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JEWISH LEDGER March 22, 2022 | 19 Adar II 5782 Vol. 94 | No. 6 | ©2022 jewishledger.com
An Olympic Legend Looks Back 1
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MARCH 22, 2022 • 19 ADAR II 5782
An Olympic Legend Looks Back
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JEWISH LEDGER March 22, 2022 | 19 Adar II 5782 Vol. 94 | No. 6 | ©2022 jewishledger.com
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An Olympic Legend Looks Back 1
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Olympic superstar Mark Spitz won seven gold medals and broke records in the 1972 Munich Olympics, refusing to let the devastating events of those games break his spirit or his Jewish pride. Photo: Rich Clarkson/ WireImage.com
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Features
Opinion
19/21/28 Around SNE
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Kolot
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Briefs
5 Saving Lives
As the attacks escalated in the Russian assault on the Ukrainian people, Magen David Adom flew four armored ambulances to Poland, which will be driven into Ukraine to evacuate the wounded from the most volatile areas.
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education at the former Bridgeport JCC, Chick” Rosnick z”l was a beloved coach and mentor. Now, his legacy lives on through the new boxing club that bears his name.
The popular Hartford Jewish Film Festival is back – both in-person and virtually!
30 On Campus
8 In Memoriam
Approximately 750,000 people gathered in Israel to accompany to his final resting place Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky – widely considered to be the leading Torah scholar of his time.
Student-led campaigns to boycott Israel are not uncommon, but a new student movement at Tufts is taking a form rarely seen before in similar campus efforts – and the new tactic is more than troubling.
Crossword
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What’s Happening
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Torah Portion
Obituaries
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Honoring a Hero
As longtime director of physical
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CANDLE LIGHTING
Arts & Entertainment
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March 22, 2022
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SHABBAT FRIDAY, MARCH 25 Hartford New Haven: Bridgeport: Stamford:
6:50 p.m. 6:50 p.m. 6:51 p.m. 6:52 p.m.
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WEST HARTFORD IS GOING TO THE DOGS! The painted dogs, that is. And we couldn’t be more excited!
Dog Walk 2022
The brainchild of 20/20 Media, the creative genius behind the spectacular 2021 WeHa Bear Fair – which netted 25,000 visits to the event website and over $20,000 in donations benefitting the selected non-profits – the 2022 Dog Walk promises to brighten West Hartford with a fabulous display of one dozen fiberglass dogs, each one beautifully decorated by a talented artist and sponsored by a local business who will select a nonprofit organization to benefit from proceeds raised. To learn more about how you can help our community by becoming a WeHa Dog Walk sponsor, contact Tom Hickey at tom@20media20.com or 860.508.4032.
20/20 20/20 MEDIA | 20MEDIA20.COM
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SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND JEWISH LEDGER | MARCH 22, 2022 | 19 ADAR II 5782
Chick Rosnick Boxing Club pays tribute to a larger than life coach and athlete
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Magen David Adom provides ambulances to Ukraine, medical aid to Moldova, Poland
BY STACEY DRESNER
TRATFORD, Connecticut – As director of health and physical education at the former Bridgeport Jewish Community Center for 36 years, Hyman “Chick” Rosnick z”l, was an advocate for fitness and well-being long before aerobics classes and gym workouts became popular in the 1980s. “He trained and coached generations of kids… Everyone loved him,” says his son, Harold “Hal” Rosnick. “He was not a large man, but he was larger than life.” The day of Chick’s retirement in 1973 was declared “Chick Rosnick Day” in the City of Bridgeport, and he was also honored by the state legislature for a lifetime of achievement. Now, the beloved coach and mentor from Stratford has been
honored as namesake of the Chick Rosnick Boxing Club, a nonprofit created by Hal and Hal’s son Michael Rosnick, both attorneys at the Bridgeportbased law firm Miller, Rosnick, D’Amico, August and Butler, P.C. “We continue his legacy of promoting health, discipline and competition through the new boxing club and gym that bears his name,” Michael Rosnick says, adding that the club represents more about his grandfather than just his love of boxing. “He had the biggest, warmest heart imaginable. He cared about the community and cared about children. Physical education is in the Rosnick roots…to be involved in athletics, to learn how to win, how to lose, how to be part of a team, and most importantly, giving back to the community by doing your fair share,” he notes.
HYMAN “CHICK” ROSNICK IN AN UNDATED PHOTO, WITH SOME OF HIS YOUNG BOXING STUDENTS AT THE BRIDGEPORT JCC.
The Chick Rosnick Boxing Club got its start when Hal met Martin Chisolm, a former marine who had served the State of Connecticut as police department tactical self-defense coordinator. Chisolm developed the “Good Reaction” tactical program for the Stratford Police Department, taught martial arts for more than 20 years, ran a youth center for nearly 30 years and counseled many children on conflict resolution and substance abuse. Chisolm was operating a gym in Stratford with the goal of training young people. “If you have seen the Rocky movies, the gym was kind of like that,” says Hal. “He was trying to run a boxing program to help the youth of the community, both in Bridgeport and Stratford, which have some troubled areas.” In 2015, Chisholm and Harold Rosnick began working together to send young area athletes to compete in boxing matches. Soon, Hal and his son Michael realized that the program and its mission was exactly the kind of thing his father Chick would have supported. Last May, they founded the boxing program as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. The gym, located on the East Side of Stratford, is dedicated to training boys and girls, aged four through young adult, from Stratford and surrounding towns, who want to pursue boxing for recreation Continued on the next page
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(JNS) Magen David Adom (MDA) is using its mass-casualty experience as Israel’s national paramedic organization and its standing as a leading member in the International Committee of the Red Cross to help save lives in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and Israel. Last week, American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA) launched a Ukraine Emergency Appeal to support these efforts. “As a Red Cross affiliate, we’re working to help refugees and the wounded as much as possible, and this is how we will continue to act,” said director-general Eli Bin. As the attacks have escalated, MDA has flown four armored ambulances to Poland, which will be driven into Ukraine to evacuate the wounded from the most volatile areas. Russian- and Ukrainianspeaking paramedics are being sent to Moldova to staff a triage clinic, as well as assist injured and ill Ukrainians at the border. And as a result of an assessment mission to Poland, MDA will establish a field clinic there, once approved by the Polish government. Felix Lotan was one of the paramedics sent to assess the refugee situation in Poland. “It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “Most of the refugees are women and children, and they have a deep sadness and fear of being left widows.” Continued on the next page
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Chick Rosnick CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
as well as for conditioning, discipline and higher competition. “We’re attempting to work with a variety of agencies, such as probation departments, juvenile delinquency officers, police department captains, and youth facilities where we can redirect a wayward child, or a potentially wayward child, toward physical conditioning and discipline, which we think is an important life skill,” Hal explains. “We believe physical conditioning and training for boxing or martial arts has the potential to straighten out a kid and get them on the correct career path.” In addition to support from the Rosnick family, on Sept. 11, 2021, the club hosted its first fundraiser. Held at the Trumbull Marriott Shelton Hotel, The Black-Tie Amateur Boxing Dinner Show featured cocktails and dinner followed by a USA Amateur Boxing-sanctioned evening of three-round boxing matches – headlined by the young boxers that are members of the boxing club. More than 300 people attended the event, which raised upwards of $40,000 for the boxing club. In the past few months, the Rosnicks have helped to fix up the boxing club’s gym, including refurbishing the boxing rings and flooring. “It’s one of the nicest boxing rings in the state at this point,” Hal says. More importantly, he emphasizes, “It’s a safety net for these kids.”
“Tough as iron” Born in Poland in 1912, Chick Rosnick came to the U.S. in 1914 with his family, settling in Springfield, Massachusetts. “I must have 200 cousins in the Springfield area,” Hal laughs. Chick was a five-sport athlete, playing football, baseball, basketball, swimming, and volleyball. He also wrestled and, while boxing wasn’t one of his
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main sports, he had a special passion for it – a passion he passed on to Hal. “He was small and tough,” Hal recalls. “He was 5’ 6” but tough as iron.” Chick graduated from East Stroudsburg State Teachers College in Pennsylvania and received his master’s degree in 1937 from the former Massachusetts Agricultural College, now the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. For that degree he wrote a thesis outlining his vision for the ideal physical education program that would promote wellbeing throughout the entire community. In 1932, Chick became director of health and physical education at the JCC which was then located on the corner of State and Lafayette Streets in Bridgeport. The JCC had a bowling alley and pool tables in the basement and a gym on the third floor. When the new JCC was built on Park Avenue in 1962, Chick founded the popular “Bagel Club” — a men’s club held every Sunday morning. “The men would come and play volleyball and racquet ball, but more importantly, eat bagels and lox. In its heyday, from 1962 to the mid-70s, you would have 200-300 men show up there every Sunday for breakfast…It was just a wonderful social event,” says Hal, noting that a small group of members of the old Bagel Club still meet at Jewish Senior Services on Sundays. Chick’s wife Matilda “Tillie” Rosnick served at the JCC as youth director for many years. They lived in Stratford where they raised their three sons and were among the founders of the town’s Temple Beth Sholom. “He embraced his Judaism. He was a proud Jew for sure,” Hal said. Fluent in Yiddish, he taught Yiddish classes until he was in his 90s and was known for his joke telling – in both English and Yiddish. A member of the Jewish Hall of Fame Chick was a golf-pro and maintained a pro shop in
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Stratford. After retiring in 1974, Chick and Tillie moved to Florida. They were accomplished bridge players playing as a team in tournaments all over the world. Both were life masters. “In his early 90s he was still playing golf,” Hal says. “He remained in good condition for most of his life. He was always on the go.” When Chick Rosnick died Dec. 15, 2004 at the age of 97 a public memorial service, attended by many of his admirers, was held at the JCC, where he had served for so long.
In addition to his three sons, Chick Rosnick is survived by five grandchildren and eight greatgrandchildren – one big team being raised to honor the same principles Chick supported, especially those of tikkun olam, repairing the world. “I can only imagine the smile it would put on my grandfather’s face to walk into the Chick Rosnick Boxing Club and see what it’s about,” Michael Rosnick says. “My father and I are honored to embark on this journey with Martin Chisolm to help the youth in our community.”
MDA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
Manager of MDA’s international disaster department, Lotan has seen a number of disasters, including earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal. “But nothing was like what I saw here.” “The International Red Cross has asked us to assist the German Red Cross in evacuating patients from Odessa to Moldova,” said Uri Shacham, deputy director-general and chief of staff for MDA, who is also its liaison to the Red Cross movement. “Our paramedics are also part of Israel’s delegation to establish a field hospital in western Ukraine.” In Israel, MDA is responding to the needs of the thousands of Ukrainian refugees who have arrived. A humanitarian hotline, staffed by Ukrainian and Russian speakers, was established to help them locate missing relatives, provide medical assistance and navigate the social and governmental agencies for needed services. “We are working vigorously to ease the trauma experienced by the refugees who have been torn from their homes and families,” said Bin. “We hope to reunite them with loved ones and provide them with some comfort and closure.” To that end, MDA has loaned a Mobile Command and Control Center to Kfar Chabad in Israel to help coordinate evacuation plans and provide assistance to Jews in Ukraine. “Whether the innocent are attacked in Israel or Ukraine, Magen David Adom is there to save lives,” said Catherine Reed, AFMDA’s chief executive officer. “Our Ukraine Emergency Appeal is supporting EMTs and paramedics working near the conflict, and providing lifesaving supplies, equipment, vehicles and services for Ukrainians seeking temporary or permanent refuge in Israel.” Donations can be made at: www.afmda.org/donate-ukraine.
