Jewish News April 28, 2025 Edition

MAHLER Symphony No. 9

Virginia Symphony Orchestra

Eric Jacobsen, conductor

NEWPORT NEWS | VIRGINIA BEACH

In 1948, as Israel fought for its independence, the medics of Magen David Adom were there, treating wounded soldiers and civilians alike. Today, as Israel celebrates Yom HaAtzma’ut, MDA is still treating the injured — even under fire. But for MDA to continue being there for Israel, we need to be there for MDA. Make a donation at afmda.org/give.

JEWISH NEWS UP FRONT

Josh Shapiro recounts arson terror

Philissa Cramer

(JTA) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro revealed on Thursday, April 17, that investigators had managed to retrieve ritual Passover items from the dining room that was heavily damaged by an arsonist’s fire shortly after his family’s seder on Saturday, April 12.

“Some just required a dusting and a cleaning,” he said outside a Harrisburg firehouse where he and his wife Lori were serving lunch to first responders who rescued his family and doused the flames. “Others are destroyed.”

Shapiro, one of the most prominent Jews in politics, said he and his family had concluded the public seder around 10 pm and had retired to their private quarters before heading to bed around 1 am. It was less than an hour later that State Police officers roused them abruptly to evacuate the building, as a raging fire burned in the space they had just vacated.

He also revealed that the family had found solace when a fire chaplain recited the Jewish Priestly Blessing for them.

“It’s a prayer we recite in Hebrew for our kids. It’s from the Book of Numbers: ‘The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace.’ That’s a prayer and a hope that we have for our kids every day, that they have peace in their lives,” Shapiro said.

“Obviously, that peace was shattered on Sunday morning, but it is a hope and a prayer that we have, not just for our kids, but every child across Pennsylvania that they live in a society that’s free and peaceful where they are protected, and they are watched over by God.”

Police say Cory Balmer started the blaze in part because of his opposition to “what Shapiro wants to do to the

Palestinian people.” The revelation of his motive confirmed for some that the attack was antisemitic in nature.

Shapiro says he was confident in Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo to handle the case.

“I don’t think it’s helpful for people on the outside who haven’t seen the evidence, who don’t know what occurred, who are applying their own viewpoints to the situation, to weigh in in that manner,” he said. “My trust is with the prosecutor to make the decision. He’ll make the right decisions, and I will be fully supportive of whatever decision he makes.”

Shapiro said his return to the dining room for the first time had been jarring — and had redoubled his commitment to making Pennsylvania safe for people of all backgrounds.

“At one point today when we stopped to see the chandelier that had come down from the ceiling and was kind of partly melted and partly covered, you know, in soot, what have you, from the fire — it was resting on a place on the floor where just the night before, we had celebrated our Passover Seder, where two or three weeks earlier, we had celebrated an Iftar dinner at the conclusion of Ramadan, and about a year before that, where kids danced and played at our son Ruben’s Bar Mitzvah, and right where the Christmas tree stands every December in the governor’s residence,” he recounted, standing with his wife Lori.

“We really believe that Pennsylvania and this residence should be a place where people of all faiths are welcome and all faiths are comforted and feel as though they can celebrate openly and proudly who they are,” he said. “And we’re going to get that room back to being a place that’s warm and welcoming for all.”

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BRIEFS

Pope Francis’ final speech called for ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza war

In his final public speech, delivered less than 24 hours before his death, Pope Francis addressed the war in Gaza, expressing sympathy for the Palestinian people and calling for an end to the war that includes the release of Israeli hostages.

Francis made the comments in his annual Easter speech, which an archbishop delivered while Francis was seated on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. His comments about the war in Gaza, which Israel and Hamas have been fighting since Oct. 7, 2023, echoed his earlier statements on the conflict:

“I would like us to renew our hope that peace is possible! From the Holy Sepulchre, the Church of the Resurrection, where this year Easter is being celebrated by Catholics and Orthodox on the same day, may the light of peace radiate throughout the Holy Land and the entire world. I express my closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people. The growing climate of antisemitism throughout the world is worrisome. Yet at the same time, I think of the people of Gaza, and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation. I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace!”

Francis also drew attention to other regions at war around the world, including in Lebanon and Syria, which he noted is undergoing “a delicate transition in its history.” (JTA)

FSU shooting suspect used neo-Nazi imagery on social media, ADL finds

The suspect in this month’s shooting at Florida State University used Nazi imagery and language in his online profiles, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Phoenix Ikner, 20, is accused of killing two and wounding six in the shooting on April 17. In a review of his online gaming profiles, the ADL’s Center on Extremism found that he was the latest shooting suspect to express admiration for the Nazis and Adolf Hitler.

According to a screenshot the ADL posted on X, Ikner used a crude drawing of Hitler saying “nein,” German for no, as his profile photo on XBOX Live. In another screenshot, Ikner’s profile uses the emblem of the Patriot Front, a white supremacist group known for disseminating antisemitic propaganda on college campuses and elsewhere.

A screenshot of the alleged shooter’s inbox shows him being referred to as “Schutzstaffel,” the Nazi paramilitary group known as the SS that played a leading role in perpetrating the Holocaust.

Ikner’s search history also showed that he may

have looked up “scientific racism,” an idea that underlaid Nazi antisemitism, as well as “national confederate flag.”

An ADL study from January found that bigotry, including antisemitism, was common on online gaming platforms.

“Neither one means anything in particular but they’re part of the broader story,” Carla Hill, a senior director of investigative research at the ADL’s Center on Extremism, told USA Today of the screenshots. “It gives us a little more insight into what he’s thinking about and curious about.”

Other mass shooters in recent years have espoused Nazi ideas, even in cases where they haven’t targeted Jewish institutions. In January, the ADL found that the suspect in a Nashville school shooting had praised Hitler and shared neo-Nazi content. A series of mass shooters in recent years have promoted the antisemitic “great replacement theory.” (JTA)

Trump picks Yehuda Kaploun, a friend and Miami businessman, as antisemitism envoy

President Donald Trump has selected a new special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, nominating a Miami businessman and fundraiser named Yehuda Kaploun to the role.

“Yehuda is a successful businessman, and staunch advocate for the Jewish Faith and the Rights of his people to live and worship free from persecution,” Trump said on Truth Social, announcing his selection. “With Anti-Semitism dangerously on the rise, Yehuda will be the strongest Representative for Americans and Jews across the Globe, and promote PEACE. Congratulations Yehuda!”

Trump’s announcement elicited a wave of sharply antisemitic comments on the social network, which Trump owns and is favored by his supporters. “No one believes Anti-Semitism is an issue but the Zionists. I will criticize our Greatest Enemy when ever I want,” wrote one commenter.

Said another: “Combat anti-semitism? Don’t people have the Constitutional right to like and hate who they like? What kind of name is Yehuda anyhow? Doesn’t sound American to me.”

Kaploun is affiliated with Chabad, the Hasidic Orthodox movement, and was a fundraiser and surrogate for Trump during last year’s campaign. He appeared with Trump at a ceremony in Florida to mark the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

In an interview before the election with Mishpacha magazine, an Orthodox publication, Kaploun said, “What’s important to me is to do everything in my power to help Trump win, so that we — Jews everywhere — can feel safer.”

The role, which requires Senate confirmation and was elevated in recent years to the ambassador level, is the United States’ top position related to fighting antisemitism and has responsibility primarily for what

happens overseas. Kaploun, who initially got connected to Trump through Miriam and Sheldon Adelson, the Jewish Republican megadonors, offered a clear sense in the Mishpacha interview of where he believes the greatest threat to Jews lies.

“Democrats are afraid to even say the words ‘radical Islamic terror’ while Trump says it openly,” Kaploun said. “He speaks fearlessly about the threat of Iran and makes clear that its goal is to destroy the United States. This when Democrats refuse to even recognize the butchers of women and kidnappers of children as terrorists. How can you go along with that?”

He also presented a grim view of antisemitism in the United States. “Our situation is similar to that of Jews in 1930s Germany, on the eve of Kristallnacht,” he said. “They, too, lived in peace and quiet until the ground shook under their feet. And in the United States, the ground is already shaking.”

He would succeed Deborah Lipstadt, a historian of antisemitism, who occupied the role in the Biden administration. (JTA)

Plane carrying freed Israeli hostages and US lawmakers clipped at DC airport

Two planes carrying members of Congress as well as the released Israeli hostages Keith and Aviva Siegel clipped wings on the taxiway at Reagan Washington National Airport earlier this month.

The two American Airlines jets were taxiing when their winglets came into contact at the Washington, D.C. airport. No injuries were reported on the planes.

Also on the planes were several U.S. representatives from New York and New Jersey, including Josh Gottheimer, a Jewish Democrat, and Ritchie Torres, perhaps the most outspoken pro-Israel Democrat in the House.

The Siegels were both taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Aviva was released in a November 2023 ceasefire and Keith, an American-Israeli, was released more than a year later, in the ceasefire that ended last month.

The couple have become vocal advocates for the release of the remaining hostages and were visiting Washington D.C. in part to speak at the American Jewish Committee’s Washington diplomatic seder on Wednesday, April 9, ahead of Passover. In his remarks, Keith Siegel urged President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume negotiations and broker a deal to return the remaining 59 hostages, 24 of whom are thought to be alive.

“During my captivity, I spent most of my days longing for my family, wondering what they were enduring and how each day was unfolding for them,” Siegel said in his address. “Now, my greatest priority is to cherish every minute with them and to fight for the return of the 59 hostages who are still kept captive. I cannot begin to heal until all 59 hostages are home.” (JTA)

JEWISH TIDEWATER & ISRAEL

Vote through May 4 in election for World Zionist Congress

Just a few days are left to vote in an election that gives American Jews an opportunity to directly shape Israel’s future.

