Jewish News - September 26, 2022

Empowering lifetimes of discovery.

For 58 years, Checkered Flag has been devoted to supporting the Hampton Roads community in which we’re proud to do business. Since its beginning, we’ve dedicated time and resources to the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, which provides research and conservation for our marine life—and education for our children. We also partner with over 65 local educators, charities and community services to create economic opportunity, equity, and a pathway to discovery for all.

Community’s generosity has major impact

Betty Ann Levin

As we prepare for the New Year, 5783, it was wonderful to come together as a community for the dedi cation of the Marty Einhorn Pavilion at the Sandler Family Campus on Sunday, September 18 (see page 6). Marty joins a list of leaders who are honored through namings on our campus, many who are no longer with us. Their leadership, as well as the leadership of so many others, have brought us to where we are today.

Where are we today?

We continue to be a strong com munity, a strong people, with immense generosity and a strong commitment to our Tidewater Jewish community, our broader community, and communities we assist around the world. This was never more evident than this past year as the community contributed more than $4,838,000 to our 2022 annual commu nity campaign, more than $800,000 in additional funds to support programs of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC, approximately $700,000 to support the humanitar ian needs of Ukrainians through our overseas partners, and approximately $100,000 so far to honor Marty Einhorn through the building of a pavilion bear ing his First,name.thank you!

Second, what’s the impact of this generosity?Ourcommunity is impacted through

the funding of Jewish education at our day schools and religious schools; through PJ Library and children and family programs throughout our community; through Jewish camping experiences; through teens participating in synagogue youth groups, BBYO programming, conven tions, and trips to Israel through multiple organizations; through the work of our Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and Holocaust Commission to combat antisemitism and all forms of

hate through advocacy and education; through programming in our syna gogues; and through our commitment to the security of our Jewish commu nity through funding of our Secure Community Network (SCN) partnership. This is only a partial list—the commu nity’s generosity extends into so many more areas.

I firmly believe the past two and a half years have made our community

About the cover: Photograph of Marty Einhorn Sunday, September

stronger. I am proud of our passion, our commitment, and our generosity. While we have many successes, much work remains to maintain and improve our strong community.

So, as the New Year 5783 approaches, may we all continue to stand together to continue strengthening our Tidewater Jewish community and take care of one another, kol yisroel aravim zeh b’zeh —both locally and globally.

L’shana tova tikatevu, wishing you and your families the sweetest of New Years.

Betty Ann Levin is executive vice presi dent/CEO of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC.

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Queen Elizabeth wielded a kind of soft power by dint of her example, leveraging her ambiguous status to become “Defender of all Britain’s Faiths.”

JewishNewsVA

Betty Ann Levin.

I am proud of our passion, our commitment, and our generosity.

BRIEFS

LONDON’S HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL GARDEN CLEARS QUEEN ELIZABETH TRIBUTES LEFT ON ITS GROUNDS

Robert Keith Packer’s sister asked people not to judge him by his cover, a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt. A prosecutor said he was wearing a Nazi SS T-shirt underneath.Therevelation of what Packer, a 57-year-old Newport News, Virginia pipe fitter, was wearing on Jan. 6, 2021, came Thursday, September 15 when a federal judge sentenced him to 75 days for his role in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol spurred by former President Donald Trump’s false claims that he had won reelection.Thesweatshirt, which became a symbol of the rioters’ ties to white supremacist movements, was “incredibly offensive,” U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols said before handing down the sentence.

“It seems to me that he wore that sweatshirt for a reason. We don’t know what the reason was because Mr. Packer hasn’t told us,” Nichols said.

When the FBI asked Packer why he had worn the sweatshirt, he said, “Because I wasPacker’scold.” lawyers have said he was entitled to free speech and noted that he was not involved in violence. He has pleaded guilty to “parading, demonstrat ing or picketing in a Capitol building,” an offense that carries a six-month max imum sentence. He will also pay $500 in restitution.Packer’s sister, Kimberly Rice, had pleaded for leniency, asking the court not “judge a book by its cover,” referring to the Camp Auschwitz sweatshirt.

A prosecutor said at the hearing that Packer did not need to explain why he was wearing the sweatshirt, because what it was covering made it obvious.

“Mr. Packer showed the world who he was on Jan. 6 by both his deeds and his actions,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst told the court. “He posted his belief on his clothing that day.” (JTA

As Britons poured out their sadness over the death of their 70-year queen, they deposited tributes to her all over London—including at a garden desig nated for memorializing victims of the Holocaust.GraceDean, a reporter for B usiness Insider in London, tweeted on Sunday, Sept. 18 that the Holocaust Memorial Garden in Hyde Park, not far from Buckingham Palace, had turned into “a makeshift Queen Memorial Garden.” She posted pictures showing bouquets, letters and even pictures of Queen Elizabeth II strewn across the boulders that make up the heart of the Holocaust garden, which was dedicated with fanfare in 1983.

The post quickly elicited expressions of anger and distress that mourning for the queen, who died the previous week at 96, would usurp mourning for the six million Jewish victims of the Nazi geno cide during the Holocaust. Some Twitter users called the display a “desecration.”

On Monday, Sept. 19, as London pre pared for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, the official account of the Royal Parks, the charity that manages eight parks on royal grounds, tweeted that the items were being“Goodremoved.morning Grace,” the account wrote. “The team are carefully removing the tributes from the Holocaust Memorial and laying them with the others in the official floral tribute area.”

It added, “There is also a steward placed there permanently to direct people paying their respects to the floral tribute area.”A

large swath of public space was designated for flowers and other trib utes to the queen, whose funeral took place Monday at Westminster Abbey. The tributes mirrored those left for Princess Diana, King Charles’ ex-wife, who died in 1997 and was honored with an estimated 60 million blooms. (JTA)

ERDOGAN TELLS JEWISH LEADERS HE PLANS TO VISIT ISRAEL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a group of Jewish leaders that he planned to visit Israel, the clearest sign so far that he is intent on resetting a long-troubled relationship.

Erdogan also told a room full of lead ers of American Jewish organizations that antisemitism is a “crime against human ity,” a meeting participant told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The meeting con vened under the auspices of the Turkish embassy and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, took place in New York City, where the United Nations General Assembly had gathered global diplomats this month.

Erdogan did not say when he would visit.Turkey and Israel last month announced that they planned to restore full diplomatic ties, which have been rup tured since 2010, when Israel carried out a deadly raid on a Turkish vessel attempting to breach an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Israeli President Isaac Herzog vis ited Turkey in March.

Erdogan is seeking to tighten ties with the West as Russia drags on its war against Ukraine. He also wants to make sure Turkey is involved in energy exploration development in the eastern Mediterranean, which until now has been led by Israel and Greece.

Israel is seeking to build on the 2020 Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and four Arab countries. Israel hopes to add other Arab and Muslim-majority countries to the accords, a goal that enhanced relations with Turkey would facilitate.

In addition, as one of the countries to maintain direct ties with Hamas, the militant group controlling the Gaza Strip, Turkey has proven a valued intermediary for Israel in its quest to ease tensions along its Gaza border.

On Sunday, Sept. 18, the Turkish gov ernment’s official Twitter account posted on Twitter a video of Erdogan strolling

through Central Park which included a cheerful encounter with a Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg, of Queens. (JTA)

BIDEN TO HOST FIRST-EVER WHITE HOUSE ROSH HASHANAH PARTY

President Joe Biden is bringing a Jewish High Holiday celebration to the White House for the first time.

His White House is hosting a Rosh Hashanah reception on Sept. 30, Jewish Insider reported.

As vice president during the 2009–2017 Obama administration, Biden hosted Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot receptions at the Naval Observatory, the official vice presidential residence, the first vice pres ident to do Presidentso.Bill

Clinton was the first president to host a Hanukkah party for staff, and President George W. Bush made it a public event for Jewish community leaders, a practice continued by President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump. Obama instituted White House Passover seders, a practice Trump did not continue.TheBiden

White House last year hosted a last-minute Hanukkah menorah lighting in-person but has otherwise lim ited its Jewish events to virtual offerings because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, Kamala Harris and her hus band Douglas Emhoff—the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president— lit a menorah at a window at the Naval Observatory, another first, and this year Harris and Emhoff held a seder at their residence for family and Jewish staffers. Harris and Emhoff are also the first exec utive family to affix a mezuzah to their official residence.

The White House did not respond to a question about whether it would hold a Hanukkah event this year.

Presidents have for years routinely briefed Jewish leaders in conference calls before the High Holidays. (JTA)

‘CAMP AUSCHWITZ’ JAN. 6 RIOTER WAS WEARING SS SHIRT UNDERNEATH, PROSECUTORS SAY AT SENTENCING

Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA)—More than 100 Jewish organizations are urging the Senate to codify the 2015 Supreme Court decision extending federal protections to same-sex marriage.

“The Respect for Marriage Act would ensure that all federal benefits are avail able to married couples regardless of the state in which they live,” said the statement spearheaded by the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center and Keshet, a Jewish LGBTQ rights group. “Congress has a responsibility to pursue economic equity for all, regardless of geographical location, and include histori cally marginalized groups in this pursuit.”

Agudath Israel of America, a haredi Orthodox umbrella body, objected to the proposed law, which has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is now under consideration in the Senate.

Democrats, led by Rep. Jerry Nadler, the Jewish New York Democrat who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, advanced the bill, which was drawn up in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision this summer to reverse its 1973 ruling guaranteeing abortion rights. Democrats fear the ruling could lead to the reversal of other rights, including the right to samesex

Themarriage.leadauthor of the abortion rights reversal, Justice Samuel Alito, insisted that the decision would affect only abortion, but Justice Clarence Thomas said that the court should reverse the 2015 decision, Obergefell v Hodges, which guaranteed same-sex marriage protections.

The new bill was at first seen as sym bolic, but the strength of Republican support in the House—47 Republicans voted in favor — surprised Democrats. It is now gaining traction in the Senate, where it is being spearheaded by a Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, and a Democrat, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Collins is working to bring on board the 10 Republicans it would need to clear procedural hurdles, and she and Baldwin say they are open to changing

the language to address Republican con cerns, including extending protections to conservative religious institutions and denying them to polygamists.

That has led to a full court press from supporters and opponents of LGBTQ rights expansion. Joining the Reform move ment and Keshet are the Conservative and Reconstructionist movements, the National Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and a number of local Jewish federations and community relations councils. The American Jewish Committee said that it does not generally sign letters of “this nature” but “we support the goals articu lated in this letter.”

