AI2010_04_01

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010 17 NISSAN, 5770 SHABBAT: FRI 7:44 – SAT 8:44 CINCINNATI, OHIO

Esteemed professor, Matitiahu Tsevat, dies at 96

by Avi Milgrom Assistant Editor

VOL. 156 • NO. 36 SINGLE ISSUE PRICE $2.00

NATIONAL With seed help, niche camps hope to draw more young Jews Page 7

Dr. Matitiahu Tsevat forged a path through Jewish Studies as a teacher, scholar and administrator at HUC-JIR — and a path through life as father and husband— that manifested an extraordinary balance between the spiritual, the intellectual and the emotional.

Dr. Tsevat, who passed away March 13, 2010, the 27th day of Adar, 5770, at the age of 96 was a man of sophisticated intellectual and artistic predilections, for whom the world of visceral and material pleasures held little attraction.

Only as the material world edged into the aesthetic that Dr. Tsevat took interest: In his daily life, it was a small stand of trees in

Dr. Matitiahu Tsevat of HUC in his later years.

the back yard of his North Avondale home.

Gazing out a rear window, he would marvel at this sampling of nature — to him it could have been a forest with a huge canopy locking in rich, earthy smells and sunlight diffracted into beams – a place of mystery and comfort.

It was there in his home, surrounded by his children and wife, that he would indulge an abiding love for classical music and opera.

With scores in hand, Dr. Tsevat would follow performances as a matter of routine.

And he loved solitude and reading— two passions that comported well with his life as a scholar and educator. He loved to explore languages, the arts, politics, history. Indeed he taught graduate

courses at Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion (HUCJIR) in extinct languages.

For vacations, he sought the solace of nature – and music if he could – favoring trips to Colorado for mountain hiking or to Switzerland, Austria and Germany for both hiking and music festivals — The Wagner Festival in Beyreuth, Germany or the Salzburg Festival in Austria.

Explained son, Joel, his father was more typical of a European man — or perhaps Israeli — in his personal life.

Born in Germany in 1913, before World War I, Dr. Tsevat was raised by Zionist parents who were devoted to Judaism and Hebrew culture. Thus, upon his birth, he was

TSEVAT on page 19

‘Start-Up Nation’ author draws record crowd

by Avi Milgrom Assistant Editor

INTERNATIONAL Conservative Judaism set to open first shul in Australia Page 9

CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE North Cincy USY holds Noodle Night talent show Page 11

“Start-Up Nation –The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle” coauthor, Saul Singer, spoke recently to a standing-room only crowd at the J. The best seller he wrote with brother-in-law, Dan Senor, explores the cultural influences in Israel that propelled a nation the size of New Jersey, with a paltry popoulation of 7.1 million, to the global gold medal for start-ups.

On a per capita basis, Israel has more start-ups than any other country in the world and is second only to the U.S. in absolute numbers. As a measure of its esteem in

Tandoor Cuisine of India buffet satisfies diners Page 14

Saul Singer surprised the audience at the J when he replaced the scheduled speaker, coauthor Dan Senor, who had a family emergency.

risk of customers – a valuable tool for E-Bay or other internet companies with large transaction volumes.

In the end, E-Bay bought Fraud Science for $180 million, after offering $70 million initially.

But the point of the story was not to tell another Israeli start-up success story. It was to illustrate the key cultural influences that drive Israel’s fierce start-up engine – the focus of the book.

The key – trainable – influences explored in the book come from IDF programs: Working as a team; leadership; mission orientation; ”the value of five minutes” and sacrificing to meet a goal.

AUTHOR on page 21

Rubashkin takes appeal for bail to U.S. Supreme Court

by Avi Milgrom Assistant Editor

DINING OUT

the eyes of investors, Israel attracts 2.5 times as much venture capital than the U.S. and 30 times more than Europe, when adjusted for size, according to 2008 reports.

In“Start-Up”, the authors assert that much of Israel’s entrepreneurial success can be traced to its military, the Israel Defence Force (IDF). Illustrating its influence, Singer told the story of Fraud Science, a small Israeli company founded upon the principle its founder discovered in the IDF tracking terrorists: Good citizens leave tracks through the internet financial system; bad ones don’t.

When applied to routine internet transactions, this principle can be used to assess the relative financial

Sholom Rubashkin, former vicepresident of Agriprocessors, Inc., once the biggest Kosher slaughterhouse in the country, recently asked the United States Supreme Court to overturn lower court decisions that dened him bail, as he awaits sentencing on 86 financial fraud charges The appeal was filed after the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appleals did not overturn a bail denial by a federal trial judge.

Long–time friend of the Rubashkin family, lawyer Nathan Lewin, is handling the appeal.

Well known in both judicial and Jewish circles as the defense lawyer for President Richard Nixon, U.S. Attorney Edwin Meese, actress Jodie Foster and a number of high profile Jewish clients, Lewin has spoken out about what he saw as a judicial process unduly affected by an overzealous prosecution, since the early phases of Rubaskin’s case.

According to the Iowa Independent, Lewin believes that Rubashkin is facing “more severe restrictions and potential punishment than other employers targeted

by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officials.” Lewin asserts that the presiding judge,

who bifurcated the case into one focused on financial fraud and another focused on immigration violations, permitted prejudicial evidence of alleged immigration infractions into the fraud case. The immigration case was dropped at the conclusion of the fraud case.

Lewin is not alone in such concerns. Rabbi Pesach Lerner, executive vice president of the National Council of Young Israel said, “ We are deeply concerned about the seeming pattern of overzealous prosecution.”

Such concerns appear to be growing according to Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, vice president of Agudath Israel of America,”…the

volume of emails and phone calls we have received about the Rubashkin case has reached a loud crescendo in recent weeks, as the full horror of how he is being singled out for harsh treatment has become strikingly clear.”

The raid that was the basis for Rusbaskin’s trial, and that severely hobbled Agriprocessors, was one of the biggest such immigration enforcement actions thus far.

It took place in May 2008.

In November 2009, Rubashkin was convicted of federal fraud charges by a South Dakota federal jury. His eastern Iowa company is now closed.

BAR/BAT MITZVAH 2010 SPECIAL SECTION

If your business or organization wants to reach the Greater Cincinnati Jewish Community regarding Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, this is the issue to do it!

Publishes on May 6 Deadline is April 29 For more information or to advertise, call Ted Deutsch at 621-3145 or send an e-mail with “Bar/Bat Mitzvah” in the subject line to publisher@ americanisraelite.com

PASSOVER

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

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Stress management at Northern Hills, April 4 On Sunday, April 4, the Northern Hills sisterhood will sponsor a program on stress management.

Bonnie Byers Crawford of the Wellness Community of Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky will lead the program.

With 20 years of experience as a health social worker, Crawford has been Program Director of the Wellness Community for more than 8

years.

As Program Director, Crawford supervises 12 clinical staff members and 15 ancillary contractors, developing and implementing over 2200 programs each year, including several national research projects.

The Wellness Community is one of more than 50 international affiliates of Cancer Support Community, a non-profit organization that provides free and pro-

fessionally facilitated programs for those affected by cancer.

A light breakfast will be served. Because the program will take place during the Passover holiday, all foods served will be in strict keeping with Passover requirements.

The event is free and open to the entire community. For more information or to make a reservation, contact Northern Hills Synagogue.

92nd Street Y with Elie Wiesel at Wise Temple, April 15 A World in Crisis: What are our Moral Obligations?

On Thursday, April 15, the 92 Street Y program, live via satellite will feature an exploration of the obligations of humans in general, and the Jewish community in particular, in responding to the crises around us – from the IsraeliPalestinian conflict to the looming threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, from an unstable Pakistan to genocide in Africa.

Elie Wiesel was born in 1928 in Sighet, Transylvania, which is now part of Romania. He was fifteen years old when he and his family were deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz. His mother and younger sister perished, his two older sisters survived. Elie and his father were later transported to Buchenwald, where his father died shortly before the camp was liberated in April 1945.

After the war, Wiesel studied in Paris and later became a journalist. During an interview with the distinguished French writer, Francois Mauriac, he was persuaded to write about his experiences in the death camps. The result was his internationally acclaimed memoir, La Nuit or Night, that has since been translated into more than thirty languages.

Wiesel is the author of more than forty books of fiction and nonfiction, including A Beggar in Jerusalem (Prix Médicis winner), The Testament (Prix Livre Inter winner), The Fifth Son (winner of the Grand Prize in Literature from the City of Paris), and two volumes of his memoirs.

He is active in human rights as well.

Wiesel has defended the cause of Soviet Jews, Nicaragua's Miskito

Indians, Argentina's Desaparecidos, Cambodian refugees, the Kurds, victims of famine and genocide in Africa, of apartheid in South Africa, and victims of war in the former Yugoslavia. A devoted supporter of Israel, Elie and his wife Marion supported the cause of Ethiopian-born Israeli youth through the Foundation's Beit Tzipora Centers for Study and Enrichment for over ten years.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed Wiesel as Chairman of the President's Commission on the Holocaust.

Also, he is the Founding President of the Paris-based Universal Academy of Cultures and the Chairman of The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, an organization he and his wife created to fight indifference, intolerance and injustice after he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1986.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed Wiesel as Chairman of the President's Commission on the Holocaust. In 1980, he became the Founding Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.

Wiesel has defended the cause of Soviet Jews, Nicaragua's Miskito Indians, Argentina's Desaparecidos, Cambodian refugees, the Kurds, victims of famine and genocide in Africa, of apartheid in South Africa, and victims of war in the

former Yugoslavia.

A devoted supporter of Israel, Wiesel and his wife Marion supported the cause of Ethiopianborn Israeli youth through the Foundation's Beit Tzipora Centers for Study and Enrichment for over ten years.

Teaching has always been central to Wiesel’s work.

Since 1976, he has been the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University, where he also holds the title of University Professor. He is a member of the Faculty in the Department of Religion as well as the Department of Philosophy.

Previously, he served as Distinguished Professor of Judaic Studies at the City University of New York (1972-76) and the first Henry Luce Visiting Scholar in Humanities and Social Thought at Yale University (1982-83).

For his literary and human rights activities, he has received numerous awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal and the Medal of Liberty Award, and the rank of Grand-Croix in the French Legion of Honor.

An American citizen since 1963, Wiesel lives with his wife in Connecticut.

The 92nd Street Y series originates and is fed live from New York’s prestigious Jewish cultural center, the 92nd Street Y. The broadcast is fed into Wise Temple’s Wohl Chapel, equipped with a large screen and digital video technology capable of stateof-the-art simulcasting.

The Cincinnati audience at Wise Temple will be able to ask questions directly of Wiesel.

The event is open to the Greater Cincinnati public. There is a fee.

For further information and to RSVP for either of these programs contact Wise Temple.

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LOCAL/STATE

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

Jewish Family Service will sponsor two programs for parents this month Discussion Group for Parents of Adult Children JFS calls it “Don’t Bite Your Tongue.” These are discussion groups with topics that may include creating active relationships over long distances and how to respond to major changes in an adult child’s life.

Two sessions are available: Thursdays, April 8 and May 13 or Tuesdays, April 13 and May 11.

To be held at the J, There is a fee. Call JFS for information.

Helping Your Tween or Teen Deal with Stress This program is designed to

help parents of 11- 17 year olds learn to distinguish typical behaviors from signs of matters for concern on.

“Teens are under a great deal of stress in their daily lives as they manage their schoolwork, peer and family relationships, and outside activities, “ said Linda Kean, MA, CFLE, Director of Family Life

Education at Jewish Family Service. “Parents can learn how to help their child navigate the emotional roller coaster of adolescence.”

This program will be at J on Monday, April 12 or Wednesday, April 21.

There is a fee. Call JFS for information.

Wise Temple News Wise Temple Sisterhood Women’s Seder Wise Temple Sisterhood is having a Women’s Passover Seder and dinner on Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 6 p.m.

The Hagaddah used at the Seder was written by members of the Sisterhood specifically for this annual program. The Hagaddah brings the perspective of contemporary woman to the story of the Exodus.

Readings from various female scholars are incorporated into the story, as well as music and dance.

The evening is open to the women of Wise and their guests age 10 and older. For more information, contact Wise.

NY Times journalist, child of survivor at Wise, April 11 On Sunday, April 11, New York Times journalist and child of Holocaust survivors, Joseph Berger, will speak at Isaac M. Wise Temple about his memoir “Displaced Persons: Growing Up American After the Holocaust.”

The memoir is a reflection on the author’s family experiences living in a post-Holocaust world during the 1950s and 1960s.

In a review of the book, Elie Wiesel wrote, “Packed with emo-

tion, descriptive and introspective, this powerful and sweetly melancholic memoir, brilliantly written

by Joseph Berger, is a remarkable tribute not only to his parents but to an entire generation of Holocaust survivors who, in spite of the burden of suffering they carried from Europe and its legacy of hatred and violence, succeeded in rebuilding their lives and dreams.”

Through family anecdotes, Berger captures the little-known experiences of survivors settling in the U.S. following liberation. He weaves his reflections on his childhood in New York City with his mother’s story of her life Poland.

Rabbi Lewis Kamrass of Wise Temple is pleased that Berger is featured at this year’s lecture. He said “The Holocaust was not only a devastating event that spanned the distance of six years’ time; its impact continued for the survivors and into the next generations in some significant ways.

It still shapes many lives, just as it does Jewish values and behavior for us now, 65 years after it ended. Joe Berger’s story and his topic is a compelling one … because it reminds us of the strength of the human spirit to transcend that which impact us so deeply. We are

Joseph Berger will speak at Wise Temple about his new book.

fortunate to have such a wellknown writer and author addressing us this year.”

Berger’s visit is sponsored by the annual Hornstein Program in Remembrance of the Holocaust and the Human Spirit at Isaac M. Wise Temple.

For more information contact Wise Temple.

Wise sponsors ‘Shabbat Around Town’ On a Friday evening this past month, over 20 host families welcomed Temple members into their

homes to share in Shabbat family traditions. Over 200 Wise Temple members participated in the event; it has been over two years since members last participated in this event.

Temple members were joined together by a one-way conference call as three Temple Rabbis’ led Shabbat blessings prior to dinner.

Hosts had the option of providing dinner or asking guests to bring something for a potluck dinner. In addition, hosts could welcome adults only or families with children.

Every host was provided with bottle of wine, Shabbat candles, a coupon for a challah and booklets of Shabbat blessings.

Cynthia Marmer, who welcomed ten guests said, “We had a great time —the conversation flowed with lots of laughs.

Hearing the voices of our three rabbis was moving and set the tone for a wonderful Shabbat dinner.”

Noting that the event gave members an opportunity to “meet people and spend time with others they may normally not get to know”, Jann Greenberg, event cochair with Lisa Sichel, said, “Sharing conversation over dinner builds both community and understanding.”

