Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on March 1, 2020

Featured Photo by Jaemi Loeb

A group of 30, most from Metro Detroit, escaped winter for a week and had the thrill of stepping on a sand-covered synagogue floor among other interesting Jewish sites during the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroits inaugural Jews of the Caribbean cruise.

Leaders were Jaemi B. Loeb, senior director of cultural arts at the JCC, and Dr. Rabbi Mitch Parker, spiritual leader of Bnai Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield. Together, they escorted the Jewish voyagers aboard Holland America Lines Nieuw Statendam ship and to ports in Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI).

Parker led daily minyan, Shabbat services and Torah study on board, and he lectured about Jewish pirates and other historical topics. Loebs many contributions included teaching sea chanties. The travelers enjoyed Shabbat dinner together and had kosher food available.

The idea for the cruise was developed about a year ago. Parker asked Loeb whether the JCCs Seminars for Adult Jewish Enrichment (SAJE) program offered educational trips. Hed led trips for his synagogue and wanted to explore ways of expanding such travel to a wider audience. Sparking her interest, Loeb went down the hall at the JCC and asked Marilyn Wolfe, director of JTravel, to join their discussion.

Luckily, she was available and is always ready to think up fun trips, Loeb said.They brainstormed and the result was a collaboration between SAJE and JTravel for a cruise exploring the Jewish history and communities of the Caribbean.

After a day at sea, the tours first stop was Museo Judio de Sosua in the Dominican Republic. Jews escaping the Holocaust founded the small museum and synagogue.

By Esther Allweiss Ingber

On the next island, the itinerary included seeing the outdoor San Juan Holocaust Memorial, In the Shadows of Their Absence; having lunch at Chabad of Puerto Rico; and Rabbi Diego Mendelbaum of JCC/Shaare Zedek Synagogue addressing the visitors before their drive into the rainforest.

Rabbi Michael Feshbach, formerly of Maryland, discussed his St. Thomas Synagogue in Charlotte Amalie, USVI. The sand floor is a reminder of when the Jews of Spain, seeking to keep their religion, were forced to pray in unfinished basements.

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Faces & Places: Jews of the Caribbean Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News

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Posted By admin on March 1, 2020

This year, Purim begins in the evening of March 9 and continues through the evening of March 10. The holiday commemorates the defeat of Hamans plot to massacre the Jews as recorded in the Book of Esther. Dont know where to go and what to do to celebrate Purim? The Cleveland Jewish News has a list of events, times and locations for you to make celebration decisions easy.

Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple will hold four Purim events March 1, March 4, March 6 and March 8 at 23737 Fairmount Blvd. in Beachwood.

At 9 a.m. March 1, the temple will hold its Holiday Happenings for Preschoolers. Preschool age children, accompanied by a parent or grandparent, will learn about Purim as part of the series of free programs led by Sally Pollock. There will also be a craft. RSVPs can be sent to Julie Moss at jmmoss@fairmounttemple.org.

From 5:30 to 7 p.m. March 4, there will be a free Purim celebration for young families (children up to 2nd grade). A light dinner will be served. There will also be crafts. Costumes are encouraged. RSVPs are needed by March 2 to Julie Moss at jmmoss@fairmounttemple.org.

At 5:30 p.m. March 6, join the temple for its Simchat Shabbat celebrating Purim. Preschool aged children and grandchildren are welcome to celebrate Shabbat and Purim with Rabbi Jordana Chernow-Reader and musician Julie Moss.

At 10:30 a.m. March 8, the temple will hold its PurimSpiel and carnival. At the spiel, a cast of students, clergy and temple members will share the story of Purim through popular songs. From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the carnival will include childrens games, Jungle Terry, cotton candy and pizza.

For more information, call 216-464-1330 or fairmounttemple.org.

Bnai Jeshurun Congregation will hold eight events in celebration of Purim at 27501 Fairmount Blvd. in Pepper Pike.

At 10 a.m. March 1, the congregation will do its mishloach manot deliveries to Menorah Park, Wiggins and Montefiore. Attendees will meet at Menorah Park, 27100 Cedar Road in Beachwood. Interested individuals can contact Shani Kadis at shanikadis@bnaijeshurun.org.

At 7 p.m. March 1, the congregation will hold its Billy Joel: The Miegillah Man Purim Spiel at the synagogue. Dinner will be served at 6. The story of Queen Esther will be performed with re-written lyrics to Billy Joel songs. For more information, contact Julie Berman at julieberman@bnaijeshurun.org. Dinner is $15 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under. The spiel is free for all, and dinner tickets are free for children ages 4 and under.

At 5:30 p.m. March 3, join the synagogue for its hamentaschen baking event on site. The finished products will be used for its Purim celebrations with some to take home. Pizza and drinks will also be provided. There is no cost to attend. For more information, contact Kadis at shanikadis@bnaijeshurun.org.

At 10:30 a.m. March 6, the Purim Kinder Shabbat will include a Purim parade, music and a special treat. Attendees are encouraged to come in costume. For more information, email Julie Sukert at juliesukert@bnaijeshurun.org.

At 11 a.m. March 8, the Frozen Kids Spiel will be presented by the BJC youth group. It will perform a retelling of the Purim story with a Disneys Frozen twist. The spiel is free to attend. Following the spiel will be the congregations Purim carnival, Under the Big Top, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There will be games, prizes and food. Admission is $3 per game; and $12 for pre-purchased wristbands for unlimited play. A wristband also includes a cotton candy.

Later that evening March 9, there will be three Megillah readings. At 6 p.m., there will be Purimpalooza pre-party for young families. It is free, but registration is required. There will be circus acts and a free dinner. At 7 and 7:15, there will be a family and a traditional reading, respectively. Both readings will conclude with dancing and hamentaschen at 8.

At 7 a.m. March 10, there will be at morning minyan Megillah reading and breakfast.

For more information and to RSVP to any event, visit bnaijeshurun.org/purim2020.

Beth El-The Heights Synagogue will hold a Megillah reading at 7:45 p.m. March 9 at the synagogue, 3246 Desota Ave. in Cleveland Heights.

Preceded by Maariv at 7:30, the reading will include hamentaschen and ice cream. Food will also be provided for anyone who observed the fast. Costumes are encouraged.

For more information, visit bethelheights.org.

Beth Israel-The West Temple will have three Purim events from March 8 to March 10 at the temple, 14308 Triskett Road in Cleveland.

Starting at 10 a.m. March 8, the temple will hold its High School Purim Spiel and costume parade. From 10:30 to 11, students and teachers will return to their classrooms. The Purim Carnival and Queen Esthers Cafe will be from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

At 7 p.m. March 9, the temple will hold its congregational family Purim service, Megillah reading and costume parade, preceded by its Monday Hebrew class. Rabbi Enid Lader, Rabbi Alan B. Lettofsky and Sarah Bedrossian will lead the celebration. Hamentaschen will follow.

At noon March 10, A History of the Purim Schpiel will be led by Lader. A catered lunch from Alladins will be served. RSVPs can be made to the temple 216-941-8882.

Camp Gan Israel will hold its Purim event at 1:30 p.m. March 10 at Waxman Chabad Center, 2479 S. Green Road in Beachwood.

Starting with a kid-friendly Megillah reading, there will be music and dancing at 2 with Rabbi Shumli Friedman and Avi Lampert.

Costumes are encouraged.

Admission is a suggested $15 donation per family. For more information and to register, visit cgibeachwood.com.

Congregation Shaarey Tikvah will hold its Disneys Frozen sing-a-long Purim spiel and Megillah reading at 6:30 p.m. March 6 at the synagogue, 26811 Fairmount Blvd. in Beachwood.

There will be a full dinner and dinner. Costumes are encouraged.

Celebrating Jewish Life will hold its Purim event at 7 p.m. March 7 at MGM Northfield Park, 10777 Northfield Road in Northfield.

Join Rabbi Rosette Barron Haim and Cantor Laurel Barr for a Megillah reading, dinner, hamentaschen, horse races and on-site gaming.

For more information, visit celebratingjewishlife.com, or contact Rabbi Rosette Barron Haim at rabbirosie@celebratingjewishlife.com or 216-223-8736.

Join the Fromovitz Chabad Center for three days of Purim events March 1, March 9 and March 10 at the center, 23711 Chagrin Blvd. in Beachwood.

From 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. March 1, there will be a hamentaschen baking event for children up to 10 years old. The event is free, but RSVPs are appreciated to rivkygancz@gmail.com.

At 7:50 p.m. March 9, there will be a Megillah reading. Sushi will also be served. The event is free.

At 5:30 p.m. March 10, the center will hold its Purim in the Shtetl party. There will be an interactive Megalliah reading, dinner catered by Bubbies Kitchen, a shtetl farm petting zoo, music, face painting, a mishloach manos exchange, crafts and a photo opportunity. Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 children.

For more information on any of these events, visit clevelandjewishlearning.com.

Green Road Synagogue will hold its Kids Chesed event at 10:30 a.m. March 8 at the synagogue, 2347 S. Green Road in Beachwood. Kids will decorate and pack bags for mishloach manot, which will be delivered to elderly and homebound congregants.

On March 9, the synagogue will hold its annual Purim Chagiga. Following a Megillah reading, the event will start at about 9 p.m. There will be a breakfast buffet, a DJ and Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream.

Advance tickets are $15 for ages 10 and over and $10 for children ages 2 to 9, with a family maximum of $50. At the door, tickets go up to $20, $15 and $60, respectively.

At 10:30 a.m. March 10, the synagogue will also hold its annual Kids Sing-A-Long, featuring local musician Shneur Kushner.

For more information, visit greenroadsynagogue.org.

Jewish Family Experience will hold its Purim Land party at 9 p.m. March 9 at John Carroll University Annex, 2200 S. Green Road in University Heights.

There will be a candy bar to make personal mishloach manos bags. Prior to the party, there will be a Maariv service at 7:45 and a Megillah reading at 8.

Admission is free for members and $10 for nonmembers. To register, visit jewishfamilyexperience.org.

Additionally, there will be a Megillah reading at 7:30 a.m. March 10 at JFX Center, 23980 Chagrin Blvd. in Beachwood.

Jewish Secular Community of Cleveland will hold its Purim program at 6:45 p.m. March 6 at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cleveland, 21600 Shaker Blvd. in Shaker Heights.

