18 women to be honored for their distinction 33707 St. Petersburg, FL Avenue 6416 Central Tampa Jewish Press of Inc. Bay, Tampa The Jewish Press Group of Tampa JCCs & Federation’s Corky Arkovich, Bais Men- berg, Tampa JCCs and Federation; Women’s Philanthropy will present achem Chabad; Malina Augustin, Robin Kitzmiller, Beth Israel the Bobbe Karpay Women of Dis- Weinberg Village Assisted Living of Sun City Center; Traci Klein, tinction Program to 18 women rep- Residences; Deborah Bowen, Con- Florida Holocaust Museum; Mimi resenting various Jewish commu- gregation Beth Am; Sheila Bush, Osiason,TampaBay-Job-Links; nity organizations and synagogues. Congregation Kol Ami; Maureen Etty Segal, Tampa Ameet Chapter The virtual event will be held on Cohn, TOP Jewish Foundation; of Hadassah; Betty Shalett, Con- Tuesday, May 11 at 7 p.m. Lea Garbett, Congregation Beth gregation Rodeph Sholom; Haley The women were selected for Shalom; Suzanne Gellens, Jewish Solomon, Hillel Academy of Tam- exemplifying the mission of their National Fund; Susan Glickman, pa; Joan Wadler, Congregation nominating group through her lead- Tampa Jewish Family Services; Schaarai Zedek; Martine Yaldor, Keynote speaker, ership and commitment. Jennifer Goldberg, Congregation Hillels of the Florida Suncoast. Meredith Fineman This year’s honorees are: Mekor Shalom; Ilana Golden- WOMEN continued on PAGE 2 The Jewish Press Group TAMPA EDITION PAID U.S. POSTAGE of Tampa Bay, Inc. Bay, Tampa of PRESORTED Covering the Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk Jewish STANDARD communities including: Tampa, Carrollwood, Westchase, Brandon, New Tampa, Citrus Park, Lutz, Sun City Center, Temple Terrace, Plant City, OF TAMPA BAY Wesley Chapel, Land O’ Lakes, Lakeland... VOL. 33, NO. 18 A EST. 1988 www.JewishPressTampa.com APRIL 23 - MAY 20, 2021 5 honored with TGH, top Israeli Letter Professional hospital enter from Societies Awards partnership the Five outstanding community leaders were By BOB FRYER honored last month by the Tampa JCCs and Jewish Press Karen Dawkins Editor Federation with coveted Professional Societ- Barry Levine Jonathan Levy A new partnership between a major When you are out and about – assuming ies Awards. Israeli hospital and Tampa General Hos- The annual event celebrated the accom- you’ve been vaccinated – it is easy to think pital (TGH) was born last year during a that the pandemic is behind us and we can get plishments and successes of the recipients in chance encounter back to life as we once knew it. their respective fields: Jonathan Levy, entre- when Dr. Debbie But like those Covid long haulers who preneurial; Lindsay August, financial servic- Rinde-Hoffman, es; Susan Haubenstock, legal; Barry Levine, continue to feel poorly months after their a leading cardi- medical and Barry Karpay, real estate. supposed recovery, many businesses are ologist at TGH, “Each of our honorees has made a tremen- feeling long-term economic struggles. The attended AIPAC’s dous mark on their respective field but also Jewish Press is no exception. national policy on our community,” said Gary Gould, CEO It’s been a domino effect. Some businesses conference. of the Tampa JCCs and Federation. “They are closed and never re-opened and many others The 2020 con- superstars.” had to cut back on hours and employees. It ference, held in More than 100 guests participated in the Lindsay August Barry Karpay also caused businesses to reduce or curtail early March, days virtual event. A new spin on this year’s event Dr. Debbie their advertising – the lifeblood of the Jewish before the spread was the creation of “Celebration Rooms,” where family and friends Rinde-Hoffman of COVID-19 Press. from near and far joined to congratulate and toast the honorees. prompted a national lockdown, includes Not long after America began its first JCCs and Federation President Joseph Probasco conducted a live- lockdown last year, the Jewish Press cut costs from-Israel interview with Yaakov Zada Daniel and Boaz Konforty, a huge area where Israeli companies showcase their innovations and technol- by reducing publication of the paper from two two stars from the hit Israeli TV drama “Fauda,” streaming in the issues a month to one for the months of April U.S. on Netflix. The show has been nominated and won numerous ogy. Among those touting their expertise was Sheba Medical Center, located near and May, and we find it necessary to do the awards from the Israeli Television Academy. The two stars compared same again. and contrasted their real-life military experiences with storylines and Tel Aviv, Israel. “I approached people who repre- Although the decision was difficult, we characters featured on the show. canceled the April 9 and May 7 issues. You Jeffrey Berger, Tampa JCCs and Federation board member, was sented Sheba and asked if they part- nered,” Rinde-Hoffman told the will still receive the issues that go to print the master of ceremonies for the award presentations, which was Jewish Press. “My interest was in