In a tweet illustrated with the LGBTQ rainbow flag, the Jewish Federations of North America said the bill “embodies our values of ensuring the civil rights of all who wish to be married, a goal we have supported both in the United States andTheIsrael.”statement from Jewish groups supporting the bill cited Jewish teach ing. “Jewish tradition teaches that all people are created  b’tzelem Elohim, in the Divine image, and are worthy of dignity and respect,” it said. “As organizations grounded in Jewish values and beliefs, we have an ethical and moral responsibility to fight for a society that ensures the humanity of all people.”

Agudath Israel of America derided that position, saying that Jewish teachings opposed same-sex marriage.

“Jewish law and values unequivocally reject homosexual conduct and same-sex marriage, both for Jews and for society at-large. Jewish law and values reject the notion that all people have a right to marry whomever they love, without restriction,” its statement said. “This is based neither in bigotry nor invidious discrimination. This is what our Torah teaches and what Jews have faithfully adhered to for millen nia. We are deeply saddened that Jewish organizational supporters of RFMA have chosen to falsify the values they claim to represent.”

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More than 100 Jewish groups back the bill that would codify same-sex marriage protections into federal law

MARTY EINHORN PAVILION

Marty Einhorn Pavilion’s dedication brings community together— in a new, outdoor structure

Terri Denison

The dedication of the Marty Einhorn Pavilion took place on a practically perfect Sunday morning earlier this month. The bright blue sky hosted puffy white clouds, the jazz sounds of the Jimmy Master’s Trio welcomed guests, lunch was tasty, and the program, paying tribute to Marty Einhorn, a beloved community member, was heart felt…andEinhorn,brief. who passed away February 18, 2021, served on the boards of directors of 14 separate

and didn’t shy away from interjecting bits of humor.

Chernitzer

Sam Sachs wows the audience with a joyful Tekiah Gadolah!

Sam Sachs watches as Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg prepares to give the shofar

Ann Levin, a Virginia Tech alum and fan, dons a UVA cap in tribute to Marty Einhorn, a well-known Cavalier fan.

different aspects of Marty’s life.” In addi tion to his widow, Susan Einhorn, son, Will Einhorn, parents, Lois and Barry Einhorn, and sister and brother-in-law Wendy Jo and Ron Brodsky, more than 100 attended the dedication. And, as Chernitzer observed, it was a diverse group.

Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg, Rabbi Michael Panitz, Laura Gross, president of UJFT, and Betty Ann Levin, execu tive vice president/CEO of UJFT and the Simon Family JCC, also participated in the program.Alover of music, Einhorn was Ohef Sholom Temple’s shofar blower for decades where he also mentored and taught young sters to blow shofar. One of his protégées, Sam Sachs, surprised the audience by concluding the program with a beautiful Tekiah Gadolah. Many tears flowed.

The 2,400-square-foot outdoor struc ture, which is adjacent to the basketball court on the rear lawn of the Sandler Family Campus, has a front and back patio, benches, and picnic tables, and fans to help “beat the heat.” The pavilion has a comfortable seating capacity of 160 people. Lighting for evening events with power and Wi-Fi make it flexible for a variety of uses, including dining, parties, and as it was used all summer, for camp activities.

The general consensus was that Marty Einhorn would have been extremely pleased with the event. The only thing missing was him.

Photographs by Steve Budman.

Rabbi Michael Panitz delivers a closing message.

More than 100 people gathered in the Marty Einhorn Pavilion for the dedication.

LEE & BERNARD JAFFE FAMIY JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL

Perspectives on basketball, the Holocaust, and what one author calls “Grace”

Dan Grunfeld: Wednesday, November 2, 7:30 pm

Debbie Burke

By the Grace of the Game: The Holocaust, a Basketball Legacy, and an Unprecedented American Dream Dan 262TriumphGrunfeldBookspages,2021

The 2022-23 Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival kicks off this year with former professional basketball player Dan Grunfeld, who is the author of By the Grace of the Game: The Holocaust, a Basketball Legacy, and an Unprecedented American Dream. Grunfeld spoke to Jewish News about what inspired him to write this book, a combination career memoir and examination of the Holocaust through the experiences of his grandparents as well as a great aunt who survived Auschwitz.

Jewish News: When was the “aha” moment when you knew you were going to write this book?

Dan Grunfeld: My family’s journey has always had a profound impact on me, and as my basketball career drew to a close and my love of writing only intensified, I knew that this was the big story I wanted to tell. I remember saying to my wife that if I were going to write this story, I had to commit myself fully. Once I started business school after retiring as a player, I knew it was time.

JN: How did you conduct research for the book, and did you find any surprises along the way?

DG: I did a year and a half of research to prepare to write the book. I spent hun dreds of hours interviewing my dad and grandma, and I interviewed people all across the world who had a connection to the story. The writing process reflected the broad range of emotions in my family’s story—at times there was exhilaration, at

times there was great sorrow. I found a lot of surprises along the way. One example is that I had only one family member who survived Auschwitz, my Great Aunt Bubby. I learned through my research that she had been evaluated in Auschwitz by Dr. Mengele, one of history’s most noto rious Nazis.

JN: The Holocaust touched your family. How has that shaped the person you are today?

DG: Knowing what my grandparents went through to survive the Holocaust has always affected me deeply. There is such unthinkable sadness and tragedy in my family’s history, and I carry that with me. That history has also made me appre ciate my opportunities and has taught me how important it is to treat people the right way. I know what’s at stake when people aren’t treated fairly, and I’ve always tried to stand up for myself and for others as a result.

JN: How does the game of basketball tie in with your faith and upbringing?

DG: Basketball gave my family a new life in America, and it’s core to who I am. When I was born, my dad was a player for the New York Knicks, wearing #18, Judaism’s most symbolic number. Growing up, he watched the Knicks from the bleachers of Madison Square Garden as an immigrant trying to learn English in New York City.

JN: Did you feel basketball was your destiny?

DG: Growing up, there wasn’t a moment when I considered doing anything else. That probably came from being born into the game and wanting to do exactly what my dad did. But yes, basketball felt like my destiny, particularly knowing that the game had brought such joy to a family

created from the ashes of the Holocaust. I carried the ball forward willingly, every step of the way.

JN: How did your own b-ball career mirror your dad’s and/or how was it different?

DG: My dad was born in Europe, the son of Holocaust survivors, but made his basketball career in America. I was born outside of New York City, my dad an NBA player for the New York Knicks, but I made my basketball career in Europe. Our careers took much different paths but were similar in that they were both rooted in a deep love for the game.

JN: Where does the “grace” come in per your title?

DG: “Grace” is in my title because my grandmother is grace personified. She’s experienced horrific trag edy, but she carries herself with incredible dignity and respect. She’s the star of our family, the star of this story, and she’s full of grace, so that is the main reason why I wanted the word in the title. Another reason is that there is something cosmic about the appearance of basketball in my family’s life, as if it were heaven-sent. The word “grace” has a spiritual, heavenly con notation that mirrors basketball’s presence in my family’s story.

JN: What would you say about the overall experience of writing this book?

DG: I wrote this book from my heart, and my only goal was to tell an honest and authentic family story. When I started, I had a vision for the end product that I couldn’t have articulated. I felt the power of the story so deeply and just wanted others to somehow feel it, too. I wrote and wrote, peeling back layers as I went, until that power and the profound depth of the

story was finally reflected on the page. In the end, the book became exactly what I had hoped for.

JN: Is there a hopeful message in this book, and if so, what is it?

DG: There is a lot of darkness in my fam ily’s story, but there’s much more light. My book is absolutely a hopeful story. It’s about perseverance, survival, family, legacy, and love. My family’s journey—the world’s only journey from Auschwitz to the NBA—shows that through hard work, hope, and love, anything is possible.

JN: Other comments?

DG: One of my dreams for this book is that young people will engage with the story because of the basketball and in so doing will learn about the Holocaust. It’s our obligation to share these stories and transmit this history so that it never happens again, and it gives me great satisfaction to know that this story is an accessible way for the younger generation to engage with Holocaust history.

For information about the festival or to sponsor or volunteer, contact Hunter Thomas, director of Arts + Ideas, at HThomas@UJFT.org or 757-965-6137.

Dan Grunfeld.

Diverse authors, varied subjects planned for Jewish Book Festival

Staff Report

The annual Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival begins on November 2 with author Dan Grunfeld (see page 10), kicking off a series of events that will run through June.

This year’s festival features 20 authors from around the world and from a variety of back grounds who will discuss an array of topics. Most events are free and open to the community and take place at the Sandler Family Campus.

The community will hear from a first responder at the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, a former U.S. congresswoman, jour nalists, doctors, and novelists. From the intersection of bas ketball and the Holocaust to the history of Italy’s Jewish cuisine, and from the secrets that families keep to ending bias in the community, there is something for everyone at this year’s festival.

Authors were chosen with a few things in mind. The festival committee (consist ing of 15 volunteers along with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater staff) looked for authors who were engaging speakers—determined after participating in an online three-day “watch party” of more than 250 authors—and whose books, whether fiction or nonfiction, had a theme or topic that was interesting. “We looked for dynamic, engaging speakers as well as good books,” says Hunter Thomas, director of Arts + Ideas at UJFT.

Most of the author events are “talkshow style,” with a moderator and questions from audience members.

“It’s important that we engage the com munity as much as possible during these events,” says Thomas, “and we want the community to know that while the festi val celebrates Jewish books and authors, the events are open to the public. We hope that everyone can find something in these books and topics that interests them, regardless of their faith or cultural background.”Additional details about the festival will be published in the next issue of Jewish News. For more information about the festival or to sponsor or volunteer, contact Hunter Thomas, director of Arts + Ideas, at HThomas@UJFT.org.

RelationshipsLocalMatter

MEET: Karen Joyner

As the Chief Executive Officer at the Peninsula Foodbank, she believes the Foodbank not only distributes food but is also the spokesperson for those who otherwise don’t have a voice.

“There are so many low income individuals who haven’t received any benefit from the recovering economy and those who because of their life circumstances need help every now and then. We are there to help ensure their voices are heard.”

“Since 2004, when I started with the Foodbank and got to know Payday Payroll, I have always felt that Payday has been involved and helped to build it’s business through positive support for others in the community, both non-profits and start up businesses. I particularly appreciate the generosity that Payday has shown to the nonprofits in our community.”

The Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival is held in coordination with the Jewish Book Council, the longest-running organiza tion devoted exclusively to the support and celebration of Jewish literature. to the success of our and most importantly, their people.

Hunter Thomas with books from this year’s festival.

Steve Jason Broker/Owner

ARTS &

ESPN documentary focuses on Holocaust and Munich Olympics survivor Shaul Ladany

Jacob Gurvis

(JTA)—Frank Saraceno has worked for ESPN since 1994 and has produced hour-long documentaries on some of the biggest stars in sports for the cable chan nel’s Emmy Award-winning “E:60” series.

