HAKOL - April 2019

The Voice of the Lehigh Valley Jewish Community

www.jewishlehighvalley.org

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Issue No. 419

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April 2019

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Adar II/Nisan 5779

AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION EST. 1977

Study up with a primer on the upcoming Israeli election p3

Young Adult Division spreads Purim joy with Mazel Meals p14

WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY p4 LVJF TRIBUTES p8 JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE p15 JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER p18-19 JEWISH DAY SCHOOL p20 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p30-31

Communities come together to stand against hate after New Zealand attacks

By Stephanie Smartschan JFLV Director of Marketing On a chilly Sunday evening in Allentown, neighbors met neighbors, sharing the flame and calling for the end of hatred everywhere.

More than 200 people gathered at 7th and Hamilton Streets on March 17 for a vigil organized by the Muslim Association of the Lehigh Valley and the Al-Ahad Islamic Center in the wake of the terrorist attacks on two mosques in New Zealand that left 50 dead and many more wounded.

Many members of the Jewish community were there to show their support, less than five months after the Muslim community stood in solidarity at the JCC to remember the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

“We will believe in the goodness, we will believe that we can yield comfort to others,” said Rabbi Seth Phillips of Congregation Keneseth Israel, who spoke at the vigil on behalf of the Jewish community.

“And it is as simple as turning to the person to the left or the right and saying, ‘can you light my candle? Can you light my fire, not with hatred, not with bigotry, not with the desire to separate; can you light the fire of love, the fire of hope?’”

Prior to the vigil, on the day of the attack, representatives

from the Jewish community gathered with the Muslim community and other faith leaders to condemn hatred at a press conference.

Leaders of five mosques in the Lehigh Valley spoke, at times their voices cracking as they talked about explaining to their kids that it’s OK to wear hijab, to go to school, to play soccer, said Mohammed Khaku, a leader in the Lehigh Valley Muslim community.

“We are heartbroken. We are in mourning with our Muslim family in New Zealand. We are doing our best, as individuals in grief, to hold each other close,” Khaku said later.

“Just two days before the tragedy, I was part of a meeting with Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Catholic leadership to discuss ways to bring our faith communities closer together—that’s how close our faith communities are,” said Aaron Gorodzinsky, director of outreach and community relations for the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.

“They came to mourn with us after Pittsburgh, and we are there to mourn with them during this difficult time.”

In the wake of the attack, the Jewish Federation released the following statement: “The Jewish community of the Lehigh Valley is saddened, shocked and outraged by the

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terror attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, today in which at least 49 people were murdered and many more were injured while attending Friday prayers in two different mosques. We strongly condemn this attack, which is a barbaric assault on every person who believes in the dignity of human life … Our community stands with our Muslim brothers and sisters – in New Zealand, in the Lehigh Valley and around the world – in the face of extremist hatred and violence.”

Remembering a fallen IDF soldier through a treasured recipe on Yom Hazikaron

By Rotem Bar Community Shlicha This Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s official Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley will host a “Taste of Memories” event at the Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley. The Taste of Memories initiative is a unique way to commemorate the fallen through your stomach with their favorite recipe and through your heart with their memories.

Taste of Memories was started by Eden Kohali, who served as Israeli shlicha to Minnesota in 2016. The program has grown all over the world. Participants get to engage with bereaved

families not only with photos, videos and stories of IDF casualties and other victims, but also with their most beloved foods.

“Every person, anywhere in the world, knows the sense of loss and longing, and each person has a recipe that reminds him of someone dear,” said Kohali. “I chose to use the most simple connection to create an emotional connection and identification—food.”

This year, the Federation will carry on the project by sponsoring a cooking session of a favorite food and share the story behind it of the fallen IDF soldier who loved that recipe and never returned home to enjoy it. Food serves many times as a universal language. Let’s taste and not forget together!

Want to partipcate in Taste of Memories on Monday, May 6, at 7 p.m. at the JCC ? Contact Rotem Bar at rotem@jflv.org by May 1.

Space is limited.

Lehigh Valley, PA Permit No. 64

Learn how to celebrate Mimouna like an Israeli, why you should invite guests to your seder, and more ways to spruce up your Passover this year with our special section.

Two heart attacks in one day.

That’s how Rachel remembers 9/11/18.

As Rachel joined her grandkids on the water slide, she knew something was very wrong. It was a heart attack, followed quickly by another. She needed immediate surgery to save her life. Thankfully, paramedics took her to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Pocono, part of Lehigh Valley Heart Institute.

She recovered just in time to welcome grandchild number five. How grand is that?

One heart.

One choice.

Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest Lehigh Valley Hospital–Hazleton Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg Lehigh Valley Hospital–Pocono Lehigh Valley Hospital–Schuylkill

LVHN.org/heartinstitute

A beginner’s guide to the 2019 Israeli election

By Emily Burack and Ben Sales Jewish Telegraphic Agency

call new elections.

That is almost exactly what happened last November: Israel Beiteinu left the coalition when Avigdor Liberman resigned, disgusted by a cease-fire with Gaza militants. Netanyahu was left with 61 seats – an ultra-slim majority that doesn’t allow for easy legislating. If just one small faction of his coalition disagrees with a bill, it’s dead in the water.

Sure enough, coalition disagreements over a bill to draft haredi Orthodox men into the military caused the party heads to call for new elections in December. However, many believe the timing of the elections has more to do with Netanyahu’s legal troubles, which led to his indictment on corruption charges at the end of February.

A victory, pundits surmised, would give Netanyahu lever-

The Lehigh Valley-Yoav Partnership Park in Blessed Memory of Mark L. Goldstein

HADAS PARUSH-FLASH90

Trying to understand the upcoming Israeli elections on April 9 can get confusing.

The country’s longtime prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is mired in a series of corruption scandals and facing a serious challenge from a new rival. Other politicians are maneuvering behind the scenes to form new coalitions that would allow them to be included in Israel’s parliament majority and thus have more influence over Israeli policies. It’s a fascinating race that changes by the day.

First, it’s important to understand how Israel’s government works.

In broad strokes, the government operates under a proportional representation system. There are 120 seats in

the parliament, or Knesset. To gain a seat, a party needs to win at least 3.5 percent of the vote. Whoever wins at least 61 seats controls the government.

Simple enough, right?

Well, no — because no party has ever won the necessary 61 seats. That means the party with the most votes has to form coalitions with other smaller parties to reach the threshold.

In the last elections, held in March 2015, the Netanyahuled Likud won 30 seats and formed a coalition with smaller right-wing and religious parties (Jewish Home, United Torah Judaism, Kulanu and Shas, with Israel Beiteinu joining a year later). If the coalition were to fall apart — a minister leaving the government, for example — Netanyahu would lose his coalition, lose control of the government and have to

A view of the main building of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem, Dec. 26, 2018. age in fending off the charges.

Israel’s election is a free for all: instead of two major parties, there’s a whopping total of 47 parties competing at the ballot box. Israelis vote for parties, not individual candidates (the candidates are chosen by the parties, some through primaries). The more votes a party gets, the more seats it has in Israel’s 120-seat parliament,

We gratefully acknowledge those individuals who have offered expressions of friendship by requesting that trees be planted in the Yoav--Lehigh Valley Partnership Park.

IN MEMORY MARK GOLDSTEIN (Husband of Shari Spark) Merry Landis

CHELSEA AND ELLIOT BUSCH In honor of the birth of your daughter, Maya Stav SHALOM BABY

IN HONOR JENNA AND EVAN BRODY In honor of the birth of your son, Alexander Hudson SHALOM BABY

JESSICA AND NICK VOLCHKO In honor of the birth of your daughter, Zoe Rose Aaron Gorodzinsky

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

the Knesset. A government is formed by a party — more likely a coalition of like-minded parties — that captures more than 60 seats.

More than a dozen parties could make the next Knesset.

Here’s a short description of each of them: Israeli Election Continues on page 21

HAKOL STAFF STEPHANIE BOLMER Editor

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

STEPHANIE SMARTSCHAN JFLV Director of Marketing ALLISON MEYERS Graphic Designer DIANE MCKEE Advertising Representative TEL: 610-515-1391 hakolads@jflv.org

JFLV EXECUTIVE STAFF JERI ZIMMERMAN Interim Executive Director TEMPLE COLDREN Director of Finance & Administration JIM MUETH Director of Planned Giving & Endowments AARON GORODZINSKY Director of Outreach & Community Relations WENDY EDWARDS Office Manager EVA LEVITT JFLV President

EDITORIAL BOARD Monica Friess, Acting Chair Barbara Reisner Judith Rodwin Sara Vigneri

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: • 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

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | APRIL 2019 3

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

Daughter of Righteous Gentile to share story at Spring Event

By Stephanie Smartschan JFLV Director of Marketing Jeannie Smith will tell the story of her mother’s efforts to save Jews in Poland during the Holocaust when she speaks at the Jewish Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy Spring Event on May 21.

With this story in mind, the event — about a week after Mother’s Day — will honor mothers and daughters.

“My mom's passion was reaching others with the message, ‘we are all part of one human family, and our brother's keeper,’” Smith writes on the website she maintains in tribute to her mother, Irene Gut Opdyke, who died on May 18, 2003.

“Nowhere in time is this message more important.”

Opdyke received international recognition for her actions during the Holocaust while working for a high-ranking German official.

Her story became a Broadway play in the nationally acclaimed “Irena’s Vow.” Opdyke’s book, “In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer,” gives a detailed account of her life during World War II and is used in

classrooms around the country.

The Israeli Holocaust Commission named Opdyke one of the Righteous Among the Nations. She was presented with the Israel Medal of Honor at Yad Vashem.

Since her mother’s passing, Smith has become a sought-after speaker, traveling full time to share her mother’s story with groups across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

She is a recipient of the 2015 Civil Rights Award given by the Anti-Defamation League. She has worked with the New York Polish Embassy in regards to Polish/Jewish relations.

The story she shares speaks to the horrors and hate of the Holocaust — but also brings a message of faith, love, and hope, that good can triumph over evil. It proclaims the conviction that one by one, we can say no to hatred, persecution and prejudice.

While Smith will share her mother’s story, the women in attendance will also hear from a mother sharing her daughter’s story.

Beth Schonberger will return to present at the Spring Event for

the second year, this time with her daughter Maddy. Last year, Schonberger spoke about Maddy’s experience as a lone soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. Now Maddy is back, having completed her service, and will talk about her continued journey and a new initiative she has started.

The initiative, Forward Socks, provides socks to lone soldiers.

The Federation plans to donate a pair of socks for each woman in attendance.

The Spring Event is chaired

by Chelsea Karp and Debi Wiener and is open to all women who have pledged a minimum of $365 to the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley’s 2019 Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs.

The Women’s Philanthropy Spring Event will take place on Tuesday, May 21, at 6 p.m. at Congregation Keneseth Israel. To learn more and register, visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org/women.

New group of women to set off on Israeli adventure

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

WELCOMING NEW BABIES

to the Lehigh Valley ALEXANDER HUDSON BRODY son of Jenna and Evan Brody

MAYA STAV BUSCH

daughter of Chelsea and Elliot Busch 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 SPONSORED BY

4 APRIL 2019 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

Ten new women will experience Israel this summer with the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley and the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project.

They will make up the third cohort of women from the Lehigh Valley to take part in this program.

For eight days beginning in late July, the women will travel and study in Israel, visiting sites like the ancient mikvah in Tzfat, Independence Hall in Tel Aviv and the Western Wall in Jerusalem. They’ll climb Masada and swim in the Dead Sea and have the chance to meet 400 like-minded women from around the world.

They’ll also have daily classes while in Israel, focused on topics like marriage, self-esteem and incorporating Jewish values into their lives.

New this year, the women will have the chance to experience life on a kibbutz in Yoav -- the Lehigh Valley’s partnership region -- and build strong bonds with four women from Yoav, who will accompany them on the entirety of the trip.

Upon returning from the trip, the women – all moms – will embark on a year-long course of study to further the lessons they received and learn how to bring those lessons into their homes.

“I am so excited to begin this journey with an amazing group of women, and to see where it takes all of us,” said Stephanie Smartschan, director of

marketing for the Jewish Federation, who will serve as community leader this year. “I am also thrilled to have Naomi Schachter from the second cohort returning this year as a madricha to help guide the group both physically and spiritually.”

This year’s cohort is comprised of: Wendy Edwards, Feather Frazier, Nissa Gossom, Gwen Hartnett, Jennifer Lader, Amy Sams, Joelle Saunders, Brenna Schlossberg, Jacqueline Schwartz and Julia Urich.

The women range in age from 35 to 52. All are committed to raising Jewish children and looking to learn and grow.

The group came together for the first time on March 19 to bake hamentaschen and get to know each other better. They will hold two more premeetings before the trip begins in Israel on July 30.

Are you interested in being a part of next year’s cohort?

Contact Stephanie Smartschan at 610-821-5500 or stephanie@jflv.org to learn more.

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

Documentary on Israel’s Pomegranates and Lions mix and mingle national baseball team features at Civic Theatre

Pomegranates and Lions gather on March 10 for the first in a three-part spring event series chaired by Beth Kushnick and Lauren Rabin. They enjoyed hamentaschen in advance of Purim.

Jewish Heritage Night at the Lehigh Valley IronPigs isn’t until May 23, but you can get geared up for baseball season on April 28 at 7 p.m. at The Civic Theatre in Allentown.

A special showing of “Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel” will feature on the big screen there as part of the Jewish Community Center’s annual Jewish and Israeli Film Series.

"Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel" is the Davidand-Goliath story of Israel's national baseball team as it competes for the first time in the World Baseball Classic, a world championship which only takes place every four years. After years of crushing defeats, Israel finally ranked among the world's best in 2017. Its roster included many Jewish-American major leaguers, most with a tenuous relationship to Judaism, barely any ever having set foot in Israel. Their odyssey takes them from the Holy Land where they are hailed as modern-day Maccabees to the tournament in South Korea where they must debunk their reputations as has-beens and wannabes. The connection to Israel that the players forge pushes them to unexpected heights as they represent the country on the world stage.

Co-sponsored by the JCC and the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, the film will be introduced by Michael Ventola, media relations manager for the IronPigs. He will be speaking about the work the IronPigs does to build a team from a designated list

of players that changes every year and comparing that to how difficult it was for Team Israel to put a team together for the World Baseball Classic.

Ventola is an Easton native who previously spent five seasons as the radio broadcaster and director of public/media relations for the Reading Fightin’ Phils. He also freelances as a sports announcer covering high school and college sports in the region.

The women made personalized pomegranate pashminas while mixing and mingling to get to know one another better. The next events in the series will be held on April 7 and May 5.

Tickets for the film are $12, $8 for JCC members, $7 for Civic Theatre members and can be purchased at www.lvjcc.org/ filmfestival.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | APRIL 2019 5

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JDS rededicates Torah rescued from Holocaust

By Stephanie Bolmer HAKOL Editor “Open your heart, and you’ll see we’ve never lost it—the Torah connection.”

These words were sweetly sung by the voices of the Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley chorus after the eighth grade class proceeded through the JDS auditorium with a very special Torah on the evening of March 12. The Torah, known as MST #1120, was one of the 1,564 Torahs saved from the Holocaust by the Jewish community in Bohemia and Moravia and eventually catalogued and preserved by the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London. Now, it is on loan to JDS, where it will be placed in the entrance of the school building as a daily testament to the spirit of survival, renewal and hope, and used by the students in many different ways.

Before it takes its rest there, however, JDS wanted to honor the Torah and those who helped bring it to their school with a rededication ceremony. That was why the auditorium was filled with students, parents, grandparents, staff and board members on March 12. After a welcome from Dr. Jessica Cooperman, vice president

of development on the JDS Board and a JDS parent as well as a historian in her professional life, wherein she reminded the crowd that “the Jewish tradition and spirit carry on” through this Torah, “Hatikva” was sung, and the procession of the oldest JDS students brought the Torah up front. The JDS chorus sang, and then Ron Ticho introduced his father, Charles Ticho, who was the evening’s keynote speaker.

The Ticho family was instrumental in bringing another Memorial Scrolls Trust Torah to the Lehigh Valley 15 years ago, when Charles flew to the United Kingdom with a specially made suitcase to bring back a scroll that was from his hometown of Brno, the capital of Moravia, to be housed at Congregation Brith Sholom, where his grandson was having his bar mitzvah.

Now, through a generous donation by Charles and the support of his family, JDS also has a Czech scroll.

JDS’ MST #1120 is from a different town, Prerov, but the story of the community there is similar to the one of Brno, where Charles grew up. Like the other Jewish communities in the Czech Republic, they went from a thriving, vibrant Jewish life to

being destroyed by the Nazis’ hatred. Charles painted a picture of his life before, during and after the Holocaust in a moving talk.

“What happened should never be forgotten,” Charles said, before going on to say, “when you get to my age—and I’ll be 92 in a few weeks—you enjoy reminiscing.” It was the listeners at JDS, however, who got the enjoyment of hearing Charles as an 8-year-old boy in his beloved synagogue, weighed down by the heavy prayer books and volunteering for the choir to make it easier to follow the order of the services.

“For a young boy,” he said, “services were pure agony,” garnering a laugh from his captive audience.

He obviously had a change of heart, however, when he got older, and after week after week of lessons to prepare for his bar mitzvah, the uncles under whose guardianship he had been left decided it was too dangerous to draw attention to their Jewishness by publicly celebrating it.

“On the Saturday that was to have been my bar mitzvah, I was not even in synagogue,” Charles recalled. “I was bitterly disappointed.”

Charles’ story has a happy

ending, though, as he fulfilled the promise he made to himself that if he survived the war and lived to be 83, he would have his bar mitzvah then. He did just that in April 2010 at the synagogue in New Jersey that became his new home. He has never forgotten, though, his first house of worship, where he and his family filled whole pews, which he never entered again after the Nazis came.

Charles concluded his speech with a charge to the students in attendance to “never give up, never lose hope and never doubt the strength of our Jewish heritage.”

JDS Head of School Amy

Golding honored the Ticho family with a gift, and also recognized the JDS LIFE & LEGACY donors who were present.

Closing remarks and a benediction over the students were made by Jeanette Eichenwald, a JDS grandparent and daughter of Holocaust survivors, who said, “I can only imagine the joy my parents would’ve felt knowing that their great-grandchildren will get to touch this Torah every day.”

Dr. Jeff Blinder sang the “Kel Maleh Rachamim,” and all assembled joined with the chorus for “Amen.” The ceremony was followed by a dessert reception.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | APRIL 2019 7

Been here, done that: SpaceIL sends its first selfie from space

SpaceIL gets the perfect selfie. Image from Beresheet over 23,000 miles from Earth.

ISRAEL21c Beresheet, Israel’s first unmanned rocket to the moon, may still have a long voyage ahead of it, but it’s already taking selfies of its journey.

Thirteen days after it took off successfully from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida piggy-backed aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the Beresheet’s camera took its first selfie photo from a distance of over 23,000 miles from Earth.

The five-foot spacecraft transmitted the photo to the control room in Yehud, Israel, which is staffed day and night by engineers from SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries.

In the photo of Earth, taken during a slow spin of the spacecraft, Australia is clearly visible.

Also seen is the plaque installed on the spacecraft, with the Israeli flag and the inscriptions “Am Yisrael Chai” and “Small Country, Big Dreams.”

Beresheet’s journey to the moon has not been without problems. The spacecraft’s trackers, which were supposed to follow the stars, failed to

8 APRIL 2019 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

work after launch, but on Feb. 24, the spacecraft still managed to complete its first maneuver successfully when Beresheet’s main engine was activated.

Two days later, just before another maneuver, the spacecraft computer reset unexpectedly, causing the maneuver to be cancelled. On Feb. 28, however, after completing examination of the computer resets and implementation of corrective measures, Beresheet managed to complete a successful maneuver and is now on its way to an elliptical orbit where the farthest point from Earth is at a distance of over 81,000 miles.

If all goes according to plan, Beresheet will land on the moon on April 11. The spacecraft will study craters and the local magnetic field during its lunar approach and twoday mission.

On board the Israeli rocket is a Lunar Library, which seeks to archive human knowledge for millions of years into the future. The library includes an English-language version of Wikipedia, and keys to 5,000 languages.

IN HONOR REBECCA BLAKE AND JONAS LITTMAN In honor of their engagement Elaine and Leon Papir SHERYL AND RANCE BLOCK In honor of son Josh’s engagement Wendy and Ross Born Vicki Wax PATTY AND IAN CARLIS In honor of the birth of granddaughter, Sydney Nosara Wendy and Ross Born DAVID DAHAN In honor of your special birthday Carol and Gary Fromer IRIS EPSTEIN In honor of receiving the Women of KI Woman of Valor Award Shelia Berg Wendy and Ross Born Beth and Wes Kozinn EVA LEVITT In honor of your speedy and complete recovery Carol and Gary Fromer RICHARD MASTER In honor of 75th Birthday Wendy and Ross Born LAUREN AND DORON RABIN In honor of becoming U.S. citizens Vicki Wax ENID AND BRUCE REICH In honor of the birth of granddaughter, Zoe Rose Suzanne Lapiduss PAM AND GREG SILVERBERG In honor of the birth of granddaughter, Eliza June

Mendelson Wendy and Ross Born MELISSA AND MATT UNGER In honor of the birth of daughter, Shelby Brook Taffi Ney VICKI WAX In honor of grandson’s bar mitzvah Beth and Wes Kozinn IN MEMORY JUDY (Mother of Beanie Gilbert) Elaine Lerner NATHAN (NATE) BRAUNSTEIN (Husband of Marilyn, father of Cherie Zettlemoyer, Laurie Horton and Amy McCoy) Edith Miller Sara and Karl Glassman REBECCA FISHER (Mother of Peter Fisher) Wendy and Ross Born DAVID FORGOSH (Uncle of Ari Gorgosh) Wendy and Ross Born JOAN ROBINS GORDON (Mother of Bonnie Gordon) Carol Robins MARION HALPERIN (Mother of Marcia Halperin, David Halperin and Alan Halperin) Evelyn Brown Randi and Donald Senderowitz MARK KLEIN (Husband of Patty) Beth and Wes Kozinn Edith Miller Selma Roth Randi and Donald Senderowitz

FRED ROTHSTEIN (Husband of Gloria) Shirley and Lou Furmansky GERALD SALMAN (Husband of Etta) Edith Miller SAM WILF (Father of Eileen Ufberg) Laurie and Robby Wax and Family HELEN AND SOL KRAWITZ HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL FUND IN HONOR GREGG BARSON Best wishes for a speedy recovery Joan Lesavoy STANLEY STEIN Best wishes on your 85th Birthday Lynda and Stuart Krawitz IN MEMORY NATHAN (NATE) BRAUNSTEIN (Husband of Marilyn, father of Cherie Zettlemoyer, Laurie Horton and Amy McCoy) Lynda and Stuart Krawitz DAUGHTER-IN-LAW OF ELLEN AND IRWIN SCHNEIDER Joan Lesavoy SAM WILF (Father of Eileen Ufberg) Lynda and Stuart Krawitz 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.

Challah for Hunger chapter revamped at Muhlenberg College

By Chloe Goldstein Muhlenberg Hillel Program Engagement Associate Many college students suffer every day in order to receive a higher education. When stereotypes of students eating ramen are seen as trendy and adequate, society ignores the real issue present: food insecurity.

Muhlenberg College students Gabriella Solomon and Natalie David seek to debunk the stigmatization of food deprivation through trailblazing work in Challah for Hunger, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization held on many campuses across the country which seeks to build communities inspired and equipped to take action against hunger though the traditions of baking challah and tzedakah.

Solomon is the president of the Muhlenberg chapter. Her background is in volunteering at local soup kitchens and hearing from her sisters talking about Challah for Hunger. She was energized this fall to revamp the club at Muhlenberg.

“This year has been the most successful because we had staff support and national

recognition. In the past, it wasn’t connected to Challah for Hunger’s national leaders,” said Solomon.

Both Solomon and David point to the role social media has played in spreading communication with other chapters, utilizing the marketplace for posting and sharing ideas online.

Another way that the chapter has exponentially improved is through a close-knit board dynamic created by Solomon: leadership talks with national Challah for Hunger representatives, outreach, selling and marketing. Solomon grasps the value that education possesses in teaching students about food insecurity. The club is not just focused on braiding challah dough, but in understanding how this organization helps those in need.

Moving forward, Solomon and David would like to get “Swipe for Hunger” on campus, a student-driven method to redistribute unused swipes on meal cards to students who request swipes.

“We need a cultural program on campus of students who think we are all in the same means to learn that here are students with financial hardships. Spending five dollars on coffee every day is an issue of naïveté. We need to challenge the stigma and change the conversation,” Solomon added.

Further, David, the outreach and advocacy director for the Muhlenberg chapter, is also a member on the financial hardship committee at

Muhlenberg.

“Something that would be amazing is to have a cluster of students to show administration there’s a lot of students creating awareness. One partnership is with the financial hardship committee. We’ve been meeting with the dean of students, financial aid, community engagement and Pastor Kristen. They are all tackling financial hardships. We’ve been focusing on basic needs like food and clothing and partnering with Cedar Crest College,” David said.

Solomon mentioned that partnering with Hillel is important as Hillel recently added a food pantry in the kitchen.

“Hillel was always a place that had food in the kitchen.

Other steps to take are saving food leftover from Shabbat,” said Solomon. She is also the tzedek chair on the Hillel board and a leader of “Social Jewstice,” a new group that discusses social justice issues and includes community engagement.

“I love how Social Jewstice is on the ground which is so important when living in the ‘Muhlenbubble,’” Solomon said.

David gives advice for any students in need: “Students who are struggling, you are not alone, and the administration wants to help you succeed.”

The two students were excited about their latest Challah for Hunger event, “Hamentashen for Hunger,” which took place on March 19 in preparation for Purim.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | APRIL 2019 9

Rabbi Matan Peled returns to the Lehigh Valley to talk about Israel and the media

By Fana Schoen Special to HAKOL While many are familiar with the numerous headline-grabbing incidents of the ArabIsraeli conflict, most probably don’t realize that a major aspect of the controversy is fought, not in military action, but in print, video and social media.

For Rabbi Matan Peled, the way in which the international press reports on the conflict reveals how many news sources maintain an anti-Israeli bias.

On Sunday, March 3, Peled returned to Congregation Keneseth Israel in Allentown where he acquainted an eager audience of all ages in the many ways that several international news sources subtly and not so subtly slant their news stories against Israel. As an AmericanIsraeli with dual citizenship, Peled brought an important and unique perspective to his audience.

In his talk, Peled compared differences in the news coverage of different publications.

While The Jerusalem Post might announce a “terror attack,” another source might mention only “deadly violence,” implying that Israeli se-

10 APRIL 2019 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

curity forces might be at fault.

Peled emphasized that this battle for sympathy is a major, behind-the-scenes aspect of the conflict as both sides seek international support for their political goals.

