A memoir by Woody Allen, rumored for years and once thought unpublishable in the #MeToo era, is coming out next month. Photo Credit: AP
By: Hillel Italie
A memoir by Woody Allen, rumored for years and once thought unpublishable in the #MeToo era, is coming out next month.
Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, announced Monday that the book is called “Apropos of Nothing” and will be released April 7.
“The book is a comprehensive account of his life, both personal and professional, and describes his work in films, theater, television, nightclubs, and print,” according to Grand Central. “Allen also writes of his relationships with family, friends, and the loves of his life.”
Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, announced Monday that the book is called “Apropos of Nothing” and will be released April 7. Photo Credit: AP
Financial terms were not disclosed for the book, which Grand Central quietly acquired a year ago, and a spokesman declined to provide further details about the book’s contents. In addition to the U.S., “Apropos of Nothing” will be released in Canada, Italy, France, Germany and Spain, followed by releases in “countries around the world.” Allen will do “several interviews” for the book, Grand Central announced.
The 84-year-old Allen is an Oscar-winning filmmaker, known for such works as “Annie Hall” and “The Purple Rose of Cairo,” and is among the most influential comedians of his time. But allegations by daughter Dylan Farrow that he molested her as a child in the early 1990s have effectively idled his movie career in the U.S. Amazon Studios backed out of a production and distribution deal with Allen, and numerous actors have said they won’t work with him anymore.
His “A Rainy Day In New York” was released in Europe last year but not in this country. His current production, “Rifkin’s Festival,” starring Christoph Waltz and Gina Gershon, was shot last summer and is seeking distribution.
Allen has denied any wrongdoing, and he was never charged after two separate investigations in the 1990s. But Dylan’s allegations have received new attention in the #MeToo era.
An Allen memoir nearly came out more than a decade ago. He had reportedly reached a multimillion-dollar deal with Penguin in 2003, but changed his mind. In 2018-2019, several publishers, citing #MeToo concerns, reportedly rebuffed an Allen representative who was seeking a deal for his memoir. But according to a Grand Central spokesman, a deal was reached in March 2019 after Publisher and Senior Vice President Ben Sevier read a completed draft of the book.
An Allen memoir once seemed the most obvious of publications. He has had a celebrated career as a performer and director, and is known for wordplay and one-liners. He has won three Academy awards for his screenplays and has been a published writer for decades, his comic essays appearing in The New Yorker and elsewhere. His previous books include the essay collections “Without Feathers” and “Getting Even.”
Allen’s agreement with Hachette means he shares a publisher with one of his literary heroes, J.D. Salinger, and one of his biggest detractors, his son Ronan Farrow, whose “Catch and Kill” was released last year by the Hachette division Little, Brown and Company. Farrow won a Pulitzer Prize for his #MeToo reporting on producer Harvey Weinstein, and for years has been estranged from his father, as is Ronan’s mother, Mia Farrow, who starred in “The Purple Rose of Cairo,” “Hannah and Her Sisters” and other Allen movies.
This fall, a division of Macmillan will publish Dylan Farrow’s debut novel, “Hush,” billed as a “powerful feminist fantasy full of surprising insights.”
Dr. Lori Weintrob, Director of the Wagner College Holocaust Center, will be joined by Auschwitz survivor Rachel Rachama Roth (pictured above) who will provide her eyewitness testimony to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Photo Credit: Wagner.edu
The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, which is currently presenting the acclaimed exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. through August 2020, will host three programs in March to commemorate Women’s History Month: “Heroines of the Holocaust,” a conversation on female resistance fighters (March 11), a book launch for memoir Franci’s War (March 18), and WRITE ME, a panel discussion that examines the branding and trafficking of women’s bodies (March 26).
Rabbi Regina Jonas made history as the first woman ever to be officially ordained as a rabbi in December 1935. Photo Credit: Facebook
“March provides an occasion for us to focus on remarkable heroism and inspiring stories of resilience,” said Jack Kliger, Museum President and CEO. “We look forward to honoring the experiences of women during the Holocaust and to learning from the impressive scholarship of the women who will be presenting their work at these events.”
Those visiting the Museum during Women’s History Month are also encouraged to take in the extraordinary stories of courageous women featured throughout the Museum’s primary exhibition, Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.
These stories, as told through artifacts and photographs, include a small, metal comb that a 16 year-old Ruth Grunberger fashioned by secreting metal scraps from a factory where she worked while a prisoner in Auschwitz. For Ruth, who was shaved bald and dressed in rags, the comb symbolized the promise of a future day when, once again, she would have hair, and freedom. Ruth did survive and held onto her comb all these years, ultimately donating it to the Museum. She resides today in New York City.
They include a photograph of Rabbi Regina Jonas, who made history as the first woman ever to be officially ordained as a rabbi in December 1935. She served as a pastoral-rabbinic counselor for Jewish welfare institutions in Berlin and then, as more rabbis fled Germany or were arrested, she preached at synagogues throughout Germany. In 1942, she was deported with her mother to Terezin, where she continued to work as a rabbi, before her final deportation to Auschwitz in 1944, where it is believed she was killed on arrival.
The exhibition also includes the heroic story of martyr Róża Robota. Photo Credit: Pinterest
The exhibition also includes the heroic story of martyr Róża Robota. One of the most notable uprisings in Auschwitz was the Sonderkommando revolt of October 1944, the planning for which began as early as 1943. In the summer of 1944, Róża Robota recruited women prisoners working in the munitions factory next to the camp to smuggle gunpowder off-site. Robota passed it to Timofei Borodin, a Russian technician, who carried it to the Sonderkommandos. Their aim was to destroy the crematoria and spark a rebellion.
Unfortunately, the uprising did not go according to plan. The Sonderkommandos of Crematorium 5, hearing that they were to be gassed, revolted ahead of schedule. On October 7, they killed three SS men, wounded 12, and burned down Crematorium 4. At the same time, the Sonderkommandos of Crematorium 2 attempted a breakout.
In retaliation, the SS killed 451 Sonderkommandos. The camp Gestapo also identified Robota and three other Jewish women—Regina Sapirstein, Ala Gertner, and Ester Wajcblum— as plotters. Following weeks of torture, they were publicly hanged.
As the noose was placed around her neck on January 6, 1945, Robota cried out, “Nekama!” (Revenge!). “Hazak v’ematz” (Be strong and have courage).
These, along with the stories of Chaya Porus, Fania Fainer, Esther Friedlander, and other women and girls, including the widely known Anne Frank, are told throughout Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away., whose artifacts, imagery, video, and text bring women’s history to life.
PROGRAM CALENDAR
Exhibition
Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.
This is the most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the history of Auschwitz and its role in the Holocaust ever presented in North America, bringing together more than 700 original objects and 400 photographs from over 20 institutions and museums around the world. In response to demand, the exhibition’s run is extended to August 2020.
Entry is by timed ticket available at Auschwitz.nyc. Audio guide (available in 8 languages) is included with admission.
$25 Flexible Entry—entry any time on a specific day
$16 Adults
$12 Seniors and People with Disabilities
$10 Students and Veterans
$8 Museum Members
FREE for Holocaust survivors, active members of the military and first responders, and students and teachers through grade 12 in schools located in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut (with valid school-issued ID). A student attending a NYC public school may bring up to three family members for free (with proof of valid school-issued ID or report card). The Auschwitz exhibition is recommended for ages 12 and up.
Conversation
Heroines of the Holocaust
Wednesday, March 11 | 7 PM – 8:30 PM
During the Holocaust, more than 3,000 women fought back against the Nazis. This talk, which takes place on International Women’s Day, will focus on female resistance fighters of the Holocaust, including Zivia Lubetkin, the highest-ranking woman in Warsaw’s underground, and Vitka Kempner, a partisan leader who blew up a German ammunition train with a grenade. Dr. Lori Weintrob, Director of the Wagner College Holocaust Center, will be joined by Auschwitz survivor Rachel Rachama Roth who will provide her eyewitness testimony to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The discussion will be moderated by Yiddish culture writer Rokhl Kafrissen (Tablet).