But he thinks working on the episode that premiered September 20, might have been the most powerful experience with the show he has had since its inception in 2007.“Idon’t think I’ve ever been more grat ified in terms of the story that I pitched coming to fruition than I am with Shaul Ladany,” Saraceno says. “And it’s because of him. It’s all because of him.”

Shaul Ladany, now 86, is a repeated survivor—first of a Nazi bombing of his family’s house when he was a child, then of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and then of the 1972 Munich Olympics terror attack. His “E:60” episode, The Survivor, is pegged to the recent 50th anniversary of the Olympics story.

Though the attack that left 11 Israeli athletes and coaches dead had been chron icled in the 1999 documentary One Day in September, narrated by Michael Douglas, and in Steven Spielberg’s 2005 Academy Award-nominated film Munich, Saraceno wanted to ensure that the story continued to be told to younger generations.

“The challenge for me was finding a unique way to tell the story,” Saraceno says. “I had an idea. And I said, alright, let me see if there’s anyone, hopefully, with us from the Israeli team, and maybe I’ll start from there. And that’s really what I did. I just looked up every name.”

He stumbled upon Ladany—a race walker who was one of the few Israeli athletes to get out of the Munich Olympic village alive as the attack turned into a nearly-24-hour hostage crisis.

“I pitched it as let’s tell the story of Munich through the eyes of one incredible human being,” Saraceno says.

The film is narrated and reported by Jewish ESPN veteran Jeremy Schaap, who

has won 11 Emmys and has covered eight Olympic Games. He is also the author of Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics

“To be there, talking to someone who saw it with his own eyes, who can commu nicate that story, for me, it was personally meaningful, too, and significant, because I am Jewish,” Schaap says.

“When Frank brought [Ladany’s] story to my attention, put us in touch, I said, this is a rare opportunity to tell a story like this,” he adds.

It’s also a story unlike any other he’s ever reported. For one thing, Schaap says, it’s the longest interview he’s ever con ducted: approximately eight hours.

“In much the way that he has this remarkable endurance physically as a walker, he has mentally as well, as an interviewee,” Schaap says.

Schaap spent time with Ladany at his home in Omer, Israel, in Tel Aviv, and in Germany—including taking a five-and-ahalf hour train ride from Bergen-Belsen to Munich, where Ladany attended the German government’s ceremony marking 50 years since the attack.

Though it is timed to that anniversary, The Survivor focuses on the survivor him self. It tells the story of Ladany’s family, his journey through the Holocaust, to Israel, and then back to Europe in 1972 for the Olympics. Leaning heavily on archival images and clips from the news and from Ladany’s personal life and ath letic career, the episode seamlessly weaves the story together, bringing the viewer back and forth in time.

Born in Belgrade in 1936, Ladany sur vived a series of close calls throughout the Holocaust. First, when he was five years old, German forces bombed his family’s home. Then, after the Ladanys fled to Hungary, they were captured by the Nazis in 1944 and sent to the Bergen-Belsen camp, where approximately 50,000 Jews were killed over the course of the war, including Anne Frank.

Ladany was ultimately saved through

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

the Kastner train, a series of cattle cars that brought more than 1,600 Jews tem porarily to Bergen-Belsen and then to Switzerland after a series of controver sial negotiations with Adolf Eichman. Following the conclusion of the war, his family emigrated to Israel, where his athletic career took off. In 1963, he won an Israeli national title in race walking—the first of his 28—and in the subse quent years would go on to break the U.S. record in the 50-mile-walk. Ladany also competed in the 1968 Olympics and multiple Maccabiah Games.

Why race walking?

“You need a certain type of mental atti tude: a willingness to take punishment, to have a lack of comfort, and pain, to continue and continue,” Ladany says in a 2012 CNN documentary on the massacre. “I’m not a psychologist, but was I stub born, so I entered race walking? Or did I enter race walking, and become stubborn? It’s the same in all long-distance events. Quitters don’t win, and winners don’t

quit.”Then, decades after escaping the con tinent, Ladany returned to Germany as an Olympian, representing Israel. On Sept. 3, 1972, Ladany finished 19th in the 50-kilometer walk. Less than 48 hours later, a group of armed Palestinian terrorists entered the Olympic village quarters of several of his teammates, ultimately taking multiple rooms hostage. Ladany’s room was somehow spared, and he escaped.“Youdid not need one lucky event to survive,” Ladany says in the ESPN docu mentary. “To survive you needed a series of lucky events. Fortunately for me, I had them.”Despite all that Ladany has been through, Schaap says, he does not wear his emotions on his sleeve. In the film, Ladany shares that he is practically inca pable of “Maybecrying.that’s how you survive, right?”

Schaap says. “Maybe the way to survive emotion ally, through the things that he’s been through, is by internalizing things, and not externalizing them, and certainly that’s what he says when he talks about not being able to cry. There is a stoicism, but not a Saracenocynicism.”puttogether

an Israeli crew to film on the ground—partly for Ladany’s comfort. At the same time, he began sifting through countless hours of news coverage from the 1972 Games— transcribing ABC News telecasts, filing and logging archival footage of competi tions, opening and closing ceremonies, and Ladany’s personal archives.

“I’m a historian, I’m a sports historian, so I eat this stuff up, I love it,” Saraceno says. “I love getting my hands dirty, so to speak, I love doing all that grunt work.”

The film also features interviews with Israeli photojournalist Shlomo Levy and Olympian Zelig Shtorch, both of whom were at the 1972 Games, as well as Deborah Lipstadt, a noted Holocaust his torian and current United States Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism.Inthedecades since the massacre, Ladany became a grandfather and an engineering professor at Ben Gurion University. These days he still walks—but no longer competitively.

As Schaap says in the film, every step Ladany has taken since his childhood has been “an act of defiance.”

“Despite the efforts of so many to eliminate him, to exterminate his people, to attack his team, he’s still here,” says Schaap. “I think the message is that it’s not just about surviving—the title of it, The Survivor—but it’s about how he has responded to these awful things, by living life to its fullest.”

The Survivor premiered Tuesday, Sept. 20, on ESPN and ESPN+.

Ari Stein makes it

Shaul Ladany, August 3, 1969.

Forever Helping Others

Queen Elizabeth mattered. Civil religion explains why.

Andrew Silow-Carroll

(JTA)—I am one of those people who gobble up films and television shows about the royal family almost as soon as they come out. And yet, watching The Crown, my thoughts would run like this: “This is great television,” I would say after nearly every episode. “But remind me again why I should care what happens to theseI’vepeople?”heardthat befuddlement from a lot of friends in the wake of the outpouring of love and sadness that followed Queen Elizabeth’s death at 96 after a 70-year reign. A monarch with no power, a matri arch of a family with no real claim to fame other than their birthrights, she occupied a strange and unique position.

multi-faith society.”

Architect Bernard Spigel died in 1968, leaving a legacy of homes, schools, and other buildings he helpsareToday,designed.SpigelScholarsdesigningbuildingsoftheirown.AscholarshipthatBernard’sdaughter,LucySpigelHerman,createdatthecommunityfoundationtohonorhimfuturearchitectspayfortheireducation.

The media strategist Mik Moore cap tured that perplexity in a Facebook post.

“There seems to be a disconnect [between] those who see the queen as a ceremonial figure with no real power and those who see the queen as the head of a colonial empire who was complicit in oppression and genocide,” he wrote. “If she’s the latter she deserves to be held accountable and if she’s the former she [is] just a celebrity with a crown.

“If she’s just a celebrity…her death isn’t that important,” he continued. “If she had real power, her death IS important…but also it means the anger at her is justified.”

A number of pundits and historians took a stab at explaining why Elizabeth, and the British monarchy, matter. Historian Amanda Foreman Elizabeth said she “embodied what you might call the spirit of the nation” and “personified the essence and values of Great Britain.” Similarly, the current chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, Ephraim Mirvis, eulo gized the queen by saying she “embodied the most noble values of British society.”

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Mirvis’ prede cessor, had at one point praised Elizabeth as an interfaith champion, saying her meetings with faith leaders led the U.K.’s transformation into “a multi-ethnic,

Sacks, Foreman, and Mirvis suggest a few ways of thinking about Elizabeth beyond Mik’s dichotomy—as neither “cer emonial figure” nor culpable head of a colonial empire. As Sacks explained, Elizabeth wielded a kind of soft power by dint of her example, leveraging her ambiguous status to become “Defender of all Britain’s ForemanFaiths.”and Mirvis, meanwhile, remind us that public figures can “embody” and “personify” values even when they aren’t elected or hold any real power. Elie Wiesel comes to mind. Although he was a gifted writer, his most important role was as an articulate survi vor and witness to the Holocaust. When Wiesel died in 2016, at age 87, the grief was not just over the loss of one man, but of a living connection to a monumental and devastating historical event.

With Wiesel’s death, Jewry also lost a unifying figure: When he died, JTA published an article asking if anyone could replace Wiesel as a “consensus leader” among American Jews, or was the “American Jewish community too divided to unite under any one person’s moral voice?”Wiesel also wielded a degree of soft power, seen when he rebuked U.S. President Ronald Reagan for a planned visit to an SS cemetery at Bitburg, Germany.Elizabeth, too, was a living link to World War II, and as such also personi fied everything Britain was and became in the ensuing eight decades. If indeed she “embodied” the nation’s values, she also deserved scrutiny for how she con fronted its failings. In a Washington Post essay, foreign affairs columnist Ishaan Tharoor concedes that “Elizabeth was perhaps not privy to all the sordid details of the operations carried out to preserve her empire after the end of World War II and through the 1960s.” And yet, he sug gests, “Elizabeth cast herself as the happy steward of the Commonwealth” whose

“history was hardly benign.”

(Wiesel too faced criticism that despite his devotion to human rights and dignity, he did not grapple publicly with the costs of Israel’s control of the West Bank and Gaza.)There is, however, another way to think about the queen’s significance: as a sort of religious figure. Not a religious leader, and not a god exactly, but as an intermediary between profane humans and divine aspirations. In a prayer in memory of the queen, Mirvis wrote: “In an age of profound change, she signified order and justice; and in times of tension, she offered generosity of spirit.” That’s as good a definition as any for the function of religion.Americans

don’t have monarchs, but we do have what Robert Bellah calls the American civil religion, with “its own prophets and its own martyrs, its own sacred events and sacred places, its own solemn rituals and symbols.” Such rituals and symbols represent the purposes and the meaning of a nation.

In our case, those symbols include the Stars and Stripes, the Statue of Liberty, the national parks, late leaders who stood for something bigger than themselves. We put bald eagles and dead presidents on our coins; in England, they put their queens and kings.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not nec essarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2011.

