December 4 Jewish News by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

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Southeastern Virginia | Vol. 56 No. 7 | 16 Kislev 5778 | December 4, 2017

Happy Hanukkah Chanukah Hannukah Hanukah Chanukka Hanukka

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17 Latke Palooza Wednesday, Dec. 13

29 TJFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Veteranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day ceremony

However you spell it, we wish you the best TJ F : E n d o f Y e a r G i v i n g 3 8

i fam

Happy Hanukkah

30 Tidewater Women celebrate community

33 JDC photograhy exhibit Leon Family Gallery

Supplement to Jewish News December 4, 2017

hen Yun’s unique artistic vision expands theatrical experience into a multi-dimensional, inspiring journey through one of humanity’s greatest treasures—the five millennia of traditional Chinese culture. This epic production immerses you in stories reaching back to “I’ve reviewed about 4,000

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“Everything was larger than life. It’s one of the happiest evenings of my life. All my cares just disappeared, and I became one hundred percent positive thinking. ” —Nancy Brock, former actress, associate producer

Tickets: ShenYun.com/Norfolk 888.90.SHOWS (74697) Prices: $80-$150

LETTER

Jewish news jewishnewsva.org Published 21 times a year by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

s we approach the festival of lights, the board of directors and staff of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, wish you and your family a Happy Hanukkah filled with health, joy, and peace!

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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 Sandy Goldberg, Account Executive Heather Sterling, Account Executive Marilyn Cerase, Subscription Manager Reba Karp, Editor Emeritus United Jewish Federation of Tidewater John Strelitz, President Alvin Wall, Treasurer Stephanie Calliott, Secretary Harry Graber, Executive Vice-President www.jewishVA.org

John Strelitz President

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. © 2017 Jewish News. All rights reserved. Subscription: $18 per year

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Upcoming Deadlines for Editorial and Advertising Issue Date Topic Deadline Dec. 18 Education Dec. 1 Jan. 22, 2018 Investments Jan. 5, 2018 Feb. 5 Mazel Tov/Food Jan. 19 Feb. 19 Retirement Feb. 5 March 5 Passover Feb. 16 March 26 Camp March 9

Hanukkah begins Tuesday night, Dec. 12 and continues through Wednesday, Dec. 20.

Contents

Quotable

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

Special Hanukkah section. . . . . . . . . . . 13

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

Hanukkah Happenings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Torah Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

TJF honors Veterans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Hal Sacks Jewish News Archives. . . . . . . 6

Tidewater women celebrate community and leadership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Israeli universities ranked among top. . . 7

Candle lighting Friday, December 8/20 Kislev Light candles at 4:30 pm Friday, December 15/27 Kislev Light candles at 4:32 pm

“I know just how your parents feel!”

Friday, December 22/4 Tevet Light candles at 4:35 pm

Trump Administration and PLO’s U.S. Office. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

What’s Happening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Trump mulling embassy move. . . . . . . 10

Who Knew?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Kushner’s contacts with Israeli officials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Friday, January 5/18 Tevet Light candles at 4:45 pm

TJF: End of year giving opportunities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Friday, January 2/25 Tevet Light candles at 4:51 pm

Society of Professionals hears from entrepreneurs. . . . . . . . . . 12

Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

—page 31

Friday, December 29/11 Tevet Light candles at 4:39 pm

jewishnewsva.org | December 4, 2017 | Jewish News | 3

Briefs Natalie Portman says she has ‘100 stories’ of discrimination or harassment Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman said she has had “discrimination or harassment on almost everything I’ve ever worked on in some way.” Portman was asked about the many sexual harassment and abuse allegations coming out of Hollywood during a talk last month at Vulture Festival L.A. “When I heard everything coming out, I was like, wow, I’m so lucky that I haven’t had this. And then, on reflection, I was like, OK, definitely never been assaulted, definitely not, but I’ve had discrimination or harassment on almost everything I’ve ever worked on in some way,” she said. “I went from thinking I don’t have a story to thinking, oh wait, I have 100 stories. And I think a lot of people are having these reckonings with themselves, of things that we just took for granted as like, this is part of the process.” Portman, 36, said a producer invited her to fly with him and his company on a private plane to a place she was also going. She described the scene: “I showed up and it was just the two of us, and one bed was made on the plane. Nothing happened, I was not assaulted. I said, ‘This doesn’t make me feel comfortable,’ and that was respected. But that was super not OK, you know? That was really unacceptable and manipulative and could have been—I was scared, you know?” The Israel-born actress said that when she was younger, she turned down work that would lead to her objectification, including kissing and sexual scenes. She said she was scared off by the reviews of her first roles, which called her a Lolita and other similar designations. Portman noted the general lack of women on sets, which creates a feeling of isolation and prevents women from discussing among themselves, and speaking out against sexual harassment and assault that may take place there. Last month, Portman was named the winner of the 2018 Genesis Prize, the so-called Jewish Nobel, and said the $1 million prize will go to programs that

focus on advancing women’s equality. The money will be used for grants to organizations involved in promoting women’s educational opportunities, economic advancement, health and safety, and full participation in policy formulation and political activity. A significant portion of the funds will go to programs advancing women’s equality in Israel, according to the Genesis Foundation. (JTA)

Facebook still lets housing ads discriminate against Jews and other minorities A year after Facebook vowed to stamp out discriminatory advertising, landlords can still exclude specific races, minorities and other categories of people from seeing rental ads on the social media site. ProPublica bought dozens of rental housing ads last month and had no issue filtering out Jews, African-Americans, Spanish speakers, and many more groups from viewing them, the news site reported Tuesday, Nov. 21. One ad excluded Facebook users with “interests” such as “Judaism,” “Hasidic Judaism,” “Orthodox Judaism” and “Reform Judaism.” “This was a failure in our enforcement and we’re disappointed that we fell short of our commitments,” Ami Vora, Facebook’s vice president of product management, said in a statement to ProPublica. “The rental housing ads purchased by ProPublica should have, but did not trigger the extra review and certifications we put in place due to a technical failure.” Under the Fair Housing Act, it is illegal to publish housing advertisements that indicate “any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.” In September, ProPublica reported that Facebook’s ad buyers could reach “Jew haters” and other anti-Semitic categories of people. Facebook said it would hire thousands of more employees to improve its anti-discrimination monitoring. (JTA)

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Uber in Israel ordered to shut down ride-sharing service Uber must halt its ride-sharing service in Israel, a Tel Aviv judge ordered. The ruling gave the UberDay and UberNight service two days to shut down because the drivers were not insured properly. The drivers are not licensed to drive a taxi. The Uber taxi service, which is properly licensed and insured in Israel, can continue to operate, however. Israeli cab drivers had sued Uber, as did Gett, a taxi service previously known as GetTaxi. Uber has operated in Israel for about a year. It is available in about 600 cities worldwide. In another case against Uber in Israel, the Transportation Ministry has sued the company for charging to take passengers without a taxi license. (JTA) Chabad sued for allegedly infiltrating Conservative synagogue Congregants at a Conservative synagogue in suburban Boston are suing the local Chabad, alleging that its members infiltrated their leadership in a bid to take control of the synagogue and its assets. The case filed by members of Temple Adath Sharon in Sharon, Mass., will be heard in Norfolk County Superior Court, the Jewish Advocate weekly in Boston reported. The lawsuit, which was filed in November 2015, accuses Chabad of Sharon of “encouraging its members” and “actively participating” to “take over Adath Sharon’s board and to transfer Adath Sharon’s assets to Chabad,” according to the Advocate. The plaintiffs claim the local Chabad “is experiencing serious financial troubles and seeks to convert Adath Sharon’s assets to rectify its financial situation.” Chabad of Sharon has denied the allegations, the Advocate reported. According to the lawsuit, nine of the Conservative synagogue’s board members and officials were elected illegitimately at an April 2015 membership meeting. The plaintiffs say the members are affiliated

with Chabad and “ran for office for the purpose of depriving Adath Sharon’s true members of their voting rights and transferring control and the assets of Adath Sharon to Chabad.” They also claim the meeting was not properly announced to the membership and proxy voting was not made available to all the members. Among the officers the lawsuit says are illegitimate are Chabad Rabbi Chaim Wolosow, who was elected vice president; his daughter, Chana Minkowitz, who was elected secretary and treasurer; and his son-in-law, Rabbi Naftoli Minkowitz, who was elected president. Wolosow resigned as head of the congregation after the lawsuit was filed. The lawsuit also says that Dr. Jordan Leff was elected illegitimately as Adath Sharon president in 2008, and that in a November 2014 membership meeting, he and another synagogue officer “announced that the purported board of directors had voted to donate Adath Sharon, its building and all of its assets to Chabad.” The plaintiffs value the synagogue building at $1 million. They are asking the court to order a membership meeting and the repayment of their legal fees by Chabad, and to prevent the defendants from giving away Adath Sharon’s assets. (JTA)

Woman who broke into B’nai Israel turns herself in A woman captured on surveillance cameras after breaking in to B’nai Israel Congregation, an Orthodox synagogue in Norfolk, turned herself in. Morghan Rogers, 29, was charged with one count of larceny and one count of trespassing, according to local reports. Rogers and an unidentified man last month spent two hours inside B’Nai Israel wandering through its halls, drinking and smoking, and vandalizing the inside of the building. They reportedly entered the synagogue through an unlocked front door at 10:45 pm on November 14. The man has not been identified, though police told local media that Norfolk detectives are working on charging him. (JTA)

Torah Thought

How much God do we need?

very Jewish child grows up hearing, at Hanukkah time, the story of “the miracle of the oil,” how one day’s supply of consecrated oil lasted eight days as the Temple was rededicated. It’s explained as the reason Hanukkah lasts eight days and why we eat foods fried in oil during the holiday. But is the story an unnecessary overlay? Hanukkah, the only widely known Jewish holiday that is rooted in antiquity, but not associated with specific instructions or a backstory found in the Hebrew Bible, is based on the victory of the Hasmoneans (Maccabees), a tribe of Jewish guerrilla fighters, over the much larger Syrian-Greek forces of King Antiochus IV. The story is recounted in the post-biblical Books of Maccabees, part of the Apocrypha. The Greek king was trying to stamp out Judaism as a faith by desecrating its holy places and outlawing its customs and rituals, but the forces led by Judas Maccabaeus prevailed. God is not absent as an actor in the story of the Maccabees (as God largely is in the biblical Book of Ruth and completely in the Book of Esther); God is credited with helping bring the Maccabees to victory and with punishing Antiochus and other enemies of the Jews. But God plays a supervisory role, not an active one, in the cleanup of the Temple and the subsequent celebration, which in Second Maccabees lasts eight days as an homage to the holiday of Sukkot (II Maccabees 10:6). First and Second Maccabees portray God as very much an ish milchamah, the “man of war” extolled in the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:3). But God as warrior and avenger wasn’t enough for the sages of the early Common

Era. They needed God’s role in Hanukkah to contain a more mythological and spiritual (not to mention nonlethal) element, so they came up with the miracle of the oil, describing, in Talmud Shabbat 21b, the little cruse of sanctified olive oil that kept the Temple’s menorah lighted for eight days instead of one, until the Jews could make more pure oil and have it blessed. Had it not been for this bit of Godly magic, recorded around the fifth century C.E., we’d be waving palm fronds at Hanukkah instead of eating latkes and jelly doughnuts. Why did the rabbis need to add an extra supernatural aspect to a story that already contained plenty of homage to God? I’m not a big fan of the Hasmoneans: They were zealots for whom there was only one way to be Jewish, and Jews who didn’t follow their ways were subject to their violence, plus they were later responsible for the one episode of a people’s forced conversion to Judaism. But they did save the Jewish faith in their part of the world (today’s Israel), and the God they revered was the God they needed—a virtual general who gave the Jewish fighters and their leaders the will and strength to vanquish a powerful and dangerous enemy. Wasn’t that miracle enough? I like latkes as much as the next person, but sometimes I think we do ourselves and our kids a disservice by lubricating the Hanukkah story with olive oil. Maybe the rabbis didn’t want a repeat of Purim, which celebrates a story in which God has no role at all and Jews go out and slaughter thousands of Persians without need or reason. But by making the miracle the focal point of the Hanukkah celebration, we detract from two important aspects of the tale: that God’s presence was on the scene anyway, and that it was human effort that restored the Temple and the surrounding area to a state of fitness for praise of God. By emphasizing the partnership between God and human beings, we can bring an extra level of joy to the Festival of Lights. —Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill, Tidewater Chavurah

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from the hal Sacks Jewish News Archives

December 12, 1997 David Brand, president of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, is pleased to announce that motion picture and television actor Henry Winkler will be the featured performer at this year’s UJFT Community Gala, which will be held at the Omni Hotel.

