Ari is a lion in Hebrew. Daniella is the daughter of Israel’s singing superstar, Tzvika Pick.

WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER DANIEL PEARL (GETTY IMAGES)

n Six residents of a senior living facility in suburban Boston with roots in the Jewish community die after testing positive for COVID-19.

(ERIK MCGREGOR/LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES)

n James Harris, chair of the education committee of the Montclair, N.J. branch of the NAACP, slams Chassidic Jews at the town’s community forum, saying that he went to Jersey City “and I see these folks in long black suits and curly lots.”

n Responding to rising antisemitism in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces several proposals to combat hate, including one that would create a first-in-the-nation domestic terrorism law.

n Israel’s defense establishment stops making missiles and starts manufacturing ventilators to help those hospitalized with COVID-19.

THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY ADDED SEVERAL YIDDISH TERMS IN 2020.

(IN PICTURES LTD./CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES)

n Yeshiva University men’s basketball team wins the Skyline Conference championship game, winning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament for the second time in three seasons.

ASSASSIN YIGAL AMIR, AS PORTRAYED BY YEHUDA NAHARI HALEV, TORCHES A POSTER OF ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER YITZHAK RABIN IN THE FILM “INCITEMENT.” (COURTESY OF PMKBNC)

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QUENTIN TARANTINO AND DANIELLA PICK ATTEND THE “ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD” U.K. PREMIERE IN LONDON, JULY 30, 2019.

(KARWAI TANG/WIREIMAGE/GETTY IMAGES

COACH ELLIOT STEINMETZ INSTRUCTS HIS YESHIVA UNIVERSITY’S MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM, WHICH HAD A HISTORIC SEASON. (YU ATHLETICS)

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n The Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Tufts University wins a Student Organization Award for putting together a coalition of organizations to work with them on their #EndTheDeadlyExchange campaign, which calls for a referendum to end the university’s police department’s involvement with the Israeli police force and military. The vote, scheduled for March, is postponed owing to the pandemic.

MAY n George Washington University defends the appointment of Ilana Feldman as interim dean of the university’s Elliott School of International Affairs after members of the pro-Israel community voice their objection. Feldman is a supporter of the BDS movement against Israel.

JASON ALEXANDER, UPPER RIGHT, INVITES NON-JEWS JOSH GROBAN, UPPER LEFT, DARREN CRISS, LOWER LEFT AND RACHEL BROSNAHAN TO JOIN IN A VIRTUAL SEDER WEBCAST ON YOUTUBE, APRIL 11, 2020.

(SCREENSHOT)

APRIL n A 60-minute star-studded virtual Passover seder dubbed “Saturday Night Seder” raises $2.35 million for the CDC Foundation.

n In a webcast with the Orthodox Union, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci advises the Jewish community to phase in “the kind of social interactions which are the core of the beauty of your culture” — i.e., communal prayer.

FORMER OLYMPIC SWIMMER DARA TORRES. (WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

n David Peyman is tapped as the U.S. State Department’s special envoy to combat antisemitism. n Meggie Kwait, an Orthodox Jewish teacher who teaches at Beit Rabban Day School, a Jewish day school on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, wins $50,000 in two games, making it into the finals as a contestant on “Jeopardy!” Teachers Tournament.

n Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and chief rival Benny Gantz sign an agreement to form a coalition government together. The deal ends more than a year of deadlocked elections and political stalemate.

SHULEM LEMMER IS A POP STAR IN HIS COMMUNITY -- AND A CANTOR, TOO. (MEREDITH TRUAX)

BENNY GANTZ, LEFT, AND BENJAMIN NETANYAHU IN THE ISRAELI PARLIAMENT, NOV. 10, 2019.

(YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH9)

n NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio is blasted for singling out the entire “Jewish community” for violating social distance rules when hundreds of Orthodox Jews gather for a rabbi’s funeral. Turns out, NYPD ok’d the event. n Singer Shulem Lemmer, a pop star in his community and a cantor, too, becomes the first artist with a Chassidic background to sign with a major record label. n As the pandemic overwhelms funeral homes, Jewish funeral directors and chevra kadishas (Jewish burial societies) begin to face difficult decisions about how to safely perform the ritual surrounding Jewish burials. jewishledger.com

n Actors Shira Haas, Ben Platt and Josh Malina are among the stars who join a virtual ceremony celebrating the 72nd anniversary of the birth of the State of Israel. n According to a report issued by the AntiDefamation League, antisemites have taken to interrupting Zoom meetings and events by posting antisemitic language and signs.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, SPEAKS AT A BRIEFING OF THE WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE, APRIL 10, 2020.

(ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES)

(COURTESY OF JEOPARDY PRODUCTIONS INC.)

n The Jewish-American Hall of Fame announces its 51st inductee: former Olympic swimmer Dara Torres, who competed in five Olympic Games, winning 12 medals and overtaking American Jewish swimmer Mark Spitz.

MEMBERS OF CHESED SHEL EMES, A BURIAL SOCIETY BASED IN BROOKLYN, TRANSPORT A BODY FOR BURIAL AT THE CEMETERY IT OPERATES IN WOODRIDGE, N.Y. (COURTESY OF RABBI MAYER BERGER)

MEGGIE KWAIT WITH HOST ALEX TREBEK.

n According to an ADL report released in 2020, a significant segment of anti-Israel activism on college campuses in 2019 contributed to an atmosphere in which Jewish students felt under attack, and from which antisemitism sometimes emerged. n PBS premieres the documentary “Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations,” in which filmmaker Andrew Goldberg probes the scourge of antisemitism which, like a virus, is mutating across cultures, borders and ideologies, making it all but impossible to stop. n New England’s Camp Ramah, as well as many Orthodox Jewish overnight camps, cancel their summer 2020 programs.

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n The Jewish Democratic Council of America affirms that it will not support Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in her upcoming primary, but does not provide an endorsement to her chief primary opponent, progressive Antone Melton-Meaux. n Apple T+ picks up “Tehran,” an Israeli thriller set in the Iranian capital, co-created

by Moshe Zonder, a writer for the hit Netflix show “Fauna.”

VALERIE BRAHAM, WIDOW OF ONE OF THE VICTIMS OF THE HYPER CACHER GROCERY STORE SHOOTING IN PARIS, APPEARS IN “VIRAL: ANTISEMITISM IN FOUR MUTATIONS.” (PBS)

n Facing criticism, comedian Chelsea Handler deletes a video clip of Nation of Israel leader Louis Farrakhan that Handler, who is part Jewish, posted on Instagram. Handler defended Farrakhan’s virulent antisemitism by writing, “Perhaps Farrakhan’s antisemitic views took form during his own oppression. We know now that oppression of one race leads to an oppression of all races.”

JUNE n Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) endorse progressive candidate Jamaal Bowman, who is mounting a primary challenge to 16-term congressman Eliot Engel, a moderate Democrat and a leading pro-Israel voice in Congress.

JULY n Ireland’s new government eliminates a key bill that would have placed a boycott on products produced in Israeli settlements.

A win for Israel from a nation that has harbored biases against the Jewish state.

(KARWAI TANG/GETTY IMAGES)

n Universal Music Group, one of the largest music corporations in the US, becomes the first major American music company to open a branch in Israel.

(WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/GOOGLE MAPS)

n Two Charlotte, N.C. synagogues call for the removal of a monument to Judah Benjamin, a Jewish politician who served in the Confederate Cabinet. The names of the synagogue are etched on the monument, though neither approved of the memorial.

(GABRIELLE BIRKNER)

n Two Jewish philanthropists launch The Jewish Future Pledge, an initiative calling on Jewish donors worldwide to allocate at least half of their charitable dollars, transferred at death, to Jewish and Israelrelated causes.

CHELSEA HANDLER, FEB. 9, 2020.

REP. ELIOT ENGEL LOST A PRIMARY CHALLENGE IN HIS NEW YORK DISTRICT.

A PHOTO OF LORI GILBERT-KAYE, WHO WAS KILLED IN THE SHOOTING AT CHABAD OF POWAY, CALIF., MAY 3, 2019.

rhetoric. A few Black celebs called them out, but it still leaves many Jews fearful of what it all means. Two examples follow: n After Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson is accused of antisemitism for promoting a quote falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler and praising the virulently antisemitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, he speaks with a 94-yearold Holocaust survivor and accepts the survivor’s invitation to visit Auschwitz, post-pandemic.

n In his newly released book The Crisis of Zionism, Peter Beinart, former editor of The New Republic and a columnist for The Atlantic, comes out against the two-state solution vis a vis Israel and the Palestinians.

Instead, he advocates for replacing Israel with a binational state, thus erasing the Jewish state.

n Victims and survivors of the shooting attack on the Chabad of Poway file a lawsuit against the gunmaker Smith & Wesson and the gun store in San Diego that sold the suspected shooter his firearm.

NFL STAR DESEAN JACKSON ACCEPTED AN INVITATION FROM 94-YEAR-OLD HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR EDWARD MOSBERG TO VISIT AUSCHWITZ TOGETHER. PETER BEINART

(SCREENSHOT FROM INSTAGRAM)

(FACEBOOK)

n In the span of a few weeks, a spate of Black celebrities, mainly football and basketball stars, use social media to defend and praise Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, echoing his virulent antisemitic

TEMPLE ISRAEL IN CHARLOTTE, N.C.

(COURTESY OF TEMPLE ISRAEL)

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n After engaging in conversation with Los Angeles Rabbi David Wolpe, Former NBA star Stephen Jackson walks back inflammatory comments he made earlier suggesting Jews control all the banks.

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n On July 4th, the noted antisemitic Louis Farrakhan delivers a three-hour speech streaming live on the Nation of Islam’s YouTube chapel in which he says Jews had poisoned him with “radiated seed” and calling Jewish figures such as Alan Dershowitz and Middle East negotiator Jason Greenblatt ‘Satan.’

n Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the Jewish National Security Council staffer who was among the first to raise flags about President Donald Trump’s pressure on Ukraine to investigate a political rival, retires from the U.S. Army amid allegations by his attorney that “he was bullied by the president and his proxies.”

AUGUST n President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan — the crown prince of Abu Dhabi — announce the signing of the “Abraham Accord,” a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. n ChaiFlicks, a film and TV steaming platform focused on Jewish-themed movies, is launched. Featuring more than 150 titles, it is available on every major streaming platform, as well as both iOS and Android mobile devices.

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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.

NATION OF ISLAM LEADER LOUIS FARRAKHAN SPEAKS AT ST. SABINA CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CHICAGO, MAY 9, 2019.

(KAMIL KRZACZYNSKII/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

n Protestors at a demonstration in Washington D.C. linking Black Lives Matter and the Palestinian cause chant “Israel, we know you, you murder children, too.”

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.

n Iran executes a suspected spy for the U.S. and Israel who gave to those nations information regarding the location of former Islamic revolutionary Guard Corps commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani, killed by an American drone in Iraq in January. n A new Instagram account, Jewish on Campus, collects the anonymous anecdotes of Jewish students across the country who have experienced antisemitism in college.

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.

A SCREENSHOT FROM CHAIFLICKS, A JEWISH-THEMED STREAMING PLATFORM. (CHAIFLICKS)

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

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

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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

L IKE U S ON LT. COL. ALEXANDER VINDMAN TESTIFIES AT THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE HEARING ON THE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY OF PRESIDENT TRUMP IN WASHINGTON, NOV. 19, 2019.

(TOM WILLIAMS/CQ-ROLL CALL, INC VIA GETTY IMAGES)

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n Facebook announces that it will ban posts about Jews controlling the world among several other efforts to combat hate speech. The announcement comes following a monthlong boycott on advertising on Facebook spearheaded by a coalition of civil rights groups led by the ADL. More than 1,000 companies participated in the boycott protesting Facebook’s lack of action against hate speech. n Rep. Ilhan Omar, the congresswoman who has been criticized for comments on Jewish influence in politics and supporting the BDS movement, wins her primary against a progressive rival who received support from pro-Israel groups. n Two giving circles at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford: JewGood Hartford for young professionals, and the Lillian Fund for women, award grants to five local nonprofits that support social justice, help people impacted by COVID-19, and provide assistance to domestic violence survivors. n Joe Biden closes the Democratic National Convention by invoking what he depicts as President Trump’s callousness to racism and antisemitism. “Remember seeing those neo-Nazis and Klansmen and white supremacists come in in a field with lighted torches veins bulging spewing the same antisemitic bile heard across Europe in the 30s,” he said. “Remember what the president said when asked, he said there were quote, very fine people on both sides.

