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Vol. 56, No. 19

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SENIOR RESOURCES See Inside

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Local 6 10 11 11 12

Social distancing makes seniors vulnerable to abuse ‘Miss You Drive Thru’ Olney teen places 3rd in international Bible quiz Five COVID-19 deaths at Hebrew Home Israeli firm in Gaithersburg seeks to aid in fight against coronavirus

Nation/World 14 A ‘Holocaust Disneyland’ Feature story 20 Rosh Hashanah by Zoom Opinion 16 Editorials 17 Letters 17 Voices Community 28 Obituaries In every issue 5 13 24 26 29 30 33

Seen You Should Know Arts & Culture Food & Dining D’var Torah Legals At Your Service

ON THE COVER Cover compiliation by Frank Wagner, Illustration: Feverpitched / iStock / Getty Images Plus; Stills: “There are No Lions in Tel Aviv” courtesy of Go2Films; “Defiant Requiem” courtesy of The Defiant Requiem Foundation; “Crescendo” courtesy of Menemsha Films.

B Senior Resources Guide 2

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

8 Zoom preschools

18 High Holiday planning

24 A pretty pickle

EDLAVITCH DCJCC: H PPEN

edcjcc.org/happenathome

FITNESS AND WELLNESS

Participate in our #EDCJCCFitnessChallenge by doing at least 20-30 minutes of physical activity 3-5 days a week. To help get you started, visit edcjcc.org/virtualfitness for online workouts with our personal trainers and group exercise instructors.

Once Upon A Boy available through May 14

T HOME

EARLY CHILDHOOD, YOUTH, AND FAMILY

Take part in workshops for parents like Boredom: How to Help Kids Entertain Themselves During Quarantine and engage with other families through virtual story times, themed cooking classes, and Tot Shabbat.

Tyler Herman in Theater J’s Trayf.

JxJ

THEATER J

INCLUSION & DISABILITIES

MORRIS CAFRITZ CENTER FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

JxJ launched a virtual cinema with independent film distributors, a weekly film club, live streaming concerts, and more. Check out this week’s WJW cover story to learn more about JxJ’s virtual cinema at the EDCJCC.

Individuals of all abilities meet throughout the week for a variety of social activities with Dreams For Kids DC, dance parties, exercise classes, and a new weekly bingo night.

Theater J just announced four new classes for theater lovers, taught by Tyler Herman (Trayf ), Paul Morella (Broken Glass), Caleen Sinnette Jennings (author of Queens Girl in the World), and Naomi Jacobson (Becoming Dr. Ruth).

Learn about justice issues in our city, then prepare toiletry and craft kits to donate. You can also join knitters and crocheters of all levels in virtual Handmade for the Homeless gatherings.

Staying Connected We’re all in this together.

STAY ENGAGED | FIND RESOURCES | GET ADVICE We’ve added a new COVID-19 tab to the navigation bar and a new area on the homepage of washingtonjewishweek.com to help keep you informed on how the virus is impacting our families and community. The paywall has also been lowered. We want to know how the pandemic is changing your life. Please send your story tips, photos and videos to our editor, David Holzel, at dholzel@midatlanticmedia.com.

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May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

the seen Compiled from JTA reports

Betty Friedan is the ‘Moses’ of the Women’s Movement in ‘Mrs. America’

Ullman: Amazon Prime via JTA; Simmons: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for ABA

The women’s movement is led by Jews … or at least it was in the ’70s. Betty Friedan, Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem — they were all Jewish, and they’re all characters on FX’s new show “Mrs. America,” now airing on Hulu. The series, created by Dahvi Waller, chronicles the rise and fall of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would have guaranteed equal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex and probably would’ve been ratified if Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett) hadn’t organized conservative women in opposition. Along with the ERA, the aforementioned leaders of the women’s movement fought for women’s rights, like the right to abortion, child care, and equal pay. The series does a good job of giving each of its leading women, conservative and liberal alike, significant focus, which means that the show got an influx of Jewish identity, especially the fourth episode titled “Betty.” Until this episode, you could say that the show mostly depicted Betty Friedan (Tracey Ullman) as annoying, and a chore to deal with, but in this episode centered around her, it reminds viewers that Friedan was basically the Moses of the women’s movement. One character, named Jill Ruckelshaus (Elizabeth Banks), even says that women were “wandering in the wilderness for 40 years” before Friedan “lit a match.” That match would be her 1963 book “The Feminine Mystique,” which is often credited with sparking second-wave feminism. Following her book, she co-founded the National Organization for Women, or NOW, in 1966. In 1970, she organized the nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality on the 50th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, and garnered 50,000 people in New York City alone. In 1971, she and other feminists established the National Women’s Political Caucus. More than just regarding her as a leader, however, a lot of the language used to describe her in the series often seems to be a nod specifically to

Tracey Ullman portrays Betty Friedan in the FX series “Mrs. America.” Friedan’s Jewish identity. In a sweet moment in the episode, Gloria (Rose Byrne) expresses the struggle of working with Friedan and her “difficult personality,” and Friedan’s friend Natalie (Miriam Shor) speaks up for her. “Betty is impossible,” Natalie says.“But without her there’s no NOW, no Women’s Political Caucus, no NARAL. We get to do what we do because she risked everything. So, before you tell her what she can and cannot do, consider just saying thank you.” — Linda Maleh

Kiss frontman Gene Simmons learns more about his Holocaust survivor mother

Kiss frontman Gene Simmons said his mother almost never spoke about her Holocaust ordeal, including time in Nazi camps. A German newspaper has provided him with plenty more information. Bild am Sonntag presented the Israel-born rock star with 100 pages of documents about his mother’s ordeal, including her impact statement, to mark the 75th anniversary of her liberation. Flora Klein, a native of Hungary, was 19 when American troops liberated the Mauthausen camp on May 5, 1945. She died at 93 in the United States. In her statement to the former Restitution Office in Koblenz, Klein wrote: “In November 1944, I was brought to the Ravensbruck concentration camp. I lived there in block no. 21 and worked in the fields, gathering potatoes outside the camp. I wore old civilian clothes with a white oil [paint] cross painted on the back, in a camp surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by the SS.” Klein was transferred to the Venusberg subcamp of the Flossenburg concentration camp in January 1945, and arrived at Mauthausen in March that year. “She was strong,” Simmons told Bild in an interview published Sunday as he read the documents. “She fought all of this on her own.” Gene Simmons of Kiss performs at Staples Center in Los Angeles, March 4, 2020

— Marcy Oster washingtonjewishweek.com

local news

Social distancing makes seniors vulnerable to abuse, Jewish groups say Kangah / E+ / Getty Images

By Arno Rosenfeld Special to WJW

he older woman on the phone was distraught. Cut off from her children by COVID-19, neglected by her husband and without computer access, she was running out of food. Tova Zimm, a victim advocacy manager with the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse, stayed on the line and created an account to help her order groceries on the internet. “She started crying and said she’s so embarrassed to ask for help but that she had no idea how to do anything online,” Zimm said. “And everything is online now, because the whole world has switched.” The Rockville-based JCADA is one of several Jewish social service agencies in the region watching elder abuse and neglect escalate during the coronavirus outbreak. The in-person services that many seniors relied on are now shut down, and some are unfamiliar with the technology and virtual substitutes that younger generations have turned to during social distancing. 6

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

“These are populations that are not necessarily comfortable with Zoom,” said David Gamse, CEO of the Jewish Council for the Aging, referring to the popular videoconferencing software platform. Many of the seniors that JCA serves are also the most vulnerable population for contracting the coronavirus, increasing their sense of isolation and eliminating the possibility of permitted and necessary outings, like grocery runs, that are relatively simple for the rest of the population during social distancing. “They have no capacity, for the most part, to leave the house and go to grocery stores or food pantries,” Gamse said. “They have fear of venturing outside and that fear is well grounded in medical fact, based on the extraordinarily high risk that most of our clients have.” Gamse and others in the field have watched helpline calls and abuse reports drop during shelter-in-place, suggesting that people are having difficulty getting in touch with service providers. The apparent increase in elder abuse and decrease in reporting has become “an extraordinary concern” for Gamse. JCADA and JCA are continuing to operate helplines, as is ElderSAFE at Charles E. Smith Life Communities,

which also offers physical shelter for seniors escaping abusive settings. Gamse said JCA’s operators are fielding many calls about transportation and food insecurity as the day programs that offered meals have closed. Many callers also seem to be looking for someone to talk to. “People are spending far, far longer on the phones with our professional staff and clearly it’s because they are so very lonely and so very worried,” Gamse said. It’s often through extended conversation that JCA staff learn about a need for other services, like telephone companion resources or escorted transportation to medical appointments, that callers believed did not exist. Reports of abuse, though, continue to lag, and Gamse said that’s a bad sign. “We believe that’s because the abuser makes it difficult or impossible for the victim to reach out by phone or in person,” Gamse said. “At the very time they might be at particular risk physically or emotionally, they are unable to get the help or even make their circumstances known.” The number of Adult Protective Services cases in

Montgomery County, which has a high concentration of older Jewish residents, are down more than 50 percent compared to last year. Fifty-five cases were opened in April compared to 121 during the same period last year, according to data shared with Washington Jewish Week. “COVID-19 made for a dramatic decrease due to in large part isolation, I believe,” Mario Wawrzusin, an administrator with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, said in an email. When the help line calls do come, they are placed from grocery stores, parked cars and walks with the dog — anywhere that victims can find time away from their home. “They can’t just Zoom with us and talk about the abuse while the abuser is in the next room,” said Zimm, who noted that calls have increased within the last two weeks as people adapt to the new normal and find ways to reach out. JCADA, which works with both Jewish and nonJewish clients, has largely adapted its workflow to meet social distancing requirements. Employees are fielding calls from home, and moving educational programing — like how to create a safety plan to escape abuse during COVID-19 — online. But some former work is increasingly difficult to do, said executive director Amanda Katz. Courts have closed or changed schedules, making restraining orders difficult to obtain, and educational outreach about healthy relationships planned for schools and offices has been canceled through June. Some of the typical ways to monitor for abuse and respond have been rendered moot by social distancing as well. “We had to throw the playbook out the window a little bit,” Katz said. “Because some of the normal things we give as warning signs — everyone is forced to endure collectively now.” “A warning sign would be social isolation, and now we are all socially isolated.” WJW Arno Rosenfeld is a writer based in Washington.

Hotlines JCADA: 1-877-88-JCADA(52232) ElderSAFE (9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday to Friday): 301-816-5099 JCA: 301-255-4200 or 703-425-0999 Adult Protective Services Montgomery County: 240-777-3000 Other Maryland counties: 1-800-332-6347 D.C.: 202-541-3950 Virginia: 1-888-832-3858

LSOphoto / iStock / Getty Images Plus

How to watch for signs for elder abuse

lderSAFE director Tovah Kasdin said her organization’s mentality is that “everyone is a first responder.” “Professionals, clergy, building managers, anyone who has contact with elders doesn’t need to be an expert on elder abuse but they should know where to turn,” Kasdin said. “Reporting is potentially life-saving.” Kasdin and Zimm said that while identifying signs of abuse during COVID-19 can be difficult, there are things it is still possible to watch for. There may be legitimate reasons you’re unable to get in touch with an older relative or friend right now, especially those living in facilities overwhelmed by the restrictions related to the outbreak. But you should still try to be in regular contact. “If they’re not responding or answering and they typically would that could be a red flag,” Zimm said. While respecting social distancing, it is still possible to try and visit a loved one from their yard or steps in order to check on them, she said. Zimm also suggested letting neighbors know if you suspect abuse or neglect so they can keep tabs while you are prevented from making regular visit. Both Zimm and Kasdin also warned of an increase in financial scams preying on seniors during the current pandemic. Kasdin said many of these scams promise a vaccine, cure or testing for COVID-19, or claim to be providing medical supplies. ElderSAFE is encouraging seniors to avoid telemarking calls and emails and even mobile phone applications. “We’re telling people if there’s a vaccine or a cure you’re not going to find out about it from an email or a note on your door,” Zimm said. —Arno Rosenfeld washingtonjewishweek.com

local news

Preschool on Zoom is a lot about jumping around and connecting with kids A preschool session at Congregation Olam Tikvah. Photo by Cindi Drake

By Lisa Woolfson Special to WJW

“B

oker tov!” “Good morning!” Preschoolers and teachers greet each other hello as their Zoom boxes slowly fill up the screen. Preschool is about to begin. This particular session is Movement 8

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

Monday, from the preschool at Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria. Parents have been instructed to create a line on the floor for their children to jump over — whether with tape, a yardstick or something else. For every preschool Zoom session, the parents are expected to have certain objects handy, such as a soup can, a ball and a crayon. During the 30-minute session, teacher

Christine Cridland leads 20 students in running around pretending to be a plane, balancing like a tree, and jumping back and forth over the line on the floor. Other than “hellos” and “goodbyes,” the children are on mute. They show varying levels of interest, but the majority participate during the session. When the preschool met in person, the daily session was three hours long.

Preschool director Jen Halpern says they’re not trying to recreate the classroom experience. “Right now, this is not about content. This is not about curriculum. This is about connection and relationships,” she says. The same idea is behind other Zoom preschools in the Washington area. The preschool at Congregation Olam Tikvah in Fairfax also keeps the Zoom session to under 40 minutes for financial reasons and to match the children’s attention span, said Cindi Drake, the preschool’s director. “We get free Zoom for 40 minutes. Anything more than that I have to pay for. If we do have to do something longer, I use my Zoom account. And actually, for most of the kids, more than 40 minutes would be too much,” she said. For some children, even 30 minutes can be too much. “It really is a challenge to keep them engaged right now because they can get up anytime they want and just go running around, which you know is what they need to do sometimes,” said Sue Finger, a teacher at Agudas Achim Congregation. Finger found a creative way to keep her students’ attention. Puppets. “And the kids really love the puppets,” she said. Finger sees that she’s making an impact. Once, when she was greeting kids and about to start teaching, a child said he had to use the bathroom and told her to not start until he returned. “I knew what I was doing was so important, at least to that child. He didn’t want to miss any of it,” she said.

Far left: Teacher Sue Finger with one of her puppets. Photo by Ariel Michaelson

Left: Story time at Agudas Achim Congregation’s preschool. Photo by Colleen Morith

For Rebecca Behrmann, a teacher at Congregation Olam Tikvah, the biggest challenge of Zoom school is trying to “read” the kids. “If I’m at school and doing an activity with the kids, I can see right away if something is going well or not going well,” she said. At the Agudas Achim session, a father does all the exercises with his child who is sitting in his lap. Some kids sit alone, fascinated by the camera and move it back and forth. But the majority seem to be sitting alone with parents somewhere nearby, listening in. Hattie Gore and Robert Shapiro have a 4 year old enrolled at the Agudas Achim preschool.

“At first he thought all of his friends were together and he wasn’t there, but he realized pretty quickly that everybody was at home,” Gore said. She said he’s excited to see his friends on Zoom, but sometimes doesn’t understand why he can’t go see them in person. Still, some children are taking advantage of being at home by spending more time with their siblings. Jennifer Rheuban has two children; one attends Congregation Olam Tikvah and one will attend in the fall. “In general, I think they are actually loving [being home] so far. They like to be home together, so I’m lucky I have two that are close in age,” Rheuban said.

Asked if there’s any silver lining to Zoom preschool, the two preschool directors have different perspectives. Halpern of Agudas Achim Congregation says, “This has really challenged us to think about ways to do things differently, to really evaluate what is most important about what we do and how we can best replicate those experiences during this time.” Drake of Congregation Olam Tikvah says, “No. There really isn’t. There’s no substitute for human interaction.” She adds, “Children need to be next to each other and with their teachers, but we’re doing the best we can.” WJW Lisa Woolfson is a Washington-area writer.

