Jewish Federation of NEPA Non-profit Organization 601 Jefferson Ave. U.S. POSTAGE PAID The Scranton, PA 18510 Permit # 184 Watertown, NY Change Service Requested Published by the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania VOLUME XII, NUMBER 5 MARCH 7, 2019 Resolutions introduced in House, Senate recognizing Israeli sovereignty over Golan BY JNS STAFF ethnic cleansing of Arab Sunnis, and the use (JNS) – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), of weapons of mass destruction.” Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Rep. Mike Gal- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Net- lagher (R-WI) introduced companion anyahu had raised the issue of the Golan resolutions on February 26 urging the Heights during a meeting with U.S. United States to officially recognize Isra- National Security Advisor John Bolton el’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. in January. Although the United States The bill emphasizes the strategic im- does not recognize Israeli control over portance of Israeli control over the area, the Golan Heights, it voted for the first which the Jewish state captured in the time in November against an annual U.N. 1967 Six-Day War, in protecting civilians resolution condemning the Israeli position. from threats such as from Iran in Syria and The measure is also sponsored by Sens. Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel annexed the Marco Rubio (R-FL), Kevin Cramer (R- region in 1981, a move that has not been ND) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and recognized by the international community. Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), Doug Lamborn It also states that “it is unrealistic to expect (R-CO), Jim Banks (R-IN), Elise Stefanik that the outcome of a peace agreement (R-NY), Tom Cole (R-OK), Mark Mead- between Israel and Syria will be an Israeli ows (R-NC), Bill Johnson (R-OH), Scott withdrawal from the Golan Heights.” Perry (R-PN), Roger Marshall (R-KS), The bill adds that “it is in the United Mark Green (R-TN), Lee Zeldin (R-NY), States national security interest to ensure that Ted Budd (R-NC) and Jody Hice (R-GA). Israel retains control of the Golan Heights Although no Democrats are currently [and that] the Syrian regime of Bashar behind the bill, members such as House al-Assad faces diplomatic and geopolitical An old Israeli tank with a flag overlooked the Syrian town of Quneitra in the Golan Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) consequences for its killing of civilians, the Heights on February 11, 2018. (Photo by Hadas Parush/Flash90) have voiced support for such U.S. rec- ognition in the past. In December, Cotton and Cruz intro- Magen David Adom moves national duced a similar measure. 2019 UJA dispatch center to reinforced facility Pay it forward & give to BY JNS STAFF The regional dispatch centers for the years to reduce the disruptions that Israel’s the 2019 Jewish Federation (JNS) – Magen David Adom, Israel’s Yarkon and Ayalon regions – two of the emergency medical services would have of Northeastern Pennsylvania national EMS organization, dedicated nine regional dispatch centers MDA also to contend with in the event of a war. Annual Campaign! its new National Operations Center on operates – are also now working out of MDA is also currently constructing a new February 25, a dispatch center east of the protected facility. reinforced blood-services center in Ramla Tel Aviv that’s housed in a reinforced The dedication on February 25 was at- in central Israel; like the new National and partially subterranean facility de- tended by more than 200 people, including Operations Center, it is designed to be Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon. protected against attack. That facility is signed to be protected against missile, For information or to $912,597 chemical and biological attack. The The move to a protected dispatch fa- slated to be completed in late 2020. make a donation call as of March 4, 2019 570-961-2300 ext. 1 or new center has been fully operational cility is one of several initiatives Magen “As the nation’s EMS, blood-services send your gift to: since February 2. David Adom has undertaken in recent and disaster-relief agency, we need to Jewish Federation of Northeastern Goal: prepare for virtually every scenario,” said Pennsylvania $975,000 Eli Bin, MDA Israel’s director general. 