Jewish News - August 23, 2021

INSIDE jewishnewsva.org

Southeastern Virginia | Vol. 59 No. 20 | 15 Elul 5781 | August 23, 2021

Super Sunday 2022 Sunday, September 12 10 am - 1 pm —page 6

34 Strelitz International Academy earns IB World School Authorization

40 Sababa Social Club With Singer Lewis McGehee Wednesday, August 25

40 Lorraine Fink Retrospective On view through Sept. 30 Reception: Sunday, Sept. 12

5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462-4370 Address Service Requested

Non-Profit Org. US POSTAGE PAID Suburban MD Permit 6543

h a n a L’Sh ah Tov 2

578

40 SIA’s Bob Josephberg Classic Tuesday, September 14

Supplement to Jewish News August 23, 2021 jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | Rosh Hashanah | Jewish News | 19

Sentara Is One of the Nation’s Top 15 Health Systems Why Is This Important?

Out of 324 health systems, Sentara is among the top 15 highest-performing health systems in the nation – the only recognized large health system on the East Coast. When compared to non-winning peers, Sentara significantly outperforms them in a number of ways: • Fewer Complications and Infections

• Shorter Emergency Department Wait Times

• Fewer In-Hospital Deaths

• Higher Patient Satisfaction

• Shorter Length of Stay

• Lower Cost

Learn more at sentara.com/Top15 Sentara.com/Top15 2 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

UPFRONT

JEWISH NEWS jewishnewsva.org

Looking forward to 5782

W

ho would have thought 18 months ago, that we would still be speaking about COVID-19 as we approach another Jewish New Year? With our nation and world, we continue to combat the virus. But now we fight in a stronger position—with vaccinations—as we pivot daily and return as much normalcy as possible to our lives.

Together, we have accomplished a tremendous amount since the pandemic began. As I reflect on this time, and look toward a new year, I would like to share a portion of my remarks from the Federation’s Biennial Meeting in June. It was wonderful to see so many community members together outside on the Sandler Family Campus. I hope 5782 will bring more of us together.

Many of us have spoken about our community’s resilience over the past 15 months.

Yes, we have been resilient, but we have also lost many leaders, loved ones, friends, and neighbors. They will always be with us.

At our Biennial Meeting 2 years ago, I spoke about our community’s strength. Who could have predicted that we could become even stronger? When our lives changed… our 2020 annual community campaign was 95% complete. We began reviewing requests for allocations from the 2020 campaign to meet the increasing needs locally, as well as the emerging global needs of vulnerable Jews and communities. In a global pandemic, we raised and allocated $4.7 million to meet these needs. Our 2021 annual campaign has again raised $4.7 million to meet local and

global needs.

Concurrently, 15 months ago we quickly established the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, in partnership with Tidewater Jewish Foundation. With a match opportunity from Jewish Federations of North America, the fund raised and distributed $330,000 for emergency needs due to COVID in Tidewater.

Thanks to so many of you for supporting our community—as a campaign donor, a patron of the arts, a corporate sponsor, a legacy donor, all of the above, or in other ways.

Throughout the pandemic, we continued to build community. Our Konikoff Center of Learning, our community hub for Jewish education and engagement, has and continues to broaden learning opportunities for all ages. We are also expanding our young family engagement opportunities. Our first “Sunday Funday” was held at the JCC pool with over 200 in attendance! This is an example of what happens when a community leader, in this case, Shikma Rubin, has an idea, rolls up her sleeves alongside staff, engages an array of others and works to lift the “J” in “JCC”!

Building on that excitement, Camp JCC is shaping up to be one of the best summers at the JCC in quite a while. While we never left, the JCC is back in business.

Pre-pandemic, our community under the leadership of Kevin Lefcoe and Sarah Lipman, embarked on building a new Mikvah and updating our existing one. The Mikvah belongs to our entire community and the addition of the new structure will ensure that our community will be served for many decades.

Finally, the strength of our community can be seen in our steadfast commitment to the

State of Israel. With news of rockets attacking Israel and antisemitism on the rise, our Jewish Community Relations Council provided information and resources to the community. The JCRC continued to reach out to our elected officials to thank those who stood for Israel during the conflict, and urge those who didn’t to speak up in support of our ally in the Middle East and against Hamas. JCRC also continues to work with our partner Secure Community Network, synagogues, and law enforcement partners to ensure all are informed of issues and concerns.

The work of our Holocaust Commission is also more important than ever as it educates in a variety of ways on the magnitude and lessons of the Holocaust.

We must continue to have conversations on why we must all stand together, including with other faith and ethnic friends, to fight misinformation and hate.

So, as the new year 5782 approaches, may we all continue to stand together to continue to strengthen 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 Year’s.

SIA earns IB World School authorization. . . . . . . 34 Camp JCC campers choose mitzvoth projects. . . 35 Shaliah returns to Tidewater for a visit. . . . . . . . . 36 Aime and Byron Harrell: Hineni Fellows who connected. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 OST’s Sisterhood makes and delivers comfort bags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Simon Family JCC Sprint 8 Challenge . . . . . . . . . 39 What’s Happening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Mazel Tov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Who Knew? Mayim Bialik, Jeopardy’s new host . . 43 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

QR code generated on http://qrcode.littleidiot.be

Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462-4370 voice 757-965-6100 • fax 757-965-6102 email news@ujft.org Terri Denison, Editor Germaine Clair, Art Director Lisa Richmon, Staff Writer Sandy Goldberg, Account Executive Ronnie Jacobs Cohen, Account Executive Marilyn Cerase, Subscription Manager Reba Karp, Editor Emeritus United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Laura G. Gross, President Alvin Wall, Treasurer Mona Flax, Secretary Betty Ann Levin, Executive Vice-President jewishVA.org The appearance of advertising in the Jewish News does not constitute a kashrut, political, product or service endorsement.

The articles and letters appearing herein are not necessarily the opinion of this newspaper. ©2021 Jewish News. All rights reserved.

Subscription: $18 per year

JewishNewsVA

For subscription or change of address, call 757-965-6128 or email mcerase@ujft.org.

Upcoming Deadlines for Editorial and Advertising

Betty Ann Levin Executive Vice President/CEO United Jewish Federation of Tidewater/ Simon Family JCC

Sept. 6 Sept. 27 Oct. 11 Oct. 25 Nov. 8 Nov. 29

Yom Kipper Legal Mazel Tov Veterans Hanukkah Yom Kippur

August 20 August 20 Sept. 24 Oct. 8 Oct. 22 Nov. 12

CANDLE LIGHTING

QUOTABLE

CONTENTS Upfront . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Super Sunday 2022. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Jewish organizations in Haiti and Afghanistan . . . 7 JCRC’s 5-year holiday calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 ADL and Hillel combat antisemitism. . . . . . . . . . 11 Strelitz International Academy’s gifts and pledges.12 Record number of aliyahs to Israel. . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Deborah Lipstadt: antisemitism envoy. . . . . . . . . 18 Special Section: L’Shanah Tovah 5782 . . . . . . . . . 19 Be A Reader program enters 22nd year. . . . . . . . . 31 UJFT Women’s Cabinet goes to camp. . . . . . . . . . 32 TJF Community Impact Grant helps Toras Chaim.33

Betty Ann Levin

Published 20 times a year by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

Friday, August 27/19 Elul Light candles at 7:22 pm

“My school system…postponed the first day of school instead of starting on Rosh Hashanah. This is a wonderful learning opportunity for people to understand the importance of the Jewish New Year and what this means to the Jewish people.”

—page 21

Friday, Sept. 3/26 Elul Light candles at 7:12 pm Friday, Sept. 10/4 Tishrei Light candles at 7:02 pm Friday, Sept. 17/11 Tishrei Light candles at 6:51 pm Friday, Sept. 24/18 Tishrei Light candles at 6:40 pm Friday, Oct. 1/25 Tishrei Light candles at 6:30 pm

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 3

BRIEFS FRANCE JOINS US AND OTHERS IN BOYCOTT OF UN ‘DURBAN’ CONFERENCE OVER ANTISEMITISM France has joined a growing list of countries that will boycott a United Nations anti-racism conference next month over concerns that the gathering will promote antisemitism.

The United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia are among the others that have announced a boycott of the Sept. 22 event, according to The Times of Israel.

The conference is being held to mark the 20th anniversary of a 2001 conference on racism in Durban, South Africa. The United States and Israel walked out of that forum due to accusations of racism against Israel. The countries saying they will not attend this year’s conference have cited concerns that it will have an anti-Israel and antisemitic tenor.

France made its announcement on Friday, August 13.

“Concerned by a history of antisemitic remarks made at the U.N. conference on racism, known as the Durban conference, the President of the Republic has decided that France will not participate in the follow-up conference to be held this year,” a statement from the office of President Emmanuel Macron said. (JTA) LA LOSES CENTURY-OLD JEWISH DELI AS GREENBLATT’S SHUTTERS Los Angeles’ Greenblatt’s Deli and Fine Wine Shop shuttered abruptly on Wednesday, August 11, ending nearly a century-long run for a fixture of Jewish food on Sunset Boulevard.

Opened in 1926 and run by a single family since the 1940s, Greenblatt’s described itself as a “wine merchant that fronts as a deli.” Eater reported that the restaurant was struggling amid the pandemic-induced labor shortage and that the owner wanted to close now rather than risk closure during the Jewish holidays.

Some Greenblatt’s fans reportedly rushed to the restaurant to order their final sandwiches after hearing the news, while others posted tributes online. Tobin Mitnick, an actor whose online moniker is “A Jew Who Loves Trees,” posted a line from the play Our Town on his Instagram account. “Do any human beings ever

realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?” he wrote, before supplying his own answer: “Every minute there I did.”

Two other Jewish delis in Los Angeles have closed since the beginning of the year: Label’s Table, a 46-year-old deli in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, and Jerry’s in Marina Del Rey. Meanwhile, the city has also seen several new businesses serving Jewish deli food open recently, mostly in the form of pop-ups that emerged in response to the pandemic’s volatility for restaurants. (JTA)

CITING QUARANTINE RULES, BIRTHRIGHT CANCELS REMAINING SUMMER TRIPS TO ISRAEL Birthright, the program that brings young Jews to Israel for free, is canceling its remaining 42 trips this summer because of new Israeli rules that require Americans arriving in Israel to quarantine for a week.

The tours last just 10 days—although participants may stay longer on their own—and most participants are American.

Participants whose trips are canceled may sign up for new trips, said Haaretz, which first reported the cancellation. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says there is a “very high level” of COVID-19 in Israel, and that even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants.

“We anticipate that the seven-day quarantine rule will be temporary, and we look forward to resuming trips as soon as possible,” the newspaper quoted a Birthright spokesman as saying.

Birthright resumed travel in May following a 14-month hiatus. (JTA) JFNA CANCELS IN-PERSON GENERAL ASSEMBLY CITING COVID The Jewish Federations of North America has canceled the in-person portion of its signature annual event, the General Assembly, citing the coronavirus.

The umbrella group for local federations had planned to combine online and in-person events, but told participants this month that it was canceling the latter for the expected 500 participants.

Events last year were held online only, but Jewish Federations until the recent spike in coronavirus cases had hoped to reemerge into in-person events. Instead,

4 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

the events Oct. 4–5 will take place online.

“The health and safety of our participants is of the utmost importance to us, and we believe canceling the in-person component of the GA is the best and most prudent decision at this time,” said an email sent to participants pledging reimbursements to those who had already paid.

Two years ago, Jewish Federations pivoted from the come-one, come-all model that had characterized the General Assembly for decades, drawing about 3,000 participants, to an invitation-only “lab” template that would focus more intensely on two or three issues.

Other Jewish organizations are proceeding cautiously as well. AIPAC, the pro-Israel powerhouse, canceled its annual policy conference in March and also in March next year. (JTA)

ARIZONA IS THE 8TH STATE TO LAUNCH REVIEW INTO POSSIBLE BEN & JERRY’S SANCTIONS Arizona has become the eighth state to begin reviewing whether Ben & Jerry’s plans to withdraw from doing business in the West Bank merits sanctions under its law targeting the Israel boycott movement.

In emails obtained by the JTA, the state’s treasurer earlier this month asked Unilever, the ice cream manufacturer’s parent company, to comply with its 2016 law. It requires state entities, including pension funds, to divest from companies boycotting Israel or businesses in territories under Israel’s control, explicitly including the West Bank. The treasurer’s office gave Unilever 90 days to do so.

Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s have said they are not observing the movement to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel, or BDS, because they are only seeking to pull out of the West Bank, and plan to continue sales in Israel.

There are 34 states in total that require their governments to stop doing business with companies that boycott Israel— and 21 of those, like Arizona, include West Bank settlement boycotts in their definitions.

So far, eight states are known to have triggered similar reviews that could result in divesting from Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever.

In addition to Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Maryland,

and Rhode Island have launched formal proceedings.

“This is significant because Arizona is a major trade partner with Israel,” IAC For Action, the legislative and policymaking arm of the Israeli-American Council, which initiated the review with a formal request, said in a statement. (JTA)

DAILY BEAST TO REVIEW EDITORIAL STANDARDS AFTER WRITER CALLS ISRAELI ARMY ‘GENOCIDAL’ The Daily Beast has edited an article to remove the word “genocidal” as a description for Israel’s military.

Criticizing the choice of Mayim Bialik as a host of the game show Jeopardy!, the article, published Thursday, August 12, said that in 2014, the Jewish actor had “proclaimed her donation toward bulletproof vests for the genocidal Israeli Defense Forces.”

Accusations that Israel is committing a genocide of the Palestinians spiked during the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, despite the objections of human rights lawyers.

The story drew condemnation from Jews and Jewish organizations on social media, including the American Jewish Committee.

Appearing to respond to the criticism, the article’s author, Tirhakah Love, who recently joined the Daily Beast as an entertainment reporter, tweeted, “the Zionists should really stop emailing me cus girl I do not care.” In a subsequent tweet, Love said Zionism was “an articulation of white supremacy.”

After the word was removed, a subsequent sentence was added about the April 2021 Human Rights Watch report that said some of Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza “amount to the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution.”

“The story has been updated to replace the word genocidal in reference to the IDF,” the Daily Beast said in response to a request for comment from JTA. The website added, “The Daily Beast is developing an editorial standard for future use of the word.”

The Daily Beast did not immediately respond to a follow-up question about Love’s tweets, which are still up as of press time. (JTA)

If You Thirst for a Homeland FLAME-WORKED GLASS BY DAFNA K AFFEMAN

On view August 12–December 12, 2021 VISITING ARTIST SERIES with Dafna Kaffeman FREE PUBLIC DEMOS: Friday–Sunday, November 5–7 LECTURE WITH THE ARTIST: Saturday, November 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Attend the lecture in person or via Zoom.

Learn more at chrysler.org.

The Lecture with the Artist is presented in partnership with the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, & Community Partners’ 11th Annual Israel Today Series.

If You Thirst for a Homeland: Flame-worked glass by Dafna Kaffeman is co-curated by Trudy Wiesenberger of the Cleveland-Israel Arts Connection, a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, and Carolyn Swan Needell, Ph.D., the Chrysler Museum of Art’s Carolyn and Richard Barry Curator of Glass.

Support for the exhibition is provided by the Association of Israel’s Decorative Arts and by Cynthia and Stuart Katz.

FREE ADMIS S ION | CHRYS L ER.ORG Dafna Kaffeman (Israeli, b. 1972), If you thirst for a homeland and seek shelter in its bosom, love it and live in its mountains and valleys, its flora and fauna, 2017, Homeland Plants series, Flame-worked glass and printed text on felt, Photo credit: Eric Tschernow jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 5

Bernard’s Legacy Lives Forever Norfolk architect Bernard Spigel died in 1968 leaving an enduring legacy of homes, schools, theaters and commercial buildings he designed.

SUPER SUNDAY

Super Sunday 2022–Back together!

Sunday, September 12, 10 am–1 pm Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus

Matthew Kramer-Morning

In 1983 Lucy Spigel Herman honored her dad by creating a scholarship for future architects administered by the Hampton Roads Community Foundation.

Dozens of past Spigel Scholars are busy today designing buildings for us to enjoy while the scholarship continues to help future architects pay for their education.

Design your own view of a better future by ordering the free Leave Your Mark guide.

Learn how easy it is to honor a family member or create your own lasting legacy.

Leave You r Mark

E

ach year, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Super Sunday marks the biggest day of impact for Tidewater’s Jewish community. Scores of community members participate by answering the call from dozens of volunteers, thus ensuring that the Federation can effectively meet the needs of the community through the Community Campaign.

This year’s Super Sunday takes place early again—on Sunday, September 12, and is generously sponsored by Tidewater Mortgage Services, Inc. Last year saw a sort of hybrid Super Sunday with volunteers making calls from homes, in groups from synagogues, and from the back lawn of the Sandler Family Campus.

As this article goes to press, Super Sunday is slated to take place in person at the Sandler Family Campus. That being said, things are changing daily, so please keep checking-in to make sure that the event remains, “live and in person.” This year’s volunteers will also have the option to call “Virtual Cards” from home, should they choose.

For those who are interested in

As the world

tries to emerge

from the strange circumstances which

characterized

last year, UJFT

is looking ahead

Explorin g options of your ch for making the most aritable giving

to plan for Jewish

Tidewater’s future.

www.leaveabequest.org (757) 622-7951 6 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

making calls, either at the Sandler Family Campus or from home, please sign up for a volunteer calling shift at JewishVA. org/SuperSunday. For those who can’t volunteer to make calls, it’s still possible to help out by taking the call on September 12.

Another way to help is to make an early commitment to the community by visiting JewishVA.org/ Donate today. To have a gift counted in the Super Sunday total, just write SUPER SUNDAY in the comments section of the donation form.

As the world

tries to emerge from the strange circumstances which characterized last year, UJFT is looking ahead to plan for Jewish Tidewater’s future.

Kicking off the 2022 Community Campaign with Super Sunday, UJFT continues to work to strengthen community and secure a Jewish future, locally and around the world. This year’s theme is “Today, Tomorrow, Together.” Together, we’ve built community. Together we strengthen it. And, together a strong and vibrant Jewish community for our children and grandchildren is ensured.

For more information about Super Sunday or to speak to someone about a 2022 commitment to the Tidewater Jewish Community through the UJFT Community Campaign, contact Matt Kramer-Morning at mkmorning@ujft.org.

Matthew Kramer-Morning is United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Leadership Campaign director.

JewishVA.org/Donate

WORLD

Jewish humanitarian groups step in, or try to, as crises unfold in Haiti and Afghanistan Philissa Cramer

(JTA)— Two major humanitarian crises are eliciting the involvement of Jewish aid organizations, although it is unclear whether much can be done from afar to support Afghans now that the Taliban has retaken their country.

An earthquake struck Haiti early Saturday, August 14, killing nearly 1,300 with the death toll likely to rise.

Meanwhile, a tropical storm is bearing down on the beleaguered country, which is experiencing political instability and still recovering from a devastating 2016 hurricane and a 2010 earthquake in the capital of Port-au-Prince that left more than 220,000 people dead.

Among the many foreign groups directing aid to Haiti is the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which first engaged with the country in the 1930s, when Haiti was one of just a handful of countries to accept Jewish refugees from the Nazis. The JDC worked to support those refugees.

Now, the group is working with a longtime local partner to send medical supplies to a hospital in the region of Haiti most affected by the earthquake.

“We are heartbroken over the tragic loss of life in Haiti and send our prayers to a people and nation in mourning yet again,” JDC CEO Ariel Zwang says. “As we have done so many times in the past, we’ll be there to offer care, healing, and opportunities to empower Haitians to build back better and safer.”

The American Jewish World Service, which has long been involved in helping Haitians advocate for human rights, is also raising funds to support relief aid for Haiti.

But when it comes to Afghanistan, where the Taliban has retaken the country just weeks after the U.S. removed troops that had been there for nearly two decades, humanitarian groups have fewer

“To save one life is to save the world entire.”

— The Talmud

avenues to help. The U.S. and its allies had said they would evacuate people who aided their mission and are likely to face retaliation by the Taliban, but those efforts were proceeding slowly. Now, the speed of the Afghan government’s fall makes their future uncertain.

