JFS to honor Barbara and Louis Nivert at fourth Annual ... · Commons, Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi accused me and other journalists of encouraging “anti-migrant sentiment, anti-Muslim

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INSIDE THIS ISSUEMedical innovation

The Israeli startip Diagnoz.me has created an optics add-on to turn smartphones into mini labs.

Story on page 6

News in brief...U.S. State Dept. issues tender for projects fighting antisemitism; U.S. envoy hints at peace deal.

Stories on page 15

JDC in MozambiqueThe JDC is sending medical supplies and a relief team to cyclone devastated Mozambique.

Story on page 3

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Federation on Facebook

The Jewish Federation of Northeast-ern Pennsylvania now has a page on Facebook to let community members know about upcoming events and keep connected.

The

Jewish Federation of Northeastern PennsylvaniaPublished by the

VOLUME XII, NUMBER 7

SPOTLIGHT

The Scranton Hebrew Day School will celebrate its 71st anniversary on Sunday,May 12, at the Jewish Commu-nity Center in Scranton. At that time, tribute will be paid to Rabbi Eliezer and Fraida Vann, who will receive the Avodas Hakodesh Award for 18 years of service to the school.

He has been teaching the seventh and eighth grade boys, and third grade at the

This year, Jewish Family Service is celebrating its fourth Annual Community Matters event, which celebrates and hon-ors those who have helped both JFS and the entire community. Organizers announced that Barbara and Louis Nivert will be honored at this year’s event, which will be held on Thursday, May 16, from 6-9 pm, at the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel Scranton.

The Niverts have been leaders in com-munity involvement and charitable giving

Rabbi Eliezer and Fraida Vann to be feted at SHDS 71st anniversary dinner

school since he and his family’s arrival in Scranton in September 2000. She taught fourth grade in the day school and presently is teaching at the B’nos Yisroel High School for Girls.

Organizers said, “Hundreds of stu-dents have gained immeasurably from Rabbi Vann’s dedication to their Torah education in these particularly forma-tive years. Their commitment to their

students as well as their own personal love of learning translates into a devo-tion that is quite remarkable and most worthy of honor.”

They are the parents of four children, all of whom are day school alumni.

To place an ad in the 71st Anniversary Commemorative Journal or to make din-ner reservations, call the school office at 570-346-1576.

JFS to honor Barbara and Louis Nivert at fourth Annual Community Matters event

Barbara and Lou Nivert

The members of the event committee include (l-r) Jamy Rosenstein, Susan Blum Connors, Eric Weinberg, Sheila Nudelman Abdo, James P. Connors and Gayle Baar.

their entire lives. Both are graduates of Scranton Central High School. Louis is a graduate of Keystone College and a U.S. Army veteran, and Barbara attended Penn State University and Marywood College. Louis is owner and president of the local metal distribution firm Nivert Metal Supply. Together, they have been involved with Jewish Family Service, Temple Israel of Scranton, B’nai Brith, Jewish War Veterans, Elan Gardens, the Jewish Home of Northeastern Pennsylva-nia, the Scranton Red Cross, the Scranton Jewish Community Center, the Howard Gardner School and the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Barbara is a former president of Jewish Family Service (2011-13).

For more than 100 years, Jewish Fam-ily Service of Northeastern Pennsylvania has been helping individuals and families in the region achieve well-being, health and stability. The Annual Community Matters community recognition event is considered the major fund-raising event for JFS each year. The event helps support

JFS programs and services, including mental health services, financial assis-tance, case management, guardianship of person service, the Mae S. Gelb Kosher Food Pantry and the Dental Care Center, which is staffed by volunteers from the Scranton District Dental Society and

Fortis Institute Dental Hygiene Program.Tickets for the event are $100 per per-

son and can be purchased online at www.jfsnepa.org. A silent auction will also be held during the evening. Sponsorship and ad book opportunities can be purchased online or by calling JFS at 570-344-1186.

Israeli technology helps Sierra Leone schoolchildren drink clean water from air

Schoolchildren in Sierra Leone’s capital of Freeport lined up for clear water on campus, supplied by an atmospheric water generator known as the GEN-350. (Photo by Drusso/Shtevi Photography)

BY JNS STAFF(JNS) – The St. Joseph’s girls’ school

in Sierra Leone’s capital of Freeport has received Israeli technology that produces fresh, safe-drinking water out of air. The technology, which comes in the form of an atmospheric water generator known as the “GEN-350,” offers the schoolchildren a source of clean water that can produce up to 900 liters of water per day.

Water pollution is one of the leading causes of death in the West African coun-try, which has an average life expectancy of 56 years, one of the lowest in the world. Approximately half of the population has no access to clean drinking water, and a little less than three-quarters of

See “Water” on page 4

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THE REPORTER ■ APRIL 4, 20192

A MATTER OF OPINION

“ The Reporter” (USPS #482) is published bi-weekly by the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania, 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA 18510.

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OPINIONS The views expressed in editorials and opinion pieces are those of each author and not necessarily the views of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania. LETTERS The Reporter welcomes letters on subjects of interest to the Jewish community. All letters must be signed and include a phone number. The editor may withhold the name upon request. ADS The Reporter does not necessar-ily endorse any advertised products and services. In addition, the paper is not responsible for the kashruth of any advertiser’s product or establish-ment.DEADLINE Regular deadline is two weeks prior to the publication date.

All that was ignored. I was accused of inspiring the massacre by promoting hatred of Muslims and Islam. And I was accused of hypocrisy for having said that Islamophobia wasn’t a real prejudice at all.

Media commentators and politicians joined the baying mob. In the House of Commons, Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi accused me and other journalists of encouraging “anti-migrant sentiment, anti-Muslim sentiment and anti-black and minority ethnic community sentiment.”

After the mosque shootings, pictures circulated of the machine gun on which the terrorist suspect had inscribed the names of white-supremacist icons. One particular tweet then depicted a mockup of the machine gun which bore instead the names of myself and other anti-jihadists. That tweet has been reported to the police for incitement to hatred or violence.

Much of this Orwellian frenzy is part of the campaign to silence all criticism of the Islamic world through character assassination of its legitimate and nec-essary critics.

Anyone who calls attention to Muslim antisemitism, for example, is promptly tarred by “intersectionality” ideologues as a hate-criminal. Thus, the New York students ranted: “Chelsea hurt our fight against white supremacy when she stood by the petty weaponizers of antisemitism.”

Certainly, there are people who are truly bigoted against Muslims, as against Jews or other minorities. Bigotry is based on falsehoods or irrational feelings.

After the New Zealand mosque attacks, pointing fingers of blame

BY MELANIE PHILLIPS(JNS) – It’s not often that I find myself

in the same boat as Chelsea Clinton.At a vigil in New York for the 50 Mus-

lims slaughtered by a gunman at two New Zealand mosques, Clinton was accused by students of being a cause of the massacre.

The reason for this ludicrous charge was staggering. It was that she had criticized the antisemitic tweet by Rep. Ilhan Omar suggesting that Jews use their money to suborn American politicians in the inter-ests of Israel.

“Forty-nine people died because of the rhetoric you put out there,” an astound-ed Clinton was told by Muslim student Leen Dweik.

Clinton was not alone. In the United States, the mosque attacks were blamed on TV personality Bill Maher, philosopher Sam Harris, anti-jihadi ex-Muslim Ayaan Hirsi Ali and U.S. President Donald Trump (of course).

And in Britain, along with various other high-profile conservative and anti-jihadi writers, they were blamed on me.

When I wrote a blog post expressing horror at the attacks, I was engulfed by a Twitter storm. After all, I’d written the 2006 book Londonistan warning that Brit-ain was sleepwalking into Islamization, and much that was similar since.

Never mind that I’ve always stressed that all Muslims must not be tarred with the extremist brush, that most victims of Islamist terror are Muslims, and that we should sup-port courageous Muslim reformers.

But much “Islamophobia” merely consists of a rational fear of the terrorism that is inspired by Islam and validated by the most authoritative religious leaders in the Islamic world; or a rational fear of the Islamization of the West, which the Mus-lim Brotherhood has declared as its aim.

The New Zealand mosque atrocity was the result of fanatical hatred of Muslims; the campaign to outlaw “Islamophobia” is intended to stifle acknowledgment of fanatical hatred by Muslims.

Those accusing anti-Islamists of pro-moting hatred have form in this regard. In 2014, my Commons accuser, Yasmin Qureshi, was forced to apologize for vile comments in which she drew parallels between the Holocaust and Israel’s ac-tivities in Gaza.

The NYU students who barracked Chelsea Clinton referred to Ilhan Omar “speaking the truth about the massive in-fluence of the Israel lobby in this country.”

Other aspects of this mob onslaught are, however, even more disturbing. For it constitutes an opportunistic weaponizing of tragedy not just against anti-Islamists, but also against conservatives.

Opposing the jihad is said to be a “far-right position,” which is used as a synonym for white supremacism. (So much for Muslim, Hindu or Sikh resistance to the jihad.)

An elision is then made between the right, far-right and white supremacists. But there may be nothing “right-wing” about murderous racists or antisemites.

The New Zealand terror suspect is said to be “far-right” because he hates Mus-lims. But among his influences listed in his “manifesto” are not only the deceased British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley, but also the People’s Republic of China and a videogame called “Spyro the Dragon.”

As for what he believes, he claims to be anti-conservative, may or may not be a Christian, and may or may not be a Commu-nist. What he is, he says, is an “eco-fascist” who wants to reduce the world’s population to save the environment.

This is hardly a “right-wing” individ-ual. A racist, certainly; maybe a nutcase, or someone who looks for any for outlet for his unfathomable sources of hatred; a nihilist, perhaps.

For his “manifesto” suggests his main aim was to incite social conflagration. He hoped his massacre would spark further attempts at gun control, which he believed would lead to civil war and the best opportunity to destroy the American “melting pot.”

And he claimed that his “true inspi-ration” was Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian mass-murderer who in 2011 detonated a van bomb in Oslo, killing eight people, and then shot dead 69 young people at a summer camp on the island of Utoya.

The link with Breivik takes us back to the attack on me. For after Breivik’s atrocity, I was the victim of an identical witch-hunt.

