Jewish News - May 23, 2022 Issue by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

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Ben Platt to play Jewish lynching victim Leo Frank in a revival of Broadway musical Parade

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Andrew Lapin

(JTA)—Broadway’s Jewish golden boy is set to play one of the most infamous victims of antisemitism in American history. Dear Evan Hansen star Ben Platt will star as Leo Frank in a new revival of the 1998 Broadway musical Parade, a dramatization of Frank’s 1915 lynching at the hands of a gang of white Southerners. The show will have a limited run Nov. 1–6 at the New York City Center as its annual gala presentation. Frank was a pencil factory manager in Atlanta who was tried and sentenced to death, on specious evidence, of assaulting and murdering a teenaged factory worker in 1913. The case of “Little Mary Phagan” became national tabloid fodder as, unusually for the time, an all-white jury accepted the testimony of a Black man who identified Frank as the perpetrator and portrayed him as a sexual pervert. Numerous elements of the trial had antisemitic connotations, including the fact that one jury member was overheard saying, “I’ll hang

Terri Denison, Editor Germaine Clair, Art Director Sandy Goldberg, Account Executive Marilyn Cerase, Subscription Manager Reba Karp, Editor Emeritus United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Laura G. Gross, President Alvin Wall, Treasurer Mona Flax, Secretary Betty Ann Levin, Executive Vice-President

that Jew for sure.”

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The story had many dramatic twists and turns. Frank made numerous appeals to higher courts, all of which were rejected, but the governor of Georgia unexpectedly commuted his sentence to life in prison. Then a mob of men, several of whom would go on to become prominent politicians in the state, broke into the prison hospital where Frank was held and lynched him in Marietta, Georgia—Phagan’s

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hometown. Frank’s case was cited in 1913, the year of his trial, in the formation of the Anti-Defamation League.

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An effort to posthumously pardon Frank in the 1980s based on new evidence ultimately proved unsuccessful, but in 2019 the local district attorney announced he would formally reopen the case in an effort to clear his name. Some followers of the case, including

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descendants of Phagan, continue to believe in Frank’s guilt. His story is also chronicled in author Steve Oney’s 2003 book And The Dead Upcoming Deadlines for Editorial and Advertising

Shall Rise: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank. The new production of Parade promises it will be “a true-crime version” of the musical, which was originally written by Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry (whose great-uncle owned the pencil factory where Frank worked). Director Michael Arden, who was raised Southern Baptist and attended an Episcopal school, also helmed an acclaimed 2016 revival of Spring Awakening performed simultaneously by deaf and hearing actors. The new production will incorporate real-life photographs from the Frank trial.

CONTENTS

About the cover: Israel Fest 2022.

Up Front. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Survivors Room honors area survivors. . . . . . 14

Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

75 years of Jewish News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

NCJW raise abortion funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Camp JCC: Role models wanted. . . . . . . . . . . 27

Deborah Lipstadt’s first talk as antisemitism monitor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Society of Professionals host wind panel discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Antisemitic ideology behind the Buffalo shooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Run, Roll, or Stoll a success. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Rabbi Haber to leave B’nai Israel . . . . . . . . . . 11 JFNA’s Washington Conference 2022 . . . . . . 12 Book Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

TJF: Simon Family Legacy celebration. . . . . . 29 Yom Hashoah returns to community. . . . . . . 30 Israel’s 74th celebration in Tidewater. . . . . . . 32 What’s Happening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

June 6 June 27 July 18 Aug.t 15 Sept. 12 Sept. 26 Oct. 17 Oct. 31 Nov. 14

Men/Dads/Grads Health Care Seniors Guide Rosh Hashannah Yom Kippur Legal Business/Investments Hanukkah/Holidays

May 27 June 10 July 1 July 29 Aug. 26 Sept. 9 Sept. 30 Oct. 14 Oct. 28

CANDLE LIGHTING

QUOTABLE

Friday, May 27/26 Iyar Light candles at 7:57 pm

“Watching our community support our brothers and sisters in Ukraine has been inspiring.” —page 29

Friday, June 3/4 Sivan Light candles at 8:02 pm Friday, June 10/11 Sivan Light candles at 8:06 pm Friday, June 17/18 Sivan Light candles at 8:09 pm Friday, June 24/25 Sivan Light candles at 8:1 pm Friday, July 1/2 Tammuz Light candles at 8:10 pm

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BRIEFS UNABLE TO FILM IN UKRAINE, EUROVISION SONG CONTEST WINNERS MADE VIDEO IN ISRAEL This year’s Eurovision Song Contest did not go Israel’s way—but even though the country didn’t make it to the final for the first time in six years, it did have some representation in Turin, Italy. That’s because Ukraine, which won the competition with Kalush Orchestra’s Stefania rap song, filmed its introductory video in Israel. The intro, known in Eurovision jargon as the “postcard,” features contestants who typically are filmed in a place of their choosing in the country that hosts that year’s contest (normally, the country that won the previous year). But the war has complicated traveling out of Ukraine, where civilian flights have basically stopped since Russia invaded Feb. 24. And filming in the war-torn country has also become difficult and potentially dangerous. So Ukraine’s Suspilne public broadcaster arranged for Kalush Orchestra to travel to Israel and record there their “postcard” video, which was shown in the grand final ahead of the contestants’ live performance. The filming took place at the headquarters of the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem, in the very room where Chaim Weizmann was sworn in as Israel’s first president. The final video does not feature Israel in any way. It shows the band members, who were filmed against a green screen, against drone footage of several monuments in Italy. At a facility in Israel of the Jewish Agency, which helped bring Kalush Orchestra and 23 other contestants for an annual Israeli pre-Eurovision event called Israel Calling, the Ukrainian band also performed for Jewish refugees from Ukraine. About 50 of the refugees enjoyed a live, unplugged rendition of Stefania, a rap number featuring traditional Ukrainian instruments and motifs. Ukraine was heavily favored to win this year’s competition in part because public voting plays a role in determining the Eurovision victor. Israel is a Eurovision superpower with four wins so far. But for the first time in

six years, the country’s entry didn’t even make it to the Grand Final.

ISRAELI POLICE RUSH FUNERALGOERS, NEARLY TOPPLING THE COFFIN OF AL JAZEERA JOURNALIST Israeli police armed with batons and stun grenades rushed a crowd of funeral-goers in Jerusalem, nearly toppling the coffin of Shireen Abu Akleh, the prominent Al Jazeera journalist who was killed by gunfire Wednesday, May 11 during a clash in the West Bank town of Jenin. Police said they rushed the funeral-goers on Friday, May 13 because they “disrupted the public order” by throwing stones. Videos of dozens of troops in helmets rushing the funeral-goers, at one point nearly causing the pall-bearers to drop the coffin, quickly went viral. Abu Akleh, an American citizen, was born and raised in Jerusalem. A correspondent for Al Jazeera for decades, she was seen as a role model to women Palestinian journalists. Israeli army investigators said they had narrowed down the cause of Abu Akleh’s death to two possible sources: Israeli troops in a jeep, or Palestinian gunmen firing on Israeli soldiers. They want the bullet which killed Abu Akleh to determine whether Israeli troops were responsible, but the Palestinian Authority is refusing to hand it over and is squarely blaming her death on Israel. Israeli leaders initially blamed Abu Akleh’s killing on Palestinian gunmen, but acknowledged within a day that Israeli forces may have been responsible. Biden administration officials have called for a robust investigation. President Joe Biden is due to visit Israel next month. Israeli troops were in Jenin in part because it appears to be the hometown of several of the terrorists who carried out a spate of recent deadly attacks inside Israel. Clashes in the city, which is under the sway of terrorist groups, with barely any control exerted by the Palestinian Authority, have continued. An officer in the Israeli police’s special anti-terror unit, Noam Raz, 47, died Friday, May 13 of wounds sustained in the clashes.

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FRANCE’S NEW PRIME MINISTER IS THE DAUGHTER OF A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR WHO DIED BY SUICIDE French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed as prime minister Élisabeth Borne, a former cabinet minister whose father, Joseph Bornstein, was a Polish Holocaust survivor who died by suicide when she was 11. Borne, a 61-year-old former Socialist Party politician who previously had served as labor minister, is the second woman to hold the post and one of several people with Jewish roots, including Laurent Fabius and Leon Blum. Joseph Bornstein and his three brothers, Isaac, Albert and Leon, were born to Polish-Jewish immigrants in Belgium. The family fled that country to France in 1940 when Germany invaded Western Europe. Joseph Bornstein was arrested by occupation forces and deported to Auschwitz as a teenager in 1943 along with his brother Isaac, according to a filmed interview with Isaac Bornstein. Leon Bornstein was murdered at the Majdanek death camp in occupied Poland. Albert Bornstein, who was born in 1930, was murdered at Auschwitz. But Isaac and Joseph, both of whom served in the French resistance before their arrest, survived until Auschwitz was liberated in 1945 and returned to France. Deeply traumatized by the Holocaust, Joseph Bornstein died by suicide in 1972, when he was 48 and his daughter, Elisabeth, was only 11. Joseph Bornstein converted to Christianity after World War II to marry Elisabeth Borne’s mother, Marguerite Lescène. He suffered from epilepsy and other medical problems but, Isaac Bornstein said, “I think he never got over Auschwitz.” Borne, who has never run for public office, is widely seen as a technocrat with little interest in media attention. Her nomination may also be temporary, pending the results of legislative elections set for next month. She has led a tough negotiation against some trade unions since 2017, when Macron was elected for his first term. That year, she led a reform that forced the SNCF railway company to give up considerable

pension benefits for its employees, a move the company resisted by mounting multiple strikes. (JTA)

ERIC ZEMMOUR ACQUITTED OF HOLOCAUST DENIAL CHARGE FOR SAYING FRENCH NAZI COLLABORATOR SAVED JEWS A French court acquitted Éric Zemmour, a French politician, of denying a crime against humanity by saying that a French collaborator with the Nazis had saved most French Jews. The Appeals Court of Paris confirmed an earlier ruling a lower court that said that Zemmour, a Jewish journalist with far-right views who ran unsuccessfully for president in April, was innocent of the action, which is illegal in France. Several left-leaning anti-racism groups had filed complaints against Zemmour over his 2019 comments saying that Philippe Pétain, whom the Nazis allowed to administer a part of France after they occupied the country in 1940, had sacrificed foreign Jews living in France to save Jewish citizens. The issue is divisive because it touches on the question of French complicity in the Holocaust. Multiple French presidents since Jaques Chirac have acknowledged collaboration by the French government, and public monuments honoring Petain have been removed across France. (A plaque honoring him remains in place in New York City something that local Jewish advocates want to change.) But others dispute that history, especially in far-right circles and in some far-left ones. At least one renowned historian, Alain Michel, also advocates the theory that some of Pétain’s policies were guided by a desire to save French Jews. The view held by Nazi hunter Serge Klarsfeld is more widely held. Klarsfeld has called Zemmour’s interpretation “completely false.” Zemmour is running for a seat in the French parliament in the June 12 election. He came in fourth in the first round of the presidential elections in April. In the final round, President Emmanuel Macron beat Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Party rally. (JTA)

NATION

National Council of Jewish Women creates outlet for Jews to donate to abortion funds Jackie Hajdenberg

( JTA)—In the 1920s, the National Council of Jewish Women helped establish the first 10 birth control clinics in the United States, which later became Planned Parenthood clinics. Now, with the right to abortion under threat, the group is partnering with the National Abortion Federation to raise funds for people who need help to end pregnancies. As the Supreme Court appears likely to soon overturn Roe v. Wade, NCJW’s Jewish Fund for Abortion Access will help pay for the NAF’s abortion hotline, the largest in the country; to directly support people who must travel to receive abortions because of restrictions in their home states; and to cover medical costs associated with abortion procedures. The fund, announced during the council’s annual meeting earlier this month, marks the first time that the National Council of Jewish Women has undertaken a fundraising effort for another domestic organization. (It has raised funds for progressive causes in Israel in the past.) The choice to do so felt self-evident, Sheila Katz, the group’s CEO, says. “One of the reasons National Abortion Federation is a good partner is because their hotline is the most known and it’s the most turned to,” says Katz. “There’s no need for organizations, including Jewish organizations or synagogues or youth groups, to be reinventing the wheel.” Since a leaked draft earlier this month suggesting a Supreme Court majority is ready to overturn the 1973 decision that legalized abortion across the United States, NCJW has been receiving nonstop emails and calls from organizations and individuals looking to help, as well as from people who are themselves seeking abortion care. The group, which has been organizing around reproductive rights for decades, launched the Rabbis for Repro group in 2020.

