AI2010_04_22

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 8 IYYAR, 5770 SHABBAT: FRI 8:04 – SAT 9:04 CINCINNATI, OHIO VOL. 156 • NO. 39 SINGLE ISSUE PRICE $2.00

NATIONAL Watching your language at a Made-in-Israel meal Page 7

HUC’s Dr. Ellis Rivkin remembered Dr. Ellis Rivkin, professor, scholar, mentor and friend influenced many generations of students during his 50-year career as Adolph S. Ochs Professor Emeritus of Jewish History at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati.

Dr. Rivkin, who was 91 years old, died April 7 at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati after a short illness.

Services were held on April 11 at the Hebrew Union College Chapel.

“Ellis Rivkin was blessed with a daring, original mind. He was ahead of his time in revealing how Judaism and the Jewish people were shaped by world history – and how they contributed profoundly to

it. A model of intellectual passion, he was also an immensely gracious and helpful mentor to his students and an inspiration for our own scholarly careers,” said Professor Robert M. Seltzer.

“He was a historian who always looked at the big picture instead of the details,” said Michael A. Meyer, a friend and former student. Meyer later became Dr. Rivkin’s successor as the Adolph S. Ochs Professor of Jewish History.

“He was unorthodox, always questioning the conventional view on historical subjects.”

Born in Baltimore, Md., Dr. Rivkin earned his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in history from

Johns Hopkins University.

He came to Cincinnati in 1949, having been appointed assistant professor of Jewish history at Hebrew Union College where he taught rabbinical and graduate students, many of whom he remained in contact with for years after they left the college.

“Ellis Rivkin was a visionary historian and scholar, who always kept his eye on the big picture. He encouraged his students to think for themselves and to always ask the most basic questions — the ones that are often overlooked. He was a decent, charming man whose Dr. Ellis Rivkin

RIVKIN on page 19

Israel Memorial Day at Cedar Village

by Avi Milgrom Assistant Editor

INTERNATIONAL Turkey emerging as a wild card on Iran Page 9

DINING OUT Rusty’s features wholesome foods at friendly prices Page 14

BUSINESS DHR Music Experience: Where left is right Page 20

Israel Memorial Day, “Yom HaZikaron,” was celebrated in Cincinnati this past Sunday, outside, in front of the Jerusalem Stone at Cedar Village.

The annual ceremony remembers those IDF soldiers, chiefly American and Israeli, fallen or missing as well as those killed by terrorists.

The gathering posed a somber event against a backdrop of a perfect spring day, with pink blossoms behind the platform stage

and a few clouds above. At one point two large geese “strafed” the audience, honking.

Behind the stage was the centerpiece: The community’s Jerusalem stone monument. It had been placed there in 1998 to remember the soldiers who had died defending Israel for HaZikaron that year.

Before a standing room only audience comprised of giggling children, elders in wheelchairs, and every age in between, the program began with opening remarks and the lowering of the Israeli Flag to half mast under the super-

vision of the officer in the Israel Air Force (IAF) stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

Sirens then sounded, followed

by Rabbi Bruce Adler’s Yizkor and Rockwern Academy Choir’s performance of two selections.

The mood turned very somber when members of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) reserves, who had served in the IDF, placed wreaths around the stone. The various wars were listed as each soldier was announced: The Sinai War of 1956; The Six Day War of 1967; The Yom Kippur War of 1973; the first war with Lebanon

in 1982 and the second war with Lebanon of 1966.

This was followed by a reading in Hebrew of a poem, “How Can I Bless,” El Male Rachamim

by Rabbi Hanan Balk and Kaddish

by Rabbi Gerry Walter.

A second poem, “The Silver Platter” was read followed by Rabbi Binyomin Yudin’s presentation of a prayer for the IDF and Margaret Friedman Vaughan’s prayer for the State of Israel.

The ceremony closed with the Cincinnati Hebrew Day School

MEMORIAL on page 20

Israel Independence Day – time to party

by Avi Milgrom Assistant Editor At the Israel Memorial service on Sunday, at Cedar Village, a small, frail woman with a shock of white hair sat down to view the film of the first female Israeli soldier to die in the 2006 Lebanon War. Her hands were bony; her skin was nearly translucent. Judging from her appearance, this woman was very old.

When asked if she was a resident at Cedar Village, she answered, “Not yet.” The question annoyed her.

The next day she reappeared at the Israel Independence Day celebration.

Her appearance was at the end

of the celebration when Dganit Daddo, Israeli star of song, theatre and television, performed.

After wowing the crowd with a few favorite tribal tunes, Daddo turned the spotlight on the audience by going deep into the Amberley Room and schlepping back toward the stage the willing — and unwilling.

They were to dance at the front of the audience, and onstage, with wild abandon. This was immediately understood.

Front and center there appeared a little woman with a shock of white hair. She had not been dragged — who knows about her partner, a younger man.

After some hard work by entertainer Dganit Daddo, the Amberley Room rocked!

INDEPENDENCE on page 22

LOCAL

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

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Summer Camp at the Lecture at HUC explores a 1915 J offers new facilities lynching of a Jew in Georgia Summer Camp at the J is offering new facilities this summer: new permanent outdoor wooden huts for camper bunks, a ga-ga pit (for playing Israeli dodgeball) and a fire pit.

Summer programs begin June 14.

The new wooden huts at Camp at the J are enclosed with full-size walls, a door, a fully-shingled roof and cement floors. They offer space for personal storage, meetings and getting ready for activities.

Camp at the J Trailblazer campers (entering grades K – 3) will utilize these new huts; the

younger Little Hikers campers (ages 18 months — 5 years) will have bunks inside the JCC Early Childhood School.

The new permanent fire pit provides space for camp activities anchored by outdoor cooking.

Finally there is the ga-ga pit for the popular Israeli folk sport of gaga, a form of dodgeball where the goal is to eliminate players by hitting a ball below the other players’ knees.

For more information on Summer Camp at the J, contact the JCC.

Comedian David Brenner, live at the J

David Brenner, the legendary comedian, will perform at the J on May 13.

After first appearing on the national TV scene, Brenner was asked by a reporter what he wanted to do with his career. He replied, “I want to make as many people laugh, as heartily as they can, for as long as I can.”

His answer is the same today.

Currently, he can be seen on HBO’s “David Brenner: Back With A Vengeance,” which is one of HBO’s highest rated specials, and last month made a guest appearance on ABC’s new hit show, “Modern Family.”

“Brenner is edgier and more

insightful in his skewering of popular culture than ever before,” said The Hollywood Reporter recently.

Because many of his jokes deal with politics, he has developed a reputation as a political pundit as well, and has been a guest on several news-oriented shows in the recent past, including MSNBC, CNN and FOX. As a comedian, Brenner has performed on The Tonight Show 158 times — the most appearances made by any guest entertainer.

Also, he is ranked #53 on “Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.”

Prior to beginning his standup career, Brenner wrote and directed over 100 made-for-TV documentaries, of which many won awards, including an Emmy.

Also, he is the author of four books, and is currently working on his fifth.

“Given Mr. Brenner’s popularity, obviously Hillel and the JCC are ecstatic to have him perform for the Cincinnati community,” said Univsersity of Cincinanti Hillel’s, Elizabeth Harold. Hillel and the J are sponsoring the event.

This event is open to the public. For information on tickets and a pre-show meet-and-greet with Brenner, call Hillel or the J.

“The trial of Leo Frank was one of the most sensational trials of the early 20th century.”

Dr. Gary P. Zola

On May 4, there will be a lecture by Dr. Jeffrey Melnick of Babson College on the matter of Leo Frank, at the American Jewish Archives.

Frank moved from a northern state to Atlanta, Ga. in 1908 to manage the National Pencil Factory.

In 1915 he was lynched, after having been accused of murdering Mary Phagan—a 13-year-old girl who worked at the factory.

Although Frank maintained his innocence to the end, he was convicted of murder largely on the testimony given by Jim Conley, an African-American employee.

Melnick will discuss how Frank’s trial, conviction and lynching have been used to explore black-Jewish relations and the New South.

Melnick’s archival research, analyses of the court records and study of various artistic creations inspired by the case are detailed in his book, “Black-Jewish Relations on Trial: Leo Frank and Jim Conley in the New South.”

“The trial of Leo Frank was one of the most sensational trials of the early 20th century,” said Dr. Gary P. Zola, professor of the American Jewish Experience at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. “It fueled extreme controversy and provoked endless legal discussions—which it does still today. Dr. Melnick’s meticulous research of the social, political, religious and racial dynamics at play in the unfolding national drama that led to Frank’s trial, conviction and lynching shed new light on the case.”

The evening will begin with an exhibit of the letters of Leo Frank (a permanent collection of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives); and an hors d’oeuvres reception.

Dr. Melnick’s presentation will begin afterward.

This special lecture is given in association with the Freedom Center’s “Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America,” and Jewish American Heritage Month. (May 2010).

The event is free and open to the public, however seating is limited. Call HUC for more information.

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LOCAL

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

Adath Israel hosts membership open house Adath Israel Congregation in Amberly Village, will welcome prospective new members at an open house Shabbat event on Saturday, May 1, 2010.

“We hope to create a warm and welcoming environment that people will want to call home,” said Mendy Fisher, chair of Adath Israel Congregation’s membership committee. “This

event gives people a feel for the myriad things this synagogue has to offer. We believe there’s something here for everyone.”

Services that day will be led by youth from the synagogue’s religious school. Families with younger children are invited to a special “Tot Shabbat,” that begins earlier in the synagogues’ Marcus Chapel religious school.

Afterward, Rabbi Irvin Wise will lead a 12:30 p.m. “Lunch and Learn” event tailored for adults and children. Babysitters will be available to watch the youngest children who are more interested in lunching than learning.

Added Fisher, “Greeters have become a regular feature of our Saturday worship services.

Their mission is to make entering the synagogue as unintimidating and easy as possible. No one should ever feel uncomfortable walking though these doors. Our greeters can answer any questions and direct guests to the appropriate room for each event.”

For more information, call the synagogue.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

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

by Isaac M.Wise VOL. 156 • NO. 39 Thursday, April 22, 2010 8 Iyyar, 5770 Shabbat begins Fri, 8:04 p.m.

Shabbat ends Sat, 9:04 p.m.

Wise Temple Brotherhood presents Cabaret Night, May 1

THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE CO., PUBLISHERS 18 WEST NINTH STREET, SUITE 2 CINCINNATI, OHIO 45202-2037 PHONE: (513) 621-3145 FAX: (513) 621-3744

On Saturday, May 1, the Wise Temple Brotherhood will host its Cabaret Night. Magician and Wise Temple member, Chuck Arkin, will serve as the emcee for this program.

The event will feature a wide variety of entertainment, including jazz, pop, show-tunes, classi-

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cal music and even some amazing slight-of-hand illusions.

Several members of the Wise Temple band, Shir Chadash, will perform—but not as they have performed at the congregation on previous occasions. At this event, they will display their individual talents. Anita Dock, Carol Katz,

Jeff Baden, Alberta Schneider and Andy Berger will all be on hand to entertain.

Cantor Deborrah Cannizzaro is scheduled to perform that evening, too. Another highlight of the evening will be local drummer ‘Bobcat’ Bob Schwartz and his group, “The Cincinnati Sizzlers,”

who will perform their jazz pieces.

In addition to the talent, there will be a dessert buffet with snacks and refreshments. Beer and wine will be available as well.

Cabaret Night is open to the community. There is a charge.

For information, call Wise Temple.

Organ donation and end-of-life decisions considered, April 25, May 2 Rockdale Temple will offer two adult courses in the coming weeks: One is on organ donation and the other on end-of-life decisions. Both will be considered from a Jewish perspective.

On Sunday, April 25, Dr. Ken Sherman will guide participants through the matter of organ transplants and their relationship to Judaism.

“We couldn’t ask for a better guide than Ken” said Rabbi Sigma Faye Coran. “We are fortunate he

can be here.”

Dr. Sherman is the Gould Professor of Medicine, and director of the Division of Digestive Diseases at University of Cincinnati Medical Center. He specializes in hepatology, and has written and lectured extensively about liver disease and issues pertaining to transplants.

On Sunday, May 2, “Easing The Way” brings together respected local experts in a forum on end-of-life decisions: In addi-

tion to Rabbi Coran, the forum will include local attorney Josh Shapiro, registered nurse Barbara Reed, social worker June Ridgeway and Dr. Douglas Magenheim.

The focus will be on ethical, legal and medical issues.

Inspired by the work of Dr. Dennis McCullough, “Easing the Way” builds upon McCullough’s book, “My Mother, Your Mother,” originally published in 2008.

McCullough advocates what has become known as Slow Medicine as an ethical and humane approach to end-of-life issues.

