It’s almost at pandemic proportions. Over the course of the last several weeks, a spate of Black celebrities (and a few White ones, too) have used social media to defend and praise Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, echoing his virulent antisemitic rhetoric. Thankfully, a few Black celebs called them out, but it still leaves us wondering what it all means…and, should American Jews be worried? Pictured on the cover: Louis Farrakhan, center, surrounded by, clockwise from top left, DeSean Jackson, Stephen Jackson, Nick Cannon and Ice Cube. (Getty Images). PAGE 12
Jewish Republicans met recently to figure out how to pitch President Trump to Jewish voters, who have consistently disapproved of him in greater proportion than the general population? Discuss.
Hometown Hero 5
West Hartford native Ethan Felson has spent his career advocating for the Jewish community and Israel. Now, Felson, who lives in New York City, is at it again, as head of A Wider Bridge, an organization that promotes LGBTQ issues in Israel.
In Memoriam
To Mark Pelavin, the late Rep. John Lewis was a hero – “one of the most remarkable, most American, lives ever lived,” he writes. Pelavin points out four key lessons that we can learn from this great American’s life and work.
FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020
Hartford: 7:52 p.m.
New Haven: 7:52 p.m.
Bridgeport: 7:53 p.m.
Stamford: 7:54 p.m.
To determine the time for Havdalah, add one hour and 10 minutes (to be safe) to candle lighting time.
Arts & Culture 18 Report from the Jewish Book Council’s 22nd annual – and 1st virtual – conference. Plus, a look at the rather gruesome adaptation of Jerzy Kosinski’s Holocaust novel The Painted Bird
Hate in New Haven 7 A swastika discovered spray painted on the sidewalk outside the Jewish Federation and JCC of Greater New Haven last week, comes on the heels of an act of vandalism at a New Haven church.
UP FRONT
CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER
Justice, Equality, Civility
Connecticut native Ethan Felson, a longtime LGBTQ rights advocate, named head of A Wider Bridge
BY STACEY DRESNER
NEW YORK, New York –
West Hartford native Ethan
Felson has spent his career advocating for the Jewish community and Israel, first at the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford as director of the Jewish Community Relations Committee and through the years at leadership posts within organizations like the Jewish Council for Public Affairs the Jewish Federations of North America.
Most recently he served as co-director of the Israel Action Network (IAN), working on efforts to promote a healthy dialogue about Israeli-Palestinian issues, counter delegitimization, and build interfaith cooperation.
Felson has also been a gay rights advocate, supporting a wide range of LGBTQ issues over the years and serving on the UJA Pride committee. He also helped pass the first broad-based Jewish policy on gender relations while at the JCPA.
Now Felson’s two passions have merged after being named the new executive director of A Wider Bridge, a New Yorkbased organization that is described on the organization’s website as “working through education, advocacy, relationship-building and grant-making to create equality in Israel by expanding LGBTQ inclusion in Israel, and equality for Israel by cultivating constructive engagement with Israel.”
“It’s very exciting,” Felson recently told the Jewish Ledger. “Anybody LGBTQ knows what it is like to have their life compartmentalized. Having the opportunity professionally to do work that embraces my Judaism, my Zionism and my pride gives me the same thrill that I felt the first time I was in Israel and met with LGBTQ Israelis who were all Jewish. It is the same rush that I feel when I think about the work that A Wider Bridge does.”
“A Wider Bridge stands for justice, equality, civility – all the values that I hold dearest and that have been kind of a hallmark of my work over decades,” Felson added. “It is proudly Jewish, fights antisemitism and for a strong relationship
with Israel.
”I am particularly excited to work with the talented board, staff, and networks of A Wider Bridge as we build strong alliances, demand justice, fight discrimination and delegitimization, and support LGBTQ North Americans and Israelis in the struggle for full inclusion, especially Black and trans people in our communities.”
Alan Schwartz, CEO and board chair of the board of A Wider Bridge, called Felson the perfect person to head up the organization.
“Ethan brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role, as well as a passion for our work demonstrated through decades of grassroots work for Jewish, Israeli and LGBTQ communities,” Schwartz said. “We are confident his leadership will help us both navigate this time of great uncertainty and also position us for our next decade of mobilizing LGBTQ people and our allies as a powerful force for inclusion and equality here and in Israel.
“Israel advocacy keeps evolving and changing on a lot of levels, but the truth is that the struggle against antisemitism,
anti-Zionism, homophobia, and transphobia not only is not over, but is occurring on a deeper level. I can think of no one else better than Ethan to handle these challenges in the next few years.”
This is not Felson’s first time working with A Wider Bridge. Last year, while at the Israel Action Network, he co-led a trip to Israel with A Wider Bridge for members of the clergy.
“It was eight days of joy, meeting with the leaders of the LGBTQ organizations in Israel that are funded by A Wider Bridge,” he said.
“When Ethan and I co-led a mission to Israel through A Wider Bridge last year, I saw firsthand his intellect, drive and dedication to the causes of LGBTQ equality and Zionism,” said Rabbi Denise Eger, founding rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami in West Hollywood, California.
“He is a passionate leader and a tireless advocate for justice, and he is the perfect choice to build on A Wider Bridge’s decade of successes and strengthen the connections they have cultivated between Jewish and LGBTQ communities in North America and Israel,” she added.
Community support
Felson was born and raised in West Hartford where his family be-longed to Congregation Beth Israel. He points to his participation in the North American Federation of Temple Youth – or NFTY –the Reform movement’s youth group, and Beth Israel’s assistant rabbi at the time, as being major influences in hi life.
“When I was a teenager, Congregation Beth Israel hired as an assistant rabbi one of the first women to graduate HUC, Rabbi Jody Cohen,” he recalled. “One Shabbat after services, she welcomed me, got to know me, and helped me understand that as an out gay Jew, I belonged.”
Coming out at the age of 17, “I felt supported,” he said. “I have nothing but
ELECTION 2020
Jewish Republicans come to praise Trump, but also to strategize about selling him to other Jews
BY RON KAMPEAS
WASHINGTON (JTA)
– When Jewish Republicans met online the weekend of July 17 to talk about the best way to defeat Joe Biden, the conversation kept sliding back to a question that has beset them since 2016: How do you explain Donald Trump?
A Republican Jewish Coalition online town hall broadcast Sunday night, July 18, was entitled “The Critical Issues Facing the Jewish Community in 2020.” The issues on the agenda mostly had to do with the changes wrought by Trump that a President Biden would unravel, particularly related to Middle East policy.
But the subtext – sometimes the overt-text – was how do you pitch Trump to a community that overwhelmingly dislikes him? Jewish voters have consistently disapproved of Trump in greater proportion than the general population, where his approval ratings are tanking, and people who participated in the conversation said that has made it hard for them to drum up support for Republicans.
“I’ve been involved in pro-Israel and Jewish communal activities for over a decade, and one source of frustration for me is the open hostility that I find from many Jewish women towards our president and the Republican Party,” said Jodi Sanchez, who is active with the RJC in Houston.
“What’s your best advice for what we as a community should say to our friends who are inclined to support the president because of his pro-Israel policies, but probably won’t support him because of his personality. How
ETHAN FELSON
Election 2020
can we convince them that they should vote for President Trump?” asked Ari Fleischer, who served as spokesman in the George W. Bush administration.
The speakers – Nikki Haley, Trump’s former ambassador to the United Nations; Mark Levin, the bomb-throwing talk radio host; and Norm Coleman, the former Minnesota senator and current RJC chairman – suggested a simple formula to manage anxiety about the president: Focus on Israel.
“I was not a big Trump supporter during the primaries – I was part of that never Trump movement,” said Coleman. (In 2016, Coleman penned an op-ed for the Minneapolis Star Tribune saying he would never “vote for Donald Trump because of who he is. A bigot. A misogynist. A fraud. A bully.”)
“And in the end, I have watched what the president has done,” Coleman said. “This has been the most pro-Israel president who ever sat in the White House.”
Trump has embraced a pile of right-wing pro-Israel orthodoxies: moving the embassy to Jerusalem, defunding the Palestinians, exiting the Iran deal, and advancing a peace plan that would see Israel annex parts of the West Bank.
While the Democratic Party’s official platform on Israel appears not to be
changing this year, members of the party’s progressive wing, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, have called to reduce assistance to Israel if it annexes parts of the West Bank.
Trump’s fulfillment of Israel-related promises, combined with the shift in the Democratic Party, has fueled the RJC’s transformation over the last four years, from skepticism toward Trump during the 2016 campaign to a fulsome embrace during his presidency.
But the difficulties he presents as a sellable candidate to the Jewish community have persisted, and there were signs at the RJC event that the group is taking Trump’s vulnerabilities seriously. All four questions from the public were pre-screened – and two had to do with Trump’s negatives.
One was from Fleischer. Sanchez asked the second one, directed at Haley, about Trump’s difficulties in appealing to Jewish women. “How do you think we can address this, specifically with college-educated suburban women, a key demographic in the upcoming election?” she asked.
Haley acknowledged Trump’s coarseness, but – like Coleman, who handled Fleischer’s question – said the best tactic was to note what Trump had done, not what he was prone to say.
“What I will tell you is, I do understand
on both sides” of a deadly neo-Nazi March in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“It’s one of the repetitive narratives of the Democrats in terms of trying to scare the Jewish community that President Trump is an antisemite or if he’s not an antisemite, he allows or encourages through dog whistles white nationalists and people who traffic in antisemitism,” Brooks said. He prompted Levin: “Talk about that, talk about Charlottesville.”
Levin mentioned Trump’s pro-Israel bonafides, his Jewish advisers, and his Jewish family members – but never got around to addressing why it was a calumny for Democrats to note Trump’s equivocation about the Charlottesville march, even after Brooks repeated the question.
Felson
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
fond thoughts about growing up in West Hartford and being supported by that wonderful community.
there are some women who have issues with the tone of the president, or the tweeting of the president, or the style of this president,” Haley said. “Joe Biden may have a nicer way of talking, but he won’t have the results President Trump has had.”
