HAKOL - January 2022

The Voice of the Lehigh Valley Jewish Community

www.jewishlehighvalley.org

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Issue No. 450

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January 2022

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Tevet/Sh’vat 5782

AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION EST. 1977

Check out the works of art made by PJ Library families p25

Get the latest tips on Health & Wellness in our special section p26-30

FROM THE DESK OF JERI ZIMMERMAN p2 WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY p4 LVJF TRIBUTES p8 JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE p15 JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER p18-19 JEWISH DAY SCHOOL p20-21 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p31

New 60 Day Challenge will re-engage the community

The 60 Day Challenge is back, this time with a new twist!

Starting this month, the Jewish

Federation of the Lehigh Valley will be sponsoring 60 days of events designed to re-engage, re-connect and re-imagine the Lehigh Valley Jewish community in 2022. It will launch on Jan. 9 by celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Lion of Judah and close on March 13 with Super FunDay, a new and reimagined version of Super Sunday.

“It will provide many opportunities for our community to participate both virtually and in-person. There will be something for everybody,” said Aaron Gorodzinsky, director of campaign and security planning for the Federation.

“It’s been two difficult years for our community, where we have had to respond to a lot of different emergencies, and we haven’t had the opportunity for all of us to come together and to do things. So, this will allow us all to concentrate for 60 days to re-envision what our community can achieve.”

Both men and women can reengage with their peers through events such as the Women’s Philanthropy Dignity Grows packing party on Jan. 26 and 10xChai’s Planting the Seeds of Connection event on Feb. 8 or the return of Men’s Night Out on Feb. 10 at Split Pine Axe

Throwing in Allentown.

All ages can re-connect throughout the coming months, from the “Women Making History” Lion of Judah 50th Anniversary International Celebration on Jan. 9 to the PJ Library Goes to the Doctor event tying in with the Maimonides 35th Anniversary celebration with United Hatzalah’s Eli Beer on Jan. 30. Lehigh Valley native son Ari Mittleman’s “Path of the Righteous: Stories of Heroism, Humanity and Hope” book event on Feb. 24 promises to uplift all who attend.

And the community is invited to re-imagine the impact we

can have this winter, first at the Women’s Philanthropy clothing drive to benefit The Perfect Fit for working women on Jan. 9.

Then on Feb. 15, Paula Shoyer, the Kosher Baker, will tell us “How to Eat So You Always Have Room for Dessert.” And the culmination of the 60 Day challenge will come on March 13, with a Super FunDay filled with mitzvah projects for all to participate in.

Contact the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley at 610-821-5500 or mailbox@jflv.org and follow us on social media to learn more about these events.

GOOD NEWS FROM ISRAEL

By Abigail Klein Leichman ISRAEL21c Following four tornadoes that killed dozens and destroyed homes and businesses in western Kentucky, volunteers for Israeli humanitarian aid organization SmartAID are working with local partners to install a coordination center for emergency workers in hard-hit Mayfield and Benton.

The coordination center will include solar energy, smartphone connectivity, Wi-Fi and other technologies to help responders efficiently plan operations, said SmartAID founder and director Shachar Zahavi.

“Most communities have been left without access to power, clean water, telecommunication, medical treatment and basic survival items,” said Zahavi.

Another Israeli humanitarian

Non-Profit Organization 702 North 22nd Street Allentown, PA 18104

U.S. POSTAGE PAID Lehigh Valley, PA Permit No. 64

aid organization, IsraAID, has mobilized an emergency response team to support recovery and cleanup efforts in affected Kentucky communities.

CEO Yotam Polizer says they will join with colleagues from Team Rubicon, a disaster response organization founded by US military veterans, and “work closely with local authorities to assess the situation and identify

SMARTAID

Israeli NGOs send aid to Kentucky in wake of tornadoes A responder coordination center, powered by solar energy, under construction in western Kentucky by SmartAID and local partners. communities and households in need of support.”

A state of emergency was declared in Kentucky on December 11. At least 74 residents are confirmed dead and more than 100 were missing.

Israeli Ambassador to the

Federation dusts off historic ambulance ahead of Maimonides anniversary See more on page 5.

United States Michael Herzog tweeted Israel’s condolences to those who lost loved ones. He and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that Israel “stands together with the American people and is ready to offer any assistance needed.”

Bring on 2022!

A New Year filled with the promise of fresh starts and new beginnings. It’s also a time when many people take an opportunity to reflect inward and recommit to improving their circumstances both personally and communally.

In an article by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, he shared some life-changing principles based on the notion that Judaism suggests how we invest our time. According to Rabbi Sacks, z”l, these are offered in the hope that they may help us reflect on the year that has passed and on the one that is to come. Below are just a few of the principles that we might want to consider as a new year is upon us. As I was reading the article, considering the challenges of 2021, and looking forward to 2022, the values below resonated with me, and I believe they make a difference for our community.

I am pleased to share some of his wisdom that I could not have stated as eloquently as he did.

opportunities our parents did not have and our grandparents could not even imagine. Yes, we have problems, fears, pains; but they can wait until we have finished giving thanks; and once we have given thanks, our problems seem a little smaller and we feel a little stronger.

There is medical evidence that people who have an attitude of gratitude live longer and develop stronger immunities to illness. Be that as it may, the psychological evidence is incontrovertible: giving thanks brings happiness even in hard times.

“Give thanks. Praying, we give thanks to God for all we have, and for life itself. This may sound simple, but it is life-transforming. It makes us notice what otherwise we would merely take for granted.

It helps us see that we are surrounded by blessings. We are here, we are free, we have family, we have friends, we have

Don’t talk lashon hara. The Talmudic Sages define lashon hara, ‘evil speech’, as saying negative things about other people even if they are true.

They were harsh about it, regarding it as one of the worst interpersonal sins. Those who speak badly about others poison the atmosphere in families and communities. They under-

Forgive. Emotional energy is too precious to waste on negative emotions. Resentment, grievance and hate have no part in the inner life of a Jew. The Torah teaches, ‘Don’t hate your brother (or sister) in your heart.’ Don’t take vengeance.

Don’t bear a grudge. Those who forgive travel more lightly through life, freed of the burden of feelings that do no one any good.

mine relationships and do great harm. See the good in people – and if you see the bad, be silent.

No one whose respect matters respects those who speak badly of others.

Volunteer. Give of your time to others. There is no greater cure for depression than to bring happiness into the lives of others. Visit the sick. Invite someone lonely to your Shabbat or Yom Tov meal. Share your skills with someone who needs to acquire them. Join one of the many outstanding organizations in our community.

Hebrew has a beautiful word for such acts: ‘chessed,’ meaning love-as-deed, love-as-kindness. The great Jewish psychotherapist Viktor Frankl used to say, ‘The door to happiness opens outward,’ meaning that feeling low often comes from feeling alone. Bring the gift of your presence to someone else, and you will no longer feel alone.

Create moments of joy. It can be as simple as a walk on a spring day, or watching an internet video of an old song that brings back warm memories, or paying someone an unanticipated compliment, or giving someone a spur-ofthe-moment gift. There is a place in Judaism for happiness, but the key positive emotion in the Torah and the Book of Psalms is simcha, ‘joy.’ Happi-

Shalom Lehigh Valley partnership with Made Possible continues By now, your 2021-23 edition of Shalom Lehigh Valley should have arrived in your mailbox, and we hope you are enjoying the newest guide to Jewish life in the Valley!

The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley’s partnership with the Made Possible in Lehigh Valley initiative continues as they released an article announcing the publication of the new magazine in The Lehigh Valley Insider, the weekly newsletter of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, one of the champions of the Made Possible regional branding and marketing initiative that promotes the growth of the wider Lehigh Valley community. (Read it at lehighvalley.org/shalom-lehighvalley-magazine-highlights-region-for-jewish-community/) We’ve also kicked off a new Instagram account to reach newcomers at @shalomlehighvalley. Follow us and share with your out-of-town friends and family for an insider look at the new issue and updates on upcoming events and all that Jewish life in the Lehigh Valley has to offer!

Do any of these things and slowly, gradually, you may begin to notice a change in your life. You will be less pressured, less anxious, less hurried and harried. You will find you have time for the things that are important but not urgent, which are what you most neglect now.

The result will be more satisfaction, fulfilment, joy. You will feel yourself blessed.”

As a community, we are so blessed and we have so much for which to be thankful. I hope you and your families have a beautiful 2022 – a year filled with good health and abundant joy!

HAKOL STAFF STEPHANIE GOODLING Editor/Marketing Associate

HAKOL is published 11 times per year for the Jewish communities of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and vicinity by the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.

COMMUNITY SUBMISSIONS Submissions to HAKOL must be of interest to the entire Jewish community.

HAKOL reserves all editorial rights including, but not limited to, the decision to print any submitted materials, the editing of submissions to conform to style and length requirements, and the placement of any printed material. Articles should be submitted by e-mail or presented as typed copy; “Community Calendar” listings must be submitted by e-mail to hakol@jflv.org or online at www.jewishlehighvalley.org. Please include your name and a daytime telephone number where you can be contacted in the event questions arise.

We cannot guarantee publication or placement of submissions.

MAIL, FAX, OR E-MAIL TO: JFLV ATTN: HAKOL 702 N. 22nd St. Allentown, PA 18104

ALLISON MEYERS Marketing Project Manager & Senior Graphic Designer DIANE MCKEE Account Representative TEL: 610-515-1391 hakolads@jflv.org BAYLEY CARL Marketing & Engagement Associate

JFLV EXECUTIVE STAFF JERI ZIMMERMAN Executive Director AARON GORODZINSKY Director of Campaign & Security Planning TEMPLE COLDREN Director of Finance & Administration AMY ZYLBERMAN Director of Community Development JULIA UMANSKY Director of Gift Planning & EITC WENDY EDWARDS Office Manager GARY FROMER JFLV President

Member American Jewish Press Association

All advertising is subject to review and approval by The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley (JFLV). JFLV reserves the right to decline, withdraw and/or edit any ad. The appearance of any advertising in HAKOL does not represent an endorsement or kashrut certification. Paid political advertisements that appear in HAKOL do not represent an endorsement of any candidate by the JFLV.

JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY MISSION STATEMENT

In order to unite, sustain, and enhance the Lehigh Valley Jewish community, and support Jewish communities in Israel and around the world, the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley is dedicated to the following core values:

We gratefully acknowledge those individuals who have offered expressions of friendship by requesting that trees be planted in the Mark L. Goldstein Friendship Park, a Yoav-Lehigh Valley Partnership Forest.

IN MEMORY ELI GLAZER (Father of Cynthia Wroclawski) Jill and Jeff Blinder Partnership2Gether Committee

TO ORDER TREES, call the JFLV at 610-821-5500 or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org.

2 JANUARY 2022 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

Love. Judaism was the world’s first and greatest religion of love. Love God with all your heart, soul and might. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love the stranger, for you were once strangers. Love is the alchemy that turns life from base metal to gold; that etches our days with the radiance of the Divine presence. True happiness, whether in marriage or parenthood, friendship or career, is always the product of love. To live you have to learn to love.

Phone: (610) 821-5500 Fax: (610) 821-8946 E-mail: hakol@jflv.org

The Lehigh Valley-Yoav Partnership Park in Blessed Memory of Mark L. Goldstein IN HONOR BOB BLACK In honor of your birthday Lisa, Barnet and Julie Fraenkel

ness often depends on external circumstances but you can experience joy even in tough times. Joy liberates the spirit and breaks the hold of sadness.

Let yourself, in Wordsworth’s words, be ‘surprised by joy.’

Joy means opening your soul to the radiance of life, refusing to let age or time dull your sense of wonder.

• Supporting Jews in need wherever they may be.

• Supporting Israel as a Jewish homeland.

• Supporting and encouraging Jewish education in the Lehigh Valley as a means of strengthening Jewish life for individuals and families.

• Supporting programs and services of organizations whose values and mission meet local Jewish needs.

To accomplish this mission the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley is committed to the following operating guidelines: • Raising and distributing funds to support the core values.

• Developing Jewish leaders.

• Building endowments to support implementation of core values.

• Committing to ongoing Jewish community strategic planning.

• Fostering cooperation among organizations and community building.

• Evaluating all decisions with respect to fiscal responsibility.

• Identifying unmet needs and investing in community initiatives to help get them started.

• Coordinating and convening a community response as an issue or need arises.

• Setting priorities for allocation and distribution of funds.

• Acting as a central address for communication about events, programs and services of the Jewish community as a whole.

Approved by the JFLV Board of Directors on November 15, 2000

Registration open for Freestyle Older Adult Mission

Maimonides celebrates 35 years with mission and events

If you’ve wanted to participate in the Spring 2022 Freestyle Mission to Israel specifically tailored to the needs and interests of older travelers, now is your chance to sign up.

Jewish Federation and Jewish Family Service have teamed up to create this trip with the input of a group of interested parties over the past year, and are hopeful to be able to go forward with the trip to Israel this May. JFS Program Manager and Community Liaison for Older Adults Carol Wilson has been the facilitator of planning sessions along with Federation’s community shaliach, Gavriel Siman-Tov. Siman-Tov offers tips on conversational Hebrew and getting the most out of a visit to his home country.

