Peabody native Corey Jackson grew up attending a conservative Protestant church, but when he was 23 and in college, he decided to convert to Judaism. Later in life, he married his wife, Sarah, who grew up in a Catholic family and was raised religiously, but said her faith cooled as she got older.

Today, the couple have two small children, Maddie, 3, and Milo, 5, and they are celebrating the tradi-tions of both faiths this holiday season.

In the window of their Boxford home sits a menorah, and their yard and home are decorated for Christmas, with a tree by the fireplace. Their message to their kids is there are many different faiths and beliefs, centered around “being good people and leaving the Earth a better place than how we found it,” said Corey.

A 2015 study of the Greater Boston Jewish Community by Combined Jewish Philanthropies showed that 47 percent of households with a Jewish parent are interfaith, and of those, 57 percent are raising their kids Jewish. The study found interfaith families were just as likely to light Hanukkah candles, or attend a Seder or a service within the past year, as were families with two Jewish adults.

“It’s our reality,” said Rabbi David Kudan of Temple Tiferet Shalom in Peabody. “I think that overall we

By Rich TenorioJOURNAL CORRESPONDENT

BOSTON – Earlier this month, New England Journal of Medicine editor-in-chief Dr. Eric Rubin shared his expertise regarding the respective COVID-19 vac-cine initiatives by Pfizer and Moderna.

Rubin, who is Jewish, was part of the Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory committee that voted on wheth-er to recommend emergency-use autho-rization for the vaccines by the agency. In two separate virtual sessions, the com-mittee voted to support the use of each vaccine: Pfizer on Dec. 11 and Moderna on Dec. 17.

“I think it gave the opportunity for ourselves, experts who have no connec-tion either to the companies or through the government, to have input with the process,” said Rubin, former chair of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases.

The FDA has authorized the use of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as coronavirus cases continue to rise in the U.S.

“They do a nice job being transparent with people, being public about every-

thing,” Rubin said of the FDA approval process. “I think it’s important for people taking a vaccine that has not been around very long, not used on a huge number of people. People need to feel confident.”

The meetings for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine each lasted from 9 a.m. until after 5 p.m., with few breaks. They were livestreamed across multiple plat-forms.

“In each case, the FDA went carefully through data, presenting data,” Rubin said. “Both committees made [their anal-ysis], the FDA itself made their analysis and opened it up to questions about data.”

Rubin was one of several Boston-area medical experts to attend both meet-ings, joining Dr. Cody Meissner of Tufts Medical Center. Meissner is a member of the committee, while Rubin is a tem-porary voting member. Dr. Ofer Levy of Boston Children’s Hospital is also a tem-porary voting member, and attended the Pfizer meeting but not the Moderna one.

Temporary voting members were added to the committee because “they wanted enough people to review the COVID-19 vaccines,” said Rubin, who got a call from the FDA in September asking if he wished to join.

It has been the latest achievement for Rubin, a Brockton native who grew up attending Temple Israel, his home-town Reform congregation that no lon-ger exists. (Today he is a member of a Conservative congregation Temple Emanuel in Newton.) He showed early aptitude, and when it was time to decide on where he was going to college, his father gave him a suggestion. The young-er Rubin was considering Princeton, but his father bought five Harvard T-shirts.

“He was a very funny guy,” said Rubin, who went on to graduate from Harvard in 1980 before graduating Tufts University School of Medicine in 1990. The same year, he also earned a doctorate at Tufts.

Today, he continues to collaborate with Harvard researchers focusing on tuberculosis, which he has studied in depth during his career. He also practices at Brigham and Women’s. Yet his work at the New England Journal of Medicine takes up much of his time; he has been its editor-in-chief since last year.

Rubin calls his work with NEJM “a fantastic privilege,” noting that he gets “to work with incredibly smart, incredibly dedicated people every day.”

This year, the prestigious publication

JEWISH JOURNALDECEMBER 24, 2020 – 9 TEVET 5781

VOL 45, NO 10 JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG

The Jewish Journal is a nonprofit newspaper supported by generous readers, committed advertisers and charitable organizations. Email subscriptions@jewishjournal.org.

Marblehead officer resigns after alleged swastika incident

TOP INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST DISCUSSES ROLE ON FDA VACCINE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

continued on page 16

During the December holidays, interfaith families share the best of both worlds

Interfaith couple Corey and Sarah Jackson celebrate the traditions of Hanukkah and Christmas in their Boxford home.

continued on page 14

By Ethan M. FormanJOURNAL STAFF

Brockton native Dr. Eric Rubin was part of the FDA vaccine advisory committee that voted on whether to recommend emergency-use authorization for the vac-cines by the agency.

By Ethan M. FormanJOURNAL STAFF

MARBLEHEAD — A Marblehead police officer has resigned after he alleg-edly scratched a swastika into the paint of a fellow officer’s personal vehicle, Chief Robert Picariello said in a statement on Dec. 16.

The incident was swiftly condemned by the Jewish and wider community.

The former officer, Timothy Tufts, joined the department in 2016, the chief said in his state-ment.

“I am dismayed and deeply disturbed by this incident,” the chief said. “Today, there is no room for excuses of ignorance. The swastika is a symbol of hate and genocide, and we must speak up against acts of hate and hate speech whenever and wherever we encounter it.”

The incident occurred some-time in late June or early July of 2019, the chief said in an email. He “found out about it inciden-tally through another unrelated matter. The officer who owns the car made it known to us.”

Picariello, who plans to retire on July 2, 2021 after more than 13 years as chief, said he has been in touch with the Anti-Defamation League of New England to engage in training and resources for Marblehead officers. He also is promising

an independent administrative review and an outside indepen-dent report “so that we can learn all of the facts of this incident and include it in our training programs.”

The Board of Selectmen also issued a statement that said: “We were deeply disappointed to learn of this incident, which is both a direct contradiction of the spirit of inclusion we hold dear in our community, and a violation of the high stan-dards to which we hold our law enforcement officers here in Marblehead.”

“This former officer’s behav-ior in no way reflects the val-ues of the department, and

continued on page 10

Former Marblehead police Officer Timothy Tufts resigned last week after allegedly scratch-ing a swastika into the paint of another officer’s personal vehicle.

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2 THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020

By Rich TenorioJOURNAL CORRESPONDENT

For Tom Mountain, a week that began with hopes of seeing President Donald Trump at the White House Hanukkah celebra-tion ended with a night in the hospital because of COVID-19.

Mountain, the vice chair of both the Massachusetts Republican Party and the Massachusetts Republican Jewish Committee, traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the White House Hanukkah event on Dec. 9. Several days after his return, he was diagnosed with COVID and hospitalized at Brigham and Women’s.

“I didn’t have it when I went to Washington,” he said in an interview. “Two days later, it was full-blown.”

He said that attendees at the gathering were expected to wear masks, but not everybody did while inside, and people took them off because they had to eat.

“It’s probably how I got the COVID,” Mountain said, although he was not 100 percent sure.

Mountain spoke with the Journal last Thursday, a few days after his release from the hos-pital. During the interview, he described his breathing as no longer compromised, but that things were scary during his one night in the hospital.

“They kept monitoring my breathing,” he said. “It was base-line, it would go down, and go

up.” He said that he was not placed on a ventilator, “thank God.”

Mountain was attending his third White House Hanukkah celebration since Trump took office. The event takes place in the East Wing. As a military band performs a Hanukkah rep-ertoire, including Yiddish songs, the guests sit down for a glatt kosher meal. At last year’s event, Mountain recalled seeing Trump sign an executive order outlaw-ing anti-Semitism on college campuses.

This year’s event took place nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic. Other events at the White House – including a Sept. 26 reception for Supreme Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett ‒ have been called super-spread-er events because of the lack of masks and social distancing.

Mountain estimated the Hanukkah gathering at 200 peo-ple, less than in the past. The military officers who represented various branches of the armed services all were wearing masks.

“I wore a mask, to a point,” Mountain said. “Not all the time. I admit it …” “Most people were not.”

Mountain said the gather-ing he attended did not include Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, or Vice President Mike Pence. Mountain called the presi-dent’s absence “unprecedented.”

Trump did attend a separate Hanukkah event later that night.

“We were the early-evening part,” Mountain explained. “They did not want so many people in the same place at the same time because of COVID. They had to split it up. He did not come until around 9 o’clock.”

However, Mountain said, he learned that the reason for Trump’s absence at the earlier event also had to do with the president’s brokering of a peace deal between Israel and Morocco.

“He was finalizing details with [White House senior adviser] Jared Kushner,” Mountain said. “We understood it was a very good cause,” although he was still disappointed. As for the vice

president, Mountain said that he heard Pence was in Florida for a Space Force event and did “not come back until much later.”

Mountain did not stay that Wednesday night in Washington. Within about 48 hours, he began feeling ill. On Saturday, he was diagnosed and hospitalized.

“I was there one night and they let me out,” Mountain recalled. “I was breathing. They keep you in the hospital or bring you back if your breathing becomes very compromised, becomes bad.”

He got a call from Gov. Charlie Baker –“he was worried,” Mountain said – and added it was good to hear from him.

Mountain regrets that the virus spread to his family.

“My mother-in-law had to go in for treatment in a snow-storm,” he said. “It was awful. She’s 85. It’s terrible … I feel ter-rible about it.

“Like I said, I went down to Washington and I was fine. I came back and I wasn’t. I’m glad I did not stay overnight and came back the same day.”

