CT Jewish Ledger • November 19, 2021 • 15 Kislev 5782 by 2020 Media

‘The Shrink Next Door’ 1

JEWISH LEDGER

| NOVEMBER 19, 2021

jewishledger.com

CHANUKAH BEGINS AT SUNSET NOVEMBER 28, 2021

Happy

From Our Kitchen

Latkes with Applesauce

In Our Seafood Dept.

Norm’s Naked Scottish Smoked Salmon

In Our Meat Dept.

In Our Grocery Dept.

8 oz

Paskesz Square Dreidel

Kedem Tea Biscuits

Single Count

¢ Manischewitz

Egg Noodles 2$ 12 oz, All Varieties FOR

| NOVEMBER 19, 2021

$ FOR

In Our Floral Dept.

4 12

$ FOR

4.2 oz, All Varieties

JEWISH LEDGER

In Our Produce Dept.

Tabatchnick Warm Soup Wishes 14.5 to 15 oz, Bouquet All Varieties

Breakstone’s Sour Cream 99

Royal Gala Apples

In Our Frozen Aisles

In Our Dairy Aisle

6 oz

Chocolate or Cinnamon, 8 oz

Gold’s Horseradish

12 oz

Empire Frozen Turkey

or NY Nova Lox, 4 oz, Previously Frozen

Lilly's Zomick’s Raspberry Challah Rugelach or Apricot,

9 to 16 oz

In Our Bakery

or Noodle Kugel or Tzimmes

FOR$

Chanukah

SALE EFFECTIVE NOV. 18 - DEC. 6, 2021 IN OUR AVON, GUILFORD, NEW MILFORD, OLD SAYBROOK & WEST HARTFORD, CT LOCATIONS ONLY.

A soft, charming floral bouquet which exudes warmth and light in celebration of the season

Manischewitz Chocolate Coins

.53 oz

$ FOR

All Prices Valid with a Big Y Membership.

jewishledger.com

INSIDE

this week

CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | NOVEMBER 19, 2021 | 15 KISLEV 5782

14 Briefs

17 Crossword

18 What’s Happening

18 Bulletin Board

19 Torah Portion

Music Man.......................................... 5 Israeli musician Guy Mintus believes that “wherever there is music and people gathered together, there is a sense of peace.”

Judah Maccabobble?..................... 5 Chanukah gets the bobblehead treatment, courtesy of the Jewish co-founder of the world’s only bobblehead museum.

Opinion..............................................10 Bari Weiss and other independent thinkers are right in thinking that it’s time for a new approach to college. But the war on wokeism will require more than just advocacy for open discourse, writes Jonathan Tobin.

In Memoriam

20 Obituaries

21 Business and Professional Directory

22 Classified The Ledger Scoreboard...................................................... 8 Anthony Firsker loves latkes — and scoring touchdowns against Tom Brady.

In the Kitchen.......................................................................11 After a forced hiatus, Kosherfest is back! Among the unexpected pleasures at this year’s annual trade show: CBD-laced chewing gum and a maple spread that will rock your kosher Thanksgiving.

CANDLE LIGHTING ON THE COVER: Based on a popular podcast by Joe Nocera, “The Shrink Next Door” is a new Neflix limited series that tells the sad but true story of how a charming psychiatrist draws his longtime patient into an exploitative and dysfunctional relationship. And it all centers around New York City’s religious and philanthropic Jewish community. PAGE 12 jewishledger.com

Sponsored by:

SHABBAT FRIDAY, NOV. 19 Hartford 4:09 p.m. New Haven: 4:09 p.m. Bridgeport: 4:10 p.m. Stamford: 4:11 p.m. To determine the time for Havdalah, add one hour and 10 minutes (to be safe) to candle lighting time.

JEWISH LEDGER

2471 Albany Ave., West Hartford 860.236.1965 • thecrownmarket.com

NOVEMBER 19, 2021

YOUR GIFT WILL HAVE TWICE THE IMPACT!

Thanks to the generosity of the Rosenberg family, your donation will be matched to support additional services for Anja Rosenberg Kosher Food Pantry clients.

S U F P E L E E D H

300

HUNGRY FAMILIES

With your donation of $18, the Anja Rosenberg Kosher Food Pantry will receive a bag of groceries filled with all the “trimmings” that make a turkey dinner a Thanksgiving feast for a client family in need.

$18 Donation

Package Includes:

1 bag stuffing 1 can green beans 1 can cranberry sauce 5 pounds of potatoes 1 can chicken broth 2 pounds sweet potatoes 1 parve dressing 2 pounds onions 1 bag walnuts 1 can pumpkin pie filling 1 parve graham cracker crust

For more information: JFSHartford.org or 860.236.1927

JEWISH LEDGER

| NOVEMBER 19, 2021

jewishledger.com

UP FRONT

CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | NOVEMBER 19, 2021 | 15 KISLEV 5782

Israeli musician Guy Mintus brings to Hartford “a whole lot of Gershwin” – and some surprises too

The Jewish founder of the world’s only bobblehead museum creates a Chanukah bobble BY JACOB GURUS

BY STACEY DRESNER

EST HARTFORD – Guy Mintus has been described as “a trained concert pianist with the energy of a rock-star and a jazz musician’s sense of adventure, who’s unafraid to throw into the mix his native Middle-Eastern scales and rhythms.” Mintus will bring his musical energy to West Hartford when he performs with his group – the Guy Mintus Trio – on Nov. 21 at the Mandell JCC’s Herbert & Evelyn Gilman Theater. The trio – which includes Omri Hasdani on bass and Yonatan Rosen on drums – will perform numbers from their most recent album, “A Gershwin Playground” – but Mintus said they will throw in some musical surprises as well. “There’s no telling what is going to happen every time we go on stage, even when we have a repertoire and songs we know we are going to play, it’s still going to be very different every night,” Mintus said.

“And that is really a great thing for me.” “I have always believed in the power of the arts to inspire, uplift and build community, and have so missed that in the Gilman Theater,” says Mandell JCC Executive Director David Jacobs. “This will be the first community performance in the theater since the onset of COVID. We are requiring everyone who enters the JCC to show proof of vaccination; masks will be required; and we have just installed a brand new HVAC system in theater. We are so thrilled to be opening the doors once again. And hearing Mintus’ music live in the Gilman Auditorium will be like a mechayeh — a real jog — after the dearth of live performances during the long pandemic. “Guy is one of the first Israelis to be touring since the beginning of the pandemic,” says Jacobs. “He is a gifted musician and composer and it’s hard not to be immediately drawn to him. He loves to bring his music to audiences all over the world. You can tell how much he

THE GUY MINTUS TRIO WITH GUY MINTUS, CENTER, OMAR HASANI (LEFT) AND YONATAN ROSEN, RIGHT.

jewishledger.com

loves George Gershwin as he puts his own signature stamp on each tune.” Mintus says he gets inspiration from many different music sources: “Classical, Western classical music. There is the spontaneity and the spirit of jazz. There are the colors and flavors from different parts of the world – the Middle East, Spain, South America. There is an energy and emotions and spirit that is hard to explain with words, but hopefully when you hear it, you can feel it,” he says. Perhaps this rich mélange of music styles comes from his background growing up in Hod Hasharon, Israel. “My parents were born in Israel but my grandparents came from three different countries – I have two Iraqi grandmothers, a Moroccan grandfather and a Polish grandfather,” he notes. Mintus’ love of music began early. He recalls as a child reaching up to tinkle the keys of his grandmother’s piano. “It started kind of gradually. I heard a melody on the radio and I wanted to find it on the keyboard. My mother didn’t play, but somehow she helped me figure it out on the keyboard and I played it with one finger. He says his musical training didn’t start on the “normal classical path.” “I was just playing around – some Beatles, some Israel pop, and a little bit of Gershwin. After a while they figured maybe I should take lessons,” he says. “I started lessons when I was 10 and I got my first piano for my bar mitzvah.” While his parents and grandparents were not musical, he thinks he may have inherited his abilities from his late uncle. “My uncle, who died unfortunately at 19 in the Yom Kippur War and who I am named after, had perfect pitch and

(JTA) — In February 2019, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum came to life in Milwaukee. Co-founded by Illinois native Phil Sklar and his friend Brad Novak, the institution is the world’s only museum dedicated to bobbleheads. Its collection holds 7,000 unique bobbleheads, including some manufactured by Sklar and Novak. Bobbleheads date back to the late 1700s, Sklar explained in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). A famous painting of Queen Charlotte — a replica of which hangs in the bobblehead museum — shows two figurines behind the monarch, with heads that bobble. Fast forward to 2021, when the museum has unveiled its first-ever Chanukah items: a Bobble Menorah that features nine bobbling “flames” (sans real fire, of course) and comes in three color patterns, and a Bobble Dreidel on a gelt-shaped base. JTA spoke to Sklar about how a unique collection turned into a one-of-a-kind museum, how he uses bobbleheads for a good cause and, of course, which famous Jews have their own bobbleheads. This interview has been edited and condensed. JTA: So, how did you get into bobbleheads? Sklar: My dad collected baseball cards, and he got me into collecting when I was growing up. Brad was working for a minor league baseball team in the early 2000s, and they gave away a bobblehead for the first time in 2003. We decided the bobblehead was sort of cool, and the [Milwaukee] Brewers and Bucks and local soccer and hockey teams were giving out bobbleheads. So we started to circle the bobblehead dates on the calendar, since we were already going to several games a year CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

JEWISH LEDGER

NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Bobblehead CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

anyway as big sports fans. The collection sort of grew from that.

comics. Really anything and everything that can be turned into a bobblehead, including the menorah and the dreidel.

And how did that morph into the world’s only bobblehead museum? We went on a journey to try to go to all the Major League Baseball stadiums, and as we traveled we’d go to different museums in local places. Several times we’d either go to the stores in the area of the stadium, or antique malls, and just pick up some bobbleheads from the area to bring back. Before we knew it, we were doing some buying, trading and selling on eBay, in our free time. Then in 2013 we set out to produce a bobblehead for the first time, of a friend of ours who was a manager for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee sports teams, and also a Special Olympian. We thought it would be a cool way to honor him. During that process we realized there was an opportunity to produce bobbleheads and market them. At the time, our collection was numbering in the 3,000 range. We were running out of room for them. It’s a lot easier to store 3,000 baseball cards — you can get one box and store them. But 3,000 bobbleheads take up a lot more room. We started brainstorming, and realized, hey, there’s no museum in the world dedicated to bobbleheads. So we started to do market research on the museum side, and in November 2014 was when we announced the idea for the museum. How many bobbleheads are in the collection/ We have 7,000 unique bobbleheads on display in the museum. The collection itself is now numbering in the 10,000-11,000 range. We’re getting in new bobbleheads pretty much daily. There are teams sending them in, organizations, people across the country. It’s really everything from sports to pop culture, politics, music, movies, TV,

Do you have a personal favorite bobblehead? The one of [our friend] Michael is sort of the one that sparked the whole idea for the museum, so that’s my sentimental favorite. He’s also Jewish. We didn’t meet because of being Jewish, we just saw him around campus when we started going to school and got to know him. Then we got to know his family, and found out we went to the same congregation. Did the pandemic impact your work? We opened on February 1, 2019, and then closed for about 14-and-a-half months in March 2020 because of the pandemic. Luckily we were able to produce a ton of bobbleheads during that time. In the beginning of April was the first Dr. [Anthony] Fauci bobblehead. That one became our best-selling bobblehead within like a week. Now we’ve raised over $300,000 for Protect the Heroes, which is administered by the American Hospital Association to get resources to first responders. So we were able to keep busy, keep everybody employed that works for us, and also do something for a good cause during the pandemic. Is there any bobblehead subculture that you’ve seen? There definitely are various bobblehead subcultures. There’s definitely people out there who collect Jewish figures and bobbleheads. Or usually it’s their favorite team or player. There are definitely Grateful Dead [bobbleheads] — quite a few different bobbleheads, and people try to collect all of them. There are people who are political, they want all the presidential- or historical-

Join our email list for the latest updates! Contact Howard Meyerowitz howardm@jewishledger.com 860.231.2424 x3035 6

JEWISH LEDGER

| NOVEMBER 19, 2021

PHIL SKLAR, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF THE NATIONAL BOBBLEHEAD HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM IN MILWAUKEE. (COURTESY OF THE BOBBLEHEAD MUSEUM)

related. The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle did a story, and we sent them pictures of the different Jews that have been depicted in bobbleheads. Sandy Koufax, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a member of KISS, a wide variety of people. It’s sort of fun to see, there’s more [Jews] than we had anticipated when we were going through the list. How did you decide to create the Chanukah bobbles? It was probably around this time last year, sort of close to Chanukah, and we were thinking, there hasn’t really been anything Chanukah-related when it comes to bobbleheads. And I mentioned to my aunt who lives in Omaha, she works at the [Jewish Community Center] in childcare there, and she really liked the idea and mentioned it to a few other family members and they thought it was pretty cool. So we had a rendering made, and we went through some different iterations of the design, and thought, yeah, this would be pretty cool. You go to Target or different stores, and you see a little small display of Chanukahrelated merchandise and then aisles of Christmas stuff. We could definitely help increase that assortment. They’re not going to be at Target or Walmart this year, but it could be something that in future years could be added to that assortment for a broader audience to see and to purchase.

to eat it or something. We’ll put a warning on the package. A lot of your products are connected to charities. Does your Jewish identity have any impact on that? I think it probably does have something to do with my upbringing. Being taught to give back, and taught about tzedakah [charity]. We’ve seen other bobblehead companies start to do the same thing, and they hadn’t done it in the past, so I think we’ve actually inspired other people. We’re not doing it to boost the sales, but we’ve seen that when it has that good cause, it can definitely help boost the sales and boost the excitement around it as well. But we’re really doing it to give back to causes and to get people engaged. Is the Chanukah launch connected to a charity? We haven’t connected this one to anything as of yet, but we’ve done things after the fact as well. Bernie Sanders, we did the inauguration bobblehead with his mittens, and we didn’t realize it was going to take off like crazy. We ended up making a five-figure donation to Meals on Wheels Vermont, which is the cause that he donated to from the proceeds of the mittens. There’s a good chance we’ll do something after the fact.

