L'Chaim Magazine - Dec-Jan 2023

Kris

Making critically important family decisions in the aftermath of emotional life changes can be extremely difficult. Our dedicated family law attorneys can help you navigate the complex divorce process with clarity.

Divorce, high conflict child custody, alternative dispute resolution, and more.

prayers & passages

Angels in Our Midst

Who are those supernatural creatures we refer to as angels? Are they manifestations of God? Intermediaries between humans and God? Figments of humans’ imaginations? Angels appear in the Bible and throughout Jewish literature, with rabbis, historians and many others grappling with their nature and attempting to explain their roles.

The Hebrew word we use for angel is malach, which actually translates to “messenger.” In the Torah, these unnamed creatures were sent as messengers from God to either impart a prophecy to a specific person or facilitate a certain action. Sarah, for example, is told by an angel in human form that she will bear a son. A weeping Hagar is comforted by an angel after she runs away from Sarah. As Abraham is about to sacrifice his son to God (per God’s instructions), he is stopped by a voice from above:

“Then a messenger of God called to him from heaven: ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ And he answered, ‘Here I am.’ ‘Do not raise your hand against the boy or do anything to him.” (Genesis 22: 11-12)

After escaping from his angry brother, Jacob dreams of a stairway to heaven with ascending and descending angels. After

many years of estrangement and just before the brothers are to reunite, we are told that Jacob wrestled with a creature all night who refused to give his name and is later referred to (in the book of Hosea) as an angel.

In the books of the Prophets and later the Writings, the role of angels expands to include creatures of non-human form. The prophet Ezekiel describes several vivid visions of angels with wings and four faces guarding the chariot of God. Isaiah details being called into service by seeing angels with six wings flying around God’s throne while praising God. (Isaiah 6:3).

Angels figure prominently in the Book of Zechariah (in both human and winged forms); and in the Book of Daniel, we are introduced to the first angels with names: Gabriel and Michael. Gabriel interprets Daniel’s visions, while Michael is said to have been a defender of the people of Israel against her enemies.

In both the Talmud (compilation of rabbinic teachings) and the Midrash (an early form of Biblical interpretation and analysis), Rabbis debated the purpose and origin of angels. Those who appeared as nameless figures in the Bible were now given names and tasks. In the Talmud, for example, four

angels — Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel — are tasked with guarding the throne of God. Angels are understood to have no free will of their own; they exist solely to praise and serve God.

In later writings, the great scholar Maimonides (12th century) classified angels by their hierarchical position. Works espousing Jewish Mysticism (Kabbalah being the most famous) describe angels as forces of spiritual energy, each with a defined role in the functioning of God’s universe. The prayer Shalom Aleichem — an integral part of our Shabbat evening liturgy — comes to us from these Kabbalistic writings (16th or 17th century). In this prayer, we welcome angels into our home (or synagogue) in peace, ask them for blessings of peace, while also bidding them a peaceful exit at the end of Shabbat.

Even today discussion persists about the existence of angels. When people enter your life at just the right moment, perhaps it is not a fluke. Maybe they can be viewed as angels in human form, bringing you the insight or assistance that you truly need.

RABBI-CANTOR CHERI WEISS IS THE SPIRITUAL LEADER OF TEMPLE EMANUEL IN HONOLULU, HAWAII.

mazel & mishagoss

Guide to Surviving New Year's

We Jews have an alternate New Year’s Day, so we’re justifiably able to bypass this whole mess completely by simply playing the Apple & Honey card. But for 2023, if you’re dead set on joining the masses with their morbid exercise/diet/get more organized/weekly carwash self-declaration antics, you might as well do it correctly by following my step-by-step guide.

1. By December 30, find yourself a designated Foiler. (Noun: One who takes great pride in foiling plans. Synonyms: Thwarter, Saboteur) If they resent those terms, merely refer to them as the “Kibosh Put-er On-er” instead. They’ll know who they are, and what their duties consist of, trust me. People who are right for this position include all Jewish mothers, most grandmothers, an envious neighbor/ employee, and/or a competitive best friend.

2. On December 31, go on all social media channels, updating your status. Make a big to-do, announcing your intentions. It should resemble this: “Tomorrow! Tomorrow marks the beginning of my never eating carbs again!” Do a Facebook Live and belt out the song, “Tomorrow” from Annie for added emphasis. Further demonstrate you’re deadly serious to anyone who comments by switching to the formal name. Type, “Carbohydrates are so frightening that next Halloween I’m dressing up as a baked potato to give the neighborhood kids a scare they won’t soon forget! Additionally for good measure, since fruit and veggies technically contain the C-word, I shall only ingest protein and fat (just the good kind, like avocados and walnuts) from January

onward!!!” Be sure to put lots of exclamation marks after your statement and then post a picture of a POW behind bars with just a rusty jug of water, since even a crust of stale bread will now be forbidden. Wait an hour. Count all the likes you accumulate.

