Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on January 11, 2020

Ho humjust an appliance that produces water out of thin air.

GENNY, the Israeli-innovated home appliance that generates water out of thin air, was named the Consumer Technology Associations Energy Efficiency Product of the Year in the 2020 Smart Home Mark of Excellence Awards at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas Wednesday night an award series that annually recognizes the tech industrys top smart home innovations.

Created by the environmentally savvy Rishon Lezion-based tech company Watergen, the water-from-air system taps into atmospheric water using patented heat-exchange technology, producing up to 30 liters of potable water for a home or office every day significantly reducing plastic usage and disposal by eliminating the waste caused by drinking bottled water.

What a dilemma for the woke BDS-holes a product that is great for the environment, yet produced by those pesky Jews Zionists. I am guessing they will chose to boycott it, evenwhen needing to wash down the bitter pill.

In any event, this truly is ingenious.

But not as ingenious as the palestinian Arabs creating a distinct identity out of thin air.

An Aussie immigrant to Israel, David Lange is founder and managing editor of Israellycool.He is a happy family man, and a lover of steak, Australian sports and single malt whisky.

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Zionists Invent Way to Create Water Out of Thin Air - Israellycool

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Posted By admin on January 11, 2020

JERUSALEM (RNS) For the past seven and a half years, six days a week, Michelle Cohen Farber has been teaching one page of Talmud a day a practice known as Daf Yomi to a group of dedicated Orthodox Jewish women in her dining room, and a few hundred other people the vast majority of them women through her podcasts.

On Saturday (Jan. 4), they made it to the last page of the Talmud. Then they held a party.

Farber and other female Talmud pioneers gathered in Jerusalem on Sunday for a celebration of womens Torah learning. It was the first public celebration of completing a cycle of Daf Yomi known as a siyum held by women in the nearly 100-year-old history of the practice, a milestone that reflects just how far some streams of Orthodoxy have come in accepting Jewish womens scholarship.

In our world, where women are progressing academically and setting achievements in all walks of life, it is important that in studying Torah and Jewish texts they should understand the depth of intellectual study which is the core component of our religion, Farber told the siyum participants.

Hadran, the womens Talmud study organization Farber co-founded, organized the event.

Thousands of people around the world watched via a livestream, while tens of thousands more expressed their excitement on social media.

The 3,300 mostly girls and women in the audience cheered Farber and other educators the way fans cheer rock stars. They also rose to their feet whenever an educator walked onstage, just as they would in the presence of a prominent male rabbi.

Despite the strides in womens Jewish education that began in the early 20th century, it has taken nearly a century for Orthodox female Talmud scholars to attain the kind of professional recognition their male counterparts have long enjoyed.

More than 3,000 women, girls and a few men recently gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the end of a seven-and-a-half-year period of Talmud studying Daf Yomi a page a day of Talmud study. RNS photo by Michele Chabin

The Daf Yomi cycle was created in 1923 by the Orthodox Agudah Yisrael movement as a means of unifying world Jewry. Its creators never imagined that women would undertake it.

The womens siyum was both energizing and emotional because study of the Talmud a collection of texts that pertain to Jewish law and tradition has historically been the sole purview of men, with a few exceptions.

Talmud is theory, and theory was always reserved for men, said Shulamit Magnus, a historian who specializes in Jewish womens history.

Studying the Talmud came to be the repository of status, the pinnacle, she added. She said that in the past, Talmud study was something reserved for men who were fluent in biblical Hebrew and Aramaic and had the time and expertise to wade through complicated commentaries.

With knowledge is power, and women werent going to be given the power, Magnus said.

For centuries, Jewish girls education typically included the study of Jewish law as it pertains to the home and every life, but they were taught only rudimentary biblical Hebrew.

Today, many modern Orthodox schools in the U.S. and Israel teach Talmud to girls, but more stringent Orthodox institutions often do not. Post-high school seminary programs are filling the gap.

At the siyum, Malke Bina, founder and first teacher of Matan Women's Institute for Torah Studies, recalled how, 30 years ago, she taught Talmud to a handful of women around her dining room table.

As an educator of womens Torah learning, I have seen an incredible growth of learning opportunities for women. We live in miraculous times, Bina said as videos of girls learning Talmud in several countries were shown on large screens.

The Talmud belongs to each and every one of us, Bina proclaimed.

Addressing the crowd through a video, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, a prominent Orthodox rabbi in Britain, called the siyum an epoch-making event.

This is unprecedented in scale. May you continue to live Torah. May you continue to teach Torah, Sacks said.

Rabbi Mimi Feigelson, a senior lecturer in Rabbinics and Hassidic thought at the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem, said she felt Talmud study was off-limits to her as an Orthodox girl.

Although I had access to the Talmud, I was a stranger and a guest at best.

Completing a Daf Yomi cycle affirmed my place as a link in a tradition. I claimed a part of myself that had been silenced, Feigelson said.

Sarah Bronson, an editor and writer, said it was awe-inspiring to see how far we have come, how many learning centers were represented and how normal it is, at least in some communities, for women to the study the texts that shape our religion.

The womens siyum, and a large mens siyum held in the U.S on Jan. 1, created a buzz that only seems to be growing.

Women and men who had never tried Daf Yomi have started the new cycle, which began on Sunday and will conclude on June 7, 2027.

Three days after the womens siyum, Farber's podcast had been downloaded more than 10,000 times.

The event has brought thousands of new students of the Talmud to study on a daily basis. We now have high school students, seminary and college students studying alongside mothers and grandmothers, for the first time in history.

I feel energized, Farber said.

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In Jerusalem, thousands of Israeli women mark the end of 7 years of daily Talmud study - Religion News Service

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Posted By admin on January 11, 2020

EFRAT, West Bank (JTA)I didnt start learning the Talmud to take a stand or voice an opinion. When I started learning a page of Talmud per day (Daf Yomi) at age 10, I didnt realize that anyone would even notice. To me, it was just something I did, a part of my day that was dedicated to learning Torah with my brother and father.

