Jewish News - February 22, 2021 by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

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Southeastern Virginia | Vol. 59 No. 10 | 10 Adar 5781 | February 22, 2021

7 JFS offers COVID vaccine registration assistance

23 Jewish Book Festival Rabbi Avram Milotek Wednesday, March 3

The 28th season of the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film begins —page 24 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462-4370 Address Service Requested

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10 Purim in Jewish Tidewater

nt e m e r i Ret 26

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Lawrence L. Steingold to receive 2021 VCIC Award Thursday, March 18

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LETTER

JEWISH NEWS jewishnewsva.org

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

Two representatives of the Jewish Russian community came to Jewish Family Service to personally present the agency with the following letter along with flowers as a thank you during Thanksgiving 2020. At this challenging time in our world and

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community, JFS wanted to share these sincere words of gratitude from local members of the Tidewater Jewish community.

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

November 23, 2020 TO: T he United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Jewish Family Service of Tidewater

Terri Denison, Editor Germaine Clair, Art Director Lisa Richmon, Staff Writer Sandy Goldberg, Account Executive Ronnie Jacobs Cohen, Account Executive Marilyn Cerase, Subscription Manager Reba Karp, Editor Emeritus

FROM: Russian Senior Members of Jewish Family Service and their Families Dear Friends:

e congratulate you and Jewish Family

care. She helped us with the paperwork for Food

Service with Thanksgiving Day and wish

Stamps, vouchers to Farmers’ Market, fuel assistance,

you all the best! We also would like to thank you

and Medicaid annual renewal.

for help to Russian members from Jewish Family

We learned English as a second language at

Service. Every year we receive gifts on Passover,

Temple Israel with a wonderful teacher Mrs. Elsa

Rosh Hashanah, and Purim. At this difficult year

Borman and Alla Gean provided us with text books.

with COVID-19 Pandemic, we received special gifts:

We all passed the examination for citizenship and

money, masks, and gloves. We appreciate for your

we are proud to be American citizens. We enjoyed

assistance and kindness.

interesting parties on Victory Days and International

Case Manager, Alla Gean works with us for almost 20 years and gives to us professional help and advice with all our needs: health, finance, and

United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Amy Levy, President Alvin Wall, Treasurer Stephanie Calliott, Secretary Betty Ann Levin, Executive Vice-President jewishVA.org The appearance of advertising in the Jewish News does not constitute a kashrut, political, product or service endorsement. The articles and letters appearing herein are not necessarily the opinion of this newspaper. ©2021 Jewish News. All rights reserved.

Women’s Days.

Subscription: $18 per year

We thank you all very much and wish to you healthy and happy Thanksgiving Day.

JewishNewsVA

others. Alla Gean helped us to receive Medicare and Medicaide, appointments to doctors with transporta-

Your grateful:

tion and translation, hearing aids, glasses, and home

(Individual Signatures of 23 JFS New American Clients)

Upcoming Deadlines for Editorial and Advertising March 8 March 22 April 12 April 26 May 10 May 31

Letter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Biden: White supremacists are ‘the most dangerous people’ in America. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 UJFT-supported JAFI program delivers during COVID. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Plastic bags into benches for Ohef Sholom. . . . . 7 Swordfish swim team sets records, wins meets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 TJF and UJFT partners with Jewish Future Pledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Purim across Jewish Tidewater. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Special Section: Retirement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

What’s Happening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Virginia Festival of Jewish Film . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Lawrence Steingold to receive the VCIC Humanitarian Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 What’s Happening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Jewish Disabilities Month: Highlighting the need for disability advocacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Now is the time to preserve endangered Jewish languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Mazel Tov/Passover Feb. 19 Passover March 5 Camp March 26 Women April 9 Summer April 23 Men/Dad/Grads May 14

CANDLE LIGHTING

QUOTABLE

CONTENTS

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

Friday, February 26/14 Adar Light candles at 5:39 pm

“My inspiration comes from family roots, from energetic and dynamic leaders throughout Tidewater, and from peers who at our age have now stepped up to positions of leadership.” —page 26

Friday, March 5/21 Adar Light candles at 5:45 pm Friday, March 12/28 Adar Light candles at 5:52 pm Friday, March 19/6 Nissan Light candles at 6:58 pm Friday, March 26/13 Nissan Light candles at 7:04 pm Friday, April 22/20 Nissan Light candles at 7:11 pm

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BRIEFS MANDALORIAN STAR FIRED AFTER COMPARING TODAY’S POLITICAL CLIMATE TO THE HOLOCAUST Gina Carano, an actress who starred in the first two seasons of the Disney+ Star Wars spinoff hit, The Mandalorian, was kicked off the series on Wednesday, Feb. 10, after posting an image on social media that compared being conservative today to being a Jew during the Holocaust. In an Instagram story, Carano wrote: “Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors… even by children. “Because history is edited,” she continued, “most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?” Lucasfilm released a statement saying that Carano will no longer be part of the show, and that “her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.” Carano, a former mixed martial arts fighter, has drawn ire for past social media posts, including some that mocked wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and advanced conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. (JTA) STEVEN SPIELBERG GETS 2021 GENESIS PRIZE, THE ‘JEWISH NOBEL’ Director Steven Spielberg has won the 2021 Genesis Prize, the award nicknamed the “Jewish Nobel.” The award, which “honors extraordinary individuals for their outstanding professional achievement, contribution to humanity, and commitment to Jewish values,” was announced, Feb. 10. “Key Jewish themes are often woven into his narratives: importance of identity and belonging, maintaining humanity in a ruthless world, caring for the other, and honoring the moral obligation to do the right thing,” the Genesis Prize Foundation wrote about the Oscar winner in a statement. The foundation also says it is honoring “his extraordinary work to preserve

the memory of the Holocaust and prevent future genocides through film, public advocacy and philanthropy.” Spielberg is founder of the USC Shoah Foundation, which preserves Holocaust survivor testimonies and which he created in the wake of the acclaim for his 1993 Holocaust film, Schindler’s List. In contrast to past years, the foundation considered votes on a winner from people around the world. “While the Prize Committee had the ultimate discretion about the recipient of this prestigious award, the fact that Spielberg received the most votes was a major determining factor,” the statement continued. The honor comes with a $1 million prize. Past recipients, including Michael Douglas, Michael Bloomberg, Natalie Portman and Natan Sharansky, have donated the winnings. Launched in 2013 by a group of RussianJewish philanthropists that includes current foundation chairman Stan Polovets, the prize is financed through a permanent endowment of $100 million established by The Genesis Prize Foundation. (JTA)

AMAZON’S NEXT CEO IS JEWISH Andy Jassy, a longtime Jewish Amazon executive and confidante of Jeff Bezos, will take the reins of the company as CEO later this year. Bezos made the announcement this month in a letter to his employees. “Andy is well known inside the company and has been at Amazon almost as long as I have,” Bezos wrote. “He will be an outstanding leader, and he has my full confidence.” Jassy, 53, is known for helping come up with the most profitable part of Amazon’s business model: cloud computing. The Wall Street Journal reported that in its most recent quarter, Amazon Web Services had “net sales of $12.7 billion with an operating income of $3.6 billion, more than half of the company’s overall operating income.” Companies as large as Uber and Netflix have used Amazon’s cloud infrastructure to build their businesses. The Harvard Business School graduate has worked at Amazon since 1997, just three years after its launch. His various

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roles have included serving in the music and CD sales division before rising to become Bezos’ “shadow”—akin to a chief of staff, according to one of Bezos’ former business partners. Jassy grew up in a Jewish family in suburban Scarsdale, N. Y. He married his wife, Elena Caplan, in a Jewish ceremony in California in 1997. At the time, her father was president of what was then called the Jewish Television Network. (JTA)

FAUCI WINS $1 MILLION ISRAELI PRIZE FOR ‘COURAGEOUSLY DEFENDING SCIENCE’ DURING PANDEMIC Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease specialist, was awarded a $1 million prize from an Israeli foundation for “courageously defending science in the face of uninformed opposition during the challenging COVID crisis.” The Dan David Prize’s award announcement on Monday, Feb. 15, credited Fauci for “speaking truth to power in a highly charged political environment.” The prize is awarded by the Dan David Foundation, which was founded by the late Romanian-Israeli philanthropist of the same name. The award, split into three categories—past, present, and future— honors scientists, researchers and cultural figures for achievement in their fields. Past winners range from former Vice President Al Gore to cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The foundation also noted Fauci’s work during the AIDS crisis, commending “his exceptional contribution to HIV research” in the 1980s and his time as the “architect of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.” (JTA) ISRAELI STUDIES SHOW PFIZER’S COVID VACCINE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective in preventing the disease, show studies from Israel’s two largest health care networks. Israel’s vaccination drive has so far gotten shots in the arms of 3.8 million adults, according to government data— more than half of the country’s adult population. Of those, some 2.5 million Israelis have both doses of the vaccine. Now, studies of vaccinated Israelis from the country’s two largest health care

providers show that the Pfizer vaccine is effective in countering the coronavirus. Israel guarantees health care to all its citizens, and operates its health care system through four providers. On Thursday, Feb. 11, Maccabi, Israel’s second-largest provider, released the results of a study showing that the vaccine was 93% effective one week after the second shot, similar to results announced by Pfizer last year. Out of 523,000 clients who were fully vaccinated, only 544 got COVID-19. Of those, only 15 required hospitalization. Clalit, Israel’s largest health care provider, said that the vaccine led to a 94% drop in symptomatic COVID cases. The vaccine was equally effective for all age groups, Clalit said. Israel has so far outpaced the rest of the world in vaccinating its population, though the rate of vaccinations is slowing and case counts are dropping slowly amid a nationwide lockdown. (JTA)

SURVEY: NEARLY 3 IN 10 GOP BELIEVE CENTRAL TENET OF QANON Nearly three in 10 Republicans believe the claim driving the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to a survey released last week by a conservative think tank. According to the survey by the American Enterprise Institute, 29% of Republicans believe the baseless claim that former President “Donald Trump has been secretly fighting a group of child sex traffickers that include prominent Democrats and Hollywood elites.” That’s the idea at the center of the false QAnon conspiracy theory, which has gained millions of supporters across the U. S. and was praised repeatedly by Trump. The conspiracy theory has also been endorsed in the past by two Republican congresswomen, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, though both have since disavowed it. QAnon, scholars say, is rooted in ageold anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that falsely allege that Jews abduct and abuse children for ritual purposes, and that a shadowy cabal of Jewish elites secretly controls the world. The survey also found that more than one in four evangelical Christians, 27%, believes the central tenet of QAnon. (JTA)

NATION

Biden: White supremacists are ‘the most dangerous people’ in America Ron Kampeas

( JTA)—President Joe Biden, saying domestic terrorism was the “greatest threat” in America and white supremacists are the “most dangerous people,” pledged to focus his Justice Department on the rise of white supremacy. Biden, in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Feb 16 at his first town hall as president, fielded a question from Joel Berkowitz, a professor at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee, about what Berkowitz termed the “ongoing threat” from white supremacists in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 raid on the U.S. Capitol. A number of far-right groups and figures were involved in the insurrection. “I got involved in politics to begin with because of civil rights and opposition to white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, and the most dangerous people in America continue to exist,” Biden said on the CNN-sponsored event, which was hosted by Anderson Cooper. “That is the greatest threat to terror in America, domestic terror. And so, I would make sure that my Justice Department and the civil rights division is focused heavily on those very folks, and I would make sure that we, in fact, focus on how to deal with the rise of white supremacy.” Biden has tapped Merrick Garland, a

Jewish judge, to be his attorney general. The president noted reports of more police and military personnel joining white supremacist groups. The Trump administration downplayed the threat of right-wing terrorism, and Biden attacked Donald Trump for what he depicted as his predecessor’s encouragement of far-right groups. “You may remember, in one of my debates with the former president, I asked him to condemn the Proud Boys and he wouldn’t do it,” Biden said. “He said ‘Stand by,’ stand ready, or whatever the phrase exactly was.” Trump had told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.” Bantering with Berkowitz, who teaches foreign languages and literature, prior to the question, Biden said he studied French for five years and could not speak it. “I’ll teach you some Yiddish some time. How’s that?” Berkowitz said. “I understand a little bit of Yiddish,” Biden said. “I’m sure you do,” Berkowitz said. “It would be a shanda if he didn’t,” said Cooper, who like Biden was raised as a Roman Catholic. Biden’s three children who survived into adulthood married Jews, making him a grandfather to several Jewish grandchildren. (Biden’s first wife and infant daughter were killed in a car accident in 1972.)

