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UPFRONT
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Three-quarters of American Jews say they’re more concerned about antisemitism following the Israel-Gaza conflict
Silicon Valley tech leaders: ‘We stand against antisemitism’
Published 20 times a year by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
Gabriel Greschler
Ben Sales
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( JTA)—Three-quarters of U.S. Jews said their concern over antisemitism in the country has grown following the fighting last month in Israel and Gaza, according to a survey published by the Anti-Defamation League. More than 40% of the respondents said they are now more concerned for their personal safety as well than they were before the 11 days of warring. Also, more than half said calling for companies and organizations to boycott, divest from or sanction Israel is “definitely or probably antisemitic.” The ADL poll of 576 Jewish-American adults was taken from May 25 to June 1 by the polling firm YouGov. Its margin of error is 4%. The ADL and other groups documented a surge in antisemitic incidents in the United States during and after the Israel-Gaza fighting. The incidents more than doubled during and after the fighting when compared to the same time last year, the ADL found. (The 2020 period was near the first wave of the pandemic and its associated social distancing restrictions.) The ADL’s tally includes physical assaults, as well as antisemitic and some anti-Zionist harassment and vandalism. The survey also found that 60% of respondents “witnessed behavior or comments they deem antisemitic either online or in-person as a result of the recent violence.” More than three-quarters of respondents said they want President Joe Biden, Congress, civil rights groups and faith leaders to do more to address antisemitism. In addition, more than half of respondents said calling Israel an “apartheid state” is definitely or probably antisemitic.” Human Rights Watch declared in April that Israel’s control over Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza qualifies as apartheid. Majorities of respondents also said the following statements or actions are definitely or probably antisemitic: calling Zionism racist; comparing Israeli actions to those of the Nazis; saying Israel shouldn’t exist as a Jewish state; and protesting Israeli actions outside an American synagogue.
CONTENTS
(J. The Jewish News of Northern California via JTA)— Leaders from some of Silicon Valley’s most recognized tech companies, including Google, Twitter, and YouTube, are among about 200 technology and business leaders who have signed on to a letter calling out antisemitism. The signatories include former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, media mogul Ariana Huffington, current Google executives and CEOs at Bay Area startups. “To be too Jewish in America, or to be a Jew, is still a dangerous mark,” the statement says. “As business leaders, we have a collective responsibility to stand up for the society we want. Today, we stand against anti-Semitism and violence against Jews. This is true regardless of your views on Israel; this is about protecting people from the injustice of anti-Semitism and hatred.” “Too few Americans” acknowledge that antisemitism exists [and] events of recent weeks cannot hide the truth,” the letter says. According to Jewish Insider, the statement’s primary author is Jordana Stein, CEO of Enrich, a private network for industry professionals. Signatories also include cultural and business figures, such as makeup artist Bobbi Brown, former NBA player Baron Davis, and Neil Blumenthal, co-CEO of the glasses company Warby Parker. The letter comes on the heels of an increase in antisemitic incidents across the United States, according to the AntiDefamation League, coinciding with the conflict last month in Israel and Gaza.
About the cover: Laura G. Gross, Betty Ann Levin, and Amy Moss Levy at the UJFT/Simon Family JCC Biennial Meeting.
Upfront . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
YAD Seashore Schmooze. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Temple Israel’s Men’s Club awarded. . . . . . . . . 26
Birthright Israel is back. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Nadiv men meet over bourbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Ben & Jerry’s social media problem . . . . . . . . . . 7
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The Pew study on American Jews. . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Mazel Tov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Special Section: Senior Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
What’s Happening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Sunday Fun Day at the JCC pool . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
UJF/Simonf Family JCCT Biennial Meeting . . . 24
JFS Biennial Meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
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BRIEFS FASHION GIANT ZARA CONDEMNS JEWISH DESIGNER FOR LASHING OUT AT PALESTINIAN MODEL WHO CALLED ISRAEL ‘EVIL’ The fashion retailer Zara condemned one of its Jewish designers for telling a Palestinian model that “maybe if your people were educated then they wouldn’t blow up the hospitals.” Zara made the statement about Vanessa Perilman, the head designer for Zara’s women’s department, who wrote the comment on Instagram to model Qaher Harhash, who is from eastern Jerusalem. Perilman initiated the discussion because Harhash had called Israel “evil,” according to reports. He has claimed falsely that Israel withholds drinking water from Arabs in Jerusalem while providing it readily to Jews. “Israelis don’t teach children to hate nor throw stones at soldiers as your people do,” Perilman wrote to Harhash in one of several private messages on Instagram that were screenshot and later shared publicly. “I think it’s funny that you are a model because, in reality, that is against what the Muslim faith believes in and if you were to come out of the closet in any Muslim country, you would be stoned to death,” she added. Harhash wrote in response to Perilman: “Does your little brain teach you about power dynamics and how this could possibly hurt me?” and shared the correspondence, leading to criticism of Zara online. “We condemn these comments that do not reflect our core values of respect for one another, and we regret the offense that they have caused,” Zara said in a statement about Perilman’s words. Perilman has apologized to Harhash in private messages on Instagram, saying she spoke out of “anger” over alleged vitriol against Israel during and after its 11-day skirmish with Hamas last month. (JTA) TRUMP SAYS AMERICAN JEWS ‘DON’T LOVE ISRAEL ENOUGH’ AND SHOULD HAVE VOTED FOR HIM Donald Trump is still trying to figure out why more American Jews didn’t vote for him, arguing in a haredi Orthodox
magazine interview that they “don’t love Israel enough” and the Israel-related moves he made as president should have earned him a larger share of the Jewish vote. “You know what really surprised me?” Trump told Ami Magazine. “I did the Heights, I did Jerusalem, and I did Iran— the Iran Deal was a disaster, right? And I also did many other things. Jewish people who live in the United States don’t love Israel enough. Does that make sense to you? I’m not talking about Orthodox Jews. I believe we got 25% of the Jewish vote, and it doesn’t make sense. It just seems strange to me.” Trump referred to his decisions to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, which Israel’s government loathes. Exit polls election night found Trump scored between 21% and 30.5% of the Jewish vote. He is also correct that an overwhelming majority of Orthodox Jews voted for him. Jewish groups slammed Trump in 2019 after he said that Jews were disloyal for voting for Democrats and doubling down on the claim. (JTA)
ISRAELI AND AMERICAN JEWS KNOW LITTLE ABOUT EACH OTHER, NEW STUDY FINDS American and Israeli Jews don’t know much about one another, according to a study released this month. Still, both groups expressed an affinity for the other in the poll by the American Jewish Committee. Among American Jews, a total of 40% said their knowledge of Israelis was either nonexistent or weak, and another 21% ranked their knowledge of Israelis as medium, while 37% said they received a “strong” education about Israel. Among Israeli Jews, a total of 69% said they did not receive any education about Diaspora Jews or it was “not comprehensive,” while 20% said it was “so-so” and 11% said it was comprehensive. Officials of the new government led by Bennett say that Netanyahu damaged
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relations with the Jewish Diaspora through his close alliances with right-wing leaders overseas and his policies catering to the haredi Orthodox. They have vowed to repair ties, in part by educating Israelis about Diaspora Jews. Among American Jews, 60% said being connected to Israel is important to their Jewish identity. Among the Israelis, 75% see a thriving Diaspora as vital to the future of the Jewish people. Those Israelis who had learned more about Diaspora Jews in formal settings showed a greater interest in learning more about Diaspora Jews than those who had learned less. The survey of Americans was conducted March 25–May 9 and the one in Israel in May. Both had 1,000 respondents. The margin of error is 3 percentage points. (JTA)
TOM NIDES, A FORMER TOP OBAMA STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL, NAMED AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL President Joe Biden nominated Tom Nides, a deputy secretary of state in the Obama administration, to be his ambassador to Israel. Nides, a banker, was the deputy secretary of state for management and resources from 2011 to 2013 and had good relations with Israeli diplomats, although he was less involved in substantive diplomacy. Michael Oren, the former Israeli ambassador to Washington, in his book, Ally chronicling his ambassadorship, described Nides as “irreverent, hard-working, highly intelligent, and warm.” Oren said Nides quickly earned his “affection and trust.” Nides, who is Jewish, is a Minnesota native who has been close to Joe Lieberman since running his vice presidential campaign in 2000. Lieberman, then a Connecticut senator, was Al Gore’s running mate and the first Jewish candidate on a major party presidential ticket. Some in the centrist and liberal pro-Israel communities had pushed to have Biden tap Robert Wexler, a former Florida congressman who now heads a nongovernmental group advocating for Israeli-Arab peace, to the post. (JTA)
JARED KUSHNER SIGNS TELL-ALL BOOK DEAL Jared Kushner is writing the “definitive” account of the Trump presidency, his publisher says. Broadside Books, a conservative imprint of HarperCollins, said in a release that Kushner’s book “will be the definitive, thorough recounting of the administration—and the truth about what happened behind closed doors.” Broadside said the book, to be released in early 2022, would describe Kushner’s role “in the administration’s most significant accomplishments.” Kushner, who is Jewish and married to former President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka, helped shape Trump’s Middle East policy, worked on criminal justice reform, led the effort to contain the COVID pandemic, and took a lead role in Trump’s presidential campaigns. (JTA) POLISH CHILDREN DESTROYED JEWISH HEADSTONES TO BUILD A FORTRESS Several children in Poland toppled 63 headstones of Jewish graves because they wanted to use the slabs to build a fortress, they told police. The group of five 12-year-olds had been working on the project for several days at the disused graveyard in Wroclaw, in western Poland. Police stopped them upon hearing hammering noises. Some headstones were smashed. Others were partially damaged and knocked down. In a separate incident in eastern France, graffiti saying “Allah akba,” or God is great in Arabic, was left at the entrance to a Jewish cemetery in Strasbourg. There are no suspects. In eastern Poland, a headstone from a Jewish grave that was used decades ago as construction material in Krasnik was extracted from a sidewalk and placed at the local Jewish cemetery. The headstone was discovered three years ago after the pavement over it cracked. In southern Poland, the city of BielskoBiala is planning a commemorative space featuring Jewish headstones in recognition of the destruction of the Jewish cemetery there in the 1960s. A sports center was built on the site. (JTA)
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Birthright Israel is back Lisa Richmon
T
aglit-Birthright Israel is proving it can survive a bout of logistics hiccups such as those presented when tourist travel in and out of Israel is prohibited. Trips may get canceled or re-scheduled, but what’s immune to change is the program’s Why. Existing to connect young Jewish adults to Israel in hopes of fueling self-discovery and a life-changing perspective, this gift from donors and the state of Israel to young adults is untouchable. Birthright Israel 10-day trips are open to Jewish young adults, ages 18 to 26, who have not traveled to Israel on a peer educational trip (since turning 18) or lived in Israel past the age of 12. United Jewish Federation of Tidewater provides funds to Hillel at Virginia Tech, William & Mary, JMU, and UVA, and contributes to Birthright Israel through Jewish Federations of North America. During past winter breaks, up to two buses have been filled with Jewish VT students. The 2020 winter trips were canceled due to COVID, but hopes are back up for an immersive summer Israeli experience. As vaccination distributions advance in Israel, so do the chances that borders for tourists will open and more Jewish young adults will experience Israeli culture and community. As of late June, the wait is not over. “I might be leading a trip in August, but I won’t know until July,” says Rabbi Gershon Litt. In 15 years, the ODU, CNU, and William & Mary Hillel director has led more than 30 trips, witnessed countless epiphanies, and inspired many return visits that resulted in permanent stays. His mission to bring young Jews home to Israel is as clear as the Mediterranean Sea. “Birthright Israel just started back, and their trips are very limited right now. With that said, the trip organizer that I work with, Israel Free Spirit, is one of the first to offer trips, and I’m hopeful—and proud to be part of it,” says Litt. Matthew Kramer-Morning, UJFT’s Young Leadership campaign manager, has led trips for a number of trip providers
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and is available to help guide parents and individuals interested in Birthright through the application process. Most of the people who contact him have heard of the program but don’t know much more.
