December 2019

The Voice of Greater Rhode Island’s Jewish Community

JEWISH RHOD E ISL A ND

DECEMBER 2019 | KISLEV 5780

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Celebrating the Hanukkah miracle Cranston playwright on Soviet Jews

A year of Jewish Rhode Island

Give our young people a worthy voice

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JEWISH RHODE ISL AND

EDITOR Fran Ostendorf DESIGN & LAYOUT Leah Camara ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Peter Zeldin pzeldin@jewishallianceri.org 401-421-4111, ext. 160 Karen Borger ksborger@gmail.com 401-529-2538 CONTRIBUTORS Cynthia Benjamin, Larry Kessler, Michael Schemaille COLUMNISTS Michael Fink, Geraldine Foster, Patricia Raskin, Rabbi James Rosenberg, Daniel Stieglitz

Many opportunities for civil discourse

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT? On a recent rainy Monday, four Israel-oriented programs were scheduled in our community. Whether or not you agree with the viewpoints presented in these programs, you have to marvel that a community of our size can support so many well-attended, interesting events in one day.

Some of these groups support positions that VOLUME XXVI, ISSUE XII sometimes spark protests. But three of the programs JEWISH RHODE ISLAND took place at the same time, making it (ISSN number 1539-2104, USPS #465-710) difficult for anyone to see more than is published monthly. two of them. Or for anyone to launch a protest.

Besides, there PERIODICALS Postage paid ON THE COVER: was a program at Providence, R.I. Golden Hanukkah catering to POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Menorah almost everyJewish Rhode Island, 401 Elmgrove Ave., PHOTO BY PHOTOVS/ CANSTOCK.COM one’s viewProvidence, RI 02906. point – and we PUBLISHER all know that the Jews of Rhode Island The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode have strong opinions on Israel.

Island, President/CEO Adam Greenman, You have to appreciate how wonderChair James Pious, 401 Elmgrove Ave., ful it is that we live in a country where Providence, RI 02906. we can have this kind of vibrant 401-421-4111; Fax 401-331-7961 civil discourse; opinions are not just allowed, but encouraged.

Whether we agree with the posiMEMBER of the Rhode Island Press Associtions expressed in these programs, ation and the American everyone in America has a right to Jewish Press Associpromote them, hear them and make ation COPY DEADLINES: All news releases, photographs, etc., must be received on the Wednesday 10 days prior to publication.

Submissions may be sent to: editor@jewishallianceri.org.

ADVERTISING: We do not accept adver-

tisements for pork or shellfish. We do not attest to the kashrut of any product or the legitimacy of advertisers’ claims.

up his or her own mind. And that is a good thing. Here at Jewish Rhode Island, we try to showcase and applaud the diversity of our Jewish community.

In this newspaper, you will see some coverage of these meetings, thanks to community members who submitted reports, and our photographer, who attended one of the programs.

We believe that information is the best way to understand our entire community.

Across Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts on a regular basis, our community sponsors remarkably strong speakers, events and programs. I get notices every day, and wish I could attend them all, but I cannot be everywhere!

I try to get to as many as possible, and we hope that community members will submit reports of others. This helps all members of our community learn about issues that affect Jewish Rhode Island and the wider Jewish community.

Just about a year ago, I wrote a brief history of The Jewish Voice. We were saying goodbye to the old and ushering in the new.

This is the 12th issue of Jewish Rhode Island. The newspaper year has flown by. I think it’s safe to say that as we age the years seem to go by more and more quickly. Remember when you couldn’t wait for your birthday, and all those days leading up to the big event just seemed to crawl by?

The lead-up to “first days” also just

couldn’t come fast enough. First day of school. First day of summer. First day of camp. We just couldn’t wait.

Well, for those of us of a certain age, those days are gone – and now we’d like to slow down the time between birthdays and anniversaries.

And so it goes at Jewish Rhode Island. When we went from biweekly to monthly, we thought we’d have extra time, but the days quickly filled up.

We hope you’re enjoying some of our new features, like Upfront, a question-and-answer dialogue with community leaders, and The Conversation, where we choose a topic to start a community dialogue. We also hope you’re enjoying our monthly newsletters, which bring updates and news that can’t wait to get into your inbox between print editions. You can sign up for the free newsletter on our website, www.jewishrhody.com, where you will also find enhanced coverage of some print stories.

As always, we welcome your feedback and your contributions as we evolve with our new format.

My thanks to all who have supported us in this transition to a true community paper. You make us look forward to the first Friday of each month, when we publish. But in January, we will make a slight change because New Year’s Day falls on the day we normally go to the printer.

You’ll have to wait one more week. We will see you again on Jan. 10, 2020!

Fran Ostendorf, Editor

ARTS 20-21 | BUSINESS 36-37 | CALENDAR 10-11 | COMMUNITY 31 | D’VAR TORAH 9 FOOD 16-19 | HANUKKAH 25-30 | OBITUARIES 35, 38-39 | OPINION 6-8 | SIMCHAS & WE ARE READ 42-43 THE MISSION OF JEWISH RHODE ISLAND is to communicate Jewish news, ideas and ideals by connecting and giving voice to the diverse views of the Jewish community in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, while adhering to Jewish values and the professional standards of journalism.

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ALL SUBMITTED CONTENT becomes the property of Jewish Rhode Island. Announcements and opinions contained in these pages are published as a service to the community and do not necessarily represent the views of Jewish Rhode Island or its publisher, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. We reserve the right to refuse publication and edit submitted content.

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

UP FRONT disorders and political science. There was no more time for me to be at camp.

Then I got a master’s in special education at Simmons College and went into teaching.

I’ve always been involved with Camp JORI since my husband, Max, is an alum.

[Max grew up in Cranston after immigrating from Belarus.] I was at home, taking care of my kids, when the JORI opportunity came up.

JORI’s Kara Liberman is a big fan of Jewish summer camps – and unplugged campers

BY FRAN OSTENDORF

K

ARA LIBERMAN AND CAMP just seem to go together. Camp JORI’s new director is a bundle of energy, and camp is her “thing.” The North Andover, Massachusetts, resident grew up going to summer camp,

and she was a counselor too. “I loved everything camp,” she said.

After high school, Liberman had little time for camp. Her path included college, graduate school, marriage (to a JORI alum), three children and teaching. But she says she really missed the camp experience.

Last year, when the opportunity arose to work at JORI as camp mom, Liberman decided her time had come. A camp mom supports campers while they are away from their parents. She started doing marketing and outreach for the Wakefield camp in 2018, and spent the summer of 2019 as camp mom.

In September, she was named director.

She and her husband, Max, who is from Cranston, have three children, ages 11, 9 and 4 1/2. The children are JORI campers.

Liberman sat down recently with Jewish Rhode Island to talk camp, and Camp JORI specifically.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF. I grew up in New Jersey and went to overnight camp from second grade through high school. I played sports, loved arts and crafts.

I attended UMass Amherst and got my bachelor’s degree in communication

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO JORI? At Camp JORI, we provide the kids with Jewish values.

We aren’t affiliated with a movement. We have the flexibility to accommodate everybody. That includes Orthodox to non-Jews. We embrace the diversity. It adds to what we provide campers with. We have a great program and can make it work.

We’ve been working hard at updating our programming.

We’ve added new staff and activities. We’ve been working to maintain what’s working and adding a little spice. We are working hard to accommodate Jews from around the world. We will have staff from Israel, Mexico, Ireland and England. England and Ireland are new.

I went to camp with all Jewish kids, but it wasn’t a Jewish camp. What you get at a Jewish camp is something that you can’t replicate anywhere else.

WHY JEWISH CAMP? To me the thing that makes Jewish camp so special is Shabbat. Every Friday the kids dress in blue and white, we have a Shabbat dinner and we have a service. Very engaging; the whole camp is involved in the songs and dances. It’s a nice way to end the week.

Giving the kids the exposure to Judaism being fun and a part of their everyday life is important.

We make challah. We learn about Jewish culture and traditions.

Some kids aren’t getting this at home; maybe they aren’t going to Hebrew School.

Being Jewish can be a part of their life. It’s not something that’s inconvenient.

What they bring home is up to them, but whatever they bring home, we’ve done something right. We have things that make being Jewish special.

DOG OR CAT? We are not a pet family. I have a fish. I grew up with dogs. I’d love to have animals at camp.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE JEWISH FOOD? Bagels with lox. The favorite camp food is camp pizza.

It’s just really good pizza.

Thursday is pizza night. Our chef Maria makes the dough herself and it’s just awesome.

IF YOU COULD BRING IN THREE PEOPLE TO SHARE A MEAL WITH AT CAMP, WHO WOULD YOU INVITE? I’d bring my parents, who have never been at camp, so they could see what all those years of sending me to camp did. Then I’d add Beyoncé for some entertainment and Guy Fieri [Food Network host and restaurateur] to do a camp episode at JORI. FAVORITE CAMP SONG? Definitely “Hallelujah.”

JORI has a special version of it; with some of the verses, the words are changed. I love seeing the counselors and kids singing it. There are tears, but they are tears of happiness.

WHAT ABOUT ELECTRONICS AT CAMP? We have a rule: no electronics for kids; counselors have limited electronics. Absolutely no internet [for campers].

We check. Counselors are allowed to have internet as we use it for emergencies. We have found that phones are necessary [for counselors] when there is an emergency.

Being able to contact the right people at the right time is important.

Camp is the only time in their lives that campers will be unplugged. And it works.

When my kids came home from camp, I thought they’d run to check email, etc. They didn’t!

WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? When I started working at JORI, I said there’s only two rules at camp: Everyone is safe and you have to have more fun that day than you did the day before. Summers have become so short. I like that I can provide them a little break from the rush.

FRAN OSTENDORF (fostendorf@jewishallianceri.org) is the editor of Jewish Rhode Island.

DECEMBER 2019

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

Alliance turns to renewable electricity sources

BY FRAN OSTENDORF THE JEWISH ALLIANCE of Greater Rhode Island expects to begin to get 100% of its electricity from renewable sources in the second quarter of 2020.

The board of directors gave the green light to proceed with these plans at its November meeting.

The organization will to work with a developer on an offsite solar array in an as-yet-to-be determined place in Rhode Island. That’s according to Dan Hamel, chief financial officer.

“We aren’t going to have solar panels on the roof,” he said. “This is a state program developed to allow municipalities, housing cooperatives and nonprofits to take advantage of renewable energy.”

NEW YORK – Hazon, the Jewish Lab for Sustainability, has reached a record 90th participant in its national Hazon Seal of Sustainability program, a comprehensive education and outreach program designed to help Jewish organizations to reduce waste and encourage healthier living.

“This has been the year that a critical mass of people have started to really take the climate crisis seriously. It’s an issue in the U.S. elections. It’s an issue in the U.K. elections.

Joining the Hazon Seal of Sustainability program demonstrates that Jewish institutions are stepping up to take responsibility and have committed to making changes.

“Synagogues, churches and not-for-profits generally produce an excess of waste.

Think about all the Styrofoam cups and plates, mountains of plastic silverware, and uneaten food that is thrown into landfills. The Hazon Seal of Sustainability incorporates education, action and advocacy. Education means learning about the consequences of our behaviors. Action means changing them. And advocacy means speaking up more widely,” said Hazon Founder and CEO Nigel Savage.

Conversation with Ari Melber packs Alliance campaign event

BY FRAN OSTENDORF

The expected savings from what is called remote net metering will be $45,000 per year.

The Alliance brokered the deal to allow for other Jewish agencies and nonprofits to participate in the program as well.

The Alliance continues to make other environmentally positive changes including those at the Dwares Jewish Community Center in Providence where it is working toward receiving the Hazon Seal of Sustainability. The Hazon Seal is an annual program that recognizes progress on a Jewish institution’s sustainability journey.

It is issued by Hazon, the largest faith-based environmental organization in the United States.

Hazon program encourages sustainability The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and 20 other Jewish institutions have recently joined the program.

They include: Boulder Jewish Community Center (Boulder, CO); Congregation Agudath Israel (Essex, N.J.); Congregation Beth Ahm (West Bloomfield, MI); Elon University Sklut Hillel Center (Elon, NC); Farber Hebrew Day School-Yeshivat Akiva (Southfield, MI); Jewish Community Center of Metro Detroit (West Bloomfield, MI); Jewish Family Service of Metro Detroit (West Bloomfield, MI); Temple Israel (West Bloomfield, MI); Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit (Bloomfield Hills; MI); Rabbinical School of Hebrew College (Newtown, MA); The Board of Jewish Education DBA The Jewish Education Project (New York; NY); The Center for Small Town Jewish Life at Colby College (Waterville, ME); West Marin Jews (Forest Knolls, CA); Woodstock Jewish Congregation (Woodstock; NY); and Young Israel of Southfield (Southfield, MI).

Hazon has set a goal of tripling the number of program participants within the next three years.

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Ari Melber

PROVIDENCE – A lot of people figured that a guy like Ari Melber, MSNBC and NBC chief legal correspondent and host of “The Beat,” would have some insight into the current political situation in the United States. They packed the Baxt Social Hall at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center. There were so many people that they spilled into the adjacent Board Room to watch on a livestream set up there.

Melber did not disappoint.

On Nov. 3, an evening when there was plenty of competition for sports fans’ time, Alliance CEO Adam Greenman welcomed the 450 people attending with the promise that “we will get you out of here by 8 o’clock,” in time to get home for the Patriots’ showdown game against Baltimore. He went on to thank the crowd for support of the annual campaign to foster a stronger, more vibrant Jewish community.

There were welcomes by event chairs Pamela and Jeffrey Vogel and James Pious, chair of the board, who announced that the 2020 campaign thus far has raised more than $1.3 million from 787 donors.

Alan Rosenberg, executive editor of The Providence Journal, asked Melber questions in an informal interview-style format followed by audience-submitted questions. The program lasted about 90 minutes.

For more highlights of the evening and the questions and answers, go to http://bit. ly/33OR6Kz.

For emergency medical care, who do Israelis depend on?

They depend on you.

Magen David Adom (MDA) is Israel’s official ambulance, blood-services, and disaster-relief agency, serving the nation’s 9 million people. But like every other Red Cross agency around the world, MDA doesn’t receive regular government support. That’s why it relies on people like you.

Since the 1930s, generous Americans like you have provided the vehicles, training, and equipment that’s kept Israelis healthy and strong.

There are many ways to support Israel, but none that has a greater effect on it’s people and it’s future than a gift to Magen David Adom.

Your support isn’t just changing lives — it’s literally saving them.

Make an end-of-year donation to Magen David Adom at afmda.org/chanukah today.

And our best wishes for a joyous Chanukah and New Year.

6 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY VOICES | OPINION Brown U committee urges divesting

BY JOSEFIN DOLSTEN

Arrest made in vandalism of Washington’s historic Sixth & I synagogue (JTA) – POLICE HAVE ARRESTED a 28-year-old man in the defacing of the historic Sixth & I synagogue in Washington, D.C. The arrest of Luis Montsinos came Dec. 2, shortly after the synagogue announced the vandalism to the public.

Montsinos, who has no address, was charged with defacing and destructing property, as well as resisting arrest.

The police report described the vandalism as a suspected hate crime, according to The Washington Post. It included swastikas and anti-Semitic language, the synagogue’s communications manager, Michelle Eider, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

In addition to hosting services and Jewish programming, the nondenominational synagogue hosts events featuring well-known entertainers, thinkers, writers and politicians.

AT FIRST GLANCE, it would seem abage years through his slow but steady surd to link in any way, shape or form rise in the Nazi Party, to his uncerethe life of the renowned 17th-century monious hanging in Nuremberg on rationalist philosopher Baruch Spino- Oct. 16, 1946, for his well-documented za (1632-1677) with that of the major war crimes. anti-Semitic ideologue of During the course of the book, the the Nazi Party, Alfred reader comes to understand that Rosenberg (1893-1946).

Rosenberg’s “Spinoza problem” Yet this is precisely stems from the conflict bewhat author and tween his rabid anti-Semitism psychiatrist Irvin and the high esteem in which D. Yalom manages giants of German culture, to do in his brilincluding Goethe, Lessing liant work of hisand Hegel, held Spinoza, who torical fiction, “The was born and died a Jew. At Spinoza Problem” one point, Yalom imag(Basic Books, 2012). ines Rosenberg trying RABBI JAMES As he discloses in his to rationalize to himself ROSENBERG prologue, Yalom had long that Spinoza was “a wished to write a novel focusing mutation, this extraordion the inner life of Baruch Spinoza – nary blossom emerging from [Jewish] whose Portuguese name was Bento slime.”

(Benedictus de Spinoza became the Yalom combines his skills as a name by which he has come to be psychiatrist and novelist to probe known as one of the seminal thinkers the inner dimensions of both Spinoza of the early Enlightenment). and Rosenberg, to make educated and But Yalom had long struggled to believable – but by no means provable find a story, a plot line that could – guesses as to what each of the two serve as a spine for his novel. Then, men thought and felt. when visiting the Spinoza Museum, At the conclusion of the novel, he in Rijnsburg, a 45-minute drive from explains to his readers that “I’ve Amsterdam, he learned that Alfred invented two characters, Franco Rosenberg’s task force, Einsatzstab Benitez and Friedrich Pfister, to Reichsleiter Rosenberg, had stolen serve as gateways to the psyche of all the books in Spinoza’s library and my protagonists.” wound up hiding them in a German Through Spinoza’s imagined salt mine. conversations with Benitez, Yalom During this visit, Yalom learned portrays the world-class thinker as that the “ERR had some mysterious a man who lives almost entirely in interest in Spinoza” and that the task his mind, a person whose passion force’s official report indicates that is for ideas rather than for peoSpinoza’s library books “contain ple. The author also finds a way valuable early works of great importo explicate a number of Spinotance to the exploration of the Spinoza za’s difficult, abstract and often problem.” abstruse philosophical notions, “The Spinoza Problem” is the title including Amor Dei Intellectualis, of Yalom’s book, as well as the core an intellectual love of God; God of the story he tells about solving the understood as Deus sive Natura, problem that the famous philosopher deity or nature; a radical univerof the 17th century presented to the salism that “would eradicate all infamous Nazi propagandist of the religions and would institute a 20th century. universal religion in which all In every other chapter, Yalom tells men seek to attain blessedness the story of Spinoza’s life from the through the full understanding year 1656, when at the age of 23, he of Nature.” The author goes so far as was excommunicated from the Jewish to insert into the invented dialogue community of Amsterdam, to the end fragments from Spinoza’s two most of the year 1666, when he was living a influential books, “Theological-Politiquiet, mostly reclusive life in Voorcal Treatise” and “Ethics.” burg, in the Netherlands – reading, In a similar manner, Yalom develwriting and grinding lenses to earn ops Rosenberg’s imagined conversaenough to meet his modest needs. tions with the psychoanalyst Pfister In his historical epilogue, the auinto a vehicle for exploring this Nazi thor sketches out Spinoza’s final years ideologue’s pathological anti-Semin The Hague, where he died at the itism and his obsession with racial age of 44 of some form of lung disease. purity, which was sparked by Houston In the chapters alternating with the Stewart Chamberlain’s racist screed, story of Spinoza, Yalom tells of the life “Foundations of the Nineteenth Cenof Rosenberg, from his troubled teentury” (1899).

EM

S TO M

E

(JTA) – A BROWN UNIVERSITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE has recommended that the college divest from “companies identified as facilitating human rights abuses in Palestine.”

On Dec. 2, six of the nine members of the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Practices voted in favor of the motion, The Brown Daily Herald reported.

The advisory committee at the university, which is located in Providence, makes nonbinding recommendations about investment and “issues of ethical and moral responsibility” to the school’s president and governing body. It is made up of members representing the faculty, staff, students and alumni.

In March, undergraduates at Brown voted in favor of a nonbinding measure to boycott Israel by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

It could have happened …

IT S E

NEWS BRIEFS

Yalom envisions Rosenberg confiding to his analyst, “It’s different with the Jews …. They corrupt, they monopolize, they suck every field dry.”

