The Voice of the Lehigh Valley Jewish Community
www.jewishlehighvalley.org
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Issue No. 443
May 2021
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Iyyar/Sivan 5781
AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION EST. 1977
See how we celebrated Israel’s 73rd birthday p6-7
Join us in Celebrating Women this month in our special section p12-16
FROM THE DESK OF JERI ZIMMERMAN p2 LVJF TRIBUTES p8 JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE p11 JEWISH DAY SCHOOL p17 JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER p18-19 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p23
Freestyle mission to Israel in the works for older adults By Stephanie Smartschan JFLV Director of Community Development and Operations A few months after moving to Allentown in 2019, Phil and Ruth Michel were inspired by their first JCC film event and were already off to Israel. It was the first trip there for the semi-retiree, and it “blew all our expectations away,” Phil said. While he enjoyed the recreational sites, and ate so much good food, he knew there was lots more to see and do. “We really didn’t get that much into the cultural and the historical and none of the religious aspects,” Phil said. “That’s what we want to do this time.” Upon returning from his visit, Phil
began working with Carol Wilson from Jewish Family Service and Jeri Zimmerman from the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley to plan a trip specifically geared toward older adults. The trip, originally planned for spring of 2021, was to have a more relaxed feel, with later start times, flexible schedules and full accommodations. The trip never got off the ground, of course, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, but now those restrictions are finally loosening and plans are again in the works for a spring 2022 sojourn. A core group has already begun meeting, and the plan is to add on a few more travelers before the trip caps at 20. In the year preceding the trip, the
travelers will not only have the opportunity to shape their own itinerary, but will meet regularly to learn basic Hebrew and Israeli culture, as well as form early bonds. “There’s going to be an opportunity to make some lifelong friends with this kind of a trip,” Phil said.
Are you interested in participating in a freestyle mission to Israel for older adults? Learn more at a parlor meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 26, at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. To register, contact Carol Wilson at Jewish Family Service of the Lehigh Valley at 610-351-9956 or cwilson@jfslv.org.
Israel won’t require masks outdoors, will allow vaccinated tour groups
JACK GUEZ/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
By Ben Sales Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The El Al departure counter at Ben Gurion International Airport was empty after the airline canceled flights to Italy amid a coronavirus outbreak, Feb. 27, 2020. Non-Profit Organization 702 North 22nd Street Allentown, PA 18104
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Israel has reached a milestone in its return to normalcy: As of April 18, Israelis will no longer be required to wear masks outside. The announcement from the Health Ministry comes as Israel’s COVID case numbers have plummeted along with its successful vaccination drive. At certain points last year, Israel reported case numbers that were among the highest in the world, but the country since has vaccinated more than half its population. The rising vaccination rates have pushed the COVID numbers down to an average of a couple hundred cases a day among more than 9 million Israelis. “The masks are intended to protect us from the coronavirus,” Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said, according to The Times of Israel. “After professionals decided this was no longer required in open spaces, I decided to enable taking them off.”
Masks will still be required in indoor public spaces. The change in mask protocols is one of a few ways that Israeli society is reopening. Schools have fully reopened, and starting May 23, fully vaccinated tour groups will be allowed to visit Israel. The Jewish state hopes to allow individual vaccinated tourists by early July, a source in its Tourism Ministry told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “It is time that Israel’s unique advantage as a safe and healthy country start to assist it in recovering from the economic crisis, and not only serve other countries’ economies,” Tourism Minister Orit Farkash-Hacohen said in a statement. “Only opening the skies for international tourism will truly revive the tourism industry, including restaurants, hotels, sites, tour guides, buses and others looking to work and provide for their families.” The reopening to tourists will happen in three stages:
Beginning on May 23, the country will let in a small number of tour groups, about 10 to 20 a day, led by licensed tour providers. Tourists will still need to test for COVID before the flight, and test for antibodies upon arrival. A few weeks after May 23, if case numbers remain low, the number of tour groups allowed in per day will rise. Israel then hopes to reopen to individuals and families who are vaccinated. In 2019, some 4.55 million tourists visited Israel, and the country’s tourism industry employed some 200,000 people, according to the ministry. But Israel closed nearly all entry to foreigners with the onset of the pandemic, and shut down its main airport completely earlier this year due to rising case numbers. Editor’s note: To learn more about how Israel has navigated the pandemic, read about our upcoming Maimonides Brunch@ Home on page 5.
In her shoes As we celebrate women in HAKOL this month, I wanted to share some thoughts about leading Jewish women whose stories inspire me. It is most difficult to narrow it down to just a few, when you consider how many there are who fit that role and whom we hold in high esteem. For example: We begin with Eve, the mother of all human creatures. The four matriarchs, Sarah, Rivka, Rachel and Leah, the prophets, Devorah, Yael and other strong biblical women, Zipporah, Miriam, Esther, Naomi and Ruth from the Book of Ruth and King David’s grandmother, and Bathsheva, King David’s wife. Then there are Hannah from the Chanukah story and Dona Gracia from the 16th century who used
her wisdom and wealth to work for human dignity and cultural creativity. Moving swiftly through history, we know of the bravery of Hannah Senesh the paratrooper who fought and died valiantly for Israel, Sarah Aaronson who also fought and died heroically for the Israeli underground NILI, Anne Frank, and countless Jewish women who saved their children during the Holocaust. There are activists and leaders like Henrietta Szold (founder of Hadassah), and cultural notables such as poets Emma Lazarus and Leah Goldberg, and Golda Meir, RBG, Estee Lauder, Ada Yonat (Nobel prize winner in chemistry), Deborah Lipstadt (fighting against Holocaust deniers), Sheryl Sandberg and, of course,
Gal Gadot. All of these women “leaned in” to make a significant difference or change in the lives of those around them, whether close to home or in the broadest global sense. Considering that there is an entire encyclopedia devoted to Jewish women with hundreds of women just under the letter heading of A, there are so many talented, brilliant women that deserve to be recognized. Many of these remarkable women tend to be overlooked, which is why it is so important for us to highlight their achievements and the paths they trail-blazed for us. The women mentioned above have made their mark on a global scale and are largely recognized
