CT Jewish Ledger • April 2, 2021 • 20 Nisan 5781

Friday, April 2, 2021 20 Nisan 5781 Vol. 93 | No. 14 | ©2021 $1.00 | jewishledger.com

Yom Hashoah v’Hagvura 27 NISAN 5781 1

JEWISH LEDGER

| APRIL 2, 2021

jewishledger.com

Help us keep families together.

Learn about what we do | CoalitionCT.org

2

JEWISH LEDGER

| APRIL 2, 2021

jewishledger.com

INSIDE

this week

CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | APRIL 2, 2021 | 20 NISAN 5781

8 Bulletin Board

8 Torah Portion

12 Briefs

17 Crossword

18 What’s Happening

Election 5781................................... 4 Following yet another Israeli election it still appears that half the country is determined to oust Bibi Netanyahu as Israel’s prime minister. But a possible way out is both a societal breakthrough – and a source of potential trouble, says Jonathan Tobin.

Antisemitism on Campus........... 5 A recent webinar hosted by several Connecticut Jewish organizations and the Simon Weisenthal Center explores ways in which to stem the rising tide of antisemitism on American college campuses (including UConn).

Out of Bounds.................................. 7 Twelve days after a Duxbury, Mass. high school football team uses terms like “Auschwitz,” “rabbi” and “dreidel” while calling plays during a March 12 game, the coach is fired.

19 Yom Hashoah events in CT

20 Obituaries

21 Business and Professional Directory

22 Classified

ON THE COVER:

Yom Hashoah V’Hagvurah – Holocaust Memorial Day – begins the evening of Wednesday, April 7 and ends the evening of Thursday, April 8. Among our stories: a look at what IBM was able to accomplish on the Nazis’ behalf in the 1930s – giving pause to consider what Big Tech is capable of today. PAGE 14. Plus, on page 19, a calendar of Yom Hashoah commemorations around the state. jewishledger.com

OPINION.................................................................................10 Now more than ever, American Jews must stand with Asian Americans as we have historically, not only hoping for but actively seeking a better future for all.

Arts & Entertainment.......................................................11 Efi Skakovsky and Meni Wakshtock have managed to shatter stereotypes by proving to secular Israelis that being “haredi” doesn’t mean you can’t be funny.

CANDLE LIGHTING

Sponsored by:

SHABBAT & HOLIDAY FRIDAY, APRIL 2

LAST DAY OF PASSOVER SATURDAY, APRIL 3

Hartford 7:00 p.m.

New Haven: 7:00 p.m.

Bridgeport: 7:01 p.m.

Stamford: 7:02 p.m.

Hartford 8:01 p.m.

New Haven: 8:01 p.m.

Bridgeport: 8:02 p.m.

Stamford: 8:03 p.m.

To determine the time for Havdalah, add one hour and 10 minutes (to be safe) to candle lighting time.

JEWISH LEDGER

2471 Albany Ave., West Hartford 860.236.1965 • thecrownmarket.com

|

APRIL 2, 2021

3

OPINION

Israel still can’t make up its mind about Netanyahu

BY JONATHAN S. TOBIN

(JNS) When the first exit polls were published, it seemed as if the long stalemate had been ended. Within a couple of hours, however, the polls had been revised, and by the end of a long night and morning of counting, it turned out that the deadlock between those who wish to keep Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister and those who want to get rid of him hadn’t been broken.

With 88.5 percent of the vote counted (and with approximately half a million absentee votes that could alter the electoral math still left to be tabulated), the parties supporting Netanyahu, plus one likely coalition partner, had fallen two seats short of the 61 Knesset seats needed to form a new government. By the same token, the disparate group of parties that agree on very little, but which are all pledged to oust the prime minister, were similarly short of a clear path to an alternative government.

This fourth consecutive election stalemate in two years is a discouraging outcome for the Jewish state. It’s not just an annoying waste of time. More than that, it has been estimated that the cost of holding these four votes amounted to $4.24 billion – a staggering sum for a small country that, like the rest of the world, is dealing with the economic catastrophe caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Aside from the not-inconsiderable expenses involved in staging the contest, election days are legal holidays in Israel. That costs company holiday pay, as well as a loss of productivity and sales, even though some businesses, like restaurants, benefit from people having the day off.

Then there is the plain fact that the lack of a national budget for 2020 – let alone 2021 – is also a blow to stability and the country’s economic well-being.

There is a national consensus that the standoff has been something of a disgrace since, among other things, the frequency of elections means that Israel has now surpassed Italy as the home of the most unstable democracy in the world. And yet, the one person who hasn’t been hurt by it is Netanyahu. The failure to form a stable government has served him fairly well since it enables him to govern without actually winning an election. Even the lack of a budget has made it easier for him since he hasn’t been hampered by the financial negotiations that would have undermined his agenda.

Indeed, in the course of the last year, Netanyahu hasn’t just managed to stay afloat. Since Israel was last forced to the polls, the prime minister had what historians may ultimately say were his two 4

JEWISH LEDGER

greatest accomplishments: the signing of the Abraham Accords and the successful effort to get Israelis vaccinated against COVID-19, enabling it to be the first of nations to essentially emerge from the yearlong pandemic crisis.

Any leader with two such impressive achievements to his credit might have expected to be easily re-elected. But the election results speak volumes about both his strengths and his weaknesses. That’s because it could also be said that no prime minister who was facing trial for three corruption charges and who had worn out his welcome with both the public and political colleagues after 12 consecutive years in office could reasonably presume to emerge from an election as the head of the largest party and as the only person with a chance to form a government, as is also the case with Netanyahu.

His able statesmanship and skillful governance – not to mention a national consensus behind his core positions on issues that used to divide Israel over policy towards the Palestinians, territory and settlements – have made him something of an institution. It’s no wonder that polls show that most Israelis (including many who don’t vote for him) think that he’s the most qualified person to hold the top job.

Still, his constant scheming, untrustworthiness in political negotiations and the sense of entitlement that go with having stayed in office so long with no thought of grooming a successor, let alone stepping aside for the next generation, has also fueled rage at Netanyahu on the part of a broad cross-section of the Israeli public. It may be created by a mix of partisanship and ideology (many in the “anybody but Bibi” camp would be similarly determined to oppose any Likud leader or non-leftist), but it is nonetheless real. His followers cannot imagine Israel being led by anyone else.

And yet the fact that so many Israelis seem focused on nothing but the quest to topple him has further embittered the country’s political discourse.

Can Netanyahu find a way out of the corner into which the Israeli public has painted itself?

Talk of defectors from other parties is, as was the case last year, mooted by his supporters, but that seems even less likely this time around. Another possibility of a solution is both a laudable development as well as a potential case of staggering hypocrisy.

When the four disparate Arab factions ran together as a single party last year, they won 15 seats as the Joint Arab List.

| APRIL 2, 2021

PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU ADDRESSES SUPPORTERS ON ELECTION NIGHT IN JERUSALEM, MARCH 23.

(OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)

When Blue and White leader Benny Gantz spoke of his willingness to deal with that coalition of anti-Zionists – many of whom sympathize with terrorists – the Likud and others blasted the idea as something that would compromise the nation’s security.

The Joint List split when Mansour Abbas, leader of the Ra’am Party that advocates the conversion of Israel into an Islamist Palestinian state, pointed out something that was quite true. Israeli Arabs have been badly served by their politicians.

Many of them are corrupt and have spent their time working harder to support Palestinian efforts to undermine Israel than on trying to assist their constituents. Abbas (no relation to the Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas) suggested that it was time for them to stop grandstanding in order to help allies in Ramallah and Gaza, and start doing deals with the Zionist parties in order to serve their people better.

Assuming that the current results stand up after all the votes are counted, that led to a loss of four seats for the Arabs after the Joint List won six seats and Ra’am five.

As he promised during the campaign, however, Abbas says that he is open to supporting either side of the Israeli political divide in order to advance the interests of Israeli Arabs. That opens up the possibility that one of the non-Jewish parties would become part of a government, even if it meant supporting it from outside the coalition.

If Ra’am enables Netanyahu and the Likud to govern in this fashion, the prime

minister and his supporters would be open to charges of staggering hypocrisy.

Then again, it would also give the lie to the canard that Israel is an “apartheid state.”

It would also illustrate just how far the Abraham Accords and the other normalization deals between Israel, and Arab and Muslim states, have helped erode support for the century-long war on Zionism. Friendly relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are a signal to Arab voters that it’s in their interests to stop acting like auxiliaries of Palestinian terror groups.

This scenario may not happen – not the least because many of Netanyahu’s supporters won’t tolerate sitting in a government whose existence depends on the votes of those who don’t really want it to exist. It also doesn’t alter the fact that half of the country will never rest until he is finally defeated. Nor does it erase the way the prime minister’s sense of indispensability and double-dealing has fatally divided an Israeli right that might otherwise be firmly in control under almost any other leader. The mere fact that the option of a deal with an Arab party can be realistically discussed is also a tribute to how much Netanyahu has changed Israel and the Middle East.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS – Jewish News Syndicate.

The opinions expressed here are those of the author alone. jewishledger.com

UP FRONT CONNECTICUT JEWISH LEDGER | SINCE 1929 | APRIL 2, 2021 | 20 NISAN 5781

Webinar addresses antisemitism on campus – including UConn

H

ARTFORD–Last October, three separate instances of antisemitic vandalism occurred in a residential complex on the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs.

“There was a lack of response from the UConn administration, and that left Jewish students on campus feeling very unsafe and unsupported by this institution that they look to, to protect them and educate them,” said Dori Jacobs, president of UConn Hillel.

Jacobs didn’t take that lack of concern from the administration sitting down.

“I reached out personally to our president and to our chief diversity officer and asked for a response,” she said. “I asked why they were ignoring these incidents that are making students on their campus feel so unsafe.”

An open letter signed by 300 students was sent to UConn President Thomas Katsouleas and a dialogue began between Katsouleas and Jacobs. Soon a statement went out to the entire UConn community from the president denouncing the antisemitic incidents, in addition to several other measures designed to help deal with and prevent future antisemitic acts.

This included working with the student government on legislation officially adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, and coming up with protocols for dealing with incidents of antisemitism and other bias in the future.

Unfortunately in February, another incident occurred – a swastika was drawn on the wall of a men’s bathroom in UConn’s biology/physics building.

And UConn is not alone. Antisemtism is on the rise on college campuses across the nation.

On Wednesday, March 17, the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, the Connecticut office of the ADL and the Simon Weisenthal Center presented a webinar on the subject, “Antisemitism on Campus: Are We Ensuring a Safe Environment For the Jewish Community?”

Attempting to answer that question were Ethan Felson, executive director of jewishledger.com

BY STACEY DRESNER

ETHAN FELSON DISCUSSES ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUS AT THE RECENT ADLSPONSORED WEBINAR.

A Wider Bridge, an LGBTQ organization that supports Israel and advocates for LGBT rights in Israel, and former director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Hartford; and Frederick M. Lawrence, CEO of Phi Beta Kappa Society and former president of Brandeis University.

Psychologist Dr. Dale Atkins mediated the discussion, which began with Jacobs’ comments about dealing with the antisemitic vandalism last fall at UConn and how Hillel and the administration are handling the issue now.

“Now what we’re working on doing is not being so reactionary – [not] only working to fight antisemitism when it happens to us – but instead, being proactive and educating people ahead of time so that these incidents don’t occur at all,” Jacobs said. “And I’d say the biggest lesson that we learned in all of this is that you have more allies than you think. The second that you start to speak up about these issues, people will come forward and be on your side and fight with you.”

Felson addressed Jacobs’ story in his opening comment.

“How I wish it wasn’t the first time that I heard that story. I’ve heard that story from student after student for so many years. But the campuses are not burning.

Hebrew College announces relocation to Newton, Mass. campus

B

BY PENNY SCHWARTZ

Most students on campus feel safe and secure in their Jewish identity but not all.

And the problem is getting worse, at least in my observation.”

Felson, a native of West Hartford, spoke of a recent online forum with students.

“I spoke with three of them that were LGBTQ, and each one of them…expressed to me that it’s harder for them to be Jewish on campus, then to be queer… I spoke with a student who said that she was told she couldn’t serve on a committee that would be overseeing a campus election that had to do with an issue related to Israel because she was Jewish and it was presumed that she would be biased, and students who are on, as it were, the other side of that debate, weren’t given the same ouster. The good news is that there are a lot of people who are there to support students,” including Jewish Federations and their Jewish Community Relations Councils and the ADL, Felson said.

Dealing with antisemitism or anti-Israel sentiment on campus is “complicated,” said Lawrence, a civil rights scholar and free expression advocate in his opening statement, “because it actually falls at the intersection of two different core values of our society [and] our academic institutions.

“One is free expression, free inquiry, the ability to try out ideas that aren’t popular that you’re not even sure you believe…to express your views and develop your views.

“And on another side is the idea of building an academic community, a diverse community, an equitable community, and an inclusive community, which for the American Jewish community has been one of the great blessings of the last century or more of being able to be safe on campuses…

Those things don’t always fit evenly and easily together. That’s part of the challenge here…How do you navigate all of those issues…in a way of making sure that people are safe to express unpopular views? I often said to groups of students… ‘I’m not going to agree with everything you say but I am going to defend your right to say it,’ within certain broad limits. And those limits are going to include that you can’t threaten

OSTON (JTA) – Two years after Hebrew College sold its distinctive building to pay off debt, the pluralistic institution has announced that it will be moving in with a nearby Conservative synagogue.

Located less than five miles from Hebrew College’s current space, Temple Reyim’s campus in Newton, a Boston suburb with a long established Jewish community, is already home to Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh and Education Center, a Jewish after school program and the Zamir Chorale of Boston.

A RENDERING OF THE PLANNED SHARED CAMPUS BETWEEN TEMPLE REYIM AND HEBREW COLLEGE. (COURTESY OF PRELLWITZ CHILINSKI ASSOCIATES)

Hebrew College’s move, announced on March 16 and planned for December 2022, caps a decade of uncertainty and budget woes and staff reductions for the college, even as its rabbinical school and adult learning programs have grown steadily. The school celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

Hebrew College President Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that she knew finding the right home for the school was a top priority when she was installed in 2018 as the first woman to lead the college.

