Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on March 30, 2024

Matzo packaging, before (left) and after rebranding.

Chances are, if youve ever been to a Passover seder, youre familiar with Manischewitz name, which is a near-ubiquitous presence for such celebrations. Now the brand -- which is over 130 years old -- is launching an effort to become even more ubiquitous, by appealing to a broader range of consumers. Along with the rebranding, Manichewitz is also introducing a series of new products ahead of the Passover season.

The company characterizes the effort as its first major rebranding in over 20 years, and the campaign arrives around half a decade after Manischewitz was acquired by parent company Kayco in 2019 a year which also saw a logo redesign. While many may associate the brand name with Manischewitz Wine, that property was acquired by E& J Gallo from Constellation Brands in 2021, and will not be affected by the current effort.

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Through this rebranding, we aim to capture the hearts of the culturally curious and kosher-keeping alike, offering a taste of Jewish tradition that's accessible to all, Kayco CMO Shani Seidman said in a statement. Inspired by the inclusivity seen in brands with other cuisines, Manischewitz seeks to become the emblematic gateway to Jewish culture, one delicious product at a time.

Manichewitz partnered with global branding agency Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) for the campaign launching March 26, and will feature the redesign -- which includes a new logo, updated color scheme, typography, and other visual elements -- across Manichewitzs roster of food products, and promoted on its packaging, in-store displays, social media accounts, and website.

The campaign will continue to run throughout April to support the brand in the lead-up to, and during, the 2024 Passover season (April 22-April 30). Marketing initiatives centered around a Jewish Food For All brand platform will run across Facebook advertising, OOH billboards in subways and on highways, and across digital media channels, as well as Manischewitz merchandise for sale on its website which feature brand Yiddishisms also included in its advertising.

Some examples of the phrases featured in campaign advertising include "Latzo Matzo And Much More," "Live Love Latke," "Delicious Food Has Always Been Our Schtick," and "Soup With Chutzpah."Redesigned packaging includes new imagery from Jewish photographer Yechiel Orgel, as well as phonetic spellings of Yiddish food terms like Luck-shen (egg noodles) to educate new customers.

Manischewitzs roster of new products for the upcoming Passover season includes the brands first ever frozen foods, and encompasses Manischewitz gluten-free and Kosher for Passover Knishes; Manischewitz Frozen Gluten Free Matzo Balls; and Manischewitz Grape Seed Oil.

The campaign resulted from a process of JKR conducting interviews with consumers and experts, and immersing itself in the history of Manischewitz brand which was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1888 to sell kosher matzos for Passover -- through visits to the brands Newark, New Jersey headquarters, as well as examining brand archives., according to a release announcing the news.

JKR also delved into the kosher category, as well as the contemporary ethnic cuisine landscape more broadly, in an effort to learn from other brands which have successfully expanded to reach a wider audience. The resulting strategy involved emphasizing the importance of family and food while also addressing the societal challenge of defining Jewish food in a contemporary context, according to the release.

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Manischewitz Unveils Major Rebranding Effort 03/27/2024 - MediaPost Communications

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Posted By admin on March 30, 2024

(New York Jewish Week) A man in a Batman costume, his face concealed by a mask, held a milk carton bearing the face of Ariel Bibas, a 4-year-old Israeli held hostage in Gaza by Hamas.

Around him were hundreds of other demonstrators in black or yellow eye coverings, Batman masks and capes, many holding Israeli flags aloft.

The crowd gathered in Central Park on Sunday to mark a Purim in the shadow of the Oct. 7 attack and war in Gaza. Many people wore Batman get-ups to honor Ariel, who loved the superhero and used to run around his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz wearing the costume, seeking to save his neighbors.

The gathering was the latest in a weekly Sunday march through the park to demand the hostages release. It is organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum advocacy group, which estimated that 500 people attended.

This is a very sad Purim for the Jewish people around the world, Omer Lubaton Granot, the groups lead organizer in New York City, said in a statement on Sunday. Ariel wont dress up in his Batman costume as he dreamed. Instead, Jews around the world will do so to remind the world that there is a 4 year old boy who is stuck in a dark pit.

