Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on February 8, 2020

Ben Zauzmer on the red carpet (Courtesy of Ben Zauzmer)

Theres much fun to be had in arguing about who should win an Academy Award. Joker or Little Women for Best Picture? Quentin Tarantino or Bong Joon-ho for Best Director? The arguments are endless.

But Ben Zauzmer has a different question in mind: Who will win? And its one he answers correctly, just about every time.

Zauzmer, 27, a Dresher native, is a Harvard University graduate and a baseball analyst for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since he was an undergrad, hes been developing an algorithm to predict each years Oscar winners. Last fall, he even released a book on the subject: Oscarmetrics: The Math Behind the Biggest Night in Hollywood.

How would you describe your Oscarmetrics project?

In a nutshell, I use math to answer questions about the Oscars. Most notably, I predict each years Academy Awards using data and statistics. But I also write articles exploring all sorts of questions about the Oscars through a mathematical lens, and I recently wrote a book called Oscarmetrics to tell stories about the Oscars and classic cinema via math.

How did you come to start analyzing the Oscars in this way?

This all began in the months leading up to the 2012 Oscars, during my freshman year of college. I am an avid follower of statisticians who use data to predict other fields like baseball and politics. Being a movie fan as well, I assumed that someone must have done the same for the Oscars. But when I went to Google and couldnt find any such predictions, I decided to try it myself. I spent a month in the library gathering data and building models, then put my predictions up online and this whole project has blossomed from there.

When did it become apparent that people were really starting to pay attention to this? And what was that like?

My very first year, I began to get press coverage from around the world. I was predicting the Oscars in a novel way, and people were very curious to know what the predictions said (that year, the math correctly identified The Artist as the favorite to win Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor and got a very close Best Actress race that Meryl Streep won for The Iron Lady). But this work really took off in my junior year of college, when The Hollywood Reporter invited me to begin writing for them, a relationship that continues to this day. Since then, Ive done TV, radio and print interviews for publications across the globe, and written additional freelance articles for The New York Times, The Washington Post and others.

How would you compare the challenges of your Oscarmetrics work to those of your work for the Dodgers?

Baseball statistics can be challenging because of how much data there is; Oscar statistics can be challenging because of how little data there is. In baseball, a single game provides more data than all of Oscar history. So the challenge in my day job is finding the signal, the part of the data that has a pattern, or tells a story, or helps us to make a better decision. With the Oscars, the challenge is to build models that dont overreact to small amounts of data.

Do you feel that there is an overlap between your work as a mathematician and your life as a Jewish person?

Something I love about both mathematics and Judaism is how rational they are. The arguments in the Talmud for why Jews follow certain practices are often very lawyer-like, very rational and very mathematical. We as Jews and we as mathematicians are always encouraged to ask why? We want to engage in the discussion and learn for ourselves why something is the best practice. And in both subjects, we rely on the wisdom of teachers who have already studied these questions to help guide us along, and then we are free to agree or to find alternative rational arguments that make more sense.

[emailprotected]; 215-832-0740

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Philly Faces: Ben Zauzmer Predicts the Oscars - Jewish Exponent

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Posted By admin on February 8, 2020

Judaism Merkaz Harav Yeshiva

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The psalmist describes the outburst of joy and thanksgiving when God delivered Israel out of Egypt and led them across the wilderness:

What does this phrase - from the source (makor) of Israel - mean?

The Talmud offers a curious interpretation. Rabbi Meir explained that even the fetuses in their mothers wombs sang Gods praises at the Red Sea (Berachot50a). What is the significance of this puzzling statement? Did the Jewish fetuses really sing?

Innate Holiness

There are several factors that deepen our feelings of love and awe of God. Certainly, Torah study and the performance of mitzvot play their part. A good education cultivates the souls loftier sensibilities and emotions.

But beyond these didactic efforts, the soul has an innate source of holiness. This natural holiness does not need any specific actions or external influences for the soul to be uplifted in song and joy in Gods kindness. It is enough to appreciate the simple fact that we come from the source of Israel, that we belong to this remarkable nation that God watches over and protects.

When did the Jewish people first experience the privilege of Gods favor as a nation? At the Red Sea. Based on their deeds, the Jewish people at that time was no better than other nations. They had not yet received the Torah. The Midrash says that the angels were unable to distinguish between the Israelites and their Egyptian persecutors: these are idolaters and these are idolaters.

Nonetheless, the Israelites merited seeing Gods great hand deliver them. Physically, they were rescued from their enemies. And spiritually, their souls were uplifted to sing songs of praise and thanksgiving.

As soon as babies are born, they are influenced by what they see and experience. But a fetus in its mothers womb has never experienced any form of education, formal or otherwise. A fetus only has awareness of its immediate surroundings - its origin.