Preceded by a meet and mingle period at 6:30, attendees of the Purim program are encouraged to wear costumes. Following the program, there will be a potluck dinner at 7. Steve Cagan will speak on Columbia Since the Peace Accords from 8 to 9.

RSVPs are requested to Peg Fishman at 440-349-1330.

Join jHUB for four Purim events March 1, March 8, March 9 and March 15.

From 1 to 3 p.m. March 1, there will be a young adult hamantaschen baking event at Lucys Sweet Surrender, 20314 Chagrin Blvd. in Shaker Heights. Cost is $5 per person. To register, visit bit.ly/2SWiLpK.

From 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. March 8, jHUB will hold its Westlake Purim Hoopla! party at Westlake Recreation Center, 28955 Hillard Blvd. in Westlake. Along with hamentaschen baking, there will be crafts. RSVPs can be made at bit.ly/2ubLtuc.

From 6 to 8 p.m. March 9, jHUB will hold its Purim Happy Hour at Western Reserve Distillers event at 14221 Madison Ave. in Lakewood. Costumes are encouraged. Tickets are $5 per person and include one drink ticket, appetizers and hamentaschen. To register, visit bit.ly/32aJtiD.

From 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. March 15, its Solon Purim Hoopla! party will be at the Solon Recreation Department, 35000 Portz Parkway in Solon. RSVPs can be made at bit.ly/2V4MG1u.

Kol HaLev will hold its erev Purim event at 5 p.m. March 9 at The Lillian and Betty Ratner School, 27575 Shaker Blvd. in Pepper Pike. Rabbi Steve Segar will lead the program.

For more information, visit kolhalev.net.

The Mandel Jewish Community Center will hold its womens Megillah reading at 9 a.m. March 10 at the JCC, 26001 S. Woodland Road in Beachwood.

The event is free and open to woman and children. Costumes are encouraged and light breakfast will be served.

Attendees are asked to enter through the Stonehill doors.

For more information, contact Madison Jackson at mjackson@mandeljcc.org or 216-831-0700, ext. 1386.

Montefiore will hold two events celebrating Purim March 10 and March 22 at 1 David Myers Parkway in Beachwood.

From 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. March 10, Rabbi Akiva Feinstein and Cantor Gary Paller will read the Megillah and the story of Esther in both Hebrew and English at the Purim service and celebration. Costumes are encouraged. For more information, call 216-910-2794.

From 10 a.m. to noon March 22, a Purim carnival sponsored by Cleveland Hillel will feature games, prizes, music, food and costumes. The event is free and open to the community. For more information, call Diane Weiner at 216-910-2471.

Oheb Zedek Cedar Sinai Synagogue will hold two Purim events March 9 and March 10 at the synagogue, 23749 Cedar Road in Lyndhurst.

A Megillah reading will be at 8 p.m. March 9, preceded by Mincha at 7:05. A womens Megillah reading will be held in the social hall, followed by a Purim party and dairy dinner at 8:45. There will also be a costume contest, raffle and prizes. Reservations are $15 for adults, $12 for children and $60 for families of two adults with children ages 13 and under. After March 4, the cost is $20 for adults and $15 for children.

On March 10, there will be a Shacharit at 7 a.m., a Megillah reading at 7:45 and 10 a.m. and Mincha at 7:05 p.m.

The events are open to the community. For more information, visit oz-cedarsinai.org.

Park Synagogue will hold three Purim events March 8, March 9 and March 15.

On March 8, the synagogue will hold its Purim carnival at Park Synagogue East, 27500 Shaker Blvd. in Pepper Pike. From 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., Outback Ray will present his animal show. The carnival will follow from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There will be inflatables, a bounce house, a slide, lunch, a kiddie carnival, cotton candy and sno-cones. Admission is $15 at the door. Presale tickets are $13, and available at the synagogues school office from 9:30 a.m. to noon March 1.

Starting at 6:15 p.m. March 9, the synagogue will hold its Light the Night Family Celebration: Purim @ Park. Dinner is from 6:30 to 7:15, catered by Cafe 56. Dessert will be Ben & Jerrys ice cream and Zone Entertainments Glow Soda Bar. A family Megillah reading will follow at 7:15, with dancing at 8. Funk a Deli will perform. RSVPs can be made to lgregory@parksyn.org.

At 1 p.m. March 15, Park Synagogue will do its Purim mitzvah project at Menorah Park, 27100 Cedar Road in Beachwood. Attendees will decorate, pack and deliver shaloch manot bags to Park members who reside in area nursing homes and senior facilities. To RSVP, email epetler@parksyn.org.

For more information, visit parksynagogue.org/events.

Solon Chabad will three Purim events March 9 and March 10.

At 7 p.m. March 9 and 7:40 a.m. March 10, there will be a Megillah reading.

Beginning at 5:30 p.m. March 10, Solon Chabad will hold its Purim in the Wild West event.

Starting with a Megillah reading, there will be a Toy Story themed Purim performance at 6, and dinner and drinks at 6:15. There will also be a live DJ.

Admission is $18 for adults, $12 for children and free for children age 3 and under.

For more information and to RSVP, visit solonchabad.com/purim2020. All events are at Solon Chabads building, 5570 Harper Road in Solon.

Suburban Temple-Kol Ami will hold its annual Purim carnival and improv event at 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 8 at the temple, 22401 Chagrin Blvd. in Beachwood.

Deena Nyer Mendlowitz and her improv troupe will lead attendees in Purim-themed games and hear members of the congregation read a kid-friendly Megillah.

This year, adults and children are invited to participate in a costume contest. Winners will receive a giftcard.

Pizza, hot dogs and homemade hamentaschen will be served. There will also be games, a giant inflatable and a raffle for a LG 55-inch 4k smart LED TV.

Additionally, the temple will host a Pints on Purim event from 7 to 9 p.m. March 9 at the Winking Lizard Tavern, 25380 Miles Road in Bedford Heights. Rabbi Allison Vann will give an adult look at the Megillah. RSVPs are requested no later than March 4.

For more information on either event, and volunteer opportunities for the carnival, visit suburbantemple.org/purim.html.

Temple Am Shalom will hold its Purim bowling event at 6 p.m. March 20 at Scores Fun Center, 65 Normandy Drive in Painesville.

Admission is $15, which includes shoes, two games of bowling, two pieces of pizza, a non-alcoholic drink and hamantaschen.

For more information, visit amshalom.org or call 440-255-1544.

Temple Bnai Abraham will hold its camp-themed Purim event March 7 at the temple, 530 Gulf Road in Elyria.

Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m., with a Purim spiel at 6:30. Hot dogs, sloppy joes, salads, baked beans and chips will be served. Veggie burgers are available upon request. Smores will follow. There will be a Megillah reading and song parodies performed by Rabbi Lauren Werber. Attendees will sit around a campfire telling the Purim story through folk songs and camp tunes.

Admission is $12. Children ages 12 and under are free.

For more information and to RSVP, contact Marcia Demby at mardemby@icloud.com.

Temple El Emeth will host a Youngstown-area Purim celebration at 5:30 p.m. March 9 at the synagogue, 3970 Logan Way in Youngstown.

Starting with a minyan at 5:15, the celebration will follow. The event includes prizes for children, a deluxe salad bar, a hot dog dinner and a Megillah reading. There will also be a photo booth and a balloon art by Joe Sullivan. El Emeth sisterhood will provide homemade hamentaschen.

For more information and to RSVP, call the temple at 330-759-1429.

Temple Emanu El will hold Purim events on March 8 and March 9 at the temple, 4545 Brainard Road in Orange.

Starting at 11 a.m. March 8, the temple will hold its Magical Disney Purim Carnival. A Megillah reading at 10 will start the day, with the carnival lasting until 1 p.m. Tickets to the carnival are $15 for a wristband for unlimited games. Costumes are encouraged.

At 7 p.m. March 9, join the temple for its Beauty and the Beast Once Upon A Purimspiel. A dessert reception will follow. The event is free, but RSVPs with family count are encouraged to dhershey@teecleve.org.

Temple Israel Ner Tamid will hold its Fiddler on the Roof themed Purimspiel at 7:30 p.m. March 6 at the temple, 1732 Lander Road in Mayfield Heights.

For more information, visit tintcleveland.org.

Twinsburg Chabad will hold its Purim party at 6:30 p.m. March 10 at the Twinsburg Community Center, 10260 Ravenna Road in Twinsburg.

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Purim events in Greater Cleveland - Cleveland Jewish News

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Posted By admin on March 1, 2020

4:21 p.m.

Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills today officially canceled a mid-March trip to Israel and Greece. As of Friday, no refunds were being made to the 40 or so people who had signed up. About a dozen of the travelers were making plans to go to Greece on their own. Seven Israelis have been diagnosed with coronavirus.

Its so upsetting, said Sandi Specter, one of the disappointed travelers. She and her husband together had paid $10,000 for the canceled trip.

Beth Am executive director Rachel Tasch said synagogue leaders consulted with several physicians, including a specialist in infectious diseases and another who works for the CDC. All expressed serious concern about a group like ours undertaking nonessential international travel at this time.

Kehillah Jewish High School in Palo Alto said in a message to families that staff members were monitoring the situation in the cities where class trips take place, but had no plan to cancel any at this time.

The K-8 Wornick Jewish Day School in Foster City said it was postponing an eighth-grade trip to Israel; the group was scheduled to leave on Sunday. It will now be rescheduled to the end of April or beginning of May.

On Friday morning, the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto sent a community-wide email about the virus, saying the center would stay open unless directed otherwise by health officials. The notice also said the JCC would be increasing the cleaning and disinfecting of workout equipment and training staff on hygiene practices.

Congregation Bnai Shalom of Walnut Creek also sent an email urging congregants to stay home if they are feeling sick and to show affection through fist bumps instead of kissing, hugs and handshakes.

Coronavirus is sending shockwaves across global markets, Vice President Mike Pence is officially the diseases czar, California has a mysterious new case, and a Centers for Disease Control guide from 2017 on how to wear a face mask with a beard has resurfaced.

While that last one could cause concern among some rabbis, the Bay Area Jewish community is taking a relatively measured approach to the virus scare. J. contacted eight synagogues, and none had imminent plans for extreme measures like canceling services or group activities.

Representatives at most synagogues said they were encouraging congregants to increase handwashing and stay home if they were feeling sick. Four said they had staff meetings where the topic came up.