On Tuesday, May 17, NCJW held the Jewish March for Abortion Rights in Washington, D.C. Initially, Katz says, the instinct within her group was to support people who stand to lose abortion access by working in local communities and directly with clinics providing abortion care. “But what we heard overwhelmingly is that people who are getting abortions want to see people who look like them as part of the process and they need people with expertise as part of the process,” she says, noting that NCJW is a historically white organization that does not reflect the lower-income demographic of the people who would be most likely to lose access to legal abortions after the end of Roe v. Wade.

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“It really feels powerful and special and a moment of growth for NCJW that we are able to say, ‘We’re not the right people to show up physically,’” Katz says. “So we’re going to provide funding instead.’” The plan for now is to run the fund for six months, Katz says. The group is also keeping an eye on potential litigation that could challenge a Supreme Court decision to do away with abortion rights. Approximately 150 Jewish organizations, including representatives from all denominations, sponsored the rally in Washington.

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Forever Helping Others

ANTISEMITISM

In her first talk as antisemitism monitor, Deborah Lipstadt decries those who do not take it seriously Ron Kampeas

Architect Bernard Spigel died in 1968, leaving a legacy of homes, schools, and other buildings he designed. Today, Spigel Scholars are designing buildings of their own. A scholarship that Bernard’s daughter, LucySpigel Herman, created at the community foundation to honor him helps future architects pay for their education.

Find out how you can leave your mark. Visit LeaveABequest.org 6 | JEWISH NEWS | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

WASHINGTON (JTA)—Antisemitism is often not taken seriously until it becomes deadly, said Deborah Lipstadt, the Holocaust scholar whose nomination to be the State Department’s antisemitism monitor was delayed as she tangled with Republican senators who were peeved at her criticisms of their side of the asile. Lipstadt chose the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum for her first talk Thursday, May 12 since her Senate confirmation in March after contentious hearings. She made good on her pledges to skeptical Republicans in the body that she would identify and target antisemitism on all sides.

It is increasingly hard to differentiate between antisemitism that is foreign and that which is domestic. “Antisemitism does not come from one end of the political spectrum,” Lipstadt said. “It is ubiquitous and is espoused by people who agree on nothing else or, better put, disagree on everything else.” She spoke of the threat from the farright, mentioning the 2017 neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville that convinced President Joe Biden, who named her to the post, to run for the presidency. But she also alluded to her frustrations with the left. “Too often, when there is an act of antisemitism, those who condemn it cannot bring themselves to focus specifically on this particular prejudice,” she said. In 2019, Jewish groups,

Republicans and some Jewish Democrats were unhappy when a resolution condemning antisemitism was amended to include condemnations of other forms of bigotry, including Islamaphobia. In her remarks and later in a conversation with Sara Bloomfield, the museum’s director, Lipstadt said that antisemitism is often not taken seriously until it is too late. “Too many people, organizations and institutions do not take antisemitism seriously,” she said. “They fail to include it in their litany of legitimate prejudicial hatreds. They wonder what is it that Jews are complaining about? After all, they are wealthy and powerful.” Talking to Bloomfield, she said people tend not to take antisemitism seriously until it turns deadly, citing attacks on Jews in Pittsburgh in 2018, in New Jersey in 2019 and in Paris in 2015. “Then they suddenly stop but like if it’s something else it’s not taken seriously to some percent, at least at first glance, as many other victims of oppression,” Lipstadt said. The post of antisemitism monitor was established in 2004 to track antisemitism overseas and make representations to foreign governments to address it, but Lipstadt said those lines were now blurred. She noted the hostage-taking crisis at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas in January, carried out by a radicalized British Muslim. “It is increasingly hard to differentiate between antisemitism that is foreign and that which is domestic,” she said. That was a view adopted by her Trump administration predecessor, Elan Carr, who was in the audience and whom Lipstadt acknowledged in her remarks. In another nod to continuity with the Trump administration, Lipstadt praised the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and four Arab countries, brokered by the Trump administration in its final months. “Working together with the countries

Deborah Lipstadt

that have signed on to the Accords and the normalization agreements, we can address some of the violent extremist antisemitism which often has had lethal consequences,” she said. A number of Republicans had opposed and delayed Lipsdtadt’s nomination because while campaigning for Biden, she had lacerated the Trump administration as showing fascist tendencies and had described a statement by Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson as white supremacism. The weight of her Holocaust scholarship attached to these claims unnerved Republicans, but the Jewish community rallied behind her and she reached out to Republicans assuring them she would be nonpartisan in her ambassadorial role. In the end, she was confirmed in a bipartisan vote. In her talk, Lipstadt singled out Russian officials for “soft” Holocaust denial because of their claims that Russia’s war against Ukraine is aimed at “denazifying” the country. Lipstadt said she was “outraged by this exploitation of the history and suffering of the Holocaust and World War II for a coldblooded war of choice.”

NATION

Candidates backed by pro-Israel PACs, including 2 affiliated with AIPAC, won primaries in NC Ron Kampeas

(JTA)—Moderate Democrats backed by political action committees affiliated with the AIPAC pro-Israel lobby won hotly contested Democratic primaries Tuesday, May 17 which the group said was a vindication of its controversial decision to dive into direct campaign funding. In North Carolina, Don Davis won handily in the 1st District, in the state’s northeast, besting Erica Smith. In the 4th District in the state’s center, a state senator, Valerie Foushee, defeated Nida Allam, a Durham County commissioner who was the first Muslim woman elected to office in the state, 47% to 37%, with 84% of the vote counted. Both races were to replace longtime Democrats who are retiring and were two of three closely watched in the pro-Israel community because of massive injections of cash by United Democracy Project, a so-called “super PAC” launched last year by AIPAC. The PAC targeted the races because Smith and Allam would have added to the contingent of congressional lawmakers who seek stricter oversight and limitations on defense aid for Israel. The third race, in Pennsylvania’s newly drawn 12th District, was too close to call, with the United Democracy-backed candidate, Pittsburgh lawyer Steve Irwin, less than a percentage point behind State Rep. Summer Lee with 98% of the vote counted. It’s not clear how much AIPAC’s support drove the outcomes, as both Davis and Foushee had support from the the local Democratic establishment and the cryptocurrency sector, which is seeking to deter congressional oversight, also poured money into the races. But it’s clear that the pro-Israel funding, which also flowed to a lesser degree from a PAC associated with the group Democratic Majority for Israel, did register in the races. In the Pittsburgh-area district Lee was seen as the clear front-runner

until she was hit by a barrage of negative ads paid for by United Democracy. And in North Carolina’s 4th District, the pro-Israel donations caused the state’s progressive caucus to rescind its endorsement of Foushee. AIPAC said the wins and another backed by a conventional PAC it launched this year, AIPAC PAC, are proof that Democratic voters still lean pro-Israel, even as criticism of Israel and its policies has sharpened among Democrats in Washington, D.C. The wins “over anti-Israel candidates send a strong message that the pro-Israel community will stand with those candidates who support the U.S.Israel relationship. It also shows that the Democratic electorate stands with pro-Israel leaders,” AIPAC said. The victories may help to offset some of the negative publicity the lobby has endured since announcing in December it was breaking with decades of staying above the fray and establishing political action committees. Democrats are furious that AIPAC PAC has backed dozens of Republicans who refused to certify Joe Biden’s presidential election on Jan. 6, 2021, the day of a deadly insurrection aimed at keeping Congress from certifying the election. A number of Republicans have expressed frustration, meanwhile, that AIPAC PAC is backing Democrats who support the Iran nuclear deal, which AIPAC vehemently opposes. Super PACs are political action committees that may accept unlimited funds, but must not directly coordinate with a campaign; they often attack an endorsed candidate’s opponents. United Democracy poured more than $2 million into each of the races, fueling negative ads against progressive rivals who were backed by groups that are frequently critical of Israel. The vast majority of funding for United for Democracy has so far come from AIPAC itself.

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ANTISEMITISM

What you need to know about the antisemitic ideology behind the Buffalo shooting Philissa Cramer, Ron Kampeas

(JTA)—The man charged with killing 10 people at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket Saturday, May 14, allegedly was motivated by a conspiracy theory that has spurred recent deadly attacks on Jews, among others. An online manifesto attributed to Payton Gendron, 18, explains that the attack was spurred by the theory that a tide of immigrants is crowding out white populations in western countries. The manifesto also says that Jews are the real problem but that “they can be dealt with in time.” The Tops supermarket, located just a few miles from the Canadian border, was chosen because it is in an area with many Black residents, the manifesto says. Eleven of the 13 people shot there were Black, local law enforcement officials said. Law enforcement authorities are working to verify that the manifesto was written by Gendron, who was arrested at the scene and later charged with first-degree murder. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the shooting as “a hate crime and an act of racially motivated violent extremism,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. The baseless theory outlined in the manifesto is known as “Great Replacement” and has united white supremacists across borders in their hatred of Jews and immigrants. Replacement theory has inspired multiple antisemitic and extremist attacks, including the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in which 11 Jews were murdered; the 2019 attack on a New Zealand mosque that killed 51; and the 2019 massacre at a Texas Wal-Mart that targeted Hispanic immigrants. In 2017, white supremacists marching in Charlottesville, Virginia, infamously chanted “Jews will not replace us.” The manifesto cites the perpetrator of the New Zealand massacre as a chief inspiration and says that its author learned

8 | JEWISH NEWS | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

about the dangers of immigration from online research, including on 4chan, a website popular among right-wing trolls. The theory has gained significant traction in right-wing media and politics. Tucker Carlson, the top-rated Fox News Channel opinion host, has trafficked for more than a year in replacement rhetoric. In one passage in the manifesto allegedly written by Gendron, the writer echoes Carlson’s phrasing in a notorious September 2018 segment, which began, “How precisely is diversity our strength?” The manifesto launches a similar salvo, “Why is diversity said to be our greatest strength?”

The baseless theory outlined in the manifesto is known as “Great Replacement” and has united white supremacists across borders in their hatred of Jews and immigrants.

