BASEBALL IS BACK! 1

JEWISH LEDGER

| APRIL 16, 2021

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Mandell JCC

TOWN HALL

MEETING

Welcome Our New Head Tennis Pro

CRAIG DAVIDSON

Make this summer memorable!

The Swim & Tennis Club is an extension of the JCC, a family summer oasis bringing the same Jewish values. Conveniently located in Bloomfield, The Swim Club features one of the region’s largest Olympic-sized recreational swimming pools with a slide, parent-friendly kiddie pool, children’s playscapes and sandpit, along with 8 tennis courts – 4 Har-Tru and 4 asphalt.

Relax and unwind with the JCC’s ultimate summer retreat.

Thursday, April 22 | 7:00 pm

Live on ZOOM

You have questions – we have answers

Whether you are back with us live, participating remotely or getting ready to come back, we are here for you!

For more information: Sara Billings, 860-231-6331, sbillings@mandelljcc.org.

What’s New at the Mandell JCC Zachs Campus | 335 Bloomfield Ave. | West Hartford, CT 06117 | 860-236-4571 | www.mandelljcc.org

LL JCC E D N A M

R E M M SU Thursday, April 15 | 8:00pm Thank You Mandell JCC Partner

Tovah Feldshuh Lilyville: A Memoir

In Conversation with Holly Firfer ZOOM Webinar Author Talk + Q & A

April 11

April 13

The SS Officer’s Armchair

Broken (In the Best Possible Way)

Daniel Lee

Jenny Lawson

April 25

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AMS R G O R &P CAMPS Registration

OPEN NOW! PAY 2019 PRICES

Robert Lefkowitz, M.D. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm

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| APRIL 16, 2021

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INSIDE

this week

CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | APRIL 16, 2021 | 4 IYAR 5781

7 Torah Portion

8 Briefs

11 Milestones

17 Crossword

18 What’s Happening

Enough is Enough......................... 5 Frustrated by the failure of the UConn administration to take decisive action in the face of repeated acts of antisemitism on campus, students organize a solidarity rally to fight for change.

In Memoriam.................................. 5 Prince Philip’s support for Jewish and pro-Israel causes ran deep, and his mother risked her life to save Jews during the Holocaust.

OPINION........................................... 10 What was teachers union head Randi Weingarten thinking when she attacked Jewish parents who want schools opened as “privileged” members of the “ownership class.”

Obituaries

21 Business and Professional Directory

22 Classified

Fish for Thought.................................................................15 Love it or hate it, gefilte fish has been part of the Eastern European Jewish diet for hundreds of years. The funny thing is that gefilte fish didn’t start out as a Jewish food.

Celebrate Israel!................................................................19 A calendar of Connecticut events to mark Israel’s 73rd birthday! Israel Memorial Day begins Tuesday evening, April 13, and is followed by Israel Independence Day, which begins at sundown, Wednesday, April 14.

CANDLE LIGHTING

Sponsored by:

SHABBAT FRIDAY, APRIL 16 ON THE COVER:

After a season of pandemic-induced hiatus, baseball is back…and among those taking to the field are eight Jewish players, plus Sam Fuld, the new general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies who played for Team Israel’s cinderella team. PAGE 12 jewishledger.com

Hartford 7:15 p.m. New Haven: 7:15 p.m. Bridgeport: 7:16 p.m. Stamford: 7:17 p.m. To determine the time for Havdalah, add one hour and 10 minutes (to be safe) to candle lighting time.

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APRIL 16, 2021

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| APRIL 16, 2021

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UP FRONT CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | APRIL 16, 2021 | 4 IYAR 5781

UConn students hold rally to fight antisemitism on campus “This university does not have an isolated issue with antisemitic hate, but rather a rapidly growing atmosphere of hate towards the Jewish community that has gone unchecked.” BY STACEY DRESNER

TORRS – After a reported seven antisemitic incidents this school year on the campus of the University of Connecticut Storrs – three that occurred during the week of Passover – UConn Hillel last week held “A Solidarity Gathering to Fight Antisemitism.” The 90-minute gathering, held on UConn’s Student Union Lawn on Monday, April 5, was attended by representatives of the state’s Jewish community, UConn’s president, and UConn student leaders who vowed to be allies with the university’s Jewish population. The gathering was held in response to three antisemitic acts in October of 2020 and four more incidents that occurred in February and March of 2021. On Oct. 7, “The Third Reich” was written on a white board on the door of a student’s dorm room. Later in the month, a student reported seeing a swastika carved on a wall near an elevator in the same building. And Chanukah and Kwanzaa decorations were vandalized on a holiday display bulletin

board in the same complex. In February of this year, a swastika was drawn in a bathroom in the UConn biology building. In March, three incidents were reported: a swastika painted on the outside of the chemistry building, directly facing the Hillel building; a swastika and “SS” painted on the Philip Austen building; and a verbal assault of a Jewish student wearing a kippah and carrying a box of matzoh. More than 150 masked and socially distanced students and community members attended the rally to decry the incidents. Fifty more watched via Facebook live. “It is important for all of us to speak out each and every time there is an attack on members of our community,” said UConn President Thomas Katsouleas. “It’s important because those who commit these heinous acts need to know that we won’t tolerate them, and they to know that we will call them out every time. It is also important for those who are victims to know that they have our support and our love.”

ON APRIL 5, STUDENTS GATHER ON THE CAMPUS OF UCONN STORRS FOR “A SOLIDARITY GATHERING TO FIGHT ANTISEMITISM.”

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Despite Katsouleas’ words of support, a number of students expressed concern that the UConn administration has not done enough to battle antisemitic incidents on campus. When UConn’s administrators failed to condemn or address the October antisemitic acts with the entire student body, Hillel leaders sent a letter signed by 311 students to President Katsouleas’ office. “Previously, the UConn administration has been swift and strong in responding to other such acts of hate on our campus,” the letter stated, citing a July 23rd message addressing the University’s response to anti-Black racism, in which Katsouleas and UConn Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Franklin Tuitt, “eloquently stated that teaching and learning is what we do best as a university: ‘Through education and scholarship we address the needs of our students to understand and contextualize the world around us, empower them with that knowledge, and address the misperceptions that underlie bias and bigotry.’” “As a Jewish community, we are left wondering why these actions have not warranted the same response,” the Hillel letter concluded. “The UConn administration that so adamantly, and appropriately, addresses and condemns hate towards other communities on campus needs to equally address and condemn the hate towards UConn’s Jewish community.” Eventually, the UConn administration responded to the criticism. O n Oct. 30, Katsouleas, Tuitt, and Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Carl Lejuez sent a letter to the entire campus community. “Our University is committed to an environment that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Recent reports of a series of antiSemitic incidents on our Storrs campus undermine that goal. We denounce in the strongest terms acts of violence, hate, and intimidation aimed at members of our CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

Prince Philip opposed Nazis, was first British royal to visit Israel BY CNAAN LIPHSHIZ AND RON KAMPEAS

(JTA) – Prince Philip, perhaps the closest member of the British royal family to Jews and Jewish causes, has died at 99. Buckingham Palace announced his death on Friday. Philip, who had been married to Queen Elizabeth II for 74 years, since five years before she ascended to the throne, had been in declining health for some time. Also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, Philip’s support for Jewish and pro-Israel causes ran deep. His mother, Princess Alice of Greece, sheltered a Jewish family during the Holocaust and is recognized as one of fewer than 30,000 “righteous among the nations” by Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust museum.

PRINCE PHILIP AT A CEREMONY IN WINDSOR, ENGLAND, JULY 22, 2020.

(SAMIR HUSSEIN/ SAMIR HUSSEIN/WIREIMAGE/ GETTY IMAGES)

Philip’s four sisters each married German nobles, at least three of whom became Nazis. But Philip, educated in Britain, joined the allied war effort. As an adult, he showed little patience for Nazi collaborators; he was instrumental in making a pariah of his wife’s uncle Edward, who after abdicating the throne dallied with Nazi Germany. Philip over the years spoke multiple times at Jewish and pro-Israel events. Philip, who had a passion for CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

JEWISH LEDGER | APRIL 16, 2021

UConn

Prince Philip

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Jewish community,” the letter read in part. “These recent reports were all acts of physical damage to property, including swastika graffiti. These are undeniable symbols of antisemitism that elicit painful reminders of the Holocaust among our Jewish students, faculty, and staff. These acts and other discriminatory acts this semester are deeply upsetting and leave a scar on members of our community whose beliefs or identities are targeted,” the letter continued. But at the solidarity gathering, it was clear that many Jewish students at UConn do not think that response has been enough. “It is unfortunate that feel we need to be here today to declare condemnation of antisemitism, but it is inspiring to see how many of you came there to show your pride in being Jewish or your support for the Jewish community,” said Dori Jacobs, UConn Hillel president. “The seven reported antisemitic incidents on campus this past year are not isolated incidents; they are part of a world-wide rise in antisemitism. As Jews it may be in part our responsibility to educate others about our experiences, religion and culture. But I do not believe that as students it is our job to fight for safety on our own campus. Sarah Soucy, a senior at UConn, who in early April posted a message on Instagram talking about feeling unsafe on the UConn campus, gave a powerful statement. “I am Jewish and I am not alone when I say that I am unbelievably scared to be a Jew at the University of Connecticut right now,” Soucy told the crowd. “The first reason for this is the rising rates of antisemitism in our community. This year we have seen antisemitic graffiti on campus…students being harassed, and followed for wearing yarmulkes. … Patterns like this only reinforce the data that despite being only two percent of the population Jews make up the majority of religiousbased hate crimes in this country. Still, she said, “despite months of community action and calls for action, the university has failed to produce any form of sustainable change in combatting antisemtism… We cannot dismiss these acts of hatred because they aren’t bad enough. Every act of antisemitism is horrific and traumatic. It is clear that the university has done nothing of substance to stop this. What will it take? Will it take an incident like that in New York City this past week where a young Chasidic couple and their infant child were all slashed across their face with a knife for being Jewish in public? Will it take a shooting at a place of worship that we’ve become so desensitized to? Will it become another slew of calls of bomb threats into JCCs and synagogues around this country where preschoolers were evacuated rapidly 6

