13-19 Sivan 5780 • June 5-11, 2020 Connect. Inform. Inspire.

YULA High Schools join our community

in mourning the loss of

R ABBI DR.
NORMAN L AMM Z”L

Rabbi Dr. Lamm was the former President, Rosh HaYeshiva and Chancellor of Yeshiva
University. He was one of the most extraordinary, elegant, and articulate spokesman
for Jewish life in modern times. His oratory, wisdom and leadership inspired
communities around the world for over three decades. He will be remembered
as a leading Modern Orthodox thinker and Rabbinic scholar of our generation.
Additionally, Rabbi Lamm was instrumental in partnering with Rabbi Hier in sharing
Yeshiva University’s name when YULA began in 1979.
We join the community - and indeed the entire Jewish world - in mourning his passing.

MAY HASHEM COMFORT THE LAMM FAMILY AMONG THE MOURNERS OF ZION & JERUSALEM.
LESSONS FROM A PANDEMIC

Scientific, Medical and

Halakhic Experts Converge at
Yeshiva University this Summer

DR. JEREMY WERTHEIMER, PHD

INTRO TO COVID-19 DRUG DEVELOPMENT
Learn how to use computational tools to visualize proteins, search protein databases and model protein
structure. Learn about lab techniques to synthesize proteins and measure how well they bind target
molecules. Opportunity for promising student drug designs to be synthesized and analyzed.

Jeremy Wertheimer, PhD, is a computer scientist and received his doctorate from MIT in Artificial Intelligence.
Dr. Wertheimer is a Vice President of Engineering at Google and a trustee of Cooper Union.

DR. JEREMY BROWN, M.D.

HOW PANDEMICS SHAPE THE WORLD
This course will explore historical epidemics from medical, social and the religious angles. Students
will learn about the Black Death, smallpox, cholera, influenza, HIV and place the current COVID-19
pandemic in context, using eyewitness accounts, historic and contemporary scientific papers, literary
depictions and religious perspectives.
Jeremy Brown, M.D., is the Director of Emergency Care Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where
he works on government-wide efforts to improve emergency care.

RABBI DR. SHLOMO ZUCKIER, PHD

RESPONSES TO COVID-19 IN JEWISH RITUAL AND THEOLOGY
This course examines a variety of rabbinic and communal responses to COVID-19 in the realms of
ritual and theology. Using six case studies, students will analyze the relevant question and diversity of
opinion on the issue, focusing on primary sources and zeroing in on the issues and values at stake.
Rabbi Shlomo Zuckier, PhD, is a member of YU’s Kollel Elyon and a professor at Yale Divinity School. Rabbi Zuckier
is an alumnus of Yeshivat Har Etzion and Yeshiva University (BA, MA, Semicha), as well as of the Wexner, Tikvah,
and Kupietzky Kodshim Fellowships.

Learn More at www.yu.edu/summer BUILDING TOMORROW, TODAY

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 20 26 39 29

INSIDE THE JOURNAL

20 » A NATION IN TURMOIL In the wake of George Floyd’s 30 »SHABBAT OF SHATTERED GLASS Former Journal
death while in police custody in Minneapolis, protests and riots sweep intern Michelle Naim writes about the looting of her father’s jewelry stall
the country and our community. Jewish Journal staff reports. in downtown Los Angeles.

9 » COLUMNISTS Tabby Refael on dealing with her fears; Rabbi 32 » JEWS
Aryeh Cohen on the Jewish obligation to first “shun evil”; Ariel Sobel on
why antifa should not be designated a terrorist group; Steve Smith on the
lessons of survivors; Rabbi Ilana Grinblat on managing overwhelming
moments; Deborah Blum on the foibles of wearing a mask; and Rabbi
Adam Kligfeld on sweeping away racism.
15 » BLACK AND BLUE (AND WHITE) We re-publish a
thought piece by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson from July 2016 that deeply
resonates with the chaotic times we are in.
WEIGH IN ON PROTESTS After peaceful
protests decrying police brutality devolved into riots over the weekend,
Jewish organizations took to social media to share their concerns. Staff
Writer Aaron Bandler reports.
36 » ISRAEL FILM FEST GOES VIRTUAL Seven Israeli
films from the Israel Film Center Festival will be available to view, along
with Q&As with cast and crew over two weeks in June. Gerri Miller
reports.

19 » UNREST AND RABBI HANINA Political Editor Shmuel 38 » ‘MRS. AMERICA’ MEETS HER MATCHES The
FX series highlighting Phyllis Schlafly’s pushback against the ERA in the
Rosner on how we should combat civil unrest around the globe by
’60s pits her against loud, proud, progressive Jewish women. Ariel Sobel
listening to the advice of a first-century Jewish scholar on the necessity
of prayer. reports.

26 » BREAKFAST OF KINGS The Sephardic Spice Girls share 39 » ‘HITLER’S TRUE BELIEVERS’ Jonathan Kirsch reviews
Robert Gellately’s book subtitled, “How Ordinary People Became Nazis.”
their recipe for a quintessential Israeli breakfast dish: shakshuka.

27 » TABLE FOR FIVE: NASSO Judy Gruen, Kylie Ora Lobell 42 »leader
TORAH GIANT REMEMBERED A tribute to longtime
of Yeshiva University Rabbi Norman Lamm, who died on May 31
and Rabbis Avraham Greenstein, Nicole Guzik and Nolan Lebovitz offer
their unique insights on this week’s Torah portion. at 92.

29 » STEVEN LOWENSTEIN 1945-2020 Michael 46 »HUC-JIR PRESIDENT’S FIRST YEAR Andrew

Berenbaum’s moving tribute to the erudite historian and social worker Rehfeld discusses his new job, and how the Reform movement is adapting
who worked tirelessly with the homeless on Skid Row. to rapid change during pandemic times. Jessica Donath reports.

» SHABBAT CANDLE LIGHTING 9 » Columnists 26 » Food 39 » Book Review

Fri June 5 7:43 p.m.
Shabbat ends June 6 8:47 p.m. 17 » Nation/World 30 » Community 40 » What’s Happening
19 » Rosner’s Domain 36 » Arts 46 » Just Asking

June 5-11, 2020 JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 5

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June 5-11, 2020
When the Riots Took Over the Story
» by David Suissa
THE VIDEO OF GEORGE FLOYD
pleading for his life while Minneapolis
cop Derek Chauvin dug his knee into his
neck felt all too familiar. Like Eric Gar-
ner in New York, Floyd cried out, “I can’t
When the media sees
burning police cars,
the looting of small
businesses or an
attack on CNN offices,
you can bet they’ll be
all over it.
breathe.” As with Michael Brown’s death
in Ferguson, riots ensued. Floyd’s death
also occurred not far from where an un-
armed Philando Castille was killed by po-
lice in 2016.
In other words, we’ve seen this movie
before.
Well, yes and no.
This latest episode of a heartless cop
crushing his knee into a poor man’s neck,
while his fellow cops just stood by, seemed
to reach another level. The revulsion was
instant and widespread, with condemna-
tions from police chiefs across the country.
No one was cautioning that we should get
all the facts before rushing to judgment.
The cruel face of an abusive cop oblivi-
ous to the cries of a dying man was all we
needed to see, and it sent everyone into a
tizzy.
It also felt like a tipping point, a final
straw that turned frustration and anger
into rage and fury. In the midst of the pan-
demic crisis, when so many have lost their
lives and livelihoods, Floyd’s death was
the match that lit a national tinderbox.
Equally outrageous was the failure to
immediately arrest Chauvin. The killing
occurred on a Monday; authorities didn’t
arrest him until Friday − well after the ri-
ots had started. As legal expert and former
prosecutor Andrew McCarthy wrote in Na-
tional Review Online, “The claim that the
prosecutor had to wait to authorize an ar-
rest until the investigators nailed down all
the evidence is nonsense.”
It’s quite possible an immediate ar-
rest of Chauvin and his three accomplices
might have prevented or at least mitigated
the rioting. In any case, the failure of law
enforcement to move swiftly and force-
fully was unforgivable.
What especially pains me is that the
rioting has taken over the story. Floyd’s
killer doesn’t deserve that we change the
subject. His crime ought to remain the
story. But that’s not how the media works.
When the media sees burning police cars,
the looting of small businesses or an at-
tack on CNN offices, you can bet they’ll be
all over it.
Even if it’s only a criminal minority ex-
ploiting the chaos, for the media, the op-
tics of riots are like red meat to a lion. That
is where we are now; “Violent Protests
Break Out Across Nation” has become the
major headline.
It goes without saying that there’s no
excuse for violence, looting and destruc-
tion of property, just as there’s no excuse
for an overly aggressive police response to
the demonstrations. But the deeper trag-
edy, as I see it, is that the rioting is under-
mining and overtaking a worthy cause.
Instead of talking about police violence,
we’re talking about protestor violence.
That’s not justice.
During a press conference on Saturday,
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti urged peo-
ple who would resort to violence, “Do not
do a disservice to the memory of George
[Floyd] . … Do not make a disservice to the
folks who have died at the hands of the
brutality that we all stand against.”
EDITOR’S NOTE
These are easy comments to make for
those who are not victims of racism and
violence, but the mayor has a point. The
rage among protestors is justified, but the
rioting only sets back their cause.
Instead of the Summer of Riots, this
should be the summer of “I Can’t Breathe.”
If I had a magic wand, I would orga-
nize Million People Marches with protes-
tors across the nation wearing masks that
say, “I can’t breathe.” In fact, everyone
who wears a mask during these pandemic
times should write “I can’t breathe” on
them.
Instead of the
Summer of Riots,
this should be the
summer of “I Can’t
Breathe.”
An “I can’t breathe” solidarity move-
ment that would rally the nation would
keep the focus on the original crime and
the original issue. Looking beyond the
present riots, it’s not too late to plan na-
tional marches for July Fourth — our na-
tional holiday of freedom.
George Floyd and other victims of rac-
ism and police violence deserve nothing
less. n
JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 7

Don’t be shy. Send your letters to letters@jewishjournal.com
Annexation and History
Shmuel Rosner offers much food for
thought regarding Israel’s annexation
of Judea and Samaria (“Annexation
Complications,” May 15).
There are two opposing issues: moral
and practical. It boils down to whether
Jews have a moral right to live in the
West Bank and would the Palestinians be
treated by Israel’s moral standards.
Historically and based on the Balfour
Declaration and similar mandates from
recognized international authoritative
organizations, Jews have every right to live
there.
On the other hand, until recent years,
there was no semblance of a Palestinian
nation, nor did the Arabs or Muslims claim
that land.
Would Israeli annexation force the
Palestinians living there to suffer South
African-type apartheid? One need only
observe how Palestinians currently
serve in the Israeli parliament, attend its
universities, work in its industries and
receive treatment in its hospitals.
Then there is the practical matter
as to whether “Israel might turn into
a binational state and lose its Jewish
majority.” That is an issue to be considered
in the future as we see how things develop
over time.
Second, I agree with Larry Greenfield
— that Biden would not be good for Israel
(“Would a President Biden Be Good for
Israel?” May 15).
Biden has opposed Israel’s annexation
of the West Bank. Historically, there is no
doubt that the land under consideration
was part of its home going back to the days
of Moses when the Hebrews escaped from
slavery in Egypt, and that it was set aside
to be part of the national Jewish home,
starting with the Balfour Declaration
in 1917 and re-confirmed by several
recognized international authoritative
organizations.
On the other hand, Halie Soifer,
8 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com
YO U R T U R N
who favors Biden, focuses primarily on
President Donald Trump’s inadequacies
and that “we cannot afford another four
years” of Trump in the White House.
Yes, the proposed annexation would be
a deterrent to a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But there are
other more important factors — such as
planting the seeds of hate in the minds of
the Palestinians and other Arabs/Muslims.
I question whether a two-state solution is
realistic at this point.
That Biden aligns with the Jewish
community on many policy priorities has
nothing to do with the question: Would a
President Biden be good for Israel? No.
George Epstein
Los Angeles
Columnist’s Buddy
Mark Schiff’s column about his
close relationship with a Palestinian is
so appropriate in our nation’s current
situation (“A Palestinian Muslim Calls Me
His Brother,” May 29). A person doesn’t
have to be black to be outraged by what
happened in Minneapolis and a person
doesn’t have to be white to be outraged at
the looting across the country. We are all
in this together, whites and blacks, Jews
and Muslims and all political foes. We
may disagree and may want to protest but
there’s a respectful way to do so.
Richard Katz
Los Angeles
Poor Choice for Award
I was saddened to learn that San
Francisco State University (SFSU) professor
Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi was given
an academic leadership award (“SFSU
Professor Who Called Zionists White
Supremacists Selected for Academic
Award,” May 22).
To put this into perspective, imagine
that a public university with a history of
discrimination against a racial minority
group issues an apology. A racist professor
then condemns the apology on official
university media. Should that professor be
honored?
That’s basically what happened here.
SFSU has a long, shameful history of
condoning anti-Jewish and anti-Israel
extremism by pro-Palestinian groups. In
2017, SFSU President Leslie Wong even
suggested that Zionists, notwithstanding
the First Amendment, weren’t welcome on
his public university campus. A year later,
he apologized, saying: “Let me be clear:
Zionists are welcome on our campus.”
Abdulhadi, an ethnic studies
professor who has praised Palestinian
terrorists Rasmea Odeh and Leila Khaled,
condemned Wong’s apology, calling it a
“declaration of war.” Her post appeared
on the official SFSU Facebook page for a
program Abdulhadi directs. Subsequently,
graffiti saying, “Zionists not welcome”
covered the campus.
Abdulhadi abused her academic
position to promote hate. That’s the very
antithesis of academic excellence.
Stephen A. Silver
San Francisco
ZOA and HIAS Election
A recent Journal online story reported
on a letter that maligned me and my
organization (Zionist Organization of
America) for opposing the election of HIAS
chair Dianne Lob to become chair of the
COP (Conference of Presidents of Major
Jewish Organizations).
The letter misleadingly identified its
signers as caring “young Jews.” In fact,
these “young Jews” were predominantly
J Street U officials or members. Top J
Street U signers also recently tweeted in
honor of “Nakba Day” (meaning Israel’s
rebirth was a catastrophe); supported
teaching a notorious, virulently anti-Israel
“Colonizing Palestine” course at Tufts; and
boasted about helping to organize J Street’s
campaign to insert anti-Israel planks into
the Democratic Party platform.
J Street’s letter wrongly claims that it
is “odious” to oppose resettling “heavily
vetted” Muslims.
In fact, numerous bipartisan experts,
including top Obama officials (including
former FBI Director James Comey and
former director of National Intelligence
James Clapper) confirmed the weakness
of U.S. vetting, and the unavailability of
needed information.
ZOA does not oppose anyone “because”
they are Muslim. ZOA opposes the entry of
and HIAS’ resettlement of certain people
because they come from nations where
ADL polls show that 74% to 93% of the
population is anti-Semitic, and where
studies confirm that schools teach hatred
of Jews and Israel, and glorify “martyrdom”
from early childhood onward. HIAS may
well be endangering American Jews and
support for Israel by resettling anti-Semitic
refugees who also likely will oppose strong
U.S.-Israel relations and will vote for and
Letters should be no more than
200 words and must include a valid
name and city. The Journal reserves
the right to edit all letters.
letters@jewishjournal.com.
lobby for those promoting these ugly
beliefs.
Morton A. Klein
National President
Zionist Organization of America
(ZOA)
Intergenerational Magic
Emma Steuer, thank you for honestly
describing the Pressman Academy
students’ mixed emotions about their
visit to the Iranian Senior Jewish Center
(“Bringing Joy,” May 29). It is truly a
beautiful, rewarding journey of give and
take that you have begun.
As a creator of many intergenerational
and intercultural programs for almost 30
years, these visits are a great opportunity
for students and seniors to learn about
commonalities between generations and
cultures. The collaborative aspect of this
explorative journey is essential, and art,
music and oral histories are wonderful
vehicles.
When I lived in Mount Washington,
a hillside community near downtown
L.A., a group of Jewish, African American,
Japanese, Italian American and Irish
women and I gathered with a multi-ethnic
sixth-grade class at the Mount Washington
School.
Through the five senses and probing
questions, we met one another as equals,
unified across experience and generations.
Through music from our varied ethnic
backgrounds, we created movements that
expressed our emotions, dancing together
undaunted by physical limitations. We
shared ethnic food, smelled flowers and
spices, and listened to one another’s voices.
We created collages and exhibited our
stories in art galleries and on community
center walls.
Yes, there is a miracle in survival, but
the greater miracle lies in how much
wisdom we gain from living, each of
our stories unique and precious. Also,
our sages teach that, in the times of the
Messiah, the children will teach their
elders. What can we learn, and what can
we teach? The journey itself will tell.
Mina Friedler
Venice
June 5-11, 2020

Mourning in Fear
» by Tabby Refael
AS AN OBSERVANT JEW, I TURNED
off all electronics from the evening of May
28 to the evening of May 30 for Shavuot
and Shabbat. When my husband and I took
our 4- and 2-year-old boys out for a walk at
dusk, police helicopters chopped through
the skies and two Hatzolah vehicles
drove by with an ominous warning via
megaphones: “Go home. Lock your doors.”
ly It wasn’t long before I understood what
was happening. In fact, it was transpiring
less than half a mile away on La Cienega
Boulevard during an alleged armed attack
by looters at a Panda Express and a pawn
shop. Siren blares interplayed with the
unsettling sound of helicopters, followed
by what sounded like small explosions.
ly
my
Even though I’m a mother in my 30s, in
that moment, I just wanted my parents.
ir
er
I wanted to be near them because the
last time there were looters and structure
a fires near my home during the 1992 L.A.
nd riots, I was 9, and my family was recently
al
30
As I hugged our oldest son in his bed, I
ty
ut
realized I had become my parents. I had
nd
is
rt,
ul to keep this child safe, physically and
n, emotionally.
wn
n, arrived refugees. My parents couldn’t help
sh me process the violence, sirens and flames.
ic There was only fear. But the one thing they
on could offer was physical protection and
that was enough. I still remember how,
ng in true Persian style, my father held vigil
s, behind our front door, armed only with
s. long, steel kabob skewers (in his defense,
ic they were very pointy).
at Twenty-eight years later, as I hugged
er our oldest son in his bed, I realized I had
We become my parents. I had to keep this
nd child safe, physically and emotionally.
s. I also realized everything I process
ur about civil unrest, whether it’s related
ty to my experiences in Iran, or in 1992, or
today, is filtered through a prism of my
ut experiences as a refugee — and a lot of
ch fear. And something tells me in this city of
of immigrants, I’m not alone.
o, In 1992, hundreds of Iranian refugees
he had set up shop in downtown L.A., selling
ir products ranging from trimming to leather
an car seat covers. They were joined by
Korean shop owners who, too, were forced
to start again in the United States, but it
was a small price to pay to be in America.
20 June 5-11, 2020
COLUMNIST
Support the Jewish Home’s
COVID-19 Emergency
Relief Fund
Your actions today will save lives.
The Los Angeles Jewish Home is on the front
I’ll never forget the television images line protecting thousands of seniors afraid of
of some of those Korean business owners what COVID-19 may mean for them. The
Home is their last line of defense, and we
who’d formed armed militias, standing on
the roofs of their stores, armed with AK-
47s to thwart the looters. The sight was
surreal. I can’t, however, confirm whether
simply cannot fight this without you.
Going Above and Beyond for Senior Care
the Persian shopkeepers stood with kabob
skewers.
For over a century we have been a leading
Many of these immigrants saw in the
police officers, security and protection,
contrary to what many members of the
black community associated with law
provider of high-quality care to seniors. As we
enforcement, while others expressed confront COVID-19, we are fighting for our
loved ones, heroic staff Lorand healthcare
feeling abandoned by police and left alone
to protect their stores.
Whether in 1992 or the past two weeks,
a lot of immigrant shopkeepers, including
workers.
Persians, devastated by the loss of their
livelihood and the physical trauma of
Please help us by contributing to our
walking past shattered windows and
empty shelves, may well have wondered:
COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund today.
Why me? What did I have to do with any
of this?
In 1992, looters burned a Korean-owned
pharmacy in a small shopping center on the
corner of Pico and La Cienega boulevards,
and I wasn’t able to find answers as to
why a place that helped people had been
targeted, and what the owner had done to
deserve it. On May 31, my phone alerted me
to an attempted break-in at the T-Mobile
store in the same shopping complex.
A lot has changed in the past few
decades. I now know what the 1992 riots
would have been like had smartphones and
social media existed. And yet, some things
remain unchanged. Black Americans still
face injustice. As I mourn for members of
the black community in the face of such
unforgivable injustice against people like
George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud
Arbery, I also mourn for the shopkeepers
DONATE at
across the nation whose businesses were
destroyed — in the middle of a pandemic,
https://community.jha.org/KeepThemSafe
no less — by looters.
I’m still a little child who can’t shake
her fear. n
Tabby Refael is a Los Angeles-based Or CALL 818.774.3031
writer, speaker and activist.
JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 9
 COLUMNIST

W
A hub for student, faculty, and community engagement at

First, Shun Evil

the University of California, Berkeley

» by Aryeh Cohen
“SHUN EVIL AND DO GOOD” THE
Psalmist charges (Psalms 34:15). OK, we say,
but why is that a two-step process? Why
not just “do good?” As the kids used to say
on Facebook — when the kids used to use
Facebook — “it’s complicated.”
The Izbica Rebbe, a 19th-century
Chassidic master, puzzled over the first
verse in Chapter 19 of Exodus. “On the
third new moon after the Israelites had
gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that
very day, they entered the wilderness
of Sinai.” Israelites had arrived at the
moment which would define their “being
in the world,” their reason for existence,
the height of their sojourn: the revelation
T
We, in the United States, especially the »
white community (and white Jews among
them), are still in the sura me-ra/shun
evil stage. We still are implicated in the be
workings of systemic racism and white ni
supremacy. One way we do this is that on
we demand black and brown protestors ies
behave nonviolently. Many of us do this de
out of solid motivations, believing this
is the way we would behave in the same led
situation. However, we have to ask the ed
question: Do we embrace nonviolence tio
now? Not in some hypothetical situation, ch
but in our lives. The answer, I’m afraid, is lia
no. Let me explain. sa
In those situations where we demand ta

PRESENTS: POD CA ST S E R I E S
at Sinai. Yet the moment was introduced protestors behave nonviolently, what Se
by recalling the lowest moment in their exactly are we doing? Well, law enforcement en

ON ISRAEL & JEWISH IDENTITY

spiritual, but especially their physical personnel, who are operating in our name, an
existence: Egypt, the house of bondage. are carrying weapons (lethal and nonlethal)

IN THE AGE OF COVID

EPISODE 1: Ha-Haydak Ha-Politi
(The Political Bug)
Why mention Egypt in this context? The and are using them. “We” are responding or
Izbica Rebbe replied to his own question: to the protestors by rolling up in armored sh
While it only took a short while to vehicles and deploying officers clad in full ha
ign
th
EPISODE 8: On Denisovans and bl
Neanderthals - Breakthroughs in