At ages 9 and 10 respectively, my brother and I had no idea what the commitment really meant. I knew that our being so young was pretty unusual. When my older brother had finished the Daf Yomi cycle at 17-years-old, it was considered a big deal. But other than that, studying Talmud daily seemed very normal to me. I wasnt even aware that the fact that I am a girl was a factor to consider.

The Daf Yomi has been a part of my home for as long as I can remember. My father and my older brother, Ari, first finished Shas (the 2,711 page Babylonian Talmud) in 2012. They had started learning Talmud together in 2005 when I was three years old. I always saw them learning and bonding together. It seemed very natural, meaningful and important to me, but not out of the ordinary.

As a new cycle was approaching, my younger brother Yosi said he wanted to begin learning with my dad as well. I was ten at the time and looking for a project that I could take on for my Bat Mitzvah, so I decided to join. A few years later my younger sister, Bracha, joined as well. And ever since my grandparents moved to Israel, Ive had the privilege of learning with my grandfather too.

In my experience, the hardest part of learning the Daf is starting the practice. Deciding to learn every day for seven and a half years is an intimidating goal. Luckily, my dad was very determined, so once we decided we were starting, that was it. There were no exceptions: if you missed a Daf, you had to make it up another day. It can be hard at times, but thats part of the beauty of it the Torah is always a part of our lives, no matter what else we are doing.

It wasnt always easy. Not every Daf is interesting (although my dad might say otherwise), and with everything going on in our lives, it can be hard to find the time for learning. Thankfully, I had tons of support. My father always took time out of his day to learn with us, make sure that we understood the page, point out all of the interesting details and encourage us to develop our own thoughts and opinions. My family and friends were always there for me, displaying patience, understanding and encouragement.

The experience has taught me many things. I now have an understanding of what our religion is based on the concepts and ideas that go beyond mere technical points of Jewish law. I enjoyed reading the stories about Jews who lived during Talmudic times, the way our ancestors thought and how they shaped our religion and practice. These things have changed the way I think about Judaism and life in general.

Often, I found that what I learned in the Daf was directly connected to my life at the time. I think that anyone can relate to the Gemara (Talmud) and that it affects each person differently, depending on who they are and how they think.

The rabbis in the Gemara challenged every imaginable idea, but always with the understanding of the importance of Torah and belief in God. Respect was always maintained for the generations that came before, even as halacha (Jewish law) was applied to new situations that arose.

I learned how to follow complicated discussions and seek deeper meaning in topics I would otherwise never have thought relevant to my daily life. I learned that its okay to be wrong or to admit what you do not know. I learned that one should stand up for their opinion, but that the real challenge is to truly listen and learn from what others have to say.

One of the truly remarkable things about the great rabbis in the Gemara is that most of them had other jobs. Learning Torah was of central importance, but they understood how Torah was to be integrated into peoples lives. My goal in studying the Daf was never to decide on intricacies of Jewish law, but to similarly integrate Torah into my daily life as a Jewish woman.

This Siyum HaShas or celebration of the completion of the 7 and a half year reading of the Talmud a page per day was a very proud moment, as three generations of our family finished the Talmud Bavli together in our home in Israel. I could not imagine a more special family experience.

This chapter of learning, at times leaning on my fathers shoulder with my brother on his other side, later to be joined by my younger sister and my Zaidy, has now ended. As I prepare to finish high school and move on to the next chapter of my life, I cant imagine a better experience to have bonded me to my family and to prepare me for a life of continued learning and new experiences.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

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At 17, I'm the youngest woman to complete the seven-plus year study of the Talmud - JTA News

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Posted By admin on January 11, 2020

Ferklempt

Cuomo Announces Planned Expansion of Museum of Jewish Heritage

Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced plans to expand the Museum of Jewish Heritage, which is located within Wagner Park, in Battery Park City.

At his annual State of the State address, delivered Wednesday in Albany, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo included on his list of dozens of proposals an announcement that he was directing the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) to develop an expansion plan for the Museum of Jewish Heritage A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, located within Wagner Park, on Battery Place.

Near the end of his 90-minute address, Governor Cuomo said, I am directing Battery Park City to develop a plan to expand our magnificent Jewish Museum on the Holocaust, which is located in Battery Park City. We want to expand the Holocaust Museum, so it can host school children from all across the State. Lets make a visit to the Museum part of a rounded education. Because to know the history of the Jewish people is to know our mutual love and connection. Because New York would not be New York without the Jewish community.

Setting aside that the Governor appeared to be confused about the name of the institution he was praising, this idea raises multiple questions, among them how much park land will be expropriated for the expansion. In this context, it is worth noting that the Museum of Jewish Heritage, which originally opened in 1997, has already expanded, opening an 80,000-square-foot new wing in 2003, which entailed the taking of many thousands of square feet of formerly open, public space.

Another issue will be the budget for this expansion, and where these funds will come from. If the BPCA is called upon to subsidize this plan, it will necessarily raise questions among residents and community leaders, who have been repeatedly told by the Authority that other local priorities (such as housing affordability within Battery Park City) must be weighed against competing imperatives, such as the mandate to convey the maximum possible excess revenue to the City of New York each year.

Any new expansion of the Museum of Jewish Heritage also appears likely to entail significant costs. The 2003 enlargement project was budgeted at $22 million, all of which came from public sources. What other uses local leaders might prioritize for tens of millions of dollars in BPCA funds is a discussion that has yet to begin.

Additional financial questions involve the Museum itself, as well as the State as whole. In recent years, the Museum of Jewish Heritage has experienced serious difficulty in raising sufficient funds to cover operating costs.