Rabbi to address ‘Faith in the Public Square’ COLUMBUS, Ohio — A rabbi and well-known scholar in Jewish and Christian literature and history will provide the Sixth Annual Lecture on World Religions and Interreligious Dialogue of the Theological Consortium of Greater Columbus, Wednesday, April 21, 2010, at the Pontifical College Josephinum.

The topic was explained by the speaker, Rabbi David Fox Sandmel, “Throughout its history, Americans have debated how to put into practice one of its founding principles, religious freedom. This has presented both legal and social challenges, especially as the religious diversity of the country has increased. Interfaith dialogues provide a model and a methodology for confronting these challenges, as

can be seen in the reaction to both the Holocaust and to 9/11.”

Sandmel, Crown-Ryan Professor of Jewish Studies at the Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, will speak to “Faith in the Public Square,” in the Jessing Center on the Josephinum campus in Columbus, Ohio.

Sandmel received his undergraduate degree in Jewish Studies from The Ohio State University and was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. He completed his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied the history and literature of Judaism and Christianity in the Greco-Roman world.

As director of the National Jewish Scholars Project, i Sandmel

coordinated the publication of “Dabru Emet: A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity,” which generated international attention in the interfaith community and wide media coverage. He is the co-editor of Christianity in Jewish Terms and the lead editor of Irreconcilable Differences? A Learning Resource for Jews and Christians.

Sandmel is involved in JewishMuslim dialogue and tri-lateral dialogue among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. He is a member of Rabbis and Imams for Peace and team teaches a course on the Abrahamic faiths with a Roman Catholic and an Imam at the Catholic Theological Union.

Also, Sandmel is a member of the Central Conference of

American Rabbis (CCAR). He chairs the CCAR’s Committee on Interfaith Activities and is the CCAR Representative to the Joint Commission on Interfaith Relations (with the Union for Reform Judaism), the National Council of Synagogues, and the International Jewish Committee on Interfaith Consultations.

The Theological Consortium of Greater Columbus includes Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Bexley, the Pontifical College Josephinum, and the Methodist Theological School in Ohio in Delaware. Bexley Hall Episcopal Seminary is an associate member.

The lecture is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are requested. Contact Pontifical College Josephinum for more information.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

The oldest English-Jewish weekly in America Founded July 15, 1854

by Isaac M.Wise VOL. 156 • NO. 36 Thursday, April 1, 2010 17 Nissan, 5770 Shabbat begins Fri, 7:44 p.m.

Shabbat ends Sat, 8:44 p.m.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

NATIONAL

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Health care vote could mean tough campaign for some Jewish Dems

by Eric Fingerhut Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON (JTA) — A window was shattered by a pellet gun in an apparent vandalism attack at her Tucson district office. Sarah Palin has put her on the list of Democratic lawmakers she is targeting this fall. Arizona Tea Party activists are pledging to help defeat her bid for re-election.

All this because Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) voted for health care reform.

Giffords is one of a few Jewish Democrats political observers say could have a difficult re-election campaign because of her vote for the controversial Democraticbacked health care bill.

The bill passed Sunday would provide access to insurance for more than 30 million uninsured Americans, provide subsidies for those who cannot afford it, eliminate the ability of insurance companies to deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions, and require all Americans to buy insurance or pay a tax. Republicans have attacked the bill as too costly and portray it as government takeover of the health care industry.

While support for the health care bill represents a potential political liability if disaffection with the president runs high on Election Day, November is still far enough away that it’s not clear how much influence it will have.

The general mood of the country, which probably will depend on the state of the economy, will likely be the determining factor, said Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report. If the mood is sour, he said, voters “are going to evaluate health care in that light.”

Two-term congresswoman Giffords is in a more vulnerable spot than most. She hasn’t been in office long, and her district is not solidly Democratic. John McCain won it in the 2008 presidential election, with 52 percent of the district vote.

Helping those who cannot afford health insurance, rather than focusing on re-election, was Gifford’s paramount concern in deciding which way to vote, her spokesman said.

“The congresswoman is convinced it was the right thing to do, and good for the country,” said her communications director, C.J. Karamargin.

Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), who has been particularly outspoken on health care issues, is another potentially vulnerable Jewish Democrat.

Grayson has called the U.S. health care system a “holocaust” — making him a darling of the left but a

target of the right.

Grayson unseated a four-term Republican in 2008 to win the 8th congressional district in Florida, which includes part of Orlando.

While President Obama carried the district in 2008, George W. Bush carried it in the prior two presidential races.

Gary Jones

Windows at the Tucson office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords were shattered in an apparent vandalism attack just hours after Giffords voted for the health care reform bill in Congress.

National Jewish Democratic Council CEO Ira Forman acknowledged that votes in favor of health care reform could be problematic for Jewish Democrats like Giffords and Grayson, but he is “doubtful it will be the determinative vote” for an incumbent’s prospects of survival this fall.

Victory on a historic reform of health care “is much better for Democrats in general” than a defeat, Forman said. However, the larger issues of the economy and the unemployment rate are likely to be greater factors for vulnerable Democrats come election time, he said.

The only Jewish Democrat to vote against the health care bill was New Jersey first-termer John Adler, who is also likely to face a tough battle in November. Hailing from a district in the Philadelphia suburbs, Adler will be facing off against former Philadelphia Eagles lineman John Runyan.

Adler said he did not back the legislation because it didn’t do enough to control costs and make health care affordable for his constituents. He also reportedly had encountered strong opposition to the bill at meetings throughout his district.

Obama carried Adler’s district by five points in 2008, but Bush eked out a slight win in 2004.

Before Adler, the district’s con-

gressional seat was held by a Republican for 16 years.

Adler’s vote will make it easier for him to argue that he is “not a rubber stamp” for the president.

The executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, Matt Brooks, agreed that the health care bill is likely to be a big issue in the 2010 election. The RJC has called for repealing the bill.

More upsetting than the bill itself, Brooks said, is that, “with an exploding debt and deficit, the president is focusing not on jobs but on health care.”

Meanwhile, at least one Jewish Republican challenger is hoping that his opposition to the health care reform legislation will help him knock off a Democratic incumbent.

Randy Altschuler, a contender for the GOP nomination in New York’s 1st congressional district, which includes much of Suffolk County on Long Island, said he backs repealing the health care legislation and replacing it with a different type of reform because the “spending, tax increases, and heavy government intervention” outweigh its “marginal benefits.”

Altschuler first must win a tough primary race against Chris Cox, Richard Nixon’s grandson, before being able to square off against incumbent Democrat Tim Bishop.

“That’s a race where these kinds of issues are going to resonate,” Brooks said of the brouhaha over health care.

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NATIONAL

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

U. of Calif. addresses campus hate, Israel gags news but some draw line on Oren incident of soldier turned journalist under arrest

A student is escorted from a University of California, Irvine auditorium by campus police after heckling Israeli U.S. Ambassador Michael Oren, Feb. 8, 2010.

by Sue Fishkoff Jewish Telegraphic Agency SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — The University of California Board of Regents addressed the recent spate of hate violence and racist vandalism at its campuses by announcing a series of measures designed to monitor and prevent hate violence in the university system.

Among the incidents that provoked a three-hour meeting Wednesday devoted to the violence was the heckling of Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren during a speech at UC Irvine several weeks ago. At UC Davis, a swastika was carved into a freshman student’s dorm door; five more were scrawled on walls and bulletin boards. At UC San Diego, a noose was found hanging in the university library and a Ku Klux Klanstyle hood was draped on a statue.

Acknowledging that bigotry and prejudice “won’t go away immediately,” University of California President Mark Yudof apologized to students at Wednesday's meeting, which was streamed live.

“What we have witnessed in the past few weeks are the worst acts of racism and intolerance I’ve seen in 20 years,” Yudof told the hundreds who attended the open meeting at the San Francisco campus.

“As a university, we have to recognize we have a problem,” he said. “We must address a campus climate that leaves students feeling marginalized — class by class, department by department.”

Chancellors from UC Davis, Irvine and San Diego — the three campuses hardest hit by the hate violence — appeared before the regents to outline their action plans.

Among the measures announced was the appointment of a special adviser on racial issues at San

Diego. The school was thrown into an uproar recently by a racially charged off-campus party where participants were asked to dress and act according to offensive AfricanAmerican stereotypes.

At Irvine, 11 students were arrested Feb. 8 for heckling Israel’s ambassador; charges are pending.

The students have taken to calling themselves the Irvine 11.

At Davis, offensive words were spray-painted on the walls of the center for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders.

“Whether it’s a swastika or a noose, the intent is the same — to hurt, to wound,” said regent Eddie Island. “I want to extend a personal apology to every African-American, Latino and Jewish student.”

Despite the heartfelt apologies and announcements of new measures, a subtle line was drawn between the “ghetto” parties and swastikas soundly deplored by students, chancellors and regents, and the heckling of Oren, which some speakers said fell into the category of protected free speech.

“We stand in solidarity with the Irvine 11,” declared Victor Sanchez, president of the University of California Student Association in his opening words to the regents during the meeting.

Regent Sherry Lansing challenged Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake on the topic, asking whether Oren had been permitted to finish his speech — he had, Drake said — and noting the history of MuslimJewish tensions at the university.

Pointing to UCLA, which recently inaugurated an Israeli studies program “to educate people about the Middle East in a fair and balanced way,” Lansing urged Drake to visit the Los Angeles school and learn about the program.

“It’s only an hour away,” noted Lansing, a former film studio

executive.

The heckling incident drew fire nationwide, with a handful of Jewish organizations, led by the Zionist Organization of America, calling for Jewish students and funders to boycott UC Irvine.

Most Jewish groups opposed the boycott call, as did all five Jewish student organizations on campus.

But several groups joined the AntiDefamation League in calling upon Drake to step up efforts to deal with anti-Semitic intimidation on campus and to monitor anti-Semitic speakers.

Irvine is investigating charges that a British speaker brought to campus last year by the Muslim Student Union may have violated federal anti-terrorism law due to alleged involvement in raising money for Hamas.

In his address to the regents, Drake underlined his deep dismay at the heckling of Oren, saying it crossed the line from free speech into “intolerable behavior.”

The eight arrested students from Irvine — three others were from UC Riverside — are under investigation, he said, and if found in contempt of university behavior codes will be punished.

University administrations must draw clear distinctions between the free exchange of political opinions and behavior aimed at silencing others, Drake said.

“Issues related to the Middle East conflict play themselves out on our campuses,” Drake said. “No matter which side you’re on, people benefit from learning tolerance and listening respectfully.”

Students addressed the Board of Regents during a 40-minute public session before the meeting, urging greater protection for gay, Jewish, Latino and African-American students in particular.

“We’re trying to mitigate race riots here,” warned Jesse Cheng, this year’s student representative on the Board of Regents.

All three chancellors described extensive plans already in motion to mitigate the problem at their schools.

Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi said her administration is cooperating fully with the FBI investigation into the hate incidents, creating a campus diversity committee including Hillel and black student organizations, and launching a year of speakers and events to “affirm our principles of community,” she said, referring to the school’s code of values.

Davis also is exploring ways to incorporate the values of tolerance and diversity into the required curriculum.

by Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israel has held a journalist under secret house arrest since last December based on allegations that during her military service she leaked classified documents suggesting that the Israeli army violated laws dealing with targeted killings.

Anat Kam, 23, was arrested last December and charged under Israel’s espionage and treason laws, JTA has learned.

Prosecutors are seeking a 14year sentence, which is considered severe by Israeli standards.

Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed the existence of Israel’s nuclear weapons capability, was sentenced to 18 years, eventually serving the full amount.

At the time of her arrest, Kam was working as a reporter for the Israeli Internet site Walla, which was partially owned by Haaretz until last week. But the charges relate to Kam’s service in the Israeli army, when she is alleged to have photocopied sensitive documents.

Bloggers have speculated that those documents served as the basis for a November 2008 Haaretz story suggesting alleged army violations.

Kam has denied the charges.

Her arrest has been under a gag order in Israel, which Haaretz says it is appealing. With the gag order in place, it is impossible to know the prosecution’s reasoning for a 14year sentence.

Israel sustains vibrant freedoms of speech and press, but there is a strong taboo in the country against relaying information garnered while in service. The fact that Kam allegedly photocopied the documents while in uniform may weigh against her.

Dov Alfon, editor in chief of Haaretz, said the linkage between Kam’s arrest and the 2008 article, made in a number of blogs, is “absurd.” He implied that the investigative reporter, Uri Blau, had obtained the information without assistance from Kam. “Haaretz asked the court to lift the gag order, not just in the public interest but also to allow us to defend ourselves from this absurd allegation,” Alfon said. “More than a year passed between the publication and her arrest, a year in which Uri Blau published several other front-page articles criticizing the army’s conduct.”

Eitan Lehman, one of Kam’s lawyers, refused to comment or confirm any details. The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment.

JTA confirmed details of the case with sources close to the matter.

The Nov. 26, 2008 story in Haaretz revealed the existence of documents defying a 2006 Supreme Court ruling against assassinating wanted militants who otherwise might be arrested safely.

In one March 28, 2007 document reprinted by Haaretz, Gen. Yair Naveh, then the central commander, permitted open-fire procedures upon identification of any of three leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, even if it were not apparent that they posed a threat.

Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, the chief of staff then and now, approved the targets on March 29, 2007, according to minutes of a meeting reproduced by Haaretz, and also said that troops were to withhold fire only if they were unable to identify “more than one” passenger in the targeted vehicle.

Both orders violated the law, according to experts cited by Haaretz.

One of the three wanted men, Ziad Malisha, was killed near Jenin on June 20, 2007 in what the IDF at the time said was an “exchange of fire.”

Naveh told Haaretz that troops under his command at times did not observe arrest procedures if the suspect was a “ticking bomb” and did not immediately surrender. The newspaper also quoted the army as saying that arrest was not possible in the Malisha case.

Kam, 23, reportedly served in Naveh’s office at the time of the memos.

The military censor, which prevents publication of information that could harm Israel’s national security, approved the Haaretz story for publication.

By contrast, Israeli courts have gagged not only the details of Kam’s arrest but news of the arrest itself. The appeal against the gag order, which has been joined by other media outlets, will be heard April 12 in Tel Aviv District Court.

In the past, Israeli authorities have issued such orders in sensitive national security cases. Gag orders still apply, for example, to aspects of the Vanunu case.

But it’s not clear why a gag order was imposed in this case, Kam’s supporters say, especially since the military censor approved publication of the original Haaretz story.

Some have speculated that the prosecution is using the gag order to prevent public outrage, which could result in sympathy for Kam and a reduced sentence.

NATIONAL

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

7

With seed help, niche camps hope to draw more young Jews

by Jacob Berkman Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK (JTA) — While most kids who attend Jewish overnight camps this summer will ship off to rural settings, a handful will find themselves in the concrete jungle of Manhattan engaged in what could be described as early career development.

