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The Original Article is Published at JNS.org

Washington Wizards forward Deni Avdija scored a game best and career high 43 points in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Israel’s Deni Avdija isn’t letting his Washington Wizard’s abysmal (9 wins, 45 losses) record get in the way of his own personal record-breaking season. The 23-year-old small forward was the Wizards’ 9th overall pick in the first round of the 2020 draft and has spent his career to date with the team. The Kibbutz Beit Zera native and former Maccabi Tel Aviv player is beloved by the Washington Jewish and general community. Their love continues to grow as Avdija’s minutes and stats improve almost daily. 

On Feb. 14 in the team’s 133-126 road loss to fellow 23-year-old star Zion Willamson and his New Orleans Pelicans, Avdija scored a game best and career high 43 points. He was 13 for 24 on field goals and 6 for 10 on three-pointers (a career high) in his 40 minutes of playing time. In addition, he pulled down 15 rebounds, had three assists and one block as he achieved his eighth double-double of the season.

Avdija’s 43 points are the most for a Wizard player this season, and he became the first Wizard to score 40-plus points and 15-plus rebounds in a game since Moses Malone accomplished that feat on Jan. 12, 1987.

The NBA.com commentators praised Avdija throughout the game, calling one of his drives to the basket “the drive of the game.”

“He was taking the right shots that the offense gave him. We put the ball in his hands and he was attacking. But then when he was open from three, he let it go. He just read the game well. And we put him in positions to take advantage of his quickness and his athleticism to the rim and he shot when he was open. It was really a team effort tonight,” recounted interim head coach Brian Keefe in a post-game press conference.  

Avdija patiently answered many questions from the media post-game.  Asked what has changed for him during his very successful month of February, he thought carefully and replied, “Nothing has really changed, I’m just more confident, I’m working hard, I’m more patient.” He continued: “It’s been a long four years for me, with ups and downs. I’m sure I’m still gonna have some downs like every other basketball player. But seeing my growth and my teammates here with me with, all this process has been great. Without them and their push, I couldn’t have this good of a stretch.” 

It has been a good week for Avdija, who continues to shine even as the team keeps losing. He scored 21 points and had 13 rebounds and 39 minutes of playing in the team’s 119-113 loss to the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers on Feb. 10, and scored 25 points and 7 rebounds in 34 minutes of court time as the Wizards lost to the Dallas Mavericks 112-104.

Following the game against the 76ers, Keefe praised Avdija’s performance. “He has shown some tremendous growth, even in the last six to eight games. He had a big game on the board, guarding multiple guys, his play making, his attacking, he is showing growth. I’m trusting him to make decisions with the ball and attack the rim. But what I like is his rebounding. He has been hot these last few games and that is what I need from him,” he said.

Avdija’s impressive statistics include scoring more than 20 points in a career best 10 games, including four straight for the first time in his career. He has also scored in double figures in 36 games this seasons, including in 21 of his last 25 outings

Avdija feels that the key to his success this season has been “sticking with it. I know my spots now, I am confident on my shots. I worked hard this summer and I’m in a good mood.” Avdija is also pleased with the support the Wizards have shown him since arriving in the NBA.  “Obviously the franchise believed in me and signed me for another four years. I’m just playing to compete, to win, to not overthink too much.” Avdija, who signed a 4-year contract worth over $20 million, will reportedly earn a base salary over $6 million this year.

When asked about his age, Avdija playfully replied, “23 is young in life but in this game, you grow up fast. Four years in this league really matures you. I’m still young and excited and have a lot to grow and a lot to work on. I’m not stopping here!”

The Wizards resume play on Feb. 22 at the Denver Nuggets following the Feb. 18 NBA All Star Game in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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The Original Article is Published at JPost.com

DIASPORA AFFAIRS: How to present the much-changed nation to the thousands of Birthright visitors.

I recently had the privilege of participating in the pilot cohort of Birthright Israel’s latest staff training initiative, the Educators Forum, in Israel.

The goal of the program was to bring together an experienced group of Jewish professionals – US and Canadian staff members and Israeli tour educators – so that together we could bear witness to the events that took place on October 7, recognize the new realities that have resulted in Israel in the aftermath of those events, and learn from and with one another to better understanding what is facing the Jewish people – both in Israel and in the Diaspora.

The hope in coming together was to begin creating a shared language that could be taught to all future Birthright Israel trip leaders, especially those who will be leading trips in summer 2024. 