As recently as 2016, according the filings with the Internal Revenue Service, the Museum booked a deficit of more than one million dollars. How these challenges would be made more manageable by calling upon the Museums management (and the donors who underwrite their efforts) to preside over a larger physical plant is unclear. Moreover, Governor Cuomo is presiding over a State budget with a projected deficit of $6 billion for the coming fiscal year. Where Mr. Cuomo plans to find room for this largesse in an already strapped balance sheet was not addressed in his Wednesday speech.

Another financial question hinges upon whether the Governor is to be taken literally at his word about bringing school children from around New York State to the Museum of Jewish Heritage. As of this year, there are approximately 2.65 million public school students enrolled in primary and secondary schools throughout the State, according to the federal governments National Center for Education Statistics. The cost of transporting any significant percentage of this population (from cities as far away as Buffalo, Rochester, Utica, and Syracuse, as well as hundreds of other, smaller school districts), along with teachers and chaperones, while providing all of them with food and (in some cases) overnight accommodation, so that they could spend even a few hours at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, would likely run to many tens of millions of dollars per year. The source for this funding was also unspecified in the Governors speech.

Some of these questions may be resolved (or at least clarified) later this month, when Governor Cuomo is scheduled to deliver his annual budget address.

At Wednesday evenings meeting of the Battery Park City Committee of Community Board 1 (CB1), chairwoman Tammy Meltzer asked, where is there parking for all of the buses needed to bring these children in? BPCA representatives agreed to inquire about this aspect of a plan that they said was still in its preliminary, conceptual stages. They also offered assurances of collaboration with the community in developing the proposal.

Regardless of whether residents are afforded a meaningful role in planning for any expansion at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, this initiative would appear to be part of a pattern in which Battery Park City, a community directly controlled by Mr. Cuomo, has become the venue of choice for a succession of high-profile gestures (including planned memorials for Puerto Rican victims of Hurricane Maria, and the life of Mother Cabrini) that seem calculated to curry favor among important constituencies for a Governor who is widely believed to have national political ambitions.

Matthew Fenton

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The BroadsheetDAILY ~ 1/09/20 ~ News of Lower Manhattan - ebroadsheet.com

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Posted By admin on January 11, 2020

Tiffany Haddish revealed she received a beautiful bible from Tina Lawson for her bar mitzvah. "Is she trying to say, 'Hey! You know you Black right?'" the comedian joked.

Leave it to Tina Lawson to give the most memorable gift to Tiffany Haddish. The famous mom of her equally famous daughters, Beyonce and Solange Knowles presented Tiffany with a special Bible when the comedian celebrated her batmitzvah.

Tiffany was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! when she spilled on Tinas gift to her. Last month, she had a Black Mitzvah to ring in her 40th year and mark her acceptance of her Jewish heritage.

Tiffany was 27 when she met her father who turned out to be an Eritrean Jew. She has since learned to embrace her religious roots and decided to be baptized into it when she turned the milestone age of 40.

The actress divulged details of that milestone day to Jimmy including the gifts she received from her famous friends. Among them was a diamond-studded Jewish star from Barbra Streisand who couldnt make it to the affair. Jimmy joked that he also had the same gift for Tiffany but with a little less bling.

But the talk show host was astounded to learn later that one curious gift was from Tina who gave Tiffany a Bible, something a Jewish person wouldnt expect to receive.

Ms. Tina gave me the most beautiful Bible with this cross on it and everything, and I was like, is she trying to say, Hey! You know you Black, right?' Tiffany recalled making a joke of the less-than-thoughtful present.

She quickly added that the bible had diamonds on the crucifix and that she has since learned to read from both the Bible and the Torah every day. They start out the same, she says referring to their first four books.

Tiffany fully embraced her Jewish heritage the moment she learned of it. In fact, she studied Hebrew for five months leading to her batmitzvah which is usually given to Jewish girls at the age of 12.

She had the actual ritual ahead of her party where she read from Jewish biblical text in the company of friends and family. Then she made a grand entrance to her feteheld at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills dancing hora to the song, Have Nagila.

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Tiffany Haddish Says Beyonc's Mom Gifted Her Bible Encrusted with Diamonds for Her Bat Mitzvah Celebration - AmoMama

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Posted By admin on January 11, 2020

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday delivered his 10th State of the State address, outlining his vision for New York at the dawn of a new decade.

But Cuomo, as in years past, played the progressive greatest hits, including proposals to protect the environment, legalize recreational marijuana and expand mandatory paid sick leave.

Everyone is pointing fingers, but no one is pointing forward and no one is pointing up, said Cuomo, bemoaning the shadow of division creeping across politics and the nation at large. New York at her best is the progressive capital of the nation, and we must fulfill that again this year.

But the sprawling blueprint does not address head-on two of the most pressing issues to start the year in tweaks to the bail reform overhaul which Cuomo has already said needs changes less than one rough week after it became law and the $6 billion state budget deficit.

In fact, Cuomo floated a reduction in the states corporate franchise tax from 6.5 percent to 4 percent for businesses with fewer than 100 employees, a move that would benefit an estimated 36,000 taxpayers while bucking an expectation of fiscal belt-tightening to fight the deficit.

The states already enacted tax cuts will continue to phase in as planned, with the rate for New Yorkers making between $26,000 and $150,000 dropping to 5.5 percent.

Amid a spate of anti-Semitic attacks, particularly in the five boroughs, Cuomo called for plans to expand Lower Manhattans Museum of Jewish Heritage, with an eye toward it hosting educational trips by schoolchildren from across the state.

On hand to deliver the blessing was Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg, whose Monsey, NY, shul was attacked last month by a machete-wielding madman on the seventh night of Hanukkah.

We stand in solidarity and love with you and your community, Cuomo vowed to Rottenberg. What happened to you and your community is intolerable. We will not stand for it and we will defend you.

