When people meet Dr. Rachel A. Winston, they experience the mystique of a modern genius.
With an IQ of 180, Winston started college at age 13 and graduated at 19. She has a total of 13 degrees, including B.S., M.S., M.A., MBA, ALM, MLA and Ph.D. in fields as diverse as chemistry, mathematics, computers, publishing, business, liberal arts, international relations and higher education administration, just to name a few.
Winston epitomizes the vision of a life-long student. Yet, she has also held positions as a statistician, chemist, mathematics professor, author, and college counselor. She even worked for President Reagan back in the day and was a press assistant to a congressman. At one time she pursued medicine but instead worked in the chemical industry.
She pursued politics in Washington, D.C., before a series of skating championships led her to California. Always looking for new programs, she counsels and advises high school and college students, helping them gain acceptance to undergrad and grad schools as she searches for the next grad program she will pursue. She graduated in May 2020 from Harvard in international relations, and will graduate from Cal State Dominguez Hills in December in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding, and then from Arizona State in History.
She tries not to attend the same school twice; she loves studying at different colleges to understand their nuances. During COVID-19, while working full time as a college counselor, she was enrolled in Harvard, CSUDH, and ASU concurrently while she also wrote two books available on Amazon: “From High School to Medical School: The Ultimate Guide to BS/MD Programs” (bsmd.com) as well as “Raging Waters in the South China Sea: What the Battle for Supremacy Means for Southeast Asia” (southchinaseabook.com).
Winston went to eight concentration camps in Poland with her husband to attempt to comprehend what her Lithuanian family members experienced when they died there.
“As an intellectual, I need to understand what happened,” she said.
She is the consummate traveler, believing, “To be well-rounded and serve my students, I need to travel the world.”
Winston’s China book, based upon three years of research at the University of Chicago and Harvard University, explores China’s global aspirations, militarization of the South China Sea, and issues surrounding the Belt and Road Initiative, debt diplomacy, surveillance, human rights and the future.
Today, Winston “helps students tell their life stories through their college entrance essays,” as she puts it.
“I’ve been in college my entire life and want to inspire students to love learning!” Winston describes herself as adamantly committed to helping students of all ages explore their passions and achieve their dreams.
Winston edits papers and books with students through her publishing company, Lizard Publishing. She said she is grateful and privileged to look through the eyes of her students and walk a mile in their shoes.
“I get to live vicariously through my students,” she said, and feels blessed that students trust her with their life stories. As a college counselor for 35 years, she does not intend to stop.
So, why did she name her business Lizard Publishing?
“The name ‘Lizard’ was chosen three decades ago and grew to represent a friendly, worldly, approachable and versatile way of serving students,” she explains on her website. “When people think of college planning, they envision themselves embarking on a quest to discover their personalized direction, pathway, and future. A lizard follows that same path as it negotiates a sometimes-complex desert or jungle environment. By navigating toward a goal and climbing through complicated terrain, lizards search for what will make them happy and the sustenance to survive and thrive.”
Winston and her husband plan to circumnavigate the globe on a world cruise in 2021 as she writes new books and studies history and philosophy online. She doesn’t mind being “homeless,” since she traded home life to permanently live in a hotel 20 years ago. Her ideal life is to live on a cruise ship while traveling around the world studying, counseling and writing.
To learn more about Dr. Rachel A. Winston, visit her website at www.collegelizard.com.
Rachel Stern is a contributing writer to JLife magazine.
Like you and the entire world, for the past several months we’ve balanced COVID-19 worries, economic downturns and social unrest with hope and with the desire to do something meaningful.
Though our many JCC Cares volunteers have hunkered at home away from the Merage JCC and away from our numerous nonprofit partners, we have remained busy. We’ve been reaching out, and staying connected in a number of ways: collecting hundreds of masks, filling our food drive canisters with groceries, providing home cooked meals to shelters, and writing letters to the many heroes in our community. Thank you to all who have reached out and helped in this great time of need.
How You Can Help!
Of course, we are not done. Below you’ll find what is the latest on our list of how we are reaching out. We invite you to plug in where you can.
• We’ve added a second Red Cross Blood Drive on September 16. Blood saves lives and we are eager to be able to open our doors to help—in a very safe and healthy way.
• In Orange County the number of people who are experiencing food insecurity has skyrocketed. JCC Cares is hosting monthly food drives, collecting non-perishable food items (canned goods, pasta, etc.) for many of our nonprofit partners. You can drop-off with no-contact and physically distant from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on August 11 as we help our vulnerable neighbors.
• Many of us are baking and cooking during the safer-at-home era. Bake and cook for shelter residents. On August 19, we are collecting dinner items to share a delicious home cooked dinner with 80 women at WisePlace, shelter in Santa Ana.
• Likewise, for those who are getting out of their houses (safely!), we continue to assemble food boxes for our county’s seniors at the OC Food Bank. Join us August 4 for our next OC Food Bank adventure. This is a great project for families and individuals. OC Food Bank takes great care in physically distancing volunteers. Masks are required.
• We’re busy re-imagining what our annual Dec 25 Day of Volunteerism will look like this year. We’ve been in touch with our partner nonprofits all over the county, and working to determine what their needs are now and what they expect in the December and more.
JCC Cares is balancing staying safe and healthy and supporting our many nonprofits partners and our community. As mandates and directives change, we will work with our partners to respond accordingly. We’re just figuring out how!
Everything seems like it is changing. In this era of the great quarantine, we shop, work, exercise, and eat (hello carbs!) differently.
It won’t be a surprise to you, that camp has changed as well with rules and regulations governing every aspect of fun and care.
In addition to taking temperatures and conducting health questionnaires each morning, we are making huge efforts to reduce the number of people campers cross paths with. Cohort sizes are smaller and large group fun is practically non-existent. Separate space has been created for campers, including entrances, hallways, bathrooms, and outside areas. All snacks and lunches are individually wrapped—no sharing or trading. Field trips are out of the picture this year as well.
What won’t look different?
What we want you to know, is that with all the differences, the best parts of camp will look the same.
Camp is a respite in the COVID craziness. Camp remains a beacon of memories, friends, independence and problem-solving. Dress-up days, water fun, sports, singing and dance, science and more create daily opportunities to learn, adventure and share.
We continue to prioritize play. Play allows kids to create, innovate, brainstorm and to work outside of structure, where they experiment and self-initiate, where deep social and emotional education takes place.
Camp allows kids to unplug. Kids take a break from television and digital play, and learn to engage in the real world. Unplugged play is critical; it allows kids to practice socialization skills.
Moving is the name of the game. As quarantining has forced children to spend so much time inside, camp provides wonderful opportunities to run, jump, swim and dance.
No doubt, studies demonstrate the lifelong impact positive camp experiences have on our kids is immeasurable, and Jewish-based camps are uniquely positioned to provide kids an opportunity to develop their Jewish identity in a peer community not otherwise available to them at other times during the year.
Even in a COVID crazy era, our kids emerge from camp with enthusiasm, higher self-esteem and a sense of belonging and inclusion.
While it seems like much of our day-to-day experiences have shut down. Camp is open and ready for fun!
Genetic testing, as defined by the National Institutes of Health, is a type of medical test to identify changes in chromosomes, genes or proteins. Results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine a person’s chance of developing or passing on a genetic disorder.
Being a carrier of a genetic disease means that even though neither parent exhibits symptoms, one or the other can pass a disease to a child. If both partners are carriers of the same disease gene, each of their children has a 25 percent chance of being born with the disease itself. Eighty percent of babies with genetic diseases are born to parents with no known family history of that disease, making early genetic screening critical to planning for a healthy family.
Jewish genetic testing has come a long way since 1969, when doctors discovered the enzyme to do genetic testing to determine whether parents were carriers of Tay-Sachs Disease. Mass screenings for the disease began in 1971, and today there are virtually no cases of it among Jews. The incidence of Tay-Sachs has declined by more than 90 percent because of scientific advances and volunteer community activism that made screening for the disease a routine occurrence in synagogues, Jewish community centers and, eventually, routine medical care.
Thanks to advances in medicine and technology, many other Jewish genetic diseases have been identified. They include Cystic Fibrosis, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Gaucher Disease, Tay-Sachs Disease, Usher Syndrome Type 1, Glycogen Storage Disease Type 1a, Familial Dysautonomia, Canavan Disease, Lipoamide Dehydrogenase Deficiency, Nemaline Myopathy, Bloom Syndrome, Walker-Warburg Syndrome, Maple Syrup Urine Disease, Fanconi Anemia, Niemann Pick Disease, Mucolipodosis IV, ABCC8 Hyperinsulinism, Usher Syndrome Type 3 and Joubert Syndrome.
While each of these diseases is rare, collectively the risk is meaningful. One in four Jews is a carrier for a Jewish genetic disease, and now screenings can be done in a panel to help people to prepare for a healthy family. The keys are to educate people and make the testing accessible to the greatest number of people. Although Tay-Sachs has been nearly wiped out in the Jewish community, the struggle to end preventable genetic disease is far from over. Many of the other preventable genetic diseases are even more prevalent in the Jewish population than Tay-Sachs was. What can be done about them?
JScreen, a national nonprofit public health initiative aimed at preventing Jewish genetic diseases, was launched as a pilot project in Atlanta in 2010, screening for the 19 genetic diseases most prevalent in Jews. The organization has tested thousands of people from all over the country since its national launch in 2013. Based at Emory University, Jscreen has become a nationwide project that provides affordable, accessible and comprehensive genetic screening, including remote services. The organization now screens for more than 200 diseases. To be at risk for most of these diseases, both parents must carry the same recessive gene.
Although Tay Sachs carrier screening necessitated blood enzyme testing, current sequencing methodology enables highly accurate testing to be performed on saliva. When, in infrequent cases, blood enzyme testing needs to be added to saliva testing, a JScreen genetic counselor notifies the parties involved and helps them to arrange to have the test performed.
When people register for a genetic screen kit at jscreen.org, the organization mails a test kit to their home. Test subjects spit into a tube and mail the saliva sample to the Jscreen lab. A genetic counselor follows up by reporting the results either by phone or secure video conference and providing genetic counseling as needed. If people have health insurance, the cost is $149; if not, it is $349.
According to Karen Arnovitz Grinzaid, an assistant professor of human genetics at Emory University and JScreen’s executive director, “While the focus is on the Jewish community, screening is encouraged for anyone planning to have a family. So many people don’t hear about genetic screening until they show up pregnant in their doctor’s office. At that point, if they are a high-risk couple, they don’t have as many options to help them plan ahead for a healthy baby. Genetic screening is something people should ideally do before they get pregnant. Awareness is the key.”
ILENE SCHNEIDER IS A CONTRIBUTING WRITER TO JLIFE MAGAZINE.
Chabad rabbis are always wondering why there is limited media coverage on the largest rabbinical convention in the world, held every year by Chabad, a few weeks before Hanukkah. Year after year, the conference fails to garnish much interest in the Jewish or secular media.
Of course, the annual “class photo” of the ever-growing number of rabbis standing in front of 770, the iconic brick building that serves as the headquarters of Chabad, gets printed. Sometimes there is a mention of the newest Chabad House opened in an exotic locale. Unlike other major conventions like the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, (GA) or the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, (AIPAC)—the only conclave that dwarfs the Chabad conference in size—you don’t find a trove of reporters looking for a story.
As the old joke goes, while some organizations are looking for a mission, Chabad is a mission looking for an organization. Behind the joke is a deep message, even more relevant today as major Jewish group’s transition in leadership and focus. Our mission as Jews must be teaching Torah and connecting others Jews to the Divine through mitzvot. The core of Judaism is monotheism, as Abraham the founder of Judaism advocated, and striving to live up to its ideals. However important political issues are, a synagogue should be the center of spirituality, not political activism. For that, we can go down the block to the local NGO or political campaign headquarters.
