Jewish Observer Issue of March 28, 2019

21 ADAR II 5779 • MARCH 28, 2019 • VOLUME XXXX, NUMBER 7 • PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID, SYRACUSE, NY

The 2019 Yom Hashoah essay contest

BY JUDITH STANDER The Jewish Federation of Central New York is accepting entries for the 2019 Yom Hashoah Essay Contest at three levels: middle school, high school and adult.

The theme for the middle and high school essays this year is “What I have learned about the Holocaust.” The adult theme is “Why we teach the Holocaust.”

Also known as the Shoah, the Holocaust was a genocide (an intentional action to destroy a specific group identified by ethnicity, nationality, race or religion). It took place from 1939 to 1945 and was fomented by Nazi Germany,

along with the collaborators of the Axis powers in Europe.

In all, more than six million European Jews (about two-thirds of the Jewish population of Europe) were exterminated. This was part of an even larger war that involved the murder and persecution of other groups, including Roma (gypsies), the “incurably sick,” political opponents, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, ethnic Poles and Soviet prisoners of war. It is now 74 years since the official end of World War II. The Holocaust involved the entire world in this global tragedy.

Essay themes should support why school curricula should continue to include the study of the Holocaust. Authors should be as specific as possible and may offer personal, as well as general, reasons for their position.

Holocaust survivors say that, as many faced their horrific deaths, their last words were “Remember us. Tell our story.” Survivors promised that they would remember and that “Never Again” would the world stand silent or look the other way.

Prizes of $50 will be awarded to each of the first place winners for the middle, high school and adult essays. Second

Grant applications requested by Teen Funders

BY MICHAEL BALANOFF The Teen Funders Committee of the Jewish Community Foundation B’nai Mitzvah Program, led by Teen Funder Coordinator Jeffrey Scheer, is accepting grant applications from local charitable organizations. Grant recipients will be announced by the teen funders following their Sunday, May 19, meeting.

All applicants must be legally recognized charitable organizations. Grant applications must be received no later than Monday, May 13, by the Jewish Community Foundation B’nai Mitzvah Program at 5655 Thompson Rd., DeWitt, NY 13214.

Grant requests may be for funding up to $1,000, and applicants must

B.G. Rudolph Lecture to present Naomi Seidman The Syracuse University Jewish Studies Program will present Naomi Seidman as the 2019 B.G. Rudolph lecturer on Thursday, April 4, at 6:30 pm, in CrouseHinds Hall 010. Her topic will be “The Navel of the Dream: Freud’s Jewish Languages.” The program is free and open to the public. A light reception will follow.

Seidman is the Chancellor Jackman Professor of the Arts in the Department of the Study of Religion and the Center for Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto. She received a 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship and was the 2016 NEH Fellow at the

Centre for Jewish History.

Her books include “Faithful Renderings: Jewish-Christian Difference and the Politics of Translation” (2006), “The Marriage Plot, Or, How Jews Fell in Love with Love, and with Literature” (2016) and “Sarah Schenirer and Bais Yaakov: a Revolution in the Name of Tradition” (2019). She is currently working on a study of Freud, but it is about Yiddish (and Hebrew) and, in particular, the Yiddish within Freud’s works and within the translation of his works.

For more information, contact the Jewish Studies Program at 315-443-1011.

Jewish Federation of CNY raises money for Christchurch victims

The Jewish Federation of Central New York is joining with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to raise money to help the victims of the white supremacist massacre at two mosques in New Zealand. The Pittsburgh Federation serves the community where a white supremacist killed 11 Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in October.

Josh Sayles, director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Com-

munity Relations Council, said, “In the wake of the Tree of Life shooting, the Muslim community banded together and raised over $240,000 for us. Given what they did for us, we did not have to think twice.”

The intention of the Pittsburgh Federation’s campaign, “New Zealand Islamophobic Attack Emergency Relief Fund,” is to help the Muslim victims of See “Raises” on page 5

provide details of the proposed project and explain how it promotes the organization’s mission.

The JCF B’nai Mitzvah Program teaches the core Jewish value of tzedakah through “hands on” participation.

More than 130 b’nai mitzvah funds have been established over the past 13 years. A b’nai mitzvah fund requires a minimum $250 donation from the teen at the time of bar/bat mitzvah.

These donations are matched by the Pomeranz, Shankman and Martin Charitable Foundation for an opening balance of at least $500. The teens may advise to which charities their funds may be distributed.

All b’nai mitzvah fund holders are invited to join the Teen Funders Committee meetings, where the teens are asked to contribute some of their fund money to a pooled fund to be distributed by the group. In the past year, 12 organizations received funds totaling $4,578.90. Since the spring of 2009, the teens have distributed $52,000 to 91 non-profits, both Jewish and non-Jewish.

For grant application information, contact Kathie Piirak at 315-445-2040, ext.

106, or kpiirak@jewishfederationcny.org.

place awards of $25 in each of these three essay contests will also be awarded. The winners will be recognized at the Yom Hashoah Memorial Observance, which will be held at Temple Concord on Sunday, May 5, at 3 pm.

Essays should be no longer than 500 words and can be sent electronically to Judith Stander at jstander@jewishfederationcny.org. They can also be mailed or hand-delivered to Stander at Jewish Federation of CNY, 5655 Thompson Rd., DeWitt, NY 13214.

To receive a copy of the contest guidelines, contact Stander at 315-4450161, ext. 114, or jstander@jewishfederationcny.org. The deadline for essay submission is Thursday, April 18, at noon.

Anything submitted after this date and time cannot be considered.

To become a sponsor of the essay competition, contact Stander at 315-4450161, ext. 114, or jstander@jewishfederationcny.org.

2019 Federation l Campaign Annua Pay it forward and donate to the 2019 Jewish Federation of CNY Annual Campaign

Goal: $1,300,000

$805,618 as of March 21, 2019

Thank you for your support!

For more information, please contact Colleen Baker at 315-445-2040, ext. 102, or Cbaker@jewishfederationcny.org

Follow the Jewish Federation of Central New York for the latest updates! @Jewish-Federation-Of-Central-New-York @JewishFederationOfCNY C A N D L E L I G H T I N G A N D P A R AS H A

March 29......................... 7:09 pm..................................................Parashat Shemini April 5.............................. 7:17 pm......................................................Parashat Tazria April 12............................ 7:25 pm..................................................Parashat Metzora

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Congregational notes

Partnering in space

Ready for football

Speakers, a movie, Passover Israeli and German aerospace An increasing number of Israelis seders and more are announced companies sign space agreement; are playing flag football in youth, Beresheet still on path to moon. men’s and women’s leagues. by local synagogues.

Stories on page 6 Stories on page 4 Story on page 9

PLUS Letter to the Editor................ 2 Calendar Highlights............. 10 D’var Torah............................. 10 Obituaries................................11

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 28, 2019/21 ADAR II 5779

Busy start to 2019 for PJ Library®

BY CAROLYN WEINBERG PJ Our Way kicked off the New Year on January 21 with a Tu B’Shevat book club program at the Apple Store. The group of 12 older children read a PJ story together for inspiration and then each child illustrated his or her own version of a tree using Apple technology and tools on iPads. Each person created his own page of a collaborative book. Organizers said, “The children looked like they had a great time and were excited to get out after a snowy weekend. They even shared ideas for future programs and events they’d like to attend.”

On January 27, PJ Library participated with the Jewish Federation of Central New York’s Super Sunday for a “Superhero” Sunday event. Participants created their own capes, chose a superpower they would like to have and created their own super hero comic books. The program wrapped up with a PJ story that discussed mitzvot and taught the children ways anyone could “be super” every day.

PJ Library participated in an all-schools religious school event at Temple Concord on February 3 with a performance by PJ artist Sheldon Low and a story walk.

The story “Matzo Frogs” was read and a discussion followed on how nice it is to help a neighbor and how one mitzvah can lead to another. Stations were set up around the classroom, with each one having a dif-

Benzi Ashkenazi showed off his cape that he decorated during the PJ Library “Superhero” Sunday event on January 27 at the JCC.

Participants in the PJ Our Way Tu B’Shevat book club program at the Apple Store in Destiny USA on January 21 worked on their tree illustrations.

ferent activity to perform as illustrated in the story. The children hopped around the room like frogs and helped “make a new pot of matzo ball soup” for their neighbor.

There will be more holiday and book-related programs coming soon.

For more information about PJ Library in Central New York, a program of the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse, e-mail Carolyn Weinberg at pjcny@jccsyr.org.

Jim and Arlene Gerber Bistro at Menorah Park now on Grubhub Grubhub, the dining app that allows for home delivery of local restaurant meals, has partnered with the Jim and Arlene Gerber Bistro at Menorah Park.

To order home, hotel or campus de-

livery of kosher food from the Bistro, visit www.MenorahParkofCNY.com/ programs. Scroll down to the Grubhub button to access the Bistro’s delivery menu.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR A letter to Imam Mohammed ElFiki Note: This letter was sent to Imam Mohammed ElFiki of the Islamic Society of CNY after the attacks on mosques in New Zealand.

Dear Imam ElFiki, The Jewish Community of Central New York is shocked and deeply saddened by the unconscionable and horrific attacks of terrorism against innocent worshipers at prayer at the two mosques in New Zealand. Our prayers go out to the families of the victims and members of the Christchurch community.

The venomous voices and violent actions of those hate-mongers among

us must not be tolerated. Xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism and all other forms of hatred and bigotry must be loudly, clearly and unequivocally denounced as affronts to all of humanity.

We stand in solidarity with our Muslim friends around the world. For the victims we mourn, may their memories be a blessing forever. And, for the living, it is our duty and obligation to continue to strive for a better, more just world where we can all live together in peace and harmony.

Michael Balanoff, President/CEO Ellen S. Weinstein, Chair of the Board Jewish Federation of Central New York

Several children cleaned up the matzo ball activity during the PJ Library “Matzo Frogs” book story walk at Temple Concord on February 3.

