CT Jewish Ledger • September 11, 2020 • 22 Elul 5780

Friday, September 11, 2020 22 Elul 5780 Vol. 92 | No. 37 | ©2020 $1.00 | jewishledger.com

“A world without values quickly becomes a world without value.”

—Jonathan Sacks

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| SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

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INSIDE

this week

CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 | 22 ELUL 5780

8 Briefs

16 Milestones

17 Synagogue Services

17 Crossword

19 Bulletin Board

Tour de Israel.................................. 5 It’s not just about winning, say organizers of the first Israeli team to take part in the world’s most prestigious bike race, but about offering the world a glimpse of the Jewish state and inspiring young people to pedal on.

Learning & Teaching.................... 5 West Hartford’s Emanuel Synagogue is helping train student rabbi Jessica Dell’Era, virtually. And she’s helping congregants by lifting their spirits and bringing the experience of being Jewish to life.

ELECTION 2020.............................. 15 Biden addresses Arab Americans; Republicans sing “Hallelujah”; Jewish progressive Alex Morse loses Massachusetts primary; a doctored video of a talk between Ady Barkan and Joe Biden makes it appear that Biden agreed to defund police.

20 Torah Portion

20 Obituaries

21 Business and Professional Directory

22 Classified

Beyond Brisket...................................................................18 There aren’t likely to be any mega-family High Holiday dinners this year (thank you, pandemic). So step away from that big and beautiful brisket. There are plenty of other delicious dishes just waiting to take their turn on the Rosh Hashanah table.

OPINION.................................................................................10 Is it safe to do Rosh Hashanah dinner with the grandparents? What about our annual Yom Kippur break-fast with the neighbors? Can we still go sukkah hopping? Two prominent epidemiologists weigh in.

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The distinguished theologian, philosopher and author Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, says a ‘cultural climate change’ is eroding shared virtues and values. In his new book Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times, he offers a stirring case for its reconstruction. PAGE 12 jewishledger.com

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UP FRONT

CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 | 22 ELUL 5780

Tackling the ‘Tour,’ Israelis cycle their way to history

BY JOSH HASTEN

Student Rabbi Jessica Dell’Era gains practical experience at The Emanuel Synagogue

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BY STACEY DRESNER

(JNS) For the first time in its 107-year-old history, a team representing the State of Israel is dressed in blue-and-white jerseys and participating in the 21-stage Tour de France, the most prestigious bicycle race in the world.

Known as “Team Israel Start-Up Nation,” thanks to a sponsorship from the Israeli nonprofit organization “Start-Up Nation Central,” eight riders representing the Jewish state are competing alongside the world’s best cyclists and are currently making their way through the grueling French mountain course.

Guy Niv, the first native Israeli Tour de France participant ever, is part of the team, which also includes seven other riders from various countries around the world (the team has a total of 30 riders, some of whom are currently competing at other venues).

The contest kicked off in the southern French Riviera town of Nice. It will see 22 teams try and make their way across 2,156 miles to the finish line in Paris.

The vision of getting an Israeli cycling team into international competitions started just five years ago, when two friends – Israeli businessman Ron Baron, and professional cyclist Ran Margaliot – dreamed of taking the sport to a new level and founded the “Israel Cycling Academy,” (ICA) the first professional cycling team in Israel.

A little while later, Sylvan Adams – an Israeli Canadian entrepreneur, philanthropist, and cycling enthusiast – joined the ICA as a co-owner with Baron.

In 2018, Adams successfully helped bring the first three stages of the Giro d’Italia, another major international cycling competition to the streets of Israel, marking the first time the event was held outside European soil.

JNS caught up with Adams, along with Tsadok Yecheskeli, the ICA’s media director and a board member, as the team was getting reading to get on their bikes for the start of the 186 KM Stage 5 of the race.

When asked how the team was doing, Adams replied, “We had a bad start with three riders going down and getting banged up on the first day, but fortunately, there jewishledger.com

EST HARTFORD – As a third year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Jessica Dell’Era spent part of the last school year as a student rabbi at The Emanuel Synagogue.

She travelled to West Hartford one weekend a month to lead services for both children and adults and to deliver divrei Torah (words of Torah).

Now in her fourth year, Dell’Era is once again serving as a student rabbi at Emanuel as part of JTS’s Jack and Pearl Resnick Internship program.

MEMBERS OF TEAM ISRAEL START-UP NATION RIDING IN THE PELOTON IN THE TOUR DE FRANCE. (CREDIT: NOA ARNON)

were no broken bones, and they were able to continue.” He added that according to the rules of the competition, a rider who misses a starting day is out of the race.

However, Adams said that during Stage 4, one of the team’s riders, Krists Neilands from Latvia, had a very successful day.

Describing what took place using cycling lingo, Adams said “we are really making noise out here, and yesterday, we got our first podium.”

In other words, Neilands was singled out as “the most combative rider” and donned a special jersey for his performance during that stage. For a large portion of the ride, Neilands broke away from the pack and was leading the race.

But more importantly to Adams, “the media covering the race was talking about our team, and the word ‘Israel’ was repeated hundreds of times over a six-hour period.

Did you realize that 3.5 billion people watch the Tour de France?”

Winning the overall Tour de France might appear unrealistic for Israel’s team this year, as it has only been on the world stage at major competitions for less than a year. But for Adams, there is much more to it than just first-place finishes.

“The goals I have with this team are two-fold,” he said. “Firstly, I want to create opportunities for cyclists and build the sport in Israel,” explaining that he was responsible for the construction of a velodrome in Tel Aviv, which is a practice

arena for cyclists. “I want young Israeli cyclists to aspire and have the opportunities to be professional.”

“But my bigger goal,” he said, is to show the world the real face of Israel – normal Israel, not the one portrayed by the media, which is obsessed with conflict. Our daily life is nothing like that. That is not what Israel is all about.”

He added that “first-time visitors to Israel, almost to a person, are completely surprised when they arrive. It isn’t what they were expecting. They see an Israel that is safe, diverse and tolerant. I am bringing that message to the rest of the world” through cycling.

‘We want to change minds’ Yecheskeli was a long-time Israeli journalist and war correspondent before he was seriously injured covering Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008. After a lengthy recovery process, he decided to make a change.

Speaking to JNS from inside the car that travels alongside the cyclists on Israel’s team offering any assistance the riders might need, he explained that he turned to biking as tool for recovery and rehabilitation. “The bike saved my life in a way, so I decided that I wanted to give back,” he said.

Joining the ICA, Yecheskeli said his “dream from day one was to inspire a new

STUDENT RABBI JESSICA DELL’ERA

All fourth-year JTS rabbinical students participate in the Resnick internship, usually spending 15 hours a week at a synagogue in the greater New York area. But Covid19 has changed all that. This year, several JTS students are interning at synagogues outside of New York for the first time, gaining important experience remotely.

“JTS students have had internships at congregations in the New York area for a long time,” says Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay, associate dean of the JTS Rabbinical School and the director of its field study. “What’s new is that we’ve never been able to place these particular types of interns in a place like [Emanuel Synagogue] because they have to go every single CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

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‘Tour’

Student rabbi

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

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generation in Israel. Our goal is to make cycling the top sport in Israel, and we’re on our way.”

He acknowledged that he didn’t realize that Israel’s success in the sport on an international level would happen so fast, but he was quick to praise the commitment of Adams, along with Baron and Margaliot, for making it happen.

While he said that the team is making waves at its first-ever Tour de France, “this year we are not a contender. We are competing to win any of the individual stages, and it would be huge if that happens. But to win the whole tour, that’s another level. We are aiming for it for next year.”

Yecheskeli shared that the Israeli team has already signed legendary cyclist and four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome from the United Kingdom, who will join the squad in January. “We believe that with Chris and other new riders, the team will be upgraded, and the goal is to be a contender here in France.”

Like Adams, Yecheskeli is focused on the next generation of cycling in Israel, explaining that Margaliot’s focus within the ICA these days is to introduce the sport in youth villages throughout the country. He also noted the establishment of a “continental team” of 20- to 21-yearold Israelis who are gaining experience in lower-level competitions to prepare them for the world stage.

Turning his attention back to the current race, he said that Neilands’ ride the day before was “unbelievable,” and that he is looking forward to hopefully greeting Niv at the finish line. “We really hope he makes it,” he said.

Yecheskeli and Adams discussed took a more serious note in responding to how the Israeli team had been targeted by the anti-Israel/antisemitic BDS movement leading up to the competition. Various news outlets reported how certain hate groups urged supporters to harass the riders who were representing Israel on social media.

“While BDS is targeting the team, we are answering them in the right way by being successful and sticking to our values,” said Yecheskeli.

Adams added that “the more attention we get, the more opportunity we have to reach the ‘silent majority ’– those sports fans who are not political, but probably have a negative image of Israel. We want to change their minds.

The media and BDS-haters pollute the minds of that silent majority. And through our team, we are trying to bring the antidote to BDS and show them that Israel is a normal country.”

week; it’s a 400-hour internship during the year. This probably wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for COVID; it just would have added cost to travel. If it were just a regular year, our students would probably do [home] hospitality and stay in someone’s house, but nobody wants anyone staying in their houses now. She could have taken the train, which isn’t so expensive, but now, people don’t want to take public transportation.”

Dell’Era began her new virtual internship at Emanuel in mid-July after the retirement of Cantor Sanford Cohn.

In addition to her previous role at the synagogue, which she continues, she has become more involved in lifecycle activities, attends staff and committee meetings, and learns from her mentor, Rabbi David Small.

“Last year Jessica was with Emanuel for select weekends; this year she is working with us every week both weekday, holidays and Shabbat. Jessica is a welcome and impactful contributor to our leadership Team,” says Rabbi David Small, spiritual leader of The Emanuel Synagogue. “She views each aspect of Jewish life with a fresh and meaningful perspective. Whether she is leading a new song or a tune for a prayer, or a story or teaching from Jewish tradition, Jessica finds a way to help people connect.”

A native of Marin County, California, Jessica Dell’Era grew up in a family that was Catholic but, as she describes it, “totally secular.”

“We nominally celebrated Christmas and Easter but there was zero religious content,” she explains. “I always had a sense of something beyond myself, but I literally didn’t have the language to articulate it.”

As an undergrad at Pomona College in Southern California, her two best friends were Jewish, and she would often listen to their long talks, and sometimes their arguments, about Judaism.

“I listened to what they were saying, and the more I learned about Judaism from them, I found that it was really in line with what I had figured out in my own internal value system,” she says.

That fall she went to Hillel with her friends during Sukkot, and soon after another Jewish friend invited her to a Shabbat dinner at Hillel.

“It just resonated with me in a way that nothing else ever had. It was really surprising, you know? The music and the sort of intentionality of it, and the community of wonderful people…I started coming with my friends regularly,” she recalls. “Nobody challenged me about why I was there and who I was…I was really thankful that nobody pushed me at that point because I probably would have run.”

She went on to attend graduate school at the University of California-Berkeley,

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studying education.

“I really missed Judaism. I missed the rhythm of Shabbat,” she explains.

She got a list of local Jewish congregations and, starting from the top, began going to services. The first congregation she found unfriendly and the second one was not for her either.

The third one, Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland, California was the charm.

“I sat in the corner in the back by myself, and someone immediately came over to me and introduced himself: ‘Hi, I’m Andy. This is my wife Sarah and our daughter. Can we sit with you tonight?’”

Dell’Era became a regular at the synagogue…but no one there knew she wasn’t Jewish.

At a Simchat Torah service, when she refused to carry the Torah or have an aliyah, Rabbi Mark Bloom asked what was wrong.

“You’re so knowledgeable and engaged, I don’t understand why you can’t hold the scroll,” he said.

“Because I’m not Jewish,” she answered – then added, “But I want to be Jewish.

“We need to talk about that,” said the shocked rabbi.

From there it was a fairly short journey to conversion.

Already able to read Hebrew after learning it at Hillel services in college, she began studying by taking an introduction to Judaism class. Nine months later, she underwent conversion.