December 4, 1987 The Center Theater is alive with the sounds of Jewish history as rehearsal continues for Jubilation 50, an original musical celebrating the past 50 years of the Jewish Community United. Borrowing music from well-known Broadway shows, the show used original lyrics to tell the story of Jewish life in Tidewater during the last half century. Forty-five Jewish performers make up the cast. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens and students.

November 4, 1977 Four hundred adults attended the L’Chaim screening program. Co-chairwomen Ann Copeland and Nancy Peck advised that many individuals who visited will be followed up by their physicians for questions that were raised by the tests administered during the screening. Under the medical direction of Dr. Alan Bartel, the L’Chaim program administered bicycle tests, skin, blood pressure, diabetes, blood tests, and reviewed family history.

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November 1, 1967 The United Jewish Federation will be the new name of the Jewish Community Council, as the result of action by the board of directors.

November 1, 1957 The long awaited construction of the Kempsville Recreation program is now under way with the digging of the swimming pools, which will form the major part of the Kempsville Recreation Area facilities available for use in the Summer of 1958. In addition to the major pool, the Kempsville Recreation Area will have the largest junior pool in the Virginia.

December 1, 1947 After many years of trial and tribulation, Norfolk is about to have a Kashruth program. Working through the Public Relations Bureau of the Norfolk Jewish Community Council, several young men were instrumental in bringing about certain changes which will provide a Kashruth program which is thoroughly observant of the religious laws, follows the prescribed ethical laws, meets the legal requirements of the governmental agencies, and is self-supporting, without placing a heavy burden on the consumer.

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ISRAEL

Three Israeli universities ranked among world’s top 100 most innovative

hree Israeli universities were ranked in the top 100 most innovative universities in the world on an annual list by Reuters. The Hebrew University was 82nd, climbing 12 spots from last year. Tel Aviv University was ranked 88 and The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology

was 89. The Reuters analysis identifies the educational institutions doing the most to advance science, invent new technologies, and power new markets and industries. The ranking is based on a number of indicators, including patent filings and research paper citations.

Reuters cited The Hebrew University’s technology transfer company, Yissum Research Development Company, as bringing students’ and researchers’ technologies and discoveries to market, with 10,000 registered patents covering 2,800 inventions, more than 900 licensed technologies, and the launch of 125 startups.

Stanford was ranked first for the third consecutive year, followed by MIT and Harvard. Overall, the top 100 consists of 51 universities based in North America, 26 in Europe, 20 in Asia and the three in Israel — the only schools ranked from the Middle East. (JTA)

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jewishnewsva.org | December 4, 2017 | Jewish News | 7

Nation

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great arts performances. Before he died in 2007, Bill arranged for a Hampton Roads Community Foundation bequest to provide grants for performing arts and medicine in Hampton Roads. Goldback grants have helped the Virginia Symphony, The Hurrah Players, The Free Foundation and St. Mary’s Home do excellent work. Thanks to Bill’s generosity he will forever help people in his home region. Connect your passions to the future by ordering a free bequest guide. Learn how easy it is to leave a gift for charity.

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The Trump administration says it wants to shut down the PLO mission. Now what? Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON ( JTA)—In 1987, Congress passed legislation that declared there would never be an office of the Palestine Liberation Organization on U.S. soil. President Ronald Reagan agreed and signed the law. Seven years later the law was still on the books. But that year the PLO opened an office in Washington—with the blessing of Congress and President Bill Clinton. Since then, a PLO office has remained in the U.S. capital, navigating a persistent anomaly: The 1987 law officially bans the existence of a PLO office, but it remains open as long as the Palestinians abide by certain conditions. Now, however, the PLO may have violated some of those conditions—consequently, its D.C. office may close. Friday, Nov. 17, the Trump administration announced that the PLO cannot operate a Washington office because it tried to get the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israelis for crimes against Palestinians. Confused? You’re not alone. Here’s an explanation of the law and what’s happening. The law is clear, but Congress has been lenient. The Foundation for Middle East Peace has posted a timeline of the relevant laws. Most saliently, the ‘87 legislation renders it “unlawful” to establish an office with funds provided by the PLO or any of its constituent groups. Reagan, like many presidents before and since, did not love the infringement on his executive privilege of making foreign policy. But in his signing statement, he said the PLO was not a suitable negotiating partner. “I have no intention of establishing diplomatic relations with the PLO,” Reagan said, so he signed the law. Within a year or so, however, Reagan recognized the PLO as a suitable negotiating partner—conveniently in the lame

8 | Jewish News | December 4, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

duck period following the election of his vice president, George H. W. Bush, as president. That recognition, although rescinded by Bush within months, was one of the predicates for the Madrid peace process launched by Bush in 1991. Those talks led to the 1993 Oslo accords between the PLO and Israel, which led to the opening in 1994 of the office. Congress, in a series of laws starting in 1993, granted exemptions to its ban on a PLO office. It gave two reasons: sustaining the peace process and, later, reserving a matter of U.S. national security. Congress cracked down after the PLO sought unilateral statehood. Congress retaliated following efforts by the PLO to obtain statehood recognition outside the parameters of an agreement with Israel. Those applications followed the collapse of the Oslo process and then the 2007–08 Annapolis talks. There’s a tit-for-tat dynamic to the events: Palestine obtained UNESCO recognition in 2011; Congress passed a law the same year saying that any subsequent entry into a U.N. body would mean shuttering the office. Palestine obtained recognition in the International Criminal Court in 2015—the ICC is not a U.N. body, PLO officials noted. So, the same year, Congress passed a measure saying the office can stay open if the Palestinians did not advance actions against Israel at the court. The office seems to be open— for now. According to the letter of the 2015 law, the office should not stay open if the law has indeed been violated (more on that in a moment). The office must immediately shut down and not reopen for at least 90 days—and then only if the president certifies to Congress that “the Palestinians have entered into direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel.” The office’s top officials are not answering emails or returning calls, but it’s not

closed—a receptionist took a request for an interview. So let’s call the State Department, which initiated the process. “We are working through the modalities of the closure process,” a State Department spokeswoman told JTA in an email after a reporter tried to speak with a human. What modalities? What are modalities? What process? Does the process start with the closure of the office or end with it? Welcome to Washington-speak. Are government officials meeting with the PLO representative, Husam Zomlot? “We have nothing to announce regarding meetings at this time,” the spokeswoman said. Saeb Erekat, a top Palestinian negotiator who is in the Washington area recovering from a lung transplant, says in a video that the ICC was the trigger for the closure announcement. Except the most critical Palestinian actions regarding the court—joining and requesting an inquiry into alleged Israeli crimes—took place before the relevant law was passed. Much blame or credit is going around, depending on your perspective. It’s Mahmoud Abbas’ doing. This is what the Palestinian Authority president and PLO chairman said in September at the U.N. General Assembly: “We have called on the International Criminal Court to open an investigation and to prosecute Israeli officials for their involvement in settlement activities and aggressions against our people, and we will continue to pursue our accessions to international conventions, protocols and organizations.” The 2015 law says “any action with respect to the ICC that is intended to influence a determination by the ICC to initiate a judicially authorized investigation, or to actively support such an investigation, that subjects Israeli nationals to an investigation for alleged crimes against Palestinians” would trigger closing the office. Was the Abbas speech an “action” that

Nation was “intended to influence” the court? Or was he describing actions the Palestinians had already taken before the law was passed? It’s Ron Dermer’s doing. Palestinian officials told the Al-Monitor news site that Israel’s ambassador to the United States, who has close relations with the Trump administration, has been behind the effort. “This is the pressure being exerted on this [administration] by the Netanyahu government at a time when we are trying to cooperate to achieve the ‘ultimate deal,’” Erekat says, using the term President Donald Trump has used to describe a Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Israelis are not taking credit, although they seem pleased. “This is about an American law,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office told Ynet. “We appreciate the decision and expect to continue our work with the United States advancing peace and security in the region.” It’s the White House’s doing. Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and top adviser on the Middle East, and Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s top envoy to the talks, want to jump-start the peace process, according to this theory. The Palestinians will have to commit to peace talks with Israel, so goes this theory, if they want to get back their Washington office. “It sure looks like this is being used as a tactic to force [the Palestinians] to the negotiating table on terms determined by the United States, Saudis and Israelis,” says Lara Friedman, the president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace. The problems with this theory: The action was initiated by the State Department and it’s not clear whether Greenblatt and Kushner were in the loop. Plus, the two—especially Greenblatt— have gone out of their way to cultivate the Palestinian Authority leadership, hoping to reinstall it in the Gaza Strip, where the Hamas terrorist group currently runs things. Kushner and Greenblatt made a well-publicized visit to Erekat’s bedside just weeks ago. Why undercut the Palestinians now?

It’s Rex Tillerson’s doing. He is the secretary of state, after all, albeit one accruing a reputation for ineffectualness. But he’s as invested as Kushner in cultivating good will in the region. What would Tillerson’s game be here? It’s Obama’s doing. President Barack Obama could have shut down the PLO office when Erekat repeatedly urged an ICC investigation of alleged Israeli war crimes during the 2014 Gaza War. Instead, Obama punted to the next administration. “This is the first time the Palestinians have made such a move with the Trump administration in charge,” says Jonathan Schanzer, the vice president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “And it looks like they’re applying the law instead of punting on it.” What happens to the peace process? What peace process? Schanzer says any process was all but moribund anyway. “What I question right now is whether the PLO is engaging in any serious negotiations thereby necessitating a presence in Washington,” he says. “The PLO embassy has served to engage in a public relations effort that primarily demonizes the Israelis and shirks diplomatic efforts.” Trump administration officials have been leaking like sieves about plans to relaunch the peace process as soon as next year. The Palestinians until now have been game—Zomlot, the PLO envoy to Washington, has been effusive in his outreach to Jewish groups, the media and American politicians about Trump’s “ultimate deal.” They have put on hold bids to join international agencies. Nuh-uh, the Palestinians now say. Closing the office “is unprecedented in the history of U.S.-Palestinian relations, which could have serious consequences on the peace process and U.S.-Arab relations, as well as serves as a blow to peacemaking efforts,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh, Abbas’ spokesman, says. When will we know for sure? The PLO office is hosting a Christmas party this month. Does anyone show up? Stay tuned.

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Nation Mike Pence: Trump mulling ‘when and how’ to make embassy move WASHINGTON (JTA)—President Donald Trump continues to consider “when and how” to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, Vice President Mike Pence said. “President Donald Trump is actively considering when and how to move the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” Pence said Tuesday, Nov. 28 at an event in New York organized by the Israeli mission to the United Nations in partnership with the World Jewish Congress marking the 70th anniversary of the U.N. General Assembly vote to recognize Israel on Nov. 29, 1947. Pence’s pledge came days before the Dec. 1 deadline for Trump to decide whether to waive a 1995 law mandating moving the embassy to Jerusalem. Every president since the law was passed, including Trump, has exercised the national security waiver, an action that must be taken every six months. Trump campaigned on a promise to move the embassy, but has walked back from the pledge as president. A number of other presidents similarly campaigned on a promise to move the embassy but reneged in office. Pence drew implicit contrasts with the Obama administration, which had tense relations with Israeli Prime Minister

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Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and in its final days allowed through a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement policies. “With the leadership of our president and the efforts of our ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, the days of Israel bashing at the United Nations are over,” he said. Pence referred also to Trump’s decision to attempt redefining the terms of the Iran nuclear deal, which swaps sanctions relief for a rollback in Iran’s nuclear program. “We will no longer tolerate Iran’s support for terrorism across the region and across the entire world,” he said. Under Trump, the vice president said, “the United States of America will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.” President Barack Obama similarly pledged to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon on his watch and argued that the deal was the best means to do so. Obama’s envoys to the United Nations also worked closely with their Israeli counterparts to push back against anti-Israel initiatives. Pence said there was “valuable progress” in efforts led by Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace.

