We call this format a Timesaver Guide to Israel’s Coming Elections. This will be a usual feature on Rosner’s Domain until April 9. We hope to make it short, factual, devoid of election hype, and of he-said-she-said no news, unimportant inside baseball gossip.
Bottom Line
For now, Benny Gantz is the alternative.
Main News
Gantz had a successful first appearance, and he is rising in polls.
His numbers improve mostly by taking from other parties in the center and left blocs.
Moshe Ya’alon is Gantz’ No. 2.
Many parties, including The Jewish Home, Kulanu, Israel Beiteinu, Shas, Gesher, Meretz, barely meet the electoral threshold.
Developments to Watch
Political: Gantz’ had a solid performance in his first speech. The boost in the polls was to be expected. The question is: Will it last. Another question is: how strong will he become. With nine seats less than Likud, Gantz will not get a chance to form a coalition.
Political: Gantz’ list is “white” – namely, too Ashkenazi. It is also manly – or, as some critics argued, chauvinistic. These two issues must be corrected, and soon.
Political: Leaders in all blocs, but especially on the right must pay attention to the electoral threshold. The Jewish Home, Shas, Israel Beiteinu, are all in danger (according to the polls). The right can end up throwing away more than 10 seats on parties that will not make it into the Knesset.
Personal: Yair Lapid is likely to be under pressure to team up with Gantz and thus give the centrist bloc a shot as winning the election. For now, he stands firm against such pressure. He wants to be Prime Minister, not Gantz’ second in command.
Personal: Livni is still under water. Ehud Barak not likely to make a comeback. Ashkenazi, another former General, is still undecided.
What’s the Race About
Is Gantz for real, or just having his moment in the sun.
Possible Wild Cards:
More parties sinking under water.
Gantz’-Lapid merger (could end up having as many as 35 seats according to some polls).
Security crisis.
The Blocs and Their Meaning
The rise of Gantz can be meaningful in three ways.
If it convinces other centrist parties and their voters that he is the real player that ought to be supported.
If it gets him close enough to the numbers of Likud, and make the possibility of him getting a first chance at forming a coalition realistic.
If the bloc of right-religious parties loses ground (and seats).
For now, none of this happened. Gantz is not dominant enough to make Lapid join him (he might succeed with Gesher). He is still far from Likud (average 8 seats less). The right-religious bloc still has an edge. Take a look at the graph. It shows the average of how the blocs did before and after the rise of Gantz. As you can see, most of what Gantz gained comes from his own bloc (center) or from the left.
Still, we do not want to underestimate Gantz’ achievement. In close election, and when many parties barely scratch the electoral threshold, every seat counts, and Netanyahu’s coalition of 67 (before Lieberman’s departure) is loosing seats. The parties that made this coalition currently get around 63 seats. As you can see, most of this change happened before Gantz’ rise.
Focus on One Party
Gantz, in the 4 polls before and the 4 polls after vs. Lapid before and after. Gantz, in the 4 polls before and the 4 polls after vs. Likud before and after. As you can see: Gantz must worry Likud, but to Lapid he is a more immediate threat.
A group of anti-Israel protesters disrupted a LGBTQ event over the weekend, which included chants of “from the river to sea, Palestine will be free.”
According to Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), a group of anti-Israel protesters took the stage at the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Creating Change conference on January 24. One of the protesters accused the conference of censoring the pro-Palestinian message because “donors might get mad.”
“Right now, our content is being censored, our liberation is being silenced and our voices are being shut down because the Task Force is too cowardly to have a conversation on one of the leading social justice issues of our time: Palestinian freedom,” the speaker said.
The speaker also accused the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of perpetuating “acts of severe violence against the queer and trans liberation movement,” which the ADL denied.
“These accusations are false and absurd,” an ADL spokesperson told the Journal in an email. “ADL has a long history of fighting for LGBTQ rights.”
Another speaker, identified as Mina Aria, advocated for the Task Force to stand up to “pinkwashing,” a term used by anti-Zionists to argue that Israel’s touting of LGBTQ rights is nothing more than a distraction from the Israel –Palestinian conflict.
