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Southeastern Virginia | Vol. 59 No. 09 | 26 Shevat 5781 | February 8, 2021
10 New director of Camp JCC and teen engagement
11 Strelitz International Academy students send cards to IDF
The 28th season of the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film begins with The Crossing Sunday, February 21–Tuesday, February 23
18 PJ Library: Terri Libenson Thursday, February 11
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18 Israel Today: Yousef Bashir Thursday, February 25
USA AND ISRAEL
Drawing the Palestinians close, drawing Israel closer: Biden administration unrolls Middle East policy Ron Kampeas
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Statements and appearances by U.S. officials suggest the Biden administration’s emerging Mideast strategy: reassuring Israel while resuming ties with the Palestinians ruptured by President Joe Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump. On Tuesday, February 2, the acting ambassador to the United Nations outlined plans to reverse Trump administration policies concerning the Palestinians. “The Biden administration will restore credible U.S. engagement with Palestinians as well as Israelis,” Richard Mills said at a meeting of the U.N. Richard Mills Security Council, the first such appearance since Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration. Mills, a career diplomat, is acting as U.N. envoy until the Senate confirms Biden’s nominee. “This will involve renewing U.S. relations with the Palestinian leadership and Palestinian people, relations which have atrophied over the last four years,” Mills said. “President Biden has been clear in his intent to restore U.S. assistance programs that support economic development and humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people and to take steps to reopen diplomatic missions that were closed by the last U.S. administration.” Reassurance came when Biden’s nominee for U.N. ambassador told senators that she would maintain some of the pro-Israel policies advanced by Trump. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said at her confirmation hearing that America would robustly push back against anti-Israel bias at the United Nations. “I look forward to standing with Israel, standing against the unfair targeting of Israel, the relentless resolutions that are proposed against Israel unfairly,” she said.
Her remarks recalled one of the final acts of the Obama administration, when it allowed through a Security Council resolution con- Linda Thomasdemning Israel’s Greenfield settlement policies. The Senate roundly condemned President Obama’s failure to veto the resolution. Trump’s U.N. ambassadors went on to use U.S. influence to nix pro-Palestinian moves at the body.
Biden has indicated that he wants to repair ties between Israel and Democrats strained by tensions between the Netanyahu and Obama administrations.
Biden has indicated that he wants to repair ties between Israel and Democrats strained by tensions between the Netanyahu and Obama administrations. Notably, some of the most pointed pro-Israel questions at Thomas-Greenfield’s hearing came from Democrats who are close to Biden, like Chris Coons of
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Delaware, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Ben Cardin of Maryland. There remain more differences between the Biden and Netanyahu administrations than there were under Trump, but Biden is striving to tamp down Israeli anxieties about his revival of some Obama-era policies, when he served as vice president. For instance, Biden wants to return to the Iran nuclear deal, which Netanyahu reviles, but says he will do so in consultation with Israel. Obama cut out Israel until the last phase of the negotiations. Biden campaigned on restoring ties with the Palestinians, but it won’t be easy to reverse Trump’s policies, which included shutting down diplomatic relations and severing assistance to the Palestinian Authority. Biden must deal with a law passed by Congress that denies funding for the Palestinians as long as the Palestinian Authority pays families of Palestinians who killed Israeli and American civilians. Another law makes it hard for a president to allow the Palestinians to reopen an office in Washington unless the P.A. agrees not to seek charges against Israel in the International Criminal Court. Trump also shut down a dedicated consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem. Reopening that office could face resistance from the Israeli government and the municipality. At the same time, Biden officials are seeking to reassure Israel that they will sustain some of the tone and substance of changes carried out under Trump. In one of his first statements Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, described his first conversation with his
Israeli counterpart, Meir Ben Shabbat. They “discussed opportunities to enhance the partnership over the coming months, including by buildJake Sullivan ing on the success of Israel’s normalization arrangements with [the United Arab Emirates], Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco,” Sullivan said. Thomas-Greenfield said she would build on the normalization agreements, called the Abraham Accords, to encourage those countries to change their approach at the United Nations and take an active role in countering anti-Israel actions there. “If they’re going to recognize Israel in the Abraham Accords, they need to recognize Israel at the United Nations,” she said. Thomas-Greenfield also denounced the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel. “The actions and the approach that BDS has taken toward Israel is unacceptable,” she said. “It verges on anti-Semitism and it is important that they not be allowed to have a voice at the United Nations.” The Obama administration also opposed BDS, but unlike the Trump administration, did not make it a frontand-center issue, nor did it liken the movement to anti-Semitism.
UPFRONT
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The short and long game
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Betty Ann Levin
A
s this issue of the Jewish News goes to press with a special focus on investments, we are approaching Super Bowl weekend. With many Betty Ann Levin sports fans in my house, I cannot help but think about our short- and longterm investment strategies for our annual Community Campaign. Of course, that is not a game. Your Federation lay volunteers and professional staff are working diligently, throughout the year, to ensure that we can continue to build, secure, and sustain our Jewish Tidewater community.
THE SHORT TERM Why did we ask you to make your 2021 commitment to our Community Campaign in the late summer, early fall, or certainly by the end of 2020? This has been a conscious effort to change our mindset, accelerate and shorten our “campaign season” so that we can secure the funds needed to meet community needs and requests for the next fiscal year (allocated in the spring of 2021 for the new fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2021). It also allows us to have expanded conversations with community members, plan for allocations and the coming fiscal year, and engage deeper in the work we do on behalf of our community. THE LONG TERM As we ensure that our local community needs and organizations are funded, that programs our community supports outside of Tidewater receive appropriate assistance, and that we continue to help vulnerable Jews around the world, we are also working to secure our future. Many of you have chosen to endow a portion or all of your annual campaign gift through a Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment (PACE) or Lion of Judah Endowment (LoJE). Many of you are supporting our community in the future through a Life and Legacy commitment. We continue to work closely with the Tidewater Jewish Foundation to assist community members in ensuring
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JCC and UJFT’s new director of camp and teen engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . Students at SIA make Hanukkah cards for IDF soldiers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Special Section: Investments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . TJF: Aligning Jewish values with investments and philanthropy. . . . . . . Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jewish Culture and Canadian Literature —3-part series. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Virginia Festival of Jewish Film begins. . . . . . . Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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CANDLE LIGHTING
QUOTABLE
CONTENTS The Biden administration on the Palestinians and Israelis . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Upfront . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Chuck Schumer: highest-ranking elected Jewish official ever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Nation: Trump’s lawyer and Jewish causes. . . . . 6 NBC removes story on Biden official’s AIPAC ties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Elena Baum appointed to Governor’s Advisory Committee. . . . . . . . . . . 7 Rabbis and the COVID-19 vaccine. . . . . . . . . . . 8 BSV seeks volunteers to deliver meals. . . . . . . . 10 JFS’s PAM program needs your help. . . . . . . . . 10
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jewishnewsva.org | February 8, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 3
BRIEFS DERSHOWITZ NOMINATES KUSHNER FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE Alan Dershowitz has nominated Jared Kushner and Avi Berkowitz, the Trump administration officials who shaped the Abraham Accords, for the Nobel Peace Prize. Dershowitz, the famed lawyer and pro-Israel activist, is an eligible nominator in his capacity as an emeritus professor at Harvard University. Kushner, former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a leading White House adviser, and Berkowitz, the top Middle Eastern envoy during the last administration, brokered normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab nations: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. The agreements have triggered overt signs of acceptance of Israel and of Jews not seen in decades in the region, including declarations most recently recognizing International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Israel was not at war with any of the countries and had sub rosa ties with each of them. At least three of the countries earned quid quo pros from the Trump administration in the deals, among them the sale of stealth combat jets to the UAE. Dershowitz, who is close to Trump and was one of his defense lawyers in his first impeachment, alluded to the cloud that the former president is now under for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, a deadly riot that triggered his second impeachment. “The Nobel Peace Prize is not for popularity,” Dershowitz wrote in his nomination. “Nor is it an assessment of what the international community may think of those who helped bring about peace. It is an award for fulfilling the daunting criteria set out by Alfred Nobel in his will.” (JTA) KOSOVO TO OPEN EMBASSY IN JERUSALEM AS ISRAEL RECOGNIZES THE BALKAN NATION Kosovo, a Muslim-majority territory that only part of the world recognizes as a country, intends to open an embassy in Jerusalem after it formally establishes diplomatic relations with Israel.
