FEBRUARY 18, 2021 – 23 SHEVAT 5781 JEWISH JOURNAL VOL 45, NO 14 JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG L’Chaim! Keeping Yiddish culture alive and well in Somerville formances – in bringing to life a vibrant Yiddish community across Greater Boston. They come to their affinity for Yiddish naturally. Both grew up in secular Jewish homes whose parents and grandparents were rooted in Eastern European Yiddish life. Both attended after- school Yiddish programs, at dif- ferent locations. Rabbi Yossi Lipsker, right, of Chabad of the North Shore, will be one While her family was not of the few rabbis on the North Shore to hold an in-person Purim religious, Gritz “felt completely event this year. Jewish at home, the food, the humor, and the outlook,” and especially the music. As pandemic continues, Photo Courtesy of Linda Gritz Katz grew up steeped in Ben and Mike Katz, left to right, Linda Gritz and Pauli Katz are one Yiddish immigrant culture and local synagogues will of the few secular Jewish families in New England who are fluent in language. One grandfather was Yiddish. a columnist for a Yiddish com- break out the joy for Purim munist newspaper. His mother By Penny Schwartz the winter concert of Christmas was a leader at the Isaac Raboy By Ethan M. Forman JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT carols. Yiddish School. They had little JOURNAL STAFF They had no way of know- interest in religious life, “but SOMERVILLE – In the late ing that years later, they would wanted us to understand how PEABODY – The yearlong pandemic has forced Jews to be cre- 1980s, Linda Gritz and Michael reunite, settle in Somerville, to use our culture to be progres- ative when it comes to celebrating the cycle of holidays on the Katz were eagerly expecting the and raise their two children sive,” Katz told the Journal. Jewish calendar. So getting into the full swing of Purim, which starts birth of their first child. They in a Yiddish-speaking – and a In the mid-1980s in Boston, on the evening of Feb. 25, means turning up the volume. were young transplants from Yiddish harmonizing – home, a Gritz and Katz were among the Rabbi Richard Perlman of Peabody’s Temple Ner Tamid noted New York City who settled here rarity outside of Hasidic com- pioneers in the unlikely resur- that last March, “Purim was the last thing we did. The next week, we while pursuing their careers – munities these days. gence of interest in Yiddish, shut down. We had our Purim spiel, and that was it. So technically, she in molecular biology and he Now adults, their daughter the language and culture that this is the full cycle of the pandemic.” as a theatrical technical director. Pauline (Pauli) and son Ben said was nearly destroyed by the Even with synagogues closed to in-person worship or practic- They first became friends their family’s Yiddish journey Holocaust. ing reduced congregations and social distancing when it comes to some 18 years before when both set the stage for the values that The Boston-based Klezmer services, shuls are still getting into the act of reading the Megillah, were students at the prestigious guide their lives. Conservatory Band – which using a mix of remote programming and some in-person festivities. Bronx High School of Science. Beyond their immediate jump-started a national revival Perlman said his congregation is going to “keep it light” as it They bonded in the school cho- family, Gritz and Katz played of the klezmer music brought celebrates the Book of Esther. While there can’t be a Purim carnival rus, where Yiddish versions of an instrumental role – from from Eastern Europe by this year, the Ritual Committee, the Sisterhood, and the Men’s Club Hanukkah songs were added to behind the scenes to choral per- continued on page 13 continued on page 13 Goldstein bears witness with his FacesOfCOVID Twitter feed the heartbreak caused by the By Ethan M. Forman pandemic, and a safe virtual JOURNAL STAFF place to mourn. Teachers, chaplains, pas- WALTHAM – Alex Goldstein tors, social workers, UPS driv- doesn’t know when he will stop ers, firefighters, doctors who posting tributes to those who treated COVID patients, chil- have died from COVID-19. dren, grandmothers, grand- With a reported 481,000 fathers, mothers, fathers, hus- Americans dead from compli- bands, wives, brothers and sis- cations of the disease as of last ters, a Parrot Head, a Kansas week and thousands more dying City Chiefs’ fan, “a man who each day, Goldstein’s https:// fought against the Nazis” and twitter.com/FacesOfCOVID Holocaust survivors, including Twitter feed has managed to put one who fought in the French a human face on the mass trag- Resistance. edy. With a picture, a sentence There’s Betty Lindsoe of or two, and links to obituaries, Lynchburg, Virginia, who died Goldstein provides more than at age 91 on Jan. 17, 2021, “less 145,000 followers a glimpse into continued on page 20 SMART PRODUCTS. COMPETITIVE RATES. METRO HAS A MORTGAGE FOR YOU! Call 877.MY.METRO or click MetroCU.org. NMLS #198524 The Jewish Journal is a nonprofit newspaper supported by generous readers, committed advertisers and charitable organizations. Email [email protected]. 