As for the president, Mountain speculated that if present trends continue, this might be Trump’s last Huanukkah hurrah in the White House.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again,” Mountain said.

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HAPPY HANUKKAH THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020 3

“It’s probably how I got the COVID,” said Tom Mountain, who was diagnosed with the coronavirus after attending the Dec. 9 White House Hanukkah Party, although he could not confirm with 100 per-cent certainty that this was the case.

Jewish GOP leader stricken with COVID after White House Hanukkah party

By Jonathan TobinJNS.org

What’s the point of programs that were designed to encourage

young people to embrace their Jewish identity? There was lit-tle doubt about what was on the minds of those supporting massive increases in funding for Jewish education (both day schools and synagogue schools), Jewish summer camps and trips to Israel following the publi-cation of the National Jewish Population Study in 1990: inter-marriage. Everyone studying the situation understood that, as that study concluded (and as future surveys would confirm), if a majority of Jews were marry-ing outside their faith, the result would have enormous conse-quences for the future of the American Jewish community.

It was that understanding that motivated what was ini-tially called a drive for “Jewish continuity.” While outreach to interfaith families was also recognized as a necessity, the prospect that among those who were not Orthodox fewer chil-dren would be raised as Jews and have a Jewish education meant a decline in a sense of Jewish peoplehood and a desire to raise their own Jewish fam-ilies in the future. A need to counteract these depressing demographic trends led to the creation of the Taglit-Birthright Israel program – a nonprofit educational program that takes young Jews on trips to Israel – in 1994.

Since then, more than 600,000 Jews have gone on Birthright. The Jewish Futures Project, a program of the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University, has just published a study analyzing the impact of the trip on those who went in its first decade. The major takeaway from this work is clear: Participants are much

more likely to have a Jewish spouse or partner when com-pared to a similar group of Jews who didn’t take a Birthright trip. Some 55 percent of those who went on Birthright wound up with a Jewish spouse or partner compared to only 39 percent of those who didn’t. The impact on participants being engaged Jewishly or connected to Israel in some manner is similarly clear.

The numbers don’t mean that Birthright is a magic bul-let for promoting in-marriage. It’s also possible to argue that people who chose to go on such a trip were already more like-ly to be involved Jewishly in their subsequent lives, as well as to have a Jewish family. But no matter how you analyze the data, it’s clear that the invest-ment in Birthright is responsible for results that are strengthen-ing Jewish commitment among those who took part.

Even though this is exactly what those who funded and supported this massive effort wanted, some people aren’t very

happy about it. As a Times of Israel article delineates, the talk about greater numbers of Jews marrying Jews is upsetting the interfaith outreach movement. And the notion that Birthright is somehow being perceived as a tool to prevent intermarriage also seems to be making the authors of the study nervous.

A lot has changed since 1994, and anything that even implies that there is something wrong with Jews marrying non-Jews has become a taboo subject in the organized Jewish world.

While the 1990 study gen-erated a boom in efforts to decrease intermarriage, within two decades – the very peri-od covered by the study of Birthright participants – the organized Jewish world had shifted in the way it thought about the subject. By the time the Pew Research Center pub-lished its authoritative “Portrait of Jewish Americans” in 2013, the intermarriage rates had continued to grow with more than 70 percent of non-Ortho-dox Jews intermarrying.

The news wasn’t all bad. The children of intermarriage were less likely to get a Jewish education, but a majority still identified as Jews in one way or another. The fastest-growing demographic Jewish group was termed “Jews of no religion” – people who didn’t practice Judaism or affiliate or take part in Jewish life in the way that Jews traditionally did but who nonetheless called themselves Jewish. This clear expression of pride in having Jewish ori-gins reflected their widespread acceptance in almost every sector of American society and a marked decline in anti-Semitism since non-Jews were increasingly willing to marry Jews – something that was not true in earlier eras. But it also meant that synagogues were hemorrhaging members, and philanthropic organizations like Jewish Federations and other groups were raising less money and attracting fewer supporters. Since merely identifying as a Jew didn’t encourage the formation of Jewish families or increased

participation in Jewish activities or a sense of Jewish peoplehood – that would, for example, pro-mote solidarity with the State of Israel – the rise of the Jews of no religion must be considered an ominous demographic trend that will ultimately lead to the implosion of the non-Orthodox population.

But while the impact of inter-marriage was even more seri-ous than previous studies had indicated, the community’s willingness to act on the issue or even discuss it had changed markedly. The sheer ubiquity of intermarriage among the non-Orthodox meant that most of those involved had intermar-ried children and grandchildren and were reluctant to counte-nance anything that would treat such people as a problem to be solved rather than a resource to be celebrated.

That has, in turn, given birth to a growing emphasis in the organized Jewish world on outreach with little or no overt talk of encouraging endogamy. Outreach programs have clearly done a lot to help intermar-ried families find a place in the Jewish community. But this emphasis, while not enough to satisfy those who believe wel-coming and empowering this group should be the Jewish world’s priority, has also led to an atmosphere in which Jewish groups fear being identified with any effort that is seen as reducing intermarriage.

Hence, the reaction to the Birthright study has not been so much celebration as worry among some of those speaking up that the talk about in-mar-riage is insulting to the inter-married and promoting a dis-torted view of Jewish identity.

It’s true that, as outreach proponents argue, there is a lot more to being Jewish than marrying a Jew. But Jewish families are the bedrock upon

4 THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020 EDITORIAL

In recent years, acts of anti-Semitism have been constant in some North Shore towns, and last week the community learned that a

Marblehead police officer resigned after allegedly scratching a swastika into the paint of another offi-cer’s personal car.

Many questions linger from this incident, begin-ning with the timeline. According to Marblehead Police Chief Robert Picariello, the swastika drawing allegedly occurred in the summer of 2019. It is fair to ask why it took nearly 18 months for the chief to learn of this incident and begin his investigation. It is also fair to question the culture of a police depart-ment where an event like this could occur without top supervisors being aware of it for over a year.

We are encouraged by the chief’s swift actions once he began his investigation. He also will com-mission an independent administrative review and retain an outside investigator to “conduct a holistic finding of fact so that we can learn all of the facts of this incident and include it in our train-ing programs.”

Picariello, who plans to retire in July, has been praised by elected officials and some members of the community for his handling of the latest anti-Semitic incident. But the problem is multi-layered and cannot be fixed with one independent inves-tigative review. Unfortunately, like many other communities, anti-Semitism is still woven into the culture of some of the town’s residents and visitors.

While Jews began moving into Marblehead in the 1940s, it took decades before they were allowed to purchase a home in all parts of the town, includ-ing Marblehead Neck. During that time, Jews were also largely excluded from most yacht clubs, and a private golf course.

In 1989, thousands turned out to protest anti-Semitism after vandals desecrated the Jewish Community Center and Temple Emanu-El. Those incidents led to the creation of the town’s Task Force Against Discrimination. Despite the task force’s efforts, anti-Semitism has continued. In 2016, the phrase “JEWS DID 9/11” was raked into the high school’s athletic field; in 2017, anti-Semitic and hate slogans were painted on the town’s causeway; in 2019, Temple Emanu-El’s video surveillance system recorded a man posting Holocaust denial flyers on the temple’s grounds; and in September, anti-Semitic slogans were painted on rocks at Preston Beach. To date, there have been no arrests for these incidents.

As the police and town move forward with its investigation, we encourage full transparency by the department and also further outreach to the community about anti-Semitism and why it has frequently occurred in the town. As the town moves to hire a new police chief, it is a good time to reexamine the department’s protocol in preventing, responding and investigating anti-Semitic incidents.

JEWISH JOURNALSteven A. Rosenberg

PUBLISHER/EDITOR

Anti-Semitism again, in Marblehead

What’s wrong with a program that encourages in-marriage?

A new study found that 55 percent of those who went on Birthright wound up with a Jewish spouse or partner compared to 39 percent of those who didn’t.

continued on page 5

OPINION THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020 5

By Michael Widlanski

Depending on where you sit and what you believe, being part of Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing

coalition is a leaky, shaky ship of state that recalls three things:

A morality play about Donald Trump where the media chorus sings “No way, never happen” and then it happens;

Gilbert and Sullivan’s, “HMS Pinafore,” an operetta where sailors sing a funny chorus about a shaky captain who claims

never to have gotten seasick: “What never? No, Never. What Never? Well … hardly ever!” Similarly, Israel

is full of parties who claim they will never ever join “Captain” Netanyahu on his ship, and then sheepishly sing “hardly ever.”

And for Netanyahu himself his ship’s crew is like a bad mortgage – something that demands drastic renegotiation.

Israelis laugh wryly at their situation, alternatively chuckling, wailing and yell-ing at their politicians for producing unstable coalitions and sometimes-far-cical policies in a year of three elections and a virus.

The ship of state wobbles along as Captain Netanyahu keeps bragging that he’s in firm control, has never been sea-sick, does not really worry about several pending criminal indictments. Similarly, some of the opposition parties who bragged they would never ever, but never, serve with Captain Netanyahu have indeed joined him on board his wobbly vessel.

But, to be fair, it’s not the politicians’ fault – not exclusively.

Israel’s electoral system encourages many small parties and minority partici-pation through proportional representa-tion, unlike the either/or two-party sys-tem of the United States or the winner-take-all representative division in parlia-mentary district systems such as Britain.

Historically, the binary approach of U.S./Britain produces clearer results and more stability, but not always.