Birthright arrives in Israel to a new reality 

Upon arrival at Ben-Gurion Airport, our traveling group of 20 North Americans, along with five Israelis – who, combined, had staffed more than 200 Birthright Israel trips and positively affected the Jewish journeys of nearly 8,000 participants – were met by members of the educational teams of Birthright Israel, the Taglit Institute for Tour Educators, and M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education, who would be our guides, teachers, facilitators, and co-partners in the weeklong experience. 

PARTICIPANTS IN the Birthright Israel group leaders’ trip. (credit: Courtesy Birthright Israel)

The journey was moving, meaningful, and successful from both professional and personal standpoints. Let me begin with the personal.

I cried three times on Friday, the next to last day of our trip.The first time was at Mount Herzl, when our group paid a morning visit to the freshly dug graves of soldiers killed in Gaza.

The second time – out of pride and joy – was Friday night at the Dan Panorama Hotel in Jerusalem. Our group, which included 10 rabbis of all denominations, backgrounds, and genders (e.g., Chabad, Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist), created a holy space as we welcomed Shabbat together with prayer explanations, songs, and personal stories. How extraordinary that such a diverse group can come together so comfortably to create a community of unity and respect within the framework of Birthright Israel! 

After our group Kabbalat Shabbat experience, about a dozen of us joined nearly 100 worshipers at the hotel’s Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv service. Most were Yemenite refugees from Yachini (near Sderot), and have been living in the hotel for the past three months. The Ashkenazi rabbi, wearing a black hat and coat, with a full beard, respectfully announced in Hebrew and English that prayers would include the traditions and prayer customs of both Ashkenazim and Sephardim, and that, following the Ashkenazi-led Kabbalat Shabbat service, we would be singing “Bar Yochai,” a song sung by many Yemenite Jews, followed by Maariv in the Sephardi tradition. 

My final tears came as my group came back together in a sharing circle after dinner to celebrate an Oneg Shabbat. Michael, one of the tour educators, shared the haunting story of his son who was serving in Gaza and, during a recent battle, sadly lost a friend and fellow soldier, and who himself was wounded and put into an induced coma. 

Fortunately, his son is recovering, but Michael related to us the difficult conversation he and his wife, and daughter-in-law, had to have in deciding who among them would tell his son about his friend’s death, once he awakened in his hospital bed.

This story was just another example of the complexities and realities of the war and its impact on Israelis and Israeli society.

What an intense, emotional, inspiring week it was for our group. Among us were executive and assistant executive directors of Hillels and Chabads on campus, campus rabbis, Israel program coordinators, Federation professionals, and a handful of others working for various Israel and Jewish educational organizations. We arrived together as individuals with our hopes and expectations for what we would encounter, and we left the program with the feeling, trust, and connection of a family, determined to recruit and bring Birthright Israel participants to Israel in the very near future.

Together, we visited the site of the Supernova music festival, and Kibbutz Aza, where we came face-to-face with the destruction and murder that took place there. We visited Sderot in the pouring rain and looked at an empty plot of land where the local police station once stood. It had been overrun by Hamas and was promptly blown up by the IDF after learning that the Israeli civilians inside had sadly been killed. The IDF acted quickly so the terrorists could not escape.

Later in the week, we visited Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where we spoke to family members and friends of those still being held hostage. Seeing and hearing these stories of tragedy and loss was extremely difficult and emotionally draining. 

We also experienced the incredible sense of hope, resilience, and unity that has taken root and flourished in the country. We met with Adir Schwartz, 29, one of the leaders of the Jerusalem Civilian Command Center in Jerusalem, which, only hours after learning about what was happening in the southern communities bordering Gaza, began coordinating efforts to do whatever was necessary to help fellow citizens – whether it was collecting and distributing food, finding clothes or apartments for evacuees, supporting soldiers with needed equipment, and so on. To date, the center has spent NIS 10 million to help Israelis in need, and will continue until it is no longer needed.

In many ways, everyday life in Israel has returned to normal. The shuks are full, the streets and roads are flooded with foot and vehicular traffic, and groups and individuals are visiting the country. Our El Al flight and the one that departed two hours before ours were overbooked.

And Birthright Israel participants are already on the ground! They include Birthright Israel Onward participants, who have been traveling to Israel since early November for one- to two-week volunteer programs, as well as participants in classic 10-day Birthright Israel trips. Registration is currently open for summer 2024 trips, which are to bring thousands of participants from around the world to Israel.

THROUGHOUT OUR week in Israel, we were inspired by our group leaders and the Birthright Israel staff. Gidi Mark, international CEO of Taglit Birthright Israel, said to us: “In light of recent events… we must come together to ensure that we are providing the support, knowledge, and perspectives that our participants need, now more than ever, to continue to thrive and develop their Jewish identity.” 

