H eadlines
New Events Replace Old Favorites on Christmas
L OCA L
SASHA ROGELBERG | JE STAFF
CHRISTMAS DOESN’T just
entail Chinese food and movies
for Jews anymore.

The pandemic has turned
many traditions on their head
in 2020, and 2021’s lineup of
things to do on Christmas
has changed as well. For those
looking to switch up the usual
tried-and-true Christmas to do,
there are options around the
city on how to spend the day.

However, along with new
possibilities for Jews to find
some cheer on Dec. 24 and 25,
some old favorites have gone
missing. Regardless of how one plans
to spend the day, they can take
comfort knowing they have a
few options.

Missed Traditions
After 30-plus years of hosting
the singles event MatzoBall
in the Philadelphia area, the
event has dropped the ball this
year. Though MatzoBall will
take place in six U.S. cities
on Christmas Eve this year,
Philadelphia will not be one
of them.

Founder Andrew Rudnick
declined to comment on why.

But this isn’t the first year
Philadelphia has missed out on
the party. In 2020, MatzoBall
went virtual, holding an online
speed dating event, but holding
off on an in-person party. In
2019, Voyeur Nightclub in
Philadelphia hosted the event.

In previous years, MatzoBall
was hugely popular among
Jewish singles, said David
Finger of Wilmington. Finger
attended the MatzoBall in
Philadelphia for several years
in the 1990s. He even met a
lawyer there one year whom he
dated for several months.

In the ’90s, MatzoBall was
held at the now-defunct Aztec
Club on Delaware Avenue,
along with several other clubs
4 DECEMBER 16, 2021
Moo Shu Jew Show, a comedy night and accompanying Chinese food
dinner on Christmas Eve, used to be sponsored by the Gershman Y.

Courtesy of Gershman Y
Jewish Relief Agency, which assists 6,000 low-income Philadelphia-
area families, is holding the Caring Cards program for food box
recipients. Courtesy of Jewish Relief Agency
A lot of the people that we serve are older, live alone and are struggling with isolation.

So taking some time out of your day ... to send a little light into someone else’s world can be
really useful.”
JENNY RUBIN
on the same strip, with atten-
dance ballooning to 1,000
people, Finger said. He remem-
bered a huge paper mâché
dragon with lasers coming out
of its eyes at the Aztec Club.

“It was kitschy, but it was
fun,” he said.

For Finger, who spent
Christmas day in the typical
Jewish fashion of watching
flicks and eating Chinese food
with his family, MatzoBall
was a fun way to make the
sometimes arduous task of
dating a little easier. Everyone
there already had one thing in
common: They were all Jewish.

It helped break the ice.

“I thought it was a brilliant
idea,” Finger said. “It catered to
an audience that was available
then and wanted something
to do.”
MatzoBall wasn’t the only
event that catered to Jewish
Philadelphians on Christmas
Eve that locals will miss
this year. The Gershman Y,
formerly at 401-11 S. Broad
St., sponsored the Moo Shu
Jew Show, a comedy night
produced by comedian Cory
Kahaney and accompanying
Chinese food dinner.

Philadelphia Jewish Film
and Media, the surviving
offshoot of the Gershman Y,
stopped hosting the event after
the organization left Broad
Street in 2018.

Along with the Moo Shu
Jew Show, other popular
events, such as Latkepalooza,
were also canceled indefinitely.

“They’re in limbo right
now,” PJFM Program & Digital
Marketing Manager Matt
Bussy said. “I mean, we’d love
to bring them back, but, yeah,
they’re done.”
Bussy said there is still some
hope for a Moo Shu Jew Show
revival in Philadelphia, but not
by PJFM. After the Gershman
Y move, community members
also were upset by the cancella-
tion of the Y’s Gay Bingo event.

Congregation Rodeph Shalom
picked up the program.

But because Latkepalooza
and Moo Shu Jew Show no longer
JEWISH EXPONENT
align with PJFM’s mission, Bussy
said the organization won’t pick
up those events.

“Now that we are strictly
film and media, our programs
need to have something related
to that,” Bussy said.

New Opportunities
some time out of your day
... to send a little light into
someone else’s world can be
really useful.”
Jewish families also can
attend the Weitzman National
Museum of American Jewish
History’s “Being ___ At
Christmas” virtual event, a day
of programming on Christmas,
consisting of a tot Shabbat,
storytelling and music.

