z President's Letter: The Mitzvah Day My Jewish Majorca: How The Jews Thrived And 5 Importance of WJC Task Forces 7 Re-Imagined 9 Survived Before and During the Inquisition E WESTCHESTER H T JEWISH CENTER NOVEMBER 2020 ? VOLUME 80 REVIEW NUMBER 3 ? CHESHVAN/KISLEV 5781 November "Whoever listens to a witness, Virtual Highlights becomes a witness" - ELIE WIESEL 1 Israel Committee Speaker ? 10:00am Scotch & Study ? 8:30pm BY RUTH OBERNBREIT GLASS HOLOCAUST LEARNING COMMITTEE 2 Israeli Dancing ? 7:30pm 3 Torah Talk with Rabbi Dalton ? 9:45am Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, refers to the 4 Beginners Israeli Dancing ? 7:30pm state-sanctioned violence against Jews that took place on 5 Torah Class with Rabbi Arnowitz ? 7:30pm November 9-10, 1938. Throughout Austria and Germany, 10 Torah Talk with Rabbi Dalton ? 9:45am hundreds of synagogues were torched, Jewish owned businesses and homes were destroyed, and thousands 11 Beginners Israeli Dancing ? 7:30pm arrested. Each year we commemorate this date as both a 12 Torah Class with Rabbi Arnowitz ? 7:30pm memorial and a warning. The WJC Holocaust Learning 15 Mitzvah Day - 9:00am Center is honored to share the story of our member Hearts of Hope Family Hanne Holsten. Hanne was Director of the WJC Nursery Mitzvah Project - 1:00pm School from 1973 to 2006. J.O.Y. Club Event ? 4:00pm 16 Israeli Dancing ? 7:30pm The youngest of three children, Hanne Holsten, originally named Hannelore, was born 17 Torah Talk with Rabbi Dalton ? 9:45am in Nuremberg, Germany to Elisabeth and Adolph Brenner. Parents worked side by side 18 Library/Sisterhood Book Club ? 7:00pm in their jewelry business and created a comfortable and cultured home. But to be Israeli Dancing ? 7:30pm Jewish in 1938 was dangerous. Adolph was arrested and sent to a concentration camp. 19 Torah Class with Rabbi Arnowitz ? 7:30pm Miraculously, he escaped to Holland where he found refuge with Elisabeth?s sister, Eva. Virtual Song Circle with In the aftermath of Kristallnacht, mother and children were discovered by the Gestapo. Cantor Goldberg - 7:30pm Elisabeth averted arrest by claiming that they were Polish. She persuaded officials to let 22 Israel Committee Virtual Tour ? 10:00am her return to their demolished jewelry store to retrieve some inventory. 23 Israeli Dancing ? 7:30pm 24 Torah Talk with Rabbi Dalton ? 9:45am The family devised a plan to save the Brenners. Elisabeth stitched diamonds and other 25 Beginners Israeli Dancing ? 7:30pm gems inside Hanne?s doll and within the suitcase lining. Hanne, and her older brother 26 Thanksgiving Siegfried, took a train bound for Holland. Knowing the children wouldn?t disembark Torah Class with Rabbi Arnowitz ? 7:30pm because they didn?t have papers, Eva came aboard briefly with another doll and another 30 Israeli Dancing ? 7:30pm suitcase, switching them with the ones with the hidden jewels. Following the sale of these valuables, the money was used to hire smugglers to save Elisabeth and her children. Youth & Teen Programs They finally escaped Germany hidden in the fake wall of a furniture wagon and crossed 3 Teen Event - 6:00pm the border into the Netherlands in the fake bottom of a hay wagon. Eventually they 11 No Religious School were able to freely walk into Belgium, where Adolph had paid boat passage for them so 15 Teen Event - 3:00pm Continues on Page 3 17 Teen Event - 6:00pm 22 PJ Library & Story Time ? 11:00am K-2nd Grade Youth Event ? 12:00pm Teen Event - 3:00pm 25-26 No Religious School 1 www.wjcenter.org November 2020 - The WJC Review THE REVIEW of WESTCHESTER JEWISH CENTER What Do We Know for Certain? Published Monthly (except July & August) RABBI CORNELIA DALTON Westchester Jewish Center Mamaroneck, NY 10543 914-698-2960 - wjcenter.org When I was growing up I?d often hear a 1. We are our brother?s keeper. saying that my family attributed to my Through sheer numbers of donations, KATE SCHLIENTZ ALEXANDRA PAISLEY Editorial Services Director Communications Assistant great grandfather: ?May you live a long large and small, to the WJC Kol EVAN J. SCHAPIRO Layout & Design and boring life.? My great grandfather Nidre Appeal, this community has Senior Rabbi JEFFREY ARNOWITZ had come to the United States by himself demonstrated an overwhelming level Assistant Rabbi CORNELIA DALTON Cantor ETHAN GOLDBERG as a teenager in 1903, worked in the of generosity, commitment, and love. Rabbi Emeritus JEFFREY T. SEGELMAN Rabbi Emeritus DR. IRVING KOSLOWE z??l garment district, and lived through the We care for one another and for our Ritual Director Emeritus MAX FRIEDMAN z??l frightening and exhilarating ups and neighbors, friends, and members we Executive Director DAVID GOLDSTEIN Educ. Dir. & Cong. Program Coord. ALEZA R. KULP downs of the 20th century. I never quite might not know or have ever met. Early