The U.S. election for seats in the 39th World Zionist Congress will help determine the balance of power in the legislative authority of a Zionist organization founded by Theodore Herzl 128 years ago.

Influence over $5 billion in funding for Jewish causes and authority over quasi-governmental institutions such as the Jewish Agency, which plays a central role in immigration to Israel, and the

Jewish National Fund, which owns 13% of Israeli land, will be determined.

Jewish adults living in the United States can vote until May 4 if they accept a set of Zionist principles and pay a $5 registration fee. The entire process takes about two, maybe three minutes.

To vote, go to AZM.ORG.

For information about the slates, go to JewishNewsVa.org and click on the March 24, 2025 digital issue or search World Zionist Congress.

Calling all 2025 graduates

Graduation season is almost here, and Jewish News wants to celebrate Jewish Tidewater’s students as the Class of 2025 graduates from high school, college, and graduate schools.

To help us acknowledge as many graduates as possible, please submit, along with a photo, this information by Friday, May 9:

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Send to speck@ujft.org with Graduate in the subject line. You will receive an email acknowledging receipt. If you don’t, please call 757-965-6129. Thank you!

See something wrong? Report it!

Report an antisemitic incident at www.Federation.JewishVA.org/IncidentReporting In an emergency, always call 9-1-1 first.

If online reporting is not practical, contact local law enforcement and/or the relevant suspicious activity reporting authority.

Also contact Mike Goldsmith, Tidewater’s SCN Regional Security Advisor, at MGoldsmith@ujft.org or 844-SCN-DESK.

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Mezuzah is up at Aviva Shabbat Service and Ark Dedication will add to the community’s appeal to current and future Jewish residents

Cantor Elihu Flax to serve as part-time

Saturday, May 17, 10 am

Joel Rubin

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With a number of its Jewish and even some non-Jewish residents looking on, Cantor Elihu Flax affixed a fully kosher Mezuzah on the front door of Aviva Pembroke senior housing, located at Pembroke Square near Target and other retailers, restaurants, hotels, and popular amenities.

“The mezuzah includes a parchment with the Shema that calls on Jews to ‘write them on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates’,” said Flax, who was chaplain and director of Religious Services at Beth Sholom Village, 2004 - 2021 and is currently coordinator of Religious Services at Congregation Beth El. His first position in Hampton Roads was as cantor at Temple Israel for five

chaplain

years.

“I am thrilled to announce that Aviva has retained me to be its first chaplain,” says Cantor Flax. To fit that into his other duties, Flax, who has a doctor of music degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary, will be at Aviva two days a week, offering pastoral care and leading Jewish services, while also “honoring religious preferences of nonJewish residents,” presiding at funerals if asked, hosting “Ask the Clergy” classes, and of course, conducting “sing-a-longs.”

Aviva is pleased to have him on the team, says Jay Kossman, chairman of the board of Beth Sholom Village.

“Having Cantor Flax back on staff is a real bonus,” he says. BSV, along with Pembroke Square Associates, built and operates the 153-unit complex, featuring one-, twoand three-bedroom apartments, plus units for assisted living and memory impaired individuals. “It took a little while to establish the Jewish presence we have always desired

for Aviva, and we’re not done yet. Our Jewish residents have been waiting for the mezuzah, but we wanted to secure a good one and arrange a nice ceremony.”

Another and equally significant event will take place on Saturday, May 17 when Danny Rubin, his sons, and father lead a Sabbath Service to dedicate a new ark – designed and constructed by David Small, a Navy man who also created the new Readers Table at Beth El where he’s a member. “It’s beautiful,” says Rubin, who began attending services at the old Beth Sholom, now Maimonides Health Care in Virginia Beach, as a child. “On May 17th, we will put it to good use, taking the Torah in and out to read the weekly sedrah and honoring residents and volunteers with aliyot and ark openings. I hope everyone will attend this historic program.”

Mezuzot are now on several resident apartments, and Aviva will assist anyone wishing to secure one. “We will have a nice mix of Jewish and nonJewish residents,” says Kossman, “but there is a plaque just inside the front entrance with the names of donors, the vast majority of them Jewish, who rightly wanted there to be as much of a Jewish presence as possible, given the resident and ownership mix, although the Pembroke leadership has been very amenable to our requests. Thanks to Cantor Flax, our Board, staff, the Rubins, and other volunteers and clergy, we will have that and are open to all ideas to engage those Jews who live here, their families and the community.”

The mezuzah dedication.

The new ark.

NATION

May is Jewish American Heritage Month

Established in 2006 when President George W. Bush proclaimed May as Jewish American Heritage Month, the designated month acknowledges Jewish contributions to American culture, history, military, science, government, and more.

The proclamation by President Bush was a result of a long-time and coordinated effort by American Jewish leaders to introduce resolutions in both the U.S. Senate and the House urging the President to proclaim a month specifically recognizing Jews in America and their contributions to the United States.

Since its inception, Jewish American Heritage Month has gained in popularity and recognition. In Tidewater, a variety of events are planned to coincide with JAHM. Similar to the range of contributions to the nation by America’s Jewish citizens, the programs and events are equally diverse –from an exploration of Tidewater’s earliest

Jewish history to a tour of Jewish art at the Chrysler Museum of Art to a Norfolk Tides baseball game and plenty of other happenings. A few are highlighted here. To learn more, go to JewishVa.org/JAHM.

May 4, Sunday

JFS 21st Annual Run Roll or Stroll. Live music, face painting, balloon animals, fairy hair, and photobooth. 10:30 am. Sandler Family Campus. $20 per participant. Registration: https://runsignup.com/ runrollstroll.

May 6, Tuesday

Museum’s collection. 3 pm. Free. Chrysler Museum of Art. Also, on May 25 at 2 pm. RSVP: JewishVA.org/JAHM.

May 15, Thursday

through the lens of the Myers family, the first permanent Jewish residents of Tidewater with Rabbi Michael Panitz. 1 - 3 pm. Myers House, 323 Freemason Street, Norfolk. Free. RSVP: JewishVA.org/JAHM.

May 23, Friday

Jewish American Heritage Month Tours at the Chrysler Museum of Art. A guided exploration of art related to Judaic themes or created by Jewish artists in the

Meet the authors of Miri’s Moving Day. Stephanie Wildman and Adam Ryan Chang celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with their book, Miri’s Moving Day. An interactive read-along featuring a craft activity for pre-K through 3rd graders. 10:30 am. Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library. JewishVA.org/JAHM.

May 18, Sunday

History Speaks: Building on a Foundation of Hope. Explore Norfolk’s early Jewish history

Memorial Day Ceremony – Honoring Fallen Heroes. Remember those who served in this short ceremony at the War Veterans Flagpole. 8:30 am. Sandler Family Campus. Information: Sierra Lautman at SLautman@ujft.org.

May 28, Wednesday

Jewish American Heritage Night at the Tides. Join the Tides and UJFT for the inaugural Jewish American Heritage Night when the Tides take on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Discounted tickets and an exclusive JAHM 2025 t-shirt. First pitch 6:35 pm. Harbor Park. Purchase tickets: JewishVA.org/JAHM.

Fun.Elevated.

FIRST PERSON

And then there were none. We need to pick up the mantle

In 2010 when the Holocaust Commission conceived of what would become the What We Carry program, its previously robust survivor Speakers Bureau was beginning to shrink. Witnesses to history continued to leave us, but eventually the program grew, and consisted of films with direct testimonial footage from each of five local survivors, two liberators, and one rescuer, along with replicas of artifacts and mementos of each that travel to schools, military installations, and community groups to educate about the lessons of the Holocaust.

At the program’s kickoff, survivors profiled would sometimes accompany the docents to speaking engagements, allowing the films to tell their stories, and then fielding questions from students and other learners. Commission members loved to take survivors to meet their “fans,” and the What We Carry presentations were less taxing on the survivors, as they did not have to retell their story each time.

participate in educating about that history until she went on a mission to eastern Europe with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater in 1999.

When she returned from the trip, she joined the Holocaust Commission and became one of its most stalwart speakers. Her soft spoken but direct manner, and her natural elegance and grace, created interest in history in even the most reluctant of middle school students. She also often taught adults about a lesser-known part of the Holocaust, that did not include any of the 40,000+ Nazi camps in Europe. She never judged, but accepted those around her with respect and caring, which is hard to imagine considering the life and death struggles she endured when others judged her for no reason other than her religion.

But 15 years later, that opportunity is now no longer available. With the passing earlier this month of survivor Dana Cohen, our community has now lost every featured WWC storyteller. A survivor of the Russian invasion of Poland, deportation to a Siberian slave labor camp, and a harrowing wartime journey that eventually landed Dana and her mother in Koja, Uganda, after her father was murdered by the Russian Army in the Katyn Forest Massacre, Dana’s story was not what most people think of when they think of the Holocaust. In fact, though her mother wrote a memoir of their struggles (which she described as “one long chain of miracles”), Dana did not actively

She was beloved by many educators, but like her fellow WWC speakers, David Katz, Hanns Loewenbach, Kitty Saks, and Mary Barraco, she was a particular favorite of Esther Goldman Award-winning master teacher at Indian River High School, Craig Blackman. At Dana’s funeral, he and I reminisced about the special days he organized for Mary, Kitty, and Dana at IRHS, bringing hundreds of students together to honor these brave women. He made sure the students knew how special the ladies were, and they created and performed art for them, cooked dishes from their native countries for them, and showered them with love. At the end of each day of honor, the students planted a tree in a memorial garden. Their trees still flourish, reminding faculty and alumni, and educating current students, about the powerful lessons these women shared.