MAGEN DAVID ADOM FLEW FOUR ARMORED AMBULANCES TO POLAND, WHICH WERE DRIVEN INTO UKRAINE TO EVACUATE THE WOUNDED FROM THE MOST VOLATILE AREAS, MARCH 2022. (MDA)
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In Memoriam
Mourners throng Bnei Brak for funeral of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the largest in Israel’s history
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BY DEBORAH DANAN
NAI BRAK, Israel (JTA) — As many as one million mourners attended the funeral of the leader of the haredi Orthodox community, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, on Sunday afternoon in the central Israeli city of Bnei Brak, making it the largest funeral in Israel’s history. Kanievsky, who died Friday afternoon at age 94 after suffering a massive heart attack, was a scion who was known by his followers as “The Prince of Torah.” Roads and highways leading into the haredi Orthodox city were shut down Sunday morning. Public buses packed to the hilt stopped at the border of Ramat Gan and Bnei Brak and passengers were forced to walk the rest of the way. For one passenger, Hudi Rosen, missing the funeral was out of the question. “I feel like my father died, so of course I should be at the funeral,” Rosen, a 21-year-old yeshiva student originally from Manchester, England, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. News of Kanievsky’s death came as a shock to Rosen and his fellow students, who were in the middle of their yeshiva’s Purim meal and mostly inebriated when they heard. “It was mental. Very intense. It went quiet for 20 minutes. And then people started crying,” he said. Thousands of men escorted the late leader’s body from his home on Rashbam Street to his final resting place close to the grave of his uncle, Rabbi Avraham Yeshayohu Karelitz (the “Chazon Ish”) in the Zichron Meir Cemetery. Only close members of family and senior public figures, including Israel’s
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chief rabbis, were allowed into the cemetery for the actual burial. However, thousands of people broke through the police barriers into the cemetery and some were detained. Women were instructed to stay away from Chazon Ish Street, the main thoroughfare through which the procession would take place, and to stand in a cross street where huge screens livestreamed the eulogies. At several points, the livestream crashed, silencing the booming voice of the eulogizing rabbis. An eerie quiet filled the streets, with only the occasional sob breaking the silence. Women with
referring to the Jewish concept of the afterlife. Cohen added that Rabbi Yerachmiel Gershon Edelstein, Kanievsky’s heir apparent, had instructed that all children over 9 attend the funeral and that all residents of Bnei Brak tear their outer garments, reflecting the traditional Jewish mourning ritual. Despite concerns about crowd control that prompted Israel to largely shut down for the funeral, there were few major incidents. Several dozen people were treated at the scene by medics and three were evacuated to a nearby hospital
JEWISH MOURNERS WAIT OUTSIDE PONEVEZH COMMUNITY CEMETERY IN THE CITY OF BNEI BRAK NEAR TEL AVIV IN CENTRAL ISRAEL DURING THE FUNERAL OF HAREDI RABBI CHAIM KANIEVSKY, MARCH 20, 2022. (JACK GUEZ/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)
strollers and small children were crammed together, some sitting on cars and building walls. Faces filled every window of every building lining the streets. Asked why she had brought her young children, one of whom was crimson from crying, to such a crowded area, Bnei Brak resident Ruchi Cohen answered that Kanievsky’s funeral was a historic moment. “This will leave an impression on their souls forever. Everyone who can attend the funeral of this gadol hador [giant of the generation] will merit a place in the World to Come,” she said,
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after fainting. The MDA rescue service said no serious injuries were recorded. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had warned that the mass gathering could take a calamitous turn as occurred in 2021 in the northern Israel pilgrimage town of Meron in 2021 when 45 people were crushed to death. “The funeral is a mass event, and we must make sure that it does not end — God forbid — in a mass disaster,” Bennett said. “The trauma of the Meron disaster is still fresh for all of us. This tragedy must not be
repeated,” Bennett said. He added that Kanievsky’s death marked “a great loss to the Jewish people.” According to the Bnei Brak municipality, around 750,000 people had gathered in the one square-kilometer area designated for the funeral procession in the hours before it was due to start. Hillel Graineman, an EMT with United Hatzalah, explained that many precautions had been taken to avoid what he called, “Meron 2.” Hundreds of ambucycles, 45 ambulances and popup clinics belonging to the emergency organization were stationed around the area and drills had taken place well into the night together with MDA to deal with possible scenarios, especially surrounding the task of crowd-dispersal in the case of an emergency evacuation. “Everyone knows where they’re supposed to be,” Graineman said. “We learned many lessons from Meron.” Yoni Danan, who was present during the Meron disaster, said he was nervous to attend the funeral. “Of course it crosses your mind. I was up last night wondering whether to take my son or not. But how could I not? [Kanievsky] is his hero — he’s every [religious] boy’s hero — I couldn’t take that away from him,” he said. He said the crowds he witnessed at Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s funeral in 2013, attended by an estimated 850,000 people, and those the night the Meron tragedy occurred did not compare to the crowds gathered in Bnei Brak. “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” he said. “Still, it’s not a bottleneck situation like Meron was.” March 22, 2022
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Opinion
Bills attacking LGBTQ rights are an assault on Jewish values — and Jewish teens BY IDIT KLEIN
(JTA) – As we approach Purim – a holiday that honors the courage to be our true selves – we are alarmed by the surge of legislative attacks on the rights, safety and dignity of LGBTQ youth across the nation. Among over 100 pending anti-LGBTQ bills are the recently passed “Don’t Say Gay Bill” in Florida and the terrifying equation of trans-affirming health care with child abuse by the governor of Texas. We are a queer Jewish communal professional and a non-binary Jewish college student. In the spirit of Purim, we recognize that now is a time when we must fight for ourselves, and we call on our beloved Jewish community to join us in
our fight for the rights of LGBTQ people everywhere One of us, Is Perlman, grew up in Florida and was blessed with parents who supported the start of their medical transition there. Despite that love and affirmation, Is endured years of self-loathing and shame due to the onslaught of antitrans rhetoric in their local communities and the broader world. Indeed, Is was one of the 40% of trans and non-binary young people who attempt suicide by age 24. They’ve shared that it was only when they met other LGBTQ Jewish teens and adult mentors through a Shabbaton organized by Keshet – a national organization working for LGBTQ equality in the Jewish
community – that they came to understand themselves as not just worthy of basic dignity, but as a holy person who is made in the image of the Divine. If Is were still a high school student in Florida today, any reference to their identity or experience as a non-binary person could be banned under the newly-passed “Don’t Say Gay” law. For the many LGBTQ youth who live in Florida, this bill serves to further marginalize a group that already experiences severe stigma and isolation. Legislators should be supporting educators to ensure that all students have access to affirming, safe learning environments where they can grow and evolve in the fullness of
their identities. Instead, Florida legislators – and legislators in the dozens of states around the country that have introduced anti-LGBTQ legislation – are playing politics with the lives of LGBTQ youth and undermining their basic humanity. Do not be fooled by these politicians’ rhetoric. Do speak out to condemn how this law will spark shame and fear among LGBTQ youth and no doubt threaten their safety and even lives. In Texas, the governor directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to open child abuse investigations of parents who provide genderaffirming care for their trans children. This means that parents who support their trans kids
STUDENTS AT THE NORFOLK COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL IN WALPOLE, MASSACHUSETTS MARCH AS PART OF A NATIONWIDE STUDENT PROTEST OVER ANTI-LGBT EDUCATION POLICIES IN FLORIDA AND TEXAS, MARCH 11, 2022. (JONATHAN WIGGS/THE BOSTON GLOBE VIA GETTY IMAGES)
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and help them access the health care they need may be subject to investigation which could lead to their children being taken away. Imagine the terror that parents of trans kids and the kids themselves are now experiencing. Thankfully, an ACLU lawsuit has thus far blocked its implementation, but we don’t know if they will succeed in permanently stopping this destructive policy. Already, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, the largest pediatric hospital in the country, announced that it will no longer prescribe gender-affirming hormone therapies. Hospital officials cited the governor’s directive as the reason for the change. Similarly, numerous parents of trans kids report that pharmacies are refusing to fill prescriptions and insurance companies are pulling coverage. It has been nearly 40 years since legislation was first proposed to outlaw discrimination based on sexual
orientation, with gender identity added more recently. We have been active in a national Jewish community campaign led by Keshet to support the passing of the Equality Act that would at long last give LGBTQ people the civil rights protections that everyone deserves in their homes, jobs, public services and more. If the Equality Act were federal law, it would be impossible for states to target LGBTQ young people with this spate of senseless, cruel legislation and policies. At 18 years old, Is has already spoken publicly in multiple settings about what enabled them to survive their teenage years as a young trans person: access to trans-affirming health care and connections with other queer Jewish youth. Speaking with such vulnerability is never easy. But Is continues to do so because they understand the catastrophic impact of threats to the safety and wellbeing of trans youth everywhere. Polls consistently tell us that
a clear majority of American Jews support LGBTQ civil rights. We know from our own experience in the “Yes on 3” campaign to preserve transgender rights in Massachusetts that when called upon, our Jewish communities do take action: Over 70% of synagogues and other Jewish organizations played an active role in the campaign and helped us win. This is just one of many examples we could offer of how American Jewish communities have learned about, grown to support, and eventually have moved to take meaningful action on LGBTQ rights issues. As we approach Purim, we invite Jewish communities nationwide to join us in heeding Mordechai’s words urging Esther to act: “Perhaps you have come to your … position for just such a time as this?” The crisis for LGBTQ young people, especially trans youth, should concern all of us. There are so many ways to make a difference: speak out against harmful legislation with your
state legislators and urge your senators to pass the Equality Act; mobilize people in your local Jewish community or organize an educational program; tell a trans kid in your life that they can count on your support. We need every Jewish community member to recognize this time as a time for action. Only then, will all LGBTQ youth be able to live with safety, dignity and the certainty that they, like every human being, are indeed holy. We know from Is’ experience, and that of countless other trans young people, that transaffirming care is the opposite of abuse; it is health care. Often, it is life-saving care. As a community whose highest value is pikuach nefesh, saving a life, we call on Jews everywhere to say to trans youth: Your life matters and we will fight to save it. Idit Klein is president/CEO of Keshet. Is Perlman is a Jewish non-binary first year student at Columbia University and a Keshet youth leader.
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Swimming upstream
Athlete, actor, volunteer and Israeli supporter Mark Spitz BY HOWARD BLAS
(JNS) Fifty years after the 1972 summer Olympics in Munich, swimmer Mark Spitz is still a household name and a Jewish legend. He is best known for winning seven gold medals in the 1972 games. This achievement lasted for 36 years until it was surpassed by fellow American swimmer Michael Phelps, who won eight golds at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Spitz, a father of two sons, humanitarian, businessman/ entrepreneur, television personality, motivational speaker and “almost dentist,”
was recently honored by the Israel Guide Dog Center in Israel. The Los Angeles resident shared stories from his illustrious career at a Zoom event that also featured Achiya Klein and his guide dog, Night; Kline recently competed in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics. Michael Leventhal, who has served as executive director of the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind for the past 14 years, recalled growing up being one of only six Jews in a school of 1,000. “We felt the sting of antisemitism,” he said. He credits
MARK SPITZ AT THE OLYMPIC VILLAGE IN MUNICH, GERMANY, SEPTEMBER 1972. (GIORGIO LOTTI/MONDADORI PUBLISHERS VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.
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Spitz and his accomplishments in the 1972 Olympics for “making me proud to be a Jew again.” The center, based in Beit Oved, about 14 miles south of Tel Aviv, raises and trains guide dogs for Israel’s 24,000 blind and visually-impaired citizens. Spitz recounted some of the emotional behind-the-scenes story of the storming of the Olympic Village apartments of Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists in the early morning of Sept. 5, 1972. Two Israelis were immediately killed and nine others taken hostage by a group known as Black September. After hours of negotiation and an attempted getaway by helicopter, the world learned that the 11 Israeli atheletes were, in the words of ABC Olympics announcer Jim McKay, “all gone.” He also shared sometimes humorous stories about where his medals – and his Olympic bathing suit – are kept (the medals are in a bank vault; the bathing suits are on display in his home). And, of course, he spoke about his famous trademark mustache, which he no longer sports, and about why people (incorrectly) think that he is a dentist. “I am the most famous dentist who never became a dentist,” noted Spitz playfully. “Don’t come to me with a toothache!” Spitz explained how he had planned to go to dental school after his swimming career (his signature strokes are freestyle and butterfly) and actually attended during the 1972 Olympics. He attributes not returning to dental school in part to the massacre of the 11 Israelis. Spitz recounts, “Two-and-ahalf weeks after the last event in 1972, I was supposed to be on a plane to Indianapolis for the Indiana University dental school. The tragedy sidelined
MARK SPITZ AND WIFE, SUZY WEINER, MAY 1973. CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.
my plans. I elected to go home to Sacramento and ask the dean for a one-year leave of absence. I had the intention to go back but never made it.” Spitz still clearly remembers the tragedy that took place in the same Olympics where he broke seven world records. “They had just finished a documentary. I describe how I got out of the Olympic Village.” Spitz left Munich early and was escorted to London out of concern that as a Jew, Spitz might become a target for the Palestinians. Spitz is proud of being Jewish, saying he and his two sisters were the only Jewish students in his California high school. “I advocate that when you get picked on, you allow it to happen. It can’t be escalated when you don’t put on a face.” March 22, 2022
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MARK SPITZ AT HIS LOS ANGELES HOME DURING A WEBINAR WHERE HE RECEIVED AN AWARD FOR HIS VOLUNTEER WORK WITH THE ISRAEL GUIDE DOG CENTER FOR THE BLIND. (HOWARD BLAS)
He is also a longtime supporter of the Jewish state, using the country and its citizens as an example: “Israel wouldn’t exist if she was timid. Everyone wants to bully Israel.” His experiences at the 1972 Olympics solidified his feelings about being Jewish. Competing in Germany, “we were five or 10 miles away from Dachau. What better time to stand up for who we are?” He added, “I never bargained for becoming a de facto spokesman for being Jewish, but I couldn’t hide under a rock!”
‘We affect the lives of so many’ Spitz, who also won two medals in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, retired from competition at age 22. He attempted an unsuccessful comeback at age 41 March 22, 2022
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for the 1992 Summer Olympics. His career has taken him through many interesting and successful ventures. In the years following the Olympics, he appeared in various ads (in a bathing suit, with his medals); in various TV skits, commercials (he was in an ad for the California Milk Advisory Board as well as for Schick razors and PlayStation); and worked for ABC Sports. He has also been involved in a number of business ventures. “I had a product line of swimsuits was a co-partner with Adidas shoes; was a real estate developer, involved in the stock market, started a public company that was on the NASDAQ and have always stayed busy in the charity world.” Spitz is an academy member of Laureus Sport for Good, a global charity that uses sports as a powerful and cost-effective tool to help children and young people overcome violence, discrimination and disadvantage in their lives. “The reward is that we affect the lives of so many who wouldn’t have a chance,” he said. Spitz offered his audiences hope and inspiration and often
uses humor. “Things don’t happen by chance, but by decisions we make, so challenge yourself. You may fall down, but it is how well you get up … it is never too late to be the person you thought you could be and continue to want to be.”
On swimsuits and swarthy mustaches In Spitz’s quest towards personal growth and self-improvement, he noted that he recently lost 35 pounds. “Now, I am within two pounds of my weight at age 22, when I swam!” (In fact, he just may fit into that famous bathing suit he wore in the 1972 Olympics.) “I wore the same suit in all seven events!” he reported, offering the somewhat humorous, embarrassing backstory. “They issued three suits per event, so I had 21 suits. But 20 had a revealing spot in front, so I chose to do all of the events in one suit.” Spitz also shared the famous story of his mustache, which he said he “grew out of spite.” It started when a college coach said he couldn’t. “I grew it
after senior year of college, and it took five months to fill in.” He noted that he had planned to shave it off at the Olympic trials, but all everyone did was talk about it. The media began asking questions, and the Russian coach asked him if it slowed him down. Spitz replied: “No, as a matter of fact, it deflects water away from my mouth, allows my rear end to rise and makes me bullet-shaped in the water, and that’s what had allowed me to swim so great. Within a few weeks, all Russian swimmers had mustaches!” Spitz shaved off his mustache on Valentine’s Day in 1988. His wife of 48 years, Suzy (née Weiner), reportedly said: “He looked great with it; don’t get me wrong. But he also looks so handsome without it.” (Spitz pointed out that he didn’t like seeing his mustache as it started to turn gray.) Still, his looks belie his 72 years, and the Jewish athlete is still going strong and continuing to inspire audiences around the world.
