CT Jewish Ledger • September 3, 2021 • 26 Elul 5781

Friday, September 3, 2021 26 Elul 5781 Vol. 93 | No. 36 | ©2021 jewishledger.com

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Shana Tova

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INSIDE

this week

CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | SEPTEMBER 3, 2021 | 26 ELUL 5781

7 Around CT

17 Crossword

20 Briefs

24 Torah Portion

25 Opinion

31

The Ledger Scoreboard.............................................................................................5 Weeks after the Olympics came to a close, Tokyo is filled again with athletes, for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Among them are dozens of Jewish athletes looking to medal in an array of sports.

Opening Arms................................... 5 Jewish communities around the world are reactivating their refugee-support networks as they prepare to help resettle Afghans who have fled the Taliban takeover of their country.

Arts & Entertainment...................10 “The Magnificent Meyersons” a new independent film written and directed

by Evan Oppenheimer, has some brutal insights. Plus…Spike Lee, Barbara Streisand and Mayim Bialik.

Rosh Hashanah on The Table Delicious recipes for a sweet year!

What’s Happening

32 Obituaries

33 Business and Professional Directory

34 Classified Damage Control............................... 8 Since Poland passed a law indirectly making it impossible for families to sue for property stolen during WWII, ties between that country and Israel have sunk to a historic low. Critics say Yair Lapid’s rhetoric as foreign minister has been too harsh.

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The publisher and staff of the Connecticut Jewish Ledger wish all our readers and friends a sweet, healthy and prosperous new year. Shanah tova umetkah! PAGE 14 jewishledger.com

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

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UP FRONT

CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | SEPTEMBER 3, 2021 | 26 ELUL 5781

Jewish social service groups kick into high gear as Afghans begin arriving

THE LEDGER SCOREBOARD

11 Jewish Paralympics athletes to watch

BY EMILY BURACK

(JTA) — Weeks after the Olympics came to a close, Tokyo is filled again with athletes, for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Among them are dozens of Jewish athletes looking to medal in an array of sports.

The Paralympics, founded by the late German-Jewish doctor Ludwig Guttman, are for athletes with physical disabilities.

Some 4,500 athletes are set to compete in 539 events in the 16th Paralympics, which started Aug. 24 and will close September 5.

Team Israel is sending 33 athletes to compete in 11 sports. But there are notable competitors as well to watch from the United States, Australia and Canada. Here’s our guide to some of the Jewish paraathletes to watch.

Pascale Bercovitch: Canoe, Israel Pascale Bercovitch is a French-Israeli writer and film director — and four-time

Paralympian. Born in France, Berkovitch was set to make aliyah to Israel when, at 17, she slipped at a train station and fell under an incoming train.

“I was totally in shock, I tried to call for help and I lay on the rails for 47 minutes on my own, it was such a long time,” Bercovitch told Reuters. “I didn’t know what would happen … was I going to survive? …

I understood that all I was and all I knew was gone and I didn’t know how my new life would be, if I even had prospects of a new life.”

The accident resulted in the amputation of both her legs above the knee. The change would inform her life’s work.

In 2000, Bercovitch made a documentary about the Israeli Paralympic swimming team in Sydney, “Three Hundredths of a Second.” Eight years later, she became a Paralympian on her own, competing as a rower at age 40 in Beijing.

In London in 2012, she was a hand-cyclist.

In Rio 2016, she competed in kayak in paracanoe. And in Tokyo 2020, she will be competing in her fourth Paralympics — for the first time sticking to one sport for two straight games.

Berkovitch, 54, splits her time among training, writing, motivational speaking and raising her two daughters.

“I understood that there was no other choice than to fulfill your dreams,” she told JTA in 2013. “Life can end in an instant.

What’s important is to savor every moment.

It didn’t matter how.”

Ezra Frech: Track and field, United States At 16, Ezra Frech will be one of the youngest athletes to represent Team USA this year, competing in the amputee classification for the high jump, long jump and the 100 CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

JEWISH PARALYMPIC ATHLETES COMPETING IN 2021, (L TO R) TOP, EZRA FRECH, MORAN SAMUEL, JODY SCHLOSS, IAN SEIDENFELD; BOTTOM: MATTHEW LEVY, DORON SHAZIRI, SHRAGA WEINBERG, PASCALE BERCOVITCH.

BY PHILLISA CRAMER

(JTA) — Jewish communities around the world are reactivating their refugee-support networks as they prepare to help resettle Afghans who have fled the Taliban takeover of their country. Many of those airlifted out will spend time in another country while they wait to be admitted to the United States, but some are already arriving – and needing support as they adapt to a new country.

The importance of welcoming strangers is so deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and experience that immigration issues have long enjoyed a bipartisan consensus in Jewish communities even amid deep polarization on other topics. Many cities have social services agencies that began to support Jewish immigrants and now work with new arrivals of all backgrounds, often coordinating with HIAS, formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, to identify refugees and meet their needs.

Those agencies — and the Jewish communities that support them — are now scrambling to prepare for a wave of new arrivals as the United States wages an around-the-clock effort to remove as many people as possible who supported the U.S. military mission in advance of an Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.

In California, Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley and Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay are preparing to support 130 families, according to J., the Jewish News of Northern California. The East Bay organization has been helping Afghans resettle for years, but has never tried to support so many families so quickly, the newspaper reported.

“This whole thing has been just super expedited,” the group’s senior director of development, Holly Taines White, told J. White noted that the new arrivals hold what’s known as special immigrant CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

(GRAPHIC BY EMILY BURACK; PHOTOS VIA GETTY, EXCEPT TOP RIGHT VIA TEAM USA)

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Paralympics CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

meters.

Due to a congenital abnormality, the Los Angeles was born with only one finger on his left hand and missing his left knee and shinbone. At two he had surgery to remove the curved part of his leg, and had a toe attached to his left hand. By nine he was advocating for adaptive sports on “Ellen,” and at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships, at 14, he was the youngest competitor.

Frech’s mom, Bahar Soomekh, is a Persian-Jewish actress who fled Iran with her family in 1979. His dad, Clayton, left his job in 2013 to found Angel City Sports — to bring adaptive sports opportunities to Los Angeles.

“Everywhere you go, people don’t think you’re capable of what an able-bodied person can do,” Ezra Frech said earlier this year. “I’ll go to my high school track meet and they don’t expect the one-legged kid to go out and win the competition. When I was younger it got to me, but now it’s a motivation and excites me that I have a chance to prove people wrong, to shock them and turn some heads.”

Tahl Leibovitz: Table tennis, United States Tahl Leibovitz was struggling with homelessness when he participated in a table tennis program for at-risk youth at the South Queens Boys and Girls Club in his hometown of New York City. In 1995, he learned his osteochondroma — overgrowth of cartilage and bone, characterized by sometimes-painful noncancerous bone tumors — qualified him for the Paralympic Games, and he made his debut the following year in Atlanta — where he won gold.

When not competing in para table tennis, Leibovitz works as a social worker and a coach at PingPod in New York. He launched a GoFundMe to help him pay for his travel to Tokyo. “I have greatly diminished my work so that I am able to pursue my dream of once again standing on the medal stand with the Team USA flag raised!” he wrote.

Leibovitz, now 46, is competing in his sixth Paralympics and has picked up two bronze medals since his debut.

“I think this will be the best ever,” he said in a Team USA news release. “I am looking forward to an amazing experience with my teammates.”

Matthew Levy: Swimming, Australia Matthew Levy is returning to compete in his fifth Paralympics. The Australian Jewish swimmer, 34, competes in the freestyle, butterfly and medley races.

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Born premature at 25 weeks with cerebral palsy and vision impairment, Levy started swimming at five as part of his rehabilitation following surgeries. At 12, he realized he could swim competitively, and he made his Paralympic debut in Athens in 2004. At the 2008 Beijing Games, Levy won his first medal — gold in the 4x100m medley. He won five more (a gold, a silver and three bronze) in London in 2012, and another bronze in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

He’s looking to add to his medal count in Tokyo as the oldest member of the Australian Paralympic swimming team.

In 2014, Levy was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his contributions to sport. And in 2017, Levy became the first person in its history to break a world record while competing in the Maccabiah Games, an international Jewish sports competition.

of British Columbia. (She has JewishCanadian pioneers on both sides of her family, according to a Canadian Jewish magazine.)

But at 23, she was in a car accident in California that killed her friend, put her in a five-month coma and ultimately left her unable to walk and with a speech disability.

She had ridden horses since age 11 and turned to equestrian sports as part of her recovery. Now 48, Schloss is competing in her second Paralympics, after an 11th-place showing in London in 2012. She’ll be riding a new horse after her longtime horse Rebus had to be treated with a medication that is banned from competition.

“Rebus was really angry that he wasn’t going,” Schloss told the Globe and Mail.

“Lobin said he was excited, but I don’t think he knew how far he was going.”

Ariel and Mark Malyar: Swimming, Israel

Ian Seidenfeld: Table tennis, United States

Ariel and Mark Malyar, 21-year-old twins, will be competing for Team Israel in Tokyo in their first Paralympics. Born with cerebral palsy, the brothers started swimming at age five as physical therapy.

“When we were younger there was a lot of competition between us, but now, not so much,” Mark Malyar said.

Mark set a world record at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in the men’s 400m freestyle S7 class.

Ian Seidenfeld is a first-timer at the Paralympic Games. His dad, Mitch, is a table tennis Paralympian himself who competed in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996 and in Beijing 2008, winning a total of four medals, including one gold.

Mitch Seidenfeld has since transitioned into coaching, and served as a coach for Leibovitz, but now coaches his son.

Both Seidenfelds have Pseudoachondroplasia dwarfism, an inherited bone growth disorder. Ian started playing when he was six and began competing at the international level when he was 12.

“Being compared to my dad, to be close to his level, would make me very happy,” the younger Seidenfeld told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, his hometown newspaper.

“The Paralympics has always been a goal, and my dad has always been very supportive of me. But I didn’t think it would happen this soon. … I never like to say I’m

Moran Samuel: Rowing, Israel Moran Samuel won a Paralympic medal at the 2016 games in Rio, taking bronze in the women’s 1,000-meter single sculls rowing competition.

Samuel, 39, grew up playing basketball and was a member of the Israeli women’s national team. But in 2006, at 24, she suffered a spinal stroke and was paralyzed in her lower body. She started playing wheelchair basketball, then decided to try rowing to get to the Paralympic Games.

Her two biggest dreams were becoming a mother and winning an Olympic medal — and now she’s achieved both.

“If you want to be a very successful woman, you should have a woman by your side,” she once joked. With wife Limor Goldberg, she’s now a mom of two. And in Tokyo, at her third Paralympic Games, she’s going for gold.

Samuel was one of two flag bearers for Israel in the games’ opening ceremony Tuesday, along with boccia player Nadav Levi.

Jody Schloss: Equestrian, Canada Jody Schloss grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, where she attended a Jewish day school, then rowed competitively at the University

| SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

confident, but I’m going to do my best.”

Doron Shaziri: Shooting, Israel Doron Shaziri is set to compete in his eighth consecutive Paralympic Games — he’s won medals at six of them. The 54-year-old Israel marksman is aiming for his first gold.

Shaziri lost his leg at 19 when he stepped on a mine while on patrol in Lebanon in 1987 with the Israeli army, serving as a sniper. While at Beit Halochem in Tel Aviv, a rehabilitation center for disabled veterans, he discovered a passion for sport shooting.

“Shooting is a very mental sport and if you succeed it means you are mentally strong. That is the skill I work on most because I already have the technical skills,” Shaziri told Israeli media. “Unlike other sports, in shooting you should keep your adrenaline down because a high pulse is bad for stability. It’s not like running faster or hitting stronger. You have to go calmer.”

When not competing in Paralympic shooting, Sharizi builds custom wheelchairs for athletes.

Shraga Weinberg: Wheelchair tennis, Israel Shraga Weinberg, considered one of the best wheelchair tennis players in the world, is set to compete in his fifth Paralympics, aiming for his third medal. He won silver in the mixed doubles in Beijing in 2008 and bronze in the quad doubles in London in 2012. At Rio in 2016, he served as the flag bearer for Team Israel.

Weinberg, 55, has quadriplegia as the result of a spinal cord injury.