Treading the line between humor and antisemitism

BY JONATHAN S. TOBIN(JNS) – Demographic surveys show

that more American Jews consider humor key to their identity. The long history of famous Jewish jokesters and a style of comedy that is associated with the com-munity is viewed as more important than religious law or even Israel by more Jews than you might think.

But in this “woke” era in which audi-ences seem ready to run for their “safe places” at even a hint of something of-fensive being said, the lines are starting to be blurred between humor and politics. Even during the recently celebrated Purim, the annual carnival holiday in which Jews commemorate being saved from mass slaughter with a festival of clowning, costumes and revelry, it’s far from clear that a lot of us still know the difference between a joke and a slur.

This brought to mind the account pub-lished recently in The Washington Post of an effort to bridge the gap between blacks and Jews in Congress.

In the aftermath of the crackup of the Democratic Party in the House of Rep-resentatives over antisemitic remarks by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a group of Jewish Democrats met with some Muslim and African-American members. Rela-tions between these fellow Democratic members of Congress were so fraught that it was necessary to bring in an outsider to moderate the private gathering.

The moderator came from Bend the Arc, a leftist Jewish group with ties to both factions. But apparently, being a hard-core progressive is no guarantee of being truly “woke,” which in today’s parlance means sufficiently sensitive to injustice or others’ sensibilities. Seeking to ease the tensions that had deepened after Omar had targeted “Jewish colleagues” as being guilty of

dual loyalty and Islamophobia, the Bend the Arc guy decided to break the ice by telling a joke about Jews and money.

Apparently, his fellow Jews in the room thought nothing of it. But the Afri-can-Americans and Muslims present were not amused. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT), a friend of Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who has also been guilty of spewing antisemitism since the trio took office in January, demanded to know why a Jew could tell such a joke but that she couldn’t.

Hayes later said she thought such jokes were “off-limits.” Since she and other non-Jews present seemed to have no idea about what was or wasn’t antisemitic, she found it confusing that Jews would think anything along those lines could conceivably be funny.

Given that African-American come-dians frequently tell jokes about their own people that non-black entertainers wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) dare to perform, including routinely using hateful racial slurs, her incomprehension is puzzling.

Call it a double standard if you like, but both African-Americans and Jews have the standing to joke about their own people that outsiders don’t possess. When you poke fun at your own family and tribe, the intent is generally far different than when it comes out of the mouth of an outsider.

For example, a show that satirized the foibles of American Jewry in the 1950s as thoroughly as Amazon’s “The Amazing Mrs. Maisel” wouldn’t be considered quite so funny if it’s perspective were not so thoroughly Jewish.

Which is to say that when someone like Ilhan Omar says support for Israel is “all about the Benjamins,” or talks about the Jews hypnotizing the world or demands that Americans “pledge allegiance to a foreign country,” her purpose is different

than, say, a Jew who tells the old joke about a rabbi being bribed to officiate at the funeral of a congregant’s dog with a hefty contribution to the synagogue (punch line: “I never knew my dog was such a great supporter of Israel”).

Some of those who defended Omar not only were prepared to accept her insincere claim of ignorance of antisemitism, but also seemed to also be saying that Jews were being overly sensitive and hypocriti-cal in taking offense at her remarks. Many who sympathized with Omar also think of Jews as a privileged white group whose sensibilities don’t deserve respect, and Israel’s defenders as the moral equivalent of Jim Crow racists.

Mocking our sensitivities is entirely legitimate, even a necessary pre-requisite to maintaining our sanity in a crazy world. The trend of seeking to punish and silence people, especially those in the entertain-ment industry, for saying awful things or telling offensive jokes is deeply troubling. That’s especially true when you think of the comedians of the past who are lionized today (such as Lenny Bruce, who is a character on “Mrs. Maisel”), though who faced jail for roasting our sacred cows.

In this respect, the Jewish community is as guilty as anyone else when it comes to thinking anything goes with respect to people we don’t like, but view barbs aimed closer to home as beyond the pale.

Yet there is a clear difference between a political leader with an agenda that seeks to delegitimize Jews and Israel, such as a supporter of BDS like Omar, and those who merely poke fun at an eminently mock-able American Jewish culture or other institutions.

While a sense of humor is subjective and personal, there is a fine line between

See “Attacks” on page 6

See “Humor” on page 5

3 APRIL 4, 2019 ■ THE REPORTER

Check out the Federation’s new, updated website at www.jewishnepa.org or find it on FacebookÊ

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photos for upcoming Reporter issues.ISSUE

Thursday, April 4 ............................ April 18Thursday, April 18 ..............................May 2Thursday, May 2 ...............................May 16Thursday, May 16 .............................May 30

JDC to provide medical supplies, disaster-relief team to Mozambique after cyclone

BY JNS STAFF(JNS) – Following deadly Cyclone Idai, which struck

Mozambique on March 14, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is providing emergency medical supplies through its partner, the Afya Foundation, and will deploy a response and assessment team, including a disaster-relief expert and field medic, to the devastated nation in the coming days.

With widespread destruction and a rising death toll, JDC activated its network of local and international partners, is assessing emerging needs and will continue to direct relief accordingly.

Earlier the week of March 22, the Israeli humanitari-an-aid organization IsraAID announced that it’s planning

At right: Volunteers brought donated goods on March 19 to be transported to the Chimanimani District of Zimbabwe and other affected areas by Cyclone Idai. (Photo by Columbus Mavhunga/VOA via Wikimedia Commons)

to send a response team to Mozambique after the African country was hit by the cyclone on March 14 after days of incessant rains.

“As we offer our prayers for the safekeeping of those still unaccounted for and mourn the tragic loss of life in Mozambique, we are doing all we can to ensure the most immediate and urgent needs are met,” said JDC CEO David M. Schizer. “The imperative to aid survivors and begin their healing process is crucial on what will be a very long road to recovery.”

Cyclone Idai has been regarded as one of the worst trop-ical cyclones on record to affect Africa and the Southern Hemisphere as a whole. Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi said that the death toll could surpass 1,000, with

hundreds of thousands impacted by the storm.JDC has worked in Africa for decades, addressing

a variety of emergencies and development challenges including famine, war, educational opportunities for women, economic advancement for smallholder farmers, and medical issues including spinal and heart disease.

The organization has recently responded to disasters and crises in Guatemala, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mexico, the Caribbean, Sri Lanka and East Africa, and has continued its post-disaster development work in Nepal and Haiti. JDC also provides ongoing humanitarian aid to refugees in Europe and the Middle East.

JDC’s disaster-relief programs are funded by special appeals of the Jewish Federations of North America and tens of thousands of individual donors. Relief efforts of JDC are coordinated with the U.S. Department of State, USAID, the Israeli government and the United Nations, as well as local and international partners.

To support JDC’s Mozambique relief efforts, visit http://donate.jdc.org/mozambique.

Save Big and Support the SHDS Pick-up dates are Sunday, April 14th - Noon to 3 P.M. or Monday, April 15th - Noon to 4:30 PM

Order and payments must be received by the Monday, April 8th at Noon.Regretfully, orders received after the 8th will not be able to be filled.

Item Unit Size Price # Units Total Price

Large Russet Potatoes 50 lb $20.00 Russet Potatoes 15 lb. $8.00 Number 1 Red Potatoes 20 lb. $12.00 Yukon Gold Potatoes 15 lb. $14.00 Jumbo Onions 10 lb. $6.00 5# Carrots (regular size) 5 lb. $5.00 Sweet Potatoes 40 lb. $16.00 “Large” Pineapples each $3.00 Box of Zucchini 20 lbs. $15.00 Full Case Navel Oranges (88) 88 oranges $25.00 ½ Case Navel Oranges (44) 44 oranges $13.00 Full Case Apples (100) Macintosh 100 apples $27.00 ½ Case Apples (50) Macintosh 50 apples $14.50 Full Case Apples (100) Empire 100 apples $22.00 ½ Case Apples (50) Empire 50 apples $12.00

You may order by: • Fax this form to (570) 346-9310 • Mail this form to SHDS-P.P.P.P. 540 Monroe Avenue, Scranton PA 18510 • Call your order in (570)346-1576 from 8-4 (M-F). • E-mail to [email protected]

The Scranton Hebrew Day School Pre-Pesach Produce Purchasing Program 5779

B”H

Total Total

326 North Washington Ave.,Scranton

(570)342-4517

PassoverHours

Friday, April 19 ............... 6:30am - 3:30pm

Saturday, April 20 .......... 9:30am - 3:30pm

Sunday, April 21 .............. 7:30am - 8:30pm

Monday, April 22 ............ 6:30am - 5:30pm *not serving dinner

Tuesday, April 23 ........... 6:30am - 5:30pm *not serving dinner

Wednesday, April 24 ..... 6:30am - 8:30pm

Thursday, April 25 .......... 6:30am - 8:30pm

Friday, April 26 ............... 6:30am - 8:30pm

Saturday, April 27 .......... 9:30am - 3:30pm

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Why Forbes chose Israel to host its first Global Women’s Summit

BY ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN(Israel21c via JNS) – For Forbes

magazine Chief Content Officer Randall Lane, Israel was a natural choice to host the first-ever Forbes “Under 30 Global Women’s Summit,” which was set to take place in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem from March 31-April 4 with 600 participants from 50 countries. It’s not only because participants rated last May’s first-ever “Under 30 Global Summit in Israel” as Forbes’ top event of the year, Lane tells ISRAEL21c.

Israel was chosen also because of its track record in making leadership roles available to women, starting in the military. “Even though the integration of women needs to get better in Israel, as it does all over the world, Israel is a great place to show how we can accelerate the cause of women in leadership,” Lane said, speaking from Tel Aviv where he is en-

joying his 10th business trip to Israel; he’s come twice a year for the last five years to set up and execute “Under 30” events.

The global summit was to include 200 Israeli and 400 international participants, 80 percent of them female (chosen mostly from the nearly 10,000 names on Forbes’ various “30 Under 30” lists in a variety of categories). Men wishing to vie for the 20 percent of spots reserved for males had to submit an essay on how they plan to use the event to accelerate the cause of women in entrepreneurship.

