Southern New England Jewish Ledger - June 16, 2022 - by 2020 Media

SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND

Jewish-American athletes

STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT

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June 16, 2022

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

ON THE COVER

SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND

JewishAmerican athletes stand up and speak out

JUNE 14, 2022 • 15 SIVAN 5782

PAGE 12

Jewish-American athletes

STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT

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June 16, 2022

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ON THE COVER – When baseball’s Gabe Kapler protested the “state of this country” by skipping the pregame national anthem in the wake of the shooting in Uvalde, Tex-as, he was following a path of activism paved by many Jewish athletes before him.

HANK GREENBERG SERVED IN CHINA DURING WORLD WAR II. (BETTMANN/GETTY)

10 & 11

Features

Briefs

Around SNE

Opinion

Jewish Life

5 Map Quest

A Boston-area pro-Palestinian group creates a map to draw literal links between dozens of area Jewish organizations – and which includes names of all their staff. Is it a blatant attempt to in-timidate Jews?

Crossword

What’s Happening

Obituaries

June 16, 2022

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In an attempt to stem the erosion of support for Israel among African Americans, a new super PAC led by Black and Jewish leaders endorses 5 Black Democrats who hold positions friendly to AIPAC.

Arts & Entertainment

33 34

Election 2022

Torah Portion

On Campus

5 A Question of Conscience Written by the Israeli playwright Amir Peter – and headed for a Worces-ter, MA stage – “Oasis” tells the story of a soldier prepared to lose everything in order to save his conscience.

To portray the (Jewish) Leonard Bernstein in the upcoming film “Maestro,” the (non-Jewish) actor Bradley Cooper donned a fake nose – a transformation le-gions of angry social media users found to be antisemitic.

19 Gaining Momentum

Jewish moms from Greater

Hartford and Western Massachusetts spent 8 days in Israel last month as part of a program that helps women connect to Israel, to their Jewish values and to one another.

38 Conversation with…

As he prepares to take over as chair of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Mark Wilf, the son of Holocaust survivors and owner of an NFL franchise, talks about his former role as chair of the Jewish Federations of North America.

CANDLE LIGHTING SHABBAT FRIDAY, JUNE 17 Hartford New Haven: Bridgeport: Stamford:

8:10 p.m. 8:10 p.m. 8:11 p.m. 8:12 p.m.

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WEST HARTFORD IS GOING TO THE DOGS! The painted dogs, that is. And we couldn’t be more excited!

Dog Walk 2022

The brainchild of 20/20 Media, the creative genius behind the spectacular 2021 WeHa Bear Fair – which netted 25,000 visits to the event website and over $20,000 in donations benefitting the selected non-profits – the 2022 Dog Walk promises to brighten West Hartford with a fabulous display of one dozen fiberglass dogs, each one beautifully decorated by a talented artist and sponsored by a local business who will select a nonprofit organization to benefit from proceeds raised. To learn more about how you can help our community by becoming a WeHa Dog Walk sponsor, contact Tom Hickey at tom@20media20.com or 860.508.4032.

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SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND JEWISH LEDGER | JUNE 14, 2022 | 15 IYAR 5782

THE MAPPING PROJECT

Israeli play examining the moral dilemmas of war comes to Worcester

Pro-Palestinian group shocks Jewish Boston with map targeting ‘Zionist’ leaders and organizations BY ANDREW LAPIN

(JTA) – A Jewish arts group. A Jewish high school. A Jewish newspaper. A synagogue network. A major Jewish philanthropy that directs funds to mental health, homelessness prevention and refugee resettlement initiatives. These are a few of the locations on a dense interactive map of “Zionist leaders and powerhouse NGOs” in Massachusetts created by an activist group that says it aims to expose “local institutional support for the colonization of Palestine” and reveal how support for Zionist causes is a

harms” in society, ranging from gentrification to the prisonindustrial complex to ableism. The Mapping Project, a Boston-area pro-Palestinian activist collective aligned with the local Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel, is using its map (which includes addresses of the organizations and names of their staffers) to draw literal links between dozens of area Jewish groups, universities, foundations, police departments and other organizations. The group says its goal is to demonstrate that “institutional

of Palestine is structurally tied to policing and systemic white supremacy here where we live, and to US imperialist projects in other countries.” Jewish groups in the state say The Mapping Project’s efforts amount to little more than an attempt to catalogue and intimidate area Jews. “They are choosing, in their desire to be intersectional, to essentially point the finger at the Jewish communal infrastructure of Greater Boston as responsible for every evil under the sun Continued on page 21

IMAGE FROM THE BOSTON “MAPPING PROJECT.” CREDIT: HTTPS://MAPLIBERATION.ORG.

nexus point for various “other June 16, 2022

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support for the colonization

that they can think of,” Jeremy

BY STACEY DRESNER

ORCESTER – The play “Oasis” tells the story of a young French painter called up from the reserves by the French army in 1956 to fight Algerian rebels in the Sahara Desert. Based on the autobiography of Noel Favreliere, the play follows the character as he faces a moral dilemma over the inhumane treatment of prisoners and becomes a deserter. As written by Israeli playwright Amir Peter and directed by Hen David. “This is a story about someone who agreed to lose everything in order to save his conscience,” says David. Peter will star in a production of “Oasis” presented by The Central Massachusetts Jewish Theatre Company from July 28-31 at the JMAC BrickBox Theater, the two-year old arts venue in downtown Worcester. The production is sponsored by grants from the Jewish Federation of Central Mass., which allocates funding to the theater group annually, and the Consulate General of Israel to New England. The production, which is also a part of the arts programming planned as part of Worcester’s Tercentennial Celebration, is also receiving support from the Worcester Cultural Coalition, via a block grant that gives theater groups a reduction in the rent Continued on page 27

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Election 2022 New super PAC aims at electing pro-Israel Black Democrats BY RON KAMPEAS

(JTA) – A new super PAC led by “Black and Jewish” leaders has endorsed five Black Democrats who have positions that are friendly to AIPAC, the latest sign that pro-Israel donors are determined to stem erosion of support for Israel among African Americans. In its May 27 launch statement, first reported by Politico, the Urban Empowerment Action PAC does not mention Israel, instead saying that it “will support pragmatic, solutions-oriented congressional candidates dedicated to the educational empowerment and economic uplift of Black Communities.” It says its “supporters include a broad coalition of Black and Jewish business, political and civic leaders.”

BAKARI SELLERS SPEAKS ONSTAGE DURING THE HOPE GLOBAL FORUMS CRYPTOCURRENCY AND DIGITAL ASSETS SUMMIT AT ATLANTA MARRIOTT MARQUIS IN ATLANTA, MAY 20, 2022. (PARAS GRIFFIN/GETTY IMAGES FOR OPERATION HOPE)

But Bakari Sellers, a political commentator who appears in the PAC’s literature as a spokesman, told Politico that Israel was “definitely high up on the list” in the decision by the super PAC to endorse Janice Winfrey, the Detroit City Clerk who is challenging incumbent Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Tlaib is Israel’s most strident critic in Congress and the only one who openly says it should

not exist as a Jewish state. “It’s not the primary focus,” Sellers, a former South Carolina state representative, said, referring to Israel. Nevertheless, Urban Empowerment Action’s launch document does allude to the fraying of Black-Jewish ties, once resilient in the civil rights era. Winfrey and the other four candidates it endorsed, meanwhile, are known to have Israel positions close to those favored by the American Isra In a statement sent after this story’s publication, Sellers said, through the PAC: “Our primary focus is to get people in office who will be laser-focused on improving the social, economic, and educational conditions for Black folks; that’s Janice Winfrey. Michigan’s 12th Congressional District needs a proven leader like Janice who will put the needs of her community first and foremost, not her brand.” The PAC arrives after years of tension between the center-right pro-Israel community and Black Democratic lawmakers, spurred in part by the antagonism between former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Barack Obama, the first Black president. Black lawmakers were especially furious with Netanyahu for accepting an invitation from Republicans to speak to Congress in 2015 to attack Obama’s Iran policies; it was seen as a sign of disrespect. Since Netanyahu’s election loss last year, Israel’s government has pledged to repair ties with Democrats, and the mainstream pro-Israel movement has made cultivating Black political leadership a priority. A number of pro-Israel PACs have in recent months lent considerable support to Black candidates facing progressives who are skeptical of the depth of the U.S.-Israel relationships. The pro-Israel donors have scored

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successes, among others, with Rep. Shontel Brown in Ohio, and with two primary candidates in North Carolina, Don Davis and Valerie Foushee. Urban Empowerment Action has pledged to spend an eyepopping $1 million on Winfrey; by contrast, the only other expenditure has been for Rep. Nikema Williams in Georgia, an incumbent in the Atlanta area who did not face a serious challenge in the primary this month and will not face one in November. “This joint effort builds on the strong relationship between African American and Jewish leaders to uplift all communities,” Sellers is quoted as saying in the launch document. “Instead of allowing our communities to be divided, history teaches us that when Black and Jewish communities stand together to fight for our common ideals – we create positive change in society.” The PAC’s biggest donor is New York-based hedge funder Daniel Loeb, who is Jewish and who gives mostly to Republicans. Loeb gave Urban Empowerment Action $76,355. Loeb’s wife, Margaret, gives mostly to Democrats. Super PACs may solicit and spend unlimited amounts as long as they do not coordinate directly with a campaign. AIPAC PAC, the new political action committee affiliated with the lobby, is backing Williams. Another pro-Israel PAC, ProIsrael America, founded by two former senior AIPAC staffers, is backing Winfrey. The PAC affiliated with Democratic Majority for Israel, which hews to traditional proIsrael positions, is backing two candidates backed by Urban Empowerment Action: Randolph Bracy, who is running for the seat being vacated by Florida Rep.

Val Demings, who is running for the U.S. Senate; and Sydney Kamlager, who is running in a Los Angeles-area district being vacated by Rep. Karen Bass, who is running for L.A. mayor. Another Urban Empowerment Action endorsee, Nykea Pippion-McGriff, is running in a crowded primary race to replace Rep. Bobby Rush, a Chicago-area Democrat who is retiring. Pippion-McGriff, an advocate with the real estate industry, traveled to Israel with an AIPAC affiliate, the American Israel Education Foundation, a figure close to the lobby told JTA. Tlaib, notably, is the only incumbent that the new PAC is seeking to unseat. She immediately cast Urban Empowerment Action’s decision to target her as an outsider attempt to remove her for her pro-Palestinian outlook. Tlaib is Palestinian American. “We will outwork those who don’t want to see someone like me serving in the U.S. Congress,” she said on Twitter. “No one will bully me and get me to stop speaking truth.” Tlaib and a number of other progressives, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Jewish lawmaker who twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, have sought pledges from Democrats not to take super PAC money. These progressives have argued that super PACs, including the AIPAC-affiliated United Democracy Project, distort democracy through unlimited spending, and that AIPAC PAC has endorsed dozens of Republicans who refused to certify Joe Biden’s election as president. AIPAC for its part notes that its PAC has endorsed a number of progressives, as well as moderate Democrats and Continued on page 35

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Briefs Bi-partisan group calls on PA to release bullet that killed journalist (JTA) – A bipartisan slate of 25 Congress members, including a number who are close to the proIsrael community, called on the Biden administration to pressure the Palestinian Authority to release the bullet that killed a Palestinian reporter for an independent investigation. “We urge you to ask the Palestinian Authority to provide access to the forensic evidence in [Shireen] Abu Akleh’s death for an independent investigation so that all parties can reach a definitive conclusion about the events leading to her death, and hold all parties accountable,” said the letter sent Friday and spearheaded by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Jewish New Jersey Democrat. Israel wants to jointly

investigate the May 11 killing of Abu Akleh, a venerated Al Jazeera journalist, with the Palestinian Authority, and have the United States acting as an observer. The Palestinian Authority rejects any Israeli role in the investigation and has called on the International Criminal Court to launch a case against Israel. Abu Akleh was an American citizen. Israel says it has narrowed the likely source of the gunfire to two groups: Israeli soldiers or Palestinian militants, and it needs to test the bullet against the Israelis’ rifle to render a more definitive conclusion. Last month, 57 Democrats sent a letter to Blinken and to the FBI pressing for a U.S. investigation. The letter appeared to place more credence in versions of events that blamed Israeli soldiers for the shooting. Two major media outlets, CNN and the Associated Press, said Israeli soldiers were the likely culprits.

Jewish groups urge action to address rising antisemitism in NY State (New York Jewish Week) – The Anti-Defamation League and the Community Security Initiative are calling for concrete action in the face of rising extremism and antisemitic hate crimes in New York. In a report released Wednesday, June 8, the two groups urged state officials and Gov. Kathy Hochul to double funding to the New York Hate Crimes Grant Program from $25 million to $50 million. This will fund training and equipment to secure an additional 1,000 facilities across the state. The report, titled “Hate in the Empire State: Extremism & Antisemitism in New York,” and written by Rebecca Federman, CSI’s threat intelligence analyst, culls statistics on increasing extremism within the state from January 2020 to December 2021. CSI, a joint program of UJA-Federation of New York

and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, coordinates safety measures at Jewish institutions in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County. The report shows that reported hate crimes in New York City rose 196 percent from 2020 to 2021, with Jews as the most targeted group, accounting for 40 percent of the hate crimes. This included 51 assaults motivated by anti-Jewish bias, the highest number ever recorded by ADL in New York. New York state also leads the nation in antisemitic incidents with a 24 percent increase in 2021. The state had the fourth highest number of people arrested for participating in the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, with 58 New York residents arrested and charged in its wake. New York also ranks seventh in the number of white supremacist propaganda efforts, with recent actions carried Continued on the next page

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out by hate groups including Patriot Front, New Jersey European Heritage Association and White Lives Matter. The report’s other recommendations include dedicated extremism monitoring desks at all of New York State’s relevant offices, a new interagency “Commission on Antisemitism” and an annual threat report detailing domestic violent extremism. The signatories, 14 Democrats and 11 Republicans, include lawmakers known for their close ties to the center-right pro-Israel community, among them Democrats Gottheimer and Donald Norcross of New Jersey; Virginia Democrat Elaine Luria; and Democrat Juan Vargas and Republican Young Kim, both from California.

Israel’s growing relationship with Egypt suggests brighter future for both (JNS) Israel and Egypt have agreed on a new plan to advance ties and now appear to be engaged in the process of migrating from a cold peace to lukewarm. Serious discussions are currently underway between Israel, Egypt and the European Commission over how to export Eastern Mediterranean gas to Europe. At the same time, Israel and Egypt are also working to improve economic ties, with plans to increase bilateral annual trade to $700 million within three years. In addition, efforts are being made to expand the Nitzana Border Crossing where commercial trade between the two countries is handled. According to Eran Lerman, vice president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, Israel is indeed heading towards better relations with Egypt. Lerman pointed to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s gesture when he went out of his way to personally greet Israeli Energy Minister Karine Elharrar at a conference in Cairo in February. In addition, according to Lerman, Israel is working to export gas via Egypt

in the midst of the Ukraine energy crunch, and Israel continues to assist Egypt in fighting ISIS. As a further sign of warming relations between the countries, for the first time in 40 years, the Jewish-Arab Firqat Alnoor orchestra traveled in early May to Egypt to perform on Israel’s Independence Day. While Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with the Jewish state back in 1979, it was little more than a cold peace. But the Abraham Accords signed in 2020 with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, coupled with talks taking place today between Israel and Saudi Arabia, have awakened Egypt’s leaders to the possibility that they are being left behind in a dynamic and progressing Middle East. Ofir Winter, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, told JNS “the Israeli government plan to advance economic relations with Egypt, which was approved on May 29, could become an important milestone.” The plan is reflected, among other developments, in the current negotiations on an agreement with the European Union to export Israeli gas to Europe via Egypt; recent discussions on the expansion of the Qualifying Industrial Zone; the opening of direct flights between Tel Aviv and Sharm el-Sheikh in April; and reciprocal visits by ministers and delegations of businessmen from both countries.

