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Southeastern Virginia | Vol. 58 No. 19 | 21 Tammuz 5780 | July 13, 2020
Konikoff Center for Learning launches with Avraham Infeld
6 Israel Fellows at Virginia universities
Thursday, July 23, 12 pm
8
—page 26
Tidewater women ‘travel’ to Minsk and Sofia
25 SIA holds graduation in the parking lot
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Senate amendment would ban US funding used for annexation
Survey finds Israelis split on annexing West Bank territory
Ron Kampeas
Marcy Oster
WASHINGTON ( JTA)—Proposed legislation from a prominent Democratic senator would ban U.S. assistance to Israel from being used to annex parts of the West Bank. The amendment to a funding bill introduced earlier this month by Sen. Chris Van. Hollen, D-Md., a member of the foreign operations subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, would not allow aid used to “deploy or support the deployment of United States defense articles, services or training to territories in the West Bank unilaterally annexed by Israel after July 1, 2020, or to facilitate the unilateral annexation of such territories.” Other notable members of the Democratic caucus sponsoring the amendment include former presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. AIPAC is vigorously opposing the amendment. “It’s dangerous to weaken Israel’s defenses, especially as it faces unprecedented threats,” the Israel lobby wrote in a message to its activists. “An amendment in the Senate restricts where Israel can place lifesaving missile defense systems like Iron Dome.” Van Hollen in an online conversation with J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East lobby, said he was considering such an amendment as a means of expressing displeasure with plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex parts of the West Bank while not touching Israel’s overall defense assistance, which amounts to $3.8 billion a year. A number of progressive Democrats in the House and Senate have said they want to reduce or eliminate aid to Israel if it goes ahead with annexation. “The U.S.-Israel relationship “will continue to be unbreakable in the sense the United States will always stand up for the security of the state of Israel,” Van Hollen told J Street. “There is a difference between ‘We’re not going to provide assistance if there is annexation’ and saying ‘The dollars of the United States cannot go toward unilateral annexation.’ It’s important to draw the line with respect to those dollars being used to advance unilateral annexation.
Contents
Upfront . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Board of Rabbis & Cantors commit to combating racism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Israel Fellows at Virginia universities bond with students. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tidewater women visit Minsk and Sofia — virtually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Democrats and Republicans woo Jewish swing voters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Special Section: Legal Matters in the Jewish Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israeli public opinion is split on whether the government should annex parts of the West Bank and which territory should be included, a survey found. The Israeli Voice Index for June 2020, a monthly survey conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute, found that 24.5 percent of Israelis support applying sovereignty to all of the West Bank; 14 percent support applying sovereignty to the West Bank settlement blocs; 8 percent support applying sovereignty to just the Jordan Valley; and 25 percent oppose applying sovereignty to any part of the West Bank. Some 28.5 percent responded that they don’t know. When asked if Israel should still apply sovereignty if it is conditioned on the establishment of a Palestinian state, 49 percent of survey respondents said it should, and 38 percent said it should not. Some 55 percent of respondents said that there is a low or very low chance that Israel will go ahead with plans to annex parts of the West Bank this year. On the coronavirus pandemic, respondents gave the government a grade of 5.4 for its handling of the crisis, where 10 is excellent. Meanwhile, some 56 percent of respondents said they felt President Donald Trump is better for Israel’s interests than Democratic challenger Joe Biden, while 16 percent favored Biden. Twenty-eight percent said they did not know. The survey was conducted between June 28 and June 30, and interviewed 609 men and women in Hebrew and 149 in Arabic. The survey has a sampling error of plus or minus 3.7 percent.
About the cover: Avraham Infeld, Konikoff Center for Learning’s inaugural speaker.
Strelitz International Academy holds graduation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Konikoff Center for Learning to engage, educate, empower, and inspire . . . . . . 26 Avraham Infeld, first guest speaker for Konikoff Center for Learning . . . . . . . 26 Camp JCC In the Cloud . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 TJF welcomes Naomi Sedek, new CEO and president. . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Carl Reiner remembered. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Who Knew?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
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“Is it possible to be unified even without being uniform?” —page 26
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BRIEFS 3-D printed steaks? An Israeli startup will test them out in high-end restaurants Trying to capitalize on the fast-growing global market for meat alternatives, an Israeli startup company has created a plant-based steak using a 3-D printer. Redefine Meat announced that it would begin testing its vegan steaks in high-end restaurants ahead of a more large-scale distribution. The company makes what it calls Alt-Steak with industrial-scale 3-D food printers using its plant-based formulations. By printing with multiple materials, Redefine says it can create “sustainable, high-protein, no-cholesterol steaks that look, cook, and taste like beef.” The product has a 95 percent smaller environmental impact than producing actual beef, the company says. Redefine plans to sell its 3-D meat printers and alt-meat formulations to restaurants beginning in 2021. The restaurants can print steaks to be softer or harder, or juicier with less fat. The worldwide market for meat alternatives is expected to reach $140 billion annually, according to the company. Redefine, based in Rehovot in Israel, says that its products “are designed to appeal to the world’s hundreds of millions of ‘flexitarians’ or ‘conscious carnivores’ who seek to reduce their meat consumption, often as part of their personal sustainability efforts.” (JTA) Next up for Saturday Night Seder: Raising money for Jews for Racial and Economic Justice The original broadcast raised more than $3 million for coronavirus relief efforts. Now, the creators of Saturday Night Seder are selling singles of some of the show’s memorable songs to raise money for a Jewish social justice organization. Jews for Racial and Economic Justice will get the proceeds from sales of When You Believe and Next Year, two songs from the home-taped Passover special that aired in April. The creators said they chose JFREJ because of the Black Lives Matter
4 | Jewish News | July 13, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org
movement that has become reinvigorated since then. “In Judaism, there’s a principle called Tikkun Olam which means to repair the broken world and to be of service to people, and so in this current moment of Black Lives Matter and to continue with that spirit of service, it was about how we could use our Tikkun Olam,” Shaina Taub, who co-wrote Next Year, told Variety. She added about JFREJ, “They’re an organization that really believes in Jewish people standing up as allies, for other marginalized communities.” (Taub was arrested on the front steps of her New York City apartment building during one protest in early June.) The event’s creators are waging an Emmy bid right now, and executive producer Benj Pasek told Variety that some kind of encore production could be possible. Earlier this year, Pasek wrote in a piece for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he hoped that a new model for supporting Jewish art would emerge after the pandemic. (JTA)
US ambassador’s residence in Israel for sale: $87 million The U.S. Embassy in Israel has put the ambassador’s official residence up for sale and stands to sell it for a record-breaking price. The asking price for the home in Herzliya, which has a spectacular view of the Mediterranean Sea, is 300 million shekels, or $87 million, the Israeli business daily Globes reported. If the embassy gets its asking price, it would exceed the record set in January when Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich bought an estate in central Israel for a record $64.5 million. The 11,000-square-foot villa built in the 1960s likely would be demolished and a new home built on the desirable property, according to the report. The United States purchased the property in 1962. According to Globes, the embassy said the decision to sell the property is part of the transfer of the U.S. Embassy, and most of its activities, to Jerusalem. The U.S.
ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, lives in “official residences in Jerusalem,” the embassy said. (JTA)
Cyberattack disrupts Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s online gala A suspected cyberattack disrupted a live virtual gala held by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, making it impossible to view for most of the 13,000 people worldwide who had registered. The attack on the fundraiser, which was trying to help the orchestra overcome losses due to COVID-19, crashed the websites of the orchestra and its gala partner, Medici.TV. Shortly after the attack, the orchestra was able to share a replay of the event on its YouTube channel. The full gala is available to view now on YouTube. Oscar winner Helen Mirren hosted a program that included short performances by the orchestra’s new conductor, Lahav Shani, and its musicians, as well as friends of the orchestra including Pinchas Zukerman and Amanda Forsyth, Yefim Bronfman, Itzhak Perlman, Evgeny Kissin, András Schiff, Gil Shaham, Chen Reiss and Martin Frost. “It seems that hackers were determined to silence our message and stamp out our voice, but they will not succeed,” said Danielle Ames Spivak, executive director of American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, which collaborated with the orchestra and the IPO Foundation on the event. “More than ever, we are determined to spread the Israel Philharmonic’s message of hope, peace, and beauty around the world.” No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the alleged cyberattack. (JTA) Jewish groups to NFL star DeSean Jackson: Let us teach you about dangers of anti-Semitism A coalition of Jewish groups say NFL star DeSean Jackson needs an education about “how dangerous and pernicious antisemitism and all forms of hate are”—and the groups say they are willing to teach him.
Earlier this month, Jackson posted quotes on social media attributed to Adolf Hitler and Louis Farrakhan. The Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver removed them a day later and posted an apology following pushback. The Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation and the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition in a joint statement condemned Jackson for the Instagram posts. “Although Mr. Jackson later posted that he ‘has no hate in his heart,’ his amplification of hate-filled messages sent a very different message,” they wrote. “All of the undersigned organizations work in coalitions in our community, foster interfaith and Black-Jewish dialogues, and support all efforts to ensure Philadelphia is safe and welcoming for all. We are willing to work with the Eagles and Mr. Jackson on education and outreach.” One of the two alleged Hitler quotes posted on Monday, July 6, accuses “white Jews” of having a “plan for world domination.” The Snopes website reports that the quote is not attributable to Hitler and appears to have been first published on a “clickbait web site” called FMLGoneViral. com in 2015. On Saturday, July 4 Jackson posted a photo of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan delivering his threehour Fourth of July address in which Farrakhan, who has called Jews “termites” and denounced the “Synagogue of Satan,” repeated canards about Jews. Jackson wrote: “This man powerful I hope everyone got a chance to watch this!! Don’t be blinded. Know what’s going on!!” The Eagles released a statement on Tuesday, July 7 addressing the Instagram posts, saying the team had “spoken with” Jackson about his social media posts, which they called “offensive, harmful, and absolutely appalling.” “They have no place in our society, and are not condoned or supported in any way by the organization,” the team said. (JTA)
Jewish Tidewater
Board of Rabbis and Cantors of Hampton Roads’ Statement of Commitment to Combatting Racism
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Tzedek, tzedek tirdof: “Justice, justice you shall pursue” (Deut. 16:20).
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e, the Jewish faith leaders of Hampton Roads, are appalled not only by the murder of George Floyd on May 25 in Minneapolis, but by the long procession of African-Americans who have been murdered because of the color of their skin. We have been searching our own hearts and struggling to determine our role in the fight against racism. Those of us who are not people of color cannot begin to fathom the pain and frustration of fellow Americans who have suffered under the knee of oppression, by law and by custom, for centuries, to this very day. There’s a lot we don’t know. But we do know this: We are ready. We are ready to listen, learn, and understand. We are ready to grapple with our complicity in the systems that oppress our neighbors of color and to
fight to change them. We are ready to stand alongside our Black and Brown sisters and brothers and demand that all children be fed, housed, educated, and loved. We are ready to fight the irrational pathology that causes people to judge one another on the basis of skin color. We are ready to proclaim that anti-racism is not a zero-sum game, that promoting justice for one group does not cause less justice for another. We are ready to look beyond hashtag slogans and proclaim, in word and in deed, that no life can be said to matter until Black lives matter equally. We are ready, in the metaphor coined by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel during the civil rights movement, to pray with our feet. We are ready to pursue justice alongside you.
Cantor Elihu Flax (President), Beth Sholom Village Rabbi Murray Ezring, Congregation Beth El Cantor Wendi Fried, Congregation Beth El Rabbi Alexander Haber, B’nai Israel Congregation Rabbi Ellen Jaffe-Gill, Tidewater Chavurah Rabbi Marc Kraus, Temple Emanuel Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg, Ohef Sholom Temple
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Bob & Augusta Live Forever
your dollars at work
Israeli Fellows at Virginia Tech provide perspective and an entry point to real-world Judaism
As philanthropists and volunteers, this Virginia Beach couple supported important causes in Hampton Roads. Although Bob Goodman passed away in 2006 and Augusta Goodman in 2017, they help others today because of the charitable bequest they entrusted to the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. Today, their four children carry on Bob and Augusta’s legacy through donor-advised funds that let them recommend grants to help nonprofits do their best work. Thanks to their generosity, Bob and Augusta will forever make life better in their home region. Learn how easy it is to leave your mark on the future by ordering a free bequest guide.