Foreign Minister Meliza HaradinajStublla and her Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi signed an agreement on Monday, February 1. News that Israel will agree to recognize Kosovo as a country emerged in September in talks mediated by the Trump administration. But the intended location of the future embassy was not disclosed until the signing of the agreement. Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, often with the help of the Trump administration, Israel has made diplomatic efforts to have countries with embassies in the Tel Aviv region move them to Jerusalem, as the United States did in 2018. Both Israel and the Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capitals, but many countries have recognized neither claim pending peace talks. “Recognition by Israel is one of the greatest achievements for Kosovo, coming at a key moment for us, thanks to the United States of America, our common and eternal ally,” HaradinajStublla said in a statement Jan. 29 ahead of the signing ceremony. The U. S. and Israel are among 117 countries that recognize Kosovo, a landlocked nation in what used to be Yugoslavia. Kosovo, which has a land area approximately half the size of New Jersey, has about 1.8 million residents. China, Russia, India, Spain, and Morocco are among the countries that have not, for fear of encouraging unilateral independence declarations in territories they control. (JTA)
JEWISH MAN LEAVES $2 MILLION TO TOWN THAT HID HIM FROM NAZIS A man who died in December left a significant gift for the French town that shielded his family and thousands of others from the Nazis during World War II. Eric Schwam, who died at 90 on Christmas Day, willed his estate to Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, the mountain town where his Jewish family hid for two years, according to CNN. Le Chambon-sur-Lignon in France is one of only two locales honored collectively by Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust museum for rescuing Jews. (The other is Nieuwlande, in the Netherlands.) The
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town and its Protestant villagers are estimated to have saved 2,500 Jews and more recently have taken in refugees from the Middle East and Africa. The town is seeking more information about Schwam, who was 12 when he arrived in the area with his parents and grandmother as a refugee from Austria. According to French media reports, Schwam—a retired pharmacist in Lyon who married, but had no children—had visited the town a decade before his death and indicated to its mayor at the time that he might honor it in his will. But the size of the gift, as much as $2.4 million, was a surprise. Schwam requested that his gift be used to fund scholarships and local schools. “We are extremely honored and we will use the sum according to Mr. Schwam’s will,” Deputy Mayor Denise Vallat told CNN. (JTA)
SANDERS MITTEN MERCHANDISE RAISES $1.8 MILLION FOR CHARITIES Bernie Sanders found a way to turn his superstar social media status into some significant charity—$1.8 million, to be exact, for several charitable organizations across his home state of Vermont. In case you missed it: A photo of the Jewish senator at the presidential inauguration ceremony wearing homemade mittens went viral. In response, Sanders’ website sold merchandise with the image on it, including sweatshirts and mugs, pledging to donate the proceeds to charity. The beneficiaries include Meals on Wheels, the culinary training program Feeding Chittenden, the youth development Chill Foundation, senior centers in the state and Bi-State Primary Care for dental care, Sanders’ office said. (JTA) BIDEN FREEZES SALE OF STEALTH JETS TO UAE President Joe Biden froze the sale of stealth jets to the United Arab Emirates, removing at least for now a key Trump administration incentive to the Emirates to normalize relations with Israel. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration had frozen arms sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
It quoted an official as saying that such freezes to review a previous administration’s arms deals are routine. However, Biden also campaigned on rolling back U.S. support for the war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and UAE forces have backed the government. Additionally, Biden has said that he wants to tamp down tensions in Yemen as a means of drawing Iran into resuming its full observance of the Iran nuclear deal. Trump in 2018 pulled out of the deal, but Biden says the 2015 agreement is the best means of keeping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, said the deal trading sanctions relief for a rollback of nuclear capabilities was not strong enough. The Trump administration negotiated the sale of the F-35 stealth jets separately from its brokering of the Abraham Accords, which normalize relations between Israel and four Arab states, including the UAE. However, it was clear from administration statements that the jets sale was an incentive. The accords are signed and underway. It’s not clear how the freeze on the jets sale would affect them. (JTA)
WASHINGTON WIZARDS LAUNCH HEBREW INSTAGRAM FOR ISRAELI FANS OF DENI AVDIJA The Washington Wizards are all in on Deni Avdija content. The team, which made Avdija the highest-ever Israeli NBA draft pick last year, now has an Instagram account in Hebrew to cater to Israeli fans. It’s a first for an NBA team and adds to the team’s Hebrew Twitter account. Yaron Talpaz, formerly the chief marketing officer for the Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club, will lead the Wizards’ Hebrew coverage. “We are committed to growing the game of basketball and connecting fans all over the world, so expanding our reach in Israel with the addition of Deni is a perfect opportunity,” said Jim Van Stone, president of the Monumental Sports & Entertainment group, which owns the Wizards. Avdija, 20, is averaging 6.6 points and 2 assists per game. (JTA)
NATION
Chuck Schumer is now the highest-ranking elected Jewish official ever. He wants to make more history. Gabe Friedman
(JTA)—Chuck Schumer could not let the moment pass without mentioning its Jewish history. Georgia’s new senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, were sworn in on Wednesday, January 20, making Schumer the new Senate majority leader—the firstever Jew in that powerful role. Never afraid to reference his Yiddishkeit, Schumer recalled his roots in an address in the Senate chamber. And he got biblical, too. “With the swearing in of these three senators, the Senate will turn to Democratic control … under the first New York-born majority leader in American history,” he said. “A kid from Brooklyn, the son of an exterminator and a housewife, a descendant of victims of the Holocaust. “That I should be the leader of this new Senate majority is an awesome responsibility. Awesome in the biblical sense, as the angels that trembled in awe before God. Today I feel the full weight of that responsibility.” In terms of strides for diversity, the headlining news of the day was Kamala Harris’ milestone moment becoming the first woman and first woman of color to serve as vice president. But Inauguration Day was also more quietly full of Jewish history. Schumer became the highest-ranking elected Jewish politician in American history. Ossoff was sworn in as Georgia’s first Jewish senator—on a historic Hebrew Bible and carrying records from his forebears’ arrival at Ellis Island. Doug Emhoff, Harris’ Jewish husband, became the country’s first “second gentleman.” In his short speech, Schumer borrowed a line that President Joe Biden had used a few hours earlier to hail Harris’ glass ceiling-shattering milestone and applied it to Jews. “As President Biden said in his inaugural address: ‘Don’t tell me things can’t change,’” he said. The honeymoon likely won’t last long for Schumer, who helms the slimmest of
majorities in the Senate—a 50-50 split of Democrats and Republicans that Harris can break with a tie-breaking vote—amid unprecedented polarization. Democrats were outraged by the deadly Capitol insurrection last month staged by right-wing extremists, some of them anti-Semitic and white supremacist, and they called for the immediate removal of then-President Donald Trump for instigating the horror. For Republicans, while the event forced a widespread reckoning for their party, over 140 lawmakers combined in the House and Senate continued to back Trump’s false claims that the election results were fraudulent. If he can effectively corral his Senate troops, Schumer will have a chance to leave an outsized mark on a range of issues that Biden has signaled he wants to tackle post-pandemic, from climate change to immigration to health care. Schumer, a longtime moderate, has shown signs that he has been emboldened by the Macchiavellian moves of his predecessor Mitch McConnell, who often departed from traditional protocols to ram through Congress everything from federal judicial appointees (and multiple Supreme Court justices) to high-stakes bills. In his speech to the virtual Democratic National Convention in August, Schumer said that the Senate would “bring bold and dramatic change to our country” if Democrats won control of the chamber. As for how he will make that happen, his former communications director Stu Loeser argues that unlike many senators, Schumer is savvy about forming small groups of like-minded Republican and Democratic lawmakers who can connect over noncontroversial issues. “So say there’s a Republican senator from, you know, Pennsylvania, a Democratic senator from Wisconsin, and all of us have this same problem that we’re working on in New York. Say this is not the only place in the country that has this kind of former defense plant that needs a new use,” Loeser says. Schumer’s approach is “‘we’re going to build a coalition because
we’ll find out the other ones, and we’re going to get these guys to work on us on a bipartisan basis.’ “He is acutely aware of what drives the senators. It’s not like you approach it from the idea of I’m going to get people across party lines, which is toxic now. But it’s I’m going to find [three to five] Republicans who actually have the same approach as the Democrats and get their support.” Becoming majority leader is a possible climax to a career that many have called extremely ambitious, even by Washington standards. In a 1986 book, his sister, Fran Schumer, a journalist, wrote: ”Ever since he was 8, my older brother has wanted to recreate in the world his position in our family—president of the Schumers, favorite son of the United States.” It was a lofty goal for the kid from Marine Park, a neighborhood deep in Brooklyn that in the 1950s and ’60s was crowded with Jewish, Italian, Puerto Rican, and Caribbean immigrants. After graduating from James Madison High School, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate and law student in the late ’60s, where he felt out of place among its legions of WASPy and activist students. He dove right into politics without ever practicing law. He served in the New York State Assembly from 1974 to 1981, then in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing three different districts in Brooklyn and Queens through 1999, when he was elected to the Senate. Throughout his career, Schumer has been a staunch ally of Jewish communities in his home state and of Israel. In 2015 he was tortured over the debate on the Iran nuclear deal, which pitted what he and many other Israel defenders saw as the Jewish state’s security interests against the Obama administration’s good intentions. Schumer eventually would be one of a select few Democrats who opposed the deal. In a memorable moment on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, the host mocked an MSNBC reporter for trying to pin down Schumer on the Iran deal while they
Senator Chuck Schumer.
chatted in a diner. “You brought an old New York Jewish man to a diner?” Stewart said. “You realize what this means—you’re never going to end up talking about the Iran deal. You’re just going to end up talking about f***ing diners!” That public image as a quintessential New York Jew has been fodder for his enemies and played into political rhetoric that some see as coded anti-Semitism. But Schumer has never shied from his roots as a Jew or New Yorker. Politico marveled at how Schumer, in the midst of his ascension and still dealing with the fallout from the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, found time to appear at a Queens community board meeting and an Upper West Side Democratic club. Loeser recalls how Schumer and his family, longtime members of Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn’s Park Slope, spent a Christmas Eve in the early 2000s at a restaurant in Chinatown. When a terrorism threat came up that night, Loeser tried to reach him, but his phone was off. So Loeser resorted to calling Chinese restaurants across Lower Manhattan, asking if the senator was there. Loeser eventually found him, but only after hours of trouble. The problem: He and his family “looked like everyone else” to the restaurants. “They kept saying to me that ‘no, there’s no U.S. senator here,’” Loeser says. “‘Just a Jewish family.’”
jewishnewsva.org | February 8, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 5
Ruth’s Life Said a Lot About Her
NATION
Trump’s newest lawyer has fought for Jewish causes
As a “pink lady” Ruth Goodman volunteered more hours than anyone else at the Norfolk hospital where she greeted visitors for years.
Before she died in 1995, Ruth arranged for a Hampton Roads Community Foundation bequest to forever give good health to the community she and her late husband Victor loved. This year 15 students are studying to become physicians, physical therapists, nurses and other medical professionals thanks to scholarships generated by Ruth’s generosity. Many more Goodman Scholars will follow every year. Write your prescription for a better 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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Ron Kampeas
(JTA)—David Schoen, one of two new lawyers named by Donald Trump to the former president’s impeachment defense team, has fought for Jewish causes. Schoen and Bruce Castor will replace the team that quit just ahead of Trump’s Senate trial on charges that he incited the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, reportedly because of differences in strategies: Trump’s former lawyers wanted to focus on whether it was constitutional to convict a president who was out of office, while Trump wants to focus on his discredited claims that Joe Biden won the presidency through election fraud. Schoen, a member of Beth Jacob, an Orthodox synagogue in Atlanta, was a lawyer in a 2011 lawsuit against former President Jimmy Carter that sought damages for publishing “false and misleading
statements” in his book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. Within months, Schoen withdrew the lawsuit, which Carter and his publisher said was unwinnable based on free speech protections. Schoen also has advocated for redress from the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority for terrorist attacks, sometimes in his capacity as a board member of the Zionist Organization of America. Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, a Washington, D.C., rabbi, on Schoen’s website endorses the lawyer as “a fierce advocate on behalf of his clients” who has represented a group that Herzfeld helped lead, Coalition of Jewish Concerns-Amcha, on “many occasions.” The group, which advocated for Jews and Israel, has not been active for a number of years. Schoen last year represented Roger Stone, Trump’s friend, on charges of witness tampering and obstruction of justice
arising out of the federal investigation into ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. Stone was convicted, but Trump commuted his 40-month sentence and then pardoned him. Schoen also was set to defend Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier facing charges of trafficking in minors. Epstein killed himself in prison in August 2019 before the trial. Schoen told the Atlanta Jewish Times last year that he believes Epstein was murdered. A number of attorneys who represented Trump at his 2020 impeachment trial for trying to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden, then a rival for the presidency, have declined the job this time, including constitutional law expert Alan Dershowitz. The Senate acquitted Trump in that case, largely on party lines. Trump incited the insurrection last month based on his false claims that Biden did not win November’s election.
