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| Today's newsletter is sponsored by Other Israel Film Festival JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT. Give a tax-deductible donation Holocaust historian set to testify today, Henry Kissinger's Israel legacy gets a re-write, a Native American Jew on the Braves' tomahawk chop and more. A FORWARD INVESTIGATION A bar mitzvah tutor, a sexual misconduct lawsuit and 25 years of silence
A New Jersey synagogue and day school failed to notify their communities that Akiva Roth, a teacher at both, pleaded guilty to lewd behavior with preteen boys in 1996, a new lawsuit alleges. The suit and a Forward investigation reveal previously unreported failures within both law enforcement and institutions that allowed his abuses to remain hidden – and Roth to keep working in Jewish organizations – for years.
The background: Roth tutored bar-mitzvah students at the East Brunswick Jewish Center, taught at the former Solomon Schechter of Essex and Union counties, and worked at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires until his arrest. After he was sentenced in 1997 to 10 years of probation, Roth worked at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Drew University’s Hillel and Yeshiva University.
New accusations: The testimony of four boys led to Roth’s original conviction, but decades later, others are sharing their experiences for the first time. Scott Schonfeld, 40, remembers being told never to speak of his bar mitzvah tutor’s transgressions – including when Roth exposed himself to him in a bathroom. “You’re literally the first person ever to ask me about it,” Schonfeld told our reporter.
The context: The lawsuit and other accusations come as the Conservative movement, like other parts of the Jewish community, are undergoing a reckoning over past handling of sexual and other misconduct. In October, it made public for the first time a list of rabbis it had expelled or suspended.
What’s next: After being informed of the lawsuit and other material gathered by the Forward, Camp Ramah hired a law firm to conduct an investigation. Roth did not respond to requests for comment made by phone and through Facebook, where he posts mini-sermons, including one about whether Moses was inappropriately “canceled.”
ALSO IN THE FORWARD Opinion | Henry Kissinger wasn’t bad for Israel – he helped save it. Though he is Jewish, the legendary Secretary of State was never too popular with the pro-Israel lobby. But Martin Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, says that’s unfair. Kissinger was “a skilled statesman whose diplomatic strategy helped Israel in fundamental ways,” writes Indyk, who just published a book about Kissinger based on “a deep historical review of thousands of declassified documents.” Read the essay >
Lipstadt may testify today in Charlottesville trial.As lawyers for nine plaintiffs injured during the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally try to convince a jury that the event was an illegal conspiracy to commit racist violence, Deborah E. Lipstadt is set to take the stand as a key expert in their case. Lipstadt, the Holocaust historian President Biden nominated as his antisemitism envoy, plans to argue that “white replacement theory,” which combines racism and antisemitism, underpinned the event. Our Arno Rosenfeld traveled to Charlottesville to cover her testimony and catches us up on what’s been happening since the trial began last week. Read the story >
A message from our sponsor: Other Israel Film Festival 15th Annual Other Israel Film Festival Nov 4 – 11 Virtual + In Person Don’t miss this year’s Other Israel Film Festival, providing an in-depth look into Israeli and Palestinian societies. For more info and tickets, visit otherisrael.org. MORE INFO + TICKETS
WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY 💉 A woman at a school-board meeting in suburban Phoenix blamed Jews for unsafe vaccines. “Comments really need to be related to what the school board can do something about,” the school-board president responded, “and this was not something we can do something about.” (JTA)
😮 A Jerusalem auction house is selling a set of stamps used to tattoo numbers on the arms of prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Yad Vashem called the sale “morally unacceptable” and questioned the authenticity of the items. Bidding is set to end on Nov. 9. (Haaretz)
🐘 Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has launched a political group with an eye towards running for president in 2024. He is slated to speak Thursday night at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual conference in Las Vegas, which will also include a tribute to Sheldon Adelson, the late GOP mega-donor and casino magnate. (Colorado Springs Gazette)
🕍 A New York rabbi who was fired and accused of trying to lead a coup against the synagogue’s senior rabbi is now holding rival services just blocks away. “We are embarking on a new journey,” read an invite. Approximately 80 people have RSVPed so far. (JTA)
⚽️ Nicolas Dlugach, the goalkeeper for Yeshiva University’s soccer team, made three stunning penalty saves in a shootout, helping the Maccabees advance to the next round in their conference tournament. Dlugach’s diving stops were impressive enough to be featured on the Spanish-language SportsCenter account. (Twitter)
Shiva call > Justus Rosenberg, who escaped the Nazis and helped others do the same, died at 100. During the war, he assumed a false identity, gathered military intelligence, received airdrops of weapons and other supplies from the British, and scouted hiding places for forest camps. He later received a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and the French Legion of Honor award for his heroism. Read more about his life >
FROM OUR OPINION SECTION I’m a Native American Jew. The Braves’ ‘tomahawk chop’ is racist:The Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians have both changed their names. But a popular fan chant in Atlanta lives on. “Rather than destroying a team’s traditions, Jews – who know all too well the dangers of stereotypes – can take part in transforming a destructive pop culture phenomenon into one that is healthy and positive,” writes Mahrinah Shije. Read the OpEd >
ON THE CALENDAR On this day in history: Ken Holtzman, a Major League Baseball pitcher, was born on Nov. 3, 1945. His 174 career victories make him the winningest professional Jewish pitcher, ahead of Sandy Koufax. (Although only one of them made our lineup of the best Jewish baseball players of all time.) After retiring from the majors, Holtzman tried out a few different careers, including managing an Israeli baseball team and helping run the gym at the St. Louis Jewish Community Center.
In honor of National Sandwich Day, check out this roundup of 9 super Jewish sammies curated by Molly Yeh, a Food Network host and Forward contributor.
Tonight at 7 p.m. ET: Around the world, there are 35 replicas of 770 Eastern Parkway, the world headquarters of Chabad-Lubavitch in Brooklyn. Meet the photographers who have been documenting every one of these buildings – in Brazil, Milan, New Jersey and beyond – the historian who uncovered 770’s surprisingly secular history, and the architect who designed one of the buildings. Register now >
VIDEO OF THE DAY Yiddish comedy duo Allen Lewis Rickman and Yelena Shmulenson told quite possibly the funniest Jewish baseball story ever as part of our recent virtual gala. In honor of the World Series, we wanted to share it here with our “Forwarding” readers. Pray ball!
Thanks to Laura E. Adkins, Louis Keene and Lauren Markoe for contributing to today’s newsletter. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at [email protected]. Support Independent Jewish Journalism The Forward is a non-profit 501(c)3 so our journalism depends on support from readers like you. You can support our work today by donating or subscribing. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of US law.
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