The Dayton Jewish Observer, April 2023

Rabbi Judy Chessin

Beth Abraham Sisterhood Women of Valor luncheon to honor area spiritual leaders

For this year's Women of Valor luncheon, Beth Abraham Synagogue Sisterhood will celebrate women who provide spiritual leadership to local Jewish congregations and make unique contributions across the Jewish and general community. The honorees are:

• Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz, Temple Israel

• Rabbi Judy Chessin, Temple Beth Or

• Courtney Cummings, Temple Israel

• Cantor Andrea Raizen, Beth Abraham Synagogue

• Mary ‘Mahira’ Rogers, Temple Beth Or

• Rabbi Tina Sobo, Temple Israel

The annual fundraiser will be held at 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 10 at Beth Abraham Synagogue, 305 Sugar Camp Cir., Oakwood. RSVP by May 1 to Beth Abraham Synagogue, at 937-293-9520.

Community celebration of Israel at 75, April 30

Israeli food, innovations, culture, music, and activities will be the highlights of the community Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration marking 75 years since Israel's independence, Sunday, April 30, 2-4 p.m. at

the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education, 525 Versailles Dr., Centerville.

The JCC will present this celebration in partnership with Beth Abraham Synagogue, Beth Jacob Congregation, Dayton

Sister Cities, Dayton Hadassah, Hillel Academy, Jewish War Veterans Post #587, Temple Beth Or, and Temple Israel. For more information, go to jewishdayton.org or call 937610-1555.

Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz, Temple Israel

Rabbi Judy Chessin, Temple Beth Or Courtney Cummings, Temple Israel

Rabbi Tina Sobo, Temple Israel

Cantor Andrea Raizen, Beth Abraham Mary ‘Mahira’ Rogers, Temple Beth Or

Kerri Strug to keynote Presidents Dinner

Madison/Contributor/Getty Images

By Lisa Keys Kveller.com

One of the most — if not the most — iconic Olympic gymnastics moments of all time was when Jewish gymnast Kerri Strug clinched the gold medal in the 1996 Olympics despite having a serious injury.

With the encouragement of her coach, Béla Károlyi, Strug continued to compete after injuring her ankle on her previous vault attempt. She vaulted again, stuck the landing — and then collapsed in pain on the mat.

In the aftermath of her feat, Strug made the rounds on talk shows, graced a box of Wheaties, and even made an appearance on Beverly Hills, 90210. Strug never competed in gymnastics again.

Strug will keynote the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton Presidents Dinner, Sunday, May 21 at 6 p.m. at the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education. She'll talk about her career and the role Judaism has played in her life.

surgeon. She has two older siblings, Kevin and Lisa. “The first to fall in love with gymnastics was Lisa, the oldest,” Strug’s official bio reads. “She started competing when she was 8 years old, before Kerri was even born. A few years later, Kerri declared that she wanted to be just like her older sister, and she was soon enrolled in a 'Mom and Tots' gymnastics class.”

Kerri Strug

At 18 years old, Strug immediately became a national hero. Strug’s decision to power through her pain and secure the gold was a huge deal at the time. Recall, if you will, that in the mid-’90s, the internet was in its infancy, there was no such thing as social media, and nobody had ever heard the term “viral video.” And yet, everyone was talking about this.

Jewish Federation’s Presidents Dinner with Kerri Strug, 6 p.m., Sunday, May 21 at the Boonshoft CJCE, 525 Versailles Dr., Centerville. Tickets are $100 each, $50 per young adult (ages 35 and under). Kashrut will be observed. Participants will be asked to make their pledges to the 2023 Jewish Federation Annual Campaign. RSVP by May 15 to jewishdayton.org/events.

Thanks to YouTube, footage of Strug’s 1996 Olympic vault is available for anyone who wants to watch it. And while her determination remains undeniably powerful, watching Strug compete despite injury feels more like a tragedy than a triumph, especially in the wake of the horrific USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal, and other reports of the abusive relationships of gymnasts and coaches, including Károlyi.

Strug has pushed back against accusations she was bullied into doing the vault by her coach.

These days, Strug is a 45-year-old Jewish mom of two kids. Here are Jewish facts to know about the Olympic icon.

1. Strug was raised in a Jewish home.

Strug grew up in Tucson, Ariz. She was raised Jewish by her parents, Melanie Barron and Burt Strug, a cardiovascular

2. Strug has described her childhood home as culturally Jewish. Her family attended services on the High Holidays but she did not have a bat mitzvah. “By the time I was 7, I was winning competitions and I had to make a choice: Go to Hebrew school or go to the gym,” Strug told the Jewish Standard in 2006.

3. She began to explore her Jewish identity after the Olympics. Strug began to explore her Jewish identity while she was in college. She attended UCLA and later transferred to Stanford University, where she earned a master’s in sociology. She has credited her Conservative Jewish boyfriend at the time with acquainting her with many aspects of Jewish tradition, including celebrating Shabbat and other Jewish holidays.

4. She officially opened the 1997 Maccabiah Games. She kicked off the multisport event, known as “the Jewish Olympics.” It was her first trip to Israel. In the opening cer-

Continued on next page

Leaning in, Mr. Herzl. BMB OMenachem OMenachem

Our destiny as a people is laid bare this month. The Jewish past, present, and future collide, with our hearts and minds on the journey from slavery to freedom, from death to life, from despair to hope, in the narratives of Passover, the Shoah, and Israel's Memorial Day and Independence Day. At its 75th year, if Israel is in an existential crisis, it is from within. Can we contemplate celebrating when the nature of Israeli democracy itself is at issue now? For those of us who love Israel, it's because of that love that we must engage in civil discourse and actions to express our support for and disagreement with the government of the Jewish state. When we vehemently disagree with government policies here in the United States, our love of the U.S. and what it stands for remain in our hearts and keep our activism alive. Wishing us all a season in which we can balance justice and mercy in pursuit of freedom and a complete peace.

Marshall Weiss

Kerri Strug after injuring her ankle at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta

Don’t give up on the dream.

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Piqua temple celebrates building's 100th

Temple Anshe Emeth in Piqua, which was established in 1858, will celebrate the centennial of its current building with an open house, Saturday, April 15, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The community is also invited to join 10 a.m. Shabbat services that day, led by Rabbinic Intern Anna Burke, with a carry-in dairy lunch to follow. The Shabbat services will also be available via Zoom.

At 1 p.m., Burke will lead the temple's annual Judaism 101 class for the public.

The Reform congregation dedicated its building, at 320 Caldwell St. in Piqua, on April 2, 1923. According to Austin Reid's A History of Jewish Life in the Upper Miami Valley, the new building cost approximately $20,000, about $350,000 in today’s dollars.

Leo M. Flesh, president of the Atlas Underwear Co., the Citizens Nation Bank, and board chairman of the Piqua Savings Bank, donated half of the funds in memory of his father, Henry Flesh, a founding member of the temple who had died in 1919.

Kerri Strug

Continued from previous page

emony, she carried an Olympic-style torch into the stadium to open the Games. That year’s Maccabiah was marred by tragedy: A bridge leading to the stadium where the opening ceremony was held collapsed, killing one athlete and injuring 48 others.

5. Strug views her athletic prowess as profoundly Jewish.

She’s proud of being Jewish, despite repeated encounters with people who express surprise at her Jewish identity. As Strug herself wrote in I Am Jewish: Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl: “I think about the attributes that helped me reach that podium: perseverance when faced with pain, years of patience and hope in an uncertain future, and a belief and devotion to something greater than myself. It makes it hard for me to believe that I did not look Jewish up there on the podium. In my mind, those are attributes that have defined Jews throughout history.”

6. She had a Jewish wedding.

In 2010, Strug married attorney Robert Fischer in a Jewish ceremony that also incorporated Christian traditions. “They’ll have a Kiddush cup and then a unity candle, so it will be special for both of them,” wedding planner Anne Bryan told People magazine. The wedding took place at Skyline Country Club in Strug’s hometown of Tucson.

As an adult, Leo M. Flesh had converted to Christianity but continued to acknowledge his Jewish lineage and support Jewish causes.

Anshe Emeth Sisterhood raised the other half of the funds — to ensure the new building was free of debt — through individual contributions, bake sales, dinners, rummage sales, and raffles.

Editor and Publisher Marshall Weiss mweiss@jfgd.net 937-610-1555

Contributors Rabbi Judy Chessin, Martin Gottlieb, Candace R. Kwiatek

Advertising Sales Executive Patty Caruso, plhc69@gmail.com

Administrative Assistant Samantha Daniel, sdaniel@jfgd.net 937-610-1555

Billing Sheila Myers, smyers@jfgd.net 937-610-1555

Proofreader Rachel Haug Gilbert Observer Advisor Martin Gottlieb

Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton Mary Rita Weissman President Dan Sweeny President Elect Marni Flagel Secretary Neil Friedman Treasurer Ben Mazer VP Personnel Teddy Goldenberg VP Resource Dev. Dr. Heath Gilbert Immediate Past Pres. Cathy Gardner CEO

— Marshall Weiss

For more information about Anshe Emeth's programs, contact Steve Shuchat at 937-726-2116 or ansheemeth@ gmail.com.

7. About that 90210 episode...

Strug made a cameo appearance on the Sept. 18, 1996 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. In the scene, Strug briefly meets Jewish character David Silver (Brian Austin Green) who, frustrated by class registration at California University, quips: “What do you have to do, win a gold medal or something?”

Oddly enough, this was a very Jewish episode of the series, which has Kelly (Jennie Garth) and David take their friend Jimmy, who is Jewish and dying of AIDS, to synagogue to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.

8. Strug is a Jewish mom.

She and her husband are the parents of two children: Tyler William, born in 2012; and Alayna Madaleine, born in 2014.

“It’s different how your perspective changes once you have a kid,”she told ESPN shortly after Tyler’s birth. “Everybody tells you it’s going to happen, but until you have one, you don’t get it.”

9. She’s an inductee in the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

In 2008, Strug was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. The total number of gymnasts to have received this honor is three: Strug; Mitch Gaylord, the first American gymnast to score a perfect 10, in the 1984 Olympics; and two-time Olympian Aly Raisman, who was inducted in 2012.

The Dayton Jewish Observer, Vol. 27, No. 8. The Dayton Jewish Observer is published monthly by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, a nonprofit corporation, 525 Versailles Dr., Dayton, OH 45459.

Views expressed by columnists, in readers’ letters, and in opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinion of staff or layleaders of The Dayton Jewish Observer or the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton. Acceptance of advertising neither endorses advertisers nor guarantees kashrut.

The Dayton Jewish Observer Mission Statement

To support, strengthen and champion the Dayton Jewish community by providing a forum and resource for Jewish community interests.

Goals • To encourage affiliation, involvement and communication.

• To provide announcements, news, opinions and analysis of local, national and international activities and issues affecting Jews and the Jewish community.

• To build community across institutional, organizational and denominational lines.

• To advance causes important to the strength of our Jewish community including support of Federation agencies, its annual campaign, synagogue affiliation, Jewish education and participation in Jewish and general community affairs.

• To provide an historic record of Dayton Jewish life.

The Dayton Jewish Observer

Sanctuary of Temple Anshe Emeth, Piqua

Temple Anshe Emeth

Humor & hope in Bible, Jewish Christian dialogue, theme of Ryterband Symposium

Smith College Jewish Studies Prof. Joel S. Kaminsky and Hartford International University President Joel N. Lohr will lead the 43rd Annual Ryterband Symposium in Judaic Studies, Thursday, March 30 at United Theological Seminary.

The symposium is cosponsored by The University of Dayton, United Theological Seminary, and Wright State University.

At 4 p.m., Kaminsky will present the lecture God Has Brought Me Laughter: Exploring Humor & Hope in the Bible

At 7:30 p.m., his talk will be Jewish/Christian Dialogue is No Joke...Or is it?, followed by Lohr's lecture, Is Christian Humor Even a Thing? What I’ve Learned from Jewish-Christian Dialogue.

Both sessions are free and open to the public. UTS is located at 4501 Denlinger Rd., Trotwood. For more information, contact UTS Prof. Anthony Le Donne at acledonne@united. edu.