NBC removes story on Biden official’s ties to $500,000 in AIPAC donations Ron Kampeas
(JTA)—NBC has removed a report about hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby group, by a top Biden security official’s family foundation, saying the article did not meet its standards. The article, which amplified a report by the left-wing investigative magazine Mother Jones, outlined more than $500,000 in giving to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee by a foundation named for Anne Neuberger, the top Biden cybersecurity official, and her husband Yehuda. The foundation funnels its donations through the Associated Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. The article quoted only anonymous sources, including multiple who suggested that Neuberger’s ties to AIPAC
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donations “would raise a lot of eyebrows” about her impartiality. “After a number of readers raised issues with this article, NBC News conducted a review and has determined that it fell short of our reporting standards,” NBC said the day the stories appeared. “In order to warrant publication, it needed on-the-record quotes from critics, rather than anonymous ones,” it said. “The article should have also included more views from those who believe that donations to AIPAC do not represent a conflict. And it did not give Neuberger adequate time to respond to our reporting.” A number of national Jewish groups including AIPAC called on NBC and Mother Jones to retract their stories, saying they insinuated that Neuberger, an Orthodox Jew, is not fully loyal to the United States. Mother Jones has not
retracted its version of the story. “Charges of dual loyalty are anti-Semitic and insult millions of Americans—Jewish & non-Jewish—who stand by our ally Israel,” AIPAC said in a tweet. “We will not be deterred from exercising our rights as citizens to advocate for a strong US-Israel relationship.” Emily Horne, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, where Neuberger works, lashed out on Twitter at “false and ad hominem attacks based on ethnic, racial, or religious identity.” Horne’s tweet came amid the firestorm over the reporting about Neuberger as well as to attacks from the right-wing on Maher Bitar, a Palestinian American who is the NSC’s senior director for intelligence programs.
VIRGINIA
Local Relationships Matter
Elena Baum appointed to Governor’s Advisory Committee on Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Education Practices; Gail Flax joins Teacher Advisory Work Group RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam announced on Wednesday, January 6, the leadership and members of a new advisory committee charged with making recommendations on culturally relevant and inclusive education practices in Virginia’s public schools. The Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Education Practices Advisory Committee, which held its first meeting January 6, was established under House Bill 916, sponsored by Delegate Mark D. Sickles, and Senate Bill 853, sponsored by Senator Jennifer Boysko during the 2020 General Assembly session. The legislation directed the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to select the committee’s members, and tasked the advisory panel with reporting its recommendations to Governor Northam, the Board of Education, and the Chairs of the House Committee on Education and Senate Committee on Education and Health, by July 1, 2021. Elena Barr Baum, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s director of the Holocaust Commission was named to the Advisory Committee. In addition, Gail Flax, a longtime Holocaust Commission member, was named to the Governor’s Teacher Advisory Work Group, which is associated with the Advisory Committee. “Since Holocaust education was mandated in 2009 (by Governor Kaine), there has been no movement in helping teachers know how to teach the Holocaust. This effort spurred by Governor Northam and run through the Department of Education has more of a chance of success than an unfunded mandate,” says Baum. “There are many talented and dedicated people on the committee, and while the six-month timetable is ambitious,”
says Baum, “I believe with good organization, the committee members can come up with an important and implementable report and r e c o m m e n - Elena Barr Baum. dations, as the Governor’s Commission on African American History Education did in 2020.” “Inclusive and culturally relevant learning environments are vital to creating equitable pathways to success for all Virginians,” says Governor Northam. “The work of this committee will advance our ongoing efforts to tell the complete and accurate story of Virginia’s complex past, improve our history standards, and give educators opportunities to engage in important conversations and lessons with their students.” “When we teach an honest narrative of our past, students better understand their place in history and are equipped to work toward a better society,” says Secretary of Education Atif Qarni. “This committee will build on the work of the Commission on African American History Education to ensure the content taught in Virginia classrooms is accurate and inclusive of perspectives which have been historically marginalized.” The committee is led by three co-chairs: Senator Boysko, Arlington County Superintendent and Board of Education Member Francisco Durán, and Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education Dean Andrew Daire.
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COVID-19
For rabbis, America’s complex COVID-19 vaccine rollout means eligibility can come down to guesswork Hannah Dreyfus
(JTA)—The email offered what felt like a lifeline to the dozens of rabbis in the Chicago area who received it last month. “Vaccines are now available for clergy,” an official with the Chicago Board of Rabbis wrote, passing along a link to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine. Days later, some of those rabbis were rolling up their sleeves to get the shot that would start to make their pre-pandemic lives possible once again. Lizzi Heydemann, rabbi and founder of Mishkan, a nondenominational congregation in Chicago, marked her vaccination with a public Facebook post accompanied by a translation of the Shehecheyanu prayer: “That we lived and stood up and reached this time.” But Heydemann, who is 40, hadn’t actually been clearly eligible for the vaccine under Illinois’ current guidelines. The rules permit clergy who work in health care settings to get the shot, but not others. Rabbi Reni Dickman, the Chicago Board of Rabbis executive vice president who sent the email, realized she might have misunderstood the guidelines, which appear in different forms in different places online, after she got a flurry of confused replies. “I thought rabbis were included in [phase] 1A but then I realized, no, most of us are not,” she says, saying that she clarified to those who had reached out to her that only rabbis who fit the description of a “frontline healthcare worker” were eligible for the vaccine. But she says, “Rabbis have called me saying that they heard otherwise.” Others, like Heydemann, were able to sign up and complete their vaccine appointments without a hitch. The saga points to a challenging dynamic in America’s vaccine rollout: Confusing guidance and a patchwork of rules and providers mean that rabbis are left to figure out where they fit in, and the answers can vary depending on
the day, state, and interpretation of local rules. In Virginia, clergy are currently in the 1-C phase of vaccinations. Underlying the tumult is a more ideological debate about whether clergy should be considered frontline workers, regardless of where the majority of their pastoral duties are carried out. “Clergy work in a variety of frontline care giving settings that don’t include healthcare or schools,” says Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, chief executive of the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism, associations for Conservative rabbis and synagogues. The responsibility to perform lifecycle events—including funerals—should make vaccinating a clergy “a priority,” he says. Heydemann says she had performed funerals during the pandemic and noted that the vaccination would allow her to facilitate bar and bat mitzvahs in person, rather than by Zoom. “It’s been heartbreaking not to be in the same room with families for these milestones,” she says. Rabbi Mark Dratch, executive vice president of the Rabbinical Council of America, a large network of Orthodox rabbis, says he sees both attending synagogues and the pastoral support of clergy as essential services. Some Orthodox rabbis involved in preparing bodies for burial were able to register for the vaccine under the category of funeral directors, he said. “Clergy provide spiritual and emotional support for members of communities—in that way, they’re frontline workers,” he says. “Physical health is most important, but a feeling of connectedness is important for someone’s psychological stability.” The guidelines in New York, which at this point do not extend eligibility to clergy who are not healthcare workers or educators, have been “frustrating” to local rabbis who feel they “can’t fully perform their pastoral duties,” says Dratch. “All that being said, we are committed to
8 | JEWISH NEWS | February 8, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org
following the rules established by each jurisdiction.” Nonetheless, certain New York pulpit rabbis have been able to receive the vaccine. Rabbi Joshua Stanton, the rabbi of East End Temple on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, says he called “several people in the New York State system to make sure he was really eligible” before signing up and receiving his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine last month. New York is administering the vaccine to educators and, aside from his pulpit responsibilities, Stanton teaches several times a week at his synagogue’s Hebrew school, which offered an in-person option for families. “I don’t want to be jumping the line,” says Stanton, who is 34. “The state has a plan in place for who should get vaccinated when, and I didn’t want to get in under any exception.” Once he discovered that teachers and education professionals who instruct in a range of settings were eligible, he took his shot. “We made sure it was kosher and we moved ahead.” Though he declined to provide names, Stanton says he knows of several New York colleagues who did receive the vaccine despite not being chaplains or teachers. The discovery left him “very surprised.” “These are highly reputable folks— they’re not known for trying to find shortcuts in the system,” he says. “I’m sure they had a good reason to move ahead.” Different people have different approaches, he adds. “I guess it’s correct in a technical sense that all clergy are frontline workers in some capacity.” The question of eligibility is not only circulating among Jewish clergy—in Chicago, a group of Christian ministers publicly received the vaccine at Rush University Medical Center last month in order to reduce hesitancy among communities of color most affected by the virus. Neither the Rush University Medical Center nor the Illinois Department of
Public Health returned requests for comment about how clergy members were able to qualify for the vaccine under the current state guidelines. Vaccinating clergy in order to encourage more widespread acceptance of the vaccine is a tactic other states are also implementing, even if those clergy wouldn’t otherwise qualify for the initial phase of distribution. Rabbi Micah Peltz, senior rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine after the Virtua Health System, a major hospital system in southern New Jersey, specifi-
Vaccinating clergy in order to encourage more widespread acceptance of the vaccine is a tactic some states are implementing, even if those clergy wouldn’t otherwise qualify for the initial phase of distribution.
cally reached out to local clergy to offer vaccinations. Peltz, who authored the Conservative movement’s statement on the ethics of vaccine distribution, was “very sensitive to not jumping the line.” In the statement, he concludes that it is forbidden by Jewish law to use personal connections or financial means to get the vaccine before others. But after confirming that the invitation from the local health system was legitimate, Peltz, 42, took the opportunity. “The hospital wanted to send a strong message to the public about the importance of getting the vaccine. I wasn’t going to say no,” he says. In Israel, too, public health officials tapped leading rabbis to be vaccinated
COVID-19 early and publicly as a strategy for getting their followers to take the vaccine as well. But weeks before Peltz was vaccinated, two Orthodox rabbis faced criticism in New York City after they were among the first people vaccinated there. Rabbis Hershel Schachter and Mordechai Willig got their vaccines from ParCare, a network of clinics that is under investigation for distributing vaccines outside of the state’s prescribed rules. Schachter, who is 70 and became eligible shortly after receiving the vaccine because of his age, said in December that he would not have taken the shot had he known it was illicit. Peltz says the situation had gotten “more complicated” since he first penned his opinion. Among his congregants, he has witnessed a lot of confusion about how and when to register and why
certain people are receiving the vaccination before others. “I would revise it to simply say once one’s cohort is up, you should go get your vaccination,” he says. Rabbi Avi Anderson, 33, rabbi of the Orthodox Young Israel Aish of Las Vegas, says that though Nevada’s guidelines for distribution were unclear, he took initiative to ask if clergy were eligible and received a yes from state authorities. “I presented a letter that I’m clergy and that my job includes teaching and leading people at in-person services,” says Anderson. “They accepted it. The process was actually very simple.” After his own experience, Anderson was inspired to help other local rabbis get vaccinated as well. He stopped short of posting his vaccination picture on Facebook. “Maybe soon,” he says.