“I always encourage doing a local trip, whether with a Hillel or with a community. You’ll experience Israel with peers that you’ll go back home with.”
we will see all of the planned trips take place. The buses are smaller than usual. This year we will have 19 students with two American staff, three to five Israeli soldiers for the entire trip, and other COVID mitigations in place. Compared to a typical year, when the bus holds 40 students with eight soldiers on five days of a ten-day trip.” In the past, the cutoff for Birthright Israel was 26. Today there are seven-day trips to accommodate working Jewish young adults ages 27 to 32. Despite age qualifications being extended, KramerMorning doesn’t recommend waiting. “I’ve seen it too many times working at Hillels and Federations where people decide to wait and then life happens. My recommendation to everyone is, if you can sign up now, do so! You don’t know what you’ll be doing in years to come, and as you age past college, it becomes harder and harder to find flexibility to take time off and go. Don’t wait! Trust me.”
“I’m a good starting place for people who need guidance,” says KramerMorning. “90% of all trips are basically the same. It’s that 10% sweet spot where I can use my knowledge and experience to coach them on ways to work with trip providers and find the trip that’s right for them. Let’s say a 19-year-old wants to travel with their 24-year-old sibling, I can give them an idea of which trips would be For more info about upcoming trips, contact best to explore.” Rabbi Gershon Litt rabbilitt@wmhillel.org. Trip types are diverse, such as: comFor application process assistance and munity trips; college trips; special niche general information, contact mkmorning@ trips like LGBTQ+, culinary workers, ujft.org. and medical professionals; as well as the national trips. This is part of a series of articles spotlighting “I always encourage doing a local local and overseas partner agencies that are trip, whether with a Hillel or with a beneficiaries of the United Jewish Federation community if those are available,” says of Tidewater’s annual Community Campaign. Kramer-Morning. “You’ll experience Israel with peers that you’ll go back home with. National trips offer great experiences as well, but there is something to be said for coming back to your local community or college with the friends you just experienced Israel with.” Due to security concerns stemming from May and June events in Israel, students are weary. “These situations come and go in Israel all the time,” says Litt. “So, we are encourMatthew Kramer-Morning with Daniel Gershin, a Hillel student aging students to go as soon leader/Birthright participant at University of Nevada Reno at Mount as they can. I do believe that Scopus overlooking Jerusalem on a Birthright trip in 2015.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Ben & Jerry’s stopped using social media after violence erupted in Israel. Why? Asaf Shalev
( JTA)–Pro-Palestinian activists were swarming the social media comments sections of Ben & Jerry’s to demand the company boycott Israel. In response, Ben & Jerry’s appears to have indeed entered a boycott—of social media itself. The international ice cream brand with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual sales typically posts to its Twitter, Instagram or Facebook pages daily, including about the many progressive social causes that the company supports. But Ben & Jerry’s fell silent on May 18 amid the deadly exchange of fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza that also played out intensely on social media. The company did not respond to a request for an explanation by the JTA. Those who waged a social media campaign against Ben & Jerry’s because of its affiliated factory in Israel and the availability of its products in Israeli settlements are taking credit for the silence. “20 days without online advertising means @benandjerrys knows they can’t go back to business as usual without addressing their investments in Israeli colonization and land theft. Now is not the time to back down,” a user named @ princessmlokhia, an anti-Zionist account with nearly 15,000 followers, tweeted. The movement even has a hashtag, #HasBenand JerrysTweetedYet. The silence is atypical for a company famously founded by two Jewish hippies in Vermont. Ben & Jerry’s, which launched in 1978, is known for its marketing strategy of appealing to social justice values. Last year, following the murder of George Floyd, the company added a special section of its website devoted to combating white supremacy. “Silence is NOT an option,” the site says. But Ben & Jerry’s has conspicuously refrained from weighing in on IsraeliPalestinian affairs. So, while it has readily marked the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of
Education ruling barring school segregation in the 1950s and condemned the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack as a riot for white supremacy, the company did not mention Israel or Palestine even as the flare-up in May grabbed headlines around the world. But on social media, users can respond even when nothing has been said. And each time a new Ben & Jerry’s post appeared, a digital crowd formed to condemn the company. For example, when Ben & Jerry’s asked, ”Any mint lovers out there?” user @ husammunism spoke up—but not about favorite flavors. Offering an opinion on the company’s politics, this user wrote: “Will never buy Ben and Jerry’s until I hear you all stop doing business in illegal settlements stealing Palestinian land and contributing to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.” In other words, Ben & Jerry’s was being repeatedly ratioed, which is internet slang for when replies to a post, typically negative, vastly outnumber likes and retweets. The criticism of the brand coalesced on May 19 with a call by a social justice group called Decolonize Burlington in Vermont for Americans to boycott the company, according to the Burlington Free Press. Local activists have been lobbying against Ben & Jerry’s Israel ties since at least 2012. “If Ben & Jerry’s wants to profit off of anti-racist messaging, they need to be consistent,” Decolonize Burlington said in its post. “The BLM movement has publicly supported the Palestinian cause. It’s time for Ben & Jerry’s to divest from their holdings in Israel.” Ben & Jerry’s has not responded to the activists. The Israeli Ben & Jerry’s, the brand’s only independent licensee, is widely popular. It has produced special flavors for holidays, such as haroset for Passover and “mixed-up” for this spring’s national election, and last year held a Purim costume party whose prize was a six-month supply of ice cream.
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SURVEY
The Pew study cheat sheet: 10 key conclusions from the new survey of American Jews Ben Sales
( JTA)—Meet America’s Jews: They’re older, more educated, richer, and less religious, on average, than the rest of the country. They’re overwhelmingly white, though Jews under 30 are more diverse. Most of them care about Israel, though one in 10 support the movement to boycott it. Most of their young adults are marrying non-Jews, though the growing Orthodox community is not. Those are some of the many findings of a study on Jewish Americans published last month by the Pew Research Center. It’s the second edition of a landmark 2013 study that changed the American Jewish conversation. The 2013 survey measured not only the size and makeup of American Jewry, but quantified what those Jews believed (or didn’t), how they practiced their religion (or didn’t), whom they married, how they raised their children and how they felt about Israel. The “Pew study,” as it came to be known in Jewish organizational circles, reflected the current state of American Judaism and influenced what Jewish nonprofits did and how they spent their money. Jewish leaders and pundits marshaled its data to buttress their arguments and advance their vision of what the Jewish community should look like. The new edition asks many of the same questions, and adds a few new ones based on the events and conversation of the past few years. For example, the survey delves much deeper into anti-Semitism, as well as racial and ethnic diversity among American Jews. If this year is anything like 2013, the response will be reams written about what this Pew study means. Meanwhile, its authors have cautioned not to make direct comparisons between the data in the two surveys because of differences in methodology. But here are the basics: The American
Jewish community is growing and increasingly diverse. It is largely educated, affluent, and leans Democratic. Most of its young people are marrying non-Jews, though many of those families are still raising their kids Jewish. Orthodox Jewry is growing and the Conservative movement is shrinking. The more traditionally observant Jews are, the more likely they are to consume Jewish culture. More than 4,700 Jews took part in the survey, which has a margin of error of 3%, with larger margins of error for subsets. Questions pertaining to Orthodox respondents, for example, had a margin of error of 8.8%. Here are some of the highlights.
The future of American Jewry appears to be one of polarization. The numbers of Orthodox and unaffiliated Jews are growing.
1. There are 7.5 million American Jews. The number includes approximately 5.8 million adults and 1.8 million children. About 4.2 million of the adults identify their religion as Jewish, while the rest of the adults are what Pew calls “Jews of no religion.” The 7.5 million figure is up from the 6.7 million counted in 2013, which included some 5.3 million adults and 1.3 million children. And the 2021 figure is a bit larger than the Jewish population of Israel, which is around 6.9 million. Jews make up about 2.5% of the American population. They are slightly older than Americans overall, with a median age of 49 compared to the overall median American age of 46.