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from their classrooms because of so much hate and antisemitism? We are worth more than being told to sit and wait behind red tape. We deserve action and recognition and justice and respect.” Student government representatives were on hand to show support for the university’s Jewish community. “Thank you all for being here today to stand here in solidarity against violence and hate against the Jewish community at UConn,” said Mason Holland, UConn Undergraduate Student Government President-Elect. “I understand what this community is going through. As a member of the black community, we have been subject to some of the same persecution over this past year. I support all of you who are here today, I love you all and respect you all. The USG is committed to standing with you all, advocating with you, to learn from you and support you in any endeavor.” “We’ve seen over this past semester alone, this university does not have an isolated issue with antisemitic hate, but rather a domestically and rapidly growing atmosphere of hate towards the Jewish community that has gone unchecked,” said Michael Christy, USG chief diversity officerelect. “It is not enough for us to rely on the Jewish community to condemn these incidents on their own. It is not enough to put out a general statement condemning these incidents without planned action. … It should not have taken seven incidents of antisemitic attacks for us to be here today calling for action. It is each of our responsibility as members of this community to insure that this behavior does not continue, students, staff, faculty and administration.” The USG have called on UConn administrators to devise a plan to deal with the slew of antisemitic acts by April 9. Steps that the USG is asking the administration to take include: “defining unequivocal acts of antisemitism as such and not just as ‘acts of bias and bigotry’”; a proposed one-credit course on antisemitism; transparent communication on the status of investigations; and training on antisemitism for administrators, faculty, staff and students. Several of the Jewish Federations around Connecticut have already offered funding in support of the initiative to offer the course on antisemitism. Two Federation directors attended the rally and spoke in support of the UConn Jewish community. Said Judy Alperin, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. “I wanted to be here with you today so that you all know that you are not alone. There are many, many people throughout Connecticut and beyond standing in solidarity. We will continue to raise our voices and speak out against the forces of

| APRIL 16, 2021

hate as this Hillel has loudly proclaimed ‘Enough is Enough.’” David Waren, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, addressed Hillel’s Dori Jacobs, who had participated in a webinar co-sponsored by the Federation about combatting antisemitism on campus just two weeks earlier. “We really thought this had already been addressed with finality, at least for this year, and here we are after four more incidents,” said Waren. “In response, we stand in solidarity with them today, with leaders from across this campus and across this state on 24 hours notice to address security needs, combat antisemitism and extremism and insure that this campus community remains safe, inclusive and welcoming for all of its residents.” Waren announced that the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford will launch a new security initiative “that will encompass Hillel and will provide training, security assessments, law enforcement relationship initiatives and securing of funding.” Edina Oestricher, executive director of UConn Hillel, praised the students who organized the rally. “I’m so in awe of them. Their leadership and activism is so inspiring. And I’m really hopeful that this is another step closer to the work that we want to do with the administration to create a more welcoming, inclusive and safe campus here,” she said. A Ledger phone call to the UConn Police department after the gathering, seeking information on the status of the investigation, was met with a response by the UConn administration. “Antisemitism, like all forms of hatred and bigotry, has absolutely no place on UConn’s campuses. The University proudly supports all those who gathered in solidarity on the Storrs campus this week not only to condemn these vile acts, but to express the shared values that truly reflect our community,” Stephanie Reitz, university spokesperson and manager of media relations, told the Ledger. “UConn Police and others are actively investigating the incidents, and the University has been reaching out to offer support to affected students, employees and organizations, including at UConn Hillel.”

environmental preservation, spoke multiple times at Jewish National Fund events and lent his royal sponsorship to other Jewish events. He came under attack in the 1960s for speaking to pro-Israel groups, and, famously impervious to criticism, ignored the attacks. In 1994, Philip was the first British royal to visit Israel, when he accepted Yad Vashem’s recognition of his mother and visited her burial site at the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. At Yad Vashem, Philip planted a maple tree in memory of his mother, who was married to Prince Andrew of Greece and helped shelter three members of the family of a late Greek-Jewish politician in her palace in Athens. The Gestapo was suspicious of Alice, even questioning her, but the princess, who was deaf, pretended not to understand their questions. Alice later became a nun. “The Holocaust was the most horrific event in all Jewish history, and it will remain in the memory of all future generations,” Philip said at the time. “It is, therefore, a very generous gesture that also remembered here are the many millions of non-Jews, like my mother, who shared in your pain and anguish and did what they could in small ways to alleviate the horror.” The 1994 visit broke with what was then an unofficial but nonetheless binding ban on royals traveling to Israel, which had been enforced following violence by Zionist fighters against British targets in the years that predated the establishment of the State of Israel in what had been before 1948 the British Mandate over Palestine. For all its trappings, Philip’s 1994 visit was in a personal capacity. The Royal House ended its policy on official visits to Israel in 2018, when Prince William, Prince Philip’s grandson, visited Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan. Philip’s retirement from public life in 2017 triggered an outpouring of plaudits for a life well-lived from Jewish groups and leaders. Those groups expressed grief upon his death Friday. Philip’s life “was spent in public service, from his active duty in the Navy during World War II to the tens of thousands of engagements which he carried out over six and a half decades of royal duties,” the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Marie van der Zyl, wrote in a statement. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin joined dozens of other heads of state who expressed their sympathies with the Royal House. Rivlin used the traditional Jewish phrase when speaking about a deceased person, ending his tweet about Philip with “May his memory be a blessing.”

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TORAHPortion Tazriya Metzora

BY RABBI SHLOMO RISKIN

“And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.” [Lev. 12:3]

he mitzvah of circumcision in the portion of Tazria appears in the midst of the discussion of the impure and pure periods immediately following childbirth. Furthermore, our Sages specifically derive from this ordinance that the ritual of circumcision overrides Shabbat: “‘On the eighth day, [the child’s] foreskin shall be circumcised’ – even if it occurs on Shabbat” [Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shabbat 132a]. Why express this crucial significance of circumcision – its precedence even over Shabbat – within the context of ritual impurity? What is the connection? Targum Yonatan Ben Uziel links the two issues by interpreting: “And on the eighth day, when [Biblically] she is permitted [to have sexual relations with her husband], on that [day] is [the baby] to be circumcised.” He is thereby citing the view of our Sages, who understand that the circumcision must be on the eighth day following the birth “so that everyone not be happy while the parents will be sad” if they cannot properly express their affection toward one another [Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Nidda 31b]. I suggest an additional connection. When a woman is in a state of ritual impurity, she and her husband are forbidden from engaging in sexual relations until she immerses in a mikveh (ritual bath). Obviously this restriction demands a great deal of self-control. The major symbol that graphically expresses the importance of mastering one’s physical instincts is the command of circumcision: even the sexual organ itself, the physical manifestation of the male potency and the unbridled id, must be tempered and sanctified by the stamp of the Divine. A well-known midrash takes this even one step farther: Turnus Rufus the Wicked once asked Rabbi Akiva: “Whose works are better, the works of God or the works of human beings?” He answered him, “The works of human beings…” [Turnus Rufus] said to him, “Why do you circumcise?” [Rabbi Akiva] said, “I knew you were asking about that, and therefore I anticipated [the question] and told you that the works of human beings are better.” Turnus Rufus said to him: “But if God wants men to be circumcised, why does He not see to it that male babies are born already circumcised?” Rabbi Akiva said to

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him…”It is because the Holy One Blessed be He only gave the commandments to Israel so that we may be purified through them.” [Midrash Tanĥuma, Tazria, 5] I see in the words of the midrash as well as the context of the commandment a profound message: the human being is part of the physical creation of the world, a world that is subject to scientific rules of health and illness, life and death. The most obvious and tragic expression of our physicality is that, in line with all creatures of the universe, we humans as well are doomed to be born, disintegrate and die. And therefore the most radical example of ritual impurity is a human corpse, avi avot hatuma. A woman in childbirth has a very close brush with death – both in terms of her own mortality as well as during the painful anguished period preceding the moment when she hears the cry of a healthy, living baby. God’s gift to the human being created in the Divine image, however, is that in addition to physicality there is also spirituality, in addition to death there is also life eternal, in addition to ritual impurity (tuma) there is also ritual purity (tahara). Hence, the very human life that emerges from the mother’s womb brings in its wake not only the brush with death, tuma, but also the hope of new life, tahara – and while the tuma is for seven days, the tahara is for thirty-three! The human being has the power to overcome his physical impediments and imperfections, to ennoble and sanctify his animal drives and instincts, to perfect human nature and redeem an imperfect world. This is the message that Rabbi Akiva attempted to convey to Turnus Rufus the Wicked. Yes, the world created by the Almighty is beautiful and magnificent, but it is also imperfect and incomplete. God has given the task of completion and redemption to the human being, who has the ability and capacity to circumcise himself, to sublimate his “sub-gartelian” (beneath the gartel, or belt) drives, to sanctify society and to complete the cosmos. Indeed, the works of the human being are greater! And the command of circumcision belongs within the context of impurity and purity. This is also the meaning behind the principle that circumcision overrides Shabbat: the Sabbath testifies to God’s creation of the world – impressive and inspiring, but deliberately imperfect. Circumcision testifies to the human being’s challenge to redeem himself and perfect the world. Indeed, circumcision overrides Shabbat.

At the Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation, we understand that comfort and familiarity is a key part of the journey to wellness. We also understand that maintaining your religious beliefs and principles is fundamental in continued enrichment of life. Our Kosher meal services allow residents to maintain their dietary requirements throughout their stay with us. At the Hebrew Center, we ensure we follow all principles of Kosher including purchase, storage, preparation, and service.

At the Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation, we also offer a variety of other services and amenities to ensure your stay is as comfortable as possible. THESE SERVICES INCLUDE: • Passport to Rehabilitation Program • Long-Term Skilled Nursing Care • Specialized Memory Care • Respite Care Program • Palliative Care and Hospice Services Coordination

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

JEWISH LEDGER

APRIL 16, 2021

Briefs Jewish and Arab-American groups join in backing hate crimes bill (JTA) – Jewish and Arab-American are joining in support of a bipartisan bill in the House and Senate that would streamline the reporting of hate crimes. The NO HATE bill introduced Thursday would train law enforcement across the country to report hate crimes according to a single standard. Antidefamation groups have long complained that assessing hate crimes in the United States is frustrated by wildly varying standards among police departments determining what crimes should be designated as hate crimes, when law enforcement reports the crime at all. Among the groups backing the new bill in a joint release were the Jewish Federations of North America, the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council and the Arab American Institute. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Reps. Don Beyer, D-Va., Fred Upton, R-Mich., Judy Chu, D-Calif., and Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., introduced the measure. Blumenthal is Jewish. Jewish Federations of North America spearheaded a letter last month signed by 30 Jewish organizations covering all Jewish religious streams, and ranging from left to right, from Ameinu to the Zionist Organization of America, urging backing for the bill, which was then in draft mode. That letter was pinned to reports of a rise in crimes targeting Asian Americans spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. Others joining in praising the introduction of the bill included Asian American umbrella groups; the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, an umbrella group; law enforcement in Miami and Washington, D.C.; and the families of Heather Heyer and Khalid Jabara. The bill is named in part for Heyer, killed in 2017 during a neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Jabara, who was murdered in Tulsa in 2016 by a neighbor who for years had targeted Jabarin’s family with anti-Arab epithets and violence. The bill also backs programs that rehabilitate perpetrators of hate crime through community service and education.

Antony Blinken recalls State Dept. blocking of bids to save Jews (JTA) – U.S. Secretary of Sate Antony Blinken used Holocaust Remembrance Day to take his department to task for its neglect of Jews during the Nazi era, and to call for action on behalf of the persecuted today. Blinklen, delivering the keynote address Thursday at the event organized by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, savaged the World War 8

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II-era assistant secretary of state, Breckinridge Long, for blocking the entry into the United States of Jews fleeing Nazi Europe, and for lying to Congress about it. “He had immense power to help those being persecuted,” Blinken said at the event, this year presented virtually because of the coronavirus. “Yet as the Nazis began to systematically round up and execute Jews, Long made it harder and harder for Jews to be granted refuge in the United States.” Long notoriously also suppressed information from sources overseas describing the Nazi genocide. Blinken, who has said he was shaped by the story of his stepfather’s Holocaust survival, said Long’s failures were a lesson for U.S. policymakers today, pointing both to attacks on minorities in the United States and the need to speak out for those oppressed abroad. Also delivering remarks for Holocaust Remembrance Day was Jill Biden, the first lady, who recorded a video address for the Jewish Federations of North America. Biden in her remarks focused on assistance for elderly Holocaust survivors, praising Jewish Federations for its programs funded in part by the federal government under an initiative launched by President Joe Biden when he was vice president.

