Great Metro West 5-14-2020

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NEW JERSEY JEWISH NEWS

G R E AT E R M E T R O W E S T E D I T I O N A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E J E W I S H W E E K M E D I A G R O U P Vol. LXX IV No. 20 | May 14, 2020 | 20 IYAR 5780

njj ew is hnews . c o m

A Shavuot show of unity Synagogues band together, study to include Torah’s take on pandemics Johanna Ginsberg NJJN Senior Writer

Caterers get creative to feed their businesses State & Local 4

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If they can’t come to Friendship Circle, Friendship Circle comes to them State & Local page 4 ➞

Reading in the time of coronavirus Recent books for uplift, inspiration Sandee Brawarsky Special to NJJN

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Coronavirus brings new meaning to a morning prayer

Exit Ramp 23

State & Local Opinion Calendar LifeCycle Touch of Torah Exit Ramp

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read for information, empathy, for gateways to other worlds, and also the pleasure of seeing words put together beautifully, but these days, I’m looking for inspiration.

A book published in Austria in 1946 and now available, surprisingly, for the first time in English, it is remarkably timely due to the wellknown author’s robust optimistic spirit in difficult times.

“Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything” by Viktor E. Frankl, with an introduction by Daniel Goleman (Beacon Press), is a brief, life-affirming book consisting of a series of public lectures delivered by the late psychiatrist in Vienna, 11 months af-

ter he was liberated from Auschwitz.

Frankl gave these talks before he published “Man’s Search for Meaning,” a psychological memoir that has sold more than 16 million copies in 50 languages.

Goleman, a psychologist and author of the 1995 best-seller “Emotional Intelligence” and more recently “Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body” (with Richard Davidson), points out that the book’s title is drawn from a song sung by inmates at some of the four concentration camps where Frankl was imprisoned and his parents were murdered. (His wife was murdered in Bergen-Belsen.) Many prisoners despised the song as they were forced to sing it repeatedly, but others found hope in the lyrics, “Whatever our future may hold:/ We still want to say ‘yes’ to life, / Because one day the time will come — / Then we will be free.”

When asked about how Frankl managed to stay upbeat and resilient when he returned to Vienna after the

Continued on page 8

t’s bring-your-own-cheesecake time as many communities across the state join forces. In some areas as many as eight congregations are working together to provide meaningful study experiences for the holiday of Shavuot, which begins on the evening of May 28, the date corresponding to the holiday’s start on the fifth of Sivan in the Hebrew calendar.

“We felt now, more than ever, we should be striving to offer community programming and look out for the larger community,” said Rabbi Jesse Olitzky of Congregation Beth El in South Orange, one of six congregations participating in joint learning sessions. “We are stronger together. We hold each other up and support each other, especially now. And together, holding each other, we hold up Torah as well.”

Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah, is one of three pilgrimage holidays — the others are Sukkot and Passover.

It is traditionally celebrated by eating dairy foods (think blintzes and cheesecake), reciting the Book of Ruth, and staying up all night to study Torah.

And if you think the ancient Torah has nothing to say about a modern plague, you are mistaken. Many of the planned learning sessions are digging into traditional thought on quarantines, pandemics, and personal space.

All-night or into-the-wee-hours-of-themorning learning, known as Tikkun Leil Shavuot, takes many forms across different congregations. Obviously the in-person tikkun is off-the-table this year, but video conferencing is creating opportunities for shared experiences across a broad swath of geographic locations. Also, Zoom and other apps are neutral platforms, allowing congregations to effectively sidestep any negotiations over which synagogue gets to host classes and events.

Six congregations in four Essex County towns have pooled their resources (and

Continued on page 7

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Knead you more than ever

Local cookbook author Shannon Sarna’s “Modern Jewish Baker: Challah, Babka, Bagels & More” (2017, Countryman Press) was included among eight other cookbooks in a list of the “best bread books for better baking.” The list, which included books from renowned Parisian and San Franciscan bakeries, was compiled by CBS Interactive-owned Chowhound, a resource for foodies.

“It was an incredible honor to be listed among such bread greats,” Sarna, who lives with her family in South Orange, told NJJN. “After so many years of gluten-bashing, it’s great to see people come back around to embrace home bread baking, whether it’s

sourdough, pita, challah, or bagels.”

In its plug, Chowhound wrote that the results from Sarna’s cookbook will be “manna from heaven,” and it praises her combination of “centuries-old techniques and modern twists on familiar favorites.”

In a 2017 story on “Modern Jewish Baker,” NJJN senior writer Johanna Ginsberg wrote that “The goal of the book is not only to break out of conventional baking boxes, but to give users the tools to create what they like.”

Judging by social media posts, baking has “risen” to the top of the list of favorite quarantine pastimes, for some to the point of obsession. So what’s this Jersey baker’s best piece of advice for the newbie kneader?

“Just start and get your hands dirty,” Sarna said. “The best way to learn how to work with dough and bread making is to learn your dough. The more you do it, the better you will get at it and the more your hands will remember the way your dough is supposed to feel.”

Good advice. If only it were that easy (and fun) to find flour and yeast in the supermarket these days. — Shira Vickar-Fox/NJJN

Pandemic punchlines

Did you hear the one about the Zoom lecturer who stayed up all night to arrange the titles in the bookshelf behind him, asking, “Can I risk having Woody Allen’s new memoir in the shot?”

Or the one that goes, “When this pandemic is over, you all will look back on it and have a laugh. Well, not ALL of you.”

Welcome to the brave new world of Covid humor. As the grim death toll slows, comics in New York City are beginning to Funny couple Michelle Slonim and Ben Rosenfeld. test some boundaries.

Upper West Side comic Eitan Levine is making coronavirus jokes on social media and on Zoom even though his grandmother recently died of the disease.

“It’s all very surreal,” Levine said. “She’s a Holocaust survivor and I just found out she smuggled bread between her legs to save people’s lives.” He says coronavirus jokes are fair game “because the outbreak is on everyone’s mind.”

But he stresses that the humor “has to be done the right way.”

Husband-and-wife comedians Ben Rosenfeld and Michelle Slonim of Queens, who have a 2-year-old daughter, said they’ve been ambivalent about doing comedy at such a time.

“At first we said no,” Slonim said. “But as time went on we were approached by some [promoters], and there was clearly a need for some levity…. Humor makes impossible situations slightly more terrible.”

Elton Altman believes that laughter is a form of medicine. From his balcony in Greenwich Village, he’s been doing routines and posting them on Facebook.

“It’s scary times for everyone and people are on edge,” Altman said. “If a joke can take the edge off for a minute, that’s a good thing. Could be better than alcohol.” — Alan Zeitlin/New York Jewish Week CORRECTION — In “Day schools struggle to balance needs of families, budget shortfalls” (May 7) the annual dinner of Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy/ Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston is not “in flux.” The annual event became a Spring Appeal, honoring teachers and staff, with an ad journal.

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Vol. LXXIV No. 20 May 14, 2020 20 Iyar 5780 EDITORIAL Gabe Kahn, Editor Shira Vickar-Fox, Managing Editor Lori Silberman Brauner, Deputy Managing Editor Johanna Ginsberg, Senior Staff Writer Jed Weisberger, Staff Writer Abby Meth Kanter, Editorial Adviser CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Michele Alperin, Jennifer Altmann, Max L. Kleinman, Martin J. Raffel, Merri Ukraincik, Stephen M. Flatow, Jonathan Tobin BUSINESS Nancy Greenblatt, Manager Sales/ Administration and Circulation Nancy Karpf, Senior Account Executive Steven Weisman, Account Executive Lauri Sirois, Classified Sales Supervisor/ Office Manager GRAPHIC DESIGN/DIGITAL/PRODUCTION Clarissa Hamilton, Janice Hwang, Dani Shetrit EXECUTIVE STAFF Rich Waloff, Publisher Andrew Silow-Carroll, Editor in Chief Gary Rosenblatt, Editor at Large Rob Goldblum, Managing Editor Ruth Rothseid, Sales Manager Thea Wieseltier, Director of Strategic Projects Dan Bocchino, Art Director Arielle Sheinwald, Print Marketing Operations Manager Gershon Fastow, Advertising Coordinator

PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT New Jersey Jewish News, an independent voice, seeks to inform, engage and inspire its readers, covering and helping to build community. The Greater MetroWest edition of NJJN (USPS 275-540) is published weekly by the JWMW, LLC, at 1501 Broadway, Room 505, New York, NY 10036. © 2016, NJ Jewish News. All rights reserved. • Periodical postage is paid at Whippany, NJ, and additional offices.

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Kolbo

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State&Local Friendship Circle parades happiness

NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ May 14, 2020

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throughout MetroWest area

Johanna Ginsberg NJJN Senior Writer

O

n Sunday morning, May 10, 13-year-old Shai Nissel, who has a brain injury, and his family gathered outside their West Orange home. First they heard the wail of the sirens, then caught a glimpse of a caravan of cars, vans, police cruisers, ambulances, and fire trucks making their way to their house.

In decorated vehicles, volunteers held up signs, cheered, and called Shai’s name. Ruby Schechner, 21, dressed as Cookie Monster, threw mini chocolate chip cookies to the Nissels from her family’s festive convertible, with blue, orange, green, and purple balloons taped to the doors. Soon after, there was a car featuring two dogs with their heads out of the windows; another was draped in brightly colored squares and rainbow flags and with volunteers wearing sequin hats and

During Friendship Circle parades, executive director Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum often jumps out of his van and dances in front of the families they are visiting.

PHOTOS BY JOHANNA GINSBERG

Mardi Gras beads, holding signs that said “Love.” Police officers, pleased to be part of a celebration instead of

breaking one up, waved and blared their sirens.

And then they were gone, headed

toward another home but leaving wide smiles and cheerful memories behind.

“It’s just a moment to lift their spirits,” said Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum, executive director of the Friendship Circle of New Jersey, which organized the car parade and two others like it in Livingston and Short Hills in previous weeks to reach families stuck at home since the lockdown began. At many of the stops, he would jump out of his van, and dance and move his arms as if throwing hugs to the families. “It just helps them to see familiar faces, and it can make them feel special.”