The disruption lasted for 13 minutes and included chants of “from the river to sea, Palestine will be free” and “From Palestine to Mexico, all the walls have got to go.” There were no attempts made by the Task Force to quell it, according to JTA.
The Task Force posted a statement from their executive director, Rea Carey, on their Facebook page that acknowledged the “concerns” about the disruption.
“As we have before, the National LGBTQ Task Force firmly condemns anti-Semitism. We firmly condemn Islamophobia,” Carey said. “We firmly condemn attacks on each other’s humanity. The perpetuation of white supremacy is harmful to all.”
Carey added that they “are committed to staying in respectful conversation as we move forward towards Creating Change 2020.”
The Facebook comments in response to the statement criticized it for not adequately addressing the disruption.
“By ‘condemning’ routine concepts without specifying what took place at your event, or who you consider to have been in the wrong, your statement is meaningless,” a commenter named Eric Steiger wrote. “Your organization either does, or does not, consider chants of ‘from the river to the sea’ to be anti-Semitic and genocidal, and you need to unequivocally state which, so that those who understand its historical meaning and intent can make the informed decision to stay away from your events.”
Another commenter, named AJ Campbell, wrote, “But what are you going to do about it? If you cant [sic] manage this then we should not support the Task Force. Right now it is nothing but a hiding place for anti-Semitism.”
This is not the first time such a disruption has occurred at the Task Force’s conference; in 2016, a group of 200 pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a reception held by the Jewish LGBTQ organization A Wider Bridge. The protesters attempted to bar people from entering the reception, stormed the stage and shouted down Tyler Gregory, A Wider Bridge’s executive director, when he attempted to talk about the organization.
“Anti-Semitism, slander, and chants calling for the erasure of Israel must not go unchecked at Creating Change,” Gregory and Congregation Kol Ami founder and Rabbi Denise Eger told Carey in a letter. “If so, what kind of change are we creating? Are we truly building the inclusive future the National LGBTQ Task Force claims to be working to achieve?”
Gregory and Eger called on Creating Change to “develop a permanent solution that excises this festering problem from our community.”
Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs, condemned the protesters’ use of “from the river to the sea” as “an anti-Semitic dog whistle.”
“It is a euphemism for the destruction of Israel, and the resulting subjugation of its nearly seven million Jewish citizens to vulnerable minority status, or even expulsion and murder,” Rothstein said. “Calling for Israel’s destruction is not mere criticism of Israeli government policies It is an explicit call for the denial of the inalienable right of the Jewish people to self-determination, as a historically oppressed minority.”
Rothstein called on the Task Force “to enforce their own policies” in cracking down on disruptions.
According to JTA, the Task Force deals with disruptions by letting them “run their course.”
Two men were arrested on January 30 for allegedly assaulting a Jewish man in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn that same morning.
Video footage shows three men assaulting a 51-year-old Jewish man unprovoked; nothing was stolen from the Jewish man:
A Jew brutally beaten last night in Brooklyn. Nothing stolen. Antisemitism is alive and well in NYC. Time for a hard look at who is doing it and its cause. This has been going on in NY long before Charlottesville or 2016 just ask anyone visibly Jewish. pic.twitter.com/z86dz32YBL
According to the Algemeiner, the two men arrested have been identified as Navar Walters, 18, and Teshon Bannister, 20; both are being charged with a hate crime. The third man in the video is still at large. The Jewish man was hospitalized for minor injuries.
The January 30 assault in Crown Heights comes after a Jewish man was punched in the chest on January 16 and a 19-year-old Jewish man was punched and thrown to the ground on January 12.
Eli Cohen, executive director of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, told News 12 that Crown Heights needs “another level of patrolling” in light of the recent attacks.
Ric von Neumann lives deep in a forest in Ontario, Canada, where he makes handcrafted custom mezuzot. However, von Neumann isn’t Jewish. He didn’t even know what a mezuzah was until he was searching for a wedding gift for Jewish friends and his wife— who is Jewish — suggested a mezuzah.