as household names. But there are many more Jewish women making their mark, doing important work that sometimes goes unacknowledged. Many of these women are doing extraordinary things right here in our community! They are leading by example, whether in professional roles or as volunteers who are donating time and resources to make our community a better place. The women who serve on our boards and lead our Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy have made a conscious decision to
give back and to improve the lives of others. They are our grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, nieces and friends, and each is to be commended for her contributions to repairing the world. It is with that in mind that we celebrate women in this issue of HAKOL. HAKOL STAFF STEPHANIE GOODLING 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
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The Lehigh Valley-Yoav Partnership Park in Blessed Memory of Mark L. Goldstein We gratefully acknowledge those individuals who have offered expressions of friendship by requesting that trees be planted in the Mark L. Goldstein Friendship Park, a Yoav-Lehigh Valley Partnership Forest. IN HONOR AARON GORODZINSKY In honor of your engagement to Jennie Schechner Vicki Wax ZIGHELBOIM FAMILY In honor of Noah’s Bar Mitzvah Temple Beth El IN MEMORY LUCILLE BINDERMAN (Mother of Beth Kozinn) Marilyn Claire Joan Epstein Eileen and Roberto Fischmann Iris Klein Carole and Michael Langsam
BERNIE FILLER (Husband of Bunny) Kristin and Steve Molloy YAIR LEVY (Husband of Ilana Levy) Carole and Michael Langsam RONNIE SHEFTEL (Mother of Bruce Sheftel) Vicki Wax GERALD SHER (Brother of Shirley Gruen) Carole and Michael Langsam MARIAN VOSK (Mother of Stephanie Smartschan) Judy Alperin Eileen and Roberto Fischmann Aaron Gorodzinsky The Kolpon Family Diane McKee Partnership2Gether Committee
TO ORDER TREES, call the JFLV at 610-821-5500 or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org. 2 MAY 2021 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY
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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
Lehigh Valley set to ‘graduate’ from LIFE & LEGACY By Stephanie Smartschan JFLV Director of Community Development & Operations The Lehigh Valley will be honored by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation on May 27 for completing four years in the LIFE & LEGACY program. The ceremony will take place as part of Grinspoon’s 2021 Virtual Legacy Gathering. It will begin at 7:30 p.m. and the com-
munity is invited to attend. Additionally, a local celebration for community agencies, volunteers and donors will take place this fall. “While completing Year 4 is a significant milestone, an unknown author is quoted as saying ‘the finish line is just the beginning of a whole new race,’” Arlene Schiff, LIFE & LEGACY’s national director, said in a letter to graduating
communities. “We look forward to continuing to support your efforts to further make legacy giving a social norm in your community in the years to come.” Through the efforts of the Jewish Federation, the Lehigh Valley began working with LIFE & LEGACY in 2017 as a way to reinvigorate local agencies to prioritize their endowments. Ten local agencies and organi-
VOICES FROM THE CRC
After Pittsburgh, we remember — and prepare By Aaron Gorodzinsky JFLV Director of Campaign & Security Planning There is no doubt that there is a before and after for every Jewish community following the Tree of Life synagogue shooting when it comes to planning and coordinating security. In our community, for many years, we coordinated and established relationships with our law enforcement and hosted annual security seminars, and we shared information with our synagogues and agencies when it was pertinent. But the general approach to security was not centralized. It has been almost three years since the shooting in Pittsburgh, and our community has taken tremendous strides to centralize and ensure that our agencies and synagogues can fund their security needs. What has happened since Pittsburgh? Under the leadership of Gary Fromer, president of Federation, and the vision of Dr. Eric Fels, chair of the CRC security committee, our Federation charged me with creating a more comprehensive security plan for our community and to work
closely with our agencies and synagogues to find ways to fund their security needs. While the plan was in the works, we hosted a Stop the Bleed Seminar with all of our synagogues and agencies. We also helped them create their crisis communication plans. We immediately engaged with the Secure Community Network, an organization created and founded by our Federation dollars, to find what we could do to improve the security in our community. At the same time, we continue to improve our relationships with our local and federal law enforcement partners who are eager to work with us. Our Federation joined forces with the rest of the Jewish Federations in our Commonwealth to advocate at the state level and request a $5 million statewide nonprofit security grant based on needs and merit. The grant has been available for two years, and our synagogues and agencies have been able to access funds. At the federal level, we joined the call from Jewish Federations of North America to advocate for additional funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, and more accessibility of funds for smaller communities
zations ultimately partnered in this effort, working together to collect letters of intent on each others’ behalf and finalize commitments. Four years later, the participating organizations have 535 commitments from 330 donors, with an estimated value of $9 million. “I like to joke that I can’t attend a meeting without mentioning LIFE & LEGACY,” said Jim Mueth, director of planned giving and endowments for the Jewish Federation. “This partnership has been a major part of our efforts over the past four years, and also so fulfilling. We are a stronger community
because of it.” In addition to the financial incentives provided to participating agencies, the Grinspoon Foundation also provided years worth of training for LIFE & LEGACY “teams” at each organization. Now, those staff members and volunteers will be able to continue their work to strengthen the community’s future, and are in fact still working to finalize commitments by June 30. “This truly is just the beginning,” said Jeri Zimmerman, executive director of the Jewish Federation. “We are going to take what we have learned and run with it for years to come.”
like ours. Thanks to our advocacy, this year, the NSGP doubled its allocation. We launched a partnership with Bond, an app that allows each member of our community access 24/7 to a security agent. We were the first Federation in the nation to enter into a partnership with Bond. In addition to all of these steps, this year, thanks to a grant we were able to obtain from the Secure Community Network, we hired a consultant, who worked very closely with the Pittsburgh Jewish community in the last few years, who will be working with me to continue centralizing our approach to security and help our agencies and synagogues apply for the state and federal security grants. Although she only started a month ago, she has already worked with two of our organizations as they finalize their applications, and with me to map out our community needs and plan for next year. We know that the safety and security of our community is a priority, and we will continue working to ensure we are ready when the doors of our synagogues and agencies open again after COVID.