3. Time for those good fats! Eat one walnut. Conclude that walnuts are extraordinarily dry and scratchy on the throat, so it’s time to call up your Foiler to confess you nearly choked on one. They should then react appropriately. “God forbid!” they’ll exclaim. “What are you trying to do? Give me a heart attack? Chocolate-covered macadamias are much safer in a world filled with terrorist nuts. Why would you be eating such a thing as a walnut anyhow, God forbid?!”

4. Explain to your thwarter that walnuts are pretty much all you have left, after swearing off carbs so you can drop a few pounds for health reasons. Tape-record their predictable response, which should go something like this. “What?! Look at you! You skinny little thing who eats like a bird. And a waistline that could fit into the sleeve of your shirt!” Try to get them to speak that last part loudly and clearly into the microphone.

5. Go to sleep. Dream that after only 12 hours you’ve already broken your New Year’s resolution by eating leftover coffeecake. From the trash. Awaken in a cold sweat, place a cool rag on your forehead, and say the Shema. After all, it was only a bad dream. And there wasn’t even a scarecrow or wicked witch. And also there’s no place like home.

6. Having made it through all three meals without a single carb on January, sing that

Resolutions

song from A Chorus Line loud enough so your entire household hears it. “Kiss today goodbye! And point me toward tomorrow. We did what we had to do! Won’t forget, can’t regret…” Wait! You can sing, right? Singing shows great determination and grit (you can’t eat grits either!) in the face of diversity. In other words, you ARE sticking with your New Year’s resolutions. No. Matter. What. Even if the Kibosh put-er on-er threatens. Even if the spouse of the Kibosh put-er oner has you on redial. And remember, you’re counting on this.

7. Answer the phone groggily at noon. Listen to your trusty Thwarter weeping in the background as your father says. “Do you hear this? This is what I had to put up with all night long. You’re killing your mother with this New Year’s resolution of yours. She’s dying a slow, painful death thinking of you getting married, and only being able to eat the almond crust on your wedding cake. This ends today!”

8. Go back on Facebook and announce for the sake of your Foiler’s … err I mean your mother’s health; you regretfully must give up your New Year’s resolution. But you wish everyone else a wonderful year of change, improvement, and stamina!

9. Pro Tip: Next year make your New Year’s resolution be giving up resolutions.

STEPHANIE D. LEWIS WILL INJECT HUMOR INTO ANYTHING YOU HIRE HER TO WRITE. EMAIL AT THEQUOTEGAL@YAHOO.COM.

Adriana Fernandez is a non-Jewish nanny to Jewish children in Boca Raton, Fla.

PHOTO COURTESY ADRIANA FERNANDEZ.

1000 WORDS

'NON-JEWISH NANNY' TO ORTHODOX CHILDREN BECOMES SOCIAL MEDIA SENSATION

Adriana Fernandez laughs when she recounts how she got it wrong when it came to understanding what kosher means.

“I used to think it was just that you couldn’t have a cheeseburger and couldn’t mix cheese and meat,” Fernandez, 25, said.

She has gotten a lot right since then, as her claim to fame is being a non-Jewish nanny to Orthodox Jewish children in Boca Raton, Fla. She said that in about a month on Instagram, as @nonJewishnanny, she garnered more than 31,000 followers. (She currently has 35,700 followers on the platform.) She receives millions of views on both her TikTok and Instagram posts.

“I was an in-demand nanny in general, and there was one family, and they said, ‘Is it okay we’re Jewish?’” Fernandez recalled. “I said, ‘Of course.’ Then from word of mouth of how kids loved me I wound up working for many Orthodox Jewish families.”

She said she quickly learned rules and terms like shomer negiah, the practice which stipulates that men and women should not touch unless they are married.

“That’s not a big deal at all,” she said. “With COVID, obviously people were shaking hands less anyway, but I was never somebody that needed to hug everyone.”

Fernandez said she quickly learned about tznius, the need to dress modestly, which she also said is no problem.

She said after one occasion when she picked up children, a woman told her she was not dressed appropriately, and she learned to wear clothing that is not at all revealing.

In one TikTok post, she talks about some

of her favorite Jewish songs on her Spotify List and includes hits like “Ashira” and “Schar Mitzvah” by Mordechai Shapiro, who she says is her favorite Jewish singer.

A soprano, Fernandez studied to be a professional opera singer, and she said the season begins now. The vocals she learned in German have helped her pronounce Hebrew or Yiddish words correctly, so she can authentically make the “ch” sound and perfectly pronounce “Pesach.”

Fernandez said several Jewish brands have reached out to her to collaborate, including clothing stores.

What’s one thing that really surprised her about the Orthodox community?

“I was blown away by sheitels,” she said. “I couldn’t tell at first that it wasn’t their real hair.”

She also has gotten so accustomed to separate milk and meat dishes that when she washes her own dishes at home, she feels bad for a minute with only one set. She adheres to the rules of kashrut, of course, when in the homes of her clients.

