This morning, we put the Food back in our virtual Food for Thought series with popular cooking star Jamie Geller. Jamie is a Today Show regular, 7-time bestselling cookbook author and mother of 6—known as the “Jewish Rachael Ray” (New York Times) and “Queen of Kosher” (CBS).

Thanks, Jamie, for getting us in the Chanukah mood! Follow Jamie on Instagram and YouTube or subscribe via her website JamieGeller.com for more kosher inspiration, with over 10,000 recipes and how-to videos..

Our program began with an introduction by our own Rosalie Levinson, drawing on her decades of personal acquaintance with the late Justice Ginsburg. Next, we watched a video presentation in which exhibit curator Arielle Weininger discussed RBG's life and toured the exhibition, complete with embedded audio, video, and photographs of artifacts. After the video, we enjoyed a live Q&A session with a Museum docent.

Since the exhibition tour is proprietary, we can't offer you a recording of the program. However, we recorded a version of Rosalie's introduction to share with the community.  

The talkback is available now to view on our VIrtual Programming page or on our YouTube channel.

Tamar exhibits a rare combination of the deeply spiritual and deeply practical, and it was a treat to get to know her. We look forward to collaborating with her in the future - and to witnessing her rabbinic ordination on December 12!

Our 2020–2021 Virtual Film Series is generously sponsored by Carol Culberg. The series will include 4 more virtual film selections starting in January 2021. Watch for upcoming schedule information at federationonline.org/film.

In the course of her talk, Ms. Rada highlighted a few specific influential Israeli women as role models.

• First and foremost of course was Golda Meir, the first female Prime Minister of Israel.
• ​Next was Lucy Aharish, notable as the first Muslim Arab news presenter on mainstream Israeli television.
• Third, she mentioned MK Penina Tamanu-Shata, the first female Ethopian Member of Knesset.

The complete program is now available for viewing on Federation's Virtual Programming page or on our YouTube channel.

Federation is kicking off a 12-week email-based walking program called Get WalkIN’, offered through Purdue Extension Lake County. Get WalkIN’ aims to promote increased physical activity through walking while also providing reliable information about the health benefits of walking.

This program is unique in that it is entirely email-based. Our program will begin Monday, August 3, 2020, and enrolled participants will receive 16 email messages over a 12-week time period (twice weekly for the first 4 weeks, then weekly for the next 8 weeks). These messages focus on self-efficacy, social support, and goal setting, as well as resource guides and strategies to help you start or maintain a walking routine of your choice.

For more information on the program, please contact Linda Curley, HHS Extension Educator, at lcurley@purdue.edu or call the Federation office at (219) 301-0960.

For Berlin-based American writer-producer Anna Winger, creating the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox offered a unique opportunity to tell a Jewish story in Germany. The show, which premiered March 26 on Netflix, follows a young woman who leaves her husband and her ultra-Orthodox Satmar community in Williamsburg, NY, for a new life in Berlin. 

This past Sunday morning, Ms. Winger joined the Jewish Federation of Northwest Indiana (live from Berlin via Zoom) for an exclusive conversation moderated by Carol Culberg. Over 70 participants tuned in for this exciting program!

The recording is now available to watch on Federation's YouTube channel:

Ms. Winger was raised by anthropologists in Massachusetts and in Mexico, and educated at Columbia University. She co-created and co-wrote the four-episode Netflix series along with documentarian Alexa Karolinski, and also served as executive producer. She is also the founder of Studio Airlift, a production company based in Berlin. She lives in Berlin with her family.

Carol Culberg is a board member and past president of the Jewish Federation of Northwest Indiana. She chairs Federation's Education committee. In 2019, Carol launched Federation's popular evening book club, which meets every 6 weeks; the most recent discussion selection (also via Zoom) was Deborah Feldman's 2012 memoir Unorthodox, which inspired the Netflix series.