“To really create change, it can’t only be women talking to women,” said Lane. “There are still not enough women-led startups being funded, so we are bringing VCs from the U.S. and Israel to focus on how to get the connections made and the conversation going. The entire last day will be at JVP [Venture Partners in Jerusalem] focused on founders and funders, with

urban dwellers have a safe water supply available for use.

Sierra Leone’s water sources, which primarily consist of ponds, unprotected wells and freestanding water, have been contaminated by mining and chemicals used in the agricultural industry. Wa-ter-borne infections and parasites have increased the probability of Sierra Leo-neans contracting diseases such as typhoid fever and Hepatitis A.

The GEN-350, which offers the school a supply of fresh water on site, is a technological innovation of the Israel-based company Watergen, led by its president, Dr. Michael Mirilashvili. It was purchased from Watergen USA by the local company, SL Watergen. With a

workshops and meetings to help create that ecosystem.”

The summit was to kick off with a Taste of Israel Food Festival on the beach, featuring female Tel Aviv street food chefs and the region’s “best” cocktails, beers and wines. The next morning, participants were to ring the opening bell at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Other highlights were to include yoga on the beach and a dance party/fashion show featuring young female designers in the Machane Yehuda outdoor market in Jerusalem.

The lineup of speakers, mainly female, included such executives as JPMorgan Chase Chief Brand Officer Leanne Fremar, and ClassPass founder and Executive Chair Payal Kadakia. “This year promises to be another defining year for women, with historic levels of women running for president in the U.S., heading to Congress and breaking through barriers across all facets of society,” said Maggie McGrath, editor of ForbesWomen.

“Yet despite our global progress, only a small percentage of venture funding is going to women-led startups,” she said. “By bringing together the best minds in business from around the globe, we’ll foster candid discussions about the ways in which women are harnessing their power to reshape the way we invest, invent and live. Our hope is that these discussions shine a brighter spotlight on many issues, including the need for more investment in women at every stage in their career.”

In conjunction with the summit, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation was offering “REALITY Women: Under 30,” a program from March 26-31 designed for young women innovators to connect with, learn and draw inspiration from women leaders in Israeli society and beyond.

“Events for young women entrepre-neurs are very empowering; they build incredible networks,” said Lane. “We do an Under 30 women’s summit in New York, and it has always been very powerful. We took the leap to do a global summit this year, and the reaction has been great.”

Lane says the challenge faced by wom-en in entrepreneurship can’t be solved by

such events alone, “but we can highlight it and make sure great women founders get the backing they need. The more women we have leading, the better the world will be.”

He added that “Under 30” summits in Israel are always “a smash hit. ...What’s fun is that people have heard about the tech and the startups in Israel, but when they see and feel the vitality for them-selves, we get universal responses about how invigorating it is, how they feel the electricity in the air,” said Lane. “It’s very inspiring and magical.”

weight of just 800 kilograms, the GEN-350 is easily transportable and can be installed easily. The GEN-350 units are provided with an internal water-treat-ment system and need no infrastructure except a source of electricity in order to operate.

“Watergen is currently operating in many African countries,” said president of Watergen USA, Yehuda Kaploun, “and even more announcements about other countries in Africa using our machines and technology will be forthcoming.”

Watergen’s efforts to make fresh, pure water available around the globe earned the company its place on the World Eco-nomic Forum’s list of the world’s top technology pioneers in 2018.

Water Continued from page 1

The Jewish Lens@Beit Hatfutsot

Photographs that are part of The Jewish Lens 2019 Exhibit at the Muse-um of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot in Tel Aviv can be seen at www.bh.org.il/jewish-lens-2019-gallery/. The Jewish Lens @ Beit Hatfutsot competition is in its fourth year. The competition invites students across the world to answer the question, “What is my connection to the Jewish People?” Through photography, the students seek to convey their own perspectives and views on this theme.Exhibit of Steve Marcus art

The Jewish Museum of Florida – FIU will hold the exhibit “Through The Hat” through May 21, featuring work by Steve Marcus. The exhibit includes more than 26 wood-carved sculptures and Jewish ritual objects, more than a dozen hand-drawn works and custom synagogue furniture. In “Through the Hat,” Marcus sought to cre-ate a folk/cartoon world that is the kosher cousin of those created by artists Alexander Calder and Red Grooms. His crafted rendi-tions of Jewish life in New York City seek to celebrate “a culture of orthodoxy and unorthodoxy in all their splendor.”

For more information, visit https://jmof.fiu.edu or contact the museum at 305-672-5044.

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BY SEAN SAVAGE(JNS) – The local affiliates of Students for Justice

in Palestine at Cornell and Binghamton universities in New York state have been promoting images created by a Palestinian terrorist organization on their respective social-media pages. Ahead of an expected BDS vote in late April, Cornell SJP hosted a recent teach-in titled “From Ferguson to Palestine: A Conversation Surround-ing Struggle,” featuring an event flyer that appeared to depict a rifle and explicitly mentions the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, according to CAMERA.

Additionally, the Cornell Collective for Justice in Palestine, which is part of SJP’s pro-BDS coalition, has an online profile picture of a mural of Leila Khaled holding a rifle. Khaled a member of the PFLP – and euphemistically referred to as the first female hijacker – was responsible for the 1970 Dawson’s Field hijacking.

Following the incidents at Cornell, the SJP affiliate at Binghamton University shared its own imagery from PFLP. The caption reads: “Three Palestinian posters celebrating International Working Women’s Day. The first two were produced by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.”

“The PFLP is, for very good reason, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. The group’s long history of deliberate attacks on innocent Israeli civilians through airplane and bus hijackings, suicide-bombings and shooting attacks is entirely without moral justification,” Zac Schildcrout, a campus coordinator with CAMERA, told JNS. “This unabashed support for such a despicable organization, as many SJP chapters have done in the past, is deeply disturbing and is a direct attack on the campuses’ Jewish communities. It should be condemned by all who seek peace in the Middle East.”

Founded in 1967, the PFLP is a Marxist-Leninist far-left Palestinian organization that has carried out numerous terror attacks, including the hijacking Israeli and Western planes in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, the assassination of former Israeli Knesset member Rehavam Ze’evi in 2001 and suicide-bombings during the Second Intifada.

SJP promotes Palestinian terror group’s imagery at two upstate New York colleges

An aerial view of Cornell University. (Photo courtesy ofWikimedia Commons)

Several countries, including the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia and the European Union, consider the PFLP a terrorist organization.

The SJP affiliates at both schools have had a history of anti-Israel and antisemitic actions that have intimidated and threatened Jewish students. In 2014, after failing to pass a BDS resolution, SJP members were recorded saying “F*** you, Zionist scums,” and “I will f***ing slap you.” In 2017, in response to a Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration, SJP held a “die-in” in the same room.

In a recent letter to the editor in the Cornell Sun, a Jew-ish student said that language used by SJP may “devolve into the targeting of Jews and the Jewish community on this campus,” and that Cornell SJP “has likened Zionist ideology to white supremacy and Nazism.”

Cornell’s president, Martha Pollack, recently issued a letter rejecting SJP’s call for a boycott of Israel. Sim-ilarly, at Binghamton, SJP was banned in 2014 after a document was leaked to the public titled “Declaration of Principles and Strategies of Binghamton University Students for Justice in Palestine.”

According to Canary Mission, the document shut down any possibility of dialogue with pro-Israel students, en-

trenching a policy known as “anti-normalization,” while it also gave “its members directives on how to disrupt pro-Israel activities with maximum impact while staying within the bounds of what is not widely considered to be legally reprehensible.”

At the same time, the endorsement by these SJP affiliates of the PFLP terror group comes as emerging evidence shows that the BDS movement has extensive ties to Palestinian terrorist organizations, and is using the “social justice” movement as a “veritable human shield” for anti-Israel ideology and activism.

Last year, the Zachor Legal Institute submitted a letter to the Department of Justice urging the U.S. gov-ernment to open an investigation into the ties between Palestinian terror groups and several U.S.-based BDS groups, including SJP.

holding people accountable for prejudice and seeking to stifle debate. Those who claim that Jews overreacted to Omar need to remember that the day of the Jewish calendar most devoted to humor commemorates the successful effort to foil an antisemitic plot that sought to exterminate the Jews of the ancient world. If we mock Haman by blotting his name in a riot of Jewish children making noise, we can only do so because he failed. Omar is not Haman, but neither was she innocent of ill intent. Nor are the efforts of the BDS movement she supports to target and silence American Jews a joke.

Jews must retain our sense of humor and reject the impulse to shut up those who bother us. But neither should we be lulled into a sense of foolish complacency that confuses satirists with those who clearly mean the Jewish people no good.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of JNS – Jewish News Syndicate. Follow him on Twitter, @jonathans_tobin.

Humor Continued from page 2


In Breivik’s own incoherent 1,500-page “manifesto,” in which he quoted hundreds of thinkers and commentators going back hundreds of years, he twice mentioned my work.

Regardless of the fact that also among his citations were Thomas Jefferson, the U.S. Constitution, Mahatma Gandhi, Fidel Castro and Al-Qaida, I and others who write about the progressive disintegration of Europe and Western civilization were obscenely singled out as having caused him to perpetrate the massacre – a charge recy-cled against me after the mosque attacks.

Yet the mainstream media never report-ed that at his trial, Breivik said he wanted to provoke a witch-hunt against moderate conservatives to increase repression, polarization and radicalization; and that this had worked very well in the light of how many conservatives and Islam critics were then treated. Like me.

In other words, those who weaponize such atrocities against “the right” – that is, against everyone who doesn’t think like them – are useful idiots doing these terrorists’ dirty work for them.

They are also morally twisted. While white racist attacks are on the rise, they are still greatly outnumbered by Islamist outrages. Last month alone, there were at least 150 deadly Islamist terror attacks in 22 different countries. Yet these received scant attention.

When such Islamist attacks do provoke comment, there are instant attempts to excuse the perpetrators, who are variously described as mentally disturbed, under the influence of drugs or the victims of online brainwashing. They are never apparently influenced by their Islamic culture.

