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STARK
JEWISHNEWS
FEATURED
ARTICLES
President’s Column | pg 3
Tribute to RBG | pg 5
Chef Rabbino | pg 8
Volume 101 • Number 4 | Kislev/Tevet 5781 • December 2020 Thank you Chadash | pg 12-13
Happy
Chanukkah
CANTON, OHIO
REQUESTED
Permit No. 159
SERVICE
PAID ADDRESS
U.S. Postage
Presorted Standard
2 | FROM THE FEDERATION STARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org
CJCF OFFICERS:
Dan Charlick, President
2020 Elections Overview
Overview
Alla Haut, Vice President While the national count and recount, along with the potential for litigation continues,
Eileen Saltarelli, Secretary unofficial results project former Vice President Biden as the next president, and Senator
Paul Hervey, Treasurer Kamala Harris as the nation’s first woman (and first person of color) as his vice president.
Tyler Wilkof, Past President Locally, the President convincingly won Ohio (current count has it at about 8 points), every
member of the Ohio Congressional delegation won reelection, and both chambers of the
Statehouse became even more solidly Republican.
CJCF BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Congress
Michael Alperin • Jack Bouer Despite recruiting a slate of strong candidates in at least four races, Democrats failed to see a blue wave materialize or
Barb Ferne • Robert Friedman • Carolyn Garfinkle ride any coattails of the Biden-Harris campaign. Steve Chabot, considered the most vulnerable incumbent, won his race
Laura Goldman • Meade Perlman • Rita Schaner by around seven points; Mike Turner, who the political chattering class said would be swept away as Trump’s support
Daniel Silverman • Jeff Sklar • Laura Solomon in the Dayton region “crashed” pulled off a 16 point victory. Central Ohio’s Troy Balderson, also thought to be vulnerable
John Strauss • Fran Wells • Bruce White • Susan Wilkof as suburbs turned more purple, won by about 13 points, and Dave Joyce similarly held back an opponent in suburbia
by a 21 point margin. On the other side, the only Democrat in Ohio with a credible race was Tim Ryan, who shook off
a well-funded challenge - despite much of the Mahoning Valley and Southeastern Ohio going for Trump-Pence - with a
OTHER MEMBERS: comfortable 7 point win.
Richard Altman/Michael Zoldan, Shaaray Torah Other congressional races saw even larger victory margins - Marcia Fudge even broke 80 percent of the vote - by
Hazzan Bruce Braun, Shaaray Torah incumbents. All told, with Ohio presumed to be losing a seat, the greatest threat to the Ohio delegation is the census
Shelley Schweitzer, Temple Israel and redistricting.
Rabbi David Komerofsky, Temple Israel The other open question regarding the delegation makeup is if any Ohio members get offered roles in a presidential
Michael Magill, Chadash administration. As just two examples, Jim Jordan is seen as one of the President’s biggest defenders and perhaps would
Jonathan Wilkof, Chadash have a role in a second Trump administration, while Joyce Beatty was a successful fundraising bundler for the Biden-
Lanny Knell, Agudas Achim Harris campaign and could be in line for a cabinet role and is also planning a run for Congressional Black Caucus Chair;
Rabbi A.J. Kushner, Agudas Achim Marcia Fudge too is mentioned as a potential pick.
Statehouse
Here in Columbus, on the Senate side, one race is in a recount. Columbus area Senator Stephanie Kunze narrowly
leads her challenger by 41 votes. If she remains ahead, the GOP increases their Senate majority to 25 out of 33. If not,
they remain at 24, having taken the Youngstown area seat from Sean O’Brien. Republicans held every other seat in the
Senate, including that of Finance Chair Matt Dolan. Dolan and Kunze were the two top targets for pickoff by Democrats.
STARK JEWISH NEWS In the House, Republicans increased their majority by a few seats, picking up Democratically held districts in more rural
areas seen as “Trump country.” They successfully defended Rep. Laura Lanese’s seat, the last GOP held House seat in
Franklin County. However, Rep. Dave Greenspan lost his race on the west side of Cleveland by just one point. Both Reps.
A publication of the Canton Jewish Community Federation Jessica Miranda and Casey
Weinstein managed to win 2020 Ohio Statehouse Elections
432 30th Street N.W. • Canton, OH 44709
their races in districts they
Phone: Editorial 330-445-2405 had flipped just two years Ohio House of Representatives Ohio Senate
Phone: Advertising 330-445-2410 ago.
22 new Representatives 6 new Senators
Fax: 330-455-5268 Other races 25 Republicans
64 Republicans
email: sjnads@yahoo.com • www.jewishcanton.org In very hard fought con- 35 Democrats 8 Democrats
tests that brought high pro- 4 Democrat seats flipped to Republican 1 Democrat seat flipped to Republican
file endorsements and out- 1 Republican seat flipped to Democrat Note: Sen. Kunze has won by 41 votes
side money in, Democrats Ohio House Ohio Senate
were able to win a state 24%
Bonnie Manello, Executive Director Supreme Court seat. This
Karen Phillippi, Editor will have implications on 35%
Heather Hershey-Tompkins, Advertising Manager cases the court hears but Republicans
Republicans
Amanda Mason, Art Director also can directly impact the Democrats
Democrats
legislative and congressio- 65%
nal redistricting. 76%
Several outgoing state
legislators will be moving
The SJN attempts to publish materials received on to county commissioner spots across the state in Greene, Medina, Pickaway, Summit, and Union counties. Cleveland
and reserves the right to edit all submissions. lay leader Jason Wuliger also takes Ohio
a spot House
on the of Representatives New Members
Lake County Commission. Hamilton and Franklin counties already have
several former state lawmakers on Marilyn
their commissions.
John (R-Shelby) Tom Young (R-Dayton)
The SJN is published 10 times a year. Statewide Assessment Replacing: Mark Romanchuk (R-Mansfield) Replacing: Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg)
Subscription rate: $18.00 per year. Overall, two things are clear. The HB6term limited and went
FirstEnergy to Senate
corruption went to down
scandal which brought Senate former Speaker Larry
Deadline for each month’s issue is the 10th. Householder and is the largest bribery andSmith
Monique money-laundering
(D-Fairview Park) case in state history, despite
Rodney being
Creech (R-W. the talk of the political
Alexandria)
Replacing: Dave Greenspan R-Westlake Replacing: J. Todd Smith (R-Germantown) did
Materials must be received in our office by that date.
