Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on February 21, 2017

Each Passover, as we gather around Seder tables with glasses of sweet wine and with plates overflowing with charoset, egg and bitter herbs, Jews read the words Arami oved Avi, which translates to My father was a wandering Aramean. Slavery and liberation are personal; we read the story in the first person: The Exodus happened to me.

This is personal.

Earlier this month, the Board of Trustees of Shir Tikvah, the congregation in Minneapolis that I serve, voted to declare our synagogue a Sanctuary Congregation for any undocumented person seeking refuge.

Why?

Because unless you descend from the indigenous peoples of North America, you have immigrant ancestors. Every one of us has an immigrant story, a refugee story. My own in-laws fled Germany at the dawn of World War II in 1939, the Nazis literally hot in pursuit. Every one in our community has a similar, yet distinct, story of family arriving in this country poor, lacking English, hungering for the promise of America.

Aside from being personal, sanctuary is also theological.

The most frequently mentioned mitzvot in the Torah command Jews to love the stranger, the immigrant. The Torah further explains that there should be one law for immigrant and citizen alike.

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Our very name, Shir Tikvah, means Song of Hope.

How could we be a song of hope and turn away people from our doors? How many of the MS St. Louis the ship full of refugees turned away from the United States in 1939 and returned to Europe, where most were murdered by the Nazis would have lived and their stories and lives flourished here if we had welcomed them?

Our Sanctuary Team, lead by a group of passionate congregants committed to bringing Torah values to life, are busy working to make our synagogue a welcoming home should people need to seek refuge within our walls. They are busy collecting bedding, dressers and other furnishings to make our space more comfortable. We solicited bids to build a shower. We have joined with hundreds of other synagogues, churches and mosques that make up the Sanctuary Movement to stand boldly and proudly with those who, like our ancestors, came to the shores of America seeking a new life.

We do not know if anyone will come. But each Friday night, as we sing Lecha Dodi which includes the lyrics Sanctuary of the Creator city royal / Arise, go out from amidst the turmoil we rise and open our synagogue doors to the street. If our undocumented neighbors show up, we will embody Abraham and Sarah and rush to greet them, feed them, house them and shelter them for as long as they need.

We hear rumors that the new administration may no longer respect the cherished boundary of houses of worship and may forcibly enter churches, mosques and synagogues to arrest undocumented people. I pray that God will open the presidents heart, that he will see that these families are exactly like our families hardworking, loving and seeking to build a better life for themselves and their children.

Regardless of the immoral, heartless policy targeting immigrants and refugees, we, the descendants of the first wandering Jew, must fling open the doors of our sanctuaries to all of Gods beautiful, busted, holy creation.

Michael Adam Latz is the senior rabbi of Shir Tikvah synagogue, in Minneapolis.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.

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Why Our Synagogue Became A 'Sanctuary Synagogue' - Forward

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Posted By richards on February 21, 2017

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OGDENSBURG The historic Anshe Zophen synagogue on Greene Street once one of the most active Jewish houses of worship in the area is now up for sale.

The Congregation Anshe Zophen was founded in 1875 but it wasnt until 1924 that the group purchased the former Unitarian Church at 416 Greene St., according to historical archives.

For approximately the past seven years, the building has been vacant, according to Dr. Robert Saidel, an optometrist in Gouverneur, who serves as the caretaker of the synagogue, as well as the Anshe Zophen Cemetery on Route 812 near the Ogdensburg International Airport. He said continuing acts of vandalism, coupled with the reality that there are few Jewish families to serve in Ogdensburg, are the main reasons for selling.

It was broken into twice in the last month, he said of the recent acts of vandalism. It made me realize that its time to sell it.

Mr. Saidel said he is willing to donate the building to another non-profit entity, or to sell it outright.

Id give it away if it was for a good cause, he said.

Rena Goldberg, 81, believes she is the last of the synagogues congregation to still live in Ogdensburg. Her father, Mayer Sperling, started the Sperlings Furniture store business, a company that once flourished across the north country. She said in the Ogdensburg synagogues heydey there were at least 100 active members, with people traveling weekly from across Northern New York and parts of Canada to worship and find fellowship among Ogdensburgs once sizeable Jewish community.

