MA Jewish Ledger • November 13, 2020 • 26 Cheshvan 5781
None of us know what the future brings. We do know that our work is becoming more challenging, and there are more people who need support from our community agencies and JFWM. Thank you to all who have already committed a contribution to the 2020 Annual Campaign. The generous contributions we receive from our community provide the allocations necessary to protect and support Jewish people in need locally, in Israel, and wherever they may be across the globe.
For those of you who have not yet made a commitment to this year’s efforts, we welcome the opportunity to chat with you about this year’s accomplishments. We raised and allocated over $500,000 to support individuals, families, and community organizations so far during this pandemic. We know the needs are continuing, but we do not know what those needs will be. Please help us plan for the unknown and be prepared to step in and provide additional assistance to those in need.
Please step up and make a statement that shows how much you care about the future. Please follow the link below and donate today to the 2020 Annual Campaign which funds programs, services, and community organizations for the year 2021.
this week
Shabbat
Dear Ledger Readers,
For many years, the Massachusetts Jewish Ledger has covered local, national and world news through a decidedly Jewish lens. Even when Covid-19 impacted our world, we continued to publish the Ledger, working diligently from home to provide you, our readers, with a monthly dose of Jewish news.
For the past several years, in addition to the print version of the newspaper, we have also offered a digital version of the Massachusetts Jewish Ledger via a “flip-doc” on our website, www.MAjewishledger.com. This is a version of the paper whose pages you can flip through, like an actual print newspaper, located under the “Current Issue” tab on the home page of the website. And the website itself includes everything you will find in the “flip-doc”…and then some.
Today, we remain committed to bringing local, national and world news to the Jewish community. But like many other publications, The Ledger has had to deal with rising printing and postage costs and falling advertising revenue for several years.
So while we will continue to publish a digital edition of the Massachusetts Jewish Ledger each month, we will no longer be publishing a print edition. Publishing online has its benefits — not the least of which is our ability to provide you with updates on the coronavirus and other breaking stories on our website.
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Hillary Sarrasin Digital Media Manager hillaryp@jewishledger.com
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MASSACHUSETTS JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | NOVEMBER 13, 2020 | 26 HESHVAN 5781
ELECTION 2020
IRAN, ISRAEL, ANTISEMITISM AND
MORE: WHAT TO WATCH IN JOE BIDEN’S PRESIDENCY
BY RON KAMPEAS
WASHINGTON (JTA) –
On Joe Biden’s first day as president, he plans to launch a task force to reunite children and parents separated at the country’s southern border.
It’s one of several ways Biden has vowed to reverse policies put in place by President Donald Trump, and it’s important to many American Jews for whom immigration policy carries an emotional weight. But on many issues important to American Jews, change may come slower, or not at all. When it comes to where
the U.S. Embassy in Israel is located, for example, Biden has indicated that he has no intention to turn back the clock. On other Israel issues, change is likely but exactly what a Biden administration will try to do is not yet clear.
Here’s a look at what might happen after Biden becomes president on Jan. 20, 2021.
Antisemitism
When Biden launched his campaign in April 2019, he said he had considered retirement – but was appalled by Trump’s equivocations after the deadly neo-Nazi
(CREDIT: ANDREW HARNIK BY /POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)
and white supremacist march in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Biden constantly cites combating bigotry and antisemitism specifically in his appearances, including at the Democratic convention.
Biden wants to develop a “comprehensive approach” to combat antisemitism, in consultation with the Jewish community. Trump cut some programs tracking extreme right domestic terrorists; Biden said he will restart them.
Trump last year signed an executive order recognizing Jews as a protected class
Jonathan Sacks, former UK chief rabbi and ‘intellectual giant,’ was 72
BY BEN HARRIS AND CNAAN LIPHSHIZ AND GABE FRIEDMAN
(JTA) – Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom whose extensive writings and frequent media appearances commanded a global following among Jews and non-Jews alike, has died.
Sacks died Saturday morning, Nov. 7, at age 72, his Twitter account announced. He was in the midst of a third bout of cancer, which he had announced in October.
Sacks was among the world’s leading exponents of Orthodox Judaism for a global audience. In his 22 years as chief rabbi, he emerged as the most visible Jewish leader in the United Kingdom and one of the European continent’s leading Jewish voices, offering Jewish wisdom to the masses through a regular segment he produced for the BBC. He had a close relationship with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who called Sacks “an intellectual giant” and presented him with a lifetime achievement award in 2018.
