CT Jewish Ledger • February 5, 2021 • 23 Shevat 5781

Friday, February 5, 2021 23 Shevat 5781 Vol. 93 | No. 6 | ©2021 $1.00 | jewishledger.com

SCANDAL

Delights (and incites) Antisemites

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JEWISH LEDGER

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Bennett Center for Judaic Studies LECTURES AND EVENTS: SPRING 2021

Don’t Miss A Single Virtual Moment

“A Growing Schism: Politics and Identity Among Orthodox and Non-Orthodox Jews”

“Hitler’s American Friends: The Third Reich’s Supporters in the United States”

Joshua Shanes, PhD, Associate Professor of Jewish Studies & Director of the Center for Israel Studies, College of Charleston.

Professor, California State University, Fresno.

Tuesday, February 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Sponsored by the Judaic Studies Program in collaboration with the Bennett Center

- free webinar

Bradley Hart, PhD, author and Associate Monday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m.

- free webinar

Sponsored by the Judaic Studies Program in collaboration with the Bennett Center

Samuel and Bettie Roberts Lecture in Jewish Art

Joan and Henry Katz Lecture in Judaic Studies

“Arthur Szyk & the Art of the Haggadah”

“The Rise and Destruction of the Jewish Fashion Industry, Berlin 1836 – 1939”

Irvin Ungar, rabbi and antiquarian book dealer specializing in historic Judaica. World’s foremost expert on the artist-activist, Arthur Szyk.

Co-editor, The Szyk Haggadah, publisher and editor, Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art (2017).

Wednesday, February 24 at 7:30 p.m.

- free webinar

15th Annual Lecture in Jewish and Christian Engagement

“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing: Jewish and Christian Women as Allies Against Racism” Ann Millin, PhD, historian and Ida E. King

Uwe Westphal, journalist and author, Fashion Metropolis Berlin (2019).

Tuesday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m - free webinar

Bennett Lecture in Judaic Studies

“State of Play: The Political Future of the American Jewish Community” David Axelrod, American political consultant and

Distinguished Visiting Professor of Holocaust Studies, Richard Stockton University.

strategist; CNN senior political commentator former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Obama.

Tuesday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Monday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m.

- free webinar

- free webinar

Co-sponsored with the Center for Catholic Studies

Virtual Events

Virtual Registration required at fairfield.edu/bennettprograms. For questions, contact the Bennett Center at bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or (203) 254-4000, ext. 2066 Event

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JEWISH LEDGER

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INSIDE

this week

CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | FEBRUARY 5, 2021 | 23 SHEVAT 5781

10 Opinion

11 Milestones

12/13 Briefs

14 Torah Portion

16 Around Connecticut

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A Vast Conspiracy............................4 What do Jews, wildfires and space lasers have in common? Just ask Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Teen Talk............................................5 Being a teen is tough. Being a teen during a pandemic is even tougher. With that in mind, one Stamford Jewish high school tackled the issue head on by taking time out for an innovative Mental Health Awareness Day.

Arts & Entertainment................. 15 The new film “Upheaval” is part of a larger effort to tell the story of the Jewish nation’s founding to young Jews, many of whom have barely a passing knowledge of the country, its accomplishments and its continuing struggles to survive.

Crossword

18 What’s Happening

19 Bulletin Board

20 Obituaries

21 Business and Professional Directory

Authors Corner..................................................................... 9 Jonathan Sacks’ final book wins top National Jewish Book Council Award.

22 Classified

ON THE COVER:

Multiple prominent Jewish money managers are involved in the GameStop scandal on both the winning and losing sides…and online antisemites have seized the opportunity to connect it all to age-old stereotypes about Jewish manipulation of the financial world. PAGE 5 jewishledger.com

The Ledger Scoreboard..................................................... 8 Members of Team Israel Start-Up Nation – who will compete at the World Tour level for the second time – come from all over the world and are mainly not Jewish. Still, they serve as ambassadors for the State of Israel.

CANDLE LIGHTING

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UP FRONT

CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | JANUARY 29, 2021 | 16 SHEVAT 5781

The Jewish angles to the GameStop stock saga, explained

BY GABE FRIEDMAN

Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy Upper School Raises Mental Health Awareness

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BY JUDIE JACOBSON

(JTA) – Even if you never pay attention to stock market news, you have probably gotten the sense that something unusual is happening right now, and it has to do with something called GameStop.

The video game store sits at the center of a dramatic “short squeeze” that has market watchers wondering whether stock trading could forever be changed. Multiple prominent Jewish money managers are involved in the saga, on both the winning and losing sides. Online antisemites have noticed, seizing the opportunity to connect it all to age-old stereotypes about Jewish manipulation of the financial world.

And like there was in the Bernie Madoff scandal, there’s a connection to the New York Mets.

Here’s what you need to know.

What went down (in plain English) On Tuesday, Jan. 26, GameStop’s stock price rocketed up over 90% of its previous price, sending shock waves through the entire stock market and the broader world of finance.

But the company, which has been hurt badly during the pandemic, did not suddenly change its business model or win the lottery – online groups, mostly on the social media site Reddit, rallied to the company’s defense, buying GameStop shares in an enormous spree. In their view, they were attempting to save the company from being “shorted” by hedge funds, which were betting big on the retail chain’s eventual demise.

The movement behind the stock jumps didn’t start on Tuesday. Bloomberg reported that chatter surrounding GameStop in particular began last October.

But years before that, an entire internet subculture has built up around watching stocks (referred to by those in the know as “stonks,” a purposefully comic misspelling), on sites such as Reddit and 4chan.

These so-called Reddittors – many of them with more time on their hands as jewishledger.com

The main squeeze victims in this story are Steve Cohen and Gabe Plotkin, two Jewish investors who are also two of the most successful hedge fund chiefs on Wall Street.

Cohen, the new owner of the New York Mets baseball franchise, had a net worth of over $14 billion as of last year. Plotkin, who once worked under Cohen, manages close to $8 billion in assets under his Melvin Capital firm. Plotkin has been honored by the Chabad Hasidic movement and worked with the Young Jewish Professionals networking group.

The effects on their assets have been huge. So far this month, Cohen’s Point72 hedge fund has lost 15% of its value. Melvin Capital has lost as much as 30% – a bill so steep that Plotkin asked Cohen and investment firm Citadel LLC, run by Dan Sundheim, for an emergency influx of cash (which they provided, to the tune of $2.75 billion).

But they aren’t the only Jewish characters involved. Ryan Cohen, CEO of the successful pet products company Chewy, is the largest stakeholder in GameStop, with about nine million shares, making him the big winner of the week. As of Wednesday, Jan. 27, he had made $3 billion from the fallout.

Then there’s Jewish troll extraordinaire Dave Portnoy, founder of the hugely popular blog and social media company Barstool Sports, who has emerged as one

TAMFORD – Life isn’t always easy. But getting through life as a teenager – dealing with the emotional challenges of transitioning between childhood and adulthood – can be especially difficult, even in the best of times. Add to that the stresses created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the level of angst and anxiety among teens is amped up even further.

Well aware that many teens were struggling with mental health issues and, moreover, that they did not feel comfortable sharing their experiences with others, BCHA Upper School principal Rabbi Shimmy Trencher, school counselor Angela Wilson, and special programs coordinator Ilana Bauman put their heads together and came up with an idea to give a voice to these students – and others like them – by bringing mental health awareness to the entire student body.

And so, on Thursday, Jan. 21, BCHA Upper School hosted an all-day schoolwide Mental Health Day program, designed, planned and coordinated by a group of Upper School students, with the guidance of Ms. Wilson, Ms. Bauman and Rabbi Trencher.

“The day began as a way to bring mental awareness to our school community and open up the conversation regarding mental health,” explains Angela Wilson who, in addition to serving as BCHA Upper School counselor, is a licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner who holds a Masters Degree in Psychiatric Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania.

“Ms. Bauman, [Upper School principal] Rabbi Trencher and myself wanted to create a seminar-type event that allowed students to have fun and engage in meaningful activities,” she said. “We had four outside speakers, a presentation by our principal and an activity by our school counselor.

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astronomical amounts so that the short sellers are, as the saying goes, “squeezed.”

Only it’s not $10 we’re talking about but billions of dollars.

After the soaring success of the GameStop squeeze, masses of online traders moved on to other companies with similar troll and nostalgia values that were also in danger of being shorted, such as the flailing movie theater chain AMC Entertainment Holdings and even Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. STEVE COHEN SPEAKS ON STAGE AT THE LINCOLN CENTER ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT GALA AT THE RAINBOW ROOM IN NEW YORK CITY, APRIL 10, 2019.

(DAVE KOTINSKY/GETTY IMAGES FOR LINCOLN CENTER)

sports betting has decreased during the pandemic – saw an opportunity in the case of GameStop to do several things: to financially dent the hedge funds that make billions of dollars by regularly betting on the failure of faltering companies; to “troll” the industry in what they view as a humorous way; to support a company they feel a special affinity for; and to show the collective power of those without huge sums of investment money to spend.

Here are the nuts and bolts of what they did, in the simplest terms possible, thanks to a Vulture article: Say your friend has a book worth $10.

You ask to borrow that book and promise to give it back to them in 10 days. You then sell that book to someone else for $10. You are betting that, in 10 days, you will be able to buy that book for cheaper. So in 10 days, you buy the book for $4 and return the book to your friend. You have made $6.

Now imagine that book is actually the stock of a company. (This is a highly reductive and possibly inaccurate description of what short sellers do.) But if, in that span of 10 days, that book’s value goes up to, say, $1,000, you will have to buy the book for $1,000 before you return it to your friend.

What the redditors are doing is basically pumping the price of that book/stock to

The main Jewish players

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Bi-Cultural CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

The student committee consisted of five students who all took the lead on different activities. They decided on two student panels and fun activities to break up the day.”

The day began with a keynote presentation by Marc Fein, who has spent 15 years in Experiential Jewish education and has run programs for thousands of teens and educators. Mr. Fein shared with the BCHA teens his own experience living with depression and presented an amusing and insightful perspective on what it means to live with a mental illness and how the teens can best support one another.

“Marc Fein was honest and open with us. He really set the tone for the day and inspired people to share their own experiences,” said junior Shira Haron.

In addition to Mr. Fein, Ms. Wilson, and Rabbi Trencher, who in addition to

serving as BCHA Upper School principal is also a licensed clinical social worker, other speakers included Eli Weinstein, LMSW, a licensed social worker who created ELIvation, a program to help those struggling add some extra inspiration and motivation into everyday life; Temimah Zucker, LCSW, who specializes in working with those suffering from eating disorders, disordered eating, body image dissatisfaction, and other mental health diagnoses; Rabbi Chagie Rubin, a longtime Jewish educator who is also an expert on superheroes and comic books, and two BCHA students who spoke about their own experiences with mental health.

“It was difficult talking about personal experiences, but we did a great job creating a safe space for the discussions and to support each other,” said senior Danielle Hadge, who led a panel discussion on

anxiety and was a member of the Mental Health Day Committee, along with Izzy Kanefsky, Jaime Zaritsky, Josh Schulman, and Menucha Goldberg, a sophomore who also led a panel discussion on Body Dysmorphia.

BCHA Upper School senior Ally Hadge saw some additional benefits to holding a Mental Health Day. “In addition to helping us,” she noted, “it also helped us to bond with each other and bring students closer together.” she said.

For Ilana Bauman, the day met its goal… and then some.

“I am incredibly grateful and in awe of our school for creating a space that fosters student authenticity, love, and growth, and I am even prouder of our students for diving into that environment head on, allowing themselves to be a part of that

conversation and contributing to building that space together,” she said. “The way that people trusted each other with vulnerable and real aspects of their identity, and the support and validation that was given and received by students and teachers was just awe-inspiring.

“Attending panels in which students spoke about their own experiences with mental health and watching students lead discussions with grace, strength, and bravery, was one of my proudest moments as a teacher and educator. As the student panelists spoke about what they are experts on–their own life experiences–other students started raising their hands to share about their own experiences as well.

One student’s vulnerability encouraged other students to be vulnerable. One student’s courage empowered others to be courageous. It was beautiful to witness.”