During this season of uncertainty and social distancing, join The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington to continue engaging and connecting with Jewish life, virtually. Visit Federation’s Jconnect COVID-19 Resource Center for online opportunities and offerings from local and national Jewish agencies, organizations, synagogues, schools, and more.

jconnect.org/connect-with-purpose Our incredible Jewish community is strong, vibrant, and thriving. We will continue to connect with purpose—even when we cannot connect in person.

washingtonjewishweek.com

local news

‘Miss You Drive Thru’ offers families a pick-me-up, from a distance

By Rachel Kohn Senior Writer

n recent rainy afternoon in Potomac, the drive up to the Sherman Early Childhood Center at Congregation Har Shalom was lined with signs and smiles to lift the spirits of families during the coronavirus pandemic. The 18 teachers and two members of Har Shalom clergy were spaced at 15-foot intervals, according to Sherman ECC Director Beth Hoch in a phone interview. At that distance, they felt safe to pull down their masks so the kids in cars could recognize their teachers. Hoch said 40 families drove through, some 80 percent of students at the early childhood center. For one rainy hour, teachers and clergy waved at the cars and held up homemade signs with messages like “We’re thinking about you!” and “We Miss You!” At the end of the route, they deposited care packages, prepared earlier by gloved and masked staff, filled with challot, window decals and bubbles. Some families made multiple circuits after receiving their care package to give little ones the opportunity to connect with their teachers from a distance. The idea for the Miss You Drive Thru came from the teachers, Hoch said, and its goal was to bring joy, connection and community to families. She compared it to the drive-through birthday parties people are posting on social media. She said some might disagree with non-essential interactions outside the home during the lockdown. But Har Shalom and the preschool took precautions to respect safety guidelines while carrying out the in-person event. “We made sure families and children didn’t come out of their cars, and people were safely distanced,” Hoch said. “For us, we felt like there are so many things parents and families are craving right now. This was an outing for them in a safe way to have a mental health boost,” she continued. “I can’t say how many families came through and said, ‘I didn’t realize how much we missed this.’ They were so grateful for this opportunity for community connection.” WJW

rkohn@midatlanticmedia.com @RachelKTweets

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

Teachers outside Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac greet families in cars; bubbles were among the items the teachers gave out. Photos courtesy of Beth Hoch

local news

Olney teen places 3rd in international Bible quiz By Carolyn Conte Special to WJW

hen it comes to knowledge of the Tanach, the Hebrew Bible, Chaim Nosson “Nossi” Shields is hard to beat. The 16 year old from Olney won the U.S. Bible contest last year. And on April 29, he took third place in the in the International Bible Quiz for Youth, known as Chidon Ha’Tanach. The annual contest, held in Jerusalem to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day, this year was conducted over Zoom and broadcast in Israel. Sixteen teenagers competed in the final round. Nossi is an 8th-grade alum from Berman Hebrew Academy and a current student at the Yeshiva of Greater Washington. Each of the contestants was asked questions drawn from a verse in either the Torah, the book of Prophets or the Writings, the three sections of the Tanach. When it was Nossi’s turn, the host, in Jerusalem, said in Hebrew: “After a historic moment, B’nai Yisrael were commanded to make a monument to preserve its memory for the future generations. And the verse says, ‘Joshua summoned the 12 men whom he had designated among the Israelites, one from each tribe.’” What was the historic event? “Crossing the Jordan River,” Nossi answered correctly. What was the name of the place? “Gilgal.” The quotation was from Joshua 4:5. Nossi’s father, Rabbi Moshe Shields, said he is amazed by his son’s study habits. He said that to prepare for the contest, Nossi studied up to 15 chapters of Tanach a day. In the weeks before the contest, he was reviewing

Screen shot of the International Bible Quiz for Youth. Nossi Shields is on the top row, second from right. 90 to 100 chapters a day. Ruth Cohen, an Israeli 11th grader, won the quiz. She was the first female winner in a decade. Israeli Moshe Glidai came in second place. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among the dignitaries to address the contestants. “The Book of books is the source of our eternal values, which sustains us as a people: love of one’s fellow man, love of the land, the ingathering of the exiles, heroism, righteousness and morality,” he said. Pessie Novick, Nossi’s tutor through the sixth grade, said that kids who enter the Bible contest are highly

motivated. “They don’t have to be there. They are bright kids willing to apply themselves,” she said. She said Nossi is an example of the proverb that a triple rope with three strands will never tear. Nossi’s strands are school, parents and hard work, she said. “He was always one of the most enthusiastic and hardworking students,” she said, adding that his success was due to “practice, practice, practice.” WJW Carolyn Conte is a reporter for Baltimore Jewish Times, an affiliated publication of Washington Jewish Week.

Five COVID-19 deaths at Hebrew Home By Suzanne Pollak Special to WJW

he Hebrew Home of Greater Washington has seen another death, bringing the deaths at the Rockville facility from COVID-19 to five as of April 30, according to the Maryland Department of Health. Altogether, 20 residents at the 556-bed nursing home have tested positive for COVID-19. Of the staff, 17 have

tested positive. The Montgomery County death toll was 274 as of May 4, according to the Maryland Department of Health. The Hebrew Home is part of the Charles E. Smith Life Communities. In a statement released on April 29 to WJW, Brenda L. Rice, vice president of operations for Charles E. Smith Life Communities, said the Hebrew Home took “an aggressive approach” against the coronavirus.

That approach included “instituting temperature and oxygenation checks for all residents three times per day, as well as temperature checks for all team members twice per shift,” according to her statement. It continued: “Team members with elevated temperatures and/or who have tested positive are instructed to stay home and self-quarantine in accordance with the latest CDC guidance.” WJW washingtonjewishweek.com 11

local news

Israeli firm in Gaithersburg seeks to aid in fight against coronavirus By Jesse Berman Special to WJW

preliminary, yet promising, evidence, the Li-ESWT used by the device can also be used in combination with prescription drugs as a supplement to treat patients for high blood pressure and kidney failure. Meanwhile, the Cardiospec, another Medispec device, could potentially use Li-ESWT to treat patients for heart disease,

asks, soap, little bottles of Purell — and, of course, our state of quarantine. The tools we’ve had to fight the coronavirus have helped us flatten the curve, but they are a far cry from the vaccine or cure that we so desperately crave. Still, that does not mean we don’t have any advanced medical equipment to limit the number of fatalities, with one Israeli company looking into how its technology could help COVID-19 patients. Avner Spector,an Israeli mechanical engineer, is the CEO of Medispec, an Israeli medical technology company. Spector co-founded Medispec in 1992, along with its American branch, the Gaithersburg-situated Medispec USA, in 1994. Since 2005, the company has been looking into the ways low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy, or Li-ESWT, can be used to improve patient health. However, Li-ESWT’s original intent had nothing to do with the Avner Specter coronavirus. Photo courtesy of Medispec This year, Medispec’s Ominspec, a tool that delivers Li-ESWT to patients, received FDA approval to be sold in the U.S. as a therapeutic although it has yet to be approved by the massager and as a treatment for erectile FDA for medical use. dysfunction. Medispec had planned to According to Spector, treating COVID-19 market the device early this year. patients for high blood pressure and “Unfortunately, the corona stopped heart disease is important, as these everything,” Spector said. conditions increase the likelihood that While deploying the Omnispec for a patient will experience more severe its initial purpose may be on indefinite complications due to the coronavirus. hold, Spector said that, according to “If you don’t have enough blood flow 12

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

to the apex of the heart … when you are in stress, you don’t, you can’t produce enough blood pressure to the body,” Spector said. Spector explained that, when patients are sick, they need their blood to flow freely to supply oxygen to needed areas of the body. This is how Medispec hopes

Li-ESWT can help COVID-19 patients. “Our goal is to reduce the risk factor by improving the heart condition and reduce blood pressure,” Spector said. “This will give them better chance.” According to Spector, Li-ESWT is a safe and simple-to-use outpatient procedure that involves exerting a series of painless pressure pulses on the body to create

small blood vessels, increase blood flow through the body, increase nerve activity, and generally improve vitality. According to Julia Divon, Medispec’s HR and special projects director, Li-ESWT therapy would normally be administered by an ultrasound technician, saying that the treatment is similar to receiving an ultrasound. The treatment would be for a maximum of four hours, divided into six 30 to 40 minute sessions. There certainly is a great need for effective tools to fight COVID19, as. Dov Frankel, an emergency physician at GBMC HealthCare Greater Baltimore Medical Center, can attest. Frankel said he considered the underlying technology behind Li-ESWT to be “brilliant” and that it could potentially work to treat COVID-19 patients. “We have to have a risk-benefit analysis,” Frankel said. “If we can do this safely, minimizing the amount of time the operator is exposed to the patient, I think it could work.” Medispec does not have a timeline to start treating COVID-19 patients. The company is trying to apply for a grant and needs a U.S. partner to introduce the treatment to clinical partners. “It’s good to use this technology to increase the probability of people with corona disease not to [deteriorate] their condition,” Spector said. “This treatment, in principal, has a lot of potential.” WJW Jesse Berman is a reporter for Baltimore Jewish Times, an affiliated publication of Washington Jewish Week.

YOU SHOULD KNOW ...

Eli Russ

and floods. Then that translated into other volunteer roles as I entered college. And then post-college, it turned into a full time job with the American Red Cross in the New York City area, helping to manage what they call mass care, which is really just how to take care of a lot of people all at once. During that time, my day-to-day role was focused on that local level, but when there was a big disaster somewhere else where they needed someone with my background and expertise in sheltering or operations management, then I’d get deployed for two to three weeks at a time. I’ve been to a lot of different places over the years.

Why does this field interest you?

Photo courtesy of Eli Russ

By Anna Lippe Special to WJW

loods, fires, hurricanes...nobody thinks it will happen to them, but Eli Russ knows it’s all about the planning. Russ, 25 and a Washington resident, is an emergency management consultant

and a certified EMT. His professional and volunteer experiences focus on disaster planning, response, and operations management with a focus on the human side of incident management.

How did you get into this field? In high school in New York, I got into this field as a volunteer doing local disaster response, so things like fires

I’ve always wanted to help people. This is a way to help a lot of people all at once, when they really need it the most. Nobody anticipates having an emergency, whether it’s affecting their community like it is now, or whether it’s affecting them personally like a home fire. Whether it’s affecting one person or thousands of people, it’s still a disaster to the person that it’s happening to. Thinking about individuals and disaster survivors — and having their needs and thoughts put first — and then building the rest around them, is a good aspect to have in your planning.

Any specific moments that touched you?

There was a guy in a low-income area who had a house fire. I was on call at the time and I responded, helped him out and provided assistance. A couple weeks later, in the same neighborhood, an apartment building was evacuated because of a gas leak.

And we were called to help them shelter people as a result of the gas leak. In walks the guy from the house fire a few weeks before, and his family. I couldn’t believe my eyes. He said he was living in this apartment building that was just evacuated. Twice in a relatively short period of time his family’s been out and didn’t really have a place to turn.

What brought you to D.C.?

I started with Hagerty Consulting in New York City, and then they had this opportunity to work closely with FEMA. Before I agreed to move here, I did some quick research on what Jewish life would look like here, because that was a huge decision point for me. Once I did all that research, I was like, “Let’s do it.” I’ve been enjoying D.C. I’m involved with Kesher Israel Congregation, where I typically attend Shabbat services and young professional events.

How does Judaism connect to this work?

I see them as intertwined. I volunteer as a Synagogue Security Team Volunteer with the nonprofit Community Security Service (CSS). They do volunteer security at synagogues, events, and institutions. I try to keep up-to-date on different threats, intelligence, and best practices in the field to be able to turn that into something good for everybody. I feel an obligation or responsibility at times, to bring my knowledge about crisis management and apply it to the Jewish world. WJW For the full interview, go to washingtonjewishweek.com. Anna Lippe is a writer based in Washington. washingtonjewishweek.com 13

nation-world

A ‘Holocaust Disneyland’? Historians say a controversial film director wants to turn a Ukrainian museum into one.

By Cnaan Liphshiz

he latest cinematic release by the Russian film director Ilya Khrzhanovsky is so extreme that he is currently under a police investigation for alleged torture of extras, including underage orphans, in Ukraine. He worked on the movies in his “Dau” series on a three-acre set in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv over more than a decade to fictionally recreate the harshness of life under the Communist Soviet Union. Beatings, interrogations, rape scenes and other forms of abuse were simulated by the actors, nearly all of them amateurs and many of them minors, including some from orphanages. Until recently, the films were hailed as innovative achievements. But now Khrzhanovsky is accused of abusing his actors, exploiting them through exposure to physical violence, humiliation and sexual harassment. Khrzhanovsky is also, at least for now, the artistic director of a big Ukrainian Holocaust commemoration project: The Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center, a museum that has cost millions and is still in the planning stages. It’s named after one of the worst Holocaust pogroms, in which Nazis and local collaborators murdered more than 150,000 people, including 50,000 Jews, at the Babi Yar ravine, also known as Babyn Yar, outside Kyiv. The Ukrainian government has invested $1 million in the project — more than they’ve put into any previous Holocaust commemoration. Khrzhanovsky, who is Jewish, wants to bring his hyper-realistic cinematic style to the museum and make it, in the words of a former director of the project, a “Holocaust Disneyland.” According to Karel Berkhoff — who was appointed chief historian of the museum in 2017 but has since quit — Khrzhanovsky told staff that he plans 14

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

Russian director Ilya Khrzhanovsky smiling at a press conference for the film “Dau. Natasha” screened in competition in Berlin in February. Photo by John Macdougall/AFP via Getty Images

for displays “in which visitors would find themselves playing the role of victims, collaborators, Nazis or prisoners of war who were forced to burn corpses.” But the scandal over his latest film, “Dau. Degeneration,” has put Khrzhanovsky’s work with the museum in jeopardy. Dozens of Ukrainian artists and historians penned an open letter on May 1 demanding his dismissal from the Babi Yar project. “Mr. Khrzhanovsky’s appointment as artistic director has already tarnished the Memorial’s reputation and is undermining the achievements of the previous three years of work, while the Center faces a brewing international scandal,” wrote the cosignatories. In a responding statement last week, the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center Charity Foundation said the “Dau” projects are practically irrelevant to Khrzhanovsky’s work at the in-the-works Holocaust museum. “The Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center and DAU project are two completely distinct projects,” the statement read. It added that “all accusations

addressed now to Ilya Khrzhanovsky are made based on emotions and subjective thoughts built upon speculations and assumptions.” Yet Khrzhanovsky’s nomination as artistic director, which was announced in December, preceded and likely caused several key individuals from the staff of the museum to quit. The museum’s former director general, Hennadiy Verbylenko, left last year, as did ex-executive director Yana Barinova, among others. Most of them have not said why they quit. The environment Khrzhanovsky created for the “Dau” films was completely immersive. The project was sometimes referred to as the “Soviet Truman Show,” referencing the 1998 Hollywood film about a man whose everyday life was filmed without his knowledge. “There wasn’t a script, there wasn’t a screenplay, we were living as we lived,” said actress Natalia Berezhnaya at a press conference at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival in February. “In some ways it was scary, in some

ways it was oppressive. We had fear, we had love, we had relationships. We were living, we didn’t work according to a screenplay: It was our life.” At the same press conference, Khrzhanovsky denied any illegal incidents had taken place during filming. But the participation of a prominent Russian neo-Nazi, Maxim Martsinkevich, in the “Dau” project is undisputed. Known as Tesak, Russian for “the cleaver,” he was filmed reenacting what he is currently 10-year sentence in a Russian penal colony for: robbery and assault. Most prominent Holocaust museums, including the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, discourage or forbid role playing on their grounds. At Auschwitz, for example, it is forbidden to climb inside the models of cattle wagons, resembling the ones the Nazis used to transport Jews. The Auschwitz museum was criticized in 2015 just for showering tourists standing in line during a heat wave with water. Offended Jews around the world argued that they “looked like the showers that the Jews were forced to take” before entering Nazi gas chambers. Khrzhanovsky has declined to publicly specify his vision for Babyn Yar, saying it will be presented sometime this year. He did not reply to an interview request. Last week, Berkhoff called on the many international backers of the would-be museum in Kyiv, including former Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the former vice-chancellor of Germany Joschka Fischer, and the ex-president of Poland Alexander Kwasniewski, to pull their support for the project. Eric Schultz, who had served as deputy White House press secretary under former President Barack Obama, is the museum’s top public relations man in the United States. “My biggest fear is that it will be an entertainment complex to some extent,” Berkhoff said in an interview with UkrInform. “I don’t want it, it’s a memorial.” WJW

nation-world/briefs

Pandemic raised faith of 7% of U.S. Jews

A new survey found that only 7 percent of American Jews feel that the coronavirus crisis has strengthened their faith, as opposed to nearly a quarter of Americans as a whole. The survey, published by the Pew Research Center, found that Jews had the lowest percentage of respondents whose faith has been strengthened by the crisis. In the United States as a whole, 24 percent of people say their faith has gotten stronger, 2 percent say it’s gotten weaker, 47 percent say it hasn’t changed much and 26 percent say they aren’t religious.