/ See ELECTIONS Page 10
not run
Cont'd(D-Columbus)
Dontavius Jarrells
Replacing: Bernadine Kent (D-Columbus) Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester Twp.)
did not run Replacing: George Lang (R-West Chester Twp.)
went to Senate
Bob Young (R-N. Canton)
STARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org FROM THE FEDERATION | 3
Post-election: Lowering the Temperature of
Polarization Best of the best,single
As I write this, the 2020 US Presidential Election has been called with the Biden/Harris transportation winner.
ticket as the winners, although the results were unexpectedly close. The campaign season
has been a trying time for the country with often bitterly partisan political messaging on top
of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic downturn. The country is so deeply
divided that there remain a shrinking but vocal contingent of Americans, led by President
Trump himself, who refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of not only the election result but
of the election process itself. Our democracy has been weakened but can heal and recover.
We as Jews have an opportunity to help in this. In our own community and in our country,
we need to seek to find common ground, to “lower the temperature” of and allow modera-
tion of the extremely polarized positions that echo through our social medial and political
commentary. Only through coming together can we work to become more like the country
we aspire to be.
DAN CHARLICK I would like to take this moment to focus on two interesting takes on the election.
CJCF President Firstly, it is interesting to recognize that just as Americans have strongly different views
about Trump/Biden, there is also a difference of opinion on the topic between American
Jews and their Israeli counterparts.
American Jews have historically shown overwhelming support for Democratic presidential candidates, this year
preferring Joe Biden over President Donald Trump 77 percent to 21 percent, according to an exit poll commissioned by
liberal lobby group J Street, and 60.6 percent to 30.5 percent in a survey from the Republican Jewish Coalition.
According to Jay Ruderman, (November 10, 2020 / JNS) “The Jewish vote figures reinforce what we already know
about the priorities of Jewish voters. The overwhelming majority of American Jews identify as passionately pro-Israel,
that has not been one of the top issues they are expressing in the voting booth.” In fact, we here in Canton have seen that
same sentiment echoed in our own Jewish Community Survey, reflected in the priorities placed for Federation spending.
Ruderman goes on to say:
“Only 4 percent of (American) Jewish voters identify Israel as their first or second-most important election issue.
Instead, 43 percent prioritize health care, 28 percent gun violence, and 21 percent Social Security and Medicare.
Consequently, Trump’s series of policies that have made him a so-called “dream come true” for supporters of Israel—
moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, recognizing the Golan Heights as part of
Israel and more—only move the needle for the Orthodox Jewish vote rather than the American Jewish vote as a whole.
Given the disconnect between Trump’s Israel policy and the Jewish vote in the United States, it is natural to assume
that the 2020 election has amplified the divisions between pro-Trump Israeli Jews and anti-Trump American Jews.
The Pew Research Center found earlier this year that 71 percent of Israelis approve of Trump, a figure that far more
closely resembles American Jews’ support for Trump’s Democratic opponent. Israel even went as far as naming a new
settlement ‘Trump Heights’.”
As you can see, there is a need to moderate the polarization within the world-wide Jewish population as well. This is
not only an American phenomenon. Otherwise the American and Israeli Jewish worldviews will continue to drift further
apart.
On a lighter note, I would like to recognize an exciting first for America. As I foreshadowed in a previous column, ethnic
and religious minority has become mainstream enough in our political environment that not only is not a disqualifier for
service but widely accepted as the new acceptable normal.
Kamala Harris has made history in the 2020 election. VP Elect Harris, whose mother was Indian, and father is
Jamaican, is set to become the first female, first Black and first South Asian U.S. vice president. Her husband has made
history as well. Attorney Doug Emhoff is set to become the first Second Gentleman of the Unites States, as well as the
first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president. In his role as second gentleman, Emhoff will focus on equal access
to justice and legal representation. Doug Emhoff has two adult children, Cole and Ella, from a previous marriage, who call
Kamala Harris “Momala.” Harris has referred to the interfaith and multiracial clan as a “modern family.”
The Twitter universe responded to the news with typical comedic wit:
• In Doug Emhoff, we are going to have our first Zaddy in the White House
• Just got very excited picturing a People magazine article featuring a recipe for Doug’s WHITE HOUSE LATKES Artistic Objects
• Now millions of young Jewish boys across the nation will believe that they, too, could someday grow up and be
the Second Gentleman of the United States.
for Meaningful Spaces
And I leave you with my personal favorite:
• I’m into Doug Emhoff, the first Jewish Second Gentleman, in fact the first Second Gentleman ever... the lifetime
achiever of our huge and growing club of Jewish men married to much more impressive women. John Strauss Furniture
Until next time, stay safe and take care of each other, 236 Walnut Ave NE, Canton, OH | 330.456.0300
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4 | JFS STARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org
Ending 2020 Powerfully
Are you looking forward spending your time. Begin to say NO this year to things
to 2021 or are you bogged that you don’t really want to do.
down with unfinished tasks 9. Be different and do something new. Before the
from this year? No matter end of the year, do something that you have never done
what sort of year you have before. End the year on a new voyage of discovery.
had, you still have the 10. Start walking every day for at least 20 minutes
opportunity to end this year until the New Year begins. You might just enjoy the
on a high, and start January walking so much that it could become a great new
JFS Staff on a positive note.
You will have had a
habit.
11. Rest and relax. Though you will get busy with
Heather Hershey-Tompkins, Executive Director HEATHER HERSHEY- number of successes in the some of the above suggestions, it is also important to
330-445-2402 TOMPKINS last twelve months and it is take it easy now for a day or two and do nothing. Sleep
Peggy Stabholz, Case Manager JFS Director important to acknowledge in all day, or just laze about in front of the TV. Recharge
them. At the same time, you yourself before the New Year kicks in.
330-445-2859
can learn from those things that did not quite go the way No matter how the year ends for you, just remember
Lynda Herbert, Senior Adult Program Director you had hoped. that it has been a great year. And next year you can make
330-445-2412 Here are some simple ways of ending this year it even better.