Unfortunately, the current reality is that options for resettlement are limited to the Special Immigrant Visa program.

We are advocating to change that.

HIAS, originally the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, wrote on Facebook Sunday, August 15 that it would work to help Afghans who make it to the U.S. through a special program designed to protect people who aided the U.S. mission there.

But there is little more to do at this time, it said.

“Our hearts break for the people of Afghanistan right now. Unfortunately, the current reality is that options for resettlement are limited to the Special Immigrant Visa program,” the group wrote. “We are advocating to change that.”

Meanwhile, it is unclear whether the last known Jew in Afghanistan is still in the country. Zabulon Simantov, 61, stayed in Kabul to tend its last synagogue even after his wife and children moved to Israel; he said earlier this year that, anticipating danger after the U.S. withdrawal, he would move to Israel after the High Holidays next month.

This High Holiday season, as we seek spiritual and physical renewal for ourselves and our loved ones, let us also remember those in Israel who nurture and renew life every day. Whether it’s treating civilians wounded in terror and rocket attacks or vaccinating them against Covid-19, no organization in Israel saves more lives than Magen David Adom.

Magen David Adom is not government-funded. Its 27,000 volunteer EMTs and paramedics and 4,000 full-time professionals rely on support from people like you for the vehicles, supplies, and equipment they need to perform their lifesaving work.

No gift will help Israel more this coming year. Support Magen David Adom by donating today at afmda.org/rosh or call 800.626.0046.

Shanah tovah.

afmda.org

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 7

JEWISH TIDEWATER

JCRC shares holiday calendar with schools, civic organizations Elka Mednick

A

s summer comes to a close and the High Holidays approach, annual concerns regarding conflicts between the academic calendar and the holidays are brought to the forefront.

This year, the usual first day of school for public school students, the day after Labor Day, coincides with the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year— among the most religiously and culturally significant observances of the Jewish year.

Both Virginia Beach and Norfolk public

Are You Certain...

schools will begin classes on Thursday, September 9, 2021. The school systems hope that this change will ease the transition back to school for Jewish families who will no longer have a conflict between the first day of school and the first day of observance of Rosh Hashanah.

The Jewish Community Relations Council annually shares with local school districts, private schools, civic leaders, and business organizations the calendar of Jewish holidays for the next five years. The calendar includes explanations of the most

significant holidays.

The JCRC calendar is available to all at JewishVA.org/JCRCHolidayCalendar.

To learn more about the Jewish Community Relations Council, go to JewishVa.org/JCRC or contact Elka Mednick, assistant director, Jewish Community Relations Council, at emednick@ ujft.org.

Elka Mednick is UJFT’s Jewish Community Relations Council’s assistant director

FIVE-YEAR CALENDAR OF MAJOR JEWISH HOLIDAYS

This calendar has been prepared to assist you in scheduling business, school, or community events. For schools, this includes scheduling with an equity lens regarding major assignments, examinations, assemblies, field trips and graduations, as well as school-related programs for parents. Courts, legislative bodies and administrative agencies may also find the calendar helpful in avoiding scheduling conflicts.

An asterisk (*) denotes the Jewish High Holy Days and major Biblical festivals in observance of which labor is traditionally prohibited. As a result, Jewish individuals may be absent from both work and school.

Please note that Jewish holidays begin at sunset on the evening the day before listed on calendars for the holiday. The Jewish Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday of each week and lasts until nightfall on Saturday.

So as not to penalize students or workers for their religious observance, we ask that scheduling of events, tests, preparation for exams, assignments, assemblies, sports events, etc. on Jewish holidays, the Jewish Sabbath be avoided, or if such dates cannot be avoided, that consideration be given to the affected Jewish persons for reasonable opportunity for makeups.

HOLIDAY Rosh Hashanah* (New Year) Yom Kippur* (Day of Atonement) Sukkot* (Feast of Tabernacles) Shemini Atzeret* (Eighth Day of Sukkot) Simchat Torah* (Rejoicing of the Law) Chanukah (Festival of Lights)

You are on track for the retirement you want?

Your portfolio reflects your risk?

You have the right amount of insurance?

Your Estate Plan reflects your wishes?

Your Estate Plan will cover expenses?

Purim Pesach* (Passover) Concluding Days of Pesach* Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance) Shavuot* (Feast of Harvest)

Contact Old Point Trust to make sure

YOU ARE CERTAIN. OldPointTrust.com 757.599.2200

2021-2022 Sep. 7-8 Tues-Wed Sep. 16 Thurs Sep. 21-22 Tues-Wed Sep. 28 Tues Sep. 29 Wed Nov. 29-Dec. 6 Mon-Mon Mar. 17 Thurs Apr. 16-17 Sat-Sun Apr. 22-23 Fri-Sat

2022-2023 Sep. 26-27 Mon-Tues Oct. 5 Wed Oct. 10-11 Mon-Tues Oct. 17 Mon Oct. 18 Tues Dec. 19-26 Mon-Mon Mar. 7 Tues Apr. 6-7 Thurs-Fri Apr. 12-13 Wed-Thurs

2023-2024 Sep. 16-17 Sat-Sun Sep. 25 Mon Sep. 30-Oct. 1 Sat-Sun Oct. 7 Sat Oct. 8 Sun Dec. 8-15 Fri-Fri Mar. 24 Sun Apr. 23-24 Tues-Wed Apr. 29-30 Mon-Tues

2024-2025 Oct. 3-4 Thurs-Fri Oct 12 Sat Oct. 17-18 Thurs-Fri Oct. 24 Thurs Oct. 25 Fri Dec. 26-Jan. 2 Thurs-Thurs Mar. 14 Fri Apr. 13-14 Sun-Mon Apr. 19-20 Sat-Sun

2025-2026 Sept. 23-24 Tues.-Wed. Oct. 2 Thurs.

Oct. 7-8 Tues.- Wed. Oct. 14 Tues.

Oct. 15 Wed. Dec. 15-22 Mon-Mon. Mar. 3 Tue. Apr. 2-3 Thur. – Fri. Apr. 8 – 9 Wed. – Thurs.

Apr. 28 Thurs

Apr. 18 Tues

May 6 Mon

Apr. 24 Thurs

Apr. 14 Tues.

Jun. 5-6 Sun-Mon

May 26-27 Fri-Sat

Jun. 12-13 Wed-Thurs

Jun. 2-3 Mon-Tues

May 22-23 Fri. – Sat.

Visit us on the web jewishnewsva.org 8 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 9

VIRGINIA

GOP candidate for Virginia House likens being a conservative teacher to being Jewish among Nazis Ron Kampeas

(JTA)—A history teacher running for the Virginia House of Delegates said that being a conservative teacher in Virginia today is akin to being Jewish in Germany during the 1930s.

“To come out and say that you’re a teacher on the right is almost as dangerous as saying, as almost saying, going through Germany in the 1930s and saying ‘I’m Jewish.’ It’s gotten that bad,” Julie Perry said in an online event last month entitled “Educators for Youngkin Coalition.”

Glenn Youngkin is the Republican nominee for governor.

“Think about what’s happened with Tanner Cross,” Perry said. Tanner Cross is a Loudon County teacher the school system suspended for saying in a public

forum that he would address transgender students by their birth gender pronouns.

A court issued an injunction against the suspension and Cross is suing the school system.

A number of Republicans over the last year, including the prominent House Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, have likened coronavirus restrictions and safety measures to the Nazi treatment of Jews, drawing rebukes from Jewish groups who say it cheapens the horrors inflicted on Jews at that time.

Jews targeted by Nazis in the 1930s— the period leading up to the Holocaust which historians generally say started in 1941—were stripped of their property and livelihoods, beaten, deported, and frequently murdered.

The Democratic Party of Virginia

Check out the latest styles…

Cool Shades for Fall!

condemned Perry’s statement and called on Youngkin to denounce Perry.

“Glenn Youngkin and the Virginia House Republican Caucus must condemn these remarks and end their support of Perry’s campaign,” the party said in a statement. “Otherwise, Virginians will have no choice but to interpret their silence as an endorsement of her antisemitism.”

Perry forcefully endorsed Youngkin during the session and Youngkin’s political action committee has given the largest donation, $3,000, to Perry’s campaign to win the 86th District, straddling Loudon and Fairfax counties. The seat is currently held by a Democrat.

Perry in a statement regretted how she phrased her observation, but said that it emerged from having been bullied.

“It was never my intention to be disrespectful,” she told Virginia Scope, a political newsletter. “I wish I could go back and express what I said differently, to more accurately convey the fear and intimidation I and many of my fellow teachers have felt in the face of the political activists calling us racists and saying they wish we were dead. Even though one of my grandparents was Jewish, I was called a Nazi just because I don’t agree with the far-left agenda invading our schools.”

Youngkin’s campaign said Perry was right to express regret, but also agreed with her broader point. “Julie has said she wishes she had expressed her point differently and we agree,” a spokesperson for Youngkin told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “She’s absolutely right that teachers who don’t support the radical left-wing political agenda that McAuliffe is forcing

into classrooms have been targeted, bullied and intimidated. Just recently we saw a Fairfax school official say people like Julie should ‘die’ and the leader of the local Democrat Party actually applauded that.”

Michelle Leete, an official with the Virginia and Fairfax County PTAs, lost both jobs earlier this month when she said at a rally “Let them die.” Conservatives said she was referring to parents who opposed critical race theory, but Leete told The Washington Post she was referring to the ideas they espoused. Fox News reported that the chairman of Fairfax County Democrats, Bryan Graham, appears to be applauding when Leete makes the offending comment.

Virginia has over the last decade transitioned from a Republican to a Democratic-leaning state. Perry and other educators during the session decried what they said were lowered standards, caused they said in part by mandates to emphasize equity in teaching.

Perry, who teaches world history, said she was affronted by changes to curriculum on the Roman era and the colonial era in the Americas.

“They want us to teach how they were certain groups of people oppressed in Rome and it’s so sad because Rome had so many accomplishments,” she said. “To see that taken away, is you’re taking away history.”

Perry also complained that she was forced to teach that the British “abused” Pocahontas, the Powhatan princess who was held captive for ransom by American colonists. She converted to Christianity while in captivity and married a colonist, John Rolfe.

Jewish News Digital Version See the paper 3 days before the cover date: JewishNewsVa.org/digital.

To have the paper emailed, send your email address to news@ujft.org.

10 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

ANTISEMITISM The Anti-Defamation League and Hillel are now working together to document antisemitism on campus Ben Sales

(JTA)—Over the last year, Jewish college students took it upon themselves to combat antisemitism at their schools.

Now, two major Jewish organizations are working together to play a stronger role in fighting antisemitism on campus.

Some of the student activists documented incidences of antisemitism at colleges nationwide, often submitted anonymously, while others have taken a confrontational tone on social media.

With some portraying themselves as the ideological successors to early Zionist activists, the students often argue that anti-Zionism and antisemitism overlap.

In a new partnership, Hillel International and the Anti-Defamation League are aiming to take a more traditional approach to the same issues—one that they say will not always treat anti-Israel activity as antisemitism.

Hillel and the ADL will together create a college-level curriculum on antisemitism and jointly document antisemitic incidents on campuses in the United States. But not every student government resolution endorsing the movement to Boycott, Divest from and Sanction Israel, known as BDS, will wind up in the groups’ database.

“Anti-Israel activism in and of itself is not antisemitism,” an ADL spokesperson says. “Situations vary widely with BDS, we will carefully evaluate each one and make a determination based on our criteria for antisemitism.”

For example, the ADL says, a BDS resolution alone would not count as antisemitism, “but if a student was excluded from the debate because he or she was Jewish, then it might be counted.”

The Hillel-ADL partnership, which will begin in the coming academic year, follows a spike in reported antisemitic incidents on campus. In the school year that ended in 2021, the ADL tallied 244 antisemitic incidents on campuses nationwide, an increase from 181 the

previous school year. Hillel has a presence on more than 550 campuses and says it serves more than 400,000 students.

Accusations of antisemitism on campus have received significant attention from large Jewish organizations for years. Some Jewish leaders have long said anti-Zionist activity on campus constitutes antisemitism, especially as a string of student governments endorsed BDS. Hillel International prohibits partnerships with, and the hosting of, campus groups that support BDS. Anti-Zionist groups have at times targeted Hillel; earlier this month, Students for Justice in Palestine at Rutgers University criticized the school’s Hillel in a statement endorsed by other campus groups.

In addition, the ADL has documented white supremacist propaganda campaigns on campuses nationwide.

Multiple national groups have filed complaints with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights based on campus antisemitism allegations. In 2019, President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating “robust” enforcement of civil rights protections for Jews on campus and including some anti-Israel activity in the definition of antisemitism. Pro-Palestinian activists said the order would have a chilling effect on free speech on campus.

The ADL and Hillel International plan to develop a curriculum about the history of antisemitism and how it manifests currently. They will also survey schools nationwide to provide a better picture of the state of antisemitism on campus, and will create a dedicated system to tally incidents of antisemitism at colleges and universities, including a portal for students to report incidents confidentially.

The ADL does not detail how it would verify whether confidentially submitted incidents actually occurred, beyond telling JTA they would be judged by the methodology the group uses in its annual audit of antisemitic incidents. The methodology states that “ADL carefully

LIVE your life.

LetUS fight your cancer.

Proton Therapy...No Hospital Stays!

Non-invasive Precisely targets tumor Healthy tissue spared Reduced side effects

Hamptonproton.org | (757) 251-6800 Having been used to treat cancer since 1990, proton therapy is part of the standard of care for many cancer types, is FDA-approved and covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most insurance providers. No case is typical and results may vary.

examines the credibility of all incidents, including obtaining independent verification when possible.”

In recent months, the student activists have formed their own organizations to further their online activism, called the New Zionist Congress and Jewish on Campus. The New Zionist Congress hosts an online book club and discussions about Zionism, while Jewish on Campus records stories of college antisemitism on its Instagram account, which has posted more than 400 times and has 32,000 followers.

The ADL said its partnership with Hillel would “complement” student activism and that the group “will firmly support well-meaning student-led efforts to push back against antisemitism on campus.”

The effort with Hillel is also the third partnership with an external organization that ADL has announced this month.

It recently launched a partnership to combat antisemitism with the Union for Reform Judaism and an initiative with PayPal to research how extremists use online financial platforms.

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 11

Gifts and Pledges for the 2020–2021 school year Prophet $50,000+ Anonymous United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

Righteous $20,000–$49,999 Dozoretz Family Fund Cindy & Ronald Kramer Celia K. Krichman* Charitable Trust Laura & Jerrold Miller Renee & John Strelitz Tidewater Jewish Foundation

Leader $10,000–$19,999 Susan & Jon Becker Ann & Robert Copeland Givens Group, Inc— Janice & Edward Reed Daniel Gordon Mark Gordon Gabrielle Schwartz & Richard Rosenblum Simon Family Foundation

Chairman $5,000–$9,999 Randi & Steven Gordon Jones Lang LaSalle Americas Jennifer Josephberg Sheila & Robert Josephberg Arnold Leon Steven B. Sandler Deb & Peter Segaloff Linda & Ron Spindel Southern Bank

Model $2,500–$4,999 Rashi & Levi Brashevitzky Leanelle Goldstein & Denny Jenkins Libbie Kaplan Jodi & Jay Klebanoff Krug Foundation Sarah Laibstain & Matthew Tice Sandra & Miles Leon Paola & Noah Matilsky Alan Nordlinger

S. L. Nusbaum Realty Company Wall, Einhorn & Chernitzer, P.C.

Teacher $1,000–$2,499 Xunyun Zhang & Chris Arney Babbi & Brad Bangel Ilana & Nathan Benson Beth Berman & Daniel Griff Brith Sholom Center of Virginia, Inc. Pam Brossman Davenport/Lefcoe Amy & Andy Gladstein Richard and Martha Glasser Family Foundation “Do the right thing, the right way for the right reason” Wendy Goldberg Harbor Group International, LLC Hercules Fence Marcia Hofheimer Brenda & Abbey Horwitz Lester Horwitz Beth & Nathan Jaffe KPMG LLP David Leon Heather & Douglas Moore National Disaster Solutions, LLC Janice & Edward Reed Patti & Paul Seeman Sallie & Alan Shapiro Lawrence Steingold Ruth & Ludwig Sternlicht Virginia Wealth Management Group, Inc. Doris Waranch Herbert L. Weinberg* Endowment Fund

Friend $500–$999 Rachel & Marc Abrams Jennifer Rush & Jason Alper Altmeyer Funeral Home Anonymous (2) Karen Smith & Avraham Ashkenazi

12 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

Carolyn & Herbert* Bangel Roslyn & Michael Barney Helen Jayne & Melvin Barr* Philanthropic Fund— Patsy & Burt Barr Bay Disposal, Inc. Nathan Berger Marcia & Amos Berkovich Beth Sholom Home of Eastern Virginia Elyse & David Cardon Melanie & Barry Cohen Melanie Brown & Steven Dodge Leora & Nathan Drory Envolve Client Services Group, LLC Equity Title Company, LLC Eric Joffe Construction Everclear Eyes, P.C. Faggert & Frieden, P.C. Alan & Esther Fleder* Foundation Kristy & Adam Foleck Claire & Marvin Friedberg Beverly & Alan Frieden Frieden Wealth Management Group Nikki & Aaron Glassman Carly & Chen Glikman Barbara Gordon Carol & Ralph Greenhut Caryn & Marty Hollander Jewish Family Service of Tidewater Joan & Eric Joffe Jormandy, LLC Kathy & Jerry Kantor David Konikoff David & Adel Kruger* Restricted Fund Carol & Robert Laibstain Karen & Rick Lombart Joan K. London Merna & Michael Matilsky Stephanie & Paul Peck Kathy Hyman Rosenbach Tutorial assistance Fund­— Lisa & Murray Rosenbach

Ruth’s Chris Steak House Nancy & Marc Samuels Amelia & Ivan Schiff Rand E. Shapiro Pam & Larry Sifen Shelly & Britt Simon Stein Investment Company, LLC—Mr. Jeff Stein Leslie & Eric Unger

Student $100 - $499 Chen Segal-Alofer & Sam Alofer Jasmine Amitay Atlantic Union Bank Jamie & Peter Baker Lindsay & Ross Bangel Beach Eye Care Heddy & Mike Belman Faith & David Belote Lisa Ehrich & Robert Bernstein April & Jeffrey Blair Ramona & Lawrence Brenner Susan & Herbert Brewer Eleanor & Leonard Brooke Marilyn & Stuart Buxbaum C & F Mortgage—Erin Balaban—NMLS# 147312 & NMLS# 614727 Lucy & Larry Cardon Leigh & Andrew Casson Janice & Terry Clemmer Heather & Jeffrey Cohen Joshua Cohen Kerri Cohen Colliers International Virginia, LLC Jennifer & Edward Collins Carolyn & Gil Conner Alicia Pahl-Cornelius & Andrew Cornelius John R. Crank Lindsay & Rad Davenport Sharon & Scott Debb Diamonds Direct Gene & Bernard Doherty David D. Douglas

Patricia Cook & Rodney Duckworth Eastern Virginia Orthodontics—Drs. Shivar, Peluso, & Savage Frankie Edmondson— City of Portsmouth Melissa B. Eichelbaum Brad Embree Roberta Fleishman Nataly & Seth Fleishman Janice & Richard Foleck Vanessa & Jim Freihofer Wendi & Gigi Fried Jodie & Jack Frieden Linda Peck & Barry Friedman Ms. Alexandra Kosatkyh & Charles Friedman Alicia & Robert Friedman Ilene Goldstein & Len Futerman Debra & Russ Garver Laura & John Gibson John Gibson III Wendy & Alan Gladstein Glasser & Glasser, PLC Farideh & Norman Goldin Joan & Abe Goldstein Jill & Allen Goldstein Samantha & Erik Gordon Brigitte & Andrew Gottlieb Joyce & Harry Graber Jillian Grant Lynn Springer & Jeffrey Grant Lisa Grant Teresa & David Greer Laura & Fredric Gross Sharon & Michael Grossman H.D. Oliver Funeral Apartments, Inc. Jeri Jo & William Halprin Emily Steinhilber & Dylan Hawkins Mickey & Stuart Held Evelyn Hirsch Gloria Hoffman Denise & Jason Hoffman