At the rally in Central Park, some attendees cried while listening to speakers describe the familys ordeal. Others carried signs showing the Bibas family, before they were abducted and separated, wearing matching Batman outfits to humor their son.

The gathering was one of several ways that advocates for the more than 130 hostages held by Hamas linked the Purim season to their cause. On a fast day ahead of the holiday, tens of thousands of Jews worldwide collectively recited the Shema prayer on behalf of the hostages alongside a ceremony broadcast from Jerusalems Western Wall. Activists in Israel delivered the food baskets given as gifts on the holiday, called mishloach manot, to Israeli lawmakers in order to spur negotiations for a hostage release.

On the day itself, revelers around the world dressed up in costumes referencing the hostages including the yellow ribbons and hostage posters that have become symbols of the global campaign for their release. The Israel-Hamas war, which is approaching the six-month mark, transformed the usually whimsical holiday in other ways this year as well from new takes on the conflict retold in the Purim story to adjustments in Israel for soldiers returning to the front.

Meanwhile, in the Hasidic neighborhoods of Brooklyn, the holiday retained its festive atmosphere.

In Williamsburg, home of the Satmar movement, young men in colorful, matching outfits danced on sidewalks next to tour buses that blared loud joyful Jewish music from speakers mounted on the vehicles roofs. Children in inflatable costumes tailed their parents on crosswalks and non-Jewish neighborhood residents stopped to take pictures.

In Crown Heights, the home base of the Chabad movement, costumed children collected dollar bills from their parents and passersby to donate to charity, another practice associated with Purim. There were astronauts, cowboys, farmers, Harry Potters and pirates. A father dressed as a beekeeper shepherded his three children dressed as bees down a sidewalk and a passenger in a parked car handed out cups of beer, shouting Lchayim!

The war was still present in those neighborhoods as well, though. Some children dressed as Israeli paratroopers, with red berets mounted on their shoulders, and as the festivities wound down, some revelers stopped at restaurants that had the faces of the hostages plastered on the windows.

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From raucous street parties in Brooklyn to a somber, costumed rally in Central Park, New Yorkers celebrate the festive ... - JTA News - Jewish...

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Posted By admin on March 30, 2024

Ultra-Orthodox Jews who do not study Torah all day should not be drafted into the military, Moshe Tzedaka, Rabbi of Porat Yosef Yeshiva, said this week to an audience of Shas representatives, according to Israeli media.

"We must not, God forbid, take them [the haredi Yeshiva students] to the army because they also pray and they also study, the Rabbi said.

If they go to the army, there are many trials that they will not be able to withstand," he added.

The Rabbi also stated the soldiers protection depended on yeshiva students.

"We have to believe with complete faith that the yeshiva students who study the Torah are the ones who protect the soldiers, they are the ones who protect the wounded, and they are the ones who protect the hostages," the Rabbi noted.

No yeshiva student will go there, he said, referring to the military.

Yisrael Beytenu Chairman, MK Avigdor Liberman, wrote on X in response to Rabbi Tzedaka's comments: "Maimonides ruled as follows, 'anyone who puts it on his heart that he should study the Torah and not do any work and make a living from charity, is dishonoring the name of God.'

"Maimonides also adds and writes, 'in Milkhemet Mitzvah [war of obligation], everyone goes into battle, even a groom from his room and a bride from her wedding canopy.'"

"You, Rabbi, are engaged in a desecration of God's name," Liberman concluded.

Rabbi Tzedakas comments come amid tensions in Israels government regarding the draft law.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bill proposed extending the exemption from the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Israel's High Court of Justice granted the government a deadline for Wednesday to explain why it had not recruited the ultra-Orthodox to serve in the military.

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Israeli rabbi: Torah students cannot serve in IDF, they are protecting soldiers - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on March 30, 2024

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'Rabbi of Saudi Arabia' reads the Hebrew Bible at a medical centre in Be'er Sheva - Middle East Monitor

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Posted By admin on March 30, 2024

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Posted By admin on March 30, 2024

JERUSALEM (VINnews) An unusual position regarding funding yeshiva students and the contentious issue of army exemptions was presented by Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Gottlieb, a Chasidic rabbi who serves as the leader of the Ashlag community in Telzstone.

