Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on December 5, 2019

Congregation Bnai Emunah, a San Francisco synagogue founded by Jewish refugees from Shanghai, will celebrate its 70th anniversary with a weekend of events Dec. 20-22 including, fittingly, a Chinese food Kiddush.

Established in 1949, the shul began its life as a community of mostly German Jews who had fled to Shanghai during World War II, and then made their way to California.

A lot has changed over the years. Early on, services were held in German for the founding families; Rabbi George Kantorowski was among the 23 members of the shul who had come to San Francisco through Shanghai. For many years the synagogue held High Holiday services in the Druids Temple and the Scottish Rite Auditorium, finally finding a permanent home in 1975 on Taraval Street, two blocks from Ocean Beach.

In 1968, Rabbi Ted Alexander, himself a Shanghailander from Germany, took over the pulpit. From then on, services were in English, continued by Rabbi Mark Melamut in 2008 and by Rabbi Pam Frydman starting last year.

Anniversary events planned by the Conservative synagogue of 125 families include a Shabbat service with stories of old times, the Chinese Kiddush, dinner and dancing at a local restaurant, and a family Hanukkah sing-along. RSVP is requested by Dec. 13; more information can be found at bnaiemunahsf.org.

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Chinese food kiddush and more as B'nai Emunah celebrates 70th anniversary - The Jewish News of Northern California

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Posted By admin on December 5, 2019

I will bring them to My sacred mount and let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices shall be welcome on mymizbayach; for My House shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Isaiah 56:7 (The Israel Bible)

Photo credits to Dr. Mechael Osband.

A rare mosaic floor with a design of the footprints of bird and mammals has been discovered in the excavation of a synagogue in the ancient settlement of Majdulia on the Golan Heights. The settlement was apparently established at the end of the Second Temple period, in the first century in the Common Era, but it disappeared at the end of the Third Century CE.

The unusual floor design indicates the changes in the Jewish community during the Roman period, This is the ancient testimony of a colorful and decorated mosaic in a Golan synagogue and dates back to a period about which we have almost no knowledge of the Jewish community in the Golan in particular and few remnants of synagogues in Israel in general, said Dr. Mechael Osband CORRECT SPELLING of the University of Haifas Zinman Institute of Archeology who led the excavations.

Osbands team has been excavating in the ancient settlement of Majdulia next to the settlement of Natur, a moshav made up of both religious and secular families that is located adjacent to the Samakh Stream and only 10 kilometers from Lake Kinneret.

A few years ago, the researchers found the remains of a synagogue in a place with a rectangular floor plan measuring 13 x 23 meters. Finding the remains of the synagogue was of great importance, as until a few years ago, historians and archeologists believed that the Jewish settlement in the Golan ceased to exist after the Great Revolt with the destruction of Gamla in 67 CE. The synagogue findings, along with similar evidence from other excavations and surveys in recent years, bolstered the understanding that the Jewish community continued to exist. The last excavation season in the synagogue added new and important understandings of the development of Jewish life over the years and life in the countryside during the Roman period in the Golan.

This is the earliest discovery of a colorful and decorated mosaic in a Golan synagogue, dating back to the third century CE, said Osband. We see an interesting combination of the continued tradition of synagogues from the Second Temple period, such as the seating arrangement and the relative lack of architectural decorations, with new added elements that would later become common in synagogues over time, such as a colorful mosaic that features animals.

Inside the synagogue, researchers were able to uncover colored mosaic sections. The building was exposed with the help of Shalom Ariel who joined the project as part of his graduate studies in Eretz Israel studies at the Kinneret College, and without his dedication and patience it is doubtful whether the buildings investigation in general and the mosaic in particular could be promoted to their present state, Osband added.

The fact that the settlement was abandoned in the late Third Century made it possible to more accurately date the findings. Only the lower tiers of the synagogue survived, and the mosaic in a few sections alone remained, apparently due to deliberate dismantling of the structure over the years.

The mosaic sections that were exposed indicate that the lounge (side halls) floor was colorful and characterized by the richness of geometric shapes. However, the mosaic in the main hall turned out to be more complex and elaborate, and despite its poor state of preservation, the legs of birds and of a number of unidentified animals can still be seen.