Tickets: $10, Members $8
Book Launch
Franci’s War
Wednesday, March 18 | 7 PM
Author Helen Epstein (Children of the Holocaust, The Long Half-Lives of Love and Trauma) will introduce “Franci’s War” a new memoir by her late mother, Franci Rabinek Epstein. Franci, born into a privileged family in Prague, was a spirited young fashion designer who lied to Dr. Mengele at an Auschwitz selection by saying she was an electrician – an occupation that both endangered and saved her life. Helen will be joined in conversation by Columbia University Film Professor Annette Insdorf.
Author Helen Epstein (Children of the Holocaust, The Long Half-Lives of Love and Trauma) will introduce this new memoir by her late mother, Franci Rabinek Epstein. Franci, born into a privileged family in Prague, was a spirited young fashion designer who lied to Dr. Mengele at an Auschwitz selection by saying she was an electrician – an occupation that both endangered and saved her life. Helen will be joined in conversation by Columbia University Film Professor Annette Insdorf.
Co-sponsored by the Czech Cultural Center
Free; advance reservations recommended at mjhnyc.org/events
Panel Discussion
WRITE ME: Women’s Studies & Activism
Thursday, March 26 | 7 PM
Join artists, scholars, and activists in a series that explores the branding of women’s bodies in the Holocaust and human trafficking. Write Me (2019), a short film by Pearl Gluck, follows an older woman who joins other survivors in reclaiming the histories tattooed on their bodies. In this final part of the series, a panel of women scholars from diverse fields will discuss the role of branding of women’s bodies in the context of human trafficking and power. Speakers will be Rochelle G. Saidel, Founder and Executive Director of the Remember the Women Institute; Carol E. Henderson, Editor of Imagining the Black Female Body; Ornit Barkai, documentary filmmaker of the forthcoming Laid to Rest: Buried Stories of the Jewish Sex Trade; and moderator Amy Sodaro, Professor of Sociology at Borough of Manhattan Community College. Co-sponsored by Battery Park City Authority
Free; advance reservations recommended at mjhnyc.org/events
In addition to the above events programmed for Women’s History Month, visitors to the Museum in March can also view the institution’s main exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. (on view through August 2020), its recently unveiled exhibition Rendering Witness: Holocaust-Era Art as Testimony (on view through July 5, 2020), and Ordinary Treasures: Highlights from the Museum of Jewish Heritage Collection.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Hours
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10 AM to 6 PM
Wednesday 10 AM to 9 PM
Friday 10 AM to 3 PM
Saturday Closed
Last admission to Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. is 2 hours before closing time. Last entrance to the rest of the Museum is 30 minutes prior to closing time.
The Museum is closed on Saturdays, Jewish holidays, and Thanksgiving.
Address
Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
36 Battery Place, New York City
Neighborhood: Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan
Yeshiva University Maccabees huddle around guard Ryan Turell (11) before a game against the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), in New York, Feb. 25, 2020. The Maccabees won the Skyline Conference quarterfinal 75-57. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
By Luis Andres Henao
Each of the mighty Maccabees has his role on the men’s basketball team. Gabriel Leifer sinks three-pointers; Daniel Katz is the defense wizard; Simcha Halpert makes the perfect alley-oop passes to Ryan Turell who soars for dunks.
Maccabees guard Eitan Halpert (15) jumps for a layup in the second half of the Skyline Conference semifinal game against Farmingdale State College at Yeshiva University in New York, Feb. 27, 2020. Yeshiva won 74-69, advancing to the championship game against Purchase College. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Kids pretend to be them in pickup games. The home crowd sings in Hebrew and roars when they score. But before tipoff, the team always gathers around Tyler Hod, a senior guard and their unofficial rabbi.
Reading passages from the Torah, Hod shares a story, all the while drawing lessons to inspire them on and off the court in a pregame ritual that ends when they huddle and yell: “Amen!”
Yeshiva University’s basketball team can’t play on the Sabbath, on Jewish Holidays or fast days. They’ve also faced anti-Semitic taunts and ethnic slurs from opponents and spectators. But they continue to beat their rivals, many proudly wearing the skullcap that identifies them as Jewish.
The best team in the Jewish Orthodox institution’s history won the Skyline Conference on Sunday with fans flooding the court and celebrating. The Maccabees extended their record winning streak to 27 games, beating Purchase College 86-74 and qualifying for the NCAA Division III tournament. The championship is the second time in three years the school has won the title. Its first ever conference championship came in 2018. They reached the final in 2019.
Laurel Turell, mother of guard Ryan Turell, cheers in the stands during the second half of the Skyline Conference men’s basketball game between Yeshiva University and Farmingdale State College in New York, Feb. 27, 2020. Turell can often be heard starting chants and galvanizing Maccabee fans at games. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarksi)
“It’s important for us to capitalize on what we’re going for and not just play to the last day of conference but play to the last day of the last game of Division III basketball,” co-captain Katz said on a day that began with practice right after dawn, followed by morning prayer, and that ended with a traditional Shabbat dinner. “That’s what we want to do: win the national championship.”
It’s an improbable rise for a team that had a spotty record competing in the Skyline Conference championship until it stepped into the spotlight when it won it two years ago. This season, the Maccabees, named after the ancient Jewish rebel warriors, have been unstoppable.
Their records include the best start in school history, the longest winning streak and their first national ranking. Halpert also moved into third on the school’s all-time scoring list, ahead of Hod’s father, Lior Hod, a 1987-1988 team captain who records the games from the stands with a handheld camera; while Turell became the first sophomore to reach 1,000 points.
It began with Elliot Steinmetz, a former YU player, who in 2014 took the coaching job with one goal: recruiting the best Jewish players nationwide.
“He sold us all on that dream of bringing Jewish basketball to the forefront and making us relevant,” Halpert said. His brother, Eitan, also plays for the Macs. “And we really bought into it.”
Head coach Elliot Steinmetz talks to the Yeshiva University Maccabees in the locker room after they beat U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, 75-57, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
This season they played one of their toughest games against Sarah Lawrence winning when Leifer hit a three-pointer a few seconds before the buzzer. In the locker room, their coach reminded them that it goes beyond basketball.
“You see all these kids who want to take a picture with you–they remember these guys who won two years ago,” Steinmetz said about the legion of young fans who snap selfies with the players after the games.
“You have an opportunity to represent your university and something bigger … you have an opportunity for something extremely special.”
The players come from across the U.S. Some turned down offers at Ivy League and Division I schools to play for Yeshiva. They also vary in their observance of their faith–from Hod who will go to rabbinical school after he graduates this year, to Ofek Reef, a 6-foot freshman from Texas who goes on the court without the skullcap, wearing tattoos and a Star of David-shaped earring, and who enthralls the crowds when he defies gravity and dunks over taller rivals. All of them, though, are united by their Jewish identity and their love of basketball.
“I have a close connection to God,” said Turell, a 6-foot-7-point guard from Los Angeles, who turned down an opportunity to attend West Point.
Guard Ryan Turell and forward Daniel Katz, who were injured in a game against Farmingdale, joke with teammates in the locker room at Yeshiva University in New York, Feb. 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
“To be able to follow my religion and to play basketball at the same time at a high level is amazing. It’s the best of both worlds.”
Many of the players met at high school tournaments, or at a Jerusalem camp run by Tamir Goodman, who was dubbed in 1999 by Sports Illustrated magazine as “The Jewish Jordan.” He retired at the age of 27 after playing in college in the U.S., and professionally in Israel.
“When I watch YU play, there are two levels of pride: on the macro, these guys are inspiring the whole world,” Goodman said in a telephone interview. “And on the micro: I’m proud because I worked really hard with several of those guys in Jerusalem during camps and in the gym. I have tears in my eyes. It’s like one of my kids playing.”
