APRIL 13, 2023 | 22 NISAN 5783 Susan Becker Washington Square’s CULTIVATES THE NEXT GENERATION OF JEWISH LEADERS Page 28 CANDLELIGHTING 7:20 | HAVDALAH 8:21 Jewish Exponent PHILADELPHIA Publisher & Chief Executive Offi cer Craig Burke cburke@midatlanticmedia.com Associate Publisher Jeni Mann Tough jmann@midatlanticmedia.com EDITORIAL Editor | Andy Gotlieb 215-832-0797 agotlieb@jewishexponent.com Staff Writers Jillian Diamond, Sasha Rogelberg, Heather Ross, Jarrad Saff ren ADVERTISING Account Executives Alan Gurwitz, Robin Harmon, Pam Kuperschmidt, David Pintzow, Sara Priebe, Sharon Schmuckler, Samantha Tuttle MARKETING Audience Development Coordinator Julia Olaguer 410-902-2308 jolaguer@midatlanticmedia.com CREATIVE Art Director | Steve Burke 7605 Old York Road, Melrose Park, PA 19027 Connect with us: Vol. 136, No. 2 Published Weekly Since 1887 BUSINESS Accounting Manager Pattie-Ann Lamp 410-902-2311 plamp@midatlanticmedia.com accounting@midatlanticmedia.com Senior Accounts Receivable Specialist Grace Hagan ghagan@midatlanticmedia.com Accounts Receivable Specialist Sarah Appelbaum sappelbaum@midatlanticmedia.com Main Offi ce: 215-832-0700 editor@jewishexponent.com 215-832-0797 circulation@jewishexponent.com 215-832-0700, ext. 1 sales@jewishexponent.com 215-832-0700, ext. 2 classifi ed@jewishexponent.com 215-832-0702 Legal Notices legals@jewishexponent.com Graphic Designers | Ebony Brown, Lonna Koblick, Frank Wagner, Carl Weigel Digital Media Coordinator James Meskunas If you’re having problems receiving your Philadelphia Jewish Exponent in the mail, and live in an apartment or suite, please contact our circulation department at 215-832-0700, ext. 1 or circulation@jewishexponent.com. JEWISH EXPONENT, a Mid-Atlantic Media publication, is published weekly since 1887 with a special issue in September (ISSN 0021-6437) ©2022 Jewish Exponent (all rights reserved). Periodical postage paid in Philadelphia, PA, and additional offices. Postmaster: All address changes should be sent to Jewish Exponent Circulation Dept., 9200 Rumsey Road, Suite 215, Columbia, MD 21045. A one-year subscription is $50, 2 years, $100. Foreign rates on request. Jewish Exponent does not endorse kashrut claims. To verify the kashrut of goods or services advertised in Jewish Exponent, readers should consult rabbinic authorities. The Jewish Exponent reserves the right to revise, reject or edit any advertisement. Are You Fast-Paced & “ON THE GO”? Don’t have time for print magazines? DON’T MISS OUT! Over 4,000 users are enjoying the ease, simplicity and pleasure of our digital magazine. Decidedly Different. It’s EASY to get your digital magazine every week. Decidedly Engaging. 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Pet Friendly Sign up today at: jewishexponent.com/econfirmation/ inside this issue Local 5 Making it count: Finding meaning in the Omer 6 Antisemitism campaign makes its mark locally 7 Yom HaShoah event to mark 80th anniversary of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Opinion 14 Editorials 15 Letters 15 Opinions Feature Story 18 Israeli emissaries tour Palestinian museum, leave with questions Community 26 Calendar 23 Obituaries 24 Synagogue Spotlight 26 Calendar In every issue 4 Weekly Kibbitz 8 Jewish Federation 9 You Should Know 15 National Briefs 20 Food & Dining 22 D’var Torah 27 Around Town 28 Last Word 29 Classifieds Explore our many options for your green choice by contacting our care team today: TWO GREEN BURIAL SECTIONS ECO-FRIENDLY FUNERALS LEGACY TREE PROPERTIES PET AQUAMATION On the Cover laurelhillphl.com Bala Cynwyd | Philadelphia 610.668.9900 9 Washington Square’s Susan Becker cultivates the next generation of Jewish leaders 5 M aking it count: Finding meaning in the 6 A ntisemitism campaign makes its mark 18 I sraeli emissaries tour Palestinian Omer locally museum, leave with questions JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 3 Weekly Kibbitz The same size as the Jewish population in the U.S. Yet Jews are victims of 55% of all religious hate crimes. Everyone needs to see this square. # Learn more about how Jewish Federation fights antisemitism at jewishphilly.org/antisemitism 4 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT A public high school in Florida has removed an illustrated adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary from its library. It is the second known instance of this particular edition of the famous Holocaust book being swept up by conservatives seeking to purge schools of literature they deem inappropriate. The principal’s office of Vero Beach High School, which is located in a community on Florida’s east coast, recently decided to remove “Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation” from its school library, according to Cristen Maddux, a spokesperson for the Indian River County school district. Maddux said the book was determined to be “not age appropriate.” Last year, a school district in Texas ordered its librarians to remove the same book before reversing course a week later following public outcry. Other books about the Holocaust recently removed by public schools include Art Spiegelman’s “Maus,” which a Tennessee district pulled from its middle school curriculum last year, and Jodi Picoult’s “The Storyteller,” which was removed from another Florida district last month following a parental challenge. The removal at Vero Beach High School was spurred by at least one challenge from a parent in the district affiliated with the conservative activist group Moms For Liberty, according to the Treasure Coast News, a local publication. In the challenge, the parent had reportedly written that the book was “not a true adaptation of the Holocaust.” The district backed up that sentiment, Maddux said. “That’s not the actual diary of Anne Frank,” she said. “It’s a fictional novel that has some inappropriate content in it.” Maddux added that the book “was removed due to minimization of the Holocaust,” and said, “Library spaces in the district currently have factual accounts of The Diary of Anne Frank.” Maddux said that she herself had not read the book and did not immediately know what the “inappropriate content” in question was. In a statement about various challenges to the graphic adaptation, the Anne Frank Fonds, the Switzerland- based foundation that controls the copyright to her diary, said it was “generally concerned that ignorance about the Shoah, relativization or denial of history are on the rise, especially in the United States.”  The foundation also defended the inclusion of Frank’s original writing by saying, “We consider the book of a 12-year-old girl to be appropriate reading for her peers.” The graphic novel adaptation of the diary was released in 2018 with the full authorization of the Anne Frank Fonds. Adapted by Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman and illustrator David Polonsky and intended for young readers, the book compresses Frank’s actual diary entries into a condensed version of her true story. While it does contain some invented dialogue and surrealist scenes, reproductions of Frank’s actual diary in the book hew to her exact words. The graphic novel has attracted some scrutiny for reproducing passages of Frank’s diary that had been edited out of its original publication in 1947. (The diary was first published in English in 1952.) — Andrew Lapin | JTA Pantheon This blue square is 2.4% of this page. Florida High School Pulls Graphic Novel Adaptation of Anne Frank’s Diary local Making It Count: Area Jews Find Meaning in Omer Rituals Sasha Rogelberg | Staff Writer Courtesy of Gila Ruskin I n 2000, Brandeis University health policy researcher Brian Rosman created homercalender.net. The concept is simple: You visit the site for each of the 49 days of the Omer and find a bespoke image of Homer Simpson corresponding to each day and its accompanying blessings. For the eighth day of the Omer on April 13, one can “count the Homer” with a picture of the Simpson patriarch sipping Duff Beer from a beer helmet. The practice of counting each day of the Omer, the period between Passover and Shavuot, obviously predates the earliest days of the internet. The ancient tradition is a period of self-reflection and grounding, and with it comes a myriad of ways to observe. After all, it’s more than just the count that counts. “I find it a deep mindfulness practice that calls me present to count each day,” said Rabbi Yael Levy, the rabbi emerita of Mishkan Shalom and creator of Jewish mindfulness teaching program A Way In. Levy counts the Omer in the tradi- tional way: First saying a bracha, then counting, then meditating on the day’s aspect of human nature and emotion. She’s gone on trips to the desert to count the Omer and has friends who mark the days by wearing a different color. “It’s important to play with these things,” she said. “It’s important to enjoy them.” Counting the Omer can have numer- ous spiritual benefits, Levy said. The ritual has origins in agriculture, with “Omer” meaning “sheaf,” the measure of grain taken to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Omer was an opportu- nity to pray daily for a good harvest and rainy season. Even though many Jews, like Levy, are no longer agricultural people, the ritual can reconnect people to the earth. “May we be aligned with ourselves in “Climbing Mt. Sinai - Counting the Omer,” created by Rabbi Gila Ruskin, is a mosaic Omer counter. relationship to the earth and all people that are caring well for the earth, so the earth is able to yield this produce, and rain comes in its time,” Levy said. Susan Windle, a Philadelphia-based writer, authored “Through the Gates: A Practice for Counting the Omer,” a collection of letters and poems she wrote in her first few years of counting the Omer. A Jew by choice, Windle began counting the Omer in 2008 at a spiri- tual training before she converted and found that the practice caught her by surprise. “The reason I do this is because I literally fell in love with the practice and with the people that I was practicing with,” she said. Windle wrote a poem that she shared with friends, first one for every week of the Omer, and, in the following years, one for every day. Each of the seven weeks of the Omer corresponds to one of seven sefirot, or divine emanations outlined in Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. Each day of the week corresponds with a middot, or Jewish virtue. The days and weeks of the Omer form a matrix and create a specific theme or attribution of God, to focus on for each day. The Omer can also be a chance to build community. Rabbi Gila Ruskin, formerly a congregational rabbi in Baltimore, had a congregant create an interactive Omer counter out of plywood that sat on the synagogue bimah. Inspired to create her own, Ruskin crafted a counter out of mosaic tiles, with each sefirah and middah of the Omer marked on a different color-coded tile, forming a set of stairs leading to Mount Sinai. She covered each tile with drywall tape and, every day, the children from the congregation would tear off a piece of tape to reveal the tile underneath. Though Ruskin led a Reform commu- nity with little background in Jewish mysticism, the ritual still had spiritual meaning. “The concepts of liberation and revela- tion are not just religious concepts,” she said. “There’s something that we all have in our lives.” Counting the Omer can be accessible to any Jew who wants to practice it, Ruskin argued. For those not familiar with or interested in its religious origins, the Omer can simply be a lesson in how to wait patiently and thoughtfully. “Any of us could be in a situation in our lives, where we’re waiting for something, that you’re waiting for a diagnosis; you’re waiting for a baby to be born; you’re waiting for your mortgage to come through. ... There’s so many different situations, and it’s good to have a ritual to do when you’re in the process of waiting,” Ruskin said. Though Jewish tradition dictates that if one forgets to count the Omer one night, they can pick it back up without saying the blessing for the subsequent days, Windle suggests beginners don’t focus on the technicalities of the ritual. “Don’t worry if you miss a day because other people are counting and holding it up for you,” Windle said. “Be gentle, enjoy it, explore it. See what happens.” ■ srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 5 local Jewish Federation Joins National Campaign Against Antisemitism Jarrad Saff ren | Staff Writer 6 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT run and display the message at games. “You’re at the 76ers game. We want it to be right there on the scoreboard,” Balaban said. After the stadiums and arenas, the CEO wants to see the message on billboards while he is driving on Interstate 95 and other area highways. “We haven’t reached out to any of the billboard networks, but we will be moving on to that next, as well as the city skyline,” he said. “A few roaming billboards in the city to see if we can get the message going there as well.” In its news release about its decision to join the campaign, the Federation listed fi ve steps that people can take to help. They are: Post and share the blue square emoji along- side a message of support for the Jewish community. Tell other people you know about the campaign. Tell a story to your social followers about a time when you experienced antisemitism or saw someone stand up to it. Visit StandUptoJewishHate. org to learn how to identify and report antisemitism. And follow the #StandUptoJewishHate campaign on the @StandUptoJewishHate accounts on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Antisemitic incidents increased by 36% across the country and 65% in Pennsylvania in 2022, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Philadelphia, The #StandUpToJewishHate symbol distributed by the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism Montgomery County and Bucks County saw 34, 24 and fi ve incidents, respec- tively. A recent Wunderman Thompson SONAR survey found that 52% of U.S. adults do not see antisemitism as a big problem, but an ADL study discovered that 85% of Americans believe at least one antisemitic trope. “If it’s not front and center in people’s minds — they very quickly forget about it and move on to the next item,” Balaban said. “Being able to reinforce it during a 76ers game or when you’re watching HGTV is critical.” It is, of course, not just Jews who watch the Sixers and HGTV. So, the goal of the campaign is to transcend the Jewish community, according to Balaban. It is to help non-Jews see the problem as clearly as Jews do. The biggest problem, as the CEO explains, is “complacency.” “When you’re in line at a grocery store and someone makes a comment and you hear it. When a student witnesses a friend being harassed, there’s a tendency for people not to want to get involved,” he said. “We need people to get involved. And we need to call it out when it’s hate against other groups.” “We cannot let 2.4% of the popula- tion fi ght antisemitism on its own,” Balaban concluded. “The #StandUpToJewishHate campaign is designed to raise aware- ness for the fi ght against antisem- itism, specifi cally among non-Jewish audiences and to help all Americans understand that there is a role for each of us to play in combating a problem that is unfortunately all too prevalent in communities across the country today,” Kraft said in the news release. ■ jsaff ren@midatlanticmedia.com Courtesy of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia President and CEO Michael Balaban Courtesy of Michael Balaban J ewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia President Michael Balaban already laments how much his organization and others have to spend on security in this era. It is many millions of dollars to protect against rising antisemitism. Balaban would prefer to spend that money on productive, not defensive, endeavors, like education. But now, the local Federation is adding another layer to its defenses against antisemitism. The Philadelphia Federation is joining the national #StandUptoJewishHate campaign, started by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who is Jewish. Kraft began the initiative with a $25 million investment and the creation of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, according to a news release. The national campaign uses a blue square as a symbolic reminder to #StandUptoJewishHate, and it “features digital platforms, billboards and social media content.” A public service announcement is also airing on “The Voice” and “TODAY,” among other shows. The Philadelphia Federation announced a local partner campaign on March 27. “People have to be aware that this is growing,” Balaban said of antisemi- tism. “That awareness is vital.” Security may protect Jewish build- ings. But messaging gets into people’s minds, and that is the campaign's goal. Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism has provided Balaban’s team with the content. Now it’s on the local Federation to work its regional contacts. Balaban said all the local news affi liates — ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox — have agreed to air spots. “Yesterday, I turned on Channel 6, and it aired during the news,” he added. The Federation also is working with the city’s professional sports teams to local Yom HaShoah Event to Mark 80th Anniversary of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Jarrad Saff ren | Staff Writer Wikimedia Commons T here is a key diff erence between International Holocaust Remembrance Day, declared by the United Nations and taking place each January, and Yom HaShoah, established by Israel and recog- nized every spring. The former remembers the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the liberation of Auschwitz on Jan. 27, 1945. The latter has a full name of Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG’vurah, which means the day of remembrance of the Holocaust and the bravery. That last part is crucial. Yom HaShoah, declared by the modern symbol of Jewish strength, the state of Israel, is about resistance as much as remembrance. It is aligned with the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the biggest act of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust, for a reason. Jews were victims in that period, ultimately liberated by the United States and its Allies. But they did not just take Nazi oppression lying down. Both lessons are important, according to Jason Holtzman, the direc- tor of the Jewish Community Relations Council in Philadelphia. That’s why, on April 16, JCRC, an agency within the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, will host a Yom HaShoah event that marks the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The commemoration is open to the public starting at 1:30 p.m. at the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza on 16th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It will include a candle lighting, music, prayer and remarks by Jewish Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, among others. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was a response to the Nazi eff ort to deport Jews to the Majdanek and Treblinka death camps. Jews used Molotov cocktails and hand grenades to ambush Nazi offi cers and soldiers. In the end, SS commander Jurgen Stroop ordered the burning of the ghetto, killing 13,000 Jews. Stroop later estimated that only 17 Nazis died in the fi ghting. But the Jews knew what the result would be. The point was to fi ght. “It wasn’t like all Jews just went down like sheep getting slaughtered,” Holtzman said. “The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising represents the fi rst instance of fi ght- ing back and the largest instance of fi ghting back.” That is important to remember in a time of rising antisemitism, according to Holtzman. “Right now, we’re seeing a major uptick in Polish Jews captured by Germans during the suppression of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising antisemitism and all forms of bigotry. It’s very uncom- fortable,” he said. “It’s important to send a message that even during a time of the greatest hate against the Jewish people, some Jews found the strength to fi ght back against it.” As Holtzman explained, Israel commemorates the moment when Jews fought back, while the U.N. remem- bers the day when the rest of the world liberated Auschwitz. He called those diff erent interpretations “very interesting.” His grandfather was liberated from Auschwitz, so he sees both interpretations as import- ant. But American Jews too often see it like the rest of the world and forget that their people fought back. “I would consider those people to be heroes,” Holtzman said. “They were saying we’re going to go out standing up for our community.” Zev Eleff , the president of Gratz College and a scholar of American Jewish history, said that, after the Holocaust, Americans were more likely to embrace the survivor narrative and discussion of the Shoah. Israelis preferred the resistance narrative. Many survi- vors who went to Israel even hid their numbers. That is why, in the United States, Yom HaShoah is often just called Yom HaShoah, with the descriptor of bravery taken off at the end of the name. “Many Jews who do observe Yom HaShoah do so not fully aware of its association with the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising,” Eleff said. But they must become aware, he added. “What’s the reason to attach it? Agency,” Eleff concluded. Rabbi Lance Sussman, also an American Jewish historian and the rabbi emeritus at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, views resistance as a major part of Holocaust history in general. “Going to your death with dignity is a form of resis- tance. But we tend to see them as passive martyrs. There are all types of forms of resistance,” he said. Moving forward, Sussman would like to see Holocaust education emphasize resistance as much as remembrance. “It’s a question of balance and as best as possible to see things comprehensively,” he said. “We need to teach it. We need to teach it in the Jewish community. And we need to push that in general society.” ■ jsaff ren@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 7 Celebrating National Volunteer Week with the Israel 75 Community Mitzvah Day Co-Chairs Giving back to those in need, connecting with the community and making a difference are just a few of the many reasons why people volunteer. During National Volunteer Week, April 16-22, and every week, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia is inspired by those who dedicate their time to volunteering and leaving the community better than they found it. In light of National Volunteer Week and as a way to honor Israel's 75 th anniversary, the Jewish Federation is hosting Community Mitzvah Day on Sunday, April 23. This day will offer over 25 hands-on opportunities for all ages throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. The Jewish Federation asked the four co-chairs of this day of giving back about why they volunteer. Allison Goodman “After spending 20 years in the finance sector, I transitioned into a full-time volunteer in 2021 as a way to give back to the community that's given so much to my family and me. My primary goal is to help facilitate rebuilding our community after the COVID-19 quarantine, particularly within our day schools. I love to bring people together and connect them in ways that are meaningful to them.” Matthew Moskow “Growing up, I always volunteered with causes that my mom was supporting. Today, I am a proud co- founder of Main Line Math Project and have found my passion offering free tutoring. I am excited for Community Mitzvah Day, because it has the ability to really show kids and their parents that giving back with the Jewish Federation can be fun.” Ready to do some good for your community? Visit Israel75.jewishphilly.org/mitzvah to learn more and sign up for one of the Israel 75 Community Mitzvah Day volunteer opportunities. 8 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT Corie Moskow “Volunteering and leadership development can sometimes be the last things on the family to-do list, but they need to be prioritized. The Jewish Federation is the epicenter of Jewish life and when we step up to volunteer through this organization, we help strengthen and protect the Jewish community as a whole.” Sarah Vogel “I volunteer in the community because I am committed to tzedakah. My great-grandparents, grandparents and parents have always given back to others in need and to worthy endeavors, no matter how much or how little they had. Tzedakah is a way of life in my family.” YOU SHOULD KNOW ... Susan Becker Courtesy of Susan Becker Sasha Rogelberg | Staff Writer W hile Susan Becker was in college at Penn State, she worked as a Hebrew school teacher and b’nai mitzvah tutor, teaching the next generation of Jewish youth. Years after graduating, she worked with Jewish college students at Hillel at Temple University, first as an engagement associate before becom- ing the Hillel’s associate director. For as long as Becker has been engaged in Jewish life, as she has come of age, so, too, have the Hebrew school kids, teenagers and college students she’s served. “I totally feel like I’ve grown up with the people that I’ve been working with, which has been really special,” she said. Becker is the director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s NextGen, an affinity group for Philadelphia Jews ages 22-45 inter- ested in philanthropy and the devel- opment of leadership skills. As a 32-year-old Jewish professional living near Washington Square, Becker once again mirrors the demographic she stewards through their Jewish life. “I was excited to work with the next generation of leaders in Philadelphia. ... This role allowed me to have the Jewish community aspect that I love, but also learn a new skill and challenge myself in a new way,” she said. Since taking up the mantle of NextGen in August, Becker has worked to expand NextGen’s program- ming to attract young Jewish leaders to the group. NextGen hosts social gatherings and service opportunities for millennial Jews. On April 23, NextGen will partner with Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel, Makom Community, Tribe 12 and Center City Kehillah for a clean-up of Albert M. Greenfield School as part of the Jewish Federation’s Israel 75 Community Mitzvah Day. In the past, the affinity group has organized trips with Honeymoon Israel, participated in cemetery clean- ups and held wine and whiskey nights for members of the Ben Gurion Society, young donors to the Jewish Federation. Becker realized she wanted to work with young Jews when she went on Birthright with Penn State Hillel, a confirmation of her love of her religion and community. “I got the idea for the first time that I was passionate enough about Judaism and Jewish life that I wanted to pass it on to others,” she said. A self-proclaimed Hebrew school nerd, Becker has always gotten fulfill- ment from Jewish education. "Traditional Hebrew schools didn’t work on, like, I don’t know, 75% of Jews,” Becker said. “I think I’m one of the people it totally worked on. I loved it.” Becker recalls her classmates’ distaste for Hebrew school. While she lied about her love of it to fit in, she secretly looked forward to it weekly. She credits her personal statement on her love of religious school as one of the reasons she was accepted into her master’s program in Jewish education at Gratz College in 2015. On the other side of the desk as a b’nai mitzvah tutor, Becker felt similar gratifications: Over a year, she would see students who struggled to learn prayers and their parsha master reading Hebrew and leyning Torah. “I had one particular moment where a student said to his mom, ‘I want to invite Susan to my bar mitzvah because if it wasn’t for Susan, I wouldn’t be having a bar mitzvah,’” Becker recalled. During her six years at Temple’s Hillel, Becker saw students similarly transform from “scared freshman” to graduates with good job prospects and developed interests. Though Becker found her career and passion in conventional means of Jewish community-building, such as religious school and Hillel, she recog- nizes that it’s not for everyone. That’s one of the purposes of NextGen: Young Jews may not be going to synagogue, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to be Jewish. In NextGen, Jewish leaders have diverse interests, projects and chari- ties in which they’re interested. “They want to get involved; they want to volunteer; they want to take on a leadership role, a board position. ... So there’s kind of something for everyone.” Becker knows that connecting with a Jewish identity can look different for everyone. It can be going to a yoga class with Jewish friends or volunteer- ing with NextGen. “Whatever you connect to is what you should be aiming for,” she said. “And you should find something that works for you.” ■ srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 9 editorials Keep the Free Inquiry Rule I n 2020, the Department of Education issued the Free Inquiry Rule, which requires public and private institutions of higher education that receive Education Department grants to uphold free-speech principles on campus. If a court fi nds a violation of the rule, the off ending institution is subject to sanctions from DOE, including possible loss of federal funding. Many Jewish communal advocates — and particularly pro-Israel campus advocates — applauded the rule. They saw it as a means to assure protection for Jewish students on campus, and particularly pro-Israel students, who were ostracized, forced out of student government or otherwise coerced into silence because of their religious affi liation or public expressions of support for Israel. Now, with the rule in place, universities need to be more vigilant and sensitive to anti-Israel and other biases on their campuses, or risk losing government funding. In February, DOE sought public comment on a proposed revision to the rule that would remove the added layer of protection for religious student groups on campus. The stated rationale for the change is that extra protection for religious groups is not necessary because universities already have fully compliant and enforceable free-speech protections in place. And, proponents of the revision argue, the additional layer of protection imposed by the current version of the rule will only generate more litigation. Among those commenting on the proposed change is the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a public interest advocacy group that has represented Jewish students who claim religious discrimination on campus. (Brandeis Center is not affi liated with Brandeis University.) In a fi ve-page letter to DOE, the Brandeis Center explains why the religious student group protection under the rule is necessary; how Brandeis Center has used the rule and its religious group protections as leverage in representing aff ected students and groups; and why it makes sense to hold universities accountable for the First Amendment protections they promise their students — and liable for any breach of that promise. We agree with the Brandeis Center. And we are puzzled by what is driving the DOE’s concern. DOE is (or should be) well aware of the disturbing spike in antisemitic activity on college campuses and the targeting of pro-Israel student advocates. DOE should be doing everything it can to stop such behavior and encourage meaningful responses to such activities, including insistence on full enforcement of the rule’s religious protection provisions if that can be helpful. But DOE seems to be worried that the rule gives religious groups too much protection. This begs the question: Is there harm in giving religious groups enhanced protection on campus? Are there rights of others that DOE is worried would be infringed or threatened if Jewish and other religious groups on campus are protected against infringement of their First Amendment rights? And shouldn’t it be the responsibility of universities to protect all their students, including religious students, who are targeted for their exercise of otherwise protected speech? These are not tough questions. DOE should not be looking to roll back student protections on campus. It should be fi guring out ways to enhance them. DOE should retain the Free Inquiry Rule. ■ I n the 75 years of Israel’s existence, the Jewish state has developed a strong, multi-faceted military establishment, complete with an army, navy and air force; a full-service domestic police system, including riot police and SWAT teams; and a comprehensive suite of military, security and political intelligence services. Does Israel also need a national guard to help keep internal order? The answer is “yes,” according to the Netanyahu government, which voted last week to create a national guard. As part of the move, the Knesset directed that funding for the guard’s more than 1 billion-shekel budget be taken from 1.5% of the budgets of all of Israel’s other ministries. And if things play out the way proponents have suggested, the national guard will be placed under the direct command of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the fi rebrand hard-right leader who demanded the creation of the guard and explained that it would deal with “emergency scenarios, nationalistic crime, terror and strengthening sovereignty.” The idea for a national guard force has been under consideration since 2021, when rioting broke out on the West Bank and in Israeli cities with mixed Arab-Jewish populations. But the plan was not pursued after the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fell. Now back in offi ce, Netanyahu has moved the plan forward to keep Ben-Gvir and his Jewish Power party 10 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT from a threatened withdrawal from the 64-member governing coalition and toppling the government. Ben-Gvir sharply criticized Netanyahu for putting a pause on the government’s divisive judicial overhaul plan, and something needed to be done to keep Ben-Gvir happy. Ben-Gvir seems to have Prime Minister National Security Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Itamar Ben-Gvir played his hand well. He is now poised to be handed what critics call his own private militia, which could give him not. But, in the meantime, the prime minister quieted free rein to advance his right-wing agenda and hit hard his most extreme minister and bought himself some at anti-government Jewish demonstrators, Israel’s Arab time. citizens and West Bank Palestinians while providing Netanyahu’s apparent payoff of Ben-Gvir is distasteful. backup to his fellow settlers. And if things play out as Ben-Gvir demands, it is also Netanyahu knows that’s a potential problem. So, he dangerous. The national guard plan has generated inserted some conditions and further levels of review opposition from both Israeli law enforcement offi cials in the national guard process. As a result, Ben-Gvir and civilian critics, who warn against the formation of won’t just be handed the new force — at least not yet. a unit that is independent of the police hierarchy and It could take months to recruit the guard’s planned under political direction, which could “cause damage to 1,800 members. And even before that, a committee personal safety, waste [of] resources and break Israel’s composed of all the Israeli security agencies will spend police from within.” These are serious concerns. 