Cuomo also proposed a plan to expand sick leave.

Businesses with more than five employees would be required to offer at least five days of paid leave, while those with more than 100 workers would have to pony up at least seven paid days.

Additionally, Cuomo vowed comprehensive e-bike legislation after vetoing a bill for their legalization last month though the plan offered no specifics.

Cuomo indicated the state will take another run at the legalization of recreational pot use, after the initiative died on the vine in 2019.

That would include the creation of an Office of Cannabis Management, a regulatory body that would ensure the state retains more than a token measure of authority should weed go legal.

Also not mentioned Wednesday was legal sports betting, an issue some Albany legislators were keen to push across the goal-line last year.

A number of Wednesdays announcements, however, were mere reiterations of initiatives that Cuomo had already hyped in the weeks leading up to the address.

They included a three-year ban from public transit for serial pervs, a massive expansion of Penn Station, and a ban on styrofoam food containers and packing peanuts.

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Cuomo touts progressive proposals in 2020 State of the State - New York Post

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Posted By admin on January 11, 2020

NEW YORK (JTA) Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg, whose home was the site of a stabbing last month on the holiday of Hanukkah, delivered an invocation at Governor Andrew Cuomos State of the State address.

Joseph Gluck, the man who stopped the attacker by throwing a coffee table at his head, was also in attendance and received a standing ovation.

The attacker injured five people at Rottenbergs home in Monsey, New York, on Dec. 28, including the rabbis son. One of those wounded, Joseph Neumann, remains in critical condition.

May it be your will that we all join together in the struggle to see divine dignity in all of humanity, Rottenberg said Wednesday, ahead of the governors annual address in Albany. Father in heaven, bless and heal us. I will never forget the horror of that night. But I will also never forget how we continued to celebrate after the attack, how we continued to rejoice in the miracle of Hanukkah. I will never forget the resilience on display that night and in the following days, the resilience of Jewish people and the resilience of New York.

Rottenberg also advocated for protection of the Hasidic way of life. In particular, he spoke out on behalf of Hasidic private schools, which may be forced to devote more hours to secular subjects like math, science and English pending a proposal now under consideration by the state Department of Education. The proposal has met intense resistance from Hasidic leaders.

We pray that divine providence should continue protecting us from evil forces who are out to harm us physically or from those who are out to attack our Hasidic traditional way of life and system of education, he said.

Later, referring to Cuomo, he added, Help him promote and instill the values of tolerance and appreciation among all our neighborhoods and communities who may look different, talk in a different language or raise and educate their children according to their unique ancestral traditions.

Cuomo condemned anti-Semitism near the beginning of the speech and praised Gluck, calling him the definition of New York bravery. Near the end of the speech, he called on New York to end the national rise in anti-Semitism.

There is no place for hate in our state, period, he said. What happened in Monsey is intolerable and we will not allow it to happen in this state.

Cuomo proposed a series of measures to prevent anti-Semitism. Against the backdrop of a photo of the recent march against anti-Semitism, he repeated an earlier call to define hate crime attacks as domestic terrorism, promised to increase the capacity of the New York state police hate crimes task force, and provide additional funding for security to schools and houses of worship.

He also called for adding classes about bigotry and religious freedom to the educational curriculum. He recounted George Washingtons letter to the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, in which he wrote that Jews would be able to practice their religion freely in America, and he called for clergy to preach against hate crimes.

Cuomo also proposed an expansion of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, a Holocaust museum in Lower Manhattan, and called for schools across the state to visit the museum.

Lets make sure our schools are teaching our young children, who are frighteningly involved in so many of these incidents, lets teach them what America truly stands for, he said. I want our schools to add to their curriculum a lesson that teaches our young people our civic values and our history on diversity, and that a fundamental premise of this nation is religious freedom.

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Monsey rabbi who survived stabbing attack gives invocation at New York State of the State address - JTA News

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Posted By admin on January 11, 2020

Duplicate Bridge Club

The ACBL sanctioned Duplicate Bridge at Jewish Congregation of Marco Islandresumes Tuesday, Dec. 17, through March at the Synagogue, located at 991 Winterberry Drive. The game begins at 1 pm. For information contact the Chair-Richard Perlman at 609 306 9732.

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The group meets the last Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m.If you would like to join in a social event with Rhode Islanders who are wintering in Southwest Florida at a variety of venues,call Ann Sepe at 401-632-6099.

Workshops for the 2019-2020 season continue through March 10. Workshops are held on Tuesday mornings from 8:45 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at the United Church of Marco, 320 N Barfield Dr.Join usand become membersto create beautiful Shell Art for our craft sales. Proceeds go to our education and scholarship funds. Contact us atwww.marcoshellclub.com

Republican Club of South Collier County offers a speaker series once a month on Wednesdays at the Hammock Bay Country Club,1370 Borghese Lane, Naples at 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. Scheduled events are as follows: Jan. 22, John Michael Chambers, author; Feb. 19, (District 1 debate candidates) March 18, (Debate, Congressional District 19) For additional information, please visit marcogop.org or contact VP Len Schuman at917-640-7564.

Business meetings begin at 12:30 p.m. and speakers begin at 1:15 p.m. the second Monday of the month, October through March, at the Fellowship Hall of Wesley United Methodist Church, 350 S. Barfield, Marco Island. Community members interested in gardening, floral design and environmental issues are welcome to attend and invited to join the group.Information: Susan Neustadtat 609.618.7357; email calusagardenclub@aol.com; visit calusa.org.

Meetings held the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Perkins Restaurant, 4335 Tamiami Trail East, Naples. Information: Bruce Miles, 239-394-1020. Club is not active in July, August and September.

The Kiwanis Club of Marco Island meets the first and third Thursday at 7 a.m. for breakfast and meeting at Stonewalls, 551 S. Collier Blvd. Guest welcome. Information: President Pat Hagedorn, 450-8901.

