The Milwaukee Chevra Kadisha, the Jewish burial society, hosted an appreciation dinner for its members on March 19, 2024, at the Bader Philanthropies headquarters. It is traditional for Chevra Kadisha organizations to gather for such events around the seventh day of the Jewish month of Adar, which is considered the yahrzeit anniversary of the death of Moses. Chevra Kadisha volunteers who come from all parts of the Milwaukee Jewish community perform pre-burial rituals whenever called upon and in conjunction with all of the funeral homes in Milwaukee, where Jewish funerals are held. Rabbi Dovid Perlman, coordinator of the men’s taharas, as the rituals are called, led planning for the event, which was attended by more than 50 people.   

To bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance. In his 1790 letter of reply to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, George Washington echoed the words of first generation Jewish-American Moses Seixas who had penned them as part of a congratulations and query to the newly inaugurated first U.S. president with the aim of ensuring that American Jews would be afforded the fundamental rights spelled out in the U.S. Constitution. 

The letter, which has been described as the most important document in American Jewish history, represents two key springboard concepts highlighted at the summit, ‘Museums Respond: Strategies for Countering Antisemitism & Hate’ — the inherent link between antisemitism and democracy, and harnessing the power of primary resource collections. I was invited to join more than 100 leaders from American museums, libraries and archives, who convened to discuss this challenging, alarming moment in our country and our role in meeting it.  The summit was organized by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, in partnership with the Council of American Jewish Museums, part of work for the White House’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. 

Along with libraries, museums are the most trusted sources for information. Their collections and exhibits represent and speak to heritage, hardship and resilience, and as storytellers, they inspire connection and empathy. For Jewish museums, furthering these unique abilities is tied to re-thinking our traditional narratives and approaches to addressing antisemitism. One of the oldest forms of prejudice, antisemitism has waxed and waned while remaining omnipresent in the U.S. for centuries. The distinguishing feature underlying hatred of and hostility toward Jews lies in its conspiracy theory origins.   

There is the notion of Jews being nefarious and subhuman, while simultaneously superhuman in their ability to infiltrate, manipulate, control and promote their own agenda to the detriment of others, like those set forth in the widely distributed “The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion.” Jews have been used as a means of explaining and scapegoating societal problems. These age-old beliefs are regularly repackaged and recycled — a normalized process that has aided the resurgence of antisemitism.  

The dispelling of negative, fictitious ideas of who and what Jews and Judaism are not, requires education about who and what we are. This means the tenets, traditions and values at our core, combined with an accounting of Judaism in America, the origins of antisemitism, and how it has functioned historically in the U.S.  For museum visitors to care about antisemitism, they must be able to see themselves in the story – in the chronicles and artifacts which can connect people across space and time. This correlation of experiences and thoughts promotes the understanding that there is a Venn diagram between antisemitism and all forms of racism and hatred. In turn, this underscores the importance of allyship.  Antisemitism is a red flag indicator of an exclusionary society. It’s the kind of society which puts everyone’s freedoms and safety at risk. Finding ways in which diverse ethnic institutions and organizations can work together and help one another is key to combating it. 

Jewish museums have begun an important dialogue about strategies for affecting sustainable change. Through narrative modifications, using our collections to address and engage with current events, and continuing to inspire the trust our communities have instilled in us, we can meaningfully grow our role as essential resources and supporters of our communities. 

 * * *
Molly Dubin is chief curator of Jewish Museum Milwaukee, a program of Milwaukee Jewish Federation. 

Six years ago, a group of neo-Nazis and white supremacists orchestrated a violent attack on an anti-racism protest in Charlottesville, Va. held as a counter to their own rally. They planned for weeks, down to what to wear and even what to bring to lunch and how they would claim self-defense when one of them drove down a packed street slamming into protesters.  

At the time of the horrific event that left one dead and several injured, Amy Spitalnick was the communications director at the Office of the New York State Attorney General. Soon after, she got an opportunity to work for Integrity First for America, a nonprofit civil rights group that helped fund a successful $26 million lawsuit against the organizers of the white nationalist rally. 

“I didn’t know how anyone could say no to that let alone someone (like) me as a granddaughter of survivors of the Holocaust,” Spitalnick said during a recent visit to Milwaukee as keynote speaker during the Edie Adelman Political Awareness Lecture, an annual event held by the Women’s Philanthropy of Milwaukee Jewish Federation.  

I was “someone who really thought we were past that in this society. In the last six, seven years they have been emboldened in ways that none of us could have expected,” she added.   

Now, Spitalnick is the CEO of Jewish Council for Public Affairs and a leading national voice against antisemitism and hate in the U.S. 