90 days discussing what powers the new force will We trust that the inter-agency task force will examine have and what its chain of command will be. The result these concerns and address them. Israel needs to keep could be a dilution of Ben-Gvir’s intended infl uence, or politics out of its police force. ■ Netanyahu: State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain; Ben-Gvir: Photo by David Danberg A Gift to Ben-Gvir? opinion In Israel, the People Speak, But They Are Not Always Heard Liora Moriel T he last election in Israel resulted in the fi rst solid government in fi ve years. Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, right-wing but traditionally secular, aligned itself with several ultra-Orthodox, ultra-nationalist and ultra-extreme parties. Some of the potential Knesset members were so extreme that the High Court did not allow them to be seated. In addition, the leader of the Shas party, Aryeh Deri, who had been convicted of a fi nancial crime for the second time (he had served time for the previous case), promised not to take on the role of a minister in a new administration in return for no jail time. However, as soon as the government was sworn in, Netanyahu gave Deri a double portfolio. This was the opening salvo in the formation of a government far diff erent from any in Israel’s past. Even when Menachem Begin came to power, in 1977, the government did not include people who had been jailed for insurrection by the Israeli police. In 2023, Israelis were shocked to discover that the minister of fi nance and the minister of internal safety would be religious settler rabble-rousers who advocate the death and deportation of Palestinians and even Israeli Arabs. Yes, the people have spoken. They voted for Netanyahu’s coalition. But let’s not forget that the Israeli election system is not one person, one vote. Instead, parties need to garner 3.5% of the total vote to be repre- sented in the Knesset. Many parties fail and their votes are wasted; others sign mutual agreements for the distri- bution of such votes. Thus, since the Meretz and Labor parties did not agree to unite or even to use one anoth- er’s votes, Meretz just failed to get in and Labor lost two seats. The people speak, but they are not always heard. This is the background to the surge of protests all over Israel for so many weeks. It is not because, as Jerome Marcus of the shadowy Kohelet group wrote last week (“What’s Really Happening in Israel”), some Israelis are trying to use tainted tactics to overcome the results of a legal election. No, the reason is that instead of working toward the goals on which he campaigned, Netanyahu gave the running of the government over to his minis- ter of justice, Yariv Levin, who tried to ramrod a series of laws that would cripple the judiciary and give the government dictatorial powers to enact and dismantle laws, as well as decide who the judges will be. Israelis have learned to be apathetic after three years of COVID and endless elections. They want to live where they can aff ord the rent, the food, the life. They want some calm, a sense of a future for their children. They go to the army and work their way up, making Israel a modern miracle of innovation. But they see that the ultra-Orthodox do not serve but get paid for Torah study, and that while they work hard to pay for child care the ultra-Orthodox have many children at state expense. Ordinary Israelis are fed up with such inequality. Netanyahu promised free infant care and low mortgages. He promised a better life for everyone. But as prime minister, he let the extremists run the show: The tax on sugary drinks was eliminated, single-use plates and cutlery returned to stores, and everything else either became more expensive or stayed the same. Yeshivah student salaries increased. There is no left in Israel. There is the extreme right — Netanyahu’s current government — and a few center- right parties, along with the Arab parties that feel increasingly marginalized. The Kohelet group has fi xated on the idea that “the left” is trying to undo the people’s will. The truth is that Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption while acting as prime minister of the state, has abdicated his role to the hard right. The nascent April 6 Poll Results: What’s your favorite Passover dessert? Next Week’s Poll: What’s the fi rst thing you’re going to eat when Passover ends? To vote, visit: jewishexponent.com Pavlova Fruit slices intifada is one result. The steady protest of Israel’s citizens is another. It is not hatred of Netanyahu and his allies that brings hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens to the streets of almost every city and town in Israel every Saturday night after Shabbat; it is a love of country. Many of my family and friends, usually apolitical, go out every week to protest what they see as an assault on democratic values and long-shared understandings of what Israeli democracy means. They are fed up with the inequality of sacrifi ce for the nation. They are fed up with being called unpatriotic. And they are particularly fed up with being called left-wing terrorists. What may be the worst ingredient Netanyahu has infused into Israeli society over the past few months is the cultivated division of the people in Israel into us and them, good and evil. Netanyahu, with a straight face, calls those who volunteer for military service a month every year and pay high taxes “unpatriotic” while embracing the poorest echelons, who cling to him as the one who will lead them into prosperity, as “patriotic.” If Israel is to remain a light unto the nations, it must not become a non-democracy like Hungary, where people vote, but their choices are limited to those in power. ■ Liora Moriel, a former member of the editorial board of The Jerusalem Post, was a lecturer at the University of Maryland. SEND US LETTERS Letters should be related to articles that have run in the print or online editions of the JE, and may be edited for space and clarity prior to publi- cation. Please include your fi rst and last name, as well your town/neigh- borhood of residence. Send letters to letters@jewishexponent.com. 5% 16% 41% Kosher-for- Passover cake 19% Matzah bark 19% Macaroons JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 11 opinion ‘Two Israels’: What’s Really Behind the Judicial Reform Protests Andrew Silow-Carroll W hen Benjamin Netanyahu put his controversial calls for judicial reform on pause two weeks ago, many thought the protesters in Israel and abroad might declare victory and take a break. And yet on April 1, some 200,000 people demonstrated in Tel Aviv, and pro-democracy protests continued among Diaspora Jews and Israeli expats. On its face, the weeks of protest have been about proposed legislation that critics said would sap power from the Israeli Supreme Court and give legislators — in this case, led by Netanyahu’s recently elected far-right coalition — unchecked and unprecedented power. Protesters said that, in the absence of an Israeli constitution establishing basic rights and norms, they were fighting for democracy. The government too says the changes are about democracy, claiming that unelected judges too often overrule elected lawmakers and the will of Israel’s diverse electorate. But the political dynamics in Israel are complex, and the proposals and the backlash are also about deeper cracks in Israeli society. Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, recently said in a podcast that the crisis in Israel represents “six linked but separate stories unfolding at the same time.” Beyond the judicial reform itself, these stories include the Palestinians and the occupation, a resurgent patriotism among the center and the left, chaos within Netanyahu’s camp, a Diaspora emboldened to weigh in on the future of Zionism and the rejection on the part of the public of a reform that failed the “reasonableness test.” I recently asked observers, here and in Israel, what they feel is really mobilizing the electorate, and what kind of Israel will emerge as a result of the showdown. The respondents included organizers of the protests, supporters of their aims and those skeptical of the protesters’ motivations. Conservatives insist that Israeli “elites” — the highly educated, the tech sector, the military leadership, for starters — don’t respect the will of the majority who brought Netanyahu and his coalition partners to power. Here are the emerging themes: Defending democracy Whatever their long-term concerns about Israel’s future, the protests are being held under the banner of “democracy.” For Alon-Lee Green, one of the organizers of the 12 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT protests, the issues are equality and fairness. “People in Israel,” said Green, national co-director of Standing Together, a grassroots movement in Israel, “hundreds of thousands of them, are going out to the streets for months now not only because of the judicial reform but also — and mainly — because of the fundamental question of what is the society we want to live in." Shany Granot-Lubaton, who has organized pro-democracy rallies among Israelis living in New York City, says Netanyahu, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and the coalition’s haredi Orthodox parties “are waging a war against democracy and the freedoms of citizens.” “They seek to exert control over the Knesset and the judicial system, appoint judges in their favor and legalize corruption,” she said. “If this legal coup is allowed to proceed, minorities will be in serious danger, and democracy itself will be threatened.” A struggle between two Israels Other commentators said the protests revealed fractures within Israeli society that long predated the conflict over judicial reform. “The split is between those that believe Israel should be a more religious country, with less democracy, and see democracy as only a system of elections and not a set of values, and those who want Israel to remain a Jewish and democratic state,” Tzipi Livni, who served in the cab- inets of right-wing prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert before tacking to the center in recent years, recently told Haaretz. Author and translator David Hazony called this “a struggle between two Israels” — one that sees Israel’s founding vision as a European-style, rights- based democracy, and the other that sees that vision as the return of the Jews to their ancient homeland. “Those on the first side believe that the judiciary has always been Israel’s protector of rights and therefore of democracy, against the rapaciousness and lawlessness of politicians in general and especially those on the right. Therefore an assault on its supremacy is an assault on democracy itself. They accuse the other side of being barbaric, anti-democratic and violent,” Hazony said. As for the other side, he said, they see an activist judiciary as an attempt by Ashkenazi elites to force their minority view on the majority. Supporters of the government think it is entirely unreasonable “for judges to think they can choose their successors, strike down constitutional legislation and rule according to ‘that which is reasonable in the eyes of the enlightened community in Israel,’” said Hazony, quoting Aharon Barak, the former president of the Supreme Court of Israel and bane of Israel’s right. The crises behind the crisis Although the protests were ignited by Netanyahu’s calls for judicial reform, they also represented push- back against the most right-wing government in Israeli history — which means at some level the protests were also about the Israeli-Palestinian con- flict and the role of religion in Israeli society. “The unspoken motivation driving the architects and sup- porters of the [judicial] ‘reform,’ as well as the protest leaders, is umbilically connected to the occupation,” writes Carolina Landsmann, a Haaretz columnist. If Netanyahu has his way, she writes, “​​There will be no more two-state solution, and there will be no territo- rial compromises.” Nimrod Novik, the Israel Fellow at the Israel Policy Forum, said that “once awakened, the simmering resentment of those liberal Israelis about other issues was brought to the surface.” The Palestinian issue, for example, is at an “explosive moment,” said Novik: The Palestinian Authority is weakened and ineffective, Palestinian youth lack hope for a better future, and Israeli settlers feel emboldened by supporters in the ruling coalition. Religion and state Novik spoke about another barely subterranean theme of the protests: the growing power of the haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, parties. Secular Israelis especially resent that the haredim disproportionately seek exemption from military service and that non-haredi Israelis contribute some 90% of all taxes collected. One fear of those opposing the judicial reform legislation is that the religious parties will “forever secure state funding to the haredi Orthodox school system while exempting it from teaching the subjects required for ever joining the workforce.” What’s next Predictions for the future range from warnings of a civil war to an eventual compromise on Netanyahu’s part to the emergence of a new center electorate that will reject extremists on both ends of the politi- cal spectrum. ■ Andrew Silow-Carroll is the editor at large of the New York Jewish Week and the managing editor for ideas for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. opinion Judaism Doesn’t Want You to Wander and Live Just Anywhere — or Does it? Ben Harris JTA illustration I was a remote worker long before the pandemic made it a thing, but it was only this year that I really took advantage of it. Early on the morning of New Year’s Day, I boarded a plane from Connecticut bound for Mexico, where I spent a full month sleeping in thatch- roofed palapas, eating more tacos than was probably wise and bathing every day in the Pacifi c. I’ll spare you the glorious details, but suffi ce it to say, it wasn’t a bad way to spend a January. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I found myself again and again coming into contact with expats who had traded in their urban lives in northern climes for a more laid-back life in the tropics. There was the recently divorced motorcycle enthusiast slowly wending his way southward by bike as he continued to work a design job for a major American bank. There was the yoga instructor born not far from where I live in Massachusetts who owned an open-air rooftop studio just steps from the waves. There were the countless couples who had chosen to spend their days running beachfront bars or small hotels on the sand. And then there were the seemingly endless number and variety of middle-aged northerners rebooting their lives in perpetual sunshine. Such people have long mystifi ed me. It’s not hard to understand the lure of beachside living, and part of me envies the freedom to design your own life from the ground up. But there’s also something scary about it. Arriving in middle age in a country where you know nobody, whose language is not your own, whose laws and cultural mores, seasons and fl ora, are all unfamiliar — it feels like the essence of shallow-rootedness, like a life devoid of all the things that give one (or at least me) a sense of comfort and security and place. The thought of exercising the right to live literally anywhere and any way I choose opens up a space so vast and limitless it provokes an almost vertiginous fear of disconnection and a life adrift. Clearly, this feeling isn’t universally shared. And the fact that I have it probably owes a lot to my upbringing. I grew up in an Orthodox family, which by necessity meant life was lived in a fairly small bubble. Our house was within walking distance of our synagogue, as it had to be since walking was the only way to get there on Shabbat and holidays. I attended a small Jewish day school, where virtually all of my friends came from families with similar religious commitments. Keeping kosher and the other constraints of a religious life had a similarly narrowing eff ect on the horizons of my world and thus my sense of life’s possibilities. Or at least that’s how it often felt. “I spent a full month sleeping in thatch-roofed palapas, eating more tacos than was probably wise and bathing every day in the Pacifi c.” What must it be like — pardon the non-kosher expression — to feel as if the world is your oyster? That you could live anywhere, love anyone, eat anything and make your life whatever you want it to be? Thrilling, yes — but also frightening. The sense of boundless possibility I could feel emanating from those sun-baked Mexicans-by-choice was seductive, but tempered by aversion to a life so unmoored. The tension between freedom and obligation is baked into Jewish life. The twin poles of our national narrative are the Exodus from Egypt and the revelation at Sinai, each commemorated by festivals separated by exactly seven weeks in the calendar, starting with Passover. The conventional understanding is that this juxtaposition isn’t accidental. God didn’t liberate the Israelites from slavery so they could live free of encumbrances on the Mayan Riviera. Freedom had a purpose, expressed in the giving of the Torah at Sinai, with all its attendant rules and restrictions and obligations. Freedom is a central value of Jewish life — Jews are commanded to remember the Exodus every day. But Jewish freedom doesn’t mean the right to live however you want. Except it might mean the right to live any place you want. In the 25th chapter of Leviticus, God gives the Israelites the commandment of the Jubilee year, known as yovel in Hebrew. Observed every 50 years in biblical times, the Jubilee has many similarities to the shmita (sabbatical) year, but with some additional rituals. The text instructs: “And you shall hallow the 50th year. You shall proclaim liberty throughout the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: Each of you shall return to your holding and each of you shall return to your family.” Among the requirements of the Jubilee was that ancestral lands be returned to their original owners. Yet the word for liberty is a curious one: “d’ror.” The Talmud explains its etymology this way: “It is like a man who dwells [medayer] in any dwelling and moves merchandise around the entire country” (Rosh Hashanah 9b). The liberty of the Jubilee year could thus be said to have two contrary meanings — individuals had the right to return to their ancestral lands, but they were also free not to. They could live in any dwelling they chose. The sense of liberty connoted by the biblical text is a specifi cally residential one: the freedom to live where one chooses. Which pretty well describes the world we live in today. Jewish ancestral lands are freely available to any Jew who wants to live there. And roughly half the Jews of the world choose not to. Clearly, I’m among them. And while I technically could live anywhere, I’m pretty sure I don’t want to. I like where I live — not because of any particular qualities of this place, though I do love its seasons and its smells and its proximity to the people I care about and the few weeks every fall when the trees become a riotous kaleidoscope. But mostly because it’s mine. ■ Ben Harris is the managing editor of My Jewish Learning, where a version of this essay fi rst appeared. JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 13 opinion Israeli Sovereignty and American Intervention Elliott Abrams T he streets are seething. Police have clashed with demonstrators, and there have been not only arrests but some violence. Hundreds of thousands and likely millions have protested proposed government actions. Unions have called for nationwide strikes. Government reactions have elicited even more fierce opposition. Israel? No, France. Most recently, protests have intensified when the government completely bypassed the parliament to push through by decree a broadly unpopular provi- sion raising the retirement age. In response, President Biden has said exactly nothing, and other figures in his administration have been equally quiet. “We remain deeply concerned by recent develop- ments, which further underscore the need in our view for compromise,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on March 27. Why was he talking about Jerusalem and not Paris? What explains the Biden administration’s interven- tion in Israeli politics, where officials including the U.S. ambassador to France, the secretary of state and the vice president have all jumped in? It cannot be the facts of the situation. In Israel, the government has done nothing yet about judicial reform, while in France President Macron simply blasted through the protests. There are four explanations, all political and all worrying. First, this dispute in Israel is in significant ways a contest between conservative, more religious parts of the society and leftist, more secular ones. That is obviously a generalization, but it isn’t an accident that the chairman of the Knesset law and judiciary committee pushing the reforms is from the Religious Zionist Party. And neither is it an accident nor a surprise that a Democratic Party administration in the United States should be backing the secular left over the religious right. Nor is it an accident or a surprise that the main media supporters of the Biden administration, such as CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times share those views and push the administration to voice them. One aspect of the judicial reform struggle in Israel is a kulturkampf between “advanced” sectors of society and those they see as backward. In American terms, Hillary Clinton in 2016 insulted the “deplorables,” and Barack Obama talked in 2008 of people who “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them.” Rightly or wrongly, Americans on the left see the Israeli debate in similar terms. Second and similarly, it should not be surprising that 14 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT a Democratic Party administration will criticize what it views as right-wing governments and leaders in other countries. There has been plenty of official criticism of the Polish and Hungarian governments, and criticism from the liberal media of Prime Minister Modi in India. Meloni’s victory in Italy was received on the American left as a dangerous move back to fascism. We’ve seen this movie before when it comes to Democrats and Israel. Jimmy Carter despised Menachem Begin. In 1996 and 1999, the Clinton administration intervened in Israeli elections to support Shimon Peres against Benjamin Netanyahu. Asked in a 2018 interview whether it would be fair to say that he tried to help Peres win the election, Clinton replied: “That would be fair to say. I tried to do it in a way that didn’t overtly involve me.” In 2015, Foreign Policy magazine carried a story with the headline “Obama is Pursuing Regime Change in Israel.” That time, it was an effort to back Labor Party leader (and now president) Isaac Herzog against Netanyahu, and the article concluded that “Both Obama and Kerry would love to see Netanyahu out and Labor’s duo of Herzog and Tzipi Livni in. And they’re doing everything they reasonably can — short of running campaign ads — to bring that about.” And that time, just like now, Netanyahu was denied a White House meeting while top officials met with Herzog. As The New York Times said on March 29 of Biden and Netanyahu, “There is no love lost between the two leaders ...” When asked whether Netanyahu would be invited to the White House, the president replied sharply: “No. Not in the near term.” Third, the issue of the Supreme Court is especially neuralgic for Americans on the left. The U.S. Supreme Court has long been a liberal icon in the United States, idealized by Democrats for decades because it was controlled by an activist majority. Democrats applauded decisions on such matters as abortion and gay marriage that gave victories the Democrats could not win at the ballot box. More recently, Democrats have attacked the court because it now has a conser- vative majority. Democrats see that Israel’s Supreme Court is activist and hands down “progressive” rulings, so they believe it must be supported. Finally, it must be said that American intervention has been invited by many Israelis fighting against judicial reform. They’ve invited it through their rhetoric, saying that this American ally was on the verge of fascism. When Herzog proposed a compromise, Ehud Barak infamously tweeted the old photo of Hitler and Neville Chamberlain with Herzog’s face substituted for Chamberlain’s. Ehud Olmert and a thousand other commentators used the word “coup” while yet more spoke of a “blitzkrieg.” Opposition leader Yair Lapid spoke of a “journey towards destroying Israeli democ- racy.” All of them spoke in English to U.S. audiences, and in the demonstrations in Israel many signs were in English as well — all to appeal for the intervention of American Jews and the United States government. And those invitations fell on fertile American ground for all the reasons mentioned previously. Take the words of Rabbi Eric Yoffie, long-time leader of the Reform movement. Writing in Haaretz on March 2, he said, “I have never once lobbied against an Israeli government. But Netanyahu’s judicial coup, his offen- sive against democracy, must be stopped. That means U.S. Jews must do the unthinkable, and urge a strong American hand with Israel.” This is a dangerous precedent. When Clinton inter- vened (twice) in Israeli elections he tried to hide his actions; he knew they were indefensible if exposed. Now there’s a new model that justifies and indeed idealizes foreign interference — demanding that the United States intervene in domestic matters in Israel in a way that never happens to any other democracy. Those on the left should realize first that two can play the same game. It isn’t hard to imagine a conser- vative Republican president in the United States and a left-of-center prime minister in Israel serving at the same time. Will conservative Americans hence- forth demand intervention in Knesset votes, or in Israeli elections, because some proposed policies are strongly opposed on the right? Judicial reform is about the most “domestic” or “inter- nal” issue one can imagine. If outside interference is legitimate on that issue, are there any issues where foreign intervention, whether by diaspora communi- ties or foreign governments, should be considered illegitimate? The struggle over judicial reform has many aspects. The decision of those who oppose reform to invite, indeed to plead for, American intervention in this complex and fateful internal contest damages Israeli sovereignty and self-government. One can only hope that when the dust has settled, Israelis will — whatever their views on the Supreme Court — come to agree that the appeal to foreign intervention over the Jewish state’s internal political structures was a damaging mistake and a dangerous precedent. ■ Elliott Abrams is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and chairman of the Tikvah Fund. This was originally published by The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune. nation / world Last Surviving Prosecutor of Nazis at Nuremberg Dies at 103 Benjamin Ferencz, the last surviving member of the prosecuting team at the Nuremberg trials that convicted Nazi ringleaders for crimes against human- ity, died on April 7 in Florida, JTA.org reported. He was 103. Ferencz was 27 and a gradu- ate of Harvard Law School when he was named as the chief prosecutor at the Einsatzgruppen Trial, in which 20 members of the SS mobile death Prosecutor Benjamin Ferencz at the squads were convicted of war crimes Einsatzgruppen Trial in Nuremberg, and crimes against humanity. Two which lasted from September 1947 others were convicted of membership until April 1948 in a criminal organization. Slight and boyish looking, he is seen in newsreel footage of the trials speak- ing deliberately and passionately in an accent shaped by his upbringing in Manhattan. “Vengeance is not our goal, nor do we seek merely a just retribution,” he tells the tribunal. “We ask this court to affi rm by international penal action, man’s right to live in peace and dignity, regardless of his race or creed. The case we present is a plea of humanity to law.” Ferencz went on to play a key role on the team that negotiated the watershed 1952 reparations agreements under which West Germany agreed to pay $822 million to the state of Israel and to groups representing Holocaust survivors. Ferencz was featured in two recent documentaries about the Holocaust and its aftermath: Ken Burns’ PBS series, “The U.S. and the Holocaust,” and “Reckonings: The First Reparations,” a 2022 fi lm funded by the German government. SING HALLELUJAH TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL CELEBRATE THE 75 CANTOR DAVID F. TILMAN, MUSIC DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR Featuring singer, songwriter, and humanitarian, Noa, plus 175 singers from the Delaware Valley GROUPS OF 10+ SAVE 15% April 26 in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia KimmelCulturalCampus.org Finland to Become First Foreign Buyer of Israel’s David’s Sling Aerial Defense System Finland is set to become the fi rst foreign buyer of Israel’s David’s Sling air defense system, the country’s defense minister announced on April 5, JNS.org reported. The deal is worth some $347 million, and includes further options worth $237 million, according to a statement from the Finnish Defense Ministry. The announcement came one day after the Nordic nation became the 31st member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. David’s Sling, developed by Rafael Advanced Defensive Systems together with U.S. defense giant Raytheon, is designed to intercept ballistic missiles, UAVs, enemy planes and other aerial threats. Wikipedia via JTA.org Cyberattack Crashes Websites of Several Israeli Universities A coordinated cyberattack took down the websites of major Israeli universities on April 4, JNS.org reported. A hacker group calling itself “Anonymous Sudan” claimed responsibility for the attack on its Telegram account, stating that the “Israel education sector has been dropped because of what they did in Palestine.” Institutions impacted by the attack include Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheva, the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, the Open University of Israel and Reichman University in Herzliya. “These are service-disrupting attacks — those that only bring down websites and do not steal information — and can be recovered from relatively easily. However, it can be assumed that these groups are trying to produce more signif- icant attacks, including ransom attacks and data theft,” Check Point, an Israeli cybersecurity fi rm, said in a statement. ■ — Compiled by Andy Gotlieb JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 15 20th Annual Gala Honoring Michael Alan Stein ’69 and Max and Bella Stein Charitable Trust Wednesday, March 29, 2023 What an incredible evening! We thank our sponsors, donors and the Barrack community for sharing the 20th Annual gala evening with us. 16 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT thank you to our sponsors PRESENTING SPONSORS Leonard Abramson Lynne & Leonard Barrack ’60 Charlestein Family Foundation Rachel & Charles Korman ’75 The Lasdon Family Martin Dealership Group Robin & Fred Robbins Robert Saligman Charitable Foundation Ronit & Howard Treatman The Tulin & Lane Families PLATINUM SPONSORS Cindy Smukler & Jeffrey Barrack Lee Ann & Scott Erlbaum Jake Kriger The Landow Family Michele & Robert Levin Joyce & Jeff Retig Michael, Kira & Juliet Stein GOLD SPONSORS Barbara & Richard Baum Ilene & Steven Berger Goldman & Dengel Families The Goldstein Family Martha & Richard Pastcan ’64 Sitchin Foundation SILVER SPONSORS Judith & Oren Friedman ’89 Allison & Stu Goodman Noa & Josh Hedaya Mindy & Jay Horrow Ariele Zandman Klausner ’76 & Steven Klausner ’76 Leah Lande ’89 & Marc Singer Irina & Alex Stroker Jenifer & Michael Thomas BRONZE SPONSORS Caren Barnet & Steve Abramson Hallee & David Adelman Sylvia Binder Blume ’61 Jordana & Benjamin Cooperberg Abbie Friedman '75 Elisabeth & Jason Hess Naomi Prusky ’76 & Rabbi David Levin Shari & Stuart Rudoler Carolyn Saligman Sherrie R. 