March 6, 2017 by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

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JCPA Calls for Action Against Bomb Threats Against Jewish Community

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Washington DC—The ongoing bomb threats aimed at Jewish

to the Jewish community, including bomb threats to Jewish

Community Centers (JCCs) have sown fear in more than 100

Community Centers, day schools, and communal organizations.

Jewish communities and institutions across the country. “We

Shockingly, hate crimes against African Americans, Muslims,

call upon our public officials, in both word and deed, to do

minorities, and immigrants topped 1,000 during the same

everything in their power to put a stop to these threats and inci-

period.

dents,” says David Bernstein, president and CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA).

In addition to issuing clear public statements, there is much more work to be done. We urge the President, the Attorney

“We are heartened and appreciative that President Trump gave this issue top billing in his speech before Congress,” says Cheryl Fishbein, chair of the JCPA. “We urge the President to continue to speak out against these threats against the Jewish community and other minority groups in a timely and decisive

General, and the FBI to spare no resources to investigate these new threats and bring the culprits to justice. We also call for implementation of the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) anti-hate recommendations: • Convene a federal inter-agency task force on Fighting Hate that brings together all the relevant agencies.

manner.” “Our public officials can create an environment in which

• Appoint a White House coordinator for Fighting Hate.

such incidents are more or less likely to occur,” says Bernstein.

• Support federal and state-level legislation to protect

“The more our officials declare a commitment to an inclusive,

students from increasing religious harassment and dis-

bigotry-free society, the more likely radical elements will be kept

crimination on college campuses.

On Monday, Feb. 27, alone more than 30 JCCs received bomb threats, a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia was dese-

United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Jay Klebanoff, President Alvin Wall, Treasurer Stephanie Calliott, Secretary Harry Graber, Executive Vice-President www.jewishVA.org The appearance of advertising in the Jewish News does not constitute a kashrut, political, product or service endorsement. The articles and letters appearing herein are not necessarily the opinion of this newspaper. © 2017 Jewish News. All rights reserved.

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the Department of Justice on how to handle hate crimes, including detection and response.

crated and swastikas were found on playgrouds and sprayed

We urge Jewish community institutions to reinforce a sense

on cars in several cities. For some of these JCCs, this was the

of safety and not allow these highly disruptive threats to deter

fourth or fifth threat received by these institutions in the past

participation in Jewish life.

couple of months. Since January, there have been 101 threats

Contents Up Front. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Torah Thought. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 J Street, JCPA conferences and Trump . . . . . . 6 Anti-Semitism acts in U.S.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Israel: Women of the Wall protests. . . . . . . . 11 Simon Family JCC’s Jfit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Stein College Scholarship deadline near. . . . 15 Purim: A call to leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Nine facts about Purim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Local Purim events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Special Section: Retirement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Tidewater Together with Alan Morinis. . . . . 32

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• Train state and local law enforcement agencies led by

in check.”

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Quotable Beth El’s Bingo Night. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Israel Today’s Princess Shaw. . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day. . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Operation Hamantaschen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Cause an Effect offers students support. . . . 36 Sisterhoods gather for Tu B’Shevat . . . . . . . . 37 Ohef Sholom goes to the museum. . . . . . . . . 37 What’s Happening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Mazel Tov. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Who Knew?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Special Section—Retirement

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Candle lighting

“As a community, instead of making our focus how to defeat the BDS movement— the focus should be how to cultivate generational affinity for Israel over time.” —page 36

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Briefs McGill student council fails to impeach member who urged followers to ‘punch a Zionist’ McGill University’s Arts Undergraduate Society voted not to impeach Igor Sadikov for his “‘punch a Zionist today” tweet. Last month, the society voted 22–16 with seven abstentions on the fate of Sadikov, also a member of the student legislative council at the Montreal university. Since his original post on Feb. 6, Sadikov has refused to resign from the McGill Student Society while issuing carefully worded “apologies” and calling his tweet a “misguided joke.” “Many of my constituents and fellow students, and some of my friends, adhere to Zionist ideology,” he said in a statement. “I am Jewish myself.” Sadikov, 22, who supports the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, said he was targeting a “political philosophy,” not Jews. McGill has remained split over those who want Sadikov ousted from his student government positions and even expelled, and those charging that the university’s student union executive bowed to pressure from the administration when the executive reversed its decision not to censure him. McGill principal Suzanne Fortier, meanwhile, defended its intervention on the grounds that “with any incitement to violence, it is our duty.” Pro-Israel students have said they feel hostility and isolated on campus. (JTA) Members of Congress urge feds to probe JCC bomb threats with ‘urgency’ More than 150 members of Congress signed on to a letter urging federal law enforcement officials to investigate recent bomb threats leveled at Jewish community centers across the country. The bipartisan letter, which was initiated by Reps. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., and Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., urged the Department of Homeland Security, the attorney general and the FBI to “approach this issue with a sense of urgency, and to work in partnership with state and territory governments, local law enforcement officials, JCC Association of North

America, individual JCCs, and Jewish community institutions and leaders to address the threat in a holistic manner.” Since Jan. 9, there have been nearly 100 bomb threat incidents at 70 JCCs across the nation and one Canadian province (at press time). All were hoaxes but forced the evacuation of many of the buildings. “We urge the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to swiftly assess the situation and to advise Congress on what specific steps are being taken, or will be taken, to deter such threats from being made, to identify and prosecute the perpetrators for violations of federal criminal laws, and to enable JCCs to enhance security measures such as physical barriers and guards, in the event that an individual seeks to act upon these threats.” the letter reads. The JCC Association of North America welcomed the letter. “JCC Association of North America applauds this bipartisan effort toward an issue impacting communities across the country, and we are grateful for Rep. Murphy and Rep. Crowley’s leadership,” Stephen Seiden, chairman of the JCCA’s board of directors, said in a statement. “We urge the administration and federal agencies to continue joining us in prioritizing our communities’ safety, and we look forward to seeing the perpetrators brought to justice quickly.” (JTA)

Texas firm launching development of Israel’s massive gas field Texas-based Noble Energy will begin developing Israel’s offshore Leviathan gas field. The company will begin immediately with the project’s first phase, and said that it expects the first gas to flow in 2019. Leviathan, discovered in 2010 in the Mediterranean Sea west of Haifa, is estimated to hold 16 trillion to 18 trillion cubic feet of gas. Nobel works in partnership with the Israeli firm Delek Drilling on the Leviathan project. “Bringing Leviathan online will expand Israel’s supply of natural gas, further support the State’s commitment

4 | Jewish News | March 6, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

to convert coal-fired power generation facilities to cleaner burning gas, and provide affordable energy resources to Israeli citizens and neighboring countries in the undersupplied region,” Noble CEO David Stover said in the statement. Thousands of Israelis protested the deal after it was announced several years ago and called for the gas fields to be nationalized, concerned that the gas consortium would keep prices high and agree to export much of the gas. The country’s Anti-Trust Authority ruled in 2015 that the consortium developing Leviathan could be a monopoly. Israel’s antitrust commissioner resigned in protest of the plan. To approve the deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who at the time was serving as the economy minister following the resignation of Aryeh Deri over the issue, invoked a clause in the Restrictive Trade Practices Law that allows the economy minister to approve a monopoly if it is a matter of national security. Netanyahu welcomed the announcement with a post on Twitter. “This is a day of good news for the Israeli economy and Israeli citizens,” he tweeted. “The process will provide gas supply to Israel, and will advance cooperation with regional states.” (JTA)

Upgraded Iron Dome with US parts passes live fire tests Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system successfully completed tests of an upgraded system using some Americanmade components. Israel’s Defense Ministry announced the successful tests last month. They included live fire tests. In recent weeks, Iron Dome has intercepted rockets fired on southern Israel —from the Sinai Peninsula on the resort town of Eilat, and on the Eshkol Region, which borders the Gaza Strip. The Tamir interceptor missiles used by the Iron Dome to engage and destroy incoming rockets were made with components manufactured by the U.S. defense contractor Raytheon, which collaborates with Israel’s state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. (JTA)

Trump reportedly considering nixing anti-Semitism envoy as part of budget plan President Donald Trump reportedly is considering cutting a number of special envoy positions, including one dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism, as part of a forthcoming budget proposal. Trump will propose increasing defense spending by $54 billion and make cuts to federal agencies to accommodate the 10 percent defense increase in the new budget plan, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed administration officials. As part of these cuts, Trump is considering whether to nix some special envoy positions, including ones dealing with anti-Semitism, climate change and Muslim communities, according to Bloomberg. Congress mandated the position of special envoy for monitoring and combating anti-Semitism in 2004 with the passage of the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act. The measure directs the State Department to establish the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, to be headed by the special envoy. The State Department page for the Office to Monitor and Combat AntiSemitism was among a number of pages taken down after the Trump administration took office. The White House did not respond immediately to JTA seeking comment on the Bloomberg report. Ira Forman, the former executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, most recently served in the envoy position under President Barack Obama. Trump has not named a replacement. Trump came under fire last month for his response to a reporter who asked at a news conference about the prior JCC bomb threats and what the government’s response would be to “an uptick in anti-Semitism.” Although the reporter did not suggest Trump was anti-Semitic, the president answered by denying he is an anti-Semite and called the question “insulting.” He ordered the reporter to sit down and did not answer the question. (JTA)

Torah Thought

Purim and Iran’s contemporary plot

urim’s extraordinary fun masks and matches the extraordinary seriousness of the life and death issues behind it, while allowing for the healthy release of pent-up tension and emotion. After all, a threat of genocide hanging over a vulnerable people such as the Jews with a plot in place to terminate its existence in the vast Persian empire of antiquity was not to be taken lightly. The salvation found through an intermarried Jewish queen who happened to be, or was placed in a pivotal position to help her kin while in dire straits, adds an intriguing dimension to a drama whose historical veracity remains uncertain. However, the challenges and lessons contained in the fascinating Scroll of Esther have remained applicable throughout the Jewish saga. The rabbis have taught us that in the messianic era yet to come, of all the Jewish holidays, only Purim will continue to be celebrated. Is it perhaps because we should never take Jewish survival for granted and need to always be on guard? Is that why God’s name is not mentioned, even once in the scroll, a notable exception to all the other books in the Bible? David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, stated that when the lion and the lamb will dwell together, he still would like to be the lion just in case…That is ample testimony to what our people have learned the tragic way. We are thus invited to ponder those unique features of a mesmerizing account in which Jews are called upon to act in God’s name. Of course, the absence of the divine name does not necessarily imply God’s silence, or indifference to such matters of supreme importance. Curiously, the leaders of the present

Islamic Republic of Iran (once Persia), seeking hegemony in the Middle East and the Muslim world, have not given up in spite of the “deal” of “wiping Israel off the map.” This time with the aid of nuclear power, well aware of Israel’s mortal vulnerability, given its very limited and limiting geography, to conclude what Haman and Hitler began. Has not the Haman-like, and even the more dangerous leaders of Iran, read the Scroll of Esther and taken to heart the fate of those who seek to destroy us? Denying the Holocaust, they seek to deny Israel’s existence, and if necessary, to hasten its demise through a “real Holocaust.” Queen Esther was forced to hide her Jewish identity so she could get into the palace. Our beautiful and heroic Esther had to be prodded by wise and courageous Mordechai to risk her life by appearing uninvited before King Ahsheverus. After all, she was only human and young. However, she did perform, and well at that, forever earning an honored place in the pantheon of Jewish heroines and heroes. Esther’s people are not yet fully safe, but are finally capable of defending their lives in a way that was not possible before. Remember, experienced Uncle Mordechai engaged in successful counter plots. Self-defense is a top Jewish and human mitzvah, particularly in our post-Holocaust era. We have already paid a very high price, and thus “Never Again!” is more than a slogan. It is a sacred imperative beyond blotting out Haman’s name at the raucous Megillah reading. A sovereign Jewish state and an influential American Jewish community make a critical difference. May we act and pray so that the contemporary Iranian plot will meet the fate of oblivion of the early prototype, of biblical Amalek’s descendants, while we are ever vigilant. Our ultimate goal, so elusive for so long, remains a peaceful world of shalom through the sacred task of Tikkun Olam’s healing, hope, and harmony for all of God’s children. —Dr. Israel Zoberman.

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Nation

WASHIN GTON ( JTA)—J Street, the liberal Middle East policy group, and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the public policy umbrella for Jewish community councils around the country, launched annual conferences in Washington that each focused on challenges to Jewish activism during the Trump administration. J Street’s adversarial relationship to the new administration was explicit in its programming, while the JCPA was not as blunt. But agendas for both conferences indicated a rough transition from the Obama administration, which was largely friendly to the aims of both groups. Both conferences included sessions dedicated to advancing the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. President Donald Trump has said he is agnostic about the outcome, reversing 15 years of U.S. policy favoring two states as a final status arrangement. The JCPA program focused on civil rights, particularly criminal justice reform. Panelists at sessions spoke of their fears that the Trump administration would reverse Obama reforms, including greater oversight of community policing. Panels at both conferences spotlighted Islamophobia, or hostility to Muslims, while J Street also had panels on refugees and JCPA on immigration rights. Trump has come under fire for his attacks on Muslims during his campaign, and for banning entry to refugees and to travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries since becoming president. JCPA ran two sessions in sequence on advocacy under Trump. The first featured sharp Trump critics from inside and outside the Jewish community. It was followed by supporters of his agenda representing the Emergency Committee for Israel and the Republican Jewish Coalition. In addition to an array of Jewish groups that come under the JCPA umbrella, there were guest speakers at the

conference representing groups that also are aligned against aspects of the Trump agenda, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP, the National Immigration Law Center and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. J Street made no bones about its oppositional agenda, with one training session titled “Fighting for Our Future: Harnessing our Power in the Age of Trump.” In a pre-conference event, J Street U, the group’s university affiliate, marched on the White House, saying on its Twitter feed that it was for “peace, democracy & an end to rising Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.” Speakers at J Street included some of the Trump administration’s most outspoken critics, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who lost last year’s Democratic primaries to Hillary Clinton; Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Clinton’s vice presidential pick; Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the minority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, and top Obama administration Middle East officials. Also appearing were Israeli opposition and government figures, and Saeb Erekat, the top Palestinian Authority negotiator. Jeremy Ben Ami, the J Street president, said Trump’s policies necessitated a broader agenda for the group, which until recently had focused more on Middle East issues, advocating for the Obama administration’s peace policies and the Iran nuclear deal. That advocacy often makes the group the target of criticism by larger Jewish organizations that object to its frequent criticism of Israeli government policies. “There are some really important fights ahead on foreign policy, on Israel, on the Iran deal, on Palestinians, on Israel at the United Nations,” Ben-Ami said at a briefing for reporters. “But there are also issues we haven’t related to as J Street, which we will, like refugees, immigration and Islamophobia.”

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anti-Semitism

Pence visits vandalized cemetery, condemns threats to JCCs

ice President Mike Pence visited a vandalized Jewish cemetery near St. Louis after giving a speech in Missouri touching on a spate of anti-Semitic attacks. Pence in his address Wednesday, Feb. 22 at the Fabick CAT headquarters talked about the vandalism and a series

of bomb threats leveled at Jewish community centers across the country. The day before, President Donald Trump condemned anti-Semitism in remarks at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Last month, 154 headstones were

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knocked over or damaged in the older section of the 129-year-old Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City, where the majority of the burials were between 1890 and 1940. “That, along with other recent threats to Jewish community centers around the country,” Pence said, “declare to all a sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil. We condemn this vile act of vandalism and those who perpetrated it in the strongest possible terms.” Photographs showed Pence in shirtsleeves wielding a rake and picking up branches during cleanup efforts at the cemetery led by Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who is Jewish. University City Police investigating the

vandalism have yet to determine whether it was a random act or a case of anti-Semitism, according to the St. Louis Jewish Light. Andrew Rehfeld, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, told the Jewish Light that the community should stop guessing at the motivations for these incidents and start looking at the effect. “The chief culminating effect of all these incidents is a clear targeting of Jewish community institutions,” Rehfeld said. “That’s the pattern that is emerging and we need to contain it.” He added that the federation is evaluating its ability to support “a much broader security function. We’re looking at a much more significant investment in it.” (JTA)

Author J.K. Rowling helps boost Muslim campaign to repair vandalized Jewish cemetery

onations tripled to a Muslimsupported crowdfunding campaign to repair a vandalized St. Louis-area Jewish cemetery after British author J.K. Rowling offered her support in a tweet. Rowling, the author of the popular Harry Potter series of books, in Britain tweeted a link to an article about the campaign and posted “This is such a beautiful thing.” The tweet has received more than 10,000 retweets and more than 30,000 likes.