Von Neumann was once a jeweler for 10 years, a craft that developed his fine motor skills and attention to detail. But he found that making jewelry for a living “took the fun out if it,” so he became a construction worker. After 20 years in that trade, he said, “I was a skilled carpenter and craftsperson. The combination of jewelry making and woodworking were pretty much a slam dunk as far as the skills needed to create the mezuzahs.”
Jewish Journal: How did you manage to start making mezuzahs when you didn’t even know what they were?
Ric von Neumann: I did a little research, but this was pre-internet. My wife explained what it was, so I knew there was religious significance to it, and I didn’t want to be inappropriate. So I went to a local synagogue gift shop and the first mezuzah I saw was a Formula One racing car. After seeing that, I felt I could have freedom in designing [them]. I started making one-of-a-kind pieces customized to the recipient — something about an interest of theirs, their career or profession. The first dozen or so were just gifts.
JJ: You must have known a lot of Jewish people to give them to.
RvN: That’s true. Although I’m not Jewish, my wife is. And growing up, my father was an art professor and my mother was a social worker. My parents had a lot of Jewish friends, predominantly tied to the University of Illinois, where my father worked. And then in 1998 I moved from San Diego to Algonquin Park in Ontario. There’s a campsite here and it wasfounded by a Jewish gentleman. The owner is Jewish, and the majority of summer campers are Jewish.
“I’ve basically given away some [mezuzahs] because the stories are so heartfelt and sentimental that I feel bad charging for them. It’s more about the feeling and the heart part of it.”
JJ: How are you involved with the camp?
RvN: There’s 7,000 square-kilometers of forest. I teach woodworking during the summer camp season. During the off-season, I build cabins, carve totem poles, build canoes and fix whatever needs fixing.
JJ: Was religion a part of your life growing up?
RvN: Not really. My wife’s family was a little more religious and honored the holidays. But growing up, we celebrated Hanukkah with our Jewish friends.
JJ: What materials do you use when creating your mezuzahs?
RvN: I use precious and semiprecious metals: copper, brass, aluminum, gold, sterling silver. For wood, I’ve been using gorgeous tropical hardwoods. I also use precious and semiprecious stones. I inherited many tools and materials from my father, from his work as a goldsmith, and I’m slowly depleting the inherited material. I’m trying to wean myself off the exotic hardwoods because the desire for these woods is wiping out the rainforest. I’m trying to use more typical wood.
JJ: How long does it take you to make a custom mezuzah?
RvN: It really depends. I’ve made some baseball bat-shaped ones, 5or 6 inches long, that I’ve done in an hour. A grand piano or other smaller scale models, like guitars, can take 50 or 60 hours. Every tuning peg, every screw on the guitars is made by hand.
JJ: What are some of your most memorable pieces or customers?
RvN: A mini grand piano was commissioned by friends of mine for one of their friends who had been an aspiring concert pianist when she was younger. She wound up going into law and became the first Jewish woman to serve on the Canadian Supreme Court. She loved the piano and still plays. This project really took on a life of its own, as many of them do, in terms of design and technical challenges. It took countless hours to make it.
There was also a couple that sent me shards from the glass that was stomped on from their wedding, and I put it in a mezuzah. I’ve also done them for people who have lost someone. I did one that was a family memento scale model of a wooden boat that was special to someone’s father.
JJ: Do you include the klaf (scroll) with your mezuzah cases?
RvN: I give people the option of a scroll. I have non-blessed ones that I include free of charge, and I have a source for blessed ones if they want that.
JJ: What is the price range for your work?
RvN: It’s mostly in the $200–$300 price range. I sell some less detailed, more generic pieces for about $100. With all the work that goes into them, I usually only wind up making a few dollars per hour when it’s done. Friends and family have said that I need to charge more, but it’s never been about the money to me. I’ve basically given away some pieces because the stories are so heartfelt and sentimental that I feel bad charging for them. It’s more about the feeling and the heart part of it.