German reports 29% increase in antisemitic crimes (JTA) – The German government’s annual report on developments in extremism notes a nearly 29% increase in antisemitic crimes in 2021 over the previous year. The report, released Tuesday, June 7, by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, is based on statistics reported in May by the Federal Criminal Police Office, Germany’s equivalent to the FBI. In all, 3,027 antisemitic

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incidents were registered last year, up from 2,351 in 2020. The vast majority were related to right-wing extremism, but Islamic extremist antisemitism is also up, with 122 reported incidents compared to 26 the year before. Most reported crimes relate to illegal statements and publications – Holocaust denial and other forms of hate speech are outlawed in Germany – including on the internet. But attacks on people and synagogues were also registered. The most worrying trends come in the form of conspiracy theories relating Jews to the coronavirus pandemic. “Some protesters against Germany’s response to the pandemic “are blaming imaginary Jews for profiting from it and at the same time attaching Jewish stars” to their clothes, as if to say they are the new Jews, said Benjamin Steinitz, director of the Berlinbased Research and Information Center on Anti-Semitism Berlin, or RIAS. “Both antisemitic conspiracy myths and Shoah trivialization have been normalized. This is a worrisome development.” He added that a “dark field of antisemitic incidents” go unreported in government statistics. “We have to assume that… recorded incidents are only the tip of the iceberg,” he added. The Berlin-based Amadeu Antonio Foundation released a report of its own on Wednesday, June 8, raising the alarm about developments in antisemitism related to the Ukraine war (including comparing Putin to Hitler and Ukraine with the Palestinian cause); resentment at the rescue of Holocaust survivors from Ukraine; and glorification of terror attacks against Israeli civilians. Meanwhile, a study released in May by the American Jewish Committee office in Berlin, – commissioned to the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research – also showed that Muslims and supporters of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany party are most likely to harbor antisemitic prejudices. Right-wing extremist

motivation continued to far outstrip any other categories in the government study. Out of 3,027 cases, 2,552 were attributed to neo-Nazi ideology. Of those, 64 were violent crimes, including 51 cases of physical injury.

Tom Stoppard’s first play exploring Jewish history is headed for Broadway (JTA) – Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt,” a work for which the acclaimed playwright mined the Jewish heritage he discovered later in life, is heading to Broadway. Named after Vienna’s Jewish ghetto during World War II, “Leopoldstadt” tells the story of 50 years in the life of one wealthy intermarried family in the early part of the 20th century. It will premiere at the Longacre Theater in September. Stoppard, born Tomas Straussler, didn’t discover his Jewish ancestry until the 1990s. His non-observant family fled their native Czechoslovakia during World War II to Singapore, and then left to India after Japan began attacking there. Stoppard’s father was killed by a Japanese bomb. Stoppard has won multiple Tony and Academy Awards for writing lauded stage plays such as “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” and Hollywood films such as “Shakespeare in Love.” A private figure, Stoppard has rarely discussed his Jewish identity in public. “It’s so far from being the story I lived through,” he told the London Jewish Chronicle. “It’s a lot to do with being Jewish, knowing you are Jewish, acknowledging you are Jewish, acting like you are Jewish…or not. And that’s the area where I felt I was looking inward rather than outward.” His son Ed starred in a London production of the play, which debuted in 2020. “I’ve never felt more connected to my heritage,” Ed Stoppard told the Guardian. June 16, 2022

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Jewish prosecutor, a leading progressive, recalled in San Francisco (JTA) – Voters in San Francisco have recalled Chesa Boudin, the local district attorney who sought to change policing in that city and came to represent one extreme of a polarizing debate over criminal justice in America. Boudin was elected in 2019 after vowing to reform the way San Francisco handled crime, with a goal of increasing equity in prosecution and keeping nonviolent offenders out of prison whenever possible. His outlook was informed by his experience as the child of Jewish radicals who spent decades in prison for their role in a 1981 robbery that left three people dead. Visiting his mother showed him that many people behind bars should not be, he told J. the Jewish News of Northern California, in 2019. “When is punishment more about our longing for vengeance and less about rehabilitation? What does meaningful accountability look like? What does freedom from oppression really mean?” he wrote in a J. essay in April, as the recall effort was well underway. In the less than two years that he held office, Boudin made multiple changes including abolishing cash bail, a practice that keeps low-income people charged with nonviolent crimes incarcerated when people of means charged with similar crimes await trial from home; creating a commission to identify and overturn wrongful convictions reached under his predecessors; and launching programs to help youthful offenders and people charged with using drugs rather than sending them to prison. Those efforts made Boudin a standardbearer for liberals who believe that criminal justice in the United States unfairly penalizes low-income people and people of color who are charged with relatively minor crimes. Increasingly, many in San Francisco grew dissatisfied June 16, 2022

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with the city under Boudin’s leadership. His critics pointed to high rates of property crime and the prevalence of people who are homeless or drug users as evidence that the city was growing less safe. A rash of hate crimes against Asians furthered that view, as did a high-profile incident in which a man who had recently been arrested multiple times killed pedestrians when, drunk at the wheel, he drove onto a sidewalk. On Tuesday, June 7, San Franciscans voted decisively to remove him from office, with nearly 60% of voters supporting the recall.

Pro-Israel groups urge NY to divest from Unilever (JNS) Sixteen Jewish and Christian pro-Israel groups are urging New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to take decisive action against Unilever and its subsidiary, Ben & Jerry’s, for the ice-cream maker’s July 2021 decision to stop selling its products in “Occupied Palestinian Territory.” Under an executive order, New York State must divest funds from companies that boycott Israel. In a letter sent to Hochul and the Office of General Services commissioner Jeanette M. Moy earlier this month, the groups asked the governor to make good on her November threat to add Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s to a list of companies from which New York must divest. Hochul had given the icecream maker and its owner 90 days to explain why they should not be on that list, but that deadline has long since passed. “Anti-Jewish attacks often start with boycotts,” said ZOA national president Morton A. Klein. “As a child of Holocaust survivors, I keep in mind that the Nazis’ atrocities began with their 1933 boycott of Jewish businesses. … Placing Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s on New York’s BDS list will demonstrate that New York has zero tolerance for antisemitism and antisemitic boycotts.”

Besides the ZOA, signatories to the letter include Americans Against Antisemitism; Students Supporting Israel; AMIT; Emunah; Coalition for Jewish Values; EZRA USA National Movement; StopAntisemitism. org; North American Board of Rabbis; Proclaiming Justice to the Nations; Rabbinical Alliance of America; The Lawfare Project; Israel Heritage Foundation; One Israel Fund; Conference of Jewish Affairs; and Americans for a Safe Israel.

Mosaic United opens summer-camp fund for Ukrainian Jewish refugees (JNS) Mosaic United is issuing a request for proposals to sponsor summer-camp experiences for Ukrainian Jewish refugees, offering up to $1 million in funding. An estimated 50,000 Jews have been displaced since the start of the war in Ukraine, most of whom have decided to remain in Europe. To provide them with a safe and meaningful Jewish experience, Mosaic United is soliciting proposals from qualified organizations to sponsor the participation of Jewish refugees. Proposals can be submitted for day and overnight camps for children, family camps lasting one to two weeks, and Shabbatons for any age group. Due to the urgent nature of the need, full funding is being provided; no matching funds are required. Organizations can propose experiences designed exclusively for refugees or experiences that integrate refugees with other Jewish campers. Qualifying organizations will receive funding and support.

Stephen Curry wore a Hebrew sweatshirt at NBA Finals (JTA) – Jews looking for a rooting interest in the concluding games of this year’s NBA Finals might have one now, thanks to a head-turning wardrobe choice

from Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry. No, Curry isn’t Jewish. But during Friday’s Game 4 postgame press conference, following a Warriors victory, he did don a Hebrew sweatshirt for the cameras – one that matches his own Hebrew tattoos. Eagle-eyed Twitter sleuth Emma Goss, a reporter at Jewish Telegraphic Agency partner J. The Jewish News of Northern California, caught the hoodie. It features a phrase that translates to “love never fails” – a reference to the New Testament passage 1 Corinthians 13:8 (though with the Hebrew letters written in the reverse order). It’s also one of Curry’s two Hebrew tattoos, which he shares with his wife. The sweatshirt also features an image of Curry’s wrist, visibly emblazoned with the same Hebrew tattoo. Curry’s second Hebrew tattoo is simply his last name rendered in Hebrew: “‫”ירק‬. Curry’s fascination with the language might stem from his mother, Sonya Curry, who told reporters in 2015 that following a previous visit to Israel, she “was just transformed spiritually.” Sonya Curry, who also has a Hebrew tattoo, said she wanted to learn Hebrew because it is the language that Jesus spoke (more likely, he spoke Aramaic, although probably understood Hebrew), and added that she wanted to read the Torah in Hebrew. Of course, a haphazardly translated New Testament phrase is hardly a gateway to meaningful Jewish wisdom. But the NBA Finals series between the Warriors and the Boston Celtics has other Jewish connections, too. For Boston, that includes Hall of Fame coach and executive Red Auerbach (who died in 2006), the son of a Russian-Jewish immigrant who is generally considered the greatest coach in the history of basketball. For the Warriors, there’s Jewish-Ukrainian immigrant and fellow Hall of Fame coach Eddie Gottlieb, who played a leading role in bringing the team to the Bay Area from Philadelphia.

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STANDING UP…ACTING OUT Gabe Kapler follows in the footsteps of Jewish activist athletes, from Hank Greenberg to Aly Raisman (to name but a few) BY JACOB GURVIS

(JTA) – Gabe Kapler likes going against the grain. The 46-year-old Jewish manager of the San Francisco Giants is relatively young for a professional coach. He’s active on social media and writes his own blog. He’s a fitness geek with a unique diet and very Jewish tattoos. ESPN recently deemed him “the most interesting man in baseball.” And in 2020, amid racial justice protests across sports, Kapler became the first Major League Baseball manager to kneel during the anthem. So it was not shocking to some that in the wake of the deadly mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Kapler announced last week that he would begin skipping the pregame national anthem to protest the “state of this country.”

“When I was the same age as the children in Uvalde, my father taught me to stand for the pledge of allegiance when I believed my country was representing its people well or to protest and stay seated when it wasn’t,” Kapler wrote on his blog. “I don’t believe it is representing us well right now.” While some of Kapler’s tendencies have earned him the reputation of an outsider, his political activism follows a path paved by American Jewish athletes for decades before him, from World War II and the Holocaust to more recent fights for equal pay in sports. Here are some examples, from then and now, of Jewish advocacy in the sports world. 1936 Berlin Olympics The 1936 Olympic Games were held in Berlin in 1936, two years after Adolf Hitler had

ascended to power and well into his antisemitic campaign. German Jewish athletes were banned from competing, and many saw participation in the Olympics as an endorsement of Hitler and the Nazi regime. In August 1934, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported about calls for Jews not to compete. “My advice to the athletes and others of world Jewry is not only not to compete but to keep as far away as possible from any form of participation in the Olympic Athletic Games to be held in Berlin in 1936,” said Samuel Untermyer, president of the Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League to Champion Human Rights, an organization that advocated for economic boycotts of Nazi Germany – and later infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. “Out of decent consideration for their

GABE KAPLER KNEELS DURING THE PLAYING OF THE NATIONAL ANTHEM PRIOR TO A GAME AT ORACLE PARK ON JULY 31, 2020 IN SAN FRANCISCO. (THEARON W. HENDERSON/GETTY IMAGES)

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race, it is unthinkable that any self-respecting Jew could accept the hospitality of a country that persists in so insulting, degrading and persecuting our people.” In October 1935, JTA reported on the mounting pressure, from both Jews and non-Jews, for a boycott of the Olympics, including from prominent faith leaders and politicians. But while some Jewish athletes skipped the games, several Jews would compete – and medal – in Berlin. The Nazis convinced most of the world to participate as well.

Hank Greenberg leaves baseball to serve in World War II As World War II raged in Europe, Jewish baseball legend Hank Greenberg was the first American League player to register for the U.S. military draft. He would ultimately serve for roughly four years, including a tour in China in 1943. Greenberg initially served for three months before returning to Detroit ahead of the 1942 season. But following the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, he reenlisted. “I’m going back in,” Greenberg said at a press conference announcing his decision, according to the National Museum of American Jewish Military History. “We are in trouble and there is only one thing left to do – return to service. I have not been called back, I am going back of my own accord.” One of the top hitters in baseball, Greenberg left the sport during his prime to serve. When he returned in July 1945 June 16, 2022

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HANK GREENBERG SERVED IN CHINA DURING WORLD WAR II. (BETTMANN/GETTY)

– only two weeks after he was discharged – he hit a home run in his first game back. In his final season two years later, he was noted for his embrace of a pathbreaking rookie: Jackie Robinson, the first Black Major Leaguer. As one of only a handful of Jewish sports stars at the time, Greenberg was also on the receiving end of considerable

antisemitism and hate speech throughout his career. He didn’t shy away from it, once saying: “Every home run I hit was a home run against Hitler.”

A push for racial equality When Morrie Arnovich enlisted in the U.S. army in 1942, his greatest impact arguably came on the baseball diamond. Arnovich was assigned to Fort

RON MIX (74) WAS A HALL OF FAME FOOTBALL PLAYER FROM 1960-1971. (JAMES FLORES/GETTY IMAGES)

Lewis, Washington, where he would play for and manage the base’s baseball team. It was there that he fielded a fully diverse, integrated team – before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier a few years later. Arnovich’s leadership caught the attention of thenMLB commissioner Happy Chandler. That same year, Sam Nahem

also managed and pitched on an integrated team while serving in the military. “I was in a strange position. The majority of my fellow ballplayers, wherever I was, were very much against black ballplayers, and the reason was economic and very clear,” Nahem told J. The Jewish News of Northern California years later. “They knew these guys had the ability to be up there and they knew their jobs were threatened directly and they very, very vehemently did all sorts of things to discourage black ballplayers.” Fast forward to 1965, and future Hall of Fame offensive tackle Ron Mix was chosen as an American Football League All-Star. The game was set to take place in New Orleans, but many black players were uneasy playing in a city where the realities of the Jim Crow South had not yet been rectified. So they initiated a protest. The league didn’t know what to do. Then, Mix became the first white player to join them. From there, the protest grew, and the league was forced to move the game to Houston. Continued on the next page

ALY RAISMAN TESTIFIES DURING A SENATE JUDICIARY HEARING ABOUT THE INSPECTOR GENERAL’S REPORT ON THE FBI’S HANDLING OF THE LARRY NASSAR INVESTIGATION, ON SEPT. 15, 2021. (GRAEME JENNINGS-POOL/GETTY IMAGES)

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without consequence: the U.S. announced a diplomatic boycott of the games, as did Britain, Canada and Australia.