It was a wake-up call for us as a country.

And for me, a call to action. At that moment I knew I’d have to run.” n Rose Ritch, vice president of the University of Southern California Undergraduate Student Government, says she had to resign from her post because she is a supporter of Israel. Wrote Ritch in

(IBRAHIM AMRO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

an open letter: “I have been harassed and pressured for weeks by my fellow students because they opposed one of my identities.

It is not because I am a woman, nor because I identify as queer, femme, or cisgender. All of these identities qualified me as electable when the student body voted last February.

But because I also openly identify as a Zionist, a supporter of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.” n Facebook has restricted thousands of groups and pages with ties to the proTrump QAnon conspiracy theory. The social media site said that it had removed 790 Facebook groups and was restricting thousands of groups, accounts and pages on Facebook and its company Instagram. n Posters glorifying Nazism were found on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University for the second time in less than a year.

JOE BIDEN ACCEPTS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ACCEPTING THE NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION IN DELAWARE, AUG. 20, 2020.

(OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

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FROM LEFT, BAHRAIN FOREIGN MINISTER ABDULLA NETANYAHU, PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AND UAE F AT THE SIGNING OF THE ABRAHAM ACCOR

FIREFIGHTERS DOUSE A BLAZE AT THE SCENE OF AN EXPLOSION AT THE PORT OF LEBANON’S CAPITAL BEIRUT, AUG. 4, 2020.

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(SAUL LOEB/AFP V

n “Free Palestine” was spray-painted in the driveway of Kenosha, Wisconsin’s historic synagogue amid the ongoing protests there. n Israel’s offers assistance after a massive explosion in Beirut killed 172 and injured 6,000 The owner of the cargo ship the that arrived in the city’s port in 2013 carrying 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate prior to the explosion is linked to the Lebanese bank used by Hezbollah. n Israeli firefighters arrive in Sacramento, Calif., to assist with battling a wave of wildfires sweeping through the area. n Goyim TV, an antisemitic video-sharing website promoted by the “Goyim Defense League” with a “banner drop” from a Los Angeles freeway overpass, is taken down by its domain host under a flood of complaints.

But followers are then directed to a similar site disseminating the same hateful ideology.

SEPTEMBER n President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu join the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain at the White House to mark historic normalization agreements between Israel and the two Arab countries. n A Jewish former Marine wins the hotly contested Democratic congressional primary in Massachusetts to succeed Rep. Joe Kennedy III. n After saying she would attend, progressive N.Y. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez withdraws from an Americans for Peace Now event memorializing the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, assassinated in 1995 for his efforts to achieve peace with the Palestinians. Keith Ellison, the Minnesota attorney general and a leader of Democratic Party progressives, takes her place.

A VIEW OF THE BANNER ON LOS ANGELES’ I-405 HIGHWAY CAPTURED BY A TWITTER USER. (SIAMAK KORDESTANI/TWITTER)

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n A recent survey of non-Jewish Americans reveals that close to half are “unsure” or have ‘never heard of the term” antisemitism. n For the first time in its 107-year-old history, a team representing the State of Israel — known as “Team Israel Start Up Nation” — participates in the 21-stage Tour de France, the most prestigious bicycle race in the world. n Jewish billionaire Steve Cohen is set to become the next owner of the New York Mets baseball team.

ATIF AL-ZAYANI, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN FOREIGN MINISTER ABDULLAH BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN RDS AT THE WHITE HOUSE, SEPT. 15, 2020.

VIA GETTY IMAGES)

n An Instagram account calls on followers to identify Jewish high school students in Northern California’s Marin County. The account names Jewish students in the county and calls on followers to contribute the names of other Jewish students there. n The national leadership of the NAACP announces that it will take over the Philadelphia chapter following an outcry over an antisemitic social media post by the chapter’s president, Rodney Muhammad. n An Uber passenger in Melbourne, Australia, orders his driver to pull over and let him out of the vehicle after finding out the driver was Jewish. n Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi says that his government has moved away from plans to extend sovereignty to the Jordan Valley, and Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, in the wake of the recent agreement with the UAE.

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ LEAVES THE U.S. CAPITOL, MARCH 27, 2020.

(WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES

n In response to a request from the UAE, Orthodox Union Kosher, the world’s largest kosher certification agency, says it will be the leading kosher certification agency within the Emirates, and do so in partnership with the local Jewish community.

MEMBERS OF ISRAEL START-UP NATION, THE COUNTRY’S PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM (NOA ARNON )

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A MURAL OF LEILA KHALED IN THE WEST BANK, JUNE 16, 2013.

(IAN WALTON/GETTY IMAGES)

n Leila Khaled, a Palestinian hijacker who was scheduled to speak at a virtual roundtable discussion organized by San Francisco State University is disinvited following a public outcry. Khaled, who was arrested in London for her part in the highjacking ,was later released in exchange for hostages from another hijacking. n President Donald Trump is nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, in part for helping to broker the treaty between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, dubbed the “Abraham Accord.” n The Miami Herald apologizes for running antisemitic and racist ads in its Spanishlanguage publication el Nuevo Herald for months. n Due to the pandemic, the 79th anniversary of the massacre of Jews at Babi Yar is marked by an online broadcast featuring Jewish and Israeli leaders, and

A VIEW OF A MEMORIAL WITH A JEWISH MENORAH AT BABI YAR.

the launch of an audio installation project at the site. But the controversy over how to preserve what has become known as the ‘Holocaust by bullets’ continues. n According to a new study, 11% of Americans under 40 think Jews caused the Holocaust and 15% think it was a myth or has been exaggerated.

OCTOBER n Israel marks the 25th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin with a series of commemorative events, including a special Knesset plenum session. n In a ceremony held in Poland, Israel honors the couple who rescued Jewish film director Roman Polanski from the Holocaust. A grandson of Stefania and Jan Buchała accepted the medal naming them CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

ISRAELIS AT A DISPLAY OF 25,000 MEMORY CANDLES WITH THE HEBREW WORDS FOR “SONG OF PEACE” HIGHLIGHTED IN HONOR OF THE 25TH MEMORIAL DAY FOR THE ASSASSINATION OF PRIME MINISTER YITZHAK RABIN AT RABIN SQUARE IN TEL AVIV ON OCT. 29, 2020.

(TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90)

(OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE)

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posthumously as Righteous Among the Nations, a title conferred upon non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews from the Nazis. n A newly released report from the Department of Homeland Security names white supremacists as the biggest domestic terror threat in the United States. The Homeland Threat Assessment notes that, among other qualities, white supremacists are characterized by their hate of Jews, or by “their perception that the government is controlled by Jewish persons.”

“EVERY YEAR THERE ARE NEW DOCUMENTARIES,” SAID CO-CREATOR AMIT COHEN. “BUT NOTHING HAS THE SAME VISCERAL EFFECT THAT THIS SHOW HAS.” (COURTESY OF HBO MAX)

n Israel Bonds celebrates its 70th anniversary. n A complaint filed with the department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights alleges that Jewish students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign “face an unrelenting campaign of antisemitic harassment.”

A NEW YORK TIMES OPED RECEIVED SCRUTINY FOR OMITTING LOUIS FARRAKHAN’S ANTISEMITIC AND BIGOTED HISTORY

n In response to the beheading of a schoolteacher in France by a radical Muslim, French President Emmanuel Macron announces a plan to crack down on radical Islam. The country’s Jewish community applauds his efforts.

(SCREENSHOT; GETTY IMAGES)

n New York’s Mayor Bill de Blasio expresses regret for how he handled the funeral of a prominent Orthodox rabbi which drew thousands into the street of Williamsburg in the early days of the pandemic. He was widely criticized for calling out the entire “Jewish community” and no others . n American citizens born in Jerusalem are given permission to list Israel as their place of birth on their U.S. passport n The Genesis Foundation announces that this year the public can vote on the winner of Israel’s prestigious Genesis Prize from among 7 finalists: Sacha Baron Cohen, Barbra Streisand, Justice Elena Kagan, Gal Gadot, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Marc Benioff and Steven Spielberg. n Doctors in Israel save a newborn’s life with a rare surgical procedure performed before the boy was fully outside his mother’s body.

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON DELIVERS A SPEECH ON COMBATING RADICAL ISLAM IN MULHOUSE, FRANCE, FEB. 18, 2020.

(JEAN-FRANCOIS BADIAS / POOL / AFP)

n The Jewish Democratic Council of America PAC releases a powerful ad that juxtaposes the recitation of the mourner’s Kaddish with President Trump’s rant and controversial statements about COVID-19.

Republicans aren’t pleased.

n According to a landmark study, Jews share of the population of Europe is as low now as it was 1,000 years ago — and the future does not good. n In his new film, Sacha Baron Cohen, as “Borat,” mocks antisemitic conspiracy theories. n The New York Times drools over the notorious antisemite Louis Farrakahn in a piece defending him against accusations of sexism, in which no mention of his legacy of anti-Jewish or anti-gay remarks is mentioned.

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JEWISH LEDGER

A FLYDUBAI A6-FDC. AUG. 3, 2012.

PHOTO: FAISAL AKRAM VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.

n In a late bid to boost President Donald Trump’s reelection prospects, Sheldon and Miriam Adelson reportedly give $75 million to a political action committee running ads targeting Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. n Ginni Thomas, a conservative activist and the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, shares a meme on Facebook claiming that George Soros’ family is “evil” and “really running” the Democratic party. n Following the lead of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, the video platform TikTok announces that it is expanding the range of hate content that it will ban from the network. n The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, the largest American Jewish weekly west of New York, ceases print production and becomes an online-only publication. n The Argentine Football Association adopts the definition of antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

n Protests by throngs of Orthodox Jews protesting against New York’s crackdown on gatherings in their neighborhoods turn tense and at times violent. In response Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio are careful not to utter the words “Jewish community.”

NOVEMBER n Former Vice President Joe Biden is declared winner of the presidential election after a vote that takes five days to count.

Calling the election a fraud, President Donald Trump refuses to concede.

n HBO Max buys the rights to “Valley of Tears,” a drama about the 1973 Yom Kippur War that is touted as Israel’s biggest-budget TV series to date.

n Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally notifies Congress that the U.S. plans to sell $23.4 billion of arms to the United Arab Emirates. The Senate calls on the State

| JANUARY 1, 2021

Department to ensure that the sale won’t “diminish Israel’s qualitative military edge” in the region. n United Arab Emirates’ low-cost airline carrier, flydubai, announces that it would begin direct flights to Israel. n Weeks after voting to rehire a principal who told a parent he “can’t say the Holocaust is a factual, historical event,” a the Palm Beach County school board school reverses course and fires the principal. n A United Nations committee resolution again ignores Jewish ties to the Temple Mount holy site in Jerusalem, mimicking a pair of UNESCO resolutions that sparked controversy in 2016. n Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera announces that his country intends to establish a permanent embassy in Jerusalem by next summer. n Alton Brown, an American television personality and chef, apologizes for tweeting a joke about the Holocaust. n Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has tested positive for COVID-19. n The Palestinian Authority resumes security and financial ties with Israel — and Israel says it will resume funneling taxes to the Palestinian Authority.

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DECEMBER n In his new book The Promised Land, former President Barak Obama kvetches about Israel and gives a factually inaccurate and misleading account of the history of the Jewish state.

ALTON BROWN SPEAKING AT THE GOOGLE CAMPUS IN MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. ON NOV. 19, 2009.

CREDIT: LAWRENCE LANSING VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.

n President-elect Joe Biden assures Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that the ties between their countries will remain strong.

U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SPEAKS ON THE PHONE TO ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU ON JUNE 8, 2009.

n Labour decides to reinstate as a member Jeremy Corbyn, the British party’s former leader, after his suspension for allegedly downplaying the party’s antisemitism problem.

n Theo Epstein, the wunderkind baseball executive who led the Chicago Cubs to its first World Series championship in more than a century in 2016, announces that he will step down as the club’s president of baseball operations after nine seasons.

THEO EPSTEIN AT A PRESS CONFERENCE AT WRIGLEY FIELD IN CHICAGO, OCT. 28, 2019.

