Tens of thousands of Jews around the world celebrated the mitzvah of tefillin on Super Bowl Sunday, designated as the World Wide Wrap by the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs. The initiative encourages everyone to put on tefillin for at least one day. Members of the Men’s Club of Congregation Beth Shalom participating in the World Wide Wrap this year included (from left) David Kallmeyer, Billy Silverman, Richard Simon, Dan Osman, Lee Albee and Chuck Gasser.SPEAK UP BREAK THE SILENCE — Drs. Steve and Karen Arkin, co-founders of Speak Up Break the Silence along with Allison Doss, announced on Facebook recently that they will be moving to Ohio. While I was out and about, a loyal Chronicle reader stopped me and asked what was going to happen to Speak Up, so I went directly to the source. Steve Arkin said that while he and Karen are leaving town, they will be staying on the Speak Up board of directors, adding “we have a plan to maintain the current agenda.” The Speak Up Foundation was inspired, created and formed by the Arkin and Doss families who both suffered devastating personal losses due to mental illness resulting in suicide. “It is from these tragic life events that we decided to rise from the fiery ashes of emotional pain and despair and create this foundation dedicated to change. We are two families who have walked different paths in life now joined in one united fight. We stand together to break the silence and reduce the stigma surrounding all mental illness and suicide,” according to the organization’s mission statement, which can be found at speakup.us. For the past three years the organization has sponsored a walk to help pay for its educational activities. No date for the 2019 walk has been posted yet.JULIAN EDELMAN IS THE FIRST JEWISH SUPER BOWL MVP (JTA) — I was one of those people who was unsure whether Julian Edelman, a wide receiver with the New England Patriots, was Jewish, as I had conflicting reports. Now I’m convinced and on Sunday Edelman was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta.As JTA reports, and television viewers who continued watching that late witnessed, the Patriots’ Jewish owner, Robert Kraft, also earned a kiss on the lips from quarterback Tom Brady as their team celebrated its 13-3 victory — New England’s sixth Super Bowl triumph.After the game, an interviewer asked Edelman how he felt about earning the MVP award.“It sounds crazy, it sounds crazy. 2018. L’Chaim!” he said.Edelman provided some of the rare offensive highlights in a sluggish, defensive game with a game-high 10 catches for 141 yards. Eight of those receptions led to first downs, keeping the ball out of the hands of the Rams’ potent young quarterback, Jared Goff.Edelman, 32, is one of only a few Jewish players in the league (don’t forget our Chiefs’ Mitchell Schwartz had a stellar year!), embracing that side of his identity over time. He has a Jewish father but was not raised in the religion, and through the Patriots front office often would defer on questions about his religion.Since 2013, he has shown his Jewish pride on a number of occasions. In a 2014 game, for instance, he wore a pin featuring the Israeli flag. He has tweeted about Jewish holidays. He even went on a Birthright-style trip to Israel, and has written a children’s book that references modern-day Zionism founder Theodor Herzl. After the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in the fall, which killed 11, he wore special cleats with Hebrew on them to honor the victims.Patriots owner Kraft is the latest recipient of the Genesis Prize, given to a Jewish leader or celebrity who serve “as an inspiration to the next generation of Jews through their outstanding professional achievement along with their commitment to Jewish values and the Jewish people.”
