Amira's Posts

Original Article Published On The Jerusalem Post

El Al has experienced a lot of growing pains and financial losses. But we need it.

Last week, as the missiles continued to land in Israel from Gaza, I sat bleary-eyed at Ben-Gurion Airport, waiting to board my 3 a.m. flight to Newark. At Gate D8 in an eerily quiet airport, I drew one step closer to clarifying my complicated lifelong relationship with El Al Airlines.

My love/hate relationship with El Al started in the late 70s with my childhood rabbi-led ZOA mission and bar mitzvah trip. This flight to Israel was also my first time flying anywhere. It was important to fly El Al, we were told over and over again, since they had “the best security.”

I flew El Al on my summer teen trip at age 16, and for my college year in Israel for the same reason – even if the food, customer service and entertainment console left a bit to be desired. I began to suspect there were other options. Tower, for example, flew to Israel from 1983 to 2000. People seemed willing to forgo El Al security to save a few bucks. Some college friends even flew as couriers – traveling without any luggage so they could carry packages for others. Those days are long gone. And Tower no longer exists – they declared bankruptcy and were liquidated. I stuck with El Al for years, though ticket prices seemed to also include a certain unique El Al experience and attitude that was not for the weak. Only on El Al fights would flight attendants scream at, then allow religious passengers to congregate at the back of the plane to pray in a minyan, or socialize with passengers – comparing notes about growing up in Holon or serving in the IDF “with your sister.”

As an adult, I made the switch to real airlines like United, Delta or American. How convenient to take a flight directly from Philadelphia to Tel Aviv on American!

While the many Birthright trips I have led meant flying on Israel’s national airline, I felt liberated flying these other airlines on pleasure trips. These airlines could also provide kosher meals, they had better entertainment consoles, frequent flyer programs that made sense and were fair, competitive prices, and they could keep haredi passengers in check – patiently and skillfully handling the occasional passenger who refused to be seated next to a woman.

In my recent first post-COVID flight to Israel, United Airlines was clean, flight attendants enforced mask rules for everyone, and they even boldly announced, “If anyone needs to daven during the flight, please do it in your seat sitting down; do not congregate at the back of the plane.” 

Everyone listened.

I began to think it might be possible to never fly El Al again. Then, Operation Guardian of the Walls started. 

Immediately, all of the other airlines suspended service to and from Israel. Who kept flying? El Al! At first, they outsmarted Hamas by flying into Ramon International Airport in Eilat, and busing passengers the 313 km (3½ hours) to Ben-Gurion Airport. Within days, they resumed service into and out of Ben-Gurion. El Al shuttled passengers to and from Newark and JFK, Tbilisi, Zagreb, Addis Ababa and the Seychelles. 

For a week, they were one of the only airlines flying. My United flight was canceled twice. Loyal customers of Delta, United and American began to consider other options if they wanted to leave Israel. There was essentially only one option – El Al. As the bar mitzvah of my long-time students rapidly approached, even I jumped ship and got one of the last tickets on LY 25, El Al’s 3 a.m. flight on Wednesday morning.

As I waited for our 2:10 a.m. boarding time, it occurred to me just what makes El Al unique. El Al is the sabra of airlines. They are prickly on the outside – a bit rough with customers and not the best with customer service – but they have heart of gold, or at least a rich history and unwavering commitment to bringing Jews to and from the Promised Land.

They have been doing so since September 1948 when EL AL operated its maiden flight, bringing home Israel’s first president, Haim Weizmann, from a diplomatic visit to Geneva. In 1949, El Al participated in Operation Magic Carpet, bringing Jews of Yemen to Israel. In May 1960, EL Al transported the famous Nazi war criminal Adolph Eichmann from Buenos Aires to Jerusalem for the Eichmann Trial. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, EL AL continued flying and assisted in airlifting military equipment.

In 1991, EL Al participated in Operation Solomon, transporting thousands of Jews from Ethiopia to Israel. Ever complained about lack of legroom on an EL AL flight? Remember that one of El Al’s flights from Ethiopia reportedly carried more than 1,088 people, including two babies who were born on the flight. 

El Al has experienced a lot of growing pains and financial losses since then. But this past week taught me a valuable lesson. We need El Al. They have managed to stay in the air through tough times, and they might just be taking steps toward becoming a real airline. 