It is the end of an era when

perhaps we need the voices of survivors more than ever.

We are living in a time when the few who are left are seeing parallels to things they witnessed in Germany’s nascent democracy, that eventually led to the Holocaust –government officials tried to erase parts of the country’s history, stirring patriotism with scapegoating “the other.” This seems hauntingly familiar, as cultural conversations that were not long ago bringing us together to acknowledge our country’s checkered past and move forward with more unity, have shifted. History has many examples of how this can end, and none are pretty.

Kitty Saks, in her What We Carry film, talks about living through the Anschluss in Vienna and what came after, and her father’s “not seeing the writing on the wall.” When they came for his business, “THEN he saw the writing on the wall!” But of course, by then the snowball was already headed downhill and picking up steam. All of our beloved local survivors believed that America was a land of opportunity, and were grateful to have been able to make their lives here after their countries capitulated to dictatorship. But they knew that its success depended on the freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution.

Let us listen to the voices of history’s witnesses, its historians, and our hearts, and know that in our Democracy, we are all created equally, and our Constitution applies to us all. Survivors all tell a cautionary tale. We all need to remember that the Constitution itself, like the least powerful in our country, has no voice. Both need our defending. As Dana’s fellow survivor Hanns Loewenbach always ended his presentations, “Evil does not need your help. Just your indifference.”

Elena Barr Baum is a former director of the Holocaust Commission, and the current president of the Ukrainian Humanity Center (www.ukrainianhumanitycenter.org).

Elena Barr Baum

Dana Cohen.

Plaque honors Dana Cohen at Indian River High School.

A tree planted in Indian River High School’s memorial garden in honor of Dana Cohen.

HALF OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS ALIVE

TODAY WILL BE DEAD IN 6 YEARS, NEW ANALYSIS FINDS

Grace Gilson

(JTA) — Almost all of the Holocaust survivors alive today will be dead in 15 years, a new projection by a leading organization advocating for their compensation finds.

While the timeline is something of an actuarial inevitability — the Holocaust ended 80 years ago, meaning that all survivors are octogenarians at least already — the projection marks the first time that the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, or Claims Conference, has attempted to plot out a trajectory for the disappearance of survivors.

The median age of survivors today is 87 and nearly half will die by 2031, according to the analysis, which was timed to Yom Hashoah, the Jewish Holocaust memorial day. By 2040, 90% are expected to die, leaving a total remaining population estimated around 21,300.

But the decline in survivor population is not equal across the 90 countries where they currently reside, the report found. In Israel, which is home to the largest number of Holocaust survivors, the population is expected to fall by 43% by 2030, where only 39% of U.S. survivors are projected to die by then.

In the former Soviet Union, on the other hand, a 54% decline in the number of living survivors is projected over the next five years. By 2030, the analysis found, just 11,800 survivors will remain there.

The analysis comes a year after the Claims Conference’s first-ever exhaustive tally of living survivors, which found that about 240,000 people who experienced the Holocaust were still alive. The organization

says the findings underscore how important it is to find new ways to hear and document survivors’ stories, which it has made a centerpiece of its work since successfully negotiating compensation from countries whose Jews were persecuted during the Holocaust.

“This report provides clear urgency to our Holocaust education efforts; now is the time to hear first-hand testimonies from survivors, invite them to speak in our classrooms, places of worship and institutions,” says Gideon Taylor, president of the Claims Conference. “It is critical, not only for our youth but for people of all generations to hear and learn directly from Holocaust survivors. This report is a stark reminder that our time is almost up, our survivors are leaving us, and this is the moment to hear their voices.”

Currently, more than 1,400 Holocaust survivors are estimated to be over the age of 100, according to the report. Since last year’s tally, the world’s oldest survivor has been replaced. Rose Girone died at 113 in February; now, Malka Schmulovitz, a 109-year-old Holocaust survivor from Lithuania living in Florida, is one of the oldest living survivors advocating for awareness of her generation’s stories.

“To be one of the oldest survivors alive right now at my age tells me we are running out of time. We all have a testimony that needs to be shared,” Schmulovitz says. “We all want to be sure that this generation of young people and the ones that come after them, hear and understand what truly happened during the Holocaust; if only so that we do not see it repeated.”

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e cost of senior living can vary depending on factors like the level of support you need and the size suite you select, while other aspects, like peace of mind, are hard to put a price tag on. Staying at home may seem like the safer bet, but is it worth the gamble?

Commonwealth Senior Living has been helping families navigate this journey for over 20 years. We’ll work with you to explore all your nancial options including savings, Long-Term Care Insurance, home equity, Social Security, and, for veterans, Aid & Attendance bene ts.

mind to chance.

NATION

Noa Argamani, ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt among over a dozen Jews on 2025 TIME 100 list

Grace Gilson

(JTA) — Former Israeli hostage Noa Argamani and Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt were included along with over a dozen Jews in Time Magazine’s 100 “Most Influential” list this year.

Their inclusion — in the “Leaders” and “Titans” sections of the annual list — points to the ongoing significance of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel and its aftermath.

Argamani’s feature was written by Doug Emhoff, the Jewish husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris. Argamani was rescued from Hamas captivity last summer, eight months after video of her abduction from the Nova music festival became a symbol of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Since then, Argamani has championed the release of the remaining hostages, including her partner, Avinatan Or.

“I’m deeply honored to be included in the TIME 100 list and grateful that this recognition continues to shine a light on the hostage crisis and the horrific attacks of October 7th,” Argamani tweeted. “It’s a powerful reminder of the urgent need to keep speaking out.”

Greenblatt, who has been a leading — and often divisive — voice against antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment in the United States, credited his inclusion on the list to the broader work of the ADL in a post on X.

• Adrien Brody has earned two Oscars for best actor for his portrayals of Holocaust survivors. Most recently, he won the 2025 award for his lead role in The Brutalist, and used his award speech to describe his representation of the “lingering traumas and the repercussions of war” and the importance of combating hate.

• Bobbi Brown is a cosmetics doyenne who has advocated for natural beauty, including celebrating her “Jewish” nose.

I share this with the entire

• Larry Fink is a co-founder, chairman and CEO of the investment firm BlackRock. Born to Jewish parents in California, his success with BlackRock has made him a billionaire — and a champion of the ESG movement in investing.

ADL family & everyone who supports our mission to fight antisemitism & all forms of hate — wherever, whenever we see it.

“I’m deeply moved & incredibly proud to be included on the 2025 #TIME100 list. This honor isn’t mine alone,” he wrote. “I share this with the entire ADL family & everyone who supports our mission to fight antisemitism & all forms of hate — wherever, whenever we see it.”

Here’s more about the other Jewish notables on the Time 100 list (and the Jews from last year’s list):

• Dario Amodei is the CEO of Anthropic, an AI startup that focuses on ethical obligation. He founded the company along with his sister Daniela. Their mother is a Jew from Chicago, according to Wired

• Wendy Freedman is a Jewish Canadian-American astronomer whose breakthroughs have driven efforts to measure the universe. She was awarded the National Medal of Science in January.

• Rashida Jones is an actress, writer, producer and filmmaker best known for her roles in television on The Office and Parks and Recreation. She is the daughter of Jewish actress Peggy Lipton and Black music producer Quincy Jones and has reflected on how her Black Jewish identity has shaped her life.

• Alex Karp is a Jewish American billionaire and the co-founder and CEO of Palantir, a data-analytics firm that works with U.S. defense and intelligence agencies.

• Josh Koskoff is a lawyer who represents the families of those who have lost their lives due to gun violence in schools. In 2022, he won a $73 million settlement for the families of Sandy Hook victims from an arms manufacturer that produced the assault rifle used in the attack. He has said he inherited his propensity to fight

for the underdog from his great-grandfather, a Jewish immigrant from Russia.

• Howard Lutnick is the commerce secretary for the Trump administration. Prior to his appointment, he was the CEO of finance firm Cantor Fitzgerald.

• Lorne Michaels is the creator of Saturday Night Live, one of the most influential comedy shows in American television history. Born Abraham Lipowitz in Toronto, he founded the show in 1975. It celebrated its 50th anniversary taping in February and featured many Jewish comedy greats.

• Scarlett Johansson is an actress best known for her roles in Lost in Translation and Marvel’s The Avengers franchise. Born to a Jewish mother, the actress discovered that some of her ancestors died in the Warsaw Ghetto on a 2017 episode of Finding Your Roots.

• Miranda July is a screenwriter and author whose book All Fours was a sensation when it came out last year. Her Jewish father adopted the surname Grossinger, July’s original last name, in homage to the Jewish Catskills resort where his family vacationed.

• Claudia Sheinbaum became Mexico’s first female and first Jewish president this past summer with the campaign slogan “it’s time for women.” Her election made Mexico the biggest country to have a Jewish head of state.

• Mark Zuckerberg is the founder of Facebook and CEO of Meta, its parent company. Zuckerberg has said his Jewish identity is “very important” to him. His company, Meta, has recently received criticism from Jewish groups over its rollback of hate speech regulations on its platforms.

The list also includes at least one non-Jewish member of a Jewish family: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been vocal about holding Shabbat dinners every week with his wife, Victoria, who is Jewish.

And it includes at least one aspiring Jew: Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, who studies with a rabbi, loves Israel and has said he wants to convert to Judaism once he leaves office.