GameStop CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

of the leading public advocates for the mass of small investors who mostly remain anonymous on sites like Reddit. More on his reaction below.

The Robinhood response

BI-CULTURAL HEBREW ACADEMY UPPER SCHOOL SENIOR DANIELLE HADGE LED A PANEL DISCUSSION ON ANXIETY AS PART OF THE SCHOOL’S RECENT MENTAL HEALTH DAY PROGRAM.

Many of the rebellious traders use Robinhood, an app that allows users to trade stocks without fronting huge minimums of money. Its mantra: “Let the people trade.”

But on Thursday, Jan. 28, Robinhood shut down the trading around GameStop, AMC and other companies that the smallmoney investors had given a bump in an effort to curb market “volatility.” GameStop and other stocks predictably plummeted without the Redditors to keep them afloat.

That move enraged a wide spectrum of observers, especially since Robinhood is partially funded by Citadel. That fact has sparked claims that the hedge funds involved colluded to unfairly stop the bleeding.

Portnoy has been out in front on the issue, displaying his anger on Twitter.

“I will burn @RobinhoodApp to the ground if they shut down free market trading,” he wrote in one tweet that garnered nearly 100,000 likes.

Later on Thursday afternoon, Robinhood said it would allow users to start trading GameStop stock again on Friday.

The antisemitism BI-CULTURAL HEBREW ACADEMY UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS TOOK A BREAK TO DECORATE CUPCAKES – ONE OF THE FUN ACTIVITIES AT THE STAMFORD SCHOOL’S MENTAL HEALTH DAY.

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All of the above has made the whole scenario ripe for antisemitic exploitation.

Some of the most common age-old

antisemitic tropes include the idea that Jews secretly manipulate the world’s money.

In reaction to the Robinhood shutdown, antisemitic memes about the situation have cropped up on a sub-group of the main Reddit thread, r/wallstreetbets, and on 4chan, a site known for being full of crude antisemitic images.

Observers of the online far-right have also noticed that antisemitic groups are latching onto the moment, trying to sneak their beliefs into something that is snowballing into a wider “David vs. Goliath” movement.

Mets Madoff madness 2.0?

As a bonus to all of this, New York Mets fans are worried that the financial hit Cohen is taking could mirror the disaster that the team’s previous Jewish owners, the Wilpon family, went through after the Bernie Madoff scandal (which affected so many Jewish investors and institutions).

Cohen has earned praise throughout New York and around the sports world for committing to spending highly on top players and promising to turn the team into a perennial competitor.

Asked on Twitter – where he frequently interacts with fans – if the GameStop squeeze was going to impact the team, he bluntly said no.

One fan wrote: “Is this Gamestop business effecting[sic] the Mets payroll? I mean that’s the main story in all of this.”

“Why would one have anything to do with the other,” Cohen responded.

jewishledger.com

Marjorie Taylor Greene blamed deadly forest fire on ‘Rothschild Inc’ space lasers

BY BEN SALES

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE

(DUSTIN CHAMBERS/GETTY IMAGES)

(JTA) – Among the many posts being unearthed amid renewed scrutiny of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s social media history is one in which the new congresswoman implicated “Rothschild Inc” in connection with a deadly forest fire that, she wrote, was started using laser beams from space.

Greene, a freshman Republican from Georgia who made waves during the campaign for her promotion of the QAnon conspiracy theory, made the accusation in a 2018 Facebook post that is no longer visible. In the post, Greene offers a mix of evidence-free speculation as to what caused the 2018 Camp Fire, which burned more than 150,000 acres and killed 85 people.

In reality, the fire was determined to have been started by electrical wiring belonging to Pacific Gas and Electric.

In her post, Greene noted that Roger Kimmel, a board member at Pacific Gas and Electric, was also the vice-chairman of Rothschild Inc. Greene also wrote that PG&E had invested in technology to beam solar energy from space down to Earth. She claimed in the post that that technology had caused the fire. The post was first reported on Jan. 28 by Media Matters for America, a liberal media watchdog.

Suggesting that the Rothschild family is conspiring to cause damage for profit is a

longstanding antisemitic conspiracy theory, and one that is baked into the QAnon mythology.

Greene wrote that “there are too many coincidences to ignore.”

Greene has expressed overt and more subtle antisemitic theories over time. In 2018 she shared a video, also on Facebook, that lambasted “Zionist supremacists” and advanced the “great replacement” theory, which falsely alleges that Jews are conspiring to undermine white-majority countries by bringing in non-white immigrants.

Like others who have amplified the QAnon theory, Greene frequently calls George Soros, a Hungarian-American Jewish billionaire and mega-donor, an enemy of the people.

A video from 2019 shows her following Parkland, Florida, shooting survivor David Hogg as he walks in Washington, D.C., and accusing him of being funded by Soros.

Fred Guttenberg, the Jewish father and

gun-control advocate whose daughter Jaime was killed at Parkland, first shared the video this week.

In recent days, Green has also come under scrutiny for suggesting in the past that the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, was a “false flag” event. She has also advanced a conspiracy theory about the Sept. 11 attacks.

Greene amplified some of these ideas in Facebook posts that she deleted this week, shortly after joining Congress. It is unclear whether the Camp Fire post was among the recently deleted posts, or whether she made it unavailable previously.

Democrats are seeking to expel Greene from Congress, citing her expression of conspiracy theories and past social media posts threatening violence against lawmakers. But a two-thirds majority of Congress would need to approve for that to happen.

Republican leaders have appointed Greene to the House Education Committee.

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FEBRUARY 5, 2021

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As he reports, “This is very much a longterm commitment for me. I have committed to the end of my career. I’m in to give everything I can to help the team in every way possible, as well as improve myself and get back to the top.”

Froome will now be teammates with fellow starrider Dan Martin, who finished fourth overall in the 2020 Vuelta a Espana (one of cycling’s three Grand Tours, alongside the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia). Martin notes that he is pleased to be riding with Froome, saying “I am happy to see how the team has been strengthened; it gives me confidence. I know how much I can learn from Chris and the others. We can become a stronger team together. It’s a team effort.”

TEAM ISRAEL START UP NATION TRAINING IN SPAIN. CREDIT: NOA ARNON.

THE LEDGER SCOREBOARD

Second season revs up for Team Israel Start-up Nation

BY HOWARD BLAS

(JNS) When Israeli Guy Niv took his bar mitzvah trip with his father to watch the Tour de France, he never imagined that he would be back 13 years later as a rider. Niv, who is now with Team Israel Start-Up Nation (ISN), is the first Israeli to complete the most well-known cycling race in the world. He recently joined the team in Girona, Spain, for a training camp and returned soon after to Israel just before Ben-Gurion International Airport shut down for a week due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Niv, who started riding as a hobby at age 10, hopes to inspire young children’s interest in biking. Despite some uncertainty about the upcoming racing season due to COVID-19, he notes, “I am really excited for the new season and to see new faces, 8

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including big names, and to work with and learn from them. My motivation is very high.”

As for his participation in general, “it was a dream come true,” he says, keeping it all in perspective. “At the end of the day, it is a bike ride. It doesn’t change who you are and what you give to the world.”

Team Israel Start-Up Nation will compete at the World Tour level – the highest level of professional cycling – for just the second season. The team recently signed four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, who is currently completing rehabilitation from a serious bike injury in California. Froome, 35 a Kenyan-born British cyclist, made clear in a recent virtual press conference that he is very committed to the team and to Israel.

| FEBRUARY 5, 2021

‘True sportsmanship and determination’ The team owes much of its success to the dedication and passion of team co-owner, Canadian-Israeli billionaire, Sylvan Adams.

An avid and accomplished biker who won the 2017 World Masters Championship in Manchester, England, he is co-owner of the Israel Cycling Academy, and the visionary and funder behind the Sylvan Adams Velodrome – the first velodrome in Israel and the Middle East.

The velodrome, a cycle-racing track and a Tel Aviv architectural wonder located near the Hadar Yosef Athletic Stadium, was inaugurated in 2018. That happened just before Israel hosted the 101st Giro d’Italia bike race – the first time it ever took place outside of Europe. Adams reportedly donated $80 million for the race, in which 175 people cycled throughout Israel, including the final leg from Beersheva to Eilat.

Adams, who made aliyah five years ago from Montreal, has been at the forefront of showcasing Israel in a positive light in front of an international audience. In addition to bringing the Giro D’Italia to Israel, Adams brought soccer superstar Lionel Messi, and the national teams of Argentina and Uruguay, to Israel in November 2019 for a friendly soccer exhibition. Adams is proud of Israel and practical, always leveraging the popularity of these high-profile visitors to Israel and the extensive TV viewership around these events. “Messi has 230 million followers on social media,” notes Adams.

In 2018, Adams donated $5 million to SpaceIL, the nonprofit that nearly landed the first Israeli spacecraft (“Beresheet”) on the moon. And in 2019, he helped bring Madonna to Israel to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest, noting that she has “300 million music fans.”

Adams likes to say that he is engaged in “diplomacy, not politics.”

He adds, “The camera doesn’t lie. We are reaching out to show the true face of Israel.”

While his generosity is seen across many projects that promote Israel, cycling

remains his true passion. And he feels strongly that Israel Start-Up Nation is “not just a cycling team, but a mission.”

In fact, he sees ISN as “the only team in the world which is the Team of the Jewish people.”

Adams adds that the project has two goals–promoting cycling in Israel and “promoting the home country.” As he elaborates, “we are representing our home country around the world with true sportsmanship and determination.”

‘We respect our cultural traditions’ The team members, who come from all over the world and are mainly not Jewish, serve as ambassadors for Israel. Adams strives to bring team members to see Israel, though this year’s January training camp was relocated to Spain due to the pandemic and travel restrictions.

Froome looks forward to his next visit to Israel. “My only experience with Israel was at the Giro d’Italia 2018, and that blew me away. It was not at all what I expected.”

When team members come to Israel, they travel to such important sites as Jerusalem’s Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Yad Vashem and the bars, restaurants and beaches of Tel Aviv.

“We let them see Israel, we don’t preach,” says Adams, who is confident that cyclists will speak accurately and positively about Israel as they are interviewed by media around the world.

The riders even get a taste of Israel and Jewish culture on the road; Adams takes pride in having team Shabbat dinners all around the world. “At our training camps, we do Kiddush in front of the whole team.

This is in our DNA. We respect our cultural traditions. Even at the Tour de France, Guy made Kiddush, as we have as a people for 3,000 years.”

When Canadian rider, Guillaume Boivin, told family and friends in 2015 that he was planning to visit Israel, they were nervous. “I was struck by how welcoming and comfortable it was,” reports Boivan, the first rider recruited by Adams. “Tel Aviv is a fantastic city, and everyone was willing to help.”

Boivin continues to be an ambassador for Israel and hopes that his teammates will have the same experience he has had. “I think everyone should witness Israel – not just hear stories – and experience what the team means to the owners and creators.”

Adams hopes to bring new team members to Israel in the next few weeks before traveling to Dubai for the seven-day United Emirates Tour bike race from Feb. 21-27. If the pandemic cooperates, then Froome will make his debut there – in the United Arab Emirates following the recent signing of the Abraham Accords with Israel – on the world stage representing the Blue and White.

jewishledger.com

2020 NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARDS

BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO RABBI JONATHAN SACKS FOR MORALITY

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EW YORK, N.Y. – Jewish Book Council announced the winners of the 2020 National Jewish Book Awards, now in its 70th year. The winners include Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times

by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z”l, which was named the Everett Family Foundation Book of the Year. Rabbi Sacks’s final book draws on his own experiences, as well as texts by Jewish philosophers and scholars, to illustrate the importance of changing our world by shifting our focus to the collective good. This book will help ground Sacks’s legacy as one of the great Jewish thinkers of the 21st century.

Laura Arnold Leibman wins awards in three different categories with her impressive book The Art of the Jewish Family: A History of Women in Early New York in Five Objects: the Gerrard and Ella Berman Memorial Award for History, the American Jewish Studies Celebrate 350 Award, and the Women Studies Barbara Dobkin Award.

The second Jane and Stuart Weitzman Family Award for Food Writing and Cookbooks goes to Now for Something Sweet by the Monday Morning Cooking Club, which recognizes the tradition of Jewish community cookbooks and their role as social history, with this particular title highlighting stories from the Jewish community in Australia.