French Holocaust survivor donates $1 million to help US veterans

French Holocaust survivor has donated $1 million for relief programs for U.S. veterans to thank American troops for saving his life during World War II. Bernard Darty, 83, announced that he would donate the money to the Wounded Warrior Project and the Services for Armed Forces program of the American Red Cross to help the vets, especially those affected by the recent devastating hurricanes that hit the United States. Darty’s family moved from Poland to France in 1939 to escape the Nazis. In

1942 his father went into hiding, but his mother was arrested during a roundup of Jews and sent to Auschwitz, where she died. For the next two years he was hidden by families living on the outskirts of Paris, as were his siblings and his future wife, Paulette. “I vividly remember the arrival of the hundreds of thousands of American troops who landed in Normandy to liberate us in June 1944,” Darty wrote in a personal essay published on the Fox News website announcing his donations. “They were our saviors, doling out packets of

Nation sweets to half-starved, war-weary children who had almost given up hope for freedom. “The gratitude I feel to these men is beyond words. They freed our country and they saved our lives. Without American troops, my family and I simply would not have existed. I think of that every time I look at our family photos.” Darty is a co-founder of the Darty Group, an electrical retailer operating more than 340 stores in several European countries and in the United States. He is retired and lives in Paris, but winters in Miami Beach, Florida. Darty acknowledged that his gift comes more than 70 years since he was

rescued. “It’s not too late to give back. That’s a lesson I hope the next generation recognizes, because it’s all too easy to let procrastination give way to inaction. But action is what brings hope to those who need it,” he wrote. “A I watched news stories this fall of hurricanes, flooding and wildfires striking America, inflicting suffering among civilians and veterans alike, I realized that I still had an important task left to complete in my life. I had not yet given back to the American soldiers who saved my life nearly three-quarters of a century ago.” (JTA)

Investigators probing Kushner’s contacts with Israeli officials over bid to stop UN anti-settlement vote

.S. special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators are questioning Jared Kushner’s contacts with Israeli officials during the presidential transition over a United Nations resolution that condemned Israeli settlement construction. The investigators have asked witnesses about the involvement of Kushner, a senior White House adviser and the Jewish sonin-law of President Donald Trump, in discussions with foreign leaders in an attempt to block the UN Security Council resolution which passed 14–0 on Dec. 23, 2016, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Obama administration angered many in the pro-Israel camp by withholding its veto and abstaining from voting on the resolution, which called Israeli settlements “a flagrant violation of international law” that damage the prospects of a two-state solution to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. The questions have come as part of Mueller’s probe of Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. Israeli officials had asked the incoming Trump administration to intervene to help block the Security Council’s late December vote, according to the Wall

Street Journal. Trump discussed the resolution in a phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, whose government had drafted a version of the resolution, according to the Journal. Following the conversation, Egypt called for the vote to be delayed, but the resolution passed a day later. Israeli officials reached out to Trump transition leaders such as Kushner, as well as chief strategist Steve Bannon, to stop the resolution, the Journal reported, citing unnamed people briefed on the discussions. The sources said that Mueller’s investigators have asked about Kushner’s role in arranging meetings or communication with foreign leaders during the transition, part of his broad mandate to examine issues that come up during the Russia investigation, according to the Journal. Kushner is being investigated for omitting foreign contacts from his application to obtain a security clearance. He has since updated the form to include more than 100 contacts with more than 20 countries, according to the newspaper, and has not yet received his security clearance. (JTA)

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ocal Jewish entrepreneurs participated on a panel, Conversations: Perspectives on Leadership, Success and Community, on Wednesday, Nov. 8, for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Society of Professionals. The gathering, sponsored by Insco Insurance and moderated by Danny Rubin, featured Nathan Drory, president of Charles Barker Automotive; Dr. Holly Puritz, OB/GYN and president of The Group for Women; and Jeffrey Saunders, CEO of Coppermine Bakery. From humble beginnings, Nathan Drory moved to Tidewater from Israel as a teen, became a landscaper and then a delivery driver for a pet supply firm before joining Charles Barker Automotive in its early days. Thirty-five years later, as co-owner of the automotive group with more than 450 employees, Drory meets with a multitude of employees daily—sometimes for coffee or passing conversation—all while letting them know, he too, has the same work goals in mind. He says he believes that maintaining positive morale, while providing excellent customer service is key to running a successful business. Holly Puritz MD, grew up in New Jersey and made her way to Norfolk to complete a medical residency at EVMS before joining a once all-male OB/GYN practice at The Group for Women. She has served as the firm’s practice leader and president for 10 years. In addition to her administrative responsibilities, Puritz maintains a rigorous schedule seeing between 30 and 35 patients each day and continues to deliver babies. She often tells her daughter that one can’t say no to everything. As a business leader, she says it is important to see opportunity in crisis to transform challenges into successes. Jeff Saunders, who at 19 was an intern at NBC radio in NYC and eventually worked for former communications firm

Jason Ohana, Robert Bloch, and Rabbi Yisroel Stein.

MCI, was slated for a promotion when he got the call from his father to help in the family-owned Dunkin Donuts (DD) business. After a year in the business, Saunders realized the potential to reverse an 80% donut to 20% coffee revenue because there was significantly more revenue in coffee. He also convinced DD executives to test market a variety of food products. Soon with a first child on the way, he traded the baker’s schedule and sold out of the franchise before establishing Coppermine Bakery. Through acquisitions, he now has 1,100 employees with sites in seven states, which supply sweet goods to Starbucks, Wegmans, Holiday Inn Express, 4,500 7-11 stores, and others. Saunders says he believes the janitor is as important in senior level employees. Each comes with their own set of responsibilities to make his company successful. Drory credits his successes with having a reputation of doing things the right way. In fact, his company’s expansion has been driven by dealerships who have come to Charles Barker to be acquired. Drory says, “We don’t seek them out. Owners of other dealerships know our reputation for doing business, while honoring their brand and treating employees well.” Puritz finds a way to say yes. “’Yes requires action and engagement, but becomes easier with time, especially if you are a can-do individual with a reputation for making things happen. The more you say yes to, the more you learn.”

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Hanukkah 5778 begins on the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 12

Answering some oft-asked Hanukkah questions MJL Staff

(My Jewish Learning via JTA)—How do you pronounce Hanukkah? Is there a correct spelling for the holiday? Why does Hanukkah last eight days? These are just some of the frequently asked questions about the Festival of Lights. Here are the answers to those and many more. How do you pronounce Hanukkah? English speakers generally pronounce it HAH-nuh-kuh. However, some people prefer the Israeli pronunciation, which is khah-new-KAH. Is there a correct way to spell Hanukkah? Hanukkah is a Hebrew word, not an English one, and there is no standard transliteration. My Jewish Learning uses “Hanukkah,” but “Chanukah,” “Chanukka” and “Hanukka” are also common spellings. Why does Hanukkah last eight days? There are two explanations for the eight-day length. One is that Hanukkah commemorates not just the Maccabees’ victory and rededication of the Temple, but the miracle of the oil: one day’s supply for the Temple lamp lasted eight days. Another explanation is that the first Hanukkah celebration was actually a delayed Sukkot celebration, and Sukkot— which, like Passover, is a pilgrimage festival—traditionally lasts eight days. What is Hanukkah about? Hanukkah celebrates the Maccabees’ rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its defilement by the Syrian Greeks in 164 bce. According to rabbinic tradition, the holiday also commemorates the miracle of the oil noted above. Some people see Hanukkah as a celebration of religious freedom, whereas

others see it as a triumph of tradition over assimilation. For many people, it is simply an opportunity for festivity during the darkest time of the year, the winter solstice. Is it OK to celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas? Depends on who you ask. Many Jews strongly disapprove of Jews celebrating Christmas, which is a Christian holiday, and some feel alienated by the ubiquity of Christmas in American culture. However, others see Christmas as more a cultural celebration than religious holiday and enjoy participating in Christmas celebrations with non-Jewish friends or non-Jewish family members. Why does Hanukkah fall on a different date each year? Hanukkah always falls on the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually is sometime in December. Because the Jewish calendar is a combination of solar and lunar, the date on the Gregorian calendar fluctuates each year. Is the candelabra lit on Hanukkah called a menorah or a hanukkiyah? Menorah simply means lamp and can refer to other candelabras. A hanukkiyah is a candelabra specifically for use on Hanukkah. However, many people call it a menorah or Hanukkah menorah—you usually can tell from context when a person is referring to a Hanukkah candelabra and not a general lamp. Why do Jews play dreidel on Hanukkah? There are different explanations for this tradition, but historians believe the dreidel is an adaptation of another top-spinning game that Europeans played at Christmas time. Do Jews traditionally exchange gifts on all eight nights of Hanukkah? Actually, exchanging gifts on Hanukkah

is a relatively new tradition. American Jews used to exchange gifts on Purim, but in the late 19th century there was a shift from Purim to Hanukkah. Christmas, which falls at the same time of year, became a national holiday in America at this time, and the Jewish custom of gifts on Hanukkah shifted as the Christian holiday’s consumerism grew. When it comes to how many gifts to exchange and when, families have different traditions. Many people prefer to limit the gift exchange to just a few nights in order to de-emphasize the materialistic aspects of the holiday. Why is the first night of Hanukkah one day before the date listed on my calendar? While dates on the Gregorian calendar begin at midnight, dates on the Hebrew calendar begin at sundown—that means a holiday starts hours before the corresponding date on the Gregorian calendar. This difference is particularly noticeable on Hanukkah, since celebrations tend to take place at night rather than during the day. So while your calendar may say Hanukkah starts on Dec. 13, it actually begins the preceding evening.

I tried to find the story of the Maccabees in the Bible, but couldn’t. Where is it? The Book of Maccabees, in which the Hanukkah story is detailed, was not included in the Hebrew Bible and instead is in a category of texts called Apocrypha. For centuries, some Jews used to read the story from an Aramaic-language scroll called The Scroll of Antiochus, which detailed the Maccabees’ victories and added numerous legends. Why do Jews eat greasy food on Hanukkah? It is traditional to eat fried foods, such as latkes and jelly doughnuts (called sufganiyot in Hebrew) as a way of commemorating the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days. If you’re worried about the health (or waistline) implications, try baking your latkes—or consider celebrating the oil by dipping bread into a variety of gourmet olive oils. Another traditional Hanukkah food, cheese, unfortunately isn’t much better for those concerned about fat. The cheese tradition is in honor of Judith, a woman who helped the Maccabee effort by feeding salty cheese and wine to one of Antiochus’ generals—and then beheading him.

What’s the proper way to greet someone on Hanukkah? Happy Hanukkah, “chag sameach” (Hebrew for happy holiday) or “Hanukkah sameach” (Hebrew for Happy Hanukkah). If you’re not sure whether the person you are greeting celebrates Hanukkah or not, you can always say Happy Holidays or Season’s Greetings. Do Jews traditionally go to synagogue on Hanukkah? Jewish law does not require Jews to observe Hanukkah anywhere outside the home. However, some special liturgy and readings are added to the daily and Shabbat prayer services that take place during Hanukkah.

jewishnewsva.org | December 4, 2017 | Hanukkah | Jewish News | 15

Hanukkah 5778

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This is a delicious, big, bold red, pretty dry wine. It reminds me of 85% chocolate, but it does not taste like chocolate. A fine chocolate needs to be savored in steps. You take a small nibble. You let it coat your tongue. Then you go for the big bite. Same with Bravdo Shiraz. While I do not believe in letting a wine breathe (wine doesn’t breathe, it oxidizes!), I do believe in the small slow first sip…and then the mouthful, just like eating serious chocolate. This is a wine that gets better with each sip. Deep, full-bodied, complex, savory, and sophisticated, it can stand up to beef short ribs or brisket, and even pairs well with an earthy bowl of chili. While I don’t have the lexicon of a trained sommelier, I can tell you that it is darkly fruity. Think plums, dates, and Steve Budman. figs, but not the berries you might associate with a pinot noir or merlot. Nor is it syrupy. It is spicy and dry, but it’s not a bully about it like a zinfandel might be. The wine is aged 12 months in oak barrels, but the oak is subtle, earthy, neither buttery nor woody. Bravdo Shiraz might be the perfect Hanukkah wine, engaging the richness of latkes with sides of brisket and tsimmes. And it’s Kosher for Passover! Who knew? While it is a little too dear to pour into your charoset, I look forward to the requisite four cups with my maror, Moroccan chicken and matzoh. Back to Hanukkah—the holiday of cooking with the miraculous oil. Bravdo Shiraz can cut the fried doughnuts, the meats, the chopped liver, and the kasha varnishkes—and the latkes, with or without sour cream or apple sauce. And then, just maybe, you’ll save some for washing down your chocolate gelt. The wine is available online (www.jwines.com/bravdo-shiraz.htm) for about $27, plus shipping, or if you need another excuse to go to Israel, it is widely available. —Steve Budman is a local commercial photographer.