Headquartered in Livingston, the Friendship Circle of New Jersey, an initiative of Chabad-Lubavitch and The Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, the N.J. headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Movement, offers programming and activities for children and teens with disabilities, respite for their families, and volunteer and educational opportunities for

Changing with the coronavirus times Edison caterer expands delivery, offers healthy kosher cuisine Michele Alperin NJJN Contributing Writer

L

ike many businesses during the Covid-19 crisis, Naturally Kosher, a catering business that focuses on healthy food and local produce, was forced into a corner when the pandemic drove several of its product lines to a halt, including school lunches and catering for kiddushes, in-home events, and parties — including a bat mitzvah celebraCoronavirus tion for 200 people. And many people, according to Michelle Berger of Edison, who owns the business with her husband, Aleksandr, “don’t realize there is a shortage of meat and there’s going to be a bigger shortage.”

To adjust, Naturally Kosher expanded the range of its free deliveries of Shabbat meals and added midweek meal options and vegan fare.

It’s challenging to change on the fly, but change is nothing new to Berger. Before she started Naturally Kosher, she had been catering private, high-end events as a side business on and off for a dozen years. But she and Aleksandr turned in a new direction based on what they had learned from their previous business, which they had to close.

Michelle Berger, her husband, Alex, and their two daughters.

“During that time we really recognized that a lot of people out there, regular working-class people, have no options. Nothing is being offered to them,” PHOTO BY ALEX BERGER

she told NJJN. Berger had very positive memories of the familyowned-and-operated farms she had been familiar with growing up in Highland Park. She had also long been dismayed at available kosher meals. “There is pretty much no decent Shabbos takeout food to find,” she said.

“Everything is covered in sugar, mayo, salt, and a halfpound of chicken bouillon powder, and that’s not food!

There’s no reason why we should get the short end of the stick, the lesser-quality food.”

Naturally Kosher reflects all these influences and a strong belief in healthy food. They use local produce to keep their carbon footprint low, when possible they use organic food to avoid herbicides, and they try not to cook with preservatives or flavorings like bouillon powders. Also, Shabbat meals, which must be ordered by noon Wednesday, are cooked from Thursday night into Friday.

“We need to have food that is affordable and really, really fresh — not cooked on Tuesday,” Berger said.

Their use of social media and online-payment options that avoid credit card fees has saved them money and helped them get through the crisis to this point, and they have been delivering easily warmed food for

Continued on page 6

teens. Its recently opened LifeTown, a 53,000 square-foot “town square” for teens and adults with autism and other disabilities, includes essentials like a grocery store and bank, and recreational activities like a bowling alley and a zero-entry swimming pool.

The Friendship Circle serves about 350 families annually, and Grossbaum has tried to keep as much of the programming as possible going during the Covid-19 pandemic, bringing programs like music and cooking online and sending art packages home along with Shabbat meals and activities. But as he pointed out, the lockdown can be particularly difficult for families with children with disabilities, since the kids lose the structure they have come to rely on, along with the social interaction those programs provide.

Inspired by the local police and fire trucks who were offering to come by people’s homes for birthdays and other occasions, he called Livingston and other towns to see if they would participate in a Friendship Circle parade. It was not a hard sell — the West Orange township even decided to use the idea to promote Autism Awareness Month, which they had missed in April.

Shimon Nissel said that after the parade featuring police cruisers, an ambulance, and fire truck, his son Shai mimicked the sound of the sirens for the rest of the day.

“Despite the limiting circumstances of home confinement, we want to take a moment to remember Autism Awareness in a meaningful way,” said West Orange Mayor Robert D. Parisi in a prepared statement. “The car parade will not only show support, but it will be a focal point of civic pride for the entire West Orange community.”

The lockdown has been particularly difficult for the Nissel family. Shai, who uses a wheelchair and is mostly

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nonverbal, from complications from a seizure he had when he was about 2 years old, is, as his father Shimon put it, “bored out of his mind.” Usually Shai has a variety of activities throughout the week, including Sundays with Friendship Circle swim therapy twice a week at the Horizon School in Livingston; a visit from Ben, a Friendship Circle teen volunteer, every Shabbat afternoon; and other events from the Friendship Circle, like the megillah

reading the Nissels attended on Purim. But once N.J.’s stay-at-home order was issued, there was no swim therapy, no Friendship Circle, and no Ben. According to his father Shai has barely left the house since the start of the lockdown, and he spends most of his time on an iPad or bowling at home with plastic pins. As a result, there is little respite for the rest of the family.

And although the parade by their home lasted just a few minutes, the family built up the event to get Shai excited, and Shimon said that for the rest of the day his son mimicked the sounds of the siren. “It made his day,” said Shimon.

Including the Nissels, the parade visited 10 families in West Orange. At Eitan Minsky’s house, Jack the dog got into the action, and after the parade passed, Eitan commented that he really like the ambulances and the fire trucks, which often “rescue cats from trees.”

The parade ended at the home of Yitzi Rosenbaum, and he and his mom had their own sign ready for the volunteers: “We miss and love you Friendship Circle!” ■ jginsberg@njjewishnews.com

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State&Local

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State&Local Caterer

Continued from page 4 people recovering from Covid-19 or otherwise in need. Berger is also trying to help her customers with other foodrelated problems, from stress eating to lack of cooking skills.

“Our whole thing is everyone needs to do their part to get through this,” she said.

All of the Bergers’ parents are Carpathian immigrants; Alex is the child of a Holocaust survivor and Michelle is a grandchild of survivors. “All of my grandparents had numbers,” she said.

From age 9 Berger knew she would be a caterer, but her parents insisted that she go to Rutgers University and get a degree in psychology, which she did.

“Being a good Carpathian girl, I was doing what my parents wanted,” she said.

As she couldn’t go to her dream school, Johnson and Wales University College of Culinary Arts, she arranged for what amounted to an apprenticeship with a caterer she knew, bartering work for training. She was also expanding her horizons. For example, she convinced a fellow student, who was German but from Jamaica, to teach her how to make

Boxed lunches for the last bat mitzvah kiddush Naturally Kosher catered before the stay-at-home order, featuring vegan grilled vegetable wraps and grilled chicken wraps, a salad, brownie, and fruit cup so congregants wouldn’t have to share utensils.

PHOTO BY MICHELLE BERGER

a food she was eating that “smelled amazing.” Or reaching out to her mother’s best friend, who was from Georgia, to teach her how to make the authentic Bukharan lamb plov (not the Carpathian version).

“There are certain nuances you are not going to learn except from a person

who has been doing it for generations,” Berger said.

In her early 20s, soon after she and Alex, a master butcher, were married, both worked for the Rubashkin family’s meat business. Once, when they were working unusually long hours just before a holiday, they came home at 11 p.m. to an empty fridge. Michelle went to ShopRite, the only store open, to pick up cottage cheese and crackers.

“I see all this oven-ready stuff in the treif section,” she said. “As I’m looking at this, I’m thinking, ‘I’m a wife, a mom, I work full-time and plus — how come I don’t have access to this?’”

So at age 23, she met with Sholom Minkowitz, son-in-law of Aaron Rubashkin, and proposed developing an

entire line of prepared kosher foods. He accepted her proposal and brought her in to develop it.

Despite the creative modifications to their business during the pandemic, Berger said some weeks they still struggle.

“You start to worry, but I feel like my husband and I have pulled through so much already together in our wonderful 20 years,” she said.

She told NJJN they have learned from their challenges over the years, and with so many Holocaust survivors in their family, “we have literal genetic strength running through our veins. They have survived the worst humanity had to offer. If they survived that, we can survive anything.” ■

Large event caterer turns to small meal delivery SHIMON NISSEL runs the food service at Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy/Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston and caters events like b’nei mitzvah and engagement parties through his company, Parties by Shimon/Shimtal Caterers, which is under supervision of the Vaad Harabonim of MetroWest. But with news in March of school closings and large celebrations canceled, Nissel spent three days scrubbing the kitchens at the day school to eradicate any traces of the virus, then used the facility to cook dinners on Tuesdays and Thursdays and deliver the food to customers in the Livingston, West Orange, and Springfield areas.

Although the deliveries help keep his business going, he is struggling, he said, in part because many other restaurants are providing similar services.

“We were busy in the beginning, but now it is slowing down,” he told NJJN. The downturn in orders is only one of Nissel’s challenges. With Camp Deeny Riback, affiliated with JCC MetroWest, undecided on whether to cancel its summer sessions, his summer gig is up in the air, and with the school closed for the remainder of the year, Nissel must either refund the $40,000 that parents prepaid for lunches or apply the payments to next year’s meals with the parents’ permission.

On the positive side, Nissel was the go-to caterer for at least two community efforts during the pandemic.

He prepared more than 400 meals for health-care workers and staff at the

Shimon Nissel prepares food to thank health-care workers at medical facilities, a project organized by the West Orange/Livingston Chesed Group.

PHOTO COURTESY SHIMON NISSEL

Daughters of Israel nursing facility and the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, both in West Orange, and Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. This was a project of the newly formed West Orange/Livingston Chesed Group.

He was also hired by Jewish Family Service of MetroWest NJ to prepare Shabbat meals for homebound seniors and Holocaust survivors. He did this at cost, or close to it.

Nissel also secured a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan through the Paycheck Protection Program to enable him to pay his employees for eight weeks, but the funds only apply going forward, leaving him on the hook for $35,000 in salaries he paid his employees during the first six weeks of school closure.

— MICHELE ALPERIN

Shavuot

Continued from page 1 talent) to present eight sessions on the night of May 28, covering everything from lost love and healing in the Book of Ruth to Jewish views on the afterlife. Clergy from all of the congregations will open the evening leading a joint Maariv service.

The congregations affiliate Conservative, Reform, and independent; Conservative Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn is a co-sponsor, but its clergy will not participate because of prohibitions on the use of electricity during Shabbat and holidays.

At least three Union County congregations, Reform and Conservative, are putting together a joint learning experience, with topics including the poetry of Yehuda Amichai and songs of comfort. As it happens, the rabbis had talked about a similar plan pre-Covid-19, but they hadn’t worked out the logistics, according to Rabbi Howard Tilman of Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains.

“It’s a chance to have more people learning from more teachers, for lay people to learn from people they don’t normally get to learn with and a chance to build community across synagogue lines,” said Tilman. The joint event builds on past collaborations around Selichot, a prayer service held before Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. Other Union County synagogues participating include Temple Emanu-El in Westfield and Temple Beth-El Mekor Chayim in Cranford.

Rabbi Melinda Panken of Temple Shaari Emeth in Manalapan said that given the circumstances, multiple synagogues collaborating on joint online study programs could provide people the opportunity “to really dig in” on Torah study.

