Jewish News - May 9, 2022 Issue

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Southeastern Virginia | Vol. 60 No. 15 | 8 Iyar 5782 | May 9, 2022

Antisemitism

on the rise again

18 Mah Jongg returned to BSV

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Senior Seder filled with stories of past Seders

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What do Jews say about abortion? Your primer as the Supreme Court weighs overturning Roe v. Wade

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Philissa Cramer

(JTA)—The Jewish Telegraphic Agency and its partners at 70 Faces Media have answered the question many times over the years, a testament to its persistence in political life and its significance to American Jews: What do Jews say about abortion?

After a report that the Supreme Court reviewed a majority opinion in February that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the question is relevant yet again.

Here’s what we know: American Jews favor abortion rights, more than any other religious group, according to public polling. And traditional Jewish law permits (and even requires) abortion in some circumstances, particularly when the life or health of the pregnant person is at stake.

“What Jewish community would want to continue to live in a place where they are potentially barred from following halacha (Jewish law)?” Ephraim Sherman, an Orthodox Jew and health care professional, wrote in JTA in 2019. “Is a community even allowed by halacha to continue living in such a place?”

Liberal Jews in America have been advocating for reproductive rights as long as they have been contested—so, forever.

JTA has stories from 1967, pre-Roe; 1989, when American Jews attended a rally protesting calls to roll back abortion rights; and 1998, when Jewish groups responded to the murder of Dr. Barnett Slepian, a

New York abortion provider who was killed just after returning home from saying Kaddish for his father.

Those groups have stepped up advocacy as threats to Roe v. Wade have mounted. The National Council of Jewish Women formed Rabbis for Repro to bring abortion talk to synagogues.

Meanwhile, Orthodox Jews in America have shifted rightward in recent decades. Our 2020 exploration of that shift suggests that one reason it didn’t happen earlier was Republicans’ focus on abortion in the 1980s, which didn’t resonate with Orthodoxy. But recently, the alignment of Orthodoxy and Republican politics has led to more vocal participation

by Orthodox Jews in abortion discourse.

In 2019, when New York widened its abortion law, several Orthodox groups condemned the move. At the time, an Orthodox leader argued that “rights” are the wrong way to talk about the Jewish stance on abortion.

“Blanket bans on abortion, to be sure, would deprive Jewish women of the ability to act responsibly in cases where abortion is halachically required,” wrote Rabbi Avi Shafran. “And so, what Orthodox groups like Agudath Israel of America, for which I work, have long promoted is the regulation of abortion through laws that generally prohibit the unjustifiable killing of fetuses while protecting the right to abortion in exceptional cases.”

An estimated quarter of American

AIPAC PAC endorses Liz Cheney. . . . . . . . . . 13 Get prepared for Summer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 TJF: Leis Morrissey receives Stein Family Scholarship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Tom Purcell competes for

Mr. Health and Fitness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

BSV is back with Mah Jongg. . . . . . . . . . . . .

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CONTENTS Up Front. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Russian foreign minister: Hilter also had Jewish ancestry. . . . . . . . . . 5 ADL: Antisemitic incidents surged in 2021. . . 6 What Musk’s purchase of Twitter could mean for Jewish users and antisemitism. . . . . . . . 7 TAU: War and COVID-19 catalyzed global uptick in antisemitism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Stay Alive, words from a Ukrainian living in Poland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Nation: Emhoff on getting closer to Judaism.12

women will have an abortion by age 45, many Jews among them. We’ve published first-person accounts from some. “If anyone tries to argue that abortion restrictions are justified under the prerogative of religious freedom, we can explain that our religious freedom demands that we have access to abortion care when it is needed and wanted,” wrote Rabbi, Rachael Pass.

Jew ish feminist, Barbara Dobkin, recalled how she helped a friend get an illegal abortion in 1966. “What about the crisis of losing the right to make decisions about our own bodies?” she asked. “Where is the communal outcry?”

That outcry is being felt today, as the leaked Supreme Court opinion resonates across the country. It remains to be seen whether the final decision matches the draft; the court generally releases most of its rulings each year in June.

But we know that legal analysts are already envisioning a Jewish woman as the perfect plaintiff for a case challenging a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

We know that the National Council of Jewish Women is planning a Jewish Rally for Abortion Justice in Washington, D.C., on May 17 and that Jewish reproductive-rights advocates are planning for a post-Roe world.

And we know that for Orthodox groups, the balancing act between backing Republicans and defending Jewish law and the right to follow it just got harder.

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Friday, May 20/19 Iyar Light candles at 7:52 pm Friday, May 27/26 Iyar Light candles at 7:57 pm Friday, June 3/4 Sivan Light candles at 8:02 pm Friday, June 10/11 Sivan Light candles at 8:06 pm Friday, June 17/18 Sivan Light candles at 8:09 pm

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BRIEFS UKRAINE HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS LAND IN ISRAEL ON EVE OF HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY Multiple planes carrying Holocaust survivors fleeing the violence in Ukraine landed in Israel on Wednesday, April 27, the eve of Yom Hashoah, the Holocaust Remembrance Day marked by Jewish communities worldwide.

An estimated 300 to 500 Holocaust survivors have now taken refuge in Israel since the start of the war in Ukraine on Feb. 24.

“I never thought that this is what would happen again—that at my age I would have to again flee a war and again hear the sounds of bombs going off around me,” said Ninel Zhilinska, an 88-year-old survivor on the flight, according to The Times of Israel. “I was a refugee in 1941 and now I’ve become a refugee again.”

The flights, reportedly carrying 21 survivors in total, were organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Previous flights bringing survivors to Israel have been organized by organizations including the Jewish Agency, a quasi-governmental nonprofit that facilitates immigration to Israel, and Zaka, an Israeli NGO that rescues people from emergency zones.

Multiple survivors of Nazi atrocities during World War II have died amid Russia’s onslaught, including Vanda Semyonovna Obiedkova, who died on April 4 while sheltering in a basement near her home in Mariupol.

The final plane carrying survivors on April 27 departed from Moldova, and the passengers were greeted by Israel’s Immigration Minister Pnina TamanoShata at Ben Gurion Airport.

“It is symbolic. During the Holocaust, they didn’t have a place to run. Today, there is a strong Jewish home,” she said.

(JTA) IN ANTWERP, HAREDI ORTHODOX JEW OVERPOWERS AND TACKLES HIS ATTACKER It began like countless other antisemitic incidents in Antwerp: A man shouted insults and made threatening gestures at members of the Belgian city’s large Orthodox Jewish community.

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But the incident on Sunday, May 1 near the city’s central railway station took an unexpected turn.

After the alleged perpetrator appeared to swing his arm to hit a Jewish man in haredi Orthodox garb, the would-be victim lunged back and overpowered his attacker, holding him down on the ground until police took the suspect into custody.

The attack, which the Shomrim Jewish community security unit said was antisemitic in nature, was filmed from a nearby balcony by a group of men, one of whom is heard saying excitedly: “They’re going to fight.”

Police arrived at the scene while the suspect was pinned down and arrested him, a spokesperson for Shomrim said.

The spokesperson, who declined to state his name, also declined to provide any information on the men shown in the video.

He did say that at least 20 antisemitic incidents of a similar nature have occurred this year, “and this has made Antwerp’s Jewish community much more vigilant to these occurrences.”

Antwerp has about 18,000 Jews, most of them haredi Orthodox. (JTA)

RUSSIAN JEWISH BILLIONAIRE YURI MILNER PLEDGES $100 MILLION FOR UKRAINIAN REFUGEE RELIEF Yuri Milner, a Russian Jewish philanthropist who made billions in Silicon Valley with early support from the Kremlin, is pledging to donate $100 million for new efforts to aid Ukrainian refugees.

Unlike other billionaires whose wealth is linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Milner has managed to avoid Western sanctions meant to punish Russia for waging war on its neighbor, and his latest donation serves to further distance him from the Kremlin.

A dual Russian and Israeli citizen who lives in California, Milner, and his wife Julia, are best known in the world of philanthropy for establishing the Breakthrough Prize to recognize and promote scientific achievement. But they have also become significant donors to various causes in Israel.

Among the beneficiaries of the Milners in Israel are the emergency response agency Magen David Adom, Tel Aviv

University, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and the Peres Center for Peace.

The new Ukrainian relief efforts, called Tech for Refugees, involve a partnership between the Milner’s Breakthrough Prize Foundation and private companies, including short-term housing from Airbnb, hospital beds and emergency medical equipment from Flexport and, from music streaming service Spotify.

Fellow Russian Jewish philanthropists like Roman Abramovich and the trio of billionaires behind the Genesis Prize were slapped with Western sanctions in recent weeks, even after announcing donations for relief efforts in Ukraine. But their ties to Putin are seen as far more immediate and recent than those of Milner, who says he broke off ties with the Kremlin years ago. (JTA)

DISPROPORTIONATE INFERTILITY RATES AMONG JEWS CAUSES JEWISH DENOMINATIONS TO BACK CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION All four major streams of Judaism are among an array of Jewish groups backing a bipartisan congressional resolution that calls on the U.S. government to raise awareness about infertility.

