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VOLUME XIII, NUMBER 7 APRIL 2, 2020 Whirlwind week ends with unity government in , Netanyahu remaining at the helm each led separate factions within the larger Gantz for breaking ANALYSIS Blue and White alignment, rejected join- Blue and White’s BY DOV LIPMAN ing a government led by Netanyahu. The promise not to sit (JNS) – After nearly a year of political pair have officially split from Gantz, and with Netanyahu as he paralysis, Israel is finally on its way to- filed a motion to retain the name Blue and awaits the start of a ward a national unity government as the White as they prepare to sit in opposition trial on three separate nation battles against the unprecedented to the government. counts of bribery and coronavirus pandemic. , From the floor, where he cur- breach of trust. “He who has stood as Israeli Prime Minister rently serves as temporary speaker, Gantz crawled into Netanya- ’s chief rival through explained his decision, saying, “This is hu’s government… three consecutive election cycles, an- not the time for fighting and splits. This gave up without a nounced that his party faction would join is the time for responsible statesmanship, fight,” said Lapid. Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition to form patriotism and leadership.” “Over a million vot- a new government. He called to the citizens of Israel and ers feel cheated, and According to the terms of the agree- said, “Let’s join hands and lead Israel out that their votes were Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz passed Israeli ment, Netanyahu will serve as prime of this crisis.” stolen and given to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a memorial ceremony minister for 18 months before handing the Knesset member Yoav Kisch Netanyahu. in the Knesset marking 24 years since the assassination of premiership as part of a rotation to Gantz, told JNS that his party “blesses Netanyahu “Corona,” he former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, on November. who will serve under Netanyahu as deputy and Gantz for this courageous step. We said, referring to the (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) prime minister and defense minister for the are dealing with a health and economic pandemic spreading first 18 months, and then become prime crisis like we have never seen, and the around the globe, “is not a permit to give Gantz has also requested the economy, minister in September 2021. public demanded that we as leaders act up on our values.” agriculture, environment, communica- Gantz’s dramatic move jolted Israel’s with responsibility.” Knesset member of the tions and culture ministries. political system. The agreement led to Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Ben- Labor Party sarcastically congratulated Several ministers, including from the collapse of Gantz’s own Blue and nett, of the right-wing Party, told Gantz for “joining a government led by an Netanyahu’s Likud, will be forced to White Party. JNS that “this is the right thing for Israel indicted prime minister.” She then turned relinquish their portfolios. Bennett, chair- Senior party members and in this emergency.” toward him and said, “You promised not man of Yamina, who is set to vacate his Knesset member Moshe Ya’alon, who Knesset member Yair Lapid attacked to join with Netanyahu. There is no unity current post as defense minister, told JNS with those who are destroying Israel.” that so far, “the news about portfolios is The details of the new coalition are still fake news. Netanyahu has not spoken to being worked out, but it will most likely me about this issue as of yet.” include 75 seats: Likud (36), Gantz’s In a turnabout, Knesset member Yuli Israel Resilience (15), (9), United Edelstein, who resigned recently when the Torah Judaism (7) and Yamina (6), along Supreme Court required him to call a vote with MKs Tzvi Hauser and Yoaz Hendel for a new speaker of the Parliament, will from the Telem faction. Hauser and Hen- See “Unity” in page 3 del are former Netanyahu advisers who have been the strongest advocates for a unity government. 2020 UJA Preliminary reports indicate that Net- anyahu will give Gantz’s party an equal Pay it forward & give to number of ministries to his own much the 2020 Jewish Federation larger Likud Party. Netanyahu has agreed of Northeastern Pennsylvania to appoint former Israel Defense Forces’ Annual Campaign! Chief of Staff and Gantz ally Gabi Ash- Goal: kenazi as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and $989,000 Chili Tropper as Justice Minister. It is unclear what role Netanyahu will