The 92nd Street Y in Manhattan is recruiting campers for Passport NYC, a program offering its participants several New York-specific tracks involving three weeks of immersion in popular “specialties” such as film, fashion, culinary arts, the music industry and baseball.

They will be able to work with industry professionals in New York who are leaders in their fields, from Greenmarket to the Brooklyn Cyclones, a minor league affiliate of the New York Mets.

Passport NYC is one of five camps across the United States that was started with seed money from the Specialty Camps Incubator run by the Foundation for Jewish Camp and funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation with a $10.1 million grant two years ago.

The incubator also has helped

start Eden Village Camp, a pluralistic coed camp in upstate New York focused on Jewish environmentalism; Adamah Adventures in Georgia, which will take Jewish teens on “thrilling, awe-inspiring outdoor adventures”; the Six Points Sports Academy in North Carolina; and Ramah Outdoors in Colorado, which offers adventures for teens in the Rocky Mountains.

The hope is that the camps will fill niches and draw hundreds more young Jews to Jewish camps.

“What we are finding is that there are so many families for whom this is their goal,” Stadlin said of Eden Village, which now has more than 100 campers enrolled.

“We know lots of parents who were saying, ‘My kid was not going to camp,’ but after hearing about this it was an automatic niche filled.”

Each of the camps has been given $1.1 million spread over five years to launch and become self sufficient by attracting a critical mass of campers.

While the 92nd Street Y has run specialty camps for children aged 9 to 11, the new program is for older campers, most of whom will come to the city from other parts of the country. They will have the

Courtesy Foundation for Jewish Camp

The funders of five new Jewish specialty camps hope to attract Jewish kids who otherwise would not attend a more typical Jewish summer camp like the one pictured above.

Dan Sieradski

Yoni Stadlin speaks at the groundbreaking for Eden Village Camp, one of five new camps funded by the Specialty Camps Incubator.

opportunity to come into contact with resources that may not be available elsewhere, says Alan Saltz, the Y's director of camps and planning and development.

“They will really get a sense of what it is like in these industries,” Saltz said. “We want to give them a sense of what the behind-thescenes is about.”

Campers will live in a residency at the Y for the three-week sessions, which cost about $3,900.

The camps will receive training and technical support for the incubator, as well as a grant to help offset start-up costs during the first few years of operation.

For some, like Yoni Stadlin, the founder of Eden Village Camp, the incubator made it possible to turn something of a fantasy into a reality.

After Stadlin earned his master's degree in informal Jewish education from the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary, he and several friends started bandying about the idea of starting a Jewish camp focused on farming. The conversations turned into visioning meetings, said Stadlin, who had worked at several Jewish camps and spent some time at the TEVA learning center, a Jewish environmental education center in New York.

“We got some pushback saying starting a camp was a lot harder than you think — sort of like when you convert to Judaism, you get told ‘no,’ “ he said. “But we found out this was a collective dream of many people.”

Word spread and, serendipitously, the UJA-Federation of New York heard about the rudi-

mentary plans for Eden Village and offered Stadlin the 248-acre site of a camp that it had shut down — and to foot half the bill for renovations.

Creating the camp could not have been possible without the incubator, Stadlin said.

Each camp is provided a mentor who is an expert in starting and running camps similar to those being launched, and the five camps consult with each other about best practices for success.

“It just feels like we are making the camp with them,” Stadlin said.

The incubator is really teaching its fellows how to start and run a camp, says Adam Griff, who is launching Adamah Adventures

with his wife, Bobbee.

“The FJC has done a great job of giving us a blueprint and templates for what to do first and second,” he said. “We haven’t had a chance to struggle on our own.”

While the financial support affords the camps the luxury of not having to make ends meet in their first several years of existence, the incubator has set up processes for both starting and growing that each camp has to meet to attain long-term viability.

“Since we started in 2008, it has been, ‘Here is what you need to do in the first three months, four months, then what to do in fall and spring.’ It’s step-by-step guidance,” Griff said.

The American Israelite is currently seeking a

WRITER Knowledge of AP Style preferred, but not required.

This position is part-time, flexible hours.

If interested, contact Ted at 621-3145 or send your resume to publisher@americanisraelite.com

8

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

AIPAC, congressmen seek to add Cycling for togetherness enforcement teeth to Iran sanctions in South Africa

by Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency

by Suzanne Belling Jewish Telegraphic Agency

WASHINGTON — Rules without enforcement don’t mean much.

That’s the new tone the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and its supporters on Capitol Hill are taking when it comes to Iran sanctions.

This week, congressional appropriators close to AIPAC moved to introduce enforcement language that would penalize federal agencies that contract with companies doing business with the Islamic Republic.

“If the existing lock on the door was not doing the job, this is a much more powerful lock we’re placing on the door of companies who would want to do business with Iran,” said U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.), who is pushing the language with fellow U.S. House of Representatives appropriators, Reps. Steve Israel (DN.Y.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). All three are known for close ties to the Jewish state.

Setting the wheels in motion for the new legislation was the revelation in The New York Times on March 6 that sanctions busters had garnered $107 billion in U.S. government money for procurement business, grants and loans.

In a rare move for a lobby best known for its behind-the-scenes profile, AIPAC sent letters to every member of Congress expressing its outrage over the sanctions violations.

“These ongoing financial dealings undermine longstanding American efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability,” the letter said. “While Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama may have discouraged some investment in Iran through their rhetoric, the United States has sent the American and international business community a contradictory message by failing to enforce the law.”

AIPAC’s letter has had an effect.

Rothman said he already was planning action as soon as he read the story, but the calls and emails he received made it a must-do.

“My Blackberry was burning,” he said.

Rep. Israel raised the issue with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Thursday in a hearing of the foreign operations subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.

Geithner was receptive.

“We would be open to any effective means for bringing greater pressure to bear on this government,” he said. “We share your commitment to this and we’ll work with you to explore any fea-

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (JTA) — The Jews call it “b’yachad.” The blacks call it “ubuntu.”

Whatever the term, it was the spirit of togetherness that marked the launching Sunday of the bar mitzvah-year Cycalive, a 400mile bike ride fund-raiser from Johannesburg to Durban that brings together Jewish students from the Torah Academy Boys’ High School of Johannesburg with students from the Moletsane High and Pace secondary schools in the black township of Soweto.

The idea is to promote togetherness and road safety, and raise funds for the participating schools from Soweto. Cycalive usually raised about $18,000 each year.

The date of this year’s launch, March 21, marked South Africa’s Human Rights Day and the 50th anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre, when police opened fire in 1960 on protesters in Soweto, killing 69 people. The anniversary also was the first official Mandela Day event on the 2010 calendar leading up to antiapartheid activist and ex-President Nelson Mandela’s 92nd birthday on July 18.

This year’s cycle kicked off amid a raucous celebration, complete with police escort, the roar of motorcycles — many with Jewish riders from Steelwings and Rolling Thunder — and the rousing music of the brass band of the Field Band Foundation from the nearby town of Springs. The band is comprised of once underprivileged black youths trained and sponsored by South African Jewish philanthropist Bertie Lubner.

Before the students set off pedaling, Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein said, “This is more than a physical journey, it is a journey of hope. The central principle is we are all human beings created in the image of God.” Goldstein said it also was a celebration of “the power of nation building” through sport, the innocence of youth and the simple joys of life in our technology-rushed society.

One student on the ride, Raphael Leepilo of Moletsane, told JTA, “I am very happy. I have never been to Durban, never seen the sea. I am a practicing Christian and am now going to learn about the Jewish religion.”

Sibusiso Nanga of Pace was looking forward to an “amazing experience.”

Courtesy the office of Rep. Israel

Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) holds up language for an amendment to Iran sanctions as he questions Treausury Secretary Timothy Geithner, March 25, 2010.

sible means to bring greater pressure to bear on this government.”

Rep. Israel later said he was satisfied.

“The administration clearly got the message,” he said, noting that Obama’s predecessor, President George W. Bush, had not enforced the sanctions for both of his terms.

“I don’t want to proclaim victory yet; we still have work to do.”

The legislation would attach “limiting” amendments to all 12 budget bills that Congress must pass, preventing funds from going to companies that engage in activity eligible for sanctions or own or control any party that engages in such activity. This latter practice was a common dodge by U.S.owned companies to enable foreign-owned subsidiaries to deal with Iran.

The legislation comes the same week that AIPAC drew nearly 8,000 attendees to its annual policy conference. AIPAC activists lobbied Tuesday for final passage of bills to enhance sanctions in existence since the mid 1990s. Bills have passed in the House and Senate and are now undergoing “reconciliation.”

The existing sanctions banned most U.S. business dealings with Iran. Yet, the Times found in its March 6 report, 49 U.S. companies were doing business with Iran, and those doing business with Iran’s energy sector had gotten $15 billion.

The existing sanctions restrict access to U.S. markets for foreign entities doing business with Iran’s energy sector. The enhanced sanctions would outright ban U.S. business with any entity doing business with Iran’s energy sector and would also target Iran’s financial sector. The sanctions also would reduce the $20 million ceiling for

overseas companies doing such business to $1 million. The idea is to force overseas markets into a choice between trading with the United States or with Iran.

The New York Times revelations were a bitter pill for AIPAC’s activists. The flagrant violation of the 1996 bill that AIPAC had been instrumental in supporting was a damper for AIPAC activists famous for their enthusiasm.

“It’s frustrating, a dead end,” said Debbie Farnoush, 26, from Los Angeles and a founder of the Iranian-American group 30 Years After. “I feel like we’re not going anywhere.” Still, she said, she wasn’t going to give up. The United States needs to be “more aggressive,” she said.

Bruce Wiener, another activist, was optimistic about the prospect of tougher enforcement. “Most members of Congress are sympathetic,” he said. “It’s not a matter of convincing; it’s a matter of implementing.”

Keith Weissman, who headed AIPAC’s Iran desk until 2005, said that Clinton administration officials made it clear to him from the beginning that the bill was never going to be enforced because it crimped U.S. trade with foreign businesses. Clinton’s 1995 executive order banning business with Iran’s energy sector had been enforced for a short period, and had spooked the oil industry enough that the 1996 bill was used as leverage — but never in deed.

Part of the problem, Weissman said, was that after years of threatening and not implementing, companies that wanted to deal with Iran realized the U.S. government was crying wolf.

“Once it was clear they weren’t going to enforce it, it wasn’t going to work any more,” Weissman said.

Yosef Jameson of the Torah Academy said, “I think it's going to be a bonding session, getting to know people from different cultures.”

Rabbi Motti Hadar, principal of the Torah Academy Boys' High who as a student there was at the head of his class and cycled to Durban, said this was his second ride from Johannesburg to Durban. The ride, he said, “is a great opportunity for the boys. It helps them learn about others and, more importantly, about themselves.”

Rabbi Dovid Hazdan, the Torah Academy's dean, accompanied the students on their journey and said they're traveling with their "tzitzit flying in the wind.”

Pace Principal Dan Zimba said, “In terms of our kids learning Jewish culture and that there are other religions, this is their first contact. It promotes understanding, respect and recognition.”

Since the first Cycalive 13 years ago, the participating schools from Soweto have become among the best in the township. The funds raised by the event helped them improve their library, set up intercom systems, and purchase computers and audio-visual aids.

The communications manager for the Nelson Mandela Foundation sent a message to the participants praising their effort.

“We appreciate your commitment to Mandela Day,” said the spokesman, Sello Hatang. “Please spread the word as you stop in villages, towns and cities, in churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, schools and hospitals along the way on the road to Durban.”

Marlene Bethlehem, former deputy chairwoman of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, as well as a past president of the umbrella body of South African Jewry, the Board of Deputies, commended the Cycalive organizers for bringing people of different backgrounds together.

“Where there is no vision, the people will perish,” she said.

The students did not take the highway but a longer route to Durban. When they arrive there Thursday, they are expected to parade through the city's streets accompanied by traffic police and the Durban Field Band.

Civic and Jewish community leaders from the coastal city will meet them on the steps of City Hall at the ride’s conclusion.

INTERNATIONAL

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

International Briefs Three Jews brutally attacked in Berlin BERLIN (JTA) — A man and two women were brutally attacked in Berlin allegedly after the assailants demanded to know whether they were Jewish.

According to a statement from the Jewish community of Berlin, a man of “Mediterranean” appearance on Friday night demanded to know if the three were Jewish. After they said they were, the man “obviously went to get some friends,” who then beat the three, all in their mid-20s, in an underground train and on the platform in the Wilmersdorf section of Berlin.

Police are investigating the incident as an anti-Semitic and racist attack, as it allegedly began with the attackers cursing the victims. The youths then beat and kicked the two women and one attacker smashed a bottle over the man’s head.

Police said they had no information about the identity of the attackers, according to news reports. But Levi Solomon, head of the Jewish community’s department for combating anti-Semitism, said in a statement that “violent attacks on Jews or presumed Jews were increasingly committed by youths from immigrant circles.”

“We urgently need to grasp the causes and effects of antiSemitism, especially among young Turks and Arabs, and to fight vigorously against this problem.”

In another incident over the weekend, police arrested four of the 18 youths who attacked three pedestrians in the Wedding district of Berlin, beating and kicking them.

One attacker used a knife to tear a victim’s clothing. The victims were treated on the scene for injuries.

Police are searching for the remaining suspects.

There also has been a spate of violent attacks allegedly by rightwing extremist youths in the Neukoln section of Berlin.

Surfing champ apologizes for slur SYDNEY, Australia (JTA) — A world surfing champion apologized for offending the Jewish community.

Mick Fanning, an Australian who won the world championship in 2007 and 2009, was quoted in the January-February issue of the surfing magazine Stab that came out last week as calling a reporter a “f— -ing Jew.” “I don’t have or condone any form of racist or more particularly anti-Semitic view,” the surfing champion said in a statement posted on his Web site.

The incident took place last

December after Fanning won the 2009 title. Fanning apparently had been drinking and allegedly vented his anger because he did not like how the magazine sometimes denigrated the sport. The reporter, Charlie Smith, is not Jewish.

Fanning’s mother and manager, Elizabeth Osborne, told the Australian Jewish News this week, “He called him a f—-ing Jew and he knows it was inappropriate, but he was quite intoxicated and he is really upset and devastated that it happened.”

Fanning apparently was unaware he was speaking to a reporter, his mother claimed.

Vic Alhadeff, the chief executive of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, said Fanning had called him to apologize personally.

But he said the eight-page article in the surfing magazine, headlined “Tales of a F—-ing Jew,” inflamed the situation. The issue was withdrawn from circulation after a letter from Fanning’s attorney, according to The Australian.