EPISODE 2: Coronavirus Lesson - How

Jews and Arabs United to Fight a Plague
in Ottoman Palestine a Century Ago
EPISODE 3: A Coronavirus Recession in
Israel
EPISODE 4: Democracy, Religion and
State: Israeli Constitutional Law Update
EPISODE 5: Mental Health and the
Politics of Trauma in Israel - A Nation
on the Couch
EPISODE 6: Emergency Law and Power
in Israel - Where Are the limits?
EPISODE 7: Technology, Surveillance,
and COVID-19: The Israel Experience
The full series is now available
to stream online here:
bit.ly/berkeleylive
Human Evolution
EPISODE 9: Holocaust Museums and
Memory
EPISODE 10: Borders - Why Are States
Putting up Fences?
EPISODE 11: Haredi Communities and
the Religion and State Divide during
COVID-19
EPISODE 12: Talmudic Wisdom on Crisis
EPISODE 13: Jewish Journalism and
Reporting on Crisis
EPISODE 14: Online Extremism in a Time
of Global Pandemic
After we have learned to be
nonviolent, we might have the right P
to demand that others behave o
s
nonviolently. b
physically exit from Egypt, it took three
months to get Egypt out of them. Before
combat gear. “We” are asking the National
Guard to patrol our streets. “We” reportedly A
n
being able to hear the revelation of God, are shooting rubber bullets, tear gas, tasers
they had to get Egypt out of their souls. and live ammunition at the protestors.
This is the “shun evil” that precedes the “We” are far from having learned to shun Am
“do good” of the revelation. evil. We must train ourselves in nonviolence.
What is Egypt in the Torah? Egypt is The nonviolence of voting against expanded ly
systemic oppression and racism. Egypt police budgets and expanded jail budgets at U.
is the argument that one people has the the expense of expanded education and M
right to enslave another people. Egypt health care budgets. co
is the argument that some humans are After we have learned to be nonviolent, fa
worth more than others. More than the we might have the right to demand that re
physical oppression, the Israelites had others, especially the others whom we
to leave their intellectual and spiritual have been oppressing for centuries, behave cla
oppression — the belief that the Egyptians nonviolently.
had a right to oppress them. Only then Our ancestors, on the road out of Ho
could they hear “I am God, your God, who slavery and toward Sinai were able to free re
has taken you out of the land of Egypt, the themselves of Egypt — for a while, at least.
house of bondage.” For the first thing that We, who have benefited from the toil of “te
God says, as the early 20th-century Rabbi enslaved people directly or indirectly, must St
Aharon Shmuel Temares teaches us, is “I am commit ourselves to do the same, lest our th
God who despises cruel oppression.” country go the way of biblical Egypt. Am
After Israel has acted on sur me-ra, shun First, we shun evil. n w
evil, then it can embrace the aseh tov, the “do w
good” of the rest of the Ten Commandments Aryeh Cohen is professor of rabbinic studies
and all the other commandments. at American Jewish University. th

10 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com June 5-11, 2020 Ju

 COLUMNIST

NOW
Why Antifa Is Not a OPEN!
Terrorist Organization
he » by Ariel Sobel
ng
un “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Right now, the NCTC is prohibited from pre-
he will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Or- venting violent anti-Semites like the Pitts-
te ganization,” President Donald Trump tweeted burgh and Poway, Calif., shooters. Trump’s Na-
at on May 31, the morning after American cit- tional Strategy for Counterterrorism includes
rs ies were engulfed with protests decrying the preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons.
is death of George Floyd. However, known neo-Nazis still are able to ob-
is Trump declared the lootings were “being tain firearms.
me led by antifa,” a decentralized movement unit- Unlike white supremacist groups, which
he ed by its militant, sometimes violent opposi- explicitly call for victimizing racial and reli-
ce tion to fascism and the far-right. Pittsburgh’s gious minorities, antifa’s mission is not in-
n, chief of police agreed. Attorney General Wil- herently violent. Antifa’s rampages normally
is liam Barr also pointed his finger at the group, end in property damage. The only recorded
saying the protesters were using “antifa-like antifa-related death was in January 2019
nd tactics.” However, acting Homeland Security when member Charles Landeros fired at po-
at Secretary Chad Wolf said, “A number of differ- lice while being arrested. He missed and was
nt ent groups are involved in these whether it’s killed by returning fire. Compare that to self-
e, antifa or it’s others, frankly.” described white supremacist Robert Gregory
al) Whether you agree with antifa’s ideology Bowers, who is charged with walking into the
ng or approach, the president’s announcement is Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue in October
ed shocking, given that many of the most violent 2018 and killing 11 Jews. That incident was
ull hate groups in the United States aren’t des- not isolated. Patrick Crusius is charged with
ignated as terrorists. One notable example is killing 23 people at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart
the Ku Klux Klan, which for decades has used in August, leaving behind a white nationalist
bloodshed, intimidation and crime to terrorize manifesto.
Crusius had posted about his intent to kill
on the website 8chan. If white nationalists
were considered terrorists, the NCTC might
President Trump isn’t have been able to track and potentially stop
the deadliest attack on Latinos in modern
Valley Vista offers a full suite of senior living
only ignoring white American history. options, including Assisted Living and Memory
supremacist terrorism
However, Trump isn’t only ignoring white
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nt, far-right caused 73% of domestic extremist- crimes, unless he interfaced with al-Qaeda.
at
we
related slayings from 2008 to 2019.
However, Trump has been hesitant to de-
Does that make any sense?”
One thing that does not make sense is Call us today at (818) 906-4400 and
ve clare these menacing groups as terrorists.
Countless other home-grown neo-Nazi,
cracking down on antifa instead of more per-
nicious groups.
schedule a tour at our Visitor Veranda.
of Holocaust denial and Skinhead organizations Whether you approve of antifa’s message
ee remain undesignated. or tactics, it is not nearly as consequential a
st. When the United States labels a group as threat to Americans as white supremacist
of “terrorist,” it is not a symbolic gesture. If the groups. Although it might be more politi-
st State Department designates antifa as such, cally advantageous for Trump to rail against
ur the Treasury Department will freeze any the anarchy-loving movement, he is driving 7040 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91405
American property or assets the group has. It this nation, and his blind spot endangers all
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with antifa.
License #197609969
es Terrorist groups are under the purview of Ariel Sobel is the Journal’s social media
the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). editor.

20 June 5-11, 2020 JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 11


Survivors Teach Us A Lifeline in the Waves
‘There Is No Forgiveness
Without Rage’
» by Stephen Smith
MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS BURNING.
Buildings were smoldering as I walked
my dog on the morning of May 31. Shat-
tered glass was on the sidewalk, graffiti
on the store windows and on the shuls.
George Floyd’s death has awoken our
country to a tragic reality: Too many black
Americans still live in justified fear of rac-
ist violence. It’s a weight that, too often, is
carried by too few. The rest of us live most
of our lives at a comfortable distance
from the injustice we know persists.
Today, we all feel a searing sense of
Too many black Americans still live in
justified fear of racist violence.
shared anger. On May 30, tens of thou-
sands gathered in Pan Pacific Park to
protest — me included. The spirit of the
protest gave me a cautious sense of hope.
People of all ages, races and backgrounds
stood shoulder-to-shoulder, donning their
masks and risking infection to stand up
against an even more insidious disease
with an even higher body count: racism.
This is a moment to see past differ-
ences, to rediscover both our common
humanity and our common fight against
man’s ever-present inhumanity to man.
There are five people sheltering in my
house in the burning Melrose district. A
Christian parent, a Jewish parent, two
Asian American kids and a house guest of
African descent. We will not allow others’
narrow-minded views to divide us. This
is a moment for solidarity between com-
munities.
Solidarity is not easy. It cannot be
boiled down to a neat equation of his-
torical suffering. When you deal every
day with Holocaust survivors, as I do,
you know that each group’s suffering
is incomparable and unique. The racial
violence in Minnesota surrounding the
death of George Floyd taps into four cen-
turies of pain that is uniquely felt within
the black community.
And yet it’s a pain that many of the
Holocaust survivors I am proud to con-
sider friends can understand viscerally.
People like Edith Eva Eger, who 75 years
12 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com
ago survived Gunskirchen concentration
camp. Eger knows what it means to have
to explain to young people that the world
is more dangerous than we wish it was;
the shadow of injustice longer than we
might realize; and the specter of cruelty
closer at hand than we might wish to ac-
knowledge.
“Forgiveness cannot be realized with-
out justice,” Eger told me as the protests
grew, “It’s OK to be angry … there is no
forgiveness without rage.”
She knows that generations of Ameri-
can Jews have their own need to reckon
with persistent hate. Anti-Semitic kill-
ers who have attacked Jewish communi-
ties from Pittsburgh to Poway instilled in
us the recognition: That could have been
me. That could have been my father, my
sibling, my partner, my friend, my com-
munity.
How many African American men and
women must be thinking the same thing
right now? How painful it must be for
black communities to process not only
the pain of George Floyd’s death, but to
know that so many other victims came
before George Floyd and too many will
come after? How doubly crushing it must
be to feel this pain in the wake of a pan-
demic that claimed such a disproportion-
ate number of black lives.
One thing that Holocaust survivors of-
ten tell me is that loss can bring clarity
about what really matters. My realization
is that what matters today is being an ally
and showing up for other communities as
you would wish them to show up for you.
Turning that common feeling into mutual
support is painstaking, important work
that must be sustained and cannot come
and go with each crisis.
As Edith Eger reminded me during the
increasing violence, “Love is not what you
feel, it is what you do.” n
Stephen D. Smith is Finci-Viterbi execu-
tive director of the USC Shoah Foundation.
» by Rabbi Ilana Grinblat
IS THERE NO MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE
level of tsuris (troubles)?
Last week, my daughter wore the dress
we bought for her bat mitzvah party to
my cousin Stanley’s Zoom funeral in-
stead. Stanley died from COVID-19 after
seven weeks on a ventilator. My daugh-
ter’s party had been canceled because
of the coronavirus. On the night of May
30, that daughter, who already is terrified
that more family members might get the
disease, saw the video of the police of-
ficer’s knee on George Floyd’s neck and
her beloved Hello Kitty store looted. She
heard the police sirens. The destruction
was a few miles from our house, three
blocks from where her grandparents live,
on the block where her friend lives.
“Why, Mommy,” she asked, “did the
police officer stand on the man’s neck
until he died?” “Why, Mommy, are people
burning down the stores?”
I have questions, too. As parents, we
want to help our children feel safe and
confident. How is that even possible in a
world like this?
At the beach, strong waves crash
near the shore, but if you swim out past
them, calmer waters await. These past
few months, I’ve felt that if I work hard
enough at my job, try hard enough to
help and comfort my children, somehow,
How can anyone keep their spirits up in
a place where some lives seem to count
more than others?
I can get to more tranquil waters.
But the waves keep crashing, harder
and harder, and try as I may, I can’t get
to the other side. The current carries me
away and I feel like I’m drowning. Don’t
we all?
This week’s Torah portion is called
Nasso because it starts with the
words Nasso et Rosh — lift up the heads
of the people of Israel. The phrase refers
to the census. The portion begins with
this uplifting start, but in the next sen-
tence, we learn not everyone is counted.
Because the census is for military pur-
poses, only males from the ages of 30 to
50 are counted.
Lift up your head. I’ve been doing ev-
erything I can think of to hold my head
high — to keep my hopes up through the
last 12 weeks of the pandemic. But how?
How can anyone keep their spirits up in
COLUMNISTS
a place where some lives seem to count
more than others? Where some have so
little and some have so much? Where
some lives are lost much more easily
than others?
The next lines of the Torah portion tell
us the answer: We must remove from the
camp anyone with a malady, and each
person much confess the wrongs they
have done and make amends.
What should we now confess?
In the Atlantic, George Packer wrote,
“When the virus came here, it found a coun-
try with serious underlying conditions, and
it exploited them ruthlessly. Chronic ills —
a corrupt political class, a sclerotic bureau-
cracy, a heartless economy, a divided and
distracted public — had gone untreated for
years. We had learned to live, uncomfortably,
with the symptoms. It took the scale and in-
timacy of a pandemic to expose their sever-
ity — to shock Americans with the recogni-
tion that we are in the high-risk category.”
Indeed, we must confess the preexist-
ing conditions that have plagued humanity
for centuries and threaten our democracy
today: racism, sexism, classism, homopho-
bia, xenophobia, transphobia and ableism.
These ills all boil down to thinking some
lives matter more than others.
The Book of Psalms teaches, “If Your To-
rah had not been my delight, I would have
drowned in my sorrows.” We now are all at
risk of drowning in tsuris.
But we have one rope to hold onto. The
lifeline is Genesis 1:27, the idea that “each
person is created in the image of God.” If
everyone in this world could hold in their
hearts that each person’s life counts, that
shop owners, honorable police officers, black
men walking down the street are all created
in the image of God, and act accordingly,
then we can stay afloat.
On the morning of May 31, my daughter
learned her synagogue community, Temple
Beth Am, gathered (with social distancing
and masks) to clean up looted stores near
her grandparents’ home. Maybe, just
maybe, there’s still some hope yet. n
Rabbi Ilana B. Grinblat is the vice presi-
dent of community engagement for the
Board of Rabbis.
June 5-11, 2020

A Mask Standoff
» by Deborah Fletcher Blum
AS I RECENTLY WALKED MY DOG ON
Hollywood Boulevard one morning, two
young men approached me, not wearing
masks. I worried. Then I gestured to my
mask-covered face, hoping they would get
the idea. One guy shook his head “no.” I
darted across the street to avoid possibly
being exposed to COVID-19, but what about
next time?
Were these gentlemen too self-absorbed
to care, or had they simply not heard
about the mayor’s new order requiring all
Angelenos to wear facial coverings outside
their homes?
While driving on the 405 Freeway, I saw
signs advising Angelenos to “Remember to
practice social distancing” and “Remember
to wash your hands.” But one sign was
notably absent: “Remember to wear a face
covering.”
Many around the city share my
frustration with people not complying
We must keep
the entire city
in our hearts
and minds to
combat COVID-19
successfully and
pave the way for a
brighter future for
our beloved city.
with the mayor’s order. As we struggle
to understand the dissent of non-mask
wearers, or occasionally lash out at them
in anger, I believe we must seek creative
solutions to the problem.
Some people may need tickets and fines
to be convinced, but others might merely
be unaware. If this sounds like the four
children at the Passover seder, perhaps
re-reading the Haggadah can inspire us
to find ways to educate with compassion
and creativity, using the powerful tools of
technology and brainpower. Wearing masks
is new for most Americans. We enjoy the
freedom to dress and speak as we like. We
are not used to donning masks to avoid the
spread of illnesses.
But the reality is that washing commonly
June 5-11, 2020
touched surfaces cuts down on the spread
of the coronavirus. Wearing masks is crucial
for public safety, especially as we reopen
our economy. One can avoid touching items
and carry sanitizer, but we must breathe.
Los Angeles County’s population of
approximately 10 million is larger than New
York City’s or Hong Kong’s. Wearing masks
may go against our individualist grain, but
it certainly would help many stay alive, and
would keep those who venture out of their
homes safer.
Los Angeles endures unprecedented loss
of lives and livelihood. Sadly, the pandemic
stubbornly persists. As retail shops reopen,
life resumes — but at what cost? If we wish
to help our city get back on its feet, stand
proud and strong, and not tumble again in
the near future, we need to ensure every
person follows best practices.
As a former elementary and high school
teacher, I believe strongly in education. I
also believe we Jews cannot idly stand by.
We can find ways to educate the public
because one-to-one battles are dangerous,
exhausting and inefficient. We have laws,
but don’t want cops on every corner.
The other day, I walked by three
people with masks on their chins. As
I approached wearing my mask, they
pulled on theirs. In this instance, my
individual example worked, but reached
only three people. This message needs
to be shouted from the rooftops. Our
synagogues could schedule Zoom
meetings to brainstorm. We could create
apps, hire creatives, use nonprofits,
volunteers and even college students at
home for the summer.
We must keep the entire city in our
hearts and minds to combat COVID-19
successfully and pave the way for a
brighter future for our beloved city. As
we head back to the beach, and to our
beloved synagogues — although we don’t
know how that will work yet — let us
keep in mind the parts of the city where
the disease is still running wild. Eighty-six
percent of people who tested positive in
nursing homes had no symptoms. The only
way to stop this deadly virus from spreading
is for everyone to wear masks. We still need
to work out how to chant Torah with masks
on, but I am sure it can be done!
The sky’s the limit to what we can
accomplish when we work together.
Communication is an art. Let us become
angels for our City of Angels and help
Angelenos through this crisis. n
Deborah Fletcher Blum is a Hollywood-
based writer and documentary filmmaker.
We Must Sweep
Away Racism With
the Broken Glass
» by Rabbi Adam Kligfeld
EACH MORNING, IT SEEMS WE WAKE UP
to a different city than the one we lived in a
week ago. Of course, we must acknowledge
that far too many citizens have, for too long,
been living in a different reality than the
blessed one most of us inhabit.
That imbalance, which is deeply unjust
and undermines the lofty stated values of
our nation, is the source of today’s pent-up
outrage, pain and sadness. We were afraid,
justifiably, over the last few nights. For our
well-being. For our neighborhoods. For
our shuls. There is reason to fear that the
unrest may still impact us. And we also
must confront the fact that so many in our
society, just because of the color of their
skin, are afraid many nights.
We will not solve this centuries-old
societal malady, imbalance, injustice and
conflict today or this week. We, as the Jewish
community, will not ourselves bring peace
to Los Angeles or the nation. But we also
cannot refrain from our duty to do what is
right and good, to listen to others’ pain, call
out injustice when it is obvious, and call out
and refuse to tolerate lawlessness when it
spills from righteous and legally protected
protest. We cannot stand idly by and wait
for others to do tikkun olam.
Tens of thousands of us have spent many
of the last nights within a few hundred feet
of terrifying rioting and damaging looting.
We must search our consciences and hearts
to find solidarity with so many in our society
traumatized by injustice, racial profiling and
brutality. Our nervousness about the former
does not absolve us of reckoning with the
latter. And our sensitivity to the latter does
not preclude our focus on the former. We
can, as Hillel taught us, both be for ourselves
and for others. We must.
As a resident of this city, I am hurting.
As a citizen of this nation, I am hurting. As
a man who considers assessing another’s
worth and treatment as a result of the color
of his or her skin to be about the foulest way
to express one’s humanity, I am hurting. As
a leader who tries to stand for important
issues while maintaining stances of nuance
and clear-headedness, I am hurting. I am
witnessing yet another moment where
society devolves into screaming matches,
out-outraging the other; and when the good,
the just and the righteous deteriorate into
lawlessness, violence and mayhem.
Sunday morning, members of my
COLUMNISTS
shul, Temple Beth Am (along with
many members of many local Jewish
communities), spent hours sweeping up
broken glass, recommitting ourselves to
our neighborhood and bringing deeply
appreciated comfort and care to small-
business owners reeling from the violence.
At the same time, Jews know broken
glass always means more than one
thing. We are only conveniently righteous if
we focus only on the lawlessness of those
Jews know broken
glass always
means more than
one thing.
who diverged from the peaceful and just
protests, and absolve ourselves from the
obligation to look inward, into the crevices
of our own souls that may unconsciously
or consciously harbor hatred, racism and
bigotry; if we focus only on sweeping away
the glass shards of neighborhood stores,
then look away as too much of society tries
to sweep away centuries of racist policies,
thuggery and brutality; if we focus only on
condemning those who exploited rage to
wreak havoc and commit robbery without
condemning those who committed the sins
that served as the engine of the protesters’
indignant rage.
We will condemn ourselves, and our
brothers and sisters, to a never-ending cycle
of broken glass, sweeping up glass, broken
society and empty promises of liberty and
justice.
We must stand against racism,
eradicating it even where it hides in our
souls. We must continue to think and act
both righteously and wisely. We must do
all this as Angelenos. As Americans. As
humans. As Jews. I write this with a heavy
heart, and with great love for my fellow
Jews, my fellow residents of this great city
and my fellow citizens. n
Rabbi Adam Kligfeld is the senior rabbi at
Temple Beth Am.
JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 13

THE VIRUS THAT THREW US ALL A
curve until we anxiously flattened it is still a
public health menace. No vaccine. No reliable
antibody tests. No scientific certainty.
No matter. The people want out, and gov-
ernors are slowly giving it to them.
Which means that the news cycle is be-
ginning to spin toward new stories — the
tragic racism and riots in Minnesota and
across the country and an impending presi-
dential election.
Remember that? Bernie, Buttigieg, Booker,
Bloomberg, Biden. An impeachment trial and
acquittal of the president. All to kick-off 2020!
The choice between President Donald
Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden
A Question
for Joe Biden
on Israel
» by Thane Rosenbaum
will be decided in November. Many voters
likely will be wearing masks — some safe-
guarding against bacteria at the ballot box,
and the rest in shame.
It will be a momentous but largely unin-
spiring presidential contest, except for the fact
that both candidates suffer from a virus of a
different sort, located in their mouths: Biden
exhales giant gaffes; Trump insults without
any impulse control.
As we anticipate whether the national
conventions will comply with social distanc-
ing or be held at all, many questions will be
directed toward the candidates. For Israel sup-
porters, however, one very important matter
has gone unanswered and Biden should be
required to address it.
The question hasn’t bedeviled him yet,
probably because the angel dust that the
media and Jewish liberals sprinkled all over
14 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com
MY TURN
former President Barack Obama apparently
dusted off on his trusty vice president. Presi-
dent Obama received a pass on Israel.
Joe Biden, hopefully, will not.
Every police procedural TV show or film
has the same obligatory scene. A potential
suspect or eyewitness is asked, “Where were
you on the night of ... ?”
In Biden’s case, the relevant date is Dec. 22,
2016.
What happened that night? Well, a Mid-
dle-Eastern Pearl Harbor occurred the very
next day, with the United States serving in
the role of Japan. Guess who got blindsided?
America’s inaction infamously tarnished
the “special relationship” between Israel
and the United States.
The U.N. Security Council passed Resolu-
tion 2334, with a 14-0 vote and one absten-
tion — the United States. The U.S. has Security
Council veto power; the other four nations
that also have veto power — China, France,
Russia and Great Britain — all voted in favor.
In the most extreme language possible, the
resolution condemned Israeli settlements as
a “flagrant violation” of international law with
“no legal validity.” It also referred to all of Je-
rusalem as “occupied territory” — meaning
a return to the border that existed before the
Six-Day War, and the implication that even
the Western Wall was not part of Israel proper.
Given that Israel captured these territo-
ries in a defensive war, the land was never
part of a Palestinian state, and that violence
against the Jewish state has never subsided,
there is no legal, moral or political basis
for the assault on Israeli sovereignty that
Resolution 2334 represented. (And Article
49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which
states, “The Occupying Power shall not de-
port or transfer parts of its own civilian pop-
ulation into the territory it occupies,” simply
does not apply to this situation. Jews had
a possessory claim to the land. The Israeli
government did not transfer anyone — the
settlers sprinted toward the territories of
their own volition. Finally, neither the West
Bank nor the Gaza Strip was part of an ac-
tual state contemplated by Article 49.)
Before the passage of Resolution 2334, the
official American position on Israeli settle-
ments was that they were unhelpful to the
Photo illustration by MammothCat
peace process. Never were they deemed “il-
legal.” And before Resolution 2334, whenever
Israel was being ganged up on at the Security
Council, which always dominated the agenda
of the U.N. in ways that genocides in Congo,
Sudan and Syria, and occupations in North
Cyprus, Kashmir and Kurdistan never do, the
United States could also be relied upon to veto
the resolution.
Not this time, however. During the final
days of the Obama administration, the United
States abstained. It is simply not possible to
overstate the magnitude of this betrayal.
“Well, Joe, where were you on the night be-
fore that unfortunate vote?”
If in the Situation Room, did you say
anything that resembled the following: “Mr.
President, if I may: We simply must veto
this resolution. First, it is legally wrong on
its face. Second, it completely upends the
relationship between Israel and the United
States. Third, it’s not how we should treat a
friend that happens to be the only democ-
racy in the region. Fourth, our silence will
be interpreted as if we believe that Israel
should return to its former indefensible bor-
ders. And lastly, sir, the resolution says noth-
ing about Palestinian rejectionism and vio-
lence, which is the main reason why there is
no peace and no two states.”
Biden was known for his fierce loyalty to
the president. It is unlikely that he responded
in this manner, or at all. He knew that his boss,
despite the many areas of cooperation and as-
sistance between the two countries, also had
a curious fetish when it came to spanking Is-
rael, and especially its prime minister, Benja-
min Netanyahu.
And he was fixated on Israeli settlements
with a passion he couldn’t summon when it
came to challenging the tyrannical ayatollahs
of Iran, and brutal dictators elsewhere. The
Obama administration was less interested in
American Exceptionalism than with Ameri-
Remember that?
Bernie, Buttigieg,
Booker, Bloomberg,
Biden. An
impeachment trial
and acquittal of the
president. All to
kick-off 2020!
can contrition. And it treated Israel as if it, too,
had colonial sins to atone for.
After a long and distinguished career of
public service, many fine things can be said of
Vice President Biden. But if he was silent on
the night of Dec. 22, 2016, then being solidly
pro-Israel is, I’m afraid, not one of them — es-
pecially when compared with the Middle East
track record of President Donald Trump.
Trump’s bona fides as a booster of the Jew-
ish state are without equal. Even if reelected,
he may still be remembered as the most po-
larizing, anti-democratic and possibly worst
president in American history. But in Israel,
after four-years of unprecedented gift-giving,
he can rightly claim to be the stepfather of
Zionism. Theodor Herzl might not even mind
the shared billing.
Thane Rosenbaum is a novelist, essayist, law
professor and Distinguished University Profes-
sor at Touro College, where he directs the Forum
on Life, Culture & Society. His work has appeared
in major national and global publications. His
most recent book is titled “Saving Free Speech ...
From Itself.”
June 5-11, 2020

