The Dayton Jewish Observer, January 2020

Columbia U. accused of antisemitic 1st case related book to Trump executive David Moss designsdiscrimination Grace AfterinMeals in comic form p. 22 order p. 17

THE DAYTON Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton

January 2020 Tevet/Shevat 5780 Vol. 24, No. 5

OBSERVER

The Miami Valley’s Jewish Monthly • Online at daytonjewishobserver.org Marshall Weiss

How Tanya Gersh fought hate

3

Remembering Samuel Heider Tanya Gersh

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID DAYTON, OHIO PERMIT NO. 59

Shooting terrorizes Jews in Jersey City

10

NBS News

Misaskim Chasidic recovery workers at JC Kosher Supermarket, Dec. 11

Lev Golinkin on leaving Ukraine

Address Service Requested

Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton 525 Versailles Drive Dayton, OH 45459

24

Samuel Heider, survivor of five concentration camps, shown in 2015 at the Dayton Jewish Community Memorial to the Six Million, at the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education. Heider died Nov. 21 at the age of 95.

Lev Golinkin

Diana P. Lang

DAYTON

Hats Off

Jewish Dayton in the 1920s brunch & discussion Jan. 26 Dayton History

to the New Year Formal Tea Saturday, January 11, 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Friendship Village Door #1 Come join us for an afternoon of finger sandwiches, dessert, and of course, tea! Ladies, please dress up and wear your finest hats for our Best Hats Contest.

Those not wearing hats may help judge the contest.

Free for residents, $10 for guests. R.S.V.P. to Layla Ware at 937-837-5521, ext. 1277 by January 5.

Nosh.

Monthly Friday Night Shabbat Dinner with all your traditional favorites.

Friday, January 24, 5 p.m. $10 per person.

R.S.V.P.

Learn.

Monthly Diabetic Support Group.

With Gem City Home Care’s Mara Lamb.

Tuesday, January 14, 10:30 a.m. & 6 p.m.

R.S.V.P.

This 1921 photo by Dayton Daily News photographer William Preston Mayfield shows a newsstand on Third Street in Downtown Dayton that stocked Yiddish newspapers

Temple Israel’s Ryterband Lecture Series will present Dayton Jewish Observer Editor and Publisher Marshall Weiss leading the brunch discussion, Jewish Dayton in the Roaring ‘20s, at 9:45 a.m., Sunday, Jan. 26.

The author of Jewish Community of Dayton and project director of Miami Valley Jewish Genealogy & History, Weiss will share stories he’s unearthed about how Dayton’s Jews of a century ago navigated tradition and modernity.

Schmooze.

“The challenges Dayton’s Jews faced in the 1920s are surprisingly similar to those we face today,” he noted.

The program is also presented by Beth Abraham Synagogue’s Sunday Brunch Speaker Series, and in partnership with Miami Valley Jewish Genealogy & History.

Temple Israel is located at 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. The cost, $7, is payable at the door. R.S.V.P. to the Jewish Federation, 610-1555, by Jan. 22.

Peter Wine

Join us for a free cup of coffee & hospitality at our Coffee House.

Every Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free WiFi.

Joining together to do the twist — with yeast dough and lots of chocolate — at Chabad’s Big Babka Bake held Dec. 7 are (L to R): Joan Greenfield, Judy Nelson, Marcie Sherman, Victoria Minor, Margaret Maimon, and Harriet Klass. After Havdalah and a wine, cheese, and dessert reception, participants learned to make babka from scratch, with Rochel Simon (back L) as their instructor.

Call Lisa Schindler for details at 937-837-5581 ext. 1269 5790 Denlinger Road • Dayton, Ohio 45426 • fvdayton.com PAGE 2

IN THIS ISSUE A Bisel Kisel.....................................21

Mr. Mazel..........................................18

Arts............................................24

O p i n i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 2

Calendar of Events.......................19

Obituaries.............................27

Family Education............................22

Re l i g i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

DAYTON

‘I had no idea antisemitism existed like this’ Montana mom with Dayton ties talks candidly about how she fought back against harassment campaign

By Marshall Weiss The Observer Tanya Gersh says that at age 46, she discovered what it was like to fear for her own life.

That was in 2016, when Andrew Anglin, publisher of the neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer — one of the most widely-read white supremacist websites in the world — urged his followers to harass Gersh, a real estate agent and wedding planner in Whitefish, Mont. Anglin also posted Gersh’s contact information in the 30 articles he Tanya Gersh published about her at the Daily Stormer.

“One day, I was this volunteer in the community, PTA mom, and the next day, I’m on a neo-Nazi website, receiving hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of letters, of emails, phone calls, messages, and anyway they could find me,” Gersh told a gathering at the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education Nov. 24.

“And for months and months it went on all day and all night, she said. “They visited every social media website that they possibly could and left me endless amounts of bad reviews.”

A typical message was, “You should have died in the Ho-

locaust with the rest of your people.”

Gersh was in Dayton — her husband’s hometown — to talk about how, with the Southern Poverty Law Center, she fought back and won a lawsuit in federal court against Anglin last August to pay her more than $14 million in damages.

The Dayton Chapter of Hadassah and Jewish Community Relations Council hosted Gersh’s talk.

In December 2016, Anglin began a troll storm (harassment of a person via a social network) against Gersh, falsely claiming that she attempted to force the mother of white nationalist leader Richard Spencer out of Whitefish. Sherry Spencer owns a vacation home in Whitefish, a resort community.

“These are the new Nazis of today,” Gersh said of Richard Spencer and his “alt-right” followers. “They’re very clean-cut gentlemen.”

After the 2016 presidential election, when Richard Spencer appeared in a video that went viral — telling his “alt-right” followers, “Hail Trump, Hail our people, Hail victory,” to which they responded with cheers and the Nazi salute — his

Bark Mitzvah Boy

I’m ready to flap!

Welcome to the ‘20s. c O Menachem

mother, Sherry Spencer, called Gersh about selling her property in Whitefish.

Gersh said Sherry Spencer told her, “I’d like to sell my real estate because I know that Richard and my presence in this town is hurting Whitefish, and will you help me?”

“She told me she didn’t believe in the ideologies of her son and I believed her,” Gersh said. “I got her all signed up and then within a few days...essentially this listing got in the hands of her son and her son told Andrew Anglin and all hell broke loose.”

On Gersh’s real estate website, she had always mentioned that she was very active in the Whitefish Jewish community.

“It’s something I was so proud of, and never imagined when I wrote that, I would have to worry about being safe by admitting that I was Jewish.”

It was about 9 p.m. when she came home one evening and learned what happened from her husband, Judah.

“All the lights in our house were dark, which was kind of strange. I knew my husband was home,” she said. “The front door was locked and we never lock our front door in Whitefish, ever. I knocked on the door and Judah came down and he said, ‘Tanya, I need to show you something.’ And he opened the laptop and he showed me my face with the words, ‘Are you ready for an old-fashioned troll

storm? Contact her anyway you can and tell her what you think about her Jewish agenda. Get her alone. Visit her in person.

Ask her to sell you real estate so you can tell her what you think of her.’”

Gersh said she still wakes up in the middle of the night and thinks “What could I have done differently? What made me think that I could talk to the mother of Richard Spencer?”

It’s taken her three years of therapy sessions to come to the conclusion that she wouldn’t have done anything differently.

“This was antisemitism I had

‘My community was my backbone.’

From the editor’s desk A key point Tanya Gersh made when she gave her talk here in November (story above) was that the internet is fertile ground to cultivate hate and connect those who hate across global networks. “Our kids are bombarded with inappropriate lies about Jewish Marshall people,” she said. “It’s very easy right now for these young boys — especially if they’re Weiss in a place where they need something to empower them — to fall into the white supremacist movement.” Gersh should know. Between December 2016 and April 2017, she, her husband, and their 12-yearold son received more than 700 harassing and threatening antisemitic messages — an internet troll storm — brought on by the publisher of a white supremacist website and its followers. We need to learn more about how haters connect and how hate spreads on the internet. A good way to start locally is to attend Wright State Prof. Emeritus of Economics Stephen Renas’ presentation, Online Hate and Real World Violence, at 9:45 a.m., Sunday, Jan. 12 at Temple Israel as part of its Ryterband Lecture Series. Using examples of antisemitism from hate websites, Renas will demonstrate how the perpetrators of recent high-profile attacks against synagogues and mosques have likely been radicalized online.

never been exposed to and had been in denial of,” Gersh said.

“I thought we had won this war. And for a while, we kind of did.”

At the same time as she felt like her community was taken from her — she was now “the girl on the neo-Nazi website” — Whitefish stood beside her, showing her much love.

“I received hundreds of packages and letters, and love and support,” Gersh said. “The governor came and sat with me and held my children’s hands.

The attorney general of the state of Montana came and gave me a medal of honor. I received letters of solidarity from every Continued on Page Four

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Tanya Gersh

Continued from Page Three Native American tribal leader in the state of Montana. The city council wrote a no-hate declaration, that hate is not welcome in our town, and that they stand in support of the Gersh family.”

In December 2016, Anglin threatened an armed march in Whitefish, which would go through the center of town and end at the Gersh home.

“The FBI kind of knew it was a bluff.

But I didn’t,” Gersh said. “The FBI was watching. SPLC was watching. The local law enforcement was watching. Homeland Security was watching. But I told my husband we’re out of here. I figured if there’s going to be Tanya Gersh talks about her one crazy guy who’s legal battle, Nov. 24 in Dayton going to show up at my house, it’s probably going to be that day of the (planned) march.”

They went to Miami, where both she and her husband’s grandparents had lived. Miami was also where they held their older son Jacob’s Bar Mitzvah. Jacob had been targeted too, to promote the proposed march. “They took my 12-year-old son, put a (Jewish) star on his forehead, and put him next to me on the gates to Auschwitz.” The postings included Jacob’s Twitter handle.

Through the ordeal, Jacob kept studying for his Bar Mitzvah. And Gersh kept watching him.

“Watching him study helped me heal,” she said. At his Bar Mitzvah, “he talked about how proud he was to be a Jewish man on that day. Not just because he read the Torah. Because he learned a very valuable lesson.”

Whitefish held a Love, Not Hate Rally in honor of her family in January 2017. But Gersh didn’t want to go.

“I want to be there organizing it for someone else,” Gersh said. “This is who I am, this is what I do. I’m not a victim. I don’t want to be this girl.”

With 500 people at the rally in sub-zero weather and media out in force, she reluctantly attended.

When the Southern Poverty Law Center showed up at her door and asked her and Judah if they wanted to sue Anglin, her answer was, “Heck yeah. Let’s fight.”

Gersh said she fought back because of her children.

“At the time, I had a 9-year-old son and a 12-year-old son, and they were watching me so closely. So I had a choice: I could completely fall apart, I could completely be a victim, or I could fight. I could show my children that these are Nazis, that nothing they say is credible. That these are a bunch of losers that are living in their parents’ basements, can’t find jobs, don’t have any kind of self security, never made anything of their lives, terrible people. These are the scum of the earth. There are all of these delicate words for these haters today: ‘alt-right,’ white nationalists.

They are Nazis. They are bad people. There are not good people on both sides.”

Gersh said watching the events of Charlottesville in August 2017 helped her rebuild her life, one step at a time.

Continued on Page Five

THE DAYTON

OBSERVER Editor and Publisher Marshall Weiss MWeiss@jfgd.net 937-610-1555 Contributors Scott Halasz Masha Kisel Candace R. Kwiatek Advertising Sales Executive Patty Caruso, plhc69@gmail.com Proofreader Rachel Haug Gilbert Billing Sheila Myers, SMyers@jfgd.net 937-610-1555 Observer Advisor Martin Gottlieb Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton Bruce Feldman President David Pierce Immediate Past Pres.

Dr. Heath Gilbert Pres. Elect/Treas.

Beverly Louis Secretary Dan Sweeny VP, Resource Dev. Mary Rita Weissman VP, Personnel/ Foundation Chair Cathy Gardner CEO The Dayton Jewish Observer, Vol. 24, No. 5. 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.

Please recycle this newspaper.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

DAYTON

Gersh

Back in Whitefish, in an interview with The Observer, don’t mess with the people of our state. And don’t spread hate. They yelled it from the rooftop to the Gersh said she occasionally runs into Sherry and Richard Spencer. It’s not comfortable.

Continued from Page Four world: this will not be tolerated. You will get in “But I can tell that they are way more uncomfortable trouble for spreading hate. And there are 1,300 ac“I thought my career in real estate was tive hate groups in our country today. And I think to see me than I am to see them,” she said. “So that is a over. How could I ever be alone in a room sense of relief for me. They literally run in the opposite they may have learned a little lesson. We need to with a stranger again? How could I ever make sure this lesson is not lost. We are winning. direction if they see me, and it’s happened a number of answer the phone?” times.”