Top honors for fiction have been given to novels written by authors who are all receiving their first National Jewish Book Awards. The winners include Colum McCann’s Apeirogon, which was given the JJ Greenberg Memorial Award for Fiction; Max Gross’s The Lost Shtetl, the recipient of the The Miller Family Book Club Award in Memory of Helen Dunn Weinstein and June Keit Miller; and Rachel Beanland’s Florence Adler Swims Forever, the winner of the Goldberg Prize for Debut Fiction.

The winner of the Holocaust Award in Memory of Ernest W. Michel is The Unanswered Letter: One Holocaust Family’s Desperate Plea for Help by Faris Cassell. Nautilus and Bone by Lisa Richter wins the Berru Poetry Award in Memory of Ruth and Bernie Weinflash.

Arthur Green is awarded his first National Jewish Book Award for Judaism for the World: Reflections on God, Life, and Love in the category of Contemporary jewishledger.com

Jewish Life and Practice in Memory of Myra H. Kraft. In addition to being selected as the Everett Family Foundation Book of the Year, Rabbi Sacks’s Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times also receives the Modern Jewish Thought & Experience Dorot Foundation Award in Memory of Joy Ungerleider Mayerson.

The Krauss Family Autobiography & Memoir Award in Memory of Simon & Shulamith (Sofi) Goldberg is presented to Ariana Neumann for her memoir, When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father’s War and What Remains. The third annual Biography Award in Memory of Sara Berenson Stone is given to From Left to Right: Lucy S. Dawidowicz, the New York Intellectuals, and the Politics of Jewish History by Nancy Sinkoff, which was also named a Natan Notable Book from Natan Fund and Jewish Book Council in fall 2020.

This is the second consecutive year Lesléa Newman has won a National Jewish Book Award, this year for the Children’s Picture Book category for her new book Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail illustrated by Susan Gal. Gavriel Savit receives the Young Adult Award for The Way Back, his second National Jewish Book Award. For the first time, Jewish Book Council is proud to present a Middle Grade Literature Award, with this year’s prize going to Anne Blankman for The Blackbird Girls.

Deborah Harris, Israel’s premier literary agent, is the recipient of this year’s Mentorship Award in Honor of Carolyn Starman Hessel. Beyond her work nurturing Israeli authors, Harris is tireless in her effort to put Israeli books in translation into international markets.

A complete list of the 2020 National Jewish Book Award winners and finalists can be found at jewishbookcouncil.org.

The winners of the 2020 National Jewish Book Awards will be honored on Monday, April 12, 2021 at 7:00PM ET at a virtual awards ceremony.

At the Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation, we understand that comfort and familiarity is a key part of the journey to wellness. We also understand that maintaining your religious beliefs and principles is fundamental in continued enrichment of life.

Our Kosher meal services allow residents to maintain their dietary requirements throughout their stay with us. At the Hebrew Center, we ensure we follow all principles of Kosher including purchase, storage, preparation, and service.

At the Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation, we also offer a variety of other services and amenities to ensure your stay is as comfortable as possible.

THESE SERVICES INCLUDE: • Passport to Rehabilitation Program • Long-Term Skilled Nursing Care • Specialized Memory Care • Respite Care Program • Palliative Care and Hospice Services Coordination

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For more information on our Kosher program, please contact: DIRECTOR, PASTORAL SERVICES - (860) 523-3800 Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation One Abrahms Boulevard, West Hartford, CT 06117

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Opinion

My Holocaust survivor mother made me a better general

EDITORIAL Stacey Dresner Massachusetts Editor staceyd@jewishledger.com • x3008 Tim Knecht Proofreader

BY BENNY GANTZ

(JTA) – I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that 2020 was one of the toughest years that the world has endured in recent history. On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I reflect on the lessons I learned from my parents, both Holocaust survivors, who taught me the capacity for both evil and kindness that exists within the human spirit.

Even as a general who witnessed up close the ravages of war, and as a politician who engages in challenging political battles, I couldn’t have foreseen the current state of affairs facing the Jewish people today.

For many years, we have seen the rise of antisemitism disguised in its many faces, shapes and forms. But nothing could have prepared me for the moment when I saw a shirt with the words “Camp Auschwitz” at the insurrection on Capitol Hill, the symbol of American democracy.

At the same time, seeing these manifestations of hate is not surprising.

Antisemitism always rears its ugly head during times of stress. Hatred always thrives when there is a lack of love; darkness always prevails in the absence of light.

We can learn this lesson from the history of 1930s Germany: Isolated and humiliated, forced to carry the shame and responsibility for World War I on its shoulders, suffering from inflation, unemployment and poverty, the fractured German society turned toward violence and hatred, placing the blame for their woes on the Jews.

In a report issued this week by the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, we see an alarming rise in anti-Jewish sentiment worldwide in 2021. Especially alarming is the widespread growth of malignant conspiracy theories that often blame the world’s troubles on the Jews.

We must not allow the past to repeat itself. We must understand once and for all that division leads to polarization and extremism, which in turn lead to hate and violence. A fragmented society whose members feel alienated and marginalized is a society ready to target those it holds responsible for its troubles.

My mother endured firsthand the consequences of the Nazi ideology of hate in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

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BENNY GANTZ: “A FRAGMENTED SOCIETY WHOSE MEMBERS FEEL ALIENATED AND MARGINALIZED IS A SOCIETY READY TO TARGET THOSE IT HOLDS RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS TROUBLES.”

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But after surviving and rebuilding her life in Israel, she always ensured that she spoke softly and respectfully, even to those with whom she disagreed.

In any military campaign or operation I led, my mother always asked me if I had remembered to provide humanitarian aid, medicine and food for the civilian population on the other side. I imagine she must have been very proud when she looked down at me from heaven on the day that the Israeli army offered to treat casualties from Syria’s bloody civil war; perhaps even more proud than the day I was promoted to the rank of general. I remember she held me, smiling, and then calmly said: “Now General – please take out the trash.” She always understood the value of human connection and the perils of alienation.

She understood that the human fabric of society is what deters people from turning to hateful ideologies as a way of filling the void.

Looking at global trends today, I am deeply troubled by the growing social and political divisions across Europe and the United States, even at home in Israel, and by the hate-filled online discourse that, regrettably, we’ve come to know so well. They represent the most fertile soils for xenophobia and antisemitism.

As someone fortunate enough to head the

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defense establishment of the miracle that is the State of Israel, I will not know peace until every Jew, near or far, feels secure.

Protecting the people of Israel, who lived as a persecuted minority for over 2,000 years, will always be the absolute imperative for this Jewish general.

That was my parents’ legacy to me.

But I know that without global action to stop extremists and their attacks against the Jewish people, we won’t manage to curb this troubling trend. World leaders must immediately and uncompromisingly reject any expression of antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Simultaneously, they must also work to advocate for tolerance, and for creating bridges among communities.

These two efforts must go hand in hand in order for us to truly rid this world of antisemitism, bigotry and hate.

So with the spirit of my mother dwelling within me always, I remember and remind others that hatred can only give birth to more hatred and that darkness cannot be driven away by more darkness. No, my friends, that requires something far more powerful. That requires light.

Benny Gantz is Israel’s Defense Minister, the Israel Defense Force’s 20th Chief of Staff, and Chairman of the Blue and White Party.

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MILESTONES Dr. Richard Nabel to be honored

by New England Jewish Academy

W

EST HARTFORD – Dr. Richard B. Nabel of West Hartrford has been named the recipient of the New England Jewish Academy (NEJA) 2021 President’s Award.

Nabel will be presented with his award at NEJA’s 2021 Annual Gala & Awards Event to be held Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. The staff of the West Hartford school will also be honored at the virtual event.

Nabel, who was hired as the head of general studies at the Hebrew High School of New England in 2012. When the school formally merged with the Bess and Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy of Greater Hartford in 2019, he served as the interim head of school, before settling into his current role of Upper Division principal.

Dr. Nabel holds a B.A. with distinction in English from Franklin and Marshall College, a judicial degree from the UConn School of Law, an M.A. in Education, a Sixth Year degree in Educational Administration from the University of Hartford, and an Ed.D in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. He has taught at the elementary and high school levels, and served as high school principal in East Haddam, Naugatuck, Hamden, and Brookfield.

After retiring for the first time in 2006, he spent two years as Superintendent of schools in Monson, Massachusetts, retiring again in 2008 before signing on to supervise an after school Federal Title I program in reading and math. Upon his third retirement in 2012, he joined the administrative team at HHNE/NEJA. Nabel

HASSLE FREE LIVING There’s no place like

has reportedly accepted the reality that he does not know how to retire.

NEJA’s Class of 2021, Student Council members, and parents have joined together to create a virtual showcase celebrating the 33 faculty members who inspire and educate students as young as two years old, throughout their elementary, middle, and high school years. The Gala & Awards Event will also feature a silent auction featuring outdoor adventure packages, museum passes, travel opportunities, spa packages, jewelry, pottery, artwork, pet care services, ski passes, and gift packages from more than 60 companies. Guests have the option of purchasing a catered dinner from West Hartford’s The Crown Market, which will be available for curbside pickup at NEJA prior to the event.

For information and reservations and advertising opportunities in the digital program, visit neja.org/gala2021/.

Foundation selected to lead Greater Hartford’s LIFE & LEGACY Initiative

T

he Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford has been selected to join 69 other Jewish Community Foundations and Jewish Federations in the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s (HGF) Life & Legacy program. A nationwide Jewish legacy giving initiative, Life & Legacy has secured more than 28,000 afterlifetime commitments with an estimated value of over a billion dollars for Jewish organizations across North America.

In partnership with HGF and local Jewish organizations, the Foundation will lead a local Life and Legacy community-wide initiative to promote after-lifetime giving to benefit Jewish day schools, synagogues, social service organizations and other Jewish entities. Organizations will participate in a four-year curriculum initiative that provides coaching, training and incentive grants to ensure that legacy giving becomes further integrated in the philanthropic culture of the community.

“We are thrilled to be chosen by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation to lead the Life & Legacy program in Greater Hartford,” says Jacob Schreiber, president and CEO of the Foundation. “This partnership will help us build a strong core of legacy commitments in Greater Hartford that will ensure a vibrant Jewish community for generations to come.”

For more information, contact Elana MacGilpin at emacgilpin@jcfhartford.org. jewishledger.com

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Briefs Biden UN nominee pledges to combat anti-Israel bias, BDS, Iranian threat (JNS) President Joe Biden’s nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations pledged on Wednesday, Jan. 27 to combat the anti-Israel bias at Turtle Bay. “I look forward to standing with Israel, standing against the unfair targeting of Israel, the relentless resolutions proposed against Israel unfairly,” said Linda ThomasGreenfield at her nomination hearing in front of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “I look forward to working with Israel to develop a strategy with them for engaging with countries that would appreciate having Israel’s expertise to support their development efforts.”

Thomas-Greenfield, a 35-year diplomat, expressed hope that those countries that have normalized ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords–the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco – “will also see some opportunities to be more cooperative at the U.N. and more supportive of Israel’s presence there.”

On Iran, Thomas-Greenfield assured that the Biden administration will work to prevent the regime from getting a nuclear weapon. Thomas-Greenfield said America would work with its allies and other members of the U.N. Security Council to “ensure that we hold Iran accountable.”

Additionally, she noted that the United States would rejoin the U.N. Human Rights Council and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO. The United States withdrew from the UNHRC in June 2018 after then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley cited the world body’s “chronic” bias against Israel as one of the primary factors for the withdrawal.

The United States defunded UNRWA in September 2018, claiming that the refugee agency, which serves Palestinians, inflates the number of Palestinian refugees and furthers the Palestinian refugee problem.

Critics have also said that UNRWA has inspired violence against Israel.

Finally, Thomas-Greenfield expressed opposition to the BDS movement against Israel, saying that it is “unacceptable” and “verges on antisemitic,” and “it’s important that they not be allowed to have a voice at the U.N., and I intend to work against that.”

