14 minute read
Out of Bounds
A Boston-area high school football team used ‘Auschwitz’ and ‘rabbi’ to call plays
BY PENNY SCHWARTZ
BOSTON (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, 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.”
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)
FUN, FRIENDS, FOREVER
CT’s Premier Jewish Co-ed Overnight Summer Camp
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 2626 ALBANY AVENUE • WEST HARTFORD • 860.233.9696 203.421.3736 www.laurelwood.org
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 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.
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.”
Last days of Pesach
BY SHLOMO RISKIN
On 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.
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.
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
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. At the Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation, we understand that comfort and familiarity is a key part of the journey to wellness. We also understand that maintaining your religious beliefs and principles is fundamental in continued enrichment of life. Our Kosher meal services allow residents to maintain their dietary requirements throughout their stay with us. At the Hebrew Center, we ensure we follow all principles of Kosher including purchase, storage, preparation, and service.
At the Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation, we also offer a variety of other services and amenities to ensure your stay is as comfortable as possible.
THESE SERVICES INCLUDE: • Passport to Rehabilitation
Program • Long-Term Skilled
Nursing Care • Specialized Memory Care • Respite Care Program • Palliative Care and
Hospice Services
Coordination
OUR AMENITIES INCLUDE:
• Barber/Beauty Shop • Café • Cultural Menus • Laundry and housekeeping services • Patient and
Family education • Life Enrichment
HKC רשכ
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
LIKE US ON