Later on, Rosenberg confesses, “My raison d’etre is race purification.”

At one point, Rosenberg storms out of his analyst’s office, saying, “I’ll make sure these Jew thoughts will leave Europe along with the Jews.”

In the concluding pages of “The Spinoza Problem,” in a brief section titled “Fact or Fiction? Setting the Record Straight,” Yalom admits that “every passage linking Spinoza and Rosenberg is fictional.” Nevertheless, Yalom insists that his story of Rosenberg’s obsession with Spinoza could have happened.

In this same afterword, Yalom quotes famed French author André Gide: “History is fiction that did happen. Fiction is history that might have happened.”

In exploring what might have unfolded in the very different minds and hearts of Bento Spinoza and Alfred Rosenberg, Irvin D. Yalom is a convincing witness to what could have been.

JAMES B. ROSENBERG is rabbi emeritus at Temple Habonim, in Barrington.

Contact him at rabbiemeritus@templehabonim.org.

Jewish Rhode Island publishes thoughtful and informative contributors’ columns (op-eds of 500 – 800 words) and letters to the editor (300 words, maximum) on issues of interest to our Jewish community. At our discretion, we may edit pieces for publication or refuse publication. Letters and columns, whether from our regular contributors or from guest columnists, represent the views of the authors; they do not represent the views of Jewish Rhode Island or the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

Send letters and op-eds to: Jewish Rhode Island, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906 or editor@jewishallianceri.org. Include name, city of residence and a contact phone number or email (not for publication).

DECEMBER 2019

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COMMUNITY VOICES | OPINION

Local delegates gain insights at JFNA’s FedLab

BY SARA MASRI EVERY YEAR THE JEWISH Federations of North America (JFNA) traditionally held a General Assembly – thousands of professionals attended a conference of learning opportunities, presentations and networking. This year, JFNA took a different approach and created FedLab. At FedLab, 850 Jewish leaders gathered together for two and a half days with a focus on three areas: Action for Good in the 21st Century, #Engage Jewish, and Security. The goal was to use small group, highly interactive sessions to learn, explore and identify new ways to do our work. I was fortunate to attend FedLab with Adam Greenman, Jewish Alliance president and CEO, James Pious, chair of the board, Eric Shorr, board member and Rachel Levy, regional director, Network of Independent Communities for JFNA. FedLab was filled with vibrant discussions and the sharing of ideas and best practices. It was an opportunity to

connect with other communities grappling with similar issues. The overarching theme was that the Federation system’s old way of doing business is not what people are looking for today and the ability to change is the key to success. Each of us had takeaways from the sessions we attended; information that can inform the work we are doing.

Here are just a few:

• The traditional Federation outreach model was a hub/spoke model with Federation at the center and the expectation that everyone would come to us. In today’s world the desired model is a network with multiple, easy entry points for people to connect with our work.

• The Alliance needs to create “belonging spaces” – places in our building and in the community where people of different backgrounds can feel safe, welcome and comfortable.

This helps to break down barriers to involvement.

• In the past, Federations tried

to be all things to all people. In the new model, the Alliance needs to be a convener. We do not necessarily need to be the provider of a program or service if another organization already has that expertise or is already providing the service well. We need to support high-quality programs and work with agencies and synagogues to develop innovative models to provide services.

• We have to use our current networks to grow our network. People are more likely to attend an event if someone invites them. Individuals want to be asked to take on leadership roles on committees and boards. The key is that the right person needs to

We want people to feel that we offer something no matter where they are

ask them to get more involved. Finding those “connectors” who can bring in new people is critical to our future.

• Relationship building has to be at the core of all of our work. We do not want individuals to just have a transactional relationship with us – using the gym or attending one program.

We want people to feel connected to the Alliance and our mission. We want them to feel that we offer something no matter where they are in their lives.

We all made connections with professionals and volunteers in other communities and have a network we can turn to for questions, feedback and information. We learned that all of our communities are facing similar challenges, and we are all working together to find creative and sustainable solutions.

SARA MASRI (smasri@jewishallianceri. org) is chief philanthropy officer at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

in their lives.

Trump is correct: Jewish settlements in West Bank don’t violate international law

BY STEVEN E. SNOW MANY OF MY FRIENDS were appalled when, on Nov. 18, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States was changing its position on Israel’s settlement policy in the area known as the West Bank.

It is not generally known that the old policy, now abandoned, was based upon the conclusions of a 1978 legal opinion by Herbert Hansel, the legal adviser to the State Department in the Carter administration. The Hansel opinion asserted that Israel’s settlement policy in the West Bank, on land captured during the 1967 war, was inconsistent with international law.

The Hansel opinion was wrong, and Secretary Pompeo was justified in rejecting it.

First, it is important to note that the new policy neither condones nor advocates for Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Instead, it simply concludes that the settlements do not violate international law. Second, as a lawyer and a student of international law, and having examined this issue for many years, I can state unequivocally that the

old policy was based on faulty legal reasoning.

To be sure, reasonable people may differ on the separate issue of whether these settlements advance the cause of peace. We also know, sadly, that the international community uncritically condemns almost everything Israel does, especially the settlements.

But the fact remains that, as a matter of law, the settlements are not illegal.

The Hansel opinion was only four pages. It first asserted that Israel was an “occupying power” in the West Bank. It then contended that settlements violate the prohibition in Article 49 of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention against “deporting or transferring” parts of an occupying power’s civilian population into occupied territory. Both of these assertions were then – and now – incorrect as a matter of law.

Under international law, occupation occurs when a country takes over the sovereign territory of another country. That is not what happened in 1967. Israel seized the West Bank from the Kingdom of Jordan after King Hussein joined Egypt and Syria in the Six-Day War.

Critically, Jordan never had sovereignty over that West Bank land. Instead, Jordan illegally occupied it beginning in 1949, during Israel’s War for Independence, expelling all of its Jewish inhabitants.

The West Bank was an integral part of the land that was legally designated by the international community for Jewish settlement pursuant to the 1917 Balfour Declaration, the 1920 San Remo Declaration, and the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine – all of which were reaffirmed

by Article 80 of the United Nations Charter when that organization was founded in 1945.

Moreover, Jordan renounced any claim of sovereignty over the West Bank in 1988 and entered into a peace treaty with Israel in 1994. Both of these events nullified any earlier suggestion that the West Bank was Israeli-occupied territory.

It is true, of course, that the Palestinians, like the Jews, claim entitlement to the West Bank. But neither they, nor any Arab government, have ever had sovereignty over the territory – so it cannot, as a matter of law, be occupied by Israel. Instead, the land is disputed, with both Palestinians and Israel laying claim to it.

Israel and the Jewish people have historic claims to the land going back millennia, and legal claims based on international law going back over 100 years. Israel’s policies on West Bank settlements are founded on Article 55 of the 1907 Hague Convention Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land.

Under that treaty, public lands captured in war may be used for settlement provided that local residents’ private rights of ownership are respected.

Israel’s Supreme Court carefully monitors settlements and acknowledges that use of public land and property is subject to the outcome of negotiations on the permanent status of the land.

Yes, there are some Jews who create illegal settlements, which might adversely impact Arab property rights, but those situations are adequately resolved by Israel’s judicial system. The major Jewish settlement blocks in the West Bank are legal.

In addition, the assertion in the Hansel opinion that Jews who have settled on disputed lands have somehow been deported or transferred there

by Israel is patently absurd.

Jews choose to live in the West

Bank of their own accord, often for economic reasons.

Palestinians may someday have their own state, but everyone understands that the major Jewish settlement blocks will be incorporated into Israel and that the Palestinians will be compensated by an exchange of Israeli land.

As to smaller settlements, it is possible that the residents may have to make a choice about whether they stay or leave after a negotiated resolution of the conflict. But the idea that the Palestinians are entitled to a state that is “Judenfrei” or “Judenrein” is offensive. Almost 21% of Israel’s population identify themselves as Palestinian or Arab. Why can’t Jews similarly live in some future Palestinian state?

STEVEN E. SNOW, ESQ. is founding partner of the law firm of Partridge, Snow & Hahn, LLP, with offices in Providence, Boston and Southcoast Massachusetts. He is also a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C.

8 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY VOICES | OPINION

Giving our young people a worthy voice

BY JIM STAHL RABBI [RACHEL] ZERIN’S wonderful recounting of the Noah story (D’var Torah, November 2019) points to a need for hope amid our anxieties over “climate change, political turmoil . . . “ I agree but also wonder whether Noah’s story, paired with other pivotal Torah stories that shape our Jewish mind, has left us with a contrary message sadly unsuited to our time and its pressing need to guarantee our children a livable planet. What is this unsuitable message?

Recall these formative stories in addition to Noah’s story: the offering of Egypt’s firstborn in the story of Exodus, the binding of Isaac, the offering of Lot’s children to the mob at Sodom, the baby’s placement under King Solomon’s sword.

We were children when these narratives made their vital imprint. Can you recall hearing these stories with your 4-to-10-year-old ears?

Most of us can’t. But what

therapists call our “inner child” can remember, and the message we absorbed may surprise us. Our baby-boomer generation may carry the “hidden” message of these sacred stories in its collective heart. These stories may be undermining our best intentions of solving the climate crisis on behalf of our kids.

So what is this message about the fate of children conveyed in a pitch that only little children could hear? Here’s a clue: in these honored tales, from a small child’s point of view, children are the first to be abandoned – whether left to rising seas in the flood story, to the tenth plague negotiated by Moses, to Abraham’s sharpened blade, to Lot’s inexplicable choice, to Solomon’s child-targeting sword –abandoned on the important platforms of adult ambition. Whether those lauded ambitions are religious, spiritual, geopolitical, or civil does not matter.

Those adult distinctions are lost on the child. A child only

asks this question of story and myth: Where am I in this story? Where do I fit in? Where do I belong?

The painful answer for the child in these civilizing stories is “nowhere.”

When it comes to more important adult behavior, you are expendable. It’s hard to find a children’s story in the

bible that doesn’t involve their sacrifice. And the kids in folk and fairy tales? Do they fare any better? Ask Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel or William Tell’s boy. Even the Ten Commandments turn a blind eye to kids’ protection. Children, only the child is quick to notice, are nowhere mentioned there. “Is there an eleventh one about me?” a child might ask.

So our challenge as concerned adults who care for our kids’ future, and therefore prioritize a climate solution, is to recognize in ourselves that still, small voice, a voice still under the sway of old tales, that whispers, “I am not important enough for saving. I am not worthy.”

But we are, of course, worthy. We were worthy as children, too. Our “inner” child is worthy today. Our real children are worthy.

Their children are worthy.

The next generation is worthy of saving, no matter the contrary and confused message

in the otherwise magnificent stories of our Judeo-Christian upbringing.

I lead a not-for-profit in Rhode Island called Merlyn Climate Grants. We award grants of $500 to $3,000 to young climate leaders helping adults overcome their passivity in the face of a coming climate crisis. The kids we support have managed to transcend their cultural training to remain silent and passive while the adults do their thing. Like Isaac in the famous painting by Caravaggio, they are wrestling for their lives. We are going to help them instead of silencing them. If young people can transcend, so can we.

JIM STAHL is president of Merlyn Climate Grants and editor of Merlyn’s Pen New Library of Young Adult Writing. Contact him at Stahl@ merlynspen.org.

WE KNOW OUR READERS care about climate change. We know you have opinions about whose responsibility it is to take action on climate change. But we received no response to our question in last month’s The Conversation. The Conversation is never over, though.

Feel free to submit your comments at any time. Go to jewishrhody.org and comment on the article (you have to register first with a valid email address) or go to the Jewish Rhode Island Facebook page and comment on the post. You can also send comments to editor@jewishallianceri.org or send us a letter to the editor. Watch for a new topic in January!

DECEMBER 2019

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

| 9

D’VAR TORAH

In defense of the Maccabees “Let everyone who has zeal for the Law and who stands by the covenant follow me!” of Judah, perhaps because they were Sadducees, and likely because they were Mattathias, the high priests, whose role was priest and patriarch of the rightly one of piety, not Hasmonean revolt, had just politics. assassinated a Greek govFor this reason, “there ernment official for was poetic justice”: the compelling him dynasty struggled to commit and fell, and “their idolatrous slaves ruled over worship them.” in an act Notably, while of brazen Purim receives political its own Mishviolence. naic tractate, Like Hanukkah gets the battles no attention of Lexington RABBI BARRY whatsoever in and Concord, this DOLINGER the Mishnah; it launched a period of violent asymmetrical guerilla war- is absent. Yet both are simfare to defend the homeland ilarly situated as a rabbinic holiday in celebration of from foreign sovereignty a successful revolt amid a and despised values. backdrop of assimilation.

In recent years, there’s While the precise causes been a public trend of disof early rabbinic oppocomfort with and criticism sition are the subject of of the Maccabees. In a New vigorous academic debate, York Times op-ed on Dec. 1, 2018 (“The Hypocrisy of Ha- perhaps relating to scorn for Mattathias’s descennukkah”), author Michael dants, John Hyrcanus David Lukas lamented the or Alexander Yannai, or “eight-night-long celebraperhaps out of concern that tion of religious fundaa violent reputation would mentalism and violence.” harm relations with Rome, But the truth is that this it remains clear that the discomfort is not new and comes from many quarters. early rabbis were not fans of the Hasmoneans or their When the patriarch victory. When the BabyloJacob blessed his children nian Talmud does mention at the end of his life, he blessed Judah with political Hanukkah, it is in the context of the laws of candles sovereignty, stating “The on Shabbat, referencing scepter shall not depart only the miracle of the oil from Judah, Nor the ruler’s and omitting any reference staff between his feet; So to the military revolt. that tribute shall come to In his book on religious him and homage of peoples violence, “Not in God’s be his” (Genesis 49:10).

Name: Confronting ReBut Nachmanides, the ligious Violence,” Rabbi famed mystic and brilliant Jonathan Sacks notes his commentator, criticized refusal to defend the Macthe Hasmonean dynasty.

Despite its piety, “they were cabees, among other groups that mix theology, politics punished a great punishand violence. ment,” possibly because “[N]either will I defend they were not from the line

D’ VA

– 1 Maccabees 2:27

R

TO R A H

Candle lighting times Greater Rhode Island December, 2019 Dec. 5 3:55 p.m.

Dec. 13

3:56 p.m.

Dec. 20

3:58 p.m.

Dec. 27

4:02 p.m.

Jan.

4:07 p.m.

3

the toxic mix of religion and politics that has been the downfall of every culture that embraced it: Judaism in the late Second Temple period, Christianity in the 16th and 17th centuries, and radical political Islam today,” he wrote.

In his review of Rabbi Sack’s book, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin adds that the sages “added the al-hanisim prayer” to recast the victory in religious terms, a sort of sanitization.

In this hostile environment, I’d like to take up the Maccabees’ cause. We, too live in a world with shallow

… all of us are physically threatened by our collective dash to econnomic catastrophe, and spiritually threatened by a pervasive lack of meaning …

banality, with generic yet powerful cultural forces of consumption, celebrity, wealth accumulation, power and cynicism that threaten the guarded spiritual secrets of small groups, like Jews, the world over.

Moreover, all of us are physically threatened by our collective dash to ecological catastrophe, and spiritually threatened by a pervasive lack of meaning and a sense of exile and isolation.

Just like the Greeks, whose material culture afforded no tolerance for circumcision, Sabbath or the Jewish calendar, there’s a megalith of modern culture that sneaks up on us, that we quickly assimilate into, that doesn’t provide succor for the soul or health for the polity. Substance and facts are anathema, holiness altogether bizarre.

In our context, a bit of zealotry is called for, zealotry in defense of the Torah’s fundamental truth that every person is created in the image of the living God and therefore deserving of meaningful dignity, zealotry in defense of the sublime beauty of God’s handiwork, zealotry in defense of studies and in the reflection and actions to improve and redeem our world that has characterized so many Jewish movements

and moments.

In the Kabbalistic system of divine emanation, zealotry and revolt might fairly align with netzach, the notion of persistence, of struggle, striving, critique, improvement. Importantly, this is rooted on the right, the side of chesed/lovingkindness in this mystical paradigm. So often, zealotries and revolts are more rooted in pain, revenge or anger. These notions are crucial, but dangerous and flammable, and so discernment and self-reflection are important tools at this moment.

On the mirror side of the kabbalistic scale is hod, appreciation of beauty and gratitude, and a sense of submission. If the Maccabees’ war represents an expression of netzach, the miracle of the oil, performed by God and not people, then a form of supernal light from beyond represents hod.

Fighting and zealotry without gratitude, pause and humility can quickly become a reflection of ego or power gone awry, the Kabbalah warns. But quietism without fight is not loving, and there are moments, like the current one, where those who “love creatures,” like the high priest Aaron, must fight bravely to defend sanctiCONTINUED ON PAGE 11

10 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

UP FRONT | CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS FOR COMPLETE MONTHLY LISTINGS, VISIT JEWISHRHODY.ORG

Ongoing

Alliance Kosher Senior Café.

Weekdays (except holidays) noon-2 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Kosher lunch followed by program. Information or RSVP, 401-421-4111, ext. 107.

West Bay Kosher Senior Café.

Fridays 11:15 a.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Program followed by Kosher lunch. Information or RSVP, 401-421-4111, ext. 107.

Project Shoresh Partners in Torah Night. Sundays thru 12/22.

7:45-8:45 p.m. Partner-based study group. Your choice of texts, English or Hebrew, ancient or modern, with on-site facilitators. Let us know if you want a “study-buddy.” Cake and coffee served. Free. Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail. com or 401-632-3165.

Duplicate Bridge. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Mondays noon-2 p.m.: 0-20 masterpoint game for less-experienced players. $5.

Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and Fridays 11 a.m.-3 p.m.: open stratified game, all levels. $7. Thursdays 1-3 p.m.: Guided play. $6. Information, abarton295@aol.com or 401-3909244.

The Igbo Jews of Abuja: A photo exhibit by Shai Afsai. thru 12/17.

Cranston Public Library: Central Library, 140 Sockanosset Cross Road, Cranston. Exhibit features photographs of Nigerian Igbo practicing Judaism in the country’s capital. Information, jvallone@ cranstonlibrary.org or shai.afsai@ ppsd.org.

Mah Jongg and Canasta. Wednesdays 6:30-8:30 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Lessons available. Free.

Information, Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600.

Adult B’Nei Mitzvah Class.

Wednesdays 7-8 p.m. thru 5/6/20.

Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Yearlong study and preparation to become an adult Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Those interested in learning Hebrew only are welcome to register. $180. Information, Cantor Judy Seplowin at jseplowin@temple-beth-el.org.

Intro to Judaism. Thursdays 7-9 p.m. thru 3/5/20. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Learn the fundamentals of Jewish thought and practice through a mix of study, discussion and practical experiences.

For interfaith couples, non-Jews considering conversion and Jews looking for an adult-level introduction. Faculty include Rabbis Jeffrey Goldwasser, Howard Voss-Altman, Andrew Klein and Sarah Mack, and Cantor Judith Seplowin. $160 per

person, $225 per couple. Information, Judith Gilson at jgilson@ temple-beth-el.org.

Project Shoresh’s Project 613: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Minds. Thursdays 7:30-9 p.m. thru 12/19. Side Entrance of 450 Elmgrove Ave, Providence. Topics: Judaism’s Relevance, The Evolution of Judaism, Free Will & Change, Pleasure & Challenges, Jewish Calendar, Love and Relationships. $10 per session (includes dinner). Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@ gmail.com or 401-632-3165.

Saturday Minyan Breakfast and Torah Study. Saturdays 9:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Breakfast at 9:30 a.m., Torah study from 10-11 a.m. Shabbat services follow Torah study. All are welcome. Information, Dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.

Children’s Shabbat Programs and Kiddush. Shabbat mornings 10-11:30 a.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. For ages 2 to 12. Free. Information, office@ bethsholom-ri.org.