State capital protesters invoke Nazism

Holocaust imagery and rhetoric continue to be evident at protests against stay-at-home orders in state capitals. Signs reading “Heil, Pritzker” and “Arbeit Mach Frei JB,” the latter a reference to the German words meaning “work will make you free” posted over the gate of Auschwitz, were seem last Friday at a protest against stay-at-home orders in Springfield, Ill. “JB” referred to

the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, who is Jewish. A protestor in the Michigan capital Lansing carried a sign depicting the governor, Gretchen Whitmer, as Adolf Hitler. Last month, stay-at-home protesters at the statehouse held signs reading “Heil Whitmer” next to a swastika. The Auschwitz Museum and Memorial condemned the sign in Illinois, writing in a tweet: “’Arbeit macht frei’ was a false, cynical illusion the SS gave to prisoners of #Auschwitz. Those words became one of the icons of human hatred. It’s painful to see this symbol instrumentalized & used again to spread hate. It’s a symptom of moral & intellectual degeneration.” Responding to the Michigan protest, President Donald Trump on Friday called the protesters “very good people.”

Chasidic leaders defend NYC Mayor de Blasio

NEW YORK – Two Chasidic synagogues defended New York Mayor Bill de Blasio from charges of anti-Semitism and called on members of their communities to adhere to government social distancing requirements. The letters — issued on April 30 by two rival factions of the Satmar Chasidic community in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn — offered praise for the mayor.

De Blasio, who has long enjoyed a close relationship with the Chasidic community, was widely criticized last week for singling out “the Jewish community” after a large Chasidic funeral drew a crowd of thousands into the street. Both letters denounced de Blasio’s critics, in particular those who accused the mayor of anti-Semitism, while calling on their communities to work with law enforcement to avoid behavior that endangers lives.

Pa. legislator makes Nazi comparison

A Pennsylvania state lawmaker has compared Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s refusal to release some coronavirus data and information to Nazi Germany. Republican State Rep. Cris Dush made the statement on Monday, local media reported. He reportedly apologized. It is another incident of the use of Holocaust imagery and rhetoric to express opposition to coronavirus regulations. “More and more I go back to the German Democratic Nationalist Socialist Party, the Nazi party. I go to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the USSR,” Dush said. “This is a socialist playbook.” WJW Briefs from Jewish Telegraphic Agency

washingtonjewishweek.com 15

editorials

Biden and #MeToo J

oe Biden, the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, has a problem. Those competing in the vice-presidential sweepstakes to join the Biden ticket as his running mate have a problem. Most of all, the Democratic Party has a problem. What the Democratic Party has touted in the past as the proper response to allegations of sexual abuse is now coming back to haunt them. Since the #MeToo movement went viral in the wake of allegations against Harvey Weinstein in 2017, leaders in the Democratic Party supported women who came forward to detail their experience. That, combined with Joe Biden’s own history — he authored the Violence Against Women Act, led an Obama administration effort to address sexual assault on college campuses, and voiced support for all women who raise similar allegations — puts party faithful in an uncomfortable position. That is because at the end of March, a former Biden aide named Tara Reade claimed that when she worked for Biden in 1993, he sexually assaulted her. Biden, his vice presidential contenders and many in the Democratic Party are now trying to figure out how to deal with the allegation. Following mounting pressure to address the issue, Biden appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” last week and denied the allegation. He also addressed the apparent hypocrisy between his denial now and comments in support of Christine Blasey Ford during the Brett Kavanaugh hearing. “Look, from the very beginning, I’ve said believing women means taking the woman’s claim seriously when she steps forward, and then vet it,” Biden said. “Look into it. That’s true in this case as well. Women have a right to be heard, and the press should rigorously investigate claims they make. I’ll always uphold that principle. But in the end, in every case, the truth is what matters. And in this case, the truth is the claims are false.” Some in the Democratic Party — including those who supported Ford during the Kavanaugh hearings — have made comments in support of Biden. Some have stayed quiet. But many, it seems, would like this issue to go away without too much conversation about it. That is not likely to happen. It is important to acknowledge sexual assault even when it’s inconvenient and even when the allegations are against someone in your own party. And it’s important

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden

Photo by Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commens

to support the people who come forward to talk about this difficult subject. Support does not mean unqualified belief in an accusation. Rather, it means providing a framework for allegations to be reviewed in an even-handed, open-minded manner. All of which is very difficult to achieve in general, and even more so in a politically charged environment like a presidential campaign or a Supreme Court nomination. In this case, a thorough investigation will be best for Biden, for the Democratic Party and for the electorate. We may not get a conclusive answer, but we need to try. WJW

India’s Hindu-only democracy I

ndia has been called the world’s largest democracy. With its billion-plus citizens, it was founded as a secular democracy to be shared by a multiplicity of groups, languages and religions. But that isn’t how the country’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sees it. Instead, BJP and its leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have made it clear that India is a state for Hindus, but Muslims are not welcome. India has a Muslim population of 182 million people — the third largest Muslim population in the world, just behind Indonesia and Pakistan. Concern over India’s growing discrimination against its Muslim residents has gone so far as to lead the independent, bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to recommend that the State Department designate India as a country of “particular concern” when it comes to religious freedom. That would place the country of Gandhi and Nehru in the same group as such notable dictatorships, theocracies and thugocracies as China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Syria. BJP’s landslide victory in parliamentary elections last 16

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

spring accelerated the state’s anti-Muslim activities. For example, Modi’s government passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, to create a fast track for citizenship for migrants from surrounding countries who are already in India — as long as they’re not Muslims. This came as India’s state of Assam implemented a National Register of Citizens to help identify illegal migrants. Those not included on the list live in fear of “statelessness, deportation or prolonged detention,” according to UN reports. Although originally intended to protect Hindus and weed out Muslims and other “foreigners,” it turned out that some of the 1.9 million residents who were excluded from the Register were Hindus. BJP officials are, nonetheless, advocating for a nationwide register of citizens. That has generated fear among Muslims that they will be vilified and declared stateless. As if that weren’t enough, there is also the government’s crackdown on the autonomy of the country’s Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir, and the rights of its citizens, including mob lynching and other violence against Muslims.

The Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended that the United States sanction the agencies and officials within India’s government who are responsible for what it finds to be “severe violations of religious freedom.” It calls for U.S. diplomatic missions to work to “build capacity to protect religious minorities.” India is a significant U.S. ally, and has increasingly warmed toward Israel. But Modi’s government has rejected the report, calling it “biased and tendentious.” The battle lines have been drawn. It is now up to the U.S. government to stand behind its Commission’s findings, and to speak out forcefully against India’s growing government-backed xenophobia and the targeting of the country’s Muslim community. Such a move would, undoubtedly, be a big step for the Trump administration. But it is a perfect opportunity for the administration to show concern, compassion and leadership in helping guarantee minority rights while supporting a democratic government and strong international relations. WJW

voices

When did elderly people like me become disposable? By Paul Socken

ORONTO — The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 is shaking the world in disturbing ways. As someone who is no longer young, I find one aspect of the crisis to be particularly unnerving: the attitude toward the elderly. The media is filled with stories about the problem represented by the elderly. What will happen if there aren’t enough respirators for everyone? Should the elderly, who have lived their lives long enough, have the same right to medical care as young people who have their whole lives ahead of them? There are cold, calculating cost-benefit analyses associated with this grim reaper scenario. One columnist came down on the side of “saving Grandma” only after weighing the pros and cons as if it were an accounting problem. Others have said that the elderly should sacrifice themselves for the good of the country. But this is not the Jewish attitude. Psalm 92 proclaims that “in old age [the righteous] still produce fruit, they are full of sap and freshness.” In his Mishneh Torah, the great philosopher and doctor Maimonides states that “even a young scholar should rise before an old man distinguished in age.” In Guide for the Perplexed, he

writes that “with the ancient is wisdom.” I always thought that the psalmist’s plea “Do not cast me off in old age; when my strength fails, do not forsake me” was addressed to God. Now I understand that it is an appeal to our fellow men and women as well not to abandon the elderly when their “use” is no longer manifest. It is heartbreaking to see so many deaths due to the virus and the personal stories associated with those losses. In many countries, a large proportion of the dead are in nursing homes where the elderly are warehoused with inadequate staffing and medical care. In Canada, otherwise a deeply caring society, over half the deaths have been in nursing homes where revelations of what goes on behind the doors of those institutions have shocked the nation. We can and we must do better than this for the elderly and for everyone. When this crisis is finally over, and a semblance of normalcy resumes, we will need to answer many questions about the economy, health care, the appropriate political response to an extreme emergency and the nature of our global world. But no less important is the question of the very nature of our society and its values. What lack within us gave rise to the discussion of the disposability of the

elderly? This crisis has exposed a materialistic calculus, a coarsening of society’s discourse since the dismissal of the religious sensibility that built our system of values and ethics over millennia of civilization. If we have, indeed, entered a post-Christian, postreligious society, a trauma such as the current one reveals its consequences. I would argue that we have seen the underbelly of a society that has forgotten its roots, no longer has a strong set of values and does not understand the importance of honoring all life. If ever there was a time to rethink the journey we have taken as a society and recalculate our direction, it is now. What an irony it would be if we learned to preserve physical life infinitely better than previous generations only to abandon their more sophisticated search for truth and meaning in life. What will it profit us to reestablish our economy, restructure our health care and solve our global problems if we ignore the human issues that underpin it all? What is the purpose of life if we fail to see the humanity in everyone around us? WJW Paul Socken is a distinguished professor emeritus and founder of Jewish studies at the University of Waterloo. —JTA News and Features

letters to the editor ZOA, HIAS and the Tree of Life

Who could believe that a major Jewish organization would delay the selection of a new leader because of her role in another Jewish organization? (“Compromise on Presidents Conference chair reveals tensions,” washingtonjewishweek.com, April 29) What is particularly disturbing is that the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), the group with which Dianne Lob has an affiliation, and was singled out by the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), is the same organization cited by Robert Bowers, the white supremacist who killed worshippers in Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue. It would be refreshing if the ZOA would recognize how their anti-immigrant positions contribute to the anti-Semitism against their own people. BARRY DWORK Alexandria

Death at the Hebrew Home

Any death of even one of our people is sad and unfortunate. Given the age and condition of most of the residents at the

Hebrew Home, deaths occur frequently at both the Smith-Kogod and Wasserman buildings. Suzanne Pollak’s April 30 article identifying four deaths from COVID-19 (washingtonjewishweek.com) raises a few questions. How many residents have had this disease and survived? How many are still ill? Of those who did not survive the illness, how many were ill enough that they might have died soon from other causes? Without more information, it is difficult to evaluate how well the Hebrew Home is doing protecting our elderly population. The Wall Street Journal has been investigating a pattern of substantial undercounting deaths from COVID-19 at nursing homes throughout the country. My impression is that the Hebrew Home’s record to date seems to rank very high compared to those of nursing homes in general. COVID-19 is a novel disease to which no one had antibodies when it got into the population. Because this disease is highly contagious before there are any symptoms, a very large percentage of the population

will probably catch the disease. The reason for shutting down the country was to slow the spread to avoid overloading the ability of the medical system to care for all the gravely ill patients. Eliminating this disease is out of the question. By delaying as much of the disease as possible, physicians and scientists hopefully have enough time to identify successful treatment programs (including effective medications). Hopefully hospitals will be able to use treatments with solid science and good statistical verification. If so, hopefully a substantially greater percentage of gravely ill patients will recover as the disease continues to spread. A long-term solution, which experts predict might require 18 months of dedicated work, is to find a hopefully effective vaccination. Given the challenges, so far the Hebrew Home’s record looks very good. Hopefully this record will continue to look equally good as the challenges continue. ALAN A. FISHER Rockville

Furloughs at the Pozez JCC

Your article “Wish you were here” (April 23) was a well-deserved tribute to our JCCs. They have labored long and hard, sacrificing substantial revenues to serve their local communities at a time when they are much needed. I want to single out my own — the Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia — for particular recognition. Sadly, the staff has been furloughed. The Pozez JCC filed its application for the Payroll Protection Program loan/ grant on the first day applications were accepted. Yet the program ran out of money before action could be taken, and the dues the community continued to pay were not sufficient. The devoted staff are victims of a political process that puts partisan politics above community needs. ROBERT BERMAN Vienna Send us letters: Letters, no longer than 300 words, MUST include a first and last name, as well as town of residence; please include a daytime phone number for verification. We reserve the right to edit letters for style, content and space. Writers are limited to one letter per month. Send letters by email to letters@washingtonjewishweek.com.

washingtonjewishweek.com 17

voices

To tech or not to tech is no longer a question By. L.E. Nizhnikov Special to WJW

n the ever changing world of technology, one worry that forever dogs the heels of the next best thing is: When will I become obsolete? In 1920 only 35 percent of American households had a telephone. (It would take nearly 20 years for most of those homes to have a radio as well.) Before 2020, that number had risen to 99 percent. A hundred years of ingenuity and invention thrust humans into the technological age, ready or not. Growing up as a middle-class kid in New York City, I remember our household electronics with a sentimentality that belies the frustration and incipient rage I felt when manipulating them. I remember well, sitting on the floor within arm’s reach of the TV dial so that my parents wouldn’t have to stand up to change the channel (remotes weren’t standard just yet) and playing on our original Nintendo console, enjoying the prehistoric 8-bit graphics. My father purchased our first computer when I was about 8 years old. My parents set it up on the small desk in their bedroom next to a dot matrix printer and told us it was the future. When I left for college 10 years later, I had my personal computer in tow as well as my pride and joy: a brand new Samsung flip phone — a relic so outdated now that anyone born in this century wouldn’t even know what to do with it. Technology continued to advance and, like many in my generation, I developed a love-hate relationship with it. Computers and phones became an invasive species, chipping away at privacy and in-person interactions. I developed a proficiency with my devices out of necessity, but maintained a distrustful distance from them — backing up my work and photos with hard copies rather than “on disk,” preferring phone calls and letters to email. At every step of the way, I resisted change, until finally there was no other choice. All at once grown up, I was dependent on my computer and my smartphone for nearly everything. A flat screen TV with a thousand channels sits on my living room wall, a Kindle loaded with dozens of books sits on my nightstand. I had become a slave to my devices. In an effort to stem the tide, I pulled back. I resolved that I would not raise my children being constantly inundated with digital media. I limited their television access, refused any discussion of cell phones or game consoles, and fought bitter, losing battles with grandparents who purchased tablets. Long before circumstance necessitated it, my children begged endlessly for “screen time,” doing their very best impressions of Dickensian parish boys when I denied them their fix. “Please mom, may we have some more?” they asked. Little by little I gave in, sure to temper their media consumption to just shy of (what I naively 18

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

My children begged endlessly for “screen time,” doing their very best impressions of Dickensian parish boys when I denied them their fix. “Please mom, may we have some more?”