SUE BIRD IS A FIVE-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST. (KEVIN C. COX/GETTY IMAGES)

Jewish athletes call out antisemitism

Aly Raisman speaks out on abuse The 2012 Olympics were huge for Jewish gymnast Aly Raisman. She won a gold medal while performing to “Hava Nagila” on the way to becoming one of the most accomplished gymnasts in U.S. history. The Boston-area native had also advocated for the Olympics to hold a moment of silence for the Israeli athletes killed in the 1972 Munich Games. That ultimately happened – nearly a decade later, in 2021. Raisman’s advocacy didn’t stop there. As details emerged about the years-long pattern of sexual abuse by U.S. Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, Raisman became one of the most vocal athletes in the groundswell of accusations and personal testimonies, as a harsh critic of both U.S. Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee. She emerged from the trauma and the court case as a national hero for girls and women, and has remained an advocate for systemic changes in the Olympics and sports overall. “I just think that the culture of the sport needs to change,” Raisman said in an interview with the New Yorker last year. “It’s been normalized for this long. That’s why a lot of athletes don’t recognize when something bad is happening, because when it’s happening to your teammates or

your friends it’s hard to recognize that it isn’t normal. Sometimes athletes don’t know how bad it is until they start going into normal life and they see how they can be treated so much better.”

have to walk into a room and speak of your own value and tell people you’re valuable, [but] it’s incredibly important because you can’t wait for somebody else to advocate for you.”

Sue Bird fights for equal pay

Calls for Beijing Olympics boycott

Jewish basketball icon Sue Bird is one of the most decorated players in the history of women’s basketball. The five-time Olympic gold medalist (that’s a record) and four-time WNBA champion is a leader on and off the court. Bird, like her fiance, the U.S. Soccer star Megan Rapinoe, has been on the frontlines of the movement for equal pay in women’s sports. Ahead of the 2020 Olympics, Bird led a successful effort to secure more pay for players who wanted to train for the Games – without having to go abroad to make money. “This was a living example of literally knowing your value and not budging,” Bird told MSNBC in 2020. “We knew what we were bringing to the table, and we didn’t back down.” Around the same time, WNBA players negotiated a new contract that allowed stars like Bird to more than triple their salaries. “If we’re not going to fight for ourselves, no one’s fighting for us, historically speaking,” Bird said. “It’s uncomfortable to

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A full 86 years after the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, the 2022 Beijing Olympics raised similar concerns for activists around the world, who called for boycotts in response to human rights concerns in China. In particular, China’s persecution of its Uyghur Muslim minority – who have reportedly been placed in “reeducation” camps – was at the center of the anger. Jewish activists helped lead the effort to call for an Olympic boycott. Serena Oberstein, executive director of Jewish World Watch, a California-based genocide awareness organization, helped form an interfaith “Berlin-Beijing Coalition.” “The Nazi party used the Berlin games to strengthen its reputation in the world. Two years later came Kristallnacht,” she told JTA in February. Now, she added, “We know what authoritarian regimes that systemically persecute people do, when they build concentration camps and ghettos and forced labor camps.” The activism was not

When Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman saw pictures on social media of people wearing swastikas and waving Nazi flags in Ottawa, Canada, earlier this year, he knew he had to say something. “It’s disturbing and disheartening to see that antisemitism is on the rise, unfortunately, which is crazy nowadays,” Hyman told The Athletic. “Seeing that and being Jewish and being proud of my heritage – and it was just Holocaust Memorial Day a couple days ago – and it was right around the time the swastikas were up.” Hyman is not alone. Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman has responded to many of the recent antisemitic attacks across the country in recent years. Following the mass shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018, Edelman tweeted: “It’s hard to even imagine such senselessness. As a Jew, an American and a human, I’m devastated. We are with you, Pittsburgh.” He wore custom cleats honoring the victims, and later donated them to raise money. After the Poway synagogue shooting in 2019, Edelman wrote, “I’m sad and angry, but also proud of the strength of our community.” And in 2020, when NFL player DeSean Jackson stirred controversy with comments about Hitler, Edelman invited Jackson to have “uncomfortable conversations” about antisemitism. “I know he said some ugly things, but I do see an opportunity to have a conversation,” Edelman said. “I am proud of my Jewish heritage. But for me it’s not just about religion. It’s about community and culture as well.” June 16, 2022

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Arts & Entertainment Bradley Cooper wearing fake nose to portray Leonard Bernstein reignites ‘Jewface’ debate BY GABE FRIEDMAN

BRADLEY COOPER AS LEONARD BERNSTEIN ON THE SET OF “MAESTRO.” (NETFLIX)

(JTA) – As Netflix released the first stills from the set of “Maestro,” Bradley Cooper’s upcoming biopic film about Leonard Bernstein, there was one thing most fans could agree about. Cooper looked utterly unrecognizable, especially in one image as an elderly version of the iconic Jewish conductor. But as legions of angry social media users pointed out on Monday, June 6, part of Cooper’s transformation involved a prosthetic nose, something that many found to be antisemitic – especially since Cooper is not Jewish. “There’s no reason to believe that the decision to wear a fake nose is a deliberately antisemitic act,” wrote James Hirsh, a co-host of the Menschwarmers podcast about Jewish athletes, in the Canadian Jewish News. “Cooper is presumably interested in exploring the life of a great composer whom he admires. A number of Jews are involved in the production. And the prosthesis arguably helps with the resemblance. But this is Cooper’s third time portraying a historical figure on screen,” Hirsh added. “No prosthetics were used to play American Sniper’s Chris Kyle or Licorice Pizza’s Jon Peters. He didn’t use them to play the Elephant Man on Broadway.” Hirsh was far from alone in calling out the prosthetic. June 16, 2022

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Here are a few of the the many negative comments that hit social media: • “This...feels antisemitic. Y’all couldn’t find a single actor with those features? I’m not picky, he could be greek, italian, Turkish, whatever. But like... Bradley Cooper in prosthetic Mediterranean features?” • “Don’t give non-Jewish actors a fake nose to play Jews. This stereotype leans into Nazi race science on what Jews look like, centuries of hooked nose imagery, and propaganda made to dehumanize Jewish people!” • “jews run hollywood” and yet i have to see leonard bernstein played by bradley cooper in an obscene gigantic nose prosthetic. cool.” Even though actors frequently adapt their bodies while playing historical figures, conversations about how many non-Jews play Jewish characters in Hollywood – and on what scale that should be allowed – have circulated for years. But the “Jewface” debate received a boost last year, especially after non-Jewish actress Kathryn Hahn was cast as the outspokenly Jewish comedy pioneer Joan Rivers (in a series that was eventually dropped). Comedian Sarah Silvermn made herself into the most prominent voice on Jewish casting issues after angrily opposing the planned miniseries, saying on an episode of her podcast, “Right now, representation f***ing matters.” “There’s this long tradition of non-Jews playing Jews, and not just playing people who happen to be Jewish, but people whose Jewishness is their whole being,” Silverman stated on the podcast. “One could argue, for instance, that a gentile playing Joan Rivers correctly would be doing what is

actually called ‘Jewface.’” In an ironic twist, Deadline recently reported that Silverman is joining the cast of “Maestro,” which is not only starring Cooper, but directed and co-written by the non-Jewish star. Steven Spielberg is a producer. Silverman has not yet shared her “Maestro” news in any of her social media channels. The Bernstein biopic discourse has been particularly charged since 2018, when Cooper and Steven Spielberg – who was first slated to direct “Maestro,” before it became Cooper’s directorial follow-up to his 2016 remake of “A Star Is Born” – beat out the actor-director team of Jake Gyllenhaal and Cary Fukunaga in securing the music rights from Bernstein’s estate. In talking about the Bernstein sweepstakes in an interview last year, Gyllenhaal – who like Spielberg is Jewish – mentioned Bernstein’s Jewishness in

admitting defeat. “Sticking your neck out, hoping to get to tell the stories you love and that have been in your heart for a very long time is something to be proud of. And that story, that idea of playing one of the most preeminent Jewish artists in America and his struggle with his identity was in my heart for 20 some odd years, but sometimes those things don’t work out,” he told Deadline. Some fans resurfaced the possibility of a Bernstein played by Gyllenhaal in their swipes at the on-set images of Cooper. “jewish actor jake gyllenhaal losing the leonard bernstein biopic to bradley cooper will never not make me mad,” tweeted one irate fan. Production on “Maestro,” which co-stars Carey Mulligan as Bernstein’s wife Felicia Montealegre, started this month. The film will likely be released in 2023.

Israeli heirs to ‘Top Gun’ story sue Paramount for copyright infringement (JTA) – The widow and son of the Israeli author whose 1983 magazine article inspired the original “Top Gun” film are suing Paramount Pictures for copyright infringement over the newly released sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick.” A complaint filed in a Los Angeles federal court on Monday, June 6, and shared by Variety argues that Paramount failed to reacquire the rights to Ehud Yonay’s California magazine piece after the rights reverted to his heirs Shosh and Yuval Yonay in 2020. The Yonays, who currently reside in Israel, claim that Paramount was notified of the copyright termination in 2018 and 2022. Paramount argues that the sequel was “sufficiently completed” by Jan. 24, 2020, the date the copyright reversal went into effect. “These claims are without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously,” Paramount said in a statement. “Top Gun: Maverick” has become one of the summer’s top blockbusters, grossing over $550 million globally since its U.S. debut on May 27. The Yonays are seeking unspecified damages, including profits from the film, as well as an injunction preventing its further distribution. Ehud Yonay, who died last year, also wrote a book titled “No Margin For Error: The Making of the Israeli Air Force.” Southern New England Jewish Ledger

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GAINING MOMENTUM CT and MA Jewish Moms connect with Israel and Judaism… and one another BY STACEY DRESNER

OUTHERN NEW ENGLAND – Jewish mothers from both Greater Hartford and Western Massachusetts were among 350 women who visited Israel last month as part of on an eight-day trip organized by Momentum, a program that helps women connect to their Jewish values and to the State of Israel. The flagship Israel program is a joint partnership between Momentum and Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. The trip’s itinerary ran the gamut from must-see sites in the Jewish state to lectures from several of the country’s influential figures. Trip highlights included: a visit to the Ethiopian Heritage Center, where they heard from l Israeli women such as Torah educator Rachelle Fraenkel, the mother of one of the three boys who were kidnapped and murdered by the Hamas terrorist group in 2014; a tour of the mystical city of Tzfat; dancing at the Western Wall; floating in the Dead Sea; and hiking up Masada. The women also met with Ukrainian and Russian alumni of Momentum who recounted the harrowing story of how they recently fled the war and made aliyah to the Jewish state. Trip participants included women from across the United States, Canada, France, Spain, and South Africa. The women experienced Israel within the framework of Momentum’s four central goals: connecting to Jewish values, engaging with Israel, taking action, and fostering unity without uniformity. Seven women made up the Hartford cohort – its third cohort – to participate in the June 16, 2022

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Momentum program and its trip to Israel. “The trip went far beyond seeing the sites of Israel,” said Olga Kinchla of Wallingford, Conn. In addition to seeing the sites, she said, “We were also able to strengthen our connections to Judaism and each other.” The Hartford group’s trip was facilitated by the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford and heavily subsidized by former Federation Board chair Cary Lakenbach. Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Federation’s Emerging Leadership director accompanied the group and serves as the cohort’s community leader. The Western Massachusetts delegation – the community’s first group to participate in the Momentum program -was sponsored by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Western Mass. “I’m here to come home and to explore Israel and find further, deeper, spirituality, to heal a part of my soul and to foster relationships with eleven other moms,” said Heather Deirdre of Easthampton, Mass. on her first visit to Israel. “It’s an amazing opportunity to be in a place that is like no other.” Momentum was established when Lori Palatnik, a Washington, D.C. mom, noticed that communities were struggling to connect women with Jewish values and Israel. Together with eight women from the D.C. area, she developed the concept of a subsidized trip to Israel for Jewish mothers as a transformative investment in the Jewish family. “In many households, the mother sets the tone for how

THE HARTFORD COHORT AT THE KOTEL IN JERUSALEM: (L TO R) OLGA KINCHLA, DANIELLE WU, PAM MCGUIRE, MICHELLE MEYER, POLINA MELAMUD, JFGH EMERGING LEADERSHIP DIRECTOR REBECCA LENKIEWICZ, DONNA BORUCHOV, LEESA WALLACE, AND JAMIE JENSEN.

THE MOMENTUM COHORT FROM WESTERN MASS. AT THE OPENING NIGHT CEREMONY IN TEL AVIV. (FRONT ROW, L TO R) JORIE EPSTEIN MARES, RABBI YAFA CHASE, LEVANAH LEIBER, ELIZABETH ROBERTS. (BACK ROW, L TO R) MILA SHERMAN, DAWN CORDEIRO, LIZA FELDMAN, DAWN DOUCETTE-KAPLAN, ROBIN WARNER, FELECIA SLOIN, JORDANA WILLERS, AND HEATHER DIEDRE. (AVIRAM VALDMAN)

much a family will incorporate Jewish life and attachment to Israel into their homes,” said Palatnik, Momentum’s founding director. “In many ways, she is the figurehead and through her, we can begin to see generational change in terms of being more connected, inspired, and engaged with one’s heritage and connection to Israel.” Formerly the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project, Momentum has seen tremendous success in its mission to inspire women to not only discover but become enchanted with Israel. To date, the organization has reached 20,000 women from 34 countries and works with 300 partner organizations, such as Jewish Federations, JCC’s and local communities. According to their annual report, within three months after their trip, approximately 91 percent of participants agree that Momentum enabled them to bring more meaning to their Jewish practice; 83 percent report feeling extremely connected to Israel and 52 percent talk about Israel with their family on a weekly basis. “It was truly life changing for these women,” said Rabbi Yafa Chase, director of Western Massachusetts programs at the Hartford Grinspoon Foundation

and facilitator of the Western Mass cohort. “Of the 12 women, 11 had never been to Israel. These were all women who really yearned to have this experience in Israel. And Momentum really did a phenomenal job in organizing a trip that really helped us feel a deep connection to Israel, to Judaism and to each other. “What’s amazing about the program is that it’s not only this incredible, immersive experience in Israel, but it’s also a year of learning together. We will be meeting once a month as a group to continue learning. Each woman will pick a topic that she really wants to research and then she will facilitate a session on whatever that topic is, whether its Shabbat, or Kabbalah or a holiday, or Judaism and the environment,” Chase added. Led by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, the Hartford cohort will also spend the next year “reinforcing the practices, traditions, and lessons we learned over the course of the week in Israel.” “We are lucky to have many Jewish resources at our disposal in the Greater Hartford area,” Lenkiewicz added. “Implementing the practices and customs in our daily and weekly lives is one exciting step towards a life-long engagement journey.”