have in 18 months once Gantz becomes For information or to prime minister because the law only make a donation call 570-961-2300 ext. 1 or permits that governmental position to send your gift to: maintain office while under indictment. Jewish Federation $862,519 of Northeastern as of March 26, 2020 Ministers with other portfolios are re- Pennsylvania quired by law to resign. The new govern- 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA 18510 ment could pass a revised law allowing a (Please MEMO your minister to serve while under indictment. pledge or gift 2020 UJA Campaign) Federation on Facebook The Jewish Federation of North- eastern Pennsylvania has a page on Facebook, www.facebook.com/Jew- ishNEPA/, to let community members Candle lighting know about upcoming events and keep April 3...... 7:13 pm connected. April 8...... 7:18 pm April 9...... after 8:20 pm April 10...... 7:20 pm INSIDE THIS ISSUE April 14...... 7:24 pm Zionist elections Passover April 15...... after 8:27 pm Covid-19 April 17...... 7:28 pm Orthodox groups make gains in Online Jewish resources for A review of children’s holiday record-setting votes for the World families; Israeli universities lead picture books and a haggadah; PLUS Zionist Congress. the fight against Covid-19. recipes. Opinion...... 2 Story on page 3 Stories on pages 4-5 Stories on pages 6-7 D’var Torah...... 10 2 THE REPORTER ■ APRIL 2, 2020 A MATTER OF OPINION Historically, Palestinians are their own worst enemies BY DAVID I. FALLK symbols with a yellow-star Today, Palestinian students chant for 95percent of West Bank and all of Gaza. The following article written badge and also ghettoized its a single, Jew-free Palestinian state from Yassir Arafat’s rejection was followed by by David I. Fallk appeared in Jews. The Third Reich once the “(Jordan) River to the (Mediterranean) a violent intifada. Later, a larger portion the Scranton Times Tribune on contemplated expulsion of Sea.” The PLO’s charter rejected Israel’s was offered by Israel, including division February 10 in response to an Jews to Palestine, but Arabs led existence, and Hamas vows to annihilate of and Arab sovereignty over anti-Israel article written in by the Grand Mufti, intervened the Jewish state and fires rockets at Israel parts of that city. Palestinians still said an earlier issue. The article is with Hitler and the British to daily. Palestinian controlled territories no. Most recently, Palestinian leaders re-published with the consent prevent Jews from being sent on the West Bank and Gaza, where it is a wouldn’t even join in negotiations. The of the Scranton Times Tribune. or accepted there. As Israel’s crime to sell land to a Jew, remain Juden- common thread in Palestinian denialism It is hard to fathom that in first president observed, for rein (Jew free). Iran openly manufactures is the refusal to accept a state of their own the third decade of the 21st European Jews “the world is missiles carrying messages of total doom as long as Jewish state also exists. As century, polemicists such as divided into places where they against Israel. Bret Stephens noted (January 31), every David I. Fallk Omri Boehm (January 30) still cannot live and places where Meanwhile, Muslims living in Israel rejection by Palestinians has only created question whether the Jewish people should they cannot enter.” enjoy the freest life of anywhere in the a greater loss for themselves. have a sovereign state of their own. Un- Although Boehm raises the specter Middle East. Arabs vote, hold public While Israel was building a modern, fortunately, he is not alone. The thought of “ethnic cleansing’ and “apartheid” by offices and sit on the Israeli Supreme multi-cultural society, the Palestinians of Jews governing themselves, let alone Israel, he ignores the realities of recent Court. They are educated and teach in fought with each other as well as with non-Jews, causes great consternation in history. It was the Jews who have been Israeli universities and hospitals, and are Israel. They no longer conduct elections many quarters. ethnically cleansed, not just in the Holo- allowed to worship when and where they and cast blame for their condition on For centuries, Jews were forced to live caust, but by Israel’s neighbors and other please. Public accommodations carry no everyone else. Democracy is hard, and in various countries at the sufferance and Islamic states. The deadly Arab riots of the separate restrictions for non-Jews. Israel, like America, is not perfect. But whims of other rulers. The track record 1920s and 1930s foreshadowed the three For decades, the world has fruitlessly focusing Israel’s shortcomings and right of those places in treating Jews remains wars waged between 1948 and 1967 to negotiated with, offered, cajoled and to exist as a Jewish state rather than on an ugly blot on history. England expelled drive Israelis into the sea. After the 1948 begged Palestinians to accept statehood Palestinian obstinance, self-failure, and its Jews in the 13th century. The Venetians war, Jordan illegally annexed the West alongside Israel. In 1922, the League of violent tendencies will not bring a peace coined the word “ghetto” to describe the Bank and expelled all Jews from territory Nations backed such a concept only to be deal any closer. neighborhood to which Jews were restrict- it controlled, including Jewish holy sites rebuffed by the Arab world, The U.N. parti- David I. Fallk is the chairman of ed. Russia decreed the Pale of Settlement in Jerusalem and Hebron. Over 800,000 tion of 1948 was rejected as well. In 2000, the Jewish Federation of Northeastern beyond which no Jew could permanently Jews were also forced out of Arab lands President Clinton brokered a proposal Pennsylvania’s Community Relations reside. The Crusades proved deadly to from Algeria to Iraq. that would have given Palestinians over Committee. Jews in Germany, and the Spanish In- quisition drove Jews who survived their refusal to convert to Christianity from their homes in Iberia. Israel’s First World problems are real, Islamic leaders sometimes treated Jews better than European monarchs did, but Sharia law considered Jews but so is its progress (and Christians) as dhimmi, second class BY JONATHAN S. TOBIN recent Sunday New York Times – timed to interests block constitutional reform and citizens who had to pay a discriminatory JNS – Spend enough time in Israel not pour cold water on the idea that the last 11 make it difficult, if not impossible, to tax and often wear identifying symbols. immersed in history and sight-seeing or years under the leadership of Prime Min- fund solutions to any of the infrastructure Nazi Germany mimicked the dhimmi awed by its spiritual and physical beauty, ister Benjamin Netanyahu have been suc- problems that the nation faces. and you can easily understand why so cessful for the Jewish state – the problems Throw in arguments between secular many of its citizens spend so much of their aren’t limited to the commuting time many and religious Jews, as well as Mizrahi time complaining. The Jewish state may Israelis suffer. Israel needs more hospital and Ashkenazi Jews – not to mention be a regional superpower – a place where rooms to deal with the needs of its growing those between Jews and Arabs – and you brilliant thinkers made the desert bloom population. Its educational system is also can paint a portrait of a nation in both an and created a “startup nation” that rivals seen as failing much of the population, economic and spiritual crisis. And that’s “ The Reporter” (USPS #482) is published bi-weekly by the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania, 601 Jefferson Silicon Valley with its venture capitalism, especially the poor, haredi Jews and the true even if, unlike The New York Times, Ave., Scranton, PA 18510. patents and high-tech development. Its Arab minority, even if the country actually your purpose is not to trash the country President: Esther Adelman cities may be bustling and its farms pro- does spend more on schools than on its and depict Netanyahu as a charlatan. Executive Director: Mark Silverberg ductive. Still, much in Israel either remains vaunted military establishment. But before you write the place off as a lacking or just doesn’t work. Poorer Israelis and those in the middle crowded, unpleasant failure of a country, Executive Editor: Rabbi Rachel Esserman Getting from place to place in class don’t feel empowered by the fact a little historical perspective is needed. Layout Editor: Diana Sochor or Jerusalem can be a nightmare, as can that some high-tech entrepreneurs have Israel is only 71 years old. A century Advertising Representative: Bonnie Rozen Bookkeeper: Kathy Brown any effort to go between the two cities, gotten rich. As is the case in many other ago, Zionism was a dream dismissed by Production Associate: Christi Sturdevant despite the creation of a rail system to ease prosperous nations, many feel left behind. most Jews as a fantasy that would not congestion. Traffic seems to be always What’s more, Israel’s political system come true. And even after the state was OPINIONS The views expressed in snarled within the big cities or even along seems incapable of dealing with these declared, smart people thought it could editorials and opinion pieces are those the coastal corridor. There are too many challenges. That’s true even when it is not survive. of each author and not necessarily cars and not enough roads to accommodate not locked in a political stalemate with the Who among Zionism’s critics could the views of the Jewish Federation of them and their owners. prospect of a possible fourth election later have predicted that a poor yishuv of Northeastern Pennsylvania. See “First” on page 4 LETTERS The Reporter welcomes And as a lengthy feature published in a in 2020 to break the logjam. Entrenched letters on subjects of interest to the Jewish community. All letters must be signed and include a phone number. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The editor may withhold the name upon request. ADS The Reporter does not necessar- Guterman Fund does mitzvah ily endorse any advertised products To the Editor: for his work and his memory, a fund was Jewish Family Service for distribution and services. In addition, the paper Rabbi Henry Guterman was a recog- established in his name to provide area to area synagogues for distribution to is not responsible for the kashruth of nized, world-renowned scholar, revered by synagogues with the funds necessary to their most needy families. Jewish Fam- any advertiser’s product or establish- his congregation at Scranton’s Machzikeh ensure that the less fortunate members of ily Service also conducts a community ment. Hadas synagogue and respected by all in the community could celebrate Passover in maos chitim (tzedakah request) mailing, DEADLINE Regular deadline is two the area. Residing in Scranton from 1910 accordance with Jewish tradition. thereby increasing the funds available for weeks prior to the publication date. for more than 56 years, he served as the Since that time, the income from the these purposes. FEDERATION WEBSITE: city’s chief Orthodox rabbi for more than a Foundation was wisely administered by The Jewish Federation of Northeastern www.jewishnepa.org half century and witnessed the beginning, the late Larry Preven, former president Pennsylvania wishes to express its appre- growth and development of Scranton’s or- of the Foundation, and has brought great ciation to the founders and the benefactors HOW TO SUBMIT ARTICLES: ganizations and agencies from inception. joy and happiness not only to needy of the Rabbi Henry Guterman Foundation Mail: 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA No communal occasion was complete families during the Passover holiday who, throughout many years, have never 18510 without him, it is said, because he rep- season, but also to provide Hebrew forgotten his work and continue to honor E-mail: [email protected] resented the one great integrating force school graduates with Judaica gifts to his memory with these good deeds. Fax: (570) 346-6147 within the Jewish community. honor their graduation. On behalf of our president, Esther Phone: (570) 961-2300 On November 8, 1966, shortly after Rab- As Marilyn Preven noted in a letter to Adelman, and the officers and trustees of bi Guterman’s death, the late Morris Gelb the Federation, “I hope (as Larry wished) the Federation, I extend to each and all HOW TO REACH sent a letter to the community establishing that you will continue doing all the good of you our best wishes for a wonderful THE ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE: Phone: (800) 779-7896, ext. 244 the “Rabbi Henry Guterman Foundation” that the fund has done in the past with Passover holiday, good health and long E-mail: [email protected] and requested funds from the community the necessary acknowledgments and that life for many years to come. “for the purpose of fostering education, the monies will bring happiness to those Mark Silverberg SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: charity and religion of the kind and qual- who receive it.” Executive Director Phone: (570) 961-2300 ity practiced by your beloved rabbi.” As Each year, more than $2,500 in income Jewish Federation of Northeastern a token of love, respect and admiration from the Foundation is forwarded to Pennsylvania APRIL 2, 2020 ■ THE REPORTER 3 Orthodox groups make gain in record-setting votes for World Zionist Congress BY FAYGIE HOLT Reform Zionism for the Union for Reform Judaism, while some had expected the slate, which ran on a platform that (JNS) – A record-setting 123,000 American Jews voted pleased with the results, was somewhat disappointed by included opposition to the “current policy of permanent in the elections for the 38th World Zionist Congress, setting how things turned out. occupation and annexation,” to do better, Hatkivah pointed the stage for a potential shift in communal priorities as “I think we did really well – we got 10,000 more out online that it received 250 percent more votes in this right-wing and Orthodox groups made surprising gains votes than last time; a 15 percent increase. We’re still current election than last time: 7,932 votes vs. 3,148. from the last election five years ago. the largest Zionist organization in the United States, and Surging ahead of the progressive left slate was the ZOA Of the top three slates, two represent Orthodox I’m happy about that,” he said, acknowledging that he Coalition, led by the Zionist Organization of America, Judaism. The other represents the Reform and Recon- was “surprised” and “a bit saddened” by the gains of the which received more than 10,000 votes. structionist movements. Orthodox slates because he felt that at least one group “The Zionist Organization of America is thrilled to “I think that the Orthodox parties – the more right- focused their campaign on being anti-Reform Judaism. announce that a clear majority of the American delegates wing community - showed its strength and how much “While we are trying to promote pluralism and equal- elected to the World Zionist Congress are devoted right- they cared because they actually voted,” said Jonathan ity, they were busy saying they were running squarely of-center, clear thinking, proud Zionists,” the group said D. Sarna, the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor against us,” said Weinberg. “I think [the results] will be in a statement. “Our fabulous partners in Israel are also of American Jewish History at Brandeis University. The impactful, and we have our work cut out for us. I think that excited by these positive election results. … [T]he ZOA results also show that “their numbers have risen very means American Jews really also love and are connected Coalition received almost four times the number of votes substantially. It’s long been stated that the vast majority to Israel, and want to see our values reflected in Israel.” it received in the previous election.” of American Zionists are liberal Zionists and so on. That The Orthodox Israel Coalition-Mizrachi slate, rep- At the end of the day, the results send a clear message, may be, but it certainly is not what these results suggest.” resenting the Modern