The Jews who witnessed the miraculous deliverance at the Sea gained this fetal awareness of the source of their souls. Struck with the true significance of this unique gift, they broke out in jubilant song and thanksgiving.

In full assemblies, bless God. Individuals can deepen their feelings of love for God via external efforts, but the potential for this love exists equally in all. Scholars and simple folk, together in full assemblies, sang their feelings of gratitude and love. They were elated by this sudden awareness of the great privilege that their souls were rooted in the source of Israel.

(Adapted fromEin Eyahvol. II, p. 228, sent to Arutz Sheva by Rabbi Chanan Morrison, ravkooktorah.org)

See also:Beshalach: This is My God

RAVKOOKTORAH.ORG

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Beshalach: Song from the womb - Arutz Sheva

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Posted By admin on February 8, 2020

Youre in the middle of making dinner, helping your kids with homework, about to return a call, send an important email you know, busy with life ... when out of nowhere, you and your spouse have a spat. Suddenly, fireworks are flyingand I dont mean the pretty kind.

Youre left scratching your head, wondering, What just happened here? One minute, everything was fine, we were going about our day. The next minute, were in an argument over what!?

Oh, yeah. Money. Again!

Does this sound familiar?

Money is said to be one of the leading causes of stress in a marriage. It tops the list of Top 10 argument starters, and as a result, many couples avoid talking about the subject altogether. And when they finally do, which is inevitable in any marriage, well, the conversation can quickly escalate into a sparring match.

So do you just accept the impending volatility around money as part of marriage? You dont have to.

The Torahs ways are pleasant ways, and all its paths are peace. Our sages have always emphasized that Gd dwells where there is peace. Peace is the vessel for Gds blessings. Great is peace, the vessel that contains and sustains Gds blessings.

The emphasis on peace is even greater when it comes to family lifein particular, the relationship between husband and wife. In fact, the Talmud explains that Gd will even allow His holy name to be erased in water in order to bring peace between husband and wife.

You want peace. Your spouse wants peace. And so does Gd.

So, how can you achieve peace and harmony around the topic that seems to rival the stock markets volatility?

Allow me to offer a practical solution. Its called the Money Date.

A Money Date is an appointment with your spouse when you talk intimately, openly and respectfully about what tends to be an emotionally charged topic: your finances.

It gives you and your spouse the opportunity to understand and discuss each of your views, concerns, habits and upbringing around money. After all, as our sages have said, No two people think alike.

Now that youre on your way to mastering the regular Money Date, open your calendars again. This time, schedule a regular date with your spouse, one when you dont talk about your money. From now on, allow the volatility to stay where it belongsin the stock market. And enjoy the peace!

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How to Reduce the Volatility of Financial Conversations - Chabad.org

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Posted By admin on February 7, 2020

By JLBWC Staff | February 06, 2020

Voices poking holes in Americas previously widespread, collective bipartisan support of Israel have been, in recent years, increasingly critical toward Israel in public fora, supportive of dangerous concessions to the Palestinians and in agreement with the appeasement of Iran.

To be quite frank, these voices, characterized by columnists like Peter Beinart and J-Streets founder, Jeremy Ben-Ami, are extremely dangerous to Israel and the future of world Jewry.

Arguably aligned with those promoting the post-Zionist narrative, like IfNotNow, Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine, the Hatikvah slateheaded by Beinart and Ben-Ami wants a seat at the Zionist table.

Make no mistake, progressives are seeking to use their election to the World Zionist Organization to affect a worldwide change of Jewish priorities. This should concern all of us.

Diaspora Jewry has until Shushan Purim to elect those who will hold seats in the World Zionist Congress (WZC), the legislative body that determines the policies of the worlds leading Jewish organizations: the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency of Israel, the Jewish National Fund and Keren Hayesod.

The congress awards major funding, and thus impacts major policy decisions that affect the future of Zionism, aliyah and absorption, Israeli advocacy worldwide, Jewish education, physical security, the war against anti-Semitism and settlements in Israel.

Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) and other progressive voices have been largely out of power in Israel for many years now, ostensibly because Israeli Jews now understand that appeasement of the Palestinians doesnt work and the Palestinians simply want to eliminate the Jewish state and do not want to negotiate on this point. But the progressive voice has the potential to get much bigger if the Hatikvah slate succeeds within the WZC, due to their increasing alignment with the liberal Diaspora Jewish community, such as the slates of Vote Mercaz (the voice of Conservative/Masorti Judaism) and Vote Reform (ARZA representing the Reform Movement and Reconstructing Judaism).

This means that every single vote counts in an election open to all Jews above the age of 18. Theres a minimal cost, but its worth it. Vote now here: https://azm.org/elections.

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Why the World Zionist Organization And Your Vote Really Matter - Jewish Link of Bronx, Westchester and Connecticut

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Posted By admin on February 7, 2020

Q: How does this change our understanding of the origin of Jews in North America?