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n President-elect Joe Biden nominates Alejandro Mayorkas, a Latino Jew who has emphasized the heightened threat facing American Jews, as his Homeland Security secretary. Mayorkas was born in Cuba to a Cuban Jewish father and Romanian Jewish mother. His mother survived the Holocaust. n The Council of the European Union invites all the bloc’s 27 members to adopt a definition of antisemitism that includes anti-Israel vitriol. n Rapper Lord Jamar says “at most” 500,000 Jews died in the Holocaust.

n A new senior Pentagon adviser repeatedly says that U.S. support for Israel was due to money from the “Israeli lobby” and accuses prominent political figures, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, of getting “very, very rich” from their support for the Jewish state — echoing the antisemitic trope of Jewish money controlling politics and policy.

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n President-elect Joe Biden announces that his plan to deal with Iran starts with reentering the 2015 nuclear deal without conditions.

n A San Francisco-area school district takes action after Jewish students face antisemitic harassment on social media for the second time this term.

n Rio de Janeiro inaugurates a Holocaust memorial that includes a 72-foot-tall tower and overlooks the Sugarloaf Mountain, one of South America’s most famous landmarks.

n The New York Times includes works by two Israeli authors in its 100 Notable Books of 2020 list: Yishai Sarid for his book The Memory Monster, and A.B. Yehoshua for his book The Tunnel.

n The Trump administration rescinds Sudan’s status as a state sponsor of terrorism, part of the effort to establish ties between Israel and the Arab country. As part of the deal, Sudan reportedly agrees to pay $335 million to the victims of Al Qaeda’s attacks on the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998 and the USS Cole in 2000. Victims of 9/11 so far have refused to settle. In October, Trump brokered a normalization agreement between Israel and Sudan. But Sudan insists that the U.S. first remove it from its list of states that sponsor terrorism.

n Daniel Ackerman, a graphic designer from Boca Raton comes up with the winning design in a contest sponsored by the Israeli-American Council, to create a specialty license plate saying that “Florida Stands with Israel.”

CREDIT: PETE SOUZA/WHITE HOUSE

n The foreign ministers of Israel and Bahrain announce that the two countries, which signed normalization agreements in September as part of the Abraham Accords, will open embassies in their respective countries by the end of the year.

(DAVID BANKS/GETTY IMAGES)

n The Trump White House throws an in-person Chanukah party, one of a series of recent events the administration has held despite coronavirus concerns.

n One of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s signature white lace jabot collars go on display at the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv.

The collar and a signed copy of the late Supreme Court justice’s autobiography, both personally donated to the museum

by Ginsburg, are part of the new core exhibition.

ONE OF THE LATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG’S SIGNATURE WHITE LACE JABOT COLLARS, AT THE MUSEUM OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN TEL AVIV. (COURT OF THE MUSEUM)

| JANUARY 1, 2021

THE WINNER OF A DESIGN CONTEST FOR A FLORIDA LICENSE PLATE, DEC. 15, 2020.

(COURTESY IAC)

n Five years after his release on parole and two days after his travel restrictions ended, Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard releases a statement on his next steps, tempering expectations of a rapid relocation to Israel. n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greets at Ben-Gurion International Airport — the first group of Ethiopian immigrants to arrive in the country within the framework of “Operation Tzur Israel” (“Rock of Israel”). n Israeli Tourism Minister Orit FarkashHacohen and her Bahraini counterpart Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at a ceremony in Jerusalem.

ETHIOPIAN JEWS GATHER AT A MAKESHIFT SYNAGOGUE IN GONDAR TO SEE IF THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN A DATE TO MOVE TO ISRAEL. (JENNY VAUGHAN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

SUDAN’S SOVEREIGN COUNCIL CHIEF GENERAL ABDEL FATTAH AL-BURHAN SPEAKS IN THE CAPITAL KHARTOUM, SEPT. 26, 2020.

(ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

n Dawn Johnson, a Republican just elected a state representative in New Hampshire, apologized for sharing a post from the neoNazi website the Daily Stormer. “I have removed the report as it came from a source I do not agree with and thanks to a couple of people who showed me,” she said. No word from Johnson on why she was reading posts on a neo-Nazi website. n The Jewish Democratic Council releases a video featuring the Rev. Raphael Warnock, the party’s challenger in one of two key Senate runoffs in Georgia, talking up the Black-Jewish alliance, in attempt to fend off attacks by his opponent Kelly Loeffler over past sermons in which the pastor was harshly critical of Israel.

REV. RAPHAEL WARNOCK SPEAKS AT A CAMPAIGN EVENT IN ATLANTA. (MEGAN VARNER/GETTY IMAGES)

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10 heartwarming Jewish stories from 2020, a year to otherwise forget

BY GABE FRIEDMAN

(JTA) — There’s no sugarcoating it: 2020 was a difficult, trying, tragic year.

But just because COVID-19 dominated the headlines and our personal lives, that doesn’t mean there weren’t any Jewish bright spots. Plenty of history was made, from a march of tens of thousands against anti-Semitism to a new kind of vaccine that Jewish doctors helped create, to a Jewish vice-presidential spouse.

Here are some of the Jewish stories that helped distract us from the pain of the past year.

The Jews involved with the vaccine Several Jewish scientists have been at the forefront of the rush to produce an effective COVID-19 vaccine, trying to alleviate the suffering inflicted on the world by the virus in the past year.

There is Mikael Dolsten, the Swedish Jewish head scientist at Pfizer, who was key in helping the pharmaceutical giant produce the first approved vaccine and talked to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency about the role of immigrants in scientific innovation and the new form of mRNA vaccines. Tal Zaks, an Israeli, is the chief medical officer of Moderna, the other American company to produce a vaccine authorized by the FDA. And the CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, is a Greek Jew proud of his heritage — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that helped Israel become one of the first countries to secure a Pfizer vaccine contract.

The first Jewish second husband Vice President-elect Kamala Harris wasn’t the only member of the Biden presidential ticket to make history in November. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, became the first “second husband” in American political history — and the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president. He has relished the role, speaking at events aimed at Jewish voters and with Jewish politicians.

Along the way, Emhoff and Harris have helped charge a wave of love for intermarried families. The couple released a video together this month about Hanukkah — “one of our favorite holidays in our big, modern family,” Emhoff said. jewishledger.com

Zach Banner as mishpocha The 6-foot-8, nearly 350-pound offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers of Chamorro and African-American ancestry became one of the Jewish community’s favorite sons this year. After fellow NFL player DeSean Jackson made headlines in July when he posted a series of antisemitic messages on social media, Banner was among the most prominent people to call him out and say publicly that Jews “deal with the same amount of hate, similar hardships and hard times” as the Black community. Banner said he was partly inspired to speak out after being in Pittsburgh during the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in 2018.

Following Banner, a stream of other Black athletes and commentators, including the former basketball stars Charles Barkley and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, took stands against antisemitism.

Banner’s love for the Jews didn’t stop with one post — after what he called an outpouring of love from the community, he donated some of his earnings to a Tree of Life-related charity and tried challah to raise money for his charitable foundation.

His thoughts on the Jewish bread, via the video he released? “That is fire, wow!”

The year of the celebrity Chanukah video Maybe it was all of the quarantine isolation.

Maybe it was the sense of solidarity brought on by the pain experienced around the world this year. Whatever the reason, this was the year that a large chunk of the celebrity zeitgeist, Jewish and non-, had fun marking Chanukah Non-Jewish rock star Dave Grohl and his Jewish producer posted eight entertaining covers of songs by Jewish

BROADWAY ACTRESS NICOLETTE ROBINSON DISCUSSES HER ROLE IN THE MUSICAL “WAITRESS” IN NEW YORK CITY, SEPT. 7, 2018.

(JIM SPELLMAN/GETTY IMAGES)

musicians, one for every night. Haim, the Jewish pop band, marked the holiday like never before, from song and dance to a guitar giveaway. Daveed Diggs, the Black and Jewish star of “Hamilton,” among other things, gave us a delightful Chanukah rap (for kids). The Jewish Broadway star Nicolette Robinson and her non-Jewish Broadway star husband Leslie Odom Jr. covered “Maoz Tzur” for a holiday album and chronicled their family’s holiday experience on Instagram. And the list didn’t stop there.

SIX-YEAR-OLD BIBI, AN ACCIDENTAL SINGING SENSATION.

The Abraham Accords Before 2020, Israel only had formal diplomatic relations (and historically not the warmest of relations) with two neighboring Arab countries, Egypt and Jordan. As 2020 ends, Israel now has relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and pending ties with Sudan and Morocco (it also formalized ties with Bhutan, the tiny Buddhist-majority nation known for prioritizing the happiness of its citizens). While the deals include tradeoffs that have made some on both sides of Congress’ aisle uncomfortable — including advanced military weapons to the UAE and taking Sudan off the U.S. list of terrorism sponsors — the moves have also been widely lauded for enlarging the Arab world’s acceptance of Israel. The small communities of Jews living in those countries have rejoiced, and Israelis have been pretty excited, too — over 50,000 of them have already visited the UAE, one of the world’s glitziest vacation spots.

A child’s “Avinu Malkeinu” goes viral ZACH BANNER

(RICH GRAESSLE/ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY IMAGES)

of a beaming six-year-old in Australia, Bibi Shapiro, who went viral with his version of “Avinu Malkeinu.” His mother, Nina, told JTA that she never meant for the video to become public — but was glad it did.

“People have said it’s made them happy and given them hope,” she said, “and even though I don’t understand it, the fact that it has done that to people especially at this time in the world, I’m so grateful for it.”

Bibi appeared over Zoom during Yom Kippur services at Central Synagogue in New York City, collaborated with a favorite singer from his native South Africa and spurred an international conversation among Jewish children’s musicians, showing the global reach of good news.

One break from the heaviness of a pandemic High Holidays came in the form

(COURTESY OF NINA SHAPIRO)

Lots of Nobel Prizes Nobel Prize medals pictured in 2019.

(Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images) It’s just a fact: Jews are known for their proclivity for winning Nobel Prizes. So much so, in fact, that the concept features in all kinds of strange theories about Jewish intelligence.

But 2020 was an extra-successful year on the Nobel front. Academic Paul Milgrom shared the economics prize for his discoveries in the field of auction theory.

Poet Louise Gluck won in literature for her “for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.” And Harvey Alter, a researcher for the National Institutes of Health, shared the Nobel in medicine for helping identify the hepatitis C virus. (Not to forget two retired Jewish mathematicians won the Abel Prize, which is seen as the Nobel equivalent for a field that does not award one.)

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A historic march against antisemitism

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It’s hard to remember a time before the pandemic raged through the country this year, but as the calendar turned to 2020, the New York City area was reeling from a spate of violent antisemitic attacks, including a Jersey City kosher store shooting and a stabbing in Monsey, New York. Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn were the victims of a sharp uptick in random assaults. In response, New York City officials and local Jewish groups helped organize one of the largest marches against antisemitism the country has ever seen, which symbolically started in Lower Manhattan and crossed the Brooklyn Bridge.

“What has happened in Brooklyn, what has happened in Monsey, New York, was an attack on every New Yorker and every New Yorker has felt the pain,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said before the march. While its impact was blunted by the pandemic, the march offered a sense of optimism and unity to start the year.

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PARTICIPANTS IN A JEWISH SOLIDARITY MARCH ACROSS NEW YORK’S BROOKLYN BRIDGE, JAN. 5, 2020.

(JEENAH MOON/GETTY IMAGES)

An Israeli phenom makes the NBA It’s rare for an Israeli athlete to make it to one of the top-tier American sports leagues. It’s unprecedented for an Israeli athlete to be touted as one of said league’s top prospects. Deni Avdija achieved both of those feats when he was picked ninth overall in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards.

The lanky 6-foot-9 forward with heaps of potential (he’s just 19), born to a Jewish Israeli mother and Muslim Serbian former Israeli basketball player father, has not been afraid to show off his Jewish pride — he even lit a Hanukkah menorah in a video on the Wizards’ Instagram page.

The Wizards have embraced Avdija’s identity — and the new fans it has produced — by creating a Hebrew Twitter account.

DENI AVDIJA, SHOWN AS A MEMBER OF THE MACCABI TEL AVIV TEAM IN 2019.

(SEFFI MAGRISO/EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL VIA GETTY IMAGES)

The team’s Jewish announcer called him “the mensch off the bench on Hanukkah!” in his first preseason game, and Avdija was in the starting lineup for the club’s regular season debut, albeit a losing one, in which his coach said the Israeli was “fantastic.”