“This is really an opportunity to go at your own pace and take part in the activities that interest you,” said Wilson of the unique format of the mission. “We want everyone to feel comfortable and excited about the trip that they have a part in planning.”

The goal of the trip is to build new and strengthen existing relationships within the older adult community, learn about partnerships in Israel as well as developing new relationships with Israelis in the Lehigh Valley’s partner community of Yoav.

Siman-Tov promises to ensure that participants won’t feel just like run-of-the-mill tourists.

“I’m giving them an insider’s perspective on how to get around and things off the beaten path they may want to see,” he said.

The Maimonides Society of the Lehigh Valley is marking its 35th anniversary this year in a variety of exciting ways.

On Sunday, Jan. 30, at 10:30 a.m. Eli Beer, president and founder of United Hatzalah of Israel, will address the Lehigh Valley Jewish community. Beer will speak about not only the origin story of his organization — the largest independent, non-profit, fully volunteer Emergency Medical Service organization providing the fastest emergency medical first response throughout Israel — but also about the connections that have formed because of it among their thousands of volunteers from all walks of life.

At this event, the Maimonides Society will also celebrate the purchase of the second ambucycle that they, with the support of the greater Jewish community, have been able to donate to United Hatzalah.

The ambucycle will be on display in the lobby of the Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley. These vehicles, which are able to maneuver through traffic and bring volunteers and basic medical supplies to emergencies within minutes, save lives in Israel every day.

A special PJ Library Goes to the Doctor event for families will follow this event at 12:30 p.m. Pediatrician Dr. Nicole Rosenthal will be there to teach kids about what a doctor is looking for when they examine you.

The anniversary year will continue to be marked with a Maimonides Journey Through Israel from March 23 through April 2. This mission is open to the entire community, who are invited to “choose their own adventures” with two different tracks — biking or touring. Many activities will bring the two tracks together, and

To join in on the Freestyle Mission, contact Carol Wilson at 610-8218722 or cwilson@jfslv.org or Jeri Zimmerman at 610-821-5500 or jeri@jflv.org.

highlights of the trip will include road bike trails through different landscapes, staying in five-star hotels and resorts, a visit to the Beit Guvrin caves in the Lehigh Valley’s Partnership2Gether region in Yoav, Shabbat in Jerusalem, visiting the Western Galilee Medical Center and donating the ambucycle to honor the memory of Dr. Mickey Ufberg, z”l, one of the founders of Maimonides Society.

To attend the event with Eli Beer, RSVP

by Jan. 24 to www.jewishlehighvalley.org/ maimonides-anniversary. To learn more and register for the mission, visit viasabra.com/trip/ lehigh-valley-federation-march-2022. For questions, contact Aaron Gorodzinksy at aaron@ jflv.org or 610-821-5500.

To pre-register for the PJ Library event, visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org/pjlibraryevents.

For questions, contact Abby Trachtman at abbyt@jflv.org or 610-821-5500.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2022 3

WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY

Women's Philanthropy's Sort and Schmooze, clothing donation benefits The Perfect Fit

By Amy Zylberman JFLV Director of Community Development For those looking to engage with a mitzvah project at the start of 2022, look no further than your closets! Women’s Philanthropy’s Mitzvah Committee has connected with Allentown’s The Perfect Fit to make sure that new and gently used professional and business casual clothing and accessories across the Lehigh Valley find a meaningful new home.

From Monday, Jan. 3, through Friday, Jan. 7, multiple locations across the Lehigh Valley will have a donation box in their lobbies to make donating a breeze. Congregation B’nai Shalom in Easton, Congregation Brith Sholom in Bethlehem, and Allentown’s JCC and JDS will serve as dropoff points to increase accessibility, and Women’s Philanthropy is so excited to partner with these Jewish Federation partners and beneficiaries to collect a lot of goods to benefit The Perfect Fit.

On Sunday, Jan. 9, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., community members are also encouraged to join our Sort and Schmooze event to not only donate their items in the JCC auditorium but also enjoy light refreshments and connect with Mitzvah Committee members and learn more about The Perfect Fit. When a clothing item is donated to the YWCA’s The Perfect Fit, it becomes a catalyst for confidence on the path to a new career. Personal stylists work with The Perfect Fit clients to select from a well-stocked boutique to pick outfits for job interviews. Once a job is secured, the client can return for a week’s worth of clothing. The efforts go beyond wardrobe—The Perfect Fit also offers courses on networking, effective communication, workplace wellbeing and business basics, while honoring the dignity of every client.

Please contact Amy Zylberman at amy@jflv.org to join in on the fun and make a difference!

New Year brings new initiative to empower women

By Iris Epstein WEW Chair Women Empowering Women (WEW) is an initiative connecting women in the Lehigh Valley with women in Israel through education and philanthropy.

Women in our community will have an opportunity to develop a greater love and understanding for Israel as we work together to identify projects

and organizations in Israel that empower women to improve Israeli society.

Everyone will have an opportunity to support this initiative. Individuals can become members of WEW by earmarking new and increased gifts to the JFLV annual campaign for this initiative. By becoming a member, you will be able to have a voice in selecting the projects and organizations that

we will support. The goal is to raise sufficient funds to make a substantial impact to each program and organization selected.

The amount raised will determine the number of projects and organizations we will be able to fund.

WEW steering committee members will present project proposals from registered Israeli nonprofits, invite WEW members to vote on which projects to support, assess and provide programmatic and budgetary updates, and create opportunities to meet with leaders and recipients from our beneficiary projects.

Selected organizations will support the needs and welfare of women and children and will focus on: • Economic empowerment • Food insecurity • Protection and prevention of violence • Bettering futures

SPONSORED BY THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY’S WOMEN’S DIVISION

welcoming new babies to the Lehigh Valley If you’re expecting, know someone who is, or have a new baby, PLEASE LET US KNOW! Contact Abby Trachtman, 610-821-5500 | abbyt@jflv.org

We are very excited to introduce this new initiative to our community as we begin this new year. There is tremendous purpose in prioritizing the wellbeing of Israeli women and children. The connections fostered and lives impacted will long be remembered.

Handmade Afghans

BY EVA LEVITT

All proceeds benefit projects in Israel:

Food Banks in Israel Neve Michael Youth Village

For prices or to place an order, call Eva 610-398-1376.

All payments are made payable to the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley 4 JANUARY 2022 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

Memories of Maimonides Society Dr. Gene Ginsberg was the second president of Maimonides Society and created and administered the Doctor Exchange Program with Nahariya Hospital. He shares with us some photos from his scrapbook. If you have more Maimonides memories to share in celebration of this 35th anniversary year, please send them to hakol@jfslv.org.

Right, At a presentation lunch, Dr. Gene Gisnberg thanks and acknowledges Maimonides and Nahariya Hospital leaders during the 1992 mission to Israel where a group of Lehigh Valley doctors and spouses visited Nahariya Hospital to match our doctors with their doctors in similar specialties.

Federation dusts off historic ambulance ahead of Maimonides anniversary Joe Garrera, executive director of the Lehigh County Historical Society’s Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum, is passionate about preserving history. This includes all the artifacts entrusted to his care, including one very special item with a deep connection the Lehigh Valley Jewish Community.

A 1929 Cadillac hearse was converted into an ambulance in the mid20th Century and used by the Jewish War Veterans Lehigh Valley Post 239 to transport veterans to hospitals. After it was donated to the museum in 1991, it has been kept in its original condition ever since. Recently, a few members of

the Federation Board and staff were able to see the ambulance in person.

Researchers at the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum are currently conducting a deeper dive into the timeline of the vehicle, which will be printed in a future issue of HAKOL. In honor of the 35th anniversary of the Maimonides Society and their donation of a second ambucycle to United Hatzalah in Israel, this historical object connected to providing similar healthcare needs through the local Jewish community is one that is worthy of a closer look.

See image on page 1.

Above, Left to right: Dr. Elizur Hazani, Chief of the Hospital Staff, a general internist and the guy who helped us put the physician exchange program together; Dr. Gene Ginsberg; Dr. Ron Rasheff, Gastroenterologist at Nahariya; Dr. Larry Levitt; Dr. Mickey Ufberg, z”l; Dr. Norman Loberant, Chief Radiologist at Nahariya (originally from Phila, Pa.); Dr. Judy Manelis, Nahariya Neurologist during the 2006 Maimonides Mission to Israel to visit the new underground ER. All four Israeli doctors also visited Allentown.

Left, Dr. Gene Ginsberg during “a very emotional visit” in Tiberias at the tomb of the Rambam, Moses Maimonides during the 1992 mission.

Above, A group photo after lunch during the 1992 mission with Lehigh Valley doctors and their spouses and Nahariya doctors, some of whom had already been to the Lehigh Valley for month-long educational visits and some who came after this photo was taken.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2022 5

Maccabi USA announces launch of Maccabi Media leading up to 21st Maccabiah

New name of the Lehigh Valley youth program announced

The youth program for all Jewish tenth- through twelfth-graders in the Lehigh Valley formerly known as Shalshelet has a new name!

The students involved put forward suggestions in a contest and voted upon the finalists. IAJ (short for “I Am Jewish”) was the winner.

The nominating youth explained his idea behind the new moniker: “The reason behind this name is due to multiple reasons. The first reason is that through thick and thin, in the Lehigh Valley, Jewish people have always been there for others, and

not only for Jews but also for other groups, in school, outside of school, etc. Next is due to the ownership of being Jewish in a less populated world full of other religions and groups. And last but not least, standing up for what is right and teaching the people who do not understand or cannot comprehend the extent of antisemitism instead of condemning them.”

IAJ is designed to provide an environment where Jewish teens can gather to talk about issues that affect their lives and futures, as both Jews and citizens in the global community.

Teens who join IAJ should get ready to explore, discuss, and learn about themselves and embrace their curiosity, letting it lead the way in a fun, friendly and accommodating environment.

The program has evolved and keeps evolving with the help of feed-

back from past students and parents in order to better serve the teens’ needs and better prepare them to become full grownups and an active part of the Jewish tribe.

Temple Beth El Religious School Director Alicia Zahn leads IAJ with the help of Group Coordinator Gavriel Siman-Tov, Jewish Federation’s community shaliach. They’ve already had several sessions so far in 2021, with more planned in 2022 as the group keeps growing.

“I'm a big believer in exploring yourself and expanding your horizons, and this group is a great opportunity for these teens to do that in a world that is so focused on social media and on trends,” said Siman-Tov. Sessions of IAJ are held twice a month. To learn more, contact Alicia Zahn at 610-435-3521 or school@bethelallentown.org.

Maccabi USA is proud to announce the launch of a new program, offering a unique, international experience for aspiring sports media professionals. After a comprehensive application process that runs through the end of 2021, a team of talented and versatile college and high school students will be selected to cover the 21st Maccabiah in Israel. They will assume various roles in sports media, as well as participate in Maccabi USA’s Israel Connect program in July 2022.

Former Philadelphia 76ers broadcaster Marc Zumoff is chairing the program, joining several other veteran media professionals in Israel to provide hands-on support, mentorship and professional instruction to the Maccabi Media team.

“There’s never been an experience like this available to young people,” said Zumoff, who recently retired after 27 years as the television voice of the Sixers. “They will cover the third largest sporting event in the world, while also immersing themselves in the culture and history of Israel itself.”

Maccabi Media will also provide the most comprehensive coverage of the games in the near 90-year history of the event.

Students will further develop their skills in play-by-play, sideline reporting, anchoring, video production, interviewing, camerawork, editing, sports reporting, streaming and social media.

Maccabi USA is encouraging high school seniors, current college students, and recent graduates with a strong sports media background and experience to apply at: https://www.maccabiusa.com/maccabimedia/. A list of eligibility requirements can be found on the website. The final Maccabi Media team will be announced in January 2022 and will then begin virtual and in-person training sessions leading up to July’s event.

For more information, please contact Media Coordinator Neal Slotkin at maccabimedia@maccabiusa.com.

6 JANUARY 2022 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

Young Adults gather for Chanukah fun at Jay’s Local

JFS to host a virtual town hall on disability

By JFS Staff Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month (JDAIM) is a unified effort among Jewish organizations worldwide to raise awareness and foster acceptance and inclusion of people with disabilities and mental health conditions and those who love them.

JDAIM is a call to action for all of us to act in accordance with our Jewish values, honoring the gifts and strengths that we each possess.

Established in 2009 by the Jewish Special Education International Consortium, JDAIM is observed each February. Even though JDAIM spotlights disability awareness, inclusion is something Jewish Family Service will focus on all year long.

Jewish Family Service of the Lehigh Valley (JFSLV) and Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley (JFLV) recognize the need to improve our understanding of ways to create a more inclusive community. This year’s main event will be a JDAIM Town Hall virtual meeting for people with disabilities, clergy, community leaders and families to voice their experiences and suggestions to help identify needed changes. The event will be moderated by JFS Disability Liaison, Amanda Thomas, Ph.D., and RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization that fights stigmas and advances opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. A trained expert from the Jewish Division of RespectAbility’s growing National Disability Speakers Bureau will help bring insight and guide discussions on disability and inclusion.