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Biden and Netanyahu, in first phone call since US leader’s inauguration, speak for an hour Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON ( JTA)—President Joe Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nearly a month into his first term—a time frame that drew criticism from Republicans for its length. Biden appeared to make up for lost time, at least according to Netanyahu’s account on Twitter, and the two spoke for an hour. The conversation was “friendly and warm” Netanyahu said in Hebrew, addressing an Israeli electorate that

places a high value on healthy relations with the United States. His tweet, accompanied by a photo of a grinning Netanyahu on the phone, comes just weeks before an Israeli election. “The two leaders remarked on their personal relationship of many years and said they will work together for the continuation and strengthening of the unshakeable alliance between Israel and the United States,” the tweet said. Netanyahu said they discussed “advancing the peace deals, the Iranian threat and the challenges in the region.”

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Bill’s Legacy Lives Forever

YOUR DOLLARS AT WORK

From balcony concerts and food distribution apps, to Israeli homecomings, UJFT-supported JAFI programs deliver a shot in the arm during COVID-19

Norfolk business owner Bill Goldback valued good health and great arts performances.

Lisa Richmon

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 are helping Chesapeake Care, Hampton Roads Community Health Center, Todd Rosenlieb Dance and Young Audiences of Virginia 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. Adding Charity to Your W or IRA ill

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The Jewish Agency for Israel, JAFI, is a global platform that founded and built the state of Israel. Now in its 90th year, its mission to overcome challenges facing Jews around the world expands its reach while responding to the hurtling impact of COVID-19.

AFI exists to bring Jews to Israel—and Israel to Jews around the world, in three distinct areas of impact: Aliyah, Connect, and Israeli Society. The agency’s outreach is tailored to simultaneously meet modern challenges and offer relevant benefits such as transformative and immersive Israeli experiences in favor of virtual online college classes; mentoring and counseling for youth-at-risk; and increased staffing to focus on the physical health and mental wellness of Holocaust survivors and vulnerable people. In the last year, hospital-grade hygiene protocols were established to prevent disease, while hundreds of balcony concerts were held to combat the deadly effects of sheltering in place for extended periods of time. JReady, “the Jewish Emergency Network,” is an initiative designed to assist Jewish communities in dealing with the challenging consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. As part of this program, a first-of-its-kind digital platform was developed to enable Jewish communities to use and share knowledge in crisis and emergency situations. The multi-disciplinary toolbox includes a chat forum and access to advanced research and technologies, such as the ‘Haggai App’ an Israeli app for food distribution to those in need, and a Belgian methodology to alleviate loneliness among the elderly. November 2020 marked the beginning of Operation Zur Israel. Despite a global pandemic, the agency anticipates reuniting 2000 Ethiopian Jews with their families in Israel by Passover 2021. More than 20,000 people from more than 70 countries made Aliyah in 2020.

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Argentinian family in The Shuk in Jerusalem.

Nir Buchler, JAFI regional director, Southeast, is grateful for the partnership with the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. “Thanks to the unrestricted dollars, we were able to pivot and meet unprecedented needs. It’s particularly moving to see that when the world closed its borders to immigrants, Israel continued to welcome tens of thousands of Jews from around the world.” One couple from Argentina and their two teenage children were scheduled to make Aliyah before the pandemic hit. They received a call to postpone Aliyah one week before their scheduled departure. They had already quit jobs, left schools, and informed their landlord. As the pandemic worsened, so did the process of making Aliyah. To meet travel restrictions, they signed a formal sworn statement agreeing to comply to a 14-day quarantine period upon their arrival, and 72 hours before boarding the plane, they were at The Jewish Agency’s office signing papers and arranging for Israelis to deliver

food to their doorstep throughout their quarantine. The family stayed at an apartment for new olim (immigrants) in Kfar Saba, subsidized by JAFI. They initially planned to live there for just one month, but were able to extend their stay due to the pandemic. The entire experience made them want to help other olim get settled in Israel. “As the grandson of Holocaust survivors who made Aliyah, I am touched to see how we enabled Jews from all over the world to be rescued despite lockdowns and flight restrictions, in particular the recent flights from Ethiopia that continue to run despite the airport closing,” says Buchler. “It speaks to the commitment of not just our organizations, but the Jewish people and our mutual responsibility for each other.” This is part of a series of articles spotlighting local and overseas partner agencies that are beneficiaries of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s annual Community Campaign.

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Ohef Sholom Temple is turning plastic bags into benches

t seems they’re everywhere. Plastic bags are choking sea life, clogging up waterways, and blowing in the wind through streets and yards. Ohef Sholom Temple is helping to do something about it. OST joined the Trex Community Challenge two years ago. Trex is a company in Winchester, Va., that takes those pesky bags and other plastic film and manufactures railing and decking material out of them. They also sponsor a program for non-profit organizations to collect plastic and turn it in for Trex to recycle into their products. If those organizations collect a minimum of 500 pounds of plastic in six months, they earn a bench. Christina Verderosa, a member of Ohef Sholom Temple’s Eco-Judaism committee, saw how well the program worked with her Master Gardeners’ group in Newport News and started the collections at OST. Members brought their plastic to the Temple for collection and recruited their friends, relatives, and clubs to contribute. So far, OST has collected more than 2,000 lbs. of plastic and has earned four benches. The first two benches are in one of the temple’s hallways. With the third collection, the program began reaching out to the community to place benches with other organizations. Sharon Nusbaum, an OST board member, also serves on the board of Virginia Supportive Housing, which provides housing and other services to the homeless. Gosnold Apartments, a VSH facility located not far from OST, received a bench in November. The fourth bench is on its way and will be presented to Ghent United Methodist Church, across the street from Ohef Sholom. There have been a lot of horror stories about material that is meant for recycling ending up in landfills or being shipped to other countries. With this project, participants know exactly where their plastic goes.

COVID-19 vaccination registration assistance available A phone application assistance and outreach program for people who need help registering for the COVID-19 vaccination is being offered by Jewish Family Service. People can call and speak to Sharon Rosenbaum and/or Jody Laibstain. They will help people navigate any confusion and register them on-line.

A Trex bench at Ohef Sholom.

The Community Challenge program is open to temples, churches, clubs, and other non-profit organizations. For more information visit https://www.trex.com/recycling/ recycling-programs/

VOLUNTEER TO HELP JFS and Untied Jewish Federation of Tidewater are asking for volunteers who may be interested in helping people navigate the system, helping them apply, and perhaps even drive them to appointments. To volunteer or to seek assistance, call 757-321-2237.

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IT’S A WRAP Swordfish team swims through its first winter season, sets records, wins meets Tom Edwards

he Simon Family JCC Swordfish swim team is in its first-ever winter season, having started practices on November 9 in preparation for virtual swim meets from December through February. Jacob Gynan, the JCC swim coordinator, is the team’s head coach, with Leia Sabatini serving as assistant coach. Both are veteran coaches for the Swordfish summer swim teams. The co-ed team has 11 members, ranging in age from seven years old to 18. Since the team has had a schedule of virtual swim meets due to COVID-19, the Swordfish swimmers have had the opportunity to swim against JCC teams from

across the country, such as in Westchester, N.Y., Kansas City, Missouri, Greenvale, N.Y., Savannah, Ga., Wilmington, Del., and Harrisburg, Pa. The Swordfish have won four of their first six meets while setting 17 new individual team records in 10 different events. The Swordfish conclude their season with a meet on February 23 against the JCC in Youngstown, Ohio. The summer season of the Swordfish swim team hopes to start practice this May, concluding in late July. Registration for the summer team will be open by early April. Contact the JCC front desk or see details at simonfamilyjcc.org.

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Local Relationships Matter

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Tidewater Jewish Foundation partnership with Jewish Future Pledge aims to ensure the future of Jewish giving

oining a two-year pilot program to proliferate a culture of legacy giving in communities across North America, Tidewater Jewish Foundation launched a new partnership with the Jewish Future Pledge earlier this month. TJF is part of a cohort of 11 local federations and Jewish Foundations across North America put together by The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and the Jewish Future Pledge. Locally, Tidewater Jewish Foundation is partnering with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater on this endeavor. JFNA originally planned to onboard 10 Federations/Foundations in the first cohort, but after receiving overwhelming interest, expanded to accommodate 11 cities. Other cohort Federation communities include Portland, Dallas, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Greater Metro West (NJ), South Palm Beach County, Miami, Toronto, Birmingham, and Houston. The partnership comes at a critical time for the Jewish community. The social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has left the Jewish community more uncertain about its future than ever before and comes during the largest transfer of wealth in history. According to the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College, $6.3 trillion could be allocated to charity over the next 55 years. The Jewish Future Pledge seeks to leverage this wealth transfer to secure the financial future of the Jewish people by directing hundreds of billions of dollars toward Jewish and Israel-related causes. “The Tidewater Jewish Foundation is thrilled to partner with the Jewish Future Pledge. As we work every day to create a more involved Jewish community, our eye is always toward the future. By supporting our members in giving to the Jewish causes they hold dear, together, we are making a long-term investment in the future of the Jewish people,” says Jody Wagner, TJF board chair. The Jewish Future Pledge calls on all

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“We have to provide exceptionally good care of our residents and give back to the community. That’s one of the reasons we encourage our staff to participate in supporting organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association. We have over 300 people on our staff who work, live and shop in our community. These people touch the lives of so many families and friends of our residents and they strive to make all these people feel a part of the Beth Sholom Village.”

