Category Archives: Washington Jewish Week
Sheldon Lehner: A Half-Century of Refereeing Kids’ Basketball Games and Teaching Them Life Lessons
Courtesy of Sheldon Lehner Sure, it’s about the hoops, but it’s even more about the kids. So says Sheldon Lehner, who was recently honored for 50 years of refereeing kids’ basketball games at a ceremony at the Jelleff Boys and Girls Club in Washington, D.C. “For 50 years, I’ve tried to reach kids through basketball, and my efforts were recognized. Read more » »
The Audacity of Israel’s Armchair Critics
By Daniel S. Mariaschin Since Oct. 7, the international community has been in a race to add new meaning to the word chutzpah. Just days ago, Josep Borrel, the European Union’s foreign minister and a former Spanish foreign minister, said, “Israel cannot have the veto right to the self-determination of the Palestinian people. Read more » »
A Un ‘Nakba’ Exhibit Goes Beyond the War of Words
A panel from an exhibit on the Palestinian “nakba” at United Nations headquarters in New York City.Courtesy of Charles Kaufman via JNS.org By Charles O. Kaufman Walk into the U.N.’s New York headquarters, graced with impressive sculptures, tapestries and an uplifting Marc Chagall stained glass, and one has a palpable sense of the U.N. Read more » »
Advocating for Global Jewry at B’nai B’rith International: Daniel S. Mariaschin
Courtesy of B’nai B’rith International B’nai B’rith International has existed for 180 years, providing support for Israel, the elderly and victims of natural disasters, with its efforts expanding across the globe over a century ago. Read more » »
The Cauldron of Horrors Is Both Real and Unreal
By Charles O. Kaufman Almost three months into the Israel-Hamas war, Jewish leaders are being guided through the villages of the Gaza envelope that were attacked on Oct. 7. I was part of a World Zionist Organization board mission and another mission organized by B’nai B’rith International. Read more » »
Europe Abandons the Jews Again
By Daniel S. Mariaschin We suspected it wouldn’t last much more than a week. In the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre, there was an outpouring of support for Israel in Europe. Read more » »
Sukkot’s Added Meaning in Gondar
By Jan Lee For many of us in North America, Sukkot is a time for expressing our fortune. It’s not only a time when we observe God’s commandment to “dwell in the sukkah” as a reminder of the Israelites’ journey out of slavery, but a time for expressing and showing the richness of our heritage as a people. Read more » »
Dagmar R. Henny
On Sept. 16, Dagmar R. Henny of Takoma Park, Md., passed away at the age of 92. A Holocaust survivor, Dagmar was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1931, fleeing the Nazis with her father during their reign. Her mother was murdered in Auschwitz in 1944. Read more »
Marilyn Bookford Bargteil
On July 15, Marilyn Bookford Bargteil, of Jerusalem. Born Dec. 2, 1940, she lived in the Washington area most of her life, until moving to Israel in May. She studied drama at the University of Maryland, but left to work at IBM and NASA as an engineer on one of the Apollo projects. Read more » »
‘Not in My Neighborhood’ A Montgomery County project maps the story of antisemitic, racist housing laws
(istock / Gettyimages / George Marks) Restrictive housing covenants, which denied racial, ethnic and religious minorities the right to live in certain neighborhoods are a thing of the past. But in Montgomery County, their long-term impacts can still be felt. Read more » »
