Published Articles

The original article was published at Jpost.com

While there was some uncertainty several months ago as to whether Friday’s events would take place, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion issued a statement strongly encouraging the event to proceed.

When Israel was attacked on October 7, and all of Israel subsequently joined the war effort, the participants of Tsad Kadima, a program with branches throughout Israel serving people with cerebral palsy, knew they needed to get involved.

“Since the war started, they saw people doing things for soldiers, for evacuees and for families of the hostages, explained Tsad Kadima CEO Guy Solomon. “They felt like they wanted to be part of the volunteer movement. They can’t join the army or raise funds, so they came up with some of their own ideas.”

Program participants started by making packages at home for soldiers – much like they had done during the COVID-19 pandemic when they gave out candies to medical staff at Hadassah hospital. And they movingly paid tribute to brewer Netta Epstein, 22, who was killed when he jumped on a grenade to save his fiancée at Kfar Aza on October 7. The participants at the Jerusalem branch of Tsad Kadima, who proudly run the Bira Kadima microbrewery, are using Epstein’s special beer recipe to honor his memory.

This week, Tsad Kadima – which hopes to soon break ground on a three-floor community center in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem – was participating in the 13th International Jerusalem Winner Marathon. The 10 Tsad Kadima participants planned to cover the course in wheelchairs, crutches and walkers.

“It will take us a while,” Solomon noted affectionately – but that is hardly the point. “For us, it is to raise awareness, and to run in memory of soldiers.”

AMONG THE thousands of participants in Friday’s 13th annual Jerusalem Marathon were groups representing noteworthy charitable and care organizations such as Tsad Kadima. (credit: Courtesy)

A record showing

A record number of 5,000 participants were expected to run in Friday’s community race. A total of 30,000 runners were slated to participate in the event, which according to the Jerusalem Municipality was held this year as a tribute to the IDF, security forces and rescue teams. Registration to the marathon was offered free for IDF soldiers, security forces and rescue teams, including reservists who served or are currently serving. Spouses and children of reservists who served or are currently serving received a 50% discount on registration fees.

A large team of visually impaired runners who also have cognitive, developmental and/or physical disabilities – as well as staff members from the Keren Or Jerusalem Center for Blind Children with Multiple Disabilities – were also participating in the marathon to show support and solidarity for soldiers and to raise awareness about blindness and visual impairments.

Participants from Keren Or, which was founded in 1975 and has been part of Jerusalem’s Ramot neighborhood since 1991, are running for the second consecutive year.

According to Keren Or’s director, Shira Reifman, her organization participates simply “to be part of this amazing Jerusalem event – with all of Jerusalem and all of our families.”

She noted that very often, siblings of people with disabilities are left out of community events (geared for people with disabilities) due to the extra preparation and attention the disabled person needs.

“We felt that there should be a group to make participation of parents and siblings – as well as the person with a disability – possible.”

Reifman explained that people who are blind rely on other senses to experience the world, and the Jerusalem Marathon experience provides that.

“Our students love action and can sense movements. Many love fast movements and being at the heart of lots of activity. They love being part of a noisy, lebedik [lively, warm and enthusiastic] event!”

Coordinating a delegation of blind runners who will be participating in races at each distance requires attention to details.

“Some runners rely on music and other auditory signals to orient them on the route. One person is running using a donated wheelchair, and some require special foods, which we will have at our tent.”

For Reifman and her team, it is all worth it.

“It is important for us to be part of the community race alongside other families who participate in the community race.”

An additional benefit is helping raise awareness about Keren Or for the community.

“When we bring people with disabilities to the mainstream, people get to know their strengths and challenges. And they see that we are part of the community. People should see us and know what we do. That way, they will know where to turn.”

Training for the marathon has been another important part of the marathon experience. Reifman noted that it has provided an outlet and a distraction for many staff members who have spouses and children serving in Gaza. The staff members, along with Keren Or participants and volunteers from the Shalom Hartman Institute Hevruta Gap-Year Program, have been training for months for the races at each distance today.

While there was some uncertainty several months ago as to whether Friday’s events would take place, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion issued a statement strongly encouraging the event to proceed.

“The strength of a society is measured by its ability to continue daily life in the face of challenges, alongside support for our dedicated soldiers fighting on the front lines. We all hope that peace, security, and tranquility will return to our beloved country quickly. Am Yisrael Chai, and we will not stop running.”

Read more

The Original Article is posted at JPost.com

Adeena Sussman’s career has continued to take off since arriving in Israel. To date, she has authored or co-authored 15 cookbooks.