“A disability is just something exterior,” Weinberg told the Israeli media. “The way that you see your disability is the same way the public will see it. If you don’t see your disability as an obstacle, society won’t either.”

The Jewish doctor who escaped the Nazis and founded the Paralympics

T

BY EVELYN FRICK

he 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games opened on August 24. Unlike the Olympic Games, the Paralympics have an inspiring Jewish origin story — thanks to its founder, Ludwig Guttmann.

Guttmann was born on July 3, 1899, in Tost, Germany (now Toszek, Poland), to a German-Jewish family. In 1917, while working as a volunteer at a hospital for coal miners, Guttmann encountered a patient with a spinal injury and paraplegia. At the time, paraplegia was effectively a death sentence; unfortunately this proved true for the young coal miner. However, the memory of this patient had a deep impact on Guttmann.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

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AROUND CT

Fairfield girl selected for 2021-22 Kol Koleinu Teen Fellows cohort

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amantha Renzulli of Fairfield has been selected to receive a Moving Traditions Kol Koleinu Teen Feminist Fellowship. A returning fellow, Samantha last year launched “Finding Feminism: An Anthology of Women in Literature” as her social action project.

Renzulli was among 56 talented Jewish teens in four regional cohorts — East Coast, Midwest, New York area, and West Coast — selected to join the 2021-22 Kol Koleinu Teen Fellows cohort from across the United States, it was announced recently by Moving Traditions, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and United Synagogue Youth (USY).

Renzulli is of eight fellows are returning for a second year.

Moving Traditions Kol Koleinu Teen Feminist Fellowship allows teen leaders to explore and deepen their feminist knowledge, channel their voices to share their beliefs, and use their skills to create

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tangible change in their communities. Open to Jewish 10th-12th graders of all genders, the year-long fellowship brings teens together online and in person to learn about feminism and social change. The fellows then use their expertise to create projects that teach their peers and advance positive change in their communities.

Past participants in Kol Koleinu, which means “All Our Voices,” have dedicated themselves to social change projects on a broad range of major issues including body image, voting rights, the need for gender equality within their schools, and inclusive sex education. This year, the diverse cohort plans to tackle an even greater variety of social challenges.The Fellows then create projects to advance positive change with other teens in their communities with the support of adult social activist mentors.

“Incoming Kol Koleinu Fellows are ready to channel their energy toward meaningful social change, especially as they

emerge from the pandemic,” said Moving Traditions founder and CEO Deborah S. Meyer. “In their applications, the Fellows told us that they want to fight antisemitism, sexism, and racial injustice—and they want to work with their peers to advance feminism, reproductive rights, and positive body image, among other issues. Many have already stepped up as leaders in their local communities and are ready to take their activism to the next level. We’re looking forward to seeing how these inspiring teens will come together in Kol Koleinu to create change in the Jewish community and the wider world.”

B’NAI MITZVAH EMELIA SMITH, daughter of Meredith and Stephen Smith, will celebrate her bat mitzvah on Saturday, Sept. 4, at The Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford.

SAMANTHA SMITH, daughter of Meredith and Stephen Smith, will celebrate her bat mitzvah on Saturday, Sept. 4, at The Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford.

For more information on Moving Traditions programs for preteens and teens, contact Brian Mono at bmono@movingtraditions.org.

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(JTA) — Israeli leaders rarely criticize a law passed by an ally government as outright “antisemitic.”

But that’s what Foreign Minister Yair Lapid did on Aug. 14 in response to a newly passed law in Poland that indirectly makes it impossible for Jews and others to sue for property stolen from their families in World War II. “Poland today approved — not for the first time — an immoral, antisemitic law,” he said in a statement.

Poland, which faces continual criticism throughout the European Union for its restrictive abortion and media policies, has drawn criticism from around the world over the law. But Lapid, who also took the opportunity in his statement to call Poland “an antidemocratic, non-liberal country that does not honor the greatest tragedy in human history,” went a step further with his rhetoric.

Experts in Israel-Poland relations have taken notice.

Monitoring Lapid’s reaction to the law “felt like watching a child smash an intricate structure that took years to construct,” said Ami Mehl, an Israeli diplomat who helped establish ties with Poland as it broke away from the communist bloc in the 1980s. “I can’t understand it, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

It’s not the first time Lapid has used such charged rhetoric in bringing up the Holocaust to critique an ally country’s past on the international stage. The foreign minister, who is slotted to take over as prime minister in 2023, is deeply influenced by his family’s Holocaust past. His father survived the genocide in Hungary, where pro-Nazi puppet governments helped exterminate Jews, and he has made it a personal cause to attempt righting the wrongs of the Holocaust.

“The Holocaust defined my father, and through him, it defined who I am,” Lapid said at a 2014 commemoration ceremony in Israel.

A year earlier, during an official visit to Hungary for an event on fighting antisemitism when he was finance minister, he said this in a speech to the parliament: “Guests are not supposed to embarrass their hosts, but we’d be defeating the purpose of this whole event if we ignore the fact that the Holocaust could not have happened without the active help of tens of thousands of Hungarians and the silence of millions more.”

He added: “There is a stain on the honor of this house which we’ve spent years trying to ignore, but history has taught us that ignoring it is never the right policy.”

The Israel-Poland partnership is a strategic one that has been built painstakingly over decades. In addition to its long Holocaust

shadow, Poland was among the first Eastern bloc countries to break free of Russia’s embrace and needed to tread carefully in befriending Israel. It once was a rock-solid friendship: Poland was one of Israel’s staunchest advocates in the oft-critical European Union.

In the wake of Israel’s fury over the new law, Poland recalled its ambassador to Israel.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said it has been decided to “safely bring back home the children of Poland’s ambassador to Israel” amid concerns about “growing hatred towards Poland and Polish citizens in Israel.” And the Polish deputy foreign minister appeared to threaten the future of the annual school trips taken by tens of thousands of Israeli students to former death camps in Poland, saying they are not being done in “the right way.”

A similar diplomatic crisis erupted in 2018 following the passage of a law that outlaws rhetoric blaming the Polish nation for Nazi crimes. Israel’s prime minister at the time, Benjamin Netanyahu, sharply condemned the law, but he brokered a diplomatic compromise: A joint statement by both countries acknowledged collaboration by some Poles during the Holocaust and the rescue of Jews by others.

The document came under fire in both countries and split Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, but it “at least allowed things to move forward in a cordial manner,” Mehl said.

Lapid, then leader of the opposition, made a series of assertions that were squarely rejected by prominent Holocaust scholars from across the globe. Among his claims: “There were Polish death camps and no law can ever change that”; Poland “was a partner in the Holocaust”; and “Hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered without ever meeting a German.” The Auschwitz Museum compared his wording to Holocaust denial.

(The Nazis killed 3 million non-Jewish Poles in addition to 3 million Polish Jews — about half of all Jewish Holocaust victims were Polish.)

This time Lapid — the former journalist who assembled the variegated coalition of parties that unseated Netanyahu in June — is in power, and his rhetoric is so harsh that it could be “undoing decades of partnership,” Mehl said.

Other Israeli diplomats agree and have been vocal in accusing Lapid of overreacting.

Unnamed diplomatic sources told the Israel Hayom newspaper that “Lapid is needlessly damaging relations with the EU.” But his verbiage is also garnering support from some who have long urged the Israeli government to take a firmer line on the politicization of the Holocaust in Eastern jewishledger.com

st ‘defined’ him. That’s ael-Poland relations.

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Europe. They include the prominent Nazi hunter Efraim Zuroff and Moshe Feiglin, a former conservative Israeli lawmaker and frequent critic of Lapid. Feiglin praised Lapid’s “principled, instinctive stance” on Poland.

For years, right-wing Polish lawmakers have stoked a wave of nationalism that has put debates over Holocaust memory front and center in the political realm. The subject featured prominently in the 2020 presidential elections: The campaign of incumbent Andrzej Duda of the ruling Law and Justice party accused a liberal rival, Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, of seeking “to satisfy Jewish claims.” Duda would go on to win a second term.

Zvi Mazel, an Israeli former senior diplomat, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he can “understand Lapid’s desire to fight for the memory and rights of victims of the Holocaust in Poland and in East Europe, where there was unspeakable antisemitism and where there are attempts to cover up that reality.”

But, Mazel added, “there is a lot at stake.

Poland was a key ally of Israel in the European Union, and Hungary, where many of the same trends occur, still is. Israel needs those friends to break up the critical approach of the Western states and prevent it from becoming consensus and policy.”

Jewish community leaders in Poland, who have tended to be critical of the Law and Justice party’s policies involving World War II history, have not exactly backed Lapid publicly.

Edward Odoner, vice president of TSKZ, a major Jewish communal group, told Israel’s Channel 12 that the fight seems strange and jewishledger.com

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contrived to him because the law on property claims affects mostly Polish non-Jews who lost property during communism.

“For me it is a mystery,” he told Channel 12.

“Why there is so much noise around this?”

Last week, the Board of the Jewish Religious Community in Warsaw published a statement in which it refrained from laying blame on either Israel or Poland, merely stating they expect from both governments “that they will soon return to dialogue, resolve contentious issues and stabilize” relations.

Piotr Kadlcik, a former president of the Union of Jewish Religious Communities in Poland, told JTA that “Lapid used words that he should not have used. But it is a duty of Jewish state to defend Jews against injustice.”

Queried for a reaction to the criticism of Lapid, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote to JTA that his stance “is principled, and was the result of consideration and consultation.”

The decline in relations with Poland “began when Poland began in 2018 to pass laws whose purpose is to harm the memory of the Holocaust and the Jewish People,” the ministry said. “The State of Israel will not tolerate disrespect for the memory of the victims. The foreign ministry and minister acted to prevent further deterioration. Unfortunately, the authorities in Poland chose not to listen.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Not even aliens can shake up a clan of NY Jews in ‘The Magnificent Meyersons’

BY ANDREW LAPIN

(JTA) – How did aliens find their way into a nice Jewish dramedy?

It’s hard to say for sure how extraterrestrials factor into “The Magnificent Meyersons,” a new independent film written and directed by Evan Oppenheimer. Even for those who watch the movie, the answer isn’t really clear.

But here’s what happens: The film’s prolonged first act is structured as a series of loosely connected conversations among neurotic Manhattanites, nearly all of whom are Jewish. They largely debate philosophical matters like the existence of God and what kind of weather event best describes them. We don’t quite know how these people fit together beyond the occasional onscreen text revealing that several are related.

Exactly 30 minutes in – too soon into the movie to qualify as a spoiler, but too late to be a proper inciting event – everyone’s phone buzzes at once. The characters stop what they’re doing to read the message, which seems to be some kind of emergency alert. Yep, aliens. Or, at least, the government suspects that a mysterious radio frequency has extraterrestrial origins.

Our multitude of characters handles this extraordinary event with what might best be described as mild bemusement.

There’s a rabbinical student (Daniel Eric Gold), already suffering a crisis of faith,

who briefly considers whether the existence of aliens might shake his uncertain belief system. There’s a book publisher (Jackie Burns) who has already confessed something deeply personal to her husband; she now decides she may, or may not, make a career change.

We never actually see any aliens. Only the potential of their existence concerns anyone, and even this nugget of information is more or less forgotten by the movie’s end. Faced with the grand mysteries of the cosmos, self-absorbed yuppies, we learn, may well continue to play their part.

Indeed, it turns out that when it comes to dramatic potential, otherworldly beings have nothing on Richard Kind. The beloved “Spin City” and “A Serious Man” character actor, who plays the long-absent family patriarch, turns up even later in the film than the aliens. And it’s his presence, playing against type as a taciturn and deeply depressed loner, that finally crystallizes what “Meyersons” is trying to say about life, the universe and everything.

Until then, the four grown Meyerson children and their mother, a pediatric oncologist named Terri (Kate Mulgrew of “Orange is the New Black”), are trying to figure out this whole existence thing on their own. They talk a lot; they have a flair for the theatrical. Most scenes find one of them loudly voicing their thoughts alongside some secondary person who

MEYERSON MATRIARCH CELESTE (BARBARA BARRIE) AND HER DAUGHTER TERRI (KATE MULGREW) DISCUSS THE MEANING OF LIFE IN “THE MAGNIFICENT MEYERSONS.” (ARGOT PICTURES)

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JEWISH LEDGER

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listens patiently. Everyone is walking around outside, “mostly within a couple blocks of 14th Street,” as the end credits helpfully note. There are a great many transitional exteriors of the Manhattan skyline.