It’s a brotherhood: Some lived together for years in dorms and then moved to the same building after they married. On the road, they’ll find a room to wrap the leather straps of tefillin and pray together. At home court, they practice shooting and drills early in the morning, listening to rap.
Guard Simcha Halpert lifts Elian Tsaidi, 2, in the Yeshiva University gym in New York, Feb. 22, 2020. Halpert works in a basketball camp run by Tsaidi’s father, a rabbi, in his hometown of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
They attend Jewish classes on top of their other coursework and sometimes they relax with a slice of kosher pizza and playing “Fortnite” or the NBA 2K videogame. Their families chat on WhatsApp and fly or drive long distances to watch them.
“What is important is not just that the Macs are winning–it is the way they are winning: with selflessness, teamwork and great sportsmanship,” said Rabbi Ari Berman, the president of Yeshiva. “They are an embodiment of our mission to bring our positive Jewish values out into the world.”
The Macs also see themselves as ambassadors for their Jewish identity at a time of an alarming series of recent anti-Semitic attacks across the U.S. Growing up in Baltimore, Katz remembers coins being thrown at him from the bleachers. Even today, some have faced hateful chants and jeers from the stands.
Guard Tyler Hod leads fellow Maccabees players and fans in song after the Yeshiva University men’s basketball team won the final game in the Skyline Conference championship against Purchase College, 86-74, in New York, Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
“We got a couple of road games far away, and the crowds have been very loud,” said Halpert, a co-captain who is known as a sharpshooter. “There was one time that they were chanting: “Hitler was right!” … It’s the 21st century. There’s no room for that kind of hate in any capacity. I try not to harp on it so much, but we’ve heard a lot of things. I just tell the guys: we’re just here to play ball.”
For years, their coach told them to ignore the taunts and anti-Semitic slurs. Steinmetz said that changed this year and he has asked his players to report it. Security has also increased with New York police officers at the games. But it has not deterred the loyal fans of the Macs.
Rabbi Yigal Sklarin, and his nine-year-old son Yonatan, are among the hundreds who fill the Max Stern Athletic Center for home games and follow them on the road.
“We don’t have a television at home, so we only know Yeshiva University Maccabees basketball,” Sklarin said. “He can name more players on the Macs than he can in the NBA,” he said smiling at his son in the stands.
From left, Yeshiva University students Evan Goldman, Yosef Ajami and Tehilla Tiegman shout from the stands during the Skyline Conference men’s basketball semifinal game between Yeshiva University and Farmingdale State College at Yeshiva University in New York, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
“When he plays at home on his basketball, he acts out like he’s the Macs. He’ll take his free throws like Ryan Turell.
He’ll go: ‘It’s Simcha, to Ryan to Gabe for the dunk’… It’s like you’re on your backyard saying: ‘Michael Jordan for three’–he says: ‘Simcha, for three!’
The storied Waldorf Astoria completes renovations in 2022 and The NY Post reported that one of the new features will be a giant swimming pool. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
By: Rusty Brooks
The storied Waldorf Astoria completes renovations in 2022 and The NY Post reported that one of the new features will be a giant swimming pool.
The NY Post reported: “A key part of the intricate conversion of the hotel, originally opened in 1931, was the removal of four air-conditioning cooling towers that were previously installed on a terrace atop the 25th floor.
“They are being replaced by a row of skylights, which hover 19 feet above what the developers are calling the Starlight Pool, a residents-only amenity. The space was once the Starlight Roof, a private nightclub that debuted in the 1930s and hosted the likes of Cole Porter, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe”, The Post reported.
TJV previously reported that that Douglass Elliman has been tapped to sell 375 apartments on behalf of Anbang Insurance Group. the company, based in Beijing, China, purchased the Waldorf in 2015 for just under $2 billion.
The decidedly upscale homes range from the small – a single room – to roomy apartments with as many as five bedrooms. They are reportedly being managed by Hilton Worldwide, along with over a thousand hotel rooms.
“It’s a chance to own a piece of New York history and all the stories that go with it,” Susan de França, chief executive of Douglas Elliman Development Marketing, told the Journal.
Prices among luxury housing in the city are dipping, but the apartments are projected to sell for millions each anyway. Newly levied taxes on homes with sale prices topping $1 million have also helped slow business down.
“The Journal report notes that Chinese buyers are under pressure from the Chinese government to keep capital in the country and have held back on home purchases in New York,” writes Crain’s New York Business.
The Waldorf project “will have plenty of competition from new Manhattan skyscrapers aimed at wealthy condo buyers. The historical pedigree of the building, which has hosted U.S. presidents and a long list of foreign dignitaries, combined with the mix of unit sizes, should help the Waldorf apartments stand out,” reported Bloomberg News.
The N.Y Post reported: “The 82-foot-long pool is just one facet of the Waldorf’s 50,000 square feet of amenities reserved for residents only. (The hotel portion will have another 100,000 square feet of them, which residents can also use.)
Beyond the pool, flanked on either end by a sculptural fountain and a winter garden, there’s a fitness center that overlooks it. Elsewhere, there will be a billiards room, a gaming room with a bar and a cinema with a stage that can also be used for live performances.
Joe Coulombe, the founder of the popular Trader Joes supermarket chain has passed away at 89 years old. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
By: Rusty Brooks
Joe Coulombe, the founder of the popular Trader Joes supermarket chain has passed away at 89 years old.
Trader Joe’s is well known for their large organic and specialty food selection, rivaled only by Whole Foods and Wegmans in terms of quality goods.
The chain began in 1958 as a Greater Los Angeles area chain of Pronto Market convenience stores. The original Pronto Markets were so similar to 7-Eleven that Joe Coulombe felt the competition with 7-Eleven would be disastrous, the L.A Times chronicled
Coulombe is said to have developed the idea of the Trader Joe’s South Seas motif while on vacation in the Caribbean. The Tiki culture fad of the 1950s and 1960s was fresh in the cultural memory, and Trader Vic’s was at its height with 25 locations worldwide. He had noticed that Americans were traveling more and returning home with tastes for food and wine they had trouble satisfying in supermarkets of the time.
The first store branded as “Trader Joe’s” opened in 1967. This store, on Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena, California, remains in operation to this day. In the first few decades since opening, some of the stores offered fresh meats provided by butchers who leased space in the stores. Trader Joe’s at one time had sandwich shops, freshly cut cheese and freshly squeezed orange juice all in-store.
BusinessWeek reported that Trader Joe’s quintupled the number of its stores between 1990 and 2001 and multiplied its profits by ten. Supermarket News estimated Trader Joe’s sales for 2015 at $13 billion, and placed Trader Joe’s 21st on the list of “SN’s Top 75 Retailers for 2016.
As of October 8, 2019, Trader Joe’s had 504 stores in the United States with stores being added regularly, Scrape Hero reported.
Trader Joe’s founder Joe Coulombe, who envisioned his stores as “for overeducated and underpaid people, for all the classical musicians, museum curators, journalists,” has died at the age of 89, his family confirmed to the Associated Press.
Eater reported: “Coulombe, a San Diego native and a Stanford graduate, opened the first Trader Joe’s in 1967 in Pasadena, Calif. — the result of a pivot towards customers who had an appetite for high-quality international goods like olive and wine for lower price points. “He wanted to make sure whatever was sold in our store was of good value,” Coulombe’s son, also named Joe, told the AP. “Always the aim was to provide good food and good value to people.”
“By the time Coulombe retired as chief executive in 1988, after having sold his interest in the company to Germany grocery retailer Aldi Nord in 1979, he had already put into place many of the distinct flourishes that separate Trader Joe’s from its competitors today: a focus on natural and organic goods; a private Trader Joe’s label for products bought directly from wholesalers; maritime themes in stores; a policy of discontinuity, with ever-changing inventory; and an expansive array of affordable wines, including the popular $1.99 Charles Shaw known as “two-buck Chuck”, Eater.com reported.