A mayoral Rosh Hashanah baby In 2019, Minneapolis’ Jewish mayor, Jacob Frey, was a rising star — and sex symbol.

He made significant change in the city’s historically fraught zoning rules, endearing him to many fans on the left, and became a Twitter target for President Trump. But in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police officers in his city, Frey was thrust into the center of the country’s raging debate on police reform. His refusal to defund the city’s police department made him a poster child enemy for many progressives.

Just before Rosh Hashanah this year, though, he had a joyous reprieve — the birth of his first child, a girl he and his wife, Sarah Clarke, named Frida. “For us, her birth leading into Rosh Hashanah symbolizes new beginnings and hope in the midst of tough days,” Frey tweeted. “She’s our reminder of a better tomorrow.”

MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR JACOB FREY IN THE CAPITOL IN WASHINGTON, D.C., JAN. 24, 2019.

(TOM WILLIAMS/CQ ROLL CALL/GETTY IMAGES)

Find us online: jewishledger.com jewishledger.com

Briefs Israel is world leader in COVID-19 vaccines administered per capita (Israel Hayom via JNS) Israel is the world leader in the number of administered COVID-19 vaccine doses per 100 people, according to findings from the Our World in Data research institute. As of Dec. 22, according to the study, 8.3 Israelis out of every 1,000 have received the first dose of the vaccine. As of Dec. 23, 140,000 people, or 1.5 percent of Israel’s population, had been inoculated. Of those who received the vaccination, 65,000 were inoculated on Dec. 23. The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses, administered 21 days apart, to be effective.

After Israel is the United Kingdom, which

by Dec. 21 had administered 0.74 doses of the vaccine per 100 people. In other words, 7.4 Britons out of every 1,000 have been inoculated. The U.S. has administered 0.19 doses of the vaccine per 100 people – or 1.9 Americans. In an interview with Army Radio on Thursday, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said that within a couple of weeks, Israelis under the age of 60 will be eligible to receive the vaccine. Thus far, the vaccination campaign has been directed at medical workers and those 60 and older.

Nation of Islam official: COVID-19 vaccine part of a plot to kill off blacks (MEMRI via JNS) Ishmael Muhammad, National Assistant to Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan, warned blacks against COVID-19 vaccines in a recent lecture series titled “America’s Wicked Plan.” Quoting Farrakhan, Muhammad said, “In the 1960s, the honorable Elijah Mohammed [who led the Nation of Islam before Farrakhan] advised his followers not to take the polio vaccine. He said some of the earlier vaccines we could take, but now that this Kissinger National Security Study Memorandum 200 on depopulation is the policy of our government, we have to be careful of what injections we allow ourselves to take.”

Farrakhan, said Muhammad, had learned that there were two types of flu vaccine, one containing mercury and other additives and another, without them, “for Jewish people, and those who are knowledgeable about the chemical additives in these vaccines.”

“Why do you put additives in one, and remove it from another, except that there’s something in that additive that you want to infect the population with, that over time will manifest in ailments, sickness, disease and a compromised immune system,” said Muhammad.

Muhammad quoted Farrakhan as saying jewishledger.com

that such things were part of a “plot to kill an entire people because we are the next inheritors of rulership over the planet. He, the enemy, already knows this. He knows our future but doesn’t intend for us to see that future. Because we are rising.” Many had “fallen out” with Farrakhan for his “exposure of Satan and the synagogue of Satan,” said Muhammad. “More specifically, those who say they are Jews, but are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan,” he added.

“The Caucasian people,” said Muhammad,“are a dying species on our planet,” said Muhammad. “Their womb cannot produce anymore. So they are trying to destroy the darker people of our planet.”

Pakistani court releases 4 men acquitted of Daniel Pearl murder (JTA) – A court in Pakistan on Thursday, Dec. 24, ordered the immediate release of four men who had been jailed there since 2002 for the murder of the JewishAmerican journalist Daniel Pearl. The Sindh High Court in Karachi ordered the release of the men, who had been acquitted of the murder, calling their detainment “illegal.” They had been involved in Pearl’s kidnapping, the court found, but not in his murder. The court did not identify the killers in the acquittal. The four were acquitted of murder in April but kept in jail on executive orders as prosecutors appealed their acquittal. The two-judge panel of the court ordered their release from “any sort of detention” and declared all orders of the government related to their detention “null and void.” The men are to be put on a no-fly list and must appear before the court whenever summoned as the court considers the appeals against their acquittal, the court said. Pearl was the South Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal when he was abducted and beheaded in Karachi in 2002 while researching a story about Islamist militants. He was 38.

Antisemitic graffiti painted at Spanish Jewish cemetery (JTA) – Graffiti reading “good Jew dead Jew’ and “murdering Jews we will hang you” were written on the gate of a Jewish cemetery near Madrid, Spain. The graffiti, featuring some German-language words, were spray-painted in Hoyo de Manzanares, a northern suburb of the capital, on Wednesday night, Dec. 23. The perpetrators also painted a Star of David with the word Raus, German for “out,” on the gate. Another slogan featured a mashup of the Spanish-language word for Holocaust and fairytale. The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain, FCJA, called the incident “intolerable” and said the culprits must be brought to justice. The Madrid incident was the latest in a string

of cases of vandalism against Jewish sites in Europe this week, including in Halle, Germany, where a monument to victims of a deadly far-right shooting last year near a synagogue was desecrated. Others took place elsewhere in Germany, Bulgaria and Belarus.

EU court upholds Belgian ban on kosher ritual slaughter (JNS) The European Court of Justice upheld a Belgian ban on religious slaughter, including kosher ritual slaughter without stunning, in a ruling released on Dec. 24. The E.U. court ruled that the laws requiring animals to be stunned enable “a fair balance to be struck between the importance attached to animal welfare and the freedom of Jewish and Muslim believers to manifest their religion.” The case came to the E.U.’s highest court in Luxembourg following a 2017 law in Belgium’s Flanders region prohibiting animal slaughter without stunning. The ban, in relation to Jewish and Muslim slaughter, has been in effect since Jan. 1, 2019. Animal slaughter without prior stunning is already banned in several E.U. countries, such as Sweden and Denmark, and other nations in Europe, including Switzerland and Norway. Jewish law mandates that an animal be healthy and not injured before kosher ritual slaughter, or shechita, and that rendering it immobile (or pre-stunning it) is prohibited; hence, the animal cannot be used.

In statements, Jewish and other groups lambasted the ruling.

Brooke Goldstein, executive director of the Lawfare Project, said, “We are appalled by the court’s decision to explicitly endorse the persecution of minority communities in the E.U. Religious slaughter is a sacred practice in both the Jewish and Muslim faiths.”

Yohan Benizri, president of the Belgian Federation of Jewish Organizations, and a vice president of the European Jewish Congress and the World Jewish Congress, said “the CJEU’s decision to ignore the AG’s recommendation in this case and thus allow the ban on religious slaughter is not only disappointing but undemocratic. No democracy can exist when its citizens are denied basic human and civil rights.”

An advocate general, Gerard Hogan, said in September that the CJEU should strike down the Belgian ban. He cited that the 2009 E.U. law that animals should be stunned before being slaughtered has an exception for religious animal slaughter – an exception that Hogan said exemplified the E.U.’s belief in freedom of religion.

Daniel Schwammenthal, director of the American Jewish Committee’s Transatlantic Institute called the ruling “nothing less than a frontal assault on the basic rights and religious freedoms of Jews and Muslims in Europe. Within living memory of the Holocaust, a European court not only bans

a core Jewish ritual but potentially Jewish life altogether in Europe, he said. “This is a dark day for the Jewish communities in Belgium and across Europe, which have already been living over the past years in a constant state of emergency due to the rise in antisemitism and murderous terror attacks.”

Gal Gadot responds to critics who say she shouldn’t play Cleopatra (JTA) – Gal Gadot is pushing back against claims that she is whitewashing Egyptian history by portraying Cleopatra in an upcoming film. “First of all, if you want to be true to the facts, then Cleopatra was Macedonian,” the Israeli actress said in a Dec. 22 interview with BBC Arabic. “We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasn’t there, and I was very passionate about Cleopatra.” After the blockbuster project was announced in October, critics took to social media to argue that the character should be portrayed by an Arab actress. Cleopatra was the last monarch of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, which ruled the country from 305 B.C. to 30 B.C., but she was a descendant of Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general.

“You know, anybody can make this movie,” Gadot said. “I’m very passionate that I’m going to do my own, too.”

Moroccan delegation expected in Israel this week (JNS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, Dec. 26, that a delegation from Morocco would travel to Israel this week to advance diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Netanyahu said in a video posted on Facebook that he spoke on Friday, Dec. 25, with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and they agreed that a Moroccan delegation would travel to Israel, adding that among the measures to be discussed were direct flights between the two countries and the establishment of embassies. A diplomatic source speaking on condition of anonymity told Reuters that the timing and composition of the delegation has not been determined yet.

A joint Israeli-American delegation, including the President Trump’s son-in-law Jarod Kushner, met with senior officials in Morocco, including the king, last week, following Morocco’s Dec. 10 decision to normalize relations with the Jewish state.

Trump pardons Jared Kushner’s father (JTA) – President Donald Trump has pardoned Charles Kushner, his son-in-law Jarod Kushner’s father, as part of a spree of

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pardons – mostly to personal associates – in the final weeks of his presidency. Charles Kushner went to jail in 2005 for fraud, tax evasion and witness tampering. His crime generated national headlines long because it included paying a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law. Charles Kushner served 14 months at a minimum-security prison camp in Alabama and 10 months at a halfway house in New Jersey. Now, Trump has pardoned Charles Kushner for the crime, citing his record of giving since his release from prison. “Since completing his sentence in 2006, Mr. Kushner has been devoted to important philanthropic organizations and causes, such as Saint Barnabas Medical Center and United Cerebral Palsy,” said the statement released Wednesday night by the White House. “This record of reform and charity overshadows Mr. Kushner’s conviction and two-year sentence for preparing false tax returns, witness retaliation, and making false statements to the” Federal Election Commission.

A one-time major Democratic donor in Orthodox Jewish and federation fundraising circles, Charles Kushner set up his sister Esther’s husband, Bill Schulder, with a woman who seduced Schulder at his favorite diner, Time to Eat in Bridgewater, New Jersey. The woman lured Schulder to her hotel room and secretly filmed the encounter. Charles Kushner, incensed that his brother-in-law was testifying against him in a tax evasion case, mailed the videotape anonymously, and his sister Esther immediately understood it as a warning not to testify. The Schulders received the tape as they were getting ready for their son’s engagement party.

Veterans Affairs removes headstones with swastikas at Texas cemetery (JTA) – The Department of Veterans Affairs removed two gravestones bearing swastikas from a military cemetery in Texas. With little fanfare, the VA removed the headstones of the two German soldiers, American prisoners of war, on Monday morning from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a group that advocates for troops and veterans who report discrimination in the military, had launched a campaign for the removal of the headstones in May after a veteran of Jewish descent saw them. The VA rejected initial calls to replace the headstones, saying it was not legally permitted to unilaterally remove or alter the headstones under the National Historic Preservation Act. But the agency soon changed course after congressional lawmakers stepped in, announcing in June that it would remove them without setting a date.

It’s not clear why just the two tombstones, among 132 Germans buried in the cemetery’s prisoner of war section, have the Nazi inscriptions. Both of the deceased 16

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died in 1943. The tombstones were marked with a swastika inside a German cross and are inscribed, “He died far from his home for the Führer, people, and fatherland.”

Another tombstone with a swastika at a military cemetery in Utah has yet to be removed. There are an estimated 860 World War I- and II-era German POWs buried in 43 cemeteries across the United States.

Terror attack suspected in murder of 52-year-old Israeli woman (JNS) Israelis woke up on Monday, Dec. 21 to the horrible news that the lifeless body of 52-year-old Esther Horgen, a mother of six from the community of Tel Menashe in Samaria, was found at around 2 a.m. in a forest near her home after she went for a power walk on Sunday afternoon and never returned. Her husband, Benjamin, alerted security officials when she didn’t make it back.

On Thursday, Dec. 23, Israel’s Shin Bet security service arrested a Palestinian suspect from the Jenin area in connection with the murder. Details of the investigation remain under a gag order.