This was scary and this is scary but we’ve got a Gersh watched the mother of Heather Gersh’s community also watches out for her. lot of very strong people on our side.”

Heyer — who was run over and killed by Andrew Anglin “They’re not in town that much. But if there’s a No one is sure of Anglin’s whereabouts. In an white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. — AP article last year, his lawyers claimed he hadn’t been Richard Spencer sighting at the local coffee shop, it’s say on television she was proud her daughter showed enough of a small town that somebody will call me or in the United States since 2013. Gersh thinks he might up to protest that day in Charlottesville, that she did text me and say, ‘Don’t come for coffee, Richard’s here.’ be in Ohio, where he was seen last. not regret that her daughter showed up.

This town doesn’t accept Richard Spencer at all. There’s “I don’t think he’s going to come up for air anytime “And I went, ‘Crap. I have to stop feeling sorry for not a bar or restaurant in town that will serve myself. I have to go open my real estate office. I have to soon,” she said. “I’m sure he goes out and him. He gets asked to leave.” start getting clients. I have to start answering my phone about, but he must keep a very low profile.”

She thinks the only reason he returns to Gersh’s talk in Dayton came about because again. And I’m going to do it for Heather.’”

Whitefish is because he has children there.

Gersh keeps a photo of Heather Heyer on her desk at family friend Cherie Rosenstein, a member of Three weeks after Gersh’s visit to Dayton, the Dayton Chapter of Hadassah (now living her real estate office. leaders of the SPLC came to Whitefish and in Beachwood), asked her to speak here about “And she reminds me that I lived to survive to talk hosted an event to honor Gersh, her family, her experiences as soon as she was able. about it. I am one lucky lady.” and the Whitefish community for their cour“I have deep connections to Dayton,” Gersh After the Pittsburgh Massacre in October 2018, Gersh age in confronting the internet trolls. said. “My husband grew up here, he was Bar couldn’t get out of bed for a week.

Gersh said her community made her strong Mitzvahed here, he went to Hebrew school “I couldn’t separate my pain from their pain,” she Richard Spencer enough to help her win the case. “My commuhere, he went to Beth Abraham and Beth Jacob. said. nity was my backbone.”

One thing Gersh said she learned from her lawsuit is I met Judah when we were 23, and we were newly When asked if the Gersh family will stay in Whiteengaged and he took me to Dayton, Ohio and it was that hate speech is not free speech. fish, she says, “for the time being, for sure.”

“That’s what I won. You cannot hide behind the First where I fell in love with my Judaism.”

Their two boys are now in middle school and high When she walked into Beth Jacob Congregation for Amendment if it affects somebody else.” school there. the first time, “one at a time, the women would come Anglin, who went into hiding when he was sued, “Why we’re staying is because we have this commuand give me kisses on the cheeks and hugs. A group of didn’t show up in court. “And that,” Gersh said, “sent nity that really just stood up to this hatred publicly and them, they’re sitting here in this room. It was the day a very loud message to his followers. My case, my $14 made it very well known to the country that hate does million that I’ll never see — and I knew that going in — that I discovered that Hashem (God) believes in me. It not belong in this town and will not be accepted. It’s was the day that I discovered there was a big Jewish was never about the money. But I never imagined we hard to leave a community that does all that for you. community out there that loves me, that I’m part of, would ever get that kind of outcome from Montana.

This is our home. We’re proud to be here.”

“Wow, did the state of Montana yell off the building: and that I want to stay a part of.”

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PAGE 5

H e a r

this week’s Jewish news with Radio Reading Service Join Marshall Weiss Sundays, noon & 6 p.m. at Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley Radio Reading Service.

To listen, go to gesmv.org/radioreading-servicesterms-use

DAYTON

THE REGION

Temple Israel votes for U.S. Dignity & Justice For Immigrants vigil & Israeli flags in sanctuary

At a special congregational meeting Oct. 29, members of Temple Israel narrowly approved a petition requesting the United States and Israeli flags be displayed on a regular basis in the main sanctuary.

Since Temple Israel’s current building opened in 1994 at 130 Riverside Dr., the flags have not been displayed in the main sanctuary unless requested for funerals, memorial services, or events hosted by outside community organizations.

“Most of our important decisions are made by the board of directors, which consists of members elected by the congregation. However, our constitution also lays out a petition process for congregants to bring up an issue on any matter other than halacha, Jewish law,” Dan Young, Temple Israel’s president, explained.

When Temple Israel was located at Salem and Emerson Avenues, the U.S. flag was displayed on the bima (stage) at its “community house” sanctuary before the congregation built a new main sanctuary on the campus in 1953.

The October congregational vote — 22 membership units for, 19 against — marked the fourth on a petition to display the flags in the sanctuary since Temple Israel moved to Riverside Drive; membership voted down attempts in 2004, 2007, and 2017.

In 2004, Temple Israel began permanently displaying the Israeli and U.S. flags in its lobby.

“I’m proud of how our members energetically discussed the issue, listened to each other, and — on occasion — respectfully disagreed,” Young added.

— Marshall Weiss

Temple Israel’s Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz (L) addressed the Dignity And Justice For Immigrants candlelight vigil held Dec. 10 at the Butler County Correctional Complex, an ICE detention facility in Hamilton. Dec. 10 was the 71st anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ‘Over the last several years, immigration procedures have spiraled to a low we never imagined, with inexcusable human rights violations,’ Bodney-Halasz told participants. ‘We must bear witness to these, tonight and indefinitely, until we are confident that our country is treating other humans with basic human rights, especially those fleeing asylum.’ The University of Dayton Human Rights Center and Campus Ministry organized the vigil. Shown here with Bodney-Halasz (L to R): UD Assoc. Prof. of Musicology Dr. Sam Dorf, UD Lecturer in English Dr. Masha Kisel, and UD Asst. Prof. of Human Rights Studies Dr. Joel R. Pruce.

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THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

DAYTON Marshall Weiss

Survivor of 5 camps, tireless Shoah speaker, Samuel Heider dies at 95 The only member of his immediate family to survive the Holocaust, he lived to see his memoirs published a few months before his passing obligated to do so as long as he

By Marshall Weiss was able, even up until last year.

The Observer He was an annual guest speaker Who can forget Samuel Heider getting up at each year’s for the Boonshoft School of Medicine course on Medicine and Community Yom Hashoah the Holocaust, led by Dr. David Observance to chant El Moley Shuster. Heider spoke frequentRachamim, the prayer for the ly for University soul of the departed?

Collection of Samuel Heider of Dayton and In Heider’s verWright State’s sion, he intoned the Kristallnacht names of the most commemorainfamous Nazi death tions, and to Air camps and slaughter Force personnel at sites across Europe.

Wright-Patterson He chanted slowly, Air Force Base. deliberately, broken Fortunately, up with tears in videos of his talks his voice for the six and interviews are million Jews who at YouTube. perished al kiddush Heider was Hashem, sanctifying born to a family of God’s name. Because orchard farmers in they were Jews.

Biejkow, Poland.

Heider, the only Somehow, member of his imhe managed to mediate family to pass through five survive the HoloConcentration caust — and one of Camps — Radom, the very few remain- Samuel Heider in a DP camp, with bread provided Auschwitz, Vaiing Nazi concentra- by UNRRA, 1946 hingen, Hessental, tion camp survivors and Dachau — without meetin the Miami Valley — died ing death. And with his sister’s Nov. 21 at age 95, surrounded photo under his arm. Maybe it by family. was because he always asked Two generations of middle and high school students across for more labor that he stayed the Dayton area have heard him alive at the first four. At the fifth, all just waited to die. share his story; he hoped with “How did I survive the Hoall his being they would absorb locaust? And why am I the only the lessons of the Holocaust. survivor of my family? I don’t To share his testimony was know the answer. Perhaps God emotionally and physically knows the answer, or there is no exhausting. But Heider felt

answer,” Heider wrote in The Dayton Jewish Observer in 2015 to mark the 70th anniversary of his liberation from Dachau. He always said April 30, 1945 was his “second birthday.”

He came out with his faith and will to live shaken. Even so, he summoned the strength to choose life. In a displaced persons camp during the first High Holy Days after the war, he led services and first chanted the El Moley for the six million on Yom Kippur.

He fell in love with BergenBelsen survivor Fela “Phyllis” Kleiner. They married in the Landsberg DP camp in 1946.

In 1949, Heider, his wife, Phyllis, and their 21/2-year-old son arrived in Dayton with help from the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Dayton’s Jewish Community Council, now the Jewish Federation.

In Dayton, the Heiders had two daughters, and he entered the scrap metal business.

It was in the early 1950s when he and other survivors here held their first Holocaust commemoration, at Beth Abraham Synagogue. In 1964 this

Samuel Heider addresses the 2016 Dayton Area Yom Hashoah Observance before reciting El Moley Rachamim

became Dayton’s Yom Hashoah Observance.

After the Heiders retired to Florida, they would return to Dayton to visit family and friends at the High Holy Days and also between Passover and Yom Hashoah.

When Phyllis died after 68 years of marriage in 2014, Heider moved back to Dayton to live with one of his daughters and her husband.

His family surprised him in

March 2018 when they arranged for his Bar Mitzvah at Beth Jacob Congregation; Polish antisemitism had postponed his Bar Mitzvah when he was 13. ABC News covered Heider’s 81-year delayed simcha.

Last summer, months before his death, he realized one of his long-held dreams: his memoirs were published, co-written by Stevie Ann Kremer, a writer he met two years ago after one of his speeches at Wright State.

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Just in time for Beth Abraham Synagogue’s 125th anniversary gala dinner, the congregation installed four abstract art panels designed by congregant Lois Gross that depict four aspects of Jewish life: Shabbat, Torah, chupah (wedding canopy), and shofar.

Congregants helped in the creation of the panels at Beth Abraham’s Kaleidoscope of Us event, Aug. 25. The panels are now displayed outside the synagogue’s sanctuary.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

DAYTON

Chabad’s helicopter gelt drop for Chanukah

Photos By Peter Wine

For the first candle of Chanukah, Dec. 22, Chabad of Greater Dayton took to the skies over Kettering Fairmont High School’s athletic fields to drop gelt and dreidels to the children and their families below.

Before the gelt drop, Chabad lit its menorah outside the Kettering-Moraine Branch of the Dayton Metro Library, where families had treats and made crafts.

Jewish Dayton in the Roaring ‘20s A brunch discussion with Marshall Weiss

Sunday, January 26 9:45AM @ Temple Israel (130 Riverside Dr., Dayton) We made Kiddush during Prohibition.

Americanized Judaism. Battled immigration restrictions. Debated Zionism. Fought prostitution and the Klan. And you ain’t heard nothin’ yet!

Nosh on brunch as Marshall Weiss, editor and publisher of The Dayton Jewish Observer and author of Jewish Community of Dayton, shares stories he’s unearthed of how Dayton’s Jews navigated tradition and modernity in a decade with challenges surprisingly similar to those we face today. $7 per person, payable at the door. RSVP to the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton at (937) 610-1555 by January 22.

Presented by Temple Israel’s Ryterband Lecture Series, Beth Abraham Synagogue Sunday Brunch Speaker Series, in partnership with Miami Valley Jewish Genealogy & History.

Support for this event is provided by a Friend of JG&H.

Young women learn to dance at the Jewish Community Center, 59 Green St., Dayton, in the 1920s.

JG&H Miami Valley Jewish Genealogy & History

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

PAGE 9

THE WORLD

Wednesday, January 29 1:30PM @ One Lincoln Park (590 Isaac Prugh Way, Dayton, OH 45429)

Orthodox Jews tried to build a home in Jersey City.

Then a shooting terrorized their community.

Laura E. Adkins/JTA News

Views on Discrimination: Past & Present An Interview with Lev Golinkin led by Marshall Weiss No cost. Partnering with the JFS Active Adults Wednesday, January 29 7PM @ The Dayton Art Institute (456 Belmonte Park North, Dayton, 45405) Lev Golinkin A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka A compelling true story of two intertwined journeys: a Jewish refugee family fleeing persecution and a young man seeking to reclaim a shattered past. In the twilight of the Cold War (the late 1980s), nine-year old Lev Golinkin and his family cross the Soviet border with only ten suitcases, $600, and the vague promise of help awaiting in Vienna.

Years later, Lev, now an American adult, sets out to retrace his family’s long trek, locate the strangers who fought for his freedom, and in the process, gain a future by understanding his past. Lev Golinkin’s memoir is the vivid, darkly comic, and poignant story of a young boy in the confusing and often chilling final decade of the Soviet Union.