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Crisis in Ukraine
Volodomyr Zelensky’s address to Israel’s Knesset Dear Mr. Speaker, members of the Knesset; Dear Prime Minister Bennett, thank you very much for your support; Dear members of the Government of the State of Israel, all attendees, guests, people of Israel. The Ukrainian and Jewish communities have always been and, I am sure, will always be intertwined, very close. They will always live side-by-side, and they will feel both joy and pain together. That is why I want to remind you of the words of a great woman from Kyiv, whom you know very well. The words of Golda Meir. They are very famous, everyone has heard of them. Every Jew, many Ukrainians as well, and certainly no less, Russians. “We intend to remain alive. Our neighbors want to see us dead. This is not a question that leaves much room for compromise.” I don’t need to convince you how intertwined our stories are. The stories of Ukrainians and Jews. In the past, and now in this terrible time. We are in different countries and in completely different conditions. But the threat is the same for both us and you: the total destruction of the people, state, and culture. And even the names Ukraine, Israel. I want you to feel it all. I want you to think about this date. About Feb. 24. About the beginning of this invasion. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This day, February 24 has twice gone down in history. And both times as a tragedy. A tragedy for Ukrainians, for Jews, for Europe, for the world. On Feb. 24, 1920, the National Socialist Workers’ Party of Germany (NSDAP) was founded. A party that took millions of
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UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY ADDRESSES ISRAEL’S KNESSET ON MARCH 20, 2022. (COURTESY OF PRESIDENT.GOV.UA)
lives; destroyed entire countries; tried to wipe out nations. 102 years later, on Feb. 24, a criminal order was issued to launch a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The invasion, which has claimed thousands of lives, has left millions homeless. Made them into refugees on their land and in neighboring countries. In Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Germany, the Czech Republic, the Baltic States and dozens of different countries. Our people are now scattered around the world. They are looking for security. They are looking for a way to stay in peace, as you once searched. This Russian invasion of Ukraine is not just a military operation as Moscow claims. This is a large-scale and treacherous war aimed at destroying our people; destroying our children; our families; our state; our cities; our communities; our culture; and everything that makes Ukrainians, Ukrainians. Everything that Russian troops are now destroying, deliberately, in front of the whole world. That is why I have the right to make this parallel and this comparison. Our history and your history. Our war for our survival and World War II. Listen to what the Kremlin
Southern New England Jewish Ledger
says. Just listen. There are even terms that sounded then. And this is a tragedy. When the Nazi party raided Europe and wanted to destroy everything; destroy everyone; wanted to conquer nations, and leave nothing from us; nothing from you. Even the name and the trace. They called it “the final solution to the Jewish issue”. You remember that. And I’m sure you will never forget! But listen to what is sounding now in Moscow. Hear how these words are said again: “Final solution.” But already in relation, so to speak, to us, to the “Ukrainian issue”. This is sounded openly. This is a tragedy. Once again, it was said at a meeting in Moscow. It is available on official websites. This was quoted in the state media of Russia. Moscow says so: Without the war against us, they would not be able to ensure a “final solution” allegedly for their own security. Just like it was said 80 years ago. People of Israel! You saw Russian missiles hit Kyiv, Babyn Yar. You know what kind of land it is. More than 100,000 Holocaust victims are buried there. There are ancient Kyiv cemeteries. There is a Jewish cemetery. Russian missiles hit there. People of Israel, on the
first day of this war, Russian projectiles hit our city of Uman. A city visited by tens of thousands of Israelis every year. For a pilgrimage to the tomb of Nachman of Breslov. What will be left of all such places in Ukraine after this terrible war? I am sure that every word of my address echoes with pain in your hearts. Because you feel what I’m talking about. But can you explain why we still turn to the whole world, to many countries for help? We ask you for help, even for basic visas. What is it? Indifference? Premeditation? Or mediation without choosing a party? I will leave you a choice of answers to this question. And I will note only one thing: indifference kills. Premeditation is often erroneous. And mediation can be between states, not between good and evil. Everyone in Israel knows that your missile defense is the best. It is powerful. Everyone knows that your weapons are strong. Everyone knows you’re doing well. You know how to defend your state interests, the interests of your people. And you can definitely help us protect our lives, the lives of Ukrainians, the lives of Ukrainian Jews. One can keep asking why we can’t get weapons from you. Or why Israel has not imposed strong sanctions against Russia. Why it doesn’t put pressure on Russian business. But it is up to you, dear brothers and sisters, to choose the answer. And you will have to live with this answer, people of Israel. Ukrainians have made their choice. 80 years ago. They rescued Jews. That is why the Righteous Among the Nations are among us. People of Israel, now you have such a choice. Thank you. Thank you for everything.
March 22, 2022
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LESS RETIRED.
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Arts & Entertainment
DIM THE LIGHTS!
The 26th Annual Hartford Jewish Film Festival brings back in-person screenings, March 24 – April 10
T
he Mandell Jewish Community Center had just opened its 2020 Jewish film festival when the COVID-19 pandemic hit…and screenings came to an abrupt stop as the whole world went online.
Now, however, the 26th Annual Hartford Jewish Film Festival, scheduled to open Thursday, March 24 and run through April 10, will feature 22 films that, once again, may be viewed as in-person screenings at the Mandell JCC at 335 Bloomfield Avenue in West Hatford, and virtual offerings. “In-person community events like the film festival have been profoundly missed, and we couldn’t be more enthusiastic about welcoming film lovers back to the Herbert & Evelyn Gilman Theater,” says David Jacobs, the JCC’s executive director. “In addition to amazing technology, our HVAC system in the theater has been completely replaced with high-quality filters, which was a critical and necessary upgrade during the pandemic, providing our patrons with the comfort and security to feel safer gathering in person.” COVID safety protocols will be strictly adhered to during the festival, with all persons entering the JCC required to show proof of vaccination. Masks will be worn while in the theater. Back for a second year as the film festival director is Jennifer Sharp.
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“Our festival line-up this year is simply outstanding. We have stories reflecting the human spirit and survival, against all odds, stories of fascinating history, documentaries dedicated to the fight against antisemitism and classic films that remind us of past eras. Additionally, several of our films will be complemented with a Reel Talk program, featuring panelists who help to enrich the cinematic experience with background, opinions and interpretations.” The opening film on March 24, Persian Lessons, is a World War II Holocaust drama inspired by true events. Giles, a Jewish prisoner, survives in the camp by posing as a Persian non- Jew and then enters a terrifying, highstakes bargain to teach Farsi to a German officer who dreams of opening a restaurant in Persia (Iran) after the war. To hide his true identity and escape certain death, Giles must invent an entire language to maintain the charade. The years’ centerpiece films, featuring REEL Talks, are Plan A, Out of Exile: The Photography of Fred Stein, Automat, Blue Box, and A Tree of Life. The documentary A Tree of Life by award-winning filmmaker and Pittsburgh native Trish Adlesic, which focuses on the 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, is sponsored by “Friends of Pittsburgh” — a group of West Hartford area residents and natives to Pittsburgh. The screening will be followed by a Reel Talk program featuring Pittsburgh Jewish community leaders Meryl Kirshner Ainsman and Brian Schreiber.
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PERSIAN LESSONS
IRMI
The community’s commitment to Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism is reflected in several documentaries. IRMI is a deeply personal film made by a daughter inspired by her mother’s story. It explores the way in which unexpected events and chance encounters can both shape a life and reveal its true nature. Using Irmi’s own memoir, it is beautifully read by actress Hanna Schygulla, enhanced by a richly emotional score by composer Todd Boekelheide. I Am Here is the heartwarming personal story of Ella Blumenthal, a native of Poland who survived the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and spent five years in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Ella tells of her Holocaust survival and the journey that brought her to her
present-day life in South Africa. Hartford area resident Irene Berman is interviewed in Passage to Sweden, a documentary about the efforts of the Scandinavian countries during World War II. Love it Was Not tells the tragic love story of a young Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz and a Nazi officer. Also in Festival’s line-up of films: The Adventures of Saul Bellow, which examines the Nobel Prize winning author’s influence on American literature and how he dealt with the key issues of his time, including race, gender, and the Jewish American immigrant experience. They Ain’t Ready for Me tells the story of Tamar Manasseh, an African-American rabbinical student who is combating gun violence on the South Side of March 22, 2022
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THEY AIN’T READY FOR ME
HESTER STREET
WUNDERKINDER
Chicago with magnetic, selfassured energy through her organization MASK, or Mothers Against Senseless Killings. The Levys of Monticello tells the remarkable story of the Jewish family who bought Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello home after the former president died in 1826, leaving behind a mountain of personal debt which forced his heirs to sell his beloved home. The story of the Levy family, who carefully preserved Monticello for nearly a century, intersects with the rise of antisemitism that runs throughout the course of American history. The award-winning Making Trouble celebrates six of the great female comic performers of the last century — Molly Picon, Fanny Brice, Hartford’s own Sophie Tucker, Joan Rivers, Gilda March 22, 2022
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Radner, and Wendy Wasserstein. The award-winning documentary Passage to Sweden illustrates how ordinary citizens in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark worked to save the lives of their Jewish countrymen when the Nazis closed in. A new 4K restoration of the much-loved film Hester Street (added to the National Film Registry in 2011), a classic story based on Abraham Cahan’s 1896 novella Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto, tells of the assimilation of an Ashkenazi couple in New York’s Lower East Side. Molly Picon, the irrepressible queen of the Yiddish musical, stars in the classic Mamele, a comic melodrama filmed in 1938 in the Polish city of Lodz and digitally restored with new English subtitles.
Saviors in the Night is a dramatic feature based on the book Retter in der Nacht, in which Marga Spiegel describes how courageous farmers in southern Munsterland hid her family from Nazis. In The Dinner, Russian immigrants Emma and Gregory find out it’s a small world, with big lies, when they attend a dinner party at Alon and Yael’s house. In Neighbours, two families on the Turkish-Syrian border help each other out over the
course of 40 years. For technophiles, the festival pairs Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman’s journey in Space Torah with Desert Tested, the story of Israel’s Susita: the car a camel would eat. The festival curtain closes with Wunderkinder, a feature about three musically gifted children in 1941 Ukraine who become close friends despite their different religions and nationalities, but their hopes crumble when Germany and Russia enter into war.
Festival tickets for individual films are $12. Twenty films will be available to watch on your phone, tablet, computer, or television. Tickets for streaming will be $12 per person, $20 for a household (viewing is limited to Connecticut). Patrons can also “mix and match,” purchase a streaming all-access pass (saves 20%), and pick ten (save 10%). To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.hjff.org. Southern New England Jewish Ledger
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March 22, 2022
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Around SNE Nothing Stops YAD! Neither the cold winter weather nor the pandemic stopped members of YAD, the Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts from gathering together for some virtual activities.
YAD MEMBERS STAY CONNECTED AT EVENTS SUCH AS THIS VIRTUAL “BRUNCH, STITCH AND SCHMOOZE.” HELD IN FEBRUARY.
YAD MEMBERS WERE JOINED BY MEMBERS OF CHAVERIM, THE FEDERATION’S GROUP FOR JEWISH ADULTS 40+, TO ENJOY A VIRTUAL ISRAELI-THEMED “MILK AND HONEY WHISKEY TASTING” HOSTED BY ISRAEL SHALIACH AVIV JERBI.
Hartford’s Jewish Community Foundation kicks off 50th anniversary celebration The Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford will kick off its year-long 50th Anniversary celebration with a series of events, beginning with a Mosaic Art Project, March 30 – April 6, at the Mandell Jewish Community Center, 335 Bloomfield Ave. The celebration will culminate Oct. 20 with a reception paying tribute to its generous donors and honoring all former board Chairs. “The people who built the Foundation envisioned a strong and thriving Jewish community – supported in perpetuity -- through the power of endowment,” says Jacob Schreiber, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “Thanks to their leadership and hard work, and the backing of so many leaders, the Foundation is - and will always remain - a reliable, vital source of community March 22, 2022
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support and innovation. During our 50th anniversary, the Foundation will celebrate all of our donors, who partner with us to achieve their charitable goals while ensuring the vibrant future of our Jewish community,” says Schreiber. The Foundation’s 50th Anniversary celebration includes the Mosaic Art Project, March 30 – April 6; the LIFE & LEGACY Reception, June 12; and the Anniversary Donor Reception, October 20. Led by nationally renowned artist Joani Rothenberg, the Mosaic Art Project will engage small groups of people in handson tiling sessions in which they will create a special work of art that reflects their thoughts and feelings about Greater Hartford’s Jewish community. The final mosaic will be unveiled later this year and permanently displayed at the Mandell JCC. “Everyone can gather and celebrate our special community as we build this unique piece of art together,” says Gayle Temkin, the Foundation’s Board Chair and Chair of the 50th
A YAD MEMBER LIGHTS SHABBAT CANDLES AT THE GROUP’S VIRTUAL MONTHLY SHABBAT GATHERING.
Anniversary Committee. “It is the Foundation’s gift to the community crafted by the people of the community.” Individuals and groups can sign up to join a 45-minute
Mosaic Art Tiling session, March 30 – April 6, at the Mandell JCC. For questions, contact Madison Leighty at mleighty@jcfhartford. org.
B’nai Mitzvah SHAYNAN BOARDMAN, daughter of Stephen and Tania Boardman, celebrated her bat mitzvah on Saturday, March 12, at Congregation Beth Shalom in Westborough, Mass. EMMA BRUNETTE, daughter of Thomas and Erica Brunette will celebrate her bat mitzvah on Saturday, March 26, at Sinai Temple in Longmeadow, Mass. VICTORIA POWERS, daughter of Yanna Powers and Jeremy Powers, celebrated her bat mitzvah on Saturday, March 12, at Temple Beth El in Springfield, Mass. LEAH RAICH, daughter of Risa and Steven Raich, will celebrate her bat mitzvah on Saturday, March 26 at Temple Beth El in Stamford, Conn. BENJAMIN STARKMAN, son of Kim and Johnathan Starkman, celebrated his bar mitzvah on Saturday, March 5, at Temple Beth El in Springfield. JACOB STARKMAN, son of Kim and Johnathan Starkman, celebrated his bar mitzvah on Saturday, March 5, at Temple Beth El in Springfield. Southern New England Jewish Ledger
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Around SNE ADL appoints Rabbi Ron Fish to key role
“Alice in Wonderland” is coming to the Bi-Cultural stage
“We are thrilled that Ron and Deryn have joined our work,” said Robert Trestan, ADL New England Regional Director. “In Ron and Deryn, we have two dedicated Jewish communal professionals who come to ADL with an impressive professional background and skills, and a deep commitment to our mission: ‘to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.’ I am confident that they will help the New England team deepen our impact as we work to respond to and prevent
antisemitism and all forms of hate.” As director of antisemitism advocacy and education, Rabbi Ron Fish leads ADL’s advocacy and education initiatives on college and university campuses. He will focus on building a more safe and inclusive climate for the expression of all facets of Jewish life on campus. His work is centered in ADL’s Northeast Division, which includes the six New England states, New York and New Jersey. Prior to joining ADL, Fish was a congregational rabbi in Connecticut and Massachusetts for the past 25 years. Most recently, he served as the senior rabbi for Temple Israel in Sharon, Mass. He is a member of the executive committee of the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis and has led multiple interfaith clergy associations. As associate regional director, Pressman-Mashin is responsible for developing advocacy initiatives and programs in communities across New England to advance ADL’s mission in the region. Prior to her appointment, she served as director of community engagement and communications at Epstein Hillel School in Marblehead, Mass. She has an MBA from the Heller School and an MA from the Hornstein program at Brandeis University as well as a master’s concentration in Israel education from the iCenter.