Discussion with IDF veterans April 27

The Dayton Jewish Community Relations Council will host its next Community Conversation, Israel Defense Forces: Past, Present, and Future, over lunch at noon on Thursday, April 27 at Beth Abraham Synagogue. Veterans of the IDF will lead the discussion. Beth Abraham Synagogue is located at 305 Sugar Camp Cir., Oakwood.

Kosher box lunches are $18 and must be ordered in advance with event registration at jewishdayton.org/events.

J-Serve clothing drive

Dayton BBYO will sponsor a spring clothing drive for Closet Transformation, a clothing exchange for the transgender community in the Miami Valley, as part of J-Serve, International BBYO's annual day of Jewish youth service.

Through Friday, April 14, drop boxes for gently used clothing will be in place at the Boonshoft CJCE, 525 Versailles Dr., Centerville; and at Temple Israel, 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. Needed items are: T-shirts, hoodies, larger-size men's pants, new underwear, new socks, travel-size mouthwash, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Purim Roundup

Beth Abraham's shpiel, Purim According to Elvis, featured the talents of (L to R) Alan Chesen, Irwin Dumtschin, Bob Kohn, Shana Fishbein, Adam Feiner, Irene Fishbein, synagogue Business Director Elaine Arnovitz, Judy Chesen, and Diane Williams.

Beth Jacob's Rabbi Leibel Agar visited Hillel Academy dressed as Dumbledore from Harry Potter and showed students the synagogue's new Megillah scroll.

Rabbi Nochum Mangel is dressed as a High Priest at Chabad's Purim in Jerusalem event, shown here with (L to R): Josh and Dr. Miri Lader, Estee and Yosi Atzmon, and Judah, Seth, and Andy Schwartz

At Temple Israel's Wild West Purim (L to R): Music & Communications Dir. Courtney Cummings, Associate Rabbi Tina Sobo, and Senior Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz.

Children in the religious schools of Beth Abraham, Temple Beth Or, and Temple Israel, their parents and teachers share their silliest faces at Temple Beth Or for a shared Purim celebration

Temple Beth Or

Temple Israel

Chabad Hillel Academy

Beth Abraham

Community Yom Hashoah Observance evolved from survivors' bonds

First public commemoration 60 years ago at Beth Jacob Congregation

ForLinda and Steve Horenstein, their first personal experience with the Beth Abraham Synagogue cemetery was after the devastating loss of their 8-year-old son Joel in 1986. Since then, it has become a place of solace and reflection for them.

Although there was a family plot in the greater Boston area, almost 20 years later, Steve brought both his parents to Dayton to have them buried in the Beth Abraham cemetery, fulfilling their wishes to be buried alongside their beloved grandson.

Both Linda and Steve find comfort in the magnificently maintained cemetery; but understand the financial burden of perpetual care. So, they contributed to the Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Dayton campaign to ensure that all necessary funding and resources will be available to keep the cemetery a serene and tranquil place for all future families seeking the same consolation.

Happy Passover.

Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Dayton is an endowment organization created to maintain our three Jewish cemeteries in perpetuity. Please join us as we strive to maintain the sanctity, care, and integrity of these sacred burial grounds.

Preserving our Past Ensuring Our Future

daytonjewishcemeteries.org

525 Versailles Drive • Centerville, OH 45459

By Marshall Weiss, The Observer

It was 60 years ago when Holocaust survivors invited the public to the Dayton area's first community Yom Hashoah memorial service, held April 21, 1963 at Beth Jacob Congregation on Kumler Avenue.

But Holocaust educator Renate Frydman recalls that a few years before that event, survivors would join together annually in Beth Jacob's basement for a private service in memory of those they had lost in the Shoah.

Her husband, Charlie, was among them. She attended with him beginning with the first service, which she thinks may have been in 1959 or 1960.

From 1963 through 1975, the terms Yom Hashoah and Holocaust were not used in the context of the Dayton area community observance, which will be held this year on April 23 at Temple Beth Or.

It was originally framed as a memorial to commemorate the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, April 19-May 16, 1943, and "the martyrs, who gave their lives for the sanctification of God's Holy Name." And 1963 marked the 20th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

In 1951, Israel's Knesset had set the date for Yom Hashoah ve Hagevurah, the Day of Remembrance of the

The Community Yom Hashoah Observance will be held at 4 p.m., Sunday, April 23 at Temple Beth Or, 5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp. At 3 p.m., works from this year's Max and Lydia May Holocaust Art and Writing Contest will be on display, and Renate Frydman will lead a discussion with contest participants and area teens. Also at 4 p.m., during the community observance, PJ Library and PJ Our Way will host a story, craft, and snack program about how to spread kindness for children and their families. RSVP for all events with Samantha Daniel, sdaniel@jfgd.net, 937-610-1555.

Holocaust and Heroism, as 27 Nisan, with the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in mind. Yom Hashoah falls a week after the seventh day of Passover and a week before Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day. It wasn't until 1959 that the Knesset officially legislated Yom Hashoah as a national commemoration.

In the interview here, Frydman shares her recollections of Dayton's survivors and the origins of the Community Yom Hashoah Observance.

What do you remember about the survivors' first private Holocaust service in Dayton? There were just chairs and the survivors themselves. Men led the service. They didn’t all run the service. I don’t think there were more than 25, 30 people in that room. Their wives were there too in most cases. It was terribly sad. And I had already been with these people in home settings. And they would talk about specific things that happened to them during the Holocaust.

They felt the only people who can understand what they were telling were other survivors at that time. I was present because Charlie and I were married. So I listened.

That day, at the service, men were teary eyed. They tried not to show their emotions. But if they were reading a prayer or something, there was a catch in their throat. But some of the women, a few of them were wailing. And that’s a sound I can still hear.

Then, it was truly a Kaddish service. It was the pouring out of emotion of loss. It opened a wound. Now, it’s much more of a program.

The survivors who put this together in those days were young, weren’t they?

Yes. Some were in their 20s, some were in their 30s. But they were still very lively when it was a happy occasion. They would dance and sing. But for this, it was

‘Judaism teaches us that the highest obligation of the living is to take care of our deceased.’

— Linda & Steve Horenstein

Renate Frydman

Collection of Renate Frydman/JFGD

A citizenship ceremony scene in an original play with songs and dance, Our Story, performed by Holocaust survivors, Oct. 28, 1951 at Temple Israel on Salem Avenue (L to R): Play director Leon Unger as the judge, with Henry Eckstein, Morris Gordon, Edith Akerman, Sam Heider, Charles Frydman, John Kneller.

strictly mourning. And you felt it. It was really small compared to nowadays, when we had about 300, 400 before Covid. We mostly all knew each other. Some had lost whole families previously in the Holocaust. And some had remarried after the war. This was a very small nucleus of Polish survivors.

It was mostly Beth Jacob members?

Yes, definitely. Because most of them belonged to Beth Jacob as soon as they got here. Rabbi Sam Fox was there (at the first Yom Hashoah service) because he was very supportive of the survivors from the beginning. And they all clung to him. We belonged to Beth Abraham because of my parents. But we went to Beth Jacob a lot. The survivors had their own club, they had their own meetings, sometimes they had happy occasions.

What was the name of their club?

The Jewish New Americans Society of Dayton. And there were dues. It was $5. I have the box with all their names. It was very male oriented, although the women attended things. The men ran this whole thing. We called them “The Boys." And once in a while they had a dance at Beth Jacob in the social hall, and they had some survivors like Jack Bomstein and his father who played instruments. They had groups from Cincinnati come. There were interchanges among the Cincinnati and Day-

ton survivors for years. Almost all of the socialization centered around the survivors — and their families, eventually.

Why did they formally organize?

It was a brotherhood. They were trying to be like other people at that point. They wanted to be a group. It took a long time till American Jews, any of them, mingled with them socially or in any other ways. Maybe in the synagogues during prayer services they did. They wouldn’t have excluded them. But it took time. It took a lot of time for them to feel like part of society again. They tried really hard.

And in 1951, they put on a show at the old Temple Israel. There were only survivors in the show, with a story about them coming over. They had a scene on the ship, and then they had entertainment. A survivor and daughter did a ballet dance. They invited the general community.

They clung together, those who had shared the same experience. I think that’s the human thing. That you try to find people who understand your pain.

They didn’t all get along, believe me. The ones from the bigger cities in Poland were a little bit like they were better than the ones who came from out in the country. I didn’t want to be part of that.

For a long time, Americans weren’t really interested in hearing what they had gone through. They didn’t want to hear the stories because it was too much for them. And the older people maybe felt a little guilt.

The survivors were not any more open to other people than other people

were open to them for a while. I think it was just defensiveness. The miracle is that they had the resilience to live again at all. To have families after all they had seen. To be a responsible part of our community. Of any community. Because they had been so degraded for being Jews. And then they had lost everything. And still to be able to come back from all of that. That slow revival of spirit that they found. Not all of them did well emotionally. Some didn’t have families. But they all became part of the community eventually.

Collection of Renate Frydman/JFGD

Women in the New Americans group prepared European delicacies for the reception after the play, Oct. 28, 1951 at Temple Israel. The survivors hosted the play and party for the entire Jewish community. Event chair Carmen Appel, mother of Renate Frydman, said at the time it was the New Americans' way of 'expressing to the Jewish community of Dayton our gratitude for the help they have given us in starting a new life in this community.'

Gili Yaari Flash90

HAPPY PASSOVER!

This year and always, may your cup overflow with happiness and prosperity.

Congregational Second Seder Thursday, April 6 at 6:00PM Seating may still be available.

$36/adult, $20/child, ages 3-11 Call Temple for more details.

APRIL SPEAKERS

By Deborah Danan March, JTA TEL AVIV — When Daniel Schleider and his wife, Lior, leave Israel in April, it will be for good — and with a heavy heart.

“I have no doubt I will have tears in my eyes the whole flight.” said Schleider, who was born in Mexico and lived in Israel for a time as a child before returning on his own at 18. Describing himself as “deeply Zionist,” he served in a combat unit in the Israeli army, married an Israeli woman, and built a career in an Israeli company.

Yet as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power, assembled a coalition that includes far-right parties, and started pushing changes

that would erode hallmarks of Israeli democracy, Schleider found himself booking plane tickets and locating an apartment in Barcelona. Spain’s language and low cost of living made the city a good fit, he said, but the real attraction was living in a place where he wouldn’t constantly have to face down the ways that Israel is changing.

Israel’s strength over its 75 years, Schleider said, is “the economy we built by selling our brains. And yet, in less than half a year, we’ve managed to destroy all that.”

Schleider has been joining the sweeping protests that have taken root across the country in response to the new right-wing government and its effort to

April 16

Dr. Shashank Sarvepalli Kettering Health

Trust Your Gut: Tools for Avoiding Gastrointestinal Cancers

April 23

Radha Konar-White

From Hinduism to Judaism, Radha’s 32 Year Journey

April 30

Rabbi Karen BodneyHalasz & Israel trip participants

The Dorothee and Louis Ryterband Lecture Series includes a light breakfast of bagels, schmear, coffee, and tea. Brunch begins at 9:45AM and the speakers start their presentations at 10:15AM.

Cost is $7 per person.

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Alarmed by their country’s political direction, more Israelis seek to move abroad

strip the Israeli judiciary of much of its power and independence. But while he considered recommitting to his country and fighting the changes rather than fleeing over them, he also accepts the government’s argument that most Israelis voted for something he doesn’t believe in.

“I have a lot of internal conflict,” he said about the protests. “Who am I to fight against what the majority has accepted?”

Schleider is far from alone in seeking to leave Israel this year. While Israelis have always moved abroad for various reasons, including business opportunities or to gain experience in particular fields, the pace of planned departures appears to be picking up.

No longer considered a form of social betrayal, emigration — known in Hebrew as yerida, meaning descent — is on the table for a wide swath of Israelis right now.

Many of the people weighing emigration were already thinking about it but were catalyzed by the new government, according to accounts from dozens of people in various stages of emigration and of organizations that seek to aid them.

“I’ve already been on the fence for a few years — not in terms of leaving Israel but in terms of relocating for something new,” said Schleider.

“But in the past year, with all the craziness and everything, I realized where the country was going. And after the recent elections, my wife — who had been unconvinced — was the one who took the step and said now she understood where the public is going and what life is going to be like in the country. You could call it the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said.

“And then when the whole issue of the (judicial) revolution started, we just decided not to wait and to do it immediately.”