If you’re hosting a Super Bowl party, score a touchdown in the creativity department with these festive drink coasters made of artificial turf. They’re painted with yard-line numbers and markings to get everyone in the spirit, and they’re so easy to make.
What you’ll need: Artificial turf
Scissors
White puffy paint
1. Cut artificial turf into 4-inch-square pieces. You can buy pieces of artificial turf at hardware stores like Home Depot. In fact, they frequently have samples already cut to coaster size.
2. Paint one thick line down the middle with white puffy paint, and then three short lines on either side of the middle line. Puffy paint comes in a squeeze bottle, so it’s very easy to handle. It’s sold in craft stores next to the T-shirts because it’s typically used for fabric painting.
3. Paint a number divisible by 10 (e.g., 30, 40 or 50) on the coaster, with the first digit on the left side of the middle line and the zero on the right side. Give each coaster a different number. Puffy paint is thick, so let it dry before using the coasters.
Jonathan Fong is the author of “Flowers That Wow” and “Parties That Wow,” and host of “Style With a Smile” on YouTube. You can see more of his do-it-yourself projects at jonathanfongstyle.com.
Alan Canter of Canter’s deli in Los Angeles’ Fairfax district, who presided over its expansion and turned the restaurant and bakery into an L.A. mainstay, died Jan. 25 of natural causes.
His death was announced by the family on their Facebook page: “Our beloved owner, Alan Canter, has passed away at age 82,” the posting read. “He kept his family legacy alive and built an L.A. landmark. He worked 18-hour shifts and took pride in hand-cutting each fruit cup. He taught his children how to run this business just as his father taught him. We are deeply saddened by this loss.”
Canter’s father, Ben, along with his uncles Joe and Ruby, founded Canter Brothers Delicatessen in 1931 on Brooklyn Avenue (now Avenida Cesar Chavez) in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, then home to a large part of Los Angeles’ Jewish community. After World War II, they followed the community west, opening up a second deli, Canter’s Fairfax, on Fairfax Avenue between Beverly and Melrose in 1948, before settling into its current location at 419 North Fairfax in 1953. The restaurant expanded in 1959, and in 1961 Canter’s opened a bar, the Kibbitz Room, next door.
In her book “America’s Great Delis,” author Sheryll Bellman called Canter’s “heaven for those who know and love the deli culture and appreciate all that it evokes.”
“He kept his family legacy alive and built an L.A. landmark. He worked 18-hour shifts and took pride in hand-cutting each fruit cup. He taught his children how to run this business just as his father taught him.“
One of the city’s first 24-hour restaurants, Canter’s Fairfax attracted a clientele of musicians and celebrities, and it remains a necessary stop for any politician looking to appeal to Los Angeles’ Jewish vote. The Kibbitz Room became a hangout for musicians, including Jim Morrison, Jackson Browne, Courtney Love and Bob Dylan’s son, Jakob, whose band, the Wallflowers, was formed and played their first shows there.
Canter was born May 2, 1936, and after a stint as a mechanic started working in the family business at the Fairfax Avenue location. He packed pickles and made deliveries, and working his way up, he learned the in and outs of running the business. That attention to detail remained with him his entire life. In 2006, he told the Los Angeles Daily News, “You have real sour cream. Freshest chickens. Best-quality produce. Mayo that is extra heavy. You go for quality.” A 2001 Jewish Journal story described him arriving at the restaurant by 5 a.m., “picking out fruit for the breakfast plate.”
Canter was a fixture at the deli, working alongside the staff and keeping up a steady conversation with the restaurant’s regular customers. His son Marc, who now runs the business, told the Los Angeles Times, “He always had a joke ready and got a good laugh out of everyone he encountered. When he wasn’t working, he was helping anyone who needed a hand. He loaned them money, he helped fix things, he always gave to everyone else before him.” The over 500 comments left on the deli’s Facebook page — many of them directed to Canter’s widow, Elizabeth — are testimony to the loyalty he inspired: “You helped my husband and I so much. I will never forget how good you were to us. You were a wonderful man”; “He was the nicest, most generous man”; “RIP and thanks for creating a very special place. If Canter’s ever closes then Los Angeles is officially dead.”