Lisa Richmon
I
t doesn’t take a campus massacre or a pandemic for Virginia Tech students to bond with a charismatic and culturally distinct Israeli fellow, and to connect Jewishly. According to Sue Kurtz, executive director at Virginia Tech Hillel, students are nervous about the world, their careers, and what comes next. Uncertainty is not an American core value, and the pandemic tests students’ tolerance for change and disruption in ways that Israelis have learned to embrace as part of life. An Israeli fellow serves multiple roles. While one is to educate the general student body about the foundation of a Democratic State of Israel, they also get personally involved by sharing stories and inviting candid discussions that free students to open up. “We didn’t have an Israeli fellow on campus after the April 16 shootings in ’07,” says Kurtz. “We got our first fellow the following summer. We’re lucky to have this new and exciting Israeli on campus who is in touch with crisis and uncertainty.”
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Virginia Tech Birthright trip to Israel.
Israel Fellow Dor Kwiatek in Virginia Tech’s Hillel’s kitchen. Kwiatek prepared Passover meals ‘to go’ for more than 50 people who were still on Campus this year. For the remaining of the semester, he prepared traditional Shabbat meals ‘to go’—complete with candles and prayers.
Funded for years by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) Israel Campus Fellows project at Virginia Tech gives students access to a peer advisor from Israel
whose life experiences sharply contrast their own. The primary purpose of their presence is to build relationships with Friends of Israel students. The fellows recruit and staff Taglit-Birthright Israel and implement practices after the trip to ground the experience. They also oversee Israel education classes open to the wider university, and dialogue candidly about personal experiences as Israelis. This cultural influencer can also guide student leadership to be pro-active in strengthening Israel’s standing on campus and supporting an Israel advocacy agenda. Their presence is especially helpful to those leaders tasked to address anti-Israel events on campus, and organize effective, targeted responses. Virginia Tech has welcomed several fellows since 2008, all of whom embrace life’s fragility, and provide support and perspective to students before, during, and after a crisis. Common Jewish ground surfaces and Israel is brought home to Virginia when a charismatic peer is right there to relate to their experiences—all
your dollars at work through an Israeli filter. Kurtz finds that the fellow who shares their own real-life experiences in Israel and initiates challenging dialogue about Israel, leads students to Jewish discovery. “For students who are less connected, or not at all, it’s an entry point, to being Jewish,” says Kurtz. “This person relates to students a little differently. They go on a trip to Israel, debrief when they come back, and the Israeli becomes a connector. They are a resource for all kinds of challenging questions and dialogue about Israel which can ignite discussion about many different aspects of the student’s life. This entire experience has proven its potential to spark their Jewish souls.” “A fellow’s presence during COVID-19 is a big gift. We see success when students have someone who has a different attitude is there to confide in and talk to about anxiety and uncertainty. Thanks to UJFT support, we can continue the program
Virginia Tech students in Israel.
and sustain it,” says Kurtz. In addition to supporting the JAFI Israel Campus Fellows at Virginia Tech, UJFT supports similar programs at University of Virginia, where a fellow just left and a new one will arrive next month;
George Mason University fellow (right) with student.
and George Mason University, which also just said goodbye to their fellow and expects a new one in August. JAFI is an overseas partner agency of UJFT.
This is part of a series of articles spotlighting local and overseas partner agencies that are beneficiaries of the United Jewish Federation Tidewater’s annual Community Campaign.
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tidewater women
Tidewater women ‘travel’ to the Jewish communities of Minsk and Sofia… Amy Zelenka
O
ver three dozen local Jewish women, led by mission co-chairs Annie Sandler and Mona Flax, along with JDC professional Sandy Katz, made the long trek to the Jewish communities of Minsk in Belarus and Sofia in Bulgaria…all through the “magic” of the internet. Following their donor dollars, these women boarded a virtual plane to explore a variety of programs and services being provided by Tidewater’s overseas service delivery partner, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. The three-part mission took place over the course of a week in 90-minute sessions, featuring the work of JDC professionals and the community members who receive life altering services funded, in part, by the dollars raised through the Federation’s community campaign each year. As has been the case here in Tidewater, the Jewish communities in Minsk and Sofia have had to change the way they serve their communities, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting need for social distancing and relative isolation. Nowhere was this more evident than in the elder populations of both countries. For a group which tends toward social isolation even in good times, COVID19 has brought their circumstances to a new level, which had the potential to be devastating, if not for the work of JDC professionals and the volunteer programs they manage. While waiting in the ‘airport lounge,’ Mona Flax introduced the group to JDC’s CEO, Asher Ostrin, who gave a brief history of the JDC and the variety of work it does in Jewish communities of every size, all over the world. He shared inspiring, personal stories, and thanked the participants for their role in supporting both the Jewish community of Tidewater, and the 8 | Jewish News | July 13, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org
global Jewish community. After ‘landing’ in Minsk on day one of the mission, the group received an overview of the Jewish community of Belarus, whose history is believed to date back to the 8th Century. The community has faced monumental challenges over the course of time (including expulsions; pogroms; the Holocaust, which saw the murder of nearly two-thirds of the Jewish population; and Communism, which sought to completely erase Jewish history, culture, and practices). The group proceeded to its first ‘home visit.’ JDC client, Ludmila Starikovich is an elderly woman who suffers from a musculoskeletal system disease, diabetes, and obesity. She lives just a 10-minute walk from the local supermarket, but she hasn’t been there in years. A fall left her homebound, and more recently she lost her vision. Ludmila shares a run-down apartment with her often-unemployed adult son. Her monthly pension is $162, from which she pays $95 for utilities and land tax each month; not leaving much for food, medicine, and other necessities. Through its Hesed program, JDC provides Ludmila with 12 hours per week of home care, delivery of hot lunches, and personal hygiene items she desperately needs. JDC is Ludmila’s lifeline. She describes her JDC homecare worker as “the sunshine in my window.” She spoke to the group about her background, her struggles, and also her gratitude for the services she receives from JDC. “You support me, feed me, and take care of me.” She tearfully thanked the mission participants for supporting JDC and her. She was overwhelmed to know that there are Jews living thousands of miles from Belarus who care about her, worry about her, and give money to make sure that she and others can live, if not without difficulty, then at least with dignity. Ludmila was just one of the people we met during the mission, who thanked us
Tidewater women exercise over Zoom.
Tidewater women don masks over Zoom.
for acting to ensure their well-being. The group then participated in an interactive program designed to help strengthen and preserve memory among the elderly—particularly those who are showing signs of forgetfulness. A series of carefully constructed puzzles and activities asked to look for and memorize patterns, to read aloud a series of numbers which was printed in various colors, then to read aloud the colors of the printed numbers. It quickly became obvious how these activities keep participants focused and attentive, things which have become increasingly important during the COVID-19 crises, as so many elderly are socially distanced, isolated, and alone with their thoughts.
Day two of the mission started in Belarus, but this time with the Active Teens group. This group of Jewish teenagers come together to celebrate their Jewish identity, engage in Jewish rituals, and volunteer their services in the Jewish community. We met four wonderful young ladies who shared their backgrounds with us, their favorite part of being an Active Jewish Teen, as well as their aspirations for the future. In break-out sessions, we got to know the girls a little better, as well as one another (in true mission fashion!). Many talked about their love of Kabalat Shabbat, making our entire group want to join them for such an event, very soon! The girls then led us in a (COVID-19 appropriate) mask-making exercise. Each
tidewater women participant had received a package with all of the materials required to make a mask, prior to the mission. And so, we began together what would become a homework assignment, with participants completing their masks that evening. As we bid farewell and Dasvidaniya to our friends in Minsk, we looked forward to meeting new ones in the Jewish community of Sofia, Bulgaria. Once again, through the magic of Zoom, our group ‘boarded a plane’ in Minsk for the lessthan-10-second flight (and 1,163 miles away) to Sofia. We were met on arrival by a young tour guide, Slavyan Kanovsky (who had visited Tidewater a few years ago as a young leader in the Sofia Jewish community). After a two-minute whirlwind tour through the beautiful scenery of historic Sofia, we learned about the country’s Jewish history. Jews have had a continuous presence in historic Bulgarian lands since before the 2nd century. That was surprising. But astonishing was learning how the church and the king and members of the country’s literati protected the Jews of Bulgaria, during the Holocaust—stalling, delaying, and ultimately refusing to deport them. So while their lives through the war were difficult (with property confiscated, expulsion to the provinces—many sent to forced labor camps), they did, in fact, live. Unlike its closest neighbors, Macedonia and Greece (whose Jewish populations were essentially wiped out during the Holocaust), the Jewish population of Bulgaria came through the war largely intact. It was after the war that a mass migration took place. Today, the majority of Bulgarian Jews live in Israel (about 44,000), while about 1,000 live in Bulgaria. Kanovsky left the group at Beit Shalom, Bulgaria’s JCC, where we were welcomed by the Center’s CEO. Growing up in Communist Bulgaria, the word “Jewish” did not mean much to Julia Dandolova. But when the Iron Curtain fell, she slowly began to embrace her Jewish identity, first attending and then staffing JDC’s Jewish camps, clubs, and counselor trainings. Soon, Dandolova was JDC’s country director in Bulgaria. Over time, as JDC transitioned its programs to
the community, the Beit Shalom JCC was established and Julia became its CEO. Dandolova spoke about the Bulgarian Jewish community and about its people, noting that they “are not much for smiling,” but assuring that this doesn’t mean they’re unhappy. Day two of the mission ended Dandolova’s welcome and a briefing about the various kinds of programs and services offered to the community through the Shalom Center.
We learned that part of the “secret sauce” which keeps the community’s seniors in good health is the
of Bulgaria’s Jewish welfare offerings. Longevity, we learned, was a characteristic of this community, which boasts dozens of active 80- and 90-year-old members, and even a fair number of 100+ year-olds. We learned that part of the “secret sauce” which keeps the community’s seniors in good health is the high priority they place on physical activity. And so, the mission
continued on page 10
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high priority they place on physical activity.
Day three of the mission was bittersweet. The group looked forward to learning more about Jewish life in Bulgaria, but no one wanted the trip to end. In advance of our meeting, several of the community’s “grandmothers”… collected and compiled “grandmother stories” from the mission participants, and each participant received a hand-woven red and white Martenitsa bracelet. The giving and wearing of a Martenitsa is a uniquely Bulgarian tradition, celebrating Baba Marta (or Grandma March) and the welcoming of spring. So while our seasons may have been a bit “off,” it was a great pleasure getting to know our fellow travelers through stories about grandmothers and grandmother-figures. The day began with an overview
participants took part in an exercise regimen designed to keep those seniors active while sheltering at home. Working our arms and legs, we experienced some of the exercises specially designed by the JCC’s fitness instructor for the Jewish seniors in Bulgaria. It was a lot of fun and not a bad habit to get into!
