JEWISH SENTINEL

S ix months ago, said Ben- Shushan, the Shalva Band visit- ed a Broadway show, and someone in the audience recognized them. “He told us that he was an Israeli expat who had married a non- Jewish woman and whose relation- ship to Israel had practically van- ished, but that when he saw [one of our performances] it reminded him of home. So after years of not prac- ticing Judaism, he taught his chil- dren what the Kiddush was. We were overwhelmed when we heard that,” said Ben-Shushan. During a recent trip to Israel, American pop singer Demi Lovato visited the Shalva center in Jerusalem and played with the band for two hours. According to Ben-Shushan, she had hoped to continue to work with them after her trip, but was prevented from doing so by the BDS movement. “She came and saw a show, and loved Shalva, raving about them,” Ben-Shushan told JNS . “But BDS tore her into pieces, and now we are unable to do something with her.” Even so, he maintained that music has the power to bring peo- ple together as “the language of the entire world, no matter where you come from.” Impacting the Jewish Diaspora, Ben-Shushan said, is important to the band, so “every two or three months, we reach [out to] a Jewish community, which empowers the bond,” he said. Barzilai, too, expressed her hope to build bridges between the United States and Israel through her music. “The stronger we can build the bridge and our nation’s allies around the world, the stronger we all are together. Together, Israel and America can bring light upon the world with our innovation, and desire for progress. When you light someone else’s candle, the world becomes a much brighter place,” she said. “The beauty of both our coun- tries is that we share the same empowering ideals of prosperity, progress and freedom. I believe with music we can build bridges, cross borders, and bring light into the world, together.” Barzilai and the Shalva Band each performed for more than 3,500 attendees at this year’s Israeli-American Council confer- ence, which took place in South Florida from Dec. 5-8. Eliana Rudee is a fellow with the Haym Salomon Center. JNS.org Ambassador continued from page 13 30 JEWISH SENTINEL • FEBRUARY 7-13, 2020 M eat and dairy production are the leading causes of defor- estation, taking up an astounding 30 percent of the Earth’s surface. In the United States alone, 80 per- cent of agricultural land is used for raising animals and growing feed crops. That amounts to near- ly half the land mass of the lower 48 states being used for livestock production. Meat and dairy production are also responsible for at least 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, 80 percent of antibiot- ic use and 37 percent of pesticide use in the United States. Factory farms and slaughterhouses are a major cause of air and water pol- lution, as well as dangerous, unjust working conditions and animal cruelty. Producing meat also uses about 10 times more water than soy- beans, as 2,400 gallons are neces- sary to produce one pound of meat, while only 200 gallons are needed to grow one pound of soy- beans. By giving up one ham- burger a week, you can save enough water to take a five- minute shower every day for nearly five years. As Jews, we know that it is our sacred duty to make our world a better place. So consider this a call to action. By choosing to eat less meat and dairy, we can choose not to support industries that harm the environment. Plant- forward diets are not just better for the health of the planet, they’re better for our own health, too. What we eat is about more than personal choice — it’s about fam- ily, community and culture. When we choose an Earth-friendly diet, we can inspire those around us to do the same and create new tradi- tions that change markets and agricultural systems. Thousands of years ago, the Bible cautioned us to remain ever aware of the precious value of trees. Part of that awareness is recognizing the ways that our lives and actions are intertwined with the health of forests. This Tu B’Shevat, let’s make a commit- ment to not just plant new trees but to make choices that can pro- tect the ones that are already here, starting with what’s on our plates. Rabbi Tara Feldman is a Senior Rabbi at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck. Stephanie Feldstein is the Population and Sustainability Director at the Center for Biological Diversity . Shevat continued from page 14 As Jews, we know that it is our sacred duty to make our world a better place. So consider this a call to action. from the perspective of these wealthy Jewish families …That has shaped our image,” Sarna said. “Suddenly we have a different and devastating perspective. It’s not to say one is right or one is wrong,” she added. But it’s a reminder that there was another view, from the perspective of the seamstress. After four tortuous years, Wilburn ended her domestic work, changed her name to Cora Wilburn and embraced a literary life, pro- ducing an “astonishing” body of writing, from poetry to essays and fiction, Sarna found. In 1869, disillusioned with Spiritualism, she publicly reaf- firmed her Jewish faith, comfort- able with the tenets of Reform Judaism that was open to the liberal causes she supported. During these later years, when she was living in poverty in Massachusetts, Wilburn wrote extensively on Jewish themes and subjects. Her meager income was supported by a few Jewish institu- tions and rabbis, Sarna learned. She corresponded with Henrietta Szold, the founder of Hadassah, and had visits from the Boston Jewish writer Mary Antin. “There’s something very exciting for a historian about discovering not only a person but a world and a text that nobody has ever known before,” especially when these are primary sources, Sarna said. “Now I hope … over time, people will study it.” Penny Schwartz is a writer for JTA. Destiny continued from page 24 “There’s something very exciting ... about discovering ... a world and a text that nobody has ever known before.” Prof. Jonathan Sarna in an interview following a lecture hosted by the Jewish Federations of North America at Jerusalem’s Beit Avichai, on May 28, 2017. disenchantment with peace plans are missing an essential piece of our national psyche. And most of us were only close to the terror, not actual sur- vivors. N ot like Kay Wilson. De- spite the gargantuan effort required, she has gone on to become an activist in exposing the roots of terrorism, creating curriculum against violence, speaking on international plat- forms and fighting against pay- ments to the families of terror- ists, like the two who attacked her. She lives a modest life, and whenever she can, shares her knowledge and passion for the Land of Israel she so loves. In her memoir, Wilson recounts an incident when, like Ronen in the movie, she is lis- tening to a tour guide — in her case an Old City guide speaking of Herodian stones. The Muslim call to prayer sounds from the mosque loudspeakers with its opening words “Allahu Akbar,” the triumphant chant of terror- ists international. Wilson loses it, and somehow attacks a police officer who is trying to restrain her. At the police station, the investigator first assumes she’s a tourist suffering from Jerusalem Syndrome. When he finally realizes who she is, 20 officers gather round to meet the heroine, celebrate her courage and the invaluable help she has provided in apprehending the terrorists for whom Luken’s murder was not their first. The police serve her a fancy French pastry and toast her with orange juice. I silently toast her with my cappuccino. Barbara Sofer is the Israel director of public relations at Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America. Analysts who ignore terror’s impact on our disenchantment with peace plans are misreading our national psyche. Terror continued from page 25