Traditionally, the U.S. system brings polarizing primaries but bipartisan com-

promise after the final general election. Netanyahu, who studied in the U.S., has said several times that he prefers the U.S. model, with a strong executive. However, years of Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump did not get great results. For example, former Senate Majority Leader Reid, D-Nevada, was able to pre-vent the U.S. from having a budget for several years in a row.

A similar budget problem now afflicts Israel, but with an Israeli twist. If parlia-ment cannot approve a budget, the law requires a new election – the fourth in less than two years. This is wasteful and stupid, but it’s the law, and it will prob-ably happen on March 23.

In the meantime, Israel’s ship of state drifts from crisis to crisis, sometimes unable to act consistently about fighting the COVID-19 epidemic. Secular leftist politicians push for open theaters and open beaches, while religious politicians push for open synagogues. Haredi politi-cians – an integral part of Netanyahu’s coalition – have prevented Netanyahu from locking down cities in the Haredi sector despite virus outbreaks there.

How can this happen?Israel is governed by a parliamenta-

ry system of proportional representa-tion where no party ever wins an out-right majority, and it encourages lots of minority views. Sometimes a minority can actually call the tune for the majority as when the Haredi parties can make or break Netanyahu’s coalition.

Netanyahu has succeeded in making more coalitions than anyone in Israeli history and becoming Israel’s longest serving prime minister ever not just because he is smart and a good speaker but because he knows how to balance a coalition.

“If they give, they will receive” (Hebrew: Im yitnoo, yekabloo) was Netanyahu’s famous phrase when bargaining with Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians, stress-ing his principle of mutual give and take.

It has now become Netanyahu’s guide to negotiating with potential coalition partners, but Netanyahu’s big problem – you should pardon me for saying this – is that he has a credibility problem like Arafat: people have learned not to believe his promises. Indeed, one could say that Netanyahu has learned from Arafat: make an agreement and then break it if you can gain an advantage.

Netanyahu promised Benny Gantz, leader of “Kahol-Levan” or Blue-White, an equal rotation as prime minister, with Netanyahu going first. He also prom-ised Gantz’s party a say in the judicial system, through control of the Justice Ministry, an area that never really inter-ested Netanyahu until he got indicted.

When the national unity govern-ment of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Alternate Prime Minister Gantz was formed, Gantz lost part of his popular backing. His voters did not like him sit-ting with Netanyahu. Gantz lost the more leftist Yesh-Atid faction of Yair Lapid,

which pulled out of Blue-White. Lapid said Netanyahu could not be trusted and should not be prime minister with crimi-nal indictments hanging over his head.

Gantz, a retired general, had cam-paigned on a pledge never to serve in a government headed by Netanyahu – “What never? No, Never.” Then, he sang a different tune: “What never? Well … hardly ever.”

Gantz, widely seen as a decent non-politician playing in the shark tank of Israeli politics, said he was willing to sacrifice his reputation because Israel had no choice but to go for stability, a national unity government.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu actually got more votes after he was indicted, and the law says he can govern until there is a final verdict against him. So, Netanyahu’s stra-tegic position got stronger, while Gantz’s got much, much weaker. Current polls show Likud would be the largest party, again, while Blue-White would shrink dramatically, maybe even disappear.

Gantz is trying to hold out for a renewed promise – this time guaranteed by a tight law – of getting his rotation as prime minister, but he has very little political leverage. Theoretically, no one should want elections, and nobody really cares whether there is a one-year or a two-year budget.

If there is a fourth round of elections, Netanyahu will actually face two parties challenging him on his right flank – the Yemina Party of Naftali Bennett and the new Tikva Party of Gideon Sa’ar.

Bennett and Sa’ar were once close aides to Netanyahu. So was Avigdor Lieberman of the Israel Beitenu Party. Someday these old buddies of Netanyahu may actually join hands against him and push him out by forming a coalition with the Center-Left or with the Haredi Parties.

Netanyahu has been prime minister for much of the period from 1996-2020 – 15 of 26 years – which goes to show that one hallmark of Netanyahu’s career is alienating most of those who used to love to work with him.

Michael Widlanski is a Jerusalem-based journalist and advised Israeli negotiation teams at the Madrid and Washington talks in 1991-92.

BB’s leaky ship of state

Photo: Israel/GPO Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed their unity government in April. It now appears Israel will hold its fourth election in two years.

Letter from Jerusalem

which identity is forged. Schools, camps and trips to Israel are important. But a home where Judaism is actively prac-ticed (rather than merely being a limited set of rituals that are observed without faith and which are competing against the traditions of other faiths), and where Jewish concerns and values remain at the core of the family’s identity, is far more important. One needn’t think ill of the intermarried or be unwilling to welcome them into the community to understand that such a result is a lot more likely if both spouses/partners are Jewish.

A rational response to the Birthright study is not to downplay the impact on intermarriage but to double down on it. Trips to Israel are just one element that can reinforce Jewish identity, and in a free country where none are obli-gated to follow their parents’ path and all are Jews by choice, rising rates of intermarriage are a given. But this study should encourage, rather than discour-age, the organized Jewish world to ramp up efforts that are specifically designed to increase the possibility that Jewish families are formed. It’s time for Jewish groups to stop being afraid to speak about endogamy. It’s no insult to the intermarried to recognize that doing so is absolutely vital to the Jewish future.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS.org.

Birthrightfrom page 4

By Yoav LimorISRAEL HAYOM

JERUSALEM – A week after the dis-covery of the worst cyber attack in U.S. history, the full extent of which is still unknown, it appears as though Israel is complacent in the face of the cyber threat.

For days now reports have been cir-culating that the Pay2Key hacker group has carried out attacks against Israel’s transportation and health ministries, and even on ELTA Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries. When the IAI was asked about the matter last week, it responded that “the company oper-ates advanced defense mechanisms and constantly scans its computer systems for threats.”

IAI continued business as usual. After claiming on Sunday that the Defense Ministry had forbidden it to discuss the issue, which only three days earlier it had denied ever happened, the IAI changed its tune and stated that the incident was being reviewed.

It would appear that officials in Israel have not yet realized that in 2020, infor-mation cannot be concealed. What’s worse, it’s doubtful that officials have realized the dangers: With all due respect to the Start-up Nation, if the computers of the U.S. government and America’s most sensitive agencies were hacked, Israel is just as vulnerable. A strong attacker

who invests enough money and effort can penetrate plenty of targets and cause major damage.

Elta is not Shirbit (the insurance com-pany hacked earlier this month). It is much more protected, and holds much more sensitive information. It is one of Israel’s most unique and sensitive defense companies, and develops capabilities that no one else has, either Israel or abroad. Its radars are the most advanced in the world and are used, among other purposes, for Iron Dome and David’s Sling, as well as other defense systems. They are a key element to the company’s contribution to Israel’s defense superi-ority, as well as its flourishing defense export sector.

But the problem doesn’t end with Elta’s internal information. The company is linked to its customers – the most notable of which is the Israel Defense Forces – as well as to several other mili-taries worldwide, and their own sensi-tive information. In that aspect, it is a key link in the supply chain, making it a favorite target for hacker groups all over the world. As in the case of Amital, which supplied logistics services to dozens of companies in Israel, or the U.S. company Solar Wings, attacking a supplier like Elta could net an attacker a bigger prize than they may have intended.

On the face of things, Israel has been working on cyber defense for years, and is supposedly very good at it. Evidence

of that is that thus far, only a few seri-ous attacks that managed to penetrate critical Israeli infrastructure or top Israeli companies. But it looks like those happy days are over. Whether it was the suc-cessful attack on Shirbit that proved that Israel is less protected than we thought, or whether the attackers’ daring and capabilities have grown, we have recently seen a spike in the number of attacks on Israel and Israeli companies.

Despite the natural tendency to tie everything to Iran, the reality is more complicated. The Iranians might employ a lot of hacker groups, although up to now they have yet to cause a major attack that led to significant damage (as far as we know). But there are also civilian groups with impressive capabilities that operate for money or enjoyment and could do a lot of damage here.

Russia and China – which constantly launch cyber attacks against U.S. tar-gets – could also operate in Israel for the sake of industrial espionage or defense, and it will be much more complicated to handle them. Israel needs to be real-istic about the issue. The ambiguity with which officials address cybersecurity was appropriate for other times, not the cyber era. If we don’t adopt a policy of transpar-ency and leadership, we will find our-selves chasing our attackers.

Yoav Limor is a veteran Israeli jour-nalist and columnist for Israel Hayom.

Israel’s growing cyber threat

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6 THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020 HAPPY HANUKKAH

By Michael WittnerJOURNAL CORRESPONDENT

What is your Jewish back-ground?

I grew up in a conservative household. As a child, I remember going to temple for the High Holidays and having family over to celebrate. I went to Hebrew school from second to eighth grade, had my bat mitzvah. I went to Jewish sum-mer camp throughout my childhood – I went to Camp Shalom, Camp Menorah, and then through-out my college years I was a camp counselor at Summer on the Hill at the JCC in Marblehead. Then my senior year in high school, I went to Israel with Y2I, and it was then that I realized how much I loved being Jewish, just being immersed in the history and culture. And years later I was able to go to Israel a second time through Birthright, and I think my Jewish identity kind of stems from family celebrations, and a sense of community, because that’s what I felt when I was in Israel.

How did you get interested in education?

I kind of grew up in education because my mom’s a teacher, and I always enjoyed working with kids. And when I was in college when I came home for break I would substitute teach, so that kind of got my feet wet ... I really like it, really enjoy working with children.