ARE YOU DONATING STOCK TO FEDERATION? Federation has a new account and DTC number for stock donations. If you have donated stock in the past, you will need to update your information in order to process future gifts. Please contact us at 610-821-5500 or mailbox@jflv.org to learn more. HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | MAY 2021 3
ADVANTAGE NUTRITION & WELLNESS Jennifer Doane and Jacqui Jarrett AROUND THE TABLE CATERING, INC. Lee Levi ART GALLERY & FRAME SHOP Cheryl Baran
HEALTHCARE ADVOCATE Melissa Hakim, MD JANE RONCORONI FINE CLOTHING Jane Roncoroni LEHIGH VALLEY CENTER FOR SIGHT Irena Cherfas, MD
BOUTIQUETOGO Elena Pascal
SUMO SUSHI AND JAPANESE RESTAURANT Jessica Chen
CREATIVE CLOSETS Ellyn Elstein
VALLEY EYE GROUP Karen Dacey, MD
DAMANY CENTER Suparna Damany
YIANNI'S TAVERNA Melissa Zannakis and Maria Zannakis Manakos
DISTINCTIVE TILE AND STONE Debra Ellstrom
Netanyahu again tapped to form Israeli government without clear path to majority By Ben Sales Jewish Telegraphic Agency Benjamin Netanyahu has again been chosen to lead Israel’s next government following an election that did not deliver a majority to the prime minister or his rivals. Netanyahu, who has served as prime minister for more than a decade, does not have a clear path to assembling a majority coalition in Israel’s 120-seat parliament, the Knesset. But he received the support of 52 lawmakers, more than his leading opponent, the centrist Yair Lapid. President Reuven Rivlin, who tapped Netanyahu to form the coalition, cited the math as the reason for his choice. Netanyahu is also standing trial on corruption charges, the first sitting Israeli prime minister to do so. Netanyahu’s trial complicated the decision for Rivlin, who prizes the integrity of his nation’s political system and has bemoaned the deadlock of the past two years, which has led Israelis to vote in four rounds of inconclusive elections.
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The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley recognizes and appreciates the many local women leaders - professionals, business owners, managers, executives. Thank you to those who support HAKOL as regular advertisers. Please patronize them and say thank you for their support of our nonprofit. In the May HAKOL, you’ll find the following women professionals and business owners:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the media at the Knesset building in Jerusalem, Dec. 22, 2020.
“This decision has not been an easy one in my eyes, in terms of morals and values,” Rivlin said. “I tremble for my state, for our state, but I am doing what is required of me as president of Israel, bound by the law and the decisions of the court.” To gain the support of a Knesset majority, Netanyahu must convince at least nine lawmakers who have not pledged themselves to the Likud party head to either vote for his leadership or abstain from the vote
so that he gets more votes than his opponents. That may entail partnering with the Islamist Raam party, something that Netanyahu’s far-right allies have ruled out. Should Netanyahu fail after about a month, Rivlin can choose to tap another lawmaker to form a coalition, or he can throw the decision to the Knesset itself. If neither of those options lead to a government, Israelis will vote in another election — the fifth since 2019.
SPONSORED BY THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY’S WOMEN’S DIVISION
welcoming new babies to the Lehigh Valley If you’re expecting, know someone who is, or have a new baby, PLEASE LET US KNOW! Contact Abby Trachtman, 610-821-5500 | abbyt@jflv.org 4 MAY 2021 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY
Handmade Afghans BY EVA LEVITT
All proceeds benefit projects in Israel:
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All payments are made payable to the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley
Levy Hillel awards distinguish young leaders The Levy Hillel Leadership Award is an annual prize given to students from area Hillels who have demonstrated evidence of promise in community leadership through active participation in campus organizations and awareness of needs and concerns of the Jewish community. The award was founded by Mort and Myra Levy, z”l, through the Lehigh Valley Jewish Foundation, the community’s endowment fund of the Jewish Federation. Meet the 2021 winners: Hayden Fisher, a junior at Lafayette College, is minoring in Jewish studies while also serving in a number of major roles at Hillel and exploring interfaith dialogue. She has served as the vice president for religion and culture, developing and overseeing events and programs and leading and organizing weekly Shabbat services. As Hillel president, she also oversees the board and their activities and welcomes all members to a positive Jewish life experience on campus. “When I started at Lafayette, I never imagined that the Jewish community on campus would become such an important part of my life, let alone that I would serve as the person in charge of the incredible community at Lafayette’s Hillel Society. While serving as the vice president of religious and cultural education, I saw first-
hand the role that education plays in how we understand our religion and how our perception of the world around us is influenced by our spiritual and religious connections. It gave me the opportunity to learn about and connect with my religion in a way that I hadn’t been able to explore on my own before,” said Fisher. Elliot Horowitz is a junior at Lehigh University, where he is a former board member and vice president of Hillel. He first got involved with Hillel through their Friday night dinners. “He was essential to the growth of our programming over the last few years, as well as the revision of our by-laws,” said Rabbi Steve Nathan, Lehigh Hillel advisor. “He has also been a true ambassador for Hillel with the members of the Marching 97 (the Lehigh marching band) and has welcomed many first-year students to our activities.” Horowitz has been working in partnership with David Molish, last year's Levy Hillel award recipient from Lehigh, along with Lauren Pogostin, the previous year's recipient, and other students to help grow Lehigh Hillel. “Hillel has been a warm and welcoming place. During the pandemic, the Hillel holiday and Shabbat bags have kept students connected with Hillel and with their Jewish identity,” said Horowitz.
Jordan Karp, Lafayette junior, has served as both vice president of programming and president of his chapter’s Hillel. He has worked to plan events for his community, such as introducing an event making holiday cards for Jewish Family Service clients. “It was essential for me to establish a relationship with the greater Lafayette community and do mitzvot to support it,” said Karp. Karp has also been a leader during the hard times of the COVID-19 pandemic, whether through offering a few laughs to his classmates or ensuring that, despite measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Hillel community on campus perseveres. “Judaism creates a strong community and a sense of a collective identity ... My primary reason for joining Hillel was to find a sense of community. Hillel instantly became my home on campus,” said Karp. Junior Adam Marcus of Muhlenberg College has served as an engagement intern with his campus’s Hillel, recruiting new students to engage in events and organizing many programs for the chapter. He is also a founding member of the chapter of the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi, where he currently serves as treasurer. “Adam has been an exemplar of Jewish and campus student leadership. He has demonstrated
Elliot Horowitz
Hayden Fisher
Jordan Karp
Adam Marcus
Jordan Karp
Adam Marcus
a strong commitment to Jewish values by creating meaningful spaces for religious life, leadership and community ... Having known the Levys, z”l, I feel that Adam proudly models their generosity, kindness and commitment to building and sustaining Jewish life on campus,” said Ira Blum, director of the Leffell Center for Jewish Student Life at Muhlenberg. In addition to engagement, Marcus also helps lead the songs
at weekly Shabbat services and has served on the Hillel Selections Committee to help determine future student leadership. He also utilizes his leadership positions in other student organizations to advocate on behalf of the Jewish community. “From a young age, my parents and grandparents instilled in me the importance of tikkun olam and being actively involved in the Jewish community,” said Marcus.
