Great Metro West 7-2-2020 by rich waloff

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NEW JERSEY JEWISH NEWS G R E AT E R M E T ROW E S T E D I T I O N A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E J E W I S H W E E K M E D I A G R O U P Vo l . LXX IV N o . 27 | J ul y 2 , 2 020 | 10 TAM M U Z 5780 nj j ew i s hnews . c o m

Men comprise a growing swatch of knitters State & Local page 4

Sowing a Jewish love for the land State & Local page 6

Annexation is safest choice for Israel Opinion page 17

State & Local Arts Opinion Calendar LifeCycle Touch of Torah Exit Ramp

4 10 17 22 23 28 31

The local comedian who gets a laugh out of her heritage Arts page 10

Chronicling a friendship with a literary legend Arts page 14

Exploring the world while staying close to home Exit Ramp page 31

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What’s cooking?

Shiitake mushroom frittata with goat cheese is not exactly camp fare. Neither is chilled melon and mint soup. But both can be found in “The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook: 125 Homegrown Recipes from the New England Hills” (The Countryman Press) by the first couple of Jewish camp, Elisa Spungen Bildner and Robert Bildner (written with Chef Brian Alberg). The Bildners, who live in Montclair, created Robert Bildner and the Foundation for Jewish Camp in 1998, which Elisa Spungen Bildner serves as the central address for American-Jewish camping. But as they say in the introduction, the cookbook is a paean to their “spiritual home” in the Berkshires; it’s not an outgrowth of their considerable philanthropic work in the Jewish community. Through profiles of local farmers and restaurants, coupled with lush photos of the produce, livestock, food, and landscape, the Bildners breathe a sense of place into their recipes. There’s not much that’s specifically Jewish about the book; a few of the recipes involve pork or seafood. But then again, it’s hard to miss the Bildner touch when you turn the page to find Savory Beet Latkes featuring vegetables from Hawk Dance Farm and chevre from Rawson Brook Farm. Or the mention of hosting Shabbat guests and that they “love to cook and entertain, especially on Friday nights.” There’s a certain irony in their appreciation of sustainability and eating locally sourced food: Bildner’s grandfather founded the New Jersey supermarket chain Kings. If food is in their DNA, so is writing. While both are attorneys, Spungen Bildner also trained as a journalist and chef. Though written over several years and finished before the pandemic, the timing is right for cooking some slow food and dreaming about a pastoral view. Caramelized onion galette with blue cheese and carrots, inspired by the carrots at Woven Roots Farm and the cheese at High Lawn Farm? Yes, please. — Johanna Ginsberg

Need homecare? We’ve got you covered.

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Artisanal kosher boom.

to four congregations will or punitive action lead to compromise .

N.Y. 18 President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyah the White House u at in February. Without a clear Mideast policy, Trump’s upcomin g visit raises many questions. G E T T Y I M AGES

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On A Jam With Roller Derby’s MO Ts

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ess than three months after the Orthodo x Union issued a halachic prohibit ion against women serving in clerical roles, three leaders of the influential national Will Mideast swing body have begun meeting move past with symbolism and the rabbis of the into peacemakin four OUmember synagogu g? Joshua Mitnick es in the U.S. that employ as an affront and Contributing Editor women vote of noclergy, The Jewish confidence in the Week U.S. ally. By has learned. the time Obama did t was a thorn in visit in the U.S.-Israel Some believe the first months of his relations for years. visits second term, may be a first step the scar had never Right or wrong, toward healed. former Now, in a contrast President Barack punitive Between with his Obama’s depredecessor, Presiden cision, right at the m e a The Lines start of his ald Trump is planning t Donpresidency, to visit sure a quick Muslim naand possible expulsio s , swing through tions around the Israel on his n, Rabba Sara Hurwitz: Middle East for congregations first trip abroad since “Glad to while skipping Israel that do know that his inauwas seen the OU is finally not conform with meetContinued on page the OU’s ing a few 23 of [Yeshivat Maharat Continued on page ’s] 7 graduates.”

Trump’s First Trip : Into Belly Of The Beast

Israel Looms Betwee n Macron And Jews

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Will OU Oust Shu ls With Women Cle rgy? Concern wheth er visits

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Gotham Girls Jewish blockers talk about jammers and faith, pride and getting up off the deck. Hannah Dreyfus

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Staff Writer coln on the track. “ To p l a y d e r b y, f you want to play you have to be tough. roller derby, you better get comfort A recent practice You have to have in Williamsburg: able with getting a Wearing religion knocked down. pads. H A N N A H D R E Y F thick skin, so you on their US/JW can The same goes for get back up again being Jewish, said when you fall down,” Gotham Girls roller said Fineman, 28, Fineman — who derby skater Dara who joined the Gotham paints a Star of David Fineman, who goes Girls league in February over her left eye — by the treif but lovis not the only player . “Those are Jewably campy moniker ish traits. As a people, to proudly sport her Hebrew Ham Linwe fall down but Judaism on the oval. we keep surviving.” The 102-player league, which is ranked No. 1 Continue

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Delicious by design

Milton Glaser, the godfather of modern graphic design who passed away on his 91st birthday June 26, was responsible for a number of iconic designs: The “I HEART NY” logo, a classic Bob Dylan poster, the “chubby” psychedelic imagery that inspired the look of the animated Beatles movie “Yellow Submarine.” He was also co-founder, president, and design director of New York magazine. The lifelong New Yorker and son of Hungarian immigrant parents rarely spoke of his Jewish identity, but he made clear that his upbringing defined his artistic sensibility: it gave him, he said, a sense of “never quite feeling at The July 22, 1968, issue of New home in any culture.” York magazine featured a design by The insider/outsider aesthetic was Milton Glaser. on display in a July 1968 issue of New York, when moonlighting as the Underground Gourmet columnist he cowrote “A Gentile’s Guide to Jewish Food.” The first installment treats the appetizer store with almost anthropological respect. “The appetizing store is … a unique and wonderful institution,” it reads. “To be precise, the items in an appetizing store were and are not necessarily Jewish inventions. The Jews exercise an international gastronomic curatorship by bringing together and developing foods of Scandinavian, Middle European and Middle Eastern origins.” Oh, and the average price of lox was $3.15 a pound. The cover of the magazine featured — what else? — a Glaser design of a whole salmon trapped in a bagel. — New York Jewish Week/JTA

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Vol. LXXIV No. 27 July 2, 2020 10 Tammuz 5780 EDITORIAL Gabe Kahn, Editor Shira Vickar-Fox, Managing Editor Lori Silberman Brauner, Deputy Managing Editor Johanna Ginsberg, Senior Staff Writer Jed Weisberger, Staff Writer Abby Meth Kanter, Editorial Adviser CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Michele Alperin, Jennifer Altmann, Max L. Kleinman, Martin J. Raffel, Merri Ukraincik, Stephen M. Flatow, Jonathan Tobin BUSINESS Nancy Greenblatt, Manager Sales/ Administration and Circulation Nancy Karpf, Senior Account Executive Steven Weisman, Account Executive Lauri Sirois, Classified Sales Supervisor/ Office Manager GRAPHIC DESIGN/DIGITAL/PRODUCTION Clarissa Hamilton, Janice Hwang, Dani Shetrit EXECUTIVE STAFF Rich Waloff, Publisher Andrew Silow-Carroll, Editor in Chief Gary Rosenblatt, Editor at Large Rob Goldblum, Managing Editor Ruth Rothseid, Sales Manager Thea Wieseltier, Director of Strategic Projects Dan Bocchino, Art Director Arielle Sheinwald, Operations Manager Gershon Fastow, Advertising Coordinator

PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT New Jersey Jewish News, an independent voice, seeks to inform, engage and inspire its readers, covering and helping to build community. The Greater MetroWest edition of NJJN (USPS 275-540) is published weekly by the JWMW, LLC, at 1501 Broadway, Room 505, New York, NY 10036. © 2016, NJ Jewish News. All rights reserved. • Periodical postage is paid at Whippany, NJ, and additional offices. • Postmaster: Send address changes to New Jersey Jewish News, 1719 Route 10, Suite 307, Parsippany, NJ 07054-4515. NJJN was founded as The Jewish News on Jan. 3, 1947. Member, American Jewish Press Association; subscriber to JTA. TELEPHONES/E-MAIL: Main — phone: 973739-8110, fax: 973-887-4152, e-mail: editorial@njjewishnews.com, ■ Manuscripts, letters, documents, and photographs sent to New Jersey Jewish News become the physical property of this publication, which is not responsible for the return or loss of such material. SUBSCRIPTIONS: ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS (INCLUDING POSTAGE): New Jersey: $52. Out of State: $56. Call Nancy Greenblatt, 973-739-8115 or e-mail: ngreenblatt@njjewishnews.com. For change of address, call 973-929-3198. ADVERTISING: NJJN does not endorse the goods or services advertised in its pages and makes no representation as to the kashrut of food products and services in such advertising. The publisher shall not be liable for damages if, for any reason whatsoever, the publisher fails to publish an advertisement or for any error in an advertisement. Acceptance of advertisers and of advertising copy is subject to publisher’s approval. NJJN is not responsible if ads violate applicable laws and the advertiser will indemnify, hold harmless, and defend NJJN from all claims made by governmental agencies and consumers for any reason based on ads carried in NJJN.

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For the love of knitting The handicraft is embraced by a new generation of men

Shira Vickar-Fox NJJN Managing Editor

he Schorr family of West Orange have lots of handmade hats, scarves, and shawls. There’s a denim blue scarf, a rainbow-colored shawl, and even a knitted siddur cover. These items were not lovingly made by a bubbe living in a retirement community in Florida, but by a suburban dad with an Instagram account, i.just. knit.my.pants. Eric Schorr, a member of Congregation Ahawas Achim B’nai Jacob and David in West Orange, is an unabashed knitter who pulls out his needles and yarn while on the commuter bus, during work meetings, and at lunch. Some of his most productive time is while his daughters are taking swim or martial arts classes. He said he turns heads of other parents. “They think it’s cool I’m knitting and I’m a guy,” Schorr told NJJN. There’s a societal misconception, he said, that knitting is “not considered masculine.” It’s a stereotype

Eric Schorr said he finds knitting “calming.” mirrored in some Jewish texts. For instance, in “Eishet Chayil,” “A Woman of Valor,” sung Friday evenings in many traditional Jewish homes, the archetypical female “seeks wool and flax, and works willingly with her hands” (Proverbs 31:13). “Knitting is seen as, that’s what your grandmother did, that this is for

PHOTO COURTESY ERIC SCHORR

women only — and not in a positive way,” said Schorr. But it seems the threads of time are spinning in a new direction and modern men are embracing the craft. “[There’s] more interest from male crafters every single day,” said Shira Blumenthal, brand ambassador for Lion Brand Yarn Company, in an

emailed statement to NJJN. Crafting, she wrote, is a “genderless activity,” and cited six men who are part of the “growing number of male bloggers” in the company’s blogger network. Lion Brand, based in Carlstadt, is a familyowned company founded by Reuben Blumenthal in 1878. “The increased passion of these men and their male followers … is testament to the current growth of male interest in knitting and crocheting,” said Blumenthal, a descendant of the company’s founder. Noam Nissel, a graduate of Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School (RKYHS) in Livingston, learned to knit from a guidance counselor in high school. In the fall he plans to study abroad in Ireland as part of his architecture program at Northeastern University. He told NJJN that while in high school he knit a cowl for his grandmother and had the Hebrew word for grandmother, savta, embroidered on the front. “When I used to knit I got the feeling it was not such a manly thing to

Jersey folk singer signs with national label Mara Levine’s repertoire reflects ‘tikkun olam’ influence

Mara Levine, singer of songs extolling social activism

years for his outspoken resistance to the regime. The song was originally released as a single after the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., which drew hundreds of white supremacists and neo-Nazis chanting racist and anti-Semitic slogans. Another song on the album that Levine frequently sings in concert is “Be the Change”; written by Arlon Bennett, it was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and civil rights activist Rosa Parks as exemplars of nonviolent action to effect positive change. The message in its chorus:

by the famous poem “First They Came for the Socialists…” by the Rev. Martin Niemoller (18921984), a German Protestant pastor who was imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps for seven

Be the change you want to see around you, Be the right in a world of wrong, Be the one, the one to make a difference, Be the change, Be the change.

