Massachusetts Jewish Ledger • August 14, 2020 • 24 Av 5780

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INSIDE

this week

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | AUGUST 14, 2020 | 15 AV 5780

8 Around Mass

10 Jewish Federation of Western Mass.

13 Milestones

14 Jewish Federation of Central Mass.

Arts & Entertainment .................. 4 Eight incredible Israeli shows you may not have heard of

Learning in a Box.........................5 JCamp-in-a-Box and Kesher Crates provide fun and learning

In memoriam................................5 Rabbi Mark Shapiro was spiritual leader of Sinai Temple for 28 years

18 Synagogue Directory

21 Bulletin Board

22 Obituaries

The High Holidays................................................................................................ 6 Online or in-person, safety is the first priority for the High Holidays

Gary M. Gaffin

ON THE COVER: Many Jewish groups – political and religious – have aligned on the issue of the right to vote this year and are lobbying for widespread mail-in voting. In doing so they are butting heads with the Trump administration -- and the president himself, who frequently makes claims, without evidence, that mail-in votes are susceptible to fraud. PAGE 16 majewishledger.com

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

8 incredible Israeli shows you may not have heard of With the beginning of a tumultuous new decade, there have been some silver linings – it’s pretty clear that Israel is dominating the global television space today.

Not even a pandemic can stop Israel from coming out on top.

BY BRANDON SCHUSTER

I

t’s no secret that for more than a decade now, Hollywood has turned toward Israel to look for new show formats that could be adapted well for English-language audiences.

Award-winning hit series adapted from Israeli shows, like HBO’s In Treatment and Showtime’s Homeland, have helped Israel become the third-largest content exporter in the U.S. over the past decade, just behind the U.K. and the Netherlands, an incredible and unlikely feat for such a small country, and one that only just introduced commercial television to its citizens as recent as the ‘90s.

Successful U.S. series with major Israeli ties – including Netflix’s Unorthodox and HBO’s Euphoria – recently received a slew of Emmy nominations. Unorthodox landed the coveted nomination for best limited series and both shows saw their leading actresses, Shira Haas and Zendaya, nominated alongside major stars.

Yet when Israeli television is mentioned today, one of two shows usually follows in the conversation: Fauda or Shtisel. These shows have become bona fide and critically adored hits on Netflix, well before the pandemic. In particular, the global success of Shtisel, five years after the show first aired in Israel, has led the beloved series about a haredi Orthodox family to be renewed for a new season that is currently shooting in Israel.

So what is it about Israeli shows that are so appealing and winning over millions of viewers from around the world? Even with smaller budgets to work with, Israeli series offer a unique cinematic appeal that most other television shows don’t have. The lack of budget has allowed for more focus on incredibly rich character development, brought to life by the Israeli and Palestinian talents behind and in front of the camera, 4

that’s almost always rooted in conflict, a common theme that people who live in this Middle Eastern region face on a daily basis.

At the end of the day though, Israeli shows have one thing that most other shows around the world don’t necessarily have – chutzpah (even if that word has a completely different meaning in the Jewish state). Israeli series aren’t afraid to push the envelope and “go there.” And they’re certainly not afraid to be critical of their own country and downright controversial at times either. Look no further than the debate and controversy that HBO’s Our Boys spurred around the world (more on that below).

As COVID-19 has shut down production sets, North American broadcast networks and streaming platforms have been looking abroad to fill the void for new content in the coming months. A number of Israeli series have certainly benefited from this. In recent weeks, as a result, we’ve seen streaming platforms buying the international rights to and signing on as co-producers for some of Israel’s top series. Apple TV+ alone has added an unprecedented five Israeli productions and adaptations to its roster in recent months, including a limited series about Hedy Lamarr starring Gal Gadot, which was originally supposed to air on Showtime.

We’re at a very exciting point now when audiences and critics around the world are starting to discover that there are other fantastic Israeli series worthy to binge on beyond just Fauda and Shtisel. Here are eight Israeli shows that you might not have heard of yet – and that you should definitely start watching right now. Six of these shows are currently available for streaming here in North America, along with two other highly anticipated shows that you’ll be able to stream very soon.

Vol. 21 No. 8

themselves wrapped up in the high-profile kidnapping of an Iranian government minister from his Moscow hotel room. The only catch is that they all claim that they weren’t even in Moscow and that they do not work for the Mossad.

After False Flag premiered to roaring success at the Berlinale Film Festival, Hulu scored the exclusive U.S. streaming rights for the anthology series. But stateside, it largely flew under the radar until recently.

Many viewers have discovered the show in recent months after a handful of TV critics started pushing False Flag as a quality quarantine binge suggestion. Apple TV+ also recently bought the rights to produce an English-language adaptation called Suspicion, starring Academy Award nominee Uma Thurman. Filming for the new show started in March but was suspended during its first week of shooting due to the pandemic.

Stockholm (Topic / CBC)

When the front-runner for the Nobel Prize in Economics is found dead in his bed, his four closest friends scramble to keep him “alive” in the increasingly hectic days leading up to the big announcement. This Weekend at Bernie’s meets Grace and Frankie series is based on the popular novel

by Noa Yedlin and has been a huge hit in Israel, where it airs on Kan 11. The cast of this hilarious dark comedy is also comprised of Israeli acting royalty, including Sasson Gabai (The Band’s Visit) and Tikva Dayan (The Golden Girls).

In this high-paced espionage and conspiracy thriller, five seemingly ordinary citizens find

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Stockholm was the first-ever Israeli show selected to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it earned a ton of buzz and critical raves. Shortly thereafter, the CBC, home to the Emmynominated hit Canadian series Schitt’s Creek, scooped up the rights to stream the Hebrew language show during its fall premiere season. In the U.S., when the new streaming platform Topic launched a few

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UP FRONT

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | AUGUST 14, 2020 | 15 AV 5780

Learning in a Box Activity boxes open up Jewish learning,

IN MEMORIAM Rabbi Mark Dov Shapiro was spiritual leader of Sinai Temple for 28 years

STEM, and fun to kids and parents

BY STACEY DRESNER

BY STACEY DRESNER

W

ESTERN Mass. - It has been a long summer for the parents of small and school-aged children, many of whom are exhausted from trying to keep their kids engaged while they themselves work from home during the ongoing Covid19 pandemic.

In Western Mass., several Jewish agencies have developed specialized sets of activities “in-a-box” that are not only fun for children, but also include important opportunities for learning.

When Sara Bedford, the New American Program Director at Jewish Family Services of Western Mass. approached the Springfield Jewish Community Center with the idea to create activity boxes for refugee and low-income youth in the area, JCC leadership jumped at the chance to collaborate, especially since the JCC’s physical camp program was closed this summer due to Covid.

The result was Camp-in-a-Box. By early July, two rooms in the JCC were filled with 400 cardboard boxes packed with Campin-a-Box activity materials.

With a generous grant from the Community SOME OF THE FUN ACTIVITIES Foundation of Western INSIDE CAMP-IN-A-BOX. Massachusetts to JFS, along with support from HIAS, The Philanthropic Initiative of Boston (TPI), the Jewish Endowment Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and PJ Library Western Massachusetts, as well as many other local partners, sponsors, and volunteers, JFS and the JCC combined resources to create the boxes.

“This was a real labor of love for our staff to make sure the kids had something to do over the summer,” said Michael Paysnick, executive director of the Springfield JCC. While the JCC distributed boxes to JCC summer day majewishledger.com

campers who missed out on camp this summer, the JFS adapted approximately 250 of the boxes for its refugee and low-income children. Some of the other JCC boxes went to PJ Library families via the Jewish Federation.

Educational subscription boxes for children have been around for a while – with specialized boxes offering kids packaged deliveries of arts & crafts, STEM projects, even food and meal kits for young cooks.

In a world where technological devices rule, all of these cardboard activity boxes seem to be welcome addition to many families hunkering down during the pandemic.

“We are all in this kind of bubble where we’re looking for solutions to being at home with kids…

Parents are now feeling – the term is -- ‘Zoomed out,’” laughed Nora Gorenstein, development officer for the Jewish Federation of Western Mass., and the parent of two small daughters. “With younger children especially, we’re trying to limit screen time … We can do these activities with our kids, in whatever format, no matter who is watching the kids, whether that’s a caretaker, or the grandparents or the parents.”

Inside each box is a camp guide listing the activities, including scavenger hunts, lessons on animals and nature, making kaleidoscopes and origami, a plantfocused project with seeds, designing t-shirts, and a Frisbee game (with a Frisbee in each box).

JFS brought in refugee youth expert Susan Tuberville to help adapt the boxes for refugee children.

This included translating activities into Nepali and Swahili, so that New American parents would be able assist and participate with their children. There are also English language development activities to help the children work on their language skills.

“New American parents struggled at the outset of the summer just as other parents did – they were worried about their kids and how to help them learn and have fun in the time of COVID-19,” said Bedford. “Many parents also had big barriers to contend with – smaller budgets, parents who cannot work from home, and limited English or digital literacy skills. JFS and the JCC teamed up to help parents overcome these barriers and make sure that every New American kid had something to look forward to each day of summer – even amidst Coronavirus.”

The first box went out to families in the middle of July. The second box, featuring more than 20 new activities -- and a soccer ball – went out to families on Aug. 6.

S

PRINGFIELD – When Rabbi Mark Dov Shapiro retired as spiritual leader of Sinai Temple in Springfield in 2016, he stayed in Longmeadow, the town that he and his wife Marsha had called home since 1988.

After 28 years at Sinai, Rabbi Shapiro said he was still inspired by his vocation, but thought it was better for the congregation to have a fresh change in leadership.

“I think it would be really good for the congregation to turn a page. A new rabbi would be good, I think, for the congregation. I have been the rabbi for a generation, so it is good for there to be change,” he told the Jewish Ledger back then.

“I still love this job and I love what I do. And I love the opportunity to be creative with programs and to be present with people and to visit with them and to innovate… I’m still excited and enthusiastic about the whole area of Jewish living, Jewish leadership and what rabbis can do to advance Jewish living at this time.”

RABBI MARK DOV SHAPIRO

Rabbi Shapiro passed away on Tuesday, July 21 in Longmeadow at the age of 70. He was buried on July 24 in his hometown of Toronto. He is survived by Marsha, his wife of nearly 48 years and his sons, Daniel and Jordan.

“Rabbi Shapiro was beloved by the members of this community for his leadership, his kindness, and his wisdom,” said Rabbi Jeremy Master, Rabbi Shapiro’s successor at Sinai Temple. “He was there for congregants in the happiest times and in the saddest times. It was very painful for congregants to hear of the death of someone who was part of their families’ most significant lifecycle moments.

Personally I felt warmly welcomed by Rabbi Shapiro when I moved here to be his successor. We met regularly and I very much enjoyed having the opportunity to get to know him.”

Ordained at Hebrew Union College in 1977, Rabbi Shapiro was a social work intern for Jewish Family Service in Cincinnati as part of his rabbinic studies. He also graduated from the Pastoral Counseling Program at the Post Graduate Center for Mental Health in New York City.

He began his career in the rabbinate as an associate CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

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AUGUST 14, 2020

5

Online or in-person?

SAFETY IS THE FIRST PRIORITY FOR THE HIGH HOLIDAYS

BY STACEY DRESNER

R

abbi Valerie Cohen of Temple Emanuel Sinai in Worcester began thinking about High Holiday services at her synagogue right after Passover, spurred on by concern about Covid-19.

“We started thinking about it early, earlier than I’ve ever thought about the High Holidays before,” Rabbi Cohen said.

In early June, the TES board made the decision that High Holiday services this year would be virtual.

“The decision was made because nobody knew what was going to happen and we could either spend a tremendous amount of energy pivoting if we needed to, or we could spend a tremendous amount of energy doing a really good job planning something that we knew we would be able to do no matter what.”