Maimonides Brunch@ Home to cover how Israel navigated pandemic How did Israel go from their third lockdown to not requiring masks in public in less than five months? Israel is being celebrated as the world’s most vaccinated nation, with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reporting that over 50% of their civilians have gotten their shots. But how did they get to this point? Join the Federation’s Maimonides Society for their next Brunch@ Home on Sunday, June 6, at 10 a.m. to find out. Asher Salmon, MD, Ph.D., MDA, will be speaking virtually from Israel to explain how his country navigated the pandemic and what we can learn from their process. Salmon is head of international relations at the Israel Ministry of Health. Prior to joining the Ministry, Salmon served as deputy director of Hadassah Medical Center and of Barzilai Medical Center. During the COVID-19 crisis, Salmon has also been responsible for inter-ministerial coordination in the areas of travel, borders and national security, serving as the Ministry liaison with the National Security Council. A member of the National Health Council and the OECD Health Bureau, Salmon is a
clinical oncologist by training and holds the rank of Lt Colonel (res) in the military. This event is free and open to everyone. Bring your brunch and join the Maimonides Society via Zoom. To register, email mailbox@jflv.org or visit jewishlehighvalley.org.
HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | MAY 2021 5
Allentown string quartet marks Holocaust Remembrance Day
The Copeland String Quartet, led by Israeli-raised Eliezer Gutman, concertmaster for the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, performs virtually at the Federation’s Yom HaShoah program on April 7. The quartet performed music written by three composers who died in the Holocaust, including Hans Krása who composed “Brundibár,” a children’s opera made famous by performances in the Terezín concentration camp.
Lehigh Valley celebrates Israel’s 73rd birthday with dance party An IDF band performs for Zoom participants to dance to Israeli music at the Federation’s party in honor of Yom Ha’atzmaut on April 15. PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT
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6 MAY 2021 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY
Israeli leader speaks on ‘Days of We’ By Stephanie Goodling HAKOL Editor Avraham Infeld has addressed the Lehigh Valley before, but on April 11, he did so over Zoom from Jerusalem. Infeld is president emeritus of Hillel International and the founder and director of a number of innovative educational institutions. He has invested a lifetime building Jewish identity and strengthening the State of Israel by educating Jewish youth on the Heberw language, the land of Israel, Jewish values, the Jewish religion and the Jewish community. “We are at a very, very particular time in the Jewish calendar,” Infeld said. He explained that the Jewish calendar is filled with red-letter “periods” which connect one day to another rather than just a few individual days. The period which he focused on for his talk was the period of Yom HaShoah to Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut. He gave insights on why these three holidays all take place within one week of each other.
“We are first and foremost a people,” said Infeld, speaking of the collective mindset he sees in the Jewish people. He compared the time between these three holidays to the most well-known red-letter period, the 10 Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, calling them instead “the nine Days of We.” “For most Israelis, those days are as serious as the 10 Days of Awe are,” he said. He put into context why the “Days of We” are important to him, sharing the story of how he was born in South Africa and the impact growing up there had on him.
Infeld grew up in a secular but “very, very Jewish” home, and he always felt a tribal identity to the Jewish people. Moving to Israel as a young adult, Infeld felt he didn’t quite fit in until one day seven months after he arrived, when he was alarmed by air raid sirens going off. Trying to seek shelter, he was shushed by several people standing in silent attention around him. After the two-minute tribute was completed, someone explained to him that it was Yom HaShoah. It was then, Infeld said, that he “all of a sudden felt at home in Israel.” “Six million Jews died in the Holocaust, but they were not Israelis. They were six million members of my tribe,” Infeld said. “Israel’s basic memory is not of a new state but of a Jewish state, of the homeland of our people – it's steeped in Jewish memory.” Infeld described what Yom HaShoah feels like in Israel: “It is already three genreations away [from the kids on the street], but still it is a collective mourning. I know of no other event, no other day in Israel that so expresses the fact that Israel is a Jewish state.” The connection between Yom HaShoah with the events a week later makes perfect sense to Infeld. “Our ability to dance and sing on Independence Day is an expression of our ability to recognize what it is we got in return for that price,” Infeld reflected. “What we got in reality is not an Israeli thing, it is a very Jewish thing. The price we pay for the creation of the state of Israel was the recognition of the fact that what we commemorated a week earlier will never happen again to the Jewish people. No more will we go to deaths at other people's whims. No more will we not be able to defend ourselves. And much more than that, never again will there be another Jewish refugee in this world.” Infeld was pleased to be able to share the importance of the “Days of We” with the Lehigh Valley community. “I hope that the more and more Jews who join us around the world in making Yom HaShoah, Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut red letter days of one red letter period in their lives and their countries, as well, will help the Jewish people regain its power and use it wisely.”
Community shaliach helps Valley commemorate, celebrate Israel
Barrack Hebrew Academy celebrates Israel
By Stephanie Goodling HAKOL Editor Last month as Israel commemorated its Memorial Day and celebrated its 73rd birthday, members of the Lehigh Valley Jewish community got to experience some Israeli-style events thanks to our community shaliach, Gavriel SimanTov. Siman-Tov led a few different virtual programs, starting with a moving ceremony to honor the Israel Defense Forces’ fallen soldiers and victims of terror attacks on April 13 for Yom Hazikaron. Prayers were offered by Lehigh Valley Jewish clergy and the names of the fallen from the Lehigh Valley’s Partnership2Gether community in Yoav were listed. Using the power of music, the stories of three different young people who lost their lives were shared. An initiative in Israel called “These Are My Brothers” uses lyrics or poems written by IDF soldiers and converts them into songs. Rabbi Moshe Re’em of Temple Beth El lent his voice to two of the songs, and the third was performed by the man who composed it.
A fallen soldier from Yoav is remembered at the service for Yom Hazikaron on April 13.