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Israel sends 5,000 coronavirus vaccines to the Palestinian areas Ron Kampeas
(JTA)—Israel is sending 5,000 coronavirus vaccines to the Palestinian areas, earning praise from some U.S. lawmakers who had urged the country to extend its successful vaccination program to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. “In accordance with the recommendation of the Defense Minister and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the political echelon approved the transfer of 5,000 vaccine doses to medical teams in the Palestinian Authority,” The Times of Israel quoted Israeli military officials as saying Monday, Feb. 1 Israel had been saying that it was not obligated under law or prior agreements to supply Palestinians living under Palestinian Authority rule with the vaccine. The P.A. leadership has sent mixed signals, saying it would prefer to get the vaccines from other sources, but more recently asked for 10,000 doses for its frontline health care workers. A number of Democrats had faulted Israel for not doing enough to get
vaccines to the Palestinians. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said that he had raised the issue with the Biden administration and was “glad to see” Israel deliver the doses. Also noting Israel’s delivery of the vaccines was Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a progressive congressman from New York who added that he believed Israel was obliged to deliver the vaccines to the entire Palestinian population. Bowman, who posted and then deleted a tweet criticizing Israel, posted a letter on Twitter to Israel’s consulate in New York asking for a meeting to discuss the issue. “The entire population in the West Bank and Gaza must also be covered,” said Bowman, who said he was “heartened” by the news that Israel was set to deliver 5,000 doses. Bowman told Acting Consul General Israel Nitzan that the issue for him was personal as a Black man. “I know the feeling of being neglected in my government and society, of feeling like a second class citizen or not a citizen at all in my own home,” he said.
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YOUR DOLLARS AT WORK
VOLUNTEER, do good and feel good for helping Ronnie Jacobs Cohen
B
eth Sholom Village provides care, support, and community for many seniors in Tidewater. BSV residents enjoy a lovely home, beautiful environment, friendly and helpful staff, interesting and creative activities, and kosher, healthy meals provided by the Food Services Division, which is under the direction of Dennis Moore-Drake. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, BSV’s Food Services Division also prepared approximately 170 meals for the Meals on Wheels program. The meals were delivered by volunteers to clients of Jewish Family Service. Since COVID-19, that number has skyrocketed to 1,100 meals prepared Monday through Friday, for seniors who are “shut-ins,” with limited or no means of transportation or ability to prepare nutritional
meals for themselves. These additional meals are now prepared and delivered to an even broader swath of the community and include seniors who have underlying or pre-existing health conditions. “Beth Sholom Village is extremely pleased to be a part of serving the community through Meals on Wheels. The need has always been there, but during COVID, it has grown. Our team has done a fantastic job in preparing and facilitating the delivery through volunteers,” says David Abraham, chief executive officer, Beth Sholom Village. Funding of meal preparation for both of these groups is provided by grants and the federal government. Delivery to a portion of these residents is provided by Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia. MooreDrake relies on volunteers to deliver meals
to the remaining 730 people in need, and it is a daunting task. On Mondays and Wednesdays before 8 am, cars of volunteers begin to form a queue at BSV to get their route of approximately a dozen people, all within a similar geographic area. Volunteers are given instructions such as, “do not go into homes, wear a mask, and this is a contactless delivery system,” as well as helpful hints, including, “be patient when calling and knocking on the door, it may take the seniors time to answer.” The prepared meals, frozen, clearly labeled, and packaged inside cooler bags, are placed in the trunk of the volunteer’s vehicle. Each of the 730 senior recipients receives three or four meals every Monday and every Wednesday, translating to 4,700 meals prepared and delivered—enough to last each
senior for the entire week. Volunteers deliver nutritious meals, a smile, a kind gesture, and often the only personal contact these “shut-in” seniors have for days. More volunteers are needed and would be very much appreciated. Consider becoming a volunteer—deliver meals on one day, weekly, monthly, sporadically, whatever possible. The experience is meaningful and invaluable for both the volunteer and those in need of assistance. For more information, contact Ronnie Jacobs Cohen, coordinator for Tidewater Jewish Volunteers, at rcohen@ujft.org or 757-635-3703. This is part of a series spotlighting local and overseas partner agencies that are beneficiaries of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s annual Community Campaign.
JEWISH TIDEWATER
PAM seeks help Jody Laibstain
Sierra Lautman
G
ot some spare time? Want to make a difference in the community? If so, Jewish Family Service of Tidewater’s Personal Affairs Management (PAM) program needs some help. The JFS PAM program was created to prevent the exploitation of elderly and vulnerable adults in the community. Too often, people deemed “incapacitated” by the courts were exploited or abused, or simply neglected and left to die. JFS’ PAM program prevents this from happening, providing a safety net for the most vulnerable adults. Now, PAM needs volunteers to assist with filing, labeling, and scanning documents. Linda Spindel, a PAM volunteer for 19 years, says, “I love volunteering at JFS. The people here are so nice and appreciative of everything I do to help. Volunteering at JFS is the highlight of my day. “It feels so good to know that at some point in my day I am doing something for someone else,” says Spindel. Volunteering can take place any time,
New director of camp and teen engagement for JCC and UJFT
E
Linda Spindel.
Monday through Friday. All employees wear masks and maintain social distance. To assist in the PAM program, call Jody Laibstain, JFS volunteer coordinator, at 4594640 for more information about joining this wonderful team of volunteers.
10 | JEWISH NEWS | February 8, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org
ngaging campers and teens has been a part of Dave Flagler’s life for more than a decade. In fact, this summer will be his 10th summer in camp leadership, nine of which took place within the JCC movement as a director. Now, Flagler joins United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC as director of camp and teen engagement. This past summer, Flagler re-designed and orchestrated a COVID-friendly camp program at the Stroum JCC in Mercer Island, Washington. “COVID has been especially stressful on families and our children need camp more than ever,” says Flagler. “Children need the opportunity to be active and outside, try new things, and safely interact and connect with each other. “Seeing our campers’ (masked) faces this past summer made every effort worthwhile,” says Flagler. “I am very excited for this to happen this summer and beyond in our Tidewater community.” Flagler holds a Bachelor of Arts in General
Business with an emphasis in Education from the University of Dave Flagler. Florida and an MA in Non-profit Management from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Flagler says he first visited Virginia Beach on a JCC teen program many years ago, and is excited for the opportunity to officially join the community. In his spare time, he enjoys playing guitar, b’nai mizvah tutoring, and cheering for the Patriots, Jaguars, and Gators. “We are thrilled to have someone with Dave’s level of experience and enthusiasm join our team,” says Betty Ann Levin, UJFT executive vice president/CEO. Check the Camp JCC webpage, www. CampJCC.org, for upcoming virtual open houses to meet Flagler and learn more about what fun is in store for campers at Camp JCC this summer. Share questions, suggestions, or just welcome Dave Flagler to Tidewater at DFlagler@ ujft.org. Sierra Lautman is United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s director of Jewish Innovation.
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The Nachal soldiers show off the cards from SIA.
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riends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Virginia Chapter joined with Strelitz International Academy (SIA) to create Hanukkah cards for soldiers in the IDF’s main infantry Brigade, the Nachal. Three years ago, the FIDF Virginia Chapter adopted the Nachal Unit through FIDF’s Adopt-a-Battalion program, giving supporters the opportunity to support premier battalions and offer soldiers assistance for all of their immediate needs. As an International Baccalaureate Candidate School, SIA strives to provide opportunities for their students to make global connections. Prior to starting the project, the fifth graders met virtually with an FIDF representative to ask questions and learn about the IDF and Israeli culture. Shai, a Lone Soldier serving in the Nachal Brigade, made a video thanking the SIA students and reminiscing over the days when he was in day school and made cards for the IDF soldiers, himself. Israel’s Lone Soldiers are young men and women who leave their families and countries of origin to serve in the IDF. Lone Soldiers have no immediate family in Israel. FIDF’s Lone Soldier program serves as the go-to support organization for Lone Soldiers and families. “I thought it was a very good project because we got to see the soldiers smile, especially during quarantine when they
Lone Soldier, Shai, holds up the “thank you” card made by the students.
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could not be with family,” says an SIA student. All of the fifth graders had similar sentiments about the project, showing their dedication to tikkun olam, one of SIA’s core values. For more information about FIDF, visit fidf. org or contact Jasmine Amitay at jasmine. amitay@fidf.org.
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Investments
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n 2020, Jewish Educational Loan Fund (JELF) provided 394 interest-free loans to Jewish college, graduate, and vocational students. This jump in loans came from an increase of 66% more applications over the previous year. JELF serves students in the fivestate region of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia (excluding metro DC) as they pursue their higher education. In Tidewater, JELF helped six local students with $24,946 in financial aid. The total student need for all the students in the JELF region was $2,352,906. Through student repayments, increased fundraising, and the generosity of the Marcus Foundation, JELF was able to allocate $1,553,739 in interest-free, last dollar loans to these students. JELF’s mission is to help reduce a student’s financial burden so that they can pursue their higher education full time. JELF’s interest-free loans of last
resort help students pay for crucial living and medical expenses, books, supplies, transportation, and many other costs. By borrowing through JELF, this year’s 394 student loan recipients are estimated to save nearly $1 million in interest payments over the life of their loans. Since JELF first started providing interest-free loans in 1961, the organization has loaned $16 million to 2,400 plus Jewish students. JELF consistently maintains a 99% student repayment rate, even during this difficult year. “What I love about JELF is that your contribution continuously pays it forward,” says Jane Aronoff, JELF’s board president. “Dollars used for one student when paid back, are used for the next. Every dollar lives on and on.” JELF provides interest-free loans for Jewish students in need to meet their post-high school educational goals. Undergraduate, graduate, and vocational school students are eligible to apply. The application is open March 1—April 30 for the full academic year and September 1-30 for spring and/or summer semester(s) only. Sign up at jelf.org/app to get a reminder or visit JELF.org/donate to learn more or make a contribution. For more information, contact David Cohen at 404-217-3724 or email info@JELF.org.
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JewishNewsVa.org/digital. To have the paper emailed, send your email address to news@ujft.org.