“We have been exploring what we can do in person safely…We haven’t done anything in person yet, although we’re working on it and I’m hoping that by the end of the month we will have an in-person gathering,” she said. “If that goes well, then we might be able to do an in-person gathering between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur that has a High Holiday element to it. We are planning for what I would call a drive-in shofar blowing experience – a drive-in in our parking lot. I think the value of hearing the shofar is one of the most important things that people want and need on the high holidays…

RABBI VALERIE COHEN And I think we are going to do it on the afternoon of the second day of Rosh Hashana.”

“We are working hard to plan services with the acknowledgment that we are in a different venue,” said Rabbi Cohen. “We are not going to plop what we have done in the past into an online service.”

Like Temple Emanuel Sinai, most, if not all Reform and Conservative congregations will be holding Zoom and live-streamed Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services this year.

Congregation Beth Israel in Worcester, which is Conservative, will be holding shortened 2- to 3-hour live-streamed Rosh Hashana services and abridged live-streamed Kol Nidrei, Yom Kippur, and Neilah services.

On the evening of July 29, Erev Tisha B’Av, Rabbi Aviva Fellman of Congregation 6

Beth Israel led the congregation’s first Orthodox synagogues, like Congregation in-person service at the synagogue since B’nai Torah in Longmeadow, will not be the Covid outbreak. Sixteen members holding online or electronically transmitted attended while the service was Zoomed to 30 services on the High Holidays for reasons of households. (See page 7 “On Tisha B’av, The halacha. But B’nai Torah will be offering a Rabbi Cried Happy Tears.”) couple of different in-person service options “I refuse to make our community choose for its members. between being part of our community by B’nai Torah has sent out a survey to all of coming in person and their safety by staying its members sharing the options and asking home and so it is of paramount importance members what services they would like to that we offer, especially as we have started attend. opening for limited in-person gatherings, Depending on how many register for the streaming or zoom (service dependent) as services, outdoor and tented services might well,” said Rabbi Fellman. be possible.

“I work tirelessly to break Due to state guidelines on down barriers to inclusion and indoor events – 10 people per foster acceptance of all in religious thousand square feet -- B’nai spaces and this is no different. We Torah must limit the number of do not need to carry the High Holy members at each indoor service Days alone and this is a way to help at its Eunice Drive synagogue engage and be “home” during the to 80 in both the sanctuary holidays.” and attached social hall. Those Congregation Beth Israel will attending must wear masks allow members to register for Ark and maintain 6-feet of social visits during the month of Elul, distance. so that they can offer personal Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe RABBI AVIVA FELLMAN said they are making some prayers, a custom of the temple’s Neilah service. concessions this year with They are also asking members who have regard to concerns about Covid. shofars to gather safely around town for live “Not only are we following all the state shofar blowing in the second day of Rosh guidelines and so on… we have made it clear Hashana. to our membership that if their doctors say

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| AUGUST 14, 2020

there is a degree of danger they shouldn’t come and they should pray at home. We are doing a lot of things to facilitate. One is, based on how people respond to our survey, if I have enough people in an area we can do shofar services in parks or open areas. If I get enough people from a neighborhood say, I can walk over. For people who are truly homebound we’ll show up and they can open their window and hear it from a safe distance.”

Making that even safer, the shofar is blown only on the second day this year, because you don’t blow the shofar on Shabbat, upon which the first day of Rosh Hashana falls.

In addition, because the Kol Nidre prayer is actually recited before Yom Kippur starts, B’nai Jacob will be able to Zoom the prayer.

This includes services at its Eunice Drive building and its Sumner Avenue RABBI SHLOMO YAFFE location in Forest Park, but space there is extremely limited.

There will be a traditional full service although shortened from the usual length as per Rabbinic guidelines regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The reason the service is so long on Yom Kippur is because there is liturgical poetry which is very beautiful in whatever language you say it, but because the time of exposure is a big issue, the service is going to be much shorter. Rabbi Yaffe also likes to hold “user-friendly” services “for those who aren’t necessarily familiar with Hebrew …an abridged version, much more explained and much more accessible.”

But holding such services on the busy High Holidays hasn’t always been easy.

“Now since the morning service, the primary service is so much shorter, in the afternoon we will be having the user-friendly service,” Rabbi Yaffee said. “Whether we have an outdoor service or a tent is dependent upon what people say in our comprehensive survey. That is up in the air right now.”

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KOLOT

On Tisha B’Av, the Rabbi cried happy tears

BY RABBI AVIVA FELLMAN

T

isha B’Av marks a communal day of mourning for the Jewish people. It is a day on which we mark the destruction of the First Temple (by the Babylonians in 586 BCE), the Second Temple (by the Romans in 70 CE), multiple expulsions, and pogroms. The day is observed by reading from Eicha (Lamentations), sitting low to the ground, not wearing leather, refraining from food and drink. The whole tone of the day is solemn.

For the past 7 years, since moving to Worcester to serve the Congregation Beth Israel and community, my Tisha B’Av has started the same way. I have eaten an earlier dinner with my family, and then headed to shul for services and Eicha. This year was the same, only it felt so different.

The evening service opened with these words: V’hu rachum yechaper avon v’lo yashchit - God is compassionate and will wipe away sin, not wreak destruction, V’hirbah l’hashiv apoh v’lo yair kolchamato - For again and again God acts with restraint, refusing to let rage become all-consuming, Adonai hoseah hamelech yaanenu b’yom koreinu - Adonai-help us - surely our sovereign will answer us at the hour of our calling.

While these words start each evening service, last night, on a day of such intense observance of mourning and loss, they seemed much more poignant. The mourning and loss this year feels different and personal. We are mourning not only the Jewish historical events that pre-dated even the honored elders of our community but this year we are also mourning the loss of family, neighbors, and friends. As Tisha B’Av was beginning this year, the death toll from COVID-19 hit 150,000 in the US alone. We are mourning our sense of security and safety. We are mourning the sense of danger that permeates every interaction outside of our home. We are mourning the sense of brokenness in the structures that helped to make us feel secure- our routines, being able to see the faces of others, of seeing family, of gathering to celebrate and mourn, of singing, and of being able to hug others.

There was and is a great sense of loss, and yet, when I got to the next words of the service, I started tearing, sobbing really – large, messy, happy tears. As I moved majewishledger.com

through the service and started reciting the words of the Barchu, I could no longer hold back. Why? What was different? I felt such an overwhelming flood of emotion.

These nine words were so familiar and yet felt so new. Maariv for Erev Tisha B’Av, the service that I was leading, was the first time in 4.5 months that we had gathered for services in person at the synagogue.

(We officially closed the building on March 13th.) The Barchu prayer is only recited in the presence of a physical minyan and in the period since we closed the physical building and moved our community worship online, we have omitted it from all services.

It felt comforting, familiar, and special to recite the words and so new and fresh.

Had it not been for the otherwise solemn tone of the day, I might have interrupted the service to recite a Shehechiyanu, a blessing that is said upon new experiences (including not having seen someone in over 30 days), but it was Tisha B’Av and it did not feel appropriate.

So I cried. I cried and I cried and I kept leading. As I teared into my mask, hoping that my voice would still carry over the microphone to the 16 congregants behind me in the room and hallway and to the 30 devices at home pictured on the screen in front of me, it made me realize how much I had really missed being able to daven (pray) with the support and voices of community.

Last night was not perfect and I don’t want to claim that it was. There were a few glitches that we will work through, although wonderfully far fewer than we expected.

Technology and safety will always be a work-in-progress and we will continue to try and make the service, the space, and the streaming as smooth and clear as possible.

We are indebted to the members of our synagogue family who have been calling Beth Israel their home and continue join us in community. Our Security/Health and Safety, Reopening, Facilities, Medical, and Ritual committees and task forces have been working tirelessly and then some to get us to this point with intention, caution, communication, drive, patience, and sensitivity. Our staff have kept the building and community operating and running often behind the scenes, I am appreciative of how resilient and supportive they have been.

This morning as I read Eicha on our Zoom Shacharit service, I had sad tears in my eyes. Zoom now feels so comfortable and normal and yet it does not compare

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a-zmovers.net to gathering in person. On Zoom, I can let my guard down a little. I don’t have to wear a mask. If bodies are getting too close to mine, I don’t feel that I need to recoil because those bodies live in the same house. And I can see the faces of others making it feel like a community. But it is no comparison to in-person. Last night reminded me of how much I had missed davening with our community, raising our voices in song, catching up and checking in with each other. It makes me want more and knowing that it is limited is hard.

The line that closes our Eicha reading (really second to last line that is repeated again at the end) is, “Take us back, O LORD, to Yourself, And let us come back; MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

Renew our days as of old!” Throughout the day of Tisha B’Av, there is a gradual shift as we rise from our mourning. I pray and long for the day when we can gather again regularly in-person. Until then, I will mourn that loss and rise to embrace the safe and secure routine that has become Zoom and work hard to continue to build ways for us to gather and build community even without the physical closeness and communal singing.

“See” you soon in-person or online.

Aviva Fellman is rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in Worcester.

| AUGUST 14, 2020

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Around Massachusetts Thanking our Healthcare Heroes and Feeding the Frontlines

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ESTERN MASS. – When Covid-19 hit Western Mass., Suze Goldman knew she had to do something to help healthcare workers on the front lines who were working with Covid patients at their own risk.

Goldman, a former president of the Jewish Federation of Western Mass. and a supporter of Rachel’s Table, the Federation’s hunger rescue and relief program came up with the initiative “Feeding the Front Lines” which provided essential health care workers with meals from local restaurants throughout Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin County. Through the initiative, Goldman sold 450 face masks for the benefit of Rachel’s Table, with the funds raised paying for the healthy lunches and dinners that were delivered to nursing homes and local hospitals like Mercy Medical Center, Jewish Geriatric Services-Lifecare, Reeds Landing, Governor’s Center and others. Sarah Maniaci, associate director of Rachel’s Table connected with Bobby Barkett, owner of The Kitchen, a restaurant in Longmeadow, who provided the sandwiches, chips, and fruit and distributed the meals. Zach Schwartz of Fusion Signs joined the effort by donating a percentage of his signs sold supporting our heroes to Rachel’s Table. The effort provided meals for the state police, firefighters and first responders in Franklin County, as well. Jodi Falk, director of Rachel’s Table coordinated bringing healthy lunches from Subway and Antonio’s to healthcare workers at Poets Seat Health Care Center, Charlene Manor and others. With funds raised including the generous donations from many supporters, approximately 900 meals were provided to workers on the front lines. Next, the initiative turned to essential health care facility and nursing home staffers and more funds were raised to produce gift bags containing gift cards for groceries at Stop & Shop. Judy Yaffe, a veteran Rachel’s Table board member coordinated efforts to deliver gift cards to area agencies. Shown below, Suze Goldman, right, delivering Rachel’s Table’s first batch of grocery gift cards as a token of appreciation to the health care team at Care One in East Longmeadow on July 22.

Since then, grocery gift cards have been bestowed upon essential health care workers at several other healthcare centers and nursing homes in Hampden and Hampshire Country.

“It became a multi-pronged initiative that was just terrific,” Goldman said.

“Everyone was so happy to contribute. It was the community

ERIC AND MARGIE BERG TAKE COMMUNITY ON A VIRTUAL TRIP TO ISRAEL WITH JEWISH NATIONAL FUND-USA.

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AST LONGMEADOW -- With the latest predictions suggesting Israel’s tourism industry could lose up to $1.16 billion due to the COVID-19 crisis, Jewish National Fund-USA (JNF-USA) in Western Mass is helping Israeli tour guides through an innovative new ‘virtual travel’ initiative.

In launching JNF Virtual Travel & Tours, the organization’s travel department is offering seats on virtual tour buses to some of Israel’s iconic and lesser-known travel destinations. Current itineraries include visits to the Old City of Jerusalem, Ayalon Institute, Akko, Be’er Sheva, and the JNF Sderot Indoor Recreation Center.

“As many of us continue social distancing due to the pandemic, I think our community has gained a greater appreciation for the rich calendar of in-person communal events that we once had, and will continue to have, when life slowly returns to normal,” said Eric Berg, JNF-USA Southern New England Campaign Chair.

“Naturally, people miss interacting with each other which is why I believe our virtual tour initiative has been so successful.”