Chelle Cohen, Administrative Assistant powerfully. Chicken • Pizza • Subs
330-445-2850 1. Review the year that is about to end. Write down
some of the highlights of all the good things that
happened to you. You will be surprised just how much
goodness and happiness you have actually had this
year. Chicken • Pizza • Subs
2. Share and celebrate your successes this year with Chicken
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and appreciation will be a great platform for the New Canton • 2512 Harrison Ave. N.W. ...................(330) 454-6565
Year. Being grateful for the goodness already in your
Other locations:
life makes it possible for you to receive even more. Canton
Summit County • 3560 Middlebranch
& Columbiana County Ave. N.E. ............(330) 455-6428
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those people who have helped make this year special Other locations:
for you. This could be done in a Hanukkah cards, use Summit County & Columbiana County
Other locations:
email or internet ecards. Express gratitude for your Summit County & Columbiana County
past alliances and at the same time, forge stronger
friendships for the future.
4. Review your current to do list for work. Be
ruthless and eliminate as many tasks as you can,
The J-Shuttle, which is wheel chair accessible, without doing them. Then choose just one task and get
it done before the end of the year. Finally, throw away
is available for appointments on Mondays, your unfinished to do list and do not write another one
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. till January. You will be surprised how great it will feel
not having a list of things to do.
Rates are $6.00 one way/$12.00 round trip.
5. Finish off any unresolved matters. Look at
For reservations, call Chelle Cohen at 330-445-2850. completing any small unfinished tasks around the
house. At At
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STARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org RABBI | 5
A Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginzburg
Much has been said and much has been written in the autumn session of the Supreme Court. She and Justice Breyer were both Jewish, and
weeks since the death of RBG, z”l. I would like to focus she attempted to persuade Chief Justice Rehnquist to move opening day to Tuesday. The
on the Jewish aspects of her life and how her Jewishness Chief Justice was not moved initially by her request, but she convinced him by noting that
permeated her very essence. Her obituary in The Guardian Jewish lawyers would not be able to appear to argue cases on opening day and this was
stated that“she abandoned her religion at the age of discrimination.
17”. Her mother died two days before her High School In 2013, her granddaughter, Clara, while staying with her “bubbe” during an internship in
graduation and at shiva, she was not counted in the min- Washington, convinced RBG that they should go to High Holiday services. Ginsburg was
yan, although she waspermitted to recite the Mourner’s impressed to see that the Hazzan was a lovely
Kaddish. She was indignant at the exclusion;however, soprano and that women were reading from the
she remained deeply committed to her Jewish identity. Torah and having Aliyot.. Would she have felt
RABBI SHELDON W Although this was a pivotal moment and the origin of her differently about Jewish ritual and would she
SWITKIN lifelong commitment to feminism, it was by no means the have become a brilliant Talmudist had she been
end of her connection to her heritage or to her culture. Four counted “in” rather than “out” of her mother’s
days later, a corrected obituary stated that she “moved away from strict religious obser- shiva minyan? We shall never know.
vance after she was not allowed to be counted in the shiva minyan”. Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt spoke at her memo-
She attended both Orthodox and Reform Congregations as a child in Brooklyn, before rial ceremony when she lay in State. The rabbi’s
her family found a good fit at the Conservative synagogue, East Midwood Jewish Center. husband had clerked for RBG in 2014 and the
She wondered, however, as a young preadolescent, why boys got to have a Bar Mitzvah two women became friends. Rabbi Lauren and
while there was no comparable ceremony for girls as a rite of passage. This experience Justice Ruth teamed up to write a feminist
of non-inclusion began to shape her advocacy for gender equality, which became her Haggadah supplement. She stressed that “We
passion throughout her life. the people,” the opening words of the Constitution,
In an essay which she wrote in 1946, as a 13 year old in the aftermath of WW11, she would include “all the people.”
spoke of the deep scars that the Jewish community had sustained as a result of the RBG believed in a living Constitution that has
Holocaust. Once again, this was a pivotal experience in launching her pursuit of justice evolved and must evolve with the needs of the Josh Shapiro, the Attorney
against discrimination that targeted minorities. people and the realities of the times in which we
Her mother, Celia, modeled the importance of acts of lovingkindness at every oppor- live, rather than in the concept of Originalism.
General of Pennsylvania has
tunity. One such example was celebrating young Ruth’s birthday every year at a Jewish This is the Jewish posture with regards to Jewish an interesting Hanukkah
orphanage in Brooklyn, Pride of Judea, where they would bring and share ice cream law. We are the heirs of the Rabbinic tradition, Menorah. As we know
and cake with the resident youngsters. Ruth attended religious school and her mother as opposed to the Karaites, who understood the
marked the onset of Shabbat by lighting candles and having a special Shabbat dinner. Torah in a literal fashion and did not accept the
the Menorah consists of
Jewish holidays were also observed in the Bader household. Talmud. nine candles, the same
She went on to Cornell University on a full scholarship, and married her college sweet- RBG, who became a pop cultural icon in her number as the justices on
heart, Marty Ginsburg, in a Jewish ceremony. She was on the law review at Harvard, but later years, served with great distinction for
transferred to Columbia, when Marty received a job offer in New York City. She graduated nearly a quarter of a century before her death,
the Supreme Court. His
first in her class; yet, almost all doors were closed to her on account of her gender. These erev Rosh Hashanah. Justice Ginsburg’s mantra Menorah has an image of
personal experiences of discrimination also shaped her life-long fight for equal rights was, “Fight for the things that you care about, but Ruth Bader Ginsburg as
for women, as well as for the disabled and minorities. In 1993, she was nominated to do it in a way that will lead others to join you”.
the Supreme Court by President Clinton who lauded her for standing with the “outsider” Scott Simon, of NPR radio, wrote the following:
the Shamash, the candle
in society, telling them that they, too, have a place in society. An avowed liberal, she “ RGB’s death is a loss, but she left us in the used to light the others. At
was approved in the Senate by a vote of 97 – 3. In an address to the American Jewish season in which Jews are called to reflect on life this Hanukkah season, she
Committee after her appointment, she stated that “the demand for justice runs through and refresh their sense of purpose in the world.
the entirety of Jewish history and Jewish tradition”. She attributed her “outside” perspec- Her memory will be heard this year in the sound
stands as the leading light
tive to her Jewish roots. The phrase from Deuteronomy, “Justice, justice shall you pursue,” of the Shofar, calling people to look above and in this season of darkness
hung as a placard at the entrance to her judicial chambers at the Supreme Court. use their life’s work to lift others.” May her mem- due to the Covid 19 virus.
In the year 2003, Yom Kippur fell on the first Monday in October, the opening day of the ory serve as an inspiration and as a blessing.
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6| STARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org
Jewish Researcher Harvey Alter
Shares Nobel Prize In Medicine For
Identifying Hepatitis C Virus
(JTA) — The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded
Marcy Oster to three scientists who identified the hepatitis C virus,
including Harvey Alter, a Jewish researcher at the National
Institutes of Health.