Critics are slamming Corey Johnson, saying he wasted city funds in getting another engineering report to study possible solutions for the crumbling 1.5-mile stretch of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
By: Hellen Zaboulani
Critics are slamming Corey Johnson, saying he wasted city funds in getting another engineering report to study possible solutions for the crumbling 1.5-mile stretch of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. The 37-year-old Democrat who has served on the NY City Council since 2014, is now a NYC mayoral hopeful for 2021. As reported by the NY Post, some City Hall insiders and Brooklyn elected officials say the independent study was a politically motivated show, for Johnson to separate himself from Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The city council, led by Johnson, used $245,000 in taxpayer money to fund a 60-page report released by Arup last week. The international Urban design firm came to many of the same conclusions as the expert panel hired by de Blasio in April, in a previous independent study. The only “new” finding by Arup’s report was a suggestion to spend up to $11 billion to tear down part of the BQE and replace it with a 3-mile-long tunnel. Building a tunnel is something that was already mulled over in the past three decades, but that none of the council members support— not even Johnson.
“Instead of wasting everyone’s time and taxpayer dollars on a report that has many of the same findings as the mayor’s panel — except for a tunnel project no council member wants to endorse — the speaker and the City Council should have put politics aside and partnered with the panel,” one insider told the Post. “But that would’ve been a logical act of good government, and that’s hard to do when people are thinking about their political aspirations first and foremost.”
Another Brooklyn elected official called Arup’s study “unnecessary,” and pointed a finger at Johnson, alleging he was “politically motivated to put out his own plan to show independence from the mayor’s panel.”
The Robert-Moses-era highway, built more than 70-years-ago and traveled by more than 153,000 cars every day, is in dire condition. In 2018, the city transportation officials unveiled a plan to close the cherished Brooklyn Heights Promenade for six years and build a temporary highway above it until the BQE could be fixed. That project was adamantly opposed by residents in Brooklyn Heights and other nearby neighborhoods, and has since been abandoned. Being that the topic resulted in historically high voter turnout rates, both Johnson and Comptroller Scott Stringer, who is also running for mayor, were prompted to pursue fixes for the high profile BQE problem. For his part, Stringer’s office conducted an in-house study, released last March, which proposed limiting traffic to trucks, and converting part of the BQE into a park. Both Arup and Mayor de Blasio’s panel agreed that the city needs to make immediate, short-term fixes to the BQE, in the meantime before undertaking a permanent solution.
Johnson steadfastly defended the Council’s initiative to have its own report done, saying, “ultimately we are the ones who are approving this multi-billion dollar project, so it would be irresponsible of us not to have an independent, comprehensive analysis to delve into the competing plans.” “You can’t make a decision like this without all the facts, and this was the only way we could get them,” he added. Councilman Stephen Levin, who represents Brooklyn Heights, and Rachel Weinberger of the Regional Plan Association both defended Johnson and praised him for hiring Arup, saying the study was necessary.
Jared Kushner at CPAC 2020–(Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
By Hellen Zaboulani
Jared Kushner has divested his stake in Cadre, the real estate crowdfunding platform. The move comes in a final attempt to quiet incessant scrutiny over his potential conflicts of interest with the real estate investment startup.
As reported by Bloomberg News, Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump and a senior White House advisor, sold his shares to a trust which then sold them back to the firm. His stake in the company was most recently priced between $25 million and $50 million, as per federal disclosures. Kushner and his brother Josh, along with Ryan Williams from Goldman Sachs had co-founded the technology-driven real estate firm in 2014, as a platform for “democratizing” real investment. Josh, who heads venture capital firm Thrive Capital, still has his stake in Cadre through the company.
Kushner had previously refused to divest himself of his stake in the company, when SoftBank had expressed interest as a potential investor. The 39-year-old, who is married to Ivanka Trump, had already stepped down from the company’s board, upon entering the White House in 2016. His ties to federal policy, however, continued to give birth to problems for the company, which has now led him to divest himself from the company. “When Cadre, with which Mr. Kushner has not been involved for over 3 years, decided to pursue opportunities that could unknowingly to Mr. Kushner become future conflicts, he took the guidance of White House Counsel and the Office of Government Ethics and put in place a blind divestment process,” said Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Kushner. “This is the latest example of how seriously he takes this responsibility.”
Kushner has been working in creating the Opportunity Zones program, a program that offers federal tax incentives to encourage development in low-income neighborhoods. His involvement was later criticized when Cadre subsequently purchased properties that would likely benefit from the incentive program. His ownership stake in the company also led to controversy last year, when the Real Deal reported that Cadre had attained $90 million in financial backing from an unidentified foreign investor.
Cadre has taken the critiques to heart and has started making changes. In January, Cadre told The Real Deal that it plans to cut down on investments in Opportunity Zones. At the end of January, Cadre’s CEO, Ryan Williams also announced the appointment of a new president, Allen Smith. Smith is a well-known real estate executive and had served for five-years as CEO of Four Seasons hotels. Before that, Smith had headed Prudential Real Estate Investors’ growth. “Allen brings enormous creativity and a proven track record of success,” said Williams. “Having Allen on board will provide me with even more bandwidth to focus on strategy, overall business development, and closing impactful partnerships that we will develop in 2020 and beyond. This is really an example of one-plus-one-equals-three.”
Last week, fueled by fears of the novel and notorious corona virus, the U.S. stock market fell roughly 13 percent. The painful market correction was a reminder that China’s probable mishandling of the outbreak will doubtlessly have repercussions around the globe. Photo Credit–Encyclopedia Brittanica
By Ilana Siyance
Last week, fueled by fears of the novel and notorious corona virus, the U.S. stock market fell roughly 13 percent. The painful market correction was a reminder that China’s probable mishandling of the outbreak will doubtlessly have repercussions around the globe. On Friday, Wall Street logged its largest weekly decline since the 2008 financial crisis. Fear has gripped doomsayers, as the epidemic has now claimed more than 3,000 lives and infected roughly 86,000 people across the globe. China, which is the world’s second largest economy, has seen factory activity plummet at the fastest pace ever recorded, leading to fears of recession.
Experts in Infectious diseases are saying that the COVID-19 virus is highly communicable, but that its mortality rate thankfully has been much lower than other diseases such as SARS, and bird flu. The people most at risk for corona are the elderly and those whose immune systems are already impaired.
The U.S. Federal Reserve as well as the central Bank of Japan have stepped up to reassure the public that they will do what they can to stimulate economic growth. As per Reuters, the Fed is expected to cut interest rates 50 basis points at its next meeting on March 17-18.
As a result, the U.S. stock market seems to be picking itself back up, with green across the boards, in a modest rebound. Before last week’s sell-off, the markets had been at a peak and overbought by most technical measures. As per a recent article in the NY Post, the good news is that bear markets rarely ever begin from all-time highs. Besides for that, this selling frenzy seems not to have lasted long. In fact, historically, usually global health crisis like this have proven to be brilliant buying opportunities in the end.
As per the Post, once the fear of SARS, bird flu, MRSA and Ebola ended, and after the havoc was over, each time the market jumped back up to reach new highs. Of course, any epidemic is always frightful and every caution should be taken to ensure proper health hygiene and travel cautions. But, when the dust clears, hopefully sooner rather than later, from a financial aspect, chances are the time will be looked back at by savvy investors as a big buying opportunity.
While most newspapers focus on instilling dread and anxiety on their readers, and driving market mayhem further, we’d like to hope for the best. Years from now, when the financial market’s history is written, the turbulence will likely be a short term opportunity for a hearty rebound.
On Friday, a court-appointed trustee said that Bernard Madoff’s former clients are about to see their total recovery reach almost $14 billion. Simultaneously, the shamed investment advisor is dying in prison and awaits a U.S. court’s judgment on whether or not he can leave prison early so that he doesn’t have to spend his last days in a cell. Photo Credit: britannica.com
By Hellen Zaboulani
On Friday, a court-appointed trustee said that Bernard Madoff’s former clients are about to see their total recovery reach almost $14 billion. Simultaneously, the shamed investment advisor is dying in prison and awaits a U.S. court’s judgment on whether or not he can leave prison early so that he doesn’t have to spend his last days in a cell.