Canter was preceded in death by his son Gary, who died in December 2017. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Elizabeth; son Marc; daughter, Jacqueline Canter-Schnitman, and five grandchildren. Funeral services were held on Jan. 28.
In keeping with his father’s work ethic, Marc was on the job at the restaurant the day after Canter died. “He had a big heart and good work habits and good morals,” Marc told the Times. “He ran an institution with 150 employees, 24 hours a day, and made a good name for us. We’re a landmark and institution because of the hard years he put in.”
Betty Helen Abramson died Dec. 16 at 78. Survived by daughters Deborah (Rickie) Brown, Alexis Austin, Elayne (John) Grossheim; son Jason (Dimmi Faucheaux); 9 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Larry M. Baker died Dec. 13 at 71. Survived by daughter Kimberly; 1 grandchild. Mount Sinai
Lila Beck died Dec. 8 at 90. Survived by husband David; daughter Susan; sons Steven (Joanne), Alan (Dani); 3 grandchildren; sister Carmen Chalek. Mount Sinai
Bella Bergman died Dec. 7 at 94. Survived by daughter Aviva; son Avi (Nancy); 1 grandchild. Mount Sinai
Walter J. Bloch died Dec. 10 at 92. Survived by wife Sydelle; daughter Judy (Mark) Deitch; son Kenneth “Ken” (Ellen) Bloch; 4 grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Bart Ira Breslow died Dec. 12 at 59. Survived by sister Marisha; brother Stuart (Sandra); Mount Sinai
Minnie Dickman died Dec. 12 at 94. Survived by daughter-in-law, Ilene Dickman; 2 grandchildren; brother Nathan (Carole) Shapiro. Mount Sinai
Gertrude Field died Dec. 12 at 95. Survived by daughter Michele (Joe) Diaz: son Jeff (Susan); 2 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren, 5 great-great grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Marriam Gelbart died Dec. 11 at 94. Survived by daughter Becky (Hugh); sons Adam (Nicole), Paul (Gaye), Gary; 5 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; sister Raleigh. Hillside
Shirley Gill died Dec. 13 at 96. Survived by daughters Sally (Steven) Fink, Natalie Marks; 17 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Paul Glaser died Dec. 13 at 92. Survived by daughters Stephanie, Wendy; 3 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; sister Helene. Hillside
Jack Kramer died Dec. 10 at 87. Survived by daughters Rhonda, Robin, Eileen; 5 grandchildren; sister Phyllis. Hillside
Ronnie Kaufmann died Dec. 12 at 92. Survived by daughter Terry (Richard Macias); sons Steve (Sonia), David; 4 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Constance Montgomery died Dec. 5 at 67. Survived by wife Lorraine. Hillside
Genia Neiman died Dec. 5 at 91. Survived by daughter Rima Daykhovky; son Simcha (Riva) Lerman; 6 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Robert Newman died Dec. 11 at 75. Survived by wife Shirley; son Adam Seth (Yuko); daughter Dana Rachel; 2 grandchildren; brother Thomas (Maryann); brother-in-law, Barry (Judity) Gold. Mount Sinai
Miriam Nudelman died Dec. 6 at 86. Survived by daughter Ruth; son Moshe; 6 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren. Chevra Kadisha
Edwin Praver died Dec. 8 at 94. Survived by wife Joan; sons David (April), Stephen (Susan), Paul; brother Stanley; 3 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren. Hillside
Lorraine Rice died Dec. 8 at 81. Survived by daughter Debbie (Jack); son Greg (Paula); 4 grandchildren. Hillside
Nicholas Rosenthal died Dec. 11 at 91. Survived by wife Gyorgyi; son Harold.Mount Sinai
Myron (Mike) Rothberg died Dec. 10 at 80. Survived by wife Carolyn; sons Greg,
Danny (Kim); 4 grandchildren; sisters Linda Sokolsky, Victoria ( Saul) Faerstein. Neptune Society
Ann Safier died Dec. 12 at 92. Survived by daughters Barbara, Debbie (Marty); son Mark (Susan); 4 grandchildren. Hillside
