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NOVEMBER 29, 2019 VOL. LXXXIX NO. 9 $1.00
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JEWISH ROCKLAND LEGACY SOCIETY! YOU HAVE SHOWN YOUR COMMITMENT TO A JEWISH ROCKLAND IN THE FUTURE
By joining the Jewish Rockland Legacy Society, you have chosen to reaffirm the values instilled in you by your parents and grandparents. With this commitment, you have shown your dedication to preserving the programs and organizations that support Jewish life in Rockland County. You have acknowledged your desire to ensure the future of your synagogue or Jewish organization, so they will be there for your children and grandchildren. The Jewish community thanks each and every one of you for your generosity, your vision, and your leadership. Roberta & Mark Aaronson Shara Abraham Nancy & Steven Adler Janice & Don Arnstein Roberta & Stanley Ast Cynthia Becher Rabbi David & Carol King Berkman Don & Barbara Bermack Dr. Susan Bernstein George W. Bielski Carol & Andy Blau Beth Blecker Geri Bloch Paul Bloch Alysse & Ian Boschen Mitchell Brill Robin Brill Bruce Budofsky Leslie Budofsky Murray & Caren Caplan Stephen M. Cohn & Dawne Cohn Jeffrey & Jill Degen Bert Distelburger Cathy Distelburger Sue & Lloyd Ecker Allan Eisenkraft
Estelle Eisenkraft Tamra & Inan Eker Alan Feldstein Joshua S. & Elana Gershen Finkelstein Devora Fintzy Lloyd Fishman Marsha & Gary Forman Alex & Tamara Freuman Lance & Shari Gilden Bryan Glass Steve Gold Naomi Goldberg Honor Dr. Nancy T. Goldman Leslie Goldress Martin & Roberta Goldstein Elinore & Charles Goodman Lisa Green Pam Greenspan Gabrielle & Jason Haber Elena & Arnold Heydt David & Rowena Hill Judith Hoffman Joseph Honor Esther & Marty Ingber Beth Israel Gary Israel
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Shevy Oliver Richard Orlando Ira & Marlene Oustatcher Marci Kurtz Pekofsky Daniel Pernick Bennet & Rhonda Pine Rose & Bruce Pollack Hara Rose Hartman & Michael Pucci Merydith Raywood Moshe Reitman Shaina Reitman Tzipora Reitman Murray Richman Barbara Rosen & Marvin Rosen Gwen & Steven Rosenzweig Jill Rovitsky Black Linda & Barry Russin Sharon & Uri Sasson Michael & Francine Satran Rabbi Craig & Nancy Scheff Sharon & Howard Schneider Karen & Jeff Schragenheim Carol & Steve Schulman Sari B. Seidel The Seidel Family Charlotte & Jay Shaffer
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Thanks as well to our anonymous donors
To learn how you too can be a part of the Jewish Rockland Legacy Society, please contact Barry Kanarek, [email protected] or 845-362-4200 x170 Life & Legacy is a partnership between the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Rockland County and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and is a collaborative effort of the following area agencies and synagogues: Beth Am Temple Congregation Sons of Israel, Nyack Holocaust Museum & Center for Tolerance and Education Jewish Federation & Foundation of Rockland County Nanuet Hebrew Center Orangetown Jewish Center Temple Beth Sholom
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Page 3 Holiday madness ● Okay, you don’t normally think of buying towels for Tisha b’Av, the midsummer fast day notable for its prohibition on bathing. But then, there’s no requirement that the designers behind the print-on-demand towels and shower curtains actually think about Jewish tradition before designing a product that might earn them a couple of bucks if anyone actually buys it. And who knows? Maybe Tisha b’Av towels and Chanukah shower curtains featuring the word “seder” might be the big Jewish trend that LARRY YUDELSON strikes a chord among the younger generation.
CONTENTS NOSHES ......................................................... 4 BRIEFLY LOCAL .........................................16 GIVING TUESDAY ......................................18 COVER STORY ...........................................24 JEWISH WORLD .......................................28 OPINION ......................................................34 D’VAR TORAH .......................................... 40 THE FRAZZLED HOUSEWIFE ...............41 CROSSWORD PUZZLE ............................41 CALENDAR .................................................42 OBITUARIES ...............................................45 CLASSIFIED ADS ..................................... 46 NOTEWORTHY..................................... 47 REAL ESTATE............................................ 49 PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT: (USPS 275-700 ISN 0021-6747) is published weekly on Fridays with an additional edition every October, by The Jewish Standard, 70 Grand Avenue, River Edge, NJ 07661. Periodicals postage paid at Hackensack, NJ and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Jewish Standard, 70 Grand Avenue, River Edge, NJ 07661. Subscription price is $30.00 per year. Out-of-state subscriptions are $45.00, Foreign countries subscriptions are $75.00. The appearance of an advertisement in The Jewish Standard does not constitute a kashrut endorsement. The publishing of a paid political advertisement does not constitute an endorsement of any candidate political party or political position by the newspaper or any employees. The Jewish Standard assumes no responsibility to return unsolicited editorial or graphic materials. All rights in letters and unsolicited editorial, and graphic material will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes and subject to JEWISH STANDARD’s unrestricted right to edit and to comment editorially. Nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. © 2019
Candlelighting: Friday, Nov. 29, 4:11 p.m. Shabbat ends: Saturday, Nov. 30, 5:14 p.m. JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 3
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Noshes
“He asked me to procure him a gun and a girlfriend, which I did not; and a tarpaulin and a recording of ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ which I did.”
— A quote from an extraordinary New York Times story, “The Jungle Prince of India,” by Ellen Barry. The request for “Fiddler,” coming from an Indian hermit with an exotic background, was entirely unexpected. (So was the rest of the gorgeously illustrated article.)
‘KNIVES OUT’:
Murder mystery serves up stars “Knives Out,” which is described as a “witty and stylish whodunit guaranteed to keep audiences guessing until the very end,” opened in theaters on November 29. Christopher Plummer plays Harlan, a famous crime novelist, who is murdered on his estate right after his 85th birthday. A debonair detective, played by Daniel (James Bond) Craig, is hired to investigate. The suspects are played by an all-star cast that includes JAMIE LEE CURTIS, 60, as Harlan’s daughter, Linda.
Netflix: Toys and movies to remember The four-episode first season of the original Netflix documentary series “The Movies that Made Us” will be released in its entirety on November 29. Netflix has another documentary series called “The Toys that Made Us”; its third season was released on November 22. Each “Toy” season tells the story of four iconic
playthings. The creator of both series is BRIAN WOLK-WEISS, 43, who grew up in New York City, he says, “in a family of dentists and lawyers.” He quickly went from a production assistant to managing comedians and producing comedy specials for HBO and others. It’s not easy running down whether a person associated with a toy is or was Jewish. They often aren’t household names. But here are a few I’m sure about in the new season. The second episode, “Power Rangers,” follows how Israeli-American producer HAIM SABAN, now 75, bought the rights to a Japanese TV series that many biggies passed on and had a smash hit in 1993 with a “Rangers” TV series and its associated toys. The third episode is about “My Little Pony,” which was first a big-selling Hasbro toy, starting in 1981. It spawned hit animated TV shows and films. “My Little Pony” was a key to reviving Hasbro, a company that had fallen on hard times before STEPHEN HASSENFELD, a
Jamie Lee Curtis
Brian Wolk-Weiss
Kat Dennings
Esther Povitsky
grandson of the Jewish founders, became company head in the late 1970s. TARA CHARENDOFF STRONG, 43, appears in the “Pony” episode. She’s a leading voice actress who worked in Toronto’s Yiddish theater as a child. She’s done many “Little Pony” voice roles. The movie series has episodes that cover “Home Alone,” “Ghostbusters,” “Die Hard,” and “Dirty Dancing.”
Well, “Die Hard” had no Jewish stars/writers, etc.—so it’s out. “Home Alone” didn’t have many Jewish ties, but it did feature DANIEL STERN, now 62, as one of the two hapless burglars. Stern will appear in the “Home Alone” episode. “Ghostbusters” had many more kosher ties, including director IVAN REITMAN, now 73 (who will appear in the episode); the late HAROLD RAMIS,
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who co-wrote and costarred in the film; and RICK MORANIS, now 65, who had a big supporting role. Finally, there is “Dirty Dancing” the most Jewish film ever that never mentioned the word Jewish. Clearly, it was about the romance of a young Jewish woman (played by JENNIFER GREY, now 59) and a non-Jewish employee of a Borscht Belt hotel (the late Patrick Swayze). It was written by ELEANOR BERGSTEIN, now 81, and co-starred Grey and the late JACK WESTON as the hotel owner. By the way, the big soundtrack hit, “Hungry Eyes,” is sung by ERIC CARMEN, now 70, a nice Jewish boy from Ohio.
Over on Hulu I recently caught up with two original Hulu series, “Looking for Alaska” and “Dollface.” “Alaska” is an eight-episode limited series that was released in October to great reviews and it’s a real Emmy contender. It is based on a 2005 young adult novel of the same name written
by best-selling author John Green. Many tried to adapt the book.— but failed. However, it looks like “Alaska” series creator JOSH SCHWARTZ, 43, who also created the hit TV series “The O.C.,” has succeeded. Don’t want to ruin the plot, except to say it’s about teens at a coed boarding school and Alaska is the first name of a star character. The 10-episode first season of the comedy series “Dollface” began streaming in its entirety on November 15. KAT DENNINGS, 33, stars as Jules, who works for a company that markets to young women. In the very first scene, Jules’ longtime boyfriend breaks up with her. In scenes both real and fantasized, we see Jules react to the breakup by trying to make friends with other women. This isn’t easy, but she does make friends with Izzy, a co-worker (ESTHER POVITSKY, 31). I agree with “Variety,” which said, in short: the acting is very good, the scripts need real work, and potentially “Dollface” could become very good.
California-based Nate Bloom can be reached at [email protected]
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‘The Sorceress’ The Folksbiene presents the early Yiddish operetta that has just about everything — and also it’s fun JOANNE PALMER
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Zalmen Mlotek of Teaneck is the musical director of “The Sorceress” and the heart of the Folksbiene.
What: “The Sorceress,” by the National Yiddish Theater — Folksbiene Where: Is at the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust at 36 Battery Place at the southern tip of Manhattan. When: Previews are from December 1 to 5; the performances will run from December 8 to 29.
VICTOR NECHAY PROPERPIX PHOTOGRAPHY
here are four levels in understanding Jewish texts, we are taught; you start with the literal, peshat, and end with the revelatory, the sod. That’s not usually the way we understand musicals, particularly not light 19th-century operettas. But maybe, when we look at “The Sorceress,” the Folksbiene’s new production at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in southernmost Manhattan, we can see many layers, from the surface-level charming fairy tale to the deep history of the Jewish people. And of course, as “The Sorceress’s” musical director, Zalmen Mlotek of Teaneck, and its director, Motl Didner, make clear, it’s also just plain fun. So what is “The Sorceress”? Among everything else it is, Mr. Mlotek said, it is the predecessor of the Folksbiene’s huge — and hugely unexpected — hit, “Fidler afn Dakh,” “Fiddler on the Roof ” in Yiddish, which will have played for a year and a half, first at the museum and then on Broadway, before it goes on both a North American and an international tour. “It’s 95 percent certain that it will play for three weeks in China,” Mr. Mlotek said, and it’s close to 100 percent certain that it will play for six weeks in Sydney and another six in Melbourne, because tickets to those Australian performances already are being sold. “We’re going there for auditions in February,” Mr. Mlotek said. “Who’da thunk it?” He’s preparing for a 30-city North American tour, “with as many of the cast now who can and want to do it. It is a bittersweet moment for ‘Fiddler,’ but it’s the beginning of another chapter.” So the museum’s stage now will be filled with “The Sorceress,” like “Fiddler” played in Yiddish and presented with English subtitles. Mr. Mlotek is thrilled to be “presenting the very first Yiddish operetta, that first came to America in 1882. We will be seeing it on stage for the first time in many years” — note that by “we,” here Mr. Mlotek means “anyone alive right now” — “and Motl Didner, our director, has conceived a real snapshot of that Yiddish operetta tradition. We have a wonderful cast, and we are going into our final week of technical rehearsals. “Everything goes very quickly in nonprofit theater,” he added ruefully. “That’s because we have to pay for each week,” but only can offset that with ticket sales when the production is ready to sell those tickets. The success of “Fiddler” has raised both expectations and the stakes for this new production. “We had more than 2,500 inquiries from actors for 26 roles in ‘Fiddler,’” Mr. Mlotek said. “We saw 700 of them in auditions. For ‘Sorceress,’ we had several hundred people auditioning, and it isn’t ‘Fiddler.’” Outside of Yiddish theater professionals and enthusiasts, in other words, virtually no one had heard of it. “The interest in our company has grown.” Mr. Mlotek is one of the most prominent Yiddish theater professionals and enthusiasts, of course, so he did know about “Sorceress” for most of his life. “I grew up knowing about it,” he said. He has great yichus; his
Mikhl Yashinsky takes time from “Fiddler” to play the Sorceress herself; there’s a long history of cross-dressing for this role.
parents, Joseph and Eleanor, were Yiddish musicologists whose work was instrumental in keeping much of the music alive. “Even my maternal grandfather, Leo Gordon, who
For tickets or information: Go to nytf.org or call (866) 811-4111. was a haberdasher by profession, was an amateur singer and thespian,” he said. “He would act out the scenes from the operetta, so I kind of grew up with it.” Later, with the Folksbiene, “we did a concert reading of it, and then we did an enhanced concert reading, and then we decided to go with a full-fledged production, a fantasy tale about how good triumphs over evil. “The story is a simple one. Our heroine’s mother has died, and her stepmother and the town witch conjure up a plan to abduct her, so that the stepmother could have a happy life with the father. It’s like Cinderella. So she is abducted and sold into slavery in Istanbul, and then she is rescued. “And of course, in the end, the witch ends up being set on fire, in an accident, by a local worker who is planning to burn everyone else up.” Whoops! That accident is part of the story, and of the moral. “He who digs a grave for someone else ends up in it himself,” Mr. Mlotek said.
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Dara Wishingrad is the set designer; this is an example of her work.
It is a fairy tale that can be enjoyed on its own — the peshat — but benefits greatly from context. “In a way, it is sort of more the equivalent of ‘Into the Woods,’” Mr. Didner said. Steven Sondheim and James Lapine’s 1986 musical “Into the Woods” is a complex, fascinating, melodic, witty, and sometimes
frightening look into well-known fairy tales; it’s more sophisticated than “The Sorceress,” Mr. Didner agreed, because it has more than 100 years of the development of the art form behind it, but one is a clear and logical outgrowth of the other. Like “Into the Woods,” “ The
FOLKSBIENE
Motl Didner
GIACINTA PACE
Sorceress” has “the familiar fairy tale elements of the virtuous heroine, the wicked stepmother, and the witch.” It also, “under the surface, is quite a potent metaphor for the state of the Jewish people,” Mr. Didner said. “Our heroine, Mirele, is tormented in a number of ways. There are libelous accusations
against her father, which get him thrown in jail, and then she is sold into slavery. All of this is for the nefarious purposes of the stepmother and the witch, who wish to get control of the family’s wealth.” Does this sound at all familiar? “What, in the end, makes this a SEE SORCERESS PAGE 44
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OJC’s 14th mitzvah mission Rockland synagogue volunteers visit Israel for hard, satisfying work LOIS GOLDRICH
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hile most people probably go to Israel to visit its historical sites and beautiful terrain, there are some who go there to work. Not because they have a professional connection, but because they love the country and are willing to roll up their sleeves to do what it takes to help beautify it. For the past 14 years, the Orangetown Jewish Center in Orangeburg has brought some of those workers to prune vineyards, visit centers for abused children (while beautifying those very centers), and this year build a rock garden at a home for the severely disabled. Simone Wilker is not an OJC member — she lives in Washington Township and belongs to Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake — but she has gone on four of Orangetown’s Mitzvah Missions. She credits OJC’s Rabbi Craig Scheff with creating and leading these trips, inspiring participants to make the journey again and again. Some people have gone on all 14 missions, she said. Ms. Wilker pointed out that the synagogue runs many missions — some are led jointly by Rabbi Scheff and the shul’s other rabbi, Paula Mack Drill. But this one particularly appeals to her because she’s been to Israel many times and doesn’t feel like a tourist there. The people who participate, 16 this year, are a self-selected team “who want to do something good,” Ms. Wilker said. “They all feel like that. It costs a lot, a six-day trip to Israel, but they’re a committed crowd. Everyone wants to do something good. It’s not a tour. There’s really work to do, hard work,” as in the case of the rock garden. Four days out of the six, “we did work,” she said, adding that “I felt that the things we were doing were really significant.” She explained that the group always chooses to participate in at least “one JNF project of some sort.” This time, it was Aleh Negev, a 25-acre village halfway
This group from the Orangetown Jewish Center joined the shul’s 14th mission; they go to Israel to work. SIMONE WILKER between the Gaza strip and Beer Sheva. According to Ms. Wilker, it was designed specifically for children and adults with severe disabilities from across Israeli society. Now, 150 people live there. The OJC group gardened with some of the residents, “some of whom were experiencing employment for the first time,” Ms. Wilker said. “Our emotions swung with each interaction, but once we caught our balance, we believe our presence made a difference. “We built a huge rock garFrom left, Simone Wilker, Steve Waldman, den,” she continued. “It was and Naomi Steinberg are painting a room at beautiful. We put black plastic Kfar Ahava. SIMONE WILKER on the ground and took rocks in a wheelbarrow and spread said, “I don’t know if any groups come to them around. It was a big area, a huge project. Physically, we worked really hard. I do what we do.” was exhausted by the end of the day.” The men and women who went on the The mission participants also filled mission ranged in age from 23 to 73. “You some 30 round and rectangular hanging don’t go unless you’re able-bodied,” Ms. flower pots with soil and planted flowers Wilker said. “You’re meant to really work. in them. “Then we went to the units they If you can’t lend a hand, you don’t choose would hang in and hung them there. It this trip, and it’s not for first-timers.” As it happens, she knew a lot of mission made it look just beautiful.” While many participants. Her now-grown children other groups come to visit the facility, she
had attended the Reuben Gittelman Hebrew Day School in New City, and the trip included “parents of my kids’ friends. I’ve known them for a long time.” Ms. Wilker said the first mission started with Rabbi Scheff planning to go to Israel alone in 2006. He’d said from the pulpit that he intended to go to Kiryat Shmoneh to help out in the aftermath of Hezbollah rocket attacks. Several congregants said, “We’re going with you.” She learned of these missions during a trip to Washington to visit one of her sons, who lived there. She found herself sitting next to Rabbi Scheff at a dinner; he was there to visit his sister. She describes Rabbi Scheff as “a spiritual rabbi, surrounded in warmth.” This year, “The really special aspect of the mission was a trip to Kfar Ahava, north of Haifa in Kiryat Bialik,” Ms. Wilker said. “We do this every year.” Indeed, the mission’s travel journal recorded that the OJC group has visited the Ahava Children and Youth Village for 13 consecutive years. The facility is for children so severely abused by their parents that they are removed from their homes to live on this campus. “One of our members had a son who passed away,” she said. “We planted a memorial garden there. It’s a beautiful garden with benches and a metal tree. We held a beautiful service.” The OJC group also held a memorial service for a mission participant who had died recently. Ms. Wilker had lunch in an apartment with “13 kids and a ‘mother and father.’ They eat with them and study. Some kids who do social service projects for a year before they join the army were there too. They work all day with the kids.” Once again rolling up their sleeves, Mitzvah Mission participants got to work painting rooms and staining floors in a pavilion. Some left for home the next day, but Ms. Wilker chose to remain a while longer. “I really felt I was making a difference in these places,” she said, adding that this will not be her last mission. “I’ll keep going,” she said.
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Two cyclists from Teaneck keep feeling the love MIRYAM Z. WAHRMAN PH.D.
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ou might conclude that 60 is the new 30 after speaking with Jeffrey Erdfarb and Harman Grossman, two of the riders in the recent 2019 Wheels of Love bike ride. Both men, Teaneck residents in their early 60s, took part in a five-day bike ride in Israel to raise funds for the Alyn Pediatric Rehabilitation Hospital in Jerusalem. “I had started riding in 2001 and I fell in love with the ride,” Mr. Erdfarb, a retired contractor, said. “I decided to go back for the ride the next year.” And that became his annual tradition. Jeffrey Erdfarb’s story is compelling not just because he rode the strenuous off-road course, and not simply because it was the 19th time he’s ridden. His story is inspiring because after his third ride for Alyn, he was diagnosed with stage four cancer and told he had six months to live. Mr. Erdfarb went through debilitating chemotherapy and radiation treatments for months. “I was a vegetable,” he said. But despite the grueling treatments he still rode that year. He fought his way back to fitness, regained his stamina, and continued his yearly tradition of riding to raise funds for the children of Alyn hospital.
Jeffrey Erdfarb
Harman Grossman
Several years ago he literally hit another bump in the road. “I had a major accident on the ride. I flew into
a big boulder and broke my ribs, clavicle and scapula,” he said. His accident landed him in Soreka Hospital in Beer
Sheva for three days. It took awhile to heal from the accident, but he got back in the bike saddle and continued to train, and to ride the Wheels of Love each year. Four years ago, yet another challenge loomed. “My hip and femur completely disintegrated,” he said. “They replaced my hip and femur on the right side.” That type of injury seemingly would sideline anyone — certainly it would stop the ordinary bike rider — but not Mr. Erdfarb. “Now it’s stronger than the SEE CYCLISTS PAGE 12
‘It’s called a job’ Tenafly student interns for Israeli road-safety start-up LARRY YUDELSON
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than Hunter wants you to know about SafeMode, an Israeli company that helps trucking companies improve driver safety. Mr. Hunter grew up in Tenafly, and he graduated from the Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood. Now, he’s a sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis, where he is majoring in history and management. And he is a student leader of the Tamid Group, a student organization that has more than 50 chapters across the country with some 8,000 participating students. Tamid was founded by students at the University of Michigan as an Israeli investment club in 2007. Now, Tamid’s investment track is complemented by a consulting track, in which students work with Israeli companies. “I’m a project manager on the consulting track,” Mr. Hunter explained.
That has him overseeing a team of three Washington University students working with SafeMode. And it has him speaking regularly with Ido Levy, SafeMode’s founder and CEO. Mr. Hunter’s team was paired with SafeMode through a process in which he applied to several companies that seemed interesting. “They posted a description, and I applied with my expertise,” he said. “Personally, I wanted a mentorship. I wanted broader connections between me as an undergraduate and Israel’s startup culture.” Mr. Hunter spent last summer in Israel at Israel Summer Business Academy, a six-week Washington University program in Herzliya. He took classes on “venture capital and venture creation and the Israeli business ecosystem” and met with many Israeli entrepreneurs. Mr. Hunter and his fellow students work on various tasks for SafeMode, including market research, branding, and search
10 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
Ethan Hunter
engine optimization. “It doesn’t have a marketing department,” he said. “We’re working to create social media posts for them to gain them more exposure. We’re
getting hands-on experience. They don’t treat you like an intern. Interns don’t exist in Israel — it’s called a job. “It’s a very open and inviting environment, which is very different from the U.S. I see it more as a mentorship than an internship. I have no problem sending the CEO a WhatsApp message any time I have a question,” he said. As a project manager, Mr. Hunter comes up with “certain metrics and tasks” to keep the team on track. A lot of it revolves around reaching out and doing interviews, “establishing what SafeMode is,” he said. That included his outreach to the Jewish Standard, which led to this story. Mr. Hunter is using the skills he’s learning in his Organizational Behavior 360 course. The business school stresses collaboration; he appreciates the chance Tamid offers him to lead a team. “That’s not how we are taught,” he said. So here’s the SafeMode story. SEE INTERN PAGE 12
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Shirah Winter Concert: Miracles and Spirit — A Chanukah Celebration PA
Enjoy highlights from the Jewish choral tradition with music in Hebrew, English, and more. Led by Marsha Bryan Edelman, conductor. Reception to follow, generously underwritten by the Weinflash Family. Supported by founders Bernie z”l and Ruth z”l Weinflash and their SHIRAH Fund in Tribute to Matthew Lazar, the Ethel and Irving Plutzer Fund for the SHIRAH Choir, and the Rhoda Toonkel Fund for the SHIRAH Choir.
Sun, Dec 8, 3 pm, $16/$20
Free Preventative Health Programs for Seniors Stay healthy, access early treatment when necessary, and reduce your overall medical expenses. We offer blood pressure and pulmonary monitoring. Check out our website for upcoming educational health presentations by Englewood Health at jccotp.org/seniors-special-events For more information call Judi Nahary 201.408.1450 or [email protected]
Alan Veingrad, Super Bowl Champ, Shares Inspiration JCC Patron of the Arts & The Kaplen Foundation Present
ALAN SUPER BOWL CHAMPION
VEINGRAD Wednesday, December 18, 7 pm
In a one-of-a-kind, family friendly presentation, Alan shares the story of how he was able to overcome adversity and live a Super Bowl life every day from the lessons he learned in the NFL. You will learn how you, too, can transform from skinny Jewish kid from Miami into greatness. THANKSGIVING SALE PRICES!
VIP $180 $100 Exclusive for Patron of the Arts Subscribers — Reserved VIP seating, meet and greet dessert reception with photo opportunity; Preferred Admission $100 $54 Priority seating; General Admission $50 $36 Visit jccotp.org/veingrad or contact Nina Bachrach 201.408.1406, [email protected]
CHILDREN
ADULTS
Check in to the Plaza— Right Here at the JCC!
SATURDAY NIGHT WITH THE JCC! PA
You are cordially invited to a very posh affair. Experience the Plaza Hotel when author Julie Satow regales us with the juicy stories about the residents, guests, and various owners of this iconic property. Ticket includes a mimosa, brunch bites, and a hardcover copy of the book The Plaza: The Secret Life of America’s Most Famous Hotel. Wed, Dec 11, 10:30 am-12 pm, $55/$65 Sponsored in part by Ilisa Lansey. Membership in the Jewish Book Council is funded by the James H. Grossmann Memorial Jewish Book Endowment Fund. PA
Program offered as part of the JCC Patron of the Arts Program. Find out more at jccotp.org/patrons.