Orthodox and Religious Zionist said Sarna. “I think that with all that’s going on – mean- He added, “I have no doubt those on the left will be movements, won nearly 21,700 votes. The new Eretz ing the national elections in the United States and the sorely disappointed.” HaKodesh slate, backed by the Young Israel movement, coronavirus – it was just harder for the non-Orthodox The World Zionist Congress, which allocates funding accounted for about 20,000 votes. Both groups pushed movements to make this a priority for their members, for the Jewish Agency for Israel, will convene this Oc- their communities extensively to vote in the hopes of and they didn’t show up at the polls. As result of that, tober in Jerusalem. A total of 152 seats will be allocated ensuring that Israel follow Orthodox standards for issues the other side has more power,” he explained. “The great for the American delegates. like prayer at the Western Wall and conversion, and lesson is if you don’t show up, you may not get the kind Participants voted for one of 15 different slates, rep- continue to fund religious institutions. of results that you would like. I think that will be the resenting a cross-section of Jewish life and communal “Our motivation was to protect the holiness of the Land lesson for those unhappy with these results.” groups. Voting began in January and ended on March of Israel, and cultivate traditional Jewish practices and 11. At stake, said participants, was having a say in how beliefs,” Rabbi Pesach Lerner, president of the Coalition the World Zionist Congress will allocate its funding for for Jewish Values and the leader of the Eretz HaKodesh Jewish communal endeavors. slate, said in a release. “The numbers speak for themselves,” said Herbert Rabbi Moshe Parnes, dean of the Hollywood Com- DEADLINES Block, executive director of the American Zionist munity Kollel in Hollywood, FL, added that “it’s so The following are deadlines for all articles and Movement. “This election garnered more than twice as rewarding to see how many Jews, especially younger photos for upcoming Reporter issues. many votes as the election in 2015 and the highest since voters, are invested in preserving the Jewish character of DEADLINE ISSUE the election opened up to the entire American Jewish the state of Israel. This vote will help solidify the future community 30 years ago. We are thrilled that so many of the Jewish people and unify the Jewish nation around Thursday, April 2...... April 16 people participated and look forward to seeing those its eternal, unchanging principles.” Monday, April 13, early...... April 30 voices represented at the 38th World Zionist Congress.” Said Rabbi Doron Perez, chief executive of the Thursday, April 30...... May 14 Rabbi Josh Weinberg, vice president for Israel and Mizrachi worldwide movement, “These results show Thursday, May 14...... May 28 the dedication and commitment of religious Zionists to safeguard nearly $1 billion going to programs and services that help our community and world Jewry.” Rounding out the top four slates was Mercaz USA, Wishing you and Unity Continued from page 1 which represents the interests of Conservative Jewry, most likely return to his post in the new government. with more than 14,600 votes. your family The opposition will now likely be headed by Knesset Though the slate they ran on came in seventh, the Na- peace, health member Yair Lapid, whose remaining Blue and White tional Council of Jewish Women were satisfied with the will be joined by the Labor- alignment, Avigdor results. In a Tweet, they wrote, “ … it’s official, NCJW is and happiness Lieberman’s Party and the Joint Arab List. going to Congress! The World Zionist Congress that is. this Pesach Despite Gantz receiving the recommendation of 61 Thank you to everyone who voted in this historic election.” Knesset members to serve as prime minister, it quickly The women’s group was part of the Hatkivah Progressive Webster Towers became clear that he could not form a government without Israel slate, which also included left-wing groups Americans STAFF linking up with Likud. for Peace Now, J Street and the New Israel Fund. While While the recommended Gantz over Net- anyahu, the Arab alliance of parties was not set to join Blue and White in a coalition government, and many members of Blue and White also opposed such an alliance. Members of Netanyahu’s 58-seat right-wing You Lif – You Legac... and religious bloc similarly refused to join a Gantz-led government, leaving Gantz with few options and steering Israel towards a fourth consecutive election. Netanyahu put out a direct public appeal while dealing Wha ’ i You Hear with an escalating coronavirus crisis on March 24, saying, “Benny Gantz, this is a moment which tests leadership You have poured your heart and soul into our and national responsibility. The citizens of Israel need a Jewish community and made a di erence. Whether unity government that will work to save their lives and their livelihoods. This is not the time for a fourth election. your greatest passion is your congregation, an We both know that the gaps between us are small, and organization, or a school, that commitment stands we can overcome them. Let’s meet now and establish a as a testament to your values. unity government. I am waiting for you.” While the parties have agreed to form a government, “intense” negotiations are now taking place on the tech- Now is the time to take the next step in nical makeup of the coalition. Gantz’s party seeks legal making it an enduring part of your mechanisms to ensure that Netanyahu will indeed turn the post of prime minister over to Gantz in September Jewish legacy. 2021, and not simply collapse the government and call for a new election once his 18 months as his term as As you plan for the future, think about what prime minister come to an end. your Jewish legacy means to you. And please It’s been quite a month – quite a political year, in fact – from start to finish, with this agreement ending consider the institutions closest to your heart one of the most bitter and protracted election seasons in your will or estate plan. in Israel’s history. Pleas joi th Jewis Federatio o Northeaster Pennsylvani€ About the cover i ‚ecurinƒ th futur o th Jewis communit. This year’s Passover cover was illustrated by Art Edel, a freelance artist and graphic designer who lives Please contact Mark Silverberg at 961-2300 or and works in Savannah, GA. [email protected] for more information. ÊCheck out the Federation’s new, updated website at www.jewishnepa.org or find it on Facebook 4 THE REPORTER ■ APRIL 2, 2020 Jewish resources to occupy your family while self-distancing BY REPORTER STAFF site says its courses “help schools and tral.com/forward/signup or visit https:// ‹ The Drisha Institute for Jewish Educa- A variety of Jewish groups are offering families add depth, fun and variety to forward.com. tion, https://drisha.org/classes/, has online online resources – educations and recre- Jewish studies.” To learn more, visit the ‹ The 92Y is offering 92Y @ Home, classes available. Some will be available ational – for those who are not allowed website and click on “virtual offerings” https://www.92y.org/92yathome, with free, while there is a charge for others. out of the house. Below is a sampling of or go directly to www.lookstein.org/ programs being live streamed. That page ‹ The Jaffa-based Peres Center for Peace those. The Reporter publish additions classroom-resources. also contains a link to the Y’s archive, and Innovation has announced that it is listings as they become available. ‹ Jewish Women’s Archive and Jewish- which offers free programming. offering online lectures and Facebook ‹ The National Museum of American LIVE are offering The Quarantine Book ‹ The Jewish Museum is offering free Live sessions,at www.facebook.com/ Jewish history is offering virtual tours at Club. For more information, visit https:// online tours at https://tours.thejewishmu- PeresCenter, which are suitable for the https://artsandculture.google.com/part- jwa.org/events and click on the line “get seum.org/. whole family. ner/national-museum-of-american-jew- more information and RSVP.” ‹ The Museum of the Jewish People at ‹ The Israeli-American Council is ish-history. ‹ BBYO is offering BBYO On Demand, Beit Hatfutsot have a variety of online holding Kabbalat Shabbat services. For ‹ The YIVO Institute is now offering all which is filled with “live-streamed activi- exhibits available at www.bh.org.il. more information and how to register, its online classes free. For more informa- ties, programs and content that any Jewish ‹ The Center for Jewish history is visit www.facebook.com/israeliameri- tion and to register, visit yivo.org/shine. teen or young adult, regardless of BBYO offering the online exhibit “Design in cancouncil. ‹ The iCenter of Israel is offering a vari- membership or affiliation, can tune into Exile: Jewish Contributions to Fashion” ‹ The Tikvah Fund offers online courses ety of courses, music and other activities and enjoy from anywhere in the world.” at https://artsandculture.google.com/ at https://tikvahfund.org/courses/. at www.theicenter.org/resource/materi- More information is available at https:// exhibit/design-in-exile-jewish-contri- ‹ The Workers Circle is offering online als-distance-learning-and-collaboration. azabbg.bbyo.org/on-demand/home. bution-to-fashion/AwISK.0BTlFrBIQ. Yiddish classes from children to adult ‹ My Jewish Learning, www.myjewish- ‹ The PJ Library is offering “Resources for Information about more digital offerings at https://circle.org/what-we-do/yid- learning.com, offers a variety of online Quarantined Families,” which can be found can be found at www.instagram.com/ dish-language/. options for study, including “A Daily at https://pjlibrary.org/familyactivities. centerforjewishhistory/. ‹ The AJC is urging people to #BeA- Dose of Talmud: Daf Yomi for Every- ‹ The Limmud eFestival, which is host- ‹ The Haggadot.com website will spon- Mensch at www.ajc.org/beamensch. The one,” “Explore the deeper side of Jewish ed by Limmud North America, will take sor its first virtual seder on Zoom on campaign “encourages and highlights prayer,” “Discovering Jewish Spirituality” place on Facebook on Sunday, March Sunday, April 12, at 2 pm. Leaders will acts of kindness and decency, which lift “Great Jewish Books” and “Guide To 29, from 2-5 pm. More information be Eileen Levinson, the website’s founder, us all up and illuminate the darkness of Torah Study.” can be found at www.facebook.com/ and journalist Esther Kustanowitz. The the current period with countless points of ‹ Bimbam, www.bimbam.com, offers a events/450289095687713. event will also stream on Facebook Live. light.” The page also people to past stories variety of videos. The site says that is uses ‹ Stand With Us is offering webnars, live ‹ The Orthodox Union’s Women’s Initia- about good deeds being done during the “digital storytelling to spark connections tours and videos. More information can be tive offers a variety of educational material crisis and also offers links to stories on to Judaism for learners of all ages.” found at www.standwithus.com/connect. at www.ou.org/women/video/. Twitter and Facebook. ‹ The Lookstein Center for Jewish Ed- ‹ The National Yiddish Theatre has ucation, www.lookstein.org, offers the launched Folksbiene Live on its Facebook Lookstein Virtual Jewish Academy. The page, www.facebook.com/folksbiene/. It described Folksbiene Live as “an online First Continued from page 2 celebration of Yiddish culture featuring 600,000 Jewish souls could withstand pered by corruption and inefficiencies, the livestreamed theater, American Jewish the might of the rest of the Middle East result has still been a dramatic makeover performers, workshops and other events and then, with the financial help of the that is the envy of the world. – including a talkback with the cast of the Diaspora, provide homes for hundreds of It’s once insoluble water problems award-winning ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ in Yid- thousands of survivors of the Holocaust have been ameliorated, if not solved, dish – to entertain audiences young and old. in Europe and a still larger total of Jews by high-tech solutions of desalination Videos focus on Israel ‹ NCSY is offering a variety of resources who were forced to flee their homes in and recycling. And the discovery of Crash Test World is a web on its website. For educational material, the Arab and Islamic world? natural-gas fields gave the lie to the old series from Project Explorer that visit https://staff.ncsy.org/education, Since then, Israel has faced existential joke about Moses leading the Children offers videos to help elementary- which includes content on the siddur, the challenges, as well as daunting economic, of Israel to the only place in the region and middle-school children learn about weekly parasha and other educational political and military problems. without natural resources. different cultures. Four short videos look programming and activities. For the last five decades, we’ve been told The Israel of today is unrecognizable to at Israel. According to the website, the ‹ The Forward has launched an online that Israel cannot thrive or survive in the those who last saw it decades ago. Jewish videos show “efforts at coexistence; in- Book Club. The “meetings” will be posted long run without peace with the Palestinian genius and hard work have already made roads in science and technology; culinary to Instagram and Facebook with discus- Arabs, only to see it grow stronger and miracles many times over the course of marvels; and cool sports.” Also available sion happening in the comments. The hosts wealthier during that period even though its history. Its success has, as the Times are educational material and resources, running that meeting will comment live an end to the conflict is nowhere in sight. reported, bred new and serious problems plus and bonus content, all developed in for the first hour and then following up all In the 1980s, it wasn’t clear how Isra- hard to imagine being solved by the current collaboration with The iCenter. week long. A weekly email summarizing el – still a poor country where consumer crop of leaders. To view the videos or access educa- what was talked about will also be sent. goods like appliances or even jeans were And yet, these problems will eventually tional material, visit www.theicenter.org/ For more information, sign up for their in short supply – could navigate an eco- be solved, though undoubtedly imperfectly resource/crash-test-world-israel. daily e-mail at https://my.preferencecen- nomic crisis that had wrecked the value and with the maximum noise, fuss and po- of its currency in an inflationary crisis. litical controversy that is evocative of Israel. Several years after that, it was uncertain The Jewish state recognizes that it escapes how the Jewish state could afford to house doom every day. In less than the average more than a million new immigrants from life expectancy of an American or Israeli, the former Soviet Union and then integrate it has been transformed over and over again them into its society. into a place that both delights and infuriates The Socialist ideals of the kibbutz had its inhabitants and its millions of visitors. morphed into an economic model that was No matter who finally wins Israel’s a disaster. State control of industries and election, today’s dilemmas will eventually services had created a situation in which be replaced by tomorrow’s difficulties. growth was strangled by a bureaucratic Those who lament that it is unlivable culture in which it took years to get a should remember that its current crop of phone installed. First World problems are a lot better than But less than three decades later, a Third the ones it used to face. And by now, we World backwater has become a First World should all know that betting against Israel powerhouse, with many of its enemies is always a losing proposition. recognizing that the nation is simply too Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of strong and too wealthy to be destroyed. JNS – Jewish News Syndicate. Follow him Though the process of change was ham- on Twitter, @jonathans_tobin.