A: When you think of Jews in the Americas, you think of New York City and you think of the United States as being the most important location of Jewish settlement. But in reality, the origins of that story are in the Caribbean. And that's one of the stories that we're trying to tell here. The first Jews that really come to New York, although there were some Jews already there, but the mythic forefathers of New York and the mythic forefathers of all North American Jewry were these 23 Jews that come to New York which at the time, in 1654, was called New Amsterdam. They were expelled from Brazil and they came via the Caribbean, stopping in Spanish Jamaica and then through Cuba. The first communities in the colonial period were Sephardic. So sometimes American Jewish historians refer to this as the Sephardic period, through the age of the Early Republic. Newport, Rhode Island, had a Sephardic Jewish community that emerged in 1680 who were almost all from Barbados. They were Portuguese speaking, their communal minutes were written in Portuguese and they had names like Lopez, De Costa and Alvarenga.

Around 1740, a community of Portuguese Jews in London sent indigent individuals to go settle in Savannah, Georgia. During the revolution, Philadelphia becomes a major Sephardic city. And then later on, Charleston, South Carolina, also gets populated by Jews from Barbados. But throughout the whole colonial period, you could take all of those Jews put together from Newport, Savannah, Charleston, Philadelphia, New York and altogether, they're still not as many as there are just in Kingston, Jamaica. And in Jamaica, there are multiple communities. Theres communities in Kingston and Spanish Town and Montego Bay and Savanna La Mar and Lucea. And Curacao is even bigger than Jamaica, and Suriname is about the same. So any one of those Caribbean locations Suriname, Jamaica or Curacao on their own, are bigger than all North American Jewry put together in the 18th century. So it's a very flawed way of looking at American Jewish history to be so focused on what becomes the United States. The notion of Jews in America as being from Poland or Germany is because of later migrations. In the 1850s, you have Jews from German lands that come to America and populate further inland, places like Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania. And then in the 1880s and 1890s, there are these pogroms against Jews in eastern Europe, so that's when you start to have Jews from Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania starting to come en masse. And then of course another migration associated with World War II.

Q: Why is this something most Americans dont know about?

A: For a couple of reasons. Number one, the Sephardic experience period isn't really studied as much. And that's largely because the professionalized study of Jewish history emerged in Germany. And another thing is that it really gets overshadowed by the Holocaust. So the vast majority of Jewish studies is now devoted to that. And then also because American Jewish history became a very distinct field over the past couple of decades, but only recently has American Jewish history also taken note of the Caribbean part of it as a serious thing, not as a side note. There's a trend in the historiography to try to really look at the Caribbean on its own terms. For instance, my new book, The Jews of Eighteenth Century Jamaica, is coming out in May with Yale University Press, and also in May, there's a book coming out with University of Pennsylvania Press by a great scholar of this field, Aviva Ben-Ur, who is writing about the Jews of Suriname. In fact, she was very instrumental in a program to catalogue remnants of tombstones in Suriname. So our two books are pretty much the first ones to really look at these places Jamaica and Suriname on their own terms. And there's also been a slew of articles about this, but it says a lot that in the same month you have two books coming out, one by UPenn Press and one by Yale Press, that have Jamaica and Suriname in the title.

Q: What else about the Sephardic diaspora might surprise people?

A: The story about the town of Jodensavanne is really cool, because deep in the Surinamese jungle, you have an autonomous Jewish planter village. So the people who run the town are Jews. The people who inhabit the town are Jews. They own thousands of slaves and they have their own militias that are fighting maroon communities, these autonomous black communities, in the jungle. And the Jews build this grand synagogue in 1685 in the middle of this jungle, (later it becomes defunct and burns down and all that's left is the remnants) and they built a really vibrant city around it. There were taverns and recreation halls and all of these things. So it's a really incredible story because you always think of Jews in this period as being the subalterns, minorities, victims sometimes, being chased from place to place, always living under some other rule, be it Islamic or Christian. And here in Dutch Suriname, deep in the Amazon jungle, you've got this autonomous Jewish village, and they have their own kind of a very brutal autonomy because they live in a slave society, theyre slave owners but it's one where they're empowered in ways that are unavailable to Jews in Europe.

Q: What can be done to save these sites?

A: There are a lot of options. Number one, there are individual efforts to go and restore and catalogue tombstones. For example, there's an architect from New York, Rachel Frankel, who has a volunteer expedition, and they go yearly to Jamaica and they restore and catalogue tombstones. The communities also do a lot to preserve their own buildings, and there's been a lot of expat money coming in from Americans who are relocating to Barbados to restore and keep these as historical sites by getting them recognized by national heritage trusts. UNESCO is one really important one. My hope is that we can also devise efforts to keep the synagogues alive and extend membership to people who have heritage living in other parts of the world. So there are a lot of ideas.