The organizers of the crowdfunding campaign said any remaining funds after the cemetery is restored will go to fixes for other vandalized Jewish centers. “Through this campaign, we hope to send a united message from the Jewish and Muslim communities that there is no place for this type of hate, desecration, and violence in America,” the activists wrote. “We pray that this restores a sense of security and peace to the Jewish-American community who has undoubtedly been shaken by this event.” (JTA)

ADL headquarters in NY hit with bomb threat

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he national offices of the AntiDefamation League in New York received a bomb threat from an anonymous caller. New York City Patch reported that the threat was called into ADL’s Manhattan headquarters at about 11:08 am, Wednesday, Feb. 22, according to police. Neither the report nor the ADL said whether the building was evacuated. “While there is no information at this time to indicate that this is more than a

threat, we are taking it very seriously,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “We are working with law enforcement officials to determine if it is connected to similar threats against Jewish institutions across the country. “This is not the first time that ADL has been targeted, and it will not deter us in our efforts to combat anti-Semitism and hate against people of all races and religions.” (JTA)

anti-Semitism

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White House condemns Jewish cemetery vandalism, JCC bomb threats ‘in strongest terms’

he Trump administration denounced vandalism of Jewish cemeteries and bomb threats made against Jewish community centers across the country. The condemnation, made by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, came hours after at least 21 Jewish community centers were hit with bomb threats in the fifth wave of such incidents this year, and a day after about 100 headstones were found toppled at a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia in the second such incident in a week. “The president continues to be deeply disappointed and concerned by the reports of further vandalism at Jewish cemeteries,” Spicer said during a media briefing. “The cowardly destruction in Philadelphia this weekend comes on top of similar accounts from Missouri and threats made to Jewish community centers around the country. “The president continues to condemn these and any other form of anti-Semitic

and hateful acts in the strongest terms,” he continued, adding that “[n]o one in America should feel afraid to follow the religion of their choosing freely and openly.” President Donald Trump—following pressure from Jewish groups and political leaders to condemn anti-Semitism in the wake of what has been called an uptick in incidents since he was elected—said “Anti-Semitism is horrible and it’s going to stop, and it has to stop.” Trump came under fire earlier this month for his response to a reporter who asked at a news conference about the prior JCC bomb threats and what the government’s response would be to “an uptick in anti-Semitism.” Although the reporter did not suggest Trump was anti-Semitic, the president answered by denying he is an anti-Semite and called the question “insulting.” He ordered the reporter to sit down and did not answer the question.

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ADL offers reward for information about Philadelphia Jewish cemetery vandals

he Anti-Defamation League offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the vandalism of a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia. More than 100 gravestones were toppled and damaged at the Mount Carmel Cemetery in the city’s Wissinoming section. The reward money leading to the arrest and conviction of the vandals is being provided by the Mizel Family Foundation, according to the ADL. It is not known who committed the vandalism or if the motive was anti-Semitism. A Gofundme campaign for the Philadelphia cemetery was launched by a private citizen, Raphael Caroline, 31, in the hours after the vandalism was discovered. It reached its $10,000 goal and beyond in seven hours. The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia also is collecting donations

for repairs to the cemetery. Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey in a tweet called the attack on the cemetery “a despicable act of vandalism—these acts of hate cannot be tolerated.” The state’s governor, Tom Wolf, in a tweet called the vandalism “a cowardly, disturbing act. We must find those responsible and hold accountable.” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said city officials are working to discover who committed the attack. “My heart breaks for the families who found their loved ones’ headstones toppled,” he said in a statement. “We are doing all we can to find the perpetrators who desecrated this final resting place, and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Hate is not permissible in Philadelphia. I encourage Philadelphians to stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters and to show them that we are the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.”

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anti-Semitism With few safeguards, Jewish cemeteries make easy targets for vandals and smaller,” says Michael Trinkley, director of the Chicora Foundation, a South Carolina group that conserves NEW YORK (JTA)—Sometime between cemeteries and other historic sites. the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 17, and the “There’s hardly any night security at following Monday morning, vandals damcemeteries anymore.” aged 170 gravestones at the Chesed Shel “You can do a great deal of mischief in Emeth Jewish cemetery outside St. Louis. a relatively small amount of time, and the Beyond that, cemetery staffers odds of getting caught are slim.” aren’t sure when the attack happened. Paul Goldenberg, director of the Groundskeepers leave at 4 pm Fridays, Secure Community Network, which and the cemetery is open to the public, advises Jewish groups unstaffed, all day Sunday. and institutions on secuAn employee discovered rity, fears that cemetery the damaged headstones attacks could become a Monday morning. trend like the wave of Even less is known JCC bomb threats. about the Saturday, Feb. gravestones recently Serving in the New 25 attack on the Jewish damaged at Jewish Jersey Attorney General’s Mount Carmel Cemetery cemeteries Office two decades ago, in Philadelphia, which Goldenberg investigated saw at least 100 gravea wave of attacks on stones toppled. Unlike some 100 Jewish cemthe St. Louis-area cemeeteries over a period of tery, which is surrounded seven years—ncluding by a fence and employs his father’s resting place. That spate, he groundskeepers, Mount Carmel is run by says, was inspired by the neo-Nazi music volunteers, with only a sidewalk separatscene. ing it from the street. “There’s a feeling that the cemeteries “There was nothing,” says Steve may become a place where vandals may Rosenberg, chief marketing officer for become more proactive,” Goldenberg Philadelphia’s Jewish federation. “It’s wide says. “Right now we’re concerned about open. Anyone can walk right in. They can’t copycats.” find anything that’s closed off to anyone.” Trinkley and Goldenberg say the most The two attacks, coming one week effective way to prevent cemetery vandalapart, combined with a series of bomb ism is through volunteer patrols that keep threats called in to Jewish commuthe cemetery manned at night, as well as nity centers, have stoked fears of rising surveillance. Chesed Shel Emeth has anti-Semitism in the United States and security cameras, while Mount Carmel have Jewish leaders fearing that more does not. will follow. Cemeteries, security experts Goldenberg adds that community say, are particularly vulnerable because members need to contact law enforcethey are big, sparsely staffed and easy to ment when they see a threat, and should penetrate. let police examine damaged stones before Chesed Shel Emet, with two locations repairing a vandalized cemetery. in suburban St. Louis, has more than “People want to do the right thing and 20,000 grave plots and a staff of seven, clean up and put stones up,” Goldenberg including four groundskeepers. Mount says. “They need to reconsider that until Carmel in Philadelphia is even smaller: It the police show up for investigation.” has about 5,000 graves and no paid staff. While Goldenberg floated the prosCemeteries “are of relatively large size, pect of paid security, Trinkley says and if there is a cemetery staff, recent many cemetery budgets probably cannot budget cuts tend to make that staff smaller Ben Sales

270

10 | Jewish News | March 6, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

support that. Even repairing damaged stones can get pricey. Trinkley estimates that setting a toppled headstone aright could cost $500, while buying a new one can run to $4,000. Financial help has streamed in to assist Chesed Shel Emeth, including more than $100,000 raised by Muslim activists. Online fundraising drives for Mount Carmel are ongoing as well. Volunteers including Vice President Mike Pence pitched in to clean up the damage in Missouri, and a similar effort is being organized in Philadelphia. Trinkley likewise advises against forbidding fences and gates. A fence is ineffective, he says, unless it’s 8 feet tall and topped by protective wire—features

that can intimidate grieving families. “At some point, if you start making a cemetery look like a fortress, you’ve defeated most religious goals of making a cemetery a place of commemoration, visitation,” Trinkley says. “You want to be welcoming so people can go to seek solace and comfort.” At Chesed Shel Emeth, director Anita Feigenbaum has begun a security assessment on how to make the site less vulnerable to attacks. But though the vandalism happened during a weekend, she says closing the cemetery gates on Sundays in the name of safety might be a step too far. “A lot of people can’t make it during the week,” she says.

Swastika made of feces found at Rhode Island school

swastika made with human feces was found in a dormitory bathroom at the Rhode Island School of Design. The existence of the swastika was confirmed by the Providence school. It was discovered in a gender-neutral

bathroom, according to reports. “This level of disrespect and vitriol is completely unacceptable and RISD Public Safety is investigating it as both an act of vandalism and a crime of hate,” a statement from the school said. (JTA)

Buffalo suburb hit with rash of spray-painted swastikas, racial slurs

bout one dozen swastikas and racial slurs were spray-painted on cars and a building in a suburb of Buffalo, N.Y. A nearby elementary school playground and railway overpasses in the Village of Orchard Park were similarly vandalized.

The rash of hate drawings was discovered Saturday, Feb. 25 and was believed to have been painted late the previous night, according to reports. At least 11 cars and an apartment building were vandalized, according to local reports. (JTA)

Swastikas scratched into cars in Jewish neighborhood of Miami Beach

wastikas were scratched into several cars in a Jewish neighborhood in Miami Beach. The swastikas were found keyed on the cars on Sunday, Feb. 26. Though the South Florida neighborhood is predominantly Jewish, at least one of the vandalized cars is not owned by a Jewish family, the Miami Herald reported.

Last month, a large swastika was painted on the car of a resident of Boca Raton, about 45 miles from Miami, in a neighborhood where many Holocaust survivors live. Also on Sunday, Feb. 26, two buildings in Seattle, Washington, were found defaced with threatening anti-Semitic graffiti. (JTA)

photography by Madeline Budman

Israel Hundreds of yeshiva, seminary students disrupt Women of the Wall service JERUSALEM (JTA)—Hundreds of haredi Orthodox men and women and religious Zionist female seminary students disrupted the monthly Rosh Chodesh morning service of the Women of the Wall group. About 150 women who gathered at the women’s section of the Western Wall Plaza to celebrate the new Jewish month of Adar had to push their way through a chain of religious women attempting to hold them back. Police ultimately broke up the crowd to allow the Women of the Wall to get through. Police also set up metal barriers around the women to protect them from the protesters. The barriers were located a distance away from the wall, so the women were not able to pray directly in front of the wall. Rabbis from the haredi Orthodox and religious Zionist communities had called on yeshiva and seminary students to come to the Western Wall to protest the women’s service. Police estimated that between 1,000 and 2,000 female seminary students filled the women’s section. Some of the Women of the Wall carried Torah scrolls. Students on the men’s side of the plaza attempted to drown out

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A Women of the Wall board member leads the women in the morning Rosh Chodesh service.

the women’s service. The group has held its monthly Rosh Chodesh prayer for the new Hebrew month in the women’s section for more than 25 years. In January, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of women being allowed to read from the Torah in the women’s section at the Western Wall, and put a halt to security searches of the women for items such as Torah scrolls, tallitot and tefillin. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation had prevented women from bringing Torah scrolls and religious items into the women’s section. An agreement for egalitarian prayer at the site announced a year ago would expand the egalitarian section at the wall and place it under the authority of a pluralist committee while solidifying haredi Orthodox control over the site’s traditional Orthodox section. Women of the Wall would move to the non-Orthodox section once the deal is implemented. Later, however, the religious partners backed away from the deal and in June, a group of Orthodox Jewish organizations filed a petition with Israel’s Supreme Court to prevent the establishment of the egalitarian section. The Reform and Conservative movements in Israel and the Women of the Wall in October petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court to order the government to follow through on the plan to create the Fellows in the Nachshon Project at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem–Rothberg International School participate in the egalitarian prayer area next to the Women of the Wall service for Rosh Chodesh Adar. Western Wall. Back: Ashley Englander, Gabby Deutch, Raya Seidman,

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ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS! Announcing the 2017 Stein Family College Scholarship Applications are now available at: www.JewishVa.org/TJF-Stein Applications deadline is March 31, 2017 Questions? Contact Amy Weinstein at 757-965-6105 or aweinstein@ujft.org

12 | Jewish News | March 6, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

JERUSALEM (JTA)—The chairman of the Jewish Federations of North America endorsed David Friedman, President Donald Trump’s choice for U.S. ambassador to Israel. “I believe he’s a very intelligent individual, and I think he’ll be a good representative if he is confirmed,” Richard Sandler, chair of the board of trustees of the major umbrella group said during a meeting of the Jewish Agency board of governors in Tel Aviv, Haaretz reported. “My expectations of him are very positive,” added Sandler, who said he had met Friedman on several occasions. Sandler also said he was impressed with Friedman’s knowledge about Israel and its relationship with the United States. Friedman has been a controversial choice for the position, which serves in part as a liaison between American Jewry and Israel. He serves as president of American Friends of Bet El Institutions, which supports a large West Bank settlement. He has expressed skepticism about the two-state

solution and harsh criticism of left-wing pro-Israel groups in a series of op-eds in Arutz Sheva, a news website serving Israel’s settlement movement, including calling J Street supporters “kapos.” During his confirmation hearings, Friedman said there was “no excuse” for his past rhetoric targeting liberal Jews. “Obviously he made certain comments before he knew he was going to be vetted for the position of ambassador, but I thought he explained himself very well during the Senate hearings,” Sandler told the Jewish Agency meeting. He also defended Trump, saying he thought that liberal Jewish Americans underestimate him and his desire to make peace in the region. “I think he is probably more knowledgeable than some people think on a number of topics, and I think he’s serious about wanting to find a solution here, Sandler said. “I’m sure that whatever policies he and those around him decide are the right ones Mr. Friedman will reflect when he is here.”

Yad Vashem calls on Amazon to stop selling books denying the Holocaust JERUSALEM ( JTA)—The Yad Vashem Holocaust museum has called on the online retailer Amazon to remove books that deny the Holocaust from its websites. Robert Rozett, director of the Yad Vashem Libraries, sent an email to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, requesting that he immediately remove the books from the sites. “It has been clear for many years now that Holocaust denial literature is freely available for purchase over Amazon. Many of the items appear with glowing readers’ reviews and recommendations for further reading in the same vein,” Rozett wrote in the letter, The Jerusalem Post first reported. “Once again, given the presence of anti-Semitism around the globe, which has become more prevalent in recent

years, we strongly urge you to remove books that deny, distort and trivialize the Holocaust from your store.” Amazon has removed books that deny the Holocaust from online stores in countries where Holocaust denial is illegal, but they remain available in the United States and the United Kingdom. The British newspaper The Independent reported that the books were removed in some countries, including Italy, France and Germany, after Amazon was contacted about the sale of such books by The Sunday Times of London. Among the books still available on Amazon’s U.S. and U.K. online stores are Did Six Million Really Die? by Richard Harwood; The Six Million: Fact or Fiction?, and The Myth of the Extermination of the Jews.