It breaks my heart, it just breaks my heart to see it boarded up like this, said Mrs. Goldberg as she stood outside the synagogue Monday. We had such times here.

Like many north country communities, Ogdensburgs business district once boasted a large number of Jewish entrepreneurs. Some of those names, like Edwin L. Dobisky, still remain part of the city as the namesake for the communitys Dobisky Visitors Center.

But the names of other early and prominent Ogdensburg retailing families, including the Fisher, Sperling, Rothenberg and Scwartz families, have been lost to all but area historians, according to Mrs. Goldberg.

The streets used to be buzzing back in those days, said Mrs. Goldberg, who stays active as the owner of the Way Back Inn bed and breakfast on Proctor Avenue. Now they are all gone. Urban Renewal.

Mrs. Goldberg said she understands the need to sell the synagogue building, and like Mr. Saidel, hopes a new use is found for the historic structure. She said she also understands that time changes many things in life, and that there is no reason to expect a new flood of Jewish immigrants to Ogdensburg or the north country any time soon.

It used to be such an active place, she said. We had doctors from the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center, and people who would come over from Canada to our synagogue. Others would come from Massena or Potsdam. It was so much fun when I was a teenager.

The earliest written record of the Congregation Anshe Zophen shows up in the form of a deed conveying the original cemetery lot to Nathan Frank and Charles Paris on Oct. 21, 1873, according to historical records. On Sept. 6, 1875, the Congregation Anshe Zophen was incorporated under state law.

Although the cemetery was purchased in 1873, the Congregation did not own a synagogue, and for many years, the third floor at 207 Ford St., in the former Fisher Building served as a Hebrew School as well as a synagogue. In 1924, the congregation bought the unused Universalist Church.

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Posted By richards on February 21, 2017

The Adas Yisroel Anshe Meseritz synagogue is located at 415 E. 6th St. View Full Caption

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EAST VILLAGE A historic synagogue that shuttered for several years while its upper levels underwent a luxury condo conversion will hold its first prayer service at the beginning of March.

The Adas Yisroel Anshe Meseritz synagogue at 415 E. 6th St. will finally open its doors again after a four-year hiatus to allow for extensive renovations and the partial transformation of the property into a trio of condos part of a million-dollar deal brokered with a developer that has allowed the tiny house of worship to stay afloat.

The synagogue in 2013 signed over its upper levels to East River Partners LLC for a condominium conversion in order to retain the ground floor and basement level as part of the roughly $1,225,000 deal, the developer also carried out renovations on the crumbling synagogue space.

The three condominiums housed inside the synagogues upper levels including a sprawling $4.395 million penthouse hit the market in September 2016.

On Friday, the synagogue will celebrate its reopening, while its first evening prayer service in roughly four years will be held on March 1, according to the representatives.

Beloved Rabbi Paul Ackerman, who served as the head of the congregation for more than four decades, didn't live to see the synagogue's second life he died months after the deal was made, leaving the century-old structure in the hands of the synagogue board.

The deceased rabbi's son, Sandy Ackerman, now serves as vice president and secretary of that board, and saysthe historic structures restoration would have made his father proud.

Im happy for my dad my father would have loved this, said Sandy Ackerman.

We so much wanted him to be the first person walking though the door, and thats not the case. But I am doing this in his honor.

The renovations brought much needed improvements to the house of worship, said Ackerman. The roof had been leaking, he said, and the building is also now affixed with air conditioning and is wheelchair accessible. The landmarked exterior has also been refurbished, he said.

When services finally commence again inside the 107-year-old structure, Rabbi Kalman Nochlin will be filing the shoes of the elder Ackerman a prospect the new rabbi says is both exciting and nerve-wracking.

I know I am filling the shoes of a person who was renowned for his character, said Nochlin, a longtime Lower East Side resident who teaches Judaic Studies at the Yeshiva of Flatbush. He was known as a person who was accepting of others, was known on the streets as someone who was welcoming.

Nochlin says he is thrilled to carry on Ackermans legacy while nurturing a new congregation at the reborn synagogue.