Q: What else do you hope the community gets out of this exhibit?

A: These are very beautiful buildings, and it's very important to recognize that these kind of exotic Jewish communities that no one really thinks about anymore were central to the American Jewish experience. But also what's important to me is the reality of Jewish slave ownership. And this is an uncomfortable reality, and it's important to me to make this point that behind these very beautiful buildings is also a very brutal history that Jews also need to kind of reconcile. In fact, in Jodensavanne in Suriname, the slaves that the Jews owned communally, they would brand them on the shoulders with BVS, for Berakha ve Salom, which is the name of the synagogue they built. So there's a really brutal history here too. And it's hard because, like at Passover you sit together and you remember how Jews were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. And then you have to reconcile these two competing realities that Jews were also slave owners. And that's not to vilify Jews, but to humanize them. It's important to me that we look at the holistic picture of all of this: what's behind these beautiful images.

Top photo:Neve Shalom is the only active synagogue in Suriname today. Originally constructed in 1719 for the Ashkenazic Jewish community in Paramaribo, Neve Shalom was regarded as a satellite of Jodensavanne synagogue rather than a new congregation. It was the house of worship for both Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews until 1735 when the Sephardim constructed their own synagogue.Photo by Wyatt Gallery

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Illuminating the history of Jews in the Caribbean | ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact - ASU News Now

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Posted By admin on February 7, 2020

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- New legislation introduced Monday in Sacramento aims to correct the flaw in a state law that allowed the accused Poway synagogue shooter to buy the AR-15 style weapon used in the attack despite being too young to make the purchase.

Senate Bill 914 comes after a 10News investigation uncovered that shooting suspect John Earnest was able to buy the gun at a shop in San Diego using an invalid hunting license. Earnest, 19 at the time of the shooting, used that invalid hunting license to claim an exemption to a state law that raised the minimum purchase age to 21.

On April 27, 2019, prosecutors say Earnest entered the Chabad of Poway Synagogue armed with an AR-15 style weapon. He fatally shot congregant Lori Kaye and injured three others.

Questions began immediately after the shooting as to how a 19-year-old was able to buy a gun when the age limit in California was 21.

SECTION: Poway Synagogue Shooting

California's age limit law, a bill State Sen. Anthony Portantino authored in 2018, kept the minimum purchase age at 18 for military, law enforcement, and those with valid state-issued hunting licenses.

Earnest was a nursing student at CSU San Marcos. The hunting license he did obtain from State Fish and Wildlife was not to become valid until July 1, 2019, more than two months after the attack.

"The thought that he did not have a valid hunting license and was still able to get a gun shows that that particular part of the system failed," Portantino said in an interview.

Earnest was able to use that license to buy the AR-15 style weapon from San Diego Guns on Mission Gorge Road. A worker at the gun shop declined to comment.

Last year, 10News revealed that the system failed in part because the state Justice Department does not verify the validity of hunting licenses with state Fish and Wildlife during the 10-day waiting period and background check.

RELATED: Questions about how the synagogue shooting suspect got the gun

The bottom line - if the gun shop accepts the license, the exemption is granted.

Portantino's new bill will require either the dealer submit a copy of the hunting license, or its identification number and valid dates to the state Department of Justice for verification. The agency would then communicate with state Fish and Wildlife to check its validity, before giving the gun shop the clearance to sell the gun. As of now, no such verification process exists.

"The system should have been better, and that's what we're coming to grips with," Portantino said. "How do we make it better, so these things have protections so that it doesn't happen again?"

In the wake of the shooting, the state eliminated the hunting license exemption for centerfire semi-automatic rifles. However, people under 21 can still use the hunting license exemption for weapons such as semi-automatic rimfire long guns and bolt-action rifles.

Sadly, no one can undue the tragedy that occurred in Poway. I pray for the families and hope the lessons learned can be used proactively for a better and safer place for our Californians to worship and for families to raise their children in safety, said Portantino in a news release Monday.

Danielle Jaymes, who directs sales at Poway Weapons and Gear Range, which was not involved with Earnest, said California already has some of the most stringent gun laws in the nation and that people who want to commit crimes will do so regardless.

Still, after the synagogue shooting, James said she attempted to contact the state Justice Department to clarify requirements for hunting licenses, but never heard back.

Jaymes noted Earnest's hunting license was to become valid on July 1, 2019, right in time for hunting season, creating a confusing situation for a gun shop.

RELATED: Process to get a hunting license in California

"What is valid? It wasn't expired, but you have to have the hunting license before hunting season, and if you want to buy a gun for hunting season, you have to have the hunting license ahead of time," she said.

Portantino said, however, that the law's intention is to require those under 21 to wait until the license is within its valid dates to make a purchase.

"You don't get to fly a plane until you have a valid pilot's license," he said. "You can't game the system."