Interested in joining the Marco Knights of Columbus #6344? Contact John DeRosa at 239-272-0816 or Richard Gabrys at 414-828-4408.

The Italian American Society of Marco Island spent the afternoon of Jan. 6 playing bocce at Mackle Park. It was a picture perfect day to begin the season with cool temperatures and plenty of sunshine. The club will play every week and all members are welcomed. For more information, call Peter Pareene at 518-339-1612 or visit iasmi.org. (Photo: Photo provided)

The Italian American Society of Marco Island will hold their monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of each month, November though April, at Mackle Park's Community room. Doors open at 6 p.m. with meetings starting at 6:30.This energetic group of men and women are dedicated to remembering their roots while socializing through dinners, dances, bocce, trips, golf and so much more. Anyone over the age of 21 who is of Italian heritage or by marriage is eligible. For more information: iasmi.org or call Ralph Madonna, 239 970-2032 or Ann D'Onofrio, 239 642-3940.

The Italian American Society of Marco Island spent the afternoon of Jan. 6 playing bocce at Mackle Park. It was a picture perfect day to begin the season with cool temperatures and plenty of sunshine. The club will play every week and all members are welcomed. For more information, call Peter Pareene at 518-339-1612 or visit iasmi.org. Above: Bob Hulnick, Alba Turrin, Gary Bourassa and Gus Scola starting out.(Photo: Photo provided)

The Jolley Roger Puzzle Club meets every Wednesday afternoon to discuss, dissect and otherwise chat about The New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle. If tackling the Sunday puzzle is part of your regular routine and you would like to get together with people who share your hobby, call Lee at 394-1492 or Lynn at 609-678-0424 for meeting time and location.

The Rotary Club of Marco Island Sunrise meets 7:30 a.m., every Tuesday at Stonewalls, 551 S. Collier Boulevard. Breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m. with meeting following. Information: marcoislandsunriserotary.org.

The Marco Noontime Rotary Club meets on Thursdays, which varies during the summer months. For meeting time and location, visit marcoislandrotary.org.

Just Friends meets for lunch and socializing the second Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m., at the Marco Island Yacht Club.To become a member, you must have been a member in good standing of the Marco Island Newcomers Club for at least three years. President; Rose Kraemer. Membership information; Patty at 239-653-9229 or Trisha at 715-933-0883.Luncheon information; Sandi at 239-642-3333.Mail luncheon checks for $40.00 to Just Friends, PO Box 1685, Marco Island, 34146.

If you would like to attend a luncheon and join in the fun and meet some fabulous women, you can contact our membership chairs at MarcoMembership@gmail.com. (Note on the subject line Attention: Membership Chairs).

The club meets at 10 a.m. the second Thursday of each month at United Church of Marco Island, 320 N. Barfield Drive. MMC is open to residents of Marco Island, Goodland and the Isles of Capri. Information:Charlie Erker at239-259-8054 or marcomensclub.com.

Marco Island Womans Club awards scholarships to graduating high school students, who live on Marco Island, and supports various local nonprofit organizations.The group meets for lunch at 11:30 a.m. the first Wednesday of the month. Information: President Sue Ellen Welch at 781-635-5240 ormarcowomansclub.com.

TheDemocratic Women's Club of Marcomeets from 5 until 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at Rose Hall, Marco Island branch library, Marco Island. Our goal is to raise awareness of policy matters pertaining to all, and to encourage and support those qualified to seek elected office. We host monthly socials and coffees, as well as "Meet and Greets" for those running for public office. ContactDWCMarco@gmail.comfor additional information."

America's Boating Club, founded in 1914 as the United States Power Squadrons, is a national educational and social organization promoting boating and watercraft skills,safety and fun.Here on Marco, we enjoy boating cruises and social events, and conduct nationally recognized classes in boat handling, navigation, boatingsafety. The club also offers free vessel safety check certifications and performs public service surveys of our waterway navigation aids.Everyone with an interest in boating is welcome. For more information, come to our monthly social hour at CJ's every fourth Wednesday at 5 p.m., to one of our dinner meetings, or call us at 239/393-0150. Information:MarcoBoatingClub.org.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary was created by the United States Congress in 1939 and is the leading agency protecting Americas Seaward Frontier in Recreational Boating. They are the Uniformed Civilian Componentof the United States Coast Guard in nearly all mission areas. Several Boating Seamanship Classes are conducted year round atMarcoFlotilla 9-5Auxiliary Station,905 Caxambas Pass Park. Information: 239-384-7416 or cgauxcourses@gmail.com.

Sailing Association of Marco Island (SAMI) is the club for those people interested in sailing or just meeting others who share a love of sailing. We have day or overnight cruises planned throughout the year, participate in a yearly regatta, meet for dinner or hold potlucks, and have interesting speakers. We welcome new members. Check our website: samisailor.org. Membership contact is Laura Kolpack at 608-385-8123.

When you cross the Jolley Bridge entering Marco Island, the first thing youll see to the right of the bridge is the Marco Island Yacht Club (MIYC). Members enjoy a full calendar of social and boating events, plus waterfront dining with the most spectacular views on the Island. We are currently welcoming new members. Check our website marcoislandyachtclub.net or call our membership director at 239-394-0199.

Marco Bay Yacht Club is the oldest and most active yacht club on Marco Island with numerous cruise and social events a year. The club has boating events for both large and small vessels. Theres a club social at CJs on the Bay at 4:30 p.m. on the last Monday of the month. New potential members are always welcome. Come visit and see if this is the boating club for you.Information: Judy Sacher, Membership Chair, 239-777-4604 or Judy.Sacher@aol.com.