Sacks was also an immensely prolific author, addressing pressing social and political issues in a succession of well received books. His popular commentary on the prayer book, published by Koren, helped to dethrone the more traditionalist Artscroll Siddur as the preeminent prayer book in American Modern Orthodox synagogues.
Sacks was normally averse to mixing religion and politics, something he discussed, along with his latest book, Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times, and an array of other hot-button topics with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in August.
“When anger erupts in a body politic, there is quite often a justified cause. But then the political domain has got to take that anger and deal with it very fast,” he told JTA’s opinion editor
Virtual Concert is a Chanukah present from Mak’hela
BY STACEY DRESNER
WESTERN MASS. – Every year Mak’hela: The Jewish Chorus of Western Massachusetts performs special Chanukah concerts for the residents of JGS Lifecare’s Leavitt Family Nursing Home and nearby senior living community, Glenmeadow.
“The last couple of years we have gone to both nursing homes in one day; we call it our ‘double-header,’” said Joni Beck Brewer, president of Mak’hela and an alto in the chorus.
This year, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, performing concerts in nursing homes is obviously not possible. So the members of Mak’hela put their heads – and voices -- together to create A Chanukah Present from Mak’hela, with a virtual Chanukah concert that not only the seniors will be able to watch virtually, but that will be available to Mak’hela fans everywhere on YouTube.
The concert includes guest performances by the Jewish Community of Amherst Klezmer Ensemble Workshop.
To create “A Chanukah Present” each of Mak’hela’s 25 members videotaped themselves and recorded the audio of themselves singing their particular parts in six songs.
Brewer said that the members of Mak’hela had stopped meeting just before Covid struck.
“Our last concert was at the JCA at the beginning of March,” she said. “I think we had maybe two rehearsals after that and then [Covid-19] started up and we had to stop. And the more we’ve learned about choral singing it’s like one of the worst things that you can do,” she said, referring to evidence that the virus could be transmitted through aerosols expelled by people singing in close proximity.
first because none of us had ever done it before,” Joni said. “We thought we would just do one and see how it went and see how people responded. We didn’t even know if our members would go for this. A lot of them are older and not really [versed in the] technology.”
So as an experiment, all of the singers sang and recorded one song – “Eleh Chamda Libi.”
“It’s often the song that we come into a concert with. We process in with this very
“To make the video, each singer had to record their voice separately in their own home,” Brewer explained. “While they’re recording that, in their headphones they’re listening to the piano or whatever the accompaniment is, so that everyone is staying on the same beat.”
Everyone also had to videotape themselves singing the songs on their smart phones.
“They needed two devices – like an iPad attached to their headphones, so they could hear the piano, and then another device to record themselves… We have people who live by themselves who have had to do it all by themselves. I’m very grateful that I’ve got this guy here,” Joni said, pointing to her husband Bruce, a Mak’hela board member, “because I think it’s hard. You’ve got to start recording with this one and then start that one. And you don’t want to be looking at your music the whole time. It gets complicated.”
The group worked with Brian Bender, a sound engineer, musician and owner of Face The Music Studio in Shutesbury, who mixed each of the Mak’hela performances together to create the virtual concert.
“We’re very excited about this concert because this is something we’ve done for several years,” Joni Brewer said. “We’re so glad that we’re going to be able to do it in some way but it took a lot. We had to learn how to do all of this different kind of work.”
“It’s been hard because, in addition to having concerts that we’re not able to do it’s also hard for the members because, for them, it’s more than just a place where they go and sing. People have developed relationships. One woman who had just moved to the area told me we were her only friends that she had met so far, and then she couldn’t see us.”
The group stayed in touch through some zoom meetings over the past several months. Somewhere along the line the idea of a virtual Chanukah concert was pitched.
“We figured, ‘Well, we better try this
lively song,” Joni explained. Bender mixed all of the voices together to create one solid performance.
“We had a great response,” Joni said. “And even though some people felt like it was hard to do, when they saw what it looked like, with all of us together, they were sold on it.”
A complicated process
The members of Mak’hela began to work on the recordings for the virtual concert near the beginning of October.