When asked whether there are any good, unbiased news sources on Israel, Peled became pragmatic. “Every news source has its bias,” he said. He explained that his goal is not to give his audience an unbiased view, but rather to help them to become more aware of both the blatant biases and the more subtle biases that creep into respected international news sources.

Peled, who was born in Jerusalem and lived in Kibbutz Beit Nir and Jerusalem until 2006, assisted at Congregation Keneseth Israel for several years, where his wife Jenn served as cantor. He expressed that he and his family “really miss the very special and loving community of the Lehigh Valley.”

He now serves as adjunct rabbi at Temple Beth Torah in Wellington, Florida, where he also develops curricula for the Braman Fellowship, a six-year program that helps high school

and college students develop a deeper understanding of both sides of the Israel-Palestine issue. The goal of the fellowship is to provide truthful information about Israel to college students and to teach them dialogue skills for Israeli advocacy on college campuses.

Ultimately, the goal for all in Israel is a meaningful, lasting peace, and Peled hopes to give his students as well as his audiences “all that they need to start understanding the IsraelPalestine issue.”

He added, “I call it an issue—not a conflict—for a reason.”

Freed from Egypt, slaves to technology?

RABBI ALLEN JUDA Rabbi Emeritus Congregation Brith Sholom Passover observance tends to be an expanding time repository of memories, those of the past and new ones we are eager to create. Emblazoned in my memory are the seders of my youth. My beloved grandfather leading and surrounded by family, those seders were a highlight of every year. Now I do much of the leading, and we wait eagerly to hear the grandchildren recite the "Mah Nishtanah." But the seders are about a great deal more than just personal memories and experiences. They are a link between our people’s past and present and offer sage insight into the future.

The Haggadah reminds

us that our ancestors, who willingly came to Egypt at a time of famine, were enslaved

by Pharaoh. We always need to be aware that history may repeat itself. In the section on maror, the bitter herbs, the Haggadah tells us: “in every generation, one must look upon her/himself as if s/he had come out of Egypt ...” The generation of Holocaust survivors surely must have felt this. But do we? Sadly, there is still slavery in our world. According to the Global Slavery Index, “an estimated 40.3 million men, women and children were victims of modern slavery on any given day in 2016.”

I suspect that Jews today are only a small percentage of slaves in this millennial-long tragedy and, hopefully, none in the Lehigh Valley. But could we be slaves in another, potentially dangerous, way? Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, so he had no problem enslaving others.

What if the modern Pharaoh has no heart at all? Is it possible that we are slaves to modern technology with potentially harmful, life-altering results?

Science fiction writers have been concerned about the possibility for decades.

“Colossus: The Forbin Project” was a 1970 American science fiction thriller film.

“Colossus” was an advanced supercomputer built to control the United States and Allied nuclear weapon systems. It was

impervious to any attack.

Unfortunately, the Soviets had their own parallel advanced defense system. The two computers link, become one entity and, with control of all nuclear weapons, enslave humanity. Colossus proclaims itself "the voice of World Control," declaring that it will prevent war, as it was designed to do. It promises to usher in a human millennium that will raise mankind to new heights, but only under the computer’s absolute rule. Colossus informs its creator that "freedom is an illusion."

Similarly, in the 2004 movie “I, Robot,” robots almost succeed in controlling humanity “for its own good” to save us from our violent tendencies. In both films, the humans create and embrace the use of technology as we do our personal computers and smartphones, which are small, portable computers, as much a camera or search device as a phone. Already today, how many children, teens and adults are slaves to their “phones?"

A device “beeps,” and we obediently respond. Do you ever see a family of four or five and each is staring into his/ her lap with thumbs flying or fingers swiping?

The current dangers are already more than just indoor play versus outdoor play, paying attention in college classes to the professor rather

than looking furtively into one’s lap. In the April 2019 edition of “Consumer Reports,” there is an article, “Making the World Safer for Pedestrians.” It reads, “Safety experts … point to several factors contributing to the increase in pedestrian fatalities. … Drivers can be distracted by smartphones and other technology. But walkers also can be absorbed with

their smartphones, not paying attention as they cross a street.”

Do you pray every day? Do you check Facebook and Twitter every day? Do you ever turn off your computer and smartphone for Shabbat? Do you even turn them off for the seder to better concentrate on the many lessons of slavery? Of course, if there were a robot to wash the seder dishes ...

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | APRIL 2019 11

Jewish Disability Advocacy Day takes on Washington

By Susan Sklaroff-Van Hook JFS Clinical Coordinator & Resource Specialist

Rep. Brian Mast, who lost his legs and one finger while serving in Afghanistan, speaks at Jewish Disability Advocacy Day 2019.

On Feb. 26, Rabbi Lauren Tuchman welcomed over 250 Jewish stakeholders to the 9th annual Jewish Disability Advocacy Day (JDAD) on Capitol Hill. Tuchman received rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2018 and is, as far as she is aware, the first blind woman in the world to enter the rabbinate.

During her d’var Torah, she reminded us that “rooted in the values that so animate our tradition—we are here to lift up those legislative initiatives that will enable the greater number of Jews with disabilities to exercise self-determination and live full and rich lives, as we know we can.”

This event, organized primarily by the Jewish Federations of North

America and the Religious Action Committee of Reform Judaism, along with numerous other sponsors throughout the Jewish community, provides for a day of education regarding policy and lobbying skills and coordinated conversations with government elected officials and their staff.

This year, JDAD focused on two pieces of legislation aimed at helping older adults and people with disabilities to live in their communities and maintain financial security. The historically bipartisan-supported legislation known as the EMPOWER Care Act (H.R. 1432) would reauthorize Money Follows the Person (MFP) for five years. This Medicaid program gives states extra dollars to provide employment, housing and other services needed to assist people transitioning from nursing homes and institutions to apartments or group homes.

As one of the longest running and most successful state-run programs, MFP has been shown to save money (as much as 20 percent to overall Medicare and Medicaid spending) and help states “rebalance” their spending on longterm services and supports. This reauthorization also proposes to shorten the time a beneficiary must reside in an institution from 90 to 60 days before being eligible for the support. As described by Elizabeth Cullen, the JFNA counsel of health policy, the EMPOWER Act provides choice to the most vulnerable of our populations.

The Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014, for the first time,

allowed people with disabilities (acquired before the age of 26) and their families to establish tax-advantaged savings and investment plans called ABLE Accounts. These accounts ease financial strain and provide resources for badly needed disability-related expenditures without jeopardizing essential benefits, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid.

The currently proposed ABLE Age Adjustment Act (HS817/H.R. 1874) seeks to raise the age limit so that those who have acquired a disability before the age of 46 will also be eligible for this program.

Some ABLE Account programs are in danger of failing because the pool of applicants is not sufficiently robust to sustain the costs of the program. The age limit has effectively excluded many people who become disabled later in life, such as people with spinal cord injuries, Lou Gehrig’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

During this year’s JDAD, there were many inspirational conversations and presentations regarding disability rights in general and on these specific pieces of legislation. However, perhaps of more concern are the underlying assaults to the currently accepted Americans with Disabilities Act. As discussed by panelists Hon. Tony Coelho, Esmé Grant Grewal, and Neil Romano, if the ADA is not enforced vigorously as the law, it is not a law. This is a deep issue of civil rights for people with disabilities and the preservation of the ADA is essential. Hope to see you next year at JDAD 2020!

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Community conversation on disability inclusion aims to make the Lehigh Valley a better place

By Stephanie Bolmer HAKOL Editor “It is important that everyone has a place at the table and knows that they are welcomed and loved.”

That is how Rabbi Michael Singer welcomed over 35 people assembled at Congregation Brith Sholom for an event entitled Community Conversations: Paying Attention to Disability on Feb. 24. The event was co-sponsored by Brith Sholom, the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, and Jewish Family Service. It served as the highlight of the Lehigh Valley’s activities celebrating the 11th annual Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month in February.

Bob Witman, convener of the Lehigh Valley Disability Friendly Community Network, was the first speaker. He gave a somber reminder to the crowd about why disability inclusion is such an important topic. Less than a century ago, as Witman said, eugenics was a popular ideology among progressives in this country and other leading societies around the world.

Hitler, of course, notoriously was a proponent of it, but even in America, there were tens of thousands of forced sterilizations of those deemed unift by the powers that be.

On the flipside, however, Witman gave a heartening picture of what humanity has been and could be. He cited ancient and even prehistoric examples of bones found of disabled people from primitive societies where their fellows took time to care for them and their every need.

“Even before the rise of modern man, we find evidence of people who could not live without assistance,” said Witman. “The way people of a time and place treated people with disabilities demonstrates the character and culture under which those societies operated.”

Amy Beck, MSW, LSW, executive director of Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living, was the second speaker of the day. Speaking from her position both as a social worker and as someone living with a delayed diagnosis of

disability, she led the rest of the discussion. She has the unique perspective of being both an advocate and an observer.

“The chair,” said Beck, speaking of the wheelchair which she now uses, “did not actually change me. It did not change the essence of who I am.”

That powerful testimony launched into a video clip from a TED Talk given by another disability advocate, Stella Young, who was also a comedienne and journalist. She died at age 32 in 2014, but not before making an impact in her native Australia as an activist. The focus of the TED Talk was that Young and others like her who live with disability are not “inspiration porn” to be objectified for the benefit of those without disability.

“I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much,” said Young.

All of these speakers gave plenty of fodder to the conversations which followed around each table full of participants. Led by some prompt questions, there was real exchange of reactions, feelings and ideas, as people of all ages, Jewish and not, with and without disabilities, discussed all that had been raised before them.

Each group got a chance to have one representative from their table recap their conversation for the whole group. Then it was time to nosh on the array of appetizers and desserts prepared by volunteers from Brith Sholom before a screening of “My Hero Brother,” a documentary that was included in the program as part of the JCC’s annual Jewish and Israeli Film Series. The film followed a group of remarkable young people with Down syndrome and their siblings as they tackled the challenge of trekking up a mountain in the Himalayas.

Overall, the event succeeded at being exactly what it aimed to be—a community conversation. Hopefully the goal was achieved as Witman said at the end of his introductory speech, “Maybe, just maybe when we leave here this afternoon, the Lehigh Valley will be a better place. And doesn’t that say a lot about who we are?”

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | APRIL 2019 13

Young adults get cooking with JFS

By Stephanie Smartschan JFLV Director of Marketing Volunteers from the Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation came together with Jewish Family Service on March 18 for a mitzvah project to benefit older adults.

They sliced cucumbers and tomatoes for a simple salad, layered noodles, sauce and cheese for lasagna, blanched green beans for a side and filled and folded hamentaschen for dessert. A fresh tuna salad and challah roll accounted for the following day’s lunch.

Together, the volunteers prepared 40 “Mazel Meals” to be delivered to older adults across the Lehigh Valley.

“What you’re doing is a really big deal because there is nothing like a home-cooked meal to make someone feel loved and remembered,” Chelsea Karp, volunteer coordinator for JFS, told the volunteers.

The following morning, a new group of volunteers arrived at JFS to pick up the meals and bring them out for delivery in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.

Heading out with bags packed full of the Purim meals in hand, the delivery drivers dispersed in batches from JFS. One Allentown recipient, Dolores, praised the Mazel Meals program, saying “I’ve lived in a lot of different communities, and this one really cares. I think that the Jewish community in the Lehigh Valley is special in that it is really cognizant of the older people and makes such an effort to look after them.”

“The Young Adult Division was proud to partner with JFS to perform such an important act of kindness in our community,” said Aaron Gorodzinsky, director of outreach and community relations for the Federation. “We look forward to future mitzvah project opportunities.”

Is your group or organization interested in partnering with Jewish Family Service to prepare Mazel Meals? Contact Chelsea Karp at 610-821-8722 or ckarp@jfslv.org to learn more.

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More than $6.3 million raised for victims of Pittsburgh synagogue attack

JEFF SWENSEN -GETTY IMAGES

Chazz Palminteri: A BRONX TALE

Flowers at a makeshift memorial down the street from the site of the mass shooting in Pittsburgh that killed 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 28, 2018.

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Thousands of givers – including many from the Lehigh Valley – have opened their hearts to those affected by the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, donating more than $6.3 million to a fund for their benefit set up by the local Jewish federation.

The bulk of the money, nearly $4.4 million, from the Victims of Terror Fund will go to the families of the 11 worshippers killed and others injured in the Oct. 27 attack by a lone gunman at the Tree of Life complex during Shabbat services, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh said in a report released on March 19. The report was written by an independent committee.

Some $500,000 was set aside for injured police officers, who also will benefit from other funds set up for them outside of the Jewish community.

The federation fund closed at the end of February with more than 8,500 donors — people, companies and organizations — from across 48 states and at least eight countries.

The overall figure does not include more than $3 million in grants from 25 organizations and foundations in Pittsburgh and around the world that were earmarked by donors for communal recovery. Another $1.5 million outside the fund was earmarked for enhanced security for the Jewish community.

“No amount of money can compensate for the loss of a loved one’s life; no amount of money can fully compensate for a life that has been violently knocked off course and suddenly filled with unanticipated and daunting obstacles; and no amount of money can ever completely heal our hearts or our communities,” the report said.

Some of the larger donations in the fund were produced by fundraising efforts and collections

organized by others, but it has been estimated that there were more than 50,000 individual donors who contributed directly and indirectly to the fund, according to the report.

In total, more than $5.3 million will be distributed as compassion payments to those most directly affected by the attack — the families of the slain worshippers, the two worshippers who were shot and injured in the attack, individuals trapped inside the building and some people who were outside the building but traumatized and the injured police officers.

Another $650,000 will go to the three congregations that met in the building on the day of the attack, with $450,000 going to the Tree of Life congregation for building reconstruction. Some $300,000 also has been set aside for memorializing and commemorating the tragedy, as well as an education effort.