Ocean Relocation, which assists people with both immigration to and emigration from Israel, has received more than 100 inquiries a day from people looking to leave since Justice Minister Yariv Levin first presented his proposal for judicial reform back in January. That’s four times the rate of inquiries

They include families pushed to leave by the political situation; those investing in real estate abroad as a future shelter, if needed; and Israelis who can work remotely and are worried about the country’s upheaval.

Economics are also a concern: With foreign investors issuing dire warnings about Israel’s economy if the judicial reforms go through, companies wary to invest in the country and the shekel already weakening, it could grow more expensive to leave in the future.

the organization received last year, according to senior manager Shay Obazanek.

“Never in history has there been this level of demand,” Obazanek said, citing the company’s 80 years’ experience as the barometer of movement in and out the country.

Shlomit Drenger, who leads Ocean Relocation’s business development, said those looking to leave come from all walks of life.

The most common destination for the new departures, Drenger said, is Europe, representing 70% of moves, compared to 40% in the recent past. Europe’s draws include its convenient time zones, quality-of-life indices, and chiefly, the relative ease in recent years of obtaining foreign passports in countries such as Portugal, Poland and even Morocco.

Many Israelis have roots in those countries and are or have been entitled to citizenship today because their family members were forced to leave under duress during the Holocaust or the Spanish Inquisition. Continued on Page 12

Daniel Schleider and his wife, Lior, are leaving Israel for Barcelona because of the political instability in their country.

Temple Beth Or Second Seder

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Israelis around the world before deciding where to settle.

Continued from Page 11

On the other hand, Drenger said, emigration to the United States, where the vast majority of the 1 million Israeli citizens abroad live, has declined significantly.

The United States is known for its tough immigration laws and high cost of living in areas with large Israeli and Jewish communities, and even people who have no rights to a foreign passport have an easier time obtaining residency rights in Europe than the United States.

Some Israelis aren’t picking anywhere in particular before leaving. Ofer Stern, 40, quit his job as a tech developer, left Israel, and is now traveling

“We’re living in a democracy and that democracy is dependent on demography and I can’t fight it,” he said, alluding to the fact that Orthodox Jews, who tend to be right wing, are the fastest-growing segment of the Israeli population. “The country that I love and that I’ve always loved will not be here in 10 years. Instead, it will be a country that is suited to other people, but not for me.”

While others have already started their emigration process, American-born Marni Mandell, a mother of two living in Tel Aviv, is still on the fence. Her greatest fear is that judicial reforms could open the door to significant changes in civil rights protections — and in so doing, break her contract with the country she chose.

“If this so-called ‘reform’ is enacted, which is really tantamount to a coup, it’s hard to imagine that I want my children to grow up to fight in an army whose particularism outweighs the basic human rights that are so fundamental to my values,” Mandell said.

Most people who look into emigrating for political reasons do not end up doing so. In the weeks leading up to the United States’ 2020 presidential election, inquiries to law firms specializing in helping Americans move abroad saw a sharp uptick in inquiries — many of them from Jews fearful about a second Trump administration after then-President Donald Trump declined to unequivocally condemn white supremacists. When President Joe Biden was elected, they largely called off the alarm.

The Trump scenario is not analogous with the Israeli one for several reasons, starting with the fact that the Israelis are responding to an elected government’s policy decisions, not just the prospect of an election result.

What’s more, U.S. law contains safeguards designed to prevent any single party or leader from gaining absolute power. Israel has fewer of those safeguards, and many of those appear threatened if the government’s proposals go through.

Casandra Larenas had long courted the idea of moving overseas. “As a childfree person, Israel doesn’t have much

'Never in history has there been this level of demand.'

to offer and is a really expensive country. I’ve traveled around so I know the quality of life I can reach abroad,” she said. But she said she had always batted away the idea: “I’m still Jewish and my family are still here.”

That all changed with the judicial overhaul, she said. While not against the idea of a reform per se, Laranes is firmly opposed to the way it is being carried out, saying it totally disregards the millions of people on the other side. Chilean-born, Laranes grew up under Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship.

“I still remember (it) and I don’t want something like that again,” said Larenas, who has purchased a plane ticket for later this spring and plans to take up residency abroad — though she said she would maintain her citizenship and hoped to return one day.

The departure of liberal and moderate Israelis could have implications on Israel’s political future. Israel does not permit its citizens to vote absentee, meaning that anyone who leaves the country must incur costly, potentially frequent travel to participate in elections — or cede political input altogether.

Benjamin-Michael Aronov, who grew up with Russian parents in the United States, said he was taken aback by how frequently Israelis express shock that he moved to Israel in the first place.

“The No. 1 question I get from Israelis is, ‘Why would you move here from the U.S.? We’re all trying to get out of here. There’s no future here.'”

He said he had come to realize that they were right.

“I thought the warnings

were something that would truly impact our children or grandchildren but that our lifetime would be spent in an Israeli high-tech, secular golden era. But I’m realizing the longevity of Tel Aviv’s bubble of beaches and parties and crazysmart, secular people changing the world with technology is maybe even more a fantasy now than when Herzl dreamt it,” Aronov said. “I found my perfect home, a Jewish home, sadly being undone by Jews.”

Not everyone choosing to

jump ship is ideologically aligned with the protest movement. Amir Cohen, who asked to use a pseudonym because he has not informed his employers of his plans yet, is a computer science lecturer at Ariel University in the West Bank who voted in the last election for the Otzma Yehudit party chaired by far-right provocateur Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Cohen was willing to put aside his ideological differences with the Haredi Orthodox

Continued on Page 14

Ralph E. Heyman Edward M. Kress Lisa S. Pierce Philip A. Zukowsky

Clockwise from upper L: Benjamin-Michael Aronov, Casandra Larenas, and Ofer Stern are all leaving Israel because of political unrest there.

Passover is observed from April 5 at sundown through April 13.

Happy Passover

R&C Firearms Training

Israelis

Continued from Page 13

parties if it meant achieving political stability — but was soon disillusioned.

“None of it is working. And now we’re on our way to civil war, it’s that simple. I figured, ‘I don’t need this nonsense, there are plenty of places in the world for me to go,’” he said.

Cohen stuck with the country after one of his brothers was killed in the 2014 Gaza War. Now, he said, his other brothers have recently followed his lead and applied for Hungarian passports in an effort to find a way to move abroad permanently.

“I’m not alone,” he said. “Most of my friends and family feel the same way.”

Others still, like Omer Mizrahi, view themselves as apolitical. A contractor from Jerusalem, Mizrahi, 27, headed to San Diego a month ago as a result of the reform. Mizrahi, who eschewed casting a vote in the last election, expressed a less common impetus for leaving: actual fear for his life.

Mizrahi described sitting in traffic jams in Jerusalem and realizing that if a terror attack were to unfold — “and let’s be honest, there are at least one or two every week” — he wouldn’t be able to escape in time because he was caught in a gridlock.

“Our politicians can’t do anything about it because they’re too embroiled in a war of egos.”

Now 7,500 miles away, Mizrahi says he feels like he’s finally living life. “I sit in traffic now and I’m happy as a clam.

Everything’s calm.”

Back in Israel, Schleider is making his final preparations for leaving, advertising his Tesla for sale on Facebook this week. He remains hopeful that the massive anti-government protests will make a difference. In the meantime, though, his one-way ticket is scheduled for April 14.

“I dream of coming back, but I don’t know that it will ever happen,” he said. “We made a decision that was self-serving, but that doesn’t mean we’re any less Zionist.”

Israelis protesting against the government’s controversial judicial reform bill block the main road leading to the departures area of Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on March 9.

Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images

Classes

Beth Abraham Classes: Mondays, noon: Lifelong Learning w. Rabbi Glazer. 305 Sugar Camp Cir., Oakwood. 937-2939520.

Beth Jacob Classes: Tuesdays, 7 p.m.: Torah Tuesdays on Zoom w. Rabbi Agar. Thurs., Apr. 20, 27, 7 p.m.: Thursdays of Thought — Jewish Thought, Halacha, & Holidays on Zoom w. Rabbi Agar. 937-274-2149.

Chabad Classes: Wednesdays, 7 p.m.: Talmud Class in person. Thursdays, noon: Lunch & Learn on Zoom. Fridays, 9:30 a.m.: Women’s Class in person. 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood. Register at chabaddayton.com. 937-6430770.

Temple Beth Or Adult Classes: Sundays, 12:30 p.m.: Adult Hebrew. Mon., Apr. 3, 10 a.m.: Apocryphal Study on Zoom. 937-435-3400. 5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp.

Temple Israel Classes: Tues., April 11, 18, 25, noon: Talmud Study, in person & virtual. Weds., Apr. 5, 19, 26, 10 a.m.: Social Justice Commentary w. Rabbi Bodney-Halasz at home of Cathy Lieberman. Saturdays, 9:15 a.m.: Virtual Torah Study. 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. tidayton.org, 937-4960050.

Family

Temple Israel Prayer & Play: Sat., Apr. 15, 10 a.m. Infants2nd grade. Contact Rabbi Sobo, educator@tidayton.org. 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. 937496-0050.

PJ Library & PJ Our Way, Spreading Kindness: Sun., Apr. 23, 4 p.m. Story, craft, snack. For info., call Samantha Daniel, 937-610-1555. At Temple Beth Or, 5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp.

Children & Teens

Chabad Kids Club Pesach World Records: Sun., Apr. 2, 4 p.m. Free. Ages 5-12. Optional dinner following. RSVP at chabaddayton.com/ckids. 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood. 937643-0770.

CALENDAR

Jewish Youth Group, JServe, A Day of Service: Sun., Apr. 16, 10 a.m. Grades 6-12 at Closet Transformation. Register at jewishdayton.org/ events or call 937-610-1555.

Men

Chabad Bagels, Lox & Tefillin: Sun., Apr. 2, 9:30 a.m. 937-643-0770. 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood.

Passover

Chabad Community Pesach

Seder: Wed., Apr. 5, 7:15 p.m. $36 adult, $20 child. RSVP to rabbilevi@chabaddayton.com or 937-643-0770. 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood.

Temple Israel Second Seder: Thurs., Apr. 6, 6 p.m. $36 adults, $20 ages 3-12. RSVP by March 27 to 937-496-0050.

130 Riverside Dr., Dayton.

Temple Beth Or Second Seder: Thurs., Apr. 6, 6:30 p.m. $36 adults, $25 children. RSVP templebethor.com/ events or call 937-435-3400.

5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp.

Community

43rd Annual Ryterband Symposium in Judaic Studies: Thurs., Mar. 30. 4 p.m.: Smith College Jewish Studies Prof. Joel S. Kaminsky, God Has Brought Me Laughter: Exploring Humor & Hope in the Bible.

7:30 p.m.: Prof. Kaminsky, Jewish/Christian Dialogue is No Joke...Or is it? Followed by Hartford Intl. Univ. Pres. Joel N. Lohr, Is Christian Humor Even a Thing? What I’ve Learned from Jewish-Christian Dialogue. Free. For info., contact UTS Prof. Anthony Le Donne at acledonne@united.edu. United Theological Seminary, 4501 Denlinger Rd., Trotwood.

Temple Anshe Emeth Building Centennial Celebration: Sat., Apr. 15. 10 a.m: Shabbat services. Noon: Carry-in

dairy lunch. 1 p.m.: Judaism 101 Class w. Rabbinic Intern Burke. 2:30 p.m.: Open house. For more info., contact Steve Shuchat, 937-726-2116 or ansheemeth@gmail.com. 320 Caldwell St., Piqua.

Temple Israel Ryterband Brunch & Lecture Series: Sundays, 9:45 a.m. $7. Apr. 16: Kettering Health's Dr. Shashank Sarvepalli, Trust Your Gut-Tools for Avoiding Gastrointestinal Cancers. Apr. 23: Radha Konar-White, founder, Promised Land Children’s Charitable Trust, From Hinduism to Judaism, Radha’s 32Year Journey. Apr. 30: Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz, A View From Israel. 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. 937-496-0050.

Community Yom Hashoah Observance: Sun., Apr. 23, 4 p.m. Works from Max & Lydia May Holocaust Art & Writing Contest on display beginning 3 p.m. Program for teens at 3 p.m. For info., call Samantha Daniel, 937-610-1555. At Temple Beth Or, 5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp.