Are there any other Jewish holidays that would be conducive for a bobble? Yeah, I think my aunt actually sent a list. There were some characters like Judah Maccabee. We could do Purim. We’re sort of waiting to see how the Chanukah bobbleheads go. There’s also some other fun things that we could turn into bobbles. A bobble hamantaschen just came to mind. But I don’t know, it might get people to try jewishledger.com

Mintus CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

could play pretty much any instrument he could grab. After him no one else in the family is musical or knows how to play an instrument…I never met him but I feel like I meet him through music.” As a young teen Mintus fell in love with Jazz. “First I really got into jazz great [Thelonious] Monk and I got know his piece ‘Round Midnight,’” he recalls. “I went to a record store and decided to find all the records that had that song on them, even though I knew nothing about jazz music or about Monk. But I knew the song. And that led me to Miles Davis to Coltrane. So jazz was my gate into pursuing music more seriously. That was around age 13.” Mintus says he loved the improvisation of performing jazz. “I loved the spirit to improvise – to really be in the moment,” he explains. “I didn’t know anything about improvising until I heard Monk. I thought you could only play the notes. Then I heard him just trying things and that really raised my curiosity. To create something, sometimes on the spot really excites me until this day.” After a while his jazz teacher and mentor, noted musician Amit Golan, told Mintus he didn’t have anything else he could teach him and that he should go study classical music. “Of course, he had a lot more to teach me, but it was his way to kind of say ‘if you really want to get better you need also to dig deeper into the foundation where piano music comes from.’ That was when I was around 15.” Mintus went on to study at the Israeli Conservatory, until he served in the IDF. “I had special status that’s given to musicians and it allowed me to continue my studies and go on music related trips abroad,” he says. Around that time, he became “connected” with the music of the Middle East. “It has always been a big part of me and who I am,” he notes. “But I started opening myself to those Middle Eastern expressions and that was a huge thing.” When he completed his army service, Mintus moved to New York and received a full scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music. Now based in both Tel Aviv and New York, Mintus has performed in Brazil, India, Bulgaria, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, France, Germany and cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Guy Mintus Trio’s debut record “Giuy Mintus Trio: A Home in Between,” was selected as DownBeat Magazine’s Editor’s Pick and led to performances of the trio at Lincoln Center, Winter JazzFest and the Montreal Jazz Festival. Their second recording, “Connecting the Dots,” jewishledger.com

features Israeli vocalist Sivan Arbel and jazz saxophone legend Dave Liebman. Mintus,a recipient of ASCAP’s Leonard Bernstein Award” and the Bernstein Family Foundation and Prix du Public at the Montreux Jazz Festival’s solo piano competition, has been commissioned to compose works by the American Composers Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and the Jerusalem East & West Orchestra. In 2018, he performed ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ with the Bayerische Philharmonic, composed music for ‘Fiddler’ the documentary about Fiddler on the Roof by HBO director Max Lewkowicz and premiered his first piano concerto with the Israeli Chamber Orchestra. Most recently, he released a musical short film called “Can You Tell the Difference?” shot at various Jewish-Arab primary schools in Israel that support the idea of coexistence. “I wrote a piece of music called “Our Journey Together” in 2014 during the Gaza War. It was a difficult time and for me [the piece of music] was like a prayer and a way to deal with what was happening,” he says. For the video project, Mintus and his trio played the song for children at three schools in Israel – one Jewish, one Christian, and one Muslim. “We played for them and took portraits of them with the camera. And when you look at these 100 portraits of kids in the video you can’t recognize who is Jewish, you really can’t tell the difference. They are all just people.” Mintus believes it is important to connect to others through his music. “I think wherever there is music and people gathered together, there is a sense of peace automatically. Music alone can’t do it alone. I’m not naïve, but I am very aware of the political power of music. It is a strong experience going around the world and performing and meeting with people who are supposed to be your enemies – Syrians, Lebanese, Palestinians. But through music, for me, there are no restrictions.” In between his busy schedule, Mintus was recently married to his wife, Naama – just in time to begin touring live again. As for his upcoming performance at the Mandell JCC, Mintus says the audience can expect a “whole lot of Gershwin, but there will also be surprises, from Israeli music, to my own originals. And Omri Hasdani on bass and Yonatan Rosen on drums are topnotch musicians.” In fact, says Mintus, you can even hear some strains of Jewish music in Gershwin’s work. “For example you look at a piece like ‘Rhapsody in Blue.’ There is nothing particularly Jewish about that, but in the opening with the clarinet [wailing] you can hear some Ashkenazi prayer, you can hear some klezmer,” Mintus says. “In my feeling, you can’t really escape from your background, so it’s in there.”

HASSLE FREE LIVING There’s no place like

FEDERATION HOMES Affordable Living for Older Adults 62+ and Individuals with Disabilities 156 Wintonbury Ave., Bloomfield, CT

Call (860)243-2535 or visit us at www.federationhomes.org Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford with funding from the Department of Housing & Urban Development

Newington 860.333.9032

Willimantic 860.717.9333

2280 Berlin Tpk. Newington, CT

1548 W Main St. Willimantic, CT

(In the MedCare Express plaza-use side entrance)

(Across from Papa’s Pizza)

hello@finefettle.com

newington@finefettle.com

Good Health. Good Condition. Stop by to speak to one of our pharmacists about Connecticut’s Medical Marijuana Program No appointment necessary and consultations are always free

Offering:

• Discounts for Senior Citizens, Veterans, and Low-Income Individuals • Huge Savings through our free Fine Fettle Club • Online ordering and more at www.finefettle.com A conversation with a healthcare provider can help you determine whether medical marijuana may be right for you. JEWISH LEDGER

NOVEMBER 19, 2021

THE LEDGER SCOREBOARD

Anthony Firkser opens up on being one of the few Jewish players in the NFL BY EMILY BURACK

(JTA) — Anthony Firkser didn’t start playing football until his sophomore year of high school. That may not sound strange for the average person — but for someone who is now a professional NFL player, it’s a much later start than most of his peers. The reason? His Jewish mom, wary about the dangers of the game. Though his parents Alex and Donna are now supportive of his career, his mom is still “always watching documentaries, and that makes it worse for her — on all the concussion stuff.” “But they’re happy for me, and very supportive, and they try to make as many

are used to in the league” Firkser said. “Guys get to learn about [Judaism] who have never kind of experienced it.” Last year, in the wake of DeSean Jackson’s antisemitic comments, Firkser and a few other Jewish football players spoke out publicly about being Jewish. Firkser was one of nine Jewish NFLers who participated in an online conversation about Jews and professional football. In the wake of the controversy, Firkser became an ambassador for Unity Through Sport, a non-profit dedicated “to using sports as a vehicle to take a stand against discrimination and hate in our society.”

ANTHONY FIRKSER ON THE SIDELINES DURING A GAME AGAINST THE LOS ANGELES RAMS AT SOFI STADIUM IN INGLEWOOD, CALIF., NOV. 7, 2021. (JAYNE KAMIN-ONCEA/GETTY IMAGES)

games as they can to be there for me,” Firkser told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Despite the familial fears, Firkser, 26, has forged a quietly steady career as an NFL tight end. He has started at times for the Tennessee Titans, the team he has played for since 2018. He’s also one of the league’s very few Jewish players. He hasn’t experienced any antisemitism in the NFL, but he said he is often the first Jewish person some of his teammates have ever met. “It’s cool to talk about… to share a little bit different background than a lot of guys 8

JEWISH LEDGER

“Unity Through Sport is an initiative trying to bring everyone together. It’s kinda like a locker room where no one sees any differences,” Firkser says. “We’re all working towards a common goal. That was something good to stand behind and be able to use my Jewish background as something that could be seen as different that people don’t understand, but show them how similar it all is.” Firkser was raised in Manalapan, New Jersey, where he attended Hebrew school growing up and had a bar mitzvah. “We had a bunch of bar mitzvahs and

| NOVEMBER 19, 2021

bat mitzvahs in the family, always a good time,” he said. “We celebrate the main holidays — Hanukkah, Passover, we try to get together to spend time together.” One of the Jewish highlights of growing up was playing in the Maccabiah Games in 2013 — the international competition for Jewish athletes — in basketball. “I got to go to Israel for three weeks, do a bunch of sightseeing and spend time with other Jewish athletes. To get to learn more about them and their backgrounds and traditions, it was a cool experience all around to learn about the religion and the heritage and Israel as a whole,” he said. The Maccabiah Games was also the last organized basketball tournament he played in. At Manalapan High School, he was a multi-sport athlete — playing basketball, ice hockey, and, eventually, football. He decided to focus on football, though he never thought he would ever play professionally. “I always had hopes and dreams, but it felt like something that was such a long shot,” Firkser said. “Every kid has those dreams of playing sports. I didn’t set too high of goals, and took it one step at a time.” He was recruited to play for Harvard — not exactly an NFL feeder school. Firkser is one of five Harvard football players on an active NFL roster, and one of 12 total to play at an Ivy League school. “In college, seeing guys ahead of me get those opportunities [to play in the NFL], it started to become a little more realistic in my eyes,” he said. “My sophomore and junior year, I was playing a lot more, and started focusing on how I could make it to that next level.” Firkser was not drafted when he graduated, but he signed with the New York Jets as a free agent in May 2017, only to be released in September. Two months later, the Kansas City Chiefs signed him to their practice squad, offering a future’s contract in January 2018, but then released him in April 2018. The Titans signed Firkser as a free agent in May 2018, and he made it onto their active roster in October of that year. His rocky road to playing time was hard. “The speed is definitely different,” he said about college versus the pros. “The type of athletes that are there — the size and strength that you’re going against is just a lot different.” He made his NFL debut in September 2018, and scored his first-ever career touchdown in December 2018 against the

Jets. Last year was a standout season for Firkser — he appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Titans. A career highlight came in the postseason, in a 2020 playoff game against the New England Patriots, when Firkser scored a touchdown on the Titans’ opening drive. Going back to New England for that playoff game was meaningful for him. “I had a bunch of family there, a bunch of college buddies come in,” Firkser remembers. “A cool experience to have them all there, and be able to share that with them and know that they’ve supported me along the way and got to experience that together.” “Being able to go against Tom Brady and that team and have some significant plays was definitely something I’ll always remember,” he added. Firkser hasn’t come across many other Jewish players in the NFL, but he did play with Greg Joseph, a Jewish kicker who was on the Titans in 2019. They bonded over being “able to share similar experiences.” “You get a little stronger connection, coming from that same background and having those same traditions,” Firkser said of Joseph. “He did stuff with Maccabiah [Games] as well in soccer, so we got to share stories about that.” Looking ahead to Hanukkah, Firkser normally tries to celebrate with family. He’s a big fan of latkes — which he pronounces in old-school fashion, like “lat-keys.” (He also loves matzah ball soup, even though that staple is associated with a different holiday.) But this year Hanukkah falls very early, making things more difficult with his schedule. “I’ll light some candles,” Firkser says. “We’ll do something, to keep that tradition [going].” The Titans play the Patriots in Foxborough — a mere 45 minutes from Harvard’s campus — on the first night of Hanukkah, Sunday Nov. 28. So he’ll get to be at one home of sorts for the holiday after all.

jewishledger.com

‘Aulcie’ – The story of a Black American 1970’s basketball star in Israel BY ANDREW LAPIN

