Commonpoint Queens virtual cultural
arts speaker series returns next month
TIMESLEDGER | Q 20 NS.COM | SEPT. 24 - SEPT. 30, 2021
a remote part of the Sudanese
coast, where the
staff served as undercover
spies for Mossad, Israel’s
intelligence agency.
Berg’s book, which inspired
the Netflix drama
“The Red Sea Diving Resort,”
tells the tale of how
thousands of Ethiopian
Jews in refugee camps
were secretly evacuated
to Israel.
Thursday, Oct. 14
At 7 p.m. on Oct. 14,
child psychologist Harold
Koplewicz will host
a talk on his book “The
Scaffold Effect: Raising
Resilient, Self-Reliant
and Secure Kids in an
Age of Anxiety.” During
this virtual talk, Koplewicz
will explain how to
prevent and counteract
anxiety and “emotional
fragility” in today’s
youth, introducing new
parenting philosophies
and strategies that give
young people the tools to
flourish on their own.
The event is free but
registration is required.
Monday, Oct. 18
At noon on Oct. 18,
former Flotilla 13 commando,
Medal of Valor
recipient and retired Admiral
Ami Ayalon will
share his thoughts and
philosophy on what Israel
needs to do to achieve
relative peace and how
it can sustain itself as a
Jewish homeland and
a liberal democracy.
Professor Mark Rosenblum
will moderate the
discussion surrounding
Ayalon’s book “Friendly
Fire: How Israel Became
Its Own Worst Enemy,”
which discussed how a
“sustainable and democratic
Jewish homeland”
can only be achieved
“side-by-side with a Palestinian
state.”
Monday, Nov. 1
On Nov. 1 at 12 p.m.,
Commonpoint welcomes
speaker Gwen Strauss,
author of “The Nine: The
True Story of a Band of
Women Who Survived
the Worst of Nazi Germany.”
The nine women, all
under 30 years old, joined
the resistance during
World War II. One of these
women was Strauss’ great
aunt Hélène Podliasky,
who participated in
smuggling arms through
Europe, trekking escape
routes through Spain and
hiding Jewish children
in scattered apartments.
Podliasky led her eight
friends from a German
forced labor camp on a
10-day journey across the
front lines and back to
Paris.
Monday, Nov. 15
Scholar Leah Garrett
will discuss her book “X
Troop: The Secret Jewish
Commandos of World
War II” on Monday, Nov.
15 at 12 p.m. The book follows
Winston Churchill
and his chief of staff, who
formed a commando unit
of Jewish refugees who
had escaped to Britain.
Named “X Troop,” this
group of intellectuals,
artists and athletes from
Germany and Austria
had taken on fake British
identities and were
trained in counterintelligence
and advanced
combat to fight against
the Third Reich.
Tickets for these virtual
events — excluding
the free Harold Koplewicz
lecture — are $8
for Commonpoint members
and $10 for nonmembers.
All events
will be virtual on Zoom
and registration can be
found on www.commonpointqueens.
org/program/
cultural-arts-andjewish
heritage-events.
For more information,
email kstrauss@
commonpointqueens.
org or visit www.
commonpointqueens.
org/cultural.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at
jbagcal@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260-2583.
BY JENNA BAGCAL
As part of Commonpoint
Queens’ virtual
programming, the nonprofit
announced the
return of a Zoom speaker
series at the start of
next month.
The organization’s
Fall 2021 Virtual Cultural
Arts Program kicks
off on Monday, Oct. 4,
featuring an engaging
lineup of speakers covering
cultural, Jewish
and other contemporary
topics.
Monday, Oct. 4
Longtime BBC Middle
East Editor and author
Raffi Berg will be
the series’ first speaker
at 1 p.m., discussing his
book “Red Sea Spies: The
True Story of Mossad’s
Fake Diving Resort.”
The story takes place in
the early 1980s on a new
luxury holiday resort on
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