Yet when white racists commit atroci-ties, they are said to be wholly motivated by their culture, and their actions blamed on conservatives and anti-Islamists who are said to be, like the white terrorists, motivated by “Islamophobia.”

This, in turn, provides cover and en-couragement for Islamists to ramp up their verbal and physical attacks on the West. Thus the Turkish Islamist leader Recep Tayyip Erdo an leapt on the bandwagon after the mosque attacks to claim that “Western media” had actually prepared the suspected terrorist’s “manifesto” and “handed it to him.”

Years ago, disturbed by the West’s failure to properly address Islamist ex-tremism, I observed there was a risk of a lethal spiral of interconnected violence. Islamist extremism and attacks would be ignored and excused by the authorities, while those calling them out would be blamed instead; this failure to act against Islamist extremism would result in fringe groups becoming violent against Muslims; such violence would increase the witch-hunt against anti-Islamists, which would, in turn, embolden and encourage more Islamist attacks, provoking in turn more white racist violence.

So, alas, it may now be proving.Melanie Phillips, a British journalist,

broadcaster and author, writes a column for JNS every two weeks. Currently a columnist for The Times of London, her personal and political memoir, “Guardian Angel,” has been published by Bombardier, which has also published her first novel, “The Legacy,” released in April 2018. Her work can be found on her website, www.melaniephillips.com.

Attacks Continued from page 2

test is very easy and done in private.”The technology can be adapted to detect

each type of relevant bacteria, in this case those that cause vaginal infections.

Diagnoz.me is now raising seed fund-ing. Livne estimates that it will take about two to three years for the product to reach the market.

Meanwhile, Livne and Epstein are seeking strategic partnerships and continu-ing to develop the product with a medical advisory board, including, among others, the former head of the Women’s Health Department at the Lin Center in Haifa and an OB-GYN who heads Femicare VZW in Belgium.

Turn your smartphone into a medical diagnostics microscope

BY ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN(Israel21c via JNS) – If your eye is

oozing and red, and an infection is sus-pected, you need to make an appointment with your doctor and get a lab analysis before you can start antibiotic treatment.

Physicist-turned-biologist Ariel Livne wondered if the whole process could be done at home by pairing some simple optics equipment with his smartphone to analyze biological samples in the case of an eye infection, a teardrop.

That is the basis of the startup Diagnoz.me of Jerusalem, co-founded by Livne in November 2017 with Tamir Epstein with the help of a pre-seed grant from the Israel Innovation Authority.

“Our innovation is that we enable the smartphone to see bacteria,” Livne tells ISRAEL21c. “Once you see bacteria, you can perform medical diagnostics. Our technology transforms a low-cost disposable together with a regular smartphone into a high-end medical diagnostics microscope.”

Still in the proof-of-concept stage, the innovation aims to enable patients to run tests at home, receive lab-grade results within minutes and instantly share them with their physician.

“We have shown that our image-anal-ysis software can detect bacteria as accu-rately as a high-end lab microscope that costs over $100,000,” says Livne.

The optics add-on would be a dispos-able chip device sold at a pharmacy for less than $20. You’d put the relevant biological liquid onto the chip – whether urine, saliva or a teardrop – “in a convenient way so it’s not disgusting or unhygienic. The camera takes and analyzes the pictures, and sends you and your physician automatic results.”

Diagnoz.me founders Ariel Livne and Tamir Epstein accepted their NIS 3 million (nearly $830,000) prize money at the dHealth 2018 Summit. (Photo courtesy of Israel21c)

The Diagnoz.me prototype. (Photo courtesy of Israel21c)

Diagnoz.me is not the only Israeli company pioneering the home diagnostics sector. TytoCare of Netanya and New York sells a home exam kit and app that lets people perform basic medical exams guided by a doctor. The device includes instruments to check ears, throat, heart and lungs, skin and body temperature, and transmits those images and sounds to the physician.

Healthy.io of Tel Aviv, which recently raised $18 million in a Series B round, sells a smartphone-based home urinalysis kit and is starting a test-and-treat service in the United Kingdom for urinary-tract infections in collaboration with pharmacy chain Boots.

Livne explains that most home di-agnostics developers are using PCR, a technology that identifies the DNA of specific bacteria.

Diagnoz.me uses a different technolo-gy, fluorescence microscopy, which has been around for more than 100 years, but it wasn’t until around 2017 that smart-phones had the right high-level specs to make it possible.

“The physician receives the same kind of information as from a lab, including bacterial count, to know what you have. If you need a prescription, that can be done electronically as well,” says Livne.

The founders won an NIS 3 million (nearly $830,000) prize at the dHealth 2018 Summit held in Rishon Letzion.

Livne and Epstein have decided that Diagnoz.me’s first-use case will be vag-inal infections. That’s the most common gynecological problem, accounting for more than 10 million office visits per year in the United States.

“We looked at a number of different infections and vaginal infections stood out because they are very common, but unfortunately, most women don’t go for treatment because it’s so unpleasant,” explains Livne.

“Possibly 80 percent of women do anything to avoid going to the gynecol-ogist, so they try over-the-counter and home remedies instead. But they are in pain, and it lowers their quality of life. We can help these women because collecting the sample and running the

Jewish Federation of NEPA

Facebook ® is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc

HonoringAvodas Hakodesh Award - 18 Years of Service

Rabbi & Mrs. Eliezer Vann

Grandparents of the YearRabbi & Mrs. Avrohom Jakubowicz

Providence, RI

Rabbi & Mrs. Shlomo CaplanLakewood, NJ

Class of 1994 Silver Alumnus Award

Rabbi Dov ElefantIn memory of his grandfather Mr. Leonard Berkowitz z”l

SAVE THE DATESUNDAY, MAY 12

AT THE SCRANTON JCC601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA

SCRANTON HEBREW DAY SCHOOL

540 Monroe Avenue, Scranton, PA 18510

p 570.346.1576

e [email protected]



BY JNS STAFF (JNS) – Around 250 new immigrants

(olim) from Ukraine landed in Israel on March 25 on a flight organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. The flight was the sixth aliyah flight of the Fellowship since the begin-ning of the year. Fifteen of the olim are moving to Israel’s Negev region and five to the Gaza periphery, a region that has dealt with renewed rocket attacks from Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“The Fellowship’s first concern is to secure Jews from the threats and dangers of antisemitism, which is why we’re bringing them to Israel,” said the organization’s president, Yael Eckstein. “At the same time, we leave it up to the olim to decide for themselves where to settle in Israel. It is inspiring to us all that the passion and Zionism is so intense among some of them that they insist on moving to the

New olim settle near Gaza with help from International Fellowship of Christians, Jews

Some 250 new immigrants (olim) from Ukraine landed in Israel on a flight organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews on March 25. (Photo by Olivier Fitoussi/IFCJ)

One of the families in a group of 250 new immigrants from Ukraine who landed in Israel as part of a flight organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews on March 25. (Photo by Olivier Fitoussi/IFCJ)

Gaza periphery, and feel fully confident and excited to do so.”

Vladimir Levin and his wife are follow-ing in the path of their son and settling in Kibbutz Tze’elim, located in the Eshkol Regional Council, which borders the Gaza Strip. Levin said that like his son, he is not deterred from living there.

Yelena Tackshenko and her family moved to Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha, also located in the Eshkol Regional Coun-cil, though much closer to Gaza. Ein HaShlosha absorbed the largest number of rockets during Operation Pillar of De-fense in 2012. The kibbutz received the second-largest number of mortar shells during Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

Despite the ongoing security threats in the region, 25-year-old Daniel Popov said, “I am not afraid of the situation. My friends have served in the army for four years and told me of their experiences. I know that the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]

is strong, and I am happy to be here!”The new arrivals come from a variety

of localities in Ukraine, including Odes-

sa, Kiev and Zaporizhia. They range as young as 8 months to 82 years old. About 22 percent of the olim are settling in the coastal cities of Haifa and Netanya.NEWS IN BRIEF

From JNS.org

U.S. to update maps to display Golan as belonging to IsraelThe U.S. State Department announced on March 28 that it will update its maps to reflect

the Trump administration’s recent move to officially recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. A department spokesperson told Voice of America that the map modifications would be “consistent” with the proclamation the president signed on March 25, remarking that the United States “recognizes that the Golan Heights are part of the state of Israel.” U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook told VOA that Foggy Bottom would “redraw” official maps and make them available “as soon as they are ready.” The editing, said Hook, reflects reality and a “need for Israel to have secure and defensible borders.” On March 21, Trump posted on Twitter that he would make that recognition. “After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!” he tweeted. Israel took control of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War.Rep. Mo Brooks quotes “Mein Kampf” to accuse Democrats, media over Mueller probe

U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) quoted Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” on March 25, accus-ing Democrats and the press for creating “a big lie” over special counsel Robert Mueller’s now-concluded investigation over whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 election. “For more than two years, socialist Democrats and their fake news media allies – CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, Washington Post and countless others – have perpetrated the biggest political lie, con, scam and fraud in American history,” he said on the House floor. “In that vein, I quote from another Socialist who mastered ‘big lie’ propaganda to maximum, and deadly, effect,” he added. “Quote, in the big lie, there is always a certain force of credibility because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus, in the primitive simplicity of their minds, they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie,” Brooks said, quoting from James Murphy’s English translation of Hitler’s “Mein Kampf.” The Democratic Jewish Coalition of American rebuked the remarks. “This is an egregious and deeply offensive example of anti-Semitism once again rearing its head in Congress, this time from @RepMoBrooks (R-Ala.) Where is the GOP outrage?” they tweeted on March 26. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on March 26, defended Brooks, saying Nazi ideology was Socialist; therefore, Democrats who label themselves as Socialists should cease to do so. “I think the potential abuses and past abuses of the FISA courts and these warrants are an area where the country’s at risk,” he added. “The potential is out there for another Hitler, Socialist-like Hitler to come along, and like I said, it won’t be Trump.” FISA, or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, allows the U.S. to collect electronic intelligence among foreign entities.

Please contact Dassy at 570-961-2300 x2 [email protected] for further information

or to make your reservation

The Jewish Federation NEPA is headed to NYC Sunday, June 2, 2019... march in the

Israel Day Parade! We hope you'll join us!Bus transportation & Parade T-shirt is only $15/pp.