Some people justify their synagogue’s focus on politics, humanitarianism and environment by saying it keeps Judaism relevant to the next generation. But the polls say otherwise. Studies show that millennials seeking a Jewish connection today are flocking to Chabad more than any other Jewish group. A series of Jewish Community Demographic Studies report time and again that 30% of young people say they are active in Chabad. In a recent survey of 4,000 millennials by J-Swipe , over 50% reported involvement with Chabad, and an astonishing 15% said they donated to their local Chabad center, double that of any other Jewish group. Only 2% are involved with the left-winged J Street. Why are 25 times more millennials active in Chabad than in J Street?
While many others are replacing Judaism with politics in their quest for relevance, Chabad is focusing on the inner spiritual life, the study of the Torah and its application to contemporary moral dilemmas. And it is specifically traditional Judaism that is resonating with the young.
This brings us back to Chabad’s annual conclave, the Kinus Hashluchim, the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries. Deeply embedded in the consciousness of every Chabad rabbi and rebbetzin (who have their own convention in February) is the idea that he or she is not acting alone, rather they are Shluchim–emissaries of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. This state of mind creates the central question that every Chassid asks him or herself. “Am I living up to the teachings, the values and the mission of the Rebbe?” This may be easier to do in Jewish communities of Brooklyn or Jerusalem But it’s much more complex for those living in places like Novosibirsk, Siberia, Irvine, California, or Abuja, Nigeria where they are surrounded by Jews who live very differently than they do. It takes effort to constantly navigate the secular world and the local Jewish communities who are not as observant, while keeping the values of Torah center stage. You may be challenged: “Rabbi, why can’t you just change things a bit?” There is the constant grind of fundraising. And then there’s the daunting task of instilling those ideals in our children in a society that dances to a different beat.
This struggle is the central discussion of the Shluchim Conference. Aside from the sessions about innovative youth programs, discussions on adult education and tips on fundraising, the main part of the conference is the Chassidic farbrengens, small gatherings that happen between workshops, or which stretch late into the night, where the struggles and triumphs of spiritual courage and living up to the ideals of Torah are shared and discussed. With a drop of l’chaim and an inspiring melody, the Shluchim open their hearts and discuss their existential dilemmas, asking how to remain true to the principles the Rebbe instilled, even though it’s been 25 years since he passed.
One story touched me personally. At the Shabbat dinner with thousands of fellow Shluchim Rabbi Yossel Minkowitz of Montreal told the group sitting at our table the remarkable story of his uncle, Rabbi Berke Chein, who then lived in the Soviet Union in 1962. He had been on the run, eluding the secret police for his role in helping Jews escape Russia on false passports. His son, who had left Russia years earlier, asked the Rebbe in New York for a blessing that his father be able to immigrate to Israel. Though few exit visas were being granted in the early ‘60s the Rebbe surprisingly advised that the elder Chein apply to OVIR, the Russian immigration authority, using his real name and personal details. The message was passed on to Russia and Chein completed the necessary paperwork in trepidation, but with the faith of a Chassid in the words of his Rebbe. He was wanted throughout Russia and he knew that if OVIR double-checked his application with the KGB, he’d be shipped off for a long and probably fatal sentence in the Siberian gulags. Miraculously, shortly after submitting the application, he got a call from the authorities telling him that he had 24 hours to leave Russia for Israel.
We Shluchim too are engaged in a mission of faith. No, our lives are not in danger, but there are spiritual risks we take when we leave our friends, family and community for the Rebbe’s mission to inspire, teach, and uplift is a daunting task. We struggle to educate our children to live in the ways of traditional Judaism in a community that isn’t. We must find the financial resources in these communities to pursue our agenda, without giving up on any minor principles and remaining true to the mission.
That inner struggle of staying on mission doesn’t seize the attention of reporters who want a quick story on the latest politics of the organization, or the effort to yet again update the mission and statement and “create new paradigms,” as so many other Jewish organizations seem to always be doing. Chabad is different. We know where are going, and the original mission remains crystal clear. Our angst is in keeping our idealism alive, and inspiring each other to continue to march forward. And that inner spiritual struggle does not make for headlines.
rabbi DAVID eliezrie is a contributing writer to jlife magazine and senior rabbi at Chabad Beth Meir HaCohen. His email is rabbi@ocjewish.com.
When: January 21, 2025
8:00 – 10:00 PM Where: Segerstrom Center for the Arts
615 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa
CSP: More than Just Mosaics: Ancient Synagogue at Huqoq
Special CSP Member Only Event*, Sunday Jan. 26 – More than Just Mosaics: The Ancient Synagogue at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee
Beginning in 2011, Professor Magness directed excavations in the ancient village of Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee. The excavations brought to light the remains of a monumental Late Roman (fifth century) synagogue building paved with stunning and unique mosaics, including biblical scenes and the first non-biblical story ever discovered decorating an ancient synagogue. In this special, member-only presentation, Professor Magness shares these exciting finds, including the discoveries made in the final excavation season.
For the other Magness Scholar-in-Residence events please check this link: https://occsp.net/csp-24th-annual-scholar-in-residence/
*To become a member please check the registration link herein.
Sponsor: Orange County Community Scholar Program (CSP)
When: January 26, 2025
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Where:
Zoom
Merage JCC’s Rescued Recipes from the Holocaust
with Chef Alon Shaya and June Hersh
In Observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Whether in Auschwitz or Buchenwald, Dachau or Treblinka, memories of food haunted the starving prisoners: the taste of their mothers’ kasha varnishkes, the aroma of tzimmes and cholent permeating their homes. “Cooking with the mouth,” the captives called their constant conversations about the fat floating on the top of chicken soup, the simultaneous sweet and sour of stuffed cabbage, the pillowy softness of freshly baked challah.
The distraction of those memories provided a link to their humanity and was so enticing, some people even risked pilfering pieces of paper or fabric to record family recipes.
Alon Shaya, Chef and Co-Founder, Pomegranate Hospitality (New Orleans: Saba, Saba’s Lounge, Miss River and Chandelier Bar at Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans; Denver: Safta; Bahamas: Silan at Atlantis Paradise Island; Las Vegas: Safta 1964 at Wynn Las Vegas) Author, Shaya: An Odyssey of Food, My Journey Back to Israel. Born in Israel, raised in Philadelphia, and a proud New Orleanian, Alon Shaya has always had a deep love and appreciation for food and the singular way restaurants anchor their communities. In 2017, he and his wife, Emily, founded Pomegranate Hospitality, whose restaurants include Saba (New Orleans), Safta (Denver), Miss River and Chandelier Bar at Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans, and Silan at Atlantis Paradise Island. Spring 2024 marked the debut of Safta 1964 at Wynn Las Vegas, a limited-run residency and the prequel to Safta.
Alon, a two-time James Beard Foundation Award winner, has been named one of the “50 People Who Are Changing the South” by Southern Living and one of the “50 Most Influential Jews in America” by The Forward. He is the co-founder of the Shaya Barnett Foundation, which provides culinary education and resources to high school students, and spearheaded the Rescued Recipes initiative with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which has raised over $700,000 to date.
June Hersh is the best-selling author of Food, Hope & Resilience; Authentic Recipes and Remarkable Stories from Holocaust Survivors (formerly known as Recipes Remembered a Celebration of Survival.) The book has sold over 20,000 copies, with all its proceeds going to charity. She has also penned the widely acclaimed Iconic New York Jewish Food, a History and Guide with Recipes which the New York Times called “authoritative”, and the NY Daily News said, “Is as overstuffed as a deli sandwich”.
Her prior books include The Kosher Carnivore, Still Here, Inspiration from Survivors and Liberators of the Holocaust, Yoghurt a Global History (which has been translated into Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic).
June just completed her second book for The History Press tentatively entitled Serving UPstate New York, a History and Guide with Recipes. June is a regular contributor to Westchester Magazine and various food publications. She has been a guest on TV, radio, and podcasts and was a featured guest on QVC’s In the Kitchen with David. June travels the country as a speaker on the topic of the Holocaust and preserving Jewish food memory for organizations such as the Jewish Book Council, Hadassah, and UJA Federation. She is a proud member of Les Dames d’ Escoffier, the exclusive culinary organization of women in the food industry. June’s books all have a charitable flavor as she aspires to Eat Well-Do Good by donating her proceeds to charity.
June Hersh and Chef Alon Shaya are currently at work on a book for Harper Collins, as they explore stories from WWII through the lens of food.
VIP: includes event ticket, and pre-event reception with the authors at 6 P.M.
Food, Hope & Resilience; Authentic Recipes and Remarkable Stories from Holocaust Survivors and Shaya: An Odyssey of Food, My Journey Back to Israel will be available for purchase at the event.
A book signing will follow the event for those who would like their books personalized.
Cancellations up to 48 hours prior to the event will be credited to your account.
For more information, contact Liron Regev at lironr@jccoc.org
Cost: $52 JCC Members, $58 Public
VIP $75 JCC Members, $80 Public
When: January 27, 2025
7:00 PM Includes dinner, Q&A, and a chef demo Where: Merage JCC
1 Federation Way
Irvine, CA 92603
A small seafood restaurant turns into a national donation hub for LA fire victims
Calico Fish House has stepped up above and beyond to help victims of the recent LA fires. From free food to first responders and evacuees to bringing food and beverages directly to the disaster scenes. That includes Orange County’s own Chef Andrew Gruel who uses his Calico Fish House as a donation hub for getting these supplies to the Palisades and beyond.
Cost: $0.00 For more information and also here. When: Ongoing
Where: Calico Fish House
16600 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach
“Qumran is an archaeological site in the West Bank. This is the place where the Dead Sea scrolls were hiden, and after almost 2000 years founded. Today, this is National Park”
CSP: Introduction to Archaeology
24th ANNUAL CSP SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE
January 6, 2025 -February 28, 2025
Prof. Jodi Magness
The Archaeology of the Holy Land
A Journey Through Time and Excavation
Join Prof. Jodi Magness, a renowned archaeologist and Kenan Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in a fascinating lecture series exploring the rich history of the Holy Land from 586 BCE to 640 CE. This course, designed for CSP avid learners, covers pivotal events from the rise of Jerusalem under King David to the Muslim conquest, including the Hasmonean revolt, the grandeur of Herod’s palaces, and the Roman siege of Masada. Participants will gain deep insights into archaeological methods, discover significant tombs and burial practices, and explore how ancient texts shape our understanding of the past. Prof. Magness brings her extensive expertise, as demonstrated in her award-winning books and numerous excavations in Israel, to provide a comprehensive view of how ancient Jews lived, worshiped, and interacted with surrounding empires. This program is fully funded by a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation Orange County Contact Arie Katz
(949 682-4040 akatz@occsp.org https://occsp.net
Cost $0.00 Sponsor: Orange County Community Scholar Program (CSP) For more information
When: January 6, 2025 -February 28, 2025
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Every week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday Where: Zoom
Mommy and Me @ Hebrew Academy
Discover the joy of meaningful bonding with your little one at Hebrew Academy Preschool’s Mommy & Me program. Designed for babies and toddlers aged 6 months to 3 years, this engaging weekly program provides a unique opportunity for parents and caregivers to connect with their children through play, learning, and exploration.
Each session is thoughtfully planned around a new theme, focusing on one of the Five Senses. Your child will experience activities that inspire curiosity and foster early development, including music, movement, sensory play, and crafts. Together, you will create lasting memories in a warm and welcoming environment.
Why Join Mommy & Me?
Strengthen the bond with your child through meaningful interactions.
Support your child’s early development with activities that promote motor skills, sensory exploration, and social growth.