“It’s been a challenge,” agreed Elaine “Lainie” Broad Ginsberg, Mak’hela’s music director and conductor. But Ginsberg has also helped to make the process a bit easier with her own musical expertise, said Brian Bender.
“The first thing I get from Lainie is a piano accompaniment track,” he explained. “She records herself playing the piano… She then also sings all of the separate choir parts and records each one as a reference for the singers. I then mix them together and generate new videos -- piano plus soprano, piano plus alto, piano plus tenor and piano plus bass -- and then I do one that is piano with all of the parts. She then sends them out
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Deb Krivoy named Chief Operating Officer of Springfield JCC
SPRINGFIELD - Deb Krivoy, M.Ed., has been named the chief operating Officer at the Springfield Jewish Community Center.
As COO Krivoy now manages the programming staff, oversees the JCC’s Havurah Initiative, and leads Women in Power, a yearlong fellowship initiative for mid-career Jewish professionals.
A seasoned educator and Jewish nonprofit leader with 25 years of broad-based experience in curriculum design, professional development, community partnerships, arts administration, and audience engagement, Krivoy has previously served as the JCC’s director of Cultural Arts, having curated and managed the Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival and Literatour Jewish Book Festival for more than five years.
“This opportunity presented itself, and although the timing may seem strange in the midst of the pandemic, it was a great opportunity for me to take advantage of and to have more of an impact agency-wide,” Krivoy said.
“I come out of a background of a lot of program design, project management, people management, and those are things that transfer over quite well.”
Prior to joining the Springfield JCC, Krivoy was the director of Avoda Arts, a New York-based nonprofit that trained hundreds of day school and congregational schoolteachers on ways to integrate the arts into Jewish education. While at Avoda, Deb co-founded the Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists, which distributed innovation funding and professional development support to cohorts of artists, musicians, and performers. She also created Reel Learning, a high school media program that bundles powerful short films with educational resources to explore issues of Jewish identity, culture, and history.
Krivoy is a past board vice president of Lander-Grinspoon Academy and currently serves on the advisory board of Circles for Jewish Living. She holds a Master’s degree in Instructional Design from the University of Massachusetts and a BA in Communications from Pennsylvania State University. She and her family live in Northampton.
Seth Stutman is JCC’s new Membership & Marketing director
SPRINGFIELD -- Seth Stutman has been named the Springfield Jewish Community Center’s Membership and Marketing Director, a newly created position.
For the past four years, Stutman has served as the JCC’s summer camp director, where he oversaw a nearly 30 percent increase in revenue and engagement at camp while unlocking new grants and partnerships. Between OyBay, the JCC’s annual auction, to navigating the pandemic, Stutman has dabbled in almost every department at the JCC.
Prior to the JCC, Stutman was co-host of “Mass Appeal” on WWLP for six years, and held several positions in the field of broadcast journalism.
He lives in South Hadley with his wife and daughter.
DEB KRIVOY
SETH STUTMAN
BULLETIN BOARD
Torathon 2020
CENTRAL MASS. -- Torathon, an evening of online learning presented by the Jewish Federation of Central Mass., will take place Saturday, Nov. 14 at 6:30 p.m.
The theme this year is “Great events/ personalities/ideas that have shaped Judaism.”
Torathon will offer many different class offerings, and a chance to study Jewish topics presented by local rabbis, cantors, educators and community lay leaders from the comfort of your home.
Torathon will begin with Havdalah at 6:30, followed by 18 course offerings of adult Jewish study divided into three hours during the rest of the evening.
Registration is required to attend. There is no charge to attend but attendees are encouraged to consider making an optional donation to support Torathon.
Torathon is funded by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts and the Rotman Family Foundation.
Springfield JCC Program on the Legacy of Justice
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SPRINGFIELD -- The Springfield Jewish Community Center and the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts will host a virtual discussion titled “Honoring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Former Law Clerk’s Reflections” on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Attorney Rachel Wainer Apter, who clerked for the late Justice during the 2011-2012 Supreme Court term, will share memories of her time working for the Justice and will reflect on RBG’s indelible influence and legacy. Apter is the director of the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights.
The discussion will be moderated by attorney and Longmeadow native Rebecca Cohen-Shrage Fischer, who serves as the executive director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.