Kutcher mentioning the sneakers before the game on TV. Avdija, who has leaned into talking about his Jewish identity in his time in the NBA, recorded one of the strongest performances of his rookie season on Wednesday night, notching 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and five rebounds in a win over the Orlando Magic.

Fauci receives award from Holocaust remembrance group

(JTA) – Rep. Lee Zeldin, one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress and a staunch defender of Donald Trump, is running for governor of New York. “The bottom line is this: To save New York, Andrew Cuomo’s gotta go,” Zeldin said in a news release Thursday. Zeldin, a House member from Long Island, handily won reelection in the fall over a Democratic Jewish challenger, despite being abashedly pro-Trump in a state where the former president is extremely unpopular. Both Zeldin and David Kustoff of Tennessee, the other Jewish House Republican, voted to object to the Electoral College’s presidential vote tally after condemning the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. The last Jewish governor of New York was Eliot Spitzer, who held the office between 2007 and 2008 before resigning amid a prostitution scandal.

(JTA) – Drawing a line between its mission of Holocaust remembrance and the ravages inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic, the March of the Living honored Dr. Anthony Fauci with an award for “moral courage in medicine” on the eve of Yom Hashoah, Israel’s Holocaust commemoration day. The award to Fauci, who for decades has been the top U.S. official handling infectious diseases, culminated in an online program on Wednesday called “Medicine and Morality.” In his acceptance remarks, Fauci referred to Maimonides, the medieval Jewish scholar and physician. “Maimonides reminded us that goodness and evil coexist, but that we are free to choose one over the other,” Fauci said. “I believe that the healing arts lie on the path of goodness, the same path, all of you have chosen in remembering and listening to the voices of those who perished in the Holocaust.” Fauci has faced a barrage of criticism, notably from former President Donald Trump, for his warnings about neglecting recommended public health practices, including mask-wearing and social distancing, to limit the pandemic’s spread. Brian Strom, the chancellor of Rutgers University, which joined the March of the Living, the Maimonides Institute for Medicine, Ethics and the Holocaust, and the Shoah Foundation in organizing the event, alluded to attacks on figures like Fauci from skeptics of the potency of the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re very fortunate to have one guiding light throughout the pandemic,” Strom said. “In an era when public-spiritedness and confidence in the disciplines and methodologies of science, were not held up as virtues of high esteem, Dr. Anthony Fauci embodied both.”

Deni Avdija writes ‘Yizkor’ on sneakers for Yom Hashoah

Biden resumes payments to UN group that gives Palestinians aid

(JTA) – Israeli NBA player Deni Avdija commemorated his native country’s Holocaust remembrance day by writing “Yizkor,” which translates to “will remember,” on his sneakers in Hebrew for his team’s Wednesday night game. Yom Hashoah began that night in Israel, where Avdija grew up and played professionally before being drafted by the Washington Wizards last year. The Wizards’ Hebrew Twitter account, which the team started to cater to Avdija’s Israeli fans, tweeted a video of Jewish Wizards broadcaster Justin

(JTA) – The Biden administration resumed U.S. funding for UNRWA, the U.N. agency that administers to Palestinian refugees and their descendants, overturning Trump administration policy and drawing a rebuke from Israel’s government. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $235 million in aid for the Palestinians in a statement Wednesday, April 7, including $150 million for UNRWA, $75 million in humanitarian assistance, and $10 million for peace-building programs. The money is in addition to $15 million Blinken

Pro-Trump Congressman Lee Zeldin announces run for NY governor

| APRIL 16, 2021

announced last month that would go to coronavirus relief, and to $40 million that will go to security training for Palestinian police. The Associated Press reported that the Biden administration notified Congress on Monday of the money for security training. Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to Washington, immediately posted on social media a video saying Israel opposed the refunding, citing reports that UNRWA continues to allow antisemitic textbooks in the schools it administers and the claim that UNRWA’s definition of a Palestinian refugee is too broad, encompassing descendants of refugees. The $75 million in humanitarian assistance cited in Blinken’s statement must according to U.S. law not go to the Palestinian Authority as long as it continues to pay families of Palestinians who have killed Israelis or Americans. A workaround is for the funding to go to nongovernmental groups that administer assistance. “All assistance will be provided consistent with U.S. law,” Blinken’s statement said.

Biden removes sanctions on the International Criminal Court (JTA) – The Biden administration removed sanctions that President Donald Trump had imposed on International Criminal Court officials while continuing to decry the ICC’s work targeting U.S. and Israeli personnel. “These decisions reflect our assessment that the measures adopted were inappropriate and ineffective,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday in a statement. “We continue to disagree strongly with the ICC’s actions relating to the Afghanistan and Palestinian situations,” Blinken said, referring to separate investigations into alleged war crimes by U.S. and Israeli personnel. “We maintain our longstanding objection to the Court’s efforts to assert jurisdiction over personnel of non-States Parties such as the United States and Israel,” he said, referring to the fact that neither Israel or the United States have accepted ICC jurisdiction. “We believe, however, that our concerns about these cases would be better addressed through engagement with all stakeholders in the ICC process rather than through the imposition of sanctions.” Trump last year imposed economic sanctions and travel restrictions against ICC workers directly involved in investigating American troops and intelligence officials for possible war crimes in Afghanistan. In the same executive order, Trump said he may extend the sanctions against investigations into U.S. allies, naming Israel. Israel backed Trump’s sanctions and reportedly asked Biden not to remove them. The Palestinian Authority in February cleared a major hurdle to getting the ICC to prosecute Israelis when an ICC panel decided the court has jurisdiction to investigate Israelis and Palestinian terrorists, including from Hamas, for alleged crimes during the 2014 Gaza War. jewishledger.com

Helen Mirren to portray Golda Meir in film on Yom Kippur War (Israel Hayom via JNS) Oscar-winning British actress Helen Mirren will play the role of iconic Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in an upcoming biographical film Golda. The movie will be directed by Oscarwinning Israeli director Guy Nattiv. Production is to begin in October. The screenplay, which was written by worldrenowned writer and producer Nicholas Martin, focuses on the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the challenges it presented Meir, also known as the “Iron Lady” of Israeli politics. “As someone who was born during the Yom Kippur War, I am honored to tell this fascinating story about the first and only woman to ever lead Israel,” said Nattiv said. “Nicholas Martin’s brilliant script dives into Golda’s final chapter as the country faces a deadly surprise attack during the holiest day of the year, a core of delusional generals undermining Golda’s judgment, all the while undergoing secret treatments for her illness.” Meir died of lymphoma in 1978, four years after resigning from office.

NBA’s Paul Pierce talks of love of Shabbat in racy video that led to ESPN firing (JTA) – In the middle of a racy viral Instagram video that preceded his firing from a broadcasting gig at ESPN, NBA legend Paul Pierce spent over a minute lauding the Jewish ritual of a sit-down Shabbat dinner. Pierce is not Jewish, but during the live-streamed video from his house over the weekend – the Hall of Fame finalist gets massaged by scantily clad women and appears to smoke marijuana while flaunting COVID-19 social distancing protocols – he said the family style of meal on the Jewish Sabbath contrasts with his upbringing. At first, Pierce, who is married with three children, says that a friend playing poker across the room “skipped Shabbat” to attend his party. The friend retorts that he isn’t Jewish. “Hey man, shout-out to all the Jews for Shabbat. I wish I could come to Shabbat,” Pierce says in response. “Shout-out to all

my Jewish homies, I got love, I know Friday night’s your night … I’ll see y’all on Sunday.” He then tells his feed of Instagram commenters that he would like to attend a Shabbat dinner. “Can somebody invite me to [their] Shabbat? I would love to have a sit down meal like that, ’cause I really never had that type of family environment growing up, you know what I’m saying? I would love to join one of y’all Shabbats. I never had that in my life … I never had my pops around,” Pierce says. He then looks seriously into the camera and says “I don’t know. I wish I could see what that’s like.”

NYPD Hate Crime Task Force investigates attack on Orthodox Jewish family

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(JNS) The New York Police Department’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating an attack on an Orthodox Jewish family that took place two weeks ago week in Lower Manhattan, said Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. A 22-year-old husband, his 23-year-old wife and their 1-year-old baby were slashed by a knife-wielding man while taking a walk on March 31. The family, visiting from Belgium, was dressed in traditional Chassidic garb. The Jewish man suffered an injury to his head, his wife was slashed on the lip, and the baby boy was injured on the chin. The family was treated at the scene by emergency medical services, said the NYPD. Darryl Jones, 30, was arrested in connection to the attack. He was arraigned on Friday, April 2 and charged with one count of attempted murder, three counts of assault in the second degree, three counts of attempted assault, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Jones has not entered a plea yet, CNN reported on Friday. The suspect was paroled in February after serving several years in state prison for attempted murder, according to ABC News. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Hate Crimes Unit is also looking into the incident, though there is no evidence that it was a hate crime, according to spokeswoman Emily Tuttle.

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APRIL 16, 2021

OPINION

Union leader Randi Weingarten mixes toxic race theory with antisemitism to justify closed schools BY JONATHAN S. TOBIN

(JNS) If there is any profession other than medical personnel that would ordinarily be thought of as “essential workers,” it would have to be teachers. Other than those who work to save lives, it’s hard to think of a more essential task than educating children. Teachers have the power to inspire their students, open them up to new vistas of learning and set them on a path to lead productive lives. That’s why one of the most discouraging aspects of the coronavirus pandemic has been the public-school teachers unions’ opposition to the reopening of schools for in-person instruction, despite all the evidence showing that doing so is both safe and in the best interests of children. That the unions seem to have an agenda that is contrary to the goal of advancing education has been clear for a long time. But nothing has done more to illustrate the way leadership of these groups prioritize their own selfish interests, as opposed to education itself, than an interview that Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, gave to JTA this week. During the course of a Jewish Telegraphic Agency Q&A with a misleading headline about Weingarten having a “vision to get kids back to school,” the union boss and New York City resident exposed disdain for her fellow Jews and the families her members are supposed to be serving. She was asked how she would respond to Jewish parents who are complaining about the fact that unions have been the primary obstacle to opening up public schools, no matter that many, if not most, private and parochial schools have been open for full-time in-person instruction since the fall. That’s especially an issue in Los Angeles, where a massive government investment has been made to help make the schools safe. Still, the unions are doggedly refusing to let their teachers show up for work in the classroom. Weingarten’s answer said a lot more about her slavish devotion to woke ideology, as well as her arrogance and contempt for these families, than anything else. “American Jews are now part of the ownership class. Jews were immigrants from somewhere else. And they needed the right to have public education. And they needed power to have enough income and wealth for their families that they could put their kids through college and their kids could do better than they have done. Both economic opportunity through 10

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RANDI WEINGARTEN IN 2014. SOURCE: SCREENSHOT.