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2. Most young Jews are either Orthodox or unaffiliated. The future of American Jewry appears to be one of polarization. The numbers of Orthodox and unaffiliated Jews are growing. The Conservative and Reform movements, which once claimed the bulk of the American Jewish community, are shrinking. Overall, the raw percentages belonging to each denomination haven’t changed much since 2013. But religious affiliation by age shows a changing community. Among Jews aged 65 and older, 69% are either Conservative or Reform, while just 3% are Orthodox. But among adults under 30, 37% are Conservative and Reform and 17% are Orthodox. Just 8% of those young adults are Conservative, as opposed to 25% of Jews over 65. And 41% of Jews under 30 are unaffiliated, compared to 22% over 65. 3. Some 15% of young Jewish adults are not white. The survey adds to a discussion that the Jewish community has been having in recent years: What proportion of American Jews are Jews of color, and have Jews of color been undercounted as a result of institutional bias? That conversation grew more intense during and after the protests over racial injustice that began last year. It found that the overwhelming majority of the Jewish community identifies primarily as white—92%—but that young adults are significantly more diverse. Some 85% of adults under 30 identify primarily as white, while 7% identify as Hispanic, 2% as Black, 6% as multiracial and less than 1% as Asian or Pacific Islander. By contrast, 97% of Jews over 65 identify primarily as white. And while most American Jews were born in the U.S. and identify as Ashkenazi (with roots primarily in Eastern Europe), those numbers drop among young adults as well. Among those under 30, 28% are either not
Ashkenazi, identify with at least one racial minority or are the children of immigrants from countries with a largely nonwhite population. Overall, two-thirds of Jews identify as Ashkenazi, while only 3% identify as Sephardic, or following the traditional religious Jewish customs of Spain, according to Pew. Another 1% identify as Mizrahi, a term primarily used in Israel that refers to Jews with roots in the Middle East and North Africa. 4. Some 10% of Jews support the boycott of Israel—but half of young adults haven’t heard much about it. As in 2013, the survey asked American Jews how they feel about Israel, and the results provide fodder for Israel’s advocates, as well as its critics. On one hand, more than 80% of Jews say that caring about Israel is an important or essential part of being Jewish. Nearly half of American Jews have been to Israel, and a quarter have been there more than once. But the survey also found that the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, or BDS, has made inroads into the American Jewish community. One in 10 American Jews—and a slightly higher proportion of young adults—said they either “strongly support” or “somewhat support” the BDS movement. Some 43% of Jews oppose BDS, and another 43% haven’t heard much about it. In that vein, the survey found that college campuses appear to be far from the hotbeds of BDS support that some have warned. While Jewish organizations have fretted about BDS activism on campus for over a decade, the survey found that nearly half of Jewish adults under 30 had heard little or nothing about the boycott movement. 5. Most young Jews are still intermarrying. For organizations that are invested in “Jewish continuity” (or, in plain English,
Local Relationships Matter
SURVEY urging Jews to marry Jews and have Jewish babies), the 2013 Pew study was a red flag. It found that the majority of Jews who married after 2000 wed nonJews. When it came to non-Orthodox Jews, the numbers were even higher. The same is true of the 2021 study, though researchers say the numbers haven’t shown meaningful growth. In other words, plenty of young Jews are still intermarrying, but the number isn’t much bigger than it was in 2013. Due to changes in methodology and small sample sizes, the researchers emphasize that it’s unwise to compare results between the two surveys. The 2021 study found that in the past decade, 61% of Jews married non-Jewish partners. And nearly three-quarters of non-Orthodox Jews who married since 2010 wed non-Jews. Intermarriage is quite rare among Orthodox Jews. In total, 42% of married Jews have a
57% of intermarried couples are raising their kids Jewish
spouse who is not Jewish. 6. But among young adult children of intermarriage, nearly half are still Jewish. Whether intermarried couples are raising their kids Jewish has been a perennial concern of Jewish communal planners and institutions worried about the vitality of the Jewish future. The survey found that virtually all in-married couples are raising their children Jewish. In addition, most intermarried couples (57%) are raising their kids Jewish, with about half of that number saying they are raising their children to be Jewish by religion. Another 12% of intermarried couples said their children were being raised “partly Jewish by religion,” meaning
that overall, the survey found that more than two-thirds of children of intermarriages are being raised with some Jewish identity. Across the survey’s respondents, preventing intermarriage is not a high priority. For every age group, the respondents said it was more important that their grandchildren share their political convictions than that they marry a Jewish partner.
MEET:
“We have to provide exceptionally good care of our residents and give back to the community. That’s one of the reasons we encourage our staff to participate in supporting organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association. We have over 300 people on our staff who work, live and shop in our community. These people touch the lives of so many families and friends of our residents and they strive to make all these people feel a part of the Beth Sholom Village.”
The majority of Jews have a college or postgraduate degree, as opposed to fewer than 30% of Americans overall. 7. Most Jews have experienced antisemitism in the past year. Like a range of other recent surveys, this one asked Jews about antisemitism — something that was largely absent from the 2013 study. This one said that in the wake of antisemitic events from the Charlottesville neo-Nazi rally in 2017 to the deadly attacks on Jews in Pittsburgh in 2018 and Poway, California, in 2019, antisemitism appears to be a larger part of American Jewish life now than it was at that time. Like other studies, the 2021 Pew survey found that most Jews believe antisemitism in America has increased in recent years and said they feel less safe now than they once did. Five percent of American Jews said they have stayed away from a Jewish event or observance because of safety concerns. (The study was conducted prior to the recent rise in antisemitic acts following the violence in Israel.) Over the past 12 months, the survey found, 51% of Jews have experienced anti-Semitism—either by seeing anti-Jewish graffiti, being harassed online, being physically attacked or through another form of discrimination. 8. Jews are wealthier and more educated than Americans overall. In line with other recent studies, this one found that American Jews
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are significantly more educated than Americans overall, and wealthier. The majority of Jews have a college or postgraduate degree, as opposed to fewer than 30% of Americans overall. Jews also have higher salaries. The majority of Jewish adults have a household income of more than $100,000, including 23% above $200,000. Only 19% of Americans overall have a household income above $100,000. Jews also report being satisfied with their lives and communities at higher rates than Americans as a whole. Orthodox Jews appear to have a tougher time financially. Among Orthodox Jews, 45% reported having trouble paying bills over the past year, compared to just 26% of Jews overall. 9. More than three-quarters of American Jews say remembering the Holocaust is essential to being Jewish.
76% of Jews believe that remembering the Holocaust is essential to being Jewish.
While the survey highlighted differences across American Jewry, the survey found that the vast majority of Jews, 76%, believe remembering the Holocaust is essential to being Jewish. A similar number said the same of leading an ethical and moral life. At the other end of the spectrum, just 15% of Jews said observing Jewish law is essential to being Jewish, and 33% said being part of a Jewish community was essential. Among Orthodox respondents,
though, the numbers were different: 83% called observing Jewish law essential, and 69% said the same about being part of a Jewish community. Slightly over half of Orthodox Jews said remembering the Holocaust was essential to being Jewish. Holocaust remembrance was also a lower priority among young adults— although it was still high. Sixty-one percent of respondents under 30 said it was essential to being Jewish. 10. COVID hit Jews earlier than most Americans. The survey was mainly conducted prior to the pandemic, so its findings were not intended to reflect changes in practice or attitudes that were introduced during it. But the report included details from follow-up interviews that quantify something that is conventional wisdom for many Jews: Relative to Americans as a whole, Jews were hit early in the
pandemic. Jewish areas of Westchester County, in suburban New York City, were an early COVID-19 hotspot, and haredi Orthodox communities in Brooklyn suffered painful losses from the disease last spring. Pew’s numbers bear this out: In August, 10% of “Jews by religion” had tested positive for either COVID or antibodies, compared to 3% of Americans overall. And 57% of Jews knew someone who was hospitalized or died from COVID, as opposed to 39% of Americans overall. But by February 2021, as the coronavirus circulated widely in the United States, gaps between non-Jews and Jews had narrowed. “Jews by religion” were still about twice as likely to have tested positive as Americans overall—23% to 11%. But among both groups, a little more than two-thirds knew someone who was hospitalized or died from COVID.
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Senior Living Dear Readers,
S
ince Seniors were hard hit in so many ways by
may “qualify” to be seniors, but seem to not regard their
Tidewater Jewish Foundation on page 20 is food for
the pandemic—isolation, stress, weight gain (oy!),
age as anything but a number. Gerald Einhorn, Linda
thought about how to use an IRA for charitable purposes
muscle loss (another oy!), fear of going to the doctor, and a
Spindel, and Miriam Seeherman, are inspirations at any
and reduce taxes at the same time.
disproportionate death rate from the virus—this summer
age. The article by Lisa Richmon is on page 14.
feels metaphorically more like spring as we move forward, or back to our more normal daily lives. Now as we make that re-entry—some quicker than others—there seems to be so much to do…from travel to
Of course, there are more articles in this section,
Speaking of numbers, Olga Payes is about to cele-
as well as some great advertisers who offer ways to stay
brate her 100th birthday and her friends from the Soviet
financially, legally, and physically healthy…as well as new
Jewish Resettlement Program want everyone to know.
places to live.
Their message is on page 21.
dinners with friends to doctor appointments to returning
The Seniors programming at the Simon Family
to the theaters to celebrating everything—including just
JCC is gearing up and the regular attendees are beyond
being together. The activity is certainly a refreshing move
ready. See what’s planned and when it all begins again on
away from Zoom and Netflix.
page 15. And, then, consider joining these very energetic
For some, sitting still, is just not in their DNA. In this section, for example, we talk to a couple of people who
people. For those who are 70½ or older, the article from
Thanks for reading and be safe,
Terri Denison Editor
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Senior Living Slowing down is not an option for seniors on the move Lisa Richmon
W
ho says an 85-year-old retired dentist would never launch a third career crafting specialty ice cream cakes during a pandemic? What would stop a lifelong community activist from leveraging decades of knowledge gained as a board member (inside and outside the Jewish community) from becoming United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s president at age 75? Or a community volunteer and activist from learning a new skill—writing her story at 87? Jewish News asked Gerald Einhorn, Linda Spindel, and Miriam Seeherman, three seniors who know how to level up an active lifestyle, what makes this stage of life most rewarding and challenging. “I would say that a good thing about being older and active is that because of the years of experience I feel like I have a lot more to bring to any situation. Even when I’m trying something new it’s always sort of like something else that I did before, and I have a better idea of how to go about solving problems related to it. And, of course as you get older, you are much calmer,” says Einhorn,
owner of Gerald’s Ice Cream at Hilltop in Virginia Beach. Linda Spindel is the former president of both Jewish Family Service and Ohef Sholom Temple who has also served on boards of non-Jewish non-profits. Everything she invests in has her signature moxie with heart, humility, and humor. “There’s no better feeling than doing for others,” says Spindel. ”In the 20 years, I’ve invested my resources in programs I care about—I get way more than I give.” Self-preservation is another motivator for staying active. “I heard many years ago, ‘if you rest, you rust.’ I’m taking no chances!” says Spindel. “I am a huge believer in the power of the elevator speech and making the best of all the experiences I’ve had and apply what I’ve learned to different programs,” she says. “I must say that the COVID pandemic has been a challenge like no other. My community and cultural activities, which have been an integral part of my life for the last 80 plus years, ground to a halt,” says Miriam Seeherman, 87. “I could either sit and do nothing, or adapt. I chose to adapt, learning new things and tackling new projects.” Active all of her life, in leadership positions within the Jewish community, cultural, and nonprofit organizations, sitting wasn’t an option for Seeherman. “I play bridge and mahjong, attend many cultural events, and enjoy the occasional meal out, as well as time with family. I continue to serve as a member of the JCRC and the Federation.”
Dianne and Gerald Einhorn.
14 | JEWISH NEWS | June 28, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org
“At my age I have often thought about being technically challenged, but in the past year and a half, I’ve mastered FaceTime, Facebook and Zoom to keep in touch with friends and family. I never thought I’d be a “techie,” but the new skills I’ve acquired have been quite rewarding. I’ve virtually attended UJFT and Beth Sholom Village board meetings and Ohef Sholom Temple Shabbat services. I’ve “gone” to the Metropolitan Opera, to concerts around the world, to a lot of interesting lectures, to baby showers, birthday parties, and family seders. While not as great as being there in person, it keeps me up to date and feeling connected,” says Seeherman. “Gerald and I are coming up on our 45th wedding anniversary and one-year anniversary for our ice cream store,” says Diane Einhorn. “This is Gerald’s third career!” Einhorn was a dentist for 46 years, a fine-dining restaurateur at Terrapin, and now he owns and operates Gerald’s Ice Cream Bar. “For me personally,” says Diane Einhorn, “I have seen my purpose as helping Gerald, and it has been quite the journey. He is a remarkable man in so many ways and at so many levels, and I have felt blessed to have shared a life with him and to get to experience so many interesting activities via his drive and talents. “Sometimes body limitations can be a pain,” says Dianne. “That is the biggest challenge.” Another challenge Seeherman accepted came from one of her granddaughters. “About a year ago, she asked me to share some of my life experiences. She was curious and asked questions such as, ‘How is life different today compared to when you were a child?’ or, ‘All about Love and Marriage,’ first pets, early work life, high school experiences, etc.,” says Seeherman. “The stories weren’t for her ears only; she wanted me to write them down so she can publish them in a book to share with all of my children, grandchildren, and extended
Linda Spindel.
family. Despite the pressure (I’m known as a speaker, not a writer), the project has been extremely rewarding in letting me go back in time to revisit places, emotions and events—some of which I hadn’t thought of in years.” Spindel has no plans to slow down. In two years, at the age of 75, she is slated to become the next UJFT president. Her signature style is a mix of practicality, creativity, simplicity, and humility. “Laura Gross is the new UJFT president who hasn’t had her first meeting,” says Spindel. “They have two years to come to their senses.”