Rabbi Niles Goldstein of Congregation Beth Shalom in Napa said an April trip to Israel with congregants is currently on hold.

Were trying to be vigilant, Goldstein said, have a wait and see attitude.

Rabbi Beth Singer of Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco said her synagogue was going to put hand sanitizer stations around the building. And on Shabbat, after saying Hamotzi, the blessing over bread, pre-sliced pieces of challah will be passed out, instead of each person ripping off a piece and handing it to the next person.

Our primary focus is on not feeding hysteria but taking precautions as we get our updates from the CDC, Singer said.

Esther Tiferes Tebeka, a Jewish Palo Alto resident who was quarantined for two weeks at a Southern California military base at the beginning of February, said she is healthy and in good spirits after reuniting with her family. Tebeka, who is from Wuhan, the city in China the where coronavirus originated, said she spent an extra week in self-quarantine at home before returning to work.

However, as an herbalist and acupuncturist, Tebeka said it took about a week before her business returned to normal. She suspected the slow-down was caused by peoples discomfort being around someone who had recently traveled to China.

The first U.S. case of coronavirus where the individual did not come into contact with another known infected person was confirmed in Solano County yesterday. According to a whistleblower complaint obtained by the New York Times, staff members at two California military posts, Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield and March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, did not receive proper medical training or protective gear after interacting with quarantined individuals.

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Bay Area Jewish orgs respond to coronavirus: Israel trips cancelled, but wait and see on local steps J. - The Jewish News of Northern California

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Posted By admin on March 1, 2020

I never really understood Chanukah until I went to Spain.

Standing in a church that had been a synagogue until the Jews were all either expelled or murdered, looking at the crucifix hanging where the ark had been, I understood the Maccabees in a whole new way. I understood the feeling that my sacred space had been desecrated. I understood the desire to tear out the image of someone elses god and reclaim what had once belonged to my people.

I had this feeling in a lot of places in Spain. In many places, Spain seems to have barely gotten out of the Inquisition. Given that the Inquisition was not disbanded until 1834, perhaps this should not have surprised me.

This weeks report of an incredibly tasteless Holocaust-themed carnival float brings Spains problem into the news. A troupe of dancers half dressed as Nazis and half as concentration camp inmates waving Israeli flags followed a float bearing a menorah and two crematorium chimneys.[1]

Although antisemitic imagery has started to show up in parades across the globe,[2] the people who created the Spanish float apparently meant it as a commemoration of the Holocaust. The fact that this could pass anyones muster is a testament to how far Spain still has to go in educating their people about Jewish history, both their own and that of the rest of Europe.

In truth, though, I think this ridiculous float may be an indication of education that is beginning to happen, if not woke-ness. When I visited Spain earlier this year, I could see that a new awareness was slowly beginning to dawn across the country. Educational programs are beginning to appear in towns across Spain, designed to teach about Judaism as a living religion and about the history of the Jews.

Toledo

My family and I are in Toledo, just south of Madrid. After admiring the beautiful, Moorish-style sanctuary of the old synagogue there, I enter the Museo Sefard in back, opened in 1971 by royal decree. On my left is a display of pre-historic Canaanite artifacts, most of which have nothing to do with Jews. What an odd way to start, I think.

The museum continues with artifacts of Jewish life in Spain and elsewhere. It has a very strange feel, though, as if it is describing a dead culture rather than a living religion. There is no recognition that Jews still exist in the world. It feels like a museum to extinct peoples. This has to be one of the creepiest experiences of my life.

The biggest shock, though, comes at the end of the museum. Here I find artifacts from the Inquisition, presented as part of Spanish Jewish history with no obvious judgment. Here was a culture, the museum seems to say, this is where it came from, this is how it manifested, and this is how we destroyed it.

Somewhat shaken by this experience, we walk down the street to Toledos other former synagogue. This one is now a church. It is a pretty little church, but no sign of Jews remains. It leaves me feeling completely cold.

Segovia

Two days later, we visit Segovia, two hours north of Toledo. Following the Sefarad bricks[3] that mark the old Jewish quarters all over Spain, we come to the Centro Didctico de la Judera. This little museum and education center, built in 2014, is the complete opposite of the museum in Toledo. This is a museum to a living culture.

Display cases and wall signs talk about Jewish worship and ritual, describing customs and holidays. A holographic video shows Jews as they would have been praying in the old synagogue in town, describing the service in present tense, as what Jews still do.

Walking through the exhibit, I find myself impressed by their descriptions of the Jewish quarter and Jewish life here. Again, the biggest surprise comes near the end of the museum. I find a memorial plaque on the wall with a list of names of Jews who once lived in Segovia. At the bottom, the plaque says:

Most of the houses of the medieval Jewish quarter are well preserved. We even know, in most cases, the name of the [people] who inhabited each house. The synagogues they built that remain to our days are devoted to other religions and purposes. However, this quarter will always be the testimony and memory of those who raised it up.

This feels like a Holocaust memorial museum. This feels like a significant step forward.

Just down the street from the Centro Didctico, there is another synagogue that is now a church. It is, in fact, very similar in style to the one in Toledo. In Segovias synagogue-turned-church, however, I discover that Toledos was not nearly as bad as I had thought.

Facing me as I walk in to the church/antique synagogue is a huge painting depicting stereotypically big-nosed Jews attempting to burn a communion wafer, which hovers above the pot. The Jews cower away from the miracle of their inability to destroy the holy wafer. This is the antisemitic story that the church used to steal the building from the Jews not long after it was built.

Confused, I look to the pamphlet I was handed as I entered, hoping for some explanation. The pamphlet begins, According to the chroniclers, in 1410 an attempt of desecration in the Major Synagogue took place. At first, I think they mean an attempt by the church to desecrate the synagogue. But, no, they are describing exactly the story depicted in the painting.

It is hard to establish to what extent this story is completely true, the pamphlet continues. Wait, what? Its hard to establish whether the Jews actually tried to burn a eucharist cracker and failed?

After all of that, having presented this story as if it could have been true, the pamphlet finally acknowledges that the story is included [in the chronicles] with a clearly anti-semitic attitude.

Reading this, I realize that the Toledo church/synagogue has actually take some significant steps in a positive direction. Not only are there no antisemitic tropes or artwork, theyve actually removed most of the Christian symbology, partly returning the building to its Jewish roots.

Cordoba

In Cordoba, in the south of Spain, we take a Jewish tour from a wonderful guide, Jorge Gershon. Gershon is a Spanish Jew from Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa.

Coming through the gate of the oldest of Cordobas several Jewish quarters, Gershon points out a small display in the pillar room of the gate. It is an altar with a variety of Catholic symbols, nothing special in this very Catholic country. What makes this display different, Gershon tells us, is that it used to include a sculpture of a crucified child a graphic visualization of the blood libel.[4] A group of interfaith activists, of which Gershon is a part, managed to convince the government of Cordoba to take the blood libel sculpture out of the display just last year.

They were unsuccessful in getting the sculpture taken out of a similar display in Seville, but they were able to get the reference to the Jews as the childs murderers removed. The plaque in Seville now merely says the child was murdered, not that that the child was murdered by Jews.

Baby steps. Half baby steps. Quarter baby steps. Infinitesimal forward motion in a place where so much change is needed.

Forward motion

Encouraging small steps is crucial to making change, however. In an earlier career, I was trained as a marine biologist studying dolphins.[5] I spent a lot of time watching dolphins and their trainers in zoos and animal parks. When you train a dolphin to jump through a hoop, you do not start with the hoop in the air and try to convince the dolphin to jump through it. You start with the hoop in the water and reward the dolphin for simply approaching it. You then lead her to touch her nose to the hoop and reward her for that. Each small step gets you closer to the goal of having her jump through a hoop you are holding high in the air, to the amazement of the watching crowd. If you do not reward the small steps, however, you will never reach your goal.

Baby steps, even half and quarter baby steps, are still steps in the right direction. As tempting as it might be to rush in and push against the ridiculousness of the infinitesimal progress with all our might, we would do better to encourage the progress, as small and slow as it may seem.

Jorge Gershon is hopeful about the future of Jews in Spain. For the first time in 500 years, a community seder was held last year in Seville and more than 100 people attended. The Red de Juderias de Espana (Network of Spanish Jewish Quarters) has established Caminos de Sefarad (Walks of Sephardic Jews) in more than 20 cities across the country. The Network offers educational programs for local school children to learn about the Jews in their cities.

This educational effort may actually be responsible for the ridiculous float that in the carnival parade in central Spain this past week. The Spanish are beginning to be better educated about aspects of Jewish history like the Holocaust, so they want to acknowledge it. Education about Jewish history is a good thing. Clearly, we need to work on being woke about what sort of acknowledgement is appropriate.

They are taking the first small steps, and we should be encouraging them. Education is the first step woke-ness will come.

-

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/25/parade-of-nazis-in-spanish-carnival-sparks-furious-criticism

[2] https://www.timesofisrael.com/carnival-float-in-spain-features-nazi-uniforms-and-trains-with-crematoria/

[3] These bricks are put up by the Network of Spanish Jewish Quarters: https://redjuderias.org/

[4] The blood libel is an accusation that has been leveled against Jews in many countries that they murder Christians, especially Christian children, to use their blood for ritual purposes. It still comes up periodically. I have always found this a particularly ironic allegation as blood is not strictly kosher, and religious Jews go to almost ridiculous lengths to avoid consuming it.

[5] A link to my PhD thesis: https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/85610

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TEL AVIV For passengers hurrying through the departures hall of Israels main airport on Sunday, many with their faces covered by masks, there was one big conundrum: Should they stay or should they go?

It wasnt just the threat of the coronavirus spreading around the world that made them think twice about traveling. It was the thought of missing Israels general election on Monday the countrys third in less than a year.

I really want to have an effect on the election, said Romi Zehavi, a 19-year-old off to ski in the Alps.

Her conscience was ultimately assuaged by the thought that Mondays vote would most likely end in yet another stalemate, and yet another chance to vote later in the year.

So Ms. Zehavi stuck with the skiing.

Its fine, we have a lot of elections here, she said, her voice slightly muffled by her face mask. Theres always a chance of another one.

With less than a day until polls opened, Israel was in a mild frenzy this weekend, as the twin storms of the coronavirus epidemic and an increasingly vicious political campaign began to collide.