the labor movement and an educational opportunity through public education were key for Jews to go from the working class to the ownership class. What I hear when I hear that question is that those who are in the ownership class now want to take that ladder of opportunity away from those who do not have it.” The union is still claiming that – against all the evidence and the experience of their colleagues in other systems – their members are too afraid to come to work. They claim that they must all be vaccinated first, but have also set other demands about funding and more “equity” – a buzz word for replacing equality with race-based schemes to further skew the education system towards the indoctrination of leftist dogmas about critical race theory and “white privilege” – that have been set up as excuses to prevent the resumption of in-person teaching. Yet it’s interesting that she chose to inject the notion of Jews as beneficiaries of white privilege into the discussion. Weingarten is the spouse of Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, a synagogue that serves the LGBTQ community in New York. But she spoke in a manner that seems straight of the antisemitic themes sounded by Karl Marx’s infamous essay “On the Jewish Question,” in which the man who founded communism (and was himself Jewish) spewed angry contempt for his fellow Jews, and labeled them as capitalist parasites and oppressors. For Weingarten to use these stereotypes is disgraceful. It illustrates exactly what those who worry about the way advocates for toxic theories about white privilege are giving a permission slip to antisemites have been talking about. That she did so in order to distract the public from the damage that she and her

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union are inflicting on the children of this country is doubly shameful. But what makes it even worse is that it’s not Jewish families complaining about unions trying to “take away the ladder of opportunity” from the poor. It’s Weingarten and the AFT who are doing that. Though teachers are, as a whole, often underpaid and overworked, their unions have been the single greatest obstacle to reopening public schools. Nor is this the first time these unions, which are intensely partisan political institutions, have acted in a manner that is harmful to public education and to the well-being of minority students and others who are disadvantaged. Their opposition to school-choice programs has contributed to keeping poor children trapped in failing schools rather than given an opportunity to succeed elsewhere. The fact that Democratic politicians are beholden to Weingarten’s union for vast sums donated in campaign contributions ensures that the party continues to be a roadblock to both choice programs and charter school alternatives that have a proven record of helping children. The unions’ determination to keep schools closed is nothing less than a scandal. They are consigning a generation of children to yet more months of Zoom classes that are both harming their development and widening the gap between the rich and the poor – something that is particularly dangerous for innercity minority kids who were already underserved by the public system. Evidence has become clear that opening the schools is not dangerous to the overwhelming majority of teachers or children. And though online teaching is a difficult job, it’s often of little use for many children, especially those in the lower

grades. It’s also particularly outrageous since the unions seem to be saying that teachers are not quite as essential as not just doctors and nurses, but also grocerystore clerks, who have been showing up for work every day throughout the pandemic. The union’s stand has also been undermined by their hypocrisy. In a notorious incident, a Facebook group for teachers instructed participants not to post pictures online of their spring-break vacations. “It’s hard to argue that it is unsafe for in-person instruction if parents and the public see vacation photos and international travel,” it advised. No truer words have ever been posted online. The injury that Weingarten and the unions are doing to children is incalculable. But that she is doing it in the name of protecting “opportunity” for the underprivileged while trashing middle-class Jewish families who want their kids in school is world-class chutzpah. Nor, despite her claim in the JTA interview, are her actions rooted in “Jewish values.” Where in Jewish texts or tradition does it say that it’s OK to force minority kids to be stuck in dead-end public schools that foreclose any path to a productive future just to protect the power of teachers unions that might be lost if parents were allowed to choose better schools for their families that they can’t currently afford? Nor is it a Jewish value to force parents to stay home watching their kids rather than go to work and help keep them out of poverty just because Weingarten’s union has discovered that the pandemic lockdowns suited them just fine. Teachers deserve all we can give them, but the unions and their egomaniacal leaders like Weingarten have become not merely a hindrance to improving public education but a deeply destructive force. That she has added targeting Jews for abuse to that indictment is merely the icing on the cake. As long as people like Randi Weingarten have public education by the throat, America’s children are in danger. Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS – Jewish News Syndicate. Follow him on Twitter at: @ jonathans_tobin. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Connecticut Jewish Ledger. jewishledger.com

MILESTONES Mandell JCC appoints new community wellness director

EST HARTFORD – Sharon O’Brien, director and founder of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Saint Francis Hospital Hartford, has been appointed Mandell Jewish Community Center’s new community wellness director, it was announced recently by the JCC’s Chief Operating Officer Annie Keith. O’Brien, who has worked in the field of health promotion and SHARON O’BRIEN wellness since 1988 – teaching prevention and intervention classes, coordinating health screenings, and promoting wellness practices – will be responsible for all wellness programming at the JCC, as well as community wellness initiatives and partnerships between the JCC and local businesses, agencies, municipalities and services, including JCC community healthcare partner Trinity Health of New England. “I am incredibly honored to join an organization that is dedicated to improving the quality of life and health in our community,” says O’Brien. “The JCC is one of the truly great nonprofit organizations in Connecticut, and as a trusted source for wellness education and engagement, the JCC will be a key referral source for medical practices and healthcare institutions whose patients need fitness, holistic options, stress management, pain management and whole body wellness. We will also work with companies that need additional wellness programs and opportunities to round out their employee benefits.” “In the wake of this pandemic, keeping our community healthy is our most

important contribution” and health and wellness is now an essential service,” said Keith in announcing O’Brien’s appointment. “Through our partnership with Trinity Health of New England, we have worked with Sharon over the years on many programs and events, and with her extensive background and experience as a wellness industry leader, she will help us expand our market footprint quickly. In addition, Sharon’s connection with our members has been so positive, that it was clear to us that she was the right fit to manage our community wellness initiatives.” In addition to her work at the Saint Francis Hospital Center for Integrative Medicine, O’Brien also served as the assistant director of the hospital’s Comprehensive Women’s Health Center. In October 2020, she partnered with colleagues to open Holistic Health Options, LLC at the Mandell JCC. Holistic Health Options offers a variety of wellness options, including acupuncture, massage, hypnosis, nutrition consultations, health and life coaching and sound and energy therapy. O’Brien, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Fitness from Springfield College, is certified in health and life coaching, mind-body medicine, M-technique, Ayurvedic massage, Reiki, weight management, mindfulness, and stress management. “Wellness is not just the absence of disease,” adds O’Brien. “It is the quality of being in good health and ultimately taking responsibility for your health and happiness – physically, emotionally, mentally and socially. As we begin to inch out of the COVID restrictions, it is the perfect time to take stock in how we are caring for ourselves.”

B’NAI MITZVAH JONAH ROSENBERG, son of Julie and Craig Rosenberg, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Saturday, April 17, at The Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford.

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APRIL 16, 2021

BASEBALL IS BACK! BY ROB CHARRY

(JTA) – Alex Bregman is hoping to return to his near MVP form, Max Fried will be doing something no Jewish lefthanded pitcher has done in nearly five decades and World Series winner Joc Pederson is wearing a new jersey as the 2021 Major League Baseball season gets underway Thursday. That trio is among eight Jewish players who will don uniforms on Opening Day. As the game returns, so will some of the in-person fans: As of Wednesday, all 30 teams will allow some percentage of attendance, ranging from a few thousand seats to full capacity in the case of the Texas Rangers’ stadium in Arlington. One familiar Jewish face will be missing, though – former Most Valuable Player Ryan Braun, doesn’t have a team after accepting a buyout from the Milwaukee Brewers in the offseason. But let’s deal with the guys who will be on rosters and representing the Jews, including some who have played for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, as we begin anew following the 60-game COVID-abbreviated campaign.

Max Fried Atlanta Braves For the first time in 49 years, a Jewish lefthanded pitcher will be an Opening Day starter, as Fried takes the mound in Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon against the Phillies. The last lefty to accomplish the feat: Ken Holtzman for the 1972 Oakland A’s. Scott Feldman, a righty, did it for the Reds in 2017. “I definitely think it’s an honor to be able to have my manager come out and say we want you to start the first game,” the lefty ace said following his final spring training start on Saturday. The Braves are expected to be serious contenders again in the National League, with Fried anchoring the pitching staff. Fried, 27, was outstanding in the shortened 2020 season, going 7-0 with a 2.25 ERA, finishing fifth in the Cy Young voting. He won 17 games in 2019 – his only full season in the majors – and sports a 26-11 record in his budding career. Some may be thinking Fried could become the winningest Jewish pitcher ever: Holtzman has that honor with 174 career wins, followed

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by Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax at 165. The latter picked up an astounding 107 of those victories in his final four seasons before his career was cut short by an elbow injury. Fried, who was born and raised in California, wore No. 32 in high school as a tribute to the Dodger great. (PHOTO BY MICHAEL REAVES /GETTY IMAGES)

Alex Bregman Houston Astros Bregman, the Houston Astros third baseman, is certainly the most heralded Jewish position player again this season. The 27-year-old All-Star struggled in 2020 – his .242 batting average was by far a career low. He’s aiming for a return to his 2019 numbers, when he hit .296 with 41 homers and 112 runs batted in on the way to a second-place finish in the MVP voting. Bregman, who heads into the season with 105 career homers, would appear to have a good chance to become the all-time Jewish home run leader when all is said and done. (Braun leads now at 352.) In his three full seasons from 2017 to 2019, he has averaged 30 homers a year. The Astros and Bregman had been quite a success story from 2017 to 2019 with two World Series appearances, including a world championship in 2017. They appeared to be an engaging, fun-loving, multicultural group, with Bregman a rising young star. But the team was implicated in an intricate signstealing scandal spanning several seasons. Fans, unable to express their displeasure last season because of COVID, could try to make things tough on the club in 2021. As one of the Astros star players, Bregman could well be a target. While Bregman doesn’t exactly show off his Jewish identity often, his father told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in 2018 that he is “so proud” of how his son represents the tribe in MLB. (PHOTO BY LEX TRAUTWIG/MLB PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES)

Joc Pederson Chicago Cubs Pederson left the world champion Dodgers to sign as a free agent with the Cubs. The slugging outfielder had seen his playing time reduced in 2020 with the Dodgers, a team that was already loaded with talent in the

| APRIL 16, 2021

outfield before trading for Boston Red Sox star Mookie Betts. At 28, Pederson is going into his seventh season and had a torrid spring camp for the Cubs with 8 Cactus League homers – no one in Arizona or Florida hit more. His 130 career homers are the most among active Jewish players entering the season with Braun on the sidelines. You might remember Pederson and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. putting on an epic power display in the semifinals of the 2019 Home Run Derby – Guerrero Jr. eventually outlasting Pederson, 40-39. Or his home run show in the 2017 World Series, in which he broke the record for most by a Jewish player in a championship. So if the wind is blowing out at Wrigley – even if it isn’t – Pederson could return to being the 25-homer-a-year guy he was from 2015 to 2019. Pederson’s mother Shelly once trekked to her late father’s old synagogue to find proof of Joc’s Jewish heritage so he could play for Team Israel in the 2012 World Baseball Classic. (PHOTO BY STEPH CHAMBERS/GETTY IMAGES)