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Original Article Published on The JNS

The man who knows what it’s like to wait says he can’t wait for the post-COVID era, when he can return to getting to know the hockey players he has historically spent so much time with.

Legendary New York Rangers play-by-play sportscaster Sam Rosen is best known for his call in 1994 when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years. New Yorkers can recite his call by heart: “The waiting is over—the New York Rangers are the Stanley Cup Champions! And this one will last a lifetime!” Yet this famous call is only one of many great moments in his 73 years thus far. The personable, knowledgeable Rosen recently spoke to JNS about his love and affection for the Rangers, sports, Judaism, coping during the coronavirus pandemic, and yes, his late mother.

Sam Rosen was born Samuel Rosenblum in 1947 in a DP camp in Ulm, Germany. His father left Poland just before the Nazi invasion in 1939 and escaped to Russia, where he worked as a tailor, sewing uniforms for the Russian army. Rosen’s brother, Stephen, five years Sam’s senior, was born in Russia in 1942.

The Rosen family immigrated to America in 1949, where young Sam quickly got his start playing and watching sports. “My father was a tailor and got into dry cleaning. My mother got us off to school and helped out in his store until 7 p.m. We lived in Boro Park, across from PS 160. Sports occupied our time. We’d go out in the mornings on Saturdays and Sundays, and over the summer and stay out all day—until our mother yelled for us to come in for dinner.” Rosen fondly recalls playing “all sports,” including stickball, punchball, baseball, softball and basketball. “It was a great way to avoid trouble and stay healthy,” he notes.

Rosen also went to Hebrew school in the neighborhood and had what he called a “fairly small” bar mitzvah, celebrated at a catering hall on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. He says he is proud of his Jewish identity—visiting Israel several times, where he has relatives, and reporting that his children and grandchildren also attended Hebrew school and celebrated b’nai mitzvahs. He and his wife have attended New City Jewish Center in New City, N.Y., for years, affectionately recalling their late, longtime Rabbi Henry Sosland, who died in 2019. “He was a mainstay and a rock. It was sad to see him pass,” says Rosen.

As Rosen became more active in sports as a teenager, his attendance at religious school and synagogue dropped precipitately, saying “it became too much with high school baseball.” Rosen attended the prestigious Stuyvesant High School, where the catcher served as captain of the baseball team, ran track and played intramural basketball. He also played baseball at the City College of New York.

Sam Rosen was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame On June 8, 2008. Credit: MSG Network.

In addition to playing sports, Rosen began attending athletic events. His amazing recall for events that took place more than 60 years ago seems to reflect an encyclopedic knowledge and a deep love for all things sports. Rosen remembers attending various events at the old Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, including college basketball, NBA double-headers and Rangers games. “There would be a game at 6, and the Knicks would play at 8. We’d take the subway to MSG, get out at 49th Street and get in early when the doors opened at 4:30 to get a good seat—we’d run up the balcony!”

In those days, Rosen reports that hockey was played only on Wednesdays and Sundays. “I was a regular,” he says, looking back fondly on those days. “It was a different time. It was a great time!”

Even his Eastern European parents began to warm up to American sports. “My father became a baseball fan. He watched the Brooklyn Dodgers on TV. One time, we had an argument over curveballs. He said there is no such thing! He couldn’t understand.” The Rosen parents proudly attended Sam’s summer league and American Legion baseball games.

They even began to understand his broadcasting career—somewhat.

From an early age, Rosen taped himself doing play-by-play of Rangers games. Rosen, who still has a clear, booming voice, was the studio host on Rangers games from 1982 to 1984, and began doing play-by-play in 1984. He is known for his extensive knowledge of hockey and for his signature phrase: “It’s a power-play goal!” He reports that “my father understood my broadcasting career. He was proud of my work with Channel 8 in New Haven, Connecticut.” Rosen covered sports on the weekends.

He notes that his mother—not unlike many Jewish mothers at the time—encouraged him to go to law school. But he reminded her that he was “doing well in my MSG job, doing nicely.” He never did attend law school.

