C OMMUNITY / mazel tovs
COMMUNITYBRIEFS IAJGS International Conference on Jewish
Genealogy to Go Virtual
THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION of Jewish
Genealogical Societies’ 41st annual International
Conference on Jewish Genealogy, which was slated
for August in Philadelphia, is going virtual because
of ongoing pandemic concerns.

Th e conference will feature livestream presenta-
tions and more than 100 prerecorded, on-demand
video presentations to cover virtually every aspect of
Jewish genealogy.

Th e keynote speaker will be Michael Hoberman,
professor of American literature at Fitchburg State
University. Registration and conference program details are
posted on the conference website at iajgs2021.org.

American Friends of Kaplan Medical Center
Changes Name, Broadens Mission
American Friends of Kaplan Medical Center
announced that it’s changing its name to the
American Foundation for Creating Leadership for
Israel and broadening its objectives.

Th e renamed organization will strive to connect the
United States and Israel through creative and collab-
orative programming and focus on young leadership
development. It will raise support for Israeli medical
innovation programs and young leadership projects.

AFCLI’s launch event will be on July 4 at
Congregation Mikveh Israel to honor the heroism
of Yoni Netanyahu at Entebbe. Scheduled speakers
include Israel Prize awardee Maj. Gen. Doron Almog
and Entebbe lead pilot Joshua Shani.

Courtesy of Jewish Family and Children’s Service
transitioned classes and programs to a Zoom format,
posted cooking videos on social media and making
access free to more of its programs.

JFCS held a virtual cooking series entitled
“Nourishing Community,” that included guest
appearances by notable chefs such as Frankie Olivieri
of Pat’s King of Steaks and Michael Solomonov of
CooknSolo Restaurants. Th eir recipes are included in
the cookbook.

JFCS Compiles Cookbook
“Recipes from the JFCS Kitchen” is $36, with
Jewish Family and Children’s Service announced that all proceeds benefi ting JFCS’ food insecurity and
it has compiled “Recipes from the JFCS Kitchen” to kitchen programs. It is available at bit.ly/2QFGmO3.

highlight its pandemic work in a retrospective story
and cookbook.

Disputed Rabbi in Jerusalem Has Connection
During the pandemic, JFCS worked to ensure with Orthodox Beit Din of Philadelphia
the community connections were not lost. Instead Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Michael Elkohen of Jerusalem,
of in-person cooking programs, the organization who anti-missionary groups contend is actually a
Christian missionary sent to Israel to convert Jews, has
a Philadelphia connection, Th e Jerusalem Post reported.

Elkohen, 42, who was born Michael Elk in Salem
County, New Jersey, has denied the claims. He
said he was born Jewish and had been a Christian
missionary, but abandoned the religion in 2014. He
referred questions about his Jewishness to the yeshiva
dean. In turn, Rabbi Gideon Holland referenced a
bill of divorce for Elkohen and his fi rst wife from the
Orthodox Beit Din of Philadelphia.

Th at Jewish court of law has since weighed in.

“It is impossible to rely on the Jewishness of the
givers and receivers of bills of divorce that they are
Jews for all purposes and that there is no doubt about
them at all,” wrote Rabbi Yitzchok Meyer Leizerowski,
one of the court’s rabbinical judges. “Matters are
clarifi ed as much as possible, a bill of divorce is
written and given, however it is already impossible to
clarify their past in a thorough document.”
“We are announcing publicly that it is impossible
to rely just on a bill of divorce document given by a
rabbinical court in order to determine Jewish status.”
Leizerowski told the Post that the court didn’t look
into Elkohen’s Jewish status when it was approached
about the divorce.

Rutgers Honors Students for Excellence in
Jewish Studies
Rutgers, Th e State University of New Jersey honored
several students virtually on May 4 for their academic
achievements in Jewish studies.

Th e ceremony, which was sponsored by the
Department of Jewish Studies and the Allen and Joan
Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life at Rutgers,
featured student presentations about their work and
experiences in Jewish studies.

Students from the Philadelphia area honored
included junior Grace Herdelin of Haddonfi eld, New
Jersey; senior Brianna Newman of Burlington, New
Jersey; and graduate student Steven Weinberg of
Elkins Park. ●
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
Be heard.

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JEWISH EXPONENT
MAY 13, 2021
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