Tidewater

Stein College Scholarship deadline is approaching

Harry L. Delyannis

757-425-3272 • harry@hldlandscaping.com

Deadline: Friday, March 31

pplications are still being accepted for the Stein Family College Scholarship for the 2017-2018 academic year. The annual grant for Jewish students in Tidewater provides a scholarship of up to $10,000 a year for college tuition. Established in 2009, the Stein Family College Scholarship is dedicated in loving memory of Arlene Shea Stein, wife of Gerald Stein, of blessed memory, and mother of Steve Stein, Lisa Stein Delevie, Craig Stein, and Debbie Stein Levy. In 2013, the Stein family announced their generous intention to permanently endow the Stein Family College Scholarship with a $1 million gift to the Tidewater Jewish Foundation. Debbie Stein Levy and Steve Stein explain, “Mom and Dad believed in education for all scholars. Not just those who could afford it. Endowing this scholarship will help young adults receive the education they deserve for generations to come.” The Tidewater Jewish Foundation supports the Stein Family College Scholarship application process and works closely with the Stein children and grandchildren in administering this scholarship to a deserving Tidewater teen each year. Arlene Shea Stein had a deep love of learning and a strong belief that higher education should be accessible to all. Stein Delevie says about her mother’s legacy, “My mother felt that helping others

Passover

get the education she couldn’t was very important, and that this Stein Family Scholarship would mean that students will be able to go to college and enjoy this wonderful time in their lives.” The Stein children and grandchildren established this scholarship as a testament to Arlene and to honor the values she held dear. Craig Stein says, “The reason we’re doing this is really about the 10 Commandments. We strive to fulfill the commandment to “honor thy father and thy mother.” The idea for this scholarship originally came from our mother, Arlene. Both she and my father went to fine colleges and both had to drop out after one year for financial reasons. We honor their memory and their commitment to education through this endeavor.” Scholarship applicants must be Jewish and current residents of Tidewater (Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Isle of Wight County, and the Peninsula). Students must demonstrate academic ability, as well as concern for school and both the Jewish and general communities through extracurricular activities and volunteer service. Application deadline is March 31, 2017; interested students can learn more at www.jewishva.org/tjf-stein or by contacting Ann Swindell at aswindell@ujft.org or 965-6106.

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jewishnewsva.org | March 6, 2017 | Jewish News | 13

Tidewater

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Fit Today, Simon Family Jewish Community Center’s newly remodeled fitness center at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, has a snappy new slogan, brand new Precor equipment, and some new joining incentives unmatched in the area. Sporting a colorful new mural with walls scattered with inspirational quotes, the fitness center has redefined itself as the place to be. Tom Purcell, membership and wellness director, shares the new slogan with the fervent energy and enthusiasm of a true believer—just the committed attitude needed to keep members focused on their individual fitness goals. He says, “There is Fitness, Family and Fun for Everyone at JFit Today, for the beginner to the serious athlete, this new fitness center has stateof-the art equipment that will satisfy all of your health and fitness needs.” Cardio equipment now has digital touch screens for selecting workout levels and watching TV—and generally with no waiting lines as there are plenty of machines. Along with the generous lines of free weights and kettle bells in the strength training area, new leg press machines, squat racks, and a unique leg curl isolation machine —rarely found in most gyms—are available. The special stretching and core training area boasts a Pilates reformer, a stretch machine, and ab and back machines to help keep limber. With more than 60 classes offered in various disciplines including yoga, Pilates, spin, high intensity training (HIT), Zumba, and even a line dancing class, it is hard to imagine being bored while keeping fit. Plus, for those who prefer a wet workout or just a place to relax, the Simon JCC offers three indoor pool areas: a splash area for children, a main pool with lap swimming and aerobic classes, or the warm and cozy heated therapy pool with

Free weights at the Simon Family JCC.

submerged tread mills and bikes ready for a spin. The outdoor water park provides summer fun for the entire family, complete with its own Noah’s ark populated by a menagerie of playful animal sculptures with every range of water, from wading pools to giant slides to laps. Join before the end of March and the first two months are free, with individual JCC membership rate reduced from $60 to $39. Two free personal training sessions are included to help maximize success by helping members become familiar with the new equipment and utilize the proper height settings. For those who are still unsure, a free week trial is available with Purcell’s supportive staff ready to assist and answer any questions. In addition to full access to the JFit Today facility, a JCC membership includes discounts for an array of enriching JCC cultural arts events, as well as Camp JCC discounts of $75 per camp week per child. The health and wellness opportunities that can be found at JFit Today exist within a larger, family-based community center filled with programming for all ages from infant day care to senior’s Silver Sneakers. Joining JFit Today is more than joining a gym—it’s being part of a community. For information, call 757-2300 or visit jfit.today.

Pur im

T his is why Puri m is the original interfa i th holida y Dana Marlowe

(Kveller via JTA)—When I explain Purim to those less familiar with the holiday, I tell them it’s kind of like Jewish Halloween. Not so much because of the history and story behind each (Purim has no ghosts), but related to the joyful spirit, costumes, food and fun. Full disclosure: My neighborhood doesn’t celebrate Halloween in the way other areas decorate with cobwebs, spiders and screaming doormats. In my little suburban neighborhood nestled in Silver Spring, Maryland, the population is predominately Orthodox. I might be a bit of an outsider with my cultural Jewish upbringing and unaffiliated interfaith family, but luckily our ’hood doesn’t check your synagogue membership at all. The arms of the community are always open, especially this month. In our community, we celebrate Purim with hundreds of kids running from house to house. Bedazzled with costumes of Batman and Mordechai, they load in and out of cars, dropping off and picking up mischloach manot, holiday gift baskets. We have a large street in the neighborhood that closes off to have a “Purim on Fulham” festival that is driven by the folks who live on that long block. The celebration doesn’t stop there. There are also countless carnivals and events held nearby. My kids love assembling the mishloach manot, handing them out to a neighborhood in a candied frenzy state. The excitement mounts in my house as my children stuff the paper bags and draw on the outside of the sacks—and it’s only matched by the myriad of moon bounces that pop up on street corners. For us, it’s a fun day. The fact that we don’t do the more observant part of the holiday—like attend a Megillah reading or fast beforehand—is inconsequential. People welcome us regardless, but like any neighborhood, it’s a two-way street in respect. We are careful to make sure the

mishloach manot include the diverse food items needed for differing blessings, and that everything has clear kosher labels. Purim is a joyful holiday. Our joy is increased by bringing kosher wine to the meals we are invited to and by our friends translating the blessings for us. In addition to Purim, our Orthodox friends don’t judge us or make us feel wrong. There is such a deeply rooted understanding that we all celebrate our Judaism and other holidays in our own respective ways. Purim by nature is an interfaith holiday: Esther saves the Jewish people by teaching tolerance to Ahasuerus to save her people and have them coexist together in Shushan. I feel that same spirit of inclusion daily in our neighborhood. In a close-knit community, people are united by common goals, collective activities and group events that give the residents a sense of true belonging. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the countless instances witnessed over the past years and the holiday season. My neighbors have opened their homes, hearts and kitchens to us during the holidays, and for Shabbat meals. We are happy to celebrate another Purim here. Our minivan will brim with hamantaschen and smiles. As we drive up the streets sharing in the festivities, we celebrate in our own way, and our neighbors in another. And I know that just as we get pumped up to celebrate Purim, our friends and neighbors will be excited to see my interfaith family’s Easter egg hunt just a few weeks after we put away the groggers and masks. Because that’s how we, as a community, roll. —Dana Marlowe champions people with disabilities in the workforce and for accessible technology innovation as the principal partner of Accessibility Partners, LLC. She is the creator of Support the Girls, a charitable organization that accepts donations of bras, tampons and maxi pads for homeless women.

Happy Purim from YOUR Tidewater Jewish Foundation

Wishing you a joyous and fun filled Purim from our families to yours!

Scott Kaplan President & CEO

Alvin Wall Chairman

www.JewishVA.org/TJF jewishnewsva.org | March 6, 2017 | Jewish News | 15

Pur im

How Puri m is a c all to le adershi p P

Abigail Pogrebin

urim is a dark story marked by a crazy party. I’m still unsure why a close brush with extermination became, in the Middle Ages, an opportunity for costumes and farce, but there you have it. It’s the fifth century BCE, about a hundred years after the First Temple’s destruction. The Jews who were exiled to Babylon are now ruled by the Persian king Ahasuerus, who thinks highly of himself. In the city of Shushan, the king’s adviser, Haman, is a cruel Jew-hater. He hatches a plan to kill all the Jews and draws lots (“purim”) to pick the day it will happen, persuading Ahasuerus to go along. A proclamation is made throughout the kingdom: On that day, all Jews shall be killed. A Jew named Mordechai entreats his cousin, the gorgeous Queen Esther, to prevent it by pleading for mercy with her husband the king. Esther was married to Ahasuerus essentially against her will. He chose her out of a bevy of prospective wives at a banquet after banishing his then-wife, Vashti, who refused to display her beauty for his guests. (Some say she refused to dance naked.) Esther’s Jewish roots were kept secret when she married the king, so for her to now entreat her husband would mean exposing her Judaism—not to mention that in those days it was life threatening to approach the king without having been summoned. Nevertheless, she plucks up the courage, successfully appeals to her husband and foils the massacre. The king kills Haman and his sons, and then, because the proclamation could not officially be canceled according to Persian law, the Jews can only defend themselves with a preemptive strike. Some say they took self-defense too far, slaughtering 75,000. Purim’s modern observance, at least in Reform synagogues I’ve visited, does not focus on that brutal coda, highlighting instead the reenactment of cruel Haman

and courageous Esther. The ritual is to read aloud the story from a scroll of parchment known as the megillah, which has the biblical book of Esther inscribed on it. The narrative is then often theatricalized with wacky costumes in a play called a spiel—pronounced “shpeel.” Whenever Haman is mentioned during the satire, people “boo” vigorously or spin noisemakers, called groggers, to drown out his name. Purim is, hands down, the biggest party of the Jewish year. Simchat Torah pales by comparison, with its sips of single malt. This is the Big Megillah (wordplay intended), and we’re supposed to get so trashed that we can’t tell the difference between Mordechai (good guy) and Haman (really bad). I decide to sample some of the elaborate spiel-prep under way in New York City, so I spend an evening watching rehearsals at the Stephen Wise Synagogue on the Upper West Side of New York City, where congregant Norman Roth, 76, a retired accountant, has been writing and directing the shul’s spiel for the past three decades. Some of his past triumphs line the stairway in colorful, theatrical show posters with titles like Michael Jackson’s The Thriller Megiller, Les Mis—Les Me-gillah, and Oh What a Spiel—The Jersey Boys Megillah. This year’s theme is Elvis. One of Roth’s lyrics riffs on Blue Suede Shoes, when the king tells Haman, “Don’t you step on my Shushan Jews.” Roth takes great pride in his spiel scripts. I ask Roth if it gives him pause to know he’s leaving out the real bloody end of the story—the 75,000 slain. “I don’t think God really let that happen,” he says. “That’s human beings writing that story, not God.” But it’s in the megillah, I point out. “It’s not in my megillah,” Roth counters. But my amusement is tempered when I remember I have to fast before this holiday. The day before Purim is Taanit Esther, the Fast of Esther. This will be my fourth fast of the year, with two more to go.

16 | Jewish News | March 6, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

Taanit Esther is not in the Bible, but was created by the rabbis in the eighth century. The fast springs from the book of Esther—in the Bible’s “Writings” section—when Esther decides to prepare herself to confront her husband by fasting for a day. One Esther expert is Erica Brown, a Washington, D.C.-based author and educator. “The thing that I most admire about the Esther story,” she tells me, “is its notion of the tests that are thrown at an individual and the way in which they transform themselves as a result.” Brown continues: “Esther’s cousin, Mordechai, says to her, essentially, ‘How do you know you weren’t put in this position of royalty for exactly this moment?’ I would throw in the Sheryl Sandberg ‘Lean In’ way of looking at this, of initially having the insecurity to say, ‘I’m not the right person. I can’t do this for any number of reasons.’ You opt out of your own future. And then you have someone like Mordechai who says, ‘No, this is your time. Take advantage. Leap into that.’” I think about the challenges I’ve avoided; the moments I’ve chickened out. A few come to mind, both large and quotidian: causes I didn’t fight for (gun control), people I haven’t aided (domestic-abuse victims and Rwandan refugees), articles I didn’t pitch (a long list). But this holiday forces me to reflect on leadership—what it means to be thrust forward when that wasn’t your plan. Seven months earlier, I was asked by the current president of New York’s Central Synagogue if I would be interested in being considered to succeed him. The very request left me choked up. The job is not only a tremendous honor, it’s also daunting and important. I love Central in a way I never expected to

love an institution. I’ve seen how clergy can deepen daily life, how a synagogue community can anchor a family. But if you had asked me back in college, when I was focused on being an actor or writer, if I thought I’d end up as a shul president, I’d have said, “In what universe?” Now this invitation feels like a blessing and a test: Can you do your part to guide a place that has challenged and changed you? Obviously, being a board president isn’t comparable to Esther’s assignment. But Judaism is always asking us to apply epic stories to everyday decisions. I say yes to Central’s president and yes to Esther’s fast, even though it’s another holiday that few around me observe. “The joy of victory in her story is so much more colorful, rich and deep when you participate in the suffering,” Brown says. “The joy that I experience every Purim is heightened by the fact that I’ve fasted and I’ve tried to put myself in that moment of risk—leadership risk—that Esther took all those years ago because so much pivoted on that one individual.” I love Brown’s term “leadership risk” because as I get older, I’ve come to see how those words are conjoined. Trying to lead is risky, but then so is not trying. Despite my mother’s feminist inculcation, I often worry that people will see audacity in my saying “I’m up to the task.” Esther reminds me to stop apologizing for myself and get on with it. Then again, she was saving lives, which is a little more pressing.(JTA) Adapted from Abigail Pogrebin’s My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew (Fig Tree Books), in which journalist Pogrebrin documents an immersive, highly personal exploration of the Jewish calendar.

Pur im

Nin e things you didn’t know about Puri m Julie Wiener

(My Jewish Learning via JTA)—With costumes, spiels and lots of drinking, Purim is one of Judaism’s most raucous holidays. You might know about beautiful Esther thwarting evil Haman’s plans, the custom of getting drunk and what hamantaschen are. But we’re guessing there’s a few things about Purim, which this year starts at sundown Saturday, March 11, that might surprise you.

Some say these cookies represent Haman’s ears (the Hebrew name for them, “oznei Haman,” means just this), and refer to a custom of cutting off a criminal’s ears before his execution. Another theory is that the three corners represent the three patriarchs whose power weakened Haman and gave strength to Esther to save the Jews.

Jewish chaplain “carefully arranged the candles over a swastika-bedecked bookcase in Goebbels’ main dining room,” and Jewish soldiers explained to their Christian comrades in attendance “about Haman and why it was so fitting that Purim services should be held in a castle belonging to Goebbels.”

8. Purim is celebrated one day later inside walled cities than it is everywhere else. The Book of Esther differentiates between Jews who lived and fought their enemies for two days within the walled capital city of Shushan and those who lived in unwalled towns, where only one day was needed to subdue the enemy. The rabbis determined we should make that same distinction when memorializing the event. Accordingly, if a person lives in a city that has been walled since the days of Joshua (circa 1250 BCE), as Shushan was, Purim is celebrated on the 15th of Adar, a day referred to as Shushan Purim.

1. Esther was a vegetarian (or at least a flexitarian). According to midrash, while Queen Esther lived in the court of King Ahasuerus, she followed a vegetarian diet consisting largely of legumes so that she would not break the laws of kashrut (dietary laws). For this reason, there is a tradition of eating beans and peas on Purim. (After all, you’ll need something healthy after all the booze and hamantaschen.) 2. You’re supposed to find a go-between to deliver your mishloach manot, the gift baskets traditionally exchanged with friends and family on Purim. The verse in the Book of Esther about mishloach manot stipulates that we should send gifts to one another, not just give gifts to one another. As a result, it’s better to send your packets of goodies to a friend via a messenger than to just give them outright. Anyone can act as a go-between, so feel free to recruit the postal service or even that nice guy in the elevator to help you deliver your gifts. 3. The Book of Esther is the only biblical book that does not include God’s name. The Book of Esther also makes no references to the Temple, to prayer or to Jewish practices such as kashrut [keeping kosher]. 4. Hamantaschen might have been designed to symbolize Haman’s hat—or his ears or pockets. Or something a little more womanly.

the 11-day difference between the lunar and solar years. In the fourth century C.E., Hillel scheduled an extra month at the end of the biblical year, as necessary. The biblical year begins in spring with Nissan (Exodus 12: 1-2) and ends with Adar. Hillel, in conjunction with the Sanhedrin (Jewish supreme court), chose to repeat Adar (Adar I and Adar II) every third, sixth, eighth, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th year over a 19-year period.

