Community Review - August 27, 2021 by Beth

community comm unity review www.jewishharrisburg.org

August 27, 2021 | 19 Elul, 5781 | Vol. 95, No. 18 Published by The Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg | Greater Harrisburg’s Jewish Newspaper

Sounds of Shofar Signal New Beginnings W BY MARY KLAUS

hen Ellis Rosenberg sounds the shofar at Kesher Israel’s Rosh Hashanah services on September 6, he will be focusing on a new beginning. “The shofar wakes us up figuratively,” said Rosenberg, who has been performing the tradition at Kesher Israel Congregation for forty years. “With God’s help, the sound of the shofar will steer us in the right direction. We are looking for God to help us because we need all the help we can get.” This year, he said, he hopes that “we as individuals and as a community do what we’re supposed to do to make COVID-19 disappear as quickly as we can.” The piercing sound of the shofar may do more than call Jews to celebrate Rosh Hashanah this year. Sixteen months into the COVID-19 pandemic which changed life as most people know it, the call of the traditional horn also seems to symbolize hope and a new beginning to Harrisburg-area Jews this year. The shofar, a ram’s horn trumpet used by ancient Jews in religious ceremonies and as a battle signal, is blown at various points of the Rosh Hashanah services and later to conclude Yom Kippur. The shofar has four sounds: tekiah, a long, loud blast calling people to attention; shevarim, three broken blows which sound like crying; teruah, nine or more staccato rings serving as a wakeup call to the new year; and tekiah gedolah, a great blast played at the end of the Rosh Hashanah service. Rosenberg said that all four sounds are important. “At Kesher Israel, we have a tradition of having 100 sounds of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah,” he said. “Sounding the shofar is meaningful to me even after all these years. On Rosh Hashanah, I get emotional when I do it because I am a representative of the community. My hope is that I do it well.” Rosenberg, who spends the weeks leading up to the services practicing on his shofar, said that shofars are quite different

than trumpets. “Sometimes your mouth gets swollen. Sometimes, you may not get a sound out. I always have a backup shofar with me on Rosh Hashanah.” He also sounds the shofar for one long note after nightfall on Yom Kippur to mark the end of that holy day. He said that in most years, the congregations comes together for a meal after the Yom Kippur fast ends, though that is not planned this Rosh Hashanah which falls during the current surge of the pandemic. At Chisuk Emuna, Gerald Gorelick thinks of community when he hears the shofar. “The first time a shofar is mentioned in the Torah is when we stood at Sinai and heard the sound,” he said. “Standing together in community is fundamental to our faith, our history, and our future. We hope that many of us will be together for this holiday in our synagogues.” Gorelick said that Chuck Kline sounded shofar at Chisuk Emuna for about seventy years before retiring from the job. This year, Rabbi Jonathan Milgram from Teaneck, New Jersey, will perform the ritual at Chisuk Emuna. At Temple Beth Shalom, Ira Beckerman sounds the shofar, calling it an honor to do so. Beckerman, congregation treasurer, uses his school days experience in playing the baritone horn to help with the shofar. “The method is the same but the shofar mouth opening is much smaller,” he said. “I bought a modest shofar to work with and to learn. It is a lot easier to Ellis Rosenberg has sounded shofar at Kesher Israel Congregation for become familiar with one shofar as they vary widely forty years. in size and ease.” The trick, he said “is to take a zen approach and especially not to overblow. It seems everyone tries to set a world record for length of time for the final tekiah gedolah. That’s not for me.” Rosenberg will chime the shofar for Kesher Israel’s indoor and outdoor Rosh Hashanah services, where participants will wear masks and socially distance. He said that last year, he also blew the shofar, which he called the highlight of Rosh Hashanah services for many Jews, outside at the Jewish Community Center for people not comfortable with going to other services. Asked how he got into the practice, Rosenberg laughed. “After my father died, my brothers and I were at a service and there was nobody sounding the shofar,” he recalled “I said to myself ‘how tough can it be?’ So I picked up the shofar and made a rudimentary sound with it. Shortly after that, the person who sounded shofar for eighteen years asked if I would like to learn how to sound it and learn about the laws and traditions. I said ‘OK’ and was planning to be his backup.” Shortly after Rosh Hashanah that year, that man told Rosenberg that he was moving away – and Rosenberg has been sounding shofar at Kesher Israel ever since. He said that while visiting his youngest son and family in Israel, “we went shofar buying. My son In Israel sounds shofar in a synagogue in Jerusalem so our next generation is doing it, too.”

Message from the CEO

Community Review Vol. 95, No. 17 August 13, 2021 (ISSN 1047-9996) (USPS 126-860)

BY JENNIFER ROSS

hana Tova! This year as much as ever, we would like to wish you a happy, healthy, and safe new year. The wellbeing of our JCC participants and our community has always been important to us. During the pandemic, we have dedicated extraordinary energies to ensure health and safety. I’m grateful for the ongoing expertise and guidance from our Medical Advisory Team, the dedication and hard work of our entire staff, support from our own lay leaders and colleagues, and leaders from our Jewish institutions. I’m aware that this time has been challenging and frustrating to our families, members, and guests. On the recommendation of our Medical Advisory Team, we bucked the trend by continuing to require masking in all programming indoors apart from sports and fitness. It was a smart decision as we’ve seen a dramatic resurgence of the pandemic as a result of the Delta variant. Please respect our evolving policies as we learn more. Thank you to everyone who has cooperated with our mask rules to ensure the safety of the unvaccinated children we serve. Thank you to people who have chosen to get vaccinated for your own safety and to help eliminate this pandemic from our community. The need to secure our institutions and safeguard our participants is an ongoing effort and has been particularly critical as in-person programming has expanded. Earlier this year, we formed a Jewish community-wide safety task force. Our most recent meeting was incredibly productive, with Steve Eberle, the Northeast Regional Director of Secure Community Network (SCN) visiting our community on August 2 and 3.