“On the one hand, our new home would have to be affordable and sustainable. … On the other hand,

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

JEWISH LEDGER

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

|

APRIL 2, 2021

5

Antisemitism

Hebrew College

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

somebody. We can’t make somebody literally afraid. But you can challenge somebody and you can provoke somebody.”

Lawrence suggested a new way for students to discuss Israel with those who don’t support it.

“Israel is not a conflict, Israel is a country. Don’t fall into the habit of making Israel the conflict,” he said. “That is the way those who are deeply anti-Israel would love to frame it, and now we’re fighting with them… I don’t have to fight about Israel’s right to exist. Israel has a right to exist.

That’s goes on that list of things we hold to be self- evident. Let’s talk about other pieces about Israel that people may not know and that they should know. That’s why I love the work that Ethan is doing in the LGBTQ area because that’s a piece of Israel that not everybody gets…but that’s not about the country, it’s about the people and the culture and something everyone should hear.”

FREDERICK M. LAWRENCE

Lawrence stated that “strong criticism of Israel is not the same thing as antisemitism.”

“Antisemites are often critical of Israel, and there is criticism of Israel that is antisemitism, but not all criticism of Israel is antisemitism,” he continued. “We’ve got to be careful if we want to keep our allies that we also walk that line, because a lot of times in our community, for reasons I perfectly well understand, there’s a real sensitivity on this, and you pull back too fast and you expect somebody to run in. So, should the university run in in a case like Dori’s case? Absolutely. That’s bonafide antisemitism. When somebody is having an Apartheid Awareness Week or Palestinian Rights Awareness Week, there are parts of that are going to brush you against the grain to be sure, but I don’t think you want to start claiming it’s Title VI violation [of the Civil Rights Act].”

Felson stressed that that students may

6

JEWISH LEDGER

be able to get through to those on the opposite side of the issue by sharing their stories about Israel.

“One of the things that we think we need when we go into the Israel conversation is to know every single fact. But this isn’t a battle of facts, it’s not my history versus your history, and if we understand young people today we know that they crave multiplicity. They can live with multiple narratives. But those narratives are built of stories. If you’re hearing a story of suffering of a Palestinian, we’re not negating that story. We have to prepare students [for that story] so that the foundation that we’ve given them is not knocked out from underneath them.

“They have to be able to approach this with empathy,” Felson explained, “but they also have to, at the end of the day, help people to understand that Israelis are trying to build a fair and decent society, and they’re forced to take risks to defend themselves. And that’s done with stories – how they come to their Jewish identity, how they became attached to Israel, and if they traveled Israel… to tell the stories of the people that they met there who are real life people.”

Felson said that study abroad in Israel is a way to learn those stories.

“It’s incredibly important in terms of our telling our story for our students to be able to travel to Israel. Storytelling is at the center of our ability to be effective advocates. Being there in person is important and there are people who want that not to happen. They’re going after these study abroad programs,” Felson said. “Let’s not wait for those programs to be under attack. Let’s make sure that the policies are in place that are going to protect them.”

Lawrence said that the time to “build bridges” is before an incident occurs.

“The real goal is to build these bridges ahead of time so that they exist. I think those bridges have to be built by the students.”

Lawrence said that faculty and administrators can help to facilitate those bridges on campus, using the example of a program he helped create at Brandeis called Brandeis Bridges. The group brings Jewish and African American students together for conversations about religion and race.

“Then when things happen, you’re not starting from zero, you’ve got a relationship,” Lawrence said. “So more than anything it’s about building bridges, making relationships, understanding it’s not always going to work easily. People are going to misunderstand each other. That’s okay. It’s much better to engage, be a little misunderstood and then go forward, than to separate and be isolated, because that’s a disaster.”

When asked for tips on how students

| APRIL 2, 2021

can combat personal antisemitic acts, Felson said to start locally.

“The first thing is, connect with other Jewish students and find support within your own network. Allyship is important in those situations. There’s a Jewish Federation just about everywhere and they are there as resources: the Israel Action Network is there as a resource. The ADL is a resource… The Israel on Campus Coalition is there as a resource for students.

“But the first thing is to start local in terms of making sure that you as a student have support, and that can come within the office of the dean of students… within Residence Life. You have to feel safe and secure. And then you can build in resources from campus and national or from community and national organizations.”

Strong Jewish organizations on campus are crucial.

“One thing that is essential is a properly resourced Jewish Student Union, Hillel, Israel studies department, Jewish studies department. They have to be able to bring the right people onto campus in order to help create that marketplace of ideas,” Felson said. “I would also say that there are times when the climate on campus becomes so hostile that it crosses a line, and in very limited situations there’s legal recourse that is available to students first within the campus disciplinary process. Those students need support. And if there are hate crimes, there are legal recourses to deal with that.”

Felson suggested that it helps if Jewish students are represented across all areas of student life.

“We need to help them run for student office. They need to be involved in LGBTQ life. They need to be involved in residential life. They need to have those relationships and be fully present in them, as Jews. And again, it’s not about coming in with a set of talking points. It’s about coming in with their stories.”

the move couldn’t just feel like a story of contraction and loss,” she told JTA. “It had to feel exciting, generative, hopeful – a compelling vision for the college and for the wider community.”

That vision is achieved under the shared campus plan, she said. Several other Boston-based groups – including the Jewish Arts Collaborative; the Jewish Women’s Archive; and Keshet, an organization for LGBTQ Jews – will move onto the campus as well.

Under the space-sharing arrangement, both Hebrew College and Temple Reyim will maintain their independent identities while introducing economies of scale that facilitate long-term sustainability, according to the groups’ announcement.

“Our vision is to strengthen the present and future of Temple Reyim and welcome organizational partners that share our core mission,” said Temple Reyim’s rabbi, Daniel Berman.

Hebrew College has already raised more than $5.8 million of its $9.5 million campaign to pay for renovations to Temple Reyim’s current building and add two floors for office and program space. A philanthropy that she declined to name will add $1 million when the school reaches its campaign goal, Cohen Anisfeld said.

The college had a balanced budget last year, with annual expenses of approximately $10 million, Cohen Anisfeld wrote in an email. During the pandemic, senior leadership took a 10% pay reduction for this fiscal year and Cohen Anisfeld took a voluntary 30% pay reduction, to avoid across the board pay cuts for staff, she said.

Hebrew College has 75 rabbinical students and 128 graduates working in pulpits and organizations around the world.

Nearly 2,500 people are currently enrolled in online programs offered by the college, including a Jewish parenting course and a learning network for young adults in Boston.

Join our email list for the latest updates!

Contact Howard Meyerowitz howardm@jewishledger.com 860.231.2424 x3035 jewishledger.com

LOCAL NEWS A Boston-area high school football team used ‘Auschwitz’ and ‘rabbi’ to call plays

BY PENNY SCHWARTZ

B

OSTON (JTA) – For members of the football team at Plymouth North High School south of Boston, the most notable aspect of the season opener wasn’t the date – March 12, after a months-long delay because of the pandemic – or the fact that they lost 35-0.

It was that members of their opponent, Duxbury High, used the name of a Nazi concentration camp and other words with Jewish significance to call plays.

Officials from Plymouth alerted Duxbury school leaders after the game about what they heard. Duxbury in turn has apologized and fired the coach, and the school has canceled its game this week. The New England Anti-Defamation League is calling for a full, independent investigation.

Football teams often use agreed-upon code words to signal play calls to each other.

Legendary quarterback Peyton Manning, for instance, was famous for calling out “Omaha” on the playing field, a choice he later said was totally random.

Among Duxbury players, “it’s my understanding that ‘Auschwitz,’ ‘rabbi’ and ‘dreidel’ were some of the words used,” New England ADL Executive Director Robert Trestan told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Trestan said reports of antisemitic or otherwise derogatory language are not uncommon in local and professional sports.

“What’s unusual in this case is that it seems to have been planted within the team’s playbook and strategy of calling plays,” he said.

School officials launched an investigation and quickly confirmed the reports.

“It has become clear that members of the Duxbury High School football team did in fact use anti-Semitic and potentially other inappropriate and derogatory language,” Duxbury Superintendent John Antonucci told the Boston Globe.

In a letter to the Duxbury community, Antonucci and school officials said the ongoing investigation would examine the role that adults played in stoking the comments, which the letter characterized as “highly offensive” without offering details about their content. He also suggested that consequences could be forthcoming for anyone involved.

While the players demonstrated poor judgment, “the responsibility for this incident also lies with the adults overseeing the program. In short, this was a systemic failure,” the letter said.

On Wednesday, 12 days after the game, jewishledger.com

FUN, FRIENDS, FOREVER CT’s Premier Jewish Co-ed Overnight Summer Camp

DUXBURY HIGH SCHOOL HEAD COACH DAVE MAIMARON PICTURED AT A GAME IN WESTWOOD, MASS., NOV. 23, 2019.

(MATTHEW J. LEE/THE BOSTON GLOBE VIA GETTY IMAGES)

Antonucci announced that the team’s longtime coach, Dave Maimaron, had been fired. Maimaron, who led Duxbury to five state championships, had issued an apology for the team’s “insensitive, crass and inappropriate” language and did not appear at the school’s March 19 game.

Trestan said his group was working with Duxbury officials, and that Jewish residents and community leaders from surrounding towns disturbed by the news have been reaching out to the ADL. He wants to see a third-party investigation to understand how the play-calling system, which a former student told the Globe had been used informally for years, came into existence.

“Transparency is the pathway towards healing and educational solutions,” Trestan said.

The revelations have roiled the area and are driving renewed discussions about how to make local schools more inclusive.

And a local group promoting diversity and inclusion in the area, Duxbury for All, headed by the Rev. Catherine Cullen, has condemned the team’s behavior and called for any adults involved to be held accountable.

Rabbi Howard Cohen of Congregation Shirat Hayam in Marshfield, a few miles away, told the Globe the episode is “a perfect teachable moment,” and has made himself available to school leaders.

And school officials said the play-calling system had been canceled and that training sessions were being planned to alert members of the team, known as the Green Dragons, about the impact of language on and off the field.

“Behavior that promotes anything less than full equity and inclusion is an attack on the core values of the Duxbury Public Schools and is inexcusable,” the school officials wrote. “We need to live these values, and we need to act accordingly.”

For more information or a personal guided tour, please contact us.

463 Summer Hill Rd. Madison, CT PART OF THE 2018-19 BEMA CONCERT SERIES www.laurelwood.org 2626203.421.3736 ALBANY AVENUE • WEST HARTFORD • 860.233.9696 JEWISH LEDGER

|

APRIL 2, 2021

7

TORAHPortion

BULLETIN BOARD Collecting American Jewish experiences of the pandemic A new web portal connects American Jews to Jewish institutions and collecting projects that are gathering and preserving materials related to Jewish life during the pandemic.

The interactive website, Collecting These Times: American Jewish Experiences of the Pandemic (CollectingTheseTimes.org), was developed by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RRCHNM) at George Mason University, in partnership with the Council of American Jewish Museums, the Breman Museum, the Capital Jewish Museum, Hebrew Theological College, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools.

The new website offers an easy way to find collecting projects and contribute images, videos, audio recordings, documents, and oral histories to institutions throughout the U.S. Users can also browse curated contributions from different Jewish communities, covering everything from Jewish ritual practices to schools, summer camps, businesses, and many other aspects of Jewish life during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Collecting These Times currently connects users to over 70 collecting projects, including American Jewish Life, a digital collection developed last year by RRCHNM in collaboration with six Jewish partner organizations. To find a collection and contribute your own materials, visit collectingthesetimes.org and click Find a Collecting Project. Libraries, archives, researchers, educators, students, and others can access all content at no cost and share content with each other.

Funding for the project comes from a group of Jewish funders, the Chronicling Funder Collaborative, that are supporting efforts to document diverse Jewish experiences of the pandemic. The Collaborative also awarded a grant to the Council of American Jewish Museums (CAJM), enabling it to partner with 18 member institutions to lead a broad-based oral history collecting initiative.

Jewish National Fund launches new teen travel initiative A new and exciting era in long term teen travel to Israel has begun with the launch of Jewish National Fund-USA’s (JNF-USA) DREAM ISRAEL: Teen Travel Initiative.

JNF-USA’s DREAM ISRAEL will make grants of up to $7,500 available per teen on selected programs.

The initiative will reignite long-term Jewish teen travel to Israel, bringing leading Zionist movements, the Conservative and

8

JEWISH LEDGER

Reform movements together with JNF-USA. Supported by JNF-USA’s Boruchin Center, DREAM ISRAEL will enable students to access various levels of grant funding toward their travel to Israel while learning about the act of tzedakah and fundraising for approved philanthropic causes in Israel.

For example, if a teen raises $2,500 in funds, they receive $3,750 in grants for a minimum four-week program in Israel. If the program they choose is at least eight weeks long, they can raise $5,000 in funds to receive $7,500 in grants.

There are currently four programs that students can attend using DREAM ISRAEL grants: Alexander Muss High School in Israel, JNF-USA Roots Israel, URJ Heller High, and Ramah TRY. For more information myjnf.org.

Jewish Teen Funders Network announces new direction The Jewish Teen Funders Network has rebranded as Honeycomb (honeycomb. org), focusing on helping educators and community leaders run immersive Jewish philanthropy experiences and programs and other meaningful grant-making activities for youth and families.

“Amid the global pandemic especially, Jewish youth see individuals and communities in desperate need and facing upheaval, and they want to make a difference,” says Wayne Green, executive director of Honeycomb. “We see many opportunities to connect Jewish youths’ strong desire to do good with philanthropy experiences that maximize impact and bring them the most meaning. Honeycomb is designed to infuse Jewish engagement efforts with the very best practices of youth philanthropy combined with Jewish learning.”

As part of the rebrand, Honeycomb has unveiled new programs, immersive trainings, curriculum development, and consultations available for educators and professionals who run youth philanthropy programs in a variety of settings–Federations, schools, synagogues, community centers, foundations, camps and elsewhere. Together, these individuals and the organizations in which they work comprise Honeycomb’s global network of Jewish youth philanthropy programs, which strengthen Jewish identity, develop leadership skills, and inspire a rising generation of Jewish philanthropists and changemakers.