Yet another theory: Because the German word tasche means “pouch” or “pocket,” the cookies could signify Haman’s pockets and the money he offered the king for permission to kill the Jews. Finally, in recent years, some feminists have suggested the cookies, which after all are not dissimilar in appearance to female reproductive parts, were meant to be fertility symbols. 5. In 1945, a group of American soldiers held belated Purim services inside Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels’ confiscated castle. According to JTA coverage at the time, the

6. The Book of Esther, which many scholars theorize is fictional, may be an adaptation of a Babylonian story. Some scholars argue that the Book of Esther adapted stories about these pagan gods—Marduk becoming Mordechai and Ishtar transformed to Esther—to reflect the realities of its own Jewish authors in exile. 7. The Jewish calendar has a regular leap year with two months of Adar (but only one Purim, which falls during the second Adar). To ensure that the holidays remain in their mandated seasons, the Jewish calendar was ingeniously adjusted to accommodate

9. Just after the 1991 Gulf War, Israel’s most popular Purim costume was of the Israeli army spokesman whose face appeared on TV every time a Scud missile alert sounded—and people snacked on “Saddamtaschen” instead of hamantaschen. Spokesman Nachman Shai’s “reassuring tones earned him the sobriquet ‘National Valium,’” while Israel was being pelted with Iraqi missiles, according to a JTA report at the time. That year, while many costume-makers avoided the temptation to make Saddam Hussein costumes (it would be like a Hitler costume, one vendor told JTA), bakeries hawked “Saddamtashen,” which “look and taste exactly like hamantaschen.” —Julie Wiener is managing editor of My Jewish Learning.

jewishnewsva.org | March 6, 2017 | Jewish News | 17

Pur im

YAD’s Puri m Party

Pur i m c el e br a t i on a t T e m pl e Em a n u el

Last call for tickets to the hottest party in town! Saturday, March 18, 8 pm, ages 22–45 Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus

undreds of young adults are expected to attend this year’s Alice in Wonderland themed Purim party hosted by the Young Adult Division (YAD) of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. All guests are encouraged to wear costumes—as simple or elaborate as desired—in the Purim tradition—but, in a pinch, cocktail attire will also do. This year’s theme might encourage a Cheshire Cat, Alice, a Mad Hatter, a Queen of Hearts, or even a Dodo to make an appearance at YAD’s largest annual event sponsored by Tidewater Home Funding. YAD is calling all young adults 22–45 years old (older guests are welcome if they dare) to jump down the rabbit hole and join the fun. Party guests will be an eclectic mix of professionals, students, couples, and singles. Everyone is welcome. The “Through the Looking Glass” themed Purim party features a DJ, whimsical decorations by Premier Events, inventive tea party hors d’oeuvres, savory and sweet hamantaschen, two open bars, signature drinks, and plenty of zany photo ops. Tickets for Down the Rabbit Hole are $30 in advance, or $50 at the door. I.D.s are required for entry. To reserve tickets or more information, visit: www.JewishVA.org/Purimparty; email labrams@ujft.org or call 757-965-6127. Like YAD on Facebook—see who may be coming and check out the update posts. Costume ideas also can be found at www.fb.com/YAD.UJFT.

wo Norfolk congregations are joining together for a morning of Purim. Congregation Beth El and Temple Israel will host a multi-generational Megillah reading and a Purim carnival. The family festival will include games and activities, a parade, costume contest, and food and refreshments. Both events are open to the community. $10 per wristband gets access to games and inflatables. Temple Israel is located at 7255 Granby Street in Norfolk.

18 | Jewish News | March 6, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

emple Emanuel’s Purim celebration includes a one-of-akind Megillah & Movie at 11:30 am, as well as a Carnival for the entire family from 12:30 until 3 pm. The Megillah Movie will showcase students from the Temple Emanuel Religious School who have been learning about creating films using green screen and virtual reality technology to recreate the story of Esther, Mordechai, Haman, and Achashverosh. The celebration will continue with a carnival featuring games, an inflatable, and the congregation’s annual costume contest. Lunch will be available for purchase and representatives from Compassion Cards will be there with a memorable service project for all ages. Donations for the Paula Krukin Levy Food Pantry are requested. Temple Emanuel is located at 424 25th Street in Virginia Beach. More information can be found at www.tevb.org.

Puri m c arniv al and Megilla h re ading hoste d by Congrega tion Be th El and T e mple Isra el Sunday, March 12, Temple Israel Megillah reading: 9:15–10:30 am Carnival: 10:30 am–12:30 pm

Sunday, March 12, 11:30 am–3 pm

OST Y to host annual Puri m Carniv al Sunday, March 12 11:30 am–2 pm, Ohef Sholom Temple

hef Sholom Temple Youth (OSTY) will hold its annual Purim Carnival at the temple. This year’s carnival will feature games, a dunk tank, pie-the-Cantor and other festivities. The Men’s Club will sell lunch and the Sisterhood will have a bake sale, both benefitting the youth group. New this year will be a vendor fair for adults. The Carnival is the main fundraiser for the temple’s youth group and supports programming activities throughout the year. Purchase tickets in advance or on the day of the carnival. Ohef Sholom Temple is located at 530 Raleigh Ave. in Norfolk. For more information, email OSTY advisors, Robyn and Paul Weiner at ostyadvisors@gmail.com.

Retirement

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22 | Jewish News | Retirement | March 6, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

Senior Care office serving the Peninsula and Williamsburg area. “Unfortunately, we know there are people who violate this trust. That’s why we are committed to helping people understand the ways they are at risk online and how to protect their information to reduce their chances of being scammed.” Research shows that more and more seniors are online. According to Home Instead’s survey, 97 percent of aging adults use the internet at least once a week. They most commonly use the internet for email, with 94 percent doing so weekly. Seniors also use the internet to manage finances, with 41 percent banking online and more than a quarter paying bills online. They are also active on social media, with 51 percent using Facebook or Twitter at least once a week. All that time online—coupled with what scammers view as perceived financial security and a trusting nature—can make retirees a primary target for scammers. Consider these following precautions, compiled from the National Cyber Security Alliance, Stop Think and Connect and the Home Instead Senior Care network, to be protected online: 1. Create passwords and make them strong. Lock all internet-enabled devices, including computers, tablets, and smartphones, with secure passwords—at least 12 characters long and a mix of letters, numbers and symbols. 2. Secure access to accounts, with two-step verification. Many online services, including apps and websites, offer free options to help protect personal information. Learn more at LockDownYourLogin.com. 3. Think before you act. Emails or messages that create a sense of urgency—like a problem with a bank account or taxes— are likely a scam. Reach out to companies by phone to determine if emails are legitimate.

4. When in doubt, throw it out. If an email looks unusual, delete it. Clicking on links in email is often how scammers access personal information. Turn on spam filters to filter suspicious messages. 5. Share with care. Be aware of what you share publicly on social media and adjust privacy settings to limit who can see your information. 6. Use security software, including updated anti-virus and anti-spyware software. 7. Adjust browser safety settings for optimum security. 8. Use your computer’s default firewall security protection on your computer. 9. Log out. Log out of apps and websites when you’re finished using them. Leaving them open on your computer or smartphone could make you vulnerable to security and privacy risks. 10. Consider support. Seniors who live alone or spend a lot of time by themselves may want to consider a trusted source, such as adult family members, computer-savvy grandchildren, or professional caregivers, to serve as a second set of eyes and ears when conducting activities online. “Our hope is that by highlighting the ways scammers can gather sensitive information, and by providing cybersecurity strategies, we can help ensure retirees’ personal information, financial security, and independence stay protected,” says Bradley. Test your cybersecurity skills at “Can You Spot an Online Scam?” and view other program resources and tips at ProtectSeniorsOnline.com.

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Retirement

A healthy lifestyle for all ages Sherri Wisoff

ick Mercadante, CSCS, CHC had a wakeup call when he was 48 years old. Overweight, suffering from hypertension, he had become one of the millions of Americans deteriorating from lifestyle related disease. Fearing for his life, Mercadante began a journey of self-discovery, which led to a renewal of his health and defined a new career path. “At that time, everything was trial and error; I had no one to help me. Now that I have achieved a healthy lifestyle, I enjoy sharing the lessons I have learned with my clients,” says Mercadante. A Certified Health Coach and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Mercadante, now 55, works one-on-one with his clients to help them achieve their

health and fitness goals. His approach to working with older clients, such as retirees, has its own set of challenges, he says. “As a health coach, exercise is the last thing I look at—diet and nutrition is first, and then the mind-body-stress balance is very important. I do not believe in a cookie cutter approach to health. I feel it is important to look at the whole individual, to learn about their lifestyle, and then come up with a plan.” Mercandante explains that most of the health issues in his older clients relate to life style. “They carry more baggage,” he says. “Take food, for example, which is often used to self-medicate to relieve pain or stress. Over time, the very thing that offers comfort can create difficult heath issues with lifestyle related diseases such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.”

Helping his clients identify the engrained patterns of behavior that have led to the erosion of their health is the key, he says. “Many personal trainers do not focus on the behavior modification part to help find a healthier way of life. They focus on exercise, especially the younger trainers. This can lead to serious injury for the older client. Older clients are not just older, younger people!” Older clients need a special approach. He sees the management of recovery time as critical in protecting these clients from injury. “I am 55 and I have worked with younger trainers. What many of them do not grasp is that a 65-year-old does not recover from a workout at the same rate as a 25-year-old. The exercise must be in balance with the recovery, which is the rest component. Younger clients can just push through; older clients need more time to recover. They also need to be accessed for old injuries that may be impacting their health,” says Mercadante. Using an assessment process called Functional M o v e m e n t Screening (FMS), Mercandante studies the overall range of movement of his new clients. He explains, “This is where the mind, body and exercise come together. Sometimes we think we are moving correctly, but actually, we are compensating for old injures. Overtime, these incorrect movement patterns create stress and chronic injury in one or more of our joints. I try to help

“Eat

Rick Mercadante

my clients correct these movement patterns.” Mercandante sees “getting healthy” as a mind-body experience that should be differentiated from “getting fit” which covers only the physical body. He recommends compassion for the self, when confronted with the challenges of exercise. “Do not get caught up in having to exercise—all movement is good for you. The last thing you want to do is to start reaching for food because you are mad at yourself for not exercising,” he says. “Eat food as close to its natural source as possible and take time to unwind! People do not truly acknowledge the negative effect stress has on the body.”

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Farideh Goldin A native of Shiraz, Iran, Farideh landed in Tidewater in 1975 She is the author of two memoirs, Wedding Song: Memoirs of an Iranian Jewish Woman, about her childhood in Iran, and Leaving Iran: Between Migration and Exile, about her family’s departure from the country, her relationship with her father, and her adjustment to life in the United States. Not one to sit still, Farideh lectures for presentations and workshops on a variety of subjects and is now a frequent traveler on the highways between Norfolk and Washington, DC.

Farideh Goldin

Profession/Job retired from: Director of Old Dominion University’s Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding and senior lecturer in English. Retired: December 2016 after serving as director for nearly six years and teaching for 15 years at Old Dominion University and at Tidewater Community College. Previous work: Taught English as a second language in Iran when in college; was a salesperson in New Orleans, selling Argentinian leather purses, shoes, gifts at LeSac; selling designer dishes, flatware, gifts and furniture at Century 21; and sold jewelry at Adler’s. Work continues: In my husband, Dr. Norman Goldin’s office, doing account payables. Favorite aspect of retirement: I can spend more time with my daughters and grandchildren without feeling overwhelmed. Now spending time: I have always wanted to study journalism. I am enrolled at Georgetown University School of Continuing Education, getting my master’s degree in journalism. Being a student in the digital age has been quite challenging and fun. Future goals: I hope to be able to find a job freelancing. I have loved my video classes. I am learning how to tell a story through images. I find it to be quite fascinating. I am working hard to learn it as if it is a foreign language. Most my classmates are in their 20s. My teachers are sometimes younger than my daughters. It is at times scary, but I love it. Advice for people contemplating retirement: Retirement is the time to do what you have always wanted to do, but couldn’t find time or didn’t have the opportunity to do.

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Dorothy Zimmerman.

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Now spends time: with friends, playing Mah Jongg, attending meetings, reading, and going to the many cultural offerings in Tidewater.

Speaking of meetings and volunteering and interacting with friends, which organizations get the most of her time: Congregation Beth El and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

Dorothy’s advice on retirement: “Do It!” 150 West Main Street | Norfolk, VA 23510 l 757.625.4700 l www.wec-cpa.com

26 | Jewish News | Retirement | March 6, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

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more time to devote to the research. For example, I am looking into all four of my grandparents’ families…they came from many places. I’m curious to see how far back I can go. I continue to teach Religious School at Ohef Sholom Temple. In fact, this is my 26th year of teaching. For the Holocaust Commission, I still take the What We Carry program to schools and military events. And, of course, I’m involved with Ohef Sholom Temple’s Men’s Club. Advice for people contemplating retirement: You need to start planning early, because you need to plan if you want to maintain the standard of living you’re accustomed to. But mainly, just do it! You won’t regret it!

Visit us on the web jewishnewsva.org Follow us on Facebook JewishNewsVA jewishnewsva.org | March 6, 2017 | Retirement | Jewish News | 27

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o boost the chances that your savings will let you live comfortably in retirement, there are five primary areas of risk that you need to address: •T iming and Withdrawals: The amount you withdraw from your retirement portfolio and when you do so are two of the main determinants of how long the portfolio will last. You want to minimize drawing on your capital in a weak market since you’ll have less capital for the rebound. Your annual withdrawal rate should be smaller than your average annual return less inflation. •M arket Volatility: Position your portfolio to withstand inevitable swings in the market, and the way to do this is through diversification and asset allocation. You need diversification to perform a balancing act of having enough growth-oriented investments toward helping achieve acceptable long-term returns and bonds and other fixed income securities to provide steady income.