Tot Shabbat. Saturdays 11 a.m.12:30 p.m. Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Sing, dance, learn, craft, play and pray. No RSVP necessary. Challah and juice served.

Open to all. Free. Information or to advise of allergy concerns, Shosh Jacob at shosh@teprov.org.

Friday | December 6

Simchat Tot. 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Jewish Community Day School of RI, 85 Taft Ave., Providence. Children ages 0-3 years old, accompanied by a parent or caregiver, are welcome to join in song, dance and play and meet new friends. Free. Information, Shayna Fel at sfel@jcdsri.com or 401-751-2470.

Project Shoresh Friday Night Carlebach-Style Prayers. 4:20-5 p.m. Mishkon Tfiloh, 203 Summit Ave., Providence. Welcome Shabbat with an inspiring and melodious program led by Rabbi Naftali Karp.

Information, naftalikarp@gmail.com or 401-632-3165.

Project Shoresh Young Professional Friday Night Dinner. 5:30-9 p.m. Private Home, East Side Providence. Shabbat dinner. $10. Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@ gmail.com or 401-632-3165.

Nice and Easy Shabbat. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Temple Habonim, 165 New Meadow Road, Barrington. 5:30 p.m. tot service; 6 p.m. pizza dinner (reservations required); 6:30 p.m. service. Information, Jodi Sullivan at office@templehabonim.org or 401245-6536.

Family Shabbat Dinner and Service. 5:45-7:30 p.m. Temple Shalom, 223 Valley Road, Middletown. For families of all ages. Pizza dinner and potluck beginning at 5:45 pm.

Short service beginning at 6:30 pm.

Oneg to follow. Information, Temple Shalom office at 401-846-9002.

Friday Night Live. 5:45-8 p.m.

Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Musical Shabbat service and dinner. 5:45 p.m.: Cocktails and appetizers. 6:15 p.m.: Musical Shabbat service. 7 p.m.

Shabbat dinner. 13 years and older $20, 12 years and younger free, family max. $60. RSVP, Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600.

Pizza Shabbat. 6 p.m. Congregation Beth David, 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. Families join in the pizza fest followed by services.

Information, Jerry Kasten at 401885-1296.

Guest Speaker Dr. Michael Fine.

6-8:30 p.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Dr. Fine, former director of the RI Department of Health, will discuss his book “Health Care Revolt” in which he proposes a new path to organize and build a health care system for our country that puts positive health outcomes ahead of profits. Information, Dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.

Family Shabbat. 6-8 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Special family Shabbat dinner followed by worship service led by Religious School’s fifth-grade students. Adults $15, children $8, family max. $50. Information, Jenn Thomas at jthomas@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070.

Saturday | December 7

Shabbat Morning Service and Luncheon. 9 a.m. Congregation Beth David, 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. Information, Jerry Kasten at 401-885-1296.

Taste of Shabbat. 9-11 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. 9 a.m. Torah discussion; 9:45 a.m. service followed by light Kiddush. Information, Temple Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600.

“Nice Try,” A Night of Comedy.

6-8:30 p.m. Askew Bistro & Entertainment Venue, 150 Chestnut St., Providence. Annual Hanukkah celebration with Emmy Award-winning stand-up comedian Josh Gondelman. $28 (includes a personalized copy of “Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results,” the show and a drink). Reserve tickets at helmtickets.com/events/4922/ the-cardigan-connection-and-401jpresents-nice-try-a-night-of-comedy-with-josh-gondelman. Presented

by the Cardigan Connection and (401)j. Information, Lisa Maybruch at lmaybruck@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 111.

BCTY (Barrington Community Temple Youth) Open Mic Night.

6:30-9 p.m. Temple Habonim, 165 New Meadow Road, Barrington. $8.

Information, maxkj17@gmail.com.

Sunday | December 8

“Small Miracles,” The Tichyeh Shochet Memorial Conference for Jewish Women. 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Keynote speaker Judith Leventhal, co-author of “Small Miracles.” $50. Sponsored by the women’s division of the Providence Kollel.

Register by email at ebielory1@ gmail.com; mail at Providence Community Kollel, 450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906; phone at 401-273-3923; online at www. providencekollel.org.

Hope Street Winter Stroll. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Hope St. (from Rochambeau Ave. to Seven Stars Bakery), Providence. Festivities include live music, food trucks, fun activities and crafts for kids. Presented by Hope Street Merchants Association. Free.

Family Pizza and Board Games.

12:30-2:30 p.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. The temple supplies pizza, water and desserts.

Parents and children are asked to bring board games. Free for all religious school families from K-10.

Information, Dottie@templesinairi. org or 401-942-8350.

Hanukkah Concert. 1-3 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Enjoy latkes and sufganiyot followed by a performance by Grammy winner Bill Harley. Information, Kim Campbell at kcampbell@ temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070.

Temple Torat Yisrael’s Hanukkah Book Fair. 2-4 p.m. Barnes & Noble, 1350 Bald Hill Road, Warwick. Open to all. Information, events@toratyisrael.org or Temple Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600.

“The Igbo Jews of Abuja”: Meet and greet with photographer Shai Afsai. 2-4 p.m. Cranston Public Library: Central Library, 140 Sockanosset Cross Road, Cranston.

Exhibit is on display through 12/17 in the James T. Giles Community Room. Free. Information, shai.afsai@ ppsd.org.

Tuesday | December 10

Temple Torat Yisrael’s Lunch and Learn. Noon-1:30 p.m. T’s Restaurant, 5600 Post Road, East Greenwich. Order from the menu, and study Jewish sources addressing current issues. Led by Rabbi Aaron Philmus. Open to all. Information,

Temple Torat Yisrael office at 401885-6600.

Wednesday | December 11

Israel Culture Night: Film “Bethlehem.” 7-8:30 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. If you enjoyed “Fauda,” you will love this film. Discussion follows film. Free.

The film is available thanks to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with JCC Association, the Israeli Consulate General to New England and the Dwares JCC. Information, Or Cohen at ocohen@ jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 121.

Friday | December 13

Simchat Tot. 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Jewish Community Day School of RI, 85 Taft Ave., Providence. Children ages 0-3 years old, accompanied by a parent or caregiver, join in song, dance and play and meet new friends. Free. Information, Shayna Fel at sfel@jcdsri.com or 401-7512470.

T.G.I.F. – Thank G-D It’s Friday.

5:45-7 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich.

Shabbat songs and story with Rabbi Aaron Philmus followed by a potluck veggie meal. Information or RSVP, Torat Yisrael office at 401-8856600.

Student-led Kabbalat Service. 6 p.m. Congregation Beth David, 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett.

Information, Jerry Kasten at 401885-1296.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 7:30 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Oneg follows. Information, Temple Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600.

Saturday | December 14

Taste of Shabbat. 9-11 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. 9 a.m. Torah discussion; 9:45 a.m. service followed by light Kiddush. Information, Temple Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600.

Kids’ Night Out. Ages 5-11: 5-10 p.m.

Ages 2-4: 5-8 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Sports, crafts and movie. Pizza and snacks served. Older kids enjoy free swim. $40 | Dwares JCC Members: $30 | Siblings: $20. Information and registration, skochanek@jewishallianceri. org or 401-421-4111, ext. 147.

Community-Wide Family Havdalah. 5:30-7 p.m. Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Fourth annual community-wide Havdalah.

Join with other congregations to end Shabbat with a service, dinner, crafts and singing. Information, shosh@teprov.org.

DECEMBER 2019

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

David Broza in Concert. 7-9 p.m.

Temple Ohabei Shalom, 1187 Beacon St., Brookline, Mass. World-renowned Israeli singer-songwriter will perform in Ohabei Shalom’s historic sanctuary. All proceeds benefit education and music programs at Ohabei Shalom. Tickets: $18-$72.

Information and link to tickets, visit www.ohabei.org.

Alicia Svigals and Ensemble. 7:309:30 p.m. Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Violinist, composer and klezmer fiddler Alicia Svigals appears with accordionist Dr. William Schimmel and jazz pianist Uli Geissendoerfer . $18 in advance | $25 at the door. Information, Brian Mayer at bjmayer@teprov.org or 401-331-1616.

some Hanukkah favorites. Information, Dottie@templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.

Summer J-Camp Reunion. 3-5 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Join your friends, former CITs and counselors for swimming, pizza and the camp slideshow. Free. RSVP (required) or information, Aaron Guttin at aguttin@ jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 140.

Project Shoresh Pre-Hanukkah Community Evening of Inspiration.

7:30-9 p.m. Latkes and inspirational thoughts and ideas. $8. Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail. com or 401-632-3165.

Sunday | December 15

Core Connects RI presents Mikveh Stories. 7-9 p.m. Private Home, East Side Providence. Intimate evening of storytelling for women. Four women will share their mikveh stories.

Learn about the transformative power of this Jewish water ritual over wine and snacks. $18. Information or RSVP, CoreConnectsRI.com or Elissa Felder at 401-241-9631.

Adult B’Nei Mitzvah Class. 7-9 p.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. For adults who want to participate in a spring 2020 B’Nei Mitzvah service. Rabbi Goldwasser emphasizes Jewish learning and spiritual practice. Learning to read from the Torah optional. Class meets: 1/22, 2/26, 3/25, 4/22, 5/27.

To join class, rabbigoldwasser@ templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350

Sunday Fundays. 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Jewish Community Day School of RI, 85 Taft Ave., Providence. Free play and special activities for ages 1-4. This session features Hanukkah Hoopla with Ben Rome, JCDSRI art and classroom teacher. Free. Information, Shayna Fel at sfel@jcdsri. com or 401-751-2470.

Sprouts. 9:30-10:30 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Jewish learning for preschoolers. $12 per session.

Information or to pre-register (not required), Torat Yisrael office at 401885-6600.

Menorahs in the Morning. 9:3011:30 a.m. Temple Shalom, 223 Valley Road, Middletown. Temple Shalom and Torah Tots group have a Hanukkah party with games and music, and latkes and doughnuts.

Information, Temple Shalom office at 401-846-9002.

Drop-In Pre-School Hanukkah Program. 10-11 a.m. Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence.

Hanukkah program for children ages 3-5 accompanied by an adult.

Free. Information or RSVP, Ronni@ teprov.org.

Shireinu Choral Performance.

2-3 p.m. Greenwich Farms Assisted Living, 75 Minnesota Ave., Warwick.

The community chorus of Temple Sinai will perform songs, including

Wednesday | December 18

Friday | December 20

PJ Library Hanukkah Story Time.

9:30-10:30 a.m. Knead Doughnuts 135 Elmgrove Ave., Providence.

Celebrate the Festival of Lights with PJ Library and Knead Doughnuts.

Learn about the traditions, including why we eat sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts). Free. RSVP (required), Lyndsey Ursillo at lursillo@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 141.

Pre-Hanukkah Service and Dinner. 6-9 p.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Dinner menu is pot roast, roasted potatoes, salad, veggies and latkes. $5 per person,

family max. $20. RSVP (required by 12/13) or information, Dottie@ templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.

Shabbat Hallelu. 6:30 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Cantor Judy Seplowin and the Hallelu Band open the doors to worship through musical presentation and congregational singing. Light refreshments and sangria served at 6:30 p.m. Services at 7 p.m. Free.

Information, Temple Beth-El office at 401-331-6070.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 7:30 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Oneg follows. Information, Temple Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 8 p.m.

Congregation Beth David, 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. Family service. Information, Jerry Kasten at 401-885-1296.

Saturday | December 21

Shabbat Morning Service. 9 a.m.

Congregation Beth David, 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. Light Kiddush follows. Information, Jerry Kasten at 401-885-1296.

ty, purpose and the Holy of Holies.

Personally, I’m burning with an unsettling amount of zealotry lately, and I know from myriad conversations that I’m not alone.

Mindful of the critiques, traditional ambivalence, attempts to counterbalance, and the inevitable harm, I’m eager to stress the other side.

Just as the survival of the Jews depended on the

fundamentalism of the Maccabees, our ability to channel courage and fight for the Holy of Holies, the imminence of that which is sacred, may determine our collective fate.

RABBI BARRY DOLINGER is rabbi of Congregation Beth Sholom in Providence. He is vice president of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island.

Monday | December 23

NEAT Hanukkah Chagiga. 7 p.m.

Women and girls only. Providence Hebrew Day School, 450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Information, Aaron Lapin at alapin@phdschool.org or 401-331-5327.

Wednesday | December 25

Family First – Community Service Morning. 10 a.m.-noon. Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence.

Family-friendly community-wide service project. Information, shosh@ teprov.org.

Friday | December 27

Project Shoresh Friday Night Carlebach-Style Prayers. 4:305:30 p.m. Mishkon Tfiloh, 203 Summit Ave., Providence. Traditional Carlebach-style program led by Rabbi Naftali Karp. Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail. com or 401-632-3165.

Project Shoresh Young Professional Hanukkah Dinner. 6-9 p.m.

Mishkon Tfiloh, 203 Summit Ave., Providence. $15. Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail.com or 401-632-3165.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 7:30 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Oneg follows. Information, Temple Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 8 p.m.

Congregation Beth David, 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. Family service. Information, Jerry Kasten at 401-885-1296.

Saturday | December 28

Taste of Shabbat. 9-11 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. 9 a.m. Torah discussion; 9:45 a.m. service followed by light Kiddush. Information, Temple Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600.

Sunday | December 29

Project Shoresh Hanukkah Family Funday. 10:30 a.m.-noon. Location TBD. Hanukkah-themed activities for children and refreshments. The location based on the number of RSVPs (required). $5 per family.

Information or RSVP, rnoachkarp@ gmail.com.

Celebrate Hanukkah with Chabad CHABAD of RI has announced several Hanukkah events this month, listed below. Hanukkah begins on the evening of Sunday, Dec. 22.

• State House Hanukkah Candle-Lighting Ceremony Inside the Rhode Island State House Monday, Dec. 23, 7 p.m.

Join elected officials and members of the community in lighting the menorah and offering prayers of peace.

• Grand Chabad Hanukkah Café – Melave Malke Chabad House, 360 Hope St., Providence

D’VAR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

Taste of Shabbat. 9-11 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. 9 a.m. Torah discussion; 9:45 a.m. service. Light Kiddush follows. Information, Temple Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600.

| 11

Saturday, Dec. 28 7:30 p.m.

Latkes and a special guest speaker, whose topic will be “Bringing Light to the World.”

• Children’s Gala & Hanukkah Pizza Party Chabad House, 360 Hope St., Providence Sunday, Dec. 29, noon

Children will enjoy arts and crafts, games, raffles and prizes.

For more information, please contact Chabad at 401-273-7238.

JRI PHOTO | FILES

LIGHTING THE MENORAH at the Rhode Island State House in 2018.

12 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY VOICES

The rise and fall of Rhode Island’s YMHAs

BY GERALDINE S. FOSTER VOLUME II OF THE RHODE ISLAND Jewish Historical Association’s Notes from June 1956 contains a list of Jewish communal organizations and Jewish-owned businesses chartered by the state of Rhode Island from 1855 to 1955.

Each entry has the date of the charter, the name of the organization or business, the petitioners and the purpose. In aggregate, they tell a great deal about the hopes and ideals of the immigrant population, their attempts at self-help, and building a community in a new country.

One of the early organizations to receive a charter was the Young Men’s Hebrew Association of Bristol, in April 30, 1896, “for social and benevolent purposes.” Among the other Jewish Ys to receive a charter prior to World War I were Providence, Jan. 1, 1898; Newport, Oct. 29, 1913; and Woonsocket, July 24, 1914. (The list also includes three YWHAs: Providence, March 13, 1900; Newport, May 13, 1915; and Woonsocket, Dec. 8, 1915.)

It should be noted that a Providence YMHA was mentioned in the minutes of a Philadelphia Y in 1880, and again nine years later, but no further archival material could be found. Also, with the exception of Bristol, there was already at least one synagogue and some community structure in place in the three other R.I. municipalities that

had YMHAs. The YMHA was “a very American concept” (Goldscheider, Notes, V. 9, p. 285). It was associational and social, and attuned to American culture rather than European traditions. Family origins or religious traditions (if any) did not matter.

The Bristol Y was an example of this idea. Social and cultural interaction, rather than religious tradition, seemed more fitting, more compatible to life in a small town.

A synagogue was chartered in Bristol 12 years after the Y formed. The Y provided the seed from which the religious community grew.

Nationally, the Jewish Ys originated in literary societies prevalent in American Jewish communities of the early 19th century. As they evolved, they became a place to meet for intellectual discussions, debates, chess, social events and calisthenics. They provided a central place and programs were designed to keep young men in the Jewish fold. Lest the “Hebrew” in its name be overlooked, Jewish-themed lectures and holiday celebrations were in the mix.

In many cities with immigrant populations, the Ys also became a center where Jews and non-Jews learned English and enrolled in Americanization classes.

The Rhode Island YMHAs all underwent at least one reorganization, with at least one new charter listed, before passing into obscurity.

The Providence YMHA and YWHA were folded into the Hebrew Educational Institute in 1916.

They moved from their rented quarters on North Main Street two years after the institute purchased the Evans Homestead, at 65 Benefit St. The institute in turn became the Jewish Community Center. An affiliation with the Associated YMHAs of New England continued.

The Woonsocket Y, unlike the others, did leave a record of sorts of the 15 years of its existence.

Arthur Kornstein, who was one of its founders, kept a scrapbook of clippings from local and outof-town newspapers. The articles fill in some of the blanks in the history of the Jewish Ys in our state.

In a conversation with Eleanor Horvitz (Notes, V. 9, p. 329), Kornstein stated that he and his friend Harry Fellman recognized the need for a center where young people in Woonsocket could come together.

The first meetings were held at the home of Samuel Kornstein. As membership grew, they held a fundraiser and were able to rent larger quarters. Within its first year, the Woonsocket Y had affiliated with the Associated YMHAs of New England, which included Providence, Fall River, New Bedford and towns near Boston.

Kornstein’s scrapbook, as reported by Horvitz, revealed the popularity of debates with Ys from other cities, particularly Providence. They attracted large audiences and prominent judges.

Social affairs – an annual ball, picnics, concerts – as well as athletic events and competitions with other Ys also figured prominently.

Mention was also made of conferences with delegates from other affiliates of the Associated YMHAs of New England. In addition, the education committee arranged lectures on Jewish subjects, as well as general topics, such as economics and citizenship. The educational portion of the programming reflected the wide range of the members’ interests.

The scrapbook ends in 1929. No reason is given.

An association of Jewish Ys in New England no longer exists, and few YMHAs remain even in larger cities in this country. Theories abound as to why. I leave theories to others. Suffice it to say, the Y was an important component of my husband’s youth, and my son – many years later – enjoyed the Y inter-city basketball competitions with the team from the Providence JCC. For many of us, the YMHAs are the stuff of memory, of a Jewish organization well-suited to America.

NOTE: The YWHAs have not been neglected. They will be the subject of another article.

GERALDINE S. FOSTER is a past president of the R.I. Jewish Historical Association. To comment about this or any RIJHA article, contact the RIJHA office at info@rijha.org or 401-331-1360.

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DECEMBER 2019

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

| 13

COMMUNITY VOICES

The years come and go, but Mom endures in my thoughts and being CH

BOOK

SKE

T

I WAS BORN in the month of inspired by my mom’s visits Sagittarius: I am a centaur, to Lincoln Woods just to ride half horse, half archer, in a circle around the sacred aiming high. and holy miniature forest and I get the horse half from recall her first friendly pony. my mom, Betty C. Movies make much of Fink: she loved horses that win racto draw and es. But the horse my sculpt equine mother chose to themes. She depict was a useful would paint servant who earned animal honor and respect images on from those who apceramic preciate labor. The coffee or arrow pointing hot chocolate upward in her mosaic MIKE FINK maybe stands for cups for frequent visitors. She chose my ambition to aim carefully and whimsically for the stars above; after all, what creature symbolized we are both earthbound and their nature. stardust, perhaps ….