As we work every day to create a more involved Jewish community, our eye is always toward the future. By supporting our members in giving to the Jewish causes

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they hold dear, together, we are making a long-term investment in the future of the Jewish people. Jews to sign a pledge that commits half or more of the charitable giving in their estate plan to support the Jewish people and/or the State of Israel. Whether it is for $10 or $10 million, every pledge contributes

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to securing a Jewish future for all. Cohort Federations and Foundations will educate its community about the importance of the Pledge, encouraging individuals to sign and share it with their family and friends. In Tidewater, once they sign the Jewish Future Pledge, donors will look to TJF to define their commitment through tangible gifts to causes they care about. “The Jewish Future Pledge is thrilled to partner with local Jewish agencies like the Tidewater Jewish Foundation

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and the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater across North America as we work together to support the critical work of securing our Jewish future for Jewish communities big and small,” says Jewish Future Pledge co-founder, Mike Leven. “Our strategic partnership will accelerate our new movement’s expansion across the country as we work to secure the funds needed to ensure that Jewish life is sustained for generations to come.”

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PURIM

Purim in Jewish Tidewater

Creativity reigns throughout the community with plans to celebrate Purim with both traditional and innovative, fun events. The holiday commemorates the saving of the Jewish people in Persia as recounted in the Book of Esther. Compiled by Ronnie Jacobs Cohen for Shalom Tidewater B’NAI ISRAEL Rabbi Sender Haber’s ‘Daily Dvar Torah’ WhatsApp group is currently studying the Book of Esther with short and inspiring daily lessons. If interested in joining this group, contact B’nai Israel’s office. COVID-19 compliant Megillah readings Thursday night, February 25 and Friday morning, February 26 A special Purim scavenger hunt throughout Ghent will take place. Rabbi Haber will facilitate ‘Matanos La’evyonim’—‘Gifts for the Poor’ with distributions taking place on Purim both locally and in Israel. Everyone is encouraged to fulfill the mitzvah of ‘Mishloach Manos’—‘Gifts of Food’ to family, friends, and particularly to people who are housebound and on their own this Purim. In keeping with State and Rabbinic Guidelines, there will not be a communal Purim meal this year. For more information, scheduling, or to participate in any of the above, contact the B’nai Israel office at office@bnaiisrael.org. CHABAD OF TIDEWATER Megillah readings Thursday, February 25 Ma’ariv begins at 6:25 pm; Megillah reading at 6:45 pm and again at 7:45 pm Friday February 26 Shachris at 8 am; Megillah reading at

8:30 am and at 10 am Activities will be in-person, with limited seating. RSVP is required. For information and to RSVP, email rabbilevi@chabadoftidewater.com.

CONGREGATION BETH EL The Beth El Players present the Story of Esther on Zoom Thursday, February 25, 5:45 pm Full Megillah reading Friday, February 26, 7:15 am during morning Zoom minyan. Contact noelle@bethelnorfolk.com for Zoom links. Thanks to Beth El’s Men’s Club and the volunteer delivery team, Beth El delivered mishlo’ah manot boxes to all members. KEHILLAT BET HAMIDRASH, KEMPSVILLE CONSERVATIVE SYNAGOGUE Food In; Food Out Sunday, February 21 Stop by KBH to drop off non-perishables for the JFS Food Pantry and receive some hamantashen and sweets. Virtual Purim Parade and Megillah reading Thursday, February 25, 7 pm Purim Seudah February 26, 12 pm Grab your lunch and join via Zoom for Purim games and activities—and maybe a few l’chaims.

For information and the Zoom link, email kbhsynagogue@gmail.com.

OHEF SHOLOM Hamantashen Cooking with Phil and Tal Sunday, February 21, 4 pm via Zoom Go to ohefsholom.org for ingredients and Zoom link. A Pandemic in Persia: A Purimshpiel Thursday, February 25, 6:30 pm If you haven’t already joined the kingdom-wide Zoom meeting, by royal decree, King Achashveirosh requests the presence of every Persian in the land to Zoom for A Pandemic In Persia! A Virtual Zoom Shpiel. For more information, call 757-625-4295 or email information@ohefsholom.org for the Zoom link. The Whole Megillah with Jay Lazier Friday, February 26, 12 pm Sit down for lunch and tune in to hear the full Megillah read by Jay Lazier. Groggers and megillot optional. RSVP to reservations@ohefsholom.org for the link. PJ LIBRARY Purim in a box is being delivered to Jewish families in Tidewater who reserved one before they were all gone. The Purim box includes a Purim craft, markers, a decorate your own mask, Purim accessories, a PJ Library’s Be

Happy, It’s Purim DVD for the everyone to enjoy and a plate of assorted Hamantashen cookies.

STRELITZ INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY In-school Purim Celebration Friday, February 26 Students will come in costume, review the Purim story and enjoy treats including Hamentashen. SIA students will also participate in Purim-themed games with prizes and be treated to special entertainment via Zoom. TEMPLE ISRAEL Zoom Megillah reading of the Book of Esther Thursday, February 25, 7 pm What really happened when COVID came to Shushan? Write a short song, poem, or story about a section of the Purim story and what really happened when COVID came to Shushan. For more information and the Zoom link, email templeisraelva1954@gmail.com. TEMPLE EMANUEL Purim Celebration Sunday, February 21, 11 am A community—for kids and adults—celebration will take place via Zoom. The celebration will include Reading of the Megillah and the film, Rise of the Empress. For the Zoom link to the Purim Celebration, go to www.tevb.org/virtual. TIDEWATER CHAVURAH Rock ‘n’ Roll Purim Megillah Reading Friday, February 26, 7 pm Dress in costume or at least wear a fun hat and wild jewelry. For more information, visit www.tidewaterchavurah.org or contact rabbicantorejg@ gmail.com.

10 | JEWISH NEWS | February 22, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

PURIM

These 7 US bakeries will ship hamantaschen directly to you Shannon Sarna

t’s always great to bake hamantaschen and share them with friends and family. But this isn’t a normal year, of course, and it may be harder to find the time to bake hamantaschen because your kids are home doing remote school; or you’re worried about getting the packages out in time; or maybe you just want to share a little extra sweet cookie deliciousness with the people you love who are far away. Whatever the reason, here are a bunch of wonderful bakeries from around the United States that will ship hamantaschen for you. Bonus: Your kitchen will remain mess-free. Win, win.

York bakery via Goldbelly. They’re kosher, a New York favorite and you can send them anywhere in the U.S.! To order, visit Goldbelly. OhNuts.com OhNuts.com doesn’t just have kosher hamantaschen, and you can have them shipped anywhere. They have beautiful, drool-worthy chocolate-dipped hamamtaschen packages with rainbow chips and peppermint, among other festive flavors. For the purists, they also have all the standards, like apricot, raspberry and poppy seed. To order, visit the OhNuts website. Sunflower Bakery This Maryland-based nonprofit bakery isn’t just making delicious kosher sweets shipped straight to your door: They are also doing important community work.

Their mission is to provide training and job skills to adults 18 and older who have learning differences. And since tzedekah is also an important part of Purim, you can give some hamantaschen that have a little extra meaning. They have a huge selection of hamantaschen flavors, including cookie dough and coco-caramel, and even gluten-free hamantaschen! To order, visit the Sunflower Bakery website. Zingerman’s Everyone’s favorite Michigan bakery will send you a package of mixed hamantaschen including vanilla bean, poppy and apricot. Want to boo Haman? For a little extra, you can get some groggers, too. To order, visit the Zingerman’s website. This piece originally appeared on The Nosher.

Local and Experienced…a winning combination!

Three Brothers Bakery Three Brothers Bakery is an absolute gem and makes the best hamantaschen I’ve ever tasted. The Houston-based business is family run and dates back to before the Holocaust (read more about the family history here). You can order a package of traditional hamantaschen or try their s’mores hamantaschen. You might want to order some extra goodies while you’re on their site. To order, visit the Three Brothers Bakery website. Breads Bakery Breads Bakery, based in New York City, comes up with new hamantaschen flavors every year to keep us excited. This year is no different: Their apple pie hamantaschen is a bite of heaven. They also have chocolate, poppy, halva and pizza. And new this year will be their weekly

rotating flavors, which include matcha, coconut-lime and chai, just to name a few. You can order pick up or delivery if you’re in New York City, or you can have them delivered anywhere in the U.S. via Goldbelly. To order, visit Goldbelly. Ricki’s Cookies Based in Memphis, this family bakery is beloved by the Tennessee locals. In fact, I have been hearing about Ricki’s Cookies for nearly 15 years from a friend who was raised in Memphis. You can order a mixed assortment of fruit hamantaschen or choose a whole package of just one jam. This bakery is kosher. To order, visit the Ricki’s Cookies website. William Greenberg Desserts You can order hamantaschen—and a slew of other treats—from this iconic New

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PURIM

We’ve lost almost an entire year: COVID-fatigued communities prepare for a distanced Purim Shira Hanau

(JTA)—In any other year, the mask-decorating party planned for later this month at Congregation Beth El Ner Tamid in Broomall, Pennsylvania, would make perfect sense: Costumes are part of the ritual for festive Jewish holiday of Purim, which begins Feb. 25. This year, though, the masks being decorated aren’t meant for a carnival— they’ll be appropriate to use as personal protective equipment as long as the coronavirus pandemic lasts. The gathering, and the subsequent synagoguewide celebration, will take place on Zoom. The party represents Beth El Ner Tamid’s effort to preserve the spirit of the holiday, even as its very celebration offers a cruel reminder that an entire year has elapsed since COVID-19 turned life

upside down, seemingly overnight. “There’s a lot of grief in the fact that we’ve lost almost an entire year of synagogue life and our personal lives,” says Rabbi Janine Jankovitz of Beth El Ner Tamid. “I know people are tired and sad, and we’re trying to bring them just a little bit of joy.” In 2020, Purim began on the evening of March 9, just before the country shut down to stop the spread of the coronavirus. For some Jewish communities, the holiday was the first celebrated over Zoom. In others, the typical parties gave way to more somber, hand sanitizer-soaked services, stripped of the raucousness that characterizes the holiday. For many in Tidewater, the Purimsphiels and carnivals were the last in-person events. By the following Shabbat, they had canceled in-person services, too.