And while the leadership position will mark his first time serving as a full-time congregational rabbi, Nochlin said he had served as rabbi in the summer months for the Congregation Chasm Sopher on Clinton Street in the Lower East Side for roughly 15 years. He also hopes to bring his passion as an educator to the position, he said.

I love education it really gives me a feeling of energy and of vitality, said Nochlin. For the most part, my days are dedicated to Judaic Studies, and I feel this position will give me an opportunity to reach out to others in an educational ways, and that to me is a very exciting prospect.

The renovated interior of the synagogue will be unveiled for the first time at noon on Feb. 24, said Ackerman, noting the redonespace will blend elements of the century-old synagogue's history with new furnishings.

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Posted By richards on February 21, 2017

As an 18-year-old Army private in occupied Japan, Mel Spiegel started to amass what grew into an eclectic collection of novelty knickknacks. I just fell in love," he explains, "with the uniqueness of this stuff.

Decades later, the Philadelphia native and his wife, Verna, had great fun scouring South Jersey flea markets for hard-to-find Japanese ashtrays, salt-and-pepper shakers, flasks, figurines, and other decorative items of porcelain, china, or bisque.

The Spiegels ended their flea marketing about six years ago, after Verna became ill. She died in 2014, and after he turned 89 a few weeks ago, he decided to sell most of their lovingly curated array of curiosities on eBay.

The proceeds will help pay for interior renovations at Spiegels synagogue, Congregation BNai Tikvah-Beth Israel (cbtbi.org) in Gloucester County.

You hear about how people tell someone they dont look their age, says Spiegel, who doesnt.

And the next day they drop dead, he says, laughing, then adding: No one in my family is interested in the collection. Id hate to die and then have some auctioneer come in here and say, $100 for the whole thing.

The retired owner of a Pitman apparel factory, Spiegel worked in banking and sales as well. Hes also a longtime hobbyist and crafter. He designs stained-glass pieces and creates menorahs out of branches, wine corks and shell casings he gets from a shooting range in Glassboro.

Mel has had a very interesting life, says Rabbi Jordi Gendra, who finds fascinating the pieces of the collection Siegel has shown him.

As a community, adds Gendra, we are very grateful for this donation.

Says Ron Cohen, a Gloucester Township resident and friend of mine whos also a synagogue member: At our mens club breakfast a month ago, Mel said he wanted to help with the sanctuary renovation project and that he had all these Japanese collectibles.

Cohen directs TV commercials and took photographs of items in the collection which he had never seen to prepare the eBay listing.

I was just so impressed with the intricacies of detail and all the beautiful little designs, he says.

Eager to see for myself, I meet Spiegel at his home in Washington Township, where the sale items are packed in boxes.

Ive kept our favorite pieces, he says, directing my attention to a handsome display cabinet a vintage bookcase he has customized with lighting and glass shelves.

This is just a smattering of what we collected, he says.

Ah, but what a smattering: Hand-painted tea sets, sake sets, toothpick holders, cigar snuffers, and naughties, novelty items characterized by geisha imagery or bathroom humor.

Theres an entire [genre] of ashtrays that are donkeys pulling toilets on carts, Spiegel says, picking up a pristine specimen to demonstrate how the tiny little seat opens for, well, ashes.

Most of the hundreds of pieces in the collection were manufactured from the early 20th century through the 1960s. Many are copies of more expensive German or Italian designs. And during World War II, Spiegel says, some Americans threw away their Japanese knickknacks or painted over the Japan on the bottom.

He and his wife continued prospecting for finds at flea markets as long as she was able. But the sort of pieces that first fired the imagination of a young soldier from Philly in 1946 the delicate cups, the clever ashtrays resembling clown faces were growing harder and harder to find.

Verna used to say, You know why? Spiegel recalls. Because you got them all.

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Posted By richards on February 21, 2017

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WPDE) A Conway man accused of planning an attack on the Temple Emanu-El synagogue in Myrtle Beach is scheduled to appear in federal court in Florence Tuesday afternoon. Benjamin McDowell, 29, is scheduled for a preliminary and detention hearing.

15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson says that's where McDowell should enter a plea and his bond, if any, will be determined.