Fernandez said that in the last few years, she has worked with more than 50 Orthodox families and has formed strong bonds with many of the kids. She said she rejected offers from families to be a live-in, full-time nanny and instead works with different families. She has specific nights free for opera performances or training, and in some cases, she might act as a nanny for many hours a day, and some days, not at all.

“I take it as a big responsibility and it is a gift to work with children,” Fernandez said.

She said some adults, and some children,

mistake her for being Jewish. While the ages vary, the children she takes care of range from newborns to 10-year-olds.

Fernandez is aware of the rise in antisemitism.

“I think it’s terrible that people would have hate for innocent people,” Fernandez said. “It’s hard to understand how people could be like that.”

She said she was raised not to stereotype people and to treat everyone kindly and those are the values she teaches now and she will also pass down when she has children of her own.

She said that among the many comments she receives online surrounding her work with Jewish families, only a handful are negative. She added that Orthodox Judaism might seem strange or difficult for someone not exposed to it, but she respects how the families live.

Fernandez said she hopes parents raise their children to be respectful and not hate anybody.

On the Mislaibeled podcast, when she was quizzed about terms, she correctly answered that an upsherin is when a 3-year-old boy gets a haircut for the first time and that lashon hara is speaking negatively about people. She rated cholent as a 6 or 7 on a scale from 1-10, but She gave yapchik (potato kugel with meat) a 10. She was repulsed by overnight potato kugel and gave it a 1. She also enjoys chrain (horseradish).

Closing out her interview, Fernandez said that while she knows all about kosher cuisine and feeds the children, “I haven’t been asked to cook.”

From an idyllic life in rural Seredne, Czechoslovakia with a close family including six girls and two boys, Rose Schwartz enjoyed an observant orthodox upbringing. Although her father was a tailor with a local business in town, they lived on a farm and everyone helped, perpetuating a happy yet simple life. Sleeping three to a bed actually offered them comfort.

Most Jewish men in their village owned businesses, politically and socially involved as they brought products to the town. Many non-Jews were farmers.

One day, Rose’s family and other Jews in the village were transported to a concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland, unaware she was never to see her mother and several siblings again. Her father told her, “Whatever you do, stay alive so you can tell the world what they did to us.”

We met with Rose in her East County home one morning, inspired by her story of courage and a mantra to never give up hope.

Rose shared how the family hid their jewelry so they could retrieve it after the war. To this day, she wears the chain from her father’s pocket watch — it is all that remains of her father.

Through all the horrors at Auschwitz, Rose and her two older sisters, Judy and Helen survived. Rose’s husband, Max, also survived the war, and in 1950, following Liberation, the two married, moved to England, and later emigrated to the United States, where they raised four children.

Over the years, both Max and Rose have been interviewed extensively by the news media, earning many awards, speaking to over 200,000 students and members of various military branches, fraternal and religious organizations. Since 2006, they have been involved in the Butterfly Project, founded in San Diego in 2006. Their book, Two Who Survived-Keeping Hope Alive While Surviving the Holocaust, was written by M. Lee Connolly and published in 2019.

On December 8, our local Anti-Defamation League chapter, led by San Diego Regional Director Fabienne Perlov hosted a town hall on Antisemitism. The panel included Mayor Todd Gloria, Executive Director of Hillel San Diego Karen Perry, Jewish community leader and activist Sheri Sachs and San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan.

“We are all reeling from the recent uptick in antisemitism and bigotry of all kinds here and across the nation,” Perlov said after the program. “Events like these are incredibly important

because they foster important discussions that affect the entire community.”

"We left the Town Hall with a renewed optimism in our shared fight against hate. It is everyone’s responsibility to call out and push back against bigotry wherever it rears its ugly head. We gained new inspiration for ways to collaborate together as leaders of this community. Be they elected officials, interfaith leaders, community figures or law enforcement. We look forward to continuing to shape our collaboration and work together to make San Diego an even safer and more inclusive place."

“Fighting hate crimes is a priority for my office as hate crimes don’t just harm the direct victim but leave a ripple of fear in the community,” San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said. “Unfortunately, the highest category of hate crimes based in religious bias remains antisemitic hate crimes targeting our Jewish community. We will never forget the Poway synagogue shooting where a cowardly man murdered an

Fabienne Perlov, ADL

innocent woman. We convicted the killer and obtained a sentence of life without the possibility of parole for this especially cruel and hateful murder. My office has nearly tripled our hate crimes prosecutions sending a clear and unwavering message that hate crimes will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We are also invested in prevention by coming together to educate our community through effective forums like [this]."

The D.A. encouraged the community to report hate incidents and hate crimes; to hold the perpetrators accountable and prevent violence. Reporting is easy, via the D.A.’s Office Hate Crimes Hotline at (619) 515-8805, or using the online form at www. sdcda.org/helping/hate-crimes.

In 2021 the ADL, (Anti-Defamation League) counted a total of 2,717 antisemitic incidents across the U.S., representing a 34 percent increase from the 2,026 incidents recorded in 2020, the

highest number since ADL began tracking incidents in 1979. These audited incidents include three categories: assault, Harassment and Vandalism.