Dr. Zohar Raviv, international VP of educational strategy for Birthright Israel, described our group as a “traveling think tank in Israel” charged with helping outline Birthright Israel’s educational philosophy and approach in the wake of October 7.

“We uphold the seminal need to be wholly reactive to these events, while remaining strategically proactive in realizing the fuller potential of solid Jewish and Israel education in the broadest sense…. We wish to articulate a strategic blueprint whose impact not only functions vis-à-vis October 7, but extends far beyond that day.” 

We also met with historian and author Prof. Gil Troy, who serves as the chairman of the Birthright Israel International Education Committee.

We heard from an avocado farmer in the fields of Be’eri who remains a believer that peace will soon come, even after his next-door neighbors at the kibbutz were kidnapped and murdered. And we had lunch with Shlomi at a Tunisian shul in Netivot, where this modest man, who lost 22 friends since October 7, quietly feeds 10,000 civilians and another 6,000 soldiers each week through the charity he founded at age 15.

We met with a Bedouin woman in Beersheba, from the Desert Star program, learning how she empowers women and girls in the community to get a better education.And we spent the first half of a day at ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, in Tel Aviv, walking through Jewish history and culture and taking turns guiding our peers through various exhibits and relating our personal Jewish narratives.

TO MY mind and clearly in the assessment of Birthright Israel, the weeklong program was a success. The organization is now recruiting to bring two larger cohorts of the Educators Forum to Israel in March, with a goal of training 140 trip leaders.

Throughout the trip, we never lost sight of the mission, or stopped considering how we will teach, guide, and share our knowledge and passion with our future Birthright Israel participants. I know that my new friends and colleagues who participated in the Educators Forum are up for the challenge.

We need to return to our campuses and communities and assure students and Jewish young adults that it is safe and important to come to Israel now!

Within the next few months, we will all return to Israel, leading trips and presenting the new and always evolving Israel to the thousands of Birthright Israel participants who will soon take advantage of the gift Birthright Israel provides.

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The Original Article is Published at JPost.com

Leah embraces the words of one of her many beloved rabbis and teachers who encourages people to “be where history is being written” – in Israel.

Leah Haziza came to Israel after high school for two very compelling reasons: “I felt very stuck in Greece – there was no way to get a significant Jewish education, and it was hard to meet Jews. And I came because my mother said to go!”

Her mother, Rebbetzin Shulamit Arar, knew a thing or two about Israel and leading a life committed to Jewish practice. She grew up in France to parents who left Romania for Paris before the Holocaust, then moved to the South of France. Haziza reports, “She was brought up in a Catholic boarding school. She always said that life started when people brought her to Bnei Akiva.”

Rebbetzin Arar made aliyah in 1960 to the religious Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu. She might have stayed in Israel her whole life had she not returned to visit family in France and met her future husband, Jacob Arar, a Greek rabbi in France at the time learning shechita (kosher ritual slaughter) and furthering his rabbinic training. They married, and Rabbi Arar went on to serve as chief rabbi of Athens for 46 years. They eventually made aliyah in 2011.

Leah Arar Haziza came to Israel earlier, making aliyah in 1987, inspired in large part by her mother.

“My mom always told me, ‘Greece is not our place.’”

A Greek national flag flutters as people visit a beach, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Athens, Greece, April 28, 2020. (credit: GORAN TOMASEVIC/REUTERS)

Moving to Israel, studying at university

Leah’s aliyah came one year after high school, and although she concedes that her dream had been to see the world, she notes in heartfelt fashion, “The truth is, the world was here, in Israel, and I get to meet them!”

Leah continued getting to know the world at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem through her studies in international relations, along with courses in economics and Italian.

She recalls the experience as “pretty challenging.” She notes, “I went to college and did a four-year course, so I had to stay!” A tip she offers to other young olim.

The program and the experience of living in Israel were not easy. “It took me two years until I felt I was not in Athens but Jerusalem.”

Her pre-university mechina (preparatory program) helped expand her social world and her familiarity with Israeli society and helped improve her Hebrew language skills. She met many Americans and was invited to work in the Tikvah Program (for campers with disabilities) at Camp Ramah in Massachusetts, an experience she still values.

During her time at Hebrew U, she got involved with Bnei Akiva, the Jewish youth movement that had such a big impact on her mother. She also learned additional languages (she speaks four and understands five or six). She stresses the importance of knowing languages but concedes it is not always easy.