Investments
U.S. religious congregations weighing decisions about reopening, finances amid ongoing economic uncertainty and COVID-19 pandemic, new report finds 41% of congregations reported declines in donations in early months of pandemic while 28% saw increases, according to survey by Lake Institute on Faith & Giving INDIANAPOLIS—Many U.S. religious congregations currently are entering their annual fall fundraising and budget-planning season with uncertainty about their finances and reopening plans as the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn continue, according to a new survey of congregational leaders conducted by Lake Institute on Faith & Giving. The report examines trends in giving and participating in congregations, as well as how congregations are managing their finances and responding to the impact of the pandemic. The institute surveyed 555 U.S. congregations in July 2020 about how they fared in the early months of the pandemic and their plans for the coming year. The survey includes a wide diversity of congregations across a variety of religious traditions. Although not a randomized or representative sample, it provides a snapshot of what congregations across the U.S. have experienced and what they expect in 2021. Lake Institute is a program of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI. Overall, congregational giving declined by 4.4% on average from February through June 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, the survey found. A plurality of congregations (41%) reported experiencing a decrease in giving, while more than a quarter (28%) said giving increased. “Most congregations stopped in-person religious services in mid-March, quickly shifting online, and they’ve had to navigate uncertainty in multiple aspects of congregational life and operations ever since,” says David P. King, Ph.D., the Karen Lake Buttrey director of the institute. “As congregations consider when and how to reopen while planning for their financial futures, they are asking themselves important questions about what comes next.” Key findings include: While a majority (52%) of congregations reported an increase in attendance, a plurality (41%) experienced a decreasein
giving. Sixty-five percent of congregations surveyed received federal Payroll Protection Program loans. Just 14% of all congregations reported having to make reductions, layoffs or furloughs of staff. Thirty percent of congregations raised funds to support other congregations and nonprofits in need.
and drawing down from their financial reserves or endowment. “Congregations have responded to the multiple pandemics across this year in myriad ways,” says King. “But as all
congregations must now respond to a new normal, how they adjust their economic and organizational models to these new contexts may shape the American religious landscape for many years to come.”
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Just over half (53%) of congregations reported that they had already resumed in-person services or anticipated doing so by September 1. One-third of congregations indicated that they did not know when they would reopen. Congregations’ political orientations appear to have a greater effect on reopening than do public health or financial considerations. Nearly three-quarters (71%) of conservative congregations had reopened or planned to reopen by August for in-person religious services, compared to 20% of liberal congregations and 49% of moderates. None of the congregations surveyed expected to increase its budget during the next year. The majority (52%) plan to maintain their current budgets, while 48% anticipate reductions, with most of those anticipating cuts in the 5% to 10% range. Congregations that continue to face a financial shortfall going forward plan to continue to reduce administrative expenses while developing new fundraising appeals
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Investments
Aligning Jewish values with investments and philanthropy Naomi Limor Sedek
I
n a world where we can instantaneously make a gift online to numerous charities around the world or Venmo our children at the swipe of a finger, giving is quick, gratifying, and easy. I call the ability to give on the whim the sprint. Many organizations focus their energy sprinting to secure donors’ support for annual development efforts. At Tidewater Jewish Foundation, we focus on the marathon. We take a long view as we are tasked with housing resources for the perpetual care of the community. TJF invests in the community because of our donors and the partnership we share with more than a dozen Jewish organizations, synagogues, and agencies that weave together into the tapestry of Jewish Tidewater. Honoring the values of tzedakah and tikkun olam, TJF is dedicated to creating permanent resources that meet the Jewish
community’s challenges and needs. Expressed in Hebrew, the Jewish concepts of tzedakah (charitable giving), tzedek (justice or righteousness) and chesed (mercy or kindness) instruct and compel all Jews to give to charity and treat people who are less fortunate with compassion. Tikkun Olam, translates to “repair the world.” Repairing the world can mean many different things, but to many, Tikkun Olam evokes the duty to serve those in need. Tidewater Jewish Foundation helps community members repair the world by partnering with Donor Advised Fund holders who activate their charitable resources to impact organizations or tackle areas that align with their Jewish values. A donor advised fund account can be a flexible way to align philanthropy with Jewish values. You can support many charities throughout the year by utilizing TJF to facilitate multiple gifts. A
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14 | JEWISH NEWS | Investments | February 8, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org
donor-advised fund can provide some of the advantages of a private foundation while eliminating on-going legal and accounting costs, as well as excise taxes on investment income. At TJF, we offer an incentive to community members to use a donor-advised fund to keep track of their tzedakah and make an impact today. For a limited time, when establishing a new DAF through TJF with at least $7,500, TJF will match the gift with an additional $2,500 for a total fund balance of $10,000 or more.
APPLYING A JEWISH VALUES LENS TO INVESTING FOR TOMORROW By aligning their capital with their values, Jewish investors and philanthropists have a greater impact on challenges facing our community and beyond. The Torah offers guidance on aligning capital with Jewish values through a number of commandments and mitzvot, Hebrew for good deeds. Below are four ways to incorporate Jewish values into community investment. The Kuppah: Collective Giving: Kol Yisrael Arevim Z’B’Zeh. All of Israel is responsible for one another. (Babylonian Talmud, Shavuot 39a) Our history teaches the importance of collective giving. Designated/ Restricted funds for the benefit of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Annual Campaign are called PACE (Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment) or LOJE (Lion of Judah Endowment). A PACE fund is a designated/restricted fund which endows a donor’s UJFT Annual Campaign gift. A LOJE fund is a type of PACE fund which provides a permanent endowment to perpetuate a woman’s annual Lion of Judah campaign gift. Through permanent endowment funds dedicated to UJFT’s Annual Campaign, PACE and LOJE funds ensure that our community has funds available that will continue to provide for vital programs and services in Tidewater, in Israel, and overseas for present and future generations. A named PACE fund can be established with a minimum commitment of $10,000 or a LOJE fund with a minimum commitment
of $125,000. Commitments of under $10,000 are pooled together in TJF’s General PACE Fund. Designated Agency Funds: Hillel said: do not separate yourself from the community
Naomi Limor Sedek, Tidewater Jewish Foundation president and CEO.
(Pirkei Avot 2:4)
The fabric of our Jewish community in Tidewater is held together by organizations that support you and your neighbors. Through a Designated Agency Fund, you can support organizations close to you. For example, you can endow dues to your synagogue or membership to the JCC. Areas of Interest: Jewish values, some examples may include Kavod l’Chaim (honoring life), Chinuch (education), or Kesher L’Aretz, (connection to Israel), Zicharon (memory) enrich our lives and motivate our decision making regarding philanthropic choices. In an Area of Interest Fund, your charitable dollars work towards one goal: to support a cause that you care deeply about. TJF’s staff works hard to monitor the varying needs of organizations in our community, so you don’t have to. When an opportunity to make an impact arise, your funds get to work, supporting the causes you are most passionate about. Through the Area of Interest Fund, TJF will make specific grant distributions in the name of the donor within the parameters the donor selects. This type of fund provides support for particular areas of interest, such as Israel, education, the elderly, those with disabilities, scholarships, recreation, and others. Restricted Legacy Funds: The mitzvah of Tzedakah dictates the responsibility of Jews to give to charity, but also emphasizes the intentionality of giving as equally important to the amount. A Foundation Legacy Fund reaches further into the future, and further into the health, welfare, and vibrancy of the
Investments causes you care about. It is a permanent fund, in your name or a person’s name you wish to honor, that supports one or more charitable organizations or causes. Restricted Legacy Funds are also unique, because they can fill in where a charity’s annual operating budget might be insufficient, as in the case of an emergency or unforeseen circumstance. Your Legacy Fund will work hard, for years to come, to enable the changes, development, and support you care most about. Once created, the fund annually distributes income as financial gifts to the organizations or causes you specified.
The journey of aligning your capital with your Jewish values is a long and important one, and it can start with a conversation.
IMPLEMENTING JEWISH VALUES IN INVESTING A number of options exist to give smarter, imbue your endowment investments with your values and leave a perpetual legacy: Make a bequest in your will or trust. Simply specify an amount in your will or trust to endow your gift through the Tidewater Jewish Foundation. Life Insurance Policy. Life insurance gifts are particularly appealing to younger individuals. When TJF is the owner and beneficiary of the policy, donors make a tax-deductible donation to the Foundation in an amount equal to the premium, and TJF pays the premium. Tidewater Jewish Foundation has an incentive program to donate Life Insurance. The policy must have a minimum face value of $250,000 for two-life policies or $100,000 for single life policies. Premiums are to be paid in 10 years or less and TJF will pay 35% of the premium up to $40,000 per policy in total
($4,000/year maximum). Beneficiary(ies) of the policy must be Jewish affiliates. It may even be possible to contribute an older policy to the Foundation and realize a tax benefit. Name TJF as the beneficiary of your IRA or qualified retirement plan. Use these assets 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 or retirement plan 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. Establish a charitable income plan. A Charitable Remainder Trust will provide you or your loved ones needed income during your or their lifetime. Thereafter, designate TJF to receive the remainder of the trust or annuity to establish your endowment fund. Important tax benefits and possible increased income opportunities are available with this approach. Give cash, securities or other property. This allows you to take advantage of immediate tax benefits and to create your endowment fund during your lifetime. TJF will work with you and your financial advisors to identify the most tax-efficient way to establish your legacy.
WHAT’S NEXT? The journey of aligning your capital with your values is a long and important one, and it can start with a conversation with your family on what Jewish values mean to you. Tidewater Jewish Foundation is available to engage with you in a meaningful conversation about smart giving solutions that align with your Jewish values. We can facilitate multi-generation conversations about why giving through a Jewish lens is relevant. Please contact me to begin the conversation. We can arrange social-distanced meetings. Naomi Limor Sedek is president and CEO of Tidewater Jewish Foundation. She may be reached at nsedek@ujft.org or 757-965-6109.
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jewishnewsva.org | February 8, 2021 | Investments | JEWISH NEWS | 15
Investments
The Jewish angles to the GameStop stock saga, explained Gabe Friedman
(JTA)—Even if you never pay attention to stock market news, you have probably gotten the sense that something unusual is happening right now, and it has to do with something called GameStop. The video game store sits at the center of a dramatic “short squeeze” that has market watchers wondering whether stock trading could forever be changed. Multiple prominent Jewish money managers are involved in the saga, on both the winning and losing sides. Online anti-Semites have noticed, seizing the opportunity to connect it all to age-old stereotypes about Jewish manipulation of the financial world. And like there was in the Bernie Madoff scandal, there’s a connection to the New York Mets. Here’s what you need to know.