The highest number of incidents included New York, New Jersey, California, Florida, Michigan and Texas. Combined, these states accounted for 58 percent of total incidents.

Attacks against Jewish community centers, (JCCs) and synagogues were up 61 percent, incidents at K-12 schools increased 106 percent and incidents on college campuses rose 21 percent.

“I can talk about the incidents on campus; that a Hillel display was vandalized every day it was up, or that a piece of Jewish student art was defaced, or that a swastika was found in the library, or all the vitriol that our young people experience online — but I also want to say that we’ve seen a renaissance of Jewish life on campus,” Executive Director of Hillel of San Diego Karen Parry said. “Hillel has seen growth in engagement like we’ve never seen before. One of the best ways to fight antisemitism is through Jewish joy and at Hillel we empower the next generation to (as Hen Mazzig says) love being Jewish ten times more than anyone could hate them for it.”

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is January 27, 2023. Designated by the United Nations General Assembly on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, this solemn ceremony hosts Holocaust survivors reflecting on and honoring the lives of Europe’s Jews, targeted for annihilation, other victims of Nazi persecution, and individuals who choose to help.

May we never forget sharing the story of the Holocaust for generations to come. As Jews it is our responsibility to fight antisemitism through education, unity, community and standing together for our beliefs.

Summer Stephan, DA

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN SOUP

BY RACHEL BELLER, MS, RDN

At Beller Nutrition, souping is often top of mind among patients and masterclass participants. The reason? It’s an incredibly quick, easy dish for any weekday and a delicious meal on a dime. This Italian comfort soup takes the traditional meal to a whole new level (nutritionally). The legumes pack this dish with essential protein and fiber that will keep you feeling satisfied for hours. Under the surface, they offer tons of cancer-protective properties and support our weight management, hormonal balance, and gut health.

This recipe, also found in the best-selling book Power Souping, is brought to life by a medley of Italian herbs that synergistically exert antimicrobial and antioxidant effects. Cayenne and swiss chard; in combination has been shown to potentially increase cancerfighting properties; the lycopene found in stewed tomatoes has also been linked to reduced cardiovascular disease risk. This Tuscan White Bean Soup is the perfect cozy meal that arrives with minimal effort and plenty of leftovers for those busy weeks. Let the Tuscan heat warm you up from the inside out this winter!

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN SOUP

Makes 4-6 servings Vegan, GF

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium carrots, chopped 3 stalks celery, chopped 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 large tomatoes, chopped 4 cups vegetable broth 3 cups cannellini beans, cooked, rinsed 1 bunch swiss chard (about 6 cups), chopped 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or red pepper flakes Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

2. Add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery and sauté 5 minutes, until softened.

3. Stir in the tomato paste and allow it to caramelize on the bottom of the pot, about 3 minutes more.

4. Add the tomatoes and broth and bring the soup to a boil.

5. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, until the veggies are cooked through.

6. Carefully place half of the soup in a high-powered blender and puree until smooth, then pour it back into the pot.

7. Add the swiss chard, beans, oregano, and red pepper flakes and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Join cancer nutrition expert Rachel Beller, MS, RDN, founder of the Beller Nutritional Institute, in her next exclusive 8-week Transformation Masterclass starting

January 14, 2023, for Sharsheret’s Nutrition Coaching for Thrivers program. To apply, visit sharsheret.org/get-involved/sharsheretin-the-kitchen

Sharsheret, The Jewish Breast and Ovarian Cancer Community, is offering a free limitedtime nutrition coaching program for thrivers who are Los Angeles County residents with a small number of spots for those outside of L.A. This program will provide people affected by breast and ovarian cancer tools to make healthy diet choices. Space is limited and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. For questions, please contact Aimee Sax at asax@sharsheret.org

This program is generously supported by Cedars-Sinai; The Max & Anna Baran, Ben & Sarah Baran and Milton Baran Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles; and The Cooperative Agreement DP19-1906 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SHARSHERET, A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, IS THE JEWISH BREAST CANCER AND OVARIAN CANCER COMMUNITY. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE HAS BEEN IMPACTED BY BREAST OR OVARIAN CANCER, OR HAS ELEVATED GENETIC RISK, CONTACT SHARSHERET FOR FREE SUPPORT AND RESOURCES. FOR MORE INFO, VISIT SHARSHERET.ORG OR CALL (866) 474-2774.

INNOVATION THRIVES

ISRAEL'S SOUTHERN BORDER IS BOOMING

BY JUDY LASH BALINT | JNS.ORG

The word “Negev” conjures up visions of miles of desert, sand dunes, barren landscapes, camels, and yes, the meme that “Israel made the desert bloom.”

But traveling through the northwestern portion of that 4,650-square-mile desert today presents quite a different picture. A recent trip to the “Gaza envelope” and Eshkol region of the Negev proved that the area is not only blooming but thriving as an incubator for some of Israel’s most cutting-edge social, educational and technical developments.