Researchers find ID tags of 4 Jewish children killed at Sobibor (Israel Hayom via JNS) Personal identification tags bearing the names of four Jewish children who were deported to the Sobibor extermination camp in Poland have 12

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recently been retrieved in an archaeological excavation at the site. The metal tags, worn around the neck, carry the names of young Dutch Jews Lea Judith De La Penha, Deddie Zak, Annie Kapper and David Juda Van der Velde – all from Amsterdam – who ranged in age from 5 years old to 11. Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Yoram Haimi, who ran the dig in conjunction with colleagues from Poland and the Netherlands, said that as far as he knows, ID tags bearing the names of children had been found only at Sobibor.

Haimi said that it is likely that the tags, which also note the children’s birthdates and hometown, were prepared by their parents.

“They probably wanted to make sure they could find their loved ones. The metal tags allow us to attach faces and stories to the names [of the murdered Jews],” he explained.

To find out more about the children who wore the tags, researchers reached out to the memorial center at the Westerbork transit camp. “I’ve been digging at Sobibor for 10 years. This was the most difficult day,” said Haimi. “We called the center and gave them the names. They sent pictures of young, smiling kids to our phones. The hardest thing is to hear that one of the kids whose tag you’re holding in your hand arrived at Sobibor on a train full of children ages four to eight, who were sent here to die alone.”

ADL: ‘Twitch’ is most effective social platform at curbing Holocaust denial (JTA) – How well are the world’s most prominent social media companies rooting out Holocaust denial on their platforms?

Not at all, the Anti-Defamation League concluded after reviewing their policies this month – and then testing how those policies are put into practice.

Only Twitch, the platform for games, earned a “B” grade from the organization, which has been lobbying social media companies to take a stronger stance against hate on their platforms. Twitch both formally bars Holocaust denial and removed a post that an ADL investigator flagged as containing Holocaust-denying content, according to the group’s first-ever “Online Holocaust Denial Report Card,” released Wednesday, Jan. 27.

Facebook, which the ADL and other groups last year targeted in an advertising boycott because of its policing of hate, adopted an explicit policy barring Holocaust denial in October, in an about-face for its CEO Mark Zuckerberg. But when an ADL investigator flagged a video in which a man who runs a group that recently distributed antisemitic flyers says that no mass murder of Jews took place, Facebook said the content did not violate its policy, according to the group. (At least one version of that video was readily available on Facebook

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through a Spanish-language search Tuesday night.) The ADL gave Facebook a “D.” Facebook announced Wednesday, Jan. 27 – International Holocaust Remembrance Day – that it would begin directing people who search for information about the Holocaust toward accurate third-party information, using the same approach it has taken to combat misinformation about elections and COVID-19.

That strategy helped propel a different network, YouTube, to a “C” grade on the ADL’s report card. The video network actively directs users who search for “holohoax” and other denial terms toward content containing accurate information about the Holocaust.

Other companies that earned middling grades on the ADL’s report similarly met some but not all of the organization’s benchmarks. Twitter, for example, does not bar Holocaust denial as a matter of policy, but it removed content that the ADL flagged as being offensive. The video platform TikTok, meanwhile, did not respond to the ADL’s report of Holocaust-denial content within 24 hours, but the group determined that the app polices its own content adequately. The ADL did not examine any of the newer networks to which extremists have been flocking as the major networks have cracked down on conspiracy theories and content that could incite. Those include Parler, Gab and Telegram.

The ADL’s report notes that even when policies barring Holocaust denial are implemented effectively 99% of the time, the size of the platforms means that a significant number of posts including Holocaust denial would make it online.

Each of those posts, the report says, “represents the lived experience of at least one human being per comment, a person exposed to harassment, a threat of violence, misinformation or some other harmful phenomena.”

Democrats Joaquin Castro and others criticize Israel on vaccines for Palestinians (JTA) – Joaquin Castro, a top foreign policy Democrat in the House, has joined a handful of other Democrats in criticizing Israel for not supplying Palestinians with the coronavirus vaccine. “I commend Israel for leading the world on vaccinating its people, but I’m disappointed and concerned by their government’s exclusion of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation from these vaccination efforts, despite making COVID vaccines available to Israeli settlers in the West Bank,” Castro, of Texas, told Haaretz this week. Castro’s criticism is significant: He is considered one of the leaders of the party’s progressive wing and vice chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Speaker Nancy Pelosi picked Castro this week to be one of nine

impeachment managers taking the U.S. House of Representatives impeachment of former President Donald Trump to the Senate for trial in February.

A number of other Democrats, including Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Jamaal Bowman of New York, and Marie Newman of Illinois, have also criticized Israel for excluding the Palestinians, as has J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group. Tlaib, a Palestinian American who noted her West Bank grandmother’s vulnerability to the virus, called Israel “racist,” drawing rebukes from Jewish groups and some other Democrats.

Israel says it is not required to vaccinate West Bank Palestinians under international law and prior agreements with the Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority leadership has said it prefers to receive vaccines from other sources.

Amar’e Stoudemire, now a Brooklyn Nets coach, doesn’t work on Shabbat (JTA) – Amar’e Stoudemire, the former NBA star and Israeli team owner, who converted to Orthodox Judaism in August, is still settling into his new job as an assistant player development coach for the Brooklyn Nets. One fact that is helping him get comfortable: The team is not forcing him to work on Shabbat, which he observes.

Writing about Stoudemire and his new gig in December, Marc Stein of The New York Times reported that the team was still working through how to deal with the star’s request about the Jewish Sabbath. Stein wrote that Stoudemire was having a little trouble adjusting to being called a “coach” while not being officially retired as a player.

Last year Stoudemire played for Maccabi Tel Aviv and helped the Israeli club win a championship in the country’s top league.

On Monday, Stein tweeted that the team has agreed to Stoudemire’s ask. “[T]he Nets are granting Shabbat off to Stoudemire every week – Friday sundown through Saturday sundown,” Stein wrote. Stoudemire, once an All-Star for the Phoenix Suns, detailed his Jewish journey in recent talk with the UJAFederation of New York.

Biden recalls Charlottesville march on Holocaust Remembrance Day (JTA) – President Joe Biden recalled the deadly “Unite the Right” neo-Nazi march in 2017 in his statement Wednesday marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, saying that Holocaust awareness must address current threats of genocide. “The horrors we saw and heard in Charlottesville in 2017, with white nationalists and neoNazis spewing the same anti-Semitic bile we heard in the 1930s in Europe, are the reason I ran for president,” Biden said in a jewishledger.com

statement. “Today, I recommit to the simple truth that preventing future genocides remains both our moral duty and a matter of national and global importance.”

Biden in his statement quoted the only Holocaust survivor to ever serve in Congress, the late Tom Lantos. “Silence is complicity,” the president said. “As my late friend and Holocaust survivor, Tom Lantos, so frequently reminded us: ‘The veneer of civilization is paper-thin. We are its guardians, and we can never rest.’

When hatred goes unchecked, and when the checks and balances in government and society that protect fundamental freedoms are lost, violence and mass atrocities can result.’”

Biden freezes sale of stealth jets to UAE, according to report (JTA) – President Joe Biden froze the sale of stealth jets to the United Arab Emirates, removing at least for now a key Trump administration incentive to the Emirates to normalize relations with Israel. The Wall Street Journal reported reported Wednesday that the Biden administration had frozen arms sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia. It quoted an official as saying that such freezes to review a previous administration’s arms deals are routine.

However, Biden also campaigned on rolling back U.S. support for the war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and UAE forces have backed the government.

Additionally, Biden has said that he wants to tamp down tensions in Yemen as a means of drawing Iran into resuming its full observance of the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump pulled out of tin 2018, saying the deal trading sanctions relief for a rollback of nuclear capabilities was not strong enough.

The Trump administration negotiated the sale of the F-35 stealth jets separately from its brokering of the Abraham Accords, which normalize relations between Israel and four Arab states, including the UAE. However, it was clear from administration statements that the jets sale was an incentive. The accords are signed and underway. It’s not clear how the freeze on the jets sale would affect them.

51 Jewish organizations adopts antisemitism definition (JNS) A coalition of 51 Jewish and proIsrael organizations has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism on Thursday, Jan. 21.

The organizations are members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, which announced the adoption on Tuesday, Jan. 26, the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The two other members of the umbrella jewishledger.com

organization, Americans for Peace Now and the Workers Circle, did not adopt the definition. Americans for Peace Now, which is highly critical of Israeli policy.The Workers Circle, a Yiddish culture group, did not comment on the announcement.

The IHRA definition says: “AntiSemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” The adoption follows the approval (without objection) of a Conference of Presidents resolution calling for member organizations to adopt the IHRA definition in November. The definition received bipartisan support in Congress and builds upon definitions endorsed by the last three presidential administrations.

“The IHRA definition, which is anchored in the principles of human and civil rights, as well as anti-discrimination principles and policy, serves as an educational tool to assist local, state, and national authorities that are responsible for identifying, combating, and monitoring anti-Semitism and hate speech. … It also helps to educate the public about the multi-dimensional and evolving nature of anti-Semitism today,” said the organization in a statement.

A group of left-wing Jewish and Israeli groups issued a joint statement this month in opposition to adopting the definition, claiming that doing so would silence criticism of Israel. The collection of groups–known as the Progressive Israel Network–include Ameinu, Americans for Peace Now, Habonim Dror North America, Hashomer Hatzair World Movement, Jewish Labor Committee, J Street, New Israel Fund, Partners for Progressive Israel, Reconstructing Judaism and T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. The Conference of Presidents pushed back, penning a letter to then-President-elect Joe Biden stating that the definition “is now the most comprehensive and authoritative definition of anti-Semitism” and therefore “all federal departments and agencies” should consider adopting it. Agencies charged with carrying out Title VI are already required to do so.

Over the last several years, the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism has been adopted by countries and organizations across the world as the standard to help combat rising antisemitism.

UN Secretary-General: World alliance needed to combat antisemitism (JNS) Speaking at the annual Park East Synagogue and United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Service on Jan. 26, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Propaganda linking

Jews with the pandemic, for example, by accusing them of creating the virus as part of a bid for global domination, would be ridiculous, if it were not so dangerous,” he said. This is just the latest manifestation of an antisemitic trope that dates back to at least the 14th century, when Jews were accused of spreading the bubonic plague,” he added. Guterres said this dangerous and latest manifestation of antisemitism has been exacerbated by the spread of “propaganda and disinformation” through the growth of social media and must be seen “in the context of a global attack on truth that has reduced the role of science and fact-based analysis in public life.”

Citing a study by the Claims Conference, Guterres noted that almost two-thirds of young Americans do not know that 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust. The 50-state study conducted in 2018 showed an alarming and distorted understanding of the Holocaust by those born since 1980.

Times Square’s new ‘Margaritaville Resort’ to include synagogue (JTA) – A splashy new outpost of singer Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Resort empire coming to New York’s Times Square will include a synagogue. The historic Garment Center Congregation will be on the ground floor and two sub-floors of the entertainment complex, which will include hotel rooms, restaurants and bars, the New York Post reports. The synagogue rented space on the property from a previous owner, the New School, and the buyer was required to negotiate with the congregation.

Buffett parlayed his “easy in the islands” vibe into a vast entertainment company, which includes tropical-themed hotels and casinos. The Manhattan complex at 560 Seventh Ave., expected to be completed in late spring, will feature Times Square’s only outdoor pool – and Margaritaville’s only synagogue.

Bernie Sanders mitten merchandise raises $1.8 million for charities (JTA) – Bernie Sanders found a way to turn his superstar social media status into some significant charity – $1.8 million, to be exact, for several charitable organizations across his home state of Vermont. In case you missed it: A photo of the Jewish senator at the presidential inauguration ceremony wearing homemade mittens went viral last week. In response, Sanders’ website sold a variety of merchandise with the image on it, including sweatshirts and mugs, pledging to donate the proceeds to charity.

The beneficiaries include Meals on Wheels, the culinary training program Feeding Chittenden, the youth development Chill Foundation, senior centers in the state

and Bi-State Primary Care for dental care, Sanders’ office said.

Angela Merkel participates in historic Torah scroll writing ceremony (JTA) – Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel observed the finishing of a refurbished Torah scroll in an event marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in Berlin on Wednesday, Jan. 27. The 18th century Sulzbacher Torah, which survived the National Socialist Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938 and lay unnoticed for decades in a cabinet in a synagogue in Amberg, Bavaria, was brought back to ritually usable condition thanks to a 45,000 euro donation from the German federal government. In June, the Torah will be used once again for services in the Amberg synagogue.