ewish Federa To get Federation updates via email, the J tion on ’s e u ma yo il re lis rregister on our website A t? We send updated announcements and special www.jewishnepa.org event details weekly to those who wish to receive them.

Send Dassy Ganz an email if you would like to join the list. Pledge or Donate [email protected] online at www.jewishnepa.org/donate APRIL 2, 2020 ■ THE REPORTER 5 Israeli universities, institutes lead fight against coronavirus BY ELIANA RUDEE of the American Associates of Ben-Gurion University (JNS) – Israeli universities and institutes – and their of the Negev. affiliated academics, researchers, doctors, scientists and Professor Nadav Davidovitch, director of the School students – are leading the fight against the coronavirus. of Public Health at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the Technion?Israel shared his optimism with JNS that “this is not Armaged- Institute of Technology, Rambam Health Care Campus, don, and these situations can lead to innovation. Migal Galilee Research Institute and the Sheba Medical “Since we have national health insurance, we have Center are each at the forefront of medical technologies excellent electronic records and integration between and innovation, task forces, methods and vaccines in clinic and community,” he added. the making that are working to protect the spread of the “Israel has been preparing for this kind of event COVID-19 virus that has become a global pandemic for at least two decades with the establishment of an over the last few months. epidemiological response and intervention team,” said Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s president Pro- Davidovitch. “We have a very strong system for lab Researchers on the COVID-19 response effort at Ben- fessor Daniel Chamovitz recently announced a task force testing, a strong surveillance system for influenza out- Gurion University of the Negev, from left: Professor to “harness the university’s vast brain power, research breaks and a strong public health system well-trained to Angel Porgador, deputy vice president for research skills and ingenuity to help cope with the coronavirus do epidemiological investigations.” and development; Dr. Roi Gazit; and Avishay Edrir. pandemic,” maintaining that it is “our moral obligation Researchers at Israel’s Technion–Israel Institute of (Photo by Dani Machlis/BGU) to contribute to coping with this pandemic.” Technology and Rambam Health Care Campus have In a meeting attended by 50 scientists from diverse successfully tested a new method called “pooling,” which monly used test and believe that implementing it can be departments within the university, ideas were presented they claim will dramatically increase the country’s ability extremely useful in the months to come for pandemic and the task force broke into several groups working on to test for COVID-19 efficiently. surveillance,” he continued, “both for identifying the the most promising projects and collaborations, including Enabling simultaneous testing of dozens of samples, scope of infection in the wide community and for routine self-sterilizing facemasks, medical emergency drones, a according to the researchers, the method will greatly monitoring of populations at risk.” coronavirus test that could take just five minutes using chip accelerate the rate of COVID-19 testing and detection. A newly developed Israeli vaccine for coronavirus technology, and a telemedicine and remote triage system. Only in rare cases where the joint sample is found to be will likely be ready for testing in less than 10 weeks, said “BGU is working to be the leading university in positive will individual tests be needed for each of the Migal Galilee Research Institute’s CEO David Zigdon. Israel in providing a comprehensive multidisciplinary specific samples. Funded by the Israel’s Ministry of Science and Tech- coronavirus response effort,” said Doug Seserman, CEO Applying the test when the frequency of infection nology and in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Agri- in the population is low, Idan Yelin, a researcher in the culture, the research institute has been working for four Technion Faculty of Biology, told JNS, will “allow years towards a vaccine that can be adapted for various for identifying infection cases very early on, before an viruses, which is now being focused to create a vaccine outbreak is apparent. against COVID-19, the human strain of coronavirus. “The great thing about this method is that it can be used According to the institute, this possibility was identi- immediately,” he said, as “it uses the same equipment fied as a byproduct of Migal’s development of a vaccine and kits that are being used routinely, while conserving against IBV (Infectious Bronchitis Virus), a disease scarce reagents. affecting poultry. Now, Migal has made required genetic “Many people throughout the world found our method adjustments to adapt the vaccine to COVID-19, and is interesting and have contacted us,” added Yelin. working to achieve the safety approvals that will enable “As far as we know, this method is not currently being in-vivo testing. used anywhere [else],” he further maintained, noting According to Zigon, the institute’s goal is to produce View of the Haifa Bay from the campus of the Technion- that “the idea itself is not new; it is just that a proof of the vaccine during the next seven to nine weeks, and to Israel Institute of Technology in the Israeli city of Haifa concept was lacking. achieve safety approval in another few weeks. on February 19. (Photo by Hadas Parush/Flash90) “We showed that it works for this virus with the com- See “Lead” on page 12

ÊCheck out the Federation’s new, updated website at www.jewishnepa.org or find it on Facebook 6 THE REPORTER ■ APRIL 2, 2020 BOOK REVIEW Passover picture books and a new children’s haggadah BY RABBI RACHEL ESSERMAN Outside, a kitten da: The Magerman Edition” developed by Dr. Daniel PICTURE BOOKS FOR PASSOVER lives on his own Rose, with illustrations by Rinat Gilboa and designed Even though I am approaching my Medicare birthday struggling to sur- by Tani Bayer (Koren Publishers Jersusalem) may be (you should be able to figure out my age from that), I still vive. The book in- the answer to your prayers. In addition to the traditional love reading children’s books, including picture books. troduces readers to Hebrew text and simple English translation (there is It’s always interesting to see the clever ways authors the different parts no transliteration), it includes information about the and illustrators combine words and pictures to create of the seder the boy seder and questions/activities to stimulate discussion. something greater than the sum of its parts. Two new experiences, while The quotations offered from both traditional Jewish examples are “The Passover Mouse” by Joy Nelkin Wie- at the same time the writing and contemporary figures are excellent and der and illustrated by Shahar Kober (Doubleday Books kitten continues thought provoking. The introduction also mentions for Young Readers) and “Welcoming Elijah: a Passover wandering alone The cover of “Welcoming Elijah” that a parent’s guide is available to help adults better tale with a tail” by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by in the cold. The utilize the material. Susan Gal (Charlesbridge). two sections of the story come together when the boy This haggadah encourages readers to think about the The illustra- opens the door for the prophet Elijah and finds the kitten way the story relates to their own lives. It also offers a tions showing a outside. Welcomed into the house, the kitten, now called very short version of the history of the Jewish people Jewish village in Elijah, finally finds a home. from Abraham to the Exodus. An English language Europe quickly set “Welcoming Elijah” is an excellent way to introduce version of “Dayenu” (“It Would have Been Enough”) the time and place younger children to the basic outline of the seder and focuses on the state of Israel from the early Zionists to in “The Passover can also be used to generate greater discussion. The Israel’s contemporary role in cutting edge technology. Mouse.” Rivka, drawings create a mood that works to highlight both parts The traditional Hebrew version is also included. a lonely widow, of the story: the inside is brightly lit and friendly, while What will stand out for adults who collect haggadot is doing her final the outdoor scenes are gloomy and clearly suggest the (the plural of haggadah) are the beautiful and colorful Passover cleaning cold weather. The guests at the seder are multi-cultural, illustrations. Gilboa offers her vision of everything from the day before the which adds a nice touch. Best of all, the sweet ending the plagues to a family sitting down to the meal. Espe- seder. However, will warm the hearts of readers, young and old. cially clever was her use of stacking dolls when picturing when she enters A NEW HAGGADAH the four sons. So, even those who aren’t looking for a her kitchen the Still want to hold a traditional seder and appeal to haggadah to use with children may want their own copy, next morning, she grade-school aged children? “The Koren Youth Hagga- if only for the illustrations. see a mouse eating the bread she’d prepared to cere- The cover of “The Passover monially burn. She Mouse” chases the mouse, but he runs from her house, taking the bread with him and leaving crumbs behind. The mouse then runs into neighboring homes and soon the whole village is in an uproar. Will everyone have to do another Passover cleaning before the holiday begins? The villagers ask their rabbi what they should do. Unfortunately, he notes that, since the sages came to no firm conclusion about this type of problem, everyone needs to clean and search their houses again to make certain that no chametz (leaven) remains. But what is poor Rivka to do since she still needs to prepare food for the seder? The answer to that question is a beautiful example of community support. There is also a lovely touch on the last page showing the importance of sharing. The illustrations in “The Passover Mouse” are well done, particularly the facial expressions of the people, which clearly show their worry, frustration, anger and The plagues by Rinat Gilboa from “The Koren Youth Haggada” happiness. An author’s note shares the question from the Talmud that inspired the story, something adults will appreciate. This is a perfect book to read both when preparing for Passover and during the holiday itself. While “The Passover Mouse” takes place in the past, “Welcoming Elijah” occurs in contemporary times. The book shows two aspects of the world at the same time: one inside a warm house filled with light and, in the other, the dark, cold outdoors. Inside, an unnamed boy welcomes family and friends as they gather for the seder.

The concluding pages of the seder with illustrations by Rinat Gilboa from “The Koren Youth Haggada”

Have a Joyous Passover

Rabbi Rachel Esserman APRIL 2, 2020 I THE REPORTER 7 A festive Passover table, with hints of east and west BY ETHEL G. HOFMAN the food processor. In a large bowl, place po- (JNS) – For American Jews, observant tatoes, apples, about 1 stick melted margarine or secular, Passover is a big deal. In fact and all remaining ingredients. Stir to mix well. according to a Pew Report, almost 70 Spoon into prepared baking dish. Driz- percent American Jews attend a Passover zle with remaining margarine. seder. It’s a time when friends and family At right: A Passover Bake in preheated oven for 1¼ hours, come together to read the haggadah and table setting. (Photo by or until fi rm and nicely browned. If hear the ancient story of the Hebrews’ Wikimedia Commons) browning too quickly, cover loosely with fl ight from Egyptian slavery to freedom. aluminum foil. Of course, food is another highlight of Serve warm or at room temperature. the multi-course meal. In fact, the entire “ZA’ATAR” BAKED STEELHEAD eight-day celebration (seven days in Israel), TROUT (PAREVE) which begins on the night of Wednesday, Serves 8 April 8, revolves around specifi c foods Cook’s tips: and the prohibitions around leaven. But Place in serving bowl, cover tightly Reduce to simmer. Cook for 10-15 Line baking pan with aluminum foil today, eating remains less of an issue than with saran wrap and refrigerate. minutes, or until veggies are softened. for easy cleanup. ever before. There are literally thousands of 1 cup dried apricots, cut up Serve hot. Use fresh lemon, not bottled. types of kosher-for-Passover food and wine ¼ cup dried cherries SWEET AND ZESTY PASSOVER 2-2½ pound fi llet steelhead trout (gluten-free, lactose-free, nut-free, whole- 3 large dried peaches (about 4 oz.) cut KUGEL (PAREVE) 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice grain), though items disappear quickly from in chunks Serves 10-12 1 tsp. kosher salt supermarket shelves. Buy necessary staples ¼ cup walnuts or pecans Packed with fruits and veggies, this is 2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper and products when you see them. 2 Tbsp. packed fresh mint leaves a variation of a much-requested recipe. 1 Tbsp. za’atar Though matzah takes the place of bread 3-4 Tbsp. sweet wine Cook’s tips: 2 Tbsp. fi nely snipped parsley during Passover, there’s no need to eat 2 Tbsp. honey or to taste Chop potatoes and apple in food Preheat oven to 400°F. it with every dish. Although Ashkenazi Place dried fruits in a bowl and cover processor. Place steelhead trout fi llet on prepared Passover dishes are heavy on matzah, with boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes Wrap thawed spinach in double layer baking pan. eggs and dairy products, which were or so to soften. Drain well. of paper towels to squeeze dry. Sprinkle all over with lemon juice, salt, easily available in Eastern Europe, these Place in a food processor and pulse to Zap frozen orange juice concentrate pepper and za’atar. traditional dishes can be lightened with chop coarsely. for 10-15 seconds in microwave to thaw. Bake in preheated oven for 18 minutes. fresh fruits and vegetables, in tune with Add the nuts, mint, 3 tablespoons May be prepared one day ahead and Cooked when a knife is inserted and fl akes are contemporary dietary recommendations. wine and honey. Process to chop fi nely. refrigerated. opaque. Before serving, sprinkle with parsley. In contrast, Sephardic Passover dishes are Transfer to a bowl. Add more honey or Bake as in recipe below. Serve hot, warm or even at room light and lively, heavy on fresh produce, wine as desired. 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and temperature. exotic spices and zesty seasonings – all Serve at room temperature. cut in chunks SWEET FRUIT RATATOUILLE part of the ancient Mediterranean diet. SPRINGTIME VEGETABLE SOUP 1 medium baking potato, peeled and (PAREVE) At the Hofman house, the fi rst seder (PAREVE) cut in chunks Serves 8 features an Ashkenazi meal with dishes Makes 6-8 servings 2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored Cook’s tips: that have been adapted to add generous The ingredient list may seem long, but and cut in chunks Substitute 3 cups canned drained amounts of fruits and vegetables. The it’s easy with pre-prepared items. 4 oz. (1 stick), plus 2 Tbsp. margarine, pineapple for fresh. second night features a Sephardic meal, Cook’s tips: melted May be prepared one or two days ahead defi nitely more appealing to the diet-con- Use a good packaged vegetarian broth. 1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped and refrigerated. scious. Consider serving fi sh along with Zucchini is available precut in strips spinach, thawed and squeezed dry If made ahead, scatter pistachios over the traditional brisket or chicken. Instead or use the shredding attachment in food 1½ cups bagged shredded carrots top just before serving. of salmon, look for steelhead trout. It looks processor. ½ cup canned crushed pineapple, Substitute slivered almonds or other an awful lot like salmon, but it’s not; it’s Shredded carrots available in market. well-drained nuts for pistachios. softer and fl akier. Don’t try to divide it Prepare one or two days ahead, cover ½ cup raisins 1¼ cups pineapple or apricot preserves into neat portions; just spoon into pieces. and refrigerate. ½ cup matzah meal 3 Tbsp. orange juice Native to Alaska and the West Coast, it’s May substitute packaged kosher 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp. potato starch one of the healthier types of fi sh with chicken broth for vegetarian to make a 1/3 cup frozen orange-juice concentrate, ½ tsp. cinnamon plenty of lean protein and omega-3 fatty meat soup. thawed 2 (15-oz.) cans tangerine sections, acids. Just make sure you buy farm-raised, 1 Tbsp.olive oil Directions: drained as wild steelhead is an endangered species, ½ medium sweet onion, sliced thinly Preheat oven to 350°F. 1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut in depending on where it’s from. 1 medium green zucchini (about 1½ Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with 1-inch cubes The recipes below do not include kitni- cups), cut julienne nonstick cooking spray. 1 cup blueberries yot (legumes and seeds such as rice, corn, 1 medium yellow zucchini (about 1½ Coarsely chop the potatoes and apples in See :Table” on page 10 sunfl ower seeds, sesame seeds, soybeans, cups), cut julienne peas and lentils), which are not consumed 3 medium tomatoes, snipped coarsely by Ashkenazi Jews during the holiday. 1 cup shredded carrots ppy Passove Sephardic Jews do maintain their tradition ½ cup grated parsnip Ha r of eating rice. ¼ cup snipped fresh dill, packed Happy Passover! ¼ cup snipped fresh parsley, packed SEPHARDIC APRICOT-CHERRY 6-7 cups vegetarian broth CHAROSET (PAREVE) 2 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning or to Next year Makes 2-2½ cups taste may we all be free! Cook’s tips: In large pot, heat olive oil over medi- Sandy Weissberger Use kitchen scissors to cut up dried um heat. Leon Kaplan fruits. Add all the remaining ingredients. Post #165 - May be prepared a week ahead. Bring to boil. Jewish War Veterans