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What went down (in plain English) On Tuesday, January 26, GameStop’s stock price rocketed up over 90% of its previous price, sending shock waves through the entire stock market and the broader world of finance. But the company, which has been hurt badly during the pandemic, did not suddenly change its business model or win the lottery—online groups, mostly on the social media site Reddit, rallied to the company’s defense, buying GameStop shares in an enormous spree. In their view, they were attempting to save the company from being “shorted” by hedge funds, which were betting big on the retail chain’s eventual demise. The movement behind the stock jumps didn’t start that day. Bloomberg reported that chatter surrounding GameStop in particular began last October. But years before that, an entire Internet subculture has built up around watching stocks (referred to by those in the know as “stonks,” a purposefully comic misspelling), on sites such as Reddit and 4chan. These so-called Reddittors—many of them with more time on their hands as
sports betting has decreased during the pandemic—saw an opportunity in the case of GameStop to do several things: to financially dent the hedge funds that make billions of dollars by regularly betting on the failure of faltering companies; to “troll” the industry in what they view as a humorous way; to support a company they feel a special affinity for; and to show the collective power of those without huge sums of investment money to spend. Here are the nuts and bolts of what they did, in the simplest terms possible, thanks to a Vulture article: Say your friend has a book worth $10. You ask to borrow that book and promise to give it back to them in 10 days. You then sell that book to someone else for $10. You are betting that, in 10 days, you will be able to buy that book for cheaper. So in 10 days, you buy the book for $4 and return the book to your friend. You have made $6. Now imagine that book is actually the stock of a company. (This is a highly reductive and possibly inaccurate description of what short sellers do.) But if, in that span of 10 days, that book’s value goes up to, say, $1,000, you will have to buy the book for $1,000 before you return it to your friend. What the Redditors are doing is basically pumping the price of that book/stock to astronomical amounts so that the short sellers are, as the saying goes, “squeezed.” Only it’s not $10 we’re talking about, but billions of dollars. After the soaring success of the GameStop squeeze, masses of online traders moved on to other companies with similar troll and nostalgia values that were also in danger of being shorted, such as the flailing movie theater chain AMC Entertainment Holdings and even Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. The main Jewish players The main squeeze victims in this story are Steve Cohen and Gabe Plotkin, two Jewish investors who are also two of the most successful hedge fund chiefs on Wall Street. Cohen, the new owner of the New
Investments York Mets baseball franchise, had a net worth of over $14 billion as of last year. Plotkin, who once worked under Cohen, manages close to $8 billion in assets under his Melvin Capital firm. Plotkin has been honored by the Chabad Hasidic movement and worked with the Young Jewish Professionals networking group. The effects on their assets have been huge. So far this month, Cohen’s Point72 hedge fund has lost 15% of its value. Melvin Capital has lost as much as 30%—a bill so steep that Plotkin asked Cohen and investment firm Citadel LLC, run by Dan Sundheim, for an emergency influx of cash (which they provided, to the tune of $2.75 billion). But they aren’t the only Jewish characters involved. Ryan Cohen, CEO of the successful pet products company Chewy, is the largest stakeholder in GameStop, with about 9 million shares, making him the big winner of the week. As of Wednesday, Jan. 27, he had made $3 billion from the fallout.
Then there’s Jewish troll extraordinaire Dave Portnoy, founder of the hugely popular blog and social media company Barstool Sports, who has emerged as one of the leading public advocates for the mass of small investors who mostly remain anonymous on sites like Reddit. More on his reaction below. The Robinhood response Many of the rebellious traders use Robinhood, an app that allows users to trade stocks without fronting huge minimums of money. Its mantra: “Let the people trade.” But on Thursday, Jan. 28, Robinhood shut down the trading around GameStop, AMC and other companies that the smallmoney investors had given a bump in an effort to curb market “volatility.” GameStop and other stocks predictably plummeted without the Redditors to keep them afloat. That move enraged a wide spectrum of observers, especially since Robinhood
is partially funded by Citadel. That fact sparked claims that the hedge funds involved colluded to unfairly stop the bleeding. Robinhood allowed users to start trading GameStop stock again on Friday, Jan. 29. The anti-Semitism All of the above has made the whole scenario ripe for anti-Semitic exploitation. Some of the most common age-old anti-Semitic tropes include the idea that Jews secretly manipulate the world’s money. In reaction to the Robinhood shutdown, anti-Semitic memes about the situation have cropped up on a sub-group of the main Reddit thread, r/wallstreetbets, and on 4chan, a site known for being full of crude anti-Semitic images. Observers of the online far-right have also noticed that anti-Semitic groups are latching onto the moment, trying to sneak their beliefs into something that is snowballing into a wider “David vs. Goliath” movement.
Mets Madoff madness 2.0? As a bonus to all of this, New York Mets fans are worried that the financial hit Cohen is taking could mirror the disaster that the team’s previous Jewish owners, the Wilpon family, went through after the Bernie Madoff scandal (which affected so many Jewish investors and institutions). Cohen has earned praise throughout New York and around the sports world for committing to spending highly on top players and promising to turn the team into a perennial competitor. Asked on Twitter—where he frequently interacts with fans—if the GameStop squeeze was going to impact the team, he bluntly said no. One fan wrote: “Is this Gamestop business effecting[sic] the Mets payroll? I mean that’s the main story in all of this.” “Why would one have anything to do with the other,” Cohen responded.
Together, we’re carrying on the tradition of investing in a better world. Alene and Ron Kaufman
The Tidewater Jewish Foundation helps community members and organizations make smart decisions today to ensure a vibrant tomorrow. We manage funds, build endowments, and connect people with the information and resources they need to make tax-wise philanthropic decisions. Our donors are building a better tomorrow by investing in their community today.
PHILANTHROPY IS OUR TRADITION. For more information, contact: Naomi Limor Sedek President & CEO nsedek@ujft.org | 757-965-6109
Kaitlyn Oelsner Director of Philanthropy koelsner@ujft.org | 757-965-6103
jewishnewsva.org | February 8, 2021 | Investments | JEWISH NEWS | 17
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.
STRELITZ INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY PJ OUR WAY IN TIDEWATER Becoming Brianna
ISRAEL TODAY The Words of My Father with Yousef Bashir
Montreal–Toronto Express: Jewish Culture and Literature North of the Border—A Series
Thursday, February 11, 7:30 pm, free
Thursday, February 25, 12 pm, free
Monday, March 1, free Chantal Ringuet at 3 pm Lisa Richter at 7:30 pm
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
I
J
oin Terri Libenson, New York Times bestselling children’s book author as she discusses her fourth book in the best-selling Emmie & Friends series. This book is perfect for anyone who loves humor, heart, and of course funny drawings to highlight all of it! Pre-registration required. For more information and to register, go to JewishVA.org/Bookfest or contact Nofar Trem, PJ Library program professional at UJFT at ntrem@ ujft.org or 757-321-2334.
T
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.
n 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. 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. (see article below)
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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.
GO TO JEWISHVA.ORG/BOOKFEST
FIRST PERSON
Montreal–Toronto Express: Jewish Culture and Literature North of the Border—A three-part series Dr. Peter Schulman
F
or the past few years, my research has taken me to Canada where I have been studying Quebecois literature. This led me to start an annual Quebecois poetry festival at Old Dominion University. When the opportunity arose to combine my love of Canadian literature with my passion for Judaism, I could not resist. I received a small grant to create a partnership between the Association of Canadian Jewish Studies and the Vered Jewish Canadian Studies Program at the University of Ottawa that I wanted to share with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater by curating an exciting three-part series with three amazing and unique authors.
18 | JEWISH NEWS | February 8, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org
This webinar series kicks off as part of the Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival with Chantal Ringuet at 3 pm on Monday, March 1. A Yiddish-French Quebecois poet and author of several popular books on Leonard Cohen, Ringuet grew up in a northern village in Quebec, but fell in love with Yiddish and became one of the foremost Yiddish translators and specialists in the world. She recently spoke at the Jewish Museum in New York City on her work on Leonard Cohen. Also on March 1, at 7:30 pm, acclaimed poet Lisa Richter will join us. She is well known for her writings about Ana Margolin and is a winner of the prestigious 2020 National Jewish Book Award for her poetry collection, Nautilus and Bone. She will discuss her poetry, Ana Margolin’s life and
works, and will read from her new book. The series continues on March 24 with author Melanie Loisel, a former Radio-Canada reporter who wrote an astonishing book about and with Holocaust survivor Martin Gay, whom she will discuss, as well as her other works that also include moving stories of heroic Jewish figures of our era. While some of you may have enjoyed tasty Montreal bagels and smoked meat, I hope you will join us for this refreshing intellectual trip and conversations north of the border. For more information and to register, contact Patty Shelanski, Arts + Ideas manager, at pshelanski@ujft.org or 757-452-3184.
CALENDAR
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Virginia festivalofjewish film
FEBRUARY 8, MONDAY Bess Kalb discusses her debut memoir, Nobody Will Tell You This But Me. Presented by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC’s Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival. 12 pm. Free. Pre-registration required. For more information and to register, go to JewishVA.org/Bookfest or contact Patty Shelanski, Arts + Ideas manager at pshelanski@ujft.org or 757-452-3184. FEBRUARY 11, THURSDAY Terri Libenson discusses her fourth book in the best-selling Emmie & Friends series, Becoming Brianna. Presented by PJ Library in Tidewater, in partnership with Strelitz International Academy. 7:30 pm. Free. Pre-registration required. For more information and to register, go to JewishVA.org/Bookfest or contact Nofar Trem, PJ Library Program professional at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater at ntrem@ujft.org or 757-321-2334. 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 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 pshelanski@ujft.org or 757-452-3184.
The Crossing Sunday, February 21–Tuesday, February 23 (virtual cinema!) $12 per household
T
he United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC’s Patricia & Avraham Ashkenazi and Alma & Howard Laderberg Virginia Festival of Jewish Film kicks off its 28th season with the screening of The Crossing, offered virtually for 72 hours. A movie for the entire family, the film tells the story of the adventurous 10-year-old Gerda and her brother Otto, who help two
young Jews to flee from the Nazis, cross the border to neutral Sweden, and reunite with their parents. Pre-registration required. For more information and to register, visit JewishVA.org/Film Festival or contact Patty Shelanski at pshelanski@ujft.org or 757-452-3184.
Tidewater Chavurah’s A Rock ’N Roll Purim Friday, February 26, 7 pm
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eady to rock`n roll with the Tidewater Chavurah, as Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill reads the Meggilah? Remember, it’s a mitzvah to enjoy oneself to the fullest and get so happy that it’s impossible to tell Haman from Mordecai. Choose a libation and drink up every time Haman’s name is mentioned. Feel free to dress in costume or at least wear a fun hat and wild jewelry! Grab a grogger, kazoo, bell, or
even a pot lid and a spoon to make joyful noises. Since it’s a Zoom meeting no one has to leave home to celebrate Purim with Tidewater Chavurah. Contact rabbicantorejg@gmail.com for more information. Check out Tidewater Chavurah Facebook page or www.tidewaterchavurah.org for more information.