In Monmouth County, the collaboration involves 10 rabbis at eight synagogues, representing four towns: Aberdeen, Manalapan, Marlboro, and Old Bridge. The event has been dubbed, “Two Tablets, Two Days: Ten Rabbis Teach Ten Commandments.” The congregations are affiliated with the Conservative and Reform movements.

“While collaboration is always positive, especially this year we wanted to show unity — we are stronger together,” said Rabbi Michael Pont of Marlboro Jewish Center.

The sessions are being held Thursday via Zoom, May 28, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. and Friday morning from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with a half-hour focused on each commandment.

Rabbi Melinda Panken of Temple Shaari Emeth in Manalapan came up with the idea of having many rabbis teach while she and Pont brainstormed ways to make the experience meaningful “and give

Online learning in honor of Shavuot SOME DENOMINATIONAL organizations are hosting virtual study sessions: Orthodox Union. “Vayichan,” a worldwide pre-Shavuot tikkun, held on Sunday, May 24, 10 a.m.2:30 p.m., in partnership with Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem.

More than 60 speakers, including rabbis and educators, in a variety of sessions that will change every 30 minutes. Visit hakotel.org.il/ vayichan.

R a b b i n i c a l A s s e m b l y.

The Conservative movement livestreams its first Tikkun Leil

Shavuot on Thursday, May 28, 9 p.m.-9 a.m., featuring keynote addresses, panels, discussions, and music. Some pre-recorded material is also available for congregations holding a pre-Shavuot tikkun. Visit rabbinicalassembly.org/tikkun-leilshavuot-torah-coast-coast.

Union for Reform Judaism.

The Reform movement’s Tikkun Leil Shavuot will be held Thursday, May 28, 8 p.m.-midnight. It will be an evening of learning, music, prayer, and poetry. Registration required; visit urj.org/calendar/reformmovement-tikkun-leil-shavuot.

people the opportunity to really dig in,” she told NJJN. The other participating congregations are Temple Beth Ahm and Temple Shalom in Aberdeen, Temple Beth Shalom in Manalapan, Congregation Beth Ohr in Old Bridge, Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls, and Temple Rodeph Torah in Marlboro. While some of the congregations have paired up at times for joint programming, none have taken on collaboration with so many other colleagues. “I guess we could have done it before, but it never occurred to us,” said Panken.

“And that leads us to the question of what can be done after Covid.”

Other congregations in the state are planning online programs but flying solo, and study sessions for those who eschew the use of computers on a holiday will occur in the days leading up to the holiday, or in some cases, just before it starts.

At Congregation Sons of Israel in

Manalapan, Rabbi Robert Pilavin will lead a pre-Shavuot tikkun on May 28 at 6:45 p.m. via Zoom on the topic: “Kohen, Coronavirus, and the Quarantine: A Torah approach to epidemics.” Rabbi Mark Mallach of Congregation Beth Ahm Yisrael in Springfield will be teaching May 28, 8-10:30 p.m., on the concept of personal space expressed by the idea of four cubits in the Babylonian Talmud. And at Congregation Ohr Shalom-The Summit Jewish Community Center, its second annual Shavuot Night Live has been moved to Zoom with programming for adults and children. The full night of study features both serious engagement with Torah and the lighter side (such as wine tasting, Jewish yoga, or trivia on Jews in sports). Some learning sessions with particular relevance to this year have been added, like one on anxiety in children during lockdown.

Collaboration for Shavuot is not actually unique in New Jersey.

Montclair-area synagogues have been holding a joint tikkun for years, and they continue this year online; and in Morristown, eight synagogues and a day school have collaborated several times — last year the group expanded to include local Israelis and Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ. Said Panken of Temple Shaari Emeth in Manalapan: “On Shavuot when we say we are all standing together on Sinai, for all of us to be studying together and seeing each other’s faces and not be alone — I think that will be really powerful.” n jginsberg@njjewishnews.com

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8

entire ad and we’ll take care of the rest - including Arts announcing your gift with a handsome greeting card sent ■ one from column B in his voice, and says, “You in advance. At prices this low, every occasion is theand perfect Reading know which way I lean.” ard to get more inspiring than Danny Siegel, Continuedto fromgive page 1 a gift subscription time to The Jewish Week.A beautiful young princess from distinguished the author, lecturer, poet, and tzedakah activ- Norman stock elopes with the rosh yeshiva’s son. The war, given all he had experienced, Goleman told NJJN, ist who has been spreading compassion and young lovers flee their hometown in northern France, Why not itperson, today?

“I think he was a verydo unusual to say the least; generosity for more than five decades. one step ahead of her father’s pursuing knights. Then

H

for one, he seemed to have an extraordinary capacity for forgiveness.”

He added, “Of course, the whole question of finding purpose in life, despite overwhelming negative circumstances, is very profound. That became his major message over the rest of his life.”

For Frankl, every crisis includes an opportunity.

He speaks of giving life deeper meaning through serving others, through loving, and through the way we react to suffering. Some of Frankl’s notes for the lectures that became this book were jotted down on stolen slips of paper during his last nights in a concentration camp, battling typhoid fever. He died in 1997 at age 92.

While the timing of the book’s publication and the pandemic are coincidental, Goleman sees parallels with “the way we are now struggling with our world being turned upside down,” but makes clear that the current situation is nowhere near as horrific as what Frankl faced.

These days, as many Jews count the Omer, or number of days between Pesach and Shavuot, Frankl’s Give A Gift Subscription To:we are trying to make words particularly resonate, as the days count, to fill them with meaning.

Over the years, Siegel has brought international attention to many “mitzvah heroes” — unsung figures working modestly, including ill OU Oust Shul a woman who rescuesWabandoned s With Women Cl ergy?

Concern whether babies with Down syndrome from visits to four congregations will lead to com promise or punitive acti on.who institutionalization; someone organizes pony rides for blind Lrabbi’s wife Trump’s Fir children; astYemenite Trip: Into Belly Of Th e Beast insym who helps the city’s WillJerusalem Mideast swing move past bolism and peacemaking? poor and into elderly — and encouraged many I to support them and to initiate their own creative acts of kindness.

Through the Ziv Tzedakah Fund, On A Jam With which he founded in 1981 and ran Ro ller Derby’s MO Ts raised mostly Got ham27 Girls Jew for years, ish jammersSiegel and blockers talk abo ut getting up off the faith, pride and deck. small donations and gave away more than $13.5 million dollars.

I “Ziv” means light or radiance.

“Radiance: Creative Mitvzah Living” by Danny Siegel, edited by CELEBR ATE RUSA LEM Rabbi Neal JE Gold, with a foreword May 21, 2017by Rabbi Joseph ZAMIR HORALE Call 212-870-3335 ZAMIR NODCED HAZAMIR Telushkin (Jewish Publication Society), is a collection of Siegel’s prose and poetry from the last 50 years. The pieces range from very practical ideas about giving wisely to the study of related Jewish texts and philosophy; his poetry is full of insight and the light of Jerusalem streets.

Apt. No. An early practitioner of microphilanthropy, Siegel, now 76, has helped innovative causes in Israel, the U.S., and around the world, including a school for child laborers in Asia, recognizing that no project and no contribution is too small. An idealist, he has helped generations of American Jews find meaning in acts of lovingkindness. the book is not a memoir, Apt.While No. readers will come to understand Siegel’s optimism and impact. In 2008, when he decided to close the doors of Ziv, he told Gary Rosenblatt, former editor in chief and now editor at large of The New York Jewish Week, that he saw himself not Your & Address: as a hero but as aName matchmaker, connecting “authentic people” who wanted to give with “authentic people” Name doing extraordinary work.

the first Crusade erupts and things get really hairy. A farfetched fable, you say? What if I told you a letter in the Cairo Genizah recounts this fantastic story! In “The Convert” (Pantheon), Stefan Hertmans displays the Genizah letter and weaves an unforgettable tale of two starcrossed lovers on the run as Europe explodes in the First Crusade. I had thought that the Genizah was limited to medieval responsa and bills of lading. Now I know it also contains a tragic love story for the ages.

If history straight-up is your thing, and even if not, “Hitler’s First Hundred Days: When Germans Embraced the Third Reich” (Basic Book) by Peter Fritzsche is must reading. In the course of barely 100 days, Hitler became the most popular dictator of the 20th century. How did the Nazis do it? Fear and violence, sure, but also a perverted moral calculus that preserving life meant destroying it, that the Germans were about to perish unless the Jews were deName stroyed. The Nazis made brilliant use Give a gift subscription to of mass media, including radio and Address help a friend or relative stay film. My favorite banner displayed connected in this crisis in a Hitler propaganda film: “Go and City/State/Zip Drain the Scandal Sump, Hitler is SUBSCRIPTION RATES FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS Our Trump.”

GREATER METROWEST EDITION Provide an e-mail address and get our online newsletter FREE! As a little boy coming home from OUT OF STATE IN STATE shul one Shabbos morning in Crown Give Amailing Gift Subscription address (within U.S.) address mailingTo: Heights, Brooklyn, in the mid-’60s, I 1 year $56 1 year $52 was mauled by a German shepherd a 2 years $92 2 years $84 group of kids unleashed on me. Ever Name 3 years $136 3 years $125 since, I have been uneasy around Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery of first issue. 52 issues/year. dogs. Is this the one childhood trauma Address Please fill out the form below.

I never got around to telling my wife City/State/Zip about? This can be the only explaName of Gift Recipient nation for the culture editor (reader, Provide an e-mail address and get our online newsletter FREE! I married her) assigning me “Other Address of Gift Recipient Apt. No. People’s Pets” (Celadon) to review.