Sherry S. Kirschenbaum Special to NJJN

ncluded on New Jersey-based recording artist Mara Levine’s latest album, “Facets of Folk,” is a song she considers “one of the most powerful” written about the Holocaust. “By My Silence” is among several on the album that express themes of social conscience, reinforcing Levine’s assertion that her repertoire is shaped “by the Jewish value of tikkun olam.” Levine, who lives in Edison, where she was raised, told NJJN she feels so strongly about “By My Silence” that she sings it at every performance. The lyrics reveal the complicity of those who stood by as the Shoah descended on Europe. Written by Ellen Bukstel and Nick Annis, the song was inspired

Growing up, Levine said her parents instilled in her a deep belief that all human beings have equal worth regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation. They also taught her the importance of making positive contributions to society. “The songs I choose to sing,” she said, “are definitely informed by the Jewish value of tikkun olam, making the world a better place.” In addition to her folk music, for the past several years Levine has been studying, performing, and recording in the bluegrass genre. She said she is thrilled to have just signed a national record deal with the Tennessee-based Bell Buckle Records label. Before her introduction to the genre six years ago, Levine admitted, she had a false impression

Continued on page 8

do, per se, as society would perceive what men do, but I didn’t let that stop me because I really enjoyed the activity,” said Nissel, whose family are members of Congregation Ohr Torah in West Orange. Turns out there’s a deep Jewish history to men and the making of garments. Rabbi Rex Perlmeter, director of the Jewish Wellness Center of North Jersey and rabbi emeritus of Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, said he enjoys the latter parts of Exodus where “we’re reading about the work of everyone contributing to the building of the tabernacle, including men who were weavers.” In fact, knitting guilds of the middle ages were powerful unions comprised of men. They continued to dominate the making of knitted goods until the 16th century, when the invention of a knitting machine outpaced the work of men, according to a 2013 article in The Huffington Post. Fast forward 400 years, school-age boys in the U.S. and United Kingdom dabbled in the craft by knitting warm socks and gloves for their country’s soldiers fighting in World Wars I and II. Eventually, mass production reduced demand for hand-knitted garments, but in recent decades men have taken up the craft, some of them famous: A short list of male celebrity knitters include Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, and the late Robin Williams. “More than once I’ve gone into a knit shop and I’m not the only male in the store anymore,” said Perlmeter, who lives in Montclair and is a member of Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield. Perlmeter, whose mother taught him to crochet, learned how to knit while in rabbinical school in the early 1980s. A group of women would sit in the back of the classroom and knit, and Perlmeter thought keeping his hands busy during boring lectures would keep him from “going stir crazy,” so he dabbled in the craft. It wasn’t until he retired from the pulpit a dozen years ago that he began knitting in earnest. His favorite projects are sweaters, especially ones with complicated cable patterns. The act of knitting weaves into his professional focus on Jewish spirituality and wellness. He finds it a “profoundly mindful activity,” as any knitter can attest, as there’s an intention focused on the pattern and a calming repetition in the work. “It requires absolute presence in the moment, and at the same time I know that I’m making something

Rabbi Rex Perlmeter knit the sweater worn by his wife, Rabbi Rachel Hertzman. PHOTO COURTESY REX PERLMETER

that will bring joy into someone’s life,” he said. Similarly, Nissel said that knitting brought him a “sense of calmness in a very chaotic day,” which included long hours and a dual curriculum. “Knitting provided me with this quiet time to reenergize myself for the rest of the day, which is what I liked about it from the beginning,” he told NJJN. Schorr chose to pick up knitting during a time in his life when he was “all stressed out.” He remembers his grandmother taught him the basic stitches, knit and purl, when he was a child; other popular modes of relaxation, such as yoga, didn’t appeal to him. At the time he was living in England within walking distance to a John Lewis department store, which had a large haberdashery selection, including

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Noam Nissel knit this off-white and gray cowl for his savta, grandmother, while a student at Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston. PHOTO COURTESY NOAM NISSEL

needles and yarn. He started by knitting scarves for his girlfriend, now wife. Today, living in his home state of New Jersey, raising a family of three young girls, and working full-time as a software developer leaves little time for his hobby, so he prefers small projects, like making coffee sleeves, and is considering knitting a kipa for himself. Judaism has affected his craft in interesting ways. Schorr, who leads an observant life, had to reject a yarn for a scarf because it contained a combination of linen and wool, which is classified as shatnez, a mix of fabrics forbidden for Jews to wear, one of the most confounding prohibitions in the Torah. He’s also been reading books by kabbalist Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan and is intrigued by hidden meanings and layers, so he’s designing knitting patterns where the finished product has a different appearance on each side. While known to become obsessive designing a pattern or staying up late to complete another row, Schorr’s hands remain idle one day each week. Knitting falls into several categories of work that is prohibited on Shabbat, two of which are chainstitching and unraveling. But he sees an upside in the forced break. “I’m putting my knitting down and for us it’s dedicated family time,” he said. “That’s one of the blessings of Shabbat.” n svickarfox@njjewishnews.com

5 NJ Jewish News n njjewishnews.com n July 2, 2020

State&Local

NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

State&Local

Livingston native digs into Judaism’s roots Shani Mink leads national network of Jewish farmers cal wildflowers featuring the hues of autumn: deep oranges, purples, and reds. “It’s an amazing time to celebrate at the end of the season,” she said. There’s also plenty of discussion in her circles about how to reimagine the shmitta year, which arrives this coming Rosh HaShanah, for our modern American lives. Technically, the restrictions of the shmitta year, in which the land lies fallow and anyone can pick whatever grows, only applies to Israel.

Johanna Ginsberg NJJN Senior Writer

n a typical morning, Shani Mink wakes up at 7 a.m. and lets the chickens out of their coop, collects their eggs, and makes sure they have food and water. Then she works the fields of Yesod Farm+Kitchen in North Carolina harvesting, pruning, trellising, and weeding. She manages other projects on the grounds such as mowing, moving logs, and mulching. By noon she’s ready to head inside for lunch before transitioning to office work for the Jewish Farmer Network, an organization she cofounded in 2017 and is now its executive director. “Being a farmer is one of the most Jewish things you can do,” she told NJJN in a late June Zoom interview. “Before we were the People of the Book, we were the people of the land.” There was a time when the Livingston native kept her Jewish identity and her passion for cultivating the land separate. These days, she revels in the Jewish layers of her agricultural life — from farming according to Jewish principles to living fully within the rhythm of the Jewish calendar. And as she has discovered, she is uniquely positioned

Planting the seeds of a Jewish farm network

Shani Mink is co-founder and executive director of the Jewish Farmer Network and adviser to Yesod Farm+Kitchen in Fairview, N.C. PHOTOS COURTESY SHANI MINK

to help other Jewish farmers make the same leap. “Most folks that are Jewish and are engaged in Judaism, they don’t know anyone else who’s a Jewish farmer,” she said. “In farming spaces, they’re the only Jew. In Jewish spaces they’re the only farmer,

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which lends to this general feeling of isolation and loneliness.” Mink added another category: farmers who are Jewish but feel “alienated” from the community and think Judaism has “nothing for them” and is “not relevant” to their lives. “It’s weirdly ironic, because our whole tradition is based in the agricultural cycles,” she said. Yesod, sponsored by an anonymous donor, was envisioned as a working farm, community space, and a place to live an earth-bound vision of Judaism. Mink was hired as an adviser and she now lives and works at Yesod. Because the pandemic put a halt on public programs, such as hosting retreats and celebrating harvest festivals, the five farm residents have instead focused on distributing their produce to those in need through a local organization, BeLoved Asheville. When fall comes, Mink hopes she can again celebrate Sukkot at Yesod with other Jewish farmers from across the South. Last year, they built their sukkah out of wood, hung what she called “drapey, gauzy fabric,” and decorated it with lo-

The Jewish Farmer Network started on a whim at an annual Jewish food conference run by Hazon, an organization dedicated to environmental sustainability. Several farmers, including Mink, got together and decided to create a Facebook page for themselves. Within days they had 300 members, and it has since grown to over 1,000. They realized they had tapped into a latent need. It wasn’t long before Mink quit her job to take on the Jewish Farm Network full time. In February, just before the pandemic shut down activities, they held their first conference at the Pearlstone Center, a Jewish farm and retreat center in Maryland. It sold out with 165 participants. Whatever proverbial hat Mink is wearing, her focus is not only to connect Jewish farmers, but also to explore what it means to farm according to agricultural principles based in Torah and Jewish law. She rattles off a number of food justice principles — such as pe’ah (keeping the corners of the field set aside for the poor) and leket (whatever falls to the ground during harvest is given away) — that require farmers to provide for others, along with practices like the shmitta year that overlaps with regenerative land use trends. She marvels that assisting those in need is “not an afterthought” in Judaism; it’s “already in the system,” she said. Mink, whose family has been in Essex County for five generations and are members of the Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center, bemoans how divorced modern

Judaism is from its roots. She remembers saying Shachrit every morning while a student at Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy and having no understanding of the agricultural layers in many of the prayers. As a child, she saw the counting of the omer as metaphor rather than the reality she enjoys now, counting the move from the barley harvest, which begins around Passover, to the more refined wheat harvest around Shavuot, which she said mirrors our process of spiritual refinement in preparation for receiving the Torah. And she bristles at the memory she has of working on a Jewish farm during a pick-your-own event. Signs were posted suggesting patrons pick more than they need and leave it for distribution to people in need, according to the principles of ma’aser, Jewish tithing. She overheard a young boy from a very religious family express confusion about ma’aser on a farm. “It’s not just about our money,” she said about charity. “It used to be about what we were growing.” Shani Mink, who grew up in Livingston, pitches the

Grafting agriculture with her identity Jewish Farmer Network at a conference. Although she can’t pinpoint the genesis of her passion for agriculture, Mink knows exactly when she realized it didn’t have to be separate from her Judaism. It was a summer job as a counselor at Eden Village Camp in 2013, following her freshman year at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, that changed

her trajectory. During staff orientation, the camp’s Judaics leader pointed out that Judaism is one of the oldest earth-based traditions still being practiced today. “I was like, ‘What are you talking about? Like my Judaism, this Judaism that I grew up with? You’re

telling me that this is an earth-based tradition?’ I had this explosive moment where I realized that everything that I was looking for elsewhere was in my tradition.” That’s when she began to craft a life for herself, exploring what Judaism can teach about being in a relationship with the natural world. Throughout college she worked at Even’ Star Farm, just down the road from her school. She returned to Eden Village to serve as a farm educator, and after college she participated in Hazon’s Adamah fellowship and then was part of Hazon’s inaugural cohort of the Jewish Outdoor Food, Farming, and Environmental Education (JOFEE) fellowship. She landed a job at the Pearlstone Center, where she stayed until she moved in October to Yesod. In addition to her farm chores and leadership at the Jewish Farmer Network, this summer she began a program of study at the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management, affiliated with the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. “I grew up with this strong Jewish identity, and then, as a young adult, I developed values around food and the earth, and sustainability,” she said. “Now I’m bringing those things together in a way that is meaningful for me and enacting change.” ■ jginsberg@njjewishnews.com

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Continued from page 4 of bluegrass. “I certainly wasn’t listening to it voluntarily,” she said. “The exciting thing about bluegrass is that it’s evolving. There are subgenres like grassicana” — defined as music that lies between progressive forms of bluegrass and the broad spectrum of Americana — “which is my style, and elements of folk.” Levine, who has no formal training, said she has always loved to sing and grew up listening

to the folk music of Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, and Judy Collins. She only decided to pursue a professional career in music in 2006, when she returned to New Jersey after living and working corporate jobs in Pennsylvania for 20 years. She began by singing vocal harmony with a number of folk groups. She has since been hailed by Midwest Record, an online journal, as “the new standard bearer for folk music” and has released three albums, including “Facets of Folk” in 2019, which hit No. 1 on the Folk Alliance International Folk DJ charts and had

nine songs featured among its Top 20. Levine has appeared on numerous radio programs and performed at venues and festivals across the United States and abroad. Locally, she has performed in a concert sponsored by the Jewish Federation in the Heart of NJ, which serves Middlesex and Monmouth counties, and the JCC of Middlesex County in Edison, where she performed “By My Silence” at its 2019 Yom HaShoah commemoration. ■ Information about the artist’s upcoming performances can be found at maralevine.com.

TSTI student finalist in international competition

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Alex Nasberg-Abrams of Maplewood, a 10-year-old student in the religious school at Temple Sharey TefiloIsrael (TSTI) in South Orange, achieved the high honor of becom- Alex Nasberg-Abrams ing a finalist in My Family Story, sponsored by the Museum of the Jewish People-Beit Hatfutsot in Tel Aviv. Every year, TSTI’s fourth-graders participate in the program — designed to connect students to their families’ stories and the broader story of the Jewish people — with two projects selected for submission to the global competition, which involves 20,000 Jewish youth from over 30 countries. Alex’s project, about his great-great-grandfather’s escape from Poland in 1913, will be exhibited in the museum among the other finalists’ entries from around the world. Alex was part of a virtual ceremony at the museum on June 10, when the grand prize winner was announced. For the project, Alex’s grandmother, who lives in Florida, was filmed narrating the story via video on a computer as Alex depicted the events using Lego models. Alex said he’s been interested in his ancestor’s story since first hearing it. “I learned that he swam across a river at night, tricked guards at a checkpoint about his identification papers, reunited with his family, and eventually got to America. “I’m happy for myself about being a finalist,” he said, “but also happy for my grandma for doing the story with me.” Alex is the son of Susan Nasberg-Abrams, who has served for several years on the religious school board, and Jason Abrams. Alex’s older brother, Samuel, implemented the technology for the project. Nasberg-Abrams said, “I loved how three generations of our family were able to work on this project together, even though we were physically apart. This project was a wonderful way for my kids to learn about their family history….” Alex is the third student to represent TSTI in the program since the religious school began taking part in My Family Story eight years ago.