The virtual buses include seating for up to 22 participants. Each bus also includes a licensed Israeli tour guide and a professional JNF-USA staff member. A $50 per “Zoom window” registration fee covers one hour of touring per day over the weeklong visit which takes place Monday through Thursday for two hours during the afternoon.

The first hour is for touring and the second hour provides an opportunity to debrief and socialize with a cocktail in hand. On Friday, participants will experience a beautiful pre-Shabbat experience between 4-5 p.m.

“We were delighted to lead our week-long tour of Israel because it enabled us to support Israel’s out-of-work tour guides while also providing our friends, family, and neighbors with an opportunity to connect with Israel and one another,” said Margie Berg. “I don’t think we could have anticipated how meaningful our virtual trip would be.”

To reserve a “seat” on a JNF-USA’s virtual tour, visit jnf.org/virtualtours.

Drive through produce

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ORCESTER – On Aug. 5 and 12, Central Mass Chabad, in collaboration with Boston Area Gleaners of Waltham, distributed boxes of fresh produce to members of the community free of charge. “We must all work together to navigate turbulent times, for only together will we make sure that no one goes without,” said Rabbi Mendel Fogelman. Volunteers handed out boxes of fruit and vegetables to families at Chabad, 22 Newton Ave., and future weekly distributions are planned.

Go to www.CentralMass.Chabad.com

LONGMEADOW ARTIST CINDY LUTZ KORNET’S IMAGE THAT WAS USED IN RACHEL’S TABLE’S “FEEDING THE FRONTLINES” INITITATIVE.

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MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

| AUGUST 14, 2020

majewishledger.com

Briefs Jewish congressional candidate Alex Morse faces allegations of inappropriate relationships

BY PHILISSA CRAMER

(JTA) Alex Morse, the 31-year-old gay, Jewish progressive Democrat running to unseat a longtime congressman in Massachusetts is facing allegations that he had inappropriate relationships with students at local colleges. Morse is the mayor of the town of Holyoke.

The College Democrats of Massachusetts announced that the group would sever ties with Morse in a letter last week that charged that Morse used “his position of power for romantic or sexual gain” in relationships with college students, including at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he taught a course on urban government.

The university’s student newspaper, the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, first reported about the letter on Friday.

In a statement to the newspaper, Morse said he had exercised “poor judgment” in having relationships with college students.

“I want to be clear that every relationship I’ve had has been consensual,” he said. “However, I also recognize that I have to be cognizant of my position of ALEX MORSE power.”

The allegations come just weeks before Morse goes head to head in the Massachusetts primary with Richard Neal, a Democrat elected to Congress the year Morse was born. Morse told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency last month that he hoped to bring a different perspective to conversations about Israel within the progressive wing of the Democratic party.

“I think one can be critical of Israel and their actions without being anti-Semitic,” said Morse, who has been endorsed by the Justice Democrats political action committee and IfNotNow, a Jewish group opposing Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. “And as a young openly gay progressive Jew, I think I have a unique voice to lend in this conversation.”

Political insiders said he faced long odds competing with a longtime incumbent.

But other progressive Democrats endorsed by the Justice Democrats political action committee have scored notable upsets in

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recent primaries, including last week in Missouri where Cori Bush won a primary against William Lacy Clay, a congressman who has been in office for 19 years.

The most recent post on Morse’s Twitter feed is a retweet midday Friday from someone who recapped last week’s primary outcomes and wrote, “@AlexBMorse is next.” Shortly after that, the allegations broke in the student newspaper.

On Saturday, the paper reported that the university is investigating allegations that Morse had relationships with students while he taught at the school, in violation of its code of conduct for faculty. And one member of Holyoke’s City Council has called on him to resign as mayor.

American Pickle,” his film that comes out this week. He was on site shooting the film in Pittsburgh when the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting occurred.

“It was, in a sense, very scary, but in another sense I remember thinking: I’m about to make the most Jewish movie I’ve ever made, probably the most Jewish movie that almost anyone’s ever made, in the wake of the most violent antisemitic attack in the history of America, in the same city. And there was a sense that it suddenly became much more important to do it. And any fear I had about how Jewish a movie it was, I honestly thought that if there was ever a time to double down on this, now was that time.”

Seth Rogen: Israel should exist, but my critique of Jewish education stands

Jewish, Black historical cemeteries vandalized in Virginia with Nazi symbol

(JTA) – In a new interview, Seth Rogen said his comments about Israel being a bad idea for a state were made in jest but affirmed that he found his childhood education about the country, which he received through Jewish schools and camps, to be problematic.“I don’t want Jews to think I don’t want Israel to exist and I understand how they could have been led to think that,” the actor and comedian said on a Zoom interview with Haaretz reporter Allison Kaplan Sommer published Monday, August 3. “I was just not given a full picture of the situation and I understand it’s a wildly complex picture to give a child,” he said.

The interview came a day after Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog released a statement saying he had talked with Rogen about “the current situation in Israel,” and that Rogen had “apologized” for his comments. (The Jewish Agency is a nonprofit that works to bolster IsraelDiaspora relations.) Rogen told Haaretz that he did not tell Herzog that he could make details of their talk public. “I did not apologize for what I said. I offered clarity.

And I think [Herzog] is misrepresenting our conversation,” Rogen told Haaretz.

The new interview and ongoing conversation come nearly a week after Rogen discussed Israel on Marc Maron’s popular “WTF” podcast, and the pair’s comments sparked an outcry among many Jews. Rogen said he was “fed a huge amount of lies about Israel” as a child in Vancouver and that Israel’s organizing principle – grouping Jews together in one state – “doesn’t make sense.”

He clarified to Kaplan Sommer that the principle was “a joke I’ve heard Israelis make.” He also said that comedy inherently carries the risk of being perceived as offensive. “If you take any comedic monologue and treat it as though it is not based in humor, there’s probably some very questionable thoughts in there,” Rogen said.

Rogen, who reiterated to Haaretz his pride in being Jewish, also discussed “An

(JTA) — Two historic cemeteries in Virginia, one Jewish and one African-American, were vandalized with graffiti featuring “777,” shorthand for the triskele hate symbol.

The vandalism was discovered Monday at Richmond’s Evergreen Cemetery and at the Sir Moses Montefiore Cemetery in Henrico County on the border with Richmond. The triskele, or triskelion, looks like three interlocking sevens and was one of many ancient European symbols appropriated by the Nazis and later by white supremacist groups, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The “777” stand-in for the symbol was spray-painted throughout the Montefiore Cemetery, which was founded in 1886 and is the burial place of many Jewish immigrants from the former Russian Empire. Evergreen Cemetery houses multiple African American leaders “from the post-Reconstruction and civil rights eras,” including Maggie Walker, the first African American woman to charter a bank in the United States.

“These acts of hate degrade and denigrate our way of life. They are designed to stoke fear in the hearts of both Jewish and Black communities. We stand together with our Black neighbors in proclaiming that these cowardly acts have not, and will not break us,” the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Israel offers Lebanon assistance after massive explosion (JTA) — Israel has offered Lebanon humanitarian assistance after a massive explosion at Beirut’s waterfront killed at least 30 people and injured thousands.

Israel’s defense minister Benny Gantz announced the offer on Twitter. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli army and at least one Israeli hospital also offered aid. Because Lebanon and Israel are

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

still technically in a state of war, the offers are being extended through third-party diplomatic channels. “Under the direction of Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabi Ashkenazi, Israel approached Lebanon through international defense and diplomatic channels to offer the Lebanese government medical humanitarian aid,” Gantz tweeted.

“This is the time to rise above any conflict,” tweeted the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, Hidai Zilberman.

Initial reports said the blast was in a warehouse packed with explosives and may have been triggered by a fire. Videos posted to social media showed the forceful blast cutting a wide swath of damage across Beirut, and area hospitals have been overwhelmed with the injured. Israeli authorities told multiple news organizations that the country had nothing to do with the disaster.

The explosion comes as the country is reeling from the coronavirus pandemic and an economic crisis that has accelerated unemployment and hunger.

In recent years, Israel has assisted and received assistance from neighbors that were formerly enemies, or with whom it has difficult relations.

4 men arrested for hanging ‘Hitler Was Right’ banner on bridge in Arizona (JTA) – Four men were arrested for hanging a banner reading “Hitler Was Right” on a railroad bridge in Arizona.

The men were seen hanging the banner on the bridge on Saturday morning, the NBC affiliate KPNX 12News reported. They were caught posing and taking pictures with the sign. The banner also included a link to a website that contained “bigoted and explicitly racist pronouncements,” according to the report. The Sheriff’s Office is not pursuing hate crime charges against the men, aged 27 to 38. They were charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing since the area is marked as “no trespassing.”

Three are from Arizona and one is from Oklahoma, according to the report.

“People who don’t have a strong enough sense of history or their own identity gravitate toward hate communities that give them this little hit, a feeling they’re accepted,” Paul Rockower, the executive director of the local Jewish Community Relations Council, told 12 News. “But unfortunately this leads down a path to nowhere.”

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Camp-in-a-Box and More...

PJ Western Massachusetts is collaborating with Lander-Grinspoon Academy, the Jewish Community of Amherst, and the Springfield Jewish Community Center for three types of screen-free summer activity boxes.

These boxes are funded in part by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, and other sponsors.

In addition to the themed activities, families will be able to connect with us and our partners through Facebook and Zoom events.

Our summer activity box collection features camp and peace themed activities--with a Jewish twist--for children between the ages of 3 and 12. Earlier this summer, families with children ages 6-12 signed up to receive JCampin-a-Box. The box features art projects, sports and recreational activities, as well as STEM experiments.

Families with children ages 3-5 can sign up now to receive an LGA Special Edition JCamp-in-aBox with an integrated approach that connects Jewish values and art projects, sports and recreational activities; and STEM experiments.

Families with children ages 6-12 will be able to 10

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

| AUGUST 14, 2020

sign up to receive our “Shalom” Kesher Crate activity box this month and pick up the first week of September—just in time for the high holy days! The crate will have 4-5 activities, including crafts, science explorations, outdoor activities and more.

Families who sign up for PJ Library will not only receive a FREE Jewish-themed picture book EVERY MONTH; families will also be able to opt in to exclusive activities, resources and events throughout the year.

Follow us at facebook.com/WesternMass and at instagram.com/PJLibraryWesternMass majewishledger.com

Announcing our 2020 Annual Campaign If you’ve been involved in community activities, you’ve seen our logo, but do you know how the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts benefits you?

Right now we are preparing to present the results of the first demographic study done in our community in over 50 years. This was a vital first step towards intelligent, strategic thinking about our path forward together. In cooperation with all the Jewish organizations in the area, we are creating a road map for our community’s future.

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We provide allocations to local Jewish agencies and synagogues.

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We provide grants to local Jewish organizations As always, we are here to help see individuals, famthrough the Jewish Endowment Foundation. ilies, and Jewish organizations through challenging times like these. Over the past four months, we have been working in partnership with local agenWe provide free books to children through PJ cies to keep our institutions and our people safe Library Western Massachusetts. and strong through the Healthy Community EmerWe organize events and empower female lead- gency Fund. ers through Women’s Philanthropy In the face of these unprecedented challenges, and Our Rachel’s Table program reduces food waste, on the cusp of the community’s bright future, we need your help. and provides food to those in need.

• • •

The Federation’s NextGen program is building the This is the time of the year when we begin our annual campaign fundraising. We recognize that future of Jewish life in the Pioneer Valley. these are unusual times, and we’re all struggling The Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts to adapt. Much is left to be done. We cannot do has been supporting and sustaining vibrant Jewish it without you. Your donation today to our 2020 life in Western Massachusetts for 94 years, through Annual Campaign will help our people and our institutions not only to survive, but to thrive. times of hardship and times of abundance.

Our community needs you. Will you help us?

If not now, when? jewishwesternmass.org/give majewishledger.com

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

| AUGUST 14, 2020

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Camp in a box CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Making connections with Kesher Crates Keren Rhodes, education director at the Jewish Community of Amherst, has been considering creating activity boxes for her religious school students for some time.