R. L. Maizes’ novel conjures up a young woman who City/State/Zip 1. No. of subscriptions $36 ea. relates more to dogs than to people, and when not in Your Name veterinary school, spends her time burglarizing homes with her locksmith-gonif father Zev, who has raised 2. Total order =$ Your Email and/or Phone Number her after her mother abandoned her as a child when she Address Apt. No. Choose subscription rate: fell through the ice while skating, only to be saved by a ■ year 2 years 3 years 3. Choose 1payment method: mysterious dog. Sounds farfetched, to say the least, but City/State/Zip Choose payment method: or a different perspective, I turned to my husband Maizes, whose debut story collection “We Love Anan e-mail address and gettwo our strategies online newsletter BarryProvide Lichtenberg, who offers for FREE! derson Cooper” was published to acclaim last summer, book lovers waylaid at home due to the Covid-19 brings this unusual story to vivid life. I found myself Card Number Expiration Date Card Number Exp. Date crisis: TheSend Tisha To: b’Av approach, aka the “you-think- caring deeply about the characters, even the two-legged Check Enclosed (made Check Enclosed this-is bad” strategy.1501 ReadBroadway, a book, fiction nonfiction, ones, and unable to put the book down. After the panSuiteor 505, New York, NY, 10036 Signature payable to JWMG, LLC.) that makes you count your lucky stars for living in the demic is over, the first time I pass a dog on a leash, I *Savings off regular $49.00 subscription price. Please allow up to 4 weeks for delivery of first issue. www.thejewishweek.com Please mail to: NJ Jewish News - Subscriptions 05P17 U.S. today and not, say, medieval France at the start will try to pet it and not walk the other way. A small, 1719 Route 10, Suite 307 Parsippany, NJ 07054 of the First Crusade. Or, the Purim perspective. Read non-barking, leashed dog. ■ a book that’s fun, if a bit offbeat, with a hopeful, if not Questions? Contact Nancy Greenblatt at entirely happy, ending.

Sandee Brawarsky is culture editor for The New York ngreenblatt@njjewishnews.com. Or order online at njjewishnews.com/subscribe-to-print GMW He offers a sampling of two books from column A Jewish Week, NJJN’s sister publication. www.thejewishw eek.com

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President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu the White House at in February. Witho ut a clear Mideast Trump’s upcoming policy, visit raises many questions. G E T T Y I M AGES

Israel Looms Betw Macron And Jews een Int’l 26

Rama Burshtein On Her New Film

Arts 27

29 Arts Guide 30 Travel

31 Sabbath

Joshua Mitnick Contributing Edito r

t was a thorn in U.S.-Israel relations for years.

Right or wrong, former President Barack Obama’s decision, right at the start of his presidency, to visit Muslim nations around the Middle East while skipping Israel was seen

as an affront and vote of noconfidence in the U.S. ally. By the time Obama did visit in the first months of his second term, the scar had never healed.

Now, in a contra st with his predecessor, Presid ent Donald Trump is plann ing a quick swing through Israel first trip abroad since on his his inauContinued on page 23

Gary Rosenbla tt Editor and Publi sher

ess than three month s after the Ortho dox Union issued a halachic prohibition against women serving in clerical roles, three leader s of the influential nation al body have begun meeti ng with the rabbis of the four OUmember synagogues in the U.S. that employ women clergy, The Jewis h Week has learned.

Some believe the visits may be a first step toward Between punitive The Lines m e a sures, and possible expul sion, Rabba Sara for congregations Hurwitz: “Glad to that do know that the OU is finally not conform with meetthe OU’s ing a few of [Yeshivat Maha Continued on page rat’s] 7 graduates.”

Y E S H I V AT M AH A R AT

Hannah Dreyfus Staff Writer

f you want to play roller derby, you better get comf ortable with gettin g knocked down.

The same goes for being Jewish, said Gotham Girls roller derby skater Dara Fineman, who goes by the treif but lovably campy monik er Hebrew Ham Lin-

coln on the track.

“To play derb y, you have to be tough .

A recent practice You have to have in Williamsburg: a Wearing religion pads. H A N N A H D R E Y F thick skin, so you on their US/JW can get back up again when you fall down ,” said Fineman, 28, Fineman — who who joined the Gotha paints a Star of David m over her left Girls league in Febru eye — is not the only ary. “Those are Jewplayer to ish traits. As a people proudly sport her , we fall down but Judaism on the oval. we 102-player keep surviving.”

The league, which is ranked No. 1 Contin ued on page 20

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‘Kafka’s Last Trial’ garners prestigious Rohr Prize Benjamin Balint’s work chronicles the controversial trial in Israeli courts that determined the fate of the great writer’s manuscripts Sandee Brawarsky Special to NJJN

B

enjamin Balint has been named the winner of the 2020 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for “Kafka’s Last Trial: The Case of a Literary Legacy.”

The premier award in Jewish letters, which includes a cash prize of $100,000, is given annually, in alternating years for fiction and nonfiction, to “an emerging writer who demonstrates the potential for continued contribution to the world of Jewish literature.”

Balint’s book, described as “masterful”

by Cynthia Ozick, is an account of the controversial trial in Israeli courts that determined the fate of Franz Kafka’s manuscripts.

Balint’s reporting digs deeply into the complex historical, legal, ethical, literary, and political layers of the question of rightful ownership of art.

Balint, 44, a writer and translator based in Jerusalem, is also the co-author, with Merav Mack, of “Jerusalem: City of the Book” and author of “Running Commentary.” A library fellow at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem, he has written for The Wall Street Journal and The Weekly Standard, and his translations from the Hebrew have appeared in The New Yorker. He has taught literature at the Al-Quds Bard College of Arts and Sciences in east Jerusalem.

Finalists for this year are Mikhal Dekel for “Tehran Children: A Holocaust Refugee Odyssey”; Sarah Hurwitz, former speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama, for “Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life — in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There)”; and Yaakov Katz for “Shadow Strike: Inside Israel’s Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power.” Each finalist will win a prize of $5,000.

This is the first year that the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature is operating independently of the Jewish Book Council, now under the direction of Debra Goldberg, who is based in Israel.

“We are very appreciative of the wonderful foundation established during years of affiliation with the Jewish Book Council and admire the outstanding work that the JBC is doing,” said George Rohr, a New York businessman very involved in the Jewish community and the son of the late Sami Rohr.

“Following the bar mitzvah year of the

Benjamin Balint is winner of the 2020 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature.

Sami Rohr Prize, entering the age of maturity, we made a decision to forge a new independent identity and foster a more inter-

national presence with a global perspective on Jewish literature.”

The prize was established by the family of Sami Rohr to honor him on his 80th birthday.

A European-born businessman from Bogota, Colombia, Rohr spoke five languages and read passionately in all of them. A man who filled his home with books and loved Jewish learning, he took great satisfaction in nurturing talent among the young people he worked with in business and as a leader in the Bogota Jewish community. The first prize was awarded in 2007; Rohr died in 2012.

Past winners include Michael David Lukas (“The Last Watchman of Old Cairo,” 2019), Ilana Kurshan (“If All The Seas Were Ink,” 2018), Ayelet Tsabari (“The Best Place on Earth,” 2015), and Matti Friedman (“The Aleppo Codex,” 2014).

All four authors will be honored at a virtual ceremony later this year. ■

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Arts

Editorial

NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ May 14, 2020

10

S

The high price of annexation

ecretary of State Mike Pompeo was to meet this week with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, and the agenda items were to include an apparent, if qualified, green light from the Trump administration for annexing parts of the West Bank. Under the power-sharing deal between Likud and Blue and White, Netanyahu can and may well move ahead, by July 1, with a plan to annex the Jordan Valley and all of the West Bank’s Jewish settlements — some 30 percent of the territory beyond the Green Line.

Israel is a sovereign democracy, and the decision is its own to make. American Jews have deep attachments to Israel, and strong opinions, but no vote in Israel’s internal affairs. That being said, annexation would drastically configure Israel’s diplomatic, political, security, and foreign affairs. It is important that Jews here, and leaders there, understand the implications for their own relationship.

Proponents of annexation see it as a fulfillment not only of 70-plus years of Israeli statehood but thousands of years of Jewish history and longing. Extending sovereignty over historic Jewish lands settles the unresolved status of nearly 50,000 settlers and, they say, is consistent with international law. Israel needs defensible borders, especially in its narrow heartland, and no viable peace plan envisions Israel giving up the large settlement blocs included in that 30 percent. The cold water of annexation might also force Palestinians to negotiate in good faith over the land and issues that remain.

Opponents of annexation point to the map, which shows a leopard-skin pattern of Jewish and Palestinian enclaves under the new plan that would make Palestinian statehood impossible. Annexation would alienate a host of players:

European governments that might then recognize Palestinian statehood; Arab frenemies, like Jordan and Saudi Arabia, who share with Israel a mutual disdain for Iran; and many Americans, including what could, come November, be a Democratic administration committed to the two-state solution.

American Jews are divided on the issue: Most say that they support a twostate solution and a negotiated settlement. A vocal and influential minority back the settlements and consider two states a pipe dream. Wherever you fall on the question, annexation would make it incalculably harder for Israel to solve one of its biggest dilemmas: continued military and legal control over a population of non-citizens. There are good reasons this issue remains unsolved — chief among them the Palestinian leadership’s refusal to accept anything less than their maximalist dreams. Most Israelis would support a Palestinian state if the other side were to signal a real commitment to peace.

Nevertheless, American Jews are devoted to the idea of a Jewish democratic state in the Middle East. Such a state reflects their values and makes Israel an easy sell to their neighbors and to policymakers. The gaps between the Jewish majority here and the rightwing government in Israel are apparent and well-known. Annexation would make those gaps even wider, and perhaps unbridgeable.

Israelis have no obligation to make diaspora Jews feel comfortable with their security decisions. Yet, whether we consider annexation bold and just or unwarranted and reckless, no one who loves Israel can ignore the consequences of an action that has the potential to reshape a relationship between Israel and American Jews that has allowed both communities to thrive and flourish. ■

An action that

has to potential to reshape a

relationship

between Israel and American Jews.

Letters to the Editor ‘Unprecedented’ day school program

In “Day schools struggle to balance needs of families, budget shortfalls” (May 7), there was a brief mention, toward the end, of a program offered

by Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ’s Day School Initiative.

As vice chair of the Day School Advisory Council, I would like to ensure that the readers of NJJN understand the magnitude and impact of this unprecedented program.

As stated in the article, our federation “swung into action and raised emergency funding in the course of a few weeks to provide some speedy relief through a series of one-time grants to families with outstanding tuition bills. It distributed a total of $272,000 to 177 families who attend the local day schools, with each family receiving a grant of up to $2,000 to cover gaps in tuition.” (The numbers are currently more than $275,000 to 180 families.)

What the article failed to highlight is that our federation has worked tirelessly over the past few years to develop a uniquely strong and productive partnership with the four day schools in our community, and to create a collaborative environment among the schools themselves. With this strong foundation, federation professionals and lay leaders, in tandem with day school leadership, immediately anticipated the critical needs of the schools and their families and quickly crafted a program that would help to alleviate families’ financial stress.