American Association of University Women's Mission: Advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. The AAUW Marco Island Branch meets at 9 a.m., October through April, on the third Monday of the month at the United Church on Barfield Drive. Information: Durell Buzzini, director for membership, 207-745-4679.

Marco Lutheran Churchs singles group meets on the fourth Sunday of each month from 4 to 6 p.m. Join for refreshments, discussions, programs, projects and lots of good friendship and fun. Information: 394-0332.

Marco Island Writers meets from 6 until 8 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month, year round, at Mackle Park Community Center, 1361 Andalusia Terrace; Marco Island (Burrowing Owl Room). Free. All skill levels welcome. Joanne Tailele, President Joanne.tailele@gmail.com; marcoislandwritersinc@gmail.comor marcoislandwriters.com. Note: August meeting is 6:30 until 8:30 p.m.; no September meeting.

The Great Books Discussion Group meets the second and fourth Monday of the month from 3-5 p.m. Excerpts from great literature, including short stories are read and discussed. Information: George at 239-970-6644 or 610-710-5861.

If you enjoy meeting new friends and conversing in French, come join the Marco Island French Club. Relaxed and friendly atmosphere en franais! The pot-luck breakfast get-togethers are held on the first Friday morning of the month, with members taking turns hosting the group in their home or condo. Information: Isabelle Adly at 239-963-8646.

Marco Island Senior Squadron meets 7 p.m. the first and third Mondays in the CAP Hangar at Marco Island Executive Airport at the end of Mainsail Dr., off Collier Blvd. South (State Road 951). First Lt. Robert G. Boone, Squadron Commander, at 239-389-1273. Information: marcoislandcap.org.

Meetings are held at 11 a.m., on the third Tuesday of each month at Marco Lutheran Church, 525 N. Collier Blvd. Marco Island; all veterans are welcome.By and act of congress signed into law by thePresident all active and honorable dischargedMilitary veterans from 1941 on are eligible to belong to the American Legion.Contact info: John Apolzan at 317-432-7055or Lee Rubenstein at 239-564-9894.

Incorporated in 2003, the Marco Island Foundation for the Arts is a charitable non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that strives to brig literary, visual and performing arts events to the Marco Island community. Board meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month. Interested persons are welcome to attend. Information: 239-389-0280 or http://www.marcoislandfoundation.org.

Meets the second Tuesday, at the Mutual of Omaha Bank on San Marco Road at 7 p.m. at the rear entrance to the bank. The group sells U.S.-made flags of all types at wholesale prices using proceeds for veterans relief and welfare. New male and female veterans who served in combat areas are needed. Transfers are accepted from other Posts. Contact Dave Gardner at 239-289-5862.

The Marco Island Shrine meets every Friday at 11:30 a.m. for fun and fellowship. All Masons and Shriners are welcome. Call for location. Information: Bob Bacon at 239-398-9957.

Chapter meets the third Thursday of the month at 10:30 at Island Country Club. Visiting and prospective member are welcome. Information, Karen Lombardi at 239-394-0028.

Chapter meets the second Thursday of each month, October through May, at 11:30 a.m. at The Tiburon Golf Club in North Naples. Visiting Compatriots and prospective members are welcome.Information: emailNaplesSAR@gmail.comor call Ed Lary, Chapter Registrar, at 239-732-7280.

Southwest Florida Sons & Daughters of Erin meets at 6:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of every month at San Marco Catholic Church Parrish, 851 San Marco Road. Information: Kathleen Reynolds, 239-394-0220.

La Mesa Espanola meets Wednesdays (November through April) 8:30-9:30 a.m.at Stonewalls for coffee and conversation in Spanish. The group also sponsors films, social events, and a reading group. For more information, contact Michael Bombykmichael.bombyk@usinternet.com.

Marco Island Paddlers Association Inc. (MIPA) is a nonprofit association for people interested in Kayak, SUP or Canoe paddling in the broader Marco Island Area. MIPA host group paddles, training sessions, and paddle related meetings and events. Information: emailmi.paddlers.assoc@gmail.comor visit meetup.com/Marco-Island-Paddling-Association/.

All divers and water lovers are welcome to come join our casual gatherings the last Friday of the month, 6:30 p.m. at Scuba Marco (1141 Bald Eagle Dr). We share stories, meet new dive buddies, plan dive travel, and have monthly educational seminars. Refreshments provided. Call or email Jessi at 239-389-7889,info@scubamarco.com.

First Saturday of every month at 8:30 a.m. at the Sand Bar, 826 E Elkcam Circle, Marco Island. Details call Keith Pershing 239-394-1887.

Corvette and classic muscle cars gather every Friday at 8 p.m. in the Marco Town Center parking. All Corvettes and muscle cars are welcome. The club also hosts a weekly Saturday morning car cruise(10 a.m. until 1 p.m.) at the Marco Island Lutheran Church located on 525 N Collier Blvd. Information: marcoislandcorvettes.com.

The Naples-Marco Island Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America is now meeting at 7 p.m. every third Monday at the First United Methodist Church of Naples, 388 First Avenue South, Naples. Information: 239-642-0147 or naplesmarcoaaca.org.

The club extends a welcome to fellow boaters with large or smaller boats. Marco Cruise Club was founded in December 1975 and is the one of the oldest boating clubs on the island. General membership meetings are held at 7 p.m., on the fourth Tuesday of the month at the Mutual of Omaha Bank on San Marco and Barfield Drive. Boating enthusiasts are welcome to join. Information: marcocruiseclub.com or Neil Blaauboer at 642-8493.

The Marco Island Road Runners Club meets every Saturday morning at 8 a.m. at Mackle Park. All running levels are welcomed. Find us on Facebook at Marco Island Road Runners or email Scott@scotthicks11@gmail.com.

The MIMYC sails Sundays from 2 until 4 p.m. at Mackle Park. The MIMYC has been in existence since 2008 and host the Annual Marco Island RC Laser Championships the first weekend of March. Information: 239-642-1825.