There was one questioner who was full of praise – for Coleman, Levin, Haley and Jared Kushner, the president’s son in law, if not for Trump. But then, this questioner has a reputation for giving pep talks.
“My name is Bruce Pearl. I’m the head men’s basketball coach at Auburn University,” said the coach, who is an RJC leader. “Senator Coleman, Ambassador Haley, The Great One,” a nickname for Levin, “thank you all for the service to our great country. And thank you all for your love of the State of Israel. I’m a big fan of Jared Kushner’s peace and prosperity in the West Bank of the River Jordan in Judea and Samaria. My question is, do you believe that peace and prosperity is possible?”
That question didn’t get a simple answer, even as Levin praised the plan for recognizing Israel’s claim to the territory.
Neither did another question that speaks to the heart of some Jews’ reservations about Trump. RJC’s executive director, Matt Brooks, repeatedly pressed Levin to refute claims by Democrats that Trump has enabled antisemites, particularly when Trump in 2017 described “very fine people
“I think back to my time in Hartford where I was very involved in LGBTQ rights, and professionals at the Jewish Federation that could not have been more supportive – Cindy Chazen, Stephen Bayer, and Bob Fishman were remarkable mentors and friends as I learned and grew as a Jewish professional. And I carry all of that with me into this new position.”
Earlier this month, Felson was also chosen as one of the Top 50 Jewish/ American/Israeli Influencers in New York City by @IsraelinNewYork, the official twitter account of the Consulate General of Israel in New York.
“It’s an honor and I think it is also a reflection of the culmination of my work in the LGBTQ space and my work in the Jewish community, coming together,” Felson said.
Felson began working virtually at A Wider Bridge on Monday, July 13, which coincides with the organization’s 10th anniversary.
“It is an exciting milestone for a group that has really grown significantly in terms of reach and impact,” Felson said.
“There is a great story to tell about LGBTQ rights here and in Israel – and much work still to be done including the fight against racism and transphobia… Both societies have complex networks of people who would turn the clock back. And we can’t let that happen.”
CLOCKWISE, MATT BROOKS, NIKKI HALEY, NORM COLEMAN AND MARK LEVIN JOIN IN A REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITION ONLINE TOWN HALL ON JULY 19, 2020. (SCREENSHOT)
Swastika discovered on the campus of New Haven JCC and Federation
WOODBRIDGE – The Jewish Federation Foundation and JCC of Greater New Haven discovered a swastika spray painted on the sidewalk pathway leading to the swimming pool entrance. The Woodbridge police were called, immediately responded, and have opened a case file. The FBI, ADL and the Secure Community Network (SCN), have all been notified and are closely monitoring the situation.
One year ago, The Jewish Federation worked with SCN, as the official safety and security organization of the Jewish community across North America, to conduct a full property review and put in place a number of security upgrades including a camera system, panic buttons and safety procedures. The Jewish Federation also sponsored training on security issues for the community. “We have been assured that there is no threat to our community at this time,” said CEO Judy Alperin. According to the FBI, there has been an uptick of hate incidents. Just last week in New Haven, St. Joseph Church in St. Mary’s Parish was vandalized with spray paint on the church doors.
The State of Connecticut has approved $5 million in state bonds to fund security infrastructure upgrades at Connecticut’s houses of worship, however the monies have yet to be appropriated. We urge the state to act immediately to release this critical funding.
“This Is not a Jewish problem. These acts of hate are an affront to all freedom loving people,” said Alperin. “We are grateful for the support we have gotten from law enforcement officials and are hopeful that our elected officials will approved the funding for security infrastructure upgrades quickly.”
AOC praises support
of
antisemitic
groups for letter censuring Israeli sovereignty
(JNS) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) praised the support by at least 10 antisemitic groups for a letter issued by her and signed by other Democrats, The Washington Free Beacon recently reported, citing “an internal email circulated to House Democrats.”
The “supporting organizations” listed on the letter include ones related to the anti-Israel BDS movement, including the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, American Muslims for Palestine, American Friends Service Committee, Churches for Middle East Peace and Defense for Children International-Palestine, which has been linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, designated a terror group by the United States and European Union.
The letter last month to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened to cut off U.S. assistance to Israel if the Jewish state goes ahead with its plans to annex parts of the West Bank, aka Judea and Samaria.
In addition to Ocasio-Cortez, 12 other members of Congress signed the letter: Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (D-Ill.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
In the letter, the signatories warn that “annexing parts of the West Bank will perpetuate and en-trench human rights violations against Palestinians including limitations on freedom of movement, mass expropriation of privately-owned Palestinian land, further expansion of illegal settlements, continued demolitions of Palestinian homes, and a loss of Palestinian control over their natural resources.”
The letter accuses Israel of “paving the path toward an apartheid system” since it won’t grant citizenship to Palestinians living in annexed territory,” despite the Palestinians being under the control of the Palestinian Authority, which has long been known for corruption, human-rights abuses and supporting terrorism against Israelis.
“The U.S. should work to build a future in which all Palestinians and Israelis live under full equality by upholding a foreign policy that centers human rights and dignity for all people,” states the letter. “We therefore call on you to use a combination of pressure and incentives to stop Israel’s plans to illegally annex the West Bank, which would en-sure a worsening of the situation for all Palestinians and Israelis.”
The letter’s signatories warn that if Israel were to go ahead with annexation, “we will work to ensure non-recognition as well as pursue conditions on the $3.8 billion in U.S. military funding to Israel, including human rights conditions and withholding funds for the off-shore procurement of Israeli weapons equal to or exceeding the amount the Israeli government spends annually to fund settlements, as well as the policies and practices that sustain and enable them.”
AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups have pushed back against the letter. AIPAC called it “one-sided,” saying it “directly threatens the U.S.-Israel relationship,” “supports conditioning and cutting America’s security assistance commitment to Israel” and “would damage American interests, risk the security of Israel and make a two-state solution less likely.”
In response to the Democratic letter, a group of U.S. House Republicans penned a letter this month to Pompeo in support of Israel possibly extending sovereignty to the West Bank.
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Briefs
Tabloid report: David Beckham’s son and Nicola Peltz plan Jewish wedding
(JTA) – The marriage of Brooklyn Beckham, son of David and Victoria, to actress Nicola Peltz apparently will be a Jewish affair. The Daily Mirror British tabloid reported Saturday that “Brooklyn, who –announced his – engagement last week, has told pals the pair are likely to follow – traditions such as marrying under a chuppah – wedding canopy – signing a ketubah – – marriage contract – and even smashing the odd wine glass.” The pair will have two ceremonies, in the United Kingdom and the United States. Beckham, 21, and Peltz, 25, bonded over their Jewish heritage when they started dating last fall, the publication wrote. David Beckham, the former British soccer star, has often identified as Jewish because of a Jewish grandfather. Peltz’s father, Nelson, is a Jewish-American billionaire businessman who, according to The Daily Mirror, spent well over a million dollars on the 2016 bar mitzvah of his twin sons.
Like his father, Beckham has a tattoo of the phrase “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,” which is a Jewish line from the Old Testament, The Daily Mirror reports. Beckham, the oldest of four children of David Beckham and his wife, the former Spice Girl Victoria, is a model and amateur photographer. Peltz is best known for starring in the 2014 movie “Transformers: Age of Extinction.”
Iran executes translator convicted of spying for Mossad, CIA
(JTA) – Iran executed a man working there as a translator after he was convicted of spying for the Mossad and CIA. Mahmoud Mousavi Majd was executed Monday, July 20, the semi-official Iranian Fars news agency reported. Majd was accused of providing information on the movements of a top general, Qassem Soleimani, Fars reported, citing the Iranian judiciary. Soleimani was assassinated by a U.S. drone airstrike on Jan. 2 while he was riding in a vehicle near Baghdad International Airport. Majd was arrested two years ago, well before Soleimani’s assassination. He was found guilty of receiving large sums of money from both the CIA and Israel’s Mossad. Majd was an Iranian national who had moved from Iran to Syria in 1970s along with his family. He was working in Iran as a translator for an Iran-affiliated company, according to Fars.
The real attacker was a Bedouin Israeli.
Pittsburgh’s
Tree of Life synagogue moves forward with rebuilding plans
(JTA) – The Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha congregation in Pittsburgh has hired a consultant to create a plan and one to come up with a fundraising campaign to pay for renovating the site of the October 2018 attack hat left 11 worshippers dead, the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle reported. “We have a desire to make something new – we’re not erasing anything but we need to look forward,” Barb Feige, the congregation’s executive director, told the newspaper. “This is about renewal and remembrance and reflection.”
The consultants’ fees will be covered by grants for rebuilding.
The congregation has not returned to the site since the attack. Two congregations that rented space in the Tree of Life building, Congregation Dor Hadash and New Light Congregation, were taken in by area synagogues and decided to remain in their new locations. Two organizations, Chatham University and the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, have expressed interest in using space in the renovated building.
No funds donated to help the victims recover from the shooting will be used for the rebuilding campaign unless they were designated for it, Feige told the newspaper.
Adelsons give $25 million to Republican super PAC
(JTA) – Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, donated a total of $25 million to a Republican super PAC trying to ensure that Republicans maintain the majority in the U.S. Senate. It was the couple’s largest donation for the 2020 campaign.
A filing made Monday, July 20, with the Federal Election Commission show that the billionaire casino mogul and his physician wife each wrote a check last month for $12.5 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, according to reports. The Republican fund, which is controlled by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, raised a total of $30 million in June.
Super PACs can spend an unlimited amount with the caveat that they do not work directly with a political candidate. A newspaper reported in February, citing three unnamed Republican fundraisers, that the Adelsons plan to spend $100 million to elect Republicans and reelect President Donald Trump.
The Adelsons are known for their generosity to Republicans, pro-Israel causes and medical research. They typically spend tens of millions of dollars on the campaigns of Senate Republicans.
