Original Article in The JNS:

 When Jay Feinberg learned in 1991 that he had leukemia, he was told that he needed a bone-marrow transplant to survive. “My doctor said, ‘You will never find a match. Make your bucket list now.’ ”

Feinberg, 22 at the time, was in shock and disbelief. “When I asked why, he said “because you are Jewish, and the best chances of a match are people with the same genetic background.” There were no family members who were potential matches, and at the time, Jews were not well-represented among potential donors.

“I wasn’t prepared to give up,” he said. Feinberg, his family and their circle of friends were fighters. “I found a donor, the last one tested after four years!”

Feinberg survived the harrowing journey, remains in good health, and has devoted his life to helping create “The Gift of Life Marrow Registry,” which seeks to educate people about blood cancers, and to increase the numbers of Jews and people in general around the world to bone-marrow registries. By 1995, more than 60,000 people had been tested. Currently, 310,833 people are registered donors; 15,409 matches have been made; and to date, some 3,321 transplants have been facilitated.

Feinberg, who serves as president and CEO of Gift of Life, reports that “we went from less than a 5 percent chance of a match to a 75 percent chance of a match for Jewish patients.”

The Oct. 10 Gift of Life Gala raised $9.5 million, and honored Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson with the Partners for Life Award. It was an emotional affair, featuring a swab table, and moving stories of donors and recipients. To mark the gala, Gift of Life’s orange brand color lit the peak of the Empire State Building and Renaissance Clock in Times Square on Wednesday night, while the Helmsley Building at 230 Park Avenue glowed orange on Tuesday.


Gift of Life Marrow Registry founder and CEO Jay Feinberg (left) with Gift of Life Marrow Registry Partners for Life Award honorees Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson. Credit: David Nicholas Photography.

Guests were greeted by Gift of Life staff member Lindsay Katz and the table with swab kits. She explained the simple directions of how to join the registry by downloading SwabApp, completing a few forms and a cheek swab. “When I was 10, my 11-year-old cousin went through this and responded to medicine. I have been involved with Gift of Life ever since,” she said.

Isaac Zablocki, senior director of film programs and the Israel Film Center at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, attended with his wife, Aviva, to witness his 6-year-old nephew, Idan, as he met his donor, Alex, for the first time. “I am prepared with tissues,” revealed Aviva Zablocki during the cocktail reception.

Giant screens in the orange-decorated room in Cipriani, the famed restaurant in the equally famous Bowery Building (built in 1921), displayed stories of donors and recipients including: “Peter met his recipient Etty at a Taglit Birthright convention in Tel Aviv,” and “David met his recipient Missy at Steps for Life 5K in South Florida.”

Each speaker movingly described his or her connection to Gift of Life, often quoting the well-known passage in the Talmud that states “he who saves a single life, it is as if he has saved an entire world.”


The Empire State Building in New York City displays the Gift of Life Marrow registry colors on Wednesday night, Oct. 10, 2018. Credit: Andrew Tess.

Dr. Miriam Adelson first learned this verse as a student in Haifa and recited it in Hebrew. “I am an emergency-room doctor, and we save lives every day. With just a swab, we can all save lives!” Her husband, Sheldon Adelson, echoed, “I have been in business for 73 years, but I can’t think of anything more important than saving a life. When I look at all of the philanthropic gifts that we make, I can’t see anything more important than the gift of life.”

While the crowd was inspired by the Adelsons’ commitment and philanthropic generosity, the true heroes of the evening were the donors and recipients. Idan, of New York City, who battled the potentially fatal immune deficiency Hyper IgM Syndrome (Hyper IgM), met his stem-cell donor, 22-year-old Alex Weiss, a New York financial analyst originally from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Weiss joined Gift of Life during a Birthright Israel trip. “The process has helped me realize how precious life is and how incredibly important it is to do mitzvot for others,” said Weiss upon meeting Zablocki. “I am so excited to meet my recipient, Idan. To my new little buddy, we will always be connected through DNA, and you will be always be connected through my heart.”

Weiss presented Zablocki with a jersey from University of Michigan, his alma mater, and a teddy bear. He also made a donation to Gift of Life.

‘We could do a 100 percent … ”

Psychologist Jon E. Perlman, 69, received his diagnosis just before Passover, referring to it as “the 11th plague.” Perlman, who battled Acute Myeloid Leukemia, met his stem-cell donor, Seth Benzell, 27, of Allston, Mass., a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology’s Initiative on the Digital Economy. The two noted living just 20 minutes from each other in Massachusetts. Benzell also joined Gift of Life during a Birthright trip.