Connect with other parents and build community in a supportive space.
Experience a program rooted in values and designed to help children thrive emotionally, socially, and cognitively.
Ages: Babies and toddlers (6 months to 3 years)
Spots are limited, so reserve your place today by visiting hacds.org/mommy. We look forward to welcoming you and your little one to a program that celebrates growth, connection, and discovery. For more information
Contact Rochie Popack
714.898.0051 ropopack@hacds.org http://hacds.org
Cost $15.00 per session
When: January 7, 2025 &
Every Tuesday until February 4, 2025
9:30 AM – 11:00 AM Where: Hebrew Academy
14401 Willow Lane
Huntington Beach, 92647
714.898-0051
Merage JCC’s Israeli Film Series-The Road to Eilat
Please note this is a Saturday evening screening instead of the usual Thursday evening
This semi-autobiographical bittersweet tale is a heartwarming and humorous adventure that follows an estranged father-son duo as they embark on an unforgettable road trip across Israel. When aging war veteran Albert makes a drunken bet to drive his old tractor to Eilat in just a week, his jobless, grumpy son Ben is reluctantly pulled into the journey. As they navigate the country and meet colorful characters along the way, they discover the road to forgiveness and understanding. Nominated for 8 Israeli Academy Awards including Best Film.
Drama,105 minutes, Director: Yona Rosenkier Cost: $10 JCC Members, $15 Public For more information
When: Saturday, January 11
7:00 PM Where: Merage JCC
1 Federation Way
Irvine, CA 92603
Congregation Shir Ha-Ma’a lot’s Fire & Ice Gala
Imagine a cocktail hour with winter cocktails and ice sculptures! And our main event will turn up the heat with a fiery show, complete with fire dancers! All in attendance should be ready to experience the extremes at this year’s Gala!
Cocktail Hour, Silent Auction, and Ice Bar open at 6:00pm
Plated Dinner Service begins at 7:15pm
Live Auction & Fire Show begins at 8:15pm
Dessert and Dancing afterwards
The best part? It all benefits our Temple and its operations so we can continue to be the place to be in Jewish OC!
Registration closes on January 8. Sign up as soon as possible!
Cost: Individual Pricing is $250/person through January 8th, 2025 or until capacity. For more information When: Saturday, January 25
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Where: Congregation Shir Ha-Ma’alot
3652 Michelson Dr.
Irvine, CA 92612
The audience at an American Friends of Magen David Adom event on December 10 at Beth Jacob in Irvine was spellbound as Jonathan Conricus, who recently retired as an IDF lieutenant colonel after serving in the IDF for 24 years, shared insights into the politics of the Middle East from an insider’s perspective. The special event was held in memory of Irving “Papa” Gelman, a legend in the Orange County community for his many contributions to the Jewish community. Many of those who came to hear Conricus speak knew of him from his media appearances. During the first three months of the war against Hamas, he represented the IDF in hundreds of interviews across top-tier networks, explaining complex military and political situations. Joining Conricus was Hadas Ehrlich, a young Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedic who risked her life to save lives on October 7. She told her story with tears in her eyes as she relived the experience of traveling through gunfire in an armored ambulance treating the severely injured. She said that she stays hopeful recalling the lives that were saved and the bravery of the MDA teams. Acknowledging the dire circumstances that Israeli rescue teams faced on October 7, Conricus said that MDA teams responded with exemplary courage and skill. “I was pleased that we could join together for an evening of hearing from Jonathan Conricus and supporting Magen David Adom, and I look forward to future opportunities to connect with the community,” said Elana Michael, director of major gifts. “Many thanks to Rabbi Ciner for helping make the event possible.” The community is invited to attend an AFMDA event on March 5 in Newport Beach. To register, please contact Elana at emichael@afmda.org or 619-489-0329.
The recent Jewish Federation of Orange County’s Annual Meeting participants reflected on their achievements in Orange County, Israel, and beyond—all made possible by their cherished community of supporters. This year,the Federation honored Chief Administrative Officer Kathleen Mellon as she retired. It celebrated her remarkable contributions to our community with the inaugural Steven Fainbarg, z”l, Tikkun Olam Award. Attendees also heard from guest speaker Dr. Jeffrey Kopstein, Dean’s Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine. Following the formal program, refreshments were enjoyed and friends connected with others who share their commitment to amplifying Jewish life and sustaining a vibrant Jewish future. Jlife magazine would also like to wish Kathleen all the best upon her retirement and thank her for her many years of encouragement and support.
After eight successful years of expediting licensing and placements for thousands of North American healthcare professionals interested in making aliyah, Nefesh B’Nefesh arrived in LA on Sunday, December 8, for its first MedEx event on the West Coast. Nefesh B’Nefesh’s inaugural event was part of the organization’s newly founded International Medical Aliyah Program (IMAP). The program, created through a collaboration of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, Ministry of Health and Nefesh B’Nefesh, in partnership with The Jewish Agency for Israel, streamlines the immigration process for medical professionals, ensuring their ability to integrate into Israel’s medical workforce upon arrival in Israel. This initiative focuses on recruitment and provides personalized assistance for those looking to make aliyah become part of the Israeli health system and acclimate into communities throughout Israel. Building on the success of the annual US MedEx event held last March on the East Coast and events following soon after events in France, Argentina, and the UK, MedEx aims to maximize the potential of Jewish doctors from various communities and integrate them into Israel’s medical system in advance of an impending doctors shortage in Israel. The West Coast Medex event took place in Beverly Hills and attracted physicians and medical professionals throughout the West Coast. Many of them are planning to make aliyah in the near future or seeking information on making the move. The event will featured representatives from Israel Health and Aliyah Ministries, Nefesh B’Nefesh advisors, and US-born doctors that were available for interviews, shared their perspectives on moving to Israel and contributing to its healthcare system. The event also included an Aliyah Fair, which offered additional information for attendees exploring their aliyah resources, benefits, and opportunities that await them.
BBYO, a century-old beacon of Jewish youth leadership and community, is thrilled to announce a dynamic new partnership with the Merage Jewish Community Center (JCC) aimed at enriching and expanding leadership programs for Jewish teens in Orange County for the 2024-2025 school year.
Since its founding in 1924, BBYO has been dedicated to empowering Jewish teens through exceptional programming, enriching experiences, and robust leadership development. This latest collaboration with the Merage JCC underscores BBYO’s ongoing commitment to fostering a vibrant, supportive community where teens can explore their identities, cultivate leadership skills, and build lasting connections.
“Our partnership with the Merage JCC is a powerful step forward in our shared mission to elevate the experiences of Jewish teens in Orange County,” said Liz Weisman, Community Director of Pacific Western Region BBYO. “Together, we’re creating a pathway for these teens to not only discover their own potential but also to become influential leaders who will shape the future of our community.”
“This partnership embodies the spirit of community and collaboration that the Merage JCC stands for,” said Carly Middlebrooks, Director of Teen Engagement. “We are excited that the Jewish Federation Orange County and the Jewish Community Foundation are supporing our shared goal and are contributing to the growth and development of Orange County’s Jewish youth. Collaboratively, our organizations are creating meaningful experiences that empower teens to become tomorrow’s leaders.”
The partnership welcomes Matan Malka to lead these efforts. Originally from San Diego, Malka brings a strong background in education and marketing, coupled with a deep appreciation for global travel. With a wealth of experience in Jewish youth organizations, Malka is excited to be working with teens to foster friendships and bonds that will last a lifetime.
Learn more about BBYO and Merage JCC.
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About BBYO BBYO is the leading pluralistic Jewish teen movement aspiring to involve more Jewish teens in meaningful Jewish experiences. For 100 years, BBYO’s purpose has been to unleash the power of youth. BBYO‘s leadership programs, the Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA, high school fraternity) and the B’nai B’rith Girls (BBG, high school sorority), provide exceptional leadership programs and identity enrichment experiences, shaping the confidence and character of hundreds of thousands of alumni who are prominent figures in business, politics, academia, the arts, and Jewish communal life. Together, AZA and BBG form a global Jewish teen movement in over 60 countries around the world approaching its Centennial anniversary. With year-round activities in hundreds of local communities, a plethora of summer leadership programs, and inspiring worldwide travel experiences, BBYO’s programs enable teens to explore all facets of leadership, service, civic engagement, Israeli education, and Jewish values. For more information on BBYO, please visit our website and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
Jewish USO Committee Formed, SA Register, July 7, 1942
As I’ve mentioned in earlier columns, the Jewish community in Orange County was actively involved in aiding the war effort during WWII. This included inviting Jewish soldiers stationed at the Santa Ana Army Air Base (today the land is in Costa Mesa and is the home of John Wayne Airport, The OC Fairgrounds, and Orange Coast College, among others) for holiday and Shabbat services, hosting “mixers” for soldiers and local Jewish women, and, in 1942, organizing a Jewish Welfare Board Army-Navy committee to assist in local USO work (USO stands for United Service Organizations, a nonprofit organization that supports U.S. military service members and their families). The committee was composed of both men and women, which had been unusual prior to the war, but was now commonplace as women became more involved in helping out wherever it was needed. Female committee members included Esther Granas, who ran a food and liquor store along with her husband Abe, Edith Hurwitz, whose husband Sam owned a mens’ haberdashery, Anna Turk, whose husband Abe ran an auto parts store, and Helen Milkes, who was in charge of religious activities.
L-R, top row: Jake Retzlaff, Quinn Hughes and Lindsay Gottlieb. Bottom row: Sam Salz, Jessica Fox and Max Fried. (Getty Images; Design by Grace Yagel)
From Jessica Fox’s Olympic dominance to Sam Salz’s historic college football debut Jewish athletes made history in baseball, hockey, wrestling and soccer this past year.
From the baseball diamond to the soccer pitch, from Vancouver to Paris, 2024 was a historic year for Jews in sports. Jewish athletes distinguished themselves across events, venues and tiers of competition—from the Olympics to the major leagues to college ball. This past year also saw notable sports moments off the field, be they in the front office or during the commercial breaks. Some of the year’s top moments featured familiar stars in the Jewish sports world, like ace pitcher Max Fried, Olympian Jessica Fox and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Fans also met some up-and-coming Jewish athletes, like college football player Sam Salz, or watched familiar faces like BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff and USC basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb reach new heights. Here are our top Jewish sports moments of 2024, presented chronologically—including two on the same day!
Clarence Jones, wearing a square pin from the “#StandUpToJewishHate” campaign, during the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism’s 2024 Super Bowl commeercial. (Courtesy of FCAS)
The fight against antisemitism gets the spotlight in a Super Bowl ad As more than 100 million people tuned in to watch Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11, they saw what is believed to be the first-ever Super Bowl ad focused on antisemitism. The New England Patriots weren’t in the big game, but their owner, Robert Kraft, paid an estimated $7 million for the 30-second spot by his charity, the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. The ad featured Clarence B. Jones, the former lawyer and advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. who drafted King’s famous 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech. It drew mixed reviews. The ad was one of a series by FCAS, which is known for its “#StandUpToJewishHate” campaign, that sought to promote the fight against antisemitism by connecting it to other forms of discrimination. The group placed a number of TV ads during popular televised events this year, including one spot depicting a real-life synagogue bomb threat, which aired during the Oscars. Another, about antisemitism at campus protests, aired during the NBA playoffs. And a recent ad calling for a “timeout against hate” featured sports icons including Shaquille O’Neal and Billie Jean King.