Rabbi Bloom, who had become a mentor, suggested she join the local Jewish Federation’s Young Adult Leadership Initiative, where she developed leadership skills and learned more about the Jewish community. He also began asking her to do parts of the Shabbat service, and she began teaching at the Hebrew school and tutoring b’nai mitzvah students.

After finishing graduate school Dell’Era worked as a bilingual elementary school teacher for Spanish-speaking students at a California public school for nine years.

She often thought about becoming a rabbi but felt she wasn’t prepared for such an undertaking after taking a peek at the JTS website. But after a difficult romantic break-up, and starting to burn out in her role as a public school teacher, she reconsidered the idea.

“I said, okay, what do I really want to be doing with my life? Becoming a rabbi was still in my brain somewhere,” she recalls.

She applied to JTS and was accepted.

She spent a year studying at The Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem and attended a summer course at JTS to catch up with the other rabbinical students.

She began her first stint as student rabbi at The Emanuel Synagogue during the High Holidays.

“Literally my first day at Emanuel was almost exactly a year ago – on the first day of Rosh Hashanah – and I led the family service,” she says. “I was super intimidated; I didn’t really know what to expect. But I immediately felt at ease in the community, and the people there were very supportive.”

From then on, every month, Dell’Era would travel to West Hartford to lead a participatory musical Shabbat service. She led a learner’s service on Shabbat mornings and then led the children’s service. She delivered the d’var Torah at many Shabbat morning services and taught Torah study sessions, and some adult education.

During those weekends she stayed at the homes of different congregants.

Then Covid hit – and Dell’Era’s duties at Emanuel became virtual.

After a break during the month of June, she began her Resnick internship at Emanuel in July. (She may also begin work at the University of Hartford Hillel as part of a JTS program working to engage millennials, but that is still in the planning stages.)

“It’s great to be in a place like The Emanuel Synagogue; a community that’s well established, and where you know people are relatively engaged and involved.

It’s a place that I can get a lot of experience.

The really valuable part is that you’re supposed to be more integrated into the internal workings of the organization so I’m going to staff meetings and committee meetings,” Dell’Era says “Rabbi Small’s mentorship and modeling is very valuable, but I’m also learning from Barbara Fink, the education director; [the office staff] and the ritual director, Moshe Pinchover, and about all of the sort of other things that are going on behind the scenes.

It’s all very, very valuable.”

And Emanuel is benefitting from Jessica’s experience, as well.

“Jessica is most interested in teachings and experiences that help us make sense of our lives, weather challenges, make peace where there is conflict and create a better world. Her intellectual, musical, organizational and interpersonal abilities help bring the experience of being Jewish to life,” says Small.

“Her beautiful voice and hopeful yet challenging messages lift our spirits and encourage us to try to be the best humans we can be. In the times we are living in, this is a true gift.”

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

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Briefs

message not only in North America but throughout the entire English-speaking world.”

Sarah Huckabee Sanders calls former colleague a ‘foulmouthed Jew’

Kushner: All 22 Arab League states may normalize relations with Israel (JNS) Jared Kushner, senior advisor to President Trump, said in an interview published on Tuesday, Sept. 1, that he believes that it is possible all 22 Arab states will make peace with Israel, and that a fourth Arab country could normalize relations with Israel within “months.” On August 13, the White House announced that Israel and the UAE had agreed to normalize relations, making the UAE the third Arab country after Egypt and Jordan to officially recognize the Jewish state.

Speaking to the United Arab Emirates’ state-run news agency WAM, Kushner said, “A lot of people want access to the technology, economy and the advancements that Israel has. Israel is like another Silicon Valley for the Middle East,” he added.

Kushner also said that many Muslims are excited to be able to pray at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. “We don’t solve problems by not talking to each other. So, normalizing relations and allowing peopleto-people and business exchanges will only make the Middle East stronger and a more stable place,” he said.

Asked by WAM about the possibility of peace with 22 Arab states, Kushner said, “I believe that it is logical for them to do it and I believe it is the right thing to do over time.”

“I think thanks to the UAE leadership there will be a much bigger coalition. [There will be] what I call ‘a vocal majority’ that will be in favor of normalizing. I think the vocal minority who have been against it will be more and more isolated in the region,” he said.

Posters glorifying Nazism hung at Arizona State U (JTA) – Posters glorifying Nazism were found on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University for the second time in less than a year. The posters, discovered on Sunday morning, August 30, read “Hitler was right,” “unity of our blood” and other comments deemed antisemitic, the Arizona Republic reported. Campus police removed the posters. The university is investigating the origin of the posters, the newspaper reported. Similar flyers were posted around the Tempe campus in November.

The neo-Nazi organization Folksfront took credit for both sets of posters. Its website calls it “the official media source for the Folkish Resistance Movement, a National Socialist political organization based primarily out of North America.” It also said the group wants “to spread our 8

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(JTA) – Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in her new book refers to a former colleague as a “liberal, aggressive, foulmouthed Jew from New York City.” Sanders says she and Josh Raffel, a senior White House communications official in 2017 and 2018, later became good friends. He also was a spokesperson for Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. The book, which is due out next week, is quoted in a report in Jewish Insider.

Raffel worked in public relations in Hollywood until Kushner recruited him into the White House in early 2017 to manage communications for the Office of American Innovation. In late 2017 he led communications for the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

Sanders said she did not know Raffel before he started working at the White House. “He was a liberal, aggressive, foulmouthed Jew from New York City who had spent most of his career working in Hollywood. I was pretty much his total opposite,” she wrote in the book, according to Jewish Insider. Sanders also wrote that “despite our differences, I had grown to love Josh. He is one of the funniest people I know, intensely loyal, and probably the most talented communications strategist I’ve ever worked with. Nobody in the White House could work a story better than Josh, and he was always one of the first colleagidues I turned to for help on the toughest assignments.”

Raffel, in turn, told Jewish Insider that Sanders is a “close friend.”

Israeli firefighters arrive in California to help battle wildfires (JTA) – Israeli firefighters arrived in Sacramento, California, to assist with battling a wave of wildfires sweeping through the area. It marked the first time that Israelis have been sent to the United States to help fight fires, J. The Jewish News of Northern California reported. The delegation landed Sunday, August 30, and is scheduled to remain for approximately two weeks. It includes 10 officers and firefighters from the Fire and Rescue Services, rescue and forest fire experts, and a Foreign Ministry representative.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg greeted the firefighters’ arrival in the capital city with a tweet. “As a Jewish mayor, I’m particularly proud and happy to see them come to our aid,” it said in part. As of August 31, there were 18 major fires

| SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

burning across California, with over 16,000 firefighters mobilized to battle them. The fires have burned more than 1.46 million acres since they started on Aug. 15, sparked by a siege of dry lightning.

Andrew Sullivan suggests Jews are genetically smarter than others (JTA) – When Andrew Sullivan looks at the number of Jews who have won the Nobel Prize, he thinks “there’s something there.”

Ben Smith interviewed the influential conservative writer for a New York Times article that hones in on Sullivan’s views on race and IQ – specifically a 1994 edition of the New Republic that Sullivan edited titled “Race and I.Q.,” which critics bring up to this day. Smith describes how Sullivan, who did not write an article for the “Race and I.Q.” package, is still “frustrated by the most extreme claims that biology has no connection to our lives.”“I barely write about this,” he told Smith “Let’s say Jews. I mean, just look at the Nobel Prize. I’m just saying – there’s something there, I think.

And I’m not sure what it is, but I’m just not prepared to accept the whole thing is over.”

Sullivan has in the past floated the idea of Jewish Americans being a “model minority,” along with Asian Americans. This is from a 2017 New York magazine column: Asian-Americans, like Jews, are indeed a problem for the “social-justice” brigade.

I mean, how on earth have both ethnic groups done so well in such a profoundly racist society? How have bigoted white people allowed these minorities to do so well – even to the point of earning more, on average, than whites?

Jewish New York Times columnist Bret Stephens drew fire late last year for writing an article titled “The Secrets of Jewish Genius,” in which he cited a paper by a researcher who promoted eugenics.

The reference to the paper was removed two days later, and an added editor’s note said that “Mr. Stephens was not endorsing the study or its authors’ views, but it was a mistake to cite it uncritically. The effect was to leave an impression with many readers that Mr. Stephens was arguing that Jews are genetically superior. That was not his intent.”

The site behind the antisemitic highway banner is removed from internet.

But another quickly takes its place.

(J. the Jewish News of Northern California via JTA) – Goyim TV, an antisemitic videosharing website that was promoted with a “banner drop” from a Los Angeles freeway overpass on Saturday, August 29, has been taken down by its domain host under a flood of complaints. Jon Minadeo Jr., 37,

was behind both the website and the banner drop, J. the Jewish News of Northern California reported earlier this week, as were a handful of Minadeo cronies known as the “Goyim Defense League.”

However, just days after Goyim TV was taken offline, Minadeo directed his followers to a similar site – disseminating the same hateful ideology – on BitChute, a U.K.-based company described by a London-based Jewish security firm as a “cesspool” of racist and antisemitic content.

It reportedly solicits financial support via cryptocurrency.

The rapid resurfacing of Minadeo’s videos, on a different channel, reflects the challenge of controlling hate-spewing websites on the internet. It appears that is exactly what happened with Goyim TV, which had been hosted since December

by Epik, a domain registrar with more than 560,000 websites, according to DomainState.

The three hastily painted banners promoting Goyim TV – which read “Honk if you know the Jews want a race war” and were hung above the busy I-405 freeway – shocked the Los Angeles Jewish community and captured the attention of organizations such as the American Jewish Committee and the ADL. In response to the incident, a spokesperson for Epik said that the company received a number of “anonymous Gmail reports” taking issue with their hosting of the site. The Epik spokesperson said that the company had been receiving complaints from both those demanding the website be taken down, and those demanding the opposite. Many of the latter came with violent threats, some of which the spokesperson shared. he person said Epik removed the website “within hours” of receiving complaints, and after attempts to get the platform owner to remove the objectionable content failed.

By Thursday, the BitChute-hosted channel – called Handsome Truth GDL (for Goyim Defense League) – was publishing the same content from the old Goyim TV site, including wild antisemitic conspiracy theories, cell-phone footage of Minadeo and others driving around California and shouting antisemitic phrases (often through a megaphone) and other far-right fringe conspiracy theories. BitChute, according to the company, earns $23,485 per month via what it calls community funding sources.

The switch was written about on Twitter, where Minadeo’s account, Handsome Truth, remains active. It was implied that the takedown was, naturally, a Jewish conspiracy.

NCSY corrects record after chapter signs onto letter supporting BLM (JNS) The Jewish youth group NCSY has distanced itself from a recent ad organized by a far-left Jewish group in support of the Black Lives Matter movement jewishledger.com

(JTA) – The Kushner-Trump family drama continues: Karlie Kloss, the wife of Joshua Kushner – brother to President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner – is helping out Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. Kloss, the supermodel who converted to Judaism in the process of marrying (and now loves Shabbat) will join Biden and Reshma Saujani, founder of the Girls Who Code nonprofit, for an event Thursday on young women and STEAM – or science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (the A for arts is an addition to the traditional STEM acronym, included to foster “inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking”). “For those who know Karlie, this event makes a lot of sense,” an unnamed source told People on Wednesday. “She cares deeply about the future of women in STEAM and has always supported the candidates who stand for the issues she’s passionate about.” Kloss and Joshua Kushner haven’t shied away from their support of Democratic causes in the past; the younger Kushner even attended a Women’s March in 2017.

Vatican hid Holocaust orphans from their families; urged Pope Pius XII not to protest deportations (JTA) – The Vatican both fought efforts efforts to reunite two Holocaust orphans with their relatives and urged Pope Pius XII not to protest the Nazi deportation of Italian Jews, Brown University historian David I. Kertzer has found. Kertzer jewishledger.com

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As Biden meets with Blake family, father’s antisemitic posts revealed (JTA) – As Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden prepared to meet Thursday with the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man shot by police last week in Kenosha, Wisconsin, right-wing websites alit with scrutiny of social media posts by Blake’s father.