Published bi-weekly by the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, 3301 N. Front Street, Harrisburg, PA, 17110. Subscription rate: $50 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Harrisburg, PA, and additional entry office.

Our committee met with Steve and numerous members of local and federal law enforcement, including Chief Martin of Susquehanna Township and one of his officers and members of the State Police and Department of Homeland Security. We covered topics including situational awareness, threat/vulnerability/risk assessments, security funding, and low-cost/nocost security measures. They reinforced the importance of “see something, say something.” If you ever notice anything awry at the JCC, please notify our front desk. We take your safety and wellbeing seriously and follow up on these concerns. I wish you a happy, safe, and healthy Rosh Hashanah. If I can be of any service, you can contact me at 717-236-9555 x3104 or j.ross@jewishfedhbg.org.

Event – Free and Open to the Public.

The Center for Holocaust and Jewish Studies presents

Marion Kaplan

Hitler’s Jewish Refugees: Hope and Anxiety in Portugal Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 • Noon

President/CEO Jennifer Ross Editorial Board Members Roberta Krieger Rabbi Carl Choper Rita Gordon Jeanette Krebs Jennifer Ross STAFF Editor Adam Grobman a.grobman@jewishfedhbg.org Sales Director Ayelet Shanken 717-409-8222 a.shanken@jewishfedhbg.org Design and Layout Lisette Magaro Designs Graphic Designer Lisette Magaro

via webinar • bit.ly/3fNj9mz For additional information, contact Neil Leifert at 717-580-2954 or chjs@psu.edu. 777 West Harrisburg Pike, Middletown, PA 17057

Candle Lighting Times Aug 27 » 7:28pm Sept 3 » 7:17pm Sept 10 » 7:06pm

Inside This Issue Synagogues........................................................................... Pg. 4 Holocaust Survivor............................................................. Pg. 6 Afghanistan.......................................................................... Pg. 8

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The opinions expressed in the Community Review do not necessarily reflect the position of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg. The Federation does not endorse any candidate or political party for any elected office.

A Compassionate Spirit BY KIM KUPFER

ompassion. That is how her mother describes her. Being the youngest of three siblings, she grew up around values of kindness, giving back to the world, sprinkled with strong Jewish traditions. It is no wonder then that Rena Cheskis chose to do a Bat Mitzvah project supporting the Libby Urie Kosher Food Pantry at JFS. Rena grew up wrapped warmly in the Jewish community of Harrisburg and spent nearly every Shabbat of her life in shul. She was just four when she watched her brother Hallel study for and complete his Bar Mitzvah studies. As her sister Devorah, just twenty-two months older, studied for her Bat Mitzvah, Rena was eager to start studying for her own. Finally, the day before Devorah’s Bat Mitzvah service, Rena learned what her Parsha portion would be. In true Rena fashion, she announced to the guests at Devorah’s Bat Mitzvah celebration that they would all be invited to celebrate her own Bat Mitzvah in just two years.

Her parents, Mandy and Joel Cheskis, chose to settle in the heart of Harrisburg’s Jewish community many years ago. Their neighbor, Barry Stein, is the former Executive Director of JFS. As the pandemic caused millions of

people to rely on food pantries, Rena thought to support JFS and the Kosher Food Pantry there. Rena became a Bat Mitzvah on August 21st at Chisuk Emuna Congregation. The family planned a luncheon after the ceremony. Rena

created gift bags as centerpieces to go on all the tables. She will shop at Costco with her Bat Mitzvah money and fill the bags with kosher food for JFS’ Libby Urie Kosher Food Pantry. Then after her Bat Mitzvah celebration, Rena will deliver the bags to JFS. These actions, both using her own Bat Mitzvah money to donate to the hungry and supporting her neighborhood JFS, are indicative of the beautiful values Rena embraces. Because Rena also likes to sing and play guitar, she has a second Bat Mitzvah project: performing two Zoom concerts for the Campus of the Jewish Home to brighten the residents’ spirits during the pandemic. Rena plays the guitar and sings beautifully, so this was another natural extension of her gifts and values. Rena Cheskis is an authentic, warmhearted spirit. She embodies compassion: truly caring about others, even during a pandemic. What a blessing she is in our small Harrisburg Jewish community. Mazel Tov!

Shana Tova 5782 | 2021

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AUGUST 27, 2021 | 3

Synagogues Returning to In-Person Services with Various Stipulations BY MARY KLAUS

lthough Jews frequently pray alone – in extended sessions or short recitations throughout the day - the power of a congregation singing together is what draws many to the practice. The pandemic squashed that tradition. For months, Harrisburg-area rabbis gazed into cameras in empty sanctuaries conducting services which were live-streamed to congregation members in their homes. Throughout the pandemic, everything from baby namings, bat and bar mitzvahs, and funerals have been held with limited or no in-person attendance. As more people received vaccinations and numbers of Covid-19 cases fell, congregations began to plan in-person services. With the Delta variant of Covid causing a surge and updates from the Centers for Disease Control, plans for daily, weekly, and High Holiday services are in limbo, just as many

organizations were beginning to expand in-person programming and services. Some synagogues are welcoming congregants into the sanctuaries for in-person services with or without masks and social distancing, while others continue to offer virtual or hybrid services. Many plan in-person services for the High Holidays. Check congregation websites for the most up-to-date information. Here’s the status of Harrisburg-area congregation services as of mid-August: BETH EL TEMPLE – Since early July, all Friday night services at 6pm, Shabbat morning services at 10am, and selected minyans are back to in-person at Beth El. People are asked to sit as a household at places indicated by the ushers. People not ready to return to in-person services may turn to Beth El’s live streaming access for Friday night and Saturday morning

MARK YOUR CALENDARS Monday, September 6 Tuesday, September 7 Wednesday, September 8 Wednesday, September 15 Thursday, September 16

