I am writing this article on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Ninety years ago, Jews in Nazi Germany were forbidden by law to attend concerts together with non-Jews, and 8,000 musicians, artists, dancers, opera singers and actors were expelled from their jobs. Instead, for propaganda purposes, they were offered their own Jewish orchestras and concerts, featuring the Jüdische Kulturbund, or Jewish Culture Association, created under the auspices of Joseph Goebbels’s ‘Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.’ In one way this backfired, as the great concerts, theater and operas were ..read more

Eve Lustig. Photo Courtesy. Eve Lustig has been connected to the Washington, D.C., Jewish community her entire life, having grown up in the District as the daughter of a local rabbi and spending plenty of time with fellow congregants for services and Shabbat dinners. Now, Lustig is back in D.C. after spending four years at Tulane University in New Orleans. She has spent most of the last two years working at Sixth & I as a Jewish life associate, getting more people involved in the same Jewish community that helped raised her. What’s your background and how did you end up at Sixth & I? I ..read more

Washington Jewish Week had a strong showing at the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association’s annual editorial and design awards ceremony on May 3 in Annapolis, winning 24 awards. The MDDC Press Association’s annual contest, which this year featured more than 1,550 entries in 86 categories, recognizes excellence in print and online journalism across the region. The organization represents more than 100 member news media organizations. Washington Jewish Week took home two Best of Show awards, 12 first-place awards and 10 second-place awards. A highlight of the event was Washington Jewish Week b ..read more

Campbell Weiss and Adam Dincin teach kindergarten students about inclusion at Temple Emanuel. Photo courtesy of Temple Emanuel Temple Emanuel in Kensington held an exciting program at its religious school with a “Teen Takeover” day for the teenage madrichim (leaders) to present a fun, personalized lesson about a wide variety of topics to students at every grade level in the religious school. The event, which was held on April 28, received a lot of positive feedback from parents, administrators and the children themselves, as it allowed the younger kids to get a fun lesson from their older peer ..read more

Adobe stock / Shabtay On Israel’s Memorial Day, Yom Hazikaron, Congregation B’nai Tzedek will screen a documentary and discuss the unfolding tragedy of the Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival on Oct. 7. That is just one new and sobering way that local Jewish organizations and synagogues will commemorate Yom Hazikaron, which honors victims of terrorism and the soldiers who gave their lives in defense of the state of Israel. The Conservative synagogue in Potomac will also hold a remembrance ceremony led by Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt and Cantor Marshall Kapell. Though there are differing dates ..read more

Edward Arthur Sands, 84, surrounded by his loving family, passed away peacefully on April 22. Eddie, as he was affectionately called, grew up in a caring home in Brooklyn, New York, with his parents, Max and Bess Silverman, and sister, Elaine. After graduating from the City College of New York, he earned a master’s degree in business at the University of Illinois and joined the Army Reserves before moving to Washington, D.C., where he met Roberta Rosenfield. Eddie and “Bonnie” were married in 1964. Two years later, Eddie, along with his father-in-law Albert “Abe” Rosenfield, opened Woodley Win ..read more

Nimrod Raphaeli, 91, of Falls Church, Virginia, passed away on April 16. He was born in Basra, Iraq, to Noor (Aslan) and Abner Raphael. When religious persecution forced them to flee Iraq, the family emigrated to Israel. At age 19, Nimrod adapted to a new culture, attended university and became, at 24, the director of administration of Israel’s Labor Party, Tel Aviv Branch. In 1960, awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, he came to the U.S. for graduate studies, completing an MPA at U. Pitt. and a Ph.D. and a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan. He met and married Ellen (Cerf) in ..read more

On April 23, Esther M. Lipman of Chevy Chase, Maryland, passed away. She was the beloved wife of the late Rabbi Eugene Lipman, loving mother of Jonathan Lipman and David Lipman, and is also survived by four grandchildren (Avi Lipman, Kivie Cahn-Lipman, Mia Lipman and Shira Cahn-Lipman) and four great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Capital Area Food Bank or to the Rabbi Eugene Lipman Social Action and Tzedakah Fund at Temple Sinai. The post Esther M. Lipman appeared first on Washington Jewish Week ..read more

Jack Herman passed away peacefully on April 24. He was born and grew up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, lived in Chevy Chase and Rockville, Maryland, and was a seasonal Floridian. He is the son of the late Rose and Israel Herman; the beloved husband of 70 years to Florence Harrison Herman who predeceased him; the father of David Herman (Iris Kluser) and Robin Herman Windt (Allan Windt); and the loving brother of Claire Herman Sklar. He is also the grandfather of eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren who adored their Pop-Pop. He was a vice president of Harrison Bros. in Washington, D.C ..read more

This year’s primary season has several local races for the selection of Democratic and Republican candidates for the Nov. 5 elections. They range from candidates for president of the United States down to candidates for local school boards. There are many choices and many qualified candidates. Maryland’s Democratic Party primary is on May 14. Virginia’s is on June 18. Early voting and mail-in ballots are already available in both jurisdictions. There are many friends of the Jewish community and supporters of a continuing, strong relationship between the United States and Israel who are running ..read more