High Holidays

Please join Temple Israel for the 2019/5780 holidays!

Please join Temple Israel for the 2022/5783 holidays!

Celebrate the fullness of Jewish worship with us as together we find spiritual meaning in the words of our sages. You will find a hearty greeting from a warm congregation that embraces both the timeless and the innovative. Come join us and let us welcome you home.

Celebrate the fullness ofJewish worship with us as togetherwe find spiritual meaning in the words of our sages. Youwill finda heartygreetingfroma warm meaningCelebratecongregationthatembracesboththetimelessandtheinnovative.Comejoinusandletuswelcomeyouhome.7255GranbyStreet,Norfolk,VA235057574894550www.templeisraelva.orgPleasejoinTempleIsraelforthe2019/5780holidays!thefullnessofJewishworshipwithusastogetherwefindspiritualinthewordsofoursages.Youwillfindaheartygreetingfromawarmcongregationthatembracesboththetimelessandtheinnovative.Comejoinusandletuswelcomeyouhome.7255GranbyStreet,Norfolk,VA235057574894550www.templeisraelva.org

Chef Larry Adler: Cooking up a storm to break the fast

Debbie Burke

Virginia Beach’s Larry Adler, culi nary faculty lead at Stratford University and a former training professional, has a long history of applying his skills and creativity to bringing food to the nextForlevel.Jewish News readers, Adler shares a few tips for delicious ways to break the fast at Yom Kippur, plus his mother’s famous recipe for apple cake!

Jewish News: How did you get into cook ing and food prep?

Larry Adler: While I come from a family of good cooks as both my grandmothers and mother were creative in the kitchen, my incentive to cook was more a necessity as my wife worked late, and it was some thing I always enjoyed. I did not get my culinary degree until late in life, and it has become an interesting and rewarding pastime in my retirement years.

JN: What is your favorite meal for break ing the fast?

LA: We have done a standard Break-theFast at Yom Kippur for about 30 family members and friends for the last 30 years. Bagels, lox, both sweet and savory kugels, and an assortment of desserts featur ing my mother’s apple cake. Our close friend David Pariser hot-smokes a salmon

filet (recipe included), which is always a family favorite. For early arriv als, we have chopped pickled herring and chopped liver.

We consider this a family affair. Everyone who comes brings and shares. My wife, Ronna, and our children and grandchildren are all instrumental in making this a family event.

JN: How do you consider different palates as well as those with dietary restric tions— to have something for everybody?

LA: By offering a variety of food items, we have never had to work really hard to accommodate. Egg salad and chicken salad meet many diets and are gluten-free, and a large selection of sliced veggies or a salad will be both gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly.

JN: How is this year different for a breakthe-fast event, especially in light of COVID restrictions from recent years?

LA: We always hope for good weather so we can spread out on the porch and yard and with few exceptions, this has been the case. The first year of the pandemic kept us laying low with only the immediate family. This year we hope to be back to full strength, but as a family, we will take a moment to remember those who are no longer with us.

Chopped Herring Chill and serve with crackers.

Larry Adler.

High Holidays

Smoked Salmon

1 quart water

½ cup salt

¾ cup honey

¼ cup rum

¼ cup lemon juice

10 whole cloves (spice)

10 peppercorns (whole)

10 allspice berries

1 bay leaf

1 whole salmon filet

Combine salt, water, rum, lemon juice, and spices in a container. Place salmon filet in large dish and pour mixture over fish. Cover and refrigerate for 2–3 hours.

Prepare grill or smoker by filling water tray, adding wood chips and preheating to 250 degrees. Remove fish from solution and discard solution. Do not rinse fish of the salty skin that has formed. Place fish on smoker rack and smoke until desired doneness is achieved. Some folks like fish to be only lightly cooked (30–45 minutes); others like the fish to be well done (1–2 hours). Allow to cook and serve with horseradish or dill sauce.

Mamaw’s Apple Cake

This is my mother’s famous recipe. It has been known to cause family fights about who ate the last piece, and one whole cake has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. While my mother passed away this year, both my wife and my daughter Lindsey make a pretty good replica. My sister Dorothy says she will attempt it this year, too!

1Cake:box Duncan Hines

Butter Recipe Cake Mix

1 apple, cored, peeled, cut in half, and thinly sliced if you have a mandolin to slice it.

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream ¹/³ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup water ¹/³ cup

2¼Toppingssugarcup sugartablespoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ cup raisins

½ cup pecans finely chopped

Mix topping ingredients together and set aside. Mix cake ingredients with mixer. Pour ¹/³ cake batter into greased and floured tube cake pan. Sprinkle ¼ of the topping mix ture on top of batter. Pour ¹/³ more batter and arrange apple slices FLAT around pan. Sprinkle more topping mixture. Pour remaining batter over apples and topping mix and put remaining apple slices (standing upright) around top. Sprinkle with topping mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 50–55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

High Holidays

How are repentance and forgiveness possible?

Area professionals say how it’s done and why it’s beneficial

Debbie Burke

Torah says that repentance can be achieved at any age or stage: “Even

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if a man has sinned his whole life, and repents on the day of his death, all his sins are forgiven him” (Maimonides, Yad, Teshuvah 2:1).

Yom Kippur is a time to consider how we have wronged others, our responsibil ity to make amends and apologize, and the benefit of accepting apologies. Not only does this fulfill our spiritual obliga tions at Yom Kippur, it is also good for our mental health and our personal growth.

“Forgiveness is a powerful tool that people can use to help them in their healing journey,” says Kelly Burroughs, CEO of Jewish Family Service. “Because forgiveness is an internal process, it is powerful; no one can take that power from you. It does not mean that the hurt ful behavior is condoned or forgotten, rather that they are learning that the person who hurt them no longer has the power.”AsSara Litt, LCSW from Churchland Psychological Center sees it, empathy is a key concept in forgiveness. “Try to imag ine how the other person may have been impacted by your actions, and be real in your assessment about what you did. Take the time to really sit with it and explore your own role and what you could have done differently. Then, it’s very import ant to make restitution. If you can make amends with the person directly, go for it. But if that isn’t possible, then consider other ways to make restitution, to change your character for the better.”

The hardest part of asking for for giveness is humbly admitting doing something wrong by expressing empathy and remorse, as well as promising to do better in the future. Michelle Walter, LCSW at JFS, says, “The best way to prove that we are truly sorry is not to repeat the behavior. Yom Kippur provides us a won derful time to make these changes.”

As for granting forgiveness, Walter points out that this is not the same as forgetting. “It can be very healing in not allowing one to continue to be victimized. One can gather the courage to acknowl edge and face the pain and accept to make

peace with ourselves.” This can require the support of a friend or therapist, as these issues affect one’s mental health. “It can be more about our own self-care rather than the other person.”

What about forgiving somebody who is not available or no longer around, for example, one’s deceased mother or father?

“One intervention that I like to use is to ask the person to write their parent’s autobiography,” suggests Litt. “Of course, this isn’t truly possible, but the exercise allows the person to see their parent’s life story through [their] perspective, to gain insight and empathy about where the parent [was] coming from and their strug gles. Our parents already [had] a whole life history before we [were] born and we are only one piece of their story. Most parents are doing the best they can, but sometimes that’s limited due to circum stances beyond their control. If, as adult children, we can perceive our parents as having tried their best under difficult cir cumstances, then it becomes much easier to forgive them for their mistakes.”

This Yom Kippur, this Day of Atonement, then, might be a good time to consider the personal benefits of forgiving others.

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High Holidays

The best foods to eat before fasting on Yom Kippur

Shannon Sarna

Fasting on Yom Kippur is not easy, nor is it waterabstainingfunctionSomemedicalfeeding,pregnant,becausepeopleeveryone—someforcannotfasttheyarebreastorhaveacondition.simplydonotwellwhilefromandfoodfora

25-hour period.

But for those who do choose to fast as a meaningful way to engage in Yom Kippur, there are actually foods to eat beforehand that can set you up for a more successful, less onerous fast.

Most people stick to a menu that is

classic and delicious but not too crazy or spicy: chicken soup, chicken, rice or pasta, a vegetable, some challah, and water.

1. Avoid foods that are hard to digest

Now this might be different for everyone, but in general stay away from heavy meat

dishes, fried foods, or lots of dairy.

2. Eat foods that have fiber and water Foods with lots of fiber will keep you fuller longer, and foods with water, like fruits and vegetables, will keep you hydrated. Chickpeas or lentils are a great vegetarian protein source to eat, especially a dish like mujaderra. A hearty chicken soup with noodles or rice and lots of veg gies is another safe bet.

3. Avoid salt

Salty foods like olives, pickles, chips, canned soup, or dishes made with those bouillon cubes will bloat you and make you even more thirsty. So stick to some thing a little more bland for that pre-fast meal.

4. Avoid sugar

Too much dessert before fasting may cause your blood sugar to spike up and then come crashing down, which can be unpleasant at its least and cause a head ache or moodiness at its worst. Too much sugar will also make you thirsty, like salt, and will have you craving more sweets during your fast.

5. Drink water

This is pretty obvious, but make sure to drink plenty of water, not only at the meal right before the fast begins, but during the days preceding as well.

6. Avoid eating too much

Eat a moderate-sized meal that leaves you satisfied, but not unbuttoning your pants. You will feel uncomfortable and it will be more difficult to digest a monstrous-sized meal.

High Holidays

Zimtsterne: German star cookies for the Yom Kippur Break-the-Fast

Ronnie Fein

When people deny themselves food for an extended period of time they’re usually ravenously hungry and find themselves thinking about consuming huge amounts of food. It’s not a good idea, however, to pack it in too quickly because it is too hard on your digestive system.

So when Yom Kippur comes to a close, I make it easier for my family and friends and follow the ages-old wisdom of transi tioning from the fast to the main meal by offering guests a light nibble as they come into my home after synagogue. I serve sliced apples and honey, hummus and pita wedges, and, for those who prefer some thing sweet, zimtsterne cookies.

The word zimtsterne translates as “cin namon stars.” These star-shaped cut-out cookies are actually a German Christmas specialty. But for observant Jews, they are also traditional for Yom Kippur, when they are known as “erste sternen,” or “first stars”

because they are a reminder that before you can break the fast, you must be able to see the first evening stars that appear in the sky after Theresundown.areendless variations on this

cookie. I make one version with flour and honey, more like a traditional gin gerbread cookie. But the more popular recipes are basically warmly spiced nut-me ringues, with meringue frosting. They are compellingly crispy at first bite, then everso-slightly chewy; the cinnamon-clove fragrance is spellbinding. And here’s the bonus—they are gluten-free.