Molly Shad died Dec. 4 at 96. Survived by daughter Samantha (Dennis) Swartout; 4 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; sister Alice (Victor) Pinhas. Mount Sinai
Malcolm S. Sigman died Dec. 10 at 84. Survived by wife Natalie Sigman; sons Scott, Alan; 6 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; sister Lori. Mount Sinai
Louis Toomin died Dec. 6 at 83. Survived by stepdaughter Jennifer; sons Lance, Larry; 2 grandchildren. Hillside
Shirley M. Weidman died Dec. 10 at 92. Survived by daughter Randi; son David. Mount Sinai
Louise Wilk died Dec. 10 at 94. Survived by 1 grandchild. Mount Sinai
Soulful Shabbat A soulful, mystical Shabbat at Wilshire Boulevard Temple explores the feminine aspect of God and features klezmer, Chasidic and folk-rock versions of the Lekkah Dodi prayer. A Sabbath Bride oneg follows. 6 p.m. Free. Wilshire Boulevard Temple Irmas Campus, 11661 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 388-2401.
Eliad Moreh-Rosenberg
Rescuing Holocaust Art Eliad Moreh-Rosenberg, senior art curator and deputy director of Yad Vashem’s Museums Division, appears during Friday night services at Kehillat Israel and discusses her efforts of retrieving from oblivion the works of artists who created art during the Holocaust, in order to make their visual testimony known to succeeding generations. 7–8:30 p.m. Free. Kehillat Israel, 16019 W. Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades. (310) 459-2328.
Tablet’s Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz.
“Unorthodox” Shabbat The hosts of “Unorthodox,” a popular Tablet Magazine podcast examining news and culture from the Jewish world, record their show live at Adat Shalom after Kabbalat Shabbat services. Adat Shalom Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz and Cantor Dale Schatz lead services and the Tablet’s Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz host the recording of the weekly podcast. Dessert served. 7 p.m. Shabbat service. 8 p.m. live podcast. Podcast tickets $36 in advance. Wristband required. No money accepted at the door. Adat Shalom, 3030 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 475-4985.
SAT FEB 2
Yom Limmud 2019 Yom Limmud 2019 provides an opportunity for Jews from all denominations and walks of life to come together at Leo Baeck Temple for eight hours of learning, exchanging ideas, sharing experiences, schmoozing and eating. Subjects include “Peace of Mind: The Spiritual, the Psychological, the Controversial,” “In the Beginning … Two Visions for the World and for Humanity” and “A Testament to Beauty and Survival: The Glory of Medieval Hebrew Manuscript Illumination.” 9 a.m.–5 p.m. $24 for adult temple members, $12 for children of temple members. $36 for adult guests, $18 for children of nonmembers. Leo Baeck Temple, 1300 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 476-2861 ext. 202.
Lev Eisha Shabbat Rabbi Toba August, Cindy Paley and Joy Krauthammer lead a musical and joyous Shabbat celebration at Beth Shir Shalom. The Lev Eisha Shabbat opens with breakfast and a teaching followed by musical services. 8:15 a.m. breakfast and teaching. 9:30 a.m. Shabbat services. Free. Beth Shir Shalom, 1827 California Ave., Santa Monica. (310) 575-0985.
Jackie Rafii
“Songstruck” Shomrei Torah Synagogue cantorial soloist Jackie Rafii and a cast of cantors from across Los Angeles headline “Songstruck,” a concert of music from Broadway productions, movies and opera. Joining Rafii are Sinai Temple’s Cantor Stephanie Kupfer, Senior Cantor Marcus Feldman and Rabbi Erez Sherman; Temple Ramat Zion’s Senior Cantor Daniel Feldman; Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Cantor Lisa Peicott and Daniel Raijman; and Shomrei Torah Synagogue Cantor Ron Snow. 8–11 p.m. $150 concert package. $50 concert ticket, open seating. Shomrei Torah Synagogue, 7353 Valley Circle Blvd., West Hills. (818) 854-7650.