ANTISEMITISM The Anti-Defamation League called on Fox News to fire Carlson after the host explicitly defended replacement theory on air last year. Fox executives rejected the call. “Horrified by the #Buffalo shooting which is apparently motivated by #antisemitism and #racism,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted Saturday, May 14. “The rhetoric that fuels hate-filled conspiracies has to stop.… These are the consequences of conspiracies going unchecked.” Replacement theory has gained currency among some Republican officials, including Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, whose hometown newspaper in Albany decried her invocation of the theory in an editorial last fall. An Associated Press poll

released earlier this month found that half of Republicans in the United States agree at least partially with the idea that there is an intentional effort to crowd white Americans out with immigrants. Structured largely in a question-and-answer format and accompanied by collected memes and internet citations, the manifesto explicitly states that the author is driven by hatred of Jews. The author says he departs from many white supremacists in concluding that Jews are, for the most part, white. But, citing pages of quotations from the Talmud, he says Jews are polluted by learning that “they are God’s chosen people and they are permitted to hate and exploit the goyim” or non-Jews, and to engage in pedophilia. (Purported fear

of pedophilia is also central to QAnon, another conspiracy theory with antisemitic roots that has gained widespread currency on the American right.) “Are you an anti-semite? YES!!” the manifesto reads in one place. Later, the author answers the question, “Why attack immigrants when the Jews are the issue?” The answer reads, in part: “They can be dealt with in time.” The manifesto cites George Soros, the Hungarian-born Jewish billionaire and philanthropist who is a boogeyman for right-wing conspiracy theories, as “majorly responsible for the destruction of our White culture.” It also says that Jews are driving the rise of critical race theory, an academic idea about the ways in which racism is embedded in society

that has become a recent rallying cry for right-wing activism. The alleged shooter broadcast his attack on Twitch, a streaming platform for video game enthusiasts also used by the man who attacked a synagogue in Halle, Germany, in 2019. That attack broadcast for 35 minutes; Twitch said it had removed footage of the Buffalo attack sooner. The manifesto says Halle showed the author “that there is enough time to capture everything important.” The Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo is among the many local and national organizations providing support to people in the city of approximately 250,000; it is making mental health services available.

Jewish News: 3 days before the cover date: JewishNewsVa.org/digital.

jewishnewsva.org | May 23, 2022 | JEWISH NEWS | 9

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JEWISH FAMILY SERVCE

Run, Roll, or Stroll a success J

ewish Family Service of Tidewater hosted its 18th annual Run, Roll, or Stroll race day event on Sunday, May 1. After two years of postponing due to COVID, this year’s Run, Roll, or Stroll came back in a big way with a record turn-out, with more than 350 people registering. The event, which began at the 31st street park, offered a 1 mile or 5k, along with family-friendly entertainment: a face painter, balloon twister, music by Don London, and as many photos as participants could get in the photo booth. The weather was great, but the crowd was even better—full of energy, excitement, and passion. “We call it Run, Roll, or Stroll because we want people to come out and participate as a community regardless of activity level. It is about having a fun, healthy day. We were excited to have so many people out that morning moving in whatever way they could,” says Brooke Rush, director of development for Jewish Family Service. “Jewish Family Service would like to thank all of the sponsors of Spring Into Healthy Living and Run, Roll, or Stroll, with special thanks to the Lead Sponsor, Lynn and Rachel Schoenbaum

Fund, and Diamond Sponsor, Dozoretz Family Fund. Visit jfshamptonroads.org/ sponsors to see all of the other wonderful sponsors who have made such an impact on the community.” The JFS board of directors and community volunteers helped make the day possible and a success, says Rush. “A big thank you to Yolanda and Justine from JFit for warming everyone up before the race and keeping the crowd entertained!” JFS also extends appreciation to the local businesses who donated to the race bags and raffle prizes: Cinema Café, Whole Health Nutrition, Jody G. Boutique, Starbucks, Jen and Juice, Hunt Club Farm, Route 58 Deli, Tijuana Flats, Fleet Feet, Royal Chocolate, and Latitude Climbing Gym. JFS is hosting a Sponsor and Legacy Appreciation Reception in the Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Healing Garden at the entrance of JFS on the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus on May 31 at 6:30 pm. For more information and to RSVP, contact Brooke Rush brush@jfshamptonroads.org or 757-321-2238.

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Rabbi Sender Haber to leave B’nai Israel Jeffrey F. Brooke

any communities have a rabbi. In the times of the Talmud, that term was deemed somewhat narrow for the many responsibilities devolved on the community leader. Another term was needed and coined: Mara D’asra, literally ‘leader of the community.’ Such a leader is Rabbi Sender Haber who recently announced his retirement from B’nai Israel Congregation. While the typical “rav” or rabbi attends to general pastoral needs, a Mara D’asra is literally responsible for all aspects of the community. In the Orthodox Torah world, the responsibilities are wide-ranging and significant. The Torah-observant community in many cases will not place food on the plate or make an important life decision without consulting the rabbi. Therefore, the telephone rings and the Whatsapps flow like water from a fire hose. In his 20 years or so in Norfolk’s community, Rabbi Haber has never pulled back from that fire hose. Arriving in Norfolk in 2001 to work with the Norfolk Area Community Kollel, Rabbi Sender Haber is the son of a rabbi himself. (His father Rabbi Yaacov Haber gave him the name Sender, a shorten version of Alexander, as an honorific which recalls the kindness exhibited by Alexander the Great to the Jews of ancient times). Rabbi Sender Haber immediately stood out from the other Kollel members for his maturity, Torah knowledge, and love for the Jewish people. He soon found himself teaching Torah at Toras Chaim Day School, Yeshiva Aish Kodesh Boys High School, and at Bina Girl’s High School. With the departure of Rabbi Chaim Silver, Rabbi Haber ascended from assistant rabbi to Rav. Over the years, the congregational calls (sheilos) kept coming and the responsibilities grew. Rabbi Haber guided the community through a period of impressive growth as the Kollel expanded, along with the other Orthodox institutions which serve the community. In his “spare

time,” Rabbi Haber has served as a loving husband alongside his wife, Rebbetzin Chamie Haber, who has also gone above and beyond for the Tidewater Jewish community. He raised a family and managed to author several outstanding written works, including an illustrated Haggada published by the Mosaica Press. A true “renaissance-rabbi,” Rabbi Haber even found time to serve as the official chaplain of the Lost Tribe Motorcycle Club, where he proudly earned his vest and club colors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rabbi Haber’s firm, but gentle guidance kept the davening schedule on track to the maximum extent possible and helped the community through one of the most challenging periods in its 75-year history. Through it all, Rabbi Haber maintained his now famous composure, grace, and humor.

he will be free to learn his beloved Torah once again in a kollel setting. The congregation has reluctantly begun a rabbinic search even while it adapts to the idea that its long-time Mara D’asra will be leaving. Amidst the sadness of his impending departure, the congregation plans to carry on with its learning and commitment to the G-d of Israel in a way in which it prays will serve as a lasting tribute to Rabbi Haber’s many years of service. A good-bye Kiddush and night of learning in honor of the Habers (with various dedication opportunities) is being planned around the Shavuos holiday of June 5–6. For information and ways in which to honor the Habers, contact B’nai Israel Congregation at 757‑627‑7358, e-mail: office@bnaiisrael.org or through the website www.bnaiisrael.org.

The congregation plans to carry on

Rabbi Sender Haber.

Jeffrey Brooke is president of B’nai Israel Congregation.

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in a way in which it prays will serve as a lasting tribute to Rabbi Haber. www.GilbertEyecare.com While completely devoted to the cause of Torah-true Judaism, Rabbi Haber also never shied away from his role as a rabbi for the greater community and looked forward to all his of his interactions and teaching at the Simon Family JCC and in the broader United Jewish Federation of Tidewater community. Now that time has come to an end. Rabbi Haber recently announced plans to relocate to Monsey, N. Y. where

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NATONAL

New and improved—Jewish Federation of North America’s Washington Conference 2022 Elka Mednick

arlier this month, Jewish Federations of North America relaunched the biennial Washington Conference. The original incarnation ran from the late 1970’s through 2004. JFNA hosted the event once again for a group of more than 450 community members from across North America to learn and work collectively for the safety and security of the Jewish community. The three main topics for conference participants were the war in Ukraine, ensuring the security of Jewish communities, and combating hate in all forms. Day one opened with a plenary of speakers welcoming attendees to DC. Among the interesting speakers featured was Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova, who shared some of her thoughts and experiences since

the onset of the war. After the opening session, participants joined breakout sessions focused on education and advocacy training. One breakout session featured representatives from the National Urban League, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Human Rights Campaign, and Congressman Don Beyer. The topic was fighting hate together, with a focus on outreach and partnership to other minority groups in order to foster intersectionality and greater understanding. Representative Beyer shared the importance of advocating for robust funding for the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act. The second session of the day focused on the issue of antisemitism in schools and tools to empower parents and students to advocate for increased inclusion. In addition to discussing the existing means

Conference participants with Congresswoman Kathy Manning. Elka Mednick at right.

and relationships the Jewish Community Relations Councils can utilize on a community member’s behalf following an antisemitic incident, ways to engage with teachers and administrators before a negative encounter were also explored. Some suggestions included speaking to teachers

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at the beginning of the year and offering to share some Jewish traditions in the classroom, or speaking with an athletic coach at the beginning of the season to point out potential calendar conflicts. The evening concluded at the U.S. Institute for Peace, and featured numerous insightful speakers, including Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt and Pittsburg Steelers’ Zach Banner. Day two of the conference was the day many people were waiting for. Everyone had the opportunity to take what was learned and advocate on those matters to members of congress. My group met with freshmen congressional representatives Sara Jacobs, and Kathy Manning. During our time with each congresswoman we advocated on the policy topics at hand, and heard how their Jewish identity impacts the work they do every day. The 2022 JFNA Washington Conference concluded with an interactive session that featured local Jewish community leaders, Senator Ben Cardin, and Representative Steve Scalise on the efforts each of them make every day for a more secure and peaceful future. Consider attending the next JFNA Washington Conference, which should be even more incredible than this year’s. For more information about Jewish Federations of North America, contact Elka Mednick, assistant director, Jewish Community Relations Council at United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, at emednick@ujft.org.