“Now is the moment to deepen Jewish philanthropy experiences in youths’ lives,” adds Green. “We want more people and communities reaching out to us to join these efforts and becoming part of this transformative work.”

| APRIL 2, 2021

Last days of Pesach

O

BY SHLOMO RISKIN

n the eighth day of Passover we read a passage from the Book of Deuteronomy which lists the festivals of the Jewish calendar. What does it tell us about how we spend our time and our relationship to the people around us?

Every ancient people held certain places and objects sacred. The Jewish people, however, attached the most importance to sanctifying time. The Torah reserves sanctification not for the physical objects of creation but for the Sabbath: “And God blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it’’ (Gen. 2:3). It became an oasis of holy time.

Two Hassidic rabbis, the Kotzker Rebbe and the Vorker Rebbe, once discussed the relative holiness of certain commandments: The Vorker observed that on Sukkot one chooses the four species after painstaking care to ensure their perfection and beauty. They are admired and waved, but finally they are laid aside, the commandment concerning them having been fulfilled. This is the way it is with most mitzvot: as long as we hold them we encompass the holy; the moment we release them their holiness departs.

But when the Jew sits in the sukkah, he is surrounded by the commandment.

The holy literally encompasses the Jew. Thus, sukkah is the greatest mitzvah. The Kotzker replwied that the commandment concerning the Sabbath is even greater.

The Jew can walk out of the sukkah, but he cannot walk out of the Sabbath. In other words, the sanctification of time is the ultimate sanctity, and since life is measured in time, holiness of time means holiness of life. It is thus characteristic that the first commandment God gave the people of Israel as a nation – while yet in Egypt – was a mitzvah dealing with an aspect of time: “This month shall be to you the first of the months’’ (Ex. 12:2).

The Torah clearly emphasizes our role in transforming and ennobling the time we are granted by the Almighty. As Jews, we must view time not merely as objective, disparate units, such as minutes, days, etc., but rather as subjective, interconnected moments which we are empowered to fill with content and to sanctify with meaning.

This idea is halachically manifested in the institution of sanctifying the new moon (kiddush ha-chodesh), which is the process whereby we declare a certain day to be the beginning of the month. Originally, after hearing testimony from witnesses concerning the new moon, the Great Sanhedrin would proclaim the onset of a new month by the formula “the month

is holy, the month is holy .” The court’s decision determined on what day the festivals would occur. In contrast to the Sabbath, which occurs every seven days regardless of the calendar, the festivals depend on the determination of the month, which in turn is fixed by the Jewish people.

As Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno (ca. 1475-1550) observes in his Bible commentary, it is no coincidence that this commandment to sanctify time was given at the moment of freedom from Egypt. Slaves have no clear notion of time since it is not theirs to dispose of. Only free men, who have at least limited control over their time, can fill it with significant matters – and sanctify it. Thus, the concept of freedom and the sanctification of time are bound up with each other.

The first month in the Jewish calendar is the month of Nisan, the time of the emergence of the independent nation.

The seventh month is the month of Tishrei, the anniversary of the creation of the human being. The major Jewish holidays occur in or near these two major periods: Passover and Shavuot in the former; Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot in the latter. The first group of holidays is characterized by its emphasis on the particular – on historical events of relevance only to the Jewish people, namely emancipation from Egyptian bondage and the revelation at Mount Sinai.

The holidays of the second group, however, contain universal themes and occur appropriately in the month when man was created. Both are part of the Jew’s life-cycle. That they can be reconciled is an important motif of the Kiddush. By making reference in this blessing to both the creation of the world and the Exodus from Egypt, we affirm that there is no conflict between the two. The Bible opens with the Lord of the universe creating a world designed for all humanity and with instructions applicable to every individual.

After the major Divine disappointments, first in Adam, then in Noah, the Almighty decides, as it were, to create a family out of which would be forged a “holy nation and kingdom of priests.” This nation would by its example inspire the world to accept God’s teachings. Hence at the very moment of his election, Abraham is promised by God that “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” through him. From the elevation of a particular people will follow the elevation of an entire peoplehood.

jewishledger.com

AROUND CT Passover drives through Simsbury On Sunday, March 21, members of Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation-Emek Shalom (FVJC) in Simsbury handed out Passover treat bags to 80 members who attended the congregation’s Passover Drive-Through event. Congregants were greeted by Rabbi Bekah Goldman (pictured below at the drive-through greeting a congregant) and a group of volunteers who presented them with bags containing unique ‘plagues’ bags, a special Haggadah compiled by Rabbi Bekah for a community second Zoom seder, and a Yom HaShoah remembrance candle. This is the third such event hosted by FVJC since the pandemic started. Each event is also paired with a Social Action Committee collection – in this case, a small mountain of diapers were collected for Gifts of Love in Avon. Volunteers also delivered treat bags to members who were unable to leave their homes.

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.

Eight men honored as Connecticut’s Keepers of the Flame

AVRAM FREEDBERG

Connecticut’s Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs honored eight men from around the state at its Keeper of the Flame event on Sunday, March 21. The event recognizes men who have made a difference in their men’s club, congregation or community.

This year’s honorees are: Avram Freedberg – Agudath Shalom – Stamford George Alexander – Temple Beth Sholom, Hamden Steve Rabb – Beth El Temple, West Hartford Steve Cohen – Beth Sholom B’nai Israel, Manchester Mel Simon – The Emanuel Synagogue, West Hartford Marshall Soltz – The Emanuel Synagogue, West Hartford Bob Spaulding – Congregation Or Shalom, Orange Jon Moss – Temple Sinai, Newington jewishledger.com

Steven Sosensky, president of the FJMC Connecticut Valley Region, said, “These Keeper awardees stood out for their organizational, innovative, and physical efforts to sustain their congregations, clubs and communities. Many of their efforts allowed members and congregants the ability to maintain their connection to their synagogues during this pandemic. Their clubs and their synagogues are stronger, and they are examples of commitment and the adaptability of Jews and the Jewish tradition.“ Congregations of all Jewish denominations were welcome to nominate a member. A special emphasis this year was put on individuals who kept its congregation or men’s club active during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FJMC) is a partnership of more than 200 affiliated clubs with more than 20,000 members across North America and around the world, that aims to involve Jewish men in Jewish life. The Connecticut Valley Region comprises congregations in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.

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

OUR AMENITIES INCLUDE: • Barber/Beauty Shop • Café • Cultural Menus • Laundry and housekeeping services • Patient and Family education • Life Enrichment

HKC

‫כשר‬

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

L IKE U S ON

JEWISH LEDGER

|

APRIL 2, 2021

9

Opinion Jews know the frustration of rising anxieties falling on deaf ears. We must ensure that Asian Americans are heard.

Vol. 93 No. 14 JHL Ledger LLC Publisher Henry M. Zachs Managing Partner Leslie Iarusso Associate Publisher Judie Jacobson Editor judiej@jewishledger.com • x3024 Hillary Sarrasin Digital Media Manager hillaryp@jewishledger.com

BY DYLAN ADELMAN AND SHIRA LOEWENBERG

(JTA) – One year ago, we addressed Jewish concerns and response to the violence and xenophobia directed at Asian Americans at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Our organization, the American Jewish Committee, all too familiar with discrimination and violence directed at our community and dedicated to the protection of all minorities, has long recognized that conspiracy theories and rhetoric often lead to deadly violence.

That we should speak out in condemnation of hate and in support of the Asian-American community was clear.

We hoped we wouldn’t need to say more.

But tragically, one year later, the problem has intensified.

On Tuesday, the nation witnessed a terrible flashpoint: a shooting spree in Atlanta left eight people dead, including six Asian-American women. Our colleagues in Atlanta and across the country joined the Asian-American community and others in condemning this horrific act of violence.

Regardless of the motives of the shooter, which are still being investigated, there is no denying that Asian-American women were the victims and that their murder reflects a rising public crisis and increasing – and legitimate – fears among Asian Americans across the country.

The Atlanta attacks were the latest in a year of unprecedented assaults on Asian Americans. Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition that documents anti-Asian hate and discrimination, recorded 3,795 reported hate incidents from March 19, 2020 to Feb. 28, 2021. This represents only a fraction of the real crimes against Asian Americans that for a variety of reasons go unreported.

The New York Police Department recorded a 1,900% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020, and other cities in the U.S. posted similar statistics. Asian-American women are targeted more than twice as often as men, and more than 125 reported cases have involved senior citizens. The rising numbers leave no room for denial that the prejudice and violence that Asian Americans face is real and worsening, and that Asian Americans are increasingly – and for good reason – afraid.

In AJC’s 2020 report on the State of Antisemitism in America, we found a stark contrast in perceptions of the threat of antisemitismby Jewish and non-Jewish 10

JEWISH LEDGER

DEMONSTRATORS AT A RALLY TO RAISE AWARENESS OF ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE AT THE JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM IN LOS ANGELES, MARCH 13, 2021.

(RINGO CHIU/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

Americans: 88% of American Jews saw antisemitismas a problem in the U.S. today, as opposed to 62% of the general public. And 82% of American Jews saw antisemitismincreasing, whereas only 43% of the general public agreed with that perception. Most alarmingly, the poll findings indicated that Jews themselves were not trusted as being legitimate arbiters of what is anti-Semitic, but that others are better equipped to define antisemiticrhetoric, motivation and acts.

Asian Americans are experiencing a similar phenomenon.

Many non-Asian commentators downplay or blatantly deny the xenophobia and racism and ensuing dangers to the Asian-American community. A dismissive attitude prevails, with claims of discrimination by Asian Americans, who, like Jews, have been viewed as a “model minority” thriving in this country, are frequently diminished or ignored, if not ridiculed.

American Jews know the frustration of rising anxieties falling on deaf ears.

We must ensure that Asian Americans are heard, respected and supported. With thousands of discriminatory acts on record, including the last months’ multiple reports of violence against Asian Americans across the country, some caught on camera, there

| APRIL 2, 2021

can be no denying that anti-Asian rhetoric and violence is a real and dangerous problem.

How can the Jewish community help?

First, we must ensure that all know how to report a hate crime, as a victim or a witness, and that we are equipped to accurately communicate that information to law enforcement and others. More accurate reporting underlines the gravity of the situation and the need for action, and it ensures accountability for perpetrators.

Second, we must urge elected officials to pass legislation that will support and protect minorities. AJC has spearheaded an effort, with over 150 Asian-American and other community organizations, advocating for Congress to pass the Jabara-Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assaults, and Threats to Equality (NO HATE) Act. This legislation will improve hate crime reporting through state and local grants for law enforcement training, allowing for the creation of hate crime hotlines, increasing resources to liaise with affected communities and conducting public educational forums on hate crimes.

Third, we must continue to express solidarity with and truly listen to our friends and partners in the Asian-American community, including the many AsianAmerican Jews who are experiencing rising hate doubly. Amplifying their voices and ensuring that their stories are heard is critical to garnering public understanding and support. Ask how you can be useful at an organizational or individual level, and act accordingly.

Jews understand that silence at times like these is complacency. We must not be silent. We must not be complacent.

American Jews will stand with Asian Americans as we have historically and into the future, not only hoping for but actively seeking a better future for all.

Shira Loewenberg is director of the American Jewish Committee’s Asia Pacific Institute.

Dylan Adelman is assistant director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Asia Pacific Institute.

EDITORIAL Stacey Dresner Massachusetts Editor staceyd@jewishledger.com • x3008 Tim Knecht Proofreader ADVERTISING Donna Edelstein, Senior Account Executive NonProfit & JHL Ledger LLC Media Marketing donnae@jewishledger.com • x3028 Joyce Cohen, Account Executive joycec@jewishledger.com • (860) 836-9195 Amy Oved, MA Account Executive amyo@jewishledger.com • (860) 841-8607 Trudy Goldstein, Account Executive (860) 573-1575 PRODUCTION Elisa S. Wagner, Creative Director elisaw@jewishledger.com • x3009 Christopher D. Bonito, Graphic Designer chrisb@jewishledger.com ADMINISTRATIVE Judy Yung, Accounting Manager judyy@jewishledger.com • x3016 Howard Meyerowitz, Office Manager howardm@jewishledger.com • x3035

Samuel Neusner, Founder (1929-1960) Rabbi Abraham J. Feldman, CoFounder and Editor (1929-1977) Berthold Gaster, Editor (1977-1992) N. Richard Greenfield, Publisher (1994-2014) PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT Periodicals postage paid at Hartford, CT and at additional mailing offices.

Jewish Ledger (USPS # 131 150) is published 24 times per year by JHL Ledger LLC from our office at: Jewish Ledger 40 Woodland Street Hartford, CT 06105 Phone: (860) 231-2424 • Fax: (860) 231-2485 Toll Free: 1-800-286-6397 Postmaster, send address changes to: Jewish Ledger 40 Woodland Street Hartford, CT 06105 Subscriptions: $36 yearly, $9 Twelve Issue Institutional subscription. Send name, address, zip code with payment.

Editorial deadline: All public and social announcements must be received by Tuesday 5 p.m. 10 days prior to publication.

Advertising deadline: Wednesday noon one week prior to issue. Advertisers should check ad on publication.

JHL Ledger LLC and Jewish Ledger shall not be liable for failure to publish an ad for typographical error or errors in the publication except to the extent of the cost of the space which the actual error appeared in the first insertion. Publishers reserve the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable. The publishers cannot warrant, nor assume responsibility for, the legitimacy, reputability or legality of any products or services offered in advertisements in any of its publications. The entire contents of the Jewish Ledger are copyright © 2021. No portion may be reproduced without written permission of the publishers. JHL Ledger LLC also publishes Jewish Ledger MA, All Things Jewish CT, and All Things Jewish MA. www.jewishledger.com

jewishledger.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ‘Haredi’ duo takes Israeli comedy world by storm

BY TZIVIA BLUM

(Israel Hayom via JNS) Efi Skakovsky and Meni Wakshtock, two haredi comedians, have managed to shatter stereotypes by proving to secular Israelis that being haredi doesn’t mean you can’t be funny. The duo, known as Bardak (“chaos”), have taken comedy world by storm, bridging the divide between the two sectors in Israeli society.

The two met in August 2020 and realized that their talent for humor would be a hit within their community.