You can make these cookies as much as a week ahead. Keep them tightly sealed so they’ll stay crispy. If you haven’t ever tasted zimtsterne, consider adding them to your holiday menu. They also make a delightful gift to bring if you’re invited to a Break-the-Fast.

This article originally appeared on The Nosher.

German star cookies

INGREDIENTS

2½ cups finely ground almonds, approximately (or almond meal, see 1below)tspground cinnamon

¹/8 tsp ground cloves

½ tsp salt

1 tsp grated fresh lemon peel

2 large egg whites

1 tsp lemon juice

1½ cups confectioners’ sugar granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place the almonds, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and lemon peel in a bowl, whisk to blend the ingredients, and set aside.

3. Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer starting at low, then increasing the speed to medium-high, for 1–2 minutes or until bubbly. Pour in the lemon juice and beat at medium-high for another 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat at high speed for 4–5 minutes or until stiff and glossy.

4. Remove about ¹/³ of this mixture to a bowl and set aside.

5. Add the almond mixture to the remaining (²/ ³) mixture and stir to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least one hour.

6. Remove the dough. If it is still soft and sticky, work in some additional ground almonds. Sprinkle a pastry board with some granulated sugar. Place the dough on the board and top the dough with some parchment paper or waxed paper. Roll or press the almond dough to a ¼-inch thickness.

7. Cut the dough with star-shape cookie cutters. Place the cookies on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Spread the remaining ¹/ ³ egg white mixture on top of the dough. (You can use a small spoon or a pastry brush.) Bake for about 12–15 minutes.

NOTE: If you use pre-packaged almond “meal,” start with two cups; add more as needed to create dough that isn’t overly sticky.

IT’S A WRAP

Area religious schools begin year with Israeli flair

Sierra Lautman

Tidewater’s ShinShinim, Aya Sever and Alma Ben Chorin, are adding an Israeli touch to area religious schools this year. Sever will spend three weeks each month during the first semester with Ohef Sholom Temple while Ben Chorin is with Congregation Beth El. They will switch schools in January. Sever and Ben Chorin will spend one week each month with Temple Emanuel Religious School year-round.“Somuch energy and excitement filled

Ohef Sholom Temple on Sunday morning for our opening day of Religious School,” says Alyson Morrisey, director of Lifelong Learning at Ohef Sholom. “This was in part due to our amazing addition, Aya Sever, our ShinShin for the semester. Aya wasted no time engaging with the students. During Hebrew, Aya led games that had them moving and learning. Aya taught our second and third graders about Israeli currency and food. She even had them racing up and down the hallway trying to get the falafel in the pita! We are so lucky to have Aya with us for the first half of the year!”

Sharon Serbin, Religious School director at the Patricia Sarah Ashkenazi Religious School (PSARS) at Congregation Beth El, has previous experience working with ShinShinim in Pittsburgh and says she is thrilled to have Ben Chorin join

the school this semester. “Alma arrived at Sunday School ready to jump in and get started. Her enthusiasm, knowledge, and love of Israel inspired each of our students. She met with each class indi vidually for a program she created to

are building strong connection to Eretz Israel. We are incredibly blessed to be able to have her as part of our Religious School studies.”

To learn more about Tidewater’s ShinShinim, visit JewishVA.org/ShinShinim or contact

PSARS preschoolers show off their Israel kites.

Ohef Sholom Temple students play a game of Hebrew memory with Aya Sever and Cantor Jen Rueben.

Aya Sever leads a falafel roll race down the hall at Ohef Sholom Temple.

Alma Ben Chorin leads PSARS third and fourth graders through a comparison of childhood in Israel vs. the United States.

STRELITZ INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY

SIA launches 2022–23 school year and a new strategic plan

Carin Simon

Strelitz International Academy kicked off the school year on August 22 and unveiled a new five-year strategic plan: SIA Going Forth, Embracing Innovation and Inspiring Global Action. The plan is already underway.

A steady growth in enrollment for SIA over the last few years has resulted in the school’s expansion in various aspects. This year, for example, every age group and grade has new students and the school has waitlists for many classes. SIA is already scheduling tours and accepting applications for the 2023–2024 school year as the buzz of the IB® Program and SIA’s reputation spreads.

In reimagining its campus to inspire creativity and learning, several areas of the school were added or updated. For example, a new Learning Lab in the Primary Years wing was created. The Learning Lab includes space for the learning specialists to meet with stu dents and encourages additional student academic support and enrichment. The Early Years Cooking Center received a facelift this summer thanks to a generous community impact grant from Tidewater Jewish Foundation. The cooking center is a hub of the preschool with student cooking and baking opportunities and daily snack storage. This renovation also allows students to have an enhanced “farm-to-table” experience using the SIA

garden harvest to create and extend learn ing opportunities. Other rennovations include the addition of new classrooms to the Early Years space, as well as an activity room for these young students to engage in gross motor development.

The International Baccularate ® World School Program continues to be a globally minded and progressive way of teaching and learning that has drawn many new families to the pro gram. Parents and students appreciate the hands-on, project-based learning that the IB® World School offers. SIA is grateful for the support from Simon Family Foundation, TJF, and the com munity which has helped it become the only International Baccalaureate Primary Years World School for the Primary Years in theThisarea.past summer, Elyssa Brinn, SIA’s Early Years director, presented at the IB® World School International Conference in San Diego, California. Brinn’s presen tation on “Provocations,” an IB® term used to describe a “hook” when introduc ing a unit of inquiry to inspire curiosity, wowed the IB® Conference committee so much that they asked her to become a regularSIA’spresenter.professional development week for teachers that took place this summer included several IB ® Global Leaders including Trevor Mackenzie, author of Dive into Inquiry, Inquiry Mindset Elementary Edition, and Inquiry Mindset

Assessment Edition . Jessica Vance, an inquiry educator, also presented to the SIA faculty. Vance has a professional teaching and leadership background in both private and public international schools as an IB® PYP educator and PYP coordinator.Eventhe

SIA school lobby has a fresh new look. Students and visitors are greeted with a mural of a colorful tiger, SIA’s school mascot. The tiger was designed last year by SIA’s 2022 gradu ating class and is the inspiration behind the 2022–2023 wall calendar and SIA’s 2022–2027 five-year strategic plan.

SIA’s campaign theme this year is G2G, from Generation to Generation,

school.Avi

highlighting the bridge from past to pres ent and future. SIA is proud of the ways the school continues to honor Jewish traditions and heritage while creating a sustainable and innovative plan for the future.

For more information on the Strelitz International Academy, contact Carin Simon, director of admissions, at csimon@ strelitzacademy.org or 757-424-4327.

SIA lobby artwork by the Graduating Class of 2022.

Yael Hass gives a “thumbs up” for an exciting new year in fifth grade.

Abby Walker poses for a photo on the first day of

Weinstein is ready for the first day of second grade strings class at SIA with his new cello.

FIRST PERSON

The impact of learner-centered Israel education

Rabbi Gershon Litt

When I was a child in Jewish day school, we passed around the green, metal JNF box, sang Israeli songs, and watched videos about Israel’s beauty. Israel was our homeland, pure and simple. Since then, things have gotten much more complicated. Young Jewish adults do not have the same attachment to Israel as my generation, mid- to late-1940s, does. Today on college campuses, we need to work harder and harder just to justify to our Jewish stu dents why Israel should remain a Jewish state.It’s hard work, but it’s worth the effort. How do we do it? What educational meth odologies can be used to reach “Gen Z” effectively? We can start by learning how to truly educate the individual student, care for the student instead of just cur riculum goals, and diversify educational pedagogies in the classroom and beyond. I’ve been unpacking these methodolo gies in The iCenter’s Graduate Program in Israel Education, in partnership with the George Washington University. This included a weeklong Israel travel experi ence that exposed us to varying narratives, new pedagogical tools, and ways of teach ing that many of my peers and I had never seen before. I’m recognizing that while I’ve been a Jewish educator for over 20 years, teaching children, young adults, college, and adult students at varying times, I lacked these core principles in my educational approach. As a Jewish communal professional on campus, I tried

many programs, social events, movies, and speakers. But if I would have known 20 years ago what I know now, I would have been a much better educator.

On the Birthright Israel trips I led this year, I saw the impact of intentional, learner-centered Israel education expe riences. Because I’ve now been “trained up,” the quality of the sessions I led, programming I created, and even how I structured the free time was all improved and more impactful. The way I engaged with the students shifted and the feedback from the students was that the trip was transformative in ways not achieved in pastAnytrips.educator

can be an Israel educator with professional development opportuni ties. They don’t need to be experts in the subject matter; they need to be experts in different educational approaches and pedagogies, able to decipher which learn ers will connect most deeply with which types of learning experiences.

Rabbi Gershon Litt is the director of the Shenkman Jewish Center at William & Mary Hillel.

THE TRADITIONS CONTINUE

October–April “Local’s specials”

THECONTINUESTRADITION

Monday–Friday Happy hour in the bar 5–7 pm ½ price select drinks and appetizers

DineMondayforacause

A local non-profit receives 10% of all sales

Tuesday Half price wine 5–9 p.m.

WednesdayDatenight

At The WeThroughOceanfrontApril2019DailySpecialsMonday“DineforaCause”aregiving10%ofourtotal sales to a different non profit cause each Monday thru April

3 course dinner for 2 and a bottle of wine 55.00

ParmigianaThursdaynight 25.00

Eggplant, chicken or veal parmigiana, pasta, salad and a glass of banfi (super-tuscan)centine

TwoSundayforone

Buy one entrée and receive another of equal or lesser value free. First come, first serve.

All special are in house only

Monday at the Bar

On and off premises catering Live entertainment

Happy Hour 5-9 P.M.

Tuesday-Friday at the Bar

Happy Hour 5-7 P.M. 910 Atlantic Avenue • Virginia Beach, VA 23451 757-422-6464 • ilgiardino.com

Rabbi Gershon Litt in Israel.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Archival photographs to celebrate Israel @ 75 throughout the year

Hunter Thomas

Yellow is the color of remembrance at Jewish Museum and Cultural Center Sunday, October 16, 11 am–3 pm

The

world-renowned PhotoHouse is one of Israel’s most valuable and monumental private archives of historical photographs. Founded in 1936, it has been owned and operated by the same family for threeRudigenerations.Weissenstein captured millions of photos of pre-state Israel into the beginning decades of the nation’s early statehood. His grandson, Ben Peter, currently oversees the collection, which is comprised of approxi mately 1 million negatives.