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Mapping Project CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Burton, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, told JTA. “They make no bones about it.” Burton said he was especially concerned that the map was amplified and praised on Twitter by the nonprofit activist group Massachusetts Peace Action, which he said has a lot of sway in progressive circles and often sits down with local politicians. The project’s map includes the addresses of most of the major Jewish-affiliated organizations and donor funds in the state: political groups spanning the aisle, from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Zionist Organization of America to J Street, along with the nonpartisan Anti-Defamation League; charities like the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (CJP) and the Jewish Teen Foundation of Greater Boston; private foundations headed up by Jews; religious organizations including the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts; and academic research centers like the Harvard Center for Jewish Studies. Sometimes its links are accompanied by dollar amounts of financial support drawn from tax forms. Sometimes they’re simply demonstrating agency partnerships, or what the group says is behavior “normalizing” Israel. (The Jewish Journal, a Jewish Telegraphic Agency syndication partner based in Salem, is one of the links.) “Our goal in pursuing this collective mapping was to reveal the local entities and networks that enact devastation, so we can dismantle them,” the group, which does not list its members, said in a statement on its website. “Every entity has an address, every network can be disrupted.” The map was posted late Friday, June 3, shortly before Shabbat, and became a topic of concern among Jewish groups June 16, 2022

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A MAN IS SURROUNDED BY PRO-PALESTINIAN SUPPORTERS WHO SHOUT AT HIM AND STEAL HIS ISRAELI FLAG DURING A RALLY IN SUPPORT OF PALESTINIAN RIGHTS IN BOSTON’S COPLEY SQUARE, FOLLOWING A FLARE-UP OF VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL AND GAZA, MAY 15, 2021. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

coming back online late Monday after the Shavuot holiday. In a joint statement, Boston’s communal Jewish organizations say that the map and its creators’ stated goal amount to little more than an effort to “dismantle” the city’s organized Jewish community writ large. “As a Jewish community, and one that has made allyship and outreach the cornerstones of our work, we condemn this demonization of the Boston Jewish community and attack on its relationship with others,” CJP, the New England ADL and the Boston JCRC said Wednesday. “This is no thinly veiled attempt to target the Jewish community – it is an explicit one that is keeping lists and naming names.” The map was also condemned by Lior Haiat, spokesperson for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, who tweeted that it “is reminiscent of a dangerous antisemitic pattern of activity known from antiquity through the horrors of the 20th century: a pattern which has led to violence against Jews and their institutions.” The Mapping Project did not return multiple requests from JTA for comment. In an interview with the proPalestinian website Mondoweiss, the group identified certain Jewish organizations like the ADL and CJP as “super-oppressors,” saying they “have tremendous influence” by linking the foundational and nonprofit world with “overtly repressive forces” like police and weapons developers.

The joint statement from the CJP, ADL and JCRC said the map “draws on age-old antisemitic tropes that are all too clear to our community: Jewish wealth, control and conspiracies.” Much of the Mapping Project’s focus is in line with broader trends in anti-Zionist discussions. The focus on police departments follows a recent claim by some progressives that U.S. police have picked up abusive tactics during factfinding trips to Israel sponsored by Jewish groups . The project classifies J Street, a liberal political advocacy group that calls for a two-state solution, as one that “stops short of challenging the fundamentally ethnocratic and settler colonial foundations of the Zionist state.” That follows a recent trend of pro-Palestinian groups shunning J Street, which has in the past comfortably occupied a space among Jewish progressives. Earlier this year in the Boston area, a studentled pro-Palestinian campaign at Tufts University also urged students not to join the campus J Street chapter, citing similar objections. (The BDS movement has also made inroads at another prominent Boston-area university, as Harvard’s student paper recently endorsed the cause.) Similarly, the group’s focus on the ADL as an organization that causes “harm” is in line with a recent trend of progressive groups shunning the civil rights group that tends to lean liberal on domestic affairs. The ADL has responded in kind, most recently

with CEO Jonathan Greenblatt equating left-wing anti-Zionism to right-wing antisemitism. Greenblatt’s comments were criticized by many Jewish liberals and progressives at the time, but his own fierce denunciation of the Mapping Project put him on the same side as progressive Jewish leaders including T’ruah founder Rabbi Jill Jacobs, who also condemned the map. “You can protest Jewish organizational policies/positions have [sic] vis-a-vis Israel all you want (or even boycott Israel), but once you call for dismantling the basic Jewish communal infrastructure, you’ve crossed the line to antisemitism,” Jacobs tweeted. “We won’t be intimidated by @BDSBoston’s dangerous call for action against Boston’s Jewish community or their attempt to target Jewish schools, institutions, and organizations, including @ADL,” Greenblatt tweeted in response to the map of Jewish organizations, amplifying a statement from the ADL’s New England branch. Greenblatt added, “This project plays directly into #antisemitic myths of Jewish power and control.” Burton says The Mapping Project, which published the names of even junior staffers at organizations like the JCRC, is inviting violence and physical intimidation against Jews. “I have no question that, in this particular case, these radical anti-Zionist activists are deliberately choosing to put a target on the bodies of the Jewish community in Boston,” he said.

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Around SNE West Hartford home care agency welcomes new director WEST HARTFORD, Connecticut – Elaine Reid has been appointed director of Care at Home by JFS, a West Hartford-based homemaker and companion agency and an affiliate of Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford. “We are so excited to have Elaine lead Care at Home by JFS,” said Katie Hanley, CEO of Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford, in announcing Reid’s appointment. “Not only will she carry the high standard of care that our clients and partners know us for, but she will also help us meet the growing needs of people looking to age in place,” she noted. Reid served as director of outreach and engagement at Care at Home since January of 2020. Her role included working with families to assess needs, outline services, and benefits to closely match appropriate care. During the global COVID-19 pandemic, Reid was instrumental in adapting to the community’s shifting needs and staying on top of local and national healthcare recommendations as it pertained to the evolution of how public health officials understood the virus. Reid brings with her over 25 years of professional experience working in the U.S. and internationally. Before joining the Care at Home team, she worked as a senior living advisor supporting people with dementia, and managed and directed a local home care agency specializing in memory support care working with older adults and their families. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lead Care at Home and continue to honor the wishes of people as they age on their terms.” said Reid. Care at Home’s previous director, Patricia Kiely, led the organization for more than 16 years until it grew to its current position. She will continue to serve as a part-time project manager for Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford. Care at Home is an affiliate of Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford. For more information, visit https://careathomebyjfs.org.

B’nai Mitzvah AVA HOFFMAN, daughter of Marcia and Jonathan Hoffman, will celebrate her bat mitzvah on Saturday, June 25 at Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough, Mass. XAVIER MARKS, son of Naomi Marks and Jonathan Marks, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Saturday, June 18 at Temple Beth El in Stamford. DAVID MEDVEDOVSKI, son of Alex and Bella Medvedovski, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Saturday, June 25, at The Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford, Conn. ANSEL SNOW, daughter of Alisha and William Snow, will celebrate her bat mitzvah on Saturday June 25 at Sinai Temple in Longmeadow, Mass. MAEVE STERN, daughter of Melissa and Miles Stern, will celebrate her bat mitzvah on Saturday, June 18 at Sinai Temple in Longmeadow, Mass. June 16, 2022

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Longmeadow school to honor Ryan Ascher and Robert Zimmerman LONGMEADOW, Massachusetts – Ryan Ascher and Robert Zimmerman, owner/operations of Ascher-Zimmerman Funeral Home, will be honored by Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy (LYA) at the Longmeadow school’s annual scholarship dinner on Wednesday, June 29, to be held at LYA, 1148 Converse St. in Longmeadow. Together, the two honorees have operated AscherZimmerman Funeral Home, Inc., since 2006, following the retirement of Ryan’s father, Robert Ascher. The funeral home was opened in 1954 by the RYAN ASCHER elder Ascher’s parents, Harold and Jeanette Ascher, to serve the Jewish community in the Pioneer ROBERT ZIMMERMAN Valley.

Ryan Ascher and Robert Zimmerman are longtime strong supporters of LYA and have sponsored many community events at the school. “Our connection to LYA goes back to Rabbi David Edelman, of blessed memory, who was always warm and welcoming. Affiliation was never important to him, but the personal connection was,” says Zimmerman. “AscherZimmerman Funeral Home, Inc. is a local business that supports our community, but we feel a special connection to supporting Jewish education. Once someone is educated, no one can take that away.” In addition, at the dinner LYA will also recognize Patrick Azoulay with the Pillar of Torah award. Azoulay was very active at LYA when his three children were students there in the ‘80s and ‘90s. He currently lives in Albany, New York, and continues to support LYA. For information about LYA’s annual scholarship dinner or to make reservations, email info@ lya.org or call (413) 567-8665. Reservations are due by June 21.

Celebrating Israel in Westborough! It was party time in Westborough, Massachusetts on Sunday, May 15, when families of all shapes and sizes came out to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) at a fun day hosted by he Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts and Israel Bonds, and held at Congregation B’nai Shalom. The something-for-everyone day of fun included a delicious Israeli lunch, and a host of activities like wine-tasting, a drum circle, and dancing. Israel Bonds also took the opportunity to honor Robin and Andy Feldman as well as junior honoree Emma Chaya Lipton-Praver.

ISRAEL BONDS HONOREES ROBIN AND ANDY FELDMAN (CENTER AND FAR RIGHT) WITH THEIR SON, JONATHAN, THEIR DAUGHTER, ISABEL, AND ROBIN’S MOTHER, MARILYN GOLDSMITH.

WESTBOROUGH, MASS. FAMILIES ENJOYING A YOM HA’ATZMAUT CELEBRATION HOSTED BY THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF CENTRAL MASS AND ISRAEL BONDS.

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

Relax and unwind with the JCC’s ultimate summer retreat. For more information: 24 Southern New England Jewish Ledger Amy Gurchin

860-231-6323 agurchin@mandelljcc.org

The Most Reverend Peter A. Rosazza, D.D. Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus

Lorraine & Stanley Wiesen z”l

Phyllis Hoffman

Wed. June 15, 2022 | 7:00 PM

RSVP to Naomi Scheinerman nscheinerman@mandelljcc.org 860-231-6315

Mandell JCC Innovation Center (6:15 – Fitness Center Dedication) Dessert reception to follow June 16, 2022 in the Presidents’ Courtyard

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Opinion

When Congress Embraced Zionism – Unanimously

BY RAFAEL MEDOFF

ne hundred years ago this month, the United States Congress unanimously embraced Zionism. The story of how that came about involves some surprising twists and turns, and a stormy debate about Jews and Arabs that could have been taken straight out of today’s headlines. In the spring of 1922, the League of Nations – forerunner of the United Nations – was weighing Great Britain’s request to be granted the mandate over Palestine. The approval process was slowed as France and Italy jockeyed for regional influence and the Vatican sought to prevent Jews from gaining a “privileged” position or “preponderant influence” in the Holy Land. In the wake of England’s 1917 Balfour Declaration, pledging to facilitate creation of a Jewish national home, American Zionists were eager to see the British receive the Palestine mandate. They hoped an endorsement of Zionism by President Warren Harding would accelerate the process. But Harding proved noncommittal, so Zionist activists turned to Congress. Senators Henry Cabot Lodge, of Massachusetts, and Charles Curtis, of Kansas (a future vice president) and Rep. Hamilton Fish, Jr., of New York, all Republicans, agreed to take the lead on a pro-Zionist resolution. They were isolationists and immigration restrictionists – not exactly the Jewish community’s favorite kind of politicians. Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, head of the American Jewish Congress, had recently denounced Lodge as “un-American and antiAmerican” because he opposed U.S. participation in the League of Nations. Successful lobbying, however, June 16, 2022

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is the art of the possible. Many Jewish leaders may have been personally more comfortable with Democrats, but in 1922, the president was Republican and the GOP enjoyed large majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. If three powerful Republican congressmen were ready to champion the Zionist cause, why should they be turned away? The Lodge-Fish resolution, as it came to be known, declared that “the United States of America favors the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” It added that “the civil and religious rights of Christian and all other non-Jewish communities in Palestine” and “the holy places and religious buildings and sites” should “be adequately protected.” Hearings were held before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs over four days in April. The testimony by Zionist officials emphasized both justice and rescue. The Jewish people were entitled to rebuild their biblical homeland, and European Jews urgently needed a haven; 100,000 Jews had been slaughtered in pogroms in Ukraine and Poland in 1918-1921. Moreover, Zionist development of the land would benefit Palestine’s Arab population. Two Arab-American activists, Selim Totah and Fuad Shatara, appeared as witnesses. Their extremism and conspiracy theories won them little sympathy. Totah claimed the British administration in Palestine was “in the hands of the Jews.” Shatara said the suffering of Jewish pogrom victims in Europe was “nothing to compare” with the burden of heavy taxes that Palestine’s Arabs endured under Turkish rule. Both men insisted that they were

not antisemitic – Totah because “I have a lot of Jewish friends,” Shatara because “I am a Semite myself.” Then as now, Jewish antiZionists were front and center in the debate. Two prominent Reform rabbis, Isaac Landman of New York and David Philipson of Cincinnati, testified against Lodge-Fish, claiming the resolution could endanger the status of American Jews. “We resent the idea that the Jews constitute a nation,” Landman argued. “America is my national home.” The anti-Zionist publishers of the New York Times were among the most vociferous critics of the resolution. A Times editorial warned that Lodge-Fish could turn American Jews into “hyphenated citizens.” The Times also highlighted the alleged misbehavior of radical Jewish settlers; it published reports from its Palestine correspondent claiming that Arab violence against Jews was “stirred up” by “Jewish Bolshevists.” Another aspect of the episode with contemporary echoes was the role of prominent academics. Yale professor Edward Bliss Reed testified at the congressional hearings that the Balfour Declaration was the product of a Zionist-British conspiracy, complete with secret additional paragraphs that supposedly were being withheld from public view. In speeches and writings around the same time, Harvard professor Albert Bushnell Hart called Zionism “a dangerous doctrine” and demanded that American Jews either renounce it or surrender their U.S. citizenship. Princeton’s Henry Adams Gibbons, explaining his opposition to Zionism, wrote: “We do not hold in abhorrence the Jews, but we do hold in abhorrence the Jewish nation.” Despite the critics, the

Lodge-Fish resolution received overwhelming bipartisan support. It was unanimously adopted by the Senate on May 3 and the House on June 30, and signed by President Harding later that year. Why was there such broad support in Congress for LodgeFish? Anti-Zionists claimed it was all a cynical bid for Jewish votes; yet many of those who voted for the resolution had very few Jewish constituents. Was it “all about the Benjamins” (to borrow the infamous phrase of a contemporary congresswoman)? Scholars have found no evidence to suggest that Jewish donors played any role. Most of those who voted for the resolution likely just concluded that the Zionist cause had merit, and that most Americans felt the same way. The Jews did need a haven, and they did have roots in the Holy Land going back thousands of years. The Arabs did have vast lands of their own, and those who chose to live peacefully alongside the Jews would enjoy the prosperity of a developed country and the civil rights that the Balfour Declaration promised. The passage of the LodgeFish resolution was a symbolic victory, and in political struggles, symbols are important. They can educate; they can inspire. The embrace of Zionism by a united Congress legitimized the cause in the eyes of undecided Americans and galvanized American Zionists to redouble their efforts, helping to pave the way for additional political victories on the road to Jewish statehood. Dr. Rafael Medoff is author of more than 20 books about Jewish history and Zionism, including The Historical Dictionary of Zionism [with Chaim I. Waxman].)

