Jewish rocker (virtual) concert rescheduled for Dec. 6 33707 St. Petersburg, FL Avenue 6416 Central Tampa Jewish Press of Inc. Bay, Tampa The Jewish Press Group of Jewish rocker Rick Recht will entertain local independence. The coronavirus pandemic forced Jews on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 5:45 p.m. with a free cancellation of that event. pre-Hanukkah concert via Zoom. “We are excited to host this digital pre- The program is being supported by the Jewish Hanukkah celebration. We are thankful we were Federation of Florida’s Gulf Coast along with able to reschedule this event and modify it to take Jewish educators from congregations on both place in a virtual format,” said Maxine Kaufman, sides of Tampa Bay. the Federation’s interim executive director. This will be the third in a series of Kesher: “By definition, a digital or virtual event is an The Connection presentations by the Federation. occurrence of people gathering together where Originally Recht was to give a live concert on some or all of the attendees are not physically April 26 in St. Petersburg as part of a Kesher in the same location, but are connected in a celebration of the 72nd anniversary of Israeli CONCERT continued on PAGE 00 The Jewish Press Group U.S. POSTAGE PAID U.S. POSTAGE of Tampa Bay, Inc. Bay, Tampa of PRESORTED STANDARD www.jewishpresstampa.com VOL.33, NO. 8 TAMPA, FLORIDA A NOVEMBER 6 - 19, 2020 12 PAGES Inspired to run in shadow of Charlottesville JustJustJTA news aa service nosh..nosh.. and Jewish Press staff anti-Semitism, Joe Biden claims presidency Tampa’s Alan Cohn loses bid JTA news service Trump, and stands to dramatically husband to Vice President-elect for congressional seat WASHINGTON – The race for shift U.S. policy in a number of Kamala Harris, will be the first Alan Cohn, a former investigative journalist president was called for Joe Biden areas, including a robust confron- male and the first Jew in a spousal from Tampa, lost in his bid to win Florida’s 15th on Saturday, Nov. 7 when he ac- tation with the flourishing of big- supporting role for a vice presi- Congressional District in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 otry in the United States and the dent. general election. The Democrat was the only Jewish cumulated an insurmountable lead congressional candidate in the state outside of South in votes counted in Pennsylvania. reestablishment of U.S. ties with Biden launched his campaign in Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Im- Florida and was defeated by Republica Scott Franklin, The former vice president traditional allies. April 2019 saying he was spurred a Lakeland city commissioner. Franklin won by about a achieved the rare ousting of an Biden’s also win makes some to run because of what he said 10-point margin, 55 to 45 percent. President-elect Joe Biden incumbent president, Donald Jewish history: Doug Emhoff, BIDEN continued on PAGE 8 Cohn also ran unsuccessfully for the for the congressional seat in 2014. The 15th District covers eastern Hillsborough and portions of Polk and Lake counties. Community Leadership Cohn was an investigative reporter for ABC’s WFTS- TV (Channel 28) in Tampa, then worked for WWSB, the ABC affiliate in Sarasota, as its 7 p.m. news anchor and Awards handed out managing editor before resigning when he announced ■ Related story, Page 6 this year’s run for office. The Tampa JCCs & Federation celebrated more than a dozen In conceding the election, Cohn noted, “We had real exceptional individuals during the Sue and Jeff Schoenbaum differences about how to best address the priorities of Annual Community Leadership Awards ceremony. the residents of this district, but he is a good man …” Nearly 140 participants tuned in Oct. 15 to see the recipients the Lakeland Ledger reported. receive their honors during the Zoom presentation. The event Frankel defeats fellow Jew in shines a light on individuals who demonstrate outstanding ser- Jeffrey Berger was the South Florida culture clash recipient of the Leo Levinson vice and set the standard for leadership in our community and beyond. Lois Frankel won reelection in her South Florida Award for Leadership House district, fending off a challenge by the right-wing Excellence The evening opened with greetings from Gary Gould, CEO self-described “Islamophobe” Laura Loomer. The race of the Tampa JCCs & Federation. He lauded the evening’s re- pitted two Jews at different poles of the sociopolitical cipients as “rock stars” and recognized the generosity of Sue culture wars against each other – a moderate Democrat and Jeff Schoenbaum for their annual campaign matching gift in Frankel and a far-right agitator in Loomer, who plays challenge. on her Jewish identity in her adamantly anti-Muslim Joe Probasco, president of the Tampa JCCs & Federation, Screenshot from WhatsApp rhetoric. “We’re