ASL interpretation and Communication Access Real-Time Translation will be provided. Please contact Amanda Thomas at amthomas@jfslv.org by Feb. 1 if you need any additional accommodations.

In preparation for this event, the 2022 JFS

Inclusion Survey will be emailed to all community members. This brief survey will help us to understand the issues, challenges and opportunities for change. Based on the results, thematic topics will be created for the JDAIM Town Hall meeting to provide a deeper and more comprehensive discussion.

What should I expect during the JDAIM Town Hall meeting?

• We will have topics to guide our discussion. A speaker from RespectAbility and Amanda Thomas will moderate the event. Participants are encouraged to share experiences, offer suggestions and expertise on reducing barriers. Anonymous polls will be conducted throughout the event, to ensure everyone’s voice is heard. The 2022 JFS Inclusion Survey results will be presented after every poll. At the completion of the JDAIM Town Hall meeting, we will have a brief Q&A for those who would like to continue the discussion.

What are the next steps after having this JDAIM Town Hall meeting?

• This event, in combination with the 2022 JFS Inclusion Survey results, will provide invaluable information that will help JFSLV and JFLV develop short-term and long-term goals for the community. A disability inclusion committee will be created to help guide and prioritize these goals.

We look forward to having this conversation with you.

By Bayley Carl JFLV Marketing & Engagement Associate Thank you to everyone who attended our Federation’s youth and young adult events last month.

We had a great time at Jay’s Local in Allentown with our young adults. We enjoyed making some sufganiyot and a special Chanukah performance by Muhlenberg’s a cappella group, The Chaimonics.

“We had a latke fun bringing everyone together to celebrate Chanukah,” said Tracy Scherline.

Stay tuned for more events in the future! A special thanks to Jay’s Local and The Muhlenberg Chaimonics.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2022 7

BARBARA AND ARTHUR WEINRACH In honor of the birth of your granddaughter, Minna Leora Wendy and Ross Born IN HONOR SAM BUB A Special Thank You Marlene and Arnan Finkelstein BOBBIE FRIEDENHEIM In honor of your 85th Birthday Marlene and Arnan Finkelstein CAROL AND STEWART FURMANSKY In honor of the birth of your granddaughter Randi and Donald Senderowitz Susan and Stuart Shmookler AARON GORODZINSKY AND JENNIE SCHECHNER In honor of your engagement Sandra and Harold Goldfarb ARTHUR HOCHHAUSER In honor of the Jewish Day School tribute Jeanette and Eduardo Eichenwald BETH AND WESLEY KOZINN In honor of your grandson Jack’s Bar Mitzvah Elaine and Leon Papir BETH KUSHNICK AND AMY ZYLBERMAN In appreciation of your new role with the Federation Aviva Marlin RANDI AND DONALD SENDEROWITZ In honor of your daughter Rissa’s engagement to Evan Ntonados Elaine and Leon Papir Vicki Wax EILEEN UFBERG In honor of receiving the Kipnis-Wilson/ Friedland Award Marilyn Claire Marlene and Arnan Finkelstein Sandra and Harold Goldfarb Elaine and Leon Papir BEVERLY AND RON WASSERMAN In honor of your grandson Max’s Bar Mitzvah Elaine and Leon Papir

IN MEMORY HUSBAND (Husband of Laurie Shenkman) Randi and Donald Senderowitz SANFORD (SANDY) BELDON (Husband of Pat Beldon, brother-in-law of Judy Sheftel) Beth and Scott Delin Randi and Donald Senderowitz JOAN BRANDEIS (Mother of Sally Kramer) Baiman Family NORMA COHEN (Mother of Madeleine Langman) Marlene and Arnan Finkelstein JEREMY GLAZIER (Bother of Barry Glazier) Sybil and Barry Baiman MILDRED (Millie) SEGAL (Grandmother of Amy Fels) Jeanette and Eduardo Eichenwald Aaron Gorodzinsky and Jennie Schechner Beth and Howard Kushnick Ilene and Michael Ringold Vicki Wax MICKEY UFBERG MEMORIAL AMBUCYCLE FUND Lenny Abrams and Family Clara and David Bergstein Lisa and Barnet Fraenkel Alice and Mark Notis Lynne and Mark Shampain We gratefully acknowledge those individuals who have offered expressions of friendship through recent gifts to the Lehigh Valley Jewish Foundation. The minimum contribution for an Endowment Card is $10. Call 610-821-5500 or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org to place your card requests. Thank you for your continued support.

Allentown native turned DC pundit debuts new book

By Stephanie Goodling HAKOL Editor Ari Mittleman now works at the nexus of politics, policymaking and the press in Washington, D.C. But he grew up in a family active at Congregation Sons of Israel in Allentown and spent his youth learning at the Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley and Parkland High School.

Mittleman will return to his hometown virtually on Thursday, Feb. 24, to debut his brand-new book, “Paths of the Righteous: Stories of Heroism, Humanity and Hope.” The publication details the stories of eight nonJewish individuals who have gone above and beyond for Israel and the Jewish people during a difficult and turbulent period. Two of these modern-day heroes will join Mittleman via Zoom for his talk, which is part of the 60 Day Challenge to re-engage the community (see page 1).

One of those speakers was the impetus behind the book.

“I did not set out to write a book. Like so many things in my life, it just happened by chance,” explained Mittleman.

At the last minute, he decided to attend an event

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his wife was involved with planning in May 2019. It was there that he heard an American firefighter speak about putting out wildfires in Gaza.

“The next morning, I had a deeper, longer conversation with him, and it was exactly the kind of pick-me-up and inspiration that I needed,” said Mittleman, referring to the darkness of seeing antiSemitic attacks in Pittsburgh, Poway and more in the past few years. This led him to telling the stories of other folks who do not find their names in the headlines but “who are non-Jews who not only have inspired our community but are inspiring their non-Jewish peers and teaching them about Israel and about antisemitism.”

THE IMPACT ONE MAKES

The Schneiders

By Stephanie Goodling HAKOL Editor Irwin and Ellen Schneider may have recently made the transition from snowbirds to permanent Florida residents, but they have left a big piece of their hearts behind in the Lehigh Valley. That’s where Irwin moved almost 90 years ago at just six months old from Brooklyn, New York, and spent his life “surrounded by the Jewish institutions in the community” – Temple Beth El, the Jewish Community Center, the Jewish youth groups and Camp Pinemere.

He met Ellen, who was from a smaller town in Central Pennsylvania with a much smaller Jewish community, while she was still in college, but he had been drafted into the army. So after he got out of the military and entered the family business, they were wed in January 1956. This month, they will have been married for 66 “wonderful” years. And throughout those years, they were “very, very involved” in the Jewish community.

Irwin looks back upon his years in the Lehigh Valley with great fondness and cherishes the friendships he made, some of which have lasted a lifetime. From those experiences at a young age, he developed an appreciation for how much the Jewish institutions enhance the lives of Jewish people of the community. He began supporting the Jewish institutions as soon as he established his own home and family, remembering how much they enriched his life growing up.

“I wanted to make sure these institutions remained vi-

brant for the next generations coming up,” he said.

When he sold his business in 1987 and retired and had the time available to him, he began to devote himself to serving on the boards of Temple Beth El, the temple Endowment Fund board and its investment committee, the Jewish Family Service as its Treasurer during the time of the Russian resettlement here in the Lehigh Valley, and the board of the Jewish Federation.

As for Ellen, “I began volunteering my time and talents early on in my marriage with the Jewish Community Center,” she recalled.

“I rose through the ranks of the Women's Auxiliary to the Presidency for four years in the late 1960's and early 1970's. During those years of service during my Presidency we initiated a number of innovative programs including Camp Shalom, a day camp for inner-city children in the Allentown area at the JCC campsite for which the Allentown JCC won a national award.

We also began the Nearly New sale which has raised a great deal of money throughout the years for the benefit of the JCC. I also served on the board of the JCC for 12 years.”

When her term as President ended, she picked up the threads of an interrupted college education and completed a degree in social work at Cedar Crest College and was asked to join the professional staff of the JCC as Director of Senior Activities.

“I ran various inventive programs with the Friendship Circle for 15 years. Those programs included trips, luncheons, an additional day

of programs with discussion groups featuring community leaders, a Morning Call reporter, school groups, book reviews utilizing the staff of the Allentown Public Library as well as board and card games,” said Ellen.

In the early 1990's when the time came for the Schneiders to retire and spend the majority of each year in Florida, they reluctantly gave up their board positions and Ellen gave up her job. However, “our years of service with the Jewish community have been an important part of our lives, and we both look back upon those years with pride,” Ellen shared.

Their hopes for the future of the Lehigh Valley Jewish community are for others to

have a chance to share experiences similar to those they did here.

“We would hope to see that the Jewish institutions that at present are vibrant remain so for upcoming generations. The Lehigh Valley has changed; the people who are coming in rarely have family connections here anymore. They choose to be here, and one of the reasons they choose to live here as opposed to some other place is because of the Jewish institutions, and we recognize that, and we want to see that continue. And the way to do it is to get them involved as Irwin and I did in our younger years, get them involved in organizations, and most importantly, have them support

them both with their service and financially,” said Ellen.

Irwin added, “Even though we will be living in Florida full-time, we still want to be financially committed to Temple Beth El and Federation and JDS on an annual basis.”

Their devotion to their hometown is evident by how much of themselves they continue to give after decades of service.

“The Schneiders are the kind of people we treasure in our community, and we are grateful for all they have done here in the Lehigh Valley.

Florida is certainly lucky to have them participating in their community there,” said Federation Executive Director Jeri Zimmerman.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2022 9

AIPAC launches two PACs, joining political campaign finance arena for first time

AIPAC

By Dmitriy Shapiro Jewish News Syndicate

AIPAC president Betsy Berns Korn addresses the 2020 conference in Washington, D.C.

For the first time in its existence, AIPAC plans to support financially the campaigns of pro-Israel incumbents and candidates by forming two political action committees.

AIPAC president Betsy Berns Korn announced the creation of the two PACs on Dec. 16, saying the current political environment necessitates the change.

“Throughout AIPAC’s history, the board of directors has consistently adjusted our political strategy to ensure we could remain successful in an ever-changing Washington. The D.C. political environment has

been undergoing profound change. Hyperpartisanship, high congressional turnover and the exponential growth in the cost of campaigns now dominate the landscape,” Korn wrote in a letter.

“As such, the board has decided to introduce these two new tools. The AIPAC PAC will highlight and support current pro-Israel Democratic and Republican members of Congress, as well as candidates for Congress.”

Contrary to what many of its detractors believe, AIPAC has not directly provided funding to candidates and political campaigns in its 70year history, with the “PAC” in its name instead standing for Public Affairs Committee.

Rather, it organizes its members to lobby for proIsrael legislation.

Its PAC will be a federal political action committee that will allow it to contribute a total of $5,000 to a candidate or to their campaign committee per election. The super PAC, which has not yet been given a name, can spend unlimited amounts supporting or opposing federal election candidates but cannot directly donate or coordinate with the candidates or parties.

According to an AIPAC official who was willing to speak without attribution, the PAC will be led by Marilyn Rosenthal, while the Super PAC would be led by Rob Bassin.

The PACs’ creation is part of several new AIPAC initiatives launched over the past couple of years, including an increased socialmedia presence, a digital initiative and a forthcoming AIPAC app.

The official said that so far, the initiatives have significantly increased AIPAC’s membership to more than 1.5 million members.

“The creation of a PAC and a Super PAC is an opportunity to significantly deepen the involvement of the pro-Israel community in politics,” AIPAC spokesman Marshall Wittmann told JNS in an email. “The PACs will work in a bipartisan way.”

‘Significant opportunity to play an active role in American political life’

Steve Grossman, CEO of Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, who served as AIPAC president from 1992 to 1996, is a lifetime board member and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said 10 JANUARY 2022 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

he supported the move from AIPAC in this political climate.

“Having seen the changes and evolution in American politics over this past particularly dozen or so years, I’m supportive of what AIPAC has done because it will give the organization and its members an even more significant opportunity to play an active role in American political life at a time when that is essential,” he said. “To the extent, that we’ve become so polarized and politics has become so vitriolic, I think you have to constantly develop new approaches, new tools and techniques.”

AIPAC’s strength, he said was in the grassroots organizing it did on behalf of causes beneficial to the security of the United States and Israel.

The members, he said, were “citizen activists.”

One of the most powerful tools, he noted, had been the national lobby day when members descended on the U.S. Capitol once a year to support legislation fitting their mission, vision and values. These include believing in a strong U.S.Israeli relationship as “being central to democracy” and central to the security of the United States, said Grossman.

Still, AIPAC’s effect on federal races came from individuals who strongly vied for a candidate organizing on their own locally and helping to raise money on behalf of that candidate on their own.

Given the explosion of money in politics, which Grossman thinks isn’t healthy, the move was necessary.

“You can’t put your head in the sand and act like it isn’t happening,” he said. “I mean, this is a way to be more competitive, more active, more energetic and more impactful.”

Grossman said the pro-Israel cause always had strong support from Democrats and Republicans.

