O pinion
Helping Our Lone Soldier Along His Path Pankiewicz
Continued from Page 11
BY STACIE STUFFLEBEAM
WHILE WE OFTEN TALK
about the need to protect the
land of Israel, those of us living
outside of the Jewish state don’t
talk often enough about what
that really means.

Though my husband and I
live in the U.S., four of our
sons have bravely chosen to
serve as lone soldiers — soldiers
serving in the IDF without
parents living in Israel. All have
served in combat units, all with
a strong desire to protect Israel.

This past week I got a call from
my youngest son, our (6-foot-2)
“baby.” He is in the officers’
training pre-course and wanted
to talk some things through.

I was honored that he
turned to me, and I was deter-
mined to be as supportive as
possible. Together, we consid-
ered the practicalities and pros
and cons of continuing on to
become an officer versus being
discharged and becoming a
civilian. We talked about how
COVID-19 might impact this
decision and what the best path
for him might be.

He talked and I listened — a
skill I’ve honed as a lone soldier
mom — and I tried not to
insert my opinion, a skill I’m
still working on, and only offer
support (all the while thinking:
I vote for discharge so I can
stop worrying so much!).

During this discussion,
my son talked about the need
to be ready to lead his unit
into war. Bam! With just one
sentence, my wall — the one
I’ve carefully constructed to
separate the idea of protecting
Israel and the actuality of my
son protecting Israel — came
crumbling down.

It’s not the first time. My
husband and I have been lone
soldier parents for almost eight
years. At times, we had two
— and once, for a few weeks,
three — sons serving at the
same time. Our first chayal
is a Tzuk Eitan (Operation
Protective Edge) veteran, and
there have been many times
over the last eight years that
the situation has been tense
and it seemed Israel might be
on the brink of war.

If there has been any upside
to a global pandemic for me,
it’s been that things in Israel
have seemed quieter than I
remember them being for a
long time. During the corona-
virus crisis, I’ve had a chance
to worry about other things in
Israel, like how long the soldiers
had to remain on base and how
they were doing laundry. Were
they getting enough to eat? Had
anyone on base been diagnosed?
All of these small worries
allowed me to rebuild my wall,
not of denial, but of separation
between the idea and the reality
that my son, a thoughtful soul, a
gentle warrior, might have such
an enormous burden.

We know that each of our
children is on their own path
and one of our most important
jobs as parents is to help guide
and support them as they make
their way along that path.

Prior to the pandemic, we
used to travel to Israel for our
sons’ tekesim (ceremonies).

Leading up to their Tekes
Kumta (Beret Ceremony) the
soldiers do a very long hike.

For some units, parents are
invited to join their soldier for
the last couple of kilometers, a
truly amazing experience we
have been honored to partici-
pate in.

Several years ago, sitting
with other parents while waiting
to join our second chayal for
those last kilometers, we struck
up a conversation with another
parent sitting with a soldier that
I assumed was there to support
a sibling. As it turned out, that
soldier was a member of my
son’s unit but had been injured
and could not participate in
the long hike. As we talked, the
soldier told me that when he had
been injured on a training hike,
he had fallen behind and, as is
the way in the IDF, his fellow
soldiers stood by him to help
him. He told us that one soldier
in particular had stayed with
him supporting him until the
end of the hike. At some point
we realized it was our son who
had stayed on and helped him
make it to the end. Now, this
soldier was there to do the same
for my son.

As my son’s unit came into
view, this young man immedi-
ately fell in behind my son
with his hand on his shoulder
helping to support and push
him to the finish.

Now, as I reflect on the
conversation with my youngest
son, I know one thing for sure:
Just as that soldier literally
had my son’s back, I will be
there for my current chayal, at
his back, supporting him on
his chosen path. And, just as
importantly, I know that all of
Israel has his back as well. l
Stacie Stufflebeam is the executive
director of the Michael Levin Lone
Soldier Foundation. She lives in
Pittsburgh. A NOTICE TO OUR READERS
There will be no print edition of the Jewish Exponent the week of Dec. 31.

That week, please visit us online at jewishexponent.com, where the paper will be
available in digital form.

14 DECEMBER 17, 2020
JEWISH EXPONENT
speech and hate crimes. There is a
toxic presence of people who are
emboldened by their hate today.

Hate speech never ends with hate
speech, it evolves into action.

Unchecked hate speech creates
an environment that is condu-
cive to violence. It only escalates.

History has proven this; present
times have solidified this.

As a person of conscience,
I cannot stand idly by and not
do my part to combat hate.

The greatest weapon against
hate is education, particularly
Holocaust education. Teaching
the importance of individual
choice, collective responsibility,
the dangers of hate and that
being silent to an injustice is
also being compliant to it, results
in creating a better society that
promotes human decency.

Sam, a Holocaust survivor
from Czechoslovakia living in
Pittsburgh, and my best friend
for almost 20 years, passed
away last June. I miss him
every day and think about his
small piece of bread that he
carried in his pocket with him
everywhere. He would tell me
that I would be his “witness”
to the catastrophic horrors he
faced during the Holocaust
after he was no longer here
on this earth, and I would
be responsible for telling his
story and teaching his lessons.

I promised him that I would
never stop telling his story or
teaching about the Holocaust.

As a Holocaust educator, I
must create “future witnesses”
so that Sam’s story and the
story of millions who perished
in the Holocaust will never be
forgotten. Education, empathy
and awareness are the cure to
the destruction of a society and
the theft of human dignity.