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MARCH 28, 2019/21 ADAR II 5779 ■

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AROUND CENTRAL NEW YORK Federation’s Young Leadership Committee graduates

BY LEAH GOLDBERG The Young Leadership Committee 2017-2018 had its final graduation dinner on February 27. Led by CoChairs Leah Goldberg and Rebecca Raphael, the class included 14 Jewish leaders between the ages of 25-45 who have committed to learning about the Jewish Federation of Central New York and strengthening their foundation in the Syracuse Jewish community. During the two-year class, the group learned about the Jewish agencies that are Federation beneficiaries, including the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Service, Syracuse Hebrew Day School and many others. The group had a few social events that brought their families together and an roundtable discussion with the four pulpit rabbis.

During their time together, the group also initiated two primary projects: monthly meet-ups at Al’s Whiskey Bar, to build a young Jewish social scene, and working with the Federation to put on a musical family Shabbat on March 1 with musician Jacob “Spike” Kraus. The event brought more than 85 people together to celebrate Shabbat at the JCC. The last session, held at the Raymour & Flanigan Leadership Development Institute, was a leadership bootcamp led by Shira Boschan and Adam Fumarola. It taught the group how they could continue to be involved in the Jewish community after the end of the class. Every participant has chosen to be involved with the greater Syracuse Jewish community in some way and all members have contributed to Federation’s Annual Campaign.

At right: Members of F e d e r a t i o n ’s Yo u n g Leadership Committee 2017-2018 celebrated their graduation. Seated (l-r): Todd and Hannah Salomon, Shira Boschan and Seth Goldberg.

Standing (l-r): Rebecca Raphael, Kristin and James Nicoll, Brad Raphael, Jared Boschan (holding a phone with Megan Sykes’picture on it) and Leah Goldberg. Not pictured, but in attendance: Rich Sykes. Unable to attend were Rebecca Cohen, Seth Goldberg, Sara Goldfarb, Jessica Malzman, and Brian and Michal Raphael.

Members have joined boards and are involved with many Jewish agencies and synagogues, including Temple Adath Yeshurun, JCC, AIPAC, the JCC Early Childhood Development Program and the Jewish Federation of CNY. Many have helped plan events, such as the annual JCC gala, and start projects, such as the JCC kickball league and the musical family Shabbat.

ACTS honors Ona Cohn Bregman

Ona Cohn Bregman has been chosen as options). The keynote speaker will be Bishop volunteer of the year by the Alliance of ComDwayne Royster, national political director for Faith-in-Action, ACTS’s national supmunities Transforming Syracuse (or ACTS), a grass-roots, interfaith network striving for port system for social justice faith-based a more just and fair community that improves communities. He is a nationally-renowned the quality of life for all. pastor, community organizer and advocate Some of the organization’s successes for social justice. include adding more than 8,000 eligible Cohn Bregman has been a member of ACTS children to Child Health Plus and Medicaid; since Rabbi Rachel Ain asked her to represent increasing pre-kindergarten slots in Syracuse CBS-CS in the organization 12 years ago. She to 1,900; ending solitary confinement for started on committees, moving to the board as children in county facilities; and expanding secretary and eventually becoming president in Alternatives to Violence Program training 2011. With continuing support from CBS-CS Ona Cohn for youth.

Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone and many CBS-CS Bregman The award will be given to Cohn Bregman members, the synagogue has continued to be on Tuesday, April 9, at Drumlins. A social hour at 5:30 an active member. pm will be followed by dinner ($75 per person), with For more information, contact Rabbi Pepperstone at a program from 6:30-8:30 pm (vegetarian and salmon rabbi@cbscs.org.

Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center senior dining menu APRIL 1-5 Monday – tomato basil soup, grilled cheese Tuesday – tuna salad on wheat Wednesday, “Living Well Series” – honey mustard boneless chicken Thursday – stuffed cabbage Friday – birthday celebration – turkey with stuffing APRIL 8-12 Monday – teriyaki crispy baked chicken wings Tuesday – spinach cheese quiche Wednesday – imitation crab cakes Thursday – spaghetti and meatballs Friday – Passover celebration – apricot-glazed chicken The Bobbi Epstein Lewis JCC Senior Adult Dining Program at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center offers Va’ad Ha’ir-supervised kosher lunches served Fayetteville-Dewitt Branch 6849 East Genesee St. Fayetteville, NY 13066 (315)446-4681

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 28, 2019/21 ADAR II 5779

CONGREGATIONAL NOTES Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas LUNCH AND LEARN WITH RABBI SUSAN FALK: RECONSTRUCTING JUDAISM CBS-CS’ April Lunch and Learn will take place on Saturday, April 13, at noon.

This program will conclude CBS-CS’ series exploring various forms of Jewish belief and practice. Rabbi Susan Falk, a Reconstructionist rabbi, will teach about what is now called Reconstructing Judaism (a new name for the former Reconstructionist Movement). Attendees will learn about the movement, including why the movement chose a new name.

HAZAK TRIP TO THE ONONDAGA HISTORICAL MUSEUM CBS-CS’ Hazak group will have a private tour of the Onondaga Historical Museum on Sunday, April 14, at noon.

The tour will highlight the museum’s permanent exhibit on Central New York’s

Jewish community titled “From Laying the Foundation to Forging Ahead: Jewish Contributions to Syracuse & Onondaga County.” The OHA states, “The exhibit emphasizes the Jewish role in advancing the social, religious, economic and political fabric of Syracuse and Onondaga County, and is divided into four sections: Community, Business, Entertainment and Athletics.” In addition to the tour, the exhibit features three touch-screen monitors to explore additional images, text and interviews. For more information about the exhibit, check out the OHA’s website at cnyhistory.org.

After viewing the exhibit, Hazak participants will tour the rest of the museum.

Space is limited and RSVPs are required.

The tour costs $6 per person. For more information, contact Melissa Harkavy at director@cbscs.org.

Marc Beckman assisted Noah Cabrey with wrapping his newly made model tefillin during the CBS-CS Build-A-Pair Workshop on February 17.

Ella Azria decorated her model tefillin during the CBS-CS Build-A-Pair Workshop on February 17.

Temple Adath Yeshurun FIRST NIGHT SEDER

BY SONALI MCINTYRE Temple Adath Yeshurun will host a seder on the first night of Passover, Friday, April 19. Evening services will be at 5:30 pm and the seder will follow promptly at 6:30 pm. Gila Drazen will lead the seder and said, “My favorite thing about Passover – and the seder in particular – is having the chance to look at the same story with different eyes each year.”

The first night seder at TAY will be catered

by The Oaks at Menorah Park. The dinner costs $45 per adult (ages 13 and older), $22.50 per child (ages 5-12), and is free for children (ages 4 and younger). A vegetarian option will be available. Reservations are required

by Monday, April 12 and may be made by contacting the synagogue at www.adath.org, info@adath.org, or 315-445-0002.

SHABBAT L’DOR V’DOR On Saturday, April 6, Temple Adath Yeshurun will host its Shabbat L’Dor V’Dor, beginning at 9:15 am. This is a multi-generational program, where aliyot will be given to children and adults. There is a break before the Torah service for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, when the children and adults will split up for stories, snacks and study. There will be something for every age and stage of life. After the break, everyone can return to complete the service. Shabbat services.

For more information about Shabbat L’Dor V’Dor, contact the TAY office at 315-4450002 or info@adath.org.

TORAH FUND WEEKEND

BY SONALI MCINTYRE The weekend of April 6 and April 7, Temple Adath Yeshurun Sisterhood will host a Torah Fund weekend, which will include a presentation at Shabbat morning services on Saturday, a tallit and tzitzit workshop on Sunday morning, and a Torah Fund luncheon on Sunday at noon.

Gila Drazen, daughter of Rabbi Paul, z”l, and Susie Drazen, will be the guest speaker. She lives in Forest Hills, NY, with her husband, Rob Vincent. She is the de-

velopment associate at Temple Emanu-El in New York City. She is a graduate of the University of Judaism with a bachelor of arts in English, and a lifelong Jewish professional. Before going to Congregation Emanu-El in 2015, she worked at United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism for nine years, serving in various roles of the organization. She has taken on Jewish teaching positions in Minneapolis and worked at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin in a number of positions over seven summers.

According to the WLCJ site, the Torah Fund Campaign of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism gives every woman the opportunity to participate in preserving, promoting and perpetuating Conservative/Masorti Judaism through active giving. The JTS site writes, “The Torah Fund Campaign strengthens Jewish education by supporting scholarships and programming at several institutes of higher Jewish learning, such as the Jewish Theological Seminary (New York), Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies (Los Angeles), Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies (Jerusalem), Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano (Buenos Aires) and Zacharias Frankel College (Germany).”

Women’s League and Torah Fund support the education of the future rabbis, cantors, educators and scholars who will serve as the leaders and innovators of the Conservative Movement. Since its inception in 1942 as a scholarship fund, Torah Fund has raised more than $95 million (www.jtsa.edu/torah-fund).

Individual donors to Torah Fund at the benefactor level or higher receive the Torah Fund pin in recognition of their gift.

Every year is a new design. This year, the pin envelops the Hebrew word adit, which means “future.” It represents the wish for a distinctly Jewish future for women as individuals, their families and communities (www.wlcj.org/about/torah-fund/).

For more information, contact the TAY Sisterhood at SisterhoodofTAY@gmail.com.

Temple Concord TEMPLE CONCORD’S COMMUNITY PESACH SEDER

BY DIANE SACKS Temple Concord invites the community to “create memories” with Rabbi Daniel Fellman and Cantor Kari Siegel Eglash as they lead Temple Concord’s community Pesach seder on Friday, April 19, at 6 pm, at Traditions at The Links, 5900 N. Burdick St., East Syracuse.

The seder will be preceded by a Kabbalat Shabbat service, also at Traditions, at 5:15 pm.

The seder dinner will be kosher-style, with vegetarian and gluten-free options available. Rabbi Fellman said, “Pesach is a time to come together with family and friends as we recall our slavery and renew our commitment to freedom for all!” There is a cost for the seder: $40 per

adult, $18 per child (6-12), and free for those 5 and younger.

The Pesach festival Shabbat service will be held at Temple Concord on Saturday, April 20, at 11 am. On Saturday, April 27, at 11 am, Temple Concord will hold a Passover Yizkor service.