Long-distance learning bolsters Jewish community in Latin America Rabbi Clifford Kulwin Special to NJJN

n the fall of 1982, I received a letter that changed my life. It was from Rabbi Roberto Graetz. A few months earlier I had stayed with Graetz and his family in Rio de Janeiro for several days while researching my rabbinic thesis, on the history of liberal Judaism in South America. Graetz wrote to ask if I would be interested in coming to Brazil after my ordination, to work with him in the pulpit of the AsFirst Person sociação Religiosa Israelita, a synagogue in Rio. I accepted his offer; my three years there turned out to be a seminal experience. Last year, Graetz again got in touch, asking if I would like to join him on the faculty of the Instituto Iberoamericano de Formación Rabínica Reformista, based in Buenos Aires. I had heard of the institute but didn’t really know anything about it. However, given Graetz’s track record for good suggestions, any invitation from him seemed worth accepting. Securing rabbis to serve Reform congregations in Latin America has long been a challenge. A few norteamericanos have been, like me, intrigued by the challenge of a new country and a new language. Several natives, like Graetz, had to spend several years in North America and Israel, preparing for an eventual return. Still others had studied at the Conservative movement’s Seminario Rabinico in Buenos Aires. Nevertheless, the shortage of rabbis was chronic and stymied the movement’s growth. It was clear that the only long-term solution was the establishment of a locally based rabbinical training program, and thus the Instituto was created. It was the brainchild of Sergio Bergman, a prominent Argentinian rabbi then serving as a minister in his country’s government and now president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism — the international organization of the Reform movement —Reuben Nisenbom of Buenos Aires, a veteran of the Latin American Reform rabbinate; and Graetz, recently retired from a congregation near San Francisco. A formal dedication ceremony was held in Buenos Aires, at Templo Libertad, the “cathedral” of Argentine Jewry;

Rabbi Clifford Kulwin, bottom left, leads a Zoom class this week on lifecycle events with rabbinical students from Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. the Israeli ambassador to Argentina was among those in attendance. Graetz and Rabbi Damian Karo, the Instituto’s dean, began work on the curriculum, and the first students started classes in early 2018. From the start, Instituto classes have been held via Zoom. The students — all full time — have several hours of classes each week, in addition to being assigned a significant amount of homework. All students and faculty members attend in-person week-long seminars twice each year, one in Brazil and the other in Argentina. The students study the subjects that all rabbinical students study: Tanach, rabbinics, Jewish history and philosophy, and theology. Graetz asked me to teach a class on practical rabbinics. I was not sure how a virtual seminary could be effective but, again, my trust in him proved sound. I quickly learned that students enrolling in the Instituto already possess a great deal of Jewish knowledge and excellent Hebrew. For nearly all, the rabbinate is a second career and they are ready for serious studies. The five students in my class are typical. Three are in Buenos Aires, one is in Chile, and one, though an Argentinian, is in Brazil. Besides South America, there are also Instituto students in Spain. Students must be able to understand lectures in both Spanish and Portuguese and to read English. I lecture in Portuguese but the students are all native Spanish speakers, so they respond in that language. This causes me to switch to Spanish, or more accurately, to Portu-

ñol, the pidgin combination of the two languages. Happily, we all understand each other. All the students have a faculty mentor whom they meet with regularly, and engage in supervised community work. Most of the students previously worked in a non-rabbinic professional capacity in the Jewish community; the rest were active volunteers. In class, we spend a lot of time discussing issues surrounding life-cycle events. Having been a rabbi in both Brazil and the United States, I know it is important to view what happens in each place through that community’s cultural lens; family dynamics are not the same everywhere. In my class — with six of us in four different countries — the conversation

expands, as we compare and contrast, say, the impact of a new arrival on the extended family. We share the dynamics of our respective cultures, learn from each other, and are enriched by the depth of our discussions. My students — Edy, Hernan, Martin, Pablo, and Silvia — are all on the senior rabbinic track. They are people of substance and tenacity who work hard and have a strong commitment to Jewish life. Throughout South America, there are congregations that will be eager to have them. And even though our contact has been through Zoom, after many hours of conversation I am confident I genuinely know these students. I’ve had many out-of-class sessions with them individually to review material, talk through challenges, or simply get to know one another better. I feel I am participating in something important, with the potential to influence the Latin American Jewish community in significant ways. I applaud those whose imagination led to the Instituto’s creation and those who made that vision a reality. Their impact on the Jewish community will long endure, providing increasing opportunities for Jews in that part of the world to be involved in Jewish life, and building a Jewish community that is stronger, healthier, and better able to fulfill the mandate all Jews received on Sinai. ■ Clifford Kulwin is rabbi emeritus of Temple B’nai Abraham, Livingston.

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Will OU Oust Sh uls South Orange native Jessica Kirson found her voice in Jewish humor With Women Cl ergy? Crown Heights’ New Food Scen e

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Concern whether visits to four congregations will lead to com promise or punitive acti on.

President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu the White House at in February. Witho ut a clear Mideast Trump’s upcoming policy, visit raises many questions. G E T T Y I M AGES

ven in the darkest of times, stand-up comedian Jessica Kirson can find humor. To wit, she told NJJN that when her father died Garden State of cancer three weeks into of Mind quarantine, the rabbi who was officiating the funeral said that her family would have to bring their own shovels to the cemetery to prevent spreading the virus. “And I’m like, ‘Jews don’t have shovels, we don’t do shovels,” Kirson said, a nod to the perception that Jews aren’t especially handy. “We were laughing about it for a week, likeGive A Gift Subscription To: saying what we should bring [instead], like A stand-up comedian, Jessica Kirson has also my grandmother’s ladle … I literally had to had roles in several films and television shows. borrow [a shovel] from my sister’s neighborName of comics feel that way because it’s exhaustwho’s not Jewish.” Address This gallows humor, as well as stand-up ing to have to be on, and you’re not just on routines in which she frequently interrupts her when you’re on stage, all day you’re hustling, City/State/Zip own narratives with biting, often crass asides, you’re on the phone with people, you’re trying and a willingness to mix it up with the audi-Provide to,anyou know, get shows and do interviews,” e-mail address and get our online newsletter FREE! ence, makes it a little difficult for me to rec- said Kirson, who grew up in South Orange. oncile with the reserved voice on the other endGive“IAmean, I’m grateful, but Gift Subscription To: everywhere you go of the phone. people are wanting you to tell jokes, or be on, “I am more and more of an introvert as or be funny.” time goes on and the older I get — and a lotName Lucky for her, she is funny, and she’s par-

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layed her zany sense of humor into a successful career in comedy and acting. Besides having L Trump’s First Tr ip: “The Tonight Show with Jimmy performed on Into Belly Of Th e Be regular stint on “The Howard Will Mideast swing and a ast Fallon” move past symbolism and into peacemakin Stern Show,” g?in 2019 Kirson released her own Icomedy album, “Bill Burr Presents Jessica Kirson: Talking to Myself,” and she hosts a podcast, “Relatively Sane.” Her acting credits On A Jam With “The Comedian,” a 2016 film starring Roinclude ller Derby’s MOTs Gotham Girls Jew ish De (Kirson also served as a writer jammersNiro and blocRobert kers talk about getting up off the faith, pride and deck. and producer); the HBO series “Crashing”; and Kevin James sitcom, “Kevin Can Wait.” I theMost recently she had a small role in the just-released “The King of Staten Island,” a heavy comedy starring CELEBR ATE Pete Davidson of “SatJERUSALEM y 21, 2017 by Judd Apaurday Night Live” and Ma directed ZAMIR HORALE Call 212-870-3335 ZAMIR NODCED H A Z AM IR tow. Though she appears in just one scene, it’s — subjectively, I suppose — the funniest in the movie, involving a robbery-gone-wrong and a pharmacy owner who snaps upon catching the thieves mid-heist. Kirson’s bread and butter, though, is telling Apt. No. jokes to Jews, about Jews. “Boy, it’s heaven when it’s Jewish people,” she said. “For me, it’s much harder when it’s not, because our people just laugh at everything. We can laugh at ourselves. … not a lot of groups can do that … I’ll go on and make fun of our traditions and our different things we do and people crack up.” There was some trial and error along the way. Kirson said she often performs in front Apt. ofNo. older Jewish crowds in Florida — as she

N.Y. 18

Joshua Mitnick Contributing Edito r

t was a thorn in U.S.-Israel relations for years. Right or wrong, former President Barack Obama’s decision, right at the start of his presidency, to visit Muslim nations around the Middle East while skipping Israel was seen

as an affront and vote of noconfidence in the U.S. ally. By the time Obama did visit in the first months of his second term, the scar had never healed. Now, in a contra st with his predecessor, Presid ent Donald Trump is plann ing a quick swing through Israel first trip abroad since on his his inauContinued on page 23

Gary Rosenbla tt Editor and Publi sher

ess than three month s after the Ortho dox Union issued a halachic prohibition against women serving in clerical roles, three leader s of the influential nation al body have begun meeti ng with the rabbis of the four OUmember synagogues in the U.S. that employ women clergy, The Jewis h Week has learned. Some believe the visits may be a first step toward Between punitive The Lines m e a sures, and possible expul sion, Rabba Sara for congregations Hurwitz: “Glad to that do know that the OU is finally not conform with meetthe OU’s ing a few of [Yeshivat Maha Continued on page rat’s] 7 graduates.” Y E S H I V AT M AH

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f you want to play roller derby, you better get comf ortable with gettin g knocked down. The same goes for being Jewish, said Gotham Girls roller derby skater Dara Fineman, who goes by the treif but lovably campy monik er Hebrew Ham Lin-

coln on the track. “To play derb

you have to be tough . A recent practice You have to have in Williamsburg: a Wearing religion pads. H A N N A H D R E Y F thick skin, so you on their US/JW can get back up again when you fall down ,” said Fineman, 28, Fineman — who who joined the Gotha paints a Star of David m over her left Girls league in Febru eye — is not the only ary. “Those are Jewplayer to ish traits. As a people proudly sport her , we fall down but Judais m on the oval. The we 102-player keep surviving.” league, which is ranked No. 1 Contin ued on page 20

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says in one of her routines, “most are 80, 90, some have passed” — and found the audience was protective of her, as if she was their granddaughter. “I’d say these things about being unhappy or blah blah blah [and] they would get upset,” she said. “So I learned to like pad things with jokes and say, ‘It’s OK, I’m happy now.’” Which is true; Kirson lives on Long Island with her wife and four daughters, ages 13, 4, and 1-year-old twins. For the most part, her humor lands well with Jewish audiences. For the most part. “The people that get maybe more sensitive are the ultra-Orthodox.” (That statement led to the following exchange: “When on Earth do you do standup for an ultra-Orthodox crowd?” “I have done it when I do the Passover shows in Florida.” “Ah.”) Those shows can be challenging. Once she performed for a mostly Modern Orthodox audience, but the rabbi was clearly far to the right

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11 NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

Kirson, who grew up in South Orange, recorded “Talking to Myself,” a comedy album, in 2019.

of the congregants, so out of respect she kept it “squeaky clean.” “Nothing offensive, nothing about my lifestyle, you know, just really safe and easy and funny,” Kirson said. Afterward the rabbi complimented her routine but added, “Just so you know, you can’t sing in front of Orthodox men.” What did she sing? “Happy Birthday.” “He said, ‘My son and I were covering our ears.’” Kirson’s family is something of local Jewish royalty. One of her stepbrothers is Zach Braff, star of the long-running sitcom “Scrubs” and director of several movies, including the critically acclaimed “Garden State,” and another stepbrother, Joshua Braff, is an author of several novels, including “The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green” (Algonquin Books, 2004). Her mother, Elaine Braff of North Caldwell, is a respected therapist, and Elaine’s husband of 30 years, Hal Braff, was a community leader, renowned for volunteer endeavors, such as aiding the students of Weequahic High School. Hal died in 2018. Family is clearly important to Kirson, and she gushes about her own. Not that she couldn’t use a break about now, her usual travel schedule having been upended by a certain pandemic. “It’s a lot. Especially now it is unbelievably crazy being home, because I have been on the

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road for 21 years. So it’s nuts,” she said. “I’m not kidding. I’ve been on the road for 21 years. I mean constantly, so I’ve never been home for even two weeks at a time, I don’t think.” After being cooped up for four months, Kirson is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to escape. “I’m just performing anywhere now. I’m like, ‘Do you have a barn? I’ll perform in your barn, I don’t even care where I have to go.’” ■ Contact Gabe Kahn via email: gkahn@njjewishnews. com, or Twitter: @sgabekahn.

