Jewish War Veterans recruiting in the Cincinnati area Jewish War Veterans of the United States, America’s oldest veterans’ organization, is looking to reinvigorate its Cincinnati post and needs your help. Jewish War Veterans, JWV, is an organization of Jewish veterans that helps all veterans. On the national level, it lobbies the government on behalf of veterans and the State of Israel. At the local level, it assists veterans and conducts many activities as decided by members of each post. In Dayton, for example, the post keeps in touch with older members and widows of deceased members, conducts a monthly bingo game at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, participates in the monthly naturalization ceremony for new citizens, supports Scouting, and places flags at the Jewish cemeteries every Memorial Day. The bulk of JWV members are WWII and Korean War veterans and their numbers are decreasing every year. It has
JCC hosts triathlon, J5K and Fit-Fun Day
As part of its celebration of 50 years as a congregation, NHS-CBA is noting aspects of synagogue life which go back
The Mayerson JCC supports healthy lifestyles yearround. In addition to their two-story fitness center, indoor track, two-court gym, indoor waterpark, and outdoor pool, the JCC offers several fitness-related programs and events. Most are open to the public, and they are scheduled throughout the year. On Sunday morning, July 25, swimmers, bicyclists and runners (ages 16+) can participate in the JCC Summer Indoor/Outdoor Triathlon. Then, on Sunday, Aug. 29, in the afternoon and evening, adults and children of all ages and abilities can enjoy Fit-Fun Day at the J and the J5K Race. The JCC Summer Indoor/Outdoor Triathlon on Sunday, July 25 consists of two races. The “Mini J Triathlon” starts at 8:30 a.m. and includes an indoor swim for 200 yards, indoor cycling for 10 miles, and an outdoor run for three miles. Those who prefer a bigger challenge can participate in the “J Triathlon,” which starts at 9:30 a.m. and includes indoor swimming for 400 yards, indoor cycling for 18 miles, and an outdoor run for three miles.
NHS on page 20
JCC on page 19
L-R: Rabbi Gershom Barnard, William Freedman, Barry Wolfson, David Zucker. Not pictured: Steven Pentelnik, Stanley Shulman, Laurel Wolfson
NHS will be the site of a Talmudic Siyyum
JWV on page 19
Netanyahu hints at flexibility on Jerusalem
DiMaggio. Koufax. Wittels — Jewish batsman eyes college streak
By Uriel Heilman Jewish Telegraphic Agency
By Jacob Berkman Jewish Telegraphic Agency
NEW YORK (JTA) — It was an otherwise wholly unremarkable stump speech before a friendly audience in New York.
Michael Priest Photography
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a Jewish gathering in New York, July 7, 2010.
Last Wednesday evening at Manhattan’s Plaza Hotel, the Israeli prime minister addressed a roomful of about 200 Jews on the subjects of Iran, his government’s eagerness for direct peace talks with the Palestinians and the swell meeting he had just had with President Obama at the White House. But then, in an off-the-cuff remark to a question on Jerusalem from the audience, Benjamin Netanyahu dropped a hint that his government’s insistence on Israeli sovereignty over all of Jerusalem might not be ironclad. “Everybody knows that there are Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem that under any peace plan will remain where they are,” Netanyahu said in response to the question read by the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Malcolm Hoenlein. NETANYAHU on page 21
NEW YORK (JTA) — Joe DiMaggio, Yankee Clipper. Garrett Wittels, Jewish Hitter. The first is an icon, the other started the 2010 college baseball season at Florida International University as a virtual unknown. Now both are inextricably linked to the number 56, and FIU is hoping to send Wittels’ popularity soaring with a grass-roots campaign to win him the ESPY award as male college athlete of the year. Wittels, a 20-year-old sophomore, finished this sea-
Courtesy of FIU
Garrett Wittels, a sophomore at Florida International University, finished the 2010 season with a 56-game hitting streak.
son sitting on a 56-game hitting streak, the second-longest in college baseball history. The total matches DiMaggio’s legendary Major League record set in 1941, a mark that most baseball observers would say was even more impressive than his marriage to Marilyn Monroe (after all, two other men managed that feat). Of course Wittels, who is Jewish, may have more in common with another baseball Hall of Famer: Sandy Koufax, the Dodgers’ lefty who famously refused to pitch in the World Series on Yom Kippur. WITTELS on page 21
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Brandeis names George Washington law dean as new president
It’s all in a name: Tale of an orphan’s rescue from Chechnya
Hadassah Donor Luncheon at the Kenwood Country Club
Walt’s Hitching Post: Lessons learned from father
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Cincinnati Community Kollel’s Hachnasas Sefer Torah By Yosef Zoimen
(L-R) Rabbi Meir Minster, Gene Mesh, Rabbi David Spetner
(L-R) Gene Mesh, Governor Ted Strickland
(L-R) Rabbi Binyomin Spiro, Gene Mesh, Elise Mesh
On the Sunday before Shavuos, the Cincinnati Community Kollel celebrated a hachnasas sefer Torah in conjunction with the Kollel’s annual fundraising event. The sefer Torah was dedicated by esteemed friends of the Kollel, Mr. and Mrs. Gene Mesh. The program began with a buffet reception held in the Mayerson JCC, where over 450 members of the extended community came out in a stunning display of kvod haTorah. They were able to view the sefer Torah being completed and to watch the osiyos being written in the sefer. The sofer who completed the sefer was Rav Binyomin Spiro, mechaber of Keses Sofer im Divrei Mishnah Berurah. The hachnasas sefer Torah was graced with the presence of the Governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland. The governor spoke about the uniqueness of finishing a sefer Torah, something he was witnessing for the very first time. He asked numerous questions about the sefer Torah and took the time to greet members of the community. Other presentations were also made by Mr. Steve Rosedale, Mr. Dick Weiland, and by Mr. Gene Mesh and his family. Following the reception and children’s program, the sefer Torah was ready to be brought to its new home in the Cincinnati Community Kollel. The sefer Torah was then escorted with dancing out of the ballroom where over a hundred Yiddishe kinder sang along, wearing sefer Torah hats and waving flags. A motorcade then formed to accompany the sefer Torah on its two-and-a-half mile ride to the Kollel. The vehicles, with the help of the Amberley and Golf Manor police departments, drove to the parking lot of the Chofetz Chaim Hebrew Day School. The olam then continued the leibidige dancing across the street to the Kollel. The rainy weather did not put a damper on the warm spirit and intense excitement of the hachnasah. The sefer Torah was then greeted by the other sifrei Torah and led with dancing into the Kollel Bais Midrash, accompanied by the singing of the s’eu shearim roshechem. After Minchah, there was a small appreciation dinner for the extended Mesh family that had come in for the event.
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It’s all about Aleph Champ
Kevin Jaffe, age 10 shows off his Aleph Champ belts and stripes.
Ask any kid who has walked through the doors of Chabad Hebrew School what their favorite part of the day is, and the answer you will hear is most likely to be “Aleph Champ.” That’s right. In addition to the outstanding handson lessons about Jewish holidays, history and culture, this unique Hebrew reading program has become the hands-down highlight of the Hebrew School day. What is Aleph Champ? Aleph Champ was developed in 2004 by a young Chabad Hebrew School director in New York who was looking for a new way to motivate
her students to not only learn to read Hebrew, but to be energized by the very process of the learning. The “ah-ha” moment came as she was taking a karate class. She decided to engage the concept of motivational colored levels in her school’s Hebrew reading program. Students started at the White Aleph Champ level, with a white workbook, white flashcards and a white bracelet. What happened next was everything she could have hoped for—the students developed a burning desire to pass to the next level. The success of Aleph Champ immediately took off and spread
through Chabad Hebrew Schools across the nation. Kids were clamoring to go to Hebrew School so that they could check off pages, get tested and earn their stripes and belts. Chabad Hebrew School here in Cincinnati joined the program and watched the incredible results unfold. The following anecdote was related by parent Stephanie Jaffe at this year’s graduation ceremony: “Kevin’s favorite part of the Hebrew School program is Aleph Champ. As he began passing through the different levels last year, he put all of his wristbands,
certificates and belts on a bulletin board in his room. When school ended, he surprised me by wanting to continue with Aleph Champ over the summer. I spoke with Rabbi Cohen and he set us up with the materials and I worked with Kevin to continue on. I really thought that Kevin would lose interest shortly into the summer, but he kept at it full force. Even this year, he already plans to continue Aleph Champ through the summer. “The Aleph Champ program is ingenious because it lets every student work at their level and at their own pace. We are thrilled not only with what Kevin has learned, but with his desire to learn more and do more.” Other parents concur with their children’s experiences. Adds a parent who is a four year veteran of the school, “The Aleph Champ program is fabulous! Its ability to let Rachel learn at her own pace — however fast or slow that may be in a given week — is exactly the type of learning environment she needs. Rachel’s experience at CHS has been invaluable, and she will carry those benefits with her for the rest of her life.” To sum it all up, here are the words of student Charlie Goldsmith (age 11), an Aleph Champ Black Belt, “Every year Chabad Hebrew School gets better! The hands-on lessons are wonderful, and of course, it wouldn’t be the same without the outstanding Aleph Champ program! This is a remarkable place!” Chabad Hebrew School welcomes all inquiries about the program. Contact Rabbi Cohen to schedule a personal tour and to find out more about Chabad Hebrew School.
Call (513) 531-8648 www.loudenpark.com We speak Russian!
PHILADELPHIA (Jewish Exponent) — As Rabbi Barry Schwartz tells it, one of his heroes is the 17th century Rabbi Menasseh Ben Israel, who set up Amsterdam’s first Hebrew printing press. Ben Israel knew that printed books were the way of the future rather than those copied by hand, said Schwartz, but he also understood that many people at the time still held a deep affinity for handwritten tomes. “It’s an example of respecting the old world while ushering in the new,” said Schwartz, 51. “I believe we’re poised at a similar point now.” That’s the kind of talk you’d
expect from someone named as the new CEO of the 122-year-old Jewish Publication Society. Schwartz, 51, comes in at a time when publishing faces an uphill climb with rising costs, dwindling readership and competitive new technologies. He left his post as senior rabbi at Congregation M’kor Shalom, a Reform synagogue in Cherry Hill, N.J., to succeed Ellen Frankel, who is retiring after 18 years at the helm. While Frankel served as CEO and editor-in-chief, Schwartz will serve primarily as the public face of JPS and its fundraiser-in-chief. Interim director Carol Hupping said it was vital to find a candidate with longstanding connections to the Jewish community. Hupping,
VOL. 156 • NO. 51 Thursday, July 8, 2010 4 Av, 5770 Shabbat begins Fri, 8:45 p.m. Shabbat ends Sat, 9:45 p.m. THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE CO., PUBLISHERS 18 WEST NINTH STREET, SUITE 2 CINCINNATI, OHIO 45202-2037 PHONE: (513) 621-3145 FAX: (513) 621-3744 publisher@americanisraelite.com editor@americanisraelite.com articles@americanisraelite.com production@americanisraelite.com HENRY C. SEGAL Editor & Publisher 1930-1985 MILLARD H. MACK Publisher Emeritus NETANEL (TED) DEUTSCH Editor & Publisher BARBARA L. MORGENSTERN Senior Writer MICHAEL McCRACKEN ELIJAH PLYMESSER Assistant Editors ALEXIA KADISH Copy Editor JANET STEINBERG Travel Editor STEPHANIE DAVIS-NOVAK Fashion Editor MARILYN GALE Dining Editor MARIANNA BETTMAN NATE BLOOM RABBI A. JAMES RUDIN RABBI AVI SHAFRAN Contributing Writers LEV LOKSHIN JANE KARLSBERG Staff Photographers PATTY YOUKILIS JUSTIN COHEN Advertising Sales
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who will return to her role as chief operating officer and publishing director, said that JPS would like to hire another editor-in-chief, but is holding off for financial reasons. “We knew we really needed somebody who could be an ambassador for JPS; a networker, somebody who could be a collaborator at heart,” she said. Schwartz, who started this week, said that “we are going to have to reinvent ourselves.” He cited imagination and collaboration as two engines necessary to drive the group forward, but also noted that no one is going to be driving anywhere unless there’s a little spare change. RABBI on page 20
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Rising for Albert and his famous baseball song By Edmon J. Rodman Jewish Telegraphic Agency LOS ANGELES (JTA) — At the ballpark this summer, when you rise for the seventh-inning stretch to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” stretch a bit taller — one of the song’s writers was Jewish. The unofficial song of America’s pastime, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” is the product of a Jewish-Episcopalian collaboration: Jewish songwriter Albert Von Tilzer wrote the melody, lyricist Jack Norworth penned the words. Prior to writing baseball’s hit tune, the lore goes, neither had attended a ballgame. Their famous collaboration, which is sung publicly somewhere in the U.S. every day from midspring to early fall, is believed to trail only “Happy Birthday” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” as America’s most performed songs. Since the sportscaster Harry Caray first began belting it out at Chicago’s Comiskey Park in the mid-1970s, and later at Wrigley Field, the song has become a regular feature at major league and minor league ballparks across America. They even sing it in Japan. Yet considering the song’s fame, Norworth and Van Tilzen go largely unrecognized by baseball officialdom, and Von Tilzer scores barely a nod in the Jewish community. Their story resembles the
song’s famous punchline: “and it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out at the old ball game.” According to the Songwriters Hall of Fame website, Norworth wrote the lyrics to the universal seventh-inning stretch anthem in 1908 “while riding a New York City subway train.” He had spotted a sign that said “Ballgame Today at the Polo Grounds” and “baseball-related lyrics started popping into his head.” His partner Von Tilzer already had a successful career in songwriting and music publishing in the Jewishly influenced Tin Pan Alley in New York when he wrote the music for what was to be his most enduring creation. In 2008, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the song, but there’s no mention of the songwriters. Von Tilzer died in 1956 and Norworth three years later, but word now comes from AOL columnist Chris Epting in a story titled “Stepping Up to Bat for Jack Norworth” that in Southern California where Norworth is buried — just a mile or two from the site of this week’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Anaheim — the stone marking his grave site is worn and barely readable. A Facebook group has formed recently that is dedicated to raising Norworth’s visibility and “getting a groundswell going.” Its goal
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Written in 1908, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is America’s song — the U.S. Postal Service even issued a stamp. A few notes from Albert Von Tilzer’s classic appear at the bottom, but where is a credit?