The community seder is open to the community. Reservations may be made by contacting the TC office at office@ templeconcord.org or 315-475-9952 or via the TC interactive online calendar www.templeconcord.org.

CINEMAGOGUE PRESENTS “THE GUYS NEXT DOOR” DOCUMENTARY ON APRIL 6

BY CHANA MEIR On Saturday, April 6, at 7:30 pm, Temple Concord’s Cinemagogue series will present “The Guys Next Door,” a

documentary that explores some of what are considered the most pertinent issues of the time: gay marriage and parenting, surrogacy as a path to parenthood, and the extension and redefinition of what it means to be a family.

The story is an intimate portrait of Erik and Sando, a gay married couple whose friend, Rachel, is a surrogate for their two daughters. In her 40s, Rachel is married to Tony, and they have three children of their own. Together, they form a unique extended family, which the film follows over the course of three years.

Directed by Amy Geller and Allie Humenuk, the movie has been described as “lyrical” and “elegantly shot and edited.”

It was a featured selection or award winner at more than a dozen film festivals.

Cinemagogue events are free and open to the public, and candy and snacks are available. Donations are welcome.

For more information, contact the TC office at 315-475-9952 or office@ templeconcord.org.

LEARNING ABOUT PASSOVER AT GAN On Sunday, April 7, from 10:30 amnoon, Temple Concord will present a program on Passover for children ages 2-5. Gan is a monthly program for toddlers filled with learning through art, movement, stories and music.

The program is open to the community. Children, grandchildren, family and little friends are welcome. For more information, call the TC office at 315475-9952.

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IDF positions hundreds of soldiers in Gaza border, calls up limited reserves

Reservists for air-defense units and two additional brigades of Israel Defense Forces were called to the Gaza border region following the launch of a long-range missile from Gaza, which destroyed a residential building and injured seven people, including three children, on March 25. The call-up will bring more than 1,000 additional Israeli soldiers to the Gaza border, and will be comprised of an infantry and an armored brigade.

Several reservists in the Iron Dome air-defense division and other select units were also called in. Following the attack on Mishmeret in central Israel, which occurred at 5:20 am on March 25, Palestinian terror groups began immediately evacuating their positions throughout Gaza in anticipation Israeli counter-strikes. Israeli military officials have already begun to hold briefings with heads of local government in communities near Gaza to prepare them for strikes and a serious uptick in violence along the border.

Though the IDF has not issued any specific safety instructions, it has encouraged all citizens to be prepared to find shelter immediately in the event of a siren.

MARCH 28, 2019/21 ADAR II 5779 ■

JEWISH OBSERVER

JCC summer camp registration now open

BY WILLIAM WALLAK Registration for the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center’s 2019 Camp Joe and Lynne Romano is now open. The JCC’s summer day camp for children and teens will run weekdays for eight weeks from July 1-August 23. Camp Romano will once again offer a variety of programs so in the hope that campers will establish lasting friendships, gain experience “by doing” and have fun all summer long.

Last year, the JCC called the summer camp season a “very successful summer.”

Hundreds of campers, ranging in age from infants to school-age children, to teens, made friends and memories to “last a lifetime.”

Camp enrollment is broken out into three different age groups. The early childhood camp is for children 6-weeks-old through those entering kindergarten. School-age camp is open to children entering grades one-six and the SyraCruisin’teen travel camp is for young teens entering grades seven-10.

All of the JCC’s camps are held at the JCC in DeWitt, except for scheduled off-site field trips, overnights and certain off-site specialty camps. In all cases, though, the camp day

Sam Pomeranz JCC camp counselors and campers prepared for the JCC Camp Joe and Lynne Romano school-age camp’s opening circle on the very first day of summer camp last year. This year’s JCC Camp Romano season will run from July 1-August 23.

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will begin and end at the JCC. Early and late care options are available for all campers.

Once again this summer, the JCC is looking forward to offering its Yachad (meaning “all together” in Hebrew) inclusion program for school-age children with special needs. The program seeks to create a sense of community among participants of all abilities by utilizing additional support staff and making necessary accommodations. There will be no additional cost to enroll qualified children in the Yachad program, provided the JCC’s grant funding is approved again this year.

Current JCC membership or program enrollment is not necessary for a child to attend Camp Romano. Early registration is recommended, as many sessions close out quickly. A discount for siblings is available, and a limited number of scholarships in the form of financial aid are also available. The scholarship application deadline is Wednesday, May 29.

For more information about the JCC’s Camp Romano summer day camp, and to request the camp program guide, call 315-445-2360 or visit www.jccsyr.org.

Pitzer College president vetoes move by university’s council to suspend study abroad in Israel

BY JACKSON RICHMAN (JNS) – By a margin of 67-28, with eight abstentions, the College Council at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA, voted on March 14 to suspend the school’s study-abroad program at the University of Haifa in Israel; however, college President Melvin L. Oliver, said he would not implement the recommendation.

Introduced by anthropology and history Professor Daniel Segal, who had a pro-BDS record previously, accusing Israel in 2016 of “state-sponsored and university-supported abuse of the human rights of our Palestinian sisters and brothers,” the motion said that “Pitzer would suspend the study-abroad program in Haifa until (a) the Israeli state ends its restrictions on entry to Israel based on ancestry and/or political speech; and (b) the Israeli state adopts policies granting visas for exchanges to Palestinian universities on a fully equal basis as it does to Israeli universities.”

The measure was supported by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), an advocate of BDS. Oliver vetoed the motion on March 14, saying that “under the college’s system of shared governance, the motion is a recommendation to the president of the college. As president of Pitzer College, I have determined that I will not implement this recommendation.

“While my decision not to implement the recommendation is being communicated immediately,” he continued, “it is a decision that I have reached in a careful and deliberate manner. Some will say that I am taking my own position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in choosing not to implement the recommendation of the College Council.

I am not. Instead, I am refusing to permit Pitzer College to take a position that I believe will only harm the college.”

Last November, the council also voted in favor of Pitzer halting its study-abroad program in Israel.

“What happened today at Pitzer is an academic abomination,” Tammi Rossman-Ben-

Raises

jamin, AMCHA Initiative co-founder and director, said in a statement. “Prioritizing politics over students is reprehensible, but sadly, the Pitzer College Council did just that. Academic boycotts violate the rights of students and faculty on U.S. campuses, and this precedent-setting vote is frightening.

“Fortunately, the buck stops with Pitzer President Oliver, who clearly understands this,” she continued. “As he stated back in November, ‘To deny Pitzer students who want to study at Haifa University the opportunity to study abroad and to enter into dialogue and promote intercultural understanding at the altar of political considerations is anathema to Pitzer’s core values’ and would ‘foolishly alienate Jewish and non-Jewish constituents.’”

Study-abroad programs have increasingly become a target of the BDS movement. Last fall, two instructors at the University of Michigan, citing the academic boycott of Israel, refused to write letters of recommendations for students seeking time to learn in Israel.

Max Samarov, executive director of research and strategy at StandWithUs, said the council move is a clear example of bias against Israel.

“If this motion were truly about ethical standards for study abroad, they would have started with Pitzer programs in Lebanon and China, rather than targeting one of the most diverse universities in the only functioning democracy in the Middle East,” he said. “In reality, this vote was designed to push a narrow anti-Israel agenda that harms students, violates academic freedom, and fuels more conflict and injustice in the Middle East. By rejecting this discriminatory recommendation, President Oliver ensured that Pitzer will not fall on the wrong side of history.”

HAIFA UNIVERSITY EXHIBITS “DIVERSITY, COEXISTENCE AND TOLERANCE AT ITS FINEST” American Jewish Committee Los AngelesAssistant Director Siamak Kordestani and

AJC Director of CampusAffairs Zev Hurwitz also blasted the vote as “an outrageous attack on academic freedom. ...The decision threatens to allow a dangerous precedent – that it is acceptable for outside political influence to limit student experiences,” they said.

“The responsibilities of a leading university, include providing as many opportunities for education and research as possible, is not politicizing academia.”

University of Haifa President Ron Robin condemned the vote to uphold last fall’s resolution. “We regret [the] vote by the Pitzer College Council to uphold the Pitzer faculty’s misguided plan to boycott the college’s relationship with University of Haifa,” he said. “While such proponents of the BDS movement in the academic community utilize a free speech argument to justify boycotts of Israeli institutions, those who support these votes at Pitzer are

actually undermining academic freedom and free speech by depriving students of their freedom to choose where to study abroad.

“The Pitzer boycott is particularly misguided – given the fact that at University of Haifa, 35 percent of our students are Arabs, and that our Israeli and Arab students work together harmoniously on extracurricular activities and community service,” he explained. “This is diversity, coexistence and tolerance at its finest.” He added that the council “gave its seal of approval to contemporary antisemitism.”

“What @pitzercollege President Melvin Oliver did was purely heroic. He stood in the face of a mob led by an emotionally-driven ideologue and put the promise of academic freedom above political showboating. The institution will never truly be redeemed, but kudos to Pres. Oliver,” tweeted Pitzer alum Elliott Hamilton.

Continued from page 1

the attacks, which occurred on March 15 at two Muslim mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, during Friday prayers. The first attack began at the Al Noor Mosque in the suburb of Riccarton at 1:40 pm, with the second one at the Linwood Islamic Centre at about 1:55 pm. The Pittsburgh

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Federation says that all of the money raised through the fund will go to “help people in need.”

Those interested in donating can visit www.jewishpgh.org (or https://jewishpgh.org/new-zealand-islamophobic-attack-emergency-relief-fund/).

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 28, 2019/21 ADAR II 5779

Israeli-German space partnership a “milestone for the future moon colony’”

BY YAAKOV LAPPIN (JNS) – A newly signed space cooperation agreement between two giant Israeli and German companies is a “milestone” for a future moon colony, said the director-general of the European Space Agency in Tel Aviv. Professor Dr. Johann-Dietrich Wörner attended the January 29 signing of a teaming agreement between Israel Aerospace Industries and Germany’s OBH Systems AG, a German satellite manufacturer. The signing took place at the David Intercontinental Hotel during the 14th Ilan Ramon Space Conference, which was organized by the Israel Space Agency.