And — not a huge surprise — a hefty amount of financial support for these efforts comes from the venerable Jewish National Fund USA (JNF-USA). The organization pitches in to partner with Israeli nonprofits and regional councils to support and create a multitude of projects that are not government initiatives.

Since the Eshkol region shares borders with both Egypt and the Gaza Strip, many of the projects are designed to support the residents of communities that have been on the frontline of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad attacks for decades.

One of the most striking and innovative initiatives is the GrooveTech Center, located just two miles from the Gaza border on a campus together with schools that educate 2,500 students. The reinforced two-story building is the largest technology center in Israel.

Inside the bright, spacious structure dedicated to space, technology and gaming are multiple spaces for kids to immerse themselves in after-school STEM learning and recreational activities. A cybertech lab, space center, planetarium, broadcast studio, robotics workshop, virtual reality arena, professional teaching kitchen and hydroponics

growing area are available to children that live under constant threat of rocket and mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip.

A big source of diversion and pride came last December when the launch of NASA’s James Webb Telescope was broadcast from GrooveTech. The NASA collaboration came about through an highranking Israeli-born NASA scientist who was a consultant in the creation of GrooveTech’s space center.

According to GrooveTech Center Director Maydan Peleg, the community had originally asked JNF-USA for funds to help build a jungle gym. “They said, ‘Nope, you need to dream bigger,’ and this is the result,” she adds with a smile.

“Kids who come here can forget the outside; they can feel pride and accomplishment and get absorbed in cutting-edge, exciting activities that help keep them strong,” she continued. “They can be exposed to the highest levels of tech, and they can dream to be whatever they want.”

“The place is a game changer,” Carey-Lee Tal, a South Africaborn Eshkol community activist, tells visitors. Tal explains that GrooveTech not only helps keep kids in the area but also acts as an economic catalyst, providing jobs for local residents.

GrooveTech means that high school kids interested in any field of technology or engineering don’t need to travel to Tel Aviv or Beersheva for enrichment. “They can get what they need right here,” she said.

A few miles away, less than half a mile from the border with Egypt, Yedidia Harush welcomes visitors to the fully sustainable dairy farm that belongs to the community of Halutza. Harush, whose white shirt, black kippah and visible tzitzit ritual

Sunrise in Bitronot Ruchama, a nature reserve of badlands in the area of Kibbutz Ruchama in the Western Negev, in southern Israel.

PHOTO BY MAOR KINSBURSKY/FLASH90.

fringes would look more at home in a Jerusalem yeshiva than in the middle of a cowshed, is proud to show off what he calls “the Halutza happy cows.”

He relates how he and his family arrived in Halutza after they were evicted from their homes in Gush Katif in 2005, when Israel unilaterally left the Gaza Strip.

Despite the pain and anger over the destruction of their communities, Harush says his family and others who went to Halutza decided to “take the positive side and contribute to the development of the Negev.”

Over the last 17 years, in cooperation with JNF-USA, Harush said roads had been paved and hundreds of greenhouses erected, and that more than 85 species of fruits and vegetables are now grown in the area. Fields of solar energy panels have also been established, he said.

But his pride and joy is the cowshed, which opened 10 months ago and is fully robotic, enabling the operation to be fully Shabbat observant.

Grazing space for dairy cows is very limited all over the country and the Negev’s sandy landscape and hot climate are not conducive to the practice, but there is plenty of land available in the Halutza area, so Harush’s cows each enjoy 22 square meters (about 236 square feet) of living space.

Unlike in most dairy farms, the 450 Halutza cows eat on demand and deliver up 41 liters per day of milk — far above the 28-liter average of other Israeli cowsheds.

“It’s an economic anchor for the communities,” Harush explained. “JNF-USA’s contribution is not purely philanthropic. Twenty-eight percent of the income from the milk is reinvested in Negev projects,” he noted.

Before letting visitors leave the area, Harush insists on showing us another pioneering agritech initiative not far from the dairy farm.

Opening the canvas door to a space that contains row upon row of thriving, seven-foot-tall greenery, Harush explained why his community is growing modified tobacco.

The leaves are picked and sent to a processing facility in Yesud HaMa’ala in the Hula Valley in northern Israel, where they’re crushed and liquidated. Thirty-five tons of leaves make seven liters of highly purified recombinant collagen, he explained. This material is then turned into a hydrogel for 3D bioprinting of tissues and organs, including lungs and kidneys. There’s far less chance of rejection or infection from this form of collagen than from that extracted from animals or human cadavers, said Harush.

With a scarcity of organ donors around the world, the process that’s started from plants grown in the sands of a startup community in the Negev has the potential to save many lives. It’s the 2022 version of “making the desert bloom.”