Local Relationships Matter

BOOK REVIEW

Insightful reflections by Pittsburgh writers Bound In The Bond Of Life (Pittsburgh Writers Reflect on the Tree of Life Tragedy) Edited by Beth Kissileff and Eric Lidji University of Pittsburgh Press, 2020 242 pages

he utterly shocking and deeply unsettling 83-minute attack on Shabbat morning, October 27, 2018, on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Rabbi Zoberman. resulting in the death of 11 worshiping Jews, has been described as the worst antisemitic crime committed on American soil. The book’s title, Bound In The Bond Of Life, is the traditional Jewish memorial response asserting life’s primacy while facing painful death and loss. The moving volume of insightful reflections by a wide array of Pittsburgh writers connects to their own lives’ experiences. It is thoughtfully fitting testimony honoring the memory of the slain who are rightfully placed in the context of the long historical chain of Jewish martyrdom, culminating in the Holocaust and beyond, with the appellation of “Kedoshei Pittsburgh” (Pittsburgh’s Martyrs). The book’s co-editor Beth Kissileff is married to one of the attack’s survivors, Rabbi Jonathan Perlman of New Light Congregation, which meets at Conservative Tree of Life. She has taught at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Minnesota, among others,

editing, Reading Genesis: Beginnings, along with, Reading Exodus: Journeys. Kissileff compellingly challenges the reader, “The essays in this volume raise issues and ask tough questions…. Can any of us feel safe again? Did antiSemitism really not ever go away?—With the anticipation there will be an impetus to think about these issues in a new way and even perhaps act to ameliorate the twin problems of anti-Semitism and gun violence that plague the United States at this moment, as well as the concomitant fear of the immigrant that is said to have impelled the shooter to his brutal action.” Obviously, these and interrelated issues are complex and beclouded by sectarian politics. Thus, we are not free from tackling them while advocating for remedies that will help prevent similar tragedies in the future, aware of the precipitous rise of antisemitic violent acts in this country and around the world. Surely and sadly, antisemitism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and hate of the Other are deeply seated in American society and elsewhere. Co-editor Eric Lidji is director of Pittsburgh ’s R au Jew i sh Hi stor y Program & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center. He is the author of The Seventeenth Generation: The lifework of Rabbi Walter Jacob, and co-editor of Her Deeds Sing Her Praises: Profiles of Pittsburgh Jewish Women. He oversees preserving the October 27, 2018 massacre’s documentation. “In due time, with persistence, I can know just the tiniest bit more. I can know each thing individually. I will be able to describe it,

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and I will be able to situate it among all the other things in the archive, so that nothing is ever lost or overlooked, so that others can someday make meaning from it all.” The Jewish experience, including the American Jewish one we have agonizingly discovered, is mixed; tears of joy as well as tears of sorrow with hopefully through prayer and action, the former having the upper hand. Only congregation Tree of Life remains in the building which will be redesigned by

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famed architect Daniel Libeskind, son of Holocaust survivors, who designed the World Trade Center site following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The remodeled building will memorialize the worst antisemitic violation on American soil, as well as serve the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. Quite a confluence of related tragedies! Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman is founder and spiritual leader of Temple Lev Tikvah in Virginia Beach. Virginia.

jewishnewsva.org | May 23, 2022 | JEWISH NEWS | 13

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Survivors Room honors area survivors Mickey Held

n active Holocaust Commission has been part of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater for more than 30 years. Among its numerous programs and projects, the Commission established a Speakers’ Bureau comprised of local Holocaust survivors. Escorted by Commission members, survivors regularly shared their stories throughout Tidewater and beyond. Today, many of these stories live through their own voices, embodied in the Commission’s internationally acclaimed film program, What We Carry. Even after their passing,

Commemorative plaque created by Jason Capossere.

these survivors—forever mentors and friends—continue to teach the lessons of the Holocaust to thousands of students, military and law enforcement personnel, and the world. Now, through the dedicated vision of Leslie Siegel, a Commission member, these survivors have a special place at the Sandler Family Campus devoted to their memories. The Survivors Room, just off of the Cardo, has been created to honor their legacy and to exhibit their portraits. The doors are always open to browse, to meet, to play cards, or just relax amid books and stories reflecting the past. The room’s walls host photographs taken by Dean Whitbeck in 2017 of the remaining survivors, for a project entitled, Faces of Survival, that was successfully chaired by Vivian Margulies. With the expertise and generosity of photographers Joseph Lust and Alexander Kravets, past survivors’ photographs were curated and added in 2019. Below each portrait is a history of the survivor’s journey written by Wendy Auerbach and Deb Segaloff. Pedestals throughout the room display student artwork from the Commission’s Elie Wiesel Visual Arts Competition. Jason Capossere, head of security for the Sandler Campus, created a beautiful wooden commemorative plaque, and dedicated staff member, Jaime Brathwaite, worked tirelessly on the room. Thanks to all who volunteered to assist in its efforts, the room is complete. For those who had the privilege to know a local survivor, memories flood their minds as they enter this warm and welcoming sacred space. The spirit of friendships made over decades endures. One can hear their voices, their message, their humor, and feel

14 | JEWISH NEWS | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

Portraits of area survivors taken in 2017 and 2019.

Portraits of survivors ring the Survivors Room.

the strength of their character…laugh with Kitty Saks, marvel in David Katz’s humility, and heed Hanns Loewenbach’s words—“Evil does not need your help; only your indifference.” These survivors’ images remind of the responsibility to educate the community and world of the horrific lessons of the Holocaust. The community is invited to visit and find spiritual meaning in the library of books, and relaxation in these serene surroundings. While sitting in this oasis surrounded by moving stories of local

survivors, find inspiration and a renewed commitment to create a better world in their honor and in their memory. We must never forget. An opening reception for the Survivors Room honoring these remarkable people is planned for a future date. Mickey Held is a long standing member and a past chair of the Holocaust Commission. Photography by Mark Robbins.

75 years of Jewish News 1947–2022

Supplement to Jewish News, May 23, 2022 jewishnewsva.org | May 23, 2022 | Anniversary | JEWISH NEWS | 15

75 years of Jewish News

Dear Readers,

y first connections with Jewish

Harbor Group International Harbor Group Harbor Group would like to International International congratulate would like to would like to congratulate congratulate

T he T he T heN ews J ewish ewish N News ews JJewish on its 75th anniversary! on its 75th anniversary! on its 75th anniversary!

News took place in the mid-1970s

when, as an active teen in Tidewater’s Jewish community, my name and photo would sporadically appear on its pages. As I renewed my activity in the community as a young adult, I’d find my name mentioned for serving on one committee or another, and always, with extreme dependability, the paper would magically appear in my mailbox. Other than becoming its editor, my personal experience with the paper is not all that unique. Over the course of 75 years, thousands of people have been featured within its pages and tens of thousands more have received the paper in the mail. For some, Jewish News is their only source of Jewish-oriented news, where they learn about events taking place in the community, and, so often I hear, how they keep up with obituaries. For others, it reinforces connections and educates. Whatever the reasons readers take the time to peruse its pages, all of us who work on the paper appreciate the readership and comments we receive about its look, advertisers, and content. That’s because we’re committed to producing a paper we can all be proud of.

Norfolk • New York • Baltimore Los Angeles • Tel Aviv Norfolk • New York • Baltimore Norfolk New York • Baltimore Los •Angeles • Tel Aviv Los Angeles • Tel Aviv

An NBC television director once told me, “It can always be better if your name is on it.” Like the editors before me, I consider his words daily. Thank you all for reading and for being a part of this, our 75th Anniversary edition. Mazel Tov to Jewish News!

Terri Denison Editor

16 | JEWISH NEWS | Anniversary | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

75 years of Jewish News

Jewish News: The details…because its always about the details Terri Denison

articles about their upcoming or recently taken place events. And, while no longer on UJFT staff, Wynston Hammack continues to upload the paper’s news to its website and send its emails.

newspaper serving Jewish Tidewater has been an integral component of the community since 1947. While its name, size, and frequency have evolved over the years, its mission has remained remarkably consistent: to inform and As far as the paper’s connect Tidewater’s Jewish community— locally, nationally, and globally. size, that’s mainly been The Norfolk J. C. C. ( Jewish Community Council) News, UJF News, UJFT Virginia a story of growth. News, Southeastern Virginia Jewish News, and Jewish News are just some of the various names that have adorned the paper’s masthead over the years. Speaking of contributors, Jewish News The paper’s calendar has also rolled welcomes articles and letters from outside with the times. It has been published sources—synagogues, schools, organizamonthly, bi-weekly, weekly, and now is on tions, and individuals. Guidelines are a 20 times per year schedule. posted on the paper’s website. As far as the paper’s size, that’s mainly Two people who are integral to the been a story of growth. Originally four paper’s look and solvency aren’t actually pages per issue, in recent years, Jewish employees at all…they are outside conNews has printed to up to 64-page editions. tractors. For 17 years, Germaine Clair has Jewish News is owned and operated by been Jewish News’ art director, working her United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, magic with the paper’s limited resources, making it a non-profit publication. While sharpening and cropping images, squeeznot actually on the paper’s staff, many ing articles, and occasionally, even who work at UJFT contribute to its operspreading some. Sandy Goldberg, who ations, including Dana Jones, CFO, and calls this his “retirement gig,” has been her finance team: Anca Czyzewski and selling ads for Jewish News since 2009. Thomas Roberts who take care of revHe’s one of the main reasons for the enue…coming and going; paper’s increased pages. Patty Malone and Marilyn Jewish News is printed Cerase in administration in Frederick, Maryland who maintain the circuby the Frederick News lation list; Carlos Noriega Post and is mailed on the and D’Ontre Hudson who Friday prior to the Monday times a year the paper calmly handle IT chalpublication date from is published lenges; Taffy Hunter, Gaithersburg, Md. Who Human Resources director, knew? Communication who takes care of everywith the production staff at thing in that arena; and, of the printer is almost entirely course, Betty Ann Levin, via email and online portals UJFT/Simon Family JCC CEO/executive (unless, of course, there’s an emergency). vice president, who oversees all activities Everyone at FNP is professional, patient, of the Federation. In addition, depending polite, and clearly takes pride in their on their department, many contribute product.

What you do benefits us all. Congratulations on 75 years of Jewish News!

Dollar.Bank

jewishnewsva.org | May 23, 2022 | Anniversary | JEWISH NEWS | 17

75 years of Jewish News

Jewish News editors make certain the paper evolves Terri Denison

Temple Israel applauds the Jewish News for 75 years of documenting our community history

Founded in 1954 7255 Granby Street • Norfolk, VA 23505 (757) 489-4550 • templeisraelva.org templeisraelva1954@gmail.com 18 | JEWISH NEWS | Anniversary | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

n the paper’s 75-year history, surprisingly few have served as editor. In fact, many of the first editions list no editor at all, but rather the executive of the Norfolk Jewish Community Council (in one instance Sydney S. Abzug) and in others, just editorial boards, comprised of men (they were all men) such as Stanley Gross, a local advertising executive. Two stand-out editors who changed the course of what was once a four-page newsletter, are Marilyn Goldman and Reba Karp. Both happen to be my mentors. In 1980, Marilyn hired me at Tidewater Virginian, a magazine once owned by the area chambers of commerce, and now known as Virginia Business. That’s also where I first met Reba, who would occasionally write for the publication. I began my stint as editor when Reba retired, following her directions on myriad aspects of the paper. It was 1967 that Marilyn Goldman began working at the paper, then Jewish Community Council NEWS. In 2014, for a community commemorative issue, she wrote: “Like many women of my time, I stayed home raising my three children

She has crossed swords with many on her concepts of how a Federationowned newspaper can escape, be independent, and still serve the community in which it’s published.

and wrote freelance for several publications. Ephraim “Fri” Spivek probably saw my work and called me to come in for an interview at the council’s office on Spotswood Avenue in Norfolk. Whatever arrangements were made dealing with a job description, hours, and pay are lost in memory. But I do recall the council’s small office space, which meant that I would work at home laying out the paper in my kitchen. “Fri and I quickly developed a close working relationship, in which I greatly benefited from his intellect and worldview. He accepted my insistence on a policy that included the wider Jewish community, even outside when it was appropriate, although, it was not to everyone’s satisfaction. Still, he never told me to drop an editorial and dealt with whatever controversy arose without involving me. I wasn’t totally immune, however, after each edition I received plenty of irate calls, and sometimes a compliment. It was all part of the job.” (Note: Not much has changed.) Goldman’s ad agency husband, Dan Goldman, believed the paper should include advertising. “It has an upscale market to attract advertisers,” he said, “Advertising adds interest, readership, and eventually will pay for the publication.’’ While these were all valid arguments,

75 years of Jewish News

Marilyn Goldman.