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JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 17 feature A Group of Israeli Emissaries Toured a Palestinian Museum in DC, and Came Away With Questions 18 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT F or Rotem Yerushalmi, a professional campus pro-Israel advocate, what stood out during a recent visit to the Museum of the Palestinian People was an exhibit showcasing diff erent villages’ ceremonial dress. She strolled past references to the Nakba, which means “catastrophe” and denotes the dispersion of Palestinians during Israel’s War of Independence. And she gazed upon a photograph of an elderly man clutching the key to the dwelling his family left amid that year’s Arab-Israeli war. None of those surprised her. “The references to the key, the Nakba, were very familiar,” Yerushalmi said. “But the garb! I didn’t know they had diff erent dresses for diff erent areas.” Yerushalmi was part of a delegation of about 20 Israeli emissaries stationed at U.S. universities that visited the museum late last month. It was the fi rst-ever tour the museum had organized for a group of Israelis. Like most Jews in Israel, many of them had relatively few interactions with Arabs inside the country and learned little about Palestinian culture and history in school. But here at the Washington museum, located just a mile from Yerushalmi’s post at Georgetown University, they got a view into a society that is both largely off -limits to them and entwined with their country’s future. “It’s important because it humanizes each other, I think, for Israelis to hear the Palestinian perspective,” said Bshara Nassar, a Palestinian from Bethlehem who founded the one-room museum in 2019. “Actually having a wall that separates Palestinians from Israelis — there is no way, there is no place to interact.” The tour was the brainchild of Jonathan Kessler, the former longtime head of student aff airs at the American Israel Public Aff airs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby. He now helms Heart of a Nation, which organizes people-to-people encounters between young Israelis, Palestinians and Americans — and which marks a turn away from the pro-Israel advocacy he once championed. “For the fi rst time, maybe in my lifetime, you’ve got young people from all three societies who simultaneously recognize that their politics is stuck and they desperately want to push forward into a better place,” he said. He worries that unless they move beyond their “narrow communal silos,” young Jews in the United States “will further distance themselves from Israel, young Israelis will turn their back on the pursuit of peace with the Palestinians, and young Palestinians will give up on coexistence with Israel.” Recommending a tour of the museum, he said, was a way to make that happen. The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Campus Israel Fellows, which brought the emissaries to Washington, D.C., asked him to recommend museum tours for the group, and he suggested the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National Museum of African American History and this tiny, barely known institution. For at least some of the emissaries, the visit had Kessler’s intended eff ect. Mohammed El-Khatib, the group’s docent, described his experience as Zoonar / Getty Images Plus Ron Kampeas | JTA.org ramzihachicho / iStock / Getty Images Plus Mohammed El-Khatib, a docent at the Museum of the Palestinian People, leads a group of Jewish Agency emissaries through the museum in Washington, D.C., on March 22. “For the fi rst time, you’ve got young people from all three societies who simultaneously recognize that their politics is stuck and they desperately want to push forward into a better place.” Ron Kampeas via JTA.org The Museum of the Palestinian People in downtown Washington, D.C. a Lebanese-born Palestinian refugee and told of his family’s fl ight from their ancestral village during Israel’s War of Independence. “It opens our mind to hear his perspective, to hear him say that he’s Palestinian, but he’s never been to Palestine, he was born in Lebanon, but he identifi es as a Palestinian,” said Lielle Ziv, who works at Cleveland Hillel. “He told a story, and not like, right or wrong, it’s not a black-and-white situation. We can both be right.” The museum is nestled in a townhouse adjacent to a pet care outlet, a Middle East bookstore and a chocolatier. A similar and larger museum in the Palestinian West Bank city of Birzeit, called the Palestinian Museum, is in territory that is off -limits to Israelis. At the Washington museum, there was a lot of common ground: A Kurdish Israeli emissary said the keffi yeh in one exhibit reminded him of pictures of his male relatives, who wore similar headdresses before they left Iraq for Israel. El-Khatib was pleased to learn that the Arabic name for Hebron, Al Khalil, has the same meaning as the city’s Hebrew name — a “friend of God.” One of the Israelis recognized the British Mandate passport on display, which once belonged to a Palestinian woman. His grandmother had one that was identical, he said. When El-Khatib greeted the group, he said “Marhaba, Shalom,” respectively the more formal Arabic and Hebrew terms of welcome, and the group spontaneously answered with “Ahalan,” a less formal Arabic greeting that is commonplace among Israelis. That delighted El-Khatib. The group was similarly pleased when he showed J ONATHAN K ESSLER , H EART OF A N ATION off some Hebrew phrases in a pitch-perfect Israeli accent, which he said he learned from an Israeli ex. The group then pushed him to spill more details about his ex. “In campus encounters, we’re always kind of on duty,” said Nati Szczupak, the director of the Campus Israel Fellows program. “They’re on duty, right? They’re pro-Palestine. We’re pro-Israel. And it’s very rare that you can just talk and get to those moments of like, ‘Hey, I used to wear that hat, too, when I was little.’” She was referring to an exhibit on diff erent types of Palestinian headwear that included a fez, or traditional Moroccan hat, which elicited a squeal of delight from a Moroccan Jewish emissary who said she had a photo of herself as a toddler sporting one of her ancestors’ fezzes. “It’s not about facts,” Szczupak said. “We know the facts. What about the narrative? What is your story? We’re not arguing about the facts, but how we experienced them.” The museum’s exhibits include photographs of Palestinians in Israel, the West Bank and in exile, and are marked by contrasts: images of resistance — of a small boy throwing stones — and of the mundane — of young men playing soccer. Arrays of black-and- white photos from the late 19th and 20th centuries feature celebrations juxtaposed with resettlement in refugee camps. A case includes Palestinian glassware, pottery and headwear throughout the ages. There was a temporary exhibit of line drawings by a contemporary Palestinian artist, and a wall titled “Making their mark” of prominent Palestinians — including Rashida Tlaib, the Democratic congresswoman from Michigan; the late Edward Said, the literary critic and scholar; the sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid, who are models; and DJ Khaled, the rapper. The museum does not hold back from addressing the Israeli-Palestinian confl ict. The confl ict’s most vexing issue — each side’s fear that the other side wants to replace it — was most evident in the museum’s maps: One depicted the scattering of the Palestinians throughout the Diaspora, and others showed how Israel expanded its territory from the land it was given in the 1947 United Nations partition plan. Outside the museum, while the Israelis were waiting for the tour to start, a pair of the Israel fellows examined a poster for an exhibit, “The Art of Weeping," by a Palestinian artist, Mary Hazboun. The line drawing of a Palestinian mother in a traditional dress, carrying her babies, evoked the map of the entirety of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank — and then some. “The proportions are interesting,” one said to the other, in Hebrew. “It includes not just Israel and the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, but the Golan Heights and a part of Jordan.” Ziv said the tour made her think that she “would like more connections” with Palestinians — and it was clear that it was easier to make those connections in Washington than it would be in Tel Aviv or Jenin. El-Khatib said he had never met an Israeli before he moved to the United States. When Palestinian visitors come to the museum, he said, they tend to get distracted. “I mean, to them, it’s more about the achievement of the space,” El-Khatib said. “But when this group came in, I really felt that they were very attentive and hanging on to every word that I said, which was wonderful.” ■ JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 19 food & dining Use Up Your Matzah I t happens every year: Passover ends and there’s a whole box of matzah sitting on the kitchen counter. Because of its historical and religious significance, I find it hard to simply toss matzah into the trash. But what can I do with it? Last year, I realized I could minimize the amount of matzah remaining after Passover by pinpointing how many boxes my family uses. Because we usually consume four boxes, this year I didn’t buy more than that. I knew most food stores are overloaded with matzah, so making a last-minute purchase was feasible. Once Passover ends, my family experi- ences matzah fatigue, so it’s hard to lure them back. Thus, I’ve become strategic. I wait until everyone has had their fill of leavened flour before slipping matzah into recipes. That takes at least a month. The best way to entice people to accept matzah as an ingredient is to cook something sumptuous and spectacular. Matzah Brei with Crumbled Feta | Dairy Yield: 2-4 servings Equipment: A large skillet, preferably nonstick 4 pieces of matzah broken into approx- imately one-inch square pieces 5 eggs 3 tablespoons olive oil, or more, if needed 1 large onion, diced ½ cup crumbled feta cheese Place the matzah in a large bowl. Sprinkle it with water. Toss the matzah, making sure each piece receives a little sprinkle. Reserve. Break the eggs into a medium-sized bowl, and mix them with a whisk. Reserve. Heat the oil in a large skillet on a medium-low flame. Add the diced onion and sauté them. When the onion is fragrant and turning golden, add the matzah, then the eggs. Rotate the skillet so the eggs and matzah cover the pan evenly. Fry until the bottom is firm. Add more oil at any time, if needed. Cut the matzah brei into four pie-shaped pieces. Turn over each piece, and fry them until the bottoms are firm and crisp. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top. Let it melt a little, then serve immediately. Chocolate Matzah Pudding | Dairy Yield: 9 pieces Equipment: 8-inch-by-8-inch baking pan Sweet butter for greasing the baking pan 4 pieces of matzah, broken into 6 pieces ½ cup milk, plus ½ cup 2 eggs ¾ cup sugar, plus 2 teaspoons ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cocoa ½ teaspoon cinnamon, plus ½ teaspoon ½ cup semisweet chocolate morsels Accompaniment: whipped cream or vanilla ice cream Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the baking pan with butter. Place the matzah in a medium-sized bowl, and soak the pieces in ½ cup of milk while preparing the next step. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add ½ cup milk, ¾ cup sugar, salt, cocoa and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Beat again. Drain the soaking matzah and add it to the bowl, stirring to coat it with a silicone or wooden spoon. Gently mix in the chocolate bits. Transfer this to the prepared baking pan, and arrange the ingredients evenly. In a small bowl, whisk 2 teaspoons of sugar and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle it over the top of the pudding. Bake it for 30 minutes or until the top is golden and the center is cooked through. Cool the matzah for 20 minutes before cutting it into squares, 3 across and 3 down. Serve it with dollops of whipped cream or ice cream. 20 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT Colorful Chocolate Dipped Matzah | Dairy Yield: 32 pieces Equipment: 2 cookie sheets and 2 pieces of parchment paper 1 bag of mini chocolate bits 1 container of sprinkles, in various colors and/or multicolored 1 container of silver ball sprinkles 4 pieces of matzah 12 ounces of high-quality, semisweet dark baking chocolate Line the cookie sheets with parch- ment paper. Pour the chocolate bits, sprinkles and silver balls into separate bowls. Break each piece of matzah into quarters. Break each quarter in half, so you’ll have 8 rectangles per piece of matzah. Reserve. Break the baking chocolate into half-inch pieces. Pour a couple of inches of water into the bottom pot of a double boiler. Set the top pot over it, and place the chocolate inside. Cover the top pot with its lid. (If you don’t own a double boiler, you can rig one up with a medium- sized pot, a heatproof bowl that fits into the pot but doesn’t touch its bottom, and a lid that fits over the bowl.) Bring the water to a rolling boil. Stir occasionally until the chocolate melts. Remove it from the flame. Dip each matzah rectangle into the chocolate so that it covers about ⅔ or more of each rectangle. Lift the matzah above the pot and let the excess choco- late drip back into the pot. Sprinkle either chocolate bits, sprinkles or silver balls on both sides of each rectangle. You can mix and match these decora- tions to create variety. Move them to the parchment-lined cookie sheets. When the first sheet is full, refrigerate it. Continue until each piece of matzah is covered in chocolate and decorated. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and until you’re ready to serve it. ■ Linda Morel is a freelance food writer. tomertu / iStock / Getty Images Plus Linda Morel DIGITAL ON SALE SUNDAY, 4/16 THRU SATURDAY, 4/22 2 99 $ Sale Price: Best’s Beef Franks 1 $ 99 Sale Price: Entenmann’s Little Bites 3 $ 10 FOR 6.88 to 9.75-oz. box, Any Variety, Cookies or Muffins FINAL PRICE 8 3 $ FOR LIMIT 4 OFFERS 3 $ 50 Sale Price: Breyers Ice Cream 1 $ 00 Digital Coupon 48-oz. cont., Non-Dairy Carb Smart, Dairy Dessert or Any Variety With an additional purchase of $10.00 or more (excluding fuel and items prohibited by law). 6 Kellogg’s Cereal Medium Size 1 4 2 $ FOR When You Buy 2 LIMIT 4 OFFERS LIMIT 4 PER VARIETY Sale Price: Pure Life Purified Water 24-Pack OFF 3 FINAL PRICE 11 3 $ 405.6-oz. tot. wt. btls. (Plus Dep. or Fee Where Req.) 16.9-oz. 