Updated Feb. 26, 2020

As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief rival, Benny Gantz, made last-gasp efforts to drive voters to the polls, some Israelis were wondering whether it was safe to cast ballots at all.

To date, the coronavirus has had fairly limited direct effect in Israel, with about 10 confirmed cases inside the country. But there was public alarm after several Israelis contracted the virus aboard a Japanese cruise ship, and nine South Korean tourists tested positive for the illness after returning home from a week in Israel.

The Israeli authorities have also adopted more stringent travel restrictions than many other governments. Nonresidents arriving from countries where the illness has taken root, like Italy, have been refused entry and returned on the same planes they arrived on.

And with the election nearing, the government set up separate polling stations for those who have recently returned from coronavirus hot spots.

One right-wing activist joked that colleagues should stand outside polling stations in Mr. Gantzs strongholds, wearing face masks to deter voters.

At Ben Gurion Airport, just outside Tel Aviv, dueling forms of angst swirled through the departure and arrival halls on Sunday, with some passengers returning to vote and others worrying that they risked infection by leaving.

For Noga Perry, a 29-year-old translator returning from Athens, the two crises, political and epidemiological, had effectively converged.

We might vote for corona, Ms. Perry said, laughing.

It would, she whispered in jest, be better than Bibi.

A young father rubbing his hands with sanitizing gel said he was feeling both sad to miss the vote and worried he was endangering his children by taking them skiing.

An older couple were relieved to return for the election, but feared they might have put their grandchildren at risk by visiting them in America.

A South Korean cleaner said he feared his hotel might fire him if guests complained about the presence of an Asian staffer.

And Ms. Perry wondered if she might be put in quarantine.

No one shook anyones hands.

Israelis love their panic, we love our drama, said Danielle Kalev, Ms. Perrys partner, who was relatively sanguine. If I die, I die. What can I do except obsessively wash my hands with gel?

A rabbi ambled past, his face covered by a pale blue mask.

Rabbi Shimshon Eisenberger, 52, was just off the plane from Hong Kong, and had therefore been ordered to stay away from his synagogue and self-quarantine at home.

Ill have to read my scrolls on my own, he said, a little forlornly.

The quarantine rules felt slightly byzantine, he said with a sigh.

I can meet with 20 people in my apartment, said Rabbi Eisenberger. They can go out outside, but I cant. It sounds weird, but those are the rules!

In any case, his self-quarantine had effectively already been broken. A passer-by had approached with an angry question: If the rabbi really believed in God, why was he wearing a face mask?

Rabbi Eisenberger didnt miss a beat.

God says you have to keep yourself healthy, he said with a smile. God wants you not to put yourself in jeopardy.

At least he would still be able to cast his ballot, he said, thanks to the special polling stations for quarantined citizens.

I will not miss the opportunity, Rabbi Eisenberger said. I missed the last one.

Amid all the anxiety and the coming and going, a second rabbi was keeping his mind on the bigger picture. Shuffling past the arrivals board, Yehiel Maccabi pulled a maroon trolley, seemingly oblivious to the bustle around him.

Rabbi Maccabi was neither arriving nor departing. God sends him to pray every day at the synagogue in the arrivals hall, he said, because there is no spirit in the people here.

He squinted uncertainly at the mention of coronavirus, slowly repeating its syllables as if they were individual words.

Co-ro-na? the rabbi asked. What is corona?

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The Health Ministry on Friday said that a second Israeli has been diagnosed with coronavirus after contact with a man who tested positive for COVID-19 following his return from Italy.

According to Hebrew media reports, the second person diagnosed with the virus is the mans wife and she has been hospitalized at the Sheba Medical Center where she is reported to be in good condition.

The case is the first known person-to-person instance of the virus spreading in Israel outside of quarantine.

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The man, Meir Cohen, was the first case of an Israeli having the deadly coronavirus who hasnt already been in quarantine. Amid fears he may have infected others, the ministry traced his movements since returning to the country Sunday on El Al flight LY382 from Milan.

Staff inside a building at Sheba Medical Center which was converted to receive the Israelis who are under quarantine due to the coronavirus, February 20, 2020. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

It found he had also been at the Red Pirate toy store in Or Yehuda on Sunday between 6 and 10 p.m., and on Monday and Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. until midnight.

In addition, he attended the synagogue in the community of Irus on Monday between 6 and 7 a.m.

The ministry said anyone who was on the flight, or in the shop or synagogue during those specific hours and were less than 2 meters away from the man for over 15 minutes, must immediately put themselves in home quarantine for 14 days and register on the Health Ministry website.

Cohen on Friday evening told Channel 12 from his quarantine at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer that On Tuesday evening I started to feel a bit of a fever, a little dizziness, headaches. I just thought I had the flu.

Cohen was provided with wine and challah by the hospital for Shabbat. He said doctors communicated with him via robots and video calls on a tablet.

Everything is like Back to the Future here, he joked.

The Ministry has a webpage where members of the public can register that they have self-quarantined. There is also a hotline, at *5400, that can be used for the same purpose.

If, during the course of the quarantine, symptoms of fever, coughing, or difficulty breathing appear the person should immediately call emergency services, the statement said.

Cohen lives in Irus, a community in the Gan Raveh Regional Council, located in the central region of the country.

He contacted medical services after he began to feel ill, was tested for the virus and found to be infected. He was quarantined Thursday at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, along with the Israeli passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was moored off the coast of Japan after the virus spread among those on board. Two of those passengers also tested positive for the virus after they had already been quarantined in Israel.

Dr. Galia Barkai at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan as it was being prepared to receive coronavirus patients on February 17, 2020. (Flash90)

Galia Barkai, the doctor treating Cohen at Sheba Medical Center, told Channel 12 news that he was brought by the Magen Dovid Adom ambulance service directly to the hospitals quarantine compound and did not pass through any public hospital areas, either at the center or elsewhere.

Barkai said that when the patient first arrived he was given medication to lower his fever by a medical team wearing protective gear.

When we saw that his condition was stable and good he was put into his room, she said. He seems okay, he understands the situation and is communicating with us via remote means.

Following the discovery of Cohens infection, the Interior Ministry banned entry to all non-Israelis arriving in the country from Italy. Israelis coming from Italy will be allowed in but are already required to be quarantined at home for two weeks.

Following the decision, dozens of foreign nationals who had landed on flights from Italy were denied entry.

According to the Ynet news site on Friday, 110 people have been told they could not enter Israel since the decision came into effect.

Israel has taken far-reaching steps to prevent an outbreak, banning entry to foreigners who were also in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan in the 14 days prior to arriving, and compelling all Israelis recently in these areas to self-quarantine for 14 days.

In a dramatic statement Wednesday, the Health Ministry urged Israelis to seriously consider refraining from traveling abroad.

If you dont genuinely have to fly, dont do so, the ministry said in a travel warning.

Passengers wearing protective masks walk through the arrival hall of Ben Gurion Airport on February 22, 2020. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

Israel is the first country to urge its citizens to refrain from international travel entirely because of the outbreak, which started in China in December and has since infected over 80,000 worldwide and claimed well over 2,500 lives, almost all of them in China.

The Health Ministry has faced criticism for its extreme measures, with some saying it is unnecessarily panicking people and causing economic and diplomatic damage to the country.

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For the past 49 years, Yeshiva University has held an annual lecture series titled the Hillel Rogoff Memorial Lecture. Not many students, however, are acquainted with the life story of Rogoff. Rogoff, an early alumnus of Yeshiva, was a consequential figure in American-Jewish history. Fortunately, Rogoffs time in RIETS is detailed in The Story of Yeshiva University by Rabbi Gilbert Klaperman.

According to Klaperman, Hillel (Harry) Rogoff after emigrating to the United States at the age of 13 from Minsk, Belarus was one of the first three students Akiva Matlin and Aaron Abromowitz being the other two of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS). These students wished to continue their Torah studies after their graduation from the Etz Chaim elementary school, an institution which later merged with RIETS in 1915 into the Rabbinical College of America under Dr. Bernard Revel. Matlins father, Rabbi Moses Meyer Matlin, assembled and personally taught the three young men in his apartment in 1896. This informal assembly grew into a yeshiva that was officially founded in 1897 by Rabbi Yehuda David Bernstein at the Mariampol Synagogue and named after the late Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Spektor.

In the following year, Rabbi Nahum Dan Baron arrived in America from Slutsk, Lithuania to be the mashgiach for the young yeshiva. The 45-year-old, short, red-bearded rabbi took care of the basic needs of students, providing them with food and clothes. Rabbi Baron was also an early advocate of secular education in the yeshiva. At the time, the directors of RIETS did not allow students to attend high school and college while pursuing their religious studies; however, some students, including Rogoff, wished to expand their secular knowledge base. Rogoff appealed to Rabbi Baron who granted him permission to attend high school and college.

During his time at City College, Rogoff veered away from Orthodoxy and neglected his religious studies. He joined a Socialist club in 1905 in the East Side of Manhattan; a movement which was as Klaperman put it for the Orthodox Jew was synonymous with all evil. In the following year, Rogoff joined the editorial staff of The Jewish Daily Forward a Socialist-leaning newspaper after the Editor-in-Chief, Abraham Cahan, heard about Rogoffs leadership in the Socialist movement. (Cahan was previously one of the first teachers in the English Department of Yeshivas Etz Chaim before being ousted when his Socialist sympathies were discovered. He certainly had much in common with the young Rogoff.)

Meanwhile, in 1906, the directors of RIETS threatened to withhold stipends from students engaging in secular studies. The students consequently went on strike which only ended after a change in leadership, when Rabbi Moshe Zevulun Margolies a man sympathetic to the pursuit of secular knowledge was appointed head of RIETS. The directors of RIETS then made promises to initiate a secular curriculum. In 1908, however, 15 student protesters were expelled after demanding the actualization of the directors promises. The expulsions only caused more students to walk out of the yeshiva. The yeshiva, in danger of being shut down, asserted that its mission was the pursuit of Torah and hokhma (secular knowledge) according to the spirit of the times. According to Klaperman, throughout these controversies a slogan often used by those opposed to the study of secular knowledge was, Look what happened to Rogoff.

According to Klaperman, Rabbi Baron in all probability sided with the students in their struggle against the directors. He was subsequently replaced in 1908 and returned to Slutsk never to see the yeshiva again. Klaperman suspected that Rabbi Baron was forced out by the directors due to his association with the Rogoff.