“The Nobel Laureates’ discovery of Hepatitis C virus
is a landmark achievement in the ongoing battle against
viral diseases. Thanks to their discovery, highly sensitive
blood tests for the virus are now available and these have
essentially eliminated post-transfusion hepatitis in many
parts of the world, greatly improving global health,” the
Nobel committee said in announcing the prize, which also
went to Michael Houghton of the University of Alberta and Charles Rice of Rockefeller
HANUKKAH RAFFLE 2020 University.
Alter, 85, was born in New York and attended medical school at the University of
Shaaray Torah Synagogue’s annual fundraiser will again be the Hanukkah
Rochester. Early in his career he worked with Nobel Prize winning scientist Baruch
raffle from December 10, 2020 through December 18, 2020. This year, we are
Blumberg, who identified the hepatitis B virus.
asking for your support more than ever, because COVID 19 has affected us all.
In 2000, he received the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research for his work
Purchasing an additional ticket or even a half ticket will make a great impact in
leading to the discovery of the virus that causes hepatitis C.
our efforts to keep our community safe during the COVID 19 Pandemic.
Houghton isolated the genetic sequence of the new hepatitis C virus while working at
The ticket price is $100. There will be 8 winners. One ticket will be drawn for
Chiron Corporation in the 1980s. Rice showed that hepatitis C virus alone could cause
each day of Hanukkah. The first day will pay $1000. The second through seventh
hepatitis.
days will pay $400. The last day will pay $1000.
NEW THIS YEAR
To allow more winners, we will not re-enter winning tickets in to the raffle until
the last night. This will allow everyone a chance to win both $1000 prizes.
The Board of Directors of Shaaray Torah Synagogue would like to thank you for
your continued support of our annual raffle
To purchase tickets, please mail your check made payable to Shaaray Torah
Synagogue, 432 Thirtieth Street NW, Canton, OH 44709. Last minute purchases
can be billed. If you have any questions, please contact Mike Magill at (330)
805-7726.
HAPPY HANUKAH!
“Seven Locations to Serve You”
SERVING STARK COUNTY SINCE 1933
Locally Owned and Operated
STARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org SAO | 7
Hello December 2020 and January 2021
CJCF Happy Chanukah and a Happy Healthy New Year
adult
organization
I’m sitting at my desk, it’s November 8th and it is predicted to be
in the 70’s today. We had a mild fall and as a consequence I was
able to social distance with my many SAO friends.
I’m hoping that December will be pleasant as well. On December
10th I’ll light my first Chanukah candle at home and pray that there
is a “light at the end of the tunnel” and that a vaccine will be avail-
able soon. I’ll reminisce about my SAO Chanukah luncheons...
Darrell’s potato latkes and his menu. This will be the first time in
21 years that I haven’t celebrated this holiday with my SAO friends!
January 2021 will be here soon. January is the month that I mail
my letter to each of you for SAO MEMBERSHIP DUES.
Dues are still $5/person and $10/couple.
Your dues keep you on my membership list. Your membership
benefits include Birthday announcements in the SJN, program
LYNDA HERBERT
notifications, supporting our SAO Organization and supporting a
Jewish Welfare Fund pledge.
Anyone 60 years and older is welcome to join. Some members are active and some
just pay their dues to support our programs (hopefully they will begin again soon.) Past
programs have included The Ohio Light Opera in Wooster, trips to Cleveland theatre and
botanical garden, Amish country and food, Canton Museum of Art, a relaxing day on the
Portage Princess boat with a narrative tour of the lake, new restaurants around town
and in Akron and Cleveland. I plan trips according to our group’s interests and sugges-
tions. Programs at Beit Ha’am have included monthly luncheons with guest speakers We continue to meet the needs of our community through our Food Bank.
and monthly Men’s breakfasts. Thank you for your generous support.
PLEASE MAIL YOUR CHECK TO:
Lynda Herbert
Beit Ha’am
432-30th Street, Canton, Oh 44709
Paying your dues now helps defray the cost of mailing out annual dues letters.
If you have further questions please call me at 330-445-2412 and leave a message. I
will call you back when I’m at my desk.
May your Chanukah candles brighten your spirit. I hope to see you soon.
Hugs, Lynda
BIRTHDAYS
December
Diane Friedman • Madelyn Gratop • Dorie Hafner
January
Marjorie Fuerman • Judy Nusbaum • Peg Sabol
Gloria Fettman • Bernice Friedman • Neal Libster • Davina Schweitzer
Ben Mandzuch • Carole Sheidlower • Joe Zoldan
Contributions
CJCF
adult
organization
To Dolores Ekus in honor of your 90th birthday from Becky and Joe Zoldan
8| STARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org
Chef Rabbino Update
The Chef Rabbino Fundraiser has been a huge success. Thirty desks, desk lamps,
power cords and exercise ball seats delivered to Lehman Middle School! Special
thanks to those who helped sell the corned beef and those who only ate it - to those
who designed and those who assembled. It has been an enriching experience and we
are ready to do it once more for Barr Elementary. Materials are ordered and the design
has been modified. The money has been raised and the battery on my power driver is
charged! Sincerely, Chef Rabbino and his Crew.
Assemblers
Jon Adland, Mark Atleson, John Spera, John Spitzer, David Komarofsky,
Larry Cohen, Andy Meshekow, Tom Porter
Lee Karelitz, Maître d’Deli, Mark Atleson, Sous-Chef, John Spitzer, Host
Educational Design
Consultants
Design Team Gail Bleckman, Cathy
Jon Adland and Mark Atleson, co-designers Atleson, Barb Spera,
John Spitzer, logistics Debbie Sinopoli
STARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org |9
2021 Temple Israel
Sisterhood Mah Jongg
Cards
We know that 2020 was (is) a strange year and hope-
fully you were able to play with your maj group. The
National Mah Jongg League is coming out with a new
card for 2021. You can order your National Mah Jongg
2021 Card from Temple Israel Sisterhood. Since the 3.1875”
Temple Office is closed please send your check with the
names and address of those individuals who would like to
order a 2021 card to: Barbara Spera 1380 Shiloh Run SE,
North Canton, OH 44709. Cards are $9 for standard print
and $10 for large print. Cards will be sent to your home
address around April 1,2021. All orders MUST be recieved
by Jan. 28, 2021.Make checks payable to Temple Israel
Yoga Classes
Sisterhood. Questions call Barb at 330-494-8360.