GAP YEAR IN ISRAEL

THE DARKAYNU PROGRAM FOR MEN OFFERS NORMALCY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

BY HOWARD BLAS | JNS.ORG

Thanks to Darkaynu, young men and women with disabilities can spend a gap year in Israel. Darkaynu programs in Jerusalem for women and in Alon Shvut for men provide an opportunity to learn, work and grow in Israel in the year or years following high school—much like the experience afforded their nondisabled peers. Twenty — eight students from Jewish communities in the United States, Canada, England and Australia recently arrived in Israel to take part in the program.

The Elaine and Norm Brodsky Darkaynu Program, part of the extensive Ohr Torah Stone network of programs, was founded in 2003. “I started the program because a girl (with disabilities) who had been in a regular mainstream program wondered why she couldn’t go to Israel for a year like her siblings,” recounts Elana Goldscheider, Darkaynu’s director. “How do I tell a person they can’t go? It is a terrible thing. We stopped and said, ‘Wait, you are like everyone else. You can!’”

Spending a year in Israel is very common in the Orthodox world, where the majority of high school graduates spend a year learning in yeshivas and seminaries. While some in the non — Orthodox world opt to spend a post — high school year learning and volunteering in Israel, it is much less common.

According to Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, President and Rosh

HaYeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone, “Torah study, personal growth, independence and a relationship to Israel are integral parts of our Jewish human identity, and they must be made accessible to everyone. Ohr Torah Stone is deeply proud to have developed the Darkaynu program, which is preparing young men and women with special needs with the ability to embrace and pursue meaningful futures as active and committed members of the Jewish community.”

Ohr Stone was founded in 1983 and currently consists of 30 educational institutions, social projects, outreach programs and leadership development initiatives for men and women.

Goldscheider offers her students with disabilities an experience similar to her students without disabilities. “I created a word: “sidestreaming” or parallel streaming. The students with disabilities are not with their typical peers for everything, but they are alongside — we have parallel streams.” She offers an example from a recent outing: “We went hiking, but it was a little different. We did what works for us, and that is okay. Our students have to recognize what they can and can’t do—one who walks with two crutches would not enjoy a hike in the same way as another person, but she may enjoy a walking tour instead.”

The students in Goldscheider’s program learn in Jewish studies classes, participate in volunteer jobs in the community and work in

ganim (child care centers), where they serve as teaching assistants, data entry, catering, book and clothing stores and the offices of the Orthodox Union. Participants also enjoy tiyulim — short trips around Israel — cooking classes and time with their adopted families.

The students comprise a wide range of cognitive functioning and independence skills. “Some take the bus alone to work, some walk, some take a van and some take the bus with staff,” reports Goldscheider. Of the 16 young women in this year’s Darkaynu cohort, nine have returned for a second year. “In their first year in Israel, they figure it out by February or March—so they want to come back. This is home!” Their learning, jobs and time and distance away from families helps students develop life, interpersonal and independence skills.

Avi Ganz, director of the Darkaynu program for men in Alon Shvut, reports that most of his 12 young men learn in a self — contained environment and work throughout Alon Shvut. “Two work in a pizza store, one in a winery, one on an army base, one in an industrial kitchen, one in a makolet (small grocery store) and one in a bakery,” he says.

Another student, Isaac Anderson, 23, of Rochester, New York, works in Anak Stock, a store that sells housewares, kitchenware and games. “I price items, put them on the shelves, and do price checks,” he says. He is proud of the strides he is making in Hebrew, saying, “I am working on my Hebrew as much as I can and am trying to communicate as much as possible in Hebrew.” Anderson has returned for a third year in Darkaynu. “I didn’t know about it when I graduated high school,” he says. “I was in community college at the time and was doing very well. But I wanted to do something Jewish and expand my Jewish knowledge, to explore the Land of Israel and learn about Israel’s people and culture.”

Anderson reports that he learned of Darkaynu from Marc Fein, a NCSY regional director. “He put out my request on Facebook and friends responded and mentioned Darkaynu,” he recounts. “He contacted Avi Ganz and I enrolled in the Darkaynu program.”

For Anderson, the experience has been mostly positive: “I value the opportunity to make new friends in Darkaynu and in the host yeshiva, Har Etzion—the experience will last a lifetime!” He firmly believes that “Every Jewish adult should have the opportunity to travel to Israel—regardless of challenges or strengths or hurdles — and have the opportunity to experience the land of Israel because it is the Jewish homeland. It is where we walk in history and connect with our heritage.”

Anderson is considering his options for when he completes his third year at Darkaynu. He may return to the States or make aliyah. Ganz reports that some students return to the States to participate in Yeshiva University’s Makor College Program, a three — year non — degree program for young men with intellectual disabilities.

Ganz continues to attend “Israel nights” to spread news about Darkaynu. Like Goldscheider, Ganz does not want any member of the Jewish community to miss out on the experience of learning and living in Israel.

While Darkaynu offers a unique opportunity for young adults with disabilities, Ganz stresses the normalcy of the program: “The unique thing about Darkaynu is that there is no pomp and circumstance.”