TUESDAY,

Todd Copeland, Ron and Cindy Kramer & Family, Miles and Sandra Leon, Little Neck Poker Club, Jerry Miller & Family, Andrew Nusbaum, Joel & Sara Jo Rubin

JEWISH TIDEWATER

Feldman Family Scholarship expands in 2025, doubling opportunities for future healthcare Heroes

TJF Staff

When Dr. William and Mary Feldman created the Feldman Family Medical and Health Professional Scholarship Fund through Tidewater Jewish Foundation in 2022, their mission was clear: support Jewish students pursuing careers in healthcare through Virginia-based institutions. Just three years later, the impact of their generosity is already being felt—and growing.

Thanks to the Feldman family’s continued support, the scholarship will now award up to two annual scholarships to Jewish students pursuing healthcare careers through Virginia-based institutions. Each scholarship offers up to $10,000 per year, renewable for four years, making it one of

the most impactful Jewish scholarships in the region.

The success of the scholarship can be seen in its first two recipients: Leah Shelton and Nophar Yarden.

Leah Shelton, a 2022 recipient and graduate of Eastern Virginia Medical School, is now preparing for her pediatrics residency at Emory University in Atlanta. “I am very grateful for the foundation’s support during medical school,” she says.

Nophar Yarden, the 2023 scholarship recipient, is graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in May and has been matched into Radiation Oncology at Johns Hopkins. “I’m deeply grateful to the Feldman family and the Tidewater

"Recently my mother required 12 hour per day personal care assistance. On short notice, Changing Tides Home Care provided the necessary assistance. They have been responsive to my mother's needs and have kept the family informed by telephone, text and portal. I am very pleased with their services.”

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Jewish Foundation for its financial support while I was in medical school—it is deeply appreciated!” she says.

The scholarship was born from the Feldmans’ desire to merge their deep commitment to Jewish life with their belief in the power of healthcare to uplift lives. Dr. Feldman, who served the Hampton Roads community as a pediatrician for 33 years, knew fi rsthand how daunting the costs of medical education can be. “I don’t want to see people discouraged going into the profession because of fi nances,” he says. “By opening it up to more people, I think it’ll do good for the entire Jewish community in the state of Virginia.”

Virginia, and be accepted into a qualifying healthcare program. Priority is given to students from Hampton Roads attending Virginia institutions.

To apply or share this opportunity with a deserving student, visit Tidewater Jewish Foundation at foundation.jewishva.org.

The 2025 application opens on May 1. Visit www. bit.ly/tjf-feldman or call 757-965-6111 for more information and eligibility requirements.

Applicants must be Jewish, live in

Tidewater’s Jewish community is investing in its future through programs such as the Feldman Family Scholarship. With expanded opportunities, TJF encourages everyone to spread the word and help support the next generation of medical professionals.

Leah Shelton.

Nophar Yarden.

Women & Moms

Mother’s Day

Dear Readers,

Mother’s Day is just “around the corner” signaling the paper’s annual celebration of women.

In this section, we offer tributes to six incredible moms, a piece from Eddie Kramer about the smart women he’s been fortunate to have been surrounded by, an article about young women getting together for some pre-Passover fun, and more.

We hope you enjoy the articles and maybe even get inspired by them, as well as by our advertisers when you’re thinking about gifts and where to celebrate the marvelous moms in your lives.

Jewish News wishes everyone – especially all moms – a very happy and healthy Mother’s Day!

Terri Denison Editor

Helping with your gift selections since 1975.

Stephanie Peck

celebrating moms & women

Celebrating MoMs

Laura Gauld, an educator in Bath, Maine, describes a mother’s role in three, distinct stages. To a young child, a mom is a drill sergeant: “Brush your teeth before bed,” or “Hold my hand when we cross the street.” In the middle years, the mom becomes a manager: “Don’t forget your cleats,” or “I’ll pick you up after school.” By the time her children are grown, a mother evolves into a consultant: “Do the benefits out way the risks?” or “Should you get a second opinion?”

These Tidewater mothers, profiled here by their children, have served these roles and more, creating Jewish homes filled with love, humor, culture, and wisdom.

Dianne epplein

Meira Epplein and Rochelle Chimenes

Having Dianne Epplein as your mother is truly the ultimate role model for a strong woman seeking to do good in the world. From an early age our mother had significant expectations of her daughters, which included not only academic excellence but caring about others. She demonstrated this in her own life in many ways, particularly through her profession as a pediatric physical therapist. In addition to her main career as a physical therapist, our mother taught childbirth preparation classes to pregnant women because she loved supporting them through this important time.

When she first started her own practice, she worked out of our home – Meira was often called in to play with her patient, to distract and help as Mom assessed the child and demonstrated exercises for the parents.

She also sent Meira to an inclusion pre-school, where she got to learn alongside differently abled classmates, a truly fantastic experience, with the added benefit of spontaneous visits to Mom in a nearby therapy room.

Many nights, after our family dinner, she could be heard on phone calls with friends who needed a sympathetic ear. Her concern for and interest in others led her to offer our guest room to friends in need of temporary lodging and opera singers from out of town.

She easily makes new friends wherever she goes, and her friends often express how much they appreciate her.

Beyond her obvious impact on children and their families and the arts community which she whole-heartedly supports, she has imparted to her daughters the ultimate importance in making a difference in this world.

Despite living across the Atlantic Ocean from Rochelle, she is still very involved in her life and in that of her teenage daughters. It is a wonderful thing to know you can count on your mother to be there for you, even in your 50s!

aliCia FrieDMan

Hallie and Jamie Friedman

Pickleball enthusiast, avid walker, lover of laughter, foodie, great listener, engaging talker, generous giver, patient, stylish, beautiful, culinary expert, and entertainer extraordinaire—these are just a few words that capture the essence of our mom.

Her continued devotion to our Jewish community has inspired us to get involved in our communities in Denver and New York City where we have found fulfillment and community.

Mom, you are a friend like no other, showing us the true value of deep, lasting friendships. We can’t imagine a day without calling you — whether it’s to chat or to seek your wisdom on life’s many decisions. Your love and guidance mean the world to us.

We love you endlessly — Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

Standing: Meira Epplein, Noa Jacobson (Meira’s daughter), Jeff Jacobson (Meira’s husband), Juliette Chimenes (Rochelle’s daughter), Renaud Lagache (Rochelle’s husband), Nina Chimenes (Rochelle’s daughter), Cy Jacobson (Meira’s son) and Rochelle Chimenes. Seated: John Patton and Dianne Epplein.

Hallie, Alicia, and Jamie Friedman.

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celebrating moms & women

aMY leFCoe

Jenny Lefcoe Wallach, Mattie Lefcoe Brooke, and Rose Lefcoe

You’d think writing about your mom would be easy—after all, you’ve known her your whole life. Think again.

Sure, we could talk about the good times we’ve shared. The laughter, the memories, the lessons. But somehow, it still wouldn’t be enough. At least not for us.

Because we don’t just have a mom. We have a teacher. A role model. A guide. A mentor. A best friend. Trying to capture her in words feels impossible—there’s just too much to say. But still, in some small way, we want to try.

Amy Lefcoe is a giver in the truest sense of the word. She gives to her family, her community, the Jewish people, and the world. Tirelessly. Relentlessly. Passionately. She doesn’t just hope for change—she makes it happen. She leads with strength and fights for what’s right, a true soldier in G-d’s army.

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She loves deeply, and people love her back. She listens when no one else does. She understands. She lifts others up, runs projects, fuels organizations, and raises funds when no one else will. She speaks truth, sparks growth, and inspires action.

But before all that—she’s our mom.

She’s the one waiting up to hear we’ve landed safely. The one reminding us to drink water and take care of ourselves. The one praying for us when life gets hard. The one who sends us home with chicken soup, warm hugs, and endless love.

Her love has shaped us into who we are. She is our anchor, our safe place, our constant. And we are her world, just as she is ours.

It’s a bond words can’t fully capture—but we hope this comes close.

We love you, Mommy.

Thank you for everything.

Mattie Brooke, Amy Lefcoe, Jenny Wallach, and Rose Lefcoe.

celebrating moms & women

Deb segaloFF

Sabine and Emma Segaloff

Our mom, Deb, is an incredibly kind, generous, compassionate, and creative human being. She loves to read, cook, bake, make art, walk, do puzzles, and spend time with her family and friends.

Growing up witnessing our mom’s extensive involvement in the Jewish community has instilled in us a profound sense of Jewish identity and community. Alongside our dad, Peter, our mom has nurtured our deep love for Judaism through a commitment to Jewish education, observing countless holidays, family trips to Israel, and weekly Shabbat dinners as a family.

Throughout her work in Holocaust education, her time on the Virginia Council of Human Rights, and in her personal life, our mom has channeled her passion for justice into action and passed onto us a responsibility to do the same. In all her endeavors, she has shown us how to be effective leaders who value listening and learning.

By sharing her love of making art, our mom has forever encouraged us to express ourselves as individuals. In every moment of our lives, our mom has been our biggest champion. We are immensely grateful for her unconditional love, her kindness, her guidance, and her support. We love you, Mom!

linDa spinDel

Kevin Spindel

You may know her as Linda Spindel, friend, former president of Ohef Sholom Temple or longtime volunteer with various organizations such as Jewish Family Service, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, and the Children’s Museum, to name a few. But to me, my daughter Jordan, and my son Jake, she is Mom and Nana.

Moreover, she is truly an inspiration. We are inspired by the relentless time, energy, and care she has given back to the community that this family has been a part of for many generations. We are inspired by the commitment and support she has for her entire family. We are inspired by the genuine kindness and compassion she has for all people, especially those less fortunate.