Even if there were always a few outliers, it was virtually a consensus, he stated.

“Unfortunately, even the pro-Israel cause has become a battlefield,” he acknowledged. “So how do we have a meaningful impact and continue to support things that we believe are central to our values, and to the health and well-being of the State of Israel and the United States? As Americans, that’s what we work all the time to protect, preserve and enhance.”

Health of body and soul are intertwined

RABBI STEVEN NATHAN Lehigh University Hillel

Maimonides states in his magnum opus of Jewish Law the Mishneh Torah, “When keeping the body in health and vigor, one walks in the way of God ... it is a person’s duty to avoid whatever is injurious to the body and cultivate habits conducive

to health and vigor.”

The concept of shmirat ha’guf, protecting the body, is one which goes back to Biblical times. In the Torah we read, “Guard yourself and guard your soul very carefully” (Deut. 4:9).

Even then it was known guarding or protecting the body was not only as important as guarding one’s soul, but the two were intertwined.

This inextricable link is expressed in our daily morning prayers. We first pray for the body and thank God for creating its intricate workings while also acknowledging that if merely “one vessel is opened when it should be closed or closed when it should be open” we are in dire straits. This is then followed by the prayer which reminds us that “the soul which God has placed within us is pure.”

It is no coincidence that the prayers for body and soul are contiguous.

Judaism recognizes that the division between body and soul is really

a human creation. Both are essential. Both are connected. Both are holy.

Both are one.

During this time of pandemic (and it’s essential to remember that we are STILL in the time of pandemic and not even near a post-pandemic era), we must remember that our spiritual well-being and our physical wellbeing are inextricably linked. To pray for our soul while ignoring our body, or to care for our physical health while ignoring our spiritual well-being, are both an affront to the divine. It also poses a danger to ourselves. This is also connected to what we would call our emotional or psychological wellbeing.

As we continue to walk the path towards healing, which is a long path indeed, we must keep all of these aspects of our well-being in mind.

We must also remember that this is not only an individual concern, but a

communal and global one as well. We must care not only for ourselves, but for one another.

The mitzvah/ commandment which supersedes almost every other is pikuach nefesh, the saving of life. We must do everything we can to care for and save our own lives and the lives of others. That is why all of the protocols concerning COVID-19, especially being fully vaccinated, are so important. They protect us as individuals, but they also protect our communities and our world.

I imagine that the Delta and Omicron variants of the pandemic are not the last variants and the need for us to protect ourselves and others is not time-limited. In truth, even if the pandemic were to end tomorrow, this responsibility would not disappear. We must always care for our own physical, spiritual and emotional health, as well as that of others. That is

why we recite the prayers for body and soul every day of the week. That is why the mi shebeirach prayer for healing is a constant part of our liturgy.

All of this is part of the both shemirat ha’guf, protecting the body, and pikuach nefesh, the saving of a life. So as we begin a new secular year, let us do what we can to continue performing these essential mitzvot for ourselves and others.

Let’s remember that we are not only responsible to care for ourselves, but we are each responsible for one another, whether Jewish or not. And this responsibility also includes the entire created world, not just human beings. For we are partners with the Divine in the daily work of creation, but also in the daily work of healing and renewal. We may be more aware of this now more than in the past, but it has been true ever since the moment of creation and it always will be.

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PARTNERSHIP2GETHER UPDATE FROM YOAV

Updating education and more in Yoav

By Nurit Galon Partnership2Gether So the last doughnut has been eaten; the last latke, too, regretfully! The Chanukkia cleaned and put away for next year, and our attention turns to education. Especially after the uncertainty of studying under Corona schedules the last two years, it's time to get back to the business of studying for all ages.

In the Yoav Regional Council, this is already an exciting year, with the official opening of our third elementary school Nof Sadeh (View of the Fields) located in Kibbutz Negba, with 317 students and creating a new record of Yoav children studying in Yoav Schools. Our first

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elementary school, Sedot Yoav (the Fields of Yoav), founded in 1997 and located in Kibbutz Gat, today has 447 students. The second elementary school, Ha Elah, located in Kibbutz Kfar Menachem has 398 students.

Our Regional High School, Tsafit, also located in Kfar Menachem, this year has a record breaking 1,194 students, and is on the list of the Ministry of Education's excelling High Schools. So we have a reputation for outstanding and innovative education with a devoted and capable staff.

How has education changed since the years the parents and grandparents went to school?

Discipline - who is boss? Are the parents involved too much - or maybe not enough? Conditions for study and sport - how crucial is this in educating our children?

A varied and challenging curriculum — for example, years ago the kibbutz education was based on a project system. If the subject was based on the history of a certain period in Israel, then all lessons would refer to this — art, math, literature, etc. It's a great way of learning, of connecting, of creating. Now, this system is being recreated in the schools of Yoav.

Today, learning is not confined to the schoolroom, and to be for a moment poetic, the world is there as the schoolroom to those schools who are fortunate enough to have the staff and funds to use it. Today, every child's dream seems to be attainable. Is this true throughout Israel? No. Can we afford to ignore this? I don't think so.

Not if we truly want a challenging and exciting education for all the children.

Here in Israel, we are now back to the arguments about Corona, and of course the ever present threat of Iran. The big discussion regarding Corona is whether we should have harsher restrictions for those coming into the country and for those who refuse vaccinations. Regardless of the warnings regarding travel, nevertheless Israelis are travelling, and the question is how to deal with them (in particular those coming from "red countries" or not vaccinated). And at the moment, there is a strong movement for high fines and restricted movement.

As for Iran, I think most of us feel the Iran threat is very real, especially as Iran is not to be trusted.

Next month is International Holocaust Day, which Lehigh Valley and Yoav will mark together on Zoom. How can we make sure that not only the Jewish world, but the world in general, will continue to study and learn and pass down the lessons of the Holocaust to our future generations?

Will we remember that "those who will not learn from the past are forced to repeat it"?

To all our friends and family in Lehigh Valley, we send greetings for a peaceful and rainy winter, with spring blossoms not too far behind. Be well and safe!

Winter is coming

By Gavriel Siman-Tov Community shaliach Winter is coming could be the catchphrase from the TV show “Game of Thrones,” or something you can hear people say here right before this time of year. When they say winter is coming, oh, they mean winter is coming: snowstorms, frozen mornings, you need to get a good coat or it’s going to be a cold, cold winter. But if you were in Israel right now, you could hear people talking about the winter saying, wow, that’s a cold winter, it got down to 50 degrees, and you would think to yourself, 50 degrees, that sounds more like fall than winter.

Well, winter in Israel, it’s not really a winter if we compare it to here, and to be honest, Israel is warm/ hot most of the year. We don’t really have four seasons like here.

Let’s say you would go to Israel in October. You would probably think, oh well, it’s October, it should be fall, I’ll see the trees changing colors and it will be amazing. So, this is not going to happen. Israel doesn’t really go through fall. It’s more like summer in summertime, then winter will be around two months a year, which will also not be that cold, around 50 degrees and some rain from time to time. The rest of the year, let’s call it a cooler summer.

Last year for me was the first time I have ever experienced the four seasons. When I got here, it was the end of the summer, and I got to have some nice sunny days. A month or so later, the fall started, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the beautiful colors of the trees. And I kept hearing the phrase “winter is coming,” and, to be honest, I didn’t know what to expect.

I had only been through an Israeli “winter,” which as I mentioned before, is not really winter. So I got my coat and gloves and the temperature dropped and it started to snow around December. That was the first snowfall that I had ever experienced in my life.

Following that came the spring with the beautiful blossoms, then summer again, and I must say, you can feel the season change, which is something I could never say in Israel.

In Israel, it’s kind of summer 365 days a year. Even now, the temperature is around 60 during the day and 50+ during the night. So you can say every day is a beach day, and well, if you are in Israel, don’t miss the beach.

N O

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2022 13

OLIVER MORRIS/GETTY IMAGES

Stephen Sondheim, Jewish theater legend who reshaped the American musical, is dead at 91

Stephen Sondheim, songwriter/lyricist, listening to music in the recording control room during the original cast recording of the Broadway musical 'Into The Woods', New York, 1987.

By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency Stephen Sondheim, the Jewish lyricist and composer who redefined the American musical through a monumental canon of influential and innovative theatrical works, has died at 91.

He died suddenly on Nov. 26 after enjoying a Thanks-

giving dinner with friends at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, The New York Times reported.

Sondheim’s stunning debut came writing the lyrics to Leonard Bernstein’s score for “West Side Story” in 1957, at age 27. Sondheim was born to Jewish parents in New York City but raised without any formal Jewish

14 JANUARY 2022 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

background, to the extent that he once said Bernstein had to explain to him how to pronounce the words “Yom Kippur.”

Sondheim’s other wellknown musicals include “Into the Woods,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “Follies,” “A Little Night Music” and “Sunday in the Park With

George.” Many of them were not smash hits immediately, as he avoided traditional Broadway formulas that would immediately draw audiences. Instead, he crafted musicals that dealt with subjects that had not received treatments on mainstream stages: loneliness, despair and the artistic temperament.

There was the young man who is terrified of emotional commitment in “Company” (1970); the family torn apart by emotional dishonesty in “A Little Night Music” (1973); the vicious serial killer in “Sweeney Todd” (1979); and the artist in the midst of conceiving a masterpiece in “Sunday in the Park with George” (1984).

“Into the Woods,” a mashup of characters from multiple fairy tales, won several Tony Awards in 1987.

Revivals staged years after often did better than original runs, but he is often cited as one of the 20th century’s most influential theater writers.

Sondheim — who did not entertain a romantic partnership until he was 60 — also often wrote about loneliness and whether the capacity to create a longterm relationship was possible. “Send In the Clowns,” a signature song from “A Little Night Music” that Frank Sinatra recorded a popular version of, remains a famous lamentation about bad timing when it comes to love.

“Isn’t it rich?” sings the character Desiree. “Are we a pair? Me here at last on the ground, You in mid-air?”

Sondheim hated when his fans and biographers

attempted to examine his life to understand his music, but it was an irresistible enterprise. Born into a wealthy family in New York that ran a dressmaking company, his father left him and his mother when Sondheim was 10 years old, and his mother heaped on him hateful scorn, once telling him that her greatest regret was that he was born at all.

He found mentorship and a father figure in his teen years in a family friend, Oscar Hammerstein II, the lyricist of Jewish descent who had heralded an earlier revolution in the American musical, leading its transition in the 1920s from lighthearted reviews to novelistic treatments of major issues.

Hammerstein plotted out a four-step training for Sondheim while he was still in high school: Adapt a good play into a musical, adapt a flawed play into a musical, adapt a musical from another literary form, write your own musical.

Sondheim stuck assiduously to the course and at 22 began auditioning songs around New York.

A producer, Lemuel Ayers, commissioned Sondheim to write songs for a musical he was producing, but Ayers died before it could be staged. Sondheim’s skills nonetheless became known in Broadway circles and at age 25, he was asked to come on board and write the lyrics for a musical Bernstein was planning based on “Romeo and Juliet.”

That became “West Side Story,” and Sondheim’s skill at weaving doom and despair into romance was immediately evident in the signature song, “Somewhere”: “There’s a place for us/ Somewhere a place for us/Peace and quiet and open air/Wait for us somewhere.”

Sondheim was a generous interview, speaking to journalists and even critics at length, and lacerating himself for years about lyrics he believed post-facto were misconceived. He hated that the big, emotive note in “Somewhere” was the “a” in “There’s a place for us.”

Sondheim earned multiple honors besides his many Tony’s, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

He settled into a comfortable elder statesman status late in life, traveling into New York this year to see revivals of his musicals, and living with his husband, Jeffrey Romley, whom he married in 2017 and who survives him.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2022 15

GOOD NEWS Israeli drone defense saves Pope Francis from rogue threat

D-FEND SOLUTIONS

D-Fend’s EnforceAir anti-drone ground-level tactical solution.

By Abigail Klein Leichman ISRAEL21c When a rogue drone appeared over a large public Mass led by Pope Francis in Slovakia on Sept. 15, the threat was neutralized — without any disruption to the worshipers — by the EnforceAir antidrone ground-level tactical solution from Israel’s D-Fend.

According to newly available information reported by the Jerusalem Post, the suspicious drone flew over the religious ceremony attended by 90 bishops, 500 priests and 60,000 Catholics in Šaštín, site of the National Marian Shrine.

“EnforceAir fended off the rogue drone, sending it back to its original takeoff position, far away from the large crowd,” a D-Fend spokesman told the Jerusalem Post.

Working in coordination with the Slovakian Interior Ministry, D-Fend deployed its technology at several outdoor appearances by the pope in Slovakia from Sept. 12 to 15.

“Our system, in either autonomous or manual

mode, detects, locates and identifies rogue drones in your airspace and then neutralizes the threat by allowing you to take full control over the drone and land it safely in a predefined zone,” the company explained.

“Since the system does not rely upon jammers or kinetic technology, EnforceAir avoids collateral damage, interference, disruption and disturbance.

Continuity prevails as communications, commerce, transportation, and everyday life smoothly proceed.”

A representative of the pope’s security team said that the EnforceAir solution “took control of the rogue drone that threatened the potential safety of the pope, the crowd and the VIPs in attendance, quickly and easily.”