Shin Bet foils Iran, Hezbollah terror plot in Judea and Samaria
(JNS) The Shin Bet announced on Tuesday, July 21, that it had thwarted an Iran- and Hezbollah-backed terrorist plot to launch high-profile attacks in Judea and Samaria by means of a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine cell. The Syrian military reportedly also was involved in training the PFLP cell, which allegedly operated under the guise of a civilian welfare organization known as “Al-Shabab Al-Alumi Al-Arabi.” The cell first appeared on the Shin Bet’s radar during the interrogation of 23-year-old PFLP member Yazan Abu Salah, who was arrested in April. He was revealed to be a member of a larger cell involving two attack units, one in Ramallah and one in Samaria. He was arrested before departing for Lebanon to undergo military training.
As part of the Shin Bet crackdown, Yazan’s cousin, Muhammad Abu Salah, also was arrested, along with eight other radicals involved in the plot. The cell was plotting major attacks on Israeli targets and communities, and the abduction of an Israel Defense Forces soldier to use as a bargaining chip for the release of Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons.
Labour Party apologizes for defaming ex-staffers calling out antisemitism
(JTA) – Britain’s Labour Party apologized and offered damages to former employees who sued the British party for libel after being maligned by officials for talking about its antisemitism problem in the media. The apology, offered July 22 at a High Court hearing in the suit filed by the seven ex-staffers in 2019, is part of a policy reversal under the party’s newly elected leader, Keir Starmer. His predecessor, the far-left politician Jeremy Corbyn, had insisted that Labour was dealing correctly with instances of antisemitism by individual members and dismissed allegations that the party was institutionally antisemitic. Starmer has acknowledged and apologized for antisemitism in the party.
A Labour spokesperson in 2019 called the ex-staffers, who spoke with the BBC on antisemitism within Labour, “disaffected former officials” with “personal and political axes to grind.” The ex-staffers sued for libel, resulting in the apology and settlements.
“We would like to take this opportunity to withdraw these allegations,” a Labour spokesperson said in a statement about the settlement. “We would like to apologize unreservedly for the distress, embarrassment and hurt caused by their publication.”
The party has also apologized and agreed to pay damages to the journalist who presented the BBC investigation, John
Ware, for falsely accusing him of “deliberate and malicious misrepresentations designed to mislead the public.”
US Dept. of Justice takes action against NY village targeting Orthodox Jews (JNS) The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York sent a letter Monday, July 20, notifying the Village of Airmont in Rockland County, N.Y., that they plan to file suit against the village on the grounds that are violating terms of the Federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), which was created in part to ensure that municipalities did not create zoning or landmarking laws that would discriminate against religious institutions or “unreasonably” limit religious structures or assembly within in a jurisdiction. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in its letter that the Village’s zoning code “substantially burdens, discriminates against and unreasonably limits the practice of religion by the Village’s Orthodox Jewish community.”
The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Committee praised the move, stating that “the Village of Airmont was created three decades ago essentially to abuse government power against Orthodox Jews. Time and again, the DOJ stepped in to stop it, and here we are again because the essence of the village has not changed.”
The establishment of the Village of Airmont in 1991 was considered by some as a way to take control over local zoning ordinances and limit the construction of houses of worship. Since observant Jews don’t drive on Saturday and most Jewish holidays, denying the construction of synagogues within walking distance to their homes seemed to many an attempt to keep out the Orthodox. The federal government’s first lawsuit against Airmont was in 1991 under the Fair Housing Act, when officials claimed that the village had been “incorporated for the purpose of excluding Orthodox Jews through zoning restrictions on their places of worship.”
The U.S. Attorney’s letter also notes that Airmont is the subject of two federal lawsuits claiming religious discrimination – Central UTA (United Talmudic Academy) v. Village of Airmont and Congregation of Ridnik v. Village of Airmont. It further states that the village violated a previous judgment against it to “recognize the category of ‘residential place of worship,’ a category which has been removed from the Village’s zoning code.”
“We hope to solve this matter through an amicable settlement, rather than through potentially costly and protracted litigation,” wrote Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss, noting that the lawsuit will be filed no later than Sept. 15. Attorney Brian Sokoloff of Sokoloff Stern, LLP, which is representing the Village of Airmont, declined to comment
on the pending lawsuit. He noted, however, that the Village had won a previous lawsuit filed by the United Talmudical Academy in state court, and that the federal court has dismissed “large portions” of the Central UTA lawsuit. Sokoloff Stern has also made a motion to dismiss the case by the Congregation of Ridnik.
Son of US businessman makes $75 million bid for major stake in El Al (JTA) – Eli Rozenberg, the son of millionaire U.S. businessman Kenny Rozenberg, has made a $75 million bid to acquire a large stake in El Al Airlines. Rozenberg, 30, is a resident and citizen of Israel, which makes him eligible to become the controlling shareholder of the airline. His bid would give Rozenberg a 45% stake in the airline, the Israeli business daily Globes reported. The offer comes through a company the younger Rozenberg owns in Israel.
The airline, Israel’s flagship carrier, has been laid low by the coronavirus pandemic. A government bailout package accepted by the airline last week would include a government-backed loan and a stock offering on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Under the bailout, the state would retain a 61% stake in the airline, leading again to its nationalization. The airline was privatized in 2004. At the end of June, El Al canceled all flights through the end of the month. Most of El Al’s pilots and other employees are on leave without pay due to the pandemic and a dispute between the airline and its pilots.
Kenny Rozenberg, who lives in New York, owns the Centers Health Care, a national chain of nursing homes and affiliated services in the United States.
Jordanian scholar says Jews will be thrown in the sea
(MEMRI via JNS) Jordanian professor Ahmad Nofal defended Turkey’s recent decision to convert Istanbul’s famous Hagia Sophia into a mosque, saying it had been a mosque for 500 years before “Dönmeh Jew” Mustafa Kemal Atatürk turned it into a museum. The Dönmeh were Jewish converts to Islam in the Ottoman Empire who retained their beliefs in secret. In the July 17 episode of his weekly show on the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood’s Yarmouk TV, Nofal said that “the collaborator” Atatürk was a “Dönmeh Jew from Greece. He wasn’t even a Turk. He was a Greek who lived in the Jewish Quarter in Istanbul.” Nofar then went on to state: “If we liberate Palestine tomorrow, will we leave the Jewish synagogues intact? No! We will uproot them, along with their people, and throw them into the sea. Allah willing, it will be soon.”
The Hagia Sophia served as a Christian church from 537 C.E. until 1453, when it was converted to a mosque after the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople (now Istanbul). Atatürk, founding father of the Turkish Republic, signed a Cabinet decision in 1934 designating the Hagia Sophia as a museum, and in 1985 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But, on July 9, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed a decree converting the site into a mosque. Erdoğan reportedly said during the ceremony announcing the move that the “resurrection of Hagia Sophia was the harbinger of the liberation of Masjid al-Aqsa [Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque] and footsteps of Muslims’ will to leave hard days behind.”
Some Muslim voices raised in opposition to the Turkish announcement. Professor Saad el-Din Helaly of Egypt’s Al-Azhar University told MBC Masr TV on July 13 that the announcement by the “Muslim Brotherhood government of Turkey” was “an escalation against human civilization,” and harmed Muslims and Islam. This, he said, was the nature of the Muslim Brotherhood and political Islam, which “will put their hands on people’s possessions from China to America” if they rise to power.
Far-Left French politician says Jews responsible for Jesus’ death
(JTA) – A far-left French politician accused Jews of deicide, or being responsible for the death of Jesus, during a television interview.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, the founder of the democratic socialist La France Insoumise, or Unsubmissive France party, and a member of the National Assembly, made the remarks on July 16, in an interview on the French BFM-RTL TV news channel. Asked if the French police were supposed to stand back in the face of violent protest, Melenchon responded that they needed to “stay put like Jesus on the cross without reacting.” He added that “I don’t know if Jesus was on a cross, but he was apparently put there by his own people,” he said, meaning Jews, and thus repeating the antisemitic canard that the Jews killed Jesus.
The Wiesenthal Center director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, said that “the repeated accusation of deicide – throughout the Middle Ages –resulted in pogroms, torture and execution of Jewish communities. It’s imagery fueled violence across Europe, culminating in the Nazi Holocaust.” He noted that the accusations were condemned by the papal encyclical Nostra Aetate in 1965. He called on Melenchon to publicly apologize for the false accusations. The Judeo-Christian Fellowship of France also condemned Melenchon’s comments.
RJC endorses neurosurgeon for Georgia run-off to fill congressional seat
(JNS) The political action committee of the Republican Jewish Coalition announced its endorsement on Monday, July 20, of neurosurgeon John Cowan ahead of the August 11 run-off in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District to succeed retiring Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.).
RJC executive director Matt Brooks said that while his organization “seldom gets involved in Republican primaries,” it is “making a rare exception to announce our strong support for Dr. Cowan.” Last month, the RJC announced that it would not endorse businesswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a candidate in a Georgia Republican run-off who has come under fire for trafficking in conspiracy theories and posing for photos with former Ku Klux Klan leader Chester Doles. Brooks warned that, if elected, Greene “would take our party in the wrong direction. Greene came to national attention for all the wrong reasons: repeatedly using offensive language in long online video diatribes, promoting bizarre political conspiracy theories, and refusing to admit a mistake after posing for photos smiling side by side with a long-time KKK leader.”
“By contrast, Dr. Cowan, a respected neurosurgeon, has demonstrated the right principles: denouncing all types of bigotry and violent extremism, emphasizing strong roots in his district and speaking out strongly for mainstream conservative values, including support for President Trump and a strong pro-Israel stance,” said Brooks. “Throughout its history, the RJC has consistently stood up and spoken out clearly against bigotry and extremism in our party, the most recent example being our support for the primary defeat last month of [Iowa] Congressman Steve King,” he continued. Cowan told JNS that he is “a strong supporter of Israel” and recognizes how “important the relationship between our two countries is.”
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) also endorsed Cowan, saying that “the comments made by Ms. Greene are disgusting, and don’t reflect the values of equality and decency that make our country great.”
Greene has been endorsed by prominent right-wingers, including Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Charlie Kirk, founder of the pro-Trump youth group Turning Point USA.
Cowan and Greene are vying to face Democratic nominee Kevin Van Ausdal in November.