For her own metaphor, my Our solstice holiday, Hamom chose the workhorse, nukkah, combines its seasonwith blinders on! That, I al timing – the shortest day guess, is how she saw her lot promises to start getting lonin life. Just doing what she ger, second by second – with was expected, supposed, to the national candlelit concept do: cooking, cleaning, shovof dedication; we strive to go eling snow, keeping Kosher, on with a devotion to Jewish making her way through her ideals of learning, recalling errands. Just like the actual and carrying the burdens like horse her father kept in her those horses of long ago that girlhood, both in Romania, every Jewish family had to in Podul Iloiaie, and in Trois pay heed to.

Rivieres, Montreal.

You find this far-fetched?

The blessed beast had to Read the children’s stories pull the peddler’s wagon, of Isaac Bashevis Singer. He and must be fed courteously, wrote one that I heard gratefully, not carelessly or casually. The well-being of the family depended on that horse – even the warmth of its body was crucial, supplying heat for human habitation. (When I listened to tales by the open wood fire on the hearth, I took the details very much to heart, as though magic just meant my mother’s past!)

Later in my mom’s life, when her artistic talent opened other opportunities for design, she crafted a mosaic table, rather large and quite colorful. What was the motif? A horse, of course! A much fancier steed, that stood, maybe, for her enhanced sense of self and personal worth.

Now, I’m one of those loyal sons who never stops remembering, with love, the story of a mother’s devotion – remembers forever, long after her passing. So I read multiple meanings into these few souvenirs, or even merely slides or snapshots of mementos, that have moved on to other households.

Yes, I teach at an art and design college, perhaps partly

at Temple Beth-El, in Providence, decades ago. Sus, the bookseller’s pet, knows the route for selling children’s stories along their pathway.

When Sus dies, his loving owner and companion, Naftali, buries him in the vast lawn of a Polish aristocrat, and a tree goes on the grave.

When the storyteller passes

away, he too shares the good earth with his animal familiar and friend.

Deep in December, it’s good to remember.

MIKE FINK (mfink33@aol.com) teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design.

14 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY VOICES

Fulfillment of a dream

BY RACHEL ALEXANDER LEVY

W

HEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL growing up in Providence, my bubbe told me stories about her mother leaving Russia in 1905 and finding a better life in America. Throughout my bubbe’s life,

she constantly worried about the family that had been left behind. She would always mail a dollar and a ribbon to the family in Russia for holidays and birthdays.

In 1986, my parents, Paul and Sheila Alexander, flew to Moscow with Rabbi Wayne Franklin of Temple Emanu-El on an undercover UJA mission to find and help Russian refuseniks. They carried a list of names, along with a duffel bag full of blue jeans and cigarettes to use for bartering.

In preparation for the trip, my bubbe wrote a letter in Yiddish to family members who might still be in Moscow.

She enclosed a photo of my mother, along with her itinerary. We never received a response. However, on the fourth day of my parents’ stay in Moscow, there was a man wandering around the hotel lobby with a photograph, and shouting, “Sheila, vau bistu?”(Where are you, in Yiddish) My parents immediately spotted him because he looked like family! Boris was thrilled to meet my mother after 80 years of disconnectedness!

For my Bat Mitzvah, I had a “twin” who was a Russian refusenik, and I thought about how lucky I was that I could practice being Jewish while my twin, along with two generations of Russians, had to hide her religion.

The following year, in 1987, I joined my midrasha classmates and thousands of others in sending a message to Mikhail Gorbachev, then the leader of the Soviet Union. Together, we marched on the Capitol in Washington while shouting “Let our people go! United we stand! Divided we fall!”

Thanks to the efforts of the Jewish

community, we were able to free some Soviet Jews and my Russian cousins made aliyah in 1991. I was spending the summer volunteering on a kibbutz, so I was the first member of my American family to welcome the Russian cousins to Israel.

Over the past 30 years, I have stayed connected with my Russian family in Israel. We have celebrated weddings together and the birth of the next generation in Israel.

We all know people who left Russia between the last two decades of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century. More than 2.8 million Jews emigrated from Eastern and Southern Europe to the United States between 1880 and 1925.

In addition, more than 1 million Russians immigrated to Israel.

But the question that most people don’t consider is how many Jews remain in the former Soviet Union. There are still more than 1 million Jews living there, and 90,000 Jewish seniors are currently receiving food assistance from the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), with support from the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA).

Since I was a child, I have been concerned about our global Jewish family.

That is why I have been working for the Jewish Federation for nearly two decades.

I frequently tell stories about the elderly who need our support, but, until recently, I had never met them. I just knew that they needed our help. I knew down to my DNA

Russian matryoshka dolls at a tourist market. that my great-grandmother had come to America, but her sister had been left behind. I also knew that it could have just as easily been the other way around.

I am haunted by the thought that my family could have been stuck behind the Iron Curtain without the American privileges of an abundance of food, access to a quality higher education, and freedom to practice Judaism.

I recently returned from Minsk, Belarus, where I was able to fulfill my dream of meeting the generation of Jews who have been living a very challenging life in the former Soviet

PHOTOS | RACHEL LEVY

Union. Although they are able to leave, many are choosing to stay: Belarus has been their home for 200 years.

Before World War II, there were 1 million Jews in Belarus (42% of the population). During the Holocaust, Belarus was decimated and 800,000 Jews were massacred. Life has been extremely difficult since that time, and today only 45,000 Jews remain. But thanks to the efforts of the JDC and the JFNA, there are currently 11 Jewish organizations creating a renewal and revitalization of Jewish life in Belarus. There are also nine active synagogues across the CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

Pause with Pittsburgh was commemorated with AJT, Active Jewish Teens. This JDC youth program, in partnership wit BBYO, now reaches more the 3,100 Jewish teenagers in Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine and beyond.

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island FROM PAGE 14 country.

I made the trip in October as part of a JDC Ambassadors Mission, which visited the Hesed Center in Minsk. We learned that Hesed serves about 5,000 people through every stage of life, from toddlers to seniors. We met with Hillel staff and learned how they have grown the program in the past decade from a few dozen students to over 450 participants. This is incredible – amazing! – considering that most teenagers’ parents were not able to practice their religion. Their grandparents were forced to stop practicing Judaism behind the Iron Curtain.

It is miraculous to see that these millennials are yearning to learn how to celebrate Shabbat and Passover, and all the other Jewish traditions. They also feel responsible for teaching their parents and grandparents about Jewish holidays and celebrations.

I feel good knowing that just as I was active in Brown-RISD Hillel, students in Minsk today are also excited to spend Shabbat together.

Approximately 35% of Jews in Minsk are over 60 years old. This creates a huge burden on the community to care for the seniors, especially since many live on very meager pension of no more than $180 per month. This is where the JDC is making the biggest impact and keeping this generation alive.

I was invited to visit a poor senior who was almost homebound. My guide gave me 50 Belarusian rubles (roughly $24 U.S.) and a grocery list that included kasha, eggs and flour.

After an hour making tough choices at the grocery, I purchased four bags of food to deliver. I walked up the old, rickety staircase wondering what I would see. I had been anxious about visiting a Soviet-era apartment building, about what it would look like and smell like. I had heard dozens of stories about the elderly being trapped in their apartments for years because their building did not have elevators. I knew that many seniors did not have bathrooms in their apartments, and food and medicine were luxury items.

Tamara Naumovna Kalinkina was thrilled to have me visit, and invited me to sit so that she could share her story with me. She was born in 1940 and married at age 17. Now she is a great-grandma with two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren living in Israel. At age 40, she fell

and permanently injured her spine. Now she has challenges using her hands, and she is hearing impaired.

Kalinkina made the choice at age 54 to give up her impressive career as a chemistry technologist and become a volunteer for JDC at Hesed. She loved meeting with seniors and providing them with hope and a smile through a range of programs, including serving as a hostess for more than 20 years to A Warm Home, a JDC program where seniors gather in the apartments of their peers for cultural and social exchanges as well as refreshments.

At that point in her story, Kalinkina invited me to join her in celebrating Shabbat. Together, we lit Shabbat candles and blessed her challah. She was so moved that she stood up and began to sing her favorite Yiddish song, “A Brivele der Mamen,” “A Letter to Mother.”

I was overwhelmed by the experience and felt very powerfully the message that am Yisrael chai – the Jewish people are still here! They cannot defeat us!

But the Jewish people in Minsk need our support so that they don’t have to choose between food and medicine. Without those four bags of groceries, Kalinkina would have had only basic staples.

As I boarded the plane back to the US, I felt very powerful. I had seen the impact that one person can have on an entire community. One person can make a huge difference. My great-grandmother had started this cycle when she came to America and raised her family. She taught us the values of tzedakah and kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh – that all of the Jewish people are responsible for one another.

We all started in the same place before we dispersed across the world. However, we are all still one family. Therefore, we must not forget our family in Minsk so they, like us, can live their lives with dignity.

RACHEL ALEXANDER LEVY, of Providence, is a regional director for the Network of Independent Communities at the Jewish Federations of North America.

DID YOU KNOW? Donations to the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island help to fund programs such as those mentioned in this story. For more information or to make a donation, contact Sara Masri (smasri@jewishallianceri. org), chief development officer at the Alliance at 401-421-4111, ext. 223.

DECEMBER 2019

| 15

Tamara Naumovna Kalinkina, born in 1940, lights the Shabbat candles in her home with Rachel Levy.

16 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

FOOD & DINING

Bake your latkes – you won’t regret it 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1 cinnamon stick 1/4 teaspoon salt Pinch black pepper

BY PAULA SHOYER EVERYONE LOVES POTATO LATKES, but no one likes the mess of frying them or the guilt associated with eating them. So try my latkes, which are baked in the oven and easily won over my kids.

Serve them with my pickled applesauce, which is basically a tangy-spicy applesauce and is also good with schnitzel.

Watch the latkes while they’re in the oven so they don’t burn. The latkes may be made two days in advance and reheated in the oven, or frozen. The applesauce may be made four days in advance.

DIRECTIONS

Baked Latkes with Pickled Applesauce INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons sunflower or safflower oil, or more if needed 1/2 medium onion, quartered 3 scallions, ends trimmed, cut into thin slices or chopped into small pieces 3 medium potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), scrubbed clean and unpeeled 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 large eggs 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 2 tablespoons potato starch 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the Pickled Applesauce 1 teaspoon sunflower or safflower oil 1/3 cup red onions, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 2 apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

To make the latkes, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. When the oven is hot, pour 2 tablespoons of oil onto 2 jelly roll pans and turn them in every direction so that the oil coats the pans. Heat the pans in the oven for 5 minutes.

Place the onions and scallions in the bowl of a food processor and chop them into small pieces. Place them in a medium bowl. Shred the potatoes by hand on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor with the shredding blade, and place in the bowl.

Add the lemon juice, eggs, baking powder, potato starch,

salt and pepper and mix well.

Very carefully (I mean really carefully; move very slowly) remove one of the pans and use your hands or a spoon to scoop up and drop clumps of the potato mixture, a little less than 1/4 cup, onto the pan.

I use my hands. Press the mixture down to flatten it a little.

Place the pan in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes and immediately remove the second oiled pan. Repeat the same process with the remaining potato mixture and bake the second pan of latkes for 10 to 12 minutes. Bake them until the edges are well browned, and then with a slotted spatula turn them over and cook the latkes for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the bottoms are browned. These can be made 2 days in advance and reheated in the oven. Makes 25 latkes.

To make the applesauce, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook them for 3 minutes, until they soften. Add the vinegar and brown sugar and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the apples, coriander, ginger, cinnamon stick, salt and pepper, and cook, covered, on low heat for 15 minutes, or until the apples are soft. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes and then puree it, using an immersion blender or a food processor. The applesauce can be made 4 days in advance and served warm or cold.

Reprinted with permission from “The Healthy Jewish Kitchen” © 2017 by Paula Shoyer, Sterling Epicure.

DECEMBER 2019

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

| 17

Lemon ricotta fritters: Easier and just as delish as jelly doughnuts

BY LEANNE SHOR I KNOW THAT SUFGANIYOT – jelly doughnuts – are traditional and beloved for Hanukkah. But I feel confident that once you try these easy and incredibly delicious ricotta fritters, you will be converted to these sweet fried treats.

And if I’m making a confession, I have actually never loved traditional sufganiyot.

Sometimes our family made our own, or bought from local bakeries, but were usually left feeling kind of “meh.” They were always a bit too bready and heavy.

About 10 years ago my sister enlightened us all with these perfectly crisp, round fritters. They’re so light and creamy with a hint of fresh lemon zest. The batter comes together in just five minutes, and it is as easy as making pancakes. We love to warm up some of my mom’s homemade jellies and jams for dipping.

Since these babies are at their absolute best right when they’re fresh, I like to fry them up while I make tea after the holiday meal. The “wow” factor of fresh fritters is

incomparable! Our guests love the deconstructed sufganiyot because it’s unexpected and gets people talking. I serve a variety of warm jellies like pomegranate, peach and blackberry.

Note: I doubt you will have any fritters left over, but if you do, store them in a paper bag for one or two days at room temperature.

INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 4 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest 4 eggs 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese 2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 4-6 cups canola oil, for frying 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 cup jam or jelly

DIRECTIONS Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat until it reaches 365 degrees.

In the meantime, in a large bowl combine the eggs, ricot-

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ta, sugar and vanilla extract.

Whisk to thoroughly combine.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and lemon zest; whisk to thoroughly combine.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir with a spoon until the batter just comes together and there are no lumps of flour.

If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can check if the oil is hot enough by placing a wooden spoon in the hot oil. If small bubbles form around the spoon immediately, the oil is hot enough. When the oil has come to temperature, use a No. 40 cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) to carefully scoop the batter into the hot oil without crowding the pan.

Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side until deep golden brown. Check the first fritter for doneness on the inside.

Use a slotted spoon or metal spider to remove the fritters and any excess oil, then transfer to paper towels to drain.

Dust with powdered sugar.

In a small pan, heat the jam or jelly until it becomes liquid, then transfer to a serving bowl. Serve immediately for best results. Serves 24 fritters.

18 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

PHOTO | FILES PHOTOS | ELAINE SANDY

Winners! Temple Beth-El World Series of Brunch winners were Emily Shalansky, left, in the Sweet category, and Stuart Feldman, right, in the Savory category (pictured with wife, Mara, and son Jake).

Volunteer Ken Schneider packs a bag at the kosher food pantry.

Share your good fortune with a local food pantry

BY MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE ALTHOUGH MANY OF US ENJOY the period between Thanksgiving and the New Year as one of feasting and celebration, it’s also a time when some members of our community struggle to feed themselves and make ends meet.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that in Rhode Island, more than 54,000 households, representing more than 12 percent of the state’s population, experience food insecurity – the inability to meet the food needs of all members of their household; two thirds of those households contain at least one senior or child.

Hugh Minor, director of communications at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, said that last year the Food Bank and its 168 member agencies distributed more than 11.6 million pounds of food to Rhode Islanders in need. It is a persistent need, and Minor provided a list of this year’s most-needed items, which includes canned foods such as tuna and soups and non-perishable, shelf-stable items such as pasta, wholegrain foods and cooking oil.

At member agency The Louis

& Goldie Chester Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry, items such as borscht, gefilte fish, and kasha are in high demand; Pantry Coordinator Marcie Ingber explained that this need comes from the sizable Russian constituency that uses the pantry.

Both Minor and Ingber spoke of a need for donations.

While donations of food are always welcome, Minor explained that the Food Bank’s ability to buy in bulk makes monetary donations particularly valuable. Volunteers are also welcome, and Ingber mentioned that the Kosher Food Pantry volunteers often include those working on B’nai Mitzvah projects.

A list of local food pantries can be found online at https:// rifoodbank.org/find-food/ , or by calling The United Way of Rhode Island at 2-1-1.

THE LOUIS & GOLDIE CHESTER FULL PLATE KOSHER FOOD PANTRY is open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or by appointment. The phone number is 401-621-5374.

MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE (mschemaille@jewishallianceri.org) writes for Jewish Rhode Island and the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

DECEMBER 2019

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

This shakshuka may be even better than the original

BY CHAYA RAPPOPORT IF I’M HOSTING BRUNCH, it’s a pretty sure bet that I’ll make shakshuka. Saucy, spicy and runny with egg, it’s a universally beloved dish that, to its credit (and my eternal disappointment), never yields leftovers when I make it, a sure testament to its popularity.

I make my regular shakshuka with fresh tomatoes and peppers, which leaves me in somewhat of a bind come wintertime, when neither is in season. Rather than use canned vegetables (they have their place; shakshuka is not it), I’ve started making a green shakshuka. It isn’t exactly authentic, but it’s deliciously herby, spiced with serrano chile, cumin and paprika, and full of leafy greens.

I love spinach here — I eat it with eggs on toast — but I’ve also made this with kale, collard greens and Swiss chard, all of which you could substitute for the spinach.

Green Shakshuka with Feta Ingredients 1 large onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapeño or serrano chile, seeds removed, chopped 1/4 cup olive oil, divided 10 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped (around 6-8 cups) 1 cup roughly chopped parsley, with stems 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon paprika 5-6 large eggs 3/4 cup feta, for crumbling on top Aleppo pepper, sumac, and coarsely chopped dill for serving Sourdough or pitas, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and position an oven rack in the center.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in an oven-safe skillet or cast iron pan.

Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant.

Season with the cumin and paprika.

Add the diced jalapeño or serrano, and let soften, 1-2 minutes. Add the chopped spinach and the remainder of the olive oil, and cook until it begins to wilt, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Using a wooden spoon or spatula, create 5-6 wells inside the bed of greens. Crack an egg into each well.

Bake the shakshuka for 6-8 minutes, until the egg whites are settled. If you like very runny yolks, start checking the eggs at around 4 minutes. The eggs will cook quickly.

Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the crumbled feta. Sprinkle with sumac and aleppo pepper, and top with fresh dill. Serve with pita or sourdough. Serves 3-4.

This recipe originally appeared on The Nosher.

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20 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

ARTS following Q and A has been edited for length.

How long have you been writing plays? Is that something you always wanted to do, or did you start writing later in life?

I began creating plays in 2011, after hearing my father, a retired Protestant minister, deliver what was probably his final sermon to a small congregation in rural Vermont, where he was the guest preacher. As I drove home to Cranston and I could not stop thinking about the brilliance of his farewell sermon and the need for more than the 20 or so folks in attendance to hear it.

That led to my working with my father to create a play using the text of that sermon, as well as his essays and poetry. The resulting work, “Interrupting the Sermon,” inspired me to continue writing plays based on family, cultural and social histories.

I produced that first play in 2014 in Providence after deciding to establish a small theater company, FirstHand Theatrical. And, since some readers will wonder, I am Jewish.

Kevin Olson

Cranston playwright shines a spotlight on Soviet Jews

BY LARRY KESSLER

C

RANSTON PLAYWRIGHT KEVIN OLSON turned his longtime interest in the plight of Soviet Jewry into two plays that shed light on the topic by focusing

on a family’s struggles in the former Soviet Union.

Olson, 61, said he was inspired to write the plays after his sister-in-law sent him a link to a website, appledoesnotfall.com, started by Soviet émigré Bena Shklyanoy to tell about her family’s experiences in emigrating to the United States.

Olson, who had started a small theater company in Rhode Island, FirstHand Theatrical, approached Shklyanoy, of Chicago, about doing a play about those experiences. Ultimately, their collaboration led to two plays, “How Many Bushels Am I Worth?” and “And Then What?”

The Black Box Theatre at AS220, 95 Empire St., Providence, will present “How Many Bushels Am I Worth?” Jan. 9-12.

Jewish Rhode Island recently interviewed Olson via email. The

A July 2018 story in The Chicago Jewish News stated that you collaborated with Soviet émigré Bena Shklyanoy on two plays, “How Many Bushels Am I Worth?” and “And Then What?,” which was shown in 2017 in Providence. Is the play to be staged in January the one shown two summers ago in Illinois?