The researchers say that the mosaics rich design may prove that the synagogue was changed at some point in time into a place of learning and prayer for the whole Jewish community. We know that synagogues at the end of the Second Temple period were mainly used as a place of Torah study. Synagogues at the end of the Roman period and especially in the Byzantine period are used as a place for prayer, a kind of little temple so they are much more luxurious. It is not uncommon to include fancy mosaics. They are some of the earliest found so far to indicate that as early as the third century the synagogues are beginning to undergo this important change of consciousness, Osband concluded.

***

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Rare Mosaic Floor Found in Golan Heights Synagogue from the Roman Period - - Breaking Israel News

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Posted By admin on December 5, 2019

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Krystal Younglove, of York City, poses with children for photos during Light Up York in York City, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Dawn J. Sagert photo(Photo: The York Dispatch)

Just more than a year after the deadly Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, a menorah will be lit for the first time at this weekend's Light Up York event.

The menorah, at least five feet tall,will be lit alongsidethe city's Christmas tree during the annual event scheduled from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, inContinental Square, according to the York Jewish Community Center.

"People don't know much about (Judaism)because they don't have enough opportunity to learn," said Dani Fessler, CEO of the York JCC."If you understand, that's a very important step forward in facing somethingyou maybe think is threatening or have prejudice against."

The York JCC first reached out to city officials about lighting a menorahfollowing the October 2018 synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, which left 11 dead and seven injured.

The incident prompted waves of support for the Jewish community nationwide. Gov. Tom Wolfalso visited York City to honor the victims in an event that amassed hundreds of residents.

Fesslersaid he hopes familiarizing the community with Jewish culture duringHanukkah which lastsfrom Dec. 22 to Dec. 30 will educate residentsand highlight the city's diversity.

Logan Hullinger can be reached at lhullinger@yorkdispatch.com or via Twitter at @LoganHullYD.

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For the first time ever, menorah will be lit for Light Up York - York Dispatch

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Posted By admin on December 5, 2019

When I came to experience the yearning tofind my way as a Jew, I stumbled a lot just looking for a place to be part ofany group that would give me a jumping-off point. At first, I was just lookingfor other Jews to be with in an attempt to stem the growing feeling ofdisconnection from what my heart said I wanted and needed.

In those initial attempts to find aI stumbled a lotspiritual landing place, many of the services I attended were at struggling,nascent congregations, as ill-formed in their efforts to become full-fledgedcongregations as I was in my effort to find my Jewish soul.

One small congregation met in a church,where the rabbi covered any Christian symbols with cloths to hide them duringthe services. Somehow, though, they were still there for mea confusing anddiscomfiting reminder of my own Christian upbringing, despite the fact that mybirth parents were both Jews.

Another rabbi held services in a commonroom at a home for the aged, making the interactions with others interesting,to say the least.

When I moved to Alabama, I finally joineda synagogue. I paid my dues, but could not really participate as I would haveliked because the synagogue was quite a distance from where I live, and neithermy husband nor I see well enough to regularly drive long distances at night.

However, I really liked the rabbi. He wasrelatively young, smart and dedicated to serving his congregants, many of whomlived long distances from the synagogue. He made an effort to include all of usin Torah studies and lively discussions. He was a scholar who both wrote andcontributed to books, and a progressive leader interested in growing thecongregation and the youth program. Unfortunately, a political power struggleleft him without a pulpit and with a congregation in tatters. The rift was uglyand irreparable, and left me spiritually homeless once again.

I needed a new path to follow so that mysearch for Yiddishkeit would not dead end. A dear friend suggested that I speakwith the local Chabad rabbi, and even gave him my number and had him call me.

Soon he was sitting in my living room,and there began for me a new understanding of what being Jewish means. Duringour initial conversation, I was a little nervous. I didnt know what to askhowto express my need to this obviously Orthodox rabbi, so my initial questionwas: Are there many Chabad Jews in the area?

His answer put me immediately at ease. Helet me know that he does not pigeonhole Jews. To him, each Jew, each person issacred and important as part of our birthright, and worthy of respect withoutexpectation or label. What a breath of fresh air! All of a sudden, I belongedjust by virtue of being Jewish. It didnt matter whether I paid dues to aninstitution or carried a designation such as Reform, Conservative or Orthodox.

What a revelation to discover that it is All of a sudden, I belongedmy own striving to do good, to pray, to study and learn, to do mitzvahs, toopen my heart to my Creator, and to create a life of hope for myself and thosearound me that makes me Jewish. It is what I was born to and my rightful place.