KOLOT
To rebuild and reunite the Russian empire.
Trapped in shelters with bombs falling, Why are cease fire and negotiations stalling As an evil autocrat with nuclear power, Makes nations of the world fear and cower It is our moral duty to help Ukraine, And end this evil tyrant’s reign.
BOSTON, Massachusetts – ADL New England recently announced the addition of two new members to its team, Rabbi Ron Fish, Northeast Division Director of Antisemitism Advocacy and Education, and Deryn Pressman-Mashin, Associate Regional Director.
RON FISH
Ukraine — A Poem BY BETH GOLDBERG
The invasion of Ukraine Has caused so much devastation and pain. Attacks on civilians, hospitals and plants, Inspired by a mad man’s irrational rants. Is based on a despot’s distorted desire March 22, 2022
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We must see that this is an attack on Europe and the US, That causes us and the world distress. There is distortion of the truth in his accusations, So we must repel his calculations. Sanctions and banning all Russian imports May hopefully bring optimistic reports.
STAMFORD, Connecticut – Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy’s popular spring musical is back! After a prolonged COVID induced hiatus, middle and high school students at the Stamford Jewish school are preparing for a return to the stage with a production of “Alice in Wonderland: An Original Retelling.” Performances are scheduled for March 31, April 1 and April 3. With a cast of more than 40 students, Bi-Cultural’s revised version of the original story is more comedic. It is written and directed by BCHA theater director Janice Chaikelson, now staging her 11th production at the school. “This year was definitely different because of the constantly shifting Covid-19 situation and the pent-up desire for a school show,” said Chaikelson. “As planning began last summer, the school decided to forgo its usual full-scale musical and present a play without singing. This way, we’ll still be able to provide our budding actors and actresses with the chance to have a theatrical performance experience,” The joy of participating in the show isn’t just for the actors on stage, it also promises to be a positive theatrical experience for all those students working behind the scenes on sets and costuming and the like. “Two students are also doubling as assistant directors,” says Chaikelson. “The camaraderie that develops across many grades among all the students in the cast and crew is really quite remarkable.” Performances are: Thursday, March 31, 7 p.m.; Friday, April 1, 1:45 p.m.; Sunday, April 3, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance at tickettailor.com/events/bcha/, or at the door.
SHIRA HECHT (CENTER), WHO PLAYS THE DUTCHESS IN THE BCHA UPCOMING PRODUCTION OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND REHEARSES A SCENE AS OTHER CASE MEMBERS LOOK ON. (KAILA ROSOVSKY)
Beth Goldberg is an award winning artist whose work has been exhibited in museums
and galleries and is part of corporate collections. She holds a masters degrees in guidance and school counseling and in art therapy. A resident of West Hartford she currently serves as vice president of The Emanuel Synagogue Sisterhood. Readers are invited to submit original work on a topic of their choosing to Kolot. Submissions should be sent to judiej@ jewishledger.com.
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Briefs Sandy Koufax statue to be unveiled at Dodger Stadium this summer (JTA) – Jewish baseball legend Sandy Koufax will be immortalized with a statue at Dodger Stadium this summer. The Hall of Fame pitcher will join his trailblazing teammate Jackie Robinson, whose bronze statue was unveiled in the centerfield plaza in 2017. Artist Branly Cadet, who made the Robinson statue, also created Koufax’s sculpture. The Los Angeles Dodgers had announced the Koufax statue in 2019, with its unveiling originally planned for the summer of 2020. The new ceremony will be held June 18 prior to a game against the Cleveland Guardians. The first 40,000 ticketed fans in attendance will receive a replica of Koufax’s statue. Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten announced the new date this week. He said fans entering the centerfield gates would now be “greeted” by Robinson and Koufax. “Not only are both of these Hall of Famers part of our rich Dodger history, they are also continuously inspiring sports fans everywhere,” Kasten said in his statement. Koufax, now 86, became the youngest player to enter baseball’s Hall of Fame when he was inducted in 1972 at the age of 36. That same year, the Dodgers retired Koufax’s jersey number, 32, alongside Robinson’s iconic 42, which is retired across the sport. One of the best pitchers in baseball history, Koufax was a member of four World Series championship teams, winning two World Series Most Valuable Player awards. Koufax also won a National League MVP and three Cy Young awards during his 12-year career with the Dodgers. Koufax posted a career record of 165-87 with a 2.76 earned run average, 2,396 strikeouts, 137 complete games and 40 shutouts. He was the first pitcher to throw March 22, 2022
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four no-hitters. Among Jewish fans, Koufax is best known for a game he did not pitch. Game 1 of the 1965 World Series fell on Yom Kippur, and Koufax famously declined to play.
Orthodox leaders in Queens endorse Hochul (New York Jewish Week) – Fourteen rabbis and Orthodox community leaders from Queens were among the 400 faith leaders who endorsed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s bid for her first full term as governor. The list released by the Hochul campaign Thursday included Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy and activists. The only Jewish endorsers listed are the Orthodox rabbis and community leaders from Queens. A source close to the Hochul administration told the New York Jewish Week that the list is a starting point and that “many more” Jewish leaders support Hochul. In regards to the Orthodox community of Brooklyn, the source said that the governor is planning to do more outreach there in the weeks to come. One of the rabbis on the list, Baruch Rothman of Yeshiva Ateres Shimon in Far Rockaway, said that Hochul is a leader who listens to the concerns of his community. “She shares our Jewish values of promoting equality and civil rights as well as standing up for what is right,” Rothman said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Governor Hochul to promote the ideals of the Jewish community in the years to come.” Rabbi Moishe Indig, an activist with the Satmar Hasidic community in Brooklyn, said that the fact that no Satmar leaders were on the list “does not mean we are not endorsing her.” “Today is Purim, and we are getting ready for Passover,” Indig said. “People are paying attention to that, and then right after, we’ll start paying attention to politics.” Indig added that Hochul is a friend to the community and thinks that “she’s doing a great
job.” In a statement, Hochul said that she will “always be an ally to the Jewish community” and will make addressing the rise in hate crimes against the Jewish community “a top priority.” Hochul is gearing up for the Democratic primary in June. Her likely Democratic rivals will include U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a moderate from Long Island, and NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a progressive. U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Jewish Republican from Long Island, is seeking his party’s nomination for governor.
Study: Pro-BDS faculty members contribute to campus antisemitism (JNS) A new study by the watchdog group AMCHA Initiative revealed that university faculty members who endorse an academic boycott of Israel are directly contributing to the antisemitic activity taking place on their campuses. The study, titled “Faculty Academic Boycotters: Ground Zero for Campus Antisemitism,” explored antisemitic activity at universities starting from the onset of the 11day conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza last May through the end of the 2020-21 academic year. The study found that schools with five or more faculty members who support a boycott of Israel as promoted by the BDS movement were 7.2 times more likely to have departments that released or endorsed antiZionist statements and 5.6 times more likely to have a student government that issued an anti-Zionist remark. Those same schools were also 3.6 times more likely to host harmful activities targeting Jewish and pro-Israel students; 4.5 times more likely to have pro-BDS incidents on campus; and 3.3 times more likely to have incidents related to anti-Zionist rhetoric from students. The study also found “an extremely strong correlation between the number of faculty academic boycotters prior to the onset of the Israel-Hamas [conflict] and the surge of new faculty endorsers of academic
BDS during May and June 2021, suggesting that faculty academic boycotters are successfully influencing their colleagues to embrace an academic boycott of Israel.” The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) will likely endorse the BDS movement against Israel and call for the implementation of the U.S. Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI) guidelines when its members conclude their voting on March 22. AMCHA Initiative noted that the BDS movement and USACBI not only promote a boycott of Israelrelated educational programs, events and activities but urge “the censuring, denigration, protest and exclusion of pro-Israel individuals.” The USACBI-backed boycotts are also “directly linked to behavior that harm Jewish and pro-Israel students, and were the apparent motivation for the vast majority of the incidents involving the harassment of Jewish and proIsrael students considered in this study.” Said AMCHA Initiative Director Tammi RossmanBenjamin said: “With the MESA vote looming, and 3,000 primary purveyors of Israel-related courses and departmentallysponsored events about to endorse an academic boycott of Israel–providing disciplinary legitimacy for such faculty abuse–the problem is likely to grow exponentially worse for Jewish students.”
Surfside, Fla., elects its first Orthodox Jewish mayor (JNS) Shlomo Danziger was elected on Tuesday, March 15, to be the first Orthodox Jewish mayor of Surfside, Fla. Danziger, 42, beat two incumbents–Mayor Charles Burkett by 33 votes and Vice Mayor Tina Paul by 23 votes– and garnered about 35 percent of the total votes in the mayoral race, reported Local10.com. The businessman, father of five and native of Brooklyn, N.Y., moved Continued on the next page
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to Surfside in 2010. He ran for a commission seat in 2020 but was unsuccessful. In fact, seemed surprised by his election victory on Tuesday and told The Miami Herald: “We got much higher than we thought we were going to get.” The swearing-in ceremony took place on Wednesday.
Report: 865 entities have adopted IHRA antisemitism definition (JNS) Over of the course of the past six years, more than 800 entities around the world have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, according to a new report. The report, based on research by the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University and the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM), shows that 865 international organizations, governments, municipalities, NGOs, universities, athletic clubs, corporations and other groups have embraced the definition since May 2016, when it was adopted unanimously by IHRA’s 31 member states. The report reveals that in 2021 alone, 200 entities adopted or endorsed the definition worldwide, and since the start of this year, 20 others have done so. “It is clear that with the marked increase in antisemitism, especially in recent years, there is a need for a universally accepted definition of antisemitism,” said CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa. “We need to clearly delineate the borders of hate and incitement against Jews, because for too long it is the antisemites themselves who have defined them, and no other community would accept such a disturbing situation.” According to the Kantor Center and CAM, “Overall, 37 countries, including most Western democracies, have adopted the definition–28 IHRA member states, four IHRA observer states and five nations unaffiliated with the IHRA. Following nations such as the
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United States, Canada, Germany, Britain and France, among other previous adoptees, the newest additions to this group in 2021 were Australia, Estonia, Guatemala, Poland, South Korea and Switzerland, followed by the Philippines in 2022. “In addition, 320 non-federal government entities (including regional, provincial, state, county, and municipal bodies) have adopted the definition, with 39 doing so in 2021, and 13 so far in 2022. In Europe, this has included major national capitals, such as London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid and Vienna.”
MD Democratic leader resigns after questioning viability of Black candidates (JTA) – Barbara Goldberg Goldman, a longtime lay leader in Democratic Party and Jewish circles, resigned as deputy treasurer of the Maryland Democratic Party after questioning the viability of Black candidates for governor. Goldberg Goldman apologized for an email she sent in December, revealed over the weekend by Axios. “Consider this: Three African-American males have run statewide for Governor and have lost,” she wrote to other party leaders in the email. “This is a fact we must not ignore.” Goldberg Goldman was strategizing over how best to defeat Kelly Schulz, the state’s Republican secretary of commerce, who is running to replace Larry Hogan, the current Republican governor who is nearing the end of his two term limit. She cautioned that Maryland, widely viewed as a solidly Democratic state, has tended in recent decades to elect Republican governors, and that Schulz, who has not yet cleared the primaries, might be hard to defeat because, in Goldberg Goldman’s words, she is widely popular and is a woman. Three of the 10 candidates currently declared for governor in the Democratic primaries are Black.
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The email reveal prompted calls for Goldberg Goldman to step down from those candidates and several others who are running, including the candidate Goldberg Goldman is backing, Tom Perez, the former labor secretary and Democratic National Committee chairman. Especially cutting was Ben Jealous, one of the Black candidates Goldberg Goldman alluded to in her email. “Maryland Democratic Party Deputy Treasurer Barbara Goldberg Goldman’s racist comments about Black candidates are intolerable,” Jealous said in a tweet. “She must step down.” Jealous lost in a 2018 bid to unseat Hogan. His running mate was Susan Turnbull who, like Goldberg Goldman, has been prominent for years in Democratic and Jewish organizational leadership. “I am well aware that words matter despite how they might be interpreted, and I sincerely apologize,” Goldberg Goldman told The Washington Post on Monday. At least one prominent Black Democrat came to her defense. Isiah Leggett, the former executive of Maryland’s Montgomery County, a position equivalent to mayor, told the Post that Goldberg Goldman’s email was “unfortunate and inartful” but did not reflect her character, noting that in 2008 and 2012, she chaired the Obama campaign’s Jewish Community Leadership Committee.
For $500, this Zabar’s sweater can be yours (New York Jewish Week) – Uptown bagel and bag lovers rejoice! The Zabar’s x Coach collaboration has arrived and it’s the ultimate mashup of nosh meets posh. As part of their Spring/Summer 2022 line, luxury fashion brand Coach is drawing inspiration from the iconic Upper West Side gourmet grocery. Specifically, Coach has placed the iconic orange Zabar’s logo – accompanied by an image of a bagel with a bite taken out of it – on their classic brown leather Cashin Carry Bag, as well as a
gray wool sweater. The bag retails for $550, while the sweater is priced at $495. Yes, that’s a pretty penny. Then again, considering that Zabar’s Bagels and Nova Brunch Box – featuring a dozen bagels, a pound of fish, cream cheese, coffee and rugelach – retails for $229, paying approximately twice that for something that you can one day pass on to your grandchildren doesn’t seem that absurd. (If your taste or budget is a bit more modest, there’s also a Zabar’s x Coach T-shirt for $150.) Designed by Coach New York’s creative director, Stuart Vevers. The collection is dubbed a “love letter to New York,” and is meant as a tribute to the city’s tenacity and ability to inspire. (The brand’s Spring 2021 collection also featured New York-inspired apparel.) The 2022 collection doesn’t only feature Zabar’s merch: Clothing featuring East Side dessert restaurant Serendipity 3 and Chelsea gay leather bar The Eagle are also on offer. There’s also a t-shirt with a “I survived a ride on the subway in New York City” graphic and another with a sketch of the Brooklyn Bridge. Coach Inc. began as a familyrun leather shop known on 34th Street in Manhattan. It was started by Miles Cahn, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, and his wife Lillian Cahn, neé Lenovitz, who immigrated from Hungary. They opened Gail Leather Products as a small leather goods workshop in 1941, and in 1961 they bought out the business’s other investors and renamed themselves the Coach Leatherware Company. Coach’s website has already sold out of both the Zabar’s bags and sweatshirts, but, as of Sunday, the food emporium tweeted that buyers could still find the pieces at select Coach locations around the city.