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. See page 18. 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. Later in the day 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. 6:00 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. 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.
jewishnewsva.org | February 8, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 19
OBITUARIES PAULA ABRAMS ALPERIN NORFOLK—Paula Abrams Alperin, 81 of Norfolk passed away on January 21, 2021. She was a native of Portsmouth, the daughter of William Abrams and Esther Lipman Abrams. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1957. In 1958, she married her husband of 52 years, Ervin Alperin of Norfolk. She graduated from the DePaul School of Nursing with a Diploma in Nursing. Shortly after, she became a Registered Nurse and worked at DePaul Hospital in Norfolk. She later went back to school as a mother of three and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Old Dominion University. After many years of providing devoted patient care, she moved into an administrative position in response to the critical nationwide nursing shortage. She inaugurated and developed the new position of Nurse Recruiter where she was responsible for attracting and hiring the best talent in an extremely competitive environment. Many local nurses began their careers through Paula’s tireless efforts. She eventually retired from DePaul and began a new career in insurance. She became a licensed agent and worked for John Hancock, alongside Ervin. Together they launched Asset Preservation Specialists to provide quality coverage in the rapidly emerging and much needed Long Term Care insurance field. All the while, Paula continued to raise and nurture her children, Karen A. Goldberg (Martin Goldberg) of Norfolk, Wendy A. Rubin (Rick Rubin) of Naples, Fla., and Jeffrey Alperin (Faith Alperin) of Norfolk. In addition to a very full work and family life, Paula was deeply involved in the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater where she formed true and lasting relationships with Holocaust survivors and invested great energy in promoting Holocaust education and remembrance. Paula was a member of Temple Israel and was a member of the Temple Israel Sisterhood. After the untimely passing of her husband Ervin in 2010, Paula met Arnold Slone of Norfolk, with whom she enjoyed a loving relationship until his recent passing.
Paula was predeceased by a brother, Marty Abrams; her husband, Ervin Alperin; and two sons, Richard Neal Alperin and Kevin Lyle Alperin. She is also survived by her sister, Norma A. Butler of Norfolk, her brother Robert Abrams (Joan Abrams) of San Francisco; grandchildren David Goldberg, MD (Jennifer O. Goldberg), Lauren Goldberg, Ali Rubin (fiancée Mike Reed), Ryan Rubin, Meghan Martin, Thomas Baird, and Tyler Baird. She is also survived by two great-grandchildren, Adalee Collazo of Norfolk and Gabriel Collazo of Norfolk. She also leaves bereft much extended family and many dear friends. A private graveside service was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery with a live stream via Facebook provided by H.D. Oliver. Rabbi Michael Panitz officiated. Donations to Temple Israel or the organization closest to your heart. Online condolences may be sent to the family at hdoliver.com.
WENDY MARIE BLAU VIRGINIA BEACH—Wendy Marie Blau, 71, made her transition to be with God, as well as her journeyed loved ones on Monday, January 25, 2021. Born on September 15, 1949 to Lee and Harry Blau of Detroit, Michigan, she is preceded in death by her parents, and by her loving brother, Jeff Blau of Denver, Colorado. She is survived by her brother, Irv Blau of West Bloomfield, Michigan; sister-inlaw, Judy Blau; three nieces, Lindsay, Ali, and Lainie Blau; her son, Ethan Blau and his fiancée, Dakota; and by her four loving grandchildren, Ashlyn, Mason, Nixon, and Zaiden Blau of Virginia Beach. Wendy was a very compassionate and brilliant person. She has participated in a multitude of great achievements in her time spent here. Some of note would be her trips to Jerusalem to aid the people there, being a Vista Volunteer in West VA, and by being one of three volunteers to create Cabin Creek Quilts in West, VA, which is still vital today to help those in poverty. She attended both the University of Michigan and Virginia Wesleyan University. She created her own company,
20 | JEWISH NEWS | February 8, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org
Ethan’s Wooden Toy & Doll Co., manufactured kites at Jackite Inc., and managed Stichworks Embroidery Inc. Wendy’s passions were her son, Ethan, being outdoors and exploring nature, photography, being hands-on, drawing and painting, writing, and of course her family and friends. Wendy’s one of a kind, absolutely true to herself, and her unique personality will never be forgotten and lives on through her son and grandchildren. A Celebration of Life was held at H.D. Oliver Funeral Apartments, Laskin Road Chapel with Rabbi Israel Zoberman officiating. Online condolences may be offered to the family at hdoliver.com.
MIKHAIL BLIKSHTEYN NORFOLK—Mikhail Blikshteyn of Norfolk passed away in the late hours of Monday, January 25, 2021 at the age of eighty-six. Mikhail was born on May 19, 1934. He was the husband of Rose, father of Yuliana Korik (Anatoliy), grandfather of Bella and Boris and their families. A graveside service was held for Mr. Blikshteyn at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk. The service was live-streamed on Altmeyer Funeral Home’s website. DR. CHARLES ABRAHAM FISH JOHNSON CITY, TENN.—Dr. Charles Abraham Fish, 78, of Johnson City, died January 24, 2021 at his residence. Charles was a native of Cincinnati, Ohio and was a son of the late Joseph and Esther Fish. He grew up with his siblings in a home dedicated to Judaism and the Jewish people. His family was a cornerstone of the Jewish community in Cincinnati. Charles attended Walnut Hills High School and University of Cincinnati for his undergraduate studies and the College of Medicine. He could be found putting in hours of studying at the library or shooting basketball hoops with friends and on occasion with Cincinnati Bearcat great Oscar Robertson. Charles was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Phi Lambda Upsilon honorary societies. In 1964, he married Cincinnati native
Sandra Deskins. Sandra introduced Charles to her love of dogs forever ensuring that their home would be filled with four legged animals they adored. They forged a loving and committed union to one another prioritizing love of family, cultivating a strong Jewish identity for their children, and a deep sense of connection to community and serving others. Dr. Fish held his pediatric internship at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He served as a Captain in the United States Army from 1969–1973, completing his pediatric residency at Brooke General Hospital in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Charles was drawn to the practice of pediatrics as he appreciated the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. His deductive reasoning and analytical approach not only resulted in resolving many medical concerns but he alleviated parents’ deep worries and anxieties. He valued the patient and parent interactions, and the smiles of babies. His calm demeanor, honest and open communication, and compassionate warmth put his patients at ease. Charles was encouraged by his colleague, Dr. Boyce Berry, to move to Johnson City, as there was opportunity to grow and advance the medical care in the area. Dr. Fish co-founded Johnson City Pediatrics alongside Dr. Berry. Together they co-initiated the neonatal intensive care unit at Johnson City Memorial Hospital. He worked with the Johnson City Medical Center to ensure the establishment of the neonatal intensive care unit and later developed the pediatric intensive care unit in which he served as the director of the unit from its inception for the following eight years. Dr. Fish was a clinical professor of pediatrics at the Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University. Dr. Fish was a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and several other professional medical societies. Charles was extremely active in the medical community and held positions on the executive committee of the Johnson City Medical Center Hospital and was chairman of the department of pediatrics at Johnson City Medical Center. For years, Dr. Fish was a deeply engaged member
OBITUARIES of the board of directors of Johnson City Medical Center. Charles was passionate about Judaism, Zionism, and the Jewish people. His greatest concern about moving to the foothills of the Smoky Mountains was how to create and ensure the existence of a vibrant Jewish community for his family and the surrounding Jewish population in the Tri-Cities. His participation in the Jewish community at B’nai Sholom Congregation provided an anchor for him, his family, and many individuals in the area. Dr. Fish was a committed lay leader for B’nai Sholom; a lifetime member of the congregation; and active on multiple committees while serving in leadership positions. Charles’s passion for the Jewish community was deep and he had an unwavering sense of responsibility to B’nai Sholom. When Dr. Fish was not practicing medicine or at the synagogue he could be found cycling. He loved the open road and cycling was one of his passions. He rode Century rides to raise money for pediatric diabetes. Charles was a devoted husband to wife, Sandra Fish, and the two were married for 56 years. He was an adoring and caring father to children: daughter, Deborah Fish; son, Michael Fish (Devora Fish); daughter, Rachel Fish (Dave Cutler); and son, Ari Fish (Heather Fish). He deeply loved his grandchildren and that brought him much laughter filled with hiccups, smiles and incredible pride: Benjamin and Jeremy Gordesky; Ethan and Jacob Fish; Ezra, Ashie, Nadav and Amital Cutler; and his many granddogs. He held close relationships with his siblings and in-laws: Judah (deceased) and Joy Fish; Miriam and Harold (deceased) Reisman; Vivian Forman; David and Linda Fish (both deceased); Cherie and Bill Artz; Joann and Dean Osborn; and David Deskins (deceased). He truly loved his family and they were a source of happiness and strength in his life. Dr. Fish was an integral part of the many communities he navigated and found joy and value through his collegial relationships and his communal engagement. Whether he was cheering from the sidelines as his children played sports;
attending school performances, choral programs or honors ceremonies; actively organizing educational initiatives at B’nai Sholom Congregation for the Jewish community and greater Tri-City area; or serving in his capacity as a pediatrician Dr. Charles Fish felt pride. He invested his life in meaningful relationships, education, and being part of communities larger than himself. A private graveside service took place. Charles’s nephew, Rabbi Ron Fish officiated. Donations to the Charles Fish Memorial Ritual Fund at B’nai Sholom Congregation, P. O. Box 271, Johnson City, TN, 37605-0271 www.bnaisholomtnva.org or Camp Ramah Scholarship Fund: Camp Ramah in New England 1206 Boston Providence Hwy., Suite 201, Norwood, MA, 02062 https://www.campramahne.org.
HAROLD LEE FRIEDMAN NORFOLK—Harold “Boodie” Friedman danced his last dance on January 25, 2021, after 92 years filled with joy and love for his family, friends, music, and G-d. He was born on August 28, 1928 in Norfolk, Virginia. Boodie is predeceased by his parents David and Lillian
Friedman; brother and sister-in-law, Sonny and Doris Friedman; and sister and brother-in-law, Bertha and Robert Hecht. Boodie attended Maury High School and the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary. Some of his fondest memories were playing drums in the Maury High School marching band for the continued on page 22
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OBITUARIES continued from page 21
1st Oyster Bowl at Foreman Field, going to Virginia Beach and riding the waves, and playing in the Norfolk Symphony as a percussionist while still a teenager. Boodie served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Returning to Norfolk, he joined the family business, Beer Distributors, along with his father and brother. He took a hiatus from the beer business and became manager of several Rices Nachmans department stores in Hampton Roads. After a successful career in retail, Boodie returned to distributing beer and wine. He was devoted to Judaism. Boodie served as a cantor on the Norfolk Naval Base during WWII and later sang in choirs at Beth El Temple and Temple Israel. He was absolutely certain the Lord blessed him throughout his life. Boodie is survived by the great loves of his life, his wife of over 68 years, Bobby; son Alan and wife Darryl; daughter LynneDee and husband Allan; and daughter Penny. The jewels on his crown were grandchildren, J.D. and fiance Andrea; Lee; Ross and wife Grace; and his sugarplum Allie. Boodie was a true Virginia gentleman with integrity and high moral values. He was truly content with the hand life dealt him. A graveside service was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery with a live stream provided by HD Oliver. Rabbi Michael Panitz and Cantor Lawrence Tiger officiated. Donations to Temple Israel, 7255 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23505 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 at hdoliver.com.
