Weekly Quiz 2022
Bombogenesis
The East Coast was hit with up to 2-1/2 feet of snow as part of a “bombogenesis” snowstorm. A bombogenesis is a storm that intensifies rapidly, yielding blizzard-like conditions. In simple terms, bombogenesis describes a storm bursting into existence like a bomb! The term evokes the Jewish reference to Genesis as the heavens and earth burst into existence on the first day. There is another place where there are Jewish references in regard to the weather. The United States has had an offficial system of naming hurricanes since 1953, and more recently major winter storms have been given unofficial names by The Weather Channel. A similar system has been developed under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization, with countries in close proximity sharing name lists. To this end, last year Israel joined together with Greece and Cyprus to form the East Mediterranean Storm Naming Group, and each country contributed some of the names on the alphabetical list. Greece and Cyprus added such names as Athina, Nikias, and Vion. What are two of the names Israel contributed to the list of potentially devastating Mediterranean weather systems?
The thunder and lightning by Ron Almog is licensed under CC BY 2.0
A. Ze’ev and Aryeh.
B. Balaam and Ramses.
C. Irit and Raphael.
D. Moshe and Yehoshua.
E. Oy, It’s So Hot I’m Shvitzing Like A Pig and Bubele, Put On Your Sweater Before You Catch Your Death Of Cold.
Jon Stewart
It was just announced that Jon Stewart will be the recipient of the 2022 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The award program will take place at the Kennedy Center on April 24, and will later be broadcast on television. Stewart joins a distinguished list of past recipients, including Richard Pryor, Bob Newhart, Lily Tomlin, Bill Murray, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Bill Cosby (whose prize was later rescinded). Stewart, born Jonathan Leibowitz, was raised in a Conservative Jewish family, but is not religious. He often makes Jewish references in his comedy, including his response to learning that he is this year’s Mark Twain recipient: “I am truly honored to receive this award. I have long admired and been influenced by the work of Mark Twain, or, as he was known by his given name, Samuel Leibowitz.” Not everyone is a fan of Stewart, however. What has Donald Trump tweeted about the comedian?
Jon Stewart at Stand Up For Heroes by slgckgc is licensed under CC BY 2.0
A. “Jon Stewart doesn’t like how I eat pizza. Like I care. You know what, Jon Stewart? Wait til you see how I eat a corned beef sandwich. With mayo on white bread! What do you think of that, you self-hating little Jew?”
B. “I have more Jews in my family than he does. My daughter’s Jewish. My son-in-law’s Jewish. I didn’t ask for that, but I got it. Oy. You know what? I don’t mind. I like Jews. Except of course, Jon Stewart. Nothing likable about that Jew.”
C. “Everything was just fine in the Middle East until Jon Stewart and his socialist minions took power.”
D. “If Jon Stewart is so above it all & legit, why did he change his name from Jonathan Leibowitz? He should be proud of his heritage!”
E. “There are only two things that this country needs to do. Stop the Steal and Stop the Stewart.”
Boris Johnson
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in political trouble, as he once again was caught violating governmental COVID restrictions. Since the pandemic began, there have been numerous incidents where the Prime Minister and his staff were found to have been partying at his official residence. Among the latest revelations are that Johnson and his staff have held weekly “wine-time Fridays” throughout the pandemic, including right before the funeral of Prince Philip. Johnson has apologized for the incidents, dubbed Partygate, which are now part of an official investigation, but he has so far refused calls for his resignation. What did Prime Minister Johnson do recently that got negative reaction in the Jewish community?
Boris Johnson by BackBoris2012 Campaign Team is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
A. Prime Minister Johnson was invited to speak on a Friday night at London’s historic Central Synagogue. As Johnson spoke from the bima following services, his cellphone rang, which he proceeded to answer mid-speech. Congregants were stunned to hear him say into the phone, “I can’t speak now. I’m talking to the Jews.”
B. At a Chanukkah celebration sponsored by the Conservative Friends for Israel organization, Boris Johnson was presented a menorah, which he proceeded to wave in the air like a trophy, causing pieces of the menorah to go flying.
C. Photos were published last month in the tabloid newspaper The Daily Mirror showing Johnson and some friends and aides seated without masks at a table which was covered with wine bottles, dreidels and money. This Dreidelgate scandal has led to calls within the Jewish community for his resignation, especially since it was reported that Johnson took the entire pot after spinning a shin, claiming that COVID dreidel rules were the opposite of the regular rules of the game.