Corporate Event Partner

No cost.

JCC CULTURAL ARTS PROGRAMMING IS MADE POSSIBLE BY A GRANT FROM OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORTER OHIO ARTS COUNCIL AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL.

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S P O N S O R S

A man stands in front of JC Kosher Supermarket in Jersey City, N.J., the site of a shooting that left three dead along with the two shooters, Dec. 11, 2019

By Ben Sales and Laura E. Adkins JTA JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Every Friday afternoon, Leah Mindel Ferencz would cook hot kugel and cholent and serve them in the small grocery store she and her husband, Moshe, opened here about four years ago.

The couple had moved from Brooklyn, and the store they opened, JC Kosher Supermarket, became a cornerstone of the small but growing Jewish community of Greenville, a largely African American neighborhood in this city across the Hudson River from Manhattan. The sole kosher grocery for the 100 or so Orthodox families here, the store signaled that the community was there to stay, hopefully for years to come.

Then on Dec. 10, Ferencz was gunned down in the store, along with an employee and a customer.

Ferencz was 32 and a mother of five.

“She was someone that we saw often, always a cheerful demeanor, always a smile on her face, really relaxed, very calm, very patient, just a nice person,” said Rabbi Shmully Levitin, a neighborhood resident and Chabad rabbi serving the city. “It’s a risk and it takes courage to move out (of Brooklyn). They didn’t just move out themselves, they actually built a business knowing and hoping the community would grow and the community needed this.”

The incident started with the fatal shooting of Jersey City Police Det.

Joseph Seals at a cemetery before the two assailants, a man and a woman who were suspects in a homicide, holed up in the market, engaging police in a lengthy gun battle.

The shooters also killed Moshe Deutsch, 24; Douglas Miguel Rodriguez, 49; and Joe Seals, a Jersey City police detective. The shooters, identified as David Anderson and Francine Graham, were found dead in the store.

Now the Jewish community of Jersey City, and their friends and family in New York, are reeling and wondering what comes next.

Many had moved from Brooklyn to escape the borough’s high prices and had found a welcoming new home. It wasn’t a danger zone, they said. They got along with their neighbors and did not experience the antisemitic vandalism, harassment and assaults that have taken place recently in Brooklyn’s Hasidic neighborhoods.

“There have never been any attacks or incidents with the Jews who lived there,” said Rabbi Avi Schnall, the New Jersey director for Agudath Israel of America, an Orthodox organization. Schnall has worked with Jews and other local leaders in Greenville on building bridges with the neighborhood’s communities.

Schnall drew a link between the shooting and the killings at synagogues in Poway, Calif. in April, and in Pittsburgh more than a year ago.

“It’s beyond tragic,” Schnall said. “It’s

‘This is taking place in three places throughout the country in the past year, that people are being gunned down.’

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

THE WORLD

Beth Abraham, Dayton’s only Conservative synagogue, is enthusiastically egalitarian and is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

For a complete schedule of our events and times, go to bethabrahamdayton.org.

Beth Abraham is Dayton’s only Conservative synagogue, affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Service We are an enthusiastically egalitarian synagogue.

We also have an energetic Keruv program that reaches out to intermarried couples and families in our synagogue and in the Dayton Jewish community.

For a complete schedule of our events, go to bethabrahamdayton.org.

Civilian victims of the JC Kosher Supermarket shooting in Jersey City, N.J. Dec. 10, 2019 (from L): Miguel Douglas, 49, an employee at the store; Moshe Hersch Deutsch, 24, of the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Leah Mindel Ferencz of Jersey City

frightening. What’s more frightening offered to help clean out the store for free is this is not a local issue. This is takand offered his best wishes to the Jewish ing place in three places throughout the community. country in the past year, that people are “The people walking past every day, being gunned down.” they don’t have any problem (with the Law enforcement officials say the Jewish community),” Harmon said. shooters, identified as David Anderson “As long as you’re a good person, good and Francine Graham, were motivated people are respected wherever they go.” by anti-Jewish hatred. Jersey City Mayor He added, “That never should have Steven Fulop tweeted Dec. 11 that “it happened to the Jewish people yesterhas now become clear from the cameras day, or the cops.” that these two individuals targeted the Religious leaders in Greenville already Kosher grocery location.” have been working together to assuage Less than a day after the shooting, JC the tensions that often accompany genKosher was already rebuilding. trification, Jersey City Council President On Dec. 11, a plywood Rolando Lavarro told JTA. frame stood in front of Lavarro said the city had the store entrance near a allowed residents to put truck carrying what looked “No Knock” signs on their like drywall. Men from doors to deter real estate a company called Gold developers and said that Star Restoration were security could be increased hammering away. Inside, in the area pending the boxes of children’s candy, result of the police investicereal and croutons lined gation. He said he did not the shelves. A group of know if the shooting was at Orthodox men were carall related to issues in the rying a shiny new door to neighborhood. the building. Construction Slain Jersey City Police Det. “I think we can do better Joseph Seals paused only for a prayer to be a welcoming city,” service at the adjacent synagogue, K’hal Lavarro said. “I think we can do a better Adas Greenville, with New Jersey Gov. job of balancing preserving the culture, Chris Murphy in attendance. heritage and values of those who have The grocery store is on Martin Luther been in the city in longtime residence, King Drive, one of the neighborhood’s and balancing the needs of communities central thoroughfares. Down the street that are newer to Jersey City.” is a Pentecostal church, a mosque, and Yosef Rapaport, a Chasidic activist a string of businesses. The surrounding in the Borough Park neighborhood of blocks are full of row houses in a rainBrooklyn, said the new arrivals in Jersey bow of colors along with some empty City have been driven by rising prices lots. Broken bottles and litter line the that have made homes harder to afford streets. in Brooklyn.

Jersey City residents say the area has “There has been a tremendous outbeen gentrifying, with a boom in new flow from Brooklyn of young people,” construction in the past few years. Doug- he said. “Synagogues don’t have young las Harmon, 43, a lifetime Greenville children anymore. Nobody can afford to resident and local building contractor, live here.” said most of the new arrivals are Jewish Schnall feared that, despite the largely families. tranquil feeling in Greenville before Dec. Harmon said that he and other locals 10, this is simply the new reality: Jewish have had a good relationship with their communities across the country are at new neighbors, though gentrification has risk. increased tensions in the area.

“It’s concerning that this took place,” In a video circulated Dec. 11 in he said. “But things like this can happen Chasidic group text messages, Harmon anywhere.”

Sunday, Jan. 19, 9:45 a.m.

At Corinthian Baptist Church 700 S. James H. McGee Blvd, Dayton

Rabbi Joshua Ginsberg

Pastor Dr. P.E. Henderson

Cantor Andrea Raizen

s t

Join us for a unique interfaith service filled with uplifting music and inspiring words, featuring clergy, singers and musicians with Corinthian Baptist Church and Beth Abraham.

s t

Jan. 24

Family-Style Buffet Shabbat Dinner: 5 p.m.

Kids’ Services: 5:45 p.m. • Craft & Dessert: 6:15 p.m.

Join us for singing, services, dinner & fun! R.S.V.P. Save dates for Friday Nite Kids Shabbat Feb. 28 & March 27

Sunday Brunch Speaker Series $7 • R.S.V.P. to 293-9520 Jan. 12, 10 a.m.: David Shuster, MD, The Nature of Bourbon Jan. 26, 9:45 a.m. (at Temple Israel): Marshall Weiss, Jewish Dayton in the 1920s.

The Jan. 26 brunch is presented by Temple Israel & Beth Abraham in partnership with Miami Valley Jewish Genealogy & History, with support provided by a Friend of JG&H. Service Schedule: Mornings, Mon. & Thurs., 7 a.m.; Tues., Wed., Fri., 7:15 a.m.; Sunday, 8:30 a.m. Evenings, Mon.-Fri., 5:30 p.m.

Sat. Morning Service, 9 a.m.; Youth Service, 10:30 a.m.; Kiddush lunch following.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

PAGE 11

OPINION

Response to Jersey City shooting Trump’s executive order on antisemitism is not perfect, exemplifies dangers of not but it’s still good for the Jews taking Chasidic Jews seriously Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump shows an executive order regarding antisemitism during a Chanukah reception at the White House, Dec. 11, 2019

By Rabbi Andrew Baker It is unfortunate that proposed legislation that enjoyed broad, bipartisan support fell victim to the hyperpartisan climate of Washington. Now enacted by a presidential executive order, and signed at a White House Chanukah party in the presence of mostly Republican friends and supporters, what had been known as the Antisemitism Awareness Act will make an important but modest contribution to addressing the problem of antisemitism on the nation’s college campuses.

This executive order calls upon the U.S. Department of Education to take into consideration the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism when determining if Jewish students are facing hostility or discrimination. Under Title VI of the U.S. Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin by recipients of federal funds, the Department of Education has the authority and responsibility to take steps, including the withholding of federal funds, if the schools do not address these problems.

Because Title VI does not bar discrimination on the basis of religion (as many colleges are themselves religiously based), it has been determined that Jews (and Muslims and Sikhs, for example) are covered by identifying them as having shared ethnic characteristics.

This is referenced in the executive order. It is not, as some critics have charged, some new step by the Trump administration to redefine Judaism as a nationality rather than a religion. It merely restates what has already been the standard practice since the Obama

So, what do you think?

PAGE 12

administration. Without it, Title VI wouldn’t be able to address antisemitism in any form.

Still, if the Department of Education is to examine and evaluate the presence of antisemitism on a college campus, it ought to know what it is. Antisemitism can appear in various forms — as hatred and discrimination against Jews, through stereotypes and conspiracy theories, as Holocaust denial and, more recently and most controversially, in ways relating to the state of Israel.

Hence, the recommendation to “consider” using the IHRA definition, which offers clear examples of all these forms.

I was part of a small team of experts and advocates that worked 15 years ago with the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, or EUMC, to draft and employ the definition. At the time, when antisemitic incidents surged throughout Western Europe, the EUMC monitors themselves had no clear or common definition of antisemitism. The definition was developed to help governments understand the nature of the problem so they would be better able to combat it.

Much attention then and today has focused on examples in the definition relating to Israel. There have been situations in Europe where Jews are held responsible and even physically targeted for the perceived misdeeds of Israel.

We also have seen examples where someone merely substitutes “Zionist” for “Jew” and thereby claims the most obvious of antisemitic statements is a form of acceptable “political” speech.

There is general agreement that these are forms of antisemitism and should be Continued on Page 27

By Meyer Labin The horrific shooting in Jersey City was unfortunately the third deadly antisemitic attack at a Jewish institution in recent years. The victims of this attack were members of the ultra-Orthodox Satmar movement, a Chasidic community known for being insular and conservative.

It was encouraging that this fact didn’t minimize the shock and grief felt by the entire Jewish community, who came together in solidarity and were united in collective shock and grief in the wake of this horrific event.

A video released by the progressive group Jews for Racial and Economic Justice featured Jews from many denominations sharing their condolences, addressing “the Satmar community.”

There were hundreds of donations made to the several online fundraisers established in the wake of the tragedy.

This outpouring of love manifested offline, too, as many secular Jews from all over the United States contacted the bereaved Ferencz and Deutsch families.

Some came to express sympathy and solidarity in person.

Despite the deep differences in the Jewish world, our historic bonds run deeper. When tragedy strikes, those differences are insignificant compared to the bonds of brotherhood and common destiny all Jews share. Grief is something most of us are unfortunately intimately familiar with, and loss is something to which we can all relate. And tragically, it is grief and loss that bring us together more than anything else.

But as this tragedy has also brought my Satmar community under the spotlight, the responses from the general public and the wider Jewish world have underscored how little people know about Chasidic Jews, this community in particular.

The reactions were a mix of love and sympathy, but also fascination and curiosity. The unfolding of the tragic events allowed outsiders a rare glimpse into the lives of an otherwise insular community, which from the outside can sometimes look enigmatic and even mysterious.

The attack has compelled many people to look us in the eyes for the first time, and it felt at times as if they

Send letters (350 words max.) to The Dayton Jewish Observer, 525 Versailles Dr., Dayton, OH 45459 • MWeiss@jfgd.net

Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

Satmar Rabbi David Niederman attends a Brooklyn news conference with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea to denounce the hate crime attack in Jersey City, Dec. 12, 2019

were surprised to discover humans who grieve and are in pain staring back at them.

The ultra-Orthodox community is culturally and visibly different than any other group of people with whom you normally interact, and therefore our very existence sometimes provokes a wide range of emotions, from curiosity to contempt.