From the way Adeena Sussman sits in Café Tamati just outside the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, ordering coffee for herself and guests, comfortably bantering with owner Miki Peretz and other customers in Hebrew, one might think she has been in Israel for decades. “She is like a dayeret [tenant]!” jokes Peretz.

Piled around the café are copies of her new book, Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from My Table to Yours (released September 2023), which customers can purchase or peruse while drinking coffee. The author of 15 cookbooks is a fairly recent arrival in Tel Aviv, though she is very comfortable in her adopted home, where she is contributing to the food scene while also mentoring young women with aspirations in the food world.

Sussman and her family were always deeply connected to Israel and Jewish life. She playfully notes that she was “almost born in Israel” while her father was doing a post-doc in physics. Growing up in Palo Alto, California, the Sussmans were Sabbath observant and helped found the Orthodox synagogue there. Sussman attended the South Peninsula Hebrew Day School and participated in the Orthodox Jewish youth movement Bnei Akiva.

She still remembers her first trip to Israel in 1979, at age nine, where Esther Rosenzweig, the mother of a family friend, graciously hosted the family in her Jerusalem home. Sussman recalls sleeping on the couch and waking up each morning to the sounds of a muezzin calling Muslims to prayer. “I learned that there are all kinds of people in Israel.”

Sussman also attributes her first Israel food memory to Rosenzweig, who lived through the siege of Jerusalem. Rosenzweig shared stories of smuggling eggs in and out of the siege area to make Irish cream liqueur, which required a large number of eggs.

Adeena Sussman (credit: LISA RISCH)

Sussman returned to Israel on a Bnei Akiva teen tour. She came to Israel again for a gap year at Machon Gold, a seminary for Orthodox girls founded in 1958 that closed in 2008. She returned to the US to attend Boston University. She graduated in 1993 with a degree in communications and decided to move to Israel without a job lined up. The resourceful Sussman went to the alumni office and jotted down the names of all the graduates who lived in Israel.

Fortunately for Sussman, one alumna passed her contact information along to her husband, who was managing director of Channel 2 TV. “I got a job!” reports Sussman, who worked in the international department buying TV shows from the US.

AFTER LIVING in Jerusalem for five years, she decided to move to New York to pursue a career in the food industry. She worked as a freelancer for such publications as Time Out New York and The Jewish Week, and later as an account executive before landing a job as special projects manager at Gourmet magazine from 2001-2004.

Sussman furthered her education in the food world by attending the Institute for Culinary Education in New York from 2005 to 2006. She received her culinary certificate and interned at Kittichai, a restaurant that subsequently closed.

She continued developing recipes and writing freelance articles for such publications as Martha Stewart Living and the Off Duty section of The Wall Street Journal. She also continued following the Israel food scene. “Israeli food became a thing when I was in New York. My career progressed as Israeli food was (developing).”

An important career break, which led to enhanced exposure, took place when Sussman co-authored the cookbook Cravings in 2016 (and its sequel, Cravings: Hungry for More) with model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen.

Another important life event occurred when Sussman was set up on a blind date by a dear friend with longtime oleh and Tel Aviv resident Jay Shofet. He has lived in Israel for over 35 years and is the director of partnerships and development for the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. He previously worked for Shatil: The New Israel Fund, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and other organizations.

They married in 2017, and Sussman came on aliyah in 2018. She notes playfully, “I moved back to Israel for love and stayed for the food,” though she adds, “From an aliyah perspective, I had concerns. You hear how hard it is to transfer careers.” She reminded herself that she had been working for herself for 10 years, she was used to working independently, and that location was not very important.

A career taking off after moving to Israel

Sussman’s career has continued to take off since arriving in Israel. To date, she has authored or co-authored 15 cookbooks, including her highly acclaimed 2019 Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors from My Israeli Kitchen, and her recently released cookbook on Shabbat recipes and rituals.

Despite her popularity and success (three books have been New York Times bestsellers), Sussman is accessible and generous with her time. “One of the best parts of my job is working with young women in Israel interested in working in food – many I find through Instagram as followers. I have met the most incredible people – that is the inspiration.”

Many of these young women have become like family to Sussman. “I work from home – they become housemates!” They also provide needed technical assistance in the complex undertaking of developing recipes and writing a cookbook. “Writing a cookbook is a massive organizational project. They help with flow, spreadsheets, and cross-testing without outside people – all my weaknesses!”

Sussman loves Israel and is proud of her career trajectory here. “The world is so amazing. My career flourished in Israel. It took off here. It is such an incredible gift to do what I want in a place I love. To share it with the world is amazing.”

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more