(JTA) — To Israelis who were around in the 1970s and ’80s, Aulcie Perry was “Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar rolled into one,” the viewer is told in the documentary “Aulcie.” Director Dani Menkin’s portrait of the unlikely Israeli superstar basketball player — produced by Nancy Spielberg and opening in general release in Los Angeles, New York and video-on-demand — might not be anywhere near the quality level of Jordan’s own docuseries “The Last Dance.” But for Israeli hoops aficionados, the curiosity factor alone might make “Aulcie” worth a look. It’s a familiar rags-to-riches story with a Jewish twist: Perry, a Black American basketball player who grew up poor in Newark, is cut from the New York Knicks but finds a new lease on the game when an Israeli scout recruits him to join Maccabi Tel Aviv. From 1976 to 1985 he is Maccabi’s star attraction, bagging the team two EuroLeague and nine Israeli League championships, among other honors. He also achieves celebrity status in Israel, hitting up “all the discotheques” and entering a years-long relationship with supermodel Tami Ben-Ami. Perry’s love for his adopted land even leads him to enlist in the Israeli Defense Forces, convert to Judaism and adopt the Hebrew name Elisha ben Avraham. (His journey would later inspire other non-Jewish African-American players to do the same.) Eventually Perry loses it all to drugs: A heroin addiction threatens his basketball career before drug possession and conspiracy charges derail it altogether. Upon his ignoble return to the States, he serves several years in prison; sprung early by Israeli officials to attend a TV show honoring his mentor, he moves to Israel permanently to rebuild his life as a coach with glimmers of his former celebrity. These details of Perry’s life are portrayed onscreen with his full participation, and Jewish sports nostalgists will be happy to see him alive and well. But at 71 years old, he shouldn’t have to be carrying the team anymore — and yet that’s what winds up happening with the documentary, which can’t assist him when it comes to grounded cinematic storytelling. Menkin is a veteran documentarian best known for his 2005 feature “39 Pounds of Love,” which won Israel’s Ophir Award for Best Documentary and was shortlisted for an Oscar — and later received a scathing review from Roger Ebert, who said the film “feels uncomfortably stage-managed, jewishledger.com

AULCIE PERRY IS INTERVIEWED FOR A NEW DOCUMENTARY ABOUT HIS LIFE AS A STAR PLAYER FOR MACCABI TEL AVIV. (HEY JUDE PRODUCTIONS)

and raises fundamental questions that it simply ignores.” That same sense of stagemanaging and halfhearted question-raising also applies to “Aulcie,” which makes little effort to explore the interiority of its star, the controversy his conversion sparked in Israeli society or the complexities of the bond he shared with his teammates and friends in Israel (there are some wisecracks about culture clash, but they carry no weight). The film is framed around Perry’s attempts to reconnect with a daughter he’s never known, a journey that feels both truncated and manufactured for our benefit. Meanwhile, Menkin dodges any serious discussion of race or outsiderness; at different points the viewer is told both that there was “no racism” in 1970s Israel, and that most Israelis assumed any tall Black man they met was Aulcie Perry. Elsewhere, an Israeli comedian jokes that to replicate Perry’s height, he would have to “take two Yemenites” and “weld them together.” Elsewhere, the film’s style becomes comically overwrought — an incessant, blaring musical score accompanies scant archival footage of Perry’s playing, digitally doctored to appear aged and wiped away with iMovie-level effects. B-roll, the lifeblood of any documentary, is in short supply here; narration about Perry’s gifted basketball ability as a youth is bizarrely accompanied by present-day footage of him shooting hoops as a septuagenarian. The strongest interpersonal relationship we glimpse is that between Perry and Shmulik “Shamluk” Machrowski, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s gregarious general manager, who first recruited him. That Israeli TV show Perry attends toward the end of the film is for Machrowski, and the scene of them embracing after Perry’s decade-long fall from grace is indeed touching. Perry continues to enjoy sports legend status in Israel, and a more honest consideration of his journey to this point would have made for a better film. “Aulcie” opens in Los Angeles Nov. 12, and in New York and on VOD Nov. 16.

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

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

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

HKC

‫כשר‬

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

L IKE U S ON

JEWISH LEDGER

NOVEMBER 19, 2021

OPINION

Higher education is broken. Can a new anti-woke start-up make a difference? BY JONATHAN TOBIN

s toxic as Twitter can be, sometimes the orgies of abuse and mockery for which the social media forum is so wellknown can tell us something important. When the woke world is competing to see which blue-checked leftwing wiseacre can come up with the most cutting and condescending snark about a subject or person, it’s often a sign that the object of their contempt is on to something important. That’s exactly the case with the reaction to the announcement of the formation of a new institution of higher learning: The University of Austin, whose avowed purpose is to create a haven for open discourse at a time when academia has become best known for the way cancel culture enforces the new left’s aversion to debate about its orthodoxies. The public announcement of the effort earlier this week by former New York Times editor Bari Weiss, who is a member of the proposed school’s board of advisors, set off a tsunami of derision from many of the usual suspects in journalism and academia who think there’s nothing wrong with shutting down those who raise questions about woke sensibilities. Their contempt for Weiss, who is best known for leaving the Times last year after claiming that the same forces were making it difficult, if not impossible, to report about antisemitism or have an open discussion about issues like the Black Lives Matter movement, is already well-established. But as historian Niall Ferguson, another of those who are involved in this project, wrote in Bloomberg that the plague of illiberalism on college campuses is destroying the modern university: “Trigger warnings. Safe spaces. Preferred pronouns. Checked privileges. Microaggressions. Antiracism. All these terms are routinely deployed on campuses throughout the English-speaking world as part of a sustained campaign to impose ideological conformity in the name of diversity. As a result, it often feels as if there is less free speech and free thought in the American university today than in almost any other institution in the U.S.” The fact that college faculties and administrations skew almost completely to the left in terms of their politics has had a devastating effect on the pursuit of free inquiry. Publicized incidents in which conservatives or even liberals who question some element of the new leftist orthodoxy 10

JEWISH LEDGER

are disinvited or deplatformed when invited to speak are common. But the problem goes deeper than that. The suppression of dissenting views in the name of protecting the potentially hurt feelings of those students who cannot tolerate the presence of opposing ideas has become widespread. The dominant culture of the academy has become one in which only certain thoughts are acceptable, and those who don’t agree must often keep their real views quiet or find themselves denied tenure or hounded out of academia altogether. We have already seen how toxic ideas like critical race theory and intersectionality have migrated from college campuses to mainstream journalism outlets like the Times—whose fallacious “1619 Project” is the best example of how twisted lies about the past can impact both discourse and public schools—and then the public square. The question, then, is what to do about it. The answer from Weiss, Ferguson and their friends—a collection of academics, writers and thinkers—to stop complaining and start their own school makes sense. Indeed, the negative response to them shows just how threatened the chattering classes and the academic establishment they support are by the idea. Some of their complaints about the new school and its backers are particularly appalling. Weiss, in particular, has come in for personal attacks. One was published in New York Magazine, which claimed she was a hypocrite because she allegedly engaged in her own form of cancel culture while a student at Columbia University. This is a noxious lie but also important because it goes directly to the problem of modern universities. What Weiss did in her student days was to speak out against professors and courses on Middle East studies at Columbia that demonized Israel, validated antisemitic themes, and marginalized and silenced Jewish students. But in the bizzaro mindset of woke leftism, it was the efforts of Weiss and other Jewish students to expose hate speech and prejudice that was transgressive. It was precisely because Middle Eastern studies was becoming an academic model in which anti-Zionism was the only type of thought that was acceptable that made a protest necessary. What happened at Columbia has now become a common experience in academia in nearly every field of study other than the hard sciences, which have remained somewhat impervious to

| NOVEMBER 19, 2021

wokeism. As Ferguson noted in his article, most universities didn’t begin as places where free speech and academic freedom were respected. Most were begun as schools intended to foster religious orthodoxies of various types. It was only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that a wave of reform and enlightenment facilitated their evolution into places that valued free discourse as the foundation for scholarship and advanced thought. That not only made them better, but also allowed them to become places where Jews and other minority groups could excel. Without them, the transformation of a poor, immigrant community into one where its members could find a place in virtually every sector of American society would never have been possible. Though Jews faced antisemitism in academia a century ago, that was a relic of a past that was being discarded. The problem today is that the forces that now label themselves as “progressive” are the ones that, in the guise of advocacy for diversity and anti-racism, are handing out a permission slip for Jew-hatred. That’s why it is so important that an alternative to the current academic culture must either be created or that the existence of competition spurs schools to change. Can the new school that plans to begin with a summer course next year, and then gradually roll out graduate programs and admit its first undergraduate class in 2024, succeed? Time will tell, but given the obvious need for it, I wouldn’t underestimate its chances of survival or even of eventually being regarded as an important institution of higher learning. While the effort to provide an alternative to the current model of college is praiseworthy, it’s also likely that the forces now pouring scorn on their plans will work to ensure that the school sprouting in the capital of Texas will be regarded solely as a haven for outliers. The impulse for the best and the brightest students to continue heading to elite institutions like Harvard, Yale, Princeton or Columbia, regardless of how badly wokeism is compromising them, will remain great. Still, the very fact of an alternative could help to fuel a counterrevolution within those institutions and others to help begin the process of returning them to a state where open discourse is allowed. While I firmly count myself among

BARI WEISS (YOUTUBE)

those cheering for the new school, it’s also necessary to point out that there’s more at stake here than merely free discourse. The problem plaguing our colleges and universities is not merely a culture of censorship. Toxic woke myths about history, language and ideas are already changing American society in ways we’re only just beginning to understand, as parents protesting school-board decisions about curricula have demonstrated. The answer to leftist orthodoxy can’t just be advocacy for free speech, important though that may be. Bad ideas must be opposed with good ones. Concepts that are aimed at tearing down our civilization and sense of ourselves as a nation must be answered with those upholding liberal ideals of patriotism, as well as support for rigorous objective standards of scholarship. The response to collectivist leftist ideas must be those that uphold economic freedom and values that are rooted in the best of Western thought that is at the heart of the traditional scholarly canon. Twitter snark notwithstanding, the stakes in this battle are nothing less than the intellectual soul of America. If the woke are allowed to prevail, the consequences for all Americans as well as Jews will be enormous. Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS—Jewish News Syndicate.

jewishledger.com

IN THE KITCHEN

5 unexpected products at Kosherfest 2021 BY JULIA GERGELY | ALL PHOTOS BY JULIA GERGELY

(New York Jewish Week via JTA) — “Honey, I think I may have a buyer!” a man in a black suit yelled into his phone, pacing up and down his 10’ x 10’ booth displaying dozens of bottles kosher of South African wine. “But we have to move now.” Kosherfest, the largest kosher-certified product trade show in the world, returned to the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey this year, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. From restaurateurs to tour group operators to hotel chains to supermarkets, “every kind of kosher decision maker will find opportunity and inspiration at Kosherfest,” according to the event’s website. The show is co-produced by Diversified Business Communications and Lubicom, and Kosher Today, a trade journal. More than 300 different exhibitors made the trip to Secaucus this week, all vying for an opportunity to pitch their products to biggest names in the kosher industry. Some vendors opted for flashy displays, decking out their booths to resemble a real bakery counter or cafe. Some vendors, like Brooklyn’s venerable Flaum Appetizing, chose instead to showcase the breadth of their wares, offering an impressive spread of samples that included slices of pizza, pasta, hummus, dips and cheese. In addition to food, there were booths for supplements, dishware and plastic utensils. If the food itself doesn’t get the message across, a brand’s spokesperson will. Some companies even hire outside people to hype their products for the two day event. Chanie Engel, who could be found at the Mehadrin Dairy booth this year, used a microphone to get festival-goers’ attention. She’s worked various booths at Kosherfest over the course of 15 years. “They fight over me,” Engel told the New York Jewish Week, lowering her microphone. “I’m the best.” While pushing Gevina Farms Greek yogurt, she chats up attendees by guessing their accents. “You’re from Dallas,” she says to one man. “You’re from Midwood,” she tells another. Her friend, Dina Tocker, used to represent the dairy booth — until Engel was hired, that is. This year she went fleishig (meat), holding down the fort at KJ Poultry from Monroe, New York. “I don’t even need a microphone,” she said. “I’m loud enough without it.” Although Kosherfest was smaller this year — Covid-related travel restrictions meant a limited international presence — Tocker was happy to see that many businesses had made it through the jewishledger.com

pandemic “It’s nice to be back,” she said. While it may be a large business convention, at its heart, Kosherfest felt like a Jewish gathering. And, like any Jewish gathering, it seemed that most attendees were there to eat. So we did. The food samples were both plentiful and varied, from kimchi to gelato to Slivovitz. And while much of the fare was what you’d expect — pastries, cold cuts and kugel — here are five of the most interesting items at Kosherfest that you might see at your local kosher supermarket soon.

Good Raz Vitamin D3 Drops With Standard Time upon us — hello, sunset at 4:45! — it’s important to get extra vitamin D wherever you can. Winner of Kosherfest’s Best New Product in the category of Health and Wellness, Good Raz (pronounced “raze”) developed tasteless, scentless, water-soluble Vitamin D3 drops to put in your morning coffee or water. It’s good for kids who don’t like swallowing pills, and the water-soluble technology means it will absorb into your system more quickly than pills, the manufacturer claims. A bottle costs $19.99 and lasts 4 months.

recent years, and the kosher industry is no different. Tauriga Sciences, a life sciences company based in Wappingers Falls, New York, returned to Kosherfest this year with six different flavors of Tauri-Gum, chewing gum that’s infused with CBD or CBG (cannabigerol), both of which are non-intoxicating and allegedly reduce inflammation and provide stress relief, among other health benefits. Fun fact: The influencer and activist Adina Miles-Sash, known on Instagram as FlatbushGirl, is the brand’s Chief Marketing Officer. A pack of eight pieces ranges from $17.99 to $22.99 depending on flavor, with subscription options available.