“It is impossible to imagine that this community could move forward without honoring the individual victims, without memorializing this tragedy to help ensure that nothing like it ever is repeated, and without addressing the hateful, anti-Semitic roots of these killings through the power of education,” the report said.

The decisions on how to distribute the money came from an independent committee that consulted with leaders of the congregations, law firms providing pro bono assistance and experts in distributions from victim funds. The committee met with the victims’ families and consulted directly with individuals involved in recoveries from the 2012 Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooting and the 2015 massacre at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

The gunman, Robert Bowers, was armed with an AR-15 and three handguns and allegedly yelled “I want to kill all Jews” during the attack. He has been indicted on more than 60 charges, including 13 for hate crimes.

Pittsburgh’s Tr than $40,000 attack victims FIONA GOODALL-GETTY IMAGES

By Marcy Oster Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Tributes are left near the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, March 16, 2019.

16 APRIL 2019 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

The Tree of Life Congregation in burgh is paying it forward.

The congregation has raised than $40,000 to support the victi their families of the mosque sho Christchurch, New Zealand.

“We feel compelled to come of those communities, just as ou community was so compassiona ported only a few short months

CARL COURT - GETTY IMAGES

Pittsburgh protected my family after the synagogue massacre.

Now we must do the same for Christchurch families.

A picture is left among flowers and tributes near the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, March 18, 2019.

By Marnie Fienberg Jewish Telegraphic Agency The universe cracks. That’s how you feel when a beloved family member is violently torn from this world while she or he is at prayer. That’s how 50 families half a world away feel right now in the wake of the violent attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, which claimed the lives of at least 50 people.

I know because only six months ago, I was in their shoes. It’s like I am stuck in a cruel time machine taking me back to Oct. 27, 2018, when my mother-in-law, Joyce Fienberg, was among the 11 Jews murdered at the Tree of Life synagogue here.

New Zealand may be halfway around the globe, but it’s the same story of hate and violence against people peacefully praying to their Creator. I wish I was there to comfort the families and help support them in their pain and agony. I can’t stop crying for those left behind, especially the children. Children who are old enough to understand that there is loss, but don’t understand the meaningless and utterly insane hatred that spawned it. Remembering the look on your children’s faces when you told them that their grandmother is dead from hatred haunts you every day.

To the families that are reeling, I want to say that we in the Jewish community are your siblings; we are all children of Abraham. We are appalled at this attack and

mourn your loss deeply. We pray for peace, and I personally will pray that your families are sitting beside Allah in paradise.

In October and November, the biggest gift that the Pittsburgh community gave to my family was space and deep love. We had space to mourn – the reporters and politics were kept away from us in a bubble made of love and unbreakable Pittsburgh steel.

We continued to feel this love through boxes and boxes of letters, stories, poems and even quilts – all sent to us from strangers around the world, including our friends in the Muslim community. This ongoing love is what still helps me get out of bed every day.

Regardless of the distance, these families in New Zealand need your love, respect and space. They need to know that 99 percent of the people in this world are amazing, loving people. They need to know that their families are not defined by the way they died, but by the way they lived.

Today, I don’t have an answer, any more than I did six months ago. Today, all I have are tears. Tomorrow, maybe, we can all work together to find a solution and a way to protect all of us, especially when we are at our most vulnerable.

Marnie Fienberg is a strategic planner and communicator recently turned activist to fight against hate and anti-Semitism. She is leading a new grassroots program to fight anti-Semitism called 2 for Seder. Read about it on page 7 of the Passover section.

Tree of Life synagogue raises more 0 for families of Christchurch mosque s

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people around the world of many faiths,” the synagogue wrote on its GoFundMe page set up on March 16. “We recall with love the immediate, overwhelming support Tree of Life received from our Muslim brothers and sisters in Pittsburgh.”

The funds will be transferred to an organization authorized to provide support to the Christchurch families and community, according to the synagogue. Until then, the money will be held by the Direct Impact Fund.

Fifty Muslim worshipers were

killed and at least 20 injured following shootings at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques on March 15.

In October, 11 worshippers were killed in the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue building, home to three congregations, by a lone gunman. It was the deadliest attack on Jews in the United States.

“To the families going through the most difficult moments in your lives: the Jewish community of Pittsburgh is with you. Our hearts are with you. We hold you in our prayers,” the synagogue wrote.

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LETTERS FROM A LONE SOLDIER

From closing ceremony off to the Air Force

By Helaina Zahn Special to HAKOL I have finished the first 10 percent of my service in the army, and one of my friends told me that it's like I have finished my first piece of pizza from my whole pie. I'm still really excited about my army service, but I anticipate that might change as I keep eating this pizza pie which is the IDF! Finishing my last course, Course Ivrit (Hebrew), was very rewarding but also sad.

All the comfort of having people around me who speak English is now slowly disappearing. I have to use Hebrew more and more, and I think it is improving the way I speak more than the actual course did. On March 4, I participated in the closing ceremony (tekes) of my course. Over 450 soldiers graduated the course, including two companies of new immigrant boys, one company of Druze boys, and my one company of new immigrant girls.

If you don't know what the Druze religion is, you should definitely look it up because it is really interesting and I am grateful to have shared a base with them. My aunt, uncle and 7-year-old cousin came to see my ceremony, along with my kibbutz host family and some friends. It was great having support from so many people in Israel as well as my family abroad.

The ceremony started with everyone walking by platoon in rhythm with each other, and boy, is it hard to walk at the exact same time as all 450 other soldiers. People here do not have coordination. We stood at attention and then in a "comfortable" position with our hands behind our back. Let me tell you a secret—after a half hour of standing this way, it's not that comfortable. There were speeches and, of course, the national anthem, Hatikvah, was played. Some of the parents who attended got emotional. Thankfully, the rain stayed away until the last part of the ceremony when we all ran into the center of the area and threw our berets up in the air.

After the ceremony, everyone received

Israeli Election Continues from page 3 The front-runners: Likud, Israel’s right-wing flagship, and Netanyahu’s party, opposes a Palestinian state, supports settlements and encourages privatization in the economy — but its main selling point is the longtime prime minister, who is seeking his fifth term.

Blue and White is a new centrist coalition led by a former military chief of staff, Benny Gantz. It was created to oppose Netanyahu and his alleged corruption.

Supporting actors on the right: The New Right is kind of like Likud on steroids: Led by the prominent figures Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, the party staunchly opposes Palestinian statehood and supports settlement growth, and features a very hawkish defense policy — what its platform calls an “iron fist” against Israel’s enemies.

their job assignment that they will be doing in the army. Sad to say after all the happiness that I was assigned a job that I did not want at all. I decided to advocate for myself, so I went to the central Tel Aviv army base the next day (unannounced and not really allowed) and asked to switch my job. The army has recently raised the bar of what Hebrew level you need in order to be in a combat unit. My good friend, also a lone soldier, has been doing Course Ivrit with me and did not receive a score that was high enough to do combat. She came along with me and argued her way (in Hebrew I might add!) into a meeting with an officer. She was convincing enough to get into the unit she wanted.

I also got to switch assignments. Although I am not sure on the specifics of my new job yet, I am now in the Air Force. The picture included this month is of me and my tzevet (group).

I'm still wearing my green army uniform. The next time you'll see a picture of me, I'll be in the tan Air Force uniform!

Helaina Zahn is an Allentown native who attended Hebrew school at Temple Beth El and graduated from Parkland High School. She graduated from Temple University before making aliyah and joining the IDF.

Jewish Home-Jewish Power is the controversial union between a religious Zionist party and a far-right party, also known as Otzma Yehudit, that supports implementing religious law and waging “total war” on Israel’s enemies.

Israel Beiteinu champions the interests of Russian-speaking immigrants, along with a hardline defense policy that calls for the execution of terrorists.

Kulanu is a center-right party focused on lowering Israel’s high cost of living.

Zehut is an unusual mix: libertarian — and in favor of marijuana legalization — but strongly against Palestinian statehood and Arab-Israeli equality.

Supporting actors on the left: Labor is the sad trombone of Israeli politics. Once the left-wing flagship and largest party in the country, it’s now an also-ran to Blue and White.

Meretz is about as far left as

you can go while remaining Zionist, supporting a Palestinian state alongside Israel along with minority rights and religious pluralism within Israel.

Haredi Orthodox: United Torah Judaism is the Ashkenazi haredi party — the guys (they’re all guys) who support Orthodox control of Israel’s religious life, oppose mandatory army service for their followers and speak Yiddish.

Shas is the Sephardi haredi party — the guys (again, all guys) who stand for religious traditionalism as well as the rights of Israel’s Mizrahi (Middle Eastern and North African) Jewish population.

Arab Israeli: Hadash-Taal supports Palestinian statehood and advocates for Israel’s Arab minority.

Balad-Raam supports Israel being a secular state for all its citizens and no longer a Jewish state.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | APRIL 2019 21

PARTNERSHIP2GETHER UPDATE FROM YOAV

Celebrating past heroes and future innovations in Yoav

By Nurit Galon Partnership2Gether First and foremost, we are all talking about rain! For Yoav's kibbutzim and moshavim, our agriculture depends largely on the rainfall, and the last few years have been more or less drought years. This year, we have plenty of rain that has been well spread out so that we are all delighted and the first thing we ask every morning is "How much rain fell?"

On Feb. 21, the annual

memorial evening for Cipora Hurwitz, z”l, (the wife of Dr. Ariel Hurwitz, former member of the Steering Committee of the Yoav-Lehigh Valley Partnership) was held in Zafit High School, with the students and their parents taking part in the March of the Living. Each student was presented with a copy of Cipora's book, "Forbidden Strawberries," in which Cipora tells of her horrific experiences in the Holocaust. Cipora lost almost all of her family in Poland, and she herself, at the age of 10, was one of the very few children to survive Majdanek concentration camp and the forced march following. Cipora came with the Youth Aliyah to Israel, where she married Ariel and they raised three children together. On

Cipora's grave is written: "Hitler wanted to kill me when I was a child, but we built a wonderful family. I won." Cipora accompanied a number of classes to Poland, and her explanations left a lasting impression on all who heard them.

As I write this, Purim is in the air! How do we know?

There are mini Queen Esthers and Mordechais appearing on the paths of our communities in Yoav! Rattles and those annoying plastic hammers are everywhere, and we shall probably all grow fat on hamantaschen cakes. We exchange Purim gifts (mishloach manot) and in general are happy that we can celebrate with Esther and Mordechai and shout "booz" at Haman! To all of the Jewish community—our family and partners—we hope you had a very happy and joyful Purim.

And as the poem goes (well, not really, but close enough!) "if Purim comes—can Pesach be far behind?" So we already see the industrious ones busy cleaning their houses and feeling guilty that we are not doing so—yet!

A new project is brewing. The high-tech giant Intel was established in 1968 in California. Today Intel employs 107,000 people around the world, with 213 sites in 46 countries. Intel in Israel has four branches in Haifa, Petach Tikva, Jerusalem and Kiryat Gat. Its aims are new developments in technology, contributing to Israel's economy, and investing in Israeli society.

How does Intel affect Kiryat Gat and the surrounding municipalities, especially Yoav?

Here's the inside story! In the 1980s, when the management and directors of Intel Israel were considering opening a branch in Kiryat Gat, they came to stay in the Galon Guest House in Kibbutz Galon in Yoav. The big boss arrived on his motor bike, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, and for the next few days discussions were held leading to the decision to build the next site for Intel in Kiryat Gat. Thus, the high tech giant Intel was established here.

Perhaps the most important co-operation between Intel and Yoav is in the field of education, organized between the Community Relations Department of Intel Kiryat Gat and the

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Education Department of the Yoav Municipality. Volunteers from Intel act as mentors, giving Yoav students support in math, physics and chemistry to both students having difficulty and also to excelling students. Intel volunteers organize activities aimed at exposing students to technology and inventive and innovative thinking. Computers, perhaps "old" for Intel but definitely worthwhile, are donated to Yoav students. Intel is active in Kedma Youth Village in Yoav, with Kedma students studying math once a week in Intel.

In short, Intel explains that 50 percent of their workers are volunteers in the community, especially in the field of education.

Intel families today live in most of the Yoav communities, taking an active part in the life of the community, and in many cases, becoming members.

Recently, Intel announced its plans for continued investment and expansion of its manufacturing site in Kiryat Gat, which demonstrates the strong performance of Intel in Israel, where it continues to lead in terms of corporate, economic and social investment. Certainly Intel in Kiryat Gat provides employment opportunities for the young people in Yoav and the area following their army service.

More of what’s going on in Yoav in brief: • A special evening was held in March at Tsafit High School to mark 25 years of the exchange of students between Tsafit and German students. These exchanges include learning about the relations between our two countries, with visits to Yad Vashem and the concentration camps.

• YoBig, a club for small businesses in Yoav and the area, is giving the members the opportunity to meet regularly, to exchange ideas and information and to network.

• The Green Festival is taking place in Yoav – with the accent on ecology.

• The Annual Yoav Mini Marathon, suitable for all ages and covering the Yoav region.

• “The Modern Grandmother” in Moshav Nahala is a meeting of grandmothers with social workers to discuss the new roles of the modern grandmother.

Jewish doers: connecting the Jewish people around the world through social projects The Jewish Agency for Israel

DAVID SALEM, THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR ISRAEL

Dressed in a purple button-down shirt, a bow tie and sandals, Adam Schwartz boasts an electrifying sense of fashion that matches his penchant for new ideas, humanistic values and cuttingedge technology to transform Jewish communities around the world.