Jewish Community Relations Council Community Lunch Conversation: IDF: Past, Present, Future: Thurs., Apr. 27, noon. Kosher box lunch $18. Order in advance at jewishdayton.org/events. At Beth Abraham Synagogue, 305 Sugar Camp Cir., Oakwood.

Temple Beth Or Art on the Lot: Sun., Apr. 30, 11:20 a.m Free. Contact Ruth Schumacher, ruth.schumacher@wright. edu. 5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp. 937-435-3400.

Israel @ 75 Yom Ha'atzmaut Celebration: Sun., Apr. 30, 2 p.m. Free. Boonshoft CJCE, 525 Versailles Dr., Centerville. RSVP to jewishdayton.org/ events or call 937-610-1555.

Israel is still a free country – but now with a warning sign

Assaf Shapira, Times of Israel

In its annual index, published on March 9, 2023, Freedom House gave Israel a score of 77 out of 100 and the designation “free.” This refers, of course, to 2022, and thus does not reflect the current “reform” project, which is almost certain to lower that score. The report’s editors stated this explicitly: “the new government’s agenda posed a direct threat to judicial independence and other democratic principles, as well as to the basic rights of Palestinians.”

The Freedom House Index is one of the prominent international measures of the degree of freedom or democracy in countries around the world, along with V-Dem and The Economist’s Democracy Index. Although there are many differences in these studies’ methodologies and their results, ultimately, they paint much the same picture, including with regard to Israel.

To begin with, they all reflect a broad concept of democracy and pose questions that refer not only to the existence of competitive elections – a criterion for democracy in the narrow sense as well – but also to many other aspects: The protection of individual rights (such as equality, property, freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom of religion), the rule of law, free media, independent universities, government transparency, the struggle against institutional corruption, freedom of activity for human rights organizations, and of course – an independent judiciary.

The Freedom House Index, for example, is based on 25 questions that fall into two categories, “political rights” and “civil liberties.” Sixty out of one hundred points are allocated to the questions on civil liberties – that is, democracy in the broad sense. The Economist’s index also defines civil liberties as a core aspect of democracy, while V-Dem distinguishes electoral democracies from liberal democracies.

This is an important point. It is sometimes asserted that terms such as “liberal democracy” and “substantive democracy” were coined by Israeli jurists to serve as antidemocratic ammunition against the principle of majority rule, in order to preserve the power of the old elites. But leaving aside the sociological argument, these international indexes clearly demonstrate that the idea that democracy is mainly or entirely majority rule is not accepted in the world.

The common view is that democracy is expressed also – and perhaps chiefly – in adherence to values such as equality, protection of individual rights, strong and independent law-enforcement agencies, and a system of checks and balances.

It is important to emphasize: Each of these principles are important in their own right, but also – because they are a prerequisite for democratic elections. For example, it should be obvious, that if a majority currently in power limits the minority’s freedom of expression, the next election will not be truly democratic.

In the Israeli context, it is clear that we will no longer have democracy, even in the narrow sense, without a strong and independent Supreme Court that protects the rights of Arab parties and candidates to

run for office. Without the Court, the coalition, thanks to its control of the Central Elections Committee, could disqualify parties and candidates as it sees fit.

A not-really-liberal democracy

Second, in all the indexes, Israel ranks at the bottom of the list of liberal democracies or at the top of the list of the not-really-liberal democracies. Freedom House gives it a score of 77 and “free.” While it is not really close to falling into the group of “partially free” states – Hungary, India, Mexico, Serbia, the Philippines, Georgia, Tunisia, Armenia, Singapore, Lebanon, and Pakistan, to name a few, it could be added to that list if, for example, it lost five points on questions about political rights.

All the same, today it is very far behind the 43 countries and territories with a score of 90 or more – which includes not only long-established western democracies but also countries in Latin America (Uruguay, Chile, and Costa Rica), East Asia (Japan and Taiwan), and Eastern Europe (Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Slovakia). The Economist’s index defines Israel as a “flawed democracy,” but with a score of 7.93 that is only slightly below the 8.0 that would make it a “full democracy.” V-Dem sees Israel as a liberal democracy, but uncomfortably close to the line between liberal and merely electoral democracies.

This finding should not surprise us. We are well aware that Israeli democracy is far from perfect. There should be no doubt: In light of the circumstances, the very fact that Israel is a liberal democracy or a free country – or at least almost so – is an incredible achievement, bordering on a miracle. Along with this, however, Israeli democracy is indeed flawed in many respects: ranging from the religion and state relationship, through equality and freedom of expression, and concluding with the status of the Arab minority (and we haven’t yet mentioned the occupied territories, which all these indexes do not relate to). When it comes to democracy, our starting point is already problematic, even before the planned “reform.”

The proposed reforms would be even more harmful to Israeli democracy. It is difficult to estimate just how many points Israel would lose on the international indexes; that depends on the specific reforms that would be imposed, their actual ramifications, and whether the authors of the indexes would be severe or lenient in their judgment of Israel. But we can certainly wager, that on several questions, Israel’s Freedom House score would be lowered.

These begin with the independence of the judiciary, on which Israel currently receives the maximum score – 4 points out of 4. But if the current proposals are enacted, the status and independence of judges and

ministry legal advisors will be dealt a lethal blow, and there is no doubt that Israel’s score would plummet.

The same can be anticipated for the question on due legal process. According to the directions in the index, this requires full independence of all those involved –judges, prosecutors, and police. The proposed reforms would undermine not only the independence of judges, but also that of prosecutors and the police (in part as a result of the “Ben-Gvir Law,” which would subordinate the police to the minister of National Security, and of another law that would alter the status of the Police Investigation Division).

Another question on which Israel could suffer relates to efforts to combat official corruption. There is no shortage of problems here: The Deri Law that would permit convicted felons to serve in the government, the Gifts Law that would allow elected officials to receive contributions from the public to help defray their legal and medical expenses, the difficulty of enforcing Netanyahu’s conflict-of-interest arrangement, and, more generally, the attacks on law-enforcement personnel that deter them from conducting additional investigations of government corruption.

Not an academic exercise

But all this is the rosy picture. The gloomier prospect, which includes bills that were submitted but not yet advanced and clauses in the coalition agreements, would undermine freedom of the media, academic and educational freedom, labor unions, human rights organizations, religious freedom, and more. Each of those is an important component of democracy and is allotted its own four-point question by Freedom House.

The worst-case scenario – the abolition of the High Court’s ability to protect fundamental democratic rights such as freedom of association, and even the right to vote and be elected – would do such severe damage, that it would no longer be possible to view Israel as a democracy.

The idea that democracy goes far beyond elections is not an Israeli invention. This is the concept of democracy prevailing all over the world. Countries subscribing to a narrower definition of democracy have discovered that the world refuses to go along. Within 10 years, Poland has lost points on the Freedom House index; Hungary, 22.

In some international indexes, Israel has already been losing ground in recent years. In the Freedom House Index for 2017 its score was 80, and this fell to 76 a year ago, and 77 this year (the rise was thanks to the improvement in the security situation in 2022, after Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021).

There was a similar decline in its ranking by V-Dem (but not by the Economist). We are still very far from the plunges recorded by Poland and Hungary, but the reforms being advanced by the coalition are liable to move us in that direction.

It is important to understand that this is not an academic exercise. A retreat from democracy would impact every aspect of our lives – the economy (a drop in the country’s credit rating and in foreign investment), the IDF (exposure of soldiers and senior officers to criminal prosecution abroad), and the rights each and every one of us is entitled to enjoy, but especially members of vulnerable groups – Arabs and women. It would make Israel a much worse place to live.

Assaf Shapira is a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute’s Center for Governance and the Economy.

The idea that democracy goes far beyond elections is not an Israeli invention. This is the concept of democracy prevailing all over the world.

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir

Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Connect with us! Check out our events. For more information, see our calendar at jewishdayton.org

9101112131415

SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 10AM–3PM

J-Serve: A Day of Service for Jewish Youth

SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 3–5PM Yom Hashoah Observance: Resilience and Strength

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Israel Defense Forces

EDUCATE-ADVOCATE-ACT

JCRC Community Conversations

PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

THURSDAY, APRIL 27 NOON-1PM

Beth Abraham Synagogue

305 Sugar Camp Circle, Oakwood 45409

Join us for a discussion with veteran soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces.

RSVP online for event and kosher boxed lunches ($18 each) at jewishdayton.org

THURSDAY, APRIL 27, NOON–1PM

Community Conversation- Israel Defense Forces: Past, Present and Future

SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2–5PM Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel @75

SUNDAY, MAY 21, 5–8PM

SAVE THE DATE: PRESIDENTS DINNER

JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

April 2023

JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

YOM HASHOAH OBSERVANCE

& RESILIENCE STRENGTH

SUNDAY, APRIL 23

Programming begins at 3PM See details below Temple Beth Or, 5275 Marshall Road, Washington Township 45429

Children, teens, adults. Please join us!

3PM

Teen Program

Holocaust Educator Renate Frydman leads an interactive discussion with with contest participants and teens in our community. All teenagers are invited

Max and Lydia May Holocaust Art & Writing Contest on display.

EXPERIENCE ISRAEL

like never before

Admission is FREE! Experience Israeli food, innovations, culture, music, activities, and fun for ALL AGES!

Yom Ha’atzmaut

SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2–5PM

Boonshoft CJCE, 525 Versailles Drive, Centerville

RSVP by Friday, April 21 at jewishdayton.org/events

The JCC of Greater Dayton in partnership with: Beth Abraham Synagogue, Beth Jacob Congregation, Dayton Sister Cities, Hadassah, Hillel Academy, Jewish War Veterans, Temple Beth Or, and Temple Israel.

4PM

Community Yom Hashoah Observance

Presentation of contest winners and reflections from a panel of some of our local Holocaust survivors

PJ Library and PJ Our Way Program, Spreading Kindness Join us for a story, craft and snack as we discuss kindness in a separate program just for youth.

This program is proudly supported by the Israel Engagement Fund: A JCC Association of North America Program Accelerator, and the Dayton Sister City Committee.

Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Israel’s Independence

April 2023

JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

JUNE 5 – JULY 28

Camp Shalom is planning a summer full of excitement! We are o ering a variety of specialty camps including tennis, golf, magic, art and theatre We have field trips planned to fun destinations throughout the Miami Valley. And we’ll celebrate Israel’s 75th birthday!

Jubano Jazz

CONCERT

SUNDAY, MAY 7 FROM 2-4PM

Cline Elementary School Auditorium

99 Virginia Ave, Washington Township 45458

Open to all. $10 Adult, $5 Child 15 & under

KLEZMER COMPANY JAZZ ORCHESTRA

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Accordionist and arranger Aaron Kula and Trumpeter/Arranger Chaim Rubinov will fly in from Florida for performances with Dayton’s own Flying Klezmerians for a mix of Latin rhythms and Klezmer melodies.

Donategentlyusedclothing(noripsorstains)atdropboxes atTempleIsraelortheCJCEby4/14.

See jewishdayton.org for more information. Register at app.campdoc.com/register/ jccgreaterdayton

Do you know someone 16 or older who is looking for a meaningful, challenging and FUN summer work experience?

Register at jewishdayton.org.

Teenvolunteerswillsortdonationson4/16at1:30

NEEDEDITEMS:

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These programs are made possible by a Jewish Federation Innovation grant.

Aclothingexchange affirmingthetransgender communityoftheMiamiValley.

T-shirts hoodies

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larger size men's pants

Camp Shalom is hiring summer sta ! Interested candidates should contact Meryl Hattenbach at mhattenbach@jfgd.net or 937-401-1550 for instructions on how to apply.

new underwear/socks

travel size mouthwash

atTempleIsraelortheCJCEby4/14.

shampoo/conditioner

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Spring Clothing Drive FOR CLOSET TRANSFORMATION

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Donate gently used clothing (no rips or stains) at drop boxes at Temple Israel or the Boonshoft CJCE by FRIDAY, APRIL 14

Teen volunteers will sort donations on SUNDAY, APRIL 16 at 1:30PM

NEEDED ITEMS:

underwear/socks

mouthwash

shampoo/conditioner

T-shirts

hoodies

Aclothingexchange affirmingthetransgender communityoftheMiamiValley.