‘I miss sitting in the locker room’

While each season offers great moments and memories, Rosen acknowledges that “nothing beats taking part in the championship season.” He reflects on all of the highlights of that special season. “To have grown up following the Rangers and to see years of frustration until finally winning a championship season—54 years! To see it unfold at MSG with the building electric and literally shaking. To be part of it—the parade down the Canyon of Heroes and to City Hall for a huge celebration … ”

And he’s known some personal fame, too. On June 8, 2008, Rosen was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. On Nov. 14, 2016, Rosen was enshrined as the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winner for outstanding contributions as a broadcaster by the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The past two seasons, which have taken place during the pandemic, have been a bit frustrating as they have impacted Rosen’s ability to meet with the team and others in the sports world in person. “I remember when the season first got suspended on March 20,” recalls Rosen. “The team was in Denver, where we lost to them in overtime in an exciting time in front of a packed house. There were rumors that basketball was being suspended. When we got to the airport, we were either going to Phoenix to play in two days or back to New York; we went back to New York.”

The season was suspended, and Rosen and his wife spent March through the end of June in Florida during what he says was “a strange and unsettling time.” He returned to covering hockey on Aug. 1 last year as the Rangers competed in the first round of the NHL playoffs. He says he was more than happy to return to hockey this season “in our own arena and not in a bubble.” And while the schedule resuming in January was a relief, like so many others, he misses a full arena of fans.

He says he can’t wait for the post-COVID era, when he can return to getting to know and develop relationships with the hockey players he has historically spent so much time traveling and socializing with. “I miss sitting with them in the locker room, learning about a player growing up in Russia or Finland. I miss this part,” says Rosen. And while he hasn’t yet sat at length with Jewish Rangers player Adam Fox, he hopes to do so, noting that “Fox has become a star in his second season in the league. He is now a top player in the league.”

As far as Rosen goes, the septuagenarian has no plans to retire anytime soon. “I just love what I do—I still do as much as on my first day. And thank God, my health is still good!”

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Original Article Published On The JNS

Dr. John Frank plans to attend Ramah Sports Academy in Connecticut—helping in the medical field and maybe telling some stories that other field with the NFL.

Some nice Jewish boys become doctors. One nice Jewish boy became a doctor while also playing in the National Football League.

When campers at Ramah Sports Academy in Cheshire, Conn., visit the infirmary this summer, they will get more than Band-Aids, throat lozenges and TLC from Dr. John Frank. They may also hear stories from the nice Jewish boy who began his medical studies while playing tight end with Joe Montana on two NFL Super Bowl San Francisco 49ers teams from 1984 to 1989. Campers may also learn that Dr. Frank was a founder of the Israel bobsled team.

Adam Benson and Graham Parker of New York City were thrilled when they learned their football-loving son, who is attending Ramah Sports Academy for the first time, would cross paths with Frank. Adam reports, “Max lives for football, and we think it is awesome that Max will be cared for by a camp doctor who is also a former NFL player.”

Camp director Rabbi Dave Levy could not be happier with Frank joining his staff this summer. “I was speaking with a pediatrician from Columbus, Ohio, whose two sons go to camp, and he said, by the way, I have a friend who might be up for coming to camp.” Frank, who splits his time between his practice in New York and his home in Columbus, is a board-certified otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat doctor), as well as a diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery. He has treated more than 10,000 patients for hair loss and performed more than 2,500 hair transplants.

This summer, Frank, 59, will be attending camp along with his 12-year-old son, spending a week taking care of cuts and sprains, as well as oversee COVID-19 protocols. He will also coach flag football and share his wealth of stories about being a member of the NFL, sharing the importance of teamwork and his life as an observant Jew.

“I am excited to have him as a camp doctor and to use his football experience to create a positive experience for campers,” says Levy. “He will lead a multi-day flag-football experience and talk with the camp divisions about his NFL experiences, including what it was like being on a historic team in the 1980s and being Jewish in the NFL, and about whether it is worth the risk of playing football in its current form. I am excited to have the whole package; he is the embodiment of what our camp is about—Jewish life, sports and bringing those two things together!”

‘A strong legacy to uphold’

Frank grew up in Pittsburgh, attended Hebrew school and celebrated his bar mitzvah at Beth El Congregation of the South Hills. He reports, “I was into and not into Hebrew school, but was very much into learning for the bar mitzvah.”

He refers to his father, Alan, as “a celebrated athlete and Pittsburgh Jewish sports legend,” saying he “was a fantastic basketball player in college at Carnegie Tech,” which later became Carnegie Mellon University, and “a strong legacy to uphold.”

When it came time for John to become involved with sports, his mother was lukewarm at best with his desire to play football. His parents and grandparents insisted on examining his peewee football equipment to ensure they provided adequate protection. “I think my mother was terrified by the whole experience,” he recalls.