What has it been like start-ing a new teaching job this September?

That has been a challenge, for sure. I actually got hired after the school year started, but kind of got thrown into it right away. This is my first year teaching and we’re fully remote right now, so it’s an adjustment learning how to teach online, because I feel like you can’t get the full classroom community you want, and sometimes it’s harder

to teach the kids, because it’s not like I can take a small group over here and have somebody else work with the kids over there who need help – I have to maneuver all of them. It’s very interesting. I’ve probably worked harder now than ever before. There’s just so much more preparation involved.

Do you think kids can be edu-cated effectively online?

There are plusses and minuses to it. There are definitely certain kids I have where I can tell they would do a lot better in the classroom, because they focus better. But when you’re home, some-times there’s other people home, like they have younger siblings, and they’re walking in and out of frames, and there’s talking in the background, so I feel like it can be a bit more of a distraction for them, but it’s also kind of fun – you can get to know them in a different way, like we’re all in our home environments, so I feel like there’s even more of a personal level. But I feel like certain par-ents are afraid that their kids aren’t getting what they need, because the way the schedule’s set up, sometimes they’re supposed to come back after lunch, but there are some kids who don’t and then we’re trying to track them down to help them get their work done, so it’s not like we can be like, hey, so-and-so, you have work to do today, because online, you can’t just pull them aside and ask them about that.

Do you feel as though kids should be back in school?

I’m kind of torn, because I feel like it would be beneficial for the kids to be in school, because it would just be easier to learn in schools, but if it’s not safe, then I would rather not be in school, because it causes people to get sick, so I see both sides and understand certain parents’ feelings not being comfortable sending their kids in. Of course I would love to be in school, because I just love working with the kids in person, it’s just not the same online, but I don’t want to rush it, to be like “Let’s go in!” and then have something happen.

Millennials: Devan Brown, 30

Hebrew name: Devorah

Hometown: Swampscott

Currently living in: Salem

Alma maters: Swampscott High School ‘08, Westfield State University ‘12

Job: Special education teacher, Forestdale School, Malden

Favorite foods: Chocolate, pizza

Favorite music: I like the throwbacks from the 2000s

Favorite movies: “Pleasantville,” “Remember the Titans,” “Beauty and the Beast”

Favorite TV shows: “Outlander,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Friends”

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By Steven A. RosenbergJOURNAL STAFF

BEVERLY ‒ On the sixth day of Hanukkah, Rabbi Sruli Baron hopped into a rented gray pick-up truck and began to drive. In the bed of the truck stood a 6-foot-high menorah that Baron had constructed in his Everett shul with an electric saw, some 2-by-4s, silver paint, and nine round lights ‒ one for each of the eight nights and a shamash.

Baron, the rabbi who oversees Tobin Bridge Chabad, called the rented pickup with the tower-ing candelabra the Menorah Mobile. During Hanukkah, he drove it up and down the coast and into places like Chelsea, Malden, and East Boston, which ring the Mystic River. On each day of the holiday, he averaged about 15 trips to different neigh-borhoods.

On each visit, Baron parked the Menorah Mobile outside of a person’s home, and then held a brief schmoozefest about Hanukkah and the need for light in people’s lives during the win-ter. He then handed out a fancy

blue bag that contained a silver aluminum menorah, 44 candles, a plastic blue dreidel, a couple of kosher doughnuts, some choco-late gold-coined Hanukkah gelt, and a Hanukkah handbook. “We call it Hanukkah in a Box,” he said.

By late morning, Baron was driving the Menorah Mobile north on Route 95. “It’s great. I was getting honks and waves,” said Baron, who made his way to Beverly and lumbered through the downtown before maneu-vering the Menorah Mobile up a steep hill, where he parked in the driveway of Daniel Goldberg.

“Happy Hanukkah!” said Goldberg as he approached Baron in the shadow of the Menorah Mobile. Baron had mentioned that he would be in the neighborhood that morn-ing and Goldberg was eager to meet. Baron handed Goldberg his own “Hanukkah in a Box,” and the two began to talk about the holiday.

For Goldberg, Hanukkah and

the concept of bringing light into the world is a year-round endeavor. Goldberg, who is 38 and works as a social worker and a therapist at the Berklee College of Music, has a meno-rah dangling from his car’s rear view mirror. He also has a Star of David inserted into the hood of his Honda, a sticker of the Israeli flag on his trunk, and a license plate that reads “SHLEPN.”

The plate is short for the Yiddish word schlepping, and Goldberg believes humor and light and all of his car’s Jewish emblems create a brighter day. “I think we can all use a little bit of humor when we’re all on the road. It reminds me that I’m proud to be Jewish and I like to represent my culture no matter where I’m going,” said Goldberg, who has shoulder-length blonde hair, and has lived on the same set of blocks in Beverly his whole life.

Baron, who has lived in Chelsea since his arrival in the Boston area in 2017, spends

much of his time reaching out to millennials and baby boom-ers in places that once had thriving Jewish communities like Chelsea, Everett, Malden, and Revere. He is also no rook-ie when it comes to bringing Judaism to the masses during holidays. For Sukkot this year, he fashioned a mini-Sukkah onto the back of a pickup truck and brought along a lulav and etrog

so people could say the prop-er blessings after they climbed into the truck and stood in the Sukkah.

At the Hanukkah meetup in Beverly, Goldberg and Baron were focused on the meaning of light during the holiday. “I think light is the soul and it’s also what the soul needs,” said Baron. “We always need to reconnect

with the light in the world and within our own lives and within ourselves, no matter the dark-ness that we’re going through. Obviously it’s been a really dark year for everybody, especially right now, so we have to do what we can ‒ even if it’s just a meno-rah from a distance, or a candle-lighting on Zoom. Whatever it is, we have to do what we can to spread some warmth and light.”

“Amen,” said Goldberg, and the two continued their con-versation for another minute before waving goodbye. Baron had a busy day ahead of him ‒at least another 12 stops to go before he would have a chance to light his own menorah back home in Chelsea with his wife, Chaya, and their children. He hopped back into the Menorah Mobile, and carefully began his descent down the hill and back into downtown Beverly as the lights of the menorah glistened on the old city streets.

Steven A. Rosenberg can be reached at rosenberg@jewish-journal.org.

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THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020 7

Daniel Goldberg and his car, replete with a SHLEPN license plate, a menorah on his rear view mirror, and a Star of David on the car’s hood.

Rabbi’s ‘Menorah Mobile’ spreads light during Hanukkah

Photos: Steven A. Rosenberg/Journal StaffRabbi Sruli Baron visits Daniel Goldberg in the Menorah Mobile.

“I think light is the soul and it’s also what

the soul needs.” – Rabbi Sruli Baron

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8 THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020 HAPPY HANUKKAH

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SATURDAY, DEC. 26INCLUSIVE TORAH STUDY, 2 – 2:30 p.m. Join Alex Maslow, Jewish life coordinator at Jewish Family and Children’s Service, for some in-depth Torah study of the week’s portion. Alex has a master’s degree in Jewish studies and Jewish education from Hebrew College and is a seasoned Hebrew school teacher. These sessions on Zoom are designed for individuals of all ages with developmental and intellectual disabilities and/or mental health challenges, but other community members are welcome as well. Email jewishlife@jfcsboston.org to register.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 30CREATING & CONNECTING WITH #JEWISHBOSTONTEENS , 8 – 8:45 p.m. Celebrate winter break with JTI Peer Leadership Fellows by taking some time to connect and create, and help spread some light during the cold winter months! Join other teens to help create winter activity packets for our friends at Hebrew SeniorLife. Together, we’ll create coloring pages, word searches, crossword puzzles and more. Materials you’ll want to bring: Computer, paper, markers. Zoom link will be sent to everyone who registers. Contact Leah Koritz, leahhope@yahoo.com, with questions or for more information.

THURSDAY, DEC. 31“THE SOUL EXPERIENCE” WITH RABBI BARUCH HALEVI AND ARIELA HALEVI (formerly of Congregation Shirat Hayam), 9 – 10 p.m. “The Soul Experience” is a virtual, spiritual and healing service incorporating Jewish-inspired prayer, meditation, mindfulness practice, chanting, singing, yoga, mystical text study, guided visualization and more. Free. Go to: facebook.com/MySoulCentered to learn more.

MONDAY, JAN. 4STILL TRAVELING: SENSATIONAL SEVILLE: Historical Overview and the Alcazar, 2 – 3:15 p.m. You can travel without leaving your home. An “armchair adventure” on an interesting, educational, fun and live, guided group tour. Many tourists to southern Spain race to Grenada to visit the Alhambra, but overlook the capital and largest city of the region of Andalusia – Seville. Join Trip Leader James Sokol to discover an array of fascinating and stunning facets of this sensational, yet quaint city. More dates: Jan. 11th; Jan. 18th; Jan. 25th. Series Tickets ($50): Series of 4-tours (equals $12.50/tour). Single ticket for Jan. 4 tour only. Check us out by giving our first class a try. Single tickets are not available to subsequent classes; unfortunately, single tickets cannot be credited toward series purchase. More info and tickets at: jccns.org/event/still-traveling-sensational-seville.