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Europe; from Sarvas and other Jewish summer camps across the region; and Following our work-out, the group met even from BBYO International Convention with the community’s leaders and broke in the United States with fresh eyes, fresh out into small work groups (to report back ideas, new ways of tackling challenges, later). Much of the discussion centered and boundless energy. on the community’s pre-school and day These once at-risk communities— school programming. A new day school, ommunities dealt the donated by American harshest of blows from philanthropist Ronald the Holocaust to the Lauder, has become a Communist era—seem shining jewel in the well-positioned to Jewish community blossom in the coming of Sofia. Jewish preThe majority of years, as their young school is in such high Bulgarian Jews leaders take the reins demand that there is a live in Israel with joy and with waiting list for enrollpride in their Jewish ment. Moving up the culture and history. age chain, Bulgaria’s And it was a beautiful Jewish teens are findthing to experience. ing great joy and The mission closed with mission fulfillment in their involvement with local co-chairs Annie Sandler and Mona Flax volunteer groups, as well as with BBYO. thanking all for participating, as well as Who knows? Perhaps some of our teens the JDC and Federation professionals who have met some of the Bulgarian teens at helped plan the ‘trip.’ They introduced International Convention or ILTC. our final speaker, Dr. William Recant, In talking with these community leadJDC’s assistant executive vice president. ers (many of them young and the products In summing up our mission experience, of leadership programs we help to fund) Recant had especially warm words for it was extremely gratifying to know that Tidewater and its unflagging support for not only are our campaign dollars fundthe work of JDC in Eastern Europe and ing programs and services for individuals the Former Soviet Union, in Israel, Cuba, and families around the Jewish world… Argentina, and everywhere else a Jew is but perhaps more importantly, they are in need, and JDC is there to help. In his funding the future of these Jewish comalways eloquent way, Recant asked the munities through investment in their women to keep up the good work and children, teens, and young adults. These to continue encouraging others to join. young people come back to their comSounds just like what we do! munities from Limmud programs across
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10 | Jewish News | July 13, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org
Our heartfelt gratitude to those who have helped light the path to our future by their support of Ohef Sholom Temple’s 175th Anniversary Campaign (and LIFE & LEGACY program). Harold Anten The Arluk Family Gail & Tom Bachman Pasty & Burt Barr Gail S. & Bill Berger (In Memory of our parents Maxine* & Les* Berger and Fannie* & Jacob* Saunders and sister Gail Carol Berger*) Carole Bernstein Jennifer Bern-Vogel The Beskin Family Paula & Michael Blachman Allison Bough, SparkNonprofit Isabel G.* & Louis Brenner Carol & Allan Brum Marjorie M. & Robert Brotman Terri & Steve Budman Nancy Cantin Burton Alice Buxbaum Beth & Frank Campion (In Memory of Ed Alster* and in Honor of our Children) Deborah Mancoll Casey Jeffrey Chernitzer Clarke White Hill Enterprises Susan & Andrew Cohen Lois Cohn Allison & Jefferson Cooper Elaine Cooper Minette & Charles Cooper Monica & John Cooper Charlotte Cooper Corey Kenda & Michael Council Anna Marie & Ed Cross The Dalis Foundation Stuart A. Davis Esther & Glenn Diskin Susan & Allan Donn The Dreyfus Family Barbara Dudley Bruce Ebert James Eilberg Gerald Einhorn Susan & Marty Einhorn The Elson Family Fund Sheila & Richard* Emanuel David Embree Dianne Epplein Fanny & Robert Epstein (Honored by Barbara Epstein Fine, Alice E. Buxbaum, Doris & Seeman* Waranch Family & Edwin Epstein) Nancy C. Eyler Suzanne & Marshall Feldman The Fine Family The Fine Family Fund Jeffrey & Diane Fine Kim & Andrew Fink Mandi & Ross Firoved The Foer Family Beverly & Jack Fox Linda Fox-Jarvis & David Jarvis Alan Frieden
Jane & Lenny Frieden Jodie & Jack Frieden Celia & Jay Friedman Debbie & Mark Friedman Inger & Brian Friedman (In Memory of Harry Pincus, Jr.* & Esther D. Pincus*) Jeanette & Donald Friedman Milton*, Fannie*, Leslie Friedman Family Foundation Faith Fuhrman Cheryl Furlong Barb Gelb & Kenny Weinstein Karen Gershman Helen G. Gifford* Foundation Laura & Bruce Gilbert Barbara & Izaak Glasser Kay & Don Goldberg Jane Klein Goldman June & Joe Goldman Jan & Larry Goldrich Dr. Stephen Goldstein & Marsha Chenman Martha & Robert Goodman Marynell & Stephan Gordon Joyce & Harry Graber Janet Green & The Honorable William P. Williams Louis L.I. Grossman, Esq. Rose Ann L. & Lester I. Grossman Suzanne & Dennis Gruelle Barbara & Bill Hearst Meril Amdursky & Joe Hearst Betty Hecht Mark Hecht Nancy & Phil Helman Dr. & Mrs. David S. Hirschler, II Mr. & Mrs. Lewis D. Hirschler Susan & Paul Hirshbiel Marcia Hofheimer Ellen Hundley “Buddy” & Nancy Sacks Jacobson & Family Richard Jacobson Beth & Nathan Jaffe Mike Jaffe Carol & Joel Jason Ms. Gabriele Jiannas & Dr. Fred Pugh Lee Kastner Cynthia & Stuart Katz Rabbi Neal & Jennifer Katz
Edward G. Kaufman Linda H. Kaufman Marilyn & Steven Kayer Debbie Keeling Bonnie & Stuart Kerner Arlene* & Howard Kesser Paul Khoury Lynn & Ron King Jodi & Jay Klebanoff Susan & Todd Kletz Esther & Andy Kline Doris Klueger Sally & Steve Kocen Pam & Joel Kossman Sheila & Matthew Krakower Anne & Eddie Kramer Cindy & Ron Kramer Jack Kress Nichole & David Kushner
Cathi Laderberg Carol & Robert Laibstain Daniel Laibstain Erle Marie Latimer Nancy & Jay Lazier (In Honor of the OST Choir) Jay W. Legum Ruth & Edward Legum R. Yvonne Lerner Ina Levy Errol & Barbara Lifland Bruce Longman Nicole Luna Robin & Matthew Mancoll Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg B. Thomas Mansbach May Lynn Mansbach Helen & Alvin Margolius Vivian & Burke Margulies Steven Markow Lee Martin Diane McCabe
Rona McMillan Deborah & Jerry Meltsner Marilyn Mendelson Bryan Mesh Dr. Alicia Willson-Metzger & Dr. David Metzger Amy & Mark Metzger Jeanne & Julius Miller Nancy L. Millstein Marsha & Marty Moody Debra Moore Betty Moritz Alyson & Christopher Morrisey Alyssa & Jonathan Muhlendorf Diane & Ken Muhlendorf Evelyn & Cameron* Munden The Philip & Tammy Murphy Family Foundation Sandra Nesson Dr. Norbert & Sarah Newfield Sandy & Pete Nickenig Susan & Alan Nordlinger Lois* & Bertram* Nusbaum Nancy & Charlie Nusbaum Nancy N. Nusbaum & V.H.Nusbaum, Jr. Donor Advised Fund Robert C. Nusbaum* Sharon & Bill Nusbaum Sue & Bob Nusbaum Old Dominion AZA Reunion Gretchen & Ethan Ostroff OSTY OST Sisterhood Dr. Abbey L. Pachter Carol & David Pariser Robert Pariser Jane & Bill Park Linda R. Peck Jerome Perlman Sharon & Steven Perlman Randy & Irving Pike Harry Pincus, Jr.* Susan & Alex Pincus Penny & Ken Powders Arlene & Jack Rephan Becky & Reid Rapoport Rick Rivin Cathy & Mike Romash Albert Roper Cindy & Meredith Rose Rose & Kurt* Rosenbach Sharon & Gene Ross Donor Fund Philip Rovner Patricia & George Rowland Dr. Robert & Judy Rubin
Cantor Jennifer Rueben Paula L. Russel Dr. & Mrs. Warren E. Sachs Betty Sacks June & Charles Saks Prue & Michael Salasky Dorothy & Edwin Salomonsky Terri & Lonny Sarfan Kathy Sarlson & Family Margaret & William Sawyer Sarah & Jim Schloss Elaine & Joash Schulman Lisa & Neal Schulwolf Second Presbyterian Church Sandy & Normie Sher Carol & Lou Sherman Leslie & Michael Shroyer Harriet & Richard Siff Britt & Shelly Simon Family Caroline & Louis P. Snyder Edward B. Snyder* Pam & Dan Snyder Thomas E. Snyder Family Normal Sokoro The Spigel Family Linda & Ron Spindel Deborah E. Stadlin Richard Staub* Brenda & Alan D. Stein Ira Steingold Lawrence Steingold Jean & Jeffrey Swartz Susan Tapper Nina & Steve Taubman Sandra Glasser Tavvs Sue Ellen & Seymour Teach Marcy & Paul Terkeltaub Alice & David Titus Jackie Turner & Mike Darr Ellen & Bill Wagner Eddie Waitzer Laurence Warren Nancy & Alvin Wall Robyn & Paul Weiner Amy & Elliot Weinstein Giselle & Matthew Weinstein Janis & Edward Weisberg Marsha & Jay Wilks Valeria & Matthew Williamson Gail Wolpin Jeanne and Bob Zentz Anonymous (19) Updated As of June 22, 2020
*Of Blessed Memory
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election 2020
How and where the Democrats and Republicans are trying to woo Jewish swing voters Ron Kampeas
WASHINGTON (JTA)—One thing we know about elections is that Jewish voters can make a difference. Take Florida: The Sunshine State’s Jewish voters helped deliver its critical electoral votes to Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. Problematic ballots in heavily Jewish Broward County may have clinched George W. Bush’s win in 2000. In years past I have sat among crowds rallied by Jewish campaign surrogates in packed synagogues in Ohio and bingo halls in Florida, and I’ve followed canvassers searching for mezuzahs in neighborhoods known for having large Jewish populations. Severe limits on in-person campaigning imposed by the coronavirus pandemic means we’re not likely to be bringing you those stories this season. But a very different election year doesn’t mean the Jewish vote in swing states is less important. Earlier this month, I asked people working to get out the Jewish vote—partisan and nonpartisan—where they’re concentrating their efforts, how much they’re planning to spend, what adjustments they’re making because of the pandemic and what is preoccupying them down-ballot. Here’s what they say. Democratic Jewish groups have a presence in more states than Republicans The Republican Jewish Coalition appears to have the most advanced operation in place. With $10 million pledged to reelect Donald Trump and secure GOP control in Congress, that may not be a surprise. The RJC’s get-out-the-vote operation already has four workers on staff in Florida, according to Matt Brooks, its executive director, and volunteers have made 300,000 phone calls to Jewish voters in swing states—a preliminary round of phone banking where the goal is not persuasion but identification, to see how committed a voter is to reelecting Trump and what issues they are considering ahead of Election Day. This lays the ground for more calls and texts later in the season that are tailored to the individual voter.
But with Trump’s polling in freefall, the group doesn’t have that many states to direct that energy. Brooks says his swingstate operation was focusing on Florida, Ohio, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia. “We’re monitoring and looking at and ready to pivot to see how Michigan and Wisconsin continue to shape up,” he adds. Brooks says the RJC chose those states because the vote there is “competitive.” That’s notable: Trump’s 2016 victory included narrow wins in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida and Arizona. Including Georgia and Ohio in the mix indicates the deep trouble Trump is in. In 2016, he won Georgia by 5 points and Ohio by 8. From Brooks’ map it would appear that the RJC doesn’t think there’s a chance for Trump to win in Michigan or Wisconsin. Polls show Joe Biden leading Trump in both states by double digits. Meanwhile, the Jewish Democratic Council of America has a much more expansive map. In addition to the five states the RJC is targeting, along with Michigan and Wisconsin, the JDCA says it is ready to target Jewish voters in Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Virginia—a 14-state plan, as director Halie Soifer puts it. Soifer says she hoped to spend over $1 million and as much as $5 million in pushing out the vote. “They are the states where we think the Jewish vote can make a difference in the presidential and key Senate and House elections,” she says. JDCA has organized a number of webinars, and has launched phone banking. Soifer says she hopes to reach “hundreds of thousands, if not over a million” Jewish voters. “First it will be persuasion methods, and then get out the vote,” she says. The tea on the down-ballot The political action committee associated with the Democratic Majority for Israel is planning to highlight Biden’s pro-Israel record in a digital campaign. (The RJC already launched a video, titled Sunrise, that calls Trump “the most pro-Israel
12 | Jewish News | July 13, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org
president in history.”) But the PAC’s emphasis will be down-ballot, Mellman says, because that’s where it makes more sense to spend money; both presidential campaigns have plenty of resources already. The messaging down-ballot will not necessarily be about Israel, he says, but about issues of importance to local voters. During the primaries, the PAC has already run ads targeting opponents of its favored candidates on themes that have nothing to do with Israel. Its $1.5 million spent to protect veteran N.Y. Rep. Eliot Engel included ads raising the fact that his challenger, Jamaal Bowman, had an unpaid tax bill. Mark Mellman, the Democratic Majority for Israel’s president and CEO, has proven to be a prodigious fundraiser and said his group would be spending in the millions of dollars in a broad campaign. He declined to be more specific on the amount. “We will be on TV, we will be in the mail, we will be on the telephone, we will be digital,” he says. “We will be in every form of communication known to human beings.” When it comes to the Senate, Republicans have 23 seats up for reelection, while the Democrats have only 12. That means Republican Jewish groups must be on the defensive, as Trump’s sinking popularity threatens to derail down-ballot Republicans, while Democratic groups can focus on flipping seats. The Jewish Democratic Council of America recently added 17 names to its congressional endorsements, bringing the total to 89. Significantly, most of the new batch is challenging Republicans in states that Trump won in 2016. Among the 17 are four Senate candidates—Jon Ossoff in Georgia, James Mackler in Tennessee, Al Gross in Alaska, and Jaime Harrison in South Carolina—challenging incumbent Republicans. Ossoff, Mackler, and Gross are Jewish. The sweeping endorsements do not mean that Democratic Jewish groups are banking on their candidates winning, but it does suggest that those candidates have a
chance and will force Republicans to spend defensively. And in one notable effort, five statelevel Jewish Democratic organizations are working together to influence down-ballot elections in their states. They are the Florida Democratic Party Caucus of American Jews; Jewish Democratic Women’s Salon Atlanta; Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus; Democratic Jewish Outreach Pennsylvania; and Wisconsin Jewish Democrats. Counting on digital Door-to-door canvassing is not completely out of the question—hanging flyers on doorknobs is still a thing, even during a plague. And the partisan Jewish groups are also counting on the old standby, direct mail. But the pandemic has accelerated what already was a trend of moving toward text message blasts and targeted social media ads. “In 2008, we would go door to door and look for the mezuzah,” says Soifer, who ran Jewish outreach for Obama’s Florida campaign that year. “Now we can purchase lists of Jewish voters and with a click of a button target hundreds of thousands with digital advertising. So, in some ways, the ability to reach voters has become much more efficient.” Brooks’ RJC has rolled out the highest-profile digital campaign so far, and he says he has money to spend on broadcast and cable ads. The Jewish Democratic Council of America has just launched two ads on social media platforms. And Mellman says he had available technology that would allow the Democratic Majority for Israel’s PAC to target individual voters depending on their known preferences. “We have a pretty sophisticated way to figure out who the targets are that are going to be most movable, persuadable, in the House and Senate races,” he says. “We can identify those people, and we can target ads on digital directly to those people, and do the same thing with the mail and with the phones.”