KAPLEN
Bat, Bowl, and Play at Humdingers Calling all kids 6-12 years old! Grab your friends and meet up at the JCC for a trip to Humdingers for batting cages, bowling, and arcade action! Transportation and snack included. Pick up/ drop off in JCC Lobby. Advanced registration required. Don’t wait – our Saturday night programs sell out early! Register at: jccotp.org/school-age-special-events Sat, Dec 14, 7-10 pm, $60/$65
SENIORS
Social Group for People Living with all Forms of Dementia and Alzheimer’s This Montessori-style social day care program promotes independence, self-esteem, and cognitive abilities for those living with dementia, in a vibrant, community center atmosphere. Aides and companions are welcome. Mon-Fri, 9 am-4 pm, Sun, 11 am-4 pm, Partial day options available. Ask for a FREE trial! Visit jcctp.org/senior-services or contact Judi at 201.408.1450. TO REGISTER OR FOR MORE INFO VISIT
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facebook.com/KaplenJCCOTP
JCC on the Palisades TAUB CAMPUS | 411 E CLINTON AVE, TENAFLY, NJ 07670 | 201.569.7900 | jccotp.org JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 11
JS-12* Local Cyclists FROM PAGE 10
other side,” he said. And so he continued to ride, training on the road — on Route 9W — and also off the road — on trails that go through the woods. His most recent Wheels of Love trek was early this month; from November 10 through the 14, Alyn supporters rode from the north of Israel down to the finish line in the hills of Jerusalem. “The five-day ride in Israel gives riders a choice of routes: touring, regular, challenge, off-road, or hiking,” Mr. Erdfarb said. (Riders have many choices; they can do the Challenge route, more than 130 km per day; the Road route, 70-100 km per day; the Trail route, wilderness trails, 45 km per day; the Touring route, half a day of biking and half a day of touring, and the Hiking route, where non-cyclists hike three to five hours and then enjoy some leisure time each day.) “I’ve made friends with people, and we room together every year and have a great time,” he continued. “I do the off-road where I get to see the back roads of Israel. You see forests and different agricultural settings, all different kinds of beautiful scenery,” he added. “But it’s hard!” Harman Grossman, who turned 60 this year, just completed his ninth Wheels of Love bike ride; he reported that at least six of the approximately 400 riders this year are from Teaneck. (So’s he.) Mr. Grossman, who is assistant general counsel for Johnson & Johnson, did the on-road route. He said that “most of the riders are Israeli, and the second largest group is Americans. But people from all over the world participate, including from Mexico, Canada, and Italy. “The route changes every year. It
Participants in the Wheels of Love bike ride help raise funds for Alyn Pediatric Rehabilitation Hospital in Jerusalem.
alternates between north and south. This year the route was in the north, and it was very hilly — but it was out of the range of the Islamic Jihad rockets,” he continued. “At every rest stop people took out phones to check on friends and relatives.” The ride coincided with the rocket attacks from Gaza; that the ride could continue uninterrupted is testament to the tenacity of Israel and all the dedicated riders. Alyn’s website, alyn.org, is in English, Hebrew, Arabic, and Russian. The site tells readers that Alyn is an acronym for Agudah L’ezrat Yiladim Nachim, which means “Association for the rehabilitation of disabled children. “It was founded in 1932 by American orthopedist Dr. Henry
Meet the new editor of About Our Children Chana Stiefel of Teaneck with a specialization in joins the Jewish Standard science, health, and envias the new editor of About ronmental reporting. She Our Children. She is the is a former director of author of more than 25 public relations at Ma’ayabooks for children, includnot Yeshiva High School ing the picture books “My for Girls. Name is Wakawakaloch” As the mom of four (Houghton Mifflin Harkids, all raised in court) and “Daddy Depot” Teaneck, Chana looks Chana Stiefel (Feiwel & Friends/Macforward to bringing a millan). Her nonfiction fresh new perspective to titles include “Animal Zombies...and About Our Children, while continuing Other Real-Life Monsters,” published its mission of sharing up-to-date inforby National Geographic Kids. A former mation and parenting advice with the editor at Scholastic Inc. and a contribnext generation of Jewish families. She utor to Scholastic Teacher magazine, would love to connect with our readChana earned a master’s degree in ers and hear your ideas. Please email journalism from New York University, her at [email protected]. 12 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
Keller, who volunteered his skills to treat disabled children in Jerusalem. When a polio epidemic struck Israel in the 1940s and ‘50s, hundreds of children needed special care. The Ministry of Health provided Alyn with a building, an old monastery. In 1971, Malcolm and Dorothy Woldenberg donated funds that helped build the modern hospital in the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood of Jerusalem. Alyn has grown tremendously in the past 20 years. It now has a staff of more than 400 professionals who treat about 500 children each year as inpatients, and another 3,000 children who are seen as outpatients. On its website, it advertises “medical tourism,” which is a mechanism for parents from other countries to bring their children for
Intern FROM PAGE 10
It starts, Mr. Hunter said, with “$70 billion annually in avoidable costs in the trucking industry.” That includes the costs of accidents. “It’s a large market,” Mr. Hunter said. SafeMode “is a software company that automates the job of a fleet manager. It helps firms monitor their drivers with the goal of improving safety. It accesses the cameras and sensors of different trucks, and drivers can access their driver data through the app. A lot of companies incentivize their drivers for safe driving, but it’s not always followed up on.” SafeMode claims that by monitoring drivers and rewarding them for safe practices, it’s been able cut fuel consumption by 4 percent and increase
treatment. “Alyn Hospital, the only pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation center in the Middle East, rehabilitates children from all over the world,” the website says. Young patients have come from Israel, Europe, the United States, Russia, Argentina, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan. “It’s for kids with congenital defects, or injured in accidents, or wounded in terrorist attacks,” Mr. Grossman said. Mr. Erdfarb said that Alyn doesn’t just treat children; it also designs special devices for the rehabilitation of a range of injuries and disabilities. “It has an innovation lab to design products that can be used all over the country,” he said. Mr. Grossman said that because Wheels of Love is a major fundraiser
safety by 30 percent. “That’s a lot of money for fleets,” Mr. Hunter said. “It saves millions of dollars annually in repairs and in lawsuits.” Mr. Levy, SafeMode’s CEO, said the origins of the company came three months before he finished his IDF service, when a friend’s mother was killed by a drunk driver. How could he make the world safer? Mr. Levy connected with Dr. Erez Shmueli, a researcher in behavioral economics connected to the MIT Media Lab. “He researched how we can change human behavior to shift drivers to drive more safely and more efficiently,” Mr. Levy said. “He joined me, and this is where we started to build the project.” These days, truck drivers are monitored remotely. “Every heavy duty must have a connected device that sends
JS-13* Choose a pharmacy that stands apart from the rest... for Alyn, each participant must raise at least $3,000 to participate in it. “I raised about $16,000 or $17,000,” he said. That’s just this year. “You continue to get donations after the ride. The total raised for the ride so far is $2.6 million.” “A lot of people from the community contribute to my ride,” Mr. Erdfarb said. “Others from the community also ride. But I have the longest record, 19 years.” At the end of the ride, bikers ascend the steep hills that lead to Jerusalem to finish at Kiryat Yovel, the grounds of Alyn Pediatric Hospital. “It’s crazy, like a balagan,” Mr. Erdfarb said. “There’s dancing and refreshments” to celebrate the participants and the race. The most meaningful part of the experience is that when you arrive at the finish line “the kids being treated at the hospital give you a medal,” he added. “The highlight of the ride is the last day,” Mr. Grossman said. “It’s always a very difficult day. We rode up the very steep Nes Harim approach to Jerusalem in 90-degree heat. It was difficult physically. “The kids who we’ve been raising money for are waiting with medals to put around our necks,” he continued. “I always tear up. It’s very emotional.” “I do this for the hospital,” Mr. Erdfarb said. “I do it because it’s in Israel. I do it because I enjoy the camaraderie. And it also helps that they give you all your meals, all you can eat, and the food is great.” “It’s a great athletic event, a great social event, but most important is the raising of money for the hospital,” Mr. Grossman said. “People always talk about the holy places in Jerusalem, but if you want to see a real holy place you have to go to this hospital. There are profoundly disabled kids and injured kids who get the best of care. “Somewhere there’s a high school gym teacher laughing his head off that I am doing this kind of activity,” he said. For more information on Alyn Pediatric Rehabilitation Hospital and Wheels of Love, go to www.alyn. org. Dr. Miryam Z. Wahrman of Teaneck is a professor of biology at William Paterson University. She greatly admires 60-somethings who have such dedication and tenacity.
data about the hours the driver drives,” Mr. Levy said. That’s the most basic component of the monitoring. But trucking companies have installed monitors that detect speeding, acceleration, the distance the driver is keeping from other vehicles, and even cameras to track the driver’s alertness. That’s a lot of data. “Fleet managers are overwhelmed,” Mr. Levi said. “We take all the data and bring it to the driver. We provide an app for the driver to open after every shift and see how they drove, and what they earned as a result of their behavior. They drove more efficiently, or had fewer breaking or speeding events. “The driver gets actual rewards based on their improvement, so they want to improve. For the first time, a driver gets positive engagement from their manager.” SafeMode recently partnered with Volvo. “Volvo makes a lot of 18 wheelers,” Mr. Hunter said. “They’re starting to make SafeMode standard on a lot of their trucks.”
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Is it Sunday without a bagel? Consider the vital role of the roll with so much more than just a hole CHARLES RUBIN
C
onsider the bagel. I was invited to a brunch several weeks ago. The occasion was a 60th birthday and a second anniversary of cancer remission celebration. I should have known that this gathering might be a little unconventional. The morning began with a group walk on nearby rail-trail, and it was to be followed by a sumptuous repast. I might have been forewarned by the threat of gluten-free treats. There were no bagels at the brunch, and of course there was no lox or cream cheese. There was no bread, full stop. There were flourless quiches, fruit salads, hummus, and cut vegetables — but I felt unsatisfied, and I noticed many of my fellow party-goers making excuses and leaving earlier than I thought polite. On the way home, we did the unthinkable and stopped at Dunkin’ for a toasted everything with cream cheese. It was rural Maryland, so there were not too many options. I’m not ashamed to say that bagels are a significant part of my life. It’s not just breakfast. It’s part of my humor, my identity as a New Yorker, my cultural Jewishness, and my newfound hobby. You can get a bagel almost anywhere in the United States (see my Dunkin’ lapse), and everyone will argue about where the best bagel can be found. It is one of the first businesses I scope out when I move to a new neighborhood, and in my home at least, it’s the centerpiece of a Sunday morning confab. Bagels have gotten a bad rep. They are too carb centered, too heavy, not to mention the gluten. Charles Rubin at his go-to bagel place. Our host for the brunch, always health conscious, achievement has been had become ever more I’ve heard people from New York, Boston, Chicago, the bagel. To prepare vigilant about health risks and Montreal argue about whose city has the best myself for the chalto her and her family. bagels. They hypothesize that it’s the water that makes lenge, I walked into The staple of my Sunday the difference, but I don’t buy it. I’ve had good bagels in my local go-to shop at morning existence had to many places, including homemade ones, and it seems the time and asked if I make way for more sensito be the quality of the bread recipe and really boiling ble alternatives. I wasn’t Behold the bagel’s glazed crustiness. could shadow the bakthe bagels by immersing them in a steaming cauldron convinced. ers there for the day to of bubbly froth. The bagel originated in the Jewish communities of learn the technique. To my surprise, they agreed. I found a basic recipe in my bread bible, “The ComPoland and Eastern Europe, which explains their ubiqI learned how the dough is made in an industrial plete Book of Bread” by Bernard Clayton, and I set to uity in cities with large Jewish populations. They are not mixer — it more closely resembles construction than experimenting. The results were chewy and satisfyjust a roll with a hole. What makes them special and art. I witnessed how, after a short rise in the mixing ing, although I have not yet perfected the rolling art. separates the real bagels from the imitators is the act bowl, small pieces are cut and rolled into six-inch ropes My product often is misshapen and my bagels are of of boiling them before they are baked. You can always that then are wrapped and rolled around the shaper’s unequal size, but the crust is right. When it is fresh out spot a bagel that’s steamed rather than baked — a cheap hand one at a time. Next they are placed on a rack of the oven, it is unbeatable. I’ve varied the recipe to shortcut — by the grate marks on its surface. A true bagel and allowed to rise overnight. I watched as they were use sourdough, whole wheat, and oats — they all are is smooth and very chewy. Boiling a bread before baking dumped into a vat of boiling water and stirred, then equally exquisite. would seem counterintuitive. It effectively kills the yeast placed on burlap-covered slats to bake in a rotating Bagels won’t end global warming. Bagels won’t bring spores on the surface, but the result is a satisfying glazed oven at 500 degrees for six minutes. world peace. But bagels provide a certain constancy crustiness not found in any other bread configuration. There was no magic. It was systematic and a little and predictability to my world. I appreciate the necesThere does not seem to be a consensus on how the pracsity of addressing the diversity of brunch food options, boring. It was just a day’s work for the Laotian guy who tice started. It was likely a fortunate accident. but consider the bagel’s place in the pantheon of mixed and rolled out the dough, and for the Italian guy I’ve baked bread all my life — challah, sourdough, choice. I love my flourless quiches too — but somehow who did the baking. anadama, rye, and whole wheat — but my crowning it isn’t Sunday morning without a bagel. I could do this. 14 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
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JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 15
Briefly Local Rockland honors donors and legacy team members
Marion and William Weiss host a pro-Israel Norpac event with Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) on Sunday, December 1, at 6 p.m., in Englewood. Leon Kozak and William Weiss are the event chairs. A light dinner will be served. Debbie and Michael Blumenthal welcome Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) for a Norpac meeting in their Englewood home on Thursday, December 5, at 7 p.m. For reservations, call (201) 7885133 or email [email protected].
PHOTOS COURTESY NORPAC
Norpac welcomes senators
Senator Mark Warner
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith
The Jewish Rockland Legacy Society will celebrate on Tuesday, December 3, at 7 p.m., at the Schwartz Family Social Hall on the Jewish Community Campus, 450 West Nyack Road in West Nyack. The celebration will recognize the commitment of 145 individuals and families who have signed letters of intent and demonstrated their commitment to the future of the Jewish community in Rockland County. Through Life & Legacy, a partnership
between the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Rockland County and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, members have included their favorite Jewish agencies or synagogues in their wills, trusts, retirement accounts, or life insurance policies. Retired Army Col. Kevin McMahon will discuss “Gratitude and Giving for the Future.” A dessert reception follows. For reservations, call Barry Kanarek at (845) 362-4200, ext. 170.
Allen Weitzman of Fair Lawn, center, spoke to high school teens from Valley Chabad’s CTeen group in Woodcliff Lake about his experiences as a combat soldier in the Vietnam War as part of Veteran’s Day observances. Rabbi Yosef Orenstein of Valley Chabad, the leader of the CTeen group, stands to his left. Mr. Weitzman also showed the group his medals and the honors received while serving his country. He brought a copy of the 1992 Jewish Standard, which features a page 3 story about his experience and is reprinted at right, below.
Enjoying a ‘Dean Street’ stroll Seated from left, Temple Sinai sisterhood president Franci Steinberg, sisterhood vice president Noah Smalley, and NCJW vice president Joan Ornstein. Standing from left, Carole Benson of NCJW; sisterhood vice president Jessica Hirsh; Marilynn Friedman, Susan Hagoel, and Liz Roditi of NCJW; Temple Sinai president Anne-Marie Bennoun; Peggy Kabakow of both NJCW and the sisterhood; and NCJW co-president 16 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
Bari-Lynne Schwartz. They’re all at Reve, owned by Meitel Benaroyna. On November 14, during “Dean Street Stroll,” participating merchants on Dean Street in Englewood donated a portion of their total proceeds to the Bergen County section of the National Council of Jewish Women and to the sisterhood of Temple Sinai of Bergen County.
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Viet vet tells story to local Chabad teens
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JNF winter reception in Teaneck will honor five on December 3
The Jewish National Fund’s winter reception, scheduled for Tuesday, December 3, at 6:45 p.m., will honor Esther and Warren Levie with a Circle of Excellence award, Susan and Ben Gutmann with a Community Service award, and Tracy Kaplan with a JNF Rising Star award. The reception will be at the Teaneck Marriott at GlenDani Dayan Modi pointe Hotel. Ambassador Dani Dayan Israel’s consul general in New York, is the guest speaker, and comedian Modi will entertain. For reservations, email Jacqueline Yehudiel, the director of JNF Northern NJ and Rockland County, at [email protected], call her at (973) 593-0095, ext. 823, or go to JNF.org/WinterReception.
Mingling with filmmaker About 30 JCCNNJ Arts & Culture supporters gathered at the Office Tavern Grill in Ridgewood on October 21 for a “mingle before the movie.” It preceded Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey’s screening of the Israeli film “Fractures” at the Bow Tie Geri Cantor, Joy Shorr, Sharon Fleischer, Jan Corwin, Cinema in Ridgewood. and Leslie Moser were among the attendees. There was food, wine, a n d c o nve r s a t i o n before walking to the theater. Ophir Ariel, an Israeli-born NYC-based filmmaker, actor, and comedian joined the group to talk about trends in Israeli films. Creating connections among community members is paramount to JCCNNJ’s mission. Offering experiences in local restaurants allows community members to be together in a fun and easy manner. JFNNJ and the Council of Jewish Emigre Organizations partnered in the event. For more information on upcoming events, go to www.jccnnj.org.
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Healing your soul — and more The sisterhood of Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake held its annual paid-up membership brunch on November 3. Author Jill Friedbauer, center, entertained the
audience as she discussed her book, “Heal Your Soul, Heal Your Gut.” She is flanked by sisterhood co-presidents Wendy Zuckerberg, left, and Rachel Baskin.
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The late Avi Chai Foundation founder Zalman Bernstein, left, and Yossi Prager, the group’s current executive director.
Avi Chai says goodbye … not ‘mission accomplished’ SHIRA HANAU
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Special education uniquely integrated within Jewish day schools We serve children with a wide range of developmental, intellectual, and complex learning disabilities. ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOLS With our 1:2 professional-to-student ratio and many specialized therapies and services, our costs are extraordinarily high. You can make a real difference.
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www.sinaischools.org 18 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
When 2019 turns into 2020, the Avi Chai Foundation will run out of money. On purpose. After 35 years supporting Jewish educational research and programming, it will phase out at the end of this year, after spending down the majority of its assets and ceasing its operations in North America. While the foundation will not completely zero out its bank accounts, leaving behind an endowment for its campus in Israel, the foundation will no longer make any grants. The sunset date, December 31, 2019, has been set for more than 10 years and the process itself has been carefully planned by Avi Chai’s staff and trustees. The impact of Avi Chai’s investments in developing the education field through professional development programs, research on education and philanthropy and consolidating resources within the field will likely be felt for years to come. “When we think of our legacy, we think of the tens of thousands of people who have been impacted by the work that we do,” said Yossi Prager, executive director of the foundation. “I don’t think the work of the foundation will ever be done.” But Avi Chai’s disappearance may mark the end of an era when Jewish day schools and residential summer camps were placed at the very top of the list of communal educational priorities. At a time when pricey tuition continues to put day schools especially out of reach for many Jewish
parents, and when price has become a major concern among the Orthodox, who are day schools’ most loyal constituency, other funders are investing more heavily in supplemental and adult education.
Trailblazing foundation
When Zalman Bernstein, founder of the investment firm Sanford C. Bernstein and Company, set up the Avi Chai Foundation in 1984, his intention was encouraging Jewish observance and education, a mission which further narrowed to focus on day schools and residential summer camps. “It focused sharply on Jewish literacy,” said Jack Wertheimer, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary and a senior consultant to the foundation, noting that “most other foundations are not terribly involved in literacy, learning, knowledge.” Of the $339 million in grants disbursed by Avi Chai in North America since 1984, $247 million went to day schools and $34 million went to camps. (The foundation disbursed $1.2 billion in total grants across North America, Israel, and the former Soviet Union.) It also gave $158 million in interest-free loans to schools and camps for capital projects. Among the hallmarks of Avi Chai’s work were its summer program at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education for principals of Jewish day schools and its Jewish New Teacher Project for day school educators at the beginning of their careers. “When we started, there was much less of a professional development culture,” said
Shira Hanau is a staff writer at the New York Jewish Week, where this article originally appeared. Reprinted by permission.
JS-19
Prager. “Now that has blossomed; I can’t say it’s checked off, but it’s a different field in that sense.” “A very significant percentage of day school heads and other administrators who are in the field today have been touched by various programs Avi Chai ran for them,” said Wertheimer. From the beginning, Bernstein wanted to guard the foundation from “mission drift” before, as a forthcoming book on the foundation puts it, “future leaders could take it off course.” In addition to the sunset clause, he appointed a small board of confidantes and named his wife, Mem, as his successor. Bernstein died in 1999 at age 72. As the foundation entered its last 10 years and began to seek new supporters for its grantees, its approach to strengthening Jewish education shifted from going-it-alone to a more collaborative mindset. Prager described a “field-building” approach, pointing to the 2016 merger of several day school associations, shepherded by Avi Chai, into a single association called Prizmah. He called it an
example of consolidating resources to increase efficiency. Prager said the sunset process forced the foundation to think more strategically about its grant-making and about its grantees’ operations. “When we first started planning for spend-down, we began to be much more explicit about what we were trying to achieve,” he said. Felicia Herman, executive director of the Natan Fund, said she was not worried that Avi Chai’s exit would negatively impact the day school field. Avi Chai “didn’t just make grants, they also funded infrastructure, mergers, research, capacity-building and technical assistance for grantees,” Herman wrote in an email. “They used so many of the tools in the philanthropic toolbox to try to build a robust ecosystem whereby organizations (schools, camps, networks) could strengthen their ability to fundraise and to support the system.” But one issue of concern to the Avi Chai Foundation — and one that continues to loom large over the Jewish SEE AVI CHAI PAGE 22
In this season of gratitude, we are thankful to JFCS supporters who allow us to be the Safety Net for almost 200 Families who visit our food pantries each year
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The advantages of Donor Advised Funds ROBIN ROCHLIN Looking to lower your tax bill in 2019? Concerned about market volatility and want to lock in gains? Want to simplify your record-keeping? Consider opening a Donor Advised Fund. A Donor Advised Fund is a tax-smart and simple solution for charitable giving. Think of a Donor Advised Fund as an investment account dedicated exclusively to tzedakah. Donor Advised Funds offer many benefits including potential tax savings, the ability to streamline and organize your giving, convenience, and philanthropic planning. Establishing a fund with Jewish Federation is easy. Simply complete a short agreement and contribute cash or securities to your account at any time. Then reap the benefits. Reduce taxes: Federation provides a tax receipt when you contribute to your fund. Many people use a “DAF” to “bunch” multiple years of charitable gifts into a single year so that they can meet the necessary thresholds to itemize deductions on their federal income tax returns. Then, in the alternate years, they take the standard deduction. Lock in gains: If you have stocks that have increased
in value, now might be a good time to take advantage of the appreciation while avoiding capital gains taxes. If you contribute stock to your DAF, federation sells it on your behalf and credits your account with the sale proceeds. You avoid paying capital gains taxes that would have been owed had you sold the shares directly, so the full value of your asset is put to good use. DAF income and investment returns are credited to your fund, income tax free. Convenience, flexibility and organization: These are some other DAF benefits. Using a single account for all your charity helps you keep track of your charitable giving year after year. You can request distributions from your fund to approved charities at any time. So, if you “bunched” your giving by contributing to your DAF this year, you can still help your favorite charities by requesting “grant distributions” to these charities in subsequent years. You can even set up recurring or anonymous grants through our secure donor web portal.
Why choose a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) with Jewish Federation? • Personal attention — funders receive assistance directly from endowment professionals they trust, not an 800 customer service center. • Local donors feel good knowing the fees they pay to
the DAF sponsor help support Jewish Federation and, by extension, the community they live in, not a billion-dollar commercial institution. • Grants to secular and/or Jewish, local and/or national charities come from Federation, underscoring the philanthropic strength of the Jewish community. • When you create a fund with Federation, you can name your children as successor grant recommenders, thus continuing the chain of charitable giving as part of your ultimate legacy. Open a Donor Advised Fund with Jewish Federation with as little as $5,000. And the time couldn’t be better. We’ve reduced our fees for all new Donor Advised Funds established this year. Call to learn more and get started. Robin Rochlin, JFNNJ (201) 820-3970, [email protected] Robin Rochlin is the managing director of the Endowment Foundation at the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey. The Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey does not give legal advice. The views expressed here are neither intended nor written to be used, nor can they be used, as legal advice. Donors seeking tax or legal advice on which they may rely should consult their own professional advisers.
During the holidays we make the time to visit with loved ones and spend time with our families as we create warm memories of happy times. At Daughters of Miriam Center/The Gallen Institute, we provide care for seniors who may not have their own families or whose families cannot give them the level of care they need. We are your solution as we offer a skilled nursing facility, subacute care, dementia care pavilion or senior apartments. On December 3 join us for Giving Tuesday and participate in a national day of generosity. You can help us provide those warm memories to the seniors who are part of the Daughters of Miriam Center/e Gallen Institute family.
Visit our website to explore opportunities for giving or to learn how you can become a volunteer. daughtersofmiriamcenter.org
Daughters of Miriam Center/The Gallen Institute 155 Hazel Street, Clifton, NJ 07011 · (973) 772-3700 · daughtersofmiriamcenter.org Daughters of Miriam Center/The Gallen Institute is a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey.
20 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
JS-21 Your annual gift can transform a life.
JFNA’s pivot with FedLab
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RABBI SID SCHWARZ In the opening chapter of my book, “Finding a Spiritual Home: How a New Generation of Jews can Transform the American Synagogue” ( Jewish Lights, 2000), I share a vignette from a moment at the 1995 General Assembly of the Council of Jewish Federations (now called the Jewish Federations of North America or JFNA) that took place in Boston. The American Jewish songwriter, Debbie Friedman, who died all too young at the age of 59, was in front of a room of a couple of thousand delegates. She was teaching a song that has now found its way into hundreds of American synagogues — an alternative Hebrew/English version of the misheberach/prayer for healing. At the time, however, not many knew the song, certainly not the typical attendees of the GA. This was not a Reform Movement summer camp where thousands of Jewish kids learned to sing Debbie’s catchy songs. The GA was a gathering place for the moneyed elite of American Jewry to network, plan and discuss the major issues of the day, from the security of the State of Israel, to the threat of assimilation to the funding of Jewish educational, cultural and social service agencies. They were not the singing or swaying type. Even if they were, it simply was not the culture of the GA. And yet, Debbie transformed the energy of the space in a way that only she could. The way she introduced the prayer touched people in a very deep way. That day, I witnessed hundreds of GA delegates rise to their feet, joining arms and swaying as they caught on to the melody of the prayer. I used the vignette to suggest that Jewish institutions, particularly American synagogues, were not sufficiently tapping into the desire of thousands of American Jews for a more spiritual expression of their Jewish identity. I thought of this moment when I attended the recent FedLab in Washington D.C. FedLab took the place of the GA, which is usually held every fall in a different city in North America (and periodically, in Israel). For over 20 years, from the mid-1980s until the early 2000’s, I never missed a GA. It was, for a long time, the place to meet anybody who was anybody in American Jewish life and to hear the big issues of the day discussed by leading thinkers and activists from within and beyond the Jewish world. I was not the only one who stopped attending GAs some time ago. Somewhere along the way, the GA lost its sizzle to all but the federation insiders, both lay and professional. I continued to be a loyal contributor to my local federation and, in my public roles, continued to argue that a gift to thefederation was the tax one paid for the privilege of being a member of the trans-national SEE JFNA PAGE 23
Rabbi Sid Schwarz is an author, activist and Jewish innovator who serves as a senior fellow at Hazon. He directs the Kenissa: Communities of Meaning Network. He was the founder and president of PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values for 21 years and is the founding rabbi of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation (Bethesda, Maryland) where he continues to teach and lead services.
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Bar-Ilan University Making an Impact
What Ancient Seeds Found in Israel Tell Us
Prof. Ehud Weiss, Botany
Director of the Archaeological BotanyProfessor LabAvi Gilboa
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At Bar-Ilan, our Robotics and Artificial Intelligence researchers collaborate with the IDF in developing ell preserved seeds found in archaeological digs by Bar-Ilan the technology for remarkable robots that scour Hamas terror tunnels along the Israel-Gaza border. The researchers rare glimpse into how the robots gather precise intelligenceoffers and utilizeaexplosives to topple the Hamas tunnel network -- ancient peoples ofIsrael Israel lived thousands a high-tech solution that is keeping safe and its soldiers from harm’s way.of years ago. Tel: 212-906-3900 160 East 56th Street New York, NY 10022 [email protected] AFBIU.org
JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 21
JS-22
Here’s how your donation doubles when contributing to federation
How has one of the oldest cities in the world become one of the hottest cities for startups?
By now, most of us are familiar with #GivingTuesday — the international day of giving. #GivingTuesday was established in 2012 as a global movement of generosity that was meant to inspire and unleash the power of individuals and organizations to transform communities. And transforming communities is what Jewish Federation does every day, 365 days of the year — because of you. Between now and Giving Tuesday December 3, a gift to Jewish Federation can be matched for even greater impact. If you already give to federation, give an additional end of year gift and watch your increase get doubled. If you’ve never made a gift to federation, make 2019 the start of a new commitment to your community. Our world is an ever-changing reality with challenges that need to be addressed by the collective — not the individual. Federation remains the only organization in the community that always has a 10,000 foot view of the unmet needs that need to be addressed. So, join the federation movement to be part of something bigger than yourself. As Jews, we face the most frightening period of anti-Semitism in over 70
years, so federation hired a Community Security Director to work with law enforcement and institutions to ensure our safety. As a community, Jewish identity feels more tenuous than ever, so federation is aggressively investing in young families, teens, and young adults. As hunger and senior nutrition remain a serious problem, it’s federation that funds 100,000 Kosher meals, donates tons of food, and provides thousands of snack packs for kids with hunger insecurity. These are critical issues that can only be addressed when the community comes together. Make any gift that is comfortable and meaningful — and watch it grow right before your eyes. Be a part of the federation movement. Be a part of #GivingTuesday. Before the end of the year, double down on your community. It’s a great way to end the year. Make a donation now — www.jfnnj. org/givingtuesday. For more ways to connect or to make a donation, call Kim Schwartzman at (201) 820-3936 or send an email to kimJFNNJ [email protected].