FRIDAY, JAN. 8PJ LIBRARY REKINDLE SHABBAT, Virtual Sing-in Shabbat with musician Eliana Light, 5:30 p.m. Free program. When you join Rekindle Shabbat, your family receives: fully-cooked Shabbat meals on Fridays, (March 5 and May 14); a Shabbat kit (for new families) stocked with Shabbat candles and candlesticks, challah cover, wine cup, tzedakah box; educational video about Shabbat home rituals. For more information contact Sharon Wyner at swyner@lappinfoundation.org or 978-565-4450.

SATURDAY, JAN. 9 INTERACTIVE SHABBAT EXPERIENCE, 10 a.m. Temple Emanu-El and Lappin Foundation invite children pre-k and younger and their parents or caregivers to join other families for an interactive Shabbat expereince over Zoom. This program is free and open to all. Register and more info, at lappinfoundation.org/pj-library-programs.

SUNDAY, JAN. 17TEL AVIV SCULPTURE TOUR ON ZOOM, 3 p.m. Join the Lappin Foundation for an awe-inspiring tour of the sculptures around Tel Aviv with Israeli tour guide Gadi Ben-Dov. The tour is free and everyone is welcome. For more information, contact Susan Feinstein at 978-740-4431 or sfeinstein@lappinfoundation.org. More info at lappinfoundation.org/2020/12/14/tel-aviv-sculpture-tour.

MONDAY, JAN. 18SAY THE NAME BOOK DISCUSSION, 6:30 p.m. Teens are invited to learn about the Holocaust at a special book discussion of “Say the Name,” by Judith H. Sherman. Judith H. Sherman’s first-person account of life as a teen before and during the Holocaust is rich with detail about her experiences, including the time she spent in Ravensbruck concentration camp. This program is free and open to all teens. Email jody@holocaustlegacyfoundation.org for a free copy of the book, while supplies last.For more information contact Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or dcoltin@lappinfoundation.org.

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WEDNESDAY, JAN. 27INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY COMMEMORATION, 7:30 p.m. The community is invited to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day with Human Connections in a Disconnected Universe, a three-generation family presentation featuring Judith H. Sherman, author, poet and Holocaust survivor. The program is free and everyone is welcome. For more information contact Susan Feinstein at 978-740-4431 or sfeinstein@lappinfoundation.org.

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THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020 9

By Ethan M. FormanJOURNAL STAFF

MARBLEHEAD – Grace Community Church, which is nestled among the town’s tightly packed downtown on Pleasant Street, has parking for four cars, not nearly enough for an out-door Christmas Eve celebration for 100 of its faithful during the pandemic.

So, when Temple Emanu-El Rabbi David Meyer heard dur-ing a recent Zoom meeting of the Marblehead Ministerial Association that the church’s pastor, the Rev. Eric Dokken, needed a space big enough to hold the outdoor service, Meyer did not hesitate to offer the parking lot of the temple at 393 Atlantic Ave. Meyer said he gave the church permission to string lights in the temple’s evergreen trees.

“When I heard Reverend Dokken mention that the church was having difficulty finding an appropriate space for their drive-in Christmas Eve service, I was delighted to offer our temple’s lot for them to use,” Meyer said in an email. “It’s an expression of communal solidarity, and of how we are all trying to support one another, especially during these chal-lenging times. I know that all of our Marblehead faith commu-nities are doing our best to be responsive and present for one another. It is an honor to host their holy night of worship.”

There has been far less activ-ity at the temple due to safety precautions due to the pandem-ic. The building has been closed for in-person worship services and has been streaming them on Facebook Live, or offering Torah Study or other activities on Zoom. Meanwhile, the reli-gious school has been held with a mix of in-person and online learning.

In recent weeks, the syna-gogue has played a wider role in town, as a polling location for social-distancing voting during the Nov. 3 election, and as a site for free COVID-19 testing for residents.

Dokken, who has been pastor of the downtown church since 2013, said the church has park-ing for exactly four cars and the rest is on-street parking. It’s an easy walk to the church in the downtown, but a hindrance for those coming from elsewhere who need to find parking.

The church has about 50 members and it’s been able to offer a mix of in-person social-distancing services inside its

large sanctuary while streaming services for others. However, the church expects about 100 peo-ple to show up for Christmas Eve, so Dokken said they began exploring other venues, includ-ing the beach and the parking lot at Tedesco Country Club. The church has approval for both venues, but at the same time, the rabbi offered the temple as a venue.

“Of all the things offered to us, the temple is the best one,” Dokken said.

“It’s really neat,” Dokken said. “They have been doing the COVID testing there too. I know he wants to see the property get used and he wants to offer it to people.”

Dokken said the service is going to be outdoors, and according to the forecast, it may be fairly warm with a chance of some rain or drizzle. The hope is they will be able to have their musicians perform live music.

“The collaboration between different religious organizations has been great,” he said of the town’s welcoming spirit.

Dokken said Meyer was one of the first religious leaders he met when he came to town, and he said Meyer came to the church right after he started. Dokken said he has always appreciated Meyer for his out-reach.

“We are going to welcome them as our guests and I will be there personally,” Meyer said.

Marblehead temple offers parking lot for church to hold Christmas Eve services

Photo: Steven A. Rosenberg/Journal Staff Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead.

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that is evident in the swift and decisive way Chief Picariello has responded to this incident once he became aware of it last month,” the board added.

In recent years, police have responded to several anti-Semit-ic incidents in town. To date, there have been no arrests for those incidents. In September, rocks covered with anti-Semitic graffiti were found at Preston Beach. In July of 2019, surveil-lance video recorded a person posting Holocaust denial fly-ers on the grounds of Temple Emanu-El. In July 2017, a slew of anti-Semitic and hate slogans was painted on the Marblehead Neck causeway. In 2016, police were summoned to an athletic field at Marblehead High where they discovered that the phrase “JEWS DID 9/11” had been raked into the infield dirt. That year,

swastikas were found painted in public places, including a Marblehead basketball court.

Jackie Belf-Becker, chairwom-an of the Board of Selectmen, said she did not have much to add beyond the board’s state-ment. When asked about the number of anti-Semitic inci-dents in town over the years, she said that in general in today’s society, such incidents seem to be on the rise.

“Each incident is abhorrent in its own way. I wouldn’t want to paint with a broad brush,” she said.

Chief Picariello said in his statement he became aware of the incident in mid-November and began his investigation. Tufts was placed on paid admin-istrative leave on Nov. 20 pend-ing the investigation, which the chief said was consistent with

the department’s policies and procedures.

Tufts earned $103,300 from Jan. 1, 2020 until his resigna-tion on Dec. 16, according to Picariello. This includes regular pay of $73,000, overtime pay of $12,230, and detail pay of more than $18,000. Tufts had never been disciplined in his more than four years on the force, the chief said.

In an interview, Picariello described what he called “a thing between two officers” that led to the incident. “One [of the officers] did a harmless thing and [Tufts] reacted to that. It was an innocuous thing that started it.”

Picariello said it appeared the other officer stuck a crushed-up can under Tufts’ car’s wind-shield wiper. Tufts is alleged to have taken the can and used it

to scratch the swastika into the other officer’s personal car, the chief said.

Neither officer involved is Jewish, and the department does not intend to seek hate crime charges against Tufts.

“It is not a hate crime,” Picariello said. “The guy [other officer] does not want this to go forward. He wants it to go away.”

In an interview, Robert Trestan, ADL New England regional direc-tor, said “One of my takeaways is, why do people always resort to the swastika to express their anger and in some cases dis-agreement with another person? As I understand it, neither one of these officers are Jewish. It’s a reminder that the swastika is not just a symbol directed against Jews, but it can be used in the ordinary course of a disagree-ment. And this causes harm.”

Trestan said he spoke with Picariello and credited him with taking action and recog-nizing what the impact it could have on the community.

“He deserves high praise for that leadership. It sends an important message to his department, and more impor-tantly, to the people they serve,” Trestan said.

“I apologize to our commu-nity for this deeply disturbing and unfortunate situation,” Picariello said in his statement, “and I vow to do everything and engage every resource avail-able to ensure that this kind of incident does not repeat itself in the future.”

Picariello said in an inter-view the incident was “an out-lier,” but it was also behavior he could not tolerate, saying “this is not indicative of this department.”

By coincidence, the depart-ment is now completing “implicit bias” training and officers have taken “fair and impartial” policing training in the past couple of years, the chief said.

Picariello said he had a long conversation with Rabbi David Meyer of Temple Emanu-El, “and I assured him and every-one that the Marblehead Police Department is inclusive.”

“Symbols and other mes-sages of hate,” Meyer said in an email, “are always hurtful to discover, and in this case, certainly even more so hav-ing come from one sworn to serve. I have personally spoken with Chief Picariello regard-ing the incident, and I want to commend and thank him and his colleagues for acting with appropriate swiftness and resolve.”

“I am very proud of the response of Chief Picariello and the Marblehead Police Department to this unfor-tunate show of intimidation, harassment, and hatred,” said Ira Dinnes, president of Temple Sinai on Community Road, who added that the temple’s late rabbi, Jonas Goldberg, was a chaplain for the Marblehead Police Department for many years.

Helaine Hazlett, founder and cochair of the Selectmen’s Task Force Against Discrimination who also has been active with the ADL, said she was sad-dened by the incident. She suggested that the former offi-cer enroll in a course on the Holocaust and genocide. “It is hard to believe that a member of our Marblehead law enforce-ment would choose to perform such a hateful act toward anoth-er fellow officer. He should have known better, if he didn’t, he does now,” she said.

The Salem News, drawing from Tufts’ LinkedIn profile – which was no longer available on the evening of Dec. 16 – reported that Tufts was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 while serving in the Marine Corps.