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Investing legend Sanford Greenberg looks back on a life of blindness

Sandee Brawarsky Special to NJJN

anford Greenberg was a junk dealer ’s son from Buffalo when, in 1959, he arrived in New York City with one suitcase, to attend Columbia College on scholarship. Flourishing, he studied anthropology with Margaret Mead and poetry with Mark Van Doren, and made sure to get around the city to museums and concerts. Within his first month on the Morningside Heights campus, he met a classmate, Arthur Garfunkel, who asked him to look closely at a certain patch of grass and consider its color and shape. He was taken with the young man’s dreaminess and intelligence, and they became fast friends and then roommates — and more than 60 years later, Greenberg and Garfunkel and their other roommate, Jerry Speyer (who would become a m a j o r N e w Yo r k r e a l e s t a t e developer), remain the best of friends. But the golden glow Greenberg felt when he entered the gates of Columbia didn’t last. During his junior year, Greenberg lost his sight to misdiagnosed glaucoma — a surgery to save his eyes couldn’t save his vision. Back home in Buffalo, he felt like his dreams of study, perhaps Harvard Law School and even a governorship, were quashed. A social worker suggested that he might become a justice of the peace in a small town or learn to cane chairs. Soon after, Garfunkel traveled up to Buffalo and convinced him to return to the Columbia campus, and that he would help in every way. With a title inspired by his friend, Greenberg has written a memoir, “Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: How Daring Dreams and Unyielding Friendship Turned One Man’s Blindness into an Extraordinary Vision for Life” (Post Hill Press), with an introduction by Garfunkel, foreword by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and a final word by Margaret Atwood. Greenberg ultimately gradu-

When asked about whether he harbors anger toward God about his blindness, Sanford Greenberg says, “I would be lying if I said no. I have felt anger, but rarely. I believe in what Harry Truman said: ‘I have no time for bitterness.’” PHOTO BY M. MORGAN

ated Phi Beta Kappa (as class president) and went on to doctoral studies at Harvard and Oxford and a life of great accomplishment, including serving as a White House Fellow under President Lyndon Johnson. He invented and holds a patent for a compressed speech machine that can speed up the reproduction of words from recordings without distorting sound, was named to presidential commissions, built companies, was a pioneer in technology and philanthropy, and more. Greenberg now chairs the Board of Governors of The Johns Hopkins University’s Wilmer Eye Institute. The memoir is for the most part focused on his childhood and education and on the early part of his career, and perhaps he will write more about his entrepreneurial success at another time. The strength of this book is in Greenberg’s powerful descriptions of blindness and his determination to choose life — not to be seen or pitied as a blind man. His is a life of resilience, never surrendering to the darkness. Readers will think anew about sight and color, about the way we see and what we see —

and appreciate the light. It’s also a story of deep friendship, written with humility and gratitude. In the introduction, Garfunkel writes, “My friend is my gold standard of decency. I try to be his cantor, the tallis that embraces him.” In one unforgettable scene, while they were seniors at Columbia, Garfunkel accompanies Greenberg to an appointment in midtown Manhattan to see a social worker who specializes in helping blind people. She suggested that he consider a seeing eye dog or a cane and to at least acknowledge that he was blind; he would do none of that. After the meeting, Garfunkel, studying architecture then, remembered an assignment in midtown and suggested that Greenberg wait for him. They argued a bit and then Greenberg said he needed to get back and set out on the subway on his own. Stumbling, sometimes falling and getting bloodied, asking people for directions and trying to follow them, bumping into people, stumbling some more, Greenberg made his way through Grand Central Station, feeling his way onto

the shuttle train and then transferring to the uptown train. He then trudged up the stairs at the 116th Street station and a man bumped into him, excusing himself — and he realized it was Garfunkel, who had been trailing him the entire time. “I knew you could do it … but I wanted to be sure you knew you could do it,” Garfunkel said. Greenberg recalls that he wanted to kill him — and then he was euphoric. He still feels the satisfaction he felt then, the triumph that he could be independent. “If you can go through the New York City subway system blind, you can accomplish anything,” Greenberg says in a telephone interview from his office in Washington, D.C. “That was the defining episode of my life. That moment was the spark that caused me to live a completely different life, without fear, without doubt. For that I am tremendously grateful to my friend.” Also at his side throughout has been Sue, his high school girlfriend and now his wife. His earliest memories, while he was still sighted, are of tough times. His father, a tailor who fled persecution in Poland and then Germany, died when Greenberg was very young. Inscribed in his memory is a blind beggar in their neighborhood, in torn clothing, sunglasses and holding a metal cup, who has been a regular visitor in his dreams. The very first poem he wrote as a child was about the horror of blindness and cancer. A few years after his father’s death, when Greenberg was 10, his mother married her late husband’s brother Carl and their lives improved, as they moved from the city’s poorest section into their own home, and Greenberg attended a better high school, where he was class president and prom king. He began writing the memoir in 1962 as he was starting graduate school at Harvard. He says, “I was trying to make sense of what had happened. I took out my SmithCorona typewriter and wrote 40 pages. It was as though my uncon-

scious was writing. I put it aside for 40 years, after decades of introspection and thought.” He began this version about 15 years ago. Greenberg details adventures in life, including a Marshall Scholarship at Oxford, world travel on behalf of presidential commissions, trips with his kids and Garfunkel, and basketball practice with Bill Bradley, often circling back to explorations of blindness. He draws connections between blindness and memory and imagination, places where he often dwells. His memory is sharply attuned, and it’s “one of the things that saved me all these decades. I live much of my life inside my own head,” he says. “There is my mind and beyond that the universe. I have the pleasure of roaming anyplace I’d like, dreaming of the wonderful things that might be.” Since he had 19 years of sightedness, he also has visual memories and colors remain vivid in his memory, as does the art he saw in his early years at Columbia. “That treasure of visual images has stayed with me all these years, enabling me to visualize every situation I’m in. It may not be the view a sighted person has.” When asked about the experience of driving through the mountains of Utah, he explains that there are some spaces you can feel, like the phrase between musical notes. “Walking between office buildings, when you come to a clearing, you can feel the space; soon you would come to another building and would feel a change. So I cannot see mountains but I can feel the space on either side of them.” Still, he admits to difficult moments, when he might lie on the floor and listen to his friend’s recording of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Prayer has always been part of his life, and when asked about feelings of anger toward God, as he expressed when he first got back from the hospital, blinded, he said, “I would be lying if I said no. I have felt anger, but rarely. I believe in what Harry Truman said: ‘I have no time for bitterness.’” Back in 1961, when Greenberg was in the hospital in Detroit, newly blinded, he made a promise to God that he would do everything he could, for the rest of his life — to make sure that no one else would go blind. That thought has stayed with him. In 2012, he and his wife announced an international prize, End Blind-

ness by 2020 — with a cash award of $3 million. The winner will be announced on Dec. 14, 2020. In the announcement of the prize, Garfunkel wrote, “We are searching for nothing less than light.” In the final chapters, Greenberg details his own Blindness Balance Sheet, describing debits (“I have not seen the faces of my children”) and assets in separate chapters. He also dreams up a grand party, gathering the living and dead as guests in a ballroom on a houseboat on water “dappled with sunlight,” with music, danc-

ing, and celebration. In his toast, he describes himself — as he does when he is not dreaming — as “the luckiest man in the world.” ■ As part of The Folio: A Jewish Week/UJA Cultural Series, Sanford Greenberg will be in conversation about “Hello Darkness, My Old Friend,” with Sandee Brawarsky, culture editor of The New York Jewish Week, on Thursday, July 9, at 6 p.m. Register for the free event at thejewishweek.com/folio-greenberg. Sandee Brawarsky is culture editor for The New York Jewish Week, NJJN’s sister publication.

together with the

is proud to present a virtual event

AN EXIT INTERVIEW AMBASSADOR WITH

DAN I DAYAN Ambassador Dayan is heading home after four years as Israel’s Consul General in the New York area. What has he learned about American Jewry and our relationship with the Jewish state? How has the experience changed his understanding of U.S. politics — and Israel’s? Join Jodi Rudoren and Andrew SilowCarroll, editors-in-chief of the Forward and the Jewish Week, for a frank and provocative conversation.

Jodi Rudoren Editor-in-chief of The Forward

Andrew Silow-Carroll Editor-in-chief of The Jewish Week

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8 AT NOON Register at: forward.com/culture/449672/july-8-an-exit-interview-with-amb-dani-dayan

13 NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

Arts

NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

Arts

A friendship of ‘Rothian’ proportions Ben Taylor chronicles a long-running conversation ‘neither [of us] could live without’ Sandee Brawarsky Special to NJJN

hilip Roth and Benjamin Taylor first met in 1994 at a party for a mutual friend. In a quick conversation, Roth asked Taylor what he was reading (Bellow’s “Herzog”), followed by Roth quoting the book and then suggesting, “Let’s have lunch, kid.” But that wouldn’t happen for a few years, although the two men, separated in age by two decades, eventually became the closest of friends. In the summer of 1998, Taylor, an author and critic, wrote to Roth after reading the proofs of “I Married A Communist,” and then a few days later, Roth called. A conversation punctuated with laughter began, with Roth clearly leading, Taylor ably following. “Then he hung up without notice and I felt I’d been danced off the edge of the world,” Taylor writes in “Here We Are: My Friendship with Philip Roth” (Penguin). Three years after that, they had that long-delayed lunch, the first of hundreds of meals and thousands of hours together. Theirs was a friendship of empathy, ease, and high energy forged in the celebrated author’s later years — when Roth was in his 70s and 80s and Taylor in his 50s and 60s. Both were the grandchildren of immigrants, Roth from Newark and Taylor from Fort Worth, Texas. That they were both Jewish men, Taylor tells NJJN, “gave us a lot of common ground.” “It was a friendship without ulterior motive on either side; we delighted in each other ’s company,” Taylor says, recalling his history of friendship with people of his parents’ generation, “a generation I am rather in awe of.” They laughed well together and spoke of dreams, baseball, food, fiction, Bette Davis and Ava Gardner (Roth had an affair with her in London in the 1980s), and especially their shared interest in American history — and Roth enjoyed comparing notes on their sexual history.

Ben Taylor says he and Roth laughed well together and spoke of dreams, baseball, food, fiction, Bette Davis and Ava Gardner (Roth had an affair with her in London in the 1980s), and especially their shared interest in American history. ALLISON WEST

“I can’t be the first gay man to have been an older straight man’s mainstay,” Taylor writes, adding, “The degree of attachment surprised us both. Were we lovers? Obviously not. Were we in love? Not exactly. Sufficient to say that ours was a conversation that neither could have lived without.” Two years after Roth’s death, three biographies are in the works — an official biography by Blake Bailey, who wrote biographies of John Cheever and others and has had exclusive access to his papers; Steven Zipperstein, who is writing for the Yale Jewish Lives series; and Ira Nadel, a professor at the University of British Columbia who is working on a more academic book. A memoir, “Here We Are” is permeated with love. Taylor writes masterfully about his best friend (as they called each other) and readers get to witness a kinder, more generous and loving Roth than they might have imagined. It’s a story of real life, or as Roth called it, “the unwritten world.” The author of the award-winning 2017 memoir “The Hue and Cry at Our House”; two other works of nonfiction, “Proust: The Search” and “Naples Declared: A

Walk Around the Bay”; along with two novels, “Tales Out of School” and “The Book of Getting Even,” Taylor also edited several literary volumes, including “Saul Bellow: Letters” and Bellow’s “There is Simply too Much to Talk About: Collected Nonfiction.” A founding faculty member in the New School’s Graduate Program of Writing, he also teaches in the Columbia University School of the Arts. Taylor knows Roth’s novels well, and uses them to advance the narrative while separating Roth’s life from the lives of his characters. He recalls a line from “Sabbath’s Theater” that “the tenderness was out of control” and says that sometimes one felt that in Roth’s presence, “so different from the crusty public image, the flinty public persona. That wasn’t Philip.” The author says that he knew there were many “Roth haters” in the world, and he has heard from many since the book was published. But he wasn’t prepared “for the other extreme, the people who are protective of his memory and feel I betrayed his trust.” In response, he emphasizes that the memoir was Roth’s idea. Frequently, Taylor would spend

a week with Roth at his home in Connecticut, with Roth retreating to his studio during the days and Taylor writing in the main house. “After teasing through something, he was full of joy. He could be very buoyant. Nothing invigorated him like a good day’s writing. Add to this that he had no interest in alcohol — a great advantage,” Taylor says. Early on in their friendship, Roth told Taylor: “What I care about is individuals enmeshed in some nexus of particulars. Philosophical generalization is completely alien to me — some other writer’s work. I’m a philosophical illiterate. All my brain power has to do with specificity, life’s proliferating minutiae. Wouldn’t know what to do with a general idea if it were hand-delivered. Would try to catch the FedEx man before he left the driveway. ‘Wrong address, pal! Big ideas? No, thanks!’” What for Taylor is “Rothian,” is that “alongside this well-known tough-mindedness there is the Rothian tenderness, the momentary way back out of all complexity, back to when he’d just been Bess and Herman’s boy, not yet also Franz Kafka’s and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s…” The Weequahic section of Newark was his Eden. Roth speaks of his family life as being very happy, with no trace of the overbearing Jewish parents he would write about. About “Portnoy’s Complaint,” the best-selling novel that attracted a firestorm of attention, including condemnation from Israeli philosopher Gershom Scholem, Roth says, “The book had too much impact. I was not Norman Mailer. Trouble was not my middle name. The book made me too famous, determined too much of my life to come. People don’t believe me when I say this, but I wish I’d just let the individual chapters stand in those magazines.” (The book was first excerpted in Esquire, Partisan Review and New American Review.) Taylor, who accompanied Roth when he received an honorary doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2014, says that Roth

was genuinely pleased by the recognition, that he had felt misunderstood by many in the Jewish community. At JTS, he was greeted with a standing ovation. “He would on no account have wanted to go through life as anything other than a Jew,” Taylor says. While he had instructed Taylor and others that he didn’t want any Jewish ritual at his funeral and burial in the Bard College Cemetery, he did agree that his friends could cover the casket entirely with dirt and fill in the grave, the Jewish custom, as he told Taylor he had first witnessed at Saul Bellow’s funeral in Vermont. What would Roth have thought of the present moment in America? “He would have felt the tragedy of ghastly leadership in a time of national peril. He was in awe of Lincoln and Roosevelt; he saw it as the American luck to have had two such leaders at the two most painful moments of our history. With Donald Trump he felt our luck had run out,” Taylor says. When Roth stopped writing — or as Taylor

points out, more correctly, stopped making art, as he kept writing all matter of notes — he would sometimes say he had never been happier, and at other times that “a great dynamism has left me and I feel it.” As Taylor writes, “He missed the bonfire he’d been.” Over the years, Roth would gift his friend pages of manuscripts, new typescripts, and other papers. After Roth’s death, Taylor deeded the material to the Manuscripts Division of Princeton’s Firestone Library for safekeeping. He did keep one gift bequeathed to him — the map of Newark that Roth kept with him from his days at the University of Chicago until his death. It hung in his Manhattan apartment, and now is in the front hallway of Taylor’s apartment, where he sees it every day. “I miss him most when there’s something funny that I urgently have to report,” Taylor says. “Inwardly, I do, several times a day. The conversation goes on. Death is powerless to end a conversation like that.” ■ Sandee Brawarsky is culture editor for The New York Jewish Week, NJJN’s sister publication.