Avi Chai
provide scholarships. “Our resources were a drop in the bucket relative to the need; there are many hundreds of millions of dollars in scholarships that schools give away in a year and our total annual spending was up to $20 million per year,” said Prager. “We would have not been able to do all the innovative programming that we did if we were just giving money away in scholarships.” But Prager acknowledges the seriousness of the problem. “That’s an area where I wish we had been able to do more,” he said.
FROM PAGE 19
SUZANNE K. PONSOT Northeast Region Executive Director T: 212.607.8511 E: [email protected] MAKE YOUR YEAR-END GIFT AT A F H U . O R G /J E R U S A L E M T E C H
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s research has led to over 130 life-enhancing commercial ventures that provide revolutionary products and services to people everywhere. Our most successful technology venture is integrated in over 25 million vehicles worldwide. Since 1925, American Friends of the Hebrew University has connected the passions of Americans with innovation at the Hebrew University.
KNOWLEDGE MOVES US.
22 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
education field — is the affordability of immersive Jewish educational experiences like day school and summer camp. Day school tuition averages about $16,000 nationally, and some Jewish high schools in big cities can cost $35,000 a year. In the meantime, according to Avi Chai, “most Jewish day schools are systemically underfunded,” in large part due to the pressure to provide scholarships. The foundation was an early supporter of blended learning, a teaching method that reduces the number of teachers in the classroom as a way to lower costs, but Prager said it has not yielded as much cost savings as anticipated. Avi Chai also supported initiatives to lobby for government funding for private schools, a politically sensitive issue that hangs on questions about church and state. While the foundation supported programs that encouraged local day schools to engage donors and set up endowments to support scholarships, the foundation never provided grants to fill budget deficits or directly
The sunset wave
Avi Chai is joining the first wave of Jewish foundations coming to a close. The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies closed in 2016 and the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund wound down in 2012. Whether sunsetting will become a trend in Jewish philanthropy is not yet clear, but observers say the way Avi Chai went about its sunsetting process, with its well-publicized reports, increased awareness of the practice among funders. With plenty of advance notice, Avi
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JFNA FROM PAGE 21
Jewish people. As I built a national Jewish organization (PANIM) that sought to integrate Jewish learning, Jewish values and social responsibility, I recognized that the network of agencies that sent students to our programs were all part of the federation system. I could not have done my work without the system that was supported by federation fundraising campaigns. And yet the kinds of organizations that I felt were most closely aligned with my understanding of Judaism were not part of the federation system. My domestic politics were too progressive. My love for Israel found expression primarily in organizations with a deep commitment to Zionism and religious pluralism and human rights. And the kind of spiritual community I tried to build as a congregational rabbi was decidedly non-mainstream. Our synagogue became a home for spiritual seekers, religious skeptics and pursuers of justice. In my 2013 book, “Jewish Megatrends” I argued that the key to a vibrant Jewish future was for the organized Jewish community to give more attention, more funding and more shelf space to new models of Jewish life and community that were being created by Jewish social entrepreneurs.
Chai spent much of the last decade securing new funders for its grantees. Prizmah, the Jewish day school association that resulted from the merger of several smaller associations, received a grant of $4.5 million from the Jim Joseph Foundation in 2019. The Jewish New Teacher Project, another program started by Avi Chai, received $1.5 million from Jim Joseph as well as a grant from the Chicago-based Crown Family Philanthropies. “In the case of Avi Chai, they started preparing with their grantees many years ago, so it’s not a surprise,” said Jeffrey Solomon, former president of the Bronfman Philanthropies. “It’s very different from after the Madoff disaster where foundations closed overnight.” Lila Corwin Berman, a professor of Jewish studies at Temple University, said the Bronfman Philanthropies’ example proved that “life went on” after the sunsetting of a major donor. “Clearly Bronfman not being around has had an effect, but the space then opens up to other funders.” “There’s cause for optimism because new foundations with
I have brought this message to dozens of communities around North America and, for the past five years, the work has taken shape through an initiative that I lead called Kenissa: Communities of Meaning Network. These organizations and communities are attracting Next Gen Jews in ways that most legacy Jewish organizations are not able to do. The challenge is: How do we build bridges between these new expressions of Jewish life and the better resourced institutions that make up the organized Jewish community? All of which brings me back to FedLab. I was already in conversation with Beth Cousens, associate vice president for Jewish education and engagement at JFNA about how to make more federations aware of the Kenissa Network and she was incredibly helpful in that regard. But imagine my surprise when she described to me the plan for FedLab whose goals seemed so similar to what we had been working on with Kenissa for five years! I’d be lying if I did not admit that I attended the conference with some skepticism. Organizations do not change their styles overnight. But I was quickly won over. Beth and her team of facilitators (to my eye, all women, and all quite extraordinary) created a crash course in network theory and the art of innovation. Most of the sessions
took place in small groups which were carefully curated so that, even as the majority of attendees were Federation lay leaders and professionals, each room had a critical mass of innovators who embodied the kinds of new Jewish organizations that are popping up everywhere. Every large session started and ended with a soulful Jewish song led by Naomi Less, the founder of Jewish Chicks Rock. There were not many large plenaries but it was significant that at Monday’s lunch, attended by the approximately one thousand attendees, a short teaching and song was led by Isaiah Rothstein, a multi-racial, Orthodox, Jew of Color who is the rabbi in residence at Hazon. My “Debbie Friedman” moment came in the final plenary when JFNAs new CEO, Eric Fingerhut, struck the perfect balance between assuring national federation loyalists that their historic mission was still important but, simultaneously, announcing that we are entering a new era of North American Jewish life and that FedLab was a sign of things to come. Eric even came out from behind the podium and began singing a Hebrew prayer that asks God to bring us from darkness into the light. Eric did not exactly get the whole room
standing, singing and swaying, but for the CEO of JFNA to reinforce the priorities and the gestalt of the previous two days was a strong message that the organized community must make room for a new way of engaging Jews. Cultural change is slow. There will be resistance along the way. Institutions almost always default to stasis and there are a dozen ways that innovation gets thwarted, in ways both subtle and explicit. Every time Naomi Less started singing, I heard some person within earshot say something like, “Oh no; not again.” But the pivot represented by FedLab is a huge signal that forms of Jewish identity that have too-long been on the margins of the organized Jewish community are now being invited to come into the center. It is a shechiyanu moment. There are tens of thousands of Jews who are eager to access Jewish life if only we lower the barriers of entry, generously share resources and expertise with innovators and suspend our judgmentalism of them and their eclectic approaches to culture, spirituality and religion. If we can do that, the Jewish world will be better for it and so will we. EJEWISHPHILANTHROPY.COM
significant means with an interest in Jewish life continue to be created,” said Wertheimer. But as Avi Chai ends its 35-year run, the prospect of another foundation taking on a similarly narrow focus, or even one focused on Jewish education more broadly, seems unlikely. “Will another big, staffed foundation step in to play exactly the role that Avi Chai has played? Not likely,” said Herman. “But what we know is that already, in part thanks to Avi Chai, many funders of different sorts are already investing both in the individual institutions and in the networks that strengthen and sustain them.” “We’re probably not going to see a foundation that is as laser-focused as was Avi Chai on a particular element of Jewish life,” said Sandy Cardin, former president of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation. “The way we live now is so different, things are so integrated, that to be able to make a difference, foundations are going to have to have a little bit of a broader perspective.” NEW YORK JEWISH WEEK
JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 23
Above and right, snapshots from camp.
COVER STORY
Larger than life
Local organization supports Israeli children coming to the United States to fight cancer JOANNE PALMER
T
Yifat Yechezkell, top right, Netta Netaniel, bottom right, and a mother, a child, and volunteers at Memorial Sloan Kettering. 24 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
here can be few things worse — scarier, sadder, more mind-scrambling — than having your child diagnosed with cancer. To be sure, being diagnosed with cancer doesn’t mean being marked for swift and certain death. There are ever-more-sophisticated treatments, and very often they work. Children’s prognoses often are good, even if they have to slog through pain and fear to get to that happy ending.
But what if the only way to get your child the treatment she needs, the treatment that stands the best chance of saving her life, means that you have to go far away from home? That you have to go to a country where you don’t know anyone, far from your family and friends and support system, where you either don’t speak the language at all or speak it as a foreigner, okay with the ordinary stuff but not with doctor-speak? Of course you do it, because it’s your child and you will do anything to save her, but how do you do it?
JS-25 Cover Story
It would be foolish to pretend that there are easy answers to that question, but if you are Israeli — and any kind of Israeli, Jewish or Muslim or Christian — you can turn to Larger Than Life. The Israeli branch of Larger Than Life — yes, it’s not an intuitive name in English; the Hebrew, which seems to work better, is Gdolim Me-Hachaim, and it is the children and their families who are those heroes — runs camps and nursery schools for children with cancer, and it takes children who no longer have cancer on joyous trips to Disney. In the United States, its American Friends provide solid support — translations, food, clothing, places to mark Shabbat and holidays, help finding housing — as well as the equally necessary intangibles — companionship, understanding, empathy, and the intuitive connection that comes from sharing language and culture in a place far from home. (Because Israel is such a high-tech powerhouse, with such high-level medical care, often people wonder why any of its children would have to leave for treatment. It’s because the country is so small that even its best doctors have less experience with the rarest forms of cancer than their counterparts in larger countries, with larger pools of patients. It’s entirely a function of size.) On a recent Friday morning, four of the American Friends’ most active
Netta Netaniel, left, with Larger Than Life family Yael Sharoni, center, and her mother, Meidar Sharoni. Yael, now 13 and doing fine, will speak at the gala on December 12.
New Jersey volunteers, along with the group’s sole employee, its executive director, talked about their work. The three women — executive director Netta Netaniel and volunteers Yifat Yechezkell and Sara Golumb — and one man — Harel Nahar — all live in Tenafly, and all are close family friends; the three women finish each others’ sentences and share each others’ cellphones to forward each other Larger Than Life photos and videos. They raise money for the programs in Israel, which they frequently visit; they also raise money and spend a great deal of time with the children and their families who are here now. Larger Than Life’s school in Tel Hashomer, for newborns up to first-graders,
has state-of-the-art technology that keeps the children from being exposed to anything that might make them sicker, or might breach their chemotherapy-weakened immunological systems. The organization is planning another school, in the country’s south. It’s for “Arabs, Bedouins, religious and secular Jews.” The socioeconomics are different there from other parts of the country; “it’s the periphery of both the country and the culture,” Netta said. “So they need even more help. And it’s not only with physical help; it’s with people to accompany them through the process.” Those families often need the same kind of help that Israelis in America need, because in a way they’re strangers in
their own country. When they have to travel here for treatment, it’s even harder. “A few days ago I heard about a family from Israel,” Netta said. “They are newcomers from India. Indian Jews. Their 9-year-old daughter was diagnosed with cancer, and the parents don’t even know what it means. “They come from a small village in India, and they have no idea what cancer means. And their daughter will have to come to the United States for radiation treatment. “Even their Hebrew is poor; it’s like a biblical Hebrew. They don’t speak English, and they don’t know what cancer is. So you have to hold their hands and take care of everything for them.” There are now 15 families in the United States from Israel seeking treatment for their children, the friends said. There are Israeli families linked to Larger Than Life in Ohio, Florida, Boston, Philadelphia, and Houston, but most are in the New York metropolitan area, getting treatment in either Manhattan or in Somerset, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Steeplechase Cancer Center. “That’s a lot of families,” Sara said. The rise in rates of cancer is worldwide, she added. “It seems that a lot of it is environmental, and also there is a lot of stress,” which does not cure cancer but
JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 25
JS-26 Cover Story can help it grow. “I believe it is the new flu,” Harel said. “The new pneumonia. And there is no one solution to cancer. There is no one cure.” The organization also supports research, mainly through a project called Avatar that’s at Tel Hashomer hospital, near Larger Than Life’s first nursery school. Avatar is working on personalized immunizations, Netta said. Most of the people who support Larger Than Life in the United States give money, and their funds are both urgently needed and gratefully appreciated, the friends said — and the gala fundraiser they will hold next month speaks to that need (see box) — but a surprising number of them also want to help. Families with children the ages of children in the hospital can set up playdates Local volunters, including Sara Golumb, third from left, Harel Nahar, center-ish, in light suit, Yifat Yechezkell, to his — that helps the sick kids feel normal, left, and executive director Netta Netaniel, third from right, at last year’s gala. SHAHAR AZRAN and it’s amazing how much feeling normal can help. If that’s too much — or if they don’t have appropriately aged kids — they can find out about a child’s interests, hobbies, or desires, and send a gift through Amazon Prime. Personalizing helps; each child is an individual person. “We had a little girl who came with her parents for treatment, and I asked Netta if anyone was celebrating her birthday,” Yifat said. “I have a friend who makes designer cakes. The little girl really wanted a giraffe cake.” She got one. Another got a cake with a rainbow. “It’s a very optimistic cake,” Sara said. “The mother said, ‘We are not alone,’” she added. “‘There are many good peoAbove and right, more camp photos. ple around us.’” How do these people do it? How can they spend so much time with children who are so sick? “Part of recovering from cancer How can they do it knowing that some of them will die? is how you are feeling emotionally,” “It is hard sometimes to do it, but it is harder not to Harel added. “If we change their do it,” Yifat said. “It is harder to sit on the side and do mood, we increase their chances nothing. for recovery. If you are stronger “Yes, sometimes I go home and I cry. But I prefer to emotionally, your chances for be there. I prefer to see a child smile. And then I might recovery are higher.” It can be a stretch for people to go home and cry, but I feel much better.” feel good — chemo is debilitating, “It is a privilege,” Netta said. “I am blessed to be able and “when you have no hair, you to do it.” don’t look like yourself, it’s hard to The program is individualized. Just as their illness, feel good about yourself, but at the their treatments, and their prognoses vary, just as their end of the day, if your emotional backgrounds and interests are different, so too are their mood is good, then the outcome needs. “The first interaction with the families is when can be better,” Sara said. Which is you see how you can help them,” Harel said. “The parents see how we can help. As we translate for them, not at all to say that emotion can be like everyone else. He could be an anonymous kid, they can see how, now that they are thrown into this overcome cancer — it can’t — or that people who do not rather than a kid with cancer. huge America, they can concentrate on recovery or on make it somehow are responsible for that failure — they They tell the story of a Muslim family. “The child was getting the treatment. We can help them not have to aren’t — but just that if everything else is equal, mood named Mohammed, and he was a photographer,” Netta concentrate on where to stay or where to find food that can help, they all said. And even before they can possibly get to happy, or even to hopeful, just plain old “norsaid. “He wanted a special camera, to capture everythey can eat. We can do that for them.” mality is a huge friend,” Sara added. thing that he saw.” He got the camera, but “unfortuAll the friends point to research that shows how influTo that end, they try to be sensitive to the needs of nately he did not make it,” she said, emotion clear in ential laughter can be to survival, and how much hope the patients they meet. Netta told the story of a teenage her voice and on her face. and happiness can help. “This disease makes people boy who needed a coat. Instead of just bringing him The friends told the story of another son, Beni, and feel like they’re all alone, and like it’s the end of the one, she bought him a gift card for Burlington Coat Fachis father, Shuki. “They were religious,” Netta said. world,” Sara said; at the very least, it feels like it’s the tory; not only could he pick exactly the coat he wanted, “Beni had pancreatic cancer, and he went to Sloan Ketend of their world. But “we let them know that they but he was encouraged to go shopping. He could go to a tering. That kind of cancer usually is fatal. are not alone.” That the world will not end, even as it store and for at least the time he was in there he could “I believe that Shuki knew how it was going to end, reconfigures sharply. 26 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
OurChildren About
Useful Information for the Next Generation of Jewish Families
Let there be light! Jack Black Sings Chanukah A Kid-Friendly Golda Meir Mom and the Adopted Child Supplement to The Jewish Standard • December 2019
C H I LT O N
MEDICAL CENTER ONE OF THE SAFEST HOSPITALS IN THE COUNTRY IS RIGHT HERE IN THE COMMUNITY
“A” is the highest grade given by the Leapfrog Group, an organization dedicated to patient safety. What’s more, Chilton Medical Center was voted #1 mid-size hospital by New Jersey doctors four years in a row. Atlantic Health System is proud to bring our best to the communities we serve. Source: The Leapfrog Group, a national patient safety group
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ABOUT OUR CHILDREN • DECEMBER 2019
To learn more visit atlantichealth.org/chilton
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OurChildren About
4 Jack Black Sings
11 Riveting Photo
5 Holiday Goodies
12 House Calls
6 Eight Family Ideas Brighten Each Night
12 Pediatric Expert
7 My Adopted Daughter
14 Eyes Have It
8 ABA Therapy
16 Gallery
8 Hospitals Excel
17 Top Choices
10 Kid-friendly view of Golda Meir
19 Simchas
Chanukah album is near
Think ugly sweater tie
A baby and a survivor
Traveling flu crew is a phone away
Valley Medical Group adds to its staff
Easy, fun suggestions
Don’t call her ‘lucky’
Treating autistic children
LeapFrog Group names best
Going beyond 20/20
Pictures of our children
Great picks for December
Celebrating our milestones
All new experience!
Tune in to PBS Show
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MissionStatement About Our Children is designed to help Jewish families in our area live healthy, positive lives that make the most of the resources available to them. By providing useful, current, accurate information, this publication aims to guide parents to essential information on faith, education, the arts, events, and child-raising — in short, everything that today’s Jewish family, babies to grandparents, needs to live life to the fullest in North Jersey and Rockland County.
AdvisoryBoard Dr. Annette Berger, Psy.D. Psychologist, Teaneck Michelle Brauntuch, MS,CCLS Child Life Specialist, Englewood Health, Englewood Hope Eliasof Marriage and Family Therapist, Midland Park Howard Prager, DC, DACBSP Holistic Chiropractor, Oakland
Jane Calem Rosen Marketing and Communications Specialist Barry Weissman, M.D. Pediatrician, Hackensack and Wyckoff Cheryl Wylen Director of Adult Programs and Cultural Arts YM-YWHA of North Jersey, Wayne
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Jessica Glatt Judy Gruen Slovie Jungreis-Wolff Peggy Elias Alana Rosenstein Robin Frizzell Adina Soclof Brenda Sutcliffe Dr. Steven D. Starkman, O.D. Account Executives Lior Zaltzman Contributing Writers us About Our Children is published 11 times a year by the New Jersey/Rockland Jewish Media Group, 70 Grand Ave., River Edge, NJ 07661; telephone: (201) 837-8818; fax: (201) 833-4959.; e-mail: [email protected]. Natalie Jay Advertising Director
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Jack Black Sings the Chanukah Blessing Lior Zaltzman
J
ack Black is so multi-talented! He’s a rock star who tours the world with his band, Tenacious D. He also is a beloved comedic actor, known for some amazing kids’ movies, including “School of Rock” and “KungFu Panda,” where he voices the titular character. He’s also a top-notch Jewish dad — he has two boys, Samuel and Thomas, with his wife, musician Tanya Harden. But, it turns out, Black has another special skill. He is really good at making Chanukah, which starts this year on the evening of December 22, even more awesome! Black is contributing not one but two songs to a fresh new Chanukah album called Hanukkah+, which also will feature tracks by other bonafide rock stars, like Haim and the Flaming Lips. In other words, the album, which is out November 22, is gonna be lit! As it happens, one of Black’s songs on the album isn’t a Chanukah song at all — it’s the Passover classic “Chad Gadya,” a song that Black apparently used to impress the administration at a prospective Jewish day school. Just why is this song included on a Chanukah-themed album? We don’t know exactly, but we do know that Black considers it “the original heavy metal song”
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ABOUT OUR CHILDREN • DECEMBER 2019
— so, yeah, there’s that. But back to Chanukah. We’ve also unearthed an incredible video from 2018 of Black singing the first blessing over the Chanukah candles. He does it with such feeling — and such great pronunciation — that it’s giving us some major holiday inspiration. Last year, Black was on the podcast H3, hosted by Jewish couple Ethan and Hila Klein. When asked what he was watching on YouTube, Jack replied that he’d been looking up latke recipes. (Apparently the actor was on latke duty that year for a very sad reason: his mom had recently died.) After the latke anecdote, co-host Hila asked Jack if he also lights the menorah and says the prayers — and that’s when he broke into a passionate rendition of the blessing. It’s honestly one of my favorite performances of any prayer, ever, and as Hila (who’s Israeli) notes, Black’s Hebrew pronunciation is spot on. In the same interview, Black, who was bar mitzvahed, also shares some other Hebrew words that he knows, like shalom (“hello”), aba (“dad”), ima (“mom”), and he also starts chanting the four questions! Honestly, we’re so impressed with Jack’s Hebrew and Jewish holiday zeal — we need him to come to all of our Chanukah parties! Kveller/Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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ABOUT OUR CHILDREN • DECEMBER 2019
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Eight Family Ideas for the Holiday Light Up Your Celebration during the Nights of Chanukah Judy Gruen
C
hanukah arrives at the darkest time of the year, when daylight is in short supply, but the miracles that God performed for us thousands of years ago light our path to a festive, meaningful celebration. Chanukah is a fun, delicious (fattening!) yet deeply spiritual holiday that is easy to share with friends and family. Here are some ideas to light up your celebration during the eight nights of Chanukah: 1. Give each child his or her own menorah. Children are especially proud of lighting menorahs they make themselves, and they can be made simply and creatively. During one of the last nights, when the room is bright with Chanukah lights, take a family photograph. This custom can become a treasured chronicle of how your family grows over the years. 2. Be here now. Take plenty of time after lighting candles to enjoy being with family. Sing Chanukah songs: Ma Ozur, Haneiros Halalu, and any others you enjoy. Stay unplugged from your smartphones while the candles are burning. Savor this special time together. When you’ve sung everything you feel like singing, bring on the gifts and dig into those hot latkes and sufganiot! 3. Talk up the miracles. Chanukah means both “dedication” and “education,” so retell the story of the great Chanukah miracles, both hidden and open. Buy a Chanukah or Judaica-themed book for your children each year — you will build a nice holiday book collection, and reserving them for the holidays makes them seem new again for the children. For older children and adults, set a challenge for everyone to find a new Chanukah insight to share. Every year there are new things to learn. 4. Let Mom rest. Part of the Chanukah victory is credited to Yehudit, a daughter of Yochanan the high priest and father of the Hasmonean family. During the time of the Maccabean revolt, Yehudit bravely and cleverly earned the trust of a Syrian-Greek general named Holofernes, convincing
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him that she would bring him valuable information that would help him defeat the Jewish uprising. Instead, like the heroine Yael who slew Cicera, Yehudit fed Holfernes wine and cheese until he fell into a deep slumber. She then unsheathed his sword and killed him, saving untold numbers of Jews. In deference to the heroism of Yehudit, it is a custom for women not to work while the candles are burning. This is a challenge for many women who are not used to sitting still, so it’s up to other family members to ensure that their mothers, aunts, and grandmothers actually just sit and enjoy. 5. Let the games begin! Along with the traditional dreidel game, make up your own: Chanukah-themed word searches, Bingo, quizzes, and other games are a fun way to involve all family members, as well as guests at your Chanukah party. Did you know that the dreidel traces its lineage all the way back to the time of the Syrian-Greek rule over Israel? Since Torah study had become a crime punishable by death, Jewish children hid in caves in order to study. When Greeks would approach to see what they were up to, out came the
ABOUT OUR CHILDREN • DECEMBER 2019
spinning tops, which the children pretended they were engrossed in playing. 6. Jingle gelt, Jingle gelt. No child is likely to let parents forget the custom of giving Chanukah gelt, and not just the chocolate coins, either. In some communities a little gelt is given each night. Why money as gifts? One answer is that the Greeks did not destroy the oil from the Temple; they defiled it — a statement of their intent to infuse Greek ideas and ideals into Jewish life and Jewish possessions. Giving Chanukah gelt reminds us of our freedom and obligation to use our material wealth for noble and spiritual ends. Underscoring this message, children are taught to give away some of their gelt to tzedakah. 7. Give thanks, modern-day Maccabees. Many families have the custom of taking one night and having everyone express what they feel grateful for, spiritually and materially. Feeling gratitude and expressing it are defining Jewish qualities, and what better time to do so than on the holiday that means “dedication”? Here’s another angle to this theme: Since Chanukah celebrates the Jewish affirmation of our spiritual values, and a refusal to buckle to even harsh pressure
to assimilate, discuss ways that you have found to stand up for Jewish values when they have been challenged. 8. Check out the neighborhood. If you live in a Jewish neighborhood and it’s not utterly freezing, take a walk and enjoy the sight of the dozens, if not hundreds, of menorahs spreading their beautiful, flickering lights in windows up and down your streets. The menorah is meant to be lit at the entryway of your home, visible to the street, to help publicize the miracle. Yet there have been times when it was dangerous for Jews to do so. We who live in lands of freedom can appreciate our ability to light our menorahs with pride and without fear, and to delight in the sight of endless Chanukah lights spreading their special glow. Judy Gruen is the author of several books, including the newly released The Skeptic and the Rabbi: Falling in Love with Faith. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Jewish Action, and many other media outlets. She is also a writing coach and book editor. Read more about her at www.judygruen.com. aish.com
OurChildren My Daughter Is Adopted. Don’t Call Her ‘Lucky.’ About
Alana Rosenstein
I
n the 15 months since our daughter was born, dozens of people have commented that she is “lucky” to be part of our family. People clearly intend it as a compliment, and I don’t mean to seem ungrateful — but I really wish they would cut it out. Time and again, people say things to us like, “What a lucky little girl!” Or, “She is blessed to be a part of your family,” and so on. By contrast, in the 101⁄2 years since our son was born, I can recall hearing similar comments about him maybe a handful of times. So what’s going on? Why the difference? After all, if such comments are intended to compliment our “ace” parenting skills or our strong family ties, it would seem to apply equally to both of our children. Both my son and my daughter will grow up with the same parents and the same grandparents. They will go to the same schools and have the same opportunities for activities and, eventually, college. So why is it that people use the
wo rd “ l u c k y ” s o much more with our daughter than with her brother? I don’t think it’s a gender thing. The only reason I can think of: Our son was biologically born into our family, and our daughter came to our family through adoption. I don’t mean to seem oversensitive. But if I’ve noticed the contrast, surely she will one day, too. And as her parent, I feel the need to protect her from the implied — though certainly unintended — implication: that her brother somehow is entitled to the love and opportunities he gets in our family, whereas she is lucky to have them. Are the love and care our daughter receives in our family positive things? Absolutely. But she and other children who come to their families through adoption should hear consistently and unequivocally that they deserve the love
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and care they receive in their families, as fully as if they were born into that family. The “lucky” narrative also glorifies the positive aspects o f a dop t i o n — o f which there are certainly many — while glossing over the ways that being adopted can feel challenging or difficult for a child. Perhaps one day our daughter will decide that she feels lucky to have been adopted into our family, but there will also almost certainly be times in her life when she struggles with feelings of loss, abandonment, or uncertainty. And she needs to know that it’s OK to feel that way. After all, most of us can imagine how stressful it would feel if suddenly the primary person we relied upon was no longer there — and
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my daughter had to experience this separation when she was just minutes old. Telling her she is “lucky” to be adopted by our family subtly and inadvertently minimizes the difficult experience she has been through, and the complicated feelings she may experience in the future. It may leave her feeling that it is not safe to express or explore those feelings as they arise over the course of her life, which is the exact opposite of the message that we want her to hear from the people who care about her. If you’re one of those people who has told us that our daughter is lucky, please know that we understand and appreciate the positive, loving ways in which your comments were meant. Please take this feedback in the spirit in which it is intended — as an opportunity for all of us to express our happiness at our daughter’s arrival in ways that also leave room for all of the complex emotions that adoption may entail. Kveller/Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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Chilton, Morristown, and Newton Medical Centers Named Among Top Hospitals in Nation for Safety by The Leapfrog Group
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tlantic Health System, an integrated health care delivery system, today announced Morristown Medical Center, Newton Medical Center and Chilton Medical Center once again earned the highest possible safety rating of ‘A’ by The Leapfrog Group in its Fall 2019 Hospital Safety Grades. All three hospitals maintained their top-level, ‘A’ scores for the 2019 year. “Patient safety and meeting the highest quality standards are our top priorities for Atlantic Health System,” said Amy Perry, CEO Hospital Division, senior vice president, integrated care delivery, Atlantic Health System. “This achievement would not be possible without the consistent collaboration
of our team members and physicians whose unwavering commitment to our patients, their families and the communities we serve is displayed daily.” Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology
ABA Therapy for Treatment of Autism Dr. Ellie Maler has been helping patients for more than 20 years at ABAgrouppracticeplus and hopes to continue working with youngsters on the autism spectrum. Along with her staff and associates, Dr. Maler, who holds a doctorate in education and is a clinical social worker, focuses on the needs of her patients, who range in age from 2 to 26 years old. They receive a range of services from improving social skills, organization, speech and occupational therapies,
among others. The practice emphasizes ABA therapy, which is Applied Behavior Analysis, a modality endorsed by the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the U.S. Surgeon General as a treatment for autism spectrum disorders. Applied refers to interventions geared toward achieving social goals and helping people become more successful in natural settings such as home, school, and community. Behavioral means that ABA focuses on
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is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public. “‘A’ hospitals show us their leadership protecting patients from preventable medical harm and error,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It takes genuine commitment at every level — rom clinicians to administrators to the board of directors — and we congratulate the teams who have worked so hard to earn this A.”