16 | Jewish News | Hanukkah | December 4, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

Hanukkah 5778

GIVE HIM THE CLASSICS THAT WILL LAST FOREVER

How to add some competitive excitement to your Hanukkah party Rachel Jarman Myers

(Southern & Jewish via JTA)—With Hanukkah enmeshed in the Christmas season, it’s tough to compete with the epic candy cane, hot chocolate, caroling, and bright-cheery-Santa holiday festivities that dominate the seasonal parties and events. That’s why Hanukkah needs a competitive edge—by including an actual competition in our holiday celebrations. No, not just the annual dreidel game— it gets pretty boring after awhile, right? I’ve found that adding a trophy to any gathering really ups the level of engagement. For my office birthday party one year, I chose to engage my colleagues in a Pie Competition (the winner was a classic chocolate pie, but most creative went to the French fry pie), and each year my husband and I host a backyard barbecue competition that draws hundreds of hungry attendees and about a dozen serious competitors vying for those glorious trophies. For Hanukkah, we’ll be game-ifying the best of Southern traditions: frying food. Here’s some tips on how to encourage a little competition at your own Hanukkah party this year. Build excitement: The invitations go out encouraging guests to bring a latke batter of their choosing to fry at the party and share with a group of hungry judges. I usually include a few informative links for those who have never had the pleasure of crafting the perfect latke. Then I encourage the creativity: Sweet Potato Latkes. Carrot and Beet Latkes. Hushpuppy Latkes. The options are endless when it comes to frying fritters. Work on your prizes: Trophy toppers are

easy to order online. My husband has a great talent for mounting them and getting official plates printed for each category. Or scour a few thrift shops for some old trophies that you can spray-paint and customize. The more the better: It’s the holidays, everyone can get a trophy! Set up the stations: Because the weather is generally quite mild down South for Hanukkah, we are able to host this event outdoors. We set up a few different frying stations, and as competitors arrive they cook up their recipe in skillets and present them hot and fresh to whoever is standing close enough to the pan. We’ve found that a giant cast-iron skillet on a camp stove matched with a few electric griddles works best. Celebrate enthusiastic participation: Competition usually involves friendly banter, hype music and a blow horn or two. I recommend playing the Hanukkah Project by Special Passenger Records to get spirits soaring. At the end of the night the votes are tallied, the trophies presented, and our group remembers another holiday event where little Hanukkah can stand out among the punch bowls and twinkle lights. Rachel Jarman Myers is the museum and special projects coordinator for the Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, Mississippi. Southern & Jewish celebrates the stories, people, and experiences—past and present—of Jewish life in the American South. Hosted by the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, posts come from educators, students, rabbis, parents, artists, and many other “visitors-to and daily-livers-of” the Southern Jewish experience. From road trips to recipes to reflections, we’ll explore a little bit of everything—well, at least all things Southern and/or Jewish. Shalom, y’all!

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Hanukkah 5778

Hanukkah sweaters are now a thing—and I love them Lior Zaltzman

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NEW YORK (JTA)—Ever since I moved here from Israel, every late November felt like the beginning of a month-long assault. Every store, business and doctor’s office blared Christmas songs, streets were decorated with ostentatious light shows and seemingly everything became green and red—which, as an art school grad, I found personally offensive to my design sensibilities. Then there were the Christmas sweaters. I admit I have a love of tacky knitwear—but I couldn’t get behind these garish monstrosities that flaunted a holiday that I didn’t celebrate but couldn’t escape from. So I was thrilled when, three years ago, I saw a friend at a holiday party wearing a cozy sweater with a familiar pattern on it—dreidels with Hebrew letters, perfectly if garishly designed. I ran across the room and accosted her. “Where did you get that sweater?!?” That was the beginning of my love affair with Hanukkah knitwear. I now have about half-dozen Hanukkah wearables. My favorite is a cardigan called “The Spinster,” the same one I saw at that party, with big, nostalgic corozo buttons. Yes, I have way more sweaters than I probably need, but I treasure them. They feel like my armor in the war that Christmas seems to be waging against me every time the holiday season comes around. Since then, the Hanukkah knitwear market has grown significantly. While there are fewer Hanukkah sweaters than the Christmas variety—for obvious reasons—now you can find everything from cute cardigans at Target done up with hanukkiot and boxed gifts to more controversial pieces, like the borderline misogynistic one sold (and later pulled) at Nordstrom last year. There’s an abundance of cheap, cheerful Hanukkah options on Etsy—heck, even Whoopi

Goldberg jumped on the Hanukkah sweater bandwagon last season with a cutesy, bejeweled octopus design. The Hanukkah sweater, like Americanstyle Hanukkah itself, is a custom that expanded in a “what about us?” reaction to Christmas celebrations. “Ugly Christmas sweater parties” have been a thing since the early 2000s, although it wasn’t until a decade later that Time magazine noted the trend in an article declaring, “the tops are bigger than ever, but in a very hipstery, oh-so-ironic way.” That first Hanukkah sweater I spotted was the brainchild of Carin Agiman, a graphic designer in California. In 2012, she launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund Geltfiend, a sweater line featuring high-quality Hanukkah knitwear with smart designs. “I had spent the previous Hanukkah looking for Hanukkah sweaters to wear to ugly Christmas sweaters parties because I couldn’t quite stomach the idea of wearing a Christmas sweater,” Agiman says. “I didn’t want to be that person who just waited for someone else to make the thing that I really wanted, so I took the money from my tax refund and had samples made at this factory in L.A.” Agiman then put together a photo shoot with the sweaters called Santa’s first Hanukkah, assembled a video and launched her Kickstarter campaign. She got full funding, over $20,000. She worked with a California-based manufacturer, making sure every little detail was perfect. “You’re dealing with these huge machines, if you want the pattern to land in the right place, that takes a lot of work,” she says. Many of the sweaters were inspired by mid-century designs, and everything from the fit to the names, like “Spinmaster,” were meticulously crafted. Agiman saw her ideal client as “Someone who cares about the quality of the things they buy and they wear,” she

Hanukkah 5778

Tipsy Elves Hanukkah sweaters, tipsyelves.com.

says. “They want something that’s clever and not so obvious, someone who is really into being Jewish and the cultural aspect of it, not necessarily religious.” But her customers ended up being more eclectic than she expected—she got quite a few orders from Orthodox Jews, and from non-Jews too. Even Matisyahu reportedly has a sweater. Agiman kept the business going for four years—three years as a side gig, and then, in 2015, as a full-time job. But despite the positive response to her designs, she couldn’t make Geltfiend a viable business. By the end, Agiman says, “I think we sold over 5,000 sweaters, over $400,000 worth of sweaters,” yet “we barely broke even.” “I felt proud of it,” she adds. “I gave it all that I had. It felt like a good note to end things on. I’d rather do something that I love and then let it go.” Making sweaters is a complicated business. Unlike t-shirts, which you can design and manufacture in a matter of days, knitwear is usually manufactured overseas and in big quantities. There are mandatory minimums. It’s hard to get a business off the ground. But one Jewish sweater maven managed to get it done. A year before Agiman launched her line, Evan Mendelsohn, a lawyer, and his friend Nick Morton, an endodontist,

founded a sweater company called Tipsy Elves. “We’d always enjoyed dressing up and wearing fun holiday clothes and we realized there was no one making fun apparel,” Mendehlsohn says. So, they decided to launch their own holiday clothes company. That year, they sold 5,000 sweaters, he says. The next year, Mendehlson quit his job. You may have guessed by the name— Tipsy Elves doesn’t just peddle Hanukkah wares. It sells Christmas sweaters—lots and lots of ridiculous Christmas sweaters. But they make Hanukkah sweaters, too. This season, they have about 10 of them. Including one that you might recognize as the one Seth Rogen wore in the film The Night Before. Jumpsuits, blazers, tees, leggings, and sweatpants are also available. Unlike Agiman and me—who are Hanukkah purists—Mendehlsohn has a much more lighthearted approach to the holiday sweater dilemma. “My dad is Jewish and my mom is Catholic, so I was raised doing a little bit of both,” he says. As for Agiman—who’s still shipping leftover Geltfiend stock via Amazon— she’s kept the Hanukkah spirit alive: “The food is my favorite, the sufganiyot, the latkes, the gelt!” she says. “I think I’m just really, really in love with that.”

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he generosity and good spirit of the Ohef Sholom Temple Tzedakah Quilting Group can be seen through Thursday, Dec. 14 at the Sandler Family Campus. That’s because the group’s quilts are on display, brightly decorating the Cardo. After the exhibit, Jewish Family Service will distribute the quilts to families and people in need for Hanukkah. The Quilting Group was established at Ohef Sholom in April 2015 and is comprised of 14 women who meet at the temple three times a month to create their beautiful masterpieces. Some have never worked on a quilt before and others are seasoned quilters. Together, they have created 31 quilts. “Creating these Tzedakah Quilts gives me the pleasure of giving and receiving,” says Celia Friedman. “ I love hearing about and from the recipients of these gifts. I also enjoy getting to know and sew with the other quilters. I am truly amazed at each one’s source of knowledge and creativity.” Visit the Simon Family JCC to see the display and if inspired, the group welcomes all skill levels to join. For more information on the Tzedakah Quilting Group, contact Ohef Sholom at 757-625-4295.

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This early Hanukkah stamp from Jewish National Fund’s Chicago office depicts a Jewish pioneer in Palestine standing in front of Judah Maccabee. Courtesy of Joe Weintrob

Hanukkah 5778 Judah Maccabee went to the doctor. Then the anti-vaxxers got very mad. Victor Wishna

(JTA)—Like any self-respecting author, Ann D. Koffsky checks her Amazon rankings on a regular basis. “A little bit ridiculously,” she acknowledges. Yet when she noticed the rating for her most recent book had dropped to one-star overnight, it wasn’t so funny—especially once she started reading the user reviews. “This book is filled with lies,” claimed one. “Very upsetting,” said another. “Utter propaganda…” began the next. Soon the “review war,” as Koffsky calls it, spilled over onto her personal Facebook page. “I think my favorite comment was the one questioning my mental state,” says Koffsky, who has written more than 30 books for children. Yes, the target of all this rage is a children’s picture book, Koffsky’s latest, published just in time for Hanukkah. Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor: A Story for Hanukkah is about a young boy named Judah who—spoiler alert!—goes to the doctor. With cheerful illustrations by Talitha Shipman, Koffsky’s story follows Judah as he learns to channel the bravery of his Maccabee namesake and get a scary booster shot, thus protecting his little sister, Hannah, who is too young to be vaccinated. “We didn’t do this in order to run into a debate,” says Vicki Weber, a partner at Behrman House, the 96-year-old educational publisher that released the book under its Apples & Honey imprint. “We like to use Jewish life and Jewish views to tell stories that are different, and we thought this was a really interesting way to show courage in a small child.” Yet the book has drawn ire from what is known as the anti-vaxxer movement—an impassioned, small but growing group that believes vaccinations pose dangerous risks, such as a long-discredited link to

autism. In addition to the barrage of negative reviews on Amazon, anti-vaxxers have attacked Koffsky personally on her Instagram account. “Your book is a brainwashing story by a mental author,” one commenter wrote. “You’ll be held responsible for all the damages these vaccines caused to innocent children as a result of your book.” Koffsky says that she was not surprised by the negative response, though a bit startled by its ferocity. “I’m sure there are people who have thoughtfully considered that vaccinations are not for their children for some reason, and I disagree with them and I don’t think the science supports them,” she says. What upsets her, she explains, and what prompted her to write the book in the first place, is how some parents use Judaism to justify their stance against immunization. The idea came to her early last year, when she became aware that some Jewish day school parents—Koffsky is one at a day school near her home in West Hempstead, New York—were opting out of vaccinations on religious grounds. “It’s one thing to say you don’t want to vaccinate your kids because you have insane beliefs,” says Koffsky, a mother of three. “But to say ‘and I believe this way because of the Torah’ just drove me crazy. I was really angry because I felt it was such a distortion of Jewish values.” For the record, the safety and effectiveness of childhood vaccines is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the overwhelming majority of medical professionals based on dozens of studies involving millions of children. And while some haredi Orthodox rabbis have made news for railing against vaccines, there is a large pro-vaccine consensus in the Jewish world as well. The Orthodox Union and Rabbinical Council of America have strongly called on all Jewish parents to vaccinate their children according to the timetable recommended