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Rabbi Gottlieb described the demonstrations by secularists, demanding that charedim help them and get under the stretcher for military service.

He wrote that In a time of war, even a groom must leave his chuppah and go to help. Although other rabbis insist that we must not stop Torah study, this is not the issue. Nobody wants to stop Torah study, but it is a time to do for Hashem and to transgress the Torah.

Rabbi Gottlieb suggests that yeshivos be established on the borders in the north south and where required and study half day while spending the other half on patrols and guard duty , in order to take away from the terrible burden on the general community in Israel. He warns that The Israeli public will not forget if the yeshiva students wont join the war effort.

He also admits that the yeshiva students are not all sitting and studying day and night. Not everyone has the strength for this, only a small amount. Near my house there are all kinds of bakeries with food, restaurants and eateries. I see the whole day long that there are quite a few yeshiva students eating with great relish baked foods and other items. Rabbi Gottlieb concludes: Do they have no shame?

In another post Rabbi Gottlieb decries the funding of yeshiva students, stating that it is a custom whose time has passed. From the age of 18, he claims that everyone must contribute their part for the people of Israel and study in their free time. He adds that this was the view of the Baal Hasulam, that people should work, should enlist and take part of the burden on themselves. He was even against kollelim, believing that Toraso UManuso is meant for a persons free time, and should not be for remuneration.

Rabbi Gottlieb concedes that the state should fund some 2000 people every year as it is in the interest of the Jewish nation to have Dayanim, Poskim, rabbis and Talmidei Chachamim. He believes this number is enough to produce the requisite number of Torah leaders.

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Ashlag Rebbe In Telzstone: State Should Fund 2000 Yeshiva Students, The Rest Must Serve Community - VINNews

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Posted By admin on March 30, 2024

A joyous weekend for a Brooklyn rabbis family turned into tragedy early Friday when a fire broke athis synagogue, leaving them trapped by a third-floor window ledge, fighting for their lives, FDNY officials and congregants said.

Rabbi Avrhom Horowitz, his wife, and son were among the five people hospitalized, two critically, as the fire broke out about 6:15 a.m. on the second floor of the 60th St. building home of the Darkei Chaim Stavnits synagogue near 19th Ave. in Bensonhurst, FDNY officials said.

The three-story building has the Orthodox synagogue on the first floor, while Horowitz and his family live in apartments on the upper floors.

Horowitz and his family celebrated the wedding of one of his daughters Thursday night and went to bed just a few hours before the fire broke out in the kitchen, friends and neighbors said.

The family was planning to continue celebrating the wedding with another party at the synagogue Saturday. Orthodox wedding celebrations can last for a week.

The spiritual leader and at least two family members were seen at a third-floor window screaming for help. Firefighters used a bucket ladder to rescue them from the ledge, witnesses said.

They were hanging on the ledge of the window. It looked bad, said Yidel Perlstein, a member of the synagogue and chairman of Community Board 12. One boy was screaming, I dont want to die! In the time of that situation, you do whatever you can, so they were all hanging on for their lives.

When firefighters, alerted by an automatic fire alarm, arrived, the blaze had consumed most of the second floor. The fire was put out within an hour.

EMS rushed five people, including Rabbi Horowitz, his wife Esther, and son Hershey, to area hospitals. Neighbors said they believe Horowitz and his son were critically injured in the blaze.

It was unclear how much fire and water damage the synagogue suffered as the fire was extinguished, but Perlstein said the synagogues Torahs were not damaged.

Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News

Fire Marshals later determined that food cooking on the stove sparked the blaze.

The Rabbis wife may have left some food on a hot plate for out-of-town relatives due to arrive Friday afternoon as the wedding celebration continued, Perlstein said.

Never leave cooking food unattended, the FDNY said on X Friday.

Besides the wedding, Horowitzs family was celebrating another blessing: the recent birth of a grandchild from another daughter.