Police are investigating the incident as a terror attack. The Samaria Regional Council said the murder was without a doubt an act of terror, saying Horgen’s skull had been crushed with police believing the weapon to have been a rock.

Friends and family gathered in Tel Menashe on Tuesday, Dec. 22 to pay their final respects to Horgen before she was laid to rest. Ora Oziel, a neighbor and close friend, told JNS that her family and the Horgens shared a Shabbat meal together last Friday night, just 48 hours before Esther went on her ill-fated jog.

She said that Esther, who was a life coach, marriage counselor and specialist in Jewish psychology, “was full of life. She loved the beauty of nature and of human beings, both on their inside and outside.”

In response to the murder, a group of Israeli women encouraged women and girls from Israel and throughout the world on Wednesday night to go outside and jog/ run in Horgen’s memory. Elana Abelow Kronenberg, one of the organizers of the initiative, told JNS that the point of the initiative was to demonstrate that “we do not live in fear. … It is just so tragic that Esther is no longer here, but women and girls have to continue to run for her.

Terrorism will never win.”

French family assaulted after playing Hebrewlanguage songs in their car (JTA) – French police have arrested two adults and two minors suspected of an antisemitic hate crime in which they allegedly verbally assaulted a Jewish family near Paris in their car. The incident

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happened Dec. 24 in the northern Paris suburb of Aubervilliers, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on Twitter Friday. No one was hurt in the incident.

“Yesterday night, during Chanukah, a family from Aubervilliers was assaulted because they are Jewish. In France, in 2020. The perpetrators were apprehended very swiftly by the law enforcement. They will have to be punished in relation to the seriousness of these facts,” Darmanin wrote.

Initial reports in the French media said the incident happened at 8:40 p.m. and that the perpetrators screamed antisemitic insults, including “f**ck the Jews,” rocked the car back and forth and hurled bottles at it, the RTL broadcaster reported. Prior to the assault, music with songs in Hebrew was heard in the family’s car. The reports named neither the victims nor perpetrators, who are being charged with verbal assault.

The Union of Jewish French Students, or UEJF, in recent years has reached out to non-Jewish young residents of Seine-SaintDenis, the administrative region where Aubervilliers – a poor and heavily-Muslim municipality with a large Jewish school – is situated. Last year, UEJF brought residents to experience Sukkot with the Jewish community of Aubervilliers. The incident “recalls the insecurity of Jews who selfidentify as such in France, despite outreach work,” UEJF President Neomie Madar told Le Parisien.

Gal Gadot gets Jimmy Fallon to try gefilte fish for the first time (JTA) – Gal Gadot may act in American blockbusters these days, but she’s still an Israeli through and through. So there are some quintessential American foods she has never tried. Jimmy Fallon took advantage of this fact for a tasty segment with the “Wonder Woman” actress on his late night show Monday night. Gadot tried egg nog and Taco Bell for the first time – and in response, Fallon tried two Jewish delicacies on camera: a sufganiya, or the jelly donut popular during Chanukah, and gefilte fish.

Fallon was very intimidated by the fish ball’s packaging, and had a trash can ready in case he felt sick, but in the end there’s a twist.

Gadot’s “Wonder Woman 1984” film debuted in theaters on Dec. 25, but due to the pandemic, it also premiered on HBO Max on the same day.

Survey: Jewish philanthropists gave more amid pandemic (JNS) A survey found that a large percentage of Jewish philanthropists have increased their charitable giving in response to emergency needs brought on by the global coronavirus pandemic and that nearly all expect to give at the same or

increased levels over the next 12 months.

Conducted by the Jewish Funders Network, which includes some 514 individuals, foundations and federations as members, the survey found that 76 percent of funders increased their spending in the first six months of the crisis and that more than half broadened their scope of giving to address emergency needs like food insecurity. In addition to providing monetary aid, many of the funders have offered technical and mentoring assistance to their grantees to ensure that they could access federal programs like the Paycheck Protection Program. The study also found that funders are feeling the impact on Jewish communal needs versus general communal needs and between funding Israel and Jewish overseas needs versus needs for aid at home.

Second flight from Ethiopia arrives in Israel carrying 219 immigrants (JNS) A plane carrying 219 new immigrants from Ethiopia to Israel landed at BenGurion International Airport on Tuesday, Dec. 22. Their arrival was overseen by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency of Israel, and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ). It marks the second flight of “Operation Tzur Israel” (“Rock of Israel”).

The group was welcomed by Pnina TamanoShata, Minister of Aliyah and Integration; Yael Eckstein, president and CEO of the Fellowship; and Amira Ahronoviz, director general of the Jewish Agency for Israel.

Tamano-Shata said that “through the end of January, and in accordance with the government decision I approved last October, a plane carrying hundreds of Ethiopian immigrants will land in Israel almost every week until the 2,000 people who have waited many years to arrive are reunited with their families.” She was referring to Government Resolution 429, which provides a framework to bring 2,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel by the end of the year. The Dec. 22 flight – the second to arrive under the operation – brought in 219 immigrants, including 136 adults, 70 children and 13 babies.

“After years of not seeing one another, entire families are being reunited,” said Ahronoviz. “Since the establishment of the state, the Jewish Agency has brought 95,000 immigrants from Ethiopia and helped absorb them into Israel. I wish to thank our partners in Israel and around the world for their joint participation to end their suffering after many long years of waiting.”

The flights were made possible by the Jewish Agency; the Jewish Federations of North America and Keren Hayesod; and the support of international donors and foundations.

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CT NEWS 2020 The Year in Review JANUARY n More than 300 guests fill the Performing Arts Center at SUNY Purchase on Jan. 25 for an elegant gala honoring Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz for his 25 years as spiritual leader of Temple Sholom in Greenwich.

STAFF IN THE OB-GYN DEPARTMENT AT SAINT FRANCIS HOSPITAL IN HARTFORD SENT A NOTE TO THE STAFF AT FRENCH CLEANERS, THANKING THEM FOR THEIR HARD WORK MAKING SURGICAL MASKS TO KEEP SAINT FRANCIS STAFF SAFE.

RABBI MITCHELL M. HURVITZ WITH THE EVENING’S EMCEE, STACEY DELIKAT, FOX NEWS 5 ANCHOR AND TEMPLE SHOLOM MEMBER.

MARCH n The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, in collaboration with Madison residents Bob and Amy Stefanowski, create “Masks for Heroes,” a grassroots, volunteer effort to deliver surgical masks to hospitals, nursing home residents and caregivers, medical personnel and first responders, in over 125 towns throughout Connecticut.

More than 500,000 masks are given out.

n In an effort led by the Jewish Federations Association of Connecticut (JFACT), the Connecticut state legislature approves $5 million in state bonding to allow religious organizations to seek a competitive state grant to help them protect against terrorist attacks and hate crimes.

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emissaries to Connecticut in the fall are also cancelled. n The Young Israel of West Hartford was scheduled to celebrate the Orthodox synagogue’s 50th anniversary with a gala

n French Cleaners, a Jewish-owned family business founded in 1911 in West Hartford, embarks on a mission to make masks for those battling COVID-19 on the frontlines.

MEDICAL PERSONNEL AND FIRST RESPONDERS SHOW OFF THE PROTECTIVE MASKS THEY RECEIVED FROM MASKS FOR HEROES, A JOINT INITIATIVE OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER NEW HAVEN AND BOB & AMY STEFANOWSKI.

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n Israel’s Young Emissaries who serve in Jewish communities across the state, strengthening Connecticut’s ties with the Jewish state, are forced to return home as the pandemic spreads through the U.S. and Israel. Later, plans to bring a new group of

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NOA FELDMAN, UPPER FAIRFIELD COUNTY YOUNG EMISSARY (2016-2017), SHARED HER FAMILY SHABBAT DINNER WITH SNEC FRIENDS, AS PART OF THE YOUNG EMISSARY “MINIKABBALAT SHABBAT” PRESENTATION.

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n Anne Norman-Schiff, who is completing a Ph.D. in religious studies at Yale, joins the professional staff of Beth El-Keser Israel (BEKI) as youth and family programming director. n Three Jewish groups team up to launch a $10 million fund to provide no-interest loans to Jewish communities around the world that are struggling due the COVID-19 crisis. n Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy junior Ben Marcus is among a select group of tens from across the country chosen to participate in the prestigious Yale University Discovery to Cure High School Internship Program.

Unfortunately, the program is cancelled owing to the COVID-19 crisis.

YOUNG ISRAEL OF WEST HARTFORD

n Elizabeth Rose assumes her new role as executive director of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford — just in time for the pandemic. “My first job was really to cancel everything we had planned for the spring, but then we started to think about what we could do,” she says.

MAY n Owing to the dangers of COVID-19 behind bars, Rabbi Daniel Greer, convicted last fall of sexually assaulting a teen at his New Haven yeshiva is temporarily moved from prison to house arrest. n West Hartford native Dore Gold, former Israel Ambassador to the United Nations, is named a recipient of the 2020 Sylvan Adams Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize, presented to Anglo-olim (immigrants to Israel from English-speaking countries) for their outstanding contributions to the Jewish state.

FORMER ISRAEL AMBASSADOR TO THE UN DORE GOLD.

(L TO R) TRINITY COLLEGE HEBREW ROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR OF JEWISH STUDIES PROGRAM MICHAL AYALON; TRINITY HILLEL DIRECTOR LISA KASSOW; AND DRUZE CHEF NASEBA ALKESH PREPARE A COMMUNAL SHABBAT DINNER.

dinner to be held at Tumble Brook Country Club, but the event was cancelled as the pandemic spread, and the special evening was instead held virtually at a later date. n Trinity College Hillel and the Trinity’s Women and Gender Resource Action Center [WGRAC] are named recipients of the Trinity College Most Innovative Program of the Year Award for their co-sponsorship of a week of International Women’s Day events, with guest chef/ entrepreneur Naseba Alkesh, a Syrian Druze woman from Israel’s Golan Heights.

BI-CULTURAL HEBREW ACADEMY STUDENT BEN MARCUS.

n Camp Laurelwood is among dozens of Jewish overnight camps nationwide selected to receive a matching grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, which has committed up to $10 million to the “All Together Now” matching grant program. n In her debut novel The Yellow Bird Sings, Weston native Jennifer Rosner writes about a mother and child hiding from the Nazis during World War II. CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

WESTVILLE SYNAGOGUE

APRIL n News of shots fired at the Westville Synagogue had New Haven’s Jewish community concerned, until it was learned that the bullets weren’t bullets at all. They came from a BB gun and the act wasn’t one of antisemitism.

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n Gideon Reiter of Woodbridge is among a select group of 26 11th-graders from all across North America chosen to make up the 34th cohort of The Bronfman Fellowship, a year-long experience of study and conversation centered around pluralism, social responsibility and Jewish texts.

MARGIE BLACK (3RD FROM LEFT) AND A TEAM O FILL BAGS FILLED WITH TOILETRIES TO

for Modern Orthodoxy and a resource for community members to increase the level of scholarship and learning across a broad spectrum of topics relevant to the Jewish world.”

THE BBYO CONNECTICUT VALLEY REGION’S 2020 BOARD AT THE TEEN ORGANIZATION’S FIRST VIRTUAL SPRING CONVENTION.

BRONFMAN FELLOW GIDEON REITER

n Teen participants in JTConnect’s Teen Leadership and Philanthropy Initiative (TLPI) wrap up their year by awarding three grants totaling $3,800 to local Jewish organizations to help them respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

SOME OF THE REUSABLE FACE SHIELDS NEJA DONATED TO MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS DEALING WITH THE COVID-19 CRISIS.

n Edina Oestreicher is named the new executive director of UConn Hillel. A UConn alumni, Osestreicher previously served as vice president of student affairs and dean of students at the University of Bridgeport.

n Close to 250 teens take part in the BBYO Connecticut Valley Region’s first virtual Spring Convention, which had teens taking part in annual rituals and traditions and engaging with their peers in new and creative ways. n In an effort to aid first responders and medical personnel dealing with the pandemic, high school students in the New England Jewish Academy’s (NEJA) Curtis Robinson Center (CRC) for Business and Innovation create disposable face shields using clear binder covers, weather-stripping and ribbon. While the West Hartford students work hard at home on their face shields, NEJA science teacher Zach Towne, who is head of the CRC creates reusable face shields using the CRC’s 3D printers and laser cutters.