Gift of Life Marrow registry donor Seth Benzell of Allston, Mass. (left) and recipient Jon Perlman of Sudbury, Mass. Credit: David Nicholas Photography.

The Adelson Family Foundation has enabled thousands of new donors to join the registry through Birthright Israel, resulting in more than 1,600 potential matches that have led to 209 transplants so far. Thomas Stern, chairman of the board of the Birthright Israel Foundation, noted that Benzell is “No. 200”—the 200th Birthright participant out of 214 who have thus far donated marrow to people with blood cancer.

“We will do 25,000 swabs this year out of our 50,000 participants. We could do 100 percent if we had an extra $1.5 million annually,” declared Stern.

Gift of Life’s expansion plans include relocating to a new larger headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla. The new offices will include an on-premises stem-cell collection center. The organization recently opened an office in Jerusalem to support its collaboration with Birthright Israel. Efforts also continue to expand the registry for currently underrepresented populations.

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Original Article in Chabad.org:

The sensory-friendly Sukkot celebration enabled Friendship Circle participants and members of the larger community to come together for the Sukkot event.

Silverstein Kramer relates that she helped start the Chicago Friendship Circle, then called Friendship Circle, as soon as she returned to Milwaukee eight years ago, and “we haven’t stopped since.” She is impressed at how well the Steins listen to parental concerns and input. She is especially pleased that the adult division is “quite active.”

And she loved this year’s sensory-friendly sukkah event. “It was so different from anything we’ve had before. It was amazing, fun, joyous, all-inclusive—with older and younger participants and caregivers and parents.” She described a disco ball hung at eye level, the many different colors and the headphones. “It makes a lot of sense. Some people can’t handle a lot of noise, big crowds and strangers. It was a fantastic idea. I am all for doing it again!”

The Steins were pleased as well. “It was incredible to see people with all abilities coming together and feeling like they had a place … Everybody felt included and had a great time.” Given the number of special days on the Jewish calendar, the Steins and the headphone company are likely to find ways to continue their wonderful partnership.

Sukkah guests could enjoy the party from outside on the street or inside the Lubavitch House.

Sukkah guests could enjoy the party from outside on the street or inside the Lubavitch House.

“When I called the headphone company, they said they never thought of the special-education aspect. I think it is a game-changer for them; they may have found a new market.” Stein rented 40 sets of headphones that light up in a range of colors.

“When I called the headphone company, they said they never thought of the special-education aspect. I think it is a game-changer for them; they may have found a new market.” Stein rented 40 sets of headphones that light up in a range of colors.

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Original Article in The JNS:

Ronald S. Lauder’s distinguished career includes many diverse roles, including business leader, philanthropist, art collector and U.S. Ambassador to Austria. He currently serves as president of the World Jewish Congress. By his own admission, sports fan or supporter is nowhere on the list.

“In my entire life, I have never said these four words: wide world of sports!” he quips. That may change very soon. Lauder is thinking a lot about soccer these days. He has been meeting with Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea FC (Football Club), the top English soccer team. He even attended a Chelsea game, noting, “They yell a lot!”

But Lauder’s interest in soccer may have more to do with his interest in combatting anti-Semitism than with the sport itself.

At an exclusive VIP cocktail reception on Sept. 17 at Lauder’s New York City home—attendees included diplomats from more than 40 countries, as well as representatives of the World Jewish Congress and its CEO, Robert Singer; senior Chelsea FC officials; members of the media; and other distinguished guests—Lauder unveiled an innovative idea to use worldwide interest in soccer to combat anti-Semitism.

As he observes, “We have seen anti-Semitism on the right and left, on college campuses, in Europe and in the Middle East, and even in soccer stadiums. Soccer stadiums are no place for Nazi salutes or slurs against Muslim or black players!”

According to the World Jewish Congress, soccer, especially in Europe, has been plagued by instances of anti-Semitism and racism for years. Fans have led anti-Semitic chants, including making hissing noises to evoke the Nazi gas chambers, and targeted African and black players with monkey sounds, among other offensive actions. Ultra-nationalists and neo-Nazis have also played roles in supporter groups for various teams. Lauder says “sports are supposed to be for fun, excellence and competition.”

‘It needs to be pushed out’

The WJC and Chelsea FC therefore announced an ambitious new initiative, “Red Card for Hate,” which aims to promote a global dialogue to combat all forms of hatred in sports. The initiative will include three projects: “Pitch for Hope,” a video project and an international forum—all geared towards encouraging supporters, government officials and the public to treat hate phenomena more seriously and to engage in discourse for effective action.