In the Reflection and Prayer Room in the Reichstag, or German parliament building, Merkel sat by as Shaul Nekrich, rabbi of the city of Kassel, inscribed the final 12 letters of the scroll. The chancellor, who will step down following national elections in September, was among several dignitaries who took part in the ceremony.

This was one of several events in Germany marking the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. The ceremony was broadcast on the German parliament’s website.

The Sulzbacher Torah had lain forgotten until 2015, when Rabbi Elias Dray found it in the shrine of the Amberg synagogue, where he officiates. Written for the synagogue in nearby Sulzbach, Bavaria, it had been moved to Amberg in 1934, one year after Hitler took power. It was there unnoticed there for some 70 years.

The only damage was due to the “ravages of time,” according to a statement from the Conference of European Rabbis. The local Jewish community could not afford the costs of restoration. Bavarian member of parliament Barbara Lanzinger, who is Catholic, was able to secure German federal funding. The restoration was carried out by Jehuda Freund in Bnei Brak, Israel, and the Torah was kept temporarily at the Jewish Museum Berlin before the completion ceremony.

“With its ceremonial completion by the highest constitutional, the Sulzbach Torah scroll symbolizes a new pact to protect Jewish life in Germany and to make it possible in the long term,” Dray said in a statement.

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| FEBRUARY 5, 2021

recently came across a passage in a book by Rabbi Yitzchak Yaakov Reines (1839-1915), the head of a very innovative yeshiva in Lida, Lithuania, and one of the founders of the Mizrachi Religious Zionist movement.

A prolific writer, in his book Nod Shel Demaot (“A Flask of Tears”), Rav Reines writes about the important role that mothers play in the development of their sons and daughters. He claims that it is not only the father’s teaching that motivates the budding Jewish leader. Rather, it is the mother’s feminine intuition and maternal compassion that are, at the very least, equally formative.

The sources of his thesis include a verse from this week’s Torah portion, Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:23), in which we read that the Lord called to Moses from the mountain and said, “Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and declare to the children of Israel…you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…” (ibid 19:3-6).

The Midrash explains that “the house of Jacob” refers to women and “the children of Israel” to men. Both men and women must be involved if we are to become “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

“Why the women?” asks the Midrash, and answers, “Because they are the ones who can inspire their children to walk in the ways of Torah.”

Rav Reines also refers to the words in the first chapter of Proverbs, in which King Solomon says: “My son, heed the discipline (mussar) of your father, and do not forsake the instruction (Torah) of your mother” (Proverbs 1:8). From this verse, it seems that the mother’s message may be even more important for the child’s guidance than that of his father. After all, father merely admonishes the child with words of “discipline,” whereas mother imparts nothing less than the “instruction” of the Torah itself.

Finally, Rav Reines offer a biographical analysis of a great Talmudic sage, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya. Of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya, we learn, “Ashrei yoladeto, happy is she who gave birth to him.” Of all the outstanding disciples, only Rabbi Yehoshua’s mother is brought into the picture. Why? Rav Reines responds by relating an important story recorded in Bereshit Rabba 64:10. It tells of a time, not long after the destruction of the Second Temple, when the Roman rulers decided to allow the Jewish people to rebuild the Temple. Preliminary preparations

were already under way when the Kutim, usually identified with the Samaritan sect, confounded their plans. They maligned the Jews to the Romans and accused them of disloyalty. Permission to rebuild was revoked.

Having come so close to realizing this impossible dream, the Jews gathered in the valley of Beit Rimon with violent rebellion in their hearts. They clamored to march forth and rebuild the Temple in defiance of the Roman’s decree. However, the more responsible leaders knew that such a provocation would meet with disastrous consequences. They sought for a respected figure, sufficiently wise and sufficiently persuasive, to calm the tempers of the masses and quell the mutiny. They chose Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya for the task.

Rabbi Yehoshua used a fable as the basis of his argument: A lion had just devoured its prey, but a bone of his victim was stuck in his throat. The lion offered a reward to anyone who would volunteer to insert his hand into his mouth to remove the bone. The stork volunteered, and thrust its long neck into the lion’s mouth and extracted the bone. When the stork demanded his reward, the lion retorted, “Your reward is that you can forevermore boast that you had thrust your head into a lion’s mouth and lived to tell the tale.

Your survival is sufficient reward.” So, too, argued Rabbi Yehoshua, our survival is our reward. We must surrender the hope of rebuilding our Temple in the interests of our national continuity.

Rav Reines argues that this combination of cleverness and insight into the minds of men was the result of his mother’s upbringing. Rabbi Yehoshua was chosen for this vital role in Jewish history because the other leaders knew of his talents, and perhaps even knew that their source was to be traced back to his mother, of whom Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai had exclaimed, “Happy is she who gave birth to him.”

Rav Reines’ insight is important for us to remember. Our tradition urges us to embrace the role of the mother not just in the child’s physical and emotional development, but in his or her spiritual and religious growth as well.

We would do well to remember that Rav Reines is simply expanding upon God’s own edict to Moses at the very inception of our history: “Speak to the house of Jacob! Speak to the women as well as to the men.”

Mothers, at least as much as fathers, are essential if we are to create a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A film on Menachem Begin hits home for an Israeli musician

BY JUDITH FLEISCHER

(Intermountain Jewish News via JNS) Rem Bashari remembers growing up in a poor neighborhood in the city of Rishon Letzion, just south of Tel Aviv, and watching the dramatic changes in his community set into motion when Menachem Begin became prime minister in 1977.

“Under his leadership, there was Project Renewal, renewing those neighborhoods that were disadvantaged,” said Bashari, whose family immigrated to Israel from Yemen in the 1930s and 1940s. “There was huge development in these neighborhoods – roads, communications, institutions.”

More than infrastructure, though, the changes initiated by Begin’s Project Renewal also awakened in Bashari one of the key passions of his life: music.

Today, the Denver CPA and investment adviser is also a performing and recording musician thanks to Project Renewal, which launched an after-school music program that Bashari attended as a boy.

“That’s when I first learned guitar,” said Bashari. “My exposure to music was in the time of Begin – because of Begin.”

Now Bashari is using his musical talent to honor Begin in an upcoming documentary about Begin’s life and his impact on Israel and the Jewish people.

Produced by Denver’s Hidden Light Institute, the film, “Upheaval: The Journey of Menachem Begin,” will debut at the the virtual JCC Denver Jewish Film Festival, which starts on Feb. 8.

In it, Bashari sings the closing theme, “Tsion Tamati, Zion the Perfect One” – a song that sets to music the words of the poet Menachem Mendel Dolitsky as he promises never to abandon Israel.

‘A figure of admiration in my family’ It is a vow that was also a central theme in Menachem Begin’s life. “Upheaval” is more than a biopic. It tackles the dynamics of leadership through the lens of Begin’s tumultuous life.

Despite his achievements – including sealing a peace treaty with Egypt that jewishledger.com

earned him the Nobel Peace Prize, welcoming to Israel Jews of many ethnicities and cultures, and being the first to tackle contentious issues, such as the sensitive dynamics of relations between Jews and Arabs, Sephardis and Ashkenazis, blacks and whites – Begin is often painted as one-dimensional.

Some dismiss him as a terrorist for actions he took to ensure the creation and survival of Israel and which, in some cases, cost many lives. The film does not shy away from those decisions and events. It recounts the flaws as well as the achievements of this complex leader.

Bashari remembers hearing his grandparents tell stories about British soldiers searching their Yemenite community to find Begin, who at one point had gone into hiding. The community, he said, were “strong supporters” of his efforts to establish a Jewish state.

“Begin was always a figure of admiration in my family,” he said. “For me, hearing the stories from my grandparents from the time before Israel was formed added to my experience as a child.”

In telling the story of his life, the 87-minute documentary also chronicles the history of modern Israel, from the Holocaust to Begin’s death in 1988, touching on wars, peace, diplomacy and the internal politics of the young and often fractious Israeli state.

“Upheaval” is part of a larger effort by HLI to tell the story of Israel’s founding to young Jews, many of whom have barely a passing knowledge of the country, its accomplishments and its continuing struggles to survive.

The sponsors hope young people will learn from Begin’s unapologetic pride in being a Jew and from his uncompromising stance when dignity and survival were at stake. The institute hopes they will be inspired to stand up to and fight the antisemitism that is today making a comeback in the United States and Europe.

As part of this larger effort, the institute is creating a curriculum in five languages for high school and college students and plans

EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT ANWAR SADAT (LEFT) AND ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER MENACHEM BEGIN DURING A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS WHEN U.S. PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER ANNOUNCED THE RESULTS OF THE CAMP DAVID ACCORDS, SEPT. 18, 1978.

CREDIT: WARREN K. LEFFLER OF U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.

to host an annual symposium examining Begin’s life and legacy, including the issues that occupied his years of leadership and remain relevant today.

The first symposium will take place in Jerusalem in May in partnership with the Menachem Begin Heritage Center.

‘I decided to make a documentary’ For Bashari, involvement in “Upheaval” came by way of his friend Rob Schwartz, who founded Hidden Light Institute after being inspired by Yehuda Avner’s book, The Prime Ministers. Schwartz read the book, said Bashari, after a Shabbat dinner at Bashari’s home where he met another guest who had written a doctoral thesis on Begin.

After reading the book, Schwartz fell in love with Begin and wanted to raise his profile on the world stage. “I decided to make a documentary, to tell the story of a man small in stature but large against the canvas of Jewish and Israeli history,” he said.

When Schwartz asked Bashari to select and sing a closing song for the documentary, it was Begin’s choice of a final resting place that inspired Bashari’s musical selection.

Begin chose not to be buried on Mount Herzl where many Israeli presidents, prime ministers and Zionist leaders are interred, but rather on the Mount of Olives, which overlooks the Old City of Jerusalem and has been the site of a Jewish cemetery for more than 3,000 years.

The words of Dolitsky’s poem and the song, “Tsion Tamati,” express Begin’s love of Israel and its centrality in his life, which

led to his choice of the Mount of Olives: “I will not forget you Zion, my perfect one. As long as I live, you are my longing and my hope.”

While Bashari is excited about a new venture – the upcoming release of an original album of Israeli and country songs he recently recorded in Nashville, Tenn. – he said that his contribution to the making of “Upheaval” carries unique meaning: “Being able to participate in the movie, and coming up with a song that summarized everything about Menachem Begin and his love for Israel and Jerusalem, is a special gift.”

The Denver Jewish Film Festival will run from Feb. 8-17. For more information, visit jccdenver.org.

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“I felt as if I were sitting in her living room!” said Temple Sholom congregant Bob Lichtenfeld in describing Temple Sholom’s virtual conversation with Emmy-nominated actress and New York Times bestselling author, Mayim Bialik, on Jan. 7. “She is quite an outstanding woman - both in talent and intellect.”

Bialik - best known as the star of the 90’s sitcom, Blossom, and more recently, as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler in Big Bang Theory - was an open book as she answered questions on an assortment of topics during the hour-long Zoom discussion moderated

by Temple Sholom congregant and vice president of programming Scott Kramer, and at-tended by close to 200 participants.

The program kicked-off Temple Sholom’s 2021 Speaker Series.

“The conversation gave us insight into Mayim, not just as an actress but as a mom (to 12 and 15 year old boys) and as a Modern Orthodox Jew. Mayim is exceptionally proud of being Jewish,” said Kramer.

When asked whether or not she has been a target of antisemitism, Bialik, a strong supporter of Israel, said, “Even though I tend to be a bleeding heart liberal and do support rights for Palestinians and support a safe and protected Israel, the fact that I believe in Israel existing has led to death threats. When you post about Israel…all people hear is Jew and Israel and then you get hate. It really doesn’t matter what your politics are to antisemites. I believe in the right of Israel to exist and for many people that is unacceptable. I don’t apologize for

MAYIM BIALIK BEING INTERVIEWED ON ZOOM BY TEMPLE SHOLOM’S SCOTT KRAMER.

that.”