Skakovsky and Wakshtock post their skits on social media and cover various topics, ranging from the coronavirus to the antigovernment haredi protests.

The videos are tailored to the haredi audience; they do not use profanity, and focus on men’s perspectives. Nevertheless, they are proving to be incredibly popular among secular Israelis.

“Our content is acceptable for everyone across the board,” Wakshtock said in an interview with Israel Hayom. “Some have access to the Internet at home; others have access to it at work and can download it onto a flash drive.”

Q: Your videos are unexpected, because you grew up watching very little TV. “I took film studies in a religious institution, and I have been directing for seven years,” Wakshtock said. “Our approach is to create a perfect product without slacking and ‘going with the flow.’ Sometimes we contemplate an idea for hours, refine certain parts of the script and change it again and again.”

Q: What do rabbis think about your work?

“The ultra-Orthodox love to laugh, and until now, they didn’t really have a lot of

kosher content. I went to consult with a rabbi before [I began this work,] and he encouraged me to pursue it; that it was my mission,” Skakovsky said.

Q: Where do you publish your content?

“On YouTube, where we have 4.7 million views for 25 videos,” Wakshtock said.

“Another 20,000-30,000 views on Facebook, about 15,000 on TikTok. Recently we came across a video that someone uploaded to Tiktok, a segment from one of our bits about an ultraOrthodox man disguising himself as a secular person to cross a roadblock [put in place during one of the coronavirus lockdowns.] It was viewed 750,000 times.”

Nevertheless, WhatsApp is more common in the haredi world, Wakshtock added. “We have 40-50 groups where we publish videos every week,” he noted.

Q: Do some people criticize your work?

“Most of the feedback is positive,” Skakovsky said. “The minority that does criticize us provides us with constructive criticism. In one of our first sketches, a character by the name of Eisenbach is seen counting money, and my father said that might be less appropriate at this time.”

Q: What are your plans going forward?

“We are open to suggestions,” Wakshtock said. “One day, we might make a movie or a TV series, the kind that haredi people will enjoy, too. Secular people watch our videos, as well. Perhaps they don’t get all the nuances, but they say they like seeing what the real Haredi world is like.”

This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.

HASSLE FREE LIVING There’s no place like

FEDERATION HOMES Affordable Living for Older Adults 62+ and Individuals with Disabilities 156 Wintonbury Ave., Bloomfield, CT

Call (860)243-2535 or visit us at www.federationhomes.org Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford with funding from the Department of Housing & Urban Development

Newington 860.333.9032

Willimantic 860.717.9333

2280 Berlin Tpk. Newington, CT

1548 W Main St. Willimantic, CT

(In the MedCare Express plaza-use side entrance)

(Across from Papa’s Pizza)

hello@finefettle.com

newington@finefettle.com

Good Health.

Good Condition.

Stop by to speak to one of our pharmacists about Connecticut’s Medical Marijuana Program No appointment necessary and consultations are always free

Offering:

• Discounts for Senior Citizens, Veterans, and Low-Income Individuals • Huge Savings through our free Fine Fettle Club • Online ordering and more at www.finefettle.com COMEDIANS EFI SKAKOVSKY AND MENI WAKSHTOCK. PHOTO: COURTESY/BARDAK.

jewishledger.com

A conversation with a healthcare provider can help you determine whether medical marijuana may be right for you.

JEWISH LEDGER

|

APRIL 2, 2021

11

Briefs NJ newspaper fires journalist for anti-Jewish, misogynistic caption (JNS) A journalist from the Asbury Park Press, a Gannett-owned newspaper in Central N.J., is out of a job with the paper doing damage control after posting a photo caption last weekend that was deemed anti-Jewish and anti-woman. The caption, which read in part “A f**king hot nurse, a total JAP, loads a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine …,” appeared on the paper’s website a week ago as part of a series of photos of how the faith community is helping vaccinate people.

The description accompanied a photo of a nurse from the CHEMED health center in Lakewood, N.J., home to a large Orthodox Jewish population. “JAP” stands for “Jewish American princess.”

Paul D’Ambrosio, the newspaper’s executive editor, said on March 22 that the photo ran with “an unapproved and offensive caption. The photo was removed on March 21 as soon as it was brought to our attention.

As executive editor of the Asbury Park Press, I apologize deeply to women, the Lakewood Jewish community, all members of the Jewish faith, the Asian American community and all our readers.”

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called the caption “completely, utterly unacceptable” and “offensive on so many levels.” Murphy said when he first heard about it, “I think, with all due respect, someone has to pay a price for that. That’s completely incredibly offensive. Even the apology missed the point as I understood the apology.”

Scott Richman, the ADL’s NY/NJ regional director, said “while we appreciate that Asbury Park Press has apologized and changed their procedures to avoid troubling incidents like these in the future, we are concerned that the cause may go beyond procedures and call on [the paper] to perform a full investigation.”

D’Ambrosio posted an updated apology on March 23, trying to explain how the offensive caption came to appear on the website: “I thought someone had hacked our content management system. In reality, it was a reporter who admitted that he did a ‘stupid, stupid thing.’ ”He continued, saying “this was an inexcusable act. The objectification of women and religious insults are intentional actions. The reporter in question is no longer with the company.”

Gallup poll: Increase in Americans’ desire to pressure Israel (JNS) Americans continue to favor Israel over the Palestinians, yet their support for the Palestinian Authority has increased to 12

JEWISH LEDGER

30 percent, according to a Gallup annual World Affairs poll published on Friday, March 19. Favorability of Israel remains high, at 75 percent, the poll revealed. The poll also indicated that since 2018, the percentage of Americans wanting more pressure placed on the Palestinians to resolve their conflict with Israel has dropped from 50 percent to 44 percent, while that of Americans wanting more pressure exerted on Israel has increased from 27 percent to 34 percent. Gallup says that this is the highest level of demand for pressuring Israel since 2007. Over the same period, the percentage in favor of the United States putting more pressure on both parties, or on neither, has declined from 21 percent to 14 percent. The majority of those favoring pressure on Israel are Democrats, while 17 percent of Republicans and 31 percent of independents favor doing so. The poll was conducted from Feb. 3 to Feb. 18.

Intellectuals launch magazine on European Jewry’s population ‘crisis’ (JTA) – Jewish journalists, academics and other writers from across Europe have established a new magazine focused on the “current situation of European Jews,” or what they deem a “crisis” signified by the continent’s shrinking Jewish population.

K., which is named after the protagonist of Kafka’s novel “The Castle,” launched Monday, March 22, online with a French-language edition and another one in English. It plans to publish three items per week – “analyses, interviews, reportages, and sometimes short stories” – online and will release a print product twice a year. It is a nonprofit with support from the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah, the Rothschild Foundation the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Foundation for Political Innovation and the Foundation of French Judaism.

The publication’s editorial team is led by editor-in-chief Stéphane Bou, a French author, journalist and cinema scholar. An opening statement reads: “[A]round 1880, European Jews represented 90 percent of the world’s Jews; today, they represent only nine percent… How do we reimagine the relationship between Jews and Europe?… We will tour Europe: there will be wide shots, panoramas and close-ups, overviews and miniatures, historical flashbacks and novel approaches to our current situation… We hope that it will attract all Europeans, as well as our friends in North America and Israel, where the two largest Jewish communities in the world now reside – the 90 percent of today.”

Among their first published items is an analysis by historian Jacques Ehrenfreund of a landmark 2020 research on the demographic decline of European Jewry. That minority “has returned to the same level as in the Middle Ages,” the K. article states.

| APRIL 2, 2021

New York mayoral candidate Yang says BDS is ‘nonviolent,’ but ‘antiSemitic’ (JNS) New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang said in a statement on March 19 that although he doesn’t believe the BDS movement is violent, it is antisemitic.

Yang told The Forward in a statement, “BDS does not recognize the right of Israel to exist. Not recognizing Israel’s right to exist is antisemitic. I strongly oppose BDS, as I’ve said countless times.” The Forward asked Yang to clarify his stance on the BDS movement following conflicting remarks he made at a forum on March 18 that was hosted

by Emgage, a Muslim-American advocacy organization. During the event, PalestinianAmerican moderator Dean Obeidallah told Yang that when the mayoral candidate wrote in an op-ed for The Forward in January that BDS harkens “back to fascist boycotts of Jewish businesses,” it “caused a lot of pain in [the Palestinian] community.” Obeidallah told Yang that his grandmother’s “land has been taken by Israeli settlers and turned into a settlement.” Yang responded: “I’ve spoken to people who have made a different argument, along the lines of what you just expressed, which is that BDS is nonviolent. I don’t think targeting Israel in this way is the right approach, but I certainly appreciate people who are standing up for what they believe in.”

He acknowledged to The Forward that he “used a poor choice of words on BDS” at the forum, “and it has caused pain to many people.” He added that he will reach out to Jewish leaders “to make sure they know what’s in my heart.”

Yang said at an event on Feb. 24: “My view on BDS is that because of its failure to disavow certain organizations that have expressed violent intentions toward Israel that I disagree with it, but I have complete respect for people who have a very different point of view.”

UK Police arrest man who assaulted pregnant Jewish woman (JNS) Metropolitan Police in London arrested a man on Monday, March 22, seen on video attacking a young Jewish woman last week in the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Stamford Hill. In the video, a man estimated to be in his 50s, whose name has not yet been released, is seen following the 20-year-old pregnant woman. As she is about to reach a closed gate, he rushes up, puts a dark pillowcase over her head and starts punching her before she manages to break free. She was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Announcing the arrest, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “Enquiries are ongoing to establish a motive. At this early stage, it is not believed to be linked with any other offenses. Police have been conducting patrols in the Stamford Hill area to provide

reassurance to the local community.” The Community Security Trust, a British charity that protects Jews from antisemitic and other types of attacks or violence, thanked the local police, calling it an “important arrest following an awful attack upon pregnant Jewish woman in Stamford Hill.” The Jewish volunteer group Shomrim – a neighborhood watch program – tweeted that it thanked the police for its swift response and the Twitter community “for the overwhelming response with providing vital information.”

Brazilian political party leader says Jews ‘sacrificed children’ (JTA) – Jewish groups have filed a criminal complaint against the head of a major Brazilian party for putting the age-old antisemitic blood libel trope in a social media post. “Baal, Satanic deity, Canaanites and Jews sacrificed children to receive their sympathy. Today, history repeats itself,” Roberto Jefferson posted on Instagram on Friday, March 19. Jefferson, a fervently Christian politician, has led the Labor Party, or PTB as it is known in Brazil, since 2003.

Once a left-leaning worker’s party, PTB is now a strong supporter of right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro. It holds 12 seats out of 513 in Brazil’s lower parliamentary Chamber of Deputies.

The Brazilian Israelite Confederation called Jefferson’s post “one of the vilest ways” to attack Jews. “This features crime of racism with an increased penalty for having been committed through a social network,” the Confederation wrote in a statement on Saturday, March 20. “Screenshots and comments of followers, which can also be characterized as a crime, have been preserved for criminal investigation.”

Instagram has removed Jefferson’s post. On Twitter, he called the Jewish organization’s note “clowning.” “There are some assholes who make a point of generating tensions. The confederation’s leadership wants sensationalism. Morons,” Jefferson said.

The Curitiba Holocaust Museum dedicated several educational tweets to the case. “The charge of ritual crime against Jews came during the medieval period. Known as a blood libel, it is one of the most terrible expressions of cruelty and blind faith in the entire history of mankind. The myth was used as a motivation for the murder of thousands of Jews,” the museum tweeted Saturday.

In 1993, Jefferson was cited in a congressional report which investigated bribery. In 2005, he was involved in a corruption scandal and barred from being elected to any public office until 2015.

Arab world reacts to Israeli election (Israel Hayom via JNS) The Arab world is closely following Israel’s elections. “The jewishledger.com

Israeli election: A fight to the end for every vote,” read a Wednesday headline in Saudi paper Asharq al-Awsat.

Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar‘s headline read: “No surprises in fourth election: Bibi at the mercy of Bennett.” The Hezbollahaffiliated paper said the odds of anyone forming a 61-seat majority were low. The report also noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while campaigning in Beersheva on Tuesday, was whisked away by his security detail when a rocket was fired from Gaza into southern Israel. The Hamas terrorist organization also responded to the election results. “We don’t trust any changes in Israeli society,” said the group’s spokesperson, Fawzi Barhoum. “It is all the byproduct of the Zionist project, the goal of which is to entrench the foundations of the Zionist entity at the expense of Palestinian rights. The identity of the next Israeli government won’t change the nature of the conflict with this occupier, and it is deemed an occupying entity that must be resisted.

[The election results] won’t affect our people’s struggle, until we defeat this occupation,” he said.

Emirati newspaper The National quoted a café owner in Jerusalem, who said: “I think Netanyahu is truly a good manager, but I don’t trust him with absolute power. I want him to have good partners.” The paper also said that Netanyahu’s Likud Party will need support from smaller parties, including from the Religious Zionist Party, to secure a Knesset majority.

Colorado Jewish community ‘shaken to core’ after mass shooting (JNS) The Jewish Community Center of Boulder and area synagogues held a vigil Tuesday evening, March 23, so local residents could connect and grieve following a mass shooting at a supermarket 30 miles northeast of Denver. The gunman was identified as 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa from Arvada, Colo.

A Facebook post by Rabbi Fred Greene of Congregation Har Ha-Shem noted that his synagogue includes those who live in the neighborhood of the shooting. “I know that we are feeling shock, fear, anger and so much more. I am sorry that as people were beginning to feel hopeful for [coronavirus] vaccines and a new beginning, another act of violence has shaken our community,” wrote Greene. “We are praying for the healing of those who are experiencing fear and trauma.”

Rabbi Marc Soloway of Congregation Bonai Shalom posted on Facebook: “Friends, I am sure we are all so shaken and frightened by how close today’s horrible shooting was to us. A store that so many of us have been in multiple times. While we wait with terror and sadness to learn more about the victims, I hope and pray that you and your loved ones are safe.” Leaders of the Boulder JCC also expressed their sorrow. “Our hearts are with the Boulder community as the shooting at the jewishledger.com

King Soopers has unfolded before our eyes.