Childhood Director ANN PARDES understood what my family meant when Librarian ARLENE RATZABI 2. Surely God was in this place and I did Building Superintendent JOSE LUIS FONSECA they shared that same blessing with me, OFFICERS but I have to say - I think I?m starting to not know it. We made our way President SETH SCHAFLER through the High Holiday season, and Executive Vice President LAURENCE THALER get it. Financial Vice President YALE ZOLAND while it was different than years Treasurer MICHAEL LAPIDES I write this in early October, not knowing past? in living rooms, on decks, in Asst. Treasurer ROBIN NAZARZADEH Financial Secretary JEFFREY TAFFET what the outcome of the presidential open garages and backyards? the Asst. Financial Secretary SUSAN MILLER election will be or where as a country we feedback again and again in our Administration HAROLD TREIBER Adult Programming LAURA GRILL will be when this goes to print a few community was that the experience Children & Families NANCY SHERMAN weeks from now. was meaningful and powerful. We are Communications EVAN J. SCHAPIRO Development IAN WINTERS discovering new ways of accessing Spiritual Life LAURENCE THALER While the world is not new, each day Synagogue Arms MARK BERGER our community, our relationships, and Tikkun Olam EVE EDELMAN RUSS seems to bring with it, like the book of our religious practice. Recording Secretary AMY LEVINE-KENNEDY Genesis, news of death and destruction, Asst. Recording Secretary ALYNN PERL Chair of the Board RANDY HELLER birth and joy, betrayals, suffering, Wherever we are this November, and struggles, connections, love, and hope. wherever we end up, may it be a little TRUSTEES Ali Abrahms Andre Kaplan Alynn Perl Storms are raging, fires are burning, and more ?boring?? more peaceful, more just, Rachel Aronow Jacqui Kaplan Jill Rivel Stewart Ault Danielle Klein Holy Rosen Fink we are grappling both with one another more filled with kindness and Alisa Cohen Barney Richard Krasner Beth Rudich Ilene Bellovin Michael Lapides Seth Schafler and with our moral and religious consideration? than we anticipated. Jonathan Berg Glenna Lee Evan J. Schapiro Mark Berger Amy Levine-Kennedy Nancy Sherman sensibilities. Marisa de Sa Joanna Liebman Andrea Stoltz Elise Dowell Mia Mandel Jeffrey Taffet Eve Edelman Russ Susan Miller Steve Taubenfeld What, exactly, do we know for certain? Amy Fastenberg Susie Miller Laurence Thaler Alison Gottsegen Ilana Moskowitz Harold Treiber Laura Grill Cheryl Natbony Rob Weisstuch Randy Heller Bill Natbony Ian Winters Howard Husock Robin Nazarzadeh Yale Zoland Lawrence Iason Dina Nelson Presidents, Brotherhood CRAIG RUBIN, STUART SELTZER President, Sisterhood GLENNA LEE Co-Chairs, Parents Association LAURA GRILL, MIA MANDEL, Want to take a break from Shabbat cooking? MARISA DE SA President, Cemetery Association MILES FEDERMAN We are happy to offer weekly lunch and dinner menus from HONORARY TRUSTEES Patty?s Kosher Carry-Out Kitchen Victor Badner Mark Jacoby Elaine Stein Roberts Alan Benet Greta Koppel z?l Robert Savin z?l Orders for Friday must be received by the preceding Tuesday at 10:00am. Dan Berkowitz Jeff Lavine Sol Schargel z?l Louis Brause Howard Lazarus Stuart Schapiro Ruth Brause Albert Lefkowitz z?l Sarene Shanus Pick up only. Please note these meals do not include challah. Beverly Cannold Jenny Levy z?l Gerhard Spies z?l David Cannold z?l Gail Marcus Norman Trieger z?l Jill Caslin Martin Marcus Edward Weinberg z?l Saby Castro z?l Richard Melchner Swain Weiner Louise Cohen Zabathy Meltzer Rhona Wexler For the latest menu options and to order, visit: www.wjcenter.org Bobby Cohen Abraham Mizrahi Irving Yasgur z?l Martin Freiman z?l Lenny Queen Gerald Zeidner Questions? Contact [email protected] Stuart Gilbert Shirley Queen z?l Josef Raboy z?l Jules Gorlitz Cindy Heller Marilyn Reader Randy Heller Ronny Rosenberg z?l 2 www.wjcenter.org November 2020 - The WJC Review Saturday, November 7 - Vayera Abraham and Sarah settle down in the Promised Land, where they are Services & Study visited by three angels visit who foretell the birth of Isaac. The angels To view times or join any of our virtual services, then go on to carry out the punishment of Sodom, rescuing Lot and please click on the links communicated via Lot?s family. Lot?s wife, in a moment of weakness, turns to look at the city email and posted at wjcenter.org/virtual. in destruction and turns into a pillar of salt. The parsha continues with the stories of the Exile of Ishmael and Hagar and the Binding of Isaac Weekdays at 7:30am; Sunday at 8:00am: that we also read on Rosh Hashanah. Morning Minyan Service Led by one of our clergy or volunteers, we host minyan Saturday, November 14 - Chayei Sara in our chapel. You can join virtually. Pre-registration Our matriarch Sarah passes away in the beginning of this parsha.