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by their pediatricians, as has the haredi Agudas Harabonim-Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada. Nevertheless, there is a noticeable decline in vaccination rates in some religious Jewish communities and a rise in exemptions at certain Jewish day schools. A measles outbreak in Los Angeles earlier this year centered on the Orthodox Jewish community, and a 2015 wave of pertussis, or whooping cough, appeared in the Brooklyn haredi Orthodox communities of Williamsburg and Borough Park. Neither Koffsky nor Weber say they

expect the book to change the minds of hardened anti-vaxxers. Rather, Koffsky hopes to reassure parents who are vaccinating. A handful of pro-vaccine and science-focused websites—usually not a popular forum for critiquing children’s Hanukkah books—have weighed in. A reviewer who blogs as The Vaccine Mom praised Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor as a needed addition to family dialogue and wrote that her young daughter “thought the Hanukkah story was very interesting. We learned something new!”

jewishnewsva.org | December 4, 2017 | Hanukkah | Jewish News | 21

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(JTA)—The holidays are a wonderful time to share meals with friends and family—but must they be heavy and calorie filled? For Hanukkah, this simple and tasty Asian-inspired menu uses oil per the holiday tradition, but it’s low in calories and rich in flavors, colors, and textures. My bet is, your guests won’t even know the difference between regular fried rice and your version of this special cauliflower fried rice. Cauliflower, by the way, is an excellent stand-in for many popular carbohydrates—potatoes (mashed cauliflower), rice (as prepared here), and pizza crust (you’ll never believe how delicious cauliflower pizza is). Gochujang is a thick Korean sauce, similar to a spicy barbecue sauce. It’s wonderful on chicken, vegetables, or here with meaty fish. It’s also lovely stirred into rice (or cauliflower rice!) dishes to add an extra bite. It’s easily purchased at many Korean restaurants, Asian specialty markets, or traditional grocery stores. Your guests will love to celebrate with you without worrying about derailing their healthy eating habits. I mean, why can’t we eat healthfully before Jan. 1? Want a little decadence? A little chocolate gelt never hurt anyone and would be a perfect way to round out this spicy and savory menu.

SPICY SEARED SALMON

Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 salmon fillets 4 tablespoons Gochujang sauce Directions 1. I n a large nonstick skillet with a lid, heat olive oil until hot. 2. W hile the oil heats, prepare the salmon by brushing each fillet with Gochujang. 3. P lace salmon sauce side down (skin side facing up) in the skillet. Immediately top with the lid. 4. Cook for about 2 minutes on high heat, then remove the lid and flip skin side down. Immediately top with the lid again. Turn down the heat. 5. Continue to cook until your desired temperature. In this preparation, I like my salmon cooked all the way through, which takes about 8 minutes, depending on thickness. 6. Serve immediately.

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22 | Jewish News | December 4, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

Note: This sauce is spicy and wafts into the air. Always make this dish with your range’s fan on!

Hanukkah 5778 CAULIFLOWER RICE

Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 teaspoon minced ginger 1 onion, sliced 1 head cauliflower, cleaned and stems removed 1 cup chopped broccoli 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup peas 1 egg 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 tablespoon soy sauce Sesame seeds Pickled radish (I always purchase at a local Korean restaurantâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;they are easy to make, but even easier to buy.) Directions 1. I n a food processor or blender, pulse cauliflower florets to resemble rice. Do this in batches and set aside.

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jewishnewsva.org | December 4, 2017 | Hanukkah | Jewish News | 23

Hanukkah 5778 happenings Tidewater Chavurah to celebrate Hanukkah Shabbat

JCC Seniors Club plans Hanukkah celebration

YAD Happy Hour: Hanukkah edition

Friday, Dec. 15, 6 pm Old Donation Episcopal Church

Wednesday, Dec. 20, 1:30 pm Simon Family JCC

Thursday, Dec. 14, 5:30 – 7:30 pm

idewater Chavurah has moved its second-Friday Shabbat service so that it can celebrate Shabbat during Hanukkah. The festivities will begin with a latke dinner at 6 pm, continuing with a Shabbat service at 7 pm, followed by traditional desserts and even more celebration. The site is Old Donation Episcopal Church, 4449 N. Witchduck Rd., Virginia Beach, in Alfriends House at the back of the church campus. The chavurah will not meet for services on Dec. 8. Join Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill and the friendly folks of Tidewater Chavurah for an evening of joy, song, and Hanukkah cheer! Everyone is invited.

sraeli music, bingo, prizes, traditional Hanukkah snacks, and more are planned for the JCC Seniors Club’s Hanukkah celebration. This event is free and open to the community. For more information or to RSVP, contact Melissa Eichelbaum, program associate, at 757-321-2341 or MEichelbaum@ujft.org.

oin YAD for a special Hanukkah Happy Hour at Twist and welcome in the third night with a menorah lighting. Appetizers are on YAD; drinks are on attendees. The Young Adult Division (YAD) of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is open to adults ages 22 through 45. Bring friends to celebrate this year’s Festival of Lights. Twist is located at 4517 Commerce St, in Town Center, Virginia Beach. For more information, contact Sara Gottschalk at sgottschalk@ujft.org or 757-965-6127.

For more information, call the rabbi at 464-1950.

YOUR ARE THE YOU ARE THE LIGHT Just like the candles you add to the menorah, you bring light and warmth to our community. Wishing you a Happy Hanukkah!

24 | Jewish News | Hanukkah | December 4, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

Hanukkah 5778 happenings Light up the night with Latke Palooza ily

A grand community-wide Hanukkah party Wednesday, Dec 13, 5:30–7:30 pm

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Dinner, holiday themed activities, and a Mister G concert

ith Hanukkah nearly here, the 5th Annual Family Latke Palooza promises activities for all ages to enjoy. Mister G, a leading figure in the world of children’s music, will get the young kids moving to the beat of uplifting music. A Latin Grammy award winner and three-time winner of the Parent’s Choice Gold Album Award, Mister G is considered by the Washington Post to be “a kid-friendly bilingual rock star.” Sababa Beachaway, a Jewish youth camp based in New York, will offer a fun activity for older kids and teens. By the way, Sababa means “No Worries”

in Hebrew. PJ Library will also provide holiday-themed activities. Plus, the evening will include a great Mitzvah for everyone to participate in that involves Jewish Family Service’s Meals on Wheels. And, of course, a kid-friendly dinner with latkes, along with jelly dounuts from NYC will be served. RSVP is required by Monday, Dec. 11, as space is limited. Tickets: Child $8/$6 JCC members; Adult: $11/$9 JCC members; Family: $32/$25 JCC members. For more information or to RSVP, visit http://www.simonfamilyjcc. org/latkepalooza or call 321-2341.

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jewishnewsva.org | December 4, 2017 | Hanukkah | Jewish News | 25

Hanukkah 5778 Canada issues first Hanukkah postage stamp MON T R E A L (JTA)—Canada issued its first Hanukkah stamp in its official mail carrier’s 150-year-history. Described as part of an initiative to highlight the nation’s cultural diversity, the stamps from Canada Post feature two colorful geometric designs: of dreidels and the menorah. Each pattern also has an

online explanation of their relevance to the holiday. “In offering the great products, Canada Post is enabling our community to share the beauty and inspiration of Hanukkah with all Canadians,” says Shimon Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. Canada Post made an initial issue of 3 million

Hanukkah stamps and has indicated that if trial-run sales go well, it will make more over the next few years and eventually add new designs. As part of the diversity initiative, Canada Post also issued stamps for the Muslim festival of Eid and Hindu holiday of Dawali. Since 1964 and until this year, it had issued only Christmas stamps.

First-ever regular issue Canada Post Hanukkah stamp, issued November 20, 2017. (Courtesy of Canada Post)

Have an out of the ordinary winter at the Simon Family JCC. Enjoy arts, crafts, cooking workshops, swimming, science projects, and more!

Camp Dates: December 21st - December 29th Monday through Friday 6 am to 6 pm Pre-Registration required For more information and to register, call 757-321-2338 or visit www.SimonFamilyJCC.org.

26 | Jewish News | Hanukkah | December 4, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

Hanukkah 5778 My family celebrated Hanukkah with our non-Jewish friends. This is what happened. Melissa Henriquez

(Kveller via JTA)—Salad fixins? Check. Cookies? Check. Menorah, candles, and dreidels? Check, check, check. My husband, kids, and I were headed to family dinner at the home of a dear friend. She and her husband are not Jewish, but my friend is a history teacher who loves learning about and sharing multicultural traditions. Since she had never lit a menorah before, she asked me to bring ours—I was more than happy to oblige. For good measure, I also brought some dreidels and, because our kids ate all our gelt the first night of Hanukkah, some red and green Christmas M&Ms. We’d be celebrating the fourth night of Hanukkah together and decorating Christmas cookies—the delightful mingling of the seasons and faiths in our respective families—and I’d been looking forward to it all day. After all, it’s not every day you get to introduce the special traditions of your faith with others. We shared a wonderful meal and conversation while the kids played. We called them back to the table for the menorah lighting. I explained to the little ones that we needed five candles tonight — one for each of the four nights of Hanukkah, plus the shamash candle, the “helper” that lights the others and stands taller than the rest. All four kids put a candle in the menorah, and once the shamash was lit, I began reciting the blessing to a very captive audience—many of whom were hearing Hebrew for the very first time. Looking around the room—seeing all four of our kids staring awestruck into the bright glow of the menorah, shadows dancing on their tiny faces—I couldn’t help but break into a grin.

YOUR CHANUKAH CHEADQUARTERS

And then, just as quickly as my grin came on, guilt washed over me. “Ugh, I should have sung it, I’m sorry, I just have a really bad voice,” I said. If this was our friends’ first Hanukkah experience, I wanted to do it right, and by reciting the blessing versus singing it, I was not only cheating myself but, more important, cheating them—bad voice and all. “Sing it, sing it!” my friend’s older son chanted.

Sharing traditions with our non-Jewish friends that night was a gift. If only more of us could experience multicultural and interfaith experiences like ours.

I took a deep breath and quietly sang the familiar tune that’s been with me since childhood, eyes averted, and cheeks flushing with each line. “Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam “Asher kidishanu b’mitz’votav v’tzivanu “l’had’lik neir shel Hanukkah.” Looking up, no one was covering their ears—to my surprise. They were all watching intently, smiles playing on their lips. Phew. “Dreidel time!” My friend’s son knew about the game from a book at school and was eager to learn how to play. After dividing up the M&Ms, my six-year-old daughter taught her friends the significance of the four Hebrew letters on each side of the dreidel, and then the kids went to town — changing the rules up just a bit, but having a blast along the way. (Now if someone could just explain to me how my

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three-year-old son miraculously lands on gimel every.single.time?! Hmmm…) The game was such a hit that we left one of our dreidels at their house for our friends’ kids to play with. Sharing traditions with our non-Jewish friends that night was a gift. If only more of us could experience multicultural and interfaith experiences like ours, I truly think the world would be a better place. We have so much to learn from one another. People say, “Be the light you wish to see”—and in uncertain times like the ones

we are in, it feels good to be able to be a source of light. It feels even better to have friends who reflect that light, embrace it, and then emit it themselves in their willingness to learn and share with their own children. Melissa Henriquez, a manager at a global marketing agency, blogs at Let There Be Light. Her writing has been featured on Babble.com and The Huffington Post. She and her husband, who is not Jewish, live in Michigan with their two children.

jewishnewsva.org | December 4, 2017 | Hanukkah | Jewish News | 27

CELEBRATE HANUKKAH WITH

Joan Nathan & Whole Foods Market This December, “the queen of American Jewish Cooking” is partnering with us to bring you some favorites from her latest cookbook, King Solomon’s Table. Our chef’s cases and hot bars will feature holiday ready-to-serve dishes for you to buy in store or order online:

Macedonian Leek & Meat Patties | Fried Artichokes Cod with Tomatoes, Plums, Apples & Pine Nuts Sweet & Sour Cabbage | Seven Sacred Species Salad Sweet & Crunchy Kugel | Tahina Cookies

Receive a free copy of King Solomon’s Table when you place a Hanukkah order of $100 or more at shop.wfm.com.* *Good on individual online orders placed December 1-18; one book per customer.

28 | Jewish News | Hanukkah | December 4, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

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it’s a wrap

Colonel David P. Blake. Jacqueline Webster, David Blake and Noel Dudley receive Quilts of Valor from Ohef Sholom’s quilting group members Celia Friedman and Marsha Moody.