“What happened in Charlottesville that weekend wasn’t an isolated incident but really a harbinger of the broader extremism and hate that we’ve seen across this country in recent years,” she said.  

Spitalnick said especially after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, antisemitism “is coming from all directions” and  being normalized through political and social rhetoric.  

“What’s unique about antisemitism is that it also operates as insidious, pernicious conspiracy theory related to ideas of Jewish control and power,” Spitalnick said. “Antisemitism just doesn’t threaten the Jewish community …. but it also threatens each and every one of us because this conspiracy theory sows distrust in our democracy and institutions.” 

The event was the brainchild of Edie Adelman, who was an influential leader in the city’s Jewish community. This year’s lecture  was originally planned to address threats to democracy.  

“But after Oct. 7, we felt it was imperative to acknowledge the extremely concerning increase in antisemitism we are seeing,” said Carrie Steinberger, a Milwaukee Jewish Federation board member. 

Spitalnick said over time, those who espouse antisemitic ideas have been more emboldened.  

“The celebration … [and] denial of what happened on Oct. 7 is one of the main manifestations of this,” she said. “The ways that it has continued in different forms over the last five and a half months, is not just heartbreaking, but also deeply dangerous.” 

The key, she said, is not to fall prey to deniers of Oct. 7 and to get lost in their arguments and debates.  

“Rather, really focus our energies on the allies, potential allies and partners who are in that movable middle and open to having constructive conversations,” Spitalnick said. “What we can do as a Jewish community is to recognize that there is nuance and complexity there.” 

The Milwakee County Board of Supervisors issued a proclamation March 21, commending Chelsea Cross for her community contributions and efforts. Cross, who is a member of the local Jewish community, is pictured at left with Miryam Rosenzweig, president and CEO of Milwaukee Jewish Federation, after the presentation of the award in the County Courthouse building. Cross and others were granted awards that day in celebration of Women’s History Month. County Board Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman, also part of the local Jewish community, presented Cross with the award for her work, which includes serving on the boards of Tikkun Ha-Ir and Ovation Jewish Home, plus holding a position with the Midwest Regional Jewish Diversity and Racial Justice Collaborative.  

Last month, Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s “Solidarity Mission to Israel” brought 14 witnesses to Israel at a time of crisis. This was not the first time. 

In fact, it was one more step in a history of mission trips in support of Israel During Israel’s crises, Milwaukee has stepped up time and again. Here are just a handful of examples of past missions at moments of peril, from the 1960s and 70s. 

A 1969 mission trip took 25 men from Milwaukee to Israel, the largest contingent in history up to that moment, according to our reporting at the time. The December 1969 trip, a little more than two years after the Six-Day War, arrived in the middle of the Egyptian War of Attrition. This meant shelling from Egypt, which coincided with terrorist attacks from Jordan. Missiles were fired into Israeli cities and villages. 

The men visited the Bet Shean Valley border kibbutzim, shelters, and the Sinai area, which was the site of sporadic clashes at the time. 

Women went at the time, too. The first national Women’s Division Mission to Israel, from Milwaukee, was also in 1969. Five women leaders from the Milwaukee Jewish Welfare Fund, the predecessor to Milwaukee Jewish Federation, traveled to Israel in its moment of need.  

We reported in our Jan. 17, 1969 edition, following the writing conventions of the time: “Winging their way to Israel will be Mrs. Raymond C. Waisman, president of the Women’s Division of the Welfare Fund, who is a past chairman of the women’s campaigns in Milwaukee, and Mrs. Sidney Lieberman, a vice president, education; Mrs. Ralph Eder, chairman, Highlighter’s Division;  Mrs. Lorimer Hankin, vice chairman, Stylesetter’s Division, and Mrs.  Esther J. Sarfatty, director, Women’s Division here.” 

Four Milwaukee rabbis also joined a national “study mission” at that fraught time, in February of 1969, according to Chronicle archives. Rabbis Dudley Weinberg of Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun, Jay Brickman of Congregation Sinai, David Shapiro of Anshe Sfard and Joseph Gorfinkel of Congregation Beth Israel were named as the rabbis making the trip.  

“We Rabbis, Orthodox, Conservative and Reform, are going to Israel together to demonstrate the solidarity of American Jewry in its concern for the welfare and the security of our brothers and sisters in Israel and to learn at first hand the nature and dimensions of the burdens which Israel is required to bear,” Weinberg told the Feb. 7, 1969, Chronicle. 