At every stage of Frank’s sports career, he was aware of just how good an athlete his father was. He feels his father “had it” innately, while he was “only an average football player until my senior year of high school. It just seemed to click.”

Frank attended Ohio State University, majored in chemistry and published academic papers while still an undergraduate. He always planned on attending medical school, even while playing football for the prestigious Ohio State football team.

The starting tight end at Ohio State from 1981 to 83, as well as a two-time Academic All-American, he caught more passes than any other tight end in the school’s history; became the team’s most valuable player; and was selected as a member of the All-Century Ohio State Football Team and Ohio State’s Varsity Hall of Fame.

Then Frank was invited to attend “the Combine,” the NFL’s major recruiting event and tryout in 1984, but he declined so he could study for final exams. Much to his surprise, he was drafted in June 1984 in the second round of the NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers.

‘You know you are different’

In “NFL Films Presents,” Frank recounts the funny, somewhat embarrassing story of the telephone call from the 49ers coach. “Bill Walsh drafted me in the second round. I never anticipated playing in the NFL, so I didn’t know who he was. When I was in college, I wasn’t following the NFL—I was a chemistry major on the way to medical school. When the phone rang, he said it was the head coach to say congratulations. The only Coach Welsch I knew was the coach of Army at the time [George Welch]. I said, ‘Hi, Coach Welsh. He said, ‘No John, Coach Walsh. See you when you get out here.’

When Frank arrived at training camp, he was unfamiliar with the 49ers organization and didn’t know much about players on the team, though said he “had heard [quarterback] Joe Montana’s name since he was from Western Pennsylvania where I was from.”

He caught on to the organization and the team’s playbook quickly. His first catch in the NFL was for a touchdown at the Meadowlands in New Jersey during a Monday Night Football game.

Frank wasn’t the only Jewish player on the legendary 49ers team, which consisted of players from various religious backgrounds. “Harris Barton, the all-pro tackle, was the other Jew. We bonded. We had something special. We had fun on the team.”

While Frank says that he never experienced any difficulties being Jewish and notes that at the professional level, “it is a business,” and everyone is focused on the job, he observes: “When you are a Jewish athlete in the NFL, you know you are different.”

In fact, he recounts a touching story of Coach Walsh’s sensitivity. When Walsh read a story about anti-Semitic graffiti on a local San Francisco synagogue, he reached out to his player. “He pulled me aside, said he heard about the graffiti and said if you need to talk about the impact it is having, we are here. He was very sensitive,” remembers Frank.

During Frank’s first NFL season, he mostly worked as a reserve tight as the team went 18-1 and defeated the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX. He saw limited action due to an elbow injury. By his fourth season, he became the starting tight end. In his fifth and final season, he played in Super Bowl XXIII. He caught two passes, including one thrown by Montana during the winning touchdown drive. Following the game and to the surprise of many, Frank announced his retirement to devote himself full-time to medical school. During his five-year pro career, he caught 65 passes for a total of 662 yards.

Frank earned his M.D. from Ohio State in 1992 and completed his training in Chicago. He then established a plastic surgery clinic in San Francisco, specializing in cosmetic facial plastic surgery and hair transplantation. The NFL film, “Why John Frank, M.D., Choose Medicine Over a Career in the NFL” featured on Frank’s professional website shows his gentle touch and playful banter with a patient who consults with him for an ear problem. He notes that on occasion, patients learn his “back story” and ask about his NFL career.

As for his involvement with the Israel bobsled team, Frank recounts that years ago, he and a friend “were on a ski chairlift and were talking about the Jamaican bobsled team. We got the idea for an Israel bobsled team. It developed organically. It was really special.”

Frank, who also holds Israeli citizenship, notes that the bobsled team made it to the world championships in the early 2000s.

For now, he is getting prepared for and even excited about Ramah, just as campers look forward to returning after a year of too much time inside. “I am looking forward to being outdoors in the summertime, to be with my son, and to be around Jews and sports.”