Join us on the Federation lawn for a socially distanced summer movie night outdoors. ​

Community Outdoor Movie Night
Thursday, July 9, 2020 (rain date July 16)
8:00–9:45pm
Free admission! Generously sponsored by Richard & Barbara Waxman

Public health guidelines will be observed. We'll supply the individually wrapped snacks! Bring your own masks (or we'll provide extras) and blanket or lawn chairs. 

Rain date: Thursday, July 16.
​RSVP Now: federationonline.org/upcoming-events#HeadingHome

Over 130 people from 15 local Jewish, Christian, and Muslim congregations came together for our inspirational, multi-faith evening featuring Chicago’s acclaimed KEEPING FAITH: SISTERS OF STORY (sistersofstory.weebly.com). The event was held at the Jewish Federation in Munster on Thursday evening, February 6, 2020.

Aida Nozick, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Northwest Indiana, shared this thought: “Now more than ever, our communities need to come together and focus on what unites us rather than what divides us.”  The Jewish Federation has re-activated its Jewish Community Relations Committee (JCRC), which will be working to promote racial and religious understanding and build positive relations with our non-Jewish neighbors through education and engagement. Community members of all faiths are invited to sign up for a new JCRC email list for further news and events supporting interfaith relations.

The Jewish Federation of Northwest Indiana is pleased to announce an inspirational, multi-faith evening featuring Chicago’s acclaimed KEEPING FAITH: SISTERS OF STORY (sistersofstory.weebly.com). Members of all Northwest Indiana faith communities are encouraged to attend.
 
KEEPING FAITH: SISTERS OF STORY came into being after the 2016 election because three women, witnessing the uptick of hateful and vitriolic language and action in this country, decided to try to bridge the divide. Chicago playwright Rohina Malik, a Muslim woman and storyteller, wanted to create a project to demonstrate peace and commonalities between us all. She approached Susan Stone (a Jewish woman and storyteller) and Kim Schultz (a Christian woman and storyteller) with an idea: what if they all told stories from their faiths with the goal of bringing people together and showing peace, curiosity and similarities amongst the faiths.
 
As part of the performance, each of these women will tell three stories inspired by their personal faith journey. A cultural musical storyteller, Lucia Thomas, will provide musical accompaniment on violin, oud and guitar.
 
Aida Nozick, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Northwest Indiana, first saw the group perform at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie in August of 2019. “I knew right away that we needed to bring these amazing women to Northwest Indiana,” said Ms. Nozick. “Now more than ever, our communities need to come together and focus on what unites us rather than what divides us.”
 
The storytelling event will take place at 7:00pm on Thursday, February 6, 2020 at the Jewish Federation of Northwest Indiana, 585 Progress Ave., Munster. Doors will open at 6:30pm for refreshments. Admission to the event is free, but advance registration is requested. To learn more and RSVP, please call the Jewish Federation at 219-301-0960.

We have recently noticed a sharp increase in scams targeting seniors in our area. Swindlers posing as utility workers, deliverymen, sweepstakes administrators, and IRS employees have attempted to rob unsuspecting seniors of their bank accounts and nest eggs. These criminals have bilked innocent people in our own community out of many thousands of dollars.
 
This happens, in part, because honest, good citizens are trusting and don’t expect to be taken advantage of. Most of us are shocked when this happens to us because we would never treat others this way.
 