Erev Rosh Hashanah/Labor Day - Limited Hours Rosh Hashanah – Building Closed Rosh Hashanah - JCC Open/Federation Offices closed Erev Yom Kippur - JCC closes at 6:00pm Yom Kippur – Building Closed

Monday, September 20 Erev Sukkot Tuesday, September 21 Sukkot – JCC Open/Federation Offices Wednesday, September 22 Sukkot - JCC Open/Federation Offices

services and Zoom minyans on days it is not in person. Visit bethelhbg.org for more information and updates. CHISUK EMUNA –Since July, weekly in-person services have been back. The shul’s Covid-19 Task Force requires all attendees at Chisuk Emuna to be vaccinated and to wear masks. The synagogue sent a letter to congregants in late July following the uptick in COVID-19 cases to outline possibilities and garner input in assisting in planning of High Holidays services. The congregation expects to require masks for all over the age of two and to hold hybrid services. For up-to-date information, visit www.chisukemuna.org. Shabbat morning services are at 9:30am Saturdays with reservations required to attend in person. Contact the office at 717-232-4851 the Thursday before Sabbath to make an in-person reservation. Havdallah Saturday evening services are held at varying times starting a few minutes before sunset. Reservations are not required. Daily minyans are held weekdays starting at 7:15pm, with no requirement for reservations. Chisuk Emuna also plans to host an Ice Cream Social and Open House featuring kid’s games, stories with Rabbi Ron Muroff, and more on Sunday, August 29th from 1 – 3pm. A rain date will be announced. KESHER ISRAEL – The Orthodox synagogue was the first in the area to resume in-person services. Shabbat services are being held at 7pm Fridays and 7:50pm Saturdays at the Jewish Community Center and 9am Saturdays at the older Kesher Israel building at 2500 N. Third St as the synagogue works on construction of its new building. Read more about progress and updates on the project at kesherisrael.org. Everyone, including fully vaccinated people, must wear a mask while attending Kesher Israel indoor in-person services and

Monday, September 27 Erev Shimini Atzeret Tuesday, September 28 Shimini Atzeret – JCC Open/Federation Offices closed Wednesday, September 29 Simchat Torah – JCC Open/Federation Offices *JCC Hours may differ from usual on holidays, check back soon for more details or call 717-236-9555 before visiting.

Please visit jewishharrisburg.org/whats-open for up-to-date building information.

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functions. People who feel ill are asked to stay home until they are well. High Holidays services will be held both indoors and outdoors, with plans still being made as of press time. The shul sent a survey to congregants in mid-August to plan according to members’ needs and comfort. Visit kesherisrael.org for more info. TEMPLE BETH SHALOM – The West Shore, Reconstructionist synagogue has been holding services on Zoom every other Friday at 7:15pm. After the High Holidays, services will be held both on Zoom and in-person every other Friday at 7:15pm. Rabbi Carl Choper will conduct High Holiday Services for people to attend in-person, on Zoom, and via livestreaming on YouTube. All participants – whether in person or virtually -- are asked to register on the congregation website or call the office at 717-697-2662 to provide the registration information. Although there is no ticketing or charge, donations are welcome. Those attending the indoor service in-person are asked to be vaccinated, wear a mask, and sit in pews which will be socially distanced by family pods. For more information, visit www.tbshalom.org. TEMPLE OHEV SHOLOM – The Reform synagogue began holding in-person services and announced that b’nei mitzvah lessons, Tot Shabbat, and other programs would resume through their “Back to Shul” plan (available at ohevsholom.org). The synagogue reinstated their mask requirement for all visitors in early August following changes to CDC recommendations. Throughout the pandemic, Shabbat services have been livestreamed and posted to the Temple Ohev Sholom Facebook page. High Holidays Services will be held both in-person and online, and up-to-date information can be found at ohevsholom.org/ high-holidays-2021.

GET TO KNOW YOUR JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION (JCF) BOARD MEMBER:

Edward Beck JCF Board Member LEARN MORE ABOUT Ed & Esther Beck Esther: I was born to Holocaust Survivors in a Displaced Persons Camp in Germany. After a long wait, my parents were told that Israel was not yet able to accommodate Survivors with health needs. My Father and Mother applied to immigrate to the U.S. We settled in Rochester, New York where I grew up in a large Survivor and Jewish community. Because of this rich Jewish environment, my Jewish identity was forged in strength and resilience. Following graduation, I attended New York University where I met Ed. In 1972 Ed & I moved to the Hershey area. I became a member of the Harrisburg chapter of Hadassah where I was inspired by women who introduced me to Jewish life in Harrisburg. In the 1980s I worked at the JCC as a Senior Adult Program Worker and the Young Adult Outreach Coordinator. I volunteered in many community endeavors. In 2007, I Chaired the Yeshiva Administrations & Operations Committee. The committee devised a plan to make the school administratively and operationally sound. I served as Social Action Committee Chairperson for Beth El Temple, a United Jewish Community of Harrisburg- Community Relations Council member representing Beth El Temple, Harrisburg Hebrew School Hershey Coordinator and UJC Harrisburg-and the Hershey Women’s Division campaign fundraiser. During the difficult days of the 2nd Intifada, when our son Avi, was studying medicine in Israel. I was the Administrative Assistant to Ed in Scholars For Peace in the Middle East to fight anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism on college campuses. This was a volunteer effort launched by Ed in 2001. My support of the Jewish community and Israel remains strong as evidenced by our establishment of a Foundation Legacy. Ed: My father was a Holocaust Survivor and my mother’s family were refugees from Russian pogroms. As a result of their persecution, my parents did not want to be “too Jewish”, naming me Edward and my brother Andrew. Beck wasn’t a particularly Jewish name. Though our small family was unmistakably Jewish in nature. My family decided to leave NYC in the 1950’s and moved to New Jersey where we became the second Jewish family in Tenafly. In elementary school I was often taunted, threatened, and attacked. I was admitted to the Horace Mann School in NYC with other Jewish children. Even there, as a first-generation Jew, I was different. My physician father had an accent making us “greenhorns” in the Jewish community. As a result, my parents founded the first Reform Temple in Tenafly, NJ where my brother and I thrived. w