“I cried taking notes in Hebrew my first year – but you get better.”

She also notes the importance of making friends outside the university to ease the process of integrating into Israeli society. She volunteered through Gadna (a short IDF program)and participated in Jewish Bnei Akiva learning programs.

Jewish learning has become a central part of Leah’s life in Israel. She reflects on the lack of Jewish learning opportunities growing up in Greece and is delighted with the opportunities available in Israel. She notes how fortunate she was to have met the revered Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, who told her, ‘If your level of Judaism stays like that of a child, people will want to leave Yiddishkeit.”

“Through learning texts,” she says, “my Hebrew has become significantly better.” She has learned in many places and attended many shiurim, which only makes her want to continue to learn more.

After eight years of living in Israel, Leah met her husband, Netanel “Nat” Haziza, an architect born in Montreal who moved to Toronto for eight years before making aliyah in 1996.

Nat has a great deal of experience in architectural design and consulting, creating elevation facades for buildings, landscape architecture, and residential and interior design.

Leah is proud of her husband’s work and enjoys walking around Jerusalem with a person who truly understands, knows, and appreciates architecture.

Nat initially came to Israel on a tourist visa which, at the time, permitted him to work and “test it out.” He reports, “I felt at home and never looked back.”

Nat feels that having a good base in the Hebrew language was useful. He continued to “build on the base through work and interactions.” He is proud of his ability to write fluently in Hebrew as well. Having relatives and family friends in Israel also contributed to a smooth aliyah process.

“I had hashkafa pratit [Divine providence] from the minute I got off the plane! I quickly found work and met Leah within four months of arriving,” he says. They have a daughter, Tiferet, who is almost six.

OVER THE years, Leah has had many meaningful jobs and volunteer opportunities in Israel, such as working for CAJE (Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education), the Joint (JDC), The Center for Business Ethics & Social Responsibility/Machon Lev (Jerusalem College of Technology ), Chidon Hatanach International Bible Competition, and Hadassah Hospital and Hadassah Academic College. She has also served for decades as a translator from Hebrew and English to Greek, and from Greek to Hebrew and English for the courts, embassies, Foreign Affairs Ministry, and various other government and educational institutions.

In recent years, Leah has been working on various art projects and devotes a lot of time to her daughter, and currently, to working with children relocated from the South.

Leah acknowledges that this past year has been difficult, noting “We are all in pain.”

Yet, she says, “I have started to fall in love again with the map of Israel and the people of Israel.”

She observes that every part of life has ups and downs and points out, “For anything substantial, you have to choose it every day.”

She stresses the importance of “knowing why you are here and what you are giving” and reminds people that the Hebrew word kasheh (“difficult”) is “not a bad word.”

Leah feels that living in Israel has become easier over the years. Those considering aliyah have the benefit of better communication (including WhatsApp to stay in touch with family abroad), and such organizations as Nefesh B’Nefesh to assist in the aliyah process.

She notes playfully that these days, a person can “live in Israel without a word of Hebrew.” However, she encourages those considering aliyah to “invest in Hebrew, Jewish history, and emotional maturity.”

Leah embraces the words of one of her many beloved rabbis and teachers who encourages people to “be where history is being written” – in Israel.

She loves living here, stressing that “there is beauty everywhere” and that it “forces you to think about your relationship with Hashem.” ■

Leah Haziza From Athens to Jerusalem, 1987

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The Original Article is Published at JPost.com

With her new book, Adeena Sussman has made the special taste and excitement of Shabbat accessible to everyone, whatever their level of observance or lack thereof.

Prolific cookbook writer, recipe and product developer, and Tel Aviv resident Adeena Sussman is particularly suited to bringing the essence of Shabbat to an audience beyond the traditionally observant – to those simply looking for a day of rest and relaxation accompanied by great food.

Sussman’s latest cookbook, Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from My Table to Yours, offers recipes, ideas for entertaining on Shabbat, and explanations and tidbits for readers of all backgrounds who have one thing in common: a willingness to put in time and effort to create beautiful, freshly made breads, soups, salads, main courses, and desserts for the day of rest.

The Shabbat cookbook follows the success of her acclaimed Sababa: Fresh Sunny Flavors from My Israeli Kitchen. Sussman has authored or co-authored 15 cookbooks, including one with American model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen. Three have also been New York Times bestsellers.

Growing up in her family’s observant Palo Alto, California, home, Sussman looked forward to Shabbat each week. She would watch her working mother, Steffi, jot down menus on recycled scraps of paper throughout the week and rise early to start the Shabbat cooking process on Wednesdays.