Organizations affiliated with Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist movements signed a letter spearheaded by Hadassah sent Wednesday, April 27 to members of Congress asking them to back a bipartisan resolution sponsored by Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Jewish Democrat from Florida, and Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican.

The nonbinding resolution declares “that the United States Government has a responsibility to help examine, create, and implement solutions to address and alleviate the problems associated with the disease.”

It lists Ashkenazi Jews and people of Middle Eastern ancestry as among a number of groups that “suffer from disproportionately higher rates of certain diseases and gynecological, endocrine, and autoimmune disorders, that may contribute to higher rates of infertility among these populations.”

Hadassah has been lobbying for years to classify infertility as a disease and to

raise awareness. “For too long, infertility and the struggle toward parenthood have been topics of quiet suffering, particularly in the Jewish community,” Rhoda Smolow, Hadassah’s president, said in a release.

“By asking policymakers to expand access to infertility care and reduce the financial burden of treatments, we are empowering all of the patients, families, and communities infertility affects.”

The resolution has garnered a number of cosponsors, including Jewish Democrats Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, Brad Sherman of California, John Yarmuth of Kentucky, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, and Jerry Nadler of New York. (JTA) Israel’s national anthem played at Dutch military cemetery as both nations honor fallen troops

ISRAEL’S NATIONAL ANTHEM PLAYED AT DUTCH MILITARY CEMETERY AS BOTH NATIONS HONOR FALLEN TROOPS For the first time ever, a national commemoration ceremony for fallen soldiers in the Netherlands included the playing of the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah.

The unusual gesture Wednesday, May 4 at the Field of Honor cemetery in Loenen, about 60 miles east of Amsterdam, happened as both the Netherlands and Israel were observing a national day of mourning for soldiers and some civilians killed in the nation’s military conflicts.

The playing of Hatikvah was intended to honor not the Jewish state, but the multiple Jewish resistance fighters and soldiers buried in Loenen, home to the Netherlands’ largest military cemetery of over 4,000 graves, according to Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs, who this year attended the ceremony.

“The organizers thought that playing Hatikvah during an intermezzo between two parts of the official ceremony was the best way to honor the Jewish resistance fighters and troops buried there,” Jacobs said.

“The result was truly moving,” he added. “The fact that this year, the Dutch May 4 memorial day fell on Israel’s memorial day, Yom Hazikaron, added to the symbolism of the event, though the organizers did not design the ceremony based on that.” (JTA)

SPECIAL EVENT INVITATION

UKRAINE Speaking about Zelensky, Russian foreign minister says Hitler also had Jewish ancestry Cnaan Liphshiz

(JTA)—The fact that Ukraine’s president is Jewish has hurt the credibility of Russia’s claims that it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 to “de-Nazify” it.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tried to boost his country’s argument during an interview with an Italian television channel on Sunday, May 1 by saying he said he believed Adolf Hitler also had Jewish origins and that Jewish sages say the biggest antisemites are Jewish themselves.

Lavrov said this during an interview with Italy’s Channel 4.

Asked whether he regards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “an obstacle to peace,” Lavrov spoke about the prevalence of pro-Nazi ideologies in the ranks of some Ukrainian military units and then broached the subject of Zelensky’s Jewish identity without being asked to comment on it.

“When they say that Nazification cannot exist if there are Jews [in charge]: In my opinion even Hitler had Jewish origins so it means absolutely nothing,” Lavrov

said. “Jewish wise people said already a long time ago that the biggest antisemites are Jewish themselves.”

Multiple journalists have claimed that Hitler may have had Jewish ancestry.

According to one unconfirmed theory, Hitler’s paternal grandmother, Maria Schickelgruber, became pregnant with Hitler’s father, Alois, with a Jewish man named Leopold Frankenberger in whose house she allegedly had worked as a maid.

Lavrov’s remark prompted multiple condemnations by Israeli officials, including Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who reportedly summoned Russia’s ambassador to Israel for a “tough talk” over the comments. Despite its criticism of the war in Ukraine, Israel has maintained an uneasy alliance with Russia, at times acting as a mediator for peace negotiations.

“Lavrov’s remarks are both inexcusable and scandalous and also a terrible historical error,” Lapid said on Monday, May 2. “The Jews did not murder themselves in the Holocaust. The lowest form of anti-Jewish racism is to blame Jews of antisemitism.”

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Chuck Schumer calls Russian foreign minister’s comments about Jews and Hitler ‘sickening’ Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA)—Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader and the most senior elected Jewish official in U.S. history, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s claims that Hitler had Jewish blood and that Jews were prone to antisemitism were “sickening.”

“As the Russian army continues slaughtering civilians, Foreign Minister Lavrov did what many others who now reside in the dustbin of history have done before him—resort to antisemitism to defend his nation’s actions,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Monday, May 2 on the Senate floor.

Schumer joined the near-universal condemnation of Lavrov’s remarks from Israeli leaders, Jewish groups and Holocaust remembrance institutions.

Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin have sought to neutralize outrage at the war they are waging in Ukraine by claiming their mission is to remove “Nazis” from power. Most of the world’s skepticism of that claim is bolstered by the fact the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is Jewish.

Schumer, who has said Russia is committing a “holocaust” in Ukraine, said he was sickened by Lavrov’s remarks.

“Mr. Lavrov’s comments are just sickening and deserve to be condemned by all who oppose the dangers of antisemitism,” Schumer said. “They tap into the very old and very poisonous notion that the Jewish people themselves were the architects of the worst human atrocities of modern history, even when they were aimed at Jews themselves.”

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Forever Helping Others

ANTISEMITISM

Number of antisemitic incidents surged in 2021, according to latest ADL tally Asaf Shalev

Bill Goldback’s legacy lives on through the arts.

Bill, who died in 2007, left a donation in his will for the performing arts in Hampton Roads.

The William A. Goldback Fund continues to support arts groups and other causes in our community.

Find out how you can leave your mark.

Visit LeaveABequest.org

6 | JEWISH NEWS | May 9, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

(JTA)­—The number of antisemitic incidents recorded by the Anti-Defamation League in the United States in 2021 reached an all-time high, according to a new report by the group.

The 2,717 incidents identified in news articles by the ADL or reported to the ADL directly in 2021 represent a 34% increase from the 2,024 incidents of antisemitism tallied by the group in 2020. Previously, the 2,107 incidents in 2019 were the highest total since the ADL began publishing annual counts in 1979.

Anything from a slur to a terror attack can be included in the tally. For the second straight year, 2021 saw no fatal incidents tied to antisemitism in the United States, but the ADL counted 88 antisemitic assaults, a 167% increase from the 33 assaults in the 2020 count.

The group cited several reasons for the high numbers—including what the ADL said was “improved reporting” because of partnerships with multiple Jewish organizations.

The partnerships — with several Jewish organizations including the Community Security Initiative, Community Security Service, Hillel International, Secure Community Network, Union of Reform Judaism, and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism—were responsible for identifying 494 incidents, or 18% of the total.

The ADL also documented a surge in incidents linked to the May 2021 round of deadly clashes between Israel and Hamas.

“Jews were being attacked in the streets for no other reason than the fact that they were Jewish, and it seemed as if the working assumption was that if you were Jewish, you were blameworthy for what was happening half a world away,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt says.

The 297 incidents that took place during the fighting in May represent an increase, but the ADL recorded other spikes later in the year, without a similar trigger.

More than any single factor, Greenblatt says the overall increase in antisemitic incidents can be linked to political instability and polarization.

“When it comes to antisemitic activity in America, you cannot point to any single ideology or belief system, and in many cases, we simply don’t know the motivation,” Greenblatt says. “But we do know that Jews are experiencing more antisemitic incidents than we have in this country in at least 40 years.”

Nearly 20% of the incidents the ADL tallied last year were attributable to rightwing actors, according to the report, which notes a sharp rise in the distribution of antisemitic pamphlets by groups such as the Goyim Defense League. A man set fire to a synagogue last October in Austin, Texas, shortly after the group held a rally there.

The ADL has lately faced criticism over both its overall strategy and its specific efforts to tally antisemitic incidents.

Right-wing critics have charged that the

group has abandoned its focus on Jewish security and, in the course of doing so, has grown concerned only with antisemitism on the right. Meanwhile, left-wing critics have argued that the group too easily conflates Israel criticism and antisemitism, leading to an inflated measure of hatred against Jews.

In a field where a number of newer entrants have adopted a combative approach to identifying and fighting antisemitism, the ADL has said that it remains committed to applying traditional research methods to its work. When it announced the Hillel partnership last year, for example, the group emphasized that it would not automatically count Israel criticism as evidence of antisemitism, and that it would seek to independently verify incidents of antisemitism reported to it.

Last month, the group announced that it had developed an algorithm to track antisemitism on social media—a project that it had taken on because social media companies had not, ADL officials say.

The state of antisemitism in Tidewater and Virginia

A

lthough the rate of incidents increased in the United States as a whole, the Commonwealth of Virginia saw a 6% decrease in antisemitic incidents from 2020 to 2021. Virginia had the 15th highest number of antisemitic incidents reported to the ADL in the country for 2021.