We are shaken to our core, and we mourn the loss of life. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims, law enforcement and first responders who put their lives on the line for our beloved community,” said a socialmedia post signed by Jonathan Lev and Lee Strongwater, JCC’s executive director and board president.

Lawfare Project says ethnicstudies curriculum violates civil-rights laws (JNS) The Lawfare Project is urging California Gov. Gavin Newsom to prevent the implementation of its recently approved Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum over concerns that it could violate federal and state civil rights laws. In a letter, it said that the current version of the curriculum “remains highly problematic with respect to education about the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious minority.” Specifically, the letter notes that the curriculum “repeated emphasis on supposed Jewish experiences of ‘conditional whiteness’ and ‘racial privilege’ enables – and may encourage – school districts throughout California to implement the ESMC in a manner that violates state and federal civil rights law,” in particular, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“The California State Board of Education and Governor Newsom received the Lawfare Project’s letters warning of the likelihood that the ethnic-studies model curriculum, if implemented, would violate federal and state civil rights laws,” Brooke Goldstein, executive director of the Lawfare Project told JNS. “The board recklessly approved this curriculum anyway, and [we] will consider all legal options to keep the Jew-hatred it contains out of our children’s classrooms.”

Last week, the California State Board of Education approved the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. Its approval was the culmination of nearly two years of debate and concern by the Jewish community about antisemitism and anti-Israel bias in the curriculum.

The ethnic-studies curriculum approved

by California is only optional at this time for school districts. Last year, Newsom vetoed AB331 that would have made ethnic studies mandatory for graduation for California high school students. However, new legislation is being considered to make the curriculum mandatory.

New Chabad Haggadah is No. 1 bestselling Jewish book on Amazon (JNS) The Passover Haggadah has seen more editions than any other Jewish book in history. Still, the recently released Chabad. org Haggadah, which is faithful to tradition, has already set a new standard for the times. Written and designed by the staff, it was created in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic as so many were suddenly tasked

with making seders for the first time, and with many Jews still homebound and planning to hold Passover alone or just with immediate family. The illustrated Haggadah provides extensive notes about the seder and an easy-to-understand English translation with commentary. It is available in PDF format for free downloading and printing in advance of Passover, which is celebrated this year from Saturday night, March 27 through Sunday, April 4. Since its launch mid-month, the softcover holiday text has been downloaded nearly 100,000 times, and become the No. 1 bestselling Haggadah and No. 1 bestselling Jewish book on Amazon.

“The response has been tremendous – well beyond what we anticipated,” says Rabbi Motti Seligson, associate director of Chabad. org, who led the design concept of the Haggadah. “It seems that this Haggadah is exactly what so many were waiting for to help guide their Passover seder and make it that much more meaningful.” Plans are in the works for an upgraded, hardcover version to be released in 2022.

Charles Barkley’s hora at his daughter’s Jewish wedding went fine (JTA) – Earlier this month, Charles Barkley confessed to Jimmy Kimmel that he wasn’t sure he’d make it through the hora at his daughter’s wedding. He needn’t have worried.

Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing around 250 pounds, the NBA Hall of Famer was concerned that the wedding guests wouldn’t be able to lift him in a chair during the traditional Jewish celebratory dance. His daughter, Christiana, was to wed Ilya Hoffman, who is Jewish, at a Scottsdale, Arizona, resort. “I’ve been really working out hard because apparently they’ve got to pick me up in a chair,” Barkley told Kimmel on his talk show on March 4. “Listen, I need all Jewish people on deck, brother. Cause I can only get so skinny by Saturday, man.”

But according to a write-up of the wedding in The New York Times, the chair-lifting went just fine. The dancing followed a wedding officiated by Rabbi John Linder, who leads Temple Solel, a Reform congregation near Scottsdale. “He really was scared, but he got in the chair, and next thing you know he and my mom were up there,” Christiana Barkley told The Times. “They had a blast.”

Hoffman, a marketing executive, met Barkley, the writing director for a college consulting company, in 2016 at a party following a replay of a college basketball championship game. Barkley won over Hoffman’s grandmother through love of her chicken soup, according to The Times.

of Missouri and ex-Navy Seal, whose rapid trajectory as a Republican star came to a crash amid allegations of an abusive extramarital relationship and campaign improprieties, announced on March 22 that he will run to succeed Roy Blunt, Missouri’s Republican incumbent U.S. senator who is retiring next year. Once considered a moderate, has Greitens aligned himself with former President Donald Trump. “The people of Missouri need a fighter in the United States Senate, they need somebody who is going to go, as I will, as I’m committed to do, to defending President Trump’s America First policies and also to protecting the people of Missouri from Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer’s radical, leftist agenda,” Greitens said on Fox News.

In 2015, when he first rolled out what would be a successful run for the 2016 gubernatorial race, Greitens told JTA that his outlook was shaped by his Jewish upbringing.

He cited his volunteer work with the homeless and with victims of war crimes as examples.

His governorship crashed in 2018 amid revelations that an extramarital lover accused of him of abuse and blackmail, and that his campaign used a list of donors from a nonprofit Greitens headed.

Greitens resigned, but charges in both cases were eventually dropped. He and his wife are getting divorced.

Germany funds vaccination drive for Holocaust survivors (JTA) – The German government is providing $13.5 million to get Holocaust survivors to COVID-19 vaccination locations around the world. The new Holocaust Survivor Vaccine Assistance Program (HSVAP) will be administered by the New York-based Claims Conference, which announced the program on March 24, through its network of more than 300 agency partners. Funds will cover the costs of organizing vaccination appointments, transporting seniors to and from appointments, and coordinating followup care and counseling as needed. “This added support from the German government will expand our efforts to over 40 countries in which Holocaust survivors live,” said Stuart Eizenstat, who led the negotiations with the German government on behalf of the Claims Conference. “Once national governments make vaccines available, we will be there to ensure that every survivor knows their options, has access to vaccines, and does not feel abandoned.” The Claims Conference estimates there are more than 340,000 Holocaust survivors living around the world, of whom 45 percent are not yet vaccinated.

Eric Greitens, Jewish gov who quit after sex scandal, announces Senate run (JTA) – Eric Greitens is back, and he’s on Team Trump. The Jewish former governor JEWISH LEDGER

|

APRIL 2, 2021

13

Yom Hashoah

HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY BEGINS THE EVENING OF APRIL 7

“Yom Hazikaron laShoah ve-laG’vurah” – “Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and the Heroism” – is observed on the 27th day of the month of Nisan (the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising), which this year begins after sunset on the evening of Wednesday, April 7, and concludes the evening of Thursday, April 8. Community events commemorating the Holocaust are planned throughout the state during that week. (Statewide events are listed on p19. Events will be added as they are submitted.)

Each year, Yom Hashoah is marked by memorial gatherings held throughout the world, highlighted by candle-lighting ceremonies with elderly survivors, speeches by dignitaries, and the reading aloud of the names of the six million who perished.

In Israel, a siren wails for two solid minutes in the morning, bringing the country to a stand-still, as pedestrians freeze in place, students stop their learning and workers their tasks, and even drivers climb out from behind the wheel to stand silently with bowed heads.

This year, much like last year, Holocaust Memorial Day will be a quieter event – though no less somber – as the day’s events are held virtually, owing to the pandemic.

IBM and the Holocaust

BY EDWIN BLACK

(JNS) Without the International Business Machines Corporation, there would still have been a Holocaust. Einsatzgruppen murder squads and their militia cohorts would still have murdered East European Jews bullet by bullet in pits, ravines and isolated clearings. But it was IBM that helped the Third Reich create the industrial, high-speed, six million-victims Holocaust – metering ghetto residents out to trains, then carefully scheduling the moving of those trains to concentration camps for mass murder and cremation within hours, clearing the way for the next shipment of victims, day and night.

Custom IBM programs controlled the census and registration processes, organized the pauperization of the Jews, and ensured that the trains ran on time. There was an IBM customer site – the Hollerith Abteilung – in almost every concentration camp, some with tabulating machines and some with card organizers. IBM even engineered Germany’s odious extermination-by-labor campaign, where skills were matched to slave labor needs and Jews were called up to be worked to death. IBM’s code for a Jewish inmate was “6” and its code for a gas chamber was “8.” The evidence indelibly proves that IBM was an indispensable and pivotal partner in the greatest crime in history. But to IBM, the Holocaust was just 14

JEWISH LEDGER

another business project.

Thomas Watson, Sr., the founder of the IBM World Trade Corporation, the IBM subsidiary focused on foreign operations, was a sociopath lacking any moral compass.

He was no stranger to crime. He had been convicted of extortion in the infamous National Cash Register scandal before he was ever handed the reins of IBM. An evidence technicality allowed his conviction to be overturned and Watson to escape prison time.

Watson received a percentage of every Reich transaction and in 1937 was honored

by Hitler in Berlin at a grandiose award ceremony.

How did IBM get involved? When Hitler came to power, he wanted to locate and destroy the Jews of Germany, Europe and the world. That required the resources of a computer, but in 1933, no such computer existed. What did exist at the time was the IBM punch card. The punch card was invented at the end of the 19th century for the U.S. Census Bureau, from which IBM stole the technology. The card was a people tracker from its inception.

It was the IBM punch card’s use in Nazi Germany that gave birth to “information technology.” Invented by a German American named Herman Hollerith, this card, about the size of a dollar bill, could

| APRIL 2, 2021

store for retrieval detailed information about a person, place, or process depending upon the arrangement of holes on the card, which were punched into rows and columns. The card would be fed into a highspeed reader, and out would come personal information.

Punch cards made it possible to count not only the number of people in a room but how many of them were men, how many were women, how many were Jews, how many were Christians, how many were blonde, how many brunette, how many were bankers, how many were tailors – every trait. IBM punch cards thus not only delivered total counts, but also detailed personal information about those counted.

The Information Age – meaning the era of the individualization of statistics, or the identifying and quantifying of a specific person within an anonymous count – was born not in Silicon Valley, but in Berlin in 1933.

It was Watson who personally micromanaged all aspects of the 12-year alliance between IBM and the Nazis. The relationship began just after January 30, 1933 – the first moments of the Third Reich – and ended in the first week of May 1945, the last gasp of Hitler’s regime.

Under Watson, IBM eagerly contacted the Hitler regime and made clear that it was “the solutions company.” Indeed, IBM would supply the means to any solution the Nazis needed, including the Final Solution.

The first thing Hitler wanted to know was exactly how many Jews resided in Germany. IBM hired thousands to execute a door-to-door racial census. Once Hitler had the names and locations of Germany’s Jews, IBM created systems to tabulate that data against professional and employment databases as well as financial institutions to help Germany systematically pauperize them. Location data was then used to organize the mass transfer of Jews from their homes into ghettos. Ghetto residents were then systematically forced onto trains to the camps.

Those trains ran on IBM punch cards and owed their punctual timetables to special IBM scheduling programs. All the work and prisoner data from all the concentration camps was fed into a central nerve center in the T-Building at Oranienburg, known as Section D-II, and powered by custom-wired IBM machines.

Everything IBM did was custom and tailored to the Nazis’ specific needs.

All IBM machines in Nazi Europe were leased, with monthly payments. They were insured by American and German insurance companies at their Reich locations and serviced by repairmen twice-monthly on site, whether located in downtown Berlin or at Auschwitz. Hollerith machines were incapable of operating without IBM’s custom punch cards, and each card could be used only once. Without a continuing card supply from IBM, the machines would have been like rifles without bullets.

In the 20 years since my book “IBM and the Holocaust” was published, IBM has never asked for a single change to the text nor rebutted a single fact.

Today, fear of what big tech can do to surveil, censor, and control our lives – from China to California – has heightened interest in the book and its revelations.

The connection is clear. To get a glimpse

into o back the H existe today today It like I It was about “Busi midd IB can g

Edw New “IBM Hate Flam salar

CONCENTRATION CAMP RECORDS BEARING T ERFASST,” INDICATING THAT THEY HAD BEE MACHINES. THERE WAS AN IBM CUSTOMER SIT IN ALMOST EVERY CONCENT

(COURTESY OF THE EDWIN BLAC

jewishledger.com

Turkey: How nearly 800 Jewish refugees perished during the Holocaust

BY UZAY BULUT

our perilous future, we need only look at what IBM helped Hitler do during Holocaust, in the era before computers ed. What could a Hitler-type regime do y, and how quickly could it do it with y’s high-speed, hand-held technology? t is also worth asking why a company IBM chose to participate in genocide. s never about Nazism; it was never t antisemitism. It was about money. iness” is, after all, the company’s dle name.

BM has proven that some corporations get away with murder.

win Black is the award-winning w York Times bestselling author of M and the Holocaust,” “Funding e.” In his book “Financing the mes,” he documented the terrorist ries now known as “pay to slay.”

THE TELLTALE MARK “HOLLERITH EN PROCESSED BY HOLLERITH TE, THE “ABTEILUNG HOLLERITH,” TRATION CAMP.

CK COLLECTION)

jewishledger.com

(JNS) Feb. 24 marked the 79th anniversary of a Holocaust-era tragedy in which nearly 800 Jewish refugees from Axis-allied Romania lost their lives in the Black Sea. Their ship, the Struma, exploded in 1942 following an ill-fated attempt to reach Mandatory Palestine after they were not permitted entry into Turkey, which was then ruled by the Republican People’s Party (CHP).

As Europe’s Jews were being systematically annihilated during the Holocaust, thousands desperately tried to escape the Nazis and reach their ancient homeland, Israel, which was then part of the British Mandate of Palestine.

During one of these attempts, Jewish refugees planned to travel to Istanbul by ship, apply for visas there and then set sail to Palestine. Scholar Corry Guttstadt describes in her book “Turkey, the Jews, and the Holocaust “ the events that led to the Struma catastrophe: “The Struma was a Romanian passenger streamer sailing under the Panamanian flag that reached Istanbul on Dec. 15, 1941, with 769 Jewish refugees on board. Not only was the ship completely overloaded but it was also not seaworthy because of a detective engine. For 70 days over the winter months of 1941-1942, the Struma sat in the Bosporus. Every day, the inhabitants of Istanbul could see the banner ‘Save Us’ that was fastened to the ship. Although Jewish organizations offered to assume all costs for housing the destitute passengers, they were forbidden to go ashore. Only a few people received special permission. The Turkish authorities hid behind the British position since the refugees did not have Palestine Certificates.