is to have the marker redone on better quality stone, adding words marking Norworth’s role in cowriting the famous song. But since Norworth has no known next of kin for approval, the Melrose Abbey Memorial Park is not allowing any do-overs, though it is open to discussing a plaque elsewhere on the grounds. And what of Von Tilzer’s grave? I found he was buried in Glendale, N.Y., in a family plot in the New Mount Carmel cemetery. The headstone, simple in design with just a name and date, is with-
out a word memorializing his part in celebrating America’s pastime. I called the cemetery and asked the receptionist, Lina Cortesiano, if anyone comes looking for Von Tilzer’s grave. First she had to look him up. “Yes, he’s here,” she said. “But I don’t recall anyone coming to find him.” In an era of sheet music, “Von Tilzer wrote the music for 20 million copy-selling songs,” said Tim Wiles, director of research at The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., one of the authors of “Baseball’s Greatest Hit: The Story of ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game,’” with whom I recently spoke by phone. Von Tilzer, who changed his name from Gumm (originally Gumbinski), was one of five brothers from Indiana who all had careers on Tin Pan Alley and in vaudeville. In Indianapolis, where Von Tilzer grew up, “The Gumbinskis owned a shoe store,” Wiles said. “Upstairs was a performance space where they could kind of get their feet wet.” I wondered if the Hall of Fame had done anything permanent to commemorate the composer and lyricist of baseball’s most often heard song. Perhaps an award set up in their names to honor others who have made creative contributions to the sport. So far it’s a shutout. Wiles says Von Tilzer and
Norworth do not fit into any of the four categories recognized by the Hall of Fame: “player, umpire, ownership and pioneers.” “Von Tilzer’s and Norworth’s cultural contribution was one of the most important that has ever been made to the game,” he said. “A contribution that is worthy of being remembered.” Wiles recalled that in 1997, the Hall of Fame did have an exhibit. And what recognition has Von Tilzer received in Jewish circles? Certainly a Jewish sports hall of fame would have done something to honor his contribution? I checked the website for the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Commack, N.Y., less than 40 miles from where Von Tilzer is buried. To achieve its goal of fostering “Jewish identity through sports,” I found that the hall had honored not only athletes but sportswriters, broadcasters, columnists and a photographer. But no songwriters; Von Tilzer has yet to be inducted. Why not add a plaque singing the praises of Von Tilzer? We already stand and sing his song at every game. Like the songs says, if he doesn’t win it’s a shame. (Edmon J. Rodman is a JTA columnist who writes on Jewish life from Los Angeles. He also is the author of a baseball biography, “Nomo, The Tornando Who Took America by Storm.”)
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Brandeis names George Washington law dean as new president By Jacob Berkman Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK (JTA) — The board of directors of Brandeis University has tapped the dean of George Washington University’s law school as its next president. Frederick Lawrence, who has been the dean at George Washington Law since 2005, will succeed Jehuda Reinharz, who announced last fall that he would be leaving Brandeis after 16 years guiding the suburban Boston university. Lawrence, an expert in hate crimes law who received his law degree from Yale, served on the Boston University faculty for 17 years before moving on to GW, and was BU’s associate dean of students from 1996 to 1999. He turns 55 on July 12. In tapping Lawrence as president, a position he will assume in January, the Brandeis board has selected a figure bent on preserving the school’s Jewish identity. “There are two main pieces of the Brandeis story and mission that speak to me, my career and my life,” Lawrence told JTA this week. “One, the remarkable opportunity to build a research college, which is a very unusual position for a small liberal arts college. The other piece of it was the opportunity to have a strong nonsectarian school that has deep roots in the Jewish community.” Brandeis’ ethnic character has been a matter of ferment since the school was founded in 1948 by a small group of Jewish intellectual elites in response to Jewish quotas
National Briefs Jewish groups mostly hail Presbyterian outcomes WASHINGTON (JTA) — National Jewish groups praised U.S. Presbyterians for rejecting the most controversial anti-Israel proposals at the church’s General Assembly. In votes last Friday in Minneapolis, the assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) rejected sanctions and divestment as a means of protesting Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and its blockade of the Gaza Strip, as well as theological critiques of Zionism that Jewish groups said bordered on the anti-Semitic. It also recognized both Israeli and Palestinian claims in the conflict. “Rejection of overtures calling for the use of divestment and label-
at Ivy League colleges. The university rankled many prominent Jewish thinkers early on by holding its first commencement on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. The debate over its Jewish character reached a boiling point during the late 1980s when Brandeis — then led by Evelyn Handler — engaged in an open campaign to downplay its Jewish identity in a bid to draw more non-Jewish students. Reinharz, who will become the head of the Mandel Foundation, is credited with rebuilding the Jewish identity of Brandeis, turning the school into the country’s pre-eminent nondenominational center for Jewish study and research. Under his tenure, Brandeis established the Crown Center for Middle East Studies, the Mandel Center for Jewish Education, the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and the Steinhardt Social Research Institute. Reinharz is credited as well with rebuilding the university’s department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. Lawrence said the school’s Jewish roots are of particular interest to him. “Brandeis, as articulated in its four pillars, is a nonsectarian school with deep roots in the Jewish community,” he said. “That means from the sponsorship of the friends of the school to its many programs and curricula. It speaks to the social justice mission of the school.” The school’s Jewish character, he said, “is an undeniable and extremely valuable part of the tradition. It is something I am not just comfortable with, but it was desir-
able to me.” “The scholarship of the school will have a particular interest in it, especially in the social sciences and international relations, and there will be particular roles for Mideastern studies and Jewish studies, not just in the humanities but in the social sciences as well — and in the kinds of students we are trying to attract. It will be a place Jewish students will have a particular kind of home.”
ing Israeli policy as apartheid demonstrate a desire for broader understanding in the quest for peace,” said a statement by a coalition of 12 national Jewish groups comprising the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist streams, as well as a number of defense and umbrella bodies. “The General Assembly has modeled a more inclusive voice on the ArabIsraeli-Palestinian conflict.” The statement, distributed by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, a policy group umbrella, nonetheless noted with disappointment that the assembly deferred for further consideration a paper recommending improvements in Presbyterian-Jewish relations that has been long in preparation. The Anti-Defamation League issued a separate statement that was sharper in its disappointment, saying that the assembly “averted a rupture” but slammed the assembly’s recommendation that the U.S. government consider withholding aid as a means of pressuring Israel.
The two Jewish statements had different treatments of how the assembly dealt with “Kairos,” a document prepared by Palestinian Christians that endorses divestment and boycotts and upholds armed resistance. The statement distributed by the JCPA noted positively the rejection of the more controversial elements of Kairos; the ADL statement excoriated the assembly for nonetheless voting to disseminate Kairos. Abraham Foxman, the ADL’s national director, noted his appreciation of those Presbyterians who fought to mitigate the criticism of Israel. “We are saddened that the efforts of our good friends in the Presbyterian Church who worked so hard were not more successful and, at best, averted a rupture between the Church and the Jewish people,” Foxman said. “However, anti-Israel bias continues with the approval of recommendations which single out and put the onus
Brandeis
Frederick Lawrence will take over as president of Brandeis University in 2011.
Lawrence’s own Jewish roots are diverse. He grew up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, N.Y., where as a child he attended a Reform synagogue his parents helped found — and that employed a rabbi that had both Reform and Orthodox rabbinic ordination. During his years in Boston,
Lawrence and his wife, Kathy, were members of the egalitarian synagogue Kehilath Israel in Brookline — Lawrence said they plan to rejoin the congregation upon their return to Boston. In Washington, the Lawrences are members of Kesher Israel, the Orthodox synagogue that counts U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman among its members. Lawrence, who is also a singer and has performed at Carnegie Hall, helped make his name through lay involvement with the Anti-Defamation League. After serving as an assistant U.S. attorney under Rudy Giuliani, who went to become the mayor of New York City, and working in the office’s civil rights unit, Lawrence went to BU and also became a member of the Massachusetts attorney general’s Hate Crimes Task Force through his work with ADL. He served as chairman of the ADL’s national legal affairs committee, where he co-authored a number of friend-of-the-court briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. His book, “Punishing Hate: Bias Crimes Under American Law,” was published by Harvard University Press in 1999. In 2009 he edited one of five volumes of the treatise “Responding to Hate Crime.” Brandeis, he said, will offer him a unique challenge academically and personally. Lawrence steps into the position at a challenging time. Over the past two years, Brandeis has been reeling financially from the recession and the significant hit taken by some major donors in the Bernard Madoff scandal. The fiscal woes spurred the decision, and controversy, to sell off
a portion of the university’s Rose Art Museum collection. The school’s fundraising dropped to $78 million in 2009 from $90 million in 2008, according to the student newspaper, “The Justice.” Last September, Reinharz surprised many when he announced abruptly — just one year into a five-year contract extension — that he was stepping down. While Lawrence was at GW, the law school tripled its available scholarship money, vastly increased its international partnerships, especially in India, and saw its best fundraising year ever during 2009. But even at its height, GW Law under Lawrence took in $12.5 million — a far cry from what he will have to raise in his new post at Brandeis, which has a student population of 6,000. “I am not unaware of the challenge Brandeis and other institutions face in this economic climate, but we have a mission, and it is an important mission,” he said. “The way in which the university has dealt with its financial challenges over the past years is something I am impressed with and proud of,” Lawrence said. Some schools “just take the easy route with across-the-board cuts, but that is not commitment to excellence. If you are really going to be committed to excellence, you have to look at things you have to do at the highest level, what you need to maintain, and what you can’t maintain and have to let go.” He added, “I have had several opportunities that I did not follow up on, but Brandeis was too interesting and important not to pursue.”
for peacemaking on Israel.”
good name to their clients, and only a PR firm with their own good name and reputation can succeed in business,” said Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, founder of The Israel Project. Representatives from Fenton were unavailable for comment. The firm, well known in Democratic and liberal circles in the United States, has represented Jewish groups, including the American Jewish World Service, a relief group. According to its website, Fakhoora is a campaign to help improve education for children in Gaza. The organization is supported by the second wife of the emir of Qatar, whose office paid Fenton to represent Fakhoora from March 1 to Aug. 31. Fenton distributed materials on the Fakhoora’s website, such as a “flotilla action alert,” and helped spread the organization’s message through social networking sites such as Facebook. Fenton has offices in New York, Washington and San Francisco.