“We are commanded to care for our mothers and fathers,” said Rabbi Coran. “Compassionate care is a mitzvah that we must learn...and the Rockdale Temple program addresses the increasingly difficult issues faced by families navigating the complex health care system.”

Course on the Holocaust begins April 29, Chabad Jewish Center A six-part course about the Holocaust will premiere in more than 300 locations worldwide, including Cincinnati.

Created by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI), the world’s largest network of adult education, “Beyond Never Again” has won support from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Yad Vashem and more than 100 centers and institutes devoted to studying the Holocaust around the world.

“Beyond Never Again” examines universal themes that the Holocaust embodies, such as the nature of good and evil and how empathy and conscience

may be nurtured.

The course is formulated as a series of facilitated discussions in which participants articulate their personal responses to the Holocaust and the contemplation of questions pertaining to faith and suffering.

In Cincinnati, under the umbrella of the Goldstein Family Learning Academy, starting Thursday, April 29, classes will run from 9 – 11 a.m., while evening classes will begin on Monday, May 3 and run from 7:30 – 9 p.m. at Chabad Jewish Center.

“Beyond Never Again” will run in Cincinnati for six consecutive weeks.

Professor Dan Michman, chief historian at Yad Vashem and chair of the Finkler Institute of Holocaust Research at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, asserted, “It is impossible to understand presentday Jewry and Judaism without learning about the Holocaust and the moral and religious questions it raises. ‘Beyond Never Again’ is a most valuable contribution to the effort to have the knowledge about, and implications of, this enormous event made accessible to youngsters, and lead them to positive Jewish awareness.” “‘Beyond Never Again’ goes beyond the horrific history of the Holocaust and penetrates the heart

of its particular darkness, renewing its relevance in a new century,” said Rabbi Yisroel Mangel, who will lead the course. “As the generation of Holocaust survivors leaves us, we need to ensure an ongoing discussion of this unique tragedy.”

“The younger generation needs more than numbing numbers to help it relate to the Holocaust,” said Ed Goldstein. “I, for one, am looking forward to hearing the perspective of Rabbi Mangel – while at the same time learning from the reactions of my fellow students.”

For information about the course, call the Chabad Jewish Center.

HENRY C. SEGAL Editor & Publisher 1930-1985 MILLARD H. MACK Publisher Emeritus NETANEL (TED) DEUTSCH Editor & Publisher AVI MILGROM MICHAEL McCRACKEN Assistant Editors ALEXIA KADISH Copy Editor JOSEPH D. STANGE Production Manager JUSTIN COHEN Advertising Sales LEV LOKSHIN JANE KARLSBERG Staff Photographers JANET STEINBERG Travel Editor ROBERT WILHELMY Restaurant Reporter MARIANNA BETTMAN NATE BLOOM RABBI A. JAMES RUDIN RABBI AVI SHAFRAN Contributing Writers CHRISTIE HALKO Office Manager

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The views and opinions expressed by American Israelite columnists do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the newspaper.

LOCAL/NATIONAL

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

5

Special guest, Rabbi Simon of FJMC, to be at NHS installation Northern Hills Synagogue Congregation B’nai Avraham will welcome Rabbi Charles Simon as its special guest for its Installation of Officers during the weekend of April 30 and May 1.

Rabbi Simon has served as executive director of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FJMC), representing over 250 men’s clubs and brotherhoods at Conservative congregations throughout North America, since 1981.

Rabbi Simon will speak Friday evening, during the installation of officers, and on Saturday, May 1, at the morning service.

He will be joining Northern Hills for its installation of officers because of the important role Karroll Miller, who will be installed as congregational president, has played in FJMC’s Keruv project.

Through this initiative, FJMC has taken the lead on behalf of Conservative congregations in reaching out and “bringing close” people in religiously mixed families and others who have been on the margins of synagogue life.

Under his guidance, FJMC has produced numerous books, guides, films and programs designed to enhance Jewish life and make Judaism more accessible. In 2007, Rabbi Simon received the prestigious Sheirut I’am (Service to our People) award from the World Council of Synagogues.

Rabbi Simon was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Installation of officers will take place on Friday evening, April 30, at a special 8 p.m. service, followed by a gala Oneg Shabbat

reception. Rabbi Simon will speak about his new book, “Creating a Successful Volunteer Culture.” In addition to Miller, officers being installed that evening include vicepresidents, David Goldstein, Joe

Rabbi Charles Simon will discuss his new book and FJMC’s Keruv project.

Lazear, Barry Wolfson and Lynn Kohel; treasurer, Phyliss Shubs; financial secretary, Matt Lee; recording secretary, Michelle Shapiro; corresponding secretary, Judy Knapp; and cemetery warden, Matt Yosafat.

Trustees being installed include Jeff Bassin, David Bernstein, Arnold Horowitz, Dennis Manes, Ron Richards, Orly Rumberg, George Smulian, Warren Shapiro, Steve Weiss, Mark Bratslavsky, Sonia Milrod and Herb Brass. Chanan Jaakobovitch, Fred Joffe, Brian Leshner, Henry Spitz, Margie Stayton, Marc Tyler and Joseph Zukor will continue to serve as trustees. Barb Goldstein, Steven Pentelnik and David Zucker will serve on the board as

Jerusalem Post’s Gil Hoffman to speak at CHDS, April 27 On Tuesday, April 27 Gil Hoffman will speak at Cincinnati Hebrew Day School in the early afternoon.

Gil Hoffman is the chief political correspondent and analyst of the Jerusalem Post.

Often, he is referred to as “the most optimistic man in Israel” by Israel TV. His writings and TV appearances provide a behind-the-

scenes look at the intrigue and humor of the Israeli political arena. He has interviewed every major figure across the Israeli political system, and has been interviewed by top media on six continents.

This event is free and open to the public. Please call B’nai B’rith of Greater Cincinnati Unit #4 or Cincinnati Hebrew Day School for more information.

past presidents.

Rabbi Simon will install the new officers and trustees of the Men’s Club. They are Brett Handmaker, president; Hal Winkler, vice-president, Gerry Shubs, treasurer; Norm Nevins, secretary; and Mitch Weisberger, Joshua Frankel and Ron Richards, trustees. Jeff Gushin and Warren Shapiro will serve on the Men’s Club Board as past presidents.

Also, Northern Hills’ Sisterhood will install officers and trustees on that evening. They include co-presidents, Roberta Handwerger and Sandra Spitz; programming vice-president, Rosalyn Shapiro; programming committee, Amy Frankel, Marina Davar and Susan Cohen; treasurer, Diana Fenichel; financial secretary, Sophia Ziburtovicz; recording secretary, Eileen Metz; corresponding secretary, Ellen Warm; and trustees, Susan Cohen, Debbie Kaplan and Toni Winston. Sarah Barnard will serve on the Sisterhood Board as past president.

When Rabbi Simon speaks on May 1, it will be at the morning service, which begins at 9:30 a.m.

He will discuss FJMC’s Keruv project.

Both services will take place at the synagogue and are open to the public. For more information call Northern Hills Synagogue.

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NATIONAL

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

Facebook is home to a new kind of Holocaust remembrance

by Gal Beckerman Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK (Forward) — Anne Frank’s Facebook page looks much like any other teenage girl’s: The profile picture shows Anne leaning against a wall; her hair is tucked behind her ears; and she stares off sideways, daydreaming perhaps, a slight smirking smile lifting up the corner of her mouth.

The comments on her “wall” are typical, too.

“We share the same birthday!” and “I hate this girl.” A string of teenage commentary follows every one of the many photos that have been posted to the page. One, in which Anne is standing outside in shorts and a sunhat, elicits this remark: “she had long legs! woah! model” In response, a prepubescent boy named Ricky laments, “she did have long legs ……i hate hitler.”

Whether the fact that Anne Frank has a Facebook page (one set up for “fans”) strikes you as creepy and inappropriate or as completely normal and even charming will depend largely upon your age and the number of hours you spend on a laptop each day.

But the reality is that Holocaust memorialization is moving onto social-networking sites like Facebook and presenting new opportunities for remembering the victims —- and bringing a whole new set of complexities. One of the most popular and disorienting forms that this new virtual com-

JTA

The Anne Frank Facebook page is a notable example of increasing efforts to use social-networking sites to personalize the identities of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust.

memoration is taking is the Facebook profile. Even the U.S.

Holocaust Memorial Museum is now involved with providing infor-

mation to fill out the details of some of these profile pages.

The desire to personalize the identities of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust is not new. What is novel is the combination of this desire with a platform that is premised on empowering anybody to project his or her individuality far and wide.

There’s no more successful example of this fusion than the Facebook profile page of Henio Zytomirski. A small boy who must be no more than 7 or 8 years old appears in a black-and-white photo in the box provided for a profile picture. He looks full of joyful young life. But Henio has been dead since 1942, killed in a gas chamber at the Majdanek concentration camp when he was 9. On March 25, which would have been his birthday, dozens of Facebook users wished him a happy birthday on his “wall.” As of April 12, he had 4,989 “friends.”

One element unique to Henio’s profile is that it is being used to recount a narrative of this little boy’s life. In status updates written in Polish, Henio seemingly tells his story in his own voice. On Sept. 29 of last year, for example, this entry was posted: “Winter has arrived.

Every Jew must wear the Star of David with his last name. A lot has changed. German troops walk the streets. Mama says that I shouldn’t be frightened, and always that everything is just fine. Always?”

The person posting in Henio’s name — and with the knowledge of his relatives — is Piotr Buzek, a 22year-old history student from Lublin who works at the Brama Grodzka Cultural Center. According to Facebook’s policy, profiles of people other than oneself are allowed only with permission from the profiled person or, in this case, from that individual’s family. Buzek set up Henio’s page in August 2009, and since then he has been dutifully adding “friends” and posting photos and frequent updates. The center where he works was set up to promote the multicultural heritage of Lublin and has an archive of information and material on Henio’s life.

It is from this that Buzek has created his virtual identity.

Buzek doesn’t think it strange that he should be speaking in the voice of a long-deceased Holocaust victim. As he sees it, this is a way of engaging a younger generation with what he calls “our tragic history.”

Focusing on Henio and in essence bringing him back to life through Facebook is his way of making the Holocaust real.

“We can’t commemorate 6 million people,” Buzek said when the Forward reached him in Lublin. “I can’t imagine this number. But I can imagine one person. This boy was one of them. I can imagine him. And if you want to feel some-

thing deeper, you should concentrate on one person. You can touch it. You can’t touch 6 million people.

You can touch one.”

Henio Zytomirski’s Facebook profile got some attention for being one of the first to use the site for that purpose. More than a few people were puzzled that Facebook could become a place for memorializing.

“The thing to remember is that many of these new social-media platforms are fluid, and information posted on them is very ephemeral,” said Evgeny Morozov, a blogger and contributor for Foreign Policy magazine. “What is it about Facebook or Twitter that makes them suitable for commemoration? I can’t find anything because they are built on the opposite principle. All the most recent stuff comes first.”

Those engaged in the more traditional forms of Holocaust remembering — namely, museums and physical memorials — are mostly skeptical of this new, looser, virtual form.

David Klevan is the education manager for technology and distance learning at the Holocaust museum. He was one of the organizers of what was called an “unconference,” a gathering last December of museum professionals partly to try to figure out how to better use new social-networking platforms in ways that don’t trivialize the content.

Klevan looks a little warily at the Facebook profile phenomenon because he worries that those posting and those reading the posts don’t have access to a full historical context. Young people respond directly and sometimes thoughtlessly to the image or words in front of them — like the photo of Anne Frank in shorts. The pieces of information presented are disconnected from a larger narrative, and in a way that does not allow for any follow-up questions or further study.

“We prefer to maintain as much of the context as possible,” Klevan said. “If people are going to learn the stories of the victims, it’s preferable that they have easy access to supporting information and also being aware of where the content is being encountered.”

But the Holocaust museum has been providing information on the individual stories of victims to a Web site called footnote.com, an online service that is trying to digitize historical documents and use them to create virtual memorialization projects. One of the service’s bigger endeavors is a complete online simulacrum of the Vietnam Wall Memorial, where information can be added to fill out the identities of those who died. Footnote.com has used the information provided by the Holocaust museum to create 600 Facebook profiles for Holocaust victims.

NATIONAL

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

7

Watching your language at a Made-in-Israel meal

by Edmon J. Rodman Jewish Telegraphic Agency LOS ANGELES (JTA) — Is Israeli cuisine the original fusion food?

This year, a few weeks before Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, I inadvertently answered this question while shopping for a dinner to celebrate the day. Last summer, I had heard that at the Trader Joe’s supermarket chain, several groups had attempted a boycott of Israeli products, and now I wanted to show my commercial support of everything Israeli by throwing a totally Made-in-Israel dinner.

I read on the Web site of the Israeli Embassy that “Americans spend about $100 million on Israeli foods each year.” So, I figured, how hard could this be?

There was even a Web site, (buyisraelgoods), that depending on where you live, directed you to stores and products.