Jacob Blake Sr. made a slew of antiSemitic and anti-white posts on Facebook in 2018 and 2019, including comments that refer to “the Jewish controlled media” and insinuate that Jews in Pittsburgh were warned before the shooting at a synagogue there that killed 11 worshippers. He also expressed support for Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader whose rhetoric includes virulent antisemitism. The posts, which are publicly visible, were first reported Wednesday, hours before Biden left for Kenosha, where he was scheduled to have a private meeting with Jacob Blake’s family, including his father. Reports about the posts emerged across conservative media Thursday morning. Before updating his followers last week that his son was alive after being shot by police, Blake’s most recent public post suggested that he had tired of Facebook. “How to log off for good I forgot how,” he wrote in May 2019.

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Karlie Kloss, Joshua Kushner’s wife, will join Biden campaign event

published the results of his investigation into Vatican documents unsealed in March in an article published by The Atlantic on Thursday. He revisited the high profile story of Jewish twins Robert and Gérald Finaly, who were kidnapped and baptized by French Catholic priests. Angelo Dell’Acqua, a Vatican Secretariat of State official who later became the cardinal for Rome, played a key role in the smuggling of the Finaly twins from France to Spain.

That happened after French judges ordered the boys, who were hid from the Nazis at a Catholic monastery, be handed over to their aunt. That finally happened in 1953, and the twins now live in Israel.

Pius XII has long been accused of turning a blind eye to the Holocaust, which happened early on in his stint of nearly 20 years as pope, until his death in 1958. Kertzer’s findings add to this widely-accepted impression. They include a memorandum advising Pius against formally protesting the rounding up of about 1,000 Jews in Rome in 1943 for deportation to Auschwitz. Dell’Acqua advised Pius XII to speak privately with a German ambassador about the roundup in a talk “recommending to him that the already grave situation of the Jews not be aggravated further,” Kertzer found. But he asked the pope not to protest the move publicly.

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after a member signed onto it without authorization.

The NCSY, formerly known as the National Conference of Synagogue Youth, which serves as a Jewish youth group under the auspices of the Orthodox Union, was listed as one of the 600 Jewish groups that signed onto a full-page ad that appeared in The New York Times on Friday in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

“NCSY was incorrectly referenced in a New York Times advertisement placed

by BEND THE ARC,” stated the national Jewish youth organization in a statement.

“The leadership of NCSY was not contacted by the organizers of the advertisement, who instead relied on an email from a student participant to signify our approval.”

“NCSY continues to advocate, educate and work towards a society that is free of bigotry and racism and that reflects our core biblical values, that all people are created in the image of God, and that each human life is of infinite value,” continued the organization.

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Opinion Rosh Hashanah dinner, Yom Kippur break-fast, sukkah hops: How risky are these High Holiday activities during COVID-19?

n In-person services While most non-Orthodox synagogues are planning to hold services exclusively over livestream, some synagogues, including many Orthodox ones, are planning to gather for in-person services, often truncated or otherwise adjusted to minimize disease risk.

Among the most important ways to keep these services safe are maintaining distance between people, requiring masks, screening for illness or exposure to the virus and ensuring proper air flow.

Eili Klein, a professor of emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, said he won’t be attending in-person services this year. But for those who are, he said, outdoors is better.

Klein cautioned that large tents erected by some synagogues to allow outdoor services might carry similar risks to being indoors. You want to be sure you’re not gathering in a place where the air flow might not be very good, he said, and the center of a large tent can easily be one.

“This gets into fluid dynamics and all these things where, if you’re getting to that 10

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level, you’re probably getting to a place where that’s not a good idea,” Klein said.

Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, the chief of infectious diseases and hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau on Long Island and an assistant rabbi at the Young Israel of Woodmere, a large Orthodox synagogue in Long Island’s Nassau County, said he would feel comfortable praying at an indoor or outdoor minyan “if they’re done properly.”

How can an indoor service be done properly?

For Glatt, that means screening participants for illness or exposure to the virus, maintaining at least six feet of distance between people and keeping masks on while indoors.

And it’s not just about keeping to the guidelines while the services are taking place, he said. The safety of the in-person services depends on people adhering to safety guidelines in their lives outside of synagogue as well.

“If you wish to be in public places like a minyan then you have to take the guidelines seriously, which means you’re masking and social distancing as best as possible at all times,” Glatt said.

n Outdoor shofar blowing Hearing the shofar blown on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is considered a sacred commandment, so some synagogues are offering standalone shofar-blowing services outdoors to accommodate those who do not feel comfortable attending services in person.

Both Klein and Glatt agreed that a short, outdoor shofar-blowing service would be relatively safe. But keeping people distanced and wearing masks is key.

Some have suggested covering shofars with masks to prevent the virus from being dispersed when they are blown. Glatt has suggested that having someone blow the shofar who has already recovered from COVID-19 would be ideal, but he said the actual blowing of the shofar is unlikely to be a major risk.

“Do it in the street, do it outside, have a set number of people showing up so you

| SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

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BY SHIRA HANAU

(JTA) – When Passover arrived just a few weeks after the pandemic set in earlier this year, it was clear that Seders with families and friends would not be happening.

Five months later, as Jews across the country prepare for the High Holidays, calculating risk has become much harder.

The pandemic seems under control in parts of the country but is still raging in others; some people are staying home as much as possible while others have practice going out safely; and the costs of disruption and isolation are beginning to feel more acute.

That means the questions surrounding how to observe the holidays have murkier answers: Is it safe to do Rosh Hashanah dinner with the grandparents? What about our annual Yom Kippur breakfast with the neighbors? Can we still go sukkah hopping?

We spoke to two epidemiologists who have been advising Jewish communities during the pandemic about the risks involved in these classic High Holiday traditions and more. Here’s what they told us.

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REBECCA CRYSTAL BLOWS THE SHOFAR IN CHICAGO IN PREPARATION FOR WELCOMING THE HIGH HOLIDAYS, AUGUST 2020.

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don’t have more people than you expect,” he said.

Klein believes that outdoor situations with proper social distancing and participants largely wearing masks would be a “fairly safe environment,” even with a somewhat large gathering.

“The problem becomes, in any of these situations, if you have people violating those things, then that puts everyone at risk,” he said.

n Rosh Hashanah dinner with grandparents Risks are involved in getting together with people outside of your immediate bubble, according to Klein and Glatt. But there are ways to gather in small groups safely, beginning by keeping the gathering outside and guests from different households far apart.

“Outdoors is better than indoors,” Klein said. “That reduces the risks dramatically.”

Both Klein and Glatt said the main problem with big meals is the gathering of

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people, not the sharing of food.

“There’s been a lot of evidence that this does not seem to be spread by food,” Klein said, meaning that giving gifts of food could be a way to celebrate the holiday without gathering in groups.

Glatt said he would have one family, not a lot of different people.

“Assuming the parties are all responsible, an outdoor meal is doable,” he said.

Still, if you live in a part of the country where the virus is still largely uncontrolled or if someone you’ve invited may have been exposed to the virus, it’s best for everyone to stay home. And people who may be particularly vulnerable to the disease, including the elderly and those with other medical conditions, may want to avoid any risk at all.

n Pilgrimage to Uman Most Jews don’t include travel to Ukraine as part of their High Holiday traditions, but every year tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews belonging to the Bratslav Hasidic sect head there for a Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to the grave of Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav.

Last week, Ukraine decreed that foreigners would not be able to enter the country until the end of September, in part to keep out the pilgrims (some have already arrived in the country). But some lawmakers in Israel and the United States are pressing for a small number of pilgrims to be admitted.

“Should I go to Uman?” was one item in Glatt’s latest update to members of his community. His answer: “NO. Absolutely no. … Uman could be the world’s worst COVID-19 super-spreader event.”

n Fasting on Yom Kippur – and breaking the fast There’s no reason to avoid fasting on Yom Kippur during a pandemic if you are otherwise able to do so, Glatt said. But the calculation would be different for someone jewishledger.com

who has the virus, as it is for anyone with special medical conditions.

“There’s no evidence that if somebody doesn’t have COVID that fasting is a problem,” he said. “If somebody does have COVID, they should discuss with their doctor.”

When it comes to sharing a Yom Kippur breakfast with friends or neighbors, the same guidance would apply as to a Rosh Hashanah dinner: Outdoors is better than indoors, distancing should be in place and the groups of people who do not live together should be kept to a minimum.

This may be more challenging at breakfast, which often features buffet setups. The danger in a buffet is less likely to be sharing utensils –although offering hand sanitizer probably isn’t a bad idea –but in the way diners are encouraged to congregate near each other. If you’re hosting, you probably want to think about how your guests will get their food.

n Sukkah hopping For some communities, sukkah hopping, in which people (often kids or families) visit several sukkahs and eat something in each one, is a classic Sukkot holiday ritual.

Sukkahs would seem to be perfectly designed for the pandemic because they are not enclosed. Still, because many sukkahs are small in size and sukkah hopping often involves many people, Klein and Glatt said the activity would need to be seriously modified to be safe.

“Any activity which has mixing with a large group of people either serially or in a big group is not a safe activity,” Klein said.

Klein suggested keeping the time spent inside the sukkahs to a minimum so people aren’t crowded in small spaces for prolonged periods of time. If that can’t be done, sukkah hopping should be avoided.

“It’s not something that it’s going to be terrible if we don’t have the children go to a sukkah hop,” Glatt said. “It’s a fun thing, but sometimes we don’t do fun things because pikuach nefashos [saving a life].”

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RABBI JONATHAN SACKS AND HIS BOOK “MORALITY,” WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE SEPT. 1 IN THE UNITED STATES. (COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF RABBI SACKS)

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on cancel culture, restoring morality and Israel’s missed opportunities

BY LAURA E. ADKINS

(JTA) – Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of Great Britain, has written dozens of books about religion and politics – but he also believes that mixing the two leads to “terrible politics and even worse religion.”

It’s a tough line to toe, especially when you’ve just written a book highlighting the decline of fundamental values in society that for most of human history have been inextricably linked to religion.

In Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times, Sacks makes the case that society has undergone what he calls “cultural climate change,” in which individualism has eroded collective morality. As with meteorological climate change, he argues, there are forces fueling a dangerous shift – he points to social media as a leading one – but there is also time to avert disaster.

The way to become moral, Sacks writes, is both simple and a great challenge: “We need direct encounters with other human beings. We have to be in their presence, open to their otherness, alert to their hopes and fears, engaged in the minuet of conversation, the delicate back-and-forth of speaking and listening.”

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency spoke with Sacks, Great Britain’s top rabbi from 1991 to 2013, about how that vision squares with “cancel culture,” how Israel embodies the ethos he wants to advance (and how it doesn’t), the role of religion in morality and other issues raised in his book, which will be released by Basic Books in the United States on Sept. 1.

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The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

JTA: Your new book argues for moving from an “I” to a “we” mindset. What are some guidelines for engaging with those that we love who also espouse views that we find harmful?

Sacks: Dealing with people who espouse views different from our own – isn’t that the typical Jewish family? Other people have conversations, we have arguments. But with “cancel culture,” we’re losing a sense of being able to talk to the people with whom we disagree.

I think this extraordinary thing that Judaism brings into the world – of course, nowadays everyone associates it with Christianity – but it’s Judaism who says God is our father, is a relative. Some people have God as a friend; we have God as family. The first thing that God tells Moses to say to Pharaoh is that Israel is his firstborn son. And God relates to us even though we have views that he regards as abhorrent.

That is the existential nature of family – that there are certain loves that are unconditional, even while you reserve the right to argue strenuously against those views. It’s really disturbed me, you know, that people nowadays say the views are more important than the family. That’s a real error of priorities.

| SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of Jewish peoplehood. It doesn’t seem clear that there are so many things that unite the Jewish people today in terms of central values that all Jews can agree on. Does the Torah even have a clear, singular morality in your view, or some common threads we can all agree on from the beginning?