Irving Picard, the trustee liquidating Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, says the payout, which includes money committed by the Securities Investor Protection Corp., represents 80 percent of the $17.5 billion that customers lost in what is being called the biggest Ponzi scheme in history. As per the NY Post, Picard said he already started distributing $369 million to 854 accounts, for a total payout of $13.93 billion to eligible customers. As of Friday, Picard already fully paid back 1,469 clients, or 64 percent of the 2,282 eligible customer accounts affected. Another $2.38 billion has been paid out from a Department of Justice compensation fund to clients and other Madoff victims, including schools, pension funds and charities.
At the same time, Madoff who pleaded guilty in 2009 to 11 criminal charges and has already served close to 11 years in jail, is dying in prison and awaits the decision on whether the court will allow him to be free. On February 5th, the 81-year-old’s lawyer requested a “compassionate release” on his 150-year sentence, being that he is confined to a wheelchair, suffering from kidney failure and other serious medical conditions, and is said to have less than 18 months left to live. “It is evident from a review of the [applicable] factors that Madoff presents no danger to any person or the community,” says the court filing of the request. “He has no history of violence, he has less than 18 months to live and the public nature of his crimes guarantee that he would be unable to participate in financial or investment-related activities ever again.”
Madoff’s victims were given a chance to weigh in on the decision by Friday. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan will need to reply to Madoff’s request by Wednesday March 4, with victims’ comments likely made public. The decision of whether or not to free Madoff rests with Circuit Judge Denny Chin, who as a federal district judge had said Madoff’s crimes were “extraordinarily evil”. Madoff, who is now housed in a medical facility at the federal prison complex in Butner, North Carolina, has also asked President Donald Trump for a pardon in a commuted sentence. That request is still pending.
A spokesman for Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman declined to comment, except to say that prosecutors would respond to the request in a court filing. The former lead prosecutor in Madoff’s case, Marc Litt, commented to say there’s “no evidence in the public record to justify compassionate release.”
Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb postulates that not only does a person’s clothing tell us a lot about him or her, but the clothing that we wear actually has an impact upon us. Our clothing helps make us who we are
By: Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
My interest in the relationship between a person and his or her clothing goes back to my early days in graduate school. I was taking a course on human personality, under the tutelage of a remarkably insightful and erudite woman, Dr. Mary Henle. I was so enthusiastic about the courses that I took with her that I asked her to supervise my master’s degree thesis.
I remember the morning I shared my proposed topic with her. I thought that one of the ways to assess personality was to take note of the kind of clothing that a person wore. I further postulated that not only does a person’s clothing tell us a lot about him or her, but the clothing that we wear actually has an impact upon us. Our clothing helps make us who we are.
Dr. Henle tactfully deflated my ego that morning. She said, “That’s just an old wives’ tale. Our personalities are very profound, subtle, and complex. At most, our clothing reflects just a superficial aspect of our identity. You give too much credit to the saying, ‘Clothes make the man.’ It is really only a wisecrack attributed to Mark Twain. There is nothing more to it than that.”
I subsequently chose another topic for my master’s degree thesis.
Many years have passed since that disappointing encounter, and Dr. Henle has long since passed away, although I remember her respectfully. During those years, I have learned that she was mistaken on many grounds. For one thing, the saying, “Clothes make the man,” did not originate with Mark Twain. Centuries before the American humorist, the 16th century Catholic theologian Desiderius Erasmus wrote: “Vestis virum facit,” which translates as, “Clothes make the man.” Not long afterwards, none other than William Shakespeare put these words into the mouth of the character Polonius in his famous play Hamlet: “The apparel oft proclaims the man.”
Truth to tell, statements about the relationship between a person and his clothing go back much further than a mere several centuries. Such statements originate in the Bible, and a passage in this week’s Torah portion, Parshat Tetzaveh (Exodus 27:20-30:10), is a case in point. We read:
“You shall bring forward your brother, Aaron, with his sons, from among the Israelites, to serve Me as priests…Make sacral vestments for your brother Aaron, for dignity and adornment. Next you shall instruct all who are wise of heart… to make Aaron’s vestments, for consecrating him to serve Me as priest.”
Maimonides, codifying the concepts which emerge from the Biblical text, writes: “A High Priest who serves in the Temple with less than his eight vestments, or an ordinary priest who serves with less than his four required vestments…invalidates the service performed and is subject to punishment by death at the hands of Heaven, as if he were an alien who served in the Temple… When their vestments are upon them, their priestly status is upon them, but without their vestments their priestly status is removed from them…” (Hilchot Klei HaMikdash, 10:4).
We are left with the clear impression that these vestments are external manifestations of the royalty and majesty of the priestly role. The clothing literally makes the man. Without the clothing, each priest is “ordinary”—one of God’s subjects for sure, but without any regal status. With the clothing, he is not only bedecked with “dignity and adornment”, but has become a prince, and can play a royal role.
Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, Ramban, makes this even more explicit. He writes, “These are royal garments. These cloaks and robes, tunics and turbans are even today (he lived in 13th century Spain) the apparel of nobility…and no one would dare to wear the crown…or the tekhelet (blue yarn) except for royalty.”
From this perspective, clothes make the man. With them, he is imbued with the spirit of royalty and can carry himself with regal bearing.
Others interpret the function of the sacred garments differently, but all agree that garments influence the wearer in some fashion. For example, Rashi, commenting on the verse, “Put these on your brother Aaron, and on his sons as well; anoint them, and fill their hands” (Exodus 28:41), points out that in the Old French language with which he was familiar, when a person received a new official position the nobleman would put gloves upon him, indicating that he now had the authority of a new position. Rashi uses the Old French word gant, which the reference books that I consulted translate as a “decorative glove.” This would indicate that the garments were a type of official uniform, not necessarily regal, but symbolic of a specialized responsibility. With the donning of the gant the person himself gained the self-assurance of authority and power.
The late 15th century commentator Rabbi Isaac Arama, in his classic Akedat Yitzchak, provides even stronger support for our contention that clothes make the man. He identifies a similarity between the Hebrew word for the Kohen’s uniform and the Hebrew word for ethical character. The Hebrew word for uniform is mad, plural madim, and the Hebrew word for a character trait is midah, plural midot.
Rabbi Arama notes that in Latin, too, the word habitus refers to both a special garment (e.g., a nun’s habit) and a character trait (e.g. a good habit). He persuasively argues that “just as it can be determined from a person’s external appearance as to whether he is a merchant or a soldier or a monk, so too, the discovery of our hidden inner personality begins with our external behaviors.”
For Rabbi Arama, that our clothing is metaphor for our moral standing is evident in this biblical verse: “Now Joshua was clothed in filthy garments when he stood before the angel. The latter stood up and spoke to his attendants: ‘Take the filthy garments off him!’ And he said to him: ‘See, I have removed your guilt from you…’” (Zechariah 3:3-4).
Finally, there is another biblical verse which demonstrates the central role of clothing in “making the man.” And here we go back even further in history than this week’s parsha. Indeed, we go all the way back to the first parsha in the Torah, Bereishit: “And the Lord God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21).
Nechama Leibowitz comments: “Everything in the way of culture and civilization was given to man to discover and develop on his own, with his own capacities. Nothing in the way of repairing the world and settling it was given to him by God. Neither the discovery of fire nor farming nor building houses was revealed to man by God. Rather, he was required to invent all these procedures on his own. Only clothing was given to him from Above. “And the Lord…made garments.”
God made clothing for man. And clothing makes the man.
Ah, do I now wish that I had not abandoned my original idea for a master’s degree thesis. What a fascinating thesis it would have been!
Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb is Executive Vice President, Emeritus of the Orthodox Union
This week`s parsha, Titsaveh, opens with the words, “V`Atoh titsaveh..,”–”And you shall command…” The words “and you” are puzzling.