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“Oasis” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

they must pay to use the facility. “Oasis” received the Award for Best Show at Teatronetto Festival in 2019; the Nisim Azkiri Award for Best Actor in 2019 and was the winner of the “Kipod Hazahav” Israeli Fringe Theatre Award for Best Show of 2020. “It’s very moving,” says Hal Schneider, founder of the Central Massachusetts Jewish Theatre Co. “The character is given orders that he considers immoral, and the story is about how he dealt with it. It’s very timely when you think about what’s going on in Ukraine and what the Russians are doing. The Russians are doing what the character could not. “And Amir does a fantastic job,” Schneider raves. “He becomes that character.” This will be the first live theater production for the nonprofit Jewish theater company since Schneider founded it in late 2019 “to present highquality plays based on Jewish life, themes and values” and to “explore the uniqueness of Jewish heritage and cultural experiences.” “I had a number of productions planned and that’s just about when Covid happened,” recalls Schneider, who switched gears and began offering the local audience virtual Jewish theater productions. With the assistance of the Alliance for Jewish Theatre (AJT), a Washington, D.C. nonprofit that promotes the creation and presentation of Jewish theatre throughout the U.S., Schneider was able to present online “The Rain and the Wind: The Bob Dylan Story,” an Israeli play mostly in Hebrew, and “An Israeli Love Story,” about a young couple before and during the birth of Israel. “The online productions were quite successful, but I felt the time had come to really do something live,” Schneider says. So again, with the support of the Alliance for Jewish Theatre, Schneider has teamed with Interplay Jewish Theatre in June 16, 2022

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Cleveland to bring Amir Peter and “Oasis” to the United States. It will appear in Cleveland the week before it comes to Worcester and both theater companies are sharing some of the costs. “We are working together and sharing some of the unique costs in bringing Israeli theater here,” Schneider says. “Bringing an Israeli actor to work in the United States is not as easy as it sounds. It’s not a matter of getting on the plane. We need to get special visas, which is time consuming and expensive. But it is going to be worth it. It’s a dynamite show.” For the American performances, “Oasis” has been translated into English. There will be two matinee and three evening performances of “Oasis.” The first performance on Thursday, July 28 will include

a special “meet and greet” reception at 7 p.m., for members of the Jewish Federations’ Chaverim (40s and 50s group) and the YAD, Young Adult Division, although the 8 p.m. performance is also open to the public. “I’m excited that we’ll have an in-person production at the JMAC venue. It’s wonderful to be able to hold an in-person show in downtown Worcester as downtown is experiencing this renewal,” says Steven Schimmel, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Central Mass. “I think the production itself will certainly be engaging for the Jewish community but hopefully for the non-Jewish community as well. The theme of the show about France’s war with Algeria in the aftermath of World War II and all that happened in that time-period really should make

for a compelling production.” Schimmel sits on the Worcester Tercentennial Committee and is happy that this Jewishly-themed event is a part of the celebration offerings. “I think it’s great that we will be able to acknowledge and celebrate that milestone downtown and this gives the Jewish community a chance to take part in the celebration of the city in our own special way,” Schimmel said. Showtimes for “Oasis” are the evenings of July 28, 30 and 31 at 8 p.m.; and matiness performances on July 29 and 31 at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.cmjtc. org; www.jmacworcester.org or at the Hanover Theater Box office or by calling 877-571-7469.

ISRAELI PLAYWRIGHT AND ACTOR AMIR PETER IN “OASIS.”

Southern New England Jewish Ledger

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Jewish Life Conservatives approves non-gendered language for calling Jews to the Torah BY JACKIE HAJDENBERG

(JTA) – Five years ago, Rabbi Guy Austrian made a small but powerful change at the synagogue he leads: He wrote down the language his community used to call nonbinary members to the Torah. That language had been developed informally over time through a process that Austrian recalled as being “a little awkward” because it involved tweaking language on the fly for congregants whose gender did not fit into the male-female binary that’s baked into Hebrew. Codifying the language meant changing only a few words of a formula in use in synagogues around the world, but it was essential to including people who are non-binary or otherwise do not identify as a man or woman, Austrian said. “That makes the honor feel like an honor for the person who’s being called up for the Torah and for the congregation,” Austrian told JTA. Now, Austrian –rabbi of the Fort Tryon Jewish Center in Upper Manhattan – is one of three authors of a religious opinion approved last week by the law committee of the Conservative movement that officially endorses genderneutral language for Torah honors. The opinion, called a teshuva, prescribes non-gendered language for three different honors, including the aliyah (the blessing before and after the Torah reading), hagbah (lifting the Torah) and gelilah (rolling up the Torah). It also includes procedures for calling up Cohens (descendants of the priests of the First Temple) and Levis (descendants of the tribe of Levi) as well as how to address people during the prayer for healing, known as Mi Shebeirach, without using gendered language. June 16, 2022

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According to the new teshuva, for example, a non-binary person who is called up for an aliyah, instead of being referred to as “ben” (son) or “bat” (daughter), is referred to as “m’beit” or “l’veit,” meaning “from the house of” their parents. The opinion notes that this construct has precedent in ketubahs – Jewish marriage contracts – and in the Hebrew vernacular. The teshuva only affects rabbis and synagogues that are part of the Conservative movement, which claims about 26 percent of U.S. Jewish adults who identify with a denomination, and even there it’s not determinative: Some have already been using the language, and the approval does not require anyone to start. Still, it reflects a notable change at a time when people who are gender non-conforming, including non-binary or transgender, are facing fierce opposition, especially from Republican lawmakers who have made 2022 a record year for antiLGBTQ legislation nationwide. The authors of the opinion – along with Austrian, Rabbi Robert Scheinberg of the United Synagogue of Hoboken, New Jersey and Rabbi Deborah Silver of Shir Chadash in Metairie, Louisiana – say that in addition to drawing from Fort Tryon Jewish Center, they consulted variations of liturgy from LGBTQ synagogues; Jewish organizations that focus on LGBTQ inclusion, and individuals who are trans or non-binary. The writers also note that they may not be the ideal authors of guidelines about how to mesh a contemporary understanding of gender with traditional Jewish law, because they themselves do not identify as non-binary. “It’s just important to

remember that this is an evolving terrain, both in society at large and within Jewish communities,” Austrian said. “So we don’t think that this teshuva is the last word. And we hope that as there are more non-binary, queer and transgender rabbis in the Rabbinical Assembly that they’ll be the ones who who write the teshuvot that will come.” A diverse set of Jewish thinkers and clergy are already reshaping the role of gender in religious experience. In recent years, gender-neutral terms for traditional Jewish customs, such as the “b-mitzvah” in place of bar or bat mitzvah, have gained popularity. The Trans Halakha Project, which creates Jewish legal practices, customs and resources for trans Jews, launched just last year, an initiative of Svara, a Jewish learning group catering to queer Jews. The new teshuva is a codification of a practice that has already existed in spaces led by trans and non-binary Jews, said Laynie Soloman, a non-binary rabbi and one of the co-founders of the Trans Halakha Project. “I think it’s essential for halacha to be shaped by the people who it is about,” Solomon explained, referring to the disability activist community’s use of the phrase “nothing about us without us.” Soloman, who consulted on both the new Conservative teshuva and on the original liturgy from Fort Tryon Jewish Center, said, “We’re seeing the codification of minhag– of real custom and ritual that has been shaped by trans and non-binary folks. So while in the end, this happens to be written down by folks who are not trans or nonbinary, this work was created by trans and non-binary folks. And

that’s what’s so powerful to me about it.” Meanwhile, people in both the United States and Israel have worked on creating a nongendered version of Hebrew, a language in which nouns, adjectives and even verb conjugations carry masculine and feminine forms. One of them, Lior Gross, devised a way for non-binary people to speak Hebrew in part because they had trouble imagining being called to the Torah using the traditional, gendered script. Like the other initiatives, the Conservative movement’s opinion represents an important development in inclusion in Jewish life, said Joshua Raclaw, an associate professor of linguistics at West Chester University in Pennsylvania who is non-binary and focuses on gender and sexuality in language. Raclaw noted that gender non-conformity is embedded in Jewish tradition from its very inception. In the Book of Genesis, Adam is referred to as both “it” and “them,” even in the same sentence, he pointed out, adding that one 2nd-century rabbi specifically called Adam an “androgyne,” a term referring to a person with both masculine and feminine characteristics. “While both Biblical and Modern Hebrew feature a grammatical gender binary, this tells us nothing about the genders that might exist among Hebrew speakers,” Raclaw said. Then, using the Hebrew term for “repairing the world” that has come to mean social justice, they added, “But even beyond historical precedent, recognizing that non-binary Jews exist and creating pathways to further welcome us to the Torah seems to me to be a perfect example of tikkun olam.”

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TORAH PORTION – BEHA’ALOTECHA BY SHLOMO RISKIN

‘Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him: when you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the menorah.’ (Num. 8:2).

s it permissible to study science and philosophy in the beit midrash (religious study hall)? Should a yeshiva curriculum include “secular” studies? Our Torah portion opens with the kindling of the seven lights of the branches of the menorah, specifically ordaining that it be kindled by the kohen- priests and that it be beaten of gold, in one piece, from “its stem until its flower” (Num. 8:4). At first glance, it would seem that this biblical segment is misplaced; its more natural setting would have been the portions of Truma or Tetzaveh in the Book of Exodus, which deal with the Sanctuary, its sacred accoutrements and the task of the kohen-priests in ministering within it. Why revisit the menorah here, in the Book of Numbers? Rashi attempts to provide a response: “Why link this segment of the menorah to the segment of the tribal princes (which concludes the previous Torah portion)? Because when Aaron saw the offerings of the princes (at the dedication of the Sanctuary), he felt ill at ease that he was not included with them in the offerings, neither he nor his tribe. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him, ‘By your life, your contribution is greater than theirs; you kindle and prepare the lights’” (Rashi, Num. 8:2). Why would such a task give comfort to Aaron? Since when is cleaning and kindling a candelabrum a greater honor than participating in the opening ceremony of the Sanctuary? We cannot expect to penetrate the significance of Rashi’s words (which are taken from Midrash Tanhuma 8) unless we first attempt to understand the significance of the menorah. June 14, 2022

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At first blush, the lights of the menorah symbolize Torah: “For the commandment is a candle, and Torah is light,” teaches the psalmist. But the ark (aron kodesh) is the repository of the Tablets of Stone, and that is what represents Torah in the Sanctuary. Moreover, the menorah has a stem, or trunk, and six branches which emanate from it, each with its respective flowers – together making seven lights. And the “goblets” on the branches are “almond-shaped” (meshukadim, cf. Ex. 25:33) reminiscent of the almond tree, the first tree to blossom and thus the herald of spring. The imagery is certainly that of a tree. If the Sanctuary symbolizes a world in which the Almighty dwells – “And they shall make for me a Sanctuary so that I may dwell among them,” a world of perfection manifesting the Divine Presence and its consummate goodness and compassion – then the Sanctuary symbolizes a return to Eden, to universal peace and harmony. If so, the menorah may well represent the Tree of Life – after all, Torah is aptly called “a tree of life to all who grasp it” – or perhaps a tree of knowledge, especially since the ancient Greek tradition speaks of “the seven branches of wisdom,” paralleling the seven branches of the menorah (including the central stem). One may even suggest that the menorah is the amalgam of both trees together: Torah and wisdom united in one substance of beaten gold, a tree of life-giving and life-enhancing learning when the light of Torah illumines every branch of worldly wisdom. I believe that this fundamental unity encompassing Torah and all genuine branches of wisdom was recognized clearly by the Sages of the Talmud. Indeed, from their viewpoint, all true knowledge would certainly lead to the greatest truth of all, the existence of the Creator of the Universe.

Hence the Talmud declares: “Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi in the name of bar Kappara: ‘Anyone who has the ability to understand astronomy/ astrology [the major science of Babylon] and does not do so, of him does the Scripture say, ‘Upon the words of the Lord they do not gaze and upon the deeds of His hands they do not look’” (B.T. Shabbat 75a). The Sages are saying that one cannot begin to properly appreciate the world without a grounding in the sciences. The 12th-century philosopher-legalist Maimonides also understood the crucial inter-relationship between what is generally regarded as secular wisdom and Torah. He begins his halakhic magnum opus Mishne Torah with the Laws of Torah Fundamentals, which includes cosmogony, philosophy and science. He concludes the fourth chapter in saying that these studies are necessary for anyone desirous of learning about God, the command to love, know and revere God. Most amazing of all, Maimonides ordains that the scholar must divide his learning time into three segments: one third for the Written Torah, one third for the Oral Torah, and one

third for Gemara: and Gemara includes extracting new laws, as well as science and philosophy! Apparently, an advanced yeshiva led by Maimonides would include in its curriculum the study of science and philosophy as a means of understanding the world, human nature and God. Let us now return to the relationship between the task of the kohen-priest in the Sanctuary. If indeed the menorah represents knowledge in its broadest sense, enlightenment in terms of the seven branches of wisdom, the tree of knowledge, then the duty of the kohenpriest becomes clear. All of knowledge, indeed the entire world, may be seen as “matter”; Torah must give “form,” direction and meaning to every aspect of the material world and the life which it breeds. The kohen, who is mandated to “teach the Torah laws to Israel,” must prepare, clean and purify the lights of the menorah. This is the highest task of Torah and the greatest calling of the kohanim: to utilize all branches of knowledge to bring us closer to the God of love, morality and peace. Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is founder and rosh yeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone and founding rabbi of Efrat, Israel.

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News and Jewish Community Update

It isn’t difficult for us to acknowledge that the world we live in is different today. We are realizing the sad reality that in the 21st Century we may have no better expectations from humanity than in the previous century. The last several years have been fraught with growing societal STEVEN SCHIMMEL, descension, EXECUTIVE political DIRECTOR turmoil, and general sadness. We have seen a new wave of antisemitism result in atrocities against Jews that we thought were a thing

of the past. Here in the United States we have witnessed hostility and violence not seen in this country in decades. Many people see these events and are filled only with thoughts of all of the bad and the wrong – but such an approach doesn’t give us much hope to change things- and it stops us from appreciating the good. It keeps us from believing that we can make our world a better place. When our Jewish community stands with families both in times of celebration and when we face

Not Satisfied with Securing $1.3B in Commitments, Jewish Legacy Giving Program Expands

LIFE & LEGACY, the five-year legacy giving program in Central Massachusetts, has secured more than 455 after-lifetime commitments with an estimated value of $12.8 million in future financial gifts to the community. The commitments are part of a collaboration between Jewish Federation of Central Mass. (JFCM) and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) to preserve vibrant Jewish life for future generations by ensuring the long-term financial health of Jewish organizations in Central Mass. To date, HGF has helped its 73 partner communities secure more than 34,000 legacy commitments, valued at over $1.3 billion. As a part of its collaboration with HGF, JFCM has partnered with 10 local organizations, which receive coaching, training and incentive grants to ensure that legacy giving becomes a normal part of the philanthropic culture of the community. “The impact of LIFE & LEGACY in Central Mass has been unprecedented. Not only will it bring much needed endowment support to our community, but it has brought our community together to work as

YAD Outdoor May Shabbat Lunch

a darkening world we show how closely united we really are. That is when we are truest to being a light unto nations. Standing together united, that is when we are most successful in making a better world. In this time of uncertaintylet us think both about what has gone wrong, and what needs to be corrected to go right. Lets both appreciate the positives in our lives and the world around us and plan what we can do to make the world better. Am Yisrael Chai.