Thanks to a rabbi who is part of theChabad-Lubavitch movement, I am welcomed as part of the family of Jews who loveone another just as we areand not because we are card-carrying performers of aproscribed faith. This freeing, liberating love emanates from the teachings ofthe RebbeRabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. Even 25 yearsafter his death, his vision of taking care of the physical and spiritual needsof every Jew worldwide is carried out by his emissaries.

And as a result, I and those like me whosearch for a place of Jewish spiritual rest, find it. We need no designation tobe more, learn more, give more to the effort of just being a Jew among Jews.Like the walls of Jericho, what once kept us from freedom to just be Jewish hascome tumbling down.

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A Jewish Life Without Walls - Stories of Return - Chabad.org

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Posted By admin on December 5, 2019

IT was a combination of a grassroots effort, strong leadership from Jewish businessman Sidney Sinclair who had just moved to North Parramatta from London plus a healthy dose of chutzpah which led to a meeting in mid-1949 at the Pendle Hill home of Alf and Doris Borman. There, a bold decision was made to establish a synagogue to serve the estimated 80 Jewish families in the Parramatta region.

The Hebrew Standard of Australasia reported this, and the subsequent start of a fundraising campaign for the purchase of land for the shule on Victoria Avenue, enthusiastically calling Parramatta the oldest city in Australia with the youngest Hebrew Congregation in the Commonwealth.

For the previous decade, Parramattas Jews had held basic prayer and Shabbat services intermittently, and Vicki Abeshouse (nee Borman) can clearly remember her parents hosting the first Friday night Shabbat service in their home when she was only four, and services then being rotated in other families homes.

Sidney and Patricia Sinclair celebrating the opening of Parramatta Synagogue.

But what really got the ball rolling was the energetic and visionary Sinclair, and his cousin and business partner Louis Klein, who together formed famous Australian menswear label Anthony Squires, recruiting highly-skilled Jewish tailors from Britain and eastern Europe to live and work near Parramatta.

Numbers at prayer sessions swelled, and services were soon held in booked rooms in local masonic, Red Cross, and church halls.

Sinclairs son, David who currently resides in Montreal and whose bar mitzvah was the first official simcha held inside the synagogue when it was completed in 1955 said, When a Torah was needed to be borrowed for High Holy Day services, Dad asked The Great Synagogues Reverend Israel Porush for one, but was rebuffed.

But you did not stop Sidney Sinclair, so he asked the local Catholic Cardinal if he had a Torah on hand for study purposes and the answer was yes.

That had the desired effect, so when Rev Porush found out, Parramatta Shule got its first Torah!

Rabbi Roni Cohavi (left) and Julian Leeser. Photo: Noel Kessel

The shules first president was Myer Blashki, its building committee chair was Julian Leesers great-uncle Philip Goldman, and the synagogue was built by its members literally right from digging the foundation ditches.

The names of vital contributing founding families, like the ones mentioned above as well as Zipkis, Weisinger, Shields, Hurst, Leigh and others, can be found on the shules honour board.

A Ladies Committee was soon formed, and after Oscar Munz had served for many years as religious services coordinator, the shules first minister, Reverend Harold Harkaway from London, was hired by Alf Borman in 1965.

Abeshouse recalls him serving for 14 years and even officiating at the wedding of his own daughter, Eve Weinhausen.

Kim Jacobs, whose father Reg served as the shules president in the late 1950s, remembers Reverend Harkaway teaching him bar mitzvah lessons.

Inside Parramatta Synagogue.

It was a very small but vibrant and family-oriented community, and therefore very special, and really helped shape and reinforce our Jewish way of living in the west, Jacobs said.

Among the 130 guests at the shules recent 70th birthday high tea celebration were former presidents Len Shelton and his son Nathan, who with current president Michael Morris, played crucial leadership roles in the synagogues middle to most recent decades.

Still an active shule member today, Shelton said Its always been a really homely, close-knit synagogue, where a person who puts in always gets something out of it, Shelton said.

Improvements over time included replacing the weatherboard exterior with brick, upgrading toilets and kitchens, erecting a separate hall, creating a pre-school facility [via generous sponsorship from members including the Roberts and Spicer families], and most recently, installing security fencing.

Standing on the same wooden box as he did when he was a bar mitzvah boy, Morris told the 70th anniversary party audience of the deeds of the shules founders, noting, Not only did they establish a presence, they established a place of pride, of memories, and a place where Jews could practise their religion without fear.