Jewish shop owner offers Holocaust soap MONTREAL (JTA) — A Jewish shop owner is generating controversy for trying to sell a bar of soap allegedly made from the remains of Holocaust victims.

Abraham Botines, who founded the curiosity shop Botines on the city’s trendy St. Laurent Boulevard in 1967, claims he bought the bar of soap from a retired Canadian soldier who found it in a concentration camp.

Botines’ son Ivan, who coowns the store, said its ingredients are a mystery.

“I can only tell you what [Abraham] told me, which is it was probably made from human fat or grease,” he told CTV News.

After reporters began descending on the store last Friday morning, the controversial artifact was removed from the front window.

Abraham Botines said it can now be seen only by serious collectors or those willing to pay the price of $300.

“It’s my soap and I’m free to do anything I want with it,” he told the Canadian Press.

Abraham Botines said he tried to sell the item to a Holocaust museum, which refused the offer. He said he has long been collecting memorabilia from the Nazi era.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. initially reported the existence of the beige bar of soap stamped with a swastika, alleged to be from Poland circa 1940.

The story also triggered discussions of whether the Nazis actually made soap from the remains of Holocaust victims.

“We have never found any evidence that soap was made from the remains of murdered Jews,” Frank Chalk, a history professor at Montreal’s Concordia University, told CTV. “It’s an urban myth.”

9

Conservative Judaism set to open first shul in Australia SYDNEY, Australia (JTA) — It began with a small ad placed in the Melbourne edition of the Australian Jewish News by John Rosenberg, a Jewish professor who liked neither the constraints of Orthodoxy nor the lack of tradition in Reform Judaism.

A decade later, Rosenberg’s solution, Kehilat Nitzan (Hebrew for “bud”), has bloomed into Australia’s first and only independent Conservative congregation, with some 600 members.

Now the congregation is on the cusp of opening its own synagogue building.

There’s one key ingredient missing: a new rabbi.

“I went along to the first service in 1999 and have been hooked ever since,” says Judy Feiglin, Nitzan’s immediate past president. “Nobody had any idea how to run the service, but people weren’t judgmental, they were real.”

With no rabbi and no home, the fledgling community began by renting rooms in Jewish institutions.

Now it must move to larger venues for the High Holidays to accommodate its burgeoning membership.

While commonplace in the United States, Conservative Judaism failed to gain a foothold Down Under until the 1990s.

Orthodox Judaism was the only denomination in Australian Jewish religious life until the 1930s, when Reform Judaism began to catch on here. Since then the two movements have held a duopoly over Australia's 100,000 Jews, with Orthodox Judaism the dominant stream.

Congregants at Kehilat Nitzan say they like the alternatives Conservative Judaism offers to tradition-minded Jews here, such as mixed-gender seating and egalitarian services.

“My 96-year-old father has always belonged to an Orthodox shul and for us to sit together is a real highlight,” Feiglin says.

For the first seven years, Nitzan was a lay-led congregation, with occasional visiting rabbis. By 2005 the community had reached a “critical mass,” and Rabbi Ehud Bandel, a former head of the Conservative Masorti movement in Israel, was appointed its first rabbi.

“Most of our congregants came from Orthodox shuls but are not Orthodox in their way of life or outlook,” Bandel told JTA. “The Conservative movement is the best place to be in both worlds — in the world of Jewish traditions and practice, and in the Western democratic world of pluralism, humanism, egalitarianism.”

Bandel says Conservative Judaism “has the potential to become the mainstream in Australian Jewry.”

Not everyone agrees. Yossi

Capture Now

Maxine Silbert celebrates her bat mitzvah last year at a Havdalah ceremony at Kehilat Nitzan, Australia’s only independent Conservative synagogue, with Rabbi Ehud Bandel on guitar.

Aron, the religious affairs editor of the Australian Jewish News, admits that the “monopoly of Orthodoxy” is being challenged, but not by Nitzan.

He says smaller congregations such as Shira Hadasha, an inclusive Orthodox minyan where men and women lead the service, albeit separated by a mechitzah, are laying down the gauntlet to Orthodoxy.

“Nitzan is here to stay, but I don’t see it as a major player yet,” says Aron, who is Orthodox. “When people talk about Melbourne Jewry, they don’t talk about a third prong.”

Until the advent of Nitzan, Orthodox and Reform were practically the only options in Melbourne’s 50,000-strong Jewish community. Indeed, soon after his arrival, Bandel was given the cold shoulder by some Orthodox rabbis who walked out of a function after he was asked to say a prayer.

“Most [Orthodox rabbis] don’t want to know us,” Feiglin says.

“They think we’re not genuine. It’s really quite sad.”

Nitzan’s officials are hoping their permanent home will send a strong signal of their long-term intent.

“A congregation is first and foremost the human core,” says Bandel, noting his congregants’ activism in tikkun olam, or social outreach.

“Then comes the building; it’s very, very significant.”

Nitzan has a strong relationship with Sydney’s Emanuel Synagogue, originally a Reform community that now is also affiliated with the Conservative and Renewal movements. In fact, Nitzan’s roots can be traced back to Emanuel.

In 1992, several congregants and Emanuel’s Jeffrey Kamins, now its senior rabbi, began a Monday morning Conservative service.

Rosenberg, who was working in Sydney at the time, was among them, and took the idea back to Melbourne.

“The origins of the Conservative movement in Australia began in Emanuel Synagogue,” says Kamins, a native of Los Angeles who was ordained at Hebrew Union College.

Now he says plans are afoot to launch Masorti Australia — “a nationally recognized movement as opposed to two independent congregations.”

Although no date has been set for completion of Nitzan’s building, which will feature a kosher kitchen, library and learning center, Bandel hopes the opening will come before year’s end.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to go home after I affix the mezuzah for the new shul,” he says.

By that time, the board must appoint a successor. Already the search committee has received more than a dozen applicants. Most are newly graduated American rabbis, but the selection committee is keen to receive Anglo, Latin and Israeli applicants as well.

Nitzan’s current president, Zvi Civins, who hails from New Jersey, says the community is looking for a “dynamic, personable, knowledgeable rabbi,” and someone who can attract young adults.

Although there is no exact deadline for applicants, he is scheduling videoconference interviews with several candidates and plans to meet some when he is in the United States in June.

“This is a really import juncture in the history of the shul,” he told JTA. “It’s a marvelous opportunity for a new rabbi to continue the growth in our new home.

“We’re the pioneers in Melbourne; we see ourselves as the vanguard.”

As for when the new Australia’s first independent Conservative shul will officially open its sanctuary, Civins says that “Rosh Hashanah was the goal. But maybe by Chanukah we’ll be ready.”

10

INTERNATIONAL/ISRAEL

Rise of Conservative right alarming Hungary’s Jews

Click-photo/Creative Commons

Hungary banned the Hungarian Guard, a paramilitary organization pictured here and affiliated with the far-right Jobbik party, in 2009.

by Ruth Ellen Gruber Jewish Telegraphic Agency PRAGUE (JTA) — The radical far-right Jobbik party is poised to emerge in next month’s elections in Hungary as a potent force in Parliament, and the prospect is ringing alarm bells in Central Europe’s largest Jewish community.

“It’s scary,” said Vera SzekeresVarsa, a Holocaust survivor and former chair of the Hungarian branch of Amnesty International.

“It’s not like 60 or 70 years ago, but it’s still scary.”

Jobbik, whose formal name is the Movement for a Better Hungary, campaigns with fiercely populist rhetoric that capitalizes on seething voter resentment and foments fear and hatred of the mainly impoverished population of Roma, or Gypsies. Targeting what it calls “Gypsy criminality,” Jobbik also warns against “foreign speculators,” including Israel, it says want to control the country.

“Hungary belongs to the Hungarians” is a party slogan.

“Jobbik frequently uses antiSemitic rhetoric, not directly but through code words and references, as well as symbols and appearances,” said Andras Kovacs, a sociologist at the Central European University who long has tracked nationalist and anti-Semitic trends.

“This is frightening for the Jewish population.”

While the conservative Fidesz party is expected to score an overwhelming victory in the April 11 first-round Parliamentary vote — ousting the widely unpopular Socialists, who have been in power since 2002 — Jobbik is expected to make a strong showing and enter the Hungarian Parliament for the first time. Jobbik surged out of the far-right fringe to grab 15 percent

of the vote in European Parliament elections last June.

Aside from Jobbik’s growing strength, Hungarian Jews are concerned that Fidesz may compete with Jobbik for votes by shifting some of its own positions more to the right.

For Hungary’s Jews, who overwhelmingly vote for the center-left parties, including the Socialists, the rise of the conservative right is concerning.

“I think they will have to make gestures to the far right,” Adam Schonberger, 30, an activist with the Conservative Jewish youth organization Marom, said of Fidesz. “What really worries me is that in the upcoming parliament there could be no real representative of liberal or minority values.”

A poll of decided voters published March 18 in the HVG weekly showed Fidesz with 57 percent support, the Socialists with 21 percent and 18 percent for Jobbik.

“It is possible that Jobbik will get close to or even more votes than the Socialists,” Kovacs said.

“Fidesz for sure will have a majority, and may get a two-thirds majority. This will represent a substantial change in the electoral landscape.”

A two-thirds majority would enable Fidesz, led by the charismatic Viktor Orban, to amend the constitution and push through changes affecting the electoral law, the size of parliament, presidential powers, local governments, and other issues.

No single party has held that concentration of power since the fall of communism — or before that, since the Nazi-allied regime of Miklos Horthy.

Fidesz enjoys some Jewish support and is not considered to be anti-Semitic. It was a Fidesz-led government that instituted Hungary’s Holocaust Memorial

Day in 2001. Yet some Jobbik officials and Fidesz have collaborated on the local level.

While Fidesz has ruled out a coalition with Jobbik if Fidesz does not achieve a two-thirds majority on its own, a poll last December indicated that some 300,000 rightwing Fidesz supporters might be ready to shift their backing to Jobbik. Fidesz may attempt to forestall such defections by hardening some of its own positions.

Support for Hungary’s centerleft parties has plummeted due to the economic downturn and a recent spate of high-profile corruption scandals. In one case, several Socialist politicians were implicated in a racketeering scandal involving the Budapest public transport agency. In another, the Socialist mayor of Budapest’s old Jewish quarter, the Seventh District, was arrested on bribery and other charges relating to real estate deals.

“The collapse of the liberal and center-left parties is of particular concern to Hungary’s Roma and Jews, who are targeted verbally — and in the case of the Roma, also sometimes physically — by rightwing sympathizers,” said historian Michael Miller, who teaches in the Jewish Studies department at the Central European University.

Last year the state banned the Hungarian Guard, Jobbik’s uniformed paramilitary wing, whose black-clad members marched through Roma villages bearing redand-white striped flags and other symbols reminiscent of the World War II Arrow Cross, Hungary’s homegrown Nazi-allied fascists.

A little more than a year ago Krisztina Morvai, who later was elected one of Jobbik’s three European Parliament members, lashed out at Israel for its offensive in Gaza.

“The only way to talk to people like you is by assuming the style of Hamas,” she wrote in an open letter to the Israeli ambassador to Hungary. “I wish all of you liceinfested, dirty murderers will receive Hamas’ ‘kisses.’”

At a party rally March 15, Jobbik’s 31-year-old leader, Gabor Vona, told thousands of followers that Hungary must seek independence from “Washington, Brussels,” — that is, the European Union — “Tel Aviv” and other powers.

Web sites and publications linked to Jobbik are much more explicit, bashing Israel and employing vicious anti-Semitic invective that evokes Nazi-era propaganda.

“Hungary is a Jewish colony” was the headline of an interview on one such Web site with the brother of one of Jobbik’s vice presidents.

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

Nude Tel Aviv?, Barghouti’s jailhouse education, ‘killer’ ads

by Marcy Oster Jewish Telegraphic Agency JERUSALEM (JTA) — Here are some recent stories out of Israel that you may have missed.

Give us this our daily bread — on Passover A Muslim prisoner in an Israeli jail has appealed to Israel’s Supreme Court to force the Israel Prisons Service to provide him and his fellow coreligionists in prison with bread during the Passover holiday.

Madab Raik is being held in a mixed Jewish-Arab cell block in a Beersheva prison; only Muslims are in his cell. In prisons with exclusively Arab populations, bread is distributed before the holiday for use during Passover. That’s not the case, however, in mixed Arab-Jewish cell blocks.

Raik’s attorney, Gilad Barnea, told the Jerusalem Post that his client has accepted “a proportional constraint” by only asking for bread and not other chametz products.

“We believe that this ban, the withholding of bread from the petitioner and others like him, is a violation of his constitutional right, one that is neither proportional nor reasonable,” Barnea told the newspaper.

The attorney for the Israel Prisons Service told the Supreme Court that giving Arab prisoners incarcerated with Jewish prisoners bread on Passover would violate religious law because those observing the holiday may not sit at a table where bread is being served. The injunction against bread and other chametz products during Passover applies not only to eating but to owning and even seeing.

Nude Tel Aviv — exposed Photographer Spencer Tunick, who is famous for taking photographs of nude crowds at sites around the world, is planning to bring his project to Israel.

“He has not decided on a site yet, but when there’s a lot of press coverage he is less likely to come somewhere,” Tunick’s producer in Israel, Harry Fruchter, told the Jerusalem Post. “He’d like to work without any outside influences. If he can’t find that kind of situation, when he comes he will probably be less cooperative.”

It’s not clear yet where, or whether, Tunick will stage his Israeli photo shoot. Reports say the likely sites are Tel Aviv or the Dead Sea. Tunick recently photographed 5,200 nude Australians on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, one of 75 locations at which he has taken nude photos of crowds.

Israel’s Tourism Ministry and the

Tel Aviv Municipality appeared excited at the prospect of a Tunick visit, calling it good for the image of the country and the city.

From the floor of the Knesset, religious lawmakers blasted the idea. Some said a photo of a mass of nude Jews would be reminiscent of the Holocaust. Others called it prostitution.

“I understand that one of the shoots is supposed to take place in the Dead Sea. This is the lowest place on earth, and after this it may sink even lower,” said lawmaker Uri Orbach of the Habayit Hayehudi party.

‘Killer’ ad airs An Israeli supermarket chain whose motto is “We offer killer prices” is bringing the message home with an ad that spoofs the killing of a top Hamas terrorist in a Dubai hotel last month. The terrorist allegedly was killed by Israel’s Mossad assassins.

Actors dressed as secret agents, wearing the same clothes shown in the hotel surveillance videos on the day that Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was killed — down to the tennis racket slung across one female operative’s back and her floppy wide-brimmed hat — are shown in commercials for the discount supermarket chain Machsanei Kimat Hinam (Almost Free Warehouse).

Israel’s spy agency has been blamed for the assassination but, as always, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement. The ad comes on the heels of several Israeli comedy shows that also have parodied the hit job.