Itai Bachar made a guest appearance at the Zoom presentation to tell of how he got involved with the project and how much it meant to him to connect with the family of the young man whose words he turned into song. Then on April 14, when the mourning turned into the jubilation of Independence Day, Siman-Tov gave another presentation with music, this time celebrating the modern music of Israel. SimanTov “turned on the radio” virtually to briefly present eight contemporary Israeli songs which taught the audience more about the culture of Israel. “I wanted to give you a small taste of
Israel, a quick transition like the transition from Yom Hazikaron to Yom Ha’atzmaut. Today’s transition represented the life we are used to as Israel,” said Siman-Tov. “This is our life. We go from sadness to joy in a moment. We remember where we came from and what we sacrificed and then aim high in moving forward. We have hope in our hearts, and we are marching with it.” Siman-Tov also shared some Israeli dance moves at the virtual Yom Ha’atzmaut dance party on April 15, which the Federation held with its Partnership2Gether community in Yoav to round out the week.
On April 14-15, Barrack Hebrew Academy commemorated and celebrated the “Yoms,” as they do in Israel with reverence and solemnity that yields to celebration and jubilation. On April 14, Barrack marked Yom Hazikaron with a moving cer-
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emony led by the Israel Club and advisor Maya Rosenberg and had the privilege to hear from Israeli families who have lost loved ones, and from Jewish studies teacher Rabbi Akiva Weiss about his harrowing, near-death experience in the IDF.
On April 15, Barrack celebrated the State of Israel ktrah ,bhsn on Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's 73rd birthday. Complete with Israeli dancing, "Tel-Aviv beach" electives and learning about Israeli innovation, it was a joyous day at Barrack!
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CELEBRATING WOMEN
The splendor of challah
By Sandi Teplitz When COVID hit hard last year, Sandy Goldfarb was concerned about breaking her weekly tradition of serving challah with the Shabbat meal. Although she couldn't get to the food store, Sandy remembered the class she took two years earlier with Martina Obenski. Known for her chocolate chip cookies and cream cheese pie, Sandy decided this was the time to create a new tradition. And there was no going back. She was gracious enough to share her recipe; now HAKOL readers can add it to their culinary repertoire.
INGREDIENTS: 3/4 cup warm water (110-115 F) 1 tsp. sugar 2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast 2 eggs 1 white 1 yolk 1/4 cup honey 2 Tbsp. oil 1 Tbsp. oil 3 cups unbleached flour + extra for kneading 2 tsp. salt Corn meal Everything bagel topping TECHNIQUE: In a small bowl, add the yeast and sugar to warm water and stir to combine. Set aside and allow to bloom (bubble). In another bowl, mix together the eggs, yolk, 2 Tbsp. oil and honey. Set aside. In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Add the yeast and egg mixture to the flour. With a wooden spoon, combine until a stringy dough forms. Turn out into a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. Shape into a ball
and place into a large bowl coated with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. Cover until it's double in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Divide into 3 equal pieces and roll into a long rope. Braid, pinch ends, and tuck under loaf. Place onto parchment lined pan sprinkled with corn meal. Cover and
allow to rise another 30 minutes. Mix reserved white with a teaspoon of water. Brush onto loaf. Sprinkle with bagel topping. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1/2 hour. Cool and enjoy. Writer's note: If there is any challah
remaining, it makes a delicious Sunday morning French toast. Dip thick slices into whole wheat flour, then a beaten egg. Fry in very hot Crisco and pat dry lightly with paper towels. Heat equal parts honey and lightly salted butter. Pour over and serve topped with sieved confectioners sugar.
Book review: ‘Birthright’ By Sean Boyle Special to HAKOL Erika Dreifus’s collection of over 50 original poems, “Birthright,” is a personal and frank look at what it means to be a Gen-X Jewish woman born and raised in the Bronx. Divided mostly between autobiographical and midrash style poems, Dreifus explores the large influences that the women in her family have had on her, as well as drawing inspiration from Jewish women throughout history. Dreifus alternates between three main themes for her poetry: telling of her family’s escaping of Europe just prior to the Holocaust and their settling in NYC, explor-
ing her own life experiences, and reflective midrash style works. No topic is off limits as Dreifus lays bare the abuses by her great-grandfather in “Black Sheep in the World to Come,” and her own personal tragedy in “Kaddish for My Uterus.” Dreifus also builds empathy from reflecting on ‘what happened afterwards’ in her modern midrash works, “Ruth’s Regret” and “Dinah Speaks.” In her poems “The O-Word” and “Questions for the Critics,” she justifies Israel’s actions for continued survival in a logical process that attempts to garner support. In “Pharaoh’s Daughter Addresses Linda Sarsour,” written as a direct response to Sarsour’s 2012 tweet, “Nothing is creepier than Zionism,” Dreifus asks Sarsour, why can't Jews have the same aspirations as everyone else? Although many complex and serious topics are covered, including Dreifus’s exploration of her faith, there are also several lighter poems such as “A Walker in the Post-Blizzard City,” and “On Refinding My First Crush on Facebook.” Overall it is an intriguing and intimate look into Dreifus’s faith and life as a modern Jewish woman. Dreifus was born and grew up initially in Brooklyn, and then her family moved to New Jersey. She has a PhD in history from Harvard University, where she taught history, literacy and writing. In 2007, Dreifus returned to NYC to be closer again with her extended family and began working and teaching at The City University of New York. Dreifus donates a portion of the proceeds of “Birthright” to Sefaria (Sefaria.org), “a free living library of Jewish texts and their interconnections, in Hebrew and in translation.” Dreifus has also published a book of short stories, “Quiet Americans” inspired by her paternal grandparents coming to the United States in the late 1930s and also donates a portion of that work’s profits to The Blue Card (bluecardfund.org), “whose mission is to assist Jewish survivors of Nazi persecution and their families who are in need in the United States.” “Birthright” opens with several pages of acknowledgements, providing where the individual poems have been published previously, and the many mentors and writing groups that helped her produce her works over a 12-year period. There are also two pages of notes at the end, that provides insight on the inspiration of many of the poems. Highly Recommended for ages 14-120, especially for Gen-X Women who grew up or have family in the NYC area. Sean Boyle is a past JDS librarian and is now serving as president of the Schools, Synagogues, Centers, and Public Libraries Division of the Association of Jewish Libraries. Birthright. (Dreifus, Erika, American Fork, UT, Kelsay Books, 2019, 90p.)