There are so many characters, and in a scant 88 minutes so little time to get to know any of them, or how their father’s absence affected each of them. That said, with so many monologues, “Meyersons” is a formidable actors’ showcase, and the performers are compelling even when the filmmaking itself fails them. For example, the wonderful deaf Jewish actress Shoshannah Stern (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Supernatural”) is magnetic as a steely realtor, even when Oppenheimer frequently cuts her signing out of the frame.

Occasionally there’s a punch of brutal

Could Mayim Bialik wind up hosting “Jeopardy!” solo?

Maybe.

BY PHILISSA CRAMER

(JTA) – Two weeks after it was announced that Mayim Bialik was selected to host primetime specials of “Jeopardy!”, the Jewish actress is taking on an even more prominent role on the beloved game show. Bialik is hosting the first three weeks of the regular season after Mike Richards, the producer originally selected to succeed Alex Trebek, stepped down on August 20amid a backlash over his past comments, which included offensive statements about Jews. Bialik is also being considered for the full-time position, CNN quoted a source close to the process as saying.

Earlier, the producers of “Jeopardy!” had said that Bialik’s other commitments would make it impossible for her to be the sole successor to Trebak, who died in November 2020.

Sony Entertainment Studios, which produces the show, says it will announce additional guest hosts in the coming weeks. Their choice of Bialik, who had starring roles on “Blossom” and “The Big Bang Theory,” has also drawn some criticism over her past stance on vaccines. In a 2012 book, Bialik and her ex-husband wrote that they had not vaccinated their children. Three years

insight that seems like it’s fallen straight out of Woody Allen or Noah Baumbach.

“You don’t believe in God. That’s OK, you’re a New York Jew, you’re not supposed to,” a congregant tells the maybe-lapsed rabbi.

Elsewhere, Terri’s own mother (screen legend Barbara Barrie) bemoans that she’s too old to see how the aliens will wind up changing society.

“It’s as if I get to watch the first half of the show and I don’t get to see how it ends,” she says.

Maybe that’s what’s going on here?

“Meyersons” gives us glimpses of this family story, not the full picture. But who are we to demand the complete arc of these people’s lives? We’re not aliens or God; we’re only human.

later, she announced on Kveller that her children were in fact vaccinated and that she supports vaccines.

Bialik, who regularly writes about her Jewish identity and practice, produced a series of videos for MyJewishLearning this year.

Streisand sets another record: A top 20 album in every decade since the ‘60s

BY BEN SALES

(JTA) – Barbra Streisand has become the only woman to record a top 20 album on the Billboard charts in every decade from the 1960s to the 2020s.

The only other person to achieve that feat is Bob Dylan.

Streisand’s latest album, “Release Me 2,” came out Saturday and debuted at number 15 on the Billboard charts, Billboard reported. The album features archival recordings as well as duets with Willie Nelson and Kermit the Frog.

Her first album to chart in the top 20 was her self-titled “Barbra Streisand Album,” which debuted at the 17th spot 58 years ago, in 1963. Streisand, 79, is also the woman with the most albums to chart in the top 40, with 54. That’s more than twice as many as the runner-up, Aretha Franklin, who had 26. The overall record for top 40 albums is held by Frank Sinatra, who had 58. jewishledger.com

Following media criticism, Spike Lee is re-editing his 9/11 documentary

BY ANDREW LAPIN

(JTA) — Spike Lee has announced that he is re-editing the final episode of his new HBO documentary series about New York following reports of early media screenings that criticized the Oscar-winning filmmaker for prominently featuring a conspiracy theorist who has entertained antisemitic ideas.

“New York Epicenters: 9/11-2021½,” a four-part documentary examining the character of the city in the 21st century, began airing Sunday on HBO. In its original cut, the final episode, which had been scheduled to air on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, featured extensive interviews with members of the conspiracy group Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth.

Lee did not specify whether he would

cut the segment featuring the group or what other changes might be in the works.

“I’m Back In The Editing Room And Looking At The Eighth And Final Chapter Of ‘NYC EPICENTERS 9/11-2021½,’” Lee said in a statement released by HBO and provided to Variety. “I Respectfully Ask You To Hold Your Judgement Until You See The FINAL CUT.” The announcement follows articles in The New York Times and Slate about Lee’s flirtation with 9/11 conspiracy theories.

Slate in its article critical of Lee focused on the interview space devoted to Richard Gage, the leader of Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth. At a 2012 event, Gage appeared to endorse the suggestion by another participant that Israel was behind the terrorist attack. He regularly appears on

SPIKE LEE AT THE 57TH NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL, OCT. 4, 2019.

(ROY ROCHLIN/WIREIMAGE)

podcasts where conspiracies about Jews and the Holocaust are common.

The Times, meanwhile, quoted Lee as saying that he still had “questions” about

what caused the Twin Towers to collapse after they were hit by airplanes, alluding to an alleged government cover-up.

Wishing you a very happy Rosh Hashanah!

May the New Year bring peace, joy, and good fortune to you, your loved ones, and our community!

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L’Shanah Tovah!

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We wish you a Healthy, Sweet and Joyous New Year!

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From our family to yours a Happy and Healthy

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Warm wishes for a sweet and healthy New Year.

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

13

ROSH HASHANAH 5782

Is it safe to attend Rosh Hashanah services? Should kid Your COVID-19 High Holiday questions, answered.

BY PHILISSA CRAMER

(JTA) — For the second year, COVID-19 has made it so Jews who want to attend High Holidays services must undergo a complicated risk calculation.

Is it safe to go to synagogue for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? Should I bring my children? Is the shofar a potential vector of disease?

Last year, five months into the global pandemic that has killed more than 4.5 million people globally, the answers were fairly straightforward, if dispiriting: Stay home, or at least stay masked and very far apart.

This year, the situation is more complex. Most American adults have been vaccinated, with the uptake of vaccination among Jews among the highest of any religious group, but children under 12 aren’t eligible for vaccination. For a small but vociferous segment of Americans, grudging acceptance of masking last year has morphed into antipathy this year.

Meanwhile, the highly transmissible Delta variant, alongside evidence of potentially waning protection from vaccines and emerging data showing that even vaccinated people can catch and transmit COVID-19, further complicate the picture.

“This is going to be a personal decision that will be dependent upon many factors,” said Dr. Aaron Glatt, a rabbi and epidemiologist who has spent the pandemic making medical information accessible to others in his Orthodox community in suburban New York.

“What type of shul you will be going into, the incidence of vaccination in that shul, the incidence of risk factors in your personal family — is everybody vaccinated? If they are, are they high risk? There are a tremendous number of variables,” said Glatt, who is the chief of infectious diseases and hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau on Long Island and an assistant rabbi at the Young Israel of Woodmere.

He added, “And it also depends on the level of risk that people are willing to take with all those variables taken into account.”

So what is a Jew supposed to do? We’ve answered a few of the most frequently asked questions about how to observe High Holidays during the coronavirus pandemic, round two.

Is it safe to travel for Rosh Hashanah, or to have someone travel to me?

The appeal of getting far-flung family members together to share the holiday is undeniable. And we’ve learned a lot about how to manage risk during pandemic travel. But there are some caveats: Someone who is vaccinated and heads to visit people who are vaccinated in an area with a high 14

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vaccination rate is at less risk than if one party isn’t vaccinated or even if both are, but there is a high level of community transmission.

Glatt advises people considering traveling to consider “where you’re traveling to [and] the incidence of COVID in that area.” In some parts of the country, especially in the South, hospitals are near or even over capacity amid the Delta-fueled surge. They may not be safe destinations when it comes to COVID-19 or any other health issue that can arise while traveling.

The Centers for Disease Control is advising Americans to delay travel until fully vaccinated, and even then to wear a mask while in shared transportation. Unvaccinated travelers, including children, are urged to test before and after traveling and stay away from especially vulnerable people upon their return.

Is it safe to attend synagogue for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?

Here, again, context matters.

As Rabbi Rebekah Goldman—known to congregants as Rabbi Bekah—of Farmington Jewish CongregationEmek Shalom in Simsbury put it: “As the only synagogue in the RABBI BEKAH [Farmington] Valley, we can’t afford not to have in person services, but just as we did last year, we will be having most of our services at a covered outdoor venue. We will remain masked for the safety of entire community family at all synagogue services and events until the threat of Covid (and its variants) has subsided.

At Beth David Synagogue in West Hartford, on the other hand, spiritual leader Rabbi Yitzchok Adler in early August told the Ledger, “Though we all hope and pray for the good health of everyone and the healing of all people visited with illness. Beth David’s hope is to be convening in its sanctuary. The specifics regarding masking and social (worship) distancing will be finalized as the Yomim Tovim get closer.”

If context matters, so does one’s own risk tolerance. In a community where transmission is high and vaccination rates are relatively low, the risk from praying together in person is going to be higher than in a community where most people are vaccinated and there are relatively few cases.

People who are unvaccinated are much more likely to require hospitalization or to die after catching

| SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

COVIDMost synagogues have policies in place that you can assess. You can also ask for more information before deciding whether to attend.

• What is their policy on masking? A mask requirement offers a low-cost, low-effort safeguard against transmission. It is also a good signifier of a conservative approach to safety.

• Are vaccinations required for eligible people?

Some synagogues are strongly urging vaccinations, while others are requiring them for everyone over 12. Some are even requiring attendees to prove their vaccination by sharing their vaccine card ahead of time or at the door.

• Is any prayer taking place outdoors?

Some synagogues are moving as much of their services as possible outside, to open-sided tents where transmission is less likely. Glatt says all communities should strive to offer some outdoor options for people who feel more comfortable there.

• How well does air circulate? Good ventilation is an important factor in preventing the spread of disease.

Glatt says synagogues should be advocating vaccination, calling that “the correct medical and halachic recommendation,” referring to Jewish law.

But he also says he believes that synagogues can safely accommodate people with a wide range of approaches to COVID-19.

“There should be areas where people who are vaccinated and are concerned should be able to daven [pray] with a mask on, and everybody in that area should have a mask on,” he said. “At the same time, I have not made the recommendation that everybody should be masked in every situation at every shul. I think there are people who might be uncomfortable with that for various reasons and we need to try to accommodate them as well.”

Should children under 12 go to High Holiday services this year?

Children under 12 are not yet eligible for vaccination in the United States; government approval for a vaccine for kids is expected sometime before the end of the year. That means the children’s services that most synagogues hold on the High Holidays are effectively for unvaccinated people only, at a time when the Delta variant has elevated pediatric hospital admissions to pandemichigh levels. It also means that including children in adult services reduces the proportion of vaccinated people in the room.

Glatt described the question of whether and how to include children as one that is concerning, with no one-size-fits-all answer.

“I think that’s a decision that every shul has

to make, how they wish to hand dealing with an elderly populat them sitting next to younger ch vaccinated and their mask wea concern… I think that needs to he said. “If you’re dealing most population, they’re vaccinated willing to take the chance — th situation. It’s a concern.”

Many synagogues are holdi services outside to mitigate risk says parents should take appro but he notes that many childre settings already by attending sc an equivalent level of risk. (Ten children nationwide have alrea quarantine this school year bec exposures to COVID-19.)

“I do think children should said. “If this was the only situa being exposed, that might be a they’re getting together anyway

Is it safe to blow the s indoor space?

Images of people blowing shofa masks over their openings beca trademark of last year’s High H vaccines and widely available C mean it’s relatively straightforw the shofar does not spread dise blowing the shofar is vaccinate that should be fine. Let it blow, next to everybody else,” Glatt s person should also have no kno Some synagogues are bring congregations outside to hear t of the service, rather than durin safe, others are requiring a neg more reliable type of test on th blowers in the days before the h

What should I do if I f someone at my servic COVID-19?

That’s a realistic concern. If were today, the virus is so prev States that in some places, ther 100% chance that someone in t COVID-19 for any event of 100 size for smaller-than-usual serv almost all counties in Florida, c hit state, according to an online Risk Assessment Planning Too team of researchers.

FARMINGTON VALLEY JEWISH CONGREGATION-EMEK SHALOM

ds?