School of jail Class can feel like prison; sometimes it is. For jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, it has been an education.

The Fatah leader, who is serving five life terms for involvement in the murder of several Israelis during the second intifada, completed his doctorate in political science this month while in prison, the Jerusalem Post reported. His thesis is titled “The Legislative and Political Performance of the Palestinian Legislative Council and its Contribution to the Democratic Process in Palestine from 1996 to 2008.” He was allowed to bring hundreds of books into prison in order to research and write his 341-page thesis.

It wasn’t the first time Barghouti used his time in an Israeli prison to earn a degree: During the first intifada he completed his high school degree, in 1980.

Several hundred Palestinians reportedly are studying for university degrees in Israeli prisons.

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

SOCIAL LIFE

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NORTH CINCY USY HOLDS NOODLE NIGHT TALENT SHOW PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PG.12

On November 7, the combined youth groups of Northern Hills Synagogue and Congregation Ohav Shalom, North Cincy United Synagogue Youth, held a Noodle Night Talent show and dinner to raise money for social action and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) projects. Over 100 enjoyed the evening, held at Ohav Shalom.

The talent show was organized by Claire Lee. The dinner was organized by Sarah Lempert, NCUSY advisor, assisted by NCUSY members and their parents. Matt Lee served as sound technician, and Hank Stern as emcee.

Sunday, April 25, Noon-4:00pm Thursday, April 29, 6:30pm-10pm

ANNOUNCEMENTS ENGAGEMENT ark and Marsha Barsman are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Sherry Beth to Steven Eric Werman son of Howard and Gwen Werman of Columbus.

Sherry is the granddaughter of Norman and the late Gladys Hosansky of Columbus and Marvin and the late Barbara

M The NCUSYers, (front row) Justin Rau, Sophie Leibowitz, Elana Miller, Jacqueline Pettis, Elana Pentelnik, (back row) William Harrison, Jacob Katz, Ben Lee, Eliot Cohen, Noah Yasgur, Eddie Bassin, Daniel Gushin, Aaron Frankel.

Barsman.

Steven is the grandson of Eileen and the late Jerome Zanar and Rabbi Marilyn Werman and the late Paul Werman.

Sherry and Steven reside in Chicago where Steve is employed by KPMG and Sherry is a first grade teacher for Chicago Public schools.

A July wedding is planned in Cincinnati.

R E F UA H S H L E M A H Frieda Berger Fraida bat Raizel

Murray Kirschner Chaim Meir ben Basha

Rozlyn Bleznick

Andrea Lavine Chana Sara bat Esther Enya

Rachel Boymel Rochel bat Pesia Fruma Daniel Eliyahu Daniel ben Tikvah Mel Fisher Moshe ben Hinda Edith Kaffeman Yehudit bat B’racha Enjoying the evening were (seated) Rabbi Gershom Barnard of Northern Hills, Sarah Barnard, Carol Hershenson, (standing ) Renee Roth and Hank Stern.

Roma Kaltman Ruchama bat Perl

Al Markovitz Avraham ben Charna Ravid Sulam Ravid Chaya bat Ayelet Bill Ziv Zev Shmuel ben Malkah Rachel Edward Ziv Raphael Eliezer Aharon ben Esther Enya

12

CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

NORTH CINCY USY HOLDS NOODLE NIGHT TALENT SHOW

Hank Stern, emcee, welcome the crowd.

Tracy Weisberger, Northern Hills Director of Programming and Educaiton, and Sarah Lempert, NCUSY chapter advisor.

Jonathan Mason sang "Seasons of Love."

Leah Mossman and Alex Scheier danced to "One Day" by Matisyahu.

Judy Miller sang the official Noodle Night song.

Mitch Katz sang an Irish folk song, "Red is the Rose."

CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

13

Ben Lee, Noah Yasgur, Elana Pentelnik, and Sophie Lebowitz led Birkat HaMazon, Grace after the meal.

Vanessa Leahr sang "Forever and Always" by Taylor Swift.

Jonas Kirk-Bowman, assistant chapter advisor, sang "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" by Weird Al Yankovic.

The Xtremes, Karen Moss, Daniel Moss, Sierra Goldfarb, and Devon McLea, performed a hip hop dance to the music of "Bojangles" by Pit Bull.

Gavriella Beloff sang.

The Klezmer band, (seated) Doug Mossman, guitar and piano; (standing) Gayna Bassin, violin; Claire Lee, flute and piano; Jeff Gushin, violin and banjo; and Mitch Katz, vocalist.

14

DINING OUT

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

Tandoor Cuisine of India buffet satisfies diners

by Bob Wilhelmy Restaurant Reporter Arriving at 2 p.m. at Tandoor Cuisine of India, there remained a few stragglers from the lunch crowd. Their response to “How was the buffet?” was one we have heard before, many times.

“Really good! And boy, are we full.” The patrons claimed to have gone back for seconds and thirds.

Seems the buffet is the way to go in ethnic restaurants these days.

At Tandoor, owner Naren Patel has been ahead of today’s curve for some time. His buffet has been a centerpiece of luncheon dining for years.

“I love coming to the Tandoor because the lunch buffet always has a nice selection of fresh food that is vegetarian,” said a woman named Jane, and a regular who beamed with enthusiasm over the buffet. “I’m a vegetarian, so I especially appreciate the selection they have (the buffet also features lamb dishes and tandoori chicken).

I love the spinach, and the nan is always very good, and they fix a really good cabbage (dish).”

Speaking of selection, Tandoor’s menu is more manageable than menus in some ethnic restaurants, but there are plenty of entrees from which to select. If one happens to be a novice in eating Indian food, perhaps the lunch buffet at Tandoor is an ideal option, since there is a variety and the food is mildly seasoned, instead of having the spiciness to cause teary eyes and lunges for the water glass.

Menu variety includes many vegetarian dishes. Among them are palak paneer, featuring fresh spinach and cheese cooked with onions, tomatoes, herbs and spices; and paneer jalfrazie, a dish of homemade cheese, tomatoes, green peppers and onions, seasoned with fresh spices. All vegetarian dishes include saffron rice.

Other vegetarian dishes are: malai kofta, paneer makhni, mushroom matter, aloo Gobi masala, channa masala and bayngan bharta. Vegetarian dishes are uniformly priced at $9.99.

Price points overall for entrée selections range from $9.99 to $15.99, with most meat entries priced between $12 and $15.

Tandoor’s chef will prepare items that do not appear on the menu, giving diners even more choices. “A lot of our guests will ask us to fix something special for them, and we are happy to do that,” said Patel.

“Other times, the chef will make something special and offer it to one of our regular customers. They try it and before you know it another guest comes in a week or so later and asks us to prepare what we made for so-and-so the other day.

We enjoy doing that, and we

About to fill his plate from the luncheon buffet at Tandoor Cuisine of India is Head Chef Hardeep Singh, who routinely freshens the dishes on the all-you-can-eat luncheon buffet offered daily.

believe it sets us apart from the other restaurants around.”

While this advantage is used mostly by ethnic Indians who know the subtleties of the cuisine, anyone is invited to ask for specialties not on the menu.

Tandoor oven specialties include traditional tandoori chicken, for $13.99; boti kabab of lamb, which is skewered and oven-roasted, for $13.99; murgh tikki chicken barbecued on a skewer after seasoning, for $12.99; and sheikh kabab of lamb seasoned and cooked with onions and herbs, for $12.99. All these dishes are prepared in the clay oven styled after those found in India.

Also on the menu are traditional dishes such as saag chicken, cooked with freshly spiced spinach, for $11.99. In the “more water please, and hurry” department is chicken madras. For the “Some Like It Hot” crowd, this item will do the trick, featuring a really hot curry. It also is $11.99.

The spicy tradition of Indian food has religious significance, since there is a belief that the “fire” component of nature must be present in the body. The way to accomplish that is through very hot, spicy entrée dishes.

Another hot menu item is lamb vindaloo, which is a specialty of Goa. It features chunks of lamb and potato, cooked in a thick, hot curry, for $12.99. I’ve tried this dish, and it’s good to have the fire department’s number handy.

Of the 20 or so Indian restaurants in the Greater Cincinnati area, almost all of them are heavily Punjabi in style of cuisine.

Tandoor Cuisine of India is an exception, according to Patel. His restaurant offers Punjabi, Gujarati and Jain, along with the cuisine of Northern India, heavily influenced

by Afghanistan and points north and east of that bordering country.

The Punjab area of India is more westerly, and historically, was less affected by the push of Afghani and European influences that shaped the culinary habits of the north region. “These influences came into the North of India and never really went beyond that area of my country,” Patel said.

“That area” of Patel’s homeland primarily is farmland that produces a cornucopia of fresh vegetables, including baby eggplant, squash, spinach, potatoes, okra, and a wide variety of other less-well-known vegetables indigenous to India.

“The food (of the north) is richer in content, with more

cream and butter used in its preparation,” he said. “In the south, there is more fish and the food is coconut based. We had more rice and wheat breads in the north and the flavors of our region of India are more subtle.

Asked if that means not as overpoweringly spicy, Patel said: “not necessarily. You can have the food very spicy if that is how you want it.”

Many native Indians want it exactly that way. Since many Indians patronize Tandoor, that tells volumes about the authenticity of the food there. “We prepare our foods from scratch,” Patel said. “Our menu is full of favorites of the cuisine of India, and we take pride in the authenticity of it.”

Tandoor is open for lunch Monday through Saturday, featuring an all-you-can-eat buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and for dinner (menu only) beginning at 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is closed Sundays.

Tandoor Cuisine of India 8702 Market Place Lane Cincinnati, OH 45242 513-793-7484

DINING OUT

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

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OPINION

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

Dear Baroness Catherine Ashton March 28, 2010 —Dear Baroness Ashton, Since December, you have served as the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union - in other words, the EU's foreign policy czar.

A few days ago, your op-ed, “Lessons from a Gaza Trip,” was published in the International Herald Tribune.

You waxed poetic about a project for deaf children and a school for girls you visited in Gaza. You wrote: “For the sake of the little deaf boy who stood and held my hand and for the girls who want to be able to do something with that good education, we have to move from process to peace.”

Astonishingly, though, you ignored some rather obvious facts.

Not once did the word “Hamas” appear in your article.

How is it possible to write about Gaza today and fail to mention its governing authority? It’s not a small oversight, either. Hamas is the crux of the problem.

How could you overlook the Hamas Charter, which defines the worldview of those in charge?

The full text should be required reading for anyone, like yourself, involved in Middle East diplomacy.

Here’s a taste of what the Charter says about Jews: “The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said:’The Day of Judgment will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Muslims, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.’”

And here's how the Charter views neighboring Israel: “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.”

Here's how the Charter refers to so-called infidels: “The day Islam appears, the forces of infidelity would unite to challenge it, for the infidels are of one nation. O true believers, contract not an intimate friendship with any besides yourselves: they

will not fail to corrupt you. They wish for that which may cause you to perish: their hatred hath already appeared from out of their mouths; but what their breasts conceal is yet more inveterate.”

Being from Britain, Baroness, you may want to know how the Second World War really started.

The Charter has the answer: “They (the Jews) were behind World War II, through which they made huge financial gains by trading in armaments, and paved the way for the establishment of their state.”

And while you may become teary-eyed recalling the school for girls you visited, the Charter’s view of women has little to do with aspiring to a high political office like yours: “Woman in the home of the fighting family, whether she is a mother or a sister, plays the most important role in looking after the family, rearing the children and imbuing them with moral values and thoughts derived from Islam.

She has to teach them to perform the religious duties in preparation for the role of fighting awaiting them. That is why it is necessary to pay great attention to schools and the curriculum followed in educating Muslim girls, so that they would grow up to be good mothers, aware of their role in the battle of liberation.”

The next time you visit Gaza, and before you share with the world what you think you've seen, please inquire about the Hamas Charter, the refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist, the role of women, the central place of Sharia in society, and the reasons why the EU designated Hamas a terrorist organization.

Moreover, you might urge your local hosts to show you not only societies for deaf children and schools for girls, but also weapons factories and arms caches — especially those located in mosques, schools and hospitals.

Perhaps you might also take a detour to their favorite missilelaunching sites for attacking Israeli towns and villages. And maybe your hosts will explain their ties with Iran, including the smuggling of cash and arms, as well as the training of Hamas fighters who go in and out through hidden tunnels.

OPINION on page 22

C O R R E C T I O N: In the March 18 issue’s Arts & Entertainment section, the date for the PBS showing of “Imagine This” was incorrect. It is not April 7; it is April 11.

Do you have something to say? E-mail your letter to editor@americanisraelite.com

Dear Editor I would like to comment on the very good letter that Paul Glassman submitted in response to the ridiculous letter of Gerald Schwartz.

I like to read letters to the editor columns. It has come to my attention reading various newspapers lately, that many people, in order to protect our poor excuse for a president, distort and invent facts of recent history to justify the ruinous acts of this administration and its supporters.

Clearly Schwartz falls in this category. What disappoints me is that after Schwartz slandered Israel is that the only response I saw was Mr. Glassman’s. Where was the so called leadership of the Jewish community of Cincinnati?

They are quick to push us to support Israel, but where are they in these perilous times when Israel is being assailed on many sides, much of the press, some universities, several western countries, etc. I expect Jewish leaders to respond to such an affront such as this with their own letter recounting and enumerating the true history and facts surrounding the situation, in this case construction in Jerusalem. Their letter or editorial would carry considerably more weight that that of a mere member of the Jewish community such as

Mr. Glassman or myself.

There is a propaganda war in progress against Israel, and the Jewish leadership of Cincinnati seems to be absent. They will never get through to the truly brainwashed, but there are many who just don’t know the true facts. Someone has to try to enlighten them.

than they want and give more than they’d like, is there even the remotest possibility of a lasting solution.

If the truth be known, that elusive solution is not the responsibility of President Obama, his administration, the AIPAC or the United States!

Thank you for your consideration,

Jerome C Liner Montgomery, OH 45242

Gerald Schwartz Amberley Village, OH

Dear Editor, Dear Editor: Regarding Paul Glassman’s “Letter to the Editor” ( 3/25/10) indicating that I “proclaimed” that peace in the Middle East is only a matter of Israel giving back everything. After re-reading my “Letter to the Editor” ( 3/18/10), I’m not at all certain where Mr. Glassman got that impression.

I would remind Paul that simply put, a good friend who only defends and never criticizes a friend’s behavior is not a true friend! A nation who only defends and never criticizes an allies behavior is not a true ally. It seems on so many occasions both the governments of Israel and Palestine “never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity”.

Until and not until both governments are willing to accept less

In a speech in Manchester, NH, CENTCOM Commander General David Petraeus has denied saying that U.S. foreign policy has a perceived pro-Israel slant which endangers the lives of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. AJC welcomes his clarification.