PR firm to stop representing pro-Palestinian group WASHINGTON (JTA) — A U.S. public relations firm said it will not renew its contract with a pro-Palestinian group that helped to organize the flotilla that aimed to breach Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. The announcement from Fenton Communications, which specializes in PR for not-for-profit groups, followed The Israel Project’s distribution of a news release publicizing Fenton’s representation of Fakhoora on June 23. The release noted Fakhoora’s role in helping to organize the flotilla of six aid ships. An Israeli raid on one of the ships on May 31 resulted in the deaths of nine passengers on board. The release was issued to The Israel Project’s mailing list and Fenton clients. “The purpose of a public relations firm is to help provide a
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Op-Ed: Saluting a stand against Holocaust denial By Warren L. Miller WASHINGTON (JTA) — An official Iranian delegation from the city of Shiraz recently visited Weimar, its sister city in Germany. Like Weimar, Shiraz has been a capital of high culture for centuries, and appreciating the arts undoubtedly was high on the itinerary of Mayor Mehran E’temadi and his fellow delegates. The delegation from Shiraz did not, however, see fit to tour the other, less proud side of Weimar’s history — the concentration camp of Buchenwald, located just four miles from the city, where more than 50,000 Jews and others were killed and made to endure cruel and barbaric treatment. The Iranians were scheduled to visit the concentration camp memorial, but they refused to go, for reasons that are obvious to anyone who has heard the anti-Semitic rants and Holocaust calumnies spewed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. That the Shiraz delegation on
their June visit chose to avoid the discomfort and embarrassment of confronting the truth is not surprising. But what might come as a pleasant surprise is the heartening reaction of their German hosts: The Weimar City Council refused to meet their guests from Shiraz. The message Weimar sent to E’temadi and his delegation could not have been clearer: If they choose historical revisionism over historic truth and prejudice over tolerance, then they are not welcome in respectable company, no matter what other values or interests they might share. It is important to recall that Weimar is not just any city with a black stain on its past. Weimar is a 1,000-year-old town renowned for its cultural heritage. It is the city of Goethe and Schiller and Bach and Liszt. The Bauhaus art movement was founded there. And yet the city’s illustrious past does not prevent its current leaders from facing up to a shameful era in its history, a lesson clearly lost on the delegation from Iran’s city of poets.
Had E’temadi and his fellow delegates not avoided Buchenwald, they would have been hard-pressed to let stand their president’s Holocaust denial. As cultured, intelligent people, they could not have misunderstood the purpose of the ovens in the concentration camp’s crematorium. Walking though Buchenwald’s “Little Camp,” where the Jews were confined and the worst conditions existed, they hardly could have sustained the lies of their leader. Coming face to face with the meat hooks on which the Nazis hung prisoners before clubbing them to death, the distinguished guests from Shiraz would have received a sobering insight into what is reality and what is myth. Indeed, the Iranian delegation would have been shamed into silence had they read the words engraved on the memorial at the Little Camp — words that I wrote when creating the memorial on behalf of the United States Commission for the Preservation
of America’s Heritage Abroad: “Conditions were barbaric. Windowless stables with dirt floors intended to house 50 horses at times contained nearly 2,000 people. There was no running water, no sanitation and virtually no heat in the stables. ... With only one latrine, many inmates were forced to use their food bowls as night latrines. By 1945, an everpresent stench of human excrement pervaded the site. Corpses lay about in the open as the death toll increased daily. The Little Camp was a place of deepest despair for those left there to be forgotten and to die from cold, starvation, dehydration, debilitating labor, torture and rampant epidemics of diseases that went untreated.” Even at the cost of disrespecting their German hosts, however, the Iranian delegation elected not to go to Buchenwald, a site visited by 750,000 people each year. One can only hope that the delegation’s decision was driven by fear of political repercussions
back home. The alternative explanation for their actions is far more worrisome: That Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust denial is finding a receptive audience among the Iranian people. Repeated often enough, vicious lies eventually will be accepted as fact by many. The people and leaders of Weimar are to be commended for not looking the other way as E’temadi and his fellow Iranians denied the city’s past. Most Germans know all too well the cost of being bystanders when prejudice and hate are not confronted. They understand that when the Holocaust is denied and truth is under assault, so too is freedom, and so too is humanity. (Warren L. Miller is chairman of the United States Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, a federal government agency that works with foreign governments to preserve endangered sites of cultural and historical significance.)
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Nice pictures, but what did Obama and Bibi discuss? By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON (JTA) — The optics were perfect, but the meaning was elusive. President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat together Tuesday, joshing and smiling, trying to project a clear message: The rift was over. Israel and the United States are on the same track again. “In terms of my relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu, I know the press, both in Israel and stateside, enjoys seeing if there’s news there,” Obama said. “But the fact of the matter is that I’ve trusted Prime Minister Netanyahu since I met him before I was elected president, and have said so both publicly and privately.” The meeting capped months of tensions sparked by Israel’s announcement in March of a major housing start in eastern Jerusalem during an official visit to Israel by Vice President Joe Biden. The image of a friendly encounter between the two leaders was almost tainted in the lead-up to the meeting when it was leaked that Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, had warned in a private conversation of a “tectonic rift” between the two countries. Oren later explained that he had been misquoted: “Shift,” he said. In any case, U.S. officials said in a rare on-the-record call last Friday, there is no fissure. “There’s absolutely no rift between the United States and Israel,” Ben Rhodes, the deputy
Amos BenGershom / GPO
President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, July 6, 2010.
national security adviser, said in the conference call. Dan Shapiro, the senior National Security Council official who runs the Israel desk, said he “can certainly underscore the incredible richness and intensity and quality of the exchange between our governments in military channels, in political channels, in intelligence channels.” Officials were brimming with superlatives. Details, however, were lacking, and in some areas there was evident disagreement. The leaders agreed, for
instance, on the need to go to direct talks with the Palestinians; the Palestinian Authority has resisted pending a full settlement freeze. Obama, however, set a deadline of sorts when he made clear that he wanted such talks to start before September, when Netanyahu’s selfimposed 10-month settlement freeze lapses. “My hope is that once direct talks have begun, well before the moratorium has expired, that that will create a climate in which everybody feels a greater invest-
ment in success,” Obama said. Israeli officials, speaking on and off the record, made it clear that they were not confident the Palestinians were ready for direct talks and would not commit to a deadline. The sides also spoke of confidence-building measures. Pressed for specifics, Obama cited the need for the Palestinians to further inhibit incitement, and called on Israel to “widen the scope” of Palestinian security responsibilities in the West Bank, given the advances that a U.S.-led team has had in training
Palestinian security forces. In the meetings before and after lunch, however, Netanyahu and his team suggested that the Israelis were not confident enough in the Palestinians to assume greater security control in areas outside their current purview of a handful of cities. Most tellingly, Obama administration officials said the peace process and moving to direct talks was reason No. 1 for the ObamaNetanyahu meeting. Israeli officials placed it a distant third behind delivering assurances to Israel that the United States would not press Israel for nuclear transparency, and U.S. assistance in shepherding Israel past the crisis sparked by Israel’s deadly May 31 raid on an aid flotilla that aimed to breach Israel’s embargo of the Gaza Strip. Still, the Israeli team emerged from the meetings reassured and even jovial. The nuclear issue was key. “The United States will never ask Israel to take any steps that would undermine its security interests,” Obama said, referring to his administration’s efforts to get more countries to abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israeli officials had raised concerns after a U.S.-hosted conference in May concluded with an agreement to consider the issue of Israel. U.S. officials said later that the issue should only be considered subsequent to a comprehensive, permanent peace, which is Israel’s position. OBAMA on page 20
Security vs. openness: European Jewish institutions seeking a balance By Ruth Ellen Gruber Jewish Telegraphic Agency ROME (JTA) — In an age of terrorism and fears of mounting anti-Semitism, Jewish communities in Europe are facing a dilemma: how to protect synagogues and other Jewish institutions without turning them into fortresses that repel the very people they seek to attract. At many European Jewish institutions, police patrols, guards, metal detectors, and identification and handbag checks are routine. “The big question is how to balance security needs with an open, welcoming community,” said an official with a global Jewish organization. Like many people discussing security issues, he did not want to be quoted by name. “It is very complicated,” the official said. “Security can be a metaphor for something deeper. It
can be used as an excuse not to be open.” Some say the challenge is to prevent protection from crossing into paranoia. Security concerns, they say, must not set the agenda for Jewish life. Rabbi Andrew Baker, the American Jewish Committee’s director of International Jewish Affairs, said the dilemma is not only one of balancing the need for security with conveying a welcoming presence to members and guests. It is also one of prioritizing limited resources. In Stockholm, said Baker, who is also the representative on combating anti-Semitism for the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe), Jewish institutions appear “more visibly protected” than government buildings, and the Jewish community allocates as much as 25 percent of its annual revenues on security.
“This is money that would otherwise be available for religious or cultural programs,” he said. Particularly in major cities, the trend seems to be to err on the side of caution. Guards in Vienna once tried to prevent Elia Richetti, the chief rabbi of Venice, from entering the main synagogue there for Saturday morning services; Richetti doesn’t carry on Shabbat and could not produce an ID. “However off-putting security measures are, it pales before what the reaction would be if there were a successful attack,” said one European Jewish security official. In some cities, heavy security at Jewish sites has been in place for decades, ever since a spate of deadly Palestinian terrorist attacks in the 1970s and 1980s that targeted synagogues, Israeli institutions and even a Jewish
restaurant in Paris. Security has been tightened in recent years with the emergence of al-Qaida and other terrorist groups, emboldened anti-Zionism among both immigrant Arab and local European communities, and in some countries the rise of neoNazis and other right-wing extremists. Still, scores of European synagogues, schools and other Jewish sites have been defaced, vandalized or attacked since 2000, amid hundreds of other anti-Semitic incidents. The vast majority of incidents involved nonviolent actions such as hate mail, verbal abuse and graffiti. But synagogues and other Jewish sites in several countries were torched or had windows broken, and al-Qaida bombs in 2003 targeted two synagogues in Istanbul. In an incident last month, Muslim immigrant children and teenagers shouted abuse and threw
stones at dancers at a Jewish street festival in Hanover, Germany. Jewish communities, generally in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, have tackled the security issue in a number of ways, combining highly visible measures with private internal controls. Some individual Jewish communities or congregations maintain their own professional security staff and teams of volunteers. In Britain, the Community Security Trust, or CST, provides and coordinates security for the Jewish community across the country, with hands-on operations and a website that provides security checklists and tips such as how to shatterproof windows. Mark Gardner, the spokesman for Britain’s CST, said community involvement in the security process is essential. BALANCE on page 20
Beyond never again: How the Holocaust speaks to us today Without a doubt, one of the main lessons to be learned from the Holocaust is to never allow such a horrific occurrence to happen again. That being said, the purpose of this paper is to go beyond never again and to discuss what more the holocaust teaches us. In other words, what more than preventing genocide to any people can be learned from the holocaust experience, and how does the Holocaust teach us to deal with everyday challenges and occurrences in our individual lives? Beyond making sure that a holocaust never occurs again, what other invaluable teachings come from the horrors of the Holocaust that will guide us to make our lives better and to inspire us to make this world a better place in which to live? The information and ideas put forth in this paper are gotten from a course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute as part of the ongoing adult Jewish study of Chabad under the umbrella of the Goldstein Family Learning Academy. I was blessed to have been taught this course by Rabbi Yisroel Mangel of the Chabad Jewish Center. Below are just some of the many things that I learned from this course. A. Some of the most oft asked questions surrounding the Holocaust are: How could G-d allow this to happen? Where was G-d while all this was occurring? Why did G-d allow this to happen? These questions beg the questions: Is it okay to question G-d? Is it okay to disagree with G-d’s decisions? Does questioning G-d show a lack of faith and belief? “Throughout Jewish history we find that our prophets who were people of great faith, did not simply accept G-d’s decisions, but challenged G-d on how the world functioned.” We find this by Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Job and many other prophets. It was specifically their faith that led them to challenge G-d. It was their expectations of Gd and their morals and ethics gotten from their faith in and teachings of G-d that not only caused them to challenge G-d but obligated them to challenge G-d. It was their belief in G-d that caused them to be troubled by injustices. Thus if these righteous people questioned G-d about injustices, clearly it is not only okay for us to question G-d regarding the Holocaust; it is our obligation to do so. How does this guide us in our lives today? Anytime we encounter a tragedy, an injustice, or a different answer to our prayers than what we want, it is not only okay to question G-d; it is our right and obligation to do so. It doesn’t show a lack a faith in G-d. It proves our faith in G-d. As part of the fundamental principles and foundations of Judaism is the belief and acceptance that 1) Gd is Omnipotent – he is all powerful and can do anything. 2) G-d is Omni benevolent – he is kind and
benevolent. 3) G-d is Omniscient – he is all knowing. The acceptance of these natures of G-d sets up a logical inconsistency – a paradox - and leads to the big question of why did G-d allow the Holocaust to happen? This is the same question as the age old and contemporary questions: Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do good things happen to bad people? To deal with these conundrums we have to examine our quest for the answer to why. 1. There is a natural instinct to ask why. We want to have an explanation and to comprehend. This could, however, lead one to accepting any answer, which could well be an incorrect answer, just to satisfy our natural quest for an answer. 2. We should recognize that there are limits to what we can understand making some things beyond our ability to understand. This is hard for one to accept; however, how can we as finite beings with limitations expect to understand everything that an infinite Gd without limitations does? 3. As hard as it is to say and admit it is okay to say “I don’t know.” This is the point at which we really begin to learn. “The beginning of knowledge is the awareness of ignorance.” 4. Ultimately, we really don’t want the answer as to why the Holocaust or any other tragedy or unwanted outcome occurred as this would make us, G-d forbid, accepting of the tragedy and insensitive to its consequences. By not knowing the answer to why, we maintain our sensitivity and outrage to the occurrence. This motivates us to improve things and prevent a reoccurrence thereby making the world a better place. The question Why itself becomes the answer. Being motivated to make the world a better place as a result of the occurrence is the answer to the question why. These four points are valid for the question of why the Holocaust and for all questions of why regarding suffering, tragedies, and unwanted outcomes in our daily lives. B. Unfortunately but understandably the word holocaust has become too encompassing, almost a generic term. Rather than thinking of the holocaust as the killing of six million Jews thereby losing the individuality of each person, thinking of the holocaust as the killing of a Jew six million times emphasizes the individual, each being a father, mother, sister, brother, child, or grandparent. The first human being created, Adam, was singular which teaches us that each person is unique and when you kill a person it is as if you killed an entire world as you kill that person and his entire lineage. Conversely, when you save an individual it is as if you saved an entire world as you save him and his entire lineage. Whereas all creations other than man were created in multitudes, the
human was created in the singular to show that G-d created the entire world for each human, individually, to make this world a better place. This was the antithesis of the Nazi perception of the human being. To the Nazis each person was just a number, an interchangeable part. It is our perspective of this individuality of man, our Jewish conscience, which gives us the opportunity to have a positive impact on the world. This Jewish conscience is what gives us sensitivity to the rest of the world. This Jewish way of thinking and being was a threat to Hitler and his distorted world view resulting in anti Semitism known as redemptive anti Semitism rather than racial anti Semitism. “The Holocaust was an unprecedented occurrence that combined a war on Judaism with a war on Jews.” “The Nazis had two aims and they furthered each other.” The physical extermination of the Jews was also meant to bring about the spiritual annihilation of Judaism, and the spiritual annihilation of Judaism was intended to lessen Jews’ physical strength to survive. Just as there are countless anecdotal accounts of physical Jewish resistance to the Nazis, there are countless anecdotal accounts of spiritual Jewish resistance to the Nazis. It is through these physical and spiritual resistances that many Jews and Judaism survived Nazi persecution. Today, thank G-d, Jewish existence is not physically challenged, but it is spiritually challenged. The lessons learned from the Holocaust teach us that today we need to spiritually meet these challenges. By carrying out the spiritual resistance that the Jews showed in Nazi Germany and by living as a Jew with a Jewish conscience Judaism and Jews will survive as we have for over 3300 years, even against all odds. C. The Jews who perished in the Holocaust perished solely because they were Jews. They are known as Kedoshim – ones who died sanctifying the name of G-d. They refused to renounce their Judaism, regardless of their level of observance or belief. The highest level of their soul remained connected to Gd even when faced with death rather than denounce their Judaism. Clearly we must strive to be sure that this happens Never Again, and we can take this beyond never again by taking this ultimate connection to G-d taught to us by those who perished sanctifying the name of G-d and learning the lesson of sanctifying the name of G-d by living a life of kindness, goodness, ethics, and morals – a life whose purpose it is to make the world a better place – thus we become Kedoshim ones who sanctify the name of G-d.. D. There are countless books written and anecdotal accounts of the extraordinary circumstances and things done by those who survived the horrors of the Holocaust.