In 1974, the year after the Yom Kippur War that served as a particularly fraught moment for Israel, Milwaukee Jewish Federation organized their portion of a national “Prime Minister’s Mission” to Israel.  

“On this mission, our group will visit the battle sites on the Sinai and Golan for briefings by officers of the Israel Defense Forces,” Joseph Lurie told the Chronicle at the time. He was associate chairman of the 1974 Federation Campaign. 

“We will meet with newly arrived immigrants and share their joy,” he said. “Top level Israeli government and military leaders will meet with us for briefings on the dimensions of the problems faced by Israel in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War.” 

For Ryan Kelly, 18, trading sports jerseys with an Israeli player whose kibbutz was attacked on Oct. 7 will be a moment he never forgets. The exchange of jerseys was a moment in Ryan’s recent participation in international Jewish games overseas. 

The Franklin native said that meeting other athletes helped him “understand what some of them went through to just be at the games.” 

Ryan and his mother, Debbie Minsky-Kelly, participated in the 15th Pan American Maccabi Games, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from Dec. 26, 2023 through Jan. 4, 2024. 

Both are at Carthage College in Kenosha: Ryan is a volleyball player and part of the class of 2027, and Debbie is field director and clinical assistant professor in the School of Social Work.  

Ryan participated in a U.S. boys’ volleyball team, among approximately 12 other boys from across the country. Many players joined from California, Florida or Illinois. Ryan was the only player on the team from Wisconsin.  

Ryan played as the setter when his team won the bronze medal in a match against the Israeli team. “The more we practiced and played together, the more our connection grew. All the hitters learned the sets better. That really helps a volleyball team because you get to know each other’s habits, what people were going to do when,” Ryan said. 

Debbie participated in the games as the sole mental health professional for the approximately 700 people from the USA delegation. She acted as a resource for athletes who needed support: whether for interpersonal conflicts, processing grief, or facing the consequences an injury could have on the remainder of their season.  

Debbie said she felt grateful she could be there to support her son in person and  the broader group. A highlight was hearing the then-newly elected president of Argentina Javier Milei speak at the opening ceremony. “It was really cool to see what a big deal it was for Argentina to host this event, and see how welcomed we were by the highest levels of their government,” she said. 

The Maccabi games had a different tone this year, with the recent events in Israel contributing to a constant background reminder of vulnerability. “The organizers of the games were very transparent about needing conversations following Oct. 7 and security,” Debbie said. “They decided to go on with the games as an important statement of solidarity, and not giving in to our fear and still wanting to gather as Jewish people in spite of world events.”  

After winning the bronze medal match, Ryan exchanged jerseys with Topaz Kemeny, a player on the Israeli volleyball team, as a symbolic representation of understanding the trauma and challenges the Israeli team faced this year. On Oct. 7, Hamas destroyed Kemeny’s kibbutz, and his girlfriend was killed. Ryan said that trading their jerseys will be “something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life…reminding myself to be grateful for what I have and to understand that everyone’s different.” 

Ryan Kelly and his mother, Debbie Minsky-Kelly, went to the 15th Pan American Maccabi Games, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 * * *

Maccabi USA, the organization behind the games in Argentina, seeks to build Jewish pride through sports and promotes support for Israel, Zionism and Jewish continuity through athletic, educational and cultural experiences for participants of all ages.

Sarah Langer said she felt lost after the Oct. 7 attack in Israel by Hamas.

The events of that day resulted in about 1,200 deaths and about 250 people being taken hostage, according to news reports. As the war continued, Langer said she felt compelled to act.

Originally from Glendale, Langer now lives in Chicago, where she works in real estate investment. Langer said she does not necessarily identify as a Zionist, but she feels “a deep, inexplicable connection to Israel.”

In the wake of the war, Langer wanted to be of service.

“There’s so much that needs to be done,” Langer said. “We’re so far away, and giving money is great, and it’s definitely needed. … But when I saw that there was a volunteer mission, I was like ‘OK, I’m gonna go.’”

Langer signed up for a trip organized by the Jewish National Fund. She spent Dec. 24 -28 last year volunteering and learning about the impact of the conflict.

During her trip, Langer said she worked at an agricultural cooperative and assembled care packages for soldiers and patients at Soroka Medical Center, the hospital that took care of many of the wounded in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack.

For Langer, an important aspect of the trip was hearing personal accounts. As an example, she said, her group of volunteers stayed in the dormitories of a high school, where the food service program was run by a Chasidic Jewish man. The man also volunteers with United Hatzalah of Israel, an ambulance service.

Despite his religious practices, Langer said she learned the man kept his phone on and responded to the attack, which took place during Simchat Torah.