Legal Matters in the Jewish community Supplement to Jewish News July 13, 2020 jewishnewsva.org | July 13, 2020 | Legal | Jewish News | 13
PA I D A DV E RTI S E M E N T
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comparing taxes, insurance, and upkeep of a home to the cost of living in a community, the financial benefits are equal or greater than what you would expect. Finally, if you served in the military during wartime or had a spouse who served, you may be eligible for senior living benefits: ★★★
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The cost for senior living depends on the size suite you select as well as the amount of support you require. On average, this works out to be between $3,500 - $5,000 per month. Families pay for senior living in a variety of ways. If you have invested in Long Term Care insurance, this is the time to reach out to your insurance provider and ask about qualifying for benefits. You will likely qualify should you need assistance with two activities of daily living. This would include bathing, dressing, getting in and out of bed, and other personal care assistance. Many families sell the home and use part of the sale to pay for senior living. Often when
LEGAL MATTERS
Dear Readers,
L
egal issues confront us all, whether we’re focused on them or not. Some are personal such as when it’s time to write a will, create a trust or purchase a home.
Those are obvious examples—while others are more community-, nationally-, and globally-based, such as when the Supreme Court makes a decision that impacts us in one way or another. Speaking of the U.S. courts, an article on page 21 explains how a federal judge’s ruling impacts Orthodox Jewish camps in New York, and an article on page 20 details a Supreme Court ruling that could force U.S. aid recipients to comply with American policy
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tax-deductible gifts could not exclude religious schools. This case could impact students and families here in Tidewater. Unfortunately, we ran out of room to print the article, but it can be found on our website, JewishNewsVa.org. Spread throughout this section, we highlight several local attorneys who are all active in Tidewater’s Jewish community. While their practice areas are diverse (and one no longer practices), they share a commitment to Jewish life. We hope you’ll enjoy these ‘at a glance’ profiles. Thank you Valerie Brodsky White, Lenny Weinstein, and Igor Vaserfirer for sharing your thoughts with our readers. The section has more articles that we hope you find of interest, including one about the ADL’s battle with Facebook on page 16. Thank you for reading and stay safe,
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www.CommonwealthSL.com 14 | Jewish News | Legal | July 13, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org
Terri Denison Editor
LEGAL MATTERS L E G A L P R OF I L E
Igor A. Vaserfirer Firm: Stokes Law Group, PLC–a business and real estate boutique
R I S T O R A N T E
Specialty: Corporate/Commercial Real Estate Leasing and Development
I N S P I R E D
B Y
I T A LY
Education: William & Mary/Villanova University School of Law Family: Herbert, my Yorkie Jewish Organizations: YAD Cabinet, Nadiv Igor A. Vaserfirer
Favorite Jewish Holiday: Yom Kippur Most Memorable Personal Jewish Milestone/Life Cycle Event: Meeting a few of the UJFT folks that helped bring my family to the U.S. Most admired Jewish lawmaker: Henry Kissinger is a favorite of mine, despite being a policymaker rather than a true lawmaker. What trends are you noticing in your field of expertise? Caution and cash are the watchwords of the day. Planning for the next 12-36 months has become something of a mystical experience, so many of our clients are recalibrating their cost structures to enlarge their reserves of cash and cash-equivalents. Holding cash has become critical to both fend off drops in revenue, and, conversely, exploit novel opportunities. Is there a particular Jewish saying or value that you strive to remember in your practice of the law? “The highest form of wisdom is kindness.” With wonderfully notable exceptions, kindness is something that we see less and less often in the professional world. While, as an attorney, I do not have the luxury of always being kind, I strive—as best as I can—to reach for kindness.
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LEGAL MATTERS
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16 | Jewish News | Legal | July 13, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org
(JTA)—It was when Mark Zuckerberg said he would allow Holocaust denial on his platform that the Anti-Defamation League realized its partnership with Facebook wasn’t working. The social media giant and the Jewish civil rights group had been working together for years to curb hate speech online. In October 2017, Facebook headlined a new ADL initiative to start a Cyberhate Problem-Solving Lab in collaboration with Silicon Valley’s biggest companies. Then, nine months later, Zuckerberg told the tech site Recode that while he personally found Holocaust denial “deeply offensive,” he said, “I don’t believe that our platform should take that down because I think there are things that different people get wrong.” People who monitor anti-Semitism criticized Zuckerberg for what they saw as undeservedly giving anti-Semites the benefit of the doubt — as if they were making an innocent mistake rather than propagating a deliberate lie. That’s when the ADL realized that Facebook wasn’t going to change on its own and needed to be pressured. “Holocaust denial is something that we’ve been talking to Facebook about for I think it’s 11 years at this point,” Daniel Kelley, associate director of the ADL’s Center for Technology and Society, says. “We’ve told them Holocaust denial is hate. It is not misinformation. And they have not only not changed, but in several instances doubled down on treating Holocaust denial as some form of misinformation.” So, the ADL has changed tacks as Facebook, according to ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, “has allowed some of the worst elements of society into our homes and our lives.” After years of seeing the largest social network in the world as a partner, it is now treating Facebook as an adversary.
That shift has culminated in an ADLled campaign urging companies to stop advertising on Facebook for the month of July in collaboration with the NAACP and other civil rights groups. The campaign has attracted a growing list of leading brand names. More than 230 companies have signed onto the pledge, and seen Facebook’s stock dip more than 8%, though it has since rebounded. Apparently shaken by the boycott, Zuckerberg has announced a series of changes to Facebook’s hate speech policies, which he said “come directly from feedback from the civil rights community.” He also pledged to meet with the organizers of the boycott. Facebook’s changes include labeling posts regarding voting access, flagging posts that target immigrants, banning members of the far-right antigovernment Boogaloo movement and placing warnings on hateful or false posts from public figures that the network still feels are newsworthy. “I’m committed to making sure Facebook remains a place where people can use their voice to discuss important issues, because I believe we can make more progress when we hear each other,” Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post. “But I also stand against hate, or anything that incites violence or suppresses voting, and we’re committed to removing that no matter where it comes from.” Those moves have not lessened the ADL’s commitment to pressuring the company, which makes nearly its entire $70 billion in annual revenue through ads. “Facebook says it will take meaningful steps to address the hate on its platform,” Greenblatt tweeted after the announcement. “We’ve been down this road. Don’t let them refuel for another hate-filled trip.” Fighting tech companies is a change for Greenblatt, who came to the ADL job in 2015 following a career as a social entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. Greenblatt founded a bottled water company that
LEGAL MATTERS donated a portion of its proceeds to clean-water access, as well as All for Good, an open-source platform that aggregated volunteer opportunities online. The ADL had been pushing tech companies to get more serious about combating anti-Semitism for decades. Greenblatt’s predecessor, Abraham Foxman, complained in a 2013 interview with JTA about “the geniuses at Palo Alto” and said, “The providers need to take greater ownership. They don’t want regulation.” Under Greenblatt, the ADL increased its focus on tech, and at first tried to curb online hate through partnership. The group expanded its presence in Silicon Valley in 2016 and founded the Center for Technology and Society in 2017 to combat cyberhate. Greenblatt said he hoped “to collaborate even closer on the threat with the tech industry.” Later that year, the ADL announced its partnership with four tech giants— Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Twitter
W
E’
RE
O
N PE
—to create the Cyberhate ProblemSolving Lab. The idea was to work with the companies on technical solutions to improve detection and removal of hateful posts, with the ADL providing guidance on how to spot bigotry and address it. But according to Kelley, the effort went nowhere. Facebook, he said, never acted on any of the advice provided by the ADL. “They were happy to sign onto a press release and to say, well, we’re working with ADL. We did have several meetings,” Kelley says. “It’s the same story of us coming to the meeting with real ideas for how to approach the problems on their platform and them walking away not promising anything. We tried to work with them.” Facebook did not respond to an email request for comment. But the company has disputed that it has a poor record on addressing hateful posts. It points to a recent study from the European Union showing that Facebook is the quickest
among the major social media platforms in addressing notifications of hate speech coming from European users. It found that Facebook assessed 96% of the notifications of hate speech within 24 hours, compared to 76.6% for Twitter. Facebook removed 87.6% of the flagged content, compared to 35.9% for Twitter. But Kelley says that while Facebook does release transparency reports, it does not give outside researchers access to the data, unlike Twitter. So, he says there’s no real way to confirm Facebook’s claims of transparency. “All these statistics are not vetted by, or verified by, any third party,” he says, adding later that “The ability to do real research into the nature of hate on Facebook is extremely limited.” As months and then years passed, activists in Myanmar and elsewhere were complaining that Facebook was allowing public officials to encourage human rights violations. In 2018, the shooter at the New
“They were happy to sign onto a press release and to say, well, we’re working with ADL. We did have several meetings,”
Zealand mosques livestreamed the massacre on Facebook. But while Facebook made some modifications to its hate speech policies, it did not appear to change course philosophically. In October, Zuckerberg said in an address at Georgetown University that he continued on page 18
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LEGAL MATTERS continued from page 17
was proud that “our values at Facebook are inspired by the American tradition, which is more supportive of free expression than anywhere else.” Using the speech, the Jewish comedian Sacha Baron Cohen compared Zuckerberg to a restaurateur gladly serving neo-Nazis. “If he owned a fancy restaurant and four neo-Nazis came goose-stepping into the dining room and were talking loudly about wanting to kill ‘Jewish scum,’ would he serve them an elegant eight course meal? Or would he tell them to get the f*** out of his restaurant?” Cohen wrote. “He has every legal right, indeed a moral duty, to tell them to get the f*** out of his restaurant.” A month later, the ADL gave Cohen its International Leadership Award. The comic actor used the opportunity to give a keynote address to excoriate social media companies. “I say, let’s also hold these companies
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18 | Jewish News | Legal | July 13, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org
responsible for those who use their sites to advocate for the mass murder of children because of their race or religion,” he said. “Maybe it’s time to tell Mark Zuckerberg and the CEOs of these companies: You already allowed one foreign power to interfere in our elections, you already facilitated one genocide in Myanmar, do it again and you go to jail.” A wrinkle in this story came a few weeks before Cohen’s speech. Following the October attack on a synagogue in Halle, Germany, the ADL accepted a
“Certain powerful private entities— particularly social networking sites — can limit, control, and censor speech as much or more than governmental entities”
$2.5 million donation from Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg. Greenblatt said, upon accepting the donation, that he was “grateful for her commitment to fighting hate in all of its forms.” Sandberg posted on Facebook that “It means so much to me to be able to support this vital work at this critical moment.” Facebook’s mostly hands-off approach to posts does have notable defenders. David Hudson, an advocate of expansive First Amendment rights, said that free speech protections should be extended to Facebook because its size and breadth gives Facebook the power of a government. “Certain powerful private
LEGAL MATTERS entities—particularly social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and others—can limit, control, and censor speech as much or more than governmental entities,” he wrote for the American Bar Association’s Human Rights magazine. “A society that cares for the protection of free expression needs to recognize that the time has come to extend the reach of the First Amendment to cover these powerful, private entities that have ushered in a revolution in terms of communication capabilities.” But Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt, who spoke out against Zuckerberg’s remarks on Holocaust denial, says a boycott was the right way to go. “Facebook is a private entity and no private entity is obligated to post hate speech,” she saysd. “Generally, I don’t like boycotts, but if this is the only thing to which Facebook is going to respond, then you have no other choice. You can choose where you put your money.” This year, in testimony to Congress, Greenblatt cited his work in Silicon Valley in calling on tech companies to work harder. He called tech “an amplifier, an organizer, and a catalyst for some of the worst types of hate in our society,” and said Facebook and Twitter “need to apply the same energy to protecting vulnerable users that they apply to protect their profits.” Despite the measures Facebook has taken, the ADL says that hasn’t happened. And that’s why, after years of trying to collaborate with Facebook, the ADL is now trying to disrupt its revenue stream in the hopes of forcing change. “There’s a common understanding that Facebook is a company that puts revenue above all else, but I think this is a very clear-cut example,” the ADL’s Kelley says. “All of these changes, the minor tweaks that Mark Zuckerberg announced, were things that the civil rights community have been asking for for years, in addition to larger structural changes to the platform. “It took a massive pause on advertisement by major companies to get them to move an inch.”