601 Jefferson Ave., “When our services will be most critically Scranton, PA 18510 (Please MEMO your needed, like during a war, it’s especially pledge or gift 2019 important that our dispatch operations not UJA Campaign) be compromised.” The new National Operations Center is just one floor below MDA’s previous dispatch center. The lower floor underwent extensive renovations to be reinforced and fitted with a state-of-the-art air-filtration system to guard against a number of dif- ferent kinds of attacks. “Our goal was to harden our facility and ensure that we could continue operating Federation in a war without causing any disruption to our day-to-day EMS operations during on Facebook the transition,” said Ido Rosenblat, MDA’s chief information officer. The Jewish Federation of Northeast- As an additional fail-safe measure, ern Pennsylvania now has a page on MDA’s regional dispatch centers can Facebook to let community members Israel’s Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon was shown the cutting-edge dispatch handle the National Operations Center’s know about upcoming events and keep technology at Magen David Adom’s new National Operations Center on February dispatch load should it be disabled. In connected. 25. (Photo by Magen David Adom) See “Center” on page 4 Candle lighting INSIDE THIS ISSUE March 8 ........................................ 5:43 pm On the music scene Treading the boards Purim March 15 .......................................6:51 pm March 22 ..................................... 6:59 pm A look at “Rabbi Jake,” an Atlanta A teen actor discusses his Jewish Pastry chef Paula Shoyer offers based singer-songwriter of Jewish heritage and Broadway debut as several hamantashen recipes, PLUS children’s and teens’ music. the lead in “Dear Evan Hansen.” including a gluten free cookie. Opinion .......................................................2 Story on page 3 Story on page 9 Story on page 12 D’var Torah ...............................................8 2 THE REPORTER ■ MARCH 7, 2019 A MATTER OF OPINION Title IX and “tikkun olam” BY RISA ISARD she told me. As a teen, she knew education in graduate school … I probably came on she remembered. Sandler had made the (JNS) – “There’s a word for that,” was her future. After summers working on too strong.’” Quick to explain further, “In connection: universities and colleges had Bunny Sandler told me when describing a farm during World War II, she thought, those days I was much more ladylike … I federal contracts and could not discrimi- her family’s Judaism. “To fix the world “I would be better off doing something certainly was not what I would consider nate against women. and make it better.” Tikkun olam, I thought more intellectual and less physical with a strong woman or abrasive.” It was only a matter of time before the on the other side of the phone from my the rest of my life.” And that’s what she She told her then husband what hap- executive order would be enforced as such. dorm at Duke University, where I was did. After skipping grades to graduate pened. After discerning that there were Sandler first filed a class complaint researching the pre-history and early years from New York City’s public Erasmus “strong men” in the department, he knew against every college and university in of Title IX. Hall High School at age 16, Sandler went it wasn’t about Sandler at all. the United States with federal contracts. Thanks to Title IX – the federal law off to Brooklyn College, New York City’s There’s a word for that, her husband The complaint specifically mentioned Sandler spearheaded that prohibits dis- first public co-ed liberal arts college. told her: sex discrimination. the University of Maryland, though that crimination based on gender at federally wasn’t a priority for Sandler, who never funded educational institutions – girls and Today, girls and women can choose intellectual and physical filed against the university on her own women are learning about ourselves and futures. And when we come up against sex discrimination behalf. “That wasn’t what I was interested preparing for our futures in unprecedented in education – when we are denied access to the same in. I just wanted things to get better and numbers. As of 2017, women comprise 56 to be fixed.” percent of those pursuing post-high school opportunities as our male counterparts in the classrooms or on She would go on to file more than 350 degrees, and more than 3.3 million of us the sports fields, when we face sexual harassment and assault complaints, implicating more than 2,500 play sports in high school and college on campus, when we are left out because we are pregnant or schools. (compared to just 40 percent and 310,000, already mothers... – we have more than a word for it. For the next two-and-a-half years, respectively, pre-Title IX). between 1970 and June 1972 when Title Sandler, who passed away from cancer Thanks to Bunny Sandler’s tikkun olam, there’s a law for that: IX was signed into law by President on January 5 at her home in Washington, Title IX. Richard Nixon, Sandler and a handful DC, left a legacy in a world that if not of motivated citizens and members of fixed (she would say it’s not) is at least Sandler’s educational career continued. A lightbulb went off. “It was the Congress undertook at times a widespread better (indisputably).