When it comes to talking about Jewish unity or Jewish peoplehood, talk is cheap. I think you have to walk the talk. And that’s why, for instance, I’ve always had public conversations with people who really reject every single thing that I stand for.

One of them was the late Amos Oz, the novelist. Another is Steven Pinker – Steven is the thinking person’s atheist, right?

And I love Steven. We feel this bond of Jewishness between us. And I have that with David Brooks of The New York Times, or the American philosopher Mike Sandel, or Robert Putnam of Harvard. These are people with whom I have a real bond, despite the fact that their approaches to Judaism are often totally and absolutely different from mine.

You have to have these conversations, in public as well as private, and show it can be done. And I think it makes an impact when it’s done.

When Jonathan Haidt wrote The Coddling of the American Mind, his publishers asked me to help him launch the book. So we had a big event in the West End of London. And one of the panelists

at the event, a professor of Black studies, kept saying, very adamantly, that Britain is built on and inextricably entwined with racism, colonialism and genocide. This is a fairly alienating thing to say. Most of the audience members knew that they weren’t personally racist or genocidal. And after half the evening, I said to myself, this is just plain boring.

So I turned to him directly and I basically said, look – if I had been born in the circumstances in which you were born at the time when you were born, I think I would have the same attitudes as you have.

How can we take that anger and do the antifragile thing, turn those negative energies into positive ones? Let us see if we can think through from those attitudes toward a better future.

Some individuals in the audience told me that there was a palpable shift in the audience at that point. They actually noted that instead of these two sides hurling abuse at one another, it was a little moment in which somebody showed he was willing to cross the divide and enter into the mindset of somebody who thought that I was a racist, a colonialist and a committer of genocide. So I just sensed the power of saying “OK, guys, let’s get beyond this. Let me try and understand the world through your eyes. And let us see if we can walk forward together.” And I don’t see enough of that being done in today’s world.

You have written that cancel culture has gotten out of control. But it is often legitimate anger and grievances that motivate the impulse to suppress individuals or ideas. What is a better model for dealing with anger and grievances, especially when debate of the kind you described isn’t possible?

There are times when cancel culture-type attitudes are entirely appropriate. They are a very, very brutal weapon, but sometimes you need that if you’re absolutely going to change attitudes.

I think the response to the issue of sexual harassment was entirely justified, for example. I think the Black Lives Matter protest against the killing of George Floyd, apart from the rioting, which I think had all sorts of strange people getting involved, was justified.

I think anger is sometimes a necessary weapon. The Rambam rules that anger is never justified, ever. But, he says, sometimes it is permitted to look as if you’re angry. [Laughs] Because that is the thing that makes an impact on people.

When anger erupts in a body politic, there is quite often a justified cause. But then the political domain has got to take that anger and deal with it very fast.

You have to acknowledge that there were certain cultures of systemic sexual harassment. You have to acknowledge that there were terrible instances of police brutality. Those things have to be jewishledger.com

acknowledged and then immediately dealt with through the political process. Because anger exposes the problem but never delivers the solution.

When discussing the erosion of the traditional family structure and the revolutions of the 1960s, you write, “No one certainly wants to go back to the narrow prejudices of the past. … But our compassion for those who choose to live differently should not inhibit us from being advocates for the single most humanizing institution in history.”

I think a lot of people remember the 1960s, particularly in America, not for the erosion of the family structure but for civil rights for Black Americans, and women’s rights, and the ways in which bucking traditional structures led to rights for people that didn’t have them before.

Is there a way to balance changing the status quo and fighting for individual liberties with maintaining our collective values and responsibilities? Or is there kind of a back-and-forth swing that has to happen?

Balance is a concept understudied in political theory, and actually, balance is an art, not a science. Madison wrote about factions in The Federalist Papers; we’re sort of seeing this today. The architects of the American Constitution were being guided

by Montesquieu’s ideas on separation of powers. And I have argued that the Hebrew Bible sets up the first system of separation of powers.

In all other ancient civilizations, the head of the state was the head of the religion, without exception. The king in Israel is essentially emasculated: He has no religious powers and he has no legislative powers. The king was not the high priest, and the high priest wasn’t the king.

The anger goes to the prophets, who were very angry people. Just read a page of Amos or of Jeremiah – these are angry, angry people. And somehow or other, between these three forces – the king who’s the head of the government, the high priest who is head of the religious establishment, and the prophet who is the voice of righteous indignation – handling that balance is very subtle. And sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

One of the very best histories of the Jews ever written is The History of the Jews

by Paul Johnson – a very religious Catholic.

How come this man knows so much more about Judaism than most Jews do? So when I became chief rabbi, I had him for dinner and asked him what he learned from all his years of study of Judaism.

He told me, “There have been highly individualistic cultures in history – you know, like Athens or second-century Rome or today in the West. There have been highly collectivist cultures – like the Soviet Union or China. But nobody I know has succeeded in combining the two the way jewishledger.com

Judaism has. You teach people individual responsibility, and you teach them collective responsibility.”

And I thought that was a stunning remark from somebody completely outside.

Of course, he was also paraphrasing Hillel, who said, “If I’m not for me, who will be?”

– individual responsibility. And “If I’m only for myself, What am I?” – collective responsibility.

Judaism is a kind of tightrope walk between the I and the we. And although I didn’t talk too much about Judaism in the book, the book is really driven by that sense of how subtle that balance is. It’s not easy, and it’s not self-evident at all.

You say that the state has replaced some social institutions as we’ve moved away from a “we”-oriented society.

What do you mean by that, and what do you think is the ideal balance between outsourcing our collective responsibilities to the state or central authority that we’re placing trust in, and also building institutions that do not rely on the state? Is there a way to rebuild these institutions we’ve lost when we’ve become used to outsourcing so much of that responsibility?

For me, the classic example is the period between 1820 and 1850. You had a very individualistic culture and enormous social dislocations. The move from farms to towns and cities in America and Britain, the move from working on the land to working in the mines and factories.

You had a lot of family dislocation as young people, usually young men, made that journey to the town without any kind of family structure. There was a lot of children born out of wedlock, and a lot of drunkenness and violent crime. In 1820, it wasn’t safe to walk the streets of London at night.

But in the United States and in Britain between 1820 and 1850, there was a complete remoralization of society done mainly through religious charities.

Somehow or other, these charities became agents of social transformation.

Drunkenness, illegitimacy, crime and violent crime all declined from 1850 to 1950.

Could a return to a collective morality, a “we” mindset, be accomplished today? I don’t know.

Political scientist Robert Putnam takes the view that it’s the people who give and are involved in churches and synagogues that are the main drivers of altruism in America today.

In Britain, it’s difficult. I used to discuss this a lot with our prime ministers who served during my time as chief rabbi –John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron. And somehow or other, there was resistance at the civil service level. The civil service did not want to see the state retreat and allow space for local

communities. So I worked at that very hard.

I mean, I wrote a book about it called The Politics of Hope. I worked very hard at it, and somehow or other, it got sabotaged each time. It’s a shame.

According to the 2013 Pew Study of Jewish Americans, 22% of American Jews identify as Jews of no religion; 62% say being Jewish is mainly a matter of ancestry and culture, while just 15% say it is mainly a matter of religion.

What does a secular shared morality look like, and is it possible to build or rebuild moral societies that want to see themselves as divorced totally from religious values?

I think you need to put together a number of things. And they’re quite difficult to put together. These are the things which I’ve invested a lot of time.

No. 1 is a national narrative. There has to be a way of saying, “What does being British mean to me or what does being English mean to me?” And of course in recent years, all that’s happened in that score, frankly, has been an awful lot of films about the First and Second World Wars.

You’ve got an endless number of films about Churchill and Dunkirk and a brilliant film called “1917.” And you know, that is not the way.

In the U.K., we have something called Remembrance Sunday. Every year in November, the queen and all the royal family comes, the prime minister and all past prime ministers come, all of the ambassadors, all the heads of the armed forces and all the religions come together.

We remember the people who gave their lives in the world wars and other conflicts.

It’s a big national thing – a huge televised event.

And I sat with Gordon Brown when he was prime minister and I said, “You know, prime minister, all you have to do to create a Britishness Day is to divide the day into two. Let the morning be about war and the past, and the afternoon be about peace and the future. And at midday the old generation hands over the flame to the young generation, and then you do a little ceremony which celebrates being British and celebrates being decent human beings.

You wouldn’t need to add a date to the calendar, but you would instantly create a national narrative.” It didn’t work out.

In contrast, I was terribly thrilled when, as a birthday present, our daughter bought us tickets to go and see “Hamilton”! And I thought, that’s how it’s done! The next time I manage to get to New York, we’re going to see Lin-Manuel Miranda. I wrote him a note saying he has shown how to tell the national narrative in a new and radically inclusive way.

So you need a ceremony and a national narrative to create a sense of identity.

And then you need to do something. The best example today is the State of Israel

–everyone either serves in the army or in national service.

Because the best way of educating people to be moral is to give them responsibility. Let them do something that is going to affect other people and improve other people’s lives.

So you will still find today in Israel, despite the fact that Israel is a deeply fractured society, a sense of genuine altruism which comes from the army and national service. If you put all of those things together, you could do a brilliant thing, and it does not involve giving anyone any lectures.

There’s no “thou shalt not.” It is, look, we are empowering you to go and help these elderly people, these poor people or these people sleeping on the streets at night. And they learn instantly what it is to be moral, and the more it is learned by doing the better.

Did you follow the controversy around actor Seth Rogen and his recent comments about Judaism? He basically said that he felt very bitter about his Jewish education growing up because he felt “lied to” about Israel and how it was built. Why is it that the Israel you just described is not really the Israel in the minds of so many young American Jews?

Israel has not always taken its own presentation seriously enough. I had this conversation for a very long time, until I stopped having it.

The Oslo peace process broke down on Sept. 29, 2000, after the late Ariel Sharon went on his walk on the Temple Mount.

And there was a Palestinian uprising rather mischievously described, inaccurately, as the Al Aqsa Intifada. Now I had assumed – I think everyone assumed – that Israel had conceded so much during the Oslo process, especially in its closing stages, that if the peace process broke down, Israel would be given the benefit of the doubt.

In British media, it was not given the benefit of the doubt at all for even one day.

By the beginning of October, the media were overwhelmingly anti-Israel, blaming it for the failure of the peace negotiations.

This was serious – it was serious!

And yet, Israel was doing nothing to counter this. Nothing at all.

During those years, Israel sent Britain three ambassadors who couldn’t speak English. In December 2000, I personally took, as chief rabbi, a group of people – journalists from the Times and the BBC – to Jerusalem to see it for them themselves.

A chief rabbi should not be called on to be doing the work of the ambassador for the State of Israel. That’s not what a religious leader is. And it’s a ridiculously, ridiculously mistaken decision on behalf of Israel for the last 20 years.

Because if, like Seth Rogen, you’re interested in tikkun olam, and making the CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

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world a better place, I think you’d find it hard to find better examples of that than young people in the State of Israel.

You have to search them out. But the social entrepreneurs in the State of Israel are amazing. Right now they’re developing COVID-19 tests that work within seconds, they’re working on vaccines, goodness knows what – the Israel that I know is the Israel of total technological innovation in agriculture, in medicine and in artificial intelligence, in nanotechnology. That is the exciting Israel. Israel politics should be dealt with professionally and competently.

But there is another Israel altogether that the world does not know. And it’s extraordinary.

I used to go every year with cantors and a choir to make concerts for victims of terror in the atriums of hospitals, and just to see Israelis and Arabs and Druze and Muslim and Bedouin and goodness knows what all being treated together was beautiful, but nobody is showing it. So I’m afraid this has been a lost opportunity on the part of Israel. Israel has had some brilliant ambassadors. But in general, the world is pretty ignorant of the Israel that I admire, and that I’m sure Seth Rogen would admire if he were able to see.

A revered Orthodox rabbi said recently in an interview for a popular Orthodox publication that Jews should vote to reelect President Trump out of gratitude for the things he’s done for the Jewish people. His comments upset some people and excited others. When is it appropriate for religious leaders to weigh in so specifically on political issues?