SUN FEB 3
Russian Tu B’Shevat Russian-speaking Jewish families celebrate Tu B’Shevat, the birthday of the trees, at America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College in Moorpark. Families enjoy Tu B’Shevat crafts, games and an animal show; learn about nature, trees and Israel; partake in seeds and flower-planting; and hold a mini Tu B’Shevat seder with kosher appetizers and symbolic fruits. They also sing special holiday songs and nosh on a birthday cake for the trees. Organized by Camp Gesher Family Programming. 10 a.m.–1 p.m. $25 per family of four, includes admission to the zoo; $5 for each additional member. America’s Teaching Zoo, 7075 Campus Road, Moorpark. (818) 455-2616. Contact elena@shalominstitute.com for more information.
Daniel Cainer
“Gefilte Fish & Chips” London-born singer-songwriter Daniel Cainer headlines “Gefilte Fish & Chips,” a performance of stories in song at the Westside Neighborhood School in Playa Vista. Cainer specializes in imaginative rhyming, wordplay, musicianship and haunting tunes. Organized by the Sholem Community, which holds secular Jewish programming. 10:30 a.m. $15 in advance, $20 at the door. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Westside Neighborhood School, 5401 Beethoven St., Los Angeles. Enter at the rear of the building off Coral Tree Place. (310) 984-6935, (818) 760-6625.
Wiesel Tribute Nadine Epstein, editor-in-chief and CEO of Moment magazine, delivers a multimedia presentation, “Elie Wiesel: An Extraordinary Life and Legacy,” at the Skirball Cultural Center. The program’s title draws from Epstein’s new book about the Nobel Prize winner, author and Holocaust survivor who died at 87 in 2016. Epstein highlights reflections from Wiesel’s colleagues, friends and family; including actor Ben Kingsley, violinist Itzhak Perlman and Oprah Winfrey. She then appears in conversation with one of Wiesel’s former students, journalist Sonari Glinton. A book signing follows. 11 a.m. $10. Free for Skirball members and full-time students. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500.
Celebration of Jewish Arts The rich tradition of Ladino music, seldom heard these days in many corners of the Jewish community, returns when the renowned Sephardic musician, guitarist and singer Stefanie Valdez performs in “The Simcha Series: A Celebration of Jewish Arts.” 7–8:30 p.m. Free. Temple Ner Simcha, 880 Hampshire Road, Westlake Village. (818) 851-0030.
TUE FEB 5
Does Tikkun Olam Need Repair? Although tikkun olam (repairing the world) is an ancient Jewish tradition, some Jews today argue that the current social justice movement misinterprets its intent, with potentially disturbing consequences. “Is Tikkun Olam Actually Good for the Jews?” — a discussion presented by the Sinai Temple Men’s Club — explores the role of tikkun olam in Jewish culture, featuring Sinai Temple Senior Rabbi David Wolpe, Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR and Jonathan Neumann, author of “To Heal the World? How the Jewish Left Corrupts Judaism and Endangers Israel.” 6:30–9 p.m. Free, with dinner provided to Sinai Temple and Men’s Club members; $10 at the door for general attendees. Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 474-1518.
“One More Shot”
“One More Shot” A community screening of the documentary film “One More Shot” — a story of infertility, loss and one L.A. couple’s journey to build their family — is co-hosted by the Jewish Free Loan Association and Yesh Tikva (Hebrew for “There Is Hope”), a support group of Jews facing infertility. A post-screening discussion and Q-and-A moderated by Dvora Entin, a therapist specializing in maternal mental health, features the film’s producer and protagonist Maya Grobel Moskin, reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Carolyn Alexander and urologist Dr. Phillip Werthman. 7 p.m. doors open. 7:30 p.m. screening. $36 general admission, premium seating and sponsorships from $180. Laemmle Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 478-3836.