Bialik’s new television show, “Call Me Kat” premiered just days before the program with Temple Sholom. In addition, she recently launched a podcast called “Mayim Bi-alik’s Breakdown”, which focuses on exploring mental health issues.

Find us online: jewishledger.com

Join our email list for the latest updates!

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| FEBRUARY 5, 2021

jewishledger.com 7/27/20 2:33 PM

Microbiologist Dr. Lawrence Rothfield receives COVID-19 vaccine at Duncaster

THE KOSHER CROSSWORD FEB. 5, 2021 “Superbowl Sportsmen” By: Yoni Glatt

Difficulty Level: Easy

Curbside pick up and local home delivery available!

Dr. Lawrence Rothfield, former chair of the Department of Microbiology and founding faculty of UConn Medical School, became the first of more than 250 residents at Duncaster, an independent Living facility in Bloomfield, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I know some people are worried about taking the vaccine, but the data are very clear,” said Rothfield, who was a microbiology researcher for 50 years and is a professor emeritus of Molecular Biology and Biophysics at UConn Medical School. “This vaccine is remarkably successful in protecting against serious life-threatening disease. It’s also clear that significant side-effects are extremely rare. Everyone should be vaccinated unless his/her physician advises against it. This will protect the vaccinated individual from contracting COVID-19 and prevent the further spread of this deadly disease.

“For the first time since the pandemic began, we have a reason to be optimistic. If, for example, 85-90% of the residents of a town chose to be vaccinated, the disease should then begin to be increasingly well contained within the community,” he added.

DR. LAWRENCE ROTHFIELD RECEIVED VACCINE AT DUNCASTER.

ANSWERS TO JAN. 29 CROSSWORD

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SHABBAT DINNER TRADITIONAL DAIRY LUNCHEON DELI SANDWICH PLATTER DINNER MENU

Across 1. Wife of Abraham 6. WNBA part: Abbr.

10. Homer’s son 14. “Dragon Ball Z” genre 15. Type of armadillo that sounds like body art 16. “... and ___ dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19) 17. Beef animal 18. Guinness or Baldwin 19. Thing 20. Jewish campus event with receiver Tyreek?

23. 1969 U.N. Peace Prize-winning agcy.

24. ___ hand (assist) 26. Quarterback Tom preparing challah?

31. A high priest and leader of Israel 32. “Sisters” Emmy winner Ward or a word after “Amen” 33. Full of rage 35. Japanese soup option 37. Homer’s beers 40. Sports equipment 41. Ivy League sch in Philly 43. ___-CREF 45. ‘60s record albums: Abbr.

46. Kicker Ryan’s temporary Jewish dwelling?

50. Shalom 51. “Matrix” hero 52. Tell quarterback Patrick to go faster?

58. Parsha Ki ___ 61. “East of Eden” director Kazan 62. “___ Lucy” 63. Co-singer that Phil always woke up to in “Groundhog Day” 64. Account execs 65. “___ hoot, don’t pollute!”

66. Dust bug 67. Mt. Rushmore locale: Abbr.

68. Parts of feet

Down 1. Merit-badge holder 2. Against 3. Cambodia’s currency (similar to Iran’s) 4. Aviatrix Earhart 5. Announces with fanfare 6. Baruch follower 7. The Baba ___ (great rabbi) 8. “A Streetcar Named Desire” character 9. Centers of atoms 10. Structure 11. Paul Rudd helper, in Marvel films 12. Suggestion from Waze: Abbr.

13. Hanks who has made several

movies with Spielberg 21. Amused oneself (with) 22. “Never ___ sentence with a preposition” 25. Lansbury of “Murder, She Wrote” 26. Dots on a radar screen 27. Make like the Maccabees to the Greeks 28. ___-ray (disc format) 29. Shooters through rapids 30. Bar chart, e.g.

31. Big bird Down Under 34. Pts. of a decade 36. Again 38. Hi- ___ (players of 45-Across) 39. Sweating setting

42. “Bracketology” org.

44. Best kind of straight 47. Reddish yellows 48. Removed the rind from 49. “Rad” sounding fruit drink 53. Kelly of morning talk 54. Moses wore one to hold back the rays of his face 55. Make Aliyah, essentially 56. Adventurous Knievel 57. Salty expanses 58. Channel with many B&W pictures 59. Kind of tuna 60. One who served in ‘67

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WHAT’S HAPPENING Jewish organizations are invited to submit their upcoming events to the our What’s Happening section. Events are placed on the Ledger website on Tuesday afternoons. Deadline for submission of calendar items is the previous Tuesday. Send items to: judiej@jewishledger. com.

Short Story Coffee Break: The Spinoza of Market Street Stories from The Spinoza of Market Street

by Isaac Bashevis Singer is up for discussion at the next Short Story Coffee Break on Feb. 4, 11 a.m. Hosted on Zoom by Congregation Beth Israel of West Hartford, on the first and third Thursdays of each month, Short Story Coffee Break is a discussion of short stories by Jewish authors led by Beth Israel’s Learning Center Director Karen Beyard. For more information or to register and receive a copy of the next short story and Zoom link, email kbeyard@cbict.org.

Coming up: Feb. 18 – Purim Nights

by Edith Pearlman Writing modern Jewish history UConn will host a virtual conversation on writing modern Jewish history with Dr. Nancy Sinkoff, academic director of The Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life and Professor of Jewish Studies and History at Rutgers University, and author of, and Dr. Natalia Aleksiun, professor of modern Jewish history at Touro College, Graduate School of Jewish Studies, New York and author of the forthcoming Conscious History: Polish Jewish Historians before the Holocaust. To register or for more information: judaicstudies. uconn.edu/upcoming-events/ The Rise and Fall of the Jewish New York Speech The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust presents “The Rise and Fall of the Jewish New York Speech,” with author EJ White (You Talkin’ To Me?), filmmaker Heather Quinlan (If These Knishes Could Talk and O Brooklyn! My Brooklyn!), Queens College linguistics professor Dr. Michael Newman, and author and Georgetown University linguistics professor Dr. Deborah Tannen explore the evolution of Jewish New York speech. Admission is complimentary with a suggested donation. For more information, visit mjhnyc.org/currentevents.

JEWISH LEDGER

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16

In the Footsteps of David and Goliath: A Virtual Tour

The power of unplugging on Shabbat

“The Garden of the Finzi-Continis,” screening & discussion

Yoram Preminger will lead a virtual tour of the Elah Valley, the site of the battle between David and Goliath, on Zoom, Feb. 7 at 1 p.m. The biblical text aid in the exploration of the geographical setting for the battle, as participants look at some of the sites mentioned such as Azekah and Sha’arayim. The story opens a window into the important historical period of the early days of the Kingdom of Israel. For more information, visit cbict.org/calendar.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7

World Premiere of Hershey Felder’s “Before Fiddler – Live from Florence” The World Premiere production of Before Fiddler - Live From Florence, featuring actor, playwright and pianist Hershey Felder as Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem, as well as performances by the Florencebased Klezmer music ensemble, Klezmerata Fiorentina, will be streamed live on Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. Filmed on location where events actually took place, this streaming production will feature the stories and characters of Sholem Aleichem, along with music that is sure to move the soul.

Tickets will be available for on-demand streaming until 11:59 pm on Sunday, Feb. 14. Tickets are $55/household and are available for purchase at hersheyfelder.net.

Proceeds frwill benefit over 20 national and international theaters, arts organizations and publications.

The 9th Annual Saul Cohen-Schoke JFS Lecture Series presents “Tech Shabbat,” with guest speaker Tiffany Shlain, Emmynominated filmmaker and author of 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day A Week, who will focus on regaining your inner calm and connection to people instead of screens. The free lecture to be held Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m., is co-sponsored by UJA/ JCC Greenwich, Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County and the UJF Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Darien, in partnership with the Jewish Book Council..

To register, visit www.ctjfs.org/saulcohen-jfs-lecture. For more info, contact Matt Greenberg at (203) 921-4161 or mgreenberg@ctjfs.org.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11 “Purim On Tap” for Young Adults The Tribe, a group for adults in their 20’s and 30’s organized by Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford, and JewGood, a branch of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford that empowers young professionals to engage in philanthropy, are hosting “Purim on Tap,” a virtual discussion of the Purim story on Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m., with refreshments. For more information, visit cbict.org/calendar.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9 The NY Librarian who spied on American Nazis Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust presents “The New York Librarian Who Spied On American Nazis” on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. Marshall Curry, Academy Awardwinning filmmaker (A Night at the Garden); Dr. Daniel Greene, president and librarian at the Newberry Library, professor of history at Northwestern University, and curator of “Americans and the Holocaust;” and Michael Simonson, head of public outreach and archivist at the Leo Baeck Institute discuss the life and legacy of Florence Mendheim, a Jewish librarian who went undercover in the 1930s to spy on local Nazi groups in the New York area.

Co-presented by the Museum and the Leo Baeck Institute. For more information on this virtual program, visit: mjhnyc.org/ events.

| FEBRUARY 5, 2021

“Before Fiddler – Live from Florence “with Hershey Felder “Before Fiddler - Live From Florence,” featuring actor, playwright and virtuoso pianist Hershey Felder as Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem, as well as performances by the Florence-based Klezmer music ensemble, Klezmerata Fiorentina. Filmed on location where events actually took place, this streaming production will feature the stories and characters of Sholem Aleichem, along with music that is sure to move the soul. This World Premiere production will be streamed live on Feb. 7 at 8 p.m., and will be available for on-demand streaming until Feb. 14 at 8:59 p.m.

Proceeds will benefit over 20 national and international theaters, arts organizations and publications.

Tickets: $55 per household, available at hersheyfelder.net.

“Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust presents a screening and discussion of the 1970 classic film “The Garden Of The Finzi-Continis” on Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. Ricky Ian Gordon, composer of the operatic adaptation of the film, and Portia Prebys, longtime companion of Giorgio Bassani, join Italian film and history experts for a discussion on the film. Attendees will receive a private link to screen the film during the fourday period before the program. For more information on this virtual program, visit: mjhnyc.org/events.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18 Jewish Ethics, Social Justice, and the 21st Century Rabbinate Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay of the Jewish Theological Seminary will discuss “Jewish Ethics, Social Justice, Community Organizing and the 21st Century Rabbinate” on Feb. 18 at 7:30 on Zoom, as part of the 2021 series of virtual lectures surrounding the theme of “The Jewish Roots of Social Justice,” presented by the ALEPH Institute, a learning initiative sponsored by the Mandell JCC and UConn Judaic Studies.

Rabbi Ruskay will focus on raising the scope and profile of social justice work and community organizing skills in the role of the contemporary rabbi. For more information, visit judaicstudies.uconn.edu or mandelljcc.org.

Beyond the Ghetto Gates with author Michelle Cameron The book Beyond the Ghetto Gates by Michelle Cameron is set in 1796-97, a rare happy epoch in Jewish life when Napoleon marched into Italy and demolished the ghetto gates, freeing the Jews who had long been trapped behind them. This virtual book discussion with Cameron on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m., explores issues the novel raises issue that remain pertinent today, including antisemitism, the conflict between assimilation and religious tradition, intermarriage, and the struggle between love and familial duty. For more information, visit cbict.org/calendar.

A talk with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust presents “ Legacies: A Talk With Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla,” who has overseen the development of the world’s first safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, will discuss his experience as the son of Holocaust jewishledger.com

FEBRUARY 4 – MARCH 3 survivors and how his upbringing informed his accomplished career. He will be joined in conversation by Robert Krulwich, science and technology journalist and longtime host of the double Peabody Award-winning show Radiolab. Admission is complimentary with a suggested donation. For more information on this virtual program, visit: mjhnyc.org/ currentevents.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20 JTConnect’s Pink Shabbat raises breast cancer awareness In keeping with Sharsheret Pink Day 2021, a worldwide initiative to raise breast cancer awareness that will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 10, JTConnect will host its annual Pink Shabbat on Feb. 20, 7 - 8 p.m. Led by JTConnect teen engagement fellows and open to all ages, the evening will include Havdalah and a meal certified kosher by the HKC and ready for pick up

by Friday, Feb. 19. JTConnect Pink Shabbat Boxes that include a pink Havdalah set, Sharsheret swag, mitzvah cards, and more, may be purchased for $36. Procees will benefit Sharsheret, a national non-profit that improves the lives of Jewish women and families living with or at increased genetic risk for breast or ovarian cancer.