Pick up at the Scranton JCC and Budget Inn and Suites on Rte. 80 (times will be announced soon).Bus will stop in Teaneck, NJ for kosher dining and shopping after the parade. Reserve your spot today! Contact Dassy Ganz: 570-961-2300 (ext. 2) or [email protected]

Scranton Hebrew Day School540 Monroe Ave., Scranton

Tehillim ClubAs a community service, a group of students at the

Scranton Hebrew Day School’s “Tehillim Club” will recite

Tehillim prayers (Psalms) on behalf of a loved one who is

in need of health, comfort or salvation. Please submit when

available, the Hebrew name of the one in need and their

mother’s Hebrew name to the SHDS of�ice (570) 346-1576.

Rabbi Dovid Rosenberg, Director of Development


BY JNS STAFF(JNS) – Fresh images and video were transmitted

to Earth from the Israeli spacecraft “Beresheet” as it makes its way to the moon, announced SpaceIL and

“Beresheet” send a selfie image from 265,000 kilometers from Earth. (Photo by “Beresheet”)

“Beresheet” sends new images, video to Earth on way to moon

At left: A photo of Earth taken by one of the “Beresheet” spacecraft’s perimeter cameras on March 19 from a distance of 15,000 km. The photo shows South America. (Photo by “Beresheet”)

Israel Aerospace Industries on March 24.SpaceIL and IAI engineering teams, based in Israel,

have downloaded new images and videos from the spacecraft. The photos and videos were taken by the spacecraft at different heights and times.

One of the videos includes a sunrise from the space-craft’s viewpoint – the Earth can be seen hiding the sun from the spacecraft, and then exiting the same shadow created by the Earth and the sun’s exposure. This process creates a kind of sunrise image.

“Beresheet,” named after the first word and the first book in the Torah (meaning “in the beginning”), lifted off from Cape Canaveral on February 22. If it succeeds, it will be the first Israeli spacecraft to land on the moon, as well as the first privately owned craft to do so.

Fragment of Persian-era clay jar found in Jerusalem

A fragment of a clay jar decorated with a human face dating back to the Persian era (fourth to fifth century C.E.) was discovered in Jerusalem’s City of David National Park’s Givati parking-lot excavation. (Photo by Eliyahu Yanai/City of David, Jerusalem)

Deciphering the past

Carbon-dating tests showed the cave as around 7,000 years old, with successive rainstorms creating new passages for cavers to explore. When international expeditions resumed at Malham in 2018 and 2019, their surveys discovered the cave’s record-breaking, double-digit length.

“Thirty years ago, when we surveyed Malham, we used tape measures and compasses,” said Frumkin. “Now we have laser technology that beams measurements right to our iPhones.”

“We cavers worked 10-hour days underground, crawling through icy salt channels, narrowly avoiding salt stalactites and draw-dropping salt crystals. Down there, it felt like another planet,” said CRC member Efraim Cohen. “Our next and final step is to map the tightest spots and the most difficult ones to reach. When we’re all done, it’s likely we’ll add a few hundred meters to Malham’s impressive 10-kilometer length.”

BY JNS STAFF(JNS) – A fragment of a clay jar decorated with a

human face dating back to the Persian era (fourth or fifth century C.E.) has been discovered in Jerusalem’s City of David National Park’s Givati parking lot excavation.

“Pottery from this period was exposed in the past in the City of David, but this is the first time that such a vessel has been found in archaeological excavations in Jerusalem or anywhere in the Judean highlands,” said Tel Aviv University’s Yuval Gadot and Israel Antiquities Authority’s Yiftah Shalev.

The human face on the jar consists of two wide open eyes, a nose, one ear and a small section of the corner of the mouth. These jars are called “Bes-Vessels,” ac-cording to archaeologists, and they were very common during the Persian period. In Egyptian mythology, Bes is the protector deity of households, especially mothers, women in childbirth and children.

Over time, Bes became regarded as the defender of everything good, archeologists explain. He also became associated with music and dancing. His figure adorned the walls of houses and various vessels (pottery and various everyday objects, such as mirrors), or was worn as an amulet around the neck. Bes usually appears as a kind of bearded dwarf with a large face, protruding eyes and tongue sticking out when he is wearing a feather hat. The grotesque figure is apparently intended to evoke joy and laughter, and drive away the evil spirits.

The figure as a protector was apparently adopted by the Phoenicians, and many such amulets and Bes vessels have been found in numerous Persian Period settlements along the coast. Such vessels and amulets were also found in Persia itself, in Shushan, Persepolis and other cities, reaching there by Egyptian craftsmen who operated there as part of the international trade economy of the period.

World’s longest salt cave (and still in the process of being measured) declared in Israel

Malham Cave. (Photo by Ruslan Paul/Hebrew University)

BY JNS STAFF(JNS) – Israel’s Malham Cave appears to now be

the world’s longest salt cave, said Israeli researchers on March 28. The title was previously held for 13 years by Iran’s Cave of the Three Nudes.

Located at the southern part of the Dead Sea, Malham spans more than six miles in length. The survey was done by researchers from Hebrew University’s Cave Research Center, in addition to Bulgaria and other nations.

“The Malham Salt Cave is a river cave,” said CRC Director Amos Frumkin. “Water from a surface stream flowed underground and dissolved the salt, creating caves – a process that is still going on when there is strong rain over Mount Sedom about once a year.”

Malham was first discovered by the CRC back in the 1980s. Later, tens of CRC expeditions surveyed Mount Sedom and found more than 100 salt different caves in-side, the longest of which measured more than 3.5 miles.

P A C EYour gift to the Annual Campaign

DOES A WORLD OF GOOD.Endowing your gift allows you to be there for the

Jewish community of NEPA forever.

A Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment (PACE) is a permanent fund that endowsyour Jewish community Annual Campaign gift as a lasting legacy. A PACE fund will

continue to make an annual gift in perpetuity on your behalf.

Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment

To determine the amount you need to endow your entire campaign gift, multiply your current annual gift by 20. You can fund your PACE by adding the JEWISH FEDERATION OF NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA to your will, or by making the Federation a beneficiary of your IRA. All contributions to establish a PACE are tax deductible.

Let your name be remembered as a blessing.Endowments can be created through a variety of vehicles, some of which do not necessitate funding during your lifetime yet still provide your estate with considerable tax benefits. They also enable you to perpetuate your commitment to the Annual Campaign in a way that best achieves your own personal financial and estate planning goals.

Using appreciated property, such as securities or real estate, affords you the opportunity toeliminate the income tax on the long-term capital gain, will in some instances generate a full incometax charitable deduction and will remove those assets from your estate for estate tax purposes.

For more information contact Mark Silverberg at [email protected] or call 570-961-2300, ext. 1.

Examples Of Ways To Fund Your Pace Gift Are: * outright contribution of cash, appreciated securities or other long-term * capital gain property such as real estate * charitable remainder trust * gift of life insurance * charitable lead trust * gift of IRA or pension plan assets * grant from your foundation * reserved life estate in your residence * bequest


THE REPORTER ■ APRIL 4, 201910 D’VAR TORAH

BY RABBI PEG KERSHENBAUM, CONGREGA-TION B’NAI HARIM, POCONO PINES

Tazria (Shabbat HaChodesh), Leviticus 12:1-13:59Tazria is a Torah portion that is sometimes read

in combination with another section from Leviticus, Metzora. This year, it shares its week with the special reading for Shabbat HaChodesh, from the book of Exodus. Often much is made of the rabbinic “take” on Metzora (someone manifesting tzaraat, a type of scaly affliction that shows up on people, cloth or houses). Our sages deduced that this affliction appears on those who bad-mouth others. According to Maimonides, until they repent, the affliction worsens, spreading from the walls of the house in which they dwell, as if their speech poi-soned the atmosphere of their homes, to their clothing or furnishings to themselves, in worsening stages. Motzi shem ra – slander, or “bringing forth a bad reputation,” sounds like Metzora; thus, one who is so afflicted is assumed to be suffering for his or – notably in the case of Miriam – her slanderous speech.

This year, let us briefly examine Tazria (Leviticus 12-13) with the wonderful section read in honor of the beginning of the month of Nisan and the imminent arrival of Pesach (Exodus 12:1-20). Could there be a connection?

The opening chapter of Tazria describes how a woman who has just given birth to a son or daughter must be purified. The sacrifices asked of her (a burnt offering and a sin offering) are similar to those required (in Metzora) of people who have had a discharge from their generative organs. What have these conditions in common? They seem to bring a person closer to a death-like state. Birth, in those days, was an event fraught with danger for mother and child alike. The blood and discharges, even though associated with bringing forth new life, were powerful sources of miasmic and physical contamination. So, too, were seminal emissions (representative of the loss of potential life). Judaism celebrates life; we’re told to choose life. We toast one another, “L’chaim, to life!” We praise God as the source of life, and the commandment to preserve life outweighs almost all other commandments.

When we were enslaved in Mitzrayim, we were not only brutalized and confronted with the danger of sudden death, we were surrounded by a culture that celebrated and monu-mentalized death. Although we did not build the pyramids, they were certainly a conspicuous part of our daily scenery.

Drawing near to the source of lifeWhen God begins to set us free, it is not only from bondage that we are taken, but from that poisonous atmosphere.

We are given the gift that a free people enjoys when God tells us that Nisan is to be the first of the months for us. As slaves, we did not control our time. The first mark of our freedom is to claim the calendar for our own and fill it with days of celebration of life and freedom and elevation of the soul. We are to associate freely with one another and make sure that every family is able to be included in celebrating that life of freedom. Before we take even one step out of Mitzrayim, we step away from its culture, values and influence. Later, we are told how to keep ourselves from being drawn into the stain of death, pollution and alienation from the Divine.

The connection between our two Torah portions emerges from the value and methods of drawing near to the source of life, freedom and spiritual elevation. May we continue to embrace our heritage and preserve its values throughout our seasons of joy for years to come. May our actions help remove the stains of oppression, servitude and despair experienced by others in our world.