Cary & Main Kosher Maple Creme Traveling all the way from St. Johnsbury, Vermont, Cary & Main brought a taste of the Green Mountain State with their maple creme, a delicious, creamy maple spread that’s pareve (neither meat nor dairy). The spread could go on toast, crackers, baked goods or even eaten straight out of the jar (which retails for $18.75). There are two varieties, Golden and Amber, and both are “hand-crafted by artisans in a small Vermont town as picturesque as you imagine it to be,” according to their web site.

Bee’s Water Bee’s water is turning an age-old cure for sore throats — honey — into a prepackaged beverage packed with vitamins and flavor. There are five different flavors to choose from, including blueberry and cinnamon, and an organic line on the way. It tastes like bottled-up Rosh Hashanah that you can enjoy all year round. A 12-bottle variety pack is currently selling for $35.99.

Tauri-Gum Cannabidiol or CBD-infused products have taken over the food industry in

Ben’s Best Kosher Charcuterie Gone are the days of wondering what prosciutto, bacon or chorizo might taste like. After working at a top kosher restaurant in Paris, French Chef Benjamin Lapin spent years researching and developing charcuterie recipes made with 100% kosher beef. Although Ben’s Best is based in Florida, kosher buyers can order online and have its dry-cured meats shipped anywhere.

THE KJ POULTRY BOOTH DRAWS A CROWD AT THE FIRST DAY OF THE TWO-DAY KOSHERFEST TRADE SHOW IN SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY, NOV. 9, 2021. (JULIA GERGELY)

JEWISH LEDGER

NOVEMBER 19, 2021

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The story behind the Will Ferrell-Paul Rudd series BY BEN SALES

(New York Jewish Week via JTA) — One of the first images of “The Shrink Next Door,” the limited series that premiered Friday on Apple TV+, is of a smiling man wearing a huge kippah, chatting at a party in the Hamptons. The party, viewers will later find out, is being held at the summer home of Marty Markowitz, a garment district merchant whose life becomes increasingly dominated by his psychiatrist, Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf. The series is based on a true story that was first told in a popular 2019 podcast of the same name by journalist Joe Nocera. Paul Rudd plays Herschkopf and Will Ferrell plays Markowitz in a story that centers on a distinct slice of New York City’s religious and philanthropic Jewish community starting in the 1980s. The real-life Herschkopf took Markowitz on as a patient in 1981. Over the next three decades, according to the podcast and the series, the psychiatrist essentially transforms his patient into his manservant. He persuades Markowitz to cut off relations with his family and friends. He commandeers Markowitz’s Hamptons house and passes himself off as the owner. He insinuates himself into Markowitz’s business and finances. In 2010, Markowitz realizes what has happened and ends his relationship with Herschkopf, who lost his psychiatric license this year. Since that time, other patients of Hershkopf have made similar, if less chronic, allegations against him. “The Shrink Next Door” touches on universal themes, like the fraught nature of

mental health treatment, the occasionally fine line between friendship and manipulation, and the question of who in your life you can really trust. But the podcast and series also play out in a very specific setting: New York City’s affluent Modern Orthodox Jewish community. Pages could be filled by just listing the Jewish references and resonances in the story. Herschkopf and Markowitz were introduced by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, a pioneering liberal Orthodox leader who built a huge following at Manhattan’s Lincoln Square Synagogue before moving to Israel. Markowitz worked in the historically Jewish garment district. Herschkopf’s parents both survived Auschwitz. A breaking point in the story comes when Markowitz holds a second bar mitzvah. And so on. But in interviews last week, Markowitz and Nocera both told The Jewish Week in separate interviews that they don’t especially see this as a story about the Jewish community. Nor do either of them think the rabbis who knew both men, and went to parties at the Hamptons house, bear any responsibility for what happened. Markowitz said Herschkopf grew close to high-profile rabbis for the same reason he constantly tried to snag photos with actors: He was fixated on celebrity. Rabbis were also a convenient source of referrals. “His modus operandi was to cultivate relationships with the New York City rabbinate — not just Manhattan, but Brooklyn, and wherever, Queens, what have you — and they would funnel patients to him,” said Markowitz,

MARTY MARKOWITZ AND HIS SISTER, PHYLLIS SHAPIRO. (DEBRA NUSSBAUM COHEN)

JEWISH LEDGER

| NOVEMBER 19, 2021

now 79. “He was a brown-noser, he loved the rabbis.” Markowitz added, regarding the rabbis, “He betrayed these people. This is a massive betrayal. They trusted him. They sent him patients, they trusted him to do the right thing and help people, and what does he do? He hurt people.” In the 1980s, Herschkopf instructed Markowitz to set up a philanthropic foundation called the Yaron Foundation, funded mostly with Markowitz’s money but with Herschkopf serving as president. Yaron’s tax documents give a sense of how Herschkopf used his patient’s money to curry favor with prominent Orthodox institutions in the area. Yaron’s 2003 documents, for example, list donations of $1,000 or more to Riskin’s Lincoln Square Synagogue as well as Park East Synagogue, The Ramaz School, The Hampton Synagogue and the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, which is run by Rabbi Marc Schneier. Lincoln Square, Park East, the Hampton Synagogue and Ramaz all got at least $1,800 from the foundation in 2006 as well. All of the institutions were led by influential Modern Orthodox rabbis. Some rabbis who had relationships with Herschkopf have stayed silent on his misconduct in the years since the podcast came out. Riskin told JTA in 2019 that he “cannot offer any recollections, reflections or insights on the matter.” Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, founder of Ramaz, and Schneier, who also leads The Hampton Synagogue, did not respond to requests for comment this week. Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, an author on Jewish ethics and values who has cited Herschkopf in his books as an authority, told JTA by phone this week that Herschkopf is “my friend” and that he had no comment on the allegations. But Nocera, a former reporter and business columnist for The New York Times, said the rabbis were in the dark about their friend’s deeds. “Most of them didn’t know of Ike as somebody who manipulates patients,” Nocera said. “He kept that sealed off. Unless you were part of his patients’ inner circle, you didn’t know that Ike was doing this stuff. If they asked him about the house, he would say, ‘We bought it for the company.’” One Jewish venue that gave Herschkopf a platform was the New York Jewish Week. In light of his misconduct, some of his columns take on the ring of irony, like one in which he insists on the necessity of parents separating themselves from their married children so that the young couple can create a new home. Herschkopf allegedly advised patients to break

WILL FERRELL, LEFT, PLAYS A JEWISH GAR PSYCHIATRIST WHO MANIPUL

ties with their families, and some became estranged from relatives on his counsel. At the same time, he resisted Markowitz’s attempts to break ties with him. His infatuation with celebrity is also present throughout his columns, including one that says his Passover seder invitees included “best-selling authors, Michelin chefs, famous actors, sports celebrities, rock stars, et al.” Other passages, written after Markowitz ended their relationship in 2010, sound almost like soul searching. In one, published in 2013, Herschkopf describes the pitfalls of psychiatry. He wrote, “When we consider ourselves the best, when we lose our humility, is precisely when, whether as physicians or as parents, we become most vulnerable to truly cataclysmic mistakes.” Gary Rosenblatt, who was the publisher and editor of The Jewish Week when Herschkopf wrote his columns, said he had no knowledge of Herschkopf’s misconduct at the time, and had no further comment. Nocera said that, in a sense, Herschkopf was able to take advantage of the New York Jewish communal network to draw people in, much like Bernie Madoff. “As the story broadened, and I learned more, I definitely started to see it as a kind of — what did they call what Madoff did? — an affinity crime,” Nocera said. “I found a lot of people who were victimized by Ike in one way or the other and they were all Jews. Many of them were the children of Holocaust survivors, because he was.” Asked to elaborate on the Madoff comparison, Nocera said, “Madoff operated jewishledger.com

‘The Shrink Next Door’

RMENT MANUFACTURER AND PAUL RUDD PLAYS THE LATES HIM IN “THE SHRINK NEXT DOOR.” (APPLE TV+)

on such a bigger scale than Ike. You know, Ike manipulated people partly just because he could. Most of them, there wasn’t money involved.” Nocera did worry that, as a non-Jewish journalist exposing scandal among Jews, he would be accused of antisemitism. But, he said, “the only person who ever made that accusation, ever, was Ike.” Herschkopf did not reply to a call for comment. In 2019, he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, “90% of the podcast is untrue or out of context,” a claim Nocera vigorously denies. The “Shrink” series leans into the story’s Jewish milieu. In the first episode, rabbis get multiple mentions (though names are changed) and Herschkopf talks about his parents surviving the Holocaust. The second episode opens with a flashback scene from Markowitz’s bar mitzvah. The emphasis on Judaism comes despite the fact that two of the three stars aren’t Jewish: Ferrell and Kathryn Hahn, who plays Markowitz’s sister. (Rudd is a Jew.) Hahn has played a string of Jews on screen, including a rabbi, and convincingly portrays a straighttalking Jewish single mother — sometimes sounding almost like Susie Essman on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Ferrell, whose New York accent waxes and wanes, isn’t as consistent. But Markowitz is pleased with the actor’s performance. Later in the series, Markowitz says, Ferrell acquits himself well when saying the blessings before the Torah at synagogue. He just wishes the script had allowed Ferrell to avoid saying jewishledger.com

KATHRYN HAHN PLAYS THE SISTER OF MARTY MARKOWITZ. (APPLE TV+)

God’s Hebrew name. Markowitz says the idea that only Jews should play Jewish characters is “narishkeit,” Yiddish for nonsense. Nocera agrees. “I think that’s silly,” Nocera said. “Catholic actors should play Catholics? I mean, come on, I think that’s silly. And by the way, I have to say I thought Kathryn Hahn’s Hebrew was pretty darn good in ‘The Shrink Next Door.’” And how is Markowitz handling watching his trauma reenacted on TV? He says he doesn’t mind. Herschkopf controlled his life for 30 years. Now, he says, he’s moved on. “This thing ended 11 years ago,” he said. “I’m over this guy. I don’t walk around carrying something on my shoulders, telling me, watch out for this, watch out for that. He doesn’t dominate my life.” He added, “I’ll never see a psychiatrist again. I don’t need one. I told you, I’m a happy guy.”

A Tale of Two Marty Markowitzs BY BEN SALES

(New York Jewish Week via JTA) — Marty Markowitz, the former borough president of Brooklyn, has never listened to the popular podcast called “The Shrink Next Door.” He’s only vaguely aware that it’s now a TV series with an A-list cast. He does know, however, that he and the main character share the exact same name. “‘The Shrink Next Door’?” he said when a reporter called Friday. After hearing a brief description of the story, he said, “The one with Marty Markowitz?” “Shrink,” which premiered on Friday on Apple TV+, is based on the true story of a New York City psychiatrist who exploits and dominates the life of his patient, named Marty Markowitz, who is portrayed on screen by Will Ferrell. It’s based on a popular podcast of the same name, which was written and hosted by journalist Joe Nocera. (See story page 12.) The Marty Markowitz of the series and the podcast is a former fabric manufacturer, now 79 and living on the East End of Long Island. But Marty Markowitz, 76, the former politician who also served 23 years in the New York State Senate, doesn’t really know much about the story. Reached by phone on Friday, Markowitz, who served three terms as borough president from 2002 to 2013, said a couple of friends have ribbed him about the coincidence. He said that Marty Markowitz is “not a common name,” but then proceeded to rattle off a couple other Marty Markowitzes who have entered his life over the past few decades. One, according to the former borough president, was a psychologist on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, whose prospective patients would sometimes call him. Unfortunately, that person is nearly impossible to Google. Searches for “Martin Markowitz Brooklyn” turn up results for

the former borough president. Searches for “Martin Markowitz psychologist” turn up results for “The Shrink Next Door.” An advanced Google search did yield a citation in a medical library catalog from the ’70s referencing a Martin Markowitz. And it’s possible that the former Beep was referring to Dr. Martin Markowitz, a clinical director at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, but he probably wasn’t. That doctor specializes in infectious disease, not psychology, and does not work in Brooklyn. The borough president also said there was a Marty Markowitz from Boca Raton, Florida, who called him up to say, “Hey! I’m Marty Markowitz, too.” Those two Marty Markowitzes have since met each other a couple times on trips the Brooklyn Marty has taken to Florida. “A nice enough fella,” former President Markowitz said. “It was fine. It was, you know — I think we had dinner, his wife, my wife, and that was it.” The two Marty Markowitzes — from Brooklyn and “Shrink,” that is — have never spoken. But they do agree on at least one thing: neither sees a problem with a nonJewish actor like Ferrell playing a Jew from New York named Marty Markowitz. “I gotta tell you there are Jews that play Italians and there are Italians that play Jews,” former President Markowitz said. “It’s OK as long as they’re skilled.” (Markowitz of “Shrink” expressed similar sentiments to JTA earlier this week.) The one caveat, he said, is that Ferrell — who grew up in California in a family with English, Irish, Welsh and German roots — would have to play “a tall Jew.” “By the way, Will Ferrell is six-footthree, a little taller than yours truly,” the former borough president said, adding the he stands “five-foot-five and a half. That half is very, very important.”