“It’s an idea I had tossed around in my head for a while,” Rhodes said. “My kids have received various subscription crates over the years – science, technology and arts and whatever – and they have been very engaging for them. I had been thinking about them in terms of keeping Jewish learning going during the summer, but I just never had the time to pull it together.”

When the pandemic hit in March, Rhodes had to figure out a way to re-think Hebrew school at JCA. “Within three days I was like, ‘Hebrew school on Zoom is going to be a bad idea.’

I was already overwhelmed,” she said.

“Our in-person model didn’t lend itself to switching over to Zoom easily, and kids aren’t going to do three hours on Zoom on a Sunday morning. And I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of trying to reinvent our curriculum, which is reactive and too hands-on to work well on Zoom.”

Rhodes had already been collecting numerous activities for the boxes she had dreamed of creating.

“I said, ‘Let’s just do it. Let’s pull it together quickly and send one out.’”

She called it a “Kesher Crate.”

“Kesher means ‘connection,’ so they are activities that help you feel connected to your Jewish identity,” she explained.

The first Kesher Crate, with a Passover theme, had only two activities – an art and a science project.

“I assembled them on my kitchen table. I hand washed and was masked and then after they were assembled they were quarantined before they went in the mail, because everything was new and we didn’t know what was at risk,” she explained. “We were only planning on doing the one, but the feedback was so fabulous from it I said, ‘Let’s try to pull one more together.’”

The second Kesher crate was Shavuot themed and included a bag of ice, salt and a thermometer. Students were asked to use the thermometer to take the temperature of the ice under different conditions – and then to make ice cream.

So while they touch on Shavuot and its connection to dairy -- “It’s real, engaged, interesting learning,” Rhodes said.

“I really believe in the melding of Jewish learning and science, both because science and stem activities are so exciting and engaging for kids, but also, because, I think for a lot of kids there is a separation -- there is the religious Jewish stuff and then there’s ‘What I really know about the world. There’s 12

Creation, but I know there was Evolution.’

We are teaching them there doesn’t have to be an either/or. Science can help you engage with your Jewish feelings.”

An example of this was the science project in the Passover Kesher Crate.

“We talked about potential and kinetic energy and we made little marshmallow catapults with a spoon. First they learned a real science lesson – potential energy is when you’re pulling the spoon back and you’re loading up the energy; the kinetic energy is when you release it and the energy store in the spoon flings the marshmallow,” Rhodes explained. “Well, what does that have to do with Jewish learning? We also talked about Ometz Lev – courage of the heart. They learned that to take courageous action requires that you have a value inside first – that’s your potential energy. You have the value that you hold, that you are going to stand up for, that gives you the ability to take kinetic energy action on the world.

“So if you believe people should be treated equally and then you go to a Black Lives Matter march, you’re potential energy is the value that people should be equal. And then it takes perseverance and courage to

CHILDREN IN LONGMEADOW ENJOY OPENING THEIR CAMP-IN-A-BOX AND SEARCHING THROUGH ITS ACTIVITIES.

follow through and do something about it.

The value on its own is useless if you don’t do anything about it, but it takes courage to step out and do something. So that’s the tie in with the physics of potential energy and kinetic energy. Understanding the concepts in that way teaches really meaningful lessons to children...So its not just Jewish education, they are learning something about the world and science.”

Rhodes has devised most of the activities – with some help from Google. She also plans to use some curriculum from the Jewish Education Center in Cleveland.

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

CAMP-IN-A-BOX WAS DISTRIBUTED TO MORE THAN 200 YOUNG MEMBERS OF SPRINGFIELD’S REFUGEE COMMUNITY.

The Kesher Crates will effectively become JCA’s religious school for the coming year.

They will go out to JCA’s approximately 60 religious school students every six weeks – three boxes in the fall and then three after the beginning of the year.

“They will have 4-5 activities each – a bit more robust because I have had all summer to plan -- and there will be two versions, one geared towards younger children, the other aimed at children in grades 3 and up,” she said.

For each box, 45 minute Zoom sessions will be held “where the kids can share the work that they’ve done and there will be a teacher there to deepen the learning and make sure that the Jewish piece gets pulled out and really clarified,” Rhodes said.

And with concerns about Covid still high, the Kesher Crates will remain a God-send to parents.

“It gives parents flexibility if they are working from home. It looks like we are going to still be home from school for another semester. So it gives parents the flexibility to not have to sit next to their kids during three hours of Zoom Hebrew school or if they have more than one kid, they can do the activities together,” Rhodes said. “It’s whatever is convenient for you. If you want to save it for the rainy day, you can save it for the rainy day.”

In the continued spirit of collaboration, the Jewish Federation and PJ Library are now working with Rhodes and Kesher Crates.

A PJ Library activity is inside the August

Kesher Crate and 50 PJ Library families signed up to receive it. Funding came from the Grinspoon Foundation.

Now the goal is to do more for younger children.

“We’re doing something really for elementary school age children, but what about the younger kids, because that’s hard too. I have little ones at home. I know finding activities for them to do is little more work than we need to be doing right now,” Gorenstein said. “We asked the JCC to help us in putting together a box that is really in cooperation with the other day school initiative.”

“LGA is partnering with PJ Library of Western Mass and the Springfield JCC to bring Camp in a Box to young families in our community, thanks to generous funding from Prizmah and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation,” said Ellen Frank, executive director of Lander-Grinspoon Academy in Northampton. “We are thrilled to provide a variety of activities for families with 3-5 year olds. Many of the activities reflect the types of projects that happen in the classroom at LGA, including some STEM focused activities. The boxes were distributed from LGA in late July, providing engaging content for families in their homes.”

As for Rhodes she is working on her Kesher Crates for the fall. One with the theme of Shalom – peace – will go out at the end of August to all of the students who enroll in the upcoming religious school year at JCA, as well as PJ Library families. The crate will include a science project making giant bubbles.

While she hopes to do some “pop-up” in person events – maybe including a hike where the students can be socially distanced and wear masks – she wants to make sure Jewish learning at JCA is maintained throughout the year.

“For me this is about minimizing screen time while making sure that we’re still have really in-depth meaningful learning in this year that we’re not gong to see each other.”

JCA RELIGIOUS SCHOOL STUDENTS EXAMINING THE SHAVUOT PROJECT IN THEIR KESHER CRATE.

| AUGUST 14, 2020 majewishledger.com

Milestones B’NAI MITZVAH

HOW ARE WE PROTECTING YOUR LOVED ONES FROM COVID-19... Let us tell you how.

GWYNETH McAVOY, daughter of David McAvoy and Cindy Biel McAvoy, will celebrate her bat mitzvah on Saturday, Aug. 22. They are members of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough.

ABIGAIL RADER, daughter of Alan and Jennifer Rader, will celebrate her bat mitzvah on Saturday, Sept. 12. They are members of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough.

ABBY ROSENFELD, daughter of Amy Rosenfeld and Andy Rosenfeld, will celebrate her bat mitzvah on Saturday, Sept. 5. They are members of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough.

ALEX SHAW, son of Andrew and Bree Shaw, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Saturday, Aug. 22. They are members of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough.

ZACH RUTHFIELD, son of Mark and Lori Ruthfield, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Saturday, Aug. 29. They are members of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough.

DEVAN SMITH, son of Jessica and Jared Smith, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Saturday, Aug. 15. They are members of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough.

Borenstein – Lemay Jeffrey and Lydia Borenstein of Worcester happily announce the marriage of their daughter, Sandra Borenstein, to Brenden Lemay, son of Bernard and Elaine Lemay of San Antonio, Texas.

The couple was married in an intimate ceremony on the beach on July 18, 2020 in West Dennis. The couple took a honeymoon to St. Lucia and they reside in Austin, Texas.

We Care!

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-Complimentary memberships to the West Hartford Senior Center, and Mandell Jewish Community Center (featuring aquatic pools).

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MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

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AUGUST 14, 2020

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News and Jewish Community Update

jewishcentralmass.org

REMAINING STRONG DURING DIFFICULT TIMES

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espite the serious hardships and challenges we are all facing, energy and spirits in our Central MA Jewish family remain high- there are many who deserve the credit for this. First on this list are the community members who love and support Jewish life and who choose to remain engaged. Without these caring community members we quite literally would not have a community. Those who choose to tune in to services, to continue their memberships at the JCC, those who volunteer to help those in need and give to support these effortsyou are the bedrock STEVEN SCHIMMEL, of our community.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR We are also fortunate that those who oversee and are responsible for the congregations and organizations in our community have done an impressive job ensuring that the connection and relationships haven’t been lost. Each week Rabbis and congregational leaders make phone calls and offer online programs, and in some cases provide socially distanced services.

These efforts have helped us to remain active and connected. At Jewish Federation the exciting projects and vital programs that have taken root and have grown over the past years continue without delay.

Work to beautify our cemeteries, young adult programming, and efforts to build endowment through the LIFE & LEGACY program are just a few of the projects that continue through the challenges of COVID. Of course we also quickly pivoted to assist families and organizations with emergency support and you, our donors were our partners in this work.

If the events of the past several months have taught us a lesson it is that we can’t take anything that happens in the Jewish world or in our local community for granted and we should recognize and thank those who have enabled these successesthank you to our generous donors, to our leadership, and to the caring and committed people who cherish and value and carefully safeguard Jewish life. Let us join together for the new Jewish year ahead with a sense of gratitude for this wonderful Jewish community.

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STAY CONNECTED PJ LIBRARY AND PJ OUR WAY

Daily activities online for quarantined families https://pjlibrary.org/familyactivities PJ weekly Summer You Tube Storytime and Craft with Rowan and Congregation Beth Israel. New episodes posted weekly on https://www.facebook.com/pg/PJLibraryCentralMA/or on PJLibrary CentralMass https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010025564840 PJ/PJOW Pre High Holidays Scavenger Hunt with Congregation Agudat Achim. Begins August 10th and ends with Zoom event on August 30th at 10:30 am on Zoom. Info to be sent out to families.

New Date to be announced for early October - Session 3 Zoominar:” Coping with Family Stressors During Covi-19.” Open to all families.

YAD

Stay connected with weekly virtual activities including Shabbat, meet-ups and game events via YAD Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/centralmassyad August 30th, YAD Apple Picking, time and place TBA September 13th, YAD Socially Distant Pre-Rosh Hashanah “Bring your own picnic lunch” at Elm Park, Worcester, Time TBA (weather permitting) September 21st JewMass and YAD Zoominar: “Who Planted the Trees? A Personal Story of the Holocaust from a First Generation Survivor, Dr. Michael Hirsh.” 6:00 pm.

CHAVERIM

Check Facebook group page for virtual activities https://www.facebook.com/groups/chaverimcentralmass/

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

For more information or to RSVP on any of the above, please contact Mindy Hall, JFCM Director of Outreach, at mhall@jfcm.org or call 508-756-1543.

YAD VIRTUAL SHABBAT ON JULY 17 HOSTED BY MONICA KAUFMAN | AUGUST 14, 2020

majewishledger.com

News and Jewish Community Update

“I’m a teacher, and education is very important to me, and handing down tradition is extremely important to me. That’s why leaving a legacy was the perfect opportunity.” –Barbara Rossman, Legacy Donor “I’m a teacher, and education is very important to me, and handing down tradition is extremely important to me. That’s why The Jewish Federation of Central Mass would–Barbara like to honor our local community leaving a legacy was the perfect opportunity.”

Rossman, Legacy Donor members who have committed to leaving a legacy gift as part of our LIFE & LEGACY program.

The Jewish Federation of Central Mass would like to honor our local community members who have committed to leaving a We are proudlegacy to present listofofour LIFELIFE & LEGACY donors as of July 21, 2020. gift asthe part & LEGACY program.

Rachel and Myron Rosenblum Jeffrey Myra & Jay Aframe We are proud to present theGreenberg list of LIFE & LEGACY donors as of July 21, 2020.