Too often the media spread stories later proven to be malicious distortions. We hope that the General’s denial will receive the same amount of attention as his previous remarks, which the press widely interpreted as a slur against Israel.

Barbara Glueck Director, AJC Cincinnati Regional Office

T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: PASSOVER 1. Which river is mentioned in the Hallel part of the Hagadah? Why? a.) Jordan b.) Euphrates c.) Nile 2. In Hallel, what gift did Hashem give Man? a.) Torah b.) Earth c.) Life 3. What do we pray for at the end of the Seder?

3. C 4. A Each night of the Seder, there is a song which remembers major miracles that happened on Pesach. Like the fall of Jericho, battle of Gideon against Midian, the fall of the Assyrian army, and the miracle of Purim 5. C

by David Harris Executive Director American Jewish Committee

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

a.) Dew b.) Downfall of our enemies c.) Next year in Jerusalem 4. Did other miracles occur during Passover? a.) Yes b.) No 5. In the song, “Chad gad ya”, how did the narrator buy the goat? a.) Silver b.) Jewelry c.) Two coins Answers 1. A “The Jordan River turned backwards”. when the Red Sea split, all the waters in the world split. Midrash 2. B The Talmud interprets that everything belongs to Hashem before reciting a blessing, and it becomes Man after he makes a blessing

16

Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise

JEWISH LIFE

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

17

Sedra of the Week

by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin

Shabbat Shalom: Chol Hamoed Pesach

Efrat, Israel — On Seder night, we are commanded to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. The Mishna tells us that the retelling should be done in response to questions posed by the children. If they have no questions, we teach them the four questions which form the Mah Nishtanah. Today, at every seder table the questions are asked and the answers discussed.

But there is one question which has always disturbed me: “On all other nights we do not dip even once and on this night of Passover we dip twice.” This particular question is never answered within the Maggid portion of the seder.

The fact that we do have “dips” as a kind of ‘forshpeis’ to our seder meal is certainly in keeping with the Passover feast, but why our specific dips of Karpas (green vegetable) in Haroset; (Haroset was used by the Rambam, Yemenite community and many other communities as well) and then the Bitter Herbs in Haroset?

Another question. We all enjoy a spirited singing of Dayenu, the quintessential thanksgiving to G-d for every step through which He guided us on the road to redemption. “Had He taken us out of Egypt and not wrought so many judgments against the Egyptians, it would have been sufficient – dayenu … had He given us their money but had He not split the sea for us, it would have been sufficient - dayenu”. However there is one line in this song of praise which has always troubled me: “Had He brought us in front of Mount Sinai and not given us the Torah, it would have been sufficient — dayenu” In what sense would it have been enough? What value could there have been for G-d to have taken us close to the mountain without revealing to us His laws?!

The fact is that the entire drama of the servitude and exodus from Egypt began with an act of ‘dipping’ and concluded with an act of ‘dipping’. The Israelites initially made their way down to Egypt as a result of the fact that Joseph the son of Jacob, was sold into Egyptian servitude by his brothers.

Since the brothers had to explain in some way Joseph’s mysterious disappearance, they dipped his

special coat of striped colors which his father had given him (the very word karpas is used in the Scroll of Esther 1:6 to describe such a fancy cloth and is probably the initial derivation of the Biblical Hebrew passim) in the blood of a slain goat. When Jacob saw the bloodied garment of his beloved son, he assumed that Joseph's body had been torn apart by a wild beast. Our Sages teach us that it was the sin of the brotherly strife and hatred which was responsible for the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt (B.T. Shabbat 10a). Hence, some Jews have the tradition of dipping the karpas not

the Hebrews were saved by the blood that was on their doorposts.

The Israelites were all united in their commitment to the Almighty and fulfillment of this command, including their all remaining in their homes despite the fact that the Egyptian streets were ripe for looting in the frenzied hysteria which most certainly accompanied the death of the Egyptian first born.

The second act of dipping served as a tikkun or repair of the first; the sin of brotherly strife found its repentance in the form of brotherly unity, by which merit we were redeemed from Egypt. This explains both dippings at the seder and intensifies the

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They performed this pascal sacrifice during the time of the killing of the first born of the Egyptians – a plague from which the Hebrews were saved by the blood that was on their doorposts. only in salt-water symbolizing the tears that the Jewish people shed but also in the red haroset, which according to the Jerusalem Talmud symbolizes blood, expresses the tragedy of Jewish internal hatred — the root cause of our exiles and persecutions.

The second dipping took place at the end of the Egyptian enslavement, and the beginning of the Hebrew emancipation. At this time, each Hebrew family slaughtered a lamb in preparation for their exodus; “You will then take a bunch of hyssop and dip it into the blood (of the lamb) which will be placed in a basin. Place some blood on the beam over the door and the two door posts after you have dipped your finger in some of the blood in the basin. Not a single Israelite may go out of the door of his house until morning.” (Exodus 12:22) The blood of the lamb represented the willingness of the Israelites to sacrifice an Egyptian god (for such was the lamb) to their higher belief in the Lord of redemption and freedom. They performed this pascal sacrifice during the time of the killing of the first born of the Egyptians – a plague from which

fact that if only we as a nation could be united together, no force on earth would be able to harm us.

When the Bible describes the momentous Revelation at Sinai, we are told, “They had departed from Rephidim and had arrived at the Sinai desert, where they (the Israelites, in the plural) encamped in the desert; and Israel encamped there (in the singular) opposite the mountain” (Exodus 19:2). The change from plural to singular within one phrase is quite remarkable. The classical commentator Rashi comments, “As if they were all one individual with one heart”.

It was their very unity of purpose and commitment – their togetherness as a nation which enabled them to merit the Revelation. This I believe is the meaning of the Dayenu song: Had the Almighty merely brought us in front of Mount Sinai with singleness of goal and united in spirit, even before He gave us the Torah, that unity would have been sufficient!

Shabbat Shalom Shlomo Riskin Chancellor Ohr Torah Stone Chief Rabbi — Efrat Israel

8100 Cornell Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45249 (513) 489-3399 • www.ohavshalom.org

3100 LONGMEADOW LANE • CINCINNATI, OH 45236 791-1330 • www.templesholom.net Richard Shapiro, Interim Rabbi Marcy Ziek, President Gerry H. Walter, Rabbi Emeritus April 2 6:00 pm Shabbat Nosh 6:30 pm Shabbat Evening Service

April 9 6:00 pm Shabbat Nosh 6:30 pm Shabbat Evening Service

April 3 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service

April 10 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service

April 5 10:30 am 7th Day Pesach Service/Yizkor

18

JEWZ IN THE NEWZ

Jewz in the Newz

by Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist OLIVE BRANCHES The annual ABC broadcast of “The Ten Commandments,” starring Charlton Heston as MOSES, airs this Saturday, April 3, at 7PM. Every year, it garners more viewers than any other film ABC shows.

EDWARD G. ROBINSON (as the evil “Dathan”) and OLIVE DEERING (as Moses’ sister, MIRIAM) were the only Jewish actors with important roles in the film. Deering (1919-85), born Olive Corn, got good notices for her stage work in the ‘50s and ‘60s, but had a limited film and TV career. She was married to actor/director LEO PENN, the father of actor SEAN PENN, in the early ‘50s. They had no children and Penn went on to marry Sean’s mother, actress Eileen Ryan, after his divorce from Deering.

Olive’s brother, actor ALFRED RYDER (1916-1995), born Alfred Corn, was an acclaimed stage actor who also had a slew of TV guest roles through the early ‘80s. (He guest starred in the first “Star Trek” episode). He was married to actress KIM STANLEY (191986) from 1958-64.

Stanley was acclaimed for her Broadway theater performances and almost all her colleagues viewed her as a truly great actress.

She rarely appeared on TV and made only a handful of films.

Nonetheless, she won two Emmys and was twice nominated for an Oscar (best actress for “The Goddess” and best supporting actress for “Frances.”) It is Kim Stanley’s voice you hear narrating the opening and closing scenes of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Stanley converted to Judaism just before marrying Ryder. Their daughter, a practicing Jew, told the author that a recent scholarly biography reported that her mother thought Judaism “the most rational organized religion” and continued to observe some Jewish holidays until her death—including Passover.

RANDALL PESACH STORIES/ A HOPE PESACH FUNNY In his 1989 memoir, “Which Reminds Me,” the late TONY RANDALL (born Arthur Leopold Rosenberg) tells two funny, slightly racy Passover-related anecdotes about famous people.

Randall says that Olive Deering originated a line that many actors—stuck filming a bad movie or stuck filming a movie under terrible conditions — have since

used. After many weeks of filming “The Ten Commandments” in the heat and dust of the Mojave Desert—Deering said: “Who do you have to sleep with to get off of this picture?”

The second anecdote Randall admits is apocryphal—but this story was told for decades whenever funny Jews got together. Here it is: Marilyn Monroe was eating at a famous New York Jewish deli. A dining companion recommended the matzo ball soup and Monroe replied that she had never had the dish, but she would order it. The soup came and Marilyn gobbledup her first matzo balls. She told her dinner companion: “Oh, they are absolutely delicious. What do they do with the rest of the matzo?”

The influence of Jews and Jewish culture in Hollywood was evident when comedian Bob Hope, who wasn’t Jewish, told the following joke to the audience attending the 1968 Academy Awards ceremony. The whole audience, Jews and non-Jews alike—got the joke and roared with laughter.

Hope never received an Oscar nomination for his film work and, starting in the 1940s, he comically kvetched about this fact. The best Hope joke about this subject came in 1968 when Hope, who was hosting the Academy Awards ceremony, began his opening comic monologue with this line: “Welcome to the Academy Awards, or, as it’s known at my house, Passover.”

RUMBLIN’ GREEK GODS “Clash of the Titans” is inspired by the 1981 film of the same name, but unlike the original — its plot strays far from the original Greek myth of Perseus, a son of Zeus who was raised as a man.

The new version, which was just re-mastered for 3-D, has Perseus (Sam Worthington) leading a mission to defeat Hades (Ralph Fiennes), the vengeful god of the underworld, before Hades can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unleash hell on Earth. (Opens Friday, April 1) The film re-unites “Schindler’s List” stars Fiennes (who played the evil concentration camp commander) and Neeson (who played Schindler). Playing Perseus’ wife, Andromeda, is the very pretty ALEXA DAVALOS, 27. Like Neeson, Davalos’ best known role was in a Holocaust film— “Defiance”—in which she played the girlfriend of the lead Jewish partisan (Daniel Craig). Davalos’father, photographer JEFF DUNAS, is Jewish. Her mother is not Jewish and she took the last name of her maternal grandfather, actor Richard Davalos, as her stage name.

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

FROM THE PAGES 100 Years Ago The most delightful Purim entertainment ever given by the ladies’ Sewing Society took place on March 21. The costumes were elaborate and original, and a number of prizes were awarded. An excellent vaudeville entertainment was one of the features. Several handsome prizes were awarded for the best members.

The outgoing officers were reelected as follows: Pres., Mrs. Walter Ezekiel; vice pres., Mrs. Samuel Fletcher; treas., Mrs. Matilda Kahn;

sec., Mrs. Johah B. Frankel.

The Evansville (Ind.) “Daily Courier” pays a flattering tribute to a talented young Cincinnati girl, as follows: “On Wednesday a notable musical evening was given in the auditorium of the Washington Avenue Temple under the auspices of the Temple Sisterhood, an auxiliary organization of the congregation.

Miss Henrietta Weihl, of Cincinnati, a brilliant young violinist, was the soloist and her work shows brilliant

promise for the future of the young artist. Her program was admirably selected with reference to freshness and novelty. It was made up entirely of the works of the modern masters of violin composition. Her sweet and gracious personality enhanced the real gifts of the artist. The program served to bring out the versatility of the soloist, and in several numbers the young artist brought out the dash and temperament of the music with especially fine effect.” — March 31, 1910

75 Years Ago Characterized by the renowned Dr. Albert Einstein as one of the brightest minds he had ever known, Dr. Boris Podolsky has been named assistant professor of mathematical physics in the University of Cincinnati Graduate School, effective Sept. 1st. Dr. Podolsky has been collaborating with Dr. Einstein at Princeton’s Institute for advanced Study.

Mr. Herman Lange and his daughter, Mrs. Eugene Saenger, are again in Cincinnati after spending the winter, as has been Mr. Lange’s

custom for many years, at Miami Beach, Fla. Visiting them now is Mr. and Mrs. Saenger’s son, Mr. Eugene, Jr., a student at Harvard.

The fallacy of the Nordic theory of race supremacy is revealed in the study recently competed by Mrs. Abraham N. Franzblau, 3360 Bishop Street, Cincinnati.

Mrs. Franzblau conducted the study in her work on her doctorate of philosophy in the field of racial psychology and anthropology at Columbia University. Dr. Otto Kleinberg directed that work at

Columbia.

“A Study in Race Differences Under Varying Environments” is the title of her monograph.

Her thesis has won the praise of the eminent anthropologist, Dr. Franz Boaz, of Columbus.

Mrs. Franzblau approached the problem by studying Nordic and Mediterranean peoples in their respective home environments and in the United States The Columbia University Press is publishing her monograph.

— April 4, 1935

50 Years Ago Nathan Frankel, Lawrenceberg, Ind., passed away Saturday, March 25.

Survivors include: his wife, Mrs. Ida Frankel; a son, Elvin Frankel of Cincinnati; a daughter, Mrs. Sally Yaeger of Lawrenceberg; four sisters, Mrs. Ann Kanter of Cincinnati; Mrs. Simon Weinberger, Troy, Ohio; and Mrs. Bess Schultz and Mrs. A. Finkbein, of Lawrenceberg; and

two grandchildren.

Mrs. Harry M. Hoffheimer, chairman of the Ohio Racing Commission, was elected treasurer of the National Association of State Racing Commissioners at a recent meeting of the Association in Mexico City.

Customary association procedure is to advance the treasurer in successive years to three vice-presidencies and the presidency.

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Davidow (Carol Levy), 3590 Sorrento Drive, announce the birth of a daughter, Sally Blair, Friday, March 18. The infant has a brother, Chuck, and a sister, Gail. The maternal grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. A. Marcus Levy. The paternal grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Herman Davidow, Roanoke, Va. The maternal greatgrandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Ben Greenberg.— March 31, 1960

25 Years Ago Henry w. Hobston, Jr., attorney and senior partner of Frost and Jacobs; Dr. Sidney A. Peerless, physician and surgeon; and Helen D. Williams, civic patron and volunteer, will be honored at the 35th annual citation awards dinner sponsored by the National Conference of Christians and Jews (NCCJ).

The announcement was made

by NCCJ co-chairman Paul C. Ahern, Dr. Lawrence C. Hawkins and Joyce J. Salinger.