Community Lag B’omer Celebration

Shavuot hike and ice cream with YAD

YAD celebrates Mimouna fireside

PJ Library’s First Annual Craft Fair

a team on supporting Jewish Life in Central Massachusetts,” said Ben Lyons, president of the Board of JFCM. From May 15 - 17, six Central Mass. Jewish communal professionals and lay leaders joined 400 colleagues from across North America for the 2022 LIFE & LEGACY/ Create a Jewish Legacy Leadership Gathering. “The Legacy Gathering is so incredible. I look forward to it every year,” said Leah Shuldiner, Legacy Coordinator at JFCM. “I always learn something new to bring back to our community. The speakers are exceptional.” At the virtual Gathering, HGF announced their commitment to providing an additional four years of funding and consulting support to each of its 73 partners in an expansion of the program called LIFE & LEGACY PLUS. “Through LIFE & LEGACY PLUS, we hope to motivate additional donors to commit to legacy gifts for valued organizations,” said Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, president of HGF. “These commitments will build endowments that will ensure we have strong and vibrant Jewish communities throughout North America where future generations will engage in our rich Jewish culture and heritage.”

Baby animals visit at PJ Library Havdalah with Congregation B’nai Shalom and Beth Tikvah Synagogue

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June 16, 2022

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THE KOSHER CROSSWORD JUNE 14, 2022 “Reverse Mitzvot”

By: Yoni Glatt

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Across 1. Sadistic “Simpsons” mouse 6. Girl, in Glasgow 10. Not so fast 14. (To) here, in Israel 15. Dude, to Doron 16. Mandlikova with four Grand Slam titles 17. Observes Jewish dietary laws 19. Remove 20. “... and such” 21. Bruce and Stan 22. Court order 23. Like an observant person on Saturday 28. Soft serve ice cream option 29. Lift

30. Make sure cloths are halachically OK 35. Country that never should have messed with Isr. 36. Classic chassidic work 37. Pricey liquid, nowadays 40. Payment to one making sure cloths are halachically OK 44. “___ wish” (line from “The Princess Bride”) 46. Like five-star hotels 47. One making sure someone is being observant on Saturday 52. Jewish holiday 53. Cave, possibly 54. DVR remote button 56. Marvel character in the

public domain 57. Challah, gefilte fish, kugel, matzah, and so forth 60. It means “singular” 61. Gung-ho about 62. Tim of “Toy Story” 63. Great Rav Steinsaltz 64. USY participant 65. Like some logs

Down 1. “Got it” 2. “The reason being” 3. Like Billy Joel’s songs compared to Bill Ray Cyrus’s 4. “Queen Mary” letters 5. Animal that runs its mouth? 6. Kind of printer or pointer 7. Massage issues 8. ___ Besh 9. Polite title 10. Performer’s realm, slangily 11. Bush and Dern 12. How some tech support is provided 13. NFL superstar brothers JJ and TJ

18. Word in a futbol chant 24. Ent foe 25. He is celebrated for his civil rights work, for short 26. He had a ball with Ball 27. Honey, in modern lingo 28. Parts of plays: Abbr. 31. Ex-Met Rusty 32. Yeshivaish wear, often 33. East Coast cape 34. Sheridan of “Ready Player One” 37. Avner and Dayan, e.g. 38. Grows together 39. It’s high 40. One of Israel’s greatest writers

41. Fireside shelf 42. Business VIP 43. It’s definitely not included in 57-Across 44. Israeli seaport 45. A part of Torah reading 48. Without anyone else 49. Try 50. King defeated in Numbers 51. Charlemagne ruled it: Abbr. 52. State of deep unconsciousness 55. Quartet that performed at Woodstock, for short 57. Word with tool or travel 58. Shofar provider 59. “Mr. Blue Sky” band

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On Campus

Protests mount against Oberlin professor with links to former Iranian regime BY BENJAMIN WEINTH

(JNS) Iranian Americans and Jewish Americans gathered in Oberlin, Ohio over the weekend to protest the continued employment of Oberlin College and Conservatory professor with ties to Iran. Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, who teaches Islamic studies at the college, served as Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations from 1987 to 1989 where he is alleged to have covered-up of the mass murder of political prisoners in the Islamic Republic. Len Khodorkovsky, a former deputy assistant secretary of state and senior adviser to the U.S. special representative for Iran, traveled to Oberlin for the demonstration, which was held during the college’s graduation weekend. He tweeted, “It’s unconscionable for @ oberlincollege to continue employing Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, former Iranian regime official complicit in the #1988massacre of 5000+ Iranians. Oberlin’s Board of Trustees should be concerned about the reputational damage this is inflicting on the school.” While at the United Nations, Mahallati has also called for violent global jihad against Israel. Speaking at the U.N. in 1988 he said, “The establishment of the Zionist entity was itself in violation of provisions of the United Nations Charter.” The following year, he defended the violent intifada as “the heroic uprising of Palestinians” and called for a “holy struggle against oppression and Zionism.” The protest against Mahallati electrified the Iranian diaspora, as a direct action against a

former top official of the Islamic Republic who has been leading a largely insulated life on the rustic Oberlin campus. Lawdan Bazargan, an Iranian American human rights activist, has spearheaded the campaign to oust Mahallati. She told JNS, “Our campaign started with a simple request: Fire Mahallati, who denied the mass killings of our loved ones and shielded those responsible from accountability.” Bazargan, a leading member of the Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA), continued, “Since Oberlin’s president [Carmen Twillie Ambar] and its board of trustees decided to ignore us, ran a sham and non-transparent investigation, refused to meet with the victims’ families, and started rumors about our independence and connections, we now have to appeal to politicians and state and federal authorities.” Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) is one politician who has heeded AAIRIA’s call. “It’s distressing that Oberlin continues to ignore the victims of Iran’s terrorist regime, and continues to defend a former senior Iranian official on their faculty, who is cited in U.N. and Amnesty International reports as having worked to deny mass killings in Iran,” Banks said in late May. “Oberlin owes everyone an explanation as to why Mr. Mahallati was hired in the first place despite his very questionable background, and why they’ve refused to conduct a transparent and independent investigation on this issue,” he said.

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After Banks spoke out, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told JNS: “Perhaps now Oberlin College will take action regarding why it hired, promoted and continues to protect an ex-Iranian regime figure.” Frieda Fuchs, a former visiting professor in the college’s political science department who is a member of AAIRIA, told JNS, “Three pro-Mahallati protesters carried ‘Stop Political Racism’ signs. One of them sported a keffiyeh. It is not too hard to guess who the intended audience of the signs are. The fact that the relatives of the victims of the 1988 massacres in Iran are on campus for the third time speaks to the fact that Oberlin’s administrators have bought into the story that Mahallati is a softspoken professor of peace who is the victim of a well-funded and orchestrated smear campaign launched against him by rightwing Zionist and Iranian proRepublican warmongers.” Fuchs continued, “It is hard to understand why a school that prides itself on a history of supporting political freedoms and social justice for disadvantaged groups persistently refuses to engage with the relatives of the victims of Iran’s dictatorial regime, most of whom came from the political left.” Bazargan said 16 protesters attended the anti-Mahallati event, including first- and second-generation Iranian Americans, members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, monarchists, atheists, leftists and secular demonstrators. There was “lots of support

from students, parents and some alumni who were dismayed by the whole situation that such a person [Mahallati] is at the school and the administration is whitewashing it,” she said. The activists from AAIRIA said they reached “hundreds of people” with flyers and in conversations. Bazargan said at least two-thirds of the graduating students turned their back on the chairman of the Oberlin College board of trustees, Chris Canavan, because of allegations of union busting and failure to pay the faculty fair salaries. One student told a member of AAIRIA that students also turned their backs on Canavan because of the Mahallati affair. Hamid Charkhkar, a member of AAIRIA, revealed that Mahallati is on the editorial board of Sepehr-e-Siasat, an academic journal tied to Iran’s regime. Charkhkar told JNS that Mohammad Bagher Khorramshad, Iran’s deputy interior minister for political affairs and a member of the U.S.sanctioned Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is also on the editorial board. Susannah Johnston, an investigative reporter for Focus on Western Islamism, reported last week on Mahallati’s affiliation with Sepehr-e-Siasat. June 16, 2022

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SUPPORT UKRAINE

A PROTEST AGAINST OBERLIN COLLEGE ISLAMIC-STUDIES PROFESSOR MOHAMMAD MAHALLATI AT OBERLIN COLLEGE, JUNE 5, 2022. CREDIT: FRIEDA FUCHS.

After publication of her article, Mahallati’s name was scrubbed from the journal. Sepehr-e-Siasat promoted an article praising Hezbollah, wrote Johnston. The United States, Israel and scores of other countries have classified Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. No response was received to JNS press queries to Oberlin College by press time. Mahallati has denied the allegation that he committed crimes against humanity in 1988. Oberlin College published a fact sheet on Mahallati in October 2021, claiming that he supported a “two-state solution that would

allow Israel and the Palestinian people to exist together in peace.” Oberlin College conducted an investigation into Mahallat last year. “The inquiry did not find proof to corroborate the allegations that professor Mahallati knew of the atrocities at the time he was asked about them during his tenure at the United Nations,” wrote the college on its website. AAIRIA said the college’s inquiry was rigged because it was not independent and transparent. The college has refused to publish its full report on Mahallati.

Election 2022 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Republicans. Sellers for years has been close to the pro-Israel community and has appeared at AIPAC conferences. In his Politico interview, he said that Urban Empowerment’s emphasis was on maintaining the Black presence in Congress, in part by ensuring that Black incumbents who are leaving the House are replaced by Blacks. Tlaib replaced a long-time Black congressman, John Conyers, who resigned in a scandal. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, the sole Black congresswoman in the state, is retiring, and the state with one of the most important African-American communities in the country may soon not have a Black representative in Congress, Sellers noted. “We want people who are elected to Congress that have keen focus and understanding on the plight of African Americans and the uplift thereof,” Sellers said.

June 16, 2022

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June 16, 2022

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WHAT’S HAPPENING A calendar of events throughout Connecticut and Western & Central Massachusetts. Local Jewish community organizations are invited to submit events to the calendar. Events must be received one week prior to the bi-weekly publication of the Ledger. Send submissions to Ledger editor in chief Judie Jacobson at judiej@jewishledger. com. We reserve the right to edit calendar items.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15 West Hartford, CT – “Circumcision and Survival: New Approaches to Gender and the Holocaust,” a 3-session mini course with Prof. Jay Geller of Vanderbilt University, co-sponsored by UConn Center for Judaic Studies, Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, the Mandell JCC, the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford, and Voices of Hope. At the Mandell JCC, 335 Bloomfield Ave. To register, email judaicstudies@uconn.edu FREE. (Also held on June 22 & 29) West Hartford, CT – 107th Mandell JCC Annual Meeting: An Evening of Dedication; 7 p.m. Evening will include dedication of the Hartford Jewish Film Festival to Phyllis Hoffman, recognition of the Archdiocese of Hartford, dedication of the JCC fitness center in memory of Lorraine and Stanley Wiesen; Board of Directors election; President’s report from Brad Drazen; desert reception and more. For reservations email nscheinerman@mandelljcc.org, or call (860) 236-6315. FREE

THURSDAY, JUNE 16 Avon, CT– “Speaking of Jewish” with keynote speaker Kivi Bernhard, author of Leopardology: The Hunt for Profit in a Tough Global Economy, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at a private home in Avon, CT; address provided upon registration. Discussion on how to live out our Jewish values June 16, 2022

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in the workplace. Attendees will receive a signed copy of his book. Masks and vaccines required. Kosher refreshments. Presented by Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford. $36/person. Springfield, MA. – FREE Day at Springfield JCC, 1160 Dickinson St. Enjoy a massage, take a popup fitness class, enjoy swimming, saunas, and more. 5:30 a.m. – 12 noon, and from 3 – 8 p.m. (The JCC will be closed from noon – 3 p.m.). Activities for children 5+. Information: SpringfieldJCC.org or (413) 739-4715. Stamford, CT – “An Evening of Gratitude and Thanks,” a dessert reception to hear from community members who have visited the bordering countries of Ukraine and have volunteered to help, and to thank United Jewish Federation for successfully raising over $375,000 to aid the Jewish community of Ukraine; 7:30 p.m. at Temple Beth-El, 301 Roxbury Rd (held outside in a tent) hosted by United Jewish Federation of of Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Darien. RSVP ujf.org/thankyou.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22 West Hartford, CT – “Circumcision and Survival: New Approaches to Gender and the Holocaust,” a 3-session mini course with Prof. Jay Geller of Vanderbilt University, co-sponsored by UConn Center for Judaic Studies, Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, the Mandell JCC, the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford, and Voices of Hope. Held at the Mandell JCC, 335 Bloomfield Ave. To register, email judaicstudies@uconn.edu FREE. (Also held on June 15 & 29)

MONDAY, JUNE 20 FRIDAY, JUNE 24 West Hartford, CT – JTConnect, a program for Hartford area Jewish teens, hosts the weeklong Second Annual Summer of Service, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., for

7th-10th graders who want a meaningful and social Jewish experience. Teens working on service projects with local organizations in the morning, then enjoy an afternoon of interactive actives, such as kayaking on the Connecticut River. Cost: $200. Financial aid available; no teen is turned away owing to a lack of funds. Drop-off and pick-up from Congregation Beth Israel. For information: jtconnect.org/SOS or contact cara@jtconnect.org.

TUESDAY, JUNE 21 Springfield, MA – Springfield JCC Annual Meeting, 5:30-7 p.m., 1160 Dickinson St., Contact: bnadler@springfieldjcc.org or (413) 739-4715

THURSDAY, JUNE 23 Southbury, CT – Jewish Young Leadership Mix & Mingle; 7 p.m.; The Jewish Federation Western CT invite young Jews to attend a reception at Federation, 444 Main St. North for light appetizers, drinks and desserts. Dietary laws observed. RSVP by June 21 to Cathy Conti, cconti@jfed.net, (203) 405-7009.

SUNDAY, JUNE 26 Greenwich, CT – PJ Library Family Fun Day; 3 - 4:30 p.m.; An afternoon of food, friends and fun. Ice cream truck, comedy and bubble show by Mr. Bungles, animals and face painting. Hosted by UJA-JCC of Greenwich, One Holly Hill Lane. Information: ujajcc.org. $36/family West Chesterfield, MA – PJ Library visits Hilltown Sled Dogs, 10 a.m. – 12 noon. Explore nature andlearn about sled dogs and about Jewish teachings concerning being kind to animals, includes a Yard Tour, Hike with a Husky, Playtime in the Pens and demonstration of mushing; For more information, including fee, contact ebarber@ springfieldjcc.org or (646) 3913553; RSVP by June 24.