A version of this story originally appeared on
jewishjournal.com in July 2016.
WE ARE SWIMMING IN BLOOD.
Ancient American fault lines of race, wealth,
privilege and violence are ripping open be-
fore our weeping eyes. Whatever progress to-
ward healing the rifts we thought we might
have achieved seems vulnerable to the new
assaults and the rage they reflect. Whatever
coalitions we have built seem fragile in the
face of new realizations of inequality, race
hatred and access to too-accessible weap-
Black and Blue (and White)
» by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson
ons of mass destruction.
In this storm, we seek haven. Perhaps Jew-
ish tradition contains some wisdom to help
us find the path toward healing, to guide us
toward policies of true tzedek u’mishpat (justice
and equity). Perhaps if we train ourselves to
see through heaven’s perspective, we might
discern the way out of this ancient ruin. Dur-
ing these dry summer months, it is a Jewish
tradition to read the Mishnah’s compilation
of rabbinic wisdom, Pirkei Avot (“Ethics of the
Fathers”). Let its perspective elevate our own.
We didn’t cause it, but we have to fix it
“It is not for you to complete the task, but
neither are you free to stand aside from it.” (M.
Avot 2:21)
Each of us was born into a world we did not
fashion. We did not invent the social structure
that privileges some and marginalizes others,
nor did we launch the democratic structures
that make progress possible. The problems,
the creativity and the institutions were cre-
ated by the generations before us. We are their
heirs to both the good and the bad. Regard-
ing the problems, we are not guilty. But we
are responsible. How we respond to the real-
ity we find ourselves facing, how we take the
democratic institutions our forebears created
and advance a vision of greater justice, greater
June 5-11, 2020
inclusion, greater peace is very much ours to
determine. Those choices also will constrain
and empower our children’s generation. What
we do matters.
Truth, justice and peace
“The world stands on three virtues: on jus-
tice, on truth, and on peace.” (M. Avot 1:18)
We cannot heal our social divisions if we
don’t begin with justice as our goal, with truth
as our standard, and with peace as our way.
Our goal must be a society in which some-
one’s race doesn’t matter — and yet matters
very much. Vis-à-vis one’s rights as citizen,
one’s race should be irrelevant. But as a mat-
ter of identity, culture and pride, one’s race
and community matter equally for each citi-
zen, and deserves honor and attention from
society at large.
Truth means recognizing a second bipolar
reality. On the one hand, we have made great
progress as a society. African Americans now
serve as leaders in scholarship, industry, gov-
ernment, education and a host of other are-
nas. Our nation has benefited from females
and black males as Supreme Court justices,
secretaries of state and president of the Unit-
ed States. Legal battles won for voting rights,
access to fair housing and equal education
have made a real difference.
But these changes are not nearly enough.
The rate by which black individuals get pulled
over by police for often-minor offenses, get
arrested for those offenses, and the length of
their sentences and their rate of incarceration
is markedly different than for white Ameri-
cans. But on the ground, the rates of violence
against blacks are significantly higher than it
is for other races. Access to nutritious and af-
fordable food, to affordable housing, to quality
education still is largely correlated to race and
income.
A commitment to the standard of truth
also requires recognition that although most
Americans oppose racism, the culture has
marinated in racist belief and practice for so
long that we all are infected by its residue. In
1775, when Patrick Henry sought to defend
the new democracy, he chastised his fellow
(white) Virginians that they should be men
and not slaves. As with his fellow Founding Fa-
thers, African slavery was not marginal to his
identity; it was at the core of his sense of what
a worthy American is not: not a slave, not a
black person. The pervasive sense of blacks as
inferior, suspect, alien, runs through the very
Photo illustration by MammothCat
core of American democracy. To acknowledge
these truths is not to foment a race war; it is
simply to root ourselves in truth. America is
not a level playing field, and truth requires us
to acknowledge there is much work yet to do.
Justice requires we keep the goal of equal-
ity, diversity and shared values firmly in place.
Truth requires acknowledging the chasm
between what ought to be and what is. And
peace reflects the American conviction that
the locus of value lies in each individual per-
son. If liberty is built one person at a time,
then we must respect the rights of every per-
son, starting with their right to life, to security,
to well-being.
Seeing with another’s eyes
“Do not withdraw from the commu-
nity; do not be sure of yourself until the day
your death; do not judge your fellow human
beings until you have stood in their place.” (M.
Avot 2: 5)
For us to begin the work of our time, to take
America forward as a land of liberty for all and
of true justice, we must recognize that our
own take on the world is informed by our per-
sonal perspective, our distinctive history, our
particular communities. To reach beyond the
endless loop of our own perspective requires
us to listen to others, and to ask them to in-
MY TURN
form us about what their lives, communities
and struggles mean to them.
If we can nudge ourselves to build com-
munities beyond the boundaries of our own
group so that our circles of belonging include
those who are not like us, who look differ-
ent than we do, whose faith or traditions are
not our own, we can open our hearts to their
points of view even as we insist they extend
that same circle of grace to us.
We Jews can hone our abilities to see
through the eyes of another, to stand in their
place, by finding members of the African
American community to join in conversation,
in renewed commitment to democracy, to en-
gage in dialogue in which we do more listen-
ing than speaking.
And in that regard, the vast majority of our
police forces seek the greater good, and we
need to listen to them, as well. What can we
America is not a level
playing field, and
truth requires us to
acknowledge there is
much work yet to do.
do to help them do their jobs better, to achieve
their goals of service and safety on behalf of
us all? We need to hear their voices and work
with them for the common good.
The future depends on each of us
“If I am not for me, who will be? If I am only
for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”
(M. Avot 1:14)
In the end, there is no clear boundary
around what counts as American values. We
will determine which values make the cut by
our own actions, our own participation, our
own shared struggle for justice. Similarly, the
American story doesn’t have a conclusion;
each generation writes the subsequent chap-
ter, which constrains and empowers the fol-
lowing generation while allowing new options
to emerge from the past. Our generation can
claim its inheritance: a legacy of life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness, of all people be-
ing created equal. But we also have a legacy of
slavery, Jim Crow, of segregation and privilege.
If we want our children — and other peo-
ple’s children — to live in a world of peace
and harmony, of creativity and decency, then
we must fashion that world now. Our par-
ents were able to wrest greater justice and
opportunity in their time. Together with our
brothers and sisters in the African American
community, with the men and women of the
police forces, with other faith communities,
we face that same possibility today. n
Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson is the
Abner & Roslyn Goldstine Dean’s Chair and
professor of philosophy at the Ziegler School
of Rabbinic Studies.
JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 15

Some Thoughts About Being Safe
In a recent “Fireside Chat,” my weekly video
podcast on the PragerU platform, I commented
on society’s increasing fixation on being “safe.”
The following is a condensed version of what
I said:
WE HAVE A MEME UP AT PRAGERU:
“Until it’s safe” means “never.”
The pursuit of “safe” over virtually all
other considerations is life-suppressing.
This is true for your individual life and for
the life of a society. I always give the follow-
ing example: I have been taking visitors to
Israel for decades, and for all those decades,
people have called my radio show to say,
“Dennis, I would so love to visit Israel, but
I’m just going to wait until it’s safe.” And I’ve
always told these people, “Then you’ll never
go.” And sure enough, I’ve gone there more
than 20 times, and they never went.
I have never led my life on the basis
of “until it’s safe.” I do not take ridiculous
risks. I wear a seatbelt because the chances
are overwhelming that in a bad accident, a
seatbelt can save my life. But I get into the
car, which is not 100% safe. You are not on
Earth to be safe. You are on Earth to lead a
full life. I don’t want my epitaph to be, “He
led a safe life.” It’s like another epitaph I
don’t want: “He experienced as little pain
as possible.” The nature of this world is
such that if you aim for 100% safety and
no pain, you don’t live. I have visited 130
countries, some of which were not par-
ticularly safe. Safe, as in “no risk,” doesn’t
exist. Accepting there are degrees of safety
and balancing risk with reward are part of
the reason I’ve led a rich life.
16 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com
I started teaching myself to conduct
an orchestra when I was in my teens. I
have conducted orchestras periodically for
much of my adult life. As a guest conduc-
tor, I raise funds for orchestras, as I did
two years ago at the Disney Concert Hall,
where I conducted a Haydn symphony
with the Santa Monica Symphony Orches-
tra. I rarely get nervous. But the first time
I conducted, I was so nervous I was actu-
ally dripping sweat onto the score, and
it was only a rehearsal. I did not play it
safe. Playing it safe
would have meant
I wouldn’t have ac-
cepted the invita-
You are not on Earth
tion to conduct.
All of life con-
to be safe. You are
fronts you with this
question: Are you
going to take risks
or play it safe? If on Earth to lead a
you play it safe, you
don’t get married. If full life.
you play it safe, you
don’t have kids. There are real risks in get-
ting married; there are real risks in having
children.
Take the issue of the word “safe” on
campuses. “Safe” is used to suppress free-
dom of thought: “If we have a conserva-
tive speaker on campus, we need a ‘safe
space’ where we can avoid feeling dis-
comfort from exposure to ideas we don’t
like.” Some students go to a “safe space”
where they’re given Play-Doh, hot choco-
late and stuffed animals. I’m not joking.
That’s why Adam Carolla and I named our
movie about free speech “No Safe Spaces”
(NoSafeSpaces.com).
“Safe” has become a dirty word. I rarely
use it in the context of living life. It’s one of
the reasons I’m a happy person and have led
a full life. I’m thinking of a trivial example,
but life is filled with trivial examples. Most
of life is not major moments. If I am at a res-
taurant and my fork or knife falls, I pick it
up and use it. They rush over to give me a
new one, like I am flirting with death if I take
the fork from the floor. My view is there’s
no reason to come
over. The fork fell on
the floor. What did
it pick up? Diphthe-
ria? Am I going to get
pancreatic cancer
from a fork that fell?
I’m not troubled by
these things.
“Safe” is going to
suppress your joy
of life. When I was
21, I was sent to the
Soviet Union to smuggle in religious items
for Soviet Jews and to smuggle out names
of Jews who wanted to escape. I was in a
totalitarian state, smuggling things in and
out. But it was one of the most important
things I’ve done in my life, not to mention
a life-transforming experience.
Before I went, I told my father about
my plans. We both knew it wasn’t safe. I’ll
never forget what my father said: “Dennis,
I spent 2 1/2 years on a Navy ship in World
War II, fighting in the Pacific. So, you can
take risks for a month.”
MY TURN
Image by Feodora Chiosea/Getty Images
» by Dennis Prager
He was an officer on a troop transport
ship, a prime target of the Japanese. He
wasn’t safe. The World War II generation
has been dubbed “the greatest genera-
tion.” Part of what made them great was
the last thing they would ever ask was, “Is
it safe?”
If you want to lead a good and full life,
you cannot keep asking, “Is it safe?” Those
at colleges promoting “safe spaces” are
afraid of life, and they want to make you
afraid of life. We’re going crazy on the
safety issue. It is making police states.
That’s my worry: In the name of safety,
many Americans are dropping all other
considerations. “Is it safe?” shouldn’t be
the overarching element in your life. Pick
the fork up. Wipe it off. And use it.
Postscript: Some left-wing media cited
the remarks about picking up a fork in or-
der to smear me and the message. The Dai-
ly Beast led with: “Dennis Prager Licks Dirty
Forks To Show COVID Who’s Boss.” And the
Daily Mail: “Right-Wing Radio Host Dennis
Prager Boasts About Using Dirty Forks From
Restaurant Floors in His Latest Rambling
Message Downplaying Dangers of Corona-
virus That Has Now Killed 88,000 Ameri-
cans.” As is obvious, my talk was about “be-
ing safe,” not the coronavirus. n
Copyright 2020 creators.com. Dennis
Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk
show host; president of PragerU, which has 1
billion views a year, and author most recently
of volume two (“Genesis”) of the bestselling
Torah and Bible commentary in America, “The
Rational Bible.” Reprinted with permission.
June 5-11, 2020
 NAT I O N / WO R L D B R IE FS

AIPAC Cancels 2021
Policy Conference, Citing
COVID-19 Concerns
The American Israel Public Affairs Com-
mittee (AIPAC) announced on May 31 it is can-
celing its 2021 Policy Conference because of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
AIPAC President Betsy Korn said in a state-
ment posted to Twitter, “Given the continued
uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pan-
demic, and without a predictable avenue to
safely bring together thousands of pro-Israel
Americans, we have been forced to cancel the
2021 AIPAC Policy Conference.”
She added AIPAC is working on ways to
connect the pro-Israel community virtually
Jared Kushner: Slow Down
Annexation Process
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanya-
hu held a conference call with Jared Kushner
and other top White House officials to discuss
slowing down West Bank annexation plans,
an Israeli TV station reported.
Channel 13 in its June 1 report cited an
unnamed senior Israeli source that the
Trump administration wants to “downplay
the enthusiasm” for immediate annexa-
tion and to “greatly slow the process” since
the attention of the White House is taken
up by the current national protests over
the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis
while in police custody, and the coronavi-
rus crisis.
Netanyahu was on the call with White
House adviser Jared Kushner, the president’s
son-in-law; Avi Berkowitz, White House
Middle East peace negotiator; David Fried-
man, the U.S. ambassador to Israel; and Ron
Dermer, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S.
Unnamed U.S. sources told Channel 13 that
the officials asked Netanyahu if and how
Israel would move forward with unilateral
annexation, but did not receive an answer.
Netanyahu said last week in a meeting
with government ministers that he has a tar-
get date in July to extend Israeli sovereignty
over about 30% of the West Bank, which is pro-
vided for in President Donald Trump’s Israeli-
Palestinian peace plan.
The coalition deal between Netanyahu
and Gantz permits annexation from July 1.
— Marcy Oster, JTA

Calling all HigH SCHool

until the pandemic ends.
“COVID-19 is one of several areas where
the partnership between the United States
and Israel is critical, and our job is to ensure
that America continues to stand shoulder-to-
shoulder with the Jewish State,” Korn said.
Korn concluded the statement with a call
for the pro-Israel community to expand and
ensure that bipartisan support for Israel is
Senior 2020 graduateS
maintained in Congress.
“The impact of COVID-19 will make this a
different and challenging year,” she said. “But
DEAD
LI
NOON NE
we are confident that the AIPAC community
will continue to overcome any obstacle and
rise to the occasion.”
MOND
You are all JUNE AY
Several attendees at the AIPAC Policy Con-
ference in March, including a Los Angeles
8
outstanding
County resident, tested positive for the virus
after the conference ended.
— Aaron Bandler

4 More Women, Including

a Minor, Accuse Weinstein
graduates
of Sexual Assault in Lawsuit this year and
we want to
A new lawsuit filed against Harvey Wein-
stein in New York City accuses the former
film producer of raping four women, includ-

feature your
ing one who was a minor at the time.
One of the women, now 43, said she was

stories in the
17 when she was attacked in her hotel room
in 1994 during what she thought was a meet-

Jewish
ing to talk about helping her break into the
entertainment industry, The Associated Press
reported.

Journal.
She is suing under the New York’s Child
Victims Act, which relaxes the statute of limi-
tations on lawsuits in the sexual abuse of mi-
nors.
The other three women, however, may be
barred by the statute of limitations, according
to the report.
One claims Weinstein attacked her at
the Cannes Film Festival in France in 1984. In 200 words or less tell us how you feel about graduating
Another, now 38 and living in New York, al-
leges Weinstein raped her during what she
“virtually,” what you’re missing most, what you’ve learned in
thought was a business meeting at a Manhat-
tan apartment in 2008. And another plaintiff,
lockdown and your plans, hopes and dreams
35, says Weinstein forced her to perform a sex for the future in these pandemic times.
act against her will in 2013.
They are suing Weinstein, his brother and
former business partner Bob Weinstein, the
Send your submissions in writing
Miramax movie studio Disney, which once
owned Miramax and others.
(or in a one minute or less video) together with a photo
Weinstein, 68, is serving a sentence of up to editor@Jewishjournal.com
to 23 years in New York after being convicted
in February of rape and sexual assault. with “Grads” in the subject line.
— Marcy Oster, JTA

June 5-11, 2020 JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 17


The SAGE Woman Creating
20-Minute Online Classes
» by Deborah Danan, Contributing Writer
ESTHER HERSHCOVICH, HOLDS DOWN A
full-time job at a Tel Aviv architectural firm
while simultaneously focusing on her global
startup — SAGE.
Originally, Hershcovich envisioned SAGE
as a community-based gig economy where
older people could share their skills with
individuals in their vicinity. The idea came
about when she sought to create a meaning-
ful way for her parents — a retired contrac-
tor and midwife in their 70s and 80s — to
spend their retirement and maybe make a
buck or two. “My parents have so much wis-
dom and I just thought, what if there’s a way
to keep them engaged by allowing them to
impart that wisdom to others?”
But then the coronavirus hit. Physical
meetings were not allowed. After returning
from a ski trip, Hershcovich found herself
quarantined and directionless. “I was pret-
ty down about it,” she said. She had toyed
with the idea of taking SAGE online at some
point in the future but it wasn’t in the spirit
of what she had in mind. “We stick older
people in front of screens as much as we
stick kids in front of screens and I really
20 YEARS AGO IN THE JEWISH JOURNAL
The Day After
Ehud Barak’s approval rating is still high
following the withdrawal from Lebanon.
Choosing Israel
The Jewish Federation honors 40 people who
will make aliyah this year.
Sharing the Joy
Eretz Cultural Center in the Valley reaches out to
its youngest members by opening its doors to all.
Forgotten Holiday
The mystical meaning behind Shavuot makes
up for its dearth of rituals.
18 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com
HUMANS OF ISRAEL
wanted SAGE to be about in-person con-
nections,” she said.
The about-face came after reading an
article about how older people were suffer-
ing the most in isolation. During her second
week of quarantine, Hershcovich harnessed
the network she already had built and recast
SĀGE as an online platform. Speaking English
and being older than 60 are the only prereq-
Some 30 sages from all over the world
including Canada, the U.S., Australia, New
Zealand, Ireland, Italy and Israel have signed
up to teach subjects ranging from challah
making to the psychology behind doodling.
uisites for becoming a teacher — or as Her-
shcovich calls them, sages. Since its launch
at the end of March, some 30 sages from all
over the world including Canada, the U.S.,
Top Stories
Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Italy and platforms, which often take a cut from all in-
Israel have signed up to teach subjects rang- volved parties, Hershcovich isn’t interested in
ing from challah making to the psychology earning from the sages. “The social impact is
behind doodling. much more important to me,” she said, adding
During the BETA stage, sages are volun- reaction to the initiative has been overwhelm-
teering their time to teach free 20-minute ingly positive. “The feedback is so motivating;
“coffee break” classes to enable the platform it’s what makes me get up at 6 a.m. every day
to collect reviews and bring a more robust for more work.”
product to market in a month or two. At that One email came from Sandi Einstein, a
woman in Australia who expressed her en-
thusiasm about joining SAGE but lamented
that she had no expertise. “I told her, ‘Every-
one has something to teach. Let’s chat.” Ein-
stein ended up on SAGE offering peer support
for people recently diagnosed with bipolar dis-
order or depression. She also became SAGE’s
unofficial representative in Australia, recruit-
ing more sages.
“People have reached out to help and it
feels like we’re all sort of building this to-
gether,” Hershcovich said. “This isn’t where
I intended to go but I’m riding the wave
stage, sages will apply fixed rates to their right now.” n
classes. For now, Hershcovich is funding the
project herself but eventually SAGE will skim For more information, or to become a sage, visit
commission from the user fees. Unlike other sage-connect.com.
Wonders on Water
San Francisco and Haifa have much in
common, including harbors and cable cars.
Shanghai Seder
U.S. Jews happily eat kosher food in the land
known for Peking duck.
Promoting Denial
The Los Angeles Times is used again as a
propaganda instrument for Holocaust denial.
Love Trips
Los Angeles Ulpan celebrates 36 years of Israel
teen trips.
June 5-11, 2020
Sanders and the Jews
Unrest, and
Rabbi Hanina’s Advice
» by Shmuel Rosner
THERE’S NO BETTER WEEK TO BE
reminded of a short lesson from the Mish-
nah in Pirkei Avot (“Ethics of the Fathers”):
“Rabbi Hanina, the vice-high priest said,
“Pray for the welfare of the government,
for were it not for the fear it inspires, every
man would swallow his neighbor alive.”
Hanina lived when the House of the Has-
moneans was nearing its bitter end. For
him, praying for the welfare of the govern-
ment was praying for one of the last Has-
monean kings or possibly for Rome. Hani-
na knew that lawlessness was worse than
any king. Based on this tradition, almost
all Jewish prayer books include a prayer for
the welfare of the government.
Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, quoting this
Mishnah, explained that “the Torah has
Praying for the
welfare of the
government isn’t
for the government.
It’s for us.
profound respect for the dignity and indi-
viduality of man … social reality, however,
forces upon us the necessity of entrusting
leadership, for otherwise anarchy would
ensue.” The dignity of man, and the ne-
cessity of entrusting leadership. If there
is a time to ponder these two contrast-
ing values, using our Jewish sources, our
sentiments and our experiences, our good
judgment and calm evaluation — it is now,
when the horror in Minnesota is still fresh
in our memory. When the smell of smoke
is still in the air. When our leaders rush to
capitalize on tragedy.
The time is now — when we must ad-
just to a government bigger than ever be-
fore amid an economic crisis, when we
look into the shooting of an unarmed man
in Jerusalem, when we question witnesses
whom we suspect lied under oath to de-
fend the wife of the prime minister. Amer-
icans, Israelis and members of all other
nations and tribes feel that the world is
descending into chaos: less humanity and
less trust in leadership.
And what’s Rabbi Hanina’s advice?
Pray.
June 5-11, 2020
R O S N E R ’ S D O M A IN
Fro m Is ra e l
Rosner online
A few days ago, I posted an update from Israel. During the first week of Netan-
yahu’s trial, I wrote:
“A survey taken by pollster Menachem Lazar revealed that Prime Minister Benja-
min Netanyahu and his Likud party are still supported by about the same number of
people today as a month ago. Despite Netanyahu’s trial in which he’s facing multiple
corruption charges, voters didn’t change their minds during the first day of Netan-
yahu’s trial on May 24. He’s still in a commanding position with 41 projected seats.
The second-largest party is 26 seats behind.”
Pray for whom?
If you’re in the
United States, it
means praying
for the welfare of
President Donald
Trump, for Min-
nesotan Gov. Tim
Walz and Cali-
fornia Gov. Gavin
Newsom. For the
chiefs of police.
For the command-
ers in the National
Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Guard. If you’re in
Israel, it means
praying for Prime
Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, for the
34 new ministers
(that’s a lot of pray-
ing), for the border
policeman who
shot and killed an
unarmed — and reportedly, autistic — Pal-
A week’s numbers
estinian man. Pray for these officials not
because you approve of what they do but Here are the averages for all Israeli parties based on polls since election day.
because they are the ones who stand be-
tween our societies and the horrific pros-
pect of a world in which “every man would
swallow his neighbor alive.”
Most Americans disprove of the way
Trump is handling his job. Almost two
thirds of those polled believe that their
country is moving in the wrong direction.
A new Israeli survey revealed that two
thirds of Israelis have little faith in Netan-
yahu. The numbers for his political part-
ner, Benny Gantz of the Blue and White
Party, are worse. Trust in leaders is in short
supply when it’s needed most.
Praying is habitually advocated. But it
is not always effective. At least, not in the
short term. Praying won’t turn our leaders Insight: The coalition is very strong, but split. The opposition is very weak, and
into something else. Praying won’t quiet split. There is no one who seems like a viable challenger to Netanyahu.
the streets, or mitigate the anger, or resus-
citate the dead, or resolve long-standing
social problems. Praying for the welfare
A reader’s response:
of the government isn’t for the govern- After my dispatch from the first day on Netanyahu’s trial, Jacob Amir wrote:
ment. It’s for us. It’s to make us mindful of “The idea that there is a conspiracy against Netanyahu is absurd.”
the government’s role in our world. It’s to My response: Well, yes and no. It is not absurd in the eyes of many of his support-
make us aware that a government — even ers, and that makes a difference. It is also not absurd to note that investigations into
in wicked ancient Rome, and its contem- prime ministers (not just him) have become a major disruption in Israel’s political
porary incarnations — is better than no life. Maybe it’s because prime ministers have become corrupt. There also is the no-
government. It’s to make us understand tion that the legal system is too eager to investigate every little misdeed, or perceived
that, sadly, government must come first, misdeed, by the person in charge.
and the dignity of man — in the best of
circumstances — comes second. Shmuel Rosner is senior political editor. For more analysis of Israeli and international
Now, let us pray. n politics, visit Rosner’s Domain at jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain.
JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 19
 Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