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The division between politics and religion is absolutely fundamental. It’s one of the greatest things Judaism ever taught the world: Don’t mix religion and politics. You mix religion and politics, you get terrible politics and even worse religion. It’s an absolute and total outrage.

I have written I don’t know how many books about politics – The Dignity of Difference, The Home We Build Together, Not in God’s Name. Even this Morality book is a little bit about politics. And yet I have never, ever, ever taken a party political stand – and not one member of my family, including Elaine, with whom I’ve just celebrated a golden wedding just a couple of weeks ago – knows how I vote. Nobody knows how I vote. I mean, I made an absolute point of making clear in public that I was close to the heads of the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats.

And I’m afraid I did not allow my rabbis to use the pulpit for political purposes either. And I can see that that is not the

case in America. And I’m afraid American Jewry is making a big, big, big mistake.

This is not a small thing. It’s a very, very big thing.

Politics is inherently divisive. And it was Alexis de Tocqueville who realized this by asking a lot of pastors and vicars and priests why they refrain from politics in their sermons. They said, “Well, politics is divisive, and religion should be unified.”

They knew that as soon as you make religion political, it too will become divisive.

So I’m afraid I have absolutely not the slightest shred of sympathy for anyone who, as a rabbi, tells people how to vote.

And if you want to see the corruption of politics by the admixture of religion, spend some extended time in Israel. I’m afraid Israel is wonderful in so many things, but its mix of politics and religion is a catastrophe and may one day threaten the very survival of the state. Because if you only have division and nothing unified, then I’m afraid a state cannot last.

In the time of COVID-19, when it’s dangerous to our health to come together, what’s the best proxy for connection or something we can be working on inside ourselves?

It seems to me that when you lose something temporarily and then get it back, you never take it for granted again.

We have lost that personal contact, that touch of two selves. The truth is we had taken it for granted. It turns out to be the single most important thing there is in life.

In Genesis 1, the words “God saw that it was good” appear seven times. The first time the words “not good” appears is when it notes that it is not good for a human being to be alone.

So we have to accept the pain of this temporary loss and say that we are never going to take social contact for granted or take it lightly again. And that essentially is what much of Judaism is. It’s about sanctifying the bonds between us, whether those be bonds of family or friendship or community.

It’s a much more social religion than most other religions. So that’s No. 1, to get through it. How do you survive this?

I’m sure you’ve read Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. He says that when he arrived in Auschwitz, he’s lost everything.

The one thing he had was the manuscript of a book that he’d written. And the Nazis took it from him and destroyed it. He said that was the end of his life.

He realized that in order to survive, he had to do a reframe, a paradigm shift. He said he decided to see himself as a psychologist engaged in a major experiment. And that altered the way he felt about himself and everything that was happening to him.

You have to have a paradigm shift if you want to survive this very, very difficult CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

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ELECTION 2020 Biden campaign platform for Arab Americans reiterates opposition to BDS

BY MARCY OSTER

(JTA) – Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s campaign condemns boycotts against Israel in its new platform geared toward the Arab American community.

In “Joe Biden and the Arab American Community: A Plan for Partnership,” released Saturday, August 5, the candidate pledges to include Arab Americans “across his administration,” combat anti-Arab bigotry in the United States and reverse President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting refugees and barring entry to people from multiple predominantly Muslim countries.

The plan also reiterates Biden’s opposition to the movement to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel, known as BDS – and his opposition to curtailing the right of Americans to make a different decision.

In the section called “Defending the Civil Rights of All Americans,” the plan says Biden “will protect the constitutional right of our citizens to free speech. He also does not support efforts by any democracy to criminalize free speech and expression, which is why he spoke out

Sacks CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

moment in the world’s history. And the best paradigm shift I can think of is to say, “Ah, I’ve just been given a sabbatical!” That thing that I’ve been waiting all my life to do but I never had time for, they’ve given me a sabbatical!

That allows you to shift your paradigm and feel more positively about where you are at the moment – to frame it so that it has an end. Because sabbaticals come to an end. You can’t do this forever. And I think that probably is the best way of dealing with it.

Laura E. Adkins is JTA’s opinion editor and an adjunct professor of journalism at Yeshiva University.

She was previously deputy opinion editor at the Forward and also served as editor of Jewish Insider and an assistant blogs editor at The Times of Israel. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, SELF, the New York Observer and elsewhere.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author alone. jewishledger.com

against Israel’s decision to deny entry to American lawmakers because they favor boycotting Israel. However, Biden has been unequivocal in condemning calls in the United States to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel.”

Biden has long said he opposes BDS, a position he outlines in his plan for America’s Jewish community, and in the Jewish American section of his platform, he pledges to reject BDS, fight antisemitism and protect Israel’s security.

The rabbi who delivered an invocation at the start of a Biden campaign webinar for Jewish voters Friday included opposition to the movement in his prayer, saying, “Strengthen us, oh God, to combat BDS, the anti-Zionist and antisemitic virus which infects too many of our erstwhile allies in our battle for the soul of America.”

The plan for Arab Americans also reiterates Biden’s commitment to a twostate solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and opposition to any unilateral steps by either side that undermines a twostate solution.

In a swipe at Trump’s efforts in the region, Biden’s plan says the candidate “opposes annexation and settlement expansion and will continue to oppose both as president.” And it also lays out efforts Biden would take as president to “restore economic and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, consistent with U.S. law, including assistance to refugees, work to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, re-open the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem, and work to reopen the PLO mission in Washington.”

Leonard Cohen’s estate told Republicans not to play ‘Hallelujah’ at their convention. So they did.

(JTA) – The Republican National Committee used the late Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah” on the closing night of its convention despite being denied permission, according to an attorney for his estate.

“We are surprised and dismayed that the RNC would proceed knowing that the Cohen Estate had specifically declined the RNC’s use request, and their rather brazen attempt to politicize and exploit in such an egregious manner ‘Hallelujah,’ one of the most important songs in the Cohen song catalog,” Michelle Rice, a lawyer for the estate, said in a statement Friday, August 28. “We are exploring our legal options,” the statement said, before delivering a swipe at the Trump campaign.

“Had the RNC requested another song, ‘You Want it Darker,’ for which Leonard won a posthumous Grammy in 2017, we might have considered approval of that song.”

Cohen, the famed Jewish musician and poet, died at 82 the day before Trump was elected in 2016.

His estate’s statement came a day after “Hallelujah” played over fireworks that lit up the sky over the National Mall in Washington, D.C., immediately after President Donald Trump delivered his speech accepting the Republican nomination for reelection. That was a cover version performed by singer Tori Kelly, while an opera singer named Christopher Macchio sang the song live.

Several artists have asked Trump to cease and desist from using their songs at campaign events. They include The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Rihanna, Elton John, Adele and Queen.

Jewish progressive Alex Morse loses bid to oust powerful incumbent in Mass.

Democratic primary (JTA) – Alex Morse, a 31-year-old gay Jewish progressive, lost his bid to oust a powerful incumbent, Rep. Richard Neal, in a closely watched Democratic primary in Massachusetts. In the 1st Congressional District race on Tuesday, August 26, the moderate Neal held a lead of nearly 20 percentage points over the mayor of Holyoke as of Wednesday morning.

Morse had received the endorsements from a number of progressive groups, including the Justice Democrats, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Courage to Change and IfNotNow, a Jewish group that opposes Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. He had aligned himself with “the Squad,” a group of four progressive first-term Democrats that includes OcasioCortez.

Morse said he supports conditioning aid to Israel and pushed back against the idea that criticizing the country’s policies amounts to antisemitism. Neal, meanwhile, was endorsed by pro-Israel groups Democratic Majority for Israel and ProIsrael America.

In the state’s 8th Congressional District, Robbie Goldstein, a 36-year-old progressive political newcomer, lost to incumbent Rep. Steven Lynch, one of the House’s more conservative Democrats. Lynch was ahead by more than 30 percentage points as of Wednesday morning.

It was too early to call results in the 4th District, where a number of Jewish challengers are seeking to take over the seat vacated by Joe Kennedy III, who lost his bid to unseat Sen. Ed Markey.

Results Wednesday morning showed Jewish hopefuls Jake Auchincloss and Jesse Mermell neck-in-neck, with Becky Grossman not too far behind.

Manipulated video of Ady Barkan and Joe Biden talking police reform tweeted by GOP congressman (JTA) – A video of a discussion between health care activist Ady Barkan and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was doctored to make it appear that Biden had agreed to defund police departments. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the majority whip, tweeted out the video, which Twitter later flagged as manipulated before Scalise deleted it.

“I have lost my ability to speak, but not my agency or my thoughts,” Barkan tweeted Sunday to Scalise. “You and your team have doctored my words for your own political gain. Please remove this video immediately.

You owe the entire disability community an apology.”

Barkan supports the defunding of police.

In the video, Biden expresses support for some police reform, including redirecting some funding into social services, mental health counseling and affordable housing, but says it is “not the same as getting rid of or defunding all the police.”

The video was altered to make it sound like Biden was agreeing to defunding.

Scalise in a tweet responded to Barkan.

“While Joe Biden clearly said “yes,” twice, to the question of his support to redirect money away from police, we will honor the request of @AdyBarkan and remove the portion of his interview from our video,” the lawmaker wrote. Scalise spokeswoman Lauren Fine said in an email to The Washington Post that the video had been “condensed … to the essence of what he was asking, as is common practice for clips run on TV and social media, no matter the speaker” and said that viewers were not misled.

Barkan has emerged as one of the country’s most visible progressive activists for health care since 2017, when he was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. At the Democratic National Convention, Barkan delivered an impassioned speech calling for Medicare for All, a health care policy that Biden has not endorsed.

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MILESTONES Gift of Life Marrow Registry launches study to understand individual response to COVID-19 BOCA RATON, Florida –Human leukocyte antigens (HLA) – diverse genetic markers on our cells that help match patients and donors for bone marrow transplant – are the focus of a new study led by the Gift of Life Marrow Registry. The study, in collaboration with researchers at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the genetic crowd science portal Root, aims to help answer why do some people get COVID19 or particular symptoms, while others avoid them. More than 350,000 donors in Gift of Life’s registry have been invited to participate.

“Every volunteer donor is already HLA-

typed, presenting a tremendous opportunity to drive broader science through the prism of these immune-related genes,” says Gift of Life’s Founder and CEO Jay Feinberg.

“We hope to learn whether immunevital tissue match genes such as HLA help explain why some of us avoid COVID-19, while others get severe symptoms or need particular treatments,” said the study’s principal investigator Jeffrey Rosenfeld, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “Adding such key data to the fight against COVID-19, we can help solve the mystery of why it affects

cell donations and contributed 10,000 specialized swabs to Baptist Health South Florida via Boca Raton Regional Hospital to be used for COVID-19 testing.

Gift of Life Marrow Registry facilitates bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related diseases. To learn more and/or to find out how you an participate in the study, visit: www.giftoflife.org. For a link to study, visit: giftoflife.org/public/covid19surveyrequest.

David Baram is joining Windsor law firm

B’nai Mitzvah COLLIN GEVRY, son of Julia and Brian Bernstein of Newtown, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Sept. 12, at Congregation B’nai Torah in Trumbull.

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different people so differently.”

Participants can also opt into short monthly surveys for the coming year, even if they have never had COVID-19. The researchers will study their de-identified data, to better understand how tissue match genes and other factors may figure in COVID-19 risks and outcomes.

The new study furthers Gift of Life’s efforts to help people and communities in need during the pandemic. The organization has increased capacity at the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Gift of Life – Be The Match Collection Center to become a non-hospital based go-to for stem

JEWISH LEDGER

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BLOOMFIELD–David Baram, managing member of the Bloomfield law firm of Baram, Tapper & Gans LLC, announced that the firm will no longer be conducting business as an independent entity. The firm’s partners, Joseph Tapper and Jason Gans, have announced their retirements, and Baram will continue to practice law and will join the law firm of O’Malley, Deneen, Leary, Messina and Oswecki of Windsor.