March 22, 2022
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The Arts at the Mandell JCC Zachs Campus | 335 Bloomfield Ave. | West Hartford, CT 06117 | 860-236-4571 | www.mandelljcc.org
Zachs Campus | 335 Bloomfield Ave. | West Hartford, CT 06117 | 860-236-4571 | www.mandelljcc.org Everyone 12 and over, must be vaccinated to enter the JCC. All programming involving children under 12 will require masks be worn by everyone.
GILI YALO
An Evening of LIVE Ethio-pop, R&B Funk, Jazz and a Deep Soulful Feeling! TUESDAY, APRIL 26 | 7:00 PM
Herbert & Evelyn Gilman Theater | Mandell JCC
YOM HASHOAH COMMEMORATION Honoring the memory of the Martyred Six Million
Sunday, April 24 | 7:00pm | The Emanuel Synagogue Reading of the names of our community’s family who perished and departed survivors - 6:00 PM
Ruth “Tutti” Fishman, Peter Fishman & Garrett Fishman
Gili Yalo performs a rich medley of contemporary soul, funk, psychedelic rock and traditional Ethiopian music, drawing inspiration from his experience as an Ethiopian Jew who fled Sudan in 1984 and re-settled in Israel. The expression of his story through a modern, cutting-edge music production, represents his own personal triumph. Tickets: $25 | $15 Students www.mandelljcc.org/tix
A CONVERSATION BETWEEN GENERATIONS Moderated by Heidi Fishman
COMMUNITY-WIDE READING OF THE NAMES: Monday, April 25, 8:00am-8:00pm
March 22, 2022
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News and Jewish Community Update
Watching Ukraine
sanctions, but these actions have yet to stop the Russian capture of more Ukrainian territory. Nor has Russia’s advance toward the Ukrainian capital ceased. Russia has yet to respond to a massive schedule of sanctions and actions from the business and banking world meant to pressure Russia. The ruble has collapsed in a way that hasn’t happened since the early 1990s and yet, the tanks roll on. The West’s actions have thus far been ineffective in stopping the slaught. This is a worrisome development. We must imagine that other countries are watching the situation closely and strategizing. China is one such country, with aspirations for taking Taiwan. More critically for the Jewish community, Iran is also watching how the West responds to Russian aggression while plotting their own strategy. Iran seeks both regional hegemony and has a fledgling nuclear program aimed Israel, along with Saudi Arabia, and U.S. facilities in the Middle East. Like Russia, Iran sees the United States as a threat to their interests and to their government. Like Russia, Iran also faces tremendous sanctions, which have yet to halt their regional power grab, and has not caused them to stop the development of their nuclear program. We must imagine that Iran is watching the West’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and determining what the West’s response would be if Iran decides to go-ahead
with further development of a nuclear weapon or continued entrenchment of their military advances into Lebanon and Syria. Western leaders are in a complicated and difficult position. Not wishing to directly engage Russia militarily, the West is instead opting to carefully navigate around the conflict while aiming to end the conflict without escalation. To date this appears to be ineffective and it could embolden China and Iran to ramp-up their own nefarious activities. Ukraine is quite literally begging the West to put in place a no-fly zone in Ukraine; the West has said no. Is Iran watching and considering what the West would do if Iran directly attacked Israel? Lest we only look at the situation with sorrow and fear we must recognize the inspiring, heroic Jewish leadership of Ukrainian President Zelensky. Zelensky’s story is a remarkable one. Zelensky, a popular comedian who won leadership of Ukraine, has led with bravery and strength and has done an incredible job holding out against Russian attacks. He has united the world against those seeking his destruction. Seventy-seven years ago, the world came together to vanquish an enemy which sought to establish a fascist dictatorship across the European continent. Let us take the words of Zelensky to heart and unite against evil – not only in Europe but also where it threatens democracy elsewhere in the world.
STAY CONNECTED:
7:30 pm, private home (outdoors) • Save the Date: Summer BBQ and Swim, Sunday, July 17.
with the JCC, April 3. • Yom Ha’Atzmaut Israel’s Independence Day, May 15th at 12 p.m. at Congregation B’nai Shalom. • Mother’s Day Gift/Craft Fair to Benefit PJ Library, May 1, 9:00 am- 3:00 pm, Worcester JCC • PJ Library’s Book Mitzvah: A Celebration of 13 Years in our Community, June 12th, 11:00 am2:00 pm, Worcester JCC.
Our community has been closely watching the escalating violence in Ukraine, beginning with the Russian encirclement of Ukraine’s easternmost regions and now the bombardment of Kyiv’s suburbs. In response, Jewish Federation and our partners at JDC, the Jewish Agency, and others are engaged in intense round-the-clock support of the Ukrainian Jewish community by providing on the ground emergency assistance. Our STEVEN SCHIMMEL, local Jewish EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR community has given more than $35,000, part of the more than $25 million raised by Jewish Federations of North America in support of this humanitarian work. The situation in Ukraine is dire and appears to be worsening each day, making our work all that more important. In addition to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine there are also global geopolitical implications to consider. Russia has cast away the post-WWII European order and has upended the more than 30 years of political stability in Europe since the fall of the Soviet Union. By invading a small, sovereign democratic country, Russia challenged the West to come to Ukraine’s defense. The West has responded with military aid and economic
PJ LIBRARY/PJ OUR WAY
• PJ Library Virtual Storytime with Lori, March 26, 10:45 a.m. • Pottery Painting Party: Let’s create our own Elijah’s Cup for our Passover Seder Table, March 27, 3 p.m. Claytime in Shrewsbury.
YAD
• Passover Shabbat Lunch, Saturday, April 16, 12 p.m. • YAD Mimouna, Saturday, May 7,
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CHAVERIM
• Jewish Film Festival with Hadassah (rescheduled from April 9....TBA) • Ongoing Chaverim Outdoors Events • Summer Party, TBA
COMMUNITY-WIDE
• Community Good Deed’s Day
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Contact Mindy Hall at mhall@ jcm.org for updates.
March 22, 2022
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“I’m thrilled to be at William Raveis, whose focus is
Marketing and Technology
with a connection to
a great International Network.”
Robin and Raveis ... what a great combination! March 22, 2022
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Around SNE Bi-Cultural’s annual dinner celebrates 66 years, honors Jewish community leaders STAMFORD – Several leaders of the Connecticut Jewish community will be honored for their commitment to Jewish education and their dedication to community service at the Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy Celebration Dinner, to be held Monday evening, May 30, 5:30 p.m. at the at the Al Fresco Pavilion at the Stamford Italian Center. “‘Something Special for Everyone,’ is the theme of this year’s Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy Celebration Dinner, and our honorees represent this theme beautifully, bound together by their intelligence, accomplishment, commitment to Jewish education and love for BCHA,” said Rabbi Tzvi Bernstein, BCHA head of school. The evening’s honorees are headed by Guests of Honor Gladys and Greg Teitel, who are recognized for their outstanding contribution to the school and their commitment to Stamford’s Jewish communal life. The parents of four children, all of whom attended BCHA, the Teitels are an integral part of the Stamford Jewish community. A longtime member of the BCHA Board of Trustees, Greg has also served for six years as president of Young Israel of Stamford. Professionally, Greg Teitel is director of business development for SoMa Equity Partners, a San Francisco-based hedge fund. A graduate of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, Maryland, he holds a bachelors degree from Rutgers University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina. Gladys Teitel has served as a volunteer teaching Hebrew at various local institutions. She is also a Behrend Institute for Leadership Fellow and is active on the board of the Gabriel Project Mumbai (GPM), keeping
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GLADYS & GREG TEITEL, BI-CULTURAL HEBREW ACADEMY 2022 CELEBRATION DINNER GUESTS OF HONOR.
strong connections with her maternal family roots in India’s Bene Israel Jewish community of Mumbai. A graduate of Brandeis University, Gladys holds a JD from Touro Law School. In addition to the Teitels, other 2022 BCHA Celebration Dinner honorees include: Alumni Award recipient, Jake Sherman (’00), a nationally known journalist and author, and a veteran Washington, D.C. Capitol Hill reporter. A former senior writer for Politico, last year Sherman co-founded Punchbowl News, a daily newsletter focusing on Congress. He is also a political contributor for NBC and MSNBC and worked previously in the Washington bureaus of the Wall Street Journal and Newsweek. A member of the Adas Israel D.C. Minyan and a supporter of numerous Jewish causes, Sherman and his wife, Irene, are the parents of three children. His parents, Bob and Stephanie Sherman, have deep roots in the Stamford community, and his brother Corey and sister Kate are also Bi-Cultural graduates. BCHA Associate Head of School Rachel Haron is the recipient of this year’s Walter Shuchatowitz Award for Excellence in Education. Haron credits her parents, Linda and Larry Rezak, who are also active members of the Stamford Jewish
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community, with instilling in her a dedication to family, community and Jewish day school education. The parents of five children, all of whom
attended BCHA, Haron and her husband, Dan, are both BCHA alum (’86) This year’s BCHA Community Service Award is awarded to Six Thirteen Restaurant and its managers Glenn Karow and Adam Rafalowicz, who are recognized for the vital role the restaurant plays in the Stamford community, and the generosity of Karow and Rafalowicz to the school, the community, and the needy. The dinner will also include a special tribute to the late Alan Kalter, a longtime friend of the school and the announcer on “Late Show With David Letterman,” who died in October 2021. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit BCHA scholarships. For ticket information, contact (203) 329-2186.
Solomon Schechter Ner Tamid 2022 celebration to honor past presidents WEST HARTFORD, Connecticut – Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford (SSDS) will mark its 50th anniversary at the school’s annual Ner Tamid 2022 celebration, to be held Sunday, March 27, 2 - 5 p.m. at The Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford. The afternoon will feature a cocktail hour and dessert reception, highlighted by a program honoring the school’s past presidents. “We started our oldest in kindergarten decades ago thinking it would only be for one year,” recalls Bruce Stanger who, as an SSDS past president is one of the event honorees. “We ended up sending both children through eighth grade. Since then, we have established a legacy gift because of all that SSDS did for our family. Now adults, our children have incorporated much of what Judaism offers into their lives. I still am an active volunteer some 35 years later.” In addition to Stanger, the event’s honorees will include the school’s additional 26 past presidents, including, in order of tenure: Sidney Perlman, Arlene Neiditz, Lewis Segal, Janis Spring, Michael Peck, Peter Smerd, Blanche Goldenberg, Francine Trachtenberg, Jane Herzig, Tom Divine, Doreen Fundiller-Zweig, Mark Rosen, Rick Blum, Sharon Conway, Michael Lenkiewicz, James Schulwolf, Neil Kochen, Rise Roth, Marcia and Scott Glickman, Jay Gershman, Robin Landau, Robert Kessler, Sharon Kochen, Jessica Zachs and Lauren Eisen. Guests may join the Ner Tamid 2022 festivities either in person or online. Tickets to the in-person event are $154; virtual access is $54. All proceeds will benefit the SSDS Scholarship Fund. In-person attendees must submit proof of full vaccination, or contact the school in advance to discuss alternate arrangements. For more information, contact Sherri Pliskin at spliskin@ssdshartford.org. March 22, 2022
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March 22, 2022
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On Campus
At Tufts, a student campaign urges peers not to join pro-Israel groups – even liberal ones
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BY PENNY SCHWARTZ
OSTON, Massachusetts (JTA) – University studentled campaigns to boycott Israel are not an uncommon sight, but a new student movement at Tufts University is taking a form rarely seen before in similar campus boycott efforts. Tufts’ Students for Justice in Palestine chapter this week called for a strategic boycott against Israel, asking students to sign the group’s pledge not to buy Israeli snacks sold on campus (such as Sabra hummus). But in what some observers say is a new and troubling tactic, the group also asks students to refuse to join campus groups or programs “that normalize or benefit” Israel, including the student groups Tufts Friends of Israel, TAMID and Tufts J Street, a campus branch of the liberal Middle East policy group that advocates for a two-state solution. The campaign also urges students to not study abroad in Israel or participate in Birthright Israel; not to take a university program entitled Visions of Peace that focuses on dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians; and not to enroll in a summer fellowship supported by the AntiDefamation League. SJP went public with “Justice Through BDS,” its latest initiative, on Monday in an op-ed in a student publication that it shared on its social media sites. The group supports BDS, the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement that targets companies that do business with Israel. In its statement, SJP accuses Israel of violating human rights of Palestinians, including with demolition of homes and displacement dating back to
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1948, the year Israel gained statehood. It describes Zionism as a form of “settler colonialism” and uses the term “apartheid” to describe its occupation of Palestinian land. The statement included a justification for opposing J Street: “While SJP recognizes that many Jewish people begin their antizionist political journey through J Street U, and appreciates that J Street U’s Tufts chapter agrees that antisemitism and antiZionism are not synonymous, it is crucial for students to refuse half-measures that condemn occupation while normalizing colonization.” The Tufts SJP did not respond to several requests for comment. “We strongly oppose this renewed campaign at Tufts,” Patrick Collins, executive director of the schools’ media relations, said in an emailed statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Collins expressed disappointment that SJP chose to ask students to boycott other student groups on campus. Tufts rejects the BDS movement, “elements of which we believe are rooted in antisemitism,” according to Collins. “As an educational institution, we must encourage honest and open debate about difficult issues, including those in the Middle East. Students for Justice in Palestine have an important role to play in these discussions. However, their most recent campaign is divisive and harmful. It doesn’t help foster important conversations — rather, it shuts them down while ostracizing fellow students,” Collins wrote. The campaign could point to a larger shift in strategy for proponents of Israel boycotts, as
Southern New England Jewish Ledger
a similar sentiment was recently expressed by the leader of the San Francisco branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. In November, Zahra Billoo delivered a speech urging pro-Palestinian activists to oppose “polite Zionists,” whom she defined to include Jewish groups like Hillel, the ADL and “Zionist synagogues.” “They are not your friends,” Billoo said at the time. Tufts, a liberal arts college and research institution with some 5,800 undergraduates and a large Jewish student body, is located just six miles from downtown Boston. Over the years, its administration has taken a stand against academic boycotts and has rejected earlier efforts by SJP to have the school divest from Israeli companies. Tufts Hillel condemned SJP’s call for a boycott against Israel and Israel-related programming on campus. In a statement on its Facebook page, Rabbi Naftali Brawer, the group’s executive director, and Allison Cohen, Tufts Hillel student president, said the groups targeted by SJP represent a wide spectrum of views on Israel. “Unlike SJP, we firmly believe that dialogue is the only route to deeper understanding between people of divergent views and a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” they wrote. The latest SJP campaign goes well beyond the conventional norms of boycotts, according to Robert Trestan, regional director of the New England AntiDefamation League. Asking students to sign a pledge refusing to associate with a range of groups elevates Trestan’s concerns, he wrote in a letter to Tufts University president Anthony Monaco that
Trestan provided to JTA. “This list … effectively creates a litmus test that could be used to restrict Jewish students from full participation in the many facets of student life,” he wrote. He called on Monaco to speak publicly against the boycott, and to reassure Jewish students they will not be ostracized from full participation in campus life. Violet Kopp, a sophomore and co-chair of the campus branch of J Street, first learned about the SJP boycott in an email last week from SJP. “My immediate reaction was disappointment and a bit of frustration, “ she told JTA in a phone conversation. “A lot of the work we do relies on having open channels of dialogue and respecting disagreement,” she said. “The boycott fundamentally misunderstands the work we do.” The goals of both groups is justice for all people, she noted. “The boycott feels very contradictory to that.” In a series of Twitter posts, Tufts sociology professor Eitan Hersh shared his concern about SJP’s call to disengage with student groups such as J Street. “I want our students at Tufts to know that the position articulated here (that groups supporting two-state solutions & peace deals are to be marginalized) is extreme & should be dismissed as such,” he wrote. Kopp welcomed continued conversation about the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, including with those who are boycotting J Street. “We are not boycotting them back,” she said. “We want to engage with everyone.”