Kelli & Mark Hoover Natalia & Nir Horev Susan & Howard Horwitz Joseph Howell & Adam Howell-Smith Diana & Adrian Huns Francine Kohen & Daniel Isaacman Connie Jacobson Norma & Alan Jaffe Irene Janow Carol & Joel Jason Janet M. Jenkins Meagan & Naveed Kalantar Kalfus & Nachman Sylvia Kaplan Betsy & Ed Karotkin Melissa & Aaron Kass Janet & William Kass Deborah Kaufman Kathryn & Ian Kimball Michelle & Jeffrey Kingsland Andy & Esther Kline Brenda & Mark Kozak Nina C. Kruger Rachel & Jeremy Krupnick Howard & Alma Laderberg* Restricted Fund Jody & David Laibstain Carol & Leonard Laibstain Lauren & David Lanier IV Ronni & Mark Lederman Jay Legum Ina & Martin Leiderman Rebecca & Bradley Levitt Julie Watson & Jason Lewis Sharon & Mark Lipton Bruce Longman Shelby & Jacob Lovelace Joan & Joseph Lust Nancy Lowenberg & Richard Marten Christine & Mike Mattingly Cheryl McAuley & Jimmy Cox Mid-Atlantic Dermatology Center, PC—Dr. Michael Gross Amanda & Nathan Moll

Monarch Properties, Inc. Rocio Morales Meryl & Sean Mulligan Diane & Stephen Murdock Mazal Sibony & Eli Nidam Alison & Jason Ohana Lorna & Roy Orleans Partners in Construction, LLC PAYDAY Payroll Services PNC Bank Andie & Earl Pollock Alex Pomerantz Erinn & Felix Portnoy Rachel & Daniel Rabin Rashkind Family Foundation Jean & Michael Reilly Jennifer Sibony & Ram Revivo Audrey & Henry Rhone, Sr. Stephen Ribner Amber Inwood & Michael Richlen Stacey & Louis Richman Susan & Sean Rooney Eilene Rosenblum Marlene & Laurence Rossen Frances Rouzeau Jade & Gregory Rouzeau Miriam Brunn Ruberg & Arthur M. Ruberg Shikma & Daniel Rubin Sara Jo & Joel Rubin S. L. Nusbaum Insurance Agency, Inc. Linda & Stanley Samuels Laurie & Richard Saunders Marge & Stephen Schechner Jean C. Schwartz Sarah & Michael Schwartz Susan & Eric Schwartzman Lena & Carl Scimeca Susan Tapper Segal & Nathan Segal Kathryn McCloskey & Ohad Sheffy Carin & Michael Simon Nancy & Sanford Simon Slone Chiropractic Clinic— Shelley & Lonnie Slone Gayle Smith Dena & Adam Specht Stephanie & Samuel Steerman Jocelyn & Ariel Stein Robin & Burle Stromberg Maureen Sullivan Whitney & Nick Szoke The Spindel Agency

Linda & Clarke Thrasher Tidewater Mortgage Services, Inc.—Jeremy Krupnick— NMLS# 298409 Towne Benefits Pam & Jason Trompeter Carrie & Grant Tyson Christa & Claus Ullstad Lisa & Adam Walker Barbara & Paul Walker Sharon & Mike Wasserberg Kristina Wayne Amy & Eliot Weinstein Harry & Miriam Weisberg* Family Restricted fund Amy & Frank Zelenka Megan & Steve Zuckerman

Volunteer up to $99 Lindsey & Todd Aftel Shayla Allen Allena & Neil Anglen Anonynous (3) Karen & Judd Aronowitz Elizabeth & Chad Atherton B’nai Israel Congregation Katrin & Jens Balsliemke Melani & John Baugh Arielle Spitze & Randy Beasley Jenn & Dave Belman Zohar Ben Moshe Nicole Bernal Marsha & Charles Bernstein Denean & Justin Blanks John Lomogda & Julie Blumenthal Virginia & Charles Booth Michelle & Brooks Bradley Amber & Kyle Brady Linda Bridges Elyssa Brinn Theresa Briscoe Amy & Jeffrey Brooke Kelly & Christopher Brown Erica & Joseph Burrows Meredith & Brian Carnazza Ellyn & Stephen Chapel Heather Claudius Abigail Cochran Ronnie Jacobs Cohen Sean Cohen Melanie Columbus Alice Conner Danyelle Conner Teresa Floyd & Benjamin Cost Julia & Alan Dail

Andrea Kirby & Sheyna Dorfman Aaron Drory Melanie Haga & Ryan Dunlap Karen & Seth Eaton Susan & James Eilberg Catherine Elmore Rachel & Aviv Faraj Leah & Scott Flax Nicole & Lester Gamboa Mairin & Patrick Genova Beverly & Amitai Gershon Ross Glasser Linda & Charles Glickman Dorothy & Charles Goldman Steve & Donna Goliger Myrna Goldman Hillary & Damian Gordon Kelley & Doug Graves Susan Graves Constance Greer David Haas Nachama Haas Melanie Haga Janetta Hamilton Jameisha Harris Samantha & William Harvey Brittany & Blake Heron Dottie Holtz Sharon Hurwitz Susan & Ivor Kaplan Trisha Kaprielian Ellen & Larry Katz Alene Jo & Ronald Kaufman Ekaterina & Michael Kerzner Nina & David Kohn Mila & Michael Komarovsky Terri & Robert Kraly Nicole & Matthew Kramer-Morning Deborah Kurtz Jacquie Lam Desyre Lawrence Adam Leiderman Fran & Gilbert Lipset Sara & Gershon Litt Alexandra Little Debra & Adam Lutsky Nikolina & Martin Malone Linda & Wes Mandler Rychel & Aaron Margolin Vivian & Burke Margulies Meghan & Michael Margulies Myron Marlin Alexandra Marlins Brooke Ferretti & Nicholas Martin

Diana Matchett Natan Meir Cookie & Richard Miles Jennifer Miller Marlene Miller Phyllis Minsberg Crystal Ton-Mitzner & George Mitzner Rose Marie Moya Deborah Moye Rachel & Matt Murdock Jonah S. C. Muskat-Brown Michal & Ronnie Newman Jo & Bill Nossen Hedy Osmunson Debra & Marc Page Laura & James Paterson Caitlin & Nathan Pearsall Harriet & Alan Peltz Shany & Yair Pinto Carol & Michael Podsakoff Debra & Steve Poorman, Sr. Ellie Porter Melissa & Daniel Prate Rona & M. David Proser Shayesteh Rahimzadeh Sharon & Ryan Reyes Christina Williams & Henry Rhone Ruth & Jack Richlen Lavette Ricks Jasmine & Jacob Rigsby Tamara & Anthony Rivera Judy & Arthur Robbins Lynnette & Leonard Rodriguez Judith & Reuven Rohn Judit Roth Rebecca & Jeremy Ruberg Ashley Sabin Veronica & Ricarde Samonte Stephanie & Ian Scaliatine Lisa & Joshua Schachner Beth & Robert Shultz III Naomi Limor Sedek Abigail Seeman Orit Amar Seiderman & Guy Seiderman Bobbie Sue & Louis Silverman Rifka Silverman Rebecca & Jason Silverstein Aimee & Jonathan Smith Abigail Snell Edward Soltz Linda & Kenneth Stanley Susan & Paul Steerman Karen Drucker Stern

Sathiya Gopalakrishnan & Vikas Taank Maureen Tamares Kim Tapper Nikki & Tim Thornton Jeremy & Jarek Tobos Anita & Louis Tonelson Utomwen & Jacob Uduaghan Solvej Marie Moesgaard & Steen Ulrich Deborah & Michael Via Maureen Tamares-Meditz Joyce & Lawrence Wacks Jody & Alan Wagner Rachel Wagner Marnie & Todd Waldman Elizabeth Waranch Elizabeth & Neil Waranch Tova & Jay Warren Leora Skolnik & Yonatan Warren Irina & Levi Washburn Benita & Joseph Watts Hillary & David Weller Sylvia Wentworth Diane & Sam Werbel Robyn Wiggins Melissa & Benjamin Wilcoxon Chrystal Willis Irish & Brian Wyatt Is’ya Yusufov Hila & Shachar Zach Brittany & Andrew Zharnest Jennifer Zwirn

ENDOWMENTS Rachel Abrams Unrestricted Fund Bass Family Memorial Restricted Fund Harry & Sylvia Belkov* Memorial Scholarship Fund Leon & Florence Berlin* Memorial Fund William* and Carole Bernstein EZRA Annuity Abraham and Malka Bornstein* Memorial Fund Julian Colby* Memorial Unrestricted Fund Bessie Dozoretz* Scholarship Fund Ronald Dozoretz* Scholarship Fund Rosa K. Frieden* Memorial Unrestricted Fund Tavia and Freda Gordon* Scholarship Fund

HAT Supporting Unrestricted Fund Hebrew Academy Scholarship Fund Zena Herod Endowment Fund The Lester & Barbara* Horwitz Restricted Fund Leola Banks Jaffe* Unrestricted Fund of HAT Carl J & Juliet A. Katz* Unrestricted Fund Barry and Reatha Kantor Scholarship Fund of HAT Alene Jo Kaufman Endowment Fund Klebanoff Family Philanthropic Fund Kramer Family JFN/PEJE Fund Celia Krichman* Unrestricted Fund Selma and Leon Leach* Restricted Scholarship Fund The Lorna Legum Rising Star Award Fund Jeff & Elayne Littman Philanthropic Fund James London* Athletic and Outdoor Program Fund Marguerite Marx* Jewish History Collection Fund Ada R. Michaels* Faculty Development Restricted Fund Reba and Samuel Sandler* Memorial Fund of HAT Lonny & Terri Sarfan Philanthropic Fund Segaloff Family JFN/PEJE Fund Sarah and Samuel Sonnenberg* Memorial Fund Harold and Reva Sprung* Technology Endowment Fund Celia Stern* Fund of HAT Solomon and Sylvia Yavner* Fund Teachers’ Endowment Fund

GIFTS IN KIND Charles Barker Automotive— Nathan Drory Golf Galaxy Golf Headquarters Mr. Shawarma Tidewater Drive Storage Center LLC Towne Insurance— Brad Moses

Todah Rabah! Thank you for investing in the Global leaders of tomorrow! jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 13

ISRAEL

Record-breaking aliyah from North America projected for 2021, with 5,000 expected to make the Israel move Renee Ghert-Zand

L

eah and Yehuda Smolarcik are moving to Israel from Chicago with their four children this summer. The challenges over the past year and a half of COVID convinced them not to put off reaching for their dream any longer.

“My husband and I met in Israel while living there temporarily after college, and we always hoped to return as immigrants,” Leah says. “The pandemic made us realize that there is no sure or stable thing anywhere, so we felt now was the time to make the move.”

The Smolarciks are far from alone in seizing the moment.

Approximately 5,000 people are expected to immigrate to Israel from North America in 2021, a 42% increase

over the annual average, according to Nefesh B’Nefesh, which coordinates North American immigration to Israel, known as aliyah.

Such numbers would mark a historic high for aliyah from North America.

More than 2,000 olim—1,000 in August alone—are expected to arrive in Israel this summer on 40 group flights organized by Nefesh B’Nefesh, which facilitates and assists with immigration from North America in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and JNF-USA. Since the beginning of the global pandemic in March 2020, more than 18,000 aliyah applications have been opened and some 16,000 unique households have attended online informational events run

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

Ron Spindel

rspindel@spindelagency.com

a member of The Frieden Agency

Jody Balaban

jbalaban@spindelagency.com

Chris Lyon

christopherlyon@friedenagency.com

I N S U R A NC E . E M P LOY E E BEN EF I T S.

757-340-5600

277 Bendix Road, Suite 500 • Virginia Beach www.spindelagency.com LIFE INSURANCE • LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE • GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE • MEDICARE 14 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

by Nefesh B’Nefesh.

The major increase in aliyah is due to a number of factors. Young people, families, and even retirees are reordering their life priorities amid the experience of the pandemic. Israel’s relatively successful management of the pandemic has cast a more positive light on life in the country.

Not only was Israel a global leader in vaccine rollout and endured a much lower fatality rate than the United States—both per capita and per COVID-19 infection— but the country’s socialized health care system proved invaluable during the pandemic.

The normalization of remote work has opened new opportunities for people who want to move and keep their jobs. Some university students are also moving to Israel now with plans to complete their degrees through distance learning online.

“Young people see Israel as a skillsbased society and are choosing to launch themselves here instead of staying in North America and following more conventional career tracks,” says Marc Rosenberg, vice president for Diaspora partnerships at Nefesh B’Nefesh.

Internet entrepreneur Eli Cohen, 27, says he saw no reason to stay any longer in Los Angeles after deciding following a 2019 Birthright Israel trip that he wanted to make Israel his home. Having joined a July aliyah flight, he plans on living in the Tel Aviv area, where there is a lively singles social scene.

Cohen’s ability to work anywhere with a laptop and smartphone made the move possible.

“I can work from anywhere in the world with an internet connection,” Cohen says. “And I do business with multiple Israeli companies, so it makes sense to be in an area where there’s a lot of connections to be made.”

Leah Smolarcik, 39, is also taking advantage of the opportunity to make a U.S.-level salary while working remotely from Israel. A medical biller and office administrator at a mental health center, she approached her boss about working

from Israel and he assented.

Her husband, a clinical psychologist focused mainly on social-emotional testing for children, as well as geriatric testing, will search for a job after getting settled. Smolarcik says he is open to employment in different fields, too.

“Even just two years ago, 90% of olim started their job search after arriving here,” Rosenberg says. “Now only about 60% do so because of the increase in opportunities to keep their existing jobs and work remotely.”

Aliyah numbers are up as well because a greater number of families with older children are moving, according to Rosenberg. Before the pandemic, the vast majority of the families immigrating were young couples with no children or young children. Since the pandemic, there are more parents with established careers coming with their children in upper elementary grades and high school.

The Smolarciks’ oldest son is 16 and heading into 11th grade. The family will live in a Jerusalem suburb and he will attend YTA, a yeshiva high school for English speakers in the capital city.

“We didn’t want to wait until any of our kids were old enough to opt out of coming with us to Israel,” Leah Smolarcik says.

Another change since the pandemic is increased interest in immigration among retirees whose children still live in North America rather than almost exclusively among retirees following their adult children to Israel.

Naomi, 67, a retired nurse who for privacy reasons asked that her last name be withheld, will make aliyah this summer from Woodmere, New York, along with her husband. They plan to buy an apartment in either the coastal city of Netanya or Jerusalem.

After several years of regularly spending about two months per year in Israel, Naomi says she and her husband are ready to make it their primary home. With the option of spending part of the year back in New York with their three children and

Local Relationships Matter

ISRAEL eight grandchildren, they don’t see any reason not to make their long-held aliyah dream come true.

Naomi says she looks forward to her American grandchildren coming to study in Israel after high school and being able to spend time with them.

Chaim Reiss, 73, also takes comfort in knowing that his grandchildren will come and study in Israel after he and his wife, Phyllis, make aliyah in August from Boca Raton, Florida. The couple lived for many years in Far Rockaway, New York, before retiring from their jobs in business and accounting for major Jewish organizations and moving to the Sunshine State a year ago.

By keeping their apartment in Florida, Reiss and his wife plan to maintain a foothold in North America, where their five children, many grandchildren and one great-grandchild live.

“The family used to come to us for holidays in the U.S., and we hope they can come be with us in Israel,” Reiss says. “In addition, we hope to see them when we

use our Florida home during the winter months.”

For decades, Reiss made two trips to Israel per year as part of his work. But making aliyah was never something he and his wife felt they could do because of career and financial reasons.

Now they are ready to make their principal home the Jerusalem apartment they purchased four years ago in anticipation of their eventual aliyah.

“As a Jew, I have always believed that my place is in Israel. Now is the time to act on that belief,” Reiss says. “I have no more excuses.”

This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with Nefesh B’Nefesh, which in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah, The Jewish Agency, KKL and JNF-USA is minimizing the professional, logistical, and social obstacles of aliyah, and has brought more than 65,000 olim from North America and the United Kingdom for nearly two decades. This article was produced by JTA’s native content team.

Natan Sharansky offered advice to cope with COVID lockdowns.

Now he’s recovering from the virus.

Ben Sales

(JTA)—When the world shut down last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Natan Sharansky figured his experience as a Soviet political prisoner meant he had a thing or two to teach the millions of people who were suddenly confined to their homes.

So he recorded a video providing his advice that went viral among the many Jews around the world who have long seen him as a sage figure.

Nearly a year and a half later, Sharansky, 73, announced on Facebook that he and his wife, Avital, had contracted the disease. The Israeli couple had both been vaccinated months ago, and are both recovering.

“Avital and I are currently recovering from Covid 19,” he posted on August 3.

“We are deeply grateful to all the wonderful people who helped and supported us, worried about us and sent us their good wishes, and we are happy to report that we are slowly growing stronger and hope to go on improving.”

Sharansky, 73, was a leading spokesperson for Soviet Jews who wished to emigrate and became the face of the global movement to free Soviet Jewry. Beginning in 1977, he was arrested and imprisoned for nine years in the Soviet Union’s Gulag system because of his activism. He spent half of that time in solitary confinement, and more than a year in what he called the “punishment cell,” where he was often deprived of basic human necessities.

Sharansky moved to Israel when he was freed in 1986. Most recently, he served as chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel.

When the pandemic began, Sharansky

MEET:

Martin A. Einhorn, CPA/ABV, CVA

“I feel blessed to live and work in this community. Working with other local businesses provides benefits within the community. It is critically important to support those less fortunate and support economic development to make our area the best it can be. My parents are very active in the community and raised me to feel that commitment.”

“

“Our experience [with Payday] has been very positive. Payday is the only outsourced payroll company we have used. We believe doing payroll is something that really needs an expert and the Payday Payroll team are the experts.

Whenever there is anything we need done they find a solution.”

“

Our client relationships are anything but transactional.

We are long-term partners, dedicated to the success of our clients, and most importantly, their people.

757-523-0605 paydaypayroll.com

PD-ad-three-eighths-V-color-Jewish News-111320.indd 7

recorded a video providing his five “tips for quarantine” based on his experience.

He told viewers to recognize that they were part of something larger than themselves, weren’t in this struggle alone, and shouldn’t keep expecting the lockdown to end shortly. He urged them to take up a hobby (he famously played chess games in his head in prison) and maintain their sense of humor.

“Remember that you are not alone,” he said in the video, which was posted on March 23, 2020. “We Jews, for thousands of years, all over the world, were scattered.

Payroll Benefits HR

11/13/20 2:56 PM

But we always had this feeling that we are part of a big people, a great people, with our mutual past, with our mutual future, and our mutual mission.”

In his Facebook post announcing his illness, he took a similarly resilient tone, urging his fellow Israelis to get the booster shots that the government has recently made available amid the delta variant surge and mounting evidence that the effectiveness may wane over time.

“Please strengthen your body with a third shot, and may we beat this plague together,” he wrote.

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 15

NATION Wishes you and your family a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

Does the new US foreign spending bill condition aid to Israel?

J Street says yes, AIPAC says no.

Ron Kampeas

Cohen Investment Group is a relationship-driven, trusted multifamily and commercial real estate sponsor. We are committed to our clients’ success while delivering attractive institutional real estate investment opportunities to high net worth accredited investors, family offices, and institutional partners with professional acumen and a focus on diligent reporting, transparency, accountability, and integrity.

For more information, please contact us:

Cohen Investment Group 150 Boush Street, Suite 300 Norfolk, VA 23510 (757) 490-1193 www.coheninvestmentgrp.com

WASHINGTON (JTA)—To be, or not to be—that is the question when it comes to conditioned aid to Israel.

The annual bill that determines what funds the United States will disburse overseas passed earlier this month, and it has new language of interest to those following Israel discourse.

Here’s a breakdown of the Israelrelated content in the Department of State’s Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act for 2022, and why it matters.