Opher Doron, general manager of the IAI Space Division, told JNS a day after the ceremony that under the agreement, the companies will offer the European Space Agency a commercial lunar-surface access service for scientific missions that will help pave the path for humanity’s journey into space. IAI “will build the lander, accommodate payloads and integrate with the launcher,” while OHB “will manage the service commercialization and mission definition with prospective users,” the Israeli defense corporation said in a statement.

The European Space Agency is launching an initiative, called In-Situ Resource Utilization, which will involve sending landers to the moon to test out technologies for making oxygen, water and other raw materials from lunar soil. Such technologies are needed for eventual long-term human colonization outside of Earth.

“Today, within the European Space Agency, there is a range of missions being planned, dedicated to turning the moon

Opher Doron (right), general manager of IAI’s Space Division, shook hands with Marcho Fuchs, CEO of OHB Systems AG, at the David Intercontinental hotel in Tel Aviv, on January 29. In the background are Johann-Dietrich Wörner, director general of European Space Agency (left); Prof. Pascale Ehrenfreund, chairman of the Executive Board of the German Space Agency (or DLR); Avi Blasberger, director general of Israel Space Agency; and SpaceIL’s Morris Kahn. (Photo courtesy of JNS) into a more accessible place in terms of resources and turning it into a gateway for outer space,” said Doron.

“We are jointly offering services for getting to the moon. This is based on the idea that clients will not want to develop spaceships from scratch. They can rent out services to reach the moon, which are far cheaper,” he stated. “They’re looking for a ‘lift to the moon’ that is faster, cheaper and more accessible. That is what we are offering jointly with OBH.” While the companies have not yet received an order, the presence of senior

P A S S O V E R 2019 Deadline: April 3 (April 11 issue)

Passover is traditionally a time for sharing with family, friends and strangers. While your seder table may not be large enough to fit all these people, you can share the warmth of this holiday with the entire local Jewish community by placing a Passover greeting in The Jewish Observer.You may choose from the designs, messages and sizes shown here - more are available. You may also choose your own message, as long as it fits into the space of the greeting you select. (Custom designs available upon request.) The price of the small greeting is $18 (styles C, E & F), the medium one is $36 (styles A, B & D) and the largest one (style G) is $72.

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members of the European and German space agencies at the signing is an indication of real interest. The spaceship made

by IAI together with the SpaceIL company is “now being fueled for launch,” noted Doron, representing years of experience in developing a vehicle that can reach Earth’s closest neighbor.

“We’re taking engineering knowledge that we developed together with SpaceIL and developing it further. IAI would supply the lander, and OHS would manage the interface with the European Space Agency, and they will handle the marketing side,” he added.

SpaceIL’s Morris Kahn was present at the cooperation signing.

Marcho Fuchs, the CEO of OHB, said

during the ceremony, “Exploring the moon and using it as a base is a logical next step for me that offers many advantages and opportunities. Landing on the surface of the moon, however, is still a challenge.

“I look very much forward to bringing the OHB expertise into cooperation with IAI and to jointly tackling the challenges posed by future moon programs,” he added.

Nimrod Sheffer, IAI’s CEO and president, said that “IAI is proud to collaborate with a global satellite leader, as well as with Europe’s and Germany’s space agencies. This is a badge of honor for the Israeli space industry.”

Sheffer said that his company’s “technological know-how acquired in the development and manufacturing of the Beresheet lunar lander with SpaceIL and the teaming with OHB allow us to partake in the advanced global research of outer space. We are proud of the opportunity to take the Israeli space industry to new frontiers and look forward to Beresheet’s launch and journey to the moon [in February].”

The signing was also attended by Professor Pascale Ehrenfreund, chairman of the executive board of the German Space Agency (or DLR). “The German Aerospace Center appreciates the OHB IAI cooperation in the endeavor for lunar missions,” he said.

On February 22, the Israeli-made unmanned spacecraft launched with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, FL, destined for the moon.

SpaceIL, an Israeli nonprofit organization, has teamed up IAI to build the spacecraft. When it touches down on the lunar surface, Israel will join an exclusive club consisting of the United States, Russia and China, which have sent spacecraft to Earth’s nearest neighbor.

“Beresheet” sends new images, video to Earth on way to moon

BY JNS STAFF (JNS) – Fresh images and video were transmitted to Earth from the Israeli spacecraft “Beresheet” as it makes its way to the moon, announced SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries on March 24.

SpaceIL and IAI engineering teams, based in Israel, have downloaded new images and videos from the spacecraft.

The photos and videos were taken by the spacecraft at different heights and times.

One of the videos includes a sunrise from the spacecraft’s viewpoint – the Earth can be seen hiding the sun from the spacecraft, and then exiting the same shadow created by the Earth and the sun’s exposure. This process creates a kind of sunrise image.

“Beresheet,” named after the first word and the first book in the Torah (meaning “in the beginning”), lifted off from Cape Canaveral on February 22. If it succeeds,

A photo of Earth taken by one of the “Beresheet” spacecraft’s perimeter cameras on March 19 from a distance of 15,000 km. The photo shows South America. (Photo by “Beresheet”) it will be the first Israeli spacecraft to land on the moon, as well as the first privately owned craft to do so.

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“Beresheet” sent a selfie image from 265,000 kilometers from Earth. (Photo by “Beresheet”)

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JEWISH OBSERVER

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JDC to provide medical supplies, disaster-relief team to Mozambique after cyclone

BY JNS STAFF (JNS) – Following deadly Cyclone Idai, which struck Mozambique on March 14, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is providing emergency medical supplies through its partner, the Afya Foundation, and will deploy a response and assessment team, including a disaster-relief expert and field medic, to the devastated nation in the coming days.

With widespread destruction and a rising death toll, JDC activated its network of local and international partners, is assessing emerging needs and will continue to direct relief accordingly.

Earlier the week of March 22, the Israeli humanitarian-aid organization IsraAID announced that it’s planning to send a response team to Mozambique after the African country was hit by the cyclone on March 14 after days of incessant rains.

“As we offer our prayers for the safekeeping of those still unaccounted

for and mourn the tragic loss of life in Mozambique, we are doing all we can to ensure the most immediate and urgent needs are met,” said JDC CEO David M. Schizer. “The imperative to aid survivors and begin their healing process is crucial on what will be a very long road to recovery.”

Cyclone Idai has been regarded as one of the worst tropical cyclones on record to affect Africa and the Southern Hemisphere as a whole. Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi said that the death toll could surpass 1,000, with hundreds of thousands impacted by the storm.

JDC has worked in Africa for decades, addressing a variety of emergencies and development challenges including famine, war, educational opportunities for women, economic advancement for smallholder farmers, and medical issues including spinal and heart disease.

The organization has recently responded to disasters and crises in Gua-

Deciphering the past Fragment of Persian-era clay jar with human face discovered in Jerusalem

BY JNS STAFF (JNS) – A fragment of a clay jar decorated with a human face dating back to the Persian era (fourth or fifth century C.E.) has been discovered in Jerusalem’s City of David National Park’s Givati parking lot excavation.

“Pottery from this period was exposed in the past in the City of David, but this is the first time that such a vessel has been found in archaeological excavations in Jerusalem or anywhere in the Judean highlands,” said Tel Aviv University’s Yuval Gadot and Israel Antiquities Authority’s Yiftah Shalev.

The human face on the jar consists of two wide open eyes, a nose, one ear and a small section of the corner of the mouth. These jars are called “Bes-Vessels,” according to archaeologists, and they were very common during the Persian period. In Egyptian mythology, Bes is the protector deity of households, especially mothers, women in childbirth and children.

Over time, Bes became regarded as the defender of everything good, archeologists

Volunteers brought donated goods on March 19 to be transported to the Chimanimani District of Zimbabwe and other affected areas by Cyclone Idai. (Photo by Columbus Mavhunga/VOA via Wikimedia Commons) temala, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mexico, the Caribbean, Sri Lanka and East Africa, and has continued its post-disaster development work in Nepal and Haiti. JDC also provides ongoing humanitarian aid to refugees in Europe and the Middle East.

JDC’s disaster-relief programs are funded by special appeals of the Jewish

Federations of North America and tens of thousands of individual donors. Relief efforts of JDC are coordinated with the U.S. Department of State, USAID, the Israeli government and the United Nations, as well as local and international partners.

To support JDC’s Mozambique relief efforts, visit http://donate.jdc.org/ mozambique.

Hebrew Interest-Free Loan

The Jewish Federation of Central New York has instituted the Hebrew Interest-Free Loan program to help Jewish people get past a temporary financial need.

To learn more about the program or to see if you qualify, visit the Federation’s website, www.jewishfederationcny.org.

A fragment of a clay jar decorated with a human face dating back to the Persian era (fourth to fifth century C.E.) was discovered in Jerusalem’s City of David National Park’s Givati parking-lot excavation. (Photo by Eliyahu Yanai/ City of David, Jerusalem) explain. He also became associated with music and dancing. His figure adorned the walls of houses and various vessels (pottery and various everyday objects, such as mirrors), or was worn as an amulet around the neck. Bes usually appears as a kind of bearded dwarf with a large face, protruding eyes and tongue sticking out when he is wearing a feather hat. The See “Jar” on page 11

A 2,000-year-old ring found in ancient Jerusalem ritual bath

BY JNS STAFF (JNS) – A 2,000-year-old ring with a solitaire gem stone was uncovered in archaeological excavations in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem.

The ring was found by Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists in what appears to be an ancient mikvah (Jewish ritual bath) on the Pilgrimage Road, which dates back to the time of the Second Temple period. The ancient paved road runs up from the Shiloach (Siloam) pool to the Temple Mount, and is thought to have been the main thoroughfare taken by pilgrims to the Temple.

According to archaeologists Nachshon Zenton, Moran Hajabi, Ari Levy and Dr. Joe Uziel, “Just like today, it would appear that in the past, rings and jewelry were removed before bathing and sometimes forgotten. This phenomenon, perhaps, is behind the discovery in what appears to be a ritual bath. This ring allows us to personally connect with an individual’s personal story from 2,000 years ago.

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Along with other finds, [it] can shed light and expose the lives of people during the Second Temple period.”