Schwartz is among the dozens of leaders in their 30s and 40s, mostly American and Israeli Jews, who form the 248 Community Action Network, a program now in its second year. They are “Jewish doers,” who came together this past December at Kibbutz Ginosar on the Kinneret in northern Israel for a day devoted to answering challenges rocking the Jewish world: How to bridge the gaps between Israelis and American Jews, and how to connect individuals to Jewish communities worldwide.

This conference dubbed “Do-athon” by the organizers, the Jewish Agency for Israel along with several North American Federations and other foundations, was created to inspire the participants to redefine the Jewish world through action.

The Jewish Agency is an overseas partner of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.

Take Schwartz, a recent Ph.D. grad in public health from the University of Minnesota who wants to channel technology to connect those who are economically disadvantaged with those who are more prosperous in Jewish

communities. “So many people have Judaica items they no longer use,” he said, contrasting them with the plenty who’d be thrilled to use those.

“So I’m the matchmaker,” he said.

Schwartz’s initiative has already arranged for hundreds of objects to be transferred to people who need them.

A kiddush wine cup, a challah cover and candlesticks are among the most popular.

“A kiddush wine cup on Shabbat is perhaps a small thing, but that could make all the difference about how Jewish a person feels.”

The Do-a-thon is a full day of workshops where social entrepreneurs hone skills and learn about virtual reality and podcasting. A highlight during the conference is the opportunity for participants to pitch ideas to a panel of Jewish Agency experts and Israeli entrepreneurs who offer advice and their unvarnished opinion.

The rules are simple: the floor is yours for three minutes while the panel silently listens. Then, in a reversal of roles, where the presenter becomes the fly on the wall, they listen to the panelists critiquing the presentation. It’s as if you are watching an all-Jewish version of the popular American program “Shark Tank.”

Deborah Fishman, 34, from New York was one presenter. She dreams of the ultimate culturally Jewish TED talk, in which lectures would be delivered over a meal. Her idea, she said,

Participants of 248 Community Action Network's Do-a-thon exchanged ideas and perspectives about bringing the Jewish people closer. emerged from her experience hosting and cooking for guests.

“People will came for the food, and while munching, will listen to speakers and make friends,” she told the panel.

The panel loved the idea, and was even more excited about the name Fishman suggested, FED. Given the panel’s thumbs-up, Fishman exited the room all smiles.

Another pitch was presented by Efrat Shai, a 37-year-old member of the religious kibbutz Sde Eliyahu. She envisions “a community book created

in eight hours.” The idea would be to confine several people to an isolated environment for a half day and empower them with one task: To compose a collective narrative drawn from their personal stories.

“We would like to nurture Jewish doers, people who help spread ideas and build communities,” said 248 Director Gideon Vennor. He expects that the projects involved in 248 will reach thousands of people throughout the world, connecting Jews and Israelis to each other and to Israel.

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This couple’s goal is to photograph every living Holocaust survivor

By Lior Zaltzman Kveller.com At first, it seems like John and Amy Israel Pregulman nailed the ideal “digital nomad” lifestyle. The very-much-inlove couple travel the country and the world, side-by-side, working for an organization they built, together, from the ground up.

“Every day we wake up and go, ‘We can’t believe we’re

getting to do this,'” Amy told me from the passenger seat of the car, as the couple was en route to Boulder from their home in Denver.

But here’s the thing: The Pregulmans don’t have a tech startup, nor are their adventures spent scouring markets for handmade textiles or artisanal cheese. They’re not social media influencers. Instead, their project takes them to the homes of people who are often

24 APRIL 2019 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

overlooked: elderly Holocaust survivors.

Kavod, the organization founded by the couple, has an impressive, twofold mission.

The first is to photograph every living Holocaust survivor before they die. The second: to help Holocaust survivors living in poverty with emergency assistance that helps them get food on the table and the medicine they need, among other things.

“It’s very privileged work,” said Amy, 49, the organization’s sole paid employee. “It’s a privilege to meet them, it’s a privilege to hear their stories and be a witness, and it’s a privilege to be able to make a small impact in their lives.

And work together to be able to do that — it’s so unique.”

So far, John, 61, has photographed nearly 800 survivors, and together, Kavod has helped more than 1,000 survivors with donations. As of February, their work has taken them to 37 cities, including Prague, Krakow and Tokyo.

Kavod is a Hebrew word that means “respect,” and that value is deeply ingrained in everything the organization does, from how John takes the pictures, to how they distribute their donations.

“You meet these incredible, positive, happy, accomplished people who overcame horrible experiences in most of their childhood or their teenage years, and, in the beginning, I would take the photos in black and white,” John said. “And they would say to me, ‘That really is kind of stark, and it makes us look sad, it doesn’t portray us the way we want to look.'”

And so, John started taking the photos in color. Since he thought a large, professional camera would intimidate his subjects, he decided to use a simple Sony digital camera. He also opts to have his subjects comfortably sitting, illuminated by natural light.

Kavod started five years ago, when John, who is originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, was asked by a friend to photograph survivors at the Holocaust museum in Skokie, Illinois. For the former professional photographer, the connection with his subjects was immediate: He shot 65 survivors in the span of three days. He decided to make this a passion project, going around the country and taking photos of survivors.

But the story of Kavod is also, quite wonderfully, a love story. It was through this project that John and Amy met and fell in love.

One day, John was contacted by friends who lived in Memphis. Their father was a Holocaust survivor, and though he had never spoken about his experience to anyone, including his family, he wanted John to take his portrait. “All of the sudden, he opened up to his children about everything,” John said.

John’s friends were also friends with Amy, and arranged for the pair to meet.

And so, as John’s friends got the gift of learning their father’s story for the first time, he got the gift of meeting his bashert.

“We started Kavod in November of 2015; we got married in September 2016,” said John. “So this has really been a wonderful thing to grow this organization, as we grow together as a couple.” The couple has six children from previous relationships between them, who they say are very supportive of their parents’ work.

The charitable aspect of the organization was a natural outgrowth of the photo project.

“In the beginning, we would mostly go into people’s home to take their pictures,” John said. “Inevitably, after you take an elderly lady’s picture she wants to give you something to eat, like your grandmother would.”

One time, while visiting a survivor in Orlando, “When she took me to her refrigerator, there was nothing there

really,” he said. “She said, ‘I had to fix my air conditioner, so I used my grocery money for that, and I’m just doing without.'”

For John and Amy, the idea was unacceptable. They soon found out that one-third of Holocaust survivors are living in poverty, according to Blue Card. In fact, 61 percent of the 100,000 survivors in the United States live on less than $23,000 annually.

Many survivors get a monthly payment, from claims conference or social security, but when they have an emergency expense, it blows their budget and they have nothing to fall back on. So they end up using the money they would normally use for medicine or food.

“And so we decided that, for Kavod, we wanted to give emergency, confidential aid to survivors who have a quick need,” said John.

They decided to disperse the money through gift cards to Target and other stores, “because anyone could go into a grocery store with a gift card and no one would make them feel like they were different,” according to Amy. There are only three things that John and Amy need to know before they send aid: what the situation is, whether the person is a survivor, and how much money they need.

The organization’s board usually sends the money within three days. “We understood that the process for getting funding and aid across the board was so complicated for them,” said Amy, “so we really wanted it to be simple.”

Though they may have streamlined the aid process, that doesn’t necessarily make it easier to bear witness to their subjects’ harrowing testimonials.

“There are days where it’s uplifting, you understand how important it is to bear,” said Amy, “and there are days when I go back to our hotel and I can’t move.”

“We read a lot,” John added. “I’ve decided that the only books I’m reading these days are books about survivors we’ve met.”

Amy points out that John’s relationships with his subjects extends far beyond the photo shoot. “He stays in touch with a lot of the survivors,” she said. “He’s just that guy who is a connector, and it comes out in every way, including the photos.”

With the recent rise of nationalism and anti-Semitism around the world, John and Amy feel like their work is more important than ever. The couple — who visits a different place almost every week for their work — have no thoughts of slowing down. They’re planning a visit to Israel to shoot survivors there this summer.

“We will continue to do this as long as there are survivors,” said John. “We’ve got 10 or 15 more years, and we’re not thinking of it beyond that.”

Albert Einstein’s brilliance, humor and literal connection to Israel

By Israel Kasnett Jewish News Syndicate

Dr. Roni Grosz, curator of the Einstein archives, said this is the largest collection of Einstein-related documents in the world—with more than 82,000 items to date—and will remain the foremost collection.

“On this occasion,” he said, “I want to take the opportunity to explain what it means for an archives to acquire 110 documents of this caliber. This is a rare find. While the content was known … these papers are a generous donation to the archives. It adds prestige to our institution.”

Grosz explained that the originals “are an important addition to our collection” though he emphasized that it would take time for his department to understand them fully, as “we do not know yet which pages belong together.”

The new collection contains a handwritten, unpublished appendix to a scientific article on the Unified Theory that Einstein submitted to the Prussian Academy of Science in 1930.

This article was one of many in Einstein’s attempts to unify the forces of nature into one, single theory, and he devoted the last 30 years of his life to this effort, which physicists are still grappling with today.

This appendix, Page 3, has never before been seen or studied, and was thought lost until now.

There is also a letter from Einstein to his son Hans Albert, who was living in Switzerland at the time.

Einstein expresses concern about the deteriorating situation in Europe and the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany: “I read with some apprehension that there is quite a movement in Switzerland, instigated by the German bandits. But I believe that even in Germany things are slowly starting to change. Let’s just hope we won’t have a Europe war first … the rest of Europe is now starting to finally take the thing seriously, especially the British. If they would have come down hard a year and a half ago, it would have been better and easier.”

Above, Albert Einstein and David Ben-Gurion.

Right, Einstein’s 1930 appendix on Unified Theory. must feel ashamed at the fact that I know next to nothing of it. But I prefer to feel ashamed than to learn it.”

Gutfreund was visibly excited when he said, “This is a birthday present for Einstein … The importance of having originals is that it has significant research value.”

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‘An important addition to our collection’

Four letters from Einstein to his life-long friend and fellow scientist, Michele Besso, are also included.

Three of the 1916 letters refer to Einstein’s monumental work, based on a “glorious idea” about the absorption and emission of light by atoms. (This idea later became the basis for laser technology.)

In the fourth letter, Einstein confesses that after 50 years of thinking about it, he still does not understand the quantum nature of light.

The letters to Besso also contain Einstein’s witty and personal remarks about family matters and Jewish identity. In one, he teases Besso for having converted to Christianity: “You will certainly not go to hell, even if you had yourself baptized.”

Though Einstein is impressed that Besso is learning Hebrew and shared, “As a goy, you are not obliged to learn the language of our fathers, whilst I as a ‘Jewish saint’

ISRAEL GPO

One thing is for sure. While the writing on the pages lying on the table under a clear protective glass appeared as nonsensical gibberish or useless, mindbending mathematical equations, they were anything but. These were some of Albert Einstein’s original manuscripts—110 pages in all—recently donated to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem by the CrownGoodman Family Foundation, purchased from Gary Berger, a private collector in North Carolina.

The pages, donated just before Einstein would have turned 140 (he was born on March 14, also commonly known as Pi Day, when mathematics is celebrated), are just further testament to Einstein’s intellectual legacy.

His contributions to science are world-renowned and farreaching. However, not many people make the connection between the Jewish physicist and the State of Israel, and how his brilliant theories years ago contributed to the science behind Israel’s alleged second-strike nuclear capabilities, as well as SpaceIL’s lunar lander Beresheet, currently hurtling at 6.5 miles per second through space toward an eventual and hopefully successful moon landing.

Einstein was one of the founders of Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

To him, the university represented a combined commitment to a Jewish identity, the pursuit of truth and respect for all human beings. For these reasons, Einstein bequeathed his personal and scientific writings to the university, and the Albert Einstein Archives were born. As the Archives’ academic director Professor Hanoch Gutfreund shared, “We at the Hebrew University are proud to serve as the eternal home for Albert Einstein’s intellectual legacy, as was his wish.”

Karen Cortell Reisman, the granddaughter of Einstein’s cousin, Lina Kocherthaler, flew in from Texas to attend the celebration. She shared personal experiences of growing up and being related to Einstein. “Whenever someone came to visit our home, we always showed them our ‘Einstein Wall,’ which was full of photos and letters from my grandmother’s famous cousin,” she recalled.

Kocherthaler and Einstein often traveled together, and remained in close contact throughout their lives, sharing decades’ worth of correspondence. “Later, when I got married, instead of a Tiffany bowl or crystal vase, I asked my family for a gift

that would be much more meaningful to me: a July 1949 letter that Einstein, along with my father and mother, wrote to Lina,” said Cortell Reisman.

She offered a glimpse of the man behind the theories and explained that she wanted to show Einstein as a man with humility, grace and a sense of humor. She shared that he once wrote to a relative who was moving homes, quipping that she was moving her “center of gravity.”

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26 APRIL 2019 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

Book review: ‘Stolen Secrets’

By Sean Boyle JDS Librarian L. B. Schulman’s novel, “Stolen Secrets,” begins with a main character, Livvy, moving cross country from Vermont to San Francisco with her recovering alcoholic mother. From the opening chapter, we begin to discover the secrets and lies that Livvy and her mom share, including the real reason why they are moving to San Francisco.

Livvy quickly discovers that she has a living grandmother, and that her mother has moved them to San Francisco to help provide fulltime home-care to her grandmother who is ailing from old-age and suffering from Alzheimer’s. Livvy, with the help of her friend, Franklin D., tries to unravel the secrets surrounding her grandmother and investigate whether she is revealing a deep secret about Anne Frank or if these memories are confusion caused by her disease.