MARTY MARKOWITZ (LEFT) IS THE FORMER BOROUGH PRESIDENT OF BROOKLYN, N.Y., AND MARTY MARKOWITZ (RIGHT) IS THE MAN AT THE CENTER OF THE PODCAST-TURNED-TV SERIES “THE SHRINK NEXT DOOR.” (GETTY IMAGES)

JEWISH LEDGER

NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Briefs Journalist Danny Fenster sentenced to 11 years in Myanmar, is released (JTA) — Danny Fenster, a Jewish American journalist who Am and was sentenced to 11 years in prison Friday has been released. Former New Mexico governor and former diplomat Bill Richardson, who was in the country on a humanitarian visit, told reporters Monday that Fenster would travel back to the United States “through Qatar, over the next day and a half,” according to CNN. Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for Myanmar’s military, told CNN that Fenster “has been released and deported. We will release details why he was released later.” Fenster, who had lived and worked in Myanmar since 2019 and seven as a managing editor at Frontier Myanmar, had been detained at the airport while trying to leave the country to visit the United States in May. Fenster had been held without bail on various charges by Myanmar’s military, all having to do with his journalism. Fenster’s imprisonment had become a rallying cry in his hometown of Detroit, where many lawns display “Free Fenster” signs on their front lawns, and his family has organized rallies attended by local Congressman Andy Levin. A recent post in a “Bring Danny Home” Facebook group, which has more than 6,000 members, reads, “We wish more than anything that Danny would be brought home to this community that loves him so.”

John Cleese cancels at Cambridge U over a debate about Hitler impersonation (JTA) — An impression of Adolf Hitler at Cambridge University has touched off a fight over the limits of free speech and has drawn Monty Python comedian John Cleese into the fray. The impersonation was delivered at a debate last week on whether there’s such a thing as “good taste.” Andrew Graham-Dixon, an art historian, impersonated Hitler as an example of bad taste, in order to argue that good and bad taste do exist. At the time, Keir Bradwell, the president of the Cambridge Union, a debating society, jokingly thanked Graham-Dixon for the impersonation. Since then, Bradwell has reversed course and published an apology for not cutting Graham-Dixon off. That condemnation has led Cleese, a champion of free speech, to cancel his attendance at an upcoming event at the Cambridge Union. He said he made the decision in protest of the university’s treatment of Graham-Dixon. Cleese was scheduled to appear in Cambridge as a guest of the debating society as part of his new 14

JEWISH LEDGER

documentary series, “Cancel Me,” in which Cleese interviews people who are perceived to have been penalized or silenced for making offensive statements. In the debate, Graham-Dixon spoke as Hitler, putting on a German accent while making a Nazi salute. “Culture struggle through taste, my struggle, my struggle, Adolf Hitler’s struggle, I was a watercolor painter, I was rejected, my German art, my purity, it was rejected,” Graham-Dixon said in a German accent before about 400 listeners. “The romantic tradition of German art was rejected by this modern art, this modern, horrible art that was promoted by the Jews.” The audience of 400 people voted in favor of Graham-Dixon in the debate. At the event, Bradwell commended Graham-Dixon for “perhaps the longest Hitler impression this chamber has ever received, a remarkable accomplishment for tonight.” But days later, Bradwell apologized for not interrupting Graham-Dixon. “I would like to offer my unreserved apology for the comments made by a speaker in our debate on Thursday night,” he wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “Neither I nor the society condones the thoughtless and grotesque language used by the individual in question, and I am sorry for my failure to intervene at the time.”

Polish soccer referee sends out antisemitic rant (JTA) — Jewish groups in Poland complained after a professional soccer referee ridiculed the work of a group trying to root out antisemitism in the sport. Lukasz Araszkiewicz, a referee from Poznan, called the work of the Never Again association “hogwash by Jewish centers and milieus.” Never Again, which seeks to curb expressions of racist hatred in soccer, had invited him and others to participate in the group’s activities, the Poznan edition of Gazeta Wyborca on Tuesday, Nov. 9 reported. “Jews are not a chosen people despite this everlasting pretense of theirs,” Araszkiewicz replied in an email, “and portraying Poles as antisemites and talking about Polish concentration camps is the biggest Jewish f*****g despicable thing since World War II,” according to Never Again. Never Again and the American Jewish Committee’s Warsaw office urged FIFA, the world soccer federation, to take disciplinary action against Araszkiewicz, Never Again wrote on Facebook Wednesday.

NY Gov calls out Democrats who question ‘our commitment to Israel’ (New York Jewish Week via JTA) — New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul vowed to fight hate crimes and criticized fellow Democrats over their positions on Israel, in a speech delivered virtually to the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York on Wednesday, Nov. 10. Hochul pledged to

| NOVEMBER 19, 2021

fight antisemitism and help bolster security at Jewish institutions. She also declared her support for Israel and called out those in her own party who disagree. “As a member of Congress a decade ago, I stood firm with Israel when they were under assault,” she said. “And even more recently, as a Democrat, now, I reject the individuals in my party who are making this an issue and questioning our commitment to Israel.” Progressives like by New York Representative Alexandria OcasioCortez have challenged their party on issues like defense assistance for Israel. Hochul noted that she was delivering the speech on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, and drew a connection to present-day antisemitism. She promised that she was “working very hard to make sure that the resources are there from the state government to fund security programs.” “For so long the community has been under assault, and we talked about the rise in hate crimes against individuals who should never have that fear in their hearts,” she said. “You’ve always fought back. The Jewish people always had to fight back but it makes them stronger and more united together.” Near the end of her speech, Hochul said that she had planned to visit Israel over Thanksgiving with her family, but that in August “my life changed rather dramatically” — a reference to her becoming governor upon Cuomo’s resignation. “Let’s let me get through this year, and I’ll be there next year,” she said.

Murderer of French Holocaust survivor gets life (JTA) — A French court sentenced a man to life in prison for what it termed the antisemitic murder of a Holocaust survivor in Paris in 2018. The murderer of Mirelle Knoll, Yacine Mihoub, will be eligible for parole in 22 years, according to the ruling Wednesday, Nov. 10, by the Criminal Tribunal of Paris, AFP reported. An accomplice of his, Alex Carrimbacus, was sentenced to 15 years for theft aggravated by a hate crime for their actions in 2018. The charred body of Mireille Knoll, 85, was discovered in her apartment on March 23, 2018. Knoll, who escaped deportation to a Nazi death camp when French police rounded up Jews in Paris in 1942, was stabbed 11 times before her apartment was set ablaze by the perpetrators. Mihoub, 29, is a son of Knoll’s neighbor and had known her all his life. He and Carrimbacus, 23, were indicted in May 2020. In the verdict, the two men’s crimes were found to have been antisemitic because they targeted Knoll out of the belief that robbing and killing her would be lucrative because she is Jewish. Knoll’s murder provoked an outcry by French Jews, including a protest march through Paris organized by Jewish community leaders in which 10,000 people participated. Her murder occurred about a year after the slaying of Sarah Halimi, a Jewish physician, by a neighbor who shouted about Allah as he killed her. The

killer in that case, Kobili Traore, did not stand trial because a judge found that he was suffering a psychotic episode induced by the consumption of marijuana. That ruling, which ended with Traore being admitted to a psychiatric institution, sparked a wave of protests by French Jews. Knoll’s family said the sentences imposed on her murderer and robber were fair.

Actor Paul Rudd is ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ for 2021 (JTA) — Paul Rudd, the Jewish movie star whose original family name was Rudnitsky, was named People magazine’s “sexiest man alive” in 2021. He responded to the magazine with the signature sense of humility that has helped endear him to fans — in addition to his good looks — for over two decades of mostly comedic roles. “When I think about myself, I think of myself as a husband and a father, like I’m that,” he said in the article published Wednesday, Nov. 10. “I just hang out with my family when I’m not working. That’s what I kind of like the most.” “There are so many people that should get this before me,” he added. Rudd, 52, was born to English Jewish parents, and learned about the antisemitism their ancestors faced on the PBS genealogy series “Finding Your Roots” in 2017. Rudd said he grew up largely detached from religion but experienced some antisemitism himself as a kid growing up in Missouri and Kansas. Before he made a name for himself in blockbuster comedies such as “Anchorman” and “Knocked Up,” Rudd was briefly a bar and bat mitzvah DJ. Rudd’s next big role is a very Jewish one: he will star as Dr. Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf in the Apple+ TV adaptation of “The Shrink Next Door,” (see story this issue). The list of famous Jews formerly named “sexiest man alive” is short — pop star Adam Levine was given the honor in 2013; actor Harrison Ford, who had a Jewish mother and partly defines himself as Jewish, was given the title in 1998; English soccer legend David Beckham, whose maternal grandmother was Jewish and has called himself “half-Jewish,” was selected in 2015.

Antisemitic tirade at AZ school board meeting spurs a debate (Jewish News of Greater Phoenix via JTA) — An antisemitic tirade at a school board meeting in suburban Phoenix last week has spurred an extensive response among local officials and Jewish leaders — some of whom say they were distressed that board members did not rebut the comment at the time. During the public comment portion of the meeting of the Chandler Unified School District board, a woman who identified herself as Melanie Rettler spoke about critical race theory and vaccines — topics not listed on the meeting agenda. Her comment crescendoed with an antisemitic jewishledger.com

claim drenched in the language of rightwing conspiracy theories. “Every one of these things, the deep state, the cabal, the swamp, the elite — you can’t mention it, but I will — there is one race that owns all the pharmaceutical companies and these vaccines aren’t safe, they aren’t effective and they aren’t free,” Rettler said. “You know that you’re paying for it through the increase in gas prices, the increase in food prices — you’re paying for this and it’s being taken from your money and being given to these pharmaceutical companies and if you want to bring race into this: It’s the Jews.” After Rettler walked away, Barb Mozdzen, the board president, addressed everybody in the room. “Comments really need to be related to what the school board can do something about, and this was not something we can do something about,” she said Some Jewish organizations expressed outrage that Mozdzen and other board members didn’t respond more strongly to the antisemitism. The Arizona chapter of the Israel American Council said it wrote to the Chandler board requesting that “in the future the board members themselves speak up the very moment such hateful lies are expressed.” “Our history teaches us that allowing such racism to pass unchallenged only invites more of the same,” the group said in a statement. Meanwhile, the ADL sent a letter to the board and each member expressing concern.“The lack of response from board members to last night’s public speaker who used blatant antisemitic tropes and stereotypes to promote anti-vaccine and anti-CRT views is simply appalling and dangerous,” the letter said. The response after the meeting was more decisive. After Chandler’s interim superintendent, Franklin Narducci, learned about what had happened, he got in touch with representatives of the Jewish community. Paul Rockower, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix, praised the district’s outreach to and collaboration with the Jewish community. So did Rabbi Michael Beyo, CEO of the East Valley Jewish Community Center in Chandler, who said he is pleased and grateful that Narducci sought to collaborate. “An ignorant person made an antisemitic comment. That’s not newsworthy,” Beyo said. “What is important is that the superintendent canceled all of his meetings [Thursday] in order to deal with this.” Narducci collaborated with Beyo to craft a statement that condemned hate speech and denounced the antisemitic statements. Beyo’s statement applauded the district governing board, administration and Narducci for “leading by example and speaking out against the hatred of all people.”

Bennett meets members of Congress on trip sponsored by J Street (JNS) Two delegations from Congress met with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at his office in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Nov. 17, including one which is raising eyebrows because of its sponsor. The two groups included one bipartisan delegation led by Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, and another all-Democratic delegation sponsored by the left-wing organization J Street, led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), chair of the House Appropriations Committee. The J Street sponsored delegation included Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Marc Pocan (D-Wis.), Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) and Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), some of who have been critical of Israel on the floor of the House of Representatives. The press release from Bennett’s office did not mention that the delegation was from J Street. Earlier this week, the J Street delegation met with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. Lapid thanked the delegation “for supporting the replenishment of the Iron Dome missiledefense system, and we discussed the importance of continuing to strengthen the US-Israel relationship.”The J Street delegation met with other Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog, on its five-day trip; and with Palestinian officials including Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh. An Israeli government official told Israel Hayom that “J Street is the only lobby that defines itself as ‘pro-Israel,’ but actively opposes the policies of the [various] governments – whether this means actively supporting a return to the nuclear deal with Iran, or promoting members of Congress who oppose Iron Dome funding. When other lobbies don’t agree with Israel on a certain issue, they simply keep quiet and don’t take a position. [J Street] are the only ones who come out against [Israel].” “Had the honor of meeting with children today in the occupied West Bank city Hebron,” Bowman tweeted while on the trip, along with a picture of himself and other delegation members sitting with Palestinian children. “There are streets they cannot walk and places they cannot go, simply because they are Palestinian. When I asked about their dreams, their answer was simple: freedom. The occupation must end.” Bowman was thanked in a retweet by J Street, repeating his sentiment.