From the many vacations we have spent together, to the holidays celebrated in Virginia Beach, to the countless trips she and Ron make to see us in Atlanta; we all cherish every moment we get to spend with her. To see the incredible bonds she has forged with both Jordan and Jake warm our hearts. We all feel very lucky to have her in our lives and if you know her or are related to her – then we know you feel the same.

We are so proud to call her Mom and Nana.

Peter, Emma, Sabine, and Deb Segaloff.

Ron, Jordan, Jake, Linda, and Kevin Spindel.

Happy Mother's Day!

KeVin tabaKin

Michael, Ames, and Brian Tabakin

Our mom has always had a passion for learning and for teaching. Growing up, she made sure our education included Judaism. Saturday morning pancakes and then off to temple. Friday night Shabbat dinners and holiday meals gave us both beautiful, family memories and an enduring love for brisket and kugel.

We were her first bar-mitzvah students, paving the way for the many she has tutored over the years. A doorway to her becoming a Sunday School teacher and further engaged in her passion for Jewish education.

She loves music: melodies of prayer and orchestral classics. We grew up with the sounds of her playing piano and listening to Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf during van rides to swim meets. Mike most carries this love of music, though his tastes vary from hers; he’s been to upward of 1,000 concerts!

Our mom has also always loved nature. From very early on, we can remember her describing a need to be by the ocean. Ames never fully understood this until he found the mountains.

But one lesson our parents taught us is to not wait on your dreams. When our mom reached remission from cancer in 2004, they moved up the timeline on moving closer to the beach.

Her favorite is to spend time on the beach with as much family as possible. Having all three sons home or together at once is always the goal.

Thanks for being such an amazing mom!! We love you!

Michael, Kevin, Brian, Gary, and Ames Tabakin.

Man Smart, Woman Smarter: The witty influence

Eddie Kramer

I’ve been trying—unsuccessfully—to get Naomi Limor Sedek, president and CEO of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation, to listen to this song for weeks now. Man Smart, Woman Smarter, by Grateful Dead, has always made me smile, not just because of its catchy tune, but because it so perfectly reflects the dynamic of my life. I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by brilliant, funny, fiercely loving women who have shaped me in ways I can only begin to explain. And truthfully, they’ve made me smarter—whether I liked it or not.

It started with my mother, Florence Kramer, who had more talents than I could ever list. She gave me my love of gardening, my competitive streak, and a can-do attitude that refuses to back down. One of

my favorite memories of her happened at one of my brother Jeff’s wrestling matches. It wasn’t going well—so badly, in fact, that she could barely watch. But when two men nearby started yelling “kill him!” in reference to Jeff’s opponent, she sprang into action. All five feet, two inches and 120 pounds of her marched straight up to them, pointed her finger in their faces, and said, “Mister, that’s my son you’re telling him to kill!” They didn’t say another word for the rest of the meet. That was my mom— sharp, courageous, and unwavering when it came to defending her family. My wife, Anne, on the other hand, takes a slightly different approach. Through the years, she has been my most enduring source of grace and wisdom. Her patience grounds me. Her

sense of humor matches mine, which keeps us laughing—even when the going gets tough. But what really sets her apart is her quiet intelligence. I’ve always joked that she never says anything unless she knows she’s absolutely right. In 45 years of marriage, I’ve maybe won five arguments—and none of those were even worth winning. These days, before I make a questionable decision or say something debatable, I run it by her. And if I have to ask? My kids will be the first to tell me I already know the answer. This brings me to my daughter, Carra, who is every bit as fierce and brilliant as my mom. She works harder than anyone I know. By age 12, she had already outpaced me intellectually. I remember a friend once confiding in us, concerned that her newly graduated son still didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. I tried to reassure her, saying, “At 42, I’m not sure I know what I want to do either.” And, without missing a beat, my daughter chimed in, “Then why do I have to listen to you?” Thank goodness wisdom usually trumps intelligence, because I looked her straight in the eye and said, “Because your mom said so.”

Through it all, we’ve navigated life with humor, love, and a shared belief in the importance of community. These women have inspired me to grow, to serve, and to lead by example.

As chair of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation, I carry their influence with me every day. The strength, clarity, and conviction they bring to our family have helped shape my values and how I approach leadership. They’ve taught me that legacy isn’t just about what you leave behind—it’s about how you live, how you lift others up, and how you use your voice to build a stronger, more secure community for the next generation. Their impact is woven into the initiatives we support at TJF and into the very fabric of the Jewish future we’re working together to sustain for my children, your children, their children, and beyond.

celebrating moms & women

YAD women welcome Passover in a sweet way

Amy Zelenka

A small group of “exhausted-from-Passover-prepping” YAD women took time out on a Thursday evening to come together, swap advice, share stories, and create beautiful kosher for Passover dessert charcuterie boards.

Combining classic sweets such as jelly rings, chocolate covered marshmallows, and jelly fruit slices… with relative “newcomers:” sour gummie bears and rainbow sprinkled

nonpareils, the women used their creative culinary skills to make beautiful, colorful, and delicious boards.

Rounding out the boards, they added slices of rainbow cake and coconut macaroons. And to ensure its nutritional balance, they included beautiful, dried apples and apricots – thus achieving a truly tasteful balance of “all things sweet and Pesedik-y.”

Some planned to share their board at a seder they were

attending, while others hoped to satisfy the dessert cravings of guests at their own seder tables (hoping to get a piece or two, before the kids came triumphant – having located the afikomen!).

Perhaps sweetest of all… the event provided a reason to gather with one another in the days leading up to Passover, to talk about family, community, traditions, and the things in life that really matter.

Four generations make Matzah Ball Soup together

Earlier this month, Erica Reisner Ausch, with the assistance of her daughter, Linda Ausch, made Matzah Ball Soup with her grandson, Leo Woodward, and his family: Erika Woodward, and Ausch’s great grandchildren, Wells and Bridget Woodward. L’dor V’dor.

Dara Pomerantz works on her board.

Hailey Foer with her board.

Erin Hunt and Jennifer Waldholtz Antonucci.

Heather Barnes builds her board.

Pati Oliszewski displays her Passover candy charcuterie board.

Amy Zelenka - obviously finding something hilarious to laugh about.

Leo Woodward, Erica Reisner Ausch, Linda Ausch, Erika Woodward, Wells Edison Woodward, and Bridget Jolie Woodward. Aunty Linda Ausch shows Wells and Bridget how to make matzah balls.

Tidewater Teens

attend BBYO’s Spring Cultural Convention

Courtney

Eastern Region’s BBYO teens gathered for the annual Spring Cultural Convention at Camp Thunderbird in Lake Wylie, S.C. earlier this month. Eastern Region is comprised of three councils: Virginia Council (all of Virginia excluding Northern Virginia), North Carolina Council and Southeastern Council (South Carolina and northern Georgia).

Twelve teens from Tidewater attended the convention, participating in chapter competitions, various programming, Jewish enrichment, and regional elections.

Tidewater’s Hayden Caplan was elected Regional Gizbor (treasurer). For the 20252026 year, he will work with counterparts from each AZA chapter in the region, providing support in areas of budget, grants, and fundraising.

Members met new friends, strengthened existing bonds, and explored their Judaism through the lens of BBYO’s traditions and rituals.

For information on BBYO in Tidewater, contact Courtney Krutoy, Tidewater BBYO city director, at ckrutoy@bbyo.org.

Schedule

If you are suffering from allergies or asthma, please contact us. We can help.

We make it as easy as possible on the patient and referring physician by

Gary Moss

Greg Pendell

Craig Koenig

Marguerite Lengkeek

Krutoy

Tidewater teens at Eastern Region’s Spring Convention: Hayden Caplan, Logan Hoffman, Jonah Kass, Courtney Krutoy (City director - Tidewater Eastern Region BBYO), Sam Levin, Henry Ashe, Leah Steerman, Adam Noonan-Sloan, Amelia Portnoy, Hattie Friedman, Nate Simon, Hazel Ashe, and Piper Richardson.

Hayden Caplan is Eastern Region’s Gizbor (treasurer) for 2025-2026.

Local Relationships Matter

MEET: Jonathan Jacobs, MD, DMD, FACS

“Associates in Plastic Surgery focuses on providing an ethical and caring presennce for the folks with whom we interact. We run our business with the Golden Rule as the guide. We want to treat everyone who interacts with us, the way we would want to be treated by them.

I have been active in international volunteer medical services for 35 years. Right now, I am very involved with the Richmond-based, International Hospital for Children and the World Pediatric Project. Our mission is building a better life for children in the Caribbean and Central America by providing surgical care for patients with both congenital deformity and trauma victims. I am senior surgeon for a group which travels to Honduras every January.”

IT’S A WRAP

Great Jewish Bookshelf builds community

Pati Oliszewski

It started with a simple question during a meeting of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Innovation Steering Committee: If children have the privilege of receiving Jewish-themed books monthly through PJ Library, why shouldn’t adults have their own version? PJ Library provides Jewish books to children worldwide, fostering a love for literature and Jewish culture from an early age. Inspired by this model, the Great Jewish Bookshelf was created – a literary initiative designed for adults seeking to engage with Jewish themes and authors.

“ ““We had a security breach in our payroll system. Payday found it with their software and notified us immediately. In fact, the CEO called me personally to help us understand the problem and walked us through resolving the issue. Payday Payroll services helped us immensely!”

Our client relationships are anything but transactional. We are long-term partners, dedicated to the success of our clients, and most importantly, their people.

A bi-monthly book subscription program, Great Jewish Bookshelf participants choose one book from a selection of three titles. The goal is not just to read, but to connect—bringing together individuals who selected the same books – to discuss insights, forge new friendships, and build a strong sense of community.