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A year later, the holiday is symbolic of one thing for everyone: an entire Jewish calendar year in which the holidays, the Shabbats and all the rituals in between have been adapted under the burden of the pandemic and its restrictions. For non-Orthodox synagogues, that means a Zoom production that builds on a year of expertise. Temple De Hirsch Sinai, a Reform congregation in Seattle, Washington, located near an early outbreak, canceled last year’s Star Wars-themed Purim programming but vowed that its annual Purim spiel would be “back next year, bigger and better than ever.” This year, its schedule boasts multiple online events, including a spiel inspired by the viral video app TikTok. But some elements of the celebration— including the reading of the Megillah, the scroll containing the Purim story—do not lend themselves to the practicalities of pandemic broadcasting. Listeners typically use groggers, small noisemakers, to cancel out the name of Haman, the villain who tries to destroy the Jews, whenever it’s mentioned in the story. “How do you do the groggers on Zoom?” Jankovitz wondered, bemoaning the fact that the experience for little kids, for whom the silliness on Purim is a special treat, won’t be the same. “The sense that we’re going to have to mute people in between really does take away from the joy and festivity of Purim.” Locally, Ohef Sholom Temple mailed cards to its members to hold up while on zoom during the spiel instead of groggers. At the Orangetown Jewish Center, a Conservative congregation in Rockland County, just north of New York City, this year’s Purim costume parade will be replaced by a car parade through the town, with congregants decorating their cars for the occasion and the fire department leading the way. For the Megillah reading, congregants will gather in the parking lot to hear the story on their car radios. With congregants able to safely

distance from one another in their cars, Rabbi Craig Scheff hopes the setup will be an opportunity to feel connected as a community while staying safely distanced. The Leffell School, a Jewish day school in Westchester County, an early epicenter of the pandemic in New York state, had already switched to online learning by Purim last year. “Because everything was so new on Zoom, there was this excitement of what Purim would look like online,” Rabbi Yael Buechler of the lower school recalls. “This whole year has been a bit of a ‘v’nahafoch hu’ experience,” Buechler says, using a Hebrew phrase from the Megillah meaning “it will be turned upside down” that symbolizes the topsy-turvy nature of the Purim story. For Rabbi Shaanan Gelman, this Purim will in some ways be more normal than last year. Gelman, who leads the Modern Orthodox Kehilat Chovevei Tzion in Skokie, Illinois, attended last year’s AIPAC convention in Washington, D.C., where he came in contact with someone who later tested positive for the coronavirus. So, while his congregation met in person, he was in quarantine at home and listened into the synagogue’s phone line to hear the Megillah reading while reading along from a scroll on Purim night. This year, Gelman’s synagogue will host multiple services and provide a livestream option for those who are not able to attend, though Gelman stressed that the streaming option is not an ideal way to fulfill the obligation to hear the Megillah. “A lot of what has become synonymous with Purim is not going to be happening this year,” Gelman said. “Hopefully next year we’ll get back to the bigger celebration of Purim.” While Gelman noted the fatigue that had set in around continued pandemic restrictions on daily life, he says being able to attend services in person this year should not be taken for granted. “I am appreciative that I can, God willing, come to shul and hear the Megillah live.”

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What are you doing now? I spend time golfing, biking, walking my dog, swimming indoors, cooking, and taking care of personal finances. Plus, I’m involved with a few non-profits. I’m a board member of the Chesapeake Bay Wine Foundation and Ohef Sholom Temple’s Foundation. I have always had a passion for physical activity. When COVID-19 Gene and Sharon Ross. is behind us, I don’t see that changing, although some activities When COVID-19 restrictions lift, what will likely receive more emphasis, such do you want to do? as traveling and socializing with friends. Travel…especially to see my kids in We like entertaining and, of course, Colorado and San Francisco and my new that has been difficult, if not impossible granddaughter. We have a condo under during the pandemic. I miss dining out construction in Lafayette, Colorado, with friends and especially not seeing which is in proximity to my daughter, my kids and granddaughter. her husband, and child. We can’t wait!

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ABBEY PACHTER, PHD Retired as director of the Nursing Program and assistant professor at the Virginia Beach campus of South University. 2014 What are you doing now? During the first six months of COVID, I wrote a research-informed journal-style book about it as it was unfolding. I was in Florida with my mother (now 96) during that time. At first I was there to help her, then we were both there until we felt it was safer for her to get home to Chicago and avoid hurricane season. Since January, I’ve been a volunteer with the Virginia Beach Medical Reserves Corps actually giving vaccines at the Convention Center. I spend part of my time there with the pharmacy teams preparing the vaccines for administration, which helps make the lines move faster. After coming home from being with my mom, my older daughter and her family from urban New Jersey moved in for about a month so their kids could play outdoors and so I could help with their preschooler while their older son started first grade—online, of course. It was a very busy and fun late August/ September/October. Then, I flew to Chicago to share in my mom’s 96th birthday, and got to visit my sister and cousins. Now I’m in two Melton classes, one with Rabbi Panitz, the other with Amy Milligan. In addition to being on Ohef Sholom Temple’s board, I was secretary of our neighborhood homeowners’ association until I was elected president in November. Oh, and I was nurturing a Monarch Butterfly.... It has been a productive, busy year. I really haven’t had time to be depressed about COVID. Rather, I’ve been impressed with all the science that has progressed at a tremendous pace, and all the thousands of people who have devoted their careers to the effort.

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When COVID-19 restrictions lift, what do you want to do? Visit my kids and grandkids as soon as their parents will let me. Other than that, my top three are a trip to explore Patagonia, the Chilean Fjords, the Straits of Magellan and Antartica, aiming for part of Jan–March 2022 (anyone interested in joining me?). The other trip i want to make is to the National Parks nearest Las Vegas, by renting a camper. Then, Alaska.

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Retirement

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elaying retirement has become common for many Americans, either because they saved too little or they just want to continue working because they enjoy it. Others go in the opposite direction. They retire early—sometimes out of choice but often because their health or the economy forces it. While early retirement might sound appealing, it can be a struggle for those who don’t have sufficient income to pay their bills. That is why if you are weighing the pros and cons of early retirement, you need to get a good handle on your potential sources of income. You may find you lack what you need —an especially unnerving conclusion if

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continued from page 18

retirement income is Social Security. Speculative income. One of the risks of retiring early is that you are even likelier than the average person to outlive your savings. That means you may want to keep at least a portion of your money in the market so it can grow. Finally, it’s worth noting that with retirement comes extra time, and how you use that time could make a difference in your financial situation. Maybe you could take on a part-time job to pull in extra cash. Or possibly you just need to be cautious about becoming bored

Stephanie Adler Calliot with her grandson.

readily available It was awesome! I’ve been very busy, no question about it. My favorite retirement activity, though, has been babysitting my grandson. Such a cutie. When COVID-19 restrictions lift, what do you want to do? I’m a social gal so I look forward to gathering with my family and friends and traveling to wonderful places. The world is full of them.

and filling that extra time with too many vacation trips or shopping sprees, spending money you really can’t afford to spend. Regardless, though, it’s important in retirement—early or otherwise—to have an assortment of income sources. Many times the best retirement plans combine three of the aforementioned strategies if not all four. With the right amount of diversity in your portfolio, you may be able to live well in early retirement now, while still growing a nest egg that will see you through your later years.

Take control of your retirement years and plan for a community to support you when you need it. like these, the senior themselves might not have the opportunity to choose their community. This creates a difficult decision for the adult children. Is this what mom would want? Will she be As we age, we may experience happy here? Am I doing the decreased stability, limited sight, right thing? The choice of a senior living and impaired dexterity, all of community can and should be which may lead to a dangerous made now so that everyone can living environment. For seniors be emotionally and financially living alone, this problematic scenario may become even more prepared to take that step when the time comes. Commonwealth difficult as feelings of isolation Senior Living has been helping and depression set in. In fact, families through this process for studies have shown that seniors nearly 20 years and can help your experiencing loneliness are family too. more at risk for heart disease, stroke, and even mild cognitive impairment. As we live longer, we are more likely to need additional support. When asked where they would like to live in their 80s and 90s, most Americans will say, “At home.” But as people live longer, health complications may interfere with these plans.

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Retirement

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20 | JEWISH NEWS | Retirement | February 22, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

by December 31, 2020. The CARES Act waived both RMDs for 2020. If you need to make an RMD in 2021, you can make what’s called a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), also known as a Charitable IRA Rollover. These “charitable rollovers” count as part of your required minimum distribution, but aren’t taxable income to you. While the SECURE Act changed the minimum age for RMDs, it did not change the minimum age for Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs). If you are age 70½ or older, you are still eligible to make QCDs. Rather than simply take your RMD as a withdrawal this year, you can direct your IRA administrator to distribute a gift from your IRA to benefit the Jewish community. Any amount you transfer counts against your required minimum distribution (RMD), and you can direct up to $100,000 to your favorite causes this year. So, how does it work? Making an IRA Rollover gift is easier than ever and here are the simple steps: 1. If you qualify, contact your IRA administrator. Because of the popularity of the rollover, most administrators provide forms and a procedure to help you make a rollover gift, also known as a Qualified Charitable Distribution or QCD. 2. Direct a transfer of any amount (up to $100,000) from your IRA to the Tidewater Jewish Foundation (TJF). This gift can be designated to benefit any local charitable organization. 3. You will pay no income taxes on the amount transferred. Note: Because you are not claiming the transferred amount as income, you will not receive an income tax deduction for your gift (though you

may realize those deductions are harder to claim with the new thresholds). Caution: The check from your IRA must be made out to a charity (such as TJF), not to you. Call the financial institution that holds your IRA and ask about its charitable rollover procedures. You will likely need to fill out a simple distribution form, naming TJF as the recipient and specifying the dollar amount.

The more you can save on your tax bill, the more your heirs will inherit from you. Additionally, you can name TJF as the beneficiary of your IRA plan. Use this asset to endow your gift and leave other assets subject to lower taxes to your heirs. Often subject to high estate and income taxes, an IRA left to your heirs may result in fewer dollars for them. The more you can save on your tax bill, the more your heirs will inherit from you. At the same time, future Jewish generations in Tidewater will enjoy the benefits of your generosity. For more information, contact Naomi Limor Sedek, Tidewater Jewish Foundation president and CEO, at 757-965-6102 or nsedek@ ujft.org. This information is not intended as tax, legal, or financial advice. Gift results may vary. Consult your personal financial advisor for information specific to your situation.

Stein Family College Scholarship

WHO KNEW? JARED LETO AND ANNE HATHAWAY TO PLAY WEWORK FOUNDER ADAM NEUMANN AND WIFE REBEKAH IN UPCOMING TV SHOW Lior Zaltzman

(JTA)—Reports about the very public fall from grace of ousted WeWork founder Adam Neumann have been anything but glamorous. But the recently announced cast for an upcoming Apple TV+ show based on the story, WeCrashed, is quite star-studded. The Israeli-American entrepreneur, who resigned in 2019 from the company he founded after a meteoric loss in value, will be played by Dallas Buyers Club star and Academy Award winner Jared Leto. Neumann’s wife and WeWork co-founder, Rebekah Neumann, who is the cousin of Gwyneth Paltrow, will be played by

Apply at jewishva.org/tjf-stein by March 1 Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the forthcoming show, which does not have an anticipated release date yet, was co-created by Lee Eisenberg, known for his film Good Boys and himself the son of an Israeli immigrant. It is based on a podcast of the same name from Wondery media and will be directed and produced by This Is Us team John Requa and Glenn Ficarra. Eisenberg isn’t the only creator inspired by Neumann’s story. Nicholas Braun (Succession) is set to play the Kabbalah-loving former kibbutznik in another drama series from You’re the Worst creator Stephen Falk, based on an upcoming book from Wall Street Journal reporters Eliot Brown and Maureen Farrell, The Cult of We. There is also a movie currently in works, based on an upcoming book on Neumann by journalist Katrina Brooker.

This annual college scholarship of up to $10,000 per year is awarded to area Jewish students entering college. Applicants are evaluated on financial need, Jewish/community The Stein Family College Scholarship is dedicated in loving memory of Arlene Shea Stein who was unable to finish college due to financial hardship.

engagement,

and

academic

potential. To apply or for more information, visit jewishva.org/tjf-stein

At The Terrace Assisted Living at Beth Sholom Village,

our mission is to provide the best care possible for our residents. That’s why we offer:

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On-campus physician and nurse practitioner services Therapeutic recreational programs and activities Medication administration and transportation to appointments Three restaurant-style, kosher nutritious meals served daily Housekeeping, trash removal and personal laundry of clothes and linens

With elegant living and eating spaces, round-the-clock licensed nursing care and a full range of therapeutic programs, residents at The Terrace thrive in our safe and supportive environment. And as the pandemic continues, we are doing the necessary work of ensuring our facility continues to be a safe haven from COVID-19 for those who live and work here. Our protocols include detailed cleaning, staff testing and following the CDC and VDH guidelines. Right now we’re offering virtual and in-person tours (safely), so come take a look, and get $500 off your first two month’s rent!