C OV E R

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As protesters march for justice, »

violence threatens to hijack the message.

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20 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com June 5-11, 2020 Ju


Jews March, Speak Out
on Police Brutality
» by Erin Ben-Moche, Staff Writer
THE TORAH AND TALMUD TEACH THE
importance of justice, repairing the world, to not stand
idly by and the value of a human life.
It’s why Jews across the country said they gathered,
marched, donated and spoke out against police brutality
in honor of all black people who died at the hands of po-
lice, including George Floyd, who died after a police officer
knelt on the back of his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, people in almost
every major city left the comfort of their homes to stand
up for what they felt was right. L.A. resident Marnina
Schon Wirtschafter, 26, felt it was her duty to show up for
others because it’s the Jewish thing to do.
“Pikuach nefesh (saving a life). Tikkun olam (repairing
the world). Tzedek, tezdek tirdof (justice, justice, shall you
pursue). If these are the things I’m teaching to my b’nai
mitzvah students, how could I not show up in some ca-
pacity this weekend?” Schon Wirtschafter, who attended
a march near Griffith Park, said. “We need to continue to
read and uplift black voices and black Jews. We need to let
them know and let your own community know that you
are no longer willing to be complacent in racism.”
Kelsey Goldberg, 31, participated in the May 30 march
at Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles. Goldberg has been in-
volved with social justice activism for several years, at-
tending many marches including the Black Lives Matter
march for Michael Brown in 2014. This time around, she
was surprised to see the diverse turnout including the
number of white allies.
“The sheer size of the crowd and how interracial it was,
I had never seen that before in those numbers,” she said.
“This one seemed to have a lot more white allies out .…
I know a lot of my friends showed up to this one. I’m not
sure why this one struck a chord but I’m glad we’re finally
here.”
She added volunteers were handing out face masks,
visors, hand sanitizer, food and water. Local stores and
restaurants including Canter’s Deli (see separate story)
also were offering water from the sidelines at a march in
West Hollywood. For the most part, protestors said it was
organized, peaceful and powerful.
Unfortunately, those peaceful protests later turned
violent. Police and military enforcement were called in
to quell looting. Protesters reportedly were attacked, tear
gassed and arrested.
“It was also horrifying to see firsthand how violent and
20 June 5-11, 2020
insecure the cops are, and how that insecurity fuels their
violence,” said 33-year-old Benjamin-Shalom Rodriguez,
who attended the protest at Pan Pacific Park. “As a white-
passing queer Latinx Jew, anyone who passes as white —
Jewish or Gentile — has inherent privilege in the U.S.A.
And we must first accept that privilege, not shame it, and
definitely not excuse it away before we can be a true, com-
mitted ally for Jews of color and all people of color.”
“We need and deserve to be heard,” 18-year-old Erykah
Gaston said. “We deserve to fight for a change. There’s no
reason that after 400 years, we are still fighting for the
same life that we were fighting for when we were taken
from our native lands .… Our own protest is being taken
from us and is being used to silence us, as it always has
been.”
Of the many local business damaged by the looting, a
few Los Angeles synagogues were vandalized with anti-
“There is a painful, difficult process by which we are making
ourselves something new and that to me is the American
promise that we have been working toward for hundreds of
years.” — Ginna Green
Semitic graffiti. (see separate stories). California Rapper
Westside Gravy said this news hurt him as a black Jew
because hate groups tied to the graffiti and other looting
during the protests were moving the conversation away
from the main point of the movement and attacking his
identity in multiple ways.
“I think a lot of people felt like ‘I don’t have a place in
standing up for this movement because there is this active
vandalism taking place against a place of worship.’ There
are so many different white supremacist and far-left an-
archists who are trying to co-opt the black struggle right
now that we can’t point fingers and say this entire move-
ment to fight for justice for black Americans is tainted by
anti-Semitism,” the rapper said. “I think it’s important to
recognize that and not flush a whole movement down the
toilet because of the actions of people who are harming
not only the Jewish community but the black community.”
Photo by Kelsey Goldberg
Naomi Ackerman, executive director of the Advot Proj-
ect, took her daughters to Fairfax Avenue on the morning
of May 31 to clean up before attending a protest in Santa
Monica, which also turned violent.
“Cleaning up Fairfax was a very bipolar experience. I
think we need to take responsibility for a lot of things and
what we can do is help cleanup,” Ackerman, 56, said. “Peo-
ple are mad and they are hurt and there are reasons these
things are happening. I work with people every day where
this is their reality. Police brutality has to stop.”
In response to the violence, L.A. Jews for Black Lives
released a petition demanding a “People’s Budget,” oppos-
ing the proposed city budget allocating half of its general
funds for a police force that “terrorizes Black communi-
ties as well as the unhoused, undocumented, and other
marginalized communities,” the letter stated. “We call on
our Jewish community and allies to honor our common
humanity — B’Tzelem Elohim (in the image of God), and
affirm that Black Lives Matter,” the letter written to Mayor
Eric Garcetti said.
Political strategist and co-author of JOCsCount Cam-
paign Ginna Green noted that the country is going
through a painful time right now but it’s necessary to
make change.
“I think about how lobsters molt, like they basically
lose their exoskeleton and it’s a really painful process of
basically getting a new body,” Green said. “That’s what it
feels like America is going through right now. There is a
painful, difficult process by which we are making our-
selves something new and that to me is the American
promise that we have been working toward for hundreds
of years.” n
— Additional reporting by Ariel Sobel.
JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 21
 Jewish Pharmacist on Looters C
Who Destroyed His Store » by Kylie Ora Lobell, Contributing Writer M
ON MAY 30, AS PROTESTORS MARCHED DOWN “I watched them from across the street,” Friedman said
»
Beverly Boulevard, Jonathan Friedman stood with cops in a phone interview with the Journal. “I’ve been broken

“I’ve been broken into

and watched as they looted his store, Syd’s Pharmacy, at into before, but to watch people viciously destroy your
7111 Beverly Blvd. store for no reason is a whole different ballgame. I was po

before, but to watch people

standing here with the cops and there was nothing any- Je
one could do.” ra

viciously destroy your store

The looters smashed the pharmacy’s windows,
knocked down the shelves and took all the “street drugs” Ca

for no reason is a whole

including painkillers. Friedman said the protest started at cr
Pan Pacific Park and then police pushed the crowd down re

different ballgame.”
Beverly. po
It was then that they “looted every single store. They m
went from store to store. They took hammers out and Th
smashed windows. What’s more upsetting than the theft — Jonathan Friedman th
is that they destroyed everyone’s place of work. People m
take pride in where they work. They want to come in people out of my store,” he said. “At 9 o’clock last night, to
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Friedman

Monday morning and have their papers in order. They de- there were cops driving up and down the block. There was
stroyed people’s place of work, which is like their home.” not an ounce of fear in these [looters’] eyes.” ca
While witnessing the damage to his business, as well Friedman stayed up until 2 a.m. cleaning the store and al
the kosher Mensch Bakery and Kitchen and the Jewish- boarding up the windows. “It looked like the aftermath of
owned clothing store Go Couture across the street, Fried- a hurricane,” he said. Ca
man returned home for a few minutes to tell his wife and Still, he said he will be ready to open his doors this w
children what was happening. He walked to and from his week to serve his customers. th
store because he was observing Shabbat and Shavuot si- “We’re cleaning up. We’re a pharmacy. We have to serve si
multaneously. our patients tomorrow. We don’t have a choice. What hap-
“The 15 minutes I was gone, someone chased three pened was terrible.” n bu
di

16-Year-Old Creates ‘Tikkun Olam Means D

Black Lives Matter’ Line for Charity B
» by Ariel Sobel
SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD ADAM GARVEY WASN’T ABLE “wanted to show solidarity as a Jewish person. Black and Jew- He added that tikkun olam also means “being anti-racist tu
to participate in the demonstrations decrying the death of ish solidarity is super important and I wanted to spread that.” and anti-bigotry. Repairing the world or healing the world to M
George Floyd and police brutality. In his hometown of Or- He said that “standing up against injustice is a huge part of me means fighting against broken systems and against sys- ri
angetown, N.Y., there weren’t any protests he could easily Jewish values.” tems designed to suppress people based on the color of their th
attend. skin, or their gender/sexual-
“If I couldn’t go to a protest in person, I wanted a way ity, or their religion.” st
to help instead of just retweeting and whatnot,” Adam Some Jewish leaders di
have been at odds with Black in
Lives Matter as an organiza- al
tion because of its support of m
the boycott, divestment and to

““Black Lives Matter means sanction (BDS) movement,

describing Israel’s actions
liv

just that — that black lives against the Palestinians as

“genocide” and “apartheid”
do
th

matter.” — Adam Garvey in its political platform.

However, Adam urged
hi

Jews to look beyond the rift. “I ta

told the Journal. “I wanted to feel like I was making a tan- think that Black Lives Matter di
gible effort to help change things.” needs to go beyond the orga- in
So the teenager did what he does best: create art. He re- nization in terms of what it sh
leased a line of T-shirts, sweatshirts and stickers with the means to individual people,” w
phrase “Tikkun Olam means Black Lives Matter” emblazoned he said. “Black Lives Matter pe
on a Jewish star. All proceeds from the clothing, which is means just that — that black
available on TeeSpring, will go to the NAACP Legal Defense lives matter. Using the orga- ba
Fund, a nonprofit legal organization that fights for racial jus- nization’s BDS stance to say ge
tice. The fund, according to its website, “defends the gains one doesn’t like the en- ne
and protections won over the past 75 years of civil rights tire movement is frankly M
struggle.” a cop-out way to justify
Along with raising money for the fund, Adam said he one’s silence.” n ar

22 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com June 5-11, 2020 Ju

 Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Canter’s Deli Declares Black Lives

Matter, Gives Water to Protesters
» by Ariel Sobel

ON MAY 30, LOS ANGELES PROTESTS AGAINST LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) and Sheriff’s Depart- have prepared it for the uprisings. During the Rodney King ri-
police brutality centered on the Fairfax District, a historic ment. The police were here to protect and keep the peace dur- ots in 1992, Canter’s remained open, feeding Angelenos when
Jewish neighborhood and home to an iconic Jewish restau- ing a demonstration.” supermarkets closed.
rant: Canter’s Deli.
After his dining room was closed for two months, Marc
Canter opened the delicatessen’s doors during protests de-
crying the May 25 death of George Floyd as a result of his ar-

Photo from Canter’s Deli Facebook page

rest by Minneapolis police officers. Canter and his employees
posted a sign in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter move-
ment in the windows of the nearly 90-year-old restaurant.
They also took to social media, tweeting, “Canter’s believes
that black lives matter. In support of the Black Lives Matter
movement, we are putting out free bottles of water for protes-
ht,
as
tors. Please stay safe.”
By the end of the day May 30, Canter’s had distributed 25
cases of water bottles to protesters and police. The restaurant
nd allowed both parties to use their restrooms and order food.
of “We support free speech and anything that’s peaceful,”
Canter told the Journal. “There are people coming out of the
is woodwork that are trying to blend in with the real protesters
that are just troublemakers looking to take advantage of the
ve situation and not very interested in what is being protested.”
p- Supporting police and protesters may seem like a tricky
business for some, but Canter said playing peacekeeper wasn’t
difficult. “We have always had a great relationship with the
“We actually learned from
the ’92 riots to not leave
your property alone without
security while you are closed.”
— Marc Canter
“We actually learned from the ’92 riots to not leave your
However, he added, he understood why the marches esca- property alone without security while you are closed,” Canter
lated. “Tensions have been very high since COVID-19 and a lot said. He advised other small businesses to follow suit. “Busi-
of people are out of work, so it’s hard to do a peaceful demon- nesses that have security have a better chance of not getting
stration with so much going on at the same time.” vandalized,” he said.
While many of the neighboring businesses were heavily And with the recent lift of COVID-19 restrictions for res-
vandalized and looted, Canter’s remained untouched except taurants, Canter’s Deli, Canter said, will remain open, unrest
for some minor graffiti. However, the deli’s long history may or no unrest. n

s Downtown L.A. Jewish Owned

Bike Store Looted » by Kylie Ora Lobell, Contributing Writer

YEHUDA MASJEDI, WHO LIVES IN PICO-ROBERTSON, the Earth. How dare you break into my business?’ I wasn’t sells his own line of bikes with Jewish names like the DTLA
st turned off his phone in the run-up to the Shavuot holiday on thinking about anything, obviously. Luckily they bolted.” Rambam Commuter, the DTLA Sephira 7 and the DTLA 1
to May 28. When Shabbat ended, he heard about the protests, When the police finally arrived, Masjedi went inside to Love 2020. He said that during the coronavirus pandemic,
s- riots and looting in downtown Los Angeles, and feared for assess the damage. All of the bikes were still there. “From he’s been slammed with orders now that gyms are closed
eir the safety of his bike shop, DTLA Bikes. the security footage I saw, they broke in, shattered the glass, and parents want to get outside and ride with their kids. He
al- Masjedi frantically phoned his employees, who said his
store had been spared. However, at 5:29 a.m. May 31, Masje-
rs di received a phone call. “I knew exactly what was happen-

“Out of nowhere, I start yelling

ck ing,” he told the Journal. “The alarm company told me the
a- alarm had been set off. I jolted out of bed in my PJs, got into

at these people, ‘What are you

of my car and drove straight to downtown. I felt like I needed
nd to see my shop. This is my livelihood and my employees’

doing? This is my livelihood!”

nt, livelihood. I needed to make sure everything was OK.”
ns Upon arrival, he saw that his security gate was still
as down but it had been cut and there was broken glass on

Photo courtesy of Yehuda Masjedi

d” the ground. He called the police and waited for them in — Yehuda Masjedi
his car.
ed “The store next to me is an AT&T store and it was to- noticed all my bikes were locked up, heard the alarm and
“I tally ransacked,” Masjedi recalled. “I’m seeing random in- bolted,” he said.
er dividuals go in there and grab stuff and leave around 6 Masjedi spent May 31 cleaning up his store and serv-
a- in the morning. I notice three people walking toward my ing customers. After receiving alerts from the city for a 6
it shop. I usually can recognize bike thieves by the way they p.m. curfew, he heard more protests and told customers
e,” walk. When you’re in business 10 years, you know what to leave and come back the next day.
er people look like when they’re going to steal something.” Masjedi said his customers have been checking in on
ck Then, Masjedi said he saw bolt cutters in one of their him and volunteers were helping to clean up the neigh-
a- backpacks. He watched them pull out the bolt cutters and borhood. He said he was “totally one of the lucky ones. said he has faith that everything will work out.
ay get ready to cut the door. There were police on both cor- We were on the main looting street. That’s where all the “I truly believe all this is coming from HaShem,” he
n- ners of the street and the National Guard driving by but big-box stores are. The majority of them were ransacked. I said. “It’s more proof that humanity’s getting to a better
ly Masjedi said they were distracted. felt very lucky nothing was taken.” place eventually. We just have to sort out who will do good
fy “Out of nowhere, I start yelling at these people, ‘What The bike store was Masjedi’s dream. He left an unful- and who won’t. We’re praying that overnight, nothing will
are you doing? This is my livelihood! You are the scum of filling job in real estate to open the store 10 years ago. He happen to the shop.” n

20 June 5-11, 2020 JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 23

 Graffiti at Baba Sale synagogue.
Photos courtesy of Baba Sale congregation
Extremist L
Groups U
Infiltrating J
Protests »

» by Aaron Bandler, Staff Writer Bo

th
ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE (ADL) CENTER ON ag

Synagogue Reopenings
Extremism Associate Director Joanna Mendelson said ex- da
tremist groups are participating in the protests over the
death of George Floyd.

on Hold After Protests

» by Ryan Torok, Staff Writer
AFTER BEING CLOSED FOR ALMOST THREE
months because of the coronavirus, Baba Sale Congrega-
tion on Fairfax Avenue was looking forward to welcoming
worshippers this past Shabbat, after houses of worship re-
ceived permission to reopen.
However, the French-Moroccan congregation’s plans
were derailed on May 30, when protests decrying the death
of George Floyd in police custody turned violent. Along with
many other synagogues and Jewish shops, Baba Sale was
spray-painted with graffiti that included “f--- pigs,” “help mi-
norities” and “BLM,” an abbreviation for Black Lives Matter.
Baba Sale had had reopened on the evening of May 28
Mendelson told the Journal that although most of the
protests around the country have been peaceful, there are
some extremists attempting to take advantage of the situ-
ation to further their agenda. “We are seeing a host of ex- “
tremists rhetorically try to insert their violent agenda into
this national crisis,” she said. in
Mendelson cited the neo-Nazi group Nationalist Social
Club, whose members were handing out stickers during a
“Synagogue Congregation Beth El (sic) on Beverly Blvd
in Los Angeles vandalized… Tell me this ugly hatred is still
demonstrations in Boston over the weekend. An individ-
a
about #BLM or #GeorgeFloyd?!” she tweeted.
American Jewish Committee Los Angeles Regional Direc- t
tor Richard S. Hirschhaut said in a statement to the Journal,
d
“These protests emerged out
“It is deplorable that certain protestors in Los Angeles today
resorted to violence and vandalism. Sadly, their destructive
o
opportunism included the defacing of Congregation Beth
of an expression of despair
Israel, one of the oldest synagogues in Los Angeles and the
spiritual home to many Holocaust survivors over the years.
and anger about the perceived o
The epithets scrawled on the synagogue wall do nothing to
advance the cause of peace or justice, here or abroad.”
systemic racism and El

inequality, and unfortunately

for Shavuot but now it has closed again. President Igal Az- Dr. Irving Lebovics, a dentist and member of Congrega- to
ran released a statement noting the “tragic death of George tion Kehilas Yaakov, an Orthodox congregation on Beverly m

the violence that is devolving

Floyd in Minnesota” and telling congregants Baba Sale Boulevard, said all the synagogues and Jewish schools in the
would be closed “until further notice.” Fairfax area were defaced during the May 30 protests. up
On May 31, Rabbi Moshe Pinto arrived at the shul to find
hundreds of people, including those unaffiliated with the
As chairman of Agudath Israel of California, an umbrella
organization that advocates for the Orthodox Jewish com- in protests around the nation le
gr
community, removing the spray paint and cleaning the ex-
terior’s stained-glass windows.
munity, Lebovics has been involved in the effort to reopen
synagogues. He said he was disappointed that the dem- are distracting from the Gr
ha
Also vandalized in the Fairfax District was Congregation
Beth Israel, with graffiti stating “free Palestine” and “f— Is-
onstrations have delayed the synagogues’ long-awaited
reopenings. “It seems pretty obvious,” he said, “a group of
clarion call for change.” pa

rael.” Lisa Daftari, founder and editor of the foreign policy instigators are causing a lot of this unrest.” n — Joanna Mendelson ke
news outlet The Foreign Desk, first reported on the graffiti Sy
on social media. — Additional reporting by Aaron Bandler an
ual also allegedly shouted “Heil Hitler!” during a peaceful ko
protest on May 29 in Denver. ra
According to a June 1 ADL report, right-wing anti-govern-
ment groups, militias and antifa (anti-fascist) groups also “B
have participated in protests. However, Mendelson said the w
ADL hasn’t seen antifa behind any of the recent violence.

“It seems pretty She noted the ADL has documented some instances of
anarchists perpetuating the violence. “[Anarchists] view
of
pe

obvious a group it as a chance to destroy what they perceive as this cor-

rupt system,” Mendelson said. “So, they’re not motivated
sy

of instigators are by the cause [of police brutality] … and much more inter-
ested in wanton destruction of society.”
H
cu

causing a lot of this Other instances of violence during the protests have
not been ideological, Mendelson said. “There are some
th
Th

unrest.” who are interested in the thrills of the confrontation.