Barbara Rossman Joel N. Greenberg Susan & Howard Alfred Rachel Myron Rosenblum Jeffrey Myra Jay Aframe Daid &and Sandra Roth BarbaraGreenberg Greenberg L"Z Abbe &Allexenberg Barbara Rossman Joel N. Greenberg Susan & Howard Alfred Bernie Rotman Minna & Ira Gregerman Michael Allexenberg Daid & Sandra Barbara Greenberg L"Z Abbe Benita RotmanRoth Jamie Grossman BenitaAllexenberg Amsden Bernie Rotman Minna & Ira Gregerman Michael Ida Rotman Z"L Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz William Allexenberg Amsden Benita Rotman Jamie Grossman Benita Amsden Hope Rubin Gary Gurwitz Anonymous (66) Ida Rotman Rabbi Gurevitz& Peter Weinrobe William Amsden Ruth Rubin Z"L RabbiRachel Debra Hachen A. Averbach Hope Gary Gurwitz Anonymous (66) AdamRubin Sachs Mindy Hall Brad Avergon Ruth Rubin& Anne Sadick Rabbi Hachen & Peter A. 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AUGUST 14, 2020

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ELECTION 2020

‘A matter of life or death’: Jewish groups sound alarm on protecting the ri

BY RON KAMPEAS

W

ASHINGTON (JTA) – Rep. Jamie Raskin’s warning to top Jewish Democratic leaders was stark: The war that President Donald Trump and Republicans have declared on the U.S. Post Office is a threat to American democracy.

“There’s a war on vote by mail, which we call voting from home, and a war on the Post Office,” said the Maryland Democrat, who’s also a constitutional scholar.

“The right wing has been at war with the Post Office for a long time, but especially now,” Raskin added, speaking at an event organized by the Jewish Democratic Council of America. “Because they think that if they can take over the Post Office … they will be able to prevent real balloting and real voting in 2020.”

Raskin is far from alone in calling attention to voting access. Many Jewish groups – political and religious – have aligned on the issue this year and are lobbying for widespread mailin voting. The Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs told Senate leaders this week that they believe the issue is “a matter of life or death.”

They are butting up against the Trump administration, which is seeking to block funding for the Postal Service, and the president himself, who frequently makes claims, without evidence, that mail-in votes are susceptible to fraud. Meanwhile, the federal commission that oversees elections has decreased its oversight, raising concerns that November’s vote could be plagued by a

constellation of challenges.

Here’s a look at what Jewish groups are doing to make sure voting is easy this year.

Lobbying for mail-in voting The ADL and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Jewish public policy umbrella, have mobilized 149 Jewish groups to press Congress to approve $3.6 billion for funding to make mail-in voting easier.

The funding is baked into the Heroes Act, the most recent pandemic funding bill passed in the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives. Passed in May, the measure is awaiting action in the Republican-led Senate. Republicans are resistant to advancing the voting rights section because it would override state requirements for voter identification.

In a letter sent this week to Senate leaders, the two groups and their allies cast the funding as a matter of “life and death” during the pandemic.

“Unless you provide emergency election assistance and policy provisions, the decision our communities and so many voters are likely to face about whether or not to wait in crowded lines and rooms to vote may literally be a matter of life or death,” the letter says. “This is especially true for members of marginalized communities most likely to contract and die from the virus.”

The letter follows earlier acts of advocacy for mail-in voting. In May, Missouri rabbis cited the Torah and rabbinical teachings as they encouraged

PROSPECTIVE VOTERS WAIT IN LINE OUTSIDE THE CLARK COUNTY ELECTION DEPARTMENT IN NORTH LAS VEGAS, NEV., JUNE 9, 2020.

(ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES)

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| AUGUST 14, 2020

Jews to take advantage of a religious exemption clause in the state’s voting rules to cast ballots by mail. Missouri’s governor is among the Republican state leaders opposed to expanding mail-in voting during the pandemic.

That same month, the Conservative movement’s rabbinical group reiterated its support for unencumbered voting access.

“At this unprecedented time in modern history, the Rabbinical Assembly supports the unencumbered right to participate in local and federal elections with vote-bymail, online, over the Internet, and absentee ballots with no requirement to provide a reason nor so-called valid excuse,” the group said in a statement at the time.

Working state by state The mechanics of voting, at least pending the passage of the Heroes Act, is a matter for the states, and Jewish groups have been working their legislatures to facilitate voting.

Ohio Jewish Communities, that state’s umbrella for Jewish public policy groups, and the state chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women have asked for changes to an elections preparedness bill in the Republican-led legislature. The groups say the bill includes obstacles to mail-in voting, for instance requiring voters to pay for postage and a 10-day cutoff before Election Day. “Think of someone who goes into the hospital for an emergency operation five days before the vote who generally votes in person,” Susan Reis, the state policy advocate for NCJW, said in testimony submitted this week.

Steve Freeman, the ADL’s vice president of civil rights, said state chapters also would work on making it easier to vote in person, recalling the long lines for the Wisconsin state Supreme Court election in April that resulted in dozens of coronavirus infections.

A focus would be on ensuring that there are multiple venues open for in-person voting.

“People vote in schools, and it’s not clear that public schools are going to be open” because of the pandemic, Freeman said. “How do you address those kinds of challenges?”

Jewish groups in Florida helped lead advocacy in 2018 for an amendment that would restore the vote to most people who had been released from prison after being convicted of felonies. Republicans in the state subsequently passed a bill that required those convicted of felonies to pay outstanding costs to get the vote, and a number of civil liberties groups have

asked the courts to intervene, saying the requirement amounts to a poll tax.

Most of the estimated 1.4 million felons whose right to vote would be restored are people of color who likely would vote Democratic. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to step in last week, but an appeals court is still considering the lawsuits.

The National Council of Jewish Women has joined efforts to educate formerly incarcerated voters in Florida about their voting rights. A number have expressed fears that if they vote and then find out that they were not eligible, they could face legal consequences.

“A lot of our advocates on the ground are doing the education work to try to make sure everybody knows what their rights are,” Sheila Katz, the group’s CEO, said in an interview.

Turning out the vote Rabbi Jonah Pesner, who directs the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center, knows that Jews outvote other Americans. In the presidential election of 2016, 56% of eligible Americans voted, and Pesner says the turnout among Jewish voters is believed to be as much as over 70%.

But it’s not good enough, he said.

“We’re asking every Reform congregation in the movement to guarantee that 100% of their members, particularly those who have more challenges with voting – first-time voters, elderly voters, people in a congregation who may have disabilities and have more challenges – are getting to the polls,” Pesner said in an interview.

The initiative is called “100% Voting Congregations.”

Zoe Terner, a University of Florida student who is an activist with the Religious Action Center, said alumni of Reform youth movements were training Jewish college students to inform their peers of their rights at a time when it is not clear whether university students will be staying at home or returning to their campuses in time for the election.

“There’s a really big emphasis placed on where are you voting because maybe it’s different from where you thought you would be this time last year a couple of months ago, making sure you know the dates and deadlines,” Terner said.

Leveraging family relationships is not an unfamiliar Jewish concept. NCJW’s chapter in Michigan has launched a “Let’s Both Vote” program that Katz says gets members “to reach out to their children, grandchildren, children, nieces, nephews majewishledger.com

ight to vote by mail or parents, mothers, the other way around, and commit to voting with another family member.”

Jewish groups are not just trying to turn out Jewish voters. The Religious Action Center has joined with the Center for Common Ground, an organization that gets out the vote for underserved communities, in online training, staffing get-out-the-vote phone banks, texting and postcard writing – a pre-digital outreach method that is still the next way to reach minorities, Pesner said.

The Center for Common Ground ran a study, Pesner said, “that showed that a lot of low-income voters or communities of color respond to personalized postcards.

So we also have a postcard campaign – already we’ve sent out tens of thousands of postcards that are personalized to individuals.”

Countering misinformation about voting Meredith Jacobs, the president of Jewish Women International, was appalled in 2018 to get a question from her elderly parents, who live in the Philadelphia area: Was it true that one could text one’s vote?

This year, she said, her organization was “working with young women to push back against disinformation campaigns on social media designed to depress the vote.”

“Our supporters are mostly women of privilege and access, and we’re letting them know this isn’t the case for everyone and making sure they know why it’s important they use their voice,” she said.

Jacobs said her group was preparing to repel the expected onslaught of online misogynist messaging once Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, names a running mate. Biden has said he will name a woman.

“We’re on the lookout against that and pushing back against that because that’s designed to depress the vote,” she said.

The ADL’s Freeman said his organization was also monitoring extremist disinformation online. The ADL will be “speaking out against appeals to bigotry and racism,” he said, and will be conducting “targeted reporting on extremist efforts to engage.”

CNN election forecaster Harry Enten on his bar mitzvah, the Jewish vote and why he says ‘Shalom’ on TV

BY STEPHEN SILVER

(JTA) – Harry Enten, the CNN Politics election forecaster, demonstrates his Jewish bonafides just about every time he appears on TV. A native of the Bronx, Enten speaks with a thick New York accent and regularly drops a “Shalom” during his frequent TV appearances. The trademark sign-off feels only natural for Enten, who celebrated his bar mitzvah in Israel and whose late grandmother ran a Catskills resort (where his aunt met her husband, the Jewish singer Neil Sedaka).

Enten is also one of the country’s preeminent voices in sorting through election polling data. He worked for FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver’s datadriven news site, before he moved to CNN in early 2018. Enten’s popular Twitter account, @ForecasterEnten, got him named to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s “50 Jews everyone should follow on Twitter” list last year.

JTA spoke with Enten about his career, his family’s history, the Jewish vote and that “shalom” habit.

Talk about your Jewish childhood growing up in Riverdale, N.Y. We had a kosher home, separate silverware for meat and dairy, kept kosher for Passover obviously. We did go to shul when I was younger, on the High Holidays, and sometimes on Shabbat. I went to Riverdale Temple Camp, when I was very young, and even did nursery there. I went to Riverdale Country School, where I know the population of the student body was largely Jewish, even though the school itself was obviously not. I went to Hebrew school for a little while, then I had a private tutor, and I had a bar mitzvah in Israel.

I still know most of my Torah portion, and I could even do it for you right now, I had pretty much memorized – [chants a couple of verses] – I could go on from there.

I saw my father cry very few times in my life, but that bar mitzvah, as we stood on top of Masada, was one of them. And for me, just generally speaking, I want to be very clear of who I am. And I don’t want to lie to folks, I don’t want to be something that I’m not, but I am Jewish, and proud of the fact that I’m Jewish, and I want people to know that.

HARRY ENTEN

(COURTESY OF CNN)

On TV, you always say “Shalom.”

Where did that come from, and why did you start doing that?

To be perfectly honest with you, the reason is that I’m just me. That is who I am. I think that there is this idea that some have out there, that you’re going to be buttoned up, and you’re going to have a tie on … for some, that’s exactly who they want to be, and it fits them.

To quote a famous Jewish musician, “I gotta be me,” as Sammy Davis Jr. once said. And that is what I have to be. And for me, that means not wearing a tie, and that means saying “shalom,” because that is what I generally do. It really didn’t come from anything except for me being perhaps a little bit more comfortable in being who I am. On the weekends, I wish people “good Shabbos.” It’s just being polite and being me.

Your grandparents ran a Catskills resort?

On my mother’s side, my Nana Esther [Goldstein-Strassberg] ran the Esther Manor in the Catskill Mountains, which was a resort that a lot of Jewish people came up to during the summer.

She would run that little hotel, every summer, and I think they sold it 50 years ago, if my memory serves me correctly.

You have written about what you got wrong in 2016. How has the experience of 2016 affected you as you do your job in the 2020 election?

It’s a great question, and I think that

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MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

there are multiple answers to that. I think there are some people who came away from 2016 not trusting the polling data. And I came away from 2016 actually trusting the polling data more.

I think the biggest mistake that any of us made in the 2016 cycle was not in the general election, at least folks who look at the polls daily, but actually in the primary. When Trump entered the race, when he came down that escalator [in June 2015], I think a lot of people, including myself, thought, “This guy is not going to go very far.” His polling is poor. There was no real historical precedent for someone had basically no experience in the modern era going on and winning a party’s nomination.