Who is “you”, and why is “you” not identified?
You, of course, is a reference to Moshe Rabbenu, and for the very first time since his birth, his name does not appear in the parsha. Rather, HaShem refers to him by the anonymous “You.” But in this anonymity, Moshe speaks with great force and gives us a glimpse of his majesty.
Following the sin of the golden calf, Moshe pleaded “Forgive their sins, but if not, erase me from Your Book…”, and with those words, he put himself on the line and was prepared to sacrifice his own life for his beloved people.
But what sort of defense is this plea? How did Moshe hope that the erasure of his name from G-d`s Book would save his nation? One`s calling, one`s mission is to be found in one`s name. Therefore Moshe reasoned, “If they committed such evil, it must be my fault–I must have failed as a teacher. Hence, erase my name.” Just as a parent pleads on behalf of his wayward child, “He`s really a very good boy. It`s all my fault. I wasn`t the parent I should have been..”, so Moshe Rabbenu in his unflagging love, accepted responsibility for the sins of the nation. G-d forgave the people, but Moshe`s name was omitted from the parsha.
This omission is difficult to understand. After all, why should Moshe be penalized for his self sacrifice? In reality, he is not. In his absence, the greatness of his person is revealed more powerfully than ever before, for we are reminded that he was prepared to lay down his life for our sake. And more, it is always during this parsha that we commemorate Moshe Rabbenu`s yahrzeit which falls on Zayen Adar, the seventh day of Adar. It is on this day that Moshe was born and it is on this day that he died. Thus, forever and ever, when we come to this parsha and realize that Moshe`s name is missing, we also realize that it is the yahrzeit of our beloved Rebbe Moshe Rabbenu, the holy teacher of all Israel.
THE TEACHINGS OF THE MENORAH
Everything in the Tabernacle has a deeper meaning. For example, the menorah represents the sacred light of the Torah and therefore, everything about it is significant–the method of its kindling and the material to be used, as well as its placement. The Torah instructs us to place the menorah “outside of the Partition that is near the Testimonial Tablets” (Exodus 27:21), teaching us that the light of the menorah which reminds us of the eternal light of the Torah must guide us not only when we are in the confines of the sanctuary immersed in study and prayer, but even when we are “outside that Partition.” That light of the Torah must direct our lives, in our homes, in our workplace, or wherever life may take us.
The material -oil used for the lighting of the menorah must be pure olive oil, free of sediment, meaning that our Torah study must be accompanied by purity of heart and commitment. Furthermore, when lighting the menorah, we must be certain that the flame burns brightly, meaning that when we teach Torah, we must impart the lesson in such a way that the student fully understands its teachings.
We live in such menacing times–we have so much stress to contend with. Every day the world becomes more frightening. If ever we needed that pure light of Torah to energize us, give us hope and guide us, it is today. Let us make a commitment to illuminate our minds, hearts and souls with the eternal light of Sinai.
One of my favorite parts of the Purim holiday is preparing and serving dishes that I consider fun, creative and a bit different. For Purim, I often make themed menus, international foods, or just recipes that I might not serve on Shabbos. These recipes are delicious, perfect for Purim, and a bit unique. They also have a great presentation to keep it all extra-special for a Yom Tov.
ZESTY SPICED IMITATION CRAB CAKES
Serves 8–10
This make ahead appetizer is always a big hit. I make the batter the night before serving and fry them up before the guests arrive. They can be made a day ahead of time too and rewarmed. Some of the zestiness in this recipe comes from the Old Bay Seasoning which is a spice blend made by the national brand McCormick. It’s a blend that includes celery salt, red and black pepper, dry mustard, cloves, mace and a few others. It’s also great on chicken, meat and fish so it’s worth buying. If you live out of the country and cannot find it, make a homemade version below.
2 tablespoons unsalted margarine or butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
1½ cups diced celery
1 small red pepper, diced
1 small yellow pepper, diced
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon capers, drained
½ teaspoon sriracha sauce or tabasco
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1½ teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning (available in National supermarkets)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ pound imitation crab meat
½ cup plain bread crumbs
½ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
For frying:
4 tablespoons unsalted margarine/butter
¼ cup olive oil
Serve with store-bought tartar sauce or cocktail sauce
Heat margarine and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, red and yellow peppers, parsley, capers, sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 10–15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Chop imitation crab meat into ¼-½ inch pieces and place in a bowl. Add in the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard and eggs and mix well. Add the cooked vegetable mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Using about 2 tablespoons, shape into 2 ½ inch circular crab cakes.
In a large saute pan, heat margarine/butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the crab cakes and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; Serve warm with tartar sauce or cocktail sauce.
HOMEMADE OLD BAY SEASONING
Makes about 1 ½ tablespoons
1 tablespoon celery salt.
1/4 teaspoon paprika.
1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
1 pinch ground dry mustard.
1 pinch ground mace (may substitute a teensy pinch nutmeg)
1 pinch ground cinnamon.
In a small bowl mix all ingredients. Store covered in a dry pantry for up to three months.
TUSCAN WHITE BEAN SOUP
Serves 4-6
“This recipe is from our Culinary Boot Camp Series at the JCC in NYC, it’s perfect for practicing knife skills and perfecting seasoning with herbs and spices. It is one of the most flavorful and delicious Tuscan White Bean Soups I’ve ever had! ” Jennifer Goren, Director of Culinary Arts, recipe courtesy of Chef Instructor John Scoff
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 head garlic, roasted or 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 quart vegetarian chicken broth
2 (14-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (white beans)
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 tablespoon chopped oregano
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 small head green cabbage, chopped thin
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
In a large, heavy soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the roasted garlic squeezed from its skin (or chopped garlic) and fennel, and cook until the fennel has softened, about 5 minutes more.
Stir in the tomatoes, broth, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, beans, herbs, cabbage, zucchini, and parsnips, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until all the vegetables and beans are tender, about 30 minute. Remove and discard bay leaf. Add salt and pepper.
Serve the soup warm or at room temperature with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
STUFFED ARTICHOKES
Serves 8
From GKC friend and fabulous chef Levana Kirschenbaum of Levanacooks.com
You can stuff artichoke bottoms with virtually anything you like: meat, fish, rice, vegetables, cheese, breadcrumbs. Simple add 1–2 cups chopped smoked fish, or cooked meat to this mixture to change it up. They are great for special occasions because they can be made a day ahead of serving.
1 large onion, quartered
4 large cloves garlic
2 ribs celery, peeled
1 bunch flat parsley
6-8 sprigs dill, fronds and stems
¼ cup olive oil
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons capers
3 cups fresh bread crumbs (gluten-free are fine here)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
14-16 large frozen artichoke bottoms, no need to thaw before using.
Cooking liquid:
2 cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 good pinches saffron
In a food processor, coarsely chop the onion, garlic, celery, parsley and dill. Heat the oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add vegetables and sauté the mixture until translucent. Add juice, zest, capers, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and mix thoroughly, adding a few drops water if necessary to form a thick paste.
Fill the artichokes with the mixture. In a medium saucepan, combine water, olive oil, turmeric, and saffron and to a boil. Place the artichoke bottoms stuffing side up in the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Transfer the artichokes to a platter. Continue to cook the sauce, until reduced slightly and thickened, about 5 more minutes. Pour sauce over artichokes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
WINE BRAISED LAMB WITH DRIED FRUIT
Serves 6
WINE BRAISED LAMB WITH DRIED FRUIT
This showstopper main course is a Purim favorite. Make it ahead of time and rewarm before serving. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. lamb stew meat (cut 1 inch thick)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
8 garlic cloves, halved
10 thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup dried cranberries (3 ounces)
1/2 cup dried apricots (3 ounces), quartered
1 ½ cups beef broth or chicken broth
In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Sprinkle the lamb with salt, pepper, and coriander. Add lamb, garlic, and thyme and cook over high heat, turning once, until the lamb pieces are browned and the garlic cloves are browned in spots, about 5 minutes.