But it is important to keep in mind that these characteristics can make us easy targets for antisemites — and “othered,” sometimes even by our fellow Jews.

Some of the assumptions about ultraOrthodox Jews play into classic antisemitic tropes: We are often depicted as stingy, greedy, noisy and unfriendly. On the flip side, our communal piety is also sometimes overly romanticized and glorified.

As a very distinct group, we are easily identifiable and easily branded.

It takes only a few headlines to turn us all into slumlords, sexual predators or saints. But we aren’t any of that. We are a community with shared values and traditions, but that doesn’t give us all the same character traits.

Many friends from different Jewish communities have reached out to ask how they can help and what they can Continued on Page 27

When Chasidic Jews are saying they are afraid and feel unsafe, it is the duty of all of us to stand up in their defense.

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.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

Highlights JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

ABOVE, LEFT: The Dayton Metro Library welcomed PJ Library for a Chanukah program with a latke craft, storytime, and “The Snowy Day” Storywalk. PHOTO CREDIT: Kate Elder ABOVE LEFT: Marra Gad spoke at Wright Memorial Public Library on November 20 as part of the JCC Cultural Arts and Book Series about her experience growing up as both black and Jewish. PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Wine

ABOVE LEFT: On December 17, JFS took the kindergarten children from the Hillel Academy to Spring Hills Singing Woods for a fun-filled intergenerational Chanukah program. PHOTO CREDIT: Tara Feiner ABOVE RIGHT: On December 15, the Active Adults, Hadassah, Jewish War Veterans and Lynda A. Cohen Yiddish Club came together to enjoy the warmth of Chanukah and friendship at the JFS Chanukah Brunch. This event is a wonderful partnership! PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Wine THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

PAGE 13

January events JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES WTF S S M 1 23 4 5 6

TUESDAY 7 LIFE & LEGACY LIFE & LEGACY Year 3 Training 5:30PM @ the Boonshoft CJCE

W T F S S M T 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

LIFE & LEGACY Year 3 training. A kosher dinner will be served at 5:30PM and the training will start at 6PM. If you have any questions, please contact Janese R. Sweeny, Esq. at 937-401-1542 or email her at jsweeny@jfgd.net.

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TUESDAY 21 YAD (AGES 21-35) Volunteer Opportunity to Give Back 6 - 7:30PM @ YWCA (141 W. Third Street, Dayton, 45402) An opportunity to give back! Join YAD at the YWCA to sort items for Hope's Closet. Contact Cheryl Carne for questions/RSVP at ccarne@jfgd.net.

SATURDAY 25 JCC Dayton Junior Youth Group (6th-8th grade) Ice Skating at Riverscape 7 - 8:30PM

@ Riverscape MetroPark (237 E Monument Ave, Dayton, 45402). $7 for admission and skate rental

MON TUE 28 27

WEDNESDAY 15 JCC The Beat – Making Music at the J (Folk Music) 6:30 - 8PM @ the Boonshoft CJCE Facilitated by Irv Moscowitz Do you like music? Come listen and/or play!

WEDNESDAY 22 JFS Head, Shoulder Knees and Toes - You Matter: Taking Care of You 12-1PM @ Beth Abraham Synagogue (305 Sugar Camp Circle, Dayton, 45409). Mental health self care

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with Jennifer Cox, Director, Training from Montgomery Co. ADAMHS. Lunch provided. No cost.

SUNDAY 26 JG&H Jewish Dayton in the Roaring '20s: A Brunch Discussion with Marshall Weiss

9:45AM @ Temple Israel (130 Riverside Dr., Dayton). Nosh on brunch as Marshall Weiss, editor and publisher of The Dayton Jewish Observer and author of Jewish Community of Dayton, shares stories he’s unearthed of how Dayton’s Jews navigated tradition and modernity in a decade with challenges surprisingly similar to those we face today. $7/per person. Presented by Temple Israel’s Ryterband Lecture Series, Beth Abraham Synagogue Sunday Brunch Speaker Series, in partnership with Miami Valley Jewish Genealogy & History.

WEDNESDAY 29 JCC & JFS CABS Lev Golinkin – Views on Discrimination: Past & Present 1:30 - 3PM @ One Lincoln Park (590 Isaac Prugh Way, Dayton, 45429). An interview with Lev Golinkin led by Marshall Weiss, Editor and Publisher of The Dayton Jewish Observer. Marshall will ask Lev about his past and the rising tide of terrorism and anti-Semitism. No cost. JCC’s Cultural Arts & Book Series partnering with JFS Active Adults. Special thanks to Corporate Sponsor One Lincoln Park & Lincoln Park Manor.

WEDNESDAY 29 JFGD Men's Philanthropy 5:30 - 7PM @ The Dayton Art Institute (456 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, 45405). Enjoy a kosher cocktail hour with an icy vodka flight and heavy appetizers before before the CABS event with Lev Golinkin at the DAI. $18 per person.

WEDNESDAY 29 JCC CABS – Lev Golinkin 7 - 9PM @ The Dayton Art Institute (456 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, 45405). A compelling true story of two intertwined journeys: a Jewish refugee family fleeing persecution

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and a young man seeking to reclaim a shattered past. In the twilight of the Cold War (the late 1980s), nine-year old Lev Golinkin and his family cross the Soviet border with only ten suitcases, $600, and the vague promise of help awaiting in Vienna. Lev Golinkin’s memoir, A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka, is the vivid, darkly comic, and poignant story of a young boy in the confusing and often chilling final decade of the Soviet Union. Corporate Event Partner: The Dayton Art Institute. No cost.

THE

BEAT RSVPs due at least 1 week before event.

Events with no price listed are free.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO RSVP (unless noted): 937-610-1555 www.jewishdayton.org

The JCC is excited to host the second season of “The Beat,” welcoming all to an informal setting where we will play, sing, clap, or dance along with a variety of music that has Jewish connections.

Musicians and vocalists of all abilities are welcome!

Listeners are also enthusiastically welcome to join!

We even have a few instruments available for those who might not have their own. Contact us for more information.

Jan 15 Folk Music with Irv Moscowitz March 4 Rock n' Roll with Irv Moscowitz Send any song requests you might have and we will try to have the sheet music available!

TO REGISTER go to jewishdayton.org or call (937) 610-1555.

PAGE 14

WEEKLY ON THURSDAYS, JANUARY 2 - MARCH 5 Introduction to Music (ages 4 – 9) 10 - 10:50AM @ the Boonshoft CJCE Children will love this class with songs to sing, instruments to play, movement, dance, and stories about the great composers.

They will hear real orchestral music, learn some musical notation, compose their own songs, be introduced to the piano keyboard, and everyone will get to play the piano. There will also be an especially up close listen-to and look at the brass instrument family. $150/student, $75/sibling.

Community and Home School Band/Orchestra/Ensemble 11AM - 12PM @ the Boonshoft CJCE All instruments and all levels are welcome! This will be different than any other ensemble experience. In addition to some traditional teaching and playing, members can make song requests and we will make the musical arrangements to fit the group. 25% off if you refer a friend!

Class and registration is run by Rich Begel, richbeg@gmail.com. Please make payments directly to Rich Begel.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

Announcements JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

A WARM DAYTON WELCOME TO OUR NEW JFS STAFF MEMBERS! Aleka Smith MSW, LSW and Theresa Clyburn, Administrative Assistant join the team!

JFS Social Worker Aleka Smith, MSW, LSW Aleka, a Pennsylvania native, earned her Master of Social Work at Temple University. She moved from Pennsylvania to Kettering in 2018, for her husband’s job, where she resides with her husband, daughter, and five rescue furbabies. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, walking her dogs, thrifting, exercising, and visiting local coffee shops.

Aleka is excited to start her new position as JFS Social Worker and to support our community!

JFS Administrative Assistant Theresa Clyburn Theresa comes to the Jewish Family Services with over 25 years of experience in planning, coordinating, and documenting programs and services. She is married to a wonderful man and has one son who is a musician attending college for music production and marketing.

She looks forward to getting to know you and helping others in her new role!

A Biss'l Mamaloshen Reykhern

| REYKH-er-en

Verb 1. To smoke (both in the sense of smoking meat or fish and in the sense of smoking a cigarette, pipe, etc.; 2. To smoke, smolder, fume (intransitive with zikh []; said, for instance, of a fire).

Expression with reykhern: 1 reykhern vi a koymen/vi in a kretshme

(to smoke profusely (lit., to smoke like a chimney/like in a tavern).

2 s'iz gegangen a roykh (it was a sensation (lit., it was smoking; said of an event or performance) Phrases with reykhern: 1 Dort vu s'iz a roykh iz a fayer oykh

Our Jewish Community will remain vibrant for generations to come because of your generosity and commitment!

(Where there's smoke, there's also a fire).

2 Er klert vu di roykhes kumen ahin (He wonders where the smoke disappears to (said of a fool)).

3 Geyn zol er mitn roykh!

(May he go with the smoke!)

Legacies, Tributes, & Memorials FEDERATION

HOLOCAUST PROGRAMMING FUND IN MEMORY OF › Sam Heider Cathy Gardner Helene Gordon and Joe Fodal Helen and Steve Markman Stephanie Weber and Andrew Blazar Louisa and Philip Dreety Karin Hirschkatz and Neil Katz Rachel and Heath Gilbert Gayle and Irv Moscowitz Marilyn and Larry Klaben Elaine and Joe Bettman LINDA RUCHMAN FUND IN MEMORY OF › Allen Ross › Bobbie Kantor Judy and Marshall Ruchman

JCC

BEN AND DOROTHY HARLAN CHILDREN’S FUND IN HONOR OF › New home of Martin and Joan Holzinger Marla and Dr. Stephen Harlan FILM FESTIVAL IN MEMORY OF › Allen Ross Jane and Dr. Gary Hochstein BARBARA FLAGEL PLAYGROUND FUND IN MEMORY OF › Barbara Flagel Carole Greene Jerry Flagel

JFS

JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES IN MEMORY OF › Allen Ross Beverly and Jeffrey Kantor › Bobbie Kantor Gayle and Irv Moscowitz Marilyn and Larry Klaben Yana and Jeffrey Kleinman Ellen and Alvin Stein Jean Lieberman

FOUNDATION

JEREMY BETTMAN B’NAI TZEDEK FUND IN MEMORY OF › Sam Heider › Bobbie Kantor Jean and Todd Bettman

SAMMY’S RAINBOW BRIDGE FUND IN MEMORY OF › “Hershey” Char Jean and Todd Bettman

Would you like to honor or memorialize someone in your life, all while making a meaningful impact on the Jewish community? Consider making a donation to a Jewish Foundation of Greater Dayton Fund. Tribute and memorial donations can be made for a variety of reasons. Contact us at 937-610-1555 for more information.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

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Upcoming events JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

J E W I S H F A M I LY S E R V I C E S PRESENTS

HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES AND TOES

Wednesday, January 29

Men's Philanthropy 5:30 - 7PM @ The Dayton Art Institute (456 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, 45405)

Travel with us from our heads down to our toes this year to create a happier, healthier you. Join JFS for informational sessions.

Lunch included. No cost.

You Matter: Taking Care of You Wednesday, January 22, 2020 12-1PM @ Beth Abraham Synagogue (305 Sugar Camp Circle, Dayton, 45409) Mental health self care with Jennifer Cox, Director, Training, from Montgomery Co. ADAMHS. Lunch provided. No cost.

Enjoy a kosher cocktail hour with an icy vodka flight and heavy appetizers before the CABS event with Lev Golinkin at the DAI. $18 per person.

RSVP online at jewishdayton.org or by calling (937) 610-1555.

LED RAFF R DOO !

S PRIZE

SAVE the DATE! Wednesday, March 4 A Matter of Balance - Fall prevention with Vickie Carraher @ Temple Israel Wednesday, May 20 Put Your Best Foot Forward - Proper shoe fit with Chris Roderer @ Temple Beth Or

Lunch provided, no cost. RSVP at jewishdayton.org or by calling (937) 610-1555.

JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES of GREATER DAYTON PAGE 16

Saturday, February 15, 8PM Sunday, February 16, 2PM & 6PM @ Dayton Playhouse (1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton, 45414) Tickets: In advance: $10 adult/ $5 child 4-11/ 3 and under free At the door: $15 adult/ $10 child 4-11/ 3 and under free

Purchase tickets online at jewishdayton.org or by calling (937) 610-1555.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

THE WORLD

Columbia University accused of antisemitic discrimination in 1st case related to Trump executive order Josefin Dolsten

Columbia University's Low Memorial Library in New York

By Marcy Oster, JTA A federal complaint has been filed against Columbia University accusing the school of antisemitic discrimination.