“Oh, too easy,” I thought. What about the unlikely places? Could I find Israeli made products there?

So I drove to an area of Orange County, Calif., dubbed Little Gaza. That’s when things started “fusing.”

I went into the Sinbad Ranch Market, which caters to local Lebanese and Palestinians. First off, in a burst of relief, despite the mostly Arabic typeface packaging, I saw cans and boxes of stuff I recognized: Falafel mix, stuffed grape leaves, pickles and halvah.

And — surprise, surprise — a lot of it was even kosher. Who knew?

But as I scrutinized the labels more carefully, I saw that none of them were marked “Made in Israel.” Among all this Middle Eastern food I saw “Made in Michigan,” even L.A. The closest

Edmon Rodman

The author’s Israeli Independence Day meal turned into Dishes Without Borders.

I found to Israel was some canned goods from Jordan.

Knocked off my original course, I turned to the other side of the Middle East street, so to speak.

I visited Sami Makolet, a market in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles that is frequented by Israelis, where Hebrew always seems to be the lingua franca in the check-out line.

There, I purchased cans of pickles and eggplants, some locally baked pita, a big red box of chocolate-covered wafers and some spicy, cracked green olives.

Cracked yes, but also not at all what I thought they were cracked up to be: Once home, I noticed that the olives were actually marked “West Bank.” Should this, I thought, be part of my Made-inIsrael dinner? To keep peace at the table would I need to re-mark the

Destroyed New Orleans synagogue to break ground

by Ben Harris Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK (JTA) — A New Orleans synagogue destroyed by Hurricane Katrina will break ground on a new building.

Congregation Beth Israel, a century-old congregation destroyed by the 2005 storm, will mark the occasion on Sunday at a new location five miles from its former home.

“Since Katrina, our job has been to rebuild a sense of community within our congregation,” Rabbi

Uri Topolosky said in a news release. “Now we have to build a building and give our family a home.”

Beth Israel’s old building absorbed 10 feet of water during the hurricane, which destroyed swaths of New Orleans. Its contents, including thousands of prayer books and seven Torah scrolls, also were lost.

The land for the new synagogue was purchased from a nearby Reform congregation, Gates of Prayer.

can “Made in the Occupied Territories,” as the European Union recently demanded several companies do?

Next up I went to the Kosher Club, where I hoped boundaries would be clearer. The manager told me, “There’s been an increase in the number of Israeli-made products that are now available.

Mostly, though, we get requests for Israeli wine,” he said. So I bought a bottle of Merlot (French,

right?) from the Galilee, as well as some frozen potato puffs.

Walking to the car, I read the box. The filo dough puffs were called bourekas. “Was that Hebrew?” I wondererd. Turns out they were originally from Turkey.

Despite my best intentions, the dinner was getting more international with every stop.

Next, I turned hopefully to the simpler environs of Trader Joe’s, where I could pick up some Israeli goat-milk feta cheese. “Had there been any continued fallout from last summer’s incidents?” I wonder. According to Alison Mochizuki, the chain’s director of national publicity, the answer was no. The chain continues to carry all the Israeli-made products it carried last summer. In a prepared statement, she said Trader Joe’s has “no intention of removing any products based on pressure from any group.”

Great to hear. However, if no one buys the Israel-made stuff, I’m thinking it doesn’t get reordered.

So, at the end of my visit to Trader Joe’s, I headed out with a package of feta, great for a meal honoring the land of milk and honey. Also, I bought a box of Israeli couscous, which I saw through the box’s window was larger than the usual kind. From reading the box, I discovered that the product was also called

“maftoul,” the name for this kind of couscous in Jordan, Lebanon and the West Bank.

My Israel dinner was getting more multicultural by the box.

To add a little Hebrew flair to my dinner, I asked my friend, Rabbi Bob Golub, who is the executive director of Mercaz USA, the Zionist organization of the Conservative movement, for a little help. In an e-mail he responded: “Start with your ‘mivchar salatim — mini plates of different salads — meaning humus, tahina, tabooleh, babaganoush, etc.”

“B’teavon” — Bon appétit! — he added.

But wait, weren’t the names for all those appetizers in Arabic?

How would that fit with my Made-in-Israel theme?

Finally, the time arrived to break bread (or tear pita?). The four of us — me, my wife, our son and a friend — sat down to eat: Greek salad, hummus, bourekas, cracked olives and couscous — or was it maftoul?

Surprisingly, it was a politicsfree dinner. I called it Middle East fuss-free fusion. Regardless of language or national origin, for one meal, everything just seemed to go together.

(Edmon J. Rodman is a JTA columnist who writes on Jewish life from Los Angeles.)

8

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

Despite some optimism, fear for Nazi past haunts future at Jewish funders’ gathering Austria’s upcoming

by Jacob Berkman Jewish Telegraphic Agency PHOENIX, Ariz. (JTA) — As more than 200 major funders of Jewish nonprofits gathered here at a hotel known as the Jewel of the Desert, most of the signs of the economic carnage of the past 18 months appeared to be waning.

The funders were here for the annual conference of the Jewish Funders Network, which was held Sunday through Tuesday under perfect weather at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. The meeting was accompanied by a general sense that the financial markets had stabilized and, with them, charitable giving. Many coming off difficult years appeared optimistic.

“We certainly hit a low tide, but I am not gloomy and pessimistic,” Evan Schlessinger, the former chairman of the now defunct Jewish Family & Life, told JTA. “The tide is coming back in, and this has helped us focus.”

There were other signs at the Biltmore that the darkest of days for nonprofits may be over. According to JFN’s polling, 33 percent of participants said they would increase their giving to Jewish causes this year, while 61 percent said they haven’t reduced giving to Jewish causes over the past year.

But scratch beneath the surface

and there was plenty of concern that more Jewish nonprofits may be at risk of collapse. For some of the major players in the Jewish nonprofit world, last year was disappointing and there is fear that this year could be just as bad — or worse.

Phyllis Cook, a philanthropic guru who advises a number of the country’s largest givers, said this year may be “tougher and more painful.” Nonprofits have seen a 20-30 percent decrease in funds, she estimated. And there is still work to be done making up for years of misspent charitable dollars.

“We let too many flowers grow,” Cook said, “and there may have to be a weeding out.”

Jeff Solomon, the president of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Family Foundation, said that money set aside for charity is akin to discretionary money, and thus spending it is largely tied to confidence in the economy. Now that the economy is bouncing back, many at the lower end of the large donor spectrum — those who give between $25,000 and $100,000 — are feeling more confident than they have since the recession began.

But on the spectrum’s high end, those who have seen foundations with hundreds of millions of dollars take huge hits are by and large not

going to increase their allocations over the next year, Solomon predicted. In fact, he said, the Council on Foundations predicted that foundations will not reach their 2007 levels of giving — their peak before the recession — until about 2017.

Despite the lingering concerns, the mood at the conference was far more optimistic than last year, when the Jewish world’s major donors — those who give anywhere from $25,000 to upwards of $25 million per year — gathered in St. Petersburg, Fla., just weeks after Wall Street saw the bottom of the recession, and just months after Bernard Madoff admitted to bilking billions from investors. The big news then was not who had given money over the previous year, but who would not give money in the following year, as rumors swirled of foundations being shut down and of major philanthropists cutting back their giving.

One of the country’s largest Jewish foundations — the Jim Joseph Foundation, worth about $800 million — tried to inspire other mega donors to step forward with emergency funding by making available an $11 million emergency gift to help five communities deal with the high cost of Jewish GATHERING on page 22

elections

Rosenkranz campaign

Barbara Rosenkranz, a regional leader of Austria’s far-right Freedom Party, has stirred tensions in her bid for Austria’s presidency.

by Ruth Ellen Gruber Jewish Telegraphic Agency ROME (JTA) — Austrians will go to the polls April 25 to vote for president after a volatile campaign that focused in part on right-wing extremism and raised the ghosts of Austria’s Nazi past.

Incumbent President Heinz Fischer, a Social Democrat, is expected to win a landslide victory over his main rival, Barbara Rosenkranz, a regional leader of the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which once was led by the late Joerg Haider.

Two weeks ahead of the election, two public opinion polls showed Fischer, 71, with more than 80 percent of voter support, compared to 12 to 14 percent for Rosenkranz and 4 to 6 percent for Rudolf Gehring of the small Austrian Christian Party.

Re-election of the popular Fischer was such a foregone conclusion that the main conservative force, the Austrian Peoples Party (OVP), did not put up a candidate.

Rosenkranz, a 51-year-old mother of 10, entered the race in early March in a bid many experts saw as a test for the Freedom Party’s staunchly anti-immigrant, law-and order, anti-European Union platform ahead of regional elections later this year.

The wife of a key longtime member of a now banned neo-Nazi party, Rosenkranz quickly sparked an outcry over ambiguous statements about the Holocaust and criticism of Austria’s tough 1947 anti-Nazi law.

In response, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, the Catholic archbishop of Vienna, said that “Someone who questions the National Socialism prohibition law and fails to make clear statements regarding the Holocaust is not an option for me personally.”

Members of Austria’s 8,000member Jewish community joined political, civic and social network groups in spearheading opposition to Rosenkranz’s presidential bid.

A Jewish community statement called her candidacy an “embarrassment” for Austria and a “mockery of the 65,000 Austrian Jews killed in the Shoah.”

Jewish community president Ariel Muzicant helped organize a candlelit anti-Rosenkranz rally on March 25, drawing thousands outside the Hofburg Palace, the seat of the Austrian presidency. The rally grew out of an anti-Rosenkranz Facebook group that had more than 91,000 members as of two weeks before the elections.

Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, and many Austrians were willing supporters of the Nazi regime. But the victorious World War II Allies officially declared Austria “the first free country to fall victim to Hitlerite aggression.”

It wasn’t until the 1980s that the country began a close examination of its World War II history, when Kurt Waldheim was elected president in 1986 despite revelations of a Nazi past.

Following the public outcry over her criticism of the Austrian law banning Holocaust denial, Nazi organizations and Nazi ideology as “an unnecessary restriction” on freedom of opinion, Rosenkranz signed a public declaration “disassociating” herself from Nazi ideology.

Critics, however, said her ambiguous views dated too far back to benefit from the apology. More than seven years ago, a journalist already had branded Rosenkranz a “closet Nazi.”

“Rosenkranz is on the extreme right wing of an already extreme right party,” said Hanno Loewy, the director of the Jewish Museum in the western Austria town Hohenems.

Immigrants and Muslims, rather than Jews, are the main target of the Freedom Party’s rhetoric. About 500,000 Muslims live in Austria, and the party campaigns under slogans such as “The West is for Christians” and “Homeland instead of Islam.”

Rosenkranz has called for the reintroduction of border controls with Austria’s eastern neighbors in order to stop the “import of crime.”

Despite their omission, Jews feel targeted. In March, vandals defaced the Mauthausen concentration camp near Linz with anti-Jewish and anti-Turkish graffiti.

ELECTIONS on page 22

INTERNATIONAL/ISRAEL

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

9

New corruption scandal dooms chances of Olmert comeback

by Leslie Susser Jewish Telegraphic Agency

U.S. State Dept.

President Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seen here meeting in Turkey on April 6, 2009, are at odds over sanctions on Iran.

Turkey emerging as a wild card on Iran

by Yigal Schleifer Jewish Telegraphic Agency ISTANBUL, Turkey (JTA) — As an American-led consensus appears to be developing around the need for a new round of sanctions to deal with Iran’s nuclear program, Turkey — a U.S. ally and NATO member — is emerging as something of a wild card on the issue.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has dismissed accusations that Tehran wants to develop nuclear weapons as “rumors.” Also, in recent months he has focused attention on Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal, saying it should be examined as well if Iran’s nuclear program is being scrutinized.

Yet Turkey has its own concerns about the ambitions of Iran, a neighbor and regional rival.

“Turkey has been pursuing for the last six or seven years a foreign policy that would make it a regional power, and Iran is an obvious rival in that race,” said Fehmi Koru, a columnist with Yeni Safak, a liberal Islamic newspaper that is considered close to the government. “A nuclear Iran might be more powerful than Turkey, and I don’t think anyone in Ankara would like to see Iran as a nuclear power. But Iran is a close friend of Turkey and a neighbor that we haven’t had a

quarrel with since the 1600s. It’s a delicate issue.”

Where Turkey stands exactly on Iran is a matter of some concern in the pro-sanctions camp.

Aside from its strategic importance to the West, Turkey currently is one of the 10 rotating members of the U.N. Security Council.

Five “yes” votes are needed from the council’s rotating members to pass a new round of sanctions against Iran, making Turkey’s position critical.

Multiple, sometimes competing factors are at play when it comes to Turkey’s stance on Iran.