Know someone looking for a senior community? Refer them to The Terrace. If they become a resident, you’ll receive a $1,000 VISA gift card!

Call Allison Whiteman, Administrator at 282-2384 or visit www.bethsholomvillage.com. jewishnewsva.org | February 22, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 21

WHAT’S HAPPENING Registration is open for Camp JCC June 21–August 31, Simon Family JCC Early Bird Registration deadline is March 31

traditional day camp experience, Camp JCC is gearing up for eight weeks of amazing adventure including swim, sun, and fun for two -year-olds to teens. Dave Flagler, director of camp and teen engagement for Simon Family JCC and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, is busy making plans for an in-person summer camp experience with Camp JCC’s

team. “COVID has been especially stressful on families and our children need camp more than ever,” says Flagler. Check the Camp JCC webpage, www. CampJCC.org, for virtual open houses to meet Flagler and learn more about what fun is in store for campers at Camp JCC this summer.

CAMP JCC VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE March 23 at 7 pm & April 29 at 8 pm

oin this informational session to learn about Camp JCC 2021 and the program modifications that will be in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Camp JCC Director, Dave Flagler, will present, answer questions, and will outline the plans in place for an amazing upcoming summer. To register, email Dave at DFlagler@ujft.org.

The Path of the Just Tuesday, March 16, 12 pm, Zoom

The Melton School is now accepting registration for upcoming classes OMG, Can You Believe?! Thursdays, April 22–May 27 9–10:30 am, via Zoom Faculty: Rabbi Marc Kraus

n this 6-week exploratory course, students will seek answers to the BIG questions around God and God’s relationship to Humankind. Take a Divine moment to uncover and consider many different understandings of God expressed by Jewish thinkers, past and present. This course will provide the tools to continue asking deep questions, probing personal beliefs and rethinking the “God-question” that confronts us throughout our lives. To register, go to www.jewishva.org/KCL or contact Sierra Lautman, UJFT director of Jewish Innovation, at SLautman@ujft.org.

Soul’s Cycles: A Ride Through the Chapters of Life

Thursdays, April 22–May 27, 12–1:30 pm via Zoom Faculty: Miriam Brunn Ruberg

earn about life’s celebrations in tandem with Jewish meaning. In this course, students will say “L’Chaim” to Jewish markers of time, rites of passage and celebratory rituals. En route to the finish line, this six-week course will navigate the winding roads of childhood and adulthood rituals, and how we understand them as Jews today. This class is certain to bring soul to life’s big moments. To register, go to www.jewishva.org/KCL or contact Sierra Lautman, UJFT director of Jewish Innovation, at SLautman@ujft.org.

An interactive 6-week course with Rabbi Sender Haber

ritten by 18th century kabbalist and philosopher, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, this influential work is one of Judaism’s basic texts on why we were created, our role in this world, and the path of our souls as we make our way through life’s challenges. In this six-part series, the work will be used to find the balance between very practical growth and Judaism’s most esoteric ideals. Rabbi Sender Haber is the rabbi of B’nai Israel Congregation in Norfolk. Classes are independent of each other and recordings will be available after they take place. Course Cost: $36. Class space is limited.

March 16—Introduction: How An Excommunicated Scholar Authored A Classic Work. March 23—The Meaning of Life: Is To Give Life Meaning. Featuring guest lecturer, Rabbi Ephriam Adler. April 6—Why Is Life So Difficult? April 13—Living An Examined Life. April 20—Is There ‘Extra Credit’ In Judaism? April 27—Painting The Perfect Person?

22 | JEWISH NEWS | February 22, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

Jewish Museum and Cultural Center presents: A Closer Look at Charlottesville Sunday, February 28, 3 pm, Zoom

he lecture, A Closer Look at Charlottesville, will be live streamed via Zoom by The Jewish Museum and Cultural Center. Three years ago, white supremacists marched in Charlottesville, Va. chanting neo-Nazi slogans and rallying just outside of Charlottesville’s only synagogue. Join filmmaker Alexandra Kauffman Horowitz and Rabbi Rachel Schmelkng

for a screening and discussion of the film, Reawakening, for this program. Rabbi Rachel Schmelkin is the former rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Charlottesville. Alexandra Kauffman Horowitz is a former senior producer at CNN International. To view the lecture, RSVP to jmccportsmouth@gmail.com for a Zoom link.

United Jewish Federation of Tidewater & the Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival 2020–2021* *events shown only through March 3 To register for events, go to Jewishva.org/bookfest All events are open to the community with RSVP or tickets required and will take place virtually. For more information and to register, go to JewishVA.org/Bookfest. ISRAEL TODAY The Words of My Father with Yousef Bashir Thursday, February 25, 12 pm, free

he Jewish Community Relations Council of the UJFT, Simon Family JCC, Embassy of Israel, & Community Partners’ 10th Annual Israel Today series, as part of the Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival, presents The Words of My Father a conversation with author, Yousef Bashir. Bashir’s story and the ideals of peace and empathy it upholds are a soothing balm for these dangerous and troubled times, and a reminder that love and compassion are a gift— and a choice. Pre-registration required. Don’t miss hearing from this vigorous advocate of Israeli-Palestinian peace. For more information and to register, go to JewishVA.org/IsraelToday or contact Batya Glazer, JCRC director, at bglazer@ujft.org.

Montreal–Toronto Express: Jewish Culture and Literature North of the Border—A Series Monday, March 1, free Chantal Ringuet at 3 pm Lisa Richter at 7:30 pm

Canadian Association of Jewish Scholars and the Vered Center of Jewish Studies at the University of Ottawa, presents a series on Canadian Jewish literature and poetry. Chantal Ringuet is a Yiddish-Quebecois poet, and author of a popular recent book on Leonard Cohen. The acclaimed poet Lisa Richter is most well known for her writings about Ana Margolin. Pre-registration required. For more information and to register, contact Patty Shelanski, Arts + Ideas manager, at pshelanski@ujft.org or 757452-3184.

KONIKOFF CENTER FOR LEARNING Why Jews Do That: Or 30 Questions Your Rabbi Never Answered by Rabbi Avram Mlotek Wednesday, March 3, 7:30 pm, free

one-stop-shop for answers to all the questions most people have about Judaism, but were too shy or afraid to ask. Preregistration required. For more information and to register, go to JewishVA.org/KCL or contact Sierra Lautman, director of Jewish Innovation, at slautman@ujft.org or 757-965-6107.

PJ LIBRARY/ KONIKOFF CENTER FOR LEARNING Asteroid Goldberg: Passover in Outer Space An author talk with Brianna Sayres

Citizen 865: The Hunt for Hitler’s Hidden Soldiers in America with author Debbie Cenziper Monday, March 15, 12 pm

Thursday, March 11, 6 pm, free

n out-of-this-world Passover fantasy! When Asteroid and her parents get stuck for Passover, Asteroid plans a Passover seder for herself and her family that is truly out-of-this-world. With Jupiter’s moons for matzoh balls, the Big Dipper for a ladle and horseradish from Jupiter’s red spot, you’ve never seen a Passover seder like this one! Brianna Caplan Sayres is living her childhood dream of being a children’s book author. Among her many picture books is the bestselling Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? series published by Random House. Sayres is the founder of Intergalactic Afikoman, a new publisher of Jewish children’s books whose goal is to publish “out-ofthis-world Jewish books for today’s Jewish kids.

n 1990, in a drafty basement archive in Prague, two American historians made a startling discovery: a Nazi roster from 1945 that no Western investigator had ever seen. The longforgotten document, containing more than 700 names, helped unravel the details behind the most lethal killing operation in World War II. In a story spanning seven decades, Citizen 865 is the gripping story of a team of Nazi hunters at the U.S. Department of Justice as they raced against time to expose members of a brutal SS killing force who disappeared in America after World War II. Debbie Cenziper is an associate professor and the director of investigative reporting at Medill, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and nonfiction author who writes for The Washington Post. Cenziper’s investigative stories have exposed wrongdoing, prompted Congressional hearings and led to changes in federal and local laws.

n collaboration with Old Dominion University’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures as part of a fellowship with the

GO TO JEWISHVA.ORG/BOOKFEST jewishnewsva.org | February 22, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 23

Virginia festivalofjewish film A

s one of the longest-running Jewish film festivals in the country, the Patricia & Avraham Ashkenazi and Alma & Howard Laderberg Virginia Festival of Jewish Film educates and engages the diverse Tidewater communities, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, by presenting world-class film premieres, repertory cinema, and programs that are inspired by Jewish history, heritage, and values. This year will be no different. To keep all community members safe, the festival is spread out over months, rather than days. The festival will begin virtually, and hopefully end the festival together—socially distanced —but together. If circumstances arise that require changing the format of screenings, we will do so as necessary. We know that you will enjoy the films selected by an outstanding screening committee, chaired by William Laderberg and Mark Robbins, who work diligently throughout the year to bring the perfect films to our community, and we look forward to “seeing” you at the festival! AN IMPORTANT NOTE: All films can be viewed virtually through Eventive, our box office management and screening platform. We strongly suggest that you review the information available at JewishVa.org/FilmFestival for help getting started with Eventive and creating your personal account, which is necessary to view the films. —Debby Fink and Anne Fleder, Film Festival co-chairs

The Crossing

God Of The Piano

Aulcie

View Virtually Sunday, February 21—Tuesday, February 23 (72 Hours) Johanne Helgeland | 96 min Norway | 2020 Norwegian | Family Friendly

View Virtually Saturday, March 13—Monday, March 15 (72 Hours) Movie available for viewing at your convenience. Reservation required. Zoom Event: Monday, March 15, 7:30 pm A community conversation led by Rabbi Michael Panitz Itay Tal | 80 min Israel | 2019 Hebrew | Not Rated

A Yom Haatzmaut Celebration! An outdoor event with Israeli food. If it rains, the movie will be a drive-in event. Sunday, April 18 Park and Picnic 6:30 pm Conversation with Aulcie Director Dani Menkin (Aulcie Perry invited!) 7:15 pm Film Start 8 pm, reservation required Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community This film will also be available virtually for those who prefer to view it from the comfort of home. Dani Menkin | 75 min | USA, Israel | 2020 English, Hebrew | Not Rated

movie for the entire family, The Crossing tells the story of the adventurous 10-year-old Gerda and her brother Otto, whose parents are in the Norwegian resistance movement during the Second World War. One day, just before Christmas in 1942, Gerda and Otto’s parents are arrested, leaving the siblings on their own. Following the arrest, they discover two Jewish children, Sarah and Daniel, hidden in a secret cupboard in their basement at home. It is now up to Gerda and Otto to finish what their parents started: To help Sarah and Daniel flee from the Nazis, cross the border to neutral Sweden, and reunite them with their parents. The Crossing is a film about the confidence, uncompromising loyalty and great courage you can find in even the youngest children.