Rogoff continued to be one of The Forwards most prolific writers, penning articles on topics ranging from the Yiddish theatre to Socialism to American history, sometimes using the pen-names Yitzchak Elchanan or Ger Toshav. He even ran for Congress on the Socialist Party ticket in 1926 and lost. He later was appointed the Editor-in-Chief of The Forward, a position he held from 1951-64. Rogoff passed away on Nov. 20, 1971. At the time of his death he was the second-oldest Yeshiva alum. (The oldest alum at the time was Mordechai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism.)

On Dec. 14, 1971, with funding from the Rogoff family, Dr. David Mirsky, Dean of Stern College for Women, directed the Hillel Rogoff Memorial Lecture Series, inaugurated with a lecture on Yiddish poetry by Dr. Irving Howe of Hunter College. Ever since, the lecture has been a YU tradition, attracting speakers such as Elie Wiesel, Abba Eban, Robert Alter and Chaim Potok. Last year, the tradition continued with a presentation by Ezras Nashim, an all-female emergency medical services agency based in Brooklyn. Over 100 years after the RIETS protests, the presence of Hillel Rogoff is still felt at Yeshiva University.

Photo Caption: Hillel RogoffPhoto Credit: museumoffamilyhistory.com

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Alma via JTA Both on-screen and behind the scenes, Jewish directors, producers and writers are credited with developing the Hollywood system as we know it today.

These seven pioneering Jewish actresses defied expectations of their gender and many survived religious persecution, fleeing Europe during World War II.

Their films are testaments to their talent and prove the power of cinema as both a realm of escapism and a vehicle to explore some of the worlds most pressing issues.

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Off screen their lives ran a gambit from accusations of murder, learning to speak Hindustani, and helping invent a torpedo jamming system that laid the foundation for developing Bluetooth and other technologies.

Elisabeth Bergner. (United States Library of Congresss Prints and Photographs division via JTA)

The Austrian actress Elisabeth Bergner was nominated for a best actress Oscar in 1935 and even may have helped create the titular character in the film All About Eve. Bergner was one of Germanys most renowned theater and film actresses, known for her androgynous, pants-wearing roles (something pretty unheard of at the time).

After moving to London, she helped fellow actors escape Nazi Germany. During a screening of her movie The Rise of Catherine the Great in Berlin, Nazis staged a riot as part of their larger campaign to ban Jewish art.

Bergner and her husband, director Paul Czinner, soon fled to the US, where she starred with Laurence Olivier in As You Like It (1936). She returned to Europe after the war, acting in the 1973 film Der Fugnger (The Pedestrian), which was nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe. A Berlin city park was named for Bergner.

Libby Holman. (Confetta/Flickr via JTA)

As an openly bisexual American actress who was charged with murdering her husband (inspiring three films), Libby Holman led a controversial life. Even though it was ruled a suicide, the death of Holmans husband, Zachary Smith Reynolds, tarnished her reputation and coverage of the incident was marred by anti-Semitism.

She was also the youngest woman to graduate from the University of Cincinnati and went against social standards by playing shows with African-American musicians. Holman befriended Martin Luther King Jr. and helped pay for his 1959 trip to India to study the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.

In addition to her involvement in the civil rights movement and taking part in the experimental film Dreams That Money Can Buy (1947), Holman is largely remembered as a stage actress. She has been credited as well for popularizing the strapless dress, which was her signature look.

Ruby Myers. (Bollywoodirect/Medium via JTA)

Ruby Myers, who went by the stage name Sulochana, was an Indian actress of Middle Eastern origin who defied the social norms of her era by starring in early Hindi silent films. During the late 1700s, Jews from Iraq, Syria, and other parts of the Ottoman Empire came to India, establishing the Baghdadi Jewish community. Some of the first women to act in Indian movies came from this Jewish Diaspora.

Myers, who was working as a telephone operator when she was discovered, was hesitant to pursue acting. But she went on to star in films including Typist Girl (1926) and Wildcat of Bombay (1927), in which she played eight characters. When talkies took over, she learned Hindustani.

In the 1930s, Myers opened her own production house, Rubi Pics, and in 1973 was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Indias highest award for cinema.

Sylvia Sidney. (Vintage Everyday via JTA)

Born to Russian-Jewish immigrants, stage and film actress Sylvia Sidney rose to fame in the 1930s for playing the partner of gangsters. Sidney starred alongside the leading actors of her day, including Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant and Spencer Tracy. She also was one of the first American actresses to work with Alfred Hitchcock, appearing in Sabotage (1936). The character actress also had a strong career in theater and television.

Later in life, Sidney was nominated for an Academy Award for Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973). She went on to act in Tim Burtons Beetlejuice and Mars Attacks!, which was her last movie. On the side, she raised pug dogs for competitive show and wrote two books on needlepoint.

Luise Rainer. (Paramount/ Wikimedia Commons via JTA)

Luise Rainer, who was born in Germany, made history as the first actress to win multiple Academy Awards and to win multiple back to back. Despite a burgeoning career on film and stage in Vienna and Berlin, she moved to Hollywood in the 1930s because of Hitlers rise to power.

After only a few years in the US, she won her first Oscar for The Great Ziegfeld (1936). She played Anna Held, the common-law wife of theater producer Florenz Ziegfeld, in the movie inspired by true events.

After winning a second Academy Award for The Good Earth (1937), her career at MGM faltered and she later described her Oscars success as a curse. But her contributions have been recognized with stars on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Boulevard der Stars in Berlin.

Lillian Roth. (Wikimedia Commons via JTA)

Lillian Roth began her career as a child star, making her Broadway debut in The Inner Man and going on to star in Paramount Pictures films including the Marx Brothers Animal Crackers (1930).

In her personal life, Roth dealt with alcoholism and lacked autonomy in many of her romantic relationships: She married many times. She detailed her tribulations in the 1954 memoir Ill Cry Tomorrow, which was an international bestseller.

While she eventually converted to Catholicism, she said that she could never forget her Jewish heritage and her life was richer because of it. In 1955, Ill Cry Tomorrow was made into a movie of the same name and was nominated for four Academy Awards.

Hedy Llamarr. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images via JTA)

Hedy Lamarr is maybe the only person to both have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Lamarr began her career in European cinema, most notably performing nude in the controversial Czech film Ecstasy (1933). After leaving Europe, she became a Hollywood star, with her first role in Algiers (1938), followed by a slew of MGM films.

During World War II, the self-taught inventor worked with George Antheil, an avant-garde composer, to create a radio guidance system that would thwart Axis attempts to jam Allied torpedoes. This frequency-hopping transmission method would prove foundational in the development of Bluetooth and other technology. She was also one of the inspirations for Disneys Snow White and the original Catwoman.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this story. A version of this story originally appeared on Alma.

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On this "Face the Nation" broadcast moderated by Margaret Brennan:

Clickhereto browse full transcripts of "Face the Nation."

MARGARET BRENNAN: I'm Margaret Brennan in Washington and this week on FACE THE NATION, the coronavirus has now claimed the life of an American within the U.S. and the number of infected has increased and now includes cases of unknown origin. Meanwhile, the Trump administration scrambles to calm fears of Americans concerned with the spread of coronavirus and its impact on the economy as the stock market has its worst week since the 2008 financial crisis. Plus, it's a big win for former Vice President Joe Biden in South Carolina. As the candidates head to Super Tuesday, can he stop Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders?

JOE BIDEN: We are very much alive.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Former Vice President Joe Biden won South Carolina and won it big.

JOE BIDEN: You launched Bill Clinton, Barack Obama to the presidency. Now you launched our campaign on the path to defeating Donald Trump. This campaign has taken off.

MARGARET BRENNAN: With fourteen states up for grabs in just two days, Biden's victory gives a boost to establishment Democrats hoping to deny Bernie Sanders the nomination.

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: There are a lot of states in this country. Nobody wins them all.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We'll talk with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders about the race.

Plus, as the coronavirus crisis prompts questions of whether or not the U.S. is ready to handle a pandemic, the politics of preparedness becomes a big issue.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I don't think it's inevitable. It probably will. It possibly will.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Now the Trump administration faces a crisis of its own: Calming and reassuring the American public.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We are preparing for the worst. We are ready. We are ready.

This is no reason to panic.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But it's been a rough week of mixed messages and attacks on familiar targets.

MICK MULVANEY: The press was-- was-- was-- was-- was-- was covering their-- their hoax of the day because they thought it would bring down the President.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus. This is their new hoax.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb will both be here.

Then the Trump administration signs a peace deal with the Taliban to end the war in Afghanistan. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is just back from that signing ceremony with the Taliban, and we will talk to him.

All that and more is just ahead on FACE THE NATION.

Good morning and welcome to FACE THE NATION. It was a knockout win for former Vice President Joe Biden last night in the South Carolina primary. He got nearly half the vote coming in close to thirty points ahead over his closest competitor, Senator Bernie Sanders. CBS News elections and surveys director Anthony Salvanto is here to tell us more. So, Anthony, how did Joe Biden do this?

ANTHONY SALVANTO: Good morning, Margaret. Big keys for him. First of all, overwhelming support from black voters. That was key and they make up most of the electorate in South Carolina. That was really helped by an endorsement from Representative Jim Clyburn, the most influential African-American politician in the state, more saying that was important than not. And then, finally, big support among those looking for electability that somebody they feel can go on to beat Donald Trump in November. The question now, Margaret, is can Joe Biden parlay that argument into Super Tuesday?

MARGARET BRENNAN: And we'll get details and forecasts from you on Super Tuesday ahead, Anthony.

We turn now to Senator Bernie Sanders. He is on the campaign trail in Norfolk, Virginia. Good morning to you, Senator.

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vermont/@BernieSanders/Democratic Presidential Candidate): Good morning, Margaret.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Is this now a two-man race?

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: Well, all I can say is we have won the popular vote in Iowa. We won the New Hampshire primary. We won the Nevada caucus. We lost last night. We're looking forward to Super Tuesday. I think we got a great chance to win in California, in Texas, in Massachusetts, and a number of states around the country.

MARGARET BRENNAN: South Carolina is the first southern state. Does that indicate anything to you about your prospects in places like Virginia and-- and North Carolina? Will Joe Biden really challenge you there?