About Atlantic Health System At l a n t i c He a l t h Sys t e m h a s a long-standing tradition of providing exceptional patient outcomes and experiences. Home to seven award-winning hospitals including Morristown Medical Center, the number one hospital in New Jersey according to U.S. News & World Report, Castle Connelly and Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals, the system has been ranked first in New Jersey in consumer preference by Monigle and first among health systems in New Jersey as a “best workplace” by both Modern Healthcare and Fortune Magazine. Many of the system’s programs have received national accolades and designations, including Morristown Medical Center’s cardiology and heart surgery program ranked among the top 30 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report; Morristown Medical Center’s Orthopedics program ranked among the top 35 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report and Atlantic Health System’s Cancer Care program, New Jersey’s first and only National Cancer
Institute National Community Oncology Research Program. Additionally, Atlantic Health System Neuroscience at Overlook Medical Center, working with Atlantic Mobile Health, was the first in the nation to deploy and use portable Telestroke technology in ambulances for routine pre-hospital assessment of stroke patients. Powered by a passionate workforce of 17,000 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System serves more than half of the state of New Jersey, including 11 counties and 4.9 million people. The system provides care for the full continuum of health needs across a wide array of settings, including Atlantic Medical Group, one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey with more than 1,000 physicians and providers, 12 urgent care centers, Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute, Atlantic Home Care and Hospice and Atlantic Anywhere’s Virtual Visits. Facilitating connections between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health. With a clear sense of purpose and an unparalleled culture, Atlantic Health System attracts top leaders in the field of health care, from CEO Brian Gragnolati, who is currently chairman of the American Hospital Association, to the numerous team members who serve as leaders across national clinical associations and research entities.
About The Leapfrog Group Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find
the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.
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what people say or do, rather than focus on interpretations or assumptions about behavior. Analysis refers to the identification and analysis of relationships between behavior and aspects of the environment. ABA therapy addresses such things as communication difficulties, social awkwardness, poor eye contact, repetitive behaviors, sensory sensitivity, meltdowns, impulse control issues, anger issues, and attentional issues. Dr. Maler said that clients are evalu-
ated in their homes and ABA therapists and other specialists, such as speech and occupational therapists, visit the patient’s home to work on skills and other improvements several times a week. “We have worked with many kids who after the intense treatment can become mainstreamed,” said Dr. Maler. ABAgrouppracticeplus has offices in Fair Lawn and Fort Lee. Heidi Mae Bratt
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This Adorable PBS Show Will Teach Your Kids about Golda Meir
Lior Zaltzman
I
f you think Israel’s first (and only) female prime minister, Golda Meir, would make for an inspiring TV show for kids, well, you’re not wrong! The PBS series “Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum” dedicated an episode to the Jewish leader, who grew up in Milwaukee, and it is seriously super cute. If you’re not familiar with Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum — and, hey, no judgments; it just started this month — the show follows one Xavier Riddle (duh), plus his friend Brad and his sister Yadina, as they solve problems and challenges in their own lives with the help of a time machine. This incredible machine A scene from “Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum.” is located in a secret museum, which takes them to meet some of hisAs the show’s tagline says, “Every tory’s most iconic figures — when they boy and every girl has what it takes to were kids. change the world!” It’s exactly the en-
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dearing and empowering messaging our kids need. As it happens, Meir isn’t the first Jewish historical icon Xavier and pals meet. In one episode, Jewish magician Harry Houdini teaches Brad to get over his fear of spending a night at the museum. (Cute!) But back to the Golda Meir episode, which you can watch with your kids on the PBS website. This one centers on Yadina, who is obsessed with turtles. She finds herself in a quandary: She wants to protect turtles crossing the bike lane in the park from errant bikers (and trikers) but she is only one person! What can she do? To find a solution, Yadina, Xavier, and Brad go to the museum. The museum sends them to Milwaukee in 1908, where they meet 10-year-old Golda (who, back then, was known as Golda Mabovitch — no word as to whether she had a pet turtle). When the friends meet Young Golda, she is upset — her friend cannot afford to get school textbooks, and she is not the only one in need. So Yadina, Xavier, and Brad join Golda in helping her find a solution. After snacking on rugelach at Golda’s family’s grocery store (lucky ducks), young Golda comes up with an idea: In order to help kids who need books, she starts the American Young Sisters Society. She lets her whole neighborhood know about the
problem — and manages to raise the money necessary for the textbooks with the help of her community. Golda’s resourcefulness inspires Yadina to find a solution for her turtle troubles. Drawing on the same themes of community and teamwork, she tells everyone about the problem with the turtles and the bike path. What happens next? The local ranger creates a sign drawing attention to the turtles, and the problem is solved. Golda’s charity story is incredible and, of course, it is totally true. Golda Meir had been in the United States for only two years — her family came from Ukraine — when she started the American Young Sisters Society. She threw a fundraiser where her improvised speech helped raise money for textbooks for local kids. As one newspaper wrote at the time: “a score of little children who gave their play time and scant pennies to charity … on their own initiative.” Golda, who went on to help others as a teacher and a Jewish aid volunteer in World War I, later used her improvisational skills when she gave an offthe-cuff speech in front of the General Assembly of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds in 1948 and managed to raise $50 million for military aid for Israel’s Haganah. After working tirelessly for Israel, Golda was about to retire from her political career when Levi Eshkol, the country’s prime minister, died. She then became Israel’s fourth prime minister, and one of the first female heads of state in the history of the modern world. We love how this show tells Golda’s origin story in a fun and accessible way. In the episode, the kids also discuss the fact that she was Jewish, as well as her historic role as the prime minister of Israel, a country that she helped establish! As Yadina says in the episode, Golda “is totally my hero.” And we hope her heroism will inspire even more kids, thanks to this adorable show. Kveller/Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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Riveting Photograph Joins a Baby and a Survivor Jessica Glatt
I
can’t sleep. And it’s not because my 7-monthold baby is keeping me awake. In less than 48 hours’ time, an image of my oldest child with her great-grandfather — my grandfather — has been seen by 9,000 people and counting. This photograph, which for five years has been tucked away in my desk drawer, still in its original plastic from the photographer, out of sight and out of mind, has suddenly touched so many. When I first posted the photo on my personal Facebook page to commemorate Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, I could never have imagined that it would reach an audience of this proportion. And by now I am sure that most, if not all of you, know the story behind how the photograph came to be. But there is so much more. And where to begin? That this mark of evil, which my grandfather has had etched into his skin since he was barely a teenager and which he reluctantly agreed to display for a photograph, also radiates the very essence of survival? My grandfather was the sole survivor of his immediate family. He spent the war in multiple concentration camps, including Auschwitz, until eventually he was liberated from Ebensee. In addition to his parents and brother, virtually his entire extended family was murdered during the war. Years later, after much persuasion, he gave his testimony for the Shoah Foundation, as did my grandmother, also the sole survivor of her immediate family, who spent the war in hiding under extremely precarious conditions. Although I haven’t been able to bring myself to watch the DVD copies of their testimonies, I do know some of the stories. Such as the time that my grandfather volunteered for a transport with the promise of better working and living conditions. While on the transport line, he was overcome with an enigmatic intuition that he needed to get off, and at the risk of being shot, he snuck back into his former line, only finding out later that those in the new line were taken into the forest and shot to death. Or the time when, on a cruel whim, the family hiding my grandmother threw her out of the house in the middle of the night. She spent the next harrowing hours hiding in the bushes from Nazi soldiers patrolling the streets only a few yards away,
willing herself not to move a muscle and praying that she would not be discovered. There is simply no explanation for the inexplicable. Yet they survived. And these two incredible individuals, my grandparents, Max and Anna Durst, not only survived, but they have flourished. They have three children, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. To this day they live life to the fullest. They travel the world together, even making an unlikely trip back to Poland after discovering that my grandmother’s first cousin, whom she searched for long after the war had ended, was actually alive and well. Janka was taken in as an infant by her nanny for safekeeping during the war and was raised as a Catholic after the Nazis murdered her parents. She only learned of her Jewish roots and history as an adult, and spent years searching for any living blood relative before she finally managed to track down my grandmother. My grandparents continue the traditions of their pasts through holiday celebrations, remembered recipes, and treasured times spent with family and friends. Their hearts are filled, quite remarkably, with love and not hate. Perhaps that is the only way to carry on after such unspeakable atrocity. Sometimes it feels almost unbearable to know that this is my family’s history. For us, the horrors of the Holocaust will never be erased. But some days, like today, it is reassuring to know that, as their granddaughter, I am born of such strength and resolve, as are my three children. One day, when she is old enough, the baby girl in this photograph, now a vibrant 5-year-old, will look at the photo and understand all that it represents, and so will my sweet younger daughter and baby son. But with each passing year, the survivor population is getting smaller and smaller, and I would be lying if I said that it does not frighten me to think of the day when there will be no survivors left to tell their stories in the first person. Just a few short days ago, I said that I did not know where or how to display this photograph. But, as fate would have it, it seems like it’s found the perfect home after all. Right here, for all to see, in perpetuity. It is beautiful. It is painful. It is my history and my future inextricably linked. L’dor v’dor. Always remember. Kveller/Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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The Traveling Flu Crew
Valley Teams with DispatchHealth to Bring Back House Calls
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lthough winter is a beautiful time of year, it also means the arrival of the dreaded cold and flu season. The good news is that Valley Health System has teamed up with DispatchHealth to offer urgent care in the comfort of your home. So if you or your loved one does have the misfortune of coming down with the cold or flu, we can help you get on the road to recovery without ever getting on the road. The DispatchHealth team is equipped to treat patients ages 3 months and up, so this is a great way to get your family back on track to health when your doctor isn’t available. DispatchHealth’s team of medical professionals, seasonally dubbed as the Traveling Flu Crew, will come to your home to test for the flu and other illnesses, provide a diagnosis and, if necessary, prescribe medication. Each medical team consists of either a phy-
medical teams regularly treat common-to-complex injuries, illnesses, and conditions, including urinary tract infections, migraines, sprains, fractures, joint pain, back pain, and more. A full list of treatments and procedures is available at ValleyHealth.com/Services/ DispatchHealth. Other benefits of using DispatchHealth include:
Convenience:
sician assistant or nurse practitioner, along with a medical technician. An on-call physician is also available at all times via phone. In addition to the flu and respiratory infections, DispatchHealth’s
• Care can be requested on-demand or scheduled in a way that is more convenient and predictable than going to the ER. • Providers can see multiple family household members in one visit (including children). • Providers can do on-site diagnostics (rapid strep/flu test, labs, and imaging). • Providers can perform 70 percent
of what is done in the ER at your home, including a variety of advanced tests and treatments (blood tests, treating lacerations, suturing wounds, administering IV antibiotics, etc.)
Cost-Effectiveness: • DispatchHealth accepts most insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid. Please contact DispatchHealth for more information about your specific insurance plan. An affordable flat fee is also available for uninsured patients. DispatchHealth is available in Ridgewood and the surrounding areas, including 50 zip codes within Bergen and Passaic Counties, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time, seven days a week, 365 days a year, including holidays. To request care, call (201) 882-7526, visit ValleyHealth. com /Services/DispatchHealth, or download the mobile DispatchHealth app through the App Store or Google Play.
Valley Medical Group Names Pediatric Gastroenterologist
V
alley Medical Group is pleased to welcome Dr. J. Antonio Quiros as the Valley Medical Group (VMG) associate chair for pediatrics, and a member of the pediatric gastroenterology team. Dr. Quiros was hired in collaboration with Mount Sinai Health System and he assumed his role on October 7, 2019. Dr. Quiros, who also serves as Clinical Professor, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology in the Jack and Lucy Clark Department of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital and the Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, is a board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist with special skills in therapeutic endoscopy. He completed his pediatric residency at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. He was a fellow in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and USC Health Science Center. In addition, he was an advanced fellow in gastrointestinal and biliary endoscopy at Stanford University Hospi-
tal. Prior to joining VMG, Dr. Quiros was a professor of pediatrics and division chief at the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital in Charleston where he built a series of nationally recognized programs covering all aspects of pediatric nutrition, transplant care, and interventional procedures. In addition to his role as associate chair for pediatrics, Dr. Quiros will join Dr. Keith J. Benkov, associate professor, division of pediatric gastroenterology in the Jack and Lucy Clark Department of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Dr. Nanci Pittman, assistant professor, division of pediatric gastroenterology in the Jack and Lucy Clark Department of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and Dr. Diana Volpert, pediatric gastroenterologist, Valley Medical Group, as a member of Valley’s pediatric gastroenterology practice.
12 ABOUT OUR CHILDREN • DECEMBER 2019
Dr. J. Antonio Quiros
agitis and inflammatory bowel disease care. With the expansion of the program to include pediatric subspecialists from Mount Sinai Health System, patients have access to a multidisciplinary team that provides comprehensive care for digestive disorders, intestinal tumors, intestinal bleeding and liver disease in patients up to 21 years of age. “I am pleased to welcome Dr. Quiros to Valley’s pediatric team,” said Dr. Gail Matthews, chair, Women’s and Children’s Services, Valley Medical Group. “Dr. Quiros has many impressive clinical, administrative, and research accomplishments. Our patients will benefit greatly from his clinical expertise and our clinical environment will be enriched by his talent and enthusiasm.”
Pediatric gastroenterology services at Valley include the diagnosis, treatment and management of diseases and disorders of the gastrointestinal system in children including eosinophilic esoph-
Valley’s pediatric gastroenterology practice is located at 140 East Ridgewood Ave. in Paramus. To make an appointment with Dr. Quiros or another member of the team, call (201) 389-0815..
ABOUT OUR CHILDREN • DECEMBER 2019
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Chanukah Gift Giveaway Random Drawing from All Entries Received by December 30th, 2019
4 Tickets
for Dinosaur World Live bergenPAC Englewood
4 Tickets
for Shanghai Circus bergenPAC Englewood
4 FREE Children’s Dance Classes & Leotard
Chanukah
Builda-Bear
$50 Gift Certificate
from DANCetc Fair Lawn (new students only)
from Emporio Boys Dept. Teaneck
$50 Gift $36 Gift $50 Gift Certificate Certificate Certificate from Humble Toast Teaneck
from World of Goodies Teaneck
from Gigi & Lo Teaneck
Name _______________________________________________________________ Ages of Children ____________________________________________________ Street _______________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip ______________________________________________________ Phone ______________________________________________________________ Email _______________________________________________________________ Mail to Jewish Standard, 70 Grand Ave., Suite 104, River Edge, NJ, 07661 or fax to 201-833-4959 by Dec. 30.
14 ABOUT OUR CHILDREN • DECEMBER 2019
Does My Child Have a Vision Problem? Why 20/20 May Not Be Enough
Dr. Steven D. Starkman, O.D.
N
ow that we are well into the school year, this is the time when parents should have their child’s eyes examined, and not necessarily because they think there is a problem. We wouldn’t think of not having our children routinely examined by the pediatrician. Yet most parents are not in the habit of having their children’s eyes examined even though 90 percent of what a child learns is through their eyes. The American Optometric Association recommends that all children receive a complete eye examination annually. After all, 20/20 is just a number, and is not reflective of a child’s overall visual performance. While the pediatrician may screen your child for obvious acuity deficiencies, reading an eye chart is not a substitute for a full eye examination performed by a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist. Some children with vision-related problems exhibit behaviors that may cause a parent to suspect a vision problem. These could include holding things too close, or further away, but they may also manifest as head tilting, face-turning, squinting, sitting close to the TV, holding screens extra close, reading problems, avoiding reading altogether, and difficulty completing homework. Just a word about screens: avoid giving small screen devices such as phones to children under age 7, and learn to limit screen time to 10 minute doses before having them take a 3 minute break to give their eye a rest. The reason for this is because of the plasticity of their eye focusing muscles which can spasm and tighten leaving the child with headaches or early myopia. It may come as a surprise, but unaddressed visual function problems may also manifest as facial turns or head tilts, squinting, or behavioral problems. A child may be frustrated
Dr. Steven D. Starkman
without understanding the reason for his or her frustration resulting in avoiding reading, “acting out,” or other inappropriate behaviors. Many signs and symptoms such as fusion difficulties, headaches, eye rubbing, eye movement imbalances can be discovered during the course of a complete eye examination. Problems such as these are often treatable with appropriate vision therapy exercises, corrective lenses, and other methods. Lastly, let us not forget that we all take our children for regular health and developmental check-ups, and the eyes need their own health and development check. I recommend that all parents who have not yet done so have their children’s eyes professionally examined by an optometrist or ophthalmologist, even if they do not suspect a problem. This is especially true for students starting kindergarten. It is a worthwhile investment in your child’s learning and development, and has the potential to help them for the balance of the school year and beyond. Dr. Starkman has been in private practice for over 25 years. He has been an author and lecturer in the field of optometry, and currently practices in Teaneck. Call (201) 836-9199.
PERFORMING ARTS FOR ALL AGES AND ABILITIES
REGISTER FOR CLASSES TODAY! EARLY CHILDHOOD • DANCE • MUSIC • THEATER
bergenpac.org/education • 201-482-8194 @bergenPACPAS
1 Depot Square • Englewood, NJ • 07631 ABOUT OUR CHILDREN • DECEMBER 2019
15
Gallery
Fourth grade Shabbat
Fourth graders from Temple Beth Tikvah’s religious school in Wayne led a Shabbat service after enjoying a dinner with Israeli food.
Trip to Museum of Jewish Heritage
Children of the Chabad Hebrew School in Franklin Lakes visited the Auschwitz exhibit at Manhattan’s Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.
BCHSJS goes to Broadway
Students at the Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies took a trip to see “Beetlejuice” on Broadway.
Religious school consecration
Temple Emeth in Teaneck honored students entering religious school in a consecration ceremony. With them are Cantor Ellen Tilem, religious school director Dora Geld Friedman, and BARBARA BALKIN Rabbi Steven Sirbu.
Grandmas to the rescue
Twice a year the Early Childhood Program at Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley welcomes GrandPals, a program sponsored by the Sisterhood and the Community of Caring. Members of the congregation volunteer to visit the children, play with them, read to them, and join them in celebrating Shabbat. Many of the children have grandparents who live far away. Here, GrandPal Karen Albert joins a group of welcoming children.
16 ABOUT OUR CHILDREN • DECEMBER 2019
Scouts collect for interfaith pantry
Cub Scout Pack 192 from Wayne collected over 300 bags of food and more than $900 in donations for the Wayne Interfaith Network Food Pantry. For more information, go to winfoodpantry.org.
OurChildren About
TopChoices DECEMBER 2019
Latkes Around the World: Cooking Class & Book Signing Put on an apron and cook alongside friends as we hear from renowned chef and cookbook author Jennifer Abaldi. Taste and experience global influences on our traditional latke recipe. Ms. Abaldi specializes in preserving Sephardic and Judeo-Arabic recipes, food memories,
and traditions. Her cookbook, “Too Good to Passover,” will be available for purchase and personalized signing — a great Chanukah gift for friends and family! Brought to you by the JCC of Northern NJ. Limited spots. Tickets a must!
December 5: 6:30–9 p.m . Tickets: $75 Ridgewood Culinary Studio 223 Chestnut St. Ridgewood For tickets: www.jccnnj.org/COOK
Chanukah Concert and Family Sing-along All are welcome to join Congregation Bnai Israel in Emerson for a children’s Chanukah concert and interactive sing-along.
Chanukah refreshments will follow. RSVP at [email protected] to add your name to the guest list. Free of charge.
Sunday, December 15 10–11:30 a.m. Congregation Bnai Israel 53 Palisade Ave. Emerson www.bisrael.com
Sesame Street & The Stars Join Sesame Street friends in an out-of-this-world planetarium show. Explore the night sky with Big Bird, Elmo, and a friend from China named Hu Hu Zhu! In this show, you’ll learn about the Big Dipper, the North Star, the Sun and the Moon.
Liberty Science Center 222 Jersey City Blvd. Jersey City (201) 200-1000 lsc.org
Jewish Treasures at The Met Cloisters A cache of jeweled rings, brooches, and coins — the precious possessions of a Jewish family of medieval Alsace — was hidden in the fourteenth century in the wall of a house in Colmar, France. Discovered in 1863 and on view in an exhibition at The Met Cloisters, the Colmar Treasure revives the memory of a once-thriving Jewish community.
Although the objects on view are small in scale and relatively few in number, the ensemble overturns conventional notions of medieval Europe as a monolithic Christian society. The exhibition points to both legacy and loss, underscoring the prominence of the Jewish minority community in the tumultuous fourteenth century and the perils it faced.
The Met Cloisters Through January 12, 2020 99 Margaret Corbin Drive Fort Tryon Park New York, N.Y. 10040 (212) 923-3700
ABOUT OUR CHILDREN • DECEMBER 2019
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OurChildren About
Nutcracker Ballet Raises Funds for Cancer Research
For the 22nd consecutive season, the internationally acclaimed Donetsk Ballet Company and Miss Patti’s School of Dance will present “The Nutcracker,” Tchaikovsky’s most beloved ballet and a favorite holiday tradition, featuring 170 performers. Accompanied with live music by the award-winning Adelphi Orchestra, three performances are
scheduled December 14-15 at Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus. The performances are sponsored by JulieDance, a nonprofit arts organization founded in 1997 by Patti and Darryl Vigon in memory of their beloved daughter, Julie, who succumbed to Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, at the age of 12. Julie was a promising young ballerina who distinguished herself as a student at the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center and as a performer in the children’s repertoire of many New York City Ballet productions. JulieDance is dedicated to fostering participation and appreciation for dance and music, and to supporting the research and treatment of childhood cancer. Over twenty years, JulieDance has raised $550,000 for pediatric cancer organizations.
Dreidel Drama Devorah and Benjamin can’t wait to open their Chanukah gifts. But when Bubbe and Zayde give them an old dreidel, the children don’t hide their disappointment. A single spin, however, sends them on a magical journey back to the time of the Maccabees. With the threat of the evil King Antiochus’s troops upon them, Devorah and Benjamin must earn the trust of Judah Maccabee and their new friends. Will the children’s knowledge of the Chanukah story help the Jews win the battle and light the menorah in the Temple? Will their adventures make them see Chanukah in a whole new light? A modern-day spin on Chanukah, this suspense-filled chapter book (geared toward second graders and up) will make a delightful holiday gift.
“A Dreidel in Time”
By Marica Berneger Illustrated by Beatriz Castro Kar-Ben Publishing, 2019
Donetsk Ballet, the resident company of Donetsk, Ukraine, has been regarded as one of Eastern Europe’s foremost dance companies, rivaling the Bolshoi and Kirov. The touring group of the company features 18 National and Honored Artists of Ukraine. Since 1993, the Donetsk Ballet, performing “The Nutcracker” with students of regional ballet schools throughout the Eastern United States, has delighted audiences with their masterful artistry. Charmingly complementing the Donetsk Ballet professionals with youthful beauty, artistry and energy are 150 highly trained and choreographed ballet students of Miss Patti’s School of Dance. The Adelphi Orchestra is a professional, nonprofit orchestra offering symphony, chamber and educational concert programs in Northern New
Donetsk Ballet, Adelphi Orchestra and Ballet Students of Miss Patti’s School Of Dance
December 14, 7 p.m.; December 15, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Paramus Catholic High School 425 Paramus Road Paramus Tickets are $40, $45. JulieDance is a 501 (c)(3) organization. For tickets, call (201) 670-4422. MasterCard, Visa and Amex accepted. Group rates available.
Jersey and the New York metropolitan area. With its various performing collaborations, the orchestra’s mission is to create a challenging and enjoyable environment where artistic excellence can flourish.
Wakawakaloch Wishes You a Chappy Chanukah! Chanukah or Hannukah? No matter how you pronounce it, “My Name Is Wakawakaloch!,” a new picture book celebrating hard-to-pronounce names, written by Teaneck-resident and children's author Chana Stiefel, will make a great gift. Wakawakaloch, a young cave-girl, is in a volcanic mood. Everyone is bungling her name. After a visit with her tribe's elder, Wakawakaloch discovers what her name means and how powerful names can be. Delightful illustrations by Mary Sullivan add to the humor. Perfect for every Chana, Chaya, Yitzchak and Ximena in your life.
“My Name Is Wakawakaloch!” By Chana Stiefel Illustrated by Mary Sullivan Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019 chanastiefel.com Available at The Curious Reader in Glen Rock and wherever books are sold.
Donate to Toy Drives
973-661-9368
Bring holiday joy to kids in need. The Englewood Chamber of Commerce is collecting new, unwrapped toys and books for children, benefitting the youth of Englewood. The drive is part of the PBA Toy Drive, courtesy of Englewood firefighters and police. Drop off toys for all ages November 25 to December 16 at The Gym, Englewood City Hall, Blue Moon Mexican Café and other locations. (For a complete list of suggested toys and drop-off sites, visit
18 ABOUT OUR CHILDREN • DECEMBER 2019
englewoodnj.org or call (201) 567-2381.) Please include batteries with any toys that require them. Violence-related toys such as guns will not be accepted. • Shopping for holiday gifts? Consider donating new and unwrapped toys to the 27th Annual Bergen County Chanukah Toy Drive. The drive is a collaborative effort across many Jewish schools, synagogues and temples and donates to 18 different charity organi-
zations, including Chai Lifeline, Project Ezrah, Tomchei Shabbos, and Friendship Circle. Your donations will help share the excitement of Chanukah with thousands of children and young adults who could use holiday cheer. For a complete list of the 18 receiving organizations, drop-off locations, participating stores, and coupons, visit www.bctoydrive.com or follow Bergen County Chanukah Toy Drive on Facebook. Deadline is Thursday, December 12.
OurChildren About
Simchas B’nai mitzvah
JESSIE AUERBACH
LACEY DUNKELMAN
BENJAMIN JAVER
KYLE LUDZKI
JACK SHERMAN
Jessie Auerbach, daughter of Jennifer and Jason Auerbach of Woodcliff Lake and sister of Jordyn, celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah on November 16 at Temple Emanuel in Woodcliff Lake.
Lacey Dunkelman, daughter of Elizabeth and David Dunkelman of Westwood, celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah on November 16 at Temple Avodat Shalom in River Edge.
Benjamin Eli Javer, son of Amy and David Javer of Woodcliff Lake, and brother of Abby, celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah on October 26 at Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake.