3.5” x 2” Janet Moon O’Brien
Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor Dedicated to Quality and Service
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ELECTIONS continued from Page 2
class around Cap Square and dominating statehouse news coverage for months, seem- On the Senate side, Michigan’s Gary Peters pulls off an election night comeback. Peters
ingly has almost zero resonance to the average voter. is the Democratic alter ego to Ohio’s own Rob Portman on Homeland Security advocacy
As well, the pollsters were off in Ohio and nationally. The social media and mainstream and they are set to be chair, and ranking member, of the Homeland Security committee.
media echo chambers so many of us find ourselves in do not accurately reflect the Whatever the ultimate makeup of the Senate, maintaining this bipartisan partnership on
state of play in the country. In the words of Stu Loeser, a former press flack for Senator the issue can only be positive. In the House, Marcia Fudge is one of three members in line
Schumer, “it shows, for the 700 millionth time, that social media, and Twitter, in particular, to take over the Agriculture Committee.
is not the real world.” Within Ohio, the legislative majorities on the GOP side are getting slightly larger. What
Trump voters may not truly be Republicans, but when they vote, they seem to have voted this will mean for Governor DeWine and some of his signature issues, which are seen as
for Republicans on the down ballot races too. (Some national reporting seems to show more moderate, with new legislators who lean more conservative, remains to be seen.
that in other areas, Biden voters “ticket split” - see this Roll Call reporter’s comments on On issues OJC focuses on there certainly is a renewed need for advocacy and outreach.
a Nebraska example - but we’ve yet to see that type of analysis here in Ohio.) Thus, Ohio New House members are untested on education issues relating to day schools, are likely
remains, electorally, a reliably Republican state. The state continues to calcify into more less sympathetic to Medicaid needs, and may be unaware of the security and policy needs
Democratic leaning urban centers and rural expanses of Republican control. our community faces in combating antisemitism.
Policy Implications Jewish Community Impact
Federally, we are still awaiting finality and clarity on control of the Senate, which cur- At the statehouse, with Greenspan’s loss, the Jewish caucus decreases by one-third,
rently stands at a 48-48 tie with Republicans holding leads in one, and the other two - both and loses its sole Republican member. The Jewish community loses a champion in
in Georgia - headed to a January runoff. In any of the three possible scenarios: preserving Greenspan but also in Sean O’Brien. Randi Clites, a first term Democrat who lost her
GOP control, a tied Senate with the vice president acting as the tiebreaker, or a narrow Portage County seat was someone with whom we had worked on niche issues such as
Democratic takeover, the most aggressive policy impulses of progressives (Supreme establishing a Rare Disease Advisory Council.
Court packing, Medicare for All, statehood for DC and Puerto Rico etc.) seem doomed Four of the six newly elected senators - including three with Jewish institutions in their
or severely hampered. On the House side, Republicans have eaten a bit into the majority, districts - are current state representatives with whom OJC has worked before.
and with their electoral success at holding swing districts such as that of outgoing Texas With the state more firmly in GOP hands, but the overwhelming number of Jewish com-
GOP Rep. Will Hurd, knocking off even moderate and centrist Democrats such as Donna munities and Jewish agencies in and around the Democratically controlled urban areas,
Shalala, may also be potentially tempering the more radical policy agenda of some pro- regional and statewide advocacy becomes even more crucial.
gressive lawmakers.STARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org | 11
Frying high: Keeping known, lesser-known culinary traditions
VANILLA RICOTTA FRITTERS PARADISE PONCHEKES
Sybil Kaplan, JTA (This recipe comes from a Chicago chef Gale Gand, (Here are recipes by Ruth Sirkis for the mini doughnuts
who got it from her mother-in-law.) called ponchiki in Russian and ponchik in Yiddish that
Ingredients: were brought to Israel by Polish immigrants, as well as
CHEESE LATKES Vegetable oil 1 1/4 cups flour several types of latkes.)
(This recipe is from “Spice and Spirit, The Complete 3 large eggs 2 teaspoons baking Ingredients:
Kosher Jewish Cookbook of the Lubavitch Women.”) 1/4 cup sugar powder 1 cup water
Ingredients: 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Confectioners’ sugar 4 ounces margarine
3 eggs extract 1 cup flour
1 cup milk 1 cup whole milk ricotta 4 eggs
1 cup drained cottage cheese cheese Oil
1 1/2 cups flour Preparation: Preparation:
1 teaspoon baking powder 1. In a large saucepan, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil. Set 1. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt a large wire rack over a baking sheet, top with paper tow- and continue boiling until it melts. Add the flour and mix
5 tablespoons sugar els and position near the saucepan. with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball and
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla with leaves the sides of the pan.
1/2 cup oil a wooden spoon. Add the ricotta and beat until smooth. 2. Remove from heat. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Preparation: Add flour and baking powder and beat until just blended. 3. Heat oil in a pot for deep frying. When oil is hot, drop
1. Place eggs, milk, cottage cheese, flour, baking powder, 3. Using a very small ice cream scoop or 2 teaspoons, in pieces of dough from a teaspoon. Let puff and turn as
salt, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and mix until smooth. slide 8 walnut-size rounds of batter into the hot oil. Fry needed to assure even browning.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan (if using nonstick pan, use less over moderate heat until deep golden all over and cooked 4. Remove from oil with slotted spoon. Drain on paper
oil.) Drop batter by spoon into hot oil. Fry until brown on through, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer towels. Serve hot with warm sauce.
both sides. Drain on paper towels and continue until all the fritters to the rack to drain. Continue frying remaining
batter is used. Keep warm until serving. Serve with sour fritters in batches of 8. Arrange fritters on a platter and
Cont'd / See RECIPES Page 14
cream or applesauce. dust well with confectioners’ sugar. Makes 8 servings.