After several weeks of anxious waiting, on February 24, 1942, the Turkish coast guard forced the Struma to leave Turkish coastal waters. While massive police forces had entered the ship in order to prevent any resistance of the passengers, the anchor chain was cut and the hapless vessel, without a working engine, was towed onto the open seas. The news that Great Britain had granted the children and youths on board the Struma entry to Palestine the day before came too late.

“Only a short time after the Turkish tugboat had released the disabled ship, it was struck by a Soviet torpedo and went down. With the exception of David Stoliar, who managed to save himself by swimming, all refugees died off the coast of Istanbul. Stoliar was saved after almost twenty-four hours in the water; after his rescue, he was locked in a cell at an Istanbul police station for three weeks and interrogated. Only after the intervention of Simon Brod was he finally released.

“The Turkish press had called the passengers of the Struma ‘uninvited guests’ (Vatan) and victims of ‘greedy ship brokers.’ Only one telegram by the state agency Anadolu Ajansi informed the Turkish press that work

“THE “STRUMA” PASSENGER STREAMER WITH 769 JEWISH REFUGEES ON BOARD. CREDIT: IDF ARCHIVES.

was stopped in Palestine for two days and commemorative services were held in memory of the Struma dead. The sole newspaper that picked up the news report was Ulus, in its edition for March 12, 1942. This led to a debate in the Turkish parliament on April 20, 1942, that focused not on the events themselves but on the alleged Jewish propaganda against Turkey. Some MPs remarked indignantly that ‘foreign foulers of their own nest’ had ensconced themselves at Anadolu Ajansi. Prime Minister Refik Saydam declared with regard to the sinking of the Struma, ‘Turkey cannot become the home of those who are not wanted by anyone else.”’’

Ishak Alaton, a well-known Turkish-Jewish businessman who passed away in 2016, was 15 years old when the Struma reached Istanbul.

He was one of the many members of Istanbul’s Jewish community to help the passengers and carried food to the ship. As Alaton recalled: “The ship was not allowed to be moored to the dock; they [authorities] wanted to keep it [in the sea]. Supplies sufficient for 770 people and barges were taken [by the Jewish community] to the ship. I would arrive in the evenings and help to unload the sacks that were taken there by trucks. The [Turkish] Red Crescent only provided a showpiece aid. The real aid was organized by the elders and notables of the Jewish community living in Istanbul. My father Hayim Alaton was in that committee; he actually strove [to help the passengers]. For two months, the food, bread, and supplies needed for the survival of the passengers arrived in trucks. I still remember the smell of the bread today. Because we made a deal with the bakery and hot bread from ovens was put in sacks.

[Businessman] Vehbi Koç saved four people from the ship. However, it was not covered by newspapers much. There was already censorship. There was no free press.”

Alaton said that Struma’s engine was taken to a shipyard in the Golden Horn to be repaired, but the ropes on which the anchors were tied were cut after an order from the government in Ankara without notice to anyone. “That is, 770

people were left to die by the government of the time,” added Alaton.

Peter A. Aldea’s maternal grandfather, Paul Fainaru Iacobovici, was one of the victims of the Struma catastrophe.

“Forcing 790 people to share a decrepit boat without beds or sanitary facilities in January/ February weather was heartless,” Aldea told JNS. “We treat animals better. To then pull the disabled Struma boat into sea at the end of February and leave those people to die was criminal. …The Jewish community offered to take the Struma refugees in and be responsible for them but Turkish authorities refused.”

“Redemption, however, begins with remorse and education. The Germans have done it as have the Japanese. To begin to make amends, the Turks should publicize the story of the Struma and their less than honorable role in it,” he said.

Alaton, who was a witness to the Struma’s fate in the Sea of Marmara, also voiced similar sentiments in an interview in 2012: “Someone from Ankara or from the party that was in charge of the government at the time should come out and apologize. It is time. We want to hear the sentence ‘I’m sorry.’

Turkey should show the courage to apologize and if it can do that, it will be purified, exalted and respected. We need to learn to apologize, and we should comprehend the virtue [of apologizing]. We need to reconcile with our past, and this must be our greatest goal.”

Turkey, however, has not recognized, apologized for or given reparations for any such incidents in its history. But until it honestly faces its crimes and secures justice for its victims, it will not be a truly civilized country.

Uzay Bulut is a Turkish journalist and political analyst formerly based in Ankara. She is currently a research student at the MA Woodman-Scheller Israel Studies International Program of the Ben-Gurion University in Israel.

JEWISH LEDGER

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE

|

APRIL 2, 2021

15

Israeli, Austrian presidents attend Holocaust remembrance ceremony in Vienna (JNS) Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen participated in a Holocaustremembrance ceremony in Vienna on Wednesday, March 17. The ceremony, held at the city’s monument to Holocaust victims in Judenplatz, was attended by local residents, Holocaust survivors and members of the Vienna Jewish community.

The national anthems of both countries were played, and the chief rabbi of Vienna read the Kaddish prayer for mourners. The presidents laid wreaths at the monument on behalf of the State of Israel and the Republic of Austria, and delivered remarks.

“Austria did not wake up one morning to the swastikas of the Third Reich,” said Rivlin. “Antisemitism, racism and xenophobia had been incubating for years.

That is how the horrors were born–out of apathy and disregard.”

Turning to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the world, Rivlin said, “The global pandemic which has attacked us … has only emphasized our shared commitment and the need for human solidarity, caring, compassion. I cannot deny the joint global effort to fight the virus has given me hope–hope that we have, perhaps, learned a lesson about the overriding commitment to be there for one another in times of trouble.”

President Van der Bellen said, “Nazi antsemitism and racism did not fall from the sky. They were here before, buried deeply in Austrian society. The Holocaust was the dreadful peak. Therefore, it is our strong and commonly held desire, and even our duty, to oppose any resurgence of inhumanity, racism and anti-Semitism decisively and without compromise. Our aim today is to allow Jewish life without interference in any place–Israel, Europe, Vienna or any other place. It is the right of the Jewish people to live in any place in peace and safety.”

Rivlin held a meeting earlier in the day with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz.

During the meeting, the president expressed

gratitude for Austria’s commitment to fighting antisemitism with a new national strategy, and for its support for Israel with regard to the International Criminal Court.

82 years later, reunited friends torn apart by Holocaust Zoom regularly (JNS) Two Jewish friends from Berlin who believed that each other had been killed during World War II and the Holocaust recently reunited with the help of the USC Shoah Foundation.

After Ana María Wahrenberg and Betty Grebenschikoff said goodbye to each other in a German school year in May 1939, Wahrenberg’s family fled to Chile, while Grebenschikoff traveled to the United States via Shanghai. This past fall, they saw each other again via Zoom for the first time in 82 years.

“In her [USC Shoah Foundation] testimony, Betty said she had been actively searching for her long-lost friend for her entire life; she even specifically mentions Ana María’s name in the hopes that this will help her find her best childhood friend,” said Rachael Cerrotti, who works as a creative producer for the USC Shoah Foundation, which has more than 55,000 video testimonies from Holocaust survivors and witnesses, reported the Times of Israel.

After hearing Wahrenberg speak at a virtual Kristallnacht event, Holocaust testimony indexer Ita Gordon remembered Grebenschikoff’s testimony given to the foundation 24 years ago and made the connection between the two women.

Cerrotti said “what followed was a series of phone calls” to put the two women back in touch.

“This has been a great gift, which, at this point in my life, I am boundlessly grateful for,” declared Wahrenberg of reuniting with her childhood friend in November.

“Betty and I have had several encounters

by WhatsApp and Zoom. We [now] talk every Sunday for about an hour … we will never catch up! Our conversations are great; we still have common interests and, of course, many, many memories that we still share. As soon as we get out of this horrible pandemic, we will try to get together in some corner of the world.”

ISRAELI PRESIDENT REUVEN RIVLIN LAYS A WREATH DURING A HOLOCAUSTREMEMBRANCE CEREMONY IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA, MARCH 17, 2021.

PHOTO: AMOS BEN GERSHOM/GPO.

16

JEWISH LEDGER

| APRIL 2, 2021

BETTY GREBENSHIKOFF (LEFT) AND ANA MARÍA WAHRENBERG SPEAK ON ZOOM AFTER 82 YEARS. CREDIT: USC SHOAH FOUNDATION.

GERMAN SS LEAD BLINDFOLDED POLISH PRISONERS TO AN EXECUTION SITE NEAR WARSAW. (UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM)

Yad Vashem ‘deeply disturbed’ by Polish court verdict in Holocaust libel case (JNS) Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial center said on Thursday, Feb. 11, that it was “deeply disturbed” by the implications of a Polish court’s recent ruling in a libel case involving the alleged wartime actions of Edward Malinowski, the former mayor of Malinowo, Poland.

On Tuesday, Feb. 9, the court ordered professors Jan Grabowski and Barbara Engelking, the editors of “Night Without End: The Fate of Jews in Selected Counties of Occupied Poland,” to issue a retraction of their work and apologize to Malinowski’s niece, who initiated the libel suit. The twovolume study cites a Polish survivor as saying that Malinowski gave up Jews to the Nazis.

“Any attempt to limit academic and public discourse through political or legal pressure is unacceptable and constitutes a substantive blow to academic freedom,” said Yad Vashem in a statement. While acknowledging the verdict, Yad Vashem

said that it “knows and respects the professional work of the scholars” and will publish the English edition of the book, which the museum said was grounded in “scrupulous analysis of a body of existing documentation.”

Grabowski is a professor of history at the University of Ottawa in Canada, and Engelking is the founder and director of the Polish Center for Holocaust Research in Warsaw.

The libel case stems from a controversial 2018 law passed by the Polish government that made it a civil offense to make false accusations about Polish responsibility for the Holocaust. The law originally included criminal penalties but was amended after an international outcry.

“The existing diverse documentation, along with many decades of historical research, shows that under the draconian Nazi German occupation of Poland, and despite the widespread suffering of the Polish people under that occupation, there were Poles who were actively involved in the persecution of the Jews and in their murder,” noted Yad Vashem.

jewishledger.com

Doug Emhoff hosts the first online White House seder

THE KOSHER CROSSWORD APRIL 2, 2021

“This Puzzle Can Help You Do A Mitzvah” By: Yoni Glatt Difficulty Level: Manageable

BY RON KAMPEAS

(JTA) – Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris’s Jewish husband, hosted the White House’s first-ever online Passover seder on Thursday, two nights before the holiday formally begins.

“We are gathered today for the first Passover celebration of the Biden Harris administration, and I’m excited to join you as the firstever second gentleman, married to the first woman to serve as Vice President of the United States,” Emhoff said. “And as the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president.”

Emhoff recalled attending his grandmother’s seders in Brooklyn and waxed nostalgic over her brisket and “delightfully gelatinous gefilte fish.”

Emhoff, who was joined in hosting by Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR congregation in Los Angeles, focused on the biblical women who are often overlooked in retellings of the Passover story. “We should also talk about the women who’ve earned their own chapters in the history books, then and now the often neglected women in the Passover story, including the midwives who saved Moses, the mother who nursed him, the Egyptian princess who spared him the pain of slavery, the sister, a prophet in her own right, who watched over him, and ultimately led the Israelites in a song of liberation,” Emhoff said, likening them to the first responders, teachers and others who continued to work throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Emhoff drew his remarks in part from a National Council of Jewish Women supplement to the Haggadah, “The Five Women of the Exodus.”

President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, and Vice President Kamala Harris, made an appearance. “We can close the Seder by adapting a familiar refrain: Not only next year in Jerusalem. But next year in person.”

Jewish staffers led portions of the seder, including Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, who recalled her Holocaust survivor grandparents. “I think of my grandparents, and I think of the lessons of their lives, the fear and the pain and the gift of freedom. They taught us to never forget it,” she said.

Jonathan Cedarbaum, the legal adviser to the National Security Council, held up a frayed Haggadah. “This Haggadah was used by my grandfather, Lou Goldman, my mother’s father when he led seders in Brooklyn, New York…” he said. “Its spine is fraying a little bit, its pages are marked, not only with his little jottings, but also with wine spills from decades past. And so to me, those stains are not imperfections. They are messages reaching across the generations conveying just as powerfully as the words of …one of [the Haggadah’s] central messages, that each generation let’s tell the next about a very ancient struggle for freedom.”

ANSWERS TO MARCH 26 CROSSWORD

jewishledger.com

Curbside pick up and local home delivery available!

SHABBAT DINNER TRADITIONAL DAIRY LUNCHEON DELI SANDWICH PLATTER DINNER MENU

Across 1. Like a red heifer 5. Actress Fisher 9. David beating Goliath, e.g.

14. Bills in America but not Israel 15. Like Haman 16. Optimus in Bay’s sci-fi films 17. RBIs, e.g.

18. Locked (up), like those in Buchenwald 19. Like the tale of the Golem 20. Part I of a helpful suggestion this time of year 23. Cousin of Seinfeld’s “yaddayadda-yadda” 24. Julia’s “Veep” co-star Chlumsky

25. Kilmer who played Moses 28. Go to (Bar Ilan) 31. Period at Bar Ilan 35. SodaStream’s was $20 on the NASDAQ 36. Do kriah 37. Event where Borat sang the Kazakhstani anthem 38. Part II of this puzzle’s mitzvah theme 42. ___ bet (like picking Avdija to beat Biden in a one on one) 43. Mrs. Netanyahu 44. Name with mori?

45. Freudian concern 46. Divided land like Joshua 48. One on the court with Maccabi

Tel Aviv 49. “Young Frankenstein” role 51. Michal to Yonatan, for short 53. Part III…make sure to put this puzzle in a place you’ll see every day!

60. Puzo who created the character of Moe Greene 61. Paddan ___ 62. Tevye for Topol. e.g.

63. Some West Bank locales 64. “Indeed” 65. A Jewish Friend 66. Was a ganef 67. Biblical plot 68. Source of Israeli news

Down 1. ___ Hashana 2. Chip that can’t be kosher?