THU FEB 7
Wiesel Wisdom Ariel Burger, author of “Witness: Lessons From Elie Wiesel’s Classroom,” the 2018 National Jewish Book Award winner for biography; and Na’amit Nagel, an English and Jewish literature teacher at Shalhevet High School, discuss history, memory and education through the lens of late Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. The evening is organized by the Shalhevet Institute. 7:45–10 p.m. Free. Shalhevet High School, 910 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 930-9333.
“The ‘Me Network’” Jewish Journal columnist and USC adjunct faculty member Dan Schnur moderates the monthly Wilshire Boulevard Temple series “What Does It All Mean?” that examines topics in psychology, social science, journalism and politics. The subject of this discussion is “The ‘Me Network:’ What the Dramatic Transformation of News Media Means for All of Us.” 7:30 p.m. Free. Wilshire Boulevard Temple Irmas Campus, 11661 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 388-2401.
“Immigration Justice and Injustice” Feminist ethicist Allison Wolf, a philosophy professor at Simpson College in Iowa, discusses “Immigration Justice and Injustice: Why Jews Should Care” for the sixth annual Maurice Amado Foundation Lecture on Jewish Ethics, organized by the Jewish Studies Interdisciplinary Program at Cal State Northridge. Wolf, a San Fernando Valley native, explains why the Jewish community is obligated to condemn the mistreatment of people in immigration detention centers. 7:30 p.m. Free. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 677-4724 or jewish.studies@csun.edu.
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The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called out Amnesty International’s latest report advocating for Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor to boycott East Jerusalem communities as part of a “biased anti-Israel campaign.”
Amnesty’s “Destination: Occupation” report, which was released on January 29, accused the aforementioned countries of “contributing to, and profiting from, the maintenance, development and expansion of illegal settlements, which amount to war crimes under international criminal law.”
“To boost bookings, many listings in settlements boast of their proximity to areas of natural beauty in the occupied territories, such as the Dead Sea, nature reserves and the desert,” the report states. “By listing and promoting these natural features and nature-based activities and attractions the digital companies are increasing the attractiveness of the listings, securing greater numbers of tourists and ultimately benefiting financially from the illegal exploitation of Palestinian natural resources.”
The report also chided Airbnb for not de-listing Israeli homes in East Jerusalem and for not properly enforcing their policies.
The ADL responded to Amnesty’s report by tweeting that “boycotting & demonizing Israel does nothing to advance any efforts toward peace.”
The World Jewish Congress (WJC) similarly tweeted:
Amnesty would do well to shift focus & urge corporate entities and gov'ts to halt any funding to the PA that might be used for terror payments.
They should advocate clearly against the continued incitement and encouragement to terrorism that proliferates in these territories. https://t.co/mqZZdEyDRR
“Amnesty International is a serious and respected human rights organization, whose work to stop abuses around the world should never be underrated,” WJC executive vice president Robert Singer told the Jewish Chronicle. “But its singular focus on corporate entities doing business in Israeli settlements is gravely misguided and undermining of the organization’s true mandate.”
NGO Monitor issued the following Twitter thread in response to the report:
The @amnesty campaign solely targets these companies working in #Israel and ignores their activity in every other conflict area/disputed territory throughout the world. #China? fine. #Syria? No problem. #Israel? #NoJewsAllowed 2/8
The @amnesty campaign also targets Jewish connections to biblical sites, including in #Jerusalem, following @UNESCO's absurd #antisemitic claims that #Jews have no connection to the Western Wall, Temple Mount, or Cave of the Patriarchs in #Hebron#NoJewsAllowed 3/8
In 2015, at @amnestyUK's annual general meeting, it rejected an initiative to combat #antisemitism. All other resolutions at the meeting were adopted. #NoJewsAllowed 7/8
Israeli Strategic Affairs and Public Safety Minister Gilad Erdan has said that he is looking into possibly banning the organization from entering Israel in light of the January 29 report.
“The hypocritical Amnesty organization speaks in the name of human rights, and in effect promotes boycotts against Israeli citizens as part of the anti-Semitic boycott and de-legitimization campaign,” Erdan said.
