The New Hampshire Republican primary is being held this week. While Donald Trump is the clear front runner, Nikki Haley has narrowed the gap significantly in recent weeks. New Hampshire is home to about 10,000 Jewish residents, with a history going back to the late 1600’s. Among the many historic homes under the auspices of the Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth is the Shapiro House, built in 1795 by Abraham and Sarah Shapiro, immigrants from the Ukraine. The state has about 10 Reform and Conservative synagogues, plus two Chabad Centers. Among the notable Jews from New Hampshire are comedian Sarah Silverman and Senator Warren Rudman, who served from 1980-1993. Though the Jewish population is small, what is the situation where the Jewish population temporarily grows significantly in New Hampshire?

Strawbery Banke  Shapiro House by benito roveran is licensed under CC BY 2.0 DEED

A. YJP Boston, a social and networking group of young Jewish professionals, holds an annual Chanukkah Ski Weekend at the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire that attracts hundreds of participants every year.

B. In election years, many Jews who live in Massachusetts move temporarily to New Hampshire to vote in the presidential primary (New Hampshire law allows part-time residents to register to vote).

C. In October, Chabad of Manchester sponsors a “Changing Leaves Sukkos” celebration that attracts Jews from across New England, featuring a giant sukkah located in the foothills of the White Mountains, with views through the sukkah roof of the beautiful Fall leaves.

D. In the summer, Satmar Chassidic Jews flee from polluted Brooklyn and head to Bethlehem, New Hampshire for allergin-free fresh air.

E. In December, Messianic Jews from across America flee from their heathen communities and head to Bethlehem, New Hampshire to celebrate Christmas.

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The Chabad Lubavitch Chassidic world has been in turmoil with the discovery of a hidden tunnel connecting Lubavitcher headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn to a side building. The tunnel was secretly built by followers of the Meshichisten, or Messianist movement–Chassidic Jews who believe that the last Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson (who died in 1994) is actually the Messiah. This group is considered fringe by most Lubavitchers, but they still maintain a presence in the basement of 770, though they are not allowed upstairs. When Chabad representatives brought in a construction crew to seal the tunnel, a number of Meshichisten rioted, leading to police involvement and nine arrests. Engineers and construction crews are now trying to close up the tunnel and secure the buildings that may be structurally compromised. It’s not clear why the Meshichisten built the tunnel, though one theory is that it was to aid in the expansion of the building, which, according to one of the Meshichisten, “The Rebbe, the words of the rabbi, says they need to expand it.” But another Chabad follower said that the tunnel builders were simply bored rabbinical students, noting “If you have a lot of time on your hands, you’re not doing drugs, you’re not messing with girls. You go snooping around and all of a sudden a bunch of guys are like, ‘Lets do something.’” Chabad spokesperson Motti Seligson referred to those who built the tunnel as “young agitators” and “extremist students.” In the basement synagogue where the Meshichisten pray, there is a banner on the wall with their credo. What does the banner read?

770Lubavitch  is in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons

A. רֶבִּי מֶלֶךְ יְשׂרָאֵל חַי חַי וְקַיָם Rebbe, Melech Yisrael, Chai Chai v’Kayam. (Rebbe, King of Israel, lives and endures.)

B. מִי זֶה מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד הַרֶבִּי עִזּוּז וְגִבּוֹר Mi Zeh Melech Hakavod? HaRebbe Izuz V’gibor. (Who is the sovereign who is exalted? The Rebbe, mighty and triumphant.)

C. יְחִי אֲדוֹנֵנוּ מוֹרֵנוּ וְרַבֵּינוּ מֶלֶךְ הַמָשִׁיחַ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu v’Rabbeinu Melech Hamoshiach L’olam Vaed! (Long live our master, our teacher and our rabbi king moshiach forever and ever.)

D. וְהוּא הָיָה וְהוּא הֹוֶה וְהוּא יִהְיֶה בְּתִפְאָרָה V’hu Haya, V’hu hoveh, V’hu Yih’yeh B’tifara. (He was, He is, and He shall be in glory.)