A New Haven shul preps for a return to High Holy Day services — but first, some ‘emotional processing’

N

BY STACEY DRESNER

dle that. If you’re tion, to have hildren that aren’t aring is of some o be addressed,” tly with a younger mostly, they’re hat may be a different

ing their children’s k. But not all. Glatt opriate precautions, en are in communal chool, which conveys ns of thousands of ady spent time in cause of in-school

be in shul,” Glatt ation where they were different story. But y.”

shofar in an

ars with surgical ame a visual Holidays. This year, COVID-19 testing ward to ensure that ease. If the person ed and asymptomatic, , possibly not right said, noting that the own virus exposures. ging their the shofar at the end ng it. To play it extra gative PCR test — the he market — for shofar holiday.

The CDC has clear guidelines about what to do if you’re exposed to COVID-19 — which it says happens if you’ve spent more than 15 minutes total over a 24 hour period near someone with the virus.

You should get tested 3-5 days after the exposure and wear a mask when you are around other people until you get a negative result. If you get a positive result, you should isolate for 10 days, even if you don’t develop symptoms.

In the early days of the pandemic, worship services were identified as key vectors of disease in both the United States and Israel, in part because some people continued to attend them after reducing other contacts and in part because of the kinds of activities — including singing — that typically happens at them. So following postexposure recommendations could be key to making sure that High Holiday services don’t become spreading events.

What if you find out that the person who had COVID-19 was all the way on the other side of the room during services? Does that count as an exposure? Glatt’s answer points to the uncertainty that’s swirling as the Jewish world prepares to enter 5782.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “But it’s really unknown.”

Shira Hanau contributed reporting.

find out ces had

f Rosh Hashanah valent in the United re would be nearly a the room would have 0 people, a typical vices. That includes currently the hardeste “COVID-19 Event ol” produced by a

RABBI JASON WEINER PLANS TO PUT A MASK ON HIS SHOFAR DURING THE HIGH HOLIDAYS, A CHOICE OTHERS LATER MADE TO ENSURE THAT THEY DO NOT SPREAD THE CORONAVIRUS WHEN BLOWING THE RAM’S HORN. (COURTESY OF WEINER)

EW HAVEN – High Holiday services were supposed to be “normal” this year – held inside synagogue sanctuaries with maskless congregants thankful for the near end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But now with the Delta Variant and a rise in new Covid cases, some synagogues are still deciding whether to hold services inside or whether to resign themselves to another Zoom Jewish New Year.

Even without the Delta variant, Rabbi Eric Woodward of Beth El Keser Israel (BEKI) in New Haven had already planned “Processing Our Return to the Building: Our Hopes & Fears” — two discussion sessions that he hoped would allow BEKI members to share the different emotions they were experiencing regarding the prospect of gathering with their fellow congregants physically in the synagogue building.

“Our synagogue had done a really good job of reopening and we were having people back in the building and having services unmasked in June and July. But it struck me that, even though we opened at the beginning of summer, the High Holidays are really sort of the official reopening of the synagogue,” says Woodward.

As of two weeks ago, BEKI was planning to hold in-person masked High Holiday services. But recognizing how fraught with mixed, often stress inducing, emotions holiday services could be for some of his congregants, Woodward decided to lead two discussion sessions to provide congregants with an “emotional space” within which to reflect their feelings. The sessions were held on August 19 and 23.

“Our society hadn’t really done much to process this at all,” he explains. “We were dealing with the pandemic and then suddenly people were getting vaccinated. There was no time to pause or reflect and ask, ‘What have we lost during the pandemic? What have we gained during the pandemic? What has our experience been?’”

At the August 19 session, the group talked about the disappointment and frustration they are feeling regarding the outbreak of the Delta variant and the reinstitution of some Covid protocols.

“Somebody joked that this feels like the 500th day of March 2020. We’re kind of getting thrown back into that and people feel tired of having to pivot,” Woodward says. “I told them there’s a spiritual value to pivoting; we have to stay flexible, and we have the strength to do this…I said to them, ‘It can feel like this is the 500th day of March 2020, but that’s not really true because we actually have grown and changed during this time.

“We’ve also become very resilient,” he adds.

“People have really faced the hard challenges in the last year and a half and they are making it. Our

RABBI ERIC WOODWARD

synagogue is really flourishing right now; there is a lot of passion and excitement. We have lots and lots of people coming to shul. So, this work of living and getting through this is not fun work, but we are doing it and that’s a big deal because 10 months ago we had no idea if we were going to have a vaccine. Yes, we have some more to do now, but we can do it.”

Dr. Jennifer Myers, a BEKI member and a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, agreed that congregants may be having a difficult time heading into High Holiday services this year. “[There is] anxiety about the virus itself and a lot of social anxiety – people who just are really unsure about the return to large crowds. The social aspects of synagogue can be very stressful as well and it’s hard when those are the leading edge of what people are facing. It’s hard to remember the comforting aspects of shul – both social and religious,” Myers says.

“But I think what is really making it so hard is how torn people are,” she notes. “If they were just anxious, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, they just wouldn’t go. I think what people are really struggling with is both desperately wanting to return and being afraid. And it’s that ambivalence that is catching people…If you only pay attention to how hard it is to return, you are only getting half of what the problem is. People are desperate for connection, the socialization, the religious part, the routine.”

Some of that connection was made during Rabbi Woodward’s discussion sessions.

After each participant of the BEKI program shared their feelings, the entire group said the Shema – “recognizing that sometimes we can be with another person by just saying shema,” he says.

“The group then did some chants and some text study before ending the session talking about hope; what we feel hopeful for in the new year and what we are praying for in the new year. People really said beautiful things – they are hoping for resilience, they are hoping for a sense of connection and friendship to be maintained, and that is very valuable.”

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THE KOSHER CROSSWORD SEPT. 3, 2021

(Another) Interesting Rosh Hashana

By: Yoni Glatt

Difficulty Level: Easy

Vol. 93 No. 36 JHL Ledger LLC Publisher Henry M. Zachs Managing Partner

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Leslie Iarusso Associate Publisher Judie Jacobson Editor judiej@jewishledger.com • x3024 Hillary Sarrasin Digital Media Manager hillaryp@jewishledger.com EDITORIAL Stacey Dresner Massachusetts Editor staceyd@jewishledger.com • x3008 Tim Knecht Proofreader

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ANSWERS TO AUGUST 27 CROSSWORD

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Across 1. Trick 5. Basil or sage, e.g.

9. Adjust 14. Raven-colored, to Poe 15. Kind of code 16. Manager Joe in Cooperstown 17. What priests definitely have compared to rabbis or what a shul youth director might have to look after at synagogue (again) this year?

19. It can usually be seen coming out of Old Faithful 20. What Shemita is measure in: Abbr.

21. They might be docked at camp lakes

23. Bible book before Jer. 24. Yeshiva title 25. Sutherland who played Jack on “24” 28. Makes like a Baal Tokeah about to blow shofar this year (again)?

34. Baldwin of “Beetlejuice” 35. Problem 36. “Pride and Prejudice” teenager 38. Lighting unit 39. He loved (Lily) Potter 43. Trump, on many late nights before being banned 46. Blessing follower 47. What Orthodox as well as Reform services might be strictly enforcing (again) this year, in a

way?

51. Onion-flavored rolls (Var.) 52. Fairy-tale giant’s word 53. Org. for Nadal or Federer 54. Found a phone call’s origin 58. Mich. neighbor 61. Butler who left Scarlett 64. Erev Pesach is one for family elders... or how some services might operate (again) this year?

66. Showed again 67. Barely worth mentioning 68. Thought 69. Notable Wells 70. There’s one of Dogs and of Man 71. Seating section

Down 1. Boldly oppose 2. One can pick you up 3. “Stalag 17” denizens 4. Jerusalem to Jericho Dir. 5. Kol ___ (“Well done!”)

6. Secretary on “The Office” 7. Give a makeover 8. Safe place 9. Mentions directly on social media 10. Abraham’s nephew in the Torah 11. The ___ Banquet, historic event that led to the creation of Conservative Judaism 12. Uses a Photoshop tool

13. Statement 18. TV alternatives to Sonys 22. 0% fat, say 24. Musical performance 26. Beliefs 27. Spring (from) 28. It’s “dew” in hebrew 29. 2012 gold-medal gymnast Raisman 30. Half a pair of casual sneakers?

31. Boned fish or meat 32. Champagne glass 33. Bewitches 37. Amiss 40. Journalist Horowitz known for his undercover videos 41. Place for ink or oink?

42. ___ Lit. 44. It’s right on the map?

45. Foul caller 47. Italian eatery chain 48. “I don’t care which” 49. Daily publications 50. Tony score for Elton (John) 55. Do followers, in music 56. Battle weapons 57. PC combination key 58. Israel’s Silicon or Qelt 59. “Got it” 60. Trek or Wars 62. Yin/yang concept 63. Old cable inits.

65. What some try to get after Passover?

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ON FIRST DAY OF US TRIP, BENNETT MEETS WITH AIPAC, TOP BIDEN ADMINISTRATION STAFF

BY JNS STAFF

(JNS) Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Howard Kohr, CEO of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), on Wednesday during his first full day of a brief trip to Washington, D.C. Bennett arrived in the United States on Tuesday; he is scheduled for a first-time meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday.

According to Israel’s government press office, Bennett thanked Kohr for the organization’s “steadfast support for the State of Israel,” saying he views the organization’s activities as “a leading and integral factor in strengthening Israel’s standing in the United States.”

Kohr wished Bennett success on his first diplomatic visit after they discussed diplomatic, security and economic challenges facing Israel and agreed to remain in close contact, according to the release.

Following the AIPAC meeting, Bennett met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon, where the two discussed “a series of regional, diplomatic and security issues, especially the ways to

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block Iran’s regional aggression and the progress of its nuclear program,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

“Bennett stressed that alongside the strategic alliance between the US and Israel, Israel will continue to insist on its right to maintain security supremacy in the Middle East and would continue to do everything necessary in this regard,” the statement added.

Austin said ahead of the meeting that the U.S. is “also committed to maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge, and to ensure that Israel can defend itself against threats from Iran, its proxies, and terrorist groups.”

The U.S. Defense Secretary also noted that the Pentagon is working closely with Congress to replenish the Iron Dome missile defense system as well as consulting closely with efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Afterwards, Bennett met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. That meeting was pushed back by several hours after Blinken had to address developments in Afghanistan.

| SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

Noting Blinken’s hectic schedule, Bennett remarked that he appreciated Blinken taking the time to meet with him.

“I appreciate you taking time in pretty hectic days here in the States. It means a lot,” Bennett told Blinken in remarks to the press before a closed door meeting.

The Israeli leader reiterated his message that he brings a “new spirit” with him during his trip.

“I bring from Israel a new spirit, a spirit of folks who sometimes harbor different opinions but work together in cooperation, in good will, in a spirit of unity and we work hard to find common things that we do agree upon and move forward on it. It seems to be working,” Bennett said.

“We’re going to be talking about a bunch of issues, primarily how do we fend off and curtail Iran’s pursuit to dominate the region and its race to a nuclear weapon. We will also talk about regional stability and climate change, which is an issue for all of us.”

The Israeli leader is also expected to meet with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

At present, it remains unclear if Bennett

will meet with other Jewish organizational leaders as part of his visit.

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER NAFTALI BENNETT WITH U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD AUSTIN AT THE PENTAGON, AUG. 25, 2021.

(AVI OHAYON/GPO)

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Israel’s Chief Rabbinate asks Pope to clarify comments on Torah, Jewish law

BY ASAF SHALEV

(JTA) — Israel’s Chief Rabbinate has asked Pope Francis to retract a recent comment about Jewish law that it said might lead Catholic listeners to “derogatory conclusions” about Jews.

Rabbi Ratzon Arusi, chair of the Chief Rabbinate’s Commission for Interreligious Affairs, sent a letter to the Vatican expressing concerns about an Aug. 11 lecture there on God giving the Torah to the Jews, Reuters reported Wednesday.

The Torah is the name given to the first five books of the Jewish Bible.

“God offered them the Torah, the Law, so they could understand his will and live in justice,” Francis said in the homily, according to a translation of his remarks provided by the Vatican. “We have to think that at that time, a Law like this was necessary, it was a tremendous gift that God gave his people.”