Four Israeli products on TIME’s Best Inventions of 2021 list (Israel21C via JNS) TIME magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2021” list names 100 “inventions that are making the world better,

jewishledger.com

smarter and a bit more fun.” Four of these are Israeli: ElectReon wireless vehiclecharging technology in the transportation category; SupPlant ag-tech solution in the smarter-farming category; OrCam Read in the accessibility category; and Percepto AIM for automated inspections in the artificialintelligence category. ElectReon invented an in-road wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging technology for commercial, public and passenger vehicles. The charging infrastructure wirelessly charges EVs on the road when they’re in motion or at rest. The company is working on pre-commercial projects in Germany, Italy, Sweden and Israel. with plans to expand into North America. SupPlant uses sensors to monitor crops’ temperature and moisture, providing highly accurate instructions for farmers in 14 countries to maximize yields. A sensorless approach, intended for 450 million “smallholder” farmers in the developing world, is coming next. OrCam Read is a first-of-its-kind handheld device with a smart camera that seamlessly reads text from any printed surface or digital screen. It’s intended for people with mild low vision, reading fatigue, reading difficulties including dyslexia, and for anyone who consumes large amounts of text. Percepto Autonomous Inspection and Monitoring (AIM) software solution for industrial sites employs drones and robots to automate inspections, emergency response and security. From data capture to AI-powered insights and reports, Percepto AIM is used by Fortune 500 companies around the world. The 2022 AIM upgrade will be unveiled November 17 and features AI-powered analytics for specific sectors such as solar, mining, energy, and oil and gas.

Zeff said. “But no one would actually care, it’s a party game, you just have fun.” One of the biggest challenges in creating a Jewish party game that actually appeals to a broad swath of Jews is making sure the questions are engaging and funny for people from different backgrounds and communities. To do that, Zeff composed the questions together with four other writers and two editors from diverse backgrounds, including a gay Jewish comedian and a Sephardi Puerto Rican-Cuban Jew. Zeff describes herself as a “traditional egalitarian observant Jewish hippie who attends multiple kinds of services.” “Any game that’s creating a light, fun approach to cultural humor, and any game more broadly, will benefit and be infinitely better from being created by a diverse team within that group,” Zeff said. Jewish Card Revoked is the company’s first Jewish-themed game of Flying Leap Games, created by Zeff, 37, and her childhood friend, Jonathan Cannon. Though it covers a diverse swath of Jewish backgrounds and experiences, several of the game’s questions feel like inside baseball. Answers to a question about what poses the greatest threat to Jews in the 2020s include “the patriarchy,” “the cost of Jewish education,” “taking the Pew report too seriously,” and “chocolate chummus [sic].” Originally intended for secular Jews, it became a hit among the Orthodox community. “I realized that Orthodox Jews liked the game a lot,” she said. “And so it turns out that our main audiences were from very diverse spectrums.”

A new party game wants to take away your ‘Jewish card’ (JTA) — Excommunicating someone from the Jewish community is no laughing matter. Unless you’re taking their last “Jewish card” because of their opinions on cinnamonsugar bagels or the movie “Wet Hot American Summer.” Then you might just be playing a game of Jewish Card Revoked. Modeled after the popular games “Black Card Revoked” and “Latino Card Revoked,” the new game attempts to unite Jews of nearly every background over a skill most of them value: the ability to make fun of themselves. The game consists of cards that are each printed with one multiple choice question and four answers. The players vote on their preferred answer to each question, after which one representative of each answer makes the case for why their choice was best in 45 seconds or less. Players start the game with 10 points each and lose one point every time they disagree with the majority. But Molly Zeff, founder of the game’s production company, Flying Leap Games, says the points don’t really matter. “If you get to zero, your ‘Jewish card’ is revoked,” JEWISH LEDGER

NOVEMBER 19, 2021

It’s not too late to support these non-profits!

FAXON LIBRARY

WESTMOOR PARK

THE RON FOLEY FOUNDATION

FOUNDATION FOR WEST HARTFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

THE CONNECTICUT CHAPTER OF THE ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION

FOOTWEAR WITH CARE

DOG STAR RESCUE

FOOD FARMACY

FOR ALL AGES

FAXON LIBRARY

APK CHARITIES

RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE

KEEP A LOOK OUT! THESE BEARS WILL BE COMING TO WESTFARMS

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO ANY OF THESE NON-PROFITS Event brought to you by: 20MEDIA20.COM

JEWISH LEDGER

| NOVEMBER 19, 2021

jewishledger.com

THE KOSHER CROSSWORD NOV. 19, 2021 “Thanksgiving” By: Yoni Glatt

Difficulty Level: Medium

Vol. 93 No. 47 JHL Ledger LLC Publisher Henry M. Zachs Managing Partner

Curbside pick up and local home delivery available!

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

SHABBAT DINNER TRADITIONAL DAIRY LUNCHEON DELI SANDWICH PLATTER DINNER MENU

ADVERTISING Donna Edelstein, Senior Account Executive NonProfit & JHL Ledger LLC Media Marketing donnae@jewishledger.com • x3028 Joyce Cohen, Account Executive joycec@jewishledger.com • (860) 836-9195 Amy Oved, MA Account Executive amyo@jewishledger.com • (860) 841-8607 Trudy Goldstein, Account Executive (860) 573-1575 PRODUCTION Elisa S. Wagner, Creative Director elisaw@jewishledger.com • x3009 Christopher D. Bonito, Graphic Designer chrisb@jewishledger.com ADMINISTRATIVE Judy Yung, Accounting Manager judyy@jewishledger.com • x3016 Howard Meyerowitz, Office Manager howardm@jewishledger.com • x3035 Samuel Neusner, Founder (1929-1960) Rabbi Abraham J. Feldman, CoFounder and Editor (1929-1977) Berthold Gaster, Editor (1977-1992) N. Richard Greenfield, Publisher (1994-2014) PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT Editorial deadline: All public and social announcements must be received by Tuesday 5 p.m. 10 days prior to publication. Advertising deadline: Tuesday noon one week prior to issue. JHL Ledger LLC and Jewish Ledger shall not be liable for failure to publish an ad for typographical error or errors in the publication except to the extent of the cost of the space which the actual error appeared in the first insertion. Publishers reserve the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable. The publishers cannot warrant, nor assume responsibility for, the legitimacy, reputability or legality of any products or services offered in advertisements in any of its publications. The entire contents of the Jewish Ledger are copyright © 2021. No portion may be reproduced without written permission of the publishers. JHL Ledger LLC also publishes Jewish Ledger MA, All Things Jewish CT, and All Things Jewish MA.

ANSWERS TO NOV. 12 CROSSWORD

jewishledger.com

Across 1. Complicated sci-fi character Boba 5. Yishmael’s descendants’ practice it 10. Bird or Pitt 14. New York canal since 1825 15. “Beautiful” name for an Israeli girl 16. AKA Rabbi Moshe Isserles 17. Former NBA announcer Albert 18. Like expectations for many a Mets and Knicks season 19. Military pilots’ org. 20. Thanksgiving 23. 2009 World Series MVP Matsui

24. Like much of Jerusalem 26. Efrat to Jericho dir. 27. “Turn the Beat Around” singer 31. Ger.’s locale 32. Brit. sports cars 33. Kind of space or limits 34. They’re in their last yr. 35. Saying thanks at the end of Thanksgiving, perhaps 39. Gentle as ___ 41. Yutzes 44. Another name for 35-Across 50. Right-hand man: Abbr. 51. Bring out of slumber 52. Where David slew Goliath 54. Hostage in Genesis 55. Former Mossad Director

Cohen or composer Green 56. Full deck, to Caesar? 57. Another name for 35-Across 62. King Saul’s general 63. PC key beside the space bar 64. Blazing heaps 65. First name in cosmetics 66. Fed. ___ Bk. 67. Jewish rocker Lee

Down 1. Un-masc. 2. Clearing the tape 3. Rants 4. Iconic milkman 5. How to harmonize 6. Made like Netta 7. Seder mainstay 8. Say for certain 9. Dancer who was a WWI spy 10. Zemo portrayer for Marvel 11. Fixes, as a shoe 12. One going pro 13. Yomi preceder 21. Barinholtz of “The Mindy Project” 22. N.L. Central squad, on

scorecards 23. Sewing line 25. Rambam and Ramban, Abbr. 28. Legendary boy king 29. List abbr. 30. “Oy vey!” 35. Name on a license plate in classic “Simpsons” episode 36. Comics-page scream 37. Govt. hush-hush org. 38. Stare 39. Assimilates 40. Like some cousins 42. Israeli spy Jonathan 43. Went at a crawl 45. “Game of Thrones” character with many faces

46. Where some jokes go? 47. Hurry it up 48. Sometimes they’re frozen 49. Prime Minister or Talmudic Rav 50. Pond slime 53. Kind of fit 58. “The Voice” judge ___-Lo 59. Cockney “present” 60. Gas-guzzling stat. 61. A hitter might have a good one

JEWISH LEDGER

NOVEMBER 19, 2021

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

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 Making Bloomfield Home A panel including Steve Aronson, David Baram, Michael Cohen, Miriam Fleishman, Sheila Frankel, and Henriette Herzfeld, will share reflections on the Jewish history of Bloomfield, memories of growing up in town, and aspects of synagogue and community life on Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m. Moderated by Rabbi Debra Cantor. Join us to share your own recollections. At B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom in Bloomfield. Co-hosted by The Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford and The Neshama Center for Lifelong Learning at B’Nai Tikvoh-Sholom. For more information or to register: jhsgh.org.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 Voices of Hope 13th Anniversary Celebration Sharone Kornman will be the L’dor V’dor honoree at the Voices of Hope virtual “Evening of Hope 2021” event marking the group’s 13th anniversary, to be held on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. The event can be viewed on YouTube Live. In addition to the presentation of the L’Dor V’Dor award, the organization’s members and donors will also be honored. For more information or t oregister email info@ctoicesofhope.org, or call (860) 470-5591.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 18 A History of Holocaust Trials Lawrence R. Douglas, J.D. professor of Law, Jurisprudence Xena d social thought at Amherst College, will discuss “A History of Holocaust Trials: From Nuremberg to Demjanjuk and Back Again, on a live webinar presented by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University on Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19, 1946, the most famous of the post-World War II trials: the Trial of Major War Criminals, held at the Palace of Justice

BULLTETIN BOARD Yossi Klein Halevi to headline JNF-USA’s virtual breakfast for Israel New York Times best-selling author and journalist Yossi Klein Halevi will be keynote speaker at Jewish National Fund-USA’s (JNF-USA) New England & the Capital Region Virtual Breakfast for Israel on Tuesday, Nov. 30. Halevi, who has written for several newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic, is also author of four acclaimed books, including Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, which reaches toward Jerusalembased Halevi’s Palestinian neighbors and explores how the conflict looks through Israeli eyes. Later editions of the book include 50 pages of responses from Palestinians and others throughout the Arab and Muslim world. A senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, Halevi and Imam Abdullah Antepli co-direct the Muslim Leadership Initiative, which teaches emerging young Muslim American leaders about Judaism, Jewish identity, and Israel. Halevi’s other books have received numerous awards and praise, including 18

JEWISH LEDGER

Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation, which won the Everett Family Jewish Book of the Year Award and the RUSA Sophie Brody Medal. Breakfast for Israel takes place on Giving Tuesday, a year-round global movement that “inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.” “All proceeds raised during the JNF-USA Virtual Breakfast for Israel event on Nov. 30, will be matched up to $1 million,” says David Peskin, JNF-USA president of the Board, Southern New England. Say Robin Santiago, JNF-USA New England & the Capital Region Breakfast for Israel Co-chair: “It is imperative that we continue to invest heavily in the growth of the Negev and the Galilee and to foster coexistence. It’s especially crucial that we continue and increase our support in local businesses, Jewish and Arab alike, as well as in environmental causes and community building in Israel’s frontiers, which have suffered greatly as a side effect of decreased travel and tourism during the pandemic.” For more information and to register for this year’s Breakfast for Israel, visit jnf.org/ breakfastforisrael or contact Emily Pfeffer, JNF-USA senior campaign executive, New England at (617) 423-0999 x812 or EPfeffer@jnf.org.

| NOVEMBER 19, 2021

in Nuremberg, came to an end. Nineteen former Nazis were found guilty. Twelve were sentenced to death, one in absentia; the rest were given prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life behind bars. Lawrence R. Douglas, author of seven books including The Memory of Judgment: Making Law and History in the Trials of the Holocaust (2001) and The Right Wrong Man: John Demjanjuk and the Last Great Nazi War Crimes, will discuss the trials’ legal, political, and historical significance. FREE. Registration required. For info: email bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or call (203) 2544000, ext. 2066.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20 Harmony Times Two in Concert

The Emanuel Synagogue (160 Mohegan Drive, West Hartford) will host an Israel Trip Info Session on Nov. 18, 7:30-9 p.m.,—Learn about unique Israel trip led by Emanuel Executive Director Kobi Benita. For more info, visit Emanuelsynagogue.org.