Its a triple tragedy. Theyre going into Shabbat, with a couple that got married, and then you have the other daughter. In the Jewish tradition the name for the child is given at a big celebration on Saturday in the synagogue, Perlstein said. It was a joint celebration for the wedding and the birth of the child.

On Friday morning, the congregation quickly rallied around Horowitzs family. One synagogue member moved out of his home, donating it to them. Other congregants secured a new venue for the wedding.

Were going to get them clothes, were going to give them whatever they need, Perlstein said. Support is pouring in on an unbelievable level. My message to this family is were all here, everybody cares, were going to do whatever it takes to fix up the synagogue, put life back where it is, and lets give the young couple their weekend of festivities.

Hours after the blaze, a restoration company run by a congregant was already in the synagogue, fixing the damage.

We move fast, said the contractor, who would only identify himself as Joel.

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Brooklyn synagogue fire leaves rabbi, 4 others hospitalized day after daughter's wedding - New York Daily News

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Posted By admin on March 30, 2024

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Posted By admin on March 30, 2024

The spat between Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and conservative outlet Daily Wire escalated this week following the departure of pundit Candace Owens from the organization, with Boteach calling the Wire antisemitic and cowardly for refusing to debate him.

Owens and Boteach had publicly sparred online, with Boteach accusing the commentator of spreading antisemitic conspiracies and pro-Hamas propagandaand Owens contending that the rabbi had engaged in a harassment campaign to force his political beliefs on her.

Last Monday, Owens liked a social media post that had asked if Boteach was "drunk on Christian blood." Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro had also been critical of Owens for her "absolutely disgraceful" criticism of Israel during the October 7 War, but Shapiro and the Wire said that she would continue to work at the company, drawing the ire of Boteach.

Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing posted on X on Friday that "Daily Wire and Candace Owens have ended their relationship," and Owens herself wrote, "The rumors are true I am finally free."

On Sunday, Boteach celebrated Purim by wearing a costume that he said depicted Owen's impressions of Jews, with a shirt depicting dollar bills, a large fake nose, and a cup to represent "Christian blood."

He celebrated Owen's departure from The Wire on Tuesday, addressing Shapiro on social media and claiming that "It was only our activism that forced you to take action against arch antisemite, Candace Owens, off whom you were making millions of dollars even as she assailed Jews as murderers and Israel as genocidal."

Responding to calls for Boreing to respond to Boteach and alleged harassment of Owens, the Wire co-founder said on social media on Monday that "I have avoided commenting publicly on Rabbi Shmuley because, as far as I can tell, the man is an attention whore of the highest order."

Boteach attacked Boreing and the Wire on Tuesday, claiming that the outlet's co-founder had called him and Jews "whores." He suggested that he may be taking legal action for defamation.

"With Candace Owens's departure, we thought maybe the antisemitismat Daily Wire would stop," Boteach said on X. "Imagine that this guy is actually the boss of a major media company, a knuckle-dragging, ignorant, Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon troglodyte who calls people whores. The antisemitism at the Daily Wire is clearly endemic and systemic. The Daily Wire has become an organ of hate against Jews, women, and blacks."

Boteach also attacked Shapiro, saying that the Jewish pundit's "Yarmulke is no excuse" for employing Owens for so long, and accused his organization of racism because of the host's statements that George Floyd died of fentanyl overdose rather than police brutality. He demanded that Shapiro apologize to him and debate him.

Daily Wire reporter Kassy Akiva disputed that Boreing called Jews whores, and that many religious Jews disagreed with his representation of the events.

"You think youre a warrior doing good, but in reality, youre forcing reasonable people to clean up your mess," said Akiva, who signed her response as a "Daily Wire Jew."

Shmuley attacked Akiva for defending her boss, saying that the convert to Judaism couldn't call herself an orthodox Jew if she supported Boreing.

"Dont think that just because you keep Shabbat, youre orthodox. Orthodox means a set of values," said Shmuley. "And calling people who slut-shame women, which is how [the] term 'whore' is usually used, is disgusting. And the fact that a cowardly Ben Shapiro, who will not even debate me about his employment and profiting for the past two years off Candace Owens, Americas foremost female antisemite for two years, just proves the point."