Relations between Iran and Turkey have improved dramatically in recent years. The ascendancy in 2002 of Turkey’s Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party, or AKP, was a key turning point. The party has pledged to pursue a regional foreign policy of “zero problems” with its neighbors.

Trade between the two countries hit an estimated $10 billion in 2009, compared to $1 billion in 2000. Iran also supplies nearly onethird of Turkey’s gas supply.

Turkish officials, meanwhile, were among the first and only world leaders to congratulate Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad after his controversial re-election last summer.

TURKEY on page 22

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Whether or not he is found guilty of taking bribes in the Jerusalem Holyland corruption scandal, Ehud Olmert’s political career is almost certainly over.

At best, the former prime minister and ex-mayor of Jerusalem can expect many months, if not years, of litigation that will further tarnish his already tainted reputation and leave him unelectable. At worst, he faces a long prison term.

Olmert had hoped to make a dramatic return to political life as soon as three other pending corruption cases against him were resolved: the Rishon Tours affair, in which he is accused of double billing on fund-raising trips overseas, the Talansky affair, in which he is alleged to have accepted cash from American Jewish businessman Morris Talansky in exchange for granting favors, and the Small Business Authority affair, for allegedly granting personal favors to attorney and ex-aide Uri Messer when Olmert was trade minister.

For months Olmert had been insisting that the charges in the cases would disintegrate the way a long list of allegations against him had in the past, including improper conduct in his handling of a privatization tender for Bank Leumi while he was finance minister, and his buying and selling of two luxury homes in Jerusalem.

The implication was that as soon as his name was cleared, Olmert would make a triumphant comeback to politics and possibly even challenge Tzipi Livni for the leadership of the Kadima Party.

But the new scandal, in which Olmert, as mayor of Jerusalem, is suspected of having taken nearly $1 million in bribes for extending building permits to the Holyland construction project, is likely to put to rest any lingering thoughts of a comeback. Not only do the dimensions of this new corruption affair dwarf the others, but the preponderance of allegations against Olmert reinforces a perceived pattern of criminal conduct that Olmert would

be hard-pressed to shake off in the political arena.

The Holyland scandal also involves Olmert’s successor as Jerusalem mayor, Uri Lupolianski, and Messer, among others.

The extent of the alleged corruption raises two central questions: Was the Holyland affair an isolated case or, as seems more likely, part of a system? And to what extent was the municipal corruption in Jerusalem a reflection of a wider phenomenon in municipalities and local councils across Israel?

The Holyland saga goes back to the mid-1990s, when Hillel Charney, whose family owned the original Holyland Hotel, received a permit to build three new hotels on the 30-acre site. With the Oslo process in full swing, Israel’s 50th anniversary coming up and millennium celebrations around the corner, Jerusalem was in dire need of more hotel rooms. On paper, the initial blueprint seemed reasonable.

To help shepherd through the project, Charney brought in experienced real estate people who apparently convinced him he could do much better with a mega-sized housing development. The plans were changed several times before the current building complex was approved.

What started out as a plan to build about 300,000 square feet burgeoned to more than 3 million, translating into hundreds of millions of dollars more in revenues for the owners and developers.

It also resulted in a plan for 10 12-story buildings and two 30-story buildings. About half of those already have been built on the Holyland site, breaking the Jerusalem skyline with what experts and Jerusalem residents long have described as the city’s worst architectural eyesore.

Before the first stones were laid, two questions already were being asked: How did the developers get such excessive building allowances, and how was such an architectural monstrosity approved at both the city and regional planning levels?

The anomalies were so blatant that the police launched an investigation, but it was soon closed for

lack of evidence.

The evidence of major wrongdoing only came to light several months ago when one of the real estate experts, or "fixers," Charney brought in went to the police with a notebook and other documentation detailing a long list of bribes Charney allegedly had made to city officials, police and at least one member of the regional planning committee.

Apparently in trouble with creditors and claiming Charney hadn’t paid him all he was owed, the fixer offered to become a state witness in return for immunity and the settlement of some of his debts.

Although the man with the notebook has been named as Shmuel Dachner, there is a gag order against naming him or anyone else as the state witness. Police apparently are looking for another suspect to turn state witness to bolster their case.

The case could boil down to a battle between the two ex-mayors, both of whom maintain they are innocent. Olmert claims he approved only the hotels, and that the upgrade to extensive residential building rights was approved by his successor, Lupolianski, who was mayor from 2003 to 2008.

Lupolianski claims it happened on Olmert’s watch, when Lupolianski was a deputy mayor.

Both accounts are problematic.

The approval for a residential building came in 2002, when Olmert was still in charge. But the Charney family also made huge donations to Yad Sarah, a wellknown charity for the sick and aged founded by Lupolianski, and to a yeshiva run by Lupolianski’s son.

Police believe both mayors were deeply involved. Lupolianski already has been arrested; Olmert is expected to be questioned soon.

Messer, who also was arrested, allegedly served as the conduit for the cash bribes to Olmert.

The Holyland case points to a City Hall riddled with corruption.

Dozens of officials, from lowlevel clerks to the top elected officials, including the city engineer and two mayors, are suspected of taking bribes.

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10

ISRAEL

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

Multiple battlegrounds in fights over eastern Jerusalem

David Vaaknin / Flash 90 / JTA

Israelis and Palestinians protest the eviction of Palestinian families from a pair of Jewish-owned buildings in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheik Jarrah, March 26, 2010.

by Marcy Oster Jewish Telegraphic Agency JERUSALEM (JTA) — The day that Zacharia Zigelman, 26, moved into a home in the Arab neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, in eastern Jerusalem, he got beaten up, he says.

“You get used to it,” Zigelman said of the incident, which occurred about six months ago.

Zigelman, his wife and 5-monthold son are one of seven Jewish families living in two buildings from which members of an extended Palestinian family were evicted last summer after Israel’s Supreme Court determined that the property was owned by a Jewish group called Nachalat Shimon. Several members of the al-Kurd family continue to live in a wing of one of the homes, which has only added to the tension.

The home is one of several in the neighborhood that Jews and Arabs are fighting over.

So far, three Palestinian families have been evicted from their homes in the neighborhood, and Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that four other Arab families must vacate their homes. Six other cases are under deliberation, and two additional claims were filed last week by Nachalat Shimon, which purchased title to the 4.5-acre property from its original Jewish owners several years ago.

Protesters have staged frequent demonstrations in front of the homes now occupied by the Jews. At times, violent riots have erupted, leading to the arrests of Palestinian and leftwing demonstrators. The new Jewish residents and counterdemonstrators have also been accused of incitement; in one case, Jewish teenagers tore down a courtyard fence erected by the al-Kurds.

The dispute in Sheik Jarrah is one of many pitting Arab against Jew in the battle over eastern Jerusalem.

Increasingly, this battle is the subject of international scrutiny and — when it comes to Jews moving into eastern Jerusalem — widespread condemnation.

In Israel, it is the projects to settle Jews in predominantly Arab neighborhoods like Sheik Jarrah that have proven most contentious. Overseas, any effort to house Jews across the Green Line — the line that divided Israel from Jordan between 1948 and 1967 — has proven controversial lately.

Tensions between the Obama administration and Israel reached an all-time high last month following an announcement during a visit to Israel

by Vice President Joe Biden that Israel planned to build 1,600 new housing units in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo.

Home to approximately 18,000 residents, Ramat Shlomo is one of

many Jerusalem neighborhoods that today are fully Jewish but were built on vacant land Israel captured in the 1967 war and annexed in 1980.

Most Israelis believe in Israel’s right to build on this land without restriction, considering it distinct from Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which Israel never annexed. But U.S. officials and others around the world do not recognize that distinction, calling Jewish neighborhoods built in the 27 sq. miles of eastern Jerusalem — including Gilo, East Talpiyot, Pisgat Ze’ev and Ramot, where Ramat Shlomo is — settlements. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not include the neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem in the 10-month settlement construction freeze he began last November.

Perhaps the most controversial method by which Jews have moved into eastern Jerusalem has been through the use of the 1950 Absentee Property Law, which allowed Israel to seize the property of Arabs who fled Palestine to enemy countries during Israel’s War of Independence and didn’t return

by Sept. 1, 1948. After Israel captured eastern Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967, this law was also applied to Palestinian property there — meaning that properties in the area owned

by Arab families living elsewhere could be subject to seizure without compensation.

Meanwhile, the Absentee Property Law bars Palestinians from making claims on their former dwellings inside Israel. Arab rights groups say the law is discriminatory.

Application of the law in eastern Jerusalem “opens a Pandora’s box of the Palestinian and Israeli property issue,” says Tali Nir, an attorney for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI). “This is a huge violation of their basic rights for shelter and dignity, and of their property rights.”

Since annexing eastern Jerusalem, the Israeli government has expropriated more than 6,000 acres of property privately owned by Arabs — more than a third of eastern Jerusalem, according to ACRI. According to Ir Amim, an Israeli group that advocates for Palestinian rights in Jerusalem, the Absentee Law also has been used to expropriate sizeable parts of the Arab neighborhood of Silwan, which were then given over for construction of the City of David, a Jewish archeological site and visitor’s center. Located downhill from the Old City, some 2,600 Palestinian families and about 70 Jewish families live in the 30-acre area.

The dispute over the homes in Sheik Jarrah, where Palestinian families are being evicted for nonpayment of rent to the properties’ Jewish owners, has proven no less

contentious.

The homes under dispute sit on a 4.5-acre parcel owned by Jews during the Ottoman era that came under Jordanian rule when eastern Jerusalem fell to Transjordan during the 1948 war. Between 1948 and 1967, 28 Palestinian refugee families that fled Israel during the 1948 war were settled on the property in exchange for paying a symbolic rental fee and ceding their refugee status.

In the early 1980s, years after the area was captured by Israel in the 1967 war, two Jewish organizations came forward with Ottoman-era documents showing the property belonged to them. Israeli courts upheld the documents’ authenticity, which Arab groups maintain are forgeries. In 1982, an attorney for the Palestinian families living on the property inked a deal with the Jewish owners under which the Palestinian families would remain protected tenants as long as they continued to pay rent.

But most of the families refused to pay the rent in part because it would recognize the Jewish groups as the rightful owners of the property, and because the families believed the United Nations had promised the land would be registered in their names after a certain number of years, according to Orly Noy, spokeswoman for Ir Amim.

Then, more recently, a group of investors formed Nachalat Shimon to develop the property for Jewish housing. The group purchased the property from the two original Jewish groups that owned it and, eventually, began eviction proceedings against the Palestinian tenants who failed to pay their rent. No action has been taken against those who continue to pay their rent.

Chaim Silberstein, who helped bring together the Nachalat Shimon investors, said the case is one of Palestinian families “living illegally on property that does not belong to them.” Before eviction proceedings began, he said, Nachalat Shimon offered all of the Palestinian families currently facing eviction compensation to leave voluntarily.

Nachalat Shimon reportedly plans to raze the existing buildings and create a 200-apartment enclave for Jewish families in the Arab neighborhood.

It’s not the only property in Sheik Jarrah owned by Jews. American Jewish businessman Irving Moskowitz purchased the Shepherd’s Hotel area with the intention of turning it into about 20 apartments for Jewish families. That plan has been approved by Jerusalem municipality housing and planning committees.

Stephan Miller, spokesman for Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, told JTA that City Hall does not get involved in issues of ownership.

These disputes, he said, “are addressed in the courts of law, not by politicians.”

SOCIAL LIFE

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

11

ISRAEL BONDS LUNCHEON Jim Schwab, Cincinnati market president of US Bank, hosted a luncheon for corporate & institutional investors of Israel Bonds on March 16, featuring Israeli Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger.

Jim Schwab, Howard Yasgur, Israeli Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, and Ed Frankel

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

Edith Kaffeman Yehudit bat B’racha

Ravid Sulam Ravid Chaya bat Ayelet

Rozlyn Bleznick

Roma Kaltman Ruchama bat Perl

Bill Ziv Zev Shmuel ben Malkah Rachel

Rachel Boymel Rochel bat Pesia Fruma Daniel Eliyahu Daniel ben Tikvah

Diane & Dr. Alan Weber hosted Israeli Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger at their home for a dessert reception for Israel Bonds on March 16.

Andrea Lavine Chana Sara bat Esther Enya Al Markovitz Avraham ben Charna

Edward Ziv Raphael Eliezer Aharon ben Esther Enya

Mel Fisher Moshe ben Hinda

A N N O U N C E M E N TS ENGAGEMENT r. Alan Solinger and Carol Selonick Solinger of Oakland, Calif., formerly of Cincinnati, Ohio, are happy to announce the engagement of their daughter, Megan Stephanie Solinger, to Jarrod David Feintuch, son of Jack and Miriam Feintuch, of Owings Mills, Md. Megan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University, as well as a Master’s of Health Science degree in Environmental Health Sciences from the

D

Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is starting her Doctorate in Education in Higher Education Administration at George Washington University in the fall. She currently works as an Admissions and Student Services Officer at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

Jarrod holds a Bachelor of Science degree-double major in Mass Communications/Journalism and Electronic Media and Film from Towson University. He is currently working on his Master’s of Business Administration

in Finance. He currently works as a copywriter and financial analyst at Stansberry and Associates Investment Research.