Donategentlyusedclothing(noripsorstains)atdropboxes atTempleIsraelortheCJCEby4/14.

Teenvolunteerswillsortdonationson4/16at1:30

NEEDEDITEMS:

Teenvolunteerswillsortdonationson4/16at1:30 men's pants

larger size men's pants

new underwear/socks

travel size mouthwash

shampoo/conditioner

toothbrushes/toothpaste

toothbrushes/toothpaste

J-SERVE2023

TEEN VOLUNTEERS WILL TEEN VOLUNTEERS WILL TEENVOLUNTEERSWILL SORT DONATIONS ON SORT DONATIONS ON SORTDONATIONSON

SUNDAY 4/16 AT 1:30. SUNDAY 4/16 AT 1:30. SUNDAY4/16AT1:30.

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CLOSET TRANSFORMATION IS A CLOTHING EXCHANGE AFFIRMING THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY OF THE MIAMI VALLEY.

JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

L e gacie s, Tribute s, & Memorials

FEDERATION

JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER DAYTON ENDOWMENT FUND

› Wishing A Speedy Recovery to Bob Bernstein

› Wishing A Speedy Recovery to Don Zulanch

Barbara and Jim Weprin

ADDISON CARUSO B’NAI TZEDEK YOUTH PHILANTHROPY FOUNDATION

› In Memory of Sheila Wagenfeld

Donna Holt

FILM FESTIVAL

› In Memory of Jim Levinson

Louisa and Phil Dreety

LINDA RUCHMAN MEMORIAL FUND

› In Memory of Sheila Wagenfeld

Marshall and Judy Ruchman

Kate was born and raised in Sidney, Ohio. She is a graduate of Wright State University and has lived in Montgomery County since college. Kate is a licensed social worker (LSW) and previously worked in mental health settings for 19 years. Prior to that, she worked in schools and drug/alc ohol treatment settings.

Kate and her husband have an adult son and two four-legged fur babies. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, attending live music events, and even skydiving! Kate is excited to start her new position as JFS Social Worker and support our community.

Sincerely,

Tara Feiner Senior Director, Jewish Family Services

JCC’s A Night In Vegas

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Mazel tov to the very talented and hard-working cast of Newsies Jr.!

They performed three shows in front of an audience of 400+!

Holocaust educator Renate Frydman and Adriane Miller, executive director of the National Conference for Community and Justice of Greater Dayton, will be honored as League of Women Voters' 2023 Dangerous Dames of Dayton. Also being honored is Kaukab Husain, Muslim Sisterhood of Dayton founder and a director of Muslim youth outreach. The League of Women Voters came up with the term dangerous dames in honor of the Dayton suffragists who marched and protested on the streets and were deemed “dangerous to polite society.” Those suffragists founded Dayton's LWV in 1920. This year's Dangerous Dames will receive their awards at a dinner in their honor, April 25 at NCR Country Club.

Dr. Joel Vandersluis has been selected as a Dayton Business Journal 2023 Health Care Hero. The award honors those who have made an impact on health care through their concern for patients, their research and inventions, management skills, innovative programs for employees, service to the disad-

vantaged and uninsured, and community engagement. He'll receive the award at the Dayton Business Journal's Annual Health Care Heroes Luncheon, April 27, also at NCR Country Club.

Dayton Jewish Community Relations Council Senior Director Chen Shterenbach was sworn in as a member of the Welcome Dayton Committee in March by Regina Blackshear, clerk of the Dayton City Commission. The Welcome Dayton Committee provides guidance to the Dayton City Commission to achieve the goal of becoming an immigrant-friendly city. It facilitates and supports community goals and projects that promote the integration of immigrants into the greater Dayton community. Committee members collaborate with businesses, community organizations, government agencies, and immigrant groups to make Dayton welcoming for new residents, revitalize city neighborhoods, promote economic development, and enrich the city with cultural diversity.

Four teens represented the

Dayton area at BBYO's International Convention in Dallas in February: Alli, Bri, and Cay Becker, and Maddie Perry. With the theme #Now IsOurTime, the convention included visits from former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett; Doug Emhoff, second gentleman of the United States; and the national touring cast of Hamilton

Send your Mazel Tov announcements to mweiss@jfgd.net.

Robert M. Rosensweet will be called to the Torah on April 1 at Rockdale Temple in Cincinnati. Rob is a seventh grader at Sycamore Junior High School. In addition to being a great student, Rob is also involved in the International Club. Rob attended Rockwern Academy from preschool to sixth grade. During the summer, Rob attends Camp Livingston. Rob also enjoys a good game of Jeopardy, Pokémon or a video game. When he grows up, Rob wants to be either a paleontologist, as he has had a lifelong love of all things dinosaur, or a Hollywood film director like his heroes Steven Spielberg or George Lucas. For his bar mitzvah project, Rob has chosen Circle Tail, which trains dogs to be service and emotional support animals. One of Circle Tail’s favorite ambassadors works regularly at Camp Livingston, and Rob cannot wait to help support them on their mission. Rob is the son of Matthew and Renee Rosensweet, the brother of Morgen, Lydia, and Isaac. He is the grandson of Judi Rosensweet, and the late Robert M. Rosensweet who he is named for.

At the BBYO convention in Dallas (L to R): Alli Becker, Maddie Perry, Bri Becker, and Cay Becker.

Robert M. Rosensweet

Regina Blackshear welcomes Chen Shterenbach to Welcome Dayton.

CONGREGATIONS

Beth Abraham Synagogue

Conservative

Rabbi Aubrey L. Glazer

Cantor/Dir. of Ed. & Programming

Andrea Raizen

Fridays, 5 p.m.

Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.

305 Sugar Camp Circle, Oakwood. 937-293-9520. bethabrahamdayton.org

Beth Jacob Congregation

Traditional

Rabbi Leibel Agar

Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. Evening minyans upon request.

7020 N. Main St., Dayton. 937-274-2149. bethjacobcong.org

Temple Anshe Emeth

Reform

Rabbinic Intern Anna Burke

Sat., April 15, 10 a.m. 320 Caldwell St., Piqua.

Contact Steve Shuchat, 937-7262116, ansheemeth@gmail.com. ansheemeth.org

Temple Beth Or

Reform

Fridays, 6:30 p.m.

Rabbi Judy Chessin

Asst. Rabbi/Educator Ben Azriel 5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp. 937-435-3400. templebethor.com

Temple Beth Sholom

Reform

Rabbi Haviva Horvitz

610 Gladys Dr., Middletown. 513-422-8313. templebethsholom.net

Temple Israel

Reform

Senior Rabbi Karen BodneyHalasz Rabbi/Educator Tina Sobo

Fri., April 7, 6 p.m.

Fridays, April 14, 21, 28, 6:30 p.m. 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. 937-496-0050. tidayton.org

Temple Sholom

Reform

Rabbi Cary Kozberg 2424 N. Limestone St., Springfield. 937-399-1231. templesholomoh.com

ADDITIONAL SERVICES

Chabad of Greater Dayton

Rabbi Nochum Mangel

Associate Rabbi Shmuel Klatzkin

Youth & Prog. Dir. Rabbi Levi Simon. Beginner educational service Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. 2001 Far Hills Ave. 937-643-0770. chabaddayton.com

Yellow Springs Havurah

Independent

Antioch College Rockford Chapel. Contact Len Kramer, 937-5724840 or len2654@gmail.com.

RELIGION

Am Yisrael Chai

By Rabbi Judy Chessin

Temple Beth Or

"Long live Europe, Am Yisrael Chai," exclaimed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as she received an honorary doctorate from Ben-Gurion University last year. Her words were quickly decried on Twitter as imperialistic "racist Nazi slogans."

In 2015, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's current national security minister, was arrested on the Temple Mount for saying, "Am Yisrael Chai." Ben-Gvir made

Perspectives

one of many controversial trips to the Jordanian Waqf-run Temple Mount in Jerusalem, where by informal agreement, Jews are not allowed to pray or carry political symbols. When a Muslim woman protested his presence, crying out "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is great), Ben-Gvir responded, "Am Yisrael Chai," and was immediately arrested for praying. Ironically, Israeli courts exonerated Ben-Gvir, ruling that the phrase is a patriotic slogan, not a prayer.

The origins of the wellknown phrase Am Yisrael Chai (the people of Israel live) are unclear. The slogan is not in the Torah, Psalms, rabbinic literature, or ancient liturgy.

So is the saying an incitement, nationalistic policy, prayer, affirmation, or aspiration?

An early recording of the phrase was memorialized at the first Shabbat Service held for survivors at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp on April 20, 1945. The downtrodden survivors had not participated in public prayer in years.

Their service concluded with the singing of Hatikvah, the anthem of the Zionist movement. Then, after a beat or two, the Rev. Leslie Hardman, the first Jewish chaplain to the British army, cried out, "Am Yisrael Chai."

Hardman had that week said Kaddish over the mass graves of over 20,000 victims in the camp (possibly even Anne Frank, who is believed to have died there one month before liberation). He had circumcised

baby boys who had been born there, and even conducted a wedding of a survivor to a British soldier.

He had faced so much death and horror that his response was an emotionally defiant promise that Israel's people would hereafter live.

Another citation of Am Yisrael Chai is said to have occurred in Stalinist Russia, where Soviet Jews faced massive religious persecution and Jewish life could only be practiced underground.

Golda Meir was sent as Israeli ambassador to Russia just months after the proclamation of the Jewish state. On Rosh Hashanah eve, Oct. 4, 1948, she was met by tens of thousands of Soviet Jews crowded around Moscow's Great Synagogue, risking imprisonment or worse to celebrate their Jewish identity and to catch a glimpse of this emissary from the nascent Jewish state. They sang Am Yisrael Chai boldly.

This brave Jewish solidarity triggered more repression by Stalin and his successors. To survive, many Jews chose to conceal their identity or even erase it altogether.

In April 1964, human rights activist Yaakov Birnbaum, founder of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (SSSJ), sought a unifying theme. He asked the composer and spiritual leader of the baalei teshuvah (returnees to Judaism) movement, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, to compose a tune to rally support worldwide for persecuted Soviet Jews.

Birnbaum vaguely recalled that the words Am Yisrael Chai had been an expression of defiance and hope in Nazi Germany, and after the war, it had been sung in Displaced Person camps. He wanted that slogan set to unforgettable music.

In March of 1965, on a visit to Communist-controlled Prague, Carlebach met with frightened Jewish youths afraid to celebrate Purim because of the KGB. Carlebach finally won them over, and they began dancing with him. The charismatic figure was so inspired

that then and there, he composed our now-familiar melody to Am Yisrael Chai, adding the words Od Avinu Chai (Our Father is still alive).

Thus, Carlebach added a biblical and rabbinic context to Am Yisrael Chai. The biblical verse, "Our father is still alive" (Gen. 43:28), is Jacob's 11 sons answering Joseph's inquiry about his father's wellbeing. The rabbinic commentary adds that Jacob (aka Israel) lives on through the patriarch's progeny even after Jacob himself died (Ta'anit 5b).

By inserting these words, Carlebach added a spiritual addendum. Od Avinu Chai reiterates the first stanza: that Israel (the people named for the patriarch) is still alive.

However, it also hints at the theological implication that God, Israel's true parent, exists and protects the Jewish people and the nation of Israel eternally.

Now a new liberation anthem was born for the Jewish people whether they knew Hebrew or not, whether free or fettered, religious or secular, in Israel or the Diaspora. It became a well-sourced expression of continuity, survival, pride, defiance, aspiration, and faith.

But is it a prayer? Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen relates the story of her grandfather teaching her the toast, L'chaim, to life, as a child.

"Is it to a happy life, Grandpa?" she asked him.

"No, it is just to live! Neshumale, my sweet soul."

"Is it like a prayer?"

"Ah no," he told her. "We pray for things we do not have. We already have life."

"Is it written in the Bible, Grandpa?"

"No, Neshumale," he said, "It is written in people's hearts. L'chaim means that no matter what difficulty life brings, no matter how hard or painful or unfair life is, life is holy and worthy of celebration."

During this spring season of festivals — Passover, Yom Hashoah, Yom Hazikaron, and Yom Ha'atzmaut — Am Yisrael Chai is the Jews' all-purpose response.

We answer freedom and oppression, democracy and protest, war and peace with these words: The people of Israel live, our nation and our people continue to live and survive. May the choices we make help us thrive.