Each month leading up to the commu nity celebration of Israel @ 75 on Sunday, April 30, 2023 a variety of photographs from PhotoHouse’s archive will be dis played in the Cardo of the Sandler Family Campus.Acampus-wide exhibit featuring PhotoHouse photos curated by Ben Peter will take place at the Simon Family JCC

in celebration of Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, April through June 2023.

For more information about Arts + Ideas programming, including the Leon Family Gallery, contact Hunter Thomas, direc tor of Arts + Ideas at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, at HThomas@ UJFT.org.

Baby and Me returns to the Simon Family JCC Begins Tuesday, September 20, 9 am Sandler Family Campus

Twice a month, Baby and Me offers a time for a parent to bring their baby, up to 18 months old, to the Simon Family JCC for an hour of baby games and activities, social time with other parents and guard ians, and coffee.

Baby and Me is presented by the Simon Family JCC and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, in partnership with PJ Library in Tidewater.

For more information, visit jewishva.org/pj or contact Nofar Trem at ntrem@ujft.org.

Get ready to plant some bulbs and hope for a bountiful garden this spring in remembrance of the children who perished in theTheHolocaust.Jewish Museum and Cultural Center in Portsmouth is hosting its first event in partnership with the Atlanta-based Daffodil Project and Am Yisrael Chai, which will take place on Sunday, October 16 (rain date October 30). The site of the daffodil garden is the lot next to the museum at 607 Effingham Street.

“Our mission is to present an environ ment where visitors and the community can celebrate and learn about Jewish history, faith, and culture,” says Barbara Rossen, director of JMCC. “This project encompasses the goal of the mission, makes the world a brighter place, and serves a higher purpose as a living, lasting memorial to those children who lost their lives and those who are in crisis today.”

The yellow six-point daffodils that will

be used are symbolic of the yellow Star of David that the Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust. The goal is to plant 1.5 million bulbs around the world. More than 780,000 have already been planted.

The October event at JMCC is the only one of its kind in Tidewater, with the next closest being in Richmond. “We have over 2,000 bulbs committed so far,” Rossen says. “We hope to have hundreds of volunteers.”JMCCis planning a permanent plaque with sponsors’ names and markers desig nated to those who bought bulbs. Every month leading up to the spring, JMCC will offer programming on the Holocaust.

“When it’s in full bloom in the spring,” Rossen adds, “we’ll have a celebration out side in the middle of the garden.”

For more information on purchasing bulbs, sponsorship opportunities, or helping to plant the flowers, visit jewishmuseumports mouth.org or email jmccportsmouth@ gmail.com.

Sukkot event for 6th–9th graders Sunday, October 9, 1–3 pm, MOCA

The Simon Family JCC and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, in col laboration with the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, invites students in sixth through ninth grade to a special Sukkot event at MOCA.

The afternoon will begin with an exclu sive tour of the exhibit, More Than Shelter, which is centered around 11 artists that were asked to consider what shelter means to them. After the tour, the students will be joined by Tidewater’s ShinShinim, Aya and Alma, for a snack and a Sukkot-themed activity.The event is free, but space is lim ited. Register at: YFPPJLMiddleSchoolSukkotEvent2022https://ujft.salsalabs.org/

For more information, log onto jewishva. org/pj or contact Nofar Trem at ntrem@ ujft.org.

Rudi Weissenstein.

Debbie Burke

Shifting Borders: The Map of Israel Past and Present

Wednesday, October 26, 7:30 pm Sandler Family Campus

Elka Mednick

The best way to begin to understand Israel is to first understand the nation’s map. Since declaring independence in 1948, the tiny nation’s borders have often changed. Sometimes, Israel has gained territory; other times, it has withdrawn from territory. Why is the map of Israel so important, yet so misunderstood? Where does the issue of Israeli settlements fit into this discussion? How does the debate about Israel’s borders affect Israeli politics and Israeli-Palestinian negotiations? Might Israel’s borders change again?

Map expert Joe Perlov will answer all of these questions and more with an expe riential exploration of the map of Israel as part of the 12th annual Israel Today series, presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, and Community Partners, including all local synagogues and Jewish agencies.

Together, participants will recreate the map of Israel with historical borders,

shifting those lines until the current national borders are reached—all while engaging with the competing narratives of social, political, and security issues.

To learn more and to register (RSVP required), visit JewishVa.org/IsraelToday, or contact Elka Mednick, assistant direc tor of the JCRC, at emednick@ujft.org or 757-965-6112.

Exploring Jewish history in an international context

Class begins Thursday, October 27, 12 pm

What is the history behind the narrative of the Jewish religion’s core story?

One way to better understand Judaism’s history—as well as its “story”—is to explore the international framework in which its people emerged.

The Konikoff Center for Learning at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater will offer a four-part series, Origins: Jewish History in an International Context. Taught by Rabbi Michael Panitz of Temple Israel, classes will be both in-person at the Simon Family JCC and online.

Over the four weeks of this course, Panitz will take students on an explorative journey through history. The first half of the course will dive into the collapse of ancient superpowers and the emergence of

The People “Israel.” Then, moving into the 10th and 11th centuries, students will examine the time monarchy replaced the older tribal system and consider how this coincides with the transition from bronze to iron in Israel. The final class of this series will uncover archaeological findings to investigate the religious developments in the history of the Israelites and monotheism.

Course cost is $60. For more information, or to register, visit JewishVA.org/KCL or con tact Sierra Lautman at SLautman@ujft.org or 757-965-6107.

Unfolding

Nature: Dancing Through Waves is now on display in the Leon Family Gallery at the Simon Family Jewish Community Center.

Dr. Smadar Sheffy, chief curator at Contemporary Art Center Ramla in Israel, describes Rivnay’s work as “broad ges tures, generous color patches, luscious paint spots,” a celebration of “movement and sound suffused with the present, an encounter of the gaze with an avalanche of colors and shapes.”

The paintings in the collection are diverse in their composition—some are painted with acrylics, others with oils, and on a variety of canvasses.

Arie Berkowitz, director and head cura tor at the Tel Aviv Artist House, says of Rivnay, “His large-scale paintings invite viewers to join the artist on his inner jour ney so rich in color, textures, and abstract

WHAT’S HAPPENING News

asymmetrical compositions. The artist has set out on a personal journey into the soul’s labyrinth, resulting in patches of color weaving a multilayered musical fabric, lean ing on the tension between the revealed and the concealed, between the material and the spiritual. All of these elements come together to form a rhythmic collage with layers of surfaces of clean colors, drawn lines, and an unexpected colorful vibration shattering the comfortable bal ance with a precise counterpoint.”

Rivnay will speak at the reception next month.

For more information about Arts + Ideas programming, including the Leon Family Gallery, contact Hunter Thomas, director of Arts + Ideas at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, at HThomas@UJFT.org.

Joe Perlov.

Dancing Through Waves Exhibit showcases Israeli artist Leon Family Gallery Through early November

Reception with the artist: Thursday, October 13, 4 pm

Hunter Thomas

Shony Rivnay is an interdisciplin ary Clevelandco-chairHartman-Horvitz,CuratedCleveland,mostSouth—Germany,outgalleriesbeenAviv.artistIsraeli-AmericanbasedinTelHisworkhasexhibitedinthroughtheworldJapan,Korea—andrecently,inOhio.byEricaoftheIsraelArtsConnection,

Bar Gordon Shony Rivnay, 2022.

Rabbi Michael Panitz.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Ohef Sholom Temple to celebrate Charles Woodward’s 40th year as music director

Friday, October 28, 6:30 pm

Forty years ago, Edith Harrison, a longtime Ohef Sholom Temple member and founder of the Virginia Opera, asked a young Charles (Chuck) Woodward who was working for the Opera at the time, if he would “fill in” for OST’s organist who was sick. The organist passed away and Woodward has been “filling in” ever since, serving as the congregation’s music director.Known in Tidewater as a choral con ductor and keyboard player, Woodward serves two historic congregations in Norfolk: Ohef Sholom Temple and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. In addition, he is the artistic director and conductor of the Virginia Chorale, the Commonwealth’s premier professional choral ensemble— acclaimed for its innovative programming.

For Ohef Sholom, Woodward directs the congregation’s choir and assists and supports Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg and Cantor Jennifer Rueben in each week’s Shabbat services. He has been involved in the introduction and commission ing of new music, including Richard Danielpour’s  Canticle of Peace for the congregation’s sesquicentennial anniver sary in 1994; in the presentation of special programs and services, including A Concert for Social Justice (2020) with the Faith Deliverance Christian Center; and as a resource on Jewish choral music within the community.Ataservice honoring Woodward on the occasion of his 30th year with the congregation, Jane Klein Goldman, a con gregant and member of Ohef Sholom’s choir, noted in her remarks:

“For a large part of a lifetime, Chuck has devoted his considerable artistic and personal gifts to enriching our lives week after week, making life more beautiful and more holy for the members of our con gregation. We at Ohef Sholom are simply blessed that this remarkable man—who arrived here at a young age to provide piano and organ accompaniment to ser vices—has chosen to stay and evolve with us over these many years as his musical artistry and professional accomplishments

and reputation have soared.”

In addition to OST’s worship services, Woodward has produced concerts, made certain the congregation had the finest instruments and attracted the area’s best musicians to participate in its services and to perform at its concerts. His dedication to learning and then sharing his knowledge about Jewish sacred music is unsurpassed.

“Chuck is a truly beloved member of our OST family,” says Cantor Jen Rueben. “His collaborative nature, his willingness to give more than is asked, his integrity, and especially his kindness embody the very best of Ohef Sholom. I feel privileged to work alongside Chuck. He makes me a better cantor. I am so grateful that he has dedicated his talents and his heart to us for all theseShabbatyears.”Services on Friday, Oct. 28 will be held in the sanctuary and an expanded, festive Oneg Shabbat, “along with a few surprises, are planned for the evening,” says Sharon Nusbaum, OST first vice presi dent and chair of the celebration.

To make it easier to plan for the Oneg, OST requests RSVPs by calling the temple office or emailing rsvp@ohefsholom.org.

On Assignment with Lahav Harkov Starts Thursday, October 6, Noon

Elka Mednick

Monthly current affairs discussions with Lahav Harkov, the Jerusalem Post ’s senior contributing editor, will take place on the first Thursday of each month, October through March. Grab lunch as Harkov leads an online briefing and dis cussion for participants based on the news cycle of that week as part of the 12th Annual Israel Today series.

Harkov fuses her extensive knowledge of Israeli politics and culture from years of working in journalism with that of a young person who made Aliyah at 17 to bring a distinct perspective to every topic from the upcoming elections, pop culture, and everything in between. Don’t miss this opportunity to get the inside scoop on the Israeli news cycle.