Kyle Joseph Ludzki, son of Erin Salafia and Ari Ludzki of Fair Lawn, and brother of Megyn, celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah on November 9 at the Fair Lawn Jewish Center/CBI. His grandparents are Susan and Sam Ludzki of Fair Lawn. His great-grandparents, Holocaust survivors, were the late Simon and Bluma Ludzki of Fair Lawn.
Jack Sherman, son of Jennifer and Jonathan Sherman of Ridgewood and brother of Sam and Justin, celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah on November 23 at Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake.
LILA BELL NORAH BELL
MAYA LITMANOVICH Maya Litmanovich, daughter of Cantor Maria Dubinsky and Arcady Litmanovich of Fair Lawn, and sister of Noa, celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah on November 9 at Temple Avodat Shalom in River Edge.
Sisters Lila and Norah Bell, daughters of Faith and Nicholas Bell of Teaneck, celebrated becoming bnai mitzvah on November 16 at Temple Emeth in Teaneck.
BROOKE SNYDER Brooke Snyder, daughter of Dr. Alissa Zenack and Todd Snyder of Fair Lawn, and sister of Jordyn and Gabriel, celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah on November 23 at Temple Emeth in Teaneck.
TALIA GERBER Talia Nava Gerber, daughter of Hilary and Howard Gerber of Glen Rock and sister of Eliana Liba and Maya Meira, celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah on October 13 at the Glen Rock Jewish Center.
JONATHAN POPOWITZ
HAILEY JABLONSKY HARRY COHEN Harry Cohen, son of Lauren and David Cohen of Wyckoff and brother of Max and Sam, celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah on November 23 at Temple Beth Rishon in Wyckoff.
Hailey Jablonsky, daughter of Scott Jablonsky and Carrie Lubin of Mahwah, and sister of Ilana, celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah on November 9 at Temple Avodat Shalom in River Edge.
JULIA JACOBS Julia Jacobs, daughter of Deborah and Alexander Jacobs of Ridgewood, celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah on November 16 at Temple Israel & JCC in Ridgewood.
LOGAN LITT
Jonathan Popowitz, son of Emily and Allen Popowitz of Franklin Lakes and brother of Noah and Maxwell, celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah on November 16 at Temple Beth Rishon in Wyckoff.
Logan Litt, son of Geri and Lawrence Litt of Woodcliff Lake and brother of Nicole and Jared, celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah on November 9 at Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake.
EVAN STARR Evan Starr of River Vale celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah on November 2 at Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake.
Send us your simchas! We welcome simcha announcements for births and b’nai mitzvah. Announcements are subject to editing. There is a $10 charge for photos. Photos must be high resolution jpg files. Call (201) 837-8818 for information.
Send to [email protected] or mail to NJ Jewish Media Group, ATT: Simchas 70 Grand Avenue River Edge, NJ 07661 If a photograph is to be returned, include a SASE.
ABOUT OUR CHILDREN • DECEMBER 2019
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JS-27 Cover Story SENIOR LIVING
but he was in denial, and he came here to fight for “Cancer is a very lonely disease,” Yifat said. “Often sibhave to care. The more love, the more laughter, the more more time, and because maybe there would be a lings are neglected, and sometimes the siblings resent hope, the more the possibility of healing. kind of cure. But at least to add a few months. the kid who is sick,” who sucks up their parents’ time Who: Larger Than Life “I met them when they came here a few months and energy. “The camp is downtime for the whole family ago. They stayed in a religious community in Brooktogether. Quality time. Togetherness time.” What: Holds it annual gala, featuring the comedian lyn, and they needed help with transportation. I This year, the gala’s headliner will be a comedian, an Modi and honoring Orly and Avi Amos spoke to them, and I realized that Beni was 18. He Israeli standup named Modi, specifically because Larger Where: At the Rockleigh Country Club, 26 Paris was a man, not a baby. I know that Shuki had raised Than Life wants to emphasize the centrality of laughter Ave., in Rockleigh him all his life, and the father was fighting like a to healing. When: On Thursday, December 12; the buffet dinner, lion, but they would have to separate. “It’s just before Chanukah,” Netta said. “The holiday at 7:30, will be followed by the program and the “Beni looked horrible, he was so skinny, and of miracles. We want miracles at the gala. We want to show. then the pain started, and it was horrible. And I have the money that we will raise at the gala to support How much: Tax-deductible tickets are $136 each; realized that he didn’t have a cellphone of his own. as many families as we can. VIP tickets are $250. He always took his father’s phone, but he wanted “It is touchable. It is real. You can buy a present and For tickets or more information: Call the office at to connect with his friends in Israel. you can go to the hospital and you can give it to a child.” (888) 644-4040; Sigal at (201) 280-5980, or Sarit at “So I said that we would buy him a cellphone. We Volunteers always are welcome to do that, all four (201) 456-3616, or go to largerthanlifeusa.org. wrote a letter to the board and asked for permission friends said, and they do not have to be Israeli. They just to buy it. They approved it. “So the next day I asked Beni how he felt, and he said, ‘Oh, I have some pain in my hand,’ and I asked, ‘How are your feet?’ He said, ‘My feet are fine,’ and I said, ‘Good! Stand up, take your father, and go to the nearest cellphone store and buy one.’ “They cried.” And they bought a cellphone. “After a few weeks, when Rosh Hashanah was coming, they called, and they were very embarrassed, but they said, ‘We have to ask you for something.’” The context for the request was that Beni had not known, when he left home, that he was as desperately sick as he was. Instead, “one day he was out with his friends, and the next day we told him that he was getting on a plane and we were Arbor Terrace Teaneck - 600 Frank W Burr Blvd, Teaneck, NJ 07666 going to New York. “‘If I had known, I would not have gone out with Come in for hors d’oeuvres and refreshments and a tour of our beautiful community. my friends,’” Beni said. “‘I would have been with RSVP by calling 201-836-9260 or email [email protected]. my mother and my brothers.’ He wanted to say goodbye,” Netta said. “So we got them tickets for two weeks” — it’s not easy to get two last-minute roundtrip tickets to Israel just before the High Holy Days, but they did — “and they went back and he said goodbye. That’s all he wanted. He wanted to stay with his mother and brothers, and to say goodbye to them. It broke my heart.” “Even though we couldn’t save his life, he got his last wish, to be with his family,” Yifat said. “It is devastating.” Arbor Terrace Teaneck - 600 Frank W Burr Blvd, Teaneck, NJ 07666 “But you feel lucky that you were there for this family,” Netta said. “If we hadn’t been there, it Come in for hors d’oeuvres and refreshments and a tour of our beautiful community. wouldn’t have happened. We were lucky to be able RSVP by calling 201-836-9260 or email [email protected]. to be there.” So why did Beni and his father come back for those last weeks in Sloan Kettering instead of staying with his family in Israel? “Because he and his father still had faith,” Netta At Arbor Terrace Teaneck, we’re doing away with the guesswork and said. “Emunah.” They fought until the end. Arbor Terrace Teaneck - 600 Frank W Burr Blvd, Teaneck, NJ 07666 Their work has affected them, the friends say. stereotypes of senior living. We offer a maintenance-free lifestyle “I always tell my kids to say thank you for what Come for hors d’oeuvres andand refreshments and a tour beautiful with in numerous amenities luxury services to of fitour your every community. need. they have,” Yifat said. “We have to be thankful.” RSVP by calling 201-836-9260 or email [email protected]. “There are three steps,” Netta said. “They are At Arbor Terrace Teaneck, we’re doing away withfocuses the guesswork Our community on and providing active seniors a comfortable health, hope, and happiness.” As kids get better — stereotypes of senior living. We offer a maintenance-free lifestyle not all of them do, all four said, because it is importinspiring with numerous amenitiesand and luxury serviceslifestyle. to fit your every need. ant to be both hopeful and realistic — “you can see Our community focuses on providing active seniors a comfortable the changes in their skin, and their hair starts to and inspiring lifestyle. grow.” And so does happiness. Larger Than Life also helps siblings. The New Jersey chapter fundraises for annual programs both Call or visit us online to in and outside Israel, including trips to Disney, and set up a tour today! also to a summer camp for toddlers and their families on a kibbutz. 201-836-9260 | ArborTeaneck.com JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 27
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Jewish World
Sacha Baron Cohen condemns social media as ‘greatest propaganda machine in history’ Sacha Baron Cohen has made a career out of playing absurd comedic characters, from the dopey Brit Ali G to the Kazakh journalist Borat to the Israeli veteran Erran Morad. He rarely gives interviews, and he stays relatively far from the movie star limelight. But last week, Cohen tossed aside the humorous facade to excoriate the social media industry and the “autocracy” he says it promotes in a non-ironic speech. After receiving the international leadership award from the Anti-Defamation League at its annual conference at the Javits Center in Manhattan, the British Jewish comedian slammed social media sites as the “greatest propaganda machine in history.” He reserved most of his 15-minute speech to specifically address and criticize Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. “Facebook, YouTube and Google, Twitter and others — they reach billions of people,” Cohen said. “The algorithms these platforms depend on deliberately amplify the type of content that keeps users engaged — stories that appeal to our baser instincts and that trigger outrage and fear. “It’s why YouTube recommended videos by the conspiracist Alex Jones billions of times. It’s why fake news outperforms real news, because studies show that lies spread faster than truth. “And it’s no surprise that the greatest propaganda machine in history has spread the oldest conspiracy theory in history — the lie that Jews are somehow dangerous. As one headline put it, ‘Just Think What Goebbels Could Have Done with Facebook.’” Cohen spent a significant part of his speech criticizing a recent address Zuckerberg gave at Georgetown University. There, the Facebook founder talked about the importance of upholding free expression on social media. Cohen called out Facebook for allowing political ads on its platform without verifying the veracity of their claims. Twitter and Google recently have taken steps to ban such ads. “Under this twisted logic, if Facebook were around in the 1930s, it would have allowed Hitler to post 30-second ads on his ‘solution’ to the ‘Jewish problem,’” Cohen said, adding that the site should fact-check all political ads. The actor also urged social media sites to consider delaying real-time posts that could spread hateful content, citing the gunman who attacked two mosques in New Zealand and live-streamed his murderous attack.
JENNIFER LISEO/ADL
JOSEFIN DOLSTEIN
Sacha Baron Cohen speaks at the Anti-Defamation League’s Never Is Now conference at the Javits Center in Manhattan on November 21, 2019.
The algorithms these platforms depend on deliberately amplify the type of content that keeps users engaged — stories that appeal to our baser instincts and that trigger outrage and fear. “Why can’t we have more of a delay, so this trauma-inducing filth can be caught and stopped before it’s posted in the first place?” Cohen asked. Cohen said that social media companies should be held responsible for the content spread on their sites, referencing a federal law that shields them from liability for specific posts. “Maybe it’s time to tell Mark Zuckerberg and the CEOs of these companies: You already
28 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
allowed one foreign power to interfere in our elections, you already facilitated one genocide in Myanmar, do it again and you go to jail,” Cohen said. The speech was not completely devoid of humor — Cohen managed to joke about a key Jewish adviser for President Donald Trump. “Thank you, ADL, for this recognition and your work in fighting racism, hate, and bigotry,” he said. “And to be clear, when I say ‘racism, hate, and bigotry,’ I’m not referring to the names of Stephen Miller’s Labradoodles.” Cohen also addressed the idea that he promotes anti-Semitic stereotypes in his movies, which groups like the ADL have criticized. “Now I’m not going to claim that everything I’ve done has been for a higher purpose,” he said. “But when Borat was able to get an entire bar in Arizona to sing ‘Throw the Jew down the well,’ it did reveal people’s indifference to anti-Semitism.” Cohen said that he has been “passionate about challenging bigotry and intolerance” throughout his entire life, and he wrote his undergraduate thesis on the American civil rights movement “with the help of the archives of the ADL.” The ADL said that more than 1,600 people attended the daylong event, which included a range of sessions on anti-Semitism and hate.
The organization also honored Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO and founder of the Chobani yogurt company. Ulukaya, a Kurd from Turkey, has donated millions to help refugees and hired them in his factories.
Why can’t we have more of a delay, so this traumainducing filth can be caught and stopped before it’s posted in the first place? Ulukaya used his speech to condemn hate and call on businesses to help refugees. “If government isn’t willing to act, I believe that business must lead,” he said. “This isn’t about politics. It’s about basic human decency.” JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY
JS-29* Jewish World
Sandi M. Malkin, LL C Rabbi Henry Sobel in 2011. COURTESY OF CONGREGACAO ISRAELITA PAULISTA
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Brazil’s Rabbi Henry Sobel, who challenged the country’s military regime, is mourned by Jews and non-Jews alike MARCUS M. GILBAN RIO de JANEIRO — Jewish and non-Jewish groups across Brazil mourned the death of Henry Sobel, the country’s iconic rabbi and human rights activist. “Sobel was a noted spokesman for our Jewish community,” Brazilian Senate President David Alcolumbre, who is Jewish, said. “His performance undoubtedly made him one of the greatest references for Brazilian Judaism and for our society in the defense of human rights.” The charismatic 75-year-old spiritual leader died of lung cancer in a Miami hospital last Friday. Sobel made history by challenging Brazil’s military regime in 1975. That’s when he refused to bury journalist Vladimir Herzog in the area the local Jewish cemetery had set aside for suicides. That meant that Sobel was rejecting the government’s official version of his death — that Herzog had hanged himself. “Breaking protocols of Judaism, facing resistance within the Jewish community, Sobel was one of the protagonists who paved the way for the end of dictatorship in Brazil, one of the great heroes,” said Herzog’s son, Ivo, who later joined an interfaith act in honor of his father, putting his own life at risk. Minutes after Sobel’s death, Brazilian Jews started to narrate life stories and post pictures from weddings and bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies with the rabbi, whose trademarks were his red kippah, positioned close to his forehead, and his heavily English-accented Portuguese. “The mission of us Jews is not to make the world more Jewish, but rather to make it more human,” was one of Sobel’s most famous quotes. Sobel used to welcome and be
welcomed by global Jewish and non-Jewish figures, including presidents, prime ministers, and popes. On Saturday, admirers released a video clip showing Sobel side by side with Shimon Peres, Mahatma Gandhi, Pope John Paul II, Kofi Annan, Mikhail Gorbachev, and others. “A unique figure who left an indelible mark on the country’s history,” said Fernando Lottenberg, the president of the Brazilian Israelite Confederation, the country’s umbrella Jewish organization. “The greatest community leader of all time,” added Jack Terpins, honorary president of the Latin American branch of the World Jewish Congress. Sobel’s death drew widespread media coverage across the nation. Brazil’s prime-time news show “Jornal Nacional” dedicated three minutes to summarizing Sobel’s life. The country’s leading news portal, G1, released a long list of condolence messages. Sobel was born in Lisbon to a family of Polish immigrants along their escape route to the United States. He eventually studied in New York to become a Reform rabbi and arrived in Brazil in 1970 to take the helm of the synagogue called Congregacao Israelita Paulista, which he helped become the largest Jewish congregation in Latin America with 2,000 member families. Sobel established dialogue and built bridges between Judaism and the other religions, participating in many ecumenical services as an effusive representative for interreligious dialogue. “Personally, I have always had great affection and respect for the enormous work of spreading the Jewish things that Sobel did in his daily life,” Osias Wurman, Israel’s honorary consul in Rio, said. “It was the face and courage of our community.” JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY
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CNAAN LIPHSHIZ The last thing Jeremy Corbyn needs is another Jewish controversy. The embattled British Labour Party leader has been dogged by claims of anti-Semitism among his supporters for years, and the issue is significantly hurting his polling numbers in the run-up to the United Kingdom election set for December 12. Last week, he inadvertently added to his woes by mispronouncing Jeffrey Epstein’s name in an election debate with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In response to a question by the debate’s moderator about a recent interview in which Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, defended his friendship with Epstein, Corbyn brought up the victims of Epstein’s sexual misconduct. “Before we discuss Prince Andrew I think we should discuss the victims that are there because of what Epstein was
doing,” Corbyn said. Instead of using the correct pronunciation, “Ep-steen,” Corbyn said “Ep-shtine.” On Twitter, British radio host Alec Feldman asked whether the pronunciation made Epstein’s name “sound more Jewish,” a suggestion that comedian David Baddiel retweeted to his 630,000 followers. Baddiel added, “Every Jew noticed that.” The Metro daily headlined its coverage of the incident “Jeremy Corbyn accused of anti-Semitism for pronunciation of Epstein’s name.” Catherine Lenson, a board member at a suburban London synagogue, wrote about the pronunciation in a 13-part thread on Twitter that has been shared 100 times. Lenson argued that with the pronunciation, Corbyn “can’t help himself inserting a subtle racist dig at the British Jews watching” because “there’s just no way Corbyn doesn’t know that Epstein didn’t pronounce it that way” following “rolling news coverage for the last year.”
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Corbyn mispronounces Jeffrey Epstein’s name, and critics across Britain have a field day
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn makes a speech during a visit to Pen Green Children’s Centre in Corby, England, on August 19, 2019. Corbyn has been accused of allowing anti-Semitism in his party.
Baddiel disagreed with Lenson’s claim that the mispronunciation was deliberate. “I think that moment was subconscious: which perhaps says more,” Baddiel wrote. Corbyn’s pronunciation did get some endorsements, including by Jewdas, a small group of far-left Jews who support Corbyn. “Well done, @jeremycorbyn for pronouncing ‘Epstein’ properly,” Jewdas wrote on Twitter. Stan Attaphia, a far-left activist from Britain, called the debate an attempt to grab at any straw to smear Corbyn. “This is just tomato/tomayto bullshit,” he wrote. “Take the famous name Einstein. No one says ‘Einsteen.’” Corbyn hasn’t helped his cause in the past, even in efforts to placate critics of Labour’s record on anti-Semitism. Last year he attended a Passover seder — but it featured a prayer for Israel’s destruction by the far-left Jews who participated in it. Also last year, his statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day omitted any reference to Jews. (Britain’s chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, also didn’t mention Jews in a statement on the same day.) At another moment in last week’s debate, the host challenged Corbyn on Labour’s anti-Semitism record. “Anti-Semitism is an absolute evil and scourge within our society,” Corbyn said. “Racism in any form is a scourge in our society. I have taken action in my party. When anyone has committed any anti-Semitic acts or made any anti-Semitic statements they are either suspended or expelled from
the party and we have investigated every single case.” Boris Johnson said he listened to Corbyn’s claims “open-mouthed,” because what has happened to Labour regarding anti-Semitism, he said, shows a “complete failure in leadership” by Corbyn. A harsher reaction to Corbyn’s claims came from Peter Mason, a local politician from Corbyn’s own party who is a councillor, or alderman, in the London borough of Ealing. “This is a lie,” Mason wrote on Twitter about Corbyn’s claim of handling complaints on anti-Semitism. “Grossly anti-Semitic behavior was excused,” he wrote, amid “political manipulation of a system by those running the party. And all for what? How has this festering anti-Jewish racism, the inaction, the lies & the cover ups, ever helped the party in any way? This is a disgraceful episode in the long and proud history of the Labour Party.” Or as the Brit-turned-American political and cultural analyst Andrew Sullivan, who was visiting England last week and watched Corbyn speak there, wrote in New York magazine, “Maybe an honest mistake if you were reading the name for the first time, but this is a name that’s been repeated so often everywhere with the same pronunciation, “Epsteen,” that Corbyn’s version was just plain weird. “And I couldn’t help but feel that this was a giveaway: Corbyn made a Jewish name seem alien and foreign. I genuinely suspect he is so steeped in far-left anti-Semitic othering he just blurted JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY it out.”
JS-31 Jewish World Church of England says centuries of anti-Semitism resulted in the Holocaust MARCY OSTER Centuries of Christian anti-Semitism led to the Holocaust, the Church of England said in a new report that called for repentance. “God’s Unfailing Word: Theological and Practical Perspectives on Christian-Jewish Relations,” which was released last week, also asked Christians to accept the importance of Zionism for most Jews. The report, more than 140 pages, calls the Christian-Jewish relationship “a gift of God to the Church, to be received with care, respect and gratitude, so that we may learn more fully about God’s purposes for us and all the world.” British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis criticized the report, however, and in an afterword to the document wrote that it fails to reject targeting Jews for conversion. “Even now, in the 21st century, Jews are seen by some as quarry to be pursued and converted,” Mirvis wrote. “The enduring existence within the Anglican Church of a theological
approach that is permissive of this behavior does considerable damage to the relationship between our faith traditions, and, consequently, pursuing a comprehensive new Christian-Jewish paradigm in this context is exceptionally challenging.” The report suggests that Christians “think carefully” about evangelizing their Jewish neighbors. “Conscious of the participation of Christians over the centuries in stereotyping, persecution and violence directed against Jewish people, and how this contributed to the Holocaust, Christians today should be sensitive to Jewish fears,” it says. The report says that “Christians have been guilty of promoting and fostering negative stereotypes of Jewish people that have contributed to grave suffering and injustice. They therefore have a duty to be alert to the continuation of such stereotyping and to resist it.” It also says the Holy Land had significance for Jews and Christians “beyond the significance of all other lands.” JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY
N.Y. enacts law to teach police how to recognize hate crimes BEN SALES New York state police officers must be trained in how to recognize and respond to hate crimes under a new law. The bill comes as hate crimes in general — and anti-Semitic incidents in particular — are on the rise in New York City. Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn have seen a string of assaults and vandalism directed at Jews and Jewish institutions. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the measure on Monday. Its chief sponsors are State Assemblywoman Nily Rozic of Queens and State Sen. Todd Kaminsky of Long Island. Both are Jewish. “Hatred has no place in New York State and we will continue taking
aggressive measures to stamp out hate whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head,” Cuomo said in a statement. The bill instructs the state Division of Human Rights and Hate Crimes Task Force to develop procedures for training law enforcement to handle hate crimes. It does not detail exactly what the training will entail. “With the steady surge of hate crimes across New York, there is little room for complacency,” Rozic said in a statement. “This new law will equip local law enforcement with the proper tools to identify, report, and respond to these crimes that continue to divide and instill widespread fear.” JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY
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Otto Warmbier’s parents work to hold North Korea accountable for abuses of human rights MARCY OSTER The parents of Jewish American college student Otto Warmbier are working to find and shut down illicit North Korean business assets around the world in order to hold its government accountable for widespread human rights abuses. Fred and Cindy Warmbier also called for the Trump administration to raise North Korea’s human rights problems while negotiating the country’s disarmament from nuclear weapons. Otto Warmbier was detained in North Korea for more than a year, and was sent back home to Cincinnati on June 2017. He was in a coma when he returned home, never awoke, and died days afterward. He was 22. The Warmbiers spoke last week at a forum hosted by a Seoul-based group representing the families of South Koreans abducted by the North during the 1950-53 Korean War, the Associated Press reported.
In December 2018, a U.S. federal judge ordered North Korea to pay $501 million in a wrongful death suit filed by the Warmbiers, which they are unlikely to collect. In July, they filed a claim in federal court in New York for a North Korean cargo ship seized by the United States. The vessel was detained in May because it was carrying coal to be sold in other countries in violation of United Nations sanctions. Warmbier, then a student at the University of Virginia, had been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster on what North Korea claimed were orders from an Ohio Methodist church. Upon his release, North Korea said Warmbier’s health had deteriorated after a bout of botulism. Warmbier’s doctors in the United States said he suffered extensive brain damage. Warmbier was traveling to Hong Kong for a study abroad program when he decided to visit North Korea on a guided tour.
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Brazilian-born Holocaust survivor celebrates bar mitzvah at age 91 RIO DE JANEIRO — At 91, Holocaust survivor Andor Stern no longer fears the Nazis who imprisoned him in Auschwitz. Living today in his native Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest metro area, with nearly 25 million residents, what scares him now are burglars. His modest house has been broken into twice, in the city that welcomed him back after his escape from Europe. Monday was a unique day in his life. Stern, who is recognized by the Brazilian Association of Holocaust Survivors and across the country as the only Brazilian-born Holocaust survivor, celebrated his bar mitzvah. It was a mere 78 years late. The touching ceremony, full of symbolism, was held at Sao Paulo’s oldest synagogue, Kehilat Israel, on the day that the association marked the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi pogrom in Germany and Austria that most historians consider the beginning of the Shoah. “This is our answer to Hitler and Nazism,” Rabbi Toive Weitman, the head of the Sao Paulo Holocaust memorial, who led the ceremony, said. “Hitler’s goal was not only a physical slaughter of the Jewish people, but also a spiritual extermination. He failed. “Mr. Stern continues, connected to his essence, celebrating life with his family.” Carlos Reiss, the director of the Curitiba Holocaust Museum, said that Stern’s example — an older Holocaust survivor returning to his or her religion and marking becoming a bar or bat mitzvah — has become increasingly common around the world in recent years. “It helps build the memory of the Shoah by highlighting the resilience and importance of Jewish identity,” Reiss said. “However, there are thousands of children who have not had this opportunity because their lives were shortened.” Stern was 3 when his father, who worked for a multinational mining company, was transferred to India. In 1936, the family moved to Hungary, where his grandparents lived. He later hid with them when the first anti-Semitic acts began. Besides being a Jew, Stern also was Brazilian. When Brazil entered World War II and sent troops to fight for the Allies in Italy, the boy was considered an enemy of the state and he was interned in a labor camp in the Lower Carpathian region. He ran away. But his freedom was short lived. In April 1944, the Sterns were thrown into the wagon of a freight train headed to Auschwitz, and he spent 13 months there. His mother and grandparents were killed in the death camp’s gas chambers. “I saw my mother coming out of the chimney on October 6, 1944. It’s a drag having to remember that, but I remember everything,” he said in a recent interview with a newspaper, Folha de S.Paulo. “I was out of 32 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SAO PAULO HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL
MARCUS M. GILBAN
Andor Stern at his bar mitzvah with Rabbis David Weitman, left, and Toive Weitman, who leads the Sao Paulo Holocaust Memorial and officiated at the service. Andor Stern’s concentration camp tattoo is visible through his tefillin straps.
the world until May 1, 1945, when we were released by the American soldiers. I was 17 and weighed 28 pounds.” Freddy Glatt, the German-born president of the Brazilian Association of Holocaust Survivors in Rio, lived through a situation similar to Stern’s after his family was forced to move to Belgium. But he miraculously escaped deportation to the camps by moving near the German-Dutch border. “There was no rabbi, no tallit, no tefillin or Torah, Glatt said. He became bar mitzah in Rio when he was 85. “Andor has my age today,” he said. “I wish him
mazel tov.” Stern returned to Brazil in 1948, married, and had five daughters. He has nine grandchildren and can’t keep track of the number of great-grandchildren. “A psychiatrist once told me that everyone who goes through what I did in war will never be whole again, will never leave the concentration camp,” Stern said. “I left it behind. “I’m lucky. I’m not a hero. Despite everything, I am very grateful to life for everything.” JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY
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Family, friends, and supporters call for the release of Na’ama Issachar, an IsraeliAmerican woman imprisoned in Russia for drug offenses, at Habima Square in Tel Aviv on October 19, 2019. TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90
Mother begs Putin to pardon daughter jailed for drugs on her way to Israel
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MARCY OSTER JERUSALEM — The mother of an Israeli-American woman being held in a Russian prison has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to pardon her daughter. Yaffa Issachar, the mother of Naama, sent the letter through the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, the Hebrew daily Maariv reported. The patriarch met last week with Putin in Moscow, where he was visiting by invitation of the Russian Church. He met with Yaffa Issachar in Jerusalem before leaving for Russia and delivered her direct message to Putin. “Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich! I, Yaffa Issachar, the mother of Na’ama Issachar, who has been in prison for seven months, plead with the heartache of a mother to pardon my daughter and return her to her family,” the message read, according to Maariv. In Russia last month, Na’ama Issachar, who grew up in Fair Lawn, was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison for drug smuggling. She had been detained in Russia since April after nine grams of marijuana were found in her luggage before a connecting flight on the way from India to Israel, where she moved while in high school. She had not planned to enter Russia. Nine grams is less than a third of an ounce and is within the legal limit for personal use in Israel. It generally gets a slap on the wrist in Russia. Earlier this month, Israel extradited Russian hacker Aleksey Burkov to the United States, where he is wanted on embezzlement charges for a credit card scheme that allegedly stole millions of dollars from American consumers Russia had tried exchanging Naama Issachar for Burkov, but Israel turned down its advances.