Price Index (CPI)—the cost of a basket of goods and services determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics—has more than doubled. If inflation accelerates to 6%, prices would double in about 12 years. •H ealth Care Costs: The CPI is often not the most accurate measure of your personal inflation rate, since you may spend disproportionately on health care as you age. These costs have traditionally run at double or triple the overall rate of inflation and are not under control. In addition, consider long-term care insurance as a way to help pay for some of the potential nursing home costs as you get older. Asset allocation won’t guarantee a profit or ensure against a loss, but may help reduce risk and volatility in your portfolio. Diversification cannot eliminate the risk of investment. This material is for use with the general public and is designed for informational or educational purposes only. It is not intended as investment advice and is not a recommendation for your retirement savings. CRN-1713971-021717 Jonathan Muhlendorf is a registered representa-

• Longevity: A woman born after 1973 has over a 20% chance of living to age 100. That means that if you retire at 65, you may need to plan for 35 years or more in retirement.

tive and investment advisor representative of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a broker/dealer (member SIPC) and registered investment advisor, This information should not be construed as legal or tax advice. You may want to consult a tax advisor regarding this information as it relates to your personal circumstances. The content of this material was provided

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Leaving a legacy during retirement Amy Weinstein

hen thinking about leaving a legacy gift to the Tidewater Jewish community, one might believe that most planned gifts are made by people of great wealth. The Life & Legacy program can help demystify this myth – anyone at any wealth level can leave an agency or synagogue a legacy gift, and make a difference for generations to come. One way, for example, to assure Jewish tomorrows is through an IRA or Retirement Plan Designation. This planned giving vehicle offers several options for making a charitable legacy gift. In order to leave a legacy gift to charity, a donor can simply name the Tidewater Jewish Foundation (and/or affiliate agency) as a beneficiary of the

How will YOU assure Jewish tomorrows?

retirement account to their Required Minimum be distributed after the Distribution (RMD) donor’s lifetime. This during any given year, permits the donor to conmay donate these funds tinue to take withdrawals as a tax-free rollover year-olds may from the IRA during life, gift. Making an IRA rolldonate funds and subsequently donate over gift enables legacy as a tax-free the remaining value of donors to avoid increasrollover gift. the IRA to the Tidewater ing taxable income or Jewish community. This paying additional tax, change is often easy, the and makes it possible cost is free, and only to build a legacy during requires a Change of their lifetime. Beneficiary form to be completed with the financial institution To learn more about making a legacy gift, the managing the IRA. Life & Legacy program, or IRA charitable An alternative option is to make gifts gifts, contact Scott Kaplan, president and from IRAs during the owner’s lifetime, CEO of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation at through rollover gifts. Donors who are 70 skaplan@ujft.org or 965-6109. ½ or older and do not need all or part of

70½

us on the web jewishnewsva.org

DID YOU KNOW… You Can ROLLOVER Your IRA for GOOD! If you are 70 ½ or older and don’t need all or part of your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from your IRA, you can make a gift (up to $100,000) this year to impact our Jewish community forever! By making an IRA Rollover gift, you can: • Avoid paying income tax by making a gift • Support Jewish organizations of your choice • Build Your Legacy during your life To learn more about making an IRA Charitable Rollover, call Amy Weinstein at 757-965-6105

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Tidewater Jewish Foundation provides unique funding opportunities for community Honoring the values of tzedakah and tikkun olam, Tidewater Jewish Foundation is dedicated to creating permanent resources to meet the challenges and needs of the Jewish community. Amy Weinstein

critical part of meeting those changing needs lies in the responsibility assigned to TJF’s Grants Committee. The Unrestricted Endowment funds are the means whereby the Tidewater Jewish community maintains its ability to respond to emergencies and provides for its future by promoting necessary, creative, and innovative solutions to present and future needs. The Foundation’s Grants Committee meets twice annually to review and recommend Grants for approval. Grants from the Unrestricted Endowment Fund are considered to fund “seed money” for start-up costs, initial funds for new or innovative projects, scholarship for training opportunities, and special projects. The Grants committee also considers grants towards capital improvements benefitting local Jewish agencies or synagogues. Grants have run the gamut in terms of scope and size, as well as recipient agency, and purpose. For example, the Grants Committee has helped fund projects at several Virginia universities, including a new education program at George Mason University Hillel focusing on leadership development and community building; an Alternative Spring Break program run by University of Virginia Hillel; and Rosh Chodesh women’s leadership programming at Hillel at Virginia Tech. The Grants Committee strongly believes in supporting Tidewater’s students while they are residing at home or are away at college. Education Grants Education is a priority for the Grants Committee, as evidenced by the varying funding provided to different schools,

synagogues and agencies. For instance, TJF was enthusiastic in funding a new Computer Class at the Simon Family JCC for seniors that provides a basic understanding of how to use a computer and explore the Internet. Equally as exciting was the opportunity to fund Active Classrooms at the Hebrew Academy of Tidewater, accommodating students who are sensory seeking and need movement while learning. At synagogues and temples, the TJF Grants Committee was excited by Temple Emanuel’s new method of teaching prayer, or tefillah, using unique technology and a renewed vision. Temple Emanuel will teach prayer in fun, meaningful and appropriate ways, reaching students via a mobile app, so that students can study anywhere and anytime. At Temple Israel, Kempsville Conservative Congregation and Congregation Beth El, via United Hebrew School, the TJF Grants Committee funded Beit Sefer Shalom, UHS 2.0. This new approach has led three congregations to merge their religious schools and revamp both religious school and Hebrew language education, encouraging community partnership, excellence in teaching, and a more flexible and individualized program. This is a small sample of the various grants Tidewater Jewish Foundation has distributed in the past year—the list of grant recipients and successful projects is long and noteworthy. Grant applications, which can be accessed online (www.jewishva.org/tjf-grants-process), are generally due to TJF in the first week of July, and again in the first few weeks of January. The opportunity for seed money and special project funding is open to the community.

Wish ListS TJF Affiliates and all Jewish agencies and synagogues are also invited to create and list a posting on TJF’s Community Wish List webpage (www.jewishva.org/tjf-wishlist). There are always projects that need funding, and this web portal provides community funders and donors with an opportunity to see them in one place. The projects are updated regularly, and are special initiatives that fall outside of the operating budgets of schools, agencies, and synagogues.

development and continuing education, in order to supplement an agency or synagogue’s annual operating budget. In 2017, three agencies will receive funds from the Rovner Professional Development Fund, illustrating the diverse needs and opportunities for growth across the Tidewater Jewish community. The following agencies are this year’s recipients of funds from the Rovner Professional Development Fund: Hillel at Virginia Tech, for staff attendance at the Hillel International Global Assembly; Ohef Sholom Temple, for continuing leadership education for nonprofit executives; and Toras Chaim, for preschool teachers to receive the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. Tidewater Jewish Foundation hopes that through the Rovner Professional Fund, the Community Wish List, and the TJF Grants process, that the needs of the local community that fall outside of typical operating expenses are met.

There

are always

projects that need funding, and this

web portal provides community funders and donors with

an opportunity to see them in one place.

Professional Development Tidewater Jewish Foundation also presents the Philip S. Rovner Professional Development Fund. The Fund was established in honor of Philip Rovner for his more than 18 years of service to TJF as president and CEO, and service to the Tidewater Jewish community and beyond. Rovner is a staunch believer in continuing professional education and allowing an employee to have the necessary tools to complete his or her job to their best potential. Funds are available to Jewish communal professionals working at any Tidewater Jewish agency, and are distributed annually. Funds are to be used solely for the purpose of professional

For more information about TJF’s granting opportunities, or the desire to make a donation towards the various grant pools, contact Scott Kaplan, president and CEO, at skaplan@ujft.org or 965-6109.

jewishnewsva.org | March 6, 2017 | Jewish News | 31

It’s a wrap The Milton “Mickey” Kramer Scholar-in-Residence Fund’s 4th Annual Tidewater Together

Alan Morinis lead a four-day journey to a soulful Jewish life

ix local synagogues and temples opened their doors last month to embrace Alan Morinis, founder and dean of the Mussar Institute. Morinis lead discussions about the practice of Mussar, a Jewish spiritual path that emphasizes self-awareness and action as key to personal transformation. The goal of this practice is to align its practitioners on a Jewish journey of “everyday holiness.” More than 400 people—from all levels of observance—participated in the four days of learning offered by Morinis, this year’s Milton “Mickey” Kramer Scholarin-Residence. The discussions from his introduction at B’nai Israel Congregation, The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar to the last lecture, How to Get to Heaven: Practice! Practice! Practice! at Kehillat Bet Hamidrash/Kempsville Conservative Synagogue (KBH), were meant to build progressive understanding of this spiritual practice. Jewish News asked one person from each of the events for their impressions: Rabbi Gavriel Rudin of B’nai Israel “Tidewater Together was an amazing experience. The way the entire community came together for Torah learning was truly inspirational. As a teacher of Mussar, I was already familiar with many of the concepts that Alan discussed. However, Alan’s clear presentations and

insightfulness brought my understanding to a whole new level. In addition, the Mussar Institute that he created to take the lessons of Mussar and apply them to our everyday lives is an unparalleled resource.”

can better ourselves; and while reading Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, Alan Morinis the story of Alan’s journey, I began to see just how timely it was to participate.”

Alene Jo Kaufman of Kehillat Bet Hamidrash/Kempsville Conservative Synagogue (KBH) “Alan Morinis was an inspiring speaker who provided “food for thought” and encouraged us to engage our spirits and our souls before opening our mouths. From the opening session to the closing brunch, he encouraged us to behave in ways to unmask that which blocks our holiness. When Tidewater Together was over, I felt that our community had shared a journey that would impact on all of our lives, no matter where we were affiliated.”

Matthew Weinstein of Ohef Sholom Temple “The presentation by Alan Morinis at Ohef Sholom Temple was valuable for our congregation and not just for Mussar practitioners. His review of the origins and intent of Mussar gave all of us some valuable things to think about.”

Joseph Karp of Temple Israel “As part of my Jewish heritage, after coming to the Shul regularly, the topic of Mussar arose. My rabbi, Michael Panitz, suggested I participate in as many of the events as I could. What I found fascinating was the three events I attended had unique flavors unto their own. I began to see how useful and timely each of the three were to my inner practice. I enjoyed listening to Morinis’ viewpoints on how we

Mark Lipton of Temple Emanuel/Beth El “I am very grateful to Rabbi Arnowitz for introducing me to Alan Morinis and his book Everyday Holiness and spiritual guide to Mussar. Alan made six excellent talks about Mussar and how it can impact your life. As Alan said “Judaism did not survive because of responsive reading.” His talk at Temple Emanuel was a walk through how our inner lives need improvements and guidance on how to interface with our crazy world—Mussar is our guide. I enjoyed his talks and look forward to further study of Mussar with the various opportunities in our community.”

Big winners at Beth El’s Bingo Night Mark Kozak

Jemma Brodie, winner (center), with co-chairs Mark Kozak, and Norman Soroko.

even players went home Saturday night, Feb. 11, with 32-inch flatscreen TVs. But they weren’t even the biggest winners at Congregation Beth El’s 18th annual Ben Gordon Family Bingo Night. Jemma Brodie, a 12-year-old student in the Beit Sefer Shalom Sunday School, won the evening’s final $500 blackout game, and congregant Jessica Kell drew the winning ticket in the $1,200 pot for the 50/50 raffle. The daughter of Marcia Brodie and Steve Brodie, Jemma is a seventh-grader at Norfolk’s Academy for Discovery at Lakewood, and a Temple Israel member.

32 | Jewish News | March 6, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

“She was very sweet when people were asking what she was going to do with the money,” Marcia Brodie says. “She said: ‘It will probably go toward my college education and my bat mitzvah.’ “But, says Brodie, it will “go straight in Jemma’s bank account.” Jemma’s legs were shaking as emcee Gary Kell strung out the checking of her winning card. “She was nervous and excited and jumping up and down,” Brodie says. Jessica Kell is the wife of Gary Kell, the hardworking emcee of the evening, and, ironically, the treasurer of the sponsoring Beth El Men’s Club. Wayne Mitnick’s Affordable Mobile

TV Repair was the night’s gold sponsor and donated the flatscreen TVs. In all, nearly 300 in attendance won more than 100 prizes gathered by Men’s Club members from hotels, restaurants, and other area businesses. Proceeds from the evening, thanks to some 50 cash sponsors, will be devoted to the synagogue’s Sunday School education and to summer camp scholarships. The all-volunteer effort was led by Mark Kozak, Norman Soroko, and Alex Pomerantz, with major assistance from caller Neil Rose, kitchen-crew chief Michael Efland, check-in chief Ron Gladstone, brownie-queen Deb Segaloff, and popcorn maven Jody Wagner.

It’s a wrap

Israel Today’s Princess Shaw receives standing ovations Sherri Wisoff

porting a street-smart bravado and phosphorescent red hair topped with a black fedora, little could hide Samantha Montgomery’s (a.k.a. Princess Shaw) raw edgy talent and endearing awkward vulnerability. The special guest and singer songwriter received a standing ovation following Ido Haar’s documentary, Presenting Princess Shaw at the TCC Roper Performing Arts Center. This was the closing event of the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, and was presented in conjunction with the Israel Today Series. Haar’s documentary captures the story of Montgomery as she launches her original songs on YouTube, clinging to the faith that perhaps someone is listening. Miles away on a kibbutz in Israel, a renowned multimedia Israeli artist, named Kutiman, hears her voice and uses it to create one of his “voice symphonies,” a video montage made from snippets of music that he scavenges off the internet. His creation goes viral and director Haar captures this entire “Cinderella” story in real time. The evening began with a reception with New Orleans style food created by the TCC Culinary Institute students. During a question and answer period after the film, Montgomery shared insights on how she decided to take the leap of faith and introduce her voice on the Internet. “Honey, you can have millions of dollars or you are no good cuz you [sic] homeless, it doesn’t matter, someone will always judge you. You can’t fill up your heart with money, Boo, I always was a singer, I recorded myself in the shower and I say, WOW, is that me?” This unlikely star has been living hand to mouth surrounded by intercity poverty, reeling from the scars of childhood sexual abuse, without formal education and without a stable community, and yet her gritty, creative spirit, and open heart are in full throttle. Kutiman and Haar have brought Montgomery to Israel six times since the

release of this film, and their collaboration has helped launch her career. When asked how she felt about her experiences in Israel she said, “Boo, I LOVE Israel—it is a real community. Kutiman showed me that I can have role models in my life. It is hard to trust someone, but I let myself trust him completely. It is surreal, Honey, I never thought I could be in this place…I am blessed.” Montgomery then strolled into the audience with a microphone, sharing the voice that will soon be released on her first album. Presenting Princess Shaw was the fifth event of the Israel Today series, which offers cultural and educational programs aimed at spotlighting the diversity of talent and people that comprise Israeli life. Presented by the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater with the Simon Family JCC and community partners as part of the 24th Annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film presented by Alma* and Howard Laderberg.

Samantha Montgomery (Princess Shaw).

of blessed memory

For more information about the Israel Today series, visit: jewishva.org/IsraelToday.

Wendy Brodsky and Lois and Barry Einhorn with Princess Shaw.

Naty Horev, Pam Trompeter, Leah Flax, and Wendy Weissman.

Patricia Ashkenazi, Princess Shaw, and Avraham Ashkenazi.

jewishnewsva.org | March 6, 2017 | Jewish News | 33

It’s a wrap

Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day 2017 ewish Family Service. Israeli business opportunities. Support for scholarship tax credits (including local Jewish day schools). Elie Wiesel recognition. These are just some of the issues that are examined by the Virginia State legislature, many of which are near and dear to the Jewish people of Tidewater. On Wednesday, Feb. 8, Tidewater’s Community Relations Council delegation participated in Jewish Advocacy Day in Richmond to discuss these issues and more with local representatives. The newly elected Administration and Congress spurred many participants to attend for the first time, saying that they felt a new imperative to be part of the civic process. As such, this year’s visit with local Senators and Delegates felt more important than ever. The group left bright and early via bus from the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus and made its way to the General Assembly in Richmond. Divided into small groups, each engaged in lively discussions with various Hampton Roads’ representatives in the House of Delegates and Senate. Also, as part of an effort to broaden the reach of the statewide Community Relations Council, several of Tidewater’s teams met with legislators from the western part of Virginia who had not previously been engaged by the Jewish

community. A key issue that was discussed was Virginia Israel Advisory Board updates. Both Republican and Democratic representatives generally support this unique partnership, which seeks to promote and secure Israeli businesses in Virginia. It also promotes cultural exchange opportunities, such as Richmond Ballet’s Minds in Motion program, which just completed their seventh annual residency in Israel teaching and engaging with neighboring Arab Israeli and Jewish Israeli communities. Another issue involved funding for Jewish Family Service through the Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) tax credits. It was comforting to hear directly from many of the Delegates and Senators that they support Jewish Family Service and the incredible programs that the organization offers for Virginians across the state. The delegation also advocated support for a joint resolution recognizing Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize-winning author and Holocaust survivor, noting his memorable prose, eloquence and strength Patroned by Eileen Filler-Corn, a Jewish Delegate from Northern Virginia (D-41). A highlight of the day was hearing from Governor Terry McAuliffe, who gave a rousing talk on a variety of topics including his recent trip to Israel during the summer of 2016 and his sign on to the

Delegation at Capitol.

Tidewater’s delegation at Virgina Jewish Advocacy Day.