Ari Fuld’s murderer sentenced to life in prison
(JNS) Khalil Jabarin was sentenced to life in prison by the Judea Military Court on Tuesday for fatally stabbing AmericanIsraeli Ari Fuld and attempting to murder three other people at the Gush Etzion shopping area in September 2018. The attack became international news because it was caught on security cameras, along with Fuld getting up after being stabbed multiple times in the back to shoot and wound Jabarin, who was looking for more victims. Fuld was posthumously awarded the Medal of Distinction, the third highest award that can be granted by the Israel Police. The court also ordered Jabarin, who was 17 at the time, to pay the Fuld family NIS 1.25 million ($368,125).
Attorney Maurice Hirsch, who represented the Fuld family, said that the damages awarded were less than what Jabarin would receive from the Palestinian Authority, which provides monthly stipends to terrorists in Israeli prisons. “The sentence handed down to the murderer of Ari Fuld failed miserably to create deterrence,” said Hirsch. “While in prison serving his sentence, the murderer will be paid millions of shekels by the P.A. as part of its terror-rewarding ‘pay-for-slay’ policy. The damages the court ordered the murderer to pay the Fulds is less than a quarter of what he will be paid [by the P.A.]. The decision of the court is proof that terror pays.”
Israel approves pipeline deal to transport natural gas to Europe
(JNS) Israel approved a deal on Sunday, July 19, with Cyprus, Greece and Italy for the EastMed pipeline to transport natural gas to Europe. “The government approval of the framework agreement for laying the Israel-Europe natural gas pipeline is another historic milestone for making Israel an energy exporter,” Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said, Reuters reported. According to the report, the four countries are scheduled to reach a final decision by 2022 to have the €6 billion ($6.86 billion) pipeline built by 2025. The report says that a land and sea survey is currently underway to determine the route of the 1,900-km (1,200-mile) pipeline. The European Union and IGI Poseidon, which owns the pipeline, each has invested €35 million ($40 million) in the planning stage. IGI Poseidon is a joint venture between Greek company DEPA and Italian energy group Edison.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades met at the end of December in Athens for their seventh trilateral summit, during which an agreement was signed for the EastMed pipeline.
May his memory be a blessing: 4 lessons we can learn from civil rights hero John Lewis
(JTA) – The day is one of my most vivid and treasured memories. I was associate director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and we were in the middle of our flagship public policy conference. One of my responsibilities was to assign Reform movement leaders to introduce each of our speakers. The power went right to my head, and I began by assigning myself to introduce John Lewis, the congressman from Georgia who was an icon of the civil rights movement.
Somehow the many higher-ups who reviewed the list either did not see what I had done or were focused elsewhere. And so I had the opportunity, the privilege, the hon-or, to stand on the stage that day and tell Rep. Lewis, face to face, exactly why he was my hero.
That feeling has only deepened in the decades since. Now, with a little more perspective, and in honor of one of the most remarkable, most American, lives ever lived, I want to suggest four key lessons (among hundreds) that we can all learn from John Lewis’ life and work.
n First, Lewis was never patient. (In fact, in his draft remarks for the 1963 March on Washington, he wrote, “‘Patience’ is a dirty and nasty word.”) He worked closely with more established leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King, but he demanded – and earned – a seat at the table; he knew that it was critical that the movement always hear the voice of younger leaders. He was 21 when he became one of the original Freedom Riders, 23 when he was the young-est speaker at the March on Washington, and 25 when he led the march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday. We can all ask ourselves what our institutions would be like if we had 23-yearolds in key decision-making roles. How much talent are we missing out on while we wait for it to develop?
n Second, Lewis did not quit. As I look at Lewis’ life I wonder how often others (including myself) would have walked away from the battle. Would I have continued after being beaten the way Lewis was? Would have I walked away after the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and thought I had
BY MARK PELAVIN
REP. JOHN LEWIS SPEAKS AT A NEWS CONFERENCE IN THE CAPITOL ON THE VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT, DEC. 6, 2019. (TOM WILLIAMS/CQ-ROLL CALL, INC VIA GETTY IMAGES)
earned some rest? Would I have given up on public service after losing my first bid for Congress? Would I have retired when political opponents began to dismantle what I had sacrificed so much for? Would the election of the first African-American president have been a signal that the nation had turned a corner? John Lewis never gave up, never stopped working to make this country the place he knew it could be. His voice was powerful to the end.
n Third, Lewis used his hard-earned moral authority widely.
Lewis understood that the struggle for equality needed to include equality for all. He was a strong supporter of LGBT rights, for example, and was always a great friend and ally to the Jewish community.
Lewis believed that peace and safety were key elements of Dr. King’s “Beloved Community,” which led him to be a leading opponent of the Iraq war and – as recently as 2016 – to lead a sit-in on the House floor in support of anti-gun violence legislation. He simply refused to take a narrow view of his responsibility.
n Fourth, Lewis found strength in his faith.
Finally, it’s impossible to talk about John Lewis without talking about his faith. Lewis was a civil rights leader, a legislator, an author, and a mentor to many. But he was always a preacher. The day he and I shared
the stage, he gave a version of a speech he must have given thousands of times – about growing up in a two-room “shotgun shack” and practicing his preaching with chickens as his audience. It was more than his style or his cadence that marked Lewis as a preacher – he preached, he taught, with his entire life. Perhaps there is someone in our lifetimes who better met our challenge, set out in the Torah, to “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God” than John Lewis, but I have no idea who it would be. Each of us finds strength in different places, but for Lewis that place was in his church and in his faith. That, I’m confident, is no small part of what gave him the confidence and conviction he needed to help us usher in a better time.
And how we will miss his leadership.
I hope and pray there is a remarkable 23-year old out there today, ready to step for-ward, and that we will have the wisdom to listen. Or even teenagers preaching to chickens, or perhaps, delivering their b’nai mitzvah talks by Zoom, and getting ready for lives of service.
Mark Pelavin, the former director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism and associate director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, is a writer and consultant living in Maryland.
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(JNS) A tweet of “Jewish Privilege” has been trending on Twitter with an overwhelming claim that Jews are a group of privileged individuals – whether it be in education, economically or many other walks of life. This hashtag followed severely anti-Semitic comments from talk-show host Nick Cannon, Philadelphia Eagles player DeSean Jackson, actor/rapper Ice Cube and others.
My question to the Jewish community is: Have you not seen the #jewishprivilege coming your way?
In recent years, reports by the New York Police Department show that the most targeted group for hate crimes in the city, especially Brooklyn of late, is the Jewish community. FBI reports, including one analysis noted by the Anti-Defamation League, show the same results nationally: that Jews were the targets of most religious-based hate crimes in 2018. Those attacks predated this vile hashtag. Yet, there has not been any outrage or outcry – not sufficiently from within the Jewish community and non from anyone else. It is time for us as a Jewish community to ask ourselves why is it that until now, until the creation of this hashtag, we not made it clear that the ongoing societal attack on the Jewish community is unacceptable? I believe that it is because the majority of the Jewish community cannot recognize the hate against them.
While some have chosen to claim that the warning signs were never there, the hate we see has been clearly displayed on college campuses for several years now. For years, Jew-haters replaced the word “Jew” with “Israel” or “Zionist,” and were able to get away with their hate untouched. This was and still is true on college campuses. My experiences as an Israeli and pro-Israel activist on campus has made it crystalclear to me that anti-Zionism and antiSemitism are synonymous. The ongoing attacks on Zionism and Israel were the warning that the Jewish community missed. The ownership through hate that our adversaries claimed on Zionism gave them the opportunity and platform to revive the oldest hate there is – anti-Semitism – into the mainstream. Now, hate is so normalized that there’s no need to hide it anymore behind “Israel” accusations. Remember how a short while ago there was a dispute as to whether or not Minnesota Rep. Ilhan
Omar’s tweet “It’s all about the Benjamins!” was anti-Semitic?
Our issue as a Jewish community is that we allow our enemies to remind us about the pillars of our identity. For example, in Germany prior to and during World War II, we let the Nazis define how Judaism is much more than just a faith or religion. To them, it didn’t matter whether one was an observant Jew or not; they were all the same and all expendable. There are multiple other examples in the Jewish past, including expulsions from Arab lands, reminding its Jewish population that they were expendable as well, and that there is the one place in the world they can call home: Israel.
Now, it is Zionism’s turn to take center stage as a Jewish pillar. At every Jewish wedding, there is a commitment to not forget Jerusalem (Zion). For every prayer, we turn towards Jerusalem (Zion). There is no question that Zionism – the longing and movement to return to our Jewish homeland – is an integral part of the Jewish identity. Yet it has taken our adversaries’ referral to this part of our identity to remind us how integral that part is.
I myself will return to Israel in the coming years; it is my home. Until then, I believe that as a Jew, I have the obligation to speak up against this trend in the United States and the world. I believe that it is crucial to prove that the only privilege I have is the understanding of my history and identity deeply enough to value and be proud of it. Jewish privilege is an oxymoron we cannot let go unchallenged. The concept of Jewish privilege nulls the suffering of millions over many generations, which is unacceptable for any minority, including, and maybe especially for, the Jewish minority.
The question that arises now is whether or not it is too late for the Jewish community in America to stand up to antiSemitism and how others perceive us to be, rather than who we really are. Will they now rise up to this wake-up call?
Dalia Zahger is the North East Coordinator for the Maccabee Task Force. She is a Columbia University alumna and co-founder of the Columbia chapter of student organization Students Supporting Israel.
HASSLE FREE LIVING
WHY are celebrities flocking to the uber-antisemitic Louis Farrakhan?
BY BEN SALES
(JTA) – Days before NFL star DeSean Jackson posted antisemitic quotes falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler that set off a nationwide debate about antisemitism, Jackson praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
“This man powerful I hope everyone got a chance to watch this!! Don’t be blinded. Know what’s going on!!” Jackson wrote on his Instagram account on July 4, after Farrakhan gave a three-hour speech on YouTube.