Despite an increase in antisemitic instances that occurred in 2021 within Virginia, incidents in Tidewater did not increase significantly, according to Elka Mednick, assistant director, Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

“Moreover, while bigotry of any kind is not acceptable, it is important to keep in mind no assaults were reported to have been inspired by antisemitism in 2021,” says Mednick. Rather, she notes, the ADL reports findings of white supremacist propaganda as the greatest number of offenses in Tidewater, which occurred mostly in online forums.

“It is imperative to understand the data at our disposal in order to combat hate and bigotry in all forms and fashion,” says Mednick. “With this is mind, the JCRC continues its work in fostering relationships and understanding between the Jewish Community and the broader community with its outreach. Understanding and partnership is a proven tool in preventing hate, bigotry and even crimes of different magnitudes.”

ANTISEMITISM

What Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter could mean for Jewish users—and antisemitism—on the platform Gabe Friedman, Philissa Cramer

(JTA) — Let’s get one thing out of the way: Elon Musk is not Jewish.

But his acquisition of Twitter comes amid longstanding problems with antisemitism and hate speech on the platform—and Jewish users fear his freespeech orientation could make things worse.

Musk’s purchase of the social media company, for a reported $44 billion, will likely take months to complete and could be derailed in any number of ways. And while the serial entrepreneur is known for acting quickly and decisively—sometimes on matters far more picayune than CEOs typically attend to—there’s no guarantee that he would make sweeping changes even if he does assume ownership.

Still, some Jewish users and advocates are hoping that a change in leadership at Twitter could shake up dynamics that many have decried—or at least not set back efforts to address them that are already underway. The head of the AntiDefamation League, which has publicly pressed Twitter to identify and flush out antisemitism on the platform, raised alarm in a tweet thread shortly after the news broke.

“Twitter has made some strides in tackling this hate in recent years,” the group’s CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, tweeted on Monday, April 25. “So while we want to be cautiously optimistic about how @ElonMusk will run the platform, he hasn’t demonstrated any focus on these issues to date. We worry he could take things in a very different direction.”

Here’s what you need to know about Twitter’s Jewish history, Musk’s (murky) vision for the company and how Jewish groups hope he’ll change the platform.

The status of Twitter today for Jews Like all social media platforms, Twitter is filled with a mixture of good-faith users, bad actors and bots. But over the past decade, Twitter has seemed to deal with as many or more antisemitism controversies

in the public eye than any other platform.

The topic exploded into public consciousness in 2016, amid the runup to that year’s presidential election. Jewish journalists became prime targets of bots that spread misinformation and of antisemites emboldened by the rise of white supremacist groups that together made up a new movement known as the “alt right.”

Jonathan Weisman, a politics editor at The New York Times, called the abuse “omnipresent.” Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic, said the platform had become “a cesspool for anti-Semites, homophobes, and racists.” Reporter Julia Ioffe detailed how the antisemitism she was inundated with on Twitter translated into real death threats.

Antisemites began identifying prominent Jews online with what’s called an “echo” symbol, or a group of three parentheses. The echo was often highlighted on Twitter, and Jewish users eventually acted to reclaim the symbol and proudly trumpet their Jewish identities, voluntarily putting the parentheses around their names on their Twitter profiles.

(Weisman wrote a book with it in the title: (((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump.)

Twitter acknowledged the problem but did not solve it. In January 2018, the ADL—which eventually joined Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council and has developed an “Online Hate Index” tool to detect antisemitism on social media— estimated that over the previous year, more than 4 million antisemitic tweets were published in English alone, sent by over 3 million unique Twitter handles.

The company has also been dogged by widespread allegations that it doesn’t prioritize combatting antisemitism and banning antisemitic users—or at least in a speedy enough fashion. In one example,

from 2020, after the British rapper Wiley tweeted a series of antisemitic messages, a group of prominent British Jews (and non-Jews) boycotted the platform in protest of Twitter’s reaction time.

Twitter “allowed [Wiley] 48 hours of pure race hate,” said actress Tracy-Ann Oberman.

At the same time, the platform has been a fertile space for Jewish ideas and conversation, even facilitating new areas of discussion between Jews and non-Jews and across Jewish denominations. Several rabbis have also found large audiences on Twitter, such as Danya Ruttenberg and Jill Jacobs.

But in the wake of the Musk news, Ruttenberg pointed her followers to her Substack email newsletter, in the event that Twitter’s new owner could exacerbate its issues.

“I can assure you that rampant antisemitic harassment already exists on Twitter—as does rampant racist harassment, transphobic, homophobic, sexist, ableist harassment, and many intersections therein—and that Twitter already does an atrocious job of managing this, or taking significant threats to people seriously,” she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

What we know about Musk and what he could do His first name may resemble the Hebrew name Ilan, but that’s the extent of Musk’s personal Jewishness. He was raised in South Africa, where he attended an Anglican Sunday school, and moved to the United States to attend the University of Pennsylvania in the mid-1990s. From there, he began working in Silicon Valley, amassing wealth and influence as he developed a series of pioneering technology companies. He is the founder and CEO of Tesla, the electric car company,

Elon Musk, London, 2018

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO, Anti-Defamation League

and of SpaceX, which is developing a range of spacecraft and other space travel tech. He has a net worth of over $240 billion and has at various times been crowned the wealthiest person on earth.

In recent years, Musk has also become known as one of the internet’s most puzzling populist provocateurs. He supported the grassroots group of investors behind the Gamestop stock saga; became close friends with fellow agitator Kanye West; continued on page 8

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ANTISEMITISM continued from page 7

and has become quick to troll any prominent detractors with anti-establishment rhetoric that can at times feel pulled straight out of a raucous Reddit thread.

His orientation toward electoral politics has remained a mystery, but one of his big pet issues is clear: He describes himself as a staunch advocate of seemingly unfettered free speech. In reality, he has moved to quash his own critics and Tesla’s through a variety of means, and the specifics of what his professed beliefs would mean for Twitter are yet to be seen.

Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder and former CEO, espoused a belief in absolute free speech that frequently collided with the company’s efforts to manage hate speech. It was not until late 2020 that Twitter said it would ban Holocaust denial, a decision it announced weeks after Facebook did the same thing.

“We strongly condemn anti-semitism, and hateful conduct has absolutely no place on our service,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement at the time.

“We also have a robust ‘glorification of violence’ policy in place and take action against content that glorifies or praises historical acts of violence and genocide, including the Holocaust.”

But Dorsey appeared to undermine that commitment during a Senate hearing later that month, when he said Holocaust denial would constitute “misleading information. But we don’t have a policy against that type of misleading information.”

Dorsey stepped down as Twitter’s CEO last fall.

Musk sees Twitter as a stand-in for a vanished public square, where people with differing perspectives and ideologies can engage in open conversation.

As some vowed to leave Twitter over his purchase, he said he wished they would stick around.

“I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means,” Musk tweeted.

Musk has offered few details, and in fact suggested that he doesn’t have a crystal-clear vision for some of the company’s most vexing questions, including how to handle tweets that some charge are hateful.

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“If it’s a gray area, I would say let the tweet exist,” he said earlier this month.

“But obviously in a case where there’s perhaps a lot of controversy, you’re not necessarily going to promote that tweet.

I’m not saying I have all the answers here.”

Greenblatt acknowledged Musk’s framing of social media as a public square—but he lamented the consistent consolidation of its owners.

“It strikes me as deeply troubling & potentially dangerous that 2 people— Musk & Mark Zuckerberg—essentially control the public square. Seems like a sad day for democracy,” Greenblatt tweeted.

“Unfettered speech is almost as dangerous as yelling fire in a crowded theatre! Jewish tradition teaches us that life and death is in the power of the tongue.”

Local Relationships Matter

ANTISEMITISM What Jews want to see Jewish groups are already clamoring to convey to Musk what they would like to see him change on the platform.

The Council of European Rabbis issued a statement calling for Twitter to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism— which has drawn its own scrutiny—for use in its content moderation.

“A quick win and a clear break from the past would be the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, used by governments and police forces around the word,” the group said.

“The adoption of the definition, alongside its rigorous enforcement, will go a long way to making Twitter all that it can be.”

Some of the definition’s examples of antisemitism include certain criticisms of Israel, including ones that call the Jewish state a racist endeavor. Critics say it shuts down parts of free speech.

Many Jewish users have also long wanted Twitter to permanently boot Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader who regularly calls for the violent destruction of Israel, among other antisemitic things. Dorsey had deemed Khamenei’s tweets “saber-rattling” and never firmed a policy on controversial statements by international leaders.

“We believe it’s important for everyone to hear from global leaders, and we have policies around world leaders,” Dorsey said in 2020. “We want to make sure we are respecting their right to speak and to publish what they need.”

Some believe efforts to police Twitter and other social media users has already gone too far, and that Musk could revitalize what they see as an overly censored space. Yossi Klein Halevi, a prominent American-Israeli author who often writes about Jewish-Muslim coexistence, argued in a tweet after Musk’s purchase announcement that “pro-Israel voices are

arbitrarily removed” from Twitter and called on Musk to “level the playing field and let us debate” on Israel. He did not elaborate on why he believes pro-Israel activists are silenced.