April Nisan/Iyar

Candle Lightings

Erev Pesach

April 5: 7:47 p.m.

1st Eve Pesach, April 6 8:47 p.m.

Shabbat, April 7: 7:49 p.m.

7th Eve Pesach, April 11 7:53 p.m.

8th Eve Pesach, April 12 8:53 p.m.

Shabbat, April 14: 7:56 p.m.

Shabbat, April 21: 8:03 p.m.

Shabbat, April 28: 8:10 p.m.

Torah Portions

April 1: Tzav (Lev. 6:1-8:36)

April 15: Shemini (Lev. 9:1-11:47)

April 22: Tazria-Metzora (Lev. 12:1-15:33; Num. 28:9-15)

April 29: Achare-Kedoshim (Lev. 16:1-20:27)

Pesach

Passover

April 6-13

15-22 Nisan

Eight-day festival celebrating the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Leavened bread products are not eaten.

Yom Hashoah

Holocaust

Remembrance Day

April 18 • 27 Nisan

Marked by memorials for those who perished in the Holocaust.

Yom Hazikaron

Israel Memorial Day

April 25 • 4 Iyar

Memorial Day for all who died serving Israel. Concludes with a siren blast as stars appear and Independence Day begins.

Yom Ha’atzmaut

Israel Independence Day

April 26 • 5 Iyar

Celebrated by Jews around the world.

Israel celebrates with parades, singing, dancing, and fireworks.

Rabbi Judy Chessin

We answer freedom and oppression, democracy and protest, war and peace with these words.

Chag Sameach FROM MIAMI UNIVERSITY

Matzah pajamas latest trend in long history of American Jewish branding

By Jackie Hajdenberg, JTA

Rabbi Yael Buechler conceived of her latest product two years ago, after planning ways to make the Passover Seder fun for her two young sons. But it wasn’t until she started promoting the matzah pajamas she designed that she decided to make adult sizes, too.

After she reached out in December 2021 to The Maccabeats — the Orthodox a capella group that releases splashy videos for most holidays — to offer kids’ pajamas for their Passover project, they demurred.

“They wrote back jokingly, ‘Haha — but like, do they come in grownup sizes?’” Buechler recalled.

Jewish influencers have modeled the pajamas on social media, often as entire families, and the children’s set vaulted near the top of Passover sales rankings at Modern Tribe, an online marketplace for Jewish products. And Etsy lists them as a bestseller item.

That the breakout Passover product is technically sleepwear reflects a new frontier in the ongoing commercialization of Jewish holidays. It also reflects the turn toward comfort clothes that Americans in general have made since the Covid pandemic began just before Passover three years ago.

“You used to get dressed up to go to Seder, but now everyone is a lot more casual,” said Amy Kritzer Becker, one of Modern Tribe’s owners.

The promotion of fancy clothing for Passover is a prime example of American consumerism layered atop traditional Jewish practice. Many traditionally observant families buy new clothes, especially for children, for the holiday, to fulfill the mitzvah of simcha, or joy.

That became a marketing opportunity for clothing manufacturers as Jews moved to the United States in large numbers and emerged as a new consumer segment.

“Because of the alignment of the Passover holiday with Easter, it was an opportunity for Jews to also purchase nice attire,” said art historian Kerri Steinberg, author of Jewish Mad Men: Advertising and the Design of the American Jewish Experience

Steinberg says the commercialization of Judaism has been a defining characteristic of American Judaism — and, in some ways, a safeguard for Jewish identity in a country that long boasted of being a melting pot.

“One thing that's been very discrete and sort of distinctive I would say about Judaism in America is how it's been branded and marketed, and packaged,” she said. “(That acculturation) stopped short of full assimilation because in order to maintain a vibrant Jewish

market, their identities had to be sort of retained in a discrete way.”

“In America, capitalism has been the key structure,” Steinberg added. “So it does make sense that there were opportunities for more consumption of Jewish goods and products around the holidays.”

Some of those goods and products were integral to observing the holiday. American Jewish newspapers from the early 20th century onward featured ads from companies like Streit’s, Horowitz, and Manischewitz battling over claims to the best matzah and whitefish.

And of course there's also the Maxwell House Haggadah, created as a marketing ploy for the coffee company in 1932 and still produced today. Its creator, Joseph Jacobs, was an advertising maven who saw huge potential in a base of Jewish customers; he is credited with inventing the concept of targeted marketing.

But other products promoted for Passover had little or nothing to do with what happens during it. Stetson advertised its hats to Jewish customers in Jewish newspapers, while Colgate hawked perfume; other companies noted sales on shoes. Even Macy’s had a Passover department advertised in a March 1912 edition of the now-defunct Hebrew Standard By the second half of the 20th century, other forces worked in favor of Passover products. The rise of identity politics in the 1970s meant that many Jews sought items that would let them display their Jewishness, Steinberg said. Then, starting in the 1990s, the rise of kitsch, a nostalgic aesthetic, opened the door to nostalgic items such as Manischewitz purses, Streit’s aprons, and gefilte fish T-shirts.

Just as dreidel and menorah patterns are ubiquitous on items mass-produced for Chanukah, the telltale striping of factory-produced matzah has long adorned items marketed for Passover.

“People have always loved matzah products,” said Becker, whose store offers a slew of print-on-demand matzah-emblazoned products, as well as baby shoes in the print.

“Obviously matzah is the preeminent symbol of the holiday,” Steinberg said. “Claiming matzah is just a proud assertion of Jewish distinction.”

For Buechler, who launched her line of Jewish fashion products a decade ago with nail decals of the 10 Plagues, the motif was inspired by her son’s confusion.

She bought her children new pajamas to liven up another at-home Seder, their second during the pandemic. “It goes late anyway,” she reasoned about the festive meal, which traditionally cannot begin until after sunset.

When she offered the two options — one yellow and the other blue — her then-2-year-old son declared he would have the “matzah pajamas.”

She decided to turn his idea into reality, creating a design that could be printed on fabric, ordering samples and then producing them in a large quantity in China. Then she set to work promoting the product, mailing free sets to influencers and reaching out to online Judaica stores, many of which were initially hesitant to purchase inventory they weren’t sure would sell. Then the adults began to demand pajamas for themselves, which were manufactured quickly.

“Passover has always been about making things in haste,” Buechler said. “We’ve had a hard few years,” Kritzer said. “I think people just want to have a little fun too.”

As we approach Passover, the O ce of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion wishes

Jewish community members and friends Chag Sameach during this time of celebration.

By Shuly Rubin Schwartz

Just over 100 years ago, in April 1922, my greatgrandparents immigrated to the United States with their four children, fearing for their lives in Kremenets, a Russian city in present-day western Ukraine.

My great-grandfather, Aaron Shimon Shpall, an educator and journalist, recorded his thoughts about leaving “the city that we were born in and that we spent years of our lives in,” acknowledging how hard it would be “to separate from our native land, and our birthplace and our father’s house.”

But he was clear that the Russia he knew had “embittered our lives and saddened our souls. If not for the 3 million of our brothers who live there, it could be overturned along with Sodom and Gomorrah and the world would have lost nothing.”

Finally, after months of grueling uncertainty, including one arrest and another pending, my greatgrandfather was reunited with his family in Colorado before he and his family ultimately settled in New Orleans, where he served as teacher and then as assistant principal of the communal Hebrew school.

The anguish of my family’s departure and, I can only imagine, the feelings of refugees all over the world in every era, is captured in my great-grandfather’s diary: “Nobody desired to go, but everybody had to go. We all run, or, to speak more correctly, we flee. And when somebody flees, there is no question: ‘Where to?’ Where your feet carry you! Where you have the possibility!”

The Passover Seder — the Jewish ritual observed more than any other — serves as a symbolic reenactment of the journey of the Israelites from slavery to freedom. The Haggadah commands us to experience this journey annually as a way of developing histori-

Themes of Passover, bonds of history tie our struggles to Ukrainian Jews

cal empathy for all who are oppressed, enslaved, and displaced, and who hope for liberation. As Jews, we have ritualized the recounting of our people’s enslavement and deliverance in part to cultivate a sense of moral responsibility toward those suffering in our own day.

This year, as we approach Passover, our focus includes Ukrainians fighting valiantly to defend themselves against Russian invasion. Outraged by the violence, heartbroken by the loss of life and appalled by the destruction, we feel an obligation to help the Ukrainian people by offering monetary support and help with resettlement.

Why is this EMS organization different than all other EMS organizations?

In the United States, disaster relief, ambulance, and blood services are handled by an array of organizations. In Israel, there’s one organization that does it all — Magen David Adom. As Passover approaches, whatever crises Israelis face — including terror or rocket attacks — MDA will be there to save lives.

Support Magen David Adom by donating today at afmda.org/give. Or for further information about giving opportunities, contact 847.509.9802 or dcohen@afmda.org.

We are especially attuned to helping the tens of thousands of Jews among them. The bonds of history that tie our struggles to those of Ukrainian Jews and their proud Jewish president today are deep and, in many cases, including mine, quite personal.

American Jewry has flourished thanks to ancestors like mine who realized their determination to seek freedom and escape oppression. Thanks to their courage and resolve, we are privileged to recount the Exodus from Egypt each year as citizens of a democratic state and to develop the empathy needed at moments like this to help others who fear for their lives.

For some, historical empathy for the plight of the Ukrainian people might be complicated by ancestors who suffered from brutal antisemitism at the hands of Ukrainian neighbors or whose ancestors’ murders at the hand of the Nazis were abetted by local Ukrainians.

How can we square these complicated emotions? In part, because we also know that countless other Ukrainians fought in the Russian army to defeat the Nazis, and that Ukraine has changed greatly over time.

Most important, we quell our doubts because the Haggadah reminds us not to take our freedom for granted, pointing us instead to activate our sense of moral responsibility to help others who are fighting to secure their own.

Our Haggadah prods us to recall our history so that it will conjure up our best selves, so that we will do what we can to ensure that the future brings freedom, safety, and security to all.

It’s a sentiment I believe my great-grandfather would have shared.

Shuly Rubin Schwartz is chancellor of The Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Distributed by JTA.

Best wishes to all for a Happy Passover

Our warmest wishes for a joyous Passover

Beverly Saeks & Family

A sweet and joyous Passover

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A zissen Pesach!

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A sweet and joyous Passover

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We wish the Dayton Jewish community a very Happy Passover

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WISHING ALL A HAPPY PASSOVER.

A sweet and joyous Passover

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Judy Woll & Ron Bernard

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Suzi, Jeff, Amanda, Joshua, Anna & Teddy Mikutis

The Goldenbergs Debby, Bob, Alicia & Teddy

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Carol

Happy Passover to our friends

Ann & John Paddock

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Louise Stein

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Jeffrey Abrahams

Graff

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Myrna Nelson

Jim & Kristen Mitchem

Cantor Jerome & Goldye Kopmar

Adam & Tara Feiner

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Have a Sweet Pesach

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Best Wishes for a Happy & Healthy Passover

Linda & Steve Horenstein

Dr. Felix Garfunkel & Family

The Gaglione Family

Temple Anshe Emeth, Piqua

Charles & Joan Knoll

Maggie, Dan & Mark Stein

Dr. & Mrs. Stephen Harlan

Susan & David Joffe

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Happy Passover

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Happy Passover

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A sweet and joyous Passover

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Happy Pesach

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Lipton

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Bark Mitzvah Boy & The Dayton Jewish Observer

Sephardic Matzah Spinach Pie

By Susan Barocas The Nosher

Matzah pies called minas are a classic Sephardic Passover dish, traditionally served for brunch or lunch with the slow-cooked, hard-boiled eggs called huevos haminados. A mina makes a great side or main dish for any meal, even when it’s not Passover. With a top and bottom crust made from sheets of matzah, the filling can be made of meat — like seasoned lamb, beef, chicken — or vegetables, most commonly spinach and cheese, though sometimes with leeks or mashed potato added. Another option is to shred, salt, and squeeze about two pounds of zucchini to use in place of the spinach in the recipe below.

The flavors in this vegetarian mina mimic spinach and feta borekas or spanikopita, but I’ve added a twist. Given the fondness for artichokes in Sephardic food, I’ve added some to the filling for extra texture and flavor.