Add the red wine, dried cherries and dried apricots to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cook over moderate heat until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the beef broth and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over moderately low heat until the lamb is tender and the sauce is thick and glossy, about 35 minutes; turn the lamb once or twice during cooking. Discard the thyme sprigs.
This can be made a day ahead of time. Skim fat and rewarm before serving.
MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH AVOCADO, MANGO AND HONEY VINAIGRETTE
Serves 8
MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH AVOCADO, MANGO AND HONEY VINAIGRETTE
This classic salad is sweet and savory. Feel free to use any seasonal fruit in place of mango like papaya, apple, pear, or persimmon (in the fall).
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons minced shallots
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4–5 cups mixed greens
1 cup diced ripe mangos or peaches
1/2 avocado, diced
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
In a blender or an immersion blender, combine vinegar, honey, shallots, mustard and garlic. Purée until smooth, 10 to 15 seconds. While continuing to blend, slowly drizzle the olive oil until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. Mix in salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use, or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
For the salad: In a bowl or on a platter combine the mixed greens, mango, avocado, and pine nuts. Drizzle about 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette into the bowl and season with salt and pepper. Toss the salad and serve. Add more dressing as needed.
BUTTERSCOTCH BLONDIES WITH PRETZELS AND PEANUTS
BUTTERSCOTCH BLONDIES WITH PRETZELS AND PEANUTS. photo: epicurious.com
Serves 12–16, makes about 35 pieces
In addition to hamantashen (see last year’s article or many varieties on www.gourmetkoshercooking.com) I serve lots of leftover treats from mishloach manot plus treats that I can make a serve in small pieces. People enjoy taking a bit of this and a bit of that instead of a full piece of cake or pie. These can be made a few days ahead of serving. They keep well in the refrigerator or in an airtight container. Recipe inspired by Bon Appetit, it’s been tested and edited.
Blondie
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) margarine
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Peanut Pretzel Caramel Filling
4 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine
1/2 cup pareve whipping cream
1 ½ cups (1-1/2″-wide) thin twisted pretzels, coarsely crushed
Blondie
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on long sides of pan.
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Stir margarine in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned bits form at bottom of pan, 7–8 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add brown sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat until well combined and mixture resembles wet sand, 2–3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until fluffy and well combined, about 2 minutes. Add dry ingredients; beat until smooth (batter will be thick). Using an offset or regular spatula, evenly spread batter in prepared pan.
Bake blondie until golden brown, edges pull away from sides of pan, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 20–25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
Peanut Pretzel Caramel Filling
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread peanuts over sheet in an even layer. Bake, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant, 5–7 minutes. Set aside.
Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, whisking to melt sugar. Increase heat; boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until caramel is deep amber, 12–15 minutes. Add honey; return to a boil, stirring often, about 1 minute longer. Add margarine; stir until blended. Add pareve cream (mixture will bubble vigorously); whisk until smooth. Stir in peanuts and pretzels. Pour over cooled blondie. Chill until cool, about 30 minutes.
Run a knife around short sides of pan to release blondie. Using parchment-paper overhang, lift from pan. Cut lengthwise into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into squares.
The International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) conference in Tel Aviv, presented by Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, featured representatives from more than 50 countries in the global tourism industry, Feb. 11-12, 2020. Photo by Chen Galili.
The event, featuring an exhibition of 11 startups, was attended by ministers and ambassadors from Nepal, the Republic of Srpska (Serb Republic), Greece, Honduras, Equatorial Guinea, Slovak Republic, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Georgia
By: Eliana Rudee
In the company of senior representatives from more than 50 countries in the global tourism industry, Israel’s Ministry of Tourism presented its developments and innovations for 2020 at the recent International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) conference in Tel Aviv.
The fair not only represents the flagship event of the Israeli tourism industry, but also the largest tourism fair in the greater Middle East.
Yaturu, an augmented-reality/virtual-reality company that produces walking tours of ancient Israel for tourists, was one of the featured startups at the International Mediterranean Tourism Market in Tel Aviv from Feb. 11-12, 2020. Photo by Eliana Rudee.
During the two-day fair from Feb. 11-12 in Tel Aviv, Israel’s Ministry of Tourism held a series of lectures and panels that presented several of the reforms and marketing-policy initiatives spearheaded that have led to record-breaking incoming tourism figures. Topics included, among many, accessibility in tourism and the development of the Negev as a tourism brand and leading tourism destination in Israel.
The 26th conference took place after a record-breaking year for incoming tourism with more than 4.5 million tourists in 2019—a 55 percent increase in just three years.
“Today, it is clear that tourism is a very significant economic growth engine for the State of Israel,” said Tourism Minister Yariv Levin. “We recently ended 2019 with an injection of more than NIS 22 billion (nearly $6.5 billion) into the Israeli economy from tourism. I am optimistic for 2020, and believe that the reforms and innovative steps we are spearheading will bear fruit this year as well, despite the budgetary challenges we are expecting to face.”
IMTM 2020’s opening event, held in Jerusalem, featured an exhibition of booths, food and 11 travel technology startups. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion attended the gala, as did ministers and ambassadors from Nepal, the Republic of Srpska (Serb Republic), Greece, Honduras, Equatorial Guinea, Slovak Republic, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Georgia.
In his address, Lion referred to the IMTM event as a “fulfillment of the words of Micah, who prophesized that all the nations of the world will come to Jerusalem.” He said it correctly portrays Jerusalem as a city thousands of years old, which birthed the world’s oldest faith, and yet, it is “a modern capital city and center of commerce” with flourishing technology.
Nofar Nistani, director of Jerusalem Entrepreneurs Tourism Hub for the Jerusalem Development Authority, expressed her pride in exposing guests from around the world to Israeli innovation and the future of tourism. “Israel has much to show, and we want to do it with technology and startups,” she told JNS.
‘The power to connect the Diaspora to its roots’
Ariel Karen, an Israeli actor and the emcee at the International Mediterranean Tourism Market conference in Tel Aviv, presented by Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, Feb. 11-12, 2020. Photo by Eliana Rudee.
Yaturu, an augmented-reality/virtual-reality company that produces walking tours of ancient Israel for tourists, was one of the featured startups, co-founded by Jonathan Dyne, an immigrant to Jerusalem from Sydney, Australia.
“Our goal is that when a person puts on our glasses and [virtually] stands in the Temple of King David, we can recreate it to better understand what it was like and have a sense of the history, so when they take off the glasses, they’ll have a better appreciation for the place,” Dyne told JNS.
Dyne says Yaturu’s virtual augmented tours, which are based in biblical Jerusalem, have the power to connect the Diaspora to its roots. “The story we tell is about Jewish roots in Jerusalem—it is based in the Kotel [Western Wall], the City of David and the dramas of King Solomon, King Hezekiah and Prophet Jeremiah—the essence of Jewish history in Jerusalem and Israel as a whole,” he said.
Dyne’s company has benefited from the growth of tourism in Jerusalem, he maintained, allowing further development of educational tours in the United States, Singapore and Costa Rica.
Ella Stahl, vice president of sales for Jerusalem-based trip-planning startup Gamitee, similarly referred to how the growth of tourism in Israel positively impacts her company and vice versa—how her company aims to positively impact Israel in return.
“As an Israeli travel startup, we are strongly and positively affected by the rise of tourism to Israel. Over the past few years, there have been many initiatives aimed at increasing tourism to Israel, and we are proud to take part in some of them,” she told JNS.
Gamitee, she explained, offers consumers planning their vacations a more streamlined process. Like a “WhatsApp group plus a wish list,” individuals can invite their travel companions to the website, cutting down the time it takes to plan a vacation. In return, clients are more likely to consume travel products and services on their trip, thereby contributing to the receiving economy.
“We offer our clients a more convenient way to book their vacations,” said Stahl, “and are hoping to see our tool put to use by the many more tourists who are now visiting Israel.”