Veterans honored at annual ceremony

idewater Jewish Foundation held their 8th annual Veteran’s Day Ceremony and Service on Friday, Nov. 10 at the Sandler Family Campus. The annual event was attended by close to 100 community

U.S. Fleet Forces Band bugler plays Taps.

members, and was a beautiful tribute to those who have served the United States of America. Colonel David P. Blake, the morning’s featured speaker, spoke from the heart about the situations he faced in his role as a surgeon in the Air Force. He described the medical traumas and the life-saving operations he experienced, and very emotionally spoke about his own son becoming a U.S. Marine. Captain Jim Eilberg organized and served as Master of Ceremonies for the event. Clergy from across the region and denominations participated in the service, including Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg, who delivered a moving D’var Torah, Rabbi Gershon Litt, Rabbi Aaron Margolin, Cantor Joel Flax, and Cantor Wendi Fried. New to the ceremony this year, Quilts of Valor were presented to three veterans: Noel Dudley, Jacqueline Webster, and David Blake. The Quilt of Valor is an award given to service members to honor them for their sacrifices. The quilts were made by Ohef Sholom Temple’s Tzedakah Quilting Group, who also took part in wrapping the Veterans in their quilts. Recently departed veterans from the past year were remembered, and following a reading of their names by Marcus Friedman, Retired Navy Captain, Taps was played by a member of the U.S. Fleet Forces Band.

Elaine Page of Quilts of Valor Foundation.

Veterans enjoy breakfast.

jewishnewsva.org | December 4, 2017 | Jewish News | 29

it’s a wrap

Tidewater women celebrate community, leadership, and joy

Amy Zelenka, UJFT women’s campaign director

anet Mercadante, 2018 Women’s Cabinet chair, welcomed more than 75 participants to the 2018 Lion-Tikva Chai luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 9. In her opening remarks, she thanked each one for their part in the successes of past campaigns. She shared the current state of the campaign and thanked them in advance for the work that they will do again this year to make the campaign and community strong—at home and around the Jewish world. Amy Levy, past Cabinet chair, honored the four new Sapphire Lions added this year to Tidewater’s “pride.” These are Lions of Judah giving $18,000 or greater to the Federation’s annual campaign. In addition to the Sapphires, the Women’s Division celebrated two new Lions (women donors giving $5,000 or more); two new Tikva Society members (women donors at the $3,600 level); and five new Chai Society donors (women giving $1,800 or greater to the campaign). Then, in what has become an annual tradition during the luncheon, Levy lovingly recalled the community’s Endowed Lions (LOJE) of blessed memory, listing each by name, and closing with that “their memory serve as a blessing and an inspiration to us all.” The luncheon was a true celebration of

best commanding officers— captains who unified crews and made me want nothing else than to see if I could one day do the same… the captain who told me he thought I could one day command a ship… and best of all, here is where I met my husband and fell in love. So thank Alexa Jenkins with Sandy Sher and Linda Spindel. you,” said Jenkins, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be back in the city that makes me feel younger every time I return.” Jenkins spoke of life aboard a Navy ship. “Being a captain,” she said, “is like being the conductor of an orchestra. You do not need to be able to play all of the instruments, but you do need to be able to set the tempo, blend the sounds together, and make sure that each instrument contributes and adds value. On my ship,” she continued, “my ‘instruments’ are engineering, navigation, weapons, and combat systems. They all need to work together for the ship to meet her mission. I balance requirements, focus efforts, and Ashley Zittrain with Dorothy Zimmerman. set priorities, so that we can be a seamJewish community works, and why I take less team…sound familiar?” she asked these lessons with me in my command of the crowd. “It should, because building a Navy warship.” Jewish community—like you do every Jenkins spoke about her command day—is very much the same. It’s why experiences, saying that she strives to bring her Jewish values to her leadership—especially the values of family, community, and joy. And joy is what she brought into the Fleder Multipurpose room during the 2018 Lion Tikva Chai lunch. With a combination of stand-up comedy, interactive lessons, and tremendous humility, Jenkins conveyed in relatable terms, what it’s like to be the only woman on a ship, leading a crew of men; what it’s like to meet young sailors who (in some cases) had never actually met a Jewish person before; and what it’s like to take a group of people from different Robiin Mancoll, Karen Lombart, Ina Levy, Barbara Dudley, Linda Spindel, and Barb Gelb.

the strength of women’s philanthropy and women’s leadership. So it was only fitting that the featured speaker was LCDR Alexa Jenkins, UNS. Jenkins is the first Jewish woman to command a US Navy warship. “[Jenkins’] resume,” said local Lion, Martha Glasser in introducing Jenkins, “reads like a case study in leadership, with her moving from strength to strength along a track of increasing professional responsibilities.” Along with an impressive list of jobs and duty stations, Jenkins graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2004 and years later was married there (in the Miller Chapel). While awaiting what she hopes will be her next sea-going assignment, Jenkins’ current duty station is in northern Virginia where she is serving as Head Officer, Promotion Planner—a position which puts her in charge of the professional futures of many, many Navy officers and sailors. Jenkins opened her remarks by saying how special it was to be back in Virginia Beach, which has been her duty station several times. She noted that many Lion groups she has visited are far-removed from their military communities, “But not you!” she said. “You ladies live right next door to the largest Naval base in the world! And coming here to speak with you is coming home to one of the most beloved places that the Navy as ever asked me to be stationed.” Jenkins cited many wonderful things she’d experienced while living here: “The

Marsha Chenman, Ina Levy, Marcia Hofheimer, and Connie Jacobson.

30 | Jewish News | December 4, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

it’s a wrap

Janet Mercadante, Women’s Cabinet chair.

backgrounds and experiences, bring them together for work and for fun, and to make them shipmates…to make them a family. And like the Jewish value—to make them each responsible for one another. Jenkins told the story of marching in a recent Veterans’ Day Parade, mentioning that she’d made the conscious decision to wear her uniform skirt and high-heeled, military-issue pumps (instead of pants and flat shoes). She wore that skirt and those heels throughout the entire parade, because she wanted to make sure that the little girls lining the streets could easily identify a woman leading a group of men. Though her feet “did not thank her later,” the pain was worth it. “So many little girls ran up to her to shake my hand,” she recalled, “or to snap a photo. Only 11 years ago, the little girls watching that parade would never have seen someone that looked like me… in charge!” Jenkins spoke of other shipboard

experiences—ways she devised to boost morale for her sailors far from home, especially during holidays. And despite her own youth, she talked about mentoring young sailors, setting an example for them, and setting expectations that would allow them to achieve excellence. Jenkins was a unique and inspiring speaker. She brought both pride and joy into a room full of Jewish women leaders, and the combination was winning. Barbara Dudley, Women’s Cabinet education chair, closed the luncheon with thanks to Jenkins and to all of the women (and men) who serve America in uniform, including those at the luncheon. Dudley shared that she is the daughter…the wife… and the mother of a service person, noting the special pride she feels for her daughter Amelia, also Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, telling to Jenkins: “I know just how your parents feel!”

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h il a

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Create your OWN FUND, make your OWN CHOICES, and GROW as a Jewish philanthropist! Join us and Make a Difference Today! Contact Barb Gelb at 757-965-6105 or bgelb@ujft.org for more info!

philanthropy noun • phi·lan·thro·py • [fi-lan-thruh-pee] 1. The effort or inclination to increase the well-being of humankind, as by charitable aid or donations. 2. Love of human kind, in general. jewishnewsva.org | December 4, 2017 | Jewish News | 31

THIS HANUKKAH, LIGHT THE WAY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

How will YOU assure Jewish tomorrows?

HEBREW ACADEMY OF TIDEWATER Konikoff Center of Learning

Learn how you can establish your Jewish Legacy by contacting Scott Kaplan at 757-965-6109/skaplan@ujft.org or Barb Gelb at 757-965-6105/bgelb@ujft.org H A EBREW

CADEMY

T IDEWATER

Konikoff Center of Learning

32 | Jewish News | December 4, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

www.JewishVa.org/TJF

HEBREW ACADEMY OF Konikoff Center of Learning

CADE

Konikoff Center of Learnin

what’s happening Simon Family JCC’s Leon Family Gallery, Sandler Family Campus

What’s up now and next Repairing the World December

roduced by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), Repairing the World: Frame by Frame is comprised of work by Israeli and American photographers known as JDOCU who come together to learn, travel, and document the JDC’s work around the world JDC is the world’s leading Jewish humanitarian organization, operating in more than 70 countries and helping Jews and others in need to survive and strengthen community. Founded in 1914, JDC is a non-partisan, unifying force in the Jewish community. With local community support, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater works to meet the challenges facing today’s Jewish

Lucia Winks at Me, Romina Hendlin, Argentina 2015.

community at home and around the world, through a network of local Jewish agencies and overseas service partners, including the JDC. Proceeds from the sales of the Repairing the World exhibit will go to the JDC’s Campaign for the World’s Neediest Jews, above and beyond UJFT’s annual Israel and Overseas allocation.

HOLIDAY POPS! Fri., Dec. 8, 2017 | 8PM

Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News

Sat., Dec. 9, 2017 | 8PM Chrysler Hall, Norfolk

Sun., Dec. 10, 2017 | 7PM

Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach

Robert Shoup, conductor Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus

JINGLE BELL JAM Sun, Dec. 10, 2017 | 3PM

Panoramic, Dana Friedlander, Israel.

Israel 360

offers a panoramic view of Israeli sites, immersing viewers in all of the delicate details.

January

ana Friedlander is the fourth generation in a family of professional photographers who have documented Israel since 1926. She grew up surrounded by film, cameras, and photo archives. Now, Friedlander brings her talents to the world using an innovative technique of capturing 360 degrees in a single frame—each photo

For more information, contact Erin Dougherty, director of cultural arts, at 757-321-2341.

Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach Robert Shoup, conductor

HOLIDAY BRASS

Tues., Dec. 12, 2017 | 7:30PM

TCC Roper Performing Arts Center, Norfolk

Fri., Dec. 15, 2017 | 8PM

Saint Bede Catholic Church, Williamsburg Paul Bhasin, conductor

YAD-Chabad Shabbat

Friday, Dec. 8, 5:45 pm

njoy a delicious Shabbat dinner with YAD hosted by Chabad House at 1920 Colley Ave in Norfolk. The Young Adult Division (YAD) of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is open to adults ages 22 through 45. $10 per adult and $5 per child (a supervised playroom will be available). RSVP to Sara Gottschalk at sgottschalk@ujft.org or to Rabbi Levi Brashevitzky at rabbilevi@ chabadoftidewater.com.

YAD Hands on Tidewater: Grave Grooming

YAD Guys’ Night Out: Topgolf Thursday, Dec. 21 6:30–8:30 pm

Sunday, Dec. 10, 12:30 pm

ands on Tidewater needs help to groom the Mikro Kodesh cemetery on 2295 Berkley Ave., in Chesapeake. YAD will clean headstones, clear weeds, and remove overgrown shrubs. Take part in a mitzvah to help restore the cemetery. Street parking is available.

HANDEL’S MESSIAH Thurs., Dec. 14, 2017 | 8PM Regent University, Virginia Beach

Fri., Dec. 15, 2017 | 8PM

he YAD Guys Night Out will be at Topgolf this month. See who has the longest drive, and test skills on the range alongside YAD guys. RSVP to Sara Gottschalk at sgottschalk@ ujft.org for a spot in one of the bays.

First Baptist Church, Newport News

Sat., Dec. 16, 2017 | 8PM Harrison Opera House, Norfolk

Adam Turner, conductor Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus

VirginiaSymphony.org 757.892.6366

For more information, contact Sara Gottschalk at sgottschalk@ujft.org or 757-965-6127. In case of inclement weather, the rain date is January 7.

jewishnewsva.org | December 4, 2017 | Jewish News | 33

what’s happening

Calendar

Help select issues for Date with the State Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018 12:30 pm Sandler Family Campus

DECEMBER 13, WEDNESDAY Latke Palooza Simon Family JCC’s annual Hanukkah extravaganza with PJ Library, musical superstar, Mister G, and Sababa Beachaway’s activities for older kids. Dinner provided, advance tickets required. simonfamilyjcc.org/latkepalooza or call 321-2341. See page 25. December 14, Thursday YAD Happy Hour: Hanukkah Edition Join YAD for Hanukkah Happy Hour at Twist (4517 Commerce St, Virginia Beach). 5:30–7:30 pm. Contact Sara Gottschalk at sgottschalk@ujft. org or 757-965-6127. See page 24. December 15, Friday Tidewater Chavurah celebrates Hanukkah Shabbat. Old Donation Episcopal Church. 6 pm. See page 24. DECEMBER 20, WEDNESDAY Seniors Club. Celebrate Hanukkah with Israeli songs, bingo, prizes, traditional food and more. 1:30 pm. Open to all seniors. Simon Family JCC. RSVP to Melissa Eichelbaum, programs associate at 321-2341 or MEichelbaum@ujft.org. See page 24.