The bill, if passed in the legislature, could reach Governor Newsom's desk by August.

A spokesperson for the state Department of Justice said the agency would review the legislation when it's available and work with the author on any outstanding issues.

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New bill aims to correct error that allowed Poway suspect to buy gun - 10News

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Posted By admin on February 6, 2020

Conservative

AGUDATH BNAI ISRAEL: Meister Road at Pole Ave., Lorain. Mark Jaffee, Ritual Director. SAT. 10 a.m. 440-282-3307. abitemplelorain.com

BETH EL CONGREGATION: 750 White Pond Dr., Akron. Rabbi Elyssa Austerklein, Hazzan Matthew Austerklein. SAT. 9:15 a.m.; SUN. 8:45 a.m.; WED./FRI. 7:30 a.m. 330-864-2105. bethelakron.com.

BNAI JESHURUN-Temple on the Heights: 27501 Fairmount Blvd., Pepper Pike. Rabbis Stephen Weiss and Hal Rudin-Luria; Stanley J. Schachter, Rabbi Emeritus; Cantor Aaron Shifman. FRI. Shabbat Service 6 p.m.; SAT. 9 a.m., 6 p.m.; SUN. 8 a.m., 6 p.m.; MON.-THURS. 7/7:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; FRI. 7/7:30 a.m. 216-831-6555. bnaijeshurun.org.

MONTEFIORE: One David N. Myers Parkway., Beachwood. Services in Montefiore Maltz Chapel. Rabbi Akiva Feinstein; Cantor Gary Paller. FRI. 3:30 p.m.; SAT. Service 10:30 a.m. 216-360-9080.

PARK SYNAGOGUE-Anshe Emeth Beth Tefilo Cong.: Park MAIN 3300 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Heights; Park EAST 27500 Shaker Blvd., Pepper Pike. Rabbi Joshua Hoffer Skoff, Rabbi Sharon Y. Marcus, Milton B. Rube, Rabbi-in-Residence, Cantor Misha Pisman. FRI. 6 p.m. (Park East); SAT. 9 a.m. (Park East), 5 p.m. (Park East); SUN. 8:30 a.m., 5:30 p.m. (both Park East); MON.-FRI. 7:30 a.m., 6 p.m. (both Park East). 216-371-2244; TDD# 216-371-8579. parksynagogue.org.

SHAAREY TIKVAH: 26811 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood. Rabbi Scott B. Roland; Gary Paller, Cantor Emeritus. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat 6 p.m.; SAT. 9 a.m.; SUN. Minyan 9 a.m. 216-765-8300. shaareytikvah.org.

BETH EL-The Heights Synagogue, an Independent Minyan: 3246 Desota Ave., Cleveland Heights. Rabbi Michael Ungar; Rabbi Moshe Adler, Rabbi Emeritus. SAT. Morning Service 9:15 a.m., Shabbat Morning for Learners 10:20 a.m. 216-320-9667. bethelheights.org.

THE SHUL-An Innovative Center for Jewish Outreach: 30799 Pinetree Road, #401, Pepper Pike. Rabbi Eddie Sukol. THURS. Toast & Torah at Corky & Lennys 8 a.m. See website or call for Shabbat and holiday service dates, times and details. 216-509-9969. rabbieddie@theshul.us. theshul.us.

AHAVAS YISROEL: 1700 S. Taylor Road, Cleveland Heights. Rabbi Boruch Hirschfeld. 216-932-6064.

BEACHWOOD KEHILLA: 25400 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood. Rabbi Ari Spiegler, Rabbi Emeritus David S. Zlatin. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat 5:31 p.m.; SAT. Shacharit 9 a.m., Study Group 4:35 p.m., Minchah/Maariv 5:20 p.m., Havdalah 6:34 p.m.; SUN. 7:30 a.m., Minchah/Maariv 5:35 p.m.; MON.-THURS. Shacharit 6:30 a.m., Minchah/Maariv 7:45 p.m.; FRI. Shacharit 6:30 a.m. 216-556-0010.

FROMOVITZ CHABAD CENTER: 21625 Chagrin Blvd. #210, Beachwood. Rabbi Moshe Gancz. SAT. Morning service followed by kiddush lunch 10 a.m. 216-647.4884, clevelandjewishlearning.com

GREEN ROAD SYNAGOGUE: 2437 S. Green Road, Beachwood. Rabbi Binyamin Blau; Melvin Granatstein, Rabbi Emeritus. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat 5:40 p.m.; SAT. Hashkama Minyan 7:45 a.m., Shacharit 9 a.m., Youth Minyan 9:30 a.m., Tot Shabbat 10:30 a.m., Rabbis Talmud class 4:25 p.m., Minchah 5:25 p.m., Havdalah 6:33 p.m.; SUN. Shacharit 8 a.m., Minchah/Maariv 5:40 p.m.; MON.-THURS. Shacharit 6:40 a.m., Minchah/Maariv 5:45 p.m.; FRI. Shacharit 6:40 a.m. 216-381-4757. GreenRoadSynagogue.org.