The first GJB gathering took place on Sunday, March 30 and it was nothing short of inspiring. Each member invited a friend—a potential new member—for a delightful evening at the kosher restaurant, Charlie’s. Over delicious food and lively conversation, the group delved into two remarkable books: Pumpkinfl owers by Matti Friedman and Mother Doll by Katya Apekina. These titles sparked thoughtful discussions on history, identity, and resilience, reflecting the diversity of Jewish experiences across time and place.

The evening was a testament to the power of literature in bringing people together. It was more than just a book discussion—it was a celebration of Jewish storytelling, intellectual engagement, and community-building.

One way to connect with others in Tidewater’s Jewish community and enjoy some good reading and conversation is to join the Great Jewish Bookshelf. Whether passionate about history, fiction, or memoirs, GJB offers something for everyone. Register at jewishva.org/gjb and help turn the page on a new chapter of Jewish learning and connection.

Model Senior Seder celebrates Passover traditions

Mia Klein

More than 60 active adults gathered for a meaningful Model Passover Seder on Tuesday, April 9. Led by Rabbi David Bockman of Congregation Beth El with Dave Flagler, Simon Family JCC’s camp director, on guitar, the event took place at the Sandler Family Campus. The program offered a warm and inclusive celebration of Passover, featuring traditional prayers, songs, and refl ections on the themes of freedom and renewal.

Volunteers from Jewish Family Service and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater assisted by serving the holiday meal and ensuring each guest felt welcomed.

The event provided a cherished opportunity for connection, celebration, and the continuation of beloved traditions. It was made possible with generous support from the Joseph Fleischmann Memorial Fund of Tidewater Jewish Foundation.

Pati Oliszewski, Gabriela Kocerha, Ellie Goldstein, Allena Anglen, Alicia Small, Anna Fox Burnette, Naomi Limor Sedek, and Katie Solis.

Music, mental health, and community: Orchestrating Change

Wednesday, May 15, 7 pm Sandler Family Campus

Julie Kievit

Jewish Family Service and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) are partnering to bring something special to Tidewater—a screening of the film Orchestrating Change, about mental health and music.

The film tells the powerful and emotional story of Me2/Orchestra—the only orchestra in the world created specifically for people living with mental illness and the people who support them. The orchestra was started by Ronald Braunstein, a brilliant conductor who was once on track to be one of the biggest names in classical music. After he opened up about having bipolar disorder, he was pushed out of the music world. But instead of giving up, he created something new and meaningful—an orchestra where everyone belongs, whether they have a mental health diagnosis or not.

Orchestrating Change was named the winner of the 2021 Austen Riggs Erikson Prize for Excellence in Mental Health Media and was selected by the American Library Association & Media Round Table as “One of the Top Twelve 2022 Notable Films for Adults.”

Come for the music. Stay for the conversation. Leave with a new perspective.

To register, call NAMI Coastal Virginia at 757-499-2041.

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Registrations rolling in for Nadiv Poker Night

Tuesday, May 13, 6 pm Sandler Family Campus

Sam Molofsky

The first-ever Nadiv Poker Night is set for launch.

Registrations are coming in as poker players prepare for a large-scale tournament in the Fleder Multipurpose Room on the Sandler Family Campus.

Nadiv’s signature event of the year, the Nadiv Poker Night, takes place on Tuesday, May 13 and includes dinner at 6 pm, with the tournament beginning at 7 pm.

United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s young men’s professional fundraising division, Nadiv has worked since September 2024 to plan the community-wide event. Nadiv members have secured more than $12,000 in sponsorships and more than 20 prizes for people who reach the “final table” at the end of the night.

Registration is $100 per person. All money raised will support scholarships for Camp JCC in summer 2025.

RSVP to get a seat at the (poker) table at federation.jewishva.org/nadiv-poker.

Sam Molofsky is chair of Nadiv.

WHAT’S HAPPENING Understanding Zionism: A journey into the Jewish Homeland Six-week course begins Tuesday June

Sierra Lautman

17, 6:45 pm, online

The Konikoff Center for Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is hosting a six-week course this summer, Understanding Zionism: The Return to the Jewish Homeland. The course will offer an in-depth exploration of one of the most profound movements in Jewish history, Zionism.

Zionism is a story of resilience, identity, and hope. For more than 2,000 years, the Jewish people endured exile, prejudice, and oppression while maintaining an unyielding connection to their ancestral homeland. This course traces how ancient dreams of return evolved into a dynamic movement encompassing religious, cultural, national, and political dimensions. These efforts led to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, a watershed moment in Jewish history.

Contemporary questions surrounding Zionism’s meaning today, its relationship with Diaspora Jewry, and the challenges it faces with global criticism and recent events will also be considered. The aftermath of October 7, for example, has intensified public debates about Zionism’s values and relevance. Through this lens, participants will reflect on the resilience and enduring significance of Zionism in modern times.

Understanding Zionism offers a nuanced perspective by engaging with primary sources, firsthand accounts, and official documents, encouraging participants to draw their own conclusions about Zionism’s objectives—past and present—while fostering informed public discourse. The course aims to educate and inspire participants to share their newfound insights with others.

Six engaging lessons

The program is structured around six lessons that provide a comprehensive overview of Zionism:

1. Seeds of Zionism: Explore early writings and ideas that transformed Jewish nationalism into the modern Zionist movement.

2. Building a Jewish Homeland: Examine the practical challenges faced by pioneers as they worked to establish a Jewish state.

3. The Birth of the State of Israel: Delve into the dramatic events leading to Israel’s founding in 1948.

4. Defining Zionism Today: Discuss diverse perspectives on Zionism within contemporary Israel, including issues such as democracy, religion, and territorial disputes.

5. Zionism and the Diaspora: Investigate how Zionism has shaped Jewish communities worldwide and fostered mutual engagement between Israel and the Diaspora.

6. Looking Ahead: Analyze current challenges facing Zionism and envision its future. This course is open to adults with all levels of knowledge who are eager to deepen their understanding of Zionism’s historical roots and contemporary significance. Thanks to special funding available to all learners, the course is only $50 if using code ZION50 at checkout.

For more information or to register, visit JewishVA.org/Melton or contact Sierra Lautman, senior director of Jewish Innovation at UJFT, at SLautman@ujft.org or 757-965-6107.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

21st Annual Run, Roll, Stroll: Family fun and community support

Three-year Jewish visual art project with three partners underway

Allan S. Zeno, DDS

The Jewish Museum and Cultural Center - JMCC (formerly Chevra T’Helim synagogue), United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, and the Chrysler Museum, are collaborating to present a special series of events. A three-year project, L’Dor v’Dor (from Generation to Generation): The Jewish Art Journey, will bring various aspects of Jewish visual arts to Tidewater.

The first event in this series took place on Sunday, December 15, 2024, with LEGACY 2025. Almost 100 people attended What is Modern Jewish Art, a lecture by Ori Soltes, PhD of Georgetown University, at the Chrysler Museum. The second program will be held at the JMCC on November 16, 2025, when Mia Laufer, PhD, European curator at the Chrysler Museum, speaks on American Jewish artists in the 20th century.

An exhibition of more than 20 Hampton Roads Jewish artists of the past, the LEGACY 2025 show will serve as the culmination of the first year of programming. The art exhibit will take place at the Sandler Family Campus in Virginia Beach, December through January and then at the United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula during February and March 2026. The exhibit’s opening night will take place on Saturday, December 6, featuring a group of relatives of the honored artists, who will discuss the artworks as well as share personal memories and anecdotes.

Most of these events will be available with tickets, which can be purchased through UJFT’s website at JewishVa.org. After December 6, the exhibition will be free and open to the public.

Sunday, May 4, 10:30 am, Sandler

Family Campus

Brooke Rush

Jewish Family Service of Tidewater, in partnership with Embrace Counseling, is busy preparing for the 21st Annual Run, Roll, Stroll on the Sandler Family Campus. This year’s event promises to be more fun and exciting than before – featuring a colorful, obstaclefilled Fun Run that’s sure to delight participants of all ages.

“We’ve taken some lessons from last year’s event and are making this year’s Run, Roll, Stroll even better,” says Kelly Burroughs, CEO of Jewish Family Service. “Expect fewer clouds of color powder but an increased focus on fun, with new surprises waiting around every corner of the course.”

Whether running, strolling, or rolling through the fun, the event will include thrilling obstacles, foam-filled sections, and just a hint of color powder to keep things lighthearted. The event will take place just before Yom Ha'atzmaut, adding an extra layer of excitement to the day.

In addition to the fun run, the event will feature a photobooth, a balloon twister, glitter tattoos, and even fairy hair – in other words, something for everyone, ensuring a memorable day for families to create lasting memories.

Run, Roll, Stroll is part of JFS’s Spring Into Healthy Living campaign, an annual initiative aimed at raising awareness about the pressing issues facing the community. The event also serves as JFS’s primary fundraiser, helping support vital services for those in need.

Funds raised through Run, Roll, Stroll go directly to JFS programs that assist individuals and families, including helping to combat food insecurity, providing safe transportation for seniors to medical appointments, and ensuring that counseling services are accessible to all who need them.

Participants and sponsors of the event make tangible differences in the lives of those in need in Tidewater. If interested in sponsoring this year’s event and showing support for Jewish Family Service and the Spring Into Healthy Living campaign, contact Kelly Burroughs at 757-321-2244 or Brooke Rush at 757-321-2238. For more information about the event and how to get involved, visit www.jfshamptonroads.org.

To register for Run, Roll, Stroll, visit runsignup.com/runrollstroll. For sponsorships and more information, visit www.jfshamptonroads.org.

Nicole and Bennett Bowers.