Jessica Fox on the podium during the canoe slalom medal ceremony after winning the women’s kayak single final, July 28, 2024, in Paris. (Kevin Voigt/GettyImages)
Jessica Fox, with two more golds, steals the show in Paris Jewish and Israeli athletes won a slew of medals in Paris this summer—18 at the Olympics and 13 more at the Paralympics. Jews took home medals in rugby, fencing, track, swimming and numerous other competitions, while Israel returned to Olympic soccer for the first time since 1976. One of the brightest Jewish stars of the Games was Australian paddling legend Jessica Fox, who won two gold medals in three days, bringing her career total to six, half of them golds. She won gold in both the canoe single and the kayak slalom. Fox is the most decorated Olympic canoe slalom competitor ever, and the only Australian Olympian in history with six individual medals. She had served as one of Australia’s flag bearers at the Paris opening ceremony. And the magic didn’t stop there. Fox’s younger sister, Noemie Fox, earned a gold medal of her own in the inaugural kayak cross event. The win put the Fox sisters in rare company among Jewish siblings to medal at the same Olympics.
Gold medalist Amit Elor stands on the podium during the wrestling women’s freestyle 68kg medal ceremony of the Paris Olympic
Amit Elor wrestles her way to Olympic history A Jewish Olympian dominated on the wrestling mat as well as the water: Amit Elor, a California native with Israeli parents, entered Paris as the youngest U.S. Olympic wrestler in history, and left as its youngest medalist in the sport. Elor, an eight-time world champion, made quick work of her opponents, extending her undefeated streak of five years with a gold medal win. Elor, the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors who moved to Israel, experienced both online antisemitism and the sudden deaths of both her father and a brother during the years when she broke into the elite ranks of U.S. women’s wrestling. She wrestles at the 68-kilogram weight class and in October 2023 became the youngest American wrestler—male or female—ever to win a senior world title. After her win, Elor spoke out against antisemitism—something she had largely avoided in the lead-up to Paris. “Eighty years ago my grandparents survived the Holocaust, but antisemitism is still all around us,” Elor said in a video posted on social media. The clip showed a comment directed against her saying “you belong in the gas chamber.”
Max Lazar, Joc Pederson and Garrett Stubbs made Jewish baseball history on Aug. 10, 2024. (Getty Images)
3 Jewish players appear in one MLB at-bat Pitcher Max Lazar’s first career strikeout on Aug. 10 was special for more than one reason. Lazar, a Jewish Philadelphia Phillies rookie, was pitching to Jewish catcher Garrett Stubbs and struck out Diamondbacks designated hitter Joc Pederson, who is also Jewish. The moment marked a rare trifecta—in which the pitcher, catcher and batter were all Jewish. (Stubbs and Pederson both played for Team Israel at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. According to the Jewish Baseball Museum, it was only the third instance of a Jewish pitcher-catcher-batter combination in MLB’s more than 100-year history. And Stubbs and Lazar made up only the eighth-ever Jewish pitcher-catcher pairing, known as a battery. It wasn’t Stubbs’ first historic moment of the season. In July, with the Phillies trailing the Oakland Athletics, Stubbs took the mound, faced fellow Team Israel alum Zack Gelof—and gave up a grand slam. It was the first-ever grand slam hit by a Jewish batter off a Jewish pitcher.
USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb notches her 300th career basketball win
USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb notches her 300th career basketball win University of Southern California women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb has established herself as one of the sport’s best. Gottlieb, who in 2019 became the first women’s collegiate head coach to join an NBA staff, led USC to the No. 1 seed in the NCAA March Madness tournament this year after winning the Pac-12 Conference’s last-ever women’s championship (the conference since dissolved). USC made it to the Elite Eight in the Big Dance before losing to the University of Connecticut. In April, Gottlieb signed a contract extension with USC that will keep her at the helm through the 2029-2030 season. And this season, USC is off to another strong start, now in the Big Ten. On Nov. 12, Gottlieb reached another milestone: her 300th career coaching win, a 124-39 rout over Cal State Northridge. The victory set USC records for points scored in a single game and widest margin of victory. Gottlieb is a member of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Northern California. Following WNBA legend Sue Bird’s retirement in 2022, some fans turned to Gottlieb as the new face of Jewish basketball. “I wondered if there would be someone to assume [Bird’s] place as basketball’s Jewish role model,” Sophie Bravo wrote for JTA’s partner site Hey Alma in April. “Lindsay seems to have stepped into the role seamlessly, balancing success, humility and determination, using her actions to guide and inspire.”
Sam Salz during Texas A&M’s game against New Mexico State at Kyle Field, Nov. 16, 2024 in College Station, Texas. (Rob Havens/Aggieland Illustrated)
Sam Salz blazes a trail for Orthodox Division I athletes Speaking of Jewish firsts, Texas A&M’s Sam Salz became likely the first-ever Orthodox Jew to appear in a Division I college football game when he took the field Nov. 16 with the Aggies. Salz’s debut marked the culmination of a years-long journey, one that took him from Kohelet Yeshiva High School—a Modern Orthodox school in Philadelphia with roughly 100 students and no football team—to a legendary college football program that peaked at No. 15 in the national rankings this season and plays in the vaunted Southeastern Conference. Salz, who had never played a snap of organized football in his life, let alone DI college ball, had walked onto the team in 2022 but had yet to appear in a game—in part because most college football games take place on Shabbat, when Salz doesn’t play. But on the school’s senior night, with 42 seconds left in the game, he heard his name called and ran out on the gridiron. “There’s probably a Jewish kid, and maybe even especially an Orthodox kid, who wants to play football, or wants to play sports, and is sitting somewhere confused about what he should do, or who’s told that he’ll never be able to do it,” Salz said in an interview. “Even getting to see me run down on that field, successful play or not, could have given him all the hope that he wanted.”
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff reached a sponsorship deal with Jewish food brand Manischewitz. (Courtesy of Manischewitz)
Jake Retzlaff enjoys a breakout season—and celebrates with some matzah It sounds almost like the opening of a comedy routine: A proudly Jewish player at the flagship university of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints becomes a household name for college football fans. But it’s no joke. For Brigham Young University quarterback Jake Retzlaff, this was a breakout season. Retzlaff goes by “BY-Jew” and made national headlines both for his on-field play and for how he publicly embraced his Jewish identity. Retzlaff, who grew up attending a Reform synagogue, Temple Beth Israel of Pomona, California, is BYU’s first Jewish starting quarterback and one of only three Jewish students at the Utah school. He threw 20 touchdowns this season as he led BYU to a 10-2 record in the Big-12 Conference and a top-25 national ranking—peaking at No. 9 on Nov. 5, a program record. And earlier this month, Retzlaff inked a sponsorship deal with Manischewitz, the Jewish food company’s first-ever sports deal. The package is set to include special-edition boxes of Manischewitz matzah emblazoned with Retzlaff’s likeness.
Max Fried signs the largest contract in Jewish baseball history
Max Fried signs the largest contract in Jewish baseball history Retzlaff isn’t the only Jewish athlete with a landmark deal. Pitcher Max Fried entered the MLB offseason as one of the most coveted free agents on the market. And on Dec. 10, he got his payday. Fried signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with the New York Yankees, the largest contract ever for a Jewish player as well as for a left-handed pitcher (topping David Price’s 2015 deal by $1 million in raw terms). Fried, who turns 31 in January, has a 3.07 ERA in 151 career starts, all with the Atlanta Braves, and is a two-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove winner, a Silver Slugger winner and a 2021 World Series champion. In 2024, Fried posted an 11-10 record with a 3.25 ERA and 166 strikeouts in 174.1 innings. Now, the Los Angeles native, who grew up worshipping Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, will likely spend the rest of his career playing in the city with the most Jews in the world. Fried joins fellow Jewish pitcher Scott Effross, who was traded to the Yankees in 2022 but missed all of 2023 and most of 2024 with multiple injuries. Jewish Yankees pitching prospect Eric Reyzelman is working his way through the minor leagues. Brad Ausmus, the team’s bench coach, is also Jewish.
Quinn Hughes, left, and Aerin Frankel both posted impressive 2024 seasons. (Getty Images)
Aerin Frankel and Quinn Hughes headline a banner year for Jewish hockey On the same day Fried signed his massive deal with the Yankees, the Vancouver Canucks became the first team in NHL history to feature three Jewish players in the same game. Defensemen Quinn Hughes and Mark Friedman and forward Max Sasson all played for the Canucks as they lost to the St. Louis Blues 4-3 in overtime. The Jewish hat trick capped a banner year for Jews in hockey. Jews featured prominently in the inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, which dropped the puck on New Year’s Day, led by Boston Fleet goalie Aerin Frankel, who is arguably the best Jewish player in the league. Frankel posted a .929 save percentage in 18 games last season, but her breakout came in the playoffs, when the Northeastern alum saved over 95% of shots and earned the moniker “Green Monster”—an homage to another formidable Boston sports presence—for her clutch performances. Boston lost to Minnesota in the finals in May despite Frankel’s brick wall. In the NHL, Edmonton Oilers star Zach Hyman put on a career performance last season, tallying 54 goals, the third-most in the NHL, plus 16 more in the playoffs. And Hughes finished with 75 assists, the third-most in the league, and won the James Norris Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL’s best defender. During the offseason this summer, Ryan Warsofsky became the first Jewish NHL head coach in three decades, University of Denver star Zeev Buium was selected 12th overall in the NHL Entry Draft and Jack, Luke and Quinn Hughes became the first brothers to grace the cover of the flagship NHL video game.
Yaniv Bazini celebrates after the 2024 Division I semifinals, Dec. 13, 2024, in Cary, North Carolina. (Anthony Sorbellini/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Israeli Yaniv Bazini leads UVM to its first-ever NCAA soccer championship Before this month, the University of Vermont had won six national championships in the school’s history—all in skiing. On Dec. 16, the Catamounts captured the NCAA Division I soccer championship, thanks in large part to Israeli star Yaniv Bazini. Bazini, a senior from Ness Ziona in central Israel, joined UVM in 2022 and became an anchor of Vermont’s offense. This season, Bazini led the team with 14 goals—including six scored in postseason games—which is the second-most in a single season in program history. His 30 points were third-best in the UVM record books. Beyond his offensive prowess, Bazini was also known for his proud embrace of his Israeli and Jewish identity. Last October, Bazini draped himself in an Israeli flag after scoring his first goal following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. He brought the flag back out to celebrate the national title. Bazini told JTA he cherishes the opportunity to represent Jews on the pitch—which he hopes to do professionally, either in the MLS or abroad. “It means everything,” he said. “I got so many messages in the past couple days of kids that are impacted, and not only by my soccer, but how I show that I’m Jewish and not afraid of it. By doing ‘Shema Yisrael’ at every beginning of the game or halftime, or every time I score, every time to thank G-d.”
Jacob Steinmetz was promoted to the Arizona Diamondbacks’ High-A affiliate, the Hillsboro Hops, on June 18. (Courtesy of the Hillsboro Hops)
Honorable mentions Here are a few other Jewish sports stories from the past year that are worth noting:
• Assaf Lowengart made history as the first Israeli-born position player to sign a professional baseball contract in the U.S. when he joined the Frontier League’s New York Boulders in February.
• Hapoel Jerusalem honored slain hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whom they called “our friend in the stands.”
• Orthodox MLB prospect Jacob Steinmetz continued his ascent through the minor leagues, joining the Hillsboro Hops, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ High-A affiliate.
• MLB veteran Kevin Pillar enjoyed a late-career resurgence with the Los Angeles Angels—and embraced his role as a Jewish ballplayer.
• Team Israel launched an American organization to strengthen its national team pipeline and support baseball’s growth in Israel.
• Náutico Hacoaj became the first Jewish soccer club to compete in Argentina’s Amateur Promotional Tournament since 1967.