What he said next is the objectionable part: “The Law, however, does not give life, it does not offer the fulfillment of the

promise because it is not capable of being able to fulfill it,” the pope said. “The Law is a journey, a journey that leads toward an encounter … Those who seek life need to look to the promise and to its fulfillment in Christ.”

The letter from Arusi was addressed to Cardinal Kurt Koch, whose department at the Vatican handles Jewish relations.

“In his homily, the pope presents the Christian faith as not just superseding the Torah; but asserts that the latter no longer gives life, implying that Jewish religious practice in the present era is rendered obsolete,” Arusi was quoted by Reuters as writing.

“This is in effect part and parcel of the ‘teaching of contempt’ towards Jews and Judaism that we had thought had been fully repudiated by the Church.”

Arusi asked to “convey our distress to Pope Francis” and requested the pope act to “ensure that any derogatory conclusions drawn from this homily are clearly

POPE FRANCIS DURING THE GENERAL AUDIENCE IN THE PAUL VI HALL IN VATICAN CITY, AUG. 11, 2021.

(GRZEGORZ GALAZKA/ARCHIVIO GRZEGORZ GALAZKA/ MONDADORI PORTFOLIO VIA GETTY IMAGES)

repudiated.”

Koch’s office told Reuters on Wednesday that he was “considering [the letter] seriously and reflecting on a response.”

Francis enjoys a good reputation when it comes to Catholic-Jewish relations. He

co-authored a book with a rabbi many years ago when he was still the archbishop of his native Buenos Aires. Last month, Francis acted to restrict the use of the Latin Mass, a liturgical form that calls for the conversion of Jews and refers to Jewish “blindness.”

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L’Shanah Tovah!

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Briefs Former CA police officers charged with spray-painting swastika on car seat (JTA) — The Los Angeles County District Attorney charged two former police officers with vandalism for allegedly spray-painting a swastika on the back seat of an impounded car. The investigation into the vandalism also uncovered messages exchanged between the two former officers in Torrance, a city in Los Angeles County, and at least another 13 officers that included racist, homophobic and antisemitic statements, CBS2, the local CBS affiliate, reported last week. The 13 other officers were placed on leave. Torrance officers responding to a report of mail theft on Jan. 27, 2020, impounded a car they believed to be implicated in the alleged crime. When the owner retrieved the car he found a happy face spray-painted on the front seat and a swastika spray-painted on the back seat. The DA is still considering whether the charges rise to the level of a hate crime.

Maine lawmaker denounced for attending event hosted by antisemite (JNS) A group of lawmakers in Maine condemned a state representative for participating in an event hosted by an antisemitic conspiracy theorist. A total of 53 members of the state legislature signed a letter expressing their solidarity against antisemitism and denouncing Rep. Heidi Sampson (R-Alfred) for speaking at an event in the city of Belfast on July 27 that was co-organized by Robert David Steele, Maine’s WABI reported on August 24.

The event, part of the “Arise USA! Resurrection Tour,” reportedly featured several controversial speakers that support Holocaust denial and embrace conspiracy theories, including retired gynecologist Christiane Northrup, who has become a leading voice of COVID-19 conspiracy theories in the United States.

The group of lawmakers said in their letter, “Our state has a long history of extremist activity, including hosting the first Ku Klux Klan event in New England. However, what sets recent events apart is the involvement of elected officials and their de-facto sanctioning of extremist groups that pose a fundamental threat to our democracy.”

Steele has previously said that “elite Jews” are responsible for the Holocaust. He claimed Zionists funded the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, “control the American media” and belong to the “Synagogue of Satan.” He also promoted the conspiracy theory that “satanic Zionists” kidnap children and are plotting against white people, according to the group of lawmakers.

“This anti-Semitic rhetoric is not only

categorically false, it is directly threatening to the safety, dignity and well-being of all Jewish people in Maine,” they wrote. “Anti-Semitism is an ideology that uses baseless conspiracy theories to spread fear of Jewish people.”

“Across the country and in our state, those who perpetrate hate crimes are being emboldened by the type of anti-Semitic rhetoric used by Steele,” they added. “By being a speaker at this event, Rep. Sampson has given the legitimacy of her elected office to Steele’s hateful and false claims that threaten Jewish families, individuals and institutions in Maine.”

Israeli-Arab swimmer wins gold at Tokyo Paralympics, makes history (JTA) — On the first day of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, swimmer Iyad Shalabi made history: He became the first Israeli-Arab athlete to win a medal in the Olympics or Paralympics. Shalabi, 34, won gold Tuesday in the 100-meter backstroke in the S1 division in a time of 2 minutes, 28 seconds. Paralympic sports have a wide range of classifications; S1 denotes severe activity limitations. “My heart was pounding,” Shalabi’s father, Yusuf Shelby, told the Israeli media. “When he overtook his competitor, I cried. He was constantly training. Six years every day he trains. It’s like a dream.”

Shalabi was born deaf to a Muslim family in Shfar’am, in northern Israel. At age 12 he was paralyzed in an accident falling from a rooftop and lost the full use of his limbs.

He competed in the Beijing and London Paralympics but failed to medal. A 2017 short documentary “Swimming Against the Current,” directed by Assel Abu Hjoul, documented Shalabi’s path to the World Championships in Scotland. The documentary premiered at the 2017 Jerusalem Film Festival. “Iyad is an inspiring man whose life is full of victories, and today he delivered another brilliant victory,” Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Hili Tropper wrote. “Iyad was not frightened by the high expectations and filled us all with great pride.”

Iranian ayatollah: ‘Jews are the greatest problem of Islam and humanity’ (MEMRI via JNS) According to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative in Iran’s Southern Khorasan Province, the Jews are humanity’s greatest problem.

“Consider the most difficult problem for Islam and humanity as a whole. This is corroborated by documents. The most difficult problem has been the Jews. … They are more evil than Satan,” said Ayatollah Alireza Ebadi.

In a public address aired on Iran’s Khorasan Jonoobi TV on May 7, Ebadi said that the Jews’ ultimate goal was to pillage the entire world. “They [Jews] have taken control of the world in a technical way. They give particular attention to military warfare, propaganda jewishledger.com

warfare and psychological warfare. They spread doubt and [wage] cultural warfare.

This is how they can achieve their main goal of pillaging the world,” he said. Ebadi went on to state that “the Zionists” controlled France and appointed the U.S. president.

NJ condo resumes Shabbat elevator after settling with residents who sued (New York Jewish Week via JTA) — The elevators at a Fort Lee, NJ, condo building will again stop on every floor during Shabbat after the condo board settled with Orthodox Jewish residents who sued over the service’s cancelation. Dozens of residents charged in a June lawsuit that The Colony was discriminating against religious residents by turning off the elevators’ Shabbat setting and also barring building staff from pushing the elevator buttons for them. Orthodox Jews do not press electrical switches on Shabbat. Some Orthodox residents in the 32-story building were effectively trapped in their apartments between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday, the lawsuit alleged.

The conflict pitted some Jewish residents in the building against other Jewish and nonJewish residents. At the time, one of the lead plaintiffs, Paul Kurlansky, said the solution was simple. “All The Colony has to do is turn on a switch,” Kurlansky said, “and we’re done.”

That will happen now, according to the terms of the settlement, which were spelled out in a letter to condo shareholders, NorthJersey.com reported Wednesday. The elevators will stop on every floor for 9 1/2 high-traffic hours on Saturdays and major Jewish holidays; while the lawsuit had sought damages, no payments are required as part of the settlement, according to the newspaper.

“All parties are pleased that this matter was expeditiously and respectfully resolved in good will and believe that this resolution is in the best interest of the Colony,” the letter issued to Colony shareholders on Monday said, according to the newspaper report.

Unilever threatens to sue Israeli NGO over Ben & Jerry’s knock-off (JNS) Ben & Jerry’s parent company Unilever is threatening to take legal action against an Israeli NGO that is trying to knock off the ice-cream maker’s brand in the West Bank following the company’s decision to stop selling its products in the region. The Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center claimed that Ben & Jerry’s move last month to stop distributing ice cream in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem resulted in an “abandonment” of its trademark there. The group said it plans to release “Judea and Samaria’s Ben & Jerry’s” ice cream in the West Bank with packaging that includes the original Ben & Jerry’s logo as well as a portrait of Theodor Herzl, the founder of the modern Zionist movement. The jewishledger.com

packaging will also feature the slogan “Frozen Chosen People.”

In a letter last week to the legal advocacy group, a copy of which was obtained by the New York Post, Unilever’s General Counsel Natalia Cavaliere wrote, “Your allegation that Unilever has in any manner abandoned its trademark rights for Ben & Jerry’s is flawed on multiple grounds.” “Ben & Jerry’s intends to continue to distribute and sell its products in all of Israel, except for the small geographic region of the West Bank and East Jerusalem,” Cavaliere added, while also saying that Unilever considers any use of its trademark or tradename a “violation of our intellectual property rights.”

Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center President Nitsana Darshan-Leitner told the New York Post that she hopes to have the opportunity to go head-to-head with Unilever in court. She said her NGO plans to “seize their trademarks and utilize their name and manufacture our own ice cream in every Israeli region they have withdrawn from.”

‘Enthusiasm’ remains uncurbed as 11th season debuts in October (JTA) — Will there be a Martha’s Vineyard episode, and if there is, who plays Alan Dershowitz? The pandemic-delayed 11th season of Larry David’s signature misanthropic series, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” is set to debut on HBO in October, the show announced today via social media. HBO announced in June 2020 that it was renewing the series, but did not announce a debut date because of delays related to the pandemic.

David was among the many celebrities urging Americans to take pandemic precautions, recording a video for the Los Angeles County Department of Health last year telling his fans to “stay in the house, sit on the couch and watch TV.” David recently exchanged words at a Martha’s Vineyard store with constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz. David was livid that Dershowitz boasts on social media of his ties with former President Donald Trump and others in the Trump administration.

Dershowitz has previously been a professed fan of the show; he even once sent a copy of the “Curb” episode “Palestinian Chicken” to former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the hopes that he would watch it with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israeli astronaut to take ancient coin from Bar Kochba revolt to space (JNS) Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe has chosen to bring an ancient Jewish coin when he travels to the International Space Station for Israel’s “Rakia” mission early next year, announced the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). The 1,900-year-old coin was minted during the second Jewish revolt against the Romans, also known as the Bar Kochba revolt.

Stibbe saw the coin when he recently visited the IAA’s Dead Sea Scrolls laboratory in Jerusalem and was shown various artifacts, the IAA said in a statement on Thursday.

The coin was unveiled to the public in March alongside other rare artifacts that were excavated from the “Cave of Horror” in Nahal Hever. “As part of ‘Rakia’ mission to the International Space Station, I will be taking with me a bag filled with items that have a special meaning to me. It was clear to me that one of these items will be a symbol of Jewish history,” he said.

One side of the coin, which is from the second year of the revolt, shows a palm tree with the inscription “Shim’on,” although only two letters are now visible. The other side of the coin has a vine leaf with the inscription “Year two of the liberty of Israel.” Stibbe said the coin “represents the connection to the land, the love of the country, and the desire of the population of Israel in those years for independence.” He added that “the palm tree particularly touched me, as it is the symbol of the Agricultural Research Organization, at Volcani Center, where my father spent his life conducting research on the country’s soil.”

US donates COVID vaccines to Palestinians in West Bank, Gaza Strip (JNS) The delivery of a U.S. donation of 500,000 vaccines to counter the ongoing coronavirus arrived in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, August 24.

The Moderna vaccine doses were made in partnership with the global COVAX vaccinesharing program. Palestinians say they now have 2.5 million doses; the West Bank will receive 300,000 of the vaccines and Gaza the rest. Palestinian officials say they also expect to receive 1 million doses of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine in September. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said that for now, unvaccinated public-sector employees would be put on unpaid leave.

suspected hate crime in London. That man, Ronnie Phillips, was walking near Wyndham Theatre on Charing Cross Road, in the city’s center, with his wife.

The assaults are part of a major increase in the number of antisemitic incidents recorded in the United Kingdom this year by CST. In the first half of 2021, CST recorded the highest-ever number of antisemitic incidents in any six month period since it began monitoring the issue in the 1980s. The tally for January-June in 2021 was 1,308 incidents, compared to 875 in the corresponding period the previous year. The total for 2020 was 1,668 incidents. The spike in incidents is partially connected to the exchange of fire between Hamas and Israel in May, CST said.