The defense assistance for Israel Israel gets $3.3 billion a year in defense assistance, in addition to $500 million

SAVE THE DATE! THE JANET GORDON ANNUAL MAH JONGG DAY & LUNCHEON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2021 at the Sandler Family Campus

Beth Sholom Village’s annual Mah Jongg fundraiser is back, where 100% of proceeds support our residents!

For more information, contact Tanya Glenn-McMurray: tglenn-mcmurray@bethsholomvillage.com | 757.961.3024

REGISTER TODAY!

www.bethsholomvillage.com/donate

16 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

2021

Year of the Ox

in anti-missile cooperation which is approved in separate defense appropriations. It passed Wednesday along party lines: Most Democrats voted in favor, all Republicans voted against because of their broader opposition to the Democratic foreign policy priorities. The $3.8 billion for Israel is part of an agreement brokered by the Obama administration in 2016 to fund Israel’s defense by $38 billion over ten years, which has broad bipartisan support.

Both the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the flag-bearer for the traditional pro-Israel community, and J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group which advocates for pressure on Israel, list the $3.3 billion as a success.

NATION New language, two very different takes For the first time, the foreign operations spending bill requires generally (without specifying Israel) that the secretary of state must report to Congress that assistance to other counties is spent “consistent with United States national security policy.”

“The Secretary of State shall promptly inform the appropriate congressional committees of any instance in which the Secretary of State has credible information that such assistance was used in a manner contrary to such agreement,” the bill reads.

AIPAC and J Street had opposite takes on the small addition and made them known in news releases. The former argues that in light of the growing trend among progressives to push for conditioning aid to Israel, the bill’s robust funding and language is a significant rebuke of that.

“This critical funding, with no added political conditions, reflects the strong bipartisan support for Israel’s security in Congress and the Biden Administration,” the AIPAC release reads.

J Street says the language is a new stipulation, ever so slightly turning up the heat on Israel to not use money that would inhibit the outcome of a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution.

“Full funding of the $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Israel pledged in the U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on security assistance, with new provisions in the bill and its accompanying report that are an important first step toward ensuring that equipment purchased with FMF is used in a manner consistent with US law and national security policies, including specifying that items supplied pursuant to the MOU may not be used in any way that undermines the prospects of a negotiated two-state solution,” the J Street release reads.

During Israel’s conflict with Gaza in May, an unprecedented number of Democrats sought to shut down some military assistance to Israel. But most of the overall Democratic caucus was opposed, as were all Republicans, so the initiative went nowhere—but threatening a withdrawal of assistance as penance

for its wartime actions is now part of the conversation.

The new oversight provision in the bill is actually embedded elsewhere in U.S. law—Congress repeats itself, a lot—and the existing oversight has never triggered any questions about defense assistance to Israel.

Assistance to the Palestinians The bill also notably includes $225 million in assistance to the Palestinians and renewed funding for UNRWA, the U.N. agency which administers assistance to the Palestinian refugees and their descendants. Former President Donald Trump had ended all aid to the Palestinians and to UNRWA, and President Joe Biden had pledged to renew the funding.

J Street praised the renewal, while AIPAC did not list the funding for Palestinians at all in their release. The powerhouse lobby has always favored restrictions on such funding, to keep the money from going to Hamas and to condition direct funding to the Palestinian Authority on ending payments to terrorists convicted of killing Israelis and Americans. But it does not oppose the funding on principal, as many Republicans do. The Biden administration has pledged to observe existing laws restricting the funding and to abide by protocols that ensure the money goes straight to Palestinian NGOs. Republicans and some pro-Israel groups say UNRWA by preserving refugee status for millions of Palestinians perpetuates the conflict, and they want the agency dismantled.

Both AIPAC and J Street’s releases agreed on one thing: They both praised $50 million in the bill dedicated to building people-to-people dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, part of the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act. The act is named for the veteran New York Jewish Democrat who retired last year and who was the previous chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee. The Trump administration had killed people-to-people dialogue funding, but Lowey had a longstanding relationship with AIPAC and made clear to the lobby that she wanted it restarted.

L’Shana Tovah from Davenport & Company LLC

Calliott, Demeter & Harrell

Investment & Wealth Advisors

Mercadante Riggan Wealth Management

Ted Kaufman & Tina Cordrey

(877) 498-4008 | www.investdavenport.com Pinehurst Centre, 477 Viking Drive, Suite 200 Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Securities and Advisory Services offered through Davenport & Company LLC Member: NYSE | FINRA | SIPC

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 17

NATIONAL

Deborah Lipstadt, noted Holocaust historian, is Biden’s pick for antisemitism envoy Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON ( JTA)—President Joe Biden is set to nominate Deborah Lipstadt, the Emory University Holocaust historian, to be the State Department’s antisemitism envoy.

Lipstadt is perhaps best known for defeating Holocaust denier David Irving after he sued her in a British court for defamation for calling him a Holocaust denier. Her 2005 book, History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier, was made into a 2016 movie with Rachel Weisz starring as Lipstadt.

Lipstadt, 74, has been for years a go-to expert for the media and for legislators on Holocaust issues, particularly on how

the genocide’s meaning should be understood in the 21st century, and whether it had any cognates among anti-democratic forces in the current day. She twice endorsed Barack Obama for president but has been on call for her expertise across the political spectrum.

Last year, during the election, she broke a longstanding taboo on comparing present-day American politicians to the Nazis and endorsed an ad by the Jewish Democratic Council of America likening the Trump administration to 1930s Germany. Lipstadt said Holocaust analogies were still off-limits, but she could see parallels to the rise of the Nazis.

“I would say in the attacks we’re seeing on the press, the courts, academic

18 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

institutions, elected officials and even, and most chillingly, the electoral process, that this deserves comparison,” she said at the time, referring to the JDCA ad. “It’s again showing how the public’s hatred can be whipped up against Jews. Had the ad contained imagery of the Shoah, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Jewish organizations, alarmed by a spike in antisemitism, have been pressing the Biden administration to name an envoy and to name a Jewish liaison to the community—another post that White House officials said would be filled soon. The Trump administration took two years to name an envoy.

Lipstadt will be the first nominee who will need to be confirmed by the Senate

since Congress first created the position in 2004. Congress last year elevated the role to ambassador-level, granting the position more funding and easier access to the secretary of state and the president. If Lipstadt is confirmed, she will be the fifth person in the position.

The antisemitism monitor’s role is tracking and reporting on the phenomenon overseas, and lobbying governments to address anti-Jewish bigotry within their borders. The position does not have a domestic role, although Elan Carr, Trump’s appointee, sometimes criticized domestic actors, including J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group. His attack on J Street drew a rare rebuke from one of his predecessors, Hannah Rosenthal.

h a n a h S ’ L ah ov T

2 8 7 5

Supplement to Jewish News August 23, 2021 jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | Rosh Hashanah | JEWISH NEWS | 19

Fall Into Fall Into Into Fall Into Fall

Rosh Hashanah

Dear Readers,

T

he High Holidays are about to arrive and I’m not certain that most of us are fully prepared to greet them.

R I S T O R A R R III SSS T TO OR R A A R T O R I N S P I R E D BA Y I N S P I R E D N S S P P II R R E E D D II N

B Y B Y Y B

N T E N T N T T E E N I T A LE Y

Uncertainty over COVID-19 lingers and might be even more so than in 2020, since at this time last year, we knew that the majority of congregations would be worshiping

I TA LY II T TA A LL Y Y

virtually and that most family and friends celebrations were not taking place. This year, we’re not so sure.

Resiliency, however, is an integral component of the fabric of the Jewish people, assuring that no matter the circumstances, we’ll each find ways to observe and celebrate the Jewish New Year, 5782…and cherish the opportunity to do so.

Our annual synagogue listing of High Holiday Services, which begins on page 23 is long—indicative of our very active and determined Jewish community.

Jewish News asked Amy Milligan, Ari Zito, Jennifer Groves Rosenbaum, and Debra Yarow—all local educators—their thoughts on starting a new school year just as they begin the Jewish New Year. Lisa Richmon’s article is on page 21 Their responses are all heartfelt and uplifting.

What would a Rosh Hashanah section be without recipes? We suggest a couple of unique dishes to add to your traditional fare. If you try them, please let us know what you and your guests think.

NOW NOW NOW

Open FOR FOR Open FOR Open

Speaking of food, when shopping for your holiday meals or choosing where to dine, consider our advertisers who offer everything you’ll need and some delicious and festive

Indoor & Outdoor Dining Indoor & Outdoor Dining SUN, MON, WED, THU 4–9 | FRI, SAT 4–10 SUN-THU 4-9PM 4-10PM | FRI-SAT PM closed Tuesday 4-9PM FRI-SAT

PM

SUN-THU 4-9PM || FRI-SAT 4-10PM 4-10PM SUN-THU Curbside To-Go FAMILY STYLE MENU OPTIONS Curbside To-Go AVAILABLE Curbside To-Go FAMILY STYLE MENU MENU OPTIONS AVAILABLE Visit AldosVB.com for menus and online ordering, FAMILY STYLE OPTIONS AVAILABLE or call 757-491-1111 to place order.

Visit AldosVB.com AldosVB.com for menus menus and your online ordering, Visit for and online ordering, or call call 757-491-1111 to&place place your order.

Also Serving Beerto Wineyour To-goorder. or 757-491-1111

options for celebrating…for any occasion.

All of us at Jewish News wish you a safe, healthy, peaceful, and happy New Year.

L’Shanah Tovah!

Terri Denison Editor

Also Serving Serving Beer Beer & & Wine Wine To-go To-go Also

L A

P R O M E N A D E

S H O P P E S

L A

P R O M E N A D E

S H O P P E S

1860 Laskin L A P Road, R O Virginia M E NBeach A D| 757.491.1111 E S H O| AldosVB.com P P E S

1860 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach | 757.491.1111 | AldosVB.com 1860 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach | 757.491.1111 | AldosVB.com 20 | JEWISH NEWS | Rosh Hashanah | July 19, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown Monday, September 6

Rosh Hashanah

Back to school means back in school: Local educators long for a new year my greatest joy. I have become more spiritual, and I bless my son each Shabbat. The pandemic may have started the process of changing my perspective, but living each day has renewed my faith in life, humanity, and Judaism.

Lisa Richmon

I

n preparation for Rosh Hashanah and the start of school, local Jewish educators share their learnings and longings for an academic and spiritual refresh.

By nature, educators are positive people.

Guarded optimism is a precious currency going in, out—and back into a new strain of pandemic life.

Jewish News spoke to these four individuals and asked: ‘What do you hope for? How has the pandemic re-shaped your views and practices as a Jew and an educator?’

Amy K. Milligan with her class at a Shabbat Service at Ohef Sholom Temple.

Amy K. Milligan.

Amy K. Milligan Batten endowed assistant professor of Jewish studies and women’s studies at Old Dominion University Looking ahead at the new school year, I cannot wait to reconnect with my students. I’m teaching a course on Judaism this fall. I’m looking forward to beginning the semester with them and talking about what a new year (both the academic year and Rosh Hashanah) will mean for them, how they conceptualize a fresh start, and what things they want to leave behind in the previous year.

Jennifer Groves Rosenbaum (right) receives an ‘I Make a Difference Award’ from another teacher.

Jennifer Groves Rosenbaum Teacher, Landstown High School In relation to the coming year, I am optimistic. My school system showed respect for our faith by postponing the first day of school to Thursday, September 9 instead of starting on Rosh Hashanah. This is a wonderful learning opportunity for people to understand the importance of

the Jewish New Year and what this means to the Jewish people. I’m excited to meet a new group of students, help them learn to think for themselves, and be informed citizens.

The teachings of Jewish ethics can be applied to the coming year—be kind to strangers, be compassionate, and be patient. Everyone, regardless of age, should feel valued, respected for their thoughts, and appreciated for their contributions. Teaching 12th graders allows me to help shape the future, and I can’t think of a more fulfilling life for myself!

This year also happens to be the 20th anniversary year of 9/11. This is a reminder that with the promise of beginning a new year, we are also still striving to be inscribed in the Book of Life.

The fragility of life was exposed during the pandemic, and I have become more appreciative of a slower pace, positive connections with others, and loving my friends and family even more.

My father passed away in April, and I gave birth to my son, Daniel, in May. On the one hand, I experienced my greatest sorrow. On the other hand, I experience

Jennifer Groves Rosenbaum with her son, Daniel.

Ari Zito.

Ari Zito English Department chair, assistant coach, Varsity Boys Basketball, Norfolk Academy I grew up in a community in Connecticut with only a handful of Jewish students in continued on page 22

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | Rosh Hashanah | JEWISH NEWS | 21

Rosh Hashanah continued from page 21

my grade and in a public school system that of course did not give everyone the day off for the High Holy Days. So, going to services and observing the holidays always came with the stress of having to explain the situation to all my teachers and working to make up missed content and classwork.

As a teacher at Norfolk Academy for the past 16 years, I still don’t take for granted that these two days mean no school for everyone. It’s a wonderful thing. It gives our Jewish students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to be fully present during the High Holy Days without worrying about what we’re missing, and it serves as a reminder to Christians and people of other faiths that there is a significant Jewish community—including their friends, classmates, and teachers for whom these days are the most important, religiously, of the whole year.

My family’s synagogue, Ohef Sholom Temple, did an amazing job with the virtual services last year, and if the Delta variant necessitates virtual services again, I’ll understand. But I’m looking forward to coming back to OST for the High Holy Days and being together in person.

will be greeted by teachers who will smile and welcome them back to a physical building. So where is my place?

I have always known I was “called” to be a teacher. It is all I know, and I am passionate about my students and my presence in the classroom. I am also a Jew, called to celebrate and reflect on the year according to my faith. I am eager to get back to shul and be with my Jewish community again. I am torn and my heart breaks as I was forced to have to make a decision Christians in this country are never forced to make. We would never go to school on Christmas or Easter.

So, I have to ask myself, where am I most needed and what is most important right now? Am I absent on the first day of school, unable to set an immediate caring and welcoming tone after such a difficult year and a half for my students? Do I leave my seat empty at shul and start the New Year without the religious rituals and prayers that make the year so sweet and

Debra Yarow College Composition I and II, English Department chair, Western Branch High School With the holidays approaching, I typically look at my calendar and take my appropriate religious leave. I note my absences in my syllabus, and I explain to my students the importance of these absences that typically fall so close to the first few days of school. Now I look at our calendar in Chesapeake with a great deal of anxiety. Our first day of school falls on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. In a typical year, this would not bring me such vacillation and stress. I would take the day off and leave a video of my introduction with some simple organizational tasks. This year, however, I can’t imagine greeting my students on their first day back to school in over a year with one more video or “virtual” greeting. It seems cruel. My students, I’m sure, are eager to begin a senior year as close to normal as possible. They 22 | JEWISH NEWS | Rosh Hashanah | July 19, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

meaningful? Where am I called? Who needs me the most?

How should I start off the new year, and which decision will make me feel I did the right thing?

At this point, I don’t think there is a “right” answer, and I have to go with my gut and heart. I will still bake my round challahs, serve tzimmes and brisket and dip apples into honey. I will go to the Hague for Taschlich, and I suppose, I will have to cast off and atone for either decision I make.

Debra Yarow with her Aver Camera, one of the many new tech devices she integrated into teaching. Yarow named her camera ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ because “she tracked me everywhere I went in the classroom. It was creepy,” she says.

422 Shirley Avenue Norfolk, VA 23517 757-625-7821 www.bethelnorfolk.com

Join our Beth El community for in-person and/or live streaming services.

Rosh Hashanah

High Holiday Services in Jewish Tidewater 5782 Compiled by Ronnie Jacobs Cohen, Shalom Tidewater

Editor’s note: This listing is current as of Wednesday, August 18. Due to the evolving nature of COVID-19, it is advised to check with congregations to learn specific protocols for attending High Holiday Services, including ticket requirements.

Beth Sholom Village

www.bethsholomvillage.com 757-420-2512 Services take place in the Beth Sholom Village Community Chapel and will be live streamed on Beth Sholom Village’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook. com/BSVillage2016. “Like” the page to get notices about the live stream.

Rosh Hashanah Catering from Beth Sholom Village An order form may be found at www.bethsholomvillage.com

Rosh Hashanah Tuesday, September 7 Services: 10:30 am (1.5 hours) Live streamed via Facebook Yom Kippur Wednesday, September 15 Kol Nidre Service: 6:30 pm Live streamed via Facebook Thursday, September 16 Yom Kippur/Yizkor Service: 1:30 pm Live streamed via Facebook

B’nai Israel

www.bnaiisrael.org 757-627-7358 Times are subject to change Important note: Due the ongoing health concerns surrounding Covid-19, it is imperative that all participants in services register with the B’nai Israel office before attending and adhere closely to congregational guidelines for health and safety.

Selichot Saturday, August 28 Motzaei Shabbos Selichos: 1 am Sunday, August 29— Sunday, September 5 Selichos: ½ hour before shacharis Erev Rosh Hashanah Monday, September 6

Daf Yomi: 6:30 pm Selichos: 7 pm Candle Lighting: 7:07 pm Minchah 7:10 pm Rosh Hashanah, First Day Tuesday, September 7 Shachris: 8 am HaMelech: 8:45 am Sermon and Shofar: not before 10:30 am Tashlich Daf Yomi: 5:45 pm Minchah 6:45 pm Class with Kollel Maariv: 7:45 pm Candle Lighting: not before 8:04 pm Rosh Hashanah, Second Day Wednesday, September 8 Shachris: 8 am HaMelech: 8:45 am

continued on page 24

& SHMEARS Holiday entertaining is easy with Einstein Bros. Bagels!

We can cater to any size group and deliver fresh-baked bagels, delicious egg sandwiches, fresh-brewed coffee & so much more to your home, office or anywhere.

EBCATERING.COM 1.800.BAGEL.ME (1.800.224.3563)

1148 Volvo Parkway

4526 Main Street

Owned & Operated 1148 Volvo Pkwy.Locally • Chesapeake, VA 23320 • 757.410.3646 Chesapeake, VA 23320 Virginia Beach, VA 23462 Franchise Locations Franchise Location • Locally Owned & Operated 757.410.3646 757.222.9916

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | Rosh Hashanah | JEWISH NEWS | 23

Rosh Hashanah continued from page 23

Sermon and Shofar: not before 10:30 am Minchah: 6:45 pm Class with Kollel Maariv / Havdala: 8:02 pm Fast of Gedaliah Thursday, September 9 Fast Begins: 5:30 am Selichos: 6:15 am Shachris 6:45 am Minchah / Maaariv 6:50 pm Fast Ends: 8:01 pm Friday, September 10 Selichos: ½ hour before shacharis Shabbos Shuva Saturday, September 11 Shachris: 8:45 am Daf Yomi: 4:45 pm Shabbos Shuva Sermon: 5:45 pm Minchah: 6:45 pm Maariv/Havdala: 7:57 pm Sunday, September 12­­– Tuesday, September 14 Selichos: ½ hour before shacharis

Erev Yom Kippur Wednesday, September 16 Slichos: 6:30 am Shacharis: after Selichos Mincha: 2:30 pm Kol Nidre: 6:45 pm Candle Lighting before Kol Nidrei Yom Kippur Thursday, September 16 Shachris: 8 am HaMelech: 8:45 am Torah reading: 11:20 am Sermon: 11:45 am Yizkor: (Approximately) 12 pm Minchah: 4:45 pm Neilah: 6:20 pm Havdalah: 7:50 pm Services at B’nai Israel are open to all Jews in Hampton Roads. Childcare is provided during all major services.

To inquire about membership or seat reservations, contact the office at office@bnaiisrael.org. One year of free membership is offered to all new members.

Chabad Lubavitch of Tidewater/Chabad House

www.chabadoftidewater.com Rabbi Levi Brashevitzky’s cell: 757-513-3663 Chabad of Tidewater is closely watching and following the CDC COVID guidelines. At this time, services are scheduled to be held in person, and inside. Masks are required for anyone not vaccinated. If anything changes, Chabad will follow accordingly and is prepared to do services outside in the yard if necessary.