This program was never imagined as a panacea, solving all the problems caused by the Covid-19 crisis, but it has sent a lifeline and taken the edge off the financial burden of families. As one family wrote in a thank you to the Day School Initiative, “We chose our neighborhood based on the amazing schools and incredible Jewish community. Since we moved to Greater MetroWest we were fortunate to be able pay full tuition for our children to attend Jewish Day School. As many others, we were unexpectedly impacted by salary loss due to Covid-19.

We put many payments on hold as we weather this situation and feel such relief to know that part of our tuition payment has been covered. This grant has helped us financially, but also reaffirms our commitment to our community going forward. We feel privileged to live here, in a community that truly values our Jewish future.”

I am so proud to be part of an or-

ganization that cares so deeply about our community and about Jewish day school education. And I’m proud to be part of the Greater MetroWest Jewish community, where members support on another through both good and challenging times.

Steven Levy Vice chair, Day School Advisory Council Mendham

Demonizing Satmar

Max L. Kleinman should be criticized for the same reasons as N.Y. Mayor Bill de Blasio (As I See It, “Beyond the Pale: the deplorable parochialism of Satmar chasidim,” May 7). Kleinman used the fact that social distancing was not followed at a funeral to condemn 75,000 Satmars as evil people and “deplorables.”

From his “some of my best friends are ...” line (“I come from chasidic stock” and let’s “celebrate” Chabad) to his unsupported accusation that the demonstration against anti-Semitism in January was greeted with “indignation by the group’s leaders,” it is very surprising that a former federation leader would be so divisive and bitter.

He writes that “members of Satmar are beyond the pale.” Really, all 75,000 of them? What about the two who were shot in Jersey City?

Kleinman, unfortunately, gives aid and comfort to those seeking justifications to hate our community. He uses the narrow social distancing issue (which has been violated continuously by de Blasio’s friends in Manhattan) as a broad opportunity to demonize the Satmar as “the other.” We need to distance ourselves from Kleinman.

Michael Kessel West Orange Send letters to the editor to editorial@ njjewishnews.com without attachments. Indicate “letter” in the subject line of the e-mail. Include your full name, place of residence, and daytime telephone number. If you are referring to an article in NJJN, please include the headline and edition and date of the paper in which it appeared.

Letters also can be mailed to Letters to the Editor, New Jersey Jewish News, 1719 Route 10, Parsippany, NJ 07054; or faxed to 973-887-5999.

NJJN reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity, content, and accuracy.

Another kind of distancing may break bonds with Israel Michael Koplow Special to NJJN

T

he coronavirus crisis played a crucial role in enabling the Israeli unity government agreement between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz and the potential Israeli West Bank annexation.

Gantz’s rationale for joining with Netanyahu was the need for a unified Israeli response to an unprecedented public health and economic emergency, and he was willing to concede a number of policy stances in order to put an end to Israel’s year of political chaos. One of those concessions was on annexation, which the coalition agreement explicitly allows the Knesset or the cabinet to consider starting on July 1.

But there is another connection between coronavirus and annexation that is less obvious. It relates to how American Jews relate to Israel and how many of American Jewry’s core commitments are going to be challenged simultaneously by these twin variables.

There is no question that American-Jewish attachment to Israel is strong, with Gallup measuring American-Jewish favorability of Israel at 95 percent.

What is less clear is what precisely drives those favorable feelings.

For some American Jews, it is a sense of tribal affinity and Jewish peoplehood that leads them to feel a strong connection to other Jews anywhere in the world, all the more so to Jews who are living in the Jewish state. For others, it is a strong sense of pride in Jewish political sovereignty and Israel itself, and how far it has come since its establishment to the scientific, military, and economic powerhouse it is

today. For others, it is a religious attachment to Israel as the beginning of the flowering of redemption and the return to Zion after two thousand years of exile. For yet others, it is a connection between what are often termed as Jewish values of being a light unto the nations and repairing the world and Israel’s status as a democracy in a region that is stubbornly persistent in its authoritarianism.

No matter the precise reason, the fact that Israel is both Jewish and democratic is the secret sauce that appeals to nearly everyone.

Whether you are focused more on the particularism of Israel as the Jewish state and Jewish homeland or on the universalism of Israel as a democracy and inspiring example in so many different realms, the combination of the two is a potent one.

But for American Jews, whose own political attachments and philosophy tend to be on the more progressive side, the evidence suggests that any serious erosion in Israel’s status as a democracy will be disproportionately damaging to their feelings about Israel and their attachment to it.

West Bank annexation, which most American Jews see as a deleterious step for Israeli democracy, is going to force an internal reckoning for many in the Jewish community. I doubt that most of us have spent time deeply considering the reasons for our attachment to Israel and commitment to Zionism.

A connection to Israel feels natural and comfortable, in large part because we view Israel as Jewish and democratic. And even when there are elements of Israel with which we are uncomfortable — whether it be treatment of the Palestinians or

the Israeli government casting aside American-Jewish religious priorities — we do not question Israel’s fundamental nature. We do not have to examine the roots of our connection to Israel because they are eminently easy to maintain.

And even if we do doubt our connection to Israel, traveling to Israel makes those connections deeper and stronger. Israel is a difficult place to not like once you have been there, from the history to the culture to the food to the comfortable feeling that comes from basking in the only country in the world where a majority of its people are Jews. This is what makes programs like Birthright so successful in establishing bonds between its participants and Israel, and why countless organizations organize Israel trips for both Jewish and non-Jewish constituents.

American Jews will be deprived of the enormous benefit of visiting

Israel in person at the very moment that annexation is going to force them to really think, perhaps for the first time, about what drives their connection to Israel and whether Israeli actions to permanently transform the status of parts of the West Bank negatively impact that connection. Any negative feelings about Israeli actions will not be outweighed, as under normal circumstances, by visiting Israeli relatives, touring ancient Jewish sites, or enjoying the numerous delights of Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market.

Coronavirus has killed, or damaged the lives, health, and welfare of so many Israelis and Americans alike. Piled on top of annexation, it may also end up contributing to historical damage to the AmericanJewish relationship with Israel. ■ Michael Koplow is policy director at the Israel Policy Forum.

Confronting annexation

while being

unable to visit

Israel in person.

During this time of crisis The Board, Staff and Constituents of Jewish Family Service of Central NJ Gratefully Acknowledge the support of The Grotta Fund for Senior Care The Jewish Federation of Great MetroWest NJ The Tepper Family Foundation The Wilf Family Foundation

For responding to the immediate emergency needs of the community Through this generous support, we will be able to meet the emergency needs of the community by providing additional Kosher Meals on Wheels, Emergency Home Health and Nursing Service, Passover and Emergency Food, and Mental Health Counseling We are deeply indebted to the hundreds of individual donors who have responded generously to the Holiday Food and Coronavirus Crisis Appeal

Jodi Zolkin Kiste President

Tom Beck Executive Director

11 NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ May 14, 2020

Opinion

NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ May 14, 2020

12

Just Because

Telling NJJN’s story with Milk Duds, a bunny, and baseball Gabe Kahn NJJN Editor

W

e live in dark times (see pages 1-11 and 13-24), so I’m hopGet Out of My ing to inject a little levity into your day. Way, Old Man This is a transcript of an actual interview my son, Evan, 8, conducted with NJJN staff a few months ago when he and my daughter, Orly, 6, spent the day at our of- Garden State of Mind fice in Parsippany.

A few things you should know going in: Chubbs is a bunny, owned by NJJN Senior Writer Johanna Ginsberg, who frequents PHOTO BY ORLY KAHN

the office; Classified Sales Supervisor/ Office Manager Laurie Sirois keeps a bottomless bowl of candy in her office for visitors; and Evan loves baseball.

A lot.

Johanna Ginsberg, NJJN Senior Writer Evan Kahn: Do you think adopting Chubbs was a good idea?

JG: Yes, adopting Chubbs was a very good idea. He’s soft and snuggly, smart and fun.

EK: Do you think Chubbs would be a good office mascot? I heard he doesn’t participate really well for pictures.

JG: He participates well in some pictures if you know how to take them.

EK: Do you think my dad is bossy?

JG: [Suspiciously long laughter] Only when he tells me I have to bring in Chubbs.

For Those Who Value Community

EK, after approximately 50 seconds of what sounds like furious scribbling into a notebook: OK. Shira Vickar-Fox, NJJN Managing Editor EK: So what’s your name?

SVF: My name is Shira. Do you want to know how to spell it?

EK: I know. How long have you worked here?

SVF: Three long years. Make sure you say that.

EK: Do you enjoy everybody who works with you?

SVF: Everybody but one.

EK: What’s your favorite story that you edited during your time at NJJN? SVF: I really liked a story about a synagogue janitor who played in a band with one of the synagogue members.

EK: What’s your favorite kind of candy?

SVF: M&M’s. Duh. What other kind of candy is there?

EK: Tons.

Orly Kahn, weighing in: Gummies.

Chocolate.

SVF: I do like gummies, but I can’t resist M&Ms. Not pretzel M&M’s, though.

EK: Yeah, neither do I. I like peanut butter.

SVF: Peanut butter? I like peanut or plain. My favorite are Megas, but I think they stopped making them. I like chocolate mint. I like the coconut ones.

Birthday cake is yucky.

EK: Do you think Chubbs would be a good mascot for NJJN? SVF: Yes, he would be the perfect mascot. He’s better than Tom Brady and you can quote me on that.

Editor’s note: After this comment Shira Vickar-Fox was placed on double secret probation.

Lori Silberman Brauner, NJJN Deputy Managing Editor

The preferred career resource for the Jewish community. lsirois@njjewishnews.com | 973-739-8113

EK: What’s your name?

LSB: Lori. Do you want my last name?

EK: No. Do you like the office?

LSB: Yes. EK: Is my dad mean to you?

LSB: … not usually. He’s pretty cool.

EK: What’s your favorite story

you’ve written?

LSB: Wow, I have to think about that.

When I went to Portugal a year ago I wrote a story that I really loved.

EK: Do you think Chubbs will be a good mascot for your paper?

LSB: He already is.

EK: If you guys become really famous one day he should be like a mascot you can take pictures with.

LSB: … uh, that would be cool.

Lauri Sirois, NJJN Classified Sales Supervisor/Office Manager EK: OK, so first question is, why do you think having candy is a good attraction?

LS: I think it’s very important to have.

EK: Do you like everybody at the office?

LS: I love working with everybody here. We have a very good team. And they all like chocolate, and chocolate is important.

EK: Totally! Do you think Chubbs will be a good mascot?

LS: Chubbs is a wonderful mascot because he loves all of us and he keeps us all very happy.