• Israeli fencer Yuval Freilich won a gold medal at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix on Jan. 31, while wearing a uniform with an Israeli flag and the message “Am Israel Chai,” Hebrew for “the people of Israel lives,” written on his shoulder. Qatar, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, has played home to Hamas’ leadership. And last but not least, Jewish wrestling promoter Paul Heyman and boxing publicist Fred Sternburg were each inducted into their sport’s respective halls of fame. And the Jewish world mourned the deaths of Ken Holtzman, the winningest Jewish pitcher in MLB history, and Hall-of-Fame jockey Walter Blum, who rode to victory in the Belmont Stakes.
Jacob Gurvis is a contributing writer to JTA and Jlife Magazine.
I almost never write about personal issues. In fact, my last personal article1 was about an incident I experienced in August of 2023. It was published just four days before 10/7 on October 3, 2023. It was about a woman I met on vacation who openly defended her uncle who had been a member of the Hitler Youth. “Defending” is too kind, what she actually did was announce it proudly to me, and then she defended him when I reacted like a sane actual human being. Before 10/7, most people would have assumed that kind of thing was a remnant of the not-so-distant past. When she defended her Nazi uncle, I was extremely angry, but not even remotely surprised. This article, like that one, was written because people need to know that antisemitism is real, takes many forms, and is not remotely just an abstract idea, but an increasingly common feature of everyday life for Jews. It is personal. That was the case on a the date I had in December. I am an American and my date was British. So, because small talk is always part of a first meeting – I expected the usual “you guys think we all eat crumpets,” followed by something like “well you guys all think we’re cowboys, who surf, and hang out with movie stars.”“You drink tea, we drink coffee. You drive on the left side; we drive on the right. You had an empire; we’re the most powerful country in history” etc. It was actually a lot of that. Until it wasn’t. There were some early hints. I mentioned that I like to make Israeli salad and was met with what struck me at the time as an angry look. The same was true of her very obviously negative reaction when I told her that I write about Jewish issues and antisemitism. Yet, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I should know by now that my “Spidey sense” for identifying Jew haters is very good. (For example, I knew there was something dark about the Hitler youth woman before she said a word about her Uncle Adolph, or Günter, or Hans – or whatever his name was). I know that the best solution to avoid what I am about to describe would be to exclusively date Jewish women. I also know about J-Date and J-Swipe. I know that there are Jewish singles events. I know that you can meet people by joining activity groups. I know that there are people in the community who set up shidduchim.2 I know that there are people at shul, Shabbat dinners, and synagogue events. I have tried ALL those things. I tried them all for years. So, if you know a tallish, seriously Zionist, somewhat artsy, politically conservative, culturally hip, semi-traditional, but healthily anti-conformity woman, who loves live music—please let me know. Even then: I’m picky and have a right to be. Not that the community has presented me with a lot of opportunities to even be picky. In my experience, if you are not a doctor, a lawyer, an accountant or in some otherwise prestigious field, you aren’t at the top of anyone’s list of candidates. That may be the subject of another article. So: I have dated several non-Jewish women. I prefer to date Jews because being Jewish is so deeply rooted in me that I know by now that it will likely become an issue with non-Jews. In fact, my last girlfriend was agnostic, was supportive of Jewish holidays, but felt absolutely no connection to anything Jewish. Which, obviously, makes sense. There were multiple other issues, but she was in no obvious ways antisemitic. When we broke up, she still cited my “revulsion” at eating pork, or mixing meat and dairy, as reasons for the breakup. That despite me making it clear on dozens of occasions, I had no problem with her doing. I have had other relationships where my being Jewish was cited as the reason for a breakup. That may not be antisemitism as much as the tendency to grasp at any straw to justify a breakup (by some people). Then there are the actual antisemites. Which brings me back to tonight’s date. Toward what ended up being the end of the night (for good reason), I mentioned again that I am Jewish. By the way, she knew that going into the night, and it had come up many times during the date, but this last time it really seemed to finally dawn on here that I am, unwaveringly, Jewish.
That is when reality hit me, again, like a Sandy Koufax fastball… to the face. She began the Jew-hater portion of the evening by explaining to me that she is half Indian (from India). Ok, fine. Lots of Indians live in England. But, like Ginsu knives, I knew that there was more. Much, much more.3 That’s when she announced to me, with extreme self-righteous fanfare, that she was “also Iranian AND A MUSLIM.” “Ok,” I thought, “you’re so experienced at bad dates, awkward situations, and unpredictable weirdness, you will (being a Southern Californian) ride this wave of weirdness out until you can go home and write your column. Which is due tomorrow.” Then she began spewing every predictable trope that we have all heard relentlessly since 10/7. Starting with “Israelis murder babies in Gaza,” “Palestine is an ancient nation,” “Palestinians are an ancient people, while Jews arrived in 1948.” I invoked 10/7 several times. Even a slightly decent person would at least repeat a few insincere platitudes about our losses. More typical among Jew haters though is the reaction I received. Each time I mentioned it, she showed no emotion, no recognition of what had happened, and in fact, didn’t respond at all. Not once. Not even being able to admit that 10/7 happened is soulless, inhuman, and indicates that the person is totally comfortable with pure evil. As proof that we are evil doers, she claimed that her (Iranian) grandmother, told her stories about “Palestine.” At that point I felt like I had idiotically stumbled into a date with Rashida Tlaib (G-d forbid). The stories were all about how victimized Muslims were by the evvvvvil Jews. This was followed by the claim that Jews are never attacked in America, and that Muslims are the most common victims of hate crimes. Me being me, I cited the latest FBI statistics4 (which demonstrate the opposite). She only sneered. Of course, that was met with the challenge of “are you saying that my grandmother was lying.” I pointed out that her grandmother was Persian, was not an Arab, not “Palestinian,” and had no firsthand knowledge of any of this. It’s always ironic in these situations that the implication is we only defend Israel because we’re Jewish, not because we live this and know what we are talking about, or are factually correct. Meanwhile some woman in Iran living most of her life under the Shah is presented as an authority on Israeli history. When that didn’t work, her go-to authority became the BBC. Apparently, she saw a BBC documentary (yes, ONE documentary), which bestowed a level of expertise on her that everyone else can only dream of. All this while insisting that I “need to be educated.”This from a woman who then proceeded to read a Wikipedia entry to me from her phone. What other minority would be lectured in this way? Then came a comment that I get semi-regularly from people like this: “If this is so important to you, why don’t YOU go there and fight for the Israelis.” The backwards logic of “You aren’t in Israel fighting, so you must be wrong,” coming from a supposed actress in California, with no direct ties to the Arab world, is insane, yet typical. She repeatedly returned to “Israel doesn’t need to bomb innocent people.” So, I cited the civilian to combatant kill rate that the IDF has risked Jewish lives to achieve. She clearly had never heard that (or most of what I said) before…but she clearly just believed that it was some kind of Jewish propaganda. I kept telling her to check everything I said on her own (you know, because she likes “research” so much). But not on Wikipedia, the BBC, or most other mainstream sources. Then I gave her a brief history of our history in the region. It became clear that she had been taught that the Jews launched an attack against “Palestinians” in 1948 while never having been provoked in any way. She claimed to not believe that Israel was attacked by Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Which explains why she got even more unhinged when I tried to explain that Arabs never referred to themselves as “Palestinian” until recently. She also insisted that Islam never conquered the region through warfare, not in the seventh century, and not at any time, and Muslims never convert at the point of sword. Islam, she said, “only teaches peace.” If people like this seem unbelievably ignorant, remember that the Islamic doctrine of “‘taqiyya” (lying) is very real. Then she asked me again if her grandmother was lying. This time, I said “Yes, she absolutely was.” The bottom line is we are dealing with an ideology that is cult-like, whose adherents willingly choose to ignore facts and truth. This was actually the second date I’ve had in two months where my Jewishness was an issue. The other was a non-Muslim American (this one worked in the music business) who emphatically let me know the day after the date that there would be no second date “because of my views on the Palestinians.” Which was odd being as I said nothing about “Palestinians” during the date. I did say that 10/7 was a nightmare for our people, rising antisemitism concerns me, and that I am a proud Zionist. The last time I dated regularly was six years ago. While I have experienced antisemitism throughout my life, it never infected my dating life like it does now. That leads me to believe that, while anecdotal, things are definitely getting worse. People are clearly more willing to express anti-Jewish views because it is becoming more socially acceptable. Worse, in their circles, not only is there no pushback, but now it’s even considered a virtue to express anti-Jewish slurs. We need to be courageous (which most of us are), but we also need to be aware that we are Jews and the world will never let us forget it. See, there is a bright spot to everything! B”H Never give in. Never give up. Am Yisrael chai.
A delegation from Orange County at the 2024 Global Conference for Israel (credit Jim Woods Photography)
Several Orange County philanthropists were among 2,500 proud Zionists who attended Jewish National Fund-USA’s Global Conference for Israel in Dallas from November 14-17, 2024, fueling torches of light that continue to shine brightly even in these darkest of times. Conference attendees included philanthropists, pro-Israel community members of all faiths and from 10 different countries, long-time Jewish National Fund-USA partners (donors), rabbis, clergy, and cantors who attended the conference’s Rabbinical Summit, and teenagers and young adults who participated in the conference’s High School and College Summits. “How incredible to see so many committed Zionists, people from all backgrounds, with different perspectives, coming together for a common goal—to ensure a strong Israel for all,” said Jewish National Fund-USA Chairman, Dr. Sol Lizerbram. “Seeing all the high school and college students attend the conference warms my heart,” added Jewish National Fund-USA’s Orange County Board President, Michael Feldman. “Such ruach! American Jewry and Israel are in great hands.” The spirit of “Am Israel Chai,” “the people of Israel live,” resounded throughout the Hilton Anatole as attendees bonded over a commitment to uphold and honor the shared values that supporters of America and Israel so dearly value, sharing sentiments of solidarity, a celebration of Israeli resilience, and a desire to reimagine a bright future for residents living in and currently evacuated from, Israel’s North and South. They were also united by their collective determination to bring the remaining hostages back home and to rebuild the communities that experienced widespread devastation on October 7. “As survivors of what has become the largest attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust—and as witnesses to the most devastating tragedy since Israel’s founding—we carry an immense weight,” said Michal Uziyahu, mayor of the Eshkol region on the border with Gaza. “When confronted with such darkness, we face a crucial choice: we can passively watch as history unfolds around us, or we can actively choose to shape it.” Scores of Israelis attended the event, including displaced residents of hard-hit communities like Kibbutz Re’im and Kibbutz Be’eri, civil defense officers who fought Hamas terrorists, American lone soldiers who moved to Israel to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), residents from northern Israel, and others including Olympian Peter Paltchik, who represent Israel on the global stage. “Together, we’re building a future that will have a lasting impact for generations to come,” said National Conference Co-Chair Michael Miller. Featured speakers at the multi-day summit included the former commander of British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, Col. Richard Kemp; Co-Founder and CEO of Boundless and author of the newly-released book Stand-Up Nation, Aviva Klompas; Max Webb Emeritus Rabbi, Sinai Temple, Rabbi David Wolpe; Assistant Professor of Management, Columbia University Business School, Shai Davidai; Actor & Comedian, Michael Rapaport; and Israeli leaders including several mayors. The presenters addressed a wide range of topics that are deeply meaningful to the global Jewish and Zionist communities, including efforts to rebuild the southern Israeli communities on the border with Gaza; campuses on the frontlines; ethics of war as it relates to the IDF; the safety and security of Jewish communities; and other themes connected to Israel’s security, technology, resilience, and culture. “As a first-time attendee, I found the 2024 Global Conference for Israel to be informative, enlightening, warm, and meaningful,” said Heather Hoppus-Werner. “The speakers were diverse, current, and engaging. I learned so much more about Jewish National Fund-USA and all that it does for Israel on many different fronts.” Jewish National Fund-USA’s 2025 Global Conference for Israel will take place on October 23-26, 2025, in Hollywood, Fla. Early Bird Registration closes February 28, 2025. For more information, visit jnf.org/global2025 or contact globalconference@jnf.org.