March 22, 2022
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THE KOSHER CROSSWORD MARCH 22, 2022
SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND
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“End of 22”
By: Yoni Glatt
Difficulty Level: Challenging
Sponsored by:
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20/20 MEDIA, PUBLISHER EDITORIAL Judie Jacobson, Editor in Chief judiej@jewishledger.com Stacey Dresner, Associate Editor staceyd@jewishledger.com
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Across
32. Erev Shabbos letters 34. “Of course!” 35. Famous Lazarus 36. One-time Florentine currency 38. Pumas alternatives 40. *Part of the Jewish wedding process 43. Israel’s Ram and Monfort 46. Great Babylonian Rav 47. Misbehavers, in a cute way 51. Denizen down under 52. Did banking business 54. Sign near construction zone, often 56. *Composer Mahler 58. Reason for a princess’s insomnia
59. Colt fans, for short? 60. “Shecket!” 61. For one 64. Animals that surround Indiana Jones in “The Last Crusade” 66. One digging 68. March Madness achievement...or another title for this puzzle? 71. Philistine to an Israelite, often enough 72. Heading, as the leader board 73. ___ Hara 74. What yes men do 75. Where basketballs might bounce 76. Yom Kippur and Cold
Down
24. Honest Mount Rushmore man 26. Kept 28. Traditional Israeli singer Netzer 29. Owns 31. Produce babka 32. It’s quite important in a marriage 33. Bad cut 37. Composer Raichel 39. J.K. Rowling attribute, for short? 41. Any of the Galapagos 42. Part of a child’s game 43. Jacob had an injured one 44. Entertaining
45. Eponymous Jewish school in Livingston, New Jersey 48. Beloved Inigo of cinema 49. What a rodef is 50. Married woman in Mex. 53. Busy travel time, often 55. Disraeli’s noble rank 57. Yoni Glatt’s puzzles always have one 58. ___ Penh, Cambodia 62. Quite a distance away 63. Queens field 65. Two or three, say 66. Culpa preceder 67. Common Jewish bread 69. Exams for college cred. 70. ER pros
1. It comes before Behar 5. Do a bit of prep fighting 9. Half a semicolon 14. Lion feature 15. Gemara on a fast day 16. Possible cholent ingredient 17. *___ Cain (Biblical sign) 19. Bubba Gemara tractate 20. What some soccer games end in 21. He is Edom 23. It’s next to Wash. 24. “Her ways ___ ways of pleasantness” (Prov. 3:17) 25. Third degree, for short? 27. *Notable wife of a wicked man 30. Melbourne grill
Henry M. Zachs, Managing Partner (2014-2021)
Publisher’s Statement Editorial deadline: All calendar submissions must be received one week prior to publication. Advertising deadline: Tuesday noon one week prior to issue. 20/20 Media 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. The Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable. The publisher 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 © 2022. No portion may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. 20/20 Media also publishes All Things Jewish CT, All Things Jewish MA and WeHa Magazine.
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1. Hatzolah letters 2. Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg, with “the” 3. What Jimmy Carter served 4. Notes between do and fa 5. Participant in 76-Across: Abbr. 6. Elbowed, perhaps 7. “Famous” cookie prophet? 8. Spanish superstar in tennis, familiarly 9. Post-picnic trash, maybe 10. Live 11. Pass out face-up, maybe 12. (Camp) Moshava alternative 13. Santa follower 18. Jewish frat. 22. Israeli magazine holder
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March 22, 2022
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At the Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation, we understand that
comfort and familiarity is a key part of the journey to wellness. We also
understand that maintaining your religious beliefs and principles is fundamental in continued enrichment of life.
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
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.
• Respite Care Program • Palliative Care and Hospice Services Coordination OUR AMENITIES INCLUDE: • Barber/Beauty Shop • Café • Cultural Menus • Laundry and housekeeping services
HKC
• Patient and Family education
כשר
• Life Enrichment
For more information on our Kosher program, please contact: DIRECTOR, PASTORAL SERVICES: (860) 523-3800 Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation: 1 Abrahms Boulevard, West Hartford, CT 06117
LIK E US ON March 22, 2022
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WHAT’S HAPPENING A calendar of events throughout Connecticut and Western & Central Massachusetts. Local Jewish community organizations are invited to submit events to the calendar. Events must be received one week prior to the bi-weekly publication of the Ledger. Send submissions to Ledger editor in chief Judie Jacobson at judiej@jewishledger. com. We reserve the right to edit calendar items.
MARCH THURSDAY, MARCH 24 West Hartford, CT – CT’s Strengthened Relationship with Israel: A Roundtable Discussion and Q&A hosted by Jewish Federation Association of CT (JFACT), 6 - 7 p.m. Speakers: Gov. Ned Lamont, JFACT Executive Director Michael Bloom, UConn President Radenka Maric, CT Innovations Chair Mike Cantor. At Beth El Temple, 2626 Albany Ave. Information: jfact.org.
MARCH 24 – APRIL 10 West Hartford, CT – Hartford Jewish Film Festival presents a mix of contemporary and classic films, including “Making Trouble,” about Jewish women comedians including Sophie Tucker, and a restorations of the films “Mamle” and “Hester Street.” For information and tickets: hjff.org.
THURSDAY, MARCH 24 Greenwich, CT (Zoom) – Lunch and Learn: “Tikkuning the Actual Olam,” 12:30 - 1:30 p.m., with Rabbi Stephenie Kolin, who shares what Jewish tradition has to teach us about the climate crisis and what we do now. Information: (203) 552-1818. FREE
SATURDAY, MARCH 26 Sudbury, MA – Congregation B’nai Torah and the SudburyWayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable and its
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Show for Shelters program will host its sixth annual Women’s Seder, 1:30-3 p.m. Rabbi Lisa Eiduson and Cantorial Soloist Jodi Blanksein will lead guests in exploring the relationship between the journey of the Jews leaving Egypt and the journey of victims of domestic violence who must leave their homes, families and jobs in search of a safe place to live. For information: bnaitorah.com. $10
SUNDAY, MARCH 27 Stamford, CT – “Break the Stigma: Suicide Prevention &. Awareness Workshop,” an interactive workshop. Learn life-saving tools to recognize when a person is having thoughts of suicide and how to connect them with resources that can help them choose to live. Teens, 4 - 6 p.m.; Adults, 6:30-8:30 p.m. A project of the FriendshipCircle. At the Armon Hotel (formerly the Crowne Plaza) 2701 Summer St. Reservations: friendshipCT.com/ awareness.
MONDAY, MARCH 28 West Hartford, CT – Teen Screen at the Mandell JCC Jewish Film Festival: “They Ain’t Ready for Me” at 6:30 p.m. Open to all teens. Hosted by JTConnect and Mandell JCC. 335 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford. Reservations at: JTConnect.org/movie.
TUESDAY, MARCH 29 Simsbury, CT – “A Synagogue Takes Root in the Farmington Valley,” 7:30 p.m. Learn about the emergence of a Jewish community in the Farmington Valley. Hear members of the Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation-Emek Shalom talk about the community’s 60year history, sharing anecdotes and reflecting on the growth and change over the years. Information: fvjc.org.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 Connecticut (Zoom) – “Jewish Perspectives on Reproductive
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Health, Rights & Justice,” 7 - 8 p.m.; with guest speakers Rabbi Sarah Marion (Congregation B’nai Israel, Bridgeport), Rabbi Rona Shapiro (Congregation B’nai Jacob, Woodbridge), Rabbi Tuvia Brander (Young Israel of West Hartford). Hosted by the Jewish Federations of Greater Hartford, Greater New Haven and Upper Fairfield County. A link will be provided with registration required. Register at https://us02web.zoom. us/webinar/register/WN_ ZOoIsWFhRra6uiBp7Odrow. New Haven, CT (Zoom) – “Prayer and Liturgy at BEKI: An Ongoing Exploration with Rabbi Carl Astor,” 7:30 p.m. Rabbi Astor will lead a monthly hour-long discussion focusing on particular prayers, as well as the overall structure of the siddur, looking at the Hebrew words themselves as well as the deeper spiritual meanings of the prayers. For information: Karel Koenig, karelmk59@gmail.com. Storrs, CT – Comedian MODI will perform at the UConn Student Union Theatre, 7 p.m. co-sponsored by the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life and The UConn Hillel. MODI has been featured on HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, and E! Entertainment. Born in Israel, he moved to the US at the age of seven and worked as an investment banker and had no intention of becoming a standup comedian until one open mic night changed everything. For more information on MODI visit MODIlive.com. FREE. Reservations at: judaicstudies@ uconn.edu.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6 West Hartford, CT – A Mosaic Art Project to be held at the Mandell Jewish Community Center will kick off the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford’s year-long 50th
Anniversary celebration. For more information on the 50th anniversary events, see story page 19.
THURSDAY, MARCH 31 West Hartford, CT (Zoom) – The Jewish Leadership Academy and Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford present The Howard J. Siegal Leadership Institute “Fundraising Turbulence: Creating Connection During Crisis” with guest speaker David Phillips, principal, Immersive 1s Consulting, 6:30 p.m. Information: jlahartford.org.
APRIL SATURDAY, APRIL 2 Sherman, CT – The JCC in Sherman presents: “Caledonia: Thistles & Shamrocks,” 7 p.m., a concert featuring special guests Caroline Bennett and Al Burgasse performing a collection of traditional and contemporary songs that span the centuries and tell the stories of the people and the traditions that define Scotland and Ireland. $20/ members, $25/non-members. Information: jccinsherman.org. Springfield, MA – Tot Shabbat at Temple Beth El led by Marlene Rachelle presenting Shabbat music and fun for children ages 6 and younger, 11 a.m. at TBE, 979 Dickinson St., Virtual Link: sklc@tbespringfield.org Contact: communications@tbespringfield. org.
SUNDAY, APRIL 3 Stamford, CT – “Maimonides: The Physician’s Approach to Modern Medical Ethics”with Dr. Daniel Eisenberg, professor of diagnostic imaging at Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine and a practicing radiologist at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. 6 p.m. Hosted by United Jewish Federation’s Maimonides Medical Society at the Stamford JCC, 1035 Newfield Ave. (on March 22, 2022
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the patio) Information: Sharon Franklin sharon@ujf.or. $36/ includes dinner and drinks (food individually packaged per person.) West Hartford, CT – Tenth Anniversary of JTConnect, honoring JTConnect’s outgoing executive director Eric Maurer and founding president Mel Simon, 4 - 6 p.m., at The Emanuel Synagogue, 160 Mohegan Dr. JTConnect’ will celebrate 10 years of building community and educating the next generation.
SUNDAY, APRIL 3SUNDAY, APRIL 10 Worcester, MA – “Good Deeds Week” a program of the Jewish Community of Central Mass., In-person kick-off: Sunday, April 3 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., at the Worcester Jewish Community Center, featuring several familyfriendly hands-on volunteer opportunities for all ages. For information or ideas for doit-yourself projects, contact: ngreenberg@worcesterjcc.org or (508) 756-7109, ext. 232.
MONDAY, APRIL 4 Fairfield, CT – “Israel: Present Challenges and Visions for the Future,” a Bennett Lecture in Judaic Studies hosted by Fairfield University’s Bennett Center for Judaic Studies; 7:30 p.m. Guest speaker is Tzipi Livni, former Israeli Foreign Minister, Minister of Justice, and chief negotiator of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Livni will discuss the security challenges Israel is facing and the opportunities for peace. She will share her personal story and her experience as the Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Reservations required at Fairfield.edu/bennettprograms. Information: bennettcenter@ fairfield.edu, (203) 254-4000 x2066. Stamford, CT – Passover Cooking Demo with cookbook author Ronnie Fein; 2 p.m.; Ashkenazi and Sephardic recipes. Books March 22, 2022
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available for purchase. After the demo group will pack toiletries to benefit the SJFS Anachnu Holocaust survivors (bring toiletries). To be held on the outdoor patio of the Stamford JCC, 2035 Newfield Ave. Information: sharon@ujf, (203) 321-1373 x109. $18/in advance, $25/at the door.
antisemitism and displacement after the war, and the reclamation of the art and the narrative, with Lisa Barr (author of Women on Fire) and James McAuley (author of The House of Fragile Things). Co-presented with Jewish Book, the Jewish Museum, and Tablet Magazine.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6
Springfield, MA – Springfield JCC Gallery exhibit, “The New Herbarium,” artwork by Madge Evers, will be on display in the through April 19, with a reception April 13, 5 – 6:30 p.m. The New Herbarium series reimagines the centuries-old process of collecting and preserving plants for science and art. At 1160 Dickinson St.