Tidewater’s delegation at Virgina Jewish Advocacy Day.

o prepare for this year’s Date with the State, also known as Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day, which takes place on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018, UJFT’s Community Relations Council Legislative Action Committee will host a meeting to discuss potential issues that the delegation will present to General Assembly representatives. Past issues during Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day have included social service programs to care for Virginians, support

for local agencies including Jewish Family Service and Beth Sholom Village, the Virginia-Israel Advisory Board, combating bias legislation, and more. For more information, e-mail Wendy Weissman, CRC assistant director, at WWeissman@ujft.org or call 965-6107. To RSVP (required) for this lunch meeting, or for the CRC’s annual Jewish Advocacy Day, visit JewishVA.org/CRCDateWiththeState.

Virginia Festival of Jewish Film set to celebrate 25th anniversary

ach year, the Simon Family JCC’s Virginia Festival of Jewish Film presented by Alma and Howard Laderberg* inspires, educates, and entertains through evocative narrative and documentary films which portray the Jewish experience. These films offer cinematic examinations of Jewish life and culture, promoting awareness, appreciation, and pride. 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film and again promises quality events with a plethora of genres and talent to continue to spark conversation—with films ranging from hilarious capers to thought-provoking documentaries. Films will play at theaters across Tidewater. Stay tuned for more details. For more information about this year’s festival, contact Erin Dougherty, director of cultural arts, at 757-321-2341. * of blessed memory

34 | Jewish News | December 4, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

December 25, Monday Switch Day. Beth Sholom Village. 7 am–2 pm. Spend time with residents and serve food, read books, play board games and other activities. Switch Day social for residents and volunteers at 2 pm. For additional information or to reserve a spot, call or email Sara Incheck at 757-282-2384 ext 412 or sincheck@bethsholomvillage.com. December 31, Sunday Brith Sholom Annual New Year’s Eve Extravaganza at Beth Sholom Village at 6 pm (pictures at 5:30 pm). New this year is a non-alcohol cocktail time and dessert table. Other features include a photo booth, dancing, live entertainment by Fond Memories, hats, and party favors. The evening will close with a non-alcohol toast. $25 per couple or $12.50 per member; $45 a couple or $25 per person, for guests. Call LeeAnne Mallory at 757-461-1150 or email at Brith.Sholom1@hrcoxmail.com for menu or for joining information. January 11, Thursday Help choose which issues the CRC takes to Richmond for Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day on Jan. 30. To RSVP (required) for this 12:30 pm lunch meeting at the Sandler Family Campus, or for more details, contact Wendy Weissman, assistant CRC director at 757-965-6107 or WWeissman@ujft.org. January 30, Tuesday The Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater travels to Richmond for the annual Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day. 7 am–4 pm; leave from the Sandler Family Campus. $36 includes kosher lunch and helps defray the cost of transportation. For more information about how to join this year’s delegation, or to RSVP (required) by January 25, visit www.JewishVa.org/CRCDateWiththeState or WWeissman@ujft.org. 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.

Reserve now February 19 To advertise, call 757.965.6100 or email news@ujft.org Ad deadline Jan. 19

SAVE THE DATE

WHO KNEW? Gwyneth Paltrow, TV exec Brad Falchuk reportedly engaged

wyneth Paltrow and television executive Brad Falchuk are engaged after more than three years of dating, Us Weekly reported. The couple met on the set of the sinceended drama Glee, where Falchuk served as executive producer, when Paltrow guest starred as a singing teacher in 2014. Palchuk, 46, who was also a co-creator, writer and director for Glee, and is now executive producer of American Horror Story, is the son of former national Hadassah President Nancy Falchuk. Paltrow was previously married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin for 11 years. Though they announced that they would split up in March 2014—calling it “conscious uncoupling”—their divorce was not finalized until May 2016. They have two children. Falchuk also is divorced with two children.

Paltrow, who won an Oscar for best actress in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love, reportedly is a follower of Kabbalah. She is the daughter of a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother, the actress Blythe Danner. (JTA)

Former ‘SNL’ cast member and Hulu star Michaela Watkins tours Israel with other women in media

former cast member of Saturday Night Live joined 30 top female Jewish bloggers on a visit to Israel. Michaela Watkins, 45, stars in the Hulu series Casual. Her long resume also includes a stint on the 2008–2009 season of SNL. Watkins arrived in Israel on Monday, Nov. 27 as part of the Media Magnets mission of the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project—known colloquially as “Birthright for Moms.” (JTA)

Employment Oppor tunity Director of Summer Day Camp & Children/Family Programming Seeking an energetic, organized, and articulate individual with excellent people skills to oversee and coordinate the Summer Camp and Children/Family Programs at the UJFT/Simon Family JCC. Independent judgment, initiative, and creative program planning skills required. The ideal candidate enjoys interacting with children and is dedicated to promoting an appreciation for Jewish culture and values. Must be proficient in preparing yearly budgets, maintaining fiscal responsibility, and administrative management with willingness to work evenings, weekends, and holidays. Experience in hiring, training, and supervising summer camp and volunteer staff, required. Qualifications include, but not limited to: BA/BS degree from an accredited college or university; 3-5 years proven leadership experience directing a Summer Day Camp and Children & Family Programs; Detail-orientated; Ability to communicate to Jewish, Interfaith, and general audiences; and Strong proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. Complete job description at: www.simonfamilyjcc.org.

Monday, December 25, 2017 7 am - 2 pm

B E PA R T O F A M O R E T H A N 30 YEAR TRADITION

Annual Switch Day Spend time with residents!

Volunteer activities include: • Serving food • Reading books • Playing board games ts en sid re r l fo • And, more! A Switch Day socia & volunteers begins

at 2 pm

For additional information or to reserve a spot, call or email Sara Incheck at 757-282-2384 ext 412 or sincheck@bethsholomvillage.com

ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS! Announcing the 2018 Stein Family College Scholarship Applications are now available at: www.JewishVa.org/TJF-Stein Applications deadline is March 30, 2018 Questions? Contact Barb Gelb at 757-965-6105 or bgelb@ujft.org

Submit cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to: resumes@ujft.org The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater/ Marilyn and Marvin Simon Family Jewish Community Center is firmly committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, non-disqualifying disability or veteran status.

Equal Employment Opportunity

jewishnewsva.org | December 4, 2017 | Jewish News | 35

obituaries Ramon Allen Cohen Norfolk—Ramon Allen Cohen, 96, of the 6000 block of Newport Crescent, died peacefully on November 19, 2017. Mr. Cohen was born in Vilnius, Lithuania and immigrated to the United States as an infant. He was the son of the late Julius Cohen and Celia Shulman Cohen. Ramon grew up on Shirley Ave. in Norfolk and was educated at Maury High School and the Norfolk division of the College of William and Mary. He was a veteran of the United States Navy serving during World War II. Ramon was a member of Congregation Beth El in Norfolk where he was Bar Mitzvahed and married. He retired from Norfolk Packing after 52 years of loyal service as secretary and treasurer. Ramon was preceded in death by his daughter Susan Cohen MacMillan. Survivors include his wife of 61 years Rita Semel Cohen, a son Bruce Douglas Cohen and his wife Helen of Norfolk, six grandchildren Gordon, Sarah, Laurel, Boris, Sophia, Rebecca, and a great grandchild Isabella. He is also survived by two brothers; Jack and Harris Cohen, a sister Helen Laibstain, a son-in-law David MacMillan, and numerous nieces and nephews. A funeral service was conducted at Congregation Beth El by Rabbi Arthur Ruberg and Cantor Wendi Freidman. Burial was at Forest Lawn Cemetery officiated by Rabbi Sender Haber. Memorial donations to Congregation Beth El, Jewish Family Service, or to a charity of choice. Baron Jack Gordon Williamsburg—Baron Jack Gordon, 91, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017 at Riverside Regional Medical Center. Born in Norfolk, Va., he was the son of the late Rose Salsbury Gordon and George M. Gordon. He attended Maury High School and graduated from Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Va. He served in the U. S. Navy as an officer aboard the U.S.S. Midway. He married Ellin Bachrach, and after leaving the Navy they moved to New York

City. While there, he joined the New York Stock Exchange and remained a member for nearly a half century. He was an avid collector of books and folk art. A large portion of his collection is on permanent exhibition at the Baron and Ellin Gordon Galleries at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Ellin; a son, Jonathan R. Gordon of Champaign, Ill; two daughters, Rose Patricia Allgood and Alison G. Watters, and their spouses Patrick Allgood and Shawn Watters, all of Williamsburg, Va; and a grandson, John Patrick “J.P.” Allgood of Williamsburg. A graveside funeral service was conducted in Forest Lawn Cemetery. H. D. Oliver Funeral Apts. Online condolences may be offered to the family through www.hdoliver.com. Bernard Kahn Norfolk—Bernard Kahn, 95, passed away November 24, 2017. A native and lifelong resident of Norfolk, he was the son of the late Morris and Hannah Kahn, and the widower of Gertrude L. Kahn. Mr. Kahn was the former owner of Azalea Auto Supply in Norfolk. He was a Navy Veteran of WWII serving in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945. He was a member of B’Nai Israel Congregation in Norfolk, the Jewish War Veterans, Brith Sholom, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Lions Club, American Jewish Committee, and the American Jewish Congress. He is survived by his daughter Faye S. Howe (Tom) of Norfolk; son David J. Kahn (Terry) of Roanoke, Va.; grandchildren, Hannah and Brandon Howe; and a sister Sylvia Linden. He was predeceased by sisters, Zelda Silver, Dorothy Eulau, Florence Samuels, and brother, J. Leonard Kahn. Funeral services were held in the Norfolk Chapel of H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts. with Rabbi Sender Haber officiating. Memorial donations to B’Nai Israel Congregation, Surfers Healing of Virginia Beach, or Families of Autistic Children in Tidewater. Online condolences may be offered to the family at hdoliver.com.

36 | Jewish News | December 4, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

Beatrice “Bea” Minskoff Chesapeake—Beatrice “Bea” Minskoff, 90, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017. She retired from the U. S. Government after serving as a contracting officer at Little Creek Amphibious Base for over 13 years. Born in New York City, she was the daughter of the late William and Jenny Dautch, and was the widow of Maurice Minskoff. Left to cherish her memory are her children, Alan Minskoff (Terry Benson), Jerome “Jerry” Minskoff (Judy Rosenberg), Robin Minskoff-Pollock (Mark Pollack), brother A. Bernard “Bernie” Dautch, and grandson Michael Pollack. Mrs. Minskoff was sent to Brooklyn, N.Y. for burial at a graveside service in New Montefoure Cemetery in West Babylon, N.Y. H. D. Oliver Funeral Apts. Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.hdoliver.com. Frances L. Ornoff Portsmouth—Frances Levin Ornoff, 92, passed away Sunday, November 19, 2017. She was born in Portsmouth to the late Joseph and Ethel Levin. She retired from Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority. She was a lifelong volunteer supporting various Jewish organizations and community agencies and past president of numerous local boards and committees. She was a lifelong member of Gomley Chesed Synagogue and Congregation Beth El in Norfolk. In January, she was predeceased by her husband of 70 years, Melvin H. Ornoff. She is survived by her loving daughter, Marsha Ornoff Merkle and husband Marvin Joel of Portsmouth; two grandchildren, Jenefer Dayle Snyder and husband Michael, and Heather Keller Umberger and husband Troy; and three great-grandchildren, Brayden Douglas Snyder, Dylen Evan Keller, and Seth Troy Umberger. A graveside service was held in Gomley Chesed Cemetery by Cantor Wendi Fried. Sturtevant Funeral Home.