It is the first case filed since President Donald Trump’s executive order on combating antisemitism, which grants Jewish students the same protections as other minority groups.

The complaint requests a formal investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights into alleged antisemitic discrimination at Columbia. It was filed by the Lawfare Project on behalf of a Jewish IsraeliAmerican undergraduate who says he has been a victim of antisemitic discrimination over the past year.

Jonathan Karten told The Jerusalem Post that he decided to go forward with the complaint after he learned that a

well-known professor in the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies at Columbia had endorsed Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Terrorist brigade, “with impunity.”

Karten’s uncle, Sharon Edri, was kidnapped and murdered by a Hamas cell in Israel in 1996.

According to the Lawfare Project, Jewish students at Columbia “have endured systematic discrimination from tenured professors and anti-Israel groups,” including Students for Justice for Palestine and Columbia University Apartheid Divest. Columbia students and faculty also host Israel Apartheid Week, which has included bringing virulently antisemitic speakers to campus.

A university spokesperson said in an email that Columbia had no comment on the complaint.

Buying & Selling Video Games & Systems

®

Electronics, Movies, Music & More Mon thru Sat 10 - 9, Sun 12 - 6

1133 Brown St. Dayton • 228-6399 secondtimearound.com THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

PAGE 17

THE MARVELOUS MR. MAZEL

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munity was simply amazing. Never in a zillion years did I see myself doing something like this.”

She made her A motorcycle mind up after accident and Mother Nature tornado led Mindi unleashed its fury Wynne into politics. on the area.

The resident of “When I learned Perry Township Scott of the vacant seat, — tucked nicely Halasz I reconsidered and in northwest Mindi Wynne the tornado made Montgomery my mind up for me,” Mindi County — was elected to the said. “I’m not super thrilled township’s board of trustees in Beth Abraham Synagogue with how things were (or November by the slimmest of Sisterhood has announced its weren’t) handled out here and 2020 Women of Valor honorees: margins. She defeated Ronald there are a lot of people still Phyllis Allen, Helen Halcomb, K. Price 582 to 556 to win the vacant seat until it expires Dec. suffering the effects that have Tara Feiner, Goldye Kopmar, been forgotten.”

31, 2021.

Linda Novak, Bonnie Parish, Mindi’s candidacy was met It was Mindi’s first foray and Jody Sobol. Chairs of the by some with pushback. into the political arena. event, to be held May 6, are “There are residents here in “I originally thought about Charlotte Golden and Melissa running in 2013 after (husband) Perry Township that are three Sweeny. and four generations deep,” Ron’s motorcycle accident and Mindi said. “They did not want so many people in the commuBetter Business Bureau of some new person that they nity offered prayers and supDayton/Miami Valley has don’t know seated in a leaderport,” Mindi said. “This comnamed Sarah Caplan its 2019 ship role.” She added that there were “a few who played the ‘but she’s Jewish’ card.”

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Mindi said she has a lot of ideas to better the community, but needs to learn the ropes.

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To listen, go to gesmv.org/radio-readingservices-terms-use THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Classes

Beth Jacob Classes: Tuesdays, 7:15 p.m.: Weekly Torah portion using Pardes methodology. Thursdays, 7 p.m. Insight into Prayer, Shabbat & Holidays. W. Rabbi Agar. 7020 N. Main St., Harrison Twp. 274-2149.

Chabad Jewish Leadership Institute Class: Judaism’s Gifts to the World. Six Mondays beg.

Jan. 27, 7 p.m. 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood. $69. 643-0770.

Temple Anshe Emeth: Sat., Jan. 11, 9:15 p.m.: History of Reform Judaism w. Rabbinic Intern Caroline Sim. 320 Caldwell St., Piqua. For info., call Steve Shuchat, 937-726-2116.

Temple Beth Or Classes: Sat., Jan. 4, 10 a.m. & Sun., Jan. 19, 11 a.m.: Tanakh w. Rabbi Chessin. 5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp. 435-3400.

Temple Israel Classes: 10 Mondays beg. Jan. 6, 10:30 a.m.: Prayer Book Hebrew. $85 nonmembers, $80 members.

10 Mondays beg. Jan. 6, noon: Beginner Hebrew. $85 nonmembers, $80 members.

Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m.: Musar.

Wed., Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29, noon: Talmud. Thursdays, noon: Back to Basics. Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.: Torah Study. 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. 496-0050.

JCC Classes: Wed., Jan. 15, 6:30 p.m.: The Beat, Folk Music w. Irv Moscowitz. Free.

Thursdays, Jan. 2-March 5: 10-10:50 a.m. Intro. to Music Ages 4-9. $150 student, $75 sibling. 11 a.m.-noon Community & Home School Ensemble. Register for intro class & ensemble to Rich Begel, richbeg@gmail.com.

Dayton Jewish Observer Editor & Publisher Marshall Weiss, Jewish Dayton in the 1920s (co-sponsored by Beth Abraham & JG&H). 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. R.S.V.P. to 496-0050.

Family

Temple Israel Prayer & Play: Sat., Jan. 11, 10 a.m. For children 6 and under. At Temple Israel, 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. 496-0050.

Beth Abraham Friday Nite Kids Shabbat: Fri., Jan. 24, 5 p.m. Dinner, service, craft & dessert. 305 Sugar Camp Cir., Oakwood. R.S.V.P. to 293-9520.

Children & Youths

JYG at RiverScape: Sat., Jan. 25, 7-8:30 p.m. Grades 6-8. 237 E. Monument Ave., Dayton. $7.

R.S.V.P. to 610-1555.

Young Adults

Chabad Shabbat Dinner for Young Adults: Fri., Jan. 3, 7:15 p.m. At the home of Rabbi Elchonon & Mussie Chaikin.

R.S.V.P. to 643-0770.

YAD Volunteering @ YWCA: Tues., Jan. 21, 6-7:30 p.m. Sort items for Hope’s Closet. 131 W. 3rd St., Dayton. R.S.V.P. to Cheryl Carne, ccarne@jfgd.net.

Men

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Chabad Bagels, Lox & Tefillin: Sun., Jan. 5, 9:30 a.m. 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood. 6430770.

Jewish Federation Men’s Kosher Cocktail Hour: Wed., Jan. 29, 5:30 p.m. Prior to JCC event w. Lev Golinkin. $18. Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park N. R.S.V.P. to 610-1555.

Seniors

JFS You Matter — Taking Care of You: Wed., Jan. 22, noon.

Emotional health self care w.

Jennifer Cox, Montgomery Co. Beth Abraham Synagogue, 305 Sugar Camp Cir., Oakwood.

Includes lunch. Free. 610-1555.

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JCC Cultural Arts & Book Series

Lev Golinkin: Wed., Jan. 29, 1:30 p.m. at One Lincoln Park, 590 Isaac Prugh Way, Kettering.

7 p.m. at Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park N. Both free.

Community Events

Chabad Deli Night: Sat., Jan. 11, 7:30 p.m. $30. 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood. 643-0770.

Chabad Rosh Chodesh Society Class: Sun., Jan. 5, 9:45 a.m. Your Unconditional Potential. $10. 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood. 643-0770 or chabaddayton.com.

Temple Israel & Omega Baptist Pulpit Exchange: Fri., Jan. 17, 6:30 p.m.: The Rev. Joshua Ward delivers sermon at Temple Israel, 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. Sun., Jan. 19, 10:15 a.m.: Rabbi BodneyHalasz delivers sermon at Omega Baptist, 1821 Emerson Ave., Dayton.

Chabad Women’s Circle Movie Morning: Sun., Jan. 26, 9:45 a.m. The Wedding Plan. W. breakfast. Call for location, 6430770.

MLK Interfaith Service: Sun., Jan. 19, 9:45 a.m. Corinthian Baptist Church, 700 S. McGee Blvd., Dayton. With Beth Abraham Synagogue.

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Discussions

Beth Abraham Synagogue Brunch Speaker Series: Sundays, $7. Jan. 12, 10 a.m., Dr. David Shuster, The Nature of Bourbon. 305 Sugar Camp Cir., Oakwood. R.S.V.P. to 2939520. Jan. 26, 9:45 a.m. (at Temple Israel, 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton), Marshall Weiss, Jewish Dayton in the 1920s.

Temple Israel Ryterband Brunch Series: Sundays, 9:45 a.m. $7. Jan. 5, UC Prof. Dr. Fred Krome, What Medieval English Antisemitism Can Teach Us About Modern Hostility Toward Jews. Jan. 12, Wright State Prof. Emeritus Stephen Renas, Online Hate & Real World Violence. Jan. 26,

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

PAGE 19

RELIGION

CONGREGATIONS Beth Abraham Synagogue Conservative Rabbi Joshua Ginsberg Cantor/Dir. of Ed. & Programming Andrea Raizen Mornings, Mon. & Thurs., 7 a.m.; Tues., Wed., Fri., 7:15 a.m.

Sundays, 8:30 a.m. Evenings, Mon.-Fri., 5:30 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m. w. Youth Service 10:30 a.m. 305 Sugar Camp Circle, Oakwood. 2939520. BethAbrahamDayton.org Beth Jacob Congregation Traditional Rabbi Leibel Agar Saturdays 9:30 a.m. Yahrzeit minyans available upon advance request. 7020 N. Main St., Dayton.

274-2149. BethJacobCong.org Temple Anshe Emeth Reform Rabbinic Intern Caroline Sim Saturday, Jan. 11, 10 a.m.

320 Caldwell St., Piqua.

Contact Steve Shuchat, 937-7262116, AnsheEmeth@gmail.com. ansheemeth.org Temple Beth Or Reform Rabbi Judy Chessin Educator/Rabbi Ari Ballaban Fridays 7 p.m.

Saturdays 10 a.m.

5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp. 435-3400. templebethor.com Temple Beth Sholom Reform Rabbi Haviva Horvitz See Web site for schedule.

610 Gladys Dr., Middletown.

513-422-8313. thetemplebethsholom.com Temple Israel Reform Senior Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz Rabbi/Educator Tina Sobo First Friday each month 6 p.m.

All other Fridays 6:30 p.m.

Saturdays 10:30 a.m.

130 Riverside Dr., Dayton.

496-0050. tidayton.org Temple Sholom Reform Rabbi Cary Kozberg Fridays 6 p.m.

2424 N. Limestone St., Springfield. 399-1231. templesholomoh.com

ADDITIONAL SERVICES Chabad of Greater Dayton Rabbi Nochum Mangel Associate Rabbi Shmuel Klatzkin Youth & Prog. Dir. Rabbi Levi Simon, Teen & Young Adult Prog.

Dir. Rabbi Elchonon Chaikin.

Beginner educational service Saturdays 9 a.m. adults, 10 a.m children. Sundays 9 a.m.

2001 Far Hills Ave. 643-0770. www.chabaddayton.com Yellow Springs Havurah Independent Services 1st & 3rd Saturdays, 10-noon. Antioch College Rockford Chapel. Contact Len Kramer, 937572-4840 or len2654@gmail.com.

PAGE 20

Talmud study is mostly a boys’ club.

This Orthodox woman wants to change that.

Ben Sales

levels. The Long Island

By Ben Sales, JTA native left Barnard ColMichelle Farber has lege in the middle of her spent decades teaching studies to study Torah in Talmud to Jewish womIsrael, eventually getting en. But when her first her bachelor’s degree in child was born, she was Talmud and Bible from relieved it was a boy.

Bar-Ilan University near “When my son was Tel Aviv. She also graduborn, I said, ‘Good, we ated from the scholars’ had a boy first, it’ll give program at Midreshet the world a little time to Lindenbaum, a women’s catch up for women,’” seminary in Jerusalem.

Farber said. “Well, my At that stage, a man daughter was born a with Farber’s knowledge year and a half later. I could have pursued rabreally thought that by binical studies. But at the the time my kids got to time, that option was all my age, things would be Michelle Farber, who has spent her career but closed to Orthodox totally different, and I women. feel like there’s still not a studying and teaching Jewish texts, is organizing the first large-scale ceremony to celebrate women So Farber studied large number of women completing Daf Yomi, a program in which students independently.

She joined 1/2 who dedicate time to learn a page of Talmud daily for 7 years a coed Talmud class with study Talmud.” a distinguished Orthodox Farber, 47, is one of center in Jerusalem. Thousands rabbi, but had to leave after the people trying to change are expected to attend, and it shut its doors to women. that. the event will be livestreamed Ultimately she embarked on a For the past 71/2 years, she around the world. The cercareer teaching Jewish studies emony is a project of Hadran, has taught a page of Talmud a day to a small group of women an organization Farber founded to women in Jerusalem before moving to the Tel Aviv area, at her home in the Tel Aviv sub- to encourage women’s Talmud where she taught a weekly urb of Raanana. Some 250 more study.