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Sirak Financial Services12 | CHADASH STARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org
Thank you Chadash Faculty and Education Director Julie Zorn
The Chadash Education Committee would like to express our gratitude to Chadash the commandment of
director, Julie Zorn and the faculty of Chadash for their hard work in taking the commu- Deuteronomy 6:7: ‘You
nity’s religious and Hebrew school to a virtual learning academy. Our focus on Jewish shall impress them (these
education for our youth is as strong as ever. COVID-19 made the planning and execution instructions at the heart
of this school year difficult, yet Julie Zorn and her faculty have excelled at providing of Jewish tradition) on
quality Jewish education to our youth Jewish education must always remain fluid and your children.’ Julie Zorn
adapt to embrace the times. Though Beit Ha’am remains closed for most likely the and the Chadash faculty
entire school year, Chadash has found a way to bring their community together despite have stepped up to the
it and has created meaningful experiences that enhance a set of Jewish values and many challenges facing
reassures the school’s students that they will be there for them during any crisis. supplemental education
“I applaud Chadash’s decision to hold classes on-line during this pandemic. Jewish by making the best use of
education of our youngsters cannot be curtailed if we want the next generation to retain technology and creativ-
its Jewishness,” said Rabbi Sheldon Switkin of Shaaray Torah Synagogue. “My own ity to keep the students
grandchildren in San Diego and Minneapolis are continuing their Jewish studies remote- learning and connected
ly as well.” with each other. Chadash
Chadash faculty began the school year all with different experience levels of working students and teachers are Abby and Ellie and the traveling Havdalah set
in the Zoom platform. It was important to schedule “practice time” with a couple of the able to see each other on
Chadash teachers prior to the start of the school year. After a week or two of religious screen, share art, music, and
school, however, all of the faculty has embraced the technology and has stepped up movement, and make the best of the circumstances in which we all find ourselves. “
their game to make their teaching as experiential and engaging as possible even though ‘The Chadash Havdalah set has started traveling from home to home so that this fun
they are not physically together. They have done an extraordinary job and have been and inspiring ceremony can continue even when we are physically apart,”
quite successful in their efforts to everyone’s happy surprise. Rabbi continued, “Hazzan Braun and I take turns leading the t’filah (prayers) and
“This year has thrown all of us so many curve balls which required the teachers to we have created a shared siddur (prayerbook) that includes parallel sections from the
completely rethink their teaching methods and pre-plan in ways not previously required. Reform and Conservative books. We’re able to use what we’ve learned from online ser-
Pile on top of that teaching via Zoom for the first time, it has been challenging to say vices over the last months to keep the kids familiar with the traditional liturgy. “
the least. While we all desperately want life to return to normal, I’m proud of the way the Temple Israel has sponsored Julie to take part in the 34th class of Leadership
staff has stepped up to deliver quality Jewish education to the families of our commu- Stark County. In October, she took part in an advanced site visit tour at the Wilderness
nity.” Jonathan Wilkof, Co Chair of the Chadash Education Committee. Center which resulted in a program collaboration between the Wildnerness Center and
It was clear early on in the planning process and through the example of local public Chadash. Julie is working with program coordinator and senior naturalist, Carrie Elvey
and private schools during the shutdown this past Spring that virtual teaching requires to design a program for Tu Bishvat virtually for the Chadash students at the end of
a different skill set than what our faculty would be used to. Not wanting to add to the January.
stressful environment that Chadash families are already faced with during this time of “Julie is wonderful at keeping our Chadash students engaged in Jewish learning. Due
Covid, Zorn made the decision to shorten the Chadash religious school day and focus to the pandemic, Chadash has had no in-person classes this year. Even during this trying
on the need to unify their community of young learners over all of the traditional curricu- situation, Julie always keeps the education fun and interesting, while at the same time
lar aspects that Chadash is used to. making sure our Chadash students continue to learn the important values of our rich
Rabbi David Komerosky said “New realities forced us to find new ways to fulfill Jewish heritage,” Hazzan Bruce Braun, Shaaray Torah Synagogue.
“I just want to thank everyone for the sacrifices they made to make this year a suc-
cess, said Mike Magill Co Chair of the Chadash Education Committee. “I want to thank
the staff and families of our students, I realize COVID has added a lot of stress to
everyone and your patience and commitment to our community and our Jewish youth is
admirable. “
Typical Sunday for Chadash
The morning begins on Zoom with a short T’filah service led either by Rabbi
Komerofsky or by Hazzan Braun and immediately followed with 35 minute “break out
rooms” taught by Chadash faculty to classrooms divided up by age groups. The school
comes back together with an all school activity – either Hebrew Through Movement
taught by Lori Magill, art taught by Linda Poole or music taught by Zorn. The school
morning concludes with Havdalah, and to further add a sense of familiarity back to
Chadash students, the school’s Havdalah set travels from family to family each week
taking turns and engaging a beloved school interaction.
Hebrew students still meet twice weekly on Zoom with Mitkadem curriculum taught
by Laura Soloman and Ellen Shankle. Hebrew learning screen time has also been short-
ened to adapt to the virtual learning needs of Chadash students.
Chadash Education Committee
Co-Chairs: Jonathan Wilkof, Mike Magill, Temple Israel Committee representatives:
Paul Garfinkle, Toni Olenick, Melissa Woofter, Shaaray Torah Representatives: Bobbi
Altman, Fran Johnson, Marissa Farnsworth
Abby and Ellie and
Mia,the traveling
Noah, Havdalah
and Mason working set
on Tzedakah boxesSTARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org CHADASH | 13
Virtual Chadash School
How does Chadash School work with virtual technology? Thanks to great
planning, Julie Zorn and the Chadash faculty can provide virtual learning via
Zoom and students experience nearly the same schedule as when they attended
Beit Ha’am
Sunday Schedule
10 am — Tefilah (Zoom) – All School (Led by Rabbi Komerofsky or Hazzan
Braun)
Announcements from Morah Julie
10:20 am — Break Out Rooms
Pre-K – Confirmation (Taught by Various teachers)
10:55 am — Alternating Rotating Weekly Activities Join Chadash on
(1) Hebrew Through Movement – Led by Lori Magill
(2) Art – Led by Linda Poole Sunday, December 13, 2020
(3) Music – Led by Julie Zorn during religious school
11:10 am — Havdalah – All School with Havdalah set travelling from house to
house For a special virtual Hanukkah painting party!
Hebrew School (Sunday) (Taught by Ellen Shankle and Laura Soloman)
We will be making Chanukah hot plates from
Virtual Learning Time – 1130 – 12:30 pm
Hebrew School (Wednesday) (Taught by Ellen Shankle and Laura Soloman) Canton’s own Glazed and Amused.
Virtual Learning Time – 4: 015pm – 5:15 pm Please mark your calendars to pick up your
special Hanukkah painting kit on Sunday,
Chadash Faculty
Tefilah – Rabbi David Komerofsky and Hazzan Bruce Braun December 6th from 3-4 pm from the
Torah Tots – Ellen Shankle Beit Ha’am parking lot.