Back row: Ryan and Jeff Cooper; Front row: Nitai Pinta, Avery Goldstein, and Nina Pinta.

David and Rona Proser.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

TRAVELLING EXHIBIT, AMERICANS AND THE HOLOCAUST TO VISIT VIRGINIA BEACH

Wednesday, May 21 - Wednesday, July 2

Virginia Beach Public Library TCC Joint-Use Library

Elka Mednick

As the world continues to grapple with the complexities of history and its ongoing impact on society, the Virginia Beach Public Library, at the TCC Joint-Use Library is set to host a thought-provoking exhibition that will challenge visitors to reflect on America’s role during one of the world’s darkest periods. For six weeks beginning May 21, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s traveling exhibit, Americans and the Holocaust, will be on display at the library, offering an exploration of how Americans responded to the Holocaust during the 1930s and 1940s. This exhibition is presented in partnership with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, highlighting a shared commitment to education and remembrance.

Americans and the Holocaust delves into the knowledge and reactions of Americans to Nazism, genocide, and refugee crises during World War II. By examining a wide range of primary sources, including newspapers, personal accounts, and government

records, the exhibit encourages visitors to confront the complexities of historical responsibility and consider their own roles in addressing injustice today. This journey through history sheds light on the past and invites reflection on how to learn from it to build a more compassionate and just world.

In

the exhibit. A To Life: The Past is Present book talk on Thursday, June 5 at 6 pm will

provide an opportunity for community members to engage in discussions about the experiences of Holocaust survivors who made their homes in Hampton Roads.

The collaboration between UJFT and the Virginia Beach Joint-Use Library represents a powerful commitment to fostering a more informed and empathetic community. By bringing this exhibit to Virginia Beach, both organizations aim to deepen a collective understanding of Holocaust history and encourage critical thinking about today’s challenges.

The Virginia Beach Public Library TCC Joint-Use Library is located at 1700 College Crescent in Virginia Beach.

To learn more about exhibit hours or programming details, contact the Virginia Beach Joint-Use Library or the Holocaust Commission.

To learn more about Virginia Beach public libraries, visit: https:// vbpl.librarymarket.com/tcccity-joint-use-library, and to learn more about the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, visit Holocaustcommission.org or contact Elka

Commemorating Memorial Day

Friday, May 23, 8:30 am, Jewish War Veterans Flagpole, Sandler Family Campus

Herman Shelanski, Vice Admiral, USN Retired Memorial Day’s origins lie in the aftermath of the Civil War, a conflict that claimed more American lives than any other. The immense loss overwhelmed the nation, leading to the establishment of National Cemeteries and the emergence of springtime tributes to honor the fallen soldiers. Over time, this commemoration broadened to encompass all American military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice, officially becoming Memorial Day.

My recent visit to the American

Cemetery at Normandy, France, a breathtaking site overlooking the very beaches of D-Day, brought this history into sharp focus. During a moving closing ceremony of a Scout Jamboree on Omaha Beach, where thousands of American lives were tragically lost in mere hours, the cemetery’s curator poignantly noted the presence of more than 140 Stars of David among the graves. This acknowledgment underscored the significant contributions and sacrifices of Jewish soldiers in the fight against

tyranny during World War II.

From the Revolution to present day conflicts, Jewish Americans have answered the call to duty, standing ready to defend freedom, even at the cost of their lives. The powerful sentiment echoed in the film, Saving Private Ryan — “Earn this” —serves as a timeless reminder.

That dying wish resonates as the unspoken plea of all those who have fallen. They want us to make their sacrifice meaningful. They want us to cherish our freedoms. They urge us to stand firm

against tyranny, hate, and antisemitism. They fought to ensure we never lose the freedom to worship as we choose, to walk our streets safely without fear, to pursue happiness as Jews, as Americans. Their stories, their lives, must be remembered and honored, not just today, but always.

The Memorial Day commemoration at the Sandler Family Campus is presented by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. For additional information, contact Sierra Lautman at slautman@ujft.org.

Herm Shelanski at a Memorial Day ceremony at the Sandler Family Campus.

celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater has curated a series of engaging events to complement

CALENDAR

MAY 1, THURSDAY

RoundTable Conversation: What’s Your Take? Agree to Disagree. Discuss, Don’t Dismiss. United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC invite curious members to discuss timely topics. 1 pm. Sandler Family Campus. Information or to RSVP: www.Jewishva. org/RoundTable or Mia Klein at MKlein@UJFT.org.

Israeli Chef’s Table Experience. Internationally renowned Chef Moshe Basson will treat guests to an unforgettable evening under the stars, featuring his innovative and authentic Israeli cuisine. 7 pm. Sandler Family Campus. Information and registration: JewishVA.org/YH or Nofar Trem at NTrem@UJFT.org to be put on the wait list.

MAY 4, SUNDAY

SOLD OUT

JFS 21st Annual Run, Roll, Stroll. This year’s Fun Run will be full of surprises, a little color, lots of bubbles, obstacles, and more. Live music, face painting, balloon animals, fairy hair, and photobooth. 10:30 am. Sandler Family Campus. $20 per participant. Packet pickup on Friday, May 2, 8 am - 4 pm at Simon Family JCC. Registration: https://runsignup.com/ runrollstroll. See page 25.

Yom Ha’Atzmaut Community Celebration in honor of Israel’s 77th birthday. 12 – 3 pm. Sandler Family Campus. Information and to pre-purchase ticket bundles for food and select activities: JewishVA.org/YH or contact Nofar Trem at NTrem@UJFT.org.

MAY 6, TUESDAY

Jewish American Heritage Month Tours at the Chrysler Museum of Art. A guided exploration of art related to Judaic themes or created by Jewish artists in the Chrysler Museum’s collection. Presented in partnership with United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. 3 pm. Free. Chrysler Museum. Also, on May 25 at 2 pm. RSVP: JewishVA.org/JAHM.

Yiddish Club. A new book will be introduced to transform discussions into engaging lessons that foster the Yiddish language. 1 pm. Sandler Family Campus. Information and registration: www.Jewishva.org/YiddishClub or Mia Klein at MKlein@UJFT.org.

MAY 15, THURSDAY

Meet the authors of Miri’s Moving Day Stephanie Wildman and Adam Ryan Chang celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with their book, Miri’s Moving Day. An interactive read-along featuring a craft activity for pre-K through 3rd graders. 10:30 am. Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library. Information: JewishVA.org/JAHM.

Orchestrating Change. JFS’ Embrace Counseling partners with National Alliance on Mental Illness to present a film about the world’s only orchestra for people living with mental illness. 7 pm. Sandler Family Campus. Registration: call NAMI Coastal Virginia at 757-499-2041. See page 23.

MAY 18, SUNDAY

History Speaks: Building on a Foundation of Hope. Explore Norfolk’s early Jewish history through the lens of the Myers family, the first permanent Jewish residents of Tidewater with Rabbi Michael Panitz. 1 - 3 pm. Myers House, 323 Freemason Street, Norfolk. Free. RSVP: JewishVA.org/JAHM.

MAY 21, WEDNESDAY

JCC Seniors Club learns about the Myers House. Featuring Myers House coordinator Karen Dutton. Tickets including lunch, $6. 12 pm. Sandler Family Campus. Information: Mia Klein at MKlein@UJFT.org.

MAY 23, FRIDAY

Memorial Day Ceremony – Honoring Fallen Heroes. Remember those who served in this short ceremony in front of the War Veterans Flagpole. 8:30 am. Sandler Family Campus. Information: Sierra Lautman at SLautman@ujft.org. See page 26.

Ellen Manassee

NORFOLK - Ellen Manassee, a sharp, independent woman with a deep appreciation for the arts and culture, passed away peacefully on April 10, 2025, at Harbor’s Edge, where she had lived for the past 18 years. She was 90 years old.

Born in the Bronx, Ellen carried her New York roots with her throughout her life and often said, “Once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker.” That identity shaped her—direct, discerning, and always intellectually curious.

Ellen held a range of jobs over the years, including French teacher, corporate copy manager and editor, and, later, owner of a gift shop in a downtown Norfolk hotel. She was an avid reader, a consistent moviegoer, and a dedicated traveler. She had a strong mind, a clear sense of self, and a deep love for language and learning.

Ellen will be remembered for her intellect, independence, and the unique way she moved through the world.

A graveside service was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk.

H.D. Oliver Funeral Home.

Rebecca “Betty” Sacks

NORFOLK - Rebecca “Betty” Sacks, age 84, passed away peacefully at home on April 6, 2025.

She is survived by her loving children, David (Kathy) Sacks, Steven Sacks, and Elisa (Chris) Luck; sister-in-law, Maryann Sacks; and nephew, Jonathan Sacks. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Dr. Irwin S. Sacks, and her parents,

She is survived by her nephew and niece, Gary Fleder of Los Angeles and Andy Verner of Boca Raton, Fla.; her great nephew and niece Zoe and Xander Fleder, of Los Angeles; her “adopted family,” including cousins Allan and Susan Donn; cousins Cyndi and Jacob Tessler; Richard Randall, Risa Abrams, Matthew, Kenneth, and Warren Goldblatt — and friends; and by Arnel Voker, her caregiver for over six years, whom Ellen considered “the daughter she never had.”

Joseph and Jennie Sternman.

Betty was born in Queens, New York, and grew up in Port Washington, New York. She was a proud graduate of Syracuse University. A devoted member of Ohef Sholom Temple, Betty sang in the choir for many years and remained actively involved in temple life throughout her time in Norfolk.

She was also a dedicated supporter of

numerous Jewish organizations and a longtime patron of the arts, always embracing culture, tradition, and community.