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LEGAL MATTERS
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Supreme Court ruling could force foreign recipients of US aid to follow American policy on Israel Ron Kampeas
WASHINGTON (JTA)—A U.S. Supreme Court decision in a case about NGOs, HIV-AIDS funding, and prostitution could force U.S. aid recipients to comply with American policy on Israel. Foreign nonprofits must hew to U.S. government dictates to receive the money, the high court ruled. “As foreign organizations operating abroad, plaintiffs’ foreign affiliates possess no rights under the First Amendment,” said the 5–3 decision written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The case was brought by a group of NGOs contesting the Trump administration’s requirement that they explicitly oppose sex trafficking and prostitution as a condition for receiving funds to combat HIV-AIDS overseas from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The NGOs argued that the requirement violates speech freedoms and inhibits their ability to reach those who need their assistance.
The case could have implications for nonprofits in the Middle East that the U.S. government considers to be not sufficiently in line with its Israel policies. In May, Kavanaugh appeared during oral arguments to anticipate repercussions a decision would have on such groups. “Suppose the U.S. government wants to fund foreign NGOs that support peace in the Middle East but only if the NGOs explicitly recognize Israel as a legitimate state,” Kavanaugh asked the plaintiffs. “Are you saying the U.S. can’t impose that kind of speech restriction on foreign NGOs that are affiliated with U.S. organizations?” A 2013 Supreme Court decision ruled that U.S. NGOs were protected by speech freedoms. This case decided whether those freedoms extended to foreign affiliates. Justice Elena Kagan recused herself from the decision because as solicitor general in the Obama administration, she had helped prepare the government’s arguments in the 2013 case.
Brazil’s first Jewish Supreme Court justice to become the high court’s first president Marcus M. Gilban
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RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA)—Luiz Fux, the first Jewish justice on Brazil’s highest court, will be its first Jewish president. Brazil rotates the top post among its 11 justices on the Federal Supreme Court every two years. Fux will take the post in September. “I will always strive for moral values, republican values, the struggle for democracy,” Fux, 67, said last month in a speech. “May God protect me.” The Rio native’s grandparents fled Romania during World War II. His grandmother is a former president of the Israelite Children’s Home in Rio. “It’s a great pride for the Brazilian Jewish community to have Luiz Fux at the head of the Supreme Court,” Fernando Lottenberg, president of the Brazilian Israelite Confederation, says. “He has deep legal knowledge and well-known
humanism, in line with the Jewish tradition of valuing knowledge and life.” Supreme Court justices are appointed by the president. Fux was nominated in 2011 by Dilma Rousseff, who was impeached and later removed from office in 2016. The court decides constitutional and other matters, as well as final appeals. In 2013, Luis Roberto Barroso became the court’s second Jewish member. Last month, he assumed the presidency of the Superior Electoral Court. Fux is a former judge of the Superior Court of Justice and presided over a commission that forged Brazil’s new Civil Process Code. He also is a writer and professor at prestigious universities. In 2014, he was the keynote speaker at the Jewish confederation’s annual convention. In 2009, he received the Theodor Herzl Trophy, which is given by the Rio Jewish Federation and the Israeli Embassy to distinguished Jews.
LEGAL MATTERS
Orthodox Jewish camps won’t be allowed to open as US judge sides with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Shira Hanau
A
last-ditch effort by Orthodox Jews in New York to clear the way for overnight camps this summer fell short Monday, July 6 as a federal judge declined to intervene against Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision to keep the camps closed. The judge was responding to a lawsuit brought last month by the Association of Jewish Camp Operators, which represents Orthodox camps. By banning overnight camps while allowing day camps and protests, the suit argued, Cuomo was privileging some activities over others—a potential violation of the Constitution’s First Amendment. The camp organization, represented by the prominent Orthodox lawyer Avi Schick, sought a restraining order that would allow camps to operate while that legal question made its way through the courts. But Judge Glenn Suddaby of the U.S. District Court in upstate New York said the suit’s religious liberty argument was not immediately compelling. “Overall, Plaintiffs have failed to show that Defendant’s executive orders were taken because of, not merely in spite of, their religious practice,” he wrote in his decision. Cuomo has allowed day camps to open with restrictions, while other states have allowed overnight camps. Some Orthodox camps have opened outside of New York, with some even relocating because of the rule. The camp association claims that sleep away camps can be opened safely despite the pandemic and in May shared a safety plan with the governor detailing the protocols the camps would follow. The plan also provided studies that showed a low rate of serious cases in children and teenagers. That, too, did not sway the judge. “The fact that Plaintiffs have maintained a hope and willingness to operate or send their children to overnight camps this summer longer than most persons involved with secular or non-Jewish
overnight camps does not somehow turn Defendant’s facially neutral executive order into impermissible targeting,” Suddaby wrote. Agudath Israel, an organization representing haredi Orthodox Jews in America and which supports the Association of Jewish Camp Operators, expressed its disappointment over the decision. “The impact on children is devastating,” Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Agudah’s director of government relations in New York, said in a statement. “Instead of looking forward to a summer of growth, filled with learning experiences and preparation for an upcoming school year, many children of our community will now be forced to endure a continuation of the long-lasting lockdowns imposed by the State Government.”
Orthodox summer camps typically include a substantial educational component, with children studying Jewish subjects in classes in the morning with more typical camp activities coming later in the day. The summer camps issue has been one in a series of faceoffs between the Orthodox community and New York’s elected officials during the pandemic. The battles—over access to city playgrounds, religious services and now summer camps—have rested on a common thread: The Orthodox community has seen a double standard in the government officials’ restrictions, with one set of rules applied to activities the officials deem essential and another set to those they do not. The lawsuit comes on the heels of
another suit, brought earlier last month by three Orthodox men and two Catholics against New York State and City officials, that challenged the state’s restrictions on religious gatherings. In that case, a federal judge did issue a preliminary injunction last month, concluding that the limits on capacity placed on houses of worship could not be lower than other gathering places and that capacity gatherings could not be placed on outdoor services. The judge said that allowing and encouraging thousands of people to gather for protests “sent a clear message that mass protests are deserving of preferential treatment,” echoing a complaint lodged by members of the Orthodox community. (JTA)
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jewishnewsva.org | July 13, 2020 | Legal | Jewish News | 21
LEGAL MATTERS L E GAL P ROF I L E
Valerie Brodsky White
president of fundraising. And way back in the day, I was on the board of Jewish Family Service and was happy to give some immigration guidance to Russian Jewish families.
Firm: Retired from private law practice; “In-House Counsel” for Matval Enterprises, LLC, our real estate investment business that I set up with my husband, Matthew.
Favorite Jewish Holiday: I always host Break the Fast on Yom Kippur and the Passover Seder so those are my favorites. I love putting together a beautiful table— pulling out all the fine china and special linens—and just the whole process. Having the family together cooking, preparing, and all that craziness is wonderful! We did a Skype Passover this year with just the “kids” home with us, and my parents online. Next year…My Dining Room (or Jerusalem, your choice)!
Specialty: Practiced Immigration Law for 17 years; then worked part-time in Real Estate Law in our family firm for 8 years. Education: Bachelor of Business Administration and J.D. from The College of William and Mary. Family: Matthew White (husband); Sara (27) and Rachel (23); and a 5 lb. tiny toy poodle named Oreo
Valerie Brodsky White
Jewish Organizations: I have been on the board of the Holocaust Commission for years and years serving in a variety of roles including chair of Book Club for 8 years, co-chair of Yom Hashoah, and co-chair of the What We Carry education program. I also served on the board of Temple Israel for several years including as vice
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Most Memorable Personal Jewish Milestone/Life Cycle Event: Marrying Matthew White at Temple Israel in 2003 under the Chuppah in a traditional Jewish ceremony. It was such a family celebration and I was so proud to join the TI community where my father-in-law, Samuel I. White (of blessed memory), was a past president. Unbeknownst to us at that time, my step-father, Jonathan Longman, would also serve as president of Temple Israel (2017–2020) with my mother, Linda Longman, right by his side (I call her the shadow president!). And to have both of my girls celebrate their Bat Mitzvahs in that same sanctuary was also very special. Most admired Jewish lawmaker: Without question, Ruth Bader Ginsburg! No explanation required. I pray for her good health every day. What trends are you noticing in your field of expertise? Both of my areas of practice, immigration law and real estate law, are facing serious challenges. I am still friendly with my old partners from my immigration practice days and it is difficult for them right now. The barriers to immigrants have always been immense—and not always logical—but now it is downright hostile. As for real estate law, I am personally focused on landlord-tenant and the political landscape in that arena has shifted with moratoriums on evictions and many new tenant rights coming into law. Sadly, the law of unintended consequences seems to be rearing its head as the inventory of single family rentals is so low in some areas (due to the inability to evict and Coronavirus), that rental rates have gone up for the units that are available. Many landlords are instituting much stricter rental criteria and are unwilling to take a risk on a borderline tenant. I have used my time in lockdown to participate in online continuing legal education and Meet-ups on real estate and landlord-tenant issues, locally and nationally, as it is so important to ensure legal compliance and to understand the marketplace. How has your understanding and/or commitment to Jewish values entered into your decisions or actions as an attorney? My father, Sidney Jacobson, was also an attorney and a CPA and he emphasized throughout my life the importance of integrity in all that you do. I followed his lead and was always responsive, direct, and forthright with my clients, and I am the same with my tenants. Respond to questions, concerns, and complaints immediately. Even if you don’t have the answer, respond; even if they won’t like your answer, respond. People will forgive almost anything except being ignored. When I built my immigration practice, people asked me, how did you do it? Simple, I answered my phone and did the work on my desk. It really is that simple, respond to people, do what you promise, and be fair.
LEGAL MATTERS L E G A L P R OF I L E
Leonard (“Lenny”) J. Weinstein Firm: Clayton, McKay & Bailey, PC Specialty: Intellectual Property–Patent and Trademark Prosecution and Litigation Education: 2002 BS Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology 2012 JD, George Washington University Law School Family: Wife, Luisa Betancourt Weinstein Son, Maxwell Jacobo Weinstein (2 yrs) Daughter, Arianna Sofia Weinstein (1 month) Jewish Organizations: UJFT Society of Professionals, Nadiv Favorite Jewish Holiday: Passover
Leonard (“Lenny”) J. Weinstein
Most Memorable Personal Jewish Milestone/ Life Cycle Event: Hebrew naming of my son, Ari Sariyd Chacad Most admired Jewish lawmaker: Louis Brandeis What trends are you noticing in intellectual property law—your field of expertise? Increasingly, more companies, including large corporations, are seeking out intellectual property legal services from law firms that are largely virtual-based. These companies are finding that virtual firms can provide the same level of expertise and quality of work they expect from big law firms of more than 300 attorneys or intellectual property boutiques. This trend appears to be a result of the same attorneys once part of those large law firms now practicing for virtual firms and being to able charge lower fees due to the reduced overhead that comes with operating virtually (as well as remotely). How has your understanding and/or commitment to Jewish values entered into your decisions or actions as an attorney? The values that I have always associated with Judaism, and believe that my parents and my Rabbi tried to instill in me through religion, are integrity and respect. I chose intellectual property as my area of practice because it lends itself to objectivity, and is perhaps, as far removed from issues of integrity as any other practice of law. My clients range from large fortune 500 companies to independent inventors literally working from their garages on their inventions. From the day I started practicing law, I have always respected and been willing to listen to individuals or companies about their ideas. Providing an honest assessment of the potential of obtaining patent or trademark protection before a formal engagement is ever discussed is, in my mind, a way of showing respect, and made it an indispensable part of my practice.