Many of these recall the great lengths that survivors went to in order to stay connected to G-d by doing anything they could to carry out as many ritual observances as possible. Their belief in G-d and his laws gave them a why to live, and as Viktor Emil Frankl, M.D., PhD a professor of Neurology and Psychiatry and a holocaust survivor wrote in his book Man’s Search for Meaning “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” For many of the survivors their why was their connection to G-d and G-d’s laws. We can use these extraordinary examples of how the survivors dealt with their suffering as a way to teach us how to deal with our own personal suffering. He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. The survivors needed to believe in a tomorrow and for many that was their belief and trust in G-d. This was their why to live which gave them the how to live through the horrors of the Holocaust. The survivors showed us that 1.) Life has meaning under all circumstances. 2.) It is up to the individual to shape that meaning. 3.) People have freedom under all circumstances to activate the will to find meaning. This is what the survivors did to survive. This is what we can do to get through our sufferings. Applying meaning to painful events can lessen the suffering even though it doesn’t lessen the pain. It does make the pain more bearable. The meaning of the painful event can be the why to live which then provides us with the how to live. How one views their pain and suffering depends on the prism through which they view their pain and suffering. We are in control over what lenses we use for this view. If we see the glass as half full then we can find the why which will give us the how just as it did for many of the survivors. We, like the survivors, can shape all of our life’s events rather than life’s events shaping us. For many of the survivors this was able to be accomplished by their pervasive i.e. internalized quality of faith. It was part of their very fabric. We can learn from them by training our sense of faith. When we internalize our sense of faith, kindness, generosity, and need to help make this world a better place we give ourselves the why which will provide us with the how to endure life’s challenges. This is another way that the Holocaust speaks to us today. E. As stated in the beginning of this paper one of the most asked questions of the Holocaust is “Where was G-d?’’ But the real question is where was man? One of the most troubling aspects of the Holocaust is that these horrific acts were not done by uneducated barbarians living in a primitive society. Rather these acts occurred in one of the most technologically advanced, most culturally
advanced, and educated societies. The make up of the top 50 SS Officers were: 14 physicians, 14 lawyers, 5 professors/educators, 5 engineers/architects, 4 economists/statisticians, 3 scientists/ chemist, 3 businessmen, and 2 clergy/theologians. This shows that man has unlimited capacity for doing evil regardless of his level of education or cultural sophistication. At the same time countless numbers of Jews were saved from death by Righteous Gentiles who at the risk of losing their own life saved Jews. The vast majority of these Righteous Gentiles were ordinary citizens. 90% of them rescued people they did not know. 80% of them did this on their own without consulting with anyone else. 70% of them decided on helping a Jew on the spot without ever stopping to think about the consequences. This is irrefutable evidence that man is made up of both good and evil, and that man has the capacity to do untold evil and an untold amount of good. This provides us with some of the most important ways in which the holocaust speaks to us today. First, the fact that all humans have the capacity to do unlimited evil means we ourselves need to be mindful of our actions. We should control our emotions and dislikes. Just using our mind and our desires for physical achievements to make decisions can lead us to do evil. Second, it was found that the Righteous Gentiles who risked their own lives to save Jews that they didn’t even know had a strong relationship with family and community. They had a strong sense of right and wrong. They had a strong sense of caring and compassion. They had a set of morals and ethics as found in the Seven Laws of Noachide. We are made in the image of G-d and as such we have the capacity to choose, to will, and to create. Accordingly, we can use our freedom of choice to make moral ethical choices. We can will a world view of morals and ethics to the entire world by teaching these principles and teaching by way of example. We can create a world that is a true dwelling place for G-d by making our mission in life that of making a world a better place in which to live by helping others, by sharing in others pain, by not giving up when things become difficult, by seeing the world positively, and by clinging to G-d’s laws. This is how the Holocaust speaks to us today. There can NEVER AGAIN be another Holocaust. By going beyond never again and using the ways in which the Holocaust speaks to us today we can bring about the end result that is the central lesson of the Holocaust – NEVER AGAIN. Edwin P. Goldstein
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As Israel’s image sinks, It’s all in a name: Tale of an orphan’s rescue from Chechnya whither Israeli PR? By Anna Rudnitskaya Jewish Telegraphic Agency
By Leslie Susser Jewish Telegraphic Agency
MOSCOW (JTA) — In a room at a Jewish asylum in Moscow, the boy sits on the lower part of a bunk bed looking down at the floor. Headphones on his ears, he pays no notice to a visitor. Except for his name, David Naumkin, there is no evidence that he is Jewish — no documents, no Jewish relatives. But it is thanks to his name that he was rescued from a Chechnya orphanage about a month ago at the age of 20. Naumkin’s story is typical for Chechnyans born 20 years ago: Unknown men killed his father. His mother died in a bombing when he was 9; he witnessed her death. Until then he spoke Russian. After that he didn’t speak a word for months. When he resumed talking, he spoke Chechen. Now Naumkin is in Moscow and speaks Russian — sometimes. For the most part he won’t speak. Psychologists who come to see him in the asylum say he is trying to come to terms with his new life. The story of his rescue goes back about six months ago, when the Israeli Embassy in Moscow received a letter from the director of
JERUSALEM (JTA) — In the war of public relations for Israel, the past few weeks have been full of setbacks. Israel’s deadly May 31 raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla sparked countless angry editorials, demonstrations and condemnations. The assassination in Dubai in January against a Hamas operative by agents using fake passports — widely believed to have been Israelis — resulted in the expulsion of Israeli diplomats from the countries whose passports had been faked. Even leading musicians have canceled performances in Israel in recent weeks, citing political circumstances. These developments have brought Israel’s growing image problem into sharp relief. The fear is that Israel is subject to a growing tide of delegitimization that, if unchecked, could pose an existential threat. The nightmare scenario has the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement gaining more traction and anti-Israel opinion moving from Western campuses to governments, fol-
David Naumkin and Olga Elshanskaya, the Jewish Agency for Israel employee who took the 20-year-old from a Chechen orphanage to a Moscow asylum to work with him.
an orphanage in the Chechen capital of Grozny about a Jewish boy living there who could no longer stay because he was over 18. But he was unable to live on his own. The embassy asked whether there were any documents proving the boy’s Jewishness. Without them, nothing could be done. That could have been the end of the story, but a woman working in the embassy who knew about the letter talked about the boy to her friend Olga Elshanskaya, 22,
who worked at the Jewish Agency for Israel. Sympathizing with Naumkin’s plight, Elshanskaya shared the information with her office colleague responsible for aliyah, figuring that if the boy was Jewish, he may have had relatives in Israel. Elshanskaya asked the Israeli Embassy to look for the boy’s relatives, but the embassy said it needed proof the boy was Jewish. RESCUE on page 21
‘Cultural intifada’ as Costello, Meg Ryan and others cancel Israel plans By Marcy Oster Jewish Telegraphic Agency JERUSALEM (JTA) — Actress Meg Ryan’s decision to cancel her appearance at this week’s Jerusalem Film Festival didn’t garner the same attention in Israel as British rocker Elvis Costello when he nixed his Israel concert this spring. Both, however, were a reminder to Israelis that in the eyes of much of the world, Israel’s politics and culture are inseparable. The cancellations were part of a string that Israel has experienced over the past few months, including appearances by the indie rock band The Pixies, singer Devendra Banhart, alternative rockers Gorillaz, the British band the Klaxons and American soul singer Gil Scott-Heron. In February, rock legend Carlos Santana withdrew from a sold-out performance reportedly due to pressure from proPalestinian groups. Israelis have taken to calling this a “cultural intifada” — borrowing a term used by the Palestinians to describe their
uprisings against Israel. “Intense pressure is being applied to foreign artists not to come to Israel,” prominent Israeli promoter Shuki Weiss, who has brought such top-name acts to Israel as Madonna and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, told the Israeli business daily Globes. After The Pixies canceled last month, Weiss called it “cultural terrorism.” “I am full of both sorrow and pain in light of the fact that our repeated attempts to present quality acts and festivals in Israel have increasingly been falling victim to what I can only describe as a form of cultural terrorism which is targeting Israel and the arts worldwide,” Weiss wrote in a statement. The most recent high-profile cancellation, by Ryan, came right after Israel’s deadly May 31 interception of the Gaza-bound, Turkishflagged aid flotilla, which left nine passengers dead. A day later, Ryan’s staff e-mailed the Jerusalem Film Festival to say she would not be able to attend. Reports that actor Dustin Hoffman also canceled an
appearance at the festival were unfounded; Hoffman had never been scheduled to attend the event. When Costello canceled his two concerts in Tel Aviv at the end of June, he said the decision was “a matter of instinct and conscience.” In a message posted on his website, Costello wrote, “There are occasions when merely having your name added to a concert schedule may be interpreted as a political act that resonates more than anything that might be sung and it may be assumed that one has no mind for the suffering of the innocent.” The cancellations have frustrated Israel’s music lovers, producers and friends. Israeli filmmaker Joseph Cedar, whose 2007 movie “Beaufort” received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, told JTA that the refusal of artists to perform in Israel is a kind of collective punishment of the culture-loving public — often the very public that is “extra critical of Israeli policies.” CANCEL on page 21
Israel Briefs Holtzbergs’ nanny on way to Israeli citizenship JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Indian nanny who spirited the son of the Mumbai Chabad house directors out of the building during a terrorist attack has begun the citizenship process in Israel. Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai awarded Sandra Samuel temporary residential status on Sunday, the first step toward permanent citizenship. Samuel received a work permit when she arrived in Israel a yearand-a-half ago to care for Moshe Holtzberg, then 2, who lost both of his parents in the Mumbai attacks. Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg were killed in the Chabad House along with four visitors in the November 2008 attacks on several Mumbai sites, including luxury hotels, a train station and a popular cafe. More than 170 people were killed in the attacks. “She risked her life in order to save Jews and we are obligated to take care of her,” Yishai said, according to Ynet. “The family has
lowed by a lifting of the protective American diplomatic umbrella. More than ever, Israel needs an efficient PR machine capable of undermining the would-be delegitimizers and getting across the Israeli narrative. That begs the question: Who is running Israel’s PR — in Hebrew, called hasbara — and why have they not been more successful? The public face of Israel, the Netanyahu-Lieberman-Barak government, wins few points on the international stage. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely perceived as uninterested in making peace, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is seen as a racist bully and Defense Minister Ehud Barak is seen as not doing enough to press for more peaceoriented policies. Another problem is the large number of agencies within the government dealing with public relations. To name just a few, there is a directorate for PR in the National Security Council, and PR divisions in the Prime Minister’s Office, the Defense Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces. IMAGE on page 22 impressed upon me that she is vital to the continuing rehabilitation process following the terrible disaster they have undergone.” British envoy apologizes for praising Hezbollah cleric JERUSALEM (JTA) — The British ambassador to Lebanon said she regretted praising a deceased Muslim cleric associated with Hezbollah. Frances Guy said last Friday that she was sorry for any offense caused by a blog post two days earlier lauding Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, who died July 4, Reuters reported Sunday. A new post on the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s website said that Guy’s earlier posting on the site had been an attempt to “acknowledge the spiritual significance to many of Sheikh Fadlallah and the views that he held in the latter part of his life.” In her original post, on July 7, Guy wrote about the “passing of a decent man,” praising Fadlallah by saying “You would leave his presence feeling a better person. The world needs more men like him willing to reach out across faiths, acknowledging the reality of the modern world and daring to confront old constraints.” BRIEFS on page 22
SOCIAL LIFE
THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2010
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Laura Gilinsky and Dan Katz
WEDDING he marriage took place on Sunday, June 6, on the grounds of Adath Israel Synagogue between Laura, daughter of Norman and Stephanie Gilinsky of Blue Ash, and Dan, son of Avi and Monika Katz of Tel Aviv. Laura and Dan
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are presently living in New York where they met. They plan to relocate to Cincinnati. The ceremony was conducted by Rabbi Wise and the bridal party walked down the aisle to the sounds of guitar by a friend of the groom accompanied by the vocals of Shalva Wise. Laura and Dan are presently on honeymoon in Israel.