WNMAJH has historically
been open on Christmas and is
closed to the public due to the
pandemic. Previous iterations were
called “Being Jewish At
Christmas,” but the event was
renamed to accommodate
the diversifying audience it
attracted. “Whoever you are on Dec.

25, you are welcome to be that
with us on this day,” WNMAJH
Director of Communications
and Public Engagement Emily
August said. l
Though some old favorites
may be missing this year,
new opportunities for Jews
on Christmas have emerged,
adapting to changing Jewish
demographics, such as inter-
faith families, and changing
needs, such as pandem-
ic-friendly events.

The Jewish Relief Agency,
which serves 6,000 low-in-
come families in the Greater
Philadelphia area, is holding
the Caring Cards program,
asking community members
to create cards for recipients of
food boxes.

“A lot of the people that we
serve are older, live alone and
are struggling with isolation,”
Volunteer Program Manager srogelberg@jewishexponent.com;
Jenny Rubin said. “So taking 215-832-0741
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



H eadlines
ISRAELBRIEFS Israeli Officials Expected to Attend Beijing Olympics
Despite US Boycott
ISRAELI OFFICIALS ARE EXPECTED to attend the Winter
Olympic Games in Beijing despite plans for their United
States counterparts to boycott the games to protest China’s
human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslim minority, JTA
reported. Israel has grown closer to China due to trade ties between
the countries. In October, it chose not to sign a United Nations
statement expressing concern about the welfare of the Uighurs,
a Muslim minority group in China forced into “re-education
camps” that some have compared to concentration camps.

The statement was signed by 43 countries, including the U.S.

An Israeli diplomatic official told The Times of Israel that the
Israeli government had “other interests that it has to balance” in
its relationship with China.

MEMORY CARE
Israel to Consider Legalizing CBD
Israel’s Health Ministry will look into removing products
containing cannabinoid, commonly referred to as CBD, which
is the second-most prevalent active ingredient in marijuana and
doesn’t produce psychotropic effects, from the list of dangerous
drugs, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“On the issue of medical cannabis, with its products and
ingredients — we are working to facilitate and open up where
possible,” Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said on Twitter.

“Regarding legalization, it is also time to set things free.”
Assuta Medical Centers Chairman Professor Joshua Shemer
will head the committee, with recommendations slated to be
presented to the ministry in January.

Every Tuesday of the Month
Omicron Carriers Required to Quarantine Longer
Israel’s Health Ministry said confirmed carriers of the omicron
COVID-19 variant will have to quarantine for 14 days instead of
the 10 days mandated for carriers of other coronavirus strains,
The Times of Israel reported.

Confirmed omicron carriers must be asymptomatic for the
final three days of the two-week period to receive a certificate of
recovery, the Health Ministry said.

“This update is being applied in light of the suspicion that
verified carriers of the Omicron variant may be contagious for
a longer period than observed in cases of other variants,” a
ministry statement said.

The COVID death toll in Israel stood at 8,210 as of Dec. 9.

The 794 COVID-19 cases confirmed on Dec. 7 represented the
highest total in six weeks, with children accounting for more
than half of the diagnoses, according to ministry figures.

Join us each month for coffee and conversation specifically
for people with dementia and their caregivers.

Poll: Slim Majority of Israelis Would Support Attack on
Iran Without US Approval
Fifty-one percent of Israelis would support an attack on Iran,
even without the backing of the United States, according to an
Israel Democracy Institute poll, The Times of Israel reported.

While 51% supported a unilateral strike, 31% said they would not.

Fifty-four percent of those surveyed believe Iran poses an
existential threat, while 25% view Iran as a “medium danger”
and 13% deem it a “small danger.”
Jewish Israelis and Arab Israelis disagreed on whether Iran is
an existential threat, with 62% of the former believing it is and
only 19% of the latter concurring. l
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Questions? 215-321-6166
Event to be held at:
Barnes and Noble (in the Starbucks)
210 Commerce Boulevard • Fairless Hills, PA 19030
What is a Memory Café?
Originally started in England, this informal setting provides the
caregiver a forum for discussion, reducing the isolation often
felt by people with dementia, their caregivers and families.

Discussions can range from practical tips for coping with
dementia, avoiding caregiver burnout or information about
community resources. There is no cost or obligation, and many
attendees develop friendships that result in support even
outside the Memory Café setting.

All attendees will adhere to proper COVID-19 guidelines
including masking, staying socially distant and hand sanitizing.

© 2021 ProMedica
JEWISH EXPONENT
arden-courts.org DECEMBER 16, 2021
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