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Strelitz International Academy
Graduation in the parking lot
Students line up—with appropriate space between each—for graduation.
Carin Simon
S
trelitz International Academy Graduation was originally planned for June 2, but like nearly everything else this
Students move their tassels.
past spring, was postponed. A special outdoor, mask wearing ceremony took place on Tuesday, June 30 for these special graduates so that they could enjoy a beautiful send off as they embark on their next milestone—Middle School. Next fall, these graduates will attend a variety of middle school programs including Academy for Discover y at L akewood, Bridgewater Academy, Cape Henry Collegiate, Kempsville Middle
School, Norfolk Academy, and Old Donation School. In her speech to the graduates, Heather Moore, head of school, highlighted the school’s four core values and charged the students with using them as a guide to their continued success in middle school and beyond. “You have worked hard and accomplished so much in elementary school and together we have created a strong foundation for what is yet to come,”
Moore said. “Before you go, I want to leave you with the following challenge: Take the core values of the Strelitz International Academy with you to your new school and throughout your educational journey.’” The ceremony concluded with special awards, air hugs, and a resounding sense of pride that these special 2020 SIA graduates will take with them all of the love and wisdom they have received during their time at SIA as they proceed with courage and confidence to middle school and beyond. Strelitz plans to open full time this fall. For information on enrollment or to schedule a tour, contact Carin Simon, admissions director, at csimon@strelitzacademy.org or 757-424-4327. Photography: Rashi Brashevitzky
A tent in the parking lot of the Sandler Family Campus helped some families ‘beat the heat’ on graduation day.
jewishnewsva.org | July 13, 2020 | Jewish News | 25
Konikoff Center for Learning
what’s happening
Being Jewish
Konikoff Center for Learning. Spark one mind. Change many lives.
A Five-Legged Table with Avraham Infeld Thursday, July 23, 12 pm Free Interactive webinar
Lisa Richmon
D
avid Konikoff didn’t come up with the legacy phrase “A mind is a terrible thing to waste,” however it aptly describes his life purpose and why he imagined the Konikoff Center for Learning at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC with that mantra in mind. “As we learn, we grow and are able to find ways to make ourselves better people,” says Konikoff. “Through learning, we get the opportunity to change our relationships with our spouses, our friends, our children. That change elevates us in a way that can continue through our children, and so many others we meet. By learning and growing ourselves, we touch others and are able to make the world a better place.” This positive ripple effect is why David Konikoff wanted his family’s name attached to the Konikoff Center for Learning. The transformative process begins with one program, workshop, class, speaker or event that sparks one idea or thought in one person. What they do next, who they provoke or inspire, and what can be ignited throughout the community is the wonderment behind Konikoff Center for Learning. Created as Tidewater’s hub for experiential Jewish education and engagement, the Konikoff Center for Learning plans “high-impact learning experiences” including programs, classes, workshops, and symposiums that span generations and interests. The Konikoff Center for Learning aims to find ways to connect with all members of Jewish Tidewater. “We want to share opportunities with the community on a variety of topics so that everyone can
E
find their entry point to engage Jewishly and meaningfully,” says Sierra Lautman, director of Jewish Innovation at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. A weekly newsletter is already inciting engagement from members of the community interested in different topics for future events. It gives information on local opportunities, as well as national and international options for education and enrichment. “As we find ourselves spending more time in this virtual space, we have the incredible chance to hear from leaders of Jewish thought all around the world,” says Lautman. The mission is to engage, educate, empower, and inspire individuals to deepen their Jewish knowledge and connection. Konikoff says, “Tzedakah isn’t just money, it is the giving of time, sharing of ideas and willingness to elevate others, a universal feature of being Jewish. Everyone can do it.” To learn more about the Konikoff Center for Learning, or to share a topic you would like to explore, contact Sierra Lautman, UJFT’s director of Jewish Innovation at slautman@ ujft.org.
26 | Jewish News | July 13, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org
ach day it is more apparent that the Jewish people lack uniformity. From politics to ritual to affiliation to it seems nearly everything in between, that lack of uniformity becomes increasingly ev ident. “Is it possible to be unified even w ithout being uniform?” asks Avraham Infeld, Konikoff Center Avraham Infeld. for Learning’s first guest speaker. Infeld uses a Five-Legged Table as a metaphor to reach an answer. In his Five-Legged Table approach to Judaism, Infeld explores the strength of the five legs upon which being Jewish stands: memory, family, Mount Sinai, Israel, and Hebrew. He stresses that choosing at least three of those legs can lead toward a strong Jewish future. It is that future that Infeld will discuss with Tidewater’s Jewish community in an interactive webinar. During the webinar, participants will have the opportunity to investigate the unique challenges of being Jewish in
today’s world, and learn how to overcome those challenges. President Emeritus of Hillel International, Infeld is founder and director of a number of innovative educational institutions. He has invested a lifetime of building Jewish identity and strengthening the State of Israel by instructing Jewish youth on five core principles: the Hebrew language, the Land of Israel, Jewish values, the Jewish religion, and the Jewish community. To register for the free event, go to jewishva. org/KCL.
Camp JCC
Camp JCC In the Cloud welcomes Noya Azari as the 2020 Shaliach
N
oya Azari is joining Camp JCC In the Cloud this summer as the camp’s Shaliach. A native of Tel Aviv, Noya Arazi, 23, was in Virginia Beach as a Camp JCC Shaliach in 2018. “Dance has always been a big part of my life,” sys Arazi. In fact, she is a certified Zumba instructor. “I believe in connecting people together from all over the world, especially in this time. Dancing together is a great way to do that!” And, that is exactly what Arazi is doing this summer for Camp JCC In the Cloud—all the way from Tel Aviv! To register for Camp JCC In the Cloud email ntrem@ujft.org.
Noya Azari
Camp JCC In the Cloud
F
or kids and families seeking some camp-like fun this summer, Camp JCC In the Cloud is ‘to the rescue!’ Unlimited access to online activities is FREE and available to anyone from anywhere. Different themed activities take place each week through August 14. At Camp JCC In the Cloud, kids get to enter a new virtual world of fun, filled with friends (old and new) and fascinating games and learning activities. Daily live activities are geared for grades K-2 and grades 3–5, and twice a week for middle school students. In addition to weekly Shabbat with songs, blessings, birthdays and mazels, weekly themes include: • Kindness • STEAM • Under The Sea • Around the World
Plus, all of the live activities on Camp JCC in the Cloud are recorded so that they may be viewed on-demand. This makes it possible for busy families with different schedules to be able to create, cook, and play with Camp JCC In the Cloud at any time. Email ntrem@ujft.org to receive the free promo code and instructions to register.
GOLF’S Longest DAY! Thursday, August 20, 2020 | 7:30 a.m. to Sunset Bayville Golf Club | Virginia Beach In Memory of Richard “Dick” Porter
There are two ways to participate in Golf’s Longest Day, benefitting Beth Sholom Village!
40th Anniversary For More Information:
Amy Weinstein, Director of Philanthropy, (757) 961-3046 aweinstein@bethsholomvillage.com
PLAY: • • •
Golfers must bring in pledges or donations of $2,500, or donate themselves, to participate Golfers play as many holes as they can until sunset, on the best local course at Bayville Golf Club. Win prizes for most money raised or most holes played!
SPONSOR: • • •
Sponsor a golfer at an amount of your choosing. Sponsor a golfer with a pledge per hole played - totaled after event. Be a Hole Sponsor ($1,000) with community-wide recognition.
Register to play or sponsor at www.bethsholomvillage.com
**Social distancing and precautions will be taken to ensure the health and safety of all participants!**
jewishnewsva.org | July 13, 2020 | Jewish News | 27
tidewater jewish foundation
Tidewater Jewish Foundation welcomes Naomi Sedek, new CEO and president Lisa Richmon
A
fter a national search, the Tidewater Jewish Foundation is ready to welcome Naomi Limor Sedek as its new president and chief executive officer. Coming from Nashville, Tennessee, Sedek’s lifelong work and passion for the promotion of Jewish life at the Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee made her the stand-out candidate for the Tidewater position. “We are thrilled to have someone of Naomi’s caliber leading the Tidewater Jewish Foundation,” says Lawrence Steingold, outgoing board chair of the Foundation. “Her expertise and passion for Jewish life will only strengthen the Tidewater Jewish community.” “I look forward to having Naomi as a colleague in our work for Tidewater’s Jewish community,” says Betty Ann Levin, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s executive vice president/CEO. “Together, I’m confident we’ll continue to keep our community on a secure and positive path for the future.” The Tidewater Jewish community won’t need 23andMe to see why Sedek chose a path committed to building Jewish community through philanthropy and legacy giving. Sedek has worked to connect people to their Judaism since becoming a teen donor at age 12. She has since built an impressive career centered around Jewish philanthropy and marked by mission leadership, engagement-driven
endowment, and synergy. “I knew all four of my grandparents, and my kids got to know them, too,” says Sedek. “They were the first Holocaust survivors to go out and talk to people and educational outreach programs in the Nashville Jewish Community have been named by them. They created a legacy for me to be able to follow.”
Naomi’s Contact info: Email: Nsedek@ujft.org Office Direct Ext: 757-965-6109 Fax: 757-965-6102 Cell Phone: 757-635-3810
28 | Jewish News | July 13, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org
“The Foundation work intrigues me because I know how essential it is for Jewish organizations to secure their futures through endowment opportunities, thus alleviating the burden on annual fundraising drives.”
As the former assistant executive director of the Jewish Federation of Nashville, Sedek sees unique opportunities for her to foster continued Jewish community growth in Tidewater. One of her priorities is to meet with community members to hear their stories and absorb the meaning behind legacies they have built and will continue developing in the future. “My unique talent is finding the apex between donors’ legacy wishes and helping them discover new vehicles and ways the Foundation can be a partner in making those dreams a reality,” says Sedek. In her position as assistant executive director, Sedek worked full time while earning her MBA, completing the Executive Program as a Forte Fellow at Vanderbilt University. The takeaway from that experience helped solidify her desire to pursue opportunities in the Jewish world where sharing her expertise and knowledge with other Jewish communities could generate change. “The Foundation work intrigues me because I know how essential it is for Jewish organizations to secure their futures through endowment opportunities, thus alleviating the burden on annual fundraising drives,” says Sedek. “As the demographics of community connections shift and change, it becomes even more critical to facilitate Jewish philanthropic conversations that transmit values and bridge gaps between generations.” Sedek also implemented and tested a new Professional Advisory Council model in Nashville. She found it to be a pivotal and valuable tool for member engagement. “I took over the management of the Jewish Foundation in Nashville four years ago and adopted certain programs and engagement opportunities that have real potential in Tidewater,” says Sedek. While the transition from Nashville to Tidewater will take some time, Sedek
Naomi Sedek
knows that when she steps into her role on July 15, she’ll have a great community behind her back. “Those I have met in Tidewater have showed me what a warm and welcoming community you have,” says Sedek. “Each organization that makes up the Tidewater Jewish community brings unique value. While working on the LIFE & LEGACY program in Nashville, I served as an honest broker in ensuring the future of every organization. This global approach, where the entire Jewish spectrum is supported, helps to strengthen the entire community.” “My grandmother lived to see the work I was doing and was very proud. I always wondered if we had the strong Jewish community we have today, would we have had the power to stop what had happened,” says Sedek. “I feel a great responsibility to previous generations to continue to build a Jewish, strong community for whoever needs it today—and long into the future. We are only stronger together.”
