The personal papers of Chaim and Inna Hecker Grade (pronounced Gra-day) have been digitized, and are now publicly accessible online.

Chaim Grade, who died in 1982, was one of the most important Jewish writers of the 20th century. In 2013, his personal papers, a 20,000-volume library, literary manuscripts and publication rights were awarded to the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the National Library of Israel. His widow, Inna Hecker Grade, who died in 2010, was a fierce, self-appointed guardian of his literary legacy.

Reportedly, she would call The Forward to complain when one of the stories in the newspaper referred kindly to Isaac Bashevis Singer, the Nobel laureate whom she called a “blasphemous buffoon.

Harvey Weinstein, the former Hollywood mogul already serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York, was sentenced Feb. 23 in Los Angeles to an additional 16 years on charges of rape and sexual assault. Weinstein continued to deny any wrongdoing.

Reporting by The New York Times and The New Yorker in 2017 revealed Weinstein’s alleged history of sexual abuse, harassment, and secret settlements, using his influence as a Hollywood power broker to take advantage of young women. The revelations led to a wave of women speaking publicly about the pervasiveness of the abuse in what became known as the #MeToo movement.

The Shofar is proud to report that two shul members, Veronica Kaliski and Cookie Slade, have joined with two other women, Helen Finnigan and Ann Sande, to lead a course designed to help those immigrating to our country study for the Citizenship Test. They’ll review the 100 civics questions and practice reading, writing and speaking English, all of which are included on the test. The eight-session program will meet weekly for 90 minutes at the Cutchogue Library, from Feb. 8 through March 29.

“When one of the students passes the difficult test and becomes a citizen, it is a rewarding experience,” said Veronica Kaliski. “I was moved to teach this class because people from desperate means want to become part of our American dream; I want to help them do that.”

[Editor’s note: About 25 years ago, I was privileged to have been invited to Naturalization Court in White Plains, NY, to witness the swearing-in of about 100 people from nations around the globe, many of them dressed in native costumes, pledging allegiance to the United States of America. It was one of the most moving events I have ever experienced and, still today, I can recall every detail of it. SMB]

George Santos, the 34-year-old New York Republican who has confessed to lying about part of his background, was sworn into the House of Representatives on Jan. 7 amid several investigations into his campaign and calls for him to resign. Santos was elected in November to represent New York’s 3^rd Congressional District covering a part of Queens and Long Island’s North Shore.

Santos has faced intense scrutiny after The New York Times published a report indicating that much of his résumé appeared to have been manufactured, including claims that he owned numerous properties, was previously employed by Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and had graduated from Baruch College. The report also raised questions about how Santos was able to lend his 2022 campaign $700,000 after having claimed on a campaign finance form in 2020 that he was making $55,000 a year.

And despite presenting himself as Jewish during his congressional campaign, Santos told the New York Post that he never claimed to be Jewish. “I am Catholic,” he said. “Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was ‘Jew-ish,’” he added. During the campaign, Santos claimed his grandparents were Holocaust survivors, that his mother was in the World Trade Center on 9/11, and that he had employees at the Pulse nightclub when it was attacked.

Santos is now under investigation by the Nassau County district attorney, the New York State district attorney, and federal prosecutors in New York.

President Biden is expected to name Jeffrey D. Zients, his former coronavirus response coordinator, as the next White House chief of staff, replacing Ron Klain, who has run Mr. Biden’s White House since the president took office two years ago. Klain has announced that he will step down sometime after the State of the Union address on Feb. 7.

An entrepreneur and management consultant, who organized the largest vaccination campaign in American history, Mr. Zients is widely respected in Biden circles as a strong and capable leader. He has been entrusted with some of the trickiest management tasks of the past two Democratic administrations — to fix the botched website of Mr. Obama’s new healthcare program, and to run Mr. Biden’s Covid-19 pandemic through successive variant waves.

Over the past two decades, he made Fortune magazine’s list of the 40 richest Americans under 40 (just two slots below a young Elon Musk). He reported assets between $76 million and $419 million on 2022 financial forms.

The president is likely to continue keeping Mr. Klain close, according to an unnamed source, The New York Times reported.

• Award-winning broadcaster Chris Berman, an anchor for ESPN’s “SportsCenter” since 1979 and the face of the network’s football coverage, is a member of the 2023 class inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Other inductees are:
• Rudi Ball, ice hockey: Represented Germany in the 1936 Winter Olympics. During his career, he won eight German championships and a bronze medal in the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.
• David Blatt, basketball: Career included playing at Princeton University and professional basketball leagues in Israel, Italy, Russia, Turkey and Greece, and a stint as head coach of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers.
• Ilona Elek-Schacherer, fencing: Competed in three Olympics for Hungary, winning two gold medals and a silver medal. She also won 10 gold medals, five silver medals, and two bronze medals in World Championships.
• John Frank, football: Is a two-time Super Bowl champion tight end with the San Francisco 49ers. Played football at Ohio State University, and co-founded the Israeli bobsled team.
• Deena Kastor, track & field: An eight-time national champion in cross-country, who won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and holds U.S. records for the 10-mile, 15-kilometer, and 8-kilometer women’s road races.
• Merrill Moses, water polo: A three-time Olympic water polo goalkeeper, earned a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and won the 1997 NCAA championship with Pepperdine University.
• Moran Samuel, rowing: An Israeli world champion paralympic rower and basketball player. Paralyzed in her lower body, she played for Israel in the 2013 European Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Frankfort, and represented Israel at the Paralympic Games in 2012, 2016 and 2020, winning bronze and silver medals. In 2015, she won a gold medal at the World Rowing Championships.
• Mordechai Spiegler, soccer: Considered among the best Israeli soccer players ever. Was captain of the Israeli Olympic team in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. He has scored 32 national team goals.
• Dwight Stones, track and field: A two-time Olympic bronze medalist in high jump. He won 19 national championships in his 16-year career.
• Ariel Ze’evi, judo: Won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics, four European championships, and a silver medal at the 2001 World Championship.

Jewish boxer Dmitry Salita will be inducted into the New York Boxing Hall of Fame. He fought professionally from 2001 to 2013 with a record of 35-2-1 and 18 knockouts. An Orthodox Jew, he said that refusing to fight on Shabbos helped give him balance.

In 2010, he became a boxing promoter, and in September was named Promoter of the Year.