Brad Lerner

34 | Jewish News | March 6, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

American Jewish Committee’s ‘Governor’s Against BDS’ letter, sharing it’s something he normally does not do. Governor McAuliffe also d e n o u n c e d Governor Terry McAuliffe, Shikmah Rubin and Jeff Brooke. President Trump’s executive order curtailing immigration of about making Virginia a more tolerant, refugees and foreign nationals from sevhealthy, and prosperous place—not just eral Middle Eastern and North African for Jews, but for everyone. countries, stating that this type of activity cannot be tolerated, a sentiment that To learn more about how to get involved with Attorney General Mark Herring also shared the Community Relations Council, contact with the community during his remarks. Wendy Weissman at WWeissman@ujft.org Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam also or 965-6107. delivered a powerful message on the importance of maintaining Virginia as a caring and inclusive community. This whirlwind day of policy talk instantly created closeness within the lobbying teams as they worked together to figure out how to best communicate messages. Feelings of pride in being Jewish permeated throughout, as many people from across Virginia took the day off of work to Leigh Nusbaum, Legislative Assistant to Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn; unite to speak their minds Bill and Sharon Nubaum; Delegate Filler-Corn; Rabbi Sender Haber; and Wendy Weisman.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a wrap

Anika Nicholiason and Molly Mancoll.

Ellen and Bill Wagner.

2017 Operation Hamantaschen was full of dough

uring Operation Hamantaschen, the annual family-baking event at the Simon Family JCC, 20 pounds of flour and 54 eggs went into the creation of 800 triangular-shaped Hamantaschen cookies that are traditionally eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. This year for the first time, every morsel of the cookie dough was utilized, with twice as many

participants, more than 100 people spanning three generations, showing up to help bake. With only a few consumed along the way, most of the cookies were packed up with decorated boxes and cards of thanks and shipped to Jewish troops overseas, to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, to United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, and for local Jewish Family Service clients.

Casey Barkan.

Leah Rosenberg and Judah Rosenberg.

Jennifer and Samuel Sachs.

Mitchell Tall, Sam Zelenka, Naty Horev, Lauren Scholnick, Jeff Tall, Caleb Tall.

jewishnewsva.org | March 6, 2017 | Jewish News | 35

It’s a wrap Cause An Effect series on anti-Semitism and anti-Israel rhetoric on campus offers support Wendy Weisman

three-part series designed to educate and empower teens and parents, Cause An Effect offered resources and

Cause An Effect Toolkit

hese campus resources are available by requesting a toolkit from WWeissman@ujft. org or online at JewishVA.org/ CRC-Resources. ADL’s Campus Affairs Resource and Action Page adl.org/education-outreach/ campus-affairs/ Get Educated about BDS, Report Anti-Semitism, Campus Organizations and Resources Understanding BDS, or as anti-Semitism, hate, bigotry or discrimination are encountered. People and organizations are available to contact for help no matter where one lives, works, or studies. Organizations and groups, also serve as resources for pro-Israel and Jewish students. c tl.stepupforisrael.com/ toolkit-to-combat-anti-semitism/#report-anti-semitism Campus Guide Compiled by Hillel, this comprehensive guide about campuses helps students find and explore vibrant Jewish campuses. hillel.org/college-guide How to Discuss Israel Answering tough questions about Israel standwithus.com/ booklets/25answers/

emphasi zing the ADL’s mission: to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure Jack Rosenblum, Chloe Valdary, and Evan Rosen. justice and fair treatment Sanctions (BDS) or the anti-Zionist, for all. Gordon-Lipkin says he hoped to pro-Palestinian college student activprovide the group with a better underism organization, Students for Justice in standing of the relationship between Palestine (SJP). In addition to showing historical anti-Semitism and contempothe rise of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rary anti-Semitism rhetoric, the film offers commentary by and anti-Israeli students, Jewish educators, and leaders bias: “By engaging about when such incidents “cross the line” Jewish people of into blatant anti-Semitism. With Jewish all ages in honest students often ill-equipped to deal with conversations about such assaults, the film addresses the need anti-Semitism and for community action and support. its impact in their Following the screening, Chloe lives, we can begin Valdary, director of Partnership and working as a comOutreach at Jerusalem U and a pro-Ismunity to build rael activist, discussed the challenges of personal motivainspiring young Jews to be emotionally tion and skills to connected to Israel. “Millennials by and respond to it.” large do not care about Israel…most are As part of the indifferent and apathetic,” notes Valdary. Simon Family Valdary’s strong commitment to share JCC’s 24th Annual the story of Israel with her generation Virginia Festival of Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz and Chloe Valdary. grew from a unique childhood. Born Jewish Film, the in New Orleans, she was raised in a second event in Christian home that observed Shabbat, the Cause an Effect kept kosher and honored the holy days. series featured the Finding and using her pro-Israel voice screening of Crossing throughout college emphasized the differthe Line 2: The New ence that just one person can make, and Face of Anti-Semitism highlighted the path of pro-Israel activism on Campus, followed that Valdary has taken since graduating by discussion with from college a few years ago. campus activist By engaging, educating, and empowChloe Valdary. The ering Jewish youth of her generation, Jerusalem U film Valdary hopes to prepare students amidst presented a monthe rising tide of anti-Israel sentiments. tage of activities She says that a shift in community action on college camis also necessary. “As a community, puses currently instead of making our focus how to defeat used by anti-Israel the BDS movement—the focus should be movements such how to cultivate generational affinity for as the Boycotts, Seth Gordon-Lipkin, education project director with the ADL, Israel over time.” Divestments, with teens at Words to Action event.

tools to help articulate responses when dealing with anti-Semitism and anti-Israel rhetoric on campuses. The program, presented by the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, BBYO, and OSTY, wrapped up on Sunday, Jan. 29 with Words to Action, an afternoon of learning facilitated by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The three hour session began with Seth Gordon-Lipkin, the education project director in ADL’s Washington, D.C. office,

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It’s a wrap

Sisterhoods gather for Tu B’Shevat

Teens and parents at breakout session during Words to Action.

The 30-minute Crossing the Line 2 film can be found online at ctl.stepupforisrael.com. As the CRC leadership follows events taking place on campuses around the globe and through discussion with concerned members of the Tidewater Jewish community, they know that there is a need for further education, resources, and discussion in order to help students navigate that fine line when anti-Israel sentiment crosses over to anti-Semitism. Cause an Effect just scratched the surface

and the CRC leadership has committed that the educational programming and resources will continue to be offered for as long as these issues continue. If you or your student has experienced anti-Semitism or anti-Israel rhetoric on campus and you’re not sure what to do or if you have other concerns or ideas for programming, contact Wendy Weissman, assistant CRC director at 965-6107 or WWeissman@ ujft.org.

n Sunday, Feb. 12, the sisterhoods of KBH, Beth El, and Temple Israel celebrated Tu B’Shevat in the glass atrium of Temple Israel. The 15th day of the month of Shevat is designated as the New Year for Trees. This is when the trees come to life in Israel and begin the cycle of blooming. Rabbi Michael Panitz explained that the reason for a new year of the trees is to know when to begin to harvest the fruit. The Book of Leviticus states that the fruit of the tree may not be eaten in the first three years. The fourth year’s fruit was considered a gift to God and on the fifth year, it was finally permissible to eat the fruit of the trees. Panitz led the blessings of the various foods. Samples of the seven species of fruits and grain mentioned in the Torah were

Ohef Sholom explores Torah through art

Jack Rosenblum asking a question after watching Crossing the Line 2: The New Face of Anti-Semitism on Campus.

presented. The seven species are wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates. Hosted by Temple Israel, the group enjoyed fruits that flourish in Israel, such as olives, dates, grapes, and figs, along with an array of other treats—spanakopita, almonds, cheese and crackers, and desserts. Rounding out the seder, Cantor Wendi led the women and men in celebratory song accompanied on piano by Rabbi Panitz. The event was a meaningful opportunity to celebrate this unique Jewish tradition of expressing gratitude for trees and all they provide to humanity. In the words of the song, “Hinei ma tov umanaim…,” how good it was for “sisters and brothers” to be together—to celebrate, to learn and to raise voices in song—and, of course, eat!

he study of Torah can take many forms. This winter, adult learners at Ohef Sholom Temple have focused on the link between the Torah text and art. The congregation sponsored two trips to the Chrysler Museum to explore art based on Biblical themes. The group’s January session focused on artwork depicting Torah themes and the February session focused on Prophets and Writings. Rabbi Deborah Bodin Cohen, interim associate rabbi at Ohef Sholom, leads the sessions. She chose eight to 10 pieces of artwork to explore. “The artwork serves as a catalyst for deeper discussions about the Biblical text,” says Cohen. “By considering how the artists wrestled with the text, we can begin to make our interpretations.” Of course, Cohen explains, the artists were not Jewish. But their artwork most

often transcends religious differences. “The painting of Adam and Eve really came from a Christian world view,” says Cohen. “But, our conversation was enlivened by comparing the Christian and Jewish outlooks.” During the first trip, the group numbered about 30 congregants. The group focused on such works as Giovanni Benedetto Catiglione’s depiction of Moses Striking the Rock and Pieter Mulier the Younger’s Rebecca journey. The education and community outreach offices at the Chrysler Museum helped to set up the visits. Representatives from the museum greeted the group and a museum educator participated in the first part of the tours. The program is open to the community. For more information, call 757-625-4295 or email information@ohefsholom.org.

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what’s happening Rabbi David N. Saperstein on The Challenges of Religious Freedom around the Globe: 2017 Monday, March 13, 7:30–8:30 pm Boyd Dining Center, Virginia Wesleyan College

abbi David N. Saperstein is the immediate past United States Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. Saperstein was a principal advisor to the President and Secretary of State and served as the United States chief diplomat on issues of religious freedom worldwide. At Virginia Wesleyan, Saperstein will speak on the work to promote religious freedom around the world and to fight persecution, discrimination, and genocide by groups such as ISIS. Saperstein previously served for 40 years as the director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, overseeing the national social justice programming for

the largest segment of American Jewry. A rabbi and an attorney, for 35 years Saperstein taught seminars in First Amendment Church-State Law and in Jewish Law at Georgetown Rabbi David N. Saperstein University Law Center. —Rabbi Saperstein is Virginia Wesleyan’s Center for the Study of Religious Freedom’s 2016-2017 Justine L. Nusbaum Visiting Lecturer.

Registration now open! www.CampJCCVB.org Camp JCC • Traditional Day Camp for Kids 16 Months – 11th Grade

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Kim Simon Fink to receive Humanitarian Award Thursday, March 30, 5:45 pm The Westin, Virginia Beach Town Center

he Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities has selected Kim Simon Fink to be among those receiving its prestigious Humanitarian Awards this year. She will be honored at the 53rd annual Tidewater Humanitarian Awards Dinner, along with Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz for Hands United Building Bridges (HUBB). (See page 39) The Tidewater chapter of VCIC will recognize Fink for her longstanding commitment to promoting respect and understanding among people of all racial, ethnic, and reli- Kim Simon Fink gious backgrounds. A resourceful communicator, Fink says she “connects people with concepts.” Her resume of volunteer work and projects, along with her professional career, prove the point. Fink is a past president of Ohef Sholom Temple, former chair of the Holocaust Commission of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, a member of UJFT’s Women’s Cabinet, and a former member of the board of Old Dominion University’s Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding. She also previously served on the boards of Tidewater Performing Arts Society, D’Art Center and Spectrum Puppets. Fink currently serves as chair of the board of ForKids and as co-chair for Ohef Sholom Temple’s 175th Anniversary. Fink has worked as a radio and television producer at WRHO-TV and Radio, WBZ-TV, Boston and WVBC-TV, Boston. “We are very proud that Kim is being recognized by VCIC for her dedicated humatarian work in both the

Jewish and general communities,” says Harry Graber, executive vice president, UJFT, “She is certainly deserving of the honor.” Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities was originally founded as the Virginia Region of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and expanded its mission and vision in 2005. In addition to honoring outstanding community members, the Humanitarian Awards dinner acts as a platform and showcase for VCIC’s mission and programs. Other Tidewater Humanitarian Award recipients this year are Kenneth C. Alexander, Caroline J. McCartney, James K. Spore, and Craig S. Wansink. To attend the dinner or purchase a table for a business or organization, visit www. inclusiveva.org, or call 804-515-7950. To purchase a seat at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater/Tidewater Jewish Foundation table, contact Tammy Mujica at tmujica@ujft.org or 757-965-6124.

what’s happening Israel Today

Gitit Shoval, Israeli vocalist and educator presents From Gershwin to Dylan: the Genius of Jewish Songwriters

Hands United Building Bridges (HUBB) to be honored by Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC) at 2017 Tidewater Humanitarian Awards Dinner Thursday, March 30 The Westin, Virginia Beach Town Center

Saturday, March 25, 8 pm Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus

Sherri Wisoff

ne of Israel’s singing treasures, Gitit Shoval will share her vocal and storytelling talents through her concert, “From Gershwin to Dylan: the Genius of Jewish Songwriters,” a tribute to Jewish composers, as part of the Israel Today series. Shoval’s musical Gitit Shoval career began at age 13 in 1979 when she was discovered at a pre-Eurovision contest and became an overnight success. Performing all over Israel, she eventually began her IDF service as a solo performer, using her musical gifts to lift the spirits of the troops. Around the same time Shoval completed her army service, she met her husband and creative soul mate, musical producer and Berklee College of Music graduate, Ron Druyan. Collaborating with leading poets, composers, and song writers throughout Israel, the Shovals produced 10 albums; four albums of holiday music in Hebrew reached multi-platinum status. They co-founded Tomitoot Productions Inc., one of the top production companies in Israel dealing with cartoon voice-overs, offering dubbing service in 20 languages. So, in addition to her singer songwriting career, Shoval produced the Hebrew voices for many of the most iconic cartoon characters of the times, from Smurfs to Barbie. In 2003, the Shovals moved with their children to Canada. While living outside of Israel, Shoval looked for a creative vehicle to share her Israeli/Jewish heritage, her love of singing, and to connect to a more global audience by performing in English, not only Hebrew.

She researched songs that she loved and discovered that many of the North American songwriters were Jewish, such as Leonard Cohen, George Gershwin, Bob Dylan and Carole King. By pulling together worldwide hits from Jewish talent over the last 50 years, Shoval created and launched her current concert program as a family affair. Her husband, Ron, plays the piano, her son, Shaqed, is a talented guitarist and drummer, and her daughter, Tutti sings. For one night, the Simon Family JCC will be transformed into a jazz club, complete with cash bar and appetizers, as this Israeli singing sensation and her family share an evening of song highlighting the Jewish contribution to contemporary world music. Tickets are $23; $18 for JCC members. For more information or to buy tickets, visit Jewishva.org/IsraelToday or call 757-321-2338. Gitit Shoval is the seventh guest of the Israel Today series, which offers cultural and educational programs aimed at spotlighting the diversity of talent and people that comprise Israeli life. Presented by the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, and community partners.

ince 1963, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC) has annually honored individuals and organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to heal divisions within their community and to advance a greater understanding of the richness found in the community’s diversity. This year, VCIC will present the Distinguished Merit Citation Award for an organization to Hands United Building Bridges (HUBB) founded by Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz of Congregation Beth El and Dr. Antipas Harris, professor in the School of Divinity at Regent University and Theologian-in-Residence at First Presbyterian Church in Norfolk. HUBB was created two years ago as a constructive response to racial violence in Ferguson, Missouri and other cities around the country. Comprised of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim clergy, HUBB’s goal is to forge relationships across racial and religious lines and to build bridges of mutual understanding in Hampton Roads. Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg of Ohef Sholom Temple and a member of HUBB’s 70 faith leaders, says that each month the interfaith clergy meet to study sacred texts and discuss community issues. By comparing the languages of spirit found in the Torah, the Bible, or Koran, they strive to elevate the common messages found in all—the need to extend kindness, mercy and justice to all, not only in contemplation and prayer, but also in their active ministry to those in need, every day. “Interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding never mean diluting our own cherished traditions and morals—or trying to change the customs and principles of our friends. Peaceful coexistence

Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz

requires that we listen with an open mind and heart to that which is central to the soul of our fellow human beings,” says Mandelberg. Jay Klebanoff, president of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, and Alvin Wall, president of Tidewater Jewish Foundation, released the following statement: “Congratulations to Rabbi Arnowitz and his fellow founders of the Hands United Building Bridges on their recognition by the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities. It is inspiring in these turbulent times for religious leaders to demonstrate the common bonds shared by people across many faiths.” The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Tidewater Jewish Foundation encourage the community to join them in honoring Rabbi Arnowitz and this year’s other award winners. For more information and to purchase a seat at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Tidewater Jewish Foundation table, contact: Tammy Mujica at tmujica@ ujft.org or call 757-965-6124.