At NYU, I met Esther and it was, for me, love at first sight...she needed a lot more convincing, but after 56 years, it's all worked out. We finished our studies and got established. I became a faculty member for NYU, Rutgers and CUNY. Untenured Jewish faculty would not be promoted which brought us to Penn State Harrisburg in 1972. I became active in the Jewish community, first with Jewish Family Service and the CRC and the Federation and JCC Boards and various committees. In 1998, I wrote a grant which resulted in Shalom Neighbor and Kol Central PA. I founded and lead Scholars for Peace in the Middle East which grew to 100,000 faculty members from around the world including nearly 50 Nobel Laureates. f

I currently serve on the Boards of the JCF and as Historic B’nai Jacob Synagogue in Middletown and work with the CRC’s in Central PA and now, in Philadelphia our new home. We support several temples in Harrisburg, Philadelphia and one in Israel as a commitment for a strong and vital Jewish life. I remain active with AIPAC and have established several Endowments to improve and sustain Jewish life in Central PA. It has been my pleasure and privilege. Thank you Central PA for a wonderful Jewish life.

Do you want to help support Jews in the diaspora and in Israel? Join Ed & Esther and ensure a vibrant Jewish community today and for future generations! Contact Paulette Keifer (904) 307—2413 to learn how you can help today!

Can You Imagine A Secure Jewish Future? RE-WATCH OR WATCH OUR ANNUAL CELEBRATION FOR THE FIRST TIME. It is easy! Go to www.PAJewishEndowment.org & click “WATCH THE RECORDING HERE” Remember the Jewish Community with a gift in your will, trust, retirement account, life insurance policy, or other assets. CONTACT: Paulette Keifer 904-307-2413 or via email paulette.keifer@pajewishendowment.org Jewish Community Foundation of Central PA 3211 N. Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110

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AUGUST 27, 2021 | 5

A Tribute Long Overdue BY FELIX THAU Editor’s Note: This is Part 1 of a two-part story detailing historical accounts and personal history of Nadia Frey. After moving to Philadelphia at the age of three, Felix Thau’s family became close with a number of fellow Survivor families in the area. One of those was the Frey family. Adolf and Nadia Frey had a son, Perry, who was near Felix’s age. When the Thau’s moved away from the area, the two friends lost touch, reconnecting decades later after Mr. Frey passed. In the 1990s, when various Holocaust histories projects were being created, Felix thought of Nadia, and encouraged Perry to have her record a similar history. “I thought it imperative that Mrs. Frey record her story, lest another Holocaust account be lost forever,” Felix says. “I then had no idea of the depth of her tale.” Though Nadia was hesitant to participate, she eventually agreed following Perry’s encouragement. As there was no alternative interviewer and Felix had observed his own mother’s tell her story in an interview, Felix took it upon himself to conduct the video history of Nadia’s story. “I think it’s important to memorialize all of these stories,” Felix says. He conducted the interview and was struck by the kindness and courage of Nadia’s story, and the frequent close calls that Mr. Frey lived through. Part 1 of this story details the historical context leading up to and during the Frey’s ordeal. During the Ten Days of Awe, we gather in our Shuls in great number. In our liturgy, we beseech the Divine. Through repentance, prayer, and righteousness, we seek to extend our lives. How the Divine goes about deciding who shall live and who shall die remains a mystery. Still, there seems to be a fundamental, cosmological unfairness on how the cards are dealt. The righteous pass; the unrepentant live on. Here, the philosophical and theological intersect to pose the question: Is survival a matter of pure happenstance or is Divine Providence at work? The account which follows, replete with all measure of barbarism, kindness, and blazingly brilliant bravery, engenders that inquiry. Galicia sits in a corner of Eastern Europe between the Black and Baltic Seas. Being a region of political and ethnic borders, over centuries, the sword and political prowess prevailed. Galicia was ruled by one Empire or nation after another. Bloodshed and indifference regularly greeted the population. The original village of Sambor is located in Galicia. In the Middle Ages, the village was invaded from the east. The villagers fled, creating another town about fifteen miles away. The new village was named Sambor. Original Sambor became Stari-Sambor (Old Sambor). From 1772 until 1918, Austria ruled Galicia. After World War I and brief dominance by the Ukraine, Poland annexed Galicia. Poland’s rule ended when the German army entered Galicia on Rosh Hashanah, September 13, 1939. With predatory precision, it was Nazi policy to initiate anti-Jewish actions on Jewish holidays to magnify the trauma. After taking Sambor, the Germans selected Jews for labor; they plundered Jewish property, On September 20, 1939, the German army retreated from Sambor; the Soviet army filled