Reservations a must by Friday, Feb. 12.

Zoom link will be sent upon registration. To register, contact cara@jtconnect.org.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22 UJF Community Read to feature author Rachel Barenbaum Author Rachel Barenbaum will discuss her debut novel A Bend in the Stars on Zoom, Monday, Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m. at the Community Read hosted by United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Darien.

Set in Russia during World War I, in A Bend in the Stars Barenbaum melds the science relating to solving Einstein’s theory of relativity with a love story. The book was named a New York Times Summer Reading Selection and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. Barenbaum, who lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, is a reviewer for the LA Review of Books, the Tel Aviv Review of Books and DeadDarlings.

She is an honorary research associate at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute and a graduate of GrubStreet’s Novel Incubator, and is founder of Debut Spotlight and the Debut Editor at A Mighty Blaze.

To register for this free program, visit ujf.org/communityread, or email Diane Sloyer at dianesloyer@ujf.org.

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AFTERLIFE: What does Judaism say about the world to come?

Cantor Abramson of Congregation Shir Ami will lead a virtual exploration on the Jewish perspective on the afterlife and the concepts of heaven and hell on Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Cantor Abramson cantorjea@gmail.com.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26 Purim Story Slam Congregation Shir Ami will host a Purim Story Slam on Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m.

A Story Slam is a live story-telling event where individuals share a personal story (about 3-5 minutes long) in the form of a story, a poem or a song; it can be funny, inspiring or dramatic. (If you have never heard a story slam before, listen to The Moth on NPR to get the idea). The Purim Story Slam theme is inspired by the way Mordechai and Queen Esther found a way to foil Haman’s nefarious plan to harm the Jews. If you can recall a time when you felt stuck but you found a way to get out of it, or if you have a personal story that speaks about confronting adversity? If so, contact Cantor Abramson at cantorjea@gmail.com with a brief description of your idea.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy’s gala goes virtual Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy 65th Annual Celebration Dinner, to be held virtually on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m., will honor several community leaders, including: Guests of Honor Stephanie and Josh Bilenker; Young Leadership Award recipients Nicole and Jonathan Makovsky; Doris Zelinsky, recipient of the Morton G. Scheraga President’s Award; and the many school alumni who are currently serving in the Israel Defense Force. In addition, Jacqueline Herman, who will be retiring as Bi-Cultural head of school at the end of this academic year, will receive the inaugural Walter Shuchatowitz Award for Excellence in Education. For more information, call (203) 329-2186 or visit bcha-ct.org.

Looking for God in All the Right Places with author Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin will discuss his book Looking for God in All the Right Places, on Zoom, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. Rabbi Slakin is well known for his writing, teaching and activism. He has written or edited three Torah commentaries – two of which are

for teens. Several of his books have won national awards. His award-winning blog, “Martini Judaism: for those who want to be shaken and stirred,” is published by the Religion News Service. He is currently spiritual leader of Temple Israel in West Palm Beach, Florida.For more information, visit cbict.org/calendar.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3 Two women talking: A rabbi and a pastor sit down for coffee The Open MINDS Institute of Fairfield University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts present “Women Who Transform Tradition: Or, What Happens When a Female Rabbi and a Female Pastor Sit Down for Coffee,” on March 3 at 1 p.m.

Rabbi Sarah Marion of Congregation B’nai Israel in Bridgeport and Reverend Vanessa Rose of First Church Congregational in Fairfield, talk about about women who serve as religious leaders: their history, opportunities, and challenges.

No registration is required for this FREE virtual program. For more information, visit quickcenter.com or call (203) 254-4010.

BULLETIN BOARD Looking for CT’s COVID synagogue ‘heroes’ While COVID-19 may have forced synagogues to postpone events and relearn how to engage with their congregation’s members, many people have stepped up to make sure life didn’t stop just because people couldn’t gather in buildings.

Connecticut’s Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs will honor those who have made a difference in their congregations or communities at its Keeper of the Flame virtual event on Sunday, March 21.

Congregations of all Jewish denominations are welcome to nominate a member who has helped keep it going during the past year. There are no set criteria. Keeper of the Flame nominees may be someone learned new technologies and taught others, led an effort to present high holiday services or other activities, or someone who went above and beyond to reach out to congregants or community members during this difficult period. Keeper of the Flame nominees

may be a member of a men’s club or their congregation. Men’s clubs may also nominate members based on their overall contributions to their clubs or congregations (and not necessarily COVID efforts).

Questions and nominations may be sent to phil.margolis@gmail.com.

Nominations close Feb. 12.

Deadline for Hillel Int’l scholarships for Jewish students March 15 Hillel is offering two scholarship to help incoming college freshmen and current college students pay for the cost of their education. Scholarships are open to students who identify as Jewish, who are attending or preparing to attend fouryear colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada, and meet the individual scholarship requirements listed below.

The deadline for applications is March 15.

Handeli First-Year Student Scholarship is a 44,000 scholarship awarded annually to two graduating

high school seniors who are preparing to seek a bachelor’s degree at an accredited college or university in the United States or Canada. Applicants must demonstrate a record of leadership and/or volunteer service in any aspect of their local community, and must also self-identify as Jewish.

Hillel Campus Leadership Award is a $4,000 scholarship awarded annually to two full-time students seeking a bachelor’s degree at an accredited college or university who demonstrate extraordinary leadership abilities, and have a minimum GPA of 2.5. Applicants must self-identify as Jewish and commit to attending at least one Hillel event in the upcoming school year. Previous attendance at Hillel events is NOT a requirement for this scholarship.

JEWISH LEDGER

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FEBRUARY 5, 2021

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OBITUARIES ABKOWICZ Liza Abkowicz , 93, of West Hartford, formerly of Russia, died Jan. 22. She was the widow of Joseph Abkowicz. She is survived by her daughter Nelly Abkowicz of West Hartford; her sister Meera of Russia; her brother Joseph of Russia; and several nieces and nephews and their families. She was also predeceased by her sister Yeva.

She was a long-time member of United Synagogues of Greater Hartford.

BORGIDA Edward A. Borgida, 77, of Manchester, died Jan. 22, 2021, following a sudden bout of COVID-19. Born in Manchester, he was the son of the late Eugene and Blanche (Fischer) Borgida. He is survived by his sons, Jeff Borgida and his wife Jill of Monroe, Wash., Alan Borgida and wife Tina of Shoreline, Wash., Jon Borgida and wife Sarah of Seattle, WA; and Steven Borgida and wife Kimberley of Norton, Mass.; his grandchildren, Allison, Jason, Daniel, Chloe, Benjamin, Calvin, Sam, Jonas, and Naomi; his brother Charlie Borgida and his wife Joyce of Pembroke Pines, Fla.; a niece and nephew and their families.

GORFEIN Claude Lardeux Gorfien, 97, of Guilford, died Jan. 20. She was the widow of Dr. Harry Gorfien Born in the village of

Le Pinau-Haras in Normandy, France.

During World War II, she spent five days under house arrest for participation in underground activities just prior to the allies’ advance, which precipitated her release. She is survived by her children, Jack Gorfien, Larry Gorfien, and Claudette Rahti Anne Gorfien; her grandson Harper Gorfien Chalfin; and her son-in-law Richard Chalfin.

GROSZMAN Roberto J. Groszmann, MD, of Woodbridge, died Jan. 16.He was the husband Aida Groszmann. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Yvette of Cambridge, Mass., and Daniel and his wife Deborah of Belmont, Mass.; and his grandchildren, Ryan and Joshua of Belmont, Mass.

HURWITZ Payson Hurwitz, 96, of West Hartford, formerly of Bristol, died Jan. 16.

He was the widower of Barbara Barth. Born in Hartford, he was the son of the late Sarah (Weinbaum) and Reuben Hurwitz. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, serving first on the heavy cruiser Omaha and then on the aircraft carrier Randolph. He was a member of Beth Israel Kol-Ami synagogue.

He is survived by his children, Jerry Hurwitz and his wife Rachelle (Feldman)

Honor the memory of your loved one...

Call 860.231.2424 x3028 to place your memorial in the Ledger.

of Princeton, N.J., Martin Hurwitz and his wife Jackie (Randall) of Bristol, and Susan Melanson and Her husband Mark of Chelmsford, Mass.; his grandchildren, Asher and Felicia Lurie, Louis (Laura), Scott (Krysten), and Joel (Lindsey) Hurwitz, and Daniel and Stephen Melanson; his greatgrandchildren, Jack, Matthew, Roy and William; and several nieces and nephew and their families. He was also predeceased by his brother Abe. LIBBIN Ira Libbin, 71, of Point Blank, Texas and Nye, Montana, died Jan. 16. Born in Worcester, Mass., he was predeceased by his parents Ephram and Edith (Cookie Pasternack) Libbin. He is survived by his brothers, Jerry and his wife Raquel of Miami Beach, Fla., and Martin and his wife Joyce of West Hartford; his nephews, Gary Libbin and his wife Barbara, and Moshe Libbin; his nieces, Rachel Alford and her husband Chris, and Sari Libbin and her fiancй Nate Shapiro; his aunt and uncle, Joanne and Saul Pasternack; and several great-nieces and nephews and cousins.

MARGOLIS Bernice (Levine) Margolis, 93, of Hamden, died Jan. 22. She was the widow of Lester Margolis. Born in New Haven, she was the daughter of the late Samuel and Ida (Caminear) Levine. She is survived by her children, Lauren Ortman and her husband William of Alpharetta, Ga., Debra Epstein and her husband Richard of Milford, and David Margolis and his wife Jill Nathanson of Hamden; her grandchildren, Jennifer and Rob Morin, Kimberly and Jonathan Runyan, Matthew Orman and Katherine Jenq, Kate and Adam Fierman, Emily Epstein, Herbie and Michelle Epstein, Leah and Ben Nathan, Dena and Jared Kutner; and 16 great-grandchildren. She was also predeceased by her brother Robert Levine and her grandson Samuel Adam Margolis.

SCHILLER Charles Lawrence (Larry) Schiller, 94, of Willimantic, died Jan. 23. He was the widower of Estelle SaltzmanHe was he son of the late Jacob and Yetta Schiller. He served in the U. S. Navy Air Corp during World war II. He was president of Temple Bnai Israel in Willimantic. He is survived by his children, Howard and his wife Bonnie, Douglas and his wife Dvara, and Richard and his wife Amy; his grandchildren, Joshua, Matthew, Elizabeth, Rachel, Lowell and Rebecca; and 10 great-grandchildren.

He was also predeceased by his siblings Frank, Ida and Julius.

SILVER Marc D. Silver, 68, of West Hartford, died Jan. 23. He was the husband of Beverly.

Born in Pittsburgh, he was the son of the late Rabbi Harold and Ruth Lee Silver.

He moved to Connecticut when he was a teenager. He was an active member of Congregation Beth Israel. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his stepdaughter Rebecca Slitt of South Hadley, Mass.; his sister Jenny Silver and her husband Lauren Kaplan of Leverett Mass.; his sister Molly Silver and her husband Marty Teicher of Brookline Mass.; several nephews and one great-nephew. He was also predeceased by his brother Michael Silver.

The Ledger prints a basic obituary free of charge. Free obituaries are edited to fit the newspaper’s style.

Obituaries that those submitting would like to run “as is,” as well as accompanying photos, may be printed for a charge. For more information: ­judiej@jewishledger. com, 860.231.2424.

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FEBRUARY 5, 2021

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CLASSIFIED

LOOK for these MAGAZINES in your INBOX!

To Place An Ad: PH: 860.231.2424 x3035 • Fax: 860.231.2485 Email: howardm@jewishledger.com

The Jewish Ledger assumes no responsibility for the product and services advertised

TRENDING

CELEBRATIONS • JUNE SENIOR LIVING • AUG.

MARCH JUNE SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER

BLACK FRIDAY GIFT GUIDE: NOVEMBER

Kosher NEW ENGLAND

MARCH

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Needed, a live-in caregiver for an elderly female home owner in Bloomfield. Duties include trash out, availability at night in case of emergency - attached apartment provided at reduced rent. Applicant must submit 3 references. Call Vivian at 860301-2066.