In Providence and in New York City, we will present “How Many Bushels Am I Worth?” It is a companion piece to “And Then What?” Both plays were presented in Chicago in August 2018; “And Then What?” came to Providence in 2017 as a staged reading.

The two plays are eyewitness

accounts of a Russian-Jewish family’s experiences from the pre-Bolshevik and Soviet eras to the 1970s’ wave of immigration to the United States. How did you come to contact Shklyanoy and eventually wind up collaborating with her?

My sister-in-law, Paula Goldberg, got a call from one of her cousins, Deanna Shoss, who was working with Bena Shklyanoy. Bena and Deanna, who both live in the Chicago area, were about to launch a website [appledoesnotfall.com] that shared an extensive history of Bena’s family, going back 150 years.

Bena had spent 11 years networking and searching archives in the former Soviet Union to gather information for the website. She also contacted numerous cousins and other distant relatives from around the globe to learn their stories and undertake this extraordinary and extensive family history.

Deanna asked Paula for feedback on the website prior to launch. Paula then forwarded me the link, correctly thinking that I might have some insights and reactions. After a skim, I became quite interested in contacting Bena about working together to craft a play from some of the material. We ended up collaborating on two plays.

The same Chicago Jewish News story mentioned that you worked with Soviet Jewish immigrants while you were the arts director for the Jewish Community Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Talk about that experience, and how it influenced your work with Shklyanoy.

One of the events I helped organize in the mid-1990s at the St. Paul JCC was a Sunday afternoon festival that showcased the culture, history and talents of those Jews who had immigrated to St. Paul through the Save

KEVIN OLSON, Cranston playwright, 61, is married to Amy Olson, executive director of the University of Rhode Island Hillel since 2005. The couple have two grown children, Daniel and Shira.

EARLY YEARS: Olson was born in Holland, Michigan, and grew up near New York City.

OCCUPATION: Olson is an adjunct professor in the theater, dance and film department at Providence College; the theater and communications department at the University of Rhode Island; and the performing arts and English departments at the Community College of Rhode Island.

Olson has directed plays in a variety of settings, and in 2013 he established FirstHand Theatrical, which creates original theater productions using primary source material mainly drawn from diverse personal, cultural and social histories.

Olson is co-playwright and director at FirstHand, where he’s created five original scripts for the company, including “How Many Bushels Am I Worth?” and “And Then What?”

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Olson was the director of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island in 2005-07 and director of the Jewish Community Center, in Providence, in 2007-2009.

– Larry Kessler

DECEMBER 2019 | 21

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island Soviet Jewry movement. I was especially struck by the World War II medals many of those in attendance wore that day. I wondered, “Jews fighting for Stalin?” Of course, I learned they were fighting against Hitler.

As a result of that event, I sought a forum to bring together Soviet-Jewish and American-Jewish World War II veterans, Holocaust survivors and individuals who served the Haganah [defense force] in Palestine. I wanted people of diverse backgrounds to share their Jewish experiences during the World War II years with our community.

For a variety of reasons, I was never able to put that program together. But I did end up creating a play about those diverse experiences, titled “This Is My Story: Mayses, 1938-1948,” which was produced in 2016 by the Arts and Culture Program at the URI Feinstein Providence campus.

The Chicago paper’s story quoted you as saying that the play “is my attempt to bring the stories of individual Soviet Jews to create some awareness and education around what it was like for this particular population.” Was the play personal in any way for you; in other words, do you have any relatives who are Soviet émigrés?

Other than my interest in the subject, there was nothing personal with regard to family for me. Both sides of my wife’s family came to the United States from Germany and Eastern Europe well before the Holocaust. I would add, however, that on a personal level I was attracted to Bena’s stories because they touch on such universal themes as identity, values and solidarity, making those stories relevant in considering contemporary immigration issues.

The title of the play “How Many Bushels Am I Worth?” comes from a U.S. trade deal with the USSR through which the Soviets

got grain from the United States in exchange for the release of Soviet Jews.

Do you think such a deal would stand a chance of being approved today, given the heightened tensions and the effect of social media on politics and diplomacy?

As one aspect of a trade deal, the United States agreed to send much-needed wheat to the Soviet Union in exchange for allowing Soviet Jewish emigration; a genuinely shining moment in American immigration history. I am no scholar on the subject. Yet the successful collaboration of government, social service infrastructure, charities, benefactors and individuals is a model of how we might rescue refugees facing oppression around the globe today.

Imagine how social media can be used in positive ways to enhance such collaboration. But with today’s political climate, I wish I were hopeful that this could be achieved.

How important is it to bring the plight of the Soviet émigrés from the Cold War era to light at this time?

Events surrounding the world wars, the Cold War and the fall of European nationalism in the 20th century shape our world today. Facts are under attack as 20th-century history fades into the past. To counter those realities as we approach the third decade of the 21st century, I believe that we should share as many stories as possible about actual events and their effect on people’s lives. Clearly, educators have a key role. However, it seems that the work of artists of all disciplines is essential as well. Our play offers both an educational and artistic window into the history it presents.

LARRY KESSLER (lkessler1@ comcast.net) is a freelance writer based in North Attleboro.

Hannah Antman and Alex Ireys are standing in a picture taken during the Chicago performances of “How Many Bushes Am I Worth?” Kevin Olson is seated with Bena Shklyanoy. Jake Malavsky will play the role of Alex in the Providence production.

Baby, it’s cold outside

But, you really can stay

Make the move to Wingate IF YOU GO: WHAT: Kevin Olson’s play “How Many Bushels Am I Worth?” will be staged at WHERE: The Black Box Theatre at AS220, 95 Empire St., Providence WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 10, 10:30 a.m.; Saturday, Jan. 11, 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Jan. 12, 2 p.m.

COST: Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at as220.org/ event/how-many-bushels-am-i-worth.

A move to Wingate means more time for the things you love.

Enjoy the comfort and independence of home with the peace of mind knowing you have the help you need when you need it.

Schedule a tour today

353 Blackstone Boulevard | Providence, RI 02906 401-273-6565

One Butler Avenue | Providence, RI 02906 401-275-0682

22 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

YEAR IN REVIEW

What a year it’s been: Highlights of

BY JEWISH RHODE ISLAND STAFF

JANUARY

The Voice turns a new page THE JEWISH VOICE became Jewish Rhode Island.

The modernized newspaper features an updated format and a brand-new electronic newsletter.

This was the first major change to the paper since 2013, when its name changed from The Jewish Voice & Herald.

Community members “Sing the Dream” ON JAN. 27, a multi-faith group of singers came together at Providence’s Temple Emanu-El for “Singing the Dream,” a program honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The chorus, led by Emanu-El’s cantor, Dr. Brian J. Mayer, was joined by Joshua Nelson, “The Prince of Kosher Gospel.”

FEBRUARY

Hebrew Free Loan associations merge WE REPORTED ON the October merger between two Providence-based Hebrew loan associations.

The two groups, founded in 1903 and 1905, came together as The Greater Providence Hebrew Free Loan. The merger has allowed the group to streamline its application process and become more accessible to the Jewish community in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Local couples find love at summer camp OUR “CAMP” ISSUE featured the stories of three couples who met at New England Jewish summer camps. Natasha Rabinovich and Jeffrey Buckler, as well as Dana Labitt and Andrew Quackenbush, met at Camp JORI; Asher Fink and Merisa Vinick met on a Camp Ramah trip to Israel.

Merisa Vinick and Asher Fink met at camp when they were both 17. They later married and have 3 children.

Jewish Rhode Island makes it debut in January, and becomes a monthly publication.

Hundreds gather in Poway, California, for a vigil honoring the victims of the synagogue shooting on April 28.

DECEMBER 2019

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

| 23

f coverage in Jewish Rhode Island MARCH

Adler’s Hardware celebrates 100 years in business ADLER’S HARDWARE, a fixture on Providence’s Wickenden Street, celebrated its centennial. The store was opened in 1919 by Jewish Romanian immigrant Fred Adler and is today run by Fred’s grandsons, Harry and Marc.

Jeffrey Padwa recognized with Extraordinary Leadership Award FOR HIS WORK in addressing Rhode Island’s human service needs, attorney Jeffrey Padwa received the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies’ Extraordinary Leadership Award. Padwa was lauded for his passion and vision, and credited as instrumental in creating Jewish Collaborative Services from Jewish Seniors Agency and Jewish Family Service.

APRIL

Brown University students vote to divest from Israel ON MARCH 21, STUDENTS at Brown University voted to divest the school from holdings connected to companies doing business with Israel. University president Christina Paxson responded to the majority vote in favor of divestment by stating that “Brown’s endowment is not a political instrument to be used to express views on complex social and political issues.” Paxson has previously spoken out against similar efforts at Brown.

New England Rabbinical College honors Providence College dean JUDITH JAMIESON, a former dean at Providence College, was honored on Feb. 24 at the New England Rabbinical College’s 34th Anniversary Dinner. Jamieson was instrumental in building a partnership between the two schools, which made it possible for NERC students to transfer their rabbinical school credits to PC’s secular degree programs.

MAY

JCDS Celebrates 40 years of Jewish education THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA of the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island (formerly the Alperin Schechter Day School), was held in April.

Almost 200 people reunited to celebrate the milestone.

Rabbi Franklin prepares to retire RABBI WAYNE FRANKLIN was feted by testimonials and music at a dinner in his honor, in acknowledgement of his pending retirement and celebrating his 38 years as Temple Emanu-El’s senior

The Rhode Island Holocaust Memorial, displays a portion of the inner curb, bottom right of photo, with names of many of the survivors who came to R.I.

rabbi. Franklin served longer than any other rabbi in the congregation’s history.

JUNE

The community packages meals for those in need IN APRIL, THE COMMUNITY GATHERED at Temple Beth-El to aid The Outreach Program in assembling 40,000 meals for those in need. Hundreds showed up to help, including members of Johnson & Wales University’s Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity and a cadet class from the Providence Police Academy. The event raised $9,800 in donations.

Celebrating the new Jewish Collaborative Services MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY celebrated the merger of Jewish Family Service of Rhode Island and Jewish Seniors Agency of Rhode Island into Jewish Collaborative Services, which consolidates the work of its founding agencies. As part of the celebration, several individuals were honored for their work in the community.

JULY

Rhode Island reflects on 50 years since the first moon landing WE ASKED SEVEN PEOPLE to comment on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. They shared memories of the moment and reflected upon its meaning; the rabbis who participated in the panel also shared their thoughts on the spiritual implications of the historic event.

Forty years of Congregation Beth David IN JUNE, NARRAGANSETT’S CONGREGATION Beth David marked its 40th anniversary as a year-round

Rabbi Wayne Franklin retires. synagogue. The congregation celebrated by honoring its past presidents and joining for a dinner, which included a screening of congregants’ filmed testimonials and a visit from Ethiopian refugee Yarden Fanta, Ph.D. CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

24 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org FROM PAGE 23

AUGUST

Help complete Holocaust Memorial inscriptions WE PUBLISHED AN APPEAL on behalf of the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center. The Rhode Island Holocaust Memorial features an incomplete list of the names of Holocaust survivors who came to live in Rhode Island after the war; SBHEC hopes that the community can help to complete the list.

Neal Drobnis celebrates a milestone with the Kosher Senior Cafes NEAL DROBNIS, JEWISH COLLABORATIVE SERVICES’ Coordinator of Kosher Nutrition, marked 10 years as part of JCS’ Kosher Senior Cafes program. Drobnis’ achievement was celebrated with cake and accolades from the community.

SEPTEMBER

Rabbi Fel takes over for Rabbi Franklin Young and old worked side by side packaging food at Temple BethEl to help combat hunger.

WE INTERVIEWED Rabbi Michael Fel, who replaced Rabbi Wayne Franklin as Temple Emanu-El’s senior rabbi.

Rabbi Fel was a Schuster Rabbinic Fellow at Jewish Theological Seminary; he has a master’s degree in Midrash and Scriptural Interpretation, and a Rhode Island connection.

The Conversation begins JEWISH RHODE ISLAND began its new feature, “The Conversation,” which presents two community members’ perspectives on topics of importance to our community. The first Conversation explored the topic of “Guns in the Synagogue.”

lighted articles from the JTA on such issues as the increase of anti-Semitic incidents, U.S. and Israeli politics, and matters of public health.

NOVEMBER

Loeb Visitors Center celebrates 10 years

OCTOBER

THE LOEB VISITORS CENTER, on the campus of Touro Synagogue, celebrated its 10th anniversary. The Center highlights the history of religious freedom in the United States; it is marking the event by offering free admission to all Rhode Island residents through the end of the year.

Ari Melber visits Providence

The Jewish Alliance welcomes a new shlichah

WE INTERVIEWED JOURNALIST Ari Melber prior to his November speaking engagement at the Jewish Alliance. Melber, who won a 2016 Emmy Award for his reporting on the Supreme Court, had a few comments about the current state of the country’s judiciary.

WE INTERVIEWED the Jewish Alliance’s new shlichah (Israeli emissary), Or Cohen. Cohen is a champion swimmer and a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces; she was the first female commander of an Israeli patrol boat.

Eight must-read stories “THE 8 MUST-READ Jewish news stories of 5779” high-

DECEMBER

Jewish Rhode Island completes one year as a monthly newspaper.

LEARN TO SWIM AT THE JCC! TigerSharks Swim Academy now enrolling Learn more at www.jewishallianceri.org/swim

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DECEMBER 2019

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

| 25

HANUKKAH Daily miracles are worth celebrating too

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ANUKKAH AND CHRISTMAS overlap this year, with the first night of Hanukkah falling on Sunday, Dec. 22, two days before Christmas Eve. This proximity will bring more attention to the Jewish holiday. That means you can count on Hanukkah frequently being described as “the Jewish Christmas,” and that you’ll hear references to a “Hanukkah bush,” even though there’s no such plant.

The reality, of course, is that the two holidays have nothing in common. Christmas, despite its over-commercialization and endless shopping season, remains a deeply religious holiday for Christians. Hanukkah, in contrast, is a time to celebrate our history, but it isn’t a religious observance on par with the Jewish calendar’s heavyweight holidays.

Hanukkah commemorates the Maccabees’ victory over the Syrian Greeks in 164 BCE, a triumph that allowed the Jewish people to practice their religion again after their oppressors had outlawed it.

LARRY KESSLER Christmas, of course, heralds the birth of Jesus, the founder of Christianity.

But one thing that both holidays do share is the use of the word “miracle.” Hanukkah is associated with one main miracle, but others are possible ones as well.

In a lighthearted quiz I wrote in a column for this publication two years ago, I included the following question, which asks readers to choose the miracle of Hanukkah: A. THE MACCABEES defeated a much larger military force and became the era’s superheroes.

B. A ONE-DAY SUPPLY of oil kept the menorah lit eight days.

C. PEOPLE DEVELOPED a renewed interest in practicing their religion.

D. THE TEMPLE WAS CLEANED UP quickly, and was rededicated.

The answer is “B” – but all four options could be considered miracles.

That got me thinking about how we’d define miracles in 2019, a time when cynicism and skepticism rule and when public discourse is at an all-time low due to an almost complete lack of civility and common courtesy.

So, in no particular order, here are some modern-day “miracles” from our daily lives that are

worthy of celebration:

• HEALTH: People are living longer, and more people are living fuller lives.

There are older people exercising, running, swimming and being incredibly active.

For example, The Boston Globe recently published a story about an 85-year-old Vermont woman, Flo Filion Meiler, who is a world-champion pole vaulter and accomplished track and field athlete.

• GATHERING WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Yes, sometimes family gatherings are tough to manage, with frayed nerves and PHOTO | ©CAN STOCK | JLOMBARD The miracle and wonder of children. conflicts dominating, but just the fact that families are spending calmer place when you take the time to enjoy natime together should be considered nothing short ture’s wonders. Witnessing a gorgeous sunset, for of miraculous. The past two years, my wife and I example, remains truly miraculous. enjoyed vacations with both of our children – no • VOLUNTEERS: When people make a conscious small feat considering that one is a full-time teachdecision to work together to help others, it’s not er and the other is in college. only a mitzvah, it’s also a miracle. Feeding the • FREEDOM: It’s easy to worry about the future hungry, donating to gift drives, working at soup direction of the country given the vituperative kitchens or food pantries and participating in nature of American politics, especially as we fundraisers are all modern-day miracles, as is head into a turbulent 2020 presidential campaign. volunteering for nonprofits and synagogues.

But we should nonetheless rejoice in the fact that • EVERYDAY MIRACLES: Drivers who obey the despite all the noise that we hear from our leaders, speed limit, stop at red lights and actually drive we live in a nation where we ultimately settle our courteously qualify as miracles given that they’re differences at the polls, not with bloodshed in the so rare. streets.

There are undoubtedly myriad other daily mira• SOCIAL MEDIA: It’s easy to complain about the cles out there – seeing a newborn son or daughter, many downsides of social media. We rightfully or a grandson or granddaughter, for example. tire of the endless nasty Twitter posts, and we However, the larger point is that regardless of worry about being taken in by Facebook hacks. But how bad it seems out there, there are good things there’s a kinder, gentler side to social media. Milhappening. lions of parents and grandparents, for example, use That’s something to remember as you prepare to social media to stay in contact with their far-flung recite the Hanukkah blessings, light the menorah children and grandchildren. My wife and I, for and chow down on latkes made from a top-secret – instance, frequently use FaceTime to connect with and miraculous – family recipe. our older daughter, who is teaching abroad.

LARRY KESSLER (lkessler1@comcast.net) is a free• SIMPLE PLEASURES: The world seems a much lance writer based in North Attleboro.

Nature’s wonders.

NATURE | ©CAN STOCK PHOTO / FORESTPATH

26 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

Fun ways to make Hanukkah meaningful

BY SARAH GERSHMAN HANUKKAH’S PROXIMITY to Christmas can complicate the holiday. For those who try to make Hanukkah more like Christmas, it inevitably seems to fall short.

Yet Hanukkah can offer many opportunities for a fun and joyous celebration.

Here are some suggestions for how you can make this Hanukkah memorable while staying true to the essential meaning of the holiday.

Bring light out of darkness

There are many ways to make this year’s Hanukkah a real “Festival of Lights.” As Rabbi Arthur Waskow writes in his book “Seasons of Joy,” “Hanukkah is the moment when light is born from darkness, hope from despair.” Historically, this was reflected in the unlikely victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks, in the oil that brought light for eight days instead of one, and in the very act of lighting candles during the darkest time of the year.

Before lighting the candles, try taking your family on a night walk. Go outside together and experience the darkness. Even in the city, the month of December has a special darkness to it. Then come in from the cold and light the menorah. Feel the contrast between the darkness outside and the light inside.

The oil in the Temple menorah can be understood as an early example of energy conservation. In keeping with that theme, try using environmentally sustainable candles in your menorah this year. According to Hazon, a Jewish environmental organization, “beeswax, soy, and palm oil provide more natural alternatives to the traditional paraffin Hanukah candles.”

Several vendors sell beeswax Hanukkah candles, and GoodLight Natural Candles’ Hanukkah candles not only claim to be “clean burning and non-toxic,” but the company “contributes to sustainable palm farming.”

Hanukkah is also a wonderful time to bring light into the lives of those around us. The winter months can be especially difficult for those who need help. Why not volunteer as a family at a local soup kitchen, shelter, or any place that is meaningful to you?

Jewish homes for the aged often have Hanukkah parties or communal me-

norah lightings. These are opportunities to connect your children with the older generation and help make the celebration more festive for the residents.

Get creative

Hanukkah is a great time for simple and fun family art projects. There is a custom for each member of the family to have his/her own menorah.

This year, why not make your own?

You can buy lots of small votive candles (yahrtzeit candles are an inexpensive way to do this) and decorate the glass with a collage of

colorful pieces of tissue paper.