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 Gardening and Farm Work at Kibbutz Shluchot

Kibbutz Shluchot
Emek HaMaayanot, 1091000 Israel
https://www.facebook.com/shai.asher.miltons.gift
http://shai-asher.com (Coming Soon!)
Program Director: Menachem Stolpner
Stolpner247@gmail.com
972 54 674 6223

“we have begun to grow in earnest both a variety of herbs in the green house and vegetables in our raised bed garden. We have successfully raised tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, broccoli & cauliflower amongst others- all for our own use. In the greenhouse, we have grown mother plants used for propagation, from seeds, cuttings and plantings and created a stock of herbs which include: mint, oregano, basil, thyme, lemon verbena & sage which we dry and package. Perhaps our most exciting growth items has been our long-term project of supplying organically grown ginger, turmeric and moringa for sale in the open market. These products were chosen for their important health qualities and limited availability locally. It is our hope that these “Cash Crops” will assist us on our path toward greater financial self-sufficiency. In addition, program participants do woodworking, repurposing discarded materials and creating them into tables, shelving and other furniture. Apprentices have previously secured work on the Kibbutz in the communal dining room, kitchen, mini-market, Kibbutz Zoo, Dairy and the turkey coops both on the kibbutz and on the outside. Future plans include expansion into areas of general maintenance, bicycle repair and services to the elderly.”

In the News:

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/the-israeli-hiring-the-disabled-to-grow-healing-turmeric-and-moringa-646807

Shai Asher

https://www.israel21c.org/special-needs-adults-find-meaningful-work-on-kibbutz-farm/

Jewish Life Magazine (South Africa) Issue 131 August 2019

From the Program’s Materials:

Shai Asher (Milton’s Gift), is an apprenticeship program for adults with special needs where they learn trades and develop life skills within the supportive and inclusive environment of the greater kibbutz community. Menachem Stolpner, a former New York social worker, immigrated to the kibbutz in 1997, worked in the kibbutz dairy for 13 years, and founded the program in 2013.  Stolpner strongly believes that individuals with special needs deserve as much purpose, dignity and meaningful opportunities as anyone else.  The number of people served by the program has risen to more than 60 over the course of the past 8 years. Future plans include growing individualized herb plants for home use and selling them at local food markets; planting moringa plants outdoors to grow as trees to increase stock material; increasing turmeric production (to either process or sell fresh to the local Israeli organic market) and transporting workers on educational outings to nearby greenhouses and agricultural projects.

The Coronavirus pandemic posed many challenges to the program mainly through general governmental restrictions on movement and proximity. Shai Asher overcame many of these restrictions due to dispensations given to people classified as “special needs” and as workers in agriculture. This included: relaxing limitations on how far one could travel from one’s home (1km. for general public), limit on group congregation (10), restrictions on indoor activities (all our work takes place outdoors) and dispensations given to agricultural work (unfettered). Closure of the program lasted just 2 weeks during a time of more than a year. Results of our “freedom to work” were a stream of requests for placement in our program, resulting in a significant increase of the workforce. Improvement projects slowed significantly due to permit approval delays and the restrictions on travel.  Instead, we did the work by ourselves including construction cold frame, compost storage bins, compost sifter and a deck.

Additional Information about Shai Asher: Transitional Employment Solutions

Mission:

To provide meaningful vocational/apprenticeship training, employment and career development for adults with intellectual, developmental, social or physical disabilities. The program focuses both on preparing individuals to enter/reenter the job market as well as providing enriching and meaningful work opportunities for those better suited to a sheltered environment.

Purpose:

The program bridges the gap between school (which ends at age 21) and employment in the open market by providing participants with the essential knowledge, skills and “hands on” experiences needed to succeed. Our goal is to increase career options, encourage greater independence and help reduce individual’s dependence on governmental financial support. The program seeks to address the greater than 70% unemployment rate in Israel for people living with a disability.

Challenges/Lessons Learned/Advice:

-financial:

Experience has shown me that most issues surrounding independent innovative projects in Israel face financial challenges. Interest both from families with a special needs individual and established programs serving the population hold our work in high regard but this rarely translates into financial support as funds are mostly through established channels.

Our funding comes from private individuals or foundations who are open to funding new and innovative approaches. During the Covid period, I have found that people and foundations with resources were even more generous than usual. However, with the pandemic effecting every human being the level of priority for funding “special needs” dropped significantly in general.    

-lack of support of host institution

Here too, priorities and resources shifted toward areas other than special needs. In terms of my Kibbutz community, we were left to our own devices to “sink or swim”. I am happy to report that we ended the year thriving: tripling our work force, both professional and special, increased our budget significantly and completed a portion of planned renovations.

-transportation to program (especially during Covid)

(see paragraph 2  “from the program materials)

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