Man wearing kippah beaten by 10 attackers in Cologne, Germany (JTA) — An 18-year-old Jewish man wearing a kippah in Cologne, Germany, was beaten by a group of 10 attackers in a public green space and taken to the hospital with a broken nose and cheekbone. Police arrested two suspects in what they are deeming an antisemitic hate crime. The attack was captured on police surveillance video on Friday, August 20. The suspects, ages 18 and 19, were released on Saturday on their own recognizance. There was no further information released about them.

Frankfurt Rabbi Avichai Apel, speaking for the board of the Orthodox Rabbinical Conference of Germany (ORD), told the Jewish weekly newspaper Juedische Allgemeine that the age of the suspects was particularly worrying. “Young people in schools, educational institutions or other public institutions must be taught more about Jewish life,” he said.

Germany’s commissioner on antisemitism, Felix Klein, told the German Press Agency, or dpa, on Monday, August 23 that he was “appalled by this horrific and cowardly attack.”

The victim left the hospital on Saturday.

London police seek man who punched Jewish man and child (JTA) – Police in London are looking for a man who was filmed assaulting a Jewish man and a child on the street in separate incidents on the same day last week. Security footage shows a tall suspect punching a 64-year-old haredi Orthodox Jewish man as they pass one another on the street in the heavily-Jewish neighborhood of Stamford Hill. The victim sustained minor injuries, Shomrim, a Jewish security service, wrote on Twitter. Earlier in the day, the same man punched a Jewish child in the neighborhood, Shomrim said. The child was not seriously hurt. Shomrim said they believed the incidents were hate crimes against Jews.

In a separate incident on August 12, a 72-year-old man was slapped and had his kippah knocked off his head in another JEWISH LEDGER

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Jewish doctor CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

(DESIGN BY EMILY BURACK; PHOTO VIA KEYSTONE/ HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES)

Just a year later, Guttmann began training in medicine at the University of Breslau before transferring to the University of Freiburg in 1919, where he graduated with his medical degree in 1924. At Freiburg, Guttmann became an active member of a Jewish fraternity that tried to stop the spread of antisemitism in universities. Eventually the fraternity also became a center for physical activity and fitness, so that “nobody needed to be ashamed of being a Jew.” By the 1930s, Guttmann was working as a neurosurgeon at the Wenzel Hancke hospital in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland), as a university lecturer and as an assistant to Otfrid Foerster, a pioneer of neurosurgery. Guttmann was on track to be the next big German neurologist — until the rise of the Nazis in his country. In 1933, Germany passed the Nuremberg Laws, which among its other antisemitic stipulations prohibited Jews from practicing medicine.

Guttmann was expelled from his university appointment, fired from his hospital job and stripped of his doctor title. He was assigned to work at the Breslau Jewish Hospital.

Not long after came Kristallnacht.

“On the 9th of November I took my car and went to the synagogue,” Guttmann remembered later. “And there, the whole thing was surrounded by hundreds of people, burning, and SS men playing football with prayer books.

I stood there and realized that my tears were running down. But I became quite determined to help persecuted people.”

That evening, 64 people came to the hospital seeking refuge from the pogrom and the Gestapo. Guttmann admitted them all. The next morning he was called down to the hospital by the SS. “I went to the hospital and there were three SS officers sitting there,” Guttmann recounted. “‘Sixty-four people were admitted. How can you explain this?’ I discussed every case, and of course I invented all kinds of diagnoses, you see. Out of the 64 people, I saved 60.”

By 1939, avenues of escape were quickly closing, but Guttmann was given a rare opportunity: The Nazis reinstated his passport 22

JEWISH LEDGER

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and ordered him to travel to Portugal to treat a friend of the Portuguese dictator. With his family in tow, Guttmann traveled there, with his return trip to Germany scheduled through England. The Council for Assisting Refugee Academics anticipated his arrival and arranged for Guttmann and his family to stay in the United Kingdom. On March 14, 1939, the family arrived in Oxford, and in 1945 Guttmann became a naturalized citizen of the UK. In England, Dr. Guttmann was able to continue his spinal injury research at the Radcliffe Infirmary, and later was asked to establish and direct the Spinal Injuries Centre at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Not only was the center revolutionary as the first specialist unit in the United Kingdom for spinal injuries, but it’s also where Guttmann pioneered treatment and rehabilitation for tetraplegic and paraplegic patients. At the time, the mortality rate of paralyzed patients was still incredibly high due to infections caused by bed sores.

Guttmann’s answer was to turn patients on their sides every two hours to prevent bed sores. Through this treatment, patients with paraplegia lived.

The next step was creating rehabilitation programs that would allow paraplegic patients to build their self-esteem.

“It occurred to me that it would have been a serious omission not to include sport in the rehabilitation of handicapped people,” he said.

“That was probably one of the best thoughts I have ever had as a medical man.”

On July 29, 1948, the first Stoke Mandeville Games began on the same day as the opening for the London Summer Olympics. The games consisted of disabled war veterans, all of whom were in wheelchairs, competing in archery. The event was held annually and, in 1952, a team of paraplegic Dutch servicemen traveled to England to compete in the first international Stoke Mandeville Games.

In 1960, for the first time, the International Stoke Mandeville Games were held in Rome, Italy, alongside the Olympic Games.

These games are now recognized as the first Paralympic Games. (The term “Paralympics” refers to the fact that they are parallel to the Olympics and was retroactively recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1984.) The Rome event featured 400 athletes, representing 23 countries, with an array of disabilities. After 1960, the Paralympics were held every four years. The first Winter Games were in 1976.

The incredible growth of the Paralympic Games over such a short period of time was not without challenges, however. In 1968, the Olympic host city, Mexico City, backed out of hosting the Paralympic Games. Guttmann accepted an invitation from the Israeli government to hold them near Tel Aviv. That year, a crowd of nearly 10,000 watched the opening ceremonies at the stadium of Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

The Paralympics had to change venues again jewishledger.com

in 1980 when the Soviet Union refused to host them alongside the Moscow Olympics. Notably, when questioned about the refusal, a Soviet official told a journalist that there were no disabled people in the entire Soviet Union. So the Paralympics were held that year in Arnhem, Netherlands. Since the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul and the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France, the Paralympics and the Olympics have been held in the same cities and venues.

Guttmann founded the International Medical Society of Paraplegia (now the International Spinal Cord Society),and the

British Sports Association for the Disabled (now the English Federation of Disability Sport). He also was a longstanding member of the Association for Jewish Refugees. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire and knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1966.

Guttmann died on March 18, 1980, but his legacy lives on. His work surpassed the Nazi eugenics that tried to eradicate him along with the Jewish and disabled communities.

This article originally appeared on Alma.

Refugees CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

visas, or SIVs, because they collaborated with the United States, meaning that many have experienced trauma throughout the upheaval in their country.

“Every single SIV we’ve resettled has had threats against them or their family members, or had a family member killed, or had a family member kidnapped, or had a friend who also worked with the United States who was pulled out of their house and killed on the street,” White told the newspaper.

In Southern California, Jewish Family Service of San Diego told the Times of San Diego it has resettled 74 Afghans since August 6 and is preparing for an untold number of additional arrivals.

“Most cases are assigned to JFS with little more than 24 hours’ notice before arrival, though all have prior connections — whether family or friends — to the San Diego region,” Etleva Bejko, the director of refugee and immigration services for the nonprofit organization, told the paper.

As of last week, Jewish Community and Family Services of Pittsburgh had already learned that it would resettle two Afghan families, including one that arrived on a tourist visa and now will be able to stay in the country. But it anticipated that the number would rise.

“We’re planning as if we’re going to receive more than a handful of families,” the local group’s director of refugee and immigration services told the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. “We won’t see hundreds of people arriving at the same time, but this is going to be a slow process of refugees arriving for a long time.”

In Tampa, Florida, Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services has resettled six Afghan families and expects four more next week. The group pays for housing until refugees can begin working, but a representative told the newspaper that the tight housing market has made it challenging to find apartments for the new arrivals. jewishledger.com

AN AFGHAN FAMILY ARRIVES IN WASHINGTON, D.C., AUG. 25, 2021.

(ANNA MONEYMAKER/GETTY IMAGES)

Jewish Social Services, the only refugee resettlement agency in Madison, Wisconsin, has resettled 61 refugees from Afghanistan since 2017, including 14 in the past three months. It’s expecting an influx now, the group told WMTV, a local TV station.

“We’re reaching out to potential landlords, we’re reaching out to hotel managers to say this is what we expect to happen, we don’t know when it’s going to happen, we don’t know for how long it’s going to be happening for, but as our partner, we would like you to know about it,” the group’s executive director told the TV station.

Jewish social services groups in Kansas City, Delaware and Seattle have all told local news organizations that they are standing by to support refugees who arrive in their areas.

Efforts to support Afghan refugees span the globe. In England, British Jews are drawing on their collective memory of the Kindertransport, which brought children from Germany to England during the Holocaust, as they gather money and goods for refugees who arrive there. The Bushey United Synagogue in Hertfordshire told the local Jewish News it had experienced an “overwhelming” response after asking for donations to support 30 Afghan families in the area.

We “recognize that our grandparents came into this country as refugees and all we’re trying to do is pay it back forward,” the synagogue’s rabbi told the BBC.

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

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e have all been brought up to believe in the importance of progress.

For the past several centuries, the goal of philosophy, religion, culture, and certainly science has been to develop ideas and practices which advance humankind beyond its present state.

At this time of the year, just before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the theme of progress is definitely in the air. We all hope to progress to a better year, to a year of growth and development. Indeed, many synagogues conclude the old year and begin a new one with the refrain, “May this year and its curses be gone, and may a new year with its blessings begin!”

No one seems to wish that the coming year be one of status quo. Certainly, very few hope for a return to the past. And yet, it is precisely “return” that our Torah promulgates, especially at this time of year.

This week’s Torah portion, Nitzavim, contains the following passage (Deuteronomy 30:1-10). I provide a literal translation of some of the verbs, in accordance with their Hebrew root: “When all these things befall you—the blessing and the curse…And you take them to heart [literally, and you return them to your heart]...And you will return to the Lord your God, and you and your children will heed His command...

Then the Lord your God will return your captivity...He will return you from all the nations...You will return and again heed the voice of Lord...For the Lord will return to delight in your well-being...Once you return to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.”

In the space of just several verses, the word “return” appears, in one form or another, at least seven times! It was in the writings of the great Nechama Leibowitz that I first learned the importance of a word that appears repetitiously in the course of a single text. We are to think, she wrote, of such a term as a leitvort, a leading word, a word which gives us a clue and leads us to the deeper meaning of the text at hand.

Even my limited familiarity with the German language was sufficient for me to draw the comparison between leitvort, a word that identifies the theme of an entire passage, and the word leitmotif, which is a thought or melody that pervades a literary work or a musical composition.

The 10 days that begin on Rosh

Hashanah and conclude on Yom Kippur are known as the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, which is usually translated as the Ten Days of Repentance. But teshuvah does not really mean repentance, and it certainly does not mean penitence, as it is frequently rendered. Rather, it means return.

The leitmotif of this entire season is the Torah’s call for us to engage in profound introspection and to return to a place which we have lost, forgotten, or abandoned. It is not progress that is demanded of us during the next several weeks; it is, oddly enough, regress.

Return to what? My answers are inspired by a book I find meaningful at this time of year —The Lights of Teshuvah

by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook.

Rav Kook emphasizes that over the course of time, we each develop as individuals, and in that process isolate and alienate ourselves from others, from our families, from the people of Israel.

To return means to return from our self-centeredness to the collective, from the prat, or single unit, to the klal, or all-encompassing group. There can be no teshuvah unless the person reconnects with larger components of society.

My experience as a psychotherapist has taught me that there is another destination to which it would pay for us to return: our childhood. As we mature and develop, we grow in many positive directions. But we also move away from our innocence, from our childish enthusiasm, from the hope and sense of potential that characterizes the young.

People find it very rewarding to return, if only in their imaginations, to their youth and recapture some of the positive qualities that they left behind as they made their adult choices.