They’re not necessarily ideologically oriented.”
ar

She added, “We’re closely monitoring the rhetoric and dr

— Irving Lebovics are concerned for extremist groups to also fully embrace co
and engage [in the protests]. th
These protests emerged out of an expression of de-
spair and anger about the perceived systemic racism and kn
inequality, and unfortunately the violence that is devolv- pr
ing in protests around the nation are distracting from the of
clarion call for change.” n th

24 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com June 5-11, 2020 Ju

 Local Organization Sets L.A. City
Up Fund for Looted, Councilmember
g Jewish-Owned Stores Condemns
» by Kylie Ora Lobell, Contributing Writer Targeting
AS LOOTERS MADE THEIR WAY DOWN BEVERLY
Boulevard during the George Floyd protests on May 30,
pretty good week [when I reopened], but this was a lot. It
was very bad timing.” of Jewish
Institutions
they broke into Jewish businesses, sprayed graffiti on syn- The business owner said he feels the need to protect
N agogues and schools and caused thousands of dollars in his businesses and others because of the slow response

During Protests
x- damages. time and lack of help from the police. On the night of May
he On May 31, Malkiel Gradon, who runs the Chasdei 31, he was driving around the neighborhood with other
volunteers and looking for looters when police stopped
he him.
re “Me and my friend got pulled out of the car by gun- » by Ariel Sobel
“I want to see the businesses
u- point,” he said. “We explained to the cops that we got
x- looted and we were trying to prevent people from coming AFTER THE MAY 30 UNREST IN THE FAIRFAX

in our community back up

to around. They let us off but told us we couldn’t go out, even District, Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz of
though we were doing a good thing. They said the first the Fifth District condemned the targeting of Jewish in-

and running and not forget

al night was so busy and overwhelming that they weren’t stitutions.
ng able to respond, but on Sunday night, they said they were “The attack on our community last night was vicious
d-
about what happened, but let and criminal. Fairfax is the center of
the oldest Jewish community in Los

the world know we won’t be Angeles,” Koretz said in a statement.

“As we watched the fires and looting,

deterred because of a group what didn’t get covered were the anti-
Semitic hate crimes and incidents.”

of people rummaging through Congregation Beth El was vandal-

ized with graffiti stating “free Pales-

d our neighborhood.” — Malkiel Gradon tine” and “f*** Israel.” The Baba Sale
Congregation, in the same area, was
spray painted during the protests.
Elimelech organization, set up a GoFundMe campaign Local Jewish businesses also were
Photos courtesy of Malkiel Gradon

to help business owners. In just 24 hours, he brought in looted. Syd’s Pharmacy, which is Jew-
more than $23,000 of his $175,000 goal. ish-owned and had a sign advertising
“I want to see the businesses in our community back “Kosher Vitamins” in its front window,
up and running and not forget about what happened, but was robbed. The vandals broke win-
let the world know we won’t be deterred because of a dows, knocked down the pharmacy
group of people rummaging through our neighborhood,” shelves and stole drugs, including
Gradon told the Journal. “Everyone is hurt to see that this painkillers.
happened in our neighborhood and we are trying to look Across the street, the kosher
past it and move on.” Mensch Bakery and Kitchen and the
The businesses looted included Ariel Glatt Kosher Mar- Jewish-owned clothing store Go Cou-
ket, The Hat Box, Family Fashion, Fish Grill, Go Couture, ture were destroyed.
Syd’s Pharmacy and Mensch Bakery and Kitchen. Schools “Under the guise of protest, some advanced their
and synagogues that were vandalized included Bais Yaa- anti-Semitic agenda,” Koretz said. “Synagogues and Jew-
ul kov School for Girls, Bnos Devorah High School, Young Is- ish institutions were graffitied with anti-Semitic slogans
rael of Hancock Park and Ohr Eliyahu Academy. and vandalized.”
n- “They will have to go through insurance,” Gradon said. He also took issue with how the statue of Raoul Wal-
so “But there are still deductibles and things that insurance lenberg, who saved thousands of Jews from the Nazi
he will not cover.” death camps, was graffitied.
Ariel Market was one of the hardest hit, incurring tens “I condemn these acts, as they are an affront to all
of of thousands of dollars in damages. According to Gradon, people of the Jewish faith,” Koretz said “We must never
w people smashed and stole the market’s entire computer allow anyone, for any reason, to get away with acts of
r- system and liquor bottles, and trampled products. available and we don’t have to be scared anymore.” hate against our community and neighbors.” n
ed Aryeh Rosenfeld, who owns Family Fashion and The Gradon is aiming to raise at least $3,000 for every
r- Hat Box, said that looters smashed his windows and glass business owner. He has lived on Detroit Street in the La
cubbies, damaged the air-conditioning system and stole Brea-Beverly Jewish community for more than 30 years,
ve the cash drawers, the iPad checkout stand, suits and hats. and since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he’s

“As we watched the fires

me They threw yarmulkes onto the street and merchandise raised more than $80,000 to help his neighbors with their
n. around the store. bills during the crisis.

and looting, what didn’t get

When Rosenfeld heard about what had happened, he He started his organization, Chasdei Elimelech, in hon-
nd drove to his store and caught looters taking one of his or of his 11-year-old son Eli who died from cancer in 2016.

covered were the anti-Semitic

ce computers. “I chased them across the street and yelled at Now, he wants to use his organization and this money to
them to drop it,” he said. “They did, and then ran away.” make sure everyone can recover from the damage.

hate crimes and incidents.”

e- Rosenfeld still is operating his stores, but he doesn’t
nd know when he’ll be able to take down the boards that
v- protect them. “I was closed for almost 10 weeks [because
he of COVID-19],” he said. “I lost all my income already from
that. It hit me really hard. It was nice to be open. It was a
“I’ve been involved in the community for many years,”
he said. “Whatever I can do to help, I will continue doing it.”
To donate to the fundraiser, visit thechesedfund.com/sha- — Paul Koretz
vuosriots/fund. n

20 June 5-11, 2020 JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 25


Breakfast of Kings
» by Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff
THE BRIGHT AZURE AND GENTLE
waves of the Mediterranean beckon from
beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows but
there is a more tempting challenge from
where a visitor stands: to navigate the
breakfast buffet of the Sheraton Tel Aviv.
The gastronomic extravaganza is end-
less. Freshly baked loaves of bread with
butter and preserves, flaky sweet pastries
and sesame seed coated bourekas. Smoked
whitefish, lox and cured herring. Exqui-
sitely salty and creamy white T’zfatit and
Bulgarit (feta-type) cheeses, thinly sliced
yellow cheeses and pungent blue-veined
cheeses. Yogurts and labneh and those
little Dani chocolate and vanilla pudding
One of the most
pleasurable and
memorable
experiences of any
Israeli vacation is
breakfast.
cups that make you feel like a kid again.
There are mounds of oranges and ap-
ples, bowls of aromatic dewy green melon,
cantaloupe and sweet, juicy watermelon,
as well as dried fruits, nuts and seeds.
There are grilled eggplants, fried potatoes
and stewed tomatoes and an immense ar-
ray of cucumbers, peppers, radishes, cher-
ry tomatoes and greens, as well as eggs,
any way you please.
One of the most pleasurable and memo-
rable experiences of any Israeli vacation is
breakfast. Whether you’re eating among
26 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com
the Jerusalem stone-and-mosaic tiles in
the Spanish courtyard of the Sephardic
Educational Center in the Old City or taking
in the Jerusalem hills from the veranda of
Cafe Rimon at the Mamilla Mall. Whether
you’re people watching from Aroma on Ben
Yehuda Street in Tel Aviv or at the Bagh-
dad Cafe overlooking
the green hills of Sefad
or at a little cafe on the
shores of the Kinneret,
your morning repast is
sure to be delicious.
Born in the commu-
nal dining halls of the
kibbutzim in the early
years of the last cen-
tury, the Israeli break-
fast has been described
as Israel’s culinary gift
to the world. While the
huge hotel breakfasts
are an occasional treat,
the more typical serv-
ing of salad, cheese and
eggs is a great nutri-
tional start to the day.
They are a far cry from
the sugary cereals, ba-
gels and doughnuts
that rushed Americans
grab on their way to
work.
The undisputed star
of the Israeli breakfast
is shakshuka. In the Berber languages,
shakshuka means “mixture,” which is re-
flected in this dish of eggs poached in a
bright red pepper and tomato sauce with
lots of onion, garlic and spices thrown in
for good measure. A simple, rustic dish
served in a little iron skillet, the humble
shakshuka was brought to Israel by immi-
grants from the North African countries of
Tunisia and Libya.
When the sprawling restaurant Doc-
Photos by Alexandra Gomperts
tor Shakshuka opened in the early
1990s, near the Jaffa Clock Tower and the
Shuk Ha’Pishpashim (Jaffa flea market),
shakshuka became ultra-popular in Israel
and catapulted its Libyan chef/owner, Bino
Gabso, to international fame. It has be-
come ubiquitous on menus in Israel and
has achieved iconic status worldwide.
Besides, the original red shakshuka, Is-
raeli chefs serve it green (with spinach and
other fresh herbs), with mushrooms, with
Yemenite spice blend hawaiij and even
with hummus, called humshuka.
We cooked a yellow shakshuka fea-
turing bright orange and yellow peppers,
tomatoes, onions, garlic and a blend of
turmeric, cumin, allspice and sweet pa-
prika. If you feel like extra heat, add hot
SEPHARDIC SPICE GIRLS
pepper flakes, s’chug or Cholula hot sauce.
Although Israel has shut her borders till
late July, you can still indulge in an Israeli
breakfast with our super-easy shakshuka.
Just make sure you have fresh bread to sop
up all that delicious sauce. n
YELLOW SHAKSHUKA
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, finely diced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1 13 1/2-ounce can coconut milk
1/2 cup water
8 large eggs
In large frying pan, heat oil and sauté
onions till golden.
Add garlic, tomatoes and peppers and
sauté until peppers are soft.
Add spices, coconut milk and water, stir
well until sauce is thick.
For each egg, create a well in sauce,
crack egg into glass, then gently slip into
pan.
Cover pan and cook on low heat until
egg whites are set but yolks are still runny.
Rachel Emquies Sheff’s family roots are
Spanish Moroccan. Sharon Gomperts’ family hails
from Baghdad and El Azair in Iraq. Known as the
Sephardic Spice Girls, they have celebrated joys,
raised their children and collaborated on the Sep-
hardic Educational Center’s projects, SEC Food
Group and community cooking classes. Join them
on Instagram at SephardicSpiceGirls or the Face-
book group Sephardic Spice SEC FOOD.
June 5-11, 2020
 TA B L E F O R F IV E
W EEKLY PARSHA: O NE V ERSE, F IVE VOICES
Edited by Salvador Litvak, Accidental Talmudist

Judy Gruen Kylie Ora Lobell

Author, “The Skeptic and the Rabbi: Falling in Love With Faith”
Well, now, here are some pasukim you’ll want to hide from your secular friends and
relatives! To modern sensibilities, this scene appears barbaric. In this moment, a woman
appears on the verge of a gruesome death for possibly committing
adultery. Where is her partner in crime? Not mentioned!
Delving deeper, however, a woman who arrives at this juncture
already has A) secluded herself with a man who was not her
husband; B) was warned by her husband not to do so; and C) had
two witnesses to the event. If she committed adultery and admits to
it, she doesn’t have to endure this trial. Although adultery is a capital
crime, she can pay for the sin through her husband divorcing her.
A woman categorically can prove her innocence of the adultery
allegation through drinking the waters, which not only won’t harm
her but in fact will result in her having children. An adulterous
woman who won’t confess drinks the waters and dies — as her
partner simultaneously suffers the same fate.
This is the only instance in the Torah where HaShem allowed His holy name to be
erased, instructing the Kohen to write it on paper and let it dissolve in these bitter waters,
demonstrating the paramount value of peace in a marriage. As I discovered on my
journey to greater Torah knowledge, surface readings of Torah are almost meaningless.
The treasure of discovering the true meaning, context, backstory and lessons requires a
deeper look inside.
Contributing writer, Jewish Journal
Erasing the name of God is forbidden in Judaism. And yet, during the sotah ritual
— in which a woman is tested to see whether she has been unfaithful to her husband
— the name of God is blotted out in the water.
In Judaism, getting married is one of the holiest things
you can do. When a husband is jealous and suspects his wife
of adultery, or a wife commits adultery, God is removed from
the marriage, just like His name is removed in the water. The
husband and wife aren’t honoring the contract they made with
each other and with God when they stood under the chuppah.
Things have gotten so toxic between them that they are airing
their grievances in public.
In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, divorce is on the rise.
It can be easy to start fighting or turn on your partner in this
challenging time. But to keep HaShem present in our marriage,
even now, we have to be willing to do the work. Marriage isn’t
meant to taste like the bitter waters of the sotah — it’s meant to be sweet. As we say
under the chuppah, “Let these loving friends taste of the bliss you gave to the first
man and woman in the Garden of Eden in our earliest memory.” With this blessing,
we can get through this tough moment and ensure our marriages not only stay intact,
but come out on the other side sweeter than ever.

Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz

NASSO Adat Shalom
Rabbi Avraham Greenstein It is easy to condemn the sotah
Academy for Jewish Religion, California, ritual in the Torah through our modern
professor of Hebrew [The Kohen] shall make her drink lens and our awakened sensibility.
The waters of the sotah are, at first glance, the water, and it shall be that, if she When I read this passage, I find
somewhat paradoxical. The very same my learning drifting away from the
waters either will prove a curse or a blessing
had been defiled and was unfaithful traditional Torah commentators and
depending on the honesty of the one to her husband, the curse-bearing toward a more contemporary Jewish
drinking them. A similar idea is expressed in waters shall enter her to become voice in Arthur Miller and his classic
Ta’anit 7a concerning the Torah. The Torah play “The Crucible,” which first was
either can be an “all-healing medicine” to bitter, and her belly will swell, and performed on Broadway in 1953.
the one who studies it with pure intentions, her thigh will rupture. The woman The New Yorker published an
or it can be a “deadly poison” to the one interview with Miller on Oct. 14, 1996,
will be a curse among her people.
who studies it with improper intentions. in which he explained that it was the
This commonality between the Torah and But if the woman had not become politics of McCarthyism, the troubles
the sotah waters is defiled and she is clean, she shall be of his own marriage, and the history
heightened by the fact of the Salem witch trials that over
that the Torah often is
exempted and bear seed. time accumulated to inspire him to
compared with water, pen the play. Like “The Crucible,” the

and that the waters
of the sotah, like the
Torah, contain God’s
name (once the sotah
scroll has been erased in
them).
This comparison between the sotah
waters and the Torah yields an additional
insight. Just as the Torah is a divine gift so
powerful that it is hazardous to misuse, so,
too, any instance wherein we are forced to
come to terms with a truth about ourselves is
an advantageous yet perilous time. Like the
sotah, we sometimes are forced to question
ourselves and to be honest with ourselves.
To ignore such an opportunity, to have
insight into ourselves and to ignore it, would
be corrosive to our psyche and could stunt
our personal development. The potential
benefits of this opportunity, however,
are great. By accepting our mistakes and
aspiring to a finer mode of behavior, we can
repair our relationships with others and
properly orient our personal growth.
Numbers 5:27-28
sotah ritual holds up
a mirror to the issues
in our lives. It reminds
us to examine the level
Rabbi Nicole Guzik of trust in our most
Sinai Temple intimate relationships,
It doesn’t really seem to matter if the sotah woman is exempt or not. She is called and reflect on the
out as an adulteress, unfaithful, needing to prove her innocence among glaring eyes and power dynamic we
gossiping lips. Whether she is telling the truth, the question becomes: What is the state share with those we
of one’s reputation after such a horrendous ordeal? Even if this poor woman has done hold most dear.
nothing but live an honest life, will the curse of this staining occasion The passage demands that we
follow her all the days of her life? should rationally judge cases, politics
In studying the premises of existential therapy, when the psyche aside, and that all claims about abuse
experiences a world in which one feels out of control, the mind can of power by women and men must
choose to take charge. Meaning, when it feels as if the universe is be heard in a just society. Those who
presenting an indigestible menu of options, we hold the power to dismiss the sotah ritual miss out on
reframe our reality. If it seems as if the neighbors are continuing to its lessons for today because if that
chatter or something in our past keeps us down, the most important woman in the Torah is found to be
person in the equation of moving forward is you. We cannot control defiled through the ritual, then we are
what others say but we can control how we let our mind react. all defiled. Like John Proctor in “The
God imbued each of us with wisdom and understanding. Let us Crucible,” the Torah demands that we
use that sagacity to hold confidence in our purpose and place in this find “our goodness.” Jealousy must give
world. The Holy One encourages us to listen within; so why are we letting any other way for justice. Litigation must give
voices hold us back? way for love.

June 5-11, 2020 JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 27

 A Prayer for America
on May 30, 2020

May Our Tears Remind us of Our Collective Humanity;

May Our Call for Justice be Reflected through Our Actions;
May We Pray not only Through our Feet
but Through Our Hearts;
May We See Ourselves Reflected
in the Eyes of The Other;
May We Recognize that
We are All Children Held by a Numinous Presence:
One that is known through cycles -
of death and birth,
destruction and renewal,
transgression and forgiveness -
and May America Rebuild Upon a New Covenant:
One cultivated in the soils of Freedom and Justice
That take root and rise, Blowing in Winds
not of Fires, but Fiery and Furious Love.
We Shall Overcome.
Someday is Now.

George Floyd:
You did not die in vain.
The 100,000:
You are not forgotten.
Our First Responders:
Godspeed.
Our Children:
Forgive us.

With love, blessings of safety and prayers for justice for all,
Rabbi Lori Shapiro and Open Temple
28 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com June 5-11, 2020

Steven Lowenstein, Historian and National
Book Award Winner, 75
» by Michael Berenbaum
STEVEN LOWENSTEIN, A for Jewish Research and Leo Baeck Institute
distinguished Jewish historian and
accomplished social worker, died on May 31.
He was 75.
Born in 1945, weeks before the end of
the war, his parents, Max and Yetta, had
immigrated to the United States from Nazi
Germany just in the nick of time. His father
was a chaver, the title given to learned
scholarly Jews in Germany. He grew up
in what was euphemistically called the
“Fourth Reich” or “Frankfurt on the Hudson,”
Washington Heights, N.Y., in an Orthodox
community comprising Jews who had the
wisdom and good fortune to leave Nazi
Germany and sought to preserve in this New
World elements of the world they were forced
to leave behind. German was the language of
the street and the synagogue. The synagogue
of his childhood was Shaare Tikvah, the Gates
of Hope. His parents and neighbors were
displaced men and women, living freely in an
American exile. They were joined within the
next five years by Holocaust survivors.
The melodies of his youth were from
Frankfurt, the pronunciation, the sense of
dignity and decorum identical, top hats and
morning suits were seen in the synagogue.
One could hear the echo of their voice in
Lowenstein’s prayers, even as he adopted the
Sephardic pronunciation of contemporary
Hebrew. He sounded alte/neu — Old/New
Worldly, authentic to his very being, combing
the world of his childhood with the world in
which he lived.
A Yekke by birth, Lowenstein saw the
community from within. He studied that
world and transmitted its ethos and history
into English, explaining it brilliantly to an
American audience. The scion of a shattered
world, he sought to make it whole. As a child,
he heard fascinating stories, painful stories,
moving stories. He was to collect stories to the
end of his life.
Lowenstein was a graduate of Bronx High
School of Science, then, as now, considered
the best high school in New York City. He
entered City College, a natural progression
for him and many of his classmates from
Manhattan, where he received his bachelor’s
degree and went on to Princeton, where he
earned a master’s and doctorate.
He married Marilyn Grollman in 1974 and
had two children: Ruth Lowenstein Glasser
(Yaakov) and Kenneth (Penina) Lowenstein,
who gave them nine grandchildren. Marilyn
died in 2007 from pancreatic cancer, the very
disease that was to take Lowenstein more
than a dozen years later.
After teaching at Columbia University
and Monmouth College, and working as a
researcher at the nonprofit YIVO Institute
June 5-11, 2020
AP P R E C I AT I O N
in New York, Lowenstein came to Los Angles
in 1978 to begin a 30-plus year career at
American Jewish University, where he
served as Isadore Levine Professor of Jewish
History. He was the author of a large number
of scholarly works, including “The Jewish
Cultural Tapestry: International Jewish Folk
Traditions,” “The Berlin Jewish Community:
Enlightenment, Family and Crisis, 1770-1830,”
and “Frankfurt on the Hudson: The German-
Jewish Community of Washington Heights,
1933-1983, Its Structure and Culture.”
Winner of the National Book Award, “The
Jewish Cultural Tapestry” revealed a mastery
of Jewish tradition and narrative on five
continents. It vividly captured the diversity of
Jewish life in the many lands in which Jews
have lived and how woven together unity
was maintained within diversity.
His career at AJU included his service
as the dean of the college. He stepped in
to provide badly needed continuity and
leadership after the short-lived tenure of
recent predecessors. A popular teacher and
a scholar at the prime of his creativity, his
beloved wife had died and he was living
alone when he took a bold step of retiring,
not retiring from, but retiring to and
reinventing himself, reimagining himself.
He returned to school pursuing a master’s
degree in social work. The oldest student in
his class, probably with more publications
and a more distinguished scholarly record
that even the most accomplished of his
teachers, professor Lowenstein — now Mr.
Lowenstein — sat in the classroom, worked
with students and teacher’s assistants
younger than his own children and
continued to learn, fascinated by what he
was learning, even more by what he could
do with what he was learning.
One would have imagined that given
his lifelong immersion in the Jewish
community and his dedication to the Jewish
people, he would have chosen to work in the
Jewish community, but no. Lowenstein spent
the next decade working with drug addicts
on Skid Row and the homeless — people
far removed from his former world. He was
constantly amazed not only by what he had
to offer but what how much he had to learn.
And learn he did. His conversations had a
new intensity, his life a new vitality.
On a personal level, over the last years,
Lowenstein found solace and joy in his
relationship with his “sweetheart,” Rabbi
Patricia Fenton, who was a source of strength,
care and love.
Lowenstein never abandoned his
scholarship. He continued to write and
research German Jewry. In November, a group
of scholars from Hebrew Union College,
American Jewish University, UCLA and USC
gathered to honor Steven Lowenstein on the
forthcoming publication of his major work,
“The Population History of German Jewry:
Based on the Collections and Preliminary
Research of Professor Osiel Oscar Schmetz.”
Naturally, he insisted on giving credit in the
title to the work of a predecessor but he built
upon Schmetz’s foundation, enlarging the
scope.
Lowenstein’s significant contribution
was to ensure his readers did not drown
in the comprehensive, encyclopedic,
overwhelming information. He absorbed
the details and gleaned from those details
the story of German Jewry from 1815 to
1939, including German Jewry during
industrialization, urbanization, migration
(migration and outmigration primarily to
the United States), revolution, emancipation,
democratization, escape, exile, persecution
and, ultimately, deportation and annihilation.
He illuminated whatever he touched. He
made the demographics come to life. It was
not about statistics but about real people,
real communities.
When illness struck, Lowenstein had no
illusions as to the trajectory of his disease.
He knew his life would end but accepted
that fate with serenity, a believing Jew to
the end. He wanted, however, to live to see
three goals completed.
A celebration of his final work by
colleagues and friends at his beloved
congregation B’nai David, his spiritual
home throughout his life in Los Angeles,
where he was the gabbai and where he
could be found daily. His revered rabbi, Yosef
Kanefsky, introduced the event; the bar
mitzvah of Kenneth’s oldest son Nahum
Moshe in February moved from Cleveland
to Los Angeles so he could attend, and the
publication of his final book. He was informed
that it would be published by Academic
Studies Press just days before his death.
Not a man easily given to praise, David
Myers, fellow historian and friend, summed
up the quality of Lowenstein’s scholarship:
“Steven Lowenstein was one of the most
important Jewish social historians of our time.
He has also had a remarkable second career,
as a social worker, on Skid Row. In both cases,
he was a collector of human stories, which
he reconstructed with extraordinary skill and
sensitivity.”
His daughter, Ruth, recalled him as father
and grandfather, never happier than playing
on the floor with his grandchildren, teaching
by example the values of tradition, telling
story after story and illustrating with each
story the sacred value of each individual.
Too few in years, still he lived a life that
was complete with family and friends,
scholarship and accomplishments, love and
tradition. He taught others, cared for others
and gave to others. He knew how to live and
why to live so he could die with his work
complete, his life an organic whole, in his
own words, a tapestry. n
Michael Berenbaum is director of the Sigi
Ziering Institute and a professor of Jewish Studies
at American Jewish University.
JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 29
 Waiting in line
outside Western Kosher.