She learned her first kitchen hack from her mother – cutting brown paper bags into makeshift parchment paper. During those years, kosher products weren’t readily available in that part of the United States, so her family would pick up kosher meat delivered to a local synagogue once a month and keep it stocked in a freezer in their garage.

Shabbat (Illustrative). (credit: MENDY HECHTMAN/FLASH90)

In the book’s introduction, Sussman writes, “Shabbat is the North Star of my kitchen identity; after all, it’s been a central part of my whole life.” The family came together to observe Shabbat, relax, unwind, socialize, and eat. Today, no longer fully Sabbath observant, she concedes that “it took almost leaving Shabbat cooking behind to realize how much I actually needed this respite. Shabbat is a weekly opportunity to slow down, chill out, and feast along the way.”

Sussman’s personal journey and years living in Israel help inspire her recipes, which offer innovative twists on familiar Shabbat dishes, ranging from soups such as dushpara, (Uzbecki-Jewish dumpling soup), to kugels and stews (Ashkenazi cholent and cauliflower hamin), to brunch and cocktail options for secular Israelis getting together with family and friends.

She describes the Friday rituals in her childhood home, which included dressing in special Shabbat clothes, attending synagogue, and a series of pre-meal blessings. She offers tips (it is best to knead challah by hand), weaves in explanations for why there are traditionally two challot on the Shabbat table, and offers recipes for five types of challah, jachnun (rolled Yemenite Shabbat bread), and dabo (Ethiopian Shabbat bread).

Sussman intersperses her recipes with stories, as well as tributes to friends and colleagues. When introducing her jachnun recipe, she recounts how her friend Merav Tzanani Perez, “known as Tamati at the coffee shop her husband Miki named after her,” would come home from clubbing late Friday nights and be tempted by the aroma of jachnun slow-baking in the oven. Café Tamati, near Shuk HaCarmel, is just around the corner from Sussman’s home, where she loves to meet friends and hold meetings.

She introduces her Ultimate Egg Salad recipe (which can be prepared with raw or caramelized onions – “I’m firmly team caramelized,” writes Sussman) by recounting the history of egg salad as shared by her friend, the late food historian Gil Marks. She quotes him, noting that “egg salad is a Shabbat staple food” dating back to 11th-century Franco-German Jews.

WHEN SUSSMAN suggests that cooks keep “a few staples” in their kitchen, she refers to amba, harissa, tahini sauce, labneh, pomegranate molasses, preserved lemons and preserved lemon paste, schug, and za’atar spice blend. Having these staples on hand makes it easier to follow the recipes in her “Appetizers, Dips, and Salatim” chapter, which includes Moroccan Carrot Salad; Cauliflower and Green Bean Masabacha; and Lachmagine (chewy-crispy Syrian flatbreads).

The section on kugels includes recipes for Colorful Vegetable Kugel; Caramel Apple Noodle Kugel Ring; and an explanatory note about Yapchik, a potato kugel studded with beef flanken and cooked for hours in a low-temperature oven.

Following recipes for a Shabbat dinner

In preparation for a recent family Shabbat dinner, we followed a few recipes from Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from My Table to Yours, using its beautiful photos as a guide. Shredding the two types of cabbage needed for the Crunchy Slaw with Chickpeas and Creamy Sesame Dressing was time-consuming, but the results were as colorful as the picture in the cookbook, delightfully crisp, and refreshingly tasty.

Although we substituted the pargiot (chicken thighs) with chicken breast based on our family preference, we closely followed the recipe for Baghdadi Chicken Curry with sweet and nutty rice. The spices were perfectly balanced, and the cashews and apricots added a unique and flavorful touch.

For dessert, the Apricot Tahini Shortbread Bars were subtly sweet with a robust tahini flavor. We chose apricot preserve, suggested as an alternative, over fresh apricots or plums, unavailable in Israel in the winter months. In general, we chose recipes based on the availability of ingredients and look forward to trying the Lime-Coconut Custard Pie and the Pear and Cherry Phyllo Strudel when those fruits are in season.

Sussman’s recipes require some advanced planning and a fair amount of time to prepare. The dishes are well worth the effort – creative, well balanced, and delicious. 

With her new book, Sussman has made the special taste and excitement of Shabbat accessible to everyone, whatever their level of observance or lack thereof. Hosts and guests alike can look forward to many tasty and inspiring days of rest.  

  • SHABBAT: RECIPES AND RITUALS FROM MY TABLE TO YOURS
  • By Adeena Sussman 
  • Penguin Random House
  • 384 pages; $23
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