Federation Starts Emergency Fund, Calls for Unity by Staff and Releases the Federation Has Launched the and Support for Long-Term Viability
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Published by the Jewish Community of Louisville, Inc. www.jewishlouisville.org EWISH OUISVIllE J L INSIDE: Yellow Fever lesson Jews have handled pandemics before COMMUNITY p. 4 FRIDAY Vol. 46, No. 04 | April 24, 2020 | 30 Nisan 5780 Federation starts emergency fund, calls for unity By staff and releases The Federation has launched the and support for long-term viability. United Jewish Louisville Rapid Re- We know that many of you want sponse Fund, an emergency answer to to help. You can do so by volunteer- the coronavirus pandemic and the toll ing or donating. As our needs grow in it is taking on our Jewish community. the future, many volunteer opportuni- Thanks to a lead gift from the Jewish ties will become available to assist the Heritage Fund for Excellence (JHFE) agencies and synagogues. Please visit we were able to jump-start this urgent the Rapid Response web page to add campaign. Agencies and synagogues all The banner for the new United Jewish Louisville Rapid Response Fund your name to the volunteer list. came together working to understand “It is vital that the families and indi- the immediate, short- and long-term social isolation. munity. This may include individu- viduals who are struggling with the im- needs of our community. Ralph Green, task force co-chair, als who can’t afford food or pay their pact of COVID-19 have a place to ask Contact www.jewishlouisville.org/ said, “We knew when all this started to bills. Also, essential errands, home for and receive help,” said Sara Klein RapidResponseFund for details. intensify that our community was go- health care and mental health ser- Wagner, CEO and president of the JCL. “This collective effort will provide ing to need some emergency relief.” vices. “We anticipate the needs will continue support to families and individuals and To steward the Rapid Response • Jewish connection – Now more to evolve over time; therefore, we are those on the front line serving our Jew- Fund, the Federation convened a spe- than ever, we know virtual connec- focusing on immediate, short-term and ish community,” said Jon Fleischaker, cial Grants Task Force, to approve tion is critical. Educational oppor- long-term needs.” chair of the JCL Board of Directors and emergency allocations to the agencies tunities, religious services and social The Rapid Response Fund has al- Rapid Response co-chair. and synagogues. meetups and connection. ready allocated $85,000 in grants Jewish Louisville is experiencing an The task force identified core priori- • Organizational infrastructure – across the community from a $400,000 increased struggle with food and job in- ties for funding: Investing in and sustaining staff to seed grant provided by the JHFE. Grant security. Many are feeling the effects of • Human needs – assisting the most provide needed programs, services See UNITY on page 15 vulnerable within the Jewish com- Louisville marks Yom HaShoah with pre-recorded program this year By Lee Chottiner Joe Rooks Rapport also is in the pro- Community Editor gram. A clip from a KET interview with jour- Every year, hundreds of Louisvillians nalist and Holocaust survivor Fred Gross gather somewhere in the city – a syna- and a message from Louisville Mayor gogue, a theater, a college campus – to Greg Fischer also are included. remember the victims of the Holocaust. “We tried to follow at least some sem- That didn’t happen this year, the 75th blance of tradition [of the ceremony] as anniversary of the end of the most hor- best we could given the circumstances,” rific genocide in history, because of the Fitzer said. coronavirus pandemic. But the differ- The video also will include a sneak This year’s community observance of Yom HaShoah is not only virtual but prerecorded to avoid logis- ences don’t end there. peek at his Violins of Hope documentary. tical challenges of a livestreamed program from several different locations. While there will be a Yom HaShoah “We have not had a Yom HaShoah program in Louisville this week, for the good,” Goldberg said. ture of the annual observance here. program since Violins of Hope and there first time, probably ever, it won’t be live, The 24-minute video, produced by This year, though, there will be no is no scheduled premiere for the docu- or even live streamed. Mike Fitzer at 180 Degrees, was three actual candle-lighters. Instead, Power- mentary,” Goldberg said. “We thought it It was a pre-recorded video, which weeks in the making. Point-style slides will display messages might be a nice addition to include some became available for screening on “This is one of the first [Jewish con- with