Michael Naim’s looted jewelry stall

vice for all our in downtown Los Angeles
ng time!

Zoom into Shabbat with Lev

Saturday, June 6th at 9:30am
Lev Eisha LIVE via Zoom!
Join Lev Eisha for an interactive, virtual Shabbat
service with Rabbi Toba August and cantorial
soloist Cindy Paley. In addition to experiencing
your favorite prayers and melodies, you will have
opportunities for discussion and connection with
your Lev friends.
Don’t miss this
inspiring Shabbat
morning!
All are welcome.
To participate,
please visit
leveisha.org.

jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain
My Shabbat of
Shattered Glass
» by Michelle Naim
THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD,
an African American man who was
suffocated while being apprehended
by a Minneapolis police officer, sparked
protests all over the country. I outrightly
condemn Floyd’s heinous death and I
hope that the police officer(s) responsible
will be brought to justice.
What my father, Michael Naim, had
to experience on the morning of May
30, however, was not protest. It was
destruction. My dad has worked in the
same jewelry booth at 700 S. Hill St. in
downtown Los Angeles for as long as I can
remember — 1999, to be exact.
Since I was a little girl, excitement filled
me when I got to spend the day at “Dad’s
office.” Shiny rings and earrings sit in the
glass showcase I have grown to appreciate
with all its smudges and scratch marks. My
father’s cheerful and caring voice always
makes me feel at home when he asks a new
customer, “How can I be of any help today?”
I don’t tell him this, but I often tear up just
watching him these days. I don’t know why,
but I suppose the secret is out now.
On Shabbat morning May 30, my father,
a proud Jew, woke up to see six missed calls
from his colleague in the booth directly
adjacent to his. Shortly thereafter, he got
a text message from the same colleague
clarifying the purpose of her multiple
calls: “It’s an emergency,” she said. After
seeing the urgent message, my father
called her, only to have her tell him their
jewelry plaza had been looted. “Hurry and
rush downtown,” she cried. “They have
broken your showcase windows and I see
some silver bracelets on the floor.”
“I was surprised I was invaded,” my father
told me. “Although I knew there was going to
be a demonstration, I didn’t think that this
was going to come out of it,” he said.
We found out about this exchange only
after my dad returned home much later
that day. Not long after he had gotten in
his car to drive to his downtown booth,
I woke up and sat on the couch with a
book in hand. I heard the phone ringing
repeatedly from a distance, but because of
Shabbat observance, I ignored the calls.
Suddenly, my youngest brother, Ariel,

30 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com June 5-11, 2020

 COM M U N I T Y
There was nothing that could have
prepared us for that day but I did know that
a hardworking man did not deserve to have
his business destroyed by people carrying
bats, wanting only to cause mayhem that
night. In one night, everything that my dad
built had been broken.
yelled, “Dad is on the phone. He says it’s
an emergency.”
I knew something was very wrong,
watching my mom’s worried face as she
spoke to my dad. She nodded, put one
hand on her cheek and hung up.
What happened next was a blur: I
woke up my brother, Ethan, from his deep
slumber on a day he probably would have
slept into early afternoon. He hurriedly
brushed his teeth and put on shorts and
a T-shirt. Before I knew it, Ethan and my
mom were pulling out of the driveway.
As the oldest daughter, I was told to stay
home with Ariel. I asked him how he felt. He
said he was scared and he hoped that they
would be safe. “Me too,” I said.
There was nothing that could have
June 5-11, 2020
Photo courtesy of Michael Naim
prepared us for that day but I did know that
a hardworking man did not deserve to have
his business destroyed by people carrying
bats, wanting only to cause mayhem that
night. As I wrote in my Facebook post:
“[My father] came to the United States of
America so that he could create a future.
And, in one night, it was broken by people
who did not use their hands as gestures to
speak up, but as weapons — to carry axes
and shatter glass.”
In one night, everything that my dad
built had been broken. n
Michelle Naim has a bachelor’s degree in
English-Journalism from Yeshiva University is
and a former Journal intern. She’s on Twitter
at @michnaim.
JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 31
 Waiting in line
outside Western Kosher.

Jewish Contributions to Humanity

#48 in a series

The Federal
Reserve’s Three
Jewish Chairs.

Alan Greenspan Ben Bernanke Janet Yellen

ALAN GREENSPAN (1926-).

b. Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Federal Reserve Chair, 1987-2006. A Randian in Washington. Protesters march through downtown Los Angeles
The former five-term chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve

Jewish Organizations
System, Alan Greenspan has been one of America’s most influential economic
policymakers in the 20th and early 21st centuries. He’s credited with helping the nation
navigate the Oct. 1987 stock market crash, two recessions, the 1997 Asian financial

React to Protests
crisis, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Greenspan was close with the late libertarian author
Ayn Rand, and is a major advocate of minimal government intervention in the economy.
Unlike many Federal Reserve heads, Greenspan was more focused on controlling price
inflation and promoting the value of the dollar than with promoting “full employment.”
Before being appointed to the Federal Reserve by President Ronald Reagan, Greenspan » by Aaron Bandler, Staff Writer
studied economics at New York University and Columbia University, worked at the
National Industrial Conference Board and chaired President Gerald Ford’s Council of
MULTIPLE JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS the fire are not the ways to go. We need
Economic Advisers.
have released statements following the to unite and, yes, honestly confront our
BEN BERNANKE (1953-). demonstrations throughout the country shortcomings.”
b. Augusta, Georgia. and in the Los Angeles area after the death The Simon Wiesenthal Center tweeted
Federal Reserve Chair, 2006-2014. From Dillon, SC to Washington, D.C. of 46-year-old George Floyd. on May 30 that nobody “has the right
The former two-term Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Shalom Bernanke is one Floyd, an African American, was to use this tragedy to commit acts of
of the 21st century’s most influential economists, and played a key role in leading the declared dead at a hospital otn May 25 violence, looting and theft. This desecrates
federal government’s response to the economic crisis that began in 2008. Bernanke was after a white Minneapolis police officer the memory of #GeorgeFloyd. Looting and
raised in small Dillon, South Carolina, where his family attended Ohav Shalom synagogue. pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly burning private property is not a legitimate
Bernanke’s grandfather, Harold Friedman, was a chazzan, shochet and Hebrew teacher, nine minutes. The officer, Derek Chauvin, form of protest,” adding, “Icons of civil
and he taught a young Ben Hebrew. Bernanke studied economics at Harvard and MIT, was arrested on May 29 and charged with rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King
and went on to teach at Stanford and Princeton before being appointed as a member of third-degree murder. + other leaders [such] as Caesar Chavez
the Fed’s Board of Governors. Bernanke believes that the continued growth of developed Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Los + Americans who gave their lives to the
nations has helped to moderate the volatility of the economic business cycle (upward and Angeles tweeted on May 30, “ADL is fight for equality, must be crying tonight.
downward GDP movements), and his “Bernanke doctrine” has become a key theory as to heartbroken at the ongoing horror of We support our elected officials + police in
how to prevent deflation. During the Great Recession, Bernanke was a key architect of the racism in our country and among elements bringing back law + order to the streets of
government’s bailouts and takeovers of failing banking institutions. of police forces. We acknowledge the right American cities.”
to protest peacefully. But destruction is not Rabbi Yonah Bookstein similarly
JANET YELLEN (1946-). the answer; community empowerment is.” denounced the violence and looting.
b. New York, New York. American Jewish Committee Los “Praying for peace and safety for all our
Federal Reserve Chair, 2014-present. The Fed’s first female head. Angeles (AJCLA) said in a May 30 Facebook community,” he tweeted on May 30.
The third consecutive Jewish head of the Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen is also the post, “As some protesters in Los Angeles “Injustice and racism is worth protesting.
Fed’s first female chair. Born in Brooklyn, and educated at Brown and Yale, Yellen taught today have resorted to violence, vandalism, Violence and looting is wrong and immoral.
at Harvard before being tapped for a brief stint with the Federal Reserve before returning and destruction of property, we join with Those who are looting and burning are
to academia at the London School of Economics and UC Berkeley. Yellen went on to serve Mayor Eric Garcetti in appealing for calm terrorizing all of us.”
as an economic adviser to President Bill Clinton, and led the Federal Reserve Bank of San across our city. However justifiable their He added in a subsequent tweet that
Francisco before being appointed as the Fed’s Vice Chair in 2010, a position she held until outrage over the murder of George Floyd while Shavuot was peaceful, those who
President Barack Obama appointed her as Ben Bernanke’s replacement in 2014. Yellen’s earlier this week, there is no justification observed the holiday in Los Angeles could
term, thus far, has been characterized by the maintenance of low interest rates, a nod to for lawlessness in LA or anywhere.” see the helicopters swirling above the city
her Keynesian preference to favor decreasing unemployment over preventing inflation. In a subsequent May 31 post, AJCLA and knew “all was not OK with Los Angeles.”
condemned President Donald Trump’s The Jewish Federation of Greater Los
rhetoric, stating, “We need our leaders to Angeles issued a statement after Shabbat
Original Research by Walter L. Field Sponsored by Irwin S. Field Written by Jared Sichel summon the best in us. President Trump, and Shavuot on May 30 stating, “Our
dividing a country and pouring fuel on tradition teaches us that all humans are

32 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com June 5-11, 2020

 COMMUNITY

Rebbe’s Teachings

Naso:
Lifting Up

I n the second section of the Book of Numbers, the narrative begins as God
instructs Moses to complete his count (Naso, in Hebrew) of the Levite clans. The
Torah then records the purification process that the Jews needed to undergo
before setting out from Mount Sinai toward the Land of Israel. Finally, the Torah
records the offerings that the tribal princes donated on the day the Tabernacle began
to function. Their offerings emphasized how the Jewish people’s upcoming journey
through the desert – as well as each individual’s journey through life, to fulfill his or
her Divine mission – must be both an individual and collective experience.
The preceding section, parashat Bemidbar, concluded with the conscription of
the Levite clan of Kehat into the Temple service, and parashat Naso begins with the
conscription of the other two Levite clans, Gershon and Merari. This already seems
strange: why do we break between the parashiot in the middle of the story of the Levites’

Photo by MammothCat
conscription? But this is only the beginning. Gershon was the oldest son of Levi, fol-
lowed by Kehat and Merari. Why was the clan of Kehat plucked out of its natural place,
following Gershon, and artificially grafted on to the end of the preceding parashah?
According to the Midrash (Bemidbar Rabbah 6:1), the Torah gives precedence
to the clan of Kehat because they carried the Ark of the Covenant, which housed
the tablets. Since they carried the Torah, the means through which the Jew binds
himself to God, they are described first.
Now, the idiom used for “taking a census” throughout these two parashiot is
“lifting up the head.” As the commentaries explain, counting the people summoned
“In recent months we have seen, yet forth their otherwise latent capacities necessary for conscription into God’s “army”
on the eve of their journey into the desert. It is this idiom of elevation that both
again, too many devastating examples of begins parashat Naso and gives it its name – the word Naso means to “lift up.” Thus,

persistent systemic racism, leading to the

parashat Naso describes the uplift that preceded the journey into the wilderness.
But parashat Naso begins: “Take a census of the clan of Gershon, too.” The fact

ed deaths not only of Mr. Floyd but of other that the clan of Gershon’s tally is presented as secondary to that of the clan of Kehat,
almost as an afterthought, indicates that the real tallying, the real “raising the head,”
ur
precious souls, including Breonna Taylor and is that done to the clan of Kehat. This is because, as we said, the clan of Kehat car-
ried the Ark of the Covenant, which housed the Torah. The Torah is the real means
ed
ht
Ahmaud Arbery. The list feels endless, and by which we “raise our heads,” that is, ascend to higher levels of Divine conscious-
ness. It is for this reason that the clan of Kehat is counted first.
of
so, too, is our despair. But as we recite the When our mind is elevated, our whole life is elevated together with it, so, once

mourner’s Kaddish for them all, we say now,

es the clan of Kehat have been “lifted up,” we can raise the clan of Gershon, too. In
nd fact, the Torah’s power to raise us higher than the material world is manifest most

again: We will not sit idly by.” — Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner fully not when it raises our consciousness but when it elevates our mundane, daily
te
vil lives. This is why the parashiot of Bemidbar and Naso are split between the censuses
ng of the clans of Kehat and Gershon: in this way, parashat Naso begins with the
ez created in the image of G-d. We mourn towards a more just society that will heal census of the clan of Gershon, teaching us that we achieve the real “lifting up the
he the senseless death of George Floyd. those wounds.” heads” when this affects our mundane lives, as well.
ht. Our tradition calls upon all of us to work Union for Reform Judaism Senior Vice Furthermore, placing the census of the clan of Gershon at the beginning of
in alongside our neighbors to create a President Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner also said parashat Naso highlights the advantage of action over study. Torah study and the
of more just world. We stand with the black in a May 30 statement, “The national rage concrete performance of God’s commandments are superior to one another in dif-
community and all communities of color.” expressed about the murder of Mr. Floyd ferent ways: Torah study unites us consciously with God, but only affects our intel-
ly StandWithUs issued a May 31 statement reflects the depth of pain over the injustice lect. In contrast, performing the commandments unites us with God only sublimi-
g. condemning the killing of Floyd. that people of color — and particularly black nally, but this union pervades the physical body. Recording the census of the clan
ur “The video showing a (now former) men — have been subjected to throughout of Kehat first emphasizes the superiority of Torah study; arranging the parashiot so
0. police officer kneeling on George Floyd’s the generations. In recent months we have the clan of Gershon’s census introduces parashat Naso emphasizes the superiority
g. neck while three others stood by and let seen, yet again, too many devastating of performing the commandments.
al. it happen is disturbing beyond words,” the examples of persistent systemic racism, Finally, the fact that all this preparation – this elevation through Torah study
re statement read. “It illustrates the urgent leading to the deaths not only of Mr. Floyd – occurs in the desert emphasizes that the purpose and truest fulfillment of Torah
need for accountability and justice in this but of other precious souls, including study is that it transform even the barren wasteland of the spiritual void into God’s
at and other similar cases.” Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.” home on earth. u
ho The pro-Israel education group added, Pesner went on to honor other unarmed
ld “It is clear that the killing of George Floyd, black men who have died at the hands of From the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson. The
ty following the shootings of Ahmaud Arbery law enforcement, including Eric Garner, Rebbe’s inspirational teachings on the Torah portion can be found in the Kehot Chu-
s.” and Breonna Taylor, has once again ripped Walter Scott and Michael Brown. mash, produced by Chabad House Publications.
os open deep wounds in America, particularly “The list feels endless, and so, too, is
at for the black community. We hope this our despair,” Pesner said. “But as we recite Sp on so re d by Cha ba d o f Ca lif o rnia , in lov ing m e m o ry o f Ra bbi Tze m a c h
ur will become a catalyst for people of all the mourner’s Kaddish for them all, we say Yeh osh u a Cunin, E m is s a ry o f the Re bbe a nd Dire c to r o f Cha ba d o f Ce ntury City.
re backgrounds to come together and work now, again: We will not sit idly by.” n

20 June 5-11, 2020 JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 33


LAPD Chief Apologizes for Saying George Floyd’s
Death Was on Looters’ Hands
» by Ariel Sobel
LOS ANGELES POLICE CHIEF MICHEL
Moore came under fire for saying that the
death of George Floyd was on the hands
of those “capitalizing” on the situation “as
much as it is those officers,” during a June 1
Livestream address with Mayor Eric Garcetti
about curfews and protests.
“We did not have protests last night, we
had criminal acts,” Moore said, adding that
700 people were arrested on May 31, 70 of
them for looting businesses.
“We had people mourning the death of
this man, George Floyd,” Moore continued.
“We had people capitalizing. His death is on
their hands as much as it is those officers. And
that is a strong statement, but I must say that
this civil unrest that we are in the midst of, we
must turn a corner from people who are in-
volved in violence.”
Moore’s statement drew outrage on social
Source: Screenshot, Youtube
media, with people calling on him to resign.
The similar spelling of the police chief’s name
to documentary filmmaker Michael Moore
prompted the latter to trend on Twitter. In
response, Michael Moore tweeted out “I’ve al-
ways wanted to say this: F-CK YOU, MICHAEL
MOORE!” (sic)
Garcetti also drew backlash for nodding
behind the police chief during the remarks.
During his address, Garcetti said, “The peace-
ful protesters should be the story, not the loot-
JFLA Offering Loans to Looted L.A. Businesses
» by Ryan Torok, Staff Writer
SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF THE
coronavirus pandemic, the Jewish Free
Loan Association (JFLA) has been working
remotely to ensure people receive their
interest-free loans.
“It’s extremely gratifying to be able to
help people when they are in such times
of crisis,” JFLA Executive Director Rachel
Grose told the Journal. “It’s difficult to
see so many people facing such difficult
times, and I think it is important for the
public to know how devastated a lot of the
city is.”
And in the wake of the looting that
occurred after weekend protests against
police brutality over the death of George
Floyd, JFLA announced on June 1 it will of-
fer loans to small businesses affected by
the looting.
“The idea is to be here for all the small
businesses in L.A. and Ventura counties,”
Grose said. “It is a time when businesses
34 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com
ers,” adding, “looting sets us back for years .…
We’re throwing everything we have at main-
taining peace, and we’re going to throw ev-
were just going to start opening up, espe-
cially restaurants and clothing stores. To
have people already experiencing such
“It’s difficult to see so many people
facing such difficult times, and I think it
is important for the public to know how
devastated a lot of the city is.” — Rachel Grose
economic devastation, to be almost ready
to try and recover and to be on the receiv-
ing end of looting and destruction, it’s dev-
astating.”
Under the program, interest-free loans
erything we have on promoting justice. And
nobody out there needs to pick between those
two.”
of up to $18,000 are available to all resi-
dents of L.A. or Ventura counties, provided
they are U.S. citizens. The loans can be
used toward debris cleanup, graffiti re-
moval, construction needs, inventory re-
placement and more.
While the loans don’t require the bor-
rower to put up any collateral or pay any
COMMUNITY
Moore apologized for his remarks a few
hours later, tweeting, “I misspoke when mak-
ing a statement about those engaging in
violent acts following the murder of George
Floyd. While I did immediately correct myself,
I recognize that my initial words were terribly
“We did not have
protests last night,
we had criminal
acts.” — Michel Moore
offensive. Looting is wrong, but it is not the
equivalent of murder and I did not mean to
equate the two. I deeply regret and humbly
apologize for my characterization.
“Let me be clear: the police officers in-
volved were responsible for the death of
George Floyd,” he added.
Garcetti also responded to the controversy,
tweeting, “The responsibility for George Floyd’s
death rests solely with the police officers in-
volved. Chief Moore regrets the words he chose
this evening and has clarified them.” n
fees, JFLA requires two guarantors who can
repay the borrower’s debt if he or she is unable
to pay it back themselves.
This is not the first time JFLA has offered
loans to businesses impacted by civil unrest in
the city. After the Watts riots in 1965, the or-
ganization assisted businesses in rebuilding,
Grose said.
“Jewish Free Loan has been around since
1904 providing loans in good times and bad to
people of all faiths who reside in L.A. or Ven-
tura counties,” she said. “On the one hand,
we aren’t doing anything new —we’re offer-
ing the same loan. On the other hand, we are
responding in very direct ways to new needs.”
With the coronavirus pandemic, followed
by these latest protests, Grose said, “I think
the majority of society is living close to the
edge. We’re seeing that every day.” n
For more information on obtaining a loan,
visit jfla.org.
June 5-11, 2020

s Mayor Garcetti on
How L.A. Has Handled
COVID-19 Pandemic
w » by Aaron Bandler, Staff Writer
k-
in IN A MAY 27 AMERICAN JEWISH
ge Committee (AJC) Zoom webinar, Los Angeles
lf, Mayor Eric Garcetti discussed how Los
ly Angeles County has handled the COVID-19
pandemic.
Garcetti touted Los Angeles’ diversity and
how the county was able to unite and follow
social distancing measures in the midst of
the pandemic. “We’ve seen probably about a
20th [of] the impact that we saw in New York
,
City,” he said. “We went very early into taking
strong actions.”
The mayor acknowledged that L.A.
county accounts for about half of California’s
“We’ve seen probably about a 20th [of] the
he
to
impact that we saw in New York City. We
ly
went very early into taking strong actions.”
n-
of
sy, — Mayor Eric Garcetti
d’s
n- COVID-19 cases, with nearly 49,000 confirmed
se cases and more than 2,000 deaths. He praised
the county’s widespread testing and said the
city of Los Angeles was the first major city to
provide universal COVID-19 testing.
“We’ve had a state of emergency here;
certainly used those powers to be able
expand testing, help expand capacities in
our hospitals, but all of our numbers have
stabilized,” he said.
The county allowed houses of worship
to resume in-person services as well as in-
person shopping at retail stores on May 26.
an Garcetti suggested that restaurants could
le start offering dine-in services again. However,
he expressed concern about a potential surge
ed in new cases.
in “We’ve got very vulnerable populations
or- that this nation needs to continue to
ng, protect, especially our seniors and people
in congregant living settings, and those
ce who have preexisting conditions,” he said,
to pointing out that 92% of the county deaths
n- have occurred among those groups.
d, He added that while the county hasn’t had
er- its bond rating downgraded and currently
re has the largest reserve funds in county
s.” history, the county is facing massive cuts to
ed basic services including a 10% across-the-
nk board furlough for non-essential workers.
he “That’s a big hit on city services,” Garcetti
said, “and if [the pandemic gets] worse —
and it could get worse — we’re not going
n, to see tourism back anytime soon or hotels
full anytime soon [or] sports events with
20 June 5-11, 2020
COMMUNITY
stadiums full of people anytime soon. But we
might have to look at layoffs.”
He also warned that a lot of small
businesses are in danger of closing
permanently.
“In this next month or two, the American
entrepreneurialism will either survive or
be significantly cut,” Garcetti said, and
stated that it’s crucial to have the federal
government provide cash assistance to state
and local governments.
He added that the federal government is
concerned that state and local governments
won’t properly allocate federal money to Am I Alive?
In this virtual programming world, there’s a new question many of us ask
without realizing it: Am I live?
We say this phrase in the context of whether or not the entire world can see
us online. These words transition us from authentic beings to whomever we
want the camera to see; whichever piece of our lives we’re ready to reveal.
Hair brushed, makeup on, smiles big — going live doesn’t necessarily mean
the online world sees the reality of our living world. We present what we want
to present; not always showing what’s really taking place beyond the camera.
businesses in need but said to combat that, And yet one of the silver linings of offering so much virtual programming
federal money should come with restrictions is that the two worlds are blending. Quickly. There isn’t much time to think
to ensure that the money isn’t wasted. about the right outfit or how the kids are behaving or which perfect segment
“If we don’t, these places are going to be of life everyone should see. Going live is starting to mean: Here we are, raw
shuttered for a long time, and this is not and vulnerable, ready to teach and ready to learn. Going live is now a path of
going to be a momentary depression but connection, a chance to invite others into our hearts when we can’t invite them
a longer term one,” he said. into our homes. Going live is less about pretending who we are and more about
Garcetti later lamented the fact displaying the deep, sacred imperfections of our soul.
that the federal government has
excluded undocumented immigrants Going live shows we’re living. Breathing, failing, trying, grasping, hoping,
from receiving federal cash assistance, praying, loving, yearning. Living.
pointing out that children whose parents
are undocumented and a spouse of an Modeh Ani Lifanecha. Dear God, thank you for my life. My messy, beautiful
undocumented worker are ineligible for life.
federal cash assistance. In response, the
And for all of us watching one another’s lives splashed across the screen, how
city privately raised $53 million to provide
blessed we are to share these unscripted moments together.
debit cards ranging from $700, $1,100 or
$1,500 to city residents regardless of their
Shabbat shalom.
immigration status.
“They feed a lot of people, they have
bills, they’re critical parts of the economy,”
he argued.
On the issue of bigotry during
the pandemic, Garcetti said that he
condemned prejudice against Asians
early on and encouraged people to go to
Asian-owned businesses and restaurants
before the shelter-in-place order. “We’ve
Rabbi Nicole Guzik is a rabbi at Sinai Temple.
seen [anti-Asian bigotry] really fall off
here in Los Angeles,” he said.
He concluded the webinar saying, “This
better be a wake-up call for the second
wave, if there is one … or the next time [a
pandemic] happens, because this will be an
ongoing threat for the rest of our lives.” n
JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 35
 ART S