When the votives are lit, light shines through the tissue paper like stained glass. This is a great hanukkiah for the Friday night of the holiday, when the candles are supposed to burn for at least two hours – as long as Shabbat candles burn.

No matter what kind of hanukkiah you use, try to place it in as visible a spot as possible to fulfill the mitzvah of “pirsumei nisa” (publicizing the miracle).

And don’t forget the decorations.

Judaica stores sell lots of colorful, CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

DECEMBER 2019

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

| 27

FROM PAGE 26 festive Hanukkah decorations. You may want to choose a theme. I know one family that decorates their house with homemade pictures of Jewish holiday objects, which symbolize to them the uniqueness of Judaism – definitely a theme of the holiday.

Make each night special

One of the wonderful things about Hanukkah is that it lasts eight days.

Giving each night a special theme can increase the excitement and take some of the attention away from presents.

Themes might include “Tzedakah (charity) night,” “Sing-Off Night,” “Party Night” and, of course, “Presents Night.” I know a family that eats a different kind of potato latke (pancake) for dinner each night. Apples, cauliflower or even meat can be delicious additions to the traditional potato latke.

Cheese is also a great Hanukkah food, as it recollects the heroism of Judith, who cleverly fed Holofernes, a general fighting the Israelites, salty cheese and wine. When the general fell asleep, Judith cut off his head, saving her people from his tyranny.

Hanukkah is also an ideal time to do fun activities like playing music, taking pictures or making home movies documenting the year’s celebration.

One family I know drips Hanukkah candle wax each night on their family album. Then, the following year, they take out the album, look at the wax

and try to remember where they were and what they did on each night.

Celebrate our uniqueness as Jews

One of the miracles of Hanukkah is that the Jewish people were able to reconsecrate the Temple – our spiritual center and a powerful symbol of our uniqueness. Hanukkah today presents us with the opportunity to reconsecrate our own uniqueness as a religion, a people and a culture.

Hanukkah is a time to discuss as a

family some of the blessings and challenges of being Jewish in a predominantly Christian country. One way to spark discussion on this subject is to watch a movie that in some way tackles the subject of assimilation. Here are some suggestions: “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” “Avalon,” “Keeping the Faith,” “The Jazz Singer,” “Monsoon Wedding” and “American Desi.”

Snowflakes could be a wonderful seasonal Hanukkah symbol, as no

two are alike. You can even make “Hanukkah snowflakes” out of colorful paper and use them to decorate the house. And if Hanukkah happens to fall on a snowy day, take a walk outside and really look at the snowflakes that fall on your hand to try to see the differences between them.

Have a joyous and meaningful Hanukkah!

28 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

Give yourself a gift: Jewish movies to watch all 8 nights

BY ELANA SPIVACK EAT YOUR FILL OF LATKES on Hanukkah and then collapse on the couch to watch a movie with some Jewish connection.

Here are a few ideas to get you started on an eight-day Jewish movie marathon:

Night 1: “Little Fockers” The third installment of the “Meet the Parents” comedy saga is a phenomenal way to start the holiday for five reasons: Barbra Streisand, Barbra Streisand, Barbra Streisand, and the classic trope of neurotic Jewish family meets WASP family for the holidays, and chaos ensues.

(Available on Amazon Prime and YouTube)

Night 2: “An American Tail”

Steven Spielberg’s first animated production tells the story of plucky young Fievel Mousekewitz. The film opens with a Hanukkah celebration, where Papa Mousekewitz gifts Fievel his hat before they set sail for America. Oh yeah, and it’s a musical. Keep tissues nearby.

(Available on Amazon Prime and Netflix)

Night 3: “Full-Court Miracle” I’m livid this Disney Channel Original Movie hasn’t reached the heights of “High School Musical” or “Cadet Kelly.” Based on a true story, this uplifting 2003 movie puts a modern-day spin on the story of the Maccabees, as a Jewish boys basketball team searches for a coach to lead them to victory.

(Available on Amazon Prime and YouTube)

Night 4: “Hitched for the Holidays” Would any holiday season be complete without a Hallmark TV movie?

This cheesy romance from 2012 depicts yet another Hanukkah-meets-Christmas, but with a twist: Julie finds a temporary boyfriend, Rob, to placate her Jewish mother for the holiday season (#relatable). Will the nice Jewish girl really fall for a Catholic schoolboy? Yes. Obviously. It’s a Hallmark TV movie.

(Available on Amazon Prime and YouTube)

Night 5: TV specials While not a movie, you can binge on these excellent holiday specials and skits all at once! Here is the absolute cor-

It’s official! The Rhode Island Kosher Chili Cook-Off is back!

KOSHER RHODE ISLAND

CHILI

COOK-OFF June 7, 2020

Who will be crowned the Chili Champs of 2020? There’s only one way to find out!

Join us on Sunday, June 7, from 11:00am – 4:00pm at the JCC: 401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence.

Enjoy a day filled with Kosher chili, music and entertainment, a beer garden, and activities for the whole family. Attendees will vote for their favorite recipe.

It’s going to be a great “thyme!”

Volunteer with us! Learn more at jewishallianceri.org/chili

rect order in which to watch them: “Saturday Night Live,” “Hanukkah Harry”; Saturday Night Live,” Adam Sandler’s “Hanukkah Song”; “Friends,” “The One with the Holiday

Armadillo”; “The OC,” “Best Chrismukkah Ever”; “A Rugrats Chanukah.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

DECEMBER 2019

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

Reflecting on the miracles in our daily lives

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I LOVE TO THINK AND WRITE about miracles – and there’s no better time to reflect on the miracles in our lives than at Hanukkah.

In her 2017 Hanukkah message, on LIHerald.com, Rabbi Susan Elkodsi states, “The fact that Judaism and the Jewish people are still here more than 2,000 years later is testament to not only the many small miracles that PATRICIA led up to the Maccabees’ RASKIN victory and the rededication of the Holy Temple, but to the miracles that continued to happen and are still happening ….

“There are miracles all around us; in nature, in the way we go about our daily lives, beginning with waking up in the morning, and the amazing ways that our bodies and minds operate.”

She continues, “During Hanukkah we have the chance to celebrate what we have. When we light the candles in increasing numbers each night of the holiday, we join millions of other Jews throughout the world, and even more throughout history, who share a past, a present and a future.”

As I reflected on miracles in my life and the gratitude I feel, I created a list of miracles in our daily lives:

• Receiving a needed payment when it was not expected.

• Getting that phone call with just the right words of encouragement to get you through the situation.

• Easily finding exactly what you

need just when you need it.

• Getting benign test results for a medical concern.

• Narrowly missing a harrowing or life-or-death situation.

• An unexpected positive reunion with an estranged loved one.

• Helping someone in need.

• Finding that precious item that you thought was lost forever.

• Having an awareness and awakening that changes your life for the better.

• Having that conversation that helps you turn the corner.

• Achieving your goals after many “almosts.”

• Meeting the right person when you weren’t looking • Being in the other room when the light fixture fell to the floor and shattered.

Gratitude contributes to the occurrence of miracles. Remember these gifts/blessings in your life with gratitude: Your children. Your spouse/partner. Strong relationships. Your health.

Your financial stability. Your sense of humor. Clarity and focus in everyday decisions.

Miracles are all around us every day. That we are here to light the Hanukkah candles with our loved ones, and that we can experience miracles all year long, is a miracle.

PATRICIA RASKIN, owner of Raskin Resources Productions, is a media host, coach and award-winning radio producer and business owner. She has served on the board of directors of Temple Emanu-El, in Providence.

FROM PAGE 28

Night 6: “Hanukkah the Movie” Consider this the experimental day of Hanukkah.

Give the gift of funding the Indiegogo for this bizarre Hanukkah-slasher film.

Then go call your parents.

Night 7: “The Hebrew Hammer” This Jewish sendup of blaxploitation films gives us the perfect Hanukkah hero.

Or at least a Hanukkah hero.

(Available on Amazon Prime)

Night 8: “8 Crazy Nights” You knew this one was coming. It sums up the last eight days: animation, basketball, Adam Sandler, Hanukkah and lots of grownup humor.

This Hallmark TV movie from 2012 depicts yet another Hanukkah-meets-Christmas.

(Available on Amazon Prime and YouTube) ELANA SPIVACK is a New York City-based writer.

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

HANUKKAH The forgotten Hanukkah heroine who should be celebrated

BY STEPH BLACK HANUKKAH MEANS LATKES, menorahs and the retelling of the story of Judah and the Maccabees. But there’s a woman from a few hundred years before Judah who is just as important to this story.

This Hanukkah, let’s bring this forgotten feminist back into the spotlight.

Judith is not mentioned in the Torah. Her earliest known stories aren’t even in Hebrew, but in Greek. And she’s on the fringes of medieval texts, at best. And her story is interwoven with quite a few fictional elements. But the story of Judith is too important not to celebrate and share. She is the feminist activist we need right now, even if she happens to be from antiquity.

Judith’s story starts in Jerusalem centuries before Judah’s story of the Maccabean revolt. A widow of three years, she has been in deep mourning, only wearing rags and ashes. And her children are on the brink of starvation, as her city is under siege by the evil Holofernes and his armies, who have been sent by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar to conquer the city and convert the Jews living there.

Though they had fought back against Holofernes as best they could, the Israelites were ready to surrender.

But Judith was not. Determined that her city will not fall, she devises a plan and convinces her people that she can singlehandedly defeat their enemies.

Judith is disgusted by the faithlessness of the leaders of Jerusalem and tells them that God will act through her.

That night, Judith sheds her mourning clothes, dresses herself in her finest jewels, and, with wine and her maid, leaves the city under the cover of darkness.

Alone, the two women walk into the enemy’s camp and straight up to the royal tent – not something you did back then. But, struck by her beauty, Holofernes asks, “Who are you? Where do you come from and where do you wish to go?”

Judith responds, “I have heard of your wisdom and skill, and since Israel has sinned, I know that you will conquer the city and take possession of it, so I came to save myself and my father’s household when you take the city.” She promises to help Holofernes conquer the city from inside, and he invites her into his tent, intending to

seduce her. She follows him.

Inside, Holofernes feasts and drinks more than he ever has in celebration of his coming victory, with Judith feeding him cheese and pouring him more and more wine. Yes, my friends, cheese and wine are the weapons of choice in this story. Judith feasts, too, but only on what she has brought with her.

Holofernes soon falls asleep. Turning her thoughts to God, Judith grabs the sword on his bedpost, and, in one swift motion, beheads Holofernes as he sleeps. (OK, so the sword was a weapon, too.)

Judith then puts his head in her bag and swiftly leaves the tent. She and her maid return unnoticed to the city walls, where she commands the guards to mount Holofernes’ head up high for all of king’s armies to see at sunrise.

When Holofernes’ men see what has become of him, they flee. Jerusalem is safe, thanks to Judith. The Israelites enter the enemy camp and plunder the invaluable riches, which they sorely need after years of living under siege.

Judith is given Holofernes’ tent and all his possessions. She is blessed by every woman and leads them in song

and dance. She praises God for giving her the courage and strength needed to save her people. Judith is celebrated for three months.

Though many offer, Judith chooses not to remarry, instead living her life as a free woman. She frees her maid before she dies at the age of 105.

This story was once told each Hanukkah, alongside the better-known story of Judah and the Maccabees.

Judah and Judith’s names come from the same root, and both stories are about military victories that seemed impossible.

There has been a movement to place Judith back in the forefront of the Hanukkah story. Some even eat dairy on Hanukkah to commemorate the cheese Judith fed Holofernes before taking his head (cheese latkes, anyone?).

This lone woman, determined not to let her children starve or be converted, takes matters into her own hands.

Like Judah, she will neither cower nor surrender.

(Alma via JTA) STEPH BLACK is a women’s studies major at American University.

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OBITUARIES 35 | BUSINESS 36 | SIMCHAS & WE ARE READ 42

Temple Habonim celebrates the arts IT WILL BE AN AFTERNOON featuring the arts on Jan. 5 at Temple Habonim in Barrington. At 1 p.m., there will be a wine and cheese reception where you can meet the artists exhibiting at the next show in the Bunny Fain Gallery.

Three artists whose work is exciting and new to the gallery will be featured. Their work includes hand-woven wire and glass sculpture, quilts, and acrylic paintings.

Susan Freda’s ephemeral sculptural pieces, created out of hand-woven wire and glass, reference nature and fashion through their transparent and interconnected forms. An award-winning artist, with a studio in Rhode Island, Freda creates stunning dresses and other pieces that are both airy and luminescent. Her intricate weaving style is delicate and spectacular.

Brenda Wrigley Scott is both a studio artist and production potter who has made her home in Rhode Island for more than 35 years. Her acrylic paintings of animals are charming and colorful, capturing the essence of the creature with bold brush strokes. An award-winning artist who has shown locally and nationally, Scott’s work is delightful.

Quilt artist Allison Wilbur uses dyed fabric, surface design and stitching to create beautiful pieces of art. Wilbur, whose studio is in Rhode Island, uses quilting as a way of painting with fabric and, as a

Deborah Zecher world traveler, is able to bring in elements of other cultures into her work. The intricacy of the stitching and patterns in her quilts is amazing, and they have been exhibited in museums and fine art galleries.

At 3 p.m., Rabbi Deborah Zecher performs “On Purpose.” With music from the Great American songbook and contemporary cabaret songwriters, On Purpose is a musical memoir tracing Rabbi Zecher’s journey as one of the first female rabbis in America along with being a wife and mother, to her current life as a cabaret singer. Although it is specifically Rabbi Zecher’s story, it’s a story shared by everyone in some way as we seek to find purpose and meaning in our own lives.

Both events are open to the community at no charge!

Temple Habonim is located at 165 New Meadow Road, Barrington. Call 401-245-6536 for more information.

Submitted by Temple Habonim

Flicker by Brenda Wrigley Scott

Argentum Aeris Regiis by Susan Freda

Incoming by Allison Wilbur

Tamarisk residents hear about Israel law enforcement exchange ON NOV. 18, retired State Police Lt. Col. Joseph Philbin spoke to 35 residents of the Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence in Warwick. He described his trip to Israel for the Law Enforcement Exchange training program, which is organized by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). His talk emphasized the strong personal attachment to Israel he feels as a result of the trip.

He also spoke about political opposition to the training, which caused the Northampton, Massachusetts, police and the Vermont State Police to withdraw from the program. Philbin said that he saw no evidence of

alleged “militarization” of American law enforcement as a result of training in Israel.

Residents asked a number of questions and responded when Philbin talked about his 91-year-old mother.

The Tamarisk program was sponsored by the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel (www.ricoalitionforisrael. org) which has been organizing public appearances around the state for Philbin. His next presentation will be Dec. 18 at a dinner at Touro Fraternal Association in Cranston.

Submitted by Rhode Island Coalition for Israel

PHOTO | HOWARD BROWN

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY As it celebrates its first year, Jewish Collaborative Services looks back and forward

BY NANCY KIRSCH “THERE WILL BE PEACE in the Middle East before you [Jewish Family Services] and the Jewish Seniors Agency merge,” said James Galkin, at Jewish Collaborative Services’ (JCS) second annual meeting, on Nov. 5, quoting a well-known Jewish community leader who reportedly uttered those words after being asked for financial support.

While neither he nor any other member of our Jewish community brought peace to the Middle East, Galkin, a JCS board member and longtime JSA supporter, stated that dedicated community leaders had overcome many challenges to merge the two longstanding social service agencies into JCS. Enthusiasm and quiet pride – coupled with a clear-eyed awareness of the work ahead – permeated the meeting

room at The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Center, in Warwick. Adam Greenman, president and CEO of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, congratulated JCS President and CEO Erin Minior and her team on a successful first year.

“At the Alliance, we talk about a strong vibrant Jewish community in Rhode Island … and the elements that make that up,” said Greenman.

“Most important [is] how a community ensures it helps those in need or in crisis. We couldn’t do that without the work JCS does; it provides the backbone of our support.”

With humor and efficiency, Stacy and Doug Emanuel chaired the meeting, which included a d’var Torah by Temple Emanu-El Rabbi Michael Fel, election and installation of new board members and officers, and the JCS treasur-

er’s report.

In a brief video presentation, outgoing JCS Board Chairman Jeff Padwa summarized several of the organization’s first-year accomplishments:

• Served nearly 4,000 people through 14 programs.

• Distributed more than 184,000 pounds of food.

• Provided 440 clients with case management and counseling services.

• Conducted nearly 50 home studies for families seeking to adopt.

• Provided almost 2,500 individuals with Lifeline safety and security services.

• Served 30,000 meals at Shalom I and II apartments and 2,400 meals at Senior Cafes.

Quoting a proverb, “If you want to go quickly, go alone,

but if you want to go far, go together,” Minior noted other accomplishments, including moving into a new building, with financial support from the Grace K. and Wesley S. Alpert Foundation; nearing completion of the $4 million “Past, Present, Future” campaign; recruiting additional board members; identifying opportunities for improvement in human services, information technology and other backroom functions; and expanding its marketing outreach.

Looking to the future, Minior identified several initiatives that should lead to a stronger, more unified and more effective agency.

The Warwick campus – with Shalom I and II apartments (which paid off its 40-year mortgage this year) and Tamarisk – potentially offer new development and program opportunities, said Minior, who lauded Shalom Executive Director Bonnie Sekeres and Tamarisk Executive Director

Roberta Ragge.

Describing the goals and objectives of the Partnership Committee, which is charged with unifying the two agencies, each with a rich and vibrant history of service, incoming JCS Board Chair Marisa Garber said, “[We] all wanted the same thing; a social service and housing agency for the people of our community throughout the lifecycle.”

Culminating the evening, Galkin offered a heartfelt tribute to Susette Rabinowitz, who was the driving force behind the creation of Tamarisk, after the Jewish Home was unexpectedly closed. Now a Tamarisk resident, Rabinowitz was present to hear Galkin’s testimonial and the enthusiastic applause that followed.

NANCY KIRSCH is the former editor of The Jewish Voice, the precursor to Jewish Rhode Island.

Best wishes for a Happy Chanukah.

The Executive Committee, Staff and parents of the Providence Hebrew Day School

PHOTO | SEAN LEDFORD OF JEWISH COLLABORATIVE SERVICES

Jeff Padwa, outgoing board chairman of Jewish Collaborative Services, poses with Marisa Garber, incoming JCS board chair, and JCS President and CEO Erin Minior after the JCS annual meeting, held at The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, in Warwick, on Nov. 5. They are holding a “Tree of Life,” a gift from JCS to Padwa for his years of service.

DECEMBER 2019

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R.I. Jewish Historical Association has an eye on the future as it broadens access to the past

BY KATE-LYNNE LAROCHE

Champions (left to right): Dave Weisman, Drew Hochman and Max Dinerman share the podium as go-kart champions at Touro Fraternal Association’s new member open house. The event took place on Oct. 30, at R1 Indoor Karting, in Lincoln.

International youth essay competititon offers opportunity to win tickets to Israel ARE YOU PASSIONATE about Jewish pride? Israel?

Zionism? Do you love writing?

Interested in exploring how Jewish history relates to you and to the future?

The My Herzl Youth Essay competition, organized by The Israel Forever Foundation, aims to showcase the relevance of Herzl as a visionary Jewish leader in modern times.

This international essay competition will focus on the legacy of Herzl as envisioned by you, today’s Jewish youth

and the leaders of the next generation. Herzl’s dream was partially fulfilled with the creation of the State of Israel, but it has not yet been completed. Share your views with the Jewish world.

This competition is open to 13 – 17 year olds from throughout the Jewish world. Monetary prizes will be awarded for outstanding essays.

The deadline is Feb. 14, 2020.

Guiding questions for the essays and submission information is available at https:// israelforever.org/.

OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association has made continual efforts to broaden our membership base and give the public more insight into our mission and more access to our archive.