Reba Karp.

each time Goldman approached the subject to the Federation, it was rejected. After nearly two years, the Federation agreed on the proposal. Goldman made the news a front-page headline: Advertising Acceptance Milestone for UJF News. The story was even picked up by the national

wire service JTA, the Jewish Telegraph Agency. And, with that, the Goldmans had impacted, to this day, the staying power of the paper. Goldman’s last issue was 12 pages in 1970—a jump from the original four. In that last issue, of Goldman, Spivek wrote: She has crossed swords with many on her concepts of how a Federation-owned newspaper can escape, be independent, and still serve the community in which it’s published....” Reba Karp came and went a couple of times as editor, but stayed the longest in the chair. Karp first arrived as editor and put out

the first UJF News in tabloid format on Oct. 6, 1973. In 2014, she wrote: “I didn’t stay very long that first time, as I was to leave for other jobs twice before I returned for the third time on May 28, 1978. This time I stayed and remained as editor of the UJF Virginia News until I retired in 2004.” Like Goldman, Karp took on challenges, embarking on ambitious projects of her own design. In Sept. 24 1984, UJFT published its first four-color magazine, Renewal. “In the beginning, we had six issues a year, plus a newspaper every other week,” she wrote. Karp added pages, increased frequency, added color, and created the Renewal magazine. Today she is editor emeritus for Jewish News. In 2004, like Marilyn Goldman, I received a call from the Federation’s executive vice president. My first reaction

when Harry Graber suggested I become editor was “absolutely not.” Harry was not easily dissuaded. A couple of meetings later, I was excited about the prospect and was working with Reba on a transition. Following in the footsteps, or editorial marks, of Marilyn and Reba, I’ve also attempted to keep the community’s paper moving forward. Jewish News is now full color and we’ve increased the number of pages of each issue, generally based on advertising. In 2012, we launched the Jewish News website, which includes an e-edition. The Hal Sacks Jewish News Archives was established in 2016. And, at the start of the pandemic, we began emailing the issue the Friday before publication date. The editor’s job for this publication is about more than marking up copy and assigning articles. The question is, Who’s next?

jewishnewsva.org | May 23, 2022 | Anniversary | JEWISH NEWS | 19

75 years of Jewish News

Jewish News advertisers celebrate longevity

dvertising in the Jewish News (then UJF News) began in 1969, a turning point for the newspaper. As the paper has met challenges and not only survived, but thrived, so have the advertisers within this issue. The timeline of their founding—some even centuries before the paper got its start—offers an inspiring perspective on these Jewish News business associates. Mazel Tov to all!

1865 H. D. Oliver 1850 1728 Funeral Norfolk Congregation Apartments, Beth El Academy Inc.

1844 Ohef Sholom Temple

1855 Dollar Bank

20 | JEWISH NEWS | Anniversary | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

1917 Altmeyer Funeral Homes

1883 Vandeventer Black

1949 Temple Emanuel

1948 Norfolk Collegiate

1954 Temple Israel

1950 Hampton Roads Community Foundation

1971 Gilbert Optical

1964 Checkered Flag

1972 Sentara

Contributing to Jewish News made easy

t is not unusual for Jewish News to receive donations—in honor or in memory of someone—or often, in appreciation for receiving this mostly free newspaper. Unfortunately, doing so hasn’t been easy for the donor. Now, that’s changed with the establishment of an online link, making it a quick process to make that contribution. Since its inception, Jewish News has been mailed free of charge to Jewish households throughout Tidewater, to friends outside of the area, and to the paper’s business and organization partners. While Jewish News has always requested those outside of Tidewater pay a subscription fee of $18 per year—a small amount to assist in covering some print and mail costs—no one has ever been denied a requested subscription. To support Jewish News as it continues its mission to inform, inspire, educate, and connect Jewish Tidewater and beyond, go to www.JewishNewsVa.org/donate. Of course, those who prefer using a check over online financial transactions, may mail to: Jewish News 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200 Virginia Beach, VA 23462 For whatever the reason, all contributions are appreciated.

1975 Kitchen Barn

1975 Spindel Agency

1977 Kempsville Conservative Synagogue: Kehillat Bet Hamidrash

1985 Harbor Group

1988 Aldo’s Ristorante

1985 Payday

1988 Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyer

1992 Wall Einhorn & Chernitzer

1995 Einstein Bros. Bagels

2002 The Talbot on Granby

2006 Harbor’s Edge

2005 Ruth’s Chris Steak House

2010 Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute

jewishnewsva.org | May 23, 2022 | Anniversary | JEWISH NEWS | 21

75 years of Jewish News

Better quality cooking tools from around the world. Since 1975.

Hal Sacks Jewish News Archives preserves community’s past for the future Terri Denison

Hilltop North Shopping Center 757-422-0888 · kitchenbarnonline.com

Congratulations Jewish News on 75 years of excellence.

Kempsville Conservative Synagogue KBH founded 1977 kbhsynagogue@gmail.com

22 | JEWISH NEWS | Anniversary | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

al Sacks was a man of many words and a visionary. An author of two books and the Jewish News Book Review editor for more than 30 years, among his many activities within Tidewater’s Jewish community, Sacks spent several years on a personal mission to benefit the community—using his written and oratory skills, as well as his subtle, yet effective power of persuasion. Sacks single-handedly conceived and initiated the gargantuan, multi-year project to catalog, scan, and preserve (then) 69 years of Tidewater Jewish News and Renewal magazine issues. Sacks’ goal from the start was to make it possible for

75 years

everyone—community volunteers and professionals, nostalgia seekers, genealogists, historians, students, or family members—to have access to issues, which until then, were safely stored, but unavailable to the public. In March 2016, the Hal Sacks Jewish News Archives officially went live on the Jewish News website. Sacks was the force—in every way— behind the archives, which not only preserves the Jewish News, but preserves the Tidewater Jewish community’s history. He pushed to get the project done, donated the proceeds from his book sales to the project, and raised funds to ensure that the costly, but very important project continued. Anyone, anywhere in the world can go online and search and browse decades of world and community events, and people, whose names and faces and stories are told in Jewish News. Six years later, the archives continue to be updated. And, it’s all because of the vision and persistence of Hal Sacks. The Hal Sacks Jewish News Archives can be found at JewishNewsVa.org.

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jewishnewsva.org | May 23, 2022 | Anniversary | JEWISH NEWS | 23

Forever Helping Others

75 years of Jewish News

Bill Goldback’s legacy lives on through the arts.

Create a Jewish legacy for the community you love through planned charitable giving . . .ask us how

Bill, who died in 2007, left a donation in his will for the performing arts in Hampton Roads. The William A. Goldback Fund continues to support arts groups and other causes in our community.

Ron Spindel

rspindel@spindelagency.com

a member of The Frieden Agency

Find out how you can leave your mark. Visit LeaveABequest.org

24 | JEWISH NEWS | Anniversary | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

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75 years of Jewish News

JTA brings global Jewish news to community papers… including Jewish News Terri Denison

hen it comes to national and global news, JTA is the primary source for Jewish News. Dubbed the “Jewish AP,” the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has reported on issues of Jewish interest and concern, as well as of Jewish culture and pride since it was founded in 1917. With reporters around the globe and throughout America, JTA provides articles that “reflect the wide spectrum of religious, political, and cultural identity that exists among Jews today,” as described on its website. Articles posted by JTA range from late-breaking news and discussions of sensitive topics to celebrity interviews and

obituaries to book reviews and recipes and it seems, everything in-between—if there’s a Jewish angle. Jewish News is among the more than 70 Jewish publications and websites that subscribe to JTA for Jewish-oriented content. Subscribing to JTA allows Jewish News to offer award-winning and informative articles to readers in each issue. Jewish News has published JTA articles since the 1980s. Headquartered in New York, JTA is part of 70 Faces Media, a not-for-profit corporation governed by an independent board of directors. The organization maintains that it has no “allegiance to any specific branch of Judaism or political viewpoint.”

Congratulations to the Jewish News for 75 years of keeping the Jewish community informed, uplifted, and connected. Your work makes Hampton Roads stronger and better. 757-455-5582

norfolkacademy.org

jewishnewsva.org | May 23, 2022 | Anniversary | JEWISH NEWS | 25

Founded in 1949 as the beach shul for summering city-dwellers, Temple Emanuel is a conservative-affiliated synagogue, distinguished by its informality and warmth.

We welcome members with a wide variety of religious observance. Our community is extremely accepting of diverse ways of being Jewish and expressing Jewish identity. We eagerly anticipate the arrival of our new Rabbi, Ari Oliszewski, who graduated from the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano.

www.tevb.org • 424 25th St. • Virginia Beach, VA 23451 •757 428 2591

CAMP JCC

Role models wanted Dave Flagler

“W

hy fit in when you were born to stand out? “Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!” Dr. Seuss, quoted above, must have known exactly what it means to work at Camp JCC. Staff members are hired because of WHO they are. They stand out in so many ways, but mostly, by simply being themselves. They help campers discover and empower them to become their true selves. They, being who they are and by leading by example, are the role models that campers directly want to emulate. Camp JCC is seeking to Neshard Walker, Niv Rubin, and Lena Aftel add a few more role models try a new twist on a jump ball. to their amazing summer team —especially male role models. This is a chance to go make a difference, and positively shape the future, while having fun being true and you. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” To learn more about becoming a Camp JCC staff member, or to hear about year-round opportunities for teens in the community, contact Dave Flagler, director of Camp and Teen Engagement, at DFlagler@UJFT.org or 757-452-3182.

