Grapevine, October 19, 2025: Remembering at the National Library

■ THIS COMING Monday, October 20, the Ohev Ger organization, founded by Rabbi Menachem Weinberg, will celebrate its fourth anniversary with a gathering of converts to Judaism, along with friends and supporters. The event, under the title of “Under Your Wings: Honoring Journeys, Celebrating Blessings,” will be addressed by Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber and, of course, Rabbi Weinberg. Converts to Judaism deserve love and respect because they have each chosen to link his or her destiny with that of a people whose history is punctuated by antisemitism. pogroms, ostracism, and harassment. It should be remembered that Ruth, the great-grandmother of King David, was a convert to Judaism, and that her conversion would not be accepted by most rabbis today.

The event, which will be held at 7 p.m. at the Nefesh B’Nefesh Visitors Center in Jerusalem’s Cinema City Complex, will feature discussion circles on topics relevant to converts, such as community and school challenges and navigating family relationships. Panel speakers include Ariel Levine (a former British military officer), Daniela Yisrael (founder of Chai Wellness & Healing), and Akiva and Chava Hart (founders of the House of Lev) – all of whom are converts to Judaism. They have fascinating stories that could benefit many who are Jews by birth.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Russian Jews came in their masses to Israel, there was a common joke that every Russian Jew carried a musical instrument in their luggage. Actually, there was more truth to that than humor. One of the positive things about the Soviet Union was the encouragement it gave to children who showed talent in the arts – especially music and dance.

Thus, it was natural for immigrants from the former Soviet Union to carry on this tradition with their own children and with Israeli children, in general. This is most obvious in rhythmic gymnastics, where most team members and champions over the years have been people with Russian surnames. In music, there are some Russian surnames, but also surnames that originate from other parts of the world.

Musicians of Tomorrow was founded by violinist Maxim Vengerov, an internationally acclaimed Soviet-born Israeli violinist, conductor, and professor of music, and Dr. Anna Rosnovsky, a former violinist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, with a doctorate in music from the Moscow Music Academy, to provide training in classical music for children in Israel’s northern periphery. The program, which offers scholarships and musical instruments, has trained more than a hundred youngsters and has an alumni ensemble that combines classical and Middle Eastern music. The students have performed all over Israel and abroad and have also been featured in films/

Wednesday’s performance, which will range from classics to klezmer, will also feature visual artist Alejandro Goldberg, who will create a painting inspired by the music as it unfolds. In addition, there will be an excerpt from the documentary film Violinists, which won first prize at the docu-festival in Sichuan, China. The film was made by Nurit Kedar and the late Alexander Gentelev.

Of course, no one expects him to be in Israel on that date, but he may come during his birthday week. At this point in time, there are only two venues in Jerusalem that are large enough to accommodate all the people who want to wish him well. One is the Sultan’s Pool, which is fairly central, and the other is the Pais Arena. It was obvious during Trump’s visit that, though he scolds Netanyahu from time to time, the two have a very special relationship. But there’s one area in which Netanyahu scores points over Trump. In Israel, there is no limit to the number of times that Netanyahu can serve as prime minister, whereas Trump is limited to two terms. For that matter, Herzog is limited to only one, albeit for seven years.

Steve Witkoff will be back before Trump, and not just in his capacity as US special envoy to the Middle East and peace missions, but to receive his own medal from Tel Aviv University in recognition of his role in returning the hostages to Israel, his efforts to end the war, and his contribution to regional peace throughout the Middle East. The ceremony will take place in May, presumably in the presence of Herzog and his wife, who are both TAU alumni. Witkoff is expected to bring his mother.

■ MOST ORTHODOX rabbis do not recognize the Conservative or Reform movements as Jewish denominations. Some even go so far as to say that Reform Jews are not really Jewish, because they have discarded so much of authentic Judaism. Who’s to say what’s authentic? Prayer books in Orthodox synagogues differ in content and layout. There are arguments and boycotts among so-called Lithuanian Jews vs hasidim, even though both come under the rubric of ultra-Orthodox. There are certain Ashkenazi yeshivot and seminaries for girls that refuse to accept Sephardi students or those of North African descent, forgetting that Judaism flourished in this part of the world long before it got to Europe. So what’s authentic?

If one saw how Cantor Azi Schwartz was attired for the High Holy Day services in his white robe and cap and his full-length prayer shawl, one could not distinguish him from an Orthodox cantor. But he’s the cantor at the prestigious Park Avenue Conservative synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in New York, which in two years’ time will celebrate its centenary, though the congregation as such was established in 1882. On Rosh Hashanah, the congregation prayed to the music of live instrumentalists, with Schwartz singing “Sounds of Silence” in both Hebrew and English. The song made famous by Jewish duo Simon and Garfunkel 60 years ago was sung by Schwartz with a backup choir that included several African-Americans who may or may not have been Jewish. But the real fact of the matter is that the congregation comprised people who chose to attend services, thereby acknowledging their Judaism and the significance of the day.

■ SOME JEWISH leaders should examine their Bibles more closely. For instance, Eduard Shyfrin, the vice president of the World Jewish Congress, dubbing US President Donald Trump “the Alexander the Great of our time,” wrote: “Alexander is the only name of non-Jewish origin which has been accepted by the Jews.” Really? What about Nimrod – a very popular name in Israel. The biblical Nimrod was king of Shinar in Lower Mesopotamia and was a mighty hunter.

He was the great-grandson of Noah and is reputed to have built the Tower of Babel. Noah, the name of the man who built the ark, is another popular biblical name of a non-Jew. Then there’s Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, a Midianite priest – who was married to Moses. Her name has definitely endured, as has that of Ruth, the Moabite woman, who was the great-grandmother of King David. There are other names of non-Jews from biblical times that are also still in use among Jews.