Megan is the granddaughter of Mildred J. Selonick and the late Edward H. Selonick, Ruth S. Solinger, and Frank Solinger.

Jarrod is the grandson of Paula and Morris Porter, Genia Feintuch, and the late Joseph Feintuch.

Their wedding is set for April 9, 2011 in Baltimore, Md.

12

CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

MATZOH FACTORY AT THE JCC Chabad of Blue Ash held their educational Matzoh Factory at the JCC on Wednesday, March 24.

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE

13

14

DINING OUT

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

Rusty’s features wholesome foods at friendly prices

by Bob Wilhelmy Restaurant Reporter Rusty’s Ristorante in Deer Park is one of those places where diners receive a lot for their money, and the food is of the wholesome, likegrandma-used-to-make variety.

Take as an example the fried chicken dinner that has been a menu mainstay for years. The chicken is honey-dipped for starters. Then it is drop-fried to a golden brown, and brought to the table piping hot. The dinner is served with a salad and a twicebaked potato, or you can substitute sweet potato fries, the vegetable of the day, or cole slaw, if you prefer.

The chicken dinner is a friendly $11.95!

Or perhaps the pan-fried grouper over wild rice is more to your liking. “The grouper takes up the whole plate,” the server said.

“If you are a light eater, get it and split it with your sweetie.” The grouper is a springtime special at $16.95.

Rusty’s is a home-style haven for those of us who enjoy dining on comfort foods. “Like meatloaf,” said Marlene Smith, head of the family-owned and operated restaurant. “We have dishes like meatloaf, which people love, with the mashed potatoes and vegetables and all.” And the gravy, of course.

Another of those is the homestyle chili, as distinguished from the Cincinnati-style chili, which Rusty’s also features on occasion.

The home-style variety is made with the kidney beans and larger chunks of meat in a tomato-based sauce, like most of our grandmas and moms used to make at home.

Jewish families will find just that type of chili at Rusty’s as part of the dinner specials offered periodically. I know chili is a wintertime dish, but Rusty’s chili is good anytime.

Also available for Jewish patrons are special party meals for family and friends. Rusty’s Ristorante in Deer Park has a party room and a kitchen able to turn out some traditional meals, according to Smith, who said she has done a variety of these for

some of her customers wanting the special meal but not wanting all the work.

“We’ve had Seder meals here during Passover for big family gatherings, and they all love it.

We’ve heard comments from people at these who say they really don’t care for matzo ball soup, but

full meal for $8.95, has been well received in today’s squeaky-tight economy. Dine on Wednesday or Thursday (this Thursday, why not?!), between 6 and 8 p.m., and you’ll find a homemade-style meal, served on a china plate, at a comfortable, covered table, for $8.95. Each night generally is a

ers who patronize Rusty’s on a regular basis. Some other selections are: sauerkraut and beef mett with mashed potatoes; chicken breast grilled or breaded, also with potato and veggie; a spaghetti dinner; and more.

Also in the deal department is the Tuesday Kids-Eat-Free night.

Server Gail Adams is off to the dining room at Rusty’s Ristorante with a half-order of spaghetti and meatballs, which along with the fried chicken dinner is among the most popular on the eatery’s menu.

the soup we made for the meal was really good! Of course, the guys back in the kitchen were thrilled to hear that.

“We’ve made a traditional brisket with the carrots, onions, potatoes and gravy, and that has been a big hit too. But call ahead a week so we can get what you want and prepare it for you.”

As an aside, the Israelite introduction of Rusty’s $8.95 Meal Deal has worked well, according to Smith. The “deal,” which is a

different selection, but they’re all good, old fashioned real-food entrees. An example is the aforementioned meat loaf, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, accompanied by a salad and a basket of bread. That’s value!

Why the deal? “We want to invite more of our Jewish and gentile customers to eat here more often,” said Smith. The meal deal is a way to do that, and Smith has rotated selections to keep the special meal-deal interesting for din-

Rules are children must be 12 or under and each must be accompanied by a paying adult. So two kids, then two adults eating regular entrees, and the kids eat free.

“We always work to encourage our customers to bring the kids here,” Smith added. “We have a special menu section with kid meals, and the selections are foods the little ones really like.” Among the selections are spaghetti, chicken tenders, grilled cheese, hamburgers and hot dogs. Each

(except spaghetti, which is served with meatballs) comes with sides of French fries or macaroni and cheese, and a drink, for $4.95.

Remember the blue-plate special places of the past? Rusty’s Ristorante still fits that mode of dining, and that alone is reason enough to go there. Entrée items such as stuffed sole, with cheese and broccoli between filets, for $14.45, or the grilled salmon for $15.50, both served with potato and choice of salad, are a good example of quality offerings at attractive prices.

The menu features any number of good, home-cookin’ type items you won’t find elsewhere. One item will illustrate: the chicken livers marsala, done up in a sauté of marsala wine and mushrooms, for $12.95.

A broader look at the menu confirms what Smith says about good value. Where else can you get an honest to goodness fettuccini Alfredo with a salad for $11.95?

There is a great deal more worth mentioning on Rusty’s new menu.

In the appetizer or antipasti section, prices range from $13.45 for antipasto to $3.45 for onion rings.

Some delicious options are the eggplant parmigiani ($6.45), fried cheese stix ($5.95), and the “winterized” mushrooms, which are sautéed, then covered with a blanket of provolone cheese ($6.95).

There are four veal selections, all $14.95, all served with a side of spaghetti, the favorites being picatta, marsala and scaloppini.

Pasta dishes include the ubiquitous spaghetti and sauce, served with meatballs, for $9.95. Others are mostaccioli, ravioli and half ravioli, half spaghetti, all at $10.45, all served with meatballs.

Rusty’s is located on Blue Ash Road between Matson and Galbraith. It is housed in the building that also is home to Strikes and Spares bowling alley, but is a restaurant in its own right, with a separate entrance, and free off-street parking.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

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OPINION

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

A place outside Orthodoxy As a Jewish teenager, I absorbed a vital truth – arguably the essence of Orthodoxy: The community’s learned elders are the wisest arbiters of what is and is not Jewishly proper.

Over the many years since, I have come to see that truth vindicated time and again. Had I not perceived it in my youth, I sometimes reflect, I might have become enamored of the Conservative movement, which declared fealty to halacha while expressing sensitivity to American realities. I could have chosen to see it as the most promising standard-bearer for Jewish observance in America. And I would have been devastated to see its claim to halachic integrity crash and burn. But I trusted the elders.

And, it turned out, they saw more than I did, and predicted precisely what came to be.

What brings the thought to mind are reactions to a recent pronouncement of our contemporary elders.

When a congregational rabbi tried to create a new institution in Orthodoxy – women serving as rabbis – the Council of Torah Sages felt compelled to declare that any congregation with a woman in a rabbinical role “cannot be considered Orthodox.”

There followed an outpouring of umbrage in some circles, some of it blithely dismissive of the respected rabbis’ words (the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, or JOFA, rejected the rabbinic statement as a “political move”), some of it purporting to take scholarly issue with the sages’ judgment and halachic reasoning.

Halachic decision-making, though, isn’t a do-it-yourself project. What might seem to someone of limited experience or insight to be entirely in accordance with the prescribed roles of Jewish men and of women or the laws of modesty, might be judged otherwise by someone with a deeper and broader view. And those to whom we are to look for judgment in religious matters are the recognized religious leaders of each generation, whom the Torah itself, in Deuteronomy 17, 9-11 directs us to heed.

A woman serving as a rabbi in the Reform or Conservative Jewish spheres, of course, is wholly unremarkable. In the Orthodox world, though, gender roles are more fixed; that is what JOFA and some of its supporters would like to change, and for which they claim ample halachic justification. There was, though, ample halachic justification too, at least in some eyes, for innovations put forth by the Conservative movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Mixed-sex seat-

ing in synagogues and driving to synagogue on the Sabbath were deemed permissible then – and all the requisite “halachic” citations and responsa were duly proffered.

To many, it all seemed reasonable and proper. The elders of the Orthodox Jewish community, though, saw it differently, and they were right.

Proponents of woman rabbis in Orthodox congregations may be sincerely convinced of the propriety of their approach. But opposing the considered consensus of the community’s recognized Torah leaders is the antithesis of fealty to halacha, and, simply put, takes one to a place outside Orthodoxy.

A session at JOFA’s recent conference was portentous. Entitled “A Rabbi by Any Other name…,” it aimed to explore whether or not “the glass ceiling [has] truly been shattered” and “what… the future hold[s] for women in Orthodox communal leadership positions.”

One of the featured presenters at that session was the female spiritual leader of a Manhattan congregation called Kehillat Orach Eliezer (“KOE”). Her participation naturally led participants and observers to assume that the congregation is Orthodox. And, in fact, in 2002, the New York Jewish Week identified it explicitly as such. That same paper’s report on the recent conference implied the same, beginning with her name and quoting her about how “the Orthodox community needs men and women” in positions of leadership.

Oddly, though, the word Orthodox does not appear on KOE’s Web site; nor does the congregation belong to any Orthodox umbrella congregational body – neither Agudath Israel, nor the National Council of Young Israel, nor the Orthodox Union. It has no ties to any major or minor Chassidic group. It claims to be “halachic” but so, of course, did (and, somehow, still does) the Conservative movement.

The Jewish Week claims that its “first loyalty is to the truth”; and JOFA puts its O before its F. Why then are they presenting an apparently nondenominational congregation as Orthodox?

Might it be because they want to make it seem as if women rabbis are already accepted in Orthodox synagogues? If so, they are wrong.

Intriguing – and telling – is the identity of the Eliezer in whose honor Kehillat Orach Eliezer is named. That would be Dr. Louis (Eliezer) Finkelstein. Yes, that Dr. Louis Finkelstein, the late Conservative movement leader.

(Rabbi Shafran is director of public affairs for Agudath Israel of America.)

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

Dear Editor, After having read different opinions regarding land for peace in the Middle East, a significant point I feel has been forgotten is that Jewish history did not begin in 1948. Our history began thousands of years before when Hashem spoke to Abraham and said: “Go for yourself your land, from your relatives, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation…” of which until today remains a solemn oath between Hashem and the Jewish people. Sadly, we have forgotten G-d’s promise but despite the consequences we now face, astonishingly what we have not forgotten is our proud affirmation of hadar, that deep and profound Jewish pride that lets the world know that a Jewish State where democracy thrives and Jewish life flourishes does exist!

So let us be reminded of times past when in 1918, the beginning of British rule in Israel we negotiated, consequently armed with guns and British assurance not to interfere, the Arabs cold-bloodedly attacked defenseless Jewish families; in 1920 after receiving the Palestine Mandate, that favored the establishment of a national homeland for the Jewish people and promoted Jewish immigration and land settlements, more deals were made and Arabs who wanted to end Jewish exis-

tence, rioted in Jerusalem needlessly murdering defenseless men, women and children. In 1921 and again in 1929 when we thought we had found the middle ground, Arabs brutally attacked unarmed Jewish settlements murdering many and those who had miraculously survived were forcibly exiled from the land by the ruling British. However, in 1931, some Jewish families did return and would live peacefully until just after Passover 1936, when again Arabs began to riot and hit Jewish settlements, ending with the expulsion of Jews by the British but this time we would not return until after the 1967 Six-Day War, and not as an act of aggression or conquest to occupy a foreign land, but only to return home.

With our firm belief of the events just echoed at our seder tables, my hope is we can again begin to understand the miracle that is the existence of the Jewish people, that the stubbornness and determination of such a nation there should be no doubt of our historical or future permanence.

So today when President Obama and other world leaders ask for Israeli concessions, we should let them know, it is the whole land of Israel that is the heart of the Jewish people, the life-blood from which we continue to draw our spiritual strength, holiness, and splendor and to all those who continue the battle to reclaimed and resettled Jewish land on our

behalf, we should offer them our heartfelt prayers and support. In the meantime, until the day we all return from exile, we remain hopeful for the present, and dream of true peace throughout the land of Israel and all over the entire world.

Seena Rubenstein Blue Ash Dear Editor, It seems the Democrats have come up with a novel, yet ludicrous way to catch alleged tax cheats. BO signed into law a 30% tax on the American investments of foreign banks that refuse to divulge the ID of their clients.

Some foreign banks (Switzerland, Liechtenstein, et al) have their own laws that prohibit the revealing of their customer’s identification.

How dumb does the Obama gang think these banks are? I mean, if you were a keeper of secret accounts facing a 30% tax would you yield the financial records of your clients (and risk losing them) or would you simply take all your “American investments” and invest them in another country?