Doron Spielman, vice president of the City of David Foundation, which oversees the City of David National Park where the ring was found, said, “It’s incredible to think that this beautiful ring sat at the bottom of a mikvah on the ancient Pilgrimage Road for 2,000 years until it was uncovered by archaeologists in the City of David. It is yet another piece in the puzzle that is ancient Jerusalem.”

The City of David is Israel’s largest active archeological site, situated upon the ancient city of Jerusalem. It is the place recorded in the Bible upon which King David established Jerusalem as the united capital of Israel 3,000 years ago, and which remained the seat of the Davidic dynasty for centuries thereafter.

The City of David is an Israeli National Heritage Site with more than 500,000 visitors annually.

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 28, 2019/21 ADAR II 5779

Synagogue services Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas

USCJ Rabbi: Andrew Pepperstone Location: 18 Patsy Lane, Jamesville, NY 13078 Phone: 315-446-9570 Rabbi’s office: 315-446-5125 Office hours: Mon. 9 am-4:30 pm, Wed.-Fri. 9 am-4:30 pm Website: www.cbscs.org Shabbat services: Friday: 6 pm – Kabbalat Shabbat service Saturday: 9:30 am Syracuse Conservative daily services located at Temple Adath Yeshurun (450 Kimber Rd., Syracuse): Monday-Friday 7:30 am; Monday-Thursday and Sunday 5:30 pm Saturday evening times vary with sunset. Check TAY website or with TAY office.

Sunday: 9 am at CBS-CS. Members of the congregation are asked to attend on a rotating basis to ensure there is a minyan, or required quorum, for anyone saying Kaddish, the memorial prayer.

Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse Orthodox Union Rabbi: Evan Shore Address: 4313 East Genesee St., DeWitt, NY 13214 Phone: 315-446-6194 Office hours: Mon.-Thurs. 9 am-noon Website: www.stocsyracuse.org Shabbat services at 9 am. Morning services at 6:45 am, except for Sunday, when services start at 8 am and Rosh Chodesh, when services start at 6:30 am. All afternoon and evening services based on sunset times.

Temple Adath Yeshurun

USCJ Rabbi: TBA Ba’alat Tefillah: Esa Jaffe Address: 450 Kimber Rd., Syracuse, NY 13224 Phone: 315-445-0002 Rabbi’s office: 315-445-0002, ext. 121 Office hours: 9 am-4 pm Website: www.adath.org Shabbat services: Friday: 5:30 pm – Kabbalat Shabbat service Saturday: 9:15 am Syracuse Conservative daily services located at Temple Adath Yeshurun (450 Kimber Rd., Syracuse): Monday-Friday, 7:30 am; Monday-Thursday and Sunday 5:30 pm Saturday evening times vary with sunset. Check TAY website or with TAY office.

Sunday: 9 am at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas (18 Patsy Lane)

Temple Concord

URJ Rabbi: Daniel Fellman Cantor: Kari Siegel Eglash Address: 910 Madison St., Syracuse, NY 13210 Phone: 315-475-9952 Rabbi’s office: 315-475-9952 Office hours: Mon.-Wed. and Fri. 9 am-4:30 pm; closed Thursday Website: https://templeconcord.shulcloud.com/ Shabbat services: Friday: 6 pm Saturday: Torah study at 10 am led by Rabbi Daniel Fellman.

Services at 11 am.

Sunday morning minyan service with the religious school at 9 am during the school year.

Dancing with the fishes …

BY ELIZABETH KRATZ (JNS) – You never know when something heimishe, something many Jews may associate with old-fashioned, staid Jewish fare, like herring and crackers, will somehow turn high-end and hipster.

One millennial, barely out of his teens, is putting herring out there for all the Internet to see. And he has a heck of a story to tell.

It all started in late 2014, when Queens, NY, teen Naftali Engel was in Israel for post-high school gap-year study. He spent some Shabbats away from his Judean Hills yeshiva with his brother who lives in Tzfat, the “holy city” known for its more Chasidic or Kabbalah-influenced-artists’colonies and spiritually creative enclaves. One Shabbat, Engel tasted a particularly delicious homemade herring, and, perhaps nonchalantly, asked the maker for his recipe. The answer he got was not quite traditional.

Engel’s version of what he heard from this unusual pescaphile was something like the following: “‘First, you have to dance with the fish; then say tikkun haklali [a traditional Breslov set of psalms geared toward repentance] with the fish, after that sit down and say some shemios hatzadikim (names of the righteous) to the herring.

If you can, go to the mikvah [ritual bath] before you prepare the fish … ,’ it went on like this,” Engel told The Jewish Link.

“I mean, the herring tasted really good, but this was an interesting method to say the least. The man continued, ‘When you spice the fish, make sure to have the proper kavanos [intentions]. After you finish making it, make sure to learn with the herring and say tehillim [psalms] for it,’” recalled Engel.

At that point, Engel gave up on getting an actual recipe out of the man, but succeeded in getting a basic herring recipe from his brother, Menachem. “Although I altered the original recipe I was given a bit, it came out great. But what this man gave me was an idea: That I could take the herring and spice it based on what inspires me.”

Five years later, Engel, 22, is a busy entrepreneur distributing his own original herrings nationwide under the label The Rebbe’s Choice – all inspired by that single interaction. From Vietnamese sriracha to smoked Hungarian paprika to Israeli za’atar, he has fused spices from his millennial-modern kitchen with that most modest fish, bringing new life to that old boring herring. And millennials intrinsically seem to know a thing or two about branding. In what has seemed like a blink of an eye, a community of 800 followers have popped up on Instagram and are even buying products emblazoned with the company catchphrase – “heimishe meets high end” – and “the rebbe” on the label, who happens to look quite a bit like Engel’s new father-in-law.

But back to 2014. How did this business get started? Engel’s first culinary effort – a jalapeño matjes (matjes is a younger, fattier herring perfect for pickling) made on Engel’s dormitory porch at Yeshivat Ohr Yerushalayim – was met with clamors for more from his friends. Soon, students from other yeshivas heard about it. “I would make herring for Shabbos and ask if people wanted it, and soon I was selling it out of my dorm room,” he explained.

“My herring started to become wellknown in the American yeshivas in Je-

Naftali and Remi Engel at Kosherfest 2018. (Photo courtesy of Naftali Engel)

rusalem. Everyone knew about it. By the next summer, I had a name: The Rebbe’s Choice.” While he was home in the States, he hired a graphic designer on Fiverr to illustrate “The Rebbe” who adorns his labels, wearing a fur streimel, smiling and holding a whole fish. He sold his labeled products in Israel to friends the next year.

Returning home to Queens in 2016 after a year-and-a-half, he began his business in earnest, manufacturing his unique herring recipes out of his shul’s basement in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens. His product had been certified kosher by the O-K. Fast-forward to today: Engel’s herrings are distributed nationwide by Quality Frozen Foods, a large kosher foods distributor. More than 1,500 units of herring are produced every week, and it’s available in kosher supermarkets in communities nationwide. Engel explained that, while he has no prior background in the food industry, he comes from a family full of entrepreneurs – all of whom have found new ways to present items to the public.

His grandfather, Engel related, sold postal products and was apparently the first to sell envelopes in packages of multiples.

His father and brother had launched their own pet-supply businesses. Engel’s new wife, Remi, also helps him in the business, bringing with her design ideas and her own millennial flair, even launching the hashtag #womenwhoherring.

Marketing aside, what truly sets Engel’s herrings apart (there are currently six varieties, and a seventh one will be released soon, he said) is that the flavorful, modern fusion-cuisine-take-on-classic-flavors are made from recipes using all kinds of sweet and savory spices, sauces and herbs, and are inspired by a Chasidic “rebbe,” the teachings of whom Engel has learned. A story about each rebbe and how he edified Engel adorns each box of herring. For example, The Rebbe’s Choice’s sweet black-pepper herring is inspired by Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, who “went to tremendous lengths and had great enthusiasm toward finding the good in people, no matter how evil or criminal they were.”

“Rabbi Levi’s fresh perspective and ardor are the inspiration for this savory and deeply flavored herring,” Engel writes on the label.

Engel has so far singled out rebbes from Lelov, Kotzk, Rimanov, Ropshitz and Zusha, and written vignettes about their teachings and why they inspired a particular flavor. Future plans include two types of high-quality smoked salmon, plain and with pastrami flavoring, and a line of flatbread kichel (a Jewish type of cookie), inspired by the Hungarian Kerister Rebbe, a rabbi from the Tokay region of Hungary known for his hospitality toward strangers.

The kichel is not dipped in sugar like the kichel many Americans know, but it is savory and cracker-like and Naftali Engel’s first herring. (Photo courtesy of Naftali more typical of old Europe.

See “Dancing” on page 11 Engel)

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JEWISH OBSERVER

Israelis get inside the huddle, embrace the strategy and tactics of American football

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the team as a walk-on for Michigan, a Division I Big Ten powerhouse. However, he spent his career on the bench. That being said, Friedman feels that the level of play in the IFL is on the rise as kids start to play at an earlier age.

But in order to have a professionally run sports league, in addition to players, certified coaches are necessary to enhance players’ skill sets, as are accredited referees to oversee the games. That is where Ori Shterenbach comes in. He is the AFI’s sports director Two teams in Israel lined up. (Photo by Erel Taly) and, in addition to being in charge of player development, he also oversees the football, he says “we are slowly but surely climbing the certification of coaches and referees. ladder as one of the powerhouse team sports in Israel.”

Shterenbach tells JNS that in order to coach football He believes that through the establishment of more and in Israel, a coaching license through the Wingate Sports more after-school youth clinics and additional leagues, Institute near Netanya is required. At the same time, two football will continue to grow. or three times a year professional coaches are flown in Both Mishaan and Leibowitz separately express that from the United States to run clinics for players in order to accomplish that, Israel requires more full-sized fields to boost their skills. and facilities in strategic locations throughout the country In terms of referees, Shterenbach says that in the akin to the new field at the Kraft Family Sports Complex. past two years, a training course for officials has been “The next step, or in Hebrew hachalom hagadol [‘the big established, while the International Federation of Amer- dream’],” says Leibowitz, “is to build several more football ican Football has sent representatives to assist in the sports centers around the country. One in the south, one in training. Israeli referees have also flown to Europe for the north and one in the center to complement the one in additional clinics.