The 12th Annual Israel Today series is presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, and Community Partners, including all local synagogues and Jewish agencies.

Free and open to the community, to learn more and sign up for Israel Today’s On Assignment with Lahav Harkov, visit JewishVa.org/IsraelToday, or contact Elka Mednick, assistant director of the JCRC, at emednick@ujft.org or 757-965-6112.

Wiesenthal: Nazi Hunter…a oneman show written and performed by Tom Dugan, in partnership with the Virginia Stage Company, will be pre sented as a fundraiser for the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

In a time of growing antisemitism, the play will educate people about this incredible survivor, Simon Wiesenthal, who took it upon himself to find Nazi perpetrators and show the world what they had done.

Tickets sold/dollars raised will also fund a matinee the following day for a wide-ranging group of students from area schools.

To purchase tickets, contact the Virginia Stage Company’s box office.

Lahav Harkov.

Chuck Woodward.

Wiesenthal: Nazi Hunter…a one-man show Tuesday, November 15, 7 pm Wells Theater

Tom Dugan.

CALENDAR

OCTOBER 6–MARCH, FIRST THURSDAYS

On Assignment with Lahav Harkov (Online) The 12th Annual Israel Today series presents Jerusalem Post senior diplomatic correspondent Lahav Harkov for a series of current affairs conversations. Join from anywhere in the world for monthly online briefings about current hot topics in and surrounding Israel. Free and open to the community. Pre-registration is required. 12 pm. For more information and to register, visit JewishVa.org/israeltoday or contact Elka Mednick at emednick@ujft.org or 757-965-6112. See page 26.

OCTOBER 9, THURSDAY

Sukkot event for sixth-ninth graders , held at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, includes a tour of the exhibit More Than Shelter and Sukkot-themed activity with Tidewater’s ShinShinim. 1–3 pm. For more information, visit jewishva.org/pj or contact Nofar Trem at ntrem@ujft.org. See page 24.

OCTOBER 12–DECEMBER 14, WEDNESDAYS

The Holocaust as Reflected in Diaries and Memoirs (Online), A 10-Week Melton Course offered by the Konikoff Center for Learning at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. Led by Melton faculty member Wendy Juren Auerbach, students will examine first-person narratives found in diaries and mem oirs, gaining insight into this devastating period of modern Jewish history. 6:45 pm. Early Registration cost is $235 before September 30 using code TH60 at checkout. Standard registration $295. For more information and to register, visit JewishVA.org/KCL or contact Sierra Lautman at slautman@ujft.org or 757-965-6107.

OCTOBER 16, SUNDAY

Daffodil Project at the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center in Portsmouth . Bulb planting in a new garden next to the JMCC in memory of the children who perished in the Holocaust and for children in crisis today. 11 am–3 pm. Rain date: October 30. For information on purchasing or planting bulbs or sponsorship opportunities, visit jewishmuseumportsmouth.org or email jmccportsmouth@gmail.com. See page 24.

OCTOBER 26, WEDNESDAY

12th Annual Israel Today presents Conflict in Context: The Changing Map of Israel and the Middle East with Joe Perlov at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus. Experience the history, competing for narratives and contemporary issues facing Israel and her neighbors as the borders shift over the millennia. Free and open to the community. 7:30 pm. For more information, or to register, visit JewishVa.org/israeltoday or contact Elka Mednick at emednick@ujft.org or 757-965-6112. See page 25.

OCTOBER 27–NOVEMBER 17, THURSDAYS

ORIGINS: Ancient Jewish History in an International Context , a 4-week course offered by UJFT’s Konikoff Center for Learning taught by Rabbi Michael Panitz. The Jewish religion has a core story: a narrative of our people’s early history. What, in fact, is the history behind the narrative? We can better understand our history—as well as our “story”—by exploring the international framework in which our people emerged. 12 pm. Course cost is $60 for 4-weeks and offers both in-person and online attendance options. For more information and to register, visit Jewishva.org/KCL or contact Sierra Lautman at slautman@ujft.org or 757-965-6107. See page 25.

Send submissions for calendar to news@ujft.org. Be sure to note “calendar” in the subject. Include date, event name, sponsor, address, time, cost, and phone.

BOOK REVIEW

Exploration of family roots leads local author to book on klezmer

Reviewed by Terri Denison

Klezmer for the Joyful Soul

Debbie Burke Queen Esther Publishing LLC 206 pages; 2021

KLEZMER

JULIA GARNER AND BRETT GOLDSTEIN REPEAT AS JEWISH EMMY WINNERS

Andrew Lapin

(JTA)—Julia Garner and Brett Goldstein were the big Jewish Emmy winners Monday, September 12, as both actors took home statuettes on television’s star riestGarnernight. scored her third win for best supporting actress in a drama for her role on Netflix’s crime show Ozark, which concluded its run this year. She previously won in 2019 and 2020 for the same show

and was additionally nominated this year in the limited-series category for Inventing Anna, but lost that category to Amanda Seyfried in The Dropout

During her acceptance speech, Garner thanked the Ozark writers for crafting her character, whom the actor said “has changed my Goldstein,life.”also a repeat winner, scored his second award in a row for best sup porting actor in a comedy for his role in Apple TV+’s sports sitcom Ted Lasso Thanking his Jewish family back home in Britain, the famously foul-mouthed Goldstein promised not to swear—before dropping an f-bomb on live television.

Burke, a local author who has written several books on jazz and two novels, published a book last year on klezmer music. In Klezmer for the Joyful Soul, she interviews 30 klezmer musi cians, scholars, historians, and cantors about the fascinating art form.

Debbie

Burke has a great introduction where she discusses her connection to the music through learning about her paternal grandfather and other family members from Lviv. In this book, she sheds light on the creative process, what draws these individuals to klezmer, and how they connect to their Jewishness through the music.The book is an eye-opener written in a very engaging and conversational style. Readers learn about the use of klezmer in the movies and that the music is not only a phenomenon in Eastern Europe or

the U.S.—but rather that it’s performed worldwide and by Jewish and non-Jew ish musicians alike. Klezmer for the Joyful Soul is an entertaining and highly recom mended read.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/ DebbieBurkeAmazon.

NBC’s Saturday Night Live, whose cre ator and longtime showrunner, Lorne Michaels, is Jewish, extended two of its records in the outstanding variety/sketch series category: the most wins and the most consecutive wins (which now stands at six). The show only had one other com petitor in the category.

During his acceptance speech, Michaels thanked his cast for “show ing up” in the midst of a pandemic, which had resulted in one live broad cast of SNL airing without an audience. The series’ longest serving cast member, Kenan Thompson, also hosted the eve ning’s awards ceremony.

Two of the most visibly Jewish shows on TV, Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, were both blanked out of the big categories this year. Both were nominated for best comedy but lost to Ted Lasso, while Maisel also lost every acting award its stars were nominated for. Other Jewish stars who came away from the night empty-handed included Seth Rogen, Henry Winkler, and AndrewZendayaGarfield.won best lead actress in a drama for Euphoria, the popular HBO teen drama based on an Israeli show.

jewishnewsva.org

For the Joyful Soul

Debbie Burke

OBITUARIES

LOLLY PEARL BERNSTEIN

NORFOLK—Lolly Pearl Bernstein, 99, passed September 17, 2022.

Born in Norfolk to Joseph and Jennie Donsky, she was raised in Colonial Place, was a graduate of Granby High School, a widow of Elmer Bernard Bernstein, and lifelong member of Temple Israel.

She is survived by sons, Marc and Richard; nieces and nephews, Susan Scholsohn, Dr. Steve Perlman, Michael and Mary PredeceasedDonsky.by her sister, Pansy Perlman and her husband, Dr. Jerome Perlman; brother, Harry Donsky.

Lolly was active in Temple Israel Sisterhood, Hadassah life member of Beth Sholom, and Candy Stripers. She loved her garden where she was active until her death.Agraveside service was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery with Rabbi Dr. Michael Panitz officiating.

SUSAN BLACKMAN

VIRGINIA BEACH —Susan Ann Roussel Blackman passed away on September 15 at her home in Virginia Beach while sleep ing, apparently from respiratory arrest caused by COVID.

Susan was born in New Orleans, La., in 1966. In 1986, she married Jerome Blackman, a psychoanalyst from New York, and they moved to Virginia Beach. Susan graduated first in her class in the College of Arts & Letters of Old Dominion University in 1988. In 1989, her son Theodore was born. In 1995, Susan grad uated from law school at William & Mary, #5 in her class, magnum cum laude, Order of the Coif, and she won the Gambrell Professionalism award. She joined the Norfolk law firm of Willcox & Savage as employment litigator. In 2000, she added business immigration law to her practice, later becoming head of the Immigration Section. She was made Honorary Consul to Denmark and met their queen.

Susan was a board member of the American Red Cross and on the board of directors of Arts & Letters of ODU. She was listed in the Best 25 Women Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers in America. Susan was also chair of the Virginia Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Susan had a warm smile, a dry wit, and a consistent desire to help other people.Susan is predeceased by a brother, David Roussel, and by her father, Earl J Roussel, Sr.

She is survived by two sisters, Gaynel Sheldon, Ramona Cook, her brother, Earl J Roussel, Jr, her mother, Mrs. Peggy Labom, by her husband, Jerome S. Blackman, MD, and her son, Theodore Abraham Blackman.

A funeral was held at Holloman-Brown Funeral Home with Rabbi Israel Zoberman officiating. Please send any contributions to the Bishopsgate Civic League, c/o James Hagerty at 795 Bishopsgate Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

DEE ANN BOND NOBLESVILLE, INDIANA —Dee Ann Bond, 75, of Noblesville, Indiana, passed away on August 20, 2022.

Dee was a part of the “Baby Boom” after World War II and was born on March 13, 1947 to Dean and Ruth Benjamin of Monticello, Indiana. After she graduated from Twin Lakes High School, Dee went on to study Marketing at Indiana University, Bloomington. At IU, she was involved in IU radio, debate team, drama and graduated with honors.

After completing her bachelor’s degree at IU, she worked as a development director for non-profit organizations including The Red Cross and United Way and then went on to become the executive director of a local YWCA and Women’s Shelter, helping support women seeking to escape domestic violence. She also taught marketing at the University of Indianapolis. Dee was an advocate for women’s rights, had a passion for educa tion and focused her career on helping the less fortunate.

In November of 1989, Dee launched Dee Ann Bond & Associates (The Stevens Agency) her own public relations and

advertising firm on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis.

Dee married Robert Bond in 1978 and lived in the (Acton) Indianapolis area for many years. During that time, they enjoyed traveling and the friend ships they made there. Later in life, they relocated to Noblesville, Indiana where Dee was an active member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, an international organization supporting women’s education. Dee was a beautiful, intelligent, successful woman who loved her family.