3. What Abraham did to young Lot 4. Makeup’s Lauder 5. Made like Iron Dome missiles 6. Samuel, for one 7. Lois created by Shuster and Siegel 8. Paul Rudd superhero 9. Donald and Ivanka’s alma mater 10. 1987 Joel Silver produced Schwarzenegger hit 11. Kingly title not used for Jewish kings 12. Arab ruler 13. Sukkot requirement?

21. Big no-no for a synagogue

22. Like Bernie Sanders before he became a dem.

25. Needs to get into Israel 26. Strike ___ (what Rafaeli and Ginzburg do) 27. Jonathan to David, e.g.

29. “The ___ of Steve” (2000 Jenniphr Goodman film) 30. Dadaist Max hunted by the Nazis 32. First name of “The Monkey’s Paw” scribe 33. Christopher in Donner’s “Superman” 34. Recurring theme for Gershwin or Berlin 37. One of Matisyahu’s crew 39. Synonym for 48-Across 40. Ink, for short

41. Many a new student at Stern College 46. Mary’s boss on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” 47. Like many a synagogue on Shavuot 50. Kosher bird 52. Yom Kippur feeling, ideally 53. Like a pomegranate 54. Cookie that went kosher in 1998 55. Like many Jewish practices (Abbr.)

56. Bit of work for Spielberg 57. It must be seen for prayer once a month 58. “... or ___!” (threat) 59. It’s what Shabbat is for 60. Some YU degrees

JEWISH LEDGER

|

APRIL 2, 2021

17

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.

introduce this new fund launched recently by the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford.

The fund provides interest-free loans to help members of Greater Hartford’s Jewish community overcome financial hurdles.

Hosted by the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford. To register, visit jhsgh.org/ sharingcredit.

TUESDAY, APRIL 6 Discipline and Diversification: Keys to Long-Term Success, Investment Updates

TUESDAY, MARCH 30 Zoom & Learn: “Images of Elijah” The second of a two-part series of classes on how the powerful stories of the Bible have been illuminated in legend and on canvas. To be held March 30, 11-12 noon, Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus will discuss dramatically different artistic and folkloristic takes on the prophet Elijah. To register or for more information: coshalom@sbcglobal.net or (203) 779-2341.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31 Normalizing Nazism on the Internet The Open MINDS Institute of Fairfield University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts presents “Normalizing Nazism on the Internet” with guest speaker Gavriel D. Rosenfeld, PhD, on March 31 1t 1 p.m.

Rosenfeld will explore the ways in which the internet offers new possibilities for educating people about the Nazi legacy, while simultaneously promoting its trivialization and “normalizing” the history of the Third Reich in contemporary culture. No registration is required for this FREE virtual program. For more information, visit quickcenter.com or call (203) 254-4010.

THURSDAY, APRIL 1 Short Story Coffee Break: The Wind A Zoom discussion of flash fiction and short stories by the renowned Israeli writer Etgar Keret. Hosted by Congregation Beth Israel, April 1 at 11 a.m. To register and receive a copy of the next short story and a link to the Zoom discussion, email kbeyard@cbict.org.

MONDAY, APRIL 5 Sharing Credit: Jewish Loan Societies, Past and Present Prof. Shelley Tenenbaum of Clark University will discuss the significance of Jewish loan associations, and community members will share some recollections of the Kief Protective Mutual Benefit Association which continues to operate today, at a Zoom event to be held April 5 at 7 p.m on Zoom. In addition, Ann Pava, chair of the Jewish Free Loan Fund, will

18

JEWISH LEDGER

Michael Miller, principal at Crewcial Partners, the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford’s investment consultant, will answer questions on April 6 at 12 noon, about how your funds are invested, trends in the marketplace, and the investment policy that guides the Foundation’s approach.

Both seasoned investors or those new to the Foundation are invited to Discipline and Diversification: Keys to Long-Term Success, Investment Updates. Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ tZArf-Ctpj8jH9AG3nlKKiobhenQs0ELScQN For information, email Kathryn Gonnerman at kgonnerman@jcfhartford.org.

WEDNEDAY, APRIL 7 Yom Hashoah Commemoration The annual Greater Hartford Yom Hashoah Commemoration hosted by Voices of Hope, Mandell JCC, and Hero, will be held April 7 at 7 p .m. on YouTube Live. Shira Sandler will moderate a “Conversation Between Generations,” featuring survivor Leon Chameides and his sons. The commemoration will be preceded at 6:30 p.m. by a reading of the names of the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Advance registration is required. For more information: (860) 4705591 or (860) 231-6315.

THURSDAY, APRIL 8 Blood Drive Congregation Or Shalom will host a Red Cross blood drive on April 8, 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Help ensure blood is available for patients in need this summer. Even if you have recently received a COVID-19 vaccination, you can still give blood. To donate, download the Blood Donor App (3cu.be/blood), visit redcrossblood.org, or call 1-800-RED CROSS. Short Story Coffee Break: A Scrap of Time A Zoom discussion of short stories from A Scrap of Time by Polish-Israeli Holocaust survivor Ida Fink with Rabbi Andi Fliegel.

| APRIL 2, 2021

Hosted by Congregation Beth Israel, April 1 at 11 a.m. To register and receive a copy of the next short story and a link to the Zoom discussion, email kbeyard@cbict.org.

FRIDAY, APRIL 9 Organ Sounds Concert Series Organist Scott Lamlein, director of music for St. John’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford, will perform, April 9 at 6:30 p.m.. Program will be announced. For more information or to register, visit cbict.org/calendar.

FRIDAY, APRIL 10 The Tribe/Super Tribe Havdalah Havdalah followed by a meet and greet for both of Tribe groups, ranging in age from 20-50. Hosted online by Congregation Beth Israel on March 13, 6:30 p.m. For more information: email Tracy Taback at tracytaback@gmail.com.

SUNDAY, APRIL 11 Seeking Refuge: Shanghai & Beyond The 4th Annual Henny Simon Remembrance: “Seeking Refuge: Shanghai & Beyond” featuring guest speakers Laurence Tribe, Carl M. Loeb Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus at Harvard Law School, and teacher Helen Elperina. This program will explore the desperate search for refuge from persecution and impending death faced by Jews during the Holocaust through the experiences of Ludwig Rosenbaum z”l (father of Henny Simon), Prof.Tribe and Helen Elperina, whose stories converge in 1941. Hosted by Eastern CT chapter of Hadassah, the presentation will be held April 11 at 2 p.m. For more information and to receive the Zoom link to the program, contact Karen Bloustine at bloustinek@gmail. com.

Zoomed: A Magic Show Fundraiser The popular Orlando-based magician Ari is the featured performer for a magic show fundraiser hosted by Congregation Or Shalom of Orange, to be held virtually April 11 at 8 p.m. Ari has been demonstrating his amazing sleight of hand to awestruck audiences for four years. He took second place in the 2020 Florida Magician of the Year competition.

Most recently he transferred his act to the virtual space, bringing the magic directly into an audience member’s living room.

Tickets are $18/household. Check out his act n YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=EsDhEbTFIfU&feature=youtu.be.

For more information: (203) 799-2341.

TUESDAY, APRIL 13 The Rise & Destruction of the Jewish Fashion Industry, Berlin 1836-1939 The Joan and Henry Katz Lecture in Judaic Studies: “The Rise and Destruction of the Jewish Fashion Industry, Berlin 1836 – 1939,” with guest lecturer Uwe Westphal, journalist, and author of Fashion Metropolis Berlin (2019), to be held March 16 at 7:30 p.m.

This FREE webinar is co-sponsored by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University. Registration required at fairfield. edu/bennettprograms. For information: bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or (203) 2544000 x2066.

THURSDAY, APRIL 15 Book Group: “The Lions of 5th Avenue” A new book group formed by Congregation Or Shalom in Orange and led by Caryl Winter will discuss “The Lions of 5th Avenue” by Fiona Davis on April 15 at 7 p.m. The book tells the story of two women living decades apart, mysterious family secrets, and the quest to stake a place in society and history.

To register and receive the link, email the synagogue at coshalom@sbcglobal.net.

Short Story Coffee Break: The Quiet Americans A Zoom discussion of short stories from The Quiet Americans, led by Erika Dreifus Learning Center (Virtual) Writer in Residence, to be held April 15, a.m. Hosted

by Congregation Beth Israel. To register and receive a copy of the next short story and a link to the Zoom discussion, email kbeyard@ cbict.org.

SUNDAY, APRIL 18 Israel Food Tour A live virtual culinary tour of the foods and culture of Israel on April 18 at 1 p.m. Expert guides immerse you in the history, culture, and people of Israel through unparalleled knowledge and connection to the vendors who make Israeli food come alive. Includes interviews, videos, maps and a Q&A time with a local culinary expert. For more information or to register, visit cbict.org/calendar.

TUESDAY, APRIL 20 JCC in Sherman announces line-up for 2021 Great Decisions 2021 Great Decisions, a nation-wide discussion group on U.S. foreign policy and global affairs sponsored by the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) and co-hosted by the JCC in Sherman and The Sherman Library, will begin on April 20, 7 - 8:30 p.m. on Zoom.

jewishledger.com

MARCH 23 – APRIL 29 The 8-session monthly program will run on Tuesdays through November. Each month participants will review and discuss a critical world issue facing America today.

Topics for 2021 are: Global Supply Chains and the U.S. National Security; The Future of Persian Gulf Security; Brexit: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead; The Coldest War: Toward a Return to Great Power Competition in the Arctic, China and Africa; The Two Koreas; The World Health Organization’s Response to Covid-19; and, The End of Globalization.

Briefing booklets are $20 and can be purchased and picked up at the Sherman Library Call (860) 354-2455 to schedule a pick-up time. Space is limited, so register early to receive a briefing book.

For information: info@jccinsherman.org, or visit jccinsherman.org/greatdecisions.

Session 1, April 28 at 8 p.m. – The Argentinian Jewish community is the 6th largest in the world. The first Jewish communities in Latin America were Sephardic.

What happened to those Jews during the Inquisition? Why, if Latin America was part of the Spanish Empire, is the Jewish Community in Argentina 80% Ashkenazi and only 20% Sephardic today?

Session 2, Thursday, May 5 at 8pm – Before WWII many Jews came to Argentina.

In a country of immigrants, it became a very important and strong community. What happened in Argentina during and after the Holocaust? Who was Perón; what was his policy towards the Jews? Did he really help the Nazis come to Argentina?

For information, visit www.cbict.org/ calendar.

THURSDAY, APRIL 22

THURSDAY, APRIL 29

“Hava Nagila” – Film Screening and Discussion

Short Story Coffee Break

A screening and discussion of the awardwinning documentary “Hava Nagila” on April 22 at 7 p.m. Follow the story of this infectious party song from the shtetls of Eastern Europe and Ukraine to the Catskills to Greenwich Village to Hollywood in this hilarious and surprisingly deep film. Featuring interviews with Harry Belafonte, Connie Francis, Glen Campbell, Leonard Nimoy, Regina Spektor and more.For more information or to register, visit cbict.org/calendar.

MONDAY, APRIL 26 State of Play: The Political Future of the American Jewish Community David Axelrod, political consultant/strategist; CNN senior political commentator former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Obama, will discuss the political future of the American Jewish community at a FREE seminar to be held on Zoom, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. Axelrod’s talk is co-sponsored by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University. Registration required at fairfield. edu/bennettprograms. For information: bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or (203) 2544000 x2066.

APRIL 28 & MAY 5 A Virtual Historical Tour of Jewish Argentina A two-part virtual historical tour of Jewish Argentina with Claudia Hercman, an Argentinian tour guide and translator. She is also a sculptor and painter, and honors her four grandparents who emigrated from Poland to Argentina. Hosted by Congregation Beth Israel.

jewishledger.com

A Zoom discussion of short stories and poetry

by Erika Dreifus, Congregation Beth Israel’s Learning Center (Virtual) Writer in Residence, will be held APril 29 at 11 a.m. To register and receive a copy of the next short story and a link to the Zoom discussion, email kbeyard@ cbict.org.

Book Discussion at Congregation Beth Israel “The Book of the Lost Names” by Kristin Harmel will be the focus of a book discussion hosted by Congregation Beth Israel’s Sisterhood on April 29 at 7 p.m. The Book of Lost Names is inspired by a true story that takes place during World War II, about a young woman with a talent for forgery who helps thousands of Jewish children flee the Nazis. A social hour will follow. For more information, contact Rabbi Tami Elliott Goodman at ravgoodman@icloud.com.

YOM HASHOAH EVENTS ACROSS CONNECTICUT Connecticut organizations and synagogues hosting Yom Hashoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day events – are invited to submit them for inclusion in the Jewish Ledger calendar. Email information to: judiej@jewishledger.com.

THURSDAY, APRIL 8 Yom Hashoah Reading of the Names A virtual community-wide reading of the names of the martyred six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust will be held on Yom Hashoah – Holocaust Memorial Day – on April 8 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information: (860) 470-5591 or (860) 231-6315.

17th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony The University of New Haven will hold its 17th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony, a memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazism in Europe, on April 8 at 3 p.m. Keynote speaker is Holocaust survivor Dr. Leon Chameides of West Hartford, who was sheltered as a child. Registration information to be announced.

40th Annual Virtual Governor’s Holocaust Remembrance Program For the 40th year, ADL’s Mountain States Region will host the Governor’s Holocaust Remembrance Program online April 8, 7:30 - 9 p.m. Guest speaker is Holocaust survivor Judith Altmann of Connecticut. Co-sponsored with ADL Connecticut, the program is one of the largest such events in the U.S.. and is open to people of all faiths. To register, visit mountainstates.adl.org.

Yom Hashoah Commemoration The United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford, new Canaan and Darien and UJA-JCC Greenwich will host a Yom Hashoah commemoration on Zoom, April 8 at 7 p.m. Community rabbis will participate in a virtual candle lighting followed by guest speaker, Holocaust survivor Peter Somogyi, interviewed by journalist and author Shushannah Walshe. Registration is required. To registion and receive a Zoom link: ujf.org/YH2021. For more information, contact Sharon Lewis, JCRC director, at (203) 321-1373 x104, slewis@ujf.org.