And indeed, the initial polling for him was, you know, sort of poor. But about a month in, it was very clear that he was connecting with folks, and I think that a lot of us couldn’t believe what was in front of us. We were looking at it like, “there’s no historical precedent for this, he doesn’t have any endorsements.”

If we had merely looked at the polling more closely, and seen this is a guy who has a real shot at winning based upon the polling – which actually in primaries, national polling has actually been pretty good at distinguishing folks who flame out versus those who don’t – I think that we would have been much better off.

So for 2020, one of the things that I was very keen on doing was making sure that I didn’t underrely on the polling data. And while certainly the former vice president wasn’t in a dominating position CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

| AUGUST 14, 2020

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SYNAGOGUE DIRECTORY Western and Central Massachusetts

AMHERST

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

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

FLORENCE

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

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

LONGMEADOW

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

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 Katz (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 Cantor Colman Reaboi (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

To join our synagogue directory, contact Howard Meyerowitz at (860) 231-2424 x3035 or howardm@jewishledger.com 18

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

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Adin Steinsaltz, acclaimed scholar who made the Talmud more accessible, dies at 83

BY BEN HARRIS

A

din Steinsaltz, acclaimed scholar who made the Talmud more accessible, dies at 83

By Ben Harris (JTA) — Rabbi Adin EvenIsrael Steinsaltz, the acclaimed scholar whose landmark translation of the Talmud enabled a vast readership to access one of Judaism’s most canonical texts, has died.

Steinsaltz died Friday at 83 in Jerusalem.

Steinsaltz’s monumental translation of the Babylonian Talmud made the arcane rabbinic debates and folkloric tales easier to comprehend, unlocking the wonders of Talmud study for those lacking a high-level Jewish education. The project took 45 years to complete.

Steinsaltz not only rendered the forbidding Aramaic text into modern Hebrew but integrated his own commentary into the sparse language of the original, filling in gaps in the text that had previously required deep familiarity with the internal mechanics of Talmudic discourse to decipher.

A new English version of the Steinsaltz Talmud by the Koren publishing house, and a free version of the translation available on the website Sefaria, further expanded Steinsaltz’s reach.

“The Talmud was never meant to be an elitist book,” said Arthur Kurzweil, the author of two books about Steinsaltz and a board member of the Aleph Society, which raises funds to support the rabbi’s work.

“It was meant to be for everybody. So Rabbi Steinsaltz spent 45 years trying and succeeding to make that happen.”

Described as a once-in-a-millennium scholar, Steinsaltz was renowned for his prodigious intellect and tireless work ethic.

He was reputed to put in 17-hour workdays.

Authoring a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud alone put him in a category alongside Rashi, the medieval French scholar whose commentary on the Bible and the Talmud, composed 1,000 years ago, is considered the most authoritative. But Steinsaltz also wrote another 60 books on topics ranging from Jewish ethics to theology to prayer to mysticism. He also helped establish educational institutions in Israel and the former Soviet Union.

Born to secular parents in Jerusalem in 1937, Steinsaltz embraced Jewish practice as a teenager. Though his father was an irreligious socialist, he sent his son to study Talmud with a tutor at the age of 10.

Steinsaltz’s intellectual gifts were evident majewishledger.com

early, when he became the youngest school principal in Israel at 23.

In 1965, Steinsaltz founded the Israel Institute for Talmudic Publications, the same year he began his Talmud translation. His work was driven by a desire to educate large numbers of Jews about their heritage. “Let my people know,” was his favorite slogan.

“The Talmud is the central pillar of Jewish knowledge, important for the overall understanding of what is Jewish,” Steinsaltz told JTA in 2010 on the occasion of the

in 48 countries. The event has since become an annual affair.

Steinsaltz’s work was long deemed controversial. His Talmud departed from longstanding conventions, introducing punctuation and paragraph breaks, altering the pagination and placing his own commentary in the space around the main text that had previously been the domain of Rashi.

Rabbi Elazar Shach, a leading haredi Orthodox rabbi in Israel, called Steinsaltz

RABBI ADIN STEINSALZ

completion of the translation. “But it is a book that Jews cannot understand. This is a dangerous situation, like a collective amnesia. I tried to make pathways through which people will be able to enter the Talmud without encountering impassable barriers.

It’s something that will always be a challenge, but I tried to make it at least possible.”

The completion of the translation was accompanied by a global day of Jewish learning connecting 360 Jewish communities

a heretic and forbade his followers from reading his works, apparently out of concern for some passages in two works on the Bible that Steinsaltz subsequently agreed to modify. Shach insisted that all of Steinsaltz’s work was heretical, however, another eminent 20th-century authority, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, approved of the Steinsaltz Talmud. In 1998, Jacob Neusner, a Conservative rabbi and noted scholar of Judaism, published a 250-page book entitled MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

“How Adin Steinsaltz Misrepresents the Talmud.”

Steinsaltz was also criticized for accepting the leadership of a modern-day Sanhedrin, a recreation of the ancient rabbinic body.

Steinsaltz resigned the post in 2008 out of concern for potential breaches of Jewish law.

But none of that slowed Steinsaltz’s embrace as an unparalleled scholar of Judaism, both in the Jewish world and beyond. He was awarded the Israel Prize, Israel’s highest cultural honor, in 1998, along with the inaugural Israeli Presidential Award of Distinction, the French Order of Arts and Literature, and a 2012 National Jewish Book Award. He was invited to deliver the prestigious Terry Lectures at Yale University and was a scholar in residence at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington.

In 2016, he was invited to a private audience with the pope.

Among his best-known works beyond the Talmud translation is “The Thirteen Petalled Rose,” an introduction to Jewish mysticism first published in 1980. A follower of the Chabad Hasidic movement, Steinsaltz also authored several books on Tanya, one of the group’s core texts. In 2018, he published a translation and commentary on the Five Books of Moses.

Despite his massive intellectual achievements, Steinsaltz often appears slightly disheveled in public and had a playful streak. Kurzweil recalled an appearance at a Long Island yeshiva at which Steinsaltz encouraged the students to do everything they could to make their teachers’ lives miserable, and even suggested a source book where they could find difficult questions sure to flummox them.

“He’s a troublemaker and he’s got a gleam in his eye at all times,” said Kurzweil, who served as Steinsaltz’s driver during his visits to New York. “He’s up to mischief sometimes.

He likes to question everything.”

Long plagued by ill health, Steinsaltz suffered a stroke in 2016 that left him unable to speak.

“Jewish learning is created by the Jews and is also creating the Jews,” Steinsaltz said in 2010. “When you learn, you learn about yourself. So learning one page of the Talmud is equivalent to two or three sessions with a psychoanalyst. That’s why people are interested — Jewish learning is a mirror into our soul.”

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Israeli TV CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

months ago, it put Stockholm front-andcenter as one of its main showcase offerings.

When Heroes Fly (Netflix)

After Netflix struck gold with Fauda in 2016, they knew that they had to carefully select what their next Israeli hit would be.

The result – When Heroes Fly – did not disappoint. The series follows four IDF veteran soldiers who reunite and travel deep into the Colombian jungle on a mission to find a loved one they presumed to be dead.

Loosely based on the popular novel of the same name by the late Amir Gutfreund, the show stars some of Israel’s highest-profile actors, including Tomer Kapon (Amazon’s The Boys) and Michael Aloni (Shtisel).

The series made waves when it won the top prize at the inaugural Cannes International Series Festival in 2018, beating out top global shows in the competition like Killing Eve and State of Happiness. One month later, it went on to become the most-watched drama on Israel’s Keshet 12. Just this past month, Apple TV+ announced that they’ve ordered an English-language remake of the hit show led by Academy Award winner Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker). The remake, which will be retitled as Echo 3, will begin filming soon in South America, just like the original version.

Confess (web series)

Looking for your “after hours” fix? This provocative web series not only broke ground, but created quite the stir in Israel.

Confess is an anthology series that explores hook-up culture in Tel Aviv today and how dating apps have changed millennials’ dating and sex lives. Each episode is based

When Heroes Fly (Netflix)

After Netflix struck gold with Fauda in 2016, they knew that they had to carefully select what their next Israeli hit would be.

The result – When Heroes Fly – did not disappoint. The series follows four IDF veteran soldiers who reunite and travel deep into the Colombian jungle on a mission to find a loved one they presumed to be dead.

Loosely based on the popular novel of the same name by the late Amir Gutfreund, the show stars some of Israel’s highest-profile actors, including Tomer Kapon (Amazon’s The Boys) and Michael Aloni (Shtisel).

The series made waves when it won the top prize at the inaugural Cannes International Series Festival in 2018, beating out top global shows in the competition like Killing Eve and State of Happiness. One month later, it went on to 20

become the most-watched drama on Israel’s Keshet 12. Just this past month, Apple TV+ announced that they’ve ordered an English-language remake of the hit show led by Academy Award winner Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker). The remake, which will be retitled as Echo 3, will begin filming soon in South America, just like the original version.

Confess (web series)

Looking for your “after hours” fix? This provocative web series not only broke ground, but created quite the stir in Israel.

Confess is an anthology series that explores hook-up culture in Tel Aviv today and how dating apps have changed millennials’ dating and sex lives. Each episode is based on the real-life confessions of dating app users and features the talents of some of Israel’s hottest rising stars, including Noa Koler (The Wedding Plan), Omer Perelman Striks (Shababnikim), and Ori Laizerouvich.

The series comes from one of Israel’s most promising directing talents, Moshe Rosenthal (Our Way Back). Two-time Academy Award nominee Julie Delpy (Before Sunset) is currently developing an American adaptation of Confess for AMC, the cable home to hits like Mad Men and Breaking Bad. You can view all episodes for free with English subtitles directly on Confess’ website.

Autonomies (Topic)

In this gripping dystopian drama, we’re transported to a present-day alternatereality where the Jewish state is divided by a heavily secured wall. One side is the secular “State of Israel,” with Tel Aviv as its capital. The other side is the ultra-Orthodox “Jewish Autonomy” based in Jerusalem.

Autonomies comes from Shtisel writers Yehonatan Indursky and Ori Elon, who were inspired to create this controversial series due to the belief that the real-life conflict between the ultra-Orthodox and secular societies within Israel might be more destructive than the Palestinian conflict.

The show airs on Israel’s HOT and has become one of the TV provider’s most successful dramas to date. Some critics have called it “ultra-Orthodox society meets Black Mirror.” The series is currently available to stream in the U.S. alongside Stockholm on Topic. An English-language adaptation is also in the works and is being reformatted to use America’s own blue state-red state divide as a substitute for the original Israeli plot.

STREAMING SOON: Tehran (Apple TV+)

Our Boys (HBO)

Set during the summer of 2014, Our Boys is based on the painful true events of the kidnapping and murders of young Israeli and Palestinian teenagers that led to the outbreak of the bloody 2014 Israeli-Gaza conflict. This series was a co-production between HBO and Keshet 12, officially making Our Boys the first Hebrew and Arabic language series for HBO. The series was written, directed, and produced by three of the region’s top filmmakers, all with diverse backgrounds: Hagai Levi (Showtime’s The Affair) is Israeli, Joseph Cedar (Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer) is American-Israeli, and Tawfik Abu Wael (Last Days in Jerusalem) is Palestinian.

The show ignited a splitting, emotional debate within Israel that was covered by the media all around the world. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added to the debate by launching a boycott campaign against the show during the Israeli election, calling it anti-Semitic. Yet at this year’s Israeli Television Academy Awards (Israel’s answer to the Emmy Awards), it walked away as the big winner of the event, winning Best Drama Series. Over here in the U.S., the series was recently nominated for a Peabody

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

Award in May and was named one of the New York Times’ top 10 shows of 2019.

| AUGUST 14, 2020

Israel’s hottest new show of the year, Tehran follows Tamar Rabinayan (Niv Sultan, Flawless), a young Mossad agent who is sent to Iran to hack and disable a nuclear reactor. When her dangerous mission takes an unexpected turn, she finds herself stuck in the Iranian capital, where she rediscovers her roots and befriends prodemocracy activists. The electrifying new show is currently being broadcast on Israel’s Kan 11 and comes from Moshe Zonder, the head writer of the hit Netflix series Fauda.