Jerusalem, and we will be well on our way to becoming He believes that the future for football in Israel is the third strongest team sport in the country.” bright. Similar to comments made by Friedman, ShterenAs for big dreams, the Patriots celebrated their sixth bach tells JNS that “American football fits for Israelis in Super Bowl win on February 3. In addition to supporting more ways than you would expect – the strategy, tactics football in Israel, Kraft has business interests in Israel, and the aggressiveness. It is my job to open the world and is well-known for his philanthropic work in Israel of football to the youth in a way so they can understand and around the world. This June, he is set to receive the that football is a way of life. It is something that they can Genesis Prize – what some consider to be the “Jewish grow more and more through, and develop their skills Nobel” – at a ceremony in Jerusalem. Kraft has already more and more, and one day represent our country on decided to donate the $1 million monetary award to the international level.” projects that combat antisemitism and the delegitimiWhile some may consider football to be a man’s zation of Israel. game, that’s certainly not the case in Israel. Myra Kraft But for now, Leibowitz is savoring victory – and the was the driving force behind the launch of the women’s fact the Most Valuable Player in the game was Julian program. During one of her many visits to Kraft Stadium, Edelman, who identifies as being Jewish, and who sevshe noticed that the girls were casual observers watching eral years ago made a visit to Kraft Family Stadium to the boys play, and she felt passionately that they deserved run drills with the younger players and give them some a shot to lace up their cleats as well. advice on football and life. “Football in Israel has a new Rachel Shmidman, director of the Flag Football hero,” says Leibowitz, explaining that in addition to Tom Leagues and also a player in both the women’s league Brady and Kraft, now there is Julian Edelman – the Isra– Women’s American Football in Israel and on the wom- el-identifying, Jewish-identifying Super Bowl LIII MVP. en’s national flag team – notes that the women’s national “It will take us a little while to process that fact,” he flag team has medaled at international tournaments. She says, “but we have a Jewish NFL MVP who has visited says 140 women currently play football in Israel either Kraft Family Stadium, and we hope to have him back in WAFI or in one of the coed leagues. here very soon in the future.”

She tells JNS that she is hopeful that the women’s national team will win the European Championships as the host country this August. When asked what playing football means to her, Shmidman 27, says “football has been my home, my friend, my escape and my center of gravity since I was about 13 years old. It’s a sense of belonging – knowing there are other women who share your passion for a sport we all love.”

She adds, “I was the weird kid in high school who LARRY METZGER walked around with a funny egg-shaped ball. [I was] Owner the commander in the army who gave up precious hours of sleep to watch games at 1 am, the college kid who had to debate between watching the Super Bowl and taking a final at eight the Residential/Commercial next morning (the Super bowl usually won). Football 6340 Danbury Drive has been the one constant in Jamesville, NY 13078-9729 my life for almost 15 years, (315) 446-0966 Fax (315) 446-1555 and I wouldn’t have it any Email:LMPainting@aol.com other way.”

Yonah Mishaan, a player and coach in both the flag and tackle leagues, currently serves as the vice president of Football in Israel. He tells JNS that he is grateful for the support shown by the Kraft family, as well as the support given from Ayelet – an organization representJulian Edelman, now the Super Bowl LIII MVP, visited the Kraft Family Stadium ing non-Olympic sports in Israel. Regarding American in Jerusalem in 2015. (Photo courtesy of American Football in Israel)

BY JOSH HASTEN (JNS) – Many Israelis came to work bleary-eyed on February 4, having stayed up all night watching the New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. While the low-scoring affair certainly wasn’t the most exciting of championship games, that didn’t dampen the jubilation.

As Steve Leibowitz, president and co-founder of the American Football in Israel organization, said to JNS, “the Patriots are Israel’s team.” Leibowitz says that the Patriots became Israel’s favorite NFL franchise thanks to the nearly two-decade old friendship between the AFI and Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his late wife, Myra.

The Krafts have been the biggest supporters of football in Israel, assisting in the funding of the construction of a small Jerusalem football stadium in 2000, known as Kraft Family Stadium, near the Machane Yehuda outdoor market, and the new Kraft Family Sports Campus on the outskirts of the city, which opened in 2017, boasting the country’s only full-sized regulation football field.

The sports complex is a multimillion dollar facility built in partnership between the Krafts, the city of Jerusalem and Israel’s lottery authority. It was inaugurated in the presence of the Kraft family, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and 18 NFL Hall of Famers – some of the best to ever play the game – who were invited to Israel for a week of touring by the Krafts.

While American football in Israel remains the fifth most popular sport behind soccer (European football), basketball, volleyball and handball, the game has exploded in popularity since Leibowitz and his friend, Danny Gewirtz, started the AFI in 1988 with a handful of players playing “touch football.” Today in Israel, more than 2,000 men, women and youth participate in seven different leagues of flag and tackle football. In addition, Israel sends delegations of both men’s and women’s teams to complete in international tournaments.

In fact, both the men’s and women’s flag squads are ranked in Europe, and according to Leibowitz, for the first time ever, “Israel is hosting the European Flag Football Championships from August 29 to September 1 at the new Kraft Family Sports Campus.”

Betzalel Friedman is the AFI’s director of tackle football and commissioner of the adult men’s Kraft Family Israel Football League. He tells JNS that currently more than 800 adults and high school players, who are in separate league known as the Kraft Family Israel High School Football League, currently play the traditional form of the sport with full pads and helmets.

Friedman points out how the sport is growing in Israel.

While the flag leagues originally consisted of American players who were studying in Israel after high school or were American expats, “in the tackle football leagues, over 80 percent of the players are born Israelis and don’t have American parents.”

He believes that “tackle football appeals to Israelis – the physicality, the camaraderie, the strategy. It’s actually good preparation for military service because football shares so many aspects, including hard work, perseverance, discipline and teamwork. And it also prepares you for life in general.”

Friedman says some teens actually start playing football in high school and then take a break to fulfill their service in the Israel Defense Forces, and rejoin the game after they finish, playing in the adult league.

“Those soldiers who aren’t in combat units usually play on through during their time in the IDF,” he says.

Several players who started playing competitively in the IFL ended up playing NCAA football in the United States. One former IFL player is currently an offensive lineman for a Division II school, while another made

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 28, 2019/21 ADAR II 5779

D’VAR TORAH

Finding meaning in ritual – the essence of Tazria and Shemini

BY CARL ROSENZWEIG We are now reading the book of Vayikra (Leviticus), having long left the narrative portions of Genesis and the first half of Exodus. After a brief, but dramatic, story about the dedication of the Mishkan and the death of Aaron’s sons, parashat Shemini returns to ritual with a discussion of purity and acceptable food. Tazria concerns itself with the even more arcane issues of purity, particularly skin, and, in the next parasha, home afflictions. This malady is usually, but probably incorrectly, translated as leprosy.

These discussions are obscure and boring to the modern

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To see a full calendar of community events, visit the Federation's community calendar online at www.jewishfederationcny.org. Please notify jstander@jewishfederationcny.org of any calendar changes.

Wednesday, March 27 Deadline for April 11 Jewish Observer Saturday, March 30

Temple Adath Yeshurun learners’ service at 9:15 am Sunday, March 31

SJFS “Views on Aging” presents film/discussion on “Marjorie Prime” at Menorah Park with SJFS Direc tor Judith Huober at 3 pm

Tuesday, April 2 Epstein School for Jewish Studies at TAY from 6:30 8:30 pm Wednesday, April 3

Syracuse Community Hebrew School at Temple Concord from 4-6 pm Friday, April 5 Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Scholar-in-Residence biblical scholar Marc Brettler. Shabbat dinner after services. Reservations required.

TC Shabbat service at 6 pm led by fifth-graders joined

by Shirat Shalom Singers. Service followed by a congregational Shabbat dinner.

Saturday, April 6 CBS-CS Scholar-in-Residence Temple Adath Yeshurun Shabbat L’Dor V’Dor at 9:15 am TAY Mishpacha Shabbat at 10:30 am TC Cinemagogue presents “The Guys Next Door” at 7:30 pm Sunday, April 7 CBS-CS Scholar-In-Residence TC Sisterhood annual meeting at 9:30 am TC Brotherhood presents Elan Salzauer at 9:30 am TC gan Passover program at 10:30 am TAY Sisterhood Torah Fund luncheon at noon Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center gymnastics demo from 1-3:30 pm Jewish Music and Cultural Festival fund-raiser at 4 pm Monday, April 8 TC adult education program on the history of Temple Concord with Rabbi Daniel Fellman at 7:15 pm Tuesday, April 9 TC Talmud with Rabbi Fellman at 12:30 pm Epstein School for Jewish Studies at TAY from 6:308:30 pm Wednesday, April 10 Deadline for April 25 Jewish Observer Syracuse Community Hebrew School at Temple Concord from 4-6 pm CBS-CS Board of Trustees meeting at 7:30 pm TAY Board of Directors at 7:30 pm Saturday, April 13 Temple Adath Yeshurun learners’ service at 9:15 am Sunday, April 14 TAY Hazak hosts Mike Water at 1 pm Tuesday, April 16 TC Talmud with Rabbi Fellman at 12:30 pm JCC Executive Committee meeting at 6 pm, followed

by Board of Directors at 7 pm Wednesday, April 17 SHDS model seder Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone at the Bistro at Menorah Park at noon Foundation board meets at 4:45 pm Temple Concord BOT meeting at 7 pm Friday, April 19 Passover first seder TAY first night seder at 6 pm TC Shabbat and community Pesach dinner at Traditions at The Links at 6 pm

reader. But the rabbis see in them deep spiritual and religious significance.

For millennia, a characteristic feature of the Jewish people has been their adherence to special dietary rules known as kashrut, many of whose principles are found in the second half of Shemini. Rivers of ink were used in trying to rationalize these rules. A popular, modern approach cites health concerns as the motivation, but the Torah is explicit in its explanation. The maftir (last aliyah or reading) in Shemini concludes its long discussion with: “For I the Lord am He who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God: you shall be holy for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11: 45) This implies a deep connection between the Jewish people and God, and indicates that we are, in some way (e.g. kashrut), mandated to imitate God. Eating, one of the most crucial and physical of all activities, acquires a deep spiritual dimension and becomes a path to holiness.