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: Well, we're going to see. I mean I think based on the polling, we're doing pretty well in Virginia. I think we got a shot in North Carolina. All I can say is the issues that we are talking about and that is health care as a human right, raising the minimum wage to a living wage, dealing forcefully with the existential threat of climate change. Those are ideas, Margaret, that I think are resonating all across this country. I think we have an excellent chance to do well on Tuesday and to win the Democratic nomination.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Joe Biden is blanketing the airwaves this morning. We know from your campaign that you raised forty-six million dollars in February. That's a significant number. What do you think that does for you going into Super Tuesday? What edge?

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: Well, Margaret, it is not only-- it is not only the amount of money that we raised, and that is a phenomenal amount, it's how we raised it. We don't have a Super PAC like Joe Biden. I don't go to rich people's homes like Joe Biden. I think Joe has contributions from more than forty billionaires. What we have done is receive more campaign contributions from more Americans than any candidate in the history of the United States, averaging eighteen dollars and fifty cents. This is a campaign of working people and by working people. And I'm extraordinarily proud of that. But we have enough money now not only to take us through Super Tuesday, but take us through the entire process fueled by the contributions of working-class people all across this country.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Your campaign said that if you are the nominee, you won't accept the financial help that Michael Bloomberg has offered. He said he'd extend it to any party nominee. Do you really want to turn down his bankroll?

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: Well, look, Mister Bloomberg is free to do anything he can with his sixty billion dollars and that's legal. All I can say is at this point we are confident that we can receive the kind of campaign funding that we need from working-class and middle-class people, that we don't have to be beholden to any powerful special interests. Look, one of the things that upsets people--

MARGARET BRENNAN: So you would accept it?

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: --whether conservative or progressive, is-- I didn't say that. What I would say--

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: --is that he has the right to do anything he wants. Right now, we are confident, Margaret, based on the fundraising that we are doing, is that we can beat Trump.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But you are a Democratic socialist. You have never officially entered the Democratic Party. In fact, you constantly criticize Democratic establishment. So, how can you convince the country that you are the best candidate to unify Democrats and challenge President Trump?

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: Well, two points. I am a member of the Democratic leadership. I have been in the Democratic caucus from my, you know, virtually my first day back in Congress thirty years ago and from-- in the state of Vermont, where I live, I am supported by Democrats that have won the Democratic primary. But we will win because we have an agenda that speaks to independents, to Democrats, and to more than a few Republicans. Look, we are living at a time when the American people are sick and tired of the kind of income and wealth inequality that exists in America. All over this country, Margaret, and I have been all over this country, you got millions of people who work eleven, twelve bucks an hour. They can't afford childcare.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-Hm.

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: They can't afford health care. They are scared to death about their retirement. They want a government that represents them, not just billionaire campaign contributors. That's how you win. You put together that coalition, multi-generational, multi-racial. That is what we're doing. No campaign out there has a stronger grassroots movement than we do. That's how you beat Trump. And, by the way, almost all of the national polls out there, you know, I've had last seventy polls, sixty-five of them, I think, have us beating Trump.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: We're beating them in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. We can beat Trump.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You have rallies planned out in California. There is very much a concern about the spread of the coronavirus on the West Coast. Is it safe for you? Have you spoken to any government officials about whether people can really appear at your rally and not worry about their own health?

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: Well, actually, we have. I mean that's a very fair question. And my campaign has spoken to public health officials on that issue. And right now, we are planning to do rallies not only in California, but in Utah, Minnesota, and other states around the country.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You've been sparring with the pro-Israel lobby known as AIPAC. You said it gives a platform for bigotry, which was seen as a swipe at Prime Minister Netanyahu. Today, Israel's ambassador to the U.N. says of you that you're not welcome in that country and anyone who calls our prime minister a racist is either a liar, an ignorant fool, or both. Do you see a political cost in taking on the pro-Israel lobby in this way?

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: Yeah, I do. I mean they have a lot of money. They have a lot of power. Look, I'm Jewish and I'm very proud of my Jewish heritage. As a kid I spent time in Israel. I am not in-- anti-Israel. I will do everything I can to protect the independence and the security and the freedom of the Israeli people. But what we need in this country is a foreign policy that not only protects Israel but deals with the suffering of the Palestinian people as well. You got seventy percent youth unemployment in Gaza. People can't even leave that district, that area, major, major crises. It is not sustainable that we-- continued conflict in the Middle East until the United States develops an even-handed policy.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: So, I am pro-Israel; I am pro-Palestinian. I want to bring people together to finally achieve peace in that region.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you on foreign policy. The President just authorized a deal with the Taliban. What do you think of that? Because if you're commander in chief, you'd either follow through with it or halt the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: Well, I don't have enough details and the-- and that peace agreement, needless to say, is going to have to go through the Afghan government. We don't know what's going to happen. One of the difficulties, to be very honest, Margaret, in dealing with Trump, it is very hard to believe anything that he says, whether it's the coronavirus, whether what's going on in Afghanistan. But it is my view that the United States and I-- I speak of somebody help lead the opposition to getting us into the war in Iraq. It is my view that we got to end endless wars, that when we have five hundred thousand people in America sleeping out on the street and people can't afford health care--

MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-Hm.

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: --we got to invest in this country, not in endless wars.

MARGARET BRENNAN: All right. Senator Sanders, thank you for joining us.

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has not yet appeared on a ballot, but that will change Tuesday. He sat down with our Scott Pelley yesterday in an interview for tonight's 60 MINUTES. Here's a preview.

(Begin VT)

SCOTT PELLEY (60 MINUTES): How do you view this emergency?

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (60 MINUTES): I find it incomprehensible that the President would do something as inane as calling it a hoax, which he did last night in South Carolina.

SCOTT PELLEY: He-- he said the-- the Democrats making so much of it is a Democratic hoax, not that the virus was a hoax.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG: This is up to the scientists and the doctors as to whether there is a problem. They all around the world say that it is in some places and has enormous potential to become one elsewhere. And it is just ignorant and irresponsible to not stand up and be the leader and say, we don't know, but we have to prepare for the fact that if it is, we have the medicines and the structure, and the knowledge to deal with it.

(End VT)

MARGARET BRENNAN: Scott's interview with Mayor Bloomberg will air tonight on 60 MINUTES.

FACE THE NATION will be back in one minute. Stay with us.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS)

MARGARET BRENNAN: We want to take a closer look at the growing fears over COVID-19, commonly referred to as the coronavirus. Last week the World Health Organization said the global risk of the virus spreading is now very high. Here in the U.S., there are now seventy-one cases of coronavirus and worldwide the death toll is almost three thousand. There are also concerns about the global economy. Here in the U.S., the stock market took its biggest hit last week since the 2008 financial crisis. We begin today with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. Good to have you here.

ALEX AZAR (Secretary of Health and Human Services/@SecAzar): Glad to be here. Thank you for having me.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So we just had the first American death on U.S. soil out in Washington State. What do we know about how the virus was contracted and how much it has spread?

ALEX AZAR: So this individual and we just want to express our sympathy, certainly for his family and for all who are suffering from the coronavirus, this individual was in the hospital out in Calif-- out-- out in Washington. We do not know how he contracted the virus, yet. And so that's why we and the State of Washington are deployed out there to try to trace who he had contact with and how he might have gotten the virus. That's why we call it right now a potential community case, meaning we don't have a discernible connection to any travel to Korea or China or any other impacted area.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, at this point, you don't know if this person came into contact with anyone. He just showed up sick at the hospital?

ALEX AZAR: We have no evidence so far that establishes a connection to somebody who traveled to an impacted area. And so we do not know how he contracted the virus. That's really what we do. That's the basic blocking and tackling right now of public health is we're going to trace the people that he had contact with. We're going to trace the other cases. There is a nursing home that sends patients to this hospital. And there are cases in that nursing home. But who spread to whom? We do not know yet.

MARGARET BRENNAN: The President yesterday when he was speaking referred to this fatality as a woman. It is a man.

ALEX AZAR: It-- yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: How is a mistake like that made? Because people are very nervous right now and getting some of these basic facts right affects public trust.

ALEX AZAR: Well, I understand that. It's a very fast-moving situation. Our Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were up late at night, very earl-- early in the morning, working with the Washington state public health office and inaccurately recorded that the individual was a female. That's what the President was briefed on. They've apologized for incorrectly briefing on that. But it's a very fast-moving situation. Obviously, we regret the error.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Given that it is so fast moving, what are your projections now? How many Americans do you expect to come down with this virus?

ALEX AZAR: So what your viewers need to know is the risk to average Americans remains low. We are working to keep it low. We will see more transmission of cases in the United States. We've got the finest public health system in the world here. This is what we do. We cannot make predictions as to how many cases we'll have but we will have more and we will have more community cases. It's simply just a matter of math.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you have to have a number you're working with in order to make sure that you have adequate supply, things like testing kits, right? So--

ALEX AZAR: We- we don't--

MARGARET BRENNAN: --how are we on shortages? You may not want to tell me the number, but you have one in your head--

ALEX AZAR: No we don't--

MARGARET BRENNAN: --you're using for planning.

ALEX AZAR: No we don't. We- we don't-- we do not use-- because it is an unknown, the epidemiological spread of this virus in a highly developed health care system that was on it with-- at the most aggressive containment measures in the history of the United States. It is unknown how that will spread. In terms of testing kits, we've already tested over thirty-six hundred people for the virus. We now have seventy-- the capability in-- out-- in the field to test seventy-five thousand people. And within the next week or two we'll have a radical expansion even beyond that of the testing that's available.

MARGARET BRENNAN: In Washington State, in places that have declared emergencies, even shutting down schools I mean they are projecting numbers themselves.

ALEX AZAR: They might make projections of numbers themselves, but we are not. We'll take aggressive public health measures. It's what we call community mitigation steps. So depending on the nature of the disease and depending on what we learn from these in the field investigations--

MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-Hm.

ALEX AZAR: --the state and local government will take measures appropriate to contain the spread of the disease.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So in France, they shut down the Louvre Museum. They're telling people, don't kiss, don't shake hands. In Japan, they're closing schools for a month. Canada's health minister told his people to start stockpiling food. In the U.S. there are closures, as we just said, in Washington and in Oregon. They've declared a state of emergency out there. And the CDC said this week, disruption to everyday life might be severe.

