Jewish Newport: Newport and Jerusalem

Newport and Jerusalem

At Touro Synagogue February 16, 2019

On Friday evening February 15, I had the honor of spending Shabbat in Jerusalem with Benyamin Yakovian, his father and brother. When Benyamin visited Touro Synagogue, we enjoyed his davening immensely. His voice and his ruach filled the shul

In Newport, the Super Bowl was very much on people's minds. Rabbi Marc Mandel of Touro Synagogue said,

“A few weeks ago, in my sermon, I posed and answered, ‘What made the New England Patriots so successful? Perhaps the answer is their great teamwork.” After that sermon, Saul Woythaler said to me, ‘Perhaps the secret of the success of the New England Patriots is their coach. They have a great coach, just like Moshe was a great coach for the Jewish people.’

“There is no question that Bill Belichick is a superb coach and that he has helped the Patriots become a great team, and there is no question that Moshe was a great coach for the Jewish people and he helped them become a great nation.

“…As we say in Yigdal, there was never another Prophet like Moshe. Still, his siblings Aaron and Miriam were angry at him and wanted to know why he thought he was so special when they too were prophets. But God said there is a difference between you and your brother, because he has abilities that no Prophet ever had or will ever have again. Moshe could see things that no other Prophet could see, and perhaps Bill Belichick is a coach that can also see things that no one else can see.

“It's hard to find a great leader and this is a challenge that we all face in our times. Let us hope and pray that we will find great leaders like Bill Belichick and Moshe.”

I went to the masorti Congregation Moreshet Avraham, just a few blocks away from where I was staying with Moshe Bar Zev and Carol Fuchs. Why this congregation? I was confident that I would know people, and Carol mentioned that there would be a Kiddish.

I felt very much at home. I was made to feel welcome, just as visitors are welcomed at Touro Synagogue by the officers, the rabbi, and congregants. Soon the president of the congregation Alexis Silverman greeted me. Shortly after that Rabbi Yosef Kleiner said hello. This is something that a leader needs to do to set the tone, be they a president or a rabbi. Soon I was asked to lift the Torah. Fortunately, I have had plenty of practice at Touro Synagogue!

Jac and Diane Friedgut arrived. Diane was born in Fall River, as was my mother. I was invited to join them and gladly did. It was nice to meet some of their family. One of their daughters is a newscaster for JBS and summarizes the news from Israel. Jac listens to the news hourly in case something happens before it gets on the newswire, and confers with his daughter to keep her up to date. Diane has been active with Masorti Women's Study Day for many years.

Rabbi Kleiner spoke began his talk about fashion, but in fact it was about respect and leadership,

“Why does the Torah take so much care about the garments of the cohanim, of the priests? Is it so crucial that they be dressed in so a special way?

“Moreover, some chapters before this parashah, God says explicitly that all the People of Israel is to be a kingdom of priests. So what is the point of stating this flagrant difference among the people, dressing some of them in garments that are made for "honor and splendor"?

“Nachmanides (Ex. 28:2) explains that the honor and the splendor aren't those of the cohen, the priest himself, but through his special presence, dressed in a wonderful manner, we grasp the honor and holiness of God and it makes us, the people, be in splendor. The wonderful sight of the cohanim is not for their own sake, but to influence our feelings.

“These details about the garments and all the special procedure followed in the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple, have also another goal. God says there that through this special sanctity of the priestly function and of the Temple, He will dwell in the midst of the People of Israel (id. 29:45).

“In other words, the honor and splendor of the priestly garments influence on our self-perception, making us feel elevated and causing us to act differently, with care for each other, with deep respect for our neighbor and our environment ("kavod" is the Hebrew word used for both "honor" and "respect"). This behavior allows the Divine Presence to be in our midst, influencing thus even more in our behavior, creating a loop of social improvement: we behave in a holy way that makes God dwell among us and His presence causes us to behave in a holy way.

“May we recreate in our times that loop of behavior and Divine Presence in order to build a society of justice, of mutual respect, of mutual sincere care that may transform each human group and people in a Temple where we can feel God's Presence.”

Rabbi David Golinkin also greeted me. His grandfather Mordechai Golinkin was the official rabbi in Dokshitz, where many Newporters trace their roots, in the 1930s, and later served in Worcester, MA. David’s grandfather also led services in Newport, although it is unclear at which shul.

At the kiddish, Rabbi Golinkin asked, ‘What are you doing on Tuesday?’ Looking forward to a meeting, I replied, ‘No plans yet.’ Rabbi Golinkin suggested I go to The God of Isaac, a play in which he was acting. I was noncommittal.

On Saturday evening, I visited Leah Gniwesch. Her father Rabbi Jack Gniwesch served as the last full time rabbi of Ahavas Achim. Rabbi Gniwesch left Newport so his daughters could get a good Jewish education, and then became a physician.

I wasn’t sure about going to the play, but when I learned that my hosts Moshe and Carol were going to the Tuesday performance, I decided to go, too.

The play was about the reaction of an assimilated Jew to a proposed demonstration by the American Nazi Party in Skokie, Illinois, which had a large Jewish population. Rabbi Golinkin played, what else, a rabbi who was also a holocaust survivor. During the play, the protagonist Isaac tried to learn about his Jewishness, by learning how other people dealt their Jewishness, and with the Holocaust.

While I was in Israel, several people pointed out that Israel for many years looked down on Holocaust victims and survivors. Being victims was not good for the morale of the young state, and the victims were blamed for not resisting their fate. I sensed this attempt to blame the victim reflected an unconscious self-doubt and an internalized anti-semitism. These attitudes have changed in the last 15 years, according to Tel Aviv University psychology professor Michele Slone, who I visited during my trip.

The play took place in the small Khan theater, which was in a caravansary from the days when merchants arrived in Jerusalem by camel. Across the street was another building from the Turkish era, the first train station in Jerusalem. It is now the First Station with restaurants, space for performances, and hiking along the tracks. We dined there. It was crowded. The Shalva Band, which dropped out of the Eurovision contest for 2019 because they would have to sing on Shabbat, attracted about 1000 people.

It was a very busy week. On Thursday February 21, I met Edna Eshel, who was related to the Melzer family that I had previously met. Edna’s family was from Parfyonova, near Dokshitz, where many of my relatives were murdered during the shoah. Zvia Frankfurt translated.

Holocaust site, 2004

In 2004, Edna visited Parfyonova, Belarus, and with the help of a local resident, visited the holocaust site. She then raised money to erect a monument. I’ve seen the monument many times, and am glad that she took the initiative to memorialize it; this is a mitzvah that should not be left to a stranger if at all possible. I had believed the monument was erected by strangers, and was glad to be mistaken.

When I prepared a slide show for Edna, I reviewed correspondence with Pavel Yurmashev, a Belarusian who has been helping to beautify the site. I met Pavel in June at a reunion of the Bolash family in Parfyanovo. After making the holocaust site visible from the street by moving a fence, he planned some landscaping and the addition of a bench in the Fall. The idea for the bench came from Rabbi Marc Mandel. When I wrote that I was coming in September, 2019, he accelerated the plans to this summer.