JOSEPH BRUCE GOLDMAN NORFOLK—Joseph Bruce Goldman, age 92, passed away early Monday morning, January 25, 2021, in a local hospital. Joseph retired from his position as co-founder and CEO of Campaign, Inc. and Polo Ralph Lauren Leather Goods. He was born in the Bronx, New York. Left to cherish his memory is his “Tati,” his beloved wife, Junie; sons, Lee,
Jay, and Mark; brother, Arthur; and grandchildren, Nikki, Billy, Matthew, Dylan, Liza, Avianna, Sam, and Zoe, and great grandchildren; and too many friends to list here. Joseph was born to his beloved parents Lillian Sackler and Arthur Harold Goldman Sr. Starting at the age of 14, Joseph traveled on the road, driving his ailing father, a jewelry salesman, to help support the family. He has been the strong and steady patriarch to the family ever since. From his earliest days, credited as the youngest manager of a 100-store men’s clothing chain, through the founding of Campaign/Polo leather goods, through his and Junie’s founding of the Hampton Roads Youth Center, Joseph was not only a very accomplished businessman, but a generous, caring member of the community. He truly touched the lives of family, his countless friends, and those who never had the privilege to know him through his kindness, empathy, and generosity. Joseph was a very good man who will be greatly missed, but never forgotten. A graveside funeral service was conducted and live-streamed at Forest Lawn Cemetery with Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg officiating. A link to the live stream service can be found at www.hdoliver.com. Contributions may be made to any of the following charities: Southern Poverty Law Center https://www.splcenter.org/ Ohef Sholom Temple https:// ohefsholom.org/ Leukemia & Lymphoma Society https://www.lls.org/nc-va. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts. Online condolences may be sent to the family through www.hdoliver.com.
LUCY SPIGEL HERMAN VIRGINIA BEACH—Lucy Spigel Herman passed quietly on January 29, 2021, to join her beloved soulmate Frederick Herman. Born in Norfolk in 1926, her family and friends will remember her always as a great teacher and compassionate individual who unabashedly spoke her mind. Lucy invariably defined herself as a teacher whether in the classroom of the Norfolk public schools, tutoring students with learning disabilities in her home
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office, or counseling those who sought her out for guidance with their own life challenges. She and Fred enjoyed a lifetime of art, travel, and companionship. Passionate believers in the power of art to teach and inspire, they gifted their collection to the University of Virginia and University of Delaware. Lucy cared deeply for animals—especially animals in need of nurture. Cats and dogs rescued from the streets found comfort in their homes alongside basenjis and Scotties. Pedigree or stray, they all received care in equal measure. Lucy loved to write. After retirement, she penned two illustrated books for children and a memoir that focused on her experiences as an advocate for desegregation in the schools in the 1960s. She invariably chose a path that spoke to social justice even when her stance drew the disapprobation of others. She lived by example and that example made those who came into her orbit better people. Lucy is survived by her two children: Bernard L. Herman and Fredrika Herman Jacobs, as well as her son-in-law Paul Jacobs, daughter-in-law Rebecca Herman, granddaughters Jessica Jacobs Roussanov and Lania Rebecca Herman, great grandson Peter Roussanov, and her caregiver and companion Agnes Nuno. Donations in Lucy’s name to local chapters of the ASPCA. Burial was private.
RACHEL HELEN LESSER DENISON KOLTUN NORFOLK—Rachel Helen Lesser Denison Koltun, 87, passed away on Friday, January 22, 2021 in her home, where she had lived for 62 years. Helen was born in Suffolk, Va. to the late Madeline Snyder Lesser and Simon Lesser. They moved to Norfolk when Helen was 16 years old, where she graduated from Maury High School. Helen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work from Beaver College (now Arcadia University) in Philadelphia, Pa. and a master’s equivalency in English from Old Dominion University. She was a long-term substitute teacher for the Norfolk Public School System and in the on-call program for Virginia National Bank. A member
of the Virginia Symphony League, Helen ran the boutique for more than 20 years, as well as its annual Spring luncheon. She also volunteered for Ohef Sholom Temple’s Sisterhood and wherever her children were involved. With her late husband, Dave Koltun, she traveled extensively both throughout the U.S. and abroad. Helen always seized on an opportunity to celebrate with a party or by hosting friends and family at her home. She kept her family supplied with her signature cookies. Helen never left any doubt that the most important people in her life were her children, grandchildren, cherished friends—many she maintained since she was 13 years old—as well as her extended family. Helen’s strong will and determination to live were an inspiration to us all over the past 12 years as she defied the medical odds, making it possible for her to continue attending the symphony and her synagogue, visit with friends, and participate in milestones in the lives of her children and grandchildren. Left to cherish her memory are her children, Terri (Steve) Budman and Karl (Lisa) Denison; her step-son, Scott (Audrey) Koltun; her grandchildren, Madeline and Deni Budman, Jacob, Sam, and Zara Denison, and Erik and Rebecca Koltun; and many dear cousins, friends, and caregivers. Due to COVID-19, a private graveside service took place at Forest Lawn Cemetery. It was officiated by Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg and Cantor Jennifer Rueben. It may be viewed H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts. Facebook page. Online condolences may be offered to the family at hdoliver.com. Donations in Helen’s memory are requested to Ohef Sholom Temple and Freda H. Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care. Helen would say, “I love hard.” We all loved her back and will miss her forever.
RONALD MARVIN MILLER VIRGINIA BEACH—Ronald Marvin Miller died on Dec. 3, 2020 at Beth Sholom Village where he resided since 2018.
OBITUARIES His transition was sudden and he passed peacefully. Ronnie was born on July 4, 1945 in Brooklyn, New York to Hyman and Vivian (nee Adcock). He was raised in Norfolk with his loving sister, Janet. Ron lived in Norfolk most of his life proudly serving on the police force in the 1960s and 70s. Many loved ones include: sister, Janet; daughters, Kim and Laura; sonin-law, Tim; brothers, Mike and Rob; granddaughter, Rebecca and her husband, Chuck; cousins, Wayne, Scott, and Ken; niece, Leah; lifelong friend, Beth; and grandchildren, Simon, Stiles, and Layla. Ron was fortunate to have many close friends and exciting adventures in his 75 years. Every positive thought, word, or deed that occurred during his life is concentrated into a pristine spiritual light which will continue to shine and have an effect on those above and below. No funeral service will be scheduled. May each person whose life he touched celebrate him in their own way. Memorial donations to bethsholomvillage.com and hopeforliferescue.com.
MARILYN H. JACOBSON-NAGGY VIRGINIA BEACH—Marilyn H. Jacobson Naggy of Virginia Beach, passed away on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at Colonial Health and Rehab (formerly Windermere) in Virginia Beach. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Marilyn was predeceased by her first husband, Howard H. Jacobson, and her parents, Roy Haas and Edith Bowman Haas. She is survived by her husband, Robert J. Naggy “Bob” of First Colonial Inn, her step-children, Elizabeth Reese (Bert) James Naggy (Kristina), Emily Clark (Jessie), and a host of step-grandchildren and step-great grandchildren. Marilyn was a graduate of Boston University majoring in Commercial Art. After a successful career as a commercial artist, she and her late husband Howard started Travel Enterprise, a travel agency specializing in casino junkets. She was a Virginia representative of Harrah’s Casinos covering Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Reno, and Laughlin, Nevada. After Howard’s death, she continued to run the business until her retirement.
Marilyn enjoyed figure skating and ballet, as well as all forms of art and music. She also loved going to the beach and boating with Bob on the Chesapeake Bay on their boat, “Let It Ride.” Lastly, she was passionate about animals and loved them all. She will be missed by her beloved “Maggie” her sweet Carin Terrier. Due to COVID 19, Marilyn’s celebration of life will be at a later date. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.hdoliver.com Donations to the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad at Station 8, 1201 Bayne Dr. Virginia Beach, VA 23454.
ROBERTA SHAMES VIRGINIA BEACH—Wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, role-model… Roberta Levine Shames passed away on January 21, 2021 at the age of 82. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Roberta (or Bobbi as she was known to her family and friends) was a veritable pioneer. She graduated at the top of her class in Journalism from Penn State University (where she was editor of the Nittany Lion daily newspaper). After graduation, Roberta worked for a variety of publications and publishing houses, including the Stars & Stripes (newspaper) where she developed her strong sense of patriotism and pride in the US armed forces. She later worked for Hearst publishing in NY. After meeting and marrying her husband Abe, Roberta stayed home for several years, raising their three daughters. She later went to work for the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, where she taught newly arrived Russian Jews to speak English and navigate American culture. She maintained close friendships with many of those families for years and years. Roberta returned to school for her teaching certificate and began teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in the New Jersey public schools. She continued her own education as well, earning a Masters,’ then Doctorate in Education. After moving from New Jersey to Florida, Roberta worked as a Reading Specialist for the Palm Beach County School District as well as an adjunct professor at Florida
Atlantic University—“teaching the teachers,” as she used to say. Upon retirement, Roberta moved to Virginia Beach, but continued to “fly south” for the winter before making Virginia her permanent residence. With her husband of 50 years, Roberta enjoyed traveling and learning about the world around her. She imbued her daughters with a sense of curiosity and adventure, as well. She also passed along her love of art, theater, music, and shopping! Roberta was a strong and no-nonsense individual who encouraged her daughters to be independent thinkers and to stand on their own. At the same time, she adored her sons-in-law. And her grandchildren became the light of her life,
and with the arrival of each one, her love for all of them grew taller and wider. To cherish her memory (and share stories and giggles together), Roberta leaves behind her daughters Lisa (Johnny) Blizzard of Jacksonville, Fla.; Amy (Frank) Zelenka of Virginia Beach; and Margie Pozin (Chris McGahee) of Duluth, Georgia, as well as five grandchildren: Megan, Adam, Joel, Rachel, and Sam… who truly were her greatest treasures. Donations to the charity of your choice or to any of the following organizations: UJFT COVID Emergency Campaign; Jewish Family Service of Tidewater; Frieda H Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care; Beth Sholom Village; the USO; or the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Summer Employment Opportunity The ADVENTURE begins…UJFT/Simon Family JCC A wonderful place to work! Now hiring fun and creative staff for SUMMER CAMP 2021 Great opportunity to earn extra $$ for the summer. Excellent Career Experience for College Students: Special Ed, Education or Early Childhood majors High School students (rising Juniors, Seniors) or graduates Positions Available: • Lead Counselors (High School graduates; minimum requirement) • Junior Counselors (HS rising Junior; minimum requirement) • Special Needs Counselors • Specialist for Activities: Sports, Music, and Arts, etc. • Camp Nurse
Staff Orientation: June 14-18 Camp JCC Adventure begins June 21- August 13 Last Blast (Post Camp): August 16-27 Application availble at www.simonfamilyjcc.org
Submit completed application to resumes@ujft.org Submit by mail to: United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Attention: Taftaleen T. Hunter, Director of Human Resources – Confidential 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Virginia Beach 23462 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER jewishnewsva.org | February 8, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 23
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