HEIGHTS JEWISH CENTER SYNAGOGUE: 14270 Cedar Road, University Heights. Rabbi Raphael Davidovich. FRI. 7:15 p.m.; SAT Morning Parsha Class 8:30 a.m., Morning Services 9 a.m., Minchah 30 minutes before sunset; SUN. 8 a.m., 15 minutes before sunset; MON.-THURS. 6:45 a.m., 15 minutes before sunset; FRI. 6:45 a.m. 216-382-1958, hjcs.org.

KHAL YEREIM: 1771 S. Taylor Road, Cleveland Heights. Rabbi Yehuda Blum. 216-321-5855.

MENORAH PARK: 27100 Cedar Road, Beachwood. Rabbi Howard Kutner; Associate Rabbi Joseph Kirsch. SAT. 9:30 a.m., 4:15 p.m.; SUN. Minyan & Breakfast 8 a.m. 216-831-6500.

OHEB ZEDEK CEDAR SINAI SYNAGOGUE: 23749 Cedar Road, Lyndhurst. Rabbi Noah Leavitt. FRI. Minchah 5:30 p.m.; SAT. 9 a.m., Minchah/Seudah Shlishit 5:20 p.m., Maariv 6:20 p.m., Havdalah 6:34 p.m.; SUN. 8 a.m.; MON.-FRI. Shacharit 7 a.m. 216-382-6566. office@oz-cedarsinai.org. oz-cedarsinai.org.

SEMACH SEDEK: 2004 S. Green Road, South Euclid. Rabbi Yossi Marozov. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat at candlelighting; SAT. 9:30 a.m., Minchah at candlelighting. 216-235-6498.

SOLON CHABAD: 5570 Harper Road, Solon. Rabbi Zushe Greenberg. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat 5:30 p.m.; SAT. Torah Study 9 a.m., Service 10 a.m., Minchah 1:30 p.m.; SUN. 8 a.m.; MON-FRI. 7 a.m. 440-498-9533. office@solonchabad.com. solonchabad.com.

TAYLOR ROAD SYNAGOGUE: 1970 S. Taylor Road, Cleveland Heights. SAT. Shacharit 9 a.m., Havdalah 6:41 p.m.; SUN. Daf Yomi 7 a.m., Shacharit 8 a.m., Minchah/Maariv 5:15 p.m.; WEEKDAYS Daf Yomi 6 a.m., Shacharit 6:45 a.m., Minchah/Maariv 5:15 p.m. 216-321-4875.

WAXMAN CHABAD CENTER: 2479 S. Green Road, Beachwood. Rabbis Shalom Ber Chaikin and Moshe Gancz. FRI. Minchah 5:40 p.m.; SAT. Shacharit 10 a.m., Minchah 5:30 p.m.; WEEKDAYS Shacharit 7/8 a.m., Micnhah 5:45 p.m. 216-381-1770. waxmanchabadcenter@gmail.com.

YOUNG ISRAEL OF GREATER CLEVELAND: Hebrew Academy (HAC), 1860 S. Taylor Road; Beachwood (Stone), 2463 Green Road. Rabbis Naphtali Burnstein and Aharon Dovid Lebovics. FRI. Minchah 5:35 p.m.; SAT. Shacharit (Stone) 8/9 a.m., (HAC) 9 a.m., Minchah 5:20 p.m., Maariv 6:32 p.m., Motzei Shabbat 6:40 p.m.; Shacharit: (Stone) SUN. 7:15/8/8:30 a.m., MON./THURS. 6:40/7:50 a.m., TUES./WED./FRI. 6:45/7:50 a.m., (HAC) SUN. 7:20 a.m., MON./THURS. 6:40 a.m., TUES./WED./FRI. 6:45 a.m. WEEKDAYS Minchah 5:40 p.m. 216-382-5740. office@yigc.org.

ZICHRON CHAIM: 2203 S. Green Road, Beachwood. Rabbi Moshe Garfunkel. DAILY 6 a.m., 6:45 a.m. 216-291-5000.

KOL HALEV (Clevelands Reconstructionist Community): The Ratner School. 27575 Shaker Blvd., Pepper Pike. Rabbi Steve Segar. SAT. Member-Led Shabbat Service 10:30 a.m.; SUN. Tu BShevat Celebration 5 p.m. 216-320-1498. kolhalev.net.

AM SHALOM of Lake County: 7599 Center St., Mentor. Spiritual Director Renee Blau; Assistant Spiritual Director Elise Aitken. 440-255-1544.