JUNE n Hebrew Senior Care opens the doors to its newly expanded behavioral health hospital, specializing in the care and treatment of those experiencing mental health issues.

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n A swastika discovered spray painted on the sidewalk outside the Jewish Federation and JCC of Greater New Haven, comes on the heels of an act of vandalism at a New Haven church.

AUGUST n Fifty years after Miriam Schreiber of West Hartford survived the horrors of the Holocaust, the West Hartford woman realizes her life-long dream to become a high school graduate — thanks to students at New England Jewish Academy (NEJA). n When author Daphne Geismar presented sketches from her grandfather’s Holocaust journal at a virtual Voice of Hope meeting, hackers drew swastikas on the screen and a voice told the group of secondgeneration survivors, “Ha ha, the Holocaust never happened.”. Over the past several months, virtual events hosted by a number of Connecticut synagogues and Jewish organizations experienced similar incidents.

EDINA OESTREICHER IS THE NEW HEAD OF UCONN HILLEL.

JONATHAN L. GREEN OF ABRAHAM L. GREEN & SON FUNERAL HOME.

n Jonathan L. Green who, with his father Samuel Green, is a funeral director at Abraham L. Green & Son Funeral Home in Fairfield, is elected as an alternate member of the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association. | JANUARY 1, 2021

JULY n UJA-JCC Greenwich launches “Dignity Grows,” a project created by the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford that supplies bags of toiletries, including menstrual products, to women in need. n Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy in Stamford launches the Center for Community Learning, an initiative that aims “to establish Stamford as an educational center

MIRIAM SCHREIBER IN CAP AND GOWN, SHOWS OFF HER HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.

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NOVEMBER n Abel Caterers, a second-generation kosher caterer in New Haven falls victim to COVID-19 and, after 45 years in business, is forced to shut its doors. Abel was the last kosher meat caterer in the area. n Sharon Reisman Conway, coordinator of the Israeli Southern New England Consortium’s (SNEC) Young Emissary program, announced her retirement as head of the program.

OF DIGNITY GROWS VOLUNTEERS IN GREENWICH O BE DISTRIBUTED TO THOSE IN NEED.

JESSICA ZACHS (LEFT), FOUNDER OF THE DIGNITY GROWS PROJECT, PACKS TOTES FILLED WITH HYGIENE SUPPLIES WITH MEMBERS OF HER TEAM, JENNIFER TOLMAN SCHWARTZMAN (TO HER LEFT) AND JESSICA SLATER.

n “Dignity Grows,” a project launched by the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford’s Women’s Philanthropy, that aims at empowering women in need by providing them with essential hygiene supplies, branches out nationwide, with the help of the Jewish Federation of North America.

A VOICE OF HOPE VIRTUAL MEETING IS ZOOMBOMBED BY HACKERS POSTING ANTISEMITIC MESSAGES. (CREDIT: STOPANTISEMITISM.ORG)

SEPTEMBER n It is discovered that New Haven and state officials have green-lighted up to $900,000 in tax breaks for businesses that donate to nonprofit organizations controlled by imprisoned Rabbi Daniel Greer — organizations Greer has been accused of using to funnel money to himself and to avoid paying over $20 million to a former student he sexually abused.

OCTOBER n Residents of a New Haven neighborhood with sizable Black and Orthodox Jewish populations confront police officials about rising crime — some of it violent —in the area.

NEIGHBORS SAFIQ ABDUSSABUR AND RIVKA FENTON STAND BY A SIGN THAT SITS ON THE LAWN OF A HOME IN THE BEAVER HILLS SECTION OF NEW HAVEN WHERE CRIME IS ON THE RISE. (PAUL BASS)

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n Three cantors from Connecticut — Deborah Katchko-Gray of Congregation Shir Shalom in Ridgefield, Luis Cattan of The Conservative Synagogue in Westport, and Sandy Bernstein of Temple Sholom in Greenwich — are among 100 cantors and Black ministers to release a solidarity music video to benefit a Black music school in Pittsburgh.

n Camp Laurelwood, Connecticut’s only overnight Jewish camp, is selected to participate in the inaugural cohort of JFAM, a new initiative of the Foundation for Jewish Camps (FJC) that provides overnight camps with financial and programmatic support to launch or expand their family camp offerings to provide Jewish experiences for families with young children. n Three separate antisemitic incidents occur in the month of October on the Storrs campus of the University of Connecticut residential complex. When the school’s administration fails to condemn, nor address the antisemitic acts, students — both Jewish and non-Jewish — take action.

A JEWISH WEDDING WITH A LAVISH SPREAD BY ABEL CATERERS.

n Alan Lazowski of Hartford is honored

by The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum at the “What You Do Matters” 2020 New York Tribute virtual event. n Through their COVID-19 Response/ Maimonides Fund, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven and Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven distribute $281,600 in emergency grants to local Jewish organizations and synagogues, helping them to provide critical aid to families and individuals in need.

ON NOV. 9, THE 82ND ANNIVERSARY OF KRISTALLNACHT – AND IN LIGHT OF RECENT ACTS OF ANTISEMITISM AT UCONN – MEMBERS OF UCONN HILLEL WALKED CAMPUS, TALKING WITH FELLOW STUDENTS ABOUT ANTSEMITISM. (COURTESY UCONN HILLEL)

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WHAT’S HAPPENING Jewish organizations are invited to submit their upcoming events to the Ledger’s What’s Happening calendar section. Events are placed online on the Ledger website – both on our home page and our digital issue – on Tuesday afternoons. Deadline for submission of calendar items is the previous Tuesday. For more information, contact Judie Jacobson at judiej@ jewishledger.com.

THURSDAYS, JANUARY 7 FEBRUARY 18 Short Story Coffee Break Readers are invited to discuss short stories

by Jewish authors at the “Short Story Coffee Break,” hosted on Zoom by Congregation Beth Israel of West Hartford on the first and third Thursdays of each month at 11 a.m. Led by Learning Center Director Karen Beyard. For more information or to register and receive a copy of the next short story and Zoom link, email kbeyard@cbict.org.

Jan. 7 – A Room on the Roof by Savyon Liebrecht Jan. 21 – Stories from We Love Anderson Cooper by R. L. Maizes who will join us via Zoom to answer your questions!

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5

Feb. 4 – The Spinoza of Market Street by Isaac Bashevis Singer

The COVID-19 Vaccine and Judaism

Feb. 18 – Purim Nights by Edith Pearlman

“The COVID-19 Vaccine: The Intersection Between Jewish Law, Ethics and Public Policy,” a two-part talk presented on Zoom by Young Israel of West Hartford and led by Rabbi Tuvia Brander, will be held on Tuesdays, Jan. 5 and 19 at 8 p.m.

The series will explore the ways in which Judaism addresses vaccine prioritization, development, and distribution, including whether a bracha (blessing) should be recited and what obligation exists to be vaccinated. Join at youngisraelwh. org/zoom. For more information or to submit questions in advance, email info@ youngisraelwh.org.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10 A Virtual tour of Jewish Paris with Karen Reb Rudel Participants will experience the history of the Jewish community in Paris with stories from Holocaust survivors and their families, rabbis, and others, on Jan. 10 at 6:30 p.m.

Among the sites to be visited are Le Marais (a main Jewish neighborhood), Place de Vosges, Hotel de Sully, Synagogue Hector Guimard (the oldest synagogue in Paris), Musee Carnavalet, SHOAH Holocaust Memorial Museum and more.For more information, visit cbict.org/calendar.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7 The Biblical Prophets and Social Justice

TUESDAY, JANUARY 12

Prof. Deena Grant of the Hartford Seminary will discuss “The Biblical Prophets and Social Justice” on Jan. 7 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.

The Jan. 7 lecture will focus on Biblical prophets, such as Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, who witnessed and called out systemic social injustices. It will explore the prophetic argument for social justice as well as the prophetic experience of failure, in order to understand the role of prophecy within the larger context Israel’s salvation, exile, and restoration.

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

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“Poland, the Jews, and My Family” with Dr. Leon Chameides Dr. Leon Chameides will discuss Poland and Polish Jewish history and how members of his family were affected by them at “Poland, The Jews, and My Family,” a virtual talk sponsored by the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford and CT Voices of Hope, on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. Dr. Chameideswas born in Poland and spent the war years hidden in a Ukrainian Greek-Catholic monastery. He went to England in 1946 and came to the United States in 1949. He was director of pediatrics at Hartford Hospital for 10 years.

He is the author of two books: Strangers in Many Lands, a family and personal history, and On the Edge of the Abyss, a translation and annotation of essays written by his father, Rabbi Kalman Chameides between 1932 and 1936. For information and the Zoom link, visit jhsgh.org/poland/

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 14 Speaking of Nobel laureate Louis Gluck Friends of the Library and Sisterhood of Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford will present “A Conversation about Louise Glück, 2020 Nobel Laureate for Literature,” on Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. The virtual conversation is presented by CCSU Professor Aimee Pozorski and moderated by Karen Beyard, Learning Center coordinator.

Poems for discussion will be available for pre-registrants. For more information, visit cbict.org/calendar.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19 The COVID-19 Vaccine and Judaism “The COVID-19 Vaccine: The Intersection Between Jewish Law, Ethics and Public Policy,” a two-part talk presented on Zoom by Young Israel of West Hartford and led by Rabbi Tuvia Brander, will be held on Tuesdays, Jan. 5 and 19 at 8 p.m.

The series will explore the ways in which Judaism addresses vaccine prioritization, development, and distribution, including whether a bracha (blessing) should be recited and what obligation exists to be vaccinated. Join at youngisraelwh. org/zoom. For more information or to submit questions in advance, email info@ youngisraelwh.org.

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of having Reform conversions and weddings recognized, equal governmental funding, and the challenges facing Reform congregations. For more information, visit cbict.org/calendar.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7 In the Footsteps of David and Goliath: A Virtual Tour Yoramm Preminger will lead a virtual tour of the Elah Valley, the site of the battle between David and Goliath, on Zoom, Feb. 7 at 1 p.m. The biblical text aid in the exploration of the geographical setting for the battle, as participants look at some of the sites mentioned such as Azekah and Sha’arayim. The story opens a window into the important historical period of the early days of the Kingdom of Israel. For more information, visit cbict.org/calendar.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11 “Purim On Tap” for Young Adults The Tribe, a group for adults in their 20’s and 30’s organized by Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford, and JewGood, a branch of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford that empowers young professionals to engage in philanthropy, are hosting “Purim on Tap,” a virtual discussion of the Purim story on Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m., with refreshments. For more information, visit cbict.org/calendar.

Teaching Jewish Diversity; Dismantling the “White, Male Jew

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18

Prof. Aaron Hahn Tapper of the University of San Francisco will discuss “Teaching Jewish Diversity; Dismantling the “White, Male Jew” on Jan. 21 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. This session offers one way to both teach and deconstruct the dominant stereotypes that Jews reinforce when teaching about Jews and Judaism. For more information, visit judaicstudies.uconn.edu or mandelljcc.org.

Jewish Ethics, Social Justice, and the 21st Century Rabbinate

SUNDAY, JANUARY 31

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.

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.

Israel and the Jewish Reform Movement

Beyond the Ghetto Gates with author Michelle Cameron

Anat Hoffman, executive director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) will discuss “The Legal Status of the Reform Movement in Israel” on Jan. 31 at 11 a.m. She will address the challenges

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 jewishledger.com

JANUARY 5 – FEBRUARY 28 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.

THE KOSHER CROSSWORD JAN. 1, 2021 “2020: Not All Bad”

By: Yoni Glatt

Difficulty Level: Challenging

Curbside pick up and local home delivery available!

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy’s gala goes virtual “Engaging with Fortitude” is the theme of the Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy 65th Annual Celebration Dinner to be held virtually on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. At this year’s dinner, the pre-K through grade 12 Stamford school will pay tribute to 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.

SHABBAT DINNER TRADITIONAL DAIRY LUNCHEON DELI SANDWICH PLATTER DINNER MENU

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.

Find us online: jewishledger.com ANSWERS TO DEC. 18 CROSSWORD

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Across 1. 2020 (Jewish) World Series winner Pederson 4. Some MIT degs.

7. Israel normalized relations with this country in 2020, with 19-Across13. Son-gun connector 14. Partner of Paul, once 15. “___ but a few...”