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Editorial Being thankful
S
o what do we have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season? First, there is the holiday itself. It’s the most Jewish of our American civil holidays, with the whole family gathered around the table, everyone talking to each other, eating and drinking and being possibly messy and probably loud, but feeling connected to each other by the warmth surrounding them and the cold dank blackness right out the windows. Because it’s not a chag, everyone can be there. Your family doesn’t have to be within walking distance. Because it’s about gratitude, everyone can feel it, religious or not, observant or not, believing or not, cynical or not. And because it’s about family, almost all of us can be touched by it, whether our families are by DNA or by choice and love. That’s one of the many wonderful things about being American. We all can define family in any way we want to. This year, we also can celebrate the many immigrants among us. Some of our readers are immigrants themselves and some of us are their children; my instinct tells me that most of us had immigrant grandparents. Some were great grandparents. Very few of us have roots that dig down into American soil for more than a few generations. But we are all deeply American. As I watched snatches of the impeachment hearings that played in the background on my computer (and really, time out for a second, because how purely amazing is the streaming technology that brings the witnesses and their interlocutors into our homes and offices and onto our tablets and phones? How do they do that???) and then became transfixed by some of the people talking to the House Intelligence Committee, I was more and more deeply moved by the immigrants among them. Alexander Vindman, born in Ukraine, nervous but steadfast, telling his father not to worry, that he’d done the right thing by leaving the land of his birth, the place his wife had died, to go toward not only security but also possibility for his three sons. Maria Yovanovich, born in Canada, tough and determined and straight-backed and moral, personally threatened and harried out of
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KEEPING THE FAITH
office but not giving up. Fiona Hill, born in England, terrifyingly fierce, unblinking and unyielding, telling all of us what she saw and knew, not opinion but fact. All of them, in fact, presenting not opinion but fact. All of them displaying what immigration means, what we gain, and how lucky we are. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, we do it with the clear knowledge that we have no idea what will happen next. We are living in a time that could have been created by a mad novelist, the kind whose writing is driven by plot turns, the wilder the better, but who cannot create a consistent main character who acts according to any kind of logic. It’s not just us, of course. Israel and the United Kingdom both also seem to be captured by a demented plotter; their prime ministers are larger-than-life, crazier-than-life showmen. Of course human beings never have been able to know what will happen, but now we can’t even pretend to ourselves that we do. On the other hand, there are some things that we still do know. The increasingly brittle, darkening leaves soon all will fall, and the branches will reveal their windswept elegance; we will churlishly think that it’s too cold to stand and stare at them and so hurry inside for hearty food and cocoa and maybe a single-malt Scotch. The days will get shorter and then longer again. In a few months, really not so long from now, the light will turn a little less steely. A little pinker. And we’ll see the first buds, the tiny ones that at first you think you’re just plain making up. But you’re not making it up. Eventually spring will come. Eventually the ugliness that has enveloped our civic life will lift; let us hope that it reveals a landscape that can be nurtured back to life. But the more we understand Thanksgiving’s opportunity to sit together, to eat and talk and listen, to sit in the light and look at each other, to try to understand each other, to try to glory in the fact that we all have come from somewhere else and now all are in this together, the better the chances that we can come out of this loving and whole. We at the Jewish Standard wish all our —JP readers a happy Thanksgiving.
Editor Joanne Palmer Associate Editor Larry Yudelson Community Editor Beth Janoff Chananie About Our Children Editor Heidi Mae Bratt
thejewishstandard.com 34 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
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Parallel disgraces . . . and we are to blame
P
lutarch and his “Parallel the Likud to remove Bibi as leader. Then there are the polls. While 56 Lives” would have had a field day with the leader- percent of Israelis, according to one poll, want Netanyahu to step down, ship news out of the United States and the State of Israel. Here, 35 percent do not, while another 9 percent are undecided. Voters here the president is on the verge of being “indicted” (that is what “impeached” are almost evenly divided, however, with 46.3 percent for impeachment actually means) for bribery, breach of and 45.6 percent against. Signifitrust, obstruction of justice, and percantly, though, the number of Repubhaps contempt of Congress. In Israel, lican voters who favor impeachment the prime minister — Trump’s closest rose from around 10 percent in the foreign ally — is under indictment on middle of last week to 12.2 percent charges of bribery, fraud, and breach by the time the House of trust. Both Prime Minister hearings adjourned last Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday. and President Donald Differences aside, Trump insist that the although the facts seem charges against them are little in doubt in both baseless and politically cases, a sizable group motivated. Bibi calls it of voters here and in a “coup” from within Israel seem unconcerned about their the establishment and Shammai leader’s behavior. From wants to “investigate the Engelmayer the perspective of Jewinvestigators.” Trump ish law and tradition, blames his troubles on however, they should the FBI, the mythical be concerned, because neither Net“deep state,” and “treasonous” Democrats. He even ordered the Justice anyahu nor Trump measures up to Department to “investigate the inves- what a leader should be. In Judaism’s tigators,” although it now appears that view, there are qualities a leader must probe will not yield the result he wants. demonstrate, as personified by Moses, The parallel is not perfect, of course. who is considered the paradigm. The House impeachment process has The first quality of a leader is willvirtually no support among Republiingness to take swift and decisive can representatives, who seem more action to correct a wrong, even if concerned with keeping their jobs doing so works against his or her than in protecting the integrity of the self-interest. Even though Moses presidency. In Netanyahu’s case, the knew he was an Israelite, his exalted decision to indict was made by Avichai station as a prince of Egypt came with Mandelblit, his former cabinet secreso many valuable perks — all of which tary, whom he himself appointed attor- would be put at risk if he advocated for ney general. Also, at least two Israeli the Israelites in any way. Yet, as Exotelevision channels, 12 and 13, have dus chapter 2 details, when he saw an reported on closed-door efforts within Egyptian overseer violently beating an Shammai Engelmayer is a rabbi-emeritus of Congregation Beth Israel of the Palisades and an adult education teacher in Bergen County. He is the author of eight books and the winner of 10 awards for his commentaries. His website is www.shammai.org.
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JS-35* Opinion Israelite slave, he acted swiftly and decisively. (See verses 11 and 12.) The very next day, he came across two Israelites fighting with each other. He intervened, even though getting involved was certain to call attention to his connection to the Israelites. (See verses 13 and 14.) It did, and Moses was forced to flee Egypt or be imprisoned or worse. Arriving in Midian, he saw several women shepherds being harassed by a group of men. He was a fugitive running from the vengeance of the pharaoh himself, so maintaining a low profile was the prudent course, yet “Moses rose to their defense.” (See verses 15-17.) The second quality of a leader is to understand his or her limits. He or she cannot do it all alone, and besides, there are people who are better qualified for certain tasks. Moses did not lead alone. He had Aaron and Miriam by his side. (See Micah 6:4.) He also “chose capable men out of all Israel, and appointed them heads over the people” to help him. (See Exodus 18:25-26.) When the burden became too much for him even with their help, he appealed to God for even more help. Under God’s direction, he then appointed 70 elders to assist him. (See Numbers chapter 11.) Contrast this to Trump and Netanyahu. Being president of the United States is arguably the toughest job there is, but Trump is an unapologetic micromanager. He even brags about the high number of “acting” officials in his government, saying “it gives me more flexibility” in hiring and controlling them. Among White House staffers alone, he has had a 33 percent “serial turnover” rate in his first three years, according to the Brookings Institution. He is on his third chief of staff (this one is acting). Thus far, he has had five communications directors, four national security advisers and six deputies, three legislative affairs directors and three press secretaries, among many other turnovers. Being prime minister of Israel is a tough enough job, yet Netanyahu held four ministerial portfolios — health, welfare, agriculture and diaspora affairs —until earlier this week, when he was forced to relinquish them because of his indictment. There also is the matter of appointing the right people to the right jobs for the right reasons. Moses’ father-in-law advises him to “seek out from among all the people capable men who fear God, trustworthy men who spurn ill-gotten gain.” (See Exodus 18:21.) Moses does just that. That is neither Trump’s nor Netanyahu’s way. The only test for them is whether an appointee will be loyal to them. As we saw at the hearings last week, another test for Trump’s appointments is how much money a person donated to his campaign. Ability to do the appointed task is not relevant to either man. Another quality required of a leader is in seeing to it that the people’s money is spent wisely for their benefit, not his or her own. Moses required a perfect accounting of himself and of everyone else involved in handling the community’s money. (See Exodus chapter 38.) And, says the midrash based on the Torah’s narrative, he also insisted that there be two witnesses to every expenditure, even if it was he who was doing the spending. (See Midrash Tanchuma to Pekudei, 5:2.) Compare that to Trump’s use of government
funds to cajole Ukraine into investigating a political opponent, or to his use of his own hotels and resorts for government functions. He also has begun using the presidential retreat at Camp David (where he does not stay, preferring his own resorts at government expense) to “butter up” Republican legislators to vote against impeachment, according to the Washington Post. “The casual itinerary [for the legislators] includes making s’mores over the campfire, going hiking, shooting clay pigeons and schmoozing with Trump officials, some of whom stay overnight with lawmakers,” the Post reports. “During dinners, Trump has called in to compliment members personally.” Compare that to Netanyahu’s and his wife’s excessive spending of government funds for personal benefit. In June, Sara Netanyahu pled guilty to criminal charges after a long-running investigation documented lavish spending of taxpayer funds on meals, including hiring celebrity chefs to cook for their friends, spending $40,000 on takeout food over two years, and spending $2,500 a month to fill Bibi’s pistachio ice cream craving. According to the newspaper Haaretz, Bibi at one point even tried to bill the government for his cigars. Finally, another trait we see in Moses (but not in either Netanyahu or Trump) is compassion for those being led. After the Sin of the Golden Calf, for example, Moses risked everything to protect the people from God’s anger. (See Exodus chapter 32.) Netanyahu stubbornly clings to power even though he twice has failed this year to form a new government, thereby putting essential services at risk because if there is no government, there is no budget. The Israeli health system, for example, is 40 million shekels short of the funds its hospitals need to get through the winter months. A new election, however, will not be held before March, yet Bibi refused to compromise in order to form a unity government. We need only look at how the refugee problem is being handled on the U.S. southern border, or the number of children killed by guns this year alone, to realize that Trump has little or no compassion of his own. The blame, however, is not on them but on the voters in both countries. As one Israeli voter told NPR last Friday, “Who cares if [Bibi] took a few gifts? The most important thing is that he protects the country.” Similar sentiments are heard from Trump voters. “Yes, he has faults, but don’t we all?” one such voter told the Guardian newspaper. A ruling issued by the Council of Cracow in 1595 had this to say about voter responsibility: “...each must promise to act for the sake of heaven and the common good…, and not out of favoritism or self-interest or personal grudge....These electors should not act hurriedly, but should think carefully….” Then there is this comment by the sage Rabbi Yehudah Nesi’ah in the Babylonian Talmud tractate Arachin 17a, “As the generation, so the leader,” meaning that if a generation is virtuous, its leader will be virtuous. His colleagues, however, saw it the other way around: “As the leader, so the generation.” Either way, we are being told that a generation gets the leaders it deserves.
The opinions expressed here are those of the authors, not necessarily those of the newspaper’s editors, publishers, or other staffers. We welcome letters to the editor. Send them to [email protected].
Being more than a rabbi is being more than degrees
I
have none of my diplomas hanging in my home. Having learned that in professional circles it’s good to display your credentials, my undergraduate degree, graduate degree, and ordination certificate hang on the walls of my office. There is, however, one certifiRabbi cate on display in my home: my Elchanan father’s rabbinic ordination. Signed Weinbach by three luminaries of the Yeshiva University universe of the 1950s, including Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, “the Rav,” the diploma is testimony to my father’s hard work and determination. At a time when exit exams for ordination were more demanding than they are today, and with the distinct disadvantage of not receiving a yeshiva high school education — there were no Jewish high schools in Pittsburgh in those days — my father, Rabbi David Weinbach, put in what must have been seemingly endless hours of study and preparation over several years to achieve his goals, all the while building a career in Jewish education and summer camping. My path to ordination was far simpler. I was given the opportunity of Jewish education through high school and beyond (an opportunity that it seemed at times that I was determined to squander). Work was a choice, and I restricted myself to summer camp and synagogue youth jobs, a far cry from my father’s work obligations. And in contrast to my father, whose exit exam was a live interview with a panel of three distinguished rabbis, my course of written exams was easier and less pressured. The path toward ordination for both of us included extensive study in the code of Jewish law. The code is divided into four sections and deals with almost every aspect of Jewish life. For both of us, competency in certain areas of those four sections was a requirement for our ordination. But once we each had our degrees on our walls, the most important part of our education still was ahead of us. It is not a rabbi’s command of the four sections of the code that matter as much as what is colloquially referred to as the fifth section — the common sense born of experience, courage, and sensitivity to apply what is written to a complex and all-too-human world that is outside the reach of any book. For my father, the sensitivities were focused on using his abilities to expand Jewish educational opportunities to the widest range of students. He led an outstanding high school at Yeshiva University, offering a rigorous dual-curriculum Jewish education to the New York area community that he could not have in his youth in Pittsburgh. And so his ordination certificate is prominently displayed in my home, a constant reminder that it is not about what you know but rather how well you can bring that knowledge to bear in the lives in which you have taken responsibility to share and guide. It is what gives meaning to my degrees and my work as well — to empower all Jews to connect with our tradition, its rituals, and the abiding spirit of the law. Elchanan Weinbach is the rabbi of Congregation Shaarey Israel in Montebello. He has been a pulpit rabbi for 13 years, a school head for 15 years, and a consultant, presenter, or scholar in residence in New York, Kansas City, and Florida, and at LimmudLA. JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 35
JS-36* Opinion I’VE BEEN THINKING
Dear Anonymous: Stop mailing it in
I
grew up in a world of personal letters — the kind written in pen (or, less frequently, in pencil or typed), folded and placed in a hand-addressed envelope with a return address and postage stamp, and then deposited in a mailbox for delivery by the U.S. Postal Service in a day or, perhaps, two or three. Joseph C. Letters were special. My mother had Kaplan a cousin Chavi, a Shoah survivor, who immigrated to Palestine illegally after the war, served in the Palmach, married, and raised her family in Givatayim. My mother and Chavi rarely spoke in the first decades after the war (international telephone calls and travel were both difficult and prohibitively expensive), but they remained connected through a regular exchange of aerogrammes in Hungarian. When one of these blue envelopes arrived at our house, it was a big deal, as it was years later when my two older daughters wrote us regularly during their gap year in Israel, in pre-email/cell phone days. Not true for my younger daughters. Aerogrammes were more than flimsy pieces of paper; they were a sign of deep familial relationship. Letters also told stories beyond what was written in them. After eight years in a coed elementary school, I was enrolled in a relatively right-wing all-boys
high school. And to prepare me for this change, just before I started school I went to an all-boys summer camp. I was miserable in camp and obviously conveyed that feeling to my parents. One day at mail call I received an unusual letter from my father. Unlike my parents’ regular correspondence, which came from my home and were handwritten, this was in an envelope from his office, with my name and address typewritten, as was the enclosed letter. It contained a serious discussion about growing up, the need to understand that events don’t always turn out the way one expects, and the important need in such situations to make the best of things, finding those parts (and there are undoubtedly such parts) that are good and useful while enduring with grace, and even trying to learn from, the parts that aren’t. But beyond the text of the letter, the fact that it came on my father’s office letterhead and was typewritten told me that it was an important letter; that he was treating me in an adult way and had a serious adult message for me — one I haven’t forgotten. (Parenthetical note. The school didn’t work out and after my freshman year I transferred to a more modern all-boys high school. And thereafter went to coed summer camps. Much better.)
I’m not sure where my father’s letter is. I saw it a number of years ago, but after moving files from one office to another and finally, after retirement, to my house, it was either discarded, lost, or buried somewhere under piles of other papers. But I still have another typewritten letter, dated May 13, 1968, from my then girlfriend, discussing not much — but everything. We had both recently just turned 21 — me a month before, she two days — and, equally significant, were both finally on the same page that we were serious about each other. Really serious. (I had been on that page since I first met her almost three years before, but it took her a bit longer to get with the program.) And so, she, having graduated in January (I was still finishing my senior year at YU), was writing me from her desk at her new job, telling me about her lack of efficiency at her first day of work, and blaming it on me because of the lengthy telephone conversation we had the night before and “all the things we talked about.” Who now knows what they were, but we certainly knew then, and certainly thought them important. Important enough to be typed and mailed and received and read. Letters were important. It’s not the same anymore. Snail mail today mainly consists of bills (though many come only by email or text), advertising flyers and booklets, charity and credit card solicitations, political materials, perhaps
Base Berlin — an exciting new approach to the age-old challenge of Jewish continuity
I
must start out this column by expressing my gratitude to everyone in our community who has called and written me over the past two months, in response to the anti-Semitism experienced by my son, Rabbi Jeremy Borovitz, and my daughterin-law, Rabbi Rebecca Blady, who were in the synagogue in Halle, Germany, when it was attacked on Yom Kippur. The love that precipitated these responses is received with gratitude. However, as both Jeremy and Rebecca have expressed so eloquently, in interviews and op-eds, their passionate mission, as the founders of Hillel International’s Base Berlin, is to focus upon the positive task of rebuilding a vibrant Jewish life for the growing, young Jewish population of Berlin. As defined on their Facebook page: “Base Berlin is a pluralistic Jewish home located in the Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin, where a rabbinic couple welcome young Jews and young families to celebrate, learn, ritualize and connect with each other.” While the rise of anti-Semitism from both the political far left and far right both in America and around the world is a reality, I share my children’s concern. Like them, I believe that we must not only guard ourselves and our communal institutions from those who seek to harm us, but that we must also guard against allowing hate and fear from defining us, both individually and communally. I therefore will devote this column to telling you about the work that my kids are doing in Berlin, and that many of their peers are doing here in America, 36 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
and around the world, to facilitate their the ghetto life of Europe here in America. millennial generation by creating new The migration of 21st-century Jews, vehicles and new pathways for the conboth in America, and around the world, tinuity of Jewish life. has been quite different, but I would Before I give you a short description of postulate just as impactful, as what my Hillel’s Base program and Moshe House, grandparents experienced 120 years ago two amazing new approaches to outreach when they came to America. Social and to wandering young Jews that have arisen professional mobility caused millennials in the last decade, I want to explain why to move more often, to change their jobs Rabbi Neal I believe that these efforts stand on the and professions more frequently, and to Borovitz shoulders of what happened in America marry and have children much later in in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. life, than their parents and grandparents The American Jewish communal strucdid. Over the course of the 20th century, ture that many of us take for granted today was created Jewish communal life developed what many of us call in response to the mass migration of Eastern European an edifice complex. We built physical space in relatively Jewish refugees, who found their way to America beginstable Jewish communities across America, but those ning around 1880. United States census figures show spaces may no longer be flexible enough to create relathat at the time of the Civil War there were approxitionships for a new generation of Jews. Those younger mately 150,000 Jews in America. By 1885, nearly that Jews live in both in the physical three-dimensional many Jewish refugees entered the United States annuworld and simultaneously in the fourth dimension of ally. Interesting factoid: Hebrew Union College, the cyber space. first rabbinic seminary on American soil, was founded Base Hillel and Moshe House are two creative modin 1875. The Jewish Theological Seminary and Yeshiva els for bringing both Torah — Jewish learning — and University both were created a decade later. The JCC kehilah — Jewish community — to contemporary and federation movements were not created until the young Jews, who live in a fluid postmodern world. beginning of the 20th century. All of these new instituIn just 13 years, Moshe House, a program that subsitions in Jewish life were created to meet the changing dizes the rent of young Jews who are willing to open needs of new American Jews, who wanted to acculturtheir homes to their peers on a regular basis for Jewate to America, rather than assimilating or re-creating ish activities and experiences, has grown from one
JS-37* Opinion
a monthly magazine or two (as compared to the issues of Time, Tradition, the Saturday Evening Post, McCalls, Ladies Home Journal, Readers Digest, the Jewish Observer, Consumer Reports, Jewish Life, and Commentary that poured through the mail slot of my childhood home), simcha invitations (for those still too traditional to use Evites), and thank-you notes (for those still too traditional to either use email or send nothing at all). So I was pleasantly surprised recently to receive an envelope seemingly addressed to me personally and not from an organization or purchased mailing list, and with an actual first-class stamp rather than a postage meter or permit or other bulk mailing indicia. Must be something important, I thought. But then I noticed there was no return address, and that it looked somewhat similar to an envelope I received a few weeks ago, which contained articles from the New York Post and Wall Street Journal praising President Trump for his support of Israel. Apparently this envelope was from the same sender. It contained an Associated Press release about the change in U.S. policy concerning the legality of the Israeli settlements on the West Bank. OK. Nothing in either letter I didn’t know, but so what? Well, there are two whats. First, a yellow stickie added to the AP release said “The USA and President loves Israel.”
house in Oakland, California, to more than 120 worldwide. As it has evolved, Moshe House has seen a need to deepen the Jewish knowledge of both its residents and the thousands of their peers to whom they reach out. In response, it has developed a unique informal educational system. Base Hillel uses a different model. Base rabbis work out of their homes. They reach out to unengaged Jews and they work in a complimentary, noncompetitive partnership with local synagogues and other Jewish institutions. Their mission is to facilitate the building of relationships among the Jews with whom they interact, and to create bridges of connection between themselves and institutions of the Jewish community in which they live. While the goal of each Base program is similar, the challenges that Jeremy and Rebecca face in Berlin, with a diverse, mostly immigrant Jewish community whose mother tongues may be Russian, Ukrainian, Hebrew, English, or German, differ from those of the Base in New York City, where the participants, who are primarily American-born, may be migrants to New York from across the country and who represent the pluralistic and diverse backgrounds of American Jews. The underlying philosophy of Base Hillel is to be both open to meeting people where they are, and to be complimentary, rather than competitive, with existing Jewish communal organizations. As a retired pulpit rabbi, with my new view from the pew, I am very optimistic
Second, neither letter was signed. They were anonymous. Why send them to me, though? Since I rarely express my opinion about Israeli policy or politics in public and have never done so in these columns, I can only surmise that they were sent in response to a column I wrote about President Trump (“Being judged by the content of our character,” August 1, 2019), discussing his lack of character and the fact that I wouldn’t want to join him for a meal in either his house or mine. Disagreement is fine, of course; indeed, good friends, some dating back decades, often disagree with some of my more controversial columns. But they do so face to face or from their personal emails, allowing us to discuss our disagreements while retaining our friendship. Anonymous letters are different, though. First, they’re cowardly, as I’ve previously explained (“A Coward Dies a Thousand Deaths,” March 15, 2018). Equally important, though, is that they end rather than open or continue discussion. You think Trump is a true friend of Israel? Maybe I have something to say about that, but you clearly don’t want to hear it, because you don’t tell me who you are. You think the new U.S. policies on settlements or moving the embassy or recognizing the Gaza annexation are good or meaningful ones? Maybe I agree or maybe I don’t, but you’re really not interested, because you leave no return address to which I can send my opinion. You think we owe the president a sense of hakarat hatov (gratitude)
for his actions regarding Israel and therefore shouldn’t criticize him harshly? Well, there we clearly disagree, but we’re at an impasse, because there’s nowhere for me to connect with you to explain my position further. Civic — and civil — discourse is conducted among people who listen to each other respectfully and respond and explain and argue and bring proofs supporting their arguments and even — rarely, but sometimes — reconsider positions or change minds. But that’s possible only if there’s a name and address on the other side; not if all you’ve been given is an anonymous void. Chavi and my mother had important things to say to each other in order to keep family ties strong. My father had something important to say to me, as did my girlfriend (okay, okay, my wife of almost 50 years), and my daughters. But they did so with a signature and return address so we could continue our conversations and learn from each other. And we did. Anonymous letters don’t allow for those possibilities. And so, rather than being lovingly preserved, in reality or in memory, they’re consigned to the trash bin where they belong. As I’m now doing with this one. Joseph C. Kaplan, a regular columnist, is a long-time resident of Teaneck. His work also has appeared in various publications including Sh’ma magazine, the New York Jewish Week, the Baltimore Jewish Times, and, as letters to the editor, the New York Times.
The underlying philosophy of Base Hillel is to be both open to meeting people where they are, and to be complimentary, rather than competitive, with existing Jewish communal organizations. that my children and their rabbinic peers, in all of the movements, will be effective in working together, and that Base Hillel and Moshe House are the first of many new vehicles for bringing the four millennium of Jewish values and tradition to their millennial generation and to the generations that will come after them. There is a great midrash about Moses’ last day on earth, when God gives him a glance into the future. Moses gets to sit in the yeshiva where Rabbi Akiva is teaching Torah, 1,200 years after Moses’ death. Moses understands little of what Akiva is saying; Akiva’s application of Torah to a very different time and place is foreign to him. The midrash ends with Akiva saying, “This is the Torah of Moshe.” Moses, the midrash teaches, dies in peace, knowing that the Jewish people and the Torah will continue. In a d’var Torah I gave on parshat Haye Sarah, I said I believe that Abraham’s concern that assimilation poses a greater threat to Jewish continuity than anti-Semitism remains true today. Moreover, in the spirit of the
midrash about Moses and Rabbi Akiva, I pray that 1,000 years from now, Jews still will be worried about Jewish continuity. While acknowledging the need to be ever vigilant about the dangers that anti-Semitism poses, we must keep our focus upon our opportunity and responsibility to support the evolution of new forms of Jewish expression, such as Base Hillel and Moshe House, so that our children and grandchildren and their children and grandchildren will have the same opportunity that was afforded to my grandparents, my parents, and me. I hope that they will be able to find their own answer to two eternal questions: How I can live as a Jew in the contemporary world? And how can I facilitate the continuity of Judaism, l’dor v’dor? From generation to generation? Neal Borovitz, rabbi emeritus of Temple Avodat Shalom in River Edge, is a former chair of Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey. JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 37
JS-38* Opinion
Letters
Why I want to be chairman of the Hudson Republican party
Missing the point on Eshel, intermarriage
I
am running for chairman of the Hudson County Republican Party. I do so to turn the Hudson County GOP from the paper fiction it currently is into a real-life political party that both holds those in power accountable and supports Republican candidates. I have made this announcement in county-focused media and do so aware of the many challenges both Joshua the party system in general, and Republicans Einstein across New Jersey in particular, face. I do this in the Thanksgiving issue of this important Jewish communal paper for two reasons. First and foremost is that in the pantheon of American holidays, Thanksgiving has always reminded me of my favorite Jewish chag (holiday), Pesach (Passover). While it is minus the Pesach-type prohibitions on a particular category of food, it has the elements of family and friends gathering for communal remembrance and reflection. Whereas on Pesach we look back at our people’s history from our first truly national endeavor, leaving Egypt, to today, on Thanksgiving we look back to the beginning of what would become the great country we live in, the USA, and give thanks for it. Just as Pesach has been a vehicle to look at contemporary issues in the Jewish community, from the oppression of Soviet Jewry to the early years of struggle to build and support the State of Israel, so too should Thanksgiving celebrations be used to reflect on the past and mobilize for a better future. It is this reflection that has guided many people, whether Republican, Democrat, or independent, to acknowledge the reality that in our country, a minimum of two political parties is needed to hold those in power to greater account for their actions. The absolute power that Pharaoh exercised is the very totalitarian control the U.S. constitutional government was set up to prevent. Despite the system’s imperfections, this is worth commemorating in and of itself. Yet if we are to maintain it, we must ensure that our state, New Jersey, does not become a one-party state. For all around the world, history teaches that one party, left unchallenged, often becomes the very oppressive type government we fled in Egypt, and that led so many waves of new Americans to come to the USA in search of freedom. Second and last (but not least), as a time of reflection and thanks, this Thanksgiving season has led me, as a Jew, an elected member of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, and an American, to ruminate on how I can contribute to making my community a better place. What
better way than by working with others to build a better option to the failed policies of the Hudson County Democrats, which have helped the connected insiders but left everyone else behind? What other way than by building a Hudson County GOP to ensure that one party, the Democrats, cannot do as it would like unchecked? Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for the bounty of our country, both in terms of our relative lack of national worry from hunger and depredation as well as the history of freedom we share. Yet with the statewide onward march of eminent domain abuse, the crony-capitalism of big-donor driven politicians doling out tax abatements to the select few, job killing tax and regulatory strangulation of small businesses, and the captivity of tens of thousands of New Jersey children in failing urban government-run schools, we must reflect and realize that we can do better. The campaign for Hudson County GOP Chairman will go into June, but throughout the many months I will have the Thanksgiving holiday and message in my heart and mind. That we should be thankful for the bounty of our country, the freedoms all humans have but too few on this Earth are able to share in, that our system was set up to ensure those individual rights, and that the means with which we keep that liberty, preventing the over-accumulation of power in any one area, are thoughts that should remain with us all year long. This holiday, of family and friends, we will sit around the table, disagreeing, with none muted for long. Almost as old a tradition as Thanksgiving itself is poking fun at the many humorous family discussions that happen each year, but the notion of people coming together and everyone participating in long discussions, each in their own voice, is part and parcel of the American idea. It’s time Hudson County Republicans found their voice. That’s why I’m running for chairman of the Hudson county Republican Party. Happy Thanksgiving! Joshua Einstein is a founding member of the Hudson County Regional Jewish Council, an elected member of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, sits on the executive board of the New Jersey State Young Republicans, and has been published in more than 14 newspapers and websites on Jewish and political topics.