Miriam Seeherman.
Senior Living Adult programming at the Simon Family JCC to return in-person Robyn Sidersky
F
or more than a decade, the JCC Book Club has met, and in that time, has read more than 150 books. There’s no surprise, then, that this group did not let the pandemic slow them down. Not only did the group continue to read and meet over Zoom, but the JCC Book Club grew its membership. The JCC Book Club, JCC Seniors Club, weekly card games, and other programming — are all returning to take place in-person. “We have a very eclectic group of people in our book club,” says Sherry Lieberman, the club’s facilitator. “Everybody contributes.” Lieberman says that although she usually chooses the books, many members love to suggest books, and those are considered, as well. The books range from Jewish content and Jewish authors to bestsellers to classics. The group often reads selections from The Lee & Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival, and then goes to events to hear the authors speak. They read the
Joan Johnson paints kindness rocks as one of the JCC Seniors Club activities at the Sandler Family Campus. The rocks were part of a Seeds of Hope Mental Health & Wellness Art Project that was a partnership between several organizations, including the Coastal Virginia Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Virginia Beach Season for Non-Violence Collective and the Vibe Creative District in Virginia Beach.
memoir The Apple and the Shady Tree: The Mafia, My Family, and Me and heard the author, Lisa Novick Goldberg speak about the book via Zoom on June 14. A lot of the members had questions for Goldberg and had the chance to ask her there. Lieberman says her favorite part of the book club is the discussion. She notes that the discussions make her think about aspects of the book she might not have considered. “The discussions are very lively and enlightening for everybody,” she says. Lieberman hopes the book club continues to thrive when they are back in person. The JCC Book Club meets on the third Monday of each month and welcomes new members. Now, it will have options for both in-person and virtual participation. For the first official time since the pandemic began, on August 18, the JCC Seniors Club will gather for lunch and to visit with friends. Patsi Walton, the club’s president, is currently working on a calendar of programs. In addition, several exciting day trips are being planned including the Chrysler Glass Studio in Norfolk, the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center in Portsmouth, Norfolk Botanical Garden, and others. The JCC Seniors Club meets for lunch, good conversation, and a program on the third Wednesday of each month at noon. Game playing is another activity that is returning to in-person programming. Bunco will be offered the first Monday of the month, 1–3 pm; Bridge will be offered the first and third Tuesday of the month (beginning in September); and Mexican Train will be every Friday, 1–5 pm. Mahjong games are coming soon, with dates and times to be determined. All skill levels are welcome. More information about the activities can be found at jewishva.org. Have ideas for programming or activities? If so, contact Jill Grossman, director, Arts + Ideas, at jgrossman@ujft.org or 757-965-6137.
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hose early days of retirement can be exciting as retirees are finally rewarded with a little rest and relaxation after all those years of toil. But it can be a bit unsettling as well when the regular paychecks stop appearing in the bank account. That’s why anyone who’s still a few years away from retirement should ask themselves: Am I ready for that moment both financially and emotionally? The answer could come down to whether a solid retirement plan is in place—or a plan at all. “Regardless of how much you accumulate for your retirement, poor planning or lack of planning can put you at risk of exhausting your resources,” says Tad Hill, a retirement planner and author of Retire with Freedom: The Five Steps to Getting a Good Night’s Sleep After the Paychecks Stop. Hill says people nearing the end of their working years should follow this five-step process for a more secure retirement: • Create an ideal picture of retirement. What is desired out of retirement? To travel? Volunteer with a charity? Spend time with the grandkids? The first step isn’t about a financial portfolio, Hill says, it’s about forming a clear image of the big “why” of an ideal retirement. “Otherwise, even though your money may last the rest of your lives,” Hill says, “you may never achieve your dreams because you’re unclear on your dreams.” • Put a personal situation to the “stress test.” With the help of a financial professional, give a retirement plan a “stress test.” That can include reviewing how to best maximize Social Security benefits and examining how a portfolio might perform under a variety of market scenarios. “Analyze all the factors that could affect your retirement plan over
the next few decades and create a strategy for dealing with those risk factors with as much certainty as possible,” Hill says. • Design the plan. Designing a retirement plan, Hill says, is much like creating the blueprint for a house. “These blueprints identify the strategies available to help minimize risk, increase certainty, avoid excess taxes, and ensure an adequate retirement income,” he says. Some of the concerns that need to be addressed include income planning, investment planning, health care planning, tax planning and legacy planning. • Build the plan. Once the design is agreed upon, it’s time to implement it. “That can mean making changes to your current structure, adding some things and getting rid of others,” Hill says. “Maybe risk-prone aspects of your current approach that we need to eliminate were discovered in the design step. We also often identify new strategies that you aren’t using that can really make a difference.” • Seek continued guidance. Even a great retirement plan may need tweaks and adjustments over the years. “Times change, people change and situations change,” Hill says. With his clients, he holds a regular yearly consultation to help ensure they are on the right pathway to retirement success at all times. “You need to look at whether there are things that have changed in your life that need attention,” he says. “Are there decisions you need to make about a pension or Social Security? Is your spending tracking at the amount you thought it would?” “There are no guarantees of anything in life, including how your retirement will work out,” Hill says. “But taking action to create a solid and wellthought-out plan for this important part of your life is a critical first step.
Senior Living Sheitel macher expands to Virginia
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inda Brudermann is an experienced sheitel macher with more than 25 years of experience serving the Orthodox communities of Brooklyn, N.Y. Brudermann’s passion is to find the right style for any special occasion, as well as to help many deal with hair loss due to cancer and alopecia. She says her greatest satisfaction comes from seeing clients happy and confident.
Brudermann had a storefront called Visions in Wigs with her sister in Brooklyn until her sister retired in 2007. She renamed the business Wigs on the Go, a specialized pickup-and-delivery service. Now, Brudermann and her husband have moved to Virginia, and she hopes to expand her business in this area. For more information, call 757-574-0023.
Seniors hit the road in RVs A new report by Outdoorsy looks at the surge in RV sales throughout the United States, as an increasing number of Baby Boomers hit the road in retirement. RV dealers generate annual sales of $57.7 million in the Virginia BeachNorfolk-Newport News metro area, which breaks down to $33 per person, per year. Out of all large U.S. metros, Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News reports the 13th least annual RV sales per capita. Unlike other segments of the travel and tourism economy, the market for recreational vehicles has been thriving in the face of COVID-19. Compared to other travel options like flying or staying in a hotel, traveling by RV makes it easier to maintain physical distance and lower the risk of exposure to coronavirus. Early indications are that the appeal of RVs has continued to grow during the pandemic, and industry experts are anticipating a nearly 25% surge in RV shipments in 2021. But the increased demand for RVs is not surprising, as the market has been growing consistently over the last decade. For example, according to a recent Census Bureau report, RV dealership sales increased by more than 81% between 2012 and 2017, the most recent
year for which Census data is available. The market has been driven by an aging population, as more Baby Boomers hit the road in retirement, but also by strong interest among Millennials and Gen Z consumers interested in camping and outdoor experiences. RV shipments also demonstrate the longer-term increase in demand. Data from the RV Industry Association shows that shipments of RVs have reached alltime highs in recent years. From 1981 to 2020, the number of RVs shipped rose from around 133,000 to 430,000. Remarkably, much of this growth has occurred just since the last recession in 2009. That year, shipment numbers dropped to their lowest levels since 1991 at around 165,000. Between that point and 2020, shipments increased by approximately 160%. For those with time who are ready to explore, an RV might be the COVID-safe answer.
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n intriguing finding once emerged from a RAND Corp. survey on Americans and their working conditions. It turned out that 40 percent of employees 65 and older had previously retired, but something lured them back to the working world. In some cases, financial troubles might have been the cause. But often the reason is that people neglect an important component in their retirement planning. They don’t think about what they will do with their extra time, or how they will give their life the meaning and purpose work provided, says Patti Hart, co-author with her husband, Milledge, of The Resolutionist: Welcome to the Anti-Retirement Movement (www. antiretirement.com). “Money is certainly important, but it’s not the only thing that determines whether your retirement is a success,” Patti Hart says. “It may be that you are financially ready to retire, but are a long way from being emotionally ready.” The Harts offer tips for figuring out when to retire and for making sure you’re successful when you do: Know important catalysts. “Identify milestones or signs that will let you know you are ready to embark on a new post-work life,” Milledge Hart says. “Yes, that could be when you’ve accumulated a certain amount of savings. But it might also be related to when your spouse quits their job, or when your children graduate college and head out on their own.” Maybe the plan is to work until one’s health gives out. “Knowing your catalysts can mean the difference between successfully transitioning to a fulfilled life after your career is over, or boomeranging back to the full-time workforce simply because you didn’t know why you quit to begin with,” he says. Plan ahead to avoid separation anxiety from work. For many people, moving from the excitement and fulfillment of a career to the quietness of retirement is too much, Patti Hart says. They develop a form of “separation
anxiety,” longing for their old way of life rather than venturing boldly into the new one. “You need to make a plan for what you want to do in your new post-career life so you aren’t floundering when you get there,” she says. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable. At work, people are thrown into uncomfortable situations and have no choice but to face them head on. In retirement, it’s easier to avoid discomfort, but doing so diminishes confidence, and the potential to miss out on opportunities for personal growth and fun, Milledge Hart says. “It would seem counterintuitive to think that being uncomfortable brings happiness, but it does,” he says. “Go at life as if it’s an adventure—because it is. When you accomplish something you didn’t think you could, you get a jolt of endorphins that drives you to your next challenge.” Learn to be ‘your own best friend.’ Even when people want to try a new hobby or activity, they sometimes are afraid to do it alone. “In retirement, you might not have the social network you once did,” Patti Hart says. “You may long for a good friend you can rely on. But if you think about it,’ she says, “you already have that friend—yourself.” So when preparing for retirement, be ready to go solo on occasion. “When you get to this stage, you will often find that some things on your list are on your list alone,” she says. “No one in your universe shares your interest or has the time to join you. That’s all right. If you are going to continue to grow, you need to sometimes feel like you did something completely on your own.” “Don’t convince yourself that in retirement you are going to be destined to a life of watching evening game shows and baking pies, unless of course that is what you love to do,” Milledge Hart says. “Nothing is off limits, so reach for the stars. Look forward rather than backward, and embrace the new you.”