Selichos Saturday night, August 28 Services: 1 am Rosh Hashanah Monday, September 6 Light Candles: 7:08 pm Mincha and Evening Services: 7:20 pm Community dinner by RSVP: 8:45pm Tuesday, September 7 Morning services with Shofar: 10 am

relax with this great deal 20% off fjords entire line Thru October 11

Largest local selection of contemporary furniture | 301 West 21st Street, Norfolk | 757.623.3100 | visit decorumfurniture.com for hours

24 | JEWISH NEWS | Rosh Hashanah | July 19, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

Additional Mini Shofar Services outside: 9:45 am, 12:30 pm, and 6:30 pm Mincha and Tashlich: 5:30pm Evening Services: 8 pm Light candles after: 8:03 pm Community dinner: 8:45 pm Wednesday, September 8 Morning Services with shofar: 10 am Additional mini Shofar Services outside: 9:45 am, 12:30 pm, and 6:30 pm Mincha and evening Services: 7 pm Holiday ends: 8:02 pm Erev Yom Kippur Wednesday, September 15 Morning Services: 8 am Mincha: 3:30 pm Light candles: 6:54 pm Fast begins: 7:08 pm Kol nidrei: 7:05 pm Yom Kippur Thursday, September 16 Morning Services: 10 am Yizkor Memorial Service: 12:30 pm Mincha followed by Neilah Closing Services: 5 pm Fast ends: 7:49 pm Light refreshments will be served.

RSVP for all services and meals at www.chabadoftidewater.com/hhrsvp.

Congregation Beth Chaverim

temple.office@bethchaverim.com Jim Hibberd, Soloist Chad A. Bornstein, president 757-477-3585 Beth Chaverim welcomes guest Rabbi Laurence Silverman and Cantorial Soloist Jim Hibberd for worship at Old Donation Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach.

Erev Rosh Hashanah Monday, September 6 Services: 7 pm Rosh Hashanah Tuesday, September 7 Services: 10:30 am Erev Yom Kippur Wednesday, September 15 Kol Nidre: 7 pm Yom Kippur Thursday, September 16 Morning Services: 10:30 am Group discussion with Rabbi Silverman: 3 pm

Rosh Hashanah Yiskor Memorial Service: 4:15 pm Break the Fast: immediately following the concluding service Beth Chaverim High Holy Day Services will also be on Zoom. Contact temple. office@bethchaverim.com for a link and further details.

Congregation Beth El www.bethelnorfolk.com 757-625-7821

Selichot Saturday, August 28 Services via Zoom: 8:30 pm Erev Rosh Hashanah Monday, September 6 Congregational service: 5:45 pm Rosh Hashanah, First Day Tuesday, September 7 Shacharit: 8:30 am Family Service: 10:30 am Tashlich (at the Hague): 5 pm Mincha-Maariv (via Zoom): 7 pm

Kehillat Bet Hamidrash Kempsville Conservative Synagogue

Rosh Hashanah, Second Day Wednesday, September 8 Shacharit: 8:30 am Maariv and Havdalah (via Zoom): 7:45 pm

Erev Yom Kippur Wednesday, September 15 Candle Lighting at KBH: 6:50 pm Kol Nidre: 7 pm Yom Kippur Thursday, September 16 Services: 9:30 am Mincha and Neilah: 6:15 pm Yom Kippur ends: 7:49 pm Continue KBH’s tradition–wear white for Yom Kippur!

kbhsynagogue.org 757-495-8510 Selichot Night Live Saturday, August 28 Program begins via Zoom: 8:30 pm On-line program provided by the Conservative Movement Erev Rosh Hashanah Monday, September 6 Ma’ariv: 6:45 pm Rosh Hashanah, First Day Tuesday, September 7 Services: 9:30 am Meet to walk to Tashlich; Mincha & Ma’ariv follow: 7 pm Rosh Hashanah, Second Day Wednesday, September 8 Services: 9:30 am Shabbat Shuvah Saturday, September 11 Services: 10 am

Cemetery Service Sunday, September 12 (Forest Lawn Cemetery): 12:30 pm Erev Yom Kippur Wednesday, September 15 Kol Nidre: 6:30 pm Yom Kippur Thursday, September 16 Shacharit: 9 am Family Service: 10:30 am Yizkor: 12:45 pm Study session: 3:30 pm Mincha: 5:15 pm Neilah: 6:15 pm Maariv: 7:30 pm Light Processional: 7:40 pm Blowing of Shofar & Havdalah: 7:40 pm Final Shofar Blast: 7:50 pm

KBH supports the JFS Food Closet throughout the entire year. Please bring non-perishable groceries to services or donate directly to JFS in the drop off box outside the front door of the Sandler Family Campus or donate on-line at https://jfshamptonroads.org/how-tohelp/donate/ noting Food Pantry in the “special instructions.” continued on page 26

WEEKLY SPECIALS* PRICES GOOD THROUGH 10.05.21

1.9 - 4.87 oz.

12 oz.

Lipton Soup Mixes

Manischewitz Egg Noodles

Save BIG on 2 with your VIC card

Save BIG on 2 with your VIC card

4.5 - 5 oz.

2 lb. Bag

3 lb. Bag

Farmers Market Whole Carrots

6 pk.

¢

Save at least $1.00 each with your VIC card

Save with your VIC card

Save BIG with your VIC card

Kedem Concord Grape Juice

Haribo Gummie Candy

Golden Pancakes

Golden Blintzes

Kedem Tea Biscuits

Streit’s Matzo

Save at least $1.50 each with your VIC card

Save BIG on 2 with your VIC card

Save BIG with your VIC card

Save BIG with your VIC card

Save BIG with your VIC card

Save BIG with your VIC card

Save BIG on 2 with your VIC card

5.29 oz.

10.6 oz.

Farmers Market Gala Apples

99 3.99 1.49

Dr. Brown’s Soda

Manischewitz Matzo Ball or Soup Mixes

64 oz.

Per Lb.

Farmers Market Gala Apples

13 oz.

4.2 oz.

11 oz.

Save BIG per lb. with your VIC card

8.8 oz.

1 ct.

Osem Rokeach Israeli Couscous Candle Memorial

7.99 2/$5 3.99 3.99 4.49 79¢ 2/$6 2/$6 10/$10 Save BIG on 2 with your VIC card

Save BIG on 10 with your VIC card

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | Rosh Hashanah | JEWISH NEWS | 25

Rosh Hashanah continued from page 25

Ohef Sholom Temple

www.ohefsholom.org 757-625-4295 Services at Ohef Sholom Temple will be a hybrid of in person and online, which can be viewed at. https://ohefsholom.org/ live/.

Family owned and operated since 1917

Chris Sisler, Vice President, Member of Ohef Sholom Temple, Board member of the Berger-Goldrich Home at Beth Sholom Village, James E. Altmeyer, Jr., President, James E. Altmeyer, Sr., Owner

Erev Rosh Hashanah Monday, September 6 Services: 7 pm Rosh Hashanah Tuesday, September 7 Children’s Service: 9–9:45 am Services: 10:30 am Erev Yom Kippur Wednesday, September 15 Kol Nidre: 7 pm

Southside Chapel • 5033 Rouse Drive Virginia Beach • 757 422-4000

Maestas Chapel • 1801 Baltic Ave. Virginia Beach • 757 428-1112

Making your arrangements in advance

Chesapeake Chapel • 929 S. Battlefield Blvd.

Chesapeake • 757 482-3311

loved ones that you care about them.

The deadline for ordering is August 30th Pick up dates for catering orders: September 1st through September 5th, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm September 7th, 8:00 am to 2:00 pm

Our Family Service Counselors have the training and experience that will help you in the process. Our services include a free options for financing. Visit our web site

To order

Meals must be paid for previous to pick up!

is one of the best ways to show your

funeral cost estimate, and we offer many

ROSH HASHANAH CATERING 5782 2021 Catering for Rosh Hashanah Please go to our website www.bethsholomvillage.com

Advance funeral planning Flexible payment plans Financing available

Yom Kippur Thursday, September 16 Children’s Service: 9–9:45 am Services: 10:30 am Study Session #1: 12:45 pm Study Session #2: 2 pm Study Session #3: 3:15 pm Musical Interlude: 4:15 pm Memorial and Concluding Services: 4:30 pm

Denbigh Chapel • 12893 Jefferson Ave. Newport News • 757 874-4200

Pick up location:

1049 College Park Boulevard The Terrace Assisted Living

for a three-step Pre-Arrangement Guide or contact the Altmeyer Pre-Arrangement Center directly at 757 422-4000

Approved by all area Rabbis and Chevrah Kadisha Riverside Chapel • 7415 River Road Newport News • 757 245-1525

www.altmeyerfuneralandcremation.com 26 | JEWISH NEWS | Rosh Hashanah | July 19, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

Go to the very last door at the end of the parking lot.

Ring the bell and someone will come out to deliver your food.

Questions? ​Please call 757-420-2512 and ask for Erica

Rosh Hashanah Temple Emanuel

www.tevb.org 757-428-2591 All Services on Zoom and in-person Erev Rosh Hashanah Monday, September 6 Services: 6:30 pm Rosh Hashanah, First Day Tuesday, September 7 Services: 9 am Family Service: 10 am Rosh Hashanah, Second Day Wednesday, September 8 Services: 9 am Erev Yom Kippur Wednesday, September 15 Kol Nidre Services: 7:pm Yom Kippur Thursday, September 16 Services: 9 am Family Service: 10 am Torah Service and Yizkor: 10 am Mincha and Neilah: 5:30 pm Fast Ends: 7:52 pm

Temple Israel

templeisraelva.org 757-489-4550 Erev Rosh Hashanah Monday, September 6 Zoom services: 6 pm Rosh Hashanah, First Day Tuesday, September 7 Zoom Services: 9–9:40 am Junior Congregation Services: 9:30 am In person and live stream Services: 10:30 am Tashlich at the home of Nancy Tucker, 255 N. Blake Road, Norfolk: 5 pm Rosh Hashanah, Second Day Wednesday, September 8 Zoom Services: 9–9:40 am In person and live stream Services: 10:30 am Erev Yom Kippur Wednesday, September 15 Kol Nidre: In person and live stream: 6:45 pm Yom Kippur Thursday, September 16 Zoom Services: 9 am Junior Congregation Services: 9:30 am In person and live stream Services: 10:30 am In person and live stream Services: 5:30 pm

The Zoom information is the same as the temple’s daily minyan and Shabbat Zoom link. For more information, call the office at 489-4550.

Junior Congregation will have a separate Zoom number, which will be individually emailed to families with children.

Temple Lev Tikvah

jzobe@aol.com 757-617-0334 Erev Rosh Hashanah Monday, September 6 Services: 7:30 pm Rosh Hashanah Tuesday, September 7 Services: 10:30 am Erev Yom Kippur Wednesday, September 15 Kol Nidre: 7:30 pm Yom Kippur Thursday, September 16 Services: 10:30 am Discussion: 3 pm Memorial and Concluding Services: 4 pm

Tidewater Chavurah

www.tidewaterchavurah.org Contact Tidewaterchavurah1@gmail.com or Carol 499-3660 for attendance, Zoom link, addresses and directions.

All services will be held in Temple Israel’s Brody Hall/Auditorium and via Zoom.

Erev Rosh Hashanah Monday, September 6 Services by Zoom only: 7 pm Rosh Hashanah Tuesday, September 7 Services: 10 am Tashlich: Immediately following morning Services Location TBD Erev Yom Kippur Wednesday, September 15 Kol Nidre: 7 pm Yom Kippur Thursday, September 16 Services: 10 am N’ilah: 6:30 pm at Rabbi Ellen and Spencer’s, Virginia Beach

Best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year!

L’Shana Tova Tikatevuh!

757-425-9191 • www.FlaxLaw.com 303 34th Street • Suite 7 • Virginia Beach, VA 23451

L’Shana Tova!

Wishing you and your loved ones a

sweet, healthy, and Happy New Year!

JF S i s s o g r at ef ul f or t h e g e ne r o u s s up p or t o f o u r co m m u ni ty ! w w w. j f s h a m p t o n r o a d s . o r g

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | Rosh Hashanah | JEWISH NEWS | 27

Rosh Hashanah

EAT WELL. BE HAPPY. TOGETHER.

High Holidays recipe: This sweet treat is like baklava Ronnie Fein

( JTA)—During the High Holidays, I always make my family’s recipe for a dessert called turte, which is similar to Greek baklava. Rather than walnuts, however, it’s made with almonds and drenched with a thick sugar syrup instead of honey.

Turte is a specialty from the eastern part of Romania called Moldavia, where my grandparents were born, and is sometimes made with thin pancakes. My grandma made it with strudel dough.

I recall watching her make her own dough for this dish, as well as her fabulous potato strudel, laying the paper-thin

SHANAH TOVAH ROSH HASHANAH

PICTURED : ATLANTIC

@bakerscrust

SALMON ENTREE

Local and Experienced…a winning combination!

INGREDIENTS: For the cake: ½ pound phyllo dough ½ pound melted butter cookie or cake crumbs or ground nuts 1½ cups finely chopped almonds 2 tablespoons sugar 2–3 teaspoons freshly grated orange peel 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

dough across the entire kitchen table. I did that once—then switched to store-bought.

There was a time when I could find authentic strudel dough, but these days I use phyllo, which is not exactly the same (it’s thinner and more papery), but still absolutely fine. And it’s a whole lot easier.

This is such a wonderful treat, whatever your background. It’s sweet, crumbly and tender, and the fragrance of cinnamon is enchanting. The original recipe did not include orange peel, but I think it gives the cake a refreshing quality.

Ronnie Fein

For the syrup: ¾ cup sugar ¾ cup water 1 teaspoon orange flower water or 2 tablespoons orange-flavored brandy or ½ teaspoon orange extract

DIRECTIONS: Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Layer half the phyllo dough in a 9-inch square baking pan (or use a 9-by-13-inch pan), brushing with half the melted butter and scattering crumbs between layers.

In a bowl, combine the chopped almonds, 2 tablespoons sugar, orange peel, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place the nut mixture over the layers of dough.

Cover the nut mixture with the remaining phyllo leaves, separating them as above with melted butter and crumbs.

NANCY EVANS Associate Broker (757) 287-5765 NancyEvans@HowardHanna.com

HEATHER EVANS Property Manager (757) 287-5762 HeatherEvans@HowardHanna.com

L’Shanah Tovah

With a combined 40 years of experience, whether you’re buying, selling or investing, Wishingwe youcan andassist your family you a year of sweet blessings filled with an abundance withofall of your real needs. good health, joy estate and peace.

28 | JEWISH NEWS | Rosh Hashanah | July 19, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

Brush the top layer with the last of the melted butter. Score the dough with the tip of a sharp knife into squares or rectangles.

Bake for 30 minutes. Raise heat to 400 F. and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Make the syrup: Combine the 3/4 cup sugar and the water in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring only until sugar dissolves. Cook at a boil for a few minutes until the liquid has thickened, but do not let it become caramel colored.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the orange flavoring. Pour the syrup over the warm cake.

HowardHanna.com

Let the cake cool and cut it into pieces where you have scored the top. Makes 8-12 servings.

Rosh Hashanah INGREDIENTS: 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 thick scallions, chopped 2 large cloves garlic, chopped 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped 4 cups vegetable stock 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

High Holidays recipe: Chilled (or not) fresh tomato soup Ronnie Fein

(JTA)—You hear it every year: The High Holidays are either early or late, never on time.

This year is an early one—real early.

Rosh Hashanah starts at sundown September 6, the night of Labor Day for Americans. Fortunately it’s also the peak of tomato season, so why not include some in your holiday meal?

This soup, made from fresh tomatoes, has lots going for it: You can make it ahead by four or five days; you can enrich it with dairy or nondairy milk or cream if you wish; and it’s delicious either hot or cold.

While it is lovely as a first course for dinner on the first or second night of Rosh Hashanah, I’ll be serving this at room

temperature in juice glasses to my breakthe-fast guests as we gather after services and need a little nosh before our post-fast dairy meal.

You can warm it up, too, for Sukkot for those chillier nights in the sukkah.

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 6 tablespoons uncooked white rice 1 cup dairy or nondairy milk or cream, optional Garnish (fresh herbs or croutons)

DIRECTIONS: Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about another minute.

Add the tomatoes, stock, basil and salt and pepper.

Bring the soup to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the rice, cover the pan and cook for another 20 minutes.

Blend the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender. Serve hot or let cool. Stir in the milk if desired. Chill completely.

Serve garnished with fresh basil, parsley or Italian bread croutons.

Makes 8 servings.

Ronnie Fein

L' Shanah Tovah!

Ohef Sholom wishes you a Happy & Healthy New Year!

• • • •

Join us for live and streamed High Holiday services.

Adult study sessions.

Visit ohefsholom.org/high-holidays for dates and times.

All are welcome!

Founded in 1844, Ohef Sholom Temple is the oldest Reform Congregation in Tidewater.

Call (757) 625-4295 for more information or go to ohefsholom.org.

• Religious School • Family Programming • Toddler & Infant Activites

• Adult Education • Library & Archives • Gift Shop

530 Raleigh Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23507

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | Rosh Hashanah | JEWISH NEWS | 29

Rosh Hashanah

New children’s books for the Jewish New Year: Kangaroos, Jonah and 2 guys named Max Penny Schwartz

BOSTON ( JTA)—This year’s crop of Jewish children’s books for the High Holidays will make kids named Max tickled by two books with their name in the title. And the prolific master storyteller Jane Yolen offers up a funto-read-aloud story that young kids no doubt will ask for again and again.

Jewish families can bid farewell to the summer and usher in the Jewish New Year by cracking open these engaging new holiday books.

Rosh Hashanah with Uncle Max Varda Livney Kar-Ben; ages 1 to 4 Who wouldn’t love a Rosh Hashanah visit from Uncle Max, who arrives in a pink car with balloons and a large bakery box tied to the roof? In this delightful board

book, a trio of siblings and their adorable dog greet the start of Rosh Hashanah, enjoying a festive meal and hearing the shofar at synagogue. Varda Livney’s simple text is sprinkled with Hebrew words that are translated into English, such as “dvash” for honey. Her cartoon-style illustrations match the joyful verse and present a family with varying tones of skin color, a refreshing portrayal of the diversity of the Jewish world.

Happy ’Roo Year: It’s Rosh Hashanah Jessica Hickman; illustrated by Elissambura Kar-Ben; ages 1 to 4

Young kids will be hopping to welcome Rosh Hashanah with a fun-loving family of kangaroos in this lively book in rhyming verse. At synagogue, they hear the blowing of the shofar, a ram’s horn, along with their Australian friends the koalas, wombats and wallabies.

“Here everyone belongs” is a welcoming message.

Something New for Rosh Hashanah Jane Yolen; illustrated by Christine Battuz Kar-Ben; ages 4 to 8 Kids will find a kindred spirit in Becca, a spunky girl who insists that she does not like anything new. In this delightful rhyming

Happy

ROSH

HASHANAH!

Rosh2021.indd 1

30 | JEWISH NEWS | Rosh Hashanah | July 19, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

7/14/21 2:02 PM

story set at the start of Rosh Hashanah, B e c c a declares “Never” to tasting her bubbe’s brisket and turns down kugel and even sweet honey cake.

But will something new on the New Year’s table attract Becca’s curiosity? Jane Yolen, the acclaimed author of more than 400 books for children and dubbed “America’s Hans Christian Anderson,” delivers a charmer with playful language and repeating phrases that are perfect for reading aloud. Christine Battuz’s vibrant illustrations match the fun.

Not So Fast, Max: A Rosh Hashanah Visit with Grandma Annette Schottenfeld; illustrated by Jennifer Kirkham Kalaniot Books; ages 4 to 8 When Emily and Max’s g randmot her, who they call Savta, visits from Israel for Rosh Hashanah, they look forward to their favorite tradition—making caramel apples. But Max is impatient when Savta’s plan to visit an orchard to pick “tapuchim,” Hebrew for apples, will delay the process. Max wants no part of the fun until his spunky, youthful Savta surprises him with basket-shooting pointers and juggling lessons.

Annette Schottenfeld deserves praise for featuring an active, lively grandmother. Jennifer Kirkham’s large, expressive illustrations glow with the colors of fall. Back pages include a note about Rosh Hashanah, a glossary of Hebrew words, and recipes for Savta’s apple cake and Max’s caramel apples.