From an etching by George Cruikshank, 1874

thought were) the terrifying quantities they desired. Despite my noble efforts, the technology trickled in. In retrospect, I couldn’t be more thankful that it did because when disaster struck, my children were ready. They were able to adapt to our brave new world with an alacrity I never imagined. Their ability to absorb and manipulate their devices was rapid and impressive. We dug out the Kindles

their grandparents had given them years before and attempted to set them up for school. I sat for hours after my children went to bed, coming to terms with my own inadequacy. I realized my error when the kids awoke in the morning. They were the heirs of the computer age; the sleek, elegant, Star Trek-like technology they See Tech, page 17

Ya’ know that old trees just grow stronger And old rivers grow wilder ev’ry day Old people just grow lonesome Waiting for someone to say, “Hello in there, hello”

Peter Vahlersvik / E+ / Getty Images

—JOHN PRINE

LONELINESS “America’s quietest health risk.” May 7, 2020

Senior Resources Guide The late country-folk singer John Prine wrote these touching lyrics about a couple growing older. Their children have matured and moved away. Meanwhile the couple “sits and stares through the back screen door.” Not much is new, they declare, before the ﬁnal verse: So if you’re walking down the street sometime And spot some hollow ancient eyes Please don’t just pass ‘em by and stare As if you didn’t care, say, “Hello in there, hello”

urbazon / E+ / Getty Images

Prine released that song almost 50 years ago. That was long before anyone dreamed we would be self-quarantining and forced to stay at least six feet away from family and friends with whom we were not already residing. Our support system is taxed like never before. Feeling isolated is one of the most frustrating realities of aging. Perhaps you no longer drive or maybe you are not as steady on your feet as before. Gone are the days of a noisy household when you possibly juggled a career, family and friends. Now, your children and grandchildren most likely do not even live in the same town or state. You no longer work and the number of friends at your weekly card games is dwindling. As if that isn’t overwhelming enough, along came this novel coronavirus, entering every aspect of life. Maybe you used to fly to visit family and friends. Now, you are not supposed to do even that. Maybe that daily card game or a simple get together with the neighbors was your favorite part of the day. Now, that has stopped with no reopening date announced. Even movie theaters and libraries have gone dark. In a society where families are having fewer children than they did decades ago and divorces are more common, more and more adults are finding themselves alone as they enter their later years. B2

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

Please, do not despair. This Senior Resources Guide, written by JCA — the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington — is designed to smooth your way through this time of social distancing and selfquarantining — and beyond. Hopefully, it will help you establish habits to guide you through the loneliness and sadness you may experience long after the virus is just a memory. The current coronavirus is demanding a lot from all of us. It can be extremely difficult not to become overwhelmed, anxious and depressed, especially for those who listen to the news a lot. Israelis have a great deal of experience in maintaining as normal a life as possible while realizing that at any minute bombs could rain down on them. Dr. Shiri Ben Naim, head of rehabilitation psychology at the Hadassah Medical Organization in Israel, believes all feelings are normal and legitimate during and even after traumatic events. The key, Ben Naim said during a recent webinar on “Building Emotional Resilience through the COVID-19 Crisis” is to maintain a routine. “Keep an agenda to your daily life. We know this can reduce anxiety,” she said. Do not lose touch with loved ones, she advised. Keep in touch by telephone and, if you are able, video conferencing. Although admittedly, it is so much better to be

with family and friends, when you cannot, seeing them helps maintain a sense of normalcy, she said. “I think being isolated is the hardest,” she said, noting that most people have an emotional support system that, while technically still there, may not seem as close and as comforting as before the days of self-isolation and quarantine. During extremely trying times such as what we are currently experiencing throughout the entire world, uncertainty and helplessness can be overwhelming, Ben Naim said. “We don’t know the number of victims. We don’t know when it will end. We don’t know about our job, if we will have one when this is over. What will the world look like after this?” According to Ben Naim, it is perfectly natural to feel helpless. After all, we are not the ones working to develop medical treatments and vaccines. We are not able to end this nightmare. We are not in control of so many things that just a few months ago were routine. Oftentimes, we cannot even hold the hand of a loved who is hospitalized or living in a nursing facility. How can we not feel anger and sadness? It is important, she said, to “recognize these emotions in ourselves and our loved ones. It is easier to cope with these emotions if we don’t avoid them.” Acknowledge that your

Senior Resources Guide feelings are quite legitimate and normal, she stressed. Crying, sleeplessness, agitation and eating too much or too little are typical responses to stress and fear. “They are completely normal” as long as you do not allow them to overcome your every waking moment. To reduce these feelings of uncertainty and helplessness, “Control your daily schedule,” Ben Naim said. Even if you no longer work, play your weekly game of mahjong, prepare for your next book club, frequent the senior center or visit with friends, it is important to make life predictable. Wake up at the same time, and go to sleep at the same time, she advised. Eat regular meals. In addition, she described physical exercise as vital no matter how limited it is. As for reading the news or watching it on television or computer during the pandemic, that is more of a personal thing. It is fine to stay current and be aware, but if you find yourself overly upset or stressed, turn off the television,

Maria Symchych-Navrotska / iStock / Getty Images Plus

step away from the internet and put down that newspaper, she advised. To keep informed without being overwhelmed, Ben Naim suggested we turn to our local or state department of health’s website for information on both the current situation and suggestions. This way, she noted, if a new rule is

adopted, you will be well informed without feeling overwhelmed or bombarded by the number of new cases and deaths due to COVID-19. Another suggestion she made to deal with a world we cannot control is to do something that makes you proud. Think about “our most important values, how

we would like to look at ourselves when this is over,” and then do it, she advised. That could mean sewing masks for first responders or neighbors, even if you haven’t touched a sewing machine in years. (It will come back to you, much like riding a bicycle.) Even though you may be unable to enter the home of loved ones, call them regularly. Go shopping for them or order what they need and have it delivered. Indeed, your good deed need not be for a family member or close friend. Think about those you know who are alone. Consider them your buddies. Check up on them and cheer them up on a regular basis. Just saying “hello in there” or making them smile, even when you can’t see the grin, could make you happy as well. Perhaps you have some special knowledge or interest you could impart to others. Through the marvels of Zoom, YouTube or other features of the internet, teach someone how to play guitar, bridge, pinochle or chess. Read a book aloud (although probably just one chapter at a time). What about sharing your

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favorite recipes? Before you know it, you posts or blogs might go viral. Helping others or getting involved “will make us feel in control, give us a sense of competence,” Ben Naim said. Yet there are times when being in control is impossible. During this pandemic, rituals we normally embrace are often beyond our reach. When someone dies, many religions enable loved ones to comfort mourners, but in the current world where only 10 people can gather at a time, people are turning to videoconferencing or to sharing by phone or tablet. That family celebration you have been looking forward to for several months may be cancelled or at least postponed for months. Most likely you cannot safely attend those that do convene. Remember,

it is okay to feel sorry for yourself when you cannot be physically present at your granddaughter’s wedding, your grandson’s graduation or a neighbor’s bar mitzvah. Hopefully, there will be time to celebrate together soon. It is up to each of us to work through this, talk it out with others and above all, understand that the new reality is out of our hands, Ben Naim said. Some people are able to return to a normal life immediately following a trauma, others not as much, she said, noting, “Israelis are used to crises. Israelis know to be very flexible. They go about their life but are ready for an incident.” However, she noted, this pandemic is far worse than even the horrific bombings that her country endures. For some Israelis,

Senior Resources Guide the answer is to hop into their car and immediately drive to another, safer, part of the country. However, because the virus plagues the entire world, there is no place to flee. “This is a tragedy that all of us are learning,” she said. It is hard to say how the end will take place. It probably will be gradual, she suggested, with our normal world returning to us slowly. This Senior Resources Guide is designed to help you recognize when your anxieties and sadness are beginning to overwhelm you. It includes helpful hints about sleeping better, exercising more frequently and keeping social ties. It also includes resources to turn to, should you need them. Get a Good Night’s Sleep A good night’s sleep is crucial to staying healthy, both physically and mentally. Do you remember how we strove to put our infants to sleep? Well that works well for people of any age, Ben Naim said. Establish a routine that is “very, very familiar to our body.” Two hours before actually going to bed, have dinner, take a bath, read or watch television, wash up, she suggested. “Then go to bed. Bed is only for sleeping. You are not reading, looking at your phone, listening to music.” Eliminate all sounds and light. Hopefully, you will soon be in dreamland. However, if

15 minutes have passed and you are still awake, get out of bed and do something besides eating or exercising for a little while before returning to your bed again, Ben Naim advised. At first, you may have to do this several times. The first two or three nights may not be that restful, but soon, your body will come to understand that a bed is for sleeping in, and that is all, she said, stressing, “The bed is not for trying to go to sleep.” Not all these suggestions apply to everyone. If reading in bed enables you to fall asleep, keep reading. Her advice applies only to those who have trouble falling asleep. The Cut, an online publication, recently featured an article by Charlotte Klein on “How to Actually Fall Asleep.” As she pointed out succinctly, “There seems to be more keeping us up at night.” But the good advice in this article hopefully will help long after the pandemic has passed. “You can’t force yourself into sleep — it’s a state that you come into naturally,” Klein stressed in the article. You can position yourself to get there, however, by using the tips below.

Her number one piece of advice is to keep a consistent schedule. The article quotes Dr. Jennifer Martin, a UCLA professor and clinical psychologist serving on the board of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, who declared that the key to falling asleep and getting a

“Most people set alarms in the morning, but sometimes people benefit from cues to start shutting down their day as well.” — Dr. Jennifer Martin

good night’s rest “is to be in bed at the right time so that your body is likely to fall asleep once you get there.” A consistent schedule is so important that Martin suggests you set your alarm at night as a reminder that it is time to go to bed. “Most people set alarms in the morning, but sometimes people benefit from cues to start shutting down their day as well,” she said.

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Cut out the caffeine early! Martin suggests caffeine should be taboo within 10 hours of falling asleep. Some people pledge not to have caffeine in the afternoon, but it is more important to pick the time to stop by knowing your own bedtime, she said. So if you go to sleep at 10 p.m. that means swallowing that last drop of coffee at noon. You must ease your way into dreamland. When you exercise, you warm up to stretch those muscles and then cool down upon finishing. When it is time to retire, it’s also time to cool down your activities and thoughts. Rare is the person who can just stop and drop off to sleep. Martin suggests giving yourself 15 or 20 minutes “to f interested in joining JRLW, send your name, address and phone disconnect before bed.” People need to quell their thoughts. number to JRLW, 3700 Rossmoor Blvd., Silver Spring, MD 20906. f interested in joining JRLW, send your name, address and phone “The trick here, for a lot of people, is that OUR MEMBERSHIP CHAIRPERSON WILL CONTACT YOU. they actually need to do something active number to JRLW, 3700 Rossmoor Blvd., Silver Spring, MD 20906. for their mind to quiet down,” Martin said. OUR MEMBERSHIP CHAIRPERSON WILL CONTACT YOU. It is quite difficult to turn your thoughts off, although later in this Guide, we will provide information on meditation and mindfulness to do just that. Just don’t think you can stop thinking about what your spouse said or the news by deciding to go to sleep. To wind down, she suggests reading or

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doing things that “generally tend to make you feel calm.” Specifically think about what energizes you and what does not. “It’s individualized,” Martin said. Watching the news or scrolling through your emails is not advisable after you have turned your lights off. Instead, she said, “be simple about it, distract yourself for a bit and let you mind come to a place of rest, and then go to bed.” Alternatively, consider following the advice of Dr. Ana Krieger, medical director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, in the same Cut article. Before retiring, find what works for you to enable your energy and tension to decrease. Above all, don’t try to force yourself asleep. If you are telling yourself it is time to go to sleep, you probably are making yourself anxious, thus making things more difficult. Have you ever fallen asleep on the couch, convinced yourself to get up and call it a night and then found yourself wide awake in bed? “The biggest misconception is that many people feel that trying to fall asleep will help them fall asleep,” Krieger said. “It doesn’t. It actually ruins your sleep,

Senior Resources Guide

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because it activates your mind.” For some, watching television while in bed is an effective way to make yourself drowsy. If it works for you, make sure you set the television’s sleep timer. This way you won’t end up watching additional shows or be awakened by a sudden noise. Yet don’t make watching television before bed a habit if it is not your custom already. Instead, lay in bed and imagine a relaxing moment, like being on the beach or walking in the park, it is suggested in the Cut article. The article also stressed relaxing your body through deep breathing exercises or by mentally relaxing each part of your body as a way of winding down. From your head all the way down to your feet, focus on different muscle groups and rid yourself of the day’s tensions. Deep-breathing exercises are helpful not just for relaxing your body before sleep, but also when anxious moments overcome you at any time of day. According to the University of Michigan’s Department of Medicine, deep breathing exercises send a message to your brain that it is time to calm down. The brain then relays that message to your body. Heart rate, breathing and blood pressure may all decrease as you relax. There are several breathing exercises you

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Senior Resources Guide can do to help you relax. Start with belly breathing. Sit or lie in a comfortable position. Next, place one hand on your ribs or right below. Place your other hand on your chest and then take a deep breathe through your nose, enabling your belly to move but not your chest. Then breathe out through closed lips as if you are whistling. Allow the hand on your belly to help you breathe out. Do this three to 10 times.

meaning in the little things they do and why they are important. “I feel like everybody thinks they want to be happy, but even more than being happy, they want to matter,” she said. As people age, they often feel less needed or important. However, Needleman said, they can overcome that by finding value, meaning and purpose in their tasks and relationships. “I feel a lot of people lose sight” of how worthy they are, wondering “what am I here for, what am I bringing to the table, what am I bringing to society,” she said. The best way to realize that there is meaning in everything you do is to “be in the moment, be present and focus on what is in front of you,” she said. It also helps to maintain a sense of control by staying consistent in daily activities and maintaining connections and routines, she said. According to Terry Ullman, a clinical social worker specializing in geriatric care in Chevy Chase, the vast majority of seniors, especially those in good health, are quite happy with their lives and still productive. Nevertheless, those who are no longer working, driving or living in the same home where they raised their family may find life difficult, she said. “I think seniors really

Sometimes the decision to transition into assisted living is out of one’s hands; a sudden illness or accident forces the move or the loss of a caregiver triggers it. For others it may be a slow, nagging eventuality. For other breathing exercises, go to https:// www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/uz2255. When anxious, Ben Naim suggests people return to their inner thoughts and away from the anxiety the outside world is causing. Accept your current thoughts without fighting them, she said. Then look around the room. Observe five things you had not noticed earlier. Once you have done that, identify four different sounds you previously hadn’t noticed, and then find three things to touch. Make it a tactile experience. Next, breathe in two new delightful smells and, finally, taste one new flavor. The exercise is designed to take only a few minutes. The idea is to enable yourself to live in the moment and not let your fears take over, she explained. When older adults are feeling lonely, anxious or depressed, Melissa Needleman of Aging Network Services in Bethesda suggests they focus on finding

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

face a lot of unique challenges,” Ullman said. There is often the loss of a spouse, partner or close friend. Other life-altering events include diminishing health and fewer responsibilities. It is normal to feel somewhat diminished without a job title or major role, such as board member or grandpa attached to your name. Even if you are healthy, mobility issues might still make it harder to get around. Often, energy levels decrease in older people, making them less likely to leave their houses to go do the things they previously loved. Hearing and vision loss, which are normally occurring losses that seniors face, also might heighten anxiety and loneliness. “If they can’t hear, they feel isolated,” and if they don’t see well, they may decide not to socialize as much, Ullman said. For those with health issues, sometimes the medicine can be as bad as the disease. Some medicines seniors take may cause depression, Ullman said. Talk to your doctor if you feel depressed or “not like yourself.” Then there is the whole world of technology, noted Ullman. “The younger generation can connect” without much problem, but mention going on a Zoom conference call to those who haven’t seen their grandchildren in a while, and they just might become overwhelmed. “They are just not comfortable with it. It’s just not their language,” she said of FaceTiming, video conferencing and YouTube, which can be excellent ways to boost a lonely person’s spirits. Then there is that fear of growing old, Ullman said. “They don’t often give voice to it, but a lot of them fear death and dying.” As if these issues weren’t enough to throw anyone into sadness or even depression, there is the uncomfortable discussion that might arise concerning whether it is time to move out of your home and neighborhood of so many years, where you raised a family, held parties, shared laughter and tears. Sometimes the decision to transition into assisted living is out of one’s hands; a sudden illness or accident forces the move or the loss of a caregiver triggers it. For others it may be a slow, nagging eventuality. Even a fte r the decision is made and the move is completed, seniors face a new reality of living in a potentially unfamiliar – and generally much smaller –

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place. Sadness or depression may arise when they realize that so many of their cherished positions have not moved with them, when they are no longer near the stores, parks and movie theaters they frequented for so much of their adult lives. In most instances, they also will be physically further from friends and neighbors. Before you bury your head under the covers, take heart. According to Ullman, less than 5 percent of older adults suffer from depression. “People can get sad without feeling chronically depressed,”

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tion of another birthday, Ullman has some great exercises to suggest. “We can really help ourselves,” she said. As discussed earlier, a good night’s sleep is important. “When we don’t sleep well, we just don’t cope,” she said. People can sleep too little, too much or not throughout the night when they are overwhelmed or sad. Eating well is also important. Some older people tell her they are not as hungry as they used to be. That well may be. The root cause, however, might be that they

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she said, noting that depression is not a consequence of getting old. “I think there is a huge assumption if you are older, you are going to be depressed. It is not true,” Ullman said. However, the odds of being medically depressed rise considerably for nursing home residents. “It can be as much as half the population. It really makes a difference where they live.” For those who feel blue by all the changes that may accompany the celebraB10

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don’t enjoy eating alone or cooking for just one person, she said. However, good nutrition is necessary, no matter what your age. Keep Moving Last, but by far not least, Ullman said physical exercise, even just a little, is crucial to good physical and mental health. She noted that what you do for exercise is not as important as the fact that it keeps you moving. “It can be as simple as walk-