Dee is survived by her husband, Robert Bond, two daughters; Holly McGuire (Dan McGuire) and Heidi Raymond (Charlie Raymond) and grand children; Hudson McGuire, Jett McGuire, Ryley Studer, Reese Studer and Finley Mitchell.Acelebration of life Open House was held at Nesst of Noblesville. The family requests donations be made to Contributions to the P.E.O. Foundation | P.E.O. International (peointernational. org), an organization Dee felt strongly about. Stillinger Family Funeral Home, Greenfield. To leave a condolence in Dee’s memory, visit www.stillingerfam ily.com.

LAWRENCE IVAN BRENNER

NORFOLK—Lawrence Ivan Brenner (aka Mr. Wonderful) passed away peacefully in his home at age 95 on September 7.

Lawrence was born June 17, 1927 in Norfolk, Virginia to the late Joseph and Lula Brenner. He was preceded in death by his sister, Beverly Brenner Rostov.

Upon graduation from Maury High School, he enlisted in the Navy. Thereafter he attended VPI and subse quently returned to Norfolk to manage his family’s jewelry business, Spertner Jewelers, which he did successfully for 70 years, until 2018.

He was an Eagle Scout at 13 and later served as Master at Norfolk Masonic Lodge Number 1. In addition to being very active in the Jewish community and a member of Temple Israel, he was a great lover of nature, poetry, food, and travel.

Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 72 years, Ramona Rubin Brenner, son Martin and his wife Pam, daughter

OBITUARIES

Anji and her partner Alex, grandson Zachary and his wife Ashby, grand daughter Lena, grandson Aaron and his wife Kate, granddaughter Jessie, and great-grandson Cyrus.

The funeral took place at Forest Lawn Cemetery, graveside. The family asks for charitable contributions to a food bank of choice.

LINDA COGAN

VIRGINIA BEACH —Linda Cogan lived at Beth Sholom Village from 1995 until she passed away on September 1, 2022.

Cogan arrived at BSV when she was 45 years old. During her 27 years as a resident, she experienced the growth and progress of BSV more than most res idents and staff. She witnessed changes in leadership, changes in employees, two physical renovations of the building, and the addition of The Terrace Assisted

Living.When Cogan’s mother, Rose Warshaw, passed away in 1992, few relatives were left to continue caring for her. Cogan enjoyed living at home and working at Eggleston Services, a nonprofit that provides employment for persons with disabilities. Diagnosed early in her life with cerebral palsy and epilepsy and deemed developmentally delayed, Cogan was unable to live independently.

Joan Meyer, a cousin, tried to keep Cogan in her childhood home as long as possible. She enlisted Jewish Family Service of Tidewater as part of the care team until resources were no longer available.Group homes that might have been appropriate were unavailable in Hampton Roads during the mid- to late-1990s. After much research, Meyer landed on Beth Sholom Village, which she believed would be a good fit as Cogan was raised Jewish and BSV would be able to give her a forever home. BSV accepted Cogan with

open arms.

“I knew Beth Sholom was the right place for Linda,” says Meyer. “She was incredibly social and needed people around her and doting on her. Beth Sholom does just that.”

Cogan stopped working at Eggleston about 15 years ago. She stayed busy with all of BSV’s daily activities, including crafts and painting. She adored costume jewelry, tiaras, and silly sunglasses, as well as getting a manicure and having her hair Althoughstyled.Cogan was one of the young est residents when she first arrived, she aged in place and was happy to visit with other residents and family members.

Joyce Harvey, CNA and unit secretary on the Blue Unit where Cogan resided, says she recalls Linda going to work several days a week and returning home with great stories about her friends and even a boyfriend at Eggleston.

BSV held a memorial service for Cogan so staff and residents could honor and remember her wonderful personality.  Some long-time staff have workded at BSV since Cogan arrived and all have fond memories of BSV’s longest-tenured resident.

BETTE WOHLGEMUTH

BOCA RATON, FLA.—Bette Wohlgemuth (née Carver) of Boca Raton, Florida for merly of Waterbury, Connecticut, passed September 2, 2022 at the age of 93.

She was predeceased by her parents, Robert and Mae (Schekzer) Carver, as well as her brother, Harold Carver.

For 71 years, Bette was the loving wife of Paul Wohlgemuth, MD (of blessed memory).Sheis survived by her four cherished sons: Dr. Mark Wohlgemuth (Mary), Dr. Stephen Wohlgemuth (Dr. Holly Puritz), Dr. Peter Wohlgemuth (Ilene), and Mr. David Wohlgemuth (Cheryl). She is

also survived by her five grandchil dren: Dr. Zach Wohlgemuth (Allie), Dr. Josh Wohlgemuth (Sinead), Ms. Melissa Wohlgemuth, Ms. Leah Wohlgemuth (Yoni Glaser), and Mrs. Michelle Cooper (Brett) together with her six great-grand children Noa, Connor, Ethan, Zoe, Landon, and Maya.

Bette was the consummate volunteer

in Waterbury and Boca Raton. While proud to support her community, her family was her greatest joy and her proudestDonationsaccomplishment.inhermemory may be

made to Ruth and Norman Rales Jewish Family Services of Boca Raton, Florida, or the charity of your choice.

Southside Chapel • 5033 Rouse • 757 422-4000

MaestasSisler,

Denbigh

Riverside

At The Fabelmans premiere, Steven Spielberg discusses how his Jewish identity is portrayed in the autobiographical film

Stephen Silver

TORONTO (JTA)—It would be difficult to debate what Steven Spielberg’s “most Jewish” film has been, after a career with highlights such as Schindler’s List and Munich. But it’s now clear what the famed director’s most personal film is.

On Sept. 10, Spielberg introduced The Fabelmans, his upcoming semi-au tobiographical movie about his Jewish upbringing and his formative early years as an aspiring filmmaker, at a post-screen ing Q&A at the Toronto International Film Festival, where its debut earned a two-minute standing ovation and subse quent Oscar buzz in early critic reviews. Spielberg made no attempt to disguise the fact that the story is based on his life.

“It’s not complicated,” he said. “This is something, obviously, that I’ve been thinking about for a long time.”

The moderator of the Q&A, the fes tival’s CEO Cameron Bailey, noted that Spielberg grew up in a Jewish family “in mostly non-Jewish environments.” He asked the director about his “growing engagement with your Jewish identity” throughout his career, and what it was like to “weave that into the film.” Jewish audi ences have been highly anticipating how the film would incorporate Spielberg’s Jewishness since the official announce ment that production was underway last year. The three-time Oscar winner co-wrote the script with his frequent collaborator Tony Kushner, right after the duo finished the West Side Story remake.

“I like very much the sort of easy way that Jewishness lives in this movie. It’s a very profound part of Steven’s iden tity, and of the Fablemans’ identity,” Kushner said at the talk. “But it’s a movie that’s about Jewish people, rather than

entirely or exclusively about Jewishness or antisemitism or something. So it’s not a problem, it’s who they are.”

The film, which follows protagonist Sammy Fabelman as he falls in love with filmmaking from early childhood through high school, quickly establishes the fam ily’s Jewishness. As the film begins, the Fabelman family (whose surname sounds like Jewish wordplay on the idea of fables, or storytelling) is based in New Jersey, and Sammy notes that he knows which house is his by the absence of Christmas lights. The family at one point sings Hanukkah blessings, and later there’s a Shabbat dinner with challah, kugel, and brisket on the table.

The family then relocates to Arizona, and then Northern California, where it’s made clear there are far fewer other Jews around. In Phoenix, they are visited by Sammy’s old-world immigrant great uncle (Judd Hirsch) who tells tales of dealing

it’s an aspect of his experience in that moment,” Kushner said of that scene. “It’s part of his arc, Sammy’s arc, towards reclaiming film and figuring out things that film can do.”

The broader storylines of the film, which hits U.S. theaters in November, are also true to the details of Spielberg’s own life story. He was born shortly after World War II in Cincinnati, to a father who was a pioneering computing engi neer and a mother who played the piano.

Arnold Spielberg came from a family of Orthodox Jews; Steven attended Hebrew school as a child and had a bar mitzvah in Arizona. The family really did move from New Jersey to Arizona to California, he really had three younger sisters, and his parents really did split in the mid-1960s. As Spielberg grew into his filmmak ing, divorce, absentee fatherhood, and strained parent-child relations emerged as key themes in many of his movies.

Spielberg also did make amateur 8 mm films throughout his childhood before heading to Hollywood in the late 1960s and beginning his career as one of the most successful directors in history.

Spielberg and Kushner had discussed the director’s early life and a project about it for years—as early as 2005, when they were working on Munich, Kushner said. (Spielberg claimed in the Q&A that they began speaking about it while working on Lincoln in 2012.)

“Tony kind of performed the function of a therapist,” Spielberg said about their writing process. “I was his patient, and we’d talk, and I talked for a long time, and Tony fed me and helped me through this. But when COVID hit…we all had a lot of time, and we all had a lot of fear. And I think in that sense I felt…if I was going to leave anything behind, what is the thing that I really need to resolve and unpack? My mom, my dad, and my sis ters…it wasn’t now or never, but it almost felt that way.”

But don’t take this film as a sign that the 75-year-old Spielberg is slowing down, he said.

Holocaust Commission holds 15th Educators’ Conference

Elena Barr Baum

The Holocaust Commission capped off the summer in August with its first educators’ conference since 2019.

The 15th conference, Reflections of the Past: Words STILL Matter, was a

partnership between the Commission, the Virginia Beach Public Schools, and Echoes & Reflections, a leading profes sional education organization for teachers of Holocaust in the country.

Open to all area public and pri vate school educators and held at Old Donation School in Virginia Beach, the conference ener gized attendees, both in-person and online, with updates from the trainers.fromtop-notchfourEducationDepartmentVirginiaofandwithsessionsofpedagogyworld-class

sheMiddlefromKaitlinthistoareCommission,the&resourcesappreciatedattendeesEducatorsaytheytheofEchoesReflectionsandHolocaustandlookingforwardutilizingthemschoolyear.HaddockLynnhavenSchoolsayslearned“howto

teach in a way that sparks conversation.” Courtney Bennis from Cox High School says she couldn’t wait to use the media literacy lesson with connections to today in the classroom.

Several attendees have signed up for a What We Carry presentation, so the

school year is starting off well for the Commission.

Photography by Mark Robbins.

Wendy Juren Auerbach, Keynote Speaker Christonya Brown, Ina Leiderman, Elena Barr Baum, and Gail Flax.

Jesse Tanetta leads an antisemitism session. A WRAP