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what’s happening Annual Art exhibit and auction at KBH

Beyond the Book Festival luncheon

Jessica Fechtor author of Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home Wednesday, March 15, 12 pm Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus

haring her journey of recovery from a ruptured aneurysm at age 28 through the restorative power of food and cooking, Jessica Fechtor, author of the award-winning memoir, Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals that Brought Me Home, will speak at a Beyond the Book Festival luncheon. Twenty-seven family recipes are laced through Fechtor’s soulful memoir, which The Wall Street Journal calls “a recipe for living a life of meaning.” “We all look forward to meeting Ms. Fechtor and hearing her story of strength and perseverance,” says Betty Ann Levin, executive director of Jewish Family Service. “It is wonderful to once again partner with the Simon Family JCC for this luncheon as we begin our Spring into Healthy Living programming and activities. JFS has created a book club among our employees and we hope that other book clubs in town will also read Fechtor’s book and join us on March 15!” Tickets are $10 and include lunch. To purchase tickets, contact the JCC at 757-321-2338. The author will sign books, which will be available for purchase. For more information, contact Michele Goldberg, cultural arts director, at mgoldberg@simonfamilyjcc.org or call 757-321-2341. Beyond the Book Festival, an extension of Lee and Bernard Jaffe* Family Jewish Book Festival, is presented by the Simon Family JCC in partnership with Jewish Family Service of Tidewater. *of blessed memory

Sunday, March 19, 2 pm

ehillat Bet Hamidrash/Kempsville Conservative Synagogue’s 17th annual art exhibition and auction will feature auctioneer Rick Brandwein of Marlin Fine Auctions and Chazzan David Proser with art at 2016 Auction. Creative Events. He plans to bring a variety of media to meet varied pocketbooks and wall space, with such artists as Ansel Adams, Yaacov Agam, and Avi Ben Simhon. John Stanisci, a professional illustrator for Marvel and DC Comics for more than 18 years, will be the event’s guest artist. Stanisci has worked on characters such as Spiderman, The Hulk, Batman, Cat Woman, Superman, and most recently on Batman Beyond. The trade paperback edition of Batman Beyond premiered at number one on the New York Times best seller list for graphic novels. Stanisci only autographs the comic books for Marlin Art because he is a personal friend of the owner. Stanisci’s repertoire now also includes original watercolors. In addition to being an artist, Stanisci recently made his Broadway debut in Irena’s Vow starring opposite four-time Tony Nominee, Tovah Feldshuh. He has also appeared in many plays, films, and TV shows. In his upcoming film, Expecting Mary, Stanisci co-stars opposite Cybil Shepard, Linda Gray, Elliot Gould, and others. Stanisci will be available to sign any comic he has illustrated. He will also create “custom” sketches of his characters (or of the commissioner’s favorite people—family members, for example) for $200—on the spot. A silent auction will also take place and will include such items as gold and fine jewelry from a local jeweler. The preview begins at 2 pm with the auction at 3 pm. Admission is $7.50 per person and includes hors d’oeuvres and dessert. Baby-sitting will be available. KBH is located at 952 Indian Lakes Blvd., Virginia Beach. Major credit cards will be accepted for all art purchases. For more information about the auction or to advertise in the auction catalogue, contact the synagogue at 757-495-8510 or kbhsynagogue@gmail.com.

Simon Family JCC offers A Taste of Mussar Four-week session begins Wednesday, March 29, 12:30 pm, Simon Family JCC Classes: Wednesdays, March 29, April 5, April 26, May 3

r. Alan Morinis, founder and dean of The Mussar Institute, was the guest scholar for last month’s Milton “Mickey” Kramer Scholar-in-Residence Fund’s 4th Annual Tidewater Together. Presented by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Tidewater Synagogue Leadership Council, Morinis offered six unique conversations at six locations. Through each presentation, Morinis guided the community in the exploration of the Jewish spiritual practice of Mussar. Before he left town, the community began asking for more. In response to the community’s request for additional information on Mussar,

the Simon Family JCC will offer A Taste of Mussar, facilitated by Rabbi Gavriel Rudin. Morinis developed this introductory four-week course, which provides an opportunity to experience the tradition of learning and practicing of Mussar that has engaged and helped people for centuries. “I am pleased that the Mickey Kramer Scholar-in-Residence Fund could serve as an impetus for the interest in continued Mussar learning,” says Ron Kramer. Mussar is a centuries old body of Jewish teachings, perspective, and disciplined practice that provides distinctively Jewish answers to the sorts of questions people

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often ask about life: • Why do I keep making the same mistakes over and over? • Why do I cause pain to myself and others? Mussar provides guidance to identify personal paths of spiritual growth and offers practices to help bring about that growth. Course format Participants will receive three emails each week, each including three core elements to guide learning and practice: • A short reading, drawing on the teachings of Mussar Masters such as Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Rabbi

Bahya ibn Pakuda, and Rabbi Yisrael Salanter. • Mussar practice guided by Morinis or Shirah Bell (usually in audio format). • Reflection questions to deepen the learning and provide guidance in applying the concepts to everyday life. There are no prerequisites for this program, and no language other than English is required. Cost for the series is $36. To register, visit the Simon Family JCC front desk or call 321-2338. For more information, email MGoldberg@simonfamilyjcc.org.

what’s happening

BE a Reader has chance to win $5,000

Revel

in the MUSIC! Verdi’s Requiem

March 17-19, 2017 | Ferguson Center for the Arts (March17), Chrysler Hall (March 18), Sandler Center for the Performing Arts (March 19) Robert Shoup, chorusmaster JoAnn Falletta, conductor Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus

JoAnn Falletta conducts Verdi’s powerful Requiem. Written as a requiem mass in memory of Italian poet Alessandro Manzoni, the piece has become an audience favorite as a richly orchestral masterwork punctuated by breathless drama and poignant solo work. Four outstanding singers collaborate with the VSO Chorus for these performances.

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5

Disco returns for one night only Sunday, April 2, 5:30 pm, Temple Israel

habbos Night Fever is this year’s theme for Temple Israel’s annual spring fundraiser. Guests are encouraged to dress in disco wear—leisure suits, bell bottoms, platform shoes, and, for the more adventurous, full John Travolta white-suit regalia—ready to dance to the music of Right On, an internationally known authentic disco show band whose gigs have included the White House and Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Right On’s offerings will include the traditional disco sounds (think Super Freak, I’m So Excited, Billie Jean and of course, Saturday Night Fever, along with slower tunes for more cheek-to-cheek dancing. The convivial event begins with cocktails and a silent auction, followed by a full evening of dining, dancing, and fun—complete with disco balls and flashing lights. Tickets are $60, and sponsorships are available. For more information, contact Temple Israel at 757-489-4550.

Café Ivrit at Ohef Sholom Temple Tuesdays, March 28 and May 2, 7 pm

hef Sholom Temple’s recent Listening Campaign “indicated that congregants are interested in sharpening their communicative fluency in Hebrew, and that they would like to do so in a fun and relaxed setting,” says Dr. David Metzger, OST’s chair of adult education. Fortunately for Ohef Sholom, congregant Eitan Stern, a native Israeli speaker is leading the café. Stern moved to the U.S. 12 years ago and serves as CFO of ZIM American Shipping. Stern incorporates Israeli TV, newspapers, and music into the evening. “Our goal is to be highly interactive,” he says. All area Hebrew speakers are welcome to attend. An RSVP to Ohef Sholom is appreciated: 757-625-4295 or information@ohefsholom.org.

Burt Barr reading with his student at Birdneck Elementary in Virginia Beach.

he Be A Reader (BEAR) program is one of three finalists for Classic Air’s One Hour Cares $5,000 giveaway. The recipient will be chosen at the end of March in a lottery-type drawing, with the more “likes” received at OneHourCares.com increasing the chances to win. Established in 1999 to help combat the issues of children’s literacy, BEAR’s goal is to help at-risk children in Tidewater public schools acquire the reading skills and love of learning that lead to personal happiness and success. Winning the $5,000 would allow BEAR to expand into additional Title 1 schools and help more children who struggle with literacy. Vote for Be A Reader by visiting OneHourCares.com and “liking” the program. “Thank you for helping us continue our commitment to children’s literacy,” says one of the founders, Gail Flax. For more information on BEAR, including how to get involved, contact Wendy Weissman at wweissman@ujft. org or 757-965-6107.

April 7-9, 2017 | Ferguson Center for the Arts (April 7), L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center (April 8), Sandler Center for the Performing Arts (April 9) JoAnn Falletta, conductor David Daniels, countertenor Michael Daniels, cello Griffes: Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan Kenneth Fuchs: Poems of Life Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 Composer Kenneth Fuchs brings us a world premiere. This is a continuation of more than 30 years of collaboration between Fuchs and Music Director JoAnn Falletta, beginning in 1985 when they were students at Juilliard.

Reserve the best seats

VirginiaSymphony.org 757.892.6366

March 17 Concert Sponsor

March 18 Concert Sponsor

The Helen G. Gifford Foundation

Norfolk Classics Series Sponsor

Partial support for these concerts has been provided by the Business Consortium for Arts Support, City of Norfolk, Newport News Arts Commission, City of Virginia Beach and the Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

jewishnewsva.org | March 6, 2017 | Jewish News | 41

what’s happening

Calendar

Bob Gillette to share riveting story of Escape to Virginia From Nazi Germany to Thalhimer’s Farm Sunday, March 19, 6:30 pm

Congregation Beth El

n the beginning of Escape to Virginia From Nazi Germany to Thalhimer’s Farm, author Bob Gillette writes, “Hope and courage are the right hand and left hand of the human spirit that keeps suffering people going. They keep all of us going. That is what this book is about.” Told through the personal stories of teenagers Werner Angress and Eva Jacobsohn, this is a fast, captivating read that sheds light on this little-known story. Werner and Eva participated in the Gross Breesen program, which trained German Jewish teenagers to be farmers, as the Jewish Council hoped that countries would grant visas to trained farmers. The head of Gross Breesen, Dr. Curt Bondy, enforced teaching the teenagers farming skills, but even more so, “insights into living” skills. He pleaded with his students: “Live with integrity. Understand your own motives for your actions. Be truthful. Cooperate, commit, think!” In 1938, department store retailer William B. Thalhimer served as the national chairman for the Resettlement of German Jewish Refugees in America. Investing tireless amounts of time and money, Thalhimer purchased a farm in rural Virginia for the purpose of rescuing

Jewish teenagers trained at the Gross Breesen Institute in Germany. For 13 months he battled the bureaucratic hostility of the State Department and as a result, 30 German Jews found their lucky escape to Virginia before immigration was completely halted. Gillette was a nationally recognized public school educator for 40 years and was awarded the Mary Gresham Chair for his innovations in experiential educational. Among many recognitions for teaching, he received the Harvard Teaching Prize. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University, earning a BA and an MAT, and he studied at Hebrew Union College, the Reform Jewish rabbinical seminary. The Virginia Plan: William B Thalhimer and a Rescue from Nazi Germany, was published in 2011, and his latest, Escape to Virginia From Nazi Germany to Thalhimer’s Farm was published in 2015. Gilette and his wife, Marsha, are Connecticut Yankee transplants living in Lynchburg, Virginia. The free event is open to the community. Dessert reception follows the program. Beth El is located at 422 Shirley Avenue in Norfolk. RSVP to Noelle@bethelnorfolk. com or 757-625-7821.

March 15, Wednesday Beyond the Book Festival with Jessica Fechtor, author of Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals that Brought Me Home will share her journey of recovery from an aneurysm through the restorative power of food and cooking. 12 noon. Tickets, which are $10 per person and includes lunch, may be purchased by contacting the JCC at 757-321-2338. Sandler Family Campus. See page 40. March 18, Saturday YAD Purim party. “We’re All Mad For Purim.” 8 pm for ages 22–45. $30 per person in advance; $50 per person at the door. labrams@ujft.org or jewishva.or/purimparty. See page 18. March 25, Saturday Gitit Shova—from Gershiwn to Dylan. Israeli singer entertains through music and story-telling. 8 pm. Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus. Tickets are $23 or $18 for JCC members. Jewishva.org/IsraelToday or 757-321-2304. See page 39. Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities honors Kim Simon Fink and Hands United Builing Bridges (HUBB). See pages 38 and 39. April 30, Sunday Israel Fest. The Simon Family JCC’s Annual Israel Fest celebrates Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. Since 2010, the Simon Family JCC has held a festival that honors all of the cultural, artistic, educational, and culinary gifts of Israel. It is an opportunity for the Tidewater community to learn more about Israel, dance, feast, play games, ride a camel, and shop, as they celebrate Israeli culture. The festival is held in the backyard of the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus, and is free and open to the entire community. SimonFamilyJCC.org/IsraelFest for more information or call 757-321-2304. May 2, Tuesday Israel Today with Chefs Guy Marom and Nir Margalith. Celebrate Yom Ha’tzmaut (Israel’s 69th birthday) through the taste and culture of Israel. Sharing their love for fresh, authentic Israeli food in a fun, hands-on, culinary adventure, Marom and Margalith will leave novice and experienced chef-participants with skills and stories to share from their own kitchens. Limited space. $41 per person or $36 per JCC member; $72 per couple or $60 per JCC member. Visit www.JewishVa.org/IsraelToday or call 757-321-2304. 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.

Camp JCC is a wonde rf ul place to wor k! SUMMER 2017

Camp JCC: June 19 - August 11 Post Camp: August 14 - August 25

NOW HIRING…..STAFF FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS •

• Specialists: Sports, Music, Arts Special Needs Supervisor and Assistant • Senior and Junior Counselors • Camp Nurse

Camp JCC provides children with a rich and unique day camp

Vendor’s Sale for BINA High School Sunday, March 19, 1–4 pm, Ghent Clubhouse 852 Mowbray Arch, Norfolk LulaRoe, Thirty-one, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, and many more vendors will be at a sale hosted by BINA High School. A portion of all sales will benefit the education at BINA High School. Contact info@binahighschool.com for more information.

experience. A dynamic program allows every child to explore their own interests and try new activities within a safe camp atmosphere. Engaging and supportive staff encourages campers to have fun, develop skills, and form meaningful relationships. All camp personnel have a background check and participate in an extensive orientation program.

Applications available at: www.campjccvb.org For more information, contact: Erika Eskanazi, Children and Camp Director (757) 321-2342 (757) 965-6117 Taffy Hunter, Human Resource Director Submit completed application to:

Simon Family JCC

Attention: Human Resources 5000 Corporate Woods Drive • Virginia Beach, 23462

Don't wait! Applications accepted TODAY!

42 | Jewish News | March 6, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

C A R E E R O P P O RT U N I T Y

mazel tov to Achievement Keano Rich, a 10th grader at Ocean Lakes Math and Science Academy (OLHS), for being selected to join the 2017 The Virginian-Pilot’s Scholastic Achievement Team, in recognition for his outstanding academic excellence, service, and leadership. A former Hebrew Academy of Tidewater student, Keano is the son of

Gerald Rich, Sherri Wisoff and stepson of William Boykin. OLHS also chose Keano and his teammate Evan Allan, both members of Ohef Sholom Temple, to present their symposium project concerning neural networks at the Tidewater Science and Engineering Fair at ODU.