The JCC in Sherman presents Harmony Times Two in Concert featuring Noelle and Tyler and LUMOS, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m., Noelle and Tyler combine their unique vocal talents to bring you acoustic, harmonized covers of some of the best folk rock from the 60s and 70s. The singer/songwriter duo of Susanna Marker and Al Burgasser known as LUMONS, have been performing together continuously for more than a decade. Their special vocal harmonies accompanied by music written and arranged by them for guitar and violin (and other instruments) make for a unique sound spanning a wide range of style and content Reservations required. Tickets: $20/member; $25/nonmembers. Concerts will be held indoors. Masks are required, regardless of vaccination status. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit jccinsherman.org.

Novelist Sayed Kashua to speak at Wesleyan’s Contemporary Israeli Voices

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21

Israel Trip Info Session

Wesleyan University’s 19th Annual Contemporary Israeli Voices presents bestselling novelist Sayed Kashua on Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. Author of three well received novels and the creator of the hit TV series Arab Labor, Kashua will present “The Foreign Mother Tongue., in which he will discuss Arab identity, Palestinian identity and Israeli identity, and explore what it means to sit at a point of intersection between them. The Contemporary Israeli Voices series, sponsored by Wesleyan’s Center for Jewish Studies and organized by Dalit Katz, celebrates the voices of women and minorities. All presentations are free. To register, visit http://civ.site. wesleyan.edu. “A History of Holocaust Trials? Under discussion in Fairfield Lawrence R. Douglas, JD, will deliver a lecture entitled “A History of Holocaust Trials: From Nuremberg to Demjanjuk and Back Again,” to mark the 75th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials on Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Lawrence R. Douglas, JD, James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought, Amherst College; author, The Memory of Judgment: Making Law and History in the Trials of the Holocaust (2001),The Right Wrong Man: John Demjanjuk and the Last Great Nazi War Crimes Trials (2016). The webinar is free, but registration is required. Sponsored by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies of Fairfield University. For more information, contact Jennifer Haynos at bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or (203) 2544000, ext. 2066.

Craft & Gift Fair in New Haven The JCC of Greater New Haven will host its 17th annual Craft & Gift Fair on Nov. 21, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the JCC, 360 Amity Rd. N Woodbridge. The fair will feature all sorts of gifs accessories, home decor, pottery, jewelry and more. Plus, activities including free crafts for kids, tours and giveaways, and raffle. Complimentary babysitting (1 - 3 pm) available. Learn more at jccnh.org/events. Gershwin at the Mandell JCC Israeli jazz pianist, vocalist and composer Guy Mintus performs an entire album of music dedicated to Jewish composer George Gershwin at the Mandell JCC, 335 Bloomfield Ave., on Nov. 21, 7 pm. Co-sponsored by Consulate General of Israel I New England Ted Kapan & Bobbie Woronow and Delamar Hotels. Mintus injects his trademark highvoltage energy, including rapid-fire piano fills and a pulsating jazz beat, to what’s normally a placid lullaby. (Read an interview with Guy Mintus in next week’s issue of the Jewish Ledger.) Tickets: $25/adults; $18/student. For more information, visit mandelljcc.org. Mark Oppenheimer, author of “Squirrel Hill,” in New Haven Mark Oppenheimer, the author of five books, director of the Yale Journalism Initiative, and a host of the podcast Unorthodox, will discuss his latest book, Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood, at 11 a.m., during the BEKI Sisterhood Book and Gift Fair. Admissin: FREE; masks required. At Congregation Beth El—Keser Israel, 85 Harrison St., corner of Whalley Avenue, New Haven. For more information: office@beki.org or (203) 3892108 x114. jewishledger.com

TORAHPortion

NOVEMBER 16 – DECEMBER 19 JTConnect Annual Pumpkin Pie Bake

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1

Join Jewish teens in baking 150+ pumpkin pies to donate t local agencies for their Thanksgiving meals on Nov. 21, 11:30 a.m. at Congregation Beth Israel. Open to all teens in 8th-12th grades. Bring a friend. For more information or to RSVP: cara@jtconnect.org, (860) 727-6110.

An Evening of the Gershwins

Interfaith Thanksgiving Service in South Windsor The Greater Hartford community is invited to join the annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service hosted by Temple Beth Hillel and led by clergy members of different religions, on Monday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m., The service will be held online and in person (masks required) at Temple Beth Hillel, 20 Baker Lane, South Windsor. The annual event will feature inspirational readings, remarks and music from Beth Hillel’s Rabbi Jeffrey Glickman and Cantor Scott Harris, and many area clergy. The Rev. Anne Fraley of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in South Windsor will deliver this year’s sermon. The service will be live-streamed on www. tbhsw.org or on Temple Beth Hillel’s Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/tbhsw. For more information, call (860) 282-8466, ext. 0, visit www.tbhsw.org, or email Rabbi Jeff Glickman at rabbi@tbhsw.org.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28 “Fire on ICE” Chanukah in West Hartford Chabad of Greater Hartford’s popular “Fire on ICE – Chanukah @ Blue Back” celebration will take place in front of West Hartford’s Town Hall (to enable an “In-person” celebration as well as a “Drive-in” option for this year’s event) on Nov 28 (the1st night of the holiday) at 4 p.m. I the parking lot of Town Hall — Highlights include: A concert by the popular Israeli singer/songwriter Yoni Z; a master ice sculptor will sculpt a raw block of ice into a giant menorah; Chanukah kits (as available), filled with games, crafts, cookies, Chocolate gelt, raffles, prizes and face-painting, hot drinks from Starbucks and food for sale. Once again, the West Hartford Fire Dept. will hold its “Great Chanukah Gift Drop” in which they ‘rain’ down treats on kids from atop their long ladder. The event is FREE. Register at ChabadHartford.com/fire. Don’t forget to check out candle-lighting events on the Gian menorahs that will be displayed throughout the state. For a schedule of candle-lighting events visit ChabadHartford. com/103839.

jewishledger.com

Join us on Dec. 1, 7 p.m., for an evening of music by the Gershwin brothers featuring the singing quartet of Rebecca Cooper, Marissa Cortese, Jacob Litt and Brian Rosenblum, who will be accompanied by a threepiece orchestra. Also back for an encore is Broadway producer Jack Viertel, who will give commentary on lyrics, plays and the history of George and Ira Gershwin. Hosted by UJA/JCC Greenwich. Proof of vaccination required. At Ferguson Library in Stamford. Tickets: $36/in advance; $50/at the door.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4 Chanukah Celebration in Southbury Schmooze with friends and enjoy a night of Israeli dancing, litanies and libations (which will be served outside owing to the pandemic). Adults only. Hosted by the Jewish Federation of Western CT, 444 Main St North in Southbury. Dec. 4, 7 - 9 p.m. RSP by Nov. 30. Tickets: $18.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5 In Concert with Mozart, Vivaldi & Chanukah A concert with Cantor Joseph Ness and Cantor Stephanie Kupfer on Dec. 5, 7 p.m.. Tickets: $25/ seniors (65+) and students; $2/FREE for children 12 & under. For tickets, visit: tinyurl. com/BacktotheMusic. Tickets also available at the door. Virtual tickets also available. At Beth El Temple, 626 Albany Ave. in West Hartford. Free parking, Handicap access.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19 Davis Film Fest present “Stream” The Davis Film Festival present the drama “Stream” co-starring Lior Ashkenazi and Shira Haas. “Stream” tells the story of Noah, a world-renowned orchestra conductor who returns him to Petah Tikvah after 30 years, where he finds his father in a state of progressive Alzheimer’s with singing in the community choir as his only remaining joy. When the choir’s conductor dies, Noah decides to take his place…all the while, he is slowly going deaf. Sponsored by UJA/JCC of Greenwich. Five episodes, streaming Dec. 19 through Jan. 16 at 9 p .m. Tickets: $18.

Vayishlach

BY RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

t was shortly after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and I was listening to one of my favorite radio talk shows while driving. The guest was a professor of sociology who was insisting, much to the chagrin of the talk show host, that the firemen who lost their lives saving others at the World Trade Center were not true heroes. He maintained that a true hero does something very unusual, something neither he nor anyone else typically does. These firemen, he argued, were simply doing their duty. They showed up to work in the morning, went through their usual routine, and responded to this assignment as part of their job. The announcer was horrified by this professor’s opinion and pronounced it a typical example of “academic snobbery.” My gut reaction was identical to the announcer’s horror. Of course, those firemen were heroes, great heroes. And they were heroes by virtue of the very fact that they carried out their life-saving duties with such astounding courage. Continuing to drive, I began to reflect upon the question of the definition of “hero” in the Jewish tradition. From the Jewish perspective, is a hero some kind of Superman who behaves in some extraordinarily dramatic fashion? Or is the true hero the person who, day in and day out, does what is expected of him in a faithful and diligent manner, humbly and anonymously, never making the headlines? My research soon convinced me that the latter definition was the accurate one from a Jewish point of view. He or she, who dutifully and loyally does his or her job, be it in the mundane or the sacred sphere, is the true hero or heroine. As an example, let us consider someone mentioned in this week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach, although even if you read the portion carefully, you may not have noticed her name. Her name was Deborah. In Genesis 35:8. Jacob, his wives, and their many children have returned to the Land of Israel. They have reached Bethel, Jacob’s original starting point. Jacob erected an altar there. And then we read: “And Deborah, Rebecca’s nurse, died and she was buried... under the oak, and it was called the ‘Oak of Tears.’” Who was this woman, never mentioned by name before? Why did her demise evoke such grief? Why is she important enough to “make it” into the biblical narrative?

Now turn back a few pages with me to Genesis 24:59. Here we read that when Rebecca left her birthplace to journey to the Land of Israel and marry Isaac, she took her nurse with her. A nurse with no name, whom we know nothing about until we learn of her death in this week’s Torah portion. Our rabbis speculate that nurse Deborah was a major part of the entire epic drama of Rebecca’s life with Isaac and Jacob. They suggest that she was the one sent by Rebecca to retrieve Jacob from his long exile. Our rabbis tell us, too, that she was nurse to Rebecca’s many grandchildren who shed those many tears under the old oak tree. Jewish mystical sources even aver that nurse Deborah was reincarnated into the much later Deborah, who was a Judge and Prophet in Israel! Deborah is an excellent example of someone who “just did her job,” regularly and consistently, and who had an impact upon three generations of major biblical characters, including a matriarch, two patriarchs, and the forbearers of the 12 tribes. She exemplifies the type of person that the Talmud refers to when it asks: “Who deserves a place in the world to come,” and answers: “He who slips in silently and slips out silently.” Rabbi Akiva, one of the great Jewish heroes and sages, taught us a similar lesson. At a critical juncture in his life, he was inspired by the fact that a stone is impenetrable by ordinary means. But when a gentle waterfall drips upon stone for hundreds of years, it succeeds in boring a hole in stone. Quiet consistency and persistence are the true ingredients of heroism and strength. In the Bible, as in all of life, there are major figures who work behind the scenes but who are indispensable to the important events of history. They are unheralded and often anonymous. They are real heroes too. In the words of the poet John Keats, they are the children “of silence and slow time”. They help us see the truth in that poet’s exquisite words: “Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard Are sweeter.” Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb is the Executive Vice President, Emeritus of the Orthodox Union.

JEWISH LEDGER

NOVEMBER 19, 2021

OBITUARIES FRISCH Irene Frisch, 90, of West Hartford, formerly of Teaneck and Fort Lee, N.J., died Nov. 7. She was the widow of Eugene Frisch, Raised in Drogobycz, Poland, she was the daughter of the late Sarah and Israel Bienstock. She survived the Holocaust and later served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). After liberation, she served in the IDF. In later years, she frequently wrote about her Holocaust experience and was published in several periodicals, including the Connecticut Jewish Ledger. She is survived by her children, Benjamin (Randy) Frisch and his former wife Wendy; Sharone Kornman and her husband Paul; and her grandchildren, Jacob, Isabel, Joseph and Ariel. She was also predeceased by her siblings, Pola and Ludwig, and by Frances Sobkowa, the Righteous Gentile who hid her during the Holocaust. HALICKMAN Dr. Jack Fred Halickman, 69, of Palm Beach, Fla., died Nov. 2. He was the husband of Doreen Halickman. Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, he was the son of the late Connie and late David Halickman. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Michele Meyers and her husband Darren, Joshua Halickman and his wife Rachel Freed, and Kate Halickman; his grandchildren, Noah and Abigail Meyers, and Hannah and Caleb Halickman; his sisters-in-law Shirley Merling and Sandra Agulnik; his brothersin-law Irwin Light and Max Cantor; his nephews and niece and their families. Warren Merling, Melissa Burman, Dr. Jason Agulnik and Dr. Mark Agulnik and their families; his in-laws Sylvia and Greg Bonadies; and his first wife Nancy Mendel and her husband Tom Ross. He was also predeceased by his brothers-in-law Jerry Merling and earl Agulnik.