During quarantine, Apple TV+ bought the international rights to the series outside of Israel in a multi-million dollar sale. Apple has also signed on as a co-producer for Tehran and will announce the streaming premiere date very soon.

Losing Alice (Apple TV+)

In this neo-noir psychological thriller, we’re introduced to Alice (Ayelet Zurer, Superman: Man of Steel and Shitsel), an accomplished filmmaker in her 40s who struggles with her career after having a family. When she meets Sophie (Lihi Kornowski), an aspiring screenwriter in her 20s, she becomes obsessed with the younger

woman and brings her into her life, both professionally and personally. But soon enough, Alice realizes that Sophie might not be who she thinks she is, and the decision to bring her into her world may have fatal consequences.

The show, which just premiered this summer on HOT, was created by Sigal Avin, who has widely been regarded as one of the top female filmmakers to watch over the next few years. She created this show as a “love letter for the still-too-rare female director.” Apple TV+ recently announced that they bought and will co-produce Losing Alice, only a few days after they made a similar announcement for Tehran. Apple will announce the streaming premiere dates for both shows very soon.

These are only eight Israeli series that are or will be available on streaming platforms across North America, but expect plenty more incredible series to be added to this list very soon.

WHAT MIGHT BE NEXT? We know die-hard Israeli television fans are holding their breath for streaming services to pick up Israeli series like Shabbanikim, a comedy about yeshiva students; Muna, a Hebrew and Arabic language drama about a Palestinian photographer living in Tel Aviv; Transkids, a coming-of-age docu-series about four transgender teens preparing for mandatory military service; Nevsu, a comedy about a multicultural EthiopianAshkenazi family; and Your Honor, a legal thriller that stars legendary Israeli film actor Yoram Hattab and popular ArabIsraeli newscaster-turned-actress Lucy Aharish. The show has also been adapted in the U.S. and will premiere later this year on Showtime, starring Academy Award nominee Bryan Cranston.

However, two Israeli series in particular will most likely be the next shows to be picked up. The upcoming Valley of Tears, an eight-part emotional and action-packed limited series depicting the Yom Kippur War, was reportedly the highest-budgeted Israeli show ever created, costing $1 million per episode. On the Spectrum, a touching dramedy that brings us into the lives of three 20-something autistic roommates who learn to cope with the world around them is already a huge hit in Israel. Amazon just gave a series order last month for an English-language adaptation of the show, which features a leading cast of actors who are all on the autistic spectrum themselves in real life.

This story originally appeared on Kveller.

(Images via Yes Studios/Kan 11/Dori Media/HBO/ConfessTLV)

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BULLETIN BOARD Virtual Lunch and Learn Series at Ruth’s House Assisted Living LONGMEADOW -- The monthly Lunch and Learn program at Ruth’s House Assisted Living Residence at JGS Lifecare has gone virtual and its next two events will be on Aug. 21 and Sept. 23.

On Friday, Aug. 21, Dr. Stuart Anfang, medical director of the Memory Disorder Program at Baystate Medical Center, vice chair of Psychiatry at Baystate Health and associate professor of psychiatry at UMass Medical School, will present “Beyond the Blues – Aging & Depression.”

Dr. Anfang will talk about aging and depression, and understanding the differences between the normal blues and clinical depression. His presentation

will include symptoms to watch for and various treatment options, as well as suggestions on coping with the specific challenges of life under COVID-19.

The Zoom event will begin at 12 noon with a welcome and update. The presentation will run from 12:15 – 1:15 p.m., and will include a Q&A and a raffle. A visual tour of our independent and memory care neighborhoods will be offered.

On Wednesday, Sept. 23 Rabbi Devorah Jacobson, chaplain and director of Spiritual Life at JGS Lifecare, will present “Spirituality and Aging.,” She will talk about finding meaning and purpose as we age, as well as explore how our spirituality practice has been impacted by the COVID-19 virus. Living longer brings its own challenges for each of us, including the ongoing issue of finding

Enten meaning and purpose. What are some spiritual visions that can help us navigate elderhood? As we grow older, how can we live feeling vibrant, more whole, and affirmed especially in a culture that values individualism and youth?

This Zoom event will also begin at 12 noon with a welcome and update. The presentation will run from 12:15 – 1:15 p.m., and will include a Q&A, raffle and visual tour.

All participants will be entered into a raffle for a gift certificate to a local restaurant.

RSVP for the Lunch and Learn programs by contacting Christina Tuohey at (413) 567-3949, ext. 3105; or emailing ctuohey@JGSLifecare.org. When you RSVP, you will be send a confirmation and Zoom invite prior to the events.

ISABELLA FREEDMAN RETREAT CENTER REDUCES STAFF DUE TO AFFECTS OF CORONAVIRUS

BY SHIRA HANAU

(JTA) – Almost as soon as the coronavirus pandemic swept the country in early March, the Isabella Freedman Retreat Center in Connecticut canceled several retreats it was set to host in the spring.

Then the center had to cancel its Passover program, the biggest program it hosts all year. By early June, all retreats through the end of 2020 were off the calendar.

The cancellations led Hazon, the Jewish environmental organization that operates the retreat center, to reduce its staff by about 40% in late June.

Out of a staff of 59 before the pandemic, 21 people were laid off at the end of June and three positions were left unfilled as the organization adjusted to the sudden loss of revenue.

The decision to lay off staff makes Hazon the latest Jewish organization to making staffing changes effective at the end of the federal Paycheck Protection Program. The aid program, intended to keep Americans employed at small businesses, provided low-interest loans to small businesses and nonprofit organizations. Under the rules of the program, the loans could be eligible for forgiveness if employees were kept on through the end of June. Layoffs

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A SHAVUOT CELEBRATION AT THE ISABELLA FREEDMAN RETREAT CENTER.

after that date would not jeopardize organizations’ eligibility for loan forgiveness.

Nigel Savage, president and CEO of Hazon, said the organization had probably lost $2.5 million so far this year from canceled programming. Hazon received about $840,000 in a loan from the Small Business Administration, most of which Savage anticipates being forgiven under the terms of the program, that enabled it to stave off the layoffs until late June.

“But Hazon has no reserves, no endowment, so it was very clear if we didn’t have revenues, that we would have to let staff go,” Savage told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The organization had imposed pay reductions, tiered according to salary level, earlier in the pandemic for about eight weeks, with Savage taking a temporary 25% cut.

Most of the layoffs involved event staff at the retreat center. While some Hazon programs have been

suspended – including Teva, an environmental education program for schools – the organization has not laid off staffers responsible for educational programming, some of which has been moved online.

Moving forward, a pilot program at the retreat center may help balance the budget this year.

The center began hosting a small number of guests for short getaways instead of the large retreats they usually host. Individuals, couples and families can visit the retreat center with all activities and meals carried out with social distancing.

If the retreat center is able to continue hosting guests, the organization should be able to maintain its remaining staff, according to Savage, but if changing state regulations force the center to stop hosting guests, more might have to be let go.

“We literally don’t know what the future holds,” Savage said.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

[to win the Democratic nomination] until March of 2020, he was in a good position. So this is why I would consistently say, “Look, Joe Biden has the best shot of winning of any of the candidates.”

Second, I think that there was a misunderstanding/a misapplication of what I deem to be the true margin of error. That is how far off the polls are once you take into account time until the election, things that don’t just include sampling error – nonresponse, misappropriation of weights, whatever. And essentially, what I see my job as doing is making sure I’m telling people that. In the weekend before the 2016 election, I was saying, “Look, Donald Trump is just a normal polling error away from winning. It really wouldn’t be that crazy for him to win at this point.”

The final thing I’ll note I think is so important: It’s really easy to tell people what the most likely outcome is going to be. What’s more difficult, and what I’m not sure we necessarily as a statistical community do enough, is explaining to folks, “Okay, what’s the unlikely outcome in this situation? And how do we get to that unlikely outcome?” Donald Trump, at this point, is not the most likely person to win the November election. But how is it that we get to the point where he does win? What needs to occur, and what’s the chance of that occurring?

It seems like every election, Republicans say this is going to be the year they get more Jews to vote for them, and it never really happens. Trump has tried to make inroads – do you think he may succeed?

Not really. I think, obviously, as you hinted it, it’s something that is continuously brought up.

But you know, we have basically over the last few decades hit a point where the Democrats win the Jewish vote between somewhere between 45 and 60 points, and I haven’t seen anything that indicates that that will shift significantly.

Obviously, we’ll have more data, as we get closer to the election, but at this particular point, I have not seen anything that indicates that we’re going to shift significantly from that.

We have seen a number of polls from 2020 and we know that Jews on the whole overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump’s job performance. I think his net approval is around minus-40 points. We know that the Democrats are much better liked among Jewish voters, and we know that in the polls that were taken before the primary that Biden was up by nearly 40 points among Jewish voters. And my guess is that is even larger now that you know he attained the nomination and he’s obviously also extended his lead. So I have not seen anything to indicate that Trump will get more than 30% of the Jewish vote, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s even lower than that.

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

| AUGUST 14, 2020

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OBITUARIES BINDMAN Nita (Rosenbloom) Bindman, 92, of Worcester, died at her home at The Eisenberg Assisted Living Residence on July 23. She was the widow of Herman “Hy” Bindman. Born in London, England, she was the daughter of the late Israel and Ann Rosenbloom. She worked for many years as a word processor at State Mutual Insurance. Following her retirement, she volunteered her time in the office of Temple Emanuel Sinai, Jewish Healthcare Center and The Jewish Community Center. She is survived by her nieces and nephews, Marsha and Frank Nesvet, Linda and Paul Zuckerman, Stephen and Ann Ross, Bruce Bindman, Sheila Bindman, Debbie Bindman and Steven Bindman; and many great-nieces and great-nephews, and their children. She was predeceased a son, Ross Bindman; two sisters, Sue and Sally; and three brothers, David, Michael and Bernard.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Jewish Healthcare Center, 629 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609; Temple Emanuel Sinai, 661 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609; or the charity of the donor’s choice.

RICHARD PERLMAN OF MILES FUNERAL HOME OF HOLDEN GOLDFADER Cara Lee (Lesser) Goldfader, 78, formerly of Worcester, died July 28, 2020, at her home in Laguna Woods, Calif. She was the widow of Sidney Goldfader. Born in Dorchester, she was the daughter of Louis and Rebecca (Drazin) Lesser. She Brookline High School, then completed her studies at Brandeis University receiving her BA degree in History. She graduated in 1965 from Beth Israel School of Nursing in Boston. She and her husband raised their family in his native hometown of Worcester. She completed her career as director of nurses for a long term care facility in central Massachusetts in 1997, and moved to Southern California to be closer to her children and grandchildren.

She is survived by a brother, Eliyu Lesser and his wife, Maxine, of Deland, Fla.; a daughter, Rebecca Goldfader of San Francisco, Calif.; two sons, Michael Goldfader and his wife, Susan, of Los Angeles, Calif, and Louis Noah Goldfader of Richardson, Tex.; three grandchildren, Brooke and Sloane Goldfader of Los Angeles, Calif., and Sidney Goldfader-Dufty of San Francisco, Calif.; Bevan Dufty, her grandson Sidney’s father; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. She was predeceased by a sister, Naomi Debba Lesser.

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LEVENSON Lewis I. Levenson M.D. of Enfield, Conn., died July 9. He was the husband of Melanie Levenson. Born in Orange, Mass., he was the son of the late Solomon and Sophie Levenson. Lewis grew up in Orange, Massachusetts as an only child.

He was a physician with a private practice in in Enfield. In addition to his wife, he is survived by three children, Benjamin, Sophie, and Dr. Alesha Levenson. Memorial contributions maybe be made to B’nai Jeshurun, 270 West 89th St., New York, NY 10010.