Senior Living E
Combating increased impacts of isolation among older adults with sensory loss
ighty-three percent of older adults live with at least one form of sensory loss, according to a survey by Home Instead, Inc. While those with sensory loss have always faced an increased risk of feeling isolated, the pandemic has further reduced their ability to fully connect with the world around them, leading to a diminished quality of life. “Over the last year, we have grown increasingly more aware of the negative effects of social isolation,” says Lakelyn Hogan, Ph.D., gerontologist, and caregiver advocate at Home Instead, Inc. “Older adults living with limited or diminished senses are faced with the added stress and difficulties brought on by prolonged isolation from their loved ones. And it’s especially important to consider their needs, as they may have an especially difficult time staying connected.” Now more than ever, it is important
for family members, caregivers, and the overall community to be mindful of the signs of sensory loss and take proactive steps to ensure these individuals feel embraced and engaged. Each of the five senses plays a role in keeping people connected to the world around them. When these senses are weakened, it can become difficult and frightening to navigate an environment that is not designed to accommodate impaired vision, hearing, mobility, and more. Some older adults have been able to use video chats and phone calls to stay in touch with family during the pandemic. In fact, according to a recent study by Home Instead, Inc., one in four—28%—feel more comfortable using new technology than they did one year ago. But that technology may not work for seniors with failing eyesight or hearing. For them, isolation remains a threat.
Prioritize thoughtful connection
E
veryone can play a role in ensuring the aging population feels supported and connected during these times. Consider these ways to help connect: • Contact older loved ones or neighbors regularly and create meaningful interactions to ensure they feel valued. • During phone calls, be sure to speak up and enunciate your words clearly. • When possible, visit in-person from a socially safe distance. • Lead with empathy One simple way to make those with sensory loss feel included is to practice empathy. Doing so helps create a more inclusive and aging-friendly world for loved ones, neighbors, and others in the community. It’s not difficult to find opportunities
to lead with empathy in everyday situations. For example, when in line at the grocery store if an older adult is having a hard time grabbing their credit card from their wallet, instead of getting frustrated, take a deep breath and remember that they may not have sensitivity in their fingers. To get familiar with the signs and symptoms, Home Instead offers simple DIY activities to simulate sensory loss— things like walking with corn kernels in your socks to experience the feeling of walking with neuropathy or putting masking tape on your glasses to better understand vision with glaucoma. Be patient. Simple patience goes a long way and the result is generally positive for all… seniors and youngsters, alike.
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jewishnewsva.org | June 28, 2021 | Senior Living | JEWISH NEWS | 19
Senior Living How an IRA Charitable Rollover gift can reduce taxes Thomas Mills
F
or those who are 70½ or older who have an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and want to make a lasting impact on Tidewater’s Jewish community, an IRA Charitable Rollover with the Tidewater Jewish Foundation might be worth considering. By tapping into this asset, individuals are able to make a larger philanthropic impact than previously possible and enjoy significant tax advantages. An IRA Charitable Rollover, also known as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), is a withdrawal from an individual retirement account that is sent directly to a qualified public charity. A primary benefit of this option is that it keeps
those funds out of the donor’s adjusted gross income (AGI). Required minimum distributions (RMDs) must be taken from the IRA and will add to a donor’s AGI by April 1 of the year following the year in which they turn 72 (70½ if they reached 70½ before January 1, 2020) regardless of whether they are still employed. “While a Charitable IRA Rollover may not be directed to a donor-advised fund, there are several ways to give through the
Charitable IRA Rollover to leave a legacy gift, such as to direct dollars to a specific nonprofit organization, unrestricted funds, field of interest funds or other designated funds,” says Naomi Limor Sedek, TJF president and CEO. “Our Foundation professionals happily work with donors to structure Charitable IRA Rollovers to achieve their desired impact.”
Historically, donors who give large amounts to an organization would itemize their deductions. Under the tax law, many are often better off using the much larger standard deduction.
Historically, donors who give large amounts to an organization would itemize their deductions. Under the tax law, many are often better off using the much larger standard deduction. By not itemizing, however, they get no tax benefit from their philanthropic gifts. This is often 20 | JEWISH NEWS | Senior Living | June 28, 2021 | jewishnewsva.org
where an IRA Charitable Rollover can be advantageous. With this option, the donor receives the gift’s tax benefit, only now it is in the form of an IRA withdrawal (rather than an itemized deduction) and the ability to exclude that income on their tax return. In addition, the much larger standard deduction will still apply. Basic facts about IRA Charitable Rollovers • Donor must be 70½ years old. • Donors can transfer up to $100,000 a year from an IRA, which will not be taxed as income. Limit is per person, not per IRA. • Gifts must be made directly from the IRA to the organization. If not, the tax benefits will not be received. • IRA Charitable Distributions cannot go into a DAF (donor advised fund) but may go into an endowment or permanent fund for the benefit of one or more agencies. Consider contacting Tidewater Jewish Foundation to learn more about how to make the greatest impact possible with a gift that makes sense for each donor, family, and community. For more information, contact Naomi Limor Sedek, at nsedek@ujft.org or 757-965-6109. This information is not intended as tax, legal, or financial advice. Gift results may vary. Consult your personal financial advisor for information specific to your situation.
Senior Living Happy 100th Birthday Olga Payes! Dear Olga, On July 15, 2021, we will honor and celebrate your century of life. This is an incredible milestone, but not nearly as incredible as you are. May your 100th Birthday be filled with never-ending joy and pleasure. May you continue to enjoy the journey of life. We wish you good health, perfect peace of mind, and everlasting happiness from your beautiful family: your daughter, son-in-law, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Olga Payes. Happy 100th birthday! Your loving friends from the Soviet Jewish Resettlement Program in Tidewater, Virginia
Dr. Harry Pariser opened Tidewater’s first dermatology practice in downtown Norfolk in 1946. Dr. David Pariser and Dr. Robert Pariser joined their father in the practice in the mid-70’s. Today our offices are located in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Newport News, Suffolk and Williamsburg. As we’ve grown, our services have expanded to include Mohs surgery, a variety of light therapies, and a full range of cosmetic dermatology services. Our affiliation with Virginia Clinical Research enables our medical providers to remain on the cutting edge of medical advancements and provide you with the most up-to-date medical care.
Editor’s note: Olga Payes moved to Tidewater from Belarus in 1996 as part of the Soviet Jewish Resettlement Program (now The New Americans Program). She made the move with her daughter, Irina Babichenko and her family. Payes still lives in the Wards Corner area of Norfolk, and as her friend, Galina Kastin notes, “She’s very independent…especially for her age.”
Alan Tripp, 103, co-created Senior Song Book, an album of original songs at age 102 Sophie Panzer
(Jewish Exponent via JTA)—One year before his death, 102-year-old Alan Tripp received national media coverage for being the writer, broadcaster and marketer of Senior Song Book, an album of original songs, along with his writing partner Marvin Weisbord. The album was covered by CBS, NPR, The Washington Post and even The Kelly Clarkson Show. “Aside from boundless creativity, Alan was a hopeless romantic. He wrote verses non-stop and enjoyed charming an audience,” Weisbord said in a statement. Tripp was born in Leavenworth, Kansas, and graduated from Northwestern University. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Chicago, a radio broadcaster in New York, a copywriter for a New York advertising agency and a columnist for an
ad business trade journal before moving to Philadelphia. He spent four years in the Army Signals Corps and served during World War II. He became president of the ad agency Bauer, Tripp, Foley, Inc., which produced live weekly TV musicals and oversaw local and national TV ads. He relocated to New York in 1966 and served as president and CEO of Product Resources International before returning to Philadelphia in 1987 to be near his family. He was married to his wife, Maggie Tripp, for 73 years. He died of COVID-19 at Beaumont at Bryn Mawr retirement community on Dec. 24. He was 103. This article was originally published in the Jewish Exponent as part of its COVID-19 obituary coverage.
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LINDA BRUDERMAN – SHEITEL MACHER Linda Brudermann is a sheitel macher (wig maker) with over 25 years experience in the Orthodox communities of Brooklyn, NY. Her passion is to find that right style for your special occasion. She has helped many to deal with hair loss due to cancer and alopecia. Call for your in home wig service.
757-574-0023 jewishnewsva.org | June 28, 2021 | Senior Living | JEWISH NEWS | 21
Senior Living What is an egg cream and why is it so Jewish? Rachel Ringler
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n egg cream was my father’s kitchen claim to fame. He assembled them with great flourish—Fox’s U-Bet chocolate syrup, cold milk from a glass bottle, and a long, hard shpritz of seltzer followed by a vigorous stir. Even today, when I drink or think of it, it takes me back to my family’s Brooklyn roots and him. To my surprise, I have discovered that I am not alone in my nostalgic connection to this fancy-named, but pedestrian drink. According to Pete Freeman, co-owner, co-founder and chief soda jerk at Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain, nostalgia is at least half of the egg cream’s appeal. There was a time when every New York diner and ice cream parlor offered them. As Elliot Willensky wrote in his book, When Brooklyn Was The World: 1920–1957, “a candy store minus an egg cream, in Brooklyn at least, was as difficult to conceive of as the Earth without
gravity.” In 2021, there aren’t many candy stores or pharmacies with marble counters where you can still order an egg cream. But those eateries that offer the beverage do so with pride and purpose. When Matthew Grogan partnered with Patsy and Carol Grimaldi to open Juliana’s Pizza, rated best pizzeria in New York in 2017 by Zagat’s, they crafted a menu that would bring back foods from
the Grimaldis’ youth: pizza made with fresh mozzarella in a coal-fired oven; seltzer from glass bottles and egg creams made with U-Bet chocolate syrup. Prepandemic, they sold about 40 egg creams a week to customers of all ages, many of them curious tourists. Aside from nostalgia, though, what is the egg cream’s appeal? When you break it down, it’s just carbonated chocolate milk with foam on top. If you’re thirsty, Freeman says, it satisfies you on a physical level. But on a cultural level, “it is tied to being Jewish.” The egg cream was born in the poor and crowded Jewish communities of the Lower East Side and Brooklyn. According to Barry Joseph, author of Seltzertopia, in the 1920s and 1930s Louis Auster—the Jewish immigrant credited with creating the egg cream—would report selling 3,000 egg creams a day. On hot days the number would soar with the temperature—up to 12,000! Plus, two of the egg cream’s three ingredients have strong Jewish connections. Jews dominated the seltzer trade in New York City, and Jews loved to drink it. According to Sara Gardner in her article, Why Jews Love Seltzer, seltzer is a pareve beverage “beloved by Jews, observant and assimilated alike.” It was “a welcome digestive aid to the heavy Eastern European fare” people ate in delis. Fox’s U-Bet chocolate syrup was produced by a Jewish man, Herman Fox, in his Brooklyn tenement home at the beginning of the 20th century. Fox was a gambler who lost his money in a Texas oil well investment, but turned things around when he struck gold with his syrup. While his money stayed in Texas, the Texan term “you bet it’s good” became part of his syrup’s name. In the 2018 documentary Egg Cream, food historian Andrew Coe describes egg creams as a cheap copy of the soda fountain drinks from the fancier neighborhoods of New York. Coe says the drink “gave people a sense that they were having a fancy, uptown kind of drink for a very downtown kind of price.” Even the name
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sounds rich, he says. But it’s also misleading; the standard egg cream has no egg and no cream.
