Good morning, New York, and happy second day of Hanukkah! We’re the first to report on a lawsuit that looks back on notorious abuse allegations from the early 2000s, which The New York Jewish Week was also the first to report.
LANNER, REVISITED: More than two decades after The New York Jewish Week published allegations that Rabbi Baruch Lanner abused teens in his charge for more than 30 years, four of his victims filed a lawsuit alleging the Orthodox Union and its youth arm claiming they knowingly allowed the rabbi’s predatory behavior to continue despite numerous, long-standing complaints. (Jewish Week via JTA)
- Why now: Gary Rosenblatt, who reported the original investigation into Lanner’s behavior, writes about the case, filed yesterday under a soon-to-expire change in New Jersey law that allowed for a two-year “lookback” window into abuse cases.
HE’D DO IT AGAIN: Speaking to a group of college students, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-Bronx/Westchester) expressed no regret about taking a recent trip to Israel and the West Bank with the liberal pro-Israel group J Street, despite intense backlash from his socialist allies. (Jewish Week via JTA)
- Meanwhile: In the middle of last night’s J Street U meeting, the Democratic Socialists of America’s working group on Palestine called on the DSA “to formally begin the process of expelling Jamaal Bowman.”
WANTED: Police are searching for three suspects behind three separate attacks against Jewish children in Brooklyn over the weekend. (ABC7)
- The women, seen in surveillance pictures, slapped boys ages 3 and 9, and pulled an 18-year-old girl to the ground. All the victims wore distinctive Jewish dress.
ON THE MARCH: TikTok went viral for a pre-Thanksgiving parade by students of Beit Rabban Day School in Manhattan. (New York Jewish Week via JTA)
- The kids were marching on the Upper West Side to thank neighborhood workers and helpers for their service. A TikTok video that joked about what looked like a kindergarten “protest” has over 115,000 “likes.”
SO MUCH FUNUKAH: Two leading Jewish hip-hop artists have adapted Adam Sandler’s 1995 seasonal hit, “The Chanukah Song,” into a video shot around New York City. (JTA)
- Nissim Black and Kosha Dillz dropped the video for “The Hanukkah Song 2.0” just before the holiday began on Sunday evening.
HANUKKAH HAPPENINGS
(New York Transit Museum)
The New York Transit Museum is selling a Hanukkah greeting card (above) by Brooklyn-based artist Cheryl Berkowitz, featuring a subway map transformed into a menorah. Find it at nytransitmuseumstore.com.
In this class with My Jewish Learning, Yael Weinstein journeys back in time to the era of the Hasmoneans — the dynasty that emerged after the Maccabean victory retold in the Hanukkah story. Uncover the question of how the “Judeans,” people tied to the land, become the “Jews,” people distinguished by their religion. Register here. 1:00 p.m.
Writer Lana Schwartz celebrates the in-person return of Chanukahstravaganza, an “unapologetically Jewish” night of comedy, songs and snacks that she hosts with Ilana Michelle Rubin. The show will take place at littlefield in Brooklyn on Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. Admission is $12, with proceeds from the event going to the Holocaust Survivor Institute. Proof of vaccination required for entry. Tickets available here.
WHAT’S ON TODAY
Dr. Deborah Lipstadt will join The Jewish Education Project’s CEO Dr. David Bryfman for a conversation about the challenges antisemitism presents to the Jewish community today, and the role that Jewish education can play to strengthen Jewish pride and identity, especially during Hanukkah. RSVP here. 12:30 p.m.
Jewish Currents and the New Israel Fund co-host a conversation unpacking the Israeli Supreme Court and its relationship to populism, power and Palestinian rights. Panelists include Elisheva Goldberg, director of Media and Policy for the New Israel Fund; Dr. Hassan Jabareen, founder of Adalah—the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel; Shai Agmon, political theorist; and Yifat Bitton, president of Achva Academic College. Register here. 1:00 p.m.
Eric Silverman, scholar at Brandeis University’s Women’s Studies Research Center and author of “A Cultural History of Jewish Dress,” will demonstrate how we can “read” the clothing in our old family photos for clues about the wider historical processes that shaped our ancestors’ lives, aspirations and struggles. Register here for this Center for Jewish History Zoom event. 5:00 p.m.
Photo, top: The Maccabeats perform in Times Square on Nov. 29, 2021 as part of Shine a Light on Antisemitism, a program jointly organized by UJA-Federation of New York, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, AJC New York, the Anti-Defamation League and the NY Board of Rabbis. Hundreds gathered for the menorah-lighting, which included performances by David Broza and Matisyahu. Speakers included Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Attorney General Letitia James. (Courtesy of JCRC)