Am I missing something here? Not only will we not get the funds from the alleged tax LETTERS on page 22

T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: ACHREI MOT-KEDOSHIM (VAYIKRA 16:1—20:27) 1. What is the result of swearing falsely? a.) Stealing b.) Famine in the land c.) Hashem's name will be profaned 2. Which commandment is listed next to not gossiping about your friend? a.) To pay his wage by morning b.) Not to stand idly by when a friend is in danger c.) To own only accurate wages and measures 3. Which commandment is listed next to “Keep my statutes”? save himself or others from a loss.

3. B 19:19 A person should believe that Hashem created all things with a specific purpose.

4. A 19:32 5. C 19:33

by Rabbi Avi Shafran Contributing Columnist

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

a.) Keeping Shabbat b.) Not to crossbreed animals c.) Love your neighbor like you love your self 4. Is there a mitzvah to stand up for an elderly person? a.) Yes b.) No 5. What commandment is written regarding a convert? a.) To support him b.) To reach out to convert c.) Not to hurt his feelings Answers 1. C 19:12 The Sforno learns that by swearing falsely to avoid paying a debt causes Hashem's name to be desecrated.

2. B 19:16 Rashi does not connect the two mitzvot. However Or HaChaim interprets that sometimes a person can listen to negative information to

16

Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise

JEWISH LIFE

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

17

Sedra of the Week

by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin

Shabbat Shalom: Parashat Aharei Mot – Kedoshim Leviticus 16:1-20:27

Efrat, Israel — We have just completed the cycle of depressing, dismaying and dizzying days which carry us from depths of despair to heights of rapture as we journey from Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Day) through Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) to Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day). The leitmotif which informs these special days of mourning and celebrations is Kiddush Hashem: the martyrdom of Jews in the crematoria and on the battle-fields of Israel reborn.

The word Kadosh expresses the over-arching goal and defining characteristic of our nation and the central commandment of this week’s Biblical portion to reflect a “definition” of G-d Himself: “Speak to the entire witness-congregation of the children of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, because I, the Lord your G-d, am holy” (Lev.19:2).

Rudolf Otto, in his groundbreaking work, “The Idea of the Holy,” sees G-d’s holiness as expressing a wholly otherness and awesome uniqueness. G-d is above and beyond the material or physical.

He is totally free of the fetters and limitations of nature and instinctual human nature.

From this perspective, human beings achieve holiness when they are free of the seductions of immoral sexual drives, greedinduced bribes and petty concerns of fame, envy and jealousy. When a Jew sacrifices his life for the eternal and spiritual values of his faith, he indeed becomes a Kadosh, a holy individual, having surrendered this physical world and his physical life for the eternity of bearing testimony to his faith and connecting with the Divine.

For Judaism, however, true holiness is to be achieved by living one’s life in dedication to G-d’s laws rather than by giving up one’s life for the sake of those laws. The primary example of this is Isaac, the son of Abraham, who is referred to by the Midrash as a “whole burnt offering” even after he descends from the binding on Mount Moriah when G-d commanded Abraham not to sacrifice his son, but rather to dedicate Isaac to G-d in life!

What is the path to achieve holiness in daily living? It is by serving G-d through fulfillment of His commandments, and especially by loving our fellow human being. This is the fulfillment of the commandment which Rabbi Akiba called “the greatest rule of the Torah.” “You must love your neighbor as you love

yourself, I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:18).

Instinctively, every human being sees himself as the center of the universe, and always looks out for “number one.” A newborn baby starts out totally self-absorbed, seeing the entire world as an extension of himself. To love another means to give of oneself to the other, to take from one’s material possessions in order to make certain that the other is provided for. Indeed, the Hebrew word for love, ahavah, comes from the root verb “hav” which means “give.”

When we make the blessing of sanctificatio over wine at the advent of Sabbath and Festivals, we take the wine goblet in the palm of our open hand, keeping our hand open to give to others. All of the assembled drink from that goblet of wine; there can be no sanctification without giving and loving.

The very commandment of Kiddushin, sanctified engagement between a bride and groom, emanates from the charge to “love your neighbor as you love yourself” (B.T. Kiddushin 41a). This is confirmed in one of the blessings under the nuptial canopy: “Rejoice, beloved and loving neighbors…”

Marriage is the most intensive expression of loving one’s neighbor as one loves oneself; giving to one another and actually merging as one in sexual union, producing a child who combines parts of each of them!

G-d is the source of sanctity; the ultimate Lover and the ultimate Giver. The Kabbalah teaches that Gd constricted and constrained Himself to leave room for the other; and He did this because as Rav Haim Vital explains, the G-d of consummate love must have people other than Himself to love. These must be people with the capacity to choose against His will in order to truly be other, to be His partners and not His pawns. And it is His love for and belief in us which will eventually empower us to choose in accordance with His will and partner with Him in perfecting the world in the Kingship of the Divine…

To be like G-d and to walk in His ways means for us to love and give

to others just as He loves and gives to us. The following two Talmudic passages define G-d and sanctity in terms of His love and gifting to us: Rabbi Hama the son of Rabbi Hanina said: “What is the meaning of the verse, ‘Follow the Lord your G-d?’” (Deut 13:5) If the Divine Presence is a devouring fire, how is that possible? He answered that just as God clothes the naked (as He clothed Adam and Eve after they sinned), so must you clothe the naked; just as He visited the sick (Abraham, after his circumcision) so must you visit the sick, just as He comforts the mourner; (as He comforted Isaac after Abraham’s death), so you must comfort the mourner and just as He buried the dead (G-d buried Moses), so must you bury the dead” (B.T. Sotah 14a).

We are taught that when the rabbis were feasting at Rabban Gamliel’s son’s wedding, Rabban Gamliel, the president of the Sanhedrin, stood up and served them wine. He poured Rabbi Eliezer a glass of wine, but he would not accept it from him; He served Rabbi Yehoshua, and he accepted it. Rabbi Eliezer chided Rabbi Yehoshua, “How can you remain seated and permit the great Rabban Gamliel to stand and serve you wine?” Rabbi Yehoshua countered that “Abraham our Father was greater than Rabban Gamliel, and he stood and served three wanderers, so why is it not fitting for the great Rabban Gamliel to serve us?”

Rabbi Zadok had the last word: “…Does not the Holy One Blessed be He cause the winds to blow, raise up the clouds, bring down the rain, cause the earth to sprout vegetation, and set a table with food before every human being? If so, why not permit Rabban Gamliel to stand and serve us as well?”(B.T. Kiddushin 32b).

It now should be clear why every Sefardi Prayer Book opens with a prayer of Rav Haim Vital, in preparation for prayer and closeness to Gd on the basis of the verse “You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

To be holy is to learn from G-d to love and serve your fellow human beings.

3100 LONGMEADOW LANE • CINCINNATI, OH 45236 791-1330 • www.templesholom.net Richard Shapiro, Interim Rabbi Marcy Ziek, President Gerry H. Walter, Rabbi Emeritus April 23 6:30 pm Sholom Unplugged Musical Shabbat A Light Dinner will Follow the Service

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

April 24 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service

May 1 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service

Sincere Sympathy To Charles Specter and Karen Bunyan on the death of Estelle Fleigenspan

18

JEWZ IN THE NEWZ

Jewz in the Newz

by Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist VERY COMPLICATED PREGNANCY Curvy actress and singer Jennifer Lopez has been in a lot of dud films and gone are the days when every media outlet had daily reports on “J-Lo,” as they dubbed her. Lopez’s new romantic comedy, “The Back-Up Plan,” is being billed as something of a comeback vehicle. Lopez plays Zoe, a woman who opts to be artificially inseminated after never finding the right guy. Soon after, she meets Stan (Alex O’Loughlin), a potential “Mr. Right.” Zoe eventually comes clean and tells him about her pregnancy. Stan surprises her by saying that he loves her and is fine with the situation. However, as the pregnancy progresses, their romance hits some rough spots (Opens Friday, April 23).

Three veteran Jewish actors have supporting roles: famous stand-up comedian ROBERT KLEIN, 68; TOM BOSLEY, 82 (Mr. Cunningham on “Happy Days”); and LINDA LAVIN, 72, the star of the ‘70s TV show, “Alice.” Lavin, who was born and raised in Maine, has frequently played Jewish parts on the Broadway stage.

The small Jewish community of Maine has produced two famous Jewish thespians: Lavin and JUDD NELSON, (“The Breakfast Club”), who was born (1959) and raised in Portland, a member of a religious Jewish family.

CASTING NOTES AND MORE A movie version of the popular children’s TV show, “The Smurfs,” has now been cast and the live action/animated version is set to open in July 2011. HANK AZARIA, who celebrates his 46th birthday next week, will play the evil wizard Gargamel, the Smurfs’ enemy. Other actors cast include Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Winters, and Alan Cumming.

Cumming, 45, is a very talented character actor. Early in March, he joined the cast of the CBS legal drama, “The Good Wife,” as Eli Gold, a smart and streetwise political consultant. Gold’s Jewish background, so far, has only been referred to in one scene—when we learn he won’t work on Shabbat.

The quality of the scripts of “The Good Wife” shot-up the same time Cumming joined the show. This may have something to

do with the show’s good ratings and the fact that the show’s star, JULIANNE MARGULIES, got an Emmy nomination for best actress in January (she went on to win the Emmy). It seems to me that show’s producers realized they should nurture their hit and it was time for the scripts and the supporting/guest cast to match the high quality of the starring actors (Margulies, Chris Noth, and JOSH CHARLES).

Casting Cumming was part of the improvement and he will be a full-time series regular next year.

Crackling good actors TOVAH FELDSHUH, 57, and DAVID PAYMER, 55, appeared in prominent guest roles this month.

Cumming, a (non-Jewish) native of Scotland, and a fairly flamboyant bohemian bi-sexual in real life, wrote this on his blog: “Playing Eli Gold is fascinating for me because he is a grown-up.

He is a man in a suit. Also he is Jewish. Initially, I thought I didn’t understand Eli. But then I altered my opinion of him and instead of thinking I don’t relate to him because he has a life that I don’t comprehend—I think he is exotic like every human being and I can comprehend that.”

GRAY WOLF AND YOUNG NIKKI’S OLD SOUL The J. Geils Band was one of the most popular rock/blues band of the ‘70s and early ‘80s, with radio hits like “Must of Got Lost,” “Love Stinks,” and “Centerfold.”

The line-up during the band’s most popular period was almost all Jewish—everybody in the group, except band founder J(ohn) Geils, was Jewish. PETER WOLF, now 64, was the band’s lead vocalist and the co-writer of most of their songs. Wolf left the band in 1983. However, the band has periodically reunited for concert tours. (The J. Geils Band, with Peter Wolf, will play with Aerosmith this August in Boston.)

Wolf is just out with a new solo CD which received good reviews and may interest fans, “Midnight Souvenirs.”

Music that was old-fashioned when Peter Wolf was “a cub” forms a big part of the playlist of NIKKI YANOFSKY’s first studio CD, entitled “Nikki.” It will go on sale on May 5. Yanofsky, 16, is a Canadian jazz/pop sensation who sung at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics. A huge Ella Fitzgerald fan, Yanofsky includes an “Ella-inspired” version of Duke Ellington’s classic, “Take the ‘A’ Train,” on her CD.

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

FROM THE PAGES 100 Years Ago Mrs. M.S. Drukker and daughter, Marie Violet, of Burnet Avenue, have left for a trip East and will be gone for several weeks.

The engagement of Miss Miriam Strauss to Ted Goldblatt is announced by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Strauss.

A beautiful wedding was celebrated on April 20 at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Heinsheimer, when their daughter, Miss Duffie Freiberg Heinsheimer, became the

bride of Mr. Irvin Westheimer, son of Mr. Ferdinand Westheimer of St. Joe, Mo., and brother of Mr. Morris Westheimer and Mr. Leo J. Westheimer, both well-known in Cincinnati. Dr. Philipson officiated.

The Dramatic Art Society of the Cincinnati School of Expression will present three splendid and interesting one-act plays at the Auditorium of the Woman’s Club, on April 21.

The plays are “The Class President,” Richard Haring Davis’ modern com-

edy, “Miss Civilization,” and Charles Reade’s costume comedy, “Nance Oldfield.” The staging of the productions is in the hands of Miss Edna Mannheimer, and in the casts are the Misses Anita Lazaron, Corinne Steinharter, Grace Fritz, Belle Kluber, Ruby Hackney, Edna Thoma, Marie Smith, Dorothy Conrey, May Herbert and Danesi Matthews, and Messrs. Streng, Merton, Butler, Hall, Sussdorf and Bott. — April 21, 1910

75 Years Ago Marcus Fechheimer, 37, died suddenly April 19, at the Cincinnati Riding Academy, following a heart attack.

Mr. Fechheimer leaves his wife, Mrs. Caroline Freiberg Fechheimer; his mother, Mrs. S. Marcus Fechheimer; and four children, Martha Alice, Nathan, Ellen and Margaret.