Landmark film festival goes virtual The director of the New Jersey Jewish Film Festival (NJJFF) said enthusiasm and ticket sales were high when the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 20th annual event, which was to have taken place March 19-29 at JCC MetroWest in West Orange. Now, Sarah Diamond said, there is renewed excitement as the landmark festival, sponsored by JCC MetroWest, goes virtual. Throughout the summer, through Aug. 9, 17 festival movies — many award-winning — will be available for home viewing. Each film will have a time-limited (two-three days) link, and several filmmakers and experts will lead scheduled discussions live on Zoom (most will be recorded for later viewing). The works include features and documentaries, dramas and comedies, from Israel, America, France, Hungary, and other countries. The Centerpiece Film is “The Spy Behind Home Plate” (July 10-12), a documentary on Morris “Moe” Berg, who started out in Newark, played in the Major Leagues, and led a secret life as a spy during World War II. Award-winning director Aviva Kempner will take part in a discussion. Other films will open a lens on: “Fiddler on the Roof” and its universal appeal, an Arab couple in Jaffa who shield three orphans from the West Bank, the unlikely friend-

“The Spy Behind Home Plate”

“Crescendo”

“Standing Up, Falling Down”

ship between a struggling young comedian and an eccentric alcoholic (played by Billy Crystal), and a fact-based feature on a Latvian worker who rescued Jews during the Holocaust. In the final film, “Crescendo” (Aug. 7-9), a renowned conductor strives to bring harmony to the discordant members of the IsraeliPalestinian youth orchestra he is forming. Among the speakers will be Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Michael Rothfeld, coauthor of “The Fixers,” and Andrew Silow-Carroll, editor in chief of The New York Jewish Week. Diamond said she and the festival committee “are gratified that technology has allowed us to ‘save’ the 20th annual festival. We are already looking forward to embarking on the third decade of this outstanding community cultural touchstone.” Instructions for viewing each film will be sent to sponsors and ticket holders. Those holding tickets to the few films that could not be converted to an on-line version may choose to see other films. Community members may still become sponsors, and a limited number of individual tickets are available. Contact Diamond at sdiamond@ jccmetrowest.org or visit jccmetrowest.org/njjff or Facebook.com/ NJJFF.

15 NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

Arts

Editorial

NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

Looking past coronavirus, if only for a week

ne of the more striking byproducts of the Covid-19 pandemic is the toll the virus has taken on our mental well-being, to various degrees. Those who have been sickened by the virus, lost loved ones to it, or are risking their lives to save others are suffering to a degree most of us don’t know. But even for those who remain unscathed by the illness, we should not discount the trauma each of us has experienced since the start of the crisis. At the outset we realized that for everyone’s sake we would have to stay apart from our families on Passover, a holiday that Jews around the world look forward to spending together. Synagogues cancelled services, initially by choice, and soon by government mandate. Rather than being associated with the frivolity of Purim, masks are now a necessity in the tristate area — crucial to our safety and to the safety of those near us in line at the grocery store, on the street, or in a train. Some of us have been forced to take pay cuts, and some of us have lost our jobs altogether. In place of the last third of the school year, our children were told that they needed more screen time, not less, and their playdates and social interactions — so important for their development — went virtual. Most sleepaway camps are canceled and day camps are operating under a new normal. We miss our friends, our families, our coworkers, our classmates, our fellow congregants. We long to touch them, or at least to stand at arm’s length, our faces uncovered, our health and theirs barely a consideration. Perhaps worst of all, we can’t escape. Covid-19 is undeniable. Not

when we can’t leave home without a mask and hand sanitizer. Not when we must be hyper-aware of how close we are to passersby. Not when it’s jarring to see actors on TV sitting in a booth at a restaurant. Not when every media outlet, every headline, every story is laser-focused on the pandemic. The coronavirus is ever-present and impossible to forget. With this in mind, NJJN decided that, aside from this editorial, every story in this edition is focused on something other than Covid-19. No, it’s not feasible to leave every mention or reference to the pandemic out of the paper altogether, but we can try to minimize it. Our stories this week are devoid of illness, hospitals, and disease. Rabbi Clifford Kulwin writes about teaching an impressive crew of rabbinical students in South America (page 9); and Senior Writer Johanna Ginsberg introduces us to a Livingston native who’s harvesting a new crop of Jewish farmers (page 6). Editor Gabe Kahn laughs with a South Orange comedian who needs to reassure her audiences in Florida that she’s happy with her life (page 10); Deputy Managing Editor Lori Silberman Brauner takes readers on a journey from Portugal to the Palisades (page 31); and Managing Editor Shira Vickar-Fox reveals that knitting is now a hobby for bubbe AND zayde (page 4). Sadly, there is ample time for Covidrelated news in the weeks and months and maybe even years ahead. For now, let’s spend the weekend of Independence Day celebrating our country’s freedoms, honoring our essential workers and military personnel, and making a l’chaim to the joys of how we continue to live our lives Jewishly. ■

Aside from

this editorial, every story

in this edition is focused on something other than

Covid-19.

Letters to the Editor

Poor choice to lead Conference

I was shocked to find out that NJJN congratulated Dianne Lob on being nominated to chair the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (Editorial, “Conference of Presidents names the right chair,” April 23). I completely disagree with her selection. Lob is not a Zionist and should not have been selected for that position. She ran HIAS, a once-great organization that lost its way. As a 1949 immigrant to the U.S., I was helped by HIAS and returned that favor in subsequent years. But that is no longer the same organization. The word Hebrew no longer belongs in their name. Michael Garkawe Madison

Taxpayers should be entitled to aid

After reading Johanna Ginsberg’s article “Immigrants denied pandemic relief money” (June 11), I was disappointed to see how hardworking people are being treated in this country. It is sad that people who have been living in this country for over 20 years, who have worked and paid their taxes, are being denied money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. I firmly believe that if you pay your taxes, you should not be denied the same rights as everyone else. I agree with Charlene Walker, executive director of Faith in New Jersey, who said in the article, “The federal government has failed this population.” It is wrong to deny payment to immigrants who are working and paying their taxes. This virus has turned people’s lives upside down, and the last thing people need is to be denied assistance. Faith in New Jersey, a faith-based advocacy organization that focuses on racial, economic, and immigration justice issues, has been doing right by lobbying politicians to allow immigrants to receive the next stimulus package, which is called the Heroes Act. This act will give payouts to people who file their tax returns using a Tax Identification Number, and for their spouses with whom they file jointly. People who file taxes and have a spouse with a mixed status should receive relief aid, just like everyone else. Melanie Wollman North Miami Beach, Fla.

Don’t put up with anti-Zionism

George Orwell famously said, “Some ideas are so stupid that only intellectu-

als believe them.” Surely this applies to Michael Koplow’s op-ed, “Why Zionists should stand with Black Lives Matter” (June 18). I find it unbelievable that Koplow, who works for the Israel Policy Forum, is advocating that we put up with a little anti-Zionism in order to support a blatantly anti-Semitic, Marxist organization. It’s akin to saying that German Jews should have supported Hitler’s Jew-hatred because, after all, the German people were suffering from historic oppression. Ben Franklin said, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Learn some American history, Koplow. Steve Gross Metuchen Michael Koplow’s op-ed is disturbing. He is correct in suggesting that we all need to support efforts to reduce racial tension and create racial equality. But that does not require support for the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), whose platform included a plank condemning Israel. Instead of recruiting support for the fight for equality, M4BL — a coalition that includes the Black Lives Matter movement — has used its platform to divide the community. Jews have always been at the forefront of support for racial equality, from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel to Israel’s airlift of Ethiopian Jews. Our community organizations like UJA and federations are in the forefront of helping raise the lives of all communities. We need to support more of this and eliminate police brutality, but we cannot afford to support organizations that trash Israel. Ira Kellman New York, N.Y. Send letters to the editor to editorial@njjewishnews.com without attachments. Indicate “letter” in the subject line of the e-mail. Include your full name, place of residence, and daytime telephone number. If you are referring to an article in NJJN, please include the headline and edition and date of the paper in which it appeared. Letters also can be mailed to Letters to the Editor, New Jersey Jewish News, 1719 Route 10, Parsippany, NJ 07054; or faxed to 973-887-5999. NJJN reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity, content, and accuracy.

History proves that fears of Israel’s ‘annexation’ are unfounded Stephen M. Flatow NJJN Contributing Writer

ax Kleinman’s column is not the first, nor will it be the last, that warns about the consequences of Israel’s annexation of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria (As I See It, “Israel’s best strategy is to forego annexation,” June 25). Kleinman frets that “following through with such a plan would be a strategic blunder of historic proportions.” Others have warned of the disastrous consequences that annexation would bring to Israel, although I do admit that Kleinman’s warning, of a “tremendous dissension that will undoubtedly materialize in our community as a byproduct of annexation,” is a new one for me. Similarly, Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum, has written in a frequently quoted op-ed in The New York Times that should Israel proceed with annexation, President Donald Trump will “erupt in fury,” that Democrats will be “alienated” from Israel, and Israel will feel the outrage of “major European states.” As for the hope for improving relations with moderate Arab regimes, that will “quickly blow up.” And, as if they need an excuse, it could “incite” Palestinian Arabs to violence. Kleinman picks up on similar threads. Progress that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made in “developing excellent, albeit de facto, strategic relations with the Gulf states” would be jeopardized, “and the Jewish state’s peace treaty with Jordan could also be at risk.” The good graces of Germany and the European Union, he says, are also elements Israel should consider. Let’s look at the fears of annexation which, when one looks back at the historical record, shows that such qualms are not well founded. There’s no need to speculate about what might happen if the whole world becomes angry at Israel — because it’s happened before. Let’s recall that episode and examine the consequences. It was June 1981. Ignoring the fear that many people around the world would become angry, then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin authorized the bombing of Iraq’s nuclear weapons facilities. The pro-Israel Republican president at the time, Ronald Reagan, condemned

the Israeli action and even suspended the delivery of F-16 fighter aircraft as punishment. Under Secretary of State Walter Stoessel Jr. testified before the House of Representatives that the Reagan administration was “dismayed by the damage which has been done to the search for peace in the Middle East” by the Israeli action. He accused Israel of “embarrassing” Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. In fact, the Israel-Egypt peace treaty proceeded without interruption. Some Democrats defended the Israeli strike, but many did not. The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Clement Zablocki (D-Wis.), condemned Israel and praised Reagan for withholding the planes. Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio) denounced Israel for “taking the law in its own hands.” Rep. David Brown (D-Miss.) blasted the Israelis for endangering the peace process. Still, most Democrats continued to support the Jewish state; the changes in their party’s attitude toward Israel were decades away. The British called the Israeli bombing “unprovoked.” The French, who had built the Iraqi nuclear reactor that Israel bombed, demanded that Israel pay reparations for the damage. Anti-Semitic Austrians were up in arms. The Nazi war criminal Kurt Waldheim, then serving as secretary-general of the United Nations, vehemently denounced the Israelis. So did Austria’s Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, who accused Israel of acting “according to the law of the jungle.” Kreisky said the problem with the policies of the Polishborn Begin and others like him was that “they think in such a warped way, these Eastern Jews, because they have never had political responsibilities.” Was it so terrible that all these people were mad at Israel in 1981? Not really. The United States remained pro-Israel, despite the occasional disagreement. The Europeans continued trading with Israel, because it benefitted their economies, regardless of political disagreements. Egypt went ahead with its peace treaty with Israel because it was in Egypt’s interest. That’s, more or less, what would happen today, too. Various governments will condemn Israel if it annexes part of Judea and Samaria. But they will continue to have relations with Israel, because it’s in their interest to do so. Their bark is much worse than their bite, just as it was

nearly 40 years ago. The Palestinian Arabs certainly will object. Perhaps they will stage a few riots. But how different would that be from the current situation, in which Palestinian Arabs periodically fire rockets from Gaza, attack Israelis with their cars, or stab Israelis at random? I have full confidence in the ability of Israel’s security services to deal with such eruptions, just as they always have. Moreover, annexation will serve several important purposes: First, it will affirm the Jews’ right to their national homeland. Judea and Samaria have been the heart of the Land of Israel for 3,000 years. In fact, “annexation” is not the correct word, as it implies taking over some foreign territory. “Reunification” is the accurate term. Next, it will abolish a grievous double standard. The hundreds of thousands of Israelis who reside in the territories have a right to be governed by Israeli law, just as 98 percent of the Arabs living in Judea and Samaria are governed

by the laws of the Palestinian Authority. Finally, it will put an end to the threat of an Israel that is nine miles wide. Israel requires permanent control of the Jordan Valley, the Etzion bloc, and the other areas under discussion to have defensible borders. Giving those areas to the Arabs would mean a retreat to the pre-1967 armistice lines when Israel was just nine miles wide and could be cut in two in a matter of minutes. It’s one or the other: so-called annexation and some international whining or a State of Israel nine miles wide and vulnerable to a daily threat to its very existence. That’s the choice Israel faces. I hope that American Jewry understands it. ■ Stephen M. Flatow is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in the April 1995 Palestinian Arab terror attack at Kfar Darom. He is a past chairman of the Community Relations Committee of Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ. He resides in Jerusalem.