Polish and German police officers inspect the papers of a Jewish pedestrian, Warsaw, 1941. (Yad Vashem Photo Archive)
Jan Grabowski spent more than 10 years conducting his research, including going through Polish archives, private diaries and records from more than 100 small towns where Jews lived in high concentrations.
Writing a comprehensive history of Polish citizens during the Holocaust is a hefty task. A Polish law that criminalizes any mention of Polish responsibility for or complicity in Nazi crimes makes it even harder.
That makes the groundbreaking research conducted by acclaimed Holocaust historian Jan Grabowski for his new book, “On Duty: The Polish Blue & Criminal Police in the Holocaust” all the more remarkable. Relying on meticulous documentation, the book argues that while these institutions were German-sponsored, they were comprised mostly of Poles who were more than willing to assist the Nazis in their extermination campaign, and often led the way through their own initiatives. Grabowski, a professor at the University of Ottawa, spent more than 10 years conducting the research, including years in Poland going through Polish archives, private diaries and records from more than 100 small towns where Jews lived in high concentrations. “I read horrifying things in the diaries of Polish policemen describing how many Jews they killed each day,” said Grabowski, 61. “There were anecdotes about a cop asking for a glass of vodka before shooting a Jew, or using hot water to clean the blood off their hands. They killed friends and schoolmates without remorse, even in places where no Germans ever came to check up on them.”
Much of the evidence Grabowski uncovered had never been seen before.
“It’s not easy to write a book like this when you have opposition from massive Polish organizations with teams of PhDs whose job is to go after people like myself,” said Grabowski, who began his research for the book before Poland passed the controversial 2018 Act on the Institute of National Remembrance. “But thorough and independent historical research is necessary to make sure that a nation can’t rewrite its history into a happy story of righteous Poles saving Jews.”
In particular, the book focuses on the actions of Poland’s Blue Police, officially known as the Polish Police of the Generalgouvernement, established shortly after the German occupation of Poland in 1939 and consisting mainly of prewar Polish police officers.
“We are talking about a police force of 20,000 people that previously was in charge of enforcing mundane civilian laws like making sure that horses walking on the street had horseshoes,” Grabowski said. “What fascinates me is how quickly these normal ordinary cops were transformed into ruthless killers.”
Grabowski’s 496-page book is now available on Yad Vashem’s website.
Grabowski has written numerous books and articles focusing on the Holocaust in Poland. His book “Hunt for the Jews: Betrayal and Murder in German-Occupied Poland” won the Yad Vashem International Book Prize in 2013.
On the eve of World War II, Poland’s 3.3 million Jews formed a vibrant and diverse society, noted Havi Dreifuss, director of the Center for Research on the Holocaust in Poland at Yad Vashem and professor of Jewish history at Tel Aviv University. “Many were engaged in Jewish and Polish causes or active in political movements such as the Bund, Zionist, and Orthodox groups. While most lived in cities, these were often small, alongside villages that reflected the richness of Polish Jewish life.”
A group of Nazi police in Otfinów, Poland, 1943. (Yad Vashem Photo Archive)
This last point is a critical issue for Holocaust scholarship, Dreifuss said. “Research often focuses on large ghettos like Warsaw and Lodz, each housing hundreds of thousands of Jews. But over 340 ghettos existed in the Generalgouvernement, 83% of them with fewer than 5,000 Jews,” she said. “These smaller ghettos, representing the majority of Polish Jewish communities, remain understudied, despite their significant role in understanding Polish Jewry during the Holocaust.”
Chronologically, Polish persecution of the Jews progressed in three stages, according to Grabowski.
After Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the Third Reich entrusted Polish police forces to introduce and enforce new restrictions on the Jews. “The first phase was the beginning of the inhuman ghettoization of the Jews,” Grabowski said. “The Germans created laws designed to break down the Jews, limiting where they could go and what they could do or own. Yet until now, virtually no historians have examined how the large Polish police force suddenly became so deeply involved with Jewish affairs, effectively condemning them to starvation.”
By 1941, Polish forces began working on the second phase, liquidating hundreds of ghettos. As trainloads of Jews were sent to concentration camps like Auschwitz-Birkenau and Treblinka in 1942 and 1943, Polish police participated in the Nazi evacuations of these ghettos, rounding Jews up, killing anyone who resisted and sometimes even conducting the evacuations themselves.
“It is important to understand that it wasn’t the Germans coercing the Poles to shoot; it was the Polish execution squads making these decisions themselves,” Grabowski said. “In November 1941, Polish police were shooting Jews on a regular basis, much earlier than in Nazi-occupied countries in Western Europe.”
Perhaps the Poles were just acting to avoid facing punishment from the Nazis? “The interesting thing is that there is no record of any penalty given to someone who refused to kill a Jew, except maybe some sneers by your colleagues,” Grabowski said. “If you didn’t want to do it, there was always someone else who would be happy to.”
After the ghettos were liquidated, Polish forces continued their killing sprees through the third phase, searching throughout the country for Jews who may have escaped, according to Grabowski.
“At this point, they are murdering with gusto, without any German involvement,” according to Grabowski. “They are working with locals, with their neighbors, and they don’t even inform the Germans about what they are doing.”
As the Holocaust progressed, Polish police acted on their own to kill Jews without coordinating with Germany, Grabowski said. “They knew that if they reported their activities to the Nazis they would have been forced to share the money and property they stole,” he said. “They might also incriminate their neighbors who were actively sheltering Jews. And they didn’t want that.”
Poland’s Foreign Ministry declined to respond to the claims in Grabowski’s books, saying, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not comment on the scientific activities of individual people, considering scientific sphere and activity exempt from political assessment.”
While writing “On Duty,” Grabowski faced a powerful barrage of opposition from the Polish government and was slapped with a number of lawsuits, two of which are still pending. “It has not been good for my psychological well-being,” Grabowski said. “When you study for a PhD, no one trains you in how to handle attacks from the state for slandering the good name of the nation.”
But exposing the truth is exactly why Grabowski believes his work is important. “The Holocaust has become a universal benchmark of evil, but even after decades of Holocaust education, you have governments bending history out of shape to conform with their own needs,” he said. “This is a very dangerous precedent, and we have a responsibility to prevent it to preserve our future.” This article is sponsored by and produced in collaboration with Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. This story was produced by JTA’s native content team.
Zev Stub is a contributing writer to JTA and Jlife Magazine.
Genesis Prize Foundation Chairman Stan Polovets, left, with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the groundbreaking for the Holocaust Museum of Greece in Thessaloniki, Oct. 29, 2024. (Courtesy of Genesis Prize Foundation)
“The memory of this once-vibrant Greek Jewish community must never be erased,” said Stan Polovets, cofounder of the Genesis Prize, which is helping fund the museum.
For half a millennium until the Holocaust, the cosmopolitan city of Thessaloniki, Greece, had a unique claim to fame: it was Europe’s only major city with a Jewish majority. But the golden age of Thessaloniki’s mostly Sephardic Ladino-speaking Jewish community came to a sudden end with the Nazi occupation of Greece in 1941 and turned cataclysmic with the deportation two years later to Auschwitz of nearly all the city’s Jews. By the end of World War II, some 65,000 Greek Jews—87% of the total and 96% of those from Thessaloniki—had been killed, leaving barely 2,000 survivors in Thessaloniki (also known as Salonika). Among them were the parents of Dr. Albert Bourla, a veterinarian who would go on to become the chairman and CEO of Pfizer, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. In 2022, Bourla won the Genesis Prize—often described as the Jewish Nobel—for having led the development of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Stan Polovets, co-founder and chairman of the Genesis Prize Foundation, said in announcing the reward, “Millions of people are alive and healthy because of what Dr. Bourla and his team at Pfizer have accomplished.” Now, with global antisemitism at its worst levels since World War II, Bourla is about to realize another milestone: the long-awaited opening of a Holocaust Museum of Greece. Bourla donated the $1 million Genesis Prize money toward construction of the museum. The museum is also being funded by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and the governments of Greece and Germany. The management of the museum is currently trying to raise an additional $10 million. “Those who know me know that in addition to being very proud of my Jewish heritage, I am equally proud of being Greek,” Bourla said in an emotional June 2022 speech in Jerusalem accepting the Genesis Prize. “My mother’s courage and optimism came from her experience of narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Nazis. In fact, both of my parents turned their experience surviving the Holocaust into something positive and life-affirming. This clearly shaped my worldview.” The 9,000-square-foot museum occupying eight floors in an octagon-shaped structure will be located at the site of Thessaloniki’s Old Railway Station, where the first Nazi train carrying Jews to Auschwitz departed on March 15, 1943. But the museum, slated to open in 2026, won’t be just about the tragedy of the Holocaust. Exhibits and artifacts will tell the story of more than 2,300 years of Greek Jewish history in Thessaloniki and 38 other communities, beginning with the ancient Romaniote Jews who settled in Greece during the reign of Alexander the Great. At an Oct. 29 groundbreaking ceremony in Thessaloniki, Polovets was joined by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and local dignitaries and Holocaust survivors. “I was honored to participate and was moved by the ceremony, during which President Steinmeier said he ‘felt shame’ and that the memory of what was done to the Jewish people on this site ‘cannot be erased.’ That is why this museum is so important,” Polovets said. “The memory of this once-vibrant Greek Jewish community and its near destruction by the Nazis—especially during the current wave of rising global antisemitism—must never be erased.” Only about 5,000 Jews remain in Greece: About 4,000
live in Athens, and the remainder live in Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Rhodes, Corfu and other communities. Meanwhile, Greece has not been immune to the wave of antisemitism sweeping Europe. Vandalism of Jewish cemeteries and Holocaust memorials is fairly commonplace. A 2014 global survey of antisemitism by the Anti-Defamation League found that 69% of Greeks harbor antisemitic views—the highest percentage of any country in the world outside the Middle East. While those findings are sometimes disputed, Greece continues to struggle with antisemitism. However, physical violence against Greek Jews is extremely rare, and the current Greek government, as well as the one that preceded it, are considered among the most pro-Israel in Europe. Greece observes International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and in 2014 the parliament outlawed Holocaust denial. A big push for the Holocaust museum came from Thessaloniki’s former mayor, 82-year-old Yiannis Boutaris, who died on Nov. 4, less than a week after the Holocaust museum’s groundbreaking ceremony. Boutaris announced that his city would build the museum at a 2017 event attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other dignitaries. “It will symbolize our shame,” Boutaris said at the time, “for what happened, for what we did, and mostly for what we could not or did not wish to do… during and after the war.” In addition to Bourla, other famous Jews with roots in Thessaloniki include actor Hank Azaria, Israeli businessman and philanthropist Leon Recanati, his sister the philanthropist Jude Recanati, actress Lea Michele, former Nevada congresswoman Shelley Berkley and Belgian-born American fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg. Polovets said Bourla’s donation aligns with the Genesis Prize Foundation’s values and mission of inspiring Jewish pride. “With the rise of global antisemitism, education will be at the center of the museum’s activities, hosting permanent and temporary exhibitions and archives that will highlight the value of preserving the remembrance of the Holocaust, acceptance and respect for diversity, human rights, and freedom,” he said. Polovets said he hopes the museum will inspire visitors to fight hatred from spreading today. “Hatred in any form leads to denial, disrespect and destruction,” he said. “Democracy and respect for others are values that can never be taken for granted, and each of us has a responsibility to stand up to all forms of hatred.” This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with The Genesis Prize Foundation, which aims to foster Jewish identity, inspire Jewish pride and strengthen the bond between Israel and the Diaspora. This article was produced by JTA’s native content team.