Meetings are every Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. at the Centennial Bank, 645 East Elkcam Circle, Marco Island. Everyone is welcomed. Contact: Chris Pritchard,colliertoastmasters@gmail.comor visit 1126118.toastmastersclubs.org/.

Clubs purpose is tasting wines and meeting new friends. This is not for profit and is noncommercial. If interested, call Carol Martin 239-784-3025 for details.

Civitan International is an organization of volunteer service clubs around the world, dedicated to helping the needs of their communities with an emphasis on intellectually/developmentally disabled people. The Marco Island Civitan Club meets the firstThursday of the month at noon at Margaritas Restaurant plus social/educational gatherings.For information call Pres. Bob Kircher 239-774-2623 or e-mail bobkircher856@gmail.com. Visit civitan.orgto lean about the Civitan International Research Center.

All knitters are welcome, expert to novice, every Wednesday from 12:30 until 3:30 p.m. at Mackle Park. Join us to share your stitches and your stories. Free of charge, walk-ins welcome. Parks and Recreation Department, Frank E. Mackle Community Park, 1361 Andalusia Terrace Marco Island. Information: 239-642-0575, cityofmarcoisland.com.

MAC meets on the third Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. at the Marco Island Historical Societys Rose Hall (across the street from the library). Information: 239-394-3222 or mac-online.org for a listing of topics and speakers at upcoming meetings.

The group is a social activities club for adult couples and singles. There are no dues or fees. Information: 239-595-4661 orcurt.dixon@yahoo.com.

Snow skiing in Southwest Florida? Join fellow skiers and snowboarders for updates on our upcoming ski, non-ski trips and social activities.Business meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month; 6:30 p.m. at the Parrot Room at Gulf Coast Inn; 2555 Tamiami Trail N. (Route 41); Naples. Information:naplesskiclub.comor 239-839-3711.

The Alpha Chi Omega Alumni Chapter is open to alumnae of Alpha Chi Omega chapters across the country. Call Donna at 239-594-9401 or emaildeltapidelta.axo@gmail.com.

Kappa Alpha Theta Alumnae Chapter hosts a lunch bunch on the second Monday of each month from May to October at different local restaurants. Information: Pat Morton, 239-213-0474 ormortonsel@comcast.net.

At 11:30 a.m. every Thursday at Joey Ds, 701 Bald Eagle Dr., Marco Island. All hams and others interested in amateur radio welcomed for good discussion on all amateur radio topics. Marco Hams currently monitor repeater 443.65 Mhz plus 5 Mhz offset PL 141.3 Hz and the repeater is used for lunch talk-in. Contact Jim K3AVR 239-595-6683 or Bob W1IZT 239-287-3272.

The Naples Council on World Affairs (NCWA) offers a small group discussion program on a variety of international topics of interest to globally minded residents. The group meets for two hours once a week during the season (January through March) for a total of eight weeks. There is a reading book provided and videos are also available. Participants must be members of the NCWA and must sign up for the Great Decisions Program (see NCWA website for details). Information: George at 239-970-6644 or 610-710-5861.

Come join the great benefits of Safari Club International. An organization dedicated to promote safe ethical hunting, fishing and safe firearms responsibility. Membership open to all. For information on meetings, events and upcoming fellowships for residence of Marco Island, emailGregory Cheek at cheekhouse@aol.com.

The Gourmet Stud Muffins is a mens social club committed to the cooking and enjoyment of food: the history, preparation and eating. The group hosts regular events at a members house. Each member hosts at least one event a year. Participants contribute to purchase the food and help with preparation, sharing recipes, learning new cooking skills and ultimately enjoy a meal together. Information: Bruce Novark atbnovark@comcast.net.

For more listings, navigate to the Life section and click on Club Briefs at marconews.com.Briefs must be emailed tomail@marconews.com and should be submitted at least a week before desired publication.

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Club Briefs: Italian American Society will see you on the court - Marco News

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Posted By admin on January 11, 2020

The holiday season is a time of joy and goodwill. We join in celebration with friends and family in the presumably safe havens of our homes and houses of worship.

That sanctuary was upended in horrific fashion in late December when a man wielding an 18-inch machete burst into a Rabbis home in the Rockland County town of Monsey. He attacked a group of Orthodox Jews who had gathered to mark the seventh night of Hanukkah a celebration of religious freedom.

Five people were injured. The victims included a 72-year-old man who lays near death in a coma.

Prosecutors allege the attacker, who has been charged with federal hate crimes, kept handwritten journals that contained anti-Semitic writings, and conducted internet searches on Adolph Hitler and the location of local synagogues.

This incident would be frightening enough if it was an isolated event. But it wasnt. It was just one of a string of attacks on Jews in New York State 13 of which took place in December alone.

Over the past year, in New York City, anti-Semitic crimes jumped 21 percent over the previous 12 months.

According to data compiled by the Anti-Defamation League, there were 1,879 recorded attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions across the country in 2018.

These are near-historic levels, with a sharp increase in violent assaults.

Such attacks are not limited to people of the Jewish faith. Only 14 hours after the Hanukkah assault in Monsey, agunman fired on worshippers at a Texas church. He killed two people before being shot and killed by a parishioner who headed the churchs security team.

Just think of that an armed security team, in a church.

You might ask: What is this country coming to?

Heres what we have come to: hate crime incidentsin churches, synagogues, temples and mosques increased 34 percent between 2014 and 2018.

While these statistics are alarming, the situation may be worse than the numbers suggest. State and local police are not required to report hate crimes. More than half of all victims never file a complaint.

We live in a time of increasing intolerance. In the minds of many too many it is a time of us against them. Anger and hatred are mutating into a cancer in the body politic.