Dean Kremer Baltimore Orioles Kremer, the first Israeli to pitch in the majors, is the most intriguing Jewish player going into the 2021 season. The 25-year-old righthander’s parents were born in Israel, but he is a California native who attended high school and college in the U.S. Kremer pitched for Team USA in the 2013 Maccabiah Games and for Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball classic. Drafted by the Dodgers in 2016, he was part of the package the Dodgers sent to the Orioles to acquire star Manny Machado before the 2018 trade deadline. Kremer ended the 2019 season in Triple A, one level below the majors, and made his MLB debut for the Orioles in September. And quite a debut it was. Aside from making history as an Israeli pitching in the major leagues, he beat the New York Yankees at Camden Yards, limiting the Bronx Bombers to just 1 run on 1 hit in 6 innings. Kremer

Alex Bregman a would allow just 3 runs in 16 innings in his first 3 starts. Though he was a bit shaky this spring, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde announced Monday that Kremer would be his fifth starter. “Dean threw the ball well last year for us in his handful of starts,” Hyde said. “He didn’t get off to a really good start this spring, but his last start against Boston he showed that he’s earned it.” (PHOTO BY MARK BROWN/GETTY IMAGES)

Kevin Pillar New York Mets After spending his first six seasons in Toronto, Pillar will be playing for his fifth team in the past three years. The 32-year-old outfielder split time between the Red Sox and Colorado Rockies last season, hitting .274 in 30 games for Boston and .308 in 24 games for the Rockies – .288 overall, a career high. This followed a 2019 season in which he put up career highs in homers (21) and RBIs (88) in 161 games, all but five of them with the San Francisco Giants. Pillar, an outstanding defensive outfielder, hit for average this spring as well, .317 in 41 at bats in the Grapefruit League. He’s also a better-than-average baserunner, averaging over 16 stolen bases a year between 2015 and 2019. Pillar had a bar mitzvah and has said he takes pride in telling fellow players that he’s Jewish. (PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA VILLA LOARCA/NEWSDAY RM VIA GETTY IMAGES)

Rowdy Tellez Toronto Blue Jays Tellez, Pillar’s former teammate in Toronto, begins his fourth season with the Blue Jays. The 26-year-old designated hitter and backup first baseman hit .283 in 34 games last season. In his only full major league season, 2019, the 6-4, 255-pound Tellez had solid power numbers with 21 homers and 54 RBIs in 111 games. Tellez was born in Sacramento, California. jewishledger.com

and Max Fried top the list of 8 Jewish players in the majors His father is Mexican American and his grandfather played in the Mexican Baseball League. His mother passed away from brain cancer shortly before he made his major league debut in 2018. (PHOTO BY MADDIE MEYER/GETTY IMAGES)

Ryan Sherriff Tampa Bay Rays Sherriff, a lefty reliever, has only made 30 appearances in his three major league seasons – the first 18 with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017 and 2018. He had Tommy John surgery in June 2018, was eventually released by St. Louis and signed by Tampa. After sitting out 2019 to recover, he joined the Rays staff last August, appeared in 10 games and did not allow a run in 9 2/3 innings. Sheriff was added to the Rays post-season roster and made two World Series appearances against the Dodgers, pitching two scoreless innings. (In case you were wondering, he did not face Pederson.) What Sheriff called “the greatest experience I’ve ever had in my life” though, was his stint as a reliever for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic in 2017. Both sets of Sheriff’s grandparents were Holocaust survivors. (PHOTO BY RONALD MARTINEZ/GETTY IMAGES)

Richard Bleier Miami Marlins Bleier, a 33-year-old reliever, had to wait until he was 29 to make his major league debut – with the Yankees in 2016. The southpaw had an earned run average under 2.00 in 23 appearances, but the Yanks traded him to Baltimore in the offseason. Bleier had a stellar 2017, a 1.99 ERA in 57 appearances, and was even better in 2018, a 1.93 ERA in 31 appearances, before an injury ended his season. He struggled in 2019 as he battled tendinitis. He was traded to the Marlins last July but ended the abbreviated 2020 campaign with a strong combined 2.16 ERA in 21 outings for the two teams. Bleier pitched in the qualifying rounds for Team Israel for the 2013 World Baseball jewishledger.com

Classic – Israel did not qualify – but elected not to accept its invite in 2017 to concentrate on winning a job with the Orioles. (PHOTO BY JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)

The Ryan Braun question and others who could join “The Show” As recently as last month, Braun at age 37 said he was leaning toward retirement. The six-time All-Star and Rookie of the Year in 2007, one of the greats in Brewers history, passed Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg’s 331 homers in 2019 to become the Jewish home run king. His 352 homers place him 93rd alltime. Catchers Garrett Stubbs and Ryan Lavarnway, also a Team Israel alumnus, are among those who could surface at some point this season. The veteran Lavarnway, 33, has played for seven teams, notably the Red Sox, in his nine-year career. Stubbs, 27, has played in 33 games in parts of two seasons for the Astros. (PHOTO BY LARRY RADLOFF/ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY IMAGES)

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Sam Fuld played for Team Israel’s cinderella team. Now he’s trying to revamp the Philadelphia Phillies from the front office. BY ROB CHARRY

(MIKE CARLSON/MLB VIA GETTY IMAGES)

(JTA) – Sam Fuld, the new general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, says he’s just getting acquainted with one of his predecessors in the job, Ruben Amaro Jr., now a broadcaster for the club. Their paths to the post are similar: Both have Jewish roots, attended Stanford and had an eight-year major league playing career. Fuld, who played for Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, is hoping he can match some of Amaro’s accomplishments with the Phillies. Amaro took over as GM in 2009, the year after the National League East club won the World Series, and his aggressiveness in free agency and the trade market had the Phillies back in the Series the next season – the first time in their history they had won back-to-back pennants, though they could not repeat as world champions. The Phillies had the best record in baseball in 2010 and 2011 before injuries and age sent them into a spiral they are hoping Fuld, among others, can help them escape. They haven’t had a winning season since ’11. Fuld, 39, had joined the Phillies organization in 2017 as their major league player information coordinator, a position intimately involved in analytics, diving inside statistics. How’d he move up so quickly in the team’s hierarchy? “People in the organization spoke in glowing terms, at all levels, about him, with his knowledge, with his personality, the way he gets along with people – I’ve heard about his intellect in the past,” said Dave Dombrowski, the new Phillies president and a long-time baseball executive. “I was also impressed the way he presented himself about his responsibilities and about how he understood the nature of being a big league player.” Fuld said he had an open mind as he embarked on a post-playing career. “I felt like there was a lot on the uniform side that was exciting to me,” he said, “but also on the front office side. That’s been my mindset to date.” While it’s not unusual now to see Jewish executives in Major League Baseball – over half a dozen teams have Jewish GMs, and there are several team presidents – it is 14

SAM FULD IN A PHILADELPHIA PHILLIESUNIFORM IN 2019.

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With current Jewish stars like Alex unusual to see ex-players make the climb Bregman, Max Fried, Joc Pederson and into the executive suite. Ryan Braun (see pages 12 & 13) along Fuld thinks that could be changing. with recently retired standouts such as “I think we’re actually seeing what’s Ian Kinsler and Kevin Youkilis and the likely to be a trend back in the other plethora of Jewish executives, this appears direction, where you might see some former to be a golden age for Jews in baseball players infiltrate the GM ranks in years (with apologies to past Jewish stars Hank to come,” the longtime outfielder told the Greenberg, Sandy Koufax and Al Rosen, Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “As players now among others). are being exposed to the information side of Fuld says there is a camaraderie among the game in a greater fashion, I think you’re Jewish players, enhanced for him at least by going to see the pendulum swing back a playing for Team Israel. little bit.” “That was a unique connection that we Fuld played his last game in the majors all felt, and it extends to the U.S as well,” in 2015 with the Oakland A’s. He spent he said. “Everybody feels differently and the 2016 season on the disabled list after has different levels of ties to Judaism and tearing his rotator cuff in spring training to Israel. There’s certainly a bond there, and officially retired in 2017. there’s no denying it, I’ve felt that. I’ve That was the year he played for Team had a few Jewish teammates in my career. Israel. Fuld had never been to the country You feel an before. immediate “In the connection.” months leading Living slightly more than an Though up to the Fuld said he tournament, hour outside of Boston, he was a has never they invited diehard Red Sox fan. encountered eight of us to antisemitism go see Israel in baseball, for four to five he’s not naive days. I went enough to think it doesn’t exist. over with my father, met some of my future “I have heard from other Jewish teammates and just had a tremendous teammates and friends that that isn’t the experience there.” case for them,” he said. “I was fortunate Israel, which was ranked 41st in the enough to never experience any. I feel lucky world going into the tournament, became in that way.” its feel-good story, finishing in sixth place. Fuld, the son of a Jewish father and “We just missed out on getting to the Catholic mother, grew up in Durham, New final four. We definitely felt like we had a Hampshire, and celebrated Jewish holidays. good amount of support from Israel, and His favorite is Chanukah. from the Jewish community in the U.S.,” “I had fond memories of lighting the Fuld said. “They appreciated that a number menorah with my dad and mom and sister of us had taken some time to visit the and reading prayers. Just another way of country and learn more about their culture. spending time with my family and getting A number of other teammates had already to know more about my dad’s side of the been there through Birthright, and we had a family and their history,” he said. “I always couple of native Israelis on our team.” looked forward to the gelt. The Hanukah It was a close-knit squad with a big gelt was No. 1 every year for me because I’m assist from their mascot: a stuffed toy a chocoholic.” known as the Mensch on the Bench. Living slightly more than an hour “If we ever felt pressure as we worked outside of Boston, like many New our way through the tournament, having a Englanders he was a diehard Red Sox fan. giant stuffed mascot staring goofily at you “I had no choice in the matter,” he said. in the dugout, in the clubhouse and even Coincidentally, his career highlight on the plane was a great way to lighten the occurred at Fenway Park in 2011, in his first mood and keep everyone loose and having game at the iconic ballpark. Playing for the fun,” he said.

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Tampa Bay Rays, Fuld had a double, triple and home run as he batted in the ninth inning with his team ahead 16-5. Fuld needed only a single to hit for the cycle, a feat that happens maybe two or three times a year in baseball – about as often as a no-hitter. “Dan Wheeler was pitching and I hit a ball down the left field line,” he recalled. “For me it was a no-doubter double.” Had he stopped at first base, or perhaps “stumbled,” Fuld could have settled for a single and hit for the cycle. “It never even crossed my mind,” Fuld said. “If I had stopped at first it would’ve looked like a pretty selfish move, or like I had had something else in mind other than playing the game the right way.” As GM – and one who played the game with the people skills Dombrowski noted – Fuld told JTA that he plans to support the players if they wish to speak out on social justice issues like Black Lives Matter. “I think we have to recognize that as athletes you are under a microscope and you do have a platform,” he said. “If you have a desire to do so, a desire to speak your mind in a respectful, professional way, I absolutely support that. I think there is a time and place for athletes to take advantage of that platform.” Fuld said his parents instilled in him an open-mindedness about people. “They were never tied to preconceived notions or traditions that no longer fit in the current environment,” he said. “They appreciated people for their kindness and humility, and I am grateful to have grown up in a household that embraced such values.”