The awards dinner will be held on Thursday, May 2 at the Omni

Netherland Plaza, and will be chaired by Howard Goldfelder, chairman and chief executive officer of Federated Department Stores.

Allen and Phyllis Singer announce the forthcoming Bar Mitzvah of their son, Sidney Asher, Saturday morning, March 30, at Ohav Shalom Congregation, 1834 Section Road. Services begin at 9.

Relatives and friends are cordially invited to worship with the family and attend the Kiddushluncheon following services.

Sidney is the grandson of Mr.

and Mrs. Ben N. Ritter, Mrs. Fanny Singer and the late Mr. Sidney Singer.

Joseph Casuto of Hollywood, Fla., formerly of Cincinnati, passed away Mach18.

He is survived by his wife, Esther; two sons, Charles of Cincinnati and Lee of San Jose, Calif.; a brother, Samuel of Louisville, formerly of Cincinnati; two sisters, Rose Kadetz and Bessie Ward, both of Cincinnati; and a granddaughter, Lisa Marie of San Jose. — March 28, 1985

10 Years Ago Abe Zipperstein passed away on March 20, 2000. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He s survived by his wife, Doris Zipperstein; as well as his daughter and her husband, Drs. Jan and Steve Brinn. A granddaughter and her husband, Michelle and Todd Levine are also surviving Mr. Zipperstein. Other survivors include: a great-granddaughter, Allie Levine; a sister and brother-in-law,

Mary and Dr. Hal Schneider; a brother an sister-in-law, Irvin and Sandy Zipperstein of Dayton, Ohio; and another brother and sister-inlaw, Sam and Gerry Zipperstein of Boca Raton, Fl. With the exception of the last two couples, all other survivors are residents of Cincinnati, O. The deceased also had a brother, Maurice Zipperstein, who preceded him in death.

Mr. Zipperstein was a veteran of WWII, where he served as a chemical engineer in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, associated with the Manhattan Project. Subsequent to his WWII experience, his primary activity was serving as a consulting engineer for the A.M. Kinney Company. Mr. Zipperstein was a member of the Golf Manor Synagogue. — March 30, 2000

CLASSIFIEDS

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

COMMUNITY DIRECTORY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Big Brothers/Big Sisters Assoc.

(513) 761-3200 • bigbrobigsis.org Beth Tevilah Mikveh Society (513) 821-6679 Camp Ashreinu (513) 702-1513 Camp at the J (513) 722-7226 • mayersonjcc.org Camp Livingston (513) 793-5554 • camplivingston.com Cedar Village (513) 336-3183 • cedar-village.org Chevra Kadisha (513) 396-6426 Halom House (513) 791-2912 • halomhouse.com Hillel Jewish Student Center (513) 221-6728 • hillelcincinnati.org Jewish Community Center (513) 761-7500 • mayersonjcc.org Jewish Community Relations Council (513) 985-1501 Jewish Family Service (513) 469-1188 • jfscinti.org Jewish Federation of Cincinnati (513) 985-1500 • shalomcincy.org Jewish Foundation (513) 792-2715 Jewish Information Network (513) 985-1514 Jewish Vocational Service (513) 985-0515 • jvscinti.org Kesher (513) 766-3348 Plum Street Temple Historic Preservation Fund (513) 793-2556 The Center for Holocaust & Humanity Education (513) 487-3055 • holocaustandhumanity.org Vaad Hoier (513) 731-4671 Workum Summer Intern Program (513) 683-6670 • workum.org CONGREGATIONS Adath Israel Congregation (513) 793-1800 • adath-israel.org Beit Chaverim (513) 335-5812 Beth Israel Congregation (513) 868-2049 • bethisraelcongregation.net Congregation Beth Adam (513) 985-0400 • bethadam.org Congregation B’nai Tikvah (513) 759-5356 • bnai-tikvah.org Congregation B’nai Tzedek (513) 984-3393 • bnaitzedek.us Congregation Ohav Shalom

(513) 489-3399 • ohavshalom.org Golf Manor Synagogue (513) 531-6654 • golfmanorsynagogue.org Isaac M. Wise Temple (513) 793-2556 • wisetemple.org Isaac Nathan Congregation (513) 841-9005 Kehilas B’nai Israel (513) 761-0769 Northern Hills Synagogue (513) 931-6038 • nhs-cba.org Rockdale Temple (513) 891-9900 • rockdaletemple.org Temple Beth Shalom (513) 422-8313 • tbsohio.org Temple Sholom (513) 791-1330 • templesholom.net The Valley Temple (513) 761-3555 • valleytemple.com EDUCATION Chabad Blue Ash (513) 793-5200 • chabadba.com Cincinnati Community Kollel (513) 631-1118 • kollel.shul.net Cincinnati Hebrew Day School (513) 351-7777 • chds.shul.net HUC-JIR (513) 221-1875 • huc.edu JCC Early Childhood School (513) 793-2122 • mayersonjcc.org Mercaz High School (513) 792-5082 x104 • mercazhs.org Reform Jewish High School (513) 469-6406 • crjhs.org Regional Institute Torah & Secular Studies (513) 631-0083 Rockwern Academy (513) 984-3770 • rockwernacademy.org ORGANIZATIONS American Jewish Committee (513) 621-4020 • ajc.org American Friends of Magen David Adom (513) 521-1197 • afmda.org B’nai B’rith (513) 984-1999 Hadassah (513) 821-6157 • cincinnati-hadassah.org Jewish National Fund (513) 794-1300 • jnf.org NA’AMAT (513) 984-3805 • naamat.org National Council of Jewish Women (513) 891-9583 • ncjw.org State of Israel Bonds (513) 793-4440 • israelbonds.com Women’s American ORT (513) 985-1512 • ortamerica.org.org

19

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TSEVAT from page 1 given the name Theodore Pinczover, after Theodore Herzl, the father of the Zionist movement, and his interest in matters Jewish were cultivated early in life.

Before he learned to read German in school, Tsevat was taught Hebrew by his mother and, growing up, enjoyed exploring his father’s collection of Modern Hebrew literature, most notably the works of Chaim Nachman Bialik and Mendele Sforim.

As Hitler’s influence grew in his country, Tsevat became active in a Zionist youth movement and prepared for life in the Land of Israel by working in an agricultural vocational training program in Sicily.

Revealing his early interest in both Judaism and music, Tsevat himself noted about this time, “ …in my late teens I spoke Hebrew fluently and I knew chapters of the Bible by heart (just as I knew scores of Mozart and Beethoven).”

All of this effort came to fruition in 1938, when Tsevat immigrated to the Land of Israel. At this point, the 25-year old Tsevat had in hand a teacher’s diploma from The Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau. There, Tsevat changed his name to a Hebrew “version” he used for the rest of his life.

Explained son David, “Dad and his brother invented this name as young adults by taking a passage from the book of Isaiah (1:27).

From the Hebrew it is an acronym which translates as ‘Zion will be redeemed with Justice.’ His brother in the end declined to change his name as a tribute to a village from which the name ‘Pinczover’ was derived, which was wiped [out] of Jews by the Nazis.”

In his new homeland, Dr. Tsevat continued his studies at the Hebrew University, where he earned an M.A.in Bible in 1948.

In 1949 he moved to the U.S. to continue his studies.

There he began at Dropsie College in Philadelphia and then moved the next year to HUC-JIR in Cincinnati, where he was ordained and completed his Ph.D. in 1953.

Thus began his 35-year career as a professor at HUC-JIR that led to international recognition as an expert on the Bible.

Also in 1949, Dr. Tsevat brought the 17-year courtship of his love, Miriam, to a successful conclusion in New York City, where they became husband and wife.

For Tsevat,the year of 1949 marked the beginning of life as husband and father as well as scholar and educator.

Both roles, were guided by Jewish values and a mind that was capable of reducing the complex to the elegant by confronting ambiguities and loosely strung reasoning.

In both lives, Tsevat was regarded as a “gentle man”; but erudite and uncompromising in meeting high standards.

As a teacher, commented Dr. Kenneth Ehrlich , Dean, HUC-JIR, “Matitiahu Tsevat was a learned and gentle man. At an institution known for its great teachers, Dr. Tsevat was one of the best. He taught us to question conventional wisdom. And once we asked the right question, we discovered answers that took us to new heights of knowledge and even wisdom.

All of us – his teachers and his students – will forever be grateful for that gift.”

TSEVAT on page 20

20

LEGAL

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

Accommodating jurors with disabilities Legally Speaking

by Marianna Bettman Contributing Columnist The process of jury selection is crucial in any trial. This phase of a trial is called voir dire. During voir dire, the lawyers for each side question prospective jurors. When lawyers pick jurors, they want to ensure a fair trial for their clients.

So lawyers are allowed to excuse prospective jurors from their cases.

They can do so either for no reason they need to explain (with a couple of exceptions involving juror race and gender)—which is called a peremptory challenge, or they can challenge a juror “for cause”.

A challenge for cause is a legal reason why a potential juror should not be allowed to sit on the jury. If one of the lawyers challenges a potential juror for cause, the trial judge decides if that person must be excused.

Ohio has a law setting forth reasons why a prospective juror can be challenged for cause. Some of the disqualifiers in the statute are a criminal conviction, having an interest in the case, being related to, married to, or employed by a party or the party’s lawyer, or the juror discloses by answers that he or she cannot be fair and impartial, or will not follow the law given by the court. There can be other reasons as well.

An unusual challenge for cause—one not based on any of the statutory grounds —± came up in a case decided by the Ohio Supreme Court in early March. The case is State v. Speer. The issue was whether a hearing impaired juror should have been excused for cause in a murder case.

Ohio has made significant strides in ensuring that all persons, including those with disabilities, have access to the courts, including the chance to serve on juries. The Ohio Supreme Court has taken a leading role in this area. The Court promulgates rules of superintendence, one of which provides that the opportunity for jury service should not be denied or limited on the basis of disability. Local courts are required to make reasonable accommodations for jurors with physical disabilities. In addition, in

2003, the Ohio Supreme Court established an Interpreter Services Program, dealing both with those with limited English proficiency and with hearing-impaired individuals in the court system.

In the Speer case, the Court was called upon to weigh the right of the accused to a fair trial against the right of citizens with impairments and disabilities to serve on juries.

The context of the case is quite fascinating.

Scott Speer and Jim Barnett were co-workers and close friends.

But they also argued quite heatedly about money. Barnett owed Speer quite a lot. Still, in August of 2003, the two went boating together on Speer’s boat. Although they’d planned to spend the night on an island, there were no hotel

An investigation by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources determined that Speer’s drinking, speed, and reckless boat driving had contributed to Barnett’s death. rooms. So Speer decided to return to the marina, even though high winds and waves were forecast. In the early morning hours Speer encountered four to six foot waves. At some point, Barnett fell out of the boat. Speer spent some time trying to find him, but then felt he needed to leave the area for his own safety. He also placed a 911 call to the Coast Guard, reporting what had happened.

The next day, Barnett’s body washed ashore. An investigation by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources determined that Speer’s drinking, speed, and reckless boat driving had contributed to Barnett’s death. Although a copy of the report was sent to the local prosecutor’s office, Speer was not charged with any crime.

One year later, Speer told a friend that he had pushed Barnett off his boat. Ultimately, this information got to the authorities.

Speer was indicted on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide,

involuntary manslaughter, murder and aggravated murder.

At Speer’s trial, one of the prospective jurors told the court during the voir dire examination that she suffered from a hearing impairment. She was questioned extensively by both sides, and was able to answer all questions.

Because the prosecution intended to rely strongly on the tape of Speer’s 911 call to the Coast Guard, Speer’s lawyer asked the court to remove the hearing-impaired juror for cause. The Court refused, deciding the juror’s impairment could be accommodated by letting her sit where she could read lips. She was seated as a juror. When the tape was played, she read the simultaneous transcription of the tape.

Speer was acquitted of the two murder charges, but convicted of the vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter charges. On appeal, he challenged the seating of the hearing-impaired juror, arguing his due process rights had been violated.

In a 5-2 decision authored by Justice Terrence O’Donnell, the high court agreed with Speer. The central role of the 911 tape was key to the majority decision. The prosecution argued that Speer’s calm tone and demeanor on the tape provided evidence of his guilt. The defense argued that the fact that he clearly was not slurring his words on the tape proved he wasn’t drunk or reckless.

The Court felt that reading a transcription of the tape did not provide the juror with the nuances necessary to evaluate this crucial piece of evidence. Because the juror “could not perceive whether there was urgency in Speer’s voice, whether he slurred his speech, or whether he sounded deceptive or hesitant”, she could not include those evaluations in coming to her verdict. In short, because the accommodations by the court could not enable the juror to perceive and evaluate the evidence, the court concluded that Speer did not get a fair trial. Speer’s due process rights trumped the rights of the hearingimpaired juror in this case.

Justice Judith Lanzinger, joined by Justice Robert Cupp, dissented. Lanzinger pointed out that Speer’s lawyer did not object during the trial to the accommodations made for the juror during the playing of the 911 tape, and never asked that she be replaced by an alternate juror.

Regardless of the outcome of this case, the majority of the Court made it clear that a hearing impairment by itself is not grounds to remove a prospective juror from jury service.

TSEVAT from page 19 Explained, David, “Dad believed in reason and the highest standards of culture and knowledge. He was erudite, brilliant, just, and devoted foremost to truth. He would not accept shoddy, watered-down, half-good measures.”

What was he like as a father?

According to Joel, he grew up in a tranquil household; Tsevat never yelled; never punished. “He led by example….with his work ethic and winning manner.”

Part of his “winning manner” was a sense of humor. Said David, “ …he was humorous and conducted himself with levity and lightness of spirit.”

He could be very human too.

The renowned scholar was something of an absent-minded professor —there was the time when he drove from a fueling station with the pump nozzle still in the his car’s gasoline tank – and a man with a huge appetite for summer sausage and very particular about his coffee.

Most winning, perhaps, was the extra dimension of gentleness so manifest in the “mensch” described by David, “He was also ever kind and modest, deflecting credit from himself, always respecting the dignity and sensibilities of others.”

As a scholar, Tsevat was best known for his writings on the Books of Job and Samuel.

Tsevat, who lost one of his own children, professionally contemplated the story of Job and how justice and ones relationship with G-d — and others— are related.

Wrote, Tsevat, “ it would be a grave error to interpret [the book’s] denial of divine retribution as constituting a legitimate excuse for man from his obligations to establish justice on earth. Justice is not woven into the stuff of the universe nor is G-d occupied with its administration but it is an ideal to be realized by society.”

Explained Joel, his otherwise calm and quiet father was not “laid back” when he perceived injustice, “he would always argue for what he thought was right; fire off a letter to the editor…”

In both roles, Tsevat left a trail of accomplishments.