Connecticut (Zoom) – ADL Teen Summit: “How to Respond to Antisemitism”; 7 - 8:15 p.m. For Jewish students, grades 8-12. From Heil Hitler salutes and swastikas at Connecticut high schools, to anti-Israel protests on college campuses, Jewish students have increasingly been the targets of a fast-growing antisemitism. ADL’s Teen Summit features a teen panel that will share their personal stories of standing up to antisemitism. Jewish teens from across the state will learn that they are not alone, but rather resilient and empowered. Co-sponsored by the Connecticut Jewish Federations, Merkaz, the Community High School for Judaic Studies, JTConnect, The Jewish Teen Learning Connection and BBYO. Information: swalden@adl. org. Link will be provided upon registration.
THURSDAY, APRIL 7 Springfield, MA – Springfield JCC virtual author talk and Q&A with Valerie Gilpeer, author of the memoir I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust: A Memoir of Autism and Hope via Zoom. 7 p.m. This free event is co-sponsored by Kehillah, the Springfield JCC’s Special Needs Department; (413) 739-4715, springfieldJCC.org; https:// springfieldjcc.wufoo.com/forms/ rbv9mm31fuh8d5/
MONDAY, APRIL 11 Greenwich, CT – “Art, Assimilation, and Reclaiming a Stolen Legacy,” 7 - 8 p.m., a conversation about stolen Jewish art during the Holocaust,
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13
THURSDAY, APRIL 14 – SUNDAY, April 24 Western MA – The Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival (PVJFF) presents the Virtual Passover Film Festival, 10 nights of diverse and engaging Jewish and Israeli movies with Passover themes. Presented by Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan and with support from Maimonides Fund. In partnership with My Jewish Learning; For more information, call (413) 739-4715.
SATURDAY, APRIL 16 Springfield, MA – Sinai Second Night of Pesach Community Seder, In-person & Virtual, 6 p.m., Virtual Link: www.sinai-temple. org Website: www.sinai-temple. org Contact: Robin BlanchetteGage: rblanchettegage@sinaitemple.org.
SUNDAY, APRIL 24 TUESDAY, APRIL 26 Greenwich, CT (virtual) – David Film Festival presents: “Persian Lessons.” Gilles is sent to a concentration camp where he narrowly avoids execution by swearing that he is not Jewish, but Persian. This lie temporarily saves him, but then Gilles is assigned to teach Persian,
which he doesn’t know, to the officer in charge of the camp’s kitchen. Presented by UJA/JCC Greenwich. Film streams 5 - 9 p.m.$9. Information: ujajcc.org.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27 Springfield, CT – Community Yom HaShoah service and candle-lighting, followed by a musical commemoration by Avi Wisnia about his grandfather who survived Auschwitz, 7 – 8:30 p.m., at Sinai Temple. 1100 Dickinson St. Virtual Link: sinaitemple.org Registration: https:// venue.streamspot.com/event/ MzA0NTY3NA== ; Sponsored by Springfield JCC, Jewish Federation of Western Mass., the Springfield area synagogues Contact: Elise Barber: ebarber@ springfieldjcc.org. Greenwich, CT – Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day at Temple Sholom, 300 East Putnam Ave.; 7 p.m.; Featuring guest speaker Endre (Andy) Sarkany of New Haven. Sarkany was born in Budapest, Hungary on October 31, 1936, inside the Budapest ghetto, where he remained during the Holocaust. He escaped Hungary after the 1956 uprising and emigrated to the U.S. He shares his experience living under the brutality of the Soviet regime.
MAY SUNDAY, MAY 1 Sherman, CT – Sourdough Bread Workshop with Caitlin Mandracchia, 11 a.m. A handson, step-by-step tutorial; participants will receive their own “starter” and make their own loaf to bring him and bake. Open to bakers of all skill levels. At the JCC, 9 Rte 39 South. Reservations required. Only 12 spots available. $40. Information: jccinsherman. org, info@jccinsherman.org, (860) 355-8050.
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TORAH PORTION – SHEMINI
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BY RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB
was a long way from old age myself when a revered mentor explained to me how he realized that, at least in the eyes of others, he was getting old. “I find that people give me honor and respect, but not power. They seem to be listening carefully to what I say, but they do not really hear my words, and they never heed them.” It is no wonder that the great novelist Hermann Hesse wrote the following in a letter to a friend: Growing old is not just a winding down and withering like every phase of life it has its own values, its own magic, its own wisdom, its own grief, and in times of a fairly flourishing culture, people have rightly shown age a certain respect, which nowadays is somewhat lacking in youth. We shall not hold that against youth. But we shall not let them talk us into thinking that age is worth nothing. Hesse insistently protested against the all-to-common belief that “age is worth nothing.” There is a phrase in this week’s Torah portion, Shemini (Leviticus 9:1-11:17) that the rabbis of the Midrash refuse to pass by without comment. The very first verse of this parsha reads, “And it came to pass on the eighth day that Moses called out to Aaron and to his sons and to the elders of Israel.” Rabbi Simon ben Yochai, a second-century Talmudic sage who was famed and revered for his mystical insights, is impressed by the role that the elders of the community, men of great age, play, not only in this verse, but throughout the Torah. He comments: We find that the Holy One Blessed be He bestowed the honor upon the elderly very frequently. • At the burning bush: “Go and gather the elders of Israel;” • In Egypt: “And you and
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the elders of Israel shall approach…;” • At Sinai: “Go up to the Lord, you…and seventy of the elders of Israel;” • In the desert, “Gather unto me seventy men from among the elders of Israel;” • At the tent of meeting, “Moses called upon…the elders of Israel;” And in the messianic future the Holy One will again bestow honor upon the elderly, as it is written (Isaiah 24:23), “The moon will be embarrassed and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of Hosts will Himself reign upon Mount Zion and Jerusalem, and His elders will be granted honor.” (Midrash Rabbah Leviticus 11:8) Rabbi Simon ben Yochai is emphasizing something which is fundamental to Judaism. Not only are the elderly granted kavod or respect, they also must be taken seriously. They represent an indispensable resource for the community and its leadership. The important role of age in our history has its roots in its very beginning. The Talmud (Bava Metzia 87a) makes a remark which many have found strange. “Before Abraham age did not exist.” This does not mean that there were no old people before Father Abraham, nor does it mean that people got older but did not show signs of age. One of my revered teachers, Rabbi Nisan Telushkin z”l, whom I knew in his advanced old age, explains this passage as follows. Until Abraham, the world was materialistic and the primary activities were the practical ones that allowed for physical survival. At that time, age was no advantage at all. Quite the contrary, what was necessary was the vigor and energy of youth. When Abraham came on the scene, things changed. He successfully introduced the spiritual dimension to mankind. In this realm the skills of youth were no longer the only skills
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necessary. To the extent that mankind became more spiritual, the skills of age became more and more important. Thus, of course age existed before Abraham. But with his arrival on the scene, the advantages of age began to become recognized as crucial. Before Abraham, age was simply not a vital and necessary part of the human community. He was the first “old man,” because he was the first person of age to be revered as an integral and essential part of the leadership of the human community. It has been said that contemporary Western civilization can be characterized as a youth culture. Judaism objects to such a culture. It insists that there is a role for the elders, and it is not just
a marginal role. This lesson is so basic to our faith that it can be traced back to our very beginnings in the life of Abraham. It is so basic that the elderly are placed front and center in the Torah’s account of our national beginnings, as Rabbi Simon ben Yochai pointed out in the Midrashic passage cited above. It is so basic that it deserves to be reiterated again and again. It is why I chose this theme for Shemini, which is read close to the beginning of spring. If, in spring, a young man’s fancy turns to love, then, in spring, an older man’s fancy turns to wisdom and accomplishment. Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb is executive vice president, emeritus of the Orthodox Union. March 22, 2022
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Bulletin Board Southington congregation seeks photos, documents for milestone celebration SOUTHINGTON, Connecticut – Gishrei Shalom Jewish Congregation (GSJC) in Southington is preparing for the 2024 celebration of its 40th anniversary by compiling a comprehensive written history of the shul. Toward that end, the synagogue is seeking input from the community in the form of photos, documents. personal stories, and other memorabilia. “We are looking for people who have been members or visitors of GSJC in the past and who may have photos, newspaper articles or personal stories that should be included in our records,” says Laura Minor, a member of the shul’s history committee. “We want to document the full 40-year history by including all who have been part of our religious rituals and traditions, educational programs, social action efforts, interfaith activities and other initiatives in which we interacted with community members and institutions.” GSJC began in 1983 as the Southington Jewish Community Group and was incorporated as Greater Southington Jewish Congregation in 1984. Over the years, it has changed its name and location, initially meeting in members’ homes, Briarwood College and other churches, before finding a permanent home at First Congregational
Church in 1992. Today, Gishrei Shalom – which means “bridges to peace” – runs a Shabbat school for youth from kindergarten through bar/ bat mitzvah. The congregation is led by Rabbi Alana Wasserman, who began her tenure as parttime spiritual leader in 2018. One of the small congregation’s most significant accomplishments is becoming the shomer (guardian) of a saved Holocaust Torah written in the 1600’s. Gishrei Shalom President Marc Romanow invites all who have been associated with GSJC’s history to participate in this effort. “We represent a small but mighty community that embraces worship, social justice programs, education and more for almost four decades. It will truly be an amazing celebration,” he says. Photos and articles being collected are uploaded to the congregation’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ gsjc777) and website (www.gsjc. org). To celebrate the 40th-anniversary milestone, the congregation is offering a special membership program for new or returning members. Those interested in learning more about the congregation and/or participating in this project, may contact Laura Minor at (860) 978-1210, Marc Romanow at (860) 276-9113 or president@gsjc.org, or membership@gsjc.org.
PJ Library offers free downloadable Passover resources for kids AGAWAM, Massachusetts – Long a trusted resource for Jewish families in more than 35 countries around the world who receive their free books each month, PJ Library offers fresh reading, audio stories, and tasty treats for families celebrating Passover. . New this year, families will also receive a colorful illustrated “Matzah Mania” fold-out which includes recipes for homemade matzah, matzah trail mix, and matzah pizza lasagna, along with ideas for serving a seder grazing board. The keepsake fold-out also includes information about seder traditions. Shoppers will also find PJ Library co-branded Yehuda Matzos boxes on their supermarket shelves. Each package includes information about how families may sign up to receive free books for children from birth through age 8. And, for kids ages nine through 12, PJ Our Way allows kids to select and review books on their own each month.
books/pjblog/march-2021/thebig-list-of-passover-breakfastideas; and Passover lunch Ideas iat: https://pjlibrary.org/beyondbooks/pjblog/march-2017/9passover-lunch-ideas-for-kids.
• Family Friendly Haggadah & 15 MINUTE SEDER PJ Library is a great source of family friendly and colorfully illustrated Haggadahs, such as: In Every Generation: A PJ Library Family Haggadah. PJ Library Haggadahs are available for FREE (for non-subscribers, the printed Haggadah is also available via Amazon). All available is a digital version, which can be downloaded in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and French. This Haggadah is filled with songs, blessings, and explanations and is available as a free printable PDF from https:// pjlibrary.org/haggadah.
• Passover Hub- Stories, Songs & Books This year, PJ Library is updating their Passover hub with new book lists and dozens of fresh ideas and resources for families, including stories and songs, games, activity, and recipes, and printables.
• Passover Recipes or Kids Let the kids help with Passover cooking with easy holiday recipes. Find breakfast recipes at: https://pjlibrary.org/beyondMarch 22, 2022
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• Passover Podcasts April brings with it two new Passover-themed episodes of the PJ Library Presents podcast network. On April 4, “Kiddo Learns about Passover” will be presented as the latest Afternoons with Mimi audio story; and “Humpty Dumpty and the Passover Feast” will be the newest tale in the Beyond the Bookcase series. Families may listen to the 2022 NAPPA Awardwinning podcasts on all major streaming sources. For more information, visit pjlibrary.org/ podcast.
Created by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, PJ Library provides books, activities, and many other free resources to families to help them pass along Jewish culture, values, and traditions to their children. To learn more, visit pjlibrary.org.
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OBITUARIES Slain Broadway vocal coach is mourned by cantors she nurtured BY JACOB HENRY
(New York Jewish Week) – The 87-year-old Broadway vocal coach who died after being pushed to the ground Tuesday by an unknown assailant in Manhattan was mourned by cantorial students she had taught at various Jewish seminaries. Barbara Maier Gustern worked in musical theater for decades, most recently for the 2019 Broadway revival of the musical “Oklahoma!” She also coached Debbie Harry of Blondie, MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Taylor Mac, and many more singers. But Gustern – who was not Jewish – also gave private lessons to cantorial students who were sent to her from schools like Hebrew Union College and the Jewish Theological Seminary. And in the wake of her senseless death, many of her cantorial students are remembering her as an “honorary Jew.”