20 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed

5 or 6 sheets matzah

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 med. onion, finely chopped

Salt to taste

1 14 oz. can artichoke

hearts, drained and diced

1/2 cup fresh dill with thinner stems, finely chopped

1 cup (about 4 oz.) crumbled feta

2/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, divided

11/2 cup milk (can be lowfat)

1/2 tsp. ground black pep-

per

1/8 tsp. nutmeg (optional)

3 large eggs, divided

Preheat oven to 350.

Put the spinach into a fine mesh strainer and set in the sink or over a bowl to drain.

Fill a large baking pan with tepid water. Break two sheets in half as equally as possible.

Add the matzah to the pan of water for two minutes, making sure they are submerged. (You can gently lay a couple heavy pieces of silverware across the top of the matzah to hold down.) The matzah should be pliable, but still hold its shape. Take each sheet out by lifting it holding onto two corners. Let some of the water drip off for a moment, then lay the softened

matzah in a single layer on a thick dish towel or two. You can do the matzah in batches depending on the size of your pan with water.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and a couple pinches of salt, stir and sauté about five minutes until the onion starts to soften.

Mix in the chopped artichoke and cook another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, as the artichokes and onions begin to take on a little color.

As the mixture cooks, use a large spoon or your hands to squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the spinach. Set the squeezed spinach into a large mixing bowl, breaking up the clumps. When the onion and artichokes are ready, add to the bowl with the spinach and stir to blend the vegetables.

Add the dill, feta, one-third cup grated cheese, milk, pepper and nutmeg, if using. Mix until well blended, then taste for saltiness. Depending on the saltiness of the feta, add salt as needed. Beat two eggs and stir

into the mixture until well blended.

Put one tablespoon of olive oil in an 8-X-11.5-inch (2 quart) glass baking dish. Swirl the oil to cover the bottom and a bit of the sides, then put the dish in the preheated oven for four to five minutes. Heating the baking dish will help create a good bottom crust and keep it from sticking.

As soon as the dish comes out hot, cover the bottom completely with about one and a half sheets of matzah, slightly overlapping. The matzah should sizzle as it hits the oil. Spoon half the spinach mixture onto the matzah and gently spread evenly. Cover with another layer of one and a half sheets of matzah, then the remaining spinach mixture, making sure it’s even. Add the top layer of matzah, covering the filling edge to edge.

Use the extra half piece of wet matzah to fill in any of the layers as needed.

Beat the remaining egg and tablespoon of oil together. Pour the mixture all over the top of the matzah. Some will drip down the sides and that’s fine. Use a pastry brush to spread any pools of egg so the coating on the matzah is even. Bake for 40 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining one-third cup grated cheese evenly over the top. Continue baking another 10 to 12 minutes until the top is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm.

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The flavors in this vegetarian dish mimic spinach and feta borekas or spanikopita, but with an artichoke twist

Apple Matzah Kugel

By Sonya Sanford

The Nosher

Apple matzah kugel is a classic Ashkenazi Passover dish. Just like many noodle kugels, this is a sweet kugel that is meant to be served with the main course at the Seder.

For a modern twist and some textural contrast, a simple streusel topping is added to the kugel for a nutty, sweet, crunch on top of the soft apple filling.

Warmed-up leftovers make a perfect breakfast, served with a little yogurt or a drizzle of cream on top.

And we won’t tell if you top it with ice cream to turn this apple treat into a dessert.

This kugel keeps for up to one week in the fridge and can be reheated in the oven or microwave.

For the kugel:

4 pieces of matzah

3 large apples (Fuji, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, or any flavorful apple you prefer)

juice of ½ a lemon

3 eggs

⅓ cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, vegan butter, or margarine

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. ground ginger (optional)

¼ cup currants or raisins (optional)

For the streusel topping:

½ cup pecans, chopped fine ⅓ cup almond flour

3 Tbsp. butter, cubed

⅓ cup brown sugar pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-X8-inch or 12-X6-inch baking dish. Melt three tablespoons of butter in a small pan or in the microwave. Cool and reserve. Soak the matzah in a bowl of cold water. While

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the matzah is soaking, peel and core the apples. Dice the apples into small pieces.

Transfer to a medium bowl and squeeze lemon juice over the apples. Reserve.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, salt, and ground ginger.

Transfer the kugel mixture to the greased baking dish. Add the streusel ingredients to a small bowl.

Using your hands, rub the butter into the mixture until the streusel starts coming together and forms pea-sized crumbs.

Crumble the streusel over the top of the kugel.

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Drain the matzah, and squeeze out excess liquid. Crumble the matzah into the egg mixture.

Add the diced apples and currants. Mix until everything is combined.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown on top and bubbly.

Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes prior to serving.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Iraqi Charoset Dessert Truffles

By Vered Guttman, The Nosher

These dessert truffles are a play on the classic Iraqi charoset of date molasses (known also as date honey or silan) and chopped walnuts.

for 15 seconds or so in the microwave.

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13 oz. package pressed baking dates or 10 oz. pitted medjool dates

8 oz. dark (semisweet or bittersweet) chocolate, chopped

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Put softened dates in a large bowl. Add the chopped walnuts to the softened dates; use your hands to press the mixture together until the nuts are evenly incorporated.

1 Tbsp. olive oil

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Pinch off pieces and roll them into one-inch balls, placing them on the baking sheet.

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for five minutes. Shake the baking sheet, then toast for five to seven minutes longer, until walnuts turn darker in color and are fragrant.

Melt chocolate and oil in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second segments. Stir the chocolate with oil until it is smooth. Let cool for about one minute.

Use a fork or skewer to dip each ball in the melted chocolate until completely coated. Return them to the baking sheet as you work; sprinkle the reserved chopped walnuts on top. Put the charoset truffles in the fridge for about 20 minutes to help the chocolate set.

Keep charoset truffles in a sealed container in the fridge up to 10 days. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before

2014

Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz, Temple Israel

Rabbi Judy Chessin, Temple Beth Or

Courtney Cummings, Temple Israel

Cantor Andrea Raizen, Beth Abraham Synagogue

Mary ‘Mahira’ Rogers, Temple Beth Or

Rabbi Tina Sobo, Temple Israel

Please join Beth Abraham Synagogue Sisterhood as we honor six women who provide spiritual leadership in our area congregations in addition to their contributions throughout our community.

Wednesday, May 10 11:00 a.m. Registration • 11:30 a.m. Program & Luncheon

beth abraham wishes you a Happy

Beth Abraham, Dayton’s only Conservative synagogue, is enthusiastically egalitarian and is affiliated with the

Burhill Leasing Corp.

Eddie & Susie Katz

Patti & Lee Schear

Bill & Melinda Doner

The midwives' tale

The

Pharaoh instructed the Hebrew midwives, “When you assist the Hebrew women during childbirth, if it is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.”

are not like the Egyptian women: they are vigorous. Before the midwife can come to them, they have given birth.” This was the first recorded instance in history of civil disobedience.

Generally described as a non-violent challenge to the law or refusal to obey the law or another authority, civil disobedience encompasses both active protest and passive resistance.

authority considered to be morally wrong or detrimental.

Like the midwives, Moses’ mother, Yocheved, is secretly noncompliant with the law, hiding her infant baby boy instead of throwing him into the Nile.

By contrast, Pharaoh’s daughter publicly disobeys the law by rescuing the Hebrew child, raising him as her own, and denouncing the Pharaoh’s deadly policy by naming the baby Moses, meaning “I drew him out of the water.”

values at their core.

The wedding. Threatened by the medieval Church with expulsion, persecution, or death, the vast majority of 500,000 Jews of Spain converted, at least half of whom adopted Christianity outwardly while maintaining their Jewish identity in secret.

Cinfa Cacavi, a housewife and mother living in Zaragossa, recalls her clandestine spring wedding.

Fearing God above all, the midwives did not follow Pharaoh’s command but instead let the boys live. When Pharaoh summoned the midwives and asked why, they responded, “Because the Hebrew women

It includes unwillingness to follow the law due to personal moral objections; noncompliance with the law in the belief that it is immoral; and active social protest against certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government or established

Happy

DAYTON CHAPTER OF HADASSAH 937-275-0227 • P.O.Box 292815 Dayton, OH 45429 Hadassahdayton@gmail.com

The biblical attitude toward civil disobedience is reinforced in the epilogue to the midwives’ tale.

“And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and increased greatly. And because the midwives feared God, He established households (descendants) for them." Commentator and author Dennis Prager notes, “God rarely rewards people so immediately and directly…Perhaps their rewards are cited to show how unequivocally God approved of their behavior.”

In fact, the willingness to challenge and disobey arrogant, unethical, unaccountable power through civil disobedience, both clandestine and in public, has been a theme throughout Jewish history.

But it is Moses who, at the burning bush, raises the most fundamental issue of permissible civil disobedience. “Mi anochi?” Who am I to challenge Pharaoh’s rules? Who am I to act on what I think is moral?

And God answers, “I will be with you — this is your sign that I have sent you…” Student scholar Elena Flack concludes, “This (solves) the problem of the legitimacy of civil disobedience. Moses is not…disobeying Pharaoh’s law because he is following his own moral instincts...he is simply obeying the most absolute law of all, namely that of God.”

The following stories of civil disobedience offer hints about the underlying transcendent

“Three days before my wedding I took my bride's bath. I purified myself at the mikvah. That day, we all met in my father's house, all my family and my sweetheart's family. They brought many presents. They filled my house with flowers and brought delicious meats for the meal of that day…The day I got married was the happiest of my life…”

These memories are recorded in her 1482 interrogation file of the Inquisition.

The factory. In 1909, New York City’s shirtwaist factories employed mostly women, unprotected by the male-dominated unions. They worked in unskilled, poorly paid jobs, often in unsafe working conditions, seven days a week for 12 hours a day. After months of unsuccessful spontaneous strikes against individual factories, Clara Shavelson, a fiery 23-year-old strike leader, ignited a general strike of more than 20,000 women, most of whom were Jewish.

“I am a working girl, one of those who are on strike against intolerable conditions...What we are here to decide is whether we shall or shall not strike.”

Eleven weeks later, the strikers had won. The uprising sparked five years of revolt that transformed the garment industry into one of the bestorganized trades in the United States.

The festival. The Soviet Union’s early 20th century policy of encouraging Jewish assimilation into Russian culture and society was implemented by the liquidation of Yiddish schools, publication houses, research institutes, and theatres; the closing of more than 5,000 synagogues; and the targeting of groups fostering Jewish nationalism and Zionist ideologies. When Israel's minister to Moscow, Golda Meir, approached Joseph Stalin in 1948 about the emigration of Soviet Jews to Israel, he responded that they were extremely happy and didn’t need any Promised Land.

Yet a Jewish exodus was already underway, despite the threats of harassment, loss of jobs, and becoming stranded in Russia as a refusenik. Most inspiring were the annual celebrations of Simchat Torah in front of Soviet synagogues where, for years, tens of thousands of Russian Jews would sing Hebrew and Jewish songs and dance well into the night.

“He who has not witnessed Simchat Torah in Moscow,” Elie Wiesel wrote, “has never in his life witnessed joy. Had I come to Russia for that alone, it would have been enough.”

In Sefer HaMiddot, a medieval book of character traits or virtues, we learn that “He who is in a position to protest against an evil and does not protest, nor does he pay any attention to the deeds of the sinners, comes close to flattery, for then the sinners think, 'As long as they do not protest and do not reproach us, all of our deeds must be good.'”

There is authority and law that should not be obeyed, that should even be publicly protested, because it is objectively immoral. This virtue, we first learn in the midwives’ tale.

Arbor Blvd., Dayton, OH 45439

Alone Together on Dan Street by Erica Lyons. Based on a true story, this delightfully illustrated children’s book tells how one neighborhood in Jerusalem managed to be together for a Passover Seder during the 2020 Covid shutdown. The abiding importance of celebration, togetherness, creativity,

caring, and more comes to life in this excellent retelling. Wonderful for elementary ages.

Sephardi: Cooking the History. Recipes of the Jews of Spain and the Diaspora, from the 13th Century to Today by Hélène Jawhara Piñer. Winner of the 2021 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards Prize for Best Jewish Cuisine

Book, this exceptional volume is a tapestry of Jewish history, geography, culture, and culinary arts of the Jewish people from Spain and the Spanish Diaspora in Morocco, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and South America. A treasure trove for those fascinated by Sephardic history and culture or who simply enjoy making or eating delicious Jewish foods that aren’t difficult to make.