ANSHE CHESED Fairmount Temple: 23737 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood. Rabbis Robert Nosanchuk and Joshua Caruso; Cantor Sarah Sager; Jordana Chernow-Reader, Rabbi-Educator. FRI. Simchat Shabbat for preschoolers and their families 5:30 p.m.; Shabbat Evening Service 6:15 p.m.; SAT. Torah Study 9:15 a.m., Shabbat Minyan 10:30 a.m., Shabbat Morning Service 11 a.m. 216-464-1330. fairmounttemple.org.

BETH ISRAEL-The West Temple: 14308 Triskett Road, Cleveland. Rabbi Enid Lader. Alan Lettofsky, Rabbi Emeritus. FRI. Shared Shabbat Service 6 p.m.; SAT. Torah Study 9:30 a.m., Service 11 a.m. 216-941-8882. thewesttemple.com.

BETH SHALOM: 50 Division St., Hudson. Rabbi Michael Ross. FRI. Kent State Hillel Shabbat service and dinner 6 p.m.; SAT. Kehillah Kedosha morning retreat 9 a.m., TBS Tots 9:30 a.m., LDor VaDor family program 11 a.m. 330-656-1800. tbshudson.org

BNAI ABRAHAM-The Elyria Temple: 530 Gulf Road, Elyria. Rabbi Lauren Werber. FRI. Tu BShvat Shabbat & Family Service 7 p.m. 440-366-1171. tbaelyria.org

SUBURBAN TEMPLE-KOL AMI: 22401 Chagrin Blvd., Beachwood. Rabbi Allison Bergman Vann. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Torah reading 6 p.m.; SAT. Torah Study 9:15 a.m. 216-991-0700. suburbantemple.org.

TEMPLE EMANU EL: 4545 Brainard Road, Orange. Rabbi Steven L. Denker; Cantor David R. Malecki; Daniel A. Roberts, Rabbi Emeritus. FRI. Doing It Jewishly 5:30 p.m., Shabbat Service 6:15 p.m.; SAT. Parshat HaShavuah 9 a.m., Service 10:30 a.m.; SUN. Consecration Service 10 a.m. 216-454-1300. teecleve.org.

TEMPLE ISRAEL: 91 Springside Drive, Akron. Rabbi Josh Brown. Cantor Kathy Fromson. FRI. Service 6:15 p.m.; SAT. Torah Study 9 a.m., Morning Service 10:30 a.m. 330-665-2000 templeisraelakron.org.

TEMPLE ISRAEL NER TAMID: 1732 Lander Road, Mayfield Heights. Rabbi Matthew J. Eisenberg, D.D.; Frederick A. Eisenberg, D.D., Founding Rabbi Emeritus; Cantorial Soloist Rachel Eisenberg. FRI. 7:30 p.m. 440-473-5120. tintcleveland.org.

THE TEMPLE-TIFERETH ISRAEL: 26000 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood. Senior Rabbi Jonathan Cohen; Rabbi Roger C. Klein and Rabbi Stacy Schlein; Cantor Kathryn Wolfe Sebo. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat 6 p.m.; SAT. Torah study 9:15 a.m. 216-831-3233. ttti.org.

JEWISH SECULAR COMMUNITY: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cleveland, 21600 Shaker Blvd., Shaker Heights. FRI. Feb. 7: Tu BShvat Celebration and Shabbat dinner 6:30 p.m., Speaker 8 p.m. (RSVP to Peg Fishman 440-349-1330 or pegfishman@gmail.com.) jewishsecularcommunity.org.

THE CHARLOTTE GOLDBERG COMMUNITY MIKVAH: Park Synagogue, 3300 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Heights. By appointment only: 216-371-2244, ext. 135.

THE STANLEY AND ESTHER WAXMAN COMMUNITY MIKVAH: Waxman Chabad House, 2479 South Green Road, Beachwood. 216-381-3170.

This is a paid listing with information provided by congregations.

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Synagogue service times: Week of February 7 | Synagogues - Cleveland Jewish News

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Posted By admin on February 6, 2020

This month, our Untapped New York Insiderswill have the opportunity to explore the sanctuary of the oldest synagogue in continuous use in New York City, Central Synagogue. Designated a New York City Landmark in 1966 and a National Historic Landmark in 1975, this synagogue was designed by prominent Jewish architect Henry Fernbach. At the buildings dedication in 1872, Rabbi Adolph Heubsch described it as a house of worship in evidence of the high degree of development only possible under a condition of freedom.

On this docent led tour, Insiders will get to see the stunning 1,400 seat sanctuary which features two domed towers, colorful stained glass, including a great rose window which represents an interpretation of the Dohany Street Synagogue in Budapest, ornate stencil work on the walls, the Gabe M. Wiener Memorial Organ, intricately carved walnut and ash pews and beautiful patterned floor tile work. The beauty of the synagogue today is thanks to extensive renovation work that took place after a fire in 1998 which caused part of the roof to collapse. Thankfully, all of stained glass windows, the exterior walls, and the original ark were saved.