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I would like to respond to articles that were in the November 22 issue of the Jewish Standard, the one concerning Eshel (“A place where you don’t have to hide”) and the one concerning intermarriage between Orthodox and non-Orthodox (“The other intermarriage”). In both, the articles did not seem to understand the complexities that are being dealt with. Regarding Eshel, it is not disputed that halacha forbids same sex intimacy either on a Torah level or a rabbinic level. It similarly forbids transgender transition or the concept of gender fluidity. This is why YCT could not ordain a gay rabbi and an Orthodox rabbi cannot perform a same- sex marriage while remaining Orthodox. It is why a gay, lesbian, or transgender Jew cannot be part of a charedi or chasidic community, since they require conformity with halacha as a condition of membership. However, in dealing with a modern Orthodox synagogue, complete conformity with halacha has never been a condition for membership. The goal is to increase compliance with the halacha as much as possible. While an Orthodox rabbi may take the position that it is better for the gay or lesbian to practice celibacy or a transgender to confine his or her desires to fantasies, it does not exclude them from communal participation. Eshel does understand this reality. I would also say that families should maintain their relationship with their gay, lesbian, or transgender children, for the reasons I stated; no Orthodox Jew should attend a same-sex wedding. The article regarding marriage between Orthodox and non-Orthodox similarly misses the point. The reason I would not participate in a non-Orthodox service is not fear of divine retribution as the Conservative rabbi author said but out of my desire to be in conformity with halacha. His solution that the Orthodox partner abandon his commitment to halacha is not only unacceptable but downright insulting. What would the rabbi do about taharat mishpacha, which is fully observed in the Orthodox community but observed nowhere else in the Jewish community. The correct answer is for both partners to recognize there is a common commitment to Jewish life and both should respect the differences in that commitment. It is not for the Orthodox partner to water down his commitment. Alan Mark Levin, Fair Lawn
What is wrong with Lindsey Graham?
What has happened to Lindsey Graham? (“Freedom champion Lindsey Graham blocks recognition of the Armenian genocide,” November 22.) It is a shame that he has become a Trump defender. Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina since 2002, is a disgrace to his party. His conduct is outrageous. He stated he would not read the testimony of the witnesses at the recent open hearings. He is investigating Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, in Ukraine and Hunter’s service on the board of Burisma Holdings. At one time, Lindsey Graham called Joe Biden the nicest person he ever met in politics. Lindsey Graham’s behavior shows what a hypocrite he is. He should be voted out of office. Grace Jacobs, Cliffside Park
JS-39* Jewish World OPINION
With Bloomberg and Sanders, a clear choice for American Jews First Bernie Sanders. Now Michael Bloomberg. This cycle’s Democratic primary is shaping up to be the all-time greatest troll of white nationalist Twitter — a battle royale featuring both a Jewish socialist from Brooklyn and a Jewish billionaire who made his fortune catering to Wall Street. Talk about trope bait! It’s not necessarily just the anti-Semites who will be triggered. The fight between Uncle Bernie and Mayor Mike has the potential to tap into a century’s worth of Jewish dinner table political arguments and set off a vigorous debate over the past, present, and future of American Jews and their politics. Since President Franklin D. Roosevelt, American Jews have been voting for Democratic presidential candidates, almost always by overwhelming margins — hence sociographer Milton Himmelfarb’s famous quip that American Jews “earn like Episcopalians and vote like Puerto Ricans.” His point was that even as they grew more affluent during the post-World War II era, the overwhelming majority of American Jews stayed true to their outsider roots by casting their ballots for liberal candidates. But the story is a bit more complicated. In 1880, there were only 250,000 Jews in America, most of them of German and Portuguese origin and fairly well established. By 1920, thanks to decades of immigration, the total had spiked to 4 million, with five out of six American Jews hailing from eastern Europe. Many of these new Jewish immigrants arrived with next to nothing. Back then the Jewish street wasn’t
Michael Bloomberg, left, and Bernie Sanders
Democrat. It was decidedly socialist. Take 1920, the last time a Democratic nominee failed to win the Jewish vote. That year the Republican, Warren G. Harding, not only recorded a landslide victory, but according to the book “Jews in American Politics” is believed to have won 43 percent of the Jewish vote. Only about 20 percent of Jews voted for the Democrat, James Cox. The real Jewish story that election year was Eugene V. Debs, the Socialist candidate for president (and Sanders’ hero). Debs did 13 times better with Jews than with the rest of the electorate, finishing a close second in the Jewish vote with 39 percent — compared to just 3 percent of the overall vote. Jewish politics changed, however, as the Jews escaped the sweatshops of the Lower East Side and eventually settled into the American Dream. While most of them remained on the left side of
GETTY IMAGES/JTA MONTAGE
the political spectrum, they traded in their socialism for a different brand of liberalism. Which brings us to Bloomberg, who in many ways embodies this political shift. The former New York mayor is an outspoken social liberal who supports a strong safety net and public education system — but also is an enthusiastic defender of capitalism and free trade. Workers rights were paramount for Jews who voted for Debs. Bloomberg’s liberalism — like the liberalism of many contemporary American Jews — is more animated by social issues. Bloomberg, for example, defends Wall Street while waging war against the gun industry. In contrast, Sanders has sought compromise with gun advocates but is uncompromising in his attacks on the financial sector and its billionaires. Until relatively recently, it was safe to say that Sanders was the relic, a
reminder of where Jews once were politically. Bloomberg told us about where they were today. After all, Bloomberg received high levels of support from the Jewish community during much of his time as mayor of New York. Sanders, on the other hand, trailed Hillary Clinton in Jewish support in 2016. This time around, Sanders is working hard to fuse his old-school it’s-economic-justice-stupid message with a heartier embrace of intersectionality and identity politics. Not surprisingly, his criticisms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are sharpening, and he’s promising to use U.S. aid to pressure Israel into achieving a two-state solution. In past years this tack, along with Sanders’ corresponding embrace of prominent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions supporters, would have sunk the Vermont senator among the majority of Jewish voters, especially with a familiar pro-Israel Democrat like Joe Biden in the race. But with anti-Trump passions raging and many Democratic presidential candidates stampeding to the left, it’s unclear if the old rules still apply. Bloomberg is positioning himself as the candidate best suited to grab the steering wheel from President Trump and get America back on track. Sanders’ message is that America had been broken for a very long time; Trump just made things worse. Bloomberg promises a restoration; Sanders wants a revolution. Which vision of the future do America’s Jews see themselves in? JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY
House bill would help Holocaust survivors, families recover billions in insurance payments
JOE SKIPPER/GETTY IMAGES
MARCY OSTER
Debbi Wasserman Schultz
Legislation with bipartisan support that would restore the rights of Holocaust-era insurance beneficiaries to recover billions in unclaimed payments that were left behind after World War II has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a result of federal court rulings and the failure of insurance companies to publish and publicize the names of recipients adequately and then pay these claims, 97 percent of the approximately 800,000 policies held in 1938 have yet to be honored. The insurers’ unreasonable demands that death certificates and original policy paperwork be produced is all but impossible for survivors, who at the time had just survived death camps, forced relocations, torture, and death marches. Last Friday, Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz
(D-Fla.) and Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) introduced the Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act of 2019. A Senate companion bill was recently introduced by Senators Marco Rubio, (R-Fla.) and Jacky Rosen, (D-Nev.). The legislation would validate state laws requiring insurers to publish policy holder information; establish a federal cause of action in U.S. courts to ensure Holocaust survivors and heirs have access to U.S. courts; and provide a 10-year period for cases to be brought after the date of enactment. “Preventing Holocaust survivors and their families from collecting on documented policies is truly outrageous and cruel, but allowing these global insurance corporations to hold on to this unjust enrichment is an offensive re-victimization that cannot be allowed to stand,” Wasserman Schultz said. JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY
JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 39
JS-40*
D’var Torah Toldot: Another blessing
T
his week’s parsha is Parshat Toldot, the parsha of everyone’s favorite twins: Esau and Yaakov. Yaakov is the shepherd, the tent-bound, the cunning; Esau is the hunter, the straightforward, the gullible. The name of the game this week is usurpation — Yaakov first gets Esau to sell him his rights as firstborn for a bowl of soup (he must have been one hell of a cook!), and then with the help of his mother tricks their father, Yitzchak, into giving him Esau’s blessing as well, that he would rule his brother. After all that, once the news of the blessing theft comes to Esau, he comes to Yitzchak crying for a blessing. And he’s given one, but with a strange twist: Since the blessing Yitzchak gave Yaakov was that he would rule his brothers, he blesses Esau to serve Yaakov. However, he adds in a sinister-sounding clause: “But when you grow restive, you will break his yoke from your neck.”) And can we all agree that this is probably the worst possible thing for family cohesion? I mean, it was bad enough when Yitzchak specifically told one son he would rule over the other — who does that? — but to then subvert it in the next? To use his blessings to more or less sentence these brothers to an eternal struggle for dominance? I know
that Bereshit is primarily a covenant to his child, like book about fraternal strugAvraham did to him. gles, but even then, this So I propose that Esau’s is a bit much. Even Avrablessing is also a doubling. ham, with his favoritism A blessing and a promise (or, really, God’s favoritism of terrible, temporary ser— another redeeming difvitude — sound familiar? ference) never went that To me, this can’t be anyfar. If it were up to him, he thing but a callback to brit Joseph would never have had to bein habetarim, the coveYudelson choose between Yitzchak nant between the pieces, and Yishmael. We can even when God tells Avraham see the difference in outthat in exchange for his comes: Avraham’s kids joined together descendants’s slavery, they’ll become last week to bury him, while Yitzchak’s the chosen people. So I can’t help but kids have a much rockier story. But I’m imagine that Yitzchak’s “blessing” of getting ahead of myself. enslavement to his brother has a simSo the question is, why would ilar goal: to actually enfranchise Esau Yitzchak add that? Was it a last-ditch in the covenant. To move the aspect of attempt at equalizing the brothers? Did slavery into Esau, in the hopes that that he want them to struggle, and for Esau will be enough to weave him back into to come out on top? the narrative, to take his rightful place I ’d l i ke to p ro p o s e a n a l te ras Yitzchak’s son. When Esau came to Yitzchak, crynate reading. ing, he asked, “Don’t you have another This parsha has a lot of doubling. The blessing for me?!” And I propose that twin motif comes up again and again, Yitzchak, thinking on his feet, realand there are so many callbacks to earized that while he transferred the lier stories, History repeating itself: Look covenantal blessing to Yaakov, there at the doubled theft, for example. Or was a piece of his legacy — the prommost of the opening of the parsha, the ise of slavery — that he could still give. story of Yitzchak: He presents Rivka as There wasn’t ever “another blessing,” his sister, just like Avraham did Sarah. just the second half of the first and He digs disputed wells, again like his only one. This was his way of trying to father. He gets old and passes down the
include Esau in the covenant, to make him a piece of the chain along with his younger brother, to stop the cycle of fraternal enmity that makes up this entire family tree. But do we have some more proof? Lo and behold, if we look at the gematria of Toldot to see what the parsha is really about, we see it adds up to 846, corresponding to the phrase “padeh habetarim,” “he redeemed the betarim,” referring to the original Abrahamic covenant. This is a beautiful thing! Yitzchak wasn’t some blind old man, being tricked and playing favorites — he was far-sighted, caring, and seeking redemption for his sons. He went through the pain of losing his brother over inheritance, and he didn’t want to exclude either son from his legacy. And though it seems like it doesn’t work out — we follow Yaakov around for as long as he lives, only returning to Esau when they meet again — I still love Yitzchak for trying. For attempting to cut off hatred at its source. For the doomed attempt at inclusivity, at equity. It’s a tragic story, but a heroic one, and believe you me I’d rather a tragic hero than none at all. Wishing y’all a heroic, inclusive Shabbat, the kind of Shabbat that renews our Covenant, that redeems our entire history and all our tragic ancestors.
Ousted WeWork CEO Neumann reportedly helped Kushner in developing video shown at Bahrain investor conference MARCY OSTER The ousted CEO of WeWork, Adam Neumann, believed he “was even capable of solving the world’s thorniest problems,” including the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Israeli-born Neumann, who stepped down as WeWork CEO in September, helped President Donald Trump’s senior adviser, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, on his Mideast peace effort, Vanity Fair reported in a November 21 story. Neumann assigned WeWork’s director of development, Roni Bahar, to hire an advertising firm to produce a video for Kushner showing what an economically transformed West Bank and Gaza would look like, the magazine reported, citing two unnamed sources. Bahar said he only advised on the video and that no WeWork resources were used. Kushner used the video during the Bahrain conference that
launched the economic portion of the Trump administration’s peace plan. Neumann also told one investor that he’d convinced Rahm Emanuel — the former mayor of Chicago and before that President Obama’s chief of staff — to run for president in 2020 on the “WeWork Agenda.” He told colleagues that he was saving the women of Saudi Arabia by working with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to offer women coding classes, the magazine reported. In another meeting, Neumann said that three people were going to save the world: bin Salman, Jared Kushner, and Neumann, according to the report. This was before the death of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered, presumably on bin Salman’s orders. In a meeting with George W. Bush’s former national security adviser Stephen Hadley, Neumann said that the
40 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
Adam Neumann bin Salman mess could be sorted out if bin Salman had the right mentor. He said that mentor was himself. The Neumanns were heavily involved in the Kabbalah movement and made the mystical tradition part of the office
MICHAEL KOVAC/GETTY IMAGES FOR WEWORK
culture, including scheduling meetings on the 18th day of the month, seen as a particularly auspicious time. His mother told an Israeli station last month that Neumann had joined Chabad and become JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY religious.
JS-41* The Frazzled Housewife
Kosher Crossword
“SNAP TO IT” BY YONI GLATT, [email protected] DIFFICULTY LEVEL: MANAGEABLE
Twins — or not?
I
never really understood the word brother.” Yup. “doppleganger.” Whenever FaceSomeone also told husband #1 that book would have a doppleganger they saw him on visiting day at an allday, people would post pictures girls sleepaway camp and that he didn’t of famous folks that they thought they say hello. And Husband #1’s reply is looked like (or other people thought “Why would I be at an all-girls sleepthey looked like). I think you need to away camp when I have only sons? It have an overabundance of self-confimust have been my brother.” I was startdence to let other people ing to think that maybe tell you that you look like his brother should just someone famous — and, start being friendlier h o p e f u l l y, s o m e w h a t and say hello to anyone attractive. who speaks to him, but For me, it was when it really is none of my I was in a rest stop in the business. middle of Nowheresville It even happened USA on one of my family’s when we were in Israel. famous road-trips-becauseSomeone called out Banji mom-doesn’t-fly advenour last name, and Ganchrow tures. I was about 9 years it was someone who old and someone thought I was friendly with the looked like Brooke Shields. brother. A bunch of Please stop laughing. I was teenage girls thought cute at that age, and I had the dark eyehusband #1 was their friend’s dad and brows, and perhaps the person who he had to disappoint them by revealing thought I was Brooke Shields was visuthat he was only their uncle. It has gotally impaired, or really old, or both. ten to be pretty funny, especially when I do love telling that story, more to we got the wedding pictures back and see the look of total disbelief on the peryou can see that one of the photograson that I am telling it to. “You look like phers got them mixed up as well. There Brooke Shields? Ok, ok, I got it. I got it.” are a whole bunch of photos of husband The other problem I have is when #1’s brother with many of the guests. someone says, “I thought I saw you the This brings me to actual twins. There other day, but then I realized it wasn’t is a set of twins who live in Teaneck. you.” My first thought is always, “Was Two men, both married. Originally she fat?” (I am hoping that at least it was from husband #1’s homeland of Monsey. a “she” — these days you never know.) I know one of them, but not the other. Or when someone says, “You look just When I see either of them, unless I get a like my cousin/niece/neighbor/babysitsmile of recognition, I don’t know who ter/manicurist.” Again, my first thought is who. A few weeks ago, I saw both is, “Is she fat?” I guess it is politically of them at the same store. They were incorrect to ask any follow-up quesdressed differently, but they still look tions. But it drives me crazy. like the same person. I was wondering if Husband #1 has a brother who is five (a), they knew the other one was there, years younger than he is. When they and (b), if they did it on purpose, to were growing up, they never looked freak out the other customers. Because alike. A family resemblance, for sure, if you don’t know they are twins, you but that was it. As the younger brother think you are seeing the same person got older, his hair went the way of husover and over again. band #1’s hair. In other words, it went I hope they do it on purpose, because bye bye. He tried his best to hold on to it is really funny… it, but it was a losing battle and he just Yup, so that is this week’s column. I let it go, as the song says. just wanted to write about the twins, Since that happened, he and husbut husband #1 wanted me to write band #1 have started to look more and about him as well. And since it is just the more alike. Even I have to admit it. It two of us, I have to listen to him because is a little creepy. But now, people have I have no one else at home to talk to. been getting them confused. “I saw you Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! on the Long Island Railroad but you didn’t say hello back to me,” one guy Banji Ganchrow of Teaneck will be once said to husband #1. “Ummm,” husthinking of the stuffing she used to get band #1 replied. “I was not on the Long at her grandparents’ house in Brooklyn. Island Railroad. It must have been my Because, after all, food is love.
Across 1. A bit wet 5. Hog-like animal with a long snout 10. Copy machine load 14. Actress Falco 15. Place of residence 16. Living on the ___ 17. •Literally it means “almond bread” 19. It might be dished 20. Cartoon character that’s small and blue 21. He shrugged, said Miss Rand 23. It might be offered with scones 24. Muddies 26. •AKA bowtie cookie 28. •Popular Osem snack brand 30. Avow 32. Actress Graynor or Director Aster 33. Bar Mitzvah host 35. Molten rock 39. Hockey great Jaromir 41. •Major name in Israeli snacks 43. Eighth-day rite 44. Musical orphan 46. New York University’s ___ School of the Arts 48. Kind 49. Walk or word lead-in 51. •They’re essential to a seder 53. •Carob...or food that sounds like a prize fighter 56. Rosie of “White Men Can’t Jump” 57. ‘Curb...” main character, for short 58. Native Israeli 61. Former Baseball boss Bud 64. Warrior god 66. Moment to be clutch...or a hint to a commonality among the starred clues 68. Office note 69. Hamilton known for playing Sarah Connor 70. Florida team named after the weather 71. Biblical paradise 72. Israel’s Keret 73. Some PC keys
The solution to last week’s puzzle is on page 48.
Down 1. Opponents of Reps. 2. Founding father? 3. This: 4. Pitcher Mart’nez and actor Pascal 5. Dew, in Israel 6. Longtime Palestinian leader 7. Haifa has a large one 8. “American” singing show 9. Film a scene again 10. Color on the American flag but not Israel’s 11. Archie Bunker’s wife 12. Concur 13. Heavy genre? 18. One way to send in your taxes 22. Now it’s Thailand 25. Arm or leg 27. Sebastian in “The Little Mermaid,” e.g. 28. Peninsula south of San Diego 29. Where the Purim story took place, as it’s called today 30. Rounds before the Finals 31. Wix alternative 34. Andrew Lloyd Webber musical 36. Memphis team named after animals more likely to be seen in Western Canada 37. Ventimiglia of “This Is Us” 38. Poses 40. Wrestler Flair and rocker Ocasek 42. Looney Tunes company 45. You are, in Mexico 47. Like some criticism 50. Seer 52. Chew on a plastic ring, perhaps 53. It may be shifted or shouldered 54. Propelled a boat 55. Krispy treat that isn’t actually crispy 56. Asian bear 59. Londoner, for short 60. Ladder part 62. Apple desktop that debuted in 1998 63. Receives 65. Levi, to Leah 67. An Uber, e.g.
www.thejewishstandard.com JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 41
Calendar Sunday DECEMBER 1 Holiday craft/vendor fair in Orangeburg: The Orangetown Jewish Center’s sisterhood holds a holiday boutique with clothing, jewelry, Judaica, and pottery, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 8 Independence Ave., Orangeburg. (845) 359-5920 or theojc.org.
Family Social Hall, Jewish Community Campus, 7 p.m. Retired Army Col. Kevin McMahon will talk about gratitude and giving for the future. 450 W. Nyack Road, West Nyack. Dessert reception. Reservations, Barry Kanarek, (845) 362-4200, ext. 170.
Monday DECEMBER 2 Mussar learning in Orangeburg: Rabbi Paula Mack Drill leads study of the texts of mussar, Jewish selfimprovement, through Rabbi Terry Bookman’s “The Busy Soul” at the Orangetown Jewish Center, 11 a.m. Program continues monthly through May. 8 Independence Ave., Orangeburg. (845) 359-5920 or theojc.org.
Book discussion: The Fair Lawn Jewish Center/Congregation B’nai Israel continues its “Book and Lunch” program as Rabbi David Fine discusses Naomi Levy’s “Einstein and the Rabbi,” noon. Lunch by Kosher Nosh. 10-10 Norma Ave. Reservations, (201) 796-5040 or fljc. com.
Tuesday DECEMBER 3 Life and legacy in Rockland: The Jewish Rockland Legacy Society welcomes 145 individuals and families to celebrate together at the Schwartz
Cantor Vadim Yucht
Lunch & learn in Wyckoff: Temple Beth Rishon’s lunch and learn series continues with “From the Former Soviet Union to Israel to TBR: Our Cantor’s Awesome Journey,” led by Cantor Vadim Yucht, noon. Bring a dairy lunch. 585 Russell Ave. (201) 891-4466 or bethrishon.org.
8
Film in Paramus: Cantor Sam Weiss shows “The Debt,” starring Helen Mirren, at the Jewish Film Festival at the JCC of Paramus/ Congregation Beth Tikvah, at 8:15pm. Free snacks. E. 304 Midland Ave.; (201) 262-7691, www.jccparamus.org.
Wednesday DECEMBER 4 Reducing stress and anxiety in West Nyack: Rockland Jewish Family Service offers a workshop on mindfulness, meditation and other techniques to reduce stress and anxiety, led by Carol King, the first Wednesday of every month, at the Jewish Community Campus, 11 a.m. 450 West Nyack Road, West Nyack, N.Y. (845) 354-2121, ext.142.
42 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
The Shirah Community Chorus on the Palisades, conducted by Marsha Bryan Edelman, will perform its annual winter concert on Sunday, December 8, at 3 p.m., in the Eric Brown Theater in the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, Tenafly. The program, “Miracles and Spirit: A Chanukah Celebration,” will feature celebratory songs in Hebrew and English; a postconcert reception follows, underwritten by the Weinflash family. For tickets, go to jccotp.org/ Thurnauer or call (201) 408-1465.
DEC.
COURTESY JCCP
Rabbi Dr. David Fine
Nutrition in Fair Lawn: Rabbi Dr. David Fine of Temple Israel & JCC in Ridgewood discusses “Anti Semitism in the U.S. and in our Community and the Re-emergence of Jewish Life in Germany” for the Jersey Hills section of the National Council of Jewish Women at Temple Beth Sholom, 1 p.m. 40-25 Fair Lawn Ave.
Explore the Bible in song: Rabbi Dina Shargel continues a five-session class, “The Bible in Song,” at the Fair Lawn Jewish Center, 8 p.m. Course through December 11. Refreshments. 10-10 Norma Ave. (201) 796-5040 or fljc. com.
Thursday DECEMBER 5 Art for people with Alzheimer’s and caregivers: Rockland Jewish Family Service, Northern Services Group Centers Health Care, and the Alzheimer’s Association hold “Something for Alz,” an engaging art program for people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers, at Northern Metropolitan in Monsey, 10:30 a.m. Kosher snacks. 225 Maple Ave. (845) 354-2121, ext. 144.
Talk about Lennon in Englewood: Lawyer Leon Wildes will discuss his book, “John Lennon vs. the U.S.A.” at the Englewood Library, 2 p.m. Book signing and refreshments. 31 Engle St. (201) 568-2215 or englewoodlibrary.org.
Cooking class in Ridgewood: The JCC of Northern New Jersey (formerly the YJCC) hosts “Latkes Around the World,” a cooking class and book signing with chef Jennifer Abadi, author of the cookbook “Too Good to Passover,” at the Ridgewood Culinary Studio, 6:30 p.m. Make
Calendar Shabbat in Emerson: Congregation B’nai Israel’s casual coffee house services, 7:30 p.m., with prayers sung to the tunes of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon. 53 Palisade Ave. Refreshments. (201) 265-2272 or bisrael.com.
Sunday Holocaust film in Suffern: As part of its Second Generation film series, the Holocaust Museum Center for Tolerance and Education shows “Mr. Rakowski,” followed by a Q&A with Richie Rakowski, in Rockland Community College’s Ellipse Technology Center, 7 p.m. 145 College Road. Rabbi Dov Oliver, (845) 574-4099 or holocaustrcc@gmail. com.
Friday DECEMBER 6 Shabbat in Wyckoff: Temple Beth Rishon hosts Shabbat Kulanu — a new Shabbat experience for everyone — on the first Friday of each month at 6:13 p.m., as a reminder of the 613 mitzvot. Music and a story will replace the sermon. 585 Russell Ave. (201) 891-4466 or bethrishon.org.
DECEMBER 8 Explore the siddur in Fair Lawn: Rabbi Dina Shargel concludes a class, “Understanding the Siddur,” at the Fair Lawn Jewish Center, 8:45 a.m. 10-10 Norma Ave. (201) 796-5040 or fljc.com.
Bazaar in Teaneck: Temple Emeth holds its annual bazaar, with a food court, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Early birds welcome at 9 with a $10 donation; free after that. Tricky tray auction with gift cards and prizes, “Shoe-Tique” with shoes and accessories, high-end gifts many new in box, food court with desserts, 50-50 raffle, and a “Clothing by the Bag” booth, where you can fill a bag for one low price. The shul’s Facebook page lets you preview some of the available items. 1666 Windsor Road. (201) 833-1322 or emeth.org.
Klezmer in Fort Lee: The T-Klez klezmer band gives a concert of Chanukah tunes at the Fort Lee Library, 2 p.m. Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino songs including an Italian version of “Rock of Ages” from the 1700s. 320 Main St. (201) 592-3615or www. TKlez.com.
Concert in Mahwah: Voices in Harmony, a choir that brings together cantors and choirs from Bergen and Rockland county synagogues, performs “Gratitude and Praise: Chanukah and More,” with songs of Thanksgiving and Chanukah, at Temple Beth Haverim Shir Shalom 4 p.m. 280 Ramapo Valley Road. (201) 512-1983 or bethhaverimshirshalom. org or TEPV.org.
Shul plans musical matinee Join the JCC of Paramus/Congregation Beth Tikvah at a matinee performance of the new musical “Diana” on Broadway, Wednesday, April 22. Tickets and
transportation are $150 per person. For more information, email officeassist@ jccparamus.org or call (201) 262-7691. Limited seats available.