He was senior partner in the brokerage firm of Benjamin D. Bartlett & Co. He was a graduate of the Harvard School of Business

Administration and a member of the Cincinnati Stock Exchange and the Cincinnati Club.

Cincinnati physicians included among original contributors in Solomon R. Kagan’s book, “Jewish Contributions to Medicine,” are: Drs. Henry W. Bettmann, Albert L. Brown, Samuel Brown, Albert H. Freiberg, Alfred Friedlander, Samuel Iglauer, Simon P. Kramer, Sidney Lange, J. Louis Ransohoff, Elmore B. Tauber, Hiram B. Weiss, David

Wolfstein and Philip Zenner.

Mrs. Charles Tobias has been named to the Cincinnati Boxing and Wrestling Commission, effective May 10.

The Misses Regine Weiss and Rosalind Rodgers are members of the University of Cincinnati Glee Clubs, which are presenting programs this week before audiences in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Atlantic City. — April 25, 1935

50 Years Ago Mr. and Mrs. Moses Sivitz announce the forthcoming bar mitzvah of their son, Jonathan, Saturday April 30, at Kehilat Benei Israel Congregation.

An open house in Jonathan’s honor will be held that evening from 8 to 11 p.m. at the residence, 3931 Dickson Avenue. No cards.

Jonathan is a grandson of Mr. Samuel M. Schmidt.

Mrs. Sadie Grossman, passed away Friday, April 15.

Survivors include: three daughters, Miss Sarah Grossman, a member of the staff at the Archives, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion; Mrs. Sam Morris, wife of Dr. Sam Harris, and Mrs. Milton Rosenbaum, wife of Dr. Milton Rosenbaum, Larchmont, N.Y.; and a sister, Mrs. Dora Budnick, and six grandchildren.

Edward Jonas Weisbaum, passed away April 13. He was 68.

Mr. Weisbaum and a brother, Harry J. Weisbaum, founded Beau Brummell Ties, Inc., in 1920. The company had several locations downtown, then moved to Walnut Hills, where it grew into one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of neckwear.

Besides his brother, Harry, he leaves his wife, Mrs. Annette Weisbaum; a son, Jon L. Weisbaum; and a sister, Mrs. Jeanette Siebler. — April 21, 1960

25 Years Ago Cathy Richards and Barbie Sherman are co-chairmen of the 39th annual luncheon of the Auxiliary of the Jewish Hospital.

The event will take place May 8 at Crest Hills Country Club. The program will include a presentation by performers from the School for the Creative and Performing Arts.

Roberta Peters, world acclaimed Metropolitan Opera Soprano, will be the guest artist at the 1985 “Night of Stars” Concert of Adath Israel

Congregation April 28, in the Lerner Auditorium of the synagogue.

Audiences in the major opera houses of the world, including the standing-room-only crowds that annually attend her return engagements at the Metropolitan Opera, greet her performances with a special enthusiasm.

Mr. and Mrs. William Yuni of Randolph, Mass., announce the engagement of their daughter, Avis, to David G. Schwartz, son of Mrs.

David Miller Schwartz and the late Mr. Schwartz.

Miss Yuni graduated with honors from the University of Massachusetts at Amrherst, and is marketing manager for Campbell Soup Company in Camden, N.J. Mr. Schwartz, a senior industrial hygienist with Roy Weston, Inc., an environmental engineering firm in West Chester, Penn., graduated from Ohio State and has a master of science degree from UC. — April 18, 1985

10 Years Ago Sylvia Major, 90, passed away on April 4, 2000. Her son, Karlen Paulay, MD, predeceased her.

Surviving grandchildren are Gregory Paulay and Danielle Paulay Streisand. Surviving great-grandchildren are Samuel and Julian Paulay.

The deceased is also survived by a sister, Fanchon Shur, and Mrs. Shur’s husband, Bonia. Sylvia Major literally reared Mrs. Shur for seven years, from when the latter was age 11, until she turned 18. Ms. Major acted like a

mother to Mrs. Shur during these critical years, and, therefore, Mrs. Shur considers her not just a sister, but more like a “motherly sister.” Ms. Major is also survived by a brother, Robert (Ruth) Webster. Among the surivors are many nieces and nephews: Itaal Shur, Limore Shur, Michael Maccabee Bennett, Robert Brandeis Bennett, Jonathan Webster, and Daniel Webster.

April 11, 2000, The American Jewish Committee today called the

verdict in David Irving vs. Penguin Books, Ltd. and Deborah Lipstadt a landmark victory for historical truth.

“The anti-Semitism and historical fraud of Holocaust deniers were exposed for all to see,” said Barbara Glueck, area director of the American Jewish Committee Cincinnati Chapter. Truth has prevailed. David Irving and other Holocaust deniers are not free to manipulate historical facts.” — April 20, 2000

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19

RIVKIN from page 1 enthusiasm and excitement about learning and about other people was infectious,” remarked Richard S. Sarason, professor of Rabbinic Literature and Thought at HUC, a colleague and former student of Dr. Rivkin.

Dr. David Ellenson, president of Hebrew Union College, spoke at the memorial service for Dr. Rivkin. He remarked that his first published work — as a young graduate student at Columbia University — focused on Ellis Rivkin’s ideas. Shortly after his article appeared, and much to his surprise, Dr. Rivkin contacted him and invited him to an elegant breakfast to converse further. The warmth and graciousness displayed by a famous scholar to a mere grad student amazed Dr. Ellenson.

Throughout the years he remained fascinated and influenced by Dr. Rivkin; the teacher, the scholar and the gentle man.

Described as an “early feminist,” Dr. Rivkin supported women as rabbis when others were still blocking their paths. He encouraged all of his students to pursue challenging ideas, even if other scholars discouraged them.

“He leaves behind generations of students and students of students who learned from him, admired his intellect and were grateful for his warm friendship,” said Rabbi Kenneth Ehrlich, dean of the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College.

“For many, Prof. Ellis Rivkin was a substitute father, caring, kind, encouraging, opening up horizons we did not even know existed.

Every day with Prof. Rivkin was a new day of discovery, a new day of

• Up to 24 hour care • Meal Preparation • Errands/Shopping • Hygiene Assistance • Light Housekeeping

513-531-9600 wonder, a new day of feeling valued as a person. I learned more from him than from any other teacher,” commented Rabbi Jack Bemporad.

In addition to being an esteemed teacher, Dr. Rivkin also published five books and authored more than 100 scholarly articles.

Biographer and bibliographer of Dr. Rivkin, Dr. Francis Barry Silberg said, “I regarded Professor Rivkin an inspiring and provocative teacher and friend. He celebrated the genius of creative diversity in ways only geniuses can.”

Dr. Rivkin established the Globalist Research Foundation in 1977. The organization publishes analyses about international affairs with a special focus on Israel and the Middle East.

“Of all my teachers, Professor Rivkin was the most inspirited and original in his thought. As a great Jewish thinker, Rivkin challenged both rabbis and laity alike to think in new ways. This is part of his enduring legacy,” said Rabbi Peter K. Gluck, creator of Dr. Rivkin’s Web site (rivkinsociety).

Dr. Rivkin was the recipient of a Simon Guggenheim Fellowship and a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies.

Additionally, he was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and he received several honorary degrees.

“Prof. Rivkin’s wisdom always encouraged me to take the long view, attentive to how things come together in novel ways to make real differences in how events, institutions, historical processes, and people’s lives unfold thereafter,” said Rabbi Barry Kogan, professor of Philosophy and Jewish Religious RIVKIN on page 20

20

BUSINESS

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

DHR Music Experience: Where left is right

by Avi Milgrom Assistant Editor In Montgomery there is a shop that specializes in selling guitars.

The storefront opened in late May 2009, yet it has already achieved significant stature within the global guitar community.

Two clues for its success lie within the name: they’re selling an “experience” and they cater to lefthanded guitar players.

There are more reasons, such as their inventory practices. But at the heart of this operation is an unusual interest in building relationships with customers. The marker for this sort of growth is often an exponential path that arises from word-ofmouth, or its internet equivalent, as one customer tells another who tells others and so on.

Indeed, “exponential” is the term J.Lee Rabiner, the director of marketing and wife of the founder, used to describe DHR’s growth.

This is slower growth than businesses, such as restaurants, that enter the market with a big splash and sink soon afterward. But it promises greater longevity.

According to J.Lee, the relationships are formed by her husband, Dale Rabiner, who spends however long it takes to carefully match each client to an instrument.

For him, this is a “labor of love.”

Music and guitars are Dale’s lifelong passion.

RIVKIN from page 19 Thought at HUC. “The words of Henry Adams come to mind to describe Prof. Rivkin: ‘A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.’”

In his personal life, Dr. Rivkin was a lover of poetry, prose and music: T.S. Eliot and Proust, Bach and the Beatles. He also just loved

The passion manifested when he was a kid, so interested in music and learning guitar that he taught himself to play a right-handed guitar — upside down with his left hand.

To many, this would have been an impressive achievement for a young man. But in the end it led to a bad turn for his dreams to become a musician.

After high school, his plan was to study jazz guitar at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. But there all of his hard work learning to play the guitar upside down became an impediment – they considered it bad “form.” He was admitted, but unless he was willing to learn to play “properly,” he would only be permitted to study

composition and other theory classes.

He decided he was not willing to accept Berklee’s terms and pursued an economics major at University of Cincinnati instead.

This was followed by a masters degree in finance and three years of study to become a chartered financial analyst (CFA). He then began his career at Bartlett & Co., the oldest (registered) investment advisory firm in the country, where he moved steadily up the ranks.

But his interests in guitars and music remained, finding expression in the collecting of guitars and performing as an amateur.

Finally in the 1990s, Dale began DHR as an internet business with which to buy and sell guitars

as a hobby. In 2003, he made DHR his professional focus by retiring from his work in investments.

The growth became too much for its founder in 2005, when J.Lee joined her husband. At that point it was operated out of their house, as it had been since Dale began to play with the idea of turning his hobby of buying and selling guitars into a business in the 1990s.

By the end of 2008, DHR attracted clients from around the world, and by May of last year they moved into their present location in historic Montgomery.

Today, DHR is distinguishing itself worldwide because of the experience it gives to each client, as Dale fits guitars to humans, and because it is where “left is right” – the right place for left-handed players to be guided into suitable instruments.

Its inventory is another global standout. DHR buys guitars it sells for $2500 to $50,000 from “boutique” shops in the U.S. that produce instruments under close supervision. In 2007 it began selling the Benedetto line of jazz guitars.

Benedetto bills itself as the “world’s foremost maker of archtop jazz guitars.” DHR is now their largest international dealer and has distinguished itself by selling Benedettos, made personally by the company owner, Bob Benedetto — for prices between $35,000 and $50,000.

to talk to people and share his views with them, always in a warm and witty manner.

Dr. Rivkin is survived by his wife of nearly 70 years, Zelda Zafren Rivkin; daughters Rosalyn (Michael Haas) Rivkin and Sharon (Michael Howard) Rivkin, of California; four granddaughters, Elana and Sofia Rivkin-Haas, and Talia and Tashina Kilburn; and three sisters, Esther

(Mark S.) Dine, Bernice Sakols, and Leah (Leonard) Schuman.

The family would appreciate memorial contributions to The Globalist Research Foundation/ Rivkin Society: 5110 Evergreen Ridge Drive; Cincinnati, Ohio 45215. For more information on Dr. Rivkin, please visit his Web site www.rivkinsociety.com.

From David Weisberg, a col-

league and friend on the faculty of Hebrew Union College, “During one of many conversations, Ellis shared some beautiful words of his wisdom with me that now ring out in my mind: ‘The beginning is in the end, and the end is in the beginning. I chose Torah rather than anything else.’ Ellis concluded with, ‘I studied the process by which the God whom you need is always

there. God is waiting there, always having available what you need in the universe.’”

Dr. Ellis Rivkin was to modern Jewish history what Allan Nevins was to American history and what Arnold J. Toynbee was to world history and considerably more. Dr. Rivkin assumed history intrinsically while they grasped history from the bits and pieces of circumstantial data.

men to visit with high school students in Modin, Israel. Two of his men had been involved in retrieving the body of Karen Tendler, the first female soldier killed in the 2006 Lebanon War. His men explained to the students that IDF soldiers “will do anything to return a soldier back home dead or alive.”

In closing, Bar Netz saluted all of Israel’s soldiers and told the audience he hoped that, soon, Gilad Shalit would be brought home.

Only 19 years old when he was kidnapped, Shalit has been held captive since June 2006.

Finally, the audience was given an opportunity to witness what is lost when an IDF soldier perishes.