The history of this congregation dates back to the early 1800s. The modern day congregation is descended from two parent congregations, Shaar Hashomayim and Ahawath Chesed, which were founded by German-speaking immigrants. The two congregations eventually merged and became known as Central Synagogue.

Registration will begin at noon today for this free tour. If youre already an Untapped New York Insider, register at this link at 12 PM. If youre not an Insider yet and would like to join this tour, Become an Insider today!

BECOME AN INSIDER!

See our full list ofUntapped New York Insiders member eventsandour upcoming public tours.

Header photo from Wikimedia Commons by Gryffindor

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Take a Tour of the Stunning Central Synagogue in Manhattan - Untapped New York - Untapped New York

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Posted By admin on February 6, 2020

Queen Elizabeth II has sent her best wishes to United Synagogue as the movement marks 150 years since its founding.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis held a reception in the House of Commons on Wednesday evening to mark the anniversary.

Parliamentarians spotted at the event included Conservative MPs Oliver Dowden and Mike Freer and the Liberal Democrat peer Lord Monroe Palmer.

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The denomination, which now counts some 50,000 members, was established in 1870 when five Ashkenazi synagogues merged to become United Synagogue.

The Queen wished members a most successful and enjoyable year celebrating the significant milestone in a letter to the synagogue movements president Michael Goldstein last month.

The Duke of Edinburgh at the centenary celebration (Credit: United Synagogue)

She attended the United Synagogues centenary gala dinner at the Dorchester Hotel in 1970 aged 43, joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, then 48.

The monarch did not attend Wednesdays ceremony, but said in her letter she was interested to learn a series of events had been planned to mark the milestone.

The message, written by her private secretary, was a reply to another letter written by to the synagogues president in December about the upcoming anniversary.

Permit me to wish you many more years of good health and to end with a short line of blessing from our Prayer for the Royal family, said by British Jews every single week in our synagogues: May the Supreme King of Kings in His mercy, preserve the Queen in His mercy, guard her and deliver her from all trouble and sorrow, Goldstein wrote.

In turn, the Queen expressed gratitude for the kind sentiments expressed by Goldstein, as well as the assurance of your prayers.

The Queen at the centenary (Credit: United Synagogue)

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The Queen sends her 'best wishes' to United Synagogue ahead of 150th anniversary - Jewish News

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Posted By admin on February 6, 2020

LAS VEGAS (AP) A white supremacist will plead guilty to a federal weapons charge in a case alleging he planned to bomb a Las Vegas synagogue or shoot people at a fast food restaurant or a bar catering to LGBTQ customers, court records show.

Conor Climos court-appointed attorneys did not immediately respond Friday to email messages about his signed plea agreement filed Jan. 17 in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas.

Climo, 24, is due to plead guilty Feb. 10 and will face about three years in prison, according to the agreement. He will avoid trial and have to undergo mental health treatment and electronic computer monitoring during supervised release after prison.

Climo was arrested Aug. 8 and remains in federal custody on a charge of possessing firearms, specifically destructive devices. He could have faced up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

A spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich declined to comment about the development in one of several recent criminal cases against members of a far-right extremist group.

Climo identified himself as a member of the Feuerkrieg Division, an offshoot of Atomwaffen, a U.S.-based neo-Nazi group that has been linked to several killings, including the 2017 shooting deaths of two men at an apartment in Tampa, Florida.

A U.S. magistrate judge who rejected Climos bid for release last August said the group encourages, and may even commit, violent attacks on people of the Jewish religion, homosexuals, African Americans and federal infrastructures.

The FBI alleged that Climo told an informant of detailed plans to attack a synagogue near his Las Vegas home and compiled a journal with sketches of attacks on a Las Vegas LGBTQ bar or a McDonalds restaurant.

Climo acknowledged talking with others online about making and using explosives, according to his plea agreement, and discussed plans for violent attacks against the Jewish organization Anti-Defamation League, a synagogue and a local bar.

Climo described the McDonalds attack as a suicide mission, and he had very specific plans about attacking one specific synagogue near his house, the magistrate judge wrote, including wanting to light an incendiary device and having others join him to shoot people as they came out.

Climo was interviewed by a local television news crew in September 2016 patrolling his neighborhood wearing battle gear and carrying an assault rifle, survival knife and extended-capacity ammunition magazines. Police said he was not arrested at that time because Nevada does not prohibit people from openly carrying firearms.

The FBI confiscated an AR-15 assault-style weapon and a bolt-action rifle from Climos home when he was arrested last year. Agents reported finding hand-drawn schematics and component parts of a destructive device, including flammable liquids, oxidizing agents and circuit boards.

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Vegas man to plead guilty in plot to bomb synagogue, bar - Associated Press

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