K-2nd – Linda Poole and Hannah Roberts
3rd-5th – Daniel Silverman
6th-8th – Kristin Wilkof Please contact Julie Zorn for more information
9th-10th (Pre-Confirmation and Confirmation) – Rabbi David Komerofsky by phone 330-760-7910 or by email and
Beginning Hebrew – Laura Soloman
chadash@jewishcanton.org.
Hebrew – Ellen Shankle
Hebrew Through Movement – Lori Magill
Art – Linda Poole
Music – Julie Zorn
Upcoming Chadash Programs
Hanukkah Program
December 13 – Virtual Hanukkah craft with Glazed and Amused
Tu Bishvat Program
January 24 – Virtual program with the Wilderness Center
Simone from Linda Poole’s Class Eliza from Ellen Shankle’s class14 | STARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org
Giant Eagle to Hire 600 Team Members in RECIPES continued from Page 11
CHOCOLATE SAUCE
Akron-Canton Area
ORANGE SAUCE
Ingredients: Ingredients:
1 cup light corn syrup 1 cup orange juice
2 ounces unsweetened 1/2 cup sugar
Company to Host Socially Distant Hiring Events at Select Locations November 12-13 chocolate 1 tablespoon cornstarch
CLEVELAND - Supermarket workers continue to play a vital role in serving our communities, and as holiday prepara- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Juice from 1 lemon
tions begin, Giant Eagle is looking to fill 600 permanent full and part-time positions across the company’s Akron and 1 tablespoon unsalted mar- 2 tablespoons orange
Canton Giant Eagle and Market District supermarkets. garine liqueur
Giant Eagle will conduct socially distant, in-person holiday hiring events at eight Akron host locations on November Preparation: 2 teaspoons grated orange
12 and eight Canton host locations on November 13. All events will take place from 1 - 6 p.m. Candidates will meet 1. Combine syrup and rind
with recruiters and have the opportunity for same-day job offers. All event participants will be required to wear a mask chocolate in a saucepan. 1 tablespoon unsalted mar-
or other face covering. Heat over low heat until the garine
Interested candidates are encouraged to visit jobs.gianteagle.com/recruiting-events for complete event details, a full chocolate melts. Preparation:
list of host locations and to explore open positions and submit their application in advance to expedite the in-person 2. Remove from heat, add 1. Mix orange juice, sugar
interview process. vanilla and margarine. Mix and cornstarch in a sauce-
The company is looking for team members who enjoy performing a variety of tasks in a fast-paced work well. Serve warm. pan. Bring to a boil and
environment and are passionate about delivering exceptional guest service. A variety of positions are available across boil for one minute, stirring
daytime, evening and overnight shifts depending on candidate availability and interest. constantly.
Open positions include; personal shoppers for Giant Eagle’s popular curbside pickup and home delivery services, deli 2. Remove from heat and
and prepared foods clerks, cashiers, bakery team members, and more! let cool. Add lemon juice,
Giant Eagle Team Members enjoy a variety of benefits including flexible scheduling, competitive wages, paid training, orange liqueur, orange rind
advancement opportunities, and paid time off. and margarine. Mix. Serve
The health and wellbeing of team members is always a top priority at Giant Eagle. Throughout the COVID-19 warm.
pandemic the company has put numerous precautions in place to ensure a safe and healthy working environment,
including providing personal protective equipment, installing plexiglass dividers at primary points of guest interaction, (Author’s note: You can also sprinkle confectioner’s sugar
and increasing the frequency of sanitization of all common areas and shared surfaces. on ponchikes instead of sauces.)STARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org | 15
Temple Israel Adult Education in
Happy Chanukkah from
December and January Stark Jewish News
Regular adult education classes with Rabbi David
Komerofsky will continue online through December and
January. No registration is required, and all are welcome.
Details and login information are at www.templeisrael-
canton.org/adult-education.
The upcoming classes are:
• Ethiopian Jewry (Wednesday, December 3rd - 11:00
a.m.)
• A Glimpse Into the Life of the Last Lubavitcher
Rebbe: Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Tuesday, December 8th - 4:00
p.m.)
• The Rav: The World of Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik (Wednesday, December 16th -
5:00 p.m.)
• Ho! Ho! Huh? Jews and Christmas (Tuesday, December 22nd - 2:00 p.m.)
• The Philosophy of Hannah Arendt (Thursday, January 7th - 4:00 p.m.)
• Jewish Composers (Tuesday, January 12th - 3:00 p.m.)
• The Jews of the Weimar Republic (Friday, January 22nd - 10:00 a.m.)
• The Catskills (Wednesday, January 27th - 11:00 a.m.)
Temple Israel Adult Beginner Hebrew class begins in January
Learn the basics of Hebrew for decoding and pronunciation, specifically for the
purposes of being able to follow the prayer services. The class will meet via Zoom on
Sundays at 9:00 a.m. (on weeks when Chadash meets) beginning January 10 and is free
and open to all. Register at www.templeisraelcanton.org/hebrew. Celebrate
Emerging Leadership Class for Jewish Canton to launch in February
Hanukkah
The Canton Jewish community needs leaders who can build on what others have cre-
ated and sustained, ensuring continuity, and bringing fresh perspectives and ideas. This
with gifts
model of cohort-based learning and engagement for young adults has proven success-
ful here and in other communities. It has been several years since the last such group
of Israel
was created in Canton.
Applications are now open for the first group of participants in this program. Each
bondS
class will include 10 emerging leaders in the Canton Jewish community. An emerging
leader:
• Is Jewish (or married/partnered with someone Jewish) Anniversary of
• Is affiliated with a local congregation
• Has never been president/chair of a Jewish organization (excluding youth group
or Hillel student board)
• Will be between the ages of 30 and 45 when the course begins
• Spouses/partners may both participate but must apply separately.
Rabbi David Komerofsky of Temple Israel will be the instructor, joined by guest pre-
senters. Classes will meet via Zoom on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. for 60 minutes begin-
ning February 2021. When safe, there will be in-person opportunities for socializing.