24 | JEWISH NEWS | February 22, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

bold take on the power of a woman’s control and a mother’s ambition, first-time director Itay Tal conceives a thought-provoking and seductive film that stirs up controversy in many topics: The fact that someone’s talent could be related to genetics or early manipulation of practices and ideas; a subtle justification of a woman’s desperate actions; the role of an absent male dominance; the pressures on a child whose childhood is evidently stolen due to adults’ self interests. Presenting this fierce and audacious female character, actress Naama Preis gives a superb performance, marked by intense complexity and mystery. She won the Best Actress Award at Jerusalem Film Festival for this incredibly unpredictable role. Observational and highly dramatic, Itay Tal is a filmmaker to watch.

ulcie tells the inspiring story of Aulcie Perry, a basketball legend who led Maccabi Tel Aviv to an upset win in the European Championship. During the summer of 1976, Perry was spotted by a scout for Maccabi Tel Aviv while playing at the Rucker courts in Harlem and was quickly signed to play for their fledgling team. The Israeli players immediately responded to Aulcie’s leadership and that year they had what one Sports Illustrated writer described as “the most extraordinary season in its remarkable history” and what Perry later called “the best nine months of my life.” In 1977,

VIRGINIA FESTIVAL OF JEWISH FILM Perry helped the team to its first European Championship, a prize they took four years later again under his leadership. After the season, to the surprise of many, Perry converted to Judaism, adopted the Hebrew name Elisha Ben Avraham, and became an Israeli citizen. This inspiring film tells the story of this remarkable athlete who captured the spirit of a nation, triumphant, and victorious against all odds, and put Israel on the map.

Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles In celebration with the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art An outdoor event with dessert. If it rains, the date will be rescheduled. Wednesday, April 28 Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art Park and Picnic 6:30 pm Film Start 8 pm, reservation required This film will also be available virtually for those who prefer to view it from the comfort of home. Laura Gabbert | 76 min USA | 2020 English | Not Rated

If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast View Virtually Tuesday, May 4–Thursday, May 6 (72 Hours) Movie available for viewing at your convenience. Reservation required. ZOOM EVENT: Thursday, May 6, 12:00 Noon, Virtual A community conversation with special guests, to be announced shortly. Danny Gold | 86 Minutes USA | 2017 English | Not Rated

n 2018, famous London-based restauranteur and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi was contacted by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art with an unusual proposal—create a display of elaborate pastries inspired by what might have been served up during the heyday of the court of Versailles for a one-day event as part of their then-current “Visions of Versailles” exhibit. He agreed and as plans came together for the big day, filmmaker Laura Gabbert was there to document everything. Celebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi assembles a star-studded team of the world’s most innovative pastry chefs to put on a Versaillesthemed culinary gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Screened in partnership with the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art to coincide with their current exhibition, Nourish. Nourish will debut newly created artworks by 12 artists inspired by local food experts. Arrive early to view the exhibition with a timed ticket or be inspired to visit this free exhibition while it’s on view at MOCA through June 6.

n honor and in memory of Carl Reiner, who passed away in June 2020, the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film recognizes his remarkable seven-decade career with the screening of If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast. Reiner was a legendary comedic actor, writer, producer, and recording artist, who won 11 Emmy awards, a Grammy award for his album The 2,000 Year Old Man, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2000. Reiner was best known as the creator, producer, writer, and actor on the Dick Van Dyke show. In If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast, Reiner explores the secret to living into your 90s — and loving every minute of it. Reiner tracks down several celebrated nonagenarians, and a few others over 100, to show how the twilight years can truly be the happiest and most rewarding.

Keeping Up with the Steins In partnership with Simon Family JCC Summer Camp An outdoor movie night for families! If it rains, the movie will be a drive-in event. Thursday, June 24 Park and Picnic 6:30 pm Film Start 8 pm, reservation required Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community Scott Marshall | 90 min USA | 2006 English | Rated PG-13

enjamin Fiedler (Daryl Sabara) has a lot to be nervous about; his bar mitzvah is fast approaching, and his parents (Jeremy Piven, Jami Gertz) are caught up in plans to make his party even more lavish than the one the Steins threw for their son. Amid his family’s debate over whether to invite an estranged grandfather (Garry Marshall), the youth solves the problem by arranging for Grandpa to arrive two weeks early. Considered one of the quintessential Jewish comingof-age films, Keeping Up with the Steins offers a unique experience in true retro, drive-in movie style—a multi-generational bonding experience the whole family will enjoy.

TICKET PRICING $12 per household for virtual cinema $12 per person for in-person cinema: Age 12 and under, Free Most of the films will be available to view virtually on your computer, laptop, or smart TV. Detailed instructions will be provided when registering at JewishVA.org/FilmFestival.

JEWISHVA.ORG/FILMFESTIVAL jewishnewsva.org | February 22, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 25

WHAT’S HAPPENING Lawrence L. Steingold to receive 2021 VCIC Humanitarian Award Infants through Grade 5

The area’s ONLY International Baccalaureate® Candidate School for primary and early years.

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26 | JEWISH NEWS | February 22, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org

Thursday, March 18, Virtual Lisa Richmon

he 57th annual Tidewater Humanitarian Awards Dinner will take place virtually to ensure the safety and well-being of the community. The Humanitarian Award of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities is presented to those individuals who have demonstrated a personal commitment to the promotion of respect and understanding among people of diverse, racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. Lawrence L. Steingold is a recipient of this year’s award. A Norfolk native and Norfolk Academy graduate, Steingold credits his late parents, Maurice and Thelma Steingold, as his role models for a lifetime of volunteerism. Their involvement in the arts, sports, and other organizations throughout Tidewater, and their emphasis on education, influenced Steingold and his three brothers to use their time and talent as champions of community enrichment and equality. Steingold has held and fulfilled multiple roles in several local organizations including serving as president and treasurer for Jewish Family Service of Tidewater; treasurer at Ohef Sholom Temple; chair of Tidewater Jewish Foundation; board member at Beth Sholom Home Foundation; chair of Freda H. Gordon Hospice & Palliative Care of Tidewater; finance committee member for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater; board member for Simon Family JCC; and board member of CHKD Child Abuse and Advocacy Program. He has a long history of volunteering with arts organizations such as Young Audiences, Virginia Opera, and Lyric Opera Virginia. Steingold also currently serves on the board of the Governor’s School for the Arts Foundation and as treasurer of the ViBe Creative Arts District. “I am sincerely honored to have been chosen by the VCIC as one of its Honorees for the Humanitarian Award this year. Throughout my life, I’ve tried to make a difference by choosing a range of

Lawrence L. Steingold.

organizations that demonstrate inclusivity, innovation, and leadership. What grounds me as a volunteer comes down to showing respect for an individual as a human being with unique needs, offering comfort and relief to people struggling with daily life, and developing cultural and educational opportunities that recognize and nurture special talent,” says Steingold. “Having been born in the 1950s and seen racial, religious, ethnic, and other discrimination, I have a deep-rooted sense of obligation to try to help our world evolve positively. My inspiration comes from family roots, from energetic and dynamic leaders throughout Tidewater, and from peers who at our age have now stepped up to positions of leadership.” Under the leadership of William L. Nusbaum, recipients of the Humanitarian Awards to be honored also include Yvonne T. Allmond; Susan R. Colpitts, Frank J Hruska, and Ruth T. Jones Nichols. The Distinguished Merit Award will be presented to Hampton Roads Community Foundation. To attend and be at United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s virtual table, contact Wynston Hammack at Whammack@ujft. org. To be part of Ohef Sholom Temple’s virtual table, contact shelley@ohefsholom.org.

CALENDAR FEBRUARY 21, SUNDAY–FEBRUARY 23, TUESDAY The Crossing, a movie for the entire family, tells the story of the adventurous 10-year-old Gerda and her brother Otto, who help two young Jews flee from the Nazis. Kicking off the 28th season of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s and Simon Family JCC’s Patricia & Avraham Ashkenazi and Alma & Howard Laderberg Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, this film will be offered virtually for 72 hours. $12 per household. For more information and to register, go to JewishVA.org/FilmFestival or contact Patty Shelanski at pselanski@ujft.org or 757-452-3184. See page 24. FEBRUARY 25, THURSDAY Yousef Bashir, author of The Words of My Father, shares his story and a reminder that love and compassion are a gift—and a choice. Presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council of UJFT, Simon Family JCC, Embassy of Israel, and Community Partners’ 10th Annual Israel Today series. 12 pm. Free. Pre-registration required. For more information and to register, go to JewishVA.org/IsraelToday or contact Rabbi Batya Glazer, JCRC director, at bglazer@ujft.org. FEBRUARY 28, SUNDAY The Jewish Museum and Cultural Center presents a Zoom lecture, A Closer Look at Charlottesville. Join Filmmaker Alexandra Kauffman Horowitz, a former senior producer at CNN International, and Rabbi Rachel Schmelkng, the former rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Charlottesville, for a screening and discussion of the film, Reawakening. To RSVP and receive a Zoom link, email jmccportsmouth@gmail.com. MARCH 1, MONDAY Montreal-Toronto Express: Jewish Culture and Literature North of the Border—A Series. The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival, in collaboration with Old Dominion University’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures as part of a fellowship with the Canadian Association of Jewish Scholars and the Vered Center of Jewish Studies at the University of Ottawa, presents a series on Canadian Jewish literature and poetry. The series kicks off with Chantal Ringuet at 3:00 pm, a Yiddish-Quebecois poet, and author of a popular recent book on Leonard Cohen. At 7:30 pm, acclaimed poet Lisa Richter, most well known for her writings about Ana Margolin, will speak. Free. Pre-registration required. For more information and to register contact Patty Shelanski, Arts + Ideas manager, at pshelanski@ujft.org or 757-452-3184. MARCH 3, WEDNESDAY Why Jews Do That: Or 30 Questions Your Rabbi Never Answered by Rabbi Avram Mlotek. A one-stop-shop for answers to all the questions most people have about Judaism but were too shy or afraid to ask. Presented by the Konikoff Center for Learning as a part of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival. 7:30 pm. Free. Pre-registration required. For more information and to register, go to JewishVA.org/KCL or contact Sierra Lautman, drector of Jewish Innovation, at slautman@ujft.org or 757-965-6107. MARCH 11, THURSDAY Join Brianna Caplan Sayres, author of Asteroid Goldberg: Passover in Outer Space for a discussion on an out-of-this-world Passover fantasy. Presented by PJ Library in Tidewater, in partnership with Strelitz International Academy as part of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival. 6 pm. Free. Pre-registration required. For more information and to register, go to JewishVA.org/Bookfest or contact Nofar Trem, UJFT’s PJ Library Program professional at ntrem@ujft.org or 757-321-2334. MARCH 13, SATURDAY–MARCH 15, MONDAY (VIRTUAL CINEMA!) The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC’s Patricia & Avraham Ashkenazi and Alma & Howard Laderberg Virginia Festival of Jewish Film present a virtual screening of God of the Piano. A bold take on the power of a woman’s control and a mother’s ambition, director Itay Tal conceives a thought-provoking and seductive film that stirs up controversy in many topics. A community conversation led by Rabbi Michael Panitz will be held via Zoom on Monday, March 15, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $12 per household for virtual cinema with pre-registration required. For more information on the 28th Annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, and to purchase tickets, go to JewishVA.org/Film Festival or contact Patty Shelanski at pshelanski@ujft.org or 757-452-3184. See page 24. 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.