Ukrainian Jew who enlisted to defend his country, dies in Russian airstrike BY ASAF SHALEV
SERAFIM SABARANSKIY (COURTESY OF YULIYA POTOTSKA)
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Jeff Warschaeur, cantor at the Jewish Center of Princeton, New Jersey, studied with Gustern when he was a student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2010. “I couldn’t tell if she was Jewish, and I never asked,” Warschaeur told the New York Jewish Week. “She just seemed so Jewish, but she wasn’t.” Warschaeur said that Gustern and her late husband, Joseph, worked in synagogue choirs for many years, which gave her a deep understanding of Jewish liturgical music. “She appreciated Jewish music a lot,” he said. But Warschauer was quick to add that Gustern had an appreciation for all types of music and singers. “Everyone fell in love with her,” Warschaeur said. “She was just a model for how to live. She was the personification of a life force. She seemed timeless.” Cantor Yvon Shore, who is the director of liturgical arts and music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute in Cincinatti, started taking lessons from Gustern in 1992 while living in New York. “I was a lowly, nobody cantorial student,” Shore said. “I was one of the problem children. I had terrible vocal technique, and now I’m in the (JTA) – Serafim Sabaranskiy was a proud Jew and son of Ukraine. The 29-year-old, an active member of the Hillel chapter in his hometown of Kharkiv, saw the war coming early. He bought combat gear on Feb. 23, a day before the Russian invasion began, and as soon as the fighting started, he enlisted with the armed forces defending the city. His brothers in arms say he had saved several of their lives. On Sunday, March 13, he was killed in action, as one of the hundreds of Russian missiles fired in recent weeks landed near his position. Yuliya Pototska, director of the Hillel in Kharkiv – which was leveled by Russian bombs earlier this month – recalled Sabaranskiy’s avid participation in local Jewish life and his independence of spirit. “He knew what he wanted and
Southern New England Jewish Ledger
BARBARA MAIER GUSTERN (FACEBOOK)
position to train rabbis, and that’s because of Barbara.” Gustern was near her apartment on West 28th Street in the Chelsea neighborhood on the evening of March 12 when she was shoved by a woman from behind, causing her to fall and hit her head. She had been rehearsing for a cabaret show with some collaborators before leaving her home to attend a student’s performance at Joe’s Pub, The New
no one could turn him left or right, he was very strong,” Pototska told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Pototska, who left soon after the bombing that destroyed the Kharkiv Hillel site in the city’s historic Constitution Square, interacted with Sabaranskiy during Shabbat dinners and havdalah ceremonies that end the Jewish sabbath on Saturday evenings. Two years ago, he joined a Hillel-sponsored trip to Israel through the Birthright program. Sabaranskiy displayed his characteristic resolve in a short video interview captured about a week before he died. Armed and dressed in a makeshift uniform, the red-headed Sabaranskiy is seen on a city street speaking to the camera with a response to the assertion by Russian President Vladimir Putin that his forces are seeking to “de-Nazify” Ukraine. “How can you believe these
York Times reported. She died Tuesday, March 16 from her injuries. NYPD are still looking for the assailant, who is described as a woman with long curly hair and a long black jacket. The violent unprovoked attack comes during a moment of rising crime across the city: According to the NYPD, there has been a 41% increase in major crimes during the first few months of 2022, compared to the same period last year. Gustern’s grandson AJ Gustern announced her death on Facebook “We have lost one of the brightest little flames to ever grace this world,” he said. “Bobbob, I love you, you are and always will be my heart.” Shore said that HUC-JIR sent students who were struggling vocally to Gustern, who would then fix their problems “over and over again.” Shore added that Gustern had “profound respect” for the art of the cantorate and would transform her own techniques to fit with her cantoral students. “There are elements of cantorial art and practice that she allowed us to do that other teachers didn’t do,” Shor said. “She loved that music, and sh
claims? I’m Jewish, and I’m safe in Ukraine. I don’t need your help. Ge out of Ukraine,” Sabaranskiy says in the video, according to a translation by Pototska. Sabaranskiy’s mother supports Putin and had left Kharkiv for Russ following its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Her support for Russia was so complete that she refused to believe a Russian airstrike had kille her son, according to Pototska. Arguing that Russian troops had entered the country to save people from Nazi persecution, she blamed Ukraine’s own government. Hillel International posted the news on social media, saying Sabaranskiy “died a hero.” In the United States chapters of the Hillel are affiliated with specific universities, but in Ukraine and elsewhere, Hillel sites function more as Jewish community centers for young adults into their thirties
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loved working on these things with us.” AJ Gustern, who lives in Colorado and rushed to New York when he heard what happened to his grandmother, told the New York Jewish Week that hundreds of people have called with well-wishes, and later, condolences. “It’s a joy to be a conduit for people to her as best as I can,” he said. “I was taking people’s prerecorded voice messages and playing it for her while she was in the hospital.” Barbara Maier grew up in Indiana and moved to New York at a time when budding professional singers earned extra cash by working in church and synagogue choirs. “I’m not Jewish, but I got a job in a temple,” she told gossip columnist Michael Musto, who recalled his interview with her in a blog post. “I’d never even been in a temple in my life.” Still, she answered truthfully when she told the rabbi that she came from a “mixed marriage.” “I thought that was true since my mother was a woman and my dad was a man and that was mixed enough,” she told Musto, with a laugh. “That’s where I met my husband.” in dozens of countries around the world. Sabaranskiy’s Instagram account documents the love he had for traveling and spending time outdoors, especially on his bike and with his pet dog. “I’ve known him since he was four,” a family friend wrote in a Facebook post. “It’s trite to say, but before my eyes a little red-haired boy turned first into a mischievous boy from elementary school, then into a stubborn teenager, then into a confident young man. It hurts to know that there will be no more transformations.”
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BRUGG
Roberta “Bobbi” Brugg, 71, of Chevy Chase, Md., formerly of Stamford, Conn., died March 10. She was the wife of Alan Brugg. Raised in New York, N.Y., she was the daughter of the late Sol Corenthal, and Lillian Corenthal of Tamarac, Fla. In addition to her husband and mother, she is survived by her children, Allison and Ben Bawden of Bethesda, Md., and Jordan and Maria (Fekete) Brugg (Fekete) Summit, N.J.; her brother Warren Corenthal; and her grandchildren, Samuel and Elena Bawden, and Adeline, Molly, and Jack Brugg.
BROWN
Ingrid Brown, 93, formerly of Queens, N.Y. and Worcester, Mass., died Feb. 15. She was the widow of Raymond Brown. Born in Eschwege, Germany, she was the daughter of Willi and Paula Lowenstein. A witness to Kristallnacht, she was sent at age nine to Sweden on a Kindertransport. She is survived by her children Jeffrey Brown and his wife Pamela, and Susan Cantos and her husband Allan; her grandchildren, Lauren Cantos Smith and her husband Ryan, Joel Cantos and his wife Thao, Ben Brown and Andrew Brown; and her great-grandchildren, Brennan and Audrey Smith, and Ayla and Emma Cantos.
GOCHBERG
Janet Susan Scharr Gochberg, 59, of Canton, Conn., died March 9. Born in West Hartford, she was the daughter of Marlene and Jerome Scharr. In addition to her parents, she is survived by her daughter, Katelin Gochberg; her brother, Michael Scharr and his wife Julie; and her nieces, Alison Sjoberg and Amanda Sears, and their families. She was a member of Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek of Chester, Conn.
GOLDSMITH
Alan Merrill Goldsmith, 80, of Longmeadow, Mass., died March 4. He was the husband of Nancy (Goodman) Goldsmith and the late Renna (Skerker) Goldsmith. Born in Holyoke, Mass., and raised in Springfield, Mass., he was the son of Irving and Phyllis Goldsmith. In 1959, he enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard where he trained as a frontline paramedic and obtained the rank of Sergeant. He continued in the reserves. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Steven (Steffanie) Goldsmith and his wife Stephanie, Peter (Marisa) Goldsmith and his wife Marisa, and Miriam Schwartz and her husband Mark; and his grandchildren, Matthew, Aviana (Mendel) Dahan, Koby, Zachary, Jesse, Sydney, Samuel, Bram, Rochel, Rylee, and Sarah.
GREENBERG
Beverly Lynn Parks Greenberg, 81, of West Hartford, died March 7. She was the wife of Arnold Greenberg. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, she was the daughter of Marion (Kamins) Parks and William Parks. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughters, Dana and Sara Greenberg; her grandchildren, Joshua and Lily Shafer; and her brother David Parks and his wife Pamela.
HABERMAN
Morton “Morty” Aaron Haberman., 93, died March 2. He was the husband of Bunny Haberman. Born in Holyoke, Mass., he was the son of Herman and Esther Haberman. He was a past president and longtime member of Congregation Rodphey Shalom. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Holly, and Hal and his wife Lori; his grandchildren, Michael, Valerie, and Max; his sister Toby; and his brother Alfred. He was also predeceased by his brothers, Harold and Donald.
LAIPSON
Samuel M. Laipson, 92, of Worcester, Mass., died March 7. He was the husband of Shirley (Adelson) Laipson. Born and raised in Worcester, he was the son of Oscar and Esther (Harris) Laipson. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Joanne Laipson and her wife Elizabeth Osder of Los Angeles, Calif., and Peter Laipson and his wife Alison Lobron of Arlington, Mass.; his grandson, Jonathan Laipson; two nephews and a niece; and many other family members. He was also predeceased by a brother, Wynne (Laipson) Chase.
LEITER
Roslyn Leiter, 97, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., formerly of Springfield and Longmeadow, Mass., died March 11. She was the widow of Max Leiter. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she was the daughter of Alexander (Harry) and Fannie Epstein. She was a member of Beth El Temple. She is survived by her children, Jeffrey Leiter and his wife Rickie, Bruce Leiter, and Lori Haberman and her husband Hal; her grandchildren, Adam Leiter and his wife Kara, Michael, Valerie, and Max Haberman; her great-grandchildren, Jacob and Avi Leiter; and several nieces. She was also predeceased by a brother Dr. Norman Epstein and his wife Janice; her nephews, Charlie, Raymond, Joel; and her niece, Margie.
ROSENBERG
Susan Barron Rosenberg, 84, of Boulder, Colo., formerly of Glen Head, N.Y., died Feb. 6. She was the wife of Jack Rosenberg. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and raised in Hartford, Conn., she was the daughter of George and Abigail Barron. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughters, Sherri and Leslie; her sister Nancy Posternak; and her grandchildren, Charlotte and Georgia Wenig.
Southern New England Jewish Ledger
39
AMPLE PARKING
We provide our community with the BEST service in their time of need. 40
1084 NEW BRITAIN AVE. WEST HARTFORD March 22, 2022
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860.561.3800 | SHEEHANHILBORNBREEN.COM
Lichtenstein Company Maker of MONUMENTS for 4 Generations
• Granite & Bronze Markers • Sandblast Lettering • Designing of Headstones • Full Service Shop •Monument Cleaning •Accurate Hebrew Lettering • Prompt Delivery • Fair Pricing • Custom Designing
A traditional way for all Jews since 1898
HEBREW FUNERAL ASSOCIATION, INC.
LEONARD J. HOLTZ, EXECUTIVE FUNERAL DIRECTOR 906 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford
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323 Washington Avenue, Hamden AT WHITNEY AVE. (opposite K of C Hall) 1.800.852.8865 • 203-288-8486 | nolanshamdenmonumentco.com
LEONARD J. HOLTZ, EXECUTIVE FUNERAL DIRECTOR
Pre-paid Funeral Trusts with Cooperative Funeral Fund, FDIC Insured.
We accept Funeral Trusts from other Funeral Homes.
Serving the Jewish Communities of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Surrounding Areas 640 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut 06105
860.233.2675 • Toll Free: 877.233.2680 weinsteinmortuary@comcast.net www.weinsteinmortuary.com
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Central Connecticut’s ONLY Jewish Funeral Home An over 81-year dedication to serving and honoring the memories of families Michael P. Weinstein, Morton Weinstein and Zachary Zimmerman Member of The Jewish Funeral Directors of America
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March 22, 2022
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41
Ner Tamid 2022 LIVESTREAM Access still available CLICK HERE
Sidney Perlman — ’71-’76 Arlene Neiditz — ’76-’78 Lewis Segal — ’78-’80 Janis Abrahms Spring — ’80-’82 Michael Ruben Peck — ’82-’84 Peter Smerd — ’82-’84 Blanche Goldenberg — ’84-’86 Francine Trachtenberg — ’86-’87 Jane Keller Herzig — ’87-’89 Tom Divine — ’89-’91 Doreen Fundiller-Zweig — ’91-’93 Mark Rosen — ’93-’95 Rick Blum — ’95-’97
Bruce Stanger — ‘97-’99 Sharon Conway — ’99-’01 Michael Lenkiewicz — ’01-’03 James Schulwolf — ’03-’04 Neil Kochen — ’04-’06 Risé Roth — ’06-’07 Marcia Glickman — ’07-’08 Scott Glickman — ’07-’08 Jay Gershman — ’08-’10 Robin Landau — ’10-’13 Robert Kessler — ’13-’15 Sharon Kochen — ’15-’18 Jessica Zachs — ’15-’18 Lauren Eisen — ’18-’21
We hope to celebrate in person; the health and safety of all who attend is deeply important to us. Attendees will be asked to submit proof of full vaccination, or contact the school in advance to discuss alternate arrangements.
Proceeds benefit the Solomon Schechter Day School Scholarship Fund The Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford is a Beneficiary Agency of:
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March 22, 2022
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Home Mortgages Dreaming about a new home is nice. Buying it with a great mortgage? Westfield Bank has the flexible mortgage options and expert guidance you need to make your dream house your new home. As your regional community bank, we make it easy, with the convenience of applying online, in person, or starting online and finishing in person. The security of locking in your rate before you start shopping. And the relief of a fast and simple closing. That’s Westfield Bank.
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FDIC March 22, 2022
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Southern New England Jewish Ledger
Passover Begins at Sunset April 15, 2022
From Our Produce Dept. PRICES EFFECTIVE March 17 - April 23, 2022
From Our Seafood Dept.
Vita Herring In Sour Cream or In Wine Sauce, or Homestyle, 30 to 32 oz
$
999
From Our Seafood Dept. Vita Wild Nova Salmon
3 oz, Previously Frozen
$
5
99
From Our Bakery Rainbow Cookies
$
999
From Our Grocery Aisles Yehuda Matzos
$
499
jewishledger.com
$
399
lb
From Our Frozen Food Aisle
Kedem Grape Juice
1299
|
Froze
5 lbs
Mrs. Adler’s Pike’N Whitefish
March 22, 2022
ea
Empire Turkey
From Our Floral Dept.
A soft, charming floral bouquet which exudes warmth and light in celebration of the season.
399
From Our Butcher Shop
2FOR 4
$
$
11 oz
22 oz, All Varieties,
Warm Wishes Bouquet
Mellosweet Honeydew Melon
$
All Varieties, 8 oz Package
$
299
Yehuda Yahrzeit Memorial Candle Single Count
79¢
Tabatchnick Soup 14.5 to 15 oz, All Varieties
2FOR 5 $
From Our Dairy Dept. Gold’s Horseradish 6 oz
1
$ 99
Southern New England Jewish Ledger
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