Sha'ar HaNegev Visit to SDJA

San Diego Jewish Academy welcomed a 10 person delegation from Sha’ar HaNegev — San Diego’s sister region in Southern Israel — to the school in mid-November. The delegation represented a wide range of the region’s community–the municipality CEO, and Directors of senior centers, a youth center, Sapir College, the welfare department, a hydrotherapy center, and the Director of Education.

As the delegation arrived on campus, they were greeted by students from Judaic Studies classes in the Lower School who waved Israeli flags and sang special songs. Students and division heads then guided the delegation through visits with SDJA’s early childhood center, lower school, high school, and the school’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Thinking.

They ended the visit with butterfly painting in the school’s garden and closing words about SDJA’s relationship to Israel by Rabbi David Frank, Chief Jewish Officer & Director of Advanced Institute for

Judaic Studies, and Alex Wellman, President of SDJA’s Student Government.

The representatives spent one week in San Diego, touring and learning about their institutional partners as they were hosted by local families.

“It was incredibly meaningful for our students, faculty, and teachers to welcome the Sha’ar HaNegev delegation to campus,” adds Zvi Weiss, Head of School at SDJA. “We want our students to develop personal, meaningful relationships with Israelis. They took great pride in showing off their projects and performing for all of our guests. Thanks to the Jewish Federation’s Gesher program we are building relationships between administrators, educators and students that will encourage a deeper understanding of Israel on a more personal level to create long-lasting ties between our people.”

L-R: Tzachi, Zvi, Yigal, Yael Edelstein and Ortal Rigby, Hebrew specialist at ECC during their visit to SDJA.

Jewish National Fund: We Are One

Over 1,400 supporters of the land and people of Israel, including more than 50 from San Diego, united in Boston on November 4-6, 2022, for an unforgettable and riveting weekend at Jewish National Fund-USA’s largest ever National Conference. The organization’s annual symposium is unique in that it brings together high school students, college students, rabbinical students, leading philanthropists, prominent Zionist thought leaders, and Israelis from the Negev and Galilee who are directly and positively impacted by the partnership of Jewish National Fund-USA.

Jewish National Fund-USA’s President, San Diego’s own Dr. Sol Lizerbram, announced that the organization was close to achieving its fundraising target for its One Billion Dollar Roadmap for the Next Decade as its supporters reclaim the Zionist narrative and stand up against Jew-hatred.

“I loved meeting Israel supporters of all kinds from all over the country and the world, including college and high school students from orthodox to the most secular,” said Jacqui Schneider, Jewish

National Fund-USA’s San Diego Board President and member of the organization’s Sapphire Society and Arts & Entertainment Task Force. “A weekend of hearing about how we are securing the future of the land and people of Israel was beyond inspiring. I can’t wait to be at the conference again next year!”

In addition to hearing from incredible speakers and influencers, including Israel’s Ambassador, Michael Herzog, Ronald S. Lauder, Olga Meshoe Washington, Rachel Fish, Hen Mazzig, and Ben M. Freeman, attendees also celebrated the 50th anniversary of Jewish National Fund-USA’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel (Muss). Participants also learned about one of the organization’s largest initiatives ever announced — the creation of a 20-acre World Zionist Village to be built in Be’er Sheva, Israel, which will bring together Jews and Zionists of all ages and backgrounds from around the world.

Through various engaging plenaries and interactive sessions including a “Shark Tank-style,” event, attendees were impressed to learn how Jewish National Fund-USA is the largest provider of Zionist

educational activities in the U.S., and how it is improving the quality of life throughout Israel by providing new beginnings for Ukrainian refugees and families making aliyah (immigration to Israel); creating new employment and housing opportunities; delivering ag-tech solutions to farmers in developing countries; empowering people with disabilities to thrive in Israeli society; solving global food and water crises, and so much more.

“A dairy farm in the desert, a 100% off the grid aquatic center in the middle of nowhere, building the finest culinary institute in the world located in the Greater Kiryat Shmona area — a region in which people never before talked about moving to, only moving from,” said Jewish National Fund-USA’s CEO Russell F. Robinson. “This is our opportunity to stand up and say to the world and to future generations, ‘we are one and we are in!’”

Jewish National Fund-USA’s National Conference also welcomed over 600 high school and college students from across the country. Other conference highlights included emotional performances by the organization’s Special in Uniform band. This initiative empowers young people with cognitive disabilities to serve in the Israel Defense

Forces and enjoy the same “rite of passage” as their peers. An exclusive late-night cocktail reception was also held for 200 young philanthropists ages 22-40.

“The conference was wonderful!” added San Diego JNFuture President, Dafna Avraham. “One of the main themes was reminding us all that we are proud Zionists and that we refuse to let the term ‘Zionism’ be redefined as something negative by people who don’t wish us well. It was also very special to have the whole organization together again after a 3-year hiatus.”

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR JEWISH NATIONAL FUNDUSA’S 2023 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR ISRAEL, WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE FROM NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 3 IN DENVER, COLORADO. SIGN-UP AT JNF.ORG/NC2023 OR CONTACT MONICA SUISSA, JNF-USA DIRECTOR, SAN DIEGO AT 858-824-9178 X858 OR MSUISSA@JNF.ORG.