WHO KNEW? 2021 GOLDEN GLOBES: ALL THE JEWISH NOMINEES, FROM MANK TO BORAT TO UNORTHODOX Emily Burack

(JTA)—Schitt’s Creek is trying to pick up in the Golden Globes where it left off in the fall with its historic Emmys sweep. The show about a wealthy interfaith Jewish family was nominated for five awards, including four for the main actors and one for best series. There are plenty of other Jewish nominations, too, notably Mank, the acclaimed film on the story of Jewish screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, with six. The Golden Globes, taking place virtually in the new pandemic normal, will be held Feb. 28 and hosted for the fourth time by comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. This time they’ll be on different coasts. Unlike the Oscars, the Globes divide their film categories into musical or comedy and drama, allowing for a wider range of actors and actresses to be nominated. The television categories are divided, too, similar to the Emmys. Check out all the Jewish nominees below. Television Schitt’s Creek is up for best series and Eugene Levy, Dan Levy, Catherine O’Hara and Annie Murphy are all nominated in the best television series, musical or comedy categories. The show follows the well-to-do family that loses its money and is forced to live in a small town they once bought as a joke. Unorthodox, the hit Netflix drama based on Deborah Feldman’s memoir of the same name about a young woman leaving the haredi Orthodox world, is nominated for best limited series. The Israeli star of the show, Shira Haas, is also nominated for best actress in a limited series. Up against Unorthodox in that category is The Undoing, a not-very-Jewish HBO miniseries adapted from Jewish author Jean Hanff Korelitz’s novel You Should Have Known.

Jane Levy, a Jewish actress, is nominated for her role in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, a musical NBC comedy. Last but not least: Al Pacino is nominated for his role as Meyer Offerman, a Jewish Nazi hunter with a Yiddish accent in the Amazon Prime show Hunters. Movies Mank, starring Gary Oldman (in a controversial casting decision), leads the pack with its six nominations: for best motion picture, drama, best screenplay, best supporting actress, best actor (drama), best original score and best director. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, starring Jewish actor Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat, a fictional journalist from Kazakhstan, was filled with Jewish moments and timely commentary on anti-Semitism. It received three nods from the Globes: for best motion picture, musical or comedy, for best actor in the musical or comedy category (Cohen) and best actress in the same category. Maria Bakalova, the Bulgarian actress who plays Borat’s daughter in the film, delighted viewers with a wacky breakout performance (and a memorable scene with Rudy Giuliani). Palm Springs, the Groundhog Day-style time-loop comedy from Hulu starring Jewish actor Andy Samberg, is up for best motion picture, musical, or comedy. Samberg also notched a best actor nomination in the comedy category. The Trial of the Chicago 7 also starring Sacha Baron Cohen, is the story of Jewish anti-war activist Abbie Hoffman from Jewish writer-director Aaron Sorkin. The film is up for five awards: for best motion picture, drama; supporting actor for Cohen; best director and best screenplay for Sorkin; and best original song for Here My Voice. Sophia Loren‘s Holocaust film The Life Ahead, which tells the tale of survivor and former sex worker Madame Rosa, is up for two awards—best motion picture and best original song. Jewish actress Kate Hudson was nominated for her role in Music, the musical drama film from singer-songwriter Sia.

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OBITUARIES ELSIE MARTIN NORFOLK—Elsie Martin, longtime resident of Norfolk, passed away February 2, 2021. Born September 5, 1926 in Czechoslovakia, she and her family immigrated to the United States in the mid-1930s to escape the persecution of the Jewish people of Europe. She was the daughter of the late Benjamin and Helen Martin. She was a resident of Norfolk for over 70 years and was a legal secretary for a local law firm close to 40 years. She was a longtime, active member of Congregation Beth El Temple. Survivors include her nieces Faith Dauer (Jeffrey), Jody Gallo (Paul), Rachel Martin (Tom), nephews Alan Salsbury, Marshall Salsbury (Elaine), Jeffrey Martin (Margaret), Joseph Martin (Norma) and Jonathan Martin; as well as numerous great nieces and nephews and extended family. She was predeceased by her sister

Harriet Martin Salsbury and brothers Stanley Martin and Bernard Martin. She was much beloved by her family and friends. Graveside services were held at Forest Lawn Cemetery with Rabbi Michael Panitz officiating. Services were live streamed on H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts. Facebook page. Memorial donations to Congregation Beth El Temple or Temple Israel or to a charity of one’s choice. Online condolences may be offered to the family at hdoliver.com.

ROSE ROSENBACH NORFOLK—Rose Rosenbach, 90, passed away on Sunday, February 14, 2021. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, she was the daughter of the late Mary Miller Rottenberg and Joseph Rottenberg. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 67 years, Kurt M. Rosenbach; her brother, Maurice and her daughter-in-law, Kathy. Mrs. Rosenbach was a member of Ohef Sholom Temple.

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Left to cherish her memory are her children, Carolyn R. Perlman (Michael), Murray S. Rosenbach (Lisa), and Marcy R. Terkeltaub (Paul); Nine grandchildren, Jennifer (Jeremy), Erin (Greg), Melissa (Brian), Brandon (Callah), Jamie (Dustin), Staci (Jason), Stephanie (Joel), Melissa and Andrea; and two great grandchildren, Jacob and Jackson, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. A private family graveside funeral service took place in Forest Lawn Cemetery with Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg officiating. The service was live-streamed through www.hdoliver.com. Memorial contributions to Ohef Sholom Temple, 530 Raleigh Avenue, Norfolk, Va. 23507; Beth Sholom Village, 6401 Auburn Drive, Virginia Beach, Va. 23464; or Freda H. Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care, 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 500, Virginia Beach, Va. 23462). Online condolences may be sent to the family through www.hdoliver.com.

BERNARD “BERNIE” SCHLOSS NORFOLK—Bernard “Bernie” Schloss, passed away February 9, 2021. He was 88 years old and was born in Edelfingen, Germany. Bernie was the son of the late Henry and Regina Schloss, and was preceded in death by his brother, Max. Bernie is survived by his three daughters, Laura S. Jones, Caroline M. Schloss, and Helen R. Schloss-Griffin and her husband, Yehudah Leib Griffin; and a brother, Benjamin Schloss and his wife, Sharon. He was loved by his seven grandchildren, Neal Hobbs, Emily Gibson and husband Eddie, Blakely Griffin and wife Nivia, and Krista Stocks and husband Troy, as well as his six great grandchildren Dillon, Samuel, Prudence, Hurly, Jordan, and Scarlett. Bernie and his family fled Nazi Germany in 1939 by ship and came to America with his parents, grandparents, and brother Max. The ship he and his family boarded, landed in New York. Sponsored by a close relative, Bernie and his family soon moved to Norfolk, Va. He and his family built a successful meat packing company in Suffolk, Va., called the Virginia Packing Company,

Inc. Bernie also served in the U.S. Coast Guard. Bernie merited to complete 2½ cycles of the Babylonian Talmud with the B’nai Israel Daf Yomi group. He was a Torah observant Jew, a father, grandfather, great grandfather, and a well-loved pilar of the B’nai Israel community in Norfolk, Va. Donations to the B’nai Israel Congregation of Norfolk, Va. A graveside funeral service was conducted in B’nai Israel Cemetery. The service was live streamed through www. hdoliver.com. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts.

ARI GOLD, YESHIVA STUDENTTURNED-POP STAR AND LGBTQ ICON Ari Gold, a pop star who left his Orthodox Jewish roots to become a music icon of and activist for the LGBTQ community, died this month. He was 47, and the cause was leukemia. Gold was born and raised in an Orthodox family in the Bronx, New York. NPR once reported that his musical talent was discovered while singing at his brother Steven’s bar mitzvah at age five. He attended Ramaz, a prominent Modern Orthodox Jewish day school in New York, before going to New York University. Gold wrote about what he called his “sheltered” upbringing in an essay in the LGBTQ magazine The Advocate in 2013 and has noted in interviews that his coming out to his parents in college severely strained his relationship with them. “The shame was deep and the shame was real, and that’s why I have been so passionate, because I know how I felt growing up with that fear. I thought everyone would excommunicate me,” Gold told NY1 in 2019. In his 20s, Gold became a star of the gay club scene in New York City before releasing his debut album in 2001, which openly referenced gay relationships and earned him a following as an artist unafraid to sing about his identity. He would go on to release seven albums and become close friends with other LGBTQ icons, such as the TV stars RuPaul and Laverne Cox. He also worked with homeless gay youth and worked to raise awareness about AIDS. While no

OBITUARIES longer Orthodox, he stayed connected to his Jewish identity, he told the Los Angeles Jewish Journal in 2015. Gold was first diagnosed with cancer in 2013. His brother Elon is a noted standup comedian who references his Jewishness in routines. (JTA)

TURNED OFF FROM THE VACCINE BY MISINFORMATION, 36-YEAR-OLD HAREDI ORTHODOX MAN IN ISRAEL DIES OF COVID Avraham Bedman, a 36-year-old man from Jerusalem, died of COVID on Wednesday, Feb. 10. His fellow synagogue members are blaming his death on misinformation about the coronavirus vaccine. According to Kikar Hashabbat, an Israeli news site, an email sent to members of Bedman’s synagogue claimed that Bedman did not get the coronavirus vaccine because he was afraid it would cause infertility. That falsehood has become rampant in Orthodox communities in the United States and Israel, prompting some in communities that prize fertility and where large families are expected to fear the vaccine. In Israel, despite the high death toll exacted by the coronavirus in the haredi Orthodox community, many have remained hesitant to take the vaccine. A vaccine drive in one haredi Orthodox city will serve cholent and kugel, popular foods typically served on Thursday nights and Shabbat in Orthodox homes, to convince Orthodox residents to be vaccinated. In the U.S., Orthodox doctors and nurses in recent weeks have worked to debunk misinformation about the vaccine and fertility with fact sheets and information sessions for women held over phone hotlines, but the misinformation has persisted. Bedman’s fellow synagogue members called those who spread misinformation about the vaccine “murderers” and encouraged others to be vaccinated to save lives. “He had the opportunity to be vaccinated, already at the beginning of the vaccination operation, because he was at risk, but he said he heard that it might cause him to not become a father,” a leader

of the synagogue, Rabbi Yishai Lesser, told Kikar Hashabbat. “The one who made him afraid is responsible for his death.” (JTA)

HERSHEL SHANKS, POPULARIZER OF BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY Hershel Shanks, the one-time publisher and editor of Moment magazine and a powerhouse in the popularization of biblical archaeology, has died at 90. He died Feb. 5 at his home in Washington, D.C., from COVID-19, his daughter told The Washington Post. An attorney by training, in 1975 he started Biblical Archaeology Review, a Washington-based magazine that reached more than 250,000 subscribers at its peak in the early 2000s. The magazine took scholarly works on Middle East history and archaeology and adapted them for a popular audience with titles like “Did a Rolling Stone Close Jesus’ Tomb?” and “What We Don’t Know About Moses and the Exodus.” Readers ranged from devout Jews to evangelical Christians.