Just as there is no consensus on the origins of the name, there are myriad ways to make the drink.
Some say the name is a bastardization of the Yiddish word “echt,” which means genuine or real. Grogan, of Juliana’s Pizza, heard that when Auster was making the drinks he would “call to his staff and ask them to bring up more of the [grade] ‘A’ cream which, given New York accents, morphed over time to ‘egg cream.’” Freeman of Brooklyn’s Farmacy believes the original egg cream really was made with egg. In the ’20s, he says, refrigeration was bad. Soda jerks would whip
egg whites and dollop them on top of the chocolate soda. In so doing, they could turn a 2-cent chocolate soda into a 5-cent egg cream. Only later, he believes, was egg replaced by milk when good refrigeration became more widespread. Just as there is no consensus on the origins of the name, there are myriad ways to make the drink. Freeman first mixes milk and seltzer for a white, foamy head; the purity of the foam is important to him. Then he adds the chocolate syrup. Grogan, however, makes his egg cream with—cream! He mixes the cream with Fox’s U-Bet syrup and then adds Brooklyn Seltzer Boys seltzer for a thick, rich head. For Freeman, the egg cream is not just a drink—it’s a mission. When he and his sister opened Brooklyn Farmacy, the egg cream was disappearing from menus and people weren’t giving it the attention he felt it deserved. “Your legacy can only survive if one generation passes it down to the next,” Freeman says. “You can bemoan that or do something about it. Parents and kids now come to our shop. Our egg creams are codified in those kids’ memories. They will grow up and share it with their children. And the egg cream will live on.” This article originally appeared on The Nosher.
IT’S A WRAP
Sunday Fun Day at the JCC pool: Cool fun in the sun (and shade)
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he first Sunday Fun Day on June 13 was a splashing success! More than 200 people enjoyed perfect Tidewater weather, free sweet treats from the Kona Ice truck, impromptu water slam dunk contests, plenty of slide action, and a 2-hour music set by Dave Flagler, director of camps and teen engagement...all at the Simon Family JCC pool. Plus, kids took home prizes during Dave’s 90s-themed music trivia (there was some parental influence). Don’t miss the next Sunday Fun Days on Sunday, July 11 and August 8. The fun begins at 2 pm. Open to JCC members, Strelitz International Academy and Camp JCC families, and local synagogue members. Jack Trompeter.
Dave Flagler entertained on guitar for 40 minutes.
Elijah and Layla Berusch enjoy some cool ice treats.
Talia Reviso (right) with friend.
Elijah Berusch dives in.
Grayson Lautman.
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BIENNIAL MEETING
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater/Simon Family JCC celebrates community with Biennial Meeting Staff report
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he weather was as perfect as the mood when the community gathered in the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community’s “back yard” for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater/Simon Family JCC’s Biennial Meeting on Tuesday, June 15. It was the first major gathering of the community since March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began and it was clear everyone was glad to see each other. Rabbi Arthur Ruberg delivered an inspiring and timely D’Var Torah, speaking about current events in Israel, his first meeting with in-coming president Laura Gross, and, as he quipped, ‘a bit of Torah.’
Betty Ann Levin, UJFT/JCC executive vice president and CEO welcomed everyone and spoke about all of the year’s challenges, as well as of its many successes. Amy Moss Levy, outgoing president, reminded the attendees of UJFT’s important work and expressed appreciation for the efforts to maintain engagement during this difficult year. She also presented outgoing chairs, Jodi Klebanoff (Annual Campaign) and Danny Rubin (Young Adult Division), with gifts of appreciation for their leadership in those roles. Mona Flax (Women’s Cabinet) was not at the meeting, but was also recognized. Laura Geringer Gross, the newly installed president, made brief remarks, laying out her vision for her term,
including the importance of educating about antisemitism. The Joseph H. Strelitz Community Service Award was presented by his son, John Strelitz. This year, due to the extraordinary challenges caused by COVID-19, instead of one individual receiving the award, each agency and synagogue chose an individual(s) to honor. The final presentation of the evening was of the Harry Graber Jewish Communal Professional Award. Betty Ann Levin presented the award to Lorna Orleans of Strelitz International Academy. The meeting adjourned in just 50 minutes and the smiles continued. Photography by Mark Robbins
Danny Rubin, outgoing YAD chair with Amy Moss Levy.
JOSEPH H. STRELITZ COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENTS Congregation Beth El Ronnie Jacobs Cohen Beth Sholom Village Matthew Weinstein BINA School Andie Pollock B’nai Israel Adam Goldberg Jewish Family Service Ron Kaufman, Bernie Mayer, Maury Handel, Jenna AikenRitzman, Jim Eilberg, Ellie & Lenny Brooke KBH John Young Ohef Sholom Temple Carol Brum and Dorianne Villani Strelitz International Academy Amy Weinstein Temple Emanuel Rita Frank Temple Israel Mark. L Solberg Tidewater Jewish Foundation Ed Kramer Toras Chaim Mikhail Zelikovich
John Strelitz announces the Joseph H. Strelitz Community Service Awards.
Amy Moss Levy, outgoing UJFT/Simon Family JCC president with Betty Ann Levin, UJFT/Simon Family JCC executive vice president/CEO.
Ron Spindel and Alan and Beverly Frieden.
The Biennial meeting was held under a tent at the Sandler Family Campus.
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Amy Levy congratulates Laura Gross, incoming UJFT/Simon Family JCC president.
BIENNIAL MEETING
Amy Weinstein, Dorianne Villani, Carol Brum, Rabbi Roz Mandelberg, Ed Kramer, and Matthew Weinstein —all members of Ohef Sholom Temple who received the Community Service Award.
Marge and Steve Schechner.
Steve Legum, Temple Israel president, with Mark Solberg.
Rabbi Arthur Ruberg.
Elyssa Brinn, Heather Moore, Janet Jenkins, Carly Glickman, Lorna Orleans, and Carin Simon.
John Strelitz, Taftaleen Hunter, and Ron Kramer.
Jeff and Amy Brooke.
Aly and Michael Yaary.
John Strelitz with the Joseph H. Strelitz Community Service Award winners: John Young, Ron Kaufman, Bernie Mayer, Amy Weinstein, Ed Kramer, Mark Solberg, Dorianne Villani, Matthew Weinstein, Carol Bum, John Strelitz, and Andie Pollock.
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IT’S A WRAP
Shmoozing on the beach with YAD
U
nited Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult Division, also known as YAD, gathered on the evening of Wednesday, June 16 at the home of Stephanie Calliott and Don London for a Seashore Shmooze event. As pandemic restrictions ease, YAD
has a full calendar of events to engage young adult members of the Jewish community this summer. For more information about upcoming events, contact Matt Kramer-Morning at mkmorning@ ujft.org.
Temple Israel’s Men’s Club earns international recognition Norman Soroko
T
emple Israel Men’s Club won the Gold Torch Award on Wednesday, June 9, during the weeklong Virtual International Men’s Club Convention held in Chicago. The Torch Awards are given in alternate years during the convention. After three days of preparation, the award was based on the Geniza Book Burial Project that the club did in August 2019 at the Mikro Chodesh Cemetery in Berkley. Eight grave plots were generously donated by United Jewish Federation of
Tidewater. More than 125 people attended the Book Burial, including members of the Men’s Club, congregation, and the community. The award is based on projects clubs perform during the year and are categorized under three themes: Community, Religious, and Education. The Book Burial was submitted under the religious theme. It unanimously won the Gold Torch Award. Norman Soroko is vice president of community and outreach at Temple Israel.
Matthew Kramer-Morning, Dr. Ryan Williams, Ryan Benton, Nina Kruger, Bern Glasser, Matt Kantro, Robyn Sidersky, Paul Weiner, holding Noah Weiner, Samantha Palmer, Andrew Mirvis, Aly Yaary, Michael Yaary, Rabbi Meir Lessof, David Calliott, holding Luca Calliott, Alex Calliott, Margo Jacobson, and Rachel Kane.
SAVE THE DATE
Tuesday
September 14, 2021 BOB JOSEPHBERG
10:30 am: Registration opens 12:00 pm: Tee-off
Jim Gordon and Gary Smith at Mikro Chodesh Cemetery.
Bourbon, cigars, and conversation for Nadiv Men’s Giving Circle at the Cavalier
N
SEPT. 3
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adiv Men’s Giving Circle met for the first time in more than a year at the Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club for an evening of cigars, bourbon, and community. The men discussed plans for the group for the upcoming year and celebrated being able to gather in-person. Nadiv is a networking group for young professional Jewish men in the 757. Part of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult Division, Nadiv
works to build and support community through professional networking opportunities and philanthropic endeavors. Nadiv is also a philanthropic “giving circle.” Nadiv membership dues of $54 annually, combined with money raised through its March Madness bracket challenge, support Jewish community causes. For more information, contact Matt KramerMorning at mkmorning@ujft.org.