“The volunteering was almost secondary just to being able to hear from folks and being able to come back and share what we heard from them,” Langer said.

Initially, Langer said, she did not share much about her travels, believing she ought to make her contributions with humility and anonymity. She said she decided to open up about the experience as she saw the events in Israel and Gaza become a polarizing topic.

Langer said she does not support all positions of the Israeli government, but she felt “that the Jewish people needed me, and that the situation with the hostages, regardless of your viewpoint, is something that is heartbreaking.”

Langer hopes sharing stories from her mission trip will generate support for Israel and for the release of the remaining hostages. She said she encourages people to separate thoughts about the Israeli government from the war in Gaza.

This is Lori Fisher’s second year teaching sixth and seventh grade at Congregation Sinai, but don’t let that fool you; she is no stranger to teaching or to Sinai!  

Fisher says she practically grew up there. Her mother, Marsha Fensin, was the cantorial soloist at Sinai for many, many years, and Fisher spent the first 18 years of her life attending the congregation. She also spent many years teaching at Congregation Emanu-El Waukesha back in the early 2000s. So when Jen Friedman and Karen Berk of Congregation Sinai called Fisher and asked her to come teach Sunday school in 2022, she was excited to get back to her roots. After living in Waukesha for so long, Fisher felt a little alienated and thought, “This is the best way for me to be a part of the Jewish community again. Let’s go back to the Temple I grew up in!”  

After high school, Fisher traveled throughout the U.S. and lived in Florida, Oklahoma, and Mississippi while working as a dolphin and sea lion trainer. In 2000, she decided to come home and moved to the Waukesha area. Fisher met her future husband shortly after moving home. They soon got married and had three children. Living in Waukesha and being married to someone who wasn’t Jewish, Fisher said she felt disconnected from Jewish life, so she decided to pursue a teaching position at CEEW and taught there for many years.  

Inspired by Nicolet High School teacher John Kessler, Fisher strives to follow in his footsteps. She explained that he was very animated and had an enthusiasm for teaching that Fisher hadn’t experienced before. “There was never a dull moment in his class,” she said. 

Fisher prides herself on using teaching methods that are “outside of the box.”  “I am a big advocate of letting the kids be a part of their own education,” she said. “I don’t believe in standing up and just lecturing and doing all of the teaching.”  

While Fisher admits she loves to talk, she expresses that’s not how she likes to teach. “I want them [the students] to learn from each other.”  

Her favorite part about teaching can be summed up with one word: connection. Fisher enjoys the connection she makes with each student as well as each students’ personal connection to Torah. She hopes students can take what they learn in Sunday school and carry it into their lives. This year, Fisher is teaching both Jewish debates and Hebrew. She explained the hardest part of teaching is that the students go to school all week and then come to school on Sundays. The middle school students are tired, and they want to see their friends on the weekends. Her secret sauce? Fisher gives them a moment in the beginning of class to socialize, space which she said allows them to focus for the rest of class.   

During the week, Fisher works at Badgerland Supply, not  far from her home. She still has two kids at home (ages 16 and 18) and  appreciates the flexibility her job provides. Fisher loves to read and relax in her free time. “I have a book in my car, one in my purse and one next to my bed. I’m usually reading at least two books at a time!” When in Milwaukee, Fisher loves to visit Benjis; her favorite Jewish food is falafel. She would like you to know that she is excited to be teaching and working  in a Jewish space again. She said she knows she can come off a little strong, but she added that always means well. Fisher is the proud recipient of the Salute to Jewish Educator’s Teacher Impact Award this year as well as the Gill Incentive for Teachers Award in 2011.  

* * *

Writer Nicole Boico is the associate director of the Coalition for Jewish Learning of Milwaukee Jewish Federation. This regular feature, from the Coalition for Jewish Learning, is to celebrate local educators. To suggest someone for coverage, contact Boico at NicoleB@MilwaukeeJewish.org.

A specialist on how people learn about Holocaust history and prejudice will speak in Milwaukee.  

That speaker, Danny M. Cohen, is an associate professor of instruction in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. He teaches courses on Children and the Holocaust, The Holocaust and Education and Holocaust Memory, Memorials and Museums. 

A London native and the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, Cohen will serve as the keynote speaker for the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Yom HaShoah commemoration on May 5.  

“I’m a learning scientist by training,” Cohen told the Chronicle in an interview. “Concerned with how people learn, and my specialization is in how people learn about not only Holocaust history but also how we learn about acceptance, how do we learn about compassion, how do we learn about prejudice, and how to undo and challenge prejudice in our communities and within ourselves.”  