already-lit candles flickering on the footage.” Wednesday, April 22, on YouTube and tent videos] I was asked to do, so I’m screen. Before the coronavirus outbreak, the Facebook. very excited,” Fitzer said. (He also made There will be actual participants, JCRC had been planning the screening Matt Goldberg, director of the Jew- a documentary about last year’s Violins though. Cantor David Lipp will sing the of the documentary Nobody Wants Us, ish Community Relations Council, said of Hope, a traveling exhibit of restored Yiddish tune Yidl Mitn Fidl. Rabbi Mi- the story of the Portuguese steamship logistical problems with a live program string instruments that survived the Ho- chael Wolk will recount the Jews at Ber- Quanza, which carried Jewish refugees, streamed from several homes prompted locaust. It had been scheduled to pre- gen-Belsen concentration camp who in mostly from Belgium, to the United the decision to go with a pre-recorded miere on March 23, but the onset of the 1944 managed to observe Passover. Can- States in 1940. Like the S.S. St. Louis the video his year. coronavirus delayed that event.) tor Sharon Hordes will chant El Maleh year before, the passengers were initially “We thought it would be tighter and The video, simply titled Yom HaSho- Rachamim and Rabbi Beth Jacowitz denied entry into the country. Unlike much easier logistically if it was all in ah, is structured around the lighting of Chottiner will lead the Mourners’ Kad- the St. Louis, those aboard the Quanza the can already,” he said. 11 memorial candles, remembering the dish, interspersing the names of death eventually did get in. A video also allows people to view it 11 million Jewish and non-Jewish vic- camps and modern-day acts of genocide Goldberg said he plans to screen the at their convenience. “It will stay up for tims of the Holocaust – a traditional fea- between the lines of the prayer. Rabbi film at next year’s observance. 2 Community Y APRIL 24, 2020 Y 30 NISAN 5780 THE DASHBOARD Word of the month Snapshots: Meal Deliveries We needed a fifth question this Passover and demeanor bring us hope as he re- D’var Torah minds us through word and sign: “We will get through this together.” Rabbi At the outset, I was apprehensive Stan Miles about Passover this year. During the previous weeks of isolation, I missed being among people. In Judaism, it takes a minyan – a quorum of 10 peo- I write this D’var Torah during Chol ple – to create a community for prayer. Ha’moed Pesach, the intermediate It always did – until this year. days of Passover. The Four Questions have already been asked, but perhaps The pandemic, so far, has led many we need an additional question this people, not to panic, but to stimulat- year. ing creativity. Our congregational rab- bis and cantors are working overtime Mah nishtana HA SHANA HA’ZEH? during this crisis to keep us connect- Why is this YEAR different from all ed with our Judaism and each other. other years? Thank G-d for the miracle of Zoom Sadly, during this year, 5780, this is and other technology. By means of the ultimate rhetorical question for all these resources our minyanim sur- humanity. The coronavirus and the dis- vive. Via Zoom, many of us enjoyed ease it causes, COVID-19, has turned the company of family and friends for our entire planet upside down. Now, Passover seder. Through the medium more than ever, every living person is of YouTube, stars of stage and screen on a frightening voyage aboard space- created a hip, entertaining and poi- ship earth. Our final destination is still gnant Saturday Night Seder to benefit a huge question mark. We are fright- us in the battle against the coronavirus ened, and rightfully so. May our fear and COVID-19. If you haven’t watched Senior Center Director Tara Stone and members of the JCC kitchen staff prepare meals for delivery not lead us down the path to panic, but it yet, you still can by going to YouTube to seniors. According to Stone, meal deliveries have nearly tripled since the coronavirus outbreak. (Community photos by Jessica Budnick) to safety and survival for our families, and searching Saturday Night Seder. our neighbors – indeed, all humanity. Hopefully, by Passover 2021, our I am a student of history, particularly current experience will be a sad mem- American history. During the bleakest ory. Please G-d, we will not be mourn- Candles days of the Great Depression, Presi- ing the loss of a dear one. Here are the candle lighting times for Shabbat in May: dent Franklin D. Roosevelt harnessed May the worldwide struggle to cure • May 1 @ 8:17 p.m. • May 22 @ 8:35 p.m. the technology of radio. Through his this pandemic serve to bring us togeth- • May 8 @ 8:23 p.m. • May 29 @ 8:41 p.m. Fireside Chats, he calmed a frightened er as human beings of every faith, na- • May 15 @ 8:30 p.m.