Israel Film Center Festival Goes Virtual

» by Gerri Miller, Contributing Writer
WITH THEATERS CLOSED BECAUSE
of the COVID-19 pandemic, movie releases
largely have gone virtual, allowing fans to
screen the latest films at home. This year’s
Israel Film Center Festival also has moved
online, with a diverse lineup of seven Is-
raeli films screening from June 7 — 14,
each with a Q&A discussion via Zoom, fea-
turing filmmakers and casts.
Presented by the Marlene Meyerson
JCC Manhattan, the lineup kicks off with
from consultant David Zucker (“Airplane!”
“The Naked Gun”), the film broke box of-
fice records to become Israel’s number-one
comedy last summer. It stars Tsahi Halevi
as the Mossad agent and Efrat Dor as his
CIA rival. The Q&A will take place at 2 p.m.
PDT June 8.
Also in the comedy category, Boaz Ar-
moni’s “The Electrifiers” is a charmingly
funny film about middle-aged former rock
their two children. “In Israel, you’re re-
quired to do three things: go to the army,
get married and have kids. And if you have
a problem having kids, you feel like there’s
something wrong with you, like you’ve
done something wrong,” he told JPost.com.
“There are definitely feelings of shame.
You keep it all inside, and you don’t really
deal with it.” The film, which contains nu-
dity and sexual activity, will have its Q&A
at 2 p.m. PDT June 10.
Se
ha
a
pa
th
ju
—
illustrations to tell the origin story of the la
Tel Aviv Zoo. Its founder, Max Schornstein, VO
emigrated to Israel from Copenhagen in Ju
1935 and became known as Rabbi Doolittle
for introducing his fellow pioneers to the
wonders of the animal kingdom. Opening
in 1938, the zoo was a popular attraction
until 1980, when growth led to protests
and eventually, its closure (the animals
were moved to a new zoo in Ramat Gan).
Log on for the Q&A at 1 p.m. PDT June 12.

Gur Bentwich
and Maya
Kenig in
“Peaches
and Cream”
the comedy “Peaches and Cream,” about a
neurotic film director freaking out at the
realization that his latest film is a flop. Star-
ring and directed by Gur Bentwich, the film
takes place in a single night as the unrav-
eling auteur deals with frustration, failure,
flaky friends and a life-threatening heart
attack. The film received 10 Ophir Award
nominations and won three last year. It’s
available to screen beginning at 5:30 p.m.
PDT June 6 for 24 hours, and the live Q&A
will take place at 1 p.m. PDT June 7.
“Mossad!” is a more raucous comedy,
a spy movie spoof that pits the titular Is-
raeli agency against the CIA on a mission
to rescue a kidnaped American tech bil-
lionaire and save the world from terror-
ists. Directed by Alon Gur Arye, with input
Zvika Nathan in
“The Electrifiers”
stars who are still chasing the dream three
decades after their one-hit wonder. Now,
they’re playing two-bit hotels and nursing
homes while working dead-end jobs, ex-
cept for lead singer Mickey, who lives in a
van but clings to hope that the big break is
right around the corner. Zvika Nathan, who
wrote the screenplay, is terrific in the role.
The Q&A will begin at 2 p.m. PDT June 9.
“The Art of Waiting” is a dramedy about
a young couple’s struggle with infertil-
ity and the toll it takes on their marriage.
Nominated for four Ophir Awards, includ-
ing one for director Erez Tadmor, it tackles
a topic people don’t talk about in Israel.
Tadmor’s inspiration for the film was his
own family’s journey: His wife underwent
in vitro fertilization for six years to have
Nelly Tagar, Roy Assar in
“The Art of Waiting”
pe
w
From director Yaron Shani, double The story of the founding family known St
Ophir Award winner “Chained” is a dark, as the Israeli Kennedys is told in four epi- so
disturbing drama about an abrasive, ag- sodes in Anat Goren’s miniseries “Dayan: H
gressive cop who goes too far. A hardliner The First Family,” which examines five tio
at home and on the job, Rashi (Eran Naim) generations in the dynasty that made an be
sees his life spiral out of control after he indelible mark on Israeli history. Personal hi
strip searches some teenagers congregat- insights and revelations abound, such as O
ing in a park. One of them has a father this surprising comment: “Moshe Dayan
in the intelligence service, leading to his was radioactive,” says his grandson Sa’ar as bi
suspension and both his professional and he tries to explain how throughout Dayan’s na
personal downfall. Shani and Naim won life and decades after his death, his family si
Ophir Awards for the 2019 film, which is still struggles with the large shadow cast by Ja
difficult to watch — but is eerily relevant in the war hero and defense minister. The Q&A th
light of recent events involving police. The will take place at 1:30 p.m. PDT June 14. n an
Q&A will take place at 2 p.m. PDT June 11. “I
The Israel Film Center Festival takes place m
In “There Are No Lions in Tel Aviv,” online June 7-14. Tickets for each title and Q&A in
documentary filmmaker Duki Dror uses are $8. Visit IsraelFilmCenter.org/festival to sa
archival photos, footage and whimsical purchase and for additional information. th

36 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com June 5-11, 2020 Ju


SINCE HIS BREAKOUT ROLE IN “A
Serious Man” in 2009, Michael Stuhlbarg
has played a movie mogul in “Hitchcock,”
a mobster in “Boardwalk Empire,” a news-
paper editor in “The Post” and a loving fa-
ther in “Call Me by Your Name,” to mention
just a few of his acclaimed performances
— and memorable Jewish characters. His
latest film, “Shirley,” premiering on Hulu,
VOD and at select drive-in theaters on
June 5, checks both boxes.
It stars Elisabeth Moss in an electrifying
Michael Stuhlbarg
and Elisabeth Moss
in “Shirley”
Another Jewish Character for
Michael Stuhlbarg in ‘Shirley’
» by Gerri Miller, Contributing Writer
performance as the increasingly unhinged
writer Shirley Jackson (“The Lottery”), with
Stuhlbarg as her unfaithful college profes-
sor and literary critic husband, Stanley
Hyman. Their toxic, manipulative rela-
tionship, a constant battle of caustic wits,
becomes more complicated when Hyman
hires a newlywed couple (Logan Lerman,
Odessa Young) as live-in help.
Enamored of Moss’ talent, Sarah Gub-
bins’ screenplay, and the bantering dy-
namic between the characters, Stuhlbarg
signed on and delved into researching
Jackson and Hyman, speaking to several of
their acquaintances and reading articles
and the book on which the film is based.
“It was a progressive learning curve for
me, starting with what was true and mov-
ing to the novel and our screenplay,” he
said. “There’s a lot of dramatic license, but
these are real people, so it behooved me to
June 5-11, 2020
learn as much about them as I could so I
could apply that to what I was given.”
While he felt the responsibility that
always comes with playing a real person,
the fictional story provided more leeway.
“It was up to me to decide how closely I
wanted to look like Stanley Hyman and
at what age, and should I have the beard,
wear glasses and which kind. He changed
his appearance quite significantly over the
years,” Stuhlbarg said.
Stuhlbarg acknowledged the prepon-
derance of Jewish characters on his re-
sume, dating back to an unnamed Chasid
in his film debut, “A Price Above Rubies,”
and including Grandpa Chaim in “Trans-
parent” and Edward G. Robinson in “Trum-
bo,” but noted they’re all very different
from one another. “If it’s new ground,
that’s great for me,” he said.
“My life has been peppered with won-
derful opportunities that I did my best to
take advantage of,” he added, starting with
early stage roles in “Hamlet,” “Richard III”
and “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” that
he calls “pivotal experiences.” Joel and
Ethan Coen’s “A Serious Man” was “life
changing,” providing a step up to a higher
caliber of roles on screen. But Stuhlbarg
also relishes the challenging roles he’s had
in the theater, including Tom Stoppard’s
“Travesties” in 2003 and more recently, Tim
Blake Nelson’s “Socrates” last spring. “Each
experience brings with it new challenges,”
he said. “Some change your life, but all of
them live within you, and that’s part of the
fun of what we get to do.”
His first theatrical experience came at
age 11, when his mother signed him and
his sister up for a community theater pro-
duction of “Bye Bye, Birdie.” He initially just
wanted to build the sets, but acting in the
show “sparked something in me. I think it
had everything to do with making people
laugh,” Stuhlbarg said. “It took me out of
Photo courtesy of Neon
myself and let me focus on other things. It
was great fun.”
Raised in Long Beach by parents with
Russian, Hungarian, German, Austrian and
English roots, Stuhlbarg was bar mitzvah
and confirmed at a Reform synagogue. “My
parents were culturally and charitably ac-
tive. They wanted us to know our heritage
and grounded us in that world so that it
would inform the decisions we made as
adults,” he said. Today, Judaism “is a social
and communal aspect of my life in terms
of observance, much more than a devout
religious experience.”
Stuhlbarg was midway through filming
the Showtime series “Your Honor” oppo-
site Bryan Cranston when the COVID-19
pandemic hit, suspending production, and
although he hopes to be on board for the
“Call Me by Your Name” sequel “Find Me,”
plans are in limbo for now. He has record-
ARTS
ed the audiobook version for André Aci-
man’s novel, which takes place a decade
later. The movie bio “Gore,” in which he
plays Gore Vidal’s longtime partner How-
ard Austin, is finished, but there’s no word
on its release.
Beyond these projects, “I’m wide open,”
he said. “Part of the delight in doing what I
do is being surprised about the things that
come along. I look forward to any oppor-
tunity to collaborate on pieces in the the-
ater and hope to do that more regularly.
I’m fascinated by the idea of being part of
something from the ground up, and per-
haps applying different elements of who
I am in the upcoming years to writing and
directing and producing, as well as acting.
I long to be a part of bringing things to life
every aspect of what they are, and to en-
gage myself as thoroughly as possible.”
Meanwhile, he’s “trying to stay safe and
“Each [acting]
experience brings
with it new
challenges. Some
change your life,
but all of them live
within you, and
that’s part of the
fun of what we get
to do.” — Michael Stuhlbarg
smart, be patient, and keep my head clear”
while spending his days writing, get-
ting exercise and staying in contact with
friends and family via phone, FaceTime
and Zoom.
“Shirley” won critical raves at its de-
but earlier this year at the Sundance Film
Festival, and Stuhlbarg hopes the gen-
eral public will be equally receptive. “It’s
a very particular kind of piece, where
people might be served best not to know
much about it, just throw themselves into
it and enjoy it for what it is and for its
particularly unusual perspective and
artistry,” he said. He’d love for people to
learn about Jackson and her work as a
result of the film. “She was a remarkable
artist who is having a kind of renaissance
in the last few years, and that’s kind of
.0thrilling,” he said. “Maybe it will open
people’s minds up to an artist they weren’t
aware of.” n
“Shirley” premieres June 5 on Hulu, VOD
and at select drive-in theaters.
JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 37
 ARTS

ALTHOUGH PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY HAS when it makes legislation harder to pass. She States-Israel relationship, which resulted in she represents the strong tradition of Jewish

become notorious for her role in impeding
the Equal Rights Amendment from becoming
ratified, the FX series “Mrs. America,” which
chronicles her life in the 1960s, highlights her
is unwavering in her support of Shirley Ch-
isholm (played by Uzo Aduba), the first black
woman elected to the United States Congress
as she runs for president, even when that
the founding of the Israel Women’s Network.
However, in the series, Friedan is a strug-
gling single Jewish mother to both her daugh-
ter and the feminist movement. She feels un-
A
activism within legal and political systems,
making hard compromises and strategic pol-
icies. However, historically, Abzug’s feminism
is intrinsically tied to her Judaism.

greater effect on U.S. politics: awakening the
religious right.
The series depicts how although Schlafly,
portrayed by Cate Blanchett, was the symbol
of a satisfied American homemaker, she had
political ambitions. She was on the frontlines
when it came to rallying Christian women,
who were particularly incensed by the recent
legalization of abortion. Schlafly enlisted
thousands to her direct mailing list. In the
show, Schlafly is intent on becoming the Sec-
retary of Defense, and handing over her vast
alienates more established politicians from
the feminism movement. Steinem resembles
many Jewish women today who believe their
liberation is bound to the freedom of all tar-
geted minorities.
In real life, Steinem used Jewish tradi-
tion to promote sisterhood. For 20 years, the
feminist icon has held “sister seders,” where
she invites women over for Passover. In 1976,
she attended what likely was the first seder
in history to be held by women only, re-envi-
sioning the holiday through a feminist lens.
appreciated and ostracized, partially because
of her regressive views on LGBTQ equality.
Yet, she wrestles with a stereotype by which
many Jewish women still are plagued: being
too difficult. She grapples with being painted
as a Jewish bulldog against Schlafly’s man-
nerly mischief and not fitting the more white,
Anglo-Saxon Protestant depiction of a lady
— as well as the more mainstream, glamor-
ous depiction of feminism Steinem portrays.
However, the show sits in that reality and
gives us an empathic depiction of Friedan,
Rose Byrne as Gloria Steinem
in “Mrs. America”
O
The only child of Russian Jewish immi-
grants, Abzug ideologies were cemented
after her father died when she was 13. Her
Orthodox synagogue refused to allow her to
say the mourner’s Kaddish for him because
she was a woman. Since there were no men »
in the family who could pay that spiritual
tribute to her father, Abzug began her life
of feminist activism by going to synagogue G
every morning to recite the prayer anyway. ra
Despite the sexism she experienced within in
Judaism, Abzug never abandoned that iden- fo
tity, and even attended the Jewish Theologi- hi
cal Seminary. le
“Mrs. America” honors Abzug’s strong and Be
complicated Jewish identity. On the show, on
she experiences anti-Semitism and is acute- m
ly aware of it. “Mrs. Carter thought you were
lio
N
he

Who could stand

sa
at

up to a figure
Ge
ha

as formidable,
ha
N

organized and
ci
fr

savvy as Phyllis so

Schlafly? Jewish
H

‘Mrs. America’ Is a Love

ny

women.
bo
Th

Letter to Jewish Women

se

Photo by Sabrina Lantos/FX

» by Ariel Sobel
grassroots contacts was integral in helping
Ronald Reagan becoming president.
Who could stand up to a figure as for-
midable, organized and savvy as Phyllis
Schlafly?
Jewish women.
“Mrs. America” explicitly celebrates the
Jewish pioneers of second-wave feminism,
dedicating episodes to Gloria Steinem, Bella
Abzug and Betty Friedan. As it frames the
fight over the Equal Rights Amendment
around a bigger culture war between “family
values” — often a pseudonym for Christian
dogma — it highlights how a group of out-
spoken Jews was the perfect foil.
First, there was Steinem. Born to a Jew-
ish father, she is portrayed as glamorous but
representative of the Jews in the 1960s com-
mitted to racial justice and inclusion. In the
series, Steinem (played by Rose Byrne) re-
fuses to compromise when it comes to mak-
ing space for queer and black women, even
The story of the four sons was changed to
four daughters, the four questions revised
to reflect women’s questions, and 10 extra
plagues that drain modern women were
added, such as self-loathing, envy and sexist
discrimination.
Steinem is at odds with another Jewish
feminist icon, Betty Friedan (played by Tracey
Ullman). Historically, Friedan was arguably
the founder of second-wave feminism. Her
book “The Feminine Mystique” coined “the
problem that has no name,” describing how
American women had a “strange stirring, a
sense of dissatisfaction” from being confined
to home life and deprived of greater ambition
and opportunity in the world. She founded
the National Organization for Women, and
many feminists at the time credited her work
for calling them to action. She also led a life
of intrinsically Jewish activism, leading a del-
egation of “Women as Jews, Jews as Women”
to engage in a dialogue about the United
pushy and loud,” the assistant to the presi- “e
dent tells her in Episode 7. “You know that’s th
code for Jewish,” Abzug fires back. w
Unlike Friedan, Abzug embraces her co
pushiness. She’s proud to be overbear- an
ing, despite understanding that people al
will weaponize it against her. The series H
allows Abzug moments to interact with m
her loneliness and her desire to be acknowl- her religious identity in a more joyful way.
edged in her personal, professional and po- “I couldn’t get elected president of the w
litical lives. brunch chapter of Hadassah,” she jokes in Th
“Mrs. America” highlights how Friedan one scene. ha
becomes more accepting of queer women. Although “Mrs. America” bills itself as ar
In a moving scene, she seconds a lesbian- a series about Phyllis Schlafly, it’s truly a th
rights resolution “which everyone thought love letter to the Jewish women who stood be
I would oppose” at the National Women’s against her and for other women. At the fu
Conference in 1977. Historically, Friedan end of the series, Schlafly’s closest allies and w
went on to advocate for lesbians at the personal friends splinter from her and her “o
United Nations during the AIDS crisis in movement. But when Abzug is unfairly fired N
the 1980s. as head of President Jimmy Carter’s Nation-
One of the most heartfelt and undeniably al Advisory Commission for Women, every N
Jewish moments in “Mrs. America” is when member resigns. The heroes in “Mrs. Amer- le
Friedan offers to make homemade chicken ica” and its creators remain loyal to “pushy pl
soup for stressed-out Bella Abzug (played by and loud” — aka Jewish — women, despite “W
Margot Martindale), who is unapologetically everything. n ite
Jewish on- and off-screen. gr
Congresswoman Abzug, known as “Bat- “Mrs. America” currently is streaming on ni
tling Bella,” was not only one of the first Hulu. is
women in Congress, but a founder of the Na- th
tional Women’s Political Caucus. In the show, Ariel Sobel is the Journal’s social media editor. ro

38 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com June 5-11, 2020 Jun


Author Says Hitler Is Not the
Only One to Blame for Atrocities
» by Jonathan Kirsch
EVERY RADICAL MOVEMENT BE-
GINS with a core of activists, but only
rarely does it succeed in taking and hold-
ing power in a great nation. Adolf Hitler,
for example, “squeaked into power,” as
historian Robert Gellately writes in “Hit-
ler’s True Believers: How Ordinary People
Became Nazis” (Oxford University Press);
only later did the Nazi Party turn into a
mass movement.
“Needless to say, there remained mil-
lions of people for whom everything about
Nazism was unattractive, and as though
he were admitting precisely that, Hitler
said that it would take generations to cre-
ate the kind of social world he desired,”
Gellately explains, and Hitler himself may
have been surprised by how fast it actually
happened. “With remarkable suddenness,
National Socialism came to influence so-
cial, cultural and political life in Germany
from top to bottom.”
Gellately is the Earl Ray Beck Profes-
sor of History at Florida State University.
He often has written on both Nazi Germa-
ny and Stalinist Russia, and his previous
books include “Lenin, Stalin and Hitler:
The Age of Social Catastrophe.” What he
seeks to explain in his new book is how an
“educated and cultured” country of more
than 65 million people, many of whom
were committed to liberal, socialist and
communist parties, was transformed in
an “entire nation of true believers.” Above
all, he denies the answer is to be found in
Hitler’s charismatic hold on the hearts and
minds of the German people.
Indeed, Gellately argues Hitler has been
wrongly credited as a political Svengali.
The truth, he insists, is that Hitler may
have commanded the absolute loyalty of
ardent Nazis, but he was nothing more
than “the necessary leader” who came to
be seen as the man who was capable of
fulfilling the ambitions of Germans who
were not early or earnest Nazis, but were
“on the same wavelength” and joined the
Nazis only to “get on the bandwagon.”
To do so, however, the late-comers to
Nazism were forced to embrace — or at
least to overlook — the extremism dis-
played in Hitler’s speeches and writings.
“We don’t want to be emotional anti-Sem-
ites, who want to create a mood for po-
groms,” Hitler declared in a speech at Mu-
nich beerhall in 1920. “What animates us
is the unrelenting determination to attack
the evil at its source, and to eradicate it,
root and branch.” Many of his fellow Jew-
June 5-11 , 2020
“With the invasion of Poland in 1939, Hitler
put his popularity with the German people
to the litmus test — and he passed.”
haters in Germany were less bloodthirsty,
yet willing to put themselves in service to
Hitler’s genocidal program because they,
too, sought to solve “the Jewish question”
one way or another.
“No single factor can account for why
ordinary people began opting for the Na-
tionalist Socialist Party,” Gellately pro-
poses. High unemployment in Weimar
Germany turned the workers to the Com-
munist party, whose growth prompted
middle-class voters to turn to the Nazi
party. Farm owners and farm laborers saw
the Nazis as a party that “would stand up
for the rural folk and in favor of self-suf-
ficiency in food.” The Protestant churches,
which represented two-thirds of the Ger-
man population, “greeted the new regime
with euphoria, with many looking forward
to a re-Christianization of the country.”
Nazi emphasis on racial purity “might
have played a psychological role” in win-
ning over Germans who have wanted
to exclude Jews from Germany without
wanting to exterminate Jewish men, wom-
en and children all over the world.
Once Hitler was duly appointed chan-
cellor of Germany under the laws of the
Weimar Republic, the Nazi-controlled
Reichstag voted to put an end to parlia-
mentary democracy to put all the pow-
ers of government in service to the Nazi
party. Hitler wanted a “legal dictatorship,”
and now he had one. Concentration camps
were established to confine and punish his
political adversaries. Germans who may
BOOK REVIEW
have been mildly attracted to Nazism and
Germans who had actively opposed it re-
alized no other choice was available. Ulti-
mately, even the Germans who were not
Nazis “willingly sublimated themselves in
the name of a greater cause,” as Gellately
describes a Nazified May Day celebration
in 1933.
Hitler did not rely on terror and propa-
ganda alone to transform Germany from a
great power into a Nazi Party project. He
appealed to material cravings of the Ger-
man people when he conceived the Volk-
swagen – the “people’s car” – and the auto-
bahns on which they were to be operated.
Even Germans who were not under Hitler’s
thrall were won over. “A marvelous vision
of the future” wrote one such diarist, and a
member of the leftist underground found
himself compelled to concede that “the
politician who promises every person an
auto, if the masses believe the promise, is
a man of the masses.”
With the invasion of Poland in 1939,
Hitler put his popularity with the German
people to the litmus test — and he passed.
Even when bombs were falling on Berlin
and defeat by the Allies seemed inevitable,
the German people continued to manu-
facture armaments, fight their enemies on
the field of battle and murder the Jews in
the death camps — all of which required
a massive war effort. The German people
were rewarded for their sacrifice with a
country that had been “reduced, divided,
and humiliated.” Yet a poll taken in West
Germany in 1948 showed that 57 percent
of the respondents still regarded Nazism
as “a good idea that was poorly imple-
mented.”
“Hitler’s True Believers” joins a grow-
ing body of scholarship that focuses not
only on Hitler and the Nazi elite but also
on the “willing executioners” and “will-
ing collaborators” who served them in the
armed forces and the police, bureaucracy,
the legal and medical professions, the
media and the arts, and the countless
other elements of German society All
these books, and Gellately’s prominently
among them, seek to broaden the defini-
tion of “perpetrator” and by doing so, put
the ample blame for the crimes of the
Second World War and the Holocaust
where it belongs. n
Jonathan Kirsch, author and publishing
attorney, is the book editor of the Jewish Jour-
nal and a contributor to The Washington Post.
JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 39
 WHAT ’ S HAP P E N I N G

Pandemic Poetry, Philip Roth, Dr. Ruth

» by Ryan Torok, Staff Writer
FRI JUNE 5
FAREWELL TO RABBI
Beth Chayim Chadashim Interim
Rabbi Alyson Solomon bids farewell to
the community during this Kabbalat
Shabbat service on Zoom. The VIRTUAL TIKKUN OLAM FAIR
Portland native and self-described Angela Milstein of Kehillat Israel’s
“contemporary spiritual designer,” Tikkun Olam group is honored at the
who has led communities and congregation’s Virtual Tikkun Olam
congregations in Santa Barbara; Venice Fair. Different organizations will
share videos about what they do and
how they helped the KI community.
Participants include KI Associate Rabbi
Micah Hyman. 5-6 p.m. ourki.org.