EK: Yuppo! [Judging by the recording the interviewer is sampling the candy] Do you like my dad? Is he mean to you a lot?

LS: Your dad is not mean to me. We get along really, really well, and we make fun of each other, but it’s only in fun.

EK: Why did you take the office with no windows?

LS: The other people in our old office didn’t have windows so I gave them the windows. But I have a nice big office with lots of room and I have lots of lights, and for me to see what the weather’s like I just go out there and look.

EK: That makes sense. Thank you.

LS: Well, thank you very much for the interview. It was a pleasure. And don’t forget to take some candy with you.

EK: Thank you.

At this point Evan neglected to turn off the recorder, which captured the following interaction (yes, it’s real): Gabe Kahn: How was it?

EK: Good. I got some candy.

GK: You’re not supposed to take anything when you interview someone.

Continued on page 14

13 NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ May 14, 2020

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Calendar

NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ May 14, 2020

14

Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, most synagogues and organizations have cancelled all in-person activities for the rest of the spring. Some are offering online learning opportunities or plan to reschedule. Please email calendar@njjewishnews.com with online events open to the community.

MONDAY, May 18 Coping with Loss and Grief During Quarantine. Sponsored by Jewish Family Service of Central NJ (JFSCNJ) and held at 8 p.m. via Zoom with JFSCNJ social workers Lauren Laudati, LSW, CRC, and Greg Yucht, LSW. Email info@jfscentralnj.org for the Zoom invitation.

TUESDAY, May 19 Mi Sheberach: A Community Healing Service. Sponsored by Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ and led by chaplain Rabbi Stephanie Dickstein, noon-12:30 p.m. via Zoom. Participants may bring the names, in Hebrew or English, of those who need healing. Go to tinyurl.com/y8jtuz8g to register or contact Geri Wallis at gwallis@jfedgmw.org.

Kulanu Virtual Open House. Hebrew School program for children in grades 3-12 not enrolled in day school or yeshiva hosted at JCC MetroWest, West Orange, and held at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. To obtain a link to the open house, contact info@kulanumw.org or 855-4KULANU or visit KulanuMW.org.

The following national and international organizations are offering various online resources:

Center for Jewish History’s Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute, New York, is holding a “Genealogy Coffee Break” on Facebook Live at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. The center’s genealogy librarians (gi@cjh.org) will answer questions for free related to family history research projects. For information, go to cjh.org.

Or Halev, the Center for Jewish Spirituality & Meditation, will host “Opening the Heart Virtual Retreat” on Sunday, May 17, at 4 p.m. The virtual meditation retreat “will provide a container for deep practice and for finding stability in these uncertain times.” Go to orhalev.org.

Just Because Get Out of My Way, Old Man Continued from page 12

EK: But she said we should.

GK: She’s just trying to influence you so you give her favorable coverage, trying to …

Orly Kahn: What is this?

GK: Milk Duds. If you interview someone and they offer you food you say no thank you … Oh my gosh, those are good.

The rest of the recording is inaudible.

Jed Weisberger, NJJN Staff Writer EK: Is my dad cool about sports?

JW: Your dad’s cool about sports because his career is kind of like mine. He used to cover the Celtics. Your dad worked at a daily paper like I did, designed the paper like I did for a lot of years on the Trenton Times.

EK: Did you meet a few super-famous players at your old job?

JW: I did. I know Derek Jeter, I know ...

EK, interrupting: Can you get him to come here so I can get his autograph?

JW: Well, that’s tough to do, because ...

EK: It’s probably really expensive.

JW: Well, a lot of those guys do sign for free if you just see them, but as a writer if I go to a major league game, Evan, I’m not allowed to ask for autographs. It says right on your credentials no autographs allowed.

It’s best for you to catch the player, I mean, I know a lot of Boston players as well …

EK, interrupting: Do you know Mookie Betts?

JW: I know Mookie Betts, but I was a Yankee fan when I was a kid like you are a Red Sox fan. When you go in professionally — and your dad will tell you with the Celtics — you have to take the emotions out of it. You have to discover the game and cover the people like they’re any other person. They’re famous, but you still have to talk to them like I’m talking to you.

Gabe Kahn, NJJN Editor EK: So what’s your name?

GK: Gabe Kahn.

EK: Do you enjoy working here?

GK: I do absolutely. It’s a lot of fun.

GK, whispering after a 22-second pause: Can I see?

Does that say, what’s the best ... read it to me.

EK, whispers: I can’t read it.

GK, whispers: What’s the best part of your job? Is that what it says?

EK, speaking normally: What’s the best part of your job?

GK: I really like writing my column, and I like the people in the New Jersey office and the New York office. I also like having everybody work together every week to make the newspaper, and then as soon as we’re done we start up another issue.

EK: Do you enjoy your staff?

GK: Yes, I do. They work very hard and they’re nice people and they have fun. And they boss me around.

EK: Do you think Chubbs will be a good mascot for NJJN? GK: I’m actually afraid that Chubbs is going to take my job. If people look at the job he’s doing they might say, “You know what? Get Gabe out of there and let’s bring Chubbs in as the new editor.”

EK: What are you trying to say? What does this have to do with making him a mascot?

GK, flailing after being ridiculed by an 8-year-old: Well, he could be a mascot. But just because he’s a mascot doesn’t mean he can’t get a new position. He can keep on rising up. Some people do, you know …

EK: That’s it. All right. Thank you. ■ Contact Gabe Kahn via email: gkahn@njjewishnews. com, or Twitter: @sgabekahn.

Rutgers students honored for excellence in Jewish studies ON MAY 5, Rutgers students were recognized for their academic achievements in Jewish studies at a virtual end-of-year celebration and awards ceremony. Awards were given to undergraduate and graduate students and included grants for study in Israel.

The annual awards ceremony is sponsored by the Department of Jewish Studies and the Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. One student from Livingston was among those receiving awards.

The other recipients include Moyagaye Bedward, Dina Fradkin, Hanna Graifman, Christine Jensen, Anuska Lahir, Amanda Leifer, Ryan McGinnis, Brianna Newman, Yael Rabin, Annabelle Sinoff, Avraham Sommer, and Steven Weinberg.

Brandon Roberts, a junior from Livingston, is a management and leadership major with a minor in modern Hebrew language.

He received the Leonard and Adele Blumb e rg Aw a r d a n d t h e Louis Fishman Memorial Award. Deeply connected to his Jewish Brandon Roberts cultural roots, Brandon fulfilled a lifelong desire to learn Hebrew when he came to Rutgers and took a Hebrew language course every semester. He aspires to become a lawyer and practice mass torts and class action litigation.

Harriet Heinig

B’nei mitzvah

ROBERT DRATCH, son of Stacey Dratch and Brian Dratch, both of Livingston, May 9 via Zoom. The family are members of Temple B’nai Abraham, Livingston.

ABRAHAM KIRSCHNER, son of Heather Peikes and Jason Kirschner of Montclair, May 9 via Zoom. The family are members of Temple Sholom, Cedar Grove.

SYDNEY KIRSCHNER, daughter of Heather Peikes and Jason Kirschner of Montclair, May 9 via Zoom. The family are members of Temple Sholom, Cedar Grove.

Obituaries Edith Rotem

Harriet Heinig (Hipper), 86, of Whippany died April 6, 2020. She had lived in Spring Valley, N.Y., before moving to Hoboken in 1982 and Whippany in 2018.

Mrs. Heinig working as a Registered Nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, N.Y. After moving to Hoboken, she continued her work as a health-care professional working in pharmaceuticals and ended her career as a Registered Nurse in a child crisis unit at St. Mary Hospital in Hoboken.

She volunteered her time working in the operating room at Hadassah Hospital, Israel, during the Yom Kippur War. A member of many Jewish organizations, she was an active participant in senior groups at the JCC MetroWest.

She is survived by four daughters, Julie (Howie) Rubenstein, Fern S. Heinig, Ilyse (Jack) Link, and Rachel (David) Rose; 10 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Private services were held April 8; a celebration of her life will take place at a future date.

Edith Rotem (Wallerstein), 88, of Pompton Plains died on April 27, 2020. Born in Fürth, Germany, she was a survivor of the MS St. Louis, which in 1939 was destined for safe harbor but was rejected at Cuban and U.S. ports before returning its refugee passengers to Europe, where many were killed. She and her parents Arthur Goldberg and brother eventually found passage Arthur Goldberg, 80, of Tenafly died through Morocco and arrived in New April 23, 2020. Born in the Bronx, he York City in 1942. had resided in Parsippany/Morris Plains Mrs. Rotem gained certification as for over 35 years. a dental hygienist and worked as one Mr. Goldberg held many engineerbefore starting a family. ing positions throughout his profesPredeceased by her husband, Eli, a sional career.

Yugoslavian native who also escaped He graduated from Stuyvesant High the Holocaust and was a veteran of School in 1956; received his B.S.M.E. Israel’s War of Independence, she is from New York University’s School of survived by two children, David of Engineering in 1960; his M.S.M.E. from Livingston and Sandra of Randolph, NYU’s Graduate School of Engineering and five grandchildren. in 1961; and his M.B.A. from Fairleigh A private memorial was held; grave- Dickinson University in 1983. side services will be held at a later He was an avid music lover. time. Memorial contributions may be Predeceased by his wife of 42 years, made to Jewish Federation of Greater Louise (Harrison), in 2009, he is surMetroWest NJ or New Jersey Pandemic vived by his son, Gregg S. Harrison; his Relief Fund.

Continued on next page Mark S. Ross

Ross’ Shalom Chapels Mark S. Ross, Esq. Manager N.J. Lic. No. 3716

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15 NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ May 14, 2020

LifeCycle

DELI KING OF CLARK

NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ May 14, 2020

16

LifeCycle Continued from previous page daughter, Jill Goldberg Haddadin (Ramez Haddadin); his former daughter-in-law, Patricia Harrison; three grandchildren; and his companion of nearly 10 years, Susan Terman of Tenafly.

Services were held April 26 with arrangements by Eden Memorial Chapels, Fort Lee.

Diane Auerbach

Diane Leslie Auerbach (Shapass), 70, a longtime resident of Livingston, died April 27, 2020. Born in Brooklyn, she resided in Livingston since 1977.

Mrs. Auerbach worked as a teacher in Brooklyn as well as in Irvington and Randolph. She became a guidance counselor in Randolph during the last 15 years of her career.

She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Brooklyn College, and received a certificate in guidance from Kean University.