At HUC-JIR, where he attained renown as a scholar, Tsevat assumed various administrative duties, most important of which was his contribution to the development of HUC-JIR’s Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.

Wrote Tsevat, “ …one cannot overestimate the experience of spending a year in Jerusalem.” To that end, Tsevat taught his courses in Jerusalem and in the states in Hebrew in order to reinforce the language skills his students’

acquired in Jerusalem.

A prolific writer, Dr. Tsevat left a considerable legacy of books and articles. As a teacher, he left a legacy of students, and colleagues, who today convey his values and intellectual sensibilities through their individual contacts into the wider society.

“He was also ever kind and modest, deflecting credit from himself, always respecting the dignity and sensibilities of others.”

David Tsevat Finally, there is his legacy as father and husband.

Dr. Tsevat is survived by his wife of over 60 years, Miriam; his sons Dr. Joel (Jody) Tsevat, and David (Susan Plummer) Tsevat; his granddaughters, Rebecca and Danielle Tsevat; his sister, Chana (the late Ephraim) Urbach of Jerusalem, his sister-in-law, Esther, and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

He was preceded in death by his son, Daniel Tsevat, and his brother, Eliezer Pinczover.

Private graveside services were held with Rabbi Lewis Kamrass of Wise Temple officiating at the burial and at the Shiva. A separate memorial was held at HUC-JIR with Rabbi Kenneth Ehrlich, dean of HUC in Cincinnati, presiding.

The family would appreciate memorial contributions to Hebrew Union College-Cincinnati, 3101 Clifton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220-2488; (513) 221-1875.

Joel remarked that his father led a life that seemed “ almost spiritual”.

His was a life structured by a core of Jewish values— and a mind that brought the elegance of his artistic sensibilities to bear on intellectual deliberations— and the management of his daily affairs.

The magic of the balance he was able to so strike is evident in the path he forged through so many lives— so affected by the gentle urgings of his elegant mind.

And spirit.

(Alexia Kadish contributed to this article.)

NEWS

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

AUTHOR from page 1 In an interview with the American Israelite newspaper, Singer elaborated on the brief explanation of this program he had given in his talk.

IDF training does not discriminate according to high school background; regardless the IDF will try to shape them all into resourceful team players.

The idea is to put recruits together into a mishmash group, give them a difficult mission — made more difficult by strict time constraints — and tell them either they all accomplish the mission or no one does.

Suddenly high school superbrain and dullard are thrown together into an activity in which neither can separate from the other — in which their individual aptitudes have no value to them alone, but only as a group resource.

What happens to individual egos? What happens to selfdoubts? All individual traits — good and bad — merge into one “organism driven to succeed.” The tribe’s penchant for kvetching meets a wall that only a “can-do “ spirit will get them over.

Leaderhip, team-work, meeting time constraints and sacrificing to meet a goal – all are simulated in this training.

As the young soldiers progress, they find that their world class military behaves like arguing family at Pesach rather than the starched shirts in Top Gun. To start, as Singer noted ruefully, “rumpled” uniforms are ok if not fully accepted in the IDF. Moreover, superior officers may be addressed by their first names, are not saluted, may be challenged and that everything is open to questioning with anyone regardless of rank.

The famous IDF soldiers that protect one of the most — if not the most – threatened country on the planet must be like no other. They must be focused, resourceful and ready to face down disastrous failure because, either they do their jobs or they lose everything.

Israelis don’t fight for foreign land; they fight for the survival of themselves and their loved ones.

So give Israeli soldiers a mission, and all of the questioning and unmilitary conduct melds into highly focused teams bent on one thing — accomplishing their mission.

In the IDF individual soldiers are not micromanaged; they are entrusted with a goal that must be accomplished. Decision-making is delegated to those in the field, and training ensures that good decisionmaking happens there.

In the book there is a passage in which the Israeli Air Force is compared to that of the U.S. In this country, the air force flies bombing runs in phases that are

carefully choreographed to limit damage to the aircraft carrying the bombs. Even airborne combat is pre-planned. To the Israelis, the U.S. Air Force is like a sophisticated race car going around a track.

The Israeli Air Force, on the other hand, is like a jeep that is off road with tools strewn everywhere.

Failure and sudden catastrophes are accepted and planned for more than a straight “drive” to success.

Considered by many to be the very best air force in the world, the Israelis charge their individual pilots with missions they must accomplish and then motivate them with the expectation that they will succeed.

So they work together to overcome problems and get it done.

When the soldiers return to civilian life, the tribal penchant for dissatisfaction unites with the military’s “can-do” attitude into what is becoming an Israeli mentality that loves nothing better than proving naysayers wrong. Said Singer, never tell an Israeli they cannot get something done.

When this attitude is combined with little fear of failure, little respect for credentials and a sense of urgency— that is reasonably read as impatience — resourcefulness, incessant questioning and a good measure of creativity, an entrepreneur is born.

It is not surprising then that Israeli start-ups are now known for being organizationally “flat’— lacking in hierarchy— and that their employees are both driven and utterly unimpressed with corporate VIP’s. As within the IDF, anyone can be challenged.

Singer related such stories involving E-Bay and Google.

Clearly, along with the probing, questioning and can-do attitude there is widespread pride in startups. Indeed, this past summer, in an American Israelite interview with 8th grade scouts from Israel, one offered that his ambition was to form a start-up and then sell it.

For many the pride runs even deeper. According to Singer and many press reports, a goodly number of famous Israeli start-up mavens openly express their drive for business success as a devotion to Zionism - for their country, for the tribe.

Nonetheless, there are questions about whether the narrow focus on start-ups and fast exits doesn’t leave much money “on the table.” Shouldn’t Israel use their discoveries to build global companies?

At this point, Israel is viewed as the best place to go for corporate research and development. This is its global corporate identity — or “brand.”

Neither Singer nor Suzette Dutch, managing partner of Triathlon Medical Ventures, a local venture capital firm that funds Israeli start-ups, believe that this is

The Israeli air force, on the other hand, is like a jeep that is off road with tools strewn everywhere.

Failure and sudden catastrophes are accepted and planned for more than a straight drive to success. a mistake for Israel.

As Dutch explained, after the creative process of forming a startup is done, the process of developing a company slows to a crawl that demands attention to details, deadlines, regulations and protocols.

This is especially so with new technology in heavily regulated arenas such as biomedical products.

Entrepreneurs are not good at managing such processes; thus straying into this phase may be a mistake for the very entrepreneurial Israelis; they may lose focus.

Asked if fast exits don’t leave much money behind, neither thought so, although Singer did say, that Israel needs to spread the wealth around from the start-ups better.

For the most part Israelis are doing well financially. A report on global wealth prepared by the Boston Consulting Group in September 2009 puts Israel in seventh place worldwide for numbers of millionaires “as a proportion of

households.” The United States is in fifth position; Japan is in tenth.

Asked if Israel needs more venture capital, Singer thought not. But Dutch said this is not the case for the technologies her firm funds — medical devices and biotechnology.

Unlike the classic Israeli software and telecommunications ventures, these technologies require far more capital to bring products to market.

At present there is not enough capital available to meet the demands of innovators.

All of this intense innovation in Israel has caused a growing number in the Cincinnati Jewish community, as well as in the wider business community, to ask how this city can tap into the Israeli start-up cauldron.

Dutch offered some advice.

First, Israeli’s are not impressed – and probably aggravated – by slick pitches. They focus on one concern: How will they benefit. Some in Cincinnati think that the marketing and logistics available here would be attractive to Israeli companies

21

because they are as good as any in the world but less expensive. That may sell, but a stronger prospect would be a specific project — say an aeronautical engineering project between GE and Israel.

Observed Dutch, Cincinnati is “late to the party.” Cleveland and Chicago have been courting the Israelis for many years now.

Finally there deeper questions about how the extraordinary creative genius, now recognized in Israel, arose. When Singer was asked about another pro-Israel book published recently, “The Israel Test,” that explores the notion that Jews are more intelligent, he backed away. His book focused only on cultural influences, he replied.

Dutch would not endorse such a position either. Instead she cited three other sources: The traditional respect Jews have for education, an atypical tolerance for failure and an attitude arising from generations of discrimination that no one “can take away what is in your head.”

In the end, whatever details the overflow audience gathered from the talk, one message was clear: For once Israel is portrayed in a best seller in a winning light.

This was the chief reason the event’s sponsor, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati organized it.

It is their mission to protect Jewish security, explained Brian Jaffee of the organization. Nothing supports their efforts better than good publicity about Israel.

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OBITUARIES

DEATH NOTICES LAZAR, Carol, age 91, died on march 6, 2010, 20 Adar 5770.

DRESKIN, Betty Louis, age 62, died on March 21, 2010; 6 Nissan, 5770.

WERNER, Maxwell W., age 86, died on March 27, 2010; 12 Nissan, 5770.

ROTHCHILD, Louis A., age 82, died on March 29, 2010; 14 Nissan, 5770.

OBITUARIES LAZAR, Carol Carol Lazar, 91, a longtime Chilmark seasonal resident, died on Saturday, March 6, 2010 — the 20th day of Adar 5770 — in Brooklyn, N.Y., after a lengthy illness.

She was the founder and director of the Chilmark Photography Workshop to which dozens of aspiring photographers from all over the United States came for more than a decade.

It was in 1974 that she started the workshop at her home and in two neighboring buildings on Abel’s Neck Road above Menemsha Pond. Students would be housed near today’s Chilmark Chocolates for the 10-day sessions that included field trips to Oak Bluffs for night shots; to Aquinnah and other beaches for landscapes; to the streets of Edgartown for people shots. Their instructors, who included such notable photographers as Bruce Davidson, Jerry Uelsmann and Aaron Siskind, would familiarize neophytes with the latest in camera gadgetry, show them how to process their film in a darkroom in one of the buildings on the school premises and instruct them in both black and white and color

photography. She had no patience with digital photography. Though the workshop had not operated since 1989, Mrs. Lazar had continued, until last summer, to be on the Island spring, summer and fall. She had had a swimming pool and a tennis court constructed on her property and as long as she was physically able, was a determined, devoted tennis player.

Also a dog lover; her toy poodles, George, and later, Georgie, were constant companions.

She was born Nov. 2, 1918 in Cincinnati, Ohio, a daughter of Gilbert and Iphegene (Maloney) Bettman. On her mother’s side, she was related to the OchsSulzberger family that owned the New York Times. Her father served three terms as the Republican attorney general of Ohio in the 1920s.

She was a graduate of Walnut Hills School in Cincinnati and of Vassar College, class of 1940.

Later, she studied violin at the Juilliard School in New York city.

At the beginning of World War II, she joined the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and spent the war years in Morocco and Algeria repatriating refugees. When she returned to the United States, she earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Chicago and did social work briefly in New York’s Harlem before marrying Eugene Stern of Cincinnati. That marriage ended in divorce, and in 1951, on a visit to the Vineyard, she married Al Lazar, a graduate of Harvard Law School who had served in the Office of Strategic Services in the war.

The couple moved to Norwalk, Conn., and it was in these early years of her marriage, when her children were small and she began taking pictures of them and their friends, that her interest in photography — in particular, portrait photography — devel-

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010

Carol Lazar, founder of Chilmark Photography Workshop, passed away on March 6, 2010.

oped. For summer holidays, the Lazars came back to the Vineyard, renting the simple Chilmark camp of Faye Neumann in a field off the State Road. In those days, it was without running water or electricity. Later, they purchased the camp (which they called “the shack”) and six surrounding acres and built a house beside the shack. In time, a third structure that became the darkroom of the photography school was constructed.

Next-door neighbors of the Lazars were the artist Thomas

Hart Benton, his wife, Rita, and their children, Jessie and T.P., and the Lazars and their two sons and the Bentons soon were fast friends. Other close friends and swimming companions, first at King’s Beach in Chilmark and later at Zack’s Cliffs in what then was Gay Head, were the writer Max Eastman and his wife, Yvette; Mr. Siskind; anthropologist and children’s writer Bill Lipkind and his wife, Maria Cimino, a singer and New York City librarian; and Leo Yamin, a

OPINION from page 16

2007, leading to the PA’s expulsion. If they're being honest, PA leaders will hardly subscribe to your sanitized view of Hamasruled Gaza today.

And a stop in Cairo could be beneficial. Egypt is no less concerned than Israel about what’s going on next door. That’s why it’s building a wall along the Gaza border. Hamas, after all, proudly proclaims itself part and parcel of the Muslim Brotherhood, a longtime threat to Egypt’s stability.

Frankly, when reading “Lessons from a Gaza Trip,” I couldn't help thinking of those impressionable Western travelers who visited the Soviet Union and

Further, you might seek a visit with Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier whom you oddly describe as “captured,” when he was, in fact, kidnapped in a cross-border raid from Gaza. And with the EU’s laudable commitment to international humanitarian law, press your hosts on why no one has been permitted to visit him since his abduction in 2006.

I would also recommend that, before your next visit to Gaza, you stop in Ramallah. Ask Palestinian Authority leaders to share their memories of the bloody civil war that Hamas triggered in Gaza, in

New York city school principal, and his wife, Alice, an artist.

In 1964, her marriage to Mr. Lazar ended in divorce, but she continued to be a seasonal Chilmark resident in the home they had built. In winter, she lived on Central Park West in New York city. She worked for a time at the advertising agency Young and Rubicam and later at Popular Photography magazine. There, she further developed her own photographic craft and befriended many of the notable photographers she would later bring to teach at her Island school. She also became a teacher of photography at Manhattan’s Spence School.

Island photographer Peter Simon, though he never studied at her workshop, credits her with having inspired him to start doing family photography. “She had signs all over ‘Family Photography by Carol Lazar.’

They made me think ‘Why don’t I do that? And so I started my own business.’ He also applauds the way she managed to convince first-class photographers to come to the Island to instruct at her workshop.

In addition to her enthusiasm for photography, Mrs. Lazar was known for her conviviality, her hospitality, her generosity and her circle of artistic friends. She was a valued violin player with Island chamber music groups.

She is survived by two sons, Daniel, of West Cornwall, and Paul of Brooklyn, N.Y., and three grandchildren.

A burial service was held March 22 at the family plot in Cincinnati. In lieu of flowers, gifts in her memory may be given to the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, P.O.Box 1477, Oak Bluffs 02557 or the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 190, Edgartown 02539.

(Reprinted with permission from the Vineyard Gazette.)

returned with gushing accounts of the Moscow metro, circus and ballet, the well-behaved schoolchildren, and the workers' paradise.

Dear Baroness Ashton, please wake up.

Yes, the search for peace in the region is unquestionably a sacred duty. But it can only be attained by those truly committed to coexistence and mutual respect.

Hamas - that stunningly missing word in your op-ed — is not a peace seeker, but a peace saboteur.

With the terrorist group controlling Gaza, the sooner you grasp this essential point, the better off we will all be.

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