Near the beginning of Tazria (Leviticus 13:1), we read, “The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron saying ‘When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling, a rash, or a dislocation and it develops into a scaly affection on the skin of his body, it shall be reported to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons, the priests.’” Clearly, this is dealing with a physical affliction, some type of contagious infection – or is it? Here, too, the rabbis find a deeper spiritual and psychological meaning. The simple reading implies medical symptoms and treatment, but the rabbis are troubled by the centrality of priests whose main function, outlined in the opening chapters, is as intermediaries between man and God through the rite of sacrifice. Has the priest now become the physician? And if this is a contagious disease, why is the priest given a great deal of discretion, why are the rules applicable only to Jews and why only to houses in Israel? This is not a procedure to isolate an infectious epidemic.

The rabbis understand the cause of leprosy to be moral failings. Rabbi J.D. Soloveitchik (one of the 20th century’s leading Modern Orthodox rabbis) discusses the moral failing of pride. The Hebrew word for pride is related to

the Hebrew word for grandeur, an often-used attribute of God, e.g. “The Lord is king, He is robed in grandeur” (Psalms 93:1). The challenge is for man to distinguish between these two: pride and grandeur. We recently read the megillah. Recall the famous scene where Haman is forced to proclaim Mordechai the recipient of Haman’s fantasy of honor by parading Mordechai around town in the king’s finery and announcing, “This is what is done for the man whom the king desires to honor.” (Esther 6:11) Haman’s pride fuels his lust for honor. Mordechai, who has true dignity, is unimpressed by the pomp and “Mordechai returns to the king’s gate” (Esther 6:12), where he dresses once again in sackcloth and resumes his prayers to God for the redemption of the Jewish people.

We, too, have to fight the allure of pride and focus on the proper and exalted role of man in God’s world. The Kutzker Rebbe (a famous Chasidic master) encapsulates this idea. We should always carry two sentences from the Torah, one in each pocket. One tells of man being created in the image of God; the other tells of man being created from the dust of the Earth. It is the task of life to know which one to apply in which situation.

Such is one of the messages of Tazria.

Carl Rosenzweig is a professor emeritus of physics at Syracuse University and a member of Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse.

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Why Forbes chose Israel to host its first Global Women’s Summit

BY ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN (Israel21c via JNS) – For Forbes magazine Chief Content Officer Randall Lane, Israel was a natural choice to host the first-ever Forbes “Under 30 Global Women’s Summit,” set to take place in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem from March 31-April 4 with 600 participants from 50 countries. It’s not only because participants rated last May’s first-ever “Under 30 Global Summit in Israel” as Forbes’ top event of the year, Lane tells ISRAEL21c.

Israel was chosen also because of its track record in making leadership roles available to women, starting in the military. “Even though the integration of women needs to get better in Israel, as it does all over the world, Israel is a great place to show how we can accelerate the cause of women in leadership,” Lane said, speaking from Tel Aviv where he is enjoying his 10th business trip to Israel; he’s come twice a year for the last five years to set up and execute “Under 30” events.

The global summit will include 200 Israeli and 400 international participants, 80 percent of them female (chosen mostly from the nearly 10,000 names on Forbes’ various “30 Under 30” lists in a variety of categories).

Men wishing to vie for the 20 percent of spots reserved for males had to submit an essay on how they plan to use the event to accelerate the cause of women in entrepreneurship.

“To really create change, it can’t only be women talking to women,” said Lane. “There are still not enough women-led startups being funded, so we are bringing VCs from the U.S. and Israel to focus on how to get the connections made and the conversation going. The entire last day will be at JVP [Venture Partners in Jerusalem] focused on founders and funders, with workshops and meetings to help create that ecosystem.”

The summit will kick off with a Taste of Israel Food Festival on the beach, featuring female Tel Aviv street food chefs and the region’s “best” cocktails, beers and wines. The next morning, participants will ring the opening bell at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Other highlights will include yoga on the beach and a dance party/fashion show featuring young female designers in the Machane

Yehuda outdoor market in Jerusalem.

The lineup of speakers, mainly female, includes such executives as JPMorgan Chase Chief Brand Officer Leanne Fremar, and ClassPass founder and Executive Chair Payal Kadakia. “This year promises to be another defining year for women, with historic levels of women running for president in the U.S., heading to Congress and breaking through barriers across all facets of society,” said Maggie McGrath, editor of ForbesWomen.

“Yet despite our global progress, only a small percentage of venture funding is going to women-led startups,” she said. “By bringing together the best minds in business from around the globe, we’ll foster candid discussions about the ways in which women are harnessing their power to reshape the way we invest, invent and live. Our hope is that these discussions shine a brighter spotlight on many issues, including the need for more investment in women at every stage in their career.”

In conjunction with the summit, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation is offering “REALITY Women: Under 30,” a program from March 26-31 designed for young women innovators to connect with, learn and draw inspiration from women leaders in Israeli society and beyond.

“Events for young women entrepreneurs are very empowering; they build incredible networks,” said Lane.

“We do an Under 30 women’s summit in New York, and it has always been very powerful. We took the leap to do a global summit this year, and the reaction has been great.”

Lane says the challenge faced by women in entrepreneurship can’t be solved by such events alone, “but we can highlight it and make sure great women founders get the backing they need. The more women we have leading, the better the world will be.”

He added that “Under 30” summits in Israel are always “a smash hit. ...What’s fun is that people have heard about the tech and the startups in Israel, but when they see and feel the vitality for themselves, we get universal responses about how invigorating it is, how they feel the electricity in the air,” said Lane. “It’s very inspiring and magical.”

MARCH 28, 2019/21 ADAR II 5779 ■

Yad Vashem exhibit details death march of Jewish women in 1945

BY JNS STAFF (JNS) – To mark Women’s History Month, the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum in Jerusalem is featuring an online exhibit titled “The Death March to Volary,” depicting the fate of Jewish women forced on a death march in the winter of 1945. Of the approximately 1,300 prisoners sent on the march, some 350 survived.

The exhibit utilizes updated research on Nazi-enforced marches of concentration- and labor-camp prisoners over long distances under unbearable conditions, during which the prisoners were abused by their accompanying guards and often murdered along the way. Testimonies of survivors and U.S. Army veterans are included, as well as documentation from the trials of death-march commander Alois Dörr and his accomplices, shedding light on this little-known chapter of the Holocaust.

The exhibition – available in English, Hebrew, German and Spanish – is currently being featured on Yad Vashem’s website. It retraces the march utilizing interviews with surviving women, written testimony and historical pictures.

The march began on January 24, 1945, when female Jewish prisoners were evacuated from the Schlesiersee (today Slawa) concentration camp in Upper Silesia in western Poland, a region annexed to Germany. The women were forced to march on foot in a southwesterly direction, unaware of their destination, in freezing conditions.

It concluded 106 days and more than 800 kilometers later on May 5, 1945, in the town of Volary (German: Wallern) in Czechoslovakia, not far from the border with Germany and Austria. There, they were liberated by the U.S. Army.

The exhibit also features testimony of one of the liberating U.S. servicemen, Maj. Aaron S. Cahan, a

Dancing It’s meant to be eaten along with the herring, of course.

Engel reported that he had recently returned from Budapest, where he drove multiple hours to visit the kever (grave) of Reb Shayale of Keristir to gain inspiration for the kichel.

But it’s not just about inspiration; Engel is serious about business, as well. He and his production team, which includes one full-time manager and several part-timers, say they take pride in a set of common-sense principles for food safety and sustainability. Their fish products are made from Atlantic herring, primarily matjes, sourced from the Atlantic Ocean from either Europe or Canada, and are bought from fisheries that practice sustainable practices so that ocean-dwellers other than herring aren’t caught in the nets and the supply isn’t depleted.

Engel said he benefitted from studying for his ServSafe New York City food-safety handler licenses, finding them instructive in making safer choices regarding fresh ingredients and preparation methods. “Stored properly, our cured and pickled herrings are good for six weeks, as per the label on the package. You can tell our herring is fresh by how firm it is. Herring that is soft or mushy is usually frozen, whereas our product is fresh,” he explained.

Competitors eyeing the success of Engel’s branding have already begun making attempts at copying the products of this quick-growing company, though Engel has taken this gesture of his competition in stride and even with some cheer. “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and if I made big enough waves that the largest fish and appetizing companies want to copy me, I know I’m doing something right,” he said. Still, it seems unlikely that any impersonator can hope to match the inspiration and success of the brand, as it’s very clearly rooted in and growing from Engel’s personal interests and experiences.

The 12-ounce boxes of herring are hand-packaged out

Jar

Continued from page 7

grotesque figure is apparently intended to evoke joy and laughter, and drive away the evil spirits.

The figure as a protector was apparently adopted by the Phoenicians, and many such amulets and Bes vessels have been found in numerous Persian Period settlements along the coast. Such vessels and amulets were also found in Persia itself, in Shushan, Persepolis and other cities, reaching there by Egyptian craftsmen who operated there as part of the international trade economy of the period.

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A Nazi-enforced death march of Jewish women prisoners began from the Schlesiersee (today Slawa) concentration camp in Upper Silesia in western Poland on January 24, 1945, ending 106 days and more than 800 kilometers later on May 5, 1945, in the town of Volary (German: Wallern) in Czechoslovakia. (Graphic

by Yad Vashem) Jewish medical officer who describes the condition of the survivors. “My first glance at these individuals was one of extreme shock – not ever believing that a human being can be degraded, can be starved, can be so skinny and even live under such circumstances,” he recollected.

“I was surprised and shocked when I asked one of these girls how old she was and she said 17, when to me she appeared to be no less than 50.”

Accompanied by some of the survivors, the Americans retraced the steps of the women as far as was possible to gather bodies of those who had died along the way.

They buried 95 victims in a cemetery that the residents of Volary have tended to this day.

For more information, visit Yad Vashem’s website, www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/volary_death_ march/index.asp.