Jackson is among several Black celebrities who has defended or praised Farrakhan and echoed his antisemitic rhetoric over the past several weeks. That includes former NBA player turned talking head Stephen Jackson, TV star Nick Cannon and rapper and actor Ice Cube. All but Ice Cube apologized.
Chelsea Handler, who is white and the daughter of a Jewish father, also took heat for boosting an old video of Farrakhan talking about racial justice. She later deleted the video and apologized – but not before several of her buddies, like Jennifer Aniston applauded her post.
Another star seems to have escaped notice: Madonna.
On July 4, the Material Girl posted a video to her Instagram account that was a trailer for a speech by Farrakhan that same day. It has since racked up 710,000 views. Some of the comments on the video express surprise that Madonna, who has been an advocate for the LGBTQ community and an enthusiastic proponent of the study of Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, would boost a man with a long history of antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ statements. But Madonna has been uncharacteristically silent.
A powerful voice
Farrakhan, 87, is known for his antisemitic and homophobic rhetoric. He has praised Hitler, accused Jews of controlling the U.S. government and railed against what he calls the “Synagogue of Satan.”
But he’s also known for empowering
Black activism, organizing social service programs in low-income Black neighborhoods and advocating for Black self-reliance decades after he organized the 1995 Million Man March, a rally that brought hundreds of thousands of Black people to Washington, D.C.
“[D]espite the Nation’s many flaws, it is present for black people in America’s most deprived and segregated enclaves when the state itself is not present, to say nothing of those who demand its condemnation,” wrote the Black and Jewish writer Adam Serwer of The Atlantic in 2018, explaining why Black leaders are often reluctant to condemn Farrakhan. “Then there is the sense that while Farrakhan’s views are vile, he lacks the power or authority to enforce them.”
Black journalists and activists say Farrakhan’s enduring appeal comes from the social service work that he and his Nation of Islam continue to do in low-income Black communities. It may also come from the attention that white Americans give to Farrakhan, as well as the fact that enduring segregation and white flight from cities mean that many Black people have little exposure to Jewish communities, as well as a lack of education around antisemitism and its dangers.
Black commentators have pointed out for years that it’s difficult to be involved in social activism in Black communities without encountering the Nation of Islam. The group has been particularly active in helping formerly incarcerated people, and also has worked on anti-poverty campaigns and making neighborhoods safer.
If you’re a Black community organizer working on those issues, or a Black celebrity advocating for them, says hate movement researcher Eric Ward, odds are you’ll find yourself alongside people affiliated with Farrakhan, especially in neighborhoods with a dearth of other civil society organizations.
“An organization like the Nation of Islam is prosperous because it has no competition,” said Ward, executive director
of the Western States Center. “
If you’re a person who’s politically active and socially conscious, it is not uncommon that you will find yourself sharing space with the Nation of Islam,” he said. “They have a track record on work around former felons that, without putting value on it, is highly respected. It’s pretty unlikely, in any major city in America that has a substantial Black population, that you’re doing work around the formerly incarcerated and are not at least in a loose coalition with the Nation of Islam.”
Farrakhan also gets so much attention, said Amy Alexander, who edited an anthology called The Farrakhan Factor in 1999, in part because white leaders give him so much attention. He knows his outrageous statements will raise his profile, so he keeps making them.
“Minister Farrakhan has voiced antisemitic rhetoric for nearly a halfcentury. It is odious and unacceptable – but should by now be completely expected,” she told the site Journal-isms in 2018. “Farrakhan’s antisemitic ramblings only succeed in riling up some folks (including journalists) who vastly overestimate his impact.”
That attention ends up inflating his image beyond the actual impact he has in Black communities, says Ward.
“I think folks would be surprised at how little the Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan are on the mind of most Black Americans,” he said. “It is about as much on the mind of the Black community as the Klan is on the average mind of a person in white America.”
This dynamic has played out many times before the recent controversy involving DeSean Jackson and the others.
In 2018, then-Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota was scrutinized over past ties to Farra-khan that he had since cut off. Last year, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey had to force-fully disavow any ties with Farrakhan on the presidential campaign trail. Tamika Mallory, a co-founder and leader of the
Women’s March, declined to withdraw her praise of Farrakhan in 2018, leading to a backlash against her movement. And in 1994, Arsenio Hall ended his talk show in part because of widespread criticism he faced for hosting a long – and, critics said, softball – interview with Farrakhan.
Speaking out against antisemitism
Several Black commentators have called out the latest round of Farrakhan praise. In response to DeSean Jackson, NFL player Zach Banner posted an emotional video defending the Jewish community and detailing how the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting affected him – especially as a member of the Pittsburgh Steeler (see story, p.13).
The prominent ESPN commentators Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon both called out Stephen Jackson.
“He has no credibility now,” Wilbon said on his ESPN show “Pardon the Interruption” about Jackson, who was become a leading Black Lives Matter activist. NBA Hall of Famers Kareem AbdulJabbar and Charles Barkley have weighed in on the subject, too.
“I’m so disappointed in these men,” Barkley said in a video posted Monday. “I don’t understand how you beat hatred with more hatred.”
Jemele Hill, a columnist and former ESPN personality, wrote that the Farrakhan posts reflect a broader problem in the Black community, which she witnessed growing up.
“Stereotypical and hurtful tropes about Jews are widely accepted in the African American community,” she wrote in The Atlantic. “As a kid, I heard elders in my family say in passing that Jewish people were consumed with making money and that they ‘owned everything.’”
She added, “This also doesn’t mean that my family – or other African Americans – are more or less antisemitic than others in America, but experiencing the pain of
LOUIS FARRAKHAN SPEAKS IN FRONT OF THE CAPITOL BUILDING AT THE MILLION MAN MARCH IN WASHINGTON, D.C., OCT. 16, 1995.
(RICHARD ELLIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)
discrimination and stereotyping didn’t prevent them from spreading harmful stereotypes about another group.”
Scapegoating the Jews
Leo Ferguson, a Black Jewish progressive activist, sees a parallel between the way Farrakhan demonizes Jews and the way some white Jews will point to Farrakhan to emphasize antisemitism in the Black community. In both cases, he believes they are distractions from the real issue.
In the case of the Black community, he said, Farrakhan makes the Jews a scapegoat instead of focusing on oppressive structures. And he hopes Jews spend more of their energy on fighting white supremacy instead of focusing on antisemitism from Black leaders, which he feels is far less of a threat.
“The reason that Jews loom large in the antisemitic ideology that Louis Farrakhan
espouses is because they represent a kind of bogeyman, this conspiracy theory that provides a simple and easy explanation for oppression,” said Ferguson, an organizer with Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. By the same token, he said, for white Jews, “The preoccupation with Louis Farrakhan, Black people and other people of color who are enacting antisemitism is a distraction from the people who have benefited from antisemitism, who have overwhelmingly been white Christian.”
Ward points to white supremacy as the reason why Black celebrities are quoting Farrakhan’s antisemitic rhetoric. White supremacists have long portrayed Jews as a nefarious force in society, and Ward says that’s an idea that has seeped into Black leaders’ rhetoric when they are looking for someone to blame.
“Part of the purpose of that ideology is to position the Jewish community as
a protective barrier between the haves and the have-nots,” he said. “We as Black folks somehow think that propagating antisemitism means we are punching up against power, but all we are doing is punching down on a community that is vulnerable in other ways because of antisemitism.”
Ward said that Black people may also repeat antisemitic sentiments because under-funded schools in low-income neighborhoods don’t have the resources for a robust curriculum on the Holocaust or against hate.
“If you went to bad schools in high school and elementary, it means you’ve been given no building blocks in which to evaluate the information you’re being given and exposed to,” he said. “Why are folks so susceptible to antisemitism? Because who gets to benefit from Holocaust education? It is not likely underfunded public schools for
the most part.”
As a Black Jew, Ferguson says that addressing Farrakhan quickly gets exhausting because it means facing misconceptions from two different communities and fighting prejudices from both.
“Whenever I see something else happening with Farrakhan, there’s this full-body cringe,” he said. “You know that white Jews, including white Jews who you are in community with and care about, are going to get caught up in a fixation on antisemitism from people of color because of racism, because of white supremacy.
“And you also know there are people in your own community who believe all types of lies and misinformation about Jews, and that’s incredibly isolating for Jews of color and for me as a Black Jew.”
(Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle via JTA) –Just two days after Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson posted an antisemitic message he attributed to Adolf Hitler on social media, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner came to the defense of the Jewish community.
In a series of tweets and videos, which he said he hoped would help educate others who might have misconceptions about Jews, the Steeler spoke out against antisemitism.
“We need to understand that Jewish people deal with the same amount of hate and similar hardships and hard times,” Banner said. “I want to preach to the Black and brown community that we need to uplift them and put our arms around them just as much when we talk about Black Lives Matter and talk about elevating ourselves.
“We can’t do that while stepping on the backs of other people to elevate ourselves.”
Jackson has since apologized for posting the antisemitic comments and has accepted an invitation to visit Auschwitz together with Holocaust survivor Edward Mosberg, 94, from New Jersey.
Banner spoke with the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle by phone this week to talk about his decision to stand up for the Jewish community.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What motivated you to speak out against antisemitism on social media?
Not only do I have friends who are Jewish
Zach Banner wants to team up to fight hate. He’s also looking forward to lots of post-COVID Shabbat dinners.
BY TOBY TABACHNICK
that I met through my experiences at USC and growing up, but also, it’s still deep down inside my heart, the tragic situation that happened two years ago at the Tree of Life synagogue. There is still a bad taste in my mouth about it and it brings a lot of emotion, especially when someone says something antisemitic. You feel like you have to respond.
What did you hope to accomplish?
I wanted to let people know that wasn’t right and we shouldn’t do that. I really wanted the Jewish community – not only nationally, but especially here in Pittsburgh – I really, really wanted them to know that I have their back and the team has their back and we don’t accept that here and we shouldn’t accept that at all.
When you were talking about the Tree of Life massacre on video, you got visibly choked up. How did it affect you?