Rabbi Roni Cohavi revealed how becoming the shules minister in 2014 began the best experience Ive had as a rabbi anywhere in the world.

Its always been a really homely, close-knit synagogue.

The community here is so beautiful, so warm and supportive I can see theres a great future ahead for this synagogue, he said.

Last month, there was a Saturday minyan for three consecutive weeks a 2019 record and the shule in recent years has developed strong interfaith relations within its neighbourhood, hosting Haifa Day commemorative services with local Hindu community leaders.

Much-needed future development priorities for the shule include replacing its fibro roof, and building new library and meeting rooms. A crowdfunding program for that purpose is due to begin in February.

This sort of work can only be done by an active, involved community and it all began with a dedicated group of Jews who wanted a place to worship and gather in their own region, Morris said.

For more information, a request for a tour of the shule, or to enquire about making a donation, email parrasynagogue@gmail.com.

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70 years of Jewish 'Parra' matters - The Australian Jewish News

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Posted By admin on December 5, 2019

A major beacon that the holiday season is underway is Brigantine's annual interfaith service, which alternates between the city's houses of worship each year, and welcomes members of all congregations and religious affiliations.

Temple Beth Shalom synagogue hosted this year's service to a capacity crowd on Nov. 26. Attendees sang America the Beautiful and other songs, and joined in the readings of psalms, scriptures and prayers.

Temple Beth Shalom President Jack Lieberman opened the service by welcoming all in attendance. He thanked Madeline Harvey, Gloria Jacoby, Donna Jordan and others for their efforts in coordinating the service, and thanked Brigantine's city officials for encouraging fellowship among the city's religious denominations.

Brigantine is a place that fosters friendship, sisterhood and brotherhood, Lieberman said. I'm not naive enough to believe that there are not those who are biased in the town, but I do believe that the town has an atmosphere that sponsors and promotes fellowship, and for that we thank our city government.

And thank you, he added. Your coming here tonight, your caring, your wanting to share your Thanksgiving spirit, your wanting to thank a power higher than all of us, really makes this a wonderful evening.

Temple Beth Shalom Rabbi Gerald Fox followed with A Prayer for Our Country, and later delivered a sermon entitled Elevating the Everyday, in which he stated, in part:

It seems that every day our senses are assaulted by a warping of our shared values. Our civility, the marker of our humanity, is diminished by harsh words and mean acts, and those who purport that this is an acceptable new normal. Thankfully, there are those of us who have stepped forward to call out such purveyors of hate, and speak to the importance of healing our communities, our nation and our world.

It's hard, though, to subject oneself even to the awareness of what some individuals want to be the new normal lying, stealing, stymied voices, inequality among people, cruelty, and even the supposed shared destruction of this planetary Garden of Eden in our universe called Earth that God has made, he continued. Many of us lack the self-esteem, the know-how or the access to power to make a real difference on a bigger stage, so what do we have to do? For some of us the answer is to become more involved in sharing the visions of each other and how we live.

We must remember that there are many ways to bring holiness into this world, he said. Perhaps a powerful way is to remember to love our neighbor as ourselves. And an easy way to do this is to remember the words of Rabbi Ferdinand Isserman, who altered the words just slightly often attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Order: 'Focus your role as if everything depended upon God; act as if everything depended upon you.'

Others who spoke or led the group in prayer were Mayor Andy Simpson; Rev. John Scotland and Elder Sue Schilling of Community Presbyterian Church; Father Ed Maher, Father Jose Thomas, Deacon Len Long and Madeline Harvey of St. Thomas Catholic Church; longtime Temple Beth Shalom congregation member Betty Chaikin; and True Spirit Coalition representative Tom Park.

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Interfaith service hosted by Temple Beth Shalom - Press of Atlantic City

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Posted By admin on December 5, 2019

OnNov. 9, Shabbat Lech Lecha, a group of Jews assembled for prayer. The words and music were familiar, but the setting was unusual for many of those who gathered that morning, as a lot of the congregants were far from home.

I was part of a group of Canadians and Americans who travelled to Arusha, Tanzania. We were there to pray with the tiny Jewish community of that city and to conduct a full Torah service something the locals hadnt witnessed in decades.

Most of the 38 North American visitors had arrived in Arusha the previous Wednesday. On that day, we delivered a gift from Congregation Kehillat Beth Israel (KBI) in Ottawa, a synagogue thats blessed with a large number of sifrei Torah. Hearing that the Jews of Arusha had no Torah, KBI offered to donate one.