Passover Greetings from Alan Glassman

Sidney R. DeSantis - Supervisor 318 East Drinker Street, Dunmore, PA 570-343-6013 –Providing Wealth Management for Generations– www.scrantonjewishfuneral.com T: 1.800.373.3383 F: 570.823.3416 www.riggsadvisors.com Serving the entire Jewish community of Northeastern, PA Check out the Federation’s new, updated website at www.jewishnepa.org or fi nd it on Facebook 8 THE REPORTER ■ APRIL 2, 2020 Israel Aerospace Industries works with startups developing quantum technology BY YAAKOV LAPPIN enemy eavesdropping, Lupa said, while (JNS) – Israel’s largest aerospace com- a quantum-based radar can detect targets pany has announced a new program for far more sensitively. assisting startups, some of which develop “What enables these capabilities is the up-and-coming quantum technology. way we gather information from basic par- Elta systems, a division of Israel At right: An ticles like photons. We can pair photons. If Aerospace Industries, is teaming up illustration we send one to a certain location and hold with the Boston-based MassChallenge of quantum on to the other, we can know whether the startup accelerator, which will assist particles (Photo photon we sent arrived or whether it was startups developing an array of sensors courtesy of replaced by someone,” explained Lupa, and quantum-based technology. Mass- Pixabay) referring to a quantum-based communi- Challenge also maintains a headquarters cations system. in Jerusalem. A quantum radar would still send out “Our collaboration with IAI is growing radio-wave beams, but these would be closer, providing MassChallenge with a made up of single photons and could de- strategic partner for creating a high-qual- tect the return of such photons, he added. ity infrastructure for startups that seek to This year’s program will seek out netic. Dozens of startups have signed Quantum computing, for its parts, transform their innovation into trailblazing startups that develop high-frequency up. Most are from Israel, but some are replaces the traditional 1 and 0 computer products for the global market,” Yonit Ser- sensors, quantum computing and oth- from Europe, Asia and South America,” binary system with a system that calcu- kin, managing director of MassChallenge er systems – some of which could be he noted. lates the chances of 1 and 0 – meaning Israel, said in a statement. integrated with Elta’s own airborne The cooperation will see Elta help that it could have both 1 and 0 at the Israel Lupa, executive vice president intelligence, cyber, ground, air-defense startups develop, meet with investors, same time, but with different probabil- and chief technological officer of Elta, and space systems. receive assistance with marketing and ities. “This enables the computing of told JNS that his company has been co- “This year is unique since we set the sales, and receive tips on how to reach certain aspects far faster and in a more operating with the accelerator for a third topic: future sensing technology,” said target audiences. efficient manner. The computing time consecutive year. Elta mentors select Lupa. “This is a part of Elta’s area of Quantum technology covers several could be 1,000 or 10,000 times faster,” startups and go on to accompany some activity. It is about any kind of sensing fields, including computing, communi- said Lupa. When combined with artifi- in their development process. technology – optical, thermal or mag- cations and radars – all of which have cial intelligence, machines could learn functions in the military and civilian on their own with the speed of quantum worlds. “We are active in all of these computing, he stated. areas,” said Lupa. At the moment, only massive quan- Elta is a member of the Israeli quantum tum computers exist, while quantum Happy Passover consortium, established in 2019 and in- communications are still at the proof volving universities, the Israel Institute of of concept stage. Quantum radars have made some progress. But all of this is from Technology and private corporations. The consortium promotes the development of expected to change. The Jewish Federation of quantum magnetics and clocks, which “In the end, it will be a revolution,” provide more effective results in products said Lupa. “But it will not happen Northeastern Pennsylvania such as sensors. tomorrow. When these things become A quantum-based communications accessible to everyone, then it will be system is significantly more immune to revolutionary.” APRIL 2, 2020 ■ THE REPORTER 9 10 THE REPORTER ■ APRIL 2, 2020 D’VAR TORAH Global warming BY RABBI BENNY RAPOPORT, CHABAD OF Torah? That individual must know that he or she is not THE ABINGTONS-JEWISH DISCOVERY CENTER all distant, but rather has a divine spark burning deep in Tzav, Leviticus 6:1-8:36 their hearts, that is ready and waiting to burst into flames. In our parasha this week, Tzav, God commands Moses He or she must do all in their power to nourish that flame, concerning the various sacrifices that were brought on encourage it to grow strong and bright, allowing its heat the Temple’s altar. and light to radiate into their lives and cast a luminescent The Torah outlines how the kohen, the priest bringing glow of spiritual warmth into the world around them. the offering, should be dressed, how the animal should That type of global warming is good for the environment! be prepared, and how and when the firewood should be set up on the altar. And then, says the Torah, that fire, which burns upon the altar, should never ever go out, it should always keep burning. Leviticus chapter 6, verse 6, says,”aish tamid, a continual fire, shall remain aflame on the altar, you shall not extinguish it.” Now, why would the Torah require that the flames Kosher cooking for kids never burn out? Learning to kindle a fire is not that complicated; each and every one of the kohanim serving Kosher.com is offering a new program, in the Temple should be trained in how to build a fire. Nosh & Nibble, the first and only online If the Boy Scouts can do it, why couldn’t they? Why kosher cooking show for kids, by kids and the need for the altar’s fire to remain constantly aflame? about kids. The series was co-created with PJ Furthermore, having a fire burning continuously Library, a program that offers free Jewish-themed books sounds like a colossal waste of perfectly good fire- to young readers. Nosh & Nibble seeks to put kids at the wood – especially if you’re in a desert region! And helm and invites young viewers into the kitchen to create who knows what it would do to the environment? That their own recipes and crafts. The series centers around type of combustion would carry a huge carbon imprint a rotating cast of tweens and showcases these hosts as and undoubtedly add to the greenhouse gases, further they serve up kid-friendly recipes, demos, kitchen hacks contributing to global warming. and crafty activities. In all seriousness, there must be a message, a lesson, some- Recipes by Jessica Halfin thing that we can learn from this enigmatic commandment. Recipes by American-Israeli food writer are pub- The Jerusalem Talmud, which was complied in the land lished weekly at www.hadassahmagazine.org/food/. of Israel, in approximately the fourth century, adds a few The articles also include cultural information about the words of explanation to this law: “It shall burn continu- food. Halfin is a baker, cook and food and culture writer. ously, even on Shabbat, and even in times of impurity.” She is also the owner and operator of Haifa Street Food Our sages tell us that the words of the Torah carry Tours, a company that leads custom foodie adventures multiple layers of meaning. Even laws that do not phys- in Haifa, Israel. ically apply to our times have a latent spiritual message and application that rings true for eternity. Exhibit about Judith Leiber The Temple’s altar is symbolic of man’s heart. Just Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU will hold the exhibit President: Dr. Meredith Stempel as each day, in Temple times, various material offerings “Judith Leiber: Master Craftsman” through September were sacrificed up upon it, so, too, each day in our lives, 6. Alongside photographs of Leiber and her work, the we offer up ourselves, our material possessions, we focus ornately beaded bags that will be on display date back our time and our energy, we lift ourselves up, so to speak, to her first designs in the 1960s through 1993, when to dedicate our day to seeking goodness and Godliness, she sold the company to a private equity firm and later to live a life of spiritual fulfillment. retired in 1998. Born in 1921, Leiber was the first female God commands us that the passion in our heart, the apprentice and master in the Hungarian Handbag Guild. fire in our soul, the warmth and excitement that drives She survived the Holocaust by initially staying with her our behavior should never be extinguished. family and 25 others in a one-bedroom apartment, then President: Dan Marcus The Talmud’s cryptic words carry a very deep message. lived in a cramped cellar in a ghetto with 60 other people. “Even on Shabbat” symbolizes one who has already For more information, call the museum at 305-672-5044. reached a very high level of service. He or she has al- ready attained a lofty level, where like Shabbat, they are to a degree disengaged from the world. Materialism and Passover Continued from page 7 the mundane don’t pose such a great challenge to their ¼ cup pistachio halves or slivered almonds (optional) divine service, anymore. In large saucepan over medium heat, stir together the Now, even one who is on that supreme level needs to preserves, orange juice, potato starch and cinnamon. Stir constantly breathe passion and verve into their obser- constantly until melted and combined. vance. It is not nearly enough to perform the command- Bring to boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly ments out of rote, to study and observe mechanically, Remove from heat. Fold in the tangerines, pineapple with little feeling or enthusiasm. The fire, says the Torah, and blueberries. Transfer to a serving bowl. shall burn continuously in their hearts. Just before serving, scatter pistachios or slivered On the flip side, is the one who is in a state of “spiritual almonds over top. impurity” one who feels quite distant from God and His Serve at room temperature.

