H eadlines
NEWSBRIEFS Former Nazi Death Camp Secretary to Stand Trial
GERMAN PROSECUTORS indicted a 95-year-old
woman who served as a secretary to a Nazi death
camp’s commander during the Holocaust and charged
her with complicity in the murders of 10,000 people
at Stutthof, a camp in occupied Poland, JTA reported.

The woman, identified under German privacy
laws only as Irmgard F., will be tried in juvenile
court because she was under 21 when she worked at
Stutthof. The indictment is based on camp survivors now
living in the United States and Israel. About 65,000
people were murdered at Stutthof. The indictment
against Irmgard F. was the result of a five-year inves-
tigation, prosecutors said.

The woman reportedly resides in an old-age home
north of Hamburg.

Celebrities Sign Statement Launching
Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance
More than 170 entertainment industry leaders signed
a statement launching the Black-Jewish Entertainment
Alliance, which is designed to foster dialogue and
mutual understanding, JTA reported.

High-profile signees include Tiffany Haddish (who
is Black and Jewish), Mayim Bialik, NFL player
Zach Banner (a leading pro athlete voice against
anti-Semitism), Terry Crews, Herbie Hancock,
Sharon Osbourne and Nick Cannon, who made
anti-Semitic statements in 2020 on a podcast episode,
but later apologized.

“In the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., Rabbi
Abraham Heschel, and the many Blacks and Jews
who stood together in the fight for civil rights, we
come together to support each other in the struggle
against hatred and bigotry,” the group’s “unity state-
ment” reads.

The organization will sponsor programming
geared to its goals, along with “in-person trips such
as pilgrimages to destinations that are historically
and/or culturally significant to each community,”
according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jewish Inmate’s COVID-19 Death Cited in
Push to Vaccinate NY Prisoners
Lawyers working to expand vaccine eligibility for New
York state prisoners are citing the case of an elderly
Jewish inmate who died of COVID-19, JTA reported.

Ira Goldberg, 72, of Brooklyn, who was serving a
seven-year minimum sentence for burglary, died on a
ventilator on Jan. 4. His lawyers said he suffered from
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema,
asthma, chronic renal failure and high blood pressure.

The Center for Appellate Litigation and others
are suing New York state to give people in its prisons
and jails access to vaccines in accordance with
guidance from the American Medical Association.

Congregation Beit Simchat Torah of Manhattan
sponsored a letter signed by 120 clergy pressing Gov.

Andrew Cuomo to include inmates in the state’s
vaccine plan; 27 other states have already done so.

Supreme Court Rejects Holocaust Heirs Appeal
The Supreme Court unanimously rejected an appeal
by Holocaust survivors and their heirs who wanted
to pursue restitution claims in the United States after
failing in the countries where the art was stolen, JTA
reported. The opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts
said that allowing the lawsuits to go forward would
contradict international agreements.

“As a nation, we would be surprised — and
might even initiate reciprocal action — if a court
in Germany adjudicated claims by Americans that
they were entitled to hundreds of millions of dollars
because of human rights violations committed by the
United States government years ago,” Roberts wrote.

“There is no reason to anticipate that Germany’s
reaction would be any different were American courts
to exercise the jurisdiction claimed in this case.” l
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
Name: Erickson Retirement Communities
Width: 9.25 in
Depth: 5.5 in
Color: Black plus one
Comment: JE-ROP
Ad Number: 00093510
Choose Senior Living at Ann’s Choice or Maris Grove.

Here are 3 reasons why...

When you put your trust in the area’s most popular senior living communities, you choose
a life of 1. financial stability, 2. care and connection, and 3. healthy peace of mind.

We’re managed by Erickson Living,® a national leader in senior living. You’re free to live
your life with confidence and ease.

14464172-JE Learn more today. Call 1-800-989-3958 or visit
SeniorLivingPA.com for your FREE brochure.