“Pitch for Hope” invites young adults in the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel to submit proposals for projects that “harness the spirit of comradery in sports to build bridges between people of all backgrounds, faiths and walks of life.” Finalist will be invited to present their proposals at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge Stadium in London; the winners from each country will receive a $10,000 grant to develop and implement their pilot project.

As part of stage two, the WJC and Chelsea FC will produce a series of videos to raise awareness about the effects of anti-Semitism and discrimination. They will address such issues as mutual respect between fans and players and fans of differing backgrounds, and will be rolled out over the course of the 2018-19 football (soccer) season.

In the third stage of the initiative, WJC and Chelsea will host a forum bringing together national football associations, football clubs, players, government officials and others to share best practices, to create a forum for discussion and collaboration, and to create a network of people and organizations to enhance the fight against anti-Semitism in sports.

Lauder notes the potential for success given the number of people who watch sports. “Sports events are seen by billions, not millions.”

He adds, “Our goal is to wipe out anti-Semitism in sports. It doesn’t go away by itself. It needs to be pushed out. To see the Nazi salute … it shouldn’t happen!”

‘Take it to the next level’

The kick-off event in Lauder’s home included short remarks by Singer and such guests as Eugene Tenenbaum, director of the Chelsea Football Club; Consul General of France in New York Anne-Claire Legendre; Gary Bettman, commissioner of the National Hockey League; and Lee Igel, clinical associate professor in the New York University Tisch Institute for Global Sport.

Tenenbaum described an increase of anti-Semitic events in England from 100 a year before Brexit, to about 100 a month at present. He and his colleagues have carefully considered ways to address it. “When we saw the anti-Semitic chants of fans, we decided not to kick them out, but to educate them, and to show what it is that happens when we say it and mean it.”

He says the partnership with the WJC “let’s us take it to the next level.”

They have already organized meetings of Chelsea FC players with Holocaust survivors, and have brought 150 fans and players to the March of the Living in Poland.

Legendre called the work of the WJC and Chelsea FC “relevant and inspiring,” and noted that “France is not immune to anti-Semitism.” She added that “we will fight it to our utmost.”

Bettman spoke of the importance of sports for setting a tone and feels that sports “can be an incredible vehicle.”

He shared that in the NHL, “we don’t tolerate acts of hatred in our buildings or at our games. We host 1,300 events a year and want to make sure fans know the expectations and feel welcomed.” He drew a with Judaism to sports, playfully noting that “people come together, have ceremonial garb, a ceremonial chant and a common focus that is an emotional connection.”

Igel offered a powerful story about a 1938 soccer match between Germany and Austria right before the Anschluss (the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938). He then spoke about the anti-Semitism and hatred that still exist in the world.

“That is why this work is so important; it is not just another nice program full of good intentions.” Igel referred to the three phases of the “Red Card for Hate” initiative, mentioning that it will include the convening of an international summit in Paris in 2019 to battle discrimination, racism and anti-Semitism in sports.

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Original Article in JNS:

Let’s face it: Sitting through services can feel long, arduous and not so interactive for worshippers. Congregants tend to talk with seatmates and neighbors to help pass the time.

But not at Rabbi Yehoshua Soudakoff’s High Holiday services. There, you could hear a pin drop. Worshippers had all eyes focused on the prayer leader for hours on end, enjoying it so much that they wound up spending the entire holiday sleeping in the shared apartment/synagogue space of the newly married Chabad rabbinical couple in Israel.Subscribe to The JNS Daily Syndicate by email and never miss our top stories

Rabbi Yehoshua, 27, and his wife, Cheftziba, both deaf from birth, recently hosted Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services in their Rishon Letzion apartment for members of the deaf community. “Twenty came and slept in our home. We had services and meals together. It was really wonderful,” Soudakoff tells the JNS in a phone call from Israel with the assistance of an interpreter. When asked how it was advertised in Israel, Soudakoff quickly (and playfully), replies: “Word of hand!”

“The deaf community in Israel is very close and connected,” relates the executive director of the Jewish Deaf Foundation (JDF) and director of Chabad of the Deaf Community, based in Kfar Chabad, “and Israel is a small country. Word spreads like wildfire.”

The rabbi’s main goal is to create an accessible prayer experience where “people don’t feel deaf, where they feel like regular people.” He notes that in typical services, members of the deaf community are constantly wondering, “What is going on? What’s happening?”

Soudakoff’s services resemble a more conventional, cantor-led service in many ways. But perhaps out of necessity, it’s also more interactive.