(Musk personally has not commented on Israeli politics or policy, even as he weighs in regularly on matters of public interest. His engagement with the country appears to be limited; he climbed Masada and visited then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his home during a 2018 visit that Musk said was largely personal in nature.)

Conservative columnist Jonathan Tobin, writing last week, argued that the ADL’s efforts to “squelch free speech” leads to a “slippery slope from censoring Nazis to shutting down any political speech or reporting that powerful people dislike.”

He said conservatives are the “main targets” of social media crackdowns, citing how Donald Trump and a Christian news site that mocked transgender people were kicked off of Twitter.

But most of the Jewish conversation aimed in Musk’s direction focused on his promise of unrestricted free speech, and the anxieties that the concept has unleashed in relation to hate speech.

Ruttenberg said, “I, as are many other people of more marginalized backgrounds than I, very—realistically, I think—am concerned that Musk will remove what few protections currently exist and make Twitter a place where harassment, abuse and possibly even doxxing is rampant and tolerated.”

And Greenblatt’s predecessor at the ADL, Abraham Foxman, tweeted a message for Musk.

“Unfettered speech is almost as dangerous as yelling fire in a crowded theatre!

Jewish tradition teaches us that life and death is in the power of the tongue,” he wrote. “We must find balance between civility and freedom of speech.”

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ANTISEMITISM

Antisemitism in 2021: War and COVID-19 catalyzed global uptick

A

ntisemitic incidents dramatically increased over the past year in almost all countries with large Jewish populations, according to the Antisemitism Worldwide Report 2021 published by The Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University (TAU).

Released annually on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the report is based on dozens of studies from around the globe, alongside information from law enforcement authorities, media, and Jewish organizations in various countries.

It is the 28th annual report of its kind issued by the Center.

The authors report a dramatic rise in the number of antisemitic incidents in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, and Australia, as well as other countries. In most countries, the increase was particularly notable compared to the

pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Key Findings • 251 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the US, in only three weeks during the riots around the Israel-Hamas conflict in May 2021. According to the annual survey of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), 2.6% of American Jews said they had been the victims of antisemitic physical attacks in the past five years. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recorded a 27% increase from 2020 and a 113% increase from 2019 in incidents of white supremacist antisemitic propaganda.

• In May 2021, B’nai Brith Canada reported 61 assaults against Jews in Canada. Altogether 226 incidents were recorded that month, a 54% increase from the same period in 2020.

• German Police recorded 3,028 antisemitic incidents during 2021, an

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increase of 29% from 2020 and 49% from 2019. Another worrying phenomenon registered in 2021: German anti-vaxxers likened their situation to that of the Jews in the Holocaust. The authors of the Report argue that this has led to trivialization of the Holocaust.

• 447 antisemitic incidents were recorded in Australia in 2021, an increase of 35% from 2020 and 21.5% from 2019.

88 incidents, the highest monthly total ever, were recorded in May. The authors found similar phenomena in a range of countries: The rise of state-sponsored antisemitism under Belarus’ authoritarian leadership; antisemitic white supremacists penetrating mainstream American conservatism; voices in the Arab world that paint the Abraham Accords with unmistakably antisemitic colors; and the challenges for French courts in prosecuting Islamist antisemitism.

increased during pandemic lockdowns, which kept people at home, glued to their screens. These toxic ideas included claims that COVID-19 had been engineered and spread by Israel and the Jews. Some of those poisoned by such theories for such a long period of time emerged from the lockdowns bitter and aggressive. Professor Porat also emphasizes Iran’s efforts to spread antisemitic propaganda through the social media and to fund specific channels, and the need to make these efforts known and denounced throughout.

Need to Re-Strategize “In recent years, the fight against antisemitism has enjoyed extensive resources worldwide, and yet, despite many important programs and initiatives, the number of antisemitic incidents— including violent assaults—is rapidly escalating,” says Professor Uriya Shavit, head of the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at TAU’s Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities.

Shavit stresses that the latest findings demonstrate that some strategies are clearly not effective. “The easy thing is to say that more laws and more funding are required,” he says, adding that the situation demands “courageous and unsparing examination” of the efficacy of some of the more prevalent strategies in battling antisemitism.

“The Jewish world must pull itself together and understand that the fight against antisemitism and the fight for liberal democratic values are one and the same,” he says.

According to the Center’s founder, Professor Dina Porat, exposure to conspiracy theories that thrive on the Internet

lockdowns, which kept

Exposure to conspiracy theories that thrive on the Internet increased during pandemic people at home, glued to their screens. These toxic ideas included claims that COVID-19 had been engineered and spread by Israel and the Jews.

The report questions the utility of legislation and agreements reached with social media companies on banning antisemitic expressions from their platforms. The gravest concern is the dark web, which shelters extremists of all types, and where antisemitic content is freely and openly spread. The report also notes that Iran invests substantial time and funding in spreading antisemitic propaganda online, focusing their campaigns mainly in the United States and Latin America.

UKRAINE

Stay Alive Karina Filonenko

Karina Filonenko evacuated from Ukraine to Poland with her two children just after the start of the war.

A

challenge for each person who lived in Ukraine after February 24, is to ‘stay alive.’ Could you ever expect that in the 21st century, the word “genocide” will be heard and seen? The Jewish Holocaust and mass shooting of World War II in Kiev’s Babin Yar, and across the entire territory of Ukraine, took away the lives of more than half of Ukrainian Jewry. And now in Ukraine, there is again genocide, but now the Ukrainian people die at the hands of the Russian soldiers.

‘Stay alive’—this is life, when you

Karyna Filomenko and her husband before she left for Poland.

can’t plan, predict, you don’t know— where you will live through the day, will your relatives be alive and will you be deprived of your life?

Imagine that you have a house, which was repeatedly paid on credit, nurtured, repaired, and filled with personal items and trinkets, and suddenly you receive the news that your home no longer exists.

Or maybe after hiding in a bomb shelter, you realize that your house was hit by a rocket, and there is no longer your favorite sofa, TV, kitchen, or favorite pink rabbit.

My daughter and I are currently reading a wonderful work by children’s writer Judith Kerr, How Hitler Stole the Pink Rabbit, about the family of a Jewish girl who had to flee Germany in 1933 when Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. It resonates with our lives in Poland now. I think that 89 years have passed since Hitler, and there are people in the world who are committing genocide of another nation—for whom neither their life nor another’s is important. But, evil will be defeated, as good people won then, so it will be now.

The atrocities committed by the Russian occupiers near Kyiv and other cities, rockets falling on us and our children day and night, forced Ukrainians to go abroad and seek temporary refuge in other countries to preserve the most valuable thing—our future, the future of Ukraine, our children, their health and psyche, and to continue their education.

That is why I, with my two daughters ages 7 and 3, together with a relative and her 4-year-old son, after another air alarm, gathered things, children, and thoughts together: one suitcase and a backpack each. We said goodbye to our husbands and parents and boarded a cold evacuation train that took 15 hours to Lviv, passing all the dangerous cities that had already been bombed to pick up future refugees and take them to a safer place. So, we were in Lviv at 6 am, it was still curfew, we couldn’t get out of the station, and there were a lot

of people there. We were lucky that the train went so long and arrived only in the morning.

We waited for three days for a bus to Krakow to be with relatives, because it was impossible to buy a ticket every day, and it was impossible to wait for the evacuation train in a live queue several kilometers long with three children in the cold.

When we got on the bus, we waited in huge queues at the border, and at 3 am, we crossed to the Polish side.

Everything went so quickly and easily that we could not believe our hap- Stella Krenmen prepares for a fundraiser for Ukraine. piness.

Polish volunteers greeted us so happily with treats, delicacies, hot of them received some form of assistance drinks, baby diapers—all at 3 am! from Zhegota.

The warm welcome in Poland did not Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List is end at the border. Wherever we had to based on real events in Poland, when go—the market square in Krakow, the at the factory in Krakow, the owner hid hotel in Muszyn, or the social welfare more than 1,000 Jews from the Nazis. center in Krynica-Zdroj—everywhere It is symbolic that one of the actresses people helped us with things, food, and in this film, Olivia Dabrowski, joined housing. We feel supported and prothe volunteer movement and is helping tected—we are infinitely appreciative on the Polish-Ukrainian border, sending and we will never forget. humanitarian aid.

Apparently, the Jews had the same Support of countries, peoples, mutual feelings when Poles rescued them from assistance and kindness, is what will win German concentration camps and hid the war. Unity is our strength. them, providing all possible assistance.

Poland was the only Nazi-occupied Karina Filonenko’s aunt, Stella Krenman country in Europe to host the Zhegota emigrated from Ukraine to Tidewater in organization, aimed solely at helping 1994.

Jews. More than 50,000 Jews survived the Nazi occupation of Poland, and half

jewishnewsva.org | May 9, 2022 | JEWISH NEWS | 11

NATION

KRISTIN CHENOWETH RENÉE FLEMING

Doug Emhoff says being the second gentleman brought him closer to Judaism Ron Kampeas

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WASHINGTON (JTA)—Douglas Emhoff told a group that brings Jews and Muslims together that his history-making role as the second gentleman and as the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president has brought him closer to Judaism.