R E F UA H S H L E M A H Frieda Berger Fraida bat Raizel
Roma Kaltman Ruchama bat Perl
Ravid Sulam Ravid Chaya bat Ayelet
Daniel Eliyahu Daniel ben Tikvah
Pepa Kaufman Perel Tova bat Sima Sora
Edward Ziv Raphael Eliezer Aharon ben Esther Enya
Mel Fisher Moshe ben Hinda
Murray Kirschner Chaim Meir ben Basha
Edith Kaffeman Yehudit bat B’racha
Alan Schwartzberg Avraham Pesach ben Mindel
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Hadassah Donor Luncheon at the Kenwood Country Club On Wednesday, April 14, 2010, over 100 Hadassah members attended Donor Luncheon at the Kenwood Country Club. Ariella Perlman, daughter of renown violinist Itzhak Perlman, performed a flute recital, and Adele Gutterman and her daughter Renee Sandler were honored for their outstanding contributions to Hadassah.
Renee Sandler, her brother and sister-in-law Hiram and Julie Gutterman, and Adele Gutterman
Heather MacPhail, pianist, Ariella Perlman, flutist, Robert Johnson, and Tobe Snow, Hadassah Cincinnati Chapter President
Adele Gutterman, Paula Jarnicki, and Renee Sandler
Lauren Scharf, Carol Ann Schwartz, and Beverly Williams
Michelle Sandler gave the invocation
Jonah Sandler, Renee Sandler’s son, made the HaMotzi blessing over bread
Ghita Sarembok gave a gift to Bess Swillinger, Hadassah office administrator
Gutterman family table — Les Sandler, Renee Gutterman Sandler, Adele Gutterman, Julie and Hiram Gutterman. Standing are Marcie Sandler Oliff, Jonah Sandler, Randy and Michele Sandler, Bari Sandler Lansberg
Jonah Sandler pulls a raffle ticket from the basket, held by Rita Rothenberg, joined by his parents, Les and Renee Sandler
Tobe Snow, Cincinnati Chapter President, received a gift from Ghita Sarembok, Donor Luncheon Chair
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DINING OUT
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Walt’s Hitching Post: Lessons learned from father By Marilyn Gale Dining Editor Bill Melton, owner of Walt’s Hitching Post for many years, was also known as having a great passion for race horses. Step into this spacious restaurant and view paintings, photos and wood sculptures on horses, racing and elegant tracks such as Keenland and River Downs. A little bit of Lexington located 12 miles outside greater Cincinnati, the décor bulges with horse racing memorabilia. A love for Kentucky and her horses sets the stage in this eatery. Keeping with the Bluegrass concept of comfortable dining, Walt’s has a menu that grabs you. There are so many choices and all appear tantalizing. The old fashioned brick smokehouse adjacent to the restaurant wafts an aroma reminiscent of outdoor cooking at its best. Amber Melton, one of four daughters of the late Bill Melton, and now a managing partner of Walt’s Hitching Post with her sisters, told me that this fine example of Kentucky cuisine has been in existence for 53 years. Melton handed me Gary P. West’s book, entitled “Eating Your Way Across Kentucky—101 Must Places to Eat.” Walt’s Hitching Post was prominently mentioned, extolling the variety of food choices and sensible price range. The oneroom log building that was the original part of the restaurant dates back to 1865. The dining spot has grown, having a longtime tradition of open pit barbeque as well as other outstanding choices for large and small appetites. I personally tasted the fresh pan fried chicken livers, a bargain priced dinner for $11.99, and couldn’t stop at just one piece. Melton talked about maintaining her father’s legacy. “A simple one,” she said, “keep the food good, keep the historic charm and interior, but the most important ingredient is the food.” Melton wanted me to partake in a tasting festival, so I complied. I daintily dipped their famous Klosterman rye bread, pretzel salt on top, served toasted and warm, into tiny paper cups of tomato garlic house dressing, a homemade sweet and sour blend, and family Roquefort dressing, a smooth creamy blue cheese blend. Once again, I tried to restrain myself, only a nibble, yet, one bite led to another. Although I did not go to the restaurant hungry, the crispy pieces of bread were addicting and I quickly ate two slices. Melton said, “We don’t skip steps. Caste iron skillets are used for frying, our seafood is fresh. Steaks are hand cut in the restaurant. Chicken is fresh, never frozen. Our barbeque sauce is a
Amber Melton welcomes diners with historic Bluegrass hospitality.
secret recipe,” she smiled and then revealed a piece of the mystery. “It is simmered for 12 hours,” and she added, “tomato, mustard seed, cayenne are mixed together and stirred into the sauce, giving it a pleasant tangy aftertaste.” Walt’s Hitching Post has specials every night. Monday night is family style, with turkey, dressing, and mashed potatoes, for only $10.99. Friday night is fresh fish night, an Icelandic cod, plump and moist, and Melton promises it will never be dry, for $12.99. The night of my visit, Walt’s was offering a fresh, blackened 8 ounce Blue Marlin with grilled asparagus, priced at $15.99. The clientele come from all parts of Cincinnati. Kentuckians also flock to this historic spot. People who have eaten the golden brown pan fried chicken, which takes 45 minutes to pan fry, become dreamy-eyed when asked about its glorious taste; crispy,
fresh, literally mouth-watering. But don’t worry if you order it and have to wait because the soups are prepared daily. Walt’s homemade Prime Rib Vegetable, with a piece of the rye bread, will keep you comfortable until the entrée is served.
Save room for your sweet tooth. Gary P. West from “Eating Your Way Across Kentucky,” said, “Desserts? Can you say peanut butter pie? Red Velvet Cake? How about cheesecake? It’s all here.” There are two bars in the
Menu choices are plentiful and portions are generous at Walt’s Hitching Post.
restaurant; the many dining rooms are reasonably sized, although the entire restaurant is large enough to seat 400, and convenient for any type of family, club or work celebration. On the day of my visit, a ladies bridge club was settling in for a night of cards and prime rib sandwiches, a 6 ounce cut, with French Fries for $9.99. Melton said, “Walt’s can cater any size party and the Chef will make anything upon request. We’ll even cater in the customer’s home. At the restaurant, we have one room that has a projector which is ideal for business meetings.” So if you haven’t been to Walt’s in awhile, it is time to cross the bridge and return. Taste the Bluegrass hospitality style and dine heartily. Walt’s Hitching Post 3300 Madison Place Covington, KY (859)-331-0494
DINING OUT
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2010
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Point of View
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
by Rabbi James A. Rudin
(RNS) What do “Star Spangled Banner” lyricist Francis Scott Key and Hebrew prophet Jeremiah have in common? As it turns out, quite a bit. While the American attorneyturned-poet and the biblical prophet were separated in time by about 2,400 years, they both witnessed the destruction of their nations’ capital cities — Washington, D.C., for Key, and Jerusalem for Jeremiah. On Aug. 24, 1814, one of the bleakest days in American history, an invading British army burned the White House and the U.S. Capitol, forcing President James Madison and other government leaders to flee the young federal city. On the ninth day in the month of Av in 586 B.C. — Tisha b’Av in Hebrew — Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar captured the city that King David had chosen 400 years earlier as Israel’s spiritual and political capital. They destroyed the Holy Temple built by David’s son, King Solomon, making Tisha b’Av one of the saddest days in the Jewish calendar. This year, the day of fasting and prayer begins at sunset on July 19. Key, a devout Anglican, opposed America’s war with Britain, but he was stunned to see Washington in flames. A few weeks later, on Sept. 13, he was onboard a British warship in Baltimore harbor seeking the release of an imprisoned American. From that unique spot, Key witnessed the unsuccessful British assault on Fort McHenry. When Key saw the tattered Stars and Stripes still flying over the fort the following morning, he cast aside his negative feelings about America’s involvement in the war and penned a lengthy patriotic poem that was later set to music as our national anthem. Key moved from despair to hope, from depression to optimism, because “our flag was still there” in the “dawn’s early light.” Facing his nation’s catastrophe, Jeremiah wrote the book of
Do you have something to say? E-mail your letter to editor@americanisraelite.com
Dear Editor,
Dear Editor,
I am in total agreement with Florence Zaret’s article. We eagerly read Janet Steinberg’s column—The “Wandering Jew”—each month, and vicariously travel through her awesome trips. This fills the void for us of never having enough time to travel! Thank you for sharing these articles with us.
Congratulations to Ari Emanuel for his bold courageous step in placing principle and integrity in front of money. Emanuel recently fired Mel Gibson from WME for his most recent Anti Semitic tirade, while beating his girlfriend. This is good news and bad news. First the good news; It now appears that Dr. Benjamin Emanuel (the arab terrorist fighter during 1948) has a Jewish son to be proud of and a mentch that the entire Jewish population of the USA can look to as an example of righteous living. The bad
Emmy Rosenberg Amberley Village
news? Ari’s brother Uncle Rahm (The self hating anti semite), now has the ability to hire unemployed Mel Gibson and bring him into the White House as an advisor against Israel and Jews in general. POTUS Barry Obama can also pad his “employment statistics” by adding Mel to the rolls of “newly hired.” Uncle Rahm would have lived like a king in ancient Egypt or the camps of Nazi Germany, with his role models like Josef Szerynski of the Jewish Ghetto Police. Paul Glassman Deerfield Twp.
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T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: DEVARIM (DEVARIM 1:1—3:22) 1. When did Moshe say that The Children of Israel did not believe in Hashem? a.) Supplying enough Manna b.) Supplying enough water c.) Hashem could bring them to Israel 2. Did Hashem ever get angry at Moshe? a.) Yes b.) No 3. When did the Children of Israel climb a mountain against Hashem's will? a.) At Mount Sinai 3. B 1:41 At the end of the incident with the spies, The Children of Israel tried to enter Canaan without Hashem's consent and were defeated. 4. B 3:16 The rivers were borders for the tribes of Reuven and Gad on the east side of the Jordan River 5. D 3:13 The land was given to the half tribe of Menashe who settled east of the Jordan River
Oh, say can you see hope amid despair?