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For seven days, Israel participated in the building of the desert sanctuary, the Mishkan, and witnessed its dedica- tion and the installation of the Kohanim to serve in that hallowed structure. Now, on the eighth day, at the pinna- cle of their joy and celebration, as the Torah describes it, “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his fi re pan, put coals and then incense on it, which they off ered before the Lord; alien fi re [“esh zara”], which He had not required of them. And fi re came forth from the Lord and incinerated them.” (Lev. 10:1-2) Their deaths have perplexed Jewish commentary for several thousand years with the “why” question. And for several thousand years we have off ered a wide range of opinions. The most frequent explanations try to justify the divine fi re that incinerated both brothers with a close reading of the text for hints of their off ense. After all, could a just God incinerate innocent boys just admitted to their holy vocation? Our Sages of the Talmud struggled to identify their sin, their violation of the Mishkan’s sanctity, its holiness, its kedushah. In Midrash (Sifra, Shemini) Akiva proposed that they took coals from an unsanctifi ed source, while Our family is here for you when you need us most, for funeral and pre-planning needs. PHILADELPHIA CHAPEL Carl Goldstein Supervisor 6410 N. Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19126 SUBURBAN NORTH CHAPEL Bruce Goldstein Supervisor 310 2nd Street Pike Southampton, PA 18966 ROTH-GOLDSTEINS' MEMORIAL CHAPEL Stephen Collins NJ Mgr. Lic No. 3355 116 Pacific Ave Atlantic City, NJ 08401 215-927-5800 For Deaf or Hard of Hearing: 267-331-4243 GoldsteinsFuneral.com Caring. Committed. Compassionate. 22 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT Yishmael held them responsible for bringing the incense of their own volition. In another source, Yishmael suggested that they entered the Mishkan drunk (Sifrei, Acharei Mot). Others focused on their sin of ignor- ing the authority of their elders, not asking of each other whether this was a wise choice to enter the Mishkan. They are described by other teachers as being impatient and unable to wait for their turn for leadership. And so it goes for centuries — rarely agreement but always looking for “why” these young men were killed by sacred fi re. But the question is reinforced by our Haftarah (2 Sam. 6) retelling of another strange death apparently at the hand of God. Uzzah was escorting the Ark of God to Jerusalem when the oxen stumbled. He reached out with his hand to steady the Ark. As the TaNaKh describes, “The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irrev- erent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.” ( 2 Sam. 6:7) Again, “Why?” Where was Uzzah’s failure? He reacted as we might expect for someone sensing danger to the Ark. In both cases, of Nadav and Avihu and also Uzza, they violated clear and repeated protocols. Everyone, from the least important Jew to the highest rank of Jewish stewardship, came too close to the central shrine and contacted God’s holiness/kedushah. However, are violations of those Torah instructions so grave that death is the appropriate punishment? Firstly, the rule is that there are rules. We are reminded graphically that not even the Kohen Gadol and his family are exempt from punishment. As the Torah teaches, “One law for everyone in the community.” (Num. 15:16) This means for all of Israel that no one is above the law. A modern suggestion compared both occasions to the regulations of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which proscribes detailed guidelines and redundant rules for transporting radio- active materials through our states and cities. The NRC is much more OCD when we compare it to apparent popular nonchalance about laws, rules or sharing misinformation about, e.g., pandemics or politics. I, for one, am grateful for the more pedantic handling codes for pluto- nium in our neighborhoods than the Torah laid out for Israel concerning the Ark and the Mishkan. In fact, don’t we concern ourselves about our leaders today? Don’t we worry about their too-frequent burnout? Each generation understands the inher- ent danger to the soul of our leaders and subsequently to the community in their own time and history. A second general principle derived from these two Biblical tragedies is the importance of balancing creativity and tradition in all things — and especially in religion. We know of the danger of religious fanaticism and the pitfalls of religious stagnation. Similarly, we can suff er if there is either willful blind obedi- ence or even stagnation of our faith. There is as much potential for self-im- posed harm in an impetuous revision of Judaism as well as it would be a failure to apply our evolving religious values in a rapidly changing world and technologies. Judaism is a faith of tradition and change — a balance of the Maimonidean “golden mean.” ■ Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner is retired and provides kosher supervision for Traditional Kosher Supervision in the Greater Philadelphia area, while teaching hands-on craft skills to make and use properly holiday ritual objects. The Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia is proud to provide diverse perspectives on Torah commentary for the Jewish Exponent. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily refl ect the view of the Board of Rabbis. obituaries BASSER Beloved father, father-in-law, grand- father, great grandfather, and friend, Philip Boris Basser passed away peacefully on March 17th after 105 years of remarkable life. He will be for- ever missed, but his lessons of how to live life with dignity, morality, generos- ity, compassion, strength and love will never fade. Philip was born on March 6, 1918 in Philadelphia to Fanny and Harry Basser. After his mother died of tuberculosis when he was only 6, he was placed in the Foster Home for Hebrew Orphans in the Germantown section of the city. He would cherish his time there and the deep and lifelong friendships he formed, while seeing his father on weekends and returning with chocolate bars which would be a staple of his diet ever after. His sister Rose passed from complications of ap- pendicitis when she was only 8 so his early life continued to be marked by loss, but his inner fortitude and innate positivity never wavered. Phil was a true patriot. He served in the Army Corp of Engineers in World War II and then signed up for the Reserves upon his re- turn. When the Korean War started he was summoned again for active duty and proudly served again. During his service, Phil acquired a small monkey called Skeeter. Sadly, Skeeter passed away in Japan but Phil was not deterred from acquiring Skeeter II who made the trip back to the US. Skeeter II proved to be a wonderful companion but also a true Curious George and wreaked hav- oc in his new environment. Ultimately, Phil had to donate Skeeter II to the zoo. While serving in the Army Corp of Engineers during World War II and then the Korean War, Phil’s deep religious faith allowed him to go forward with resilience and strength. These charac- teristics would define him throughout his life and he never wavered even as he lost his beloved daughter Faith (for whom the Basser Center for BRCA at the University of Pennsylvania was founded) and then his beloved Pearl, his wife of over 65 years. In between the wars and after, Philip founded an eponymous industrial advertising agen- cy, Philip B Basser Advertising and worked with passion and creativity until his late 90’s. Phil was responsible for many iconic local tv and print ads, in- cluding the infamous “Don’t Panic, Call Atlantic” ad for Atlantic Transmissions. Outside spending time with his fam- ily and friends, Phil’s true love was watching his beloved Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia Eagles. Phil started out rooting for the Philadelphia Athletics since his fandom pre-dated the existence of the Phillies but once the Athletics left town, Phil became a loyal and devoted Phillies fan holding season tickets for over 30 years. In 2018, during the run up to the Eagles victory in Super Bowl 52, Philip gained international notoriety and was a social media sensation when his passionate fandom for the Eagles gained him the moniker “Philly Phil.” He was featured throughout the playoff run and during the Super Bowl and, at age 99, at- tended every playoff game and then braved the Minnesota frost and snow to attend the Super Bowl in person to root his team across the finish line for the first time in the franchise’s history. Phil’s inner strength, warm person- ality and positive spirit endeared him to everyone he met. But more than anything, he loved his family and they adored him. He lit up at the sight of his children and grandchildren and at- tended every performance, every youth sports game and every holiday celebra- tion. He never tired of telling stories of his youth and his years in the service. His memory was astonishing and he could remember the smallest details of events that happened throughout his life. When asked what the secret to his longevity was, he typically attributed it to his routine of morning oatmeal, a healthy dose of chocolate, regular ex- ercise, a good night’s sleep and man- aging stress. Philip is survived by his son Steve Basser and wife Crissy, son- in-law Gus Calderone and fiancé Kate Berges, daughter Shari Potter and hus- band Len, daughter Mindy Gray and husband Jon, as well as grandchildren Ari Basser, Raquel Agee and husband Matt, Bianca Basser, Dustin Potter and wife Morgan, Cami Potter, Joshua Potter, Logan Calderone, and Margo, Emma, Stella and Tess Gray. He was also great grandfather to Chloe and Rosale Agee. activist through middle age—an early Sixties member of the Students for a Democratic Society and an organizer of the urban-suburban development project North Philadelphia Pipeline Connect. Beginning in 1959 she orga- nized the Social Action Committee at our Temple Beth Tikvah in Erdenheim PA, became PTA president in a com- munity that at the time considered Jews new and strange, and acted as the coordinator for the Whitemarsh Valley Fair Housing Project in a de- cidedly segregated and unfriendly area during the civil rights era. She loved Israel and its founding hopes. Her favorite authors were Yehoshua, Oz and Grossman. She asked to be buried with an Israeli flag, with soil she’d brought back from Eretz and with her mother’s passed-down siddur. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (https://give.bcrf.org/fund- raiser/4063195). May the shekhinah grant her a more complete level of peace in the world to come JOSEPH LEVINE & SONS www.levinefuneral.com GOREN CHERIE (nee Fleischman)-Passed away on April 2, 2023. Wife of the late Joseph Goren. Mother of Ellen Goren and husband Max Heffler and the late Neil Goren. Grandmother of Dr. Julie Goren Heffler and husband Patrick Larose, Leah Goren and Naomi Goren. Great grandmother to Essa Goren. Contributions in her memory may be made to Germantown Jewish Centre, www.germantownjewishcentre.org. GOLDSTEINS’ ROSENBERG’S RAPHAEL-SACKS www.goldsteinsfuneral.com NOSKOW CHARLOTTE (nee Schuster), March 31, 2023, of Phoenixville, PA, formerly of King of Prussia, PA. Beloved wife of the late Arnold Noskow; loving mother of Henry Noskow and Susan (Dennis) McManus; cherished grandmother of Lauren (Andrew) Meyers, Brandon (Nadia) McManus, Matthew Noskow and great grandmother of Alexandria, Caden, Luca, Benjamin and Oliver; devoted sister of Doris (the late Paul) Schor. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Charlotte’s memory may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice. JOSEPH LEVINE & SONS www.levinefuneral.com RADER FICHMAN BRANDOW SELMA “Sim” passed away in Lemoyne, PA (formerly of Philadelphia) on March 29 at the age of 97. She was the beloved wife of 77 years to Theodore ( ז”ל); loving mother of Jonathan Brandow (Susan Brodkin), Riannon Walsh, and Shanna Brandow; adoring grandmother of Emily Rachael Brandow, Sarah Danielle Carvajal (Alex), and great-granddaughter Evalina. Selma first met Ted, her fu- ture husband, in the fifth grade. They became sweethearts as teenagers and married after his return from war in 1945. She was the logical one to his crazy creativity; the ideologue to his humor; the determined organizer of extended family events to his life- of-the-party demeanor. Sim was a doctor of sociology and a pioneer in women’s studies, devoting herself to research on women in Israel, on the kibbutz and in political movements. She taught at four colleges and univer- sities for 29 years. She was a concert pianist who performed several times at Penn’s Irvine Auditorium to capac- ity audiences and continued to play at community events and synagogues for much of her life. She was a political HERBERT M. (86), of Boynton Beach, Florida, passed away on March 18, 2023. Herbert was born to Alice and Leon Fichman, on August 25, 1936, in Philadelphia, PA. He was an amazing Physician, providing the best General Practice care. Herbert attended Temple University and received his Doctorate of Osteopathic degree from the Des Moines University Medical School. After graduating medical school, Herbert set up his practice of over 50 years in Turnersville, NJ where he was loved by his patients due his ded- ication to provide the best around the clock care. He lived with his family for over 50 years in Cherry Hill, NJ while summering in Ventnor, NJ. Herbert is survived by his lovely wife Bobbie and three children, Stacey, Howard, and Jonathan. He was Married to his love Bobbie for 59 years and attended many shows and traveled the world to- gether while drinking his favorite wine, Pouilly-Fuisse. Herbert, fondly known as Grandpa, doted on his three grand- children, Lee, Chase and Cooper. He especially adored attending baseball games and going out to eat with his children and grandchildren. His grand- kids loved spending time with their Grandpa and will truly miss him. PLATT MEMORIAL CHAPELS www.plattmemorial.com DR. DANIEL A., March 31, 2023 - Husband of the late Maxine “Mackie” Rader (nee Kroungold). Companion of Marcia Pine. Father of Robyn (Jay) Freedman, Wayne (Michele) Rader, Samantha (Bill) Collins, Jonathan Iffland and Adam (Leah) Bolder. Brother of Pearl Meltzer. Grandfather of Jordyn and Jamie Freedman, Maisyn, Camryn and Justin Rader, Sara and Erik Bolder. Uncle of Liza (Eric) Sherman and Bill (Leigh) Meltzer. Great uncle of Samuel and Matthew Sherman and Benjamin and Lily Claire Meltzer. Contributions in his memory may be made to Shriners Hospitals For Children, Attn: Processing Center, PO Box 947765, Atlanta, GA 30394, www.shrinerschil- drens.org or to the Montgomery County SPCA, 19 E. Ridge Pike, PO Box 222, Conshohocken, PA 19428-0222, www. montgomerycountyspca.org. GOLDSTEINS’ ROSENBERG’S RAPHAEL-SACKS www.goldsteinsfuneral.com May Their Memory Be For a Blessing The Philadelphia Jewish Exponent extends condolences to the families of those who have passed. To receive our weekly obituary eletter visit www.jewishexponent.com/enewsletter jewishexponent.com 215-832-0700 ROSE ELLEN (nee Magill), age 91, died peacefully on April 1, 2023. She was predeceased by her husband of 62 years, Jerome Rose, her daughter, Nancy Rose Tannenbaum, and her son, Michael Lee Schorr. Ellen was a loving, kind, and hard-working moth- er, grandmother, and friend. With a great sense of humor and inquisitive mind, Ellen excelled at her profession as a children’s reading specialist of 35 years. She believed it is our duty to give back to the less fortunate and remained politically and socially en- gaged throughout her life. After the death of Nancy, a reading teacher, she created the Nancy Rose Library at the Andrew Hamilton School, and the Nancy Rose Book Award, provid- ing hundreds of books to students who otherwise would not have any. She had a passionate love of the arts and was a patron of the Philadelphia Orchestra for over 50 years. A lifelong learner, Ellen was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, took classes at the Barnes Foundation, and returned to Penn upon her retirement. Ellen was an amazing cook and gardener, and a voracious reader and collector of books. She was a longtime volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House and at the Nancy Rose library at the Hamilton School. Ellen was devoted to her family and her friendships and took in all life had to offer with true enjoyment. She is survived by her daughter, Melissa Rose Schorr and granddaughter Meredith. Contributions in Ellen’s memory can be made to: Congregation Beth Jacob 1550 Alameda de las Pulgas, Redwood City, California 94061 att: Refugee Welcome Circle. This is affiliated with H.I.A.S. Bethjacobrwc. org to make donation online. JOSEPH LEVINE & SONS www.levinefuneral.com SOLOMON LOIS C. (nee Liebman) - Passed away on April 2, 2023. Mother of Stewart (Susan) Solomon and Rebecca Solomon. Sister of Barney Liebman and the late Edward Liebman. Grandmother of Ezra Solomon. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of “Lois C. Solomon Memorial Bench” to Tyler Arboretum, 515 Painter Road, Media, PA 19063 or visit TylerArboretum.org, then select Give, then Memorials and Tributes. GOLDSTEINS’ ROSENBERG’S RAPHAEL-SACKS www.goldsteinsfuneral.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 23 synagogue spotlight Jarrad Saff ren | Staff Writer T hree years ago, Congregation Ohev Shalom in Wallingford, Delaware County, celebrated its 100th anniversary. But its second century got off to a weird start. The pandemic hit, forcing members to leave the building and gather on Zoom. Throughout COVID, Ohev Shalom’s membership of around 230 families held steady. At the same time, “We’ve experienced some attrition in terms of energy in the building,” Rabbi Kelilah Miller said. The rabbi, new to her role, is trying to bring that energy back. “I’m really excited about what we’re going to be able to do in the next 12 to 18 months,” she said. Miller graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote in 2013. Two years later, she took over as Ohev Shalom’s direc- tor of education, a role she served in until stepping up to spiritual leader in December. Miller replaced Jeremy Gerber, who left the congregation after 13 years and a suspension from the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly for sexual misconduct. The punish- ment stemmed from inappropriate Facebook messages Gerber sent to a congregant. The new rabbi, who worked closely with Gerber, wanted the challenge of moving the synagogue forward in the wake of his tenure. “I love the community. There is a strong sense of congregants being connected to one another. And there’s a lot of history,” she explained. “There are not many congregations left that are the older kind of congregation where it started out as a neighborhood synagogue.” Since December, Miller has restarted a monthly Shabbat program that includes a Tot Shabbat, a potluck dinner, a service and ice cream. She also teaches 24 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT The sanctuary inside Congregation Ohev Shalom A school ceremony at Congregation Ohev Shalom a “classic rabbinic midrash class” once a month after Shabbat services. “What I’m fi nding is, there’s a lot of curiosity, and once people have access to the ideas, they’re really eager to run with them,” she said. The rabbi also is trying to fi nd congre- gants who want to lead programming for holidays. One person can be the Purim guy. Another can be the Tu B’Shevat girl. The leaders would plan the events for those holidays and fi eld questions about them. Miller believes that “community organizing can go a long way toward generating energy” and “good ideas.” “One of the things I’m committed to is giving the design of what we do and the leadership of what we do to the community,” she said. Like many synagogues today, Ohev Shalom is an older congregation. But “a number of our more recent folks who have been joining have younger children,” Miller said. The rabbi believes that they are drawn to the synagogue’s religious school, which has about 50 students, and its Tot Shabbat program. Ben Miller and Jessica Troy, a married couple living in Media, joined six years ago and had a daughter during the pandemic. Troy credited Rabbi Miller, in her role as educational director, for making “great strides on bringing kids into the synagogue and helping them feel at home.” Those strides have helped make Ohev Shalom the synagogue that Troy had always wanted to join: a place with kids running around and toys all over the room during Tot Shabbat. “It’s just adorable,” she said. “You have a sense that life is actually going on.” The parents feel that way about their own lives, too. Before they joined Ohev Shalom, they were a “newly-engaged couple looking for a synagogue,” Ben Miller said. They went to a Saturday morning service at the Wallingford shul on a snowy day in 2017. People they didn’t know approached them and invited them to a Purim masquerade that night. They went, and “everybody talked to us,” Troy said. “It felt like a place where we could start a community,” she added. And they have. The couple has had family members who have died, and fellow congregants have reached out. On one occasion, a distant relative passed away and enough people stopped what they were doing to make a minyan, Ben Miller recalled. He has joined several commit- tees and now sits on the synagogue’s board of directors. “Through those activities, I’ve found myself making close friends,” he said. David Hoff man, the synagogue’s president and a member since 2000, remains a congregant even though his son is out of the house. “I like the people. I have plenty of friends there. It’s a wonderful commu- nity,” he said. ■ jsaff ren@midatlanticmedia.com Sanctuary photo: Courtesy of Jack Zigon; Kids photo: Courtesy of Allan Baron Congregation Ohev Shalom in Wallingford Looks Ahead #PhillyLovesIsrael75 is coming to Greater Philadelphia! The Jewish Federation is hosting three celebrations to ring in Israel’s BIG 75. Connect with community while you show your blue and white pride. A Taste of Israel Festival* Community Mitzvah Day Shabbat Gatherings April 23 Various Locations & Times April 28-29 Various Locations & Times May 7 | 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Saligman Campus, Wynnewood Bring family and friends out for a day of good deeds and giving back in honor of Israel. Hands-on volunteer projects will be offered by organizations across Greater Philadelphia. There will be activities for all ages. Some opportunities have limited capacity, so sign up today! Advance registration closes on April 14. Join your family, friends and community to welcome Shabbat throughout Greater Philadelphia. We have opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds. You can attend a public Community Shabbat Experience, host your own Private Shabbat Gathering or join a Young Adult Shabbat Gathering. Experience a tasting area and cooking demonstrations by five-time James Beard Foundation Award-Winning Chef Michael Solomonov along with top local chefs. Enjoy an afternoon that is fun for all ages: food, activities, crafts, culture and performances by the renowned male a cappella group Six13. Advance registration closes May 3, but register today to get the early bird price! Learn more and sign up for one or all of the Israel 75 celebrations today: israel75.jewishphilly.org For questions, call 215.832.0547 Israel 75 Co-Chairs Margie Honickman Tamar Silberberg Shiffman Jewish Federation Board Co-Chairs Gail Norry David Adelman President and CEO Michael Balaban See full leadership listing at israel75.jewishphilly.org Thank you to our generous Israel 75 Sponsors (listing as of March 28) GOLD SPONSOR SILVER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSORS Margie & Jeffrey Honickman * All food prepared in the main demonstration tent will be under the supervision of Keystone-K and certified as Glatt kosher. Kashrut level of vendors outside the main tent will be clearly indicated. JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 25 calendar APRIL 15-19 SATU R DAY, A PR I L 15 HAVDALAH AND CONCERT Join Kesher Israel Congregation for Havdalah and a concert at 7:30 p.m. featuring Jacob Spike Kraus, a singer/ songwriter, educator and innovator. For more information, contact shalom@ kesher-israel.org or 610-696-7210. 1000 Pottstown Pike, West Chester. S UNDAY, A P R I L 16 DAVID AND ME David Harris and Alvin Gilens met in Israel in 1965 and bonded instantly over their mutual love for Israel and for photography. The photographs displayed in this Temple Judea Museum exhibition through June 30 attest to their friendship and their talent for capturing the land and its people. For more information, contact tjmuseum@ kenesethisrael.org or 215-887-8700. 8339 Old York Road, Elkins Park. VOICES OF MEMORY Join Or Hadash, Keneseth Israel and the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center for a Yom HaShoah program at 11 a.m., featuring Holocaust historian Dina Lichtman Smith, who was born in 1948 in Bergen Belsen’s displaced persons camp, the daughter of former Auschwitz prisoners. For more information, contact carolmueller@ gmail.com or 267-625-1187. 190 Camp Hill Road, Fort Washington. NAOMI MILLER CONCERT Naomi Miller began her career in the international cafes of Greenwich Village and intermingles her Broadway numbers with smatterings of other languages. Temple Beth Sholom and Hazak will host a concert and dessert reception, starting at 1 p.m. For more information, contact robiebloom@gmail.com or 856-912-7317. 1901 Kresson Road, Cherry Hill, New Jersey. DESSERT AND DIALOGUE Join KleinLife for a free event at 2 p.m. with humorist and psychiatrist Dr. Joel Schwartz for “Laughter is the Best Medicine." RSVP is required at 215-832-0671. 10100 Jamison Ave., Philadelphia. MONDAY, APRIL 1 7 ‘SURVIVORS’ PERFORMANCE As part of Gratz College’s Yom HaShoah memorial service, Theatre Ariel will perform “Survivors,” a play based on the testimonies of 10 Holocaust survivors from New York, beginning at 6:15 p.m. For more information, contact mblechman@ gratz.edu or 215-635-7300. 7605 Old York Road, Melrose Park. YOM HASHOAH CANDLE LIGHTING The Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation will host its fourth Virtual Yellow Candle Lighting Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. to commemorate Yom HaShoah. The 45-minute virtual program will explore artwork from survivors who have expressed their personal stories of resilience and loss. For more information, contact phrf@ antennagroup.com or 551-287-2989. Todd, Howard, and Zachary Katz, want to BUY your: diamonds, gold, watches, silver, coins, and estate jewelry. We have been buying in the Delaware Valley for over 44 years and we pay more because we know the value of your diamonds & jewelry. Meet us at our office (appointments preferred) or we will come to you: Katz Imports 723 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 215-238-0197 Howard’s cell: 215-850-6405 Diamondpaige2@hotmail.com 26 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT SUN DAY, APRIL 1 6 “ALLIANCE” WORLD PREMIERE Join filmmaker Susan Donnelly for the world premiere of “Alliance,” a documentary film presenting the history of the Alliance Colony in southern New Jersey, the first successful Jewish farming colony in America. Screening is at 12:30 p.m. at the Stockton University campus center. For more information, contact thomas.kinsella@stockton.edu or 609-652-4419. 101 Vera King Farris Drive, Galloway, New Jersey. T U E SDAY, APRIL 1 8 SISTERHOOD BOOK CLUB The Melrose B’Nai Israel Emanu-El Sisterhood will host its virtual book club at 2 p.m. We will discuss “An Observant Woman” by Naomi Regan. For more information and for the Zoom link, call the MBIEE office at 215-635-1505. YOM HASHOAH CONCERT Arcadia University will host a concert at 7 p.m. commemorating the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and the heroism of survivors and rescuers. For more information, contact heifetzs@arccadia.edu or 267-784-6524. 450 S. Easton Road, Glenside. SISTERHOOD MEETING The Sisterhood of Congregations of Shaare Shamayim will host our April meeting at 7:30 p.m. Cantor Don Samuels will entertain us with a vocal medley, accompanied by pianist Josh Yudkin. Light refreshments will be served, and there is no charge. For further information, call the synagogue office at 215-677-1600. 9768 Verree Road, Philadelphia. TH U RSDAY, A P RIL 20 JRA FOOD PACKING Volunteers will assist with Jewish Relief Agency’s pre-distribution preparation from 10 a.m.-noon. Volunteers will tape boxes, pack toiletries and assemble family-friendly food bags. For more information about JRA’s volunteer schedule, visit jewishrelief. org/calendar. 10980 Dutton Road, Philadelphia. ‘BEYOND EXODUS’ LECTURE Join the Delaware Art Museum for a lecture by Roberto C. Ferrari, curator of art properties, Columbia University, on “The Mother of Moses” (1860) by British Jewish artist Simeon Solomon. For more information, contact slynford@delart.org or 302-351-8536. 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware. KI SPRING CELEBRATION Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, as part of its Spring Celebration, will host an “Event at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History” cocktail reception and guided tour, starting at 6:30 p.m. For more information, email contact@ kenesethisrael.org or 215-887-8700. ■ Photo by Bernie Roseman 2 3 4 5 6 Courtesy of John Kellar 1 Courtesy of Samuel Domsky Photo by Bernie Roseman Courtesy of Stu Coren Courtesy of N. Aaron Troodler Courtesy of the Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties around town 1 The Law Offices of Melissa Rosenblum increased its financial support to the Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties. 2 Gratz College President Zev Eleff lectured on the history of American Judaica to residents at Ann’s Choice in Warminster. 3 Kohelet Yeshiva High School, an Orthodox day school in Lower Merion, hosted the second annual KoHack event, the only North American yeshiva high school coding hackathon, on March 19 and 20. 4 Beth Tikvah-B’nai Jeshurun in Glenside installed Rabbi Roni Handler as its new spiritual leader. 5 KleinLife partnered with the Golden Slipper Club and Charities, the Passover League and Health Partners to host a Passover seder for senior members and seniors from surrounding communities. 6 Project HOPE delivered kosher-for-Passover food to 650 people in need. JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 27 last word Lynn Levin Sasha Rogelberg | Staff Writer I n the short story “Frieda and Her Golem,” the titular character, a lonely rabbinical student, takes inspiration from the Jewish lore of the golem and builds a companion out of meatloaf (being sure to use a kosher recipe). The creature, with the Hebrew word for “friend” carved into her brow with red bell peppers, animates and becomes Frieda’s partner. The story ends dismally, however, with the golem becoming a lifeless mass of meat by Frieda’s hand. The story, rooted deeply in Jewish folk tradition but peppered with contempo- rary Jewish humor and wit, is the forte of Jewish author and Drexel University English Professor Lynn Levin. “Frieda and Her Golem,” as well as 19 additional short stories, are featured in her collec- tion “House Parties,” published by Spuyten Duyvil, out May 1. The collection features other Jewish stories such as “The Husband and the Gypsy,” which takes place in 1970s Northwest Philadelphia. Centered around a violinist father in a string quartet, the story tackles the Soviet Jewry movement advocating for the emigration of Soviet Jews. Though the topics of her stories have breadth, Levin has an interest in combining tradition and history with modern sensibilities. “I really like taking something ancient and completely modernizing it,” Levin said. Though “House Parties” is Levin’s first published work of fiction, the 72-year-old Southampton resident has published eight works of poetry and translations. Even in verse, Levin draws from the well of Jewish literature. In a series of poems on Lilith, the mytho- logical foil to Eve, Levin has the Jewish demon creating an online dating profile. 