Counselors Dani Byers and Zach Sissel complete and decorate their campers a color run.

jewishnewsva.org | May 23, 2022 | JEWISH NEWS | 27

IT’S A WRAP

UJFT Society of Professionals host offshore wind panel discussion Amy Zelenka

anel moderator Joel Rubin may have summed it up best, when he said, “The wind is definitely blowing in the right direction…” for the region’s new offshore wind farm, whose turbines will soon be generating power to light up area homes, power area businesses, and reduce the area’s collective carbon footprints. On Tuesday, May 3, a distinguished panel of subject matter experts came together at the Sandler Family Campus for the closing event of this year’s United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Society of Professionals’ “Power Series.” The three-part series was hit from all sides by challenges and delays, including the postponement until next year of award-winning photographer and entrepreneur Roie Galitz. The prior session was conducted virtually with Unorthodox podcast creator and producer Josh Kross. Many in the community met Kross when the Unorthodox cast recorded a live podcast with the Jewish community at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach. Welcomed by Dr. Stacey Neuman, Society of Professionals chair, panelists for Harnessing the Power of the Wind included: Paula Miller, legislative advisor and communications specialist from Dominion Energy; Fred Pasquine, president of Fairlead Integrated (who brought breaking news to which this article will circle back); George Hagerman, senior project scientist at ODU’s Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography; and Ray White, business development coordinator for the Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development. Each of the panelists spoke to a particular area of expertise. In the audience were representatives from some of the workforce development schools and training centers, including Ray Blanchet from Mid-Atlantic Maritime Association; and Trent Nylander from Centura College. The event drew about 50 audience members, who received a 360-degree

view of the benefits that the offshore wind project will bring to the region—both in terms of green energy, reduced fossil fuel consumption, and resulting carbon emissions. Also touted were the new jobs the project will create and the new technology that will be developed in Hampton Roads—for the entire country. Virginia Beach, as several of the panelists explained, is the optimal location for the kinds of transportation required by a project of this magnitude—from its deep-water access to its ports and waterfront facilities, to its favorable workforce with US Navy personnel regularly transitioning to the civilian workforce. The region has responded with great support, gearing up for what stands to be a real economic game-changer. The Society event scooped the local newspapers and broadcasts when Fred Pasquine of Fairlead announced that the company had just closed on a longterm lease for 100 acres of property at Lambert’s Point (the old coal terminal at NIT), to build and run a world-class maritime operations and logistics center in support of the offshore wind, defense, and transportation industries. The facility is being rebranded Fairwinds Landing, and starting in late 2022, Fairwinds will begin to invest more than $100 million in buildings and infrastructure. Fairlead/ Fairwinds owner Jerry Miller was in the audience as the announcement was made. Miller was particularly proud of the fact that the new facility will create more than 500 new jobs. The panel discussion, augmented by photos, charts, and maps to show the relative locations of the turbines, substations, and areas for possible future expansion, closed with a question and answer session. It was awe-inspiring to see how very large the turbines truly are (with blades the length of a football field and so wide at their base that one has to walk inside the blade for maintenance and repair) and with spinning speeds so fast that they require special ceramic coatings to avoid being damaged by raindrops.

28 | JEWISH NEWS | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

Moderator Joel Rubin introduces panelists: Fred Pasquine from Fairlead; Paula Miller from Dominion; Ray White from Virginia Beach Office of Economic Development; and George Hagerman from Old Dominion University.

After the raffle drawing, during which the winner received two “spots” on a future boat ride out to the prototype turbine, which currently operates 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, panelists came down from the stage to mix and mingle with the audience and answer questions one-on-one. The UJFT Society of Professionals is an affinity group which operates under the auspices of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and is funded through member donations to the Federation’s Community Campaign. The Society of Professionals offers a variety of programs and activities throughout the year. Some are hosted and open to the community, while others are for Society members only. The UJFT Society of Professionals is beginning to plan programs for next year’s calendar. To learn more about the UJFT Society of Professionals, contact Amy Zelenka at azelenka@ujft.org or visit the UJFT Society of Professionals Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UJFTSocietyofProfessionals. Amy Zelenka is chief development officer for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

Gary and Suzanne Moss with Andy Cohen.

Audience members Nicolette Wheeler, Sara Jo Rubin, and Kathryn Barrett.

IT’S A WRAP

Donors and philanthropic accomplishments celebrated at 2022 Simon Family Legacy Celebration together as a community and celebrate Jewish Tidewater’s incredible philanidewater Jewish Foundation celethropic accomplishments,” says Naomi brated donors, community milestones, Limor Sedek, president and CEO of and philanthropic accomplishments at the Tidewater Jewish Foundation. “This com2022 Simon Family Legacy Celebration munity has given so much, especially over on Sunday, May 17 at the Sandler Family the past year, so it was important to thank Campus. The first in-person event in and celebrate with people in person.” three years, the celebration highlighted Central to the remarks was the comthe continued success of the LIFE & munity’s continued support of Ukraine. LEGACY program, new initiatives such Since the start of the Russian invasion as the Jewish Future Pledge, and the earlier this year, more than $340,000 wide-reaching impact TJF donors had has been donated to emergency support over the past few years. and relief. Many donors, who utilized “It was so amazing to finally come their TJF donor advised funds, gave more than $240,000 directly to United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Ukraine Emergency Fund, which has supported agencies and organizations such as the American Jew ish Joint Distribution Committee ( JDC), the Jewish Agency for Israel ( JAFI), and others that are TJF President and CEO Naomi Limor Sedek, Sara Jo Rubin, and Ann Swindell, on the ground every TJF donor relations and grants manager day. An additional $200,000 match from an anonymous donor for gifts to support the UJFT Ukraine Emergency Fund will continue to support JDC and JAFI and other organizations including United Hatzalah. “Watching our community support our brothers and sisters in Ukraine has been inspirRobert Bloch speaks to Jody Wagner. ing,” says Sedek. “It highlights how, no Thomas Mills

LIFE & LEGACY representatives from participating organizations are recognized.

matter where we are in the world, Jews take care of each other. Donor advised fund holders are encouraged to continue to respond and organizations on the ground are spending a million dollars a day supporting critical care for the refugees and those unable to leave.” Additionally, at the event, TJF unveiled its revamped Book of Life website, which features a new interface, updated graphics, mobile responsiveness, and quality of life features that will make it easier to update names, dates, and information. “Our revamped Book of Life website is a long-term investment for the Tidewater Jewish community,” says Sedek. “This revamp will make it easier to see and navigate existing entries and entice individuals Kim Simon Fink. to share their legacy

stories when they join our Book of Life.” To view TJF’s revamped Book of Life, visit bit.ly/tjf-book-of-life. For more information on how you can achieve your philanthropic goals with TJF, contact Naomi Limor Sedek at nsedek@ujft.org or 757-965-6109. Photography by David Hollingsworth

jewishnewsva.org | May 23, 2022 | JEWISH NEWS | 29

IT’S A WRAP

Yom Hashoah Commemoration returns to the community Elena Barr Baum

his year’s Yom Hashoah Commemoration, honoring the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, as well as liberators and righteous gentiles, was the first in-person gathering for the purpose since 2019. After cancelling the public commemoration in 2020 and having a livestreamed commemoration in 2021 with survivor Marion Weinzweig speaking from her home in Arizona, this year was a breath of fresh air that brought a sense of normalcy not seen in a long time. Dr. Al Munzer, a survivor from the Netherlands, anchored the evening. Congregation Beth El hosted the event. After Cantor Wendi Portman Fried of Beth El offered the Star Spangled Banner and Hatikvah, Beth El’s Rabbi Emeritus Arthur Ruberg gave what was one of his last D’var Torahs before he and his wife Miriam Brunn Ruberg leave the area in June after 33 years. He remembered Yom Hashoah commemorations of years past, and commended the Holocaust Commission for its dedication to bringing meaningful events to the community. He referenced the Torah portion where Aaron is stunned into silence at the killing of his sons on the altar of the sanctuary, and compared it to “how we sometimes feel in response to hatred, like the Holocaust, the antisemitic attacks in Pittsburgh, Poway, and Colleyville.” Rachael Feigenbaum, Holocaust Commission chair, greeted the 300 in-person attendees, as well as those viewing via livestream on the Holocaust Commission Facebook page. She shared news about the Commission’s upcoming 20th anniversary edition of To Life, a volume of stories of local witnesses to the Holocaust. The Commission honored the 2022 Elie Wiesel Writing and Visual Arts Competitions winners, who will become the compassionate and courageous future leaders of America. There were 1,200

Candles are lit at Yom Hashoah.

30 | JEWISH NEWS | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

Mark Robbins

entrants from 46 schools from 11 states this year. Winners came from 13 different schools, and senior poetry winner, Norfolk Academy’s Avery Britt, beautifully read her winning poem, The Dolls. Two recipients of the Commission’s Awards for Excellence in Holocaust Education were recognized for their years of dedication to helping students understand the relevance and critical lessons of the Holocaust. Lauren Goldman Barkan, co-chair of the Educator Awards, presented this year’s honors. The Esther Goldman Award, in memory of Barkan’s beloved grandmother, went to Meryl Ironson of Chester, N.J. The Ruthi Sherman Kroskin Award, named for the dedicated late Commission chair who embodied the spirit of the Holocaust Commission, went to Christonya Brown, History and Social Science Education coordinator for the Commonwealth of Virginia, a longtime partner of the Commission. The evening’s guest speaker, Dr. Al Munzer, shared his remarkable story of being sheltered from the Holocaust by a Dutch Indonesian family and their Muslim nanny. This longtime volunteer docent at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum lost his father and sisters, and many other family members, to Nazi hatred. His soft-spoken presentation, including many family photos that had been saved by others, as well as the admonition to educate others about the Holocaust, tolerance, and moral courage, enthralled everyone listening. He also spoke to an additional 1,500 students from four schools in the following days. The lighting of memorial candles followed Munzer’s poignant talk. Six candles were lit to represent not only the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, but also the 1.5 million murdered children; the brave liberators; survivors who came to call Tidewater home; and educators who dedicate themselves to teach the era’s lessons. The names of the community’s

IT’S A WRAP survivors scrolled across the screen while Howard Horwitz and Fred Kovner played beautiful music on violin and cello— holding the contemplative mood of the sanctuary. Cantor Elihu Flax sang the K’El Malei Rachamim memorial prayer, and Rabbis Ron Koas of Beth El and Michael Panitz of Temple Israel led the Kaddish for Shoah victims, infused with the names of some of the Nazis’ most notorious concentration camps. After the Kaddish, Laura Gross, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater president, closed the evening with a note of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, in a fight for their existence with an authoritarian dictator, almost 80 years

Christonya Brown and Lauren Barkan.

after the Jewish world began saying “Never Again,” and a prayer for Yom Hashoah from the Yizkor service. As attendees quietly exited, they were offered special Yom Hashoah yahrzeit candles from the

Mark Robbins

Helene Schulwolf with her winning entry

cAssociation of Men’s Clubs, to light at home in memory of the six million. The six candles in the sanctuary continued to burn in honor and memory, urging everyone to never forget. Ina Leiderman, Yom Hashoah co-chair, who also accompanied Dr. Munzer to Princess Anne Middle School, notes, “The evening was truly an affirmation of what the Holocaust Commission stands for. I was touched and impressed that whatever his audience, Dr. Munzer was able to touch everyone he spoke to, whether

Mark Robbins

it was hundreds, or a single person at a time, like me.” Visit and like the Holocaust Commission Facebook page to see the recording of Yom Hashoah: www.fb.com/holcommission, and visit www.holocaustcommission.org to see the award winning entries from the Elie Wiesel student competitions. Elena Barr Baum is director of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Holocaust Commission.

Visit us on the web jewishnewsva.org Dr. Al Munzer.

photo by Mark Robbins

IT’S A WRAP

Israel’s 74th celebration is a day to remember in Tidewater Hunter Thomas

housands of people visited the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community for a celebration of Yom Ha’Atzmaut on Sunday, May 1. The Israel Independence Day celebration was the first large-scale in-person event for the holiday since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “There is no replacement for the feeling of community we have when we can gather everyone in person,” says Nofar Trem, youth and family program coordinator at United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. The festival, which is one of the largest gatherings for Tidewater’s Jewish community, included activities for adults and children alike, as well as food by Israel’s Meat Carneval, games, food, and informational booths hosted by area synagogues, businesses, and the Embassy of Israel to the United States, among others. “It felt like our entire Tidewater Jewish community was together in one place,” says Shikma Rubin. “The Sandler Family Campus felt alive and it was a special day for our family to celebrate Israel in a fun and meaningful way.” The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC are

Lynn Schoenbaum with Meat Carneval’s Ohad Kvity.

grateful to the individual and corporate sponsors whose generous partnership helped make this year’s event such a wonderful success. Special thanks to: Avraham and Karen Ashkenazi, Zim American Integrated Shipping, Mercedes-Benz of Virginia Beach, Harbor Group International, Dominion Energy, Children’s Hospital of The Kings Daughters, International Longshoreman’s Association, Centura

College, Mid-Atlantic Maritime Academy, Fairlead, ROX—Rapid Overland Express, Savor the Olive, Fresh Market, and Whole Foods. “It was wonderful to welcome friends of many faiths and backgrounds to join us, to greet new and familiar faces, and to celebrate the state of Israel in such a monumental way. I’m already looking forward to next year,” says Trem.