Talmud class to women.

The event will celebrate a listen to the class online.

“The opportunities for me years-long accomplishment, The classes are part of a were really lacking,” said Farbut Farber also hopes it will enworldwide program called Daf courage more women to engage ber, who uses the title rabbanit.

Yomi, in which countless num“You can’t imagine what it’s in intensive Jewish text study bers of Jews around the world like. A guy has no understand— a field that has been domi— nearly all of them men — ing of what it’s like to be a nated by men for centuries. study one of the 2,711 pages of woman and where the women “This is a real opportunity the millennia-old Jewish legal are coming from, and the lack to make a change and get to all code known as the Talmud that they have.” the women who are out there each day.

Rabbinic ordination has who aren’t necessarily studying On Jan. 4, the 71/2-year Daf been open to non-Orthodox now and could be,” she said.

Yomi cycle is set to finish, an women for decades. Opportuoccasion that will be marked by “It’s a very good thing to do nities have expanded recently massive celebrations. In 2012, a at a stage of life where you’re for Orthodox women as well. busy with a million things and crowd of 90,000, mostly males, Yeshivat Maharat in New York want to set aside some time for filled MetLife Stadium in New City has been ordaining Ortholearning and feel like you’re Jersey to celebrate the end of dox women clergy for a decade. getting somewhere.” the last cycle.

In Israel, some women have Farber’s life is a case study On Jan. 5, Farber is holding received Orthodox rabbinical in the obstacles that Orthodox the first large-scale Daf Yomi ordination. women have faced trying to ceremony for women at the Other programs offer women study Talmud at the highest Binyanei Ha’Uma convention advanced degrees in Jewish law. And American high school graduates can choose from evet/ hevat nearly two dozen women’s seminaries in Israel. Farber’s daughter studied at Migdal Oz, Torah the sister school of Yeshivat Har Shabbat Portions Etzion, a highly regarded men’s Candle Orthodox academy in the West January 4 Lightings Bank settlement of Efrat.

Vayigash (Gen. 44:18-47:27) But Farber notes there is still January 3, 5:06 p.m.

January 11 a significant gender gap when Veyechi (Gen. 47:28-50:26) January 10, 5:13 p.m. it comes to advanced Jewish study. An Israeli survey from January 18 January 17, 5:20 p.m.

2016 showed that 41 percent of Shemot (Ex. 1:1-6:1) January 24, 5:28 p.m. religious Zionist women in IsJanuary 25 rael don’t study Torah regularJanuary 31, 5:37 p.m.

Vaera (Ex. 6:2-9:35) ly, as opposed to 14 percent of

January • T

S

men. Part of the reason Farber’s class is limited to women is so women have a safe space to start encountering texts.

“I knew that women may be intimidated to come if there were men in the room,” Farber said.

“It was a way to attract beginners who had less background. If you put them in a class with men, they’re going to be more hesitant to open their mouths, to feel comfortable, and I wanted a warm, safe environment for women.”

Farber’s teaching style emphasizes giving students a clear explanation of the Talmud’s esoteric and tortuous legal debates. But she also aims to show how the Talmud confronts questions of human nature — something she has found her female students approach with particular insight.

She recalled one Talmud scenario in which a woman receives a date rather than a ring to signify marriage — and then eats the fruit. Is the marriage still valid? It sounds like a bizarre case, but one of her students suggested that the bride might just be poor and hungry.

One of Farber’s regular students via podcast, Ilana Kurshan, said she appreciates that Farber uses women’s names when discussing hypothetical legal cases.

Kurshan has completed Daf Yomi and wrote an award-winning memoir on the experience called If All the Seas Were Ink. “You imagine in your head that the women are the actors in the drama,” Kurshan said.

“There are many aspects both of the text itself and the human encounter with the text that we have not historically had access to because only half the population has been studying the texts.”

In advance of the completion ceremony, Farber’s Hadran organization has begun a campaign to have women “adopt” one page of Talmud and then study it before the event. She also wants to help train more women to teach Talmud.

“It’s not just that women should study Talmud but that we create more women scholars,” she said. “Having a woman teacher provides a role model. It just sends a message that you can get somewhere in this field.”

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

A BISEL KISEL

Ways not to celebrate Christmas I met my husband in Chicago, at a Chanukah/Christmas party, where the guests were a culturally diverse group of hungry graduate students who devoured latkes and eggnog with equal gusto. Sam and I smoked, drank, and flirted on the porch. We didn’t care what we were celebrating.

Masha Kisel Once we moved to Ohio and had kids, we realized that to maintain a Jewish identity in a predominantly Christian community, our holiday traditions must include resisting the pull of Christmas conformity. Here are some of the ways we have actively avoided celebrating Christmas for the past nine years.

The Santa evaders

When the kids were just a few months old, we decided to bring them to the Oakwood shops’ Christmas Bazaar. Well, we called it a “Winter Bazaar.”

In the first year of the twins’ lives, everything mattered.

Seeing holiday festivity was a “must-do, first-ever” milestone, but we didn’t want them getting used to experiencing Christmas, lest that led to celebrating Christmas.

We carried them in their car seats from store to store, pointing out the colorful lights, the hanging ornaments, and the paper snowflakes. “Take in that

secular seasonal celebration, kids!” They looked on in that unimpressed way that babies do when adults attempt to forcefeed them wonder.

We should’ve known that Santa would be lying in wait in one of the stores. But we didn’t, and had no plan for when my husband, Sam, noticed “just a dude in a red suit and a fake white beard.” Santas traditionally stay put in a designated corner. But this one lurked about, indiscriminately spreading Christmas cheer all over the place.

Sam and I locked eyes. We were thinking the same thing.

Must. Prevent. Early. Childhood. Santa. Imprinting. As “Just a Dude” approached us, no doubt giddily anticipating our children’s amazement, we performed a series of synchronized moves with our tiny dance partners. Swing your partner’s car seat round and round, away from the smiling “Just a Dude” and sashay, sashay, sashay toward the exit.

Not today, Santa!

We high fived with our free hands once we made it outside, having achieved the impossible paradox of Jewish parenting.

Our tiny children experienced the joy and the festivity but avoided the jollies as well as the merriment.

The compulsive chefs

Once our kids got a little older, we couldn’t get away with partaking in Christmas activities and pretending we were just enjoying winter. We needed something to keep us busy on Christmas Day: mostly to reas-

sure us that we were not hiding out, but staying indoors with the curtains shut, voluntarily, like people whose ancestors didn’t fear pogroms.

“We’re going to make Russian dumplings. From scratch!

And the kids will help me!”

Sam declared.

I’ve been exempt from cooking ever since our fourth date — a two-person potluck, for which I made a wonderfully creative version of the Russian potato salad, Olivier.

“The apples give it a nice crunch…” my future husband complimented me, “…and so do the, um, under-cooked potatoes.”

Sam was already pulling out the dumpling press he had sworn to use at least once since acquiring it three years before.

I honored his culinary ambition by giving him space.

“I’ll be in our room reading, if you need me to taste anything!”

I yelled from the top of the stairs.

Two hours later, Sam and the kids were covered in flour. Little bits of dough clung to the twins’ tiny fingers. Cookie sheets of perfectly shaped Siberian pelmieni lay on the kitchen counters, on the stove-top, the dining table, and the living room ottoman.

“Wow. How many did you make?”

“Two hundred, I think. I lost count. Maybe I overdid it. We can freeze them.” Sam sighed.

“I am exhausted. Is it tomorrow yet?”

“You should rest now.” I said benevolently. “I’ll take over watching the kids. Where’s

that Nightmare Before Christmas DVD?”

The lonely skippers

One year on Christmas Day, we decided to go for a walk.

Our neighbors’ homes glowed warm with decorated trees and family togetherness. But outside it was as desolate as the day after a zombie apocalypse. We strolled silently in the cold.

It occurred to me that we should at least appear to be enjoying ourselves. I began to skip.

“C’mon everyone!” We locked arms like the cast of The Wizard of Oz. “We’re not any worse than you!” our movement vocabulary announced to the rest of Oakwood. “It’s just a day like any other for us, but we’re the kind of family that makes the best of any situation. We know how to take advantage of an empty street for a good ole’ fashioned full sidewalk skip!”

And if any of our neighbors should peek out from their windows in between bites of ham, they’d see just how not left out we felt.

“Look at that adorable, whimsical family. They’re dancing in the streets!” They’d exclaim.

I broke away from the group and got my arms into full swing, breathing in a jogging

rhythm.

Sam and the kids dutifully skipped to the end of our street behind me, our collective footsteps landing with a heavy thud. It was a long two blocks.

“I’m cold. Can we make hot chocolate?” my daughter implored.

“Hot chocolate! What a great idea!” I exclaimed loud enough so the whole neighborhood could hear. Maybe I imagined it, but I could’ve sworn I spied a thumbs-up in one of the Christmas-lit windows.

The mitzvah makers

For the past few years, we’ve participated in a new tradition hosted by Jewish Family Services at the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education, in Centerville.

We gather for an intergenerational Mitzvah Mission, where we make sack lunches and scarves for St. Vincent DePaul of Dayton, who in turn distributes them to Daytonians without enough food or warm clothes this holiday season.

It’s a great cause and a good place to meet up with friends who will join you for Chinese food afterward. Not celebrating Christmas is a lot more fun as a group.

Recently, when checking out at the grocery store, the nice cashier asked our son what Santa Claus would bring him.

“What’s a Santa Claus?” my son replied, deadpan.

We’ve done something right.

Just like their Jewish parents, our kids are rebels without a Claus.

Dr. Masha Kisel is a lecturer in English at the University of Dayton.

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THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

Beverly A. Louis Perry Lubens Dr. David & Joan Marcus Donald & Carole Marger Marvin & Susan Mason Suzi & Jeff Mikutis Irvin & Gayle Moscowitz Richard & Marcia Moyer Myrna Nelson Sis & Phil Office Lori Ohlmann Steven & Barbara Rothstein Dr. & Mrs. Gerald Rubin Jan Rudd-Goenner Felice Shane Marc & Maureen Sternberg Col. Jeffrey Thau, USAF, (Ret) & Rina Thau Joel & Jennifer Tobiansky Julie & Adam Waldman & Family Donald & Caryl Weckstein Stuart & Gail Weprin Michael & Karen Weprin Dr. Warren Wingate

Thank You.

PAGE 21

JEWISH FAMILY EDUCATION

A heritage of children

However, 40 percent of parents say they simply don’t want more children, according to Pew research.

Alongside the move to countries, dwinsmaller families, there’s a growdling resources, and climate ing trend to have no children change, and their threats to at all. Pew reports that among sustainability and civil order, childless adults younger than mind-set, which still seems which are also motivating fifty, 37 percent say they don’t largely to favor children. childlessness. In the extreme are ever expect to become parents.

“The baby-product industry anti-natalists, who view life as While some cite a “lack of is at a record high,” notes Time bad, filled with suffering, and maternal instinct,” America’s reporter Lauren Sandler. totally pointless. They conclude “mommyhood martyrdom” Unique children’s programs that having children is intrinsichildrearing approach disenincorporating STEM to the arts cally cruel and irresponsible, chants many more potential are proliferating. Alongside even immoral. hundreds of titles on pregnancy, parents.

According to Pew analyst Sociologist Julia McQuillen childbirth, infertility, and adopGeorge Gao, these dramatic tion, bookstores feature a grow- quips, “If we make mothershifts in American attitudes hood unrealistic, why would ing selection on tips and tricks about children we want to do for working at home, pausing and parenthood, that job?” Cafor parenthood, and balancing Why does along with many reer ambitions, career and family. other cultural independence to God command In fact, according to Amy pursue interests having children? changes, arose Richards, author of Opting In: the 1960s and such as travel Having a Child Without Losing Because sex is in 1970s, likely trigYourself, “There’s more pressure and hobbies, and only an instinct. gered by wide preference for on women to be mothers, to availability of adult and partfulfill that obligation, than I’ve Children are a the birth control ner relationships ever seen.” pill and women’s Yet half of today’s Americans also motivate the value. growing particichildfree choice. say two children is the ideal “I’m busy with my own life,” is pation in the workforce, along family size, while in the 1960s with the increasing cost of chila common sentiment. it was four or more, according Radio host Madeleine Brand drearing. Triggers not appearto a 2015 Pew Research Center ing on that list, however, are suggests the childfree trend study. reflects a loss of hope in the fu- the parallel declines in personal The average cost of childture. “What about all the school religious commitment and the rearing — over a quarter-milinfluence of biblically founded lion per child to age 17 — is the shootings, bigotry, racism and values on American life. most frequently cited barrier to sexism in America?” she asks.