For Those Who Value Community

The preferred career resource for the Jewish community. lsirois@njjewishnews.com | 973-739-8113

17 NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

Opinion

NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

State&Local

OHEL suit opens window on foster care placements

Woman alleges abuse in ’80s in Elizabeth home; claim of ‘inadequate vetting and monitoring’ Steve Lipman Special to NJJN

n a lawsuit that raises questions about foster care placements by a leading Brooklyn social service organization, a Jewish émigré from the former Soviet Union is alleging sexual abuse at the hands of an Elizabeth family where she was placed as a child. The complaint, filed this week in State Supreme Court in the Bronx, alleges that in the 1980s the child suffered “brutal and traumatizing rapes” in the foster home assigned by the OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services. And it claims that OHEL’s policy of “placing undue emphasis on connecting biologically Jewish foster children with Orthodox Jewish foster homes” led to inadequate vetting and monitoring of those foster families. According to the suit — believed to be one of the first filed against OHEL under the new Child Victims Act — OHEL failed to take adequate care to protect the child against frequent sexual abuse committed in the 1980s by Moshe Aharon (Milton) Jacobs, a married member of Elizabeth’s Orthodox community who subsequently moved to Israel. Jacobs, in whose legal custody the plaintiff spent one year, is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit by the woman, now 45, who is identified in the court document only as Jane Doe. Jacobs, who made aliyah in 1997, was active for more than 20 years in Jewish education and communal services in the Chicago area and Elizabeth. The City of New York, whose Child Welfare Administration assigned Doe to OHEL for foster care placement, is the third party named as a defendant in the complaint. The suit claims that OHEL, which largely serves the Orthodox community, did not fully vet Jacobs before placing young Doe in his home, and allegedly did not perform the mandated bimonthly monitoring visits that may have helped to expose that abuse was taking place. “OHEL like any other organization cannot comment on any litigation,” said David Mandel, OHEL’s CEO, in an email interview. “OHEL provides training to employees, as well as foster parents on a broad range of issues including prevention and response to sexual abuse. We investigate and take seriously any allegations. OHEL follows all protocols and policies of ACS [the city’s Administration for Children’s Services] and other city and state agencies including as a mandated reporter. “Prospective foster parents undergo an extensive process including home evaluation, references, background checks, and training as per state regulations,” Mandel said. “Children are

placed in foster homes as they are referred to OHEL by NYC ACS.” NJJN was unable to reach Jacobs for comment on the lawsuit. Doe, according to the complaint, “was in foster care under the supervision of OHEL for approximately five or six years during the 1980s. During this period, she was placed in approximately five or six different foster homes. Each of the foster homes in which Plaintiff was placed was an Orthodox Jewish home. [The mission of OHEL] includes placing biologically Jewish foster children in Orthodox Jewish foster homes.” Doe was adopted as a teen by an Orthodox family in Brooklyn where OHEL had placed her, but the trauma she had earlier gone through continued, the suit claims. “OHEL and its case workers even hid her abuse from Plaintiff’s eventual adoptive parents, preventing them from providing her with the validation, support, and care she desperately needed.” Doe, whose name at birth in the Ukraine was Yana, but who has legally changed her name, is now divorced and lives in the Bronx with her son. Her mother died of suicide when Doe was about 12. “By placing undue emphasis on connecting biologically Jewish foster children with Orthodox Jewish foster homes, at the expense of adequately vetting and monitoring the foster homes in conformance with clear legal requirements, OHEL placed Plaintiff in a gravely dangerous home, ignored obvious warning signs, and failed to take even the most basic steps to ensure Plaintiff’s safety,” the suit alleges. “OHEL’s actions and inaction caused Plaintiff to be repeatedly sexually abused” by Jacobs when Doe was approximately 6, 7, or 8 years old, according to the suit. “During the ensuing years, Plaintiff has struggled to address the severe trauma that she continues to experience as a result of being sexually abused … The abuse has caused and continues to cause her extreme terror and has affected all of her relationships throughout her life.” “OHEL’s case workers didn’t just fail to protect me. They falsely branded me a liar,” Doe said in a statement issued by her attorney, Eric Hecker. “They told me never to talk about being abused because no family will let a liar into their home.” “They did not do their job,” Hecker said of OHEL. “They did not adequately supervise the [foster] home. “The [long-term] emotional damage is profound,” Hecker, who works at Cuti Hecker Wang LLP, told NJJN. “It destroyed her entire identity. We look forward to using the legal process to establish that OHEL utterly failed to protect this defenseless little girl while she was entrusted to its care.”

The civil suit does not specify an amount of compensatory damages from the defendants, but “we certainly will be seeking seven figures,” he said. The suit is one of the first brought against OHEL under the New York Child Victims Act (CVA), a state law that came into effect on Aug. 14, 2019, extending the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases. The limitations period permits civil cases to be brought until victims are 55 years old. Critically, the law includes a oneyear window for survivors to file a civil lawsuit. After the CVA was signed into law, charedi Orthodox organizations — as well as the Boy Scouts, the Catholic Church, and other groups — expressed fears that the look-back provision and extended statute of limitations could wreak havoc on schools, camps, and other institutions under their auspices. Agudath Israel, the charedi umbrella group that lobbied against the passage of the legislation, warned that the one-year look-back window “could literally destroy schools, houses of worship that sponsor youth programs, summer camps and other institutions that are the very lifeblood of our community.” Mandel, the OHEL CEO, declined to comment on what financial effect the suit may have on his agency. “Like in any organization or private individual, there is always a concern about any lawsuit and its outcome. We review the information, review the facts, and present our findings.” While the 51-year-old OHEL has earned high praise in the Jewish community for services it provides for foster children, the way it has dealt with sexual abusers has drawn criticism in some circles. Child advocates and observers of sexual abuse cases have accused the agency of functioning in a way that does more to protect the reputation of the Orthodox community than the safety of its children. The Jewish Week, NJJN’s sister publication, has reported several times in the last decade about allegations that OHEL handled sex abuse accusations in ways that were legal, but, some experts say, put children at risk. “Concerning [the] question of OHEL being ‘lax’ on previous allegations, all such issues were fully investigated by OHEL and oversight agencies including allegations made by The Jewish Week and OHEL was found to be in full compliance by NYS,” Mandel said. “These documents stipulating OHEL compliance are found on OHEL’s website. OHEL as all other agencies in the child welfare system continues to be audited by government as part of ongoing compliance.” ■ Steve Lipman is a staff writer for The New York Jewish Week, NJJN’s sister publication.

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Legacy Care Club provides social interaction in a safe setting Legacy Care Club is an adult day care with the sole intention of keeping your loved one at home as long as possible and providing respite to caregivers. Our adult day care is the best alternative to assisted living or home care. The club is a small, intimate, and secure community with customized services and individualized activities. We offer a variety of activities to stimulate their mind, and physical activities to improve their strength. In addition, we provide concierge services such as a hair salon and massage therapy and assist with scheduling onsite podiatry, dental, physiThe Wilf Campus for Senior Living 350-360 DeMott Lane Somerset, N.J. wilfcampus.org 732-649-3502; info@wilfcampus.org As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, family caregivers may find it even more challenging than ever to care for a loved one. The pandemic has presented caregivers with additional concerns, including seeking health-care services during these times of social distancing. At these difficult times, The Wilf Campus for Senior Living is here to help. Our staff has been trained on new safety precautions, new protocols, and Personal Protective Equipment as directed by the Centers for Disease Control and the NJ Department of Health. At Stein Assisted Living and Wilentz Senior Residence our staff continues to provide quality care with a smile. We continue to follow guidance from the CDC and DOH. Our primary focus continues to be the safety and well-being of our residents. Our staff at Wilf At Home and Stein Hospice are available to provide quality home health and hospice services wherever the patient calls home. Our staff utilize PPE during all direct care and contact with patients and are screened for symptoms prior to the start of services to ensure that they do not show signs of illness. Wilf Transport is available to provide transportation to dialysis or doctor’s appointments. We are taking all necessary precautions to keep our clients safe, including limiting rides to one client at a time, installing barriers between drivers and clients, and regularly cleaning and disinfecting our vehicles. We are committed to providing immediate support and the highest level of care, while enhancing your or your loved one’s overall quality of life and lifestyle. For more information on any of our agencies, contact 732-649-3502 or info@ wilfcampus.org.

cal, and occupational therapy. In order to truly engage with our clients, our day care is limited to 30 attendees per day. Legacy Care Club is family-owned and -operated; your loved one is a part of our family. Our staff are all Certified Dementia Practitioners by the NCCDP. They are patient, empathetic and, most important, caring. The staff-to-client ratio is 1-5. Members attend for the social interaction, opportunity to reminisce and share their stories, as well as make new friends. Caregivers drop them off each day knowing they are safe — giving them time to

work, run errands, or just get some rest. In addition, Legacy Care Club hosts caregiver support group meetings the first Wednesday of each month. Caregivers face special challenges; having an outlet can ease the burden. Support groups provide emotional, educational, and social support for caregivers. The club is easily accessible on Route 22 across from Watchung Mall. For more information, visit our website at legacycareclub.com or call us at 908540-0500. The best way to learn about the club is a free one-day trial.

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19 NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

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NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

State&Local

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Yes, it’s safe to bring in a caregiver during Covid-19: Seniors In Place gives seven reasons why As we start to slowly come out of the chaos of the past three months, many families have learned that inhome care can provide a vital safety net for loved ones. Many of us are starting to carefully visit our families again with masks on and six feet apart. In doing so, we may be struck with the realization that mom and dad may not be

getting the care they need. It could be caregiver visits during Covid-19 were suspended because of concerns about bringing in an outside caregiver. Or maybe mom or dad had become unsteady and needed extra help. But with all that was going on, it seemed waiting was prudent. If any of this resonates and you

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find yourself in the position of being worried that your elderly loved one may not be getting the care they need — even so, the question may be hovering in your mind: “Is it safe to have a caregiver in my home?” The answer is YES — as long as the caregiver and the caregiver’s agency take the necessary precautions. At Seniors In Place we are committed to keeping our patients and our caregivers safe. In order to do that we: 1) Carefully meet all CDC guidelines, and have developed policies and procedures that are continually monitored. 2) We screen our Certified Home Health Aides (CHHAs) — daily — for signs of Covid-19. 3) A team of Registered Nurses educates and “in-services” our Certified Home Health Aides 4) Seniors In Place supplies all caregivers with gloves, N95 masks, and other personal protective equipment to ensure the safety of our caregivers and your family. 5) Seniors In Place caregivers are trained to provide medication reminders, help with mobility to avoid falls, and care for seniors with

dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other debilitating diseases. 6) Currently, Seniors In Place is limiting the number of homes caregivers visit. Whenever possible, we are moving to “live-in” arrangements so that only one caregiver is in a home. 7) Our CHHAs are our employees, and are insured and bonded. For two decades, the Seniors In Place family has provided millions of hours of in-home and in-facility care for thousands of New Jersey families. • We are accredited with Distinction by The Commission on Accreditation for Home Care. • Seniors In Place caregivers are state-certified, insured, receive benefits, and are continuously educated and regularly evaluated. • Seniors In Place caregivers are all employees — NOT independent contractors. For more information and homecare-related Covid-19 resources, visit SeniorsInPlace.com. For an urgent need for care, call our rapid response line 24/7 at 973-774-3660.