ASCHER-ZIMMERMAN FUNERAL HOME

Roberta and Goldberg and her husband, Ellis, of Boca Raton, Fla; a grandson, Jacob and his wife, Katie DiGregorio, of Chicago; and a great-grandson, Jack. She was predeceased by three sisters, Irma Goldstein, Shirley Weinstein, and Sarah Jacobs; and two brothers, Merwin Rubin and Bernard Rubin. Memorial contributions may be made to Eisenberg Assisted Living Employees Fund, 631 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609 or Temple Emanuel Sinai, 661 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609.

RICHARD PERLMAN OF MILES FUNERAL HOME OF HOLDEN

PEVZNER Myra Retchin Perkins Pevzner, 73, of Longmeadow, died July 23. She was the wife of Steven Pevzner. Born in Springfield, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Naomi (Pomerantz) Retchin. She was a graduate of Classical High School, UMass and received a master’s degree from Western New England College. She was employed as a vice president at Frost Bank in Nevada, a legal assistant for Bacon & Wilson and retired from United Bank in Springfield. She attending services at Congregation B’nai Torah in Longmeadow and playing cards at the Senior Center with her many friends. She is survived by a daughter, Sheen Perkins; a grandson, Quinten; two sisters Pam Perkins and Sita Sun; a niece and nephew, Shanti and Toli; and her former husband, Guy Perkins. She was predeceased by a brother, Bruce; her son, Mark Perkins; and her former parentsin-law, Guy and Aileen Perkins. Memorial contributions maybe made to the Humane Society of the United States.

ASCHER-ZIMMERMAN FUNERAL HOME

WALLACE Ronald Glenn Wallace, 76, of Fort Myers, Fla., died June 24 at home. He was the husband of Naomi Lee Bloom. Born in Puyallup, Wash., he was the son of the late Chester Stollard Wallace and Grace Tallman Wallace. He got his B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. at the University of Washington. He served for four years in the Viet Nam era’s Air Force Electronic Systems Command in Boston.

He and his wife lived in Silicon Valley, then Fairfax, Va., where he worked for ORI, often under contract to NASA, and earned his engineer degree in satellite communications theory at George Washington University.

He worked for NASA, where he became the mission manager for terrestrial search and rescue. In addition to his wife of 48 years, he is survived by a sister, Arlene Anne (Wallace) Towne of Yuma, AZ; three brothers, Chester Dee Wallace of Sierra City, Calif., Dennis Earl (Sandy) Wallace of Redmond, Ore., and Randolph Lee (Deeannamarie) Wallace; a brother-inlaw and sister-in-law, Irwin Isaac Weitz and Marsha Bloom Weitz; and many nieces, nephews and great nieces and great nephews. He was predeceased by a brotherin-law, Carl Towne; and two nieces, Vicki Lea Towne and Rebekah Wallace. Memorial contributions may be made to the Florida Repertory Theater: https://www.floridarep. org/ or the Washington Men’s Gymnastic Foundation http://wmgf.us/

STEIN Zelda E. Stein, 94, of Worcester, died July 28 at Jewish Healthcare Center. She was the widow of Sydney Stein. Born and raised in Springfield, she was the daughter of Eli and Frances (Sakowitz) Rubin. She attended Mt. Ida Junior College. Early in her career, she worked as a bookkeeper and helped her husband at the family business, the Family Fair. At age 50, she received her bachelor’s degree in education from Worcester Stage College, and went on to work for the Barre public school system and the Solomon Schecter Day School in Worcester. She later took over a catering company that her daughter had started, and renamed it Zelda Stein Catering. She was a longtime member of Temple Emanuel in Worcester. She is survived by a daughter, CarolAnn (Stein) and her husband, Joseph DiGregorio of Holden; two sons, Lawrence and his wife, June Greenman of Holden and David Stein of Worcester; a sister,

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

| AUGUST 14, 2020

WOLFSON Jack L. Wolfson, 95, of Boynton Beach, Fla., died June 18, at his summer residence in Worcester. He was the husband of Marcia (Paul) Wolfson. Born in Worcester, he was the son of Morris and Cora (Krock) Wolfson, and lived in Worcester until moving to Florida a number of years ago.

He graduated Clark University in 1948 with a Bachelor’s Degree, with honors in Business Administration. He graduated from Boston University Law School in 1951 where he was the Editor of Law Review.

He founded the Worcester law firm of Conlin and Wolfson which later became

Wolfson, Dodson, Keenan & Cotton. Conlin and Wolfson was the first ecumenical law firm in Worcester. Years later, he received the Saint Thomas More Ecumenical Award from Holy Cross College. He was listed in Best Lawyers in America and was elected to the executive board of the Worcester County Bar Association. He was a trustee of Temple Emanuel Sinai and a past president of its Brotherhood, receiving its Man of the Year Award. He served as program chairman for the Oct. 22, 1962 U.S. Senate campaign debate between Ted Kennedy and Henry Cabot Lodge on the evening of President Kennedy’s historic Cuban Missile Crisis Speech. He was Chairman of the Contribution Committee of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation. In addition to his wife of 68 years, he is survived by a son, Jeffrey Wolfson and his wife, Terry; a daughter, Geri Fuhrmann and her husband Chris; and four grandchildren, Dan, Rachel, Dana and Andrew. He was predeceased by a sister, Rose Praglin of Waterloo, Iowa. Memorial contributions may be made to Wolfson Scholarship Fund c/o Temple Emanuel Sinai, 661 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609; Clark University, Attn: Development Office, 950 Main St., Worcester, MA 01610; or to a charity of the donor’s choice.

RICHARD PERLMAN OF MILES FUNERAL HOME WOOLSON Pauline E. (Weiner) Woolson, 90, died at home on July 22 after an illness. She was predeceased by her husband of 64 years Richard Woolson. Born in Worcester, she was the daughter of Louis and Sarah (Glatky) Weiner. She was a graduate of Commerce High School. She was an active volunteer at the Worcester Senior Center where she received “Volunteer of the Year” award. She also gave of her time as a volunteer at UMass Medical Center for more than 20 years. She loved her job interacting with clients as an Avon sales representative. She is survived by two sons, Larry H. Woolson and his significant other, Diane Ward, of Worcester, and Steven J. Woolson and his significant other, Deborah Briggs, of Worcester; two grandchildren, Rachel S. Woolson and her significant other, T.J. O’Connor, of Auburn and Daniel J. Woolson and his wife, Andrea, of Norfolk; a great grandson, James Woolson; and several nephews and a nieces. Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.

RICHARD PERLMAN OF MILES FUNERAL HOME

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Rabbi Shapiro CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

rabbi for Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto from 1977 to 1982. He served as rabbi of Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, N.Y. from 1983 to 1988, before arriving at Sinai Temple in Springfield in 1988.

Rabbi Shapiro was very involved with Sinai’s Religious School and Youth Groups.

He loved interacting with the children of Sinai – he would often read stories to them wearing fun costumes.

One of his greatest pleasures was the time he spent with Sinai’s 10th grade Confirmation class, taking them each year on a retreat to places like Washington, D.C. to visit Capitol Hill and in 2007 to Atlanta, Georgia and Selma, Alabama on a civil rights journey.

He also taught an adult Torah Study Group that still meets every Saturday morning. He led several groups of adults through the process of becoming Adult Bar/ Bat Mitzvah.

Rabbi Shapiro also changed the way Sinai’s services were conducted, coming down off the bimah to lead services on the floor of the sanctuary to be closer and more a part of the congregation.

He liked to try new things in terms of the service. Several times a year he lead “Visual T’filah” using power point slides at the front of the sanctuary. The slides showed not just the prayers, but artwork and photographs that help to illustrate them. In his bid to offer a variety of worship styles to his congregants, he helped to create four different prayer pamphlets for use in Sinai’s Shabbat services.

“Rabbi Shapiro understood the many hats a rabbi must wear,” said Rabbi Amy Katz in a message she sent out to the community. “He knew how to convey ideas to his congregants, engaging them with his love of Torah, Israel and the Jewish people. When his congregants needed a compassionate presence, Rabbi Shapiro knew how to be present, supportive and loving. He held the stories of so many Sinai Temple members.”

As a result of Rabbi Shapiro’s keen interest in social action, Sinai received national recognition from the Reform Movement for its extensive social action programming. In 2007, he was was honored by the National Conference for Community and Justice with its annual human rights award.

He was a member of and chaired the Convention Program Committee for the CCAR from 1996 to 2004. He has been president of NER (Northeast Reform Rabbis), a region of the CCAR, and also served on the executive board of the CCAR as its recording secretary.

Richard Perlman

*

In the interest of outreach, he chaired the CCAR (Central Conference of American Rabbis) Committee on Conversion from 1982 to 1987. He was a member of and for several years chaired the Commission on Outreach for the Northeast Council of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). He was also a member of the National URJ Commission on Outreach for several years and was president of the Interfaith Council of Western Massachusetts from 1996 to 1998. He was also Treasurer of the Interfaith Council.

For years he led the annual “Sinai Temple Institute for Christian and Muslim Clergy and Educators” a series of interfaith clergy learning sessions which Rabbi Herman Snyder founded many years ago.

“Rabbi Shapiro built bridges,” said Rabbi Amy Wallk Katz of Temple Beth El in Springfield in a note to the community after his passing. “He understood that his role as rabbi was to represent the Jewish community to the larger world in which we live. That is why he regularly wrote opinion pieces for the Republican, attended countless civic events, taught at local churches throughout the area and organized study opportunities for clergy of all faiths. Interfaith dialogue was an integral part of Rabbi Shapiro’s rabbinate.”

Rabbi Shapiro was an adjunct professor at Springfield College for a number of years.

His publications include the book, Gates of Shabbat, and several articles such as “Defining Our Religious Message,” “Rooting the Religion of Freedom in History: An Assessment of American Reform Judaism,” “The Unfolding of Comfort: A Commentary on the Haftarah Cycle,” “Becoming Jewish Through the Jewish Information Class,” “The Second Book of Jeremiah: From Doom to Destiny,” and “The God Survey.”

“The memory of Mark Shapiro will always be for blessing to this community,” said Rabbi Devorah Jacobson. “I knew Mark for over 20 years, and always thought of him as a skilled, fun-loving and very wise rabbi and a very kind friend. Over the years, I watched him in action, at meetings, during study sessions, leading programs, and observed that everything he did, he did well, in a high quality way, with so much thoughtfulness, care, grace and whenever appropriate, a good amount of humor.”

Serving the Jewish communities of Worcester and Worcester County Is now affiliated with

Miles Funeral Directors of Holden 508.829.4434 Taharah (religious preparation) is performed on-site by the Worcester Chevra Kadisha Richard S. Mansfield, Funeral Director www.milesfuneralhome.com

Contact Richard Perlman Cell: 508.769.7017 *Lic. – Type 6

Proudly Serving the Community for Over 60 Years

Funeral Directors: RYAN S. ASCHER • ROBERT P. ZIMMERMAN 413.734.5229 • 888.827.2437

44 Sumner Avenue Springfield, MA 01108 E: ascherzimmerman@aol.com www.ascherzimmerman.com

FLEISHER MONUMENT COMPANY With 12 years experience we continue to create personalized, meaningful memorials.

Wording both in Hebrew and English. Relevant etching can be included.

Ira Jay Fleisher ~ 401.265.2330 fleishermonumentco@gmail.com (Serving Rhode Island & Massachusetts)

majewishledger.com

MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER

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AUGUST 14, 2020

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Deliveries are made in a refrigerated van and our drivers observe all safety protocols recommended for everyone’s safety.

2020

OSH HASHANAH RO M K I P P

High Holidays On The Highway!

The Crown Market Is Pleased To Continue Our Massachusetts Deliveries To Central Locations In: Newton, Natick, Worcester, And Springfield!

(Details and Times On Our Website)

High Holiday Delivery Date: Wednesday, September 16th Order Deadline: Monday, September 7th 4PM We offer the finest custom-butchered kosher meats, delicious gourmet prepared foods, deli-sliced meats, sliced cheeses, holiday meal packages, from-scratch delectable baked goods, store-made artisan breads and hard-to-find groceries.

U The Crown Market R

2471 Albany Ave West Hartford, CT 06117

860.236.1965

www.crownmarketonline.com

L’shanah tovah tikateivu v’teichateimu

5780-5781

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

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