She was very active at the former Temple EmanuEl in Livingston, where she served as the head of many committees, organized many events, and served on its board for many years.

She is survived by her husband, Andrew, whom she

ARTHUR GOLDBERG

Arthur Goldberg, 80, passed away on April 23, 2020 after a brave battle with Covid-19. He was a current resident of Tenafly, NJ, previously of Parsippany/Morris Plains NJ for over 35 years.

Born July 24, 1939 in the Bronx, Arthur attended Stuyvesant High School (1956); NYU School of Engineering - BSME - (1960); NYU Graduate School of Engineering - MSME (1961) and FDU - MBA (1983). Always at the top of his class - Arthur held many prestigious engineering positions throughout his professional career. He was an avid music lover as well as a Yankees and Giants Fan, but most of all - was a wonderful and loving family man and friend.

Arthur was married to Louise (Harrison) Goldberg for 42 years until her passing in 2009.

Louise and Arthur are survived by their two children, son, Gregg S. Harrison and daughter Jill Goldberg Haddadin (Ramez Haddadin), former daughter-in-law Patricia Harrison and three grandchildren, Maxwell Harrison, Aidan Haddadin and Julia Haddadin.

Arthur is also survived by his wonderful companion of nearly 10 years, Susan Terman of Tenafly, NJ. Susan and Arthur spent many happy years together.

Arthur leaves behind many friends, cousins, and extended family who will miss him dearly.

married in 1972; her children, Meredith and Lee; and a grandchild.

Services were held May 3.

Gnesha Ozick

Gnesha Convissor Ozick, 99, of New Rochelle, N.Y., died March 13, 2020. A native of Newark, she lived in New Rochelle for more than 70 years.

Mrs. Ozick had worked in the dental office of her husband, Julius.

She graduated from Weequahic High School in Newark and attended Pratt Institute of Dress Design.

She was a longtime member of Congregation Anshe Sholom in New Rochelle.

Predeceased by her husband of more than 70 years, she is survived by two sons, Zvi of Israel and Daniel of Newton, Mass.; a brother, Samuel Convissor of South Orange; two grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and her sister-in-law, Cynthia Ozick.

Arlene Schreibman

Arlene Schreibman (Archinofsky) of New York City died April 5, 2020. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she was a longtime resident of Franklin Township prior to moving to Manhattan.

A homemaker, Mrs. Schreibman worked in her later years as a bookkeeper with her husband Harvey in the family business.

She is survived by her husband of 65 years; two daughters, Susan Schreibman of the Netherlands and Karen (Mitch) Weintraub of Flanders; and two grandchildren.

Private graveside services were held April 8 with arrangements by J.L. Apter Memorial Chapels of Dover.

Murray Dobro

Murray Saul Dobro, 91, of West Caldwell died April 26, 2020. Born in Boston, he grew up in Dorchester, Mass., and resided in Livingston for many years.

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Charles Nathan Lomrantz, 73, of West Palm Beach, Fla., died April 29, 2020. He was raised in Clifton and lived for many APTERCHAPELS.COM years in Vernon before retiring to Florida.

Mr. Lomrantz worked in a family construction and development business in the New Jersey area for many years.

He was a longtime member of Temple Shalom in Franklin.

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Mr. Dobro, who grew up in a kosher household, developed the modern method for curing ham. He worked for decades in the meat manufacturing industry before starting JCS Sales (named after his three children), a food brokerage business that he ran for over 40 years, supplying QuickChek and supermarkets all over the country with JCS’s Livingston Farms ham, among other products.

He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Northeastern University.

He served in the Korean War as a chemist.

He was an active member of Maplewood Country Club, where he won several golf championships and chaired the food committee. In recent years, he attended lectures multiple times a week at Congregation Agudath Israel in Caldwell.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara (Edinger), whom he married in 1953; two sons, Jeff (Candace) and Stuart; his daughter, Carrie (Mark); and two granddaughters.

Arrangements were handled by Bernheim-ApterKreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, Livingston.

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Leonard Fisher

Leonard M. Fisher, 75, of West Orange died April 11, 2020. He was originally from Springfield, Mass.

Mr. Fisher had served as head of Legal at Beneficial Insurance Group, HSBC (in New Jersey), and Hiscox (in New York). He was also of counsel at Wilson Elser Law Firm in New York.

Following his retirement from Hiscox, he worked as assistant director of the foundation at Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, where he interacted with donors and served on the investment committee. In this role, he also collaborated closely with Jewish Community Foundation officials at Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ. He was a graduate of Drew University and Boston College Law School.

A lifelong champion and patron of the arts, theater, opera, and Jewish music, he was a longtime member of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, to which he was appointed by NJ Gov. Christine Todd Whitman. During his tenure, he served as grant chair and was subsequently elected to the position of chair.

He served on the board of the NJ Shakespeare Theater and was president of the NJ Ballet.

He was an active member of B’nai Shalom in West Orange, where he was a past president and served for many years on its executive board. He and his wife Nancy were honored by the synagogue as a Couple of Distinction. He was a member of the High Holiday Cantor Selection Committee, and had a longstanding position handling the honors for the holidays. He called out the shofar notes in his trained operatic tenor voice.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years; two sons, Paul (Melanie) and Coby; and two granddaughters.

Loretta Burack

Loretta Burack (Levitt) of Whippany died April 12, 2020. Born in Hartford, Conn., and raised in Newark, she raised her own family in Orange and Union before moving to West Orange.

She later resided in Livingston before moving to Whippany two years ago.

Mrs. Burack established herself professionally first as a legal secretary and then as the administrative assistant to the president of Motor Club of America in Newark and Paramus for over 35 years, retiring at the age of 79.

She graduated from South Side High School in Newark.

She was a life member of Hadassah, Jewish Women International, and National Council of Jewish Women.

She was an avid traveler, having visited six continents.

She enjoyed concerts, theater, lecture series, mahjong, jazzercise, and volunteering at Kessler Institute for

Rehabilitation.

Predeceased by her husband, Marvin, she is survived by her daughter, Jaimee (Bruce) Baumgarten of North Caldwell; a brother, Gerald Levitt of Boynton Beach, Fla.; three grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Private services were held with arrangements by Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, Livingston. Memorial contributions may be made to National Council of Jewish Women/Essex.

Irwin Hoffer

Irwin Hoffer, 88, of Livingston, Cedar Grove, and Boynton Beach, Fla., died April 16, 2020. He was born in Jersey City.

Mr. Hoffer founded Hudson Quilting Company and subsequently was employed by Channel Home Centers, initially as an assistant lumber buyer before eventually rising to the position of vice president of operations, overseeing 89 locations in nine states.

He graduated from New York University School of Business.

He served in the U.S. Navy.

He was a past president of Congregation Beth Ahm

of Verona, where he was actively involved for many years.

He enjoyed public speaking and gardening.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Barbara (“Cookie”); his son, Larry (Janet); his daughter, Marcy (Robby) Berkowitz; a sister, Edie Dickes of Boca Raton, Fla.; a brother, David of Deerfield Beach, Fla.; and five grandchildren.

Private services were held April 20. Memorial contributions may be made to B’nai Shalom, West Orange, or Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Susan Reiss-Baskin

Susan Reiss-Baskin, 59, of Millburn died May 1, 2020. She was born in Newark.

Ms. Reiss-Baskin worked for many years as assistant counsel for the Office of the General Counsel at the Social Security Administration in New York City.

She graduated from Emory University and Cardozo School of Law. She loved animals and going to Broadway shows,

Service.

Tradition.

Dignity.

Continued on page 20

The values we’ve held sacred for over

At Menorah Chapels, we have been serving the Jewish community for over 40 years with honesty, integrity and dignity… and will continue to do so for many years to come. When you come to Menorah, you are treated like family. Our Funeral Directors are knowledgeable in Jewish Traditions and Rituals, and will help you select the type of funeral that meets your religious and financial needs. We are the only strictly Jewish funeral home in Union County that maintains its own building and is not associated with any other funeral establishment.

Karen Ross Kerstein Manager

40 years

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17 NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ May 14, 2020

LifeCycle

NJ Jewish News â– njjewishnews.com â– May 14, 2020

18

Update pages provided by Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ

Greater MetroWest UPDATE

For the latest information & happenings in the Jewish community, visit us at www.jfedgmw.org

FEDERATION

COVID-19 RELIEF

THANK YOU TO OUR FRONT-LINE HEROES! Did you know that there are more than 625 front-line workers in our Greater MetroWest Jewish community? They are the home health aides, healthcare professionals, direct support professionals, Meals on Wheels drivers, and more, who ensure that the clients of our partner agencies continue to get the life-saving support they need during the COVID-19 crisis!

Visit www.jfedgmw.org/help to learn how you can express your appreciation to our front-line heroes.

Federation cares for people in need, builds Jewish life, and saves the world, one person at a time, every day.

Building an inclusive community is a priority. Contact us and we will make every effort to meet your needs.

Follow us:

Update pages provided by Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ

For the latest information & happenings in the Jewish community, visit us at jfedgmw.org

COVID-19 RELIEF

Dear Federation Leaders and Supporters, During this unprecedented period of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many families have experienced the negative impact on their health and finances. For some, their children’s schools are the only source of stability in this turbulent time.

Our schools have adapted and are providing educational continuity to thousands of Jewish students in our community. Through the herculean efforts of our incredible educators, children are learning, interacting, growing and thriving despite the disruptive conditions all around them.

Even before medical necessity forced the closure of our school buildings, our friends at Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ and the Day School Advisory Council of the Jewish Community Foundation began working to create a Day School COVID-19 Relief Fund of over $275,000 to directly offset the cost of tuition for families with extraordinary income loss. As the economic disruption began to impact our community, you moved with unrelenting speed to provide emergency tuition relief to those negatively impacted.

Your leaders and individual donors understand the importance of day school education and moved to assist nearly 200 families. Your generosity of spirit has thawed the cold loneliness of social distance with the warm embrace of a united and supportive Greater MetroWest family. The intervention of our Jewish Federation ensures that our anchor institutions, the Greater MetroWest Jewish day schools, will remain vibrant and viable.

We thank you for all that you have done and all that you are doing to support our institutions, our collaborative efforts between the schools, and to further advance academic excellence and affordability in our community. We are grateful to be part of the Greater MetroWest community and appreciate your enduring support for Jewish education.

The Talmud teaches that, “The world endures only because of the learning of school children.”