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News Best! Reader’s Choice Winner for many consecutive years. The Avalons have maintained Advanced Standing status, through the Health Care Association of New Jersey Foundation, since the program’s initiation in 2012. Short-Term Respite Program This service is often used while families are vacationing; or after discharge from a hospital, or subacute rehab stay, to continue rehabilitation or support services during recovery. Trial Stays for Seniors Curious about our Assisted Living lifestyle? Come and stay in a beautiful, furnished apartment to experience our Tradition of Excellence before you commit. Ask about our exclusive $119 per day offer. For information and tours, go to BSHcare.com.

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Seniors In Place – We are a Family Not a Franchise. We are the largest, independent, private duty, health care service firm in the state of New Jersey • In 2018 and 2019, Seniors In Place was honored as New Jersey’s Family Business of the Year Finalist out of 400 candidates • We are Accredited with Distinction by The Commission on Accreditation for Home Care, the largest accrediting body in the state of New Jersey • Our caregivers are our employees, NOT independent contractors. They are statecertified, insured, receive benefits, and are trained and regularly evaluated in our stateof-the-art continuing education center If you are worried about your mom or dad, let our family help your family.

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NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

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NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, most synagogues and organizations have cancelled all in-person activities for the time being. Some are offering online learning opportunities or plan to reschedule. Please email calendar@njjewishnews.com with online events open to the community. Dementia caregivers support A free support group for those caring for loved ones with dementia will continue with Jewish Family Service of MetroWest and Alzheimer’s New Jersey via Zoom. Dates and times are: Monday, July 6, 10 a.m.; Thursday, July 16, 1 p.m.; Monday, Aug. 3, 10 a.m.; and Thursday, Aug. 20, 1 p.m. Email JFSGroups@jfsmetrowest.org to register and receive a Zoom link.

WEDNESDAY, July 8 “Coping With The Loss of A Loved One During Covid-19.” Six-session support group held

Project Community With the cancellation of many summer camp and travel programs due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Orthodox Union (OU) has created Project Community 2020 (PC20), a summer initiative focused on engaging teens, college students, and individuals with disabilities. Launching across North America on July 6, the program offers teens recreation combined with the Jewish learning and volunteer opportunities to bring support to local communities. Similar programs specifically for the public school teen audience will also run in the Greater MetroWest area. All programs will be run in accordance with state and local health requirements. For more information, visit pc20.org/teenprograms.

by Jewish Family Service of Central NJ, 7:308:30 p.m. via Zoom. Continues July 15, 22, and 29 and Aug. 5 and 12. To receive a Zoom link, contact Nancy Rosenthal, LCSW, at nrosenthal@jfscentralnj. org, or 908-352-8375, ext. 234. THURSDAY, July 9 Short Stories and More with Barbara Buettner. Sponsored by JCC of Central NJ, participants will read and discuss short stories, poems, and original pieces with Buettner, a retired college professor, 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. For the Zoom link, contact Alison Rivlin at arivlin@jccnj.org or 908-889-8800, ext. 260. MONDAY, July 13 Check. Change. Control Cholesterol. Sponsored by JCC of Central NJ, the American Heart Association initiative will be presented via Zoom with a physician from Atlantic Health System, 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. For the Zoom link, contact Alison Rivlin at arivlin@jccnj.org or 908-889-8800, ext. 260.

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Organized and clutter free — reflections on sheltering in place: I’m back! I’m back — back at work in clients’ homes. I’m back to being excited about my day knowing that I am making positive changes in my clients’ lives. I’m back to juggling my calendar and prioritizing my time. I spent the past three months on the phone, calling family, friends, colleagues, and clients. We chatted, laughed, and reminisced. I am grateful for the free time to be able to make these calls. Things changed, and so did my focus. With no purpose to get up for, I made a point of creating purpose. I filled my days with pleasant conversation along with home organizing projects and daily walks. And speaking of home organizing projects — Don and I accomplished a lot. Together we sorted, decluttered, and organized the laundry room, linen closet, basement, work bench, bathroom storage, and Jason’s room. As Don and I worked on our many projects together, there were moments when Don said to me, “Eileen, really? You want

much bigger and brighter even though we did not paint. Our basement appears more inviting. The linen closet and bathroom storage are visually pleasing and accessible. We hold on for comfort while we surround ourselves with visual chaos. Once that visual chaos is gone, it opens our world to space that we did not know we had. Now is the time to enjoy the clarity of no clutter and feel free of being responsible or feeling guilty that we have not taken better care of it or should have used it more. It’s not too late for you to begin YOUR organizing journey. Happy organizing!

Eileen Bergman to keep this? WHY???” I get it, it is hard to part with our sentimental stuff. When I walk into my laundry room, it feels so

Eileen Bergman is a Professional Organizer and a proud member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO). She is listed in the resource directory for the Hoarding Disorder Resource and Training Group. Contact her at 973-303-3236 or eileen@eileenbergman.com.

B’nei mitzvah

SAMMY LEVY, son of Gina and Daniel Levy of Springfield, March 21 via a Zoom service. The Levys are members of Temple Sha’arey Shalom, Springfield. SYDNEY VILENSKY, daughter of Deborah and Josh Vilensky of Springfield, May 16 via a Zoom service. The Vilenskys are members of Temple Sha’arey Shalom, Springfield. JACOB RAPP, son of Jennifer Goldring and Bryan Rapp of Springfield, May 30 via a Zoom service. The Rapps are members of Temple Sha’arey Shalom, Springfield. MAX FELDMAN, son of Stephanie and David Feldman of Livingston, June 12 via a Zoom service with Bayt Yeladim Jewish Learning Center of Livingston.

also lived in Newark and Hillside. Mr. Kalfus owned a specialty woodworking and cabinet shop for 35 years. He spent two years in the United States Army Engineers during the Korean War. He shared his experiences during the Holocaust with students all over New Jersey and on YouTube. He is survived by his nephew, Richard. Graveside services were held with arrangements by Goldstein Funeral Chapel, Edison. Memorial contributions may be made to the U.S. Holocaust Museum, Washington, D.C.; or Neve Shalom, Metuchen.

Eva Nelson

Obituaries Bernard Kalfus

Bernard Kalfus, 94, of Colonia died June 19, 2020. A Holocaust survivor born in Poland, he had

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JACOB CUNNINGHAM, son of Jamie and Mark Cunningham of Springfield, June 13 via a Zoom service. The Cunninghams are members of Temple Sha’arey Shalom, Springfield. A LY S S A LOWENFISH, daughter of Dana and Kenny Lowenfish of Livingston, June 27 via a Mincha Zoom service. The Lowenfishes are members of Temple B’nai Abraham, Livingston.

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23 NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

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NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

LifeCycle Continued from previous page imminent liquidation. They hid in the woods and traveled at night to a farm they knew of, hiding in a hayloft above the animals for 18 months, and then in the corn fields when they heard the Nazis were approaching. They remained there until Russians liberated them in the spring of 1945. The only two survivors from families of 10 aunts and uncles in Europe, Eva and her mother made their way to an American- run DP (displaced person’s) camp near Munich, Germany. It was the first time she attended school, a Jewish school run by the Joint Distribution Committee. In April 1949, they immigrated to the United States to live with an uncle in Pittsburgh. She entered fifth grade and started to learn English. She and her mother lived with her uncle and his family for about a year, until her mother remarried. After high school, Eva started working, and she attended the University of Pittsburgh at night for two years. The following year she received a scholarship to attend Stern College of Yeshiva University. She earned a degree in education and became a public school teacher on New York City’s Lower East Side. After marrying her husband, Ivan, in 1965 and spending a year in Arlington, Va., she moved to Queens, where she obtained her old teaching job back and decided to get her master’s degree at City University of New York. After having children, the couple moved to Passaic, where they remained for 38 years. She was newsletter editor at their synagogue, Adas Israel, president of the Hillel Academy PTA, and vice president of education and chair of the school’s board of education. She helped spearhead a monthly women’s book club. She later returned to school, earning a

certificate in Guidance and Testing from Essex County. Mrs. Feier rose from working as a medical Montclair State University. Her last job before retiring in 2006 was as a learning dis- technologist at Irvington General Hospital abilities (LD) teacher, and eventually head of to managing the laboratories at the Veterans the learning disabilities department at Verona Administration Hospital in East Orange and teaching medical technology students. High School. She moved to Livingston in 2008. She She also received the 1976 NJ Society of became involved with the Sabbath after- Medical Technologists’ “Med Tech of the noon women’s study group at Synagogue of Year” award. A 1942 graduate of Weequahic High School the Suburban Torah Center, with which she in Newark, she earned her B.S. in medical became affiliated. She volunteered to teach technology from New York University in new immigrants English at the Livingston 1947. Public Library, started a new book club, and She had interests in literature, birding, enjoyed attending classes at various synaand science. She was a member of the gogues and playing canasta. American Association of University Women’s Although she taught about the Holocaust Scholarship Committee and the Livingston at Verona High School, she was reluctant Library Book Club. to talk about her own experiences until two Predeceased by her husband of 69 years, years ago, when her youngest grandchild, Joe, and a son, Richard, she is survived by Gabe, was in the eighth grade at Joseph her son, Neal (Sue Heiss), a daughter-in-law, Kushner Hebrew Academy in Livingston. Dennise Feier; three grandchildren; and three She agreed to participate in their “Names, great-grandchildren. Not Numbers” program, in which students A memorial service will be held in the interview Holocaust survivors and produce a future; arrangements were handled by documentary film. Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban She is survived by her husband of 54 years; Funeral Chapel, Livingston. A family memotwo sons, Shalom (Yael) of Washington, D.C., rial website will be accessible through the and Ariel (Melissa Feldman) of Livingston; funeral home’s website. her daughter, Esther (Doug Tomchuk) of Red APTERCHAPELS.COM Bank; a brother, Eddie Wunsch of Lawrence, Stanley Lewis N.Y.; and four grandchildren. A private burial was held June 7 with S t a n l e y M. arrangements by Jewish Memorial Chapel, Lewis, 93, of Clifton. Memorial contributions may be Absecon died made to Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy June 16, 2020. for Holocaust studies. Mr. Lewis owned and oper- Candle Lighting -ated the Lewis Maxine Feier Realty Company Maxine “Mitzi” Feier, 94, of Livingston died in Dunellen June 22, 2020. She was a lifelong resident of before becoming a lawyer in 1970. He practiced law J.L. in the Plainfield In the Philip Apter & Son Tradition Since 1902 Jason L. Apter, Manager, NJ Lic. No. 3650 area into his 70s. APTERCHAPELS.COM A lifelong lover of the arts, he and his wife, Thyra Flora, traveled extensively to attend concerts and to sample cultures and cuisines from • allow us to review your pre-need plan around the world. He served two terms as president of B’nai B’rith and was a longtime • cost savings refundable to you member and legal adviser to the New Jersey (if applicable) Jazz Society. • appointments available in your home Predeceased by his wife of 65 years, -Candle Lighting• plan today for your arrangements he is survived by his children, Harry, Friday, Suzanne, and Richard; and four Plan ahead for your services also July 3rd grandchildren.

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Morris Abraham

Morris Abraham, 97, of Fairfield died Jan. 12, 2020. He was born to Greek immigrants in Manhattan and grew up in the Bronx along with his four brothers and three sisters. He later lived in Silver Spring, Md., and Rockaway. Mr. Abraham owned a contractor’s hardware business in Westchester County for 40 years. He was a World War II U.S. Army veteran, serving as an Italian interpreter. He was charitable with many individuals and causes, and was a life member of Jewish War Veterans and a patron of Israel Bonds. His interests included dancing, swimming, tennis, and checkers. Predeceased by his wife, Rita Forman Abraham, in 2003, he is survived by his daughter, Lois Davis of Montville Township; his son, Arnold of Annapolis, Md.; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Arrangements were by Gutterman Bros., Lake Hiawatha.

Morris Spielberg

Morris Spielberg, 96, of Verona died June 23, 2020. He was born in Newark to Russian immigrants Samuel and Leah Spielberg. For over 50 years, Mr. Spielberg was the owner of Almor Furniture on Springfield Avenue in Newark. He was president of the Springfield Avenue Business Association and was one of the only businesses to stay open in Newark during the riots of the 1960s and remain in the city afterward. He worked with every elected mayor for 50 years and dedicated his time to developing and carrying out plans to rid the city of blighted areas by knocking down abandoned buildings. He was especially committed to helping the city’s youth by organizing boxing matches and

providing other avenues for young people to gather. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force from 1942 to 1945. While flying one of 35 missions, his plane was shot down over Allied territory in France. In 2016, he was honored by the French Consulate for his contribution during World War II. Among his interests were reading three newspapers a day, baseball, and the recitation of players’ statistics from the 1920s through the modern day; he also took classes at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio. Predeceased by his sons, Ronald and Michael, he is survived by his wife of 36 years, Shelley Ashe Spielberg; a sister, Mildred Spielberg Siderman; and many nephews and nieces. Arrangements were handled by BernheimApter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, Livingston.

Ruth Ferdinand

Ruth Ferdinand of Howell, formerly of Maplewood and Livingston, died June 26, 2020. Predeceased in 1998 by her husband, Gerald, Mrs. Ferdinand is survived by his children, Jeffrey (Patty) of Manalapan, Lane

(Barbara) of Livingston, and Shelly (Ron) of Cranford; six step-grandchildren; 13 stepgreat-grandchildren; and her niece and nephew, Margaret Poper and Donald Poper. Services were held June 28 with arrangements by Menorah Chapels at Millburn, Union.