Jewish influencers attacked Boteach for his comments, saying he had gone too far in what could be construed as questioning Akiva's conversion and called on him to stop posting on social media and committing "chilul Hashem" -- desecrating the name of God.

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Online drama between rabbi Shmuley and the Daily Wire sparks controversy - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on March 30, 2024

I was disheartened to read the article in The Times of Israel where critics attacked Rabbi Angela Buchdahls talk at the WZO Jewish Peoplehood conference, and labeled her a traitor, no less. Interestingly, I was on the same panel and heard things differently, not the quoted words but the intention and context from which Rabbi Buchdahl spoke. Having no personal acquaintance with Rabbi Buchdahl, and despite residing in Israel rather than the US, I think that Rabbi Buchdahl has been treated unfairly and I say that as one who is intimately connected to the ongoing situation here on a day-to-day basis and as one whose students, as well as my own son, have been fighting in Gaza these last few months.

Before addressing the substance of her remarks, I must ask, have we not learned from past experiences? Are we so quick to turn a person who loves Israel into a traitor? Are we asking for ostracism or extremism? Such actions would not only weaken us but also lack ethical integrity. We can think differently, but lets not forget that if we disagree, and I dont believe weve reached that point yet, it should be a disagreement for the sake of heaven, a constructive disagreement aimed at fostering understanding rather than a divisive dispute that undermines us.

The images from Gaza are undeniably challenging to view. The reality is indeed harsh.

As citizens living in Israel, we struggle to grasp the extent of the devastation in Gaza and the daily images of war from there. Although we are still focused on our own pain of October 7th, we can still acknowledge the wider dimensions of suffering without diminishing our own. Keeping our hearts open to the suffering of our fellow citizens does not demand closing our hearts to the suffering of others.

Our leadership in Israel is perhaps the furthest thing from consensus within Israel, and it is worth discussing that as well. The prime minister who leads the government lacks majority support from the country, with many viewing him as incapable of effectively leading the country in the future.

Speaking about the images in Gaza and against the political leadership in Israel does not automatically make one a hater of Israel. We must remember what is similar. Unfortunately, the world has already forgotten that we have 134 captives in Gaza! Hamas refuses to release them and refuses to surrender. They could end it all in one day, but choose not to do it, so what choice do we have but to do everything to rescue them and end this terrible war?

We face challenges right now, but we must also take responsibility for the day after. In order to have a chance for a more peaceful future in the long term, it must be made clear to all of our neighbors that we cannot tolerate a murderous Islam that is bent on our destruction to take up residence again along our border. We are no longer prepared to accept that situation. Not if we have any hope for a peaceful co-existence.

This does not imply that there are no innocent civilians in Gaza or that the reality isnt challenging. Moral considerations should undoubtedly be integrated into our approach to this conflict. They factor into our considerations and fighting more significantly than people realize. Furthermore, it does not suggest that we shouldnt raise disagreements and questions. On the contrary, they are essential for constructive dialogue and understanding.

We must recognize that it will not be easy, and I understand that abroad, in certain circles, the challenges may be more pronounced. They are exposed to different images, surrounded by individuals ranging from staunch supporters to severe critics, while we, in Israel, dont directly experience this reality.

We are at the forefront here, you are at the forefront there, and we need to know that although there may be differences of opinion, both within Israel and beyond, were united in the belief that our captives must return home, and Hamas must no longer pose a threat from Gaza. We cannot afford to rest or ignore the situation until it explodes in our faces once again. In the meantime, there are numerous avenues for action, and raising questions is an acceptable one.

We have just celebrated Purim, but its not easy to celebrate Purim under these circumstances. Purim demands us to break barriers between a man and his friend, a man and the poor, and between a man and himself. Let us not build barriers between us but make sure to take them down.

A Masorti rabbi, Rabbi Yoav Ende is the Executive Director of the Hannaton Educational Center, located on Kibbutz Hannaton in the Lower Galilee.

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An unfair attack on Rabbi Angela Buchdahl | Yoav Ende | The Blogs - The Times of Israel

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