MILLROD Robert “Bob” Millrod, 64, of Newington, died Nov. 5. He was the husband of Rosana Millrod. Born in West Hartford, he was the son of the late Myron and Audrey Millrod. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his in-laws Umberto and Salvatrice Teodoro; his brother-in-law Paul Teodoro; his sistersin-law, Concetta Fichera and her husband Paulo, and Carmen Mangiafico and her husband Salvatore; his nephews, Daniel Fichera, Paul Fichera, Anthony Mangiafico; and his niece Cecilia Sabatelli. ROSE Elaine Rose, 78, died Oct. 29. She was he wife of Richard Rose. Born in Peoria, Ill., she was the daughter of Seymour and Belle (Levy) Rosenberg. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children, Jeffrey and his wife Katie, Jody and her husband Rick, and Mark and his wife Jen; her grandchildren, Tommy (Samantha), Maggie, Sam, Lauren, Nathan, Hannah, Carson, and Willow; her sister Judy Scher; and two nephews. TEITELMAN Samuel Teitelman, 99, of New Haven, died Nov. 3. He was the husband of the late Ruth (Jacoby) Teitelman. Born in Havana, Cuba, he was the son of the late Abraham and Chaika (Wexler) Teitelman. He is survived by his children, Robert Teitelman and his wife Reesa Olins), Rona Teitelman, and Philip Teitelman; and his grandchildren, Abby Teitelman, Elizabeth Teitelman and Jodi Teitelman. He was also predeceased by his brothers Ma and Jack Teitelman. For more information on placing an obituary, contact: judiej@ jewishledger.

Aaron Feuerstein, ‘Mensch of Malden Mills,’ dies at 95 BY ASAF SHALEV

(JTA) — Aaron Feuerstein, who became known as the “Mensch of Malden Mills” for continuing to pay his workers even after the textile factory he owned burned to the ground, died at 95 on Thursday, Nov. 11. The devout Orthodox businessman died at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, after being injured in a fall several days earlier. “He did not suffer,” Feuerstein’s son, Daniel Feuerstein, told Boston 25 News. “He lived a long, vibrant and exciting life. His community was everything to him; from his Jewish community in Brookline, and equally important was the manufacturing community in the Merrimack Valley [of Massachusetts].” Malden Mills was a textile manufacturer in Lawrence, Massachusetts, best known for its line of synthetic fleece products called Polartec. In December 1995, the company’s redbrick factory complex caught on fire, causing one of the largest blazes in Massachusetts history. Work for the factory’s 1,400 employees stopped but Feuerstein kept paying them. Feuerstein also bucked the trend that saw industrial manufacturing leave the area by rebuilding the family-run factory. At the time, the Globe quoted Feuerstein as saying, “I’m not throwing 3,000 people out of work two weeks before Christmas.” Feuerstein also explained after the fire that he was guided by Jewish tradition. “When all is moral chaos, this is the time for you to be a mensch,” he said. Feuerstein’s grandfather, Henry Feuerstein, a Jewish immigrant from Hungary, founded Malden Mills in 1906,

AARON FEUERSTEIN, A FACTORY OWNER WHO WAS FAMOUSLY GENEROUS TO HIS EMPLOYEES, DIED AT 95 ON NOV. 4, 2021. (RICK FRIEDMAN/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES)

with grandson Aaron taking over in 1956. The company survived the fire of 1995, rebranded as Polartec, and stayed in the family’s hands until 2007. But by then the business had seen a downturn and Feuerstein took it into bankruptcy. A private equity firm then bought the factory, shut down and moved the brand’s manufacturing to Tennessee. In 2019, industrial manufacturing company Milliken acquired Polartec. A graduate of Yeshiva University, Feuerstein belonged to the Brookline congregation of Young Israel. Jewish teachings informed how he treated his workers. “You are not permitted to oppress the working man, because he’s poor and he’s needy, amongst your brethren and amongst the non-Jew in your community,” he said on “60 Minutes” during an episode titled “The Mensch of Malden Hills” that aired in 2003. Feuerstein’s wife Louise died in 2013. They are survived by their sons Daniel and Raphael and their daughter Joyce.

Lichtenstein Company Maker of MONUMENTS for 4 Generations

323 Washington Ave., Hamden AT WHITNEY AVE. (opposite K of C Hall)

CALL 1.800.852.8865 • 203.287.1593 • nolanshamdenmonumentco.com 20

JEWISH LEDGER

| NOVEMBER 19, 2021

640 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut 06105 Telephone: 860.233.2675 weinsteinmortuary@comcast.net www.weinsteinmortuary.com

An 81-Year Commitment to serving the Greater Hartford Jewish and Interfaith Community jewishledger.com

BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID

Coming Up Short?

Let us help you through the long and complicated process of filing for college financial aid. With 20+ years experience, and our proven record, we will: • Increase your eligibility for aid • Complete your financial aid forms • Work with you through the entire financial aid process

We’re your #1 College Financial Aid Resource

Call for a FREE Consult 800.669.9111 or 860.683.2320

COMPUTER TECH

Innovate|Simplify

Professional IT Consulting Upgrade home|office equipment Networking Home Theater Website Design Photo and Music Consolidation Security Cameras

860.301.7019 • searobintech.com

ENERGY

For maintenance on your fuel oil or natural gas heating or cooling system, call: S-1 303418 • HOD 0000962

Office: 860.728.5431 • Cell: 860-558-5948 40 Woodland Street (Rear), Hartford, CT 06105 www.deitchenergy.com

CALL US FOR OUR FUEL PRICES SERVING CONNECTICUT SINCE 1910

PEST CONTROL

Emilio N. Polce 860.432.9444 • Fax 860.432.7559 109 Strawberry Lane • Manchester, CT epolce@ecochoicepest.com ecochoicepest.com

Over 600,000 people will see your digital ad each month in the Business and Professional Directory. To advertise on this page contact: Howard Meyerowitz at 860.231.2424 x3035

All ages and levels

CHRIS BONITO 860.748.0004 BA Music Performance 20+ years private instruction References available

D & M MASONRY Chimney Repair Specialist

CELLARS WATERPROOFED / PATIOS / WALKS New • Bluestone • Rebuild Brick • Pointing • Concrete Foundation Cracks Repaired Servicing All Your Masonry Needs Since 1994 Service • Reasonable Rates • Free Estimates • Fully Insured

860.930.2536 • Dan Messina ROOFING

WITH ZAMAN ROOFING

You’re in Good Hands

n Roof Replacements n Roof Repairs n Gutters n Exterior Carpentry

Call to schedule your free estimate today.

860.977.8042

www.zamanroofing.com

WEB SOLUTIONS

Daniel S. Levine, CPA

Web Design • SEO • Branding • Marketing UX/UI Design • Social Media Management E-Commerce • Graphic Design • Videography

Certified Public Accountant

Individual and Business Tax Preparaion Low Reasonable Rates

860.729.6036

jewishledger.com

PRIVATE DRUM INSTRUCTION

MASONRY

TAX PREPARATION

email: dansethlev@cox.net Willing to travel to residence

DRUM LESSONS

Phase II of exhibit at Westfarms November 19 - January 19, 2022

860.595.2018 westhartfordwebsolutions.com JEWISH LEDGER

NOVEMBER 19, 2021

CLASSIFIED

LOOK for these MAGAZINES in your INBOX!

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

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

TRENDING

CELEBRATIONS • JUNE SENIOR LIVING • AUG.

MARCH JUNE SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER

BLACK FRIDAY GIFT GUIDE: NOVEMBER

Kosher NEW ENGLAND

MARCH

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Need help getting rid of those dust bunnies and organizing your space? Call Stacia 860-5774197.

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

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.

CHAUFFEUR, WEST HARTFORD will drive you to New York, Boston, New England tri-state area. Reasonable rates. References. Call Jeff 860-7124115.

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.

JEWISH CONNECTICUT September

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.

MASSACHUSETTS December

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

For more information on advertising in these magazines, call Donna 860.833.0839 or DonnaE@jewishledger.com JEWISH LEDGER

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.

CNA with 25 years experience, reliable car, live-in or hourly. References available, and negotiable rates. Call Sandy 860-460-3051.

Find us online:

jewishledger.com

Have something to sell? Have something to rent? Have a service to promote?

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

All Things

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

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

| NOVEMBER 19, 2021

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

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

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

CT SYNAGOGUE DIRECTORY To join our synagogue directories, contact Howard Meyerowitz at (860) 231-2424 x3035 or howardm@jewishledger.com. BLOOMFIELD B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom/ Neshama Center for Lifelong Learning Conservative Rabbi Debra Cantor (860) 243-3576 office@BTSonline.org www.btsonline.org BRIDGEPORT Congregation B’nai Israel Reform Rabbi Evan Schultz (203) 336-1858 info@cbibpt.org www.cbibpt.org Congregation Rodeph Sholom Conservative (203) 334-0159 Rabbi Richard Eisenberg, Cantor Niema Hirsch info@rodephsholom.com www.rodephsholom.com 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 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 Joshua Ratner (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 WendyBarr@grs.com 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 Danny Moss (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 admin@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 rabbi@beki.org (203) 389-2108 office@BEKI.org www.BEKI.org

Orchard Street ShulCongregation Beth Israel Orthodox Rabbi Mendy Hecht 203-776-1468 www.orchardstreetshul.org

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

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

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

Congregation Beth El Conservative Rabbi Earl Kideckel (860) 442-0418 office@bethel-nl.org www.bethel-nl.org NEWINGTON Temple Sinai Reform Rabbi Jeffrey Bennett (860) 561-1055 templesinaict@gmail.com www.sinaict.org NEWTOWN Congregation Adath Israel Conservative Rabbi Barukh Schectman (203) 426-5188 office@congadathisrael.org www.congadathisrael.org NORWALK Beth Israel Synagogue – Chabad of Westport/ Norwalk Orthodox-Chabad Rabbi Yehoshua S. Hecht (203) 866-0534 info@bethisraelchabad.org bethisraelchabad.org 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 ORANGE Chabad of Orange/ Woodbridge Chabad Rabbi Sheya Hecht (203) 795-5261 info@chabadow.org www.chabadow.org

jewishledger.com

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

The Emanuel Synagogue Conservative Rabbi David J. Small (860) 236-1275 communications@ emanuelsynagogue.org www.emanuelsynagogue.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) 679-4446 ostro770@hotmail.com

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

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

Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation, Emek Shalom Reform Rabbi Rebekah Goldman Mag (860) 658-1075 admin@fvjc.org www.fvjc.org

Beth El Temple Conservative Rabbi James Rosen Rabbi Rachel Zerin Cantor Joseph Ness (860) 233-9696 info@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

SOUTH WINDSOR Temple Beth Hillel of South Windsor Reform Rabbi Jeffrey Glickman (860) 282-8466 tbhrabbi@gmail.com www.tbhsw.org

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

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

Congregation P’nai Or Jewish Renewal Shabbat Services & Holidays Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener (860) 561-5905 pnaiorct@gmail.com www.jewishrenewalct.org

Young Israel of West Hartford Orthodox Rabbi Tuvia Brander (860) 233-3084 info@youngisraelwh.org www.youngisraelwh.org 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 860-529-2410 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

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

Paid Advertisers

JEWISH LEDGER

NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Thanksgiving In-Store Holiday Order Pickups Schedule: Wednesday, 11/24 from 2pm - 7pm (store closes promptly at 7) Thursday, 11/25 8am- Noon (Store closes promptly at noon) Out Of Town Schedule:

Monday, November 22nd �� Congregation Beth Israel, Worcester, MA ��9:00AM-9:30AM Springfield Jewish Community Center, Springfield, MA ��11:00AM-11:30AM Congregation Ohav Shalom, Albany, NY �� 1:15PM-1:45PM Tuesday, November 23rd �� Pearl St. Parking Lot, Newton MA��9:00AM-9:30AM Temple Israel of Natick, Natick MA �� 10:00AM-10:30AM Temple Torat Yisrael, East Greenwich ��12:00PM-12:30PM Beth Jacob Synagogue, Norwich ��1:30PM-2:00PM Wednesday, November 24th �� United Jewish Federation, Stamford (1035 Newfield Ave, Stamford, CT) �� 10:00AM-10:30AM JCC Woodbridge ��12:00PM-12:30PM

Order Deadline 11/16 by 4PM The Crown Market

Open Thanksgiving Day 8am-12pm

2471 Albany Ave West Hartford, CT 06117

860.236.1965

www.crownmarketonline.com HKC supervises the Bakery, Five o’clock Shop, Butcher Department and Catering. We’re not JUST kosher...we’re DELICIOUS! 24

JEWISH LEDGER

| NOVEMBER 19, 2021

jewishledger.com

CT Jewish Ledger • November 19, 2021 • 15 Kislev 5782

Articles inside

The Ledger Scoreboard

Opinion