Lamentations in which he expressed sorrow and grief that his beloved Jerusalem “... sits lonely, the city once thronged with people is suddenly widowed.” While Key did not blame the government for the destruction of Washington, Jeremiah held his leaders accountable for the devastation of Jerusalem and its Temple. The prophet wrote: “Let us examine our path ... and return to God ... We are the ones who have sinned, who have rebelled and you, O God, have not forgiven.” Key was inspired to see the American flag flying aloft after the enemy attack, and Jeremiah, after writing many verses of bitterness, also saw hope despite the foreign invasion: “You God came near that day when I called to you; you said, ‘Do not be afraid’ ... Make us come back you, O God; renew our days as in times past.” The burning of Washington and the destruction of Jerusalem transcend the writings of Key and Jeremiah. Such events raise a critical question: How do people respond to a national disaster? For Americans, the answer came quickly. When the battle with Britain concluded in 1815, Americans rebuilt the White House, added a dome to the burned Capitol, and moved westward as a nation. Indeed, no foreign adversary attacked the American mainland again until Sept. 11, 2001. Nebuchadnezzar, meanwhile, sent the defeated Jews into a humiliating exile in Babylon. But within 50 years, the vanquished people returned to Jerusalem and, led by Ezra and Nehemiah, rebuilt the city and the second Temple. Unlike America, Israel suffered numerous invasions; on the ninth of Av in 70 A.D., Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed again, this time by the Romans. Jewish sovereignty was not restored until 1948 with the creation of modern Israel. Through long centuries of exile, the people commemorated the terrible events of the ninth of Av with religious services featuring the mournful reading of Jeremiah’s Lamentations. Key’s words — “our flag was still there” — are embedded in the nation’s consciousness, providing generations of Americans with optimism for almost 200 years now. Jeremiah’s call for his people “to come back to God” and gain a “renewal as in times past” has echoed through Jewish history for nearly 24 centuries. Francis Scott Key, meet Jeremiah. You are both, as the prophet Zechariah would say, “prisoners of hope.”
b.) To enter Canaan after the Hashem decreed they would remain 40 years in the desert c.) To return to Egypt 4. What were Yabok and Arnon? a.) Emorite Kings b.) Rivers c.) Countries 5. Who inhabited the Gilaad? a.) Moab b.) Ammon c.) Sichon d.) Og ANSWERS 1. C 1:31-33 The Children of Israel should have learned from their experiences in the desert, to trust in Hashem through difficulties. Or HaChaim 2. A 1:37 Hashem got angry at Moshe for striking the rock instead of speaking to the rock. Ramban
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Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise
JEWISH LIFE
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2010
17
Sedra of the Week by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
SHABBAT SHALOM: PARASHAT DEVARIM DEUTERONOMY 1:1—3:22
Efrat, Israel — The bleakest fast of the Hebrew calendar is on the ninth of Av, Tisha B’Av, commemorating the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem (in 586 BCE, and 70 CE). We begin preparing ourselves up to feel the enormity of the loss three weeks before, from the 17th of Tammuz, with a sunriseto-sunset fast on the date the Roman armies breached the wall around Jerusalem. Then, from the 17th of Tammuz until Tisha B’Av, Jewish law ordains a moratorium on all group festivities, with no haircuts, no shaving (although some may continue to shave until the beginning of Av) or listening to music. The expressions of mourning grow in intensity with the start of Av, when we do not wear freshly laundered clothing (except for those garments which absorb perspiration), and do not eat meat or drink wine other than on the Sabbath. And then, on Tisha B’Av itself, we fast for 25 hours (from before sunset until the coming out of the stars the next night), sit on the ground or on a low stool as we read the Scroll of Lamentations in the evening and recite dirges until midday; we do not even refresh ourselves with the balming waters of Torah except for those passages which deal with the destruction or laws of mourning. The prohibitions of meat and wine, and even laundering garments, extend into mid-day of the 10th of Av, when the majority of the Second Temple was actually destroyed by Roman flames. But what precisely is it that we are mourning when we beat our breasts and weep over the destruction of the Temple? It cannot be the loss of the mere buildings, no matter how grand. After all, the Jews had already rejected the massive Egyptian pyramids in favor of two modest tablets of engraved stone. It cannot even be the loss of our national sovereignty (which the loss of the Temples symbolized), because if so, then our fast would be on the anniversary of the removal of the Judean kings and the installation of a Roman governor in Jerusalem, which took place decades before. And it certainly could not have been the loss of the sacrifices, which disappeared together with the Temple. Prayers and repentance seem to be a fine substitute for sacrifices, and there are statements in the Midrash and in Maimonides’ Guide for the Perplexed which suggest that they are even improvements over them. Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Hakohen Kook maintains that in the Third
Temple the only sacrifice will be the “meatless” meal offering. So what is it about the loss of the Temple which engenders such national mourning? I would submit that the Holy Temple was inextricably intertwined with our national mission: to be God’s witnesses, and thereby serve as a light unto the nations, bringing humanity to the God of justice, morality and peace. Our prophets saw the Temple as the living example from which all nations
The prohibitions of meat and wine, and even laundering garments, extend into mid-day of the 10th of Av, when the majority of the Second Temple was actually destroyed by Roman flames. could learn how to perfect society. With the loss of the Temple, we ceased to be “players” on the world stage; we lost the means by which our message was to be promulgated. And a world without compassionate righteousness and just morality — especially with the possibility of global nuclear destruction — is a world which cannot endure. At the very dawn of Jewish history, when Abraham was elected by G-d, he was given a divine charge: “through you shall be blessed all the families of the earth” (Genesis 12:3). The Lord then seals a covenant with him, (Gen. 15) guaranteeing that he will be the father of a great nation, even the father of a multitude of nations (which will all accept ethical monotheism). And then the sacred text explains why Abraham was elected: “Through [Abraham] shall be blessed all the nations of the earth; the reason that I have known, loved and designated (Abraham) is in order that he command... his household after him to guard the way of the Lord, to do compassionate righteousness and just morality...” (Gen. 18:18, 19). This charge is repeated to Abraham after the binding of Isaac
(Gen. 22:17, 18). In effect, the Bible is saying our mission can only be accomplished if we are willing to sacrifice the lives of our children for it, and it will disseminate to the world from “the mountain from whence the Lord will be revealed” (ibid 14). When Jacob leaves his ancestral home (fleeing Esau’s wrath) and dreams his dream at Beth El, he envisions a ladder rooted in the earth and reaching up to the heavens — a veritable Holy Temple, Beit Hamikdash; “he is blessed that his seed shall spread out westward, eastward, northward and southward, and through him shall be blessed all the families of the earth.” Jacob identifies the ladder as “the house of God, at the gates of the heavens,” and Rashi, citing the talmudic sages, insists that the ladder extended to the Temple Mount (Gen. 28:12, 14, 17 and Rashi ad loc). In the Book of Exodus, at the Song of the Sea, when the text describes the awe of the nations at G-d’s wondrous miracles in freeing the enslaved from tyranny, the Israelites sing of being brought to and planted within the Temple Mount, when the Temple of the Lord will be prepared by divine hands, and the Lord will reign throughout the world (Exodus 15:17, 18). And when King Solomon dedicates the Temple in Jerusalem, he beseeches G-d to answer the prayers of the gentiles who shall come from far away “for Your name’s sake,” so that “all the nations of the earth may recognize Your name, as does Your nation Israel” (I Kings 8:41-43). And, in order to close the circle, when we read the prophetic portion of Isaiah this Shabbat, who weepingly excoriates the Israelites for forgetting their ethical calling, for their treatment of rituals as substitutes for loving-kindness and justice and thereby their having to suffer the destruction of the Temple, he promises that in the future “Zion shall be redeemed by moral justice, and those who return to Zion shall practice compassionate righteousness” (Isaiah 1:27). The second chapter of Isaiah, a continuation of the vision we have just cited (Isaiah 2:1), pictures the Temple exalted above the mountains, inspiring the nations to “beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks.” Indeed, we yearn for our Temple, which will inspire the world to accept a G-d of love, morality, compassion and peace. Shabbat Shalom Shlomo Riskin Chancellor Ohr Torah Stone Chief Rabbi — Efrat Israel
3100 LONGMEADOW LANE • CINCINNATI, OH 45236 791-1330 • www.templesholom.net Miriam Terlinchamp, Rabbi Marcy Ziek, President Gerry H. Walter, Rabbi Emeritus July 16 6:00 pm Shabbat Nosh 6:30 pm Shabbat Evening Service
July 23 6:00 pm Shabbat Nosh 6:30 pm Shabbat Evening Service Intergenerational Shabbat
July 17 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service
July 24 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service
Sincere Sympathy To: Stan Willis on the death of his brother Norm Willis
18
JEWZ IN THE NEWZ
Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist THE LAST CAUSELESS REBEL COREY ALLEN (born Alan Cohen) died on June 30, age 75. Born in Cleveland, and raised mostly in California, he was a respected Emmy-winning TV and stage director. His death got a lot of press because he was the last surviving actor with a major part in the 1955 classic, “Rebel Without a Cause.” Allen, a handsome guy, played the leader of a tough high school gang that picked-on a new student (James Dean). A knife fight between Dean and Allen’s characters ends with a “chickie run” challenge: to drive two stolen cars toward the edge of a seaside bluff at high speed, and the first one to jump out of his car before it sails over the edge is a chicken. Dean survives, Allen doesn’t. Allen brought a lot of nuances to his “Rebel” role, but he gave up acting in favor of directing in the mid-‘60s. He was friends with Dennis Hopper, who died a month before him. Hopper, who had a small “Rebel” role as a gang member, recalled in 2006 that he and Allen would often visit Las Vegas in the ‘50s and would be treated royally because Allen’s father, CARL COHEN, was the floor boss of the famous Sands casino. Carl Cohen, a Cleveland native, gained some fame in July 1967. Cohen cut-off Frank Sinatra’s credit and the singer got very verbally abusive and tipped a table over on Cohen. Cohen, an ex-truck driver, landed a punch on Sinatra’s face—bloodying his nose and knocking out two of Sinatra’s teeth (or caps). Cohen became a local Vegas hero because Sinatra had treated a lot of casino employees badly. KIRK DOUGLAS once wrote that he asked Sinatra about the fight (which took place just after the Six-Day War) and Sinatra replied, “Never fight a Jew in the desert.” NEW FLICKS “Inception” is a sci-fi thriller directed by Christopher Nolan and the film has great advance buzz as a thinking person’s action spectacular — like Nolan’s “Batman” movies (“Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight”). Leonardo DiCaprio stars as the leader of a group of industrial espionage thieves who specialize in the extraction of secrets from the brains of corporate big-wigs when they are asleep. DiCaprio’s skills have made him a fugitive — but he’s promised his “life back” by a
powerful client who wants DiCaprio to reverse the process and implant an idea in the brain of a rival big-wig. JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, 29, and Ellen Page (“Juno”) co-star as members of DiCaprio’s team (Opens today). Scheduled to open Wednesday, July 14, is “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” an epic comedy fantasy that has a lot in common with the “National Treasure” movies, including the same director (JON TURTELTAUB, 46) and star (Nicolas Cage). Cage plays a (good) master sorcerer in modern Manhattan who is trying to defend the city from his (evil) arch-enemy (Alfred Molina). Cage needs help so he recruits a reluctant average guy (Jay Baruchel) as his apprentice and quickly schools him in the skills of a sorcerer. The apprentice displays hidden talents and, along the way, he “gets” the pretty girl. Baruchel has been described as “half Jewish” in many sources and he has often played Jewish characters. A very recent profile, however, clarified matters — Jay’s paternal grandfather was a Sephardic Jew. His other three grandparents weren’t Jewish. NEW SPIDY On July 1, it was announced that ANDREW GARFIELD, 26, has been selected to play the title role in a new “Spiderman” movie, set to open in 2012. Directed by Marc Webb (“500 Days of Summer”), the new film is described as a “re-boot” of “Spiderman.” It remains to be seen how well the “franchise” will do without SAM RAIMI, 50, who directed the three hugely successful “Spiderman” films, starring Tobey Maguire. Garfield was born in California, the son of an American Jewish father and a British Jewish mother. He moved to the UK when he was a toddler and he grew up in England. He’s been acting since he was 15 and he’s appeared in a few film roles, including a large supporting part in “Lion for Lambs” (2007) starring Tom Cruise. Garfield’s casting was a surprise and his fame quotient has already gone up exponentially. However, as the almost forgotten star of the most recent Superman flick (Brandon Routh) learned—a big acting career is not assured by just playing an iconic comic book character. Garfield will only have such a “big career” if the new “Spidy” movie is good — and — if he can, like Tobey Maguire, play Spiderman with a lot of boynext-door charm (and just a dollop of nerdiness).