Any hate crime toward anyone, but especially a minority group like the Jewish community, it just hurts. I felt the pain. A man came into the synagogue and opened fire because of their beliefs and because of their background. I know how that feels in terms of pain in my heart – and especially when you talk about recent tragedies like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, it’s somewhat relative – but once again I just want the Jewish community to know I have their back. I never want to selfishly say, “I know what you feel like,” but I do want to put my arm around the community.
After you posted your messages, did you receive any backlash or criticism?
Yeah, I received criticism. The one that really hurts me is I had some criticism from my own, wondering if maybe I am missing the point of the Black Lives Matter movement, if I am muting that or if I am stepping aside from that to take care of this problem. And it shouldn’t be that. It shouldn’t be a “them” problem, it’s an “us” problem because we were the ones that dragged them in. It was a Black man that said that, and that’s extremely powerful. And it was one of my colleagues. I need to be able to hold him responsible, and anybody else that is in my position.
You mention in your video that, growing up, you had heard certain rumors about Jewish people. Like what?
Growing up it was very, very common amongst the Black community to just get white Jewish people mixed up with other European background races, and to just say, “Oh that’s another white guy.” We really need to have a deep understanding of the history of the Jewish community, and the Holocaust, and sympathize with that. And not only that. It’s not like that was the last bad thing that has happened. There is a lot of stuff between that and the Tree of Life massacre. We need to educate ourselves on that because if we are able to do that we won’t say things like that.
There were some positive reactions that emerged from your postings. Is it true you received several invitations to Shabbos dinner? From whom?
(Laughing) Everybody. I mean millions of people. I really mean that. From all over the world. I’ve gotten invited to Israel, to New York, to up the street in Pittsburgh. It feels amazing to be embraced. I have I don’t know how many incoming loaves of challah bread. People have offered their brisket. And people have even offered their daughters – it’s insane. That is the truth.
ZACH BANNER AFTER A GAME BETWEEN THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS AND THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS IN TAMPA, FLA., SEPT. 24, 2018. (ROY K. MILLER/ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY IMAGES)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15
ARTS & CULTURE
Jewish Book Council conference goes virtual – offering a peek into authors’ homes
BY JOSEFIN DOLSTEN
(JTA) – In a normal year, the Jewish Book Council’s annual conference is something of a variety show where hundreds of authors take to the podium with two minutes each to convey what makes their book special.
The event is part of the council’s attempt to connect writers with Jewish communities across the country. In the audience are about 200 representatives from Jewish community centers, synagogues and other Jewish institutions across the country. On the stage are authors trying to win a coveted spot in the upcoming season of book events.
“That energy, it’s amazing,” said the council’s executive director, Naomi Firestone-Teeter.
Things looked very different this year as the event, like so many others, went virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic. For the first time in the conference’s 22-year history, authors couldn’t see the audience’s reactions and attendees couldn’t schmooze with each other over coffee. Instead, participants watched from their living rooms as authors gave their pitches over Zoom during sessions spread over three days this week.
“Being able to be among a crowd of book lovers, or people excited about a particular subject, at our conference – the energy that you just feel when we’re all together you can’t fully replicate that experience as much as we try,” Firestone-Teeter said.
Some 240 people tuned in to the program, an increase from the number of attendees last year. Nearly 250 authors –both Jewish writers and non-Jewish authors whose books address Jewish themes –participated in eight sessions of author
talks, slightly fewer than in 2019 but in line with previous years.
One silver lining – at least for the attendees – was getting a peek into their favorite authors’ lives.
Novelist Caroline Leavitt spoke about her book With Or Without You, about a longtime couple running into relationship problems, from a living room with a small trampoline on the floor and a blue miniature guitar and several large pieces of artwork hanging on a brick-lined wall.
Journalist Caroline Cenziper spoke about Citizen 865, a narrative history of a team of Nazi hunters searching for Nazis who fled to the United States, from a sparsely deco-rated room with a black and white striped couch and a single frame with a photo on a white dresser.
And Author Hallie Ephron had several large posters featuring her own book covers – including her latest, Careful What You Wish For, a thriller about a woman who works as a professional home declutterer –among a handful of other photographs and drawings hanging on her wall.
Another upside, for the council, was that the event didn’t require getting on a plane to participate.
“It makes it more accessible to communities and people who maybe wouldn’t have been able to travel to New York City in May, weren’t able to commit the time, the financial resources and otherwise,” Firestone-Teeter said. “So in a way I think by moving to the virtual arena, the program is a more accessible program for more people.”
The big question is what happens next.
Usually, the book council helps facilitate around 1,300 events every year as a result of the conference. Synagogues and other local organizations pay travel expenses and put writers up in their communities for the talks. And while the authors aren’t paid, they get the opportunity to sell books in person to audiences that have spent time with them – and may feel pressure to show their appreciation by buying a copy.
Now, those talks will be scheduled virtually, and it remains to be seen how many will happen.
The book council is working to come up with creative ways to host virtual events, including possibly having authors sign labels that can be put inside book covers and allowing attendees to have short personal conversations with authors in breakout rooms. It might also facilitate joint events for several institutions for popular authors.
“The virtual event space is allowing our communities to take risks,” FirestoneTeeter said. “It’s allowing them to actually create many more programs, perhaps than they maybe would’ve in a physical space. Obviously the costs are different.”
The conference also hosted a panel on how to plan literary events in the time of coronavirus.
Still, having virtual events isn’t the council’s long term goal.
“For the authors, not being able to necessarily travel and visit some of these communities in person is disappointing and we hope that in the future they will return to that again,” said Firestone-Teeter. “And I think for them getting to really meet their readers in person and sign their books physically and see a book sale and see their book out there in the world, that is something very special.”
‘The Painted Bird,’ gruesome adaptation of Holocaust novel is now on demand
BY CURT SCHLEIER
(JTA) – Jerzy Kosiński’s 1965 Holocaust novel The Painted Bird was mired in controversy almost from its release. The film adaptation, which became available through on-demand platforms this weekend, has raised eyebrows as well.
In the 1960s, the author suggested that the novel – about a Jewish boy who witnesses sexual deviance and violence while wandering through Eastern Europe during World War II – was autobiographical. Prominent Jewish reviewers, including survivor Elie Wiesel and Cynthia Ozick, heaped it with praise. Ozick wrote that she recognized the writer’s authenticity as a “Jewish survivor and witness to the Holocaust.”
Subsequent investigations, however, indicated not only that Kosiński survived the war in comparative comfort (a Catholic family sheltered him), but also that he possibly plagiarized the story. If there was one thing that everyone could agree on, however, is that its presentation of pedophilia, bestiality and general depravity meant it would never be filmed.
But times have changed. Director Václav Marhoul has said that he wanted to take the boy (unnamed until the film’s end) “on a journey to the very heart of the dark human soul.” Some might say that he has succeeded: At some pre-pandemic film festivals, many viewers actually walked out of screenings.
As in the book, the unnamed boy’s parents leave him with an old woman, ostensibly for protection from the Nazis. When she dies, he wanders around the Eastern European landscape (no country is mentioned by name) from calamity to catastrophe. A woman buries him up to his neck and allows crows to peck at him because she believes he is possessed by Satan. He finds himself in the home of a jealous husband who gouges out the eyes of the man he believes is his wife’s lover.
Marhoul shot in black-and-white, adding to the feeling of desolation. The film may be more satisfying if seen as intended, on larger theater screens. But on the smaller at-home screen, it comes off almost ghoulish.
In the end, “The Painted Bird” isn’t really a Holocaust film. The war, the camps and the soldiers play secondary roles. It is more about what Hannah Arendt called the banality of evil. And there is already enough of that around in the real world.
Teens allocate grants to help Jewish organizations respond to COVID-19 crisis Around Connecticut
WEST HARTFORD –
Teens participants in JTConnect’s Teen Leadership and Philanthropy Initiative (TLPI) wrapped up their year by awarding three grants totalling $3,800 to local Jewish organizations.
“Through TLPI, we have been learning about how to build community and create positive change by raising money and allocating grants to nonprofit organizations in the Greater Hartford Jewish community,” says Zach Berkowitz, a rising senior at William Hall High School in West Hartford. “We decided to pivot our focus to allocating to organizations in our community that are being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We will be funding meaningful projects that will enable our local Jewish organizations to respond to the evolving situation.”
After publishing their Request for Proposal (RFP), the TLPI teens learned to analyze grant proposals, prioritize need and select meaningful projects to fund.
This year ,TLPI chose to award grants to three Jewish agencies impacted by COVID19:
Hebrew Senior Care, an agency that provides care to more than 90 individuals at Hoffman Summerwood Senior Living Community in West Hartford, was granted funds for the purchase of six iPads to enable their elderly residents to connect with family and friends while they were isolated as a result of the pandemic. West Hartford teen Talia Greenspoon was passionate about supporting this project. “These hard times being connected to family can make a huge impact on a person’s happiness and wellbeing,” she says.
The Jewish Association for Community Living (JCL) helps those with developmental disabilities participate in community life as independently and safely as possible. During COVID-19, JCL clients are remaining home with their staff to ensure their safety. With more than 35 residents in their group homes, JCL used the TLPI grant to purchase Judaic crafts, books and DVDs to transform this time of isolation into a time of meaningful activity. West Hartford teen Ryan Howe was “really impressed with JCL’s work to help out those in our community who struggle with developmental disabilities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. … I hope our grant can help the JCL residents stay occupied during these hard times and help them maintain their Jewish identity,” he says. Voices of Hope (VOH) raises social
consciousness by providing quality educational and community programming that ensure future generations never forget the horrors of the Holocaust and other genocides. Because it is unlikely that students and others will be able to visit the Holocaust exhibit at the University of Hartford this fall, VOH plans to use its TLPI grant to make the exhibit available via an interactive website that will provide
students and the community with the necessary tools to combat hatred and bigotry. The website will include survivor testimony, school curricula for teachers, educational resources and activities for students. “Being the grandson of a survivor, I feel that it is enormously important to educate others about the danger of hate and silence,” says West Hartford teen Zachary Berkowitz. “I hope that by helping Voices
Va’eschanan TORAHPortion
of Hope, other students in the greater Hartford community continue the message of ‘never again.’”