Shanks and the magazine’s affiliated Biblical Archaeology Society also played an advocacy role in the field itself, especially in leading a successful campaign to “free the Dead Sea Scrolls” from a small circle of scholars that had exclusive access to the ancient Jewish religious manuscripts found in the Judean Desert. In 1987 Shanks bought Moment, a bimonthly magazine of Jewish ideas and

opinions that had been founded 11 years before by Elie Wiesel and the writer Leonard Fein. He ran the magazine until 2004. Shanks was the author or editor of more than a dozen books on biblical archaeology and other topics, and also founded two other magazines, Bible Review and Archaeology Odyssey. (JTA)

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JEWISH DISABILITY AWARENESS AND INCLUSION MONTH

Violinist Itzhak Perlman, Rep. Jamie Raskin and blind rabbi Lauren Tuchman highlight the need for disability advocacy Larry Luxner

hen Israeli-American violinist Itzhak Perlman debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1963, he performed while seated—a consequence of the polio that left him unable to walk without leg braces or crutches since age 4. “I got a standing ovation, but The New York Times reviewer wasn’t sure if that was because of the way I played or because of the fact I was sitting down while playing,” recalled Perlman, now 75. “That thing followed me for two or three years. Then people got used to me and they stopped talking about it.” The renowned musician and conductor—the winner of 16 Grammy Awards, four Emmys and the Presidential Medal of Freedom—spoke of his experience at a recent online panel organized as part of Jewish Disability Advocacy Month. Perlman was joined by a young synagogue pianist from New Jersey with autism, a Chicago elementary school teacher who has multiple sclerosis, a blind rabbi and three influential members of Congress, among others. The event was organized by the Jewish Federations of North America as a kickoff for 50 planned online events this month to highlight disability awareness and advocacy ranging from “Israel’s Disability Trailblazers” to “Making the World More Accessible During COVID.” “One in four adults in this country has a disability. That means inclusive communities aren’t just something that would be nice to have, they’re essential to ensuring the future of our Jewish community,” Mark Wilf, chair of the Jewish Federations’ board of trustees, said at the Feb. 3 event. “Given how few in number we are as a people, we need to make sure that we’re pursing every avenue available to engage as many Jews as possible.” One of those Jews is Rabbi Lauren Tuchman, 35, who was ordained in 2018 by the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary as the world’s first blind female rabbi. A resident of the

Washington, D.C., area, she speaks often about disability inclusion. “The Torah teaches us that we all stood outside Sinai collectively and received the Ten Commandments. This is one of the most important—if not the most important—foundational events in our collective experience as a Jewish people,” Tuchman said.

“One in four adults in this country has a disability. That means inclusive communities aren’t just something that would be nice to have, they’re essential to ensuring the future of our Jewish community,” Mark Wilf, chair of the Jewish Federations of North America’s board of trustees. She began reading at age 2, used a Braille embosser in rabbinical school, and today employs a variety of software apps to help her read and study. “Though we still live in a world with many barriers,” Tuchman said, “with a lot of discrimination and challenges—particularly in this past year of unparalleled challenge—ours is a tradition that commands us to always make sure we are including everyone, and that we’re doing all we can to break down those barriers that preclude us from creating a society in which all of us can thrive.” Shayla Rosen, 35, is a first-grade teacher at Chicago’s Oriole Park School and a cabinet member of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. In 2009, doctors diagnosed her with multiple sclerosis—a debilitating disease that’s not always apparent to outsiders. “I’ve always said I have an invisible illness,” she said at the event. “There are times when things are a struggle, and I’ve learned to hide it well.” Perlman explained how it’s often the

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person with disabilities who is treated as invisible. “I used to go to the airport in a wheelchair. Right now, I’m in a scooter because I don’t walk quite as I used to,” Perlman said. “But people still look at you sitting in a chair, and for some reason they stop talking to you, and instead they talk to the person with you. For example, at the airport, the person behind the counter would ask, ‘Where is he going?’ It’s always the case.” Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, or ADA, a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, transportation and all places open to the general public. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the House majority leader who sponsored passage of the ADA in 1990, described the landmark legislation during the event as “a grand instrument of tikkun olam,” repairing the world, because it changed the way Americans viewed their neighbors whose physical abilities differed from their own. Thanks to the ADA, Hoyer said, crosswalks with audible guides and ramps are now taken for granted. New buildings are required to have elevators. Wheelchairaccessible ramps are standard at public buildings. But full equality remains elusive. With a disability-friendly administration now in the White House, Hoyer said, “Now is exactly the time for the disability advocacy community to carry forth the fight full inclusion, access and equality.” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., whose 25-year-old son, Tommy, committed suicide Dec. 31 after a lifelong battle with depression, said the issue of disabilities is particularly close to his heart. “There are tens of millions of people who have different kinds of disabilities— whether they’re physical or mental—and we want a society that is open for everybody, and that promotes everybody’s success and best health,” said Raskin, thanking the Jewish Federations for its

Itzhak Perlman.

Jamie Raskin

advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill throughout the coronavirus pandemic. “Your work is more critical than ever,” he said. “There’s going to be lobbying around telehealth and making sure that’s part of the solution. Consider me a close partner.” Fellow Jewish lawmaker Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., said she left her work as a pediatrician to go into politics in 2017 “because I wanted everybody to be able to afford health care.” Among other things, Schrier said she’s pushing for the next stimulus package now being debated in Congress to include greater insurance coverage for telemedicine, as well as more funding for nutritional programs that benefit low-income Americans. “Many of my patients have disabilities of one sort or another. But the reason I’m here is to go to bat for people who need a hand—whether that’s a mom with two kids trying to get by on one job or a child who needs special education,” Schrier told Darcy Hirsh, the Jewish Federations’ director of government affairs. “This is a time of really unprecedented need in our country. Supporting advocacy work for people with disabilities just makes sense to somebody who’s a mother, a pediatrician, a member of Congress and frankly as a Jew who sees the humanity in everyone.” This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America, which represents 146 local Jewish Federations and 300 network communities. This story was produced by JTA’s native content team.

JEWISH LANGUAGES

We’re running out of time to preserve endangered Jewish languages. Here’s how we can stop them from being lost forever. Sarah Bunin Benor

(JTA)—I can’t stop thinking about Flory Jagoda, Joseph Sassoon and Kitty Sassoon— three American Jews in their 90s who died earlier this month. As an Ashkenazi Jew, I do not share their family backgrounds. But their deaths hit home for me, as they were among the last native speakers of endangered Jewish languages—languages I’m helping to document before it’s too late. Flory Jagoda devoted much of her life to preserving one of those languages. She grew up in Bosnia speaking Ladino, also known as Judeo-Spanish, which her ancestors had maintained since their expulsion from Spain in 1492. She survived the Holocaust in part through her musical skills, playing accordion and singing in Serbo-Croatian. For decades, she wrote and performed Ladino songs, maintaining the Sephardic folk traditions of her Nona (grandmother), innovating on them and bringing them to a wider audience. Jagoda’s music introduced me to Ladino and ignited my interest in Jewish languages. In my fifth-grade class at Jewish day school, my classmates and I learned her catchy tune “Ocho Kandelikas” (Eight Little Candles) along with Hebrew and English Hanukkah songs. As a teenager, I heard Jagoda perform at a Jewish Folk Life Festival—of which she was a founder— and purchased a cassette of hers, La Nona Kanta (The Grandmother Sings). I still listen to those songs and now share them—especially my favorite, Laz Tiyas (The Aunties)—with my students when I teach about Jewish languages. My students read an article about Jagoda’s work to promote Sephardic language and culture just a week before she died. While Jagoda is among the last generation of native Ladino speakers, young people have continued her language preservation work, as we see in Devin Naar’s archive of Ladino letters, books and other historical treasures; Bryan Kirschen’s Ladino research and classes; and Sarah Aroeste’s contemporary Ladino music and children’s books. Due to these efforts,

American Jews tend to know about the language. When I ask audiences which Jewish languages they have heard of, they generally mention Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino. People are less familiar with other Jewish languages, including Judeo-Shirazi (from Iran), Judeo-Malayalam (from India) and Jewish Neo-Aramaic (from the Kurdish region)—all critically endangered. The many endangered dialects of JudeoArabic have been documented to varying extents, from Egypt to Morocco, from Syria to Yemen. And some young people are keeping the music alive, such as Neta Elkayam, A-WA and Asher Shasho Levy for Moroccan, Yemenite and Syrian traditions. Even so, most American Jews have never heard of Judeo-Arabic. Whenever a speaker dies, we lose an opportunity to learn and teach more about the nuances of this rich language and culture. Joseph and Kitty Sassoon died of COVID-19 within 12 hours of each other, months after their 76th anniversary. Both were children of Baghdadi parents who spoke Judeo-Arabic natively. Growing up in Rangoon, Burma, and Calcutta, India, Joseph and Kitty spoke multiple languages, but their parents spoke Judeo-Arabic when they didn’t want the children to understand. As many American-born children of immigrants know, this means they picked up snippets of the language. As adults, living most recently in Los Angeles, Joseph and Kitty spoke Hindi and English together and did not have much opportunity to use Judeo-Arabic, but their granddaughters remember them using some words and phrases. Kitty used pet names for grandchildren, like “abdalnuana” for boys and “abdalki” for girls (both literally meaning “penance” like the Hebrew “kapara”) and frequently said “mashallah” (what God has willed) when expressing pride and joy. Joseph called his mother Umm Shalom (mother of Shalom, her first son), in line with Judeo-Arabic convention, and hurled joking insults at grandchildren, such as “harami” (thief) and “mamzerim” (bastards—a Hebrew word used in several Jewish languages).

The Sassoons are characteristic of speakers of endangered languages. Unlike Jagoda, they did not devote their lives to cultural preservation. And they had varying degrees of knowledge of the language—Joseph grew up speaking more Judeo-Arabic than Kitty. While language documenters would prefer fluent speakers, even semi-speakers can provide important information, particularly when the language is severely endangered. Every day, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, more speakers of endangered languages die. If we don’t interview them now, we will lose our opportunity forever. Fortunately, several organizations have been doing this important work, including the Endangered Language Alliance, the Jewish Language Project and Wikitongues in the United

States and the Mother Tongue Project in Israel. This is not just a Jewish issue. Of the 7,000 languages of the world, about half are now endangered. Organizations like these are our last hope to record them before the last speakers are gone. We can all get involved by donating funds, volunteering, or connecting the projects with speakers of endangered languages. May the memories of Flory Jagoda and Joseph and Kitty Sassoon be a blessing—and a wakeup call: We must act now to preserve their languages and cultures while we still can. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

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Jewish News - February 22, 2021

Articles inside

for disability advocacy

Obituaries

Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival

Virginia Festival of Jewish Film

TJF and UJFT partners with Jewish Future Pledge

Plastic bags into benches for Ohef Sholom

Published

Swordfish swim team sets records, wins meets

Purim across Jewish Tidewater

Letter

Biden: White supremacists are ‘the most dangerous people’ in America

Briefs