Compassionate Elder Companion - Driver & Cook Beth: alifeofplantsandart@gmail. com.

CHAUFFEUR, WEST HARTFORD will drive you to New York, Boston, New England tri-state area. Reasonable rates.

References. Call Jeff 860-7124115.

CNA - Five or Seven Days - Live In - Seventeen Years Experience - References Available - 860938-1476.

Mary and Alex Housecleaning.

We have experience and references. We are an insured company. Please call or Txt for a free quote. 860-328-1757 or servicesam.llc@gmail.com.

NURSE SEEKING POSITION: GETTING BETTER TOGETHER! Adult care only. Live-in, days or nights and weekends.

Responsible and dedicated caregiver with medical education. Leave message: 860229-2038 No Text or Email.

Caregiver - Willing to care for your loved ones overnight - Excellent local references Avoid nursing home or hospital in light of Covid 19. Call 860550-0483.

Tricia’s Cleaning Service - Residential & Commercial Detailed cleaning for Home & Office - For Free Quote call 860477-8636.

Polish certified nursing assistant.

Twenty years experience in hospitals, nursing homes and private home settings looking to help your loved ones. Please call 860-803-6007.

Certified Home Care Aide - Live-in - HHA Certficate Experience with dementia, stroke, alzheimer’s - Driver’s License - References - Lydia 718864-7600.

All Things

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Mikael Poreshi - Remodeling & Painting - 860-978-2505 - miki. pori87@gmail.com.

CONNECTICUT September MASSACHUSETTS December For more information on advertising in these magazines, call Donna 860.833.0839 or DonnaE@jewishledger.com 22

JEWISH LEDGER

| FEBRUARY 5, 2021

P.C.A. - HHA Caregiver - 17 Years Experience - Available Live In or Live Out - Five Days a Week - Car Available - Have References - Please Call K.B. 860-796-8468.

Nurse (LPN, Male). 2 Years Experience in long term care.

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Reliable, honest, hardworking.

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Caregiver for your elderly loved one available Thursday evenings to Sunday evenings. Kosher experience, stellar references.

Monica - 347-486-0911.

Home Health Aide - Two Years Experience - Reliable - Livein seven days. References available, negotiable rates. Call Kwasi 774-253-5479.

Driver available for shopping & errands in the greater Hartford area. Reasonable rates, senior discount and references available. Call Ira 860-849-0999.

Caregiver looking for full time live-in job - HHA/Precursor CNA - 12 Years experience - Friendly, outgoing, dependable - Please call Janet at 412-527-9285.

CNA with 25 years experience, reliable car, live-in or hourly.

References available, and negotiable rates. Call Sandy 860-460-3051.

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For lease- Boca Raton, FL. Fully furnished 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo with kosher kitchen in beautiful Century Village. First floor, parking, pool & club house. Call Mike 561-654-4221.

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Third Generation Jeweler - Gold & Diamond Buyer - Is Buying All Gold Jewelry - Sterling Silver Flatware Sets - Diamonds Over 2 Carats - Fast Payment Contact - mitchellrosin@gmail. com.

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Home Health Aide - Companion available for live in/live out Mon. - Fri. Valid driver’s license. Over 15 years experience. Excellent References. Call 860-796-8468.

Reach our highly qualified readers by placing your display classified ad in our digital issue with a LIVE link to your website!

CNA - 8 Years Experience Reliable - Own Car - Live-in 24/7 - Negotiable Rates - Please call Tina 860-461-8692.

Contact Leslie 860.231.2424 or leslie@jewishledger.com

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CT SYNAGOGUE DIRECTORY To join our synagogue directories, contact Howard Meyerowitz at (860) 231-2424 x3035 or howardm@jewishledger.com.

BLOOMFIELD B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom/ Neshama Center for Lifelong Learning Conservative Rabbi Debra Cantor (860) 243-3576 office@BTSonline.org www.btsonline.org BRIDGEPORT Congregation B’nai Israel Reform Rabbi Evan Schultz (203) 336-1858 info@cbibpt.org www.cbibpt.org Congregation Rodeph Sholom Conservative (203) 334-0159 Rabbi Richard Eisenberg, Cantor Niema Hirsch info@rodephsholom.com www.rodephsholom.com Jewish Senior Services Traditional Rabbi Stephen Shulman (203) 396-1001 sshulman@jseniors.org www.jseniors.org CHESHIRE Temple Beth David Reform Rabbi Micah Ellenson (203) 272-0037 office@TBDCheshire.org www.TBDCheshire.org CHESTER Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek Reform Rabbi Marci Bellows (860) 526-8920 rabbibellows@cbsrz.org www.cbsrz.org

COLCHESTER Congregation Ahavath Achim Conservative Rabbi Kenneth Alter (860) 537-2809 secretary@congregationahavathachim.org EAST HARTFORD Temple Beth Tefilah Conservative Rabbi Yisroel Snyder (860) 569-0670 templebetht@yahoo.com FAIRFIELD Congregation Ahavath Achim Orthodox (203) 372-6529 office@ahavathachim.org www.ahavathachim.org Congregation Beth El, Fairfield Conservative Rabbi Marcelo Kormis (203) 374-5544 office@bethelfairfield.org www.bethelfairfield.org GLASTONBURY Congregation Kol Haverim Reform Rabbi Dr. Kari Tuling (860) 633-3966 office@kolhaverim.org www.kolhaverim.org GREENWICH Greenwich Reform Synagogue Reform Rabbi Jordie Gerson (203) 629-0018 hadaselias@grs.org www.grs.org

Temple Sholom Conservative Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz Rabbi Chaya Bender Cantor Sandy Bernstein (203) 869-7191 info@templesholom.com www.templesholom.com HAMDEN Temple Beth Sholom Conservative Rabbi Benjamin Edidin Scolnic (203) 288-7748 tbsoffice@tbshamden.com www.tbshamden.com MADISON Temple Beth Tikvah Reform Rabbi Stacy Offner (203) 245-7028 office@tbtshoreline.org www.tbtshoreline.org MANCHESTER Beth Sholom B’nai Israel Conservative Rabbi Randall Konigsburg (860) 643-9563 Rabbenu@myshul.org programming@myshul.org www.myshul.org MIDDLETOWN Adath Israel Conservative Spiritual Leaders: Rabbi Marshal Press Rabbi Michael Kohn (860) 346-4709 office@adathisraelct.org www.adathisraelct.org

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NEW HAVEN The Towers Conservative Ruth Greenblatt, Spiritual Leader (203) 772-1816 rebecca@towerone.org www.towerone.org Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel Conservative Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen (203) 389-2108 office@BEKI.org www.BEKI.org

ORANGE Chabad of Orange/ Woodbridge Chabad Rabbi Sheya Hecht (203) 795-5261 info@chabadow.org www.chabadow.org

Orchard Street ShulCongregation Beth Israel Orthodox Rabbi Mendy Hech t 973-723-9070 www.orchardstreetshul.org

Congregation Or Shalom Conservative Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus (203) 799-2341 info@orshalomct.org www.orshalomct.org

NEW LONDON Ahavath Chesed Synagogue Orthodox Rabbi Avrohom Sternberg 860-442-3234 Ahavath.chesed@att.net

RIDGEFIELD Congregation Shir Shalom of Westchester and Fairfield Counties Reform Rabbi David Reiner Cantor Debora Katchko-Gray (203) 438-6589 office@ourshirshalom.org

Congregation Beth El Conservative Rabbi Earl Kideckel (860) 442-0418 office@bethel-nl.org www.bethel-nl.org NEWINGTON Temple Sinai Reform Rabbi Jeffrey Bennett (860) 561-1055 templesinaict@gmail.com www.sinaict.org NEWTOWN Congregation Adath Israel Conservative Rabbi Barukh Schectman (203) 426-5188 office@congadathisrael.org www.congadathisrael.org NORWALK Beth Israel Synagogue – Chabad of Westport/ Norwalk Orthodox-Chabad Rabbi Yehoshua S. Hecht (203) 866-0534 info@bethisraelchabad.org bethisraelchabad.org Congregation Beth El-Norwalk Conservative Rabbi Ita Paskind (203) 838-2710 Jody@congbethel.org www.congbethel.org

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Temple Shalom Reform Rabbi Mark Lipson (203) 866-0148 admin@templeshalomweb.org www.templeshalomweb.org

SIMSBURY Chabad of the Farmington Valley Chabad Rabbi Mendel Samuels (860) 658-4903 chabadsimsbury@gmail.com www.chabadotvalley.org Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation, Emek Shalom Reform Rabbi Rebekah Goldman Mag (860) 658-1075 admin@fvjc.org www.fvjc.org SOUTH WINDSOR Temple Beth Hillel of South Windsor Reform Rabbi Jeffrey Glickman (860) 282-8466 tbhrabbi@gmail.com www.tbhsw.org SOUTHINGTON Gishrei Shalom Jewish Congregation Reform Rabbi Alana Wasserman (860) 276-9113 President@gsjc.org www.gsjc.org

TRUMBULL Congregation B’nai Torah Conservative Rabbi Colin Brodie (203) 268-6940 office@bnaitorahct.org www.bnaitorahct.org WALLINGFORD Beth Israel Synagogue Conservative Rabbi Bruce Alpert (203) 269-5983 richardcaplan@sbcglobal.net www.bethisrael/wallingford. org WASHINGTON Greater Washington Coalition Rabbi James Greene (860) 868-2434 admin@jewishlifect.org www.jewishlife.org WATERFORD Temple Emanu - El Reform Rabbi Marc Ekstrand Rabbi Emeritus Aaron Rosenberg (860) 443-3005 office@tewaterfrord.org www.tewaterford.org WEST HARTFORD Beth David Synagogue Orthodox Rabbi Yitzchok Adler (860) 236-1241 office@bethdavidwh.org www.bethdavidwh.org Beth El Temple Conservative Rabbi James Rosen Rabbi Ilana Garber (860) 233-9696 hsowalsky@bethelwh.org www.bethelwesthartford.org Chabad House of Greater Hartford Rabbi Joseph Gopin Rabbi Shaya Gopin, Director of Education (860) 232-1116 info@chabadhartford.com www.chabadhartford.com

Congregation P’nai Or Jewish Renewal Shabbat Services Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener (860) 561-5905 pnaiorct@gmail.com www.jewishrenewalct.org Kehilat Chaverim of Greater Hartford Chavurah Adm. - Nancy Malley (860) 951-6877 mnmalley@yahoo.com www.kehilatchaverim.org The Emanuel Synagogue Conservative Rabbi David J. Small (860) 236-1275 communications@emanuelsynagogue.org www.emanuelsynagogue.org United Synagogues of Greater Hartford Orthodox Rabbi Eli Ostrozynsk i synagogue voice mail (860) 586-8067 Rabbi’s mobile (718) 6794446 ostro770@hotmail.com www.usgh.org Young Israel of West Hartford Orthodox Rabbi Tuvia Brander (860) 233-3084 info@youngisraelwh.org www.youngisraelwh.org WETHERSFIELD Temple Beth Torah Unaffiliated Rabbi Seth Riemer (860) 828-3377 tbt.w.ct@gmail.com templebethtorahwethersfield. org WOODBRIDGE Congregation B’nai Jacob Conservative Rabbi Rona Shapiro (203) 389-2111 info@bnaijacob.org www.bnaijacob.org

Congregation Beth Israel Reform Rabbi Michael Pincus Rabbi Andi Fliegel Cantor Stephanie Kupfer (860) 233-8215 bethisrael@cbict.org www.cbict.org

JEWISH LEDGER

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FEBRUARY 5, 2021

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PASSOVER.

is around the corner...

We’re getting ready...

are you?

The Crown Market 2471 Albany Ave West Hartford, CT 06117

860.236.1965

www.crownmarketonline.com

Kosher-for-Passover items are arriving every day and we’re stocking the shelves as quickly as possible. Passover Judaica is now available; buy now and avoid the holiday rush!

HKC supervises the Bakery, Five o’clock Shop, Butcher Department and Catering.

We’re not JUST kosher...we’re DELICIOUS! 24

JEWISH LEDGER

| FEBRUARY 5, 2021

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