Livvy rapidly matures throughout the book and relies on her new friend Franklin D. and his extremely stable and supportive family to help her understand that

hiding secrets and telling lies are never justified. They only hurt you, your family and your friends.

Inspiration for writing this book began when Schulman was listening to an NPR interview of a Holocaust survivor and realized we were losing the living witnesses. She debated how to approach the subject in a novel for 20 years until she realized that Anne Frank’s diary is no longer required or even encouraged reading in schools. Schulman wanted to write a book that introduces both the Holocaust and Anne Frank’s diary to modern students. The author was able to draw from her personal experience of caring for her father while he suffered from Alzheimer’s.

She fills her novel with as much authenticity possible in a fictional account that touches the last days of Anne Frank’s life in BergenBelsen.

Schulman did not want to write a “new” version of Anne Frank or misrepresent Anne Frank’s memory in any way, and she conducted very exhaustive and detailed historical research on Anne

Frank’s life, including visits to Amsterdam. She states that her goal for writing “Stolen Secrets” is that it will inspire a teen to read “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl,” and hopefully travel to Amsterdam to better understand this terrible period of history.

Highly recommended for ages 12-120, and a copy of “Stolen Secrets” as well as “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” are available at the Jewish Day School Library.

“Stolen Secrets” (Schulman, L.B., Honesdale, PA, Boyds Mills Press, 2017, 304p.)

Allentown BBG prepares for Tournies

By Fana Schoen BBG Every year, Liberty Region BBYO #13 hosts a weekendlong convention called Tournies, during which every chapter in the region competes in a wide range of competitions. They begin the convention Friday night after Shabbat services with a chapter song and dance, during which each chapter performs an original song parody and dance for the rest of the regions.

Throughout the rest of the weekend, chapter members will compete in a plethora of other friendly contests, ranging from giant Jenga to swim relays, basketball to storytelling, poetry to gaga, and everything in between.

This year, Tournies will be held right here in Allentown at the JCC. Teens from Allentown Danielle Goren B’nai B’rith Girls (BBG) #1188 and Rabbi William Greenberg Allentown Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA) #156 will host teens from all around Liberty

Region BBYO (which covers most of Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Binghamton and Elmira, New York) in their homes. Hosting the convention requires a lot of additional hard work on behalf of the teens and chapter advisors, and Allentown BBG and Allentown AZA are rising to the challenge.

Every Tuesday and Thursday between February 21 and March 21, BBGs came together to practice the chapter song and dance, help choose who will participate in which contests and get together convention logistics to ensure that the most beloved convention of the year runs smoothly for the entire region. This convention really exemplifies the teen-led nature of BBYO. Teens both in and out of board positions on the chapter and regional level have all done their part to help recruit new members, work on convention logistics, and perfect Allentown BBG’s theme in preparation for the convention. Allentown BBG is very excited to host teens from around Liberty BBYO and show them that Allentown BBG and AZA are alive and well, continuing to grow and contribute in meaningful ways to an awesome BBYO region. We hope that community members will see the

great things a community brings to BBYO and the great things BBYO brings to the community.

AZA is fun for all seasons

By Jake Wiener AZA As we head into the end of the school year, this also means the end of the AZA year. We were able to gain many new members, as well as rekindle friendships with other members of the chapter and the region. We will look to grow each and every year, and become a better chapter every year.

Our elections will be

held in May, when our high school members can run for any board position they desire. They give a speech on why they believe they are the best candidate, and what makes them stand out against the other candidates.

The chapter then privately votes, as well as the advisors, and the new board member is then selected. Board members are expected to stay on top of their tasks, and collectively as a board, help run the chapter.

The Liberty Region Spring Kickoff was rescheduled for April due to inclement weather. The region was able to spend time with friends at the Lucky Strike in Philadelphia. We bowled, ate, hung out with chapter and region friends, and had a

great overall time.

So far, AZA and BBYO have been extremely successful this year. We plan to continue the trend for the rest of this year, and for years to come. Whether it be during summer programs, International Convention in the winter, Liberty Region’s Yacht party in the fall, or just a chapter event in the spring, BBYO and AZA is for all seasons, and is always a place for good times and fun.

Stay tuned for upcoming news and events, you do not want to miss out! If you have any questions regarding upcoming events or about signing up for BBYO, please contact allentownaza@gmail. com or afraley8626@gmail. com.

Happy Passover!

Allentown & Lebanon Allentown & Wilkes-Barre

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | APRIL 2019 27

A celebration: tradition, devotion, commitment

Ian and Patty Carlis, who will be honored at Congregation Keneseth Israel’s Annual Gala on May 18.

By Michele Salomon Congregation Keneseth Israel “It’s my home away from home” is a line Patty Carlis said frequently during her three-year tenure as President of Congregation Keneseth Israel. It’s not just a line in a speech for Patty and her husband, Ian Carlis.

It’s their way of life.

As they are about to be honored for their years of service to KI, they reflect on their journey. Like so many, they first joined KI when their first son was

born in 1977. They went on to raise their three sons in Allentown, all of whom had bar mitzvahs at KI, and two who went on to confirmation. They found a circle of friends, also with young children, and KI became the center of their social life.

Patty’s first foray into leadership was through Sisterhood (now the Women of KI). She was asked by Linda Miller, also a former Sisterhood and temple president, to join the Sisterhood board.

This interaction was also an

early lesson in leadership for Patty; she’s used this technique – the personal ask – countless times, and she’s very effective. Her memories of her early years in Sisterhood bring a smile to her face. In particular, she speaks with appreciation that Sisterhood and her general involvement at KI, provided, and continue to provide, opportunities for intergenerational relationships. She has friends of all ages.

One particular thing from this time stands out for Patty – the congregational choir. In her first term as Sisterhood president (she is currently doing a second term as part of the current Women of KI leadership team), she initiated the congregational choir due to her own love of music and her ability to have a spiritual connection to Judaism through music. She bursts with pride when she talks about how the congregational choir has grown under the direction of KI Musical Director Karen Berta, so much that KI has removed rows of pews to accommodate the evergrowing choir.

Her more recent and ongoing KI leadership path

began when she joined the search committee that brought Cantor Jenn to KI about eight years ago.

Shortly after she joined the Board, and in much the same way as how she first became involved with Sisterhood, she agreed to be president when then-President Eric Fels asked her to step up.

Patty’s leadership, contributions and legacy go far beyond the walls of KI. She is an active community member and brings her unique set of talents to other ventures in the Valley that are further commitments to her love of, connection to and the joy she takes in Judaism. Twentyfive years ago, while president of the Board of Pennsylvania Stage Company, the professional nonprofit theatre company in Allentown, Patty initiated a collaboration with the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding (IJCU) of Muhlenberg College and the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley (JFLV) to create the Youth & Prejudice Workshop: Lessons of the Holocaust.

The annual event uses an original theatrical play, developed by Patty and students at Muhlenberg, as the springboard for discussion. The symposium also provides an opportunity for Holocaust and legacy survivors to share their experiences with middle and high school students.

Patty served as the schools program coordinator for this program, organized by the IJCU, for many years and is thrilled at the way this program has touched so many lives.

She said that being able to combine her educational theatre training with her passion for Holocaust education has been a most

Happy Passover 610-330-9740 | PAFootDoctors.com 28 APRIL 2019 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

rewarding way to make a difference in our community.

Ian’s influence, equally impactful, is quieter and more behind the scenes. Ian has served on the Board of Trustees and had a role in shaping the culture of KI in ways that continue to this day. With a belief that recognition of giving is a way to set an example for future generations, he helped usher in the Gala, the annual ad book, the sustaining membership plan and, importantly, the mosaic in the entranceway where donors continue to be recognized for their generosity and support of KI. His current role is no less important: he is Patty’s biggest supporter and the unofficial “official” photographer at various KI events.

“My home away from home” is not just a line.

It’s the devotion, tradition and commitment that Patty and Ian bring to everything they do at KI. They care for KI – with their time, with their actions, with financial support – the way they do for the home where they raised their family. They are always thinking of KI and looking for ways to help. It was a simple choice to honor Patty and Ian at this year’s Gala. They are “honored to be honored” for what they describe as an “incredible, enriching experience.”

Please join us at the KI Gala and help us honor Patty and Ian Carlis. The Gala will be held on Saturday, May 18, at KI. The event will begin at 6 p.m. and include a cocktail reception, dinner and dessert by Chef Eric Rappaport.

Entertainment by Keystone A Cappella. For more information on how to reserve your ticket, please call the KI office at 610-435-9074.

Better late than never: KI Adult Hebrew Class b’not mitzvah Congregation Keneseth Israel For over 18 years, Congregation Keneseth Israel has offered an Adult Hebrew Class for individuals who either want to learn to read Hebrew for the first time or who want to improve their already existing reading skills. Historically, this class has been made up of women, although men are always welcome. Over the last four years, class members have been offered the opportunity to take their learning a step further and participate in the ritual of b’not mitzvah.

Under the tutelage of Alan Salinger, this year’s class consists of four women who meet weekly to learn the Hebrew alphabet, build beginning vocabulary, discuss the weekly Torah portions and prepare for their b’not mitzvah.

The Adult Hebrew Class at KI has a long history. For many years, this class was run by a devoted teacher, Marsha Berkow.

Berkow taught this class consistently for approximately 10 years. Her class consisted of a two-year process with the first year being more the nuts and bolts of learning Hebrew and the second year more geared to Torah study and Hebrew as it applied to services and prayers. She reports, “Over the years, there were also men who never had a bar mitzvah.”

After Berkow’s departure, there was a period when no class was taught. But six years ago, Salinger decided to bring this class back to life. He has a history of living in Israel and has an encouraging teaching style that combines his knowledge of Hebrew with his insightful and entertaining story telling which brings the material alive. Salinger challenges his students to study the weekly parashah and makes the learning process enjoyable and safe for beginner students.

This year’s b’not mitzvah class includes Rachel Cubellis, Alyssa Emswiler, Ann Friedenheim and Michele Salomon. These women have chosen to participate for a variety of reasons: to connect more deeply with Jewish spirituality, to learn more about the Torah parashah, to honor their ancestry, to have greater empathy for the process of bat and bar mitzvah and to embody their Judaism in a more profound way.

The women of this group all agree that they will continue to explore and develop their relationship to Judaism after this class concludes. They are excited

to share their learning at their ritual on May 10.

The Torah portion for the B’not Mitzvah includes some key ideas such as: • Do not stand idly by the blood of your brother or sister (Leviticus 19:16) • You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:19) • And, should a sojourner live with you, you shall not wrong him or her. Like a native among you shall be the sojourner who sojuourns with you and you shall love him or her like yourself, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. Leviticus 19:3 The class members have been inspired by their parashah and decided to express their learning with a mitzvah project. This year’s Adult Hebrew Class has chosen Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley as the focus of their mitzvah project.

Turning Point of Lehigh Valley was created in 1976 to address domestic violence in our community. The agency has evolved, but the focus has remained steadfast to provide a safe place where victims of abuse and their children can find refuge.

Services are provided, bi-county, to more than 2,600 victims of domestic violence each year. The primary mission of Turning Point is to eliminate domestic violence in the Lehigh Valley through empowerment, education and engagement. This nonprofit agency offers a 24/7 helpline, empowerment counseling, support groups, legal advocacy and outreach education to adults and teenagers, as well as a safe house shelter. All services are confidential and provided at no cost to the recipients.

The Adult Hebrew Class has decided to meet a particular need of the Turning Point safe house by raising money for a badly needed new refrigerator. In this way, they are expressing love for the larger community and compassion for people suffering the oppression of domestic violence. What better than to provide a means of sustenance at the most basic level. Only when people live in safety and have basic needs met can they flourish and express their truest potential in life.

Donations can be made by going to gofundme. com/kiclassof2019 or by sending a check to Congregation Keneseth Israel, 2227 West Chew St. Allentown PA 18104 with “Turning Point” in the memo line.

GIVE A MITZVAH, DO A MITZVAH

Food is love Ethan Silver will be called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, April 13, 2019, at Temple Beth El in Allentown. The seventh-grade Springhouse Middle School student loves playing piano, acting in theatre and making videos that he posts to his own YouTube channel.

“My birthday falls near Passover, sometimes during Passover. I’ve even had a matzah birthday cake at times,” Ethan explained when he began to describe his mitzvah project. Ethan is partnering with Temple Beth El Religious School and Temple Beth El Sisterhood to sponsor a kosher for Passover food drive. Food collected will go to Jewish Family Service and benefit Jewish families in need in the Lehigh Valley during Passover.

“I’m into food,” Ethan continued, “so when I thought about a mitzvah project, I wanted to make other people’s Passover special too, through food.”

Every year, Temple Beth El sponsors a Passover food drive.

Usually, each grade is assigned a type of food that the students are asked to donate, such as kosher for Passover cereal or cookies.

“We don’t just focus on matzah.

There are a lot of other foods that families might need, and we are hoping to get those other items.

We are branching out to the entire congregation to get a variety of foods. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll advertise not just to the religious school, but to the whole congregation,” said Alicia Zahn, director of Temple Beth El Religious School. In the religious school, there will be raffles and prizes to encourage the students to donate more.

The religious school, TBE Sisterhood and JFS are still involved in the Passover food drive, but now Ethan is working to make it more successful. This is a valuable mitzvah project because we have many Lehigh Valley Jews who have more than enough and who give generously when they are reminded of the need. We just need to get the word out to remind them to donate!

If you would like to help Ethan with his mitzvah project, kosher for Passover nonperishable foods can be brought to Temple Beth El

or to the Jewish Family Service Kosher Food Pantry at 2004 Allen Street. Foods to be included are canned vegetables, tuna fish and soup, breakfast cereal, matzah meal and kugel and cake box mixes.