Finally, we all need to return the Almighty, to His Torah, and to His Land.

No matter how intense our worship of Him during the past year was, we can return to Him for an even stronger connection.

No matter how studiously we explored His Torah, we can return to even deeper levels of its impenetrable depth.

No matter how loyal our faithfulness to the land of Israel was, we can return to even greater loyalty and more courageous faith.

And no matter what our relationship was with others in our lives, we can draw upon our own inner sources of generosity and compassion and enhance those relationships in a spirit of genuine teshuvah, of returning to those others, and, in the process, to our truer selves.

jewishledger.com

OPINION

Rosh Hashanah: A time of renewal and unity

BY RABBI ELIE ABADIE

(JNS) As Jews, every Rosh Hashanah, we rededicate our commitment to Judaism. We reaffirm our devotion to Jewish law, and we strive to maintain our Jewish traditions.

We also focus on improving where we need to—on correcting our shortcomings and on growing on a societal, communal and individual level. In this way, we can make a difference in our lives and in the lives of others.

The idea of a resolve to change and improve one’s ways often comes to mind during this season, although, in actuality, we are in pursuit of bettering ourselves all year.

What is it that we are looking for this year that we did not request last year? Or is it that we requested it, but never got it?

Could it be that what we are asking for we already have, but we don’t recognize or appreciate it?

Over the last year here in the United Arab Emirates and in the Arabian Gulf, as part of the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities, we have changed history and created a new reality. We have initiated, participated and contributed to the religious, educational, cultural and social growth of the nascent Jewish community.

Thanks to the vision and the bold leadership of the rulers of the UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain, this dream reality has come to fruition.

We have been an important and significant voice that can affect change and promote Jewish-Muslim dialogue based on shared values and tradition. Our dialogue extends as well as within the greater society that we live in and throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council region and the Arab Muslim world—indeed, with all the Abrahamic faiths.

Our prayers, our lives and our fate are all intertwined. This relationship exists not only with our community, or our society or our neighbors, but with all of humanity.

We have to believe that it is our personal involvement that will be meaningful and significant; we cannot rely on others to do it for us.

How different it is now, a year or so later. There is a great yearning to learn about each other and to experience each other’s traditions. Jews are learning Arabic, and Khaleeji Arabs are learning Hebrew.

Everyone is so thankful for whatever knowledge they gain in order to feel closer and getting to know one another better. We jewishledger.com

do not take this newfound relationship for granted. We strive every day to nurture and strengthen this relationship and friendship.

The High Holidays are a time in the Jewish calendar year that evokes a feeling of belonging, a feeling of togetherness—a feeling that we are all children of the same G-d, living on the earth that He created for all humanity. We are charged in maintaining it and caring for it by learning to co-exist, accept each other, and live in peace and harmony. By respecting and cherishing each other’s religious and cultural differences, we learn to appreciate and find the common faith between us. Man sees what his eyes behold, but G-d sees into the heart. We ought to do it wholeheartedly.

It is important to recognize the blessings that G-d has given us; that we can see in our times a beautiful reawakening of the Golden Age of Andalus, when the three Abrahamic religions are comingling in peace and harmony. It becomes our responsibility and imperative to maintain this environment and to participate in furthering this process.

As we prepare to stand in prayer this Jewish holiday season—to thank the Almighty for the good health, prosperity and happiness that He has given us this past year, and for the great achievements that we have accomplished in this region of the world—we should also pray for peace, good health, communal prosperity and welfare of the entire world for the year to come.

Shanah Tovah and Tizku L’Shanim Rabbot!

Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie is the senior rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates and rabbi of the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities.

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JEWISH FOOD

Lessening the labor of Labor Day Rosh Hashanah

BY ETHEL G. HOFMAN

(JNS) This year, the holiday starts the evening of Sept. 6 – on Labor Day itself in the United States – and lasts through the evening of Sept. 8.

With the tastes of summer lingering on our palates, make the menu fresh, local and lighter than the traditional Rosh Hashana brisket and kugels.

Here I have adapted old favorites – lively flavors reminiscent of overseas travels along with the variety of fresh fruits and veggies still abundant in an Indian summer.

L’Shanah Tovah – to a sweet, joyous and healthy New Year!

Chicken Masala (Meat) Serves 6-8

Ingredients: 2 large onions, coarsely chopped (in processor) 4 tablespoons sesame oil 1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic 2½-inch piece ginger root, grated on the coarse side of a grater 2 teaspoons turmeric 6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (about 2½-3 pounds) freshly ground pepper and ¼ teaspoon salt 1 pound little potatoes, quartered 1 can (13 to 14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk 1 teaspoon cinnamon water to cover 2 teaspoons cornstarch ¼ cup water ⅓ cup each of cashews and raisins ¼ cup snipped fresh parsley (optional) Directions: Sauté onions over low heat until soft and golden. Stir in garlic, ginger and turmeric.

Sprinkle the chicken with pepper. Add to the onion mixture. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat, turning occasionally. Add salt, potatoes, coconut milk, cinnamon and enough water to barely cover (1 cup or less).

Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until chicken is tender. Mix cornstarch and ¼ cup cold water to a smooth paste. Stir into the chicken mixture. Simmer 2 minutes

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longer, stirring often. Adjust seasoning with pepper and salt. Stir in the cashews and raisins. Serve with hot rice, spiked with snipped fresh parsley (optional).

Adapted from a recipe in Claudia Roden’s “Book of Jewish Food.”

margarine. Pour blueberry mixture over top.

Serve hot.

Plum Kuchen (Pareve) Serves 8-10

Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Tzimmes (Pareve) Serves 6-8 Ingredients: 1 pound butternut squash, cut in ½-inch pieces 3 sweet potatoes, about 2 pounds, cooked 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into coarse 1-inch chunks ½ cup dried cranberries ½ cup dried apricots, halved ½ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed 3 tablespoons margarine, melted ¼ cup honey, warmed ¾ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Set aside. Place squash in a microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon water.

Cover and cook on High for 3 minutes.

Drain. Peel sweet potatoes and cut in ½-inch slices. Place the sweet potatoes, squash, apple, cranberries and apricots in a prepared baking dish. Add the orange juice, margarine and honey. Sprinkle with Chinese Five spice. Stir gently to mix.

Cover and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 250 degrees. Bake uncovered, for 15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Serve hot. Do not freeze.

Oma’s Noodles and Blueberries (Pareve) Serves 6 Ingredients: 12 ounces medium egg noodles ¼ cup honey 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 pint blueberries, rinsed and drained 3 tablespoons margarine, melted Directions: Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well. While noodles are cooking, in a small saucepan, mix honey, lemon juice, blueberries and 3 tablespoons water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring. Immediately remove from heat.

In a large bowl, toss hot noodles with

| SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until salmon is opaque when flakes are separated with a knife. With a wide spatula, transfer salmon to a serving dish. Pour a little liquid around to keep it moist. Serve warm, chilled or at room temperature.

Best-Ever Honey Cake (Pareve)

Makes 1 average loaf (approximately 8×4 inches), plus 3 mini-loaves, or bake in a Bundt pan to serve 15 to 18 people.

Ingredients: 1 stick (4 ounces) margarine, melted 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar ⅔ cups, plus 2 tablespoons sugar 1¼ cups, plus 2 tablespoons, all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 pound plums, pitted and quartered 3 tablespoons water Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the margarine and vinegar.

Blend in 2 tablespoons sugar and 1¼ cups flour to make a smooth dough. Press into the bottom of a 10-inch pie plate. Prick all over with a fork. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons flour, ⅔ cup sugar and cinnamon. Add plums and toss to coat.

Arrange plums, cut-side up, on top of the dough to cover. Sprinkle any remaining flour mixture over the plums. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of water. Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until pastry is golden at the edges. Cool before cutting into wedges.

Simple Salmon (Pareve) Serves 4 Ingredients: Boiling water ¼ cup distilled white vinegar ¼ small onion, sliced thinly 1 to 2 bay leaves 4 (4- to 5-ounces each) salmon steaks, ½to ¾-inch thick Directions: Pour about 1-inch boiling water into a large heavy skillet. Add vinegar, onion and bay leaves. Arrange salmon on top in a single layer. Add more water to almost cover if needed. Bring to simmer over medium heat.

Ingredients: 4 eggs ½ cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup canned pumpkin ¾ cup molasses ½ cup honey, warmed 1 cup dark-brown sugar 2 cups whole-wheat flour 1 cup all-purpose white flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 tablespoon Chinese Five Spice 1 cup raisins Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray loaf pans or Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour. In a large bowl, beat eggs and water to blend. Add remaining wet ingredients. Mix well. Stir in the brown sugar and flours, about ½ cup at a time.

Add the baking soda and spices with the last ½ cup of flour. Fold in raisins. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Mini-loaves will bake in 35 minutes or so. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Loosen edges by running a knife around. Turn onto a wire tray to cool completely. To freeze: Wrap tightly in aluminum foil.

Ethel G. Hofman is a widely syndicated American Jewish food and travel columnist, author and culinary consultant.

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WHAT’S HAPPENING Jewish organizations are invited to submit their upcoming events to the our What’s Happening section.

Events are placed on the Ledger website on Tuesday afternoons.

Deadline for submission of calendar items is the previous Tuesday. Send items to: judiej@ jewishledger.com.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 31 The Shofar as a Tool of Protest Rabbi Tali Adler, a faculty member at Yeshivat Hadar, will discuss “Knocking on Heaven’s Door: The Shofar as a Tool of Protest,” on Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. The event is hosted by United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford.

Rabbi Adler is a graduate of Yeshiat Maharat and a Wexner Graduate Fellow.

She previously served as the clergy intern at Kehilat Rayim Ahuvim and at RABBI TALI ADLER IN STAMFORD, AUG. 31. Harvard Hillel.

Register at ujf. org/adler.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1 “A Very Israeli Rosh Hashanah” Cooking Demo A one-hour live interactive virtual cooking class with 5-time James Beard Foundation award-winning Chef Michael Solomon and NY Times best-selling cookbook author Adeena Susan, on Sept. 1, 8 p.m. Recipes include: Halvah Gazoz and chicken with date syrup from Adeena, and salatim (a two of salads) from Michael. $10

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 BEKI Ancestors exhibit “Ancestors,” an exhibit featuring pre-1950 photographs and artwork that portray the diverse ethnic backgrounds of members of Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel (BEKI) in New Haven will be on exhibit at the synagogue Sept. 20 to Nov. 7. The exhibit reveals fascinating photos and stories that tell of the experiences of those who helped form future generations. Approximately 40 members contributed images and stories of ancestors, some which date as far back as the 1880s. “Ancestors” will be available to view on Friday evenings, during morning services, and by appointment by calling BEKI at (203) 389-2108.

Love & Knishes Luncheon Love & Knishes, which has returned to jewishledger.com

a live and in-person format, will feature entrainment by flutist Barbara Wyton, accompanied by pianist David Childs, on Sept 2 at 1 p.m. at the Jewish Federation of Western CT, 444 Main St. North in Southbury.

Wyton is director of Continuo Music at Home, a music contracting business offering music lessons in homes. Dave Childs has shared the stage with FLUTIST jazz greats such BARBARA WYTON IN SOUTHBURY, SEPT. 2. as Jimmy Heath, Lionel Hampton, Bill Watrous and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. Traditional Rosh Hashanah boxed meal of brisket, noodle kugel, challah with raising and honey and more will be handed out following the performance to take home. Admission: $10. RSVP to Cathyy Conti at cconti@jfed.net.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 Young Israel LegenDAIRY! The Young Israel of West Hartford invites everyone – members and nonmembers – to take a break from your Rosh Hashanah prep dn enjoy dinner, ice cream and fun with old and new shul friends at the LegenDAIRY Welcome Back Event on Sept. 5, 4:40 - 6:30 pm. ARSVP optional. For more information: youngisaelwh.org/legendairy.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 Game Night & Social with Urban Dor Urban Dor, a new group for Jewish young adults ages 21 to 39 living in the Hartford area, will host a Game Night & Social on Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. in downtown Hartford.

The evening will include ping pong and cornhole, kosher pizza, wine and beer.