Obituaries must be received no later than four months after the funeral. Submit at www.njjewishnews.com/ lifecycle, by e-mail to obits@njjewishnews.com, or by mail to Obituaries Editor, New Jersey Jewish News, 1719 Route 10, Parsippany, NJ 07054-4515. There is no charge for obituary listings; NJJN reserves the right to edit for style and length. A photo (color or black and white) can be included with your listing for a $36 fee. For payment, please call editor Lori Brauner at 973-739-8116 with your credit card information or mail a check made payable to “JWMG LLC” to the address above.

When the time draws near... turn to the family that understands your family. Losing a loved one is the most difficult of life’s experiences you will ever have to endure. It can be the expected result of a long-term illness, or it can happen so unexpectedly. Either way, one is rarely prepared for the experience and mostly unsure of the process that lays ahead. At Menorah Chapels, we’ve been guiding the bereaved through this difficult process for over 40 years. Our warm and caring staff has over 260 years of combined experience to help guide you through the Funeral Service. Our professional team works closely with you to ensure that your arrangements reflect your wishes, and most importantly, your financial situation. Knowledgeable in every detail of Jewish Tradition and Rituals, we will be there with you in this time of need to ensure that your every concern and wish is addressed. We are the only strictly Jewish Funeral Home in Union County that maintains its own building, and we do not share our completely renovated facility with any other funeral home. In your time of need, we are here to offer a helping hand.

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25 NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

LifeCycle

NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

Update pages provided by Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ

Greater MetroWest UPDATE

For the latest information & happenings in the Jewish community, visit us at www.jfedgmw.org

Unleash your family spirit, grab your instruments, and virtually join your Greater MetroWest family from wherever you are to shake your sillies out with this fun interactive concert series featuring local favorites and PJ Library® recording artists!

To register and learn more about upcoming concerts in the Summer Family Concert Series, visit

Slide into Summer with Joanie Leeds

This program is supported by the Cooperman Family Charitable Fund.

Wednesday, July 8

Questions? Contact Andrea Bergman at abergman@jfedgmw.org

9:30 - 10:15 a.m.

jfedgmw.org/summer-concert

Best for children 5 and under, but all are invited to join the fun! Wear your favorite summer or camp t-shirt and don’t forget your shades!

Federation cares for people in need, builds Jewish life, and saves the world, one person at a time, every day. Building an inclusive community is a priority. Contact us and we will make every effort to meet your needs.

Update pages provided by Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ

For the latest information & happenings in the Jewish community, visit us at www.jfedgmw.org

Summer 2020 is sure to be unlike any other, with overnight camps closed and many vacation plans on hold. As you look for meaningful ways to engage your family this summer, volunteering to help those in need in our community is a great option.

Our Center for Volunteerism has compiled a selection of volunteer opportunities with our partner agencies, including ways to help in person and from home.

There are options for volunteers of all ages! Visit jfedgmw.org/volunteer to find out more and register today! Jody Hurwitz Caplan Community Engagement Chair Questions? Contact Lindsay Norman at Lnorman@jfedgmw.org

C E N T E R FO R VO LU N T E E R I S M

NJ Jewish News â&#x2013; njjewishnews.com â&#x2013; July 2, 2020

Greater MetroWest UPDATE

NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ July 2, 2020

| SHABBAT CANDLELIGHTING | July 3: 8:13 p.m.

Turning curses into blessings Chukat-Balak Numbers 19:1-25:9 Freema Gottlieb

ho is the storyteller? Is he reliable? All writers face these questions. This week’s parsha begins with the Moabite king Balak sending messengers to the sorcerer Balaam with a proposal. The king resorts to flattery: “Whoever you bless is blessed; whoever you curse is cursed.” Balak believes in the power of the word and in the holy hit man’s capacity to manipulate it; his curse could annihilate the Jewish people, the latest threat to his kingdom. The narrative focuses not on the king but on his spiritual adviser and is seemingly told from his perspective. The plot holds us in suspense as Balaam does not immediately accede to his patron’s request. Piously, he bids the messengers stay overnight while he sounds out the divine will. The God that Balaam believes in bears a remarkable resemblance to the Almighty. Like the king, and many rabbinical commentators, readers may first be impressed by Balaam’s claim of access to the Deity. However, Balaam receives a flat rejection; tersely, God explains that Israel is not to be cursed, but is intrinsically blessed. Living up to his role as God’s honest broker, Balaam can only tell the messengers to go home. However, he relays God’s reply not as a blunt refusal but as a pretext for denying the king his request. In

reality, his desires and the king’s converge. Balaam postpones consent, using God as a cover to raise the stakes and his self-importance. A more prestigious deputation arrives, offering higher honors; they too are turned down. How can God’s prophet go against the divine word? Nevertheless, the messengers are asked to stay overnight. What does Balaam hope to gain? Does he think he can change God’s mind? This time, God lets Balaam accompany the messengers to the king, on condition that he not utter anything except what God puts in his mouth. The rabbis conclude that Balaam had prophetic powers and presented a substantial threat. The man wields a weapon matching that of the Jewish people. If each nation of the world is represented by a physical organ, then Israel is epitomized by the mouth: the love of language, discussion — the Torah. The weapon that Balaam proposes against them also delivers the power of words. The Torah tells us, “Never has there arisen in Israel any prophet with such a close relationship to God as Moses.” The Sifrei comments, “Not among the Jewish people, but among the nations there has: Balaam.” Balaam’s bluster and self-regard is comically undercut, however, by the admonishments of an ass. What God’s prophet is blind to, she sees and articulates. Balaam will go on to defy Balak once again, blessing rather than cursing Israel. Is Balaam’s talking donkey the moral center of the tale? For one moment, yes. But previous resonances

of Balaam’s moral condition are apparent. Pirkei Avot says, “Anyone whose goodness outweighs their wisdom, their wisdom will endure; anyone whose intellectual pretensions outweigh their goodness, their pretensions will not endure.” The latter fits Balaam perfectly. The Talmud credits Moses as the author of the Balaam episode, suggesting he was able to empathize with inimical viewpoints. Years before, after the Israelites worshipped the Golden Calf and were saved from destruction only through Moses’ intervention, God invited him to ask for something for himself. Moses asks: “Show me Your ways!” The Talmud (Berachot 7a) interprets this request as “Why do the righteous suffer?” In writing of Balaam, the Hitler and Goebbels of his generation, was Moses distressed that God might have been taken in by a virtuoso with no moral foundation? In his farewell speech, Moses says: “But the Lord your God refused to heed Balaam: Instead the Lord our God turned the curse into a blessing for you, for the Lord your God loves you.” As a midrash puts it, the rebuke of a well-wisher is preferable to a blessing from one who “blesses” despite himself. The Balaam story reminds us that the curses in the Torah derive from an authentic source in “the Lord your God who loves you,” who can turn all curses around. Freema Gottlieb is a writer and lecturer. Her book, “The Lamp of God: A Jewish Book of Light,” is available on Amazon.com. Her talks on the weekly Torah reading may be found on YouTube.

State&Local David Saginaw new federation president DAVID SAGINAW of North Caldwell assumed the presidency of Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ July 1. He replaces Scott Krieger, who served the three-year term. “This is something I always wanted to do, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportuDavid Saginaw nity,” Saginaw said. He comes to his new leadership position with a unique perspective. For nearly 20 years, he’s worked on the professional side of Jewish communal life, as a managing director of financial resource development at Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), as senior major gifts officer at The Birthright Israel Foundation, and as the North American executive director of TIKVA Children’s Home. Originally from Detroit, Saginaw met his wife Paula when they were students at the University of

Michigan. He returned to New Jersey with her and began his career as a sixth-grade teacher at South Mountain Elementary School in South Orange before entering the business world a few years later. “I got involved in our MetroWest federation in the early ’90s,” he said. “My entry point was through Cedar Hill Country Club where Paula and I were members.” The Saginaw family are members of Congregation Agudath Israel of West Essex in Caldwell. He began raising money for the UJA Annual Campaign at the country club and gradually worked his way up through the federation leadership engagement process, eventually being asked to serve as campaign chair in 2001. At the same time, Saginaw’s career took an interesting turn. “I really enjoyed being campaign chair and thought I might like to explore the possibility of doing this kind of work professionally, on a national level,” he said. “I interviewed for a position at United Jewish Communities [now Jewish Federations of North America] and was hired as part of their financial resource development team.” So he took early leave of his campaign chair posi-

tion to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest between his professional and volunteer work. However, he remained involved in fund-raising and was a federation board member for a dozen more years. “I eventually rolled myself off the board because I wanted to make room for younger people,” he said. So now, nearly 20 years after assuming his role as campaign chair, Saginaw is stepping into the president’s position. “I believe that the perspective I have from being a Jewish communal professional will be invaluable in my role as president,” he said. “I’ve always primarily focused on fund-raising and now I’ll be able to take a much broader view of the organization and its place in the community.” He recognizes the challenging time during which he assumes his leadership position. “Covid-19 may completely turn on its head the way our community provides services,” he said. “As we plan our centennial celebration, we’re in a position to reimagine how we help our agencies, synagogues, and day schools deliver their services to our constituents. I’m looking forward to stewarding this process for our Greater MetroWest community.”

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Lori Silberman Brauner NJJN Deputy Managing Editor

even months ago, I spent 10 days in Morocco, where I experienced the pleasures (and bumps) of riding a camel in the Sahara Desert, listening to Kiddush at a Fez synagogue, and dicing vegetables at a Marrakesh cooking school. Several months prior, I was embarking on the inaugural flight of TAPAir Portugal from Lisbon to Tel Aviv. And half a year before that, I was traveling through Portugal, learning about the remnants — and emergence — of a centuries-old Jewish community devastated by the Inquisition. How quickly things have changed, thanks to the global-pandemic-that-shall-not-be-named, upending all of my future travel plans. Since early March, I have mostly been confined to northern New Jersey, where I have been working from my dining room table, and only crossed the George Washington Bridge once for an errand in Manhattan. I have seen my parents one time, a few local friends, and one of my coworkers in our Parsippany office — all from a distance, of course. While I recognize my good fortune to be both healthy and employed — as are all members of my immediate family, thankfully — I still can’t help but kvetch that I have no idea when I will board a plane again (or even a bus or train). My explorations are limited to neighborhood walks and local nature hikes, the latter while wearing a mask and having a bottle of Purell close by in the car. To explain my frustration, I have to provide some context. I first discovered the adventure of travel as a shy, sheltered college junior spending the semester at Tel Aviv University 30 years ago. Having never left the East Coast, let alone the U.S., the experience for

The author in the Portuguese town of Castelo de Vide. me was nothing short of life-altering. Not only did I develop the skills to become (relatively!) independent, I made friends from around the world; traveled to nearby Egypt, Turkey, and Greece; and discovered the exhilaration of random, unscripted moments and encounters with a wide cross-section of people. My travels mostly came to a halt after marrying and having children, but the yearning for adventure never disappeared. When I turned 40 I treated myself to a week’s stay in Israel on a budget, scoring an economical summer fare by changing planes in Spain, staying at a small Jerusalem hotel, and ﬁnding an inexpensive one-day bus trip to the Dead Sea. As my kids grew older, I started returning to Israel again and again, for the bar mitzvahs of both my sons and on another solo jaunt to Jerusalem after a particularly stressful year. Still, I didn’t expect to ﬁnd myself to continue traveling abroad, until I heard about and applied to join a press trip for Jewish journalists to Morocco in the fall of 2017, to the southern Caribbean island of Curacao six months later, and to Portugal a few months after that to learn about the country’s Jewish heritage. Yes, it was technically “work” and my peers and I were on the go 24-7, but it was incredible just to

pass through the landscapes, visit sites ranging from medieval castles to kasbahs, enjoy Moroccan tagines and bacalhau (Portuguese cod fish), and make friends from Europe and beyond. In March, the aforementioned pandemic put a hold on all of my future travel plans, including a return visit to Portugal, where I was hoping to do more research on emerging and past Jewish communities. I had also hoped to spend time with my friends from my initial trip there, a Portuguese couple who had converted to Judaism, as well as the lively journalists who accompanied me on the Lisbon-to-Israel tour. But my home state confinement has not yielded a complete lack of exploration. From noticing budding trees while taking neighborhood walks to going on hikes and scouting for birds with my son, I am slowly emerging from my cocoon. I have discovered that local landscapes can be just as beautiful and photogenic as the mountains, deserts, and seas of my trips abroad, and that I can drive just a few miles from my home to take gorgeous photos, for example, of the Palisades cliffs that frame the Hudson River. With more time spent at home, my family had the chance to notice a mother bird guarding her nest while waiting for her own chicklings to hatch. So while I may have to wait until 2021 — or even later — before I can see my friends Pedro T., Ana Sarah, Ana Sofia, Ana Margarida, Margarida, Pedro B., Bruno, Andre, Ruben, and Dolores on the Iberian Peninsula (not to mention my other travel companions!), I am confident that it will feel as if little time has passed at all. Our ways of navigating the world may have changed, but it remains open for discovery. ■

lbrauner@njjewishnews.com

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