The Jews of Arusha have endured many difficult years. In the 1970s, their synagogue was nationalized and turned into a church. The population dispersed throughout the city and concealed evidence of their Jewish identities. They lost their one Torah in the upheaval.

That Torah had been brought over the mountains from Ethiopia on a donkey by the grandfather of Yehudah Amir Kahalani, who now leads the Jewish community of Arusha. Kahalani is a lawyer by profession and, along with his partner Efrat, he has dedicated himself to rebuilding Jewish life in Arusha.

When the Tanzanian government offered land to the Jews of Arusha in restitution for the seizures of the 1970s, Kahalani obtained a portion of the site where another synagogue previously stood. There, he built a tiny chapel with an amud, an ark and plush seating for 14. Yet the ark sat empty, waiting for a sefer Torah.

Kahalani built a fine house adjacent to the synagogue, where he and Efrat are raising their five children in the Jewish tradition he inherited from his late father, Amir Kahalani, the last rabbi of Arusha. A number of people from the Jewish community also live nearby and attend services on Shabbat. Other Jews in Arusha live too far away to walk to the shul.

Adjacent to the chapel, there is a covered courtyard with room for up to 50 people. This expansion is a work in progress. They also plan to build a mikveh and a guest house for volunteers who may wish to come and help the community. The Jews of Arusha are looking for ways to teach the younger generation Hebrew, as well as Jewish customs and laws. It is a huge challenge, to which Kahalani has dedicated his time and efforts.

On that Shabbat, the whole congregation stood as the ark was opened. After the Torah was taken from the ark, Kahalani was called for the first aliyah. Rabbi Eytan Kenter of KBI read the words and Kahalani shed tears at the realization of his dream.

One by one, members of the local community were called to the Torah. For most of them, it was their first time. Some members of our group also stood to read from the Torah. Im proud to say that I was among them.

That Shabbat, we sang and prayed together and I vividly realized that the Jews are one people, no matter where in the world they have been scattered. Along with the Torah, we brought siddurim, tefillin and childrens books with Jewish themes. Since our arrival, the Jews of Arusha have been able to put on tefillin for the first time in their lives.

READ:ROYTENBERG: A STATE FORGED IN FIRE

In the aftermath of the trip, both communities are considering how best to continue and deepen their relationship, and there is much to be done. If you are interested in helping or learning more about the Jews of Arusha, please contact me at [emailprotected]

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Roytenberg: Lending a helping hand to the Jews of Tanzania - Canadian Jewish News

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Posted By admin on December 5, 2019

About six years ago, I was out planning hikes in northern Israel with fellow tour guides Mordechai, Asaf and Moishe for a yearly fund-raising hike that Keshet Educational runs for the Melabev Walkathon for Alzheimers Care. It was a miserable day, much rain, but we were in the comfortable confines of the Keshet Jeep. Mordechai was in the year of mourning after the passing of his father, so we knew that we needed to end our day before sundown in order to get him to a synagogue to say the mourners kaddish.

But we didnt tell that to the ground. The Tabor Riverbed was getting saturated, and our jeep got stuck in the mud. We pushed and we pulled, and after much time, thanks to my great driving (eye-roll, please), we were able to get out of our predicament, but it was getting really late! The sun was basically setting and we were in the middle of nowhere. Mordechai pulled out his cellphone to check where the nearest minyan would be so he could say kaddish.

After debating between Kibbutz Lavi and Afula, we decided to go for the latter as there was a Chabad Synagogue there (Mordechai is a Chabad Rabbi) and they always start late. So we sped over there, leaving mud tracks the entire way and pulled up to the Chabad synagogue as it was quite dark. We got our muddy bodies and shoes out of the jeep and ran in to the synagogue and made it on time! (Chabad time) While we were there, we found it peculiar that there was a seven-year-old boy saying kaddish with someone who looked to be his grandfather. Using his Chabad knowledge, Mordechai realized that it was Moshe Holtzberg, the son of the victims of the Chabad House of Mumbai who were killed when he was two. It was the yearly Yartzheit of that terrible tragedy.

Israel is a small country. Our lives are so intertwined.

This past Shabbat was Moshes Bar Mitzvah in that same synagogue in Afula. The beauty of life outshining the shadow of death and evil.