One day before that incident, the Ra’ananabased D-Fend Solutions announced that its MultiSensor Command & Control (MSC2) system won Security Today’s “New Product of the Year” award in the unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) category.

Organizers of the G7 Summit held last June in Cornwall, England, also chose D-Fend’s technology to protect the visiting world leaders.

Finding community with Masa Jewish Agency for Israel Growing up in the South in Marietta, Georgia, Zoe, 23, experienced her fair share of antisemitism. When she went out west for college, she encountered more of the same when needing to miss classes for Jewish holidays. Those experiences made Zoe determined to find a strong Jewish community of her peers, leading her to explore Masa Israel Journey programs post-college.

“I was asked where my horns were as a Jew in Georgia, and professors were not very accommodating when I needed to take off for Jewish holidays and make up projects and tests in college,” Zoe recounted. “Feeling that my Jewish experience was lacking the culture and the community I wanted, I knew Masa, and specifically Masa Israel Teaching Fel16 JANUARY 2022 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

lows, would be a perfect next step to give me what I’d been missing.”

Masa Israel Teaching Fellows (MITF) is a 10-month fellowship for college graduates who want to make a difference by teaching English to Israeli children in the socioeconomic periphery in Israel while immersing themselves in Israeli society. Having been to Israel twice before, Zoe wanted a program that would allow her to live like a local, which she did in Rishon Letzion, a city south of Tel Aviv.

“I knew I wanted to do MITF because I wanted to do something different after graduating college that wasn’t just working a 9-5 job,” explained Zoe. “I wanted to really live in a different culture and grow, and doing so in Rishon Letzion, where I also got to spend time at the beach and with my host family, was phenomenal.”

Besides enjoying teaching kids

English and having them help her better her Hebrew skills as well, Zoe found it meaningful to be living in a country with so many Jews.

“It is so nice to know these students now might have a little more confidence in their English abilities in whatever future they want. It felt like we really learned from each other,” Zoe said. “And it was so special to be in a country where I wasn’t in the minority, where people were celebrating the Jewish holidays and knew our history and culture.”

To others considering Masa programs or MITF, Zoe would advise them to lean in and embrace the chance to impact others and broaden their horizons.

“Being in Israel with MITF was the first time in my life I got to learn about the real nuances in our religion and culture which

S FROM ISRAEL

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

In Israel for Miss Universe competition, Puerto Rican contestant reveals that her great-grandfather survived the Holocaust

Contestants of the Miss Universe pageant visit the Tower of David Museum in the ancient citadel of Jerusalem near the Jaffa Gate entrance to Jerusalem's Old City, Nov. 30, 2021.

By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency When she won the privilege of representing Puerto Rico in the Miss Universe contest, Michelle Marie Colon spoke of her pride in making history as the first Black woman from the territory to seize the honor.

Last month in Israel, where the contest was held, she was touting pride in another aspect of her heritage: her Jewish greatgrandfather who escaped the Holocaust.

Colon posted a photo of her holding hands with Noa Cochva, the Israeli entrant into the

contest, beneath a wall covered with portraits of victims of the Holocaust.

“My great-grandfather, Rodolfo Cohn, was a survivor of the Holocaust,” Colon wrote.

“He moved to the Caribbean and met Dorila Thomas, my great-grandmother; an empowered Afro-Caribbean woman — descendant of slaves — who was the administrator of a farm at the time. Together, they formed a solid family full of love, built upon empathy and resilience.”

She had told the story in an impromptu talk while the contestants toured Yad Vashem, the

national Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. Dani Dayan, the memorial’s chairman, posted a video on Twitter and it soon went viral.

“I came here to Israel knowing that I would be more connected to my family because my [great] grandfather actually escaped from the Holocaust and all of his other family members, his sisters, his brothers, even their daughters — four daughters — were killed in the concentration camps, especially in Auschwitz,” Colon said.

Dayan said Colon, a 21-year old pre-med student, “surprised her fellow Miss Universe contestants (and also Yad Vashem staff).”

Colon’s comments come at a time when advocates were seeking to turn the pageant into a political referendum on Israel.

Palestinian advocates called for contestants to boycott the competition, but only Malaysia and Indonesia committed to doing so.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s contestant attended despite pressure from the South African government to boycott Israel. In addition, this year’s competition featured a contestant from the United Arab Emirates for the first time, and a contestant from Morocco for the first time in decades. Both of those countries signed diplomatic normalization agreements with Israel in 2020.

Jan. 12 & 13, 2022 - 7 PM - $65/$59 Ages 13+ Sponsored by RCN, ESSA Bank & Trust, Viamedia, B104, The Morning Call and lehighvalleylive.com + The Express-Times

was so cool,” reflected Zoe. “I feel really fortunate to have gotten to explore our ancestral homeland in such an invaluable way. I have always loved Israel but now I feel such a stronger connection to it.”

In fact, Zoe loved living in the Jewish State so much that she’s in the process of applying to make Aliyah and hoping to work in sustainability in high tech.

“If you were to tell me a year ago that I would be trying to move to Israel and would have the life outlook I currently do, I would have laughed, eaten another piece of Bamba, and not believed you at all,” shared Zoe. ”But here I am, hoping to make Israel my permanent home soon!”

www.statetheatre.org 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA 610-252-3132 1-800-999-STATE

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Editor’s note: The Jewish Agency for Israel is an overseas partner of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.

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Jack Antonoff at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards in Inglewood, Calif., Aug. 27, 2017.

By Shira Hanau Jewish Telegraphic Agency Some of the music industry’s most popular Jewish artists were included in the 2022 Grammy Award nominations unveiled on Nov. 24.

Here’s a roundup: Doja Cat, a Black and Jewish pop star-rapper hybrid who has become one of the most listened-to artists in the world — Spotify lists her as the 7th-moststreamed musician on its platform — racked up nominations in seven categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, Me-

lodic Rap Performance and Rap Song. She has a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish South African father.

Jewish day school grad Jack Antonoff, who wore a Star of David necklace to the MTV Music Awards in 2017, has become one of the most in-demand pop producers in the industry. He was nominated for Non-Classical Producer of the Year for his work in the past year with Taylor Swift, Lana Del Ray, Lorde and others.

Canadian Jewish rapper Drake, winner of four past Grammys (in addition to a record-breaking 29 Billboard Music Awards), was nominated for Best Rap Performance for his hit “Way 2 Sexy” and Best Rap Album of the year for his latest LP, “Certified Lover

22 JANUARY 2022 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

Boy.” Despite having once participated in a mock restaging of his bar mitzvah on “Saturday Night Live,” he has been guarded in recent years in talking about his Jewish identity.

Stephen Schwartz, the legendary musical theater writer, was nominated for Best Musical Theater Album for “Stephen Schwartz’s Snapshots,” a scrapbook musical including songs from a range of his musicals, including “Wicked,” “Pippin” and “Godspell.”

Aaron Dessner, part of the indie rock band The National, was included in Taylor Swift’s nomination in the Album of the Year category for the album “Evermore,” which he helped write, along with Antonoff. (The pair did the same with Swift’s “Folklore” album last year.) Dessner’s brother Bryce, who is also in The National and was also included in the nomination for helping in the recording process, wrote a classical music piece in 2013 partially inspired by their Jewish grandmother’s heritage and immigration to the United State.

Israeli cellist Matt Haimovitz was co-nominated for his work on an album up for Best Classical Solo Voice Album. He was also nominated last year in the classical compendium category.

The awards ceremony will take place Jan. 31 in Los Angeles.

When concert halls closed, Jewish musician Navah Perlman Frost pivoted to designing cakes too beautiful to believe

DESIGN BY GRACE YAGEL

ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ/GETTY IMAGES

2022 Grammy Awards: The Jewish nominees, from Doja Cat to Drake to an Israeli cellist

During the pandemic, Navah Perlman Frost pivoted from being a professional musician to running her own cake business. And yes, those are cupcakes -- not flowers.

By Rachel Ringler Jewish Telegraphic Agency For most of her life, professional pianist Navah Perlman Frost spent at least part of each day practicing her music in preparation for upcoming performances. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, the music stopped. Concert halls closed. Recitals were cancelled.

At first, Frost, 51, took the drying up of her concert schedule as “a good moment to recharge my batteries,” she told The New York Jewish Week.

She never could have imagined that, as the months progressed, her career would pivot as markedly as it did.

Frost, a child of New York’s Upper West Side, grew up in a musical family. Her parents are musicians; notably, her father is violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman.

Frost began taking piano lessons when she was 6 years old and performed professionally for the first time when she was 15.

This meant that, by the time the COVID lockdown began, she had been a working musician for 35 years.

But Frost is also an accomplished cook and baker, and she did both enthusiastically for her husband, four children, extended family and friends. As the reality of the pandemic set in and the months passed by, Frost found herself obsessing — not so much about music but about buttercream frosting.

Frost said she couldn’t stop thinking about creative ways to use buttercream to decorate her baked goods. Day after day, she was pulled back into the kitchen and what emerged became more elaborate, more beautiful and more awe-inspiring with each iteration.

Friends and family members urged Frost to try to sell her creations. But she demurred. With its wide variety of top-notch bakeries, New York City didn’t need yet another cake baker, she said.

Except nobody else was beautifying cakes quite like she was. “Extraordinary” is how celebrated baker and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Dorie Greenspan describes Frost’s work. “What she does is a magical blend of passion for her art, technical skill and boundless curiosity,” Greenspan said.

Frost’s cakes are adorned with botanically themed decorations that are so realistic that one could swear they are look-

ing at fresh flowers. She is best known for her cupcake “bouquets” — bunches of cupcakes covered with richly colored buttercream flowers, presented like sumptuous floral arrangements.

But that’s not all: In a nod, perhaps, to her art history degree from Brown University, Frost also delights in recreating works of art in buttercream.

Recently, she made a Casa Azul cake, inspired by artist Frieda Kahlo’s cobalt blue home in Mexico City. Her cake that replicates Van Gogh’s iris paintings look almost too precious to eat.

Perhaps her love of cake decorating was destiny — after all, her married name is Frost.

Her daughter, Frost said, coined the name of her newly minted baking business: Frosted by Navah. At first, she just sold her cakes to a devoted group of friends and family. But word spread beyond that small nucleus, and Instagram further escalated things. Frost then set up a web site, and Frosted by Navah was up and running by December 2020, less than eight months after she began baking and frosting regularly.

While her “pivot” — which is how Frost describes her career change — may seem anomalous, Frost sees commonalities between playing the piano and cake decorating. Both art forms require intricate handiwork; playing the piano for so many years sharpened her hands’ dexterity and control, allowing her to craft her precise floral applications.

And then there is the interpretation that she brings to both fields. “I may play the same Beethoven sonata 10 times, but each time I play it it is slightly different than the time before because I am not a machine,” she said. “Something may occur to me that didn’t occur the other times that I performed that piece. The same goes with my cakes. I don’t make carbon copies. My work is more of an art than a science. Neither product can be cloned.”

When will her baking end and her musical career begin again? “I am not performing anymore,” said Frost. “I am trying to figure it all out, trying to not get ahead of myself. I am having such a good time that it is hard to think of abandoning this. But you never know.”

Until then, you can find her performing in the key of F, for frosting.

BARSTAD COMMUNICATIONS VIA JEWISH PRESS OF PINELLAS COUNTY

A Jewish doctor loves The Beatles so much he created America’s only museum devoted to them

A portion of the exhibits at the Penny Lane museum and Bobby Entel, founder of the museum.

By Bruce Lowitt Jewish Telegraphic Agency Bobby Entel didn’t watch The Beatles’ Feb. 9, 1964 performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. He was seven years old at the time and in bed. Nor did he ever see them in person, visit their hometown of Liverpool, or cross Abbey Road.

But he’s more than made up for that.

When he’s not working as a radiologist in Dunedin, Florida, he can often be found at Penny Lane, the free museum he opened in 2018 that features his extensive collection of Beatles memorabilia. That’s where he goes to escape the realities of life.

“This is my happy spot, my relief area,” Entel said, seated in a nook at Penny Lane while “Something” from the Abbey Road album played softly in the background and a pair of nearby tourists studied a guitar signed by Paul McCartney. “It’s a very fulfilling hobby and a labor of love.”

There are several museums dedicated to The Beatles in England and one in Holland.

But except for a floor dedicated to them at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Entel believes his is the only permanent Beatles exhibit in the United States. “In the years we’ve been open, nobody’s ever come in and said, ‘You should see the one in New York or Wyoming.’”

England is where Entel’s fascination with The Beatles began in earnest.

“My interest in them evolved from just liking their music to being intrigued with their cultural influence, the impact they had on politics, on hair styles, on clothing and on the music world,” he said. “It happened for me over a period of time…and I didn’t start collecting anything until I was in my 20s and spending a few months as a medical student in London.”

Entel bought his first Beatles memorabilia at the Portobello Road Market in London and brought them home to Florida, where he started going to flea markets and antique stores in the Tampa Bay area where he usually found lower-end items – buttons, pins, records.