SHABBAT UNDER THE STARS: GRAD-

UATION CELEBRATION
Shomrei Torah Synagogue college,
high school, middle school and
religious school students will celebrate
their graduations during an online
event. During the Shabbat service,
a video presentation will salute
the graduates. 6-7:15 p.m. Online
Rabbi Alyson Solomon at stsonline.org and facebook.com/
shomreitorahsynagogue.

Beach; San Diego; and Cape Town, SAT JUNE 6

South Africa, has been serving as BCC’s
interim rabbi since July 2019. 7-8:30
p.m. bcc-la.org.
PREPARING FOR SHABBAT
DISCUSSION
Temple Israel of Hollywood Rabbi
Michelle Missaghieh leads a half-hour
teaching on Friday morning from 10-
10:30 a.m. jewitathome.com.
VIRTUAL PRIDE/SHAVUOTPALOOZA
Beth Chayim Chadashim holds
its Virtual Pride/ShavuotPalooza. Its
usual “Palooza Stations” will take
place in Zoom breakout rooms. RSVP
required. Access link will be emailed
to registrants. 10:30 a.m.-noon, with
opening songs and a brief Shavuot-
Pride-Shabbat family service followed
by breakout sessions. bcc-la.org.
SUN JUNE 7
OPEN YAD PROJECT
Connect with Congregation Kol
Ami for its next Open Yad Project,
a virtual brunch-and-learn and
celebration of pandemic poetry on
Zoom. Men and women in their 20s
and 30s are invited to participate as the
class takes a deeper dive into Psalms.
No experience required. 11 a.m.-noon.
kol-ami.org.

MON JUNE 8
TWO VIEWS ON CHASIDISM
Theologian Arthur Green and
Stanford University Rabbi-in-
Rabbi Sharon Brous Adam Schiff
Residence Ariel Evan Mayse, co-
editors of a two-volume anthology
TUE JUN 9 Rabbi Michelle Missaghieh exploring the Chasidic movement
“BUILDING BACK BETTER” in North America and Israel, in an
As America works toward coronavirus recovery, IKAR and other communities are
envisioning what the world would look like if we don’t return to the way things were. This
multifaith town hall, a conversation on justice, equity and coronavirus recovery, features Have an event coming up?
IKAR Rabbi Sharon Brous, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), Rev. Mike Kinman of All Saints Send your information two weeks prior to the event to
Church in Pasadena and Salam Al-Marayati of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Rev. ryant@jewishjournal.com for consideration. For groups
Najuma Smith-Pollard of the Cecil Murray Center at USC moderates the online discussion, staging an event that requires an RSVP, please submit details
held from 5-6 p.m. Register at ikar-la.org/calendar. about the event the week before the RSVP deadline.

40 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com June 5-11, 2020

 online discussion with American
’s Jewish University scholar Michael
he Berenbaum. The event is titled
m “Spiritual Journeys and Religious
ill Pursuits: A Conversation about
nd Hassidism.” 9 a.m. aju.edu.
y.
bi SHARED SOCIETY IN ISRAEL
A Jewish Federations of North
America webinar titled “What the
- Integration of Arab-Israelis Looks
Like During the Pandemic.” 1-2 p.m.
e, jewishfederations.org.
nd
te TUE JUNE 9
ne REFLECTING ON ROTH’S WORK
e, Join librarian Lisa Silverman of
te American Jewish University to discuss
ne
m/
Philip Roth

ds
ts
ke
VP
ed
h
t-
ed

TUE JUN 9
“THE RECOVERY AND REOPENING OF LOS ANGELES”
ol The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and Bet Tzedek in an online conversation about “The Recovery and Reopening
ct, of Los Angeles.” Speakers include Bet Tzedek CEO Diego Cartegna and Bet Tzedek council member David Lash. The conversation
nd Philip Roth’s “Defender of the Faith,” will center on L.A.’s economic future and how Bet Tzedek is working to shape what’s next as the city reopens. Part of the
n a short story from his award-winning Federation’s “Coffee and Conversation” series. 9 a.m. To register and receive a Zoom link to this event, email tzicklin@jewishla.org
0s debut book, “Goodbye, Columbus.” The
he event is part of AJU’s “Keep Calm and
s. Read On” series. Access to the short TIME FOR BALANCE CLASS Classes held virtually from 1-3 p.m.
n. story is included in registration email The Sinai Temple Sisterhood holds skirball.org.
confirmation. Noon. aju.edu. “The Balance Class,” a Zoom class
. offering simple movements designed THU JUNE 11
WED JUNE 10 to grow your brain, improve your DR. RUTH
“ANTI-SEMITISM IN THE TIME OF balance and strengthen your immune One week after turning 92, Ruth
nd CORONAVIRUS” system. 9-10 a.m. sinaitemple.org. Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor
n- Michael Berenbaum of American and the world’s most celebrated sex
o- Jewish University and Steven GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK therapist, sits down for an interview
gy Wasserstrom of Reed College in Learn about some of the best with Emmy Award-winning filmmaker
nt Portland, Ore., discuss “Anti-Semitism musical performers in history — and reporter Jerry Levine. Westheimer
n in the Time of Coronavirus.” Now that from Sammy Davis Jr. to Dean Martin will talk about life in the barracks of
America is facing high unemployment during “The Great American Song- the pre-state Haganah. 1 p.m. fidf.org/
and widespread uncertainty, will book, Vol. 3,” presented online by covid19/engage.
Jews be blamed? Will anti-Semitism the Skirball Cultural Center. Steve
spike? The online conversation is Barri, composer, lyricist and music MEDITATION AND CHANTING
organized by the Los Angeles Museum industry executive, leads the class. Cantor Marcelo Gindlin of the
of the Holocaust and other museums. Held every Wednesday through July Malibu Jewish Center & Synagogue
Noon. Free. $10 suggested donation. 15. $60 for Skirball members, $90 for Dr. Ruth Westheimer leads 30 minutes of meditation and
lamoth.org. general. Registration ends June 8. chanting.. 11 a.m. jewitathome.com. n

20 June 5-11, 2020 JewishJournal.com Jewish Journal | 41

David N.
Myers
 O B I T UAR I E S

Rabbi Norman Lamm, Longtime Head

of Yeshiva University, 92
» by Uriel Heilman, JTA

NORMAN LAMM, THE PROLIFIC
author and Modern Orthodox rabbi who
headed Yeshiva University (YU) for nearly
three decades, died May 31. He was 92.
As president and chancellor of YU,
Lamm helped rescue the institution
from the financial brink in the late
1970s and rebuild it in the decades that
followed into the flagship institution of
Modern Orthodoxy. As a pulpit rabbi at
Manhattan’s Jewish Center, in his writings
on philosophy and Jewish law, and as
leader of YU’s rabbinical school, Lamm
also helped articulate an unabashed
ideological basis for a movement that
often has struggled to define itself.
“He was both an architect of and
a spokesman for Modern Orthodoxy,
and using his position at YU as a perch,
he helped buttress that ideology in a
substantial way,” said Rabbi J.J. Schacter,
Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. He also
worked on a munitions research project
during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence
under the direction of Ernst David
Bergmann.
Ultimately, Lamm was destined for a
different kind of scholarship. According
to Lamm’s son-in-law, Rabbi Mark Dratch,
one of Lamm’s points of pride was that
he was the only student to obtain both
rabbinic ordination (1951) and a doctorate
in Jewish philosophy (1966) under the
tutelage of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik,
the 20th-century luminary of Modern
Orthodoxy.
“The greatest asset of his leadership
was leadership through ideas — through
speaking and through writing. He wasn’t
afraid to take a stand,” said Dratch, the
executive vice president of the Rabbinical
Council of America (RCA).
adherents. Even Lamm’s own synagogue
had congregants who would work on the
Sabbath after going to services.
While in Springfield, Lamm founded an
Orthodox scholarly journal, Tradition, that
dealt with contemporary matters of Jewish
law and reflected his position between the
Orthodox and secular worlds. Tradition
mourned his passing on the RCA Facebook
page as “a man of wisdom, scholarship,
and leadership.”
It was also in Springfield Lamm honed
his talents as a master orator, following
in the tradition of Rabbi Joseph Lookstein
“If Rabbi Lookstein was the master
teacher, then Rabbi Lamm was the master
student; he set the standard for his
generation of Orthodox preachers,” Touro
College history professor Zev Eleff wrote
in a 2013 essay in Jewish Action magazine.
Lamm’s messages weren’t just
particularistic — about how Orthodox Jews
should relate to God or one another — but
also outward-facing. He talked about how
Jews should relate to the world, whether
a famine in Bangladesh or moral codes
governing other societies.
“The purpose of Torah is neither some

“The purpose of Torah is neither some

kind of arbitrary spiritual exercise, nor
the beating of man into submission
in order to aggrandize the divine ego.
Rather, Torah is the divine instrument for
man’s spiritual welfare and fulfillment.”
— Norman Lamm
a professor of Jewish history and Jewish
thought at YU. “He was uncomfortable
with the word ‘modern,’ so he invented
the word ‘centrist’ to describe his brand
of Orthodoxy — between the extremes
of totally favoring contemporary culture
on the one hand and totally rejecting
contemporary culture on the other.”
Lamm had a commanding wit and
a poet’s ear for the spoken word. His
sermons were widely admired, and he
was as quick with a pun as he was with a
religious homily.
In addition to being steeped in Jewish
law and literature, Lamm was well-versed
in history, philosophy and science. He
earned his undergraduate degree from
Yeshiva College in chemistry — he was
valedictorian of the Class of ’49 — and did
some graduate work in chemistry at the
One of four children, Lamm was born
in 1927 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. His
father, Samuel, had an odd assortment
of jobs, including umbrella salesman
and kosher inspector for New York state.
His mother, Pearl Baumol, hailed from
an illustrious rabbinic family. Lamm’s
maternal grandfather, Yehoshua Baumol,
was the scion of a long line of rabbis in
Poland and was, himself, ordained at the
age of 13. It was Baumol who encouraged
his precocious grandson to leave Mesivta
Torah Vodaath, the Brooklyn institution
Lamm attended for elementary and of Manhattan’s Kehilath Jeshurun, where kind of arbitrary spiritual exercise, nor
high school, and go to Yeshiva College in Lamm had been an assistant rabbi. By the the beating of man into submission in
Manhattan, where Soloveitchik would time Lamm landed a rabbinic position at order to aggrandize the divine ego. Rather,
become his mentor. The Jewish Center, a high-profile Orthodox Torah is the divine instrument for man’s
Lamm’s first pulpit job was in synagogue on the Upper West Side, his spiritual welfare and fulfillment,” Lamm
Springfield, Massachusetts, at a time sermonizing had begun earning him wide said in a 1971 sermon. “The Torah is God’s
when Orthodoxy was struggling for acclaim. formula for man’s moral development. The

42 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com June 5-11, 2020

 prescriptions may be difficult, they may
entail discipline and renunciation, but the
purpose of Torah and commandments is
the good of mankind.”
A history of The Jewish Center credits
Lamm with showing that “traditional
Judaism had something relevant,
thoughtful and inspiring to say about the
issues of the day.”
In 1959, Lamm became the senior rabbi
at The Jewish Center and a professor in
er Jewish philosophy at Yeshiva University,
er where he helped make the case for Modern
is Orthodoxy at a time when it wasn’t at all
ro clear that the embrace of both Orthodox
te observance and the modern world was
e. possible. Lamm was the rare Orthodox
st rabbi who was well-versed in both secular
ws and Jewish scholarship — and inordinately
ut articulate when it came to both.
w “He was a real model of a sophisticated
er Orthodoxy at a time when Orthodoxy was
es sorely lacking sophistication,” Schacter
said. “He set the bar for what an elegant
me sermon should be. He was a master darshan
[preacher], and of course, he carried that
over as president of YU in all the speeches
he gave.”
Lamm became YU’s third president —
and its first American-born one — in 1976,
succeeding Samuel Belkin, who had led
the institution for 33 years. At the time,
Yeshiva was teetering financially, and
Lamm proved adept at appealing to donors
and bolstering the school’s academics. YU
gradually rose to become a top-100 school
in university rankings.
Lamm wrote 10 books and edited or
co-edited more than 20 volumes. His 1999
book “The Religious Thought of Hasidism”
won the National Jewish Book Award in
Jewish Thought. Lamm also launched the
Torah U-Madda Journal.
Beyond his well-known public
positions, family members said Lamm
often played a key role in Jewish communal
affairs behind the scenes. When ArtScroll
publisher Mesorah Publications was
going through a financial rough patch,
Lamm helped introduce the publisher to
philanthropist Jerome Schottenstein, who
ended up bankrolling ArtScroll’s yearslong
work translating the Talmud into English.
After Lamm stepped down from
Yeshiva’s presidency in 2003, he proved
irreplaceable. YU had always been led
by someone who held both the post
of university president and head of its
rabbinical program – an arrangement that
embodied the university’s dual mission
of Torah U-madda, or Torah and secular
learning. But the university could not find
such a candidate to succeed Lamm.
In the end, the presidency went to
Richard Joel, formerly Hillel’s international
director and the first non-rabbi to occupy
YU’s top job, while Lamm stayed on as
head of the rabbinical school, known by
its acronym RIETS. Lamm remained head
of RIETS and YU chancellor for another
decade.
When he finally announced his
retirement in 2013 at age 85, Lamm
surprised many by penning a resignation
letter that included an apology for
mishandling allegations of sexual abuse
against faculty members at YU’s affiliated
high school for boys in the 1970s and ’80s.
Lamm said he was aware of concerns about
two staffers, one an administrator and the
other a teacher. But Lamm handled them
the way many such incidents were treated
at the time: quietly and internally.
“At the time that inappropriate actions
by individuals at Yeshiva were brought
to my attention, I acted in a way that I
thought was correct, but which now seems
ill-conceived. I understand better today
than I did then that sometimes, when you
think you are doing good, your actions do
not measure up,” Lamm wrote in his letter.
“True character requires of me the courage
to admit that, despite my best intentions
then, I now recognize that I was wrong.”
At the time, a $680 million lawsuit
against YU by 34 former students of
the boys’ high school was in the works.
The lawsuit ultimately was dismissed
because of the expiration of the statute of
limitations. Dratch said his father-in-law
was plagued by guilt over his role in failing
to halt the abuse. “That people suffered
was tremendously bothersome to him,
and he regretted that,” Dratch said.
In his later years, Lamm faded from
public life as he suffered from an illness
that affected memory, a family member
said.
His wife, Mindella, died April 16 at age
88 of complications from COVID-19.
Lamm is survived by two sons: Shalom,
a real estate developer involved in a
controversial Hasidic development in the
upstate New York village of Bloomingburg,
and Joshua Lamm, a psychiatrist. Lamm
also is survived by a daughter, Chaye
Warburg, an occupational therapist in
Teaneck, N.J. His daughter Sara Lamm
Dratch died in 2013.
Lamm also is survived by 17 grandchildren
and numerous great-grandchildren. n
A version of this story appears on jpost.
com.

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 JUST ASKING

HUC-JIR President Andrew Rehfeld

on His First (Pandemic) Year
» by Jessica Donath
WHEN HEBREW UNION COLLEGE-JEWISH INSTITUTE OF
Religion’s (HUC-JIR) Rabbi Aaron Panken died in a plane crash in 2018, the
search committee to replace Panken suggested Andrew Rehfeld throw
his hat into the ring.
Rehfeld, 54, didn’t take the request seriously. He’s not a rabbi, and at
the time he was the president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of St.
Louis. Before that, he was a political science professor at Washington
University.
The Journal caught up with Rehfeld to talk about his first year on
the job and the challenges facing the Jewish community as a whole,
especially during these pandemic times.
JJ: How has the pandemic affected HUC?
AR: Mainly in two ways: 1) It helped us develop a deep appreciation
for the work that we are training our students for, because we see how
our alumni are responding in such innovative and daring ways to
the needs of their communities. 2) We needed to address some long-
standing issues but knew it would take a long time, for example, how
to do distance learning that’s at the same level of excellence as the
education in-house. We are now going to spend 90 days developing a
program in case we have to go online for the rest of the academic year.
JJ: How do you think the Reform movement in general has handled

I think all JJ: Have you learned anything in the first year that changed your
the pandemic?
AR: I think all arms of the movement, and not just the Reform

arms of the view of what it means to be a Jewish clergy person?

AR: I don’t know if it changed my view so much as it deepened and
movement, are managing a situation none of us has a playbook for. We
are, in that sense, all making it up as we go, and we are relying on those

movement, focused it. Reform rabbis have had a transformative effect on my own life.
I came here with the full knowledge that each is expected to do multiple
values that inform and guide our work every single day. Values of equity,
openness and justice.

and not just things — be a pastor, be spiritually inspiring, be knowledgeable, show

up and be present. What has changed is only the level of detail I have JJ: What do you think the long-term effects of all of this might be?

the Reform about each of those qualities. The one thing that is no longer clear to me
is that we should be thinking about training rabbis simply as generalists.
AR: Here are three thoughts: 1) It’s reinforcing all of our need for
community. For deep, meaningful, physically proximate relationships

movement, We need to be attracting the best pastors who want to have a rabbinical
career [as] pastors; the best scholars who want a rabbinical career that’s
with other human beings. 2) It is also showing us that technology can

are managing really going be about transformative ideas, and rabbis who want to use
their rabbinate to lead and transform great organizations.

a situation JJ: Do you ever notice when you talk to colleagues that you are not a

none of us has rabbi and most of your faculty probably is?

AR: The president of the university of Chicago, one of my alma

a playbook maters, is a mathematician. He oversees one of the largest medical

complexes in the state of Illinois, arguably the best business school

for. We are, in in the world, arguably the best law school in the world, social science
divisions, humanities divisions, biology, chemistry — things he has no

that sense, all knowledge or expertise in whatsoever. Nobody ever asked the president
of the university “Why aren’t you a [fill in the blank]?” The reason is that

making it up as they have a great understanding that the strength of universities comes
from the ability of their president to recognize the things that he or she

we go, and we or they do not know and getting the right people to lead them.
The reason that I felt confident taking this job is that I believe the

are relying on board finally recognized that HUC moved over 40 years ago to become
a comprehensive leadership university for the Jewish people. Forty-six

those values percent of our students are rabbis but it’s not even half of our students.
So yes, every day I think, “Boy, I’m not a rabbi, I’ve got a lot to learn,” but
be used for spiritual and educational purposes. And I think that’s going
to pose a challenge to business as usual. 3) During any crisis, the sense

that inform and I’m also not a cantor. in which things will be different in the future feels a lot more significant
than it turns out to be. If you think about what happened after 9/11, there

guide our work JJ: What are some of the challenges the Jewish community as a
whole is facing?
were certainly some changes that were made. But day-to-day life in the
United States has not changed demonstrably since then.

every single day. AR: The challenges of the 20th century that we are familiar with, are
what I call urgent and existential. Immigration at the beginning of the JJ: Will it have an impact on the relationship between the Reform

Values of equity, century, the Shoah, the birth of Israel, the sustaining of Israel, gathering
of the exiles from the Soviet Union and Ethiopia. Those shifted from
and Conservative movements?
AR: This crisis is going to put stress on nonprofits and all Jewish

openness and urgent and existential to slow and existential. And those challenges are
defined, in my view, by three key pieces: 1) the level of Jewish education,
organizations, and anything we can do to work closer together, to
collaborate, is important. All of the heads of the seminaries have just

justice. 2) the rate of Jewish engagement, and 3) the sense of the depth of Jewish
identity. Knowing, doing and being Jewish are a challenge, they are
existential.
We are facing those existential threats for really good reasons. Jews are
much more accepted today than we were a 100 years ago. Israel is now
one of the strongest nations, even as it is facing some real challenges.
That acceptance and that place of strength, even in the face of renewed
anti-Semitism, means that we have to work doubly hard, because every
Jew, particularly in North America, is a Jew by choice.
met for a conference call a few weeks ago. And we are going to do that
on a regular basis. I don’t view denominations as barriers. I view them as
clarifiers of different approaches to Jewish life. I am stunned at the way
we haven’t been doing things together and I’m glad that this is causing
people to understand that we have to. We’re not going to be doing better
by putting up denominational walls. That is 20th-century thinking of the
worst kind.
Jessica Donath is a freelance journalist in Los Angeles.

46 | Jewish Journal JewishJournal.com June 5-11, 2020

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