McDowell is charged with violation of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person. He was arrested by the FBI on Feb. 15, according to J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

According to court documents, McDowell planned a shooting similar to the one carried out by Dylann Roof -the man convicted of the Charleston Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting.

ABC 15 sat down with Richardson to talk about the federal court process for McDowell. Richardson said since McDowell's arrest, federal prosecutors are now working against the clock as they prepare for a potential trial.

"Really once you make an arrest at the federal system - you best be ready to try that within three months," said Richardson.

He said federal prosecutors only have 90 days to prepare for trial. He said investigators typically have the case ready for trial before there's an arrest.

"There are very few cases that are handled in federal court anymore, very few. In fact, any one of our prosecutors will have 400 or so cases well that might suffice for the whole federal system in the state," said Richardson.

Richardson explained when a person enters a guilty plea or is convicted in federal court, it takes time for a judge to determine the length of their sentencing.

"Even if a federal person were to plea guilty, they wouldn't be sentenced like in state court, where it's immediate. In federal court they will do a pre-sentence investigation," he said.

He said that could take up to three months. If it does go to trial Richardson said the jurors could come from anywhere in the state.

Court documents show McDowell has requested a public defender. Richardson said a federal attorney will represent McDowell. We reached out to the federal public defender's office in Florence to see who was assigned to his case, but their offices are closed for Presidents Day.

ABC 15 requested a SLED background check for McDowell.

It showed that he was convicted of first degree burglary and attempted burglary in 2008 and was sentenced to six years in prison, but that was suspended to three years on probation under the Youthful Offenders Act.

He was also convicted of third degree burglary and aggravated assault in 2009. He was sentenced to five years in jail, but it was suspended to three years probation.

Later in 2009, he was convicted of another burglary charged and sentenced to six years in prison.

In 2011, he was convicted of petty larceny and then later of second degree burglary. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the burglary charge.

In 2013, he was convicted of malicious injury to personal property and third degree assault and battery. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

Richardson said a federal judge may take McDowell's criminal background into account when discussing bond at his hearing.

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Posted By richards on February 21, 2017

[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday 24 Shevat, visited the Singapore Jewish community, at the Maghain Aboth synagogue. Community children greeted him at the entrance singing and waving Singapore and Israeli flags. The prayer for the State of Israel was read.

Prime Minister Netanyahu told the crowd I bring to you greetings from our eternal capital Jerusalem and I bring you greetings from a kindred nation. And I feel that Singapore and Israel are kindred nations. I find it a special privilege and an honor to be the first Israeli Prime Minister to make an official visit to Singapore. This follows the visit of Premier Lee to Israel, the first official visit of the Prime Minister of Singapore to Israel and its an obvious bond, a growing bond.

70 years ago, if you looked at Israel and you looked at Singapore, there wasnt much to see. But theres a lot to see and its not I think accidental that our two nations formed this bond between us because we are both inspired to do things, to punch above our weight. Israel is the innovation nation, were both entrepreneurial centers. We have innate talent and we have great drive to succeed.

I believe that great powers around the world look at Israel and Singapore today and see tremendous economic opportunities. Tremendous. And one reason that that is the case is that we have an unbridled spirit and we put it to use. That spirit is something that weve enshrined in our peoples for a long time, for a long time. The Jewish people have passed learning from one generation to another, an inquisitive mindset and the ability to produce new things.

I dont have to say that to the Jewish community in Singapore because youve been here for almost two centuries and you have that entrepreneurial quest for many, many decades and I think that you serve as a human bridge between Singapore and Israel. I know that you care for the State of Israel. I know you care for Jewish traditions. This gathering is an indication of that concern and that passion.

I also want to point out to you that I recently visited two Muslim countries, one is Azerbaijan and the other is Kazakhstan. And in those Muslim countries, in Kazakhstan I visited a synagogue. And Jewish children in Kazakhstan were singing Hebrew songs, as they sang here, in a Muslim state and that reflects the kind of world wed like to see: a world of tolerance; a world of diversity; a world that is opposed to the world that is being challenged today by the forces of barbarism and intolerance. This is a battle for the future of humanity. That future is represented in Israel, which also is a diverse country, which also has minorities, which respects peoples. And we see that same respect here in Singapore. So its not only that were both innovation nations, its not only that were small people and have defied the limitations of our size. It is that we are committed to a better world, a world of diversity, a world that follows the values that we as a people have held for so many years, for so many decades and in fact, for a millennium.