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FROM THE PAGES 100 Years Ago Mr H.S. Livingston is spending a few weeks at Ottawa Beach, Mich., a guest at the Hotel Ottawa. Mr. and Mrs. A.W. Goldsmith, and daughter, Helen, have left for Jackson, in the White Mountains, in New Hampshire. They expect to meet their car in Albany and motor the rest of the way. Ms. Rosa Aufrecht celebrated the 80th anniversary of her birth, on Sunday July 10, at the Home for Jewish Aged, where she is residing. Mrs. Aufrecht is the widow of Louis
Aufrecht, who was the first superintendent of the Cleveland Orphan Asylum and later an instructor at Hebrew Union College. He died in 1882. Mrs. Aufrecht had been making her home with her son by a former marriage, Jacob A. Kohner, up to the time of his death, which occured a year ago in New York. Being alone, Mrs. Aufrecht returned to her old home to pass her remaining days among old friends. She was one of the first pupils of the late Dr. Wise when he first began in his
career in Cincinnati in the middle of the last century. Mrs. Aufrecht is in full posession of all her faculties and enjoys excellent health. She is still able to do fine needlework by way of diversion, and is a constant and interested reader of newspapers and books. The high esteem in which Mrs. Aufrecht is held and the appreciation of her lovable personality were evidenced by the many congratulations and other tokens showered upon her by her numerous friends.— July 14, 1910
75 Years Ago Mrs. Burt Weil, representing the Hillcrest Country Club, defended her title and won the annual women’s state golf championship in the finals Friday, July 12. The marriage of Mrs. Mary Apseloff, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. I.A. Apseloff, of Washington Avenue, and Mr. Louis M. Scheineson, son of Mrs. Fanny Scheineson, of Northern Avenue, was solemnized at the home of the
bride Sunday afternoon, July 14th. The Cincinnati ensemble, organized in Cincinnati last year by Mrs. Harry L. Swartz, will again present a series of concerts next winter. The first of these is to take place October 27th, at the Hotel Alms. These concerts were received with such enthusiasm that the following are delighted to act as patronesses for the coming series:
Mesdames W. Horrace Schmidlapp, J. Walter Freiberg, Albert H. Freiberg , Eugene Goosens, Simon Kuhn and Francis S. Wyman. The artists of this group, all known both locally and in other cities are Mrs. Swartz, pianist; Mr. Emil Heermann, violinist; Mr. Harry Berg and Miss Harriet Payne, viola and second violinists, and Mr. Joseph Komschlag, first bass violinist.— July 18, 1935
50 Years Ago Mr. and Mrs. Fred Weiland announce the engagement of their daughter, Lois Ann, to Mr. Gary B. Marcus, son of Mr. and Mrs. Mose Marcus. Miss Weiland attended Northwestern University and will enter her junior year at the University of Cincinnati this fall. Mr. Marcus is a graduate of the University of Pennsylavania and is in his third year of study in the UC Medical College. Mr. and Mrs. John G. Schwab
(Barbara Kozol) announce the birth of a daughter, Cathy Jan, Saturday, July 9. The infant has a sister, Jody Beth. The grandparents are Dr. and Mrs. Harry Kozol of Newton, Mass. and Mr. Herbert Schwab of Cincinnati. The maternal great-grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Louis Kozol and Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Massell, all of Boston, Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Stanley A. Berman invite their relatives and friends to worship with them at the
bar mitzvah of their son, Andrew, Saturday, July 23, at 10:45 am at Wise Center. A kiddush will follow. Andrew is a grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph S. Berman of Cincinnati, Mrs. Al Zuker of Miami Beach, and the late Mr. David Rosenbloom. Louis Tessel, 1947 Lawn Avenue, passed away Saturday July 9. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Anne Tessel; two sons, Carl and Richard Tessel; a sister, Mrs. Bertha Levine of New York City and three grandchildren.—July 14, 1960
25 Years Ago Alan Fershtman earned an accumulative grade point average of 4.0 in his first year at Miami University. He received an Evans Scholarship and is ranked as number one Evans Scholar in the nation out of more than 800. Alan also earned a varsity letter in wrestling from Miami. During his senior year at Princeton High School, Alan was captain of the wrestling team. Alan is an accounting major in Miami’s school of business administration. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Harry Fershtman, 1627 Summit Road, Roselawn. Max Cahn of 5813 Williamsburg Road, passed away July 4. He was 76. Mr. Cahn is survived by his wife, Alice; a son, Martin (Buddy) Cahn; a daughter and son-in-law, Lois and Howard Spahn; two step-children, Mrs. Judy Wayne and Barry Leib; two sisters, Mrs. Evelyn Beskin of Las Vegas and Mrs. Minnie Rosenberg of Los Angeles; and nine grandchildren. Mr. Cahn was the husband of the late Ruth Cahn and the brother of the
late Mrs. Ann Levy and Louis Cahn. He was past president of B’nai Brith, a member of its national board and a founder of the B’nai Brith Bowling league. Mr. Cahn was a member of Rockdale Temple and active in numerous philanthropic organizations. Services were on July 7 at the Weil Funeral Home. Rabbi Howard Simon officiated. Interment was in Adath Israel Synagogue Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be sent to the charity of the giver’s choice.— July 11, 1985
10 Years Ago Ira R. Katz, 79, passed away at his La Jolla, Calif. home on June 22, 2000. Mr. Katz, born in New York, was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Katz. Mr. Katz was 14 years old when his family moved to Cincinnati, where his father was president of the Gruen Watch Company. Mr Katz is survived by his wife Joan Katz, of La Jolla, Calif.; and his children, Benjamin Katz of Topanga, Calif.; Janey Katz of Galisteo, N.M., Ellen
Katz of San Rafael, Calif., Sally Katz of San Diego, Calif., Peter Katz of San Diego, Calif., and Andy Katz of Denver, Colo. Mr. Katz is also survived by a sister, Mrs. Marilynn Braude of Cincinnati, and nine grandchildren. Mr. Katz was the brother-in-law of the late Mr. Abraham Braude of Cincinnati. Doris Sunshein Moskowitz, 87, passed away on July, 2000. She was born in Covington, Ky., to the late Morris and Marry Sunshein.
Mrs. Moskowitz was the wife of the late David (Babe) Moskowitz. She is survived by her children: Sylvia and Dr. Robert Maltz; and Joel and Susan Moskowitz. Surviving grandchildren are Michael and Fran Moskowitz; Jimmy and Sara Moskowitz; and Mark and Lynn Maltz of Ridgewood, N.J.; Debi and Joel Varland; Steven Maltz; and David Maltz of Washington D.C.; and 11 great-grandchildren.— July 13, 2000
CLASSIFIEDS
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2010
COMMUNITY DIRECTORY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Big Brothers/Big Sisters Assoc. (513) 761-3200 • bigbrobigsis.org Beth Tevilah Mikveh Society (513) 821-6679 Camp Ashreinu (513) 702-1513 Camp at the J (513) 722-7226 • mayersonjcc.org Camp Livingston (513) 793-5554 • camplivingston.com Cedar Village (513) 336-3183 • cedar-village.org Chevra Kadisha (513) 396-6426 Halom House (513) 791-2912 • halomhouse.com Hillel Jewish Student Center (513) 221-6728 • hillelcincinnati.org Jewish Community Center (513) 761-7500 • mayersonjcc.org Jewish Community Relations Council (513) 985-1501 Jewish Family Service (513) 469-1188 • jfscinti.org Jewish Federation of Cincinnati (513) 985-1500 • shalomcincy.org Jewish Foundation (513) 792-2715 Jewish Information Network (513) 985-1514 Jewish Vocational Service (513) 985-0515 • jvscinti.org Kesher (513) 766-3348 Plum Street Temple Historic Preservation Fund (513) 793-2556 The Center for Holocaust & Humanity Education (513) 487-3055 • holocaustandhumanity.org Vaad Hoier (513) 731-4671 Workum Summer Intern Program (513) 683-6670 • workum.org CONGREGATIONS Adath Israel Congregation (513) 793-1800 • adath-israel.org Beit Chaverim (513) 335-5812 Beth Israel Congregation (513) 868-2049 • bethisraelcongregation.net Congregation Beth Adam (513) 985-0400 • bethadam.org Congregation B’nai Tikvah (513) 759-5356 • bnai-tikvah.org
Congregation B’nai Tzedek (513) 984-3393 • bnaitzedek.us Congregation Ohav Shalom (513) 489-3399 • ohavshalom.org Golf Manor Synagogue (513) 531-6654 • golfmanorsynagogue.org Isaac M. Wise Temple (513) 793-2556 • wisetemple.org Northern Hills Synagogue (513) 931-6038 • nhs-cba.org Rockdale Temple (513) 891-9900 • rockdaletemple.org Temple Beth Shalom (513) 422-8313 • tbsohio.org Temple Sholom (513) 791-1330 • templesholom.net The Valley Temple (513) 761-3555 • valleytemple.com EDUCATION Chabad Blue Ash (513) 793-5200 • chabadba.com HUC-JIR (513) 221-1875 • huc.edu JCC Early Childhood School (513) 793-2122 • mayersonjcc.org Mercaz High School (513) 792-5082 x104 • mercazhs.org Reform Jewish High School (513) 469-6406 • crjhs.org Regional Institute Torah & Secular Studies (513) 631-0083 Rockwern Academy (513) 984-3770 • rockwernacademy.org
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JWV from page 1 been difficult recruiting younger Jewish veterans to take their place. This has been a national concern, not just a local problem. The Cincinnati post, once one of Ohio’s largest, is down to only a few members and desperately needs to add new, younger members. Steve Markman, Commander of JWV Post 587 in Dayton, has been leading the effort to recruit new members in the Cincinnati area.
According to Markman, “All Jewish veterans are welcome and encouraged to join with us in JWV. But, we’re especially looking for Jewish veterans who served anywhere from the Vietnam era up until the present. This is the age group we particularly need to become new members and take leadership positions.” Markman added that “Service in a war zone is not needed; just be serving now in any branch of the U.S. military, including Guard and Reserve, or have been honorably discharged.”
ORGANIZATIONS American Jewish Committee (513) 621-4020 • ajc.org American Friends of Magen David Adom (513) 521-1197 • afmda.org B’nai B’rith (513) 984-1999 Hadassah (513) 821-6157 • cincinnati-hadassah.org Jewish National Fund (513) 794-1300 • jnf.org NA’AMAT (513) 984-3805 • naamat.org National Council of Jewish Women (513) 891-9583 • ncjw.org State of Israel Bonds (513) 793-4440 • israelbonds.com Women’s American ORT (513) 985-1512 • ortamerica.org.org
JCC from page 1 Just one month later, men, women and children will have the opportunity to race or walk in the J5K. Held on Sunday, Aug. 29, the J5K races are part of “Fit-Fun Day at the J,” followed by “Dancin’ at the J” with a live band. The afternoon starts with a broad range of outdoor activities between 3 – 6 p.m. Families can enjoy festival games, zoo animals, face painting, a moon bounce, giant slide, food and more. Teens will have the opportunity to play against their friends or other opponents in a 3 vs. 3 teen indoor basketball tournament. There will be a beer tent for adults. Two free kids races occur before the competitive J5K. At 4:45 p.m., children, ages 1 – 6, can participate in the J 1/2 K, and at 5 p.m., kids, ages 7 – 12, may run in the J1K. Every child will receive a participation award.