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JEWISH LIFE

The secret not-so-Jewish history of gefilte fish BY RACHEL RINGLER

ome see gefilte fish as a delicacy, others as something too disgusting to contemplate. Either way, it would probably appear on most people’s short list of classic Ashkenazi foods. For good reason – it’s been part of the Eastern European Jewish diet for hundreds of years. The funny thing is that gefilte fish didn’t start out as a Jewish food. The first mention of gefuelten hechden (stuffed pike) comes from a 700-year-old, non-Jewish, German cookbook in which poached and mashed fish was flavored with herbs and seeds, stuffed back into the skin and roasted. It was a popular dish for Catholics during Lent, when eating meat was forbidden. By the Middle Ages, that Catholic dish had migrated into the Jewish kitchen under

the moniker gefilte (stuffed) fish. The rabbis considered fish to be the perfect food to kick off a Sabbath or holiday meal, since fish symbolize the coming of the Messiah and fertility. Plus, for the Jewish communities in Germany and Eastern Europe, it was easy to gain access to the fresh, sweet fish that is ground to make the dish. They were surrounded by well-stocked rivers, streams and lakes. Gefilte fish even satisfied some religious commandments. It is prohibited to light a fire and begin cooking on the Sabbath and most holidays. Gefilte fish, happily, can be made in advance of the Sabbath day, chilled and eaten cold. There is also an injunction against picking bones from flesh on the Sabbath, as one might do when eating fish. With gefilte fish, you get the fish without jewishledger.com

the bones. The downside of gefilte fish is that it takes a lot of time to prepare. That pain, though, is offset with economic gain: You need a relatively small amount of fish to feed many. Before the ground fish is cooked, it is mixed with seasonings, egg and either bread or matzah meal for binding and stretching a little further. Poor families might ask the fishmonger for just the fish head, skin and bones. The skin would be stuffed with bread and other fillers, while the bones and head would flavor the broth. Given how time consuming it was to grind the fish and return it to the skin, a new kind of stuffed fish eventually emerged – one that wasn’t stuffed at all. The name remained; the method changed. Fish was shaped into patties and poached in a seasoned fish broth. Over time, gefilte fish became synonymous with the shtetl and with Sabbath and holiday meals. There were many permutations to the dish, some of which signaled your ancestry. German Jews made it from pike. Polish Jews used carp and/or whitefish. British Jews used saltwater fish like cod or haddock. Jews from southern Poland and northern Ukraine served a sweetened fish, since sugar beets were plentiful there. Lithuanian gefilte fish was heavy on the pepper. The Jews of Russia and Belarus put beets in their poaching liquid for a pink-tinged fish and broth. As the Eastern European Jews left their shtetls, they brought their cuisine with them. Many of us have heard stories of fresh carp swimming in bathtubs on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. They were purchased from the fishmonger early in the week and left to frolic in the tub before their home sacrifice. Thursday’s fresh carp became Friday night’s first course. And it heralded the start of the Passover seder, too. Over time, gefilte fish lost some of its appeal. Did you really want a carp in your bathtub waiting for its end? Did you really want your home reeking of the malodorous scent of fish? For some, preparing it was a triumph of old school cuisine. Others were happy to move on. And that’s when some enterprising Jewish businessmen moved in to fill the gefilte fish void. Shortly before the Second World War, Sidney Leibner, the son of a fish store owner, began selling ready-made gefilte fish under the name Mother’s Fish Products – first canned, and later in glass bottles. Mother’s was joined by Manischewitz, Mrs. Adler’s, Rokeach and others. Old World met

New in mass-produced jars of gefilte fish. The bottled stuff was just palatable, but in the late 1970s, consumers were offered the chance to make their own fresh gefilte fish without the fuss, muss and odor: Frozen loaves of ready-made gefilte fish swam in to save the day. All you had to do was boil water with carrots, onions and celery, then pop in the frozen loaf. As many of us have begun to look back on our roots, the food of the shtetl has made a comeback in recent years. Millennials Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern are leading the way with “their mission to

reimagine Eastern European cuisine.” Their cookbook, “The Gefilte Manifesto,” is filled with Old World recipes including herbed gefilte fish, baked terrines of fish and poached gefilte “quenelles,” as well as the original deal: Old World Stuffed Gefilte Fish. As author Stephen King wrote, “Sooner or later, everything old is new again.” As it is with life, so it is with gefilte fish.

Classic Gefilte Fish

soft mixture into oval shapes, about 3 inches long. Take the last fish head and stuff the cavity with the ground fish mixture. Remove from the saucepan the onions, skins, head, and bones and return the stock to a simmer. Gently place the fish patties in the simmering fish stock. Cover loosely and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Taste the liquid while the fish is cooking and add seasoning to taste. Shake the pot periodically so the fish patties won’t stick. When gefilte fish is cooked, remove from the water and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon carefully remove the gefilte fish and arrange on a platter. Strain some of the stock over the fish, saving the rest in a bowl. Slice the cooked carrots into rounds cut on a diagonal about 1/4 inch thick. Place a carrot round on top of each gefilte fish patty. Put the fish head in the center and decorate the eyes with carrots. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with a sprig of parsley and horseradish.

Gefilte fish recipes abound. Here is a classic from the folks at Epicurious (www.epicurious.com). Ingredients: 7 to 7 1/2 pounds whole carp, whitefish, and pike, filleted and ground* 4 quarts cold water or to just cover 3 teaspoons salt or to taste 3 onions, peeled 4 medium carrots, peeled 2 tablespoons sugar or to taste 1 small parsnip, chopped (optional) 3 to 4 large eggs Freshly ground pepper to taste 1/2 cup cold water (approximately) 1/3 cup matzah meal (approximately) *Ask your fishmonger to grind the fish. Ask him to reserve the tails, fins, heads, and bones. Be sure he gives you the bones and trimmings. The more whitefish you add, the softer your gefilte fish will be.

This article originally appeared on The Nosher, 70 Faces Media’s Jewish food site.

Directions: Place the reserved bones, skin, and fish heads in a wide, very large saucepan with a cover. Add the water and 2 teaspoons of the salt and bring to a boil. Remove the foam that accumulates. Slice 1 onion in rounds and add along with 3 of the carrots. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes while the fish mixture is being prepared. Place the ground fish in a bowl. Finely chop or mince the remaining onions and carrot, and the parsnip. Add the chopped vegetables to the ground fish. Add the eggs, one at a time, the remaining teaspoon of salt, pepper, and the cold water, and mix thoroughly. Stir in enough matzah meal to make a light, JEWISH LEDGER

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Introducing West Hartford’s all-inclusive online event calendar! List your own event by going to WeHaCal.com and click on ADD MY EVENT. For more information or to advertise on this free service, contact Donna Edelstein at 860-833-0839 or Donna@20media20.com

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THE KOSHER CROSSWORD APRIL 16, 2021 “Two Puzzles in One” By: Yoni Glat Difficulty Level: Manageable

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ANSWERS TO APRIL 9 CROSSWORD

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Across 1. “What?”, to 48-Across 4. One of several by the Dead Sea 7. Northwest or Yukon (abbr.) 10. Bark like a chihuahua 13. Grounded bird 14. It borders Central Park, briefly 15. English nickname for Yitzchak 16. “L’___ del Cairo” (Mozart opera) 17. Not too bright 18. Home of the Big 12’s Wildcats, for short 19. Prepare, as the Shabbos table 20. Max’s opposite 21. “This is as far as ___ ___” 22. Smash hit “Cobra” 23. Major American Spanishlanguage newspaper 24. Beer container

25. Fabricate 27. It’s certainly good having them to watch the kids on 10-Down 29. Moody music fan, perhaps 30. Do some subbing 31. Jewish genius 33. Word connecting the two puzzles within this puzzle 35. “Be on the lookout” messages, for short 38. Like one after 39-Down 41. Accumulation, as of interest 44. “Fantasic Mr. Fox” director Anderson 45. Abbey Road studio owner 46. “Go team!” 47. Campsite parkers, informally 48. Netanyahu or Lapid 49. Times when many Jews are 38-Across before 63-Across

51. Least colorful 54. Both 39-Down and 63-Across are a mitzvah because of her 58. Naval vessel during WWII 59. “... ___ ___ evil, speak...” 60. Philippines president Duterte 63. What half of Jewish holidays consist of, so they say 65. Financial inst. whose logo is an orange lion 66. With 48-Down, a time for 39-Down 67. “Now ___ heard it all!” 68. Regret 69. ___-maw (grandmother, in the South) 70. Stuff used for styling 71. Come down with 72. 39-Down while 63-Across on 10-Down, e.g.

Down 1. Hatzalah worker 2. Chaver, to Miguel 3. Like serving sizes when eating by Bubby 4. Time for 39-Down 5. Time for 39-Down 6. Bring ___ ___ against (sue) 7. With 36-Down, a time for 63-Across 8. Just make it 9. Enter computer info again 10. A time for 63-Across 11. Chiller 12. Feelings when 63-Across

26. Part of NFC: Abbr. 28. Say, in Haifa 31. Cal. NBA team 32. Did some 39-Down 33. “Hu” preceder on 5-Down 34. Have the audacity 36. See 7-Down 37. Classic Mercedes models 39. What half of Jewish holidays consist of, so they say 40. Give off 42. Give in 43. Magneto plays with a glass one 48. See 66-Across 50. “Cancel that deletion”

51. Time for 39-Down 52. Something one might want to pick? 53. Summer cabin 55. Beneficiaries 56. Boredom, to Mr. Fancy Pants 57. Seth who got into his own “American Pickle” for his Israel comments in 2020 61. Word with “whiz” 62. What Hoots is, on “Sesame Street” 63. One of the Seven Species 64. Central, e.g.

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APRIL 16, 2021

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

TUESDAY, APRIL 13 The Rise & Destruction of the Jewish Fashion Industry, Berlin 1836-1939 The Joan and Henry Katz Lecture in Judaic Studies: “The Rise and Destruction of the Jewish Fashion Industry, Berlin 1836 – 1939,” with guest lecturer Uwe Westphal, journalist, and author of “Fashion Metropolis Berlin” (2019), to be held March 16 at 7:30 p.m. This FREE webinar is co-sponsored by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University. Registration required at fairfield. edu/bennettprograms. For information: bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or (203) 2544000 x2066.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14 “Photo Negatives: Lingering Images of Antisemitic Stereotypes,” With Judith Cohen, former Director, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Photo Archives and Chief Acquisitions Curator, April 14 at 10:30 a.m., hosted by UJF Stamford. Antisemitic imagery has gained increasing exposure with the advent of social media. But is this new? Dollar signs, rats, hooked noses, globes symbolizing world domination – explore how today’s tropes draw on common stereotypes that date back hundreds of years. FREE. To register: UJF.ticketspice.com.

receive a copy of the next short story and a link to the Zoom discussion, email kbeyard@ cbict.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 17 MONDAY, APRIL 19 The Davis Virtual Jewish Film Festival: “Winter Journey” “Winter Journey,” a film that fuses documentary and dramatic conventions to tell the story of a son who confronts his father about their family’s history, will be available for streaming on UJA-JCC Greenwich’s website for FREE from Saturday, April 17 at 6 p.m. until Monday, April 19 at 10 p.m. For more information, visist ujajcc.org or call (203) 552-1818.

