Jewish Geography is a hit in Tidewater

David Leon became the reigning Who Knows One? champion in Tidewater when he won the Jewish Geography competition against rival contestant, Anne Fleder.

Micah Hart, creator of Who Knows One?, hosted a live show at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community on Thursday, June 30.

The show focused on Leon’s and Fleder’s search for “The Chosen One,” in this case, Devorah Glanz of West Bloomfield, Michigan, who they had to try to invite onto a Zoom call using nothing but phone calls and texts to their own friends, and their friends’ friends. As Hart always says, “It’s not about who you know, it’s about who you know, knows.”

Though she wasn’t the winner, Fleder was prepared. “I had reached out to 40 people to let them know I was playing on the show, including four rabbis,” Fleder says, “but you never know who can help and who might not be able to.” Rabbi Roz Mandelberg of Ohef Sholom Temple was one who joined Team Anne on the Zoom call.

“It’s rare that a new type of event comes to the JCC and is so well-attended,” Fleder adds. “I had a blast and would do it again in a heartbeat!”

Ultimately, the game was decided when someone from Leon’s team was able to reach Glanz and got her on the Zoom call.

Audience members also had the opportunity to share their own Jewish geography stories, and later the audience engaged in a round during which everyone had the chance to compete. Rachel Goretsky and Alene and Ron Kaufman won the competition, finding someone to join the Zoom call that was married in Virginia and moved elsewhere, and someone who had served as a Jewish military chaplain, respectively.

Hart was in Virginia Beach with his sons to visit his in-laws. He also conducted professional development sessions with the staffs of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Tidewater Jewish Foundation, and Simon Family JCC.