“I’d also meet people who’d say, ‘I know a dude who’s got a bunch of Beatles stuff he wants to move out. Want his number?’ And I’d say, ‘Sure,’ and I’d offer maybe a hundred bucks for a whole care package of junk that maybe had a few good items.”

By the time Entel was in his 30s, his Beatles collection had outgrown the closet space he had allotted to it. He started decorating his walls and buying more expensive and rare items from online auction houses

like Heritage and Sotheby’s, not to mention eBay. “I went from pins and buttons and posters to signed guitars and their clothing. I also have pieces of their hair,” Entel said.

At first when friends suggested he open a museum, he dismissed the idea.

“I’d tell them, ‘I’m a doctor. What do I know about a museum?’” But he knew George Ann Bissett, then the director of the Dunedin Fine Art Center and now its president and CEO, and her husband Colin, a native of Liverpool who “really had a sense of the Beatles’ early days,” Entel said.

Colin Bissett is now the curator of Penny Lane and a museum guide.

“I went to school with Rory Best, Pete Best’s brother, and we used to go see them,” Bissett said. Pete Best was the Beatles’ drummer for two years before being replaced by Ringo Starr on Aug. 19, 1962.

Bissett added: “They were nothing like they turned out to be. They were just local guys.”

With just 600 square feet for its exhibition space, the museum holds about 1,000 items, only about a quarter of Entel’s collection, and receives about a thousand visitors per month.

“I have stuff at home that I can’t display here because it’s a small place. I have Ringo Starr’s drum set that he played on a Super Bowl commercial. I have Beatles pinball machines, Beatles juke boxes, a couple of Beatles slot machines from Las Vegas.” Not to mention Beatles puppets and marionettes, gold and platinum records, posters, lunchboxes, toys, a serape worn by Ringo, and John Lennon’s electric razor and the TWA bag he put it in when he traveled.

Now Entel is looking for a larger space, “maybe a place where we could show films.

Maybe a kitchen, a space for a band.” He said he’s been contacted by potential sites in St. Petersburg, Florida and Washington, D.C. “But I want to stay in Dunedin. It’s where I grew up and downtown is charming.”

And Entel likes the way the museum inspires visitors to share their own recollections of The Beatles and their music’s impact on their lives.

“There are times I’ll see something I’ve looked at a hundred times and I’ll think, ‘Wow, I didn’t even notice I had that.’ It’s a visual overload but I kind of want it to be that way,” Entel said. “What I love the most is the people who come in and tell their stories, their memories.”

A version of this story was originally published in the Jewish Press of Pinellas County.

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Book Review: ‘Ashkenazi Herbalism’

By Sean Boyle Special to HAKOL Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel’s book “Ashkenazi Herbalism: Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews” shows how Bubbe’s chicken soup is connected to the thousands of years of Jewish herbal medicine used in the prevention and treatment of illnesses.

Cohen and Siegel’s book is an attempt to start filling in the vast void of information about the historic traditional healing practices of the Eastern European Jews. They are both academic librarians, and when they began to research Ashkenazi herbal medicine practices and traditions prior to WWII, they discovered the many official studies of herbal healers from the Soviet Union, and even the Russian empire previous to that, were

lacking any references to Jewish healers. They actually call it a “quadruple erasure” in regards to the lack of information detailing the usage of traditional plants and healing knowledge among Jews in the Pale of Settlement.

Cohen and Siegel’s book is broken into three parts.

The first part is a history of Ashkenazi folk healers.

Where they define both what are practices and traditions of folk healers and the conflicts with the eventual introduction of academically trained medical personnel. They are concentrating on Jewish healers located in the Pale of Settlement, but due to the mingling of Jews and Gentiles in regards to medicine and the erasure of Jewish references, they concentrate on known practices of majority Jewish populated villages to give a fair perspective. Since Cohen and Siegel are trained researchers and fluent in several languages, they are very thorough in providing every snippet of Jewish healer information that they could gather, regardless of the work’s original language.

Second part is broken down into 26 herbs that were commonly found in the Pale of Settlement and would have been used by Jewish folk healers. They provide for each plant the family, common name(s) in

English, Yiddish, Hebrew, Ukrainian, German, Polish, Russian, and Lithuanian. They then provide a description of the plant and where it can be found in nature, and which parts of the plant have been traditionally used and for which purposes. They also provide current usages in medicine and contemporary herbalism. Finally, they provide how it was used in the Pale of Settlement by both Jews and Gentiles.

The third section details the difficulty they had in finding information and their hope that their work inspires others to search and find more information about Ashkenazi herbalism and folk medicine.

Highly recommended for ages 12-120, especially for anyone who wants to learn more about traditional-historic Ashkenazi medical and natural healing practices.

Sean Boyle is Congregation Keneseth Israel’s librarian and is also serving as President of the Schools, Synagogues, Centers, and Public Libraries Division of the Association of Jewish Libraries.

Ashkenazi Herbalism: Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews. (Cohen, Deatra, and Siegel, Adam, Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 2021, 352p.)

GIVE A MITZVAH, DO A MITZVAH

Fighting poverty with basic hygiene bags My name is Charlie Epstein, and I will be called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah on Jan. 22 at Congregation Keneseth Israel in Allentown. I am a high honors student in the seventh grade at Springhouse Middle School, where I also play the trombone in our school’s jazz band.

In addition, for the past eight years, I have been a competitive gymnast at Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center.

My parents are Iris and Jonathan Epstein, and I have an older brother, Harry, who is in ninth grade at Parkland High School.

I recently attended an event at my synagogue that showcased various local community agencies, and each demonstrated how kids my age could make an impact in our community and throughout our world. One of the presenters was Chelsea Karp from Jewish Family Service, who explained the need for basic hygiene items for families in our area. Listening to her words, I immediately realized how fortunate I am to be able to take for granted basics like soap and shampoo.

I was inspired to make a difference in our community, and I am collecting donations in order to purchase full-sized or family-sized soaps, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, shampoo and conditioner for my Bar Mitzvah project. My goal is to provide 365 Basic Hygiene Bags for the pantries in my community.

In order to build awareness about poverty and the need for basic necessities, I am working with my religious school at KI to develop a program where my classmates, their parents and members of the community are invited to help me sort, pack and organize the Basic Hygiene Bags on Sunday, Jan. 23.

As part of this special day, my family and I are bringing one of my favorite Jewish musicians, Noah Aronson, back to Allentown! Noah is a Jewish singer and songwriter known for his energetic and soulful music. He was a religious school teacher at KI while studying at Muhlenberg College and has always felt a very special connection to our community.

On Sunday, Jan. 23 at KI, Noah will spend part of the morning conducting workshops with the religious school students from KI and other synagogues in our area. At the same time, one of my Mom’s mentors, Jeanette Eichenwald, will be a speaking at a special brunch program for teens and adults. After religious school and the brunch program, Noah will perform a free community concert for the general public.

Although both programs are free and open to everyone, we asking for a suggested minimum donation of $18 per person. Seats to Noah’s concert can be reserved by sending in an early donation. These donations will help KI remain a strong, welcoming and caring place and help our school to continue to provide a top-notch religious education. Tickets will also be available at the door.

I am so excited for my Bar Mitzvah and for my Mitzvah Project. I hope that you will consider assisting my efforts by sponsoring a Basic Hygiene Bag for $18 for one person or $72 for a family of four. Donation information is available on my web site: puppyworldtour.com I also hope you will consider joining me on Sunday, Jan. 23, to help assemble our Hygiene Bags and stay for the brunch program and the Noah Aronson concert – you won’t want to miss it!

In addition to my Mitzvah Project, I will be making my first adult gift of tzedakah to the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs. For help developing your mitzvah project, please contact Abby Trachtman, project coordinator, at abbyt@jflv.org or call her at the Federation office at 610821-5500.

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PJ Library families celebrate gratitude with Muhlenberg and NYC artist

By Abby Trachtman JFLV Project Coordinator More than 50 people attended the PJ Library Celebrates Gratitude event at Muhlenberg College, with 15 families including several grandparents, and a dozen or more Muhlenberg Hillel student volunteers.

Michael Albert, NYC collage artist, shared his art, his inspiration and his supplies.

All of our attendees got to make their own cereal box collages and shared alongside each other. College students read stories and helped little ones make collages (and made their own creations!). It was a wonderful intergenerational program enjoyed by all.

Special thanks to Michael Albert for bringing his program to Allentown, and thanks to all the Muhlenberg College Hillel students for volunteering!

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Antidote Health aims to cure the US care access crisis

By Abigail Klein Leichman ISRAEL21c Thirty-eight million Americans without health insurance wake up every day hoping they won’t need medical care. Another 44 million have health insurance insufficient for their needs.

A new alternative for those 82 million Americans — typically earning between $17,000 and $55,000 annually — comes from Israel, a faraway country of just 9.2 million.

Call it chutzpah if you will. But the founders of Antidote Health believe their plan to build a digital health maintenance organization will help cure the healthcare access crisis for U.S. citizens earning too much to be eligible for public insurance and too little for adequate private coverage.

Antidote’s online telehealth service offers onetime remote doctor visits and low-cost monthly subscriptions, starting at $29 for individuals and $49 out-of-pocket charge for families, for online acute or primary care checkups and prescriptions. There are no deductibles or copays.

When ISRAEL21c spoke with cofounder and chairman Ben Enosh in early October, Antidote Health was nine months old and already available in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Florida, North Carolina, California, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

With $12 million in seed funding from investors including iAngels, Welltech Ventures and Flint Capital, Antidote US care access crisis Continued on page 30

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Combatting hopelessness in troubling times

By Stuart Horowitz, LCSW JFS Clinical Committee As I write this, it is a few days after the shooting in Oxford, Michigan, and the emergence of a new variation of COVID-19 in the United States.

During times like these, the latter two can create despair and a feeling of depression for individuals and a community. Depression can feel like a dark cloud hovering above and create a sense of hopelessness and wanting to give up and believing that those feelings will never end.

The key to overcoming is to reevaluate and reframe the thinking to change and see them differently.

Hopelessness can be categorized into three categories: 1) Alienation, forsakenness and lack of inspiration 2) Doom, helplessness and captivity 3) Powerlessness, oppression and limitedness

These categories are based on cognitive distortions. The thought or belief is not the same as the reality.

Hopelessness can be combatted. Being mindful of feelings is the first step and that those feelings will not last forever. We change from moment to moment, and it’s important to know that there is light beyond the darkness.

We cannot control what is beyond our control, but we can control how we respond.

Finding resilience within ourselves and reaching out to and connecting with the community are important and can help us rededicate ourselves to a happier and more joyful place. Knowing that we are not alone can bring a new sense of hope, and just because things feel

hopeless, doesn’t mean they are.

For more information or if you wish to speak to a therapist, contact Debbie Zoller at Jewish Family Service of the Lehigh Valley at 610-289-0609.

Stuart Horowitz, LCSW retired after 32 years of practice as a psychotherapist. He has been practicing mindfulness for 60 years and is a certified yoga instructor. Mr. Horowitz currently teaches sociology at Northampton Community College and is past president of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Jewish Family Service of the Lehigh Valley. Mr. Horowitz is the chairperson of the JFS Clinical Committee.

Beginners can start their fitness journey this year at the JCC

By Stephanie Goodling HAKOL Editor If you’re a member of the Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley, have you ever worked out there? There are plenty of members who have never ventured into the pool or fitness center, but Sports and Fitness Director Andrew Yasenchak is here to help beginners get started.

Yasenchak has been a personal trainer for five years, now working with sports and recreation as well as youth enrichment programs at the JCC. He played soccer at Penn State University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s in kinesiology before earning his master’s in exercise science at the California University of Pennsylvania.

He has experience working with people of all ages and skill levels.

Anyone who is a member of the JCC is entitled to a free assessment with a personal trainer as part of their membership.

The consultation only takes about 30 minutes to go over your goals and exercise

and/or injury history. You’ll meet with your trainer a second time to go through a general workout and get your file of recommendations. Then you’re welcome to go on from there to do your thing in the gym, or sign up for more personalized training sessions individually or in small groups to keep you accountable for an additional fee. Non-members are welcome to register for the services at the guest rate, too.

If you’re looking for a new start in the New Year when it comes to your health and fitness goals, Yasenchak is here for you.

“My biggest issue is being consistent,” he explained. “Try and figure out your ‘why.’ I think it is important to try to at least come up with one to two goals. And from there, look at your week and analyze how many days a week you’d like to come in.”

Yasenchak usually suggest that beginners make it into the gym suggest two to three times a week if you haven’t worked

out consistently before. Then, as you start to work on your long-term goals, “find something to challenge yourself to keep you motivated. Try to slowly increase each time and change things up. You can kind of push yourself that way and slowly progress.”

What’s a typical beginning routine look like?

“A general routine will try to focus on at least cardiovascular endurance, with 1530 minutes at least to start, and then mix in full-body strength training. Something like a 15-minute warm-up walking on treadmill, followed by 30 minutes of weight resistance hitting all your major muscle groups and a 15-minute cool down. That way, you’re getting an hour in and you’re moving two to three times a week. Obviously, it’s dependent on goals. We might add a little more cardio or less weights,” said Yasenchak.