Food
Hot dogs are the greatest American Jewish food. Here’s why. Joel Haber
A
merican Jewish food is most typically defined as pastrami sandwiches, chocolate babka or bagels and lox. But I am here to argue that the greatest American Jewish food may actually be the humble hot dog. No dish better embodies the totality of the American Jewish experience. What’s that you say? You didn’t know that hot dogs were a Jewish food? Well, that’s part of the story, too. Sausages of many varieties have existed since antiquity. The closest relatives of the hot dog are the frankfurter and the wiener, both American terms based on their cities of origin (Frankfurt and Vienna, respectively). So, what differentiates a hot dog from other sausages? The story begins in 19th century New York with two GermanJewish immigrants. In 1870, Charles Feltman sold Frankfurt-style pork-and-beef sausages out of a pushcart on Coney Island, Brooklyn. Sausages not being the neatest street food, Feltman inserted them into soft buns. This innovative sausage-bun combo grew to be known as a hot dog (though Feltman called them Coney Island Red Hots). Two years later, Isaac Gellis opened a kosher butcher shop on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. He soon began selling allbeef versions of German-style sausages. Beef hot dogs grew into an all-purpose replacement for pork products in kosher homes, leading to such classic dishes as franks and beans or split pea soup with hot dogs. Like American Jews, the hot dog was an immigrant itself that quickly changed and adapted to life in the United States. As American Jewry further integrated into society, the hot dog followed. In 1916, Polish-Jewish immigrant Nathan Handwerker opened a hot dog stand to compete with Feltman, his former employer. Feltman’s had grown into a large sit-down restaurant, and
Handwerker charged half the price by making his eatery a “grab joint.” (The term fast food had yet to be invented, but it was arguably Handwerker who created that ultra-American culinary institution.) Nathan’s Famous conquered the hot dog world. Like so many of his American Jewish contemporaries, Handwerker succeeded via entrepreneurship and hard work. His innovative marketing stunts included hiring people to eat his hot dogs while dressed as doctors, overcoming public fears about low-quality ingredients. While his all-beef dogs were not made with kosher meat, he called them “kosher-style,” thus underscoring that they contained no horse meat. Gross. The kosher-style moniker was another American invention. American Jewish history, in part, is the story of a secular populace that embraced Jewish culture while rejecting traditional religious practices. All-beef hot dogs with Ashkenazi-style spicing, yet made from meat that was not traditionally slaughtered or “kosher,” sum up the new Judaism of Handwerker and his contemporaries. Hebrew National began producing hot dogs in 1905. Its production methods met higher standards than were required by law, leading to their famous slogan, “We Answer to a Higher Authority.” While the majority of Americans may be surprised to hear this, Hebrew National’s self-supervised kosherness actually was not accepted by more stringent Orthodox and even Conservative Jews at the time. But non-Jews, believing kosher dogs were inherently better, became the company’s primary market. American Jews have successfully integrated into their society more than any other in history. So, too, the hot dog has transcended its humble New York Jewish immigrant roots to enter the pantheon of true American icons. So when you bite into your hot dog this summer, you are really getting a bite of American Jewish history and the great American Jewish food. This story originally appeared on The Nosher.
investing in tomorrow
IS MY LEGACY LAWRENCE STEINGOLD TRUSTED ADVISOR | VOLUNTEER | PHILANTHROPIST
LEGACIES ARE BUILT DURING YOUR LIFETIME – THROUGH ACTIONS AND WORDS THAT BRING ABOUT A BETTER, STRONGER TOMORROW. Define your legacy with an endowed gift to the Jewish community so future generations have the opportunity to embrace our shared heritage and the values you hold dear. L’dor va dor.
WHAT’S YOUR LEGACY? For more information, contact Kaitlyn Oelsner koelsner@ujft.org | 757-965-6103 foundation.jewishva.org
jewishnewsva.org | July 13, 2020 | Jewish News | 29
entertainment
With a nod to Carl Reiner, My Favorite Year recalls the infancy of TV sketch comedy young ones will be damaged by the word “shtupp”).
Marc Brodsky
Social distancing and staying inside is hard. Thankfully, accessing good things to watch during this time is not. This is another installation of a column on Jewish movies and TV shows to stream in quarantine.
My Favorite Year Available for rent: Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, GooglePlay and other streaming services Family friendly? Yes (Unless you think
W
ith the passing this month of Carl Reiner, we lost one of the comedy greats, Jewish or otherwise. His obituary recalled a show business career that dated to the infancy of television in the 1950s. Reiner gained success starting in his late 20s as a writer and performer on Your Show of Shows and Caesar’s Hour, sketch comedies that one might broadly consider precursors to Saturday Night Live,
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30 | Jewish News | July 13, 2020 | jewishnewsva.org
sans the politics. Those early programs featured an unparalleled staff of writers, almost all Jewish, that also included Neil Simon, Mel Brooks and Woody Allen. They provide the backdrop for the 1982 comedy My Favorite Year, my choice for your COVID-19 lockdown viewing this time. (With cases on the rise, a reminder to heed what Larry David said in April: Stay home! Watch TV!) The film is seen through the eyes of a twentysomething Jewish writer named Benjy Stone (nee Steinberg) for a show in the mid-’50s called Comedy Cavalcade. Its star is King Kaiser, played by Joe Bologna, a Caesaresque personality: tyrannical and tough, but softhearted. Stone (Mark Linn-Baker) is enthralled that his hero, the dashing actor Alan Swann (Peter O’Toole), will be appearing as the guest star. Stone and Swann develop a rapport, but Swann has a drinking problem, and in turn a promptness problem. Stone’s more seasoned colleagues on the writing staff want Swann fired, but the youngster stands up for the down-on-his-luck thespian who had provided so many magical moments with his swashbuckling roles. In turn, Swann helps Stone to romance a young assistant on the show’s staff. (Stone at one point offers his wannabe girlfriend lessons on how to tell a joke, Borscht Belt style. It doesn’t go well.) Through it all, the odd couple experience plenty of craziness, like riding off on a horse together in Central Park following some chaos started by Swann. The movie has a Jewish ethos, but here’s the most Jewish part: Stone goes to visit his mother, Belle (Lainie Kazan) in Brooklyn, a stereotypical Jewish mom—in a quintessential Jewish setting—except that she’s now married to a former Filipino fighter named Rookie Carroca, who does all the cooking. (He makes parrot for the dinner: “They put up quite a squawk.”)
Other guests at the dinner include more relatives who embarrass Benjy: Uncle Morty (Lou Jacobi, one of my favorite character actors) and his wife, who wears her wedding dress to the function: “You like it? I only wore it once.” Belle the yenta prods Swann, whom she calls Swanny, about his personal life, and he divulges that he has a young daughter whom he hasn’t seen in ages. Morty is more pointed in his inquiries: “That paternity suit—did you shtupp her?” he asks. “Did you go all the way?” They leave the apartment with its throng of residents, all Jewish, trailing behind. One man offers his Italian surname and Swann asks how he got in the building. “I’m the super,” he says. At showtime, Swann finds out that the broadcast is live and is petrified (“I’m a movie star, not an actor!”), going off to drink away his fears. Stone gets him to return, and the one-time heartthrob makes amends for any difficulties he caused during the week by helping King Kaiser fight off some mobsters on the live show who don’t take kindly to one sketch. Wonder if Your Show of Shows ever had the same dilemma? Back to Reiner: He would go on to create The Dick Van Dyke Show, about a comedy writer named Rob Petrie, that would be one of the most embraced sitcoms not just of the ‘60s, but all time. Looking back on it, the Emmy winning show may seem idyllic, especially as it was on the air during the civil rights era. But Reiner was well aware of what was happening: On one episode, Petrie makes an impassioned plea for brotherhood among all people at a banquet sponsored by a group for interracial understanding. Carl Reiner left a legacy in so many ways. He will be greatly missed. (JTA)
Create a Jewish legacy for the community you love through planned charitable giving . . .ask us how
who knew? An American Pickle trailer shows Seth Rogen plays both 1920s Jewish immigrant and his great-grandson Gabe Friedman
T
he trailer for An American Pickle, the upcoming movie in which Seth Rogen plays a 1920s Jewish immigrant who falls into a pickle vat and wakes up 100 years later, is finally here. We caught a first glance of Rogen looking the part in a historically accurate picture released in April. Now, the trailer shows that Rogen actually plays both main characters: Herschel Greenbaum, the poor ditch-digger from “Schlupsk,� a fake region of Eastern Europe, and Ben Greenbaum, his great-grandson who works as a computer programmer in modern-day Brooklyn. The trailer also fills out the plot, which is based on a short story by Simon Rich. When Herschel wakes up in the future, he attempts to get Ben to start a pickle business with him after Ben loses his job. The trailer suggests a wealth of Jewish references. In one snippet, the two are shown talking about how polio has been cured. Ben says the doctor who discovered the cure was named Jonas Salk. Herschel asks if he was a Jew, and when Ben says yes, Herschel pumps his fist. The movie is out on HBO Max on Aug. 6. (JTA)
Curb Your Enthusiasm coming back for 11th season Marcy Oster
L
arry David excoriated Californians months ago in a public service announcement for failing to social distance and advised them “Go home! Watch TV!� At some point they’ll have a chance to tune in for new episodes of his Curb Your Enthusiasm. HBO announced that it would renew the show created by and starring David for an 11th season, Variety reported. “Believe me, I’m as upset about this as
you are,� David, the co-creator of Seinfeld, said in a statement. “One day I can only hope that HBO will come to their senses and grant me the cancellation I so richly deserve.� It’s not clear when filming will begin due to restrictions in place because of the coronavirus. The show is filmed with only an outline, no script, and cast members improvise their lines. It premiered in 2000, took a hiatus in 2011 after eight seasons and was revived in 2017. In his PSA for the state of California released April 1, David called on “the idiots out there� to stay home in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. “You know, if you’ve seen my show, nothing good ever happens going out of the house, you know that. It’s just trouble out there,� he said. “It’s not a good place to be.� (JTA)
Haim releases 3rd album and streams concert live from Canter’s deli
Ron Spindel
Jody Balaban
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T
he Jewish Haim sisters are back with a third album of pop rock, titled Women in Music Pt. III, and the reviews are glowing. The Wall Street Journal called the production “brilliant.� The Independent said it was “fearless and effervescent.� And Pitchfork described it as “Intimate, multidimensional, and wide-ranging,� and “far and away their best work.� To celebrate the release, the trio streamed a live concert from their favorite Los Angeles deli, the famed Canter’s. The sisters had planned to perform at several delis across the country to promote the album; it’s unclear if the coronavirus has nixed that completely. Hardcore fans will remember that Haim played its first-ever show at the deli in the Fairfax neighborhood—and was paid in matzah ball soup. Talk about a return to their roots. In an interview published in GQ that is well worth the read, the sisters describe their bat mitzvahs in detail. (JTA)
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Obituaries Walter D. Budman Olney, Md.—Walter D. Budman passed away peacefully on June 27, 2020 in Olney, Maryland. Born in Georgetown, Washington, DC on March 19, 1930, he had a great ride for 90 years. Walter was the fourth of Tibel and Isadore Budman’s six children. The family was close throughout their lives. Working in his father’s and his brothers’ stores in the DC area through high school, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps upon graduation. After serving in Korea as an intelligence officer, he attempted to re-enlist when he was handpicked to join a new agency, the CIA. Walter was a CIA analyst from 1952 until 1989, serving in Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe. He received the CIA’s Career Intelligence Medal. Upon retirement, he segued immediately into consulting and training new recruits— ultimately working for the CIA for 58 years. Walter, or Buddy or Vevy, as he was often called, is survived by his wife Sandy, his best friend for 70 years; his sister Bonnie (Stan), and brother Jack. His sons Steven (Terri), Michael (Joyce), and Robert (Vy), and houses full of loving grandchildren including Madeline, Deni, Libby, Jason, Ariel, and Natania, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends all over the world who will all miss him. A small graveside service was held at King David Memorial Garden in Falls Church, Virginia. In keeping with COVID precautions, the service was live streamed, and a Zoom shiva was held. Otherwise, the funeral would have been huge.
Richard Eisenpress Portsmouth—Rick (as he was known) was born in New York City in 1959 and grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. He moved to Portsmouth, Va. in 1996. Along with his parents, he joined Gomley Chesed Synagogue. Before long, Rick’s talent for leading the evening and part of the Shabbos services showed itself. Rick truly loved synagogue life. One of the proudest moments of his life was when he was voted Man of the Year by the Gomley Chesed Men’s Club. Rick suffered from a variety of physical and mental problems most of his life. Because of his outgoing personality, he made friends easily. Most of his friends from New York are still his friends. Rick’s parents, Sandy and Al, want to thank everyone who saw and accepted Rick for the person he was. Rick will be missed by his parents, his brother, Jesse, his sisters, Sherri and Merri, nieces, nephews, Aunt Judy, other relatives and all his friends. I’M A GOOD PERSON by Sondra Eisenpress about Rick
I’m a good person in a bad life Days, nights, so much strife. It started on the day I was born, So many shadows on that morn. An instrument birth was all they said, That grotesque clamp around my head, Squeezed too hard, just a little, Around my mouth foamed the spittle. From that day forward everything so hard, No one understanding, always on guard. My hands don’t work as well as yours, No one wants to hear about the cause.