This event is part of the Springfield JCC’s Life Lessons: The William and Margery Sadowsky Center for Adult Learning and is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Western Mass.
This event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required. To register, call (413) 739-4715 or email arts@springfieldjcc. org.
Secrets of the Bible
Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) and Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy (LYA) is offering a new six-session course titled Secrets of the Bible: Iconic Stories, Mystical Meanings, and Their Lessons for Life.
“People tend to read biblical stories as they do primitive mythology,” Rabbi Yakov Wolff, the local JLI Instructor. “Our course
invites participants to look deeper and discover the underlying themes and relevant life lessons that these stories were designed to convey.”
Throughout its sessions, Secrets of the Bible explores major life themes, including human subjectivity and bias, the underpinnings of relationships, negotiating spiritual growth with practical impact, why inspiration is fleeting and how to make it last, understanding equality and privilege, and navigating parallel spiritual and material life paths.
Secrets of the Bible is being offered on zoom on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Upon registering for the course, you will receive the zoom link. Rabbi Wolff will offer a live socially distanced class on Thursday at law offices of James Smith, 1331 Main St. in Springfield, MA on Thursdays from 12:45 –1:45 p.m.
“Secrets of the Bible presents wonderful ancient biblical stories in fresh and modern ways that deal with universal human dilemmas,” explained Dr. Erica Brown, director of the Mayberg Center for Jewish Education and Leadership at George Washington University. “The wisdom it shares should not remain a secret.”
Like all JLI programs, this course is designed to appeal to people at all levels of knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular synagogue, temple, or other house of worship.
To register call (413) 348-4978.
Jewish Women’s Foundation of the Berkshires Awards $38,700 in New Grants
PITTSFIELD -- The Jewish Women’s Foundation of the Berkshires (JWF) recently announced grant awards totaling $38,700 for 12 local organizations. Recipients needed to demonstrate the ability to maintain their programming during the pandemic and/ or respond to newly-identified needs. The grants range from $2,000 to $3,500 and run for one year. Funded programs fall into three of JWF’s priority areas are:
• Increasing access to food, housing, and other essentials for Berkshire residents: Berkshire Baby Box, Berkshire Community Diaper Project, Berkshire Hills Regional School District Project Connection, Berkshire Grown, Construct, Roots Rising (Formerly The Alchemy Project)
• Promoting self-sufficiency: Berkshire Center for Justice, Berkshire Immigrant Center, Literacy Volunteers
• Empowering Youth and Young Adults: Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center/ Girls Inc. of the Berkshires, Railroad Street
Youth Project, Community Health Programs
In its eleventh year, JWF, under the auspices of the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires, has granted more than $400,000 to community organizations. JWF is committed to the Jewish mandate of Tikkun Olam – helping to repair the world and making it a better place. JWF carries out its mission by providing funding, volunteers, mentoring, and support services to local agencies. JWF has nearly 150 members who are passionate about giving back to the Berkshires community.
For information about the grants program, contact Lauren Spitz, Chair of the Grants Committee, at LaurenSpitz@gmail. com or visit www.jewishberkshires.org/ jewish-womens-foundation
LITERATOUR: A COMMUNITY-WIDE CELEBRATION OF JEWISH BOOKS AND AUTHORS
SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Jewish Community Center’s fall season of Literatour brings an exciting lineup of exceptional authors, celebrities, and cultural influencers, whose books represent a broad range of topics.
Through Literatour, book lovers come together to listen, meet and interact with their favorite authors in a variety of forums, including author meet-and-greets, book signings, panel discussions, concerts, and more.
All fall Literatour programs will be held via Zoom.
On Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 3 p.m., Literatour will feature B. A. Shapiro, author of The Collector’s Apprentice.
Everyone in Belgium believes Paulien Mertens stole millions in a sophisticated con game perpetrated by her then-fiancé. To protect herself from the law, she creates a new identity – a Frenchwoman named Vivienne Gregsby – and sets out to recover her father’s art collection to prove her innocence. When the eccentric American art collector Edwin Bradley offers Vivienne the perfect job, she’s soon caught up in the Parisian world of post-Impressionists and expatriates. As she gets more involved, her life becomes even more complicated: her ex-fiancé returns with unclear motives and Vivienne is arrested for Edwin’s murder.