Americas foundational principles abhor intolerance. Pluralism and diversity are our national heritage: the source of our strength. But now, chillingly, our differences are used by hate-filled individuals to tear us apart.

We cannot stand idly by amidst this crisis. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously observed, quote: Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

That is why the New York State Bar Association, the nations oldest and largest voluntary group of lawyers, has formed an emergency Task Force on Domestic Terrorism and Hate Crimes.

The task force is made up of top attorneys and judges. It will consider ways to improve the federal and state legal systems response to hate crimes and develop strategies to educate the public on the value of diversity and inclusion.

This vital work comes as thousands of lawyers converge later this month in New York City at the State Bars Annual Meeting. The capstone of this week-long event will be the Presidential Summit, the focus of which - white nationalism and domestic terrorism in America - was set months ago, but, unfortunately, is all too pertinent today.

Renowned experts will address the growing threat of mass violence perpetrated by extremist groups and the legal implications of combatting it.

Challenging times lay ahead for us. Not only are hate crimes on the rise, but attacks on the very rule of law and our constitutional norms and traditions are now commonplace. The public is more polarized and divided than at any time since the Vietnam War.

No less an authority than the Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts, in his annual end-of year report, warned that Americans have quote come to take democracy for granted.

The first step in solving a problem is recognizing that it exists.

We have a problem a grave and serious one that threatens the very fabric of the country. Let us all do our part to solve it.

Henry Hank Greenberg is president of the New York State Bar Association.

The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.

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Hank Greenberg: A Cancer In The Body Politic - WAMC

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Posted By admin on January 11, 2020

WASHINGTON (JTA)-The black-Jewish coalition that has fought for civil rights since the 1960s has the city of Atlanta as its nexus. Folks there cite three reasons for this: a substantial African-American population, a relatively large Jewish community and John Lewis.

Lewis, 79, the longtime Democratic congressman from Georgia who announced Sunday that he was suffering from stage 4 pancreatic cancer, has been close to Jewish groups for decades. And that longstanding relationship was on full display with the reactions from Jewish groups to the Lewis announcement.

"Representative Lewis has been a fighter his entire life, from the dirt-poor farm he grew up on in Alabama, to the long struggle for civil rights and the promise of America for all its inhabitants, to his distinguished service as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the past 32 years," the American Jewish Committee said in a statement Sunday.

Jonathan Greenblatt, the Anti-Defamation League's CEO, called Lewis "our nation's moral compass" and said he has "set the standard for righteous pursuit of justice and what is right."

"This is not an exaggeration: Mr. Lewis has transformed our country through his struggle and leadership," Greenblatt wrote in an email to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., a Jewish congressman representing a black-majority district in and around Memphis, in a statement called Lewis "a heroic voice of conscience in an era of lessening values. He is America's saint." Other Jewish lawmakers praising Lewis included Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and the minority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat.

Lewis has sought Jews as partners since his days helping to organize the 1963 March on Washington. He and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel were among the leaders of the 1965 March on Selma, and a photo of the two men forming a vanguard with 10 others-including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.-has become iconic.

In 2012, speaking at an AJC event at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Lewis showed impatience with the schism that had developed between blacks and Jews in subsequent decades over issues like affirmative action and Israel.

"If we know each other and understand each other, there would not be a schism," Lewis said.

The AJC was the Jewish organization to which Lewis was the closest. Under its aegis Lewis, then an Atlanta city councilor, co-founded the Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition in 1982. This year, he gave his blessing to and served as co-chairman of the Congressional Black-Jewish Caucus, which also is an AJC initiative.

Lewis is backing Jon Ossoff, a Jewish U.S. Senate candidate in Georgia hoping to unseat the incumbent Republican, David Perdue, in 2020.

His status as a near martyr of the civil rights movement-police savagely beat him in 1965 in Selma-has elevated Lewis to that increasingly rare creature: a politician beloved on both sides of the aisle.

Kellyanne Conway, the often acerbic aide to President Donald Trump, said on Twitter: "Prayers and comfort for a courageous and timeless civil rights hero."

Earlier this month, Sen. Johnny Isakson, the Georgia Republican who announced that he was quitting Congress because of Parkinson's disease, crossed to the House chamber to hear Lewis deliver a tribute. Lewis ended his paean to his colleague by crossing the aisle and embracing him closely, choking up some Republicans in the chamber.

Jewish groups over the years have rallied to Lewis's causes-and to his defense. The Reform movement, the AJC and the ADL have joined Lewis in making protections for voting rights for minorities a top priority. And in 2017, when Trump attacked Lewis on Twitter as "all talk and no action" after Lewis questioned the legitimacy of his election, all three shot back at the president.

"Wrong! His life has been all action & results. He changed US history," the AJC said.

Lewis's legitimacy among Jewish groups has made it hard for them to ignore his criticism. Lewis lent his sponsorship this year to a resolution opposing laws that penalize Israel boycotters-measures supported by both the AJC and the ADL. Lewis did so not because he embraces the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement-he rejects it-but because boycotts were at the heart of the civil rights movement and he sees them as embodying speech freedoms.

In 2015, Lewis was a spokesman for African-American lawmakers who boycotted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress in which Netanyahu vigorously opposed President Barack Obama's efforts to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran. The lawmakers saw the speech as a slight against the first black president by then-House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

"I am saddened that the speaker would threaten this historic position, bipartisan support of our Israeli brothers and sisters, by this action," Lewis said.

A statement from Lewis's office on Monday said the congressman would continue to serve in the House while he undergoes treatment. Doctors have given him a "fighting chance," the statement said.

"I have been in some kind of fight-for freedom, equality, basic human rights-for nearly my entire life," Lewis said. "I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now."

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Jewish groups and lawmakers laud legacy of John Lewis after he announces pancreatic cancer diagnosis - Heritage Florida Jewish News

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