Last year, we orchestrated our first ever membership drive, and gained 46 new members for 2019. This year, our website, www. rijha.org, underwent a major redesign and is now much easier to navigate. The site highlights “News,” “Digital Archives” and “Research Services,” all of which are updated regularly.

Under Digital Archives, or the Collections tab, you will find copies of various Jewish newspapers published in Rhode Island as far back as 1920. We have also digitized our entire obituary collection, and the website gives instructions on how to search the large database.

“Research Services” is something we have always done for our members, but it is now a no-cost, donation-only service. Our archive, along with the countless resources we have access to online, has provided dozens of people with family histories they never knew existed.

In addition to the website upgrades, we are

increasing our programming, starting out in 2020 with a showing of the gripping film “Children of the Inquisition,” at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, in Providence, on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m.

We are also undertaking one of the most anticipated projects in RIJHA’s almost 70year history. Some of you who have visited our office, in the JCC, may know our beloved 19th-century mannequin, dubbed “Bessie” after Bessie Abramowitz, wife of Abraham Abramowitz, a tailor who owned a pushcart in late 19th-century Providence. “Bessie” has been in need of restoration for decades, and we are finally getting her the care she deserves.

We plan to periodically update everyone on her progress throughout the process, and anxiously await her return to the RIJHA office.

The Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association is a vibrant and engaged membership organization, and we need people like you to help us continue to fulfill our mission and make a difference in the Rhode Island Jewish community.

KATE-LYNNE LAROCHE is executive director and office manager at the R.I. Jewish Historical Association and can be reached at 401-331-1360.

M AR C COHN MAR CH 23

VIEW OUR FULL PERFORMANCE CALENDAR ONLINE AT GREENWICHODEUM .COM

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

PHOTO | RICI

‘Lone Soldiers’ tell their story at Chabad of West Bay WARWICK, R.I. – On Nov. 18 the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel (RICI) hosted six ‘Lone Soldiers’ visiting from Israel.

This program was held at the Chabad of West Bay. It was RICI’s third pro-Israel presentation in November.

By bringing in these young, experienced, and accomplished Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, RICI hoped to give the community another opportunity to hear directly

from active soldiers.

Each of the soldiers, from a variety of backgrounds, enlisted without any family support in Israel. This qualified them for the status of ‘Lone Soldier.’ They said they were not disillusioned by the system. They explained in detail the ethical and moral training they received, even though they served in different capacities and in different branches of the IDF.

RIJM offers private tours The Rhode Island Jewish Museum at Sons of Jacob Congregation, 24 Douglas Ave., Providence, is open for private tours. On Friday, Nov. 29, the Landesberg family, led by Melvin Landesberg, arranged to tour the building with their extended family from Odessa, Delray Beach and Tampa, Florida, as well as Franklin, Massachusetts, Rockville and Silver Spring, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. They gathered below the main entrance steps to rediscover generations of family and share stories about the Rhode Island Jewish immigrant experience. During the hour-long tour, members of the clan learned about the architecture as well as the murals painted throughout

the building. They also discovered how a working-class congregation celebrated their Eastern European heritage by building a three-story synagogue in Providence.

Memorial plaques with family names were viewed.

Grandmother Ida Glazer’s name was found listed prominently on the large plaque at the front of the main sanctuary. Uncles David and Sidney Glazer were recalled as their names are listed on the WWII wooden memorial at the rear wall of the main sanctuary.

Harriet Landesberg, Ida’s daughter and Melvin’s mother, was among many others who were fondly remembered because the building still stands. Each of these guests made their own personal

Close to 50 people, attended the event and asked thought-provoking questions for almost 30 minutes. They left with palpable positive energy as a result of gaining an understanding of what is really going on in Israel.

For more information in RICI programs, contact ricoalitionforisrael@gmail.com.

Submitted by Alyse Teitelbaum

connections to generations of family and friends who had not been remembered in a long time.

This ability to rediscover your own family tree, to see the larger picture of how an immigrant population made its way in a new city is one part of the mission of the Rhode Island Jewish Musem.

Saving the historic Sons of Jacob synagogue building for future generations is another.

There is much that needs to be done to keep this monument intact. To learn about how you can help save the building or to arrange a private tour for your own group, visit the www.rhodeislandjewishmuseum.org or call 401-935-9740.

Submitted by RIJM

DECEMBER 2019

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COMMUNITY | OBITUARIES Jon Abedon, 62 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Jon Abedon, a son of Paula Jean Levin and Herbert Joseph Abedon, died Nov. 5. Jon was born Jan. 25, 1957, the first of three boys.

He had an intuitive understanding of many things scientific and electronic. As a boy of 9, he taught himself to build a radio from a pile of parts. Ultimately, he put his grasp of science toward helping others.

He graduated from Curry College with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and nursing. He worked for many years as a nurse in the emergency room at Mount Auburn Hospital and McLean Hospital in Boston. His true love was photography. He could magically capture light and manipulate that light in the pre-digital darkroom. He was sought out by many fine art and commercial artists to print their work. In that way, not only were his own prints in shows, but images of others he brought to life were published in the shows of others and in magazines of the day.

Jon loved and was loved by animals. Together with Julia Burke they had two wonderful standard poodles, Lila and Nina. Jon would glow in their presence and they in his.

Jon had his share of struggles and challenges. Through it all he remained a kind, generous and loving person.

Jon was insightful, funny, interesting, provocative and an engaging companion and conversationalist.

Jon was preceded in death by his mother Paula. He leaves behind an ex-wife Julia; brothers Robert and Stephen, his father Herbert; nieces Lillian, Mali and Rivka; and nephew Yehuda.

Contributions may be made to New England Humane Society 2606 Bronco Highway, Harrisville, RI 02830 .

Desi Chernov, 86 WEST HARTFORD, CONN. – Desi Weis Chernov died peacefully in West Hartford on Oct. 27. She was the wife of the late Edward Chernov. Born in Poland, a daughter of the late David and Malcha (Siegel) Feldman, she had lived in West Hartford for 17 years, previously living in Warwick and Providence.

As a survivor of the Holo-

caust, Desi became an orphan at a young age.

Her devotion to her four children was evident as she raised a loving family and created a bond that has kept everyone extremely close. She most enjoyed hearing from her children on a daily basis.

Desi’s favorite pastime was to be with her caring family and special friends. She enjoyed watching and listening in on conversations (in English and Hebrew) as much as she enjoyed participating in them.

She was the mother of David Weis and his wife, Marylou, of Tucson, Arizona, Aron Weis of Oakland, California, Mel Weis of Irving, California and Dina Weis of West Hartford, Connecticut.

She was the sister of the late Moishe and Dina Feldman.

She was the grandmother of Rebecca Weis, Rachel Weis and her husband, Matt Taccone, Sarah Weis, Jeffrey Zekowski, Benjamin Zekowski, Joshua Weis and Ethan Weis. She was the great-grandmother of Lillian and Eleanor Taccone.

Florence Novak, 96 BEDFORD, N.H. – Florence (Ginsberg) Novak, of Bedford, formerly of Rhode Island, died peacefully on Nov. 29, at Bedford Hills Care Center in Bedford.

She was born in New York, New York, Feb. 24, 1923, daughter of the late Louis and Esther Molly (Topial) Ginsberg. Educated in the Fall River school system, Florence earned her associate degree from Larson Junior College (currently Quinnipiac University). She was employed for several years as a bank teller. Prior to moving to Bedford, she had resided in Fall River, Massachusetts; Randolph, Massachusetts and Cranston. She was predeceased by her husband of 10 years, Alexander Novak, and her companion of more than 40 years, Dr. Edward Lyons.

Her survivors include two daughters, Joyce Kramer of Sarasota, Florida, and Rena Dressler of Hampstead, New Hampshire; four grandchildren: Alicia Murphy and her husband, Neil, of Houston, Texas, Eric Kramer of

Haverhill, Massachusetts, Dr. Keith Dressler and his wife, Dr. Courtney, of Hampstead, Dr. Brad Dressler and his wife, Dr. Michelle, of Auburn, New Hampshire, and five great-grandchildren: Jake and Shaelin Murphy, Kaelyn and Madelyn Dressler, and Hannah Dressler; as well as many close friends.

Florence was proud to be a lifelong member of Hadassah.

She loved going dancing, and was an avid candlepin bowler who played weekly with her close friends until her late seventies, at which point they hung up their bowling shoes and went to lunch on Tuesdays instead. Most of all, she loved spending time with her family.

Contributions may be made to Hadassah at Hadassah.org/ donate or by calling Sue at 401-849-2980.

Marilyn Ehrenhaus, 91 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Marilyn Ehrenhaus, kind, witty, smart, loving, partner and wife of Abraham Ehrenhaus, died Nov. 11. They celebrated their 70th anniversary this year.

Marilyn was the daughter of the late Charles L. and Lillian (Bander) Silverman. She was born on Feb. 7, 1928, raised in Providence and moved to Fall River, Massachusetts, after graduating from Pembroke College and getting married.

In recent years, she resided in Providence.

She was the sister of Carol Louison of Warren.

She was the mother of Barbara Gereboff (Joel) of Foster City, California, and Leah Ehrenhaus-Hersh (Kenny) of Providence.

She leaves her grandchildren Avner Gereboff (Rachel), Arielle and Noah Gereboff, Ami Hersh (Elana), Eitan Hersh (Julia Hoffman) and Shayna Fel (Michael). She leaves her great-grandchildren Yonah, Rami and Elan Gereboff, Micah, Zev, Yael and Noa Hersh, Levi, Jonah and Margaret Hersh, Nadav, Eliana and Lior Fel. She also was the mother of Ellen and grandmother of Jordan and Suzanne.

Marilyn taught school in Fall River and worked in the family business with her husband. She was president of the Fall River Chapter of Hadassah twice, and on the board of directors of the Ninth Street

Day Nursery. She volunteered for the Fall River Food Pantry and was an active member of her Pembroke/Brown Class Association.

Her favorite times were summers at Bakers Beach with her husband and family, traveling and entertaining at home. Each New Year, for many years, she and her lifelong friend, Arline, wrote a play or skit, which she and her friends performed at a large party. She was funny and entertaining, creative and feisty, well-read, an avid crossword puzzle solver and very unassuming.

Later in life, she and Ab enjoyed taking the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren on wonderful family vacations creating memories for all.

The family thanks Lucy, her home health aide, who took such good care of Marilyn during the past year and all of the staff at Hope Hospice.

Donations can be made to Temple Emanu-El in Providence, the Jewish Community Day School of RI, Hadassah or Hope Hospice of RI.

Richard Factor, 66 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Richard (Max) Factor died suddenly on Nov. 5. A lifelong resident of Providence, he attended the University of Rhode Island and the Culinary Institute of America. He worked at a number of leading restaurants as a chef and maître d’.

He continued his career at the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, retiring in 2018.

He was born on May 16, 1953, to Sylvia and Sidney Factor. Richard is survived by his sisters, Maxine Kingsbury and Judith Factor; brotherin-law, Robert Wechsler; and his nephews and niece, Alex Kingsbury, Adam Wechsler and Diana Wechsler. He will be missed by all, including the Page, Surden and Goldman families.

Memorial gifts may be made to Friends of Karen. www.friendsofkaren.org

Dr. Henry Levin, 90 LINCOLN, R.I. – Dr. Henry Levin died Nov. 28 at home. He was the husband of Beverly (Fisher) Levin for 62 years.

Born in Providence, a son of the late Samuel and Sara (Dimond) Levin, he was a longtime resident of Lincoln.

He was educated at Providence College and Tufts School of Dental Medicine and was a Captain in the United States Army.

Henry served as chairman of the Rhode Island Board of Dentistry, an examiner at the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments, and former dentist for the Providence Public Schools.

He was honored by Roger Williams Hospital for his work in providing free care to patients with leukemia. He will be remembered for his kindness, generosity, wit and love of family.

In addition to his wife, he leaves his children Linda Levin-Scherz (Dr. Jeffrey Levin-Scherz), Lori Broess (Dr. Maarten Broess), and Dr. Steven Levin. He was the grandfather of Dr. Alyssa Levin-Scherz (Dr. William Pajerowski), Joshua LevinScherz, Dr. Jennifer Broess, Erik Broess, Peter Levin, Rebecca Levin, Matthew Levin, Zachary Levin; and two great-grandchildren Alexander Pajerowski and Zoe Pajerowski.

Contributions may be made to National Breast Cancer Coalition, 1010 Vermont Ave. NW, #900, Washington, DC 20005.

Pearl Markell, 95 FALL RIVER, MASS. – Pearl Gerstenzang Markell died on Oct. 20. Known to her friends by the name Penny, she was the wife of the late Edward Markell. Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on Jan 10, 1924, she was the daughter of the late Samuel and Rebecca (Blume) Gerstenzang. She was a long-time resident of Fall River, Mass.

She is survived by a sister, Sylvia Gerstenzang Gilson, and a brother, Burton M. Gerstenzang. She had two children, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

She graduated from New Bedford High School with honors and from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in speech and drama.

She was active in the Fall River Theatre Group. She had a beautiful singing voice and was a member of the Fall River Temple Beth El choir for many years. She provided entertainment for many local groups. She also played the piano and was an avid reader.

Contributions may be made to the Arthritis Foundation or Temple Beth El in Fall River, Mass. 02720.

Eileen Newman, 78 ATTLEBORO, MASS. – Eileen H. (Phenes) Newman, of Attleboro, passed away peacefully at home on Nov. 19. She was the partner and CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

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| 37

BUSINESS

D O LL

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S tax plan, implemented in 2018, not only brought terms such as “lumping,” “bunching,” “SALT” (State and Local Taxes) and “pass-through business” into the mainstream personal finance and tax lexicon, it also ushered in several new tax strategies.

JASON E. Here’s a SIPERSTEIN look at some of the maneuvers that are proving popular among financial/ tax professionals and their clients:

RS

& S E NS

E

A

New strategies for dealing with 2018 income-tax changes

• Lumping/bunching/

stacking deductions. The 2017

tax law brought an increase in the standard deduction, to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for married couples filing jointly, up from $6,500 and $13,000, respectively. It also eliminated the $4,050 personal exemption for each person claimed on a federal tax return, while altering the tax-deductibility of widely used personal deductions, including charitable donations, state and local taxes, mortgage interest, medical expenses and more.

All these changes have meant that many people who itemized their income-tax

deductions under the previous tax policy now take the standard deduction, chiefly because their itemized deductions aren’t collectively large enough each year to warrant claiming them rather than the standard deduction.

As a result, more taxpayers are concentrating multiple years’ worth of deductions – including charitable donations, medical expenses and state/local taxes – into a single year, an approach called lumping, bunching or stacking. Instead of taxpayers itemizing their deductions each year, the lumping/ bunching/stacking approach may mean they itemize every two or three tax years, and claim the standard deduction in the other years.

• R oth IRA contributions. The new tax program reduced income-tax rates virtually across the board. Based on an assumption that income-tax rates eventually will go higher, the current lower tax brackets make prioritizing contributions to a Roth IRA a wise move for some taxpayers.

With a Roth IRA, contributions are taxed on the way in, unlike with a 401(k) or traditional IRA, where money is taxed on the way out. This strategy appeals to people who believe the prevailing tax rate will be lower than the rate they’re likely to pay on the distributions they will take later from the tax-deferred retirement accounts.

Year-end philanthropy recommended deadlines A DONATION TO THE JEWISH ALLIANCE of Greater Rhode Island’s Annual Campaign helps improve people’s lives in greater Rhode Island, Israel and around the world.

The Alliance wants to ensure year-end gifts are processed in a timely way.

If you are considering a year-end donation to either the Alliance Annual Campaign or to a Jewish Federation Foundation endowment fund, please make note of the following dates.

Contributions: Credit Card/Wire Transfer/Online: Received by Tuesday, Dec. 31.

Check: Postmarked by Tuesday, Dec. 31.

Securities via DTC Transfer: Begin transfer process by Tuesday, Dec. 17.

Mutual Fund Shares:

Begin transfer process by Thursday, Dec. 5.

Grant recommendations from donor-advised funds: Received by Tuesday, Dec. 17 at noon.

Before initiating any gift transaction, please ensure you have the correct instructions by contacting: Michele Gallagher for campaign gifts to the Jewish Alliance at mgallagher@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 165. Claire Uziel for endowment funds at cuziel@ jewishallianceri.org or 401421-4111, ext. 109 Thank you for your generosity.

Submitted by Jewish Alliance

for a child’s • Saving

education. 529 savings plans

have long been a popular vehicle for saving for a college education. The Trump tax program expanded how funds in 529 plans can be used, allowing up to $10,000 to be withdrawn annually to cover tuition expenses for enrollment in an elementary or high school.

But it’s important to note that certain states do not recognize the federal government’s broader definition for 529 plans, and still only allow 529 funds to be used penalty-free for higher education (college or graduate school).

Check with the appropriate 529 plan administrator to determine your state’s status.

Fortunately, Rhode Island and Massachusetts do, in fact, do

recognize the broader definition.

JASON E. SIPERSTEIN, CFA, CFP, is the president-elect of the Financial Planning Association of Rhode Island and president of Eliot Rose Wealth Management. Contact him by email, jes@eliotrose.com.

38 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY | OBITUARIES FROM PAGE 35 companion of Richard H. Gariepy for 27 years.

Born on May 4, 1941, in Providence, she was the daughter of the late Maxwell M. Phenes and the late Anita M. (Miller) Phenes.

A graduate of Hope High School, Class of 1959, and the Newport Hospital School of Nursing, Eileen worked for many years as a registered nurse at Rhode Island Hospital and the Miriam Hospital in Providence, and for Dr. Laurie Grauel in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, for 18 years, before retiring.

She was a resident of Attleboro since 1968, previously living in Providence and Bristol.

She was a member of Congregation Agudas Achim in Attleboro for more than 20 years. She enjoyed quiet time at home, knitting, reading, and spending winters at her residence in North Fort Myers, Florida. More than anything, Eileen deeply cherished her family.

In addition to Richard Gariepy, she leaves her

children: Eric D. Newman and his wife, Bobbi (Eskenas) Newman, of Billerica, Massachusetts; Adam M. Newman of Attleboro; and Joshua T. Newman and his wife, Kate (Raymond) Newman, of Somerset, Massachusetts.

She was the grandmother of Benjamin Newman, Jonathan Newman, Daniel Newman, Maxwell Newman, Leah Newman, Elizabeth Newman and Jacob Newman; and the great-grandmother of Bella Rose Dumoulin. She was the sister of Joyce S. London of Narragansett, and leaves her nephew, Bryan London, and his wife, Pam. Eileen was the former wife of Stephen Joseph Newman. She leaves the extended Gariepy family and many friends.

A special thank you to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Old Colony Hospice for the care, compassion and love provided to Eileen.

Donations may be made to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215 or online at www. dana-farber.org.

Louis Placella, 82 GLENWOOD, MD. – Louis E. Placella died Nov. 9 at Howard County General Hospital. He was the beloved husband of Davina (Horowitz) Placella for 46 years. Born in Cranston, a

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son of the late Pasco and Elisa (Carlevale) Placella, he had lived in Glenwood for 34 years, previously living in Medway, Massachusetts.

He was the father of Matthew Placella of Glenwood, Naomi Placella of Chandler, Arizona, and Sarah Placella and her husband, Rodrigo Almeida, of Orinda, California. He was the dear brother of the late Gloria Pleasant. He was the grandfather of Jacob, Lonneke, Eva and Rafael.

Contributions may be made to the Jewish War Veterans, P.O. Box 100064, Cranston, RI 02910 or Foundation for the Righteous, 80 Main St., Ste. 380, West Orange, NJ 07052.

Jeremy Poster, 37 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Jeremy C. Poster, of Providence, funeral home manager for SugarmanSinai Chapels, died on Nov. 18 in Providence.