It is therefore for me a tremendous pleasure to be here and I want to ask you, all of you, a simple question: Who of you has not been to Israel? No shown hands. All of you have been to Israel? Then I have one request of you, come again. I want a reciprocal visit this year. This year in Jerusalem, I look forward to meeting you there.

(YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Haim Zach, GPO)

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Posted By simmons on February 21, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington on Tuesday, calling it a beautiful tribute to so many American heroes.

The new president read the names of several prominent black figures from American history, saying, I'm deeply proud that we now have a museum that honors the millions of African American men and women who built our national heritage, especially when it comes to faith, culture and the unbreakable American spirit."

He pledged to do everything I can to continue that promise of freedom for African Americans and for every American. So important, nothing more important. His visit came as the U.S. celebrates its annual Black History Month during February.

Trump said the fight for racial equality in the United States depicted at the museum is a meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms. He condemned recent threats against Jewish centers in the U.S., calling them horrible and painful.

But he promised, as he has numerous occasions, Were going to bring this country together, maybe bring some of the world together.

WATCH: Trump visits museum

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The museum, on the National Mall not far from the White House, opened last year and has drawn large crowds and wide critical acclaim. It has nearly 37,000 objects in its collection tracing the history of blacks in America, from their arrival on slave ships from Africa, to the mid-19th century Civil War fought over slavery, to the advances toward racial equality at the heart of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

There are exhibits about black communities, their families, the visual and performing arts, religion, civil rights, slavery, and legalized racial segregation that existed in the United States as recently as 50 years ago.

In his upset presidential election victory last November, Trump won just 8 percent of the black vote compared to 88 percent for his Democratic rival, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Trump was accompanied on his museum visit by the only African-American in his Cabinet, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who is awaiting confirmation as the presidents housing chief. The president promised to work closely with Carson to do great things in our African-American communities together.

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Posted By simmons on February 21, 2017

Last Updated Feb 21, 2017 10:23 AM EST

Under growing pressure to address threats against the Jewish community following another wave of bomb threats called into Jewish Community Centers around the country Monday, President Trump broke his silence on the issue Tuesday morning.

After previously deflecting a number of questions about the apparent rise in anti-Semitic incidents, Mr. Trump chose to address the issue at the end of his visit Tuesday to the new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

This tour was a meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms, the president said. The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil.

His remarks followed days of increasing attention to the problem and weeks of anxiety within the Jewish community.

2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tweeted Tuesday morning that the president should speak out against these incidents himself.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) also called on the administration to address these threats. The group issued a statement saying that the threats themselves are alarming, disruptive and must always be taken seriously, despite the fact that all of the threats so far have turned out to be hoaxes.

Later in the day, the presidents daughter, Ivanka Trump, tweeted about the bomb threats.

On Monday, a White House official put out this statement: Hatred and hate-motivated violence of any kind have no place in a country founded on the promise of individual freedom. The President has made it abundantly clear that these actions are unacceptable.

The head of the ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, suggested on Twitter that Mr. Trump should speak out against the threats himself.

The situation Monday marked the fourth time in which bomb threats were called into JCCs across the country, bringing the total to 69 threats at 54 JCCs across the country in 27 states. They have all been hoaxes.

Mr. Trump dodged questions about a rise in anti-Semitismlast week at two White House press conferences. On Thursday, for example, a Jewish reporter asked the president how the administration plans to address the issue and instead of answering it, Mr. Trump told the reporter to sit down and said it was not a fair question, then declared I am the least anti-Semitic person that youve ever seen in your entire life.

CBS News Rebecca Kaplan contributed to this report.

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Posted By richards on February 21, 2017

Goodbye to a long-time friend Manawatu Standard John was descended from the Ashkenazi Jews who settled in Eastern and Central Europe as part of the Jewish diaspora, while Joe was from the Sephardic Jewish line that ended up in Spain and Portugal. John was the more religiously observant of the two ...

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Posted By richards on February 21, 2017

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