Top row L to R: Nadia Frey, Olga Thau (Felix's mother), friends Judith and Laura (last names unknown), Noah and Celia Shildergemein Bottom row L to R: Felix Thau, Perry Frey, Benjamin and Leon Thau (Felix's brother and father)

the military vacuum. Life in Sambor rapidly changed. Iron-fisted Soviet philosophy prevailed. Private enterprise suffered. Administrative restrictions were placed on formerly well-to-do Jews and anti-Soviet activists. Some could not find work. By the end of 1940, Jewish refugees who refused to bow to Soviet ideology, and former well-to-do Jews, were transferred to the Soviet interior or Siberia. Soviet mentality included a mistrust of Poles and Ukrainians greater than any dislike of Jews. As a result, Jews were placed in higher positions of Soviet-controlled local government than Poles or Ukrainians. Already embedded in Polish and Ukrainian thinking, hatred of Jews intensified. In late June 1941, the Germans entered Sambor a second time. With the free hand of the Nazis, Ukrainians elevated their anger to action. Among other cruelties, Jews of Sambor were subjected to severe beatings, bestial brutality, and murder. The Nazi occupiers quickly followed with their own anti-Jewish aggression. Jews were forced to place a ribbon containing a Magen David on their right arm. Jews were also commanded to relinquish their valuables lest they be shot. The Nazi regime also enforced an array of other commands and restrictions aimed at Sambor Jews. The Nazi command gathered Jews in neighboring villages. They were relocated to former Polish stables within Sambor. Some 4,000 Jews were held there in overcrowded conditions. On August 4 and 5, 1942, with assistance of Poles and Ukrainians, the Gestapo marched every one of those Jews to Sambor’s rail station. They were herded into cattle cars, on their way to their final breath in Belzec. Belzec was about one hundred miles away from and approximately north of Sambor. The German SS constructed Belzec as an extermination camp. Compared to other factories of murder, little is known about Belzec. Only seven Jews performing slave labor survived. Just one was later identified.

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The Belzec death machine operated from March 17, 1942 to June 1943. In that approximate fifteen months, estimates from 430,000 to 600,000 Jews are believed to have been exterminated there, conferring upon Belzec the morbid and shameful rank as the third deadliest extermination camp in the Nazi sphere behind Treblinka and Auschwitz. By the Fall of 1942, Jews still alive in the countryside near Sambor were ordered to move to the Sambor ghetto by November 30, 1942. During Spring 1943, a large segment of the German army on its way to the Russian front temporarily billeted in Sambor. Under Gestapo direction, hundreds of those battle-bound troops, fully armed for conflict, surrounded the ghetto. Others entered, their mission to destroy, to murder, to seek out Jews in hiding. Jews discovered in hiding were placed in overcrowded jail cells. On April 14, 1943 (Passover), German trucks arrived at Sambor’s Jewish cemetery. Jews had to remove clothes from Jewish corpses, victims of Nazi murder. With collaboration from Poles and Ukrainians, the Nazis marched every Jewish child, woman, man then in jail to a mass open grave. At about 1pm, the murderous shooting spree began. It did not end until sunset. After that massacre, it was not unexpected for tension to elevate among Jews still clinging to life in the ghetto. Anxiety did diminish after Jewish ghetto leaders (Judenrat, meaning Jewish Council) negotiated with the Germans. In exchange for expensive goods yet in Jewish possession, the Germans promised not to harm the remaining ghetto population. About five weeks after the negotiated promise, from May 22 to May 23, 1943, Gestapo and Ukrainian police raided the ghetto. Jews discovered still in hiding were forcibly relocated to overcrowded jail cells. At dawn on the first day Shavuot, June 9, 1943, all Jews in the ghetto and its environs were loaded on trucks to travel on their last way. While in transport, Ukrainian militia stood guard on board, rifles at the ready. They were murdered in the woods so that no objective witness could offer testimony. Sambor was declared “judenrein” (cleansed of Jews). Yet, the hunt for Jews in and about Sambor continued. Discovered Jews were murdered. The Soviet army pushed the Germans back a second and last time. Liberation of a sort arrived. Surviving Jews and those Poles and Ukrainians who assisted Jews, were denounced and shunned by many Poles and Ukrainians. With the above historical narrative serving as backdrop, Nadia Frey’s personal history is ready to be retold. While the former speaks of death and tragedy at every turn, now is recorded a tale of love and survival. It seems that no power can fully defeat the drive to survive; no force is completely capable of conquering the impulse to overcome depravity. Nevertheless, the question whose response continues to evade us still perplexes. Is existence the subject of mathematical chance or destiny? Read Part 2 of “A Tribute Long Overdue,” detailing the personal history of Nadia Frey, in the next edition of Community Review.

HBG JCC Iddy Biddy Basketball | fall 2021 For Kids Pre-K thru 2nd Grade

Learn the basics of basketball in this instructional program. Children will be taught basketball fundamentals including shooting, passing, dribbling and defense. Each week will feature a scrimmage to allow participants to show off newly acquired skills.

sundays | october 10 - 31 hbg jcc | fee: $50/members, $65/guests (Per 4-week session, includes t-shirt & personal basketball)

Register at Jewishharrisburg.org/iddy-biddy-fall-2021 12:30 - 1:30pm Pre-K & Kindergarten 1:40 - 2:40pm 1st & 2nd Grade *Coaches reserve right to switch player’s group if needed for group size & ability Masks requirements TBD. No parents/spectators in gym (watch on Zoom!)

Save the Date for Session II: February 13 - March 6. Register for both sessions for just $90/Members, $110/Guests! JCC/Federation programs are funded thru the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg

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AUGUST 27, 2021 | 7

The Jewish Angle on Afghanistan BY RABBI SAM YOLEN, CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL, LEBANON

s I write this, the Kabul International Airport is surrounded by Taliban fighters who show no affinity for political coalitions or bargaining. It seems like the future for Afghanistan is bereft of anything remotely moderate, and most likely includes a full-scale adoption of an oppressive version of Sharia law. My heart goes out to the Afghanistan people who are about to enter a new and violent stage of their civilization’s history, religious zealotry. Unlike some empires in the Bible, like Cyrus the Great of Persia who allowed Zerubabel to repopulate Jerusalem, this new era in Fundamentalist Afghanistan is keen on uniformity to one religious understanding of text. Of course Iran, and it’s Palestinian proxy Hamas, are cheering from the sidelines, as they’re fully committed to Islamic religious fundamentalism which includes defeating America and Israel. From a domestic standpoint, to say that the last few weeks of the American War in Afghanistan is merely disappointing undermines the shameful reality of a nation that doesn’t fully withdraw its troops before declaring the war ended. Afghanistan is