Worcester, MA – Shir Joy Chorus’ Virtual final concert of 2022, with several selections from Ukrainian composers, 7 p.m. Information: Shirjoychorus.com

MONDAY, JUNE 27 Longmeadow, MA – 41st Annual Frankel Kinsler Classic Day of Tournaments, fundraiser for JGS Lifecare, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., 8 p.m. at Twin Hills Country Club, 700 Wolf Swamp Road. Enjoy fun, food and friendship to support the care of the community’s elders. Register online and receive the virtual link: https:// jgslifecare.org/ways-to-give/ frankel-kinsler-classic-dayof-tournaments/ For more information, call (413) 567-3949, ext. 3533 or email shalpern@ jgslifecare.org

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29 New Haven, CT (virtual) – “Going Fallow For Shmita: A Perspective From The Soil,” with Bruce Spierer, public education manager at Hazon, the Jewish lab for sustainability. 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel, a participant in the Hazon Seal of Sustainability fellowship. For link and information: office@ BEKI.org, (203) 389-2108 x114. West Hartford, CT – “Circumcision and Survival: New Approaches to Gender and the Holocaust,” a 3-session mini course with Prof. Jay Geller of Vanderbilt University, co-sponsored by UConn Center for Judaic Studies, Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, the Mandell JCC, the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford, and Voices of Hope. Held at the Mandell JCC, 335 Bloomfield Ave. To register, email judaicstudies@uconn.edu FREE. (Also held on June 15 & 22)

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Q&A

Life’s work in Jewish service inspired by three words: ‘Am Yisrael Chai’

He led the Jewish Federations of North America in a transformative way, both by design and out of necessity. Now, Mark Wilf hmoves on to chair the board of governors for the Jewish Agency for Israel. BY MIKE WAGENHEIM

MARK WILF, THEN CHAIR OF THE JFNA BOARD OF TRUSTEES, VISITED THE POLAND-UKRAINE BORDER. (JEWISH FEDERATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA)

(JNS) An established businessman and generous philanthropist, Mark Wilf was elected as the Jewish Federations of North America’s Board of Trustees Chair in 2018. Beyond helming a successful real estate development firm, and serving as owner and president of the National Football League’s Minnesota Vikings, Wilf was already a notable figure in the Jewish world, having previously served as UJC National Campaign Chair, UJA National Young Leadership Cabinet Chair and president of the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey. The son of Holocaust survivors, Wilf chaired JFNA’s national initiative that addresses the needs of impoverished Holocaust survivors living in the United States. Whatever plans he had developed on the basis of those experiences in preparation for his JFNA chairmanship were

largely placed aside as his tenure carried him, JFNA and the American Jewish community into unchartered territory. As his position comes to a close on Wilf is slated to serve a three-year term as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel beginning July 12, 2022. He succeeds current chair Michael D. Siegal. Recently, JNS sat down with Wilf, to discuss his experience at JFNA and his view toward the future. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Q: Is it even possible to summarize these last nearly four years? A: You can never anticipate any job you take on. Events have a way of taking over. But I think it’s safe to say that in these past nearly four years, events have taken on a proportion that’s really quite dramatic, to say the least. I call it a form of a silver lining through all the difficulties the Jewish community faced and the world has faced. One of my goals and our goals as a team was just to transform and reawaken the understanding of the importance of having community infrastructure, a strong Federation system. And as a result of that, I think it’s become fairly recognized – certainly around the Jewish communal world – that the Jewish Federations have undergone a massive transformation in the last few years. Again, reestablishing that we are the central crucial role in supporting flourishing Jewish communities, connecting to world Jewry and

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Israel. Note: Wilf was elected chair of the board of trustees on Oct. 21, 2018. The terror attack at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue occurred six days later. That was really the first incredible transformation to … it’s a tipping point, if you will, to say the safety, the security that maybe we took for granted or maybe we expected, took a dramatic turn, and I think it woke every community up – every Jewish American up in the world to say we can’t take anything for granted. And here we are almost four years later. We’ve established a significant security campaign and launched LiveSecure (an unprecedented $54 million campaign initiative to ensure the security and resiliency of North American Jewish communities). I’ve been saying this lately: When things are relatively calm, Federation is maybe not as in people’s consciousness the same way, but the fact is that when there’s a fire, you need to have a firehouse built and ready to go. And that’s what the Federation system is. And I’m very proud of the work of our officer team, our volunteers and professionals around the country – really heroic efforts through the security challenges, through the pandemic, through “Operation Guardian of the Walls” and the missiles in Israel. And now through Ukraine. The events, one after the other, show us that we have to always be prepared and vigilant. Q: There’s an old saying that man plans and G-d laughs.

What was your original plan four years ago, and how much did it diverge because of circumstances beyond your control and imagination? A: I’d be curious to look back to what I actually might have said back then. I mean, it certainly was to raise the awareness, the connectivity of all our communities, and the importance of Federation and building community. And of being a convener – being a tent, if you will, with relatively open flaps, that can be a meeting place for Jewish community of all types – denomination, political leaning, that could help build Jewish life. We can help connect young people, particularly, to global Jewish peoplehood and humanitarian connection. So, a lot has happened. We helped select Eric Fingerhut as our president and CEO, and he’s coming up on three years now in the job. The pandemic was unprecedented. I recall being on countless Zoom meetings. I mean, that was it. The reality of Zoom was something no one could expect. About half of my term was spent on Zoom, and I recall very vividly during the early days of the pandemic, in particular, the PPE (personal protective equipment) loans and what that did for the community. We’d have these webinars with thousands, literally thousands, of people, and each of those people represented a synagogue, a day school, a Jewish community center. And I know for a fact that thousands of institutions were saved by our advocacy work in Washington, by our grant-writing advocacy to help institutions June 16, 2022

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connect and navigate the world of those loans; it was a bridge to get them through the harshest days of the pandemic. LiveSecure, I mentioned earlier, we created and launched that again on the heels of Pittsburgh. And I can tell you one of the most profound experiences I had was going to Pittsburgh that Sunday evening and seeing more than 100 clergy members from every religion, every denomination in the spectrum of the world in Pittsburgh with thousands of people in that beautiful memorial hall. And just how everyone came together; that support and strength is something I will never forget. And I remember one of the Muslim religious leaders said we’re going to go and protect your institutions. We’ll be on guard with you. And that was powerful. And now, we’re in the midst of just getting going on Ukraine. Another touch point for me was going to the Poland-Ukraine border. From a personal level, that was very powerful. My parents are Holocaust survivors. My mom was from Lviv in Poland – now it’s Ukraine, of course. And my dad grew up maybe 10 minutes away from this border, and we’re seeing thousands of refugees come in. And I know 80 years ago, my parents were refugees, and there was no State of Israel, and no one in the world was thinking about taking care of them or any the people that were so dramatically affected by those events then. And now, here we are. The first flag you see going across the border was an Israeli flag, a humanitarian tent and on Polish soil, where 80 years ago there was no State of Israel, and no one who looked out for them. To see that Polish flag was also something very dramatic. I’m very proud of the way we responded, the way we’ve come together. And one other important point, which was also a goal, but was dramatically accelerated, was the ability to June 16, 2022

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work across all organizations. Out of the pandemic, we developed a coalition to deal with the pandemic, where we had national organizations, both lay and professional, from JCCs, from Jewish Family Services, from Hillel, from all the denominations, and we have continued that process of getting together weekly. And now it’s evolved from pandemic discussions to other topics – ways we can be more efficient, ways we can connect to people. Q: There are certain events like Ukraine that have united the Jewish community. Obviously, there’s always a divergence of opinions and philosophies; that’s one of the strengths of the Jewish community. But sometimes, it goes beyond that. How do you see the state of the unification or lack thereof of the American Jewish community right now and where it goes from here, especially politically? A: Well, I don’t want to overuse the fire analogy. But when there are all these crises around you and humanitarian suffering, it gets you laser-focused, and any divisions there might be become relatively … I don’t want to say trivial, because there’s some seriousness sometimes in how we approach the world. But we certainly are all recognizing that we are greater and stronger as a collective. And JFNA and the Federation system can help be a convener for that. I think that’s happened. And Ukraine is a perfect example. You have not just traditional partners like JDC [the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee] and Yaffe, which do incredible work. But again, we work with Hillel, we work with United Hatzalah. We work with Chabad. We work with all the groups on the ground and figure out a way that we’re not tripping over each other, and we can be as impactful and effective as we have to be. So, it’s a story that needs to be understood more.

The other thing I think is worth noting is while there are 200,000 Jews in Ukraine – and there’s a big Jewish community in Russia impacted, as well – but they’re nearly 6 million people, out of 44 million people, the largest refugee migration since World War II, leaving Ukraine. And part of our fundraising, part of our work, is humanitarian and non-sectarian. So, we’re very proud of the fact that we’re part of that global response as well because I think that’s also the role of the Jewish community – to be responsive to all the suffering going on, as much as we can. Q: What are you going to miss? A: I’ve been so busy running through the tape here that I haven’t been able to spend too much time thinking about it. Listen, I love the work; it’s very rewarding. I will certainly miss the daily interactions with Eric, with the officers, with all the great lay and professionals, going to communities and seeing Jewish life flourishing. I was just in Indianapolis, for instance, last night, and getting to see all the great points of light around the country, seeing tables of three generations – grandparents, children and grandchildren – all connecting to the community. So, I’ll miss that because I get massive energy from that. But I feel encouraged and very positive about the future of the United States, which has been so great to my own family. But just for all of us as a Jewish community, I feel that seeing it firsthand, as I have these past few years, I feel so positive about the ability to continue to flourish here in North America, to continue to stay connected with Israel. And I hope that grows significantly and continues to grow in future generations. My own son just came back from being a counselor on Birthright, and I know there were 11,000 young people that got to go back to Israel again in May. So, what I’ll

miss is all the energy I get from all the incredible people that help do all this sacred work. Q: You’ve got a couple of side ventures, including one that’s very high-profile with the Vikings. Are you diving headlong back into those? A: You know, I will continue to just keep busy. I’m blessed to have incredible support from my wife, Jane, and my kids. My whole family [they have four children] is so supportive of the work I do. So, I’ll hopefully keep a hand in the Jewish community somehow. I do want to highlight that there is a lot of great, new young talent in the professional ranks within the JFNA. We made a lot of progress on getting a handle on big data. I think data is a big buzzword, and it should be. We have to understand who our donors are, who our participants are in all our activities, new models and how to engage young people. So, while we’re doing the normal responsiveness that we’re more well-known for and need to continue to grow and be as effective as we can be – and we’ve come a long way in all those areas, too – we’ve really implemented or begun to implement a lot of things recommended in a strategic study from before I took over. Things like talent development, data aggregation, connecting to communities better. One other little piece. I end almost all my remarks with an expression that is very powerful to me. And I think it represents really what JFNA is about, what is deep in my own heart. I say Am Yisrael Chai (“the people of Israel live”), and it’s just a few words, but it’s very powerful, and it’s a 1,000-year-old tradition. And we’re not a large number of people – the Jewish people – but we’re very impactful. And I’ll never stop saying that expression and being very proud of the fact that this work is a big piece of that.

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CT SYNAGOGUE DIRECTORY To join our synagogue directory of paid advertisers, contact stacey@20media20.com BLOOMFIELD B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom/ Neshama Center for Lifelong Learning Conservative Rabbi Debra Cantor (860) 243-3576 office@BTSonline.org www.btsonline.org

BRIDGEPORT Congregation B’nai Israel Reform Rabbi Evan Schultz (203) 336-1858 info@cbibpt.org www.cbibpt.org Congregation Rodeph Sholom Conservative (203) 334-0159 Rabbi Richard Eisenberg, Cantor Niema Hirsch info@rodephsholom.com www.rodephsholom.com

CHESHIRE Temple Beth David Reform Rabbi Micah Ellenson (203) 272-0037 office@TBDCheshire.org www.TBDCheshire.org

CHESTER Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek Reform Rabbi Marci Bellows (860) 526-8920 rabbibellows@cbsrz.org www.cbsrz.org

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

FAIRFIELD Congregation Beth El, Fairfield Conservative Rabbi Joshua Ratner (203) 374-5544 office@bethelfairfield.org www.bethelfairfield.org

GLASTONBURY Congregation Kol Haverim Reform Rabbi Dr. Kari Tuling (860) 633-3966 office@kolhaverim.org www.kolhaverim.org

GREENWICH Greenwich Reform Synagogue Reform Rabbi Jordie Gerson (203) 629-0018 WendyBarr@grs.com www.grs.org Temple Sholom Conservative Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz Rabbi Kevin Peters (203) 869-7191 info@templesholom.com www.templesholom.com

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

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

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

PUTNAM

WATERFORD

NEW LONDON HAMDEN Congregation Mishkan Israel Reform Rabbi Brian P. Immerman (203) 288-3877 tepstein@cmihamden.org www.cmihamden.org Temple Beth Sholom Conservative Rabbi Benjamin Edidin Scolnic (203) 288-7748 tbsoffice@tbshamden.com www.tbshamden.com

MADISON Temple Beth Tikvah Reform Rabbi Danny Moss (203) 245-7028 office@tbtshoreline.org www.tbtshoreline.org

MANCHESTER Beth Sholom B’nai Israel Conservative Rabbi Randall Konigsburg (860) 643-9563 Rabbenu@myshul.org admin@myshul.org www.myshul.org

MIDDLETOWN Adath Israel Conservative Rabbi Nelly Altenburger (860) 346-4709 office@adathisraelct.org www.adathisraelct.org

NEW HAVEN The Towers at Tower Lane Conservative Ruth Greenblatt, Spiritual Leader Sarah Moskowitz, Spiritual Leader (203) 772-1816 rebecca@towerlane.org www.towerlane.org

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WASHINGTON

Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel Conservative Rabbi Eric Woodward rabbi@beki.org (203) 389-2108 office@BEKI.org www.BEKI.org

Ahavath Chesed Synagogue Orthodox Rabbi Avrohom Sternberg 860-442-3234 Ahavath.chesed@att.net Congregation Beth El Conservative Rabbi Earl Kideckel (860) 442-0418 office@bethel-nl.org www.bethel-nl.org

NEWINGTON Temple Sinai Reform Rabbi Jeffrey Bennett (860) 561-1055 templesinaict@gmail.com www.sinaict.org

NEWTOWN Congregation Adath Israel Conservative Rabbi Barukh Schectman (203) 426-5188 office@congadathisrael.org www.congadathisrael.org

NORWALK Beth Israel Synagogue – Chabad of Westport/ Norwalk Orthodox-Chabad Rabbi Yehoshua S. Hecht (203) 866-0534 info@bethisraelchabad.org bethisraelchabad.org Temple Shalom Reform Rabbi Cantor Shirah Sklar (203) 866-0148 admin@templeshalomweb. org www.templeshalomweb.org

NORWICH Congregation Brothers of Joseph Modern Orthodox Rabbi Yosef Resnick (781 )201-0377 yosef.resnick@gmail.com https://brofjo.tripod.com

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

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

SIMSBURY

WEST HARTFORD

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

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

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

Beth David Synagogue Modern Orthodox Rabbi Yitzchok Adler (860) 236-1241 office@bethdavidwh.org www.bethdavidwh.org Beth El Temple Conservative Rabbi James Rosen Rabbi Rachel Zerin Cantor Joseph Ness (860) 233-9696 info@bethelwh.org www.bethelwesthartford. org Chabad House of Greater Hartford Rabbi Joseph Gopin Rabbi Shaya Gopin, Director of Education (860) 232-1116 info@chabadhartford.com www.chabadhartford.com Congregation Beth Israel Reform Rabbi Michael Pincus Rabbi Andi Fliegel Cantor Stephanie Kupfer (860) 233-8215 bethisrael@cbict.org www.cbict.org Congregation P’nai Or Jewish Renewal Shabbat Services & Holidays Rabbi Andrea CohenKiener (860) 561-5905 pnaiorct@gmail.com www.jewishrenewalct.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) 679-4446 ostro770@hotmail.com Young Israel of West Hartford Orthodox Rabbi Tuvia Brander (860) 233-3084 info@youngisraelwh.org www.youngisraelwh.org

