The Voice of the Lehigh Valley Jewish Community
www.jewishlehighvalley.org
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Issue No. 458
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October 2022
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Tishrei/Cheshvan 5783
AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION EST. 1977
New shlicha arrives in the valley. What’s her story? p9
100 Years! Local Holocaust survivor celebrates birthday p16
FROM THE DESK OF JERI ZIMMERMAN p2 LVJF TRIBUTES p8 CLERGY COLUMN p11 JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE p13 JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER p18-19 JEWISH DAY SCHOOL p20-21 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p27
Major donors kick off Federation’s annual campaign By Carl Zebrowski Editor of Hakol The location of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley’s major donor reception was familiar to most of those in attendance on the evening of September 21. Participants gathered in this lushly green backyard in Westwood Heights for the start of the Federation’s Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs. They enjoyed a warm, convivial reunion under sprawling tents lit by strings of glowing lights, as Vicki Wax, cochair of this year’s campaign, took to the podium to kick-off the event. “I’ve been coming here for 50 years,” she told them. “But it never looked like this before when I visited my dear friends, the Ufbergs. It brings back so many great memories of our families spending time together. It is just so wonderful to be here with you, in person, to celebrate a new campaign year.” Her cochair, Bill Markson, took the microphone to introduce the guest
speaker for the event, Alon Ben-David, an Israeli TV, radio and print reporter who’s covered politics, wars and other national and international news for three decades. “He’s considered one of the leading journalists in Israel,” Markson said. Ben-David jumped right into it. “As usual,” he began, “we are under the Chinese curse of living in interesting times in Israel.” He went on to detail the shifting security challenges facing Israel today — ultimately highlighting the importance of organizations like the Federation raising funds to help the cause. In the middle of what happened to be the same week that Iranians took to the streets to protest the morality police beating a woman to death for not properly wearing a hijab, and that police shot and killed protesters, he said that “Iran is really the source of most terrorism in the region.” Ben-David went on to provide reasons Major donors Continues on page 3
SOME THOUGHTS FROM THE COCHAIRS Lucky and honored By Bill Markson Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs Cochair
I am not sure whether lucky or blessed is the right word. Either way, things have worked out well for me. I came to the Lehigh Valley in 1989. My wonderful, pregnant and accomplished wife, Jane, didn’t even blink about moving here from
Non-Profit Organization 702 North 22nd Street Allentown, PA 18104
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Queens, New York, for me to take my first job as a cardiologist. I joined a terrific solo practitioner, Ron Stein, and professionally we were able to thrive and prosper through numerous practice iterations over the years. When Jane and I first arrived, we laughed at the way folks would follow road instructions to merge into the right lane a half mile prior to the actual merge. This was very different from the New York chaos that we had left. We met other young couples at the Jewish Community Center and then at the Jewish Day School. Many became lifelong friends. We made a great choice coming here. This is a great
Campaign kickoff Continues on page 5
Above: Campaign cochair Vicki Wax with Aaron Gorodzinsky, the Federation’s director of campaign and security planning, at the major donors reception. Left: Campaign cochair Bill Markson.