8 FEBRUARY 11, 2021
JEWISH EXPONENT
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



H eadlines
ISRAELBRIEFS The Jewish Federation's
Name: Jewish Fed. of Greater Phila. (
Width: 5.5 in
Depth: 11 in
Color: Black plus one
Comment: JE-Super Sunday
Ad Number: 00093410
Israeli Pay Rises 10%, Number of Salaried Jobs Drops 13%
THE AVERAGE MONTHLY SALARY in Israel rose 9.9% to
the equivalent of $3,526 between November 2019 and November
2020, but the number of Israelis in salaried jobs in that period fell
13%, from 3.74 million to 3.252 million, Globes reported, citing
Central Bureau of Statistics data.

The rise in pay was attributed to the likelihood that most
of the employees placed on unpaid leave in that period earn
low salaries in sectors hit hard by the pandemic. Those include
the accommodation and catering fields (average monthly pay
of $1,756), where the number of jobs dropped 63.4%, and the
arts, entertainment and leisure sector (average monthly pay of
$2,678), where jobs were down 53.2%.

But in the well-paid high-tech sector — where the average
monthly salary increased 2.7% to $7,202 — the number of
salaried jobs dropped only 1.2%, from 326,500 jobs to 322,500.

Vaccine Drive Slows, ‘Fake News’ Cited for
Promoting Skepticism
The pace of COVID-19 inoculations in Israel has slowed by
roughly 50%, and officials believe the slowdown is because of
online “fake news” that promotes skepticism about the vaccine,
The Times of Israel reported.

“At the beginning of the [vaccination] campaign we got used
to inoculating between 100,000 and 120,000 people per day, and
in the last few days we are barely reaching half of those figures,”
Kalanit Kaye, the manager of Clalit’s vaccination drive, told the
Ynet news site.

As of Feb. 7, 3.43 million Israelis had received the first dose
of the vaccine, with 2.02 million also having received the second
dose. Vaccines are now being offered all Israelis over 16.

The death toll from COVID-19 reached 5,096, as of Feb. 7.

There were 2,625 new infections recorded the previous day, and
1,144 patients were listed in serious condition, including 312 who
are on ventilators.

Western Wall Plaza Reopens
The Western Wall reopened to visitors from across the country
on Feb. 7 as Israel lifted lockdown restrictions that prevented
people from traveling outside a 1-kilometer radius from their
homes, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The restriction was in place for 40 days as part of the nation’s
third lockdown in response to COVID-19.

The Western Wall is now divided into separate sections,
allowing people to pray in “capsules,” with ushers providing
directions at the site, the Post reported.

Pandemic Prompts Half of Israeli Families to Reduce Savings
About half of all Israeli families have reduced their savings
because of the pandemic — and one in six had to borrow money
— The Jerusalem Post reported, citing a report by the Myers-JDC
Brookdale Institute.

Fifty-one percent of the 1,501 survey participants said they
used extra financial resources to deal with the crisis. That
included reducing current savings, withdrawing money from
savings, taking loans from banks or non-bank lenders or a
combination of those actions.

In addition, 76% of those surveyed said they received some
government assistance at some point, with 21% receiving multiple
types of assistance. l
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM March 6 & 7
S a t u r d ay, M a r c h 6
Connect With Community
Havdalah service with Joey Weisenberg of Hadar’s Rising Song Institute
followed by Schmooze Rooms to catch up with friends old and new.

S u n d ay, M a r c h 7
Do A Mitzvah
Drop off a bag of food to one of six
locations from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

to ensure that those who are hungry
have access to food.

Make A Gift
Make a pledge to the Jewish
Federation of Greater Philadelphia:
Answer the call • Donate online •
Respond to the text message
Visit JewishPhilly.org/SuperSunday
or call 215.832.0899 for more details
Eve n t Co - Ch a i r s
B oard Co -Cha i r s
Ca m p a i g n C h a i r
Danielle Weiss and
Mitch Sterling
Gail Norry and
David Adelman
Sherrie Savett
JEWISH EXPONENT
FEBRUARY 11, 2021
9