Larry Luxner is a contributing writer to JTA and Jlife Magazine.
Major Jewish movies of 2024 included (clockwise from top left) “Between the Temples,” “September 5,” “A Complete Unknown,” “The Brutalist” and “A Real Pain.” (Photo illustration: Grace Yagel/70 Faces Media)
Amid widespread Jewish anxiety over Israel and antisemitism, Jewish movies are once again ruling the awards conversation.
Hollywood tore itself apart after this year’s Oscars ceremony following a Jewish director’s acceptance speech for a Holocaust film, in which he criticized Israel months into its war in Gaza. The spat over Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” came alongside Jewish backlash to new diversity and inclusion standards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which had neglected to include Jews as an underrepresented Hollywood group. Taken together, it might have portended a difficult Jewish year in Hollywood. Would the world of prestige cinema—with its top prize awarded by a body that recently had faced controversy for downplaying the role of Jews in the film industry’s founding—fail Jews in their time of need, like so many other cultural organizations had? But there was a surprise at the multiplex this year. As antisemitism has spiked, debates about Israel have consumed cultural spaces and anxiety over inclusion has simmered, Jewish movies are actually having a moment. “The Brutalist,” a historical epic about a Hungarian Jewish architect trying to succeed in postwar America, and “A Real Pain,” a modern-day dramedy about two Jewish cousins on a Holocaust tour through Poland, are two heavy favorites in this year’s Oscar race after racking up big festival prizes. The new Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown”—which includes a brief glimpse of a photo album showing the boy once known as Robert Zimmerman becoming a bar mitzvah—has earned raves for the performance of Jewish lead actor Timothee Chalamet, and is expected to land well with mainstream audiences when it opens over Christmas.
“The Goldman Case.” (Courtesy of Menemsha Films/Moonshaker)
Works focusing on Jewish clergy and religious life have also found success. This fall, “Between the Temples,” a low-budget neurotic comedy about a depressed cantor and his adult bat mitzvah student, was an indie box office hit, and Jewish supporting actress Carol Kane has become a dark-horse awards contender after a win at the New York Film Critics Circle. (Meanwhile, the small-screen romantic comedy “Nobody Wants This,” starring Adam Brody as a meme-worthy “hot rabbi” dating a non-Jewish woman, was one of the year’s most popular and buzzy TV shows.) There’s a simple reason for these successes, entertainment industry professionals say: They’re good movies that people—both Jewish and not—want to see. “I don’t think it’s exclusively because they are quote, unquote ‘Jewish stories,’” said Eric Kohn, a Jewish longtime film critic who currently works for a movie production company and as a programmer for a film center on Long Island. “I think it’s because they have other access points.” And any echoes of the post-Oct. 7, 2023, Jewish experience are largely unintentional. With the exception of “A Complete Unknown,” all of this year’s big Jewish films—including “September 5,” a historical drama about the Israeli athlete hostage crisis at the 1972 Munich Olympics games—were shot before the Hamas attack and subsequent war. In addition, not every filmmaker explicitly set out to make a project dealing with Jewish identity. While “A Real Pain” writer-director-star Jesse Eisenberg and “Between the Temples” director Nathan Silver have been up front about their interest in Judaism as a subject, “The Brutalist” director Brady Corbet and “September 5” director Tim Fehlbaum have said their films just happen to deal with Jews or Israelis, and that their central thematic interests lay elsewhere. The movies bear that out: Kohn noted that they have additional draws beyond the fact of their Judaism. “The Brutalist” is as much the story of an uncompromising artist, and of the broader immigrant experience, as it is about Holocaust survivors. “A Real Pain,” starring Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, is more explicitly about Holocaust trauma. But, Kohn noted, “It’s also a buddy movie with the guy from ‘The Social Network’ and the guy from ‘Succession.’” And a Bob Dylan movie has broad cultural resonance, particularly since the figure at its center doesn’t publicly embrace his Judaism as much as many other Jewish celebrities. Still, in a year like 2024, any Jewish inclusion—no matter how incidental—was welcomed by many.
“No Other Land” (Antipode Films)
“I liked the fact that they were movies about American Jews,” the Jewish film critic J. Hoberman,who writes frequently about Jews and cinema, said about most of the year’s Jewish offerings. “It was like a release, in a sense, to deal with the Diaspora rather than Israel.” Hoberman added that he was also a big admirer of “The Goldman Case,” a French courtroom drama based on the real-life trial of a 1970s-era Jewish radical but found a relatively smaller audience. (The attraction beyond Judaism also links this year’s big Jewish movies to last year’s Jewish awards darlings “Oppenheimer,” “The Zone of Interest” and “Maestro,” which similarly held non-Jewish appeal: famous-person biopics, big-budget effects spectacles and cerebral, innovative arthouse filmmaking.) Another crucial element linking “The Brutalist,” “A Real Pain” and “Between the Temples”: They were all independent productions, financed and filmed outside of the major studios before being acquired by mid-sized to large distributors after festival premieres. Hip indie distributor A24, Disney-owned label Searchlight Pictures, and megastudio Sony wound up releasing those films, in that order; “September 5,” too, was independently financed before being acquired by Paramount. (Partially to save costs, “The Brutalist” and “A Real Pain” were respectively filmed in Hungary and Poland—the countries where their characters encountered the horrors of the Holocaust.) As the Oscar campaigns for the Holocaust-themed selections ramp up, their distributors appear to be leaning into the movies’ universal themes, rather than their Jewish ones—a shift away from many successful Oscar campaigns for Holocaust movies of the last few decades, ranging from “Schindler’s List” to “The Pianist” and beyond, which often placed the horrors of the Holocaust in the center of their pitch to Oscar voters as an important part of bearing witness. “The films that we’re talking about in the best picture conversation, they’re not presenting anything related to Jewish identity that might make a non-Jewish audience uncomfortable,” Kohn said. In addition, few of the above films tackle the subject of Israel directly (“The Brutalist” includes some late-in-the-film discussions of Zionism, but it’s not the movie’s focus). Even “September 5,” which dramatizes the Munich hostage crisis at which 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were murdered by Palestinian terrorists, does not center the Jewish or Israeli perspective, instead focusing on the TV sports journalists tasked with covering the tragedy—though the historical parallels to today’s Israeli hostage crisis and the ensuing war in Gaza still resonate. The film won’t be released widely until January, but it hasn’t yet broken through the cultural landscape as much as Paramount had hoped. The studio was positioning it as a potential best picture contender at the Oscars, perhaps inspired by Steven Spielberg’s 2005 drama “Munich,” which covered the same subject and received five Oscar nominations including the top one. But it’s failed to generate much buzz in limited release, harming its chances, and Oscar predictors like Variety and Vulture have knocked its odds down; Kohn called the film “a complete dud at the box office.” (It did receive a lone Golden Globe nomination for best drama.) Whether that’s due to its focus on Israel or to general disinterest amid a crowded film marketplace isn’t clear. On the film-reviewing social network Letterboxd, some of the most popular reviews of “September 5” ding it for supposedly being “Israeli propaganda.” The war has certainly affected at least one Jewish film this year: the documentary “No Other Land,” which was directed by a collective of Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers and chronicles the Israeli military’s efforts to demolish the Palestinian West Bank village collective of Masafer Yatta. Like the other films mentioned in this article, it was made before Oct. 7 (with a small coda that takes place afterwards). But the movie’s supporters frequently cite the ongoing war—and accompanying rise in settler violence in the West Bank—in arguing for wider exposure. Despite widespread critical acclaim and awards, including recently being shortlisted for best documentary at the Oscars, “No Other Land” has yet to find an official U.S. distributor. It will receive a limited New York release in January. The filmmakers declined an interview with JTA, saying they would wait until January to do further publicity for the movie. Another controversial Israel-focused documentary, “The Bibi Files,” was also shortlisted for the Oscar and will soon be distributed as part of a nontraditional new-media model; it is backed by the Israeli activist group UnXeptable, which protests Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, and has a large U.S. presence. (Notably, the Oscar shortlist for best international feature included the Palestinian submission—“From Ground Zero,” an omnibus of short films shot in Gaza after Oct. 7—but not the Israeli one, a drama about sibling grief called “Come Closer” that did not address the war.) “I thought it was more than a film,” Hoberman, who named ”No Other Land” the best movie of the year, told JTA. “I was really glad to have a movie that was so outspoken about what I perceive as a terrible injustice. And at the same time, the fact that it could be made was hopeful in itself, if only in a theoretical sense.” His best-of list appeared in Artforum magazine, which itself underwent an Oct. 7-prompted leadership crisis shortly after the Hamas attack. The failure of “No Other Land” to find distribution might say more about Hollywood’s post-Oct. 7 mood than the success of other Jewish-themed movies: films addressing the conflict are still seen as too risky for the bottom line. “No company feels like they can take the risk of the baggage that that film might bring, whether or not they agree with the perspective in it,” Kohn said. Not every Jew is pleased with how this year’s crop of Jewish movies depicts actual Jewish life. Allison Josephs, an advocate for Jewish onscreen representation who runs the blog Jew in the City and recently undertook a survey of Jewish TV characters in collaboration with the University of Southern California’s Norman Lear Center, told JTA she believed the selections “follow the patterns of problematic Jewish films we’ve seen before” in both their casting and subject matter. “We want to see Jews cast to play Jews, diverse casting for what Jews look like, as many of us are not white-passing. We want to see Jews taking pleasure in their heritage, being proud of their identity,” Josephs wrote. “We want to see stories beyond the Holocaust.“ For Josephs, who was also active in opposing Jewish exclusion from the Academy’s new diversity rules this year, how the makers of Jewish-related films feel about Israel is also an important factor in judging their success. “I’m googling the stars of these films and I don’t see any public support of Israel,” she wrote. “And that just adds insult to injury.” (Eisenberg has avoided discussing Israel in interviews; Guy Pearce, who plays a subtly antisemitic benefactor to Adrien Brody’s Jewish architect in “The Brutalist,” is a vocal pro-Palestinian activist who recently told Vanity Fair, “I’ve had someone say to me, ‘Let’s not forget what Hollywood is made up of. Be careful.’”) At the end of the day, Kohn said, Jewish movies remain a niche in Hollywood. But it’s a niche that can reliably bring audiences—and one in particular—to the theater. “My parents are liberal Zionists who went to go see ‘Between the Temples.’ And I didn’t have anything to do with that,” he said. “When they see a film that has Jewish themes, they go see it.”
Andrew Lapin is a contributing writer to JTA and Jlife Magazine.