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Be A Reader program enters 22nd year prepared to help students Robin Ford

A

s another potentially challenging school year is about to start, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Be a Reader (BeAR) program is gearing up for 2021–22. The program’s volunteers and staff hope to be able to enter schools in October – ready to help struggling students sharpen their skills and learn the joy of reading.

When students are recommended to the BeAR program by teachers and/or reading specialists, they are assigned to a BeAR mentor for a one-on-one meeting each week for up to one hour.

Along with developing their reading skills, these children’s attitudes toward reading improve, and their self-esteem flourishes.

100 students are assisted by the BeAR program

Ready to help?

Be a volunteer BeAR always need volunteers. For those who are concerned about the time commitment, consider the BeAR Share volunteer option where two volunteers share the weekly time obligation for one student. BeAR students need great

trainers and no one ever regrets helping a child learn to read.

Be a donor The BeAR program always accepts financial contr ibution s.

BeAR is in eight local Title 1 schools and assists more than 100 students, providing books, Student with BeAR volunteer.. workbooks, pencils, erasers, crayons, sketchpads, and Contact Robin Ford, BeAR program coordiother materials to help build each stunator, at 757-321-2304 or rford@ujft.org to dent’s personal library. learn more about BeAR, volunteer your time or treasure, or visit JewishVA.org/BeAR.

L’Shana Tova!

The Tidewater Jewish Foundation would like to wish you a sweet and happy New Year filled with health and happiness for you and your loved ones.

foundation.jewishva.org | 757-965-6111 | tjfinfo@ujft.org

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 31

Classes are Back!

JEWISH TIDEWATER

UJFT Women’s Cabinet goes to Camp teen engagement.

Following clues, learning about Jewish he United Jewish Federation of summer camp here in Tidewater and Tidewater’s Women’s Cabinet, led by around the world, the women “travelled” co-chairs Barbara Dudley and Mona Flax, from spot to spot around the Simon kicked-off the 2022 campaign year by Family JCC, ending the hunt at the outgoing to camp…at the Simon Family JCC. door pool and aquatics center, where they On a beautiful (albeit rather warm) had an opportunity to “see the campers afternoon, members of the Women’s in their natural habitat….” slurping on Cabinet mustered up in the Cardo for popsicles and hanging out with their a terrific summer camp scavenger hunt bunkmates. planned by Dave Flagler, the Simon Returning inside to the welcome of Family JCC’s new director of camp and the nicely air-conditioned Kramer Board Room, Cabinet members enjoyed a full camp “Canteen” experience (and lots of throw-back candy and treats to bring sweetness and smiles to the start of a new campaign year). They then met with visiting guest speaker Gary Weinstein.

The former executive director of the Dallas (Texas) Jewish Federation and a seasoned Jewish communal professional with more than 40 years of fundraisBarbara Dudley and Mona Flax, Woman’s Cabinet co-chairs, with Dave Flagler, ing and community Simon Family JCC’s, director of camp and teen engagement.

Amy Zelenka

Fall Classes Start Sep 13th Enrollment is open!

Classes in Hip Hop Musical Theater Acting Jazz Tap &

More For Ages 5+ More information at www.hurrahplayers.com To Enroll Call 757-627-5437

T

Sandler Center for the Arts October 1at 7pm October 2 at 2pm & 7pm October 3 at 2pm Suffolk Center October 23 at 2pm Get tickets at hurrahplayers.com

Women’s Cabinet members in the Cardo at the Sandler Family Campus prepare for a summer camp scavenger hunt.

32 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

building experience, Weinstein thanked the Cabinet members for caring, for giving, and for volunteering. Most especially, he thanked them for their willingness to ask others for gifts of support on behalf of the Tidewater Jewish community.

Tidewater’s Federation is among the top 10% of all Federations in the country.

Weinstein reminded the group that Tidewater’s Federation is among the top 10% of all Federations in the country (more than 150!) in terms of per capita giving (essentially average gift size) and the number one Federation among likesized (intermediate) communities. From his unique position in the Jewish world (as a traveling speaker, trainer, coach, and consultant), Weinstein visits many communities. He was thrilled to express that Tidewater is incredibly well-respected throughout the nation and that this success is due to the community’s leaders and volunteers, who all give generously and ask others to do the same.

It was a great start to what promises to be an amazing campaign year, with many finally emerging from homes to safely meet one another in person again.

As is often the case, Women’s Cabinet was once more “out front” with some of the very first gifts of the new campaign year. The Cabinet challenges the Men’s Division, Young Leadership, and all others to give early and generously in the 2022 Campaign!

Amy Zelenka is United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s chief development officer.

Looks Great...Who Did Your Fence?

JEWISH TIDEWATER

TJF Community Impact Grant helps Toras Chaim renovate auditorium Thomas Mills

T

coat of paint, and a side storage alcove was enclosed to create a separate room.

“An auditorium is the central gathering place of a school,” says Naomi Limor Sedek, president and CEO of Tidewater Jewish Foundation. “We at TJF are looking forward to joining the Toras Chaim community in its ‘new’ living room where the children will have the opportunity to shine and share their knowledge.”

Toras Chaim plans to have a Mitzvah Fair, Science Fair, Career Day, Academic Fair, and more in the refurbished auditorium.

“We are confident that the auditorium makeover will have an impact for years to come,” says Pollock. “Not just on the building, but on the lives of our children.”

idewater Jewish Foundation awarded a $7,500 Community Impact Grant in March to Toras Chaim to renovate their auditorium.

Serving Tidewater’s Jewish community for almost 20 years, the school has undergone an extensive beautification project. Renovations include painting hallways and classrooms, replacing the roof, waxing the floors, and installing a perimeter fence around the campus. The sweeping renovations at Toras Chaim also addressed one area in dire need of a refit: the school auditorium.

“Before the renovations, our auditorium had a very old, worn look and feel,” says Andie Pollock, Toras Chaim assistant principal. “The floors were scraped. The For more information on how to support painted walls were peeling with blotches.

Community Impact Grants, contact Ann We had a fundraising dinner, but instead Swindell, TJF donor relations and grant manof using our facilities, we had to rent a ager, at aswindell@ujft.org or 757-965-6106. tent to accommodate the guests at a huge expense.”

At Toras Chaim, many school activities are based around the auditorium. It’s where students congregate for special activities, community events, and perform for parents and schoolmates.

“An auditorium should be an excit- Renovated auditorium at Toras Chaim. ing, bright place to share the success of the students and their school,” says Pollock.

W it h t he Community Impact Grant’s assistance, Toras Chaim created a more inviting space.

The auditorium floors were stripped and waxed, the walls Auditorium prior to renovations. were given a fresh

Worry Free Vinyl

Since 1955 Southside

321.6700

Aluminum Ornamental

Peninsula

316.3600 www.herculesfence.com

Sales@herculesfence.com

Custom Wood

LARGEST REPORTED RECOVERY IN VA

John M. Cooper

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 33

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Strelitz International Academy earns International Baccalaureate® World School Authorization SIA becomes first official Primary Years IB Programme in Tidewater Carin Simon

A

fter two years of candidacy, Strelitz International Academy (SIA) received full authorization this month as an International Baccalaureate® World School Primary Years Programme. For more than 65 years Strelitz International Academy has been an exceptional preschool through fifth grade program.

Under the IB® Authorization, preschool and elementary aged children of all faiths have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of a comprehensive global learning approach. SIA focuses on shaping active, compassionate, and lifelong learners, grounded by intercultural understanding and respect. SIA’s advanced and

enriching program ensure that SIA graduates are better prepared for middle school, matriculating to area gifted programs, IB programs, AP classes, and the area’s top private schools.

“I am so proud of our school community, faculty, and staff who have worked hard to provide a safe environment of in-person learning this past year, while also working to achieve our authorization to be an IB World School®,” says Heather Moore, Head of School. “Our teachers created engaging units of study for our Program of Inquiry— and met all requirements during the IB authorization visit in June.”

“SIA enrollment has grown since the beginning of the IB® authorization process,” says David Cardon, SIA board

president, who says he’s thrilled about the school’s IB® authorization.

“Families know and trust the globally recognized IB education brand and are excited about the opportunities for learning that it provides their children,” says Cardon. “We are excited to welcome families from a broad spectrum of countries who have found our school, including Israel, Denmark, Britain, Czech Republic, and India to name a few.”

Amy Weinstein, parent of two SIA students, raves about her children’s rich learning experiences. “In kindergarten my son is already learning Hebrew and violin, and to think globally through his IB® Units of study. We are very excited to watch him grow and evolve as a learner and a citizen, as he progresses through the IB Primary Years Program.”

In addition, SIA has the largest infant care center in Virginia Beach. Feedback consistently points to parents who are appreciative for the opportunity to place their children in the nurturing environment provided at SIA—from infant day care up to fifth grade.

After a successful 2020–2021 in person school year, SIA looks forward to the first day of school, on August 23, 2021, with this official International Baccalaureate

SIA Class of 2021.

34 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

World School® designation.

Contact Carin Simon, admissions director, to inquire about openings or schedule a tour at 757‑424-4327 or csimon@strelitzacademy.org.

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Camp JCC campers make mitzvot the center of their camp experience Michelle Fenley

T

wo special groups of Camp JCC campers demonstrated this summer that joy can be found through doing mitzvot.

Despite the limitations that COVID‑19 placed on summer experiences, the two oldest groups of campers at the Simon Family JCC’s summer camp creatively developed several community service projects in which they could help others and express their own gratitude. These two groups, the Tel Aviv and Jaffa bunks, consisting of 20 campers, responded positively and energetically to the projects.

At the start of summer, the campers held a brainstorming session with counselors and identified local agencies and causes that were important to them.

Choosing their projects clearly contributed to the passion and excitement they felt throughout the summer.

One project, which combined two of the campers’ interest areas—environmental awareness and animals—included recycling old t-shirts and making animal toys for the SPCA. The campers also made kindness cards that they delivered with the dog toys—expressing to the SPCA employees their appreciation for the care they provide to animals.

The largest of their projects was a campus-wide craft supply and game drive for The Benjamin Goldberg Playroom at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters. Marley Fenley, a Camp JCC teen camper, and a member of the Benjamin Goldberg Foundation Junior Advisory Board, worked closely with Wendy Goldberg, the board’s president, to orchestrate this endeavor. Thanks to her role on the advisory board, Marley was able to tell her fellow campers about the amazing playroom that has been constructed on the hematology and oncology unit at CHKD. Marley was passionate about this project as she and several

other campers in the Tel Aviv/ Jaffa groups were Benjamin Goldberg’s peers when he attended Camp JCC. The campers were excited about bringing these creative and enjoyable activities to children receiving medical care. They discussed the importance Some of Camp JCC’s Tel Aviv and Jaffa campers organize art supplies and games for The Benjamin Goldberg Playroom at CHKD. of having fun and the healing that can be found through play.

SAVE THE DATE Thanks to their creativity, these

campers touched the lives of so many this Tuesday summer. They spread the message that kindness matters with posters and signs

they created, cards of gratitude, kindness

rocks, and a general willingness to help 10:30 am: Registration opens with camp-wide needs throughout the

12:00 pm: Tee-off summer.

Kate-Lynn Cipolla, head of Camp Gadol, says, “I felt so proud of these campers all summer long. It was a long school year, yet they came into this camp experience with such positive and giving attitudes. Their ability to enjoy and participate in camp activities, while also giving back to the community was touching and admirable.”

September 14, 2021 BOB JOSEPHBERG

To learn more about Camp JCC, or to hear about year-round opportunities for teens in the community, contact Dave Flagler, director of Camp and Teen Engagement, at DFlagler@UJFT.org or 757-452-3182.

Michelle Fenley, is Camp JCC’s Yachad inclusion program coordinator.

SEPT. 3

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 35

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Decades later, a shaliah returns to Tidewater Terri Denison

F

or two busy years starting in 1986, a young Doron Kissinger Kaynar and his family made their home in Norfolk while serving as the shaliah at the Jewish Community Center of Tidewater on Newport Ave. Thirty-five years later, Kissinger Kaynar traveled from Israel to visit a few friends and check out the old neighborhood.

“I am here to bring Israel closer to you—and to bring you closer to Israel!”

Kaynar was quoted in the October 17, 1986 issue of the then, UJF Virginia News.

When he was just 14 years old, Kaynar left his home in Tel Aviv to live on a kibbutz in the valley of Israel. After serving in the artillery corps and fighting

in the Yom Kippur War, he worked in the Army’s education department, accompanying soldiers on tours throughout Israel. He knew then, that he would eventually like to become a tour guide.

First, though, it was time for college. Kaynar graduated from Bar-Ilan University with degrees in Jewish History and Israeli Geography. He also became involved with the Israeli Scouting Program—the largest youth movement in Israel. With the Scouts, Kaynar first travelled to the United States. “My colleagues and I formed an Israeli Scouting Caravan and visited 70 cities,” he recalled.

Then, Kaynar completed the course offered at the Israeli Tourism office and became an authorized Israeli Guide.

Still, he wanted to return to the U.S. So, in March, 1986, he and his

36 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

then wife applied to be a shaliah, an emissary to share about Israel with American communities. Executives of three Jewish C o m m u n i t y C e n t e r s —Tu l s a , St. Louis, and Norfolk—flew to Israel to interview Kaynar and his now former wife, Batya.

Neal Perlman, Tidewater’s exec at the time, sold him on Norfolk. “I’d never even heard of Norfolk!” Kaynar laughs.

During his time in Tidewater, Kaynar “prepared youth for trips to Israel, visited a different shul every Shabbat, gave lec- Doron Kissinger Kaynar and Jim Eilberg peruse old issues of Jewish News. tures about Israel at both Jewish and Christian events, and taught about and In Israel, Kaynar lives near his three celebrated Israeli and Jewish holidays,” children in Yehud, a small town near he recalls.

Tel Aviv. He says he’s “now busier than “I was so busy! I enjoyed it very ever.” Self-employed, he lists his diverse much!” work: he’s an organizational consultant His wife taught at Hebrew Academy conducting management, leadership, of Tidewater, where his eight-year-old and team work workshops; officiates at son attended, adding to their busy lives weddings (primarily for marriages not based in Norfolk’s Wards Corner area. recognized by the state of Israel) and at In the mid-80s, Jim Eilberg served funerals (“there are more funerals than as head of the Israel Committee. His weddings” he notes); he leads Orienting friendship with Kaynar stuck and now, sporting events for companies and bar their visit in the Jewish News office at and bat mitzvah parties; and, yes, he’s the Sandler Family Campus is filled a tour guide for German- and Englishwith laughter and warmth as they look speaking groups. through old copies of the paper, rememBut today, he’s fondly reminiscing bering events and people. Kaynar asks about the Jewish Tidewater he knew 35 about various community members years ago with an old friend, and a couple and broadly smiles when he hears good of new ones, too. reports.

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Amie and Byron Harrell: Hineni Fellows develop connections and commitment Brian Berusch

W

hen Byron Harrell walked into his first Hineni leadership fellowship event in 2017, he was a rising star financial advisor at Davenport & Co. He was familiar with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, having gifted money, knowing that it was dispersed to various causes.

“My wife (Amie, a 20-year insurance industry veteran) and I gave a little here and there, but didn’t realize the impact of our donations, really,” Harrell says. He began giving to various charitable causes right out of college.

It wasn’t until his Hineni fellowship that the couple planted their feet firmly in Federation happenings. Not only were they rewarded with the knowledge of exactly where and how those donations were allocated, Harrell now chairs the investment committee.

The road began in the early meetings during the couple’s Hineni fellowship, where exactly how deep the Federation’s ability to positively influence change

Seeing the actual children who were receiving funding from our fundraising back in the relatively small region of Tidewater, Virginia…that was just amazing to see.

Byron and Amie Harrell at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

stuck. I can always go ‘home’ to Israel.

And it made me want to deepen that connection.”

The Harrells are active members of Ohef Sholom Temple where their sevenand 11-year-old children attend Religious School and Byron Harrell is a member of the temple’s board of directors.

“What’s great about Hineni is that Fellows enter with diverse experience, Jewish background, education, and personalities,” says Barb Gelb, former UJFT development director. “As they learn from the different speakers and leaders, they also learn from each other. They build community as a cohort, and those relationships carry over into their roles as leaders, helping them appreciate the different perspectives in the community.

With the Federation at the center of their Fellowship journey, they come to appreciate the role it plays in the Tidewater and greater Jewish community.”

“Hineni is a really worthwhile program for so many reasons,” adds Harrell, noting the leadership mentoring. “The friendships formed, in addition to the deeper connection to the Federation and Jewish life…it’s something our kids physically see and are also now connecting with. It’s been great for us.”

To support the Hineni leadership program— and other initiatives like it—visit federation. jewishva.org/home-page/ways-to-give/annual-campaign. Gifts will fund programs like this, and more, to insure a strong Jewish leadership presence within the community.

became apparent.

“We had a session at someone’s house where we played ‘Federation Jeopardy.’

We learned the different organizations that the Federation works with, funds, and more about those relationships,” he says. “After that, my wife became a YAD chair for Super Sunday. We had the desire to help more.”

Things took on new meaning following the end-of-session visit to Israel that Hineni cohorts embark upon.

“Seeing the actual children who were receiving funding from our fundraising back in the relatively small region of Tidewater, Virginia,” says Harrell, “that was just amazing to see. I have to admit, I originally questioned why we gave so much oversees. But to see that firsthand— and the impact on the communities in Israel—was truly eye-opening.”

A completely unexpected result of the Israel trip for Harrell was the sense of belonging he felt.

“You look at all the politics here, and the nationalism, and I think: ‘Here is this place I had never been before, which right now would welcome me.

It’s like, having this option for a second home. That really resonated with me—it jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 37

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Ohef Sholom Temple’s Sisterhood makes part of Mitzvah Day 2020 happen in 2021 with chemotherapy comfort bags Sandi Levi and Anne Kramer

L

Members of Ohef Sholom Temple’s Sisterhood craft notes for the bags.

38 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

ike so many other events planned in 2020, Ohef Sholom Temple’s Mitzvah Day had to be postponed in April of last year. Planning for the big day was already underway when everything seemed to come to Sandi Levi and Anne Kramer, co-chairs of the an abrupt halt. chemotherapy comfort bags project.

One of the projects scheduled for Mitzvah Day was the purchase and assembly of Chemotherapy Comfort bags for each new patient at Virginia Oncology.

As a continuation of Mitzvah Day 2020, OST Sisterhood gathered on July 10, 2021 to assemble the bags.

A fleece blanket, bottle of water, snacks, mints, mint tea bags, chap stick, lotion, tissues, ear plugs, deck of playing cards, pens, a note pad, mouth wash, a puzzle book and motivational stones The bags are assembled by the OST Sisterhood members. filled each tote bag.

Volunteers wrote and decorated special made monetary donations, donations note cards to tie onto each bag. in-kind, and donations of time made With great pride, on behalf of OST these bags possible.

Sisterhood and the Mitzvah Day committee, 150 bags were assembled and Sandi Levi and Anne Kramer served as delivered. The OST Sisterhood members co-chairs of the Chemotherapy Comfort bags and office staff, as well as those who project.

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Sprint 8 Challenge finishes strong with lost weight and gained energy

E

arlier this summer, 14 members of the Simon Family Jewish Community Center participated in the Sprint 8 Cardio Challenge.

“I wanted to challenge our members to change how they’re doing cardiovascular exercise with a clinically tested workout that provided real results. I took a training course into how to instruct individuals on the proper intensity specific to their ability, as well the form of exercise that will challenge them throughout the 8 weeks,” says Tom Purcell, Simon Family JCC’s Wellness director, who spearheaded the eight week program.

Sprint 8 is a Some of the finishers of the Sprint 8 Challenge who completed

20-minute, high-intensity interval training program designed to boost energy, reduce body fat, and promote lean muscle.

The Sprint 8 program consists of short periods of intense exercise followed by active rest. It takes 20 minutes from start to finish and is designed to increase an individual’s natural human growth hormone (HGH), which is known to help cut body fat, tone muscle, boost energy and improve overall speed and endurance.

Sprint 8 is “Challenging and fun,” says Sandy Goldberg, one of the program’s participants. ”It actually works because it is supposed to change your metabolism and cause you to lose weight.