(TB Shabbat 119b.) So precious is the Torah study of children, that the Talmud prohibits the systemic disruption of their learning even to participate in building the Temple.

May the sounds of school children learning herald the end to this pandemic and a restoration of our community to full health and strength.

Adam Shapiro Head of School

Moshe Vaknin Head of School

Rav Elazar M. Teitz Dean

Federation cares for people in need, builds Jewish life, and saves the world, one person at a time, every day.

Building an inclusive community is a priority. Contact us and we will make every effort to meet your needs.

Rabbi Eliezer E. Rubin Head of School, Klatt Family Rosh HaYeshiva

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NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ May 14, 2020

Greater MetroWest UPDATE

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FEDERATION

NJ Jewish News ■ njjewishnews.com ■ May 14, 2020

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| SHABBAT CANDLELIGHTING | May 15: 7:50 p.m.

The ‘toil’ of Torah study Behar-Bechukotai Leviticus 25:1-27:34 Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb

I

t is quite a long time now since I first heard the term “work-study program.” This was a special federal program designed to assist young adults with limited financial means to achieve a professional education. Recipients of this grant were encouraged to continue with their jobs, to work, but were also paid to enroll in college-level training courses, to study.

There was something about this term that struck me as odd. It seemed to make a distinction between work and study. It conveyed, to me at least, the notion that study was not work. To someone who had been trained in the yeshiva system, this notion was unacceptable. Study is work!

In this week’s double Torah portion, Behar-Bechukotai, we come across the following phrase: “If you shall walk in My statutes...” (Leviticus 26:3) Rashi explains what it means to “walk” in the ways of God’s statutes. He suggests that “walking” here means that we must “toil in the Torah, shetihyu ameilim baTorah.”

The concept of “toiling in the Torah” is a basic one to anyone familiar with Torah study. But those less familiar with the subject can legitimately be puzzled by the phrase. They surely can understand learning Torah, or studying Torah, or comprehending Torah. But what

does it mean to “toil” in the Torah?

My life-long interest in educational psychology has prompted me to analyze the process of “Torah-toil” and break it down into several components, or stages.

The first stage consists of diligence, of what is known in Hebrew as “hatmadah.” This is a requirement of putting in time. Torah study cannot be done on a piecemeal basis, in small segments of five or 10 minutes. It requires sustained concentration and long hours of simply sitting and poring over the text.

The second stage is that of struggle, of encountering the text and figuring out its basic meaning. This is difficult even to the student whose first language is Hebrew, and is even more challenging to those of us who grew up speaking English or another language and who come to the texts at a disadvantage.

There are skills that must be mastered in order to decipher the give and take of the Talmud and its commentaries. Simple meaning, punctuation, knowing where questions end and answers begin, understanding implicit assumptions, appreciating nuance — these are all aspects of this second stage of wrestling with the text.

And here we come to a third stage of Torah study: learning from one’s mistakes. The Talmud itself maintains that “a person can only study Torah successfully if he makes errors in the process, “elah im kain nichshal bah.” All Torah students make mistakes in the initial phases of study sessions. They, or their study partners, soon detect these errors and correct them.

Then real learning occurs.

In the fourth stage of this toil, the student probes and questions. He searches his memory for passages that might contradict the text at hand. He wonders about the underlying assumptions of what he has just read, and how they fit with principles from other sections of the Torah with which he is familiar. He consults the numerous super-commentaries to see whether his questions were anticipated by previous Torah students, perhaps centuries ago.

A fifth stage, omitted by some but essential in my personal opinion, is the search for relevance. “What personal meaning,” the student must ask, “can I find in the text I have just mastered?” “How can it be applied to current events, to contemporary problems, or maybe even to my own life experience and personal dilemmas?”

And finally we come to a sixth stage: teaching others. Maimonides, in his Treatise on the Mitzvot, asserts that one has not fulfilled the mitzvah of Torah study unless he shares his learning with others. “Lilmod,” to study, “ulelamed,” to teach.

The fact that the Torah involves so much effort, such intense and diverse tasks, helps us understand why true Torah greatness, “gadlut,” is so rare and so appreciated. We also understand why the reward for such toil is “rain in its season, a land of bountiful crops, and trees of the field that yield their fruit.”

(Leviticus 26:4) Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb is executive vice president emeritus of the Orthodox Union.

LifeCycle Continued from page 17 the ballet, and museums. She enjoyed vacationing each year in Maine and Mexico.

Predeceased by her father, Norton Reiss, she is survived by her husband of 31 years, Steven Baskin; her mother, Lois Lessner Reiss; two brothers, Richard and James Reiss; her mother-in-law, Carole Baskin; four nieces; and great-nieces and cousins.

Private graveside services were held May 4; a memorial service will be held at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center or American Cancer Society.

Rose Lerner

Rose Jacobs Lerner, 102, a Millburn resident for nearly 70 years, died April 9, 2020. She was born and raised in Irvington.

Mrs. Lerner managed a variety of professional offices in the 1960s.

She graduated from Irvington High School.

She was active in the civil rights and anti-war movements, and was a patron of the arts.

Predeceased by her husband of 68 years, Morris, and her son, Mark, she is survived by her daughter, Ellen Lerner (Jonathan Cohen); her daughter-in-law, Carol Beth Lipman; a grandson; and two greatgrandchildren.

Morton Farber

Dr. Morton Farber, 88, of Short Hills died April 12, 2020. He was raised in Roselle.

Dr. Farber, who established the Union County Orthopaedic Group, practiced as an orthopedic surgeon for 50 years, retiring at age 83. His professional achievements include medical society governance, establishing protocols to eliminate wrong-side surgeries, and pioneering work in total hip arthroplasty.

He studied forestry at Penn State University, inspired by summers working at the family lumber yard, before shifting to medicine. He received his M.D. from University of Amsterdam in 1957. He began a residency in orthopedic surgery in Newark and Orange.

He joined the U.S. Air Force and was stationed as a medical officer in Prum, Germany, eventually reaching the rank of captain and commanding the base hospital.

He is survived by his wife, Rosalie, whom he married in 1966; his son, David (Michaela); his daughter, Sara (Bryan); and three grandchildren.

Graveside services were held April 17; a memorial will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to Daughters of Israel, West Orange.

Samuel Parent

Samuel L. Parent, 89, of Palm Harbor, Fla., died Feb. 18, 2020. Born in Newark, he resided in Elizabeth for many years and moved to Delray Beach, Fla., before relocating to Palm Harbor.

Mr. Parent graduated from Weequahic High School, Newark.

He was an Air Force veteran.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Rita (Cassell); two daughters, Chana Haefner of Israel and Debbi Shoji of Seattle; a sister, Sondra Kornfeld; 10 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

A memorial will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the National Kidney Foundation.

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Nancy Gerber Special to NJJN

I

n the days since my recovery from Covid-19, I’ve found myself experiencing intense moments of feeling grateful.

Even before I became ill I found myself filled with gratitude at unexpected times, including during the stress, anxiety, and isolation of the crisis. Gratitude for family and friends. Gratitude for the beauty of magnolia blossoms and cherry trees. Gratitude that no one I knew was seriously ill. Gratitude for the financial resources that enabled us to buy groceries and supplies. Gratitude for the slower pace of life, the sense of having enough time to think, meditate, read — and feel grateful.

And after a week of self-isolation in my bedroom, I am more grateful than ever. Grateful that I’m married to a man who took such good care of me. Grateful I was able to stay at home. Grateful I did not have severe symptoms. Grateful my doctor made himself available to answer my innumerable questions. Grateful for the concern of family and friends. Grateful I had shelter, food, and water, the basic essentials that are denied so many people at this critical time.

Now, as with most major life events and rites of passage, I find myself turning to Jewish prayer and thought to try to make sense of my experience.

In researching the subject of gratitude, the first article I found was an essay in The Forward by A.J. Jacobs, who writes that the word “Jew” comes from

the tribe of Judah, Yehudah, which means “thanksgiving.” To be Jewish is to be thankful, says Rabbi Josh Franklin of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons.

Further searching led me to Modeh Ani, “I Give Thanks,” the morning prayer we offer upon waking, a chant of gratitude for being alive: “Modeh ani lefanecha, melech chai vekayam, shehe-chezarta bi nishmati b’chemla, raba emunatecha,” “I offer thanks to You, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.”

But I didn’t always feel this way. I was frightened and angry when I was diagnosed and advised to isolate myself in my bedroom for a week. The doctor’s words came as a shock — as I had already exposed my husband, why was this necessary? The doctor explained that self-isolation was a further precaution to protect my husband, that he could still contract the virus. And while of course I wanted him to remain healthy, I was filled with fear and resentment. I had already spent six weeks in quarantine, and now my world was shrinking even more. I grabbed a handful of clothes and essentials, went to my room, and shut the door. My husband was to bring me my meals on disposable plates and trash was to be placed outside the door in a plastic bag that my husband would dispose of while wearing gloves. I was to take my temperature twice a day.

Friends suggested my husband buy an oximeter so I could track my oxygen levels, and the small device provided me with much-needed relief from constant worry about whether I would develop the most severe symptom of the virus, difficulty breathing.

After I shut myself in I wept. I shouted I wasn’t going to be a prisoner; I wasn’t Public Health Enemy

Number One. I texted my kids and asked if they’d ever want to see me again. I was in the midst of a fullblown anxiety attack and I did not behave well.

Gradually I calmed down and became accustomed to my new routine. I was too tired to do anything, so staying in a quiet room and resting in bed were exactly what I needed. The trees and birds outside the window kept me company. Friends and family texted to let me know they were thinking of me. When I had more energy I’d listen to a podcast or view one of the on-line art exhibitions generously made available by the Museum of Modern Art and other institutions.

Recovery is slow because the fatigue associated with the virus lingers for a long time. April is gone, and with it the blooming cherry trees. But now there are pink crabapples in full flower and the grass is lush and green. Today the sky is a bright, cloudless blue.

Life is full of uncertainty; it was always this way.

Our bodies have always been vulnerable, we’re just more aware of the fact now.

But once again I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to wake up, to leave my room, to join our imperfect world in all its hardships, beauty, and uncertainty.

Modeh Ani, I give thanks. To be a Jew is to be grateful. ■ Nancy Gerber received a doctorate in English from Rutgers University and a certificate in psychoanalytic training from the Academy of Applied and Clinical Psychoanalysis in Livingston. Her most recent book is “The Dancing Clock: Reflections on Family, Love, and Loss” (Shanti Arts, 2019).

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