A resident of Bloomfield, he will maintain a Bloomfield law office at One Regency Drive (Suite 310), and a second office at 20 Maple Avenue in Windsor, continuing his practice in the areas of residential and commercial real estate, wills and probate, zoning, commercial transactions, employment, personal injury, litigation and divorce law.

“Bringing these two law firms together and serving residents of both Windsor and Bloomfield, is an exciting opportunity that I look forward to with great enthusiasm” said Baram. “Practicing law in both Windsor and Bloomfield reminds me of my memorable service as state representative to both communities. It feels natural and I have a strong sense of commitment to both Bloomfield and Windsor.”

The law firm of Baram,Tapper & Gans LLC, was the result of several mergers. In 1988 the law firm of Clayman, Markowitz and Litman merged with Tapper, Farrelly & Gans, a general practice with a significant immigration law emphasis. In 1992 the law firm of Clayman, Markowitz & Tapper merged with Pinney & Baram, to become

Clayman, Markowitz, Pinney & Baram LLC. Pinney & Baram was the successor law firm to Wagner, Beck & Pinney, a highly regarded Bloomfield law office began by Jerry Wagner, who later became a Superior Court Judge. The firm later changed its name to Baram, Tapper and Gans LLC. Attorney Baram currently serves as the probate judge for the Tobacco Valley Probate District (Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, East Granby and Suffield). He previously served as mayor of Bloomfield, state representative for Bloomfield and Windsor, chairperson of the Bloomfield Center Fire District Board of Commissioners, and chair of the Bloomfield Democratic Town Committee.

He is a former chairperson of the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG), former president of the Bloomfield Chamber, a former member of the State Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), former president of Beth Hillel Synagogue and of Federation Homes, former chair of the Jewish Federation Association of CT (JFact), the CT Valley Region of Conservative Judaism, and the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Greater Hartford Jewish Federation (JCRC). He is also a life board member of the Mandell Jewish Community Center.

As state representative, Baram chaired the General Law Committee which was responsible for consumer protection laws.

David Baram was designated a ‘Super Lawyer’ by his peers for 2019-2020 and serves as counsel to the Connecticut Package Store Association. He and his wife, Paula Wagner Baram, are the parents of two grown sons, and a daughter-in-law. jewishledger.com

HIGH HOLY DAY SYNAGOGUE SERVICES IN CT

THE KOSHER CROSSWORD SEPT. 11, 2020 “Lechem”

By: Yoni Glatt

Difficulty Level: Manageable

Curbside pick up and local home delivery available!

Temple Beth Sholom in Hamden In observance of the 5781 High Holidays, Temple Beth Sholom in Hamden is conducting virtual services for Rosh Hashanah, Kol Nidre, and Yom Kippur (Mincha, Yizkor, Ne’ilah). There will be a Virtual Family Service for Rosh Hashanah on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 4:30 pm. Additionally, all services will be live streamed online. For more information, visit www.tbshamden.com or call (203) 2887748.

SHABBAT DINNER TRADITIONAL DAIRY LUNCHEON DELI SANDWICH PLATTER DINNER MENU

Temple Sinai in Newington Temple Sinai, a Reform congregation in Newington, will host all High Holy Day services on Zoom. The congregation as well as the entire community are invited to attend these virtual services at no cost. For information and/or to get schedule of services and log-in details, contact the office at templesinaict@gmail.com). In addition, check out Temple Sinai’s Facebook page for the most up to date information (www.facebook.com/templesinaict).

B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom in Bloomfield B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom will combine traditional melodies and prayers, along with more creative elements and the congregation’s usual interactive learning and discussions. The theme of this year’s services is “Higher and Higher: Ascending a Ladder of Holiness Together,” which will be held on Zoom for 10 one- to twohour sessions or “steps” over the course of the three days. Some highlights: The first day of Rosh Hashanah will feature a “Deep Dive” text study, entitled “In a Year Like No Other: Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die?” On the second afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, worshippers may participate in the shofar service using their own shofars. Yom Kippur will include a special Yizkor, a challenge from the prophet Isaiah, an exploration of Jonah, prayer, discussion, song and reflection. Services are free; registration is required. For details and/or registration information, contact the office at (860) 2433576.

Across 1. Atkins no-no, briefly 5. “Gloomy” guy 8. Where Jack Sparrow stories occur 13. Pilgrimage location in Queens, with “The” 14. It runs in the family 15. “Grand” hits 16. Jewish bread 18. Door fasteners 19. Hangs loose 21. Many a beach resort locale 22. Jewish bread 25. Jewish bread 27. Addresses the congregation,

perhaps 28. Tu follower 29. WSJ alternative 30. Not at all ferocious 31. Less diluted 33. Jewish bread 37. Sukkah 38. Destroy 41. “Mamma Mia!” has four 44. Friendly prefix 45. “___ & Louise” 47. Jewish bread 49. Jewish bread 50. Con ___ (with liveliness) 51. Actress Bella who played Hilary Friedman in “Blended”

53. Total sons of Abraham 55. Jewish bread?

59. Conservative camp 60. Extra-wide, as footwear goes 61. Depletes, as strength 62. No. 3 on AFI’s list of top 10 westerns 63. Some hosp. employees 64. Not the best negotiator in the Bible

Down 1. End of an address 2. “Got it!”

3. Judaism or Christianity (abbr.)

4. Some naturally caffeinated drinks 5. Mythic chalices 6. 64- Across, to Joseph 7. Stand-up pioneer Mort 8. Etna output 9. Rashida who probably won’t be speaking at AIPAC this year 10. “Kol ___ v’kol simcha...”

11. Hire 12. Give approval 17. Possible cry on a ride

20. Beatles’ drummer 22. Annoying caller, often 23. Org. that disarmed in 2005 24. “Aladdin” prop 26. 2000s Chevy 28. Play on the sidewalk for money 31. Los Angeles Boulevard with many kosher eateries 32. New life for an old movie 34. 1969 “miracle” site 35. Craft for the affluent 36. Abatement 39. One way to spell “mom” in Israel 40. “No thanks”

41. Fire remnants 42. She can “Carey” a tune 43. Mark of disgrace 45. Crowds, it is said 46. Aaron of Cooperstown 48. 2008 title role for (Adam) Sandler 49. Musical Leonard 52. MTA attendee 54. 56-Down in English 56. Part of U.N.L.V. 57. Drink that often has a bitter aftertaste, for short 58. The Spartans, briefly

ANSWERS TO SEPT. 4 CROSSWORD

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ROSH HASHANAH ON THE TABLE Beyond Brisket: Go ahead, get crazy. Change up your Rosh Hashanah.

BY SHANNON SARNA

This article originally appeared in The Nosher.

(JTA) – I know the holidays will look, and taste, different than most years. I also know many families cherish the big brisket, standing rib roast or pot roast that graces their table each year. Traditions are important, and food imparts its own sanctity as part of holiday experiences; the smell, the sight and the taste all play a crucial role in what makes family gatherings during a holiday so very special.

But it’s likely that your Rosh Hashanah gathering will be smaller this year, as we make tough choices around safety and health due to COVID-19, and so a brisket or other large roast may not be the ideal dish to serve as the main attraction.

Not to worry. There are many alternatives to serving a brisket. Here are a few.

SPICY FISH IN CHERRY TOMATO AND HARISSA SAUCE

By Laura Brehaut, from the cookbook SHUK by New York City-based chef and restaurateur Einat Admony, and Tel Avivbased food writer Janna Gur. Poached in spicy tomato sauce, this fish dish (a.k.a. chraime or dag hareef) is a Shabbat staple for North African Jews, Einat Admony and Janna Gur write. It takes on different colour when made by Libyan (Tripolitan), Moroccan or Tunisian cooks.

“Often in Israel, in traditional Moroccan families, they serve it as a first course with some bread to mop up the sauce. It’s a beautiful, beautiful way to cook fish,” says Gur. “This is one of those dishes that, if you don’t tell people how easy it was, you would be considered this super-sophisticated chef because it looks amazing and it takes like 15 minutes to make. And, as opposed to a lot of fish recipes, you can reheat it.”

Cherry tomatoes, while not a traditional choice for the dish, add sweetness and a dollop of color.

Ingredients 1/3 cup vegetable oil 10 garlic cloves, smashed 1/4 cup tomato paste 1 jalapeño chili, cored, seeded and thinly sliced (see note) 1 tbsp harissa, store-bought or homemade (see note) 3 tbsp sweet paprika 1 tsp ground caraway 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin 2 pints cherry tomatoes Kosher salt 18

JEWISH LEDGER

1/2 cup water 1 large bunch fresh cilantro Freshly ground black pepper 6 (7- to 9-oz) fillets flaky white-fleshed fish (grouper, bass, snapper and halibut are all nice), skin-on, if possible Challah or couscous, for serving Directions Pour vegetable oil into a relatively deep, large skillet. Immediately add the smashed garlic cloves and cook over very low heat just until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Watch the pan closely to make sure the garlic doesn’t brown, or it will become bitter.

Increase heat to medium-high, add tomato paste, half the jalapeño, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the harissa and all the paprika, caraway and cumin, and stir for a minute or two, until fragrant. Add 1 1/2 pints of the cherry tomatoes (reserve the rest for later) and season with salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to break down, 7 to 8 minutes. Pour in the water, bring to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, or until thick and saucy.

Remove about 3 tablespoons of whole leaves from the cilantro bunch and reserve for garnish. Tear up the rest of the bunch and toss into the pan. Let it blend with the sauce, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and the remaining jalapeño, and 1 1/2 teaspoons harissa if you want more heat. Bear in mind that once you add the fish, you won’t be able to stir the sauce and play with the seasonings.

Add the fish fillets, skin-side up, tucking them gently into the sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes on top of the fish. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, without stirring, until the fish is cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes. Thicker fillets, like halibut, will need 2 to 3 minutes more. To check the fish for doneness, make a small incision in the thickest part of the fish and make sure the flesh is opaque and flaky.

Serve straight out of the pan, garnished with the cilantro leaves, with bread or couscous alongside.

Serves 6 Note: This dish is meant to be spicy, but how spicy is up to you. Start with half the amount of harissa and chili, and fire the dish up to your liking.

| SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

INA GARTEN’S CHICKEN MARBELLA, UPDATED From Cook Like a Pro: Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks by Ina Garten © Clarkson Potter 2018.

Ingredients ½ cup good olive oil ½ cup good red wine vinegar 1 ½ cups large pitted prunes, such as Sunsweet 1 cup large green olives, pitted, such as Cerignola ½ cup capers, including the juices (3 1/2 oz) 6 bay leaves 1 ½ heads of garlic, cloves separated, peeled, and minced ¼ cup dried oregano Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 (4-lb) chickens, backs removed and cut in 8 pieces ½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed 1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio Directions Combine olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, 2 tablespoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken to the marinade.

(You can also place the chicken and marinade in a 2-gallon plastic storage bag and squeeze out the air to make sure the chicken is fully covered with the marinade.)

Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chicken, skin side up, along with the marinade in one layer in a large (15-by-18inch) roasting pan, sprinkle with the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper, and pour the wine around (not over!) the chicken. Roast for 45 to 55 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken is 145 degrees F. Remove the pan from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Transfer the chicken, prunes, and olives to a serving platter, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot with the pan juices.

WHOLE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH TAHINI & TOMATO SALSA From Feasting: A New Take On Jewish Cooking by Amanda Ruben, published by Hardie Grant Books March 2018.

“One of my chefs, Matthew Wihongi, created this recipe for our catering business and it really wows,” says Amanda Ruben.

“If you don’t have time to slow roast the cauliflower, parboil it until it is soft enough to pierce with a fork. Then put it in the oven with the saffron liquid and baste until golden.