As you make this important transition and cross a significant landmark in the journey of your life, the courage of [nanny] Sandra and prayers of the people of India will continue to bless you for a long, healthy and successful life, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote in a letter to Moshe, COLLive reported. Your story continues to inspire everyone. It is one of miracle and hope overcoming tragedy and immeasurable loss.

Mazal tov to little Moshe and his family. His parents would have been so proud!

Geoff has been living in Israel for nearly 30 years. He is the Programs Director at Keshet Educational Journeys and is a licensed tour guide through the Ministry of Tourism. Previously, Geoff was a founding staff member of the Keshet (no relation) Democratic School for secular and religious students in his home town of Zichron Yaakov and before that an educator at the Alexander Muss High School in Israel. He is a husband and father of five.

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Life's beauty outshines the shadow of evil | Geoff Winston - The Times of Israel

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Posted By admin on December 5, 2019

This past October, rather than celebrating the two most holy holidays in my religion, I attended my high school classes to avoid falling behind. This is a decision I should not have to make.

Every year, I want to miss school for the two most holy days in Judaism: the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, and the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. For Rosh Hashanah, Jewish people celebrate the holiday by attending synagogue, saying prayers and eating specific sweet foods to start the new year off right. During Yom Kippur, Jewish people start to fast the night before, and fast throughout the day while attending synagogue. At the end of the day, we break the fast with a meal at dinnertime. Yet I attend school, in fear of having an overwhelming amount of work to catch up on; therefore I cannot fast because it is too hard to do while trying to learn.

Not being able to celebrate this holiday causes me to feel detached from my religion and disappointed in myself because I am unable to celebrate my culture in the way that I want to.

While there are excused absences for religious holidays, Jewish students are often either unable to celebrate because they do not want to miss school, or they have to catch up on what they missed. School is already stressful enough, and not being in class causes students to miss important lectures, classwork or assessments.

The Bay Area also has a significant number of Jewish people, making it reasonable to have the two most holy, important Jewish holidays off. The San Francisco Bay Area has the fourth largest Jewish population in the country, with 350,000 Jewish people, and Santa Clara County has the greatest population of Jewish people in the Bay Area, as stated in a study done by the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties in 2018.

Furthermore, schools have been aligned to Christian holidays for a very long time, and while the two-week break in December is not always called Christmas break, that is what many students know it as. If Mountain View High School incorporated Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur into the school calendar, as well as holidays from other less represented religions, it would not only allow Judaism and other religions to gain more representation, but it would also allow for the community to celebrate diversity.

Having Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur off would also give students who do not celebrate the holidays time to relax. Students would have the opportunity to catch up on work and sleep, or simply destress.

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It's time for High Holidays to become official school holidays - The Jewish News of Northern California

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Posted By admin on December 5, 2019

At the I-ACT conference held Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during March 24-27, 2019, I had the honor of hearing Holocaust survivor Judah Samet speak. Samet shared how he survived the Bergen Belsen concentration camp by eating the lice on peoples heads. This was the dehumanizing tactic that Samet had to utilize to survive.

But, unlike many Holocaust survivors, Samet is a survivor of another tragedy for the Jewish people. He is a member of the Tree of Life synagogue and was minutes late to the deadliest massacre of the Jewish people in America. Samet had a direct view of the shooting from the safety of his car.

On November 23, I had the pleasure of attending a screening of Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish dog, hosted by the Standwithus Center for Combating Antisemitism. In this film, we experience the Holocaust through the eyes of Kaleb, a heroic german shepherd dog who belonged to a Jewish family and how he helped an eleven year-old Jewish boy survive the ordeal.

With Hanukkah approaching later this month, the miracle of how the Maccabees succeeded over their enemies, allows me the opportunity to concentrate on the miracles that Hashem creates for us day-by-day. They can be big ones such as surviving the Holocaust or oversleeping for a synagogue shooting or, they can be everyday ones that are as commonplace as waking up in the morning or having food on your dinner table.

Counting your blessings and recognizing Hashems miracles are some of the ways that can help us survive travesties. Therefore, whether it be the oil lasting 8 days, or finding a parking space in a busy lot, recognize the little miracles that Hashem creates for you everyday.

Chloe is a leader, teacher, and student with aspirations to make a tangible difference in the world. She is also on the board of Students Supporting Israel at Santa Monica College, a StandWithUs Emerson Campus Fellow, an Intern at the Museum of Tolerance, and a Sinai Temple Religious School Teacher.

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2 tragedies in one lifetime | Chloe Levian - The Times of Israel

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