Political Predictions: Humility Supersedes Smugness
When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon on July 21, 1969, the enormous event seemed to be encapsulated in a gilded frame. Time stopped for a bit—even as the Vietnam war waged, gay rights emerged to the forefront after Stonewall, and Woodstock was a drumbeat away from becoming the most famous musical milestone in memory. Each of these historical footnotes stood on its own merit, long enough for us to sigh, bear witness, and emotionally record just where we were when [fill in the blank] happened. On the morning of October 7, 2023 in Israel, twelve hundred innocent men, women and children were ferociously butchered while sleeping, dancing, jogging or praying, by murderous savages who had been long-preparing—and were well-prepared—for carnage. Two-hundred and fifty more of these innocents were rapidly shuttled into a once beautiful, now-a-cesspool called Gaza, attaining the moniker of “hostages.” At the time of this writing, many are known dead, several have been released, and the remaining prisoners are languishing in unimaginable conditions. Stunned, near-broken and bleeding, Israel retaliated. Aroused from comfortable somnolence, this Lion of Judah unleashed a powerful force against those who wish us dead by establishing impenetrable and secure buffer zones, deterring future massacres with an iron-fist against terrorism, applying swift punishment for perpetrators and—front and center—getting our stolen people home. Am I confused in believing that there is no room for argument against this master-plan? The whirlwind of support-versus-condemnation didn’t stop. Each day the news brought myriad tales of rabid protests on college campuses, synagogue attacks, and shocking brutality foisted upon Jews at both sporting events and on the streets where they reside. And instead of receiving international support for our righteous efforts to keep existing while protecting non-combatants behind enemy lines, Israel is besmirched and castigated. Unprecedented. Why? I guess we’d have to query the United Nations, the International Court of Justice and/or the International Criminal Court and hopefully receive an answer that doesn’t drip with sanctimonious spume. We didn’t have the luxury of 1969 pace. Enemy assault on Jews and Jewish interests offers no respite, no time-out in which to catch one’s breath. We didn’t start the fire but murderous vermin named Ibrahim Aqil, Fuad Shukr, Muhammad Nasser, Muhammad Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Saleh al-Arouri and Yahya Sinwar twisted the narrative. We became the bad guys but they could have avoided their fates. They should have been lights unto their people. They would have elevated the lives of those who were starving for leadership. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. They didn’t, and fifteen months into this seismic conflict, the Heavens rumble from the paralysis of Iran, the near-disintegration of Hamas and Hezbollah, the birth-pangs of a new Syrian government after Bashar al-Assad’s middle of the night escape, Putin’s humiliation, and incoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s relentless saber-rattling. Almost overnight, there is a new world order on the horizon but, for the holy nation of Israel, the price has been astronomical. We will never heal from the sheer-numbers of dead soldiers who were destined for greatness but, like young saplings, were cut down before their time. Baruch Dayan Emett. Blessed is the True Judge. Still, there is a buzz in the air coming from Arabia that Israel might not be the problem but, in fact, the solution. Each day the government receives hints of Arab interest in partnering toward a healthy Middle East with Israel as the guide post for better developing their own tribal communities. The outpouring of queries from Druze, Bedouins and Kurds from southern Syria alone has been alarming. As we limp into the Gregorian year of 2025, let’s refrain from believing we have a handle on tomorrow. The past fifteen months have taught us that miracles pass through the “eye of a needle” and we are not the ones in charge.
New York native Andrea Simantov has lived in Jerusalem since 1995. She writes for several publications, appears regularly on Israel National Radio and owns an image consulting firm for women.
In May of 2023, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory concerning “our epidemic of loneliness and isolation,” which he maintained “has been an under appreciated public health crisis.”Dr. Murthy said that a good way to tackle this crisis is to “prioritize building social connection,” and toward this end, in January a nationwide initiative called Project Gather is being rolled out. According to its website, “Project Gather believes that eating with others can bring joy, build interpersonal connections, and ultimately help solve the loneliness epidemic in the U.S affecting one out of every two Americans at any moment.” This past November, in an effort to promote the Project, The New York Times was invited to cover a pot-luck dinner, attended by Dr. Murthy and culinary stars such as Joan Nathan, Alice Waters, and José Andrés. Fortuitously, in November I too was given an opportunity to promote Project Gather, as my daughter Ruthie and her husband Nofar hosted some of their neighbors at a gathering in their Givatayam home. For the November gathering in Givatayim (a city adjoining Tel Aviv from the East), Ruthie and Nofar decided to invite the people in their building around their own age (mid 30s), planning to include the building’s elderly residents a few weeks later in a Hanukkah candle-lighting. There were five guests from three apartments: a couple without children, a couple with a child being babysat by one of their parents, and a widow with a 3-year-old to whom Ruthie gave a wireless baby monitor. The gathering was set for 8:30 p.m., with Ruthie and Nofar ordering pizza and the guests bringing wine. I asked Nofar why he initiated this gathering, and he said: “I wanted to get to know my neighbors.” I asked him: “But can’t you get to know your neighbors by happening upon them every once in a while?”His answer: “No.” And surely he is right. Because from a group of seven people who had previously been only casual acquaintances, there ensued deep conversation that lasted for four hours. Ruthie described what happened this way: “We talked like we were sitting with friends, talking about our kids, about the war, about serving in the reserves.” I asked about the young widow, whose husband had died on October 9, 2023 as a reserve soldier fighting terrorists in one of the kibbutzim. Ruthie said that the woman herself brought up the topic, saying: “It must be weird for you sitting here with me.” Several people told her that they felt for her and that “it’s all around us now.” Then one of the men, Ori, said that his own father had died when Ori was relatively young, and he talked about his experiences and feelings. In short, Ruthie said: “We went very deep.” The Project Gather event in Givatayim was a fabulous success. Amit, one of the women in attendance, even wrote her thanks on the group’s whatsapp chat that very night, though it was almost 1:00 a.m.: “Ruthie and Nofar, you sweet people, a giant thanks for hosting—what a wonderful time together.” From a single shared meal together, a group of relative strangers had become friends. If you need further inspiration to participate in Project Gather, take a look at “Recipes for Connection,” a colorful, whimsical booklet produced by Dr. Murthy’s office. In addition to other “gathering” stories, the booklet offers pointers such as “ingredients for any gathering,” “making the invite,” “examples of real-life invitations,” and “strategies for easing gathering anxieties.” And if you need an additional authority other than the Surgeon General as to the importance of “gatherings,” the Talmud (Shabbat 127a) lists “hospitality toward guests” as one of six precepts where “a person enjoys the fruits in this world while the principal reward remains intact for that person in the world to come.”
Teddy Weinberger is a contributing writer to Jlife magazine. He made aliyah with his family in 1997 from Miami, where he was an assistant professor of religious studies. Teddy and his wife, Sarah Jane Ross, have five children.
There are certain stories we tell our children again and again—stories of our own growing up and how we came to be who we are and do what we do. Stories that our parents taught us, stories that often include immigration and making it in America, as well as how life used to be in the “olden” days, feed our children’s imagination, giving them a sense of who they are in the world as well as resources with which to face their own daily struggles. Those stories are telling (so to speak!) what we want to transmit to our children, and through them, to the following generations. In the Torah, it tells the story of the plagues starting, and it is a story that is to be told to our children and grandchildren. The story of our liberation from Egypt is our story of origin; it is how we came to be who we are as a people. In fact there are many Jewish rituals performed in the name of remembering that we were slaves in Egypt and were freed by G-d, including observing the Sabbath and the Passover Seder. Storytelling is vital in any family, but it is important to be aware that there are different genres of storytelling, all vital in their own way. There are fairytales and myths and stories of what children face as they grow up. There are family stories, and then there are the stories of our people, the foundational stories that make up who we are collectively and are transmitted from generation to generation. Stories, for example, about what the Israelites experienced as slaves in Egypt and how they were delivered from slavery can promote moral development and create a sense that we belong to something larger. These stories remind us that we are an ancient people who have to this day to tell the tale. TALK TO YOUR KIDS about some of the foundational stories of your family and of the Jewish people. CONNECT TO THEIR LIVES:
· What are your favorite stories?
· What do you like best about your favorite?
· Which stories do you like to tell?
· Who are some of your favorite heroes?
· Why is it important that we continue to tell stories?
Rabbi Dianne Cohler-Esses is a contributing writer to My Jewish Learning and Jlife magazine.
I’m getting married next week. Most of the wedding planning is done (but, oy, the table assignments, they continue to plague me!) and now the fun conversations are not about planning a one-day event, but rather planning the rest of our lives together. One of the things that my fiancé and I have discussed quite a bit recently is what rituals might change in our lives once we are married. This is not only about the joining together of two people with two different sets of backgrounds, experiences, and traditions, but it’s also about thinking about what marriage represents in our evolving individual and collective identities. As a single woman (and rabbi), I’ve spent a lot of time over the years thinking about how Judaism (and Jewish institutions) tend to be so family based. That’s part of the beauty of Judaism and yet it’s also the thing that sometimes makes it harder for single adults to connect with. Some well-meaning rabbis ask congregants to put their arms around family members at services—something that feels great if you are there with family and something that feels lonely if you are there as a single person. There are “family Shabbats”—which are an amazing way to include children and adults of all ages in services, but the challenge for those creating those experiences is how to make adults without children feel part of the experience as well. Certainly it can be done successfully and often is—so that everyone feels included—but there needs to always be intentionality about thinking about the diverse demographics of any community. And then there are the home rituals. It feels very different, to me, to light Shabbat or Hanukkah candles at home by oneself, than it does among friends and family. I don’t light Shabbat candles every week, and I have never lit them when I’ve been home alone on a Friday night. When I’m home alone during Hanukkah, I don’t always even light the menorah each night. Now that I’m going to be married (did I mention the wedding is next week!?!?), rituals will become more central in our lives. It’s not just because I now have a live-in Shabbat buddy or Hanukkah buddy, but it’s more about marking the beginning of our family life together. We’ve spoken about wanting to build in Friday nights as a time to pause from the week, to shift our thoughts from our daily routine and to focus on what is most important to us. Lighting more candles, eating more challah, and maybe even attending synagogue more often will not make me any more Jewish. I like to think I’m pretty Jewish to begin with! But it does mean that my Jewish practice is evolving. For me, there’s no ideal way to be Jewish—other than to say that ideally, Judaism is something that each of us authentically feels and makes our own. Judaism evolves with us and we evolve with Judaism as we move through various life stages. This should be empowering for individuals as we think about our journeys. And it should be a wake-up call for the organized Jewish community to recognize not only that every community is diverse but also that in each individual’s own lifetime, identity shifts for various reasons at various life stages.
Laura Baum is a contributing writer to My Jewish Learning and Jlife magazine.
The list of places through which the Israelites traveled in the wilderness teaches us to understand Judaism through our everyday experiences.
Masei, the final portion of the book of Numbers, begins with a retelling of the journey from Egypt to the plains of Moab at the banks of the Jordan. The parsha goes on to give instructions for dwelling in the land, describing the boundaries that it encompasses, the establishment of Levitical cities, and cities of refuge. Torah Navigator At this point in the narrative, the children of Israel are poised on the border of the promised land, ready to make it their own. Why does the Torah now choose to recapitulate the beginnings of their 40-year journey? The version of the journey as presented here is interesting in terms of what is emphasized and what is minimized. Although the Sea of Reeds and the wilderness of Sinai are listed, no comment is made of the miraculous events that occurred there which changed the course of human history. Rather, the only commentary we get of the places visited reads like a travel diary: “And they journeyed from Marah and came unto Elim, and in Elim were 12 springs of water, and threescore palm trees; and they pitched there. And they journeyed from Alush and pitched in Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.” A midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah XXIII:3) explains this personal and everyday retelling: “It may be likened to a king who had taken his ailing son to a distant place to be cured. On the return journey, the king would lovingly recount to the lad all the experiences they went through at each of their halting places. ‘At this spot we slept; at that, we had a cool resting place from the heat; at the other, you were overcome by pains in the head!’ Israel is G-d’s child, upon whom G-d bestows compassion even as a father bestows compassion on his son.” Midrash Navigator What is the connection between the king and his son and G-d and Israel? Why, particularly, should Israel be compared to a child who is sick? A Word Judaism is both a towering historical monument and a very personal way of living. To comprehend it in its full enormity would be difficult and intimidating. Sometimes, the best way to understand it is by using our own personal, everyday experiences set against the backdrop of history. This version of the sojourn in the wilderness is like the family album, looking at the foundation of our beliefs from an everyday viewpoint.
Rabbi Leslie Bergson is a contributing writer to My Jewish Learning and Jlife magazine.
When people meet Dr. Rachel A. Winston, they experience the mystique of a modern genius.
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A “Project Gather” in Givatayim
I’m getting married next week. Most of the wedding planning is done (but, oy, the table assignments, they continue to plague me!) and now the fun conversations are not about planning a one-day event, but rather planning the rest of our lives together.