The annual celebration of Israel will take place next year on Sunday, April 30, as Israel turns 75. Hunter Thomas is director of Arts & Ideas at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. He can be reached at HThomas@UJFT.org.

David Leon, volunteering with Meat Carneval, serves lunch to Paul Peck.

Ilana Rosenberg recieves a copy of Meat Carneval’s cookbook from chef Gili Ben-Shahar.

VBPD Officers grab a bite from Gili Ben-Shahar.

Cantor Jacob and Cyndi Tessler recieve a sample from Gili Ben-Shahar.

32 | JEWISH NEWS | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

IT’S A WRAP

Robin Copeland and Jody Greason.

Tallwood High School students Lexani Isasi, Margaret Lundberg, and Isabella Alvarez-Hanson.

Annie and Art Sandler get lunch from Meat Carneval.

Caren and Steven Leon and Congresswoman Elaine Luria.

Lindsay Buchberg-Bangel, Benji and Ozzie Bangel, Brad Bangel, and Mayor Bobby Dyer.

Avraham Ashkenazi, Rychel Margolin, and Karen Ashkenazi.

Rachel and Yedidya Koven with their children.

Laura Miller, Stephanie Calliott, and Sara Jo Rubin greet people as they arrive for Israel Fest 2022.

Jay Klebanoff and Bobby Copeland order lunch from Meat Carneval.

jewishnewsva.org | May 23, 2022 | JEWISH NEWS | 33

WHAT’S HAPPENING National Senior Health + Fitness Day

Local art and Judaica collector offers a unique experience to tour museum exhibit

Wednesday, May 25, 9 am–2 pm Simon Family JCC

he 29th annual celebration of National Senior Health + Fitness Day will include group fitness classes, raffles, games, prizes, and featured speakers. Free and open to the public, registration is not required. For more information, call 757-321-2338.

Carwash for Team Virginia Beach Sunday, June 12, 1–3 pm, Sandler Family Campus

fundraiser car wash to benefit #TeamVB that is going to San Diego, Calif. this summer for the JCC Maccabi Games, will take place on Sunday, June 2. The #TeamVB delegation is comprised of seven local teens. At the largest Jewish teen sports festival in the U.S., these athletes will participate in swimming, ice hockey, basketball, flag football, and soccer competitions. To support the delegation by purchasing a $10 car wash ticket, contact Tom Edwards at tedwards@ujft.org.

Help welcome newcomers to Jewish Tidewater

now someone Jewish who just moved to Tidewater? If so, let them know about the community’s Shalom Tidewater program to be certain they are warmly welcomed to the Jewish community. Sign up at Jewishva.org/welcome to receive a free Shalom Tidewater bag filled with information on Jewish life and ways to get involved and connected.

34 | JEWISH NEWS | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

Friday, June 10, 10 am, Chrysler Museum of Art lay Barr will conduct a special tour of The Guiding Hand: The Barr Foundation Collection of Torah Pointers, now on exhibit at the Chrysler Museum of Art, through United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Konikoff Center for Learning. The experience will offer viewers a unique perspective on the yads as the tour is led by the collector. The extensive collection of Torah pointers assembled by Barr is the first exhibition of Judaica at the Chrysler Museum in several decades. Approximately 150 Torah pointers, or yads, from the Barr Foundation collection are included in the exhibit, which runs through August 14. The yads range in size from a few inches to more than two

feet in length. Due to the small size of the objects on display, space is extremely limited. Visit JewishVA.org/KCL to register or contact Sierra Lautman, director of Jewish Innovation at United Jewish Federation of Tidewater at 757-965-6107 or slautman@ ujft.org.

Pool opens Memorial Day weekend at Sandler Family Campus Saturday, May 28

he Simon Family JCC is planning a full outdoor summer at the Metzger Outdoor Aquatics Center—enjoying its first near-normal season since 2020—when the pool opens on Memorial Day weekend. The pool’s opening also signals the re-start of the Swordfish Summer Swim Team after missing the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Swim coach Jacob Gynan, who led the Swordfish Winter Swim Team to an undefeated season this year, will also lead the summer squad. Registration is now open, but closes on June 24. For additional information on the swim team, pool hours, and Simon Family JCC membership, go to simonfamilyjcc.org.

WHAT’S HAPPENING Elie Wiesel Visual Arts Competition on display

Jewish community to hold Memorial Day Commemoration

Throughout May, Sandler Family Campus

Friday, May 27, 9:00–9:30 am Veterans Memorial on the Sandler Family Campus

inners of the Elie Wiesel Visual Arts Competition from local and national schools in the Junior and Senior divisions, as well as other works of art selected for judging, are currently on display in the Cardo of the Sandler Family Campus. The works are accompanied by the artists’ own personal statements. The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater sponsors the Elie Wiesel Visual Arts Competition each year. These creative and emotional artistic entries are amazing viewers. For more information, visit www.holocaustcommission.org.

Rabbi Yonatan M. Warren, BCC

he Jewish community of Tidewater will hold a brief ceremony to commemorate Memorial Day in preparation for the long weekend on Friday, May 27.

Hosted by the local Navy Chaplains, in conjunction with the Jewish War Veterans (Post 158), the Board of Rabbis and Cantors of Hampton Roads, and the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, the community will pause in reflection to honor those who have laid down their lives in defense of and in service to this nation. Since the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, nearly 1.2 million men and women have given their lives in service. Walls of local synagogues recall the names of youths who never returned from those wars. Tidewater’s Jewish community has sacrificed in every conflict of this nation—from John Myers (son of Moses Myers) in the War of 1812 to the many men and women who wear the uniform today as part of the Global War on Terror. In local cemeteries rest hundreds who have worn the cloth of this nation; including dozens who have died wearing it.

This Memorial Day weekend, Tidewater’s Jewish community will pause to recognize the blessing that they have passed on to all. The Talmud commends the Jewish value of recognizing the good conferred upon us by the world: “Anyone who derives benefit from this world without a blessing, it is as if he stole from God and the community of Israel.” (Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa in B. Brachot 35b). Before lighting the grill or heading to the beach getaway this Memorial Day, consider joining in this commemoration. Reservations are not required. Rabbi Yonatan M. Warren, BCC is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps.

Beth El to bid farewell to Rabbi Arthur and Miriam Brunn-Ruberg Saturday, June 11, 9:45 am

habbat morning services at Congregation Beth El will include a ‘fond farewell’ to Rabbi Arthur and Miriam Brunn-Ruberg on Saturday, June 11. A festive luncheon will follow. RSVP to sandy@bethelnorfolk.com.

Rabbi Arthur and Miriam Brunn-Ruberg.

Jewish News

3 days before the cover date: JewishNewsVa.org/digital. jewishnewsva.org | May 23, 2022 | JEWISH NEWS | 35

OBITUARIES IVAN J. ANKER VIRGINIA BEACH—On Sunday, May 15, 2022 Ivan Jay Anker, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, passed away peacefully at home with his wife, Vera, by his side. Ivan was born in Newport News, Virginia to Sam and Goldye Anker (Rasken), who preceded him in death. He graduated from Newport News High School and attended many class reunions thereafter. Ivan started his working career in Hampton, Virginia at Giant Open Air Market. He held many positions there such as stock clerk, frozen food manager, grocery manager, and receiving clerk. After Farm Fresh bought the company, he continued his work as receiving clerk until his retirement after 50 years of work. He also held jobs working security with the Virginia Beach Amphitheater and Event Staffing at many venues around the Tidewater area. He loved seeing and meeting the talented artists that came through

the area, often guarding the dressing room areas backstage. The COVID pandemic shut down his second career after 15 years in March 2020. Ivan grew up with a love of baseball. He lived through the heydays of Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris and loved his New York Yankees until the end. For many years he was proud to drive with his MKY MNTL license plates!! He attended many games of the minor league teams playing at Peninsula’s War Memorial Stadium, from the Grays to the Astros and every team in between. He also followed the minor league hockey teams in Hampton and in Norfolk. Ivan also retained his love of 1950’s and 1960’s rock and roll music throughout his life. He was able to see concerts of many of his music idols and of course he even met some of them at his second job!! Ivan leaves behind his loving wife, Vera (Dlaikan) and his (baby) brother Jeffrey, and his wife Bobbie (Marchant) of

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Charlottesville, Virginia. He also leaves behind many loving cousins, their children and grandchildren. Ivan loved his family and was always happy to go to celebrations and catch up on what everyone was doing. After his marriage to Vera in his later years, he was thrilled to welcome in a whole new set of family members that he could share his love with. A memorial service was held graveside at the Hebrew Cemetery in Hampton, Virginia on Kecoughtan Road with burial afterwards. It is asked that people consider donating to the Hospice of your choice. They do loving work.

VICTOR AARON PICKETT NORFOLK—Victor Aaron Pickett, 87, died March 17, 2022, in Norfolk, Va. He was born June 15, 1934, in Durham, N.C., the only child of Victor W. And Merrill C Pickett. He graduated from Durham High School in 1953 and served in the United States Navy. Victor earned a Bachelor of Science degree in product design from the School of Design at North Carolina State University in Raleigh in 1963. He received his MS in art from East Carolina University in 1964. He then became a sculptor and professor of art at Old Dominion University for 40 years. His sculptures are found throughout Tidewater, the southeast, and various art museums, including two at the Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community. Victor Pickett is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Leeor; three daughters, Dominique Pickett; Michele Benson (Stephen); Nicole O’Connor ( John); five grandchildren, Victoria Benson, Stephen Benson, Patrick Benson, Michael O’Connor, Jon-Luc O’Connor; and his former wife, Yvonne G. Pickett. Please consider a donation to a local arts program or the Norfolk SPCA. No service is planned at this time. RAY SALKEN VIRGINIA BEACH—Ms. Ray Salken, 92, passed away Monday, May 9, 2022 in Virginia Beach, Virginia surrounded by her loving family. Ray was born on January 27, 1930

to Ida and Louis Salken in Richmond, Virginia. Ray was the mother of two children, Sherry Frank (husband Irving) of Virginia Beach and Brad Fineman (wife Tara) of Arlington, Virginia. Ray’s family was her everything. She was a devoted sister, mother, aunt, and grandmother to Matthew (Mel), Marc (Katie), Kara, Graeme, and William. Ray enjoyed attending family events and sharing her love of sports and current events. A graveside service was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery. in Norfolk, Virginia. Donations may be made to The American Heart Association or your charity of choice. Condolences may be left for the family at www.altmeyerfh.com.