Program on Der NisterThe Yiddish Book Center’s will hold a

program “Between Fantasy and Reality: The Writings of Der Nister” from May 3-5. It will explore Der Nister’s work and his life in the

Soviet Union. Der Nister (The Recluse) was the literary pseudonym adopted by Pinkhes Kahanovich, 1884-1950, who has been called “the most enigmatic figure” in modern Yiddish literature. Over the course of his career, he went from writing mystical, Symbolist stories to historical real-ism. Living under Stalin’s regime, he came to believe that the writer’s mission was to become witness to the people.

The three-day program will be led by Professor Mikhail Krutikov of the University of Michigan. Krutikov is professor and chairman of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, and Preston R. Tisch Professor of Judaic Studies at the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is the author of several books, including the forthcoming “Der Nister’s Soviet Years: Yiddish Writer as Witness to the People.” He also co-edited nine collec-tions on Yiddish literature and culture, and has been a cultural columnist for the Yiddish Forward since 1999. The program will include four lectures, discussion, a film screening, meals and more. To learn more and to register, visit yiddishbookcenter.org/weekend-programs.Parenting podcast

Kveller, a Jewish parenting website, now offers a weekly podcast called “Call Your Mother” at www.kveller.com/call-your-mother. The podcast is hosted by Kveller contributors Jordana Horn and Shannon Sarna. “Call Your Mother” seeks to offer “a weekly deep dive into the beautiful hot mess that is parenting while Jewish.” Each episode will include an interview of a Jewish mom and plans to shed light on a variety of issues, including addiction, antisemitism and more.Photographs of Jerusalem

The exhibit “Monumental Journey: The Daguerreotypes of Girault de Prangey” is being held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, through May 12. In 1842, artist, architectural historian, archaeologist and pioneer photographer Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey (1804-1892) embarked on a three-year photographic excursion throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, and he returned to France with more than 1,000 daguerreotypes. Among the images he created are the earliest surviving photographs of Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Jerusalem.

For more information, visit www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions or contact the museum at 212-535-7710.

Mon. pm9:30

President: Merle TuritzContact number: 570-421-8781

President: Dr. Meredith Stempel

President: Dan Marcus



BY JUDY LASH BALINT(JNS) – The ninth annual Jerusalem Winner Marathon

attracted a record 40,000 runners from 80 countries who took over the streets of the capital on March 15 while thousands of onlookers cheered them on. While the Jerusalem run has its professional side and attracts many elite runners (Ronald Kimeli Kurgat, 33, from Kenya tore through the course to take first place at the finish line in 02:18:47), the event is also a community carnival, promoting the holy city as a place open to all.

Under the marathon umbrella, most participants take part in the 10K, 5K or 1.7K family race, with many running in costume or pushing strollers. Fourteen Israeli nonprofit groups organize their own teams to benefit from thousands of local runners who solicit friends and family as sponsors.

This year, two American organizations, RabbisCan-Run and Run for Zion, a Christian group, sponsored runners to take part. Runners from both groups raised money for a variety of Israeli social-service needs.

Rabbi Ben Hassan, 36, religious leader of the Sephar-dic Bikur Holim Congregation in Seattle, who describes himself as “very unathletic,” completed the 10K and raised almost $8,000 for Olami, a Jewish outreach ini-tiative that sponsors RabbisCanRun. Other rabbis who ran under the RabbisCanRun banner raised funds for Kav L’Noar, a counseling and mentoring program for youth in distress.

Elizabeth Wong, 38, a self-described Christian Zion-ist from Phoenix and veteran of 10 marathons, said the Jerusalem race, which she finished in 5:31:11, was the “hardest, yet most amazing and breathtaking marathon I’ve ever run.” The 18 hills of the full marathon course were challenging, she noted, despite her running experi-ence. Wong, an advisory board member of Run for Zion, said she raised $3,500 for Israeli nonprofits, including Meir Panim and Just One Life.

Hassan and Wong agreed that running in Jerusalem is not just a physical challenge. “It feels like a gift from God,” Hassan noted, while Wong explained that running past

With a bit of huffing and puffing, rabbis and Christian Zionists conquer the Jerusalem Marathon

some of Jerusalem’s religious sites was “filled with spiritual meaning. I can’t think of any more spiritual place to run.”

Run for Zion is a project of the Israel-based Genesis 123 Foundation, headed by Efrat resident Jonathan Feldstein. Feldstein, an observant Jew, is not a runner, but his mission is to connect Jews and Christians, and Christians to Israel. Run for Zion embodies that in many ways, he said.

In his appeal to runners, Feldstein wrote: “If you’re a Christian and a runner, Run for Zion provides the most profound and spiritual experience, combined with a tangible opportunity to bless Israel. Every participant gets the opportunity to set up a crowdfunding page with donations going to support an array of charities in Israel that care for millions.”

Feldstein added that “we are excited because God promises to bless those who bless Israel. Run for Zion is your unique opportunity to tangibly bless Israel, and see Israel as most never get to do, running in the foot-steps of Jesus.”

One American pastor who took up the challenge is Ray Hardee, senior pastor of the Pointe Church, in Belmont, NC. An avid runner, Hardee completed the full Jerusalem Marathon in 5:17:20. He thanked those who donated to his Run For Zion page that “support[s] causes of assisting Holocaust survivors, supporting the Right to Life in Israel, helping in the aliyah of Jews longing for home, helping homeless people, and uniting Christians and Jews!”

Thousands of runners took part in the 2019 international Jerusalem Marathon in the Old City on March 15. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Elizabeth Wong from the Christian group Run for Zion took a selfie during the 2019 Jerusalem Marathon. (Photo by Elizabeth Wong via Facebook)

See “Marathon” on page 12


Rabbi Ben Hassan, 36, religious leader of the Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation in Seattle, completed the 2019 Jerusalem Marathon. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)

For the 13 Orthodox rabbis who make up the RabbisCanRun team, the emphasis is as much on personal and spiritual growth as on fund-raising. “It sounds preposterous that you can take a bunch of rabbis, who are not known for being fit, train them for a few months and get them to run more than six miles,” marvels Hassan.

But under the guidance of a professional coach, Dr. Owen Anderson, Hassan and his fellow rabbis, who range in age from 20s to 60s, progressed in three months from running for one minute to pushing themselves to assault Jerusalem’s hills for many miles.

“We didn’t walk any of it,” Hassan said with pride at the end of the race. “It’s all about believing in yourself and putting one foot in front of the other. I think we achieved the goal to improve our health, learn how to push past our limits, all while raising money to support worthwhile Israeli causes.”

The brainchild of Meir Kaniel, a running enthusiast and social worker from New Jersey who works as IT director for Olami, RabbisCanRun provided tangible ongoing motivational support and running tips for the rabbis, along with inspiration from the Torah.

Marathon Continued from page 11

BOOK REVIEW

Turning Jews into AmericansBY RABBI RACHEL ESSERMAN

The Jewish path in America has not always been an easy one. The acceptance of Judaism as a mainstream American religion equal to that of others did not begin until World War I, at least according to Jessica Cooper-man’s “Making Judaism Safe for America: World War I and the Origins of Religious Pluralism” (New York Uni-versity Press). Although some acceptance began during the first part of the 20th century, Jews still experienced economic antisemitism even after World War II. Some Jews tried to ease their economic future by changing their names, something discussed in “A Rosenberg By Any Other Name: A History of Jewish Name Changing in America” by Kirsten Fermaglich (New York Univer-sity Press). Together, the two books offer insights into

American Jewish history and the changing perception of Jews by their fellow citizens.

Perhaps the most interesting fact – and one that may be difficult for those of us in the 21st century to grasp – is that the Protestant outlook was so ingrained in the Amer-ican mindset that most people considered the religion nonsectarian. Cooperman notes “for much of American history, Protestantism seemed so naturally intertwined with the institutions of American life that it was almost invisible, appearing only as the seemingly neutral ground on which society rested.” The idea of a non-religious Protestantism affected Jews and Catholics who wanted to practice their own religions, and be fully accepted.

Cooperman shows how the definition of Protestantism as secular changed through policies instituted by the U.S.

government during World War I. Her main focus is on the Jewish Welfare Board, an organization formed by the “old guard” of American Jewish leadership to help Americanize new immigrants from eastern and east-cen-tral Europe while they were in the armed forces. The JWB worked to gain acceptance by the government as the official representative of American Jews in order to provide services for Jewish soldiers, much as the Knights of Columbus sought to provide services for the Catholic ones. The government originally picked the YMCA to be the only organization to offer leisure activities to soldiers. The military saw the YMCA as nonsectarian, even though the organization proselytized, something that disturbed the Catholic Church and Jewish organizations.

The JWB was not equally accepted by all branches of Judaism. That was partly because the JWB sought to make Jewish religious practice resemble that of American Protestantism. For example, when Jewish groups pushed for kosher food for Jewish soldiers, the JWB decided not to request that from the government. Since the purpose of the organization was to show the military that Jews were like their fellow Americans, saying that special food was necessary would highlight their difference rather than their similiarities. Cooperman also suggests that JWB had specific ideas about what a Jewish American man should be like: “He should be athletic and good looking, dignified in his bearing, personable, open, liked by all, and possessed of intuitive good sense and pride in his Judaism, but not overly punctilious about religious observance.” Of course, this idea did not sit well with those who were more religiously observant.

For draftees, language served as a barrier for those immigrants whose native tongue was Yiddish. Being in the military meant adapting to the English language and American culture. Difficulties also arose from antisemi-tism: Jews were disliked for their foreignness and their interest in “isms” – socialism, Zionism, etc. – that were considered suspect. The JWB hoped to ameliorate these problems with programs and classes that would help these soldiers accept American culture and create friendships between Christians and Jews. Some soldiers definitely

See “Americans” on page 13

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Americans Continued from page 12

wanted a Jewish space where they could relax and feel at home. The JWB worked with local communities to provide connections with other Jews, particularly “good Jewish girls.” This was to remind the men of their com-munal obligations so they would become upstanding citizens after they left the service. Where the JWB drew the line was intermarriage: the organization believed there was a difference between the public sphere – where the soldiers were expected to be good citizens like everyone else – and the private sphere, where they were expected to remain Jewish and marry Jewish women.