These attitudinal and beAdd to those woes overall more children, as parents want havioral shifts are not evident population increases fueled to give each child “the best of among the religious. Accordlargely by underdeveloped everything.” ing to two different studies on religiosity, fertility, and family size, traditionally participatory religious families have intentionally maintained a stable commitment to having children and to larger family sizes.

In American and Jewish traditions alike, attitudes toward children have their roots in the Bible. Children are a gift from God.

Our Dual Heritage

For the fourth year in a row the number of births in the U.S. has declined to “the lowest number of births in 32 years,” according to a 2018 report from the National Center for Health Statistics. In her analysis of this trend, health correspon-

Candace R. Kwiatek dent Julia Belluz explains that today’s historically low fertility rate of 1.72 — lower even than the fertility crash of the Great Depression — is well below the replacement rate of 2.1 needed for population renewal and societal stability.

In fact, today, “half of the world’s countries have fertility rates below the replacement level,” according to Prof Christopher Murray, the director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

What is contributing to America’s decline in childbearing? Not the overall cultural

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The purpose of parenting is to teach children, raising them to become morally and ethically good adults.

They are also to be self sufficient. The Talmud counsels that children be taught a trade and how to swim (contemporary survival skills), while America’s apprenticeships and trade schools, public schools and universities, even internships and recreation have done much the same.

Foundational to Judaism and America alike, the biblical saga is the story of well-meaning but imperfect parents and generations of mostly good children who were the hope — even the guarantors — of a future.

Despite adversity in every generation, in every lifetime, they went on to become the architects of societies guided

by Sinai, framers of the foundations of Western Civilization, and builders of a better — although admittedly still imperfect — world.

It’s a saga that has been echoed in the American narrative. It’s a saga that is yet incomplete. However, commentator Dennis Prager observes, “What was once a shared, religiously informed, cultural imperative has now become a choice.”

Which brings us to the Bible’s first commandment. In Genesis 1, we read, “God said to (the first humans), ‘Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it.’”

Why does God have to command having children?

Because sex is only an instinct.

Children are a value. Children are the path to perpetuating the civilization that values them.

Children are the path to mastering the earth, not abandoning it.

And only children are the path into the unknown future.

Literature to share The Nine by Jeanne Blaserg. A helicopter mom’s dreams for her son, the darker side of an elite boarding school, and the power of the need to fit in hint at the broad storyline of this suspenseful, highly addictive novel. Skillfully written to also include themes of privilege, the power of money, conspiracy, family relationships, sacrifice, overcoming adversity, and more, this book just begs to be a book club selection. I couldn’t put it down.

Room for Rent by Leah Goldberg. With an unexpectedly empty apartment in their “fine old house,” the remaining neighbors advertise the room for rent. But when prospective renters come for a look, they can only find fault with their future neighbors…until a memorable character arrives with a completely different perspective. A bestselling Israeli children’s classic for 50 years, Goldberg’s Jewish fable features charming illustrations, gentle rhymes, and a timeless message. Highly recommended.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

Tomato Noodle Soup with Kibbeh (Meatballs)

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By Emanuel Lee, The Nosher There really is no better cure for the weekday blues than a hot bowl of soup. Some of my worst days have ended in the best, most comforting evenings upon arriving home to a pot of soup simmering on the stove, made by a loved one.

It’s the traditional cure for colds, stomach aches, and even heartache, but there’s more to the soup world than just chicken noodle.

I’m calling my current weeknight therapy “tomato noodle.”

It’s not just soup but dinner, thanks to the depth of flavor, the heartiness of carb-y noodles, and the comforting familiarity of kibbeh (meatballs).

Whether you’re making this for your family or as your weekly act of self-love, being greeted with the aromas of this instant remedy is bound to cheer up even those who never knew they needed it.

For the kibbeh: 1 lb. ground beef ½ red onion, finely chopped 1 white onion, finely chopped 1 egg 3 Tbsp. breadcrumbs (optional) ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. allspice ½ tsp. paprika ½ salt ½ tsp. pepper olive oil For the soup: 1 clove garlic, finely chopped ½ red onion, finely sliced

1 white onion, finely sliced 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped 14.5 oz. can plum tomatoes 2 chicken or vegetable stock cubes juice of 1 lemon 2 Tbsp. honey 2 bay leaves ½ tsp. paprika ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. chili flakes olive oil salt and pepper 6 oz. bucatini or spaghetti ½ cup parsley, chopped Start by making the kibbeh.

Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil. Mix well with a wooden spoon or clean hands, making sure all the ingredients are thoroughly and evenly combined.

Wet your hands with cold water and roll the meat mixture into walnut-shaped golf ball-sized meatballs with your hands.

This recipe makes around 16 to 18 meatballs. Optional: Refrigerate the kibbeh for 20 minutes to keep a perfect shape.

Heat a large pot (the same one you’ll use for the soup) on medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and place the meatballs around the pan, leaving about an inch between each, so they’re not overcrowded.

Allow them to sear until golden on one side, about five minutes, and then turn them over to do the same on the remaining sides.

Don’t worry if they’re not cooked all the way through

yet. Transfer the meatballs to a separate plate and set aside.

You may need to cook the kibbeh in batches if your pot doesn’t fit them all at once.

Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in the pot and sauté the garlic and onions along with the bay leaves.

Season with a pinch of salt and add the paprika, chili flakes, and cinnamon, stirring occasionally.

Once the onions are soft and translucent, add the fresh tomatoes and allow them to soften and melt into the onions.

Then add the can of tomatoes and break the tomatoes apart with a wooden spoon until you have a thick sauce consistency. Season with a pinch of salt and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the stock cubes, mix well, and cover with four cups of water. Add the honey and lemon juice, leaving the leftover lemon carcass in the pot.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Pour the meatballs back into the soup (including any residual juices) and allow them to simmer gently on a low heat for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook your noodles. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles as directed on the package. Add to the soup or set aside and refrigerate if you’re not eating immediately.

To serve, ladle soup, a few meatballs and noodles into bowls and top with fresh parsley. Serve with extra lemon for squeezing.

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Arts&Culture

Escaping with Comrade Bear Lev Golinkin on his memoir about leaving Ukraine

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perience wasn’t Golinkin was 9 years old in

By Joanne Palmer unique. It was 1989 when his family began The Jewish Standard part of a pattern. the odyssey that ended in New Somehow, when you think “I don’t think Jersey. The backpack and the about it, you realize that we that American bear — Comrade Bear, genus don’t really know much about Jews, who live in stuffed, species cute — were how the Russian Jews got here. a land of synajust about all he could bring We know a bit about the gogues and Bar out, and the vodka went as politics behind it. Those of us Mitzvahs, quite bribes to the various terrifywho are old enough to rememunderstand what ing people they encountered, ber it firsthand know about the a thorough job whose outstretched Soviet Jewry movethe Soviets did hands would either ment, about the in extinguishing take the offerings or refusniks and their religion and culuse them as weapons mad courage, and ture,” Golinkin against the family. about the Americans continued. “And “You don’t have to who smuggled them two American be Jewish to read this matzahs and Bibles. organizations, book, but a big part of But we don’t HIAS and the what I set out to do in know what it felt Lev Golinkin said he wanted to show why so many Soviet Jews came to the U.S. and then didn’t this book is help Ameri- JDC” — that’s like to be a Jew from engage with the Jewish community the Hebrew can Jews understand the Soviet Union, Immigrant Aid what and who they fought for, or what it felt like to escape, or Society and the Joint Distribuand what and who they were what it felt like to start a new came back, and all of a sudtion Committee — “not only fighting against,” Golinkin life here. den you learn that heroin is said. “I wanted to show why so helped us get out of the Soviet There hasn’t been much legal, and you can buy it on Union, they actually came in many — not all, but so many written about it. Maybe it’s still the street.” Judaism was like and worked to plant seeds in — Soviet Jews came to the U.S. too soon. Maybe there will be a heroin, he suggested. countries like Ukraine, Uzbekiand then didn’t engage with torrent of novels and memoirs Why such an odd metaphor? stan, and Russia, to help get the Jewish community. and films. Maybe someone had Why compare Judaism to a Jewish life back there.

“I can only speak for myself to start it. deadly drug?

“In my home city, Kharkov, — most days I have enough Lev Golinkin has written A “Karl Marx said that religion the synagogue was turned Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates trouble even doing that — and was the opiate of the people,” into a rec center, and now it’s a in the book I am very careful to of Vodka: A Memoir, about his Golinkin said. Beyond that, he fully functioning Jewish center speak only for myself — but I family’s exodus from Ukraine. wanted to show the depths of again. Religion was something The book was the Dayton JCC’s do realize that my family’s exthe hatred — and the resulting that was illegal and Community Read self-hatred — that came from underground — and the Soviet campaign against selection this fall, and The JCC Cultural Arts & Book Series presents Lev now they have an Golinkin will present Golinkin at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 29 at the Dayton Art religion. “It was a very persistwo events in Dayton Institute, 456 Belmonte Park North, Dayton. Golinkin will Ask the Rabbi webtent campaign,” he said. “They discuss his views on discrimination past and present earlier site.

Jan. 29 as the culmistarted with killing rabbis and “Imagine if you nation of the Dayton in the day, at 1:30 p.m., in a conversation with Marshall community leaders, and they left the United JCC’s Cultural Arts & Weiss at One Lincoln Park, 590 Isaac Prugh Way, kept on eradicating everyKettering, in partnership with JFS. Both programs are free. States, and then you Book Series. thing.”

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His background in the former Soviet Union “taught me that being a Jew was a disease,” he said. “The problem is, that idea goes all the way across the Atlantic with you, and I nurtured it long after the Soviet Union collapsed.”

All religion was sent underground, and priests, too, were hunted. Still, there was particular hatred aimed at the Jews, “who were persecuted not only for religion but also for ethnicity.”

“I think that Jews are probably the only people in the world where the name applies to both things,” he continued. “We had very little of religion by the time the 1980s rolled around, but everyone had to carry an ID card, and the fifth line was the line for ethnicity.

You have to present your credentials to get anything. So imagine if your driver’s license said Jew.” The Soviet Union was a huge place, he added. The levels of antisemitism varied depending on what other ethnic groups were around, how many Jews there were, and many other factors, including local history, and then the random whims of the people in charge.

Where he was, when he was there, Jewloathing reigned.

“My mom was a Jewish doctor. She had no problems. But my sister wasn’t allowed to go to medical school,” he said. “Policies varied. It was unpredictable.”

One thing that did not vary for Golinkin as a child was the hatred directed toward him at school. He often was beaten up, his friends called him names, and his parents, trying to protect him, kept him home as often as they could.

Of course, to be fair, school, at least as he describes it in his memoir, was the sort of place that would make any sane child take to bed. It was highly regimented, purely polemical, imaginationaverse, and actively unpleasant.

Much of life in the Soviet Union was actively unpleasant. He was a child when he left, so he must go by other people’s reports, but “people who know talk a lot about the sense of unreality in the Soviet Union,” he said. They were constantly told about their country’s glories, and how they would conquer all challenges.

“On the other hand, people in their living rooms were quietly derisive about the government, about Lenin, about everything. There was a very rich, sarcastic sense of humor that just pervaded everything. People often would say, ‘We pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us.’ This is a country that lost 20 million, at least, to World War II, and another 70 million to Stalin. The humor was really dark humor.”

Maybe because of that influence, Golinkin’s book, too, is darkly funny. At other times, it’s just straightforwardly funny. That sets off the darkness of his early life — filled with some periods of active fear, but even more with the dank boredom of the grim Soviet system.

People did not know that the system was on the verge of falling apart, Golinkin said. They knew that things weren’t going well, but instead of the problems leading to the end of the Soviet Union, they feared that it would

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S AV E t h e D AT E S U N D AY , M AY 1 7 5PM @ CARILLON HISTORICAL PARK'S lead to the end of the Jews. “One of the reasons we left was that when things go wrong, Russians and Ukrainians have pogroms. They blame everything on the Jews.”

When he and his family left, they were part of a huge wave of Jewish refugees who nearly swamped the systems set up to help them. Part of Golinkin’s story is about his long journey out, and then the family’s new life in the United States.

The decision to leave was an incredibly hard one, he said; he hadn’t realized how wrenchingly hard it was for his parents because he wasn’t old enough when they left. All he knew was that he desperately wanted to get out.

“Leaving was very dangerous,” he said. “You had to leave all of your belongings — you were allowed just a few nonessential items. You had no money.