WESTPORT Temple Israel of Westport Reform Rabbi Michael Friedman, Senior Rabbi Cantor Julia Cadrain, Senior Cantor Rabbi Elana NemitoffBresler, Rabbi Educator Rabbi Zach Plesent, Assistant Rabbi (203) 227-1293 info@tiwestport.org www.tiwestport.org

WETHERSFIELD Temple Beth Torah Unaffiliated Rabbi Alan Lefkowitz 860-529-2410 tbt.w.ct@gmail.com templebethtorahwethersfield.org

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

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

June 16, 2022

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SYNAGOGUE DIRECTORY WESTERN AND CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS

AMHERST

FLORENCE

LONGMEADOW

Jewish Community of Amherst Reconstructionist Rabbi Benjamin Weiner (413) 256-0160 info@jcamherst.org www.jcamherst.org 742 Main St., Amherst, MA 01002

Beit Ahavah, The Reform Synagogue of Greater Northampton Reform Rabbi Riqi Kosovske (413) 587-3770 info@beitahavah.org www.beitahavah.org 130 Pine St. Florence, MA 01062

Congregation B’nai Torah Orthodox Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe Rabbi Yakov Wolff (413) 567-0036 office@bnaitorahma.org rabbi@bnaitorahma.org www.bnaitorahma.org 2 Eunice Drive Longmeadow, MA 01106 Neighborhood Minyan 124 Sumner Avenue Springfield, MA 01108

ATHOL Temple Israel Unaffiliated/Egalitarian Reb Sarah Noyovitz (978) 249-9481 templeisraelathol@gmail.com 107 Walnut Street Athol, MA 01331

BENNINGTON, VT Congregation Beth El Reconstructionist Rabbi Micah Becker Klein (802) 442-9645 cbevtoffice@gmail.com www.cbevermont.org 225 North St., Bennington, VT 05201

CLINTON Congregation Shaarei Zedeck Conservative Lay Leadership - Elena Feinberg (978) 501-2744 sherryesq@yahoo.com www.shaareizedeck.org 104 Water St., Clinton, MA 01510

GREENFIELD Temple Israel of Greenfield Unaffiliated Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener (413) 773-5884 office@templeisraelgreenfield.org www.templeisraelgreenfield.org 27 Pierce St. Greenfield, MA 01301

HOLYOKE Congregation Rodphey Sholom Orthodox Rabbi Tuvia Helfen Religious Leader (413) 534-5262 djs1818@aol.com 1800 Northampton St., Holyoke, MA 01040 Congregation Sons of Zion Conservative Rabbi Saul Perlmutter (413) 534-3369 office@sonsofzionholyoke.org www.sonsofzionholyoke.org 378 Maple St. Holyoke, MA 01040

LEOMINSTER Congregation Agudat Achim Conservative Rabbi Eve Eichenholtz (978) 534-6121 office@agudat-achim.org www.agudat-achim.org 268 Washington St., Leominster, MA 01453

NORTHAMPTON Congregation B’nai Israel Conservative Rabbi Justin David (413) 584-3593 office@CBINorthampton.org www.CBINorthampton.org 253 Prospect St. Northampton, MA 01060

PITTSFIELD Temple Anshe Amunim Reform Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (413) 442-5910 rabbiliz@ansheamunim.org www.ansheamunim.org 26 Broad St., Pittsfield, MA 01201

SPRINGFIELD Sinai Temple Reform Rabbi Jeremy Master (413) 736-3619 rblanchettegage@sinai-temple.org www.sinai-temple.org 1100 Dickinson St., Springfield, MA 01108

Temple Beth El Conservative Rabbi Amy Walk (413) 733-4149 office@tbesprinfield.org www.tbespringfield.org 979 Dickinson St., Springfield, MA 01108

WESTBOROUGH Beth Tikvah Synagogue Independent Rabbi Michael Swarttz (508) 616-9037 president@bethtikvahsynagogue. org www.bethtikvahsynagogue.org 45 Oak St., Westborough, MA 01581 Congregation B’nai Shalom Reform Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz/ Rabbi-Educator Joseph Eiduson (508) 366-7191 info@cbnaishalom.org www.cbnaishalom.org 117 East Main St., PO Box 1019, Westborough, MA 01581

WESTFIELD Congregation Ahavas Achim Unaffiliated Rabbi Shahar Colt (413) 642-1797 ahavasachiminquiry@gmail.com www.congregationahavasachim. org Ferst Interfaith Center, Westfield State University PO Box 334, 577 Western Avenue, Westfield, MA 01086 Find us on Facebook: https://www. facebook.com/AhavasAchimWestfield/

WORCESTER Central Mass Chabad Rabbi Mendel Fogelman, Rabbi Chaim Fishman, Rabbi Michael Phillips, Cantor Eli Abramowitz (508) 752-0904 rabbi@centralmasschabad.com www.centralmasschabad.com 22 Newton Avenue, Worcester, MA 01602 Congregation Beth Israel Conservative Rabbi Aviva Fellman (508) 756-6204 receptionist@bethisraelworc.org www.bethisraelworc.org 15 Jamesbury Drive Worcester, MA 01609 Congregation Shaarai Torah West Orthodox Rabbi Yakov Blotner (508) 791-0013 Brotman156@aol.com www.shaaraitorah.org 835 Pleasant St. Worcester, MA 01602 Temple Emanuel Sinai Reform Rabbi Valerie Cohen (508) 755-1257 amayou@emanuelsinai.org www.emanuelsinai.org 661 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609

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Obituaries ALDERMAN

Richard J. Alderman, 83, of New York, N.Y., died May 26. Born in New Haven, Conn., he was the son of Samuel B. “Pookie” Alderman and Ruth Mednick Alderman. He is survived by his older sister, Barbara (Alderman) Stein, two nephews and a niece, their spouses, two greatnephews, and six great-nieces.

KANTOR

Dr. Fred Stuart Kantor, 90, of New Haven, Conn., died May 28. He was the husband of Linda (Silverman) Kantor. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he was the son of Nathan Kantor and Sylvia (Rosenthal) Kantor. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Michael and his wife Kathy, Karen, Ted and his wife Susan; and his grandchildren, Emma, Twyla, Rebecca, Alice, Max, Sam, and Isabelle. He was predeceased by his grandson, Sacha.

KOWALUK

Beverly Goodman Kowaluk, 85, of Bloomfield, died May 26. She was the widow of Nick Kowaluk. Born in Hartford, Conn., she was the daughter of Harry and Rose (Kahan) Goodman. She was also predeceased by her sister Gertrude (Goldie) and her brother-in-law Solly, and her granddaughter Dayna. She is survived by her daughters, Corey Rubin and her husband Darryl Shaw, Stacy Kowaluk and her husband Dan Velcofsky, and Jodey Charette; her grandchildren, Oceana, Rayla, David, Michael, Sarah and Joshua; her greatgranddaughters, Chloe and Ophelia; and two nephews and their families.

LAWRENCE

Frieda (Diamond) Lawrence, 98, of Longmeadow, Mass., formerly of Queens, N.Y., died June 2. She was the widow of Dr. David E. Lawrence (nee Lipsky). Born in New York City, she was the daughter of Philip and Jennie

Diamond. She is survived by her daughters Ronnie Leavitt and her husband Richard Alpert of Longmeadow, Mass., and Leslie Lawrence of Cambridge Mass.; her grandchildren, Alan Leavitt and his wife Jenni, Kenneth Leavitt and his wife Jess, and Samuel Lawrence and his wife Kaitlyn; her great-grandchildren, Tessa, Wiley and Emmie; and many nieces and nephew.

MADOFF

Sonya Madoff, 91, Stamford, Conn., formerly of the own, Conn., died June 3. She was the wife of Jeff Madoff. Born in the Bronx, she was the daughter of Joe and Bessie Rubenstein. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her son, Alec Madoff and his wife Jeanine, and her granddaughter Isabelle.

MARCUS

Joan (Brill) Marcus, 78, of Madison, Conn., and Lighthouse Point, Fla., died May 29. She was the wife of Joel Marcus. Born in New York, N.Y., she was the daughter of the late Martin and Anita (Levy) Brill. She was also predeceased by her son David S. Marcus. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her siblings, Steven Brill and Carole Brill.

granddaughter, Avery Menaker. She was also precessed by her brothers, Howie Cooper and Sandy Cooper. She was a member of Congregation Beth Ahm in Windsor.

MEYER

Nicholas Meyer, 24, of New Rochelle, N.Y. and Milford, Conn., died May 30. Born in New Haven, Conn., he was the son of David and Meredith (Simon) Meyer. In addition to his parents, he is survived by his brother Evan Meyer of Milford. A graduate of Hofstra University, he was a senior fund accountant at a private equity firm in New York City.

MEYERS

Stuart Meyers, 73, of Ft. Myers, Fla. and Longmeadow, Mass., died May 9. Born in Springfield, Mass., he was the son of Ben and Jan Meyers. He is survived by his children, Aaron Meyers

and his wife Michelle Dowell, Jared Meyers and his wife Allison Schechter, and Rachel Meyers and her husband Dave Graham; and his grandchildren, Ella and Sam Meyers, and Jordan and Emma Graham.

OFFENBACH

Enid (Rutenberg) Offenbach, 89, of East Hills, N.Y., died May 30. She was the widow of David Offenbach. She is survived by her children, Daniel Offenbach and his wife Carol of Florida and Illinois, Nancy Spaulding and her husband Bradford of Stamford, Conn., and Diane Offenbach of Norwalk, Conn.; her grandchildren, Alex Offenbach and Adam Offenbach, Rachel (Spaulding) Carty and her husband Keino, Andrew Spaulding and his wife Delaney and Arianne Spaulding, and her great-grandchildren, Riley Spaulding and Esme Carty.

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ROSENTHAL

Fredalyn (“Fredi”) Daisy (Gerber) Rosenthal, “Fredi”, 95, of Longmeadow, Mass., died April 1. She was the widow of Benjamin Rosenthal. She was the daughter of the late Dr. Samuel and Esther Gerber. She is survived by her children, Joyce Contois and her husband Paul of Springfield, Mass., Charlene Cutler and her husband Mark of Longmeadow, and David Rosenthal and his wife of Norfolk, Mass.; his grandchildren, Adam Cutler and his wife Claudia of North Andover, Mass., Becky Munday and her husband Brian of West Hartford, Conn., Seth Kaye of Chicopee, Mass., Cheryl Dusza of Springfield, and Marlee Rosenthal of Jamaica Plain; her great-grandchildren, Reese, Bailey, Mateo, Maya, Ethan; and a nephew, Ronnie. She was a long time member of Sinai Temple.

TANENBAUM

Edythe J. Tanenbaum, 92, of New Haven, Conn., formerly of North Haven, Conn., died June 2. Born in New Haven, Conn., she was the daughter of Fabian and Evelyn Rosenstein. She was a longtime member of Congregations Beth El Keser Israel and Beth Sholom. She is survived by her daughters, Lisa Foster and her husband Richard, Lori Zaret, Betsy Bodling and her husband Edward, and Ellen Rubenfeld and her husband Steven; her grandchildren, Ashley Persino, Brandon, Trevor and Alex Foster, Wesley and Brian Bodling, Rebecca Vice, Joshua Zaret, Paul and Grace Rubenfeld; and six great-grandchildren. She shared a loving relationship with the late Fenmore Puklin and was previously married to the late Dr. J. Lawrence Tanenbaum. She was predeceased by her brother, Irwin Rosenstein, of Los Angeles, Calif. For more information on placing an obituary, contact: judiej@ jewishledger.

June 16, 2022

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Phil Ritzenberg was former editor and publisher of NY Jewish Week BY ANDREW-SILOW-CARROLL

(New York Jewish Week) – Phillip Ritzenberg, a journalist and newspaper designer who served as publisher and editor of the New York Jewish Week from 1982 through 1993, died May 26 in Woodmere, New York. He was 90. Ritzenberg led the New York Jewish Week after it had been acquired from its founder, Philip Hochstein, by a group of community leaders that included real estate investor Eugene Grant. The new leadership converted the paper into an independent New York non-profit corporation with close ties to UJA-Federation of Greater New York. “The paper has made tremendous strides during these 10 years of Phil’s leadership,” Grant, who died in 2018, said when Ritzenberg PHIL RITZENBERG left the paper (COURTESY JEREMY in 1993 to RIT ZENBERG) launch a consulting firm specializing in weekly newspapers. “His professionalism has helped shape the paper into an important and respected institution of Jewish life in New York.” (In 2020 the New York Jewish Week was acquired by 70 Faces Media.) Ritzenberg came to the Jewish Week from the New York Daily News, where he led the tabloid’s transition to computerized typesetting and, as assistant managing editor, was responsible for the newspaper’s design. One of the founders of the international Society of Newspaper Design (later renamed the Society for News Design) and its only

two-term president, Ritzenberg consulted for both daily and weekly newspapers and wrote and lectured on typography and design. He received SND’s lifetime achievement award in 2008. Phillip Ritzenberg was born in Cleveland on June 22, 1931. He graduated from Case Western Reserve in 1953, continuing his studies at the University of Berlin under a Fulbright scholarship. He served as a Navy officer on the USS Midway aircraft carrier and as a Naval Air Intelligence Reserve Officer, retiring as a commander. After the Navy, he worked as a reporter and copy editor at the Cleveland Press before moving to New York and taking a position as a copy editor for the World Telegram and Sun, which merged in 1966 with the Herald Tribune and the Journal American to become the World Journal Tribune. He and his wife of 66 years, Edna Heneck, raised their two sons in Woodmere and were members of Congregation Sons of Israel and Temple Beth El. He is is survived by his wife; his son Jonathan Ritzenberg of Los Angeles; his son Jeremy Ritzenberg of Westwood, Massachusetts, his daughter-in-law Jill Scirpo and grandchildren Jack and Julia, also of Westwood; his sister Betty Davis of Cleveland and brother Robert Ritz of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Jewish featherweight champ Ike Berger won 3 Olympic medals BY JACOB GURVIS

(JTA) – Setting Moses and the Maccabees aside, it’s not a stretch to call Isaac Berger one of the strongest Jews ever. Known as “Ike,” Berger won three Olympic medals, two World Championships and eight U.S. national championships in

ISAAC BERGER, LEFT, AT THE 1964 TOKYO OLYMPICS. (CENTRAL PRESS/HULTON ARCHIVE/ GETTY IMAGES)

weightlifting during a dominant stretch in the 1950s and 60s. Berger died of natural causes on Saturday, June 4, his family told JTA. He was 85. Berger was the first featherweight in history to combine lift more than 800 pounds – spread over two different lifts – even as his bodyweight never surpassed 60 kilograms, or about 132 pounds. Born in 1936 in British Mandatory Palestine, Berger was raised by a Hasidic family in the Beit Yisrael neighborhood of Jerusalem. His father was a rabbi. Berger and his family moved to the United States in 1949, and he became a citizen six years later. Then his athletic career took off. In the ensuing decade, Berger would go on to become one of the most decorated featherweights in U.S. history. He competed in three Olympics, winning gold in 1956 and silver in both 1960 and 1964. Berger would later auction off his gold medal for several thousand dollars.

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