D. Johnson recently visited the Chassidic neighborhood of Stamford Hill in London. As he was walking through the area, he came upon a crowd of Chassidic men surrounding a young child sitting in a chair. The 3-year-old boy was about to get his first haircut at the upsherin ceremony, but Johnson yelled out, “Don’t do it. Look at me. I have pride in my long hair. Let that boy be like me, a bloody proud Englishman!”
E. Ed Miliband was the Leader of the Labour Party from 2010-2015. Miliband, son of Polish Jewish immigrants, was often at odds with Boris Johnson, who served as Mayor of London during that time. A tape recently emerged of Johnson speaking to his political advisors about Miliband in 2014, where he said, “I don’t like that shmegegge. I want to launch a campaign to get rid of him, but what shall I call it? By George–I think I’ve got it. Shmeg-exit! That’s what I’ll call it.”
Eric Adams
Former policeman and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams was recently installed as the new mayor of New York City. The inauguration traditionally takes place at noon on New Year’s Day. But because New Year’s Day was on a Saturday, Adams had rescheduled the ceremony to New Year’s night after the end of Shabbat to enable Jewish supporters to attend. Ultimately, however, Omicron led the city to cancel the large indoor ceremony, and Adams proceeded with a small outdoor event in Times Square on Friday night, New Year’s Eve, thus undoing Adams’s effort to accommodate the Jewish community. What else has Eric Adams done in his career to strengthen his ties to New York’s Jewish community?
Eastern Pkwy-Brooklyn Now ADA Accessible Museum by Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is licensed under CC BY 2.0
A. Following the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, then Brooklyn Borough President Adams announced that he would carry a gun whenever he visited a synagogue.
B. On the Sunday morning following his inauguration, Adams celebrated by visiting the Barney Greengrass deli, where he ordered the restaurant’s signature dish, Nova Scotia salmon scrambled with eggs and onion.
C. During the Crown Heights riot of 1991, Eric Adams was a New York City policeman. He joined with Jewish members of the New York City Police Department to call for calm, and he expressly criticized Al Sharpton and other black leaders for their involvement in violent anti-Jewish marches through Crown Heights.
D. Last month Mayor-elect Adams honored the Grand Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson by visiting the Chabad house in the Ghanian capital of Accra.
E. Following his diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes in 2016, Adams adopted a plant-based diet and began to advocate for vegan and plant-based nutrition. As part of that effort he led the New York City Council to pass a resolution titled “Ban the Baloney,” calling on schools to stop serving processed meats. After being contacted by leaders of New York’s Orthodox community, he added a clause that still forbid Orthodox Day Schools from serving cold cuts, but allowed mothers to send sandwiches from home for their children, in what Adams called the “Mommies Send Salamis” rule.
Teva Pharmaceuticals
The American division of the Israeli company Teva Pharmaceuticals was found liable in a lawsuit alleging responsibility for aspects of the opioid crisis in this country. “Teva Pharmaceuticals USA...misled the American people about the true dangers of opioids,” said New York’s attorney general Letitia James. In 1901 Chaim Salomon, Moshe Levin, and Yitschak Elstein founded a pharmaceutical company in Jerusalem called S.L.E., the founders’ initials. In 1935, Günther Friedländer, a pharmacist who fled Nazi Germany to Palestine, took over the company and renamed it Teva Middle East Pharmaceutical & Chemical Works Co. Ltd. Teva grew through a series of mergers and acquisitions, and now maintains patents on many medications including Copaxone, the world’s best selling multiple sclerosis drug, and Azilect, which is used to treat Parkinson’s disease. What was the founding philosophy of the company, as stated by Günther Friedländer?
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is in the Public domain
A. “When keeping the body in health and vigor, one walks in the way of God.” Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot 4:1.
B. “Just as a tree does not grow if it is not fertilized, plowed and weeded–and even if it already grew but then is not watered, it dies–so the body is like a tree, the medicine is the fertilizer and the doctor is the farmer.” Midrash Shmuel 4:1.
C. “The Holy One, blessed be He, said that there is no ailment that does not have its cure; and the cure and drug for every ailment have been predetermined.” Midrash Tanchuma, Yitro 8.
D. “One may not rely on a miracle.” Babylonian Talmud, Pesachim 64b.
E. “A Jewish mother will always buy medicine for her children.”