Admission is FREE. RSVP required: urbandor.org/events.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 10th Annual Taste of Honey Beth Sholom B’nai Israel in Manchester will host a BBQ lunch to celebrate the new year on Sept. 12, 12 noon - 2 p.m. In addition to BBQ, the lunch will include honey cake, apples and honey, games and fun for the kids. Great way to meet new people.

Admission if FREE. Registration required: myshul.org.

Picking for the Pantry Pick apples at Silverman’s Farm in Easton on Sept. 12, 3 - 4:30 p.m. Hosted by PJ

AUGUST 31 – OCTOBER 10 Library and UJA/JCC of Greenwich, this event will benefit local families who use the Schoke Jewish Family Service Kosher Food Pantry. No rain date. $36/family (includes a bag for picked apples to be donated to the food pantry. For information, contact uja@ ujajcc.org.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 Hartford Federation to hold annual meeting Shayna Gopin and Stuart Rabinowitz will be presented with the Zachs Spirit of Judaism Award, and incoming and outgoing Federation leadership will be recognized, at the 2021 Annual Meeting & Celebration of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, to be held virtually Sept. 13, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. In addition, Dr. Dale Atkins, TV personality, psychologist and co-author of “The Kindness Advantage” will be keynote speaker. Dr. Atkins will discuss “The Kindness DR. DALE ATKINS IN Revolution: WEST HARTFORD, SEPT. 13.

Building a strong and vibrant Jewish community through everyday actions. BYOB. Pre-registration required: jewishhartford.org.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 Keney Park Reunion Share memories of Keney Park and the North End at this in-person reunion to be held at the park on Sept. 19 at 2 - 4 p.m.; Share your memories of spending time in the park; learn about the Keney Park Sustainability Project; take a short tour their demonstration garden, beekeeping and maple syrup making. Light refreshments.

Hosted by the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford. $15/members; $18/ non-members. For more information or to register, visit jhsgh.org/keneypark.

10th Anniversary Murray Lender 5K Bagel Run The annual Murray Lender 5K Bagel Run Road Race, 2-mile Family Fit Walk and Free Kids’ Costume Run will be held Sept. 19; 8 a.m. registration, 9 am Kid’ Costume Race, 9:30 a.m. Bagel Run and 2 Mile Family Fit Walk, 10:30 a.m. Bagel Breakfast and Awards. Enjoy music, food and activities for the kids. USA Track & Field Certified 5K court will wind through the residential neighborhoods of Woodbridge. Groups are encouraged. Free event t-shirts. Save

20% by registering before Sept. 1. For information, visit jewishnewhaven.org.

Mitzvah Fair Hosted by the Young Israel of West Hartford on Sept. 19, 10 a.m. - 12 noon.

Featuring: lulav & etrog market; soar on site; mezuzah and teffilin check, Sukkot decoration project for kids.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 22 Literature and Life “Award winning novelist and short story writer Nicole Krauss will deliver the Diane Feigenson Lecture in Jewish Literature as part of the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies Fall 2021 Lecture Series. The author of Great House (2010), Forest Dark (2017), and To Be A Man (2020), Kraus will speak on the topic of “Here and There: The Parallel Worlds of Literature and Life.” The free Zoom webinar will be held on Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

All fall lectures and events will be virtual webinars, free and open to the public.

Online registration is required for each event. Spring lectures will be in-person, with some events live streaming via Zoom.

The Bennett Center for Judaic Studies will follow Fairfield University regulations regarding in-person events and gatherings.

For more information, contact Jennifer Haynos at bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or (203) 254-4000, ext. 2066.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24 Sukkah Crawl Young Israel of West Hartford presents their 2nd Annual Sukkah Crawl, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. With d’var Torahs and drinks.

Location to be announced.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 10 Walk Against Hate Join ADL and the Connecticut Sun on Oct. 10 on the campus of the Watkinson School at 180 Bloomfield Ave. in West Hartford for a “Walk Against Hate” in-person event. The event will be filled with music, fun, and an opportunity to hear from the Sun’s leadership and others how to move forward as a community toward a future without antisemitism, racism and bigotry.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Check in and registration at 10 am.; event begins at 11 a.m. Register at WalkAgainstHate.org/Connecticut.

Those who can’t join the event in person are welcome to register to walk virtually, anytime and anyplace.

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BIONDI Edward Thomas Biondi, 63, of, of Onset, Mass. and Austin, Tex., formerly of North Haven, died August 19. He was the husband of Nora Greenstein. Born in New York City, he was the son of the late Carol LaBrecque and Joseph Biondi. He was also predeceased by his siblings, William Biondi and Carol North. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Kyle Biondi and his wife Hannah, and Nora Greenstein Biondi of Austin, Tex.

HANDLER Philip S. Handler, 80, of West Hartford died August 17. He was the widower of Madeline (Gell) Handler. Born in Hartford, he was the son of Morris and Esther (Saltzman) Handler, and the brother of William Handler and Lori Levi. He was a long-time member of The Emanuel Synagogue of West Hartford. He is survived by his children, Michael Handler and his wife Susan of Seattle, Wash., and Alyssa Handler and her husband Amato Bocchino of Beverly, Mass.; and his grandchildren, Eli Handler, Sadie Handler, Evan Bocchino, and Arianna Bocchino.

LEVINE David Joel Levine, 76, of Bloomfield, died August 19. He was the husband of Judith

B. Levine. Born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., he was the son of Pearl Eisenhardt Levine and William Levine. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his sister-in-law Rena Aldrich; his niece Michelle Aldrich; his nephew Mark Aldrich; and his cousin Michael Demicco.

SCHWALBENDORF Susan R. (Kruh) Schwalbendorf, 79, of South Windsor, died August 22. of South Windsor, She was the wife of Dennis Schwalbendorf. Born in Hartford, she was the daughter of the late Arthur and Etta (Cutler) Kruh. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children, Allen Schwalbendorf and his wife Gay of West Hartford, Lottie Hackner and her husband Karl of Willington, Heidi Zabilansky and her husband Michael of Tolland; her grandchildren, Eric and Justin Schwalbendorf, Nathanial and Carolyn Hackner, Douglas and Beth Hackner, Nicole and Matt Glass, and Raymond, Daniel and Joseph Zabilansky; her great-grandchildren, Theodore and Amelia Hackner, and Julia Glass; In addition, her brothers, David Kruh, Robert Kruh, Thomas Kruh and Bruce Kruh; her sisters, Laurie Kruh and Pamela Kruh; and many nieces and nephews. She was also predeceased by one sister Heidi Kruh.

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Certified Homecare - Live In Aide - Experience with Dementia, Stroke & Alzheimer’s - Driver’s License & Excellent References - phone 718-8647600.

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

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.

Nurse (LPN, Male). 2 Years Experience in long term care.

4 Years Home Care as CNA and Nurse. Seeks Private duty.

Reliable, honest, hardworking.

860-656-8280.

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

Mary and Alex Housecleaning.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

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

References. Call Jeff 860-7124115.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

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

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

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

Polish certified nursing assistant.

Twenty years experience in hospitals, nursing homes and private home settings looking to help your loved ones. Please call 860-803-6007.

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Mikael Poreshi - Remodeling & Painting - 860-978-2505 - miki. pori87@gmail.com.

CONNECTICUT September

CNA - 8 Years Experience Reliable - Own Car - Live-in 24/7 - Negotiable Rates - Please call Tina 860-461-8692.

MASSACHUSETTS December For more information on advertising in these magazines, call Donna 860.833.0839 or DonnaE@jewishledger.com 34

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

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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

EAST HARTFORD Temple Beth Tefilah Conservative Rabbi Yisroel Snyder (860) 569-0670 templebetht@yahoo.com FAIRFIELD Congregation Ahavath Achim Orthodox (203) 372-6529 office@ahavathachim.org www.ahavathachim.org Congregation Beth El, Fairfield Conservative Rabbi Marcelo Kormis (203) 374-5544 office@bethelfairfield.org www.bethelfairfield.org GLASTONBURY Congregation Kol Haverim Reform Rabbi Dr. Kari Tuling (860) 633-3966 office@kolhaverim.org www.kolhaverim.org GREENWICH Greenwich Reform Synagogue Reform Rabbi Jordie Gerson (203) 629-0018 hadaselias@grs.org www.grs.org Temple Sholom Conservative Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz Rabbi Kevin Peters (203) 869-7191 info@templesholom.com www.templesholom.com

HAMDEN Congregation Mishkan Israel Reform Rabbi Brian P. Immerman (203) 288-3877 tepstein@cmihamden.org www.cmihamden.org Temple Beth Sholom Conservative Rabbi Benjamin Edidin Scolnic (203) 288-7748 tbsoffice@tbshamden.com www.tbshamden.com MADISON Temple Beth Tikvah Reform Rabbi Stacy Offner (203) 245-7028 office@tbtshoreline.org www.tbtshoreline.org MANCHESTER Beth Sholom B’nai Israel Conservative Rabbi Randall Konigsburg (860) 643-9563 Rabbenu@myshul.org programming@myshul.org www.myshul.org MIDDLETOWN Adath Israel Conservative Rabbi Nelly Altenburger (860) 346-4709 office@adathisraelct.org www.adathisraelct.org 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 Eric Woodward (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 Temple Shalom Reform Rabbi Cantor Shirah Sklar (203) 866-0148 admin@templeshalomweb.org www.templeshalomweb.org NORWICH Congregation Brothers of Joseph Modern Orthodox Rabbi Yosef Resnick (781 )201-0377 yosef.resnick@gmail.com https://brofjo.tripod.com

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WALLINGFORD Beth Israel Synagogue Conservative Rabbi Bruce Alpert (203) 269-5983 info@bethisraelwallingford.org www.bethisraelwallingford.org

Kehilat Chaverim of Greater Hartford Chavurah Adm. - Nancy Malley (860) 951-6877 mnmalley@yahoo.com www.kehilatchaverim.org

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

WASHINGTON Greater Washington Coalition for Jewish Life Rabbi James Greene (860) 868-2434 jewishlifect@gmail.com www.jewishlife.org

The Emanuel Synagogue Conservative Rabbi David J. Small (860) 236-1275 communications@emanuelsynagogue.org www.emanuelsynagogue.org

PUTNAM Congregation B’nai Shalom Conservative Rabbi Eliana Falk - Visiting Rabbi (860) 315-5181 susandstern@gmail.com www.congregationbnaishalom.org

WATERFORD Temple Emanu - El Reform Rabbi Marc Ekstrand Rabbi Emeritus Aaron Rosenberg (860) 443-3005 office@tewaterfrord.org www.tewaterford.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

SIMSBURY Chabad of the Farmington Valley Chabad Rabbi Mendel Samuels (860) 658-4903 chabadsimsbury@gmail.com www.chabadotvalley.org

WEST HARTFORD Beth David Synagogue Orthodox Rabbi Yitzchok Adler (860) 236-1241 office@bethdavidwh.org www.bethdavidwh.org

Young Israel of West Hartford Orthodox Rabbi Tuvia Brander (860) 233-3084 info@youngisraelwh.org www.youngisraelwh.org

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

Beth El Temple Conservative Rabbi James Rosen Rabbi Ilana Garber (860) 233-9696 hsowalsky@bethelwh.org www.bethelwesthartford.org Chabad House of Greater Hartford Rabbi Joseph Gopin Rabbi Shaya Gopin, Director of Education (860) 232-1116 info@chabadhartford.com www.chabadhartford.com Congregation Beth Israel Reform Rabbi Michael Pincus Rabbi Andi Fliegel Cantor Stephanie Kupfer (860) 233-8215 bethisrael@cbict.org www.cbict.org

SOUTHINGTON Gishrei Shalom Jewish Congregation Reform Rabbi Alana Wasserman (860) 276-9113 President@gsjc.org www.gsjc.org TRUMBULL Congregation B’nai Torah Conservative Rabbi Colin Brodie (203) 268-6940 office@bnaitorahct.org www.bnaitorahct.org

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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WESTPORT Temple Israel of Westport Reform Rabbi Michael Friedman, Senior Rabbi Cantor Julia Cadrain, Senior Cantor Rabbi Elana Nemitoff-Bresler, Rabbi Educator Rabbi Zach Plesent, Assistant Rabbi (203) 227-1293 info@tiwestport.org www.tiwestport.org WETHERSFIELD Temple Beth Torah Unaffiliated Rabbi Alan Lefkowitz (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

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