Senior Resources Guide ing, watching a video and doing chair exercises or going to the senior center” and joining their exercise classes. “You just need to get moving,” Ullman said, adding how amazingly better people feel after just a little activity. As we age, balancing and strength exercises become more important, but if you don’t feel comfortable with these, just keep moving, she said. The Mayo Clinic strongly agrees that exercise is important. In the article, “Depression and Anxiety: Exercise Eases Symptoms,” the Mayo Clinic staff noted, “Exercise helps prevent and improve a number of health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis. Research on depression, anxiety and exercise shows that the psychological and physical benefits of exercise can also help improve mood and reduce anxiety.” Exercising regularly releases endorphins — hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system — “that can enhance your sense of well-being.” It also can help people gain confidence as they meet or exceed their goals, even small ones, according to the Mayo Clinic staff writers. They recommend exercising 30 minutes or more a day, three to five days a week. That doesn’t mean intense exercise, especially if this is fairly new to you or you haven’t done so regularly in a long time. Start slowly. Walk around the neighborhood or work on the yard, gradually increasing your time and energy levels as you go. A study conducted at McMaster University in Ontario demonstrated that exercise might help fight depression in seniors by stimulating muscle-generated mood boosters. ”Muscle loss is a common problem in the elderly which may restrict that pathway and therefore increase the risk for depression,” according to the study. For examples on some basic exercises for seniors, check out the National Institute on Aging (NIA) page at https://www.nia. nih.gov/health/exercise-physical-activity. It is important, however, to talk with your medical care provider before starting a new exercise regimen to make sure it is safe for you. Certain exercises may be far better for you than others. Meditation is another way to shake feelings of sadness and angst. Meditation is “a simple, fast way to reduce stress,” according to the Mayo Clinic. “Spending even a few minutes in meditation can restore your calm and inner peace.” The good news is that you do not need

to purchase special equipment. You also don’t need to wear particular clothing. It only takes a few minutes to meditate, and you can pretty much do it anywhere. All you really need to do is be able to focus and eliminate extraneous thoughts that are causing you stress. Meditation includes focusing your attention, freeing your mind from distractions, breathing in a relaxed way, enjoying a quiet setting and a comfortable position and having an open attitude, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic reports that there are many types of meditation. In mantra meditation, you silently repeat a calming word, thought or phrase, which helps you block distracting thoughts. Tai chi is a form of Chinese martial arts in which you follow a series of particular postures and movements slowly and gracefully while breathing deeply. Mindfulness could also be helpful. “Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress,” according to the Mayo Clinic. While you are focusing on your surroundings, you hopefully will stop planning your day, solving your problems, daydreaming or thinking negatively, all of which are actions that could increase stress, anxiety and depression. Need other ideas to remove that funk? How about taking classes at your local college or community center, joining a book club or other group with members who are about the same age? Why not seek out a part time job that allows you to socialize and gives a sense of purpose, and while you are at it, brings in extra money? You could volunteer to support a cause that is important to you, rediscover or learn a new hobby or attend religious services. What about working on your living space? There can be a great deal of inner satisfaction as you complete each project. It also may help your mood to realize that feelings of loneliness and isolation are common amongst senior adults. MedicareAdvantage.com, an insurance company, calls senior isolation “America’s quietest health risk.” According to the 2018 Profile of Older Americans from the U.S. Department of

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Senior Resources Guide Health and Human Services, about 28 percent (14.3 million) of older persons live alone. Among women age 75 and over, 44 percent live alone. Researchers with the AARP Public Policy Institute and at Stanford and Harvard Universities report that social isolation adds almost $7 billion a year to the cost of Medicare due to longer hospital stays. Moreover, their study was conducted before anyone had heard of COVID-19! To evaluate your isolation risk and learn about tools and resources to enable you to reach out to others who also are lonely and disengaged or to find practical ways to reconnect, go to https://connect2affect.org/. Loneliness is a feeling, not a fact Writer Cyn Meyer details a way to deal with loneliness. In an article for Next Avenue, Meyer writes about the need to acknowledge your feelings. Do not deny being lonely, she said. She also encouraged readers to recognize that loneliness is feeling, not a fact. Once you realize you are lonely, draw up a plan on how you will overcome your feelings of isolation. Start focusing on others rather than your own insecurities. Try asking people about what is going on in their lives. Let that start the conversation flowing, she suggested. “The misery and suffering caused by chronic loneliness are very real and warrant attention,” said Stephanie

Cacioppo, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago. “As a social species, we are accountable to help our lonely children, parents, neighbors, and even strangers in the same way we would treat ourselves. Treating loneliness is our collective responsibility.” According to her work, loneliness triggers “related behavioral and biological processes that contribute to the association between loneliness and premature death in people of all ages.” Social isolation and loneliness in older adults poses health risks, including cognitive decline, depression and heart disease. In addition, obesity, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system and cognitive decline can occur, according to the NIA. Sudden changes in life, like the loss of a spouse or partner, separation from friends or family, retirement, loss of mobility and lack of transportation are all events that can bring on physical maladies. Losing a sense of connection and community changes a person’s perception of the world. Someone experiencing chronic loneliness feels threatened and mistrustful of others, which activates a biological defense mechanism, according to Steve Cole, director of the Social Genomics Core Laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Loneliness acts as a fertilizer for other diseases,”

Cole said. “The biology of loneliness can accelerate the buildup of plaque in arteries, help cancer cells grow and spread and promote inflammation in the brain leading to Alzheimer’s disease. Loneliness promotes several different types of wear and tear on the body,” he said in an April 2019 article quoted on the NIA website. Feelings of loneliness can weaken immune cells, thereby making it harder to fight off viruses, he added. Just because people live alone or are socially isolated, they are not necessarily lonely, according to NIA researchers. “People who engage in meaningful, productive activities with others tend to live longer, boost their mood and have a sense of purpose. These activities seem to help maintain their well-being and may improve their cognitive function.” In an article on the NIA website, the late John Cacioppo, former director of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago and an NIA grantee, is credited with research showing that being alone and loneliness are different, but related. Social isolation is objective physical separation while loneliness is the feeling of being alone. Cacioppo pointed out that people can be lonely while being among people. Alternatively, people can be alone yet quite content. Loneliness can alter the way people view the world and those around them. Loneliness can result in a

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STAY CONNECTED

to Combat Loneliness and Social Isolation to Combat Loneliness

and Social Isolation

Feeling lonely and being isolated are bad for your health.

Get moving! Exercise decreases stress, boosts your mood, and increases your energy.

Loneliness and social isolation are associated with higher rates of depression, a weakened immune system, heart disease, dementia, and early death.* Volunteer. You’ll feel better by helping others.

Are you at risk?

Try to stay active and better connected if you:

Stay in touch with family, friends, and neighbors in person, online, or by phone.

• live alone or can’t leave your home • feel alone or disconnected from others • recently had a major loss or change • are a caregiver • lack a sense of purpose

Ideas for staying connected Find an activity that you enjoy or learn something new. You might have fun and meet people with similar interests.

Consider adopting a pet. Animals can be a source of comfort and may also lower stress and blood pressure.

For more information about preventing loneliness and social isolation, visit https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/participating-activities-you-enjoy.

National Institute on Aging

*Cacioppo JT, Hawkley LC. Perceived social isolation and cognition. Trends Cogn Sci. 2009;13(10):447-54.

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Senior Resources Guide person feeling threatened and mistrustful. That person then may become defensive.

watch the shows “with you” even if they are far way. It can be great fun to discuss what you’ve watched either real time or later. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum https://www.ushmm.org/ in Washington, D.C. currently

Resources Here are some resources that might help you feel less lonely and more connected. Meetup.com https://www. skynesher / E+ / Getty Images meetup.com/ enables you to connect with like-minded people doing the things you enjoy. It also enables you to find a group nearby with members around your age. Catch up on the latest technology so you can virtually visit with friends and family when you cannot get out. The Jewish Council for the Aging offers CareerTech classes in Rockville. Contact 301-255-4215 or https:// accessjca.org/career-gateway/ to sign up for the next class. Senior Call Check https:// aging.maryland.gov/Pages/ senior-call-check.aspx: In Maryland, seniors can register with the state Department of Aging by calling the Senior Call Check at 866-502-0560 is offering virtual talks and programs. There are several websites that allow you to “see” to receive an automated daily call. The three local Jewish Community Centers offer beautiful pieces of art including the National Gallery diverse educational and recreational programs, of Art in Washington, D.C. https://www.nga.gov/. Click some of which are exclusively for older adults and away for short tutorials about specific works. Select some are for people of all ages. Check out the offer- from the highlighted paintings and a brief explanation ings of the Pozez JCC of Northern Virginia, https:// of that work appears. You also can go on a virtual tour www.thej.org/, the Bender JCC of Greater Washington of the museum. Senior Planet Montgomery https://seniorplanet.org/ in Rockville, https://www.benderjccgw.org/ and the Edlavitch DCJCC https://www.edcjcc.org/. Note, locations/montgomery-county/ helps seniors learn new however, that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced technology and other skills, save money, get in shape and make friends. Many of their courses and activities several program changes. The Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA) https://www. are available on line. Another great resource, Montgomery County’s Aging jssa.org/ works with seniors in the Greater DC area to offer friendly visitors, technical assistance and sup- and Disability Services https://www.montgomeryport and grocery shopping and delivery. JSSA also has countymd.gov/HHS-Program/ADS/ADSADSResource a great list of resources to make your days more Unit-p179.html, compiled a resource packet of things for active seniors to do. enjoyable, including virtual trips around the world. Other helpful area government offices are the Just because you might not be as nimble as you once were doesn’t mean you can’t “visit” museums. Many Arlington Aging and Disability Services office https:// museums locally and worldwide have websites that aging-disability.arlingtonva.us/, the Fairfax County Seroffer virtual tours or still photos of exhibits. Go to the vices for Older Adults https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ internet and type in the name of your favorite museum familyservices/older-adults and the D.C. Office on Aging or a place you always wanted to visit, and then sit back https://dcoa.dc.gov/. Try Good Housekeeping magazine’s home video workand enjoy the “sights.” At least during the pandemic, many places are outs at https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/ live streaming — often for free — musical concerts fitness/a31792038/coronavirus-live-stream-workoutand Broadway shows. The Metropolitan Opera is classes/. Women’s Health magazine lists free yoga videos streaming performances https://www.metopera.org/ user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/. Add to at https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/ your enjoyment by having friends of family members g29264172/best-yoga-videos/. B14

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

Keep learning and stay engaged by listening to a podcast, which is an episodic series on digital audio files that you could download to your computer or phone. It is much like listening to the radio, although you pick the time you would like to listen. Go to https://

podcasts.google.com/ to find a list of free ones. It features trending podcasts, but you can use the search bar at the top to type in any word or phrase to find free podcasts that interest you. Don’t forget your local library, which is filled with books, movies and magazines. Why not try volunteering? If you aren’t sure where to volunteer, here are several websites with interesting opportunities. Join the JCA Heyman Interages® Center (https:// accessjca.org/interages/) to mentor a child. Points of Light (https://www.pointsoflight.org/) helps connect and mobilize millions of volunteers with ways to give back to the community. The Corporation for National and Community Service https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/ senior-corps is for people 55 and older who want to share their wisdom and life experiences with others. Volunteers of America https://www.voa.org/ enables seniors to remain active in the community. RetiredBrains https://www.retiredbrains.com/volunteering.html is another good site to find volunteer opportunities including working with animals or even joining the Peace Corps 50+. There are several ways to volunteer with organizations that serve seniors, many of which are listed in The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s JConnect Toolkit. These include: Adopt-A-Safta: https://www.adoptasafta.com/ helps you connect with lonely Israeli seniors. Be My Eyes: https://www.bemyeyes.com/

Senior Resources Guide enables sighted volunteers to assist the blind and low-vision individuals. Catchafire: https://www.catchafire.org/ offers volunteer opportunities that match your professional skills. Jewish Council for the Aging: https://accessjca.org/ kensington-clubs/ has a program through which you write or call a homebound senior. Manna Food Center: https://www.mannafood.org/ seeks people to supply donations or volunteer in its Gaithersburg warehouse or Silver Spring Market. Soldiers’ Angels www. soldiersangels.org/ enables volunteers to support soldiers, military families and veterans. Volunteer Arlington https://volunteer.leader center.org/ lists ways to help in the Arlington, Virginia community. Reach Out If, on the other hand, you aren’t feeding sad, lonely or anxious, think about reaching out to someone you know who very well might be. Has your neighbor, card partner or lunch buddy at the senior center become less talkative? Has he or she stopped attending various meetings or religious services altogether? Did you just hear that a friend or neighbor is ill or lost a spouse or dear friend? Consider calling just to chat. This could be much

appreciated, and if the tables were turned, wouldn’t it be nice if they returned the favor? Someone living alone may especially need a friendly “hello” over the holidays. Think about the times you were lonely, even if they were short-lived. That should give you some good ideas on how to connect. Small gestures often are better than big ones, according to an article on Oprah.com. “A lonely person’s pity meter is a finely tuned instrument. There is no greater kindness than not extending an overly magnanimous invitation that makes her feel like the neighborhood charity case. A small gesture — an offhand invitation to lunch — is often a better antidote,” according to the article. Invite a friend to a concert or movie. Offer to accompany someone to a medical appointment. Then schedule a dinner out, suggests the article. You are likely to find it easier to talk because you recently shared an experience. Alternatively, you might just agree to go out for coffee, especially if your friend hasn’t been circulating socially for a while and not ready to make a full-evening commitment. The best way to be a friend to someone who is lonely is to “be authentic and be present,” according to an article in Next Avenue. Nearly everyone wants to be noticed and to feel that he or she is a part of something. Be real, respectful and think about what that person

may want to do. See what you may have in common, like the love of classical music or action movies, and then enjoy those things together. If others aren’t mentally ready to join you in an activity, let them know you are there for them. Drop off a baked good. Offer to run errands or walk their dog. Help them use the latest technology, which may be as simple as getting them online or showing them how to use Facebook or Skype. Most important, call them regularly, not just to check in but also to chat. For some, loneliness can be alleviated just by walking outside and seeing people go by or adopting a pet. For others, it may be reduced by an over-the-counter pain reliever so that their aches and pains don’t hinder them from doing the activities they love. Others may find comfort in visiting their senior or community center regularly and joining a group of pickle ball players or chefs in training. What alleviates isolation and sadness for one person may not help another. Try a few of the activities discussed in this Senior Resources Guide to see what works best for you. We at JCA wish you the best! WJW This guide was written by Suzanne Pollak, Senior Writer /Editor at the Jewish Council for the Aging. Learn more about JCA at accessJCA.org or call us at 301.255.4200 or 703.425.0999.

How Can We Help? During this season of uncertainty, The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is proud to partner with local agencies, organizations, and synagogues across DC, MD, and Northern Virginia to gather resources and opportunities to connect, learn, and care for each other.

For resources, assistance, and support during these challenging times, visit Federation’s Jconnect Resource Center at jconnect.org/seniors.

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voices

Anti-Semitism already was on the rise. Now we must contend with its post-pandemic forms. By Jonathan A. Greenblatt

EW YORK — Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, the United States was experiencing record-high levels of anti-Semitic incidents. From Poway to Jersey City, from Monsey to Brooklyn, Jews were being targeted in the places they worshipped, lived, shopped and congregated. Social media was awash with Jew hatred. Public figures from all sides seemed to invoke anti-Semitic tropes with alarming regularity. How quickly things change. Suddenly the world is gripped by the coronavirus pandemic. Stories about the virus dominate the headlines and flood our newsfeed. It seems to have crowded out any other issues. But we shouldn’t kid ourselves: Anti-Semitism is still alive and well. The oldest hatred has persisted so long because it insidiously adapts and adjusts to situations like these. Indeed, we already have begun to witness this mutation in the real world and the far reaches of the internet. How does anti-Semitism manifest in the time of coronavirus? As we have seen with previous pandemics throughout history such as the Black Plague, it started with a triggering event: a public health crisis that no one could explain or stop. That led to the blame game. For some, it was the Chinese who were to blame; then Asian Americans. For others, it was the Jews. Perhaps unsurprisingly, white supremacists quickly mobilized and promulgated conspiracy theories blaming the coronavirus on Jews, Asians, Muslims and immigrants. They expressed their hope that the virus would

target minority groups. In one case a white supremacist was shot and killed by the FBI as he attempted to bomb a hospital treating coronavirus patients. As we shifted our family events and communal gatherings online, there were numerous attempts by anti-Semites and bigots to barge into those private spaces. Hackers and trolls — some linked to extremist movements — pioneered the art of “Zoombombing” and crashed into videoconferences with anti-Semitic posts and offensive videos. In one such incident, an extremist interrupted a Jewish high school student

But we shouldn’t kid ourselves:

Anti-Semitism is still alive and well.