He later earned his associ-ate’s degree in criminal justice from Bunker Hill Community College. He then went on to graduate from the Regional Police Academy in August 2016, according to the Department’s Facebook page. He underwent three months of field training before patrolling on his own by Nov. 1 of that year.

Steven A. Rosenberg contrib-uted to this article.

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10 THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020 COMMUNITY NEWS

Marblehead officer resigns after alleged swastika incidentfrom page 1

By Shelley A. SackettJOURNAL CORRESPONDENT

Jerri Sher is no shrinking vio-let.

In the 1980s, she and her husband Alan, a tax accoun-tant, were raising their family in Marblehead. Their daughters, Heather and Amy, attend-ed Hillel Academy (now the Epstein Hillel School), and Alan volunteered as treasurer of the Jewish Journal. After teaching at Endicott College, Jerri decided to enter the business world. But, she didn’t just quietly switch careers; she smashed through a glass ceiling as the first woman to work in the transportation industry in the Northeast cor-ridor.

Sher rose quickly in the sales and marketing department at Guaranteed Overnight Delivery, where she was trained by Tony Robbins, the top life coach and business strategist. “The male-oriented industry of transporta-tion was difficult because people were not used to dealing with a woman, so I had to prove myself to be better than any man,” she said from her Los Angeles home.

Sher learned on the job, and she learned fast, negotiating freight contracts for Fortune 500

companies such as Gillette and Raytheon. “Little did I know that all of the skills I was learning were getting me ready to be a producer,” Sher said.

Sher’s schooling and first career were in the arts. The Fall River native earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a master’s in art education from Springfield College, where she later became its youngest professor. Despite

a demanding schedule in the trucking business, her creative drive never slowed down. With no formal training, she wrote a novel about a woman in the trucking business. “The Twig Painter,” a medical thriller that became a screenplay, fused her two careers – art teacher/paint-er and trucking sales represen-tative – and wet her appetite for her third: movie screenwriter, director, and producer.

She dove in, determined

to learn as much as she could about the filmmaking process. She helped out on any movie set that came to the North Shore and before long, one director recognized her business smarts and creative skills and told her she should set her sights on being a producer rather than “just” an art director.

Although a member of the elite LA-based Directors Guild since 1998, she had no access to its benefits from Massachusetts. After successfully producing several movies for others, she decided it was time to direct her own. “I was in my mid 50s when I said, ‘let’s move to LA,’” Sher said.

That was 18 years ago.Other than missing friends

and family, Sher found Hollywood spectacular. Despite never attending film school, her career flourished as she finally had direct entrée into the hub of the industry’s network. “I knew I was right where I was supposed to be,” she said.

Although Sher faced obstacles as a woman in another male-dominated industry, she already had overcome that challenge once and never let it bother her. “I am proving myself in this indus-try and am climbing to the top of the ladder despite the discrimi-nation,” she said. “The word ‘no’ did not exist in my vocabulary. I had all the tools I needed to make films and thrive.”

Sher has since completed 22 film and television projects,

including “Santa Monica Cares Step Up,” which earned her 2014 Emmy awards for directing and producing. This short docu-mentary film, about a home-less man rescued by charity, was the highlight of Sher’s career. “It made me realize I only wanted to work on projects that would positively influence society,” she said.

Her latest film, “Quiet Explosions: Healing the Brain,” is a documentary about trau-matic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans, athletes, and others. Released last month on Amazon and Vimeo, the film explores under-publicized, non-pharma-ceutical approaches that have led to complete healing in brain injury patients.

Based on “Tales from the Blast Factory,” the book by brothers Andrew and Adam Marr, the film highlights the breakthrough work of Dr. Daniel Amen (psy-chiatrist, clinical neuroscientist, and brain imaging specialist) and neuro-endocrinologist Dr. Mark L. Gordon, whose patients have been cured by his treat-ments. Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien, Ben Driebergen (winner of “Survivor” and ex-Marine), and Shawn Dollar (champion surfer) tell their heart-wrench-ing stories of trauma and recov-ery. Podcast host Joe Rogan, an active Wounded Warriors sup-porter, interviews Gordon and Andrew Marr.

What’s the number one com-plaint audiologists hear from their new patients with hearing loss? “I can hear, I always know that someone is talking, but I can’t always understand what they are saying.” If this is what you or a family member is expe-riencing, you may have hearing loss. Hearing loss is a common condition and there are many important reasons to be sure you and those you love are hear-ing well.

Good hearing keeps us con-nected to those we love. Hearing is also important for brain health. Did you know that untreated hearing loss can increase your risk of developing cognitive impairment by as much as 30 to 40 percent? According to the Lancet Commission on demen-tia, midlife intervention for hearing loss is the single most effective action for dementia risk reduction.

Although it is the ear that per-ceives sound, it is the brain that is responsible for processing the sound and assigning meaning. Hearing loss creates distortion of sounds so that we need to use more cognitive resources and work harder to figure out what the person is saying. Many peo-ple living with hearing loss are exhausted at the end of the day because of the effort needed to hear and understand. The coor-dinated functions of the ear and the brain place a new emphasis on addressing hearing loss. We have known for a long time that using well-fit hearing aids can reduce depression and social isolation, both of which are fac-tors that contribute to cognitive decline.

Hearing loss is invisible and usually happens gradu-ally. Often others may notice it before you do. You may find yourself avoiding social situa-tions or public places you once enjoyed because hearing and

interacting with others is too dif-ficult. I recently met a woman who had withdrawn from virtu-ally all social interactions and her children were very worried about her. When she was fit with hearing aids, she gave a big smile and her daughters turned to each other and said “Today is the day we get our Mom back!”

Family members, friends, and work colleagues may get frustrated and feel you aren’t lis-tening to them when they speak to you. Your spouse may accuse you of having “selective hear-ing.” You may accuse others of mumbling. Or you may answer questions inappropriately and miss the punch lines of jokes. People often admit that they ‘fake it” and resort to smiling

and nodding when someone speaks, when in fact, they do not understand what was said. This can be unnecessarily stressful for everyone!

There are many reasons to make sure you and those you love are hearing well in 2021. Untreated hearing loss can take a toll on relationships, careers, and your daily life. Early identi-fication and treatment of hear-ing loss can also help to main-tain cognitive function.

Audiologist Dr. Joan McCormack is the owner and director of Atlantic Hearing Care with offices in Swampscott and Peabody. For more information, visit www.atlantichearingcare.com or call 781-581-1500.

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HAPPY HANUKKAH THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020 11

From Marblehead to Hollywood, where she now makes movies that touch the soul

Filmmaker Jerri Sher and former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien on the set of “Quiet Explosions: Healing the Brain.”

Resolve to hear well in the New YearSPONSORED CONTENT

continued on page 16

Abraham “Abe” Babbitt passed away on Dec. 9, 2020 at The Bertram House of Swampscott at the age of 100. He was the beloved husband for 75 years of the late Frances Babbitt, who passed away on Oct. 7, 2020.

Born in Lynn, Abe was the son of Israel and Bessie Babbitt. He attended Lynn public schools and was a graduate of Lynn Classical High School. He served in the Army Air Corps, stationed in Alaska, and was discharged in 1945.

Abe was a devoted family man. He looked forward to and enjoyed all family gatherings. In their later years, he could be seen doting on Frances, pushing her in her wheelchair through the halls and the outside patio of Bertram House. You couldn’t ask for a better husband, father,

grandfather and great-grandfa-ther.

Abe was a proud employee of General Electric West Lynn plant for his entire career. He began as a machinist, served as a Union Steward, and was on the Executive Board for many

years. He then went on to work in the personnel office. After he retired it was not unusual to have someone approach him to thank him for helping them gain employment at General Electric.

Abe was a member of Congregation Anshai Sfard in Lynn and Congregation Shirat Hayam in Swampscott. He served as Treasurer and President for The Brotherhood of Congregation Anshai Sfard and was awarded the honor of “Father of the Year” at a Father’s Day breakfast held by the Sisterhood. He was also a mem-ber of the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore where he exercised and swam.

Abe enjoyed dancing and gardening. When he no longer had his own backyard, he took over space in Sue and Scott’s yard and continued to garden. He also enjoyed traveling, hav-ing visited Israel, Aruba and Hawaii as well as several other places.

Abe leaves with wonder-ful memories and love in their

hearts his children, Edward Babbitt and daughter-in-law Ellen Kayser, Ann Pendexter, Roberta Babbitt and son-in-law William McGeehan, Steven Babbitt and Susan Michaud and son-in-law Scott Michaud. His grandchildren Daniel Babbitt and his wife Karen Cassidy, Casey Babbitt, Daniel McGeehan and his great-grand-son John Wesley Babbitt, who he was thrilled to be able to hold before COVID-19 restrictions. He was the father-in-law to the late Charles Pendexter, who always referred to him as a “Real Mensch,” and the brother of the late Morris, Samuel and Frank Babbitt and Hilda Nowakowski. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to thank everyone at Bertram House of Swampscott for their loving care and the extra TLC given to Abe when he needed it most. We will be forever grateful. We also thank everyone at Care Dimensions for their care and compassion and Molly Rowe

at First Light Home Care for always checking in on Abe while visiting Bertram House.