All you knew was that you had to get to some train station in Vienna. You have a one-way ticket. You just had to hope that someone would be there to meet you.”

In his book, Golinkin writes about the stratagems his parents had to use to get the paperwork that would allow them out; the emotional capital they had to expend, the buttons they had to push and the levers they had to pull — not to mention the actual money they had to pay, both over and under the table. They needed luck. They were lucky.

The trip out to the border sounds like an old Western. They went by bus, not stagecoach, but they had to worry about marauders hijacking the bus, robbing them, possibly even murdering them and throwing their bodies out into the bleak, featureless tundra through which they drove. Their stops had to be short, because that minimized the chances of being attacked. They had to pay off watchers who could warn them about raiders.

Once they got to the border, John Ford was replaced by Franz Kafka. The border check was terrifying and irrational. Not everyone made it out. The Golinkins did, but it was close — and his father, who tried to sneak out his Continued on next page

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Jewish Book Council

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Golinkin

would learn. They just gave me work to do and checked in with me at the end.”

West Lafayette is a university town, and his teachers were able to take Continued from previous page advantage of that. “There was a grad intellectual capital, secreted on a comstudent at Purdue who was working on puter chip, had to find a way destroy it, quickly and secretly. The stakes were far a Ph.D. in English and was interested in education,” he said. She was matched too high. with Golinkin, and “she figured me The skeleton of his book is formed out,” he said. “She asked my dad what from his childhood memories, fleshed I liked, and he said English fairy tales. out with a great deal of reporting work New ones, not Hans Christian Andersen that he did as an adult. So some images stories, which I already knew in Rusare extremely intense, seen through the sian. So she gave me fairly tales, and in eyes of a preteen boy, and then they are order to get to the ending, I had to do given context. the lesson.

The book then tells about the fam“Eventually I trusted her, and we ily’s stay in Austria, as they are moved around, taken care of but not told much, worked together for months,” he said; unsure of where they are going but very he recently tracked down his tutor, and learned that “she’s now the head of the sure that they are headed in the right English program at Michidirection. gan State University.”

Golinkin’s father spoke The Golinkins’ stay in English before he left Indiana was short because Ukraine. “In the 1970s, when “as soon as my dad started he was on his deathbed, my making money, he put it father’s father told my fainto resumes.” That led to ther, ‘One of these days, one the job in Trenton that he of these years, one of these still holds, and the famdecades, this cursed country ily moved to New Jersey. is going to collapse, and you Golinkin graduated from will have the opportunity to high school there, and went get your family out, so you’d on to Boston College. better get ready,’” Golinkin Why did he choose a Jesaid. “So he learned English, Lev Golinkin, 1st grade, suit institution? Specifically and spent years honing it.

Kharkov, Ukraine because it wasn’t Jewish. “I That’s why he now has a went there to escape my Jewish idenjob as an engineer. He’s about to celtity,” he said. “And then, while I was at ebrate his 25th anniversary at that.” His Boston College, slowly, that changed. I mother, who had not learned English needed to understand more. Toward the before she escaped the Ukraine, has not end of college, I had a serious conversabeen able to work as a doctor. “She’s tion with a mentor there, and he said now working as a security guard, but that I had to understand my past. That I she’s very happy to be here, and to help have to know where I came from. the United States,” her son said.

“He told me, ‘You need to stop telling Golinkin’s sister, called Lina in the memoir, learned English in Ukraine, and people that you come from New Jersey.’

But that took time. I was driving out found it very useful. She’s an engineer of New Brunswick once with friends, in the Midwest. His grandmother, on and the parking lot attendant had an the other hand, the fifth Golinkin in the accent. One of my drunk friends said, group, “never really learned English,” ‘Where are you from?’ and he said ‘New he said. “But she was pretty old when Brunswick.’ He asked him again, and she came here.”

Golinkin learned some English before the guy stared him down and said ‘New Brunswick.’ he came to this country. The family’s “I said ‘Leave him alone. He knows first year was spent in West Lafayette, what you mean, and he doesn’t want to Ind. When the Golinkins and one other tell you.’ A lot of the time, Americans Russian Jewish family arrived, “it made don’t know where they’re from. Often front-page news,” he said. “It’s a small the people who come here know where college town, and it was summer. Noththey’re from all too well.” ing happens there. An adorable puppy Golinkin knew where he was from — can make the front page. but from a child’s vantage point. One “The Jewish community came of the reasons for this book was to give together to adopt us, and they also involved the rest of the town. The whole him the chance to see it as an adult.

“Part of it also was trying to recontown took us on. Both the good and the bad. And this happened in communities nect with my Jewish identity,” he added.

“I go to no synagogue, no temple, no throughout the United States.” nothing. But I am extraordinarily proud His memories of school back in of being a Jew, of coming from a people Ukraine, along with his inability to get who have the right to turn their back on along well in English, made his transithe world but instead decide to engage tion to school hard. “I was in the fourth and heal it. grade,” he said. “There was nobody “I feel most Jewish when I am workfrom the Soviet Union in school with ing on a humanitarian project. One me. of the big gifts of writing this book is “But the teachers handled me wonworking with the JDC and HIAS. They derfully. They realized that I was helped my family, and they continue to terrified of school. I hated school. They help millions of others. It also helps me didn’t speak Russian and I didn’t speak through volunteering and coming to English. They realized that if they’d terms with my past.” leave me alone in the back of the class, I

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JANUARY 2020

Executive Jersey order City Continued from Page 12 condemned.

More difficult may be the accusations directed at the state of Israel itself — calling it a racist state, drawing analogies to the Nazis or holding it to unfair double standards. These are largely rhetorical, which lead critics of the working definition and the executive order to claim they will stifle free speech on campus.

They may. Even the most useful tools can be misused, and guarding against it will be imperative.

There is no clearly defined line where all might know that extreme animus toward Israel has become more than criticism and instead is now a form of antisemitism. But it happens.

Take the example of British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose extreme anti-Zionism is understood by the vast majority of British Jews — and many non-Jews — to be only a thinly disguised form of antisemitism.

In America, free speech and hate speech are not mutually exclusive. Racist, homophobic and antisemitic speech may be protected by the First Amendment, but they have consequences.

In particular, and within the narrowly defined contours of Title VI, the presence of hate speech can contribute to a hostile climate or a pattern of discrimination against any protected minority group. It’s not proof in and of itself, but it must be considered.

Thus, a comprehensive definition of antisemitism can be a useful tool in determining if and when an extreme antiIsrael environment on campus undermines the security and well-being of Jewish students.

Of course, there are serious and lethal threats from other sources, as seen in attacks on our nation’s synagogues and in a kosher market.

Critics of the president’s executive order have rightly noted that it does nothing to address this problem.

But, however flawed the messenger may be, we should be clear-eyed and objective when evaluating the message.

While many of us may have preferred congressional legislation to an executive order, the results are the same.

Rabbi Andrew Baker is the American Jewish Committee director of international Jewish affairs.

Continued from Page 12 do to make the community feel safer. While I cannot speak for the entire community, if there is one lesson to take away from the response to the tragedy, it is this: You may have your own opinions about our way of life, and you may even strongly disagree with it. But when Chasidic Jews are saying they are afraid and feel unsafe, it is the duty of all of us to stand up in their defense. Mere expressions of solidarity are not enough — nor is solidarity that comes only after tragedy strikes.

When we are being ridiculed or mocked for the way we dress or speak, it isn’t funny, it is worrying. When officials and neighbors in Jackson, New Jersey, or Rockland County, New York, single out Chasidim as bad neighbors or as a “threat to our quality of life” and tailor zoning laws to limit the community’s natural growth, it should be seen for what it is: good old-fashioned antisemitism that eventually leads to the sort of violence we saw in Jersey City.

When Chasidim are harassed and targeted online or on the streets, they are not isolated events but a revelation of deeper antisemitic hatred that must be uprooted and fought with the same might as any other form of antisemitism.

The murderous event didn’t happen in a void — it came after years of ignoring hate and mockery of Chasidic Jews. Our community hasn’t been taken seriously, and it is time for this to change. Jewish solidarity isn’t just soul-comforting — it saves lives.

If we have the support of our Jewish brothers and sisters, we will feel a bit safer in our streets and such tragedies may be prevented in the future.

Meyer Labin was born and raised in the Satmar community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to a family of 14. He is a father of three and currently resides in Jerusalem, where he writes for Yiddish publications.

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OBITUARIES Katharine W. “Kay” Farnbacher, age 92 formerly of Oakwood, died at her home at the Carlyle House in Kettering, Nov. 19. Mrs. Farnbacher was preceded in death by her parents, George and Margaret Wetherbee, her two wonderful husbands, Edgar J. Graef and Kurt S. Farnbacher, and her son, Gary Graef. She is survived by her children, Leslie (Brian) Schrack, Sarah (Rick) Back, and Gretchen (Doug) Miller; grandchildren, James (Heidi) Schrack, Shannon (Todd) Thomas, Steven (girlfriend, April) Back, Benjamin Miller, Abigail (partner, Jeffrey) Miller; great grandchildren, Corah, Adelyn, Juliet Clemmer, her beloved brother Paul (Nola) Wetherbee, and many nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Farnbacher’s zest for life was reflected in her love of travel, lifelong learning, many volunteer opportunities, and clubs including the Friday Afternoon Club. Her joyful laugh was enjoyed by her family, dear friends, and all who knew her. A Wellesley graduate, she was incredibly smart, which made choosing a word she didn’t know for the Dictionary Game very difficult.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Dayton or SICSA. The family would like to thank the caring team at Carlyle House and Hospice of Dayton. Interment was at Riverview Cemetery.

Samuel Heider, age 95 of Dayton, passed away Nov. 21 at his home, surrounded by family. Mr. Heider was born Szmul Josef Hajder to parents Chaja Hochenbaum Hajder and Avruhom Jankel Hajder, April 5, 1924. Mr. Heider’s family were orchard farmers in a small town in Poland, Biejkow.

He was a yeshiva student before World War II broke out.

Mr. Heider was a Holocaust survivor of five concentration camps: Radom, Auschwitz, Vaihingen, Hessental, and Dachau. He faced death marches, the selection of the infamous Dr. Joseph Mengele, forced labor camps, and often survived on less than a hunk of bread a day. He was the only surviving member of his family of six brothers and sisters. Once liberated from Dachau, he met his wife of 68 years, who preceded him in death, Phyllis Heider. They settled in Dayton, opened a metal recycling business, and were active members of Beth Jacob Congregation and the Jewish community. Mr. Heider spent his life working to honor the deaths of his family, and to ensure a tragedy of that magnitude would never happen again. He was active in lecturing about the Holocaust in the community, and wrote a book about his life, Miracle of Miracles. Mr. Heider was an inspiration to everyone he touched. Mr. Heider is survived by his daughters and son-in-law, Linda and Larry Richards, and Sharon Heider; son and daughter-in-law, Morris Heider and Kathy LeGrand-Heider; grandchildren, Lea, Matthew and Mason Richards, Max and Mallory Green, Kelly and Molly Weiner; and many other relatives and friends. Interment

was at Beth Jacob Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Holocaust Education Fund c/o The Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, Attn: Jodi Phares, 525 Versailles Dr., Dayton, OH 45459 in Mr. Heider’s memory.

Roberta Elaine “Bobbie” Duberstein Kantor, age 92 of Kettering, passed away Nov. 20 at her home, surrounded by her children. She was born in Dayton, Aug. 12, 1927 to the late Herman and Myrtle Duberstein. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald J. Kantor.

Mrs. Kantor is survived by her children, Jeffrey (Beverly) Kantor and Brenda (Scott) Meadow; grandchildren, Dana (James) Faello, Jack (AnnaMarie) Meadow, Sydney Meadow, Beth Abroms (Valente Miranda), and Rachel Abroms (Mark Heyne); greatgrandchildren, Jacob Heyne, Sasha Miranda, and Natalie Faello; brother James (Diane) Duberstein; sister-in-law Marlene Kantor; many nieces and nephews and lifelong best friend, Beatrice Ballas.

Mrs. Kantor was a lifelong Daytonian. She attended Fairview High School and graduated from Brenau Academy in Gainsville, Ga., and The Ohio State University, with a degree in social work.

She was an avid cook, loved to travel, and enjoyed spending time with her friends and family. Interment was at Riverview Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to The American Stroke Association, Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton or the charity of your choice.

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GLICKLER FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICE Larry S. Glickler, Director Dayton’s ONLY Jewish Funeral Director 1849 Salem Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45406-4927 (937) 278-4287 lgfuneralhome@gmail.com

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PAGE 27

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