known as the Graveyard of Empires for a reason - the mountainous topography and tribal way of life makes it geographically and ethnically difficult to control. So, just like Alexander the Great’s failed conquest, and the Britains, and the Russians after them, the American influence in that sphere seems to have disappeared overnight. I shudder to think about the amount of military-grade vehicles and weapons our unfriendlies have acquired in our haphazard egress from the Afghan theater. I am also worried about the encroaching militaries in Israel’s general neighborhood who are only more emboldened to try out new weapons. Zabulon Simantov, Afghanistan’s last Jew, was born in the 1950s and lived through the Soviet invasion, and the early Taliban years in the 1990s. He held out hope that the Western powers would repel the fundamentalist Taliban, who imprisoned him four times in the 1990s. In early April, The Times of Israel reported that Simantov would be leaving after the High Holidays, “fearing that the US military’s promise to leave the country will leave a vacuum to be filled with radical groups such as the Taliban.” His departure would end

a diaspora community that scholars believe to be at least 2,000 years old. While, as of this writing, it’s unclear that he has safely departed Afghanistan, the prophecy is all but fulfilled. And from the American Jewish perspective, this horrific human rights desecration in Afghanistan is a foil into the pervasive antisemitism that has been travelling across leftist circles on the internet over the last few months. In short, the Islamic radicalism of the Taliban and Hamas is something that needs to be addressed, as the double standard against Israel is deafening. Only a scant two months ago, when Israel and the Palestinian territories were chafing over small potatoes compared to the violent takeover of Afghanistan, social media was abuzz with antisemitic rhetoric accusing Israel of colonistic atrocities and excusing violence against Israel. Now that religious-inspired violence is cascading through social media outlets, those very politicians and social media gurus are silent. No virtue statements on the Taliban’s coerced child brides? Where’s The Squad to fight for the oppressed? Silence. The Middle Eastern conflict was the millennial version of Vietnam. If you had

friends in the military, most likely they fought there. The failure of our ability to protect our allies has hollowed out the high ground that was used to defend western values imparted on our neighbors. This was something that both Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about in regards to Vietnam. They called it “saving the soul of America,” and insisted that, “the blood we shed in Vietnam makes a mockery of all our proclamations, dedications, and celebrations. Has our conscience become a fossil? Is all mercy gone?” In lieu of a wartime transition, from US occupation to Afghani national government, our military extraction created a humanitarian crisis in which our tax dollars abetted. If there is one silver lining to this dark cloud of war, it’s found in watching what happens when a power vacuum produces another terrorist state, and vindication for Israel’s defensive wars. I know at this upcoming High Holidays, I will pray for the United States of America, for Israel, and for the Afghani people. Just like many other issues, the Jewish angle on this is complicated and painful, but we face it authentically and still pray for peace.

HACC History Professor, Others to Visit Senior Adult Club

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BY CHERYL YABLON

am so excited to see you as we return to our Tuesday/Thursday Senior Luncheon and programs. September we will have three of our wonderful speakers joining us. On Thursday, September 2nd and 23rd, Rabbi Ron Muroff will lead us in discussions. On Thursday, September 9th Dr. Donald Koones will be our speaker and on Thursday, September 30th our DCAAA Nutritionist Pat Dodd will be here. Dr. Koones’ lecture on September 9th will be focused on the theme “Racism and an Iconic Photograph.” On February 19, 1945, the American forces in the Pacific invaded a Japanese held-island that was eight square miles, containing a Japanese airfield and a heavily fortified volcano called Mount Suribachi. As a result, the island witnessed some of the fiercest fighting of the Pacific War with

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the loss of 6,800 Americans as well as 18,917 Japanese soldiers. However, history will long remember the capture of Mount Suribachi and an historic photograph. It all began with a simple snap of the camera amid explosions, gunfire, and the roar of airplanes flying overhead. Joseph Rosenthal, of the Associated Press, focused on six Americans raising a flag in the heat of the battle. Of the six Americans captured in the picture, three will lose their lives before the conclusion of the war. One marine, however, will return to the United States and face popularity, as well as intense discrimination. You are invited to hear the story of the iconic photograph and the backgrounds of the six famous men, as well as the tragic life of the Pima Native American, Ira Hayes.

All The News, Views, and Schmooze Central PA Jews & Friends Can Use

Subscribe for this weekly newsletter featuring community, regional, national, and international events and news at Jewishharrisburg.org/emails Now under the management of Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg

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AUGUST 27, 2021 | 9

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ROSH HASHANAH sweeter

A new year together. Ring in the new year with Kosher favorites for the holiday – and every day.

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AUGUST 27, 2021 | 11

JCC Senior Adult Programs All in-person senior programming is currently on pause. Weekly online programming is available at www.jewishharrisburg.org/virtual-programming. JCC Senior Adult Club Lunches are planned to resume beginning August 31, 2021. The tentative schedule includes: Tuesday, Aug.31, 2021: Catch Up With Your Friends- Schmooze, play Bridge

Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021 - No lunch & program- Yom Kippur

(bring your own cards), Mah Jongg, or Farkle

Tuesday, Sept.21, 2021 – No lunch & program – Sukkot

Thursday, Sept.2, 2021 –“How to Make 5782 A Truly New Year” with Rabbi Ron

Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021 – “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner: Exploring Mystical

Muroff of Chisuk Emuna

Dimensions of Sukkot” with Rabbi Ron Muroff of Chisuk Emuna

Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021 – JCC Closed for Rosh Hashanah

Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021 – No lunch & program – Shemini Atzeret

Thursday, Sept.9, 2021 – “Racism And An Icon Photograph” lecture by HACC

Thursday, Sept. 30 2021 – Dauphin County Area on Aging Nutritionist,

History professor Dr. Donald Koones

Pat Dodd will address the group

Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021 – Business Meeting “Our Bagel, Lox and Cream Cheese Day”

For the first time, to-go lunches will be available for members!