“I didn’t realize what a big deal it would be not only to the Jewish community and to faith communities but to myself,” Emhoff said Thursday, April 28 at an iftar, or Ramadan break-fast, hosted by the Muslim Jewish Advisory Council. “It’s actually driven me closer to faith. It has opened my eyes to a lot of things.”

Emhoff noted, for instance, the Passover seder he and Vice President Kamala Harris hosted last month, their first in office. But he also said he understood the significance of faith—and how unique it was for people of different faiths to work together—when he began traveling outside his Los Angeles bubble during his wife’s campaign and then as the second gentleman.

“Coming from L.A. and working at an international law firm with Muslim partners and people of all different faiths, it’s something that was very natural to me,” he said.

“Doesn’t everyone care about equal rights.… Doesn’t everybody care about democracy and the rule of law?” he added.

“I realized that, you know, my own experiences that I’ve had may not be the same experiences that everyone else has had.”

Emhoff said it became his mission “to advocate and to show people that this is how it is done, [that] our communities can work together.”

Emhoff has said a highlight of his role was placing the first mezuzah on the doorpost of the vice presidential residence.

The Muslim Jewish Advisory Council was founded in 2016 by the American Jewish Committee and a number of leading figures in the American Muslim community to advocate for the passage

Douglas Emhoff.

Kamala Harris.

of hate crimes legislation on the state and federal levels. It has evolved into a community forum. The iftar event was held at the U.S. Institute for Peace, a think tank founded by Congress.

Emhoff was interviewed at the event

by Rashad Hussain, who is the U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom. Hussain is the first Muslim in the role; a predecessor is Rabbi David Saperstein, a long-time Reform movement leader.

Local and Experienced…a winning combination!

NATION

AIPAC’s political action committee to back Liz Cheney, who criticized the group’s endorsements Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON ( JTA)—The political action committee of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is backing Rep. Liz Cheney, the Wyoming Republican who has criticized the group for backing GOP colleagues who voted not to certify Joe Biden’s election as president.

“AIPAC PAC is proud to support Liz Cheney,” the PAC said Friday, April 29 on Twitter. “We deeply appreciate her strong and unwavering support for the U.S.Israel relationship during her entire career in public service.”

AIPAC last month announced that it was backing candidates of both parties in a majority of the races nationwide, 326 out of 435 House elections and 34 Senate elections taking place in November.

Cheney was not among them. Her omission raised eyebrows because she has been a prominent pro-Israel figure since her days during the George W. Bush administration when her father was vice president and she was a senior Middle East official in the State Department.

But Cheney is also shunned by much of her party because of her role as co-chair of a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump seeking to disrupt the certification of Biden’s election. (Trump is backing her primary opponent.)

She had been among those who criticized the PAC for including among its first batch of endorsees dozens of Republicans who voted not to certify Biden after a deadly insurrection spurred by former President Donald Trump’s false claims that he had won the election.

“Those of us who have never wavered in our support for Israel or our fight against anti-Semitism in the US & around

the world want @AIPAC members to know your leadership is playing a dangerous game of politics,” she tweeted in March.

The AIPAC PAC responded to her criticism and others’ by saying that it would make its endorsements purely on the strength of candidates’ records on Israel, and that it would do so in the bipartisan spirit that AIPAC has long boasted.

“As we have previously indicated, decisions about our PAC contributions are an ongoing process that will continue throughout the 2022 election cycle,” AIPAC spokesman Marshall Wittmann said in an email. “We deeply appreciate Rep. Cheney’s strong and unwavering support for the U.S.-Israel relationship during her entire career in public service.”

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Summer

Prepare now for summer T

he official start of summer is next month, but with practically an explosion of desire to return to ‘normal’ activities, a supply chain that just can’t seem to catch up, and staffing shortages everywhere—finding any type of transportation tickets, hotel reservations, and products for building or enhancing homes are all challenges, in addition to securing those all important spots at camp. All can be overcome, however, with a mix of creativity, patience, and decision-making—resulting in a fun, memorable, and maybe even productive summer.

Making sure that kids’ days are happy and filled with myriad activities when school is out equates to parents having their own peaceful days. So, make a plan soon, as many camps are nearing capacity, even in early May. Fortunately, the options for keeping everyone busy are bountiful in Tidewater—from camps that appeal to kids who prefer performing to those who thrive in the water to those who would rather experience a variety of activities.

For kids who aren’t interested in camp, just living in Tidewater presents

14 | JEWISH NEWS | Summer | May 9, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

a multitude of ways to pass a summer’s day. After all, this region is a tourist destination for all ages and it is filled with hidden gems—places to ride bikes, take hikes, swim, sit and tan, museum-hop, or sightsee.

Speaking of museums, a visit to The Chrysler should include a walk through the magnificent exhibition: The Guiding Hand: The Barr Foundation Collection of Torah Pointers. Clay Barr’s yad collection is extensive, artful, and simply, a mustsee. The exhibit runs through August 14.

Take a stroll through First Landing Park in Virginia Beach and be totally surrounded by nature. At some points on the trail, you’ll even forget you’re in Tidewater. The same can be said for hiking areas in Newport News Park or the trails behind the Mariner’s Museum or the Living Museum, both in Newport News.

And, there’s still time to catch some of the Virginia Arts Festival performances. Through May 22, for example, the Festival is offering free performances of Bandaloop, Internationally Acclaimed Sky Dancers performing off of the Wells Fargo Building in Downtown Norfolk.

If looking up isn’t your thing, consider competing in the Fishing Derby at the Sandler Family Campus.

Learn more about that on page 21.

Whatever your choice for camps for the kids, outdoor activities, or cultural entertainment, Tidewater offers plenty of options. This year, just don’t get shut out…make a plan now!

Summer

Camp is back!

No time left to hesitate– register now for camp

S

ummer 2022 is only weeks away and camps around town and the country, for that matter, are preparing to welcome campers.

Camp JCC, according to Dave Flagler, the camp’s director, is gearing up for an amazing experience.

“Excitement about Camp JCC within the Tidewater community is high, which is reflected in Camp JCC being nearly sold out, earlier than ever before,” says Flagler.

In fact, several groups already have waiting lists, notes Flagler.

A few spots in particular sessions, however, are still available.

Camp JCC is for kids ages four through teens. Weekly sessions run from June 21 through August 12. For fees, extended care options, details about each week of camp, and to register, go to campjcc.org, or call the camp office at 757-321-2306 or Dave Flagler at 757-452-3182.

“Be sure to register today to not miss out on the summer fun that is talked about all year!” says Flagler.

Summer Camp Session 1 June 20th- July 1st Session 2 July 5th -15th Session 3 July 18th- 29th Session 4 August 1st- 12th

Sababa Beachaway is a co-ed Jewish sleepaway camp where young people can make friends, relax and ride the waves. At Sababa, we surf, sail, scuba dive and have a blast at the beach. Our campers have a chance to live Sababa, tackle new experiences, be inspired and find their passion. info@sabababeachaway.org • www.sabababeachaway.org

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SABABA BEACHAWAY • JEWISH CAMP AT THE BEACH jewishnewsva.org | May 9, 2022 | Summer | JEWISH NEWS | 15

Leaving a Legacy in Jewish Tidewater

TIDEWATER JEWISH FOUNDATION

Leia Morrissey receives Stein Family Scholarship from TJF Thomas Mills

T Throughout my life, I have always been involved in Jewish organizations and stayed connected to Israel. Over the years I have learned that synagogues change, leaders change, and people change and that without our Jewish identity we have nothing.

I take great pride in being able to gift a life insurance policy to the Jewish community that has meant so much to me throughout my lifetime.

- Dr. Herman Mallick*

Dr. Herman Mallick* gifted a Life Insurance Policy to support TJF’s Community Impact Grants. What will your legacy be?

Define your legacy with a gift to endow the Jewish community so future generations have the opportunity to embrace our shared heritage and the values you hold dear.

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Contact us for your free guide: tjfinfo@ujft.org | 757-965-6111 foundation.jewishva.org

he annual Stein Family College Scholarship of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation is awarded this year to Leia Morrissey, a soon-to-be graduate of Granby High School in Norfolk.

Morrissey is the 15th recipient of the four-year scholarship, which provides up to $20,000 per year to a Jewish student in Tidewater. The scholarship was established in 2009 in memory of Arlene Stein, who did not complete college because of financial hardship. Arlene passed away in 2007 and Jerry Stein, her beloved husband, in 2014. TJF works closely with the Stein family each year to administer the scholarship.

“I am beyond honored to receive the Stein Family Scholarship,” says Morrissey. “‘I’m going to never not appreciate it.

I’ll continue earning it by doing well in college and making everyone back home proud.”

For Morrissey, the journey to making her loved ones proud begins at the University of Virginia School of Architecture.

“I’ve always been interested in architecture, but it’s only recently that I was interested in it as a career,” says Morrissey.

“It wasn’t until 10th grade when I took an art history class and part of that included architecture and learning about it. The more I researched, and the more I learned about it, the more I wanted to do it.”