The following are some examples of scams that have recently taken place:

1. Victim receives a phone call from a “grandchild” in trouble in a foreign country – ostensibly on a break from college or on a study abroad program. This call is full of static so it is impossible to clearly identify the caller.  The “grandparent” is asked to wire funds to the grand child in trouble. The “grandchild” asks the grandparent to please not inform the parents because the parents will be too worried and upset.
   Tip: If this happens to you, please contact your grandchildren directly. Do not use any numbers given to you by the caller.  Furthermore, immediately contact your children and inquire about the authenticity of call.
2. An official or robot sounding call from an “IRS agent” stating that there is a problem with taxes that can only be solved by sending back taxes to the “IRS”. The caller states that failure to do so is punishable with severe fines or jail time.
   Tip: Never, ever respond to these calls. The IRS does not make threatening calls to individuals over the phone. If you have a problem with the IRS, you will be notified by other means. If you receive a letter, please check it out with an attorney or ask a trusted friend who will help authenticate a letter.
3. Pyramid purchasing schemes. The victim is instructed to purchase several gift cards and mail them to different addresses with the promise of receiving even more gift cards in return.
   Tip: Gift cards should only be given to people you know.
4. Sweepstakes awards: The victim is contacted and told that he or she is the recipient of a prize. The victim is promised a large monetary prize once “taxes” on the prize have been paid.  “Taxes” in the form of checks and gift-cards are sent to the scammer.
   Tip: If you are promised a large prize or cash award, confirm this by validating it. If an award is authentic you will be able to verify it. Ask for the name of the company giving the award, ask for phone numbers, ask for references.
5. Computer hackers: A caller announces that the victim has a computer virus. The caller says that the victim’s computer will crash and all files will be erased unless a cash amount is sent to the caller.
   Tip: There is no way for a caller to know if there is a virus on your computer. Never give out any identifying information or your passwords to anyone who calls you.
6. Auto mechanic scammers: A senior was approached by a “mechanic” at a stoplight. The “mechanic” said he noticed dents and scratches on her vehicle and recognized her from the dealership where he worked. He knew the name of her dealership because she had a plastic cover around her license plate identifying her dealership. The victim assumed that she knew the “mechanic”- or at least had a connection with him through her dealership and thus agreed to let him fix the dents and scratches. She was told that the “mechanic” would do this at a discounted rate but when she asked the “mechanic” the price, he told her not to worry, he would take care of her. She was told to pull off the road into a parking lot where the car was painted and patched. She was then told to pay $4000 for the repairs. When she objected, she was told that she would be followed to her bank where she would be forced to withdraw cash. She withdrew $1500 from her cash station and told the robbers that was all she had. When she began to panic, they drove off quickly, leaving her feeling devastated and violated.
   Tip: Never follow someone off of the road into a parking lot or uninhabited area. If you do not recognize someone, do not engage in any conversation.  If someone asks you for money and says they will follow you to your cash station for a withdrawal, avoid doing this. Go inside the bank instead. If you are afraid, TELL SOMEONE!!  Even a bystander can interrupt a crime. 

 
These are some of the most common types of scams that are perpetrated against unsuspecting seniors, but there are many more out there.  
 
If this happens to you, it does not mean that you are stupid or uninformed. These deceptive people are very good at their job.  In fact, our embarrassment and reluctance to share our experiences is the key to their continued success. 
 
Please remember…

• If something feels uncomfortable or not right, listen to your gut. Do not do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.
• If something sounds too good to be true, it likely is!
• Never give identifying information over the phone - if you have doubts or questions, get the caller‘s phone number and ask to call them back.  If they will not give a call back number, hang up!
• A bank or the IRS will never ask you for your Social Security number or account numbers over the phone! Don’t give them out to anyone!

 
Whom to contact:

• Law Enforcement – Munster Police Department (219) 836-6600 or your local Police Department
• Family and Friends
• Your Financial Institution – Your personal bank
• The Social Security Administration – (800) 772-1213
• IRS – (800) 829-1040

 
We are hosting a meeting to discuss prevention of these situations. A seminar will be given by a professional from our area. Please join us to learn more so we can prevent criminals from perpetrating these crimes.
 
Date: Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm
Where: Jewish Federation of Northwest Indiana, 558 Progress Avenue, Munster
Presenter: Mr. Brian Miller, Director of Public Safety at Purdue Northwest
​Cost: FREE
RSVP to the Federation office at (219) 301-0960 by Monday, January 6.