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My moods change faster than most, Not something about which to boast. Manic depressive, bipolar, is the name, I’m supposed to be full of shame. I cannot help what’s happened to me, I’m the best person I can be. Your taunts cut through me like a knife, I’m a good person in a bad life.
Ilene Weingarten Goldburg Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.—Ilene Weingarten Goldburg, 93 passed away on Thursday, June 25, 2020 at her home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was the daughter of the late Irene Stein Weingarten and Milton Weingarten. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 49 years, Allan J. Goldburg and her late son-in-law, Paul (Andy) Anderson. Left to cherish her memory are her sons, N. Richard Goldburg (Stephanie), James R. Goldburg (Cindy), and daughter Wendy G. Anderson, and grandchildren Jennifer Glare (Zachary), Karen Gummo (Matt), Kevin Anderson (Nicole), Steven Goldburg (Ryan) and Stacey Tillett (Dylan). She also leaves behind her loving great grandchildren, Sadie, Zoey, Alexander, Bowen, Ridgely, Camille, Henrik and Brooklyn. A private graveside service was conducted at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Norfolk with Rabbi Murray Ezring officiating. Visit hdoliver.com to send condolences to the family. Memorial contributions to Alpert Jewish Family Service/Mental Health First Aid 5841 Corporate Way, Suite 200 West Palm Beach, Fl. 33407 or to a charity of your choice. Melvin Halpern CHESAPEAKE—Melvin Halpern, 91, passed away on July 4, 2020. Born October 23, 1928 in Brooklyn, N.Y., he was the son of the late Samuel and Celia Halpern. Melvin served in the U.S. Army and was a baseball fan. Most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Caroline and daughter, Barbara. Surviving are his son, Steven C. Halpern and wife, Rebecca; and grandchildren, Michael and Tyler.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Prostate Cancer Research at www. pcf.org. A memorial service will be at a later date. Share your thoughts and memories of Melvin at www.altmeyer.com.
Sidney Marcus PORTSMOUTH—Sidney Marcus, 98, died June 23, 2020. A native of Portsmouth, he was the widower of Vivian Trestman Marcus. He was the owner of Sidney’s Pawn Shop in Portsmouth for over 40 years and a member of Gomley Chesed Synagogue. He is survived by two loving daughters, Leslie Sigman (Mack), and Ronni Marcus; and four grandchildren, Allie Dolsey, Rikki Ingram (Nathan), Ian Sigman and Drew Sigman. A graveside service was held in Chevra Thilim Cemetery in Portsmouth with Rabbi Israel Zoberman officiating. Sturtevant Funeral Home. Sign the memorial for Sidney at www. SturtevantFH.com. Stan LEE Smolen Virginia Beach—Stan Smolen passed away May 27, 2020 at the age of 95. He was a veteran of WWII who served his country proudly. He was a courageous 19-year-old First Lieutenant on a B17 bomber in the Army Air Corp. But most importantly, he was the patriarch of a family he adored. Stan was predeceased by the love of his life, his wife of 68 years, Patricia Rose Smolen. He was a devoted father to his daughters and their husbands, Lynn and Jerry Hankin, and Leslie and Larry Siegel, beloved grandfather to his four grand-daughters and their spouses, Shaye and Glen Arluk, Kari Amuial, Megan and Steve Zuckerman, and Ryan and Dan Miller, and amazing great-grandfather to Brianna, Madison, and Dylan Arluk, Jordan and Devon Amuial, Jonah and Chloe Zuckerman, and Cameron, Molly, and Jackson Miller. Stan was born on February 12, 1925 in Philadelphia. He was the son of Edward and Molly Smolen, who immigrated from Russia to escape anti-Semitism. He grew up with his two older sisters, Jeanne and Helen during the Great Depression. Stan was a student at George
Obituaries Washington University when WWII began. He left school to enlist in the Army Air Corp and became a navigator. His 10-man crew flew 35 very dangerous bombing missions over Europe. Stan returned to the United States as a decorated hero and received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Oak Leaf Cluster Air Medal. Upon returning from the war he married his beloved Pat and began his career in men’s retailing. This career resulted in numerous moves over 45 years, but home was always Asheville, N.C. In Asheville he joined The Man Store as manager and later served as president. He also served as president of the Jewish Community Center and B’nai Brith. Stan moved to Norfolk to become president and CEO of Shulman’s, and later moved to Buffalo, N.Y. to be president and CEO of Kleinhans. His final move was to Chicago as a corporate vice president of Hart Schaffner & Marx. In every community in which he lived, he served as president of numerous civic and retail organizations. Stan retired after this and he and Pat moved back to Virginia Beach to be with their growing family and to travel the world. In retirement, Stan remained active in retailing through the SBA, assisting minority small business owners with their careers. At the age of 90 he became a writer and wrote his autobiography and many short stories. Stan was a man of much wisdom, a wonderful sense of humor, a teller of great stories, and a giver of warm hugs. Stan’s life was celebrated in a private memorial service officiated by Rabbi Marc Kraus of Temple Emanuel. Stan will be laid to rest with his beloved Pat at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Memorial donations may be made to Beth Sholom Home, the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, or the Air Warriors Courage Foundation.
Khana S. Volkova Norfolk—Khana S. Volkova, 96, mother of Nellie Podolskaya (of blessed memory), passed away June 27, 2020. The funeral was held at the Hebrew Cemetery on Princess Anne Road per/ Temple Israel.
Cremation & Funeral Services of Tidewater. Condolences may be expressed at www.candfservices.com.
Howard Morton Weisberg Naples, FLA.—Howard Morton Weisberg, passed away Friday, June 19, 2020 just 10 days shy of his 100th birthday. Born June 29th, 1920, in Brooklyn, N.Y. when the borough was transitioning from horse drawn carriages to cable cars, he has led an extraordinarily adventurous life with an exuberance and impish sense of humor that he displayed to the very end. Born in the family residence on Saint Johns Place, he graduated Erasmus Hall High School, June 1938. As a youth in the 1930s he parked cars at Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. He witnessed the airship Hindenberg as it passed over to make its fateful landing at Lakehurst Naval Air Station. He entered WWII, winning the war (as he described it) by serving as an Army Air
Force Sergeant radio operator in Iwo Jima with the 46 Fighter Squadron. Awarded the Bronze Star, his unit fought on the ground in Iwo Jima and in the air over Tokyo Japan. Upon his return home following the war he proudly attended Washington Square College, New York University, graduating with a BA and a concentration in accounting. He often proudly remarked
that he analyzed clients books only after becoming intimately familiar with their core business. His profession often saw him travel in the 50s to Norfolk and a fledgling Virginia Beach to work on the accounts of the early pioneers of the area homebuilding industry. In 1958, with Barry and Nancy Clark, they formed Clark Whitehill. Though not coming from continued on page 34
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Obituaries continued from page 33
a traditional building trade he figured homebuilding was a “systems problem.” Their success was built upon hard work and discipline to those “systems”; building homes, shopping centers, and apartment communities that are still providing shelter and shopping choices for Virginia Beach families today. Active from the formative days of the Tidewater Association of Home Builders/Tidewater Builders Association, he attained the position of president in 1969 and remained active in local, state and national Home Building Association
until his retirement. His proudest TBA legacy included the creation of the TBA Scholarship Foundation for which Clark Whitehill built the first Scholarship House in 1966. His heart was only once broken when his beloved Dodgers left Brooklyn. His sense of romance was finally restored when he married the love of his life, Nancye, with whom he lived and laughed fully. His marriage to our mom gained him the instant family he had always wanted, given his fond remembrance of the wonderful impact his Father and Mother, Samuel and Gertrude, had on
his life. Perhaps the greatest testament to his impact on his family is that each individual feels that their relationship with him was both unique and special. As his parents so influenced him, he, in turn, encouraged and helped his family to seek education and expand knowledge through travel where he formed life-long relationships with dear friends from around the world. He is preceded in death by his parents, Samuel and Gertrude Weisberg; his sister, Claire Dexter; his grandson, David Banholzer; childhood best friend, Hilly Block and countless friends.
He is survived by our mother, Nancye Weisberg, children Kathy and George, George and Daphne, and Michael and Bonnie, 17 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, niece Susan, nephews Bruce, Frederick, and Barry. We will all miss him dearly. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the TBA Howard M. And Nancye C. Weisberg Scholarship, Coastal Virginia Building Industry Association, 2117 Smith Avenue, Chesapeake, VA 23320.
Nine powerful Jewish designs by Milton Glaser, the iconic graphic artist who died last month at 91 Gabe Friedman
(JTA)—Milton Glaser, the godfather of modern graphic design who passed away on his 91st birthday on Friday, June 26 didn’t talk about his Jewish identity very often. But when he did, he made clear that his New York Jewish upbringing defined his artistic sensibility. Born to Hungarian immigrant parents, the lifelong New Yorker grew up in the Bronx, surrounded mostly by “Jews from Eastern Europe, [who] were very left-wing—Marxists, Trotskyites,” he told Hadassah Magazine in 2009. “[P]art of my ideas come more from my Jewish background than my American background,” he said in that interview, adding that a sense of “never quite feeling at home in any culture” shaped his aesthetic. That turned out to be a positive: Glaser would go on to challenge almost every orthodoxy of modern design, changing the “vocabulary of American visual culture,” as his New York Times obituary put it. “At a certain point we were accepted, and once that happens, everything becomes less interesting,” he said in a 1989 interview, referring to his group of early design firm collaborators. Here are some of the Jewish images from Glaser’s legendary career.
Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits In 1967, Glaser made a poster for an album of greatest hits by Bob Dylan, one of the other most influential Jewish artists of the 20th century. The colorful waves that make up Dylan’s hair against a black silhouette were inspired by Islamic art. The image became an icon of 60s style and imagery. The Plot Against America, and other Philip Roth book covers Glaser designed many book covers over the years, including at least the four that are listed on his website for the late Jewish novelist Philip Roth: Exit Ghost (2007), Nemesis (2010), The Humbling (2009) and The Plot Against America (2004)—the last of which imagines an alternate history in which Charles Lindbergh becomes president, establishes friendly relations with the Nazis, and allows anti-Semitism to fester throughout the country. A Gentile’s Guide to Jewish Food Glaser and Clay Felker founded New York Magazine—that same one that is still alive and well—in 1968. For around seven years, Glaser wrote a column titled “Underground Gourmet,” which profiled restaurant gems that wouldn’t break anyone’s budget. This was one of the many covers he designed for the magazine, and
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likely the most Jewish. Celebrate Israel Parade The parade, which packs New York City’s Fifth Avenue every summer, is one of the largest annual showings of Jewish pride in the world. It began in 1965, when thousands of people lined up spontaneously to see the former Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, who was visiting the city. The parade’s branding was revamped in 2011, and Glaser contributed the red, white and blue logo. Old Jews Telling Jokes Glaser also lent his logo design talents to this website, a virtual archive of sorts of exactly what it sounds like: videos of old Jews telling Jewish jokes. In the words of creator Sam Hoffman: “Every joke teller had to be at least 60 years old and ‘Jewish.’ The age thing I would be strict about, the Jewish thing would be in spirit. If nothing else, we would make portraits of people who had lived at least six decades and that would be something to see.” I ♥ NY Perhaps his most well-known design is I ♥ NY, the logo has become a defining image for the world’s No. 2 Jewish capital. Originally designed for a 1977 tourism campaign by the city, it has since been an
international staple on everything from t-shirts to coffee mugs to bumper stickers. “I’m flabbergasted by what happened to this little, simple nothing of an idea,” Glaser said in 2011. Angels in America Glaser’s design of a crouched man with colorful angel wings graced the Playbill for Jewish playwright Tony Kushner’s iconic play Angels in America, a complex Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about the AIDS crisis. Fairway Fairway Market, the New York supermarket beloved by local Jews for its many kosher and Jewish-inspired offerings, enlisted Glaser’s help in designing all sorts of food containers. The company was likely keen on duplicating the success of Glaser’s logo for the Grand Union supermarket chain, which became an influential design totem. Works at the Israel Museum The storied Israel Museum in Jerusalem houses at least three Glaser works, according to its website, in its permanent collection. Among them is a famous ad for Olivetti typewriters, which drops one of the machines into a 15th-century painting by Piero di Cosimo.
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