SUNDAY, APRIL 18 Mental Health & the Pandemic With the end of the pandemic in sight, New York psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Dr. Jeremy R. Mack examines how we are coping – or not coping. An interactive talk on Zoom on April 18, 2 - 3 p.m., hosted by the JCC in Sherman FREE, donations welcome. To register or for more information: email info@ jccinsherman.org. Israel Food Tour A live virtual culinary tour of the foods and culture of Israel on April 18 at 1 p.m. Expert guides immerse you in the history, culture, and people of Israel through unparalleled knowledge and connection to the vendors who make Israeli food come alive. Includes interviews, videos, maps and a Q&A time with a local culinary expert. For more information or to register, visit cbict.org/calendar.

TUESDAY, APRIL 20 THURSDAY, APRIL 15 Book Group: “The Lions of 5th Avenue” A new book group formed by Congregation Or Shalom in Orange and led by Caryl Winter will discuss “The Lions of 5th Avenue” by Fiona Davis on April 15 at 7 p.m. The book tells the story of two women living decades apart, mysterious family secrets, and the quest to stake a place in society and history. To register and receive the link, email the synagogue at coshalom@sbcglobal.net. Short Story Coffee Break: The Quiet Americans A Zoom discussion of short stories from “The Quiet Americans”, led by Erika Dreifus Learning Center (Virtual) Writer in Residence, to be held April 15, a.m. Hosted by Congregation Beth Israel. To register and

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Harry Potter in Yiddish, Magic in Mame-Loshn, with Arun Schaechter Viswanath Arun Schaechter Viswanath will discuss “Harry Potter in Yiddish, Magic in MameLoshn,” on April 20 at 5:30 p.m. Hosted by UConn Judaic Studies. For more information, visit judaicstudies.uconn.edu/upcomingevents/ JCC in Sherman announces line-up for 2021 Great Decisions 2021 Great Decisions, a nation-wide discussion group on U.S. foreign policy and global affairs sponsored by the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) and co-hosted by the JCC in Sherman and The Sherman Library, will begin on April 20, 7 - 8:30 p.m. on Zoom. The 8-session monthly program will run on Tuesdays through November. Each month

| APRIL 16, 2021

participants will review and discuss a critical world issue facing America today. Topics for 2021 are: Global Supply Chains and the U.S. National Security; The Future of Persian Gulf Security; Brexit: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead; The Coldest War: Toward a Return to Great Power Competition in the Arctic, China and Africa; The Two Koreas; The World Health Organization’s Response to Covid-19; and, The End of Globalization. Briefing booklets: $20, purchase and pick up at the Sherman Library. Call (860) 3542455 to schedule a pick-up time. Register early to receive a briefing book. For information: info@jccinsherman.org, or visit jccinsherman.org/greatdecisions.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21 “Alternate History of Antisemitism & Fascism in American Culture” Since the 1930s, many American novels, films, TV shows and comic books have explored the possibility that the U.S. might one day embrace fascism. Today pessimistic assessments have saturated American culture as never before. Gavriel Rosenfeld, PhD, Professor of History and director of Judaic Studies at Fairfield University will examine fictitious scenarios of collaboration, racism and antisemitism, on April 21 at 7:30. p.m. FREE. To register, visit ujf.ticketspice.org. Book Talk: Author Iris Krasnow will talk about “Camp Girls” New York Times bestselling author Iris Krasnow will discuss her new book her memoir “Camp Girls: Lessons on Friendship, Courage and Loyalty” on Zoom, April 21 at 10:30 a.m. Hosted by UJA-JCC Greenwich. For more information, visit ujajcc.org or call (203) 552-1818.

THURSDAY, APRIL 22 “Hava Nagila” – Film Screening and Discussion A screening and discussion of the awardwinning documentary “Hava Nagila” on April 22 at 7 p.m. Follow the story of this infectious party song from the shtetls of Eastern Europe and Ukraine to the Catskills to Greenwich Village to Hollywood in this hilarious and surprisingly deep film. Featuring interviews with Harry Belafonte, Connie Francis, Glen Campbell, Leonard Nimoy, Regina Spektor and more.For more information or to register, visit cbict.org/calendar.

SUNDAY, APRIL 25 Eat, Drink & Connect JTConnect will honor Rabbi Steven

Chatinover, Audrey Lichter and Cyral Sheldon at an an evening of inspiration and celebration to benefit JTConnect’s work inspiring the next generation of Jewish leaders, to be held on Zoom, April 25 at 5 p.m. For tickets and more information:, visit jtconnect.org. Mitzvah Project/Social Action Engagement Fair Temple Sholom in Greenwich will host a virtual fair featuring community organizations currently seeking volunteers, on April 25, 1 - 3 p.m.. Representatives from these organizations will share info about their not-for-profit and how you can get involved. Perfect for volunteers of all ages, including pre b’nai mitzvah students interested in finding an appropriate mitzvah project that matches their interests. Admission is FREE. To register and to receive the Zoom link, contact Lori Baden at lori.baden@templesholom.com.

MONDAY, APRIL 26 State of Play: The Political Future of the American Jewish Community David Axelrod, political consultant/strategist; CNN senior political commentator former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Obama, will discuss the political future of the American Jewish community at a FREE seminar to be held on Zoom, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. Axelrod’s talk is co-sponsored by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University. Registration required at fairfield. edu/bennettprograms. For information: bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or (203) 2544000 x2066.

APRIL 28 & MAY 5 A Virtual Historical Tour of Jewish Argentina A two-part virtual historical tour of Jewish Argentina with Claudia Hercman, an Argentinian tour guide and translator. She is also a sculptor and painter, and honors her four grandparents who emigrated from Poland to Argentina. Hosted by Congregation Beth Israel. Session 1, April 28 at 8pm – The Argentinian Jewish community is the 6th largest in the world. The first Jewish communities in Latin America were Sephardic. What happened to those Jews during the Inquisition? Why, if Latin America was part of the Spanish Empire, is the Jewish Community in Argentina 80% Ashkenazi and only 20% Sephardic today? Session 2, Thursday, May 5 at 8pm – Before WWII many Jews came to Argentina. In a country of immigrants, it became a very important and strong community. What happened in Argentina during and after the Holocaust? Who was Perón; what was his jewishledger.com

APRIL 13 – MAY 23 policy towards the Jews? Did he really help the Nazis come to Argentina? For information, visit www.cbict.org/ calendar.

THURSDAY, APRIL 29 Manchester Memories: Jewish History Through the Decades Prof. Arnie Dashefsky will moderate a panel discussion on “Manchester Memories: Jewish History Through the Decades,” featuring panelists Will Bayer, Sissy Seader, Rabbi Richard Plavin, and Joel Wind. Co-sponsored by Beth Sholom B’nai Israel and the Manchester Historical Society, the discussion will be held April 29 at 7:30 p.m. Those who have memories of Jewish Manchester to share are invited to submit them when they register To register and receive the Zoom link, visit jhsgh.org/manechester-memries/ Short Story Coffee Break A Zoom discussion of short stories and poetry by Erika Dreifus, Congregation Beth Israel’s Learning Center (Virtual) Writer in Residence, will be held APril 29 at 11 a.m. To register and receive a copy of the next short story and a link to the Zoom discussion, email kbeyard@ cbict.org. Book Discussion at Congregation Beth Israel “The Book of the Lost Names” by Kristin Harmel will be the focus of a book discussion hosted by Congregation Beth Israel’s Sisterhood on April 29 at 7 p.m. “The Book of Lost Names” is inspired by a true story that takes place during World War II, about a young woman with a talent for forgery who helps thousands of Jewish children flee the Nazis. A social hour will follow. For more information, contact Rabbi Tami Elliott Goodman at ravgoodman@icloud.com.

Zoom, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. The lecture is part o ALEPH: The Institute of Jewish Ideas, a community-wide Jewish learning initiative co-sponsored by the Mandell JCC and UConn Judaic Studies. Troy’s lecture will analyze the central theme in Zionism ideology, assessing what Israel has achieved – and where it has fallen short – in creating a nation that fulfills the Torah’s commandment to seek justice. For more information, visit judaicstudies.uconn. edu or mandelljcc.org.

TUESDAY, APRIL 20 How digital platforms and spaces can enable hate and bias “Social Media and Extremism” is the focus of a panel discussion hosted by ADL Connecticut on April 20, 12 noon - 1 p.m. The discussion will explore the intersections of extremism, free speech, technology, and the future of public digital discourse. Panelists include Graeme Wood, staff writer at The Atlantic; Susan Benesch, director of The Dangerous Speech Project; Oren Segal, ADL vice presidents of the Center on Extremism; and Lauren Krapt, ADL National Policy Counsel. For more information, email Nora Cohen at ncohen@adl.org. Register at: https://adl. zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_N5-7B2UUS_ aZuVGbKDIRAA

Tackling Antisemitism and Bigotry UJA-JCC Greenwich will host a free virtual talk by Zach Banner, offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, on Tuesday, May 4 at 7 p.m. When Banner posted a video on Twitter protesting an antisemitic Instagram post by DeSean Jackson, he became one of the first NFL players to speak out on the issue. Banner’s video quickly drew more than 700,000 views and an outpouring of praise. For more information, visit ujajcc.org.

THURSDAY, MAY 6

All events are FREE. Zoom link provided upon registration.

TUESDAY, APRIL 13 Virtual Yom Hazikaron Ceremony The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven will host a communal Yom Hazikaron ceremony for fallen IDF soldiers and victims of terror, which will include a message from Meron Reuben, the Consul General of Israel to New England. For information, visit jewishnewhaven.org.

THURSDAY, APRIL 15 Journey to Israel with PJ Library in New Haven PJ Library of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven will host an outdoor celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut. Children will be treated to a Story Walk, get stamps for a “passport” and receive a goodie bag filled with souvenirs, and listen to Israeli music. Story Walks will be scheduled in 30-minute time slots to ensure social distancing. Jewish Federation is located at 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge. For more information, call (203) 397-7439. Jewish Rock Radio All-Star Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebration!

SUNDAY, MAY 16 & MONDAY, MAY 17 Tikkun Leil Shavuot A virtual annual celebration of Shavuot, co-sponsored by Beth Tikvoh-Sholom and the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly, will be held May 16 and 17 at noon. Participation is FREE. For more information, call (860) 243-3576.

SUNDAY, MAY 23 TUESDAY, MARY 4

CT MARKS YOM HAZIKARON & YOM HA’ATZMAUT

BTS FIlm Schmooze: “Hava Nagila (The Movie)” First, watch the film “Hava Nagila (The Movie),” a fun and fascinating journey through history, mystery and meaning of this great Jewish standard, featuring interviews with Harry Belafonte, Leonard Nimoy, Connie Francis, Glen Campbell, Regina Spektor and more (available on Amazon Prime, iTunes and Google Play). Then join a virtual discussion of the film on May 23 at 7 p.m., led by Shari J. Cantor, who has an MA in Judaic Studies and has danced the hora at a wedding a time or two. For more information, call (860) 2433576.