El Al CEO Gonen Usishkin has asked the company’s human resources department to prepare to let go 1,000 of the company’s 6,300 employees, citing financial losses due to the global coronavirus outbreak, according to Israeli media reports.
By: JNS
El Al CEO Gonen Usishkin has asked the company’s human resources department to prepare to let go 1,000 of the company’s 6,300 employees, citing financial losses due to the global coronavirus outbreak, according to Israeli media reports.
El Al had reported to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that the epidemic could result in $70 million in lost revenue from January to April, according to a report by the Israeli business daily Globes on Thursday. This estimate was made before El Al was forced on Friday to stop flights to Italy for two weeks. Flights to Bangkok are being canceled until the end of March starting on Monday, while the launch of the carrier’s new flight to Tokyo is being delayed until April, the report said.
The global travel industry is being hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, with German carrier Lufthansa announcing that it is cutting its short-haul flights by up to 25 percent as demand drops, according to a report in the Financial Times on Friday. British Airways parent company IAG said that the situation meant that it could not provide a profit outlook for 2020.
Many companies are deciding to cancel scheduled events, and the Swiss government has banned all events expected to be attended by over 1,000 people, including the Geneva Motor Show, the report said.
As was previously reported by the Jewish Voice several weeks ago, the Chief Executive Officer of El Al said that he sees “difficult days ahead.” But is it the Israeli airline that self that is making those days difficult?
Usishkin has also said that “It is possible that we will be required to take dramatic steps and make painful decisions.” Recent situations, he added have proven to be “a test for countries around the world, including Israel, the aviation sector and El Al.”
He added, “I assure you that we will do everything we can to successfully get through these days, and we will do so responsibly, transparently and without haste… We are in the midst of a global event, and it is too soon to predict the impact… Safety and security will always be our top priority.”
But many believe it is the airline itself that is failing its test.
Indeed, a large number of flights both to and from Beijing and Hong Kong had to be canceled, and flights to Bangkok have been cut back by 50% over the past couple of weeks. To make matters worse, large numbers of tourists and other travelers have canceled their plans out of fear of being exposed to the virus.
An Italian army soldier blocks off a road leading to the village of Vo'Euganeo, in Italy's northern Veneto region, on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Vo'Euganeo is the epicenter of the Veneto cluster of the new virus. (Claudio Fulan/LaPresse via AP)
By: AP
A new U.S. government advisory on Sunday urged Americans not to travel to two Italian regions hardest hit by a new virus, raising the level of warning for the Lombard and Veneto regions to the highest level.
The advisory cited quarantines set up in 10 Lombard towns and one in Veneto, with a combined population of 50,000 people, as well as the ‘’the level of community transmission of the virus.”
It follows an earlier warning late Friday to avoid non-essential travel to all of Italy, where more than 1,100 cases were confirmed through Saturday along with 29 deaths.
Tourism officials have cited the previous warning covering all of Italy as potentially calamitous to the industry, which represents 13% of gross domestic product in a country famed for its world-class museums, archaeological sites, art cities and natural beauty.
More than 5.6 million Americans visit Italy every year, representing 9% of foreign tourists and the second-largest national group behind Germans, according to the most recent statistics.
Lombardy, which includes Italy’s financial capital Milan, accounts for just over half of the cases while Veneto and Emilia-Romagna have 18% and 20%, respectively. All three regions have closed schools for the time being. In Veneto and Lombardy, closures also have hit museums, theaters, cinemas and most public offices, emptying urban centers like Milan, where many companies permitted office workers to telecommute.
Earlier Sunday, the French community church in Rome, St. Louis of the French, closed its doors to the public on after a priest was infected with a new virus.
The church in the historic center of Rome is famous for three paintings by the Baroque master Caravaggio, making it a destination for tourists and the faithful alike. A sign on the door Sunday noted in French that the church had been closed as a precaution by the French Embassy for both Masses and touristic visits until further notice.
The Religious Information Service news agency reported that the church was closed after a 43-year-old priest who had returned to Paris was hospitalized after being infected by coronavirus. The service carried a statement by the archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, who said the priest, who had been living in Rome, returned to Paris by car in mid-February, and tested positive for the virus on Friday. The priest was in good condition, Aupetit said.
It was the first church in Rome closed by the virus. Churches in much of Veneto and Lombardy have closed their doors under widespread measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus. Televised Masses were available for the faithful.
Part of a group representing Koreatown restaurants sit and listen to community leaders voice their concerns during a news conference at Hanshin Poca restaurant in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
By: AP
In a Koreatown restaurant known for its beef bone broth soup, the lunchtime crowd Friday was half its normal size. The reason was a virulent rumor about a customer with coronavirus.
Han Bat Shul Lung Tang was one of five restaurants that lost business after being named in posts on a Korean messaging app that warned a Korean Air flight attendant with the virus had dined there during a layover in Los Angeles more than a week ago.
“It’s fake news,” owner John Kim said, and he had proof. His restaurant was closed at the time because of a water leak, a fact confirmed by the Department of Public Health.
The rumor about the flight attendant was dispelled Friday morning by the Republic of Korea consulate in Los Angeles. In a statement posted in Korean on Facebook, the consulate general said the attendant who visited Los Angeles on Feb. 19-20 had gone to two businesses but neither was in Koreatown. Later in the day, public health officials said the flight attendant was not contagious while in the city.
The rumor and the impact on the restaurants was a prime example of how fears of the virus combined with the speed and reach of social media can quickly cripple the healthiest of businesses and focus suspicion on ethnic communities.
The virus, which began in China, has been spreading worldwide and has taken a big toll lately in South Korea. Lawmakers and advocates for immigrant communities have warned about xenophobia and discrimination aimed at Asian Americans.
State Assemblyman Kansen Chu, D-San Jose, said Chinese businesses, in particular, were experiencing large economic losses as a result of racism and fear.
A group representing Koreatown restaurants said business in general was down about 50% since the rumor spread on the Kakao Talk app on Monday.
One message circulating on the app provided details of the flights the attendant worked on and listed the restaurants that said she purportedly visited with the message: “Please share with everyone to avoid these ktown spots,” using an abbreviation for Koreatown.
“In the Korean-American community here, it went like wildfire,” Alex Won said Friday as he ate a bowl of beef brisket soup at Han Bat Shul Lung Tang. “It’s sad.”
Won said he got the message from friends and family members, but never really believed it because it wasn’t reported in the news. He stopped at the restaurant at the start of the week and found it closed because of a water leak. He was happy to return for a late lunch Friday and was surprised to find he was the only diner.
“I’ve never seen it this empty,” he said. “There’s always people here.”
Owners of other restaurants named in the post said business died almost instantly.
At Honey Pig, a Korean barbecue restaurant with 25 tables, only six parties were seated during one bad day of business this week, owner Chin Kim said.
Customers had been calling to inquire if the rumors were true, and some asked more outlandish questions, Kim said. One woman who had dined at the restaurant recently called to ask if it was safe to attend her daughter’s upcoming wedding, Kim said.
Owners were frustrated they couldn’t get more information from public health officials. Korean news media reported Thursday that South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a female flight attendant who tested positive for the virus had traveled to Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said it was aware of reports about the flight attendant but had no confirmation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until late Friday. That’s when it said she did not develop symptoms of the illness known as COVID-19 until after leaving LA, so she posed no risk while in the city.
With a rumor they couldn’t confirm or deny, some restaurants took no chances. Video circulated on social media of a worker in a hazmat-type suit spraying down the floors at Hangari Kalguksu, a noodle soup house.
The sign outside Hanshin Pocha, a bar offering traditional Korean snack fare, boasts “never been closed since 1998.” Nevertheless, the establishment shuttered Tuesday to sanitize the restaurant. Bottles of hand sanitizer were lined up on a counter next to bottled water.
“It’s a bad rumor, but people like bad rumors,” said Jay Choi, manager of Hanshin Pocha.