16. Slip, usually 17. Narrow inlet useful in constructing crosswords 18. A-listers 19. See 7-Across 22. Kings’ land, for short 23. Perez to Judah 24. Israel normalized relations with this country in 2020

27. Israel normalized relations with this country in 2020 32. Org. for those with s’micha 33. Be a nudnik 35. “Brave New World” intoxicant 36. Creator of Portnoy and Zuckerman 38. “___ Synagoge” (Essen cultural center) 39. Cutting-edge ceremony?

40. Israeli-made weapons 41. Kudrow and Bonet 43. Kroger alternative 44. City of ___, locale of several exciting discoveries in 2020 46. Israel normalized relations with this country in 2020 48. Old curtain material: Abbr.

50. Where Saints have been

mostly dominant in 2020: Abbr.

51. Simple, but good advice for 2020 57. Doom who was a foe of Conan 58. Israel Museum to The Western Wall dir.

59. Kosher animal rarely on a menu 61. Islamic bigwig 62. Website with video game and film reviews 63. Kosher animal often on a menu (but with a different name) 64. Israel normalized relations with this country in 2020 65. Blog feed inits.

66. Org. that (thankfully) did not have a very successful 2020

Down 1. New leader for 2021, familiarly 2. Great singer Haza 3. Raider Derek 4. Walters, but not Streisand 5. Engineering project begun on July 4, 1817 6. Chalav option 7. Place for a baby to be “in”?

8. Arenado and Ryan 9. J.K. Rowling attribute, for short?

10. Polanski’s Sharon 11. It can be the truth, in Israel 12. First half of an Iowa city 20. Dip one day in Av, for some

21. Lacks truth 24. “Yihye Tov” singer 25. When John Proctor confesses in “The Crucible” 26. Left hanging 28. Cable type 29. Corinthian alternative 30. Friend of Ramban, in his native land 31. Jessica Meir made some headlines working for this org. in 2020 32. “Ah ___”, possibly common cry in 2020 34. Wants 37. Hong Kong’s equiv. of the Dow

42. Eases up 45. There are several by the Dead Sea 47. 1/5th of MV 49. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Warren 51. His exile led to today’s Iran 52. Language in Southern India 53. Like an active chanukiah 54. Country where Esau dwelt 55. “Hit” or “run” 56. City in central Israel 57. “Getting things done,” initially 60. U.K. distances

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TORAHPortion Vayehi

BY SHLOMO RISKIN

“Gather together and I shall tell you what is to happen at the end of the days” (Gen. 49:1)

T

he portion of Vayehi, and the entire Book of Genesis, concludes with Jacob’s deathbed scene in which he “reveals to his sons what will befall them at the end of the days,” expressing the various strengths and weaknesses of each of his heirs and foretelling what each tribe will contribute to the future Jewish history. He is both Jacob the father of a family as well as Israel the father of a nation. He leaves the world in the fullness of his success as a parent who has finally united his family, and as a patriarch who has established the guidelines for an emerging nation with a mission to unite the world.

Jacob is indeed called by our Sages “the chosen one of the Patriarchs.” What made him deserve this very special accolade? What is the unique contribution which he made to the legacies of Abraham and Isaac? Our Sages compare Abraham to a mountain, Isaac to a field and Jacob to a house (or household) (Pesahim 88a).

The secret to a successful family – as well to a successful nation, which is after all, a family “writ large” – is to be found within the persona of Jacob, perhaps even within the very blessings he bequeaths to his sons. What is it? The major challenge to each of the Patriarchs was that of succession. Each needed to identify which of the children in the next generation would be the bearer of the Abrahamic legacy. The major struggle within Jacob’s life was the deception he perpetrated upon his father, albeit at the behest of his mother, to wrest away the blessings Isaac had meant to bestow upon his older brother, Esau.

This act of deception, no matter how justified it may have been in the light of the characteristics of each of the brothers, was to haunt Jacob for the rest of his life: He is deceived by Laban, who argues that in his place the younger sister does not receive a prize before the elder; he is deceived by his sons who tell him that a wild beast tore apart his beloved Joseph; and he is even deceived by Joseph who, while dressed up as the Grand Vizier, requests that Jacob send Rachel’s only remaining son, Benjamin, to Egypt.

His punishment goes even further: His beloved Rachel dies before her time because she deceives her father Laban by

stealing his household gods (in the Mari and Nuzu documents from that time, the one who got the household gods also received the parental inheritance.)

And Jacob seems to be so resentful of his loving mother’s role in suggesting and facilitating his deception that the Bible mentions his weeping over and providing the burial for his nurse Deborah with ne’er a mention of Rebekah’s death and Jacob’s mourning over her.

Now, at the end of his life, the time has come for Jacob to bless his own sons. In previous commentaries, I have maintained that Isaac wanted to give the material blessings to Esau and the spiritual “messianic” blessings to Jacob, whereas Rebekah had insisted that both areas of leadership must to Jacob.

Indeed, Joseph’s dreams expressed his mastery in both the realm of the material (the 11 sheaves of grain bowing down to his sheaf) as well as of the spiritual (the 11 stars bowing down to him). Logic would indicate that Joseph would receive both of these blessings from Jacob.

But this is not to be the case. In the past, the rejected son was ousted from the family: Ishmael was actually banished from Abraham’s household and Esau left the ancestral homeland for Seir-Edom.

Jacob has learned that different strengths may warrant different blessings, that in a true family one victor need not be the recipient of all with the loser going into exile. A family – much like an orchestra – provides the possibility for different individuals (or tribes) each playing the instrument they can play best for the ultimate achievement of a harmonious symphony.

Hence Judah receives the spiritual blessing of the scepter of messianic leadership, the ingathering of all of the nations to Jerusalem when the world will be at peace (Gen. 49:10). And Joseph receives the blessing of material fruitfulness (the ten tribes, especially Ephraim and Manasseh) and the physical ability to overcome the arrows of our enemies (ibid. 22-26). Jacob succeeded in uniting his family and in giving a charge to the tribes for a united nation. The latter has yet to be achieved – and therein lies the prescription for the true coming of our redemption.

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is chancellor emeritus of Ohr Torah Stone and chief Rabbi of Efrat, Israel.

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IN MEMORIAM 2020 DAVID STERN, who in three decades as NBA commissioner guided the league from financial distress to become a multibilliondollar global enterprise, died Jan 1. He was 77.

ADAM SCHLESINGER, one of the lead songwriters of the pop rock band Fountains of Wayne and the musical series ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ songwriter, died April 1 of Covid-19. He was 52.

ELIZABETH WURTZEL, an author best known for her blockbuster memoir Prozac Nation, which was written in 1994 and detailed her struggles with anti-depressants, died Jan. 27. She was 52. Diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2015, she later became an advocate for testing for the BRCA gene mutation and pushed for insurance companies to cover BRCA testing for all Ashkenazi Jewish women.

RABBI OSHER YAKOV WESTHEIM, who was considered a “towering figure” in Manchester, England, and a worldrespected authority on kosher food laws, died April 2. He was 71.

ELIZABETH WURTZEL (NEVILLE ELDER/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES)

YAAKOV PERLOW, leader of Novominsker Hasidim and a top haredi Orthodox rabbi, died April 7 of COVID-19.

He was 89.

DANIEL AZULAY

(DANIEL AZULAY FACEBOOK)

“And remember, I’m not only the Hair Club president, but I’m also a client.” He died Feb 26 at the age of 78.

DANIEL AZULAY, one of Brazil’s most prominent children’s artists and educators, died March 27 of complications from COVID-19. He was 72.

LARRY TESLER, the American computer scientist whose many personal computing innovations included the now ubiquitous copy and paste functions, died Feb. 16. He was 74.

JERRY STILLER, longtime comic who was part of the husband-wife comedy team Stiller & Meara and went on to win fame on ‘Seinfeld,’ died May 11. He was 92.

HELENE AYLON, feminist artist whose work reflected her evolution as a woman and a Jew, died April 6. She was 89.

JAMES LIPTON, who hosted the “Inside the Actors Studio” on the Bravo channel for 23 seasons, died March 7. He was 93.

BEVERLY PEPPER, a sculptor famed for her monumental iron and steel works, died Feb. 5 at her home in Italy. She was 97.

the brainy Jew as a panelist on the 1940s show “Quiz Kids,” died in April. He was 83.

GERTRUD STEINL, who was recognized

by Yad Vashem in 1979 as a Righteous Among the Nations for saving Jews during the Holocaust, died March 23, a day before her 98th birthday.

FRED PRESSER, a former president of the Venezuelan and Jewish community, died April 17 of COVID-19. He was 73.

NOACH DEAR, former NYC councilman and State Supreme Court Judge died April 19 of complications related to COVID-19.

He was 66.

RABBI ZALMAN KOSSOVSKY, a former chief rabbi of Zurich who led congregations on three continents during a career that spanned decades, died in April at the age of 80.

JOEL KUPPERMAN, the adorable child star who helped burnish the stereotype of

JERRY STILLER AT A FUNDRAISING EVENT IN UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIF., FEB. 17, 2008.

(MICHAEL BUCKNER/GETTY IMAGES)

RABBI NORMAN LAMM, longtime head of Yeshiva University and prolific author, died May 25. He was 92.

LARRY KRAMER, one of the most important figures in the history of LGBTQ activism and writer, died May 27. He was 87.

RUTH LEE SILVER of West Hartford was the wife of Connecticut’s Rabbi Harold Silver z”l, and a writer, artist and social activist who never stopped fighting for the underdog. She was 90.

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

HOSNI MUBARAK, who, as president of Egypt for 30 years, kept his nation’s “cold peace” with Israel, died Feb.18 at the age of 91. Mubarak was ousted and jailed in 2011 following massive street protests.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement of condolence on behalf of the citizens and government of Israel.

SY SPERLING became famous in the 1980s for his hair loss treatment commercials that ended with Sperling holding up a photo of his formerly bald self with the tag line: jewishledger.com

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, LEFT, WITH EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK IN EGYPT LESS THAN THREE WEEKS BEFORE THE PROTESTS THERE LED TO MUBARAK’S DOWNFALL, JANUARY 2011.

RUTH LEE SILVER

(MOSHE MILNER/ GPO/FLASH90)

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JOEL SCHUMACHER, who directed such box office hits as “St. Elmo’s Fire” and two “Batman films, died June 22. He was 80.

CARL REINER, consummate comedy legend who grew up in the Bronx the son of Jewish immigrant parents, died June 29.

He was 98.

ILIA SALITA, head of the Genesis Philanthropy Group, who led the organization’s efforts to engage young Jews around the world, died June 29. He was 52.

REP. JOHN LEWIS, civil rights icon and Democratic congressman from Georgia, who had a close relationship with the Jewish community dating to the 1960s, fortified by alliances he forged throughout his congressional career, died July 17. He was 80.

RABBI ADIN STEINSALTZ INSPECTS AT HIS JERUSALEM HOME AN ENGLISH-LANGUAGE TRANSLATION OF THE TALMUD BASED ON HIS ANNOTATIONS ON JUNE 4, 2018.

(WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/SOINKLEINED)

crowning achievement was his 45-volume epic translation of the Talmud, written over four and half decades. He died August 7 at the age of 83.

ANGELA BUXTON, a Jewish tennis star who teamed with Black tennis star Althea Gibson to win the women’s doubles championship at Wimbledon in 1956, and was then denied admission to the All England Club, which runs the tournament and traditionally gives a lifetime

membership to Wimbledon winners, died August 17, a day before her 86th birthday.

The pair had also won the French Open a few weeks earlier. Buxton won a gold medal at Israel’s Maccabiah Games in 1953.

REP. JOHN LEWIS SPEAKS AT A THE CAPITOL ON THE VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT, DEC. 6, 2019.

(TOM WILLIAMS/CQ-ROLL CALL, INC VIA GETTY IMAGES)

SUMNER REDSTONE, the Jewish media mogul whose aggressive acquisitions and readiness to resort to litigation led to the creation of an empire that included CBS and Viacom, died August 11. He was 97.

RUTH GAVISON, an Israeli legal scholar and civil rights activist who worked to keep Israel both a Jewish and democratic state, died August 15. She was 75.

LUIZ FILIPE BARBOSA, a leading Brazilian Israeli folk dance choreographer, influenced generations of Brazilian Jews who practice Israeli folk dance, a national pastime in the Jewish state that probably has its biggest Diaspora fans in Latin America’s largest nation. He died early August. He was 52.