A series of wonderful programs presented by the National JCC Senior Alliance can be accessed through www.jewishharrisburg.org/national-jcc-adult-and-senior-alliance. Upcoming programs include:

For more info on current programming, visit www.jewishharrisburg.org/reopening.

Music & Morsels: The Great Romantics - Wednesday, September 1 | 4pm Exploring Broadway: Fabulous "Fiddler" - Thursday, September 9 | 4pm Still Traveling: Breathtaking Barcelona - Mondays, October 4 - 25 | 2pm Art & Artists: Masters of Madrid's Prado - Tuesdays, October 5 - 26 | 2pm Music & Morsels: Spanish Dances & Other Folk Music - Wednesday, October 6 | 4pm

For online programming, visit www.jewishharrisburg.org/virtual-programming.

AARP has extended the cancellation all in person classes thru September 30, 2021. The AARP Smart Driver online course will be available through September 30, 2021 with a 25% discount using the following website and promo code. Website: www.aarpdriversafety.org

Promo code : DRIVINGSKILLS

Senior adult club tuesday/thursday lunches resume august 31! dine-in and to-go options available! for more info + reservations, contact cheryl at c.yablon@jewishfedhbg.org or 717-236-9555 x 3115.

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Synagogue Life Beth El Temple 2637 N Front St | (717) 232-0556 www.bethelhbg.org Beth El Temple is excited to announce that we have started holding in-person Friday evening and Shabbat morning services. We also offer a mix of in-person and Zoom minyans. For more information, visit Beth El's website. Chisuk Emuna Congregation 3219 Green St | (717) 232-4851 info@chisukemuna.org www.chisukemuna.org Chisuk Emuna has resumed in-person Shabbat and Tuesday evening services. Visit the website for details. Reservations not required. For more information on programs and services, visit Chisuk Emuna's website. Congregation Beth Israel, Lebanon 411 S 8th St | (717) 273-2669 www.congregation-beth-israel.org Congregation Beth Israel is hosting virtual services. You can view services on their Vimeo page. Contact Rabbi Sam Yolen at yolen002@ gmail.com for details on both programming and minyan. For more information, visit Beth Israel's website. Congregation Beth Tikvah, Carlisle Asbell Center, 262 W High Street (717)-240-8627 www.bethtikvah.org

Historic B’nai Jacob, Middletown Water & Nissley Streets | (717) 319-3014 www.bnai-jacob.org Historic B’nai Jacob Synagogue, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, located at Water and Nissley Streets in Middletown, near the Harrisburg International Airport and Penn State-Harrisburg, will have High Holy Days Services on Zoom. The services will be led by Marc Bluestein. Services will be on:

Kesher Israel Congregation 2500 N 3rd St | (717) 238-0763 www.kesherisrael.org Kesher Israel is holding in-person daily and Shabbat davening. For details about services, meetings, and programming, contact Rabbi Elisha Friedman at rabbielishafriedman@ gmail.com. For more information, visit Kesher Israel's website.

Monday, September 6, 2021 (Erev 5782) starting at 7pm.

Ohev Sholom Congregation, York 2090 Hollywood Drive | 717-852-0000 www.OhevSholomYork.org Ohev Sholom Congregation is a Conservative congregation serving York County in an inclusive, egalitarian manner. Established in 1902, the congregation is led by our student rabbi in association with our lay leadership. Ohev Sholom provides adult educational opportunities in conjunction with our local Chabad Learning Center while embracing different levels of observance, stages of life, and family structures.

Tuesday, September 7, 2021 (Rosh Hashanah Service) starting at 9pm. Wednesday, September 15, 2021 (Kol Nidre) starting at 7 Pm. Thursday, September 16, 2021 (Yom Kippur Morning Service) starting at 9am. Thursday, September 16, 2021 (Yizkor Service) starting around 11am. Thursday, September 16, 2021 (Mincha Service) starting at 5pm. Thursday, September 16, 2021 (Ne-Eila with added Jubilee Service) starting around 6pm. The connection information for the service, as well as program materials, will be provided by email to the Congregation and also can be requested by using the contact form on our Shul website: http://www.bnaijacob.org. We are a community Shul and you are welcome to join us. There are no membership dues or admission fees.

On Sunday, September 12 at 1pm, Rabbi Choper will lead a brief, informal service followed by a visitation to the graves, at the Temple Beth Shalom Cemetery on Lisburn Road. All congregants and friends are invited to attend, even if they do not have family there. High Holiday services will be held in person this year as well as via Zoom, and will be led by Rabbi Carl Choper. To make reservations for the High Holiday services, please call the office, 697-2662 or register on our website, https://tbshalom.org/high-holidays. The Erev Rosh Hashanah service will begin at 7pm on Monday, September 6. The Rosh Hashanah Day 1 service on Tuesday, September 7 will begin at 10am, with a Community Tashlich opposite Beth El Temple at 6pm that evening. The Day 2 service on September 8 will begin at 10am. Kol Nidre will begin at 6:45pm on Wednesday, September 15. Yom Kippur services will be at 10am on September 16, with the Mincha/ Yizkor service at 2:30pm. The Neilah service will be at 7pm via Zoom only. Donations for your attendance at services will be appreciated. For details on upcoming Temple Beth Shalom services and events, check the website: http://tbshalom.org.

Temple Beth Israel 2090 Hollywood Dr, York | (717) 843-2676 www.tbiyork.org York’s 140-year-old Reform congregation.

Temple Ohev Sholom 2345 N Front St | (717) 233-6459 www.ohevsholom.org Temple Ohev Sholom has moved to a mix of in-person/live-streamed services and recorded videos. Please check the COVID-19 Info page of our website, www. ohevsholom.org, for the details of our "Back to Shul" plan, including our health and safety protocols, and check our Facebook page for updates. Thank you for your patience and support as we work our way back towards normalcy.