Thanks to the Stein Family Scholarship, Morrissey will be able to attend UVA without a massive financial burden.

“It really was the last puzzle piece for me figuring out my college situation because I really wanted to go to UVA,” says Morrissey. “But it’s expensive and I hadn’t gotten any substantial scholarships or financial aid yet. So, to get this, I was finally able to commit to UVA and pursue my education there.”

In addition to her passion for architecture, Morrissey is involved with both her school and the community. At Granby

16 | JEWISH NEWS | Summer | May 9, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

High School, she’s the deputy drum major for the marching band, forensics team captain, and the co-editor of the school’s literary magazine, the Cupola. A member of Ohef Sholom Temple, Morrissey has held various leadership positions with Ohef Sholom Temple’s Youth Group, including serving as president from 2019 to 2020.

“I’ve been a member of the youth group since my bat mitzvah,” says Morrissey.

“We do lots of community service for our temple, the Jewish community in the area, and the community of Ghent where Ohef Sholom Temple is located.”

Dmitry Gotkis

“The Stein Family Scholarship will definitely help with being able to afford to go to college. I’ve gotten the resources and help I’ve needed from the Tidewater Jewish Foundation to be able to kick start this journey.”

Morrissey is also a lead assistant at Ohef Sholom Temple’s Hebrew School, where she helps students learn Hebrew.

“I’ve been enjoying volunteering and teaching these kids,” says Morrissey.

“Hebrew requires a little more patience and time. But it’s really rewarding to see these kids progress and help them learn

Leia Morrissey.

the prayers and become ready for their own bar and bat mitzvahs.”

Now, with the Stein Family Scholarship in hand, Morrissey is preparing for her journey at UVA. “The Stein Family Scholarship will definitely help with being able to afford to go to college,” says Morrissey. “I’ve gotten the resources and help I’ve needed from the Tidewater Jewish Foundation to be able to kick start this journey.”

Prior recipients of the scholarship include Morgan Conley (Brandeis University ’13), Eric Smith (University of Virginia ’14), Marissa Arager (George Mason University ’15), Avi Malkin (College of William and Mary ’16), Dinar Yusufov (James Madison University ’17), Amanda Gladstone (Virginia Tech ’18), Dana Cohen (Virginia Tech ’19), Brett Pomerantz (Virginia Tech ’20), Sydney Levine (University of Virginia ’21), and Lucie Waldman (Old Dominion University), Faith White (Kent State University ’23), Emily Myers (Shenandoah University, ‘24), and Danial Watts (Virginia Tech ‘25).

For more information and to apply for next year’s Stein Family College Scholarship, contact Ann Swindell, Tidewater Jewish Foundation donor relations and grant manager, at aswindell@ujft.org or 757-965-6111.

SIMON FAMILY JCC

Tom Purcell competing for Mr. Health and Fitness

ARTURO O’FARRILL and THE AFRO LATIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA MAY 20, 7:30 PM

SANDLER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, VIRGINIA BEACH

Tom Purcell (center) with the Life Fit group class.

M

uscle and Fitness magazine’s Mr. Health and Fitness competition is underway with the Simon Family JCC’s Tom Purcell a strong competitor.

Purcell, the JCC’s Wellness and Fitness director, says “My goal each day is to help others obtain good health.”

A 56-year-old personal trainer who has run more than 100 half and full marathons, Purcell has been at the Simon Family JCC for six years.

The winner of the competition will be awarded $20,000. When asked about his plans for the money if he wins, Purcell says, “At the Simon Family JCC we help so many different types of people. We are a nonprofit organization that provides a wide variety of services to our

community—seniors, student athletes, families. Our entire mission is to provide for and help others, to heal the world. We will find a way to make good use of the prize to help even more people!”

Each vote costs $1, with that money going to Homes for Wounded Warriors, whose mission is to provide financial assistance and support to injured United States military veterans by building and remodeling handicap accessible homes.

Purchased votes for Tom Purcell help the magazine donate to this cause.

Voting ends on Thursday, May 12 at 7 pm, PDT. To vote, go to: https://featured.muscleandfitness.com/2022/tom-purcel.

This program funded in part by the citizens of Virginia Beach through a grant from the Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission

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jewishnewsva.org | May 9, 2022 | JEWISH NEWS | 17

IT’S A WRAP

Mah Jongg is back after a two-year absence Marcia Futterman Brodie

S

ince its inception in 2011, Beth Sholom Village’s The Janet Gordon Annual Mah Jongg Event and Luncheon never missed a year…until COVID-19 hit.

An event that Mah Jongg playing women

Ellyn Mae Friedman and Helen Laibstain.

have looked forward to and enjoyed, it has evolved from a tournament with competitive play to a day of play with a smaller group of die-hard tournament players.

As with almost every social event, The Mah Jongg event was canceled for two years due to COVID-19. One of the two years, a virtual event (without the Mah Jongg) was held to raise money for BSV. Excitement over holding the event again on Sunday, April 3 and bringing friends back together was hard to contain.

Still, changes were made due to COVID-19. The first difficult change was to move the event off-campus and to the Hyatt Place Virginia Beach Town Center. This was done to to protect BSV’s most vulnerable population from the pandemic,

Beth Sholom Village thanks the sponsors and donors who helped make the tournament a successful day.

Luncheon Sponsor ($5,000) Daniel and Janet* Gordon Philanthropic Fund Year of the Tiger Sponsors ($1,000+) APC Paper Company—ProAmpac Altmeyer Funeral Homes Beskin Divers Insurance Group Buckingham Strategic Wealth Butler Paper Recycling, Inc. Friedman Associates Harbor Group International Hyatt Place Virginia Beach Town Center Wall, Einhorn, Chernitzer, P.C. Table Sponsors ($300+) Rachel & David Abraham Auxiliary of Beth Sholom Village Brith Sholom Center of Virginia Karen & Mark Gilbert Laura & Keith Goldstein Jeri Jo & William Halprin Dana & Larry Patish PayDay Payroll

Strelitz International Academy Contributing Sponsors ($150+) Stephanie & Randall Banks Beach Hardware (Sharon & Mark Goldner) Barbara Gordon Jewish Family Service of Tidewater Joan & Ken Johnson Martha Kline Tina & Doug Moses SoupLove (Amy Markman) Fay & Charlie Silverman Rebecca & Jeffrey Tall General Donation Sponsors Elise Berkowitz Sylvia Kaplan Janet Kass Emmy Lou Kreger Elayne Littman Marcia Lovitz Ellen & Bryan Mesh Shelley Saunders *of blessed memory

18 | JEWISH NEWS | May 9, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

Rachel Abraham and Dana Patish, co-chairs of The Mah Jongg Event.

as it was deemed unsafe to have more than 100 people enter the building for several hours.

“While the fantastic decorations of the past that transformed the lobby and halls of BSV were missed, the setting of the Hyatt Place at Town Center was lovely and accommodating,” says Amy Weinstein, BSV’s director of philanthropy.

The Auxiliary Gift Shop set up a Pop-Up Shop in the hotel’s lobby and sold a lot of purses, dresses, and jewelry, and “we brought life-sized posters of some of our beautiful residents so players could remember the reason BSV has this fundraising event,” she says.

“We are so appreciative to the Gordon Family for their support,” says Weinstein. ”It was delightful to see so many new and old friends of Beth Sholom together.

I also want to again thank our dedicated committee, without whom, this event would not be possible. Co-chairs Rachel Abraham and Dana Patish, and committee members Stephanie Banks, Lauren Barkan, Abby Friedman, Sharon Goldner, Joan Johnson, Rachel Krupnick, Rebecca Tall, Carin Simon.”

Seasoned players were able to spend time together and women new to the game formed groups and enjoyed the day.

BSV’s catering staff brought its wellknown delicious food to the hotel, and attendees were excited to enjoy the stuffed mushrooms, salmon, chicken, and parfait dessert.

Bill Halprin, BSV Board of Directors’ first vice president and Amy Weinstein, BSV director of philanthropy.

Millie Cohen and Anetta Mantel.

First time players: Sheryl Markowitz, Barbara Kahn, Marci Danzing and Beth Fisher.

Shari Patish, Tina Moses, Sharon Leach, and RosaLee Aftel.

IT’S A WRAP

Senior Seder returns with appreciative participants Robin Ford

M

ore than 40 seniors enjoyed matzah and music as they celebrated Passover at a festive community Seder at the Simon Family JCC on Tuesday, April 12.

Chazzan David Proser of KBH Senior Seder at the Simon Family JCC. Synagogue led a beautiful model Seder with the musical accompaniment of Dave Flagler, JCC’s director of camp and teen engagement. Staff and volunteers from United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, JCC, and Jewish Family Service served and assisted throughout the entire Seder.

After a long two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, this year’s annual Senior Seder was especially meaningful. Chazzan Ken and Audre Piratzky enjoy the Senior Seder program.

Proser, while reflecting on the resilience of the Jewish people, made certain to acknowledge the wisdom and experience of the seniors sitting in the room. He encouraged everyone attending to discuss and honor his or her own Seder memories.

Each year something new is learned from the Senior Seder and this year, more than ever, there was the reminder of what it means to strengthen the community and to welcome and serve friends and neighbors.