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CELEBRATING WOMEN
DIKLA LAOR
Women of the Bible come to life in new photo book
Pharoah’s daughter and her handmaids pulling baby Moses from the bulrushes (Exodus 2:5-6). By Abigail Klein Leichman ISRAEL21c Moses, Aaron and Pharoah are the leading men in the drama of the Israelite slaves’ miraculous liberation from Egypt, celebrated during the Passover holiday. Four women also played pivotal roles – Jocheved, Miriam, Zipporah and Pharoah’s daughter. Biblical storytelling photographer Dikla Laor brings to life these “she-roes”– and more than 90 other women in the Hebrew Scriptures, from Ahinoam to Zeruah — in her unique coffeetable book, “Women of the Bible in the Golan Heights.” “I use the camera as a paintbrush to tell their stories. I’m always saying if I knew how to paint, I wouldn’t use the camera,” Laor told ISRAEL21c. Featuring 180 pages of photos shot near her home in Israel’s Golan Heights, the book depicts Laor’s female friends and relatives reenacting scenes in the ancient text. “Some people say that the Bible doesn’t give enough place to women, that most of the stories are about men,” Laor said. “I actually see it differently. Even though the women have small parts or don’t have much text to describe them, you will see that what they say and what they do affects the future, affects the kings, affects us.” Jocheved, mother of Moses,
Aaron and Miriam, set the Passover story in motion by putting baby Moses in a basket in the Nile bulrushes rather than surrendering him to Pharaoh’s cruel decree to drown all male Israelite infants. Pharaoh’s daughter saved and adopted the boy, while Miriam bravely stepped in to suggest Jocheved as a wet nurse. Later, Miriam led the liberated slave women in song after the parting of the sea. Moses’ wife, Zipporah, took bold action that enabled her husband to return to Egypt and lead his people into the promised land. “These women pulled the strings exactly the way they wanted. They made history as we know it today,” said Laor. PROPHETESSES AND PYTHONS Not all the women depicted in the Bible – and by extension, in “Women of the Bible”— are as virtuous as those four. The evil Queen Jezebel and the scheming seductress Delilah have their place in the book alongside respected foremothers and prophetesses and nameless characters such as the wives of Noah’s sons. Laor chose the Golan Heights as her backdrop because “the views here are very untouched, very Genesis like, very wild,” she said. Many of the photoshoots
are quite challenging, especially those with animals. Showing Eve at the cusp of her downfall in the Garden of Eden, for example, necessitated a snake. Laor found a man who owned a 155-pound python. “I wanted to take that picture at Gamla by the three waterfalls, but they wouldn’t let me into a nature reserve with the snake and we had to look for another location,” she related. “Then, the person who brought the snake turned out to be sick with cancer, and as he carried the snake to the location he would take four steps, lie down to rest, and take another four steps. He wouldn’t give up or let anyone help him. Once the snake was put in the tree, it didn’t move so it was like the scene was designed for that python.” Then there was the photoshoot showing Abigail, wife of the wicked Nabal, taking a tray of fruit and vegetables to the future King David and his soldiers. “The donkey wanted to eat them all,” Laor recalled. Laor began this ambitious project in 2003 and released the first edition two years ago with 42 photos. The recently published second edition has 25 additional photos and all the text in both Hebrew and English. Another edition is on its way within two years. “I’ve already taken photos of 94 biblical characters, with 80-something pictures in total. My goal is to picture all the women in the Bible, so I have many more years to go.” Laor never studied photography. She owns web design and development company Webtopus and is a master’s student in biblical studies at the University of Haifa. The mother of three spends months researching each female character before visualizing the final frame, sewing the costumes, building props and even doing her models’ hair and makeup. The book is available for $67 on Laor’s website (https://diklalaor. photography).
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CELEBRATING WOMEN
PHOTO BY ADI EDER
New museum to showcase the women who helped build Israel
Curator and art historian Yael Nitzan, founder of Israeli Women Museum. By Abigail Klein Leichman ISRAEL21c How many “she-roes” of Israel can you name? Maybe you’d start with Golda Meir, Israel’s first and only female prime minister. Or the tragic and courageous spy Sarah Aaronsohn and paratrooper Hannah Senesh. The list would include physician Vera Weizmann, the first First Lady of Israel, who helped establish Chaim Sheba Medical Center, now the largest hospital in the Middle East; and second First Lady Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi, who taught Jerusalem women how to grow vegetables, milk cows and make cheese so their husbands
could go out and build the state. These and many other women who played – and continue to play — important roles in the history and culture of Israel will be immortalized later this year when the Israeli Women Museum opens in Haifa. The museum will showcase at least 100 noteworthy but not necessarily well-known women, from architects to lawyers to choreographers, says founder Yael Nitzan. A curator, art historian and TV producer, Nitzan has overcome many roadblocks and setbacks in realizing her dream of opening Israel’s first museum dedicated to women. “It was a struggle,” she admit-
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ted. “Now with corona, the world has everyone sitting and listening, and in three months I accomplished what I could not accomplish in the past six or seven years.” Nitzan gained the help of the Haifa Foundation in raising funds for the project, and she was given the rights to a former private school building in which the collections will be housed. Brig. Gen. Gila Kalifi-Amir, former women’s affairs advisor to the IDF chief of staff, agreed to chair the museum. The board was joined by fellow Haifa residents Nadim Sheiban, director of the Museum of Islamic Art; and Prof. Aliza Shenhar, formerly a deputy mayor, ambassador to Russia and first female rector of an Israeli university. “I found the right people,” Nitzan told ISRAEL21c. “There are currently about 45 women’s museums in the world, the most famous of which are the Women’s Rights Park in Seneca Falls, New York, and the Women’s Art Museum in Washington,” she said. “The fundamental challenge in establishing a museum is not only in raising resources, but in creating a diverse and significant human and ideological infrastructure. The Israeli Women Museum must be a magnet of significance to the whole, or at least to large sections of, the population in Israel.”