Cohen’s work is rooted in his experience as a teenager. He ran peer-led youth programs in London, working with immigrant communities and people from various religious backgrounds. He also worked in human rights education in South Africa. Some exposure to antisemitism and even Holocaust denial led him to pursue academic work and Holocaust scholarship.  

Cohen plans to “connect the history with our lives and the world today” when he speaks in Milwaukee, as he typically does in public speeches.  

“My goal is to really help people think about, ‘What is our relationship to Holocaust memory today? And how should we be using it, or how could we be using it — and how should we not be using it — as a lens for violence or our world today?’” he said.  

“The Holocaust has been and maybe has always been, but maybe even more so recently, politicized by people with different goals and different perspectives. And often, that politicization is not even intentional. It’s such an extreme example — in some ways, the extreme example — of where prejudice and hatred can lead. I think we very quickly grab hold of it, hold on to it, and hold it up as a warning, which isn’t wrong; it should be a warning for humanity. A warning for the world, but what obviously becomes controversial, and what becomes really tricky to navigate, is when the Holocaust is used as a mirror for very complex global events.”  

Cohen realizes that recent events have been very difficult for American Jews.  

“Especially since Oct. 7, within the Jewish community, there’s been so much collective trauma, and I would say unnamed or even hidden collective trauma, and I think we need to really be explicit about naming that and supporting each other through that collective experience. And within that collective experience, we have so many different complex responses, emotional and intellectual.”  

Cohen added that he sees his role as not only teaching the history of the Holocaust itself but about “how to figure out how we feel” about both the Holocaust and other traumatic events.  

In 2022, Cohen came to Milwaukee to deliver an interactive talk on “Mickey Mouse and the Holocaust,” also under the auspices of HERC.  

Cohen uses his middle initial to distinguish himself from the world’s many other Danny Cohens, one of whom is the executive producer of the recent Holocaust film, “The Zone of Interest.” 

* * *

Milwaukee Yom HaShoah commemoration
Featuring Danny M. Cohen

May 5, 3 p.m.
At the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center

Presented by the JCC, Milwaukee Jewish Federation and the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center

Why is this night different from all other nights? 

Well, it’s Passover. It’s also Earth Day.  

Both holidays celebrate renewal and redemption. The yearning for freedom, of Passover, has been compared to the yearning for liberation from the great issues facing the Earth. 

If you’re looking to celebrate the Earth before or after your Seder, consider the Mequon Nature Preserve. The preserve, located at 8200 W. County Line Road, is home to 510 acres of prairies, wetlands and woods along with six miles of trails to hike and explore. 

“We are free and open every day of the year from sunup to sundown, so people can come out and hike. We’re dog friendly,” said Amanda Neimon, the preserve’s ecological outreach manager. “You can run, bike, snowshoe and cross-country ski during the winter months.” 

The preserve will hold its own Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 27. The event will feature a presentation by water expert Marissa Jablonski, a guided tour and lunch.  

“We all love nature here and know the importance of nature,” Neimon said. “It’s a really great time for people to just get outside enjoy and help nature.” 

During April, visitors can also take part in scheduled craft and story time events for children and Woodcock Wander, a guided viewing of the unique species.  

“They’re kind of a funny little bird. They have a real cool mating call,” Neimon said about the Woodcock bird. “They kind of bob their head a bit.” 

The preserve was made possible by a grant from Richard Paddock to the Greater Milwaukee Foundation 24 years ago. The City of Mequon leases the property for $1 annually to Mequon Nature Preserve, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.  

“There were lots of barren fields, and now it is a blooming prairie with lots of plants and flowers growing,” she said. “It’s really cool to see how the land will heal back to what it wants to be.” 

For those who want to get involved, the preserve offers opportunities for community members to volunteer to help restore the grounds with staff. Volunteers help staff plant trees, clean up the premises and assist with field trips that visit the facility.  

“There’s a lot of (volunteer) groups that come out,” Neimon said. They “either help pick up litter off the trails and around the road” or “remove mustard or garlic mustard that has started to pop up.” 

Visitors can use adventure backpacks, snowshoes and four-wheel wheelchairs, made available by the preserve free of charge. They can also take advantage of the preserve’s natural play space, hammock station and 40-foot observation tower.  

“We can see the full preserve… for miles all around from the tower,” Neimon said. 

* * *

April 22, 2024
The first night of Passover
Earth Day

* * *

Mequon Nature Preserve
Trails open sunup to sundown; dog friendly.
Education Center is open this month, Monday-Friday. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Education center includes live animals and a library
8200 W. County Line Road; MequonNaturePreserve.org