A memorial service took place at Ohef Sholom Temple.

Altmeyer Funeral Home. To share a memory or offer condolences to the family, visit www.altmeyerfh.com.

Chris Sisler, Vice President, Member of Ohef Sholom Temple, Board member of the Berger-Goldrich Home at Beth Sholom Village, James E. Altmeyer, Jr., President, James E. Altmeyer, Sr., Owner

IN MEMORIAM

Pope Francis, who advanced church’s relationships with Jews

Andrew Silow-Carroll (JTA) — Pope Francis, who significantly advanced the Catholic Church’s relationship with Jews by actively promoting dialogue, reconciliation, and a strong stance against antisemitism — relations that were tested after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war — died Monday, April 21, one day after marking Easter with a public appearance in the Vatican. He was 88.

Francis suffered multiple health conditions in recent years and had been hospitalized for several weeks in February with what the Vatican called a “complex clinical picture.”

But Francis had rebounded to make public appearances and, on Sunday, April 20, met privately with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, a convert to Catholicism whom he had indirectly rebuked before his hospitalization for citing Catholic doctrine in defending the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

The first Jesuit and first Latin American to serve as pope, Francis assumed the leadership of the Catholic Church in 2013 after years of building and sustaining Jewish relationships in his native Argentina. In 2010, he co-wrote, with Rabbi Abraham Skorka, On Heaven and Earth, a book based on their public conversations on differences and similarities between Judaism and Catholicism.

Francis met frequently with Jewish leaders and paid a state visit to Israel in 2014. He often invoked the spirit of Nostra Aetate, promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1965 as part of Vatican II, which repudiated centuries of anti-Jewish theology and inaugurated a new era in Catholic-Jewish relations. He controversially restricted the Latin Mass, a symbol of the pre-Vatican II church whose liturgy includes a call for the conversion of the Jews.

Francis reiterated the spirit of Nostra Aetate in 2013, speaking to the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations. “Due to our common roots, a Christian cannot be anti-Semitic!” the pope declared, before going on to describe his warm relations with Jewish clergy in his native Argentina.

“I had the joy of maintaining relations of sincere friendship with leaders of the Jewish world,” said Francis. “We talked often of our respective religious identities, the image of man found in the Scriptures, and how to keep an awareness of God alive in a world now secularized in many ways. … But above all, as friends, we enjoyed each other’s company, we were all enriched through encounter and dialogue, and we welcomed each other, and this helped all of us grow as people and as believers.”

Such statements sustained a relationship sometimes

strained when Francis adopted positions at odds with the core concerns of many Jews. In May 2015, an expansion of Vatican relations with Palestinian leadership following the Palestinians’ unilateral pursuit of statehood drew criticism from Israeli and Jewish leaders, who at the time viewed direct negotiations with Israel as the only credible path to peace.

Francis also strongly defended the record of Pope Pius XII, who served during the Holocaust. Critics accuse Pius of having turned a blind eye to Jewish suffering in the Shoah, while the Vatican has long maintained he worked behind the scenes to save Jews. In 2019, Jewish groups welcomed Francis’s announcement that the Vatican Archives covering the Pius papacy would open to researchers beginning in March 2020.

Catholic commentaries written, with the pope’s blessing, by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. The commentaries endorsed key post-Vatican II doctrine on teaching about Judaism and respecting the Jews’ deep religious connection towards Israel.

For scholars such as David Kertzer, who has written books about the Vatican during World War II, the newly available material only confirmed the impression that Pius, despite his personal objections to Hitler and Nazism and occasionally valiant attempts to protect Italy’s Jews, was more concerned with protecting the church and its future under fascism.

The Israel-Hamas war, which followed the deadly Hamas attacks in Israel in Oct. 7, 2023, further strained relations between Francis, the Jews, and Israelis. In November 2024, citing experts saying, “what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide,” Francis called for the charge — which Israel strenuously rejects — to be “carefully investigated.”

In December, Francis attended the inauguration of a nativity scene at the Vatican that positioned baby Jesus on a keffiyeh, or Palestinian scarf — a nod to activists who have identified Jesus, a Jew born in Roman times, as a Palestinian. Both incidents drew outcry from Jewish groups, and the nativity scene was removed.

Defenders of the pope said his statements about the Israel-Hamas war were in keeping with Catholic doctrine on the value of peace and human life, and did not reflect on Francis’s commitment to fighting antisemitism. He also repeatedly called for the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Indeed, a document issued last December by the American Jewish Committee, “Translate Hate,” included

Despite the disagreements, Francis maintained warm relations with Jewish leaders involved in interfaith dialogue.

“I sorrowfully mourn the death of Pope Francis, a towering figure in our time whose leadership, compassion, and dedication to peace transcended religious boundaries,” said Rabbi Arthur Schneier, who received the papal knighthood honor from Francis in New York in 2015.

The following year, Francis made his first appearance at Rome’s Great Synagogue, marking the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate and issuing a joint call with Rome’s chief rabbi against religious violence.

“We are clearly living in a renewed era of CatholicJewish relations,” Rabbi Noam Marans, the AJC’s director of interreligious and intergroup relations, wrote in September 2017, on the eve of the pope’s second visit to the United States. “When there are disagreements, they are discussed and often resolved among friends, but even when unresolved, the conversation rarely devolves into a contretemps.”

During that visit, Jewish leaders took part in “Witness for Peace: A Multireligious Gathering with Pope Francis” at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

Jewish groups also appreciated Francis’s frequent pleas to his followers to heed the lessons of the Holocaust. “The memory of the Shoah and its atrocious violence must never be forgotten,” the pope said in 2018 in a message through the Vatican’s secretary of state in Berlin. “It should be a constant warning for all of us of an obligation to reconciliation, of reciprocal comprehension and love toward our ‘elder brothers,’ the Jews.”

In 2017, Pope Francis and Rabbi Skorka co-authored an introduction for a book by three Argentine doctors

IN MEMORIAM

about the Nazi medical experiments. The essay calls the Holocaust a “hell.”

“The human arrogance exposed during the Shoah was the action of people who felt like gods, and shows the aberrant dimension in which we can fall if we forget where we came from and where we are going,” they wrote.

The pope’s friendship with Skorka, rector of the Latin American Rabbinic Seminary, dated to 1997, when the pope, then known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became coadjutor bishop of the Buenos Aires archdiocese. In addition to collaborating in 2010 on their book On Heaven and Earth, the bishop and the rabbi appeared frequently together on Argentinian television.

In a 2013 interview with the New York Jewish Week, Skorka said Francis had a “special relationship towards Jews and Jewishness” and a commitment to Nostra Aetate.

“From a theological point of view, according to what I spoke with him about, he and other important Catholic thinkers believe in cooperation between Jews and Christians in order to get a better world — respecting one another and sharing the challenge to bring more spirituality and justice to the world,” Skorka said.

Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, on Dec. 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires. He served as archbishop of the Argentinian capital beginning in 1998 and as cardinal

after 2001. In contrast to the often forbidding Benedict XVI, his immediate predecessor as pope, Bergoglio was said to be warm and modest, cooking his own meals and personally answering his phone.

Friendly relations with Jewish clergy was a hallmark of his priesthood. In 2005, as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio attended Rosh Hashanah services at the Benei Tikva Slijot synagogue. Bergoglio was the fi rst public personality to sign a petition for justice in the 1994 AMIA bombing case, in which 85 people were killed in a terrorist attack at a Buenos Aires Jewish center. In June 2010, he visited the rebuilt AMIA building to talk with Jewish leaders. In 2024, after years of stalled investigations and charges of a cover-up, an Argentinian court ruled that Iran directed the attack, and that it was carried by Hezbollah.

While he took mostly traditional views on issues like same-sex marriage, Beroglio also had a reputation as a social reformer. Israel Singer, the former head of the World Jewish Congress, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency soon after Francis’s election as pope that he spent time working with Bergoglio when the two were distributing aid to the poor in Buenos Aires in the early 2000s, part of a joint JewishCatholic program called Tzedaka.

Bergoglio wrote the foreword to a book by Rabbi

Sergio Bergman, a Buenos Aires legislator, and in 2012 hosted a Kristallnacht memorial event at the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral with Rabbi Alejandro Avruj from the NCI-Emanuel World Masorti congregation.

During that visit, Bergoglio told the congregation that he was there to examine his heart “like a pilgrim, together with you, my elder brothers.”

He was 76 when he was elected to the papacy following the resignation of the German-born Benedict XVI. Francis was the first pope to come from outside Europe in more than a millennium.

He inherited a church wrestling with an array of challenges, including a shortage of priests, a sexual abuse crisis, and difficulties governing the Vatican itself.

In 2018, Francis renewed his commitment to fostering relations between Catholics and Jews and condemning anti-Semitism.

“Dialogue and friendship with the children of Israel are part of the life of Jesus’ disciples,” Francis wrote in “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel), described as the fl agship document of his papacy. “The friendship which has grown between us makes us bitterly and sincerely regret the terrible persecutions which they have endured, and continue to endure, especially those that have involved Christians.”

Meet the Authors!

Enjoy an interactive read-along featuring a craft activity for pre-K through 3rd graders.

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Miri will miss the Chinese lions in front of her apartment building. What will happen to her now that it's moving day? Fortunately Zayde, her Jewish grandfather, and Yeh Yeh, her Chinese grandfather, have some surprises to help her feel at home in her new apartment.

Thursday, May 15 10:30 AM

Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library

Celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month & Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with "Miri's Moving Day"! JewishVA.org/JAHM

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Stephanie Wildman and Adam Ryan Chang