Discover the Difference

Beth El. As a board member for Tidewater Marian B. We help and familiesTicatch assisted in Jewish Foundation, Ticatch, forindividuals secure their financial future. forming the Life Insurance Committee, receiving Financial Management which expanded into the Professional the Ticatch Stuart for giving, Advisory Council. She was a founding Smithprovides Award services investments, education, trustee of the long United Way Foundation and from Lincoln and estate the first chairman of their Professional F i n term a n c care, i a l retirement, planning. Advisory Committee. For the United Advisors for serexpertise work for you Jewishto Federation of Tidewater, Ticatch vice toPut theher local and those you love.on the Women’s Cabinet and on the served community. Marian B. Ticatch Community Relations Council. Ticatch Ticatch was president of Lee’s Friends, has approximately 40 years of experience CLU, AEP, LUTCF, CLTC and was twice president of Hadassah, the in the insurance and investment busiZionist Organization of America. She was ness and is president of Ticatch Financial Marian Ticatch is a registered of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. of both Beth Sholom Assisted president Management. She representative was the first woman Securities and investment advisory services offered through Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a Living and the entire Beth Sholom Village, to serve as president of the Norfolk Life broker/dealer (member SIPC) and registered investment advisor. Insurance offered through Lincoln affiliates and other fine companies. Ticatch Financial Management is not an affiliate of Lincoln a four-year commitment. Underwriters Association. This was folFinancial Advisors Corp. Onelowed Columbus Center, 283as Constitution Drive, SuiteEstate 800, Virginia Beach, VA 23462. Her many honors include the by serving president of the CRN-1715992-022117 YWCA Women in Transition Award, Planning Council. Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year Finalist In 2013, Ticatch was the recipient of the for the National Association of Women Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities Business Owners, Inside Business— Humanitarian Award. Women in Business Achievement Award Ticatch has served on many boards, and the Famous Former Girl Scout Award. including Dress for Success, the YWCA, WHRO Planned Giving, and Congregation

Marian Bear Ticatch

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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.

WHO Knew? Waze puts early morning drivers to Jerusalem in a (traffic) jam JERUSALEM ( JTA)—An error by the Waze navigation app caused a major headache for Israeli drivers heading to Jerusalem on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Waze mistakenly said the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, Route 1, was closed during rush hour. Drivers who

were forced to opt for the alternative Route 443 found themselves in major traffic jams, The Times of Israel reported. Calling the incident “human error,” Waze apologized and pledged to put into place procedures to prevent any recurrence, according to The Times of Israel. Waze, which was created by a team of Israelis, has over 50 million subscribers. Google acquired Waze in 2013 for nearly $1 billion.

H O LO C AU S T CO M M I S S I O N PRO G R A M C O O R D I N ATO R The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater seeks candidates for the position of Holocaust Commission Program Coordinator. This part-time position (approximately 20 hours/week) is responsible for the administrative and program support of Holocaust Commission activities. A minimum of 1-2 years of administrative experience is required. Associate's Degree in business, Public Administration, Jewish Communal Service, or other related and appropriate field, preferred. Candidate must be proficient in using MS Office Suite; have an understanding of social media and its usage; excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written. Must be available for flexible working hours.

Contact Taffy Hunter, Human Resources director, at 757-965-6117, resumes@ujft.org or submit resume to: United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Attention: Human Resources 5000 Corporate Woods Drive Virginia Beach, 23462

Team oriented LEADERS; THIS CAREER might be yours! APPLY TODAY!

Employment Oppor tunity Development Associate and LIFE & LEGACY Coordinator The Tidewater Jewish Foundation (TJF) seeks an organized, self-starter, and team-oriented individual to work collaboratively with the President & CEO to manage the LIFE & LEGACY Program and other planned giving related activities. Serves as the primary liaison and coach to all LIFE & LEGACY partner organizations. Works with TJF staff, board and other lay leaders to help facilitate development efforts by planning, organizing, monitoring and assisting action plans. Promotes TJF and gift planning concepts to help cultivate new gifts with multiple generations of donors, including promotion of B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy Program. Candidate must have proven planning, time management and implementation skills, excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills, highly developed written and verbal communication skills, advanced critical thinking, ability to multi-task, with attention to detail. Must be able to handle confidential and sensitive information, and work independently. Qualifications: • Bachelor’s Degree • At least 3 years’ experience in one or more of these areas:

Development, marketing, financial planning, community relations, project management, foundations and/or grant making. • Proficient use of Windows and MS Office • Ability to understand and work within a customized database. Complete job description at www.jewishva.org

Submit cover letter, resume and salary requirements to: resumes@ujft.org Or call Human Resources director at 757-965-6117. EOE. The Tidewater Jewish Foundation is firmly committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, non-disqualifying disability, genetic information or military status.

jewishnewsva.org | March 6, 2017 | Jewish News | 43

obituaries Marianne Bern Cedar Rapids, Iowa—Marianne Adelheid Bern, 94, of Cedar Rapids, died peacefully holding her beloved children’s hands, Tuesday, February 21 at Cottage Grove Place. Survivors include her daughter, Cantor Jennifer Bern-Vogel and husband Ira Vogel of Los Angeles, California; her son, Dan Bern and wife Danielle Lesniewski of Saratoga Springs, New York; her sister, Eve Roberts of London, England; her grandchildren Sam E. Vogel and Lulu Pepper Juliana Bern; her nieces, Susan Hamlyn and Lynn Roberts Watson, both of London, England; and her nephew, John Bernstein (and wife Hanne) of Copenhagen, Denmark. Also surviving are dear, loyal, cherished, and devoted friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and her beloved husband, Julian Bern (Yehuda Bernstein), piano professor emeritus at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon. Marianne was born August 18, 1922

in Bielefeld, Germany, the daughter of Willy and Selma (Zehden) Katzenstein. She and her sister Eve were fortunate to be on one of the last Kindertransports (train and boat) out of Nazi Germany in 1939, and were welcomed safely as refugees in England. She married Julian Bern on May 31, 1952 in London, England. Before working as a secretary for many years at Cornell College, Marianne was proud of her work with the World Jewish Congress in London and Geneva, Switzerland. A lifelong linguist, Marianne enjoyed proofreading in many languages. She had a passionate love of music, literature, and all the arts. She belonged to the Community Theater in Mt. Vernon and Cedar Rapids; the Ingleside Book Club of Mt. Vernon; the Wednesday Shakespeare Club; the League of Women’s Voters; and was a longtime member of Temple Judah in Cedar Rapids. Memorials may be made to the Joan and David Thaler Holocaust Memorial

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Fund in care of Temple Judah; or Hospice of Mercy. Services were held at Temple Judah with Rabbi Todd Thalblum officiating. Burial took place at Eben Israel Cemetery in Cedar Rapids. Bernard H. Glaser Norfolk - Bernard H. Glaser, 87, passed away peacefully Wednesday, February 22, 2017, at Atlantic Shores Retirement Community in Virginia Beach. He was born and reared on Mozart Avenue, in the Campostella section of Norfolk, and was the youngest of Jack and Gussie Glaser’s seven children. He was predeceased by his parents, his six siblings (Beatrice Schlosberg, Evelyn Kerpelman, Leonard Glaser, Martin Glaser, Edith Mitnick, and Rose Wax), and by his loving wife of 61 years, Carol. Bernie, as he was known to his family and friends, lived in Norfolk for many years, and retired as a teacher from Norfolk City Schools. He and Carol eventually moved to Virginia Beach. Bernie was a well liked teacher at Maury, Norview, and Booker T. Washington High Schools, where he taught marketing and mentored many students, and also served as adjunct faculty at O.D.U. and T.C.C. He served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. Bernie was a long time member of Ohef Sholom Temple, and taught classes at their religious school. Survivors include a son, Martin Stanley Glaser (Stan) and his wife Kim; a daughter Janet Sturgis and her husband William (Billy); and three grandchildren Jonathan and Sarah Glaser and Rachel Sturgis, and numerous nieces and nephews. A graveside funeral service was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery with Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg officiating. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts, Norfolk. Online condolences may be offered to the family through www.hdoliver.com. Phyllis B. Kaplan Norfolk—Phyllis Berman Kaplan, 87, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 14 surrounded by her family. Phyllis was born August 18, 1929 in Norfolk, Virginia to Leonard and Frieda (Cohen) Berman. She graduated from

Maury High School at the top of her class. She attended Connecticut College for Women where, she always said, she got her “Mrs.” degree. It was there that she met the love of her life, a medical student at New York Medical College named Arthur Kaplan. They married in 1949, settling in Norfolk when Arthur began his medical practice in 1953. “Arthur and Phyllis” were a couple beloved by countless friends. It was impossible to think of the one without the other. Phyllis was an avid gardener of flowers, vegetables, and ornamentals. She was a Master Gardener at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, digging in the dirt with toddlers and seniors alike to her great delight. She competed side by side with her husband, up and down the Eastern seaboard, at rose and orchid shows, loading up their van with orchids and displays, to win multiple awards and make many lasting friends. She nurtured seeds, her children, and her beloved grandchildren with great care. She was a lifelong artist, decorating her home with oils and acrylics of scenes drawn from around her home, especially still lifes, landscapes, and orchids. Her family still measures their cooking success against the high standard of “Grandma’s brisket.” Phyllis was a Life Member of Hadassah, a member of the Beth El Temple Sisterhood in Norfolk, and a founding member of the Women’s Cabinet of the United Jewish Federation. She was also the former chair of the Ernie Morgan Center at the Norfolk Zoo. The oldest of three sisters, Phyllis was preceded in death by her sister Suzanne Goldberg, her son Roger Kaplan, and her beloved husband of 60 years, Arthur Kaplan. Left to cherish her memory are her sister Arlene (Howard) Kesser of Norfolk; her son Harvey Kaplan of Evanston, Illinois; her daughter Nancy Kaplan (George Peabody) of Acton, Massachusetts; her daughter-in-law Jayne Kaplan Warman of Hollywood, Florida; her grandchildren Avi Kaplan (Rella Kaplowitz), Leah (Jonathan) Kaplan Robins, Anna (Ruairi) Sweeney, and Katie Peabody, and three great grandchildren. Services were held at H.D. Oliver Funeral Apartments, with burial at Forest

obituaries Lawn Cemetery. Memorial donations can be made to the Arthur & Phyllis Kaplan Orchid Conservatory or to the Arthur & Phyllis Fund for Congregation Beth El, Tidewater Jewish Foundation, or Beth Sholom Home of Eastern Virginia. Online Condolences may be offered to the family at hdoliver.com. LAWRENCE PHILLIP LARRY ROESEN Virginia Beach—Lawrence Phillip Roesen, 80, a resident of Warwick Forest Retirement Community, passed away on Sunday, February 26, 2017. A native of Portsmouth, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of William & Mary, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the law school of the college. Larry was a partner in the firm of Dixon Hughes Goodman, CPAs prior to his retirement in 2002. Larry’s life encompassed every aspect of community service. As a dedicated member of the Mercury 64 and Oyster Point Kiwanis clubs, he served as president, board member, and committee chairs, receiving the Hixon Medal, the highest recognition this organization bestows. He was a member of Rodef Sholom Temple, where he served as vice president and treasurer and was a dedicated member of the Minyan Club. Peninsula Junior Arts Series, Peninsula United Way, the Estate Planning Council, Peninsula Society of CPAs, where he was vice president, and a long-time docent at Virginia Living Museum and Mariners’ Museum were among his many activities. Larry was a board member and officer of the United Jewish Federation, where he also served on the Cabinet of the United Jewish Appeal and was the recipient of the Young Leadership Award. It has been said that the true measure of a man is his love and dedication to family. In this, Larry Roesen was the finest example of a person who enriched the lives of all he touched. His was a life well lived and he was respected, honored, and cherished by his wife, children, grandchildren, extended family, friends, and colleagues. He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Linda Seltzer Roesen; his

son, Dr. Howard M. Roesen (Lisa); his daughter, Sharon Roesen Goldner (Mark); his four beloved grandchildren, Drew and Reed Goldner and Carly and Evan Roesen; his sister, Evelyn Newman; and a brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Steven and Sally Seltzer. He was pre-deceased by his brother, Burnley Roesen and his sister, Jeanne Roesen Richman. Graveside funeral services were conducted at the Jewish Cemetery of the Virginia Peninsula by Rabbi Severine Sokol. Memorial contributions to the Rodef Sholom Temple Relocation Fund, 401 City Center Boulevard, Newport News, VA 23606 or a charity of your choice. Weymouth Funeral Home.

Canary Islands who was buried in a Tel Aviv cemetery. Hilde Nathan’s final wish was to be laid to rest in Israel alongside her mother, the United With Israel organization said on its website. Nathan, who did not have a husband or children, died alone last month in the Canary Islands at 90. Knowing of her wishes, the Canary Island Jewish community, which numbers about 20, raised the money to fly her body to Israel for burial. The community put out a call through the Israeli media for mourners at her funeral, which was held Monday morning.

“Nathan always lived alone, but today it seems that the entire People of Israel has come to say goodbye. She lived alone but did not leave alone,” an Israeli Holocaust survivor, the only person at the funeral who was acquainted with her when she was alive, told the United With Israel website. Nathan, a native of Germany, was one of the few released from the Theresienstadt concentration camp by the Soviet army on May 8, 1945. Her father died shortly after the war and was buried in Germany, and she and her mother moved to the Canary Islands. Her mother died several years ago and was buried in Israel.

More than 200 Israelis attend funeral of Holocaust survivor they did not know JERUSALEM (JTA)—More than 200 Israelis attended the funeral of a complete stranger—a Holocaust survivor from the

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Grand Re-Opening!

Tidewater

Got an Israel Story?

Travel story? Family story? Favorite recipe?

tory Exchange, an arts-focused community engagement project, is looking for Israel stories. Tell an Israel story • Writers of all ages (including kids), backgrounds and experiences are invited to participate. • Write the story (approximately 500 words) based on the prompt, “What’s YOUR Israel Story?” • Email the story by April 3 to vibestoryexchange@gmail.com with the

subject line “ISRAEL.” Five story submissions will be selected and passed along to artists who will use the stories as inspiration to create a work of art (dance, song, sculpture, film, painting, poem) The selected stories and inspired works of art will be revealed and performed later this year—date and location TBA. Questions? Write to vibestoryexchange@ gmail.com or WWeissman@ujft.org.

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Community Relations Council’s 5th Annual Israel Poster Contest

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pplications for interest-free loans for higher education (college, graduate school, and vocational programs) are available to Jewish students for the 2017-2018 school year from JELF (Jewish Educational Loan Fund). The loan application is available on JELF’s website at jelf.org through April 30, and September 1–September 30. JELF loans are need-based and offer “last-dollar” financing, meaning that JELF provides the final dollars that bridge the gap between a student’s total financial resources and the cost of attending school.

Voting in person through March 8

allots are now being cast at the Simon Family JCC for the Israel advocacy posters submitted by local students. The posters are on display (and available for voting) in the Leon Family Art Gallery on the second floor of the Simon Family JCC. The 10 finalists (those 10 posters with the most votes) will be shared online March 10-31 and the community (the online community, which stretches worldwide) will be encouraged to vote for their favorite. Online voting will allow these facts about Israel and these young artists’

work to go viral—which means local kids can have an impact, advocating for Israel, around the globe. The winning poster, which will be announced on April 3, will be professionally framed and hang permanently at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus. Attendees of the community Israel Festival on Sunday, April 30 will receive a copy of the winning poster. For more information, contact Wendy Weissman, assistant director, Community Relations Council, at WWeissman@ujft.org.

UNITED JEWISH FEDERATION OF TIDEWATER

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

PUT A FACE TO YOUR BUSINESS! Join us for “a taste of camp”-a fun-filled this Event day of arts and crafts, a juggling demo and is free! workshop, gaga (Israeli dodgeball), minigolf, snacks, and more. Be sure to bring your swimsuit to enjoy open swim. visit www.campjccvb.org for info about camp jcc 2017.

Jasmine Amitay, jamitay@ujft.org Erin Dougherty, edougherty@simonfamilyjcc.org jewishva.org/societyofprofessionals

Available online and in print in Summer 2017.

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