To find out how you or your teen can join JTConnect’s Teen Leadership and Philanthropy Initiative – and start making a tangible difference in the world right now – visit www.jtconnect.org/tlpi or contact Eric Maurer at eric@jtconnect.org.
BY SHMUEL REICHMANN
In Parshat Va’eschanan, we read about the Arei Miklat, the cities of refuge for those who unintentionally murder. This parsha almost always falls immediately following Tisha B’Av, and, consequently, shortly before the Hebrew month of Elul. At face value, these themes do not seem to share a connection: The Ir Miklat is a safe haven for unwitting murderers, Tisha B’Av is a day of sadness and destruction, as Klal Yisrael (the nation of Israel) mourns the loss of the Beit Ha’Mikdash (Holy Temple), and the tragedies that have occurred throughout Jewish history; and Elul, the month of teshuva (repentance).
What links these three topics together? To understand their underlying connection, we must first delve into each of these three seemingly unrelated ideas.
On Tisha B’Av, we go through a process of mourning similar to the process of mourning a loved one. This seems to be an excessive response to the loss of a building – the Beit Ha’Mikdash. However, the destruction of the Temple was merely the physical expression of a much deeper tragedy. The Temple was the locus of connection between Hashem (God) and this physical world. It was destroyed as a result of the disconnect that Klal Yisrael created between us and Hashem, between us and our fellow person, and between us and ourselves. We lost sight of the spiritual root of this world, shattering the connection between us and Hashem. Once broken, the physical vessel that represented this connection – the Beit Ha’Mikdash – was reduced to an empty shell that could easily be destroyed.
The death of a person is the process of
one’s soul separating from his or her body. The concept of death is the disconnect between a spiritual lifeforce and its physical vessel. When the Beit Ha’Mikdash was destroyed, the world died. The soul of the world – Hashem – left its body, its vessel – the physical world, resulting in a cosmic spiritual chasm and a shattered reality. We mourn on Tisha Ba’av, not just for the destruction of a building, but for the death of the world itself. And we yearn for the day when Hashem will once again be clearly manifest in this world, revealing the spiritual essence of this physical reality.
This is why Elul directly follows Tisha B’Av. Tisha B’Av is the time of breakdown, exile, and death; Elul is the time of rejuvenation, redirection, and rebirth. As we transition from Tisha B’Av to Elul, we pause, stop the negative momentum, and begin building anew. Tisha B’Av becomes the impetus for growth throughout the month of Elul. In this way, it becomes a yeridah l’tzorech aliyah- a breakdown for the sake of ascension; our journey back home to our proper place, our unbreakable bond with and connection to Hashem. The goal of Rosh Hashanah is to anoint and embrace Hashem as our King, which can only happen after a month spent bridging the gap that we created between us. The definition of teshuva is return, and that is our goal at this time. We yearn to return the world to its proper, higher state; to return the Jewish people to our elevated status, and for each and every one of us to return to our higher, true selves.
The process of return is a sweet one, but it is also a challenging one. We feel as though we are fighting an uphill battle, and we struggle to maintain momentum and continue gaining ground. Many
approach Elul with a feeling of despair and loneliness as we grapple to rebuild ourselves and what feels like a broken connection with Hashem.
This is why Hashem created the Ir Miklat – a place for those without a place. When one loses his physical place, he feels lost, abandoned, hopeless. At exactly this moment, he is given a sense of hope. He may have lost his place, but there is still a place for him to go in the interim until he can return home. The Ir Miklat represents hope for the hopeless, a home for the homeless, stability for the unstable.
Tisha B’Av reminds us about how broken life can become, about the genuine difficulty and challenge of life. But there will always be an Elul, an Ir Miklat, a refuge. We will always have a place to stay until the chaos fades away. But we must remember that this is only a waystation, and that we must arise and journey back to our true destination. Elul is our shelter amidst the storm. It helps protect us, but it also helps guide us back to our true destination. Elul is Hashem’s way of saying, “There will always be a place for you.” In response, we must embrace that place and begin rebuilding from there to-wards our true destination.
This is the first step of teshuva, recognizing that we are not where we need to be, but that through constant effort and the help of Hashem, we can get there. The foundation for this is our interim Ir Miklat. This allows us to gain our footing, create clarity and purpose, and begin our journey back home.
May we all be inspired to pause, find our footing, and use this Elul to purposely journey back to our true place: Hashem Himself.
I’ve been tweeted at, people saying, “I would not mind you marrying my daughter.” I was like, “Wow.” It’s hilarious.
Are you going taking anyone up on their Shabbos dinner invitation?
Not yet, just cause of quarantine. But after COVID-19, yes.
You also mentioned you got a lot of donations from the Jewish community to your foundation, the B3 Foundation, which works to empower children.
Over $60,000 in increments of $18. I’m not joking. A few were a couple hundred bucks here and there. I’m just grateful. It’s the amount of people. And don’t cross off the Jewish women, either. I’m going to take up some of those offers for dates.
Are you OK if I print that?
[Laughing] Toby, I am single. Absolutely.
What else would you like to tell the Jewish community of Pittsburgh?
Let’s go Steelers! I’m happy you guys see my heart, not only toward you, but toward everybody. And I am more than happy to not only sit down and further this discussion in a certain way with my organization but to also ask for the City of Pittsburgh, the Jewish community to be exact, to use this moment – what was once pain but hopefully now happiness because I spoke up – to please continue to support me and the players on our team that are really trying to make a push with this Black Lives Matter movement. We are meeting as team, talking about certain legislation issues and things with the police and working it out. Talking about the future of stopping so much crime and so much hate against my community as well. So let’s just team up together and love each other.
THE KOSHER CROSSWORD JULY 31, 2020
“Maestros”
By: Yoni Glatt Difficulty Level: Medium
Across
1. Minute drink
5. Project segment
10. Epic trilogy composed by 47-Across, for short
14. “In that case... “
15. A no-hitter compared to a onehitter, e.g.
16. “How ___, Doc?”
17. See 38-Across
19. Make ___ dash for 20. Bobbing sea marker
21. French for “my”
23. Common contraction
24. George Washington didn’t have any during his second term 26. B’nai B’rith watchdog org.
Down
1. GI who can’t be found
2. Major sports org. Down Under
3. She tried to make Spain Jewfree in 1492
4. Dunkin product (but not Krispy Kreme)
5. Carnivore’s catch
6. Major Ford part
7. Biblical refuge
8. In good taste
9. Marine eagle
10. Letters on Anaheim scoreboards
11. (Metallic) Element #76
12. “___ wrap!” (“Were done!”)
13. Show embarrassment, say
28. Monopoly buy
30. Incapacitated
31. See 71-Across
34. Tzaddik Baba
36. Sends to the canvas, for short
37. Total daily Jewish prayers written by non-Jews
38. 17-Across composed the music for this 1992 film...and it’s 2019 remake
40. Barry Levinson Best Picture with music by 63-Across 44. Word before “Od Milvado” 45. Islands finger food
46. Eyelid nuisance
47. See 10-Across 52. Summer camp worker, for
18. Jay of “Jerry Maguire” and “SNL”
22. Second Torah reading portion
24. Word after Ki, in a parsha
25. Matmid Club airline
26. Any minute, to Shakespeare
27. License to drill, for short?
29. Olympic legend Jesse
32. One of ___
33. Condition in a vacuum
35. Cerebral output
39. Even more calamitous
40. Some marsupials
41. Loc. where Elijah was victorious
42. Hara preceder
43. Irving and Harris, e.g.
45. Dissertation finisher, hopefully
SHABBAT DINNER
TRADITIONAL DAIRY LUNCHEON
short
53. Zero out
54. Has one’s fill and more, briefly
55. Lebowitz and Drescher
57. Tech on display in 10-Across
58. “CD” follower
60. Israeli billionaire Idan
61. Giants Golden receiver?
63. See 40-Across
68. No Clue
69. “Hashem Melech” singer
70. Word with mechanics or dynamics
71. One of many Pixar movies with music composed by 31-Across
72. Bagel alternative 73. Prearrange
47. Like erev Shabbos in some homes
48. Princess Leia’s last name
49. Garcon
50. Certain East African
51. Israeli singer Netzer
56. Change the borders of, say
59. Shalom preceder, in some congregation names
60. Lead singer of Black Sabbath, familiarly
62. Start of Sabbath?
64. Org. that relocated to Orlando
65. Actor Mineo of “Exodus”
66. A low one is good on the diamond
67. Biographer Chernow
BLOOMFIELD
B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom/ Neshama Center for Lifelong Learning
Conservative
Rabbi Debra Cantor (860) 243-3576 office@BTSonline.org www.btsonline.org
“Embracing Tisha B’Av: A Day of Learning and Reflection, July 30
The United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Darien and the Stamford Board of Rabbis present an afternoon of learning opportunities entitled “Embracing Tisha B’Av” on Thursday, July 30. To register, visit ujf.org.
12 p.m. – “Turning Sadness into Song: How Jews Respond to Catastrophe.”
Speaker: Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Temple Beth El, Stamford (a talk based on his newly-released book.)
1 p.m. – Speaker: Michal Fox Smart, chief program officer, Institute for Jewish Spirituality. (Title of talk to be announced.)
2 p.m. – “Keeping the Faith: Tragedy and Transformation.”
Speaker: Rabbi Daniel Cohen, Congregation Agudath Sholom, Stamford.
3 p.m. – “How Can This Be?! The emotional layers of the word Eichah.”
Speaker: Rabbi Jay TelRav, Temple Sinai, Stamford.
4 p.m. – “Tisha B’Av: A Moment of Remembrance and Reflection”
Speaker: Jonathan Fass, COO Schoke Jewish Family Service.
Argentina & Brazil: Jewish Life and the Impact of COVID-19
How the countries of Argentina and Brazil are dealing with COVID-19, how their Jewish communities are affected, and how their school are addressing the challenges they face, is the subject of a virtual interactive conversation hosted by United Jewish Federation, UJA/JCC of Greenwich and the Jewish Federation of Upper Fairfield on Tuesday, Aug. 4 at 5 p.m..