“We have a hard-of-hearing person who davens [leads prayers] at the amud [prayer platform], and he signs parts of the tefillah [prayers] so that the rest of the group can follow along,” describes Soudakoff. “Another person stands directly across and tells the congregation when to answer, and indicating the page number on the machzor [prayer book], as well as signing part of the davening [when the chazzan isn’t signing]. So it was more of an interactive experience, with the chazzan, the gabbai and the congregation all davening together, and knowing where everyone else is holding. Which is the whole point of the experience—so that a deaf person doesn’t feel like he or she is catching up or totally lost in prayer.”

He further describes some of the inner workings of the service. “There is singing in the sense that there is a sound, but also signing out the words of the tefillah. For example, we would all read ‘Avinu Malkeinu’ together, or ‘Unetaneh Tokef.’ ”

During Sukkot, he will be driving a mobile sukkah from Metula, in the northernmost town in Israel, all the way down to Eilat at Israel’s southern tip, meeting with deaf people along the way to shake the lulav and the etrog.

Singing through signing, following the cantor

Moishy Wertheimer, a board member of the Jewish Deaf Foundation who met Soudakoff many years ago when they were roommates in yeshivah, served as cantor for the High Holidays. “The crowd sings through signing, following the chazzan, with assistance of Rabbi Soudakoff,” he clarifies. “There is also shofar-blowing.”

Those who have cochlear implants can hear it; others can feel the vibrations, and some put their hand right on the shofar.

Wertheimer shares some of the challenges of leading services for a community that doesn’t sing. “To be a chazzan leading a deaf crowd is a challenge because they cannot hear me, but Rabbi Soudakoff interprets the prayers into Israeli sign language,” he says, acknowledging that it was definitely different than usual. “Rabbi Soudakoff is a real shliach tzibbur[‘public messenger,’ Wertheimer’s translation]. I learned no matter if they don’t need my voice to lead the prayer, they still they need to ‘feel’ the voice of a chazzan.”

Wertheimer says he’s proud of what the Soudakoffs have accomplished so far. “For many deaf people, our shul is very accessible for them; they can participate without any [communication] barrier.”

Soudakoff would next like to build a synagogue and community center. “We have a lot of dreams. With a physical space, we can do more activities and hold more services.” He already has an impressive record of determination and success in the world of Jewish learning, education, outreach and camping.

Working towards greater inclusion and awareness

Soudakoff was born deaf to two deaf parents. His two brothers and his sister are also deaf. He had a very rich Jewish experience growing up in Los Angeles. “My mother started an organization in Los Angeles for the Jewish deaf. It was in our living room. I always saw events there. I grew up with that exposure.”

Soudakoff then attended Yeshiva Nefesh Dovid, a Jewish deaf high school in Toronto. “There are not many deaf people who have the same opportunities that I had growing up,” he acknowledges.

After three years of studying Jewish texts, he graduated and returned to Los Angeles—thirsty to continue pursuing Jewish learning and his involvement in the Jewish community. Soudakoff quickly learned that the Jewish world offers very few resources for the Jewish deaf, including access to the Jewish community and functions. “I wanted to change that” he says.

So he began blogging and making online videos about Jewish holidays and ideas. “My sister would make videos of herself making latkes or matzah-ball soup, and I would sign and later add captions.” (See “Jewish Deaf Multi Media” on YouTube).

Soudakoff then started summer camps for Jewish children who are deaf. The camp met in the Poconos of Pennsylvania for one summer, then in California the next summer. This past summer, the two-week camp took place in Italy; it was a travel camp with one week in Tuscany, and the second week visiting the north and Rome.

Jeremy J. Fingerman, CEO of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, says “we admire Rabbi Soudakoff’s dedicated efforts. His inspired work reminds us of the importance of making Jewish camp—and indeed, our entire Jewish community—accessible for everyone.”

Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation that works to promote and support inclusion worldwide, is similarly impressed with Soudakoff and his work. “How great that we are living in a time when people are proud of who they are and teaching us that people of all abilities have the right to be equal members of our society,” he states.

Wertheimer, the prayer leader, is pleased with what the Soudakoffs and the deaf community have accomplished so far.

“We are working together to bring accessibility for the deaf community into the Jewish world,” he says, pointing out that a great deal of work still lies ahead. “They have a big responsibility for making sure that any deaf Jew has access to Jewish life. I think there has been a lack of Judaism in the Jewish deaf communities because there no awareness and sensitivity for deaf people in Judaism world.”

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