2 THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – FEBRUARY 18, 2021 COMMUNITY NEWS Millennials: Abigail Lehman, 30 By Michael Wittner an organic non-GMO superfood transformation JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT company and that was really a wonderful experi- ence, because I got to learn about my passion for sourcing and ingredients, which ultimately led What is your Jewish back- me to my search for the Institute of Integrative ground? Nutrition. Growing up, I was in Hebrew school from the What is integrative nutri- moment you could begin all the way up through confirmation, which is in high school. I had to tion? postpone my bat mitzvah four times because my Integrative nutrition is a whole-picture mom was deployed to Iraq right after Operation approach to health in regards to what’s ON your Iraqi Freedom. I had a very good Jewish upbring- plate as well as OFF the plate. That includes the ing. I grew up at Temple Ner Tamid in Peabody. Circle of Life, which is 12 pieces: spirituality, We didn’t keep kosher in the home, but I went joy, health, creativity, career, finance, education, to synagogue almost every Saturday up until bat home cooking, home environment, physical mitzvah age. I was also in USY in high school. I activity, social life, and relationships. All of those was actually the Israel Affairs and Programming things need to be in balance, it’s not just about VP [of USY] my junior year, and then my senior what you’re eating, it’s not just about having a Hebrew name: Penina Rivka year I was the president of Peabody USY. I went good job. It’s about being able to take all the dif- to Camp Simchah every summer I could and I ferent parts of your life and make sure they’re Job: Integrative nutrition health coach and lifestyle entrepreneur, have been to Israel twice, once on Y2I and then all in harmony, so you can be the best version of www.ifwetrust.com on Birthright when I was 26, and it was a really yourself. If someone says they just want to eat Hometown: Peabody beautiful way to appreciate and confirm the better, we’ll take a look at all those other pieces Currently living in: Wenham ways I felt about Judaism as an adult. to help me identify what their food means for them. Sometimes people don’t realize that what Alma maters: Peabody Veterans Memorial High ‘09, How did you become an inte- they’re eating has to do with all those pieces of University of New Hampshire ‘13, Institute for Integrative Nutrition grative nutrition coach? the pie, no pun intended. ‘20 It’s a really interesting combination of health Can Judaism teach us any- Favorite food: Pizza, pizza, and more pizza … it’s hard to and wellness, if you will. I got into it because I find healthy pizza, but there is a way. initially started my career in hospitality man- thing about nutrition? Favorite music: Classic rock, reggae, hip-hop, the whole agement and I knew I wanted to be a business One thing I absolutely love about Judaism and mashup funk-soul jam band genre, classical, jazz, bluegrass, pop, rap leader in my life, but I also knew I wanted and Israel is we are a Mediterranean culture, so if you needed to learn the ropes from the bottom up, think about it, Jews and Italians and Greeks, we Favorite movies: Comedy, horror, mystery, drama so when I was at UNH I got a psychology degree all love home cooking and cooking with what we Favorite books: “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel because one, I love psychology, and two, I want- have from our gardens or our farms, so it’s cook- Ruiz, “Picking Cotton” by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino ed to work with people ... Simultaneously, I got ing with whole-food ingredients, abundance, Favorite TV shows: True crime, standup comedy, doc- really sick late in my high school years, and for and love, which is essential. I absolutely believe umentaries, nature shows, dramas a few years I had to really struggle to go out and that my travels to Israel and my love of Jewish take care of myself within the U.S. food system, cooking has a lot to do with my passion for cook- Favorite travel destination: Israel, Italy, the which can be really challenging, and doesn’t ing at home and nutrition in general.