The collection will continue until April 9 to allow time to distribute before Passover. If you have any questions, you can contact Ethan at barmitzvah.ethansilver@gmail.com.

Rebecca and Ross Silver, Ethan’s parents, couldn’t be more proud of their son. “We’re so happy that Ethan was able to channel his passion for food into such a worthwhile and important mitzvah project,” they said. “He is a kind and compassionate person, always thinking of others. Ethan brings much joy to our family, and we are so excited to celebrate this special milestone together.”

In addition to his mitzvah project, Ethan has made his first adult gift of tzedakah to the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs. For help developing your mitzvah project, contact Abby Trachtman, JFLV Project Coordinator, at abbyt@jflv.org or call her at the Federation office at 610-821-5500.

CONGRESSWOMAN SUSAN WILD Proudly serving Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District My offices are happy to help with the following services: - Help with Social Security & Medicare - My office is here to help with lost or delayed checks, disability applications, Social Security Income (SSI), Medicare eligibility, and to answer any questions you may have about these programs.

- Help with Veterans Affairs - My office can help veterans navigate the Veterans Administration and answer questions about the GI Bill, military records, disability and the VA health care system.

Allentown

840 Hamilton St. Suite 303 Allentown, PA 18101 Phone: 484-781-6000

-The Artistic Discovery Contest for high school students - Commendations and Greetings - Ordering U.S. Flags - Information and Assistance with Federal Grant Applications - Military Academy Nominations - Tours and Tickets (for visits to the U.S. Capitol, Library of Congress, FBI Headquarters and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Supreme Court and The White Easton House)

Please visit wild.house.gov for more information or contact our offices at the numbers listed here.

400 Northampton St. Suite 503 Easton, PA 18042 Phone: 610-333-1170 HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | APRIL 2019 29

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.

SUNDAY, MARCH 31 Maimonides Brunch: Lifting the Stigma on Mental Illness 10:15 to 11:45 a.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley. Join the Maimonides Society of the Jewish Federation for a panel discussion on the cultural and sociological causes of mental illness, broader societal trends, and how we as a medical and general community can help lift the stigma. Joining the panel will be Maggie Murphy, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in the Lehigh Valley, Peter Langman, a psychologist active in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, state Rep. Mike Schlossberg, an advocate for mental health legislation, and Rabbi Seth Phillips of Congregation Keneseth Israel, who will talk about stigmas of mental health in Judaism. Brunch is free for Maimonides members and spouses, $10 for community. To register, call 610-821-5500, email mailbox@jflv.org or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org/maimonides.

MONDAY, APRIL 1 Friendship Circle Lunch & Program: Musical Performance

by Ronnie and Gerry Gessie Duo 11:30 a.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley. An exciting musical show with a good attitude. Gerry and his wife Ronnie perform good-natured comedy, music and entertain with audience interaction. Lunch and program $10, $7 Friendship Circle members. First visit to Friendship Circle is free. RSVP by calling the Welcome Desk at 610-435-3571. All adults are welcome to attend Friendship Circle. Lunch and programs are held on Mondays. Visit lvjcc.org/friendshipcircle for program and schedule updates.

Shabbat Service and Kiddush Lunch 9 a.m., Temple Beth El. Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, public opinion expert and international political and strategic consultant, will speak during Shabbat services at Temple Beth El on “Democracy: Israel Past and Present, and Links to the IsraeliPalestinian Conflict.” Sponsored by the Adult Education Committees of Congregation Keneseth Israel and Temple Beth El. SATURDAY, APRIL 6 Something For Everyone Shabbat 10 a.m., Temple Beth El. A Shabbat program for every age at Temple Beth El. 0-3-year-olds: bring a favorite grown up to BIMBOM BUDDIES. Pre-K-grade 2: enjoy games and stories in KINDERSHUL. Grades 3-6: daven with doughnuts at JUNIOR CONGREGATION. Teens: help lead youth service or visit GPS. Parents and other adults participate in the main service or drop in for our GUIDED PRAYER SERVICE. Everyone comes together for a delicious KIDDUSH LUNCH. Open to the community. Let’s celebrate Shabbat together at Temple Beth El! SUNDAY, APRIL 7 Passover Shopping Excursion Bus departs 9:30 a.m., Temple Covenant of Peace. Join TCP for a Passover shopping excursion to Lakewood, New Jersey.

Visit the Matzah Factory and enjoy a kosher deli lunch.

Featuring special guest speaker Jessica Ytkin, who will regale us with tales of Jewish chicken farmers. Rabbi Melody will be explaining various laws of Passover. We will all share stories of our bubby’s kitchens. On the way home we will sing Passover songs. Bring your coolers. Return to TCP at 5 p.m. $10 per person (lunch not included). Sponsored by the Easton Leadership Council of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.

RSVP to the temple office while spots remain: 610-253-2031.

SUNDAY, APRIL 7 Scholar in Residence Weekend with Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin Brunch and Lecture 10 a.m. brunch, 10:30 a.m. lecture, Temple Beth El. Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, public opinion expert and international political and strategic consultant, will speak during brunch and lecture on “Why Compare Conflicts to Advance Peace?” $10 per person. RSVP by March 25 with payment to KI or TBE offices.

TUESDAY, APRIL 2 What Are Jews For: The History of the Idea of Jewish Chosenness 7 to 9 p.m., Muhlenberg College, Moyer Hall, Miller Forum.

The biblical “election of Israel” – the setting apart of the Jews

by God, as recipients of divine protection, and bearers of special holiness – has been the focus of fascination and repeated reappraisal by both Jews and non-Jews throughout the modern era. This theological concept lies at the heart of a broader question: what is the particular purpose of Jews in the world? In this lecture Professor Adam Sutcliffe of Kings College London will trace the history of the “Jewish purpose question” from its biblical and medieval roots, through key early modern thinkers such as Spinoza and Moses Mendelssohn, and up to the 21st century. Kosher dessert reception to follow. Open to the public. Sponsored by Muhlenberg College Jewish Studies, the Berman Center for Jewish Studies at Lehigh University, the Finkel Fund Lecture Series in Jewish Studies and the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding.

SUNDAY, APRIL 7 Pomegranate and Lion of Judah Spring Event Series: Mitzvah Madness 1 to 3 p.m., Congregation Keneseth Israel. Pomegranates and Lions are invited to mingle and participate in a great mitzvah project. Help create fleece blankets for older adults that will be distributed through Jewish Family Service. $10 per person to help cover the cost of supplies. RSVP by April 2 to 610-821-5500 or mailbox@jflv.org or register at www.picatic. com/pomlionspring.

THURSDAY, APRIL 4 JCC Jewish & Israeli Film Series: ‘Wrestling Jerusalem’ 7 p.m., Muhlenberg College, Seegers Union, Event Space.

Writer-actor Aaron Davidman embodies 17 different characters in and around the sacred city of Jerusalem as he takes us on an eye-opening journey into the heart of the IsraeliPalestinian story. Exploring universal questions of identity and human connection, the film is about one man’s effort to embrace a multiplicity of conflicting viewpoints, chronicling a brave exploration of the complex humanity at the heart of one of the world’s most troubling conflicts. Co-sponsored

by Muhlenberg College and the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding. Price: $12; JCC members $8; Muhlenberg students free. Tickets available by calling 610-435-3571 or visiting www.lvjcc.org/film.

MONDAY, APRIL 8 Friendship Circle Lunch & Program: Paint & Create with Kristina Cole 11:30 a.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley. Hands-On Activity: Paint and Create with Kristina Cole, owner of Paint of Mind LLC. Create a 12X16 masterpiece to take home. Just bring your creative mind, and be ready to relax and be entertained. No experience needed. Limited spots available.

Please RSVP by calling the JCC Welcome Desk at 610435-3571. Lunch and program $10, $7 Friendship Circle members. First visit to Friendship Circle is free. All adults are welcome to attend Friendship Circle. Lunch and programs are held on Mondays. Visit lvjcc.org/friendshipcircle for program and schedule updates.

FRIDAY, APRIL 5 First Friday: Seeking Truth & Building Trust in an Era of Political Polarization 12 p.m., Muhlenberg College, Seegers Union, Rooms 111113. Hear insights on this timely topic by former Rep. Charlie Dent, currently senior policy advisor at DLA Piper and visiting fellow at University of Pennsylvania Perry World House. Feel free to bring your lunch or purchase it at one of our convenient dining venues. Please note: alternate side of the street parking enforcement begins April 2. Sponsored by the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding of Muhlenberg College.

FRIDAY, APRIL 5 Scholar in Residence Weekend with Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin Dinner and Service 5:45 p.m., kosher Shabbat dinner, 7:30 p.m. services, Congregation Keneseth Israel. Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, public opinion expert and international political and strategic consultant, will speak during Shabbat services at KI on “Where Things Stand: Israel and the Eternal Conflict.” $30 per adult; $15 per 13 and under; $7 per 5 and under. Child care available during services with reservations in advance (no charge). Call KI at 610-435-9074. Sponsored by the Adult Education Committees of Congregation Keneseth Israel and Temple Beth El. RSVP for dinner by March 25 by sending payment to either KI or Beth El offices.

SATURDAY, APRIL 6 Scholar in Residence Weekend with Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin 30 APRIL 2019 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

SUNDAY, APRIL 7 PJ Library Be a Star for Passover 2:30 p.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley. Enjoy the Traveling Crayola Experience as PJ Library celebrates Passover. Get your picture taken in the “Be a Star” photo booth and color on your creation. Enjoy a Passover craft, snacks and a story.

Free. To register, contact Abby Trachtman at 610-821-5500 or abbyt@jflv.org or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org/pj.

TUESDAY, APRIL 9 ‘Face Forward: Moments of Youth in the Third Reich’ 7 p.m., Muhlenberg College, Empie Theater. The play’s plot centers around political events which mark the start of the reign of Hitler and the growth of anti-Semitism in Germany in the 1930s. Rebecca, Marian and Ernst, three teenagers living in Nazi Germany, struggle to find their way while reflecting value choices that teenagers confront in every era. “Face Forward” is the opening segment of the annual high school Youth & Prejudice: Reducing Hatred conference sponsored by the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding and the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley. For more informa-

tion and to reserve your free tickets, go to www.faceforward. edu, call 484-664-3470 or email ijcu@muhlenberg.edu.

For phone/email reservations: Provide full name, number of tickets needed, phone number and email address.

SUNDAY, APRIL 14 JCC Jewish & Israeli Film Series: ‘The Testament’ 7 p.m., Congregation Keneseth Israel. Yoel, a meticulous historian leading a significant debate against holocaust deniers, discovers that his mother carries a false identity. A mystery about a man who is willing to risk everything to discover the truth. Foreign language film with English subtitles.

Co-sponsored by Congregation Keneseth Israel. Price: $12; JCC/KI members $8. Tickets available by calling 610-4353571 or visiting www.lvjcc.org/film.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17 Maimonides Society Cocktail Reception 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Grille 3501. Members of the Maimonides Society of the Jewish Federation are invited to a cocktail reception in celebration of their commitment to Jewish philanthropy. To RSVP, contact the Federation at 610-8215500 or mailbox@jflv.org or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org/ maimonides.

SUNDAY, APRIL 28 Camp JCC Mitzvah Day 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Camp JCC in Center Valley, 5831 Vera Cruz Rd, Center Valley. Come out to the Camp JCC campsite and help prepare for summer 2019! We’re looking for volunteers big and small who aren’t afraid to get a little messy! Stop by for a little, or stay for the day. Lunch will be provided.

SUNDAY, APRIL 28 JCC Jewish & Israeli Film Series: ‘Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel’ 7 p.m., The Civic Theatre, 527 N 19th St., Allentown. The David-and-Goliath story of Israel’s national baseball team as it competes for the first time in the World Baseball Classic.

After years of crushing defeats, Israel finally ranks among the world’s best in 2017. Its roster includes many Jewish-American major leaguers, most with a tenuous relationship to Judaism, barely any ever having set foot in Israel. Their odyssey takes them from the Holy Land where they are hailed as modern-day Maccabees to the tournament in South Korea where they must debunk their reputations as has-beens and wannabes. The connection to Israel that the players forge pushes them to unexpected heights as they represent the country on the world stage. Foreign language film with English subtitles. Presented in partnership with The Civic Theatre and co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley. Price: $12; JCC/Civic members $8. Tickets available by calling 610-435-3571 or visiting www.lvjcc.org/film.

MONDAY, APRIL 29 Friendship Circle Lunch & Program: Musical Performance

by Ron Goosley 11:30 a.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley. Ron Goosley, the original saxaphone player for the group Jay and the Techniques, will play for us here at the JCC. Lunch and program $10, $7 Friendship Circle members. First visit to Friendship Circle is free. RSVP by calling the JCC Welcome Desk at 610-4353571. All adults are welcome to attend Friendship Circle.

Lunch and programs are held on Mondays. Visit lvjcc.org/ friendshipcircle for program and schedule updates.

TUESDAY, APRIL 30 JCC Jewish & Israel Film Series: ‘An Act of Defiance’ 7 p.m., ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem. In 1963, Nelson Mandela and nine other Black and Jewish South Africans risk their lives to free their country from segregation and are arrested for sabotage. Their lawyer, Bram Fischer puts his own life and career in jeopardy to defend them. In this engaging historical drama, director Jean van de Velde brings to life the true story of the Rivonia trial as seen through the eyes of Fischer, highlighting the role that South African Jews played in the African resistance.