“For those 8 weeks I could eat and drink as much of anything I wanted and still lost a few pounds. That made it worth the work.”

the entire eight weeks with Tom Purcell (second from right).

Sandy Goldberg, completed the Sprint 8 Challenge at the Simon Family JCC.

Then, Now, & Looking Forward AUGUST 1 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 LEON FAMILY GALLERY & THROUGHOUT THE SIMON FAMILY JCC

JOIN THE ARTIST FOR A RECEPTION

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1-3PM

RSVP REQUIRED

JEWISHVA.ORG/GALLERY Image: Lorraine Fink, Today's Ballet

757.965.6137 jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 39

WHAT’S HAPPENING 33rd Annual Strelitz International Golf Tournament, affectionately known as the Bob Josephberg Classic, slated for next month

Then, Now, & Looking Forward: Lorraine Fink Retrospective

Tuesday, September 14, 10:30 Registration; 12 pm Tee-off Bayville Golf Club in Virginia Beach

Join the artist for a reception: Sunday, September 12, 1- 3 pm

Carly Glickman

F

or the past 33 years, Strelitz International Academy’s annual golf tournament has been a highlight in the Tidewater community. The tournament sees more than 100 players coming out to support Tidewater’s only Jewish Community Day School and traditionally raises more than $128,000 in sponsorships to directly benefit the students and families at SIA. This year’s Bob Josephberg Classic, which is co-chaired by Ilana and Nathan Benson, offers players something extra to celebrate. In July, Strelitz International Academy was authorized as Tidewater’s first International Baccalaureate® World School for the Primary Years Programme.

This is the culmination of years of planning, development, and implementation that would not have been possible without the support from United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Tidewater Jewish Foundation, the Simon Family Foundation, friends in the community, SIA’s board of trustees, and SIA staff. With SIA’s new IB® status, the school is positioned to be the top primary

year’s institution for growing Tidewater’s future leaders.

Many levels of sponsorship opportunities are available, starting at $400 and ranging up to $5,500.

SIA’s 33rd Annual Golf Tournament welcomes all golfers and volunteers for a day of fun, golf, and an exciting awards reception with a delicious kosher buffet.

To register as a sponsor, player, or volunteer, contact Carly Glikman, director of development at Strelitz International Academy at CGlikman@StrelitzAcademy. org or 757-424-4327.

Wednesday, August 25, 5:30–7:30 pm Sandler Family Campus outdoor pool Jill Grossman

Jill Grossman

“Fink does not observe nature and then paint it. Rather she is a channel through which nature itself emerges practically fully formed in its primal energy, beauty, and soul. Her drawing, mark-making, brushstrokes—all are deftly spontaneous. Fink has no intention of duplicating reality with them. Rather her marks frolic and dance from her hands with a life of their own. Of course, they suggest those things we know in our reality, but they become their own humans, animals, birds, shamans, ancestors, and family as she releases them into the world.”

—Ken Daley, Old Dominion University, Professor of Art Emeritus

L

Sababa Social Club

What’s Sababa?

Find out around the Simon Family JCC’s outdoor pool at the launch of Sababa Social Club. It’s a chance for adults (no kids) to be together (swimming optional, masks required inside the JCC) and have some bites (delicious kosher ones!), beverages (yes beer, yes wine, yes Sababa Sangria!), and music (singer/songwriter Lewis McGehee!).

So, whether it’s after work, after golf, or after a nap—bring friends, significant others

On view in the Leon Family Gallery and throughout the Sandler Family Campus through September 30

or just your fabulous self to the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus for the start of something great for Tidewater’s Jewish community, the Sababa Social Club. It’s free to all.

Now, is the answer clear about what Sababa is? Cool.

For more information and to register, go to JewishVA.org/Sababa8 or contact Jill Grossman, director, Arts + Ideas, at jgrossman@ujft.org or 757-965-6137.

40 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

ocal Artist and arts supporter Lorraine Fink will be celebrated in this first retrospective of her work spanning five decades. Drawing on her interest in myths and folk tales from different cultures, Fink’s work has been influenced by her travels with late husband, Dr. H. William Fink, to Africa, Nepal and India, New Guinea, Israel, Russia, Central America, the Caribbean islands, and the Far East. ”Working with mixed media, I enjoy drawing, painting, and sculpting, which show textures of abstract and gestural energy. Playful amorphic animal and bird images leap and dance, metaphors for the human condition. Discarded objects become totems and whimsical members of a tribe,” says Fink.

Inspired by the outpouring of interest in her recent auction of drawings, the Simon Family JCC invited Fink to exhibit this retrospective, the Leon Family Gallery’s most substantial presentation to date.

Fink began her studies with Charles Sibley and Ken Daley at Old Dominion University, graduating with a BFA in 1978 and an MFA in 1983. Fink and her art have

Mooncycle Transformation to Beast.

been featured on WHRO’s PBS television feature Curate, and she has been recognized with numerous honors including the Virginia Watercolor Society’s Purchase Award at the College of William & Mary, The Miniatures Juror’s Choice Award at the Hermitage Museum, and inclusion in a two-year traveling Smithsonian exhibition from the Virginia Printmakers show awarded at the Virginia Museum. Fink was invited to feature her paintings as the opening exhibit of the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).

The exhibition will run through September 30, 2021 at the Leon Family Gallery and throughout the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community, 5000 Corporate Woods Drive in Virginia Beach.

To learn more or to RSVP for the reception, contact Jill Grossman, Arts + Ideas drector, at JGrossman@ujft.org, 757-965-6137, or visit www.JewishVA.org/ gallery.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Virginia Arts Festival presents

Violins of Hope Wednesday, October 6, 7:30 pm, Norfolk Academy Co-presented with the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

V

irginia Arts Festival will present a concert showcasing instruments that echo with history and hope when violins recovered from the Holocaust are used in a performance that includes works by some Jewish composers who languished and died in World War II Nazi concentration camps.

“These violins are the voices of gifted musicians and some composers who were victims of the Holocaust,” says Robert W. Cross, Virginia Arts Festival Perry Artistic director. “They represent the incredible courage of a generation decimated by war and hate. It is an honor to hear them play.”

A stirring testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of music, the Violins of Hope comprise a collection of instruments that tell remarkable stories of the defiance, resilience, and legacy of Jewish musicians during the Holocaust.

Israeli violinmaker Amnon Weinstein has spent the last two decades locating and restoring violins that were played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. He dedicates this important work to relatives he never knew. Weinstein’s grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins remained in Eastern Europe when his parents, Moshe and Golda, immigrated in 1938 to Palestine, where Moshe opened a violin shop. After

the war, Moshe learned that his entire family—400 in all—had been murdered during the Holocaust.

One of the most respected violin makers in the world, Amnon Weinstein determined to reclaim his lost heritage. He started locating violins that were played by Jews in the camps and ghettos, painstakingly piecing them back together so they could be brought to life again on the concert stage.

Although most of the musicians who originally played the instruments were silenced in the Holocaust, their voices and spirits live on through the violins that he has lovingly restored. Weinstein calls these instruments the Violins of Hope.

The Virginia Arts Festival concert featuring some of these violins is part of a regional tour—Violins of Hope Richmond—showcasing these instruments of inspiration.

Richmond’s Virginia Holocaust Museum is hosting an exhibition of some of the violins through October 24. Companion exhibitions of the violins will be on display at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and the Black History Museum & Culture Center of Virginia.

Information and tickets available at vafest. org. Tickets: $25; Students under 25, $10.

Exploring Questions &

Developing Answers International Baccalaureate School Early Years and Primary Years Ages Infants through Grade 5

Youth Tee Ball at the Simon Family JCC Mondays and Tuesdays August 23–October 12, 5:30 –6:30 pm Ages 3-6, $75 for JCC members; $105 for non-members

O

pen to all children, ages 3–6, this Tee Ball league teaches the basic techniques and skills of the game including throwing, catching, hitting, base running, and teamwork. Participants practice on Mondays, with a game each Tuesday. A team jersey is included. No rain dates and no practice or game on September 6 and 7. A child of a team’s Head Coach may play for free.

To register, visit the Simon Family JCC in person, or call 757-321-2338.

5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Virginia Beach www.strelitzinternationalacademy.org | 757.424.4327 jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 41

WHAT’S HAPPENING

CALENDAR

The Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning presents Soul’s Cycles: A Ride Through the Chapters of Life.

October 7–November 18, Tuesdays, 12–1:30 pm

AUGUST 25, WEDNESDAY

Launch of Sababa Social Club. A start of something great for the Jewish community! Kosher bites, beverages (including Sababa Sangria!), and music by Lewis McGehee—a chance for adults to come together. 5:30 pm. FREE and open to the community with pre-registration required. For more information and to register, visit JewishVA.org/Sababa8 or contact Jill Grossman, director, Arts + Ideas, at jgrossman@ujft.org or 757-965-6137.

AUGUST 27, FRIDAY

R

eady to flex those spiritual muscles? This six-week course taught by Miriam Brunn Ruberg will lead participants through a focused, high-intensity journey through the Jewish perspective on some of life’s milestones: birth, Bar/Bat mitzvah, marriage, divorce, mikvah, conversion—a fascinating ride that will deepen an understanding for when these moments happen personally, to family and to friends.

End of Summer Shabbat Dinner and Pool Party. Join PJ Library in Tidewater to celebrate with an End of Summer Shabbat Dinner and Pool Party at the Simon Family JCC’s outdoor waterpark. Enjoy a selection of exciting activities for both kids and adults. 5 pm. Shabbat blessings and dinner start at 6 pm.

To purchase tickets, visit JewishVA.org/PJLibrary, or contact Nofar Trem, PJ Library program coordinator, at ntrem@ujft.org.

For more information about Melton in Tidewater, or to register, visit JewishVA.org/ KCL or contact Sierra Lautman, director of Jewish Innovation, at slautman@ujft.org or 757-965-6107.

SUPER SUNDAY 2022. Make or take a call for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. Join community members by answering the call from volunteers, ensuring that UJFT can meet the needs of the community. Sponsored by Tidewater Mortgage Services, Inc. Sandler Family Campus.

Volunteer shifts: 10–11:30 am and 11:30 am–1 pm. For more information or to speak to someone about a 2022 commitment, visit JewishVA.org/Donate today or contact Matthew Kramer-Morning, UJFT’s Young Leadership Campaign director. See page 6.

MAZEL TOV TO

THEN, NOW, & LOOKING FORWARD: Lorraine Fink Retrospective Reception. Local artist and arts supporter Lorraine Fink will be celebrated in this first retrospective of her work spanning five decades. The exhibition runs through September 30 in the Leon Family Gallery and throughout the Simon Family JCC. Join the artist for a reception at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community. 1–3 pm. FREE and open to the community with pre-registration required. For more information and to register, visit JewishVA.org/Gallery or contact Jill Grossman, director, Arts + Ideas, at jgrossman@ujft.org or 757-965-6137.

Achievement Jeff Flax, who is one of six qualifiers from the United States to qualify in the Masters Golf Division for the Israeli Maccabi Games. Masters is ages 50 and up. The games are in Israel next July.

This is his first time playing in the Israeli Maccabi Games. Flax also played in the Transatlantic Maccabi Cup in England in 2017 on the American team Dr. Amy K. Milligan of Old Dominion University, for being named an associate editor of the new journal, Jewish Folklore and Ethnology, published by Wayne State University Press.

The first of its kind in English, JFE is a peer-reviewed annual journal.

An extension of the Press’s Raphael Patai Series in Jewish Folklore and Anthropology, the journal will feature innovative, original analytical studies, essays, and commentaries in English on the diverse ways in which Jewishness is expressed, conceived, transformed, and perceived by Jews and non-Jews through folklore, tradition, and social/ cultural practice. Dr. Simon J. Bronner, Dean and Distinguished Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (USA) will serve as the journal’s founding editor.

SEPTEMBER 12, SUNDAY

Sunday Fun Day. Pack the family into the car and head to the JCC for a fun-filled afternoon of music, field games, and a sweet treat. Sunday Fun Days are FREE and open to JCC members, Synagogue and YAD members, SIA families, and Camp JCC families. 2 pm. To register, visit JewishVA.org/PJLibrary, or contact Nofar Trem, PJ Library Program Coordinator, at ntrem@ujft.org.

SEPTEMBER 14, TUESDAY 33rd Annual Bob Josephberg Classic Golf Tournament to benefit Strelitz International Academy. Register by September 3. Played at Bayville Golf Club, Virginia Beach. 10:30 am registration opens; 12 pm tee-off. Golfer registration includes greens fees; on-course kosher lunch, snacks, and beverages; and after play awards reception with a kosher dinner.

To play or donate a sponsorship, register at www.strelitzinternationalacademy.org/support-us/ annual-golf-tournament or contact Carly Glikman at cglikman@strelitzacademy.org or 757-4244327. See page 40.

Jeff Flax.

OCTOBER 3, SUNDAY

Brain Health and Faith with Stephen Fried. Presented by The Milton “Mickey” Kramer Scholar-in-Residence Fund of the Congregation Beth El Foundation, this timely discussion with investigative journalist, Stephen Fried; and local Jewish clergy, Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg, Rabbi Michael Panitz, Rabbi Ron Koas, Cantor Jennifer Rueben, and Cantor Wendi Fried, will focus on why brain health and mental well-being matter to the Jewish people, and what can be done as a Jewish community to bring these topics out of the shadows. Dinner begins at 5:30, followed by panel discussion. FREE and open to the community. For more information or to RSVP (required) visit JewishVA.org/KCL or contact Sierra Lautman, director of Jewish Innovation, at 757-965-6107 or SLautman@ujft.org.

OCTOBER 4, MONDAY

Mental Health Awareness in Tidewater with Stephen Fried. Learn about the important work being done locally to address the mental well-being of the community, what work still needs to be done, and how to help in this panel discussion featuring representatives from the National Alliance of Mental Health, the Virginia Beach Crisis Intervention Team, I Need A Lighthouse, and the VB Strong Center. Presented by The Milton “Mickey” Kramer Scholar-in-Residence Fund of the Congregation Beth El Foundation, in partnership with Jewish Family Service. FREE and open to the community. 7:30 pm. For more information or to RSVP (required) visit JewishVA.org/KCL or contact Sierra Lautman, director of Jewish Innovation, at 757-965-6107 or SLautman@ujft.org.

Amy K. Milligan.

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.

MAZEL TOV submissions should be emailed to news@ujft.org with Mazel Tov in the subject line.

Achievements, B’nai Mitzvot, births, engagements and weddings are appropriate simchas to announce.

Photos must be at least 300k. Include a daytime phone for questions. There is no fee.

42 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

WHO KNEW?

10 Jewish facts about Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik you should know Maddy Albert

I

n case you missed it, Jewish actress and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik is officially a new host of Jeopardy! She will be hosting primetime and spinoff versions of the beloved game show— including ABC’s recently announced college championship.

Bialik may be best known for the memorable characters she’s played, including Amy Farrah Fowler in the Big Bang Theory and Blossom in the beloved ’90s sitcom by the same name. But when she’s not on screen, Bialik is in touch with her Jewish identity in so many ways, from her excitement about Jewish holidays to the ways she incorporates Jewish practice into raising her two children.

In honor of the news, here are 10 Jewish facts this incredible Jewish mom.

1. SHE IS A SECOND-GENERATION JEWISH IMMIGRANT. Like many Ashkenazi Jews in the U.S., Bialik’s grandparents immigrated from Poland, Hungary and then-Czechoslovakia. Balik describes herself as “a second-generation American whose grandparents on one side never really mastered the English language.”

Given her accomplishments as a scholar—she has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA—and a public figure, we can only imagine the immense pride and joy her grandparents would feel over her accomplishments today.

2. HER NAME HAS MANY LAYERS OF JEWISH MEANING. Bialik’s full name—Mayim Chaya Bialik—carries serious Jewish meaning.

Her first name, Mayim, means “water” in Hebrew. (She’s named after her grandmother, Maryam, who was known as “Bubbe Mayim.”) Her middle name, Chaya, means “alive” in Hebrew; it shares the same root as “chai” or “life.” As for Bialik, she’s a distant relative of the pioneering modern Hebrew poet Hayim Nahman Bialik.

3. BIALIK IDENTIFIES AS MODERN ORTHODOX. Although she was raised in a Reform Jewish family, Bialik has become more religiously observant as an adult and now identifies as Modern Orthodox. The Orthodox value of modesty is one that she holds dear, and she brings her preference for modest dress into her very spiffy Jeopardy! outfits. She told Jeopardy.com that her professional dress during her guest-hosting stint was meant to maintain the elements of formality and decorum that she so respected in late host Alex Trebek, and “to look like the academic I was trained to be.”

4. SHE WAS THE FIRST WOMAN IN HER FAMILY TO BECOME A BAT MITZVAH. When Bialik spoke at the National Museum of American Jewish History’s celebration marking the 90th anniversary of the first bat mitzvah ceremony in the United States, she shared that she was the first woman in her family to have a bat mitzvah. Speaking about the way that the bat mitzvah has become a key marker of women’s equity in Jewish communities, Bialik told the Philadelphia Inquirer: “The bat mitzvah is the beginning. It’s not the end.”

5. EDUCATION IS ONE OF HER CORE VALUES. One of the reasons Bialik is so perfect for the Jeopardy! job is that, in her own words, she has dedicated her life to “knowing things and to being able to communicate things.” Education is deeply valued in Jewish culture, and it is even stressed in Jewish text, as the Talmud dictates that the study of Torah is the greatest commandment.

What’s more, as an undergrad at

UCLA, Bialik minored in Hebrew and Jewish Studies—so Jewish education has always been part of her many ambitions.

6. SHE WAS ACTIVE IN JEWISH LIFE DURING COLLEGE. Bialik was also active in Jewish life outside the classroom during her years at UCLA. She was a student leader of Hillel, she founded a women’s Rosh Chodesh group and she blew the shofar during High Holiday services. In addition, she conducted and wrote music for UCLA’s Jewish a cappella group.

7. JEWISH HOLIDAYS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO HER. Speaking of Jewish education, Bialik makes a point to teach her fans all about Jewish holidays. She recently made a series of six videos for Kveller called You Know How I Know: Jewish Basics With Mayim Bialik, covering Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukkah, Purim and Passover. These short, fun videos are meant to teach viewers about the key elements of each Jewish holiday (with her special Bialik flair, of course).

8. BIALIK WAS ONE OF THE FIRST EDITORS OF KVELLER. It’s true: The Jewish parenting site through which this article first appeared would not be the same without Bialik’s brains and initiative. Bialik was one of the original contributing editors of Kveller (more than 10 years ago).

9. SHE HAS A VERY JEWISH BEDTIME RITUAL FOR HER KIDS. Bialik’s sons—Miles, 15, and Frederick, 12—are being raised with many Jewish rituals, including Bialik singing the

Mark Neyman / Government Press Office (Israel)

Mayim Bialik

bedtime Shema prayer to them before bed. Even as her kids grow older, “I still try to sing the Shema to them,” she said in 2019. “And I remember that I used to watch their eyes shift from blinking, to heavy lids, to closing and fluttering, to closing completely for the night, when I used to pray for their souls to be watched over as they slept.” So sweet.

10. SHE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH. Bialik has been a longtime advocate for mental healthcare. During her Jeopardy! guest-host stint, Bialik raised funds for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), where she has referred friends for many years. Mental health advocacy is tied to many Jewish values, including the Talmud passage Kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh—which means “all Jews are responsible for one another”—as well as pikuach nefesh, the Jewish value of saving a life.

What’s more, Bialik’s podcast, Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, aims to break down “the myths and misunderstandings about mental health and emotional well-being” according to Spotify, while “removing the stigma surrounding mental health.”

This article originally appeared on Kveller.

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 43

OBITUARIES GERALD MARVIN BAZAR VIRGINIA BEACH—Gerald Marvin Bazar passed away peacefully at home on August 7, 2021, at the age of 77.

He was born in Providence, Rhode Island to his parents Meyer (Mickey) and Bella (Barbara) Bazar, both of blessed memory. At the age of three, his parents moved the family to Norfolk. They lived in the Ghent area and he attended Taylor Elementary School. The family later moved to the Wards Corner area where he graduated from Granby High School. Jerry continued his education at Old Dominion University and graduated with a degree in business from Bryant College in Providence.