An Unorthodox View of the War in Ukraine

BY FRANKLIN FELBER

What special lessons can we learn about the war in Ukraine from the teachings of Torah luminaries?

That is the question tackled by Dr. David Luchins, internationally renowned expert on geopolitics, Chairman of the Political Science Department of Touro University, and Orthodox Jew.

At his lecture at Torah High School in San Diego last month, Luchins explained how his studying under such Torah giants as Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik influenced his thinking about geopolitics, including the war in Ukraine.

For example, why should we care about Russia and Ukraine fighting each other, Luchins asked rhetorically. Both countries unleashed bloody pogroms and harshly oppressed their Jews. Who could blame us for having the attitude expressed by Henry Kissinger about a different war, “It’s a pity both sides can’t lose.”

Luchins has a personal reason for feeling animosity towards Russia. His great grandfather was kidnapped as a child and raised in a Christian orphanage to become a Russian soldier. The Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch, the third Rebbe of Chabad, saved his great grandfather and saved so many other Jews and “kept them alive Jewishly.” “That’s why I’m here today,” says Luchins.

Rabbi Soloveitchik taught Luchins a lesson that he applies to the war in Ukraine to conclude that Jews need to be compassionate and concerned about the peoples of both Ukraine and Russia, despite their historical mistreatment of Jews.

Under Pharaoh, Egyptians committed genocidal murder of newborn babies and harshly oppressed the Jews. Yet every Passover, when we spill drops of wine on our plates, we symbolically shed tears over the fate of the Egyptians in the plagues. The Torah commands Jews to be compassionate to Egyptians, Rabbi Soloveitchik taught Luchins, because even though we were strangers in their land, they took us in when we were starving.

Drawing a parallel to this lesson, Luchins notes that, besides the Netherlands, there are only two other countries in Europe that have not expelled their Jews at some point in history – Ukraine and Russia. “We were their guests,” Luchins said, and the Ukrainians and Russians were not as bad to us as the Egyptians. For that reason, we should care about the peoples of Ukraine and Russia suffering in this war.

Luchins sees the war in Ukraine as a struggle between two mighty forces. On the one side, upon becoming leader of Russia in 1999, Vladimir Putin declared “the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 20th Century” to be the dismemberment of the Soviet Union. Putin “is obsessed with getting his empire back,” Luchins says.

On the other side, the people of Ukraine are saying this is our home. You will not take our homeland from us. From the Maccabees

in the land of Israel, to the American Revolution, to the jungles of Indochina, to the Afghanis fighting the Soviet Union, to the wars fought in Israel over the last 75 years, and now to Ukraine, we have learned, says Luchins, that a superpower cannot easily have its way on the homeland of its intended prey.

Luchins draws a lesson from Beis Halevi that has him “worried sick.” The first of the Soloveitchik dynasty, Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, known as Beis Halevi, taught this important lesson from Parashas Bo. After the seventh plague, Pharaoh’s advisors wanted to throw in the towel. “Do you not yet know that Egypt is lost?” Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and asked “which ones are going.” Moses answered, everyone and all our flocks and cattle. And with that answer from Moses, “he drove them out from Pharaoh’s presence.”

This was not a negotiation by Pharaoh, Beis Halevi taught. This was Pharaoh setting the Jews up to be the scapegoat for the failure of negotiations.

Similarly, Luchins is greatly concerned at signs he sees that Putin is setting up the Jews to be scapegoats for the war in Ukraine. In the second week of the war, Putin summoned Naftali Bennett, the Shabbat-observant prime minister of Israel, to come to Moscow on Shabbat. At the time Bennett and President Zelensky of Ukraine were the only Jews at the head of national governments. According to Luchins, Putin believes that Jews run America and believed that Bennett, as a fellow Jew, was in a unique position to barter a deal with the Jew running Ukraine and his Western allies.

What “really scares” Luchins is that Jews will be made the scapegoats by the losing side in the war, no matter which side loses. This same concern was voiced by the Chief Rabbi of Moscow who came to New York and reported that history is repeating itself and the Jews were being set up as scapegoats for the increased frustration and anger of the Russian and Ukrainian people at the terrible mounting tragedies of this war.

Dr. Luchins concluded his talk with the benediction that Hakadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One, blessed be He) give the leaders of the world the wisdom to work things out such that we will not become victims.

Touro’s Lander Colleges offer quality education with access to toprated medical, dental, pharmacy, and health sciences schools and programs. For more information on Lander College for Women visit lcw.touro.edu or contact Sarah Klugmann, director of admissions at sarah.klugmann@touro.edu .

FRANKLIN FELBER IS A PHYSICIST IN SAN DIEGO AND MEMBER OF TWO ORTHODOX CONGREGATIONS. HE WELCOMES YOUR COMMENTS AT FSFELBER@GMAIL.COM.