The event was made possible with the support of the Joseph Fleischmann Memorial Fund and all of the dedicated volunteers.

To learn more about future senior adult activities or to suggest an idea for an event, contact Robin Ford at 757-321-2304, rford@ujft.org or www.jewishva.org/seniors.

All of the tables featured frames with pictures of past Seders. On this table, Joseph Fleischmann’s photograph taken at a past Senior Seder, is prominently displayed. His memorial fund paid for a huge portion of the program.

Please join us as we bid a fond farewell to

Rabbi Arthur & Miriam Brunn-Ruberg

JUNE 11, 2022 SHABBAT MORNING SERVICES 9:45 AM FESTIVE LUNCHEON TO FOLLOW Please email or mail a tribute to the Rubergs by June 1st to be included in a scrapbook for their enjoyment to: ronnie@bethelnorfolk.com

Please RSVP to sandy@bethelnorfolk.com as it helps with food count and security.

ALL ARE WELCOME! jewishnewsva.org | May 9, 2022 | JEWISH NEWS | 19

WHAT’S HAPPENING Lag B’Omer

Jewish American Heritage Month celebrated in May

Thursday, May 19 Family Fun, 5 pm Happy Hour (21+), 6:30 pm

B

y Presidential Proclamation every year since 2006, May is Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) in recognition of the indelible contributions Jewish Americans have made, and continue to make, to America’s history, culture, and society.

The Weitzman leads this national effort with the support of more than 120 organizations around the country who are discovering, exploring, and celebrating the vibrant and varied American Jewish experience from the dawn of the nation to the present day.

Spread the word and join in the celebration! Visit JewishAmericanHeritage.org to learn more.

J Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

A Proclamation on Jewish American Heritage Month, 2022 In 1654, a small ship carrying 23 Jewish refugees sailed into the port of present-day New York City. Fleeing oppression and discrimination, these courageous women and men faced resistance from the colony’s leaders. Nevertheless, they secured the right to remain and became the first Jewish communal presence to settle on American soil. In so doing, they expanded the frontier of religious freedoms that would help define the bedrock principles upon which this Nation was built. During Jewish American Heritage Month, we honor these 23 refugees and the centuries of successive generations of Jewish Americans, who — shaped by their own encounters with prejudice, persecution, and the promise of a better tomorrow — have emboldened our Nation to stand up for justice, equality, and freedom.

The story of America was written, in part, by Jewish Americans who, through their words and actions, embraced the opportunity and responsibility of citizenship knowing full well that democracy is not born, nor sustained, by accident. Inspired by Jewish American communal leadership, our Nation’s first President pledged that our Government will “give to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.” Inspired by Jewish American poetry, our shores have welcomed millions with the words “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.” Throughout our country’s history, Jewish Americans have proudly served our Nation in uniform, in elected office, and on our Nation’s highest courts. They have made enormous contributions to America’s cultural, scientific, artistic, and intellectual life, and they have marched, petitioned, and boarded buses to demand civil and political rights for all—from women’s rights to voting rights to workers’ rights.

Today, we continue to strive to live up to our founding ideals. As the scourge of white supremacy and antisemitic violence rises, my Administration remains committed to ensuring that hate has no safe harbor. That is why we have created new laws that give us more tools to combat hate crimes; developed the first-ever National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism; provided assistance to religious organizations, places of worship, and nonprofits to protect their facilities and members; and named a new Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. My Administration will use the full force of our judicial system to confront bigotry and antisemitism wherever and whenever it surfaces.

The Jewish American story, and the story of our Nation as a whole, is fueled by faith, resilience, and hope. It is a story defined by a firm belief in possibilities, the resolve to make real the promise of America for all Americans, and a commitment to perfecting our Union, heeding the timeless words of Rabbi Tarfon, the first-century scholar who taught “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.”

Three-hundred and sixty-eight years after those 23 brave Jewish refugees arrived in America, Jewish Americans continue to help our country thrive and prosper. This month, we honor the timeless traditions, heritage, and contributions of Jewish Americans that drive our progress as a Nation each and every day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2022 as Jewish American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to visit JewishHeritageMonth.gov to learn more about the heritage and contributions of Jewish Americans and to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of April, in the year two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

20 | JEWISH NEWS | May 9, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

oin YAD and Chabad of Tidewater for a night of socializing, networking, relaxing, and celebration of Lag B’Omer in the new Marty Einhorn Pavilion at the Sandler Family Campus. Kosher BBQ graciously provided by Chabad of Tidewater.

For details, email mkmorning@ujft.org.

Community Genizah Burial Sunday, May 22

I

f you have Shaimos that you would like to dispose of, please be in touch with Matthew Kramer-Morning at mkmorning@ ujft.org for instructions on drop off at the Sandler Family Campus the week of May 16. Collections will then be buried in Mikro Kodesh Cemetery.

Beth El to bid farewell to Rabbi Arthur and Miriam Brunn-Ruberg Saturday, June 11 9:45 am

S

habbat morning services at Congregation Beth El will include a ‘fond farewell’ to Rabbi Rabbi Arthur and Arthur and Miriam Miriam Brunn-Ruberg.

Brunn-Ruberg on Saturday, June 11.

A festive luncheon will follow.

RSVP to sandy@bethelnorfolk.com.

CALENDAR MAY 15, SUNDAY

Simon Family Legacy Celebration. 4 pm, Sandler Family Campus. RSVP is required to attend. For more information, contact Kim King at kking@ujft.org or 757-965-6103.

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.

WHAT’S HAPPENING B’nai Israel’s Annual Ann Zukerman Scholar in Residence with Rabbi Tzvi Flaum Thursday, May 19–Saturday, May 21

R

abbi Tzvi Flaum has been involved in women’s collegiate education for more than 50 years. He currently serves as the Dean of Religion at the Landers College of Touro in Manhattan, as well as a professor of the honors courses dealing with both Judaic Studies and Medical Ethics.

After retiring from the world-famous Congregation Kneseth Israel, he founded The Torah Studies Network, which offers shiurim for hundreds of members of the Jewish community of the Five Towns each week. Rabbi Flaum has also served as chairman of the Vaad HaRabonim of Far Rockaway and Lawrence and as a medical ethicist, is an expert and Posek regarding difficult issues concerning the creation of human life and the treatment of terminally ill patients. Rabbi Flaum teaches seminary courses at the newly established Nachas Art Academy and Seminary founded with his

THURSDAY, MAY 19 Lag B’omer: The Eternal Optimism of Rebbe Akiva, 8:15 pm Light refreshments.

FRIDAY, MAY 20 Kabbolas Shabbos Words of Inspiration,7 pm SATURDAY, MAY 21 Shabbos Shacharis, 8:45 am Sermon followed by Kiddush, 11:00 am The Mitzvah of Yishuv Eretz Yisroel

Rabbi Tzvi Flaum.

wife, Rebbetzin Naomi N. Herzberg-Flaum.

All events will take place at B’nai Israel, with classes open to men and women. The schedule is subject to change.

Shabbos Afternoon, 5:00 pm Q&A following class and at sholosh seudos 21st Century Genetic Engineering: A Halachic and Hashkafic Perspective of Reproductive Technology, Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Therapy, COVID Vaccine Technology and Crisper Technology

Reel ’em in at the Annual Fishing Derby Sunday, May 22, 1–4 pm, Sandler Family Campus

A

nglers get that gear ready for the Simon Family JCC’s Catch and Release Fishing Derby at Lake Sandler. This is the one day of the year that the public is invited to the Sandler Family Campus to fish on its private lake and compete for great prizes.

An all-ages competition, the Annual Fishing

• Live in Virginia, with priority to those from the Hampton Roads area • Accepted to study at a Virginia based institution • Be entering a field of medicine, dentistry, Physician Assistant, nursing as LPN, RN or Nurse Practitioner; pharmacy or physical therapy; ancillary medical professions, and all those who will be comforted and cared for as a result Zane Josi.

Jewish News

Kevin and Fischer Collier.

The Tidewater Jewish Foundation can help with the Feldman Family Medical and Health Professions Student Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to Virginia Jewish students who have been accepted at a Virginia based institution for a degree in their chosen healthcare field.

Scholarship applicants must: • Must identify as Jewish

Derby is equally fun for avid fishermen as for first-timers.

Shore cast for largemouth bass, catfish, and blue gills in this catch-and-release experience. Prizes are given every hour for biggest fish in three age groups. (Under 9, 10-55, and over 56.)

Lifejackets, bait, lures, and light snacks will be available. A raffle and prizes will be given every hour. Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Entry fee of $10 per angler includes use of the Simon Family JCC for the entire day.

For sign-up or questions, visit the JCC Front Desk, or call 757-321-2308.

ARE YOU READY TO START YOUR MEDICAL CAREER?