Jeremy was born on July 6, 1982, in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Joan (Dalton) Kaplan and Jay Poster. He is predeceased by his grandparents, Lorraine (Arrigotti) and George Dalton, and Ruth ”Ruthie” (Seltzer) and Arnold “Arnie” Poster; and survived by his mother, Joan Kaplan (David); father, Jay Poster (Pamela); siblings Janna Karel and Adam Greenburg; three aunts: Rev. Barbara Kenley (Robert); Phoebe Ritter (Thomas), Suzie Schmitt (Eberhart); four uncles: Gordon Poster (Laura), Michael Poster, Henry Dalton (Penny), and David Dalton (Donna); greatuncle, Stanley Seltzer (Jane); great-aunt Sarah Poster; and grandparents Art and Donna Karel, as well as numerous cousins, and friends and work associates who admired and loved him dearly.

Jeremy lived most of his life in Las Vegas, with stops in San Diego, California; Redding, California; and finally in Providence. He graduated from Bonanza High School and attended both the University of Nevada Reno and University Nevada Las Vegas.

He was a funeral home professional, starting his career in 2002, at the age of 20, with Palm Mortuaries of Las Vegas. Palm eventually became part of Dignity Memorial. He began his career as a funeral service attendant and took on various roles in the Palm market, ultimately becoming a funeral director in 2010.

In 2015, after expressing the desire to grow with the company, he accepted the position as location manager for several funeral homes in Redding. Because of the impact he made in Redding, he was sought after for a location manager position in Providence, at Sugarman-Sinai Chapel. He accepted that position in 2018. During his short time in Rhode Island, he immersed himself in the Rhode Island Jewish and business communities creating many new friends and making a significant impact.

He helped spearhead the cemetery cleanup of the Fall River, Massachusetts, Jewish Cemetery in early 2019 after anti-Semitic vandalism.

His next professional move was to return home to Las Vegas. He had just accepted the position of Palm Las Vegas Operational Trainer and was to start his new role in December.

Jeremy loved international travel and outdoor adventures. He loved music, especially the Dave Matthews Band, traveling to attend more than 40 of their concerts. He was a lifelong San Diego Padres fan and was rarely seen without his Padres jersey and cap.

He loved the Vegas Golden Knights and was looking forward to attending their games in person. He started to follow the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox. He loved happy hours with his friends and co-workers. And he loved his career in the death care industry.

Memorial donations be made to Congregation Ner Tamid of Henderson, Nevada, or Jewish Family Service Agency of Las Vegas.

Joseph Reingardt, 57 NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. – Joseph A. Reingardt died Nov. 20 at Kent Hospital. He was the husband of Kristin (Mudge) Reingardt. Born in Naples, Italy, a son of Donald and Suzanne (Ohana) Reingardt, he was a longtime resident of North Kingstown.

He was the brother of Deborah Neal of Daytona Beach, Florida, and David Reingardt of Alna, Maine. He was the loving uncle of Alden, Cyrus, Jamie and Trevor.

Contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.

Leon Sadow, 92 PLYMOUTH, MASS. – Leon D. Sadow died peacefully in Plymouth on Oct. 29 after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Alma Sadow; children, Debra Koenig and her husband, Steven, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Barbara Cole Singer and her husband, Andrew, of Plymouth, and Richard Sadow and his wife, Anne, of South Dartmouth, Massachusetts; grandchildren, Alison Cole Scott and her husband, Jordan, of West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Jeffrey Koenig of Milwaukee and Lisa Koenig and her husband, Brian Quinn, of New York City; and great-grandchildren, Madeleine, Lincoln and Ava Scott.

Born in Plymouth, Leon was the son of the late Lawrence and Ruth (Silverstein) Sadow and the brother of the late Bernard D. Sadow. Leon moved to New Bedford in grade school, and lived there until 1993 when he and Alma relocated to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. In May 2019, they moved to Plymouth to be closer to family.

Leon attended New Bedford High School and graduated from Brown University in Providence in 1950 after serving in the Navy in World War II. Leon was the long-time proprietor of Sadow’s, a clothing store for women and children in New Bedford, later in North Dartmouth Leon’s passions in life were his wife, Alma, family and the game of bridge. In 2018, he became a Life Master, and he spent countless afternoons in recent years playing duplicate bridge at the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Palm Beach Gardens.

Contributions made be made to a charity of your choice.

Lester Sagan, 94 BARRINGTON, R.I. – Lester Nathaniel Sagan died at home on Nov. 17. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on Oct. 13, 1925. He was preceded in passing by his parents David and Cecelia (Feingold) Sagan; his brother, Marc Sagan and sister-in-law, Jean, of Leesburg, Virginia; and his son, Keith Sagan, of California.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

DECEMBER 2019 | 39

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

COMMUNITY | OBITUARIES FROM PAGE 38 Lester was a proud graduate of The Boston Latin School, The Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Boston University School of Law. He is survived by his wife, Rose Kadsivitz Sagan; his children, Erica Sagan Arouesty Esq and her husband Raymond Esq of Kailua, Hawaii, Dr. Cindy Oken Feinstein and her husband Mark of Providence, and Russell Oken Esq and his wife Dr. Shara Oken of Brookline, Massachusetts.

Lester was grandfather to Sean (Jenna) Sagan, Scott Sagan, Michael, Samuel and Hannah Feinstein, Addison Oken; and his great-granddaughter, Lianna.

Lester was a member of the Merchant Marines during WWII and the Navy during the Korean War as a full lieutenant. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander on numerous convoys in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic Seas. He was a recipient of many awards, citations and medals including the 4 Bronze Star.

At the age of 21, he was the youngest to receive his Master Mariners License.

Lester will always be remembered as a sweet and humble gentleman who always gave generously of himself to everyone. All who knew him loved him deeply and admired him for the depth of his selflessness.

Contributions may be made to Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Jean Siegel, 89 CRANSTON, R.I. – Jean Siegel died Nov. 26 at Miriam Hospital. She was the beloved wife of the late Dr. Maurice Siegel. Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Stanley and Sarah (Leavitt) Peirce, she was a longtime resident of Cranston.

Jean attended Rhode Island College. She was a founding member of Temple Sinai and its sisterhood and a life member of The Miriam Hospital Women’s Association, Hadassah, ORT and the former JHA Women’s Auxiliary. Jean was also an avid duckpin bowler.

She was the mother of Abbie Ganin and her husband,

Steven, of Jericho, New York, Harlan Peirce Siegel and his wife, Risé, of Farmington Hills, Michigan, Bonnie Brout and her husband, Douglas, of Little Compton, and Melissa Daley and her husband, Brian, of Onancock, Virginia.

She was the sister of the late Marilynn Peirce Harnick.

She was the grandmother of Ashley (Yaron), Danielle (Michael), Corey, Kaley, Dillon (Isabella) and Dustin. She was the great-grandmother of Sophie.

Contributions may be made to Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston, RI 02920 or the charity of your choice.

Hadassah Stein, 91 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Hadassah Stein died Nov. 27 in Providence. Born March 26, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York, she was the wife of the late Jerome L. Stein.

She was educated at Brooklyn College (Classics), the Jewish Theological Seminary (Hebrew Literature), University of Chicago and Yale University (Classics) and The Hebrew University in Jerusalem (Sumarian and Akkadian).

Hadassah was a lifelong Judaic scholar, and known for her intellectual curiosity, love of Hebrew language and literature, and her incisive wit.

She leaves behind her children Seth (Carol) Stein, Gil Stein (Liz Reistroffer) and Ilana (Abraham) Ben-Ze’ev.

She was the savta of Rachel, Abby and Hannah, Jonathan and Leora, and the late David Stein. She was the sister-in-law of Sam and Sherry Stein. She was predeceased by her siblings Evelyn Greenberg and Mordechai Levow. Hadassah also leaves behind her companion Jodie L. Levasseur and team of caregivers Annette Rodriguez, Leiza Rodriguez, Corina Garcia, Phylicia Anderson, Jenny Traskauskas and Jatna Jerez.

Donations may be made to Temple Emanu-El, a food bank, or the charity of your choice.

Lorraine Weissman, 94

CRANSTON, R.I. – Lorraine Weissman died Oct. 30 at home. She was the beloved wife of the late Hyman Weissman. Born in Brooklyn, New

York, a daughter of the late Harry and Anna (Goodstein) Kurzer, she had lived in Cranston for more than 25 years, previously living on the East Side of Providence.

Lorraine graduated from Hunter College with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and was an avid artist and seamstress. She was a member of Temple Beth-El and former member of Crestwood and Ledgemont country clubs.

She was also a member of her book club for 56 years and enjoyed playing bridge and canasta.

She was the mother of Karen Weissman and her husband, Steven Pomerantz, of Danbury, Connecticut, Beth Jerome and her husband, Granger, of Tiverton and Jerry Weissman and his former wife, Suzanne Smith, of Wheat Ridge, Colorado. She was the sister of Alvin Kurzer and his wife, Roz, of Cranston.

She was the grandmother of Joshua and Lauren. She was the great-grandmother of Vincent and Francis. She was aunt to Adam, Hilary, Arjan, Lee and Margie.

Contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.

Donald Wexler, 91 WARWICK, R.I. – Donald R. Wexler died Nov. 21 at the Philip Hulitar Hospice Center in Providence. He was the husband of the late Eileen (Koch) Wexler. Born in New York City, New York, he was a son of the late Nathan and Gertrude (Berger) Wexler. Donald lived in Warwick at Tamarisk Assisted Living for two years, previously living in West Warwick and Cranston, relocating from New York in 1966.

Donald was a Korean Conflict veteran. Following his return from the Army, Donald was a salesman and estimator in the photo engraving and lithographing business until retiring in 2003.

He was an active member of Temple Sinai since 1966, where he served as a member and past president of its brotherhood, member of the ritual committee, and prepared the Saturday morning minyan breakfast along with his dear friend Stanley Horovitz for more than 50 years, for which he was honored in April 2016.

Donald was an avid fan of the New York Mets and New York Giants and loved nothing more than spending time with his family.

He was the father of Susan Rodrigues (Michael) of Cranston and Fort Lauderdale and Linda Goldberg of West Warwick. He was the brother of Jerome “Jerry” Wexler (Sonia) of Boynton Beach, Florida. He was the grandfather of Jay Rodrigues (Annette), Eli

Rodrigues, Zachary Goldberg and Eric Goldberg.

Contributions in his memory may be made to Tamarisk Assisted Living, 3 Shalom Drive, Warwick, RI 02886, The Horovitz/Wexler Minyan Breakfast Fund at Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920, or Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Avenue, Providence, RI, 02906.

40 | DECEMBER 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

IN THE NEWS

Why Israel isn’t a top consideration for American Jewish voters

BY RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) – It’s the perennial anomaly of Jewish voter surveys: Vast majorities feel an attachment to Israel, but relatively few are thinking about the Jewish state when they cast their vote.

On the day of last year’s midterm congressional elections, J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group, asked Jewish voters to name their two most important issues. Just 4 percent chose Israel. The same survey found that 65 percent said they were somewhat or very emotionally attached to Israel.

The J Street survey is not an outlier. The American Jewish Committee, a foreign policy and civil rights group, found a similar discrepancy in its 2015 poll, in which barely a quarter of respondents listed Israel as one of their top three issues, though more than 70 percent agreed strongly or somewhat that caring about Israel is “a very important part” of being Jewish.

What accounts for the difference?

Like most American voters, Jewish Americans tend to care about issues that directly affect them more than what’s going on in a country an ocean away.

The J Street survey found that 43 percent of Jewish Americans listed health care as one of their top two issues in 2018, a time when President Donald Trump was attempting to dismantle health care protections passed under President Barack Obama. In 2015, the AJC survey found that 41.7 percent of U.S. Jews listed the economy as one of their top concerns amid the ongoing recovery from the Great Recession of the late 2000s.

“When pollsters prod Americans about their foreign policy views, the results are clear: they want the government to focus less on the rest

of the world,” Daniel Drezner, a professor of international politics at Tufts University, has written. “Short of a war or other violent attacks on American installations, foreign policy rarely takes center stage during presidential elections. Presidential candidates almost always campaign on how they intend to jump-start the economy.”

In a hyperpolarized political environment, policy particulars tend to matter less than which side a politician is on, according to Kyle Kondik, the managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a political newsletter and election handicapper, at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

Thus Jews are likelier to vote for their favored party than they are to consider the specifics of Israel policy.

“American politics also is increasingly defined by the concept of ‘negative partisanship’ — that is, voting more against the other side than for your side,” Kondik said in an email.

All this presumes that candidates meet a certain baseline of support for Israel.

Experts on Jewish voting behavior say that Jewish voters will prioritize concerns other than Israel only so long as a candidate meets a basic threshold of support.

“If a candidate is sympathetic to Israel, has expressed support for Israel, that is a bright line a candidate has to have crossed in order to be acceptable to the vast majority of American Jews,” said Jason Isaacson, the AJC’s chief policy and political affairs officer. “The nuances of how [being pro-Israel] is expressed becomes less of a factor to most American Jews.”

Case in point is Bernie Sanders, the Jewish senator from Vermont running for the Democratic presidential nomination. Sanders has been extraordinarily critical of the Israeli government by the standards of American poli-

tics, even suggesting recently that some U.S. aid to Israel should instead go to Gaza.

But at the same time, Sanders insists he is pro-Israel and has criticized those on the left who would deny its right to exist as a Jewish state.

Sanders’ expressions of support for Israel were “designed” to meet the threshold for Jewish voters, according to Issacson.

“My assumption is for a segment of the American Jewish community it will accomplish that purpose,” Issacson said.

They might even be an asset, according to Jim Gerstein, a founding partner of GBAO, the firm that conducts J Street’s surveys. Jewish Americans are not as hawkish as Israelis, Gerstein said, and are more likely to favor a more evenhanded role for the United States.

“They don’t want the U.S. putting itself in a position where it affects its credibility because it favors Israel over the Palestinians,” Gerstein said. “They want the U.S. to be credible. They don’t support the Israeli government’s hawkish policies.”

Most American presidential candidates have met the Israel threshold, but there are exceptions. President Jimmy Carter’s share of the Jewish vote plummeted from 64 percent in 1976 to 45 percent in 1980. Despite having brokered Israel’s first-ever peace treaty with an Arab state, Carter’s hostile relations with Prime Minister Menachem Begin, exemplified by the American vote for a U.N. Security Council resolution critical of Israel just weeks before the election, were seen as playing a major role in Carter’s loss of Jewish support.

Four years later, Sen. Charles Percy, a moderate Illinois Republican, lost in an upset to Democratic Rep. Paul Simon in part because Percy had pushed hard for the sale of advanced radar aircraft to Saudi Arabia. Illinois Jews CONTINUED ON PAGE 41

Happy Hanukkah from the staff of Jewish Rhode Island

DECEMBER 2019

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

| 41

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FROM PAGE 40 were seen as key to handing the seat to Simon.

Of course, there are Jews who clearly do rank Israel highly — and some of them have a lot of money. Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate who gave millions to Republicans in the 2016 election cycle, has said Israel is his principal policy concern. So has Haim Saban, the Israeli-American entertainment mogul and major donor to Democrats, who has said that he cannot support Sanders in part because

of differences over Israel.

And in swing states with a substantial Jewish population — Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and Florida, among them — even the relatively small percentage of Jews who consider Israel first can be enough to determine the outcome in a close election.

Political action committees associated with partisan Jewish groups are set to spend big to promote their message to Jewish voters in those states.

The Republican Jewish Coalition’s PAC has said it

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will spend $10 million, and the Jewish Democratic Council of America is ready to spend at least $1 million.

A spokeswoman for the Democratic Majority for Israel, the pro-Israel Democratic group launched earlier this year, said it is prepared to spend “millions” to elect pro-Israel Democrats.

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

SIMCHAS | WE ARE READ

THE WEDDING OF SHAYNA JOY SAGE AND ETHAN ASHER SELINGER took place under the huppah on Oct. 13 at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Cantor Marilyn Becker officiated. The maid of honor was Alissa Sage, sister of the bride. The best man was Aryeh Furman, cousin of the groom.

The groom is the son of Marcia and Yehudah Selinger of Barrington. He is the grandson of the late Harold and Lois Winkleman and the late Zelig and Ronya Selinger.

The bride is the daughter of Bill and Marci Sage of Newton, Massachusetts. She is the granddaughter of Bob and Phyllis Sage, Miriam Mindick and the late Arnold Mindick.

The couple will honeymoon on a cruise to the Bahamas and will reside in Norwood, Mass.

MAZEL TOV – Marlene and Bruce Wolpert of Providence are pleased to announce the marriage of their son Jonathan Ian Wolpert to Serena Dahye Go on Aug. 25 at Rosecliff Mansion in Newport. Rabbi April Davis officiated.

Serena is the daughter of YoungOk Lee and KyungSoo Go of Suwon, South Korea.

The bride graduated from Parsons School of Design. She is currently employed as a Youth Outerwear Designer for Under Armour at Centric Brands Group.

The groom is a graduate of Emory University and is currently employed as an Omni Planner for Men’s Seasonal at Macy’s corporate headquarters.

The couple makes their home in New York City.

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Meet teachers from all grade levels and tour our historic campus, robotics lab, and state-of-the-art Woodman Family Community and Performing Arts Center.

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Share your simchas or vacation We Are Reads send them to: editor@ jewishallianceri.org We love hearing from you.

DECEMBER 2019

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

| 43

SIMCHAS | WE ARE READ

MAZEL TOV – Adrienne and Steven Kirschner of Pawtucket happily announce the Oct. 19 engagement of their son, Zachary Kirschner to Aysa Cerny, daughter of Nori and Jeffrey Cerny.

Aysa and Zach are graduates of SUNY Binghamton and they both reside and work in New York City.

WE ARE READ IN SPAIN – Two sets of traveling college roommates learned about Spanish Jewish history from Seville guide Jorge Gershon. Chris Webb (far left) and Anne German (front left), URI graduates, and Ellen Lief-Wellins of Pittsburgh (rear left) and Karen Borger, alumnae of American University.

Breaking the Silence

Gal Gadot and husband are remaking an Israeli crime drama for a US audience

BY MARCY OSTER

PHOTO | GLENN OSMUNDSON

ON NOV. 18, ABOUT 100 PEOPLE listened to a group from Breaking the Silence at a program sponsored by J Street Rhode Island.

The speakers, all veteran Lone Soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces, explained their experiences while on duty in Israel’s West Bank.

Breaking the Silence is an Israeli non-governmental organization started in 2004 by IDF veterans. The intent is to allow soldiers to confidentially disclose their experiences in the armed forces. Some now speak to a variety of groups about their life in the military, offering an alternative viewpoint to other touring groups. “Our work aims to being an end to the occupation,” according to their website.

(JTA) – Gal Gadot and her husband are remaking an Israeli crime drama for showing in the United States.

Gadot and Yaron Varsano’s Pilot Wave production company has joined Endemol Shine North America and Endemol Shine Israel to remake the series “Queens,” Deadline Hollywood reported.

“Queens,” which will air its second season on the Israeli cable network HOT in 2020, is the story of the women of the Malka crime family trying to run the family business after the men are killed by a rival crime syndicate.

The Hebrew word malka means queen.

“These complex characters are captivating, delightfully funny and emotional,” Gadot and Varsano said in a statement. “It is rare to find content that conveys characters in such a truthful way,

while mirroring society.”

Gadot and Varsano have launched several projects since founding Pilot Wave earlier this year, including a series about the actress Hedy Lamarr and a film about Polish Underground leader Irena Sendler, with Gadot playing the title character in each. Pilot Wave is also working on “My Dearest Fidel,” an adaptation of Peter Kornbluh’s magazine article about the close friendship between ABC journalist Lisa Howard and Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Gadot is starring in “Wonder Woman 1984,” which is scheduled to be released in June. She also will star in “Red Notice,” also starring Ryan Reynolds and Duane Johnson, the biggest feature film ever made by Netflix.

The action thriller, set for release in late 2020, is centered around the pursuit of the most wanted art thief in the world.

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