They fought for the Union

Jewish Soldiers in the Civil War: The Union Army

Book Review

By Martin Gottlieb Special To The Observer

The response of Jewish communities in the North to the Civil War was “tepid.”

That conclusion might surprise some. It is not the impression one gets from, say, the title of the 2014 book We Called Him Rabbi Abraham: Lincoln and American Jewry by Gary P. Zola. And it is not exactly support for the notion of American Jews as a reliable force for racial equality.

But it is the conclusion of a scholar who has studied a painstakingly collected database about Jews in the war. That database has been gathered by the Shapell Manuscript Foundation, an American and Israeli operation which collects historical documents, including letters.

In the 1890s, aspersions were cast in a prestigious journal, the North American Review, upon the role of Jews in the war. They were described as shirkers. In response, Simon Wolf wrote The American Jew as Soldier, Patriot and Citizen in 1895. He came up with 8,000 names of Jews who fought. Subsequent research revealed that some of those men weren’t Jewish and that Wolf missed some soldiers who were. So the Shapell people set out to

systematize the pursuit of information about who fought, but also about what their experiences were. Since 2009, a team of researchers there has been putting together a digital archive about the soldiers, including some who hadn’t previously been identified.

In 2017, Shapell asked Adam Mendelsohn, who had written other books on Jewish history, to study the foundation's collections and to write a book about the Union army and then another about the Confederate army.

• By Adam D. Mendelsohn • New York Univ. Press, 2022 • 323 Pages • $35

The result is an academic book, not very long and leavened with lots of photos, original letters, and documents. Mendelsohn writes as if a dissertation-approval committee looms with questions about whether he has pursued every issue as far as he could, even if an issue isn’t intriguing and even if he wasn’t able to offer a conclusion about it.

Still, there’s good stuff here, and the depth of his knowledge and his intellectual integrity cannot be questioned.

For starters, one must know that nearly all Union soldiers enlisted, as opposed to being drafted, though some enlisted only when threatened by the draft, which was created halfway through the war.

Jews did not enlist in high percentages. Mendelsohn says in Ohio, only 190 Jews out of a population of 9,000 enlisted, whereas more than 10 percent of all Northerners served.

One reason for the low Jewish rate was that many Jews lived in communities where opposition to the war was intense: New York, Baltimore, Cincinnati. And Jews tended to take on the politics of their surroundings.

Another reason was anti-

Testing Medal of Honor recipients' mettle

Mendelsohn's book lists the handful of Jews who won the Medal of Honor in the Civil War. Among them is David Urbansky (under various spellings). Born in Prussia, he arrived in the United States four years before the war. He served for almost the entire war, seeing many battles. He was in the 58th Ohio Infantry, a German-speaking unit. After the war, he established a clothing store in Piqua. He and his wife had 12 children. He lived until 1897 and was buried first in Piqua’s Jewish cemetery, then reinterred in Cincinnati, where the American Jewish Archives has his medal.

Urbansky’s medal is unusual. Instead of referring to a specific date – the way the others do – it refers generally to battles at Shiloh and Vicksburg.

Author Mendelsohn is not a big fan of the Civil War Medal of Honor. He says 1,500 were given. He doesn’t note this, but the medal back then didn’t say anything about behavior “above and beyond the call of duty,” today’s wording. The medals then referred to “extraordinary heroism.”

The reverse side of Urbansky’s medal refers to “gallantry.” Mendelsohn says the criteria were “subjective and imprecise, and some recipients…nominated themselves.”

He tells the story of another Jewish honoree, Leopold Karpeles, whose account of the relevant events in his case was later challenged in the regiment’s history. Karpeles nominated himself and got letters from his commanding officers acknowledging his bravery and general conduct, but in general terms, not in reference to a specific engagement. He received the award two weeks later.

Mendelsohn offers no such details about Urbansky.

— Martin Gottlieb

semitism. Very early in the war, complaints started to arise about the quality of equipment and clothing being sold to the army. The word shoddy was a noun, referring to a type of fabric that was not strong enough for combat uniforms. The cry went up that the people selling shoddy to the army were Jews, and the word shoddy became a part of everyday discourse.

Another apparent manifestation of antisemitism: Early in the war, rabbis were not allowed to be chaplains. That led to some hard feelings among Jews.

And there was this: In 1862, Gen. Ulysses Grant simply banned Jews from a vast area he

controlled. His charge was that Jews were engaging in illicit trade with the enemy, helping cotton sellers find markets, for example, and thereby helping the Southern economy. His order meant that some Jews would actually have to leave their homes. Lincoln overruled Grant almost immediately. But many Jews understood that Grant’s order grew out of prejudices that were widespread in the army. Mendelsohn says that Grant used the word Jew all the time to refer to the violators of his policy, presumably without knowing whether they were actually Jewish. That was not uncommon. The word Jew Continued on Page 34

David Urbansky

Back of David Urbansky's Medal of Honor

Photos: American Jewish Archives

Wishing you a delicious Passover.

Jewish soldiers

Continued from Page 33

sometimes seemed to refer to a category of people identified by behavior rather than religion.

Another factor presumably limiting Jewish enlistment was religious practice. Keeping kosher was pretty much out of the question in the army. For one thing, pork was an ever-present staple.

For whatever collection of reasons, Jewish community organizations did not aggressively promote enlistment the way many other community organizations in the North did.

In that context, it’s worth noting that, according to Mendelsohn, there were no Jewish army units. Other historians have said there were at least a couple. Mendelsohn says this confusion arises in part from the fact that some Jewish community groups did help to create army units (as did non-Jewish organizations).

But, he says, these weren’t Jewish units. It would have been difficult almost anyplace to put together a Jewish unit. Besides not being all that gung-ho, Jews just weren’t numerous enough, at about 125,000 in the Northern population of 19 million. And they were scattered.

Half the Jewish population lived away from the big cities, and most units were formed regionally. That meant a Jew might find himself alone in his unit as to religion.

Getting beyond the numbers — an announced goal of both the foundation and the author — the book focuses on the stories of specific Jews. These are not generally war stories: What was it like out there under fire? They are stories about what life was like in camp and in the military generally, and about why a guy volunteered.

The Pavlofsky Families

One remarkable phenomenon: Some of the Jewish soldiers first arrived in this country during the war. They were young men who spoke little English and had difficulty finding jobs in a troubled economy. The army was a job.

Others had been here a while. One memorable story from Ohio involves the Spiegel family, as in the eventual mail-order company. They were from Millersburg in Holmes County

near Cleveland. The territory was deeply Copperhead, that is, anti-war. Marcus Spiegel joined the army because he was in financial trouble and could get his debts ameliorated for joining, while earning a decent income.

In keeping with the Christians in his community, he was appalled by the idea of a war for abolition. “I do not fight or want to fight for Lincoln’s Negro Proclamation one day longer than I can help.” But as time passed, his views changed. He became anti-slavery and pro-Lincoln.

Spiegel rose to the well-paying rank of lieutenant colonel and developed a taste for command and for army life, thus frustrating his Quaker wife. At a certain stage, Spiegel hired his brother Joseph, a civilian, as sutler to his unit. A sutler was a sort of traveling merchant with a general store, serving the troops. Ultimately, Marcus died of a combat wound, and Joseph went on to form the catalog company in Chicago. Mendelsohn doesn’t get much into what Jews in general thought about slavery. This presumably reflects that the issue isn’t mentioned much in the letters he's read. He does record that some Jewish soldiers were always motivated to fight against slavery. But he clearly communicates that most Jews in the population were not. For one thing, he notes, many in the North feared that emancipation could result in freed slaves competing for jobs in the North. And he notes that Jews were as likely to have their own prejudices as anybody.

As for anti-Jewish prejudice, some Jewish soldiers were bedeviled by it. Most were not. Many hid their Jewishness by changing their names. But even among men who were openly Jewish, it wasn’t necessarily a big problem.

Actually, before the Civil War, antisemitism was not a very public force in the United States. In those days, anti-immigrant feeling was largely focused on the Irish and on non-Jewish Germans, both being much larger, more visible populations than Jews.

But the stereotypes were in place, if somewhat dormant, and the war brought about all manner of bad things for which somebody had to be blamed.

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These are stories about what life was like in camp and in the military generally, and about why a guy volunteered.

Rick Fishman, age 65, passed away on Feb. 22. Rick was preceded in death by his parents, Libby and Norman, and his brother, Coleman. He resided at the former Covenant House, now Garden Court, from 1995 to the present. Ricky loved sports, people, and never knew a stranger. His smile and bright spirit will be missed by everyone who knew him. Rick is survived by many cousins and friends. Interment was at Beth Jacob Cemetery. Donations can be made to the Holocaust Education Fund of the Dayton Jewish Foundation or Beth Jacob Congregation. May his family and friends be comforted amongst the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. May his memory be for a blessing.

Helen Edith Ross of Dayton, cherished mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away on March 13 at age 87. Helen was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Dr. Allen R. Ross, and her parents, Max and Rachel Zeidman of Wheeling, W.Va. Helen is very proudly survived by three wonderful, caring sons, David (Debbie), Rick, and Marc (Donna); four terrific, loving grandchildren, Rachel (Harry) Wolff, Cameron (Scott) Fussey, Gabriel, and Carter; three adorable great-grandsons, Miles and Evan Wolff, and August Fussey. Helen was known for her razor-sharp sense of humor, and always had a joke (or 10) to share. She was born in Wheeling and graduated from Triadelphia High School. Helen attended Carnegie Institute of Technology, then transferred to The Ohio State University, receiving her B.A. in home economics in 1956. She was on the faculty of OSU Extension Service for three years, during which she wrote a regular home economics bulletin, and hosted a daily WOSU radio show as well as the occasional TV program. Helen managed her husband’s dental practice in Trotwood for over 30 years, and also ran her own gift shop called Gifts & Games in North Dayton. Her son Rick worked there alongside her, launching a candy business that he grew into a global candy design and packaging company, Galerie. After retiring from dentistry, Helen and Allen worked in the candy business. Helen loved working in the Galerie Retail

Center, which connected her to her time at Gifts & Games with her son. Helen and her husband loved theatre and traveling and made sure their grandchildren did as well— there was always a Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park ticket for a grandchild passing through town. She was well known for having the perfect hat for every occasion, with a collection fit for a queen. Helen was a member of Temple Israel in Dayton since 1961 and served with various women’s organizations. Interment was at Riverview Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Temple Israel, Hospice of Dayton, or a charity of your choice.

Leonard Swartz passed away on Feb. 15 at the age of 90. He was the father of Greg (Sandy) Swartz and Ellen Swartz. He was grandfather to Melanie (Aaron) Fried, Max Swartz, and Matthew Swartz. He was greatgrandfather to Liam and Zoey Fried. He was born in Akron and moved to Dayton for his career in the early 1970s. He was executive vice president of franchises at One Hour MotoPhoto until he retired and moved to Delray Beach in 2000. He was married to Lillian Swartz for 63 years and they were both busy and involved in the community through their work, friends, and family. Memorial contributions to the National Kidney Foundation would be appreciated. May the memory of Leonard be for a blessing, and may we join together to embrace and support his family.

PRESIDEN TS DINNER 2023

KERRI STRUG is an Olympic Gold Medalist who ear ned nationwide 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. After injuring her ankle on her first vault attempt, Kerri needed to land her second and final vault in order to seal the victory over Russia for the team combined gymnastics gold medal. With millions of people watching, and two torn ligaments in her leg, Kerri got the job done with a solid landing before collapsing to her hands and knees. She was carried to the award ceremony where she received her first gold medal. It was the first time the U.S. Gymnastics Team won gold.

Kerri received her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and a Master’s Degree in Social Psychology at Stanford University She currently works for the United States Juvenile Justice Department and for merly worked at the White House in Student Correspondence. Kerri is the mother of two young children

Kerri will talk about her career and touch on the role Judaism has played in her life. Kerri was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. She is one of only three gymnasts to receive this honor.

DATE: Sunday, May 21

TIME: 6PM

LOCATION: Boonshoft CJCE 525 Versailles Dr, Centerville 45459 For