28 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT “She uploads a fairly recent photo/ lists herself as divorced, no children/ lies about her age, posts a profile that makes/ no mention of her lusty past/ no clue that her fountain has run dry,” Levin writes in “Lilith Tries Online Dating.” Levin has written short fiction since 2005 and finds it an opportunity to dig deeper into characters and the contexts in which they live. “I got real interested in seeing where plots would go and how I could make characters’ personalities take them here and there,” she said. Levin’s stories have led her into deep internet rabbit holes at times. For example, for her story “Monkey Island,” about a high school girl who becomes stranded on a research Island in Puerto Rico, Levin conducted research on monkey bites. But mostly, Levin draws inspiration through observation. The story “House Parties,” about a wealthy commu- nity in the Poconos, was inspired by Levin watching a woman jog every day through her window during the pandemic. If one removes the absurdity and fantastical elements from Levin’s works, one would find a host of flawed, yet earnestly determined characters, many of whom share similarities with the author. “I like to have my characters be thoughtful, serious people,” Levin said. “They’re not all professionals and geniuses, but they think deeply about where they’re going in their lives, what they’re going through.” Levin grew up in an assimilated Jewish home in St. Louis. Though she attended a Reform temple weekly with her family, she didn’t have her bat mitzvah ceremony until she was 40. “The Judaism was always there,” she said of her upbringing. “I think it was probably more cultural than it was religious.” Levin fell in love with poetry at a young age. During her public school’s phonics and phonetics classes, teach- ers would encourage students to rhyme words and create poems about nature, putting together words like bees and trees to create simple couplets. Levin mastered the activity quickly, and her little poems found places on a teach- er’s bulletin board or in the school newspaper. “That little encouragement meant so much to me,” she said. Now teaching creative writing at Drexel, Levin is interested in where her students find inspiration. Increasingly, she’s found that they like to draw on what is personal to them: internal strug- gles, health problems and difficult times with family or friends. “I admire the bravery and the boldness with which my creative writing students engage their personal lives and their personal struggles,” Levin said. As a writer, it’s Levin’s goal to create a safe space where students feel comfort- able exploring challenging themes in their writing. “I always find there’s a lot of sharing in a classroom,” she said. ■ srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com Photo by Randl Bye WEAVES TOGETHER JUDAISM AND CREATIVE WRITING SEASHORE SALE LOVE where you LIV LIVE HHT Office 609-487-7234 #1 IN NEW JERSEY FOR LARGE TEAM SALES VOLUME *RealTrends 2021 9211 Ventnor Avenue, Margate 8017 Ventnor Avenue, Margate 9313 Ventnor Ave, Margate www.HartmanHomeTeam.com OCEAN VIEWS! ATLANTIC CITY $725,000 BREATHTAKING VIEWS IN THIS BEAUTIFUL OCEAN-FRONT 2 BED, 2 BATH CONDO WITH SO MUCH TO OFFER! NEW LISTING! MARGATE $1,999,999 MAGNIFICENT CUSTOM- BUILT 5 BED, 3.5 BATH HOME ON A RARE, OVER- SIZED LOT IN MARGATE! NEW LISTING! MARGATE $929,000 COMPLETELY RENOVATED 3 BEDROOM, 1.5 BATH BEACH HOUSE WITH A LARGE LIVING & DINING AREA! NEW CONSTRUCTION! MARGATE $2,299,000 SOUTHSIDE NEW CON- STRUCTION! 5 BED, 4.5 BATHS! 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Late of Bensalem Township, Bucks County, PA LETTERS TESTAMENTARY on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay to WILLIAM J. EHMANN, III, 2835 Century Ln., Apt. B108, Bensalem, PA 19020 and EDWARD J. EHMANN (a/k/a EDWARD JOHN EHMANN), 1400 Leedom Rd., Havertown, PA 19083, EXECUTORS, Or to their Attorney: JOHN SLOWINSKI JOHN SLOWINSKI, P.C. 3143 Knights Rd. Bensalem, PA 19020 ESTATE OF ANDREW A. ROLL, JR., DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS of ADMINISTRATION on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay to CAROL ROSE RAFFERTY, ADMINISTRATRIX, c/o Daniella A. Horn, Esq., 2202 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Or to her Attorney: DANIELLA A. HORN KLENK LAW, LLC 2202 Delancey Place Philadelphia, PA 19103 ESTATE OF BETTE MARION CORBIN aka BETTY CORBIN, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia, PA. Letters Testamentary on the above estate have been granted to the undersigned. All persons having claims against or indebted to the estate should make claims known or forward payment to Rodney Corbin, Executor, c/o John W. Richey, Esq., The Tannenbaum Law Group, 600 West Germantown Pike, Suite 400, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462. ESTATE OF CHARLES B. FORD, JR. a/k/a CHARLES BRADFORD FORD, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS TESTAMENTARY on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment with- out delay to CHARLES A. J. HALPIN, III, ADMINISTRATOR, The Land Title Bldg., 100 S. Broad St., Ste. 1830, Philadelphia, PA 19110, Or to his Attorney: CHARLES A. J. HALPIN, III THE LAND TITLE BLDG. 100 S. Broad St., Ste. 1830 Philadelphia, PA 19110 ESTATE OF CLIFFORD R. TUMBAUER, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia, PA. Letters Testamentary on the above estate have been granted to the undersigned. All persons having claims against or in- debted to the estate should make claims known or forward payment to Jennifer Trumbauer, Executrix, 1932 E. Ontario St., Philadelphia, PA 19134 or to their attorney Mark Feinman, Esquire, 8171 Castor Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19152. ESTATE OF DARLENE FINN a/k/a DARLENE BONNIE FINN, DECEASED. Late of Pennsylvania LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION on the above estate have been granted to the undersigned, who bequest all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same, and all per- sons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay, to Nancy J. Morgan, Adminitratrix c/o their attorney Debra G. Speyer, Two Bala Plaza, Suite 300, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. ESTATE OF DOROTHY PEGRAM, DECEASED. Late of Pennsylvania LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION on the above estate have been granted to the undersigned, who bequest all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same, and all per- sons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay, to Lisa Bell, Adminitratrix c/o their attorney Debra G. Speyer, Two Bala Plaza, Suite 300, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. ESTATE OF ENEIDA LUZ CANCEL, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS of ADMINISTRATION on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment with- out delay to KRISTEN BEHRENS, ADMINISTRATRIX, 1500 Market St., Ste. 3500E, Philadelphia, PA 19102, Or to her Attorney: KRISTEN L. BEHRENS DILWORTH PAXSON LLP 1500 Market St., Ste. 3500E Philadelphia, PA 19102 ESTATE OF FRANK ALEXANDER FARROW, III a/k/a FRANK FARROW, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS of ADMINISTRATION on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make pay- ment without delay to HOPE TAYLOR, ADMINISTRATRIX, c/o Jay E. Kivitz, Esq., 7901 Ogontz Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19150, Or to her Attorney: JAY E. KIVITZ KIVITZ & KIVITZ, P.C. 7901 Ogontz Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19150 ESTATE OF GERALDINE COTTMAN, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County, PA LETTERS of ADMINISTRATION on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment with- out delay to ONIKA D. COTTMAN, ADMINISTRATRIX, c/o Daniella A. Horn, Esq., 2202 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Or to her Attorney: DANIELLA A. HORN KLENK LAW, LLC 2202 Delancey Place Philadelphia, PA 19103 ESTATE OF HASS SHAFIA, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia, PA. Letters Testamentary on the above estate have been granted to the undersigned. All persons having claims against or indebted to the estate should make claims known or forward payment to Georgia Shafi a, Executrix, 3401 Schoolhouse Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129 or to their attorney Edgar R. Einhorn, Esq., 7 N. Columbus Blvd., Unit #243, Philadelphia, PA 19106. ESTATE OF HENRY SCHLEY, JR. a/k/a HENRY SCHLEY, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS TESTAMENTARY on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay to GLORIA I. SCHLEY, EXECUTRIX, c/o Jay E. Kivitz, Esq., 7901 Ogontz Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19150, Or to her Attorney: JAY E. KIVITZ KIVTIZ & KIVITZ, P.C. 7901 Ogontz Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19150 ESTATE OF JAMES HAROLD ALLEN, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS of ADMINISTRATION on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay to REBECCA SALLEN, ADMINISTRATRIX, 325 Merion Rd., Merion Station, PA 19066, Or to her Attorney: REBECCA SALLEN SALLEN LAW, LLC 325 Merion Rd. Merion Station, PA 19066 ESTATE OF JANE R. SPANGLER- WEISS, DECEASED. Late of Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, PA LETTERS TESTAMENTARY on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay to NEIL E. WEISS, EXECUTOR, c/o Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen, Esq., One Bala Plaza, Ste. 623, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, Or to his Attorney: REBECCA ROSENBERGER SMOLEN BALA LAW GROUP, LLC One Bala Plaza, Ste. 623 Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 ESTATE OF KAREN J. KINARD, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS TESTAMENTARY on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay to CARLEEN MOSSETT, EXECUTRIX, c/o Robert J. Dixon, Esq., 7715 Crittenden St., #203, Philadelphia, PA 19118, Or to her Attorney: ROBERT J. DIXON 7715 Crittenden St., #203 Philadelphia, PA 19118 ESTATE OF LOUISE FARROW CRUEL, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS of ADMINISTRATION on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make pay- ment without delay to HOPE TAYLOR, ADMINISTRATRIX, c/o Jay E. Kivitz, Esq., 7901 Ogontz Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19150, Or to her Attorney: JAY E. KIVITZ KIVITZ & KIVITZ, P.C. 7901 Ogontz Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19150 ESTATE OF MARLENE C. KELLY, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS TESTAMENTARY on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay to VALERIE KELLY, EXECUTRIX, 2844 Maxwell St., Philadelphia, PA 19136, Or to her Attorney: NATHAN SNYDER LAW OFFICE OF NATHAN SNYDER 3070 Bristol Pike, Building Two, Ste. 204 Bensalem, PA 19020 ESTATE OF MATTHEW E. MAZZA, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County, PA LETTERS TESTAMENTARY on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay to LEE ANNE MAZZA, EXECUTRIX, 21 Almond Ct., Lafayette Hill, PA 19444 ESTATE OF NORMA J. HOLZWARTH, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS TESTAMENTARY on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay to JOHN A. SERFASS, EXECUTOR, 3768 Morrell Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19114, Or to his Attorney: MARYBETH O. LAURIA LAURIA LAW LLC 3031 Walton Rd., Ste. C310 Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462 ESTATE OF REGINA A. GORMLEY, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS of ADMINISTRATION on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment with- out delay to ROBERT J. GORMLEY, ADMINISTRATOR, c/o Martin J. Pezzner, Esq., 100 W. 6th St., Ste. 204, Media, PA 19063, Or to his Attorney: MARTIN J. PEZZNER GIBSON & PERKINS, P.C. 100 W. 6th St., Ste. 204 Media, PA 19063 ESTATE OF ROSEMARY CAPPELLO, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS TESTAMENTARY on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment with- out delay to MARY C. CAPPELLO, EXECUTRIX, c/o Roderick L. Foxworth, Esq., 7715 Crittenden St., #382, Philadelphia, PA 19118, Or to her Attorney: RODERICK L. FOXWORTH THE FOXWORTH LAW FIRM 7715 Crittenden St., #382 Philadelphia, PA 19118 ESTATE OF SARA ELLEN HALPERN, also known as SARA HALPERN, DECEASED. Late of Haverford Township, Delaware County, PA LETTERS TESTAMENTARY on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay to WARREN JAY KAUFFMAN (NAMED IN WILL AS WARREN J. KAUFFMAN), EXECUTOR, 1650 Market Street, Ste. 1800, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Or to his Attorney: WARREN JAY KAUFFMAN WHITE and WILLIAMS LLP 1650 Market Street, Ste. 1800 Philadelphia, PA 19103 ESTATE OF THOMAS P. SHERIDAN, JR. a/k/a THOMAS P. SHERIDAN, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS TESTAMENTARY on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay to JAMES SHERIDAN, EXECUTOR, c/o Bradley Newman, Esq., 123 S. Broad Street, Ste. 1030, Phila., PA 19109, Or to his Attorney: BRADLEY NEWMAN ESTATE & ELDER LAW OFFICE OF BRADLEY NEWMAN 123 S. Broad Street, Ste. 1030 Philadelphia, PA 19109 BUSINESS / LEGAL DIRECTORIES ESTATE OF YVONNE O. KEITT, DECEASED. Late of Philadelphia County LETTERS TESTAMENTARY on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned, who request all persons having claims or demands against the estate of the decedent to make known the same and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment without delay to LONAY DEANNA BOSTIC, EXECUTRIX, 13341 SW 52nd Court, Miramar, FL 33027 FOREIGN REGISTRATION Notice is hereby given that SITTERVILLE, CORP. fi led a foreign registration statement to do business in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The mailing address of the associ- ation’s principal offi ce is 41 Union Square West, Ste. 1121, New York NY 10003-3253. The address of the regis- tered offi ce is located at 607 N 16th St., Apt C, Philadelphia, PA 19130-3572 in Philadelphia County. The Corporation is fi led in compliance with the require- ments of the applicable provisions of 15 Pa. C.S. 412. IN THE MATTER OF PETTITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF AMANIE ADRIAN WILLIAMS ORDER FOR PUBLICATION And now, this 30th day of March, 2023, on motion of the above named Petitioner, it is ORDERED and DECREED that the within Petition for Change of Name be heard on the 11th day of May, 2023 in Courtroom 691, City Hall, Philadelphia, PA at 12:00 P.M., and that notice of the fi ling of the within petition and of the aforesaid date of hearing be published in The Jewish Exponent, and a paper of general circu- lation. First pub date: 04-13-2023 Notice is hereby given Neftwerk Inc., a foreign corporation formed under the laws of the State of Delaware and with its principal offi ce located at 8 The Grn, Ste 300, Dover, DE 19901, has registered to do business in Pennsylvania with the Department of State of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at Harrisburg, PA, on 4/3/23, under the provisions of Chapter 4 of the Association Transactions Act. The registered offi ce in Pennsylvania shall be deemed for venue and offi cial publication purposes to be located in Philadelphia County. Baltimore Jewish Times Attention All Community Organizations If you would like to update your listing in the 2023-2024 GUIDE TO JEWISH LIFE $5 JEWISH LIFE Guide to 2022-2023 Baltimore Guide to Jewish Life please contact Jewish Exponent Editor Andy Gotlieb at jewishexponentguide@gmail.com 2022-2023 jewishexponent.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 31 From Our Family From to Our Your Family Family From From Our Family Family to Our your family u o Y h s i W Wish You You W We We e Wish We Wish You to to your your family family ” ! h c a s e P n e “ “A “A A Zissen ss i “A Zissen Pesach”! Z Zissen Pesach”! Pesach”! As the the generations generations of of your family gathers around the Seder table to table celebrate As your family gathers around the Seder to celebrate As As the Pesach of your family the the Seder the generations generations of your family gathers gathers around Seder table table to you. celebrate and to ask the four questions, we around have 4 other questions to to ask celebrate Pesach and to ask the four questions, we have 4 other questions to ask you. Pesach Pesach and and to ask to ask the the four four questions, questions, we we have have 4 other 4 other questions questions to ask to ask you. you. • Why leave leave important important decisions decisions to to others when when you you are able to able choose together? together? • Why others are to choose • Why • Why leave leave important decisions to others when when you you are are able able to choose together? important decisions to others to choose together? • Why leave leave the the financial financial burden to the the next next generation? • Why burden generation? • Why leave leave the the financial burden to the to to the next next generation? • Why financial burden generation? • not Why not not encourage encourage the generation stay together? • • Why the next next generation to stay together? • Why encourage the the next generation to to stay together? Why not encourage next generation to stay together? • • When you make appointment visit Roosevelt Roosevelt Shalom • When you make make an appointment appointment Shalom • When will will you will you make an appointment to to visit Roosevelt or or Shalom When will an an to to visit visit Roosevelt or or Shalom planning guide and a park park tour? for a a personal a personal planning guide a a park tour? for a for planning guide guide and and a park tour? for personal personal planning and tour? We Roosevelt and Shalom Memorial Parks are honored honored We Roosevelt and Shalom Memorial Parks are honored We We at Roosevelt and and Shalom Memorial Parks are are honored at at at Roosevelt Shalom Memorial Parks care for your your family from generation generation. care for your family from generation generation. to care for for your family from from generation to generation. to to to care family generation to to to generation. 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