SALLY TABAKIN NORFOLK—Sally Tabakin Weintraub, 69, passed away on May 7, 2022. She was born in Norfolk, Virginia on April 2, 1953 to the late Raymond J. Tabakin and Jessie R. Tabakin. Sally grew up in the Suburban Park neighborhood of Norfolk where she developed a lifelong friendship with 11 other girls, all of whom were born in 1953. They were known as The Fabulous 53s. After Sally graduated from Granby High School in 1971 she attended St. Lawrence University where she earned her B.A. degree in sociology. She went on to attend the College of William & Mary where she earned a Master’s degree in education and school psychology. Following college, Sally worked as a school psychologist for the New Kent County Public Schools, as a research analyst and as a commercial lender for Sovran Bank/Nationsbank/Bank of America, and finally as an assistant director of Admissions at Norfolk Collegiate School, where she was able to watch the educational progress of daughters, Ellen and Sara, from first grade through graduation. Sally loved ballet, the Beatles, and cooking. (She never met a cookbook that didn’t belong on her bookshelf.) Sally is survived by her husband of almost 33 years, H. Joel Weintraub; by her daughters, Ellen Beck and her

OBITUARIES husband, Aaron; and Sara Weintraub; and by her 16-day-old granddaughter, Nora Ann Beck, whom Sally met by means of FaceTime. Sally was predeceased by her three brothers; Mark H. Tabakin, Stephen L. Tabakin, and Edward L. Tabakin. Survivors also include her sister-in-law, Rebecca Tabakin; nephew, David Tabakin; niece, Rachel Tabakin; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Marion and Stanley Leff; nephew, Adam Leff and wife, Lydia Leff; niece, Molly Freeman and husband, Luke Freeman; and sister-in-law and brotherin-law, Judy and Eric Fox. A graveside funeral was conducted at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk by Rabbi Michael Panitz. Donations may be made to The Alzheimer’s Association or the charity of your choice. Online condolences may be sent to the family at hdoliver.com.

EDWARD “EDDIE” LAWRENCE TABAKIN WASHINGTON, D.C.—Edward ‘Eddie’ Lawrence Tabakin, 67, of Washington, D.C., died May 6, 2022. Born in Norfolk, he was the son of the late Raymond and Jessie Tabakin. Edward was predeceased in death by his brothers Mark H. Tabakin and Stephen L. Tabakin. His sister Sally A. Weintraub, died May 7, 2022. Survivors include his loving sister-inlaw Rebecca M. Tabakin; brother-in-law Joel Weintraub; nephew David Tabakin; nieces Rachel Tabakin, Ellen W. Beck (husband Aaron Beck), and Sara Weintraub; and great nephews Franklin and Casey Tabakin. Cousins include Kevin and Gary Tabakin, Lori and Scott Tabakin, Janet M. Meyers and Mark Pollak, Janet S. and Stanley Meyers, Karen and Ricardo Godoy, and other extended family. Edward graduated from Granby High School, and earned a BA degree in economics from Columbia University, New York in 1978. He studied for a PhD in economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and in 1991 earned a law degree from UC-Berkeley and began practicing law. He was admitted to the bar in California and Washington, D.C. where he was a senior associate with McKenna

and Cueno. Edward was fondly referred to as the ‘book man’ in his apartment neighborhood. He looked forward to lively conversations with family and friends, took hours to perfect his style of cooking and baking, and enjoyed listening to classical music. He was a devoted son and brother, traveling frequently to Norfolk to take care of his mother Jessie, and brothers Stephen Tabakin and Mark Tabakin. The family is grateful for the caring oversight of Edward’s well-being provided by family members Janet M. Meyers, Karen R. Godoy, and Rebecca Tabakin, and skilled care provided by Arden Courts Memory Care Community. A graveside service was conducted at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Norfolk by Rabbi Michael Panitz. The family would like donations made to the NYSCF.org (New York Stem Cell Foundation) or other medical research organizations that support memory care research.

DR. MORTON MOWER, JEWISH CO-INVENTOR OF A REVOLUTIONARY DEFIBRILLATOR (Intermountain Jewish News via JTA)— The implantable defibrillator, a small device that can be installed under a patient’s skin and immediately send a shock to correct any irregular heart rhythms, is today implanted in more than 300,000 people every year. Dr. Morton Mower, a Jewish cardiologist and renowned inventor who died April 25 in Denver of cancer at the age of 89, was one of the device’s two inventors. His contributions to medical science were rivaled only by his devotion to the Jewish National Fund, to which he and his wife, Dr. Tobia Mower, were significant donors. Along with his Jewish co-inventor, Dr. Michel Mirowski, Mower began development in 1969 on a pint-sized defibrillator that could be surgically implanted underneath the abdomen to allow for quicker, more precise electric jolts. He taught himself electrical engineering in his basement in order to created prototypes for the instrument, which the pair believed could be a significant improvement on the overthe-skin defibrillator. The Baltimore-born Mower would later

joke that the two had essentially invented “a time bomb in people’s chests.” But after it was first implanted into humans in 1980, and approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1985, the device —now commonly placed in the upper chest—became a revolutionary tool for cardiologists. The duo followed up that hit by inventing cardiac resynchronization

therapy, an electric device that sends jolts to the left and right ventricles of the heart simultaneously in order to get them to beat in a more organized pattern. Mower would later be inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame and receive the Space Technology Hall of Fame Recognition Award, and made an immense continued on page 38

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Leaving a Legacy in Jewish Tidewater

OBITUARIES continued from page 37

Throughout my life, I have always been involved in Jewish organizations and stayed connected to Israel. Over the years I have learned that synagogues change, leaders change, and people change and that without our Jewish identity we have nothing. I take great pride in being able to gift a life insurance policy to the Jewish community that has meant so much to me throughout my lifetime. - Dr. Herman Mallick*

profit by licensing the defibrillator technology. The JNF was a major beneficiary of his largesse, and he served as a member of its World Chairman’s Council. The Mowers supported JNF’s Jerusalem affiliate, Nefesh B’Nefesh, where the Toby and Mort Mower Pavilion was created. “Dr. Mower was one half of a philanthropic powerhouse couple,” says JNF CEO Russell Robinson. “The life of every single Israeli has been made richer because of them.” Mower also served in the Army Medical Corps in Germany from 1963 through 65. The Mowers moved from Baltimore to Denver in 2011, and also owned residences in the Colorado resort towns of Breckenridge and Beaver Creek. Mower is survived by his wife Toby; children Dr. Robin Mower and Mark (Kathleen) Mower; and three grandchildren. A version of this obituary originally ran in the Intermountain Jewish News, and is reprinted with permission.

GERDA WEISSMANN KLEIN, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR WHO BECAME AUTHOR, HUMANITARIAN, AND SUBJECT OF OSCAR-WINNING FILM

Dr. Herman Mallick* gifted a Life Insurance Policy to support TJF’s Community Impact Grants. What will your legacy be? Define your legacy with a gift to endow the Jewish community so future generations have the opportunity to embrace our shared heritage and the values you hold dear.

Gerda Weissmann Klein, February 15, 2011, Medal of Freedom Ceremony.

* of blessed memory

Andrew Lapin, Mala Blomquist

( JTA)—With Allied forces swiftly approaching during the liberation of the concentration camps, Nazis barricaded Gerda Weissmann Klein and other Jewish survivors inside a barn, planting

38 | JEWISH NEWS | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

a time bomb outside. A sudden rainstorm disconnected the bomb’s wiring, and American forces found the barn and unlocked the door. Weissmann Klein told the first rescuer she saw that she was Jewish. He responded that he was, too. Then he held the door open for her. A few years later, the two—the survivor and her liberator, U.S. intelligence officer Kurt Klein—were married. That was how Weissmann Klein emerged from the depths of despair to become a bestselling author, humanitarian, and Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree. She died last month in her home of Scottsdale, Arizona, at the age of 97. During World War II under Nazi occupation, Weissmann Klein and her family were deported from the Bielsko Jewish ghetto in Poland. Her parents were sent to Auschwitz, but Weissmann Klein was transported to the Gross-Rosen camp system to perform forced labor. Liberation came after a brutal 350-mile death march to avoid the advance of the Allied forces. Of the 4,000 women who started the march, fewer than 120 survived. After the war, the Kleins married in Paris in 1946, and the couple then moved to the United States, where they initially settled in Buffalo, N.Y. and Weissmann Klein ultimately became a naturalized citizen. She became a bestselling author of 10 books, including her 1957 autobiography, All But My Life, which is frequently used as a text by Holocaust educators, and The Hours After: Letters of Love and Longing in War’s Aftermath, a chronicle of her and her husband’s correspondence in the years between liberation and their marriage. Decades later, Weissmann Klein’s story became the basis of the 1995 HBO short documentary One Survivor Remembers, which won both an Emmy and an Oscar (and is currently available for streaming on HBO Max). The film’s director, Kary Antholis, had intended the movie to serve both as commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the camps, and as a clarion call for action concerning the Bosnian and Rwandan genocides of the 1990s. In Klein, Antholis found his ideal

subject: a survivor who could articulate in the present day both the horrors of the camps, the miraculous resilience of the human spirit, and a general plea for tolerance and common humanity. At the Oscars, Klein was almost played off before she could deliver an acceptance speech; but she stood her ground, and delivered a memorable message, concluding with, “Each of you who know the joy of freedom are winners.” Kurt Klein died in 2002. In 2008, Weissmann Klein founded with her granddaughter, Alysa Ullman Cooper, the nonprofit Citizenship Counts, which teaches students across the country about civic rights and responsibilities. For this and other humanitarian work, on Feb. 15, 2011, President Barack Obama presented Weissmann Klein with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. “The death of Gerda Weissman Klein underscores the importance of Holocaust education. Today’s generation of students are the last to have the opportunity to meet and hear from a Holocaust survivor, a victim of the genocide that claimed more than six million Jewish lives,” said Sheryl Bronkesh, president of the Phoenix Holocaust Association. “Schools should not delay in bringing in survivors—in person or virtually—to talk to students so that they can learn directly about the consequences of hatred and bigotry.” Weissman Klein visited Tidewater several times, speaking at the JCC’s Book Fair, to the Federation’s Women’s Division, at Yom Hashoah, and at Norfolk Academy. In a speech to the Jewish United Fund of Chicago’s 1996 annual meeting, Klein lamented how it had “never been sufficiently illuminated that” even “under the most unspeakable conditions, the finest qualities of humanity blossomed forth.” “I wish to convey to you the joy I always feel of going home, with the knowledge that my husband and our home will be there,” Klein told the crowd. “And no power—at least on this earth—can rightfully take them away from me again.” A version of this article originally appeared in the Jewish News of Greater Phoenix, and is adapted here with permission.

jewishnewsva.org | May 23, 2022 | JEWISH NEWS | 39

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40 | JEWISH NEWS | May 23, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

Jewish News - May 23, 2022 Issue

Articles inside

Obituaries

Israel’s 74th celebration in Tidewater

Yom Hashoah returns to community

TJF: Simon Family Legacy celebration

Camp JCC: Role models wanted

Society of Professionals host wind panel discussion

Survivors Room honors area survivors

Book Review

Antisemitic ideology behind the Buffalo shooting

Deborah Lipstadt’s first talk as antisemitism monitor

JFNA’s Washington Conference 2022

Run, Roll, or Stoll a success

Up Front

Briefs

NCJW raise abortion funds