Greetings!
Many in our community have read “Faith and Destiny,” the heroic autobiography of Rabbi Philip Lazowski, a Holocaust survivor whose incredible story and indomitable spirit have inspired tens of thousands across our community and beyond. Less well known is the story of his wife, Ruth Lazowski (née Rabinowitz) and her family.
The Rabinowitz family’s remarkable tale of resilience and survival is now documented in a powerful book entitled “Into the Forest: A Holocaust Story of Survival, Triumph, and Love” by West Hartford native Rebecca Frankel. The story has profound resonance this week in the wake of yet another antisemitic attack and the eightieth anniversary of the Wannsee Conference, where German leadership delineated their plans to exterminate all Jews.
Through Frankel’s book, we experience the Rabinowitz family’s escape from a Polish ghetto on the verge of annihilation and their two-year odyssey of deprivation and survival in the Lipiczany forest near their home – frozen, hungry, and relentlessly pursued by the Nazis.
The narrative is gripping and emotional – but what impressed me the most was the leadership traits, values, and resilience of Ruth’s parents, Miriam and Morris Rabinowitz. Standing in a selection line in the Zhetel Ghetto, Miriam risked her and her daughters’ lives by pretending that a boy named Philip Lazowski was her son. Morris not only kept his family together and alive against overwhelming odds; he also invited others to join their family camp, despite the scarcity of food and an increased threat of detection and death.
In a 2017 essay entitled “Keeping the Faith: Resilience in the Jewish Tradition,” Rabbi Deborah Waxman cites the American Psychological Association’s definition of resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats and even significant sources of stress,” and she quotes Harvard University psychologist George Vaillant, who “suggests that resilience can be understood as a ‘twig with a fresh, green living core’ that springs back and continues to grow after encountering pressure.”
As the Jewish community continues to face threats, we would do well to remember the defining stories and values of the Rabinowitz and Lazowski families – bravery, ingenuity, generosity, and resilience – which allow the Jewish people to not only survive but thrive. You can hear them for yourself on Monday evening, when Voices of Hope and all seven Connecticut Jewish Federations present “Into the Forest,” an online conversation between author Rebecca Frankel and the Lazowskis’ granddaughter Elizabeth. Register here.
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David Waren
President & CEO
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Jewish Free Loan Fund at One Year Old: A Vital Lifeline for Community Members in Sudden Need |
Our Federation is excited to celebrate the first anniversary of the Jewish Free Loan Fund of Greater Hartford, which provides a hand up — not a handout — to community members in need through interest-free loans. This brainchild of Ann and Jeremy Pava grew out of the Federation's and Jewish Community Foundation's Rapid Relief and Recovery Fund — and it has already helped families pay for medical bills, day care, and funeral expenses and kept small businesses afloat in a rough economy. The Jewish Free Loan Fund recently raised its loan limits to $10,000 per household and $15,000 for small businesses, and it now accepts applications from Jewish families and businesses across Connecticut. "In Judaism, one of the best ways to give is to create an atmosphere where a person can again become independent," says Ann Pava, who now chairs the fund. "This fund does just that." Read the full story here. To apply for a loan or donate to the fund, email JewishFreeLoan@jewishhartford.org.
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UConn Center for Judaic Studies Nurtures Top-Notch International Talent |
Did you know your contribution to Federation’s Annual Campaign supports academic programs at UConn's Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life that attract and nurture top-notch international students? Matheus Machado Rinco is a Brazilian graduate student who recently completed his UConn master's thesis on rabbinic views of legal competence and the judicial role of non-rabbis in late-antiquity Palestine. He studied under UConn Professor Stuart Miller, Ph.D., an expert in Talmudic literature, and says, "I was so impressed by Professor Miller's scholarship before I arrived at UConn, but I was also amazed at how much care he and the other professors showed their students, directing our studies and opening new perspectives within my research." Matheus is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University. Read more about Matheus and UConn's Judaic Studies program here.
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Above: Matheus Machado Rinco on the UConn campus.
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The More We Learn, the Closer We Feel: SNEC Helps Us Explore the People and Culture of Afula-Gilboa |
After nearly two years of lockdown, strengthening the "living bridge" between American Jewish and Israeli communities is more important than ever. The Southern New England Consortium (SNEC) plays a vital role in connecting local Jewish communities to the people of Afula-Gilboa, our sister region in Northern Israel. The consortium connects twelve Federations in our region with residents and organizations in Afula-Gilboa through the Jewish Agency for Israel's Partnership2Gether initiative. Throughout the pandemic, SNEC has supported Afula-Gilboa with funding, medical equipment, and even tablets for Ethiopian immigrant children at the Jewish Agency's local absorption center. The Jewish Agency recently released a short English language video series showcasing aspects of life and culture there. And on February 13 at 11 a.m., our Federation's Jewish Community Relations Council, SNEC, and the Jewish Agency will hold the first in a three-part Zoom series on shared society in the region, which is home to many religions and ethnicities. Click here to read more about the partnership and here to register for the February 13th program.
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Above: Based in Afula and supported by Partnership2Gether and SNEC, the national Tarbut ("Culture") Movement creates artistic opportunities for teens and adults.
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