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Due by July 1, 2022

jewishnewsva.org | May 9, 2022 | JEWISH NEWS | 21

OBITUARIES THELMA FAY LAZERNICK VIRGINIA BEACH—Thelma Fay Goldman Lazernick passed away April 20, 2022, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Thelma was born in Norfolk, Va., January 27, 1928, to Solomon and Fannie Swersky Goldman. She grew up in the Ghent section of Norfolk and graduated from Maury High School. She attended the Norfolk Division of William and Mary College (precursor to Old Dominion University) and received her RN from the Sinai Hospital School of Nursing in Baltimore, Maryland, where she met and married Albert Lazernick. After residing in Maryland for several years, she and Albert returned to Norfolk where they raised their six children. Thelma worked as a private duty nurse for almost 40 years, often helping patients and their families spend their last days at home rather than in a hospital or nursing facility.

In addition to her parents, Thelma was predeceased by her husband Albert, sister

Irene, brothers Eugene, Harold, Mickey, Paul, and Jack, as well as her sons Eugene, Steven, and Lee. Left to cherish her memory is daughter Marlie (David) and sons Brad (Judy) and Ernie (Joe). She is also survived by grandchildren Ryan, Samara, Josh, Jenny, Mandy, Isaac, Shayna, and Jacob, as well as a host of great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A graveside service was conducted at Forest Lawn Cemetery. The service was live streamed.

Donations in Thelma’s memory may be made to the Beth Sholom Home of Eastern Virginia, 6401 Auburn Drive, Virginia Beach, VA, 23464; Congregation Beth El, 422 Shirley Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23517; or the Alzheimer’s Association of Southeastern Virginia. The family wishes to extend their heartfelt appreciation to all the staff at Beth Sholom for the wonderful care they extended to Thelma over the years.

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22 | JEWISH NEWS | May 9, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org

BARBARA HORNSTEIN LEVINSON BREIT WASHINGTON, DC—On Friday, April 22, 2022, Barbara Horstein Levinson Breit, age 91, of Silver Spring, Md., formerly of Portsmouth, Va., passed peacefully surrounded by her family.

Barbara, a lifetime member of Gomley Chesed Synagogue, spent most of her life in Portsmouth, moving in her later years to be closer to her family in Maryland.

Preceded in death by her husband, Morton Levinson, and their daughter, Merle, and her second husband, Harvey Breit, she leaves to cherish her memory, her children, Leon (Beverly) Levinson, Carol Levinson, Roslyn (Robert) Black, her grandchildren, Sara (Craig) Eidelman, Andi (Jason) Kristall, Jamie (Jared) Maier, Stacey (Andrew) Watson, Mitchell (Diana) Black, and her most beloved great-grandchildren, Tanner, Jenna, Ross, Reese, Frankie, Levi, Jack, Sophie, Abigail, Eliana and Logan. Her family was her greatest legacy.

Graveside funeral services were held at Gomley Chesed Cemetery in Portsmouth.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Bender JCC of Greater Washington Inclusion Camp, www.benderjccgw.org or to Main Street Connect, www.mainstreetconnect.org. May her memory be for a blessing. Arrangements entrusted to Torchinsky Hebrew Funeral Home, Washington, DC. SURA GOLDNER Sura Goldner passed away on April 21, 2022.

Predeceased by her spouse Dr. Martin Goldner. She is survived by her children, Kim Cohen (Daniel), Lance Goldner, Mark Goldner (Sharon).

A funeral was held in Suffolk at Holly Lawn Cemetery with Rabbi Roz Mandleberg officiating.

MIMI REINHARD, JEWISH SECRETARY WHO TYPED UP SCHINDLER’S LIST SAVING HERSELF AND OTHER JEWS (JTA)—Mimi Reinhard had studied literature and languages as an undergraduate before World War II. But it was a course in shorthand that saved her life.

Reinhard was imprisoned at the

Plaszow concentration camp outside of Krakow when she was chosen, due to her excellent German and shorthand skills, to work as a secretary instead of being sent to perform hard labor. That assignment would save her life when she went on to type up the list of Jews to be saved by Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist later named a “righteous among the gentiles” for his efforts to save the approximately 1,200 Jews who worked for him.

When Reinhard typed up that list, her own name would be on it.

Reinhard died Tuesday, April 6 at 107 in Israel, where she moved in 2007 to be near her son, Sacha Weitman, then a professor at Tel Aviv University.

Reinhard was born Carmen Weitman in 1915 in Vienna, where she studied literature at the University of Vienna.

After meeting her husband, a man from Krakow, the couple moved in 1936 to Poland, where their son was born three years later, just three months before the war broke out.

Her husband was killed in Krakow, but Reinhard survived the war with the rest of “Schindler’s Jews” despite their harrowing journey from Plaszow through Auschwitz and finally to Czechoslovakia.

The group was liberated in 1945 and Reinhard and her son, who had survived the war in Hungary, moved to New York.

Reinhard remembered Schindler as a “mensch” in an interview with Haaretz shortly after her move to Israel.

“I wanted to go with Schindler, because of his reputation, but there were a lot of people who didn’t want to be on that list,” she said. “It was a gamble as far as we were concerned. To go with Schindler was no guarantee of anything. We didn’t believe that Schindler would really succeed in saving us. He was just taking us to a different camp. Who knew? We took a chance only because we believed in Schindler.”

OBITUARIES REMEMBERING NEAL ADAMS, A COMIC BOOK LEGEND WHO CHAMPIONED HOLOCAUST AWARENESS Rafael Medoff

(JTA)—Comic artist Neal Adams, who passed away at age 80 in New York City on April 28, is best known for having revolutionized Batman and other iconic comic book characters for both the DC and Marvel brands. But Adams himself was also a fearless crusader: He battled comics publishers for the rights of artists and writers, rescued Superman’s Jewish creators from abject poverty and campaigned for a Holocaust survivor to regain portraits she painted in Auschwitz.

Adams, who was born in New York City in 1941 and spent much of his childhood on a U.S. military base in postwar Germany where his father was stationed, was not Jewish. But he had a strong interest in the Holocaust, both because of his childhood memories from Germany and because his mother-in-law was a Jewish refugee from Nazi-occupied Poland who helped the Polish Embassy in Morocco design counterfeit documents for other Jews fleeing from the Nazis.

In 1967, Adams began drawing for DC Comics, the publisher of Batman and Superman and, a few years later, for Marvel Comics, home of Spider-Man and the X-Men. Under Adams’ pen, superheroes who previously were drawn in exaggerated, cartoonish ways, took on a new, powerfully realistic appearance. Sales of Adams-drawn comics skyrocketed.

Adams’s first dive into public controversy came about by accident. During a visit to the DC production room in 1969, he chanced upon a staff member cutting up pages of original comic book art.

“I could not believe they were destroying this beautiful artwork,” Adams said later. He launched a campaign to convince DC to recognize the art as the property of the artists and return it to them after publication. After seven years of protesting, lobbying and cajoling, both DC and Marvel gave in to Adams’s demand. The sale of original art has since become an important supplementary revenue stream for traditionally low-paid comic book artists.

Jewish artists, writers, and editors have played major roles in the comic book industry from its earliest days, starting with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the Jewish teenagers from Cleveland who created Superman in 1938. They sold the rights to the Man of Steel to DC (then National Periodicals) for $130 and a 10-year work contract.

When Adams met them in 1971, Siegel was working as a clerk and Shuster, nearly blind, was sleeping on a cot in a relative’s apartment. Shocked to hear that Superman’s creators could not even afford tickets to see the Broadway play based on their character, Adams led a campaign to pressure DC “to just do the right thing already,” as he put it. The publicity he generated eventually convinced the publisher to give Siegel and Shuster a modest pension and health care coverage.

In 2006, Adams took up the cause of Dina Babbitt, a Czech Jewish artist seeking the return of portraits that she had been forced to paint in Auschwitz by the infamous “Angel of Death,” Dr. Josef Mengele. The Auschwitz-Birkenau museum, which acquired eight of the portraits after the war, claimed ownership.

“The fundamental principle that art belongs to the artist who created it is recognized everywhere except in totalitarian countries,” Adams and other comic book figures wrote in a petition, which echoed Adams’ earlier fight for the return of comic book art. “Mrs. Babbitt has suffered enough. We implore you to do the right thing and give her back her paintings.”

Adams helped mobilize more than 450 comic book artists and writers to sign the petition.

“Sadly, despite Neal’s best efforts, the museum never returned the paintings,” said comics creators advocate J. David Spurlock, who worked with Adams and former Marvel Comics chief Stan Lee on the campaign.

Adams drew a comic strip about Babbitt’s plight, which was published by Marvel Comics, and then later adapted into an animated short for a DVD of Holocaust-related stories created by Disney Educational Productions. Subsequently Adams, together with comics historian Craig Yoe and myself, coauthored a

book, We Spoke Out: Comic Books and the Holocaust, which showed how comic book stories about the Nazi genocide played a pioneering role in Holocaust education in the 1950s and 1960s.

In the course of my collaboration with Adams on these projects, we had the opportunity for many conversations about comic books as a vehicle for Holocaust education, something that Adams strongly

advocated. He said his Holocaust-related efforts were “some of the most meaningful work [he] ever did.” Considering the breadth and impact of Adams’s career, that was saying a lot.

Rafael Medoff is founding director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies and author of more than 20 books about Jewish history and the Holocaust.

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24 | JEWISH NEWS | May 9, 2022 | jewishnewsva.org