5:30 p.m. – JCC Stamford, United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford, and UJA/JCC Greenwich and many community partners will host a celebration of Israel’s 73rd Birthday with Jewish rock radio all-stars, including: Nefesh Mountain, Rich Recht, David Broza, Rabbi Josh Warshawsky, Josh Nelson, Rabbi Lisa Silverstein, Chava Mirel, Shimon Smith, and Laurie Akers. To register, visit ujf.ticketspice.com. For more information visit ujf.org. 7 p.m. – A Global Celebration of Israel presented by Jewish Federation of North America (JFNA) includes a farewell to Reuven Rivlin as he completes his term as Israel’s president, special appearances by Israeli Olympic hopefuls, and more. Register at jewishtogether.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 17 Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebration with fireworks in Bloomfield B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom in Bloomfield will host a socially distanced celebration of Israel Independence Day on April 17 at 8:30 p.m. Havadlah will be followed by a fireworks display. Arrive 15 minutes early to pick up your Havdalah candle and more. If forecast calls for inclement weather, check the BTS website (btsonline.org) by 5 p.m. on April 16. BTS is located at 180 Still Road, Bloomfield. For more information, call (860) 243-3576. Registration not required.

SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 2:30 p.m. Come Fly With Us…Over Israel! An aerial flight over Israel with retired Israel Air Force pilot Lt. Col. Alon Moller, hosted by the Southern New England Consortium (SNEC) and Partnership 2gether with Afula-Gilboa. Attendance if FREE. To register, visit ujf.ticketspice.com. For more information visit ujf.org.

On Zionism, Israel, and Social Justice Prof. Gil Troy, McGill University will discuss “On Zionism, Israel and Social Justice,” on jewishledger.com

JEWISH LEDGER

APRIL 16, 2021

OBITUARIES GILLMAN Fred Gillman died April 1, two months shy of his 100th birthday. He was the husband of Bernice Gillman. Born in New Haven, he was the son of the late Abraham and Sadie (Sherman) Gillman. He served 4 years in the U. S. Army during World WarII, attaining the rank of 1st lieutenant. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his brother Simeon and his wife Toby, and several nieces and nephews. He was also predeceased by his sister Lillian Tessler. KALMAN Robert Kalman, DPM, 67, of Windsor, died March 26. He was the husband of beloved husband of Barbara E. Sabinsky-Kalman, MD. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and raised in Bayside, N.Y., he was the son of the late Jack and Marlene (Frinstein) Kalman. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his brother Mark Kalman and his wife Fran of Tappan, N.Y.; his nephew Benjamin Kalman; his niece Carly Kalman; and many other relatives. MYERS Myra Jane Harris Myers of Woodbridge died March 31. She was the wife of Len Myers. In addition to he husband, she is survived by her children, Scott and his wife Kim of Bloomfield, Shel and his wife Cheryl of West Hartford, and Deena Myers of Woodbridge; and her grandchildren, Ali, Samantha, Edward, Jonathan, Miranda and Alexis. STOCKMAN Saul L. Stockman aka newsman Paul Smith , 90, died April 4. He was the widower of Gloria Stockman. He was the son of Sam and Bea Stockman. Raised in Boston, Mass. He served in the U.S. Navy, and was a decorated veteran, having served honorably on the destroyer, USS The Sullivans (DD-537). He is survived by his children, Helene Stockman-Baer and

her husband Bruce Baer, Alan Stockman and his wife Karen Lalli Stockman, and L. Suzanne Stockman; his grandsons, Jacob and Eli Stockman; and his brother Gerald Stockman. TUCKELL Valentine (Val) Tuckell of Pompano Beach, Fla., 100, formerly of New Haven, died April 2. She was the widow of Murray Tuckell. Born in Kiev, Russia, she came to America at the age of two. She served as executive director of Congregation Mishkan Israel for 40 years. She is survived by her children, Vicki Hobbs of West Palm Beach, Fla., and her son Peter (Margot) Tuckell of Hamden; her grandchildren, Travis Tuckell and Kylie (Michael) Kelly; and her great-grandchildren Sage and Miles Kelly of Soquel, Calif. She was also predeceased by her son-in-law Calvin Hobbs and grandson Corey Hobbs. WEINGRAD Genevieve Weingrad, 99, of Stamford, died March 28. She was the wife of Murray (Murph) Weingrad. Born in Pottstown, Penn. and raised the Bronx, N.Y., she was the daughter of Esther (Greenstein) Sicherman and Jacob Sicherman. She was a longtime and active member of Temple Sinai. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her children, Linda Weintraub Stark, Nancy Weintraub Leferman, and Lewis Weintraub. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughters Jan Weingrad Smith, and Deborah Weingrad and her husband Christopher Campbell, all of Norwalk; her son-in-law Alan Stark of Jupiter, Fla.; her grandchildren, David Stark (Patty) of Pound Ridge, N,Y,, Rebecca Stark Schwartz of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Lori Baden (Alan Rothenstreich), Randi Price (Craig), Marc Leferman (Susan), all of Stamford, Michelle Perry (Malik) of Dallas, Tex., Matthew Campbell of Norwalk), and Rachel Campbell of Norwalk; and 12 great-grandchildren.

Alcee Hastings, Black congressman who advocated on Jewish issues, dies (JTA) – Rep. Alcee Hastings, the Florida Democrat who led advocacy on Jewish issues in Congress and helped guide BlackJewish relations through periods of tension, died Tuesday at 84. Hastings, who until his death represented the 20th District encompassing majority Black areas in and around Fort Lauderdale, had an extended struggle with pancreatic cancer. Hastings was known for his precongressional career as a lawyer who won a number of civil rights victories in the 1960s and ’70s when segregation and racism were prevalent in South Florida, and then as a federal judge impeached by Congress in 1988 in a bribery scandal. Hastings, who had been acquitted in criminal court, was convicted in the Senate but was not banned from holding public office. He came back to public life with a vengeance in 1992, defeating the favored candidate, Lois Frankel, in the Democratic congressional primary before winning in the general election. (When Frankel, who is Jewish, finally made it to Congress years later they became close friends.) Hastings, who had made Jewish allies in his days as a civil rights lawyer, emerged as a lead spokesman for causes favored by the Jewish community. He was seen as the proIsrael community’s most reliable ally in the Congressional Black Caucus. For many years he was a co-chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, the U.S. arm of the international parliamentary human rights monitor, and he made a priority of speaking out against antisemitism in Europe and elsewhere. Hastings called for the preservation of Jewish heritage sites and

REP. ALCEE HASTINGS, DECEMBER 2019

pushback against left-wing antisemitism in the guise of anti-Israel activism. He was among the minority of Democrats who voted against the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which was strongly opposed by Israel and the mainstream pro-Israel community. Hastings led efforts to nurture the Black-Jewish alliance, spearheading the raising of a forest in Israel in 2007 to replace one destroyed during the previous year’s war with Hezbollah. He named it for the civil rights icon Coretta Scott King. “Rep. Hastings understood Israel’s strategic relationship with the U.S. and was a consistent and strong supporter of the State of Israel,” said Ron Klein, a former Florida congressman who now chairs the Jewish Democratic Council of America. “He also empathetically understood the shared experiences of the Jewish community and African-American community and was a leader in tying the two communities together.”

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

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Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation – Emek Shalom, a warm, vibrant, inclusive Reform synagogue in Simsbury, CT is seeking Sunday morning and/or Wednesday afternoon Judaica and Hebrew teaching staff for the 2021-2022 school year. We are looking for energetic, creative individuals who can help young people build a strong sense of Jewish identity and commitment to Jewish life. Opportunities for teaching in grades kindergarten through seventh available. Must be eager to work in a collaborative environment. An ideal candidate will be a motivated individual with a passion for encouraging and inspiring students to love learning and Judaism. Please submit your resume for consideration to school@fvjc.org.

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CT SYNAGOGUE DIRECTORY To join our synagogue directories, contact Howard Meyerowitz at (860) 231-2424 x3035 or howardm@jewishledger.com. BLOOMFIELD B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom/ Neshama Center for Lifelong Learning Conservative Rabbi Debra Cantor (860) 243-3576 office@BTSonline.org www.btsonline.org BRIDGEPORT Congregation B’nai Israel Reform Rabbi Evan Schultz (203) 336-1858 info@cbibpt.org www.cbibpt.org Congregation Rodeph Sholom Conservative (203) 334-0159 Rabbi Richard Eisenberg, Cantor Niema Hirsch info@rodephsholom.com www.rodephsholom.com CHESHIRE Temple Beth David Reform Rabbi Micah Ellenson (203) 272-0037 office@TBDCheshire.org www.TBDCheshire.org CHESTER Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek Reform Rabbi Marci Bellows (860) 526-8920 rabbibellows@cbsrz.org www.cbsrz.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NEW HAVEN The Towers at Tower Lane Conservative Ruth Greenblatt, Spiritual Leader Sarah Moskowitz, Spiritual Leader (203) 772-1816 rebecca@towerlane.org www.towerlane.org Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel Conservative Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen (203) 389-2108 office@BEKI.org www.BEKI.org Orchard Street ShulCongregation Beth Israel Orthodox Rabbi Mendy Hecht 203-776-1468 www.orchardstreetshul.org NEW LONDON Ahavath Chesed Synagogue Orthodox Rabbi Avrohom Sternberg 860-442-3234 Ahavath.chesed@att.net Congregation Beth El Conservative Rabbi Earl Kideckel (860) 442-0418 office@bethel-nl.org www.bethel-nl.org NEWINGTON Temple Sinai Reform Rabbi Jeffrey Bennett (860) 561-1055 templesinaict@gmail.com www.sinaict.org NEWTOWN Congregation Adath Israel Conservative Rabbi Barukh Schectman (203) 426-5188 office@congadathisrael.org www.congadathisrael.org

NORWALK Beth Israel Synagogue – Chabad of Westport/ Norwalk Orthodox-Chabad Rabbi Yehoshua S. Hecht (203) 866-0534 info@bethisraelchabad.org bethisraelchabad.org

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Temple Shalom Reform Rabbi Cantor Shirah Sklar (203) 866-0148 admin@templeshalomweb.org www.templeshalomweb.org ORANGE Chabad of Orange/ Woodbridge Chabad Rabbi Sheya Hecht (203) 795-5261 info@chabadow.org www.chabadow.org Congregation Or Shalom Conservative Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus (203) 799-2341 info@orshalomct.org www.orshalomct.org 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

WALLINGFORD Beth Israel Synagogue Conservative Rabbi Bruce Alpert (203) 269-5983 info@bethisraelwallingford. org www.bethisraelwallingford. org WASHINGTON Greater Washington Coalition for Jewish Life Rabbi James Greene (860) 868-2434 jewishlifect@gmail.com 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

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

Congregation Beth Israel Reform Rabbi Michael Pincus Rabbi Andi Fliegel Cantor Stephanie Kupfer (860) 233-8215 bethisrael@cbict.org www.cbict.org Congregation P’nai Or Jewish Renewal Shabbat Services Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener (860) 561-5905 pnaiorct@gmail.com www.jewishrenewalct.org

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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 WESTPORT Temple Israel Reform Rabbi Michael S. Friedman, Senior Rabbi Rabbi Danny M. Moss, Associate Rabbi Rabbi Elana Nemitoff-Bresler, Rabbi Educator (203) 227-1293 info@tiwestport.org www.tiwestport.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

APRIL 16, 2021

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