ALEX AZAR: Might. Might. That's--

MARGARET BRENNAN: What does that mean? I mean Americans hear this and they are concerned. There's about a two-percent fatality rate.

ALEX AZAR: And I-- I appreciate that people are concerned of that, and that-- that is why we're being radically transparent about what we know and also what the full range of potential scenarios could be. And that's why we say might be, but also might not be with aggressive containment and mitigation steps. Right now it's important for people to understand we're not advising any types of particular measures in the United States like travel restrictions or closures. State or local public health offices, which are the frontlines of response, might make their own decisions to do that. But, at this point, we do not have sufficient spread in the United States that would indicate those measures. But we're not taking any of them off the table. The full range of options will always remain on the table.

MARGARET BRENNAN: In a crisis you need public trust.

ALEX AZAR: Mm-Hm.

MARGARET BRENNAN: An inspector general announced this week that they are looking into this complaint by a whistleblower that your agency did not provide adequate training or equipment to those workers who went to receive and welcome back Americans who had been evacuated from Wuhan, China. And those workers were not tested for the virus after they had that contact. Have you personally looked into these allegations?

ALEX AZAR: Yes, we are-- we are looking into these allegations. I am personally involved in doing so. First--

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, can you say that this wasn't something that tipped off the spread on the West Coast?

ALEX AZAR: That is absolutely not the case. So, first, we take the protection of our employees very seriously. Second, we want to make sure isolation and quarantine procedures are followed as appropriate. Third, we appreciate the whistleblower bringing forward any concerns. We are aggressively looking into any-- if-- to see whether there's validity to the concerns. But what the American people should need to know is that we now have passed well over fourteen days since any HHS employee had contact with the individuals involved. They are not-- nobody is symptomatic. Nobody has a disease. Even if these allegations prove to be true, there was no spreading of the disease from this.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm.

ALEX AZAR: And we have offered, even though it is not medically indicated, we have offered to test any HHS employees involved if they would like that extra piece of mind. We want to do that for our employees.

MARGARET BRENNAN: There are cases of the coronavirus in Mexico and in Canada. Yesterday, the President said he is considering and looking at closing the southern border.

ALEX AZAR: Well--

Excerpt from:
Full transcript of "Face the Nation" on March 1, 2020 - CBS News

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Posted By admin on March 1, 2020

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Lou Reed's Birthday Celebration - The Bowery ElectricMarch 01, 2020 - New York

21+Stay tuned for special guests

Mike Ferrio - The 11th Street Bar:March 01, 2020 - New York

Mike Ferrio began his musical journey in the 80s as a roadie for the likes of Bo Diddley and Butthole Surfers, before forming folk rock tour de force Tandy in the '90s, managing a dozen years of exceptional productivity which included over 1,000 live shows and 8 albums. From the ashes of Tandy, Good Luck Mountain appeared. Already receiving rave reviews from critics and peers alike, legendary troubadour Steve Earle is an early and longtime supporter and Jim White continues to spread the word about his love for Mike and his music

Sunday Irish Seisin - 11th St. BarMarch 01, 2020 - New York

Sunday night is our Traditional Irish Seisin. It is one of the longest running seisins in NYC. Tony DeMarco and Eamon O'Leary are joined by some of the best trad players from around the world. They have recently been the subject of an article in the NY Times and also appeared on "Live From Here" with Chris Thile on NPR. The tunes start at 10 pm and go till really really late!

Slippery Sunday's Burlesque - The Slipper RoomMarch 01, 2020 - New York

Ages 21+Bastard Keith, Kelsey Strauch, Peter Peter, Tansy, Albert Cadabra, Qualms GaloreSlide on into this sexy, freewheeling romp and still be home in time to get your beauty sleep.Weekly show full of surprises. Featuring the best in Burlesque, Comedy, Magic, Sideshow and Circus arts performers. A real NYC Lower East Side experience.

Exhibition Sylvia: A 19th Century Life Unveiled - Merchant's House MuseumMarch 01, 2020 - New York

This event repeats every week on Sunday, Monday, Friday and Saturday between 1/31/2020 and 5/4/2020.

Chris Mardini - The Mercury LoungeMarch 01, 2020 - New York

16 and OverChris Mardini describes himself as a "schemer, short of a dreamer, more of a sleeper" in the angsty hypnotic, "Something's Going On," his introspective ode to the lack of motivation in today's youth culture. In person, Chris might tell you he's just trying to make sense of what it means to be a teenager. "There are so many people my age who feel like I do but don't know how to talk about it," says the 17 year old alternative artist.

Japanese Food Tasting: What is Umami? The Key to Japanese Cuisine - RESOBOX East VillageMarch 01, 2020 - New York

Do you know what Umami is? In the beginning of the twentieth century, a Japanese chemist discovered the flavor and now it is widely known as a fifth taste, in addition to the sweet, salty, sour, and bitter flavors. You must have experienced it at least once in your life but might have not recognized what exactly umami tastes like, as the real flavor becomes hidden amongst the flavors in dishes. In this event, participants will learn from a scientific view of taste and also enjoy a key flavor of Japanese cuisine, Kombu Dashi (dried kelp soup stock), which holds a strong umami taste. Give it a try!

The Violet Hour: A Late Night Show From Another Dimension - CaveatMarch 01, 2020 - New York

The Violet Hour follows a familiar late night format -- with a far-out twist.Guests (comedians, celebrities, authors and activists from earth) mingle with Winnifred (CAROLINE KINGSLEY) and her outlandish friends from space to discuss topics like quantum physics and how to save the dying planet - or at least enjoy the heck out of our last breaths on this little blue sphere.

Ronald Reggae - Rockwood Music HallMarch 01, 2020 - New York

February 1781, James Watt issues a patent for the steam engine. July 1964, Congress passes the Civil Rights Act. March 1987, Hulk Hogan body slams Andre the Giant. These moments in human history pale in comparison to a series of events which unfolded in late 2015 and led to the formation of a musical group that Rolling Stone has called "we do not accept submissions". You have come to this page in search of something. Truth, perhaps? You have found truth. You have found justice. You have found Carmen Sandiego. You have found Ronald Reggae.

House of Waris Dinner Club ft. Chef Camille Becerra - Bowery HotelMarch 01, 2020 - New York

A delicious exploration of the healing power of whole food plant based nutrition

Taj Lounge NYC Hip Hop vs. Reggae Sunday Funday Brunch Party - Taj LoungeMarch 01, 2020 - NEW YORK

Taj NYC Sunday Brunch & Day Party Sunday March 1st, 2020 RSVP 3475920300About this EventSunday March 1st, 2020 - Taj NYC, Taj Lounge Sunday Funday Bottomless Brunch & Day Party located at 48 W 21st between 5th & 6th Avenue.Join us at a one time event 1st Sunday once a month for an exclusive Taj Sunday Brunch Party with no cover until 5pm on guestlist.Brunch Specials:$40 Prefix Brunch Menu w/ bottomless Mimosas until 6pm & 2x1 Drink specials for All from 2pm -5pm.$40 Prix Fixe Brunch Menu w/ Bottomless Mimosas & Sangria until 6pm.2 for 1 Top Shelf Drink Specials for Everyone until 4pm.$10 Margarita/Frozen Margarita Specials.Flavored Hookah is available All Day & Night.Bottle Specials Include:Pre-Order Bottle Special Include:2 Bottles (750ml) w/ 1 Hookah for $4502 Bottles (Liters) w/ 1 Hookah for $5501 Premium (750ml), 1 Champagne & 1 Hookah for $275Pricing:Everyone FREE on the Gametight Guestlist on with pass until 5pm, reduced after with Gametight Guestlist passDresscode:Casual, Trendy & Chic Attire is a must!$40+ Brunch Prix Fixe w/ 2 Hour Bottomless Mimosas until 6p.m.***TAX & TIP NOT INCLUDED*** 2 for 1 ... (read more)

Casual Fantastic - Rockwood Music HallMarch 01, 2020 - New York

Casual Fantastic is a new two-person band mixing original modern pop songwriting with the gamut of American music sounds: rock, r & b, country, folk, and whatever pleases. On stage, they mix theatricality with a crafty brand of bare-bones music making.

Ava McCoy and Alexander Walk - Rockwood Stage 3 - Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3March 01, 2020 - New York

Advance tickets are available online until 4:00 PM, day of show. Any remaining tickets can be purchased at the door at showtime.

Why Me? Comedy Storytelling - Ottos Shrunken HeadMarch 02, 2020 - New York

This is a story telling show featuring up and coming and professional comedians talking about some specific topics that they through and thought Why Me? Come out and enjoy comedians tell some embarrassing some inspirational but ultimately some funny stories. The theme is for this show is Being Tricked

Monday Night Jazz Night - 11th St. BarMarch 02, 2020 - New York

Every Monday is Jazz Night at 11th St. Bar. Our house band, "The 11th St. Bar Quintet", is comprised of Richard Clements piano, Murray Wall bass, Taro Okomoto drums, Grant Stewart tenor sax, and Joe Magnarelli trumpet. In addition, Dr. Barry Harris has been known to sit in occasionally.

Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show - Dixon PlaceMarch 02, 2020 - New York

Hosted by Bindlestiff Cirkus co-founder Keith NelsonAn uncompromising theatrical experience that includes aerial artists, wire walkers, sword swallowers, Kung Fu juggling, clown bands, trained rats, a Heavy Metal Magician, a cougar contortionist & a cowboy from the Bronx.If you would like to be on stage, email keith@bindlestiff.org. Write 'Open Variety' in the subject line!

Attack of the Slipper Room Movie Mondays - The Slipper RoomMarch 02, 2020 - New York

Ages 21+Free entry, free movies, free popcorn.Another eclectic set of short films by NY filmmakers, presented on the first Monday of each month.

Mikahely - Rockwood Music HallMarch 02, 2020 - New York

Mikahely hails from the beautiful island of Madagascar, but his music is out of this world! He draws from traditional Malagasy rhythms to create his own unique sound on guitar and valiha.

Airshow - The Bowery ElectricMarch 03, 2020 - New York

21+Airshow is an acoustic rock and bluegrass band based in Nashville Tennessee. Founded by childhood friends, Steve Gallagher (guitar and vocals) and Cody Chelius (mandolin and vocals), the lineup was completed in the summer of 2016 with the addition of Bill Baker (bass) and Ben Plewes (drums). John Rodrigue replaced Ben on drums summer 2018. The band combines americana and jam band roots to create their high flying sound. Since the release of their debut EP, Lightbulb, Airshow has begun to spread their wings, taking performances to new heights with their unique setlists and a desire to improvise.