Due to regulation imposed by the Coronavirus pandem-ic, funeral services are pri-vate. In lieu of flowers, dona-tions in his memory by be made to Care Dimensions, 75 Sylvan St., Danvers, MA 01923; Congregation Shirat Hayam, 55 Atlantic Ave., Swampscott, MA 01907 (shirathayam.org); or to the charity of your choice. For more information or to register in the online guestbook, visit stanetskyhymansonsalem.com.

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12 THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020

Abraham “Abe” Babbitt, 100, of Swampscott, formerly of Lynn

Beverly (Ameral) Cohen, 72, of Lynn, entered eternal rest on Dec. 20, 2020.

Beverly was born in Malden, the daughter of the late Florence and Fermino Ameral. She was the devoted wife of the late Michael Cohen; the beloved mother of Leslie and her hus-band Donald Burl and Melissa Cohen; the adored Bubbie to Zachary Burl and Paige Burl; and the loving sister of Audrey Ostler and Philip Ameral.

Due to COVID-19 restric-tions, services were private. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to the Mass General Cancer Center, 125 Nashua St., Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114-1101 (https://giving.massgeneral.org/cancer/). Arrangements were handled by Goldman Funeral Chapel, Malden. For online condolences, go to gold-manfc.com.

Beverly (Ameral) Cohen, 72, of Lynn

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From our family to yours,

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••Rabbi David KudanMusic Director Bryna Toder TabaskyRachel Sharon, President

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••The Jewish Journal prints

brief notices for free, if space allows. Biographical sketches up to 200 words cost $100;

longer submissions will be charged accordingly.

Photographs cost $25 each; emailed photos should be sent as jpeg or tiff files.

Submissions are subject to editing for style and space

limitations. For further information, contact your

local funeral home, or email andrew@jewishjournal.org.

Steven Lewis Strogoff, for-merly of Marblehead, born on April 5, 1966, passed away sud-denly on Dec. 18, 2020.

Steven was the beloved hus-band of Kinga Strogoff and the beloved father of Kai Strogoff and Tyler Phillips. He was the cherished son of Roberta “Bobbe” Strogoff and the late Erwin “Yale” Strogoff, the lov-ing brother of Cathy Netburn and her husband Peter Netburn of Sudbury, and a special uncle to Amanda Netburn of Chicago, Illinois, David Netburn of Sudbury, and Korneila Polinska of Poland.

Steven grew up in Marblehead, graduated from

Marblehead High School, and has always lived on the North Shore. After college, he worked for his Dad in his iron and metal/scrap reclamation busi-ness in Chelsea and Everett, which Steve took over upon his father’s retirement and contin-ued to successfully operate and expand.

Steve lived life to its fullest and made an unforgettable impression on everyone he met. He was an amazing athlete, playing football in high school, diving in college, and skiing and wakeboarding for many years. He was a loving husband and devoted father who loved being with his children, and a loyal

and generous friend. Steve was happiest on a boat or at the ocean, especially when he could share that time with his family and his friends.

Due to the coronavirus pan-demic, Steve’s memorial service will be private. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy can be made in Steven’s memory to Sibling Connections, 89 South St., Suite 203, Boston, MA 02111 (https://www.siblingconnec-tions.org/donate/). For more information or to register in the online guestbook, visit sta-netskyhymansonsalem.com.

Jonathan Gary Seiberg, of Lynn, entered into rest on Dec. 9, 2020 at the age of 78.

Beloved father of Jaret and Meredith, devoted grandfather of Naomi and Jacob, loving brother of Stanton, cherished friends of his ex-wife Deborah

and her husband Frederick Bollen, and dear son of the late Louise.

Jonathan grew up in Marblehead, graduated from Marblehead High School and University of Miami, and raised his family in Swampscott before retiring to Lynn. He was known for his outsized personality that endeared him to his doc-tors, neighbors and co-workers, as well as his love of antiques, music, movies and his cat Kenzie.

Due to regulation imposed by the Coronavirus pandem-ic, a private graveside service was held in Peabody. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympa-thy may be made in Jonathan’s memory to the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem. For more information or to register in the online guestbook, visit stanetskyhymansonsalem.com.

Publisher/EditorSteven A. Rosenberg

rosenberg@jewishjournal.org

Associate EditorEthan M. Forman

forman@jewishjournal.org

Accounting Manager Anne Waymouth

ann@jewishjournal.org

Director of Advertising & Marketing

Lois Kaplan lois@jewishjournal.org

Senior Strategic Media ManagerMarcy Grand

marcy@jewishjournal.org

Graphics, Web,Russian Chronicle Editor

Yulia Zhorov yulia@jewishjournal.org

Graphics, Web, ObituariesAndrew P. Fleischer

andrew@jewishjournal.org

Administrative AssistantLinda Smidt

subscriptions@jewishjournal.org

Editorial Cartoonist George Freedman

Board of Overseers Johanna Matloff, President Bob Blayer, *Rick Borten,

Andrew Caplan, Beverly Clark, Fred M. Cohen,

Neil D. Donnenfeld, David Gershaw,

Marcia Glassman-Jaffe,Cara Hogan, Lynn Nadeau,

Donna Lozow Pierce, *Howard Rich, *Robert M. Rose,

Stephanie Simon, John Smidt, Bradley J. Sontz, Ted D. Stux,

Matthew Swartz, *Selma Williams

*Life Board Members

Past PresidentNeil D. Donnenfeld

Publisher EmeritaBarbara Schneider

The Jewish Journal, ISSN1040-0095, an independent,

non-profit community newspaper, is published

bi-weekly by North Shore Jewish Press, Ltd., P.O. Box 2089,

Salem, MA 01970. Periodical postage paid

at Salem, MA. POSTMASTER:

Send address changes to THE JEWISH JOURNAL,

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Boston. The opinions of contrib-utors do not necessarily reflect those of the paper. The Jewish Journal assumes no financial

responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements, but

will print in a subsequent issue a retraction and correction of

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THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020 13

Steven Lewis Strogoff, 54, formerly of Marblehead

Jonathan Gary Seiberg, 78, of Lynn

Jerold (Jerry) A. Shoer, of Rockland, entered into rest peacefully at home on Dec. 12, 2020 at the age of 72. He was surrounded by his beloved Patrica B. Duane and his son Scott Shoer.

Born Aug. 5, 1948, he was the son of Leo and Sylvia Shoer of Peabody, the devoted father of Scott Shoer and his wife Gina of Franklin, and of Andrew Shoer of New Hampshire. Affectionately known as Papa to his beautiful grandchildren Stella, Oscar, and

Isaac of Franklin, and Leo of Bridgewater.

Jerry was also the irrever-ent and lovable brother to Susan Shoer of Pensacola, Florida, and Steven Shoer and his wife, Elizabeth of Melbourne, Florida.

He grew up in Peabody and went on to earn his MBA from Babson, at which point he worked as a favorite sales and marketing man for multiple business on both the North and South Shores.

Jerry was the bandleader of a misfit group of Shoers and unShoers who loved telling sto-ries to anyone who would lis-ten … and even to those who weren’t listening. He cherished his time with family, friends, col-leagues and clients and will be missed by all.

Due to regulations imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic, a private graveside service will be held. In lieu of flowers, expres-sions of sympathy maybe made in his memory to Old Colony Hospice, 321 Manley St., West Bridgewater, MA 02379 (https://www.oldcolonyhospice.org).

Jerold (Jerry) A. Shoer, 72, of Rockland

LEGACYHonor your friend or loved one with

a donation to the Jewish Journal.Your gift supports

the continuity of Jewish life in our communities.

By leading from the heart, supporting the best agents in thebusiness and providing exceptional service to our clients,

we've achieved more than ever imagined.

When your mission is to inspire and nurture the dream ofhome ownership, the future can only be bright!

We are grateful to our agents for their commitment to our vision, to ouremployees for their dedication and to our clients for their trust.

Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered) service marks used with permission. Sotheby’s International RealtyAffiliates LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Office is Independently Owned And Operated. If your property is listedwith a real estate broker, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real brokers. We are happy to work with them and cooperate fully.

14 THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020 COMMUNITY NEWS

want to use the holiday season as an opportunity for sharing values and respecting traditions and strengthening our families and our ties with one another.”

Corey Jackson works as the executive director of Citizens Inn in Peabody, a nonprofit that helps find housing for the homeless and feed the needy. Sarah Jackson works as a fund-raising consultant.

Corey said a combina-tion of things led him to con-vert, including growing up in Peabody, where he had a lot of Jewish friends. In college, he worked at the Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University, which was built in the style of the Pantheon in Rome and serves all faiths. He was attracted to the open, tolerant, and community aspects of Reform Judaism.

Sarah Jackson grew up a Catholic home in Methuen, where she attended a Catholic grade school and went to church every week. After Methuen High, she went to the Catholic Emmanuel College in Boston, but she drifted away from her faith during college.

In 2009, the Jacksons were married by her campus priest, “but he was very cool with inter-faith,” she said.

“We have our own set of core beliefs and sort of moral code and all of that that we feel we got from our religions, and, like, how do we give that to our chil-dren without all of the what we consider the not so good parts?,” Corey wondered.

They put their kids in day care at the North Suburban Jewish Community Center in Peabody, where they were exposed to ele-ments of the Jewish faith.

“Milo’s doing the prayers, we light the menorah right now. He knows the tune, he knows some of the words, it’s great,” Corey said.

Sarah said their individual faiths are more about commu-nity than anything else. When her children mentioned during a

car ride that those who celebrate Hanukkah don’t have Christmas lights, she told them, “There are all kinds of awesome, different holidays.”