A little-known moving story that pays tribute to those who brought an end to Apartheid. Language: English with some subtitles. Co-sponsored by Congregation Brith Sholom and presented in partnership with ArtsQuest. Price: $12, JCC/ArtsQuest/Brith Sholom members $8. Tickets available by calling 610-435-3571 or visiting www.lvjcc.org/film.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 Yom HaShoah Community Commemoration Reading of names 6 p.m., program 7 p.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley. A ceremony to honor the 6 million Jews lost in the Holocaust for Holocaust Remembrance Day. Free and open to the community. Learn more at www.jewishlehighvalley.org.

Celebrate the beauty of Shabbat

with Cantor Wartell

FRIDAYS 8-9:30 AM WMUH 91.7 muhlenberg.edu/wmuh 484.664.3456

Shabbat & Yom Tov Candlelighting Times Friday, April 5

7:12 pm

Friday, April 26

7:34 pm

Friday, April 12

7:20 pm

Friday, May 3

7:42 pm

Friday, April 19

7:27 pm

Friday, May 10

7:49 pm

Ongoing Events SUNDAY to FRIDAY DAF YOMI 7:30 a.m., Congregation Sons of Israel Meeting all year long, 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.

SUNDAYS

100,000 MILES/YR FOR KOSHER! First Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., Congregation Beth Avraham Open to all. Fascinating vignettes from a mashgiach who drives approximately 100,000 miles/year (yes, per year!) to keep the kosher supply chain intact. From rural Arkansas to frigid Nova Scotia, winter and summer, the demands are always there.

Contact Rabbi Yitzchok I. Yagod, Kashruth Hotline (24/6), 610-9052166, rabbiyagod1@gmail.com.

siddur, learn about key prayers and continue our study of the te’amim (trope) for Torah and Haftarah. Required texts: “JPS English TaNaKh” or “Etz Hayyim Chumash,” “Aleph Isn’t Tough” (AnT) 1 & 2, Torah/Haftarah trope book.

ORTHODOX JEWISH LIVING: WHAT IS IT & HOW? 8 p.m. Contact Rabbi Yizchok I. Yagod, 610-905-2166, rabbiyagod1@ gmail.com.

THURSDAYS

JEWISH WAR VETERANS POST 239 2nd Sunday of the month, 10 a.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley Veterans and their significant others are invited as the guest of the Ladies Auxiliary. Come and enjoy comradeship; we’ll even listen to your “war stories.” A brunch follows each meeting. Questions? Contact Commander Sheila Berg at 610360-1267 or sh-berg1@hotmail. com.

TEFILLIN CLUB & ADULT HEBREW SCHOOL 9:30 a.m. Tefillin; 10 to 11 a.m.

Adult Hebrew, Chabad Tefillin is for Jewish men and boys over the age of bar mitzvah, to learn about, and gain appreciation for, the rich and enriching Jewish practice – the mitzvah – of donning tefillin. Contact 610-351-6511.

TALMUD CLASS FOR BEGINNERS! 10 to 11 a.m., Congregation Beth Avraham of Bethlehem-Easton For information,contact Rabbi Yitzchok I. Yagod at 610-905-2166.

TUESDAYS TORAH STUDY 12:30 p.m., at the home of Cindy Daniels, Easton Join Rabbi Melody of TCP to delve into the heart and soul of the Torah and how it applies to your life! No knowledge of Hebrew is necessary, nor is registration. Contact 610-2532031 for information.

YACHAD TORAH STUDY GROUP 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley It doesn’t matter how much you know, it matters how much you want to know. Bring your curiosity to Yachad’s Torah study group and discover the wonders, adventures and meaning of the Torah. Moderated by lay leaders. Held in the front gallery at the JCC. Email barbart249@ aol.com for information.

J-DAYS: CONNECTION CORNER AT THE J – YIDDUSH CLUB 2 to 3:30 p.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley Enjoy fun, fellowship, stories and more. Discuss topics like cooking, humor, music and all kinds of entertainment in the Yiddish language.

Join other adults to experience similar interests. Register for the year and participate in as many of the weekly activities as you would like. $5/season or register for a full year: $18/ year. JCC members: free. Register with the JCC Welcome Desk or call 610-435-3571. Contact Amy Sams for more information about J-Days at 610-435-3571 ext. 182 or asams@ lvjcc.org.

WEDNESDAYS 101 JUDAISM CLASS 10 a.m., Temple Covenant of Peace Join Rabbi Melody for the 101 Judaism Class. All welcome! Contact 610-253-2031 for information.

J-DAYS: CONNECTION CORNER AT THE J – MAH JONGG 1 to 3:30 p.m., JCC of the Lehigh Valley Drop in for a friendly game of mahj and conversation. Join other adults to experience similar interests. Register for the year and participate in as many of the weekly activities as you would like. $5/season or register for a full year: $18/year. JCC members: free. Register with the JCC Welcome Desk or call 610-435-3571. Contact Amy Sams for more information about J-Days at 610-435-3571 ext.

182 or asams@lvjcc.org.

KNITTING WITH FERNE 1 p.m., Congregation Keneseth Israel Free and open; no experience needed. Ferne is delighted to teach newcomers to knitting and crocheting as well as confer on projects with those who have more experience.

A lovely way to spend a Wednesday afternoon!

CHRONIC CONDITIONS GROUP 2nd Thursday of the month, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Jewish Family Service The group is open to anyone that is coping with living with a chronic condition and looking for others to share life issues and garner support.

Co-led by Susan Sklaroff-VanHook and Rebecca Axelrod-Cooper. Call 610-821-8722 to learn more. There is no charge for the group.

ECCLESIASTES: A TIME AND A SEASON 10:30 a.m., Congregation Keneseth Israel Join a welcoming group of KI members and their friends to discuss a variety of topics relevant to the Jewish lives we have -- or want to have. No prerequisites except an open mind and a willingness to listen to each other. For more information or to get on the email list, contact shari@kilv. org or call 610-435-9074.

TORAH ON TILGHMAN 12:15 p.m., Allentown Wegmans Cantor Ellen Sussman of Temple Shirat Shalom leads a lunch and learn on the Torah. RSVP to contactus@ templeshiratshalom.com or 610820-7666.

SHABBAT

HADASSAH STUDY GROUP Every other Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., Temple Beth El Allentown Hadassah presents a stimulating series of short story seminars.

All are welcome to attend these free sessions in the Temple Beth El library.

The group will be reading selections from anthologies available from Amazon.com. For dates and stories, contact Marilyn Claire, mjclaire@ gmail.com, 610-972-7054.

BETH AVRAHAM TORAH STUDY 7 p.m.

Torah: It is the common heritage that binds all Jews together. Explore the ancient wisdom of Torah together. All are welcome. RSVP: Rabbi Yitzchok I. Yagod, 610-905-2166, rabbiyagod1@gmail.com.

TORAH STUDIES: A WEEKLY JOURNEY INTO THE SOUL OF TORAH 7 p.m., Chabad of the Lehigh Valley Torah Studies by JLI presents: Season Two 5779: A 12-part series. Cost is $36 for the complete series (textbook included). For more information contact 610-351-6511 or rabbi@chabadlehighvalley.com.

ADULT B’NEI MITZVAH PROGRAM 7:15 p.m., Congregation Brith Sholom Goals: In part two of the adult b’nei mitzvah program, we will continue to improve our Hebrew reading skills, explore the structure of the

BEGINNER’S GEMARA 8 a.m., Congregation Sons of Israel Facilitated by Dr. Henry Grossbard, this is an excellent primer for developing the analytical tools necessary for in-depth study of the Talmud.

CONTEMPORARY HALACHIC ISSUES FROM THE PARSHA 12 p.m., Congregation Sons of Israel This class takes Halachah from the weekly Torah portion and brings it to bear on some of the most pressing issues of our time.

CHAVURAT TORAH STUDY Saturdays following kiddush lunch, Temple Beth El Taught by Shari Spark. No sign-up needed. Length of each class will vary. Enrich your Shabbat experience by studying the parashat hashavua, the weekly Torah portion.

Questions? Email Shari at shari@ bethelallentown.org.

WISDOM OF THE TALMUD 1 p.m., Congregation Brith Sholom Join Rabbi Singer in a lively discussion about Jewish law, ethics, customs and history, as found in the pages of the Talmud, Masechet Brachot. This year we are continuing to focus on the roots of the Amidah and what blessings are said over different foods. Books are available for order. No previous Talmud study required.

Congregations BNAI ABRAHAM SYNAGOGUE 1545 Bushkill St., Easton – 610.258.5343 Conservative SHABBAT MORNING services are Saturdays at 10 a.m.

CHABAD OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY 4457 Crackersport Rd., Allentown – 610.336.6603 Rabbi Yaacov Halperin, Chabad Lubavitch SHABBAT EVENING services are held once a month seasonally, SHABBAT MORNING services are held Saturdays at 10 a.m., RELIGIOUS SCHOOL classes are held Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m.

CONGREGATION AM HASKALAH 1190 W. Macada Rd., Bethlehem – 610.435.3775 Rabbi Malkah Binah Klein, Reconstructionist Weekly Shabbat services and a monthly family service with potluck dinner. Religious school meets Sunday mornings. Email am.haskalah.office@ gmail.com to learn more.

CONGREGATION BETH AVRAHAM 439 South Nulton Ave., Palmer Township – 610.905.2166 | Rabbi Yitzchok Yagod, Orthodox SHABBAT EVENING starts half an hour after candle lighting. SHABBAT MORNING starts at 9:30 a.m., followed by a hot kiddish.

CONGREGATION BRITH SHOLOM 1190 W. Macada Rd., Bethlehem – 610.866.8009 Rabbi Michael Singer, Conservative MINYAN is at 7:45 a.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. on Shabbat and holidays. RELIGIOUS SCHOOL classes every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Brith Sholom and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. at Temple Beth El. CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL 2227 Chew St., Allentown – 610.435.9074 Rabbi Seth D. Phillips, Reform Services begin at 7:30 pm every Friday night. The first Friday of the month is a birthday celebration.

Religious School is held on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and runs from kindergarten through confirmation (10th grade).

CONGREGATION SONS OF ISRAEL 2715 Tilghman St., Allentown – 610.433.6089 Orthodox SHACHARIT: Sundays at 8:30 a.m., Mondays and Thursdays at 6:30 a.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:45 a.m. MINCHAH/MAARIV: 20 minutes before sunset. FRIDAY EVENING: 20 minutes before sunset, 7 p.m. in the summer. SHABBAT MORNING: 9 a.m. SHABBAT AFTERNOON: 90 minutes before dark.

TEMPLE BETH EL 1305 Springhouse Rd., Allentown – 610.435.3521 Rabbi Moshe Re’em, Conservative WEEKDAY MORNING minyan services at 7:45 a.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m. SHABBAT EVENING services at 7:30 p.m. with the last Friday evening of the month featuring our Shira Chadasha Service.

SHABBAT MORNING services at 9:30 a.m. followed by kiddush. RELIGIOUS SCHOOL classes every Tuesday at 4 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. Midrasha school classes Monday at 6:30 p.m. Shalshelet meets bimonthly on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Shalshelet (the chain) is open to ALL 10th, 11th and 12th grade students in the Lehigh Valley. For more information, contact Alicia Zahn, religious school director, at school@bethelallentown.org.

TEMPLE COVENANT OF PEACE 1451 Northampton St., Easton – 610.253.2031 tcp@rcn.com; tcopeace.org Rabbi Melody Davis, Cantor Jill Pakman, Reform TCP holds Shabbat morning services at 10 a.m. For more information about our Temple and activities, see our website at www.tcopeace.org or look us up on Facebook.

TEMPLE ISRAEL OF LEHIGHTON 194 Bankway Str. Lehighton – 610-379-9591 Pluralistic Shabbat evening services are held monthly beginning with potluck at 6:30 p.m. followed by services at 7:30 p.m. All regular monthly events can be found at templeisraeloflehighton.com.

TEMPLE SHIRAT SHALOM 610.706.4595 | Cantor Ellen Sussman, Reform TSS meets in congregants’ homes once per month and at Cantor Sussman’s home once per month.

Call Cantor Sussman for details.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | APRIL 2019 31

wishes you a

Happy Passover

Kosher Fresh Chicken Items

Fresh Kosher Boneless Chicken Breast Fillets

9 9 $

4

Fresh Kosher Cut Up Chicken Fryers

p

p

9 4 $

2

per pound

Fresh Kosher Whole Broiler Chickens

9 4 $

2

per pound

p

per pound

We have a selection of Kosher for Passover cakes and cookies made by Lilly’s Bakery Shop.

U p

4 $5

Selected Manischewitz Matzo Balls - 4.5 or 5 ounce

U

49 $ p

3

Selected Manischewitz Potato Pancake Mix - 6 ounce

U p

2 $6

Selected Kedem Grape Juice - 64 oz; Sparkling Grape Juice - 25.4 oz

U

49 $ p

3

Gefen Fancy Clover Pure Honey - 12 ounce

U

99 $ p

5

Manischewitz Gefilte Fish 24 ounce

U

99 $ p

Yehuda Passover Matzo

REDEEM NOW HOLIDAY

REWARDS

THROUGH 4/27/19!

Limit one per household. While supplies last.

4

5 pound

Yehuda Matzo 5 pound

U p

2 $5

Manischewitz Macaroons 10 ounce

U

99 $ p

3

Manischewitz Chocolate Cake Mix - 14 ounce

FREE

with 100

Visit Weis for all your Food & Drink needs or order online at weismarkets.com/shop We reserve the right to limit quantities. • Not responsible for typographical or pictorial errors. • Products may not be available in all stores.

all prices good through

05/01/19

EAT BETTER,

DOUBLE COUPONS! everyday up to 99¢

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2019