‘Global Day of Learning’ December 8 The Jewish Federation & Foundation of Rockland County in West Nyack joins many communities in different countries for a “Global Day of Learning” on Sunday, December 8, at 9:30 a.m., at the JCC campus. It is the joint initiative of the Aleph Society and Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz. This year’s curriculum is “Speaking Volumes,” with Rabbis Dan Pernick, Benjamin Sharff, Brian Leiken, Joshua Finkelstein, and Paul Kurland, as well as Miri Burman and Dr. Marty Cohen.
The first Global Day in 2010 celebrated the completion of Rabbi Steinsaltz’s translation of the Talmud. Its purpose is to encourage the study of Judaism’s shared texts and to set one day a year aside to highlight the beauty of studying together, no matter where in the world, across many diverse, Jewish communities. Sign up online or call Roberta Seitzman at (845) 362-4200, ext. 180. View the class curriculum at www. jewishrockland.org/adult-education/ global-day-curriculum.
Singles Saturday DECEMBER 7 Singles event in Teaneck: Young
Shabbat in Tenafly: Temple Sinai of Bergen County holds Rock Shabbat. Dinner with reservations, 6:15 p.m.; services, at 7:30, feature Temple Sinai’s Rock Shabbat band. 1 Engle St. (201) 568-3035 or Templesinaibc.org.
book discussion about “D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II” with author Sarah Rose, 10:30 a.m. Brunch. 115 Park Ave. (201) 659-4000 or office@ hobokensynagogue. org.
Sarah Rose
Author brunch: The United Synagogue of Hoboken hosts a
Israel of Teaneck in conjunction with YU Connects hosts a multimedia trivia night for modern Orthodox singles, 25-32, 8 p.m. Several matchmakers will be on hand. Call/text (516) 319-7252 or yiot. org/shidduchevent.
Announce your events We welcome announcements of upcoming events. Announcements are free. Accompanying photos must be high resolution, jpg files. Send announcements two to three weeks in advance. Not every release will be published. Include a daytime telephone number and send to: [email protected] • (201) 837-8818, ext. 110
JEREMY LEBLED
latkes from recipes from Italy, India, and Syria. 223 Chestnut St. jccnnj.org/events or (201) 666-6610, ext. 1.
bergenPAC’s photographer to exhibit works at theater Relive the excitement from this year’s headliners when bergenPAC’s house photographer, Jeremy Lebled, takes you front and center as he exhibits images from his favorite concerts in the Englewood theater’s Drapkin Cabaret & Lounge. He will talk with guests about his experiences at
a reception on Wednesday, December 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. The exhibit will run through December. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the prints supports bergenPAC’s nonprofit mission. For more information, call (201) 227-1030 or go to bergenpac.org.
JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 43
JS-44* Local Sorceress FROM PAGE 7
uniquely Jewish fairy tale? If you think about Hansel and Gretel, or Little Red Riding Hood, or Sleeping Beauty, you realize that in those stories, the heroes kill the villains. In this case, though” — in “The Sorceress” — “the villains and their evil bring about their own ends. It is the story of Haman. It is the story of Pharaoh. It is the story of Germany. Remember that in 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, Germany is celebrating victory after victory. In 1945, it is the German cities that lie in rubble and ash.” The famous and successful Yiddish playwright Avram Goldfaden, who often is thought to be the father of Yiddish theater, wrote “The Sorceress” in 1878. “Remember that was during the time of the Russo-Turkish War,” Mr. Didner said. (I can hear readers protesting that they cannot remember something they’ve never heard of. You’re right, readers, and I was one of you, so read on, and — at least very elementarily — learn.) That was a war that Russia and its allies fought against the Ottoman Empire, which ruled much of the Balkans and the Caucuses; the Russians won, and that reshaped the area, allowed the Austro-Hungarian Empire some new strength there, had the Crimea bounce from side to side as we know it will continue to do, wrenched many of the Balkan states from Ottoman to Russian control, and most relevantly for “The Sorceress,” changed the overlords governing Romania, and setting the map for the pogroms and then eventually the Holocaust. “Romania had been a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire, and Romania made a deal with Russia that if Russia would get rid of the Ottomans and give them their independence, they would trade away the province that then was known as Bessarabia, and now is called Moldavia,” and that’s what happened, Mr. Didner said. Neither the Ottomans nor the Russians were particularly good for the Jews, but in different ways. Many of them lived in Bessarabia, and the change “affected the Jewish population greatly,” Mr. Didner said. “When they were part of Romania, the Jewish community was doing much better than it was under the Russians. They were more independent, more financially well off. They had more independence. They were more middle class. But a huge swath of territory where hundreds of thousands of Jews lived suddenly came under czarist control, and we know what that did for them. It put them in the path of the pogroms, and exposed them to much worse treatment than they’d had before.” So does this mean that the Ottomans had been much better for them than the Russians were? Um, no. Not really. “When you look at this play, you see lots of parallels to things we see today; human trafficking and family separation as tools of oppression. The father is sent to prison, and Mirele is sold as a slave to the Ottomans. “So this is not to say that the play is pro-Ottoman in any sense. They had slavery until 1910, and women often were sexual slaves, and the slaves usually were Slavic women from Eastern Europe. So women at that time were genuinely afraid of being kidnapped and sold into slavery. That sounds fantastical to us, but it was the real thing.” Although “The Sorceress” touches on these historical facts, “on the surface it is a fairy tale,” he said. “It is appropriate for young audiences,” because they will have no clue. In fact, if adult audiences want to ignore they subtext, they can. But if they want to, “Adults
Isabelle Fields’ costumes mix period and fantasy, just as the production does.
definitely will see the darker side of the story.” There’s another interesting element of “The Sorceress.” “It’s peek into the world of 1870s Eastern European Jewish life,” Mr. Didner said. It is unself-consciously authentic. “And remember that it’s not set in the shtetl,” like “Fiddler,” “but among the Jewish bourgeoisie. The setting is middle class. What it shows, and I haven’t really seen this in other places, is the assimilation that was taking place in Europe. “For example, the opening scene is a birthday party. At the time, Jews didn’t celebrate birthdays. That was an unusual thing. One of the characters, who represents the more traditional ways, doesn’t understand the concept of birthdays or birthday parties. It is a foreign thing to him,” but it is not at all foreign to the main characters, who live in the operetta’s present. “The Sorceress” was wildly popular in Romania, and it came to New York in 1882, just a few years after it opened in Europe. Boris Thomashevky, the young man — really, the kid, he was 14 at the time — brought it here. (Thomashevsky was one of the Yiddish theater’s most glowing stars; he and his wife, Bessie, another Yiddish theater luminary, famously also were the grandparents of the great American conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas, who has devoted a gorgeous part of his website to them.) Although the production has been reimagined — some of it had to be, because much of the orchestration and design, things that had to be written down, were lost — it is based on archival work to which Mr. Didner, Mr. Mlotek, and others devoted themselves. One of its longtime traditions — which also is a longstanding theatrical tradition way outside the Jewish world as well as inside it — is that one of its leading parts, nominally a woman, is played by a man. The
Sorceress herself actually under the costume (and not so secretly, either) is the Sorceress himself, as this bit of theatrical history is upheld. But another layer of its history is in the Holocaust. “The Sorceress’s” orchestration was recreated based on information written on paper that would have been consumed in the flames of the Shoah had the Paper Brigade — made up of those brave scholars in the Vilna ghetto who pretended to be doing the Nazi-demanded destruction of their heritage but instead risked (and some of them lost) their lives to protect it — not saved it. So the Paper Brigade is directly responsible for much of what audiences in downtown Manhattan will see and hear in the next few months. But there is yet another side to “The Sorceress.” As rich as it is in history, context, and irony, it also is great theater, Mr. Mlotek and Mr. Didner say. They love it as sound and spectacle, and they are sure that audiences will too. “‘The Sorceress’ has gorgeous music,” Mr. Didner said. The action goes from Romania to Istanbul, and “it is filled with illusion and humor. It is a lot of fun. “If you follow it on the surface level, if you miss the metaphor, it is enjoyable on that level, in the way that any fairy tale has a metaphoric level to it,” but there is pleasure in its straightforward narrative as well. “And that comes into sharp focus when we reveal the moral of the story,” he continued. “He who digs a grave for another falls into it himself. And that is true with or without historical context. And we see it today as well. “It is definitely a historical truth that today’ oppressors usually bring about their own downfall, and it is certainly something that comes up for the Jewish people again and again and again. “And most important, it is fun.” JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 44
JS-45*
Obituaries Robert Bressler
Robert Bressler, 87 of Emerson died November 20. A Fairleigh Dickinson University graduate, he was a Korean War veteran and worked for the IRS. He is survived by his wife Ruth, children Beth, Jonathan, and Mitchell; sister Nancy Steinfeld (Murray), and a granddaughter. Arrangements were by Robert Schoem’s Menorah Chapel, Paramus.
Corinne Engel
Corinne “Corky” Ann Engel of West Milford, formerly of Hackensack, Teaneck, and Brooklyn, died November 24.
She attended Beaver College, graduated from William Paterson University at age 46, and volunteered at Hackensack Hospital. Predeceased by her husband of 52 years, Harry, she is survived by children, Jane Birnbaum, and Sanford; five grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. Arrangements were by Gutterman and Musicant Jewish Funeral Directors, Hackensack.
Citation, and the Korean Service Medal. He graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University and was a bio-chemist. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Julia, daughters, Wendy and Cindy, and son-in-law Barry Neulen. Arrangements were by Robert Schoem’s Menorah Chapel, Paramus.
Lester Lazarus
Ilse Mayer, 104, of Encinitas, Calif., died November 19. Born in New York, she was predeceased by her husband Bernard in 1999 and is survived by family. Arrangements were by Eden Memorial Chapels in Fort Lee.
Lester “Les” Lazarus, 90, of Ho-Ho-Kus, formerly of Jersey City, died November 19. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War, he received three Purple Hearts, the Presidential Unit
Ilse Mayer
FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Obituaries are prepared with information provided by funeral homes. Correcting errors is the responsibility of the funeral home.
French Resistance heroine Yvette Lundy is shown two years ago at age 101.
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Yvette Lundy, French Resistance member who helped Jewish families, dies at 103 MARCY OSTER
Kommando slave labor unit near Weimar. She was liberated by the Russian army in April 1945. Ms. Lundy went back to France and became a schoolteacher. She did not begin speaking about her experiences until 1959. “The words of Yvette Lundy were a powerful call for citizen vigilance, so that the darkest hours of the 20th century would never be repeated,” a statement issued by the office of President Emmanuel Macron said. Her memoir “Le fil de l’araignée” (The Spider’s Web) was published in 2012. In 2017, she received one of France’s highest honors, becoming a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour.
L ’ Shana L ’ Shana Tovah! Tovah!
Yvette Lundy, a member of the French Resistance who provided false identification papers to Jewish families, died earlier in November in the northern French town of Epernay. She was 103. Ms. Lundy joined the Resistance at the beginning of the Nazi occupation of France, the French news agency AFP reported. She provided fake papers to Jewish families and to prisoners of war who escaped their camps. She was arrested, interrogated, and imprisoned by the Gestapo in 1944, when she was 28. She survived two Nazi concentration camps, first Ravensbrück and then Buchenwald. Later she later was assigned to a
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Noteworthy
Medical startups introduce AI into the Israel patient mix DAVID BRUMMER The primary function of any medical center is to take care of patients. However, in today’s digital age, doing so can be achieved in a myriad of innovative ways. Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer in Ramat Gan is at the forefront of today’s digital revolution. Much of this cutting-edge treatment occurs in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) where medical solutions are seemingly limitless. For some, AI conjures up images of robots — or perhaps non-human interfaces — running amok, broken free of their technological shackles. There are, however, practical, real-world uses that may prove absolutely crucial in improving the effectiveness of patient care — and how it is targeted. According to Ariella Shoham, AI “is any machine that can do actions you’d assume human intelligence is required to perform. Ms. Shoham is vice president of marketing at AIDOC Medical, a company that specializes in providing radiologists with accurate and timely information about a patient’s needs resulting from a scan. Ms. Shoham differentiated between machine learning and deep learning, which can be considered as subsets under the broad rubric of AI. From self-driving cars, Apple’s Siri or even suggestions of things to watch on Netflix or YouTube based on previous viewing habits, AI already occupies a significant chunk of our lives. “This ability to learn like a human brain reaches a level of accuracy that provides value to the medical world,” she said. Much like a human brain, today’s AI can do much more than provide algorithms; it can learn from context — a revolutionary development. Patient-driven context AI can potentially lead to enormous savings in cost, manpower, waiting times, and treatment. Traditionally, medical centers have operated on a first-come first-served basis, apart from the most obvious emergency needs. How many times have patients waited several hours to have a mystery pain or phantom ache assessed by medical professionals, only to be told that there is no cause for alarm? AIDOC Medical’s support software can run in the background while a patient waits, and can help prioritize their care. For those who need treatment, it can expedite how quickly they are seen and how accurately they can be assessed — that means a quicker discharge for those who have nothing wrong with them. The software at the moment is principally aimed at radiologists — whose treatment plan is often driven by the results of various medical imaging techniques, such as CT, MRI, fusion imaging, and ultrasound. Ms. Shoham likened the situation to that of the cockpit of a plane — with a pilot and auto-pilot. “Accuracy and quality will likely increase,” she said, “and a radiologist working in tandem with a machine is a great combination.” This cutting-edge technology is all being tested out
Above, the ARC Innovation Center at Sheba Medical Center. Left, a patient is monitored to prioritize care.
in Sheba’s new ARC Innovation Center — a state-of-the-art hub for start-ups, academics, Fortune 500 companies, and governments to merge their platform with Sheba’s treasure trove of resources. AIDOC’s ability to set up shop at ARC was a crucial element to AIDOC Medical’s research. One of the first hurdles to cross — and one that was navigated very quickly — was the receptiveness of radiologists to accept the enormous potential good. “ARC was very open,” Shoham maintained. “They allowed us to sit and watch how they worked.” There were also rigorous Q&A sessions before patients were prototyped. “We really enjoyed the benefit of working in the Sheba environment. It was amazing, offering solutions — and they still get our algorithms first.” Igentify is another medical start-up that has benefited greatly from its presence at ARC. For the moment, their genetic testing analysis software is less reliant on AI (although that will likely change as there are further developments), but they also have patient care and accessibility very much at the forefront of their thinking. Igentify, launched in 2016, address a perceived lack of genetic outlook worldwide. “We developed a digital genetic counseling platform,” said Roy Wiesner, the company’s managing director and COO. “We are trying to mimic and address formulas by standardizing genetic counselling.” Igentify’s system is designed to provide end-to-end genetic counseling; from the remote onboarding of patients, digital consulting, interpretation of results and later on, allowing the sending of digital genetic counseling using videos, rather than text.
For health care service providers, the vertical software for this genetic and medical solution for reproductive health means that they can all be integrated onto the same platform — whether they are a secretary or a lab operator. In the future, this will be AI-driven, where it will help the doctor or clinic “to track all those decisions and be able to predict them automatically,” Wiesner said. “The system aggregates different databases and it will provide our clients with a better understanding of their needs,” he added. Igentify, too, has a home away from home at ARC. It is there where the start-up is able to get immediate access to experts in the genetics field. “Being there has empowered us to understand how to achieve better patient counselling and a better understanding of our results,” Wiesner explained. “The tools that Sheba allows us to use is very important for a startup company. We enjoy the openness from the hospital, getting the flexibility to the patients and getting doctors and physicians’ comments which allows us to deliver a better system to our external users.” Whether in the field of radiology or genetics, AI-oriented medical startups are reaping the benefits of their close association with Sheba. Proximity to experts in the field and the ability to test platforms and software with actual patients is creating a concerted drive to create products that have patients at their forefront. “[This] is a game-changer in digital health ecosystem in Israel to allow new companies to implement solutions that will truly impact the population,” Wiesner maintained. “This is the real innovation,” he SHEBA MEDICAL CENTER concluded.
Teaneck Thanksgiving market defies rain Shoppers came to the first outdoor Thanksgiving Market despite the rain on Sunday, November 24. It was sponsored by the Cedar Lane ManageTEANECK FARMERS MARKET ment Group. JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019 47
Noteworthy Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust names Elyse Buxbaum as executive vice president for strategy and development The Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust has appointed Elyse Buxbaum as executive vice president for strategy and development. In this newly created position, Ms. Buxbaum will play a pivotal role in enhancing the status of the institution as New York’s Holocaust museum, the third largest in the world. She will be responsible for strategizing, designing, and executing an ambitious development program to significantly increase and diversify fundraising revenue to position the museum to embark on new initiatives in the coming year and beyond. “We are extremely thrilled to have Elyse join us at this critical juncture for the Museum,” said Jack Kliger,
museum president & CEO. “With the overwhelming success of the exhibition ‘Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.’ — which has brought unprecedented numbers of people to the museum in a single year — and a strategic planning process underway, the museum is poised for our next phase. Elyse brings exceptional skills in fundraising and executive leadership combined with a strong personal commitment to the museum’s important work of educating diverse audiences about the Holocaust. She will play a key role in the critical work of building the Museum’s engagement with the next generations.” Ms. Buxbaum brings nearly 20 years of fundraising,
Young professionals to gather in N.Y. for gala supporting Israeli soldiers More than 1,500 young professionals from the New York area will gather Saturday night, December 7, at Metropolitan Pavilion for the red-carpet Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Young Leadership New York Division, to support the well-being of the Israel Defense Forces soldiers. The annual FIDF YL-NY gala is the Jewish world’s most successful young leadership event. The gala, co-chaired by Tri-State Young Leadership Board members Noushka Green, Lauren Bronstein, and Amanda Paul, will feature gourmet food, an open bar, casino-style games, and luxury prizes, including high-end jewelry, artwork, spa getaways, and premium sports tickets. “Throughout the year we have the incredible opportunity to meet dozens of soldiers from the IDF, each one a hero,” FIDF Tri-State Young Leadership president Alex Berman said. “And whenever we do so, we want it to be a reminder to them that they have friends, family, and supporters across the globe here in the U.S. What better example of that and what better show of strength than 1,500 young professionals coming together to celebrate, honor and support our brothers and sisters in the IDF?”
The FIDF YL-NY Gala is Young Leadership’s largest event of the year and will raise funds to expand FIDF’s efforts to support well-being and educational programs for thousands of IDF soldiers, including: economic support, much-needed weeks of rest and recuperation to adopted IDF units, flights home for Lone Soldiers with no immediate family in Israel, scholarships for combat veterans from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and a host of other vital well-being initiatives. The YL Division of FIDF provides those 21 to 40 years old the opportunity to become involved in the organization’s work while socializing and networking with their peers. YL-NY offers a diverse range of educational and social activities throughout the year, including parlor meetings with IDF soldiers, Shabbat dinners, parties, and speakers series, to raise awareness about FIDF’s various programs. YL also hosts fundraising parties at local hot spots that attract hundreds of guests and allocates the funds it raises at these events to support FIDF’s programs and services. The evening will begin at 8:30 p.m. For more information or to support FIDF, please visit: www.fidf.org/ FIDF ylnygala
48 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
THE MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE
Win a trip to Israel with Tnuva and El Al
For the next five weeks, Tnuva will raffle prizes including two El Al tickets to Israel, plus a three-night stay at the five-star Ramada hotel in Jerusalem. Additional prizes include several sets of luxurious, leather-bound machzorim from Simchonim, Tnuva USA gift baskets, and more. Entering the raffle is simple. Just take a picture with one or more Tnuva USA products with the Tnuva USA packaging clearly visible and post it to your Instagram account or email it to [email protected] with “raffle” in the subject line. By sending us the picture via email (or by providing your details via email after having posted the picture on Instagram), you automatically become a member of El Al’s frequent flyer “Matmid” club. Yoram Behiri, president and CEO of Tnuva USA, is enthusiastic about the raffle. “Tnuva USA products have become staples in the mehadrin kosher market, and I’m really looking forward to seeing all the original pictures that our creative customers send!” he said. Post as many pictures as you like to increase your chances of winning. For raffle rules and regulations and TNUVA more details, check tnuvausa.com.
Solution to last week’s puzzle. This week’s puzzle is on page 41.
Haylee Zirman Joins American Friends of TAU as the new director of its Northeast region Haylee Zirman has joined American Friends of Tel Aviv University organization as its senior director for the Northeast region, based in New York. Her primary responsibilities will include fundraising and development. Ms. Zirman comes to AFTAU from Hillel International, where she served as director of its Global Leadership Society in New York City. Prior to Hillel, she worked at UJA-Federation of New York. “AFTAU is fortunate to have Haylee on board as we move forward into an exciting period of our growth. Her broad experience in the New York Jewish philanthropic community and her extraordinary enthusiasm make her a perfect addition to our team,” said Jennifer Gross, CEO of AFTAU. “I am thrilled to be joining this well-respected and renowned institution under such strong and inspiring
team-building, and arts management experience, with expertise in both individual and institutional fundraising. Her combined 11 years of leadership at the Jewish Museum, where she most recently served as deputy director of development, make her uniquely qualified to drive and grow the Museum of Jewish Heritage fundraising team as well as serve as a senior leader. “I am proud to take on this leadership role,” Ms. Buxbaum said. “It is more important than ever that we expand the dialogue about the dangers of intolerance and the necessity to embrace our shared human values.”
new leadership,” Ms. Zirman said. “I look forward to sharing the groundbreaking work of Tel Aviv University with the Northeast community.” AFTAU supports Israel’s most influential, comprehensive and sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University. TAU is recognized and celebrated internationally for creating an innovative, entrepreneurial culture on campus that generates inventions, startups and economic development in Israel. TAU educates 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students a year, coming from all sectors of Israeli society and is ranked ninth in the world, and first in Israel, for producing startup founders of billion-dollar companies. To date, 2,500 U.S. patents have been filed by Tel Aviv University researchers — ranking TAU #1 in Israel, #10 outside of the U.S. and #66 in the world. AFTU
Real Estate & Business HOUSE CALLS
A loss and no tax break EDITH LANK Dear Edith: My in-laws are going to a nursing home. My wife and I will be selling their house to fund the move to the nursing home. According to several Realtors, the house and property are worth approximately $40,000 less than what they originally paid for it. Is there any tax benefit to selling the property at a loss? - D. B. M. Answer: Nope, there’s no income tax deduction when a private home is sold at a loss. No different than if, for instance, you were to sell your in-laws’ used automobile. By the way, that all-too-successful word “Realtor” is trademarked and supposed to be capitalized. In fact, it is properly spelled with all capitals: REALTOR. Technically, it applies only to members of a private organization, the National Association of Realtors. It has nothing to do with individual states’ licensing of real estate brokers or salespersons. The word keeps slipping into the language, though, perhaps because of its similarity to “doctor” or “lawyer.” Or because there’s just a need for it. Unless the association remains alert and protests, it is in danger of losing exclusive use of the word. That happened with “aspirin,” a term that originally belonged to Bayer until it became too successful and was widely used for any company’s acetylsalicylic acid.
Another problem
Dear Ms. Lank: Today, I was reading your column about the woman who asked if she should put her child’s name on their deed. In addition to the reasons you listed as why she shouldn’t, I’d like to add another one: They could lose their house. Years ago, my sister was working for a bankruptcy lawyer. The lawyer had a client who filed for bankruptcy. At some point in the past, the client’s parents had added him to the deed to their house. When the courts looked into his finances and assets, as they do whenever anyone files, they found he was part owner of his parents’ house and ordered him to sell the house and use his profits to pay down his debts. He didn’t want to do that to his parents, so he withdrew his filing. Also, sometimes your kids aren’t the nicest people
Edith: Daughter-in-law could sell the property out from under the mother and force an eviction. None of that would benefit the mother. You gave good advice. No reply necessary. Just wanted to say, “Good job.”-J.
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Dear Edith: Is it true that all real estate sales contracts have to be in writing? What if no broker is involved? - G. W. Answer: Yes, the transfer of real estate requires written contracts. In this case, oral agreements aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. If, in front of 20 witnesses, a buyer were to say she is willing to pay $250,000 for your property, and even if she were to give you a good deposit check — and you were to take it — you still could not hold her to it. A written contract supersedes any oral agreements. If she were to say you could take the pool table but then write in the contract that you would leave it, that’s it — you’re out one pool table. And if you want to sell, can you draw up the contract yourself? Yes, and you could perform your own brain surgery, too. In either case, it’d be fine unless you happened to make an amateurish mistake. No use copying someone else’s contract. Yours will differ according to the needs of the parties, local custom and state law. Brokers and lawyers must take courses, pass exams and gain experience before they’re even allowed to fill out printed forms. Agree with the buyer on your own if you like, but to actually write the contract, hire professional help.
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Panel fence for more privacy is easy to build Dear James: A house is being built on a vacant lot next to my sloping lot, and I need some privacy. I think a fence might work well. What type of fence do you recommend that I can build myself? - Sara Z. Dear Sara: Installing a fence can be an excellent way to provide privacy for your home. It can also be a deterrent to burglars if it is high and secure enough to make passage over or through it difficult. The first step in installing a fence or structure near
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and you really don’t realize that until it’s too late. I know of someone, many years ago, who convinced his mother to give him her fully paid-off house. He told her he would take care of her. Instead, he sold the house and threw her out on the street. I never heard what finally happened to that poor woman. The last I heard was that another one of her children was trying to take the brother to court to help the mom. However, there might not have been anything anyone could do since the mother had given the child her home. - L. C. Answer: The reader question you mentioned brought your detailed comment and another one, much shorter but to the point. Here’s that note:
your property line is to check the local codes for your area. There often are limits to the height and distance it must be set back from the property line. These limits may change depending upon whether the fence extends past the front edge of your home. It is often said that good fences make good neighbors. It might be a good idea to meet your future neighbors and tell them you are planning to install a fence. They may have had a fence in their plans, or their house plans may provide adequate privacy SEE FENCE PAGE 50
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Real Estate & Business Fence FROM PAGE 49
without a fence. If you do decide to go ahead with adding a privacy fence, a panel or a picket fence is a good choice for the typical do-it-yourselfer. There are several simple designs of these fences, and they all require 4 by 4 pressure-treated posts for supports. You will most likely need a helper to handle and set these heavy posts. Your basic design options are a solid panel fence, a vertical picket fence with the pickets close together and a shadowbox (picket alternate on both sides) fence. The picket style fence is the least expensive to build because it requires less material than a panel or shadowbox fence. If the fence will face the northern side of your house, the panel fence will also function as an effective windbreak during the winter. If it will be on the south or east side of your house, you may prefer the picket or shadowbox fence so some of the summer breezes will come through. Lay out the location of your privacy fence. This
is done by driving a nail into the end of two stakes. Drive the stakes into the ground at either end of the fence. Stretch a string between the two stakes to create the fence line. A sloping lot makes the fence-building task a bit more tricky. The nicest looking design — but the most difficult to build — uses top and bottom rails, which follow the slope of the ground. A step design uses horizontal top and bottom rails between the posts. This design is your best choice. The severity of the slope along the fence line will determine the post spacing. If it has a large slope, place the posts closer together so each step is smaller. Putting the posts on 8-foot centers may not look good and will leave tall gaps under one end of the bottom rail. Dig postholes at least twice the size of the post. Position the posts so one side just touches the stretched string to insure they are aligned. Pour concrete in the hole around the posts, use a level to make them vertical and use temporary 2 by 4 bracing to support them. Screw premade panels to CREATORS.COM the posts.
Send your questions to Here’s How, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com. To find out more about James Dulley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com
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T hankful for all my clients who put their trust in me. Spacious contemporary home on one of Alpine's most desirable streets. Renovated kitchen with stainless steel appliances, Wolf, Sub Zero freezer and frig, nice counter space, and breakfast area. A spacious formal living room, formal dining room and an inviting family room with exposed beams w/wood burning fireplace which overlooks the back property. A 2nd family room with a den/office leads to a guest room with a full bath and access to a 2nd floor suite w/FBath. Asking Price: $2.95M Low Taxes: $12,998
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If you are looking to buy or sell, please contact me. I will be happy to help. Direct: 201-294-1844 25 Washington Street • Tenafly, NJ 07670 [email protected] • www.ayelethurvitz.com 50 JEWISH STANDARD NOVEMBER 29, 2019
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