The best thing is to find what works for you.

“Finding something you enjoy is

important. It may not be weightlifting; it may be going on the bike for 30 minutes and listening to a podcast. At least you’re doing something that gets you moving and you enjoy. There’s nothing worse than going to the gym and being like, I dont want to be here.”

Yasenchak is here to see how you perform and help you get better, so inquire at the JCC today to get started with your assessment for a healthier 2022!

Meat Loaf with Roasted Asparagus

BY SANDI TEPLITZ There’s no doubt about it; meat loaf is a comfort food. But so often, it’s laden with unnecessary fat. Here is a delicious recipe to satisfy you during the cold winter months without widening your waistline.

INGREDIENTS: 2 Tbsp. melted plant butter, melted 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion 1 1/2 lbs. Beyond Beef 4 oz. crushed kosher saltines 9 oz. grated cheese, mix of kosher Muenster and cheddar 2 cage-free eggs, beaten 1/2 cup kosher mushroom tomato sauce 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. Diamond kosher salt

dash of cayenne pepper 2 Tbsp. ketchup, preferably organic 1 lb. thick asparagus, ends trimmed 2 tsp. canola oil salt and pepper to taste TECHNIQUE: Set the asparagus on a broiler tray lined with foil, then brush with oil and season.

Roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, remove from oven and set aside. Sauté the onion in the plant butter till translucent. Cool. In a separate bowl, combine the “beef,” cooled onion, saltines, cheese, eggs, both sauces, salt and pepper. Place in an oiled 9x5 loaf pan. Brush with ketchup, and bake at 350 degrees for an hour. Slice, then serve with the asparagus. Leftovers make awesome sandwiches on whole-grain bread!

Immersed in an environment of love and understanding, our students answer the questions:

Who am I and who can I become?

Preschool to Grade 12 moravianacademy.org

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2022 27

Children’s Healthcare sets up vaccine clinic at JDS

By Stephanie Goodling HAKOL Editor As soon as the COVID-19 vaccine was approved for school-aged children, the Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley sprang into action to get as many as their students vaccinated as possible. Thanks to Dr. Kenneth Toff, a JDS grandparent and one of the providers at the independent pediatric practice Children’s Healthcare in Allentown, 40 children ages 5-11 were fully vaccinated this fall at a clinic at the day school.

Toff used a similar method to that employed at his office —the children were vaccinated at the school, a place where they are comfortable. His patients are vaccinated in their cars with their parents, another place where they feel comfortable.

“We have a great set up for COVID. We see all

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of our sick children outside. All well children are brought right back to the exam room,” explained Toff of the measures being taken to keep his patients as safe as possible from potential exposures.

Children’s Healthcare also boasts its own lab, where the most accurate PCR tests can be read in usually under 40 minutes.

Toff encourages families to continue to take COVID seriously and also to understand how quarantining works. If a child has COVID, they should quarantine for 10 days. However, if they’re home with another child who is not vaccinated, that child should quarantine for 20 days as the first infected child in quarantine is contagious up to 10 days.

“Our biggest challenge right now is we’re seeing a lot of positive COVID tests. We see four to eight positives a day in kids, and another three to five

each day with influenza A or influenza B. Getting the COVID booster is vital. All kids over 16 and all parents should get the booster as long as it’s been six months or more since they were fully vaccinated initially. The vaccines are extremely safe; it uses natural means to trigger immunity without risk of getting the disease,” said Toff.

He emphasized that COVID can seriously afflict children, some of whom he has seen admitted to the pediatric intensive care units of local hospitals. And all children are being greatly impacted by the virus due to the disruptions to their normal routines. He has seen a lot of cases of anxiety and depression among adolescents during the pandemic.

“Vaccines are an amazing and safe way for all of us to return to a normal daily life and protect the people we love,” said Toff.

Self-care tips to battle stress ting facials and massages, bump up your home regimen. Draw a salt bath and listen to a guided meditation. Methodically hold yourself to your facial routine. Need a new or better one? Estheticians are back to work and would love to give you some recommendations. Start full body exfoliating, it sheds bad energy along with dry skin! You’ll be amazed what a difference it’ll make.

By Allison Houb Sato Salon Organics One aspect that’s often overlooked about COVID-19 is the stress and anxiety that goes along with it and how it can affect the body.

It can cause dull, dry skin and hair, even hair loss. Breakouts (especially with masks) and redness and irritation are also common. And it’s not just skin deep!

The effects of stress on your health are well-documented so it’s more important than ever to give yourself some TLC. SOME TIPS:  Take time for yourself. If you’re not get-

 You may be tempted to drop your hair, makeup and outfit styling efforts while clicking the “no video” switch on zoom — don’t do it! Making yourself feel beautiful is an endorphin gold mine, and bonding happens when we can see and compliment each other. Do it up just like you’re going to the office! You’ll be surprised how much better you feel.  Also, ask your doctor to check on your vitamin D levels and do a wellness panel.

Not only do vitamins and minerals affect hair, skin and general health, it’s been shown to boost immunity — something we all need right now. Don’t underestimate the importance of self-love and self-care. It’s more than meets the eye!

Keeping man’s best friend healthy this winter

By Rayne Reitnauer Cold Nose Lodge Keeping active in cold weather can be difficult. It’s so easy to spend the day snuggled on the couch. Having a dog is a good motivator to keep active, even on the coldest days.

When going on walks with your dog, it’s important to prepare them for the weather. Some breeds will be fine with a collar or har-

ness alone. Short haired and smaller dogs will do well with a sweater. Consider booties for icy days.

Use a pet-safe deicer on your sidewalk or driveway.

Know that not everyone will use pet-safe products, so plan to wash off your dog’s feet when you return home from a walk to remove salt and other chemicals before they have a chance to lick them off.

Continue to focus on good

nutrition for your dog. Whole foods, especially meats and vegetables, are a great snack.

Share a bite of chicken or a piece of carrot instead of a cookie with your dog.

Boosting your immune system through the winter months, the COVID-19 pandemic and flu season

By Jacqui Jarrett RD, LDN, CDE Advantage Nutrition & Wellness, LLC Keeping your immune system healthy is so important during this season of flu and COVID variants. The best nutrients to boost

your immune system are: water, Vitamin D, Phytonutrients, and adequate energy intakes.

Staying hydrated and eating an abundance of fruits and vegetables is a great way to keep our immune systems healthy and strong. With fruits and vegetables, variety is also very important. Each different color in a fruit or vegetable represents a higher level of certain phytonutrients. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, it’s great to “eat the rainbow!”

Also, current research is also telling us that keeping vitamin D levels within a healthy range can aid in potentially reducing symptoms if diagnosed with COVID. Know your Vitamin D level by having your primary care physician check in a blood test.

Since Vitamin D is the “sunshine vitamin,” one’s vitamin D levels typically drop during the gloomy winter months. If your vitamin D levels are low, you can work with a registered dietitian to determine whether you need a supplement.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2022 29

US care access crisis Continued from page 26

Keeping you healthy

“We took the playbook of the Israeli system – the HMO structure – and will apply it to the underserved population in the US,” said Enosh, whose previous ventures include cofounding Cyota, a fintech company acquired for $145 million in 2005.

Healthcare gobbles up 18 percent ($4 trillion) of the GDP of the United States, and costs are rising 4.6% annually.

In Israel, the national HMO structure keeps healthcare to 7.5% of GDP, yet service and outcomes generally are better than in the United States, said Enosh.

“Israelis pay a monthly fee, and from that point on, any medical expense you incur is expensed to your HMO provider,” Enosh explained.

“The HMOs are not compensated on treating you but on keeping you healthy, so they focus on prevention – such as annual screenings and patient education.”

HMOs do exist in the United States, but infrastructure costs have hindered their expansion.

“We come from a different approach,” said Enosh. “We provide a set of services that

Using Antidote Health

An AI bot on the Antidote Health app takes registered users through an intake questionnaire and then helps schedule a virtual appointment with a participating Antidote physician licensed in the state where the patient is currently located.

Kids can download their own version of the Antidote app. Parents and children in different locations (such as work and school) may participate in a three-way virtual checkup.

The Antidote Health bot was developed by a team led by CTO and cofounder Carine-Belle Feder, recipient of the Israel Defense Prize for her role in the elite 8200 military intelligence unit.

“Within a few months we already started teaching the bot by working with 60,000 patients in Israel’s Terem [chain of urgent care] centers,” said Enosh.

The bot also got “trained” on 20 years of anonymized patient data from Terem, whose former chief medical officer, Dr. David Zlotnick, is cofounder and CMO of Antidote Health.

Often, a virtual doctor visit can prevent an emergency room visit – which currently

30 JANUARY 2022 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

is not covered by Antidote.

Antidote’s participating doctors also receive a decision support system powered by AI. This helps them handle common complaints and conditions virtually with ease.

If necessary, the physician can recommend a specialist to be paid for out-of-pocket.

The company may incorporate Israeli digital healthtech products that fit within its affordability model, said Enosh. Hardware solutions such as TytoCare may not be possible, but software solutions such as Vocalis Health and Binah.ai could be promising potential partners.

Saving on prescriptions

Antidote Health users may fill digital prescriptions at any pharmacy. Enosh said about 95% of acute and primary care health pharmaceuticals are included in Antidote’s “basket” of reimbursed drugs, a concept borrowed from the Israeli system.

Antidote’s engine automatically replaces branded prescribed drugs with generic equivalents and searches in real time for discount coupons to apply.

We’re talking big savings here: An Augmentin prescription costs $260 at Kroger’s.

The generic equivalent costs $67, and with a certain coupon just $12.75.

“Since we pay for drugs, so we are incentivized to figure out how to reduce the price,” said Enosh. “In a virtual world, dollars become cents

KAROLINA GRABOWSKA FROM PEXELS

Health intends to cover the entire United States by the end of next year.

is totally digital, incorporating a lot of AI technologies to save resources. And every interaction we have with the brick-and-mortar world, we integrate through a layer of financial services.”

Photo of a virtual checkup as you use more technology to make healthcare delivery more efficient.”

Antidote loads the cost of the drug onto a dedicated debit card modeled on Israel’s Passport Card service.

Antidote Health plans in the future to launch an insurance product to cover other out-of-pocket healthcare expenses including in-person visits.

“We’ll push the amount of money needed into your debit card. By paying at the point of care, we can get deep discounts,” said Enosh.

Also coming soon are “virtual clinic” packages for Antidote health members with diabetes, hypertension or mental-health issues, covering prescriptions and extra checkups.

Virtual checkups go mainstream

Founder and CEO Avihai Sodri managed innovation at Israel’s Leumit HMO. He saw that digitizing healthcare could cut costs dramatically.

But the average consumer wasn’t ready for virtual doctor visits – until COVID hit.

“Suddenly everything fell into place. Everybody knew how to use Zoom and was willing to be treated at home without driving to a medical facility and looking for a parking space. That was the genesis of the idea of making a virtual HMO.” To disrupt any industry,

Enosh said, “you always look for an underserved market where you’re not stepping on anyone’s toes. No insurance company thought there was money to be made from the uninsured population. So we understood that there was a ‘blue ocean’ opportunity.”

Enosh explained that Antidote doesn’t need to spend much on customer acquisition and marketing.

More than 50 physicians have come onboard so far, and some even invested in the company.

“A lot of doctors have in their mission a desire to help the people who need it the most and can’t afford it,” said CMO Zlotnick.

Flexibility is also a draw, as physicians can work from wherever they are and take advantage of the AI decisionsupport system to maximize efficiency.

Furthermore, Zlotnick said, “We’ve built a physician community with lectures, events and WhatsApp groups.

By giving us feedback, they can be partners with us in building the system.”

Antidote Health is lean, with about 35 employees in its Tel Aviv development center. The company maintains a New York headquarters and a legal compliance team in Washington DC. And yet, said Enosh, “We think we can become the largest HMO in the world by the end of this decade.”

Community Calendar To list an event in the Community Calendar, submit your information on our website, www.jewishlehighvalley.org, under the “Upcoming Events” menu.

All events listed in the Community Calendar are open to the public and free of charge, unless otherwise noted. Programs listed in HAKOL are provided as a service to the community.

They do not necessarily reflect the endorsement of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley. The JFLV reserves the right to accept, reject or modify listings.

MONDAY, JANUARY 3

MONDAY, JANUARY 17

Friendship Circle

David Horovitz Web Series

11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley. Learn about the meaning of challah and bake a fresh challah with Devorah Halperin, co-leader of the Chabad of the Lehigh Valley. A weekly social gathering including special programming. Programs vary and often include musical entertainment, special speakers, demonstrations or hands-on activities.

Friendship Circle is a wonderful opportunity to connect with others in the community. Ages: 50+, Annual Membership Fee: $36. Contact: Beth Kushnick (bkushnick@lvjcc.org) or at 610-435-3571.