Tech:

Continued from page 16

had exposed to since birth, a far cry from the lumbering gray boxes my brother and I huddled around in our youth. They got the hang of Zoom school quickly enough to troubleshoot for me when I ran into problems. They are not merely surviving in this world, they are thriving. Need to change your Zoom background? Ask my 10 year old. Having trouble sharing a Google Doc? My third grader has you covered. Even my kindergartener can get herself in and out of meetings. Being schooled by my 4 year old on how to load his teacher’s YouTube videos was simultaneously a new high and a new low for me. I view my children with a sense of detached amusement

videoconference only to pull down his shirt to reveal a swastika tattoo. This was a new form of anti-Semitism we hadn’t foreseen prior to the pandemic. However, ADL’s Center on Technology and Society immediately engaged Zoom and worked closely with the company’s product and software teams to suggest new features and policies to protect users. In the past few weeks, there have likewise been a number of anti-quarantine protests across the country, some sponsored by identified extremists. A few participants have carried signs affiliated with extreme rightwing ideologies. In Columbus, Ohio, two men displayed a sign labeling Jews as the “real plague” and depicting them as rats.

as they develop preferences, saying things like, “Ugh, I have to take class on the Asus!” and, “The new gaming mouse has far too much sensitivity for when I’m in class.” When they gather around our proverbial water cooler bemoaning a “glitchy” class or teacher who hasn’t figured out how to mute annoying classmates, I have to hide my smiles. I was concerned at first that school going remote and social distance would make my children feel lonely and isolated, but in that respect, too, I worried over nothing. They have leapfrogged over these problems entirely. My older boys independently plan “multiplayer dates” where they “meet up” with friends and explore the worlds of various video games together (on their new PS4). My younger children have Zoom playdates and ballet classes and video calls with family and friends.

Meanwhile, haredi and Orthodox Jewish communities have faced scapegoating and blame for spreading the virus. While there have been some clear violations of social distancing norms, it is wrong to blame the entire haredi or Orthodox community for the actions of a few, as some public officials have done. Even Mayor Bill de Blasio engaged in blatant denigration, tweeting out a warning to New York City’s entire population of 1.1 million Jews in response to the actions of a few. As we face a pandemic of uncertain duration and with no vaccine or cure yet in sight, we must remain vigilant against the age-old virus of hate. We will continue washing our hands, wearing masks and practicing social distancing. And just as important, we must guard against the side effects of COVID-19 which, unfortunately, include the familiar and evolving virus of anti-Semitism. This pandemic has given us all a new view — from what we thought was the safety of our homes — into how anti-Semitic ideas and activity spread and mutate. One day we’ll be able to emerge from our houses and come together again. When we do, all indications suggest that white supremacists on the extreme right and other haters on the extreme left will be ready once more to target Jews and other minority communities. Our challenge will be to strike a balance between resuming our normal lives and being more vigilant. Letting down our face masks can’t mean letting down our guard against the ancient hatreds that threatened the Jewish people before this pandemic and, unfortunately, surely will outlast it. WJW Jonathan A. Greenblatt is CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. —JTA News and Features

While I still feel uneasy that my children’s five hours a week of screen time has now become a daily minimum, it would be foolish not to see the value they are gleaning. What I viewed as a hopeless time sink, they view as life itself, and now more than ever, they aren’t wrong. Watching my children meld so seamlessly into the future shames and inspires me to follow suit. The world is not what it once was and the sooner I allow myself to come to terms with that, the better. I am determined to embrace this new reality and plunge into it with an opened mind. At least if I have any questions, my kids are here to answer them. WJW L.E. Nizhnikov is a fiction writer who lives in Silver Spring, where she is a stay-at-home mother of five. washingtonjewishweek.com 19

feature story

Rosh Hashanah Synagogues are already for socially by Zoom? planning distanced High Holidays

By Rachel Kohn and Josefin Dolsten

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

Some synagogues are already preparing for the possibility that they could be empty during the High Holidays. Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images via JTA Illustrations: haya_p / Getty Images

n Sunday, Rabbi Amy Sapowith was preparing for a meeting of faith leaders with Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s office when she brought up the subject of the High Holidays with members of her congregation. “It is a little premature, but we have just today broached the question for the first time,” said Sapowith, of Beit Chaverim Reform Congregation in Ashburn. “Depending on the degree that stay-at-home orders are relaxed, we will consider accommodating both live, in-person services with a livestream option for those at higher risk, greater distance or just cautious. This is something that many congregations have been providing pre-coronavirus. More than that, we have not discussed.” American synagogues closed their doors in March to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Many expected that several weeks or, at most, a few months would elapse before the pandemic was under sufficient control for in-person religious services to resume. But as the weeks wear on, it is becoming increasingly clear that the resumption of normal activity remains a far-off proposition. Even as a few states begin allowing some businesses to reopen, social distancing guidelines remain in place, and some city officials and public health experts have warned that large gatherings are unlikely to be safe until sometime in 2021. T h a t l e a ve s R o s h Hashanah, which this year begins Sept. 18, as a major question mark. It’s too early to say for sure what things will look like in September, said Stephen Buka, a professor of epidemiology at Brown University. Whether gathering in person will be advisable depends on a number of factors, including how the country’s testing infrastructure develops and if coronavirus infections

rise again as temperatures cool. “Right now, the requirement is that everything be virtual, and I think that wouldn’t necessarily be needed in July, and it’s too hard to say what will be needed in September,” he said. Buka says that even if High Holiday services could be held in person, they wouldn’t be the same as in previous years. Social distancing measures would likely be needed and at-risk groups could be cautioned from going. “I think a very likely scenario to predict at this point is that if you’re over 70, don’t congregate, stay home, and that if families with young children want to come and be socially distanced that could very well be a reasonable compromise,” he said.

How do you pick who attends?

The rapidly changing recommendations and policies around preventing the spread of the coronavirus, which so far has killed more than 68,000 people in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has some synagogues holding off on any decisions just yet. Others are planning for multiple contingencies. Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church usually holds eight services on the first night of Rosh Hashanah, and 3,000 people typically spend some time in the synagogue’s three spaces. “The busiest airport in America is what our building looks like,” said Rabbi Amy Schwartzman. With that experience seeming increasingly unlikely, Schwartzman and the four other clergy members at Rodef Shalom held a scenario planning meeting last month to explore other possibilities — including the fact that the synagogue may have no in-person worship at all due to the coronavirus. “We know that in the worst-case scenario we could provide the congregation with an online worship experience for all the holidays,” she said. Herzl-Ner Tamid, a Conservative synagogue outside Seattle on Mercer Island, Wash., has 750 member families, and the synagogue’s sanctuary can hold up to 1,000 people. “We’re making the assumption that by September it’s not going to be OK to have a thousand people together in one room, so we’re taking that as a starting point,” said the synagogue’s rabbi, Barry Leff. “If they say, ‘Fine, you can have 50 people,’ how do you pick which 50 people get to be the ones that get to be there? Or do you set up a rotation, where people can sign up for an hour-long time slot? It can get very complicated pretty quickly.”

Keeping key experiences

Tikvat Israel Congregation in Rockville has a COVID-19 task force composed of board leaders, synagogue staff and doctors from the congregation. “The consensus after a call 10 days ago was that the likelihood of being able to have 300 people in a room in September is pretty low,” said Rabbi Marc Israel on Sunday. “We washingtonjewishweek.com 21

“We have to rethink how we create a meaningful High Holiday experience: What are the key experiences, and how do you do it in a way that is going to have meaning in the setting?” —Rabbi Marc Israel, Tikvat Israel Congregation

have to rethink how we create a meaningful High Holiday experience: What are the key experiences, and how do you do it in a way that is going to have meaning in the setting?” Until now, the Conservative synagogue offered services twice a day during the week and Kabbalat Shabbat and Havdalah on the weekend, all via Zoom. This week they are starting a “Shabbat friendly” stream of services over the course of the Sabbath, with either the cantor or the rabbi going into the sanctuary and leading from there. Streaming is one-way experience, in contrast with the live interactive environment of a conference platform like Zoom. “One of our concerns is to try not to have a highly passive experience,” said Israel. Streamed prayers give congregants the opportunity to sing along,

but it remains to be seen whether the weekly Torah reading makes the cut in terms of engagement. High Holiday services will pose their own unique challenges. “It’s one thing to have a 45-minute service or even one- or two-hour service, but High Holiday services are typically twice that long,” Israel pointed out. “We’re trying to figure out exactly what it might look like.” Rabbi Joshua Stanton at New York’s East End Temple has been exploring how his community might be able to do certain parts of the High Holiday rituals in person. For example, if officials allow people to gather outside in smaller groups, the Reform synagogue may be able to do tashlich, the ritual where people gather outside to throw bread in a body of water to represent casting off their sins.

In traditional Jewish practice, the shofar is supposed to be heard on Rosh Hashanah without any intervention between the blower and the listener, making a broadcast of the blasts insufficient for some synagogues. Israel is in conversation with the Washington Board of Rabbis to see how many shofar blowers might be available to do neighborhood shofar blowings. “We would create a list of times and spots where that would happen and we would publish it for everybody,” he said. “That would be a kind of neat outcome in terms of bringing people together across synagogue lines.” “I have been in discussions with rabbinic colleagues to think about how to do smaller services if we have to do many of them one after another to accommodate people while social distancing,” said Rabbi Hyim Shafner, who leads the Orthodox synagogue Kesher Israel in Georgetown. “This will take same tweaking within the boundaries of Jewish law to shorten the services; there may even be parts that can be done just by one service on behalf of the entire community, saving time for subsequent services the same day.” “Of course, there’s also the option of having everyone come at once and doing it at the Verizon Center,” he said. “Just kidding.” Rabbi Robert Harris, a professor of Bible at the Jewish Theological Seminary who also serves as a part-time rabbi at Temple Beth Shalom in Cambridge, Mass., made an early and bold plea to his colleagues to cease all live synagogue events in March. He said he expects services to take place via a livestream, but is still figuring out details: for instance, whether members at the nondenominational synagogue will join virtually or whether a minyan (the prayer quorum of 10 people required to say certain prayers) would gather in one place if permissible and the rest would join via livestream. “None of us are prophets,” Harris said, “but I think if we’re not planning for the eventuality that this fall we’re going to still be socially distancing ourselves, then we’re abandoning our responsibilities to our communities.” Sapowitz agreed. “We value medical expertise and will continue looking to take our cues from the experts,” she said. WJW Rachel Kohn is WJW senior writer. Josefin Dolsten writes for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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arts & culture

An antidote for the binge watcher JxJ’s Virtual Cinema streams Jewish and Israeli films along with an art house vibe

By Lisa Traiger Arts Correspondent

inished Netflix today? Even if you haven’t and just want a break from binge watching, Ilya Tovbis wants to see you settled in front of a Jewish or Israeli movie. His Virtual Cinema, out of the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center, is offering to bring quality rather than quantity to your digital device. Think of it as an art house cinema for the mind. “In some ways, film is a natural medium to put online,” said Tovbis, director of the center’s JxJ cultural arts program Not long ago, JxJ was showing films out of Cafritz Hall, a state-of-the-art movie theater at the Edlavitch JCC. When the coronavirus led to shutdowns and stayat-home orders, Tovbis moved the JxJ cinema online. Doing so was not as easy as just hitting play. Tovbis said he had to negotiate numerous rights and permissions with film distributors. Even those in the film business for the long haul had not prepared for the quick shift. But distributors and cinemas got up to speed quickly. Tovbis said his team “worked to replicate, as much as possible on digital, the experience of going to the cinema.” The challenge Virtual Cinema and all cinemas like it face is how to differentiate themselves from streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. “Rather than having a channel with several thousand options all for one subscription fee, which, if you are watching a ton of content, turns out to be quite cheap per individual view, we’re interested in the cinema experience,” he said. The price for tickets ranges from about $7 to $12 — per household. The purchaser has one to three days to screen the film. Each week the offerings change; new films go up on JxJ’s Virtual Cinema website on Thursday mornings and run for about a week. (If you buy a ticket on the final day, you’ll still have the agreed on number of days to watch a film.) Beyond the screenings of off-the-beaten-track films not typically in wide release, art house cinemas are 24

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

prized for their curated film chats. The JxJ Film Club fills that role. Each Wednesday, film watchers meet on Zoom to discuss one film selected in advance from that week’s screenings. Over the past month, this group has been growing steadily, Tovbis reported, drawing up to 30 participants, as newcomers sign in with the now-regulars each week. Often an invited expert in the topic of the film will provide context and commentary, but Tovbis encourages everyone to stop by and chime in, whether they’re a cinephile or just engaging in conversation. The film club is free and each online meeting lasts about 60 to 75 minutes. “The films we play are really unique,” Tovbis said. “A number of them are from Israeli distributors, and some come from our smaller Jewish-focused distrib-

utors.” He pointed out: “These are titles that you would not be able to find anywhere … now we are able to play them virtually.” He hopes film goers and others will discover something intriguing to watch beyond Netflix – and t h e r e’s

For Those Who Value Community Compliation by Frank Wagner; Stills: There are no Lions in Tel Aviv” courtesy of Go2Films; “Defiant Requiem” courtesy of The Defiant Requiem Foundation; “Crescendo” courtesy of Menemsha Films

no need to shop around because all art house cinemas and distributors have

agreed to charge the same amount per ticket. That means if you think a JxJ film might be cheaper at another JCC or art house in another city, that won’t happen. “We want people to feel like this is the way to continue their film-going exposure at a time when all institutions are having to forgo public audiences,” Tovbis said. “Our audiences can continue to support the theater that they otherwise would have normally attended in person.” WJW

Upcoming films on Virtual Cinema This coming week’s releases, May 7 through 14, include family- and youth-oriented selections from the New York International Film Festival Kid Flicks. With two installments — Kid Flicks One’s short films for the youngest viewers, ages 3 and up, and then films for children 8 and up — families can enjoy kid-oriented shorts from more than 10 countries. Among them, the Swiss animated “KUAP” concerns a tadpole who somehow misses out on becoming a frog. When he gets left behind, the tadpole makes some entertaining discoveries. The comic Australian live-action short, “A Field Guide To Being a 12-Year-Old Girl” is called a wry comedy for anyone who is, has been, or has known a 12-year-old girl. Kid Flicks Two, for kids ages 8 and up, aims to provide inspiration to continue the conversation with your kids or grandkids long after the screening is done. The Israeli documentary “Once Upon a Boy,” directed by Uri Levi, in Hebrew with English subtitles, explores challenges a family faces raising their three children. One, Ron, though described as charming and full of life, is losing his mobility to cerebral palsy, while his twin runs freely and plays soccer. When the family seeks a complicated surgery for Ron in the United States, lessons abound about the power to live with one’s fate. The German film, “Crescendo,” loosely inspired by conductor Daniel Barenboim, has been held over for another week. It details the conflicts that a renowned German conductor faces in creating an orchestra comprising Israeli and Palestinian musicians. For information, go to jxjdc.org/virtualcinema.

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food & dining

It’s the perfect time to get into pickling By Sophia Gottfried

ou’ve tried coaxing a sourdough starter to life or braiding a challah, turned speckled bananas into muffins, maybe even churned out sheets of pasta. For those lucky enough to hunker down at home in good health during the coronavirus pandemic, experimenting in the kitchen can be a welcome escape. But what about your produce drawer? If you can’t get your hands on baking staples right now, or are looking for a stay-at-home food project that’s a bit more nutritious, consider pickling and fermenting. By making your own pickles or kraut, you can stretch the contents of your fridge, save wilted fruits and vegetables and make something that lasts for months. You’ll also be leaning into a long, rich tradition embraced by Jewish cultures all over the world, a tradition of preserving foods to last in times of scarcity and uncertainty.