CALENDAR JULY 7, WEDNESDAY Summer Music Series at the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center (JMCC). The 2021 season of the Zelma G. Rivin Wonderful Wednesdays Summer Music Series will feature five performances, all of which will be live-streamed with limited in-person seating. The first performance will be solo pianist Christopher Kypros, an award-wining composer, choral conductor, and musical director. Tickets are $25 at the door, but can be purchased in advance for $20. There is a $25 discount when purchasing the entire series. For information and to purchase tickets, visit www.jewishmuseumportsmouth.org. JULY 11, SUNDAY Sunday Fun Day at the Simon Family JCC. An afternoon of swimming, a cool treat, music, and fun for the entire family on the Sandler Family Campus. Second Sunday of each month, including August 8. 2–5 pm. For information, contact Dave Flagler, director of camp and teen engagement, at dflagler@ujft.org or 757-452-3182. JULY 14, WEDNESDAY Summer Music Series at the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center (JMCC). The second performance of the 2021 season of the Zelma G. Rivin Wonderful Wednesdays Summer Music Series will be solo violinist, Pavel Ilyashov, a full-time member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and a substitute violinist with the Philadelphia and Chicago symphony orchestras. Tickets are $25 at the door, but can be purchased in advance for $20. There is a $25 discount when purchasing the entire series. For information and to purchase tickets, visit www.jewishmuseumportsmouth.org. See page 27. JULY 28, WEDNESDAY Summer Music Series at the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center (JMCC). The third performance of the 2021 season of the Zelma G. Rivin Wonderful Wednesdays Summer Music Series will be solo guitarist Sam Dorsey, who has performed with the Virginia Symphony, Virginia Opera, Virginia Stage Company, and the Virginia Beach Symphony. Tickets are $25 at the door, but can be purchased in advance for $20. There is a $25 discount when purchasing the entire series. For information and to purchase tickets, visit www.jewishmuseumportsmouth.org. AUGUST 14, WEDNESDAY Summer Music Series at the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center (JMCC). The fourth performance of the 2021 season of the Zelma G. Rivin Wonderful Wednesdays Summer Music Series will be the Alma Ensemble Chamber Trio. Flutist, Sarah Wardle Jones; pianist, Erica Sipes; and clarinetist Michelle Smith Johnson comprise this ensemble, which prioritizes performing music by women composers. Tickets are $25 at the door, but can be purchased in advance for $20. There is a $25 discount when purchasing the entire series. For information and to purchase tickets, visit www.jewishmuseumportsmouth.org. SEPTEMBER 14, TUESDAY 33rd Annual Bob Josephberg Classic Golf Tournament to benefit Strelitz International Academy. Register by September 3. Played at Bayville Golf Club, Virginia Beach. 10:30 am registration opens; 12 pm tee-off. Golfer registration includes greens fees; on-course kosher lunch, snacks, and beverages; and after play awards reception with a kosher dinner. To play or donate a sponsorship, register at www.strelitzinternationalacademy.org/support-us/annual-golf-tournament or contact Carly Glikman at cglikman@strelitzacademy.org or 757-424-4327.
WHAT’S HAPPENING Summer Music Series begins at JMCC Wednesdays, July 7, July 14, July 28, August 14, August 18, 7:30 pm
T
he Jewish Museum and Cultural Center presents The Zelma G. Rivin Wonderful Wednesdays Summer Music Series each year. The 2021 season features five performances, all of which will be live streamed with limited in-person seating. Solo pianist Christopher Kypros will kick off the series on Wednesday, July 7. Kyphos is an award-winning composer, choral conductor, and musical director. Solo violinist Pavel Ilyashov performs Wednesday, July 14. Pavel is a full-time member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and a substitute violinist with the Philadelphia and Chicago symphony orchestras. Solo guitarist Sam Dorsey, who has performed with the Virginia Symphony, Virginia Opera, Virginia Stage Company, and the Virginia Beach Symphony, performs on Wednesday, July 28. The Alma Ensemble Chamber Trio will perform Wednesday August 14. Flutist, Sarah Wardle Jones, pianist, Erica Sipes, and Clarinetist Michelle Smith Johnson comprise this ensemble, which prioritizes performing music by women composers. The series concludes with singing and dancing with the return of The Frailache Klezmer Band. A surprise soloist will accompany them on August 18.
Tickets are $25 at the door, but can be purchased in advance, for $20 at www.jewishmuseumportsmouth.org. There is a $25 discount when purchasing the entire series.
Christopher Kypros
Pavel Ilyashov.
Sam Dorsey.
Send submissions for calendar to news@ujft.org. Be sure to note “calendar” in the subject. Include date, event name, sponsor, address, time, cost and phone.
MAZEL TOV TO ACHIEVEMENT Eric N. Schloss, of Saltzberg & Schloss, who became the 68th president of the Maryland Association for Justice (MAJ). With 1,200 members, the MAJ is the largest Specialty Bar Association in Maryland. The Maryland Association for Justice is dedicated to improving and protecting the civil justice system through legislaEric N. Schloss. tive advocacy and the professional development of trial lawyers. Saltzberg & Schloss is located in Towson, Maryland. Eric Schloss practices personal injury law in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., representing only plaintiffs and claimants. He is the son of Sharon and Ben Schloss. MAZEL TOV submissions should be emailed to news@ujft.org with Mazel Tov in the subject line. Achievements, B’nai Mitzvot, births, engagements and weddings are appropriate simchas to announce. Photos must be at least 300k. Include a daytime phone for questions. There is no fee.
jewishnewsva.org | June 28, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 27
OBITUARIES ISABEL LOHRE BLUMENTHAL BREWSTER, N.Y.—Isabel Blumenthal passed away on June 14, 2021 in Brewster, N.Y. where she had lived since November 2015. She previously lived in Glen Burnie, Md., Norfolk, Va. and New York City. Isabel Carolyn Lohre was born on May 7, 1929 to Cantor Harvin Lohre and Beatrice Gotthelf Lohre, Manhattan, N.Y. Isabel graduated PS 87 in 1943 and Julia Richmond High School in 1947, both of Manhattan. She attended Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. On March 6, 1949, Isabel married Bernard Blumenthal, who predeceased her in 2007. Together, Isabel and Bernie raised three children: Hope Blumenthal (Michael O’Brien) of Brewster, Susie Herron (Kenny) of Arnold, Md. and Robert Blumenthal of Pearland, Texas. She was also the proud grandmother of Chaim O’Brien-Blumenthal, Nina Herron (Erin) and Zander Blumenthal. Being raised in a musical home, Isabel had a great love and knowledge of classical music, especially opera. She and Bernie were also big Brooklyn Dodgers fans. While living in NYC, Isabel was very active with the Girl Scouts. Isabel and Bernie retired to Norfolk to be nearer to family where they were active in the Moose and Elk lodges. Isabel and Bernie loved going ballroom dancing at the lodges. Isabel loved her two poodles, Joshua and Gigi. Isabel was predeceased by her brother, Cantor Julian Lohre, sister-in-law Estelle Sherman, and brother-in-law, Allen Sherman Sr. Isabel is also survived by sister-in-law, Rhoda Lohre and many nieces and nephews. A graveside service was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk. JEAN FRIED JAFFE VIRGINIA BEACH—Jean Fried Jaffe, who asked everyone to call her Mimi, passed away peacefully on June 11, 2021. Married to her college sweetheart Jerry (Pop) for 70 years, Mimi was devoted to family. In her 91 years, she was most proud of their three children: Susan (and husband Alan), Ross (and wife Eve), and Ellen, and her six grandchildren: Sarah (and husband Derek), Eric (and fiancee
Kristin), Jenny (and fiancee Dan), Brooke, Julia, and Rachel. Mimi was also blessed to share her life with Jayne Poston, her caregiver and best friend for over a dozen years. Mimi graduated from William & Mary with a BS in economics and became a teacher. Mimi was passionate about academic achievement and extracurricular activities. She was always there to support and cheer us on. Mimi drove thousands of miles to make sure we had the best education, see us play sports, and sit in the front row of every music and theater performance. Mimi taught us to wear sunscreen, drink water, use cloth napkins, polish the silver, keep our elbows off the table, and have a cookie jar filled with ice cream cones. She was the family photographer, capturing every moment, and now leaves us with drawers and boxes full of photos to reminisce. Mimi showed us how to live with grace and good manners—to be kind, generous, patient, and polite. Because of Mimi, we appreciate the simple acts of saying please and thank you, keeping fresh flowers on the table, feeding everyone who walks in the house, and leaving the door open for anyone who needs a place to stay. With her elegant handwriting, Mimi showed us all how to write the most thoughtful thank you notes. Mimi, this is our thank you note to you! We are grateful for your guidance and for encouraging each of us to be our best. To our friends and family, we hope you smile when you hear someone say, “oh my lands!” with a sweet, Richmond accent or eat a banana with peanut butter. For those who never met our Mimi, take the time to handwrite someone a letter and know that you have touched their heart. You lived life beautifully, Mimi, inside and out. We love you, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck, forever and always. We will miss calling you when we get home, no matter what time it is. Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to let Pop know and take good care of him. Donations to Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center or Freda H. Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care of
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Tidewater. Condolences may be expressed at www.simplycremationonline.com.
JULIET A. KATZ VIRGINIA BEACH—Juliet A. Katz, 100 years old, passed away June 19, 2021. Julie was the daughter of Frank and Josephine Abramson, and she was raised by aunt and uncle Aaron and Ida Levinsky in New York City. As a young woman, Julie attended college, then later worked as a secretary to Samuel David Leidesdorf, founder of the eponymous accounting firm. There, she met some of the famous people of the time, such as John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and J. Robert Oppenheimer, as well as future leaders of the State of Israel, including Teddy Kollek and Golda Meir. Juliet met Carl J. Katz at a charity ball sponsored by a New York Jewish women’s philanthropic organization of which she was president. They married in 1952 and soon moved to Norfolk, Va., where Carl had a business opportunity, later buying an accounting practice in Norview. In addition to helping Carl with his practice, Julie was lovingly dedicated to raising their three children. Julie was very active in the Jewish community. She was a member of the Temple Israel Sisterhood and was president of the Seaboard Region of the Women’s League of Conservative Judaism. She was also active in Hadassah, the Hebrew Academy of Tidewater, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, and many other organizations. After her husband Carl’s passing, Julie joined Cenit Bank as an executive secretary. Recognized for her talent with people and her business acumen, Julie was soon promoted to vice-president and director of human resources. Julie retired after 15 years with the bank, leaving to enjoy her family, and her friends, attending the opera, and playing Mah Jongg. Left to cherish her memory, Julie is survived by her brother-in-law Dr. S. Sheldon (Cynthia) Katz and her half-sister Harriet Abramson. She will be sorely missed by her children, Dr. Lawrence (Marilyn) Katz of Rhode Island, Dr. Jeffrey (Mindy) Katz of Virginia Beach, and Dr. Andrea Katz (Sherry Edwards) of Richmond, as
well as her grandchildren Carly (Greg Hellman), Jacob, Jana, and Daniel Katz, and great-grandson, Henry Hellman. A graveside service was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery, officiated by Rabbi Michael Panitz. The service was also livestreamed on Altmeyerfh.com. Donations to Beth Sholom Village, the Carl and Juliet Katz Fund of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation, and Temple Israel.