By the time World War II arrived, the U.S. government had formed another group to help all soldiers: the United Service Organization – also known as the USO – became the umbrella group for all service related religious groups. Now, religious groups no longer had to pretend they were nonsectarian or appeal to all soldiers. According to Cooperman, “the USO affirmed that Jews and Judaism had something of crucial value to contribute to the welfare of the country as a whole, and that Protestants, Catholics, and Jews stood side by side as equally valuable contributors to the moral welfare of the country.”

Cooperman admits that it was not until the 1950s that Judaism was truly seen as an equal partner – with Protestants, Catholics and Jews being equally American. That fact plays an important role in Fermaglich’s study of name changing in the United States. Fermaglich notes that no one has seriously studied Jewish name changing. In fact, the general understanding about name changing is wrong: few Jews’ names were changed by officials at Ellis Island and most Jews who changed their names did not opt out of the Jewish community. The opposite was in fact true: Jews changed their names in order to make themselves sound more American so they would have greater economic opportunities, but most remained involved with the Jewish community. They just made the same distinction between the public and private spheres of American life as did the JWB: they were not identified by their religion at work, but lived a Jewish life at home.

Fermaglich notes that “name changing was an im-portant and widely-practiced phenomenon among New York Jews in the 20th century. Between 1917 and 1967, thousands of American-born New York Jews submitted name-changing petitions as families in order to combat

antisemitism, find jobs, and receive an education. In fact, Jewish names represented in the New York City Civil Court name-changing petitions are far out of proportion to their numbers in the city, suggesting that legal name changing was a Jewish behavior during this era.” During that time period, Jews were starting to enter the middle class, but often found themselves discriminated against because of their names. This occurred whether they were applying to colleges, the Civil Service or private businesses. Most of the name changing petitions did not address the idea of antisemitism: rather, people wrote they wanted to change their names because they were difficult to pronounce or spell. Two name-change petitions that did address the issue were submitted by non-Jews with Jewish sounding names: they wanted to change their names because of the problems caused by people thinking they were Jewish.

The petitions for name changes soared during World War II. Fermaglich believes that during this time “an-tisemitism grew to its greatest heights in American his-tory... thousands of Jews came to believe that officially reshaping their personal, familial, and racial identities would provide them with safety, security, and opportu-nity.” Before the U.S. entered the war, Nazi propaganda was used against Jews: Jewish stores were picketed and synagogues were vandalized. Jews were being seen as a race apart – one that did not participate in American life. Fermaglich notes there were still problems after the U.S. entered the war: “Young Jewish men’s and women’s efforts to find jobs associated with the war, to serve honorably in the military, and to scale the military hierarchy sometimes met with exclusion and humiliation, and their distinctive names were frequently at the heart of these experiences.” The end of World War II did not end discrimination, however. That continued into the 1970s. It was only after the passing of civil rights legislation that Jews began to move away from changing their names.

Misconceptions about Jewish name changing still exists. In the past, those who changed their names were sometimes condemned for trying to disguise their Jew-ishness. The fear was that they were trying to assimilate and leave the community. While a small proportion did leave, most remained active within the Jewish commu-nity and with Jewish organizations. The idea behind a name change was to prevent discrimination in the public

sphere. This would not prevent people from practicing Judaism or joining Jewish religious and secular institu-tions in their private lives. Fermaglich notes that even today, when people discuss name changing in fact or fiction, the writers tend to disparage those who made a change. Those writers seem blind to the economic and social realities of that time, especially the antisemitism that was common in the U.S. during those years.

Both “Making Judaism Safe for America” and “A Rosenberg By Any Other Name” offer unique windows into Jewish American history – focusing on parts of 20th

century Jewish history that are often forgotten. Although scholarly works, both are easy for a layperson to read and each contains a fascinating amount of information – far too much to be discussed in this review. Both books complement each other and reading them together offers greater depth than reading either alone. Anyone inter-ested in 20th century American Judaism will want to add them to their bookshelves. Readers may also find that these works help them better understand contemporary American reactions to Judaism.

NEWS IN BRIEFFrom JNS.org

Israel signs deal to get world’s most advanced cannon

Israel’s Ministry of Defense has signed a deal with Elbit Systems to develop the world’s most advanced cannon in one of the largest and most intricate military procurement deals in Israeli history. The cannon will be able to automatically choose one of several shell types to fire, depending on the target, and is ultimately intended to replace Israel’s existing artillery system over the next several years. The new system will reduce the number of Israel Defense Forces’ soldiers necessary to fight using artillery, and will include mobile cannons, rockets, radars, missile units, training simulators and remote-operated aircraft. The agreement includes main-tenance for 20 years. Elbit Systems posted a net profit of $6.18 million in 2018. The company was reported to have orders worth $9.4 billion in the works, a 9 percent growth in sales from the previous year.

WE CAN MAKE THE WORLD BETTER BY WORKING TOGETHERThe mission of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania is to rescue theimperiled, care for the vulnerable, support Israel and world Jewry, and revitalize andperpetuate Jewish life in Northeastern Pennsylvania.


Feature FilmsA Tale of Love and Darkness - Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman directs and stars in the emotional and thought-provoking story about Fania, a young wife and mother in war-torn Jerusalem, during the early years of the State of Israel. Stifled in her relationship and weary from the tedium of her new life, Fania creates fantastical stories for Amos, her 10-year-old son, amazing him with tales of adventure and beauty— stories that would influence the boy to become a writer himself. Based on the international best-selling memoir by Amos Oz.Denial - Based on the acclaimed book Denial: Holocaust History on Trial, Denial recounts Deborah E. Lipstadt’s legal battle for historical truth against David Irving (BAFTA nominee Timothy Spall), who accused her of libel when she declared him a Holocaust denier. In the English legal system, in cases of libel, the burden of proof is on the defendant, therefore it was up to Lipstadt and her legal team, led by Richard Rampton, to prove the essential truth that the Holocaust occurred. Fanny’s Journey- In 1943, 13-year old Fanny and her younger sisters were sent from their home in France to an Italian foster home for Jewish children. When Nazis came to Italy, their caretakers organized the departure of the children to Switzerland. Based on a true story.Hidden in Silence- During the Nazi occupation of Poland,Catholic teenage Stefania Podgorska chooses the role of a savior and sneaks 13 Jewish into her attic.Loving Leah: A Hallmark Hall of Fame Classic - A handsome Washington, D.C. doctor and a young New York woman fall in love at an unusual time...after they get married. Leah Lever is married to an Orthodox rabbi, Benjamin Lever, whose brother, Jake, is a successful cardiologist and a non-practicing Jew. Jake is stunned when Benjamin dies suddenly, but not as stunned as when he is told that, under an ancient Jewish Law, he is expected to marry the childless Leah to carry on Benjamin’s name. The only alternative is to go through a ceremony where Jake must deny his brother’s existence. For Jake, that’s unthinkable, so impulsively he suggests to Leah that they get married and maintain a secretly platonic relationship. Eager to pursue her own dreams, Leah gladly accepts. Their oversimplified plan to live separate lives under the same roof proves challenging when Leah’s suspicious mother shows up unexpectedly. The harder they try to disguise their “pretend” marriage, the more their appreciation for each other’s worlds grows - and out of understanding, a real love develops. Loving Leah is a heart-warming story.Munich - Inspired by real events, Munich reveal the intense story of the secret Israeli squad assign to track down and assassinate the 121 Palestinians believed to have planned the 1972 Munich massacre of 11 Israeli athletes. ( The Jewish Film Library also owns the movie “Twenty One Hours in Munich” about the massacre at the Olympics).Music Box - In this intense, courtroom thriller, Chicago attorney Ann Talbot agrees to defend her Hungarian immigrant father Mike Laszlo against accusations of heinous war crimes committed 50 years earlier.Norman - Norman Oppenheimer (Richard Gere) lives a lonely life in the margins of New York City power and money, and strives to be everyone’s friend. His incessant networking leads him nowhere until he ends up befriending a young but charismatic politician, Micha Eshel at a low point in his life. Three years later, the politician becomes the Prime Minister of Israel. Norman uses Eshel’s name to leverage his biggest deal ever: a series of quid pro quo transactions linking the Prime Minister to Norman’s nephew ,a rabbi, a mogul, his assistant and a treasury official from the Ivory Coast. Norman’s plans soon go awry, creating the potential for an international catastrophe he must struggle to prevent. Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer is a comedic and compassionate drama of a man whose downfall is rooted in a human frailty all too easy to forgive—a need to matter.Remember - Remember is the suspense-filled story of Zev, an Auschwitz survivor who discovers that the Nazi guard who murdered his family some seventy years ago is living in America under an assumed name.The Devil’s Arithmetic - Sixteen year old Hanna Stern was a typical American teenager who ignores her family’s heritage until a mystical Passover seder takes her back in time to German-occupied Poland on an emotional journey of life, death and survival.The Impossible Spy - The story of the life and death of Israel’s most celebrated spy, Elie Cohen.The Last Butterfly - This World War II drama stars Tom Courtenay as the famous French Mime Antoine Moreau. Ordered by the Nazis to provide ‘the greatest show of his life’ for use as propoganda showing the kinder side of the Nazis as the war draws to a close, Moreau decides to risk everything to tell the world the real truth behind this monumental lie, and although as a mime he is pledged to keep his lips sealed, his voice must be heard.The Women’s Balcony - Discover Israel’s #1 film of the year! An accident during a Bar Mitzvah celebration leads to a gender rift in a devout community in Jerusalem.The Wedding Plan - A poignant and funny romantic comedy about love, marriage and faith in life’s infinite possibilities.The Zookeeper’s Wife - In 1939 Poland, Antonina Zabinska (two-time Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain) and her husband successfully run the Warsaw Zoo and raise their family in an idyllic existence. Their world is overturned, however, when the country is invaded by the Nazis and they are forced to report to the Reich’s newly appointed zoologist (Daniel Brühl). To fight back on their own terms, the Zabinskis risk everything by covertly working with the Resistance and using the zoo’s hidden tunnels and cages to save families from Nazi brutality.