The J5K Race and J5K Walk (for all ages) both start at the JCC at 6 p.m.and continue through the hills of Amberley Village. The race is a “chip” timed event for male and female runners, and is followed by an awards presentation. Registrations postmarked by Monday, Aug. 23 receive discounted pricing. Registration forms are available on the JCC website and at the Mayerson JCC fitness desk. This day of fun and fitness concludes with “Dancin’ at the J,” a lively dance party for adults. From 6:30 – 9 p.m., everyone can enjoy live music by the popular local band, “The Hub Caps,” a pasta bar, and a cash bar. J5K participants who wish to attend the dance will have access to the JCC showers and locker rooms. For more information about the JCC Triathlon or Fit-Fun Day at the J and the J5K, contact the Mayerson JCC or visit their website.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINEMENT
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
Photos explore ‘The Art of Caring’ at CMC CINCINNATI – What do you see? Is it the elation across the face of a man back home from war? Maybe it’s the concentration of a young athlete preparing for their next bout. Is it the innocence on the face of a child with her pet ... Or perhaps the lost innocence on the face of an adult dealing with tragic circumstances? What you see are various aspects of the human condition – all of which help compose the dynamic new photography exhibition known collectively as “The Art of Caring: A Look at Life
through Photography.” The exhibit is organized by Cincinnati native Cynthia Goodman, PhD, a prominent contemporary art historian who has also served as a director and guest curator for the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), where The Art of Caring debuted in 2009. An awardwinning multimedia producer, Goodman has been affiliated with several institutions worldwide including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and Contemporary Arts
Center in Cincinnati. The exhibition is complimented by a fully illustrated catalogue featuring an extensive essay by Goodman, published by Ruder Finn Press. Goodman, who believes “photographs afford us with the opportunity to see and learn more about ourselves as well as to question both our own actions and lifestyles and those of others,” hopes people find the exhibition inspirational as well as extraordinary. “‘The Art of Caring: A Look at Life Through Photography’ is a
powerful testimony to how art is a transcendent force that unifies diverse peoples and provides incalculable comfort and moments of respite even after the most difficult times ... It also exemplifies the best in the caring individuals who made this endurance possible,” Goodman says. “As curator of this exhibition, I have been motivated by the potential that The Art of Caring has to be an agent of change through inspiring our viewers and thus motivating them to act in a more socially responsive manner. Indeed, this is the only viable message with rele-
vance to our times.” In order to help enhance visitors’ experience, the Museum Center has created a number of workshops and activites to supplement the exhibit. One of the main organizations involved in the supplemental activites is Jewish Family Service, which will be holding activites such as “Raising a Reader” to promote reading in families, especially amongst the youth. They will also be organizing a workshop dealing with how to “Find the Silver Lining in the Golden Years,” which takes a unique look at aging.
NHS from page 1
Currently, the Talmud study group meets on Saturday mornings from 8:45 – 9:30 a.m., before the beginning of the Shabbat service. The group, whose regular members are William Freedman, Steven Pentelnik, Stanley Shulman, Barry and Laurel Wolfson, and David Zucker, is very enthusiastic. In some cases, participants
who were to attend Shabbat services on a given day at a different synagogue would nevertheless come to NHS early for Talmud. Also, while Rabbi Barnard usually leads the group, in his absence, the other members carry on. The group finished the study of Tractate Berakhot two years ago, and now it is finishing Tractate Megillah.
Traditionally, the completion of the study of a Talmudic Tractate calls for a religious celebration, a Siyyum, and the members of the NHS Talmud study group will observe that practice at Shabbat services, which will begin at 9:30 a.m., on Saturday, July 17. Some of the members of the group will lead discussions about issues which
were addressed in Tractate Megillah, such as the concept of the “honor of the congregation,” the sale of a synagogue, and the character of Haman. Rabbi Barnard will give a hadran (concluding remarks on the Tractate) at the service, and the members of the group will sponsor a luncheon for the entire congregation.
NextBook. Schwartz said that JPS needs to stay focused on what has long been its core — publishing Jewish references and classic Jewish texts like the Bible. The organization should not attempt to compete with academic or denominational publishing houses, such as the Union for
Reform Judaism, he said, but “we do want to collaborate with those that serve the synagogue world as indispensable sources of the classics and key reference.” Hupping said that about half to two-thirds of JPS funds come from book sales, including printon-demand and a growing list of
e-books. She acknowledged that some digital outreach has not yet made money. She called JPS a nonprofit community organization that wants to make its content “available in any legitimate way possible,” whether via the Web, iPods, e-readers or other media. But “unlike a traditional commercial
publisher, we can’t always put a price tag on everything,” Hupping said. In addition to 25 years on the pulpit, including 11 at M’kor Shalom, Schwartz has written four books. His most recent effort, “Judaism’s Great Debates,” will be published next year.
ostensible rift, was how Obama framed the announcement. “We strongly believe that given its size, its history, the region that it’s in and the threats that are leveled against us — against it — that Israel has unique security requirements,” Obama said. “It’s got to be able to respond to threats or any combination of threats in the region. And that’s why we remain unwavering in our commitment to Israel’s security.” The remark spoke to the “kishkes” factor — the concern
among some pro-Israel groups about whether or not Obama has an intuitive, gut understanding of Israel’s security needs. “This recognition by the United States of Israel’s security needs is a testament to the common understanding of the complexities of the Middle East situation,” B’nai B’rith International said in a statement. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee applauded the remark. “For over 60 years Israel has offered its hand in peace, demon-
strating again and again its willingness to make real and heartrending sacrifices — altering borders, relinquishing territory, uprooting families and entire communities — in the pursuit of peace,” the organization noted. Israeli officials said they were especially pleased with U.S. efforts to push back pressure for an international inquiry into the flotilla raid, which left nine Turks dead — including one Turkish-American citizen — and which has disrupted ties among Turkey, the United States and
Israel. Netanyahu also said he was pleased by the Iran sanctions Obama helped shepherd through the United Nations Security Council, as well as congressional sanctions that became law last week. “I think the latest sanctions adopted by the U.N. create illegitimacy or create de-legitimization for Iran’s nuclear program, and that is important,” Netanyahu said. “I think the sanctions the president signed the other day actually have teeth. They bite.”
celebrations of Jewish life, he said. “Invariably, they say that they will attend if we are securing the event,” Gardner said. “So not only is it possible to combine security with being open, but it encourages people to be more open in their beliefs and actions than they would otherwise have been.” Security measures are by no means uniform and vary from place to place. In Zurich, for example, the Jewish community asks visitors who want to attend synagogue services to call ahead of time. In Budapest, visitors
must pass through an airportstyle metal detector to enter the main Dohany Street Synagogue, but other synagogues in the city allow relatively open access. In Rome, where a Palestinian attack in 1982 killed a child and left about 100 injured, armed police are stationed outside the main synagogue and Jewish school. But visible security is much less obvious at synagogues in some provincial Italian towns. Even in countries where synagogues and other Jewish buildings are heavily guarded, security may be low-key or even absent
at Jewish culture festivals, street fairs and other public events. Some local Jews, and in particular outsiders, say high-profile security measures are intimidating. Guards can be notoriously heavy-handed with people they do not know. But many Jews regard security as the lesser of two evils. “No one likes passing through the police to get to a JCC or synagogue,” said Jonathan Ornstein, the director of the Jewish Community Center in Krakow, Poland. “Sometimes a drawbridge is needed to protect
the village. I see it as a response, not a proactive policy.” In Brussels, community member Tom Furstenberg said he would like to see even more protection, regardless of the cost. Parking is barred outside the city’s main synagogue, and police patrol the neighborhood and put police cars there during services. “You can’t neglect security because of what it costs,” Furstenberg said. “If it is made known that security will be less because of budget concerns, that could lead to trouble.”
to its early years. One of those is Talmud study. Although it does not appear that the NHS Talmud study group has functioned continuously since 1960, it was initiated in the 1960s by the founding rabbi, Bertram Mond, and it has been in existence most of the time since then. RABBI from page 4 As such, Schwartz plans to reach out to the congregational world, which uses JPS Torah translations and commentaries, as well as stocks books in their libraries. He also hopes to form partnerships with other publishers, such as Jewish Lights and
OBAMA from page 8 The United States and Israel have a longstanding agreement to maintain ambiguity on Israel’s nuclear capacity. Israel is believed to maintain an arsenal of up to 200 nuclear warheads. Netanyahu thanked Obama for “reaffirming the longstanding U.S. commitments to Israel on matters of vital strategic importance.” Especially impressive to the Israelis, and to pro-Israel lobbyists that have fretted about the
BALANCE from page 8 “Of course, security carries the unintended risk of scaring off some people from leading their Jewish way of life,” he said. “That is why it is important for our community to not only understand the risks, but to also place them within a wider perspective.” Far from being scared away, he said, members of the Jewish community “often phone and email” to check if CST personnel will be present at open events, such as public demonstrations or
NEWS
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2010
NETANYAHU from page 1 The implication of Netanyahu’s remark — that other neighborhoods of Jerusalem may not remain “where they are,” becoming part of an eventual Palestinian state — was the first hint that the Israeli leader may be flexible on the subject of Jerusalem. Until now, Netanyahu has insisted that Jerusalem is not up for negotiation. While the prime minister surely did not intend the gathering under the aegis of the Presidents Conference to serve as his forum for opening up negotiations over Jerusalem, the impromptu remark before an audience of prominent WITTELS from page 1 Wittels will attempt to break the collegiate record of 58 consecutive games held by ex-Major Leaguer Robin Ventura next spring. It’s an unlikely accomplishment considering that Wittels was a utility infielder who barely managed a .250 batting average as a freshman at Miami’s Florida International. His streak started in February with a bloop bunt single against the University of Maryland — and he never stopped hitting this season, propelling him into the national spotlight as both the poster boy for FIU and NCAA baseball. His success earned him the ESPY nomination, ESPN’s version of the Oscars. His sudden success story is particularly amazing for many members of Miami’s Jewish community, where Wittels grew up and attended Jewish RESCUE from page 10 So Elshanskaya went to Rabbi Israel Barenbaum, head of the Moscow rabbinical court, whom she knew was experienced in proving people’s Jewish roots. Barenbaum looked at the copies of Naumkin’s documents and said they were useless because all of them had been issued recently. Desperate, Elshanskaya searched online for the boy’s name and discovered that she was not the first person who had tried to help Naumkin. Several years earlier, the Jewish Agency had been informed about Naumkin and his cousin Emma and had tried to get them out of the orphanage. The Jewish Agency checked to see if the children were eligible for the Law of Return, but their documents were CANCEL from page 10 Cedar said that while he believes a boycott is “a legitimate way for an artist to express his political views,” they should be political views the artist has consistently and publicly held. Some artists appear to be concerned that their performances in Israel will be perceived as a politi-
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New York Jews and a handful of elected officials cast a slim ray of light on what Netanyahu thinks might be the Israeli capital’s ultimate fate. It was significant as well because Netanyahu’s true intentions regarding the peace process remain largely opaque, the subject of much debate from Washington to Ramallah. Netanyahu was a latecomer to the two-state position — endorsing the idea of an eventual Palestinian state only a year ago, after much prodding by the United States — and the governing coalition he has assembled is comprised largely of right-wing parties that do not believe in the current Palestinian
Authority as a partner for negotiations. In public, President Obama declared Tuesday that he believes Netanyahu is genuinely committed to seeking a two-state solution. “I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu wants peace. I think he’s willing to take risks for peace,” Obama told reporters following his Oval Office meeting with Netanyahu. “And during our conversation, he once again reaffirmed his willingness to engage in serious negotiations with the Palestinians around what I think should be the goal not just of the two principals involved but the entire world, and that is two states living side by side
in peace and security.” Privately, however, some U.S. administration officials have expressed doubts about Netanyahu’s ability to make good on that vision. Other Obama supporters have questioned Netanyahu’s commitment to that goal, and the Palestinian Authority leadership says Netanyahu’s interest in negotiations is not serious. “Words, not deeds,” was the assessment of chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who dismissed Netanyahu’s lip service to the peace process in an interview Tuesday with The New York Times. “We need to see deeds.” Netanyahu insists he is serious
about peace talks, and that it is the Palestinians who are playing games. “You either put up excuses or you lead,” the Israeli leader said in his New York speech. “I want to enter direct talks with the Palestinian leadership now,” “I think we can defy the skeptics,” he said, recalling the doubters that abounded when Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin began talking to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in the lead-up to the Camp David Accords, and when Richard Nixon visited China. “This is a challenge I’m up to.” Was it hyperbole or a sign of the legacy Netanyahu hopes for himself?
day school until middle school, and his father is a well-known orthopedic surgeon. “I was speaking with a very prominent member of the community, who is also a member of the Jewish federation,” Mark Rosenberg, FIU’s president, told JTA. “He asked me, ‘What do you think of Garrett Wittels?’ I said, ‘You know his father.’ He says, ‘Who is his father?’ ‘Michael Wittels.’ He says, ‘You’re kidding me.’ He had operated on the guy’s wife.” Wittels batted .412 with 60 runs batted in this season for FIU, and he’s playing now for the Peninsula Oilers in the Alaska College Summer Baseball League. Like most high-level Jewish athletes, Wittels doesn’t wear his Judaism on his sleeve (or his head — he’s not the second coming of onetime Orthodox basketball phenom
Tamir Goodman, who wore a kipah while playing). But baseball is a game of superstitions, and it’s there that Wittels’ Jewish background emerges. While his slate of good luck rituals has been noted repeatedly in the mounting media coverage of the streak, the mainstream media has missed this one: Before each game, Wittels kneels in