There is no cost to apply or participate. Apply at www.templeisraelcanton.org/emerg-
ing-leadership
Development Corporation for Israel
MLK Shabbat at Temple Israel Commerce Park Building Four • 23240 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 810
Temple Israel will commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at its Beachwood, OH 44122 • 216.454.0180 • cleveland@israelbonds.com
Shabbat service on Friday, January 15 at 6:15 p.m. This is not an offering, which can be made only by prospectus. Read the prospectus carefully before investing
to fully evaluate the risks associated with investing in Israel bonds. Member FINRA. Photos: Istock
Anniversary of
P E R P E T UAT I N G A 7 0 - Y E A R L E G AC Y O F AC H I E V E M E N T | I S R A E L B O N D S . CO M16 | STARK JEWISH NEWS • DECEMBER 2020 • www.jewishcanton.org
In Las Vegas’s Suburbs, Rep. Susie Lee Fought a Wrestler for Reelection
The Nevada Democrat credits her time as a JCC Sherrill (D-NJ) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). Both trips were sponsored by the
Marc Rod lifeguard growing up in Ohio with shaping her life path AIPAC-affiliated American Israel Education Foundation.
Editor’s note: Susie Lee won her Congressional District During both visits, the legislators met with Israeli and Palestinian officials, including
Race Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb
October 22, 2020 Erekat, and visited locations including Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and
Growing up in Canton, a small city in northeast Ohio, Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) spent Israel’s borders with Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
much of her childhood at the local Jewish Community Center, where she swam and “You realize just how small the country is and how unfriendly its neighbors are,” Lee
worked as a lifeguard. Her mother also taught swimming lessons there, and several of said of the trips. “But more importantly, how incredibly important [Israel] is as an ally
Lee’s seven siblings worked as lifeguards. to the United States and why the support of the United States to Israel is so incredibly
To this day, Lee, who is not Jewish, chokes up talking about her childhood. important. And it’s not just militarily. I think that we have so many opportunities for
“My family’s participation with the Jewish Center… certainly was instrumental in innovation and entrepreneurship.”
setting me on my life’s course,” the congresswoman told Jewish Insider, her voice thick In order to reach a two-state solution, Lee believes the U.S. must continue to act as
with emotion. “The Jewish Center basically provided my entire family with employment. a strong supporter of Israel, comparing the U.S.’s role to that of an older brother who
We were all lifeguards… The aid that my family received was really important.” protects his younger sibling from bullies.
“I literally spent my childhood at the Jewish Center,” she continued. “It gave me a job, On the issue of restoring aid to the Palestinian Authority, Lee said that the U.S. would
it gave me responsibility.” need to have greater accountability for how aid money is being used to ensure that it
The experience shaped her interactions with the is not funding terrorism. During her first congressional
Jewish community and other minority communities campaign, Lee opposed the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran,
throughout her career. Decades later, Lee remains close breaking with much of the Democratic Party. Though
friends with some of the people she met through the she did not support the original deal, she told JI that she
JCC. would have preferred the U.S. remain in the agreement
“I think any time you’ve received the outreach and rather than pulling out, and is in favor of re-joining it,
the support of any community, obviously, you grow an given Iran’s steps toward achieving nuclear capabilities
affection and an understanding,” she said. since the U.S. withdrew.
More broadly, Lee says her childhood shaped her life’s “I had some concerns about the timeframe, and also
course, including her career as an executive in education about the verification process,” she said. “That being
nonprofits. The congresswoman’s first foray into politics said, once we entered into it, it was being used as our
was a failed congressional campaign in Nevada’s 4th vehicle to hold Iran accountable.”
district in 2016. Lee’s childhood, she said, gave her an opportunity to
In 2018, Lee ran again in the neighboring 3rd district, learn about the Jewish community and gave her a better
winning the general election by nine points and claiming understanding of individuals who were different from her.
the seat that had up until that point been held by now- In order to fight antisemitism and other forms of
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV). hatred and intolerance, the congresswoman believes
Lee said that her cumulative life experience — from her the U.S. must foster — on a broader scale — the same
time at the Canton JCC to her experience in education understanding that she developed growing up.
nonprofits, drove her to first run for Congress. “A lot of hatred in antisemitism, Islamophobia,
“The dysfunction in Washington actually puts up etc., really evolves from a lack of understanding,” she
more barriers sometimes than it takes down,” she explained. “I, like many people in this explained. “And I think that’s an important piece of us continuing to build a more just
country, was frustrated by the dysfunction and hyperpartisanship in Washington and felt society, and making sure that we understand each other and approach each other with a
like my type of leadership was about… working through the tough issues, doesn’t matter level of understanding. And I think that, sadly, that is vastly lacking at this point in time,
if it’s a Democrat or Republican, and getting results.” and I hope we can begin to heal and improve that.”
“It just really is an extension of my long career of helping people,” she continued. She added that she sees the right wing as the primary source of antisemitism and
But Lee is in the midst of a tough fight to keep her seat. This election, she’s facing does not see it as a significant issue in the Democratic Party.
Dan Rodimer — a 6’7” former World Wrestling Entertainment fighter who goes by the “I think that there have been many times when antisemitism has been attempted to
nickname “Big Dan” — an outspoken Trump supporter who also touts endorsements be used as a divisive issue within our party,” she said, acknowledging that “there are
from a range of law enforcement groups. members of our party who I’m just going to say are more pro-Palestine than I am and
Rodimer did not respond to questions from JI. there are people who have said unfortunate things.”
The “fair fight” 3rd district — which includes the southern portion of Nevada, including She went on to condemn the president for failing to clearly disavow white supremacy,
some suburbs of Las Vegas — was drawn with an approximately equal balance of and argued that strong leadership is critical to fighting antisemitism and other forms of
Republicans and Democrats, resulting in competitive elections every cycle. This year will hatred.
be no exception, Dan Lee, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las “There just needs to be no gray area,” she said. “Leadership in what we say and how
Vegas, told JI. we act has ramifications. And I think it starts at the top. I think we all need to act and
During her time in Congress, Lee has generally fallen within the Democratic Party’s speak in a manner that makes it clear that we oppose any type of hate towards any type
mainstream on issues relating to Israel and the American Jewish community. She of group of people.”
cosponsored last year’s resolution condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions With just weeks to go before Election Day when she spoke to JI, Lee was confident
movement, as well as a resolution lauding the recent Abraham Accords and other that her record during her first term will convince voters to send her back to Congress.
legislation supporting the U.S.-Israel relationship. “I think people will see not just what I’ve done in two years,” she said, “but what
Lee traveled to Israel in 2018 and again last year, first on a trip for incoming members I’ve done in 25 years for our community, and a clear difference between me and my
of Congress, and later with a group of five other congresswomen including Rep. Mikie opponent Dan Rodimer.”You can also read