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Affiliation: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism or g Cantor: Vladimir Aronzon • President: Ann Lebowitz Monsky 918 East Gibson St., Scranton, PA 18510 (located at the corner of Gibson & Monroe Sts.) 570-342-0350 E-mail: [email protected] Mon. & Thurs. 7:15am; Tues., Wed. & Fri. 7:25am Rosh Chodesh & Chagim weekdays, 7 am; Shabbat Morning Service 9:30am APRIL 2, 2020 ■ THE REPORTER 11 Sommelier festival gathered wine-lovers to celebrate Israel’s thriving bottling industry BY ELIANA RUDEE the last 15 years. Since moving to Israel after growing (JNS) – In the course of the last decade, Israel’s wine up on Australian vineyards and studying winemaking industry has bloomed, with many Israeli bottles earning in Adelaide, Australia, Averi has seen a “revolution” in the recognition of the world’s major wine experts for Israel – first starting with Israel’s culinary scene, which their quality, and becoming appreciated anew by wine carried over to the boom in its wine scene. lovers and connoisseurs alike. “The quality of smaller boutique wineries and The annual sommelier exhibition in Tel Aviv, which even larger ones have jumped up,” he told JNS at the took place in February, provided an opportunity for Sommelier exhibition. “When I went out for a drink professionals and the public to witness the new quality 10 years ago in Israel, I’d tell my friends who want- and variety of Israel’s wines, as well as to experience ed to try local wines, ‘Oh, you don’t want to drink the remarkable landscape from which Israel’s wines that,’ but now, you get a very good level of quality have emerged. for your money.” The event featured tastings of Israel’s award-winning According to Averi, as the Israeli palate matured with vintages from both large commercial and small boutique its grapes, Israelis began to drink more Mediterranean wineries, opportunities to meet Israel’s new wave of blends, especially white and sparkling varieties that internationally trained winemakers and to talk with have trended in the global market, and are suitable for Katalin Pintacsi, managing director of European professionals connected to the wine industry. the climate and food in the region. Coopers, has been selling Hungarian barrels to Israeli Michael Averi, winemaker at Galil Mountain Winery, Now, he said, Israel’s wine industry is moving toward wineries this past decade as the industry has developed. reflected on the changes he has seen in the industry in more R&D, international collaboration and sustainability. (Photo by Eliana Rudee) Referring to these various trends, he said, “it will happen, but it will take time. Wine is a slow-moving industry industry for 15 years and now… I couldn’t imagine compared to high-tech because it’s traditional.” that I’d find such high-quality wines,” she said. “Israel He continued, “Because it is a small industry here, is small, but within the country there are big differences collaborating and education, as well as understanding in the climate, which create different and high-quality our climate and terroir are important,” explained Averi. varieties of wine.” “We will need to share knowledge and resources to Though aware that some European countries boycott make that jump.” Israeli products such as wine, Pintacsi maintained that According to Averi, Galil Moutain Winery is leading “we separate politics from our business.” the push toward sustainability by using fewer chemicals Adir winery’s wine-bar manager Mordecai Kohelet and pesticides in its wine-making process. Israel, who has worked for the company for eight years “Eventually, we will all have to go in this direction, and participated in the Sommelier festival this year for and reducing chemicals makes the wine taste better,” the first time, called it the “best wine event to date.” he maintained. He noted that the Israeli wine industry “has grown Katalin Pintacsi, managing director of European rapidly over the last decade, and we are now producing Coopers, has been selling Hungarian barrels to Israeli excellent wines. Almost all the wineries are successful wineries this past decade as the industry has developed. with very few closures.” Distributing to more than 10 wineries in Israel, including Some 50 percent of Adir’s 200,000 bottles produced Yatir, Tulip, Psagot, Gvaot and many others, she told per year, Israel told JNS, are exported, mainly to the Adir Winery CEO Yossi Rosenberg at the sommelier JNS that she has seen some Israeli wine surmount even United States. festival in Tel Aviv. (Photo by Zohar Halal) some of France’s iconic wine. “I’ve been in the wine See “Wine” on page 12

Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania 2020 UJA Campaign WE CAN MAKE THE WORLD BETTER BY WORKING TOGETHER The mission of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania is to rescue the imperiled, care for the vulnerable, support Israel and world Jewry, and revitalize and perpetuate Jewish life in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Name: ______Address: ______City: ______State:______ZIP: ______Home phone: ______Work phone: ______Cell phone: ______E-mail address:______

J I’m enclosing a gift of $ ______J I’ll pledge $ ______* * J One-time * J Quarterly installments (1/4 of total) * J Monthly installments (1/12 of total) 2020 UJA Campaign - Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania Payment options: 601 Je erson Avenue, Scranton, PA 18510 • Telephone: 570-961-2300 (ext. 3) J Please bill me at the above address. J Enclosed is my check payable to “UJA/Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania” J PayPal (www.jewishnepa.org – “Donate” – “Donate Online”) J Stock sales (www.jewishnepa.org – “Donate” – “Donating with stock”) J On-line banking (payment designated through my bank to “UJA/Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania”) My company (______) has a matching gift program. I’ll obtain the form and forward it to the Federation

Authorized signatureDate ERIC & ANGELA WEINBERG, CO-CHAIRS OF THE 2020 UJA CAMPAIGN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. ÊCheck out the Federation’s new, updated website at www.jewishnepa.org or find it on Facebook 12 THE REPORTER I APRIL 2, 2020 U.S. State Department offers up to $1 million to address inclusion for marginalized communities in Israel BY JNS STAFF in an announcement on March 20. Between one and sustainability of programs and participant ownership (JNS) – The U.S. State Department is offering a two grants are expected to be awarded, and the project of project outcomes; and input from participants on grant between $750,000 and $1 million for project would be between 18 and 24 months long, according to sustainability plans and systematic review of the plans to address inclusion for marginalized communities the announcement. throughout the life of the project, with adjustments made in Israel. Proposals surrounding “economic empowerment as necessary.” The department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human activities or vocational training will be considered The program could also include “inclusion of Rights and Labor (or DRL) seeks to address “the barri- technically ineligible. Program activities are intended vulnerable populations; joint identification and defi- ers to economic opportunities in marginalized groups, to address systemic barriers, not create short-term nition of key concepts with relevant stakeholders and particularly the Arab-Israeli and Ethiopian communities, livelihoods or vocational training opportunities.” stakeholder input into project activities; and systematic with a specifi c focus on political and civic engagement, Examples include “opportunities for benefi ciaries to follow-up with beneficiaries at specific intervals after improving the socio-economic inclusion of minorities apply their new knowledge and skills in practical eff orts; the completion of activities to track how beneficiaries within these communities, and reducing discrimination solicitation of feedback and suggestions from benefi cia- are retaining new knowledge, as well as applying and community-based violence,” said the department ries when developing activities in order to strengthen the their new skills.”

Lead Continued from page 5 “This will be an oral vaccine, making it particularly tioning standard services, such as outpatient care, to accessible to the general public,” he said in a press virtual visits.” release. “We are currently in intensive discussions with Secondly, Sheba is using telemedicine to support iso- potential partners that can help accelerate the in-human lated coronavirus patients in a special facility. “We have trials phase and expedite the completion fi nal product created a new standard that has now become a national development and regulatory activities.” standard in Israel,” she said. “We do this via telemedicine Rated among the 10 best hospitals in the world in 2020 kits containing innovative technology patients can use by Newsweek, experts at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center at home, which report to doctors in real time.” are currently on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic The third, she continued, is for critically ill patients. with doctors who have innovated telemedicine in treating “We designed our new dedicated COVID-19 Critical the virus, while protecting medical staff and setting the Care ICU so that nurses and physicians can treat the standard of care for telemedicine during this time. patient continuously at a safe distance, using various “Sheba Medical Center has emerged as a global leader methods such as AI [artifi cial intelligence] to predict when it comes to telemedicine in the fi ght against this patient deterioration, robotics and even a minicar that pandemic,” Dr. Galia Barkai, head of telemedicine at allow them to get close to the patients. Sheba Medical Center, told JNS. “It was only possible to implement these new services Barkai laid out the three main ways Sheba is using A view of a laboratory at the Migal Galilee Research so quickly at Sheba because we have been working telemedicine to treat and save patients, while protecting Institute. (Photo courtesy of Migal Galilee Research on advanced telemedicine capabilities for years,” said vital health-care workers. First, the facility is “transi- Institute) Barkai. “This allowed us to scale quickly at the moment of crisis.” While it’s not “brand-new technology” Sheba is in- venting, explained Barkai, the medical center excels at leveraging existing technology and embedding it in their workfl ow, setting a new standard of care for hospitals P A C E and medical centers around the world. Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment

Wine Continued from page 11 Your gift to the Annual Campaign Making to the Jewish state in 1994 from London, he said the move “made me a more complete DOES A WORLD OF GOOD. Jew by coming home and retaking the gift God gave us Endowing your gift allows you to be there for the thousands of years ago.” At the same time aliyah is central to the Jewish faith, Jewish community of NEPA forever. so, too, is wine, he stated. “Wine was part of the libation sacrifi ce in the Temple. God only wants the best, and A Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment (PACE) is a permanent fund that endows Adir and all the other Israeli wineries are working on your Jewish community Annual Campaign gift as a lasting legacy. A PACE fund will just that!” continue to make an annual gift in perpetuity on your behalf. To determine the amount you need to endow your entire campaign gift, multiply your current annual gift by 20. You can fund your PACE by adding the JEWISH FEDERATION OF NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA to your will, or by making the Federation a benefi ciary of your IRA. All contributions to establish a PACE are tax deductible. Let your name be remembered as a blessing. Endowments can be created through a variety of vehicles, some of which do not necessitate funding during your lifetime yet still provide your estate with considerable tax benefi ts. They also enable you to perpetuate your commitment to the Annual Campaign in a way that best achieves your own personal fi nancial and estate planning goals.