Julia Haltigan - The 11th Street Bar:March 03, 2020 - New York

Acclaimed bombshell songstress Julia Haltigan came up on the Lower East Side of New York City when it oozed a heady mix of danger, possibility, and art. A sensitive badass who rides vintage Triumph motorcycles and sings primal rock n' roll with smoldering expressivity.

C.R. and the Degenerates - Rockwood Music HallMarch 03, 2020 - New York

A staple of the NJ music scene, C.R. Gennone's hard-livin' songs frequently haunt the air of punk clubs, DIY spaces and the occasional house party. Resembling a countrified vampire cheating on the evening, his dark glasses are smudged and his stubble is unapologetic. Backed by the powerful Degenerates, with James Abbott on guitar and pedal steel, Harrison Bieth on synth, John Crane on Bass and Evan Luberger on drums, Gennone matches their live intensity offstage with a never-ending flood of inspired albums.

Under Exposed - Dixon PlaceMarch 03, 2020 - New York

Curated by Doug PostInitiated in the early 90s, this series focuses on emerging, up & coming contemporary dance choreographers who are refining/defining their distinctive movement vocabulary. Curated by Doug Post.Featuring Gabriella Di Giuseppe/Bridget James Ling, Christy Funsch, Paul Giarrartano, and Jade Salzano.

Pig - The Slipper RoomMarch 03, 2020 - New York

Ages 21+Stand-up comedy from the very best of New York's emerging comics.Sandy Honig and Peter Smith host a weekly line up of stand-up comedy talent. You will see up-and-comers, late night talk show veterans and... who knows? Maybe a surprise drop in will test out some new material! Come one, come all.

Billy Raffoul - The Mercury LoungeMarch 03, 2020 - New York

16 and OverBilly Raffoul's anthemic debut single "Driver" serves as a potent calling card for the 22-year-old singer, songwriter, and musician. His signature sound is a rough-hewn, low-timbered rock and roll that nods to the likes of Jeff Buckley, Neil Young, and Joe Cocker, and is powered by Raffoul's gravelly, soulful voice and deeply felt lyrics.

Carrier, Annex, Abraham J. Franco - The Bowery ElectricMarch 04, 2020 - New York

21+Carrier is a four-piece Brooklyn band keen on huge, pathos-laden choruses and driving, dirty emo tunes. The group cites bands like The National, Joyce Manor, Hop Along and The Hotelier as influences, creating a unique blend of indie rock mixing intricate, catchy songs with brutal emotional honestly. The group is set to record their debut album this winter.

Smooch - The 11th Street Bar:March 04, 2020 - New York

Smooch is an emerging soul/funk band based out of Westchester, NY. Led by the vocals and songwriting of Matt Crossett, Smooch formed out of the local Yorktown, NY scene in 2018 when the band Sticky Nonsense was formed by Mike Cesario as the house band at a local open mic. After playing together here, they started booking gigs and defining their sound in the process.

Patrick Duffy Band - The 11th Street Bar:March 04, 2020 - New York

Patrick Duffy is a New York City-based guitarist, songwriter, and singer with a penchant for powerful, colorful, and abstract improvisation. His Seattle and 70's nostalgic power trio has a subtle and nuanced mask. It is filled out by Steve Conroy, the versatile, up and coming NYC session and touring bassist who's performed with over 70 groups, and drummer and percussionist Max Yassky, who has composed music for film, played with a wide range of bands and toured internationally for over a decade.

Eeppi Ursin - Rockwood Music HallMarch 04, 2020 - New York

Eeppi Ursin is an award-winning singer, songwriter and pianist with angelic voice and exceptional skill set expanding from top-class performance to writing music for various groups. Her stage presence is a unique combination of virtuoso as well as humor, warmth and style. Her recordings and performances as a singer vary from pop, jazz, dance, a cappella and children's music.

A Southern Fairytale - Kraine TheaterMarch 04, 2020 - New York

Based on true events, A Southern Fairytale artfully illuminates the challenges facing a young, gay Christian growing up in the Deep South, written and performed by Ty Autry and directed by David L. Carson.

The Glitter Gutter - The Slipper RoomMarch 04, 2020 - New York

Ages 21+James Habacker, Michael Karas, Chipps Cooney, Nina LaVoix, Poison Ivory, Alexander Boyce

Roses & Revolutions, Kopps - The Mercury LoungeMarch 04, 2020 - New York

16 and OverCaroline Vreeland

Lily Kershaw w/ Anna Rose - Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2March 04, 2020 - New York

Advance tickets are available online until 5:30PM, day of show. Any remaining tickets can be purchased at the door at showtime.

Noah Cyrus - The Bowery BallroomMarch 04, 2020 - New York

16 and OverAs one of today's hottest up and coming artists, Noah Cyrus has been forging her own path in left-of-center pop and singer/songwriter music since her debut single "Make Me (Cry)" went straight to #1 on Spotify's Viral Global Chart within hours of release and has since surpassed 500 million global audio and video streams. Her current single "July" has reach 90 million global streams and counting, while "Lonely" has surpassed 35 million and was released with an effort to bring awareness around mental health. She has collaborated with peers including Labrinth, XXXTENTACION, and Leon Bridges, becoming known for her honest lyrics that stem deep from her musical routes. Noah completed her first headline tour in the fall of 2018, has graced the stage at Coachella twice, was included in Billboard's 21 Under 21 for three consecutive years, and has performed at the The Tonight Show with James Corden, Jimmy Fallon, Ellen, and The Today Show.

The Crossword Show with Zach Sherwin - CaveatMarch 04, 2020 - New York

The Crossword Show is a comedy show hosted by Zach Sherwin ("Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," "Epic Rap Battles of History"), in which a "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me!"-style panel of entertainers solves a crossword puzzle live onstage, with everything displayed on a giant screen so the audience can follow along.Each time the solvers decipher a clue, Zach launches the show down a rabbit hole that's somehow related to the answer word, with the help of a multimedia slide presentation and lots of comedy, wordplay, and pop-culture trivia.

Columbia Selects - KGB BarMarch 05, 2020 - New York

Columbia Selects

Ayoh - The Bowery ElectricMarch 05, 2020 - New York

21+Originally from Queens and Brooklyn, Ayoh is a four piece Neo-Soul Indie/R&B band created in the fall of 2016. The band takes inspiration from Sade, Mac Ayres, Jeremy Passion and D'Angelo. In winter of 2019 Ayoh released there first single Tired. The band is now in the process of releasing a 5 song EP by late spring 2020.

The Bookhouse Boys - The 11th Street Bar:March 05, 2020 - New York

The Bookhouse Boys are Bronson Taylor, an actor and musician from North Carolina with a voice that's warmer than Travis Tritt and sadder than Keith Whitley; Bobby Kitchens, from the hills of northeast Tennessee singing honey-glazed harmony and ripping away on his bedazzled Telecaster named "Precious"; Tanner Lackey from Alaska, holding down the bass, an accomplished sound man who's worked at Mission Sound and Rockwood Music Hall; and Cameron Perry, the Banger from Bangor, Maine, taking the high harmony, holding down the beat, and winner of your local Bob Seger lookalike contest. Expect to hear all of your favorite modern Country Hits.

070shake - Webster HallMarch 05, 2020 - New York

070shake

The Tin Tin Tom Toms - Rockwood Music HallMarch 05, 2020 - New York

The Tin Tin Tom Toms

Curated by Doug Post - Dixon PlaceMarch 05, 2020 - New York

Isabelle OwensThis is my pitch to get Fran Drescher to adopt me. I grew up with the tv show The Nanny as my nanny, and now as a parentless adult, I could use a Jewish mother. This is a comedic sing-songy stand up act on why Fran and I would be a great showbiz mother-daughter team.

Litz - The Mercury LoungeMarch 05, 2020 - New York

21 and OverMarsupialLITZ brings together a wide array of musical influences ranging from funk, jam, go-go, soul, electronica and just about everywhere in-between to amalgamate a new sound for the ears of the world. Their sound strides to sonically transport it's listeners to another planet free of the stress, struggles, and tribulations of modern day life through the use of funky horn riffs, wah-wah keys, pounding bass, driving/progressive rhythms and melt your face guitar.

Chaos Theory: an off-the-rails TED Talk on the underlying chaos of our lives - CaveatMarch 05, 2020 - New York

Chaos Theory is a comedic, immersive experience exploring the underlying chaos in our lives. A lecture about chaos theory devolves into a series of interactive games inspired by the science of chaos theory, Jurassic Park, middle school crushes, and abstract math seminars builds to "utter beautiful chaos" as the audience is guided by mathematical scientist, Dr. Genevieve Saoch, whose personal life continually interferes with her ability to be objective about her research as a Chaologist. Through a series of participatory experiments, audience members are invited to embrace their inner chaos agent as they embody facets of chaos theory including deterministic chaos, fractals, self-organization, and the butterfly effect

Nasty Cherry - Bowery BallroomMarch 05, 2020 - New York

Tickets on sale Fri, 11/22 at 10am EST

yMusic: Ecstatic Science release show - Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2March 05, 2020 - New York

yMusic: Ecstatic Science release show - Rockwood Stage 2

Bbno Epic Tour Name' Tour - The Bowery BallroomMarch 06, 2020 - New York

16 and Over

Silverstein - Webster HallMarch 06, 2020 - New York

Silverstein

Bbno$'s 'Epic Tour Name' Tour - The Bowery BallroomMarch 06, 2020 - New York

Age Limit: 16 and Over

Almeria - Rockwood Music HallMarch 06, 2020 - New York

Almeria: a name that sounds like a whisper, to unpin the screams. Loaded with all their influences, electro, rock, pop, Zabeth and Manu make the duo a musical mirror, where each gives the best to see - and to hear - to trace a path between their two worlds and give birth to a new project.

Audrey Mika - The Mercury LoungeMarch 06, 2020 - New York

16 and OverSouly Had

Medal of Honor for Fashion Honoring Anna Sui - The National Arts ClubMarch 06, 2020 - New York

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Things to Do on the Lower East Side This Month - March 2020 - City Guide NY

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