Panelists include: Wilson Cukierman, chief executive of ORT School Teresa Cardoso Ourivio, ORT Brazil school counselor and assistant professor teaching a graduate psycho-pedagogy course, who also is in private practice counseling families; and Marcos Berlatzky, professor in Industrial Disciplines, ORT Argentina, joined ORT high school in Buenos Aires in 1981 as the technology teacher, and currently coordinates the exchange and transference of educational developments between ORT and other schools and educational agencies of the national government and of different provinces. The program is FREE, but registration is required to receive the Zoom link. For information of to register, visit ujf.org.
Jason Alexander to MC Israel Cancer Research Fund’s virtual gala, Aug. 5
Actor Jason Alexander, broadcaster Tom Brokaw, Nobel Laureate Professor Aaron Ciechanover, Eugene Levy, Benj Pasek, Bonnie Hunt, and others for the Israel Cancer Research Fund’s (ICRF) Ribbons of Hope Virtual Gala Celebration on August 5 at 8 p.m.
The program will also include the presentation of the Israel Cancer Research Fund’s Tower of Hope Humanitarian Award to Jason Alexander, in recognition of his generous support of cancer research in Israel. It will be presented by actor Steven Weber and will include tributes from Bryan Cranston and Chita Rivera, among others.
The evening will combine comedy and song, as well as special presentations by cancer survivors and Israeli cancer scientists. Tom Brokaw will share his personal story, followed by an interview with ICRF-funded scientist Professor Aaron Ciechanover, who together with Drs. Avram Hershko and Irwin Rose, received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, in recognition of their groundbreaking research on the Ubiquitin System, the body’s method of removing damaged proteins. Guests will be invited into ICRF scientists’ labs to hear about their research to find cures and treatments for cancer.
Said Dr. Mark Israel, ICRF national executive director: “We are currently funding more than 70 different cancer research projects. But these are perilous times. The coronavirus continues to loom large in all our lives. It threatens not just our collective sense of well-being but, going forward, ICRF’s ability to fund world-class, life-saving cancer research.”
Throughout the 50-minute celebration, viewers will be able to make online donations and place bids on an online auction.
Participation is FREE but advanced registration is required. For more information or to register for the Gala, visit icrfgala@icrfonline.org.
Benny Carter Tribute Jazz Concert, Aug. 8
The Benny Carter Tribute Jazz summer concert, hosted by the JCC of Sherman, returns on Saturday, August 8, 7 p.m., with the sound of Connecticut’s TJ Thompson Trio. Winner of the IMEA Jazz Artist of the Year for their recent album “Take Two: The Sound of Playing,” the popular jazz trio plays a combination of originals along with soul, blues, and jazz.
TJ Thompson, has performed with Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead at Washington’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and was a featured artist on Branford Marsalis’ Jazz Set show on NPR. In 1998 he recorded and produced “Thompson Trio Take One,” an album consisting mostly of original works. Thompson has opened for and worked with such artists as Henry Butler, Mel Torme, Ed Thigpen, Dave Liebman, and Koko Taylor as well as being a featured soloist on the Morgan Powell Jazz Album. Since 2002, he has been the director of nstrumental music at the Taft School, in Watertown.
Tickets to the concert are limited to allow for social distancing, and must be purchased online in advance, at www. jccinsherman.org, where new safety rules concerning the JCC’s outdoor events are also posted. Admission is $20/JCC member and $25/non-member, at www. jccinsherman.org. Don’t forget to bring your mask and a chair! Rain date is August 9. The JCC in Sherman is located at 9 Rte. 39 South.
OU Kosher offers guide for food & travel
With an expected surge in domestic travel this summer due to COVID-19, Orthodox Union (OU) Kosher, one of the world’s largest kosher certification agencies, has launched a free online kosher food and travel guide to help Jews follow dietary and ritual observance while away from home. The guide offers a listing of kosher food products that one can find during
their travels across the country. Additional resources include a restaurant guide, a list of fountain and frozen beverages available at convenience stores, Coca-Cola Freestyle machines which are certified by OU Kosher, and a section dedicated to kosher grilling, which also addresses questions such as whether or not a grill can be koshered for those who are renting homes during their travels. The “Traveling” section includes information about in-room hotel kitchen appliances and how they can be used. For those looking for a minyan during their travels, the site links to the OU synagogue finder.
To access the guide, visit oukosher.org/ summer.
Congregation Beth Israel virtual events thru August
For information on the following Zoom events hosted by Congregation Beth Israel visit cbict.org/calendar.
Super Tribe Havdalah August 8 & 22 Havdalah followed by a meet-and-greet for those 35 to 50 year old.
Learn to Zentangle with Laura Marks Wednesday, August 5, 7 p.m. Zentangle is a method of creating abstract art using structured patterns. It can be used to decrease anxiety and increase relaxation and creativity. $5/materials fee, $10/family cap. Materials delivered to your door.
“Party in Your Plants –Eating for Energy,” hosted by Mandell JCC
On July 30, 7 p.m., Mandell JCC Facebook LIVE will feature Talia Pollock, awardwinning podcast host, comedian, plantbased chef and CEO of the wellness company “Party in My Plants, who will discuss how to eat healthier without hating your life; how not to be a health-nut weirdo at the potluck; and how to not chose between feeling good and feeling happy.
TJ THOMPSON
JASON ALEXANDER
DRESNER
Debra Dresner, of West Hartford, died July 13. Born in Boston, she was the daughter of the late Alfred and Roslyn (Swirsky) Dresner. She is survived by her sister, Mara Dresner. She graduated from Clark University with high departmental honors, and earned a Master’s degree from Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford. She worked at Mount Sinai Hospital and at Safeco, where she was the recipient of the company’s National Community Service Award.
EICHENBAUM
Steven Eichenbaum, 68, of West Haven, formerly of Coconut Creek, Fla., died July 20. He was the son of the late Saul and Helen (Baum) Eichenbaum. He is survived by his brother of Jack Eichenbaum and his wife Linda.
SCHWARTZ
Harold L. Schwartz, 102, of Del Ray Beach, Fla., died July 15. He was the husband of Marion Shwartz. Born in New Haven, he was the son of the late Hyman and Anna Schwartz, He served during World War II as an officer in the U.S. Army Air Force in North Africa. He was a member of Young Israel in New Haven and Del Ray Orthodox Synagogue.In addition to his wife, he is survived by four generations of nieces and nephews. He was also predeceased by his son Barry, and his sisters, Evelyn Roganson and Dorothy Rice.
SHARLACH
Lester Sharlach of Stamford, died July 16, just one week shy of his 91st birthday. He was the husband of Elaine Sharlach. Born in Stamford, he served in the Naval Reserve. He was a founding member of Jewish Historical Society of Fairfield County (JHS) in 1984. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Jeffrey Sharlach, Brian Sharlach, and Debra Sharlach Rosner; his grandchildren, Molly, Benjamin and Jonah; and his greatgrandchildren, Nathaniel and Samuel.
STONE
Dorothy Julia (Horry) Stone, 97, of Plantsville, died on July 18. She was the widow of Paul Robert Stone. Born in Perth, Western Australia, she was the daughter of the late Isadore and Esther Horry. She is survived by her children, Karen Stone, and Michael Stone and his wife Susan; her grandchildren, Roy Sous and his fiancée Thuan Nguyen, and Natalie Sous and her husband Richard Iorio; her greatgranddaughters, Anneliese (Anna) Iorio, and Kathy Campbell; her sister Gloria Herman of Perth, Western Australia; her sister-in-law Kaye Horry in Sydney, Australia; and many nieces and nephews. She was also predeceased by her brothers Harry, Sol, and Lionel Horry, and her sisters Sylvia Hartz and Pauline Adelman.
Boston’s Jewish community unveils memorial to COVID-19 victims
BY PENNY SCHWARTZ
BOSTON (JTA) – The coronavirus pandemic is still unfolding, but a permanent memorial to its Jewish victims has already gone up in Boston. The city’s Jewish community unveiled a memorial last week to those who have died during the pandemic in a virtual gathering that also honored caretakers and “last responders,” or people who have tended to funerals and burials.
The event and dedication took place July 9, which on the Jewish calendar was the 17th of Tammuz, a day of fasting that kicks off a three-week-long annual mourning period.
About 650 people signed on to hear words of comfort from communal and religious leaders. They also watched as a memorial stone and two granite benches were dedicated on the grounds of the Baker Street Memorial Park, a complex of 42 Jewish cemeteries managed by the Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts that has historic ties for the area’s Jewish community. One bench is dedicated to those who died without loved ones. The second bench is dedicated to the cemetery caretakers who made possible burials unlike any that had come before.
“The Jewish community needed holding, to be heard, to be held, and to be healed,” said Rabbi Suzanne Offit, who first proposed the program. Hebrew College, Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, the Jewish Cemetery Association and others joined in.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Offit, who is also a chaplain, listened to many people speak about their profound sense of loss as a result of families being prevented from gathering in person.
“Our Jewish tradition teaches us to visit the sick, to accompany the dead, and to comfort the mourner,” Offit said in her opening message during the pre-recorded program. But COVID-19 “ruptured our sense of community. … Our hearts are broken.”
The memorial was created by the cemetery association and donated by Steve Schneider, the owner of century-old Slotnick Monuments.
“Our community has experienced a massive trauma, and we needed to provide a place to mourn and reflect,” the Jewish cemetery group’s executive director, Jamie Cotel, said in the statement. “We didn’t want to wait years to erect a memorial.”
Speaking from the cemetery at the memorial, Cotel described the cemetery’s staff as “unsung heroes” and praised them for their tireless, behind-the-scenes work to bury hundreds of people.
For Jonathan Linden, whose father died of COVID-19 in April, the virtual gathering proved comforting.
“This was a moment to simply not do anything but grieve for a little while,” Linden said. “It was lovely and beneficial.”
THE BOSTON JEWISH COMMUNITY’S MEMORIAL TO COVID-19 VICTIMS.
The
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