Holocaust survivor, known in Chicago as “Ben the Barber”

enjamin Scheinkopf, a Poland-born Jew who worked at his Chicago barbershop until he was 97, has died. He survived the Holocaust by cutting hair. Scheinkopf, who moved to the United States in 1954, died Saturday, Nov. 18 at the age of 98 after working for more than 80 years as a barber, the Chicago Sun Times reported in an obituary. He was known by many in the city as “Ben the Barber.” He and his brother Josef, who also trained to be a barber, were assigned to cut other inmates’ hair at Auschwitz, the former Nazi death camp in Poland, he recalled in testimony he gave to the USC Shoah Foundation. “Everybody asked the same questions… everybody wants to know where [their] family is,” he recalled. “I said, ‘Family—you’re not going to see it anymore,’” he said in his testimony. He grew up in the Polish city of Plonsk, birthplace of David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel. His father Avrum was a cobbler. His father wanted him to be a cobbler because he thought it would provide security. “You always need shoes,” he told young Ben. But Scheinkopf and his brother wanted to cut hair. “The fact he and his brother chose to be barbers saved their lives,” Jeffrey Scheinkopf, Benjamin Scheinkopf’s son, told the Sun Times. Being a barber meant Scheinkopf was not beaten by the Germans as other prisoners were. But his weight dwindled to 65 pounds on starvation rations at the camp. His brother tried to camouflage his emaciation. Once, “he hid him on a stack of dead bodies” so they wouldn’t send him to the crematorium, said Jeffrey Scheinkopf. After the Soviets liberated Auschwitz, Benjamin Scheinkopf lived in a camp for displaced persons in Germany, where he met Emily, who would become his wife of 66 years. He had an older brother, Moishe Aaron, who’d ventured to Chicago in 1920. He sponsored Scheinkopf’s immigration to America in 1954. Of nine Scheinkopf siblings, only two others survived the war: Josef, who wound

obituaries up in Israel, and Brana, who settled in France. In addition to his wife Emily and son Jeffrey, he is survived by his sons Danny and Joe and three grandchildren. His granddaughter Jennifer, who had a brain tumor, died before him, as did his siblings who perished in the Holocaust: Herschel, Chayim, Yosef-Behrl, Yiddis and David. (JTA)

Europe’s only Jewish hospice gives Holocaust survivors a dignified farewell Cnaan Liphshiz

A M ST ER DA M ( J TA) — Hen ny Goudeketting, a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor, is ailing and preparing to leave the world. Goudeketting, who was sterilized in Nazi medical experiments at Auschwitz, has neither children nor other relatives to care for her. Now, after multiple infections and recurrent falls, she’s readying to say goodbye. “It’s kind of strange,” Goudeketting says. “I know I have no future and I’m ready to die, but I’m still afraid of actually dying.” The Amsterdam native returned to the city at 23 after surviving Auschwitz. “My biggest sorrow is not being able to have children,” says Goudeketting, who had worked for decades as a seamstress. Last month she was admitted to Immanuel, a small but upscale eight-room facility for the terminally ill. It is Europe’s only Jewish hospice, according to Tel Aviv University’s Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry. While such facilities are common in the U.S.—the National Institute for Jewish Hospice, which was established in 1985 in New York, lists no fewer than 225 accredited Jewish hospice programs—they remain rare on the continent, where the Jewish community was decimated by the Holocaust. Funded with private donations, as well as patient fees and some subsidies, the hospice was built by the Dutch Jewish community for survivors like Goudeketting to receive top end-of-life care. “I’m not sure whether this is real, the luxurious treatment I’m getting here,” she says. “I’ve never experienced anything like

this in my whole life.” Take the on-demand room service. “If I want a fried egg, or anything else, all I have to do is buzz,” says Goudeketting, whose stay at Immanuel is covered by her insurance. “They come round in seconds to terribly spoil me.” The Netherlands, which last year was No. 1 on Europe’s index of public health systems, has 146 hospices nationwide with an average guest satisfaction rating of 9.1 out of 10. And whereas Immanuel’s on-demand room service is a standout amenity, patients at other hospices receive similar conditions—all for a daily rate of less than $70 covered by the government or basic insurance policies. But Immanuel is the only hospice in Europe for guests like Goudeketting who keep kosher, although there are other hospitals with palliative programs that offer kosher food. It’s also the only hospice where the staff and volunteers “already know the special issues connected to caring for the generation of Holocaust survivors,” says Sasja Martel, the institution’s founding director. That’s crucial, she says, “because at the last stage of life, it’s often too late to start explaining” what those special issues are. Rabbinical or other spiritual counseling is available to guests, as is counseling on accepting death, mostly by volunteers. That’s an issue for many survivors who are conditioned to “fight death at all costs,” Martel says. The hospice, which has an annual budget of approximately $500,000, is subtly adorned with Jewish symbols ranging from mezuzahs, menorahs and, atop one piece of furniture in the main hall, a small pile of stones of the kind that Jews place on cemetery headstones. “The significance of little things is amplified near the end,” Martel says. “Many guests feel a need to touch their identity, reconnect with it, even if only through the symbols. Or the typical Ashkenazi Jewish chicken soup we serve, that they remember from their grandmother, or the white tablecloth on Shabbat and the candle lighting. Or just a Jewish joke.” At Immanuel, staff are trained to accommodate the special needs of survivors like Goudeketting, who have no

family, adds Martel. “We need to be conscious that for many of our guests we are all that they have, which is not necessarily the case in other hospices,” she says. There are other sensitivity issues. For example, the hospice decided not to hire a nurse who had a German accent, Martel said at a symposium on hospice care in Judaism in honor of Immanuel’s 10th anniversary. “If it was discrimination, it was a positive one for our guests,” she says. Only about half of the hospice’s guests are Jewish, however. Anyone diagnosed as being terminally ill can ask to be referred here. And though capacity is limited because of Immanuel’s small size, the high turnover—the average stay is 11 days— means frequent openings. “When we set up this home, we decided as a matter of policy that it wouldn’t be a place for Jews only,” Martel says. “We didn’t want to send anyone away.”

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jewishnewsva.org | December 4, 2017 | Jewish News | 37

tidewater jewish foundation

End of year giving opportunities for individuals and families Scott Kaplan

uring the holiday season, people tend to think about family, friends, and those they care about. This year, why not also think about the community and the Scott Kaplan many ways it’s possible to make a difference. No matter a person’s age, there are many ways to get involved and make an impact today and for generations to come. Below are just a few ideas, programs, and matching gift opportunities the Tidewater Jewish Foundation (TJF) offers that can help make an impact with family and community.

Hanukkah (commit to at least one family day of giving to others) onsider incorporating the concept of “Tikkun Olam” (repairing the world) into Hanukkah by taking one night, after lighting the candles and in lieu of presents, to talking with children about making a gift to a favorite charity as a family. Talk with family about what is meaningful and important to each person. To create a family philanthropic fund, read below to learn more about how to incorporate philanthropy with family throughout the year.

Create a Donor Advised Fund or those who make charitable contributions to one or more organizations on an annual basis, consider establishing a Donor Advised Fund (philanthropic fund) with TJF. For a limited time, when establishing a new Donor Advised Fund (DAF) through TJF with at least $7,500, TJF will match the gift with an additional

$2,500 totaling $10,000 or more. A DAF allows the donor to make charitable gifts into the fund at any time and retain the ability to make distribution requests from the fund to charitable organizations of the donor’s choice (Jewish or non-Jewish). Think of it like a charitable parking lot to manage all philanthropy through TJF’s online donor portal, providing 24/7 access, and having the capability to meet with TJF staff as philanthropic advisors. Child(ren) may also be named as successor advisor(s) to a family fund. This type of fund may be established by an individual, a couple, or a family.

B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy (a teen philanthropic fund and program) onsider establishing a B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy Fund in a teenager’s name. With an initial gift of $250, teens can have a philanthropic fund (a mini Donor Advised Fund). TJF will match a gift (up to $250) simply for establishing the fund. This is a fantastic opportunity to use some bar/bat mitzvah gifts and learn how to become a philanthropist.

Legacy Match Life Insurance program ife insurance can be used to make a significant philanthropic impact in the community for generations to come. Another great match opportunity is through the gift of life insurance where the Jewish community is the beneficiary. Right now, TJF is offering a 35% match of premiums for specific types of policies. Call to learn more how tax-deductible insurance premium payments can create a fund to benefit one or more Jewish organizations and causes.

38 | Jewish News | December 4, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

Life & Legacy year ago, TJF was selected to participate in the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s Life and Legacy program, which now includes 52 Jewish communities across the country. Life and Legacy is a four-year program that helps communities promote after-lifetime giving to benefit local Jewish day schools, synagogues, social service organizations, and other Jewish entities. TJF was chosen to lead this initiative for Tidewater’s Jewish community. Congregation Beth El, Toras Chaim Day School, Hebrew Academy of Tidewater, Ohef Sholom Temple, Beth Sholom Village, Jewish Family Service of Tidewater, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater/Simon Family JCC, Temple Emanuel, and Chabad of Tidewater are program participants. One year into the program, Tidewater has secured 165 new promises valued at approximately $5.7 million to ensure the Jewish future. For those who have not yet made a commitment, the holiday season is a perfect time to think about the Jewish organizations that are personally important and how to express a personal legacy.

Charitable IRA Roll Over he charitable IRA rollover, is a special provision allowing certain donors to exclude from taxable income—and count toward their required minimum distribution (RMD)—certain transfers of Individual Retirement Account (IRA) assets that are made directly to public charities. In order for a gift to qualify for the charitable IRA rollover, the gift must be made by a donor age 70 ½ or older and must be transferred from a traditional or Roth IRA directly to a permissible public charity (such as the Tidewater Jewish Foundation for the benefit of one or more Jewish organizations). The gift must be completed during the applicable tax year. An individual taxpayer’s total charitable IRA rollover gifts cannot exceed $100,000

per tax year. For those who have not already taken the required minimum distribution (RMD), a qualifying rollover gift may count toward satisfying this requirement. Consult a professional advisor (tax, legal, financial) to learn how this provision may apply to a specific situation.

Gifting of Appreciated Securities he end of year is a great time to consider a charitable contribution of long-term appreciated securities (e.g. stocks, bonds, and/or mutual funds that have realized significant appreciation). It is one of the most tax-efficient of all ways to give. Any long-term appreciated securities with unrealized gains (meaning they were purchased over a year ago, and have a current value greater than their original cost), may be donated to a public charity (such as TJF) and a tax deduction taken for the full fair market value of the securities—up to 30% of the donor’s adjusted gross income. Since the securities are donated rather than sold, capital gains taxes from selling the securities are avoided. The more appreciation the securities have, the greater the tax savings will be. Any appreciated securities may be gifted directly to Tidewater Jewish Foundation into a current fund or into a new fund, such as a Donor Advised Fund (see above) to benefit one or more organizations now and in the future. A tax deduction may be received at the time of the gift of the securities and determine at a later date (in 2018 or beyond) which organizations will receive distributions from the fund.

To discuss any of the above programs or options, consider setting up a confidential conversation with Scott Kaplan, TJF’s president & CEO at 757-965-6109 or skaplan@ ujft.org, or with Barb Gelb, TJF development associate at 757-965-6105 or bgelb@ujft.org.

Wishing you a happy

CHANUKAH

lb. Empire All Natural Kosher Turkey

5 1

ea.

99 ea.

12 oz. pkg., select varieties

3 lb. Bag Yellow Onions

3 lb. pkg., individually quick frozen

frozen, all natural

Empire Kosher Chicken Sausage

99 ea.

Empire Kosher Chicken or Turkey Bologna 8 oz pkg.

2 $5

25.4 oz. btl., select varieties

64 oz. btl., select varieties

for Kedem Sparkling Juice

for Kedem Grape Juice

ea.

5 lb. Bag White Potatoes

2 $4 for

179

ea.

99¢

ea.

Rokeach Chanuka Candles 44 ct. pkg.

119

ea.

Lieber’s Chanukah Dreidel 2 oz. pkg.,

4 $5 for

Kedem Soup Mix

6 oz. pkg., select varieties

ea. Empire Kosher Chicken Split Breasts

lb. Empire Kosher Turkey Breast

frozen, hen or tom

Streit’s Potato Pancake Mix 6 oz. pkg., select varieties

Manischewitz Tam Tams 8 oz. box, select varieties

lb.

Honeycrisp Apples

2 $4 for

Manischewitz Chicken Broth 32 oz. pkg., select varieties

999

ea. Essential Everyday Pure Corn Oil 128 oz. btl.

Sale prices effective only at 730 W. 21st St., Norfolk, VA through December 13, 2017. While supplies last. No rain checks. © 2017 Farm Fresh Supermarkets. All rights reserved. jewishnewsva.org | December 4, 2017 | Jewish News | 39

40 | Jewish News | December 4, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org