Continued from page 8 of its 1,000-square-foot facility in Long Island City, NY. They are made without artificial ingredients or color, and several of the herrings are made without sugar in order to be suitable for those following diabetic diets. All herrings are gluten-free; several contain sesame or egg ingredients, but are clearly marked as such. The products are now available in select locations in Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Glendale, CO; Evanston, IL; Southfield, MI; Cleveland Heights, OH; Dallas; Atlanta; Boston; and several cities in Florida. Since 2018, they have become available in kosher stores and supermarkets with kosher sections in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

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OBITUARIES GAIL HORWITZ

Gail Horwitz, 75, died on March 12 in Austin, TX. Born in Syracuse to Harvey and Rose Lessen Rumaner, she had been a life resident of Syracuse until recently moving to Austin to be closer to her son and daughter-in-law. In her professional career, she was a teaching assistant in the Jamesville-DeWitt schools.

She was a member of Temple Adath Yeshurun and an active volunteer at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center, where everyone she met became a close and loving friend.

She was predeceased by her husband, Michael; and her brother, Buddy Rumaner.

She is survived by her son, Randy, and daughter-inlaw, Brenda.

Burial was in Adath Yeshurun Cemetery. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements.

Contributions may be made to Guiding Eyes for the Blind, 611 Granite Springs Rd.,Yorktown Heights, NY 10598. 

MYRNA LEVINE

Myrna Levine, 80, died on March 15 at her home in Palm Harbor, FL. Born in West Hempstead, Long Island, she was the daughter of Max Gelber and Celia Fine Gelber.

She graduated from Syracuse University, where she met her ex-husband, Marty Levine. In her final days. she claimed that he was the “best ex-husband she could have asked for.” She continued to live in DeWitt for 19 years and was an active member of the Sisterhood at Congregation Beth Sholom. In 1979, she moved to Clearwater, FL. She was fiercely dedicated to her children and grandchildren. Her grandsons said, “Grandma always loved to listen to everything going on in our lives. When we called her, we could always tell we made her day.”

She was an artist, teacher and owned a consignment store for 20 years when she retired. She loved to dance to the oldies, walk the beach, travel the world and visit her grandchildren, “her boys.” In her heart, she was always a “Northerner.” She fought a battle against cancer most of her adult life and outlived every doctor’s prediction.

She was predeceased by her loving partner of 10 years, Bill White.

She is survived by her daughters, Caren (Ron) Errington and Judy (Don) Tallerman; two grandchildren, Cole and Jesse Tallerman; and her ex-husband, Marty Levine.

Moss Feaster Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Dunedin, FL, had arrangements.

Contributions may be made to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, https://runsignup.com/Race/40465/Donate/ D83NbxI6RMkuNh4n. 

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C O N T I N U O U S LY FA M I LY O W N E D S I N C E 1 9 3 4 Martin J. & Elaine R. Birnbaum Joel M. Friedman 1909 East Fayette Street • Syracuse, New York 13210 315-472-5291 E-MAIL: birnbaumfs@cnymail.com • WEB: birnbaumfuneralserviceinc.com

Wishing everyone a Happy Rosh Hashanah!

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 28, 2019/21 ADAR II 5779

SJP promotes Palestinian terror group’s imagery at two upstate New York colleges

BY SEAN SAVAGE (JNS) – The local affiliates of Students for Justice in Palestine at Cornell and Binghamton universities in New York state have been promoting images created by a Palestinian terrorist organization on their respective social-media pages. Ahead of an expected BDS vote in late April, Cornell SJP hosted a recent teach-in titled “From Ferguson to Palestine: A Conversation Surrounding Struggle,” featuring an event flyer that appeared to depict a rifle and explicitly mentions the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, according to CAMERA. Additionally, the Cornell Collective for Justice in Palestine, which is part of SJP’s pro-BDS coalition, has an online profile picture of a mural of Leila Khaled holding a rifle. Khaled a member of the PFLP – and euphemistically referred to as the first female hijacker – was responsible for the 1970 Dawson’s Field hijacking.

Following the incidents at Cornell, the SJP affiliate at Binghamton University shared its own imagery from PFLP. The caption reads: “Three Palestinian posters celebrating International Working Women’s Day. The first two were produced by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.”

“The PFLP is, for very good reason, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. The group’s long history of deliberate attacks on innocent Israeli civilians through airplane and bus hijackings, suicide-bombings and shooting attacks is entirely without moral justification,” Zac Schildcrout, a campus coordinator with CAMERA, told JNS. “This unabashed support for such a despicable organization, as many SJP chapters have done in the past, is deeply disturbing and is a direct attack on the campuses’ Jewish communities. It should be condemned by all who seek peace in the Middle East.”

Founded in 1967, the PFLP is a Marxist-Leninist farleft Palestinian organization that has carried out numerous terror attacks, including the hijacking Israeli and Western planes in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, the assassination of former Israeli Knesset member Rehavam Ze’evi in 2001 and suicide-bombings during the Second Intifada.

Several countries, including the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia and the European Union, consider the PFLP a terrorist organization.

The SJP affiliates at both schools have had a history of anti-Israel and antisemitic actions that have intimidated and threatened Jewish students. In 2014, after failing to pass a BDS resolution, SJP members were recorded saying “F*** you, Zionist scums,” and “I will f***ing slap you.” In 2017, in response to a Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration, SJP held a “die-in” in the same room.

In a recent letter to the editor in the Cornell Sun, a Jewish student said that language used by SJP may “devolve into the targeting of Jews and the Jewish community on this campus,” and that Cornell SJP “has likened Zionist

An aerial view of Cornell University. (Photo courtesy ofWikimedia Commons) ideology to white supremacy and Nazism.”

Cornell’s president, Martha Pollack, recently issued a letter rejecting SJP’s call for a boycott of Israel. Similarly, at Binghamton, SJP was banned in 2014 after a

document was leaked to the public titled “Declaration of Principles and Strategies of Binghamton University Students for Justice in Palestine.”

According to Canary Mission, the document shut down any possibility of dialogue with pro-Israel students, entrenching a policy known as “anti-normalization,” while it also gave “its members directives on how to disrupt pro-Israel activities with maximum impact while staying within the bounds of what is not widely considered to be legally reprehensible.”

At the same time, the endorsement by these SJP affiliates of the PFLP terror group comes as emerging evidence shows that the BDS movement has extensive ties to Palestinian terrorist organizations, and is using the “social justice” movement as a “veritable human shield” for anti-Israel ideology and activism.

Last year, the Zachor Legal Institute submitted a letter to the Department of Justice urging the U.S. government to open an investigation into the ties between Palestinian terror groups and several U.S.-based BDS groups, including SJP.

NEWS IN BRIEF From JNS.org

U.S. officially recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the Golan

On March 25, the United States officially recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, adding another accomplishment for an administration that has been lauded for its pro-Israel agenda that includes recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state and relocating the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation to make what he tweeted on March 21 become official. “After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!” he posted on Twitter on March 21. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, originally in the United States for the annual AIPAC conference in Washington and standing by Trump’s side at the White House, called the decision a “historic justice” and a “diplomatic victory. ...Israel won the Golan Heights in a just war of defense,” he added, referring to the 1967 Six-Day War and Israel’s control of the Golan Heights since then. Trump’s move comes as Netanyahu faces a close re-election battle on April 9, in which this new achievement will most likely been seen as a political and diplomatic boost, in addition to a boon to Israeli national security. The Israeli prime minister cut his trip short after a long-range missile was launched from the Gaza Strip and hit central Israel on March 25, destroying a home and injuring seven people.

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IDF ramps up defense presence along Golan border

The Israel Defense Forces has increased its presence at the Syrian border in anticipation of protests following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of his intention to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. “The IDF and Israel Police are preparing for the possibility of tension in the northern Golan Heights on both sides of the border,” the IDF said on March 23. Reports indicate that preparations include the positioning of snipers along the northern Golan and the deployment of riot control equipment, such as tear gas and rubber bullets. On March 25, the United States officially recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Syria has rejected Trump’s announcement, saying that America has a “blind bias” toward the “Zionist entity.” A senior Syrian Foreign Ministry source was quoted in the SANA state news agency vowing his state would retake the Golan Heights “through all means available,” and that the American announcement would not change “the fact that the Golan was and will stay Arab and Syrian.” Some of the Golan’s 20,000 Druze residents serve in the IDF and maintain loyalty to the state of Israel.

However, others believe in Syria’s right to the Golan and have Syrian citizenship.

Rafi Eitan, founder of Israeli intelligence community, passes away at 92

Former top Mossad spy Rafi Eitan, who led the team that captured Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann and was the personal handler of Jonathan Pollard, died on March 23 at the age of 92. Eitan, who served in the Shin Bet and the Mossad, began foreign spy work for Israel in the 1950s and is considered a founder of the Israeli intelligence community. He was born in Kibbutz Ein Harod in 1926 to Zionist immigrants from Russia, who came to Palestine in 1923, and grew up in Ramat Hasharon. At age 12, he joined the Haganah underground militia, quickly transferred to the Palmach and was injured in the War of Independence in 1948. Eitan was the head of the eight-person team that captured fugitive Nazi mastermind Adolph Eichmann in May 1960 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Eitan was rumored to have stolen uranium from Belgium for use in an Israeli reactor, helped capture Israeli-Soviet spy Yisrael Bar and stolen designs of the French Mirage aircraft for use by Israeli military industries. In 2014, Eitan apologized on a personal level for his role in the Jonathan Pollard affair. Eitan recruited U.S. naval intelligence officer Pollard to glean information for Israel from 1984-85, which is believed to include intelligence that enabled Israel to neutralize existential threats.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Eitan “one of the heroes of the state of Israel’s intelligence service in countless acts for Israel’s security” for whom “there was no match for his wisdom, wit and endless commitment to the people of Israel and our country.”

Bipartisan bill introduced to sanction financial supporters of Hamas

A bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives the week of March 22 to sanction financial backers of Hamas. Introduced by Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Eliot Engel (D-NY), who is the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Palestinian International Terrorism Support Prevention Act, if enacted, would slap financial penalties on foreign persons, agencies and governments that assist Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad or their affiliates. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad are U.S.-designated terrorist groups.