April 23 (the one you are reading now) and sponsored by Florida Health Care News. Susan Haubenstock May 21. As is our usual practice, we also will For profiles of the honorees, see page 10 PARTNERSHIP continued on PAGE 5 be monthly in June and July. Hopefully, in August, we will be on a solid enough financial footing to resume our bi-weekly schedule. ‘Minute of Yiddish’ reflects During this distressing time, we have been particularly gratified by the advice and encouragement from the Tampa JCCs and lifelong quest to make folks laugh Federation and the Federation of Florida’s Gulf Coast, which subsidize the annual cost By AMY SCHERZER show she produces on the Her Royal of mailing to nearly 14,000 households. Both Jewish Press Thighness YouTube channel. “She’s all organizations are committed to the survival of Have you met Cookie Kibbitznik yet? the adults of my Brooklyn childhood the independently owned Jewish Press. Of course you have. She’s your Bubbe, in the ’70s, an anachronism who lives While we wish we could bring you more Aunt Molly and Cousin Esther all rolled today, a go-BIG-or-go-home, power- frequent news of our Jewish community, walking, pool-jogging giver of sage ad- Parri Sontag as her alter ego Cookie Kibbitznik into one funny schtick. right now our focus is on doing whatever vice.” Husband Sid is in the schmatte busi- is necessary to weather the ill effects of the Other characters are in development, ness; the dog is named Babka; opinions pandemic. To that end we are exploring said Sontag, with aspirations of “my flow freely and frequently, unsolicited several more cost-saving moves and ways of and unfiltered. own mini-SNL.” generating more revenue. “Cookie’s a caricature of my grand- Each episode – she’s made eight in enschen How can you help? mother and all her friends back in the eight weeks – is a schmaltzy Yiddish Donate to the federations. Their resources days when people stopped by for coffee lesson, from “the Joy of Oy [“an entire & also have been stretched thin by the pandemic, and cake,” said Parri Sontag, creator of vocabulary in a two-letter word”) to avens which in turn affects their ability to provide the farklempt Jewish mother she be- “Kvetching” (“an Olympic sport”) and P R O F I L E S comes on Minute of Yiddish, a comedy YIDDISH continued on PAGE 7 EDITOR continued on PAGE 4 Abbas at J Street: Ready to ‘remove obstacles’ to relations with US By RON KAMPEAS toward enhancing Palestinian-U.S. re- Palestinian eagerness to reengage with JTA news service lations.” The current law designates the United States after years of virtu- Palestinian Authority President the Palestine Liberation Organization ally no relations under former President Mahmoud Abbas said he was ready to as a terrorist group and bans direct aid Donald Trump. Trump mostly ceased “remove obstacles” to renewing U.S.- to the Palestinians as long as payments ties with and assistance to the Palestin- Palestinian ties, apparently signaling a are made to the families of Palestinians ians, in part because of the payments, willingness to stop the payments to the jailed in Israel for any terrorism-related but also because the Palestinians re- families of Palestinians who have killed offense. jected his peace proposal, which recog- Israelis that have proven to be a stum- “On our part, we will remove all nized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and bling block. obstacles to achieve this goal,” Abbas allowed Israel to eventually annex parts Speaking April 18, to J Street’s an- said. “The continuity of these laws is of the West Bank. YouTube nual conference, Abbas also urged the frustrating and unconstructive.” At a news conference April 19, J participants of the liberal Middle East Abbas did not outline which “ob- Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami en- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas ad- policy group’s forum to lobby Congress stacles” he planned to remove, but his couraged Abbas to reform the payment dresses J Street in a video at its national conference on “to repeal all laws that block the road pledge, however vague, was a sign of ABBAS continued on PAGE 10 April 18. PAGE 2 A JEWISH PRESS of TAMPA BAY / TAMPA EDITION APRIL 23 - MAY 20, 2O21 communication and professional WOMEN development company. One of Federal authorities charge extremist Orthodox sect • CONTINUED from FRONT PAGE the core tenets of the company is “These dedicated women whom to teach women to brag and self- Lev Tahor with exploiting, kidnapping children we are honoring, each saw a promote (AKA Brag Better™), By SHIRA HANAU have sex with their husbands, to tell “International borders will not need and took action,” said Stacy and to write a vocabulary to talk JTA news service people outside Lev Tahor that they stop the FBI from pursuing justice Leeds, Tampa JCCs and Federa- positively about professional ac- Federal authorities filed child were not married, to pretend to be and enforcing violations of our tion Women’s Philanthropy chair.