Temple Beth Shalom 913 Allendale Rd, Mechanicsburg (717) 697-2662 www.tbshalom.org Shabbat services will be held on September 24 and October 1, 15, and 29. Services are led by Rabbi Carl Choper of Beth Shalom. Please email the office at tbshalom@gmail. com or call 717-697-2662 for information if you would like to join the services.

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AUGUST 27, 2021 | 13

Obituaries JOHANNA GARFIELD Johanna Garfield, age 90, of New York, New York passed away on Thursday, August 5, 2021. Beloved wife of Leslie. Dear mother of Clare, Jed (Karen), and Cory. Adoring grandmother of Clay and Charlie, the grandchildren she always longed for. Jo loved theater, art, and classical music. She was a writer who published two books and many articles on the arts and other topics. She taught English at the Dwight Englewood School for many years. She had extensive knowledge of Shakespeare and had a quote for every situation. She was involved with many NYC cultural institutions including the National Arts Club, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, Playwrights Horizons, The New York Youth Symphony, The Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin, The British Museum, and the International Print Center, New York. She was also involved with Health Advocates for Older People. Jo was completely unpretentious and was kind to all. Services were held at Riverside Memorial Chapel, located at the corner of 76th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, NYC.

ARTHUR KRIEG Arthur Frederick Krieg, 90, of Hershey, died of COVID on July 30, 2021. He was born in 1930 to the late Edwin and Helen Krieg of Ridgewood, NJ. Arthur graduated with honors from Yale University and Tufts Medical School. He served in Alaska with the Air Force during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He moved to Hershey in 1968, joining the faculty of the newly established Penn State College of Medicine, and establishing the division of Clinical Pathology. He enjoyed a successful academic career, gaining national and international recognition for his pioneering work on automating blood testing and establishing best practices for clinical laboratories. Following his retirement, he found a new purpose in teaching and mentoring medical students, who voted him “Outstanding Professor” several times. Arthur is survived by his loving companion of many years, Sandra Goldring, and his children: Arthur M Krieg (Deborah) of Needham, MA; Eric Krieg (Ellen) of Phoenixville, PA and Sandra Krieg Graham (Jeff) of Colorado Springs, CO, along with grandchildren Sarah, Alexandra, Linda, Elizabeth, Philip, Peter, Rebecca, Margaret, and Stephanie, and six great-grandchildren.

Arthur is also survived by his brother Edwin Holmes Krieg of Needham, MA. Arthur was preceded in death by his wife Monsita Alcaide Krieg, who died in 1992. A celebration of Arthur’s life was held on Monday, August 23, 2021, at the Hoover Funeral Home and Crematory, 88 Lucy Avenue in Hershey. Interment in the Hershey Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to Penn State Health, University Development, PO BOX 852, Hershey, PA 17033. On memo line please indicate: Arthur F. Krieg, M.D. - Future Pathology Residents Fund. Condolences welcome via the online guest book at www.hooverfuneralhome.com SUSAN JANE LEWIS Susan Jane Lewis, 76, of New Cumberland, passed away Thursday, August 5, 2021, peacefully at her home surrounded by her adoring family. She retired as a nurse at the Susquehanna Internal Medicine Associates, Camp Hill. Her greatest loves were her family, friends, and many rescue animals. She was a loving wife, sister, mother, and grandmother who always put her family before herself. She was an avid gardener, always working outdoors in her

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quiet and serene yard. An amazing cook, her recipes will be cherished for years to come. Born on Wednesday, October 4, 1944, in Harrisburg, she was the daughter of the late James A. and Laura Viola (Hummel) Gordon. Surviving are her husband, Maurice J. Lewis M.D.; daughters, Karen D. Johnson of Philadelphia and Laura S. Adams (Jeffery) of Washington, D.C.; step-daughter, Karen L. Schmitt (Andrew) of Plainsboro, NJ; step-sons, Kenneth Lewis (Paula) of Boiling Springs and Marshall S. Lewis (Danielle) of New Zealand; six grandchildren, Ryan, Tess, Joshua (Maura), Jordana, Alethea, and Emily (Matt); four great grandchildren, Eva, Chase, Claire, and Cooper; sisters, Sally Hoffman and Sandra Janik (Leon) of Mechanicsburg. Grave side service was held Thursday, August 12, 2021, in Rolling Green Cemetery, Lower Allen Twp. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or Hospice of Central PA. YITZCHAK METCHIK Yitzchak Metchik, a former Yeshiva Academy (now The Silver Academy) teacher, passed away in Israel. He is survived by his daughter, Reena Adlerstein.

Together We Can Will you support our community this year? Time is running out! The Annual Campaign ends on August 31 - we have until then to ensure that programs benefitting the mind, body, and soul are funded for next year. Together, we can sustain our community. Give now at www.jewishharrisburg.org/give or 717-236-9555 x 3204.

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AUGUST 27, 2021 | 15

L’Shana Tova! Weis Markets extends to you and your family a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

Fresh Kosher Whole Chicken lb

Fresh Kosher Cut-up Chicken lb

Fresh Kosher Chicken Leg Quarters lb

2 for

5 for Manischewitz Matzo Ball & Soup Mix 4.5 oz

Kedem Concord Grape Juice 64 oz

2 for $

Kedem Tea Biscuits 4.2 oz

visit us at www.weismarkets.com or connect with us on Prices through September 30, 2021.

We also carry many of your favorite Kosher deli, dairy, frozen and grocery products.

We reserve the right to limit quantities. Not responsible for typographical or pictorial errors.

2 for $

Tabatchnick Broth & Dumplings - 14.5 oz; Lipton Kosher Soup 14.5 oz

BAKERY F

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Round Plain or Raisin Challah Bread ea