“Let our fate be a warning
to you” is engraved on the
mausoleum at Majdanek death
camp in Poland, which contains
the ashes and remains of the
victims, a place of profound
sadness and unspeakable
tragedy. Our obligation now, as
persons of consciousness, is to
heed and listen to the pleas of
the genocide victims from their
graves. The future of humanity
rests on their ashes. l
Meg Pankiewicz is an English
and Holocaust and genocide
studies teacher at Canon-McMillan
High School in Canonsburg,
Pennsylvania. KVETCH ’N’ KVELL
Letter Is an Affront
AS A RECENTLY RETIRED Reconstructionist-trained rabbi,
I have known many Orthodox Jews and Orthodox rabbis both
before and during my decades of service to the Jewish commu-
nity who would be embarrassed to read or say the kinds of things
that I read in Kvetch ‘N Kvell letter entitled “There’s More to
Shabbat than Going Without Tech” (Dec. 10).

The smug, self-righteous, self-satisfied, condescending tone of
the letter should be an affront to all Jews regardless of denomi-
nation or post-denomination. Perhaps the Exponent itself should
engage in a little hesbon hanefesh/accounting of the soul for its
decision to publish such a brazen attack by one Jew on another,
especially when the latter is expressing a deeper appreciation of
Shabbat. l
Rabbi Avi Winokur | Philadelphia
STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER
We are a diverse community. The views expressed in the signed opinion columns and let-
ters to the editor published in the Jewish Exponent are those of the authors. They do
not necessarily reflect the views of the officers and boards of the Jewish Publishing
Group, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia or the Jewish Exponent. Send
letters to letters@jewishexponent.com or fax to 215-569-3389. Letters should be a
maximum of 200 words and may be edited for clarity and brevity. Unsigned letters will not be
published. See Xxxxxxx, Page XX
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



L ifestyles /C ulture
Ginger-Soy Braised Salmon
F O OD
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
I LOVE SALMON seasoned
with ginger and soy. The flavors
complement the fish beauti-
fully and provide a simple way
to add interest and variety to a
standard ingredient.

Pairing it with roasted
honeynut squash, an autumn
favorite, and a simple green
salad was the work of a
moment, and dinner was ready.

Braising generally suggests
a long, slow cooking process
with plenty of liquid to break
down a protein — think
brisket, lamb shoulder or
pulled turkey. In this case,
the braise was brief; you
don’t need to break down the
already-tender fish, but the
technique allows the flavors
to permeate the salmon,
producing a delicious result.

These days we are enjoying
the bountiful squash harvest,
and honeynuts are sweet, cute
and easy to prepare. Unlike
butternuts, their larger and
less-sweet cousins, which can
be difficult to cut, honey-
nuts are relatively simple to
prep and cook. Salt, pepper
and olive oil do the trick,
but you can certainly get
creative — Chinese five-spice
powder would be a nice way
to highlight the Asian flair in
this meal.

We tossed baby greens
with rice vinegar and oil for a
simple salad, but you have lots
of options to round out this
meal. In place of the squash,
consider rice or noodles. Ditch
the salad for roasted or sautéed
broccoli, steamed greens or
string beans.

The salmon delivers plenty
of flavor and complexity, so
you can keep the sides quite
simple without risking bored
taste buds!
GINGER-SOY BRAISED
SALMON Serves 4
A word on the salmon: I used
Coho, which is quite lean —
hence the braise, which prevents
the fish from drying out.

Sockeye salmon is another lean
species and would lend itself
well to this cooking technique.

That said, fattier varietals like
North Atlantic and king work
just fine here.

1¾ pounds salmon filets
Salt/pepper Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon canola or
vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1-inch piece ginger, grated
¼ teaspoon red pepper
flakes (or to taste)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup white wine or
vegetable broth
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Heat your oven to 275 F.

Sprinkle the fish with salt,
pepper and lemon juice and
set aside.

In a large ovenproof skillet,
heat the oil and sauté the onion,
garlic, ginger and red pepper
until fragrant and slightly
softened, about 4 minutes.

Add the soy sauce and wine
and bring it to a boil. Remove
the skillet from the heat, add
cilantro and stir until wilted.

Push the sauce ingredients
to the sides of the pan and place
the salmon filets in the center.

Spoon the sauce and vegetables
over the fish until coated, cover
the pan with a lid or foil and
place it in the oven. Bake for
about 25 minutes, depending
upon the thickness of the
salmon. It should be cooked
through but not dried out.

ROASTED HONEYNUT SQUASH
Serves 4
Salmon and honeynut squash
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Photo by Keri White
These little beauties are sweet
JEWISH EXPONENT
and flavorful. Some people eat
the skin, although it can be
rather tough. I prefer to scrape
the luscious flesh out and
discard the skin. You can cook
these ahead of the salmon, but
leave them in the oven to finish
while the fish cooks.

If you can’t find honeynut,
any autumn squash works here
— delicata, acorn, butternut,
kabocha, etc.

I am a fan of the straight-
forward salt/pepper/olive
oil combo, but you can get
as creative as you like with
paprika, cumin, cinnamon,
cloves, butter, honey, cayenne,
garlic powder or seasoned salt.

The only limit is your imagina-
tion and your pantry.

You can time the cooking
of these so that they are mostly
done when you put the fish
in the oven. That way, when
you reduce the heat from 350
to 275 to cook the fish, the
squash will finish cooking and
save you having to take them
out and reheat before dinner.

Don’t worry about overcooking
them; at that low temperature,
they will be fine.

4 honeynut squash, halved
and seeded
Salt/pepper/olive oil
Heat your oven to 350
F. Line a baking sheet with
parchment. Place the squash, cut side
up, on the sheet and drizzle it
with olive oil. Brush to spread
and coat the surface with oil.

Sprinkle the squash with salt
and pepper, and bake for about
45 minutes until the flesh is
tender when pricked with a
fork. l
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DECEMBER 17, 2020
15