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The Voice of the Lehigh Valley Jewish Community
www.jewishlehighvalley.org
| Issue No. 477 | June 2024 | Iyar/Sivan 5784 AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION EST. 1977
The Yoms: See highlights from our community programs, beginning with the solemn and ending with the festive. p18-21
Mazal Tov, 2024 grads! Don’t miss this year’s tribute to our high school graduates. p22-23
FROM THE DESK OF JERI ZIMMERMAN p3 LVJF TRIBUTES p9 JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER p12-13 JEWISH DAY SCHOOL p14 JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE p15 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p27
Federation names its annual award winners By Carl Zebrowski Editor
The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley has announced the winners of its 2023-24 awards and will present them at its community celebration and annual meeting in the JCC Kline Auditorium on Thursday, June 6. Everyone is invited to attend to celebrate these winners and the other community leaders and volunteers who made possible another successful year of bringing people together and raising funds for Jewish needs. An picnic-style buffet will begin at 6 p.m. Attendance is free. The winners of this year’s awards are Lewis Gaines,
the President’s Award; Dr. Zach Goldsmith, the George Feldman Award for Young Leadership; and Hank Butler, the Schiff Award for Prejudice Reduction. The President’s Award, presented for special recognition rather than annually, goes to Lewis Gaines for his work on the investment committee of the Jewish Federation’s foundation. Thanks to his leadership as committee chair and his reimagining of the foundation’s investment strategies, the endowment fund has outperformed the benchmark over the last 10 years in both up and down markets. Heading into the future, he and Goldman Sachs, the fund’s investment advi-
sors, expect above-average returns to continue. Dr. Zach Goldsmith, president of the Jewish Federation’s Maimonides Society of healthcare professionals, will receive the Feldman Award. Hank Butler Lewis Gaines Dr. Zach Goldsmith Chosen from among educate government officials for teaching and spreading the nominees by the past five on issues of concern to the tolerance through words and winners of the award, GoldJewish community. actions. As executive director smith has followed up on his During the meeting porof the Pennsylvania Jewish goal of expanding the socition of the event, the FedCoalition, which represents ety’s membership, making it eration’s current board of Jewish communities across more diverse and including directors will vote on new the state, Butler has helped include more women and pass important legislation to nominees. See page 3 for the other healthcare professionfight bigotry and hate. Sucfull list. als. He is among the brightcesses have included legislaDinner will be served at 6 est all-around leaders in the tion to deter violence inspired p.m., and the awards preLehigh Valley community. by hate, to promote religious sentations and voting will The Schiff Award will be understanding in schools follow. presented to Hank Butler and society at-large, and to
Find your way through the storm of misinformation Longtime KYW reporter gives advice for sussing out wartime truth
By Carl Zebrowski Editor
Hadas Kuznits was an inspired choice to address the Lehigh Valley Jewish community about two important problems today’s Jewish communities are facing: coping with and fighting against antisemitism and evaluating the accuracy of news stories related to the war in Israel. The idea came to Barry Halper when he was listening to KYW Newsradio recently and heard Kuznits reporting on an issue related to Israel. He followed up on that idea, and weeks later, Kuznits came to the Valley to spend the day, May
older adults in the morning, students at the Jewish Day School around lunchtime, and teens in the late-afternoon with pizza and refreshments on offer. Kuznits knows a lot about the gathering and reporting of news, having worked for over 20 years at KYW, one of the most respected news organizations in the Philadelphia region. She also is Jewish, meaning she knows what it’s like to feel a close connection to the Israelis who suffered the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and to the Israelis and Diaspora Jews who have lived through the many challenges and losses of the subsequent Non-Profit Organization
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She also knows what it’s like to read, watch, and listen to the news, through traditional outlets and social media, and wonder how much of it is true. At best, too much of the information being circulated at this time—during a war in Israel that coincides with an ongoing rise in antisemitism around the world— may be questionable. In her talk with the teens, Kuznits offered practical guidance Hadas Kuznits (center) with teens from the May 20 afternoon teen program. on, among other things, evaluating reports from money, while Russian operato be learned from “sound news organizations and on tives, for example, may spread bites” posted by kids with social media. Here are some lies to sew divisiveness in the only superficial knowledge tips she gave the audience: United States and elsewhere. of situations? Watch all cable news, not just one channel. Use common sense and reDon’t mistake commentary “Sometimes they get it right. search to determine the truth for news Sometimes they don’t.” And It’s no surprise that there are a Keep the two separate in your remember that sources change. lot of lies and inaccuracies behead. The first is reporting. “Just because something is ing scattered about. Use comThe second is opinion. The good today doesn’t mean it’s mon sense. “I want you to be tone of the presentation can not going to deteriorate later.” skeptical when you see things be a giveaway. “News sounds For background informaonline.” While you’re reading like this,” she said in an even tion of greater depth, “read something on a screen, open voice: “Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah.” books.” Get recommendations other browser tabs to do realThen she tinged her delivery from people and sources you time fact-checking on inforwith agitation. “Commentary trust. “Israel: A Simple Guide mation and claims that seem sounds like this: Blah! Blah! to the Most Misunderstood questionable. Blah! Blah!” Country on Earth,” the 2021 “I want you to think about New York Times bestseller by the ‘why’ all the time. What is Find reliable information Tel Aviv native and Los Angesomebody’s motive to say they sources love Russia, Iran, Gaza?” Some Don’t look to TikTok. What’s Wartime truth people post clickbait to make Continues on page 6