Non-Feature FilmsAbove and Beyond - In 1948, just three years after the liberation of Nazi death camps, a group of Jewish-American pilots answered a call for help. As members of Machal- “volunteers from abroad”- this ragtag band of brothers not only turned the tide of the war; they also embarked on personal journeys of discovery and renewed Jewish pride.A Yiddish World Remembered is a PBS presentation and winner of the 2002 NY-NATAS Emmy Award. It is the story of Jewish life in Eastern Europe brought to life aain by some of the last remaining eyewitnesses. Narrated by Elliot Gould and accompanied by never-before-seen archival films, photographs and music, the documentary takes a realistic and enlightening look at this all-but-vanished way of life.Body and Soul: The State of the Jewish Nation - A powerful documentary sets the record straight eloquently and comprehensively. It not only shows the undeniable historical connection between the Jewish People and the Land of Israel, but also succeeds in debunking propaganda, myths and misinformation that have become accepted as truth by many people.Follow Me - The story of the fantastic rescue at Entebbe and the loss of Yonatan Netanyahu (brother of the Prime Minister). The Jewish Film Library also owns an Israeli film about the rescue at Entebbe entitled “Operation Thunderbolt”GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II, a PBS presentation, tells the story of the 550,000 Jewish men and women who served in World War II as active participants in the fight against Hitler.Hava Nagila (the Movie) - Hava Nagila is a documentary romp through the history, mystery and meaning of the great Jewish standard.I’m Still Here - Real Diaries of young people who lived during the Holocaust.Itzhak; a film by Alison Chernick looks beyond the sublime musician, to see the polio survivor whose parents emigrated from Poland to Israel ultimately bringing the prodigy violinist to New York’s Julliard. As charming and entrancing as the famous violinist himself, this documentary is a portrait of musical virtuosity enclosed in warmth, humor and above all, love.Jewish Soldiers in Blue and Gray explores this remarkable, little-known history, including the political rise of Sephardic Jew Judah Benjamin to Secretary of State of the Confederacy and General Ulysses S. Grant’s infamous “ General Order No. 11” expelling Jews from Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi.Jews and Baseball (narrated by Dustin Hoffman)Israel: The Royal Tour - A delightful tour headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and travel correspondent Peter Greenberg. Nicky’s Family - The amazing story of Sir Nicholas Winton who created, on his own, a Kinder-transport in Czechoslavakia saving 669 children from the Nazi inferno.No Place on Earth - The harrowing story of Esther Stermer and her family and friends who escaped extermination by the Nazis by hiding in an underground cave is unearthed by accident when cave explorer, Chris Nicola stumbles upon remnants left behind by the cave dwellers.Rejoice with Itzhak Perlman and Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot celebrates the extraordinary artistic world of Eastern European Jewish music thanks to the joined forces of legendary violinist Izhak Perlman and renowned cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot. These two incomparable virtuosos unite for an evening of cantorial masterpieces and much more.Rosenwald - Rosenwald tells the incredible story of Julius Rosenwald, the son of an immigrant peddler who never finished high school, who rose to become the President of Sears. Influenced by the writings of the educator Booker T. Washington, this Jewish philanthropist joined forces with African American communities during the Jim Crow South to build 5,300 schools, providing 660,000 black children with access to education in the segregated American South. The Life and Times of Hank GreenbergThe Prime Ministers: The Pioneers and Soldiers and Peacemakers - A two disc-set based on the international best-seller by Ambassador Yehuda Avner

April2019

(New films are in bold)



NEWS IN BRIEFFrom JNS.org

Wealthy German family to donate millions to charity after uncovering Nazi past

One of Germany’s richest families with business holdings in multiple internationally recognized brands will be donating millions of dollars to charity after learning that their parents and grandparents were ardent supporters of Adolf Hitler who exploited Jewish prisoners for slave labor. In a massive report in Germany’s BILD newspaper, Albert Reimann Sr. and Albert Reimann Jr. were reported to have used Russian civil-ians and French POWs as forced laborers when the Nazi regime reigned, according to documents recently brought to light. Peter Harf, family spokesman and one of two managing partners of the Reimann’s JAB Holding Company – owning controlling interest in Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Pret a Manger, Einstein Bros and Panera Bread, among other companies – subsequently conducted an independent investigation, to determine the truth about his predecessors. The father and son, who reportedly did not talk about the Nazi era, died in 1954 and 1984, respectively. Revelations about the Reimman company’s connection to the Nazis were exposed in 1978, but an expert hired by the family in 2014 led to more detailed information being presented to them several weeks ago. “We were all ashamed and turned as white as the wall,” said Harf. “There is nothing to gloss over. These crimes are disgusting.” He vowed that his family would give 10 million euros ($11.3 million) to an as yet unspecified charity and would make the findings of the investigation public. According to the report, Reimann Sr. donated money to the SS even before the Nazis came to power and hung swastikas outside his factory. In 1937, Reimann Jr. wrote a letter to Heinrich Himmler, assuring him that they were a “purely Aryan family business.” During World War II, approximately 30 percent of their industrial chemical company’s workers were forced laborers – about 175 people. BILD reported that the pair were banned by the French from continuing their business after the war, but the judgment was overturned by the Americans.U.S. State Department issues tender to fight antisemitism around the world

The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor issued a $2 million tender for two projects to combat anti-Semitism in Europe and Central Asia. According to the announcement, the projects will be run in member countries of the Or-ganization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, in cooperation with the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, to combat “acts of physical violence, desecration of religious sites, religion-based discrimination, and the use of hateful or inflammatory speech in public discourse, traditional media and online.” The State Department bureau “will support one or more projects to counter anti-Semitism by increasing documentation and reporting on hate crimes, promoting greater societal inclusion and increasing public awareness of ways to combat hateful and discriminatory expression targeting Jews. Efforts to increase reporting should also include training law enforcement to adequately and holistically respond to hate crimes from a legal, social and community perspective; and to better equip police and prosecutors to engage effectively with local Jewish populations,” according to the announcement. On March 25, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo railed against antisemitism in front of a cheering crowd at the annual AIPAC convention in Washington, DC. “This bigotry is taking on an insidious new form in the guise of anti-Zionism. It’s invested on college campuses in the form of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. It’s discussed in our media. It’s supported by certain members of Congress, I suspect none of whom are here tonight,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong,” he continued, “criticizing Israel’s policies is an acceptable thing to do in a democracy. But criticizing the very right to exist of Israel is not acceptable. Anti-Zionism denies the very legitimacy of the Israeli state and of the Jewish people.”U.S. envoy hints at peace deal with Israeli security control in Judea and Samaria

(Israel Hayom via JNS) – The Trump administration understands the need for Israel to have “overriding security control” in the West Bank in any future peace deal with the Palestinians, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said on March 26. Friedman is part of a White House team spearheading a still secret Israeli-Palestinian peace plan that Washington has said will be unveiled after Israeli elections on April 9. Palestinians have called any peace proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump a non-starter. Addressing a convention of the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC in Washington, Friedman gave no details of the U.S. blueprint, but he appeared to suggest it was in Israel’s best interests to engage now on the deal, while the United States has a president sympathetic to its security con-

cerns. “Can we leave this to an administration that may not understand the existential risk to Israel if Judea and Samaria are overcome by terrorists in the manner that befell the Gaza Strip after the IDF withdrew from this territory?” said Friedman. Friedman, who used the biblical terms for the West Bank, was referring to the 2005 pullout of Israeli troops and settlers from Gaza, the coastal enclave seized by Hamas terrorists two years later in a brief yet bloody war with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas’s rival Fatah movement. “Can we leave this to an administration that may not understand the need for Israel to maintain overriding security control of Judea and Samaria and a permanent defense position in the Jordan Valley?” he said. Israel has long rejected any return to what it has described as indefensible boundaries that existed before the Six-Day War in June of 1967. It has said it must maintain military control of the West Bank, which it captured in that conflict, along with eastern Jerusalem and Gaza. Friedman’s comments did not say what “overriding” Israeli security control in the West Bank would entail. But his reference to a permanent defense post in its eastern sector, bordering Jordan, seemed to suggest at least a partial troop presence. The Palestinians demand a full Israeli pullout from the West Bank and a return to the pre-1967 borders. Trump’s Middle East adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner is spearheading Washington’s peace efforts, but has not disclosed details. Unlike his predecessors, Trump has not endorsed the goal of Palestinian statehood. On March 25, he signed a decree recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. French pilot who remained with Israeli and Jewish hostages at Entebbe dies at 95

Michel Bacos, the Air France pilot who, along with his crew, stayed with Israeli and Jewish hostages during the July 1976 hijacking that diverted the plane to Uganda’s Entebbe Airport, died in the French city of Nice on March 26 at the age of 95. Some 260 people were on the flight from Tel Aviv to Paris that made a stop in Athens, where four hijackers – two from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-External Operations and two Germans from the leftist terrorist group German Revolutionary Cells – got on board. They demanded that 40 Palestinian and other terrorists behind bars in Israel be released in exchange for those on the plane, which they forced to land in Uganda, where they took the passengers hostage. “I told my crew that we must stay until the end because that was our tradition, so we cannot accept being freed,” Bacos told the BBC. “All my crew agreed without exception.” After six days in captivity, Israeli commandos, led by Israel Defence Forces’s officer Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, who led the elite unit Sayeret Matkal, rescued 102 of the 106 hostages. Netanyahu was the only IDF fatality in what was called “Operation Entebbe” (also “Operation Thunderbolt”). Multiple feature films have been made of the historic hijacking and ensuing military rescue, both in Hebrew and English, the most recent being the 2018 “Entebbe.” Netanyahu’s younger brother, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed his condolences over Bacos’s passing. “Michel Bacos, the hero of the Air France aircraft ab-ducted in Entebbe, passed away. He refused to leave his Jewish and Israeli passengers, even though the kidnappers offered him this. He remained with them through all their hardships, until the soldiers under the command of my brother Yoni was released in a daring operation. I bow to his memory and salute Michel’s bravery,” he tweeted.

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JFS to honor Barbara and Louis Nivert at fourth Annual ... · Commons, Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi accused me and other journalists of encouraging “anti-migrant sentiment, anti-Muslim