Though Israel reportedly has the world’s highest ratio of museums per person, this will be the first one dedicated to the mostly unsung females responsible for weaving together its social, agricultural and business fabric. HISTORY AND ART “Our museum will be on women in history and women in the arts,” Nitzan explained. “The section on history commemorates the role of important women who have not been properly acknowledged.” Women like Hannah Maisel, who emigrated to Palestine in 1909 with a doctorate in agriculture and founded the region’s first agricultural training institute for women. And women like Rachel Roos Hertz (Harel), a Dutch Resistance fighter who moved to Israel in 1950 after winning the U.S. Medal of Freedom and UK King’s Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom, and became active in the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) — itself founded by Rebecca Sieff (Ziv) from the Marks family of Marks & Spencer, and whose name graces Ziv Medical Center in Safed. Some of the inspiration for this section comes from Prof. Margalit Shilo’s Women Building a Nation, a book published this year in Israel. “In the art section, we will spotlight women whose work was
not considered important as well as very important female artists of today whose work is rarely shown in museums,” said Nitzan. Artists to be included run the gamut from Ziona (Siona) Tagger, one of the most important female Israeli artists of the early 20th century, to contemporary painter Haya Graetz Ran. “Women in Israel contributed greatly to the establishment of the state, contributed to the construction of the infrastructure of settlement, education, defense, law, government, society, culture, cinema and theater,” she said. “But although they left their mark, they did not receive proper recognition and respect in building society,” Nitzan said. “The purpose of the museum is to raise their profile and to reshape the narrative of the critical role of women as full partners in leadership and public space design over the past century.” Nitzan invites anyone to contribute stories or items relating to Israeli Jewish, Arab Druze or Christian women, and even artists, poets and leaders from the Holocaust era who did not manage to get to Israel. She can be reached through the museum’s Facebook page (facebook.com/ IsraeliWomenMuseum) or by email at artcommle@gmail.com. Donations for the project are being funneled through the Haifa Foundation.
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Moments in Jewish History series draws to a close with present day By Stephanie Goodling HAKOL Editor The seven-part “Moments in Jewish History” series started last November with ancient Israel and Mesopotamia, and this spring it is drawing to a close with lectures focusing on the 20th and 21st centuries. The collaboration between the Jewish Federation and the Berman Center for Jewish Studies at Lehigh University has brought local scholars from the Valley’s many institutions of higher learning and amateur history buffs together to journey through the Jewish people’s past. Initially conceived before the COVID-19
pandemic, the organizers adjusted to the new circumstances to carry on the project via Zoom with great success. The last three sessions this spring brought the conversation out of ancient and medieval times into the modern era. On March 24, Dr. Nitzan Lebovic of Lehigh Unversity asked "Between Genocide and Climate Change: Is There a Lesson to be Learned from the Holocaust?" An ongoing public conversation was considered by Dr. Jessica Cooperman from Muhlenberg College on April 21 with “Passover Seders and Jewish-Christian Relations in
20th Century America.” The final lecture will be on Tuesday, May 4, at 7 p.m. when Dr. Jodi Eichler-Levine, also from Lehigh University, will talk about "The Unmelting Pot: Jewish American Diversity, 1970-2020.” “Thanks again to Federation for inviting us to participate in this series. On behalf of the Berman Center for Jewish Studies, it’s been a pleasure,” said Dr. Hartley Lachter.
GIVE A MITZVAH, DO A MITZVAH
A multi-generational mitzvah project
The series has been presented via Zoom and all sessions have been recorded and are available. The cost of the series is $54 per household. Register at jewishlehighvalley.org.
Joseph Block, son of Christy and Andrew Block, was called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, April 24, at Temple Beth El in Allentown. The Springhouse Middle School seventh-grader and JCC basketball player was sorry to hear that the religious school would not be making hamantaschen to deliver to Country Meadows residents as they usually do each year as part of the mishloach manot tradition of giving gifts of food and sweets on Purim. The students could not gather in large groups to make the tasty cookies because of the pandemic, and Country Meadows was not allowing visitors. “At Hebrew School it’s always a tradition to make hamantaschen for Country Meadows, and it always makes the people there so happy. Since we couldn’t do it at Hebrew School, I thought I could do it myself,” Joseph said when asked why he chose this mitzvah project. “We brainstormed about project ideas,” added Joseph’s
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mom, Christy. “We talked to Alicia Zahn, Temple Beth El religious school director, about a way to replicate what we had done for Country Meadows.” Alicia introduced Joseph to Chelsea Karp while Joseph was packing birthday bags for Jewish Family Service clients. With Chelsea’s help, they were able to keep the tradition going even with the pandemic. Joseph loves to bake, so they came up with the idea of baking hamantaschen to be delivered by Mazel Meals. Mazel Meals is a JFS program which delivers kosher meals to dozens of local older adults each month. To produce kosher hamantaschen on that scale, they needed a kosher kitchen that was not a home kitchen, so they made hamantaschen in the kitchen at Temple Beth El. “We went in as a family with Joseph’s grandparents, Rance and Sheryl Block, and even Joseph’s little sister, Caroline, helped out,” Christy added. Joseph also mobilized friends within the Jewish community to help bake hamantaschen in their own kitchens to donate to JFS. “We made prune, apricot and raspberry hamantaschen,” Joseph said. “My dad sent around a Facebook post about making hamantaschen, and we donated over 200 hamantaschen. I felt accomplished!” Christy and Andrew are so proud of Joseph for his hard work, his kind heart and his positive attitude despite the challenges that the pandemic has presented over the past year. In addition to his mitzvah project, Joseph 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, project coordinator, at abbyt@jflv.org or call her at the Federation office at 610-821-5500.
‘Blessed’ to help youth and families during COVID The Jewish Agency for Israel When the coronavirus pandemic shut things down in Israel in 2020, Kamil, the director of the Youth Futures program in Be’er Sheva, embraced the opportunity to try new management methods. As a one-on-one mentorship
program for youth-at-risk in elementary and junior high school, with 30+ locations throughout Israel, Youth Futures centers country-wide had to adapt quickly when COVID-19 closed schools and forced people indoors. At the Be’er Sheva Youth Futures center, the staff is
PJ Parents get excited for virtual Peloton ride By Stephanie Goodling HAKOL Editor The Lehigh Valley PJ Library program has recently launched a PJ for Parents initiative for adults, and the next event is sure to get hearts racing. On Sunday, May 16, anyone with their own Peloton or other stationary bike can join in with others virtually for a joint ride from their own home. All are invited to burn some calories before Shavuot gets started with its traditional dairy treats. Local parents and Peloton enthusiasts are looking forward to the chance to get together. Amy Oselkin gives the activity a glowing endorsement. “I love riding because in a quick 20 minutes, I can work out and be done. I also love riding with my Lehigh Valley friends. It’s a place for us to be together and have fun,” she said. Other local moms feel the
same way. “I love riding to escape reality even for 10 minutes and, of course, to sing to the songs at the top of my lungs,” joked Rachel Levin. “I love having the option to exercise at home while still feeling connected and motivated. Even with a busy home and work life, having the Peloton has allowed me to stay active. It’s also been a great way to connect with friends who I haven’t been able to see in person this past year,” Andrea Goldsmith agreed. Take a break and have some fun with other adults from the community. "Biking along with friends provides a sense of togetherness that has been hard to come by during the pandemic. Looking forward to riding with other PJ parents!" added Aviva Marlin.