“And, I think, as a result, we expose them to everything that we enjoy such as pieces of the traditions and the foods,” Corey said. “We made a kugel and some latkes the other day, so that was fun. But, you know, they have a Christmas tree and the reindeer outside and they

are counting down to Christmas Day as much as they are lighting the menorah.”

The challenge for real estate agent Kate Aikman of Marblehead, whose husband, Dennis, was raised in Andover in a Protestant family, is more from outside the home than inside when it comes to celebrating both holidays.

“I think it works well as a fam-ily,” Kate said. “We don’t have any challenges as a family. It’s everything else. It’s the environ-ment.” Her kids will be asked if they are celebrating both holi-days, for example.

While they do celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas, they are raising their three daughters, Jenny, 14, Taylor, 12, and Noa, 10, as Jewish.

Their home has an inflatable Santa and lights outside and they put up a Christmas tree. The kids get a stocking from Santa, but not presents. Christmas Eve and Day are spent with Kate’s husband’s parents.

There is a challenge in mak-ing Hanukkah just as exciting as Christmas. Last year, they over-lapped, which Kate said was dif-ficult because it detracted from celebrating Hanukkah for two of the eight nights.

“I like being able to celebrate Hanukkah for what it is,” Kate said. She likes when the fam-ily pauses to be together as the candles burn down. They also like to prepare Hanukkah foods such as matzo ball soup, latkes, and sufganiyot.

“As a family we haven’t had any hiccups,” Kate said. She has a supportive husband who attends services and enjoys talk-ing with Rabbi David Meyer, spiritual leader of the Reform Temple Emanu-El.

Katie Wadland of Wakefield and her husband, Jason, are rais-ing their two daughters, Kyla, 9, and Aubrey, 7, Jewish, and they attend Temple Tiferet Shalom. The “Mensch on a Bench” and “The Elf on the Shelf” both make appearances in their home.

She said it was important for her to get married in a Jewish wedding ceremony and raise her kids Jewish. Jason comes from an Italian Catholic back-ground, but he is not a practic-ing Catholic.

Growing up, she attended Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, and her faith was more about family than anything else.

Katie said her husband appreciates Jewish values and ethics. For him, his faith was all about family celebrations.

“He’s a great partner,” she said of Jason, who even took an introduction to Judaism course before they got married in 2009. Her in-laws also are supportive. They purchased a menorah so they can light the candles when the kids visit, and they come to temple when their grandchil-dren have parts in services.

Katie Wadland wants to be just as welcoming. “I didn’t want to disregard [Jason’s] traditions because he was so open to hav-ing our traditions,” she said.

During the December holidays, interfaith families share the best of both worlds from page 1

Katie and Jason Wadland of Wakefield are an interfaith couple raising their daughters, Kayla, 9, and Aubrey, 7, Jewish while celebrating the Hanukkah traditions of her Jewish background and the Christmas tra-ditions of her husband’s Italian Catholic family.

By Penny SchwartzJOURNAL CORRESPONDENT

BOSTON – The Museum of Fine Arts Boston was the suc-cessful bidder for a magnifi-cently decorated 18th century partially gilt silver Galician Torah plate, one of three signifi-cant works the MFA purchased at the widely watched Dec. 17 Sotheby’s auction of Judaica owned by the legendary Sassoon family.

The Torah plate, which the MFA purchased for $1.351 mil-lion, was crafted by Elimelekh

Tzoref of Stanislav, in 1782, and is the first major work of historic Judaica made by a Jewish sil-versmith to become part of the museum’s collection, the MFA told the Journal last week.

Sotheby’s described it as “one of the most important pieces of Judaic metalwork at auction in a generation.”

The MFA also acquired a pair of rare 17th century Dutch silver Torah finials and an Italian silver wine cup made in about 1830, marked by Israel Vitale, a Jewish silversmith.

The auction, titled, “Sassoon:

A Golden Legacy,” achieved $5 million with 94 percent of its lots sold, according to Sotheby’s.

The Torah shield is signed and dated by the artist and is highly decorated on both the front and on the reverse, which is among its many outstanding features, according to Simona De Nepi, the MFA’s Charles and Lynn Schusterman Curator of Judaica.

Prior to the sale, the Torah plate was in the collection of the Sassoon family, who trace their centuries-old Jewish roots to Baghdad, for some 130 years.

“I am incredibly excited,” Di Nepi told the Journal. Her adrenaline ran high for days, she admitted. Anyone con-nected with Judaica from around the world had their eyes on this Torah shield, she said. Anticipation of the sale attract-ed worldwide media attention, from the art world to the Wall Street Journal.

Di Nepi is already consider-ing how to display the shield at the MFA so that visitors appre-ciate its significance.

TO OUR NORTH SHORE JEWISH COMMUNITY’S “LAST RESPONDERS”

We want to express our gratitude to you for helping countless families through these diffi cult times while performing a sacred act.

As we face a frightening surge of the pandemic and the cold and dark of winter, we hope you will be safe.

Blessings of health and well-being in 2021.– Rabbi Alison Adler and the Temple B’nai Abraham Board of Directors

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THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020 15

MFA adds Torah shield to its Judaica collection

Photo: Sotheby’s New YorkTorah shield attributed to Elimelekh Tzoref of Stanislav, circa 1780.

Last week, York Ford donated 4,400 face masks to the town Saugus. From left, Adam York of Marblehead, Saugus Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli, Saugus Deputy Fire Chief Thomas D’Enon Jr., and Brad York of Marblehead.

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16 THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 24, 2020 COMMUNITY NEWS

has shifted much of its coverage to COVID-19. The number-one article currently being accessed is about how long the corona-virus can remain on surfaces. Rubin said that this article had accumulated four million views the last time he checked.

“For a medical journal, it’s a lot,” he said. “It’s the most we’ve ever had for anything. Other pieces have been heav-ily accessed. I think an article describing the Pfizer vaccine, I think last week it [had been]

accessed over one million times.”

He reflected on the challeng-es of continuing to work within COVID-19 limitations, including at NEJM, where the staff is work-ing remotely.

“The journal is really kind of my full-time job now,” he said. “The offices are closed … We’re doing a pretty good job doing everything online. We certainly miss out on all the normal inter-actions we have.”

Top infectious disease specialist discusses role on FDA vaccine advisory committeefrom page 1

Although the film’s 10 charac-ters are from all different walks of life with different clinical histories, they share one thing: at some point, each wanted to commit suicide. After watching the film together, they cried and hugged each other, grateful that others might understand the agony they had suffered.

“For Dr. Gordon, a neuro-endocrinologist, to come up with this treatment is mind boggling. Why does the whole world not know about this?” Sher asked. Her hope is her film will educate its audience ‒ especially doctors – about these groundbreaking solutions that help those with traumatic brain injury to heal.

Sher had a solid foundation in

Judaism, and credits her Jewish background with steering her artistic choices and storytell-ing toward messages of tikkun olam (repairing the world). “I am definitely all about healing the planet and the people on it. Most of my recent projects are about healing and health,” she said.

Right now, however, she has two goals. One is for an Oscar to keep her two Emmy awards company. The second is to get the Veterans Administration to institute Dr. Gordon’s protocol. “And if we can do that, then I’ve done so much for society,” Sher said.

For more information, visit jerrisher.com and quietexplo-sions.com.

From Marblehead to Hollywoodfrom page 11

Barry and Rosalyn Abrams in memory of Stan Simon

Lubov Belenky in memory of my husband Zin Belenky

Michael and Robin BlakeBernice BornsteinMarty and Sharon BregmanMiriam Juda BudaNorma ButterRich and Susan Dinkin

in memory of Aunt Gertrude Goodell

Robert and Stacey EdelsteinBarbara and Philip EllerinRonnie Fisher and Jerry SilverMarion G. Garfinkel in memory

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NeumanHerbert and Judith HarrisEileen Kaminsky and Susan

NesterJean and Harvey KarpPaul Kepnes

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Susan G. KlineHarold KramerGloria LeiterLin LempertHerb and Arlene LeventhalLarry and Rita LevinBea Lipsky in memory of

my husband Sid LipskySteve and Allison MarantzDr. and Mrs. Irving Marcus

in honor of the birth of their identical twin granddaughters Skylar and Charlotte

Debra and Joel MargolisBeatrice Marlow in memory

of Robert E. MarlowJudy and Michael MatfessDorothy NovakAnn Pendexter in honor of

my father Abe Babbitt’s 100th birthday and in memory of my mother, Frances Babbitt

Bennett and Dorothy RichRobert RimerJudy RosenbergLeslie and Ken RosenbergRichard P. and Esther Salinsky

Fund

Bill and Shirley Salloway in memory of all our loved ones

Jack P. Schwartz and Gail Pepe

Ralph and Debra SevinorSharon ShapiroSam and Selma ShoerLeslie Shumsker and Jerry

Leabman in memory of Shirley and Sydney Shumsker and Eva and Isaac Leabman

Herb and Elaine SiegelNelda Sogoloff and Richard

HempsteadDr. Brian and Bonnie StrasnickEric and Ximena TalcofskyLois Tankel in memory of

my beloved husband, Alan Tankel

Lee and Leslie TapperRoger and Elaine VolkJoan Wasserman in memory

of my husband Bernard Wasserman

Paul WeinbergBonnie Weiss in honor of Dr.

Sheldon Brown and loving memory of Rosalyn Weiss

Gary P. Wheeler, DDSRowena Winik

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