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

“It’s more of a lifestyle” than a recipe, says Jeffrey Yoskowitz, co-founder and chief pickler of The Gefilteria. Pickling and fermenting, says Yoskowitz, who also teaches Jewish food anthropology, is “a way of making sure you don’t waste, using resources to plan ahead,” he says. “If you are someone who does this at home, you always have something to add acidity, freshness, and essential nutrients” to whatever you’re eating. Which is why, he explains, these methods were a bedrock of Eastern European Jewish cuisine for centuries. To survive the long, harsh winters of that region, preserving cabbage, beets, carrots, cucumbers and turnips was key to making it through to the spring. In our current reality, “who knows if and when you can go to the supermarket or what they may have,” says Yoskowitz, co-author of “The Gefilte Manifesto” cookbook. “Things are changing so rapidly,” but if you “pick up a bunch of green beans or turnips or beets or carrots,” you can make them last and have more vegetables between crucial grocery outings. These hearty vegetables were not preserved with vinegar, which many modern pickle lovers may find surprising. Vinegar was rare and expensive in that part of the world. Instead, Ashkenazi Jews used salt in a process called lacto-fermentation, which just requires a brine made from salt and water. The process, an ancient technique discovered in China, came to Eastern Europe in the 16th century via nomadic Turks and Tatars, according to Gil Marks’ “Encyclopedia of Jewish Food.” It was embraced for its low cost, the sour, tangy flavor it created and its ability to keep these foods edible for months. Lacto-fermentation also ups nutritional value, creating good bacteria that studies have shown reduce inflammation, aid digestion and support the immune system. This was also important to staying healthy during those harsh winters. “I like to think you’re improving these foods” by fermenting them, Yoskowitz says, adding that this nutritional boon is especially valuable now, when processed foods and pantry staples may be in heavy rotation. In a time before refrigeration, “it’s hard to underestimate how revolutionary” and critical techniques like lacto-fermentation were for survival, says Emily Paster,

author of “The Joys of Jewish Preserving.” Plus, to make sauerkraut and other simple fermented vegetables, “if you’ve got clean glass jars, salt and a knife,” you’re ready to start, she says. Paster points out that though pickling, fermenting, and preserving vegetables and fruit are more often associated with Ashkenazi Jews (like deli pickles, apple sauce and sauerkraut), “whatever part of the Diaspora you come from, this tradition was there and it goes back centuries.” Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews, despite living in more temperate climates, “made the bounty of the season stretch,” too, she notes, from extending the short apricot season by floating excess fruits in sugar syrup to making sure citrus was on hand all year round by encasing whole lemons in salt to pickled vegetables like the pink turnips ubiquitous in falafel joints today. The Talmud even mentions pickles, stating that one who is about to recite the blessing over bread must have salt and leaftan — a word that comes from the word for turnip that means relish or pickles, Marks’ encyclopedia explains. Of course, flavor also was a reason to preserve. While tangy sauerkraut and root veggies livened up an otherwise bland winter diet for Eastern Europeans, schug, a fiery fermented hot sauce, and

amba, a condiment made from pickled mangoes, added heat and brightness to Middle Eastern and North African dishes, says Yoskowitz. They can do the same for rice, pasta and any other basics we’re relying on heavily during this crisis. For Paster, these techniques are a reminder of how past generations thought about food: rarely was it wasted or taken for granted. In contrast, shopping for and cooking food right now is “a massive wake-up call,” she says, since “we’re used to getting any ingredient we want, any time of the year,” and making as many trips to the store as we need. Yoskowitz agrees. Like much of Jewish food history, pickling and fermenting is about “embracing restraint and restriction,” he says, from Spanish Jews making sausage out of chicken instead of pork or German Jews making a version of challah with potato. Embracing this creativity — while creating something mouth puckering, delicious and nourishing in the process — is inspiring, says Paster. “It’s a connection to an earlier time, to our ancestors,” she says. “It makes you feel good and self-reliant.” WJW Published by The Nosher, a 70 Faces Media brand.

The difference between pickling and fermentation Fermented pickles are made by submerging vegetables in that saltwater brine, causing naturally occurring good bacteria in the air to gradually turn the vegetables’ sugars into lactic acid. That process of creating acid — lacto-fermentation — is why foods fermented with just salt still taste sour. Traditional kosher dill pickles, for example, get their distinctive flavor this way. Vinegar pickles, on the other hand, use, well, vinegar, and sometimes sugar and spices, and are not fermented. When stored in the fridge, they are called quick pickles or refrigerator pickles. What you’ll likely find at the grocery store, though, are vinegar pickles that have been canned in boiling water in order to be shelf-stable. Essentially, fermented pickles just use salt, spurring lactofermentation, while non-fermented pickles are made with vinegar. So not all pickles are fermented. And not all fermented foods are pickled — think yogurt, wine, cheese and sourdough bread. —Sophia Gottfried

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obituaries

Jeffrey Scott Blechman Jeffrey Scott Blechman passed away on April 30 at age 53. He was a 1984 graduate of Winston Churchill High School and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland. He was sensitive, creative, passionate about learning and loved the outdoors, music, watching the Redskins and visiting with his family and their pets. He was a loving son to Iris Burke (Fred Burke) and Richard Blechman (Debbie Blechman). He leaves behind his siblings, Jill Wiechert, Andrew Blechman, Linda Mack, Marci Etman, Craig Burke, Harold Burke and Bernie Burke, along with many nieces and nephews. Donations may be made to the Grassroots Crisis Center, 6700 Freetown Road, Columbia, MD 21044 or grassrootscrisis. org/donate.

Gertrude Dannenberg Axilrod Gertrude Dannenberg Axilrod “Trudy” died on April 10. She was 103. Born in Berlin to Joseph and Cecilie Dannenberg, Trudy and her father fled Germany in 1934 and joined family in Brooklyn, N.Y. She completed high school and took night classes at Brooklyn College. In 1942, she was hired at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, where she met Benjamin Axilrod. Their marriage in 1943 lasted nearly 55 years. Trudy earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from George Washington University in 1944. She taught New Math at Peary High School. She conducted lab research in skin cancer and research documentation at the National Institutes of Health. A lifetime member of Hadassah,

she volunteered as treasurer of a local chapter. She is survived by her children, Marian Axilrod Jensen (David), Edith “Edie” Axilrod Neuman (Mark) and Elaine Axilrod Craig (David); seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Contributions can be made to Hadassah or The American Cancer Society.

Barry Cantor

Barry Cantor, of Silver Spring, passed away on April 25, at the age of 77. He is survived by his loving wife, Natalie Cantor (nee Zelt); children, Adam (Esti) Cantor and Joshua (Heather) Cantor; sister, Gail Sosnov; grandchildren, Aviva, Tzvi, Yair and Shoshana Cantor. He is predeceased by his parents, Bernard and Anita Cantor. Contributions may be sent to the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington, Ohr Kodesh Congregation or Congregation Har Tzeon — Agudath Achim. Services by Sol Levinson and Bros.

Stanley M. Cohen

Stanley M. Cohen, 86, of Chevy Chase, passed away on April 20 after a brave battle against COVID-19. Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, to the late Harry and Mary Cohen, Stan lived in New York, Montreal and, since the late 1970s, the Washington area. He was proud of his three careers: as a teacher in the New York and Montreal school systems; a reporter, editorial writer and associate editor at the Montreal Star; and, for more than 40 years, regulations quality officer at the Department of Education. Stan served on boards of several community organizations, including as

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a lifetime board member of Adas Israel Congregation. He was husband of the late Barbara (Abrams) and Sue Ducat; brother of Annie Sher (Joe); father of Rachel (Jonathan Dinman), Lissa Shorr (Andrew), Norman (Karina Gaige) and Hannah. Grandfather of Robert and Brian Shorr, Bailey and Chloe Dinman, and Eli and William Cohen. Contributions may be made to the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund.

Louann Jacobs Deckelbaum Louann Jacobs Deckelbaum of Chevy Chase, passed away on April 30, at the age of 89. A fourth-generation Washingtonian, she was the beloved wife of the late Nelson Deckelbaum; devoted mother of David Deckelbaum and Todd (Holly) Deckelbaum; loving grandmother of Kyle (Katelyn) Deckelbaum and Paige Deckelbaum (Steven Girson); sisterin-law of Mildred Kipperman (the late Sidney Maites and Bernard Kipperman) and the late Sylvia and Myles Kaye. Contributions may be made to The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, 8270 Alumni Dr., College Park, MD 20742, or to Miriam’s Kitchen, 2401 Virginia Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20037. Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care.

Mollie Edelberg Mollie Edelberg, of Silver Spring, passed away at her home on April 20. She was the beloved wife for 68 years to Nathan Edelberg. She was the devoted mother

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of Caryl (Paul) Rothberg and Barry (Robin) Edelberg; loving grandmother of Ira (Ilana) Rothberg, Danielle (Evan) Margulis, Sarah Edelberg and Brandon Edelberg. She was preceded in death by her brothers, Phil Weiss, Izzy Weiss, Joe Weiss, Lou Weiss and Max Weiss, and sister, Lena Abrams. Donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Karen Maged

Karen Isabelle Maged, of Bethesda, died May 2 after a battle with cancer. She was 78. Karen is survived by her daughter, Hollee Maged Gritz (Steve); her son, David Maged (Marci); her four grandchildren, Micah, Lillie, Jordan and Jacob; and her sister, Susan Lyon. Karen is preceded in death by her sisters Adrienne Kaufman and Marlene Hecht. Donations can be made to The American Cancer Society. Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care.

Leslye Siegel

Leslye Elaine Siegel, of Rockville, died on April 24. She was 83. She was the sister of Daniel Siegel and the late Dr. Stanley (surviving, Bena) Siegel. Also survived by loving family members and friends. Contributions may be made to Rabbi Joel Soffin’s Mitzvah work: Jewish Helping Hands, c/o Soffin, 90 Riverside Rd., #4C, NY, NY 20014, jewishhelpinghands.org. Arrangements entrusted to Torchinsky Hebrew Funeral Home.

d’var torah

The mitzvah to leave grain unharvested is not for farmers only By Rabbi James R. Michael Special to WJW This week’s Torah portion is Emor, Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23.

mor includes a discussion of the various holy times and seasons of the Jewish calendar. These laws are familiar for two reasons. First, there are other places in the Torah that describe when and how the festivals are to be observed. Second, the pertinent verses are read in the synagogue services for every holiday. Starting with Pesach in the spring (which is considered the first holiday in the Jewish calendar), the Torah describes the various sacrificial offerings that were to be brought on each festival, concluding with Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret in the fall. A close reading of the text indicates that these holidays were primarily agricultural. The spring holidays coincide with the harvest of the winter wheat and barley, while the fall holidays celebrate the completion of the summer harvest. In the middle of this discussion of the holidays, the Torah seems to digress and includes a brief passage of supreme ethical importance. Leviticus 23:22 reprises a law instructing the farmers not to harvest the fields completely. Instead of reaping the field from edge to edge, the corners of the field are to be left unharvested. Moreover, the reapers are told not to return after the initial harvest to pick up the grain that has fallen on the ground. The corners and the dropped grain are to be left for the poor. This practice is described in beautiful detail in the book of Ruth. Having returned destitute from their sojourn in Moab, Ruth is instructed by her motherin-law, Naomi, to go to the fields and collect the gleanings. We read how the

owner of the field, Boaz, sees Ruth and takes pity on her, instructing his workers to be extra generous with the unharvested grain. And the full benefits of following this mitzvah are described at the end, when Boaz marries Ruth, thus completing her reward and her family’s salvation. The medieval commentator Rashi quotes a teaching that the reward is continual. He writes that those who observe the mitzvah are considered as if they personally have rebuilt the Temple and have brought the required holiday offerings. The verse’s concluding words, “I am the Lord your God,” confirm that God will fulfill this promise. Since most of us aren’t farmers, we can recapture the spirit of the mitzvah of the unharvested corners by being generous in giving to charity, especially those organizations that help feed the hungry. As the holidays celebrate God’s bounty, we should be mindful of the poor whenever we celebrate special occasions. One last point: The Talmud teaches that even those who receive charity are required to give tzedakah to those who are even less fortunate. Therefore, the spirit of the unharvested corner is a gift that keeps on giving. Let’s be sure to do our part.

Questions for discussion

At the Passover seder, we say, “Let all who are hungry come and eat.” Since it’s unlikely that anyone will come to the door asking to eat, how can we infuse meaning into those words? Weddings and bar/bat mitzvah celebrations can be times of overindulgence. Can we temper that through generosity to charity? WJW Rabbi James Michaels is director of clinical pastoral education at the Charles E Smith Life Communities.

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Alan B. Frankle 751 Rockville Pike Suite #7 Rockville, MD 20852-1142 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Estate No. W102390 To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Ava Hargis Mackay a/k/a Ava H. Mackay Notice is given that Lynne Margaret Mackay-Atha, 1078 Pipestem Place, Rockville, MD 20854 was on April 28, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ava Hargis Mackay a/k/a Ava H. Mackay, who died on March 3, 2020 with a will. Further Information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objections to the appointment or to the probate of the decedent’s will shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 28th day of October, 2020. Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent’s death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent’s death; or (2)Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills. Lynne Maragaret Mackay-Atha Personal Representative True Test Copy Joseph M. Griffin Register of Wills for Montgomery County 50 Maryland Avenue North Tower 3220 Rockville, MD 20850 Date of First Publication May 7, 2020 11466-3T-05-21-20

Bethesda, MD 20814 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Estate No. W102298 To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Joyce Olivia Berger Notice is given that Marc Bluestein, 1402 Lake Norwood Way, Olney, MD 20860 was on March 13, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Joyce Olivia Berger, who died on January 27, 2020 without a will. Further Information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objections to the appointment shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 13th day of September, 2020. Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent’s death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent’s death; or (2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills. Marc Bluestein Personal Representative True Test Copy Joseph M. Griffin Register of Wills for Montgomery County 50 Maryland Avenue North Tower 3220 Rockville, MD 20850 Date of First Publication May 7, 2020 11446-3T-05-21-2020

(2)Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills. Patricia M. Klosky Personal Representative True Test Copy Joseph M. Griffin Register of Wills for Montgomery County 50 Maryland Avenue North Tower 3220 Rockville, MD 20850 Date of First Publication May 7, 2020 11463-3T-05-21-20

Rockville, MD 20850-2085 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Estate No. W102337 To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Douglas M. Everett Notice is given that Mary Josephine Everett, 10500 Rockville Pike, Apt. 813, Rockville, MD 20852 was on April 27, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Douglas M. Everett, who died on January 28, 2020 without a will. Further Information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objections to the appointment shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 27th day of October, 2020. Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent’s death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent’s death; or (2)Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills. Mary Josephine Everett Personal Representative True Test Copy Joseph M. Griffin Register of Wills for Montgomery County 50 Maryland Avenue North Tower 3220 Rockville, MD 20850 Date of First Publication May 7, 2020 11467-3T-05-21-20

dent’s death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent’s death; or (2)Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills. Timothy E. Duggan Personal Representative True Test Copy Joseph M. Griffin Register of Wills for Montgomery County 50 Maryland Avenue North Tower 3220 Rockville, MD 20850 Date of First Publication May 7, 2020 11468-3T-05-21-20

2020. Before the decedent’s death, the decedent created a revocable trust for which the undersigned, James Arthur Stoneman, whose address is 355 Forest Ridge Lane, Foxfire Village, NC 27281, is now the sole trustee. To have a claim satisfied from the property of this trust, a person who has a claim against the decedent must present the claim on or before the date that is 6 months after the date of the first publication of this notice to the undersigned trustee at the address stated above. The claim must include the following information: A verified written statement of the claim indicating its basis; The name and address of the claimant; If the claim is not yet due, the date on which it will become due; If the claim is contingent, the nature of the contingency; If the claim is secured, a description of the security; and The specific amount claimed. Any claim not presented to the trustee on or before that date or any extension provided by law is unenforceable pursuant to Section 14.5-508 of the Estates and Trust Article of the Maryland Code Annotated. James Arthur Stoneman Trustee Date of first publication: April 23, 2020 11368-3T-05-07-20

APPOINTMENT Somerset Wisconsin Ltd (In Voluntary Liquidation) Company Number: 1611605 Notice is hereby given pursuant to Section 204(1)(b) of the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004 that the Company is in voluntary liquidation. The voluntary liquidation commenced on 15th day of April, 2020. The Liquidator is Kerry Graziola of Craigmuir Chambers, PO Box 71, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Local Maryland Contact is: Alan B. Frankle, Esquire, 751 Rockville Pike, Suite 7, Rockville, MD 20852. 15 April 2020 /s/ Kerry Graziola Liquidator Date of First Publication: May 7, 2020 11449-2T-05-14-20 Charles S. Abell Furey, Doolan & Abell, LLP 7600 Wisconsin Avenue Suite 600

David A. Lucas 200-B Monroe Street Rockville, MD 20850 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Estate No. W102407 To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Rita M. Klosky Notice is given that Patricia M. Klosky, 512 Soper Lane, Berkeley Springs, WV 25411 was on April 29, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Rita M. Klosky, who died on February 10, 2020 with a will. Further Information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objections to the appointment or to the probate of the decedent’s will shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 29th day of October, 2020. Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent’s death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent’s death; or

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

Diane K. Kuwamura, Esq. Kuwamura Law Group PA 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 500 Rockville, MD 20852 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Estate No. W93213 To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Philip T. Calder a/k/a Philip Thomas Calder Sr. Notice is given that Andrew J. Calder, P.O. Box 41, Teton Village, WY 83025 was on March 13, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Philip T. Calder a/k/a Philip Thomas Calder Sr., who died on August 12, 2017 with a will. There was a prior small estate proceeding. Further Information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objections to the appointment or to the probate of the decedent’s will shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 13th day of September, 2020. Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent’s death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent’s death; or (2)Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills. Andrew J. Calder Personal Representative True Test Copy Joseph M. Griffin Register of Wills for Montgomery County 50 Maryland Avenue North Tower 3220 Rockville, MD 20850 Date of First Publication May 7, 2020 11444-3T-05-21-20 James A. Mood Jr. 31 Wood Lane