Ingredients 1 large cauliflower head 1 Tbsp saffron threads 1 Tbsp sumac 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander ½ tsp ground chili powder 1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra if needed 1 tsp salt 2 cups Tahini ½ cup slivered pistachios, to garnish (optional) 2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds, to garnish (optional) 2 Tbsp chili threads (optional) For the tomato salsa: ¼ red onion, finely diced 5 tomatoes, deseeded and finely diced 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro 2 tsp olive oil 2 tsp lemon juice sea salt, to taste Directions Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the cauliflower head on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Combine the saffron threads with 2 cups boiling water and set aside to steep for 15-20 minutes. In a bowl, combine the saffron liquid with the sumac, ground spices, oil and salt. Pour the mixture over the cauliflower, making sure it is evenly coated. Cover the tray with foil and roast the cauliflower in the oven for 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the saffron liquid. Add more oil if needed to keep the cauliflower moist. Remove the foil and roast for a further 10 minutes to brown the cauliflower a little. While the cauliflower is browning, make the tomato salsa. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Season to taste with salt.

To serve, spread the tahini dip on a large platter and place the cauliflower on top. Cut out a wedge of cauliflower and pile tomato salsa inside and around the edge of the cauliflower. Garnish with slivered pistachios, pomegranate seeds and chili threads.

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BULLETIN BOARD Stamford UJF kicks off annual campaign, Sept. 9

“The Four Horseman” at the JCC in Sherman, Sept. 12

The United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford’s 2020 campaign will kickoff with a “Drive-in Movie Theater “ event on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. Attendees will remain in their cars for the event, which will include a tribute to the more than 600 donors who have given an annual gift to UJF for 18 years and live entertainment.

A boxed dinner and refreshments will be delivered to your car. To register and for more information, visit www.ujf.org/drivein or call (203) 321-1373.

The Four Horseman will present a concert of their music outdoors at the JCC in Sherman on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. (rain date: Sept. 13, 6:30 p.m.). Band members are all singer/songwriters with distinct musical styles. They include: David Ray, Mike Latini, Dave Goldenberg, and George Mallas. Reservations are required (tickets will not be available at the door).

Bring your mask and a chair. To register or for a list of health and safety rules, visit www.jccinsherman.org or email info@ jccinsherman.org. Tickets: $20/members; $25/non-members.

UCONN Center for Judaic Studies & Contemporary Jewish Life For more information on these virtual presentations, visit judaicstudies.uconn.edu.

September 10 @ 7:30.p.m.

Derek Penslar, the William Lee Frost Professor of Jewish History at Harvard University What Makes a Great Jewish Leader?

Theodor Herzl and the Origins of Zionism Cosponsored by the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford.

September 14 @ 7 p.m.

Anna Shternshis and Psoy Korolenko, Yiddish Glory: The Lost Songs of World War II Yiddish Glory tells the remarkable story of folklorists in the Soviet Union who risked their lives collecting songs from Jewish Red Army soldiers, Jewish refugees, victims and survivors of Ukrainian ghettos, as told by a band of virtuoso musicians.

Sponsored by the Jewish Hartford European Roots project and the virtual festival of Yiddish culture September 30 @ 7.p.m.

Understanding and Teaching the Holocaust: Virtual Book Launch Cosponsored by the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford. Part one of the 2020 Virtual Holocaust Educators Workshop (HEW)

Super Tribe Havdalah, Sept. 12 and Oct. 10 Congregation Beth Israel’s Super Tribe is an active and fun group of 35- to 50-somethings who gather monthly for Havdalah and a meet-and-greet. m, Saturday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. For more information or for details on how to log in via Zoom, visit cbict.org/calendar.

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Saluting the soldiers of the IDF, Sept. 13 The global Friends of Israel Defense Forces family will unite for a night of giving and solidarity on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m., when FIDF hosts a national virtual gala celebrating those who protect and defend the Jewish state. For more information, visit fidf.org.

“The Messiah Mystery” at Chabad House of Greater Hartford this fall “The Messiah Mystery: All You Wanted to Know about Moshiach & the Redemption Process,” a 5-session series will begin at Chabad House of Greater Hartford Monday, Sept. 14, from 8 - 9 p.m. y For the full schedule or to get more information, contact Rabbi Shaya Gopin at rabbishaya@ chabadhartford.com.

JTConnect hosts Kickoff Celebration, Sept. 14 JTConnect, a program for Hartford area Jewish teens in grades 8 through 12, will kick-off a new year of programming for teens in grades 8-12 on Monday Sept.

14, 5:30 - 7 p.m., at 158 Auer Farm Road in Bloomfield. The fall celebration will give JTConnect teens the opportunity to reconnect with friends and meet new ones, and hear about JTConnect classes.

Highlights of the event will include: Volunteer service projects painting barns; tied-dying new JTConnect swag; lawn Games…and more!

JTConnect teens are invited to bring friends. Strict physical distancing protocols will be enforced; masks will be required Admission to the JTConnect Kickoff Celebration is FREE. For more info, contact cara@jtconnect.org or (860) 727-6110. To register, visit jtconnect.org.

September Zoom Workshops hosted by B’nai Tikvoh Sholom B’nai Tikvoh Sholom will host two upcoming Zoom workshops in September: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 7 - 8:30 p.m.

“From Living Room to Sanctuary: Transforming a Corner of Your Home into a Sacred Space” led by Rabbi Debra Cantor, and Theresa Oberst, and Melinda Wright, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 10:30 a.m.noon “Opening Our Hearts: A Personal Prayer-Writing Workshop” led by Rabbi Debra Cantor.Use guided meditation and writing prompts to compose your own heartfelt prayers for the new year.

No experience necessary.

For Zoom login information, call (860) 243-3576, or email office@btsonline.

Hartford Federation Annual Meeting to feature TED speaker Lior Zoref, Sept. 16 On Wednesday, September 16, the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford will celebrate community accomplishments, recognize outstanding service, and elect new leaders at the organization’s 2020 Annual Meeting and Celebration, to take place via Zoom.

The event kicks off at 6:45 p.m. with a community schmooze, followed by the program from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Keynote speaker Lior Zoref, Ph.D., TED presenter and author of the bestselling book Mindsharing, will lead attendees in a virtual crowdsourcing activity live from Israel. Zoref has addressed some of the world’s most innovative organizations, including MIT Media Lab, Nike, Microsoft, and the White House.

Other annual meeting highlights: presentation of the Henry M. Zachs Spirit of Judaism Award to Maya Schwartz for her work as a transformational educator teaching and sharing her love of Israel, the Hebrew language, and Judaism with her students at New England Jewish Academy, and Steven Kleinman for his commitment to preserving Greater Hartford Jewish life during his longtime volunteer service at a wide variety of local Jewish organizations.

The evening will also include the election of new members to the Federation’s Board of Directors Event pre-registration is required. Register at bit.ly/ JFGH2020AnnualMeeting. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own beverage for a virtual “l’chaim.”

Calling all teens! Tara’s Closet needs your help!

Since Covid-19 hit, Jewish Family Service of Greater Hartford (JFS) has been unable to disseminate clothing to those in need through the Tara’s closet program –and is turning to the community’s teens for help in reimagining how Tara’s Closet can continue to give clients access to free clothes.

The challenge: Working in teams, teens in grades 8 through 12 will pitch their creative and out-of-the-box ideas to a panel of “sharks.”. The winning team will win a cash prize of $200 and, more importantly, will have its plan implemented at Tara’s Closet to benefit people in need. Teens are asked to sign up either as individuals or as part of a team by Sept. 16. Teams can have between 3-5 members.

Contestants will meet virtually to learn more about Tara’s Closet and the challenge on Sept. 23 & 30 and Oct. 14, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Day 1 - Sept. 23: Teams will learn about Tara’s Closet and spend time considering ways to overcome the current the program’s dilemma. By the end of Day 1, teams will have defined the problem at hand and will be thinking of possible solutions.

Day 2 - Sept. 30: Teams will create prototypes and test their ideas to decide on one solution to present to the “sharks.”

Groups will start working on their presentation for the judges.

Day 3 - Oct. 14: Teams will present their idea to the judges, who will choose the winning team.

For more information, contact cara@ jtconnect.org. Sign up at jtconnect.org at Mitzvah Tank.

Share holiday memories, Sept. 15 The Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford invites members of the Greater Hartford Jewish community to share personal memories of the High Holidays on Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. Participants of all ages and backgrounds are welcome to share stories about synagogue services, tashlich, fasting, family gatherings, or favorite holiday foods. For more information on this virtual event, visit jhsgh.org.

JEWISH LEDGER

|

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

19

TORAHPortion

OBITUARIES The Ledger prints a basic obituary free of charge. Free obituaries are edited to fit the newspaper’s style. Obituaries that those submitting would like to run “as is,” as well as accompanying photos, may be printed for a charge. For more information: j­ udiej@jewishledger.com, 860.231.2424.

STERN Robert Stern, MD, PhD, 92, died Sept. 1. He was the husband of Jane Stern. He was born in Budapest, Hungary. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Naomi Taransky (Jennifer), and Adam (Sarit Shatken); and his grandchildren, Benjamin, Aviva, Dorey, Ramona and Louis.

BABBITZ Susan D. Babbitz, of Orange, died August 29, two weeks shy of her 76 birthday. She was the wife of Stephen Babbitz. Born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and raised in Frederick, Maryland, she was the daughter of Bert and Joan (Skidmore) Detwiler. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children, Mara and her husband Ken, and David and his wife Eileen; and her grandchildren, Nicholas, Abigail, Adam, Hannah, and Zachary.

LITVINOFF Arthur Spencer (“Buddy”) Litvinoff, 85, of North Branford, formerly of Milford, died August 28. He was the husband of Roberta (Hoffman) Litvinoff. Born in the Bronx, New York, he was the son of the late Larry and Freida Litvinoff. He was also predeceased by his brother Stewart.

He was a past president of Temple B’nai Shalom in Milford and an active member of Congregation Or Shalom in Orange after the synagogues merged. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Marc and Sharon Litvinoff of Seattle, Wash., Leonard and Laura Litvinoff of Milford, and David Litvinoff of Milford; his grandchildren Adam Litvinoff (Mae), Eric Litvinoff (Anna), Kaitlyn Litvinoff (Chris), Zachary Litvinoff, Sarah Litvinoff and Joshua Litvinoff (Shamar); his great-grandchildren, Sophia, Tyler, and Owen; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Michael and Janice Hoffman; his sister-in-law Zoe Litvinoff; and several nieces and nephews.

TICHAUER Howard Tichauer, 91, died August 31. He the husband of Sara Senderoff Ganon, and the widower of Joan Dublon. Born in Cosel, Germany, he was the son of the late Martha and Max Tichauer. He was rescued from Nazi Germany to England through the Kindertransport with his sister Erica in 1939. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughters, Michelle and her husband Eric, Michele and her husband Jimmy, and Lisa and her husband Harry; and his grandchildren, David, Brian, Jeffrey, Max, Joan, Jonathan, Emily, and Lily. He was also predeceased by his sister, Erica, and his brother, Harry.

WEINBERG Marvin Weinberg, 84, of Farmington, died August 28. He was the widower of Marguerite (Perez) Weinberg.

Born in New London, he was the son of the late Louis and Sarah (Yosellefsky) Weinberg. He served in both the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserves. He is survived by his children, Sheila Reiner and her husband Michael of Farmington, and Brian Weinberg and his wife Nancy of West Hartford; his grandchildren, Sarah Katz and her husband Evan, Jacob Reiner, and Samuel and Danielle Weinberg; his brother Lawrence Weinberg and his wife Mary Anne; and his sister Lynn Blank.

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JEWISH LEDGER

| SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

Nitzavim-Vayelech

T

BY RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB

here is quite a bit of sadness attached to the last Sabbath of Rosh Hashanah. We look forward to a new year with new blessings and new opportunities. But we cannot escape the fact that this year was marked with its frustrations, disappointments, and tragedies.

It is in a state of physical and spiritual exhaustion that we find ourselves on this last Sabbath of the year. This mood is especially reflected in the opening verses of the second of this week’s double Torah portion, Nitzavim-Vayelech (Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30).

“Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. He said to them: I am now 120 years old, I can no longer come and go. Moreover, the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go across yonder Jordan.’”

(Deuteronomy 31:1-2) Who cannot hear resignation in the voice of Moses, and perhaps even a note of despair? Rashi notes the words of our Sages, “The traditions and the wellsprings of wisdom were shutting down for him.”

Rabbi Chaim ben Attar, who wrote Ohr HaChaim, answers the question raised by the mystical Zohar: “Moses went…? Where did he go?” He suggests that the phrase “Moses went...” signifies that “he felt that his soul was leaving him, and that he was aware that his end was drawing near on that day.”

And so, this year is waning, as is the life of Moses. A cloud of sadness envelops us, and though there is the glimmer of the New Year’s light upon the horizon, it somehow feels that there is still a great distance between us and that light.

Once, in the grips of this mood of sadness, I paid a visit to my parents’ grave – an homage consistent with the ancient Jewish custom of visiting the graves of one’s ancestors during the month of Elul, just prior to Rosh Hashanah.

As I stood before my mother’s grave, may she rest in peace, it was the fragrance of her sweet holiday meals that rose to my nostrils, and the image of her kindling the holiday candles that appeared before me. As I stood before my father’s grave, I had a different experience entirely. My father was a prayer leader in the synagogue, a baal tefilah, literally a “master of prayer.” I closed my eyes and remembered standing beside him as he positioned himself before the lectern at the front of the small synagogue in which he prayed.

At that poignant moment, there

emerged from the recesses of my memory a teaching of the sainted Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev – a teaching on the very text which we are now considering: “And Moses went and spoke...”

Rabbi Levi Yitzchok pointed out that, when our Sages referred to the prayer leader, they sometimes said, “One goes down before the lectern;” but sometimes they said, “One passes before the lectern.”

He distinguishes between two modes of the experience of prayer.

In the first instance, the person feels spiritually inadequate, and turns to the words to lead him as he approaches God. Such a person “goes down before the lectern.” This teaching becomes more impactful when one realizes that the Hebrew term for lectern, teiva, also means “word.” He “goes down before the word,” relying upon the liturgy itself to compensate for his personal limitations.

In the second instance, we have the person who “passes before the lectern.”

This person “leads the words.” He is, in a sense, spiritually independent of the text of the liturgy, so righteous is he. This, writes Rabbi Levi Yitzchok, was the level of Moses through most of his life.

“However,” concludes Rabbi Levi Yitzchok, “when Moses was at the end of his days and when the fountain of wisdom was no longer accessible to him, he regressed to the level in which ‘words led him.’ This is the meaning of ‘And Moses went and spoke’ – that he went to the word, which was above him.”

As I stood before my father’s grave, I realized that my father’s unique talent was his ability to begin the services he led as one who “went down before the lectern.” But then, with the sweetness of his voice and the passion of his sincerity, he rose to a higher level, and not only “passed before the lectern,” but inspired others to ascend with him to a higher sphere.

As the current year ebbs away, we are overcome by remorse. We feel spiritually inadequate. But we take solace in the fact that we have access to “the words.”

Very soon, we will go “down before the lectern,” and allow the sacred words of the High Holiday liturgy lead us to a higher place. We hope we will be inspired, if only temporarily, to rise above the rank of those who “go down before the lectern,” and reach the spiritual heights of those who “pass before it.”

Shana tova umetukah; a happy and sweet New Year.

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb is executive vice president, emeritus of the Orthodox Union.

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

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CT SYNAGOGUE DIRECTORY To join our synagogue directories, contact Howard Meyerowitz at (860) 231-2424 x3035 or howardm@jewishledger.com.

BLOOMFIELD B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom/ Neshama Center for Lifelong Learning Conservative Rabbi Debra Cantor (860) 243-3576 office@BTSonline.org www.btsonline.org BRIDGEPORT Congregation B’nai Israel Reform Rabbi Evan Schultz (203) 336-1858 info@cbibpt.org www.cbibpt.org Congregation Rodeph Sholom Conservative (203) 334-0159 Rabbi Richard Eisenberg, Cantor Niema Hirsch info@rodephsholom.com www.rodephsholom.com Jewish Senior Services Traditional Rabbi Stephen Shulman (203) 396-1001 sshulman@jseniors.org www.jseniors.org CHESHIRE Temple Beth David Reform Rabbi Micah Ellenson (203) 272-0037 office@TBDCheshire.org www.TBDCheshire.org

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CHESTER Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek Reform Rabbi Marci Bellows (860) 526-8920 rabbibellows@cbsrz.org www.cbsrz.org COLCHESTER Congregation Ahavath Achim Conservative Rabbi Kenneth Alter (860) 537-2809 secretary@congregationahavathachim.org EAST HARTFORD Temple Beth Tefilah Conservative Rabbi Yisroel Snyder (860) 569-0670 templebetht@yahoo.com FAIRFIELD Congregation Ahavath Achim Orthodox (203) 372-6529 office@ahavathachim.org www.ahavathachim.org Congregation Beth El, Fairfield Conservative Rabbi Marcelo Kormis (203) 374-5544 office@bethelfairfield.org www.bethelfairfield.org GLASTONBURY Congregation Kol Haverim Reform Rabbi Dr. Kari Tuling (860) 633-3966 office@kolhaverim.org www.kolhaverim.org

GREENWICH Greenwich Reform Synagogue Reform Rabbi Jordie Gerson (203) 629-0018 hadaselias@grs.org www.grs.org Temple Sholom Conservative Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz Rabbi Chaya Bender Cantor Sandy Bernstein (203) 869-7191 info@templesholom.com www.templesholom.com HAMDEN Temple Beth Sholom Conservative Rabbi Benjamin Edidin Scolnic (203) 288-7748 tbsoffice@tbshamden.com www.tbshamden.com MADISON Temple Beth Tikvah Reform Rabbi Stacy Offner (203) 245-7028 office@tbtshoreline.org www.tbtshoreline.org MANCHESTER Beth Sholom B’nai Israel Conservative Rabbi Randall Konigsburg (860) 643-9563 Rabbenu@myshul.org programming@myshul.org www.myshul.org

MIDDLETOWN Adath Israel Conservative Spiritual Leaders: Rabbi Marshal Press Rabbi Michael Kohn (860) 346-4709 office@adathisraelct.org www.adathisraelct.org NEW HAVEN The Towers Conservative Ruth Greenblatt, Spiritual Leader (203) 772-1816 rebecca@towerone.org www.towerone.org Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel Conservative Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen (203) 389-2108 office@BEKI.org www.BEKI.org Orchard Street ShulCongregation Beth Israel Orthodox Rabbi Mendy Hech t 973-723-9070 www.orchardstreetshul.org NEW LONDON Ahavath Chesed Synagogue Orthodox Rabbi Avrohom Sternberg 860-442-3234 Ahavath.chesed@att.net Congregation Beth El Conservative Rabbi Rachel Safman (860) 442-0418 office@bethel-nl.org bethel-nl.org NEWINGTON Temple Sinai Reform Rabbi Jeffrey Bennett (860) 561-1055 templesinaict@gmail.com www.sinaict.org NEWTOWN Congregation Adath Israel Conservative Rabbi Barukh Schectman (203) 426-5188 office@congadathisrael.org www.congadathisrael.org

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NORWALK Beth Israel Synagogue – Chabad of Westport/ Norwalk Orthodox-Chabad Rabbi Yehoshua S. Hecht (203) 866-0534 info@bethisraelchabad.org bethisraelchabad.org Congregation Beth El-Norwalk Conservative Rabbi Ita Paskind (203) 838-2710 Jody@congbethel.org www.congbethel.org Temple Shalom Reform Rabbi Mark Lipson (203) 866-0148 admin@templeshalomweb.org www.templeshalomweb.org ORANGE Congregation Or Shalom Conservative Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus (203) 799-2341 info@orshalomct.org www.orshalomct.org RIDGEFIELD Congregation Shir Shalom of Westchester and Fairfield Counties Reform Rabbi David Reiner Cantor Debora Katchko-Gray (203) 438-6589 office@ourshirshalom.org SIMSBURY Chabad of the Farmington Valley Chabad Rabbi Mendel Samuels (860) 658-4903 chabadsimsbury@gmail.com www.chabadotvalley.org Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation, Emek Shalom Reform Rabbi Rebekah Goldman Mag (860) 658-1075 admin@fvjc.org www.fvjc.org SOUTH WINDSOR Temple Beth Hillel of South Windsor Reform Rabbi Jeffrey Glickman (860) 282-8466 tbhrabbi@gmail.com www.tbhsw.org

SOUTHINGTON Gishrei Shalom Jewish Congregation Reform Rabbi Alana Wasserman (860) 276-9113 President@gsjc.org www.gsjc.org

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

TRUMBULL Congregation B’nai Torah Conservative Rabbi Colin Brodie (203) 268-6940 office@bnaitorahct.org www.bnaitorahct.org

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

WALLINGFORD Beth Israel Synagogue Conservative Rabbi Bruce Alpert (203) 269-5983 richardcaplan@sbcglobal.net www.bethisrael/wallingford. org WASHINGTON Greater Washington Coalition Rabbi James Greene (860) 868-2434 admin@jewishlifect.org www.jewishlife.org WATERFORD Temple Emanu - El Reform Rabbi Marc Ekstrand Rabbi Emeritus Aaron Rosenberg (860) 443-3005 office@tewaterfrord.org www.tewaterford.org WEST HARTFORD Beth David Synagogue Orthodox Rabbi Yitzchok Adler (860) 236-1241 office@bethdavidwh.org www.bethdavidwh.org

Kehilat Chaverim of Greater Hartford Chavurah Adm. - Marcey Ginsburg Munoz (860) 951-6877 info@ kehilatchaverim.org www.kehilatchaverim.org The Emanuel Synagogue Conservative Rabbi David J. Small (860) 236-1275 communications@emanuelsynagogue.org www.emanuelsynagogue.org United Synagogues of Greater Hartford Orthodox Rabbi Eli Ostrozynsk i synagogue voice mail (860) 586-8067 Rabbi’s mobile (718) 6794446 ostro770@hotmail.com www.usgh.org Young Israel of West Hartford Orthodox Rabbi Tuvia Brander (860) 233-3084 info@youngisraelwh.org www.youngisraelwh.org

Beth El Temple Conservative Rabbi James Rosen Rabbi Ilana Garber (860) 233-9696 hsowalsky@bethelwh.org www.bethelwesthartford.org

WETHERSFIELD Temple Beth Torah Unaffiliated Rabbi Seth Riemer (860) 828-3377 tbt.w.ct@gmail.com templebethtorahwethersfield. org

Chabad House of Greater Hartford Rabbi Joseph Gopin Rabbi Shaya Gopin, Director of Education (860) 232-1116 info@chabadhartford.com www.chabadhartford.com

WOODBRIDGE Congregation B’nai Jacob Conservative Rabbi Rona Shapiro (203) 389-2111 info@bnaijacob.org www.bnaijacob.org

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

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Our Order Deadlines Have Passed And Your Orders Are In! Local Home Deliveries Will Be Made Thursday, 9/17 ONLY SOMEONE NEEDS TO BE HOME!

Thursday Store Pickups Are from 11am-4pm Friday Store Pickups Are From 8am-1pm PLEASE, do not come early or late!

The Store Remains Open 8am-6pm Sunday Through Friday (Friday, 9/18 Store Closes At 4pm And Reopens Monday 9/21 8am) We welcome you to come in to the store! Upon entering, please wear a mouth and nose covering to help ensure the safety of yourself and others. Thank you!

The Entire Crown Market Family Wishes All Of You And Your Families a Safe, Propserous And HEALTHY New Year!

The Crown Market 2471 Albany Ave West Hartford, CT 06117

860.236.1965

www.crownmarketonline.com HKC supervises the Bakery, Five o’clock Shop, Butcher Department and Catering.

We’re not JUST kosher...we’re DELICIOUS! 24

JEWISH LEDGER

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