12 to 1 p.m., Via Zoom. Announcing the next series of online briefings with David Horovitz, Founding Editor of the online newspaper The Times of Israel. In the briefings, Horovitz will provide updates about the latest events happening in Israel and the Middle East. Register at https:// tinyurl.com/3sfx5rju. To submit questions for Mr. Horovitz, please contact JCRC@jewishphilly.org. Sponsored by Jewish Federations of Greater Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley. Save the date for future series sessions: Wednesday, March 2, 2022 & Monday, May 16, 2022

SATURDAY, JANUARY 8

WEDNESDAYS, JANUARY 19 & MARCH 23

Shabbat Out of the Box: Drumming with Moe Jerant

IPF Virtual Tours with the PA Federations

10 a.m., Congregation Keneseth Israel. Come celebrate the New Year, melt away stress, and have fun with the legendary drum circle facilitator Moe Jerant. Moe uses drumming to create community and an enjoyable, relaxing experience that is sure to let your inner instrumentalist come alive. It’s a rhythm party where there are no wrong notes and everyone has permission to make noise! No prior musical experience is necessary. Drums and hand percussion instruments will be provided.

Register on kilv.org or call 610-435-9074 by January 5 to get location.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 9

Women’s Philanthropy Mitzvah Project: Clothing Drive to Benefit The Perfect Fit for Working Women

10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Drop off your clothing in the JCC auditorium.

SORT AND SCHMOOZE and meet the Women’s Philanthropy’s Mitzvah Committee, and learn more about the Perfect Fit over coffee and light bites. There’s a mitzvah right in your closet! Start off 2022 by dropping off new or gently used items to benefit The Perfect Fit, a program of the YWCA Allentown where more than 700 women each year find the clothing and confidence necessary to start a job and grow a career.

A few spots are available to join the Women’s Philanthropy’s Mitzvah Group at The Perfect Fit, Sunday, January 9 from 12:30-2:30! Email amy@jflv.org to sign up.

MONDAY-FRIDAY, JANUARY 3-7 Donate clothing and accessories in the lobbies of the following sites JDS, 2313 Pennsylvania St., Allentown JCC, 702 N. 22nd St., Allentown B’nai Shalom, 1545 Bushkill St., Easton Congregation Brith Sholom, 1190 Macada Rd., Bethlehem The Perfect Fit is looking for new or gently used donations: Rolling/wheeled bags or suitcases, Hats/gloves/scarves, Winter coats, Bras, Underwear (new), Sneakers, Non-skid shoes, Scrubs, Seasonal professional clothing, Leggings, Makeup (new), Brushes/combs & hair accessories (new), Professionally appropriate costume jewelry SUNDAY, JANUARY 9

Women Making History: Lion of Judah 50th Anniversary 7 p.m., JFNA Virtual Event. Join current and future Lions from around the world for the 50th anniversary of the Lions of Judah. Together, we’ll fuel our passion for enhancing Jewish life and building flourishing communities at home, in Israel, & abroad. Register at jfeds.org/WomenMakeHistory.

MONDAY, JANUARY 10

Friendship Circle

11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley. Special presentation on senior safety and scammers brought by Emily Grigonis, Supervisor of Community Outreach of the Crime Victim Council of the Lehigh Valley. A weekly social gathering including special programming. Programs vary and often include musical entertainment, special speakers, demonstrations or hands-on activities. Friendship Circle is a wonderful opportunity to connect with others in the community. Ages: 50+, Annual Membership Fee: $36. Contact: Beth Kushnick (bkushnick@lvjcc.org) or at 610-435-3571.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16

JUniversity presents Cooking together with Pam Turkin 11 a.m., JCC via Zoom. Learn to cook the light and hearty classic lentil soup and make a fun focaccia bread with Master chef and baker Pam Turkin on Zoom. FREE to all JCC members, $10 for others. Call the JCC to register at 610-435-3571 or go to lvjcc.org/juniversity. Any questions call, Beth Kushnick at 610-435-3571.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16

KI Book N’ Bake

1 p.m., Congregation Keneseth Israel. Book N’ Bake presented by the Women of KI. Discussion of the novel “The Storyteller” by Jodi Picoult.

Learn to bake the sumptuous chocolate buns described in the novel with Martina Obenski. During the rise time, we will discuss the book with Audrey Nolte. During the cooking time, we will enjoy some wine and cheese for those attending in person. (Must be vaccinated if you wish to remove your mask.) We will provide a supply list for anyone who registers. Registration will ask if you are attending in person or on Zoom. Wine and cheese will be provided by KI for those attending in person. RSVP at KILV.org by January 13.

7 p.m., Via Zoom. A series of four virtual tours in partnership with The Israel Policy Forum and all the Pennsylvania Jewish Federations. The four tours are: Jerusalem, The History of Settlements in the West Bank:, Special Session on Hebron, and Hot Button Issues. Co-sponsored by the Community Relation Councils of Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and the Lehigh Valley.

Shabbat & Yom Tov Candlelighting Times

Friday, Jan. 7 Friday, Jan. 14 Friday, Jan. 21

4:33 pm 4:41 pm 4:49 pm

Friday, Jan. 28 Friday, Feb. 4 Friday, Feb. 11

4:57 pm 5:06 pm 5:14 pm

MONDAYS

PA Small Jewish Communities Learning Initiative

7:30 p.m., via Zoom. Our Tri-Community class new Topic is “Speaking to G-d: Twenty Weeks to Understanding the Shemoneh Esrei”. Join Rabbis Nisan Andrews, Dovid Kaplan, Elisha Friedman, Alex Hecht, and various guest teachers for this virtual learning. This class is sponsored by Congregation Sons of Israel, Congregation Ohav Zedek of Wilkes-Barre, Congregation Degel Israel of Lancaster, Kesher Israel of Harrisburg, and the Orthodox Union. Go to https://us02web.zoom. us/j/5014709078 to join.

MONDAYS & THURSDAYS

Online Jewish Yoga Studio

MONDAY, JANUARY 24

Friendship Circle

11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley. Come discover Qi Gong, the system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation. Alice Perry from A Third Eye Energy Arts will be presenting this special program. A weekly social gathering including special programming. Programs vary and often include musical entertainment, special speakers, demonstrations or hands-on activities.

Friendship Circle is a wonderful opportunity to connect with others in the community. Ages: 50+, Annual Membership Fee: $36. Contact: Beth Kushnick (bkushnick@lvjcc.org) or at 610-435-3571.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26

Dignity GrowsTM Packing Party

7 p.m., Various locations. Join us to assemble hygiene tote bags for our neighbors in need. Two convenient locations: Jay’s Local, 2301 Liberty St, Allentown PA 18104 and a private home in Nazareth, PA address provided upon RSVP. RSVP by January 17 to amy@jflv.org or 610-821-5500. Dignity GrowsTM was founded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford’s Women’s Philanthropy. Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30

Mondays 11 to 11:45 a.m., Thursdays 4 to 4:45 p.m., Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Mindful body practices help us find shelter right where we are, in our bodies in this very moment. Join yoga teachers and IJS faculty members Rabbi Myriam Klotz or Cantor Lizzie Shammash as they guide you in an all-levels yoga and movement session informed by Jewish spiritual teachings and designed to relieve stress as we increase awareness of breath and grounding through our bodies. Open to all, no experience needed. Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/7mtxyjz5.

TUESDAYS

Weekly Torah Study

11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Rabbi Jonathan Slater will lead a weekly program: “Torah Study to Sustain The Soul,” aimed at addressing an aspect of spiritual life that will help us navigate this time of uncertainty and isolation. Open to all, no previous knowledge needed. Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/rbs3dctj.

TUESDAYS

Torah Tuesdays with Bnai Shalom

12:30 p.m., At the home of Cindy Danies. Interactive Torah study group. Contact office@bnaishalomeaston.org for more information.

TUESDAYS

Maimonides Society 35th Anniversary

10:30 a.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley. Celebrating 35 years of doing good in the community, with featured speaker Eli Beer, Founder of United Hatzalah of Israel, and President of the U.S.-based organization Friends of United Hatzalah. Open to the community. RSVP by January 24 to www.jewishlehighvalley.org/maimonides-anniversary. Attendance requires a pledge to the Federation’s 2022 Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs. Sponsored by the Maimonides Society of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.

Our Prayers: History and Meaning with Bnai Shalom

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30

WEDNESDAYS

PJ Library Goes to the Doctor

12:30 to 1:30 p.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley. In celebration of the Maimonides Society 35th anniversary in the Lehigh Valley. Meet pediatrician Dr Nicole Rosenthal. Learn about what a doctor is looking for when they examine you. Listen to your own heart beating, see the ambucycle, crafts, light lunch and of course, a PJ Library story. Free and open to the community. Go to www.jewishlehighvalley.org/pjlibraryevents to register. Questions? Contact Abby at abbyt@jflv.org or 610.821.5500.

MONDAY, JANUARY 31

Friendship Circle

11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley. Join Rayne and the adorable pups from Cold Nose Lodge for a fun and interactive day. A weekly social gathering including special programming. Programs vary and often include musical entertainment, special speakers, demonstrations or hands-on activities. Friendship Circle is a wonderful opportunity to connect with others in the community. Ages: 50+, Annual Membership Fee: $36. Contact: Beth Kushnick (bkushnick@lvjcc.org) or at 610-435-3571.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8

Women’s Philanthropy’s 10xChai’s Planting the Seeds of Connection 7 p.m. Via Zoom. This event is open to women contributing $180 or more to the 2022 Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10

JFLV Men’s Night Out

6 to 8 p.m., Split Pine Axe Throwing, 627 Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA. Join the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley at this year’s Men Night Out event, including axe throwing & snacks. Cost: $36. RSVP

by February 3. Register at https://jewishlehighvalley.regfox.com/ mens-night-out. Minimum individual gift of $365 to the 2022 Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs required to attend.

8:15 p.m., Bnai Shalom via Zoom. Register in advance for this meeting at https://tinyurl.com/3ru3amrw.

WEDNESDAYS

Judaism for Our Time with Bnai Shalom

11 a.m., Bnai Shalom via Zoom. Register in advance for this meeting at https://tinyurl.com/jmx2zmw9.

Virtual Coffee Klatch

1 p.m., Bnai Shalom via Zoom. Register in advance for this meeting at https://tinyurl.com/cx42z49j.

WEDNESDAYS

Yoga with Miriam Sandler: Chair Supported Yoga

1 to 2 p.m., Congregation Brith Sholom in person and via Zoom. Be seated in a comfortable chair, preferably armless (folding works well).

Some standing poses holding onto chair offered, though students may choose to remain seated. Modifications given. Open to the public in person and live stream available to all via zoom. *$10 Drop-In fee payable to Congregation Brith Shalom. For more information, email: mbserow@ gmail.com. Join Zoom Meeting at https://tinyurl.com/3pf88d8d.

WEDNESDAYS

Torah Studies: A Weekly Journey into the Soul of Torah

7 p.m., Chabad of the Lehigh Valley via Zoom and in person Torah Studies by JLI presents Season One, a 12-part series. Cost is $36 for the course including textbook. For more information, contact (610) 351-6511 or rabbi@chabadlehighvalley.com.

EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY

Hadassah Study Group

1:25 p.m., Via Zoom. We discuss short stories from an anthology. Contact Marilyn Claire at mjclaire@gmail.com or 620-972-7054 to sign up.

THURSDAYS

Basic Yiddish Class

8 to 9:30 p.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley via Zoom. Learn to read, write, speak and comprehend Yiddish. Textbooks from Yiddish Book Center available for purchase. Contact: Janis Mikofsky 610-435-3571, ext. 501.

SUNDAY through FRIDAY

Daf Yomi

ONGOING EVENTS

Celebrate the beauty of Shabbat

of Yiddish via Zoom as part of “Adults at the J.” The group meets weekly to discuss topics like cooking, humor, music and all kinds of entertainment in the Yiddish language. All are welcome to join this lively, weekly discussion. There is something for everyone no matter if you know a few words, or are a fluent speaker. Enjoy fun, fellowship, stories and more. Participants Zoom in from 5 states. No cost. Contact Janis Mikofsky at the JCC of the Lehigh Valley, 610-435-3571 ext. 501.

MONDAYS

Yiddish Club

2 to 3:30 p.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley via Zoom. Experience the joys

with Cantor Wartell FRIDAYS 8:30-9:30 AM WMUH 91.7

muhlenberg.edu/wmuh | 484.664.3456

Weekdays at 7:45 a.m., Sunday at 7:30 a.m., Congregation Sons of Israel via Zoom. Are you intrigued by thought-provoking, stimulating and provocative religious discussion? Are you enamored by the depth and scope of the Jewish legal system? Are you curious about Judaism’s perspective on marriage, tort law, Jewish burial, holiday observance, prayer, blessings and, for that matter, nearly any Jewish topic? Then Sons of Israel’s daily “Daf Yomi” class is for you. Meeting all year long -- and right now via Zoom -- this class covers the gamut of Talmudic law, studying one page of the talmud each day, and completing the talmud over the course of seven and a half years. Basic Jewish background is recommended. To access the daily Zoom conference, go to https:// zoom.us/j/5598767191.

MONDAY through FRIDAY

Daily Online Meditation

12:30 p.m., Institute for Jewish Spirituality. One of their master teachers will lead a live daily guided meditation. Join with people from around the world to share 30 minutes of Jewish mindfulness. Open to all, no experience needed. Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/rbs3dctj.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2022 31

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