Luann Battersby 20 W. Main Street Box 215 Fairfield, PA 17320 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Estate No. W102392 To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Ellen Kelly Duggan Notice is given that Timothy E. Duggan, 301 E. 69th Street, Unit #10K, New York, NY 10021 was on April 28, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ellen Kelly Duggan, who died on November 6, 2019 with a will. Further Information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objections to the appointment or to the probate of the decedent’s will shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 28th day of October, 2020. Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the dece-

Megan L. McGrew 141 West Patrick Street Suite 300 Frederick, MD 21701 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Estate No. W102300 To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Robert Adams Maxsell Notice is given that Robert Adams Maxsell II, 13663 Sam Hill Lane, Mount Airy, MD 21771 was on March 16, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Robert Adams Maxsell, who died on January 9, 2020 with a will. Further Information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objections to the appointment or to the probate of the decedent’s will shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 16th day of September, 2020. Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent’s death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent’s death; or (2)Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills. Robert Adams Maxsell II Personal Representative True Test Copy Joseph M. Griffin Register of Wills for Montgomery County 50 Maryland Avenue North Tower 3220 Rockville, MD 20850 Date of First Publication May 7, 2020 11445-3T-05-21-20 Notice to Creditors of a Settlor of a Revocable Trust To all persons interested in the Edna Me Stoneman Revocable Trust This is to give notice that Edna Mae Stoneman passed away on January 26,

Notice to Creditors of a Settlor of a Revocable Trust To All Persons Interested in the Simms Family Revocable Trust (the “Trust”) This is to give notice that Raymond A. Simms (the “Decedent”) died on or about February 11, 2020. Before the Decedent’s death, the Decedent created a revocable trust for which the undersigned, David M. Simms is the Trustee. The address for the revocable trust is 14603 W. 49th Street, Shawnee, KS 66216. To have a claim satisfied from the property of this trust, a person who has a claim against the Decedent must present the claim on or before the date that is 6 months after the date of the first publication of this notice to the undersigned trustee at the address stated above. The claim must include the following information: A verified written statement of the claim indicating its basis; The name and address of the claimant; If the claim is not yet due, the date on which it will become due; If the claim is contingent, the nature of the contingency; If the claim is secured, a description of the security; and The specific amount claimed. Any claim not presented to the trustee on or before that date or any extension provided by law is unenforceable. David M. Simms Trustee Date of first publication: April 23, 2020 11367-3T-05-07-20 Paul B. Cromelin III 4910 Massachusetts Avenue NW Suite 215 Washington, DC 20016-2001 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Estate No. W102406 To All Persons Interested in the Estate of John A. Cox a/k/a John Adam Cox Notice is given that Sandy Spring Bank, 17735 Georgia Avenue, Olney, MD 20832

LEGALS was on April 29, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of John A. Cox a/k/a John Adam Cox who died on March 6, 2020 with a will. Further Information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objections to the appointment or to the probate of the decedent’s will shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 29th day of October, 2020. Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent’s death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent’s death; or (2)Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills. Sandy Spring Bank Personal Representative True Test Copy Joseph M. Griffin Register of Wills for Montgomery County 50 Maryland Avenue North Tower 3220 Rockville, MD 20850 Date of First Publication May 7, 2020 11464-3T-05-21-2 Steven W. Jacobson 4550 Montgomery Avenue Suite 775N Bethesda, MD 20814 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Estate No. W102405 To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Robert I. Lipsher Notice is given that Lisa Benjamin Lipsher, 9638 Eagle Ridge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20817 was on April 29, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Robert I. Lipsher, who died on March 9, 2020 with a will. Further Information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objections to the appointment or to the probate of the decedent’s will shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 29th day of October, 2020. Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent’s death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent’s death; or (2)Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills. Lisa Benjamin Lipsher Personal Representative True Test Copy Joseph M. Griffin Register of Wills for Montgomery County 50 Maryland Avenue North Tower 3220 Rockville, MD 20850 Date of First Publication

LEGALS May 7, 2020 11465-3T-05-21-20 Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2019 ADM 1042 Nathaniel R. Wynn Decedent Causton A. Toney, Esq. 606 Powhatan Place NW Washington, DC 20011 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Causton A. Toney, whose address is 606 Powhatan Place NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Nathaniel R. Wynn, who died on April 14, 1995 without a will. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 30, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 30, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Causton A. Toney Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 30, 2020 11410-3T-05-14-20 Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2019 ADM 1162 Phillip B. Cureton Decedent Steven W. Jacobson, Esq. 4550 Montgomery Avenue Suite 775N Bethesda, MD 20814 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Steven W. Jacobson, whose address is 4550 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 775N, Bethesda, MD 20814, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Phillip B. Cureton, who died on February 23, 2000 without a will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 30, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 30, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Steven W. Jacobson Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 30, 2020 11411-3T-05-14-20 Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2019 ADM 1286 Elizabeth A. Smith Decedent Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Paul M. Toulouse, whose address is 1912 Sunderland Place NW, Washington, DC 20036, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of

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Elizabeth A. Smith, who died on April 12, 2017 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment or to the probate of decedent’s will shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 30, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 30, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Paul M. Toulouse Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 30, 2020 11399-3T-05-14-20

of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Jonathan Leo Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication May 7, 2020 11448-3T-05-21-20

Decedent Michael C. Forster 2007 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20001 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Doris A. Johnson, whose address is 1804 5th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Hazel Marie Lyons, who died on January 27, 2020 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment or to the probate of decedent’s will shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 23, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 23, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Doris A. Johnson Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 23, 2020 11358-3T-05-07-20

who died on December 18, 2019 without a will and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 30, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 30, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Ann K. Keating-Aitken Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 30, 2020 11412-3T-05-14-20

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2019 ADM 552 Mary Mori Decedent Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Michelle Tanaka, whose address is 1234 27th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Mary Mori who died on November 30, 2018 without a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 30, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 30, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Michelle Tanaka Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 30, 2020 11406-3T-05-14-20 Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2019 ADM 865 Elmer Ellsworth Brockman Decedent Jonathan Leo, Esq. 4550 Montgomery Avenue Suite 760N Bethesda, MD 20814 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Jonathan Leo, Esq., whose address is 4550 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 760N, Bethesda, MD 20814, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Elmer Ellsworth Brockman, who died on November 27, 2014 without a will and will serve without Court supervision.. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before November 7, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 7, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2019 ADM 878 Winnell R. Baker Decedent Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Kimberly K. Edley,Esq., whose address is 3192 Westover Drive SE, Washington, DC 20020, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Winnell R. Baker, who died on January 17, 2017 without a will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before November 7, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 7, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Kimberly K. Edley Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication May 7, 2020 11441-3T-05-21-20 Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 187 Martin Wiegand Decedent Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Chandler Wiegand and Martin Wiegand III, whose addresses are 4104 Dresden Street, Kensington, MD 20895 and 5209 Andover Road, Chevy chase, MD 20185, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Martin Wiegand, who died on October 13, 2019 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment or to the probate of decedent’s will shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 23, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 23, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Chandler Wiegand Martin Wiegand III Personal Representatives True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 23, 2020 11359-3T-05-07-20 Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 216 Hazel Marie Lyons

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 235 Daniel T. Goggin Decedent William E. Davis, Esq. Jackson & Campbell, PC 1120 20th Street NW Suite 300-S Washington, DC 20036 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Douglas Stanton Goggin, whose address is 12408 Windsor Road, Ocean City, MD 21842, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Daniel T. Goggin, who died on February 20, 2020 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment or to the probate of decedent’s will shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 23, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 23, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Douglas Stanton Goggin Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 23, 2020 11360-3T-05-07-20 Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 239 Jeffrey M. Aitken Decedent Joshua D. Headley, Esq. 1700 K Street NW Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Ann K. Keating-Aitken, whose address is 1706 D Street SE, Washington, DC 20006, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Jeffrey M. Aitken,

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 245 Cesar Augusto Caceres Decedent William E. Davis, Esq. Jackson & Campbell, PC 1120 20th Street NW Suite 300-S Washington, DC 20036 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Jacqueline Williams Schick, whose address is 112 Sheridan Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Cesar Augusto Caceres, who died on February 9, 2020 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment or to the probate of decedent’s will shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 23, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 23, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Jacqueline Williams Schick Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 23, 2020 11361-3T-05-07-20 Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 257 Coralie Farlee Decedent Torrey G. Wilkins 4910 Massachusetts Avenue NW Suite 215 Washington, DC 20016 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Robert A. Gabany, whose address is 389 O Street SW, Washington, DC 20024, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Coralie Farlee, who died on January 12, 2020 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment or to the probate of decedent’s will shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 23, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with

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the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 23, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Robrt A. Gabany Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 23, 2020 11362-3T-05-07-20

Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 264 Louis P. Krach a/k/a Louis Philip Krach, Jr. Decedent Kerri M. Castellini, Esq. Price Benowitz LLP 409 7th Street NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20004 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs David W. Jackson, whose address is 3001 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20007, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Louis P. Krach a/k/a Louis Philip Krach, Jr., who died on January 16, 2020 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment or to the probate of decedent’s will shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 23, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 23, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. David W. Jackson Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 23, 2020 11363-3T-05-07-20

Stephen Hopkins a/k/a Stephen A. Hopkins Decedent Francis E. Fenwick, Esq. 4910 Massachusetts Avenue NW Suite 215 Washington, DC 20016 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Judith Faust Hopkins, whose address is 2801 New Mexico Avenue NW, Apt. 1124, Washington, DC 20007, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Stephen Hopkins a/k/a Stephen A. Hopkins, who died on February 16, 2020 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment or to the probate of decedent’s will shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 30, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 30, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Judith Faust Hopkins Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 30, 2020 11402-3T-05-14-20

Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Felicia Brown, whose address is 1700 Farmgate Road, Kinston, NC 28504, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Lillie Odell Conner, who died on December 9, 2019 without a will and will serve without Court supervision.. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before November 7, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before November 7, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Felicia Brown Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication May 7, 2020 11425-3T-05-21-20

D.C., 20001, on or before October 23, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 23, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Leila A. Odom Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 23, 2020 11366-3T-05-07-20

or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills. Richard Anthony Wilson Personal Representative True Test Copy Joseph M. Griffin Register of Wills for Montgomery County 50 Maryland Avenue North Tower 3220 Rockville, MD 20850 Date of First Publication May 7, 2020 11469-3T-05-21-20

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 260 Eve Persian Decedent Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Julie B. Lazar, V.P., Wells Fargo Bank, whose address is 1300 I Street NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20005, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Eve Persian, who died on January 13, 2020 without a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 23, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 23, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Julie B. Lazar, V.P. Wells Fargo Bank Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 23, 2020 11365-3T-05-07-20 Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 261 John Quincy Liddell Decedent Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Quincy D. Carter, whose address is 4220 9th Street SE, #34B, Washington, DC 20032, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of John Quincy Liddell, who died on December 5, 2019 without a will and will serve without Court supervision.. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 30, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 30, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Quincy D. Carter Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 30, 2020 11413-3T-05-14-20 Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 270 Earl Ravenal a/k/a Earl C. Ravenal Decedent Charles S. Abell, Esq. Furey, Doolan & Abell, LLP 7600 Wisconsin Avenue Suite 600 Bethesda, MD 20814 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Rebecca Ravenal, whose address is 4403 Highland Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Earl Ravenal a/k/a Earl C. Ravenal, who died on August 31, 2019 with a will, and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment or to the probate of decedent’s will shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 30, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 30, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Rebecca Ravenal Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 30, 2020 11401-3T-05-14-20 Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 285

May 7, 2020 | Washington Jewish Week

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 287 Virginia M. Powell a/k/a Mary V. Powell Decedent Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Genelle P. Robertson and Beverly J. Powell, whose addresses are 2111 Ingraham Street, Hyattsville, MD 20782 and 4219 Apple Cider Court, Suitland, MD 20746, were appointed Personal Representatives of the estate of Virginia M. Powell a/k/a Mary V. Powell, who died on January 18, 2020 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment or to the probate of decedent’s will shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 30, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 30, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Genelle P. Robertson Beverly J. Powell Personal Representatives True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 30, 2020 11403-3T-05-14-20 Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 288 Lillie Odell Conner Decedent Jamison B. Taylor 1218 11th Street NW Washington, DC 20001

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 293 Robyn l. King Decedent Lindsey B. Sarowitz, Esq. Handler & Levine, LLC 4520 East West Highway Suite 700 Bethesda, MD 20814 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Fatima Bernstein, whose address is 4506 South Dakota Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20017, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Robyn L. King, who died on September 2, 2019 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment or to the probate of decedent’s will shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 23, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 23, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Fatima Bernstein Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 23, 2020 11364-3T-05-07-20 Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 310 Woodrow Odom Jr. Decedent Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Leila A. Odom, whose address is 2821 31st Place NE, Washington, DC 20018, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Woodrow Odom Jr., who died on April 18, 2017 without a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington,

Superior Court of the District of Columbia Probate Division Washington, D.C. 20001-2131 2020 ADM 39 Lorraine Carey Decedent James E. McCollum, Jr., Esq. McCollum & Associates 7309 Baltimore Avenue Suite 117 College Park MD 20740 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Antonio A. Akinsete, whose address is 14222 Angelton Terrace, Burtonsville, MD 20866, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Lorraine Carey, who died on March 7, 2017 with a will, and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment or to the probate of decedent’s will shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, D.C., 20001, on or before October 30, 2020. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 30, 2020 or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Antonio A. Akinsete Personal Representative True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills Date of First Publication April 30, 2020 11400-3T-05-14-20 Susan Eleff 12305 Kemp Mill Road Silver Spring, MD 20902 Notice of Appointment Notice to Creditors Notice to Unknown Heirs Estate No. W102385 To All Persons Interested in the Estate of Gary Philip Wilson Notice is given that Richard Anthony Wilson, 312 Williams Street, Berlin, MD 21811 was on April 27, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Gary Philip Wilson, who died on March 5, 2020 without a will. Further Information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objections to the appointment shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 27th day of October, 2020. Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent’s death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent’s death; or (2)Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA – CIVIL DIVISION 2020 CA 001964 R(RP) Action Involving Real Property 5220 Dix Street, NE, Washington, DC 20019 (LOTS 09 AND 10 IN SQUARE 5233) LEA C. DOUGLIN, MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC., DONALD SINROD, TRUSTEE, c/o David H. Cox, Esquire and Nathan J. Bresee, Esquire, Jackson & Campbell, P.C., 1120 20th Street, NW, South Tower, Third Floor, Washington, DC 20036, Plaintiffs, v. THE ESTATE OF PRISCILLA JACKSON, c/o Brian L. Kass, Esq., Personal Representative, Kass Legal Group, PLLC, 4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, #434, Washington, DC 20008, and LOUIS BOWMAN, Address Unknown, to be Served via Publication, and ANY AND ALL PERSONS CLAIMING AN OWNERSHIP INTEREST IN OR LIEN UPON 5220 DIX STREET, NE, WASHINGTON, DC 20019 (LOTS 09 AND 10 IN SQUARE 5233), Defendants. ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this proceeding is to, inter alia, quiet title in property described as 5220 Dix Street, NE, Washington, DC 20019 (Lots 09 and 10 in Square 5233) (the “Property”). Pursuant to the Order of the Hon. Shana Frost Matini dated April 23, 2020, it is hereby ORDERED by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, that notice be given by insertion of a copy of this order in The Daily Washington Law Reporter and The Washington Jewish Week, newspapers having a general circulation in the District of Columbia, once a week for three (3) successive weeks, notifying any and all missing or unnamed persons, including, but not limited to Louis Bowman (potentially also known as Lewis Bowman), interested in the above-described property to appear in this Court within forty (40) days following the first date of publication, exclusive of Sundays and legal holidays, to assert a claim and answer the complaint; or, thereafter, this Court will enter a final Declaratory Judgment quieting title to the above-described Property and foreclosing the right of any party to claim an interest in the Property (Lot 9 and Lot 10 in Square 5233) and quieting title in the Plaintiff Lea Douglin, subject to the May 17, 2004 Deed of Trust, recorded June 9, 2004 as Document No. 2004080409 among the Land Records of the District of Columbia, in first lien position and enforceable as against 100% of the Property (Lot 9 and Lot 10 in Square 5233) up to a maximum principal amount of $126,000. Date of First Publication: May 7, 2020 11447-3T-05-21-20

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