ADIN STEINSALTZ, a towering Israeli scholar who made the Talmud more accessible to hundreds of thousands of people. He wrote more than 60 books. His 26

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ALTHEA GIBSON AND ANGELA BUXTON, RIGHT, CELEBRATE WINNING THE WOMEN’S WIMBLEDON DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1956.

(GETTY IMAGES)

| JANUARY 1, 2021

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SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG ARRIVES FOR PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS IN THE CAPITOL, JAN. 20, 2015.

(BILL CLARK/CQ ROLL CALL/GETTY IMAGES)

JORGE KIRSZENBAUM, and attorney and human rights activist, and the influential former head of of Argentina’s Jewish community, died Sept. 5. He was 72.

RONALD HARWOOD, Oscar-winning screenwriter of ‘The Pianist,’ died Sept. 8.

He was 85.

MARILEE SHAPIRO ASHER, artist who survived global pandemics a century apart, died Sept. 11. She was 107.

RALPH GANTS, an American attorney and jurist who served as the chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, died Sept. 14, two weeks shy of his 76th birthday.

HELEN REDDY, who sang the feminist anthem ‘I Am Woman,’ died Sept. 29. She was 78.

RABBI LORD JONATHAN SACKS SPEAKING IN LONDON, MARCH 2, 2016.

(BEN STANSALL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

RUTH BADER GINSBURG, who was the second woman and the first Jewish woman to serve on the Supreme Court, died Sept.

29 at the age of 87. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she was appointed to the Court in 1980.

Outspoken and admired worldwide, she became known as the Notorious RBG. She was the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol. New York will honor her life and legacy with a statue in Brooklyn.

BERNARD COHEN, who brought Loving v. Virginia to the Supreme Court, died Oct. 12. He was 86.

MAYER RISPLER, a leader of a Satmar Hasidic sect who called upon Orthodox Jews to follow New York City’s health regulations during the pandemic’s first wave this past spring, died of COVID-19 on Oct 16. He was 70.

RABBI DOVID FEINSTEIN, renowned Jewish legal authority, died Nov. 6. He was 91.

DAVID SHNEER, beloved professor of Jewish studies, died Nov. 6. He was 48.

RABBI JONATHAN SACKS, the former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom commanded a global following among Jews

and non-Jews alike, died Nov. 7. One of Europe’s leading Jewish voices, offering Jewish wisdom to the masses through a regular segment he produced for the BBC, he had a close relationship with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who called him “an intellectual giant.” He was 72.

LINDA SHER, a leader in promoting political action by Jewish women, died Nov. 11. She was 73.

JAMES WOLFENSOHN, former World Bank president and Jewish philanthropist who helped shepherd Israel’s exit from the Gaza Strip, died Nov. 25. He was 86.

MARIA PIECHOTKA, architect who was an influential expert on Poland’s synagogues, died Nov. 28. She was 100.

JOSEPH SAFRA, Brazil’s richest person and Jewish philanthropist died Dec. 10. He was 82.

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

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In Europe, the end of 2020 is marked by the passing of 6 prominent Holocaust survivors

BY CNAAN LIPHSHIZ

(JTA) – Six prominent Holocaust survivors who had dedicated much of their lives to educating others against hatred have died in Europe over the past month. These are their stories.

ESTHER COHEN One of only 160 people from her native Greek city of Ioannina who survived the genocide, Cohen died there on Dec. 1 at the age of 96. She had escaped the AuschwitzBirkenau death camp and for years told high school students about her survival story in testimonies, TVXS reported. Cohen belonged to the ancient Romaniote Jewish community, which had survived for 2,000 years before nearly eradicated by the Nazis.

Ioannina was a major center of Romaniote Jews, with about 1,800 living there before the Holocaust. Cohen had two children.

ESTHER COHEN IS FLANKED BY HER HUSBAND SAMUEL, LEFT, AND GERMAN PRESIDENT JOACHIM GAUCK IN IOANNINA, GREECE, MARCH 7, 2014.

linguist and English teacher who died Nov. 23 in Paris at 91. An experienced lecturer and gifted writer, he often spoke at high schools before teenagers. Many of them easily related to Cling’s story because he was 15 when police took him away at his school on May 20, 1944. Cling was sent to the Drancy internment camp with his parents and older brother, Willy. The family was deported to Auschwitz, where the Nazis murdered the parents on arrival. Willy would help Maurice survive the camp but was murdered there. Cling was moved to Dachau and liberated there by American troops. He had four children.

PAUL SOBOL After walking for days in a death march from Auschwitz, Sobol, who died in Brussels on Nov. 17 at 94, found the strength to escape during an Allied air raid on the German troops guarding him and fellow prisoners. He was 18. Before his capture, Sobol and his family had lived four years in hiding in Nazi-occupied Brussels. The Nazis murdered his parents and younger brother, but his sister survived. For many years after the war, Sobol did not speak much about the Holocaust, but felt the need to share his story as he grew older. He would be celebrated by the local media as “a conveyer of memory” for his activities at schools and Holocaust commemoration events.

Sobol had two children.

(WOLFGANG KUMM/PICTURE ALLIANCE VIA GETTY IMAGES)

MAURICE CLING Born to Romanian Jews who fled antisemitism for France, Cling was a

for 10 years until 2016. Although he was born in 1938, “I started living in 1944,” he said in one interview. His early childhood was a time of fear, want and uncertainty as his family moved from one hiding place to the next in Rome’s suburbs, where they managed to flee before fascist gangs showed up and ransacked their home.

Gattegna had two children.

RENZO GATTEGNA STANDS OUTSIDE A KOSHER RESTAURANT IN ROME, MARCH 9, 2015.

(STEFANO MONTESI – CORBIS/GETTY IMAGES)

MIKHAIL ZHVANETSKY Before his death on Nov. 6 at 86 in Moscow, Zhvanetsky was to Russians what Jackie Mason is to Americans: a standard-bearer for standup comedy. But Zhvanetsky, who identified as Jewish when doing so was dangerous, operated in the Soviet Union under one of the 20th century’s most repressive regimes – one that was famously anti-semitic. In a disarmingly self-deprecating manner, he delivered his

commentary on everyday life in Russia.

It was apolitical but with traces of social criticism on the edge of what was safe to say publicly in those years.

Born in Odessa, in what is now Ukraine, Zhvanetsky was evacuated with his family to Russia before the advancing Nazi army conquered his native city, murdering his childhood friends and many relatives in the Holocaust. Zhvanetsky performed for decades until his retirement in October. He has won many awards, including the Order of Merit for the Fatherland last year.

He had five children.

JUSTIN SONDER A retired police officer, politician and Holocaust commemoration activist, Sonder died Nov. 3 in Chemnitz at 94.

Soon after his return from Auschwitz to Germany, Sonder began devoting his life to rebuilding the society that created Nazism. He became a police officer just six months after U.S. troops liberated him from a death march from Auschwitz, in Poland, to Germany. His mother and 21 of his relatives were murdered in the camp.

Climbing the ranks, Sonder eventually became a commissioner for serious crimes.

Following his retirement in 1985, he served as a lawmaker in the federal parliament for four years, beginning in 2009, as a representative of the Die Linke left-wing party. In 2016, he testified in the trial of SS guard Reinhold Hanning, who was convicted of crimes against humanity.

For decades, Sonder spoke about the Holocaust to high school students in eastern Germany, where the far right is seeing a resurgence. He had three children.

PAUL SOBOL SPEAKS AT THE FEDERAL PARLIAMENT IN BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, JAN. 23, 2018.

(NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

MAURICE CLING SPEAKS TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PARIS, SEPT. 29, 2015.

(MEMORIAL DE LA SHOA)

28

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RENZO GATTEGNA In addition to testifying before young people about the Holocaust, Gattegna, who died of COVID-19 complications on Nov. 10 at 81, also helped rebuild the Jewish community in Italy after the genocide. Gattegna had led the Union of Italian Jewish Communities | JANUARY 1, 2021

JUSTIN SONDER ATTENDS A NEWS CONFERENCE IN DETMOLD, GERMANY, FEB. 10, 2016.

MIKHAIL ZHVANETSKY

(BERND THISSEN/PICTURE ALLIANCE VIA GETTY IMAGES)

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Monica - 347-486-0911.

New England Jewish Academy in Greater Hartford - Preschool aide to assist our two dynamic lead teachers - Wonderful children and supportive environment - Hours are 11:005:00 M-TH, 11:00-4:00 on Friday’s with the exception of winter when Friday hours are 11:00-2:20. We are also looking for an art teacher who can work one full day each week. Please email your resume to zsilver@ sigelacademy.org.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

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

References. Call Jeff 860-7124115.

FOR SALE OR SEASONAL RENTAL

FOR SALE- Delray Beach condo.

Over 55 community. Furnished one bedroom. Fabulous meal plan in dining room. Daily social activities & amenities. Gorgeous community, great location. Rare opportunity. $38,500. Call 215740-1165.

REAL ESTATE

For lease- Boca Raton, FL. Fully furnished 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo with kosher kitchen in beautiful Century Village. First floor, parking, pool & club house. Call Mike 561-654-4221.

WANTED TO BUY

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: 860-229-2038 No Text Please.

Third Generation Jeweler - Gold & Diamond Buyer - Is Buying All Gold Jewelry - Sterling Silver Flatware Sets - Diamonds Over 2 Carats - Fast Payment Contact - mitchellrosin@gmail. com.

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

Collector looking to purchase coins and currency, silver, copper, and gold. No collection is too small. Will travel. Call 860951-5191 paprfred@aol.com.

Driver available for shopping & errands in the greater Hartford area. Reasonable rates, senior discount and references available. Call Ira 860-849-0999.

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

CNA with 25 years experience, reliable car, live-in or hourly.

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

TUTOR

Accounting & Math Tutor Retired College Accounting Teacher Will Tutor at Your Home - Call For Appointment 860-402-1201.

FOR SALE

Motorized KD Smart Chair rarely used - excellent condition - Call or text 203-710-0615.

Have something to sell?

Have something to rent?

Have a service to promote?

Reach our highly qualified readers by placing your display classified ad in our digital issue with a LIVE link to your website!

Contact Leslie 860.231.2424 or leslie@jewishledger.com jewishledger.com

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

Temple Sholom Conservative Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz Rabbi Chaya Bender Cantor Sandy Bernstein (203) 869-7191 info@templesholom.com www.templesholom.com HAMDEN Temple Beth Sholom Conservative Rabbi Benjamin Edidin Scolnic (203) 288-7748 tbsoffice@tbshamden.com www.tbshamden.com 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 Spiritual Leaders: Rabbi Marshal Press Rabbi Michael Kohn (860) 346-4709 office@adathisraelct.org www.adathisraelct.org

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NEW HAVEN The Towers Conservative Ruth Greenblatt, Spiritual Leader (203) 772-1816 rebecca@towerone.org www.towerone.org Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel Conservative Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen (203) 389-2108 office@BEKI.org www.BEKI.org

ORANGE Chabad of Orange/ Woodbridge Chabad Rabbi Sheya Hecht (203) 795-5261 info@chabadow.org www.chabadow.org

Orchard Street ShulCongregation Beth Israel Orthodox Rabbi Mendy Hech t 973-723-9070 www.orchardstreetshul.org

Congregation Or Shalom Conservative Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus (203) 799-2341 info@orshalomct.org www.orshalomct.org

NEW LONDON Ahavath Chesed Synagogue Orthodox Rabbi Avrohom Sternberg 860-442-3234 Ahavath.chesed@att.net

RIDGEFIELD Congregation Shir Shalom of Westchester and Fairfield Counties Reform Rabbi David Reiner Cantor Debora Katchko-Gray (203) 438-6589 office@ourshirshalom.org

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 Congregation Beth El-Norwalk Conservative Rabbi Ita Paskind (203) 838-2710 Jody@congbethel.org www.congbethel.org

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Temple Shalom Reform Rabbi Mark Lipson (203) 866-0148 admin@templeshalomweb.org www.templeshalomweb.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 richardcaplan@sbcglobal.net www.bethisrael/wallingford. 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

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

Congregation Beth Israel Reform Rabbi Michael Pincus Rabbi Andi Fliegel Cantor Stephanie Kupfer (860) 233-8215 bethisrael@cbict.org www.cbict.org

JEWISH LEDGER

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