As night fell, a goodly number of attendees gathered in Cedar Village’s auditorium to view, “She Touched the Sky.” The film describes Tendler, who was study-

ing law and became the first woman to die in the 2006 Lebanon War, as she worked as a flight mechanic on a helicopter.

The film’s portrait of Tendler is formed from interviews with Tendler’s parents, girl friends, boy friends, teachers and IDF supervisors.

Described as a bright, focused young woman, friends are shown reading funny letters from her, and they speak of how hard it is to be without her.

There is footage of her swimming as well as in full battle gear.

Her teachers and IDF supervisors saw another side of her — that of a promising young woman who seemed to do well at everything she did. Observed one IDF supervisor, Tendler could have gone as far as she wished.

Thus Karen Tendler joined the long list of those lost and remembered on Yom HaZikaron.

Dale and J.Lee of DHR Music Experience enjoy the experience of their burgeoning business.

MEMORIAL from page 1 Choir singing a selection, some closing remarks and everyone singing Hatikvah.

Crowning a ceremony that featured representatives from all quarters of our diverse Jewish Community – consistent with the unity shown by the community’s support of Cedar Village – was a brief speech by Baruch Bar Netz, the IAF officer stationed at Wright Patterson.

Bar Netz explained that he has served in the IAF for 20 years; for the past nine months he has been stationed in Dayton.

In Israel, he explained, Yom Hashoah, Yom HaZikaron and Independence Day are all of one piece: “We celebrate Israel Independence Day after the Memorial Day to remind ourselves that, because of all the soldiers

Israeli Air Force officer, Baruch Bar Netz, addressed the audience at the Cedar Village Yom HaZikaron ceremony on Sunday

who died, we have our country…”

The officer spoke of taking his

In addition to custom-made guitars, DHR sells an assortment of products related to guitars, including unique chairs shaped like the instrument.

Both Dale and J.Lee belong to Rockdale Temple. Dale, who is 58, has three grown children.

J.Lee was not raised Jewish, but converted in 2007. What persuaded her to make the change?

Apparently, Dale never asked her to do so.

J.Lee had been a practicing non-denominational Christian.

While teaching the Old Testament in Sunday school, she began to learn about Judaism and found she felt more comfortable with the faith’s willingness to accept questioning from its faithful. In Christianity, she felt forced to assume its beliefs regardless.

She liked how Judaism “encourages you to think for yourself.”

How is the shop doing in the recession? Very well. Music offers inexpensive and comforting recreation, she explained.

So one could say that, in the end, the shop in historic Montgomery — where “left is right” and customers are offered a shopping experience — delivers an experience to Dale, J.Lee and their staff in return.

AUTO

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

21

A fabulous ‘Spyder’ from Audi

Audi R8 Spyder

Although the Audi R8 Spyder won’t be available in the U.S. until 2010, the anticipation is growing. Already in Europe, buyers must wait two to three months before acquiring the newest Spyder—but the wait is well worth it.

The 2010 version comes standard with a 420-hp V-8 engine, but a 520-hp, V-10 that produces 398 lb-ft of torque, is available as an option.

Of course, the R8 is equipped with Audi’s famous “quattro allwheel” drive. Providing the driver with superb handling, the vehicle automatically directs the torque to the wheels with the best traction.

In fact, the vehicle offers an 85 percent rear torque bias.

The suspension provides Audi’s “magnetic ride,” which gives the driver instant control at the touch of a button.

Even the look associated with the two engines differs. The V-8 version has smaller, quadruple tailpipes, while the V-10 sports wider, double tailpipes. The V-10 also produces considerably more sound.

The exterior of the R8 is beautiful and functional. The visible engine compartment allows anyone to witness the engineering behind the vehicle. Using signature LED lighting, the V8 emblem and Carbon Fiber Sigma inlays can be easily seen. Available as an option are Carbon Fiber Sigma sideblades that are beautiful and increase performance by directing air to the engine intake.

On the inside, the entire cockpit tilts toward the driver for max-

imum performance. The materials used on the inside are the highest quality and craftsmanship, highlighted by the Brushed Aluminum inlays that extend throughout.

The Audi R8 4.2 offers more than just fine workmanship. It also provides a number of conveniences to allow the driver to make the most of the R8 experience.

The R8 is entirely hand-assembled from top to bottom; from front to back. The finished product is rare in design and craftsmanship.

The driver information display is easily visible right in the middle of the instrument cluster. It gives the driver an easy read-out of all the necessary information, such as current MPG status, navigation directions, estimated time and distance to destination.

The seats are finished with optional Nappa leather.

The R8 4.2 utilizes a number of safety systems to avoid emergency situations. While some of these systems are active and others are passive, they all work together for the safety of the driver and passengers.

The R8 features standard fullsize airbags as well as seat-mounted head and chest thorax side airbags. Both driver and front-seat passenger are protected by knee airbags, as well.

Available interior packages include enhanced leather and a convenience package. The convenience package offers parking assist, auto dimming headlights and exterior mirrors.

The 2010 Audi R8 Spyder has an MSRP that starts at $114,200.

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OBITUARIES

DEATH NOTICES

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010

DuCovna, Stanley M., age 79, died on April 17, 2010; 3 Iyar, 5770.

Yes. It was her!

This was the woman from Cedar Village.

So what was she doing up front?

There was a kid up on the stage

— maybe Bar Mitzvah age. The kid had obviously consumed a bolus of candy, because he was like an unbridled V-8 engine on a go-cart.

But in a drag race against the woman with white hair, the kid would surely lose. She was like a V8 on a skateboard!

GATHERING from page 8

recovery, and there has been a recuperation of funds. It is an empirical fact. And the conventional wisdom is that foundations might have recovered a significant portion of what they lost.”

In the meantime, organizations are suffering.

Last week, a Jewish day school in Memphis closed. Not long ago, the Jewish Federation of the Silicon Valley had to collateralize a $1.2 million loan to keep open

another day school.

In his annual address, JFN President Mark Charendoff pushed donors to free up money.

“At this moment, $550 billion is sitting in private foundations in America and yet we are using only 5 percent of it,” he said. “We need to figure out how to change this equation. How can we get the other 95 percent of our money working for us?”

Charendoff suggested that

foundations don’t necessarily have to give out more grants.

Rather, they can look for ways to use their endowments, such as extending loans to Jewish groups to help them expand and providing growth capital to young organizations that they would pay back when they mature.

Charendoff told JTA that he sensed hope among many in attendance — though he admitted that his constituents are not necessari-

ly a fair representation of the broader philanthropic world, as the very fact of their attendance shows they are inherently excited about what they are doing.

“I don’t believe that we have experienced recovery,” Charendoff said. “The world has changed, and many people have had to decide if they want to be philanthropists. Some have decided no, and others are putting the car into drive.”

Semitism and neo-Nazi affairs,” said American historian Stan Nadel, an expert on migration who teaches in Salzburg. “They don’t talk openly about Jewish conspiracies, just about ‘East Coast’ conspiracies.”

Rosenkranz, he said, “doesn’t say the Holocaust never happened, she just says she believes in the history she was taught in school; she went to school at a time when school history courses generally

stopped with 1918,” Nadel said.

“Her anti-Semitic supporters know that and they understand she is covertly denying the Holocaust, but she hasn’t said it out loud, so she hasn’t broken the law.”

The Freedom Party’s outspoken leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, said his party’s views were justified by a poll last week showing that 54 percent of Austrians believe that Islam poses “a threat for the West and our familiar

lifestyle.”

The survey, conducted by the IMAS polling agency, showed that 72 percent believe Muslims would “not stick to the rules” when it comes to living in Austria and 71 percent believe Islam “does not match western beliefs in democracy, freedom and tolerance.”

Strache, 40, a former dental technician, is expected to make a run for the provincial leadership when key elections are held in

Vienna in October. Analysts say the Social Democrats may lose their absolute majority in the capital, and they predict sharp gains for the Freedom Party.

“I don’t think Rosenkranz will get that many votes in the presidential election, though if she succeeds in getting, say, 25 percent, that will already be quite a catastrophe,” Loewy said. “The real challenge is what happens in Vienna this fall.”

summit in Washington, Erdogan again drew attention to Israel, whose relations with Turkey have been on the skids since Israel’s 2009 war with Hamas in Gaza.

“We don’t desire any nuclear proliferation in our region, and our policy is well known regardless of which country has such programs,” Erdogan told reporters before returning to Istanbul. “For us it doesn’t matter whether it is Israel or Iran. I will call on the international community, which is so sensitive toward Iran, to pay attention to Israel, too.”

Critics of Erdogan’s approach say the Turkish leader is playing a dangerous game.

“What Erdogan is doing is not contributing to his declared aim of a nuclear-free region,” said Semih Idiz, a foreign affairs columnist with the Turkish daily Milliyet.

“What he is saying is being interpreted in the Middle East as that since Israel has weapons, why can’t

others have them? The way he is approaching the thing, he’s also encouraging the weaponization of the Middle East.”

lawyer and bashing Israel.

Whatever Obama’s relations with Israel are, he doesn’t need this now,” Barkey said. “At some point

statements by Erdogan, Turkey has conveyed concerns to Iran about its suspected nuclear weapons program.

“Their policy is one of management rather than confrontation,” Barkey said.

In reality, political observers say, Turkey does not want to see a nuclear Iran or the unraveling of its relationship with Israel.

“I see no good news coming for Turkey from a continuing Iranian nuclear program,” said Ian Lesser, an expert on Turkey and Iran at the Washington-based German Marshall Fund, which promotes European-North American cooperation.

A nuclear-armed Iran, Lesser said, “will have implications for how groups under Iran’s umbrella, like Hezbollah or Hamas, will behave in the region, which may not be comfortable for Turkey,” he said. “I see a much more tense region with changing military balances that would not be in Turkey’s favor.”

education. A year later, the foundation’s president and CEO, Chip Edelsberg, said there had been only “modest response” to its laying down of the philanthropic gauntlet.

“There is a bundle of money out there sitting on the sidelines,” Edelsberg said. “The market just had the best first quarter it has had in 10 years, there are signs of

ELECTIONS from page 8 “The progeny of Muslims are for us what the Jews were to our fathers. Be on your guard. Jews and Turks, poisonous blood,” read the graffiti, spray-painted in big letters on the outer wall of the camp, where more than 100,000 people were killed.

“FPO leaders and functionaries keep getting caught in open or coded Holocaust denial, antiTURKEY from page 9 Koru says Erdogan has adopted the public posture of questioning Iran sanctions to keep the door open to the Iranian regime, so that Turkey can act as an interlocutor with the West. Erdogan is concerned, too, that sanctions on Iran would hit trade with Turkey particularly hard.

Other analysts see political motivations behind Erdogan’s public pronouncements on Iran’s nuclear program: By appearing to attack Israel and back Iran, Erdogan stands to benefit politically.

“This has become an opportunity for Erdogan to essentially play a role in the Middle East by attacking Israel,” said Henri Barkey, a Turkey expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. “It’s all part of the game to make Turkey the pre-eminent power in the region.”

At this week’s nuclear security

INDEPENDENCE from page 1

The unveiling of the monument for

Fred Lieberman will be held Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 12:30 p.m.

Rabbi Irvin Wise will be officiating. It will be held at the Adath Israel Cemetery, 1300 Sunset Avenue.

Family and friends are welcome.

There she was dancing…and dancing….and dancing —hopefully someone called EMS just in case her partner had a coronary.

Before a crowd of the elderly, the middle aged and kids, this woman with a big smile on her face danced with wild abandon, alter-

nately twirling her partner and spinning herself.

Through serendipity, the annual process of mourning the Holocaust and Israel’s fallen soldiers concluded with the sight of a woman — old enough to have been personally touched by both — now partying.

What he is saying is being interpreted in the Middle East as that since Israel has weapons, why can’t others have them? The way he is approaching the thing, he’s also encouraging the weaponization of the Middle East.”

Semih Idiz Barkey says the approach ultimately may strain Ankara’s relations with Washington, which would like to see Turkey deliver a tougher message to Tehran.

“I think the Americans are sick and tired of Turkey playing Iran’s

there is going to be a bigger price here. It’s going to have an impact.

It’s going to sour Turkish-American relations slowly, not because they are bashing Israel but because they are favoring Iran.”

Koru says that despite the public Chuck Klein Cincinnati, OH

LETTERS from page 16 cheats, but we now lose significant foreign capital. Note: One might pay all his/her taxes, but, for example, wish to hide the money from a spouse — which is not a federal criminal offense nor any concern of the U.S. Government.

Dear Editor, What an amazing set of Letters to the Editor appeared in the April 8th edition! I have never so happily agreed with the opinions expressed by Julius

Kassar and Ray Warren (and, to some extent, Jay Hyman).

Although I have never had the pleasure of meeting any of these people, I take my hat (Yarmulke, Kippah?) off to them. May they continue to spread the word.

“Cook” Koch North Avondale

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