B. A. Shapiro is the author of eight novels, including the award-winning New York Times bestseller The Art Forger and the bestseller The Muralist. This program is
co-sponsored by Glenmeadow Retirement Community.
On Monday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m., Fred Sokol, author of “Destiny” will be featured.
Morris Kahn and Mendel Greenbaum have been friends for more years than either cares to remember. United by shuffleboard, a house they share with the women they love, and an abiding affection masked by constant bickering, they embark on a spurof-the-moment road trip triggered by a yearning to see the ocean. The two men, facing the realities of aging as they approach their eighties, nevertheless revel with both exuberance and curiosity in what life offers them-friendship, the natural world, and fried clams.
Admission to both of these Literatour Zoom programs is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, contact Bev Nadler, director of Adult Programs, at bnadler@springfieldjcc.org.
VIRTUAL GA INSPIRES
ESTEVEN SCHIMMEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ach autumn, thousands of Jewish leaders and community members come together for Jewish Federation’s General Assembly. This marquee conference of the Jewish world has taken place for many decades -- close to 90 years. This year would have been my twelfth year attending the conference in person, but because of COVID it was held virtually. It was still just as informative and inspiring as it always has been, and without the need to travel and because it was free to attend, there were even more people participating. The General Assemblies are important to Federation’s work; they are inspirational and informative gatherings where attendees learn about the programs and projects they support. A “who’s who” of Jewish leaders headline the event and I have always enjoyed listening to the great speakers and brilliant presentations -- this year was no different. And of course with so many challenging issues facing our Jewish communities, there was an endless opportunity to join in workshops highlighting the many ways Federation is working around the world to help our global Jewish family through these troubled times. This GA was an eye-opening reminder that while our mission of strengthening Jewish life remains constant, Jewish communities are ever changing. The importance of adaptability and creativity is paramount, and always has been an important part of who we are as a people. This is especially helpful to remember while we work through our current challenges. There are lessons to be learned both from our history -- a history that includes thousands of years of survival through persecution and tragedy -- and lessons to be learned from our present work in the diverse spectrum of Jewish communities. The GA gives us an opportunity to learn about ways we can replicate the different approaches taken by communities around the world to keep Jewish lives safe during the pandemic, safe from anti-Semitic attacks, and safe from apathy and assimilation. All communities are constantly adapting to survive while keeping Judaism alive. The GA is an opportunity to learn from those who are
STAY CONNECTED
PJ LIBRARY AND PJ OUR WAY
Daily Virtual PJ Library Programs at www.pjlibrary.org/familyactivities
Bi-Monthly PJ Library Storytime with Beth Tikvah and Congregation B’nai Shalom (see flyer)
PJ Library Storytime at the Virtual Hanukkah Bash with the Worcester JCC and Worcester Art Museum
YAD
Virtual Shabbat November 20th, 7:30 pm
Virtual Game Night TBA
Hanukkah Celebration December 13th, TBA
JewMass Virtual Hanukkah TBA
CHAVERIM
COMMUNITY-WIDE
Hanukkah Festivities December 10-17 – TBA
just like us but are in far-flung places with comparatively little resources. I was reminded time and time again of how fortunate we are and how much more we are capable of. Even with all of the difficulties we are facing today we can ensure our success simply by making sure that more of our family members, friends, and most importantly, our children choose to be an active part of the Jewish community. Jewish Federation puts tremendous effort into helping Jews and providing the essentials for a Jewish life for so many around the world, and I encourage everyone to take part in it. The GA was an eye-opening reminder that so many of our fellow Jews are living in a very different world. I am grateful for our strong and supportive local Jewish community. Collectively, we should do all we can to make sure everyone can and will want to be a part of it. I hope that next year there will be even more GA attendees from Central MA and I hope next year will be in person. But one thing is certain – I am sure it will be inspiring. YAD CELEBRATES A VIRTUAL OCTOBER SHABBAT & COUNCIL MEETING
A Psychological Comparison of Israeli and American Upbringing with Dror Ben Ami, Young Emissary 2010-11, December 13th, 9:00 am via Zoom.
Please keep in touch with all ongoing virtual events by visiting our Facebook pages or contacting Mindy Hall, mhall@jfcm.org
GREAT COMMUNITY TURNOUT FOR “COMBATTING ANTISEMITISM” WITH DR. RACHEL FISH ON NOVEMBER 1ST