putting the Jews on trial here in District 21,” welcomed the honorees and guests and set the stage for the Videos circulated of a man reciting a prayer Loomer told the JTA news service. “They have a choice evening stating, “We could not exist without help from these for victory for Donald Trump in an Orthodox between a Republican Jew who is going to advocate for extraordinary people.” He added, “Each of you adds incred- synagogue Tuesday morning, Nov. 3 ible value to the Jewish communal enterprise and to the wel- their survival in their best interests, or they can stand with self-hating Jew Lois Frankel, who is doing the bid- fare of our greater Tampa community.” He thanked them for ding for the jihadists in the Democrat Party who are just their “extensive investment of time, energy and passion” as Anxious voters literally walking Jews to the gas chamber.” well as “the mitzvahs you do to help repair our world that so Loomer, who has been banned from platforms such Sara Golding Scher received desperately needs our attention.” as Twitter for her rhetoric, was supported by the Trump the Bob Jacobson Memorial Those selected by the Federation for honors were: turned to an old campaign. President Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara cam- Award for Excellence AWARDS continued PAGE 2 paigned for Loomer in Florida in the fall. standby: prayer Marjorie Taylor Greene becomes By SHIRA HANAU Congress’ first QAnon adherent JTA news service Boosting the Annual Campaign Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene will When Rabbi David Seidenberg wrote become the first member of Congress who has Volunteers, donations National gift match to help a prayer for the presidential election in expressed belief in the QAnon conspiracy theory, which 2004, he wanted it to be usable by people is rich in anti-Semitism. sought for #GivingTuesday stretch dollars to do good on both sides of the political aisle. Greene, whose Democratic challenger dropped out of This year, he added lines calling for the race in September, has made headlines throughout Getting ready for Black Friday and Cyber For those making a new or increased donation to the Tampa JCCs and the tearing out of tyranny and the pulver- the campaign cycle for her promotion of the theory. She Monday? The Tampa JCCs & Federation ization of plans to undermine democracy signed an online posting in 2018 that accused Jewish would like folks to add #GivingTuesday, Federation’s Annual Campaign, the billionaire George Soros and the Rothschild family of donations pledged by the end of this year – in an acrostic spelling out “Trump,” the Dec. 1, to their calendar. name of the president he hopes will be being involved in the conspiracy, which alleges that can grow by 50 cents for every new dollar Held on the Tuesday following voted out of office. powerful figures run an international pedophile ring and thanks to a matching gift commitment from influence world policy. Thanksgiving and the widely recognized He expected that part of the prayer shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Jewish Federations of North America. would be used by people who, like him, Jonathan Sacks, former UK chief rabbi Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the Here’s how the Human Services hoped to vote Donald Trump out of of- charitable season, when many people focus Matching Gift Challenge works: every new fice. But he was surprised to find that and Jewish ‘intellectual giant,’ dies on their end-of-the-year giving. or increased pledge to the local federation’s some Trump supporters are using it, too. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of the The event will take place at the Bryan 2021 Annual Campaign will be matched by “It kind of makes me happy,” Seiden- United Kingdom whose extensive writings and frequent media appearances commanded a global following Glazer Family JCC during two shifts: 9-11 50 percent. berg said. “Because I think, well, God a.m. and 6-8 p.m. This year’s event will For new donations, a $100 donation among Jews and non-Jews alike, has died. can take their intention and turn it into Sacks died Saturday morning, Nov. 7, at age 72, look a little different. The Tampa JCCs & becomes $150 or a $1,000 donation what’s good also.” his Twitter account announced. He was in the midst Federation is taking precautions to keep becomes $1,500 and so on. For those Seidenberg’s “A Prayer for the Elec- of a third bout of cancer, which he had announced in volunteers safe while they are at the Bryan increasing their annual donation over the tion” is one of several pieces of new October. Glazer Family JCC, including taking previous year, only the amount of the or adapted Jewish liturgy circulating Sacks was among the world’s leading exponents of temperatures at the building’s entrance and increase will be matched by JFNA.