STEVE L. SCHATZMAN VIRGINIA BEACH—At age 77, Steve Schatzman passed away June 13, 2021. He is predeceased by his wife Georgia and his children, Shari, Wendy and Marni and grandson Sammy. Funeral services were held in Boca Raton, Fla. with shiva in New York. A commemoration was held in Virginia Beach. JANET MALCOLM, FAMED NEW YORKER WRITER WHOSE FAMILY FLED THE NAZIS The influential journalist Janet Malcolm, whose family changed their last name after fleeing the Nazis during World War II, died Wednesday, June 16 at 86 of lung cancer. Malcolm, who was known for her incisive interviews and innovative New Journalism style, wrote for The New Yorker since the 1960s and published several collections of essays and nonfiction, including the famed book, The Journalist and the Murderer, an examination of journalism ethics through the lens of a high-profile murder case. Her reputation took a hit after being sued for allegedly fabricating some quotes and distorting others for a series of articles and a book on the former director of the Sigmund Freud Archives, but after years of public scrutiny, a court ruled in her favor in 1994. Malcolm was born Jana Klara Wienerova to a wealthy Jewish family in 1934 who escaped their native Prague in 1939, possibly by bribing Nazi officers with money. “Family lore held that their money went to an S.S. officer to buy a racehorse,” The New York Times reported. Malcolm spent the rest of her childhood
OBITUARIES in New York City, but wrote in a 2018 New Yorker essay that the family changed its name from Wiener to Winn and hid its Jewish identity because of the antisemitic climate of the time. She did not know she was Jewish until she repeated to her parents an antisemitic slur that she had heard in primary school. “[T]hey decided it was time to tell us that we were Jewish. It was a bit late. We had internalized the antisemitism in the culture and were shocked and mortified to learn that we were not on the ‘good’ side of the equation,” she wrote. “Many years later, I came to acknowledge and treasure my Jewishness. But during childhood and adolescence I hated and resented and hid it.” Malcolm married fellow writer Donald Malcolm in college at the University of Michigan. He died in 1975 at age 43 of an undetermined illness. (JTA)
DAVID DUSHMAN, AUSCHWITZ LIBERATOR WHO DROVE A TANK THROUGH ITS FENCE David Dushman, a Jewish soldier who liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp, died at 98. Dushman died on Saturday, June 5 according to the International Olympic Committee. Dushman drove a tank for the Soviet Army when his division arrived at Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp in Poland where more than a million Jews were murdered, on Jan. 27, 1945. Dushman mowed down the camp’s fence with his tank, helping liberate the inmates inside, according to Agence France-Presse. “We hardly knew anything about Auschwitz,” he said in a 2015 interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung, a German publication, according to AFP. “They staggered out of the barracks, sat and lay among the dead. Terrible. We threw them all our canned food and immediately went on to hunt down the fascists.” Dushman was seriously injured in the war but went on to become a renowned fencing coach. He coached the Soviet women’s Olympic fencing team from 1952 to 1988, and several of his fencers won medals. At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, when 11 Israeli athletes and
coaches were murdered by Palestinian terrorists, Dushman was sleeping in lodgings across from the Israeli delegation. He moved to Austria and later to Munich, where he fenced recreationally until four years ago. (JTA)
HERB STURZ, DRIVER OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM IN NEW YORK CITY AND BEYOND Herb Sturz, whose extensive career included promoting bail reform and serving as a top deputy to New York City Mayor Ed Koch in the 1970s, has died. Sturz, who was 90, worked with philanthropist Louis Schweitzer in 1961 to found the Vera Institute of Justice, an early effort to advance the idea that those accused of crimes should not remain in jail prior to their trials simply because they could not afford to post bail. The two Jewish men spurred a movement, including dozens of criminal justice advocacy groups, that had sweeping impact last year when multiple states, including New York, eliminated cash bail. (The
change has divided New York City Jews.) As deputy mayor to Koch, Sturz advocated for closing Rikers Island, New York City’s infamous jail complex. In recent years, he sat on a city commission that led the City Council to vote in 2019 to do just that. Rikers is set to close by 2027. Sturz died on Thursday, June 10. Born in 1930 in Bayonne, New Jersey, Sturz was the child of Jewish immigrants from Europe who recalled his
saloonkeeper father crying only once, upon learning that members of his family had been murdered by the Nazis. According to a 2009 biography, A Kind of Genius: Herb Sturz and Society’s Toughest Problems, Sturz attended Hebrew school as a child but never considered himself religious, though he fasted on Yom Kippur. “I’m a Jew when Jews are under attack,” Sturz told Sam Roberts, his biographer. (JTA)
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JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE
JFS holds Biennial meeting in-person, the first in two years J
ewish Family Service of Tidewater opened its 65th Biennial meeting on Tuesday, June 8 with an invocation by Rabbi Batya Glazer, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Jewish Community Relations Council director. Following the invocation, Ellen Rosenblum, JFS board president, 20192021, spoke of the challenges of her presidency due to the coronavirus pandemic. “When news of this life altering virus was beginning to affect our community, JFS immediately started working on ensuring the safety of our staff and clients. Our goal was to find new ways to continue providing the quality of care we had always offered,” she said. Throughout her opening remarks, Rosenblum stated that the agency did not just survive the pandemic, it thrived. “Thriving is defined by growing and learning as the result of an event,” she said. “Thriving was our only option so we could continue to meet the needs of our community”. During the past fiscal year, JFS provided services that supported more than 250 local Jewish individuals/families. In addition to its array of services to people throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, thousands of people receive
services from JFS each year. Kelly Burroughs, Jewish Family Service CEO spoke about the financial challenges of the agency during the pandemic. “We normally have our annual Spring Into Healthy Living events, but they had to be canceled two years in a row,” she said. “These events account for nearly one half of the agency’s annual fundraising campaign.” The event is slated to take place this fall, with the topic of ‘Mental Health Matters.’ JFS is partnering with UJFT and other community organizers and synagogues to bring educational events and awareness of issues surrounding mental well-being to the Tidewater community. “As JFS explores new opportunities and looks to the future, we want to keep in mind Ellen’s words: ‘we want to thrive, not just survive.’ ” JFS received nearly $69,000 from the UJFT COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, which was used to purchase food, help pay rent and utilities, support medical expenses, and other services to Jewish individuals affected by the pandemic, as well as to provide operational support to help set up a COVID-19 Assistance Line for anyone who needed help registering
Charlie Gross, Sam Levin, Megan Helman, Nate Simon (not pictured Ryan Dobrinsky, Elijah Muhlendorf, Caroline Wainger, Erin Wainger) were honored for generously designating their Bar/Bat Mitzvah projects in support of JFS. Debbie Mayer presented the awards.
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for the vaccination. “Despite all the challenges of 2020,” said Burroughs, “JFS is entering into the next fiscal year completely debt free,” which is the first time in many years. After these opening remarks, Debbie Mayer and Jody Laibstain recognized young people for their generosity Rabbi Batya Glazer delivers the D’Var Torah at the beginning and tzedakah on the of the 65th Biennial meeting. occasion of their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs: of their Bar or Bat Mitzvahs. JFS has Ryan Dobrinsky, Charlie Gross, Megan received more than $5,000.00 from Bar/ Helman, Sam Levin, Elijah Muhlendorf, Bat Mitzvah guests, in these teens’ honor. Nate Simon, Caroline Wainger and Erin All of these projects helped support local Wainger. Mayer, JFS’s clinical director, Jewish individuals. described the Mitzvah projects: leading “These eight young people helped JFS community food drives, stocking the serve over 400 different local families in shelves of food pantries, making gift need,” said Mayer. “The Pandemic made bags for the holidays, and supporting the need for food, financial help, houseself-care by collecting personal care items hold supplies, clothing, books, school for girls. In addition, some of the young supplies, toiletries, and holiday gifts even people requested that donations be made more pressing… Being able to rely upon to JFS rather than gifts on the occasion these projects made a real difference!”
Members of the 2021–2023 JFS executive committee: Jeff Cooper (former immediate past president), Scott Flax (vice president), Anne Kramer (president), Kelly Burroughs (JFS’ CEO), Stephanie Peck (vice president), and Jody Greason (secretary).
JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE
Kelly Burroughs, JFS CEO and Ellen Rosenblum, immediate past president.
Kelly Burroughs, JFS CEO (right) thanks Dr. Marcia Samuels for more than 18 years of dedicated service to the JFS board of directors.
Kelly Burroughs, JFS CEO thanks Kim Gross for 12 years of dedicated service to the JFS board of directors.
Dorothy Salomonsky, PAM program director with Greg Pomije, who was recognized for his Distinguished Service in support of the Personal Affairs Management Program.
Mayer also presented the Annual Community Partner Award to Strelitz International Academy. This award is given to a local community member or agency to show appreciation for their support of JFS. “Strelitz International Academy staff, students, and families have continuously stepped forward to help JFS help those in need. They embody the meaning of TZEDAKAH.” Next, Dorothy Salomonsky presented the Distinguished Service Award to Greg Pomije, an elder law attorney, who serves as an advisory board member on the Personal Affairs Management Advisory Committee. “Greg has been on the Advisory Board from the beginning, and has gone to bat for us with legislative changes and difficult cases,”
said Salomonsky. “We are now on client number 3,347 and Greg has stayed with us the whole way. He is appreciated by everyone at JFS and I’m proud to call him my friend.” The agency then recognized two departing board members: Dr. Marcia Samuels and Kim Gross. Jeff Cooper, past president of the board, officiated this part of the meeting, and each were recognized for their many contributions over the years. Samuels has served on the board for more than 18 years, including her role as president. A licensed psychologist, her contributions to the agency were numerous, and include her guidance and direction in the development of the Clinical Services program. “I know everyone on the Executive Committee has
you have positioned the agency going forward into the future.” Anne Kramer then addressed future goals of JFS, one of which is to remain financially secure. “We are starting out this fiscal year with no past debt. This is significant in a nonprofit world, where the need to balance Strelitz International Academy was awarded the Community Partner Award for their support of JFS and wonderful partnership. Michelle Fenley, JFS LCSW, our mission and Heather Moore SIA Head of School/CFO, Debbie Mayer, JFS director of clinical margin is always a & adoption services and Kelly Burroughs, JFS CEO. challenge. We are looked to her for her counsel as she always dedicated to keeping our administrative brings such an incisive and thoughtful costs below 12%; the industry standard perspective, as well as a wealth of instiis 18–23%. We are currently at 10%. This tutional knowledge to major decisions for allows more of our revenue to be spent the agency,” said Cooper. on direct service provision,” she said. Gross was recognized for her more Kramer then explained two other goals than 12 years of board service. “Kim was for the agency, including expanding the instrumental in the Spring Into Healthy ability to provide more home care and Living Run, Roll, or Stroll race that is traconcierge services through the Embrace ditionally held on the Boardwalk as a fund Home Care Program, as well as continuraiser for the agency. In addition to her ing to grow and expand to meet the need support of this annual event, Mrs. Gross for mental health services through the helped with the development of the Home Clinical Counseling program. Health Care Program,” said Cooper. “As a “And mostly,” said Kramer, “to conhome health practitioner, her insights and tinue to help people who turn to us in assistance have been crucial.” their greatest time of need: to keep our Next, Cooper recognized Meril promise that “You’ll never know when Amdursky and Karen Gershman as two you’ll need help, but you’ll always know new members of the board, as well as where to find it.” nominated officers: Anne Kramer, president elect; Stephanie Peck, vice president elect; Scott Flax, vice president elect; and Jody Greason, secretary elect. All officers were unanimously approved for their new roles on the JFS Executive Committee. After the new members were sworn in, Cooper addressed Ellen Rosenblum expressing his admiration of her presidency. “Ellen is fearless in speaking up whenever it’s needed. She has this ability to ask great questions in meetings which has been really important for the agency’s direction.” Cooper concluded, “Ellen, you have done a great job these last two years and Anne Kramer, incoming 2021–2023 you should be very proud of how well JFS board president. jewishnewsva.org | June 28, 2021 | JEWISH NEWS | 31
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