During his last two years at Bryant, Jerry married Ronda Goldberg of Norfolk.

They started their life together, completing their education, skiing, and spending time with the extremely close knit Bazar family in Providence. After graduation, they moved back to Norfolk where Jerry joined the family business, Bazar, Inc., a company representing manufacturers to the U.S. military exchanges. He later started his company, World Wide Sales, Inc., where he worked until retirement at age 58.

Shortly after moving back to Norfolk with Ronda, Jerry started a hobby that would last his entire life, showing and breeding Afghan hounds. While traveling around the world for business and pleasure, he met people with Afghans. He began breeding and showing his dogs all over the U.S., gaining much recognition for his knowledge of the breed and showing multiple champion dogs. His greatest joy was showing his champion Casbar Sugar-N-Spice at the Westminster Kennel Club Show in New York. Jerry belonged to many organizations involving his dogs.

He was a member of the American Kennel Club, Tidewater Afghan Hound Club and the Tidewater Kennel Club.

Jerry and Ronda were blessed with two wonderful sons, Jason Samuel Bazar and Darin Jacob Bazar. He loved teaching them to ski and traveling with them, sharing with them exciting places and experiences.

Such joy filled his heart when the boys each got married and when Jason and his wife, Dee Ann Dorsey, gave him his grandson, Evan Dorsey Bazar. They could not have enriched his life more.

Family and friends were important to Jerry and he always looked for an opportunity to entertain and enjoy the home he and Ronda lived in together for 48 years.

Jerry leaves behind his wife of 55 years, Ronda, his son Darin, his son Jason and his wife Dee Ann, and grandson Evan.

Jerry also leaves behind his dear sister Ellen Harris and her husband Jonathan, and nieces and nephews that all gave him much joy.

Many thanks to all his friends and family who helped him deal with cancer this last year and a half. Words cannot be expressed to our dear and treasured friend, Tracee Elwess, for always being there for Jerry. They have spent many years not only as friends but as partners in showing and owning Afghans. Special thanks also to Freda H. Gordon Hospice & Palliative Care of Tidewater for their great assistance.

Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or another charity of choice.

A graveside service was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery with Rabbi Roz Mandelberg and Cantor Jen Rueben officiating. A live stream of this service can be viewed by visiting Gerald Bazar’s obituary at altmeyerfh.com.

GLORIA MAUTNER BLUM BOCA RATON, FLA.—Gloria Mautner Blum, of Boca Raton, Fla., formerly of Norfolk, passed away on August 2, 2021.

She was born on May 31, 1938 in Brooklyn, N.Y. to Joseph and Sylvia Mautner. Gloria came to Norfolk when she was 18 years old and was one of the first Traffic Court Docket Clerks. Shortly after, she would meet the love of her life, Sheldon, on a blind date.

Gloria was a part time Special Education Teacher’s Aid, and full time mother of three. She loved traveling with Sheldon and they went all over the world throughout their 61 years of marriage. She loved to shop, spend time at the Casino, play golf, and enjoy good food with her Country Club friends, but most of all, she loved spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

She is survived by sisters, Jackie Morse and Audrey Kline; daughter, Susan Blum Geers of Boca Raton, Fla.; son, Barry Blum

44 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

of Virginia Beach; daughter Marcie Blum Doolin (Wayne) of Virginia Beach; grandchildren, Megan and Ian Geers, Samantha Doolin, and great grandchildren, Xavier and Harper, as well as many other family members.

Gloria was preceded in death by her husband, Sheldon Blum, and her parents.

A graveside funeral service was held for Gloria at Forest Lawn Cemetery. A livestream of the services is available on Altmeyer Funeral Home’s website, where online condolences may also be expressed.

The family requests memorial contributions be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.

MORTON BRESENOFF RALEIGH, N.C.—Morton Bresenoff, BBA, JD, ML&T, CPA, CFP, born January 10, 1929, left us peacefully on July 5, 2021 surrounded by his loving children.

Ever the gentleman, he grew up in Manhattan, the son of an immigrant corner grocery store owner. After earning a BBA in accounting from the City College of New York, followed by a law degree from Brooklyn Law School, he was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, serving on a destroyer based out of Norfolk, Virginia where he stayed with his wife Harriet of 69 years and raised his family. As a CPA, he joined and then owned a mid-sized CPA firm, expanding and renaming it Bresenoff and Associates. Active for many years in the Tidewater and Norfolk Jewish communities, he retired first to Florida and then to Raleigh, N.C. to be closer to his children and grandchildren.

All who met him walked away uplifted, happy, and inspired. Mort treated everyone he met with dignity, respect, and warmth and was a real mensch in the truest sense of the word and always prioritized his family first. A CPA through and through, he was organized to the end and taught his grandchildren the power of compounding!

Worldly and well-traveled, he kept up with current events, had the New York Times delivered daily, enjoyed playing pool and poker with his buddies, teaching the grandkids, and always taking great pride in the accomplishments of his extended family. Mort left this world

having lived a fulfilling and meaningful life and gifted this world with an incredible legacy.

He is survived by his wife Harriet; children Lisa (Steven) Feierstein and Marc Bresenoff; grandchildren Alison Bresenoff (fiancée Carla), Aaron (Sarah) Feierstein and Joshua (Mollie) Feierstein; and great grandsons Ethan and Theodore who will all strive to follow in his footsteps as a beacon of light and love to those around them.

BESSIE SILVER FINDER NORFOLK—Bessie Silver Finder, 99, died peacefully on July 21, 2021.

A longtime resident of Norfolk, Bessie was born in Lakewood, N.J. to the late Anna and Harry Silver. After nursing school, she joined the Army Corp of Nursing as a 2nd Lieutenant stationed at Fort Dix, N.J. It was here she met the man of her dreams, Theodor, where he was recovering from WWII injuries received overseas. They were happily married for 54 years until his death in 2000.

Bessie was the last survivor of a family with six blended children. Also preceding her death was daughter, Roberta Finder Schiff and son, David Milton Finder. She is survived by daughter, Andrea Finder Zarge and daughter-in-law, Terry Finder.

Bessie is also survived by grandchildren, Jeffrey Zarge and Roni Robinson (Blake), Kevin Finder (Tiffany) and Ryan Finder, Carrie Noriega and Stacey Thiel (John) and five great grandchildren. As well as survived by sister-in-law, Cecelia Reiss, many loving and caring nieces, nephews and friends, especially Agnes Aranyi and the Ivan Schiff family.

Bessie was an extraordinary woman, a longtime member of Temple Israel, where she was very active for many years. She worked with Jewish refugees resettling in this area. She was on the building committee for the Beth Sholom Home. For almost 20 years, Bessie was a volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House as the “Head Volunteer.”

Graveside services were held at Forest Lawn, officiated by Rabbi Michael Panitz.

Arrangements by Altmeyer Funeral Homes.

Donations may be made to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Norfolk.

OBITUARIES JANE SUSAN GLASSER FRANK NEWPORT NEWS—Jane Susan Glasser Frank, 74, passed away Thursday, July 22, 2021 with her children by her side at Riverside Regional Medical Center.

She was born in Norfolk, Va., the daughter of Rose Frances and Bernard Glasser, of blessed memory. She was the wife of 47 years and survived by Joe S. Frank, former Mayor of Newport News and their children: Shelly Ann Currin (Doug) of Newport News, Melissa “Missy” Clagg of Las Vegas, Nev., and Jason G. Frank (Jennifer) of Newport News; seven grandchildren, Justin and Jessica Currin, Brooks, Madison, and Bryce Clagg and Sydney and Carson Frank; three brothers, Stuart Glasser (Sarah), Richard Glasser of blessed memory, Michael Glasser (Lori); brother-in-law, Robert P. Frank (Leslie) and a huge family of cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Jane Susan led an exceptional life as a leader both in the Jewish community and the community at large and was widely respected, admired, and appreciated by many. She was president of Rodef Sholom Temple, the Jewish Community Center of the Virginia Peninsula, the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula, a member of the Board of Visitors at Christopher Newport University, and served on many other boards and committees too numerous to mention. Above all else, she was deeply devoted to her family and considered that one of her greatest accomplishments.

She earned a degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and loved helping people bring life into their homes and hearts through her gift for interior design and had a successful career with Virginia Commonwealth Realty for over 32 years. She loved to cook, travel (which she and Joe did frequently), never passed up dessert or a dance floor, but most of all to help others in any way she could. She never met a stranger—her warmth, kindness, compassion, and zest for life touched everyone she met in meaningful ways.

A private graveside service for family was followed by a memorial reception at Christopher Newport University Ferguson Center for the Arts. Contributions in her memory can be made to Rodef Sholom Temple, the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula, or another charity

of the donor’s choice. Arrangements by Weymouth Funeral Home.

LEONARD “LENNY” D. LEVINE VIRGINIA BEACH—Leonard “Lenny” D. Levine, Esquire, 84, passed away on Saturday, July 17, 2021.

He was born in Norfolk, Virginia to Michael and Francis (Coleman) Levine.

Leonard was pre-deceased by his parents, his beloved brother, Bobby, and his first wife of 52 years, Merle Sue (Kaplan) Levine.

He is survived by his loving wife, Lyna; devoted brother, Paul; and his sons, Steve and Mark. Lenny also fostered loving relationships with his extended family including John “Buddy” and Taryn Raschdorf, Chelsey and Brian Jude, Jake Raschdorf, and 10 grandchildren.

For over three years, Lenny, his mother, and his brother awaited his father’s return from World War II. He attended JEB Stuart School, Maury High School, and Mr. Rekonty’s Hebrew Classes, before graduating from Granby

High School in 1954. Lenny became an accomplished clarinetist and contributed to the high school sports column of The Virginian-Pilot as a teenager. His love of sports and music remained with him throughout his life.

Lenny cherished his time at the University of Virginia where he was a member of the band, tutored student athletes, and was a member of the Alpha

Epsilon Pi Fraternity. In 1958, he received a BA. Lenny went on to earn a law degree from UVA in 1962.

Lenny was already in the United States Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island upon receiving the notification he had passed the bar exam. He would go on to reach the rank of Lieutenant Commander in JAG Corp. Following his continued on page 46

Southside Chapel • 5033 Rouse Drive Virginia Beach • 757 422-4000

Chris Sisler, Vice President, Member of Ohef Sholom Temple, Board member of the Berger-Goldrich Home at Beth Sholom Village, James E. Altmeyer, Jr., President, James E. Altmeyer, Sr., Owner

Maestas Chapel • 1801 Baltic Ave. Virginia Beach • 757 428-1112

• Family owned and operated since 1917 • Affordable services to fit any budget

Chesapeake Chapel • 929 S. Battlefield Blvd.

Chesapeake • 757 482-3311

• Advance funeral planning • Professional, experienced, caring staff Denbigh Chapel • 12893 Jefferson Ave. Newport News • 757 874-4200

• Flexible burial options • Flexible payment options Approved by all area Rabbis and Chevrah Kadisha

Riverside Chapel • 7415 River Road Newport News • 757 245-1525

www.altmeyerfuneralandcremation.com jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 45

OBITUARIES continued from page 45

time in the US Navy, Lenny and his bride returned to Norfolk, residing in Norfolk and Virginia Beach for the remainder of their lives.

Leonard practiced law in Tidewater for 57 years. He was an accomplished litigator and counsel of record in multiple published cases. Lenny mentored countless attorneys, who still view him as the “gold standard” of lawyers. His practice was enhanced by his efficient and trusted legal assistant of 49 years, Marian Ballas.

Lenny was truly a sailor; he enjoyed diving and teaching diving. Some of his best memories were of sailing his own sailboat. He was talented as a painter and loved to cook. He enjoyed travel and learning cultures and languages. He took great joy in playing recreational softball as an adult with the other members of his law firm, as well as a neighborhood team.

Lenny spent a lifetime increasing his knowledge and joy of Judaism. He continued to study with his rabbi until he went away to college. He took great pleasure in learning, study, and teaching at Ohef Sholom Temple. He was on the temple board and served as the treasurer at Temple Israel, where he could always be counted on for a witty and thoughtful Davar Torah (sermon).

Lenny had extensive knowledge and interest in American history. Specifically, he enjoyed studying and sharing about the Civil War and World War II. Lenny led a full and fruitful life. He will be missed for his wit and his wisdom.

He was blessed to have 84 years. He will be missed for his knowledge and his charm. He blessed those in his life. He will be remembered for his integrity and his loyalty, and he was blessed by those that he loved. He will be remembered for his fairness and his faithfulness. He was a man with the heart of a lion. He will be ever appreciated for his intelligence and his artistic prowess.

A funeral service was held at the Norfolk Chapel of H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts., with Rabbi Michael Panitz officiating. Interment followed at Forest Lawn Cemetery. Memorial contributions in Lenny’s name may be made to a favorite charity. Online condolences may be made to the family at hdoliver.com.

JACKIE MASON WAS A JEWISH AMERICAN COMEDY ICON Philissa Cramer

(JTA)—Jackie Mason, who died Saturday, July 24 at 93, didn’t always set out to be a comedian. In fact, it wasn’t until he was 30 that he left behind the Orthodox rabbinate for irreverent open-mic nights.

Mason, born Yacov Moshe Maza to Orthodox parents, was one of the last survivors of the Borscht Belt comedy circuit that propelled a host of Jewish funnymen, including Jerry Stiller and Rodney Dangerfield, from the Catskills resorts that catered to Jewish vacationers into the American popular imagination.

His comedy, delivered in a distinctive cadence inflected with the Yiddish of his childhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, offered a window into the American Jewish psyche for non-Jews and, for Jews, held up a mirror that reflected their complicated relationship with their Americanness.

“The only persecution that I ever suffered from in my career was from Jews that are embarrassed that I am so Jewish,” he said in one routine in which he lamented that American Jews say they are proud to be Jewish but also change their names and noses to obscure their Jewishness.

Mason was a complicated figure. Many of his jokes treated women crudely, and he characterized himself as a womanizer; he refused to acknowledge a child born from one of his relationships. He also spoke derogatorily on multiple occasions over the years about Black politicians, including by using a Yiddish epithet to describe President Barack Obama in 2009. “I’m an old Jew. I was raised in a Jewish family” where that epithet was used, he said in his defense at the time. For many years, he supported Meir Kahane, who as the founder of the Jewish Defense League, organized violent efforts to combat antisemitism and lobbied to expel Arabs from Israel.

Mason also supported Donald Trump during his first presidential run.

Here are four examples that showcase Mason’s wit turned on his own people.

Mocking American Jews to Israelis In a performance in Israel, Mason makes fun of American Jews who he says desperately seek to assimilate despite proclaiming

46 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

pride in their heritage. “Jews in the United States move into neighborhoods where there are no Jews allowed,” he jokes.

“There’s nothing but Jews there. Each one thinks he’s the only one.”

Jews at restaurants The joke about Jewish diners complaining about the food and portion sizes wasn’t Mason’s, but it might as well have been. In this skit, he characterizes Jewish diners as domineering and picky, contrasting them with non-Jews who he said accepted whatever seats and food they were given.

The World According to Me One of Mason’s most memorable acts was a standup routine based on his own life called “The World According to Me.” Within the first minute, he references his Jewishness. “It disturbs a lot of people,” he said. “A lot of people say, who is a Jew to be making such a comfortable living?”

Rabbi Krustofski on The Simpsons Mason was a regular on The Simpsons as the voice of Rabbi Krustofski, Krusty the Klown’s father. In one scene, he voices the character telling his son that comedy is an inappropriate career for someone in an observant Jewish community who comes from a distinguished line of rabbis—someone much like Mason himself.

RABBI RICHARD HIRSCH, EULOGIZED MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND HELPED GUIDE THE REFORM MOVEMENT TO ZIONISM Rabbi Richard Hirsch spent the 1960s bringing Jews and Blacks closer in advancing civil rights in the United States. He spent the rest of his life bringing Reform Jews closer to Israel in advancing Zionism.

Hirsch died Monday, August 16 in Boca Raton, Florida, his family said. He was 95.

The Cleveland native became the first director of the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center, serving from 1962 to 1973. Under Hirsch, the center became a lobbying powerhouse in Washington, D.C. Its Dupont Circle office became a locus for civil rights organizing: The 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act were drafted in large part in its conference room. Hirsch personally lobbied President Lyndon Baines Johnson on voting rights.

Hirsch was close to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and delivered the Jewish portion of the assassinated civil rights leader’s eulogy in 1968.

At the RAC, Hirsch was an outspokenly pro-Israel Reform rabbi—a relative rarity in the movement before 1967. He was close to the Israeli Embassy and to AIPAC, the prominent Israel lobbying group.

In 1973, Hirsch assumed the leadership of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, where one of his first acts was to move its offices to Jerusalem from London.

The Reform movement dubbed the move “Reform Judaism’s most significant decision of the 20th century.”

He became the leading advocate for Reform Zionism, affiliating the movement with the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency. During his more than 25 years at the World Union for Progressive Judaism, he helped found ARZA, the Reform movement’s Zionist affiliate (his son Ammiel, also a rabbi, led ARZA from 1992 to 2004), and spurred the founding of two kibbutzes in Israel. In 2010 he was the first Reform rabbi to light the torch during Israel Independence Day celebrations. His 2011 memoir was titled, For the Sake of Zion.

Yet Hirsch, a dual U.S. and Israeli citizen, remained an advocate of a Diaspora Jewish voice in Israeli policies, particularly as the policies impinged on the rights of non-Orthodox Jews.

“If Diaspora Jews have the right to speak out in internal policies affecting the fate of Argentinian Jews and Soviet Jews, do they not have the right to speak on issues affecting the Jews of the Jewish state?” he said at a Reform conference in 1983.

Hirsch’s wife, Bella, a Russian speaker who helped him establish a Reform presence in the former Soviet Union, died in 2019. His children—a daughter and three sons, including Ammiel, now the senior rabbi at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York—say they plan to bury their parents in Israel once the pandemic abates.

“For the past few years, our parents resided in Florida, so that they would be closer to us,” they said. “It was a form of exile for our father.”

His children alluded to the great 12th-century Jewish thinker and poet Judah Halevi: “While he lived in the West, his heart remained in the East.” (JTA)

jewishnewsva.org | August 23, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 47

ALDO’S RISTORANTE

FIRST CAROLINA BANK

NOTHING BUNDT CAKES

NORTHERN ITALIAN CUISINE

FINANCIAL SERVICES

SPECIALTY CAKES

757.491.1111

OPEN NOW! 757.447.9002

757.395.4021

ANTHONY VINCE’ NAIL SPA FULL SERVICE NAIL SPA

757.226.0900

KAADO MD

A LILLY PULITZER® SIGNATURE STORE

AESTHETICS & ANTI-AGING

757.437.7256

757.788.4508

AVA MARIE SALON AND SPA FULL SERVICE SALON

757.962.0199

CRYOGENIC HEALTH & WELLNESS

CLASSIC MEN’S CLOTHING

757.769.7514

CALICO CORNERS 757.463.1401 CHICO’S WOMEN’S FASHION

757.417.0744 CLUB PILATES FITNESS STUDIO

757.819.4001

RESTORE CRYOTHERAPY

JOS A. BANK 757.425.0071

FABRIC, WINDOW TREATMENTS, FURNITURE

OCEAN PALM

MASSAGELUXE

SAVARNAS

QUALITY LUXURY MASSAGE

THREADING, SKINCARE & HENNA

757.422.LUXE

757.446.0101

MIZUNO

TALBOTS

SUSHI AND MORE

CLASSIC • PETITES • WOMAN

757.422.1200

757.428.4442

Happy

Rosh ashnah H

WILLIAMSBURG WINERY WINE BAR

757.937.6801

1860 LASKIN ROAD • VIRGINIA BEACH WWW.LAPROMENADESHOPPES.COM STORE HOURS: MONDAY-SATURDAY 10 AM TO 6 PM. SOME STORES ARE OPEN LATER AND ON SUNDAY! FOR LEASING INFORMATION: 757.422.8839

48 | JEWISH NEWS | August 23, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org