made up of 12 mentors, one coordinator and Kamil, and they serve 192 kids every year. Typically, teachers refer students to the Youth Futures program — but because schools were operating via Zoom, it was harder for instructors to make knowledgeable recommendations about who might benefit from Youth Future services. Nevertheless, Youth Futures sought out at-risk youth and their families and has been there for them in crucial ways throughout COVID-19. “I’m blessed to have this job, to be able to be there for families,” shared Kamil. “And every way I can, especially during this difficult time, I’m trying to learn, to be better for our constituents.” Typically, Kamil said, they work in six schools when they are open, with mentors sitting in the class and meeting with kids. They also go into the home in order to truly create a circle of support for the families that goes beyond just interacting with the student. “We want the best for the
kids, always. And in particular, during COVID, we are trying to make sure the kids are being taken care of,” explained Kamil. “We don’t just focus on the problems in a family, we look for what is working and try to build on that, aiming to boost resilience and selfconfidence in kids and their parents, their siblings.” With the many lockdowns in Israel throughout 2020-21, families already struggling pre-pandemic found themselves in even worse situations. “We are talking about families whose entire support system just vanished; all of a sudden, they’re forced to handle everything themselves and they’re not equipped to handle it,” said Dr. Marcello Wexler, chair of professional committee of Youth Futures. For example, Kamil shared, Orly* is a single mother of three dealing with debt from her abusive ex-husband. Her struggles only worsened after she lost her job due to COVID-19. Suddenly, with all three kids home all day because
schools were closed and with them not getting hot meals through the lunch program, Orly found herself unable to put food on the table – and was too ashamed to ask for help. Fortunately, Orly’s youngest son, Menashe* is a part of Youth Futures, and his mentor, Tamar*, remained in constant contact with him, even when lockdowns were going on, and felt something was off. She quickly took action and made arrangements so Orly and her kids got the groceries they need. “I do not know how I would have survived without you ... Thanks to you I have learned that it is okay to ask for help so that I can take care of myself and my children,” stated Orly. “Youth Futures changed everything — every day, I’m so grateful.” Editor’s Note: The Jewish Agency for Israel is an overseas partner of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley. *Names have been changed for privacy.
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To register, visit jewishlehighvalley.org/pjlibraryevents.
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L'chayim, Joe! Celebrating Joseph Aflalo By Barry Halper Congregation Sons of Israel For almost 40 years, Joe Aflalo has been a pillar of Congregation Sons of Israel. In recognition of his unwavering devotion and service, the shul will dedicate this year’s Annual Spring Fundraiser, to be held virtually on Sunday, May 23, at 4:30 p.m., in Joe’s honor. Born in Rabat, French Morocco, Joe and his family came to the United States in 1955 and settled in Brooklyn. From 1958 to 1961, Joe served his country as an interpreter in the U.S. Air
Force. In 1963, he married his beloved, Carole, z”l, and they had two daughters, Lisa and Shawn, and two grandchildren, Felice and Max. Since 1984, Joe has devoted immeasurable time and attention to the shul, especially improving the physical condition of the building. He has a knack for anticipating and addressing issues before they arise, such as utilizing funds from the Kline Foundation to install an alarm system and further enhancing the safety of congregants and visitors by installing energyefficient lighting and repairing
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sidewalks. Former Sons of Israel Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner said, “From my years in Allentown, what stands out for me is Joe's hard head and enormous heart. His thoughts were perpetually devoted to the physical plant of the synagogue – cleanliness, maintenance, the security system, and so on. I remember standing in the lobby with him, as he explained that light bulbs burned out quickly because the rattling from trucks on Tilghman Street disrupted their connection to the sockets. Joe also has a great love of Jewish tradition, and particularly Sephardic customs. I recall him explaining the roots of the Aflalo name, and telling me about his family's unique customs. I have a lasting image in my head of Joe standing on the bimah before Neilah, singing the Sephardic Kel Nora Alilah with other Sephardim and wannabe Sephardim from the congregation. Joe embraced others like family -- especially April Daugherty, our office manager. ” According to Rabbi David Wilensky: “Joe is principled, reliable and dedicated, and always steps up to the plate when it comes to communal needs. I will always remember Joe's late nights and early mornings when he would run to shul to deal with issues large and small, from flash-flooding clean-up, to letting someone inside who forgot something in the building. He is a true embodiment of
orfa okah vwwcev vbuntc rucm hfrmc exugv kf -- those who involve themselves in the needs of the community, who will be rewarded by the Almighty. It is for good reason that Joe is known as Joe ‘Minyan-Maker’ Aflalo. Joe’s commitment to causes he believes in, alongside his steadfast belief in tradition, have made him a well-known fixture of the Lehigh Valley Jewish community.” Rabbi Nisan Andrews shared, “Joe is one of those exceptional individuals who, through an abundance of menshlichkeit and integrity, feel a sense of duty to see that our community and God's home, our shul, are afforded proper stewardship. Tirelessly, there is not a day that goes by without a visit to the synagogue, or at the very least, a phone call checking up on me, April or the building. It is always a highlight of my day when Joe stops by to tell a joke, share an idea or ask if there is anything I or the minyan requires. At the slightest mention of a problem, Joe's response is always a jovial ‘don't worry, Rabbi; I'll take care of it.’ Thank you, Joe, for being a steadfast friend to both Congregation Sons of Israel and me.” Joe has served in many shul positions including president, vice president of finance, Purim Gala chair, gabbai, and for many years, house chair. His volunteer work grew out of his love for the shul and for HaShem.
“My passion is to serve G-d,” Joe said. “I just want a place of worship to be a place of worship and the importance of it not only to myself but to the community as a whole.” So many have called Sons of Israel their spiritual home – a place defined by warmth, comradery, mishpocheh. This doesn’t just happen automatically: it’s the people; especially those who devote their time and put in the work to ensure this complex operation runs smoothy. Joe Aflalo is the personification of this selflessness, and Sons of Israel is proud to honor him at the Annual Spring Fundraiser. We invite you to participate in honoring Joe with an ad in the Spring Fundraiser journal. For more information, please call the synagogue office at 610-433-6089 or register online using the event link on the synagogue website, www.sonsofisrael.net. The deadline for placing an ad is May 10.
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