JEWISH LEDGER

|

APRIL 2, 2021

19

OBITUARIES FEEMAN James F. Feeman, Jr., 69, of Newington, died March 19. Born in Reading, Penn., he was the son of the late James F. Feeman, Sr. and June (Zartman) Feeman. He is survived by his wife, Sheila (Greenberg) Feeman; his step-children, Rabbi Jason Greenberg and his wife Traci of Redding, and Ali Dumeer and her fiancé Glenn Saunders of Burlington, Ver.; his sister Jane (Feeman) Hertzog and her husband, Steve; his sister Joan (Feeman) Zeiter and her husband Don; his brother, John Feeman and his wife Barbara; his grandsons, Jonah and Benjy; and six nieces.

GROSS Helen R. Gross of Rydal, Penn., died March 13. She was the widow of Harry S. Gross, z”l. She is survived by her children, Jeffrey Gross and his wife Janna, and Betty Gross Eisenberg; her grandchildren, Benjamin, Andrea, Rachel and her husband Stuart, and Joshua and his wife Sana, Allison and her husband Edward, and Michelle; and her great-grandchildren, Aaron, Danny, Gabrielle and Sophie. She was also predeceased by her daughter’s fiancé Barry E. Bressler z”l.

JACOBS Sandra Ellen Jacobs has died. She is survived by her sister Carol and her husband Burt; her sons Jeffrey and Michael; her grandson Benjamin; her niece Ellie; and her dear friend Bea. KAHAN Herbert Kahan, 92, of Stamford, died March 15. Born in Port Chester, N.Y., he was the son of the late Leon and Sadie Kahan. He served in the U.S. Army in Korea in 1950, serving as a Second Lieutenant in Korea. He was a member of Temple Beth El in Stamford, where he served as president from 1975 to 1977. He is survived by his partner Margery Wiesenthal; and by Susan and Timothy Sieber, Cynthia Kahan, Lindsey Sieber and Gwenyth Sieber.

KAPLAN Alison I Kaplan, 72, of Santa Fe, N.M., died March 15. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., she was the daughter of Frederick Wachtel and Miriam Gellman. She is survived by her partner Allen Goldin; her son Fred Carter and his partner Kimberly D’Avirro of Avon her sister Rona Gelber and her husband Barry of Avon; two nephews and their families.

PIVNICK Susan Carol Pivnick died March 21. She was the daughter of the late Ann and Morris Lemkin. She is survived by her children, Karen Pivnick of Norwich, and Scott Pivnick and his wife Stephanie of Arlington, Va.; her sister Judith Lemkin of Hamden; five grandchildren and three adopted grandchildren. She was also predeceased by her daughter Randi Pivnick Lasky.

SCHUMAN Burton Schuman, 97, of West Hartford died March 13. He was the widower of Marjorie (Krohn) Schuman. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II in the European Theater. He served as a Staff Sergeant and Head Cartographer with the 100th Infantry Division, he was a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal. He is survived by his daughters, Shelley Schuman, and Barbara Fox and her husband Tim; his grandchildren, Erica Galanter and her husband Aaron, and Geoffrey Fox; his

great-grandchildren, Olivia and Miles Galanter; his brothers Arthur Schuman and his wife Sheila, and Herbert Schuman and his wife Emily; and many nieces and nephews He was also precessed by his son in law Stephen Zwillinger.

SILVERMAN Jane Silverman, 94, of New Haven, died March 15. She was the widow of the late Abraham Silverman. Born and raised in Roselle Park, N.J, she was the daughter of the late Gertrude and Harry Meier. She was predeceased by a sister and brother.

She is survived by her stepdaughters Janet Ginsburg and her husband Harold, and Susan Adler and her husband Ralph and their families, and several nieces in California.

For more information on placing an obituary, contact: judiej@ jewishledger.

George Segal led the 1960s wave of young Jewish actors

BY RON KAMPEAS

Lichtenstein Company Maker of MONUMENTS for 4 Generations

323 Washington Ave., Hamden AT WHITNEY AVE. (opposite K of C Hall)

CALL 1.800.852.8865 • 203.287.1593 • nolanshamdenmonumentco.com

640 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut 06105 Telephone: 860.233.2675 weinsteinmortuary@comcast.net www.weinsteinmortuary.com

An 81-Year Commitment to serving the Greater Hartford Jewish and Interfaith Community 20

JEWISH LEDGER

| APRIL 2, 2021

(JTA) – George Segal, whose career as an actor ranged from shattering Jewish stereotypes in his youth to cheerfully indulging them in his dotage, has died of complication from bypass surgery, according to his wife, Sonia Schultz Greenbaum. He was 87.

The fact that early in his career Segal had to field questions about why he didn’t change his name or fix his nose was a testament to how unusual it was at the time for a Jewish actor who could play a plausible tough guy and romantic lead to present as Jewish.

“I didn’t change my name because I don’t think George Segal is an unwieldy name,” Segal, who was born in New York, told The New York Times in 1971. “It’s a Jewish name, but not unwieldy. Nor do I think my nose is unwieldy. I think a nose job is unwieldy. I can always spot ’em. Having a nose job says more about a person than not having one.”

Segal’s meld of defiance and self-deprecation helped pave the way for actors like Elliott Gould, Dustin Hoffman and Richard Benjamin. The days of Jewish actors and actresses like John Garfield and Lauren Bacall changing their names in order to present as desirable were over.

Segal brought sex to his 1966 role as a naive academic in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Segal played opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the film, which earned him his only Academy Award nomination. His roles were soon Jewish as well, in films like “Bye Bye Braverman” in 1968 and “Blume in Love” in 1973. In 1970, he shattered Jewish stereotypes in “The Owl and the Pussycat,” where he starred opposite Barbra Streisand. His most emblematically Jewish role from that time was not obviously Jewish: He played the hero in the 1966 spy thriller “The Quiller Memorandum,” tracking down a ring of postwar Nazis.

His career went downhill in the early 1980s, and he toured with a band he led with his banjo, the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band. In an appearance with the band in Israel in 1982, he was welcomed as a hero.

Segal played minor roles and then reemerged in 1996 in a role as Ben Stiller’s father in “Flirting with Disaster.” That character would define the rest of his career: the neurotic, self-effacing Jewish dad. It was a role he replicated in the television sitcoms, including “The Goldbergs,” from 2013 until now.

Segal is survived by two daughters, Polly and Elizabeth, from his first marriage to Marion Sobel, and his third wife, Greenbaum, a high school girlfriend with whom he reunited after the death of his second wife, Linda Rogoff.

jewishledger.com

BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID

Coming Up Short?

Let us help you through the long and complicated process of filing for college financial aid.

With 20+ years experience, and our proven record, we will: • Increase your eligibility for aid • Complete your financial aid forms • Work with you through the entire financial aid process

We’re your #1 College Financial Aid Resource

Call for a FREE Consult 800.669.9111 or 860.683.2320

COMPUTER TECH

Innovate|Simplify

Professional IT Consulting Upgrade home|office equipment Networking Home Theater Website Design Photo and Music Consolidation Security Cameras

860.301.7019 • searobintech.com

ENERGY

HOME CARE

For maintenance on your fuel oil or natural gas heating or cooling system, call:

We offer quality, loving in-home care services for families like yours.

S-1 303418 • HOD 0000962

Office: 860.728.5431 • Cell: 860-558-5948 40 Woodland Street (Rear), Hartford, CT 06105 www.deitchenergy.com

CALL US FOR OUR FUEL PRICES SERVING CONNECTICUT SINCE 1910

MATH TUTOR

Specializing in Dementia/Alzheimer’s INDEPENDENCE • COMPANIONSHIP • TRANSPORTATION LIVE-IN CARE • MEAL PREPARATION • HOME MAKING NURSING ASSISTANT CARE • SPECIAL CARE

Marcia Loving Care

Home Care Agency 860.461.0556 • marcialovingcare.com

23 Bidwell St., East Hartford, CT • Open Mon.-Fri. 9-5

DRUM LESSONS

PRIVATE DRUM INSTRUCTION All ages and levels

CHRIS BONITO 860.748.0004 BA Music Performance 20+ years private instruction References available

MASONRY

D & M MASONRY Chimney Repair Specialist

CELLARS WATERPROOFED / PATIOS / WALKS New • Bluestone • Rebuild Brick • Pointing • Concrete Foundation Cracks Repaired Servicing All Your Masonry Needs Since 1994 Service • Reasonable Rates • Free Estimates • Fully Insured

860.930.2536 • Dan Messina ROOFING

PEST CONTROL

Online Math Tutoring College and High School Prep Teacher Praxis Certification Medical calculations (RN, LPN)

WITH ZAMAN ROOFING

You’re in Good Hands

Contact: mathtutordamoreonline@gmail.com

Emilio N. Polce 860.432.9444 • Fax 860.432.7559 109 Strawberry Lane • Manchester, CT epolce@ecochoicepest.com ecochoicepest.com

SNOW REMOVAL

TAX PREPARATION

One-on-one sessions $75 Per Hour

SNOW West Hartford Only

860.666.9999 naturalchoicelawncare.com jewishledger.com

Daniel S. Levine, CPA Certified Public Accountant

Individual and Business Tax Preparaion Low Reasonable Rates

860.729.6036

email: dansethlev@cox.net Willing to travel to residence

n Roof Replacements n Roof Repairs n Gutters n Exterior Carpentry

Call to schedule your free estimate today.

860.977.8042

www.zamanroofing.com

WEB SOLUTIONS

Web Design • SEO • Branding • Marketing UX/UI Design • Social Media Management E-Commerce • Graphic Design • Videography

860.595.2018 westhartfordwebsolutions.com JEWISH LEDGER

|

APRIL 2, 2021

21

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

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.

CELEBRATIONS • JUNE SENIOR LIVING • AUG.

MARCH JUNE SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER

BLACK FRIDAY GIFT GUIDE: NOVEMBER

Kosher NEW ENGLAND

MARCH

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.

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

All Things

JEWISH

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

CONNECTICUT September

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

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

JEWISH LEDGER

| APRIL 2, 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.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

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

4 Years Home Care as CNA and Nurse. Seeks Private duty.

Reliable, honest, hardworking.

860-656-8280.

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

References. Call Jeff 860-7124115.

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

FOR SALE OR SEASONAL RENTAL

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.

Two bedroom, two bath villa in Boynton Beach. Available immediately. $2800 monthly for winter season plus utilities.

Community pool, tennis and pickleball courts 561-632-6662.

WANTED TO BUY

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.

Collector looking to purchase coins and currency, silver, copper, and gold. No collection is too small. Will travel. Call 860951-5191 paprfred@aol.com.

Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation – Emek Shalom, a warm, vibrant, inclusive Reform synagogue in Simsbury, CT is seeking Sunday morning and/or Wednesday afternoon Judaica and Hebrew teaching staff for the 2021-2022 school year.

We are looking for energetic, creative individuals who can help young people build a strong sense of Jewish identity and commitment to Jewish life. Opportunities for teaching in grades kindergarten through seventh available. Must be eager to work in a collaborative environment. An ideal candidate will be a motivated individual with a passion for encouraging and inspiring students to love learning and Judaism.

Please submit your resume for consideration to school@fvjc.org.

Have something to sell?

Have something to rent?

Have a service to promote?

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

Contact Leslie 860.231.2424 or leslie@jewishledger.com jewishledger.com

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 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

Temple Sholom Conservative Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz Rabbi Kevin Peters Cantor Sandy Bernstein (203) 869-7191 info@templesholom.com www.templesholom.com

EAST HARTFORD Temple Beth Tefilah Conservative Rabbi Yisroel Snyder (860) 569-0670 templebetht@yahoo.com

HAMDEN Temple Beth Sholom Conservative Rabbi Benjamin Edidin Scolnic (203) 288-7748 tbsoffice@tbshamden.com www.tbshamden.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

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 Rabbi Nelly Altenburger (860) 346-4709 office@adathisraelct.org www.adathisraelct.org

Paid Advertisers

NEW HAVEN The Towers at Tower Lane Conservative Ruth Greenblatt, Spiritual Leader Sarah Moskowitz, Spiritual Leader (203) 772-1816 rebecca@towerlane.org www.towerlane.org Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel Conservative Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen (203) 389-2108 office@BEKI.org www.BEKI.org Orchard Street ShulCongregation Beth Israel Orthodox Rabbi Mendy Hecht 203-776-1468 www.orchardstreetshul.org NEW LONDON Ahavath Chesed Synagogue Orthodox Rabbi Avrohom Sternberg 860-442-3234 Ahavath.chesed@att.net 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

jewishledger.com

Temple Shalom Reform Rabbi Cantor Shirah Sklar (203) 866-0148 admin@templeshalomweb.org www.templeshalomweb.org ORANGE Chabad of Orange/ Woodbridge Chabad Rabbi Sheya Hecht (203) 795-5261 info@chabadow.org www.chabadow.org Congregation Or Shalom Conservative Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus (203) 799-2341 info@orshalomct.org www.orshalomct.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

WALLINGFORD Beth Israel Synagogue Conservative Rabbi Bruce Alpert (203) 269-5983 info@bethisraelwallingford. org www.bethisraelwallingford. org WASHINGTON Greater Washington Coalition Rabbi James Greene (860) 868-2434 jewishlifect@gmail.com 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

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

Congregation Beth Israel Reform Rabbi Michael Pincus Rabbi Andi Fliegel Cantor Stephanie Kupfer (860) 233-8215 bethisrael@cbict.org www.cbict.org Congregation P’nai Or Jewish Renewal Shabbat Services Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener (860) 561-5905 pnaiorct@gmail.com www.jewishrenewalct.org

JEWISH LEDGER

|

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 WESTPORT Temple Israel Reform Rabbi Michael S. Friedman, Senior Rabbi Rabbi Danny M. Moss, Associate Rabbi Rabbi Elana Nemitoff-Bresler, Rabbi Educator (203) 227-1293 info@tiwestport.org www.tiwestport.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

APRIL 2, 2021

23

REMINDER! The store will be closed Sunday 4/4.

We will reopen Monday morning 4/5 at 8am.

WITH FRESHLY-BAKED BREADS, BAGELS AND ALL SORTS OF DELICIOUSNESS! 2471 albany ave west hartford, ct 860.236.1965 www.thecrownmarket.com catering@thecrownmarket.com 24

JEWISH LEDGER

| APRIL 2, 2021

jewishledger.com