Examples Of Ways To Fund Your Pace Gift Are: A view of the Adir winery(Photo by Eliana Rudee) * outright contribution of cash, appreciated securities or other long-term * capital gain property such as real estate * charitable remainder trust * gift of life insurance * charitable lead trust * gift of IRA or pension plan assets * grant from your foundation * reserved life estate in your residence * bequest Using appreciated property, such as securities or real estate, a ords you the opportunity to eliminate the income tax on the long-term capital gain, will in some instances generate a full income tax charitable deduction and will remove those assets from your estate for estate tax purposes.

For more information contact Mark Silverberg at [email protected] or call 570-961-2300, ext. 1. APRIL 2, 2020 ■ THE REPORTER 13 NEWS IN BRIEF FROM THE U.S. From JNS.org financial stress. This loan fund is intended to stabilize at-risk organizations that provide TJEP launches new tutorials, resources for educators amid essential health and human services for millions of New Yorkers. An additional $1 mil- lion loan will ensure that HFLS can continue to provide loans to small businesses. The shift to distance learning Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty Met Council was granted $1.75 million – $1 Amid the unprecedented transition to distance learning made by thousands of million of which will cover operations and supplying food pantries across New York, schools, congregations and adult-education programs, The Jewish Education Project addressing growing concerns about food insufficiency among homebound seniors, chil- (or TJEP) launched a hub of resources, an EdTech help desk, virtual educator coaching dren who are not receiving city-funded hot meals and the unemployed. The remaining and webinars accessible to anyone. More than 1,200 participants engaged in webinars $750,000 will provide emergency Passover meals to more than 180,000 members of on how to provide meaningful virtual learning experiences for others. And more than New York’s Jewish community in need. Passover begins at sundown on April 8 and 3,500 educators, education leaders, parents and other professionals accessed a range of ends at nightfall on April 16. UJA is making $250,000 available for Passover meals to resources, on everything from Google classroom coaching, to mindfulness exercises, go that will be distributed to those who are newly isolated or quarantined, have relied to self-care and more. TJEP’s EdTech Help Desk is also offering 30- and 60-minute on free or subsidized communal seders, or are newly financially vulnerable. individual appointments to meet via Zoom with its director of online educational Pompeo: Iranian officials stole more than $1 billion in content for specific questions and online strategies. “We need to proactively support educators with the best and most useful tools and strategies for virtual learning,” said coronavirus assistance David Bryfman, TJEP CEO. “At the same time, we need to answer individual, very Iranian officials have stolen more than $1 billion in European assistance to combat specific, tactical questions about what kinds of technology and tools work best – and the coronavirus pandemic, instead pocketing the funds for themselves, alleges U.S. how each educator with their own skill set actually can use them effectively. Many Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Iran has the sixth-most confirmed coronavirus cases educators are adapting on the fly; there was no plan in place for this.” Veteran educa- with 23,049, and the highest number of cases in the Middle East. At least 1,812 people tors in particular are going outside of their normal comfort zones, learning how to use have died from the virus. On March 23, Pompeo released a new list of five allegations new platforms to reach and engage students, often while their parents and colleagues of how the regime has handled the outbreak. “In February, Iran’s chief terror airline, can see them succeed or fail online in real time. Educators are seeing video and live Mahan Air, ran at least 55 flights between Tehran and China, further infecting the Iranian feed options through an entirely new lens, notes Shariee Calderone, TJEP senior people,” said Pompeo. “At least five foreign countries’ first cases of coronavirus were educational consultant for early-childhood and family engagement. Educators see directly imported from Iran, putting millions more lives at risk.” Mahan Air, which is it “opening the door for them to offer stability, community, routines, rituals and the sanctioned by the United States and Germany, has operated flights between Iran and China, continued developmental-growth opportunities that their students need right now.” She despite both countries being two of the most infected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues, “Using technology with young learners is the only thing my colleagues in pandemic, according to a Voice of America report on March 19. “The Iranian regime the field of early childhood and family engagement can talk about.” Feedback from ignored repeated warnings from its own health officials, and denied its first death from educators and other conveys the need for these resources and an understanding of the the coronavirus for at least nine days,” said Pompeo. “The regime continues to lie “critical role” they play for families during this crisis. to the Iranian people and the world about the number of cases and deaths, which are UJA-Federation of New York announces $23 million in unfortunately far higher than the regime admits.” Pompeo also alleged that “as Iranian regime officials ask for more funds, it is important to note that since 2012, Iran has grants, loans amid pandemic spent over $16 billion on terror abroad, and used sanctions relief from the JCPOA to fill The UJA-Federation of New York on March 23 announced more than $23 million in up its proxies’ coffers. Regime officials stole over a billion euros intended for medical immediate financial assistance to help New Yorkers affected by coronavirus. The grants supplies, and continue to hoard desperately needed masks, gloves and other medical and loans are intended to offer immediate relief to New Yorkers facing food insecurity equipment for sale on the black market.” Pompeo asserted that “U.S. sanctions do not and to provide financial relief to UJA partner organizations so that they can continue target imports of food, medicine and medical equipment, or other humanitarian goods. to provide essential health and human services to their communities. “This first round Iranian documents show their health companies have been able to import testing kits of grants is a critical part of UJA’s broad effort to support the most vulnerable New without obstacle from U.S. sanctions since January.” Finally, Pompeo stated that “the Yorkers during this crisis,” said UJA CEO Eric Goldstein. “We’re deeply grateful to United States has offered over $100 million in medical assistance to foreign countries, all our nonprofit partners on the front lines who work tirelessly – day in and day out, including to the Iranian people, and our scientists are working tirelessly to develop a and in times of crisis – to sustain our community.” UJA will establish a $20 million vaccine. [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei rejected this offer because he works loan fund at HFLS to offer zero-interest loans to UJA partner agencies that are under tirelessly to concoct conspiracy theories and prioritizes ideology over the Iranian people.”

The Federation is asking members of its communities to support its “Friends of The Reporter” Campaign which seeks to raise $5,000 to assist in funding the newspaper. The newspaper is delivered twice of month (except for December and July which are single issue months) to each and every identifiable Jewish home in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Reporter is the primary intercommunal newspaper of the Jewish communities of Lackawanna, Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties. Supplementing synagogue newsletters, bulletins and e-mails, The Reporter is issued to hundreds of Jewish households throughout our region. Over the past several years, the publishing cost of the newspaper has increased dramatically although the newspaper continues to be provided at no charge to members of our Jewish communities in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Federation has assumed the financial responsibility of funding the newspaper at a cost of $23,990 per year and asks only that its readers assist it in raising $5,000 as part of its “Friends of The Reporter” Campaign to offset a small share of these expenses. Your gift to fund our regional Jewish newspaper matters a great deal to our readers and we would be very grateful for your finan- cial support. As always, your comments, opinions & suggestions are always welcome. With best wishes, Mark Silverberg, Executive Director Jewish Federation of NE Pennsylvania 601 Jefferson Avenue Scranton, PA 18510 ÊCheck out the Federation’s new, updated website at www.jewishnepa.org or find it on Facebook 14 THE REPORTER ■ APRIL 2, 2020