E. מְנַחֵם מֶנְדְל שְׁנִיאוּרסוֹן הַעֵז Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Ha-Ez. (Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the GOAT.) [Editor’s note: Greatest Of All Torah-scholars.]

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Nikki Haley has recently gained some traction in the race for the Republican nomination for president, though she still significantly trails frontrunner Donald Trump. And she is struggling to overcome the criticism she received for responding to a question about the cause of the Civil War without acknowledging slavery. Haley served as ambassador to the United Nations under President Trump, where she was a staunch defender of Israel, saying among other things “The [UN’s Human Rights] Council must end its practice of wrongly singling out Israel for criticism.” She recently said in an interview, “I hope that everyone will remember what a good friend I was to Israel and know that I would never let up on that.”  Nikki Haley has received praise from many Israelis, including which of the following?

Ambassador Nikki Haley visit June 2017 by U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv is  licensed under CC BY 2.0 DEED via Wikimedia Commons

A. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu issued a statement when Nikki Haley announced her run, saying, “Israel never had a better friend in the United Nations than Nikki Haley. If she is elected president of the United States I have no doubt that she will continue to be a fighter for Israel and Jews worldwide.”

B. Israeli model and actress Gal Gadot met Nikki Haley at the 2019 AIPAC conference in Washington, DC when Gal Gadot was a speaker in a session titled, “Obstacles and Opportunities: Women of a Start-Up Nation.” When Haley announced her candidacy, Gadot tweeted that “Nikki Haley is an American politician who understands Israel’s needs, and she is a woman who can lead in what is still in so many ways a man’s world.”

C. When Haley announced her bid for the presidency, Danny Danon, former Knesset member and Israeli ambassador to the United Nations tweeted “Nikki is a true friend of Israel. I have no doubt that she will always stand by our side. Likewise, Israel will always be the closest ally of the US. Good luck Nikki!”

D. Author and journalist Yossi Halevi Klein said last year about Haley, “It is not my place to tell Americans who to vote for. But what I can do is tell Americans who would be good for Israel. Nikki Haley is the only Republican candidate at this point who fits that description. She understands Israel and recognizes that the United States must support Israel. But from her time at the United Nations, she also understands the challenge of finding a way to expand Israel’s relationship with moderate Arab nations.”

E. The Jerusalem Boys Choir recorded and posted a song titled Nikki Haley, Running For The Top, with lyrics including “Who is that flying high?/Beautiful as the moon/Her hair flows like the Mountains of Gilead.”

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Tommy Smothers, half of the Smothers Brothers comedy team, passed away last week. The Smothers Brothers combined music, humor, and their playful sibling rivalry (Tommy’s trademark retort to Dick was “Mom always liked you best”) to entertain, while also emphasizing political satire and liberal politics as part of their presentation. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour made its debut on CBS in February of 1967, but was abruptly canceled in April 1969 after many fights between the brothers and the network. Controversy surrounded sketches which included the words “breast” and “heterosexual,” as well as musical guests including Pete Seeger performing the anti-war song “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy” and Harry Belafonte singing “Lord, Don’t Stop the Carnival” as a protest against the violence-filled 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Both of those musical performances were pulled from the broadcast. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour also featured performances by comedians including George Carlin, Bob Newhart, Steve Martin and many others. One sketch which is included on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour: Best of, Vol. 2 is entitled Talking Jewish. In this bit, Tommy Smothers introduced their guest as “one of the chosen people,” and went on to tell the guest that “both my brother and myself have always liked your act because you do great shtick,” which he described as “a show biz phrase.” The Smothers Brothers and this guest continued to joke back and forth about “Jewish” words and accents. Who were the Smothers Brothers bantering with in the Talking Jewish sketch?

Dick and Tom Smothers playing about on tricycles by Los Angeles Times is  licensed under CC-BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A. David Steinberg.

B. Jackie Mason.

C. Henny Youngman.

D. Don Rickles.

E. Henry Kissinger.

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