July 2019

Feature Films Fanny’s Journey- In 1943, 13-year old Fanny and her younger sisters were sent from their home in France to an Italian foster home for Jewish children. When Nazis came to Italy, their caretakers organized the departure of the children to Switzerland. Based on a true story. Hidden in Silence - During the Nazi occupation of Poland,Catholic teenage Stefania Podgorska chooses the role of a savior and sneaks 13 Jewish into her attic. Loving Leah: A Hallmark Hall of Fame Classic - A handsome Washington, D.C. doctor and a young New York woman fall in love at an unusual time... after they get married. Leah Lever is married to an Orthodox rabbi, Benjamin Lever, whose brother, Jake, is a successful cardiologist and a non-practicing Jew. Jake is stunned when Benjamin dies suddenly, but not as stunned as when he is told that, under an ancient Jewish Law, he is expected to marry the childless Leah to carry on Benjamin’s name. The only alternative is to go through a ceremony where Jake must deny his brother’s existence. For Jake, that’s unthinkable, so impulsively he suggests to Leah that they get married and maintain a secretly platonic relationship. Eager to pursue her own dreams, Leah gladly accepts. Their oversimplified plan to live separate lives under the same roof proves challenging when Leah’s suspicious mother shows up unexpectedly. The harder they try to disguise their “pretend” marriage, the more their appreciation for each other’s worlds grows - and out of understanding, a real love develops. Loving Leah is a heart-warming story. Munich - Inspired by real events, Munich reveal the intense story of the secret Israeli squad assign to track down and assassinate the 121 Palestinians believed to have planned the 1972 Munich massacre of 11 Israeli athletes. ( The Jewish Film Library also owns the movie “Twenty One Hours in Munich” about the massacre at the Olympics). Music Box - In this intense, courtroom thriller, Chicago attorney Ann Talbot agrees to defend her Hungarian immigrant father Mike Laszlo against accusations of heinous war crimes committed 50 years earlier. Norman - Norman Oppenheimer (Richard Gere) lives a lonely life in the margins of New York City power and money, and strives to be everyone’s friend. His incessant networking leads him nowhere until he ends up befriending a young but charismatic politician, Micha Eshel at a low point in his life. Three years later, the politician becomes the Prime Minister of Israel. Norman uses Eshel’s name to leverage his biggest deal ever: a series of quid pro quo transactions linking the Prime Minister to Norman’s nephew, a rabbi, a mogul, his assistant and a treasury official from the Ivory Coast. Norman’s plans soon go awry, creating the potential for an international catastrophe he must struggle to prevent. Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer is a comedic and compassionate drama of a man whose downfall is rooted in a human frailty all too easy to forgive—a need to matter. Remember - Remember is the suspense-filled story of Zev, an Auschwitz survivor who discovers that the Nazi guard who murdered his family some seventy years ago is living in America under an assumed name. The Impossible Spy - The story of the life and death of Israel’s most celebrated spy, Elie Cohen. The Last Butterfly - This World War II drama stars Tom Courtenay as the famous French Mime Antoine Moreau. Ordered by the Nazis to provide ‘the greatest show of his life’ for use as propoganda showing the kinder side of the Nazis as the war draws to a close, Moreau decides to risk everything to tell the world the real truth behind this monumental lie, and although as a mime he is pledged to keep his lips sealed, his voice must be heard. The Women’s Balcony - Discover Israel’s #1 film of the year! An accident during a Bar Mitzvah celebration leads to a gender rift in a devout community in Jerusalem. The Wedding Plan - A poignant and funny romantic comedy about love, marriage and faith in life’s infinite possibilities. The Zookeeper’s Wife - In 1939 Poland, Antonina Zabinska (two-time Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain) and her husband successfully run the Warsaw Zoo and raise their family in an idyllic existence. Their world is overturned, however, when the country is invaded by the Nazis and they are forced to report to the Reich’s newly appointed zoologist (Daniel Brühl). To fight back on their own terms, the Zabinskis risk everything by covertly working with the Resistance and using the zoo’s hidden tunnels and cages to save families from Nazi brutality. Non-Feature Films Above and Beyond - In 1948, just three years after the liberation of Nazi death camps, a group of Jewish-American pilots answered a call for help. As members of Machal- “volunteers from abroad”- this ragtag band of brothers not only turned the tide of the war; they also embarked on personal journeys of discovery and renewed Jewish pride. A Yiddish World Remembered is a PBS presentation and winner of the 2002 NY-NATAS Emmy Award. It is the story of Jewish life in Eastern Europe brought to life aain by some of the last remaining eyewitnesses. Narrated by Elliot Gould and accompanied by never-before-seen archival films, photographs and music, the documentary takes a realistic and enlightening look at this all-but-vanished way of life. Body and Soul: The State of the Jewish Nation - A powerful documentary sets the record straight eloquently and comprehensively. It not only shows the undeniable historical connection between the Jewish People and the Land of Israel, but also succeeds in debunking propaganda, myths and misinformation that have become accepted as truth by many people. GI Jews - Jewish Americans in World War II, a PBS presentation, tells the story of the 550,000 Jewish men and women who served in World War II as active participants in the fight against Hitler. In Our Own Hands - The Hidden Story of the Jewish brigade in WWII “ In the final weeks of World War II His Majesty’s Jewish Brigade - the only all-Jewish fighting unit in the war - goes into combat against the hated Nazis...and comes away victorious. It is after the war, though, that the real story of the Bri- gade begins. Amidst the chaos of post-war Europe, and under the noses of the occupying Allied armies, the young Jewish soldiers mastermind one clan- destine operation after the next: forming secret vengeance squads to assassinate Nazi officers in hiding...engineering the rescue and illegal movement of Holocaust survivors to Palestine. Later, in 1948, Brigade veterans help organize and lead the fledgling Israel Defense Forces in their new country’s War of Independence. From the trenches of Northern Italy to the refugee camps of war-torn Europe, In our Own Hands unravels the thrilling tale of young Jewish soldiers who carried the weight of a people on their shoulders. “ Itzhak - a film by Alison Chernick looks beyond the sublime musician, to see the polio survivor whose parents emigrated from Poland to Israel ultimately bringing the prodigy violinist to New York’s Julliard. As charming and entrancing as the famous violinist himself, this documentary is a portrait of musical virtuosity enclosed in warmth, humor and above all, love. Israel: The Royal Tour - A delightful tour headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and travel correspondent Peter Greenberg. Nicky’s Family - The amazing story of Sir Nicholas Winton who created, on his own, a Kinder-transport in Czechoslavakia saving 669 children from the Nazi inferno. No Place on Earth - The harrowing story of Esther Stermer and her family and friends who escaped extermination by the Nazis by hiding in an underground cave is unearthed by accident when cave explorer, Chris Nicola stumbles upon remnants left behind by the cave dwellers. Orchestra of Exiles - The thrilling story of how one man helped save Europe’s premiere Jewish musicians from obliteration by the Nazis. In the early 1930’s Hitler began firing Jewish musicians across Europe. Overcoming extraordinary obstacles, violinist Bronislaw Huberman moved these great musi- cians to Palestine and formed a symphony that would become the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. With courage, resourcefulness and an entourage of allies including Arturo Toscanini and Albert Einstein, Huberman saved nearly 1000 Jews - and guaranteed the survival of Europe s musical heritage. Featuring commentary by musical greats including Itzhak Perlman, Zubin Mehta and Joshua Bell. Rejoice with Itzhak Perlman and Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot celebrates the extraordinary artistic world of Eastern European Jewish music thanks to the joined forces of legendary violinist Izhak Perlman and renowned cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot. These two incomparable virtuosos unite for an evening of cantorial masterpieces and much more. The Catcher Was a Spy - “This gripping, stranger-than-fiction espionage thriller brings to life the incredible true story of Moe Berg, the professional base- ball player who became a World War II spy.” The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers and Soldiers and Peacemakers - A two disc-set based on the international best-seller by Ambassador Yehuda Avner. APRIL 2, 2020 ■ THE REPORTER 15 NEWS IN BRIEF From JNS.org to the health care system,” said Soboh, according to the where except France and French-speaking territories (June Rabbinical org. in Israel forms food- report. Despite the fact that hundreds of Gazans have 4) and Israel (June 25), according to Deadline. The thriller returned from abroad in the past two weeks, only 92 tells the story of an undercover unit in the Israeli Defense distribution system for elderly amid virus have been tested. More than 1,270 have been quarantined Forces with a focus on Israeli agent Doron Kavillio, played An Israeli rabbinical organization has created what it after entering Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health by the show’s creator, Lior Raz. The show’s last two sea- claims is a “unique volunteer system” for the distribution Ministry. On March 21, Hamas closed wedding halls sons took place primarily in the West Bank, but the third of food and basic necessities to the elderly and other home- and the weekly street markets, according to the report. season, which was partly filmed in the Israeli-Arab town of bound Israelis amid the ongoing coronavirus lockdown. Germany raids homes linked to neo-Nazi Jisr az-Zarqa, moves to the Gaza Strip. Deadline explained The Barkai Center for Practical Rabbinics and Community that in the third season, Kavillio “is deep undercover in the Development, an organization dedicated to building Israeli movement, bans antisemitic group West Bank, posing as an Israeli Arab boxing instructor in a society by bringing Diaspora models of community-build- German police raided in 10 German states on Thursday sports club belonging to a low-level Hamas member. Fol- ing to the Jewish state, created the system in conjunction homes linked to an antisemitic far-right movement called lowing numerous, deadly clashes with Hamas and a tragic with the Modi’in municipality. Barkai rabbis and other Reichsbürger, also known as “Citizens of the Reich.” The incident that all but shatters the team’s morale, Doron and members appointed neighborhood “captains” who set Interior Ministry said some 400 police officers seized fire- the team find themselves in unfamiliar territory: Gaza.” The up WhatsApp groups to mobilize volunteers and to be arms, neo-Nazi propaganda material and small amounts 12-episode season, like past seasons of the show, will be in direct contact with those in need in each of Modi’in’s of drugs when raiding the homes of 21 leading members presented in Hebrew and Arabic with subtitles. neighborhoods to ensure the necessary food distribution of the group United German Peoples and Tribes, which is packages. “Our community-building model has meant that associated with the Reichsbürger movement. Reichsbürger Chabad closes 770 Eastern Parkway we were ready to step in and create networks to ensure members, or “Reich citizens,” reject the authority of the for first time ever due to coronavirus those in need receive the food and other necessities they modern German state and promote the notion of “natural The headquarters of the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch so badly need during the coronavirus crisis,” said founder rights,” along with the ideology of far-right politics and movement closed on March 24 after the neighborhood’s and dean of Barkai Rabbi David Fine. “We see that this conspiracy theories, according to the Associated Press. The rabbinic leadership ordered all synagogues shut to help model can be replicated in cities and towns across Israel movement is estimated to have 19,000 members in Germany. stop the spread of the coronavirus. The building at 770 in a speedy and smooth manner, so the elderly and other The BBC explained that Reichsbürger members “believe in Eastern Parkway has never closed in its history in the Crown homebound Israelis receive what they so desperately the continued existence of a German empire, or Reich, dating Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. In a statement, require during this difficult time.” The project involves back to 1937 or even earlier. They are Holocaust deniers Chabad leadership said: “During these trying days of more than 250 volunteers who deliver cooked meals to who espouse racist conspiracy theories.” Germany’s top the COVID-19 pandemic, Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries the elderly and other homebound residents in each of security official, Horst Seehofer, has banned United German serving in 108 countries and thousands of communities Modi’in’s 13 neighborhoods three times a week. Each Peoples and Tribes, marking the first time a group tied to around the world are doing their utmost to provide calm package contains sufficient prepared food, including meat, Reichsbürger has been prohibited. “We are dealing with a and support while following protocol to protect their own carbohydrates and vegetables, for two days. In addition, group that distributes racist and antisemitic writings and in safety and the safety of their communities.” It added that the volunteers deliver food from supermarkets to hundreds doing so systematically poisons our free society,” he said. “emissaries are adapting as per local guidelines, and are of elderly and homebound Modi’in residents. When the Netflix announces release date for working to the best of their abilities to help those in need, volunteers deliver the packages, they ask the recipients “Fauda” season 3 especially the most vulnerable. With the forthcoming how they are and if they have any further needs, and alert Passover holiday, they will attempt – within these curtailed both the Modi’in municipality and Israel’s Ministry of Season 3 of the Israeli series “Fauda” will begin streaming circumstances – to ensure that people will not go without Social Affairs and Social Services to update their national on Netflix on April 16. It will be available in April every- matzah, and without a Passover seder.” database, which tracks the condition of elderly and infirm citizens across the country. IFCJ donates $2 million to fight coronavirus in Israel As the number of Israeli coronavirus cases continues to rise, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (or IFCJ) on March 20, approved $2 million in spe- cial grants to 15 hospitals in the country for respiratory equipment and other lifesaving machinery. Additionally, the organization purchased 20 special testing devices for Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medi- cal-response organization. They will help the staff test patients and reduce the burden on hospitals, preventing unnecessary contact between coronavirus patients and their surroundings. Over the preceding week, the IFCJ received dozens of urgent requests from hospitals finding it difficult to manage without the proper medical equip- ment as the situation deteriorates. The IFCJ has expedited grant approvals and the hospitals have already begun the procurement process. The organization is prioritizing hospitals in Israel’s periphery, which receive less finan- cial support and are at increased risk of collapse in the event of a coronavirus patient overload. The assistance to hospitals is part of a $5 million emergency fund that the IFCJ announced on March 16. The fund also provides basic needs to the elderly, who are more vulnerable to the coronavirus than other age groups. In support of this effort, the IFCJ started a fundraising campaign, mobilizing thousands of its donors from all around the world to raise money for Israelis in need as they cope with the pandemic. Yael Eckstein, president and CEO of the IFCJ, said, “Israel is dealing with an emergency like it has never known, and we are all committed to enlisting and assisting the medical teams that are at the forefront in this struggle. This is an urgent need, and we will go above and beyond in order to help in every way possible. We call on all our friends around the world to join us and contribute any way they can. We are indebted to our committed donors who are already answering this call, even though the coronavirus poses a direct threat to them and their communities as well.” COVID-19 reaches Gaza, sparking concern due to poor local health system Palestinian health officials announced on March 22 that two residents of Gaza that recently returned from Pakistan had tested positive for COVID-19, raising con- cerns that due the poor health care and dense population in the Hamas-controlled enclave, the virus would spread rapidly. The Gaza Strip, with its population of more than two million, is at high risk from the virus; there are similar concerns regarding Syria, Libya and Yemen, according to the AP. Abdelnasser Soboh, director of the World Health Organization’s Gaza office, said Gaza has only 62 ventilators – 15 of which are already in use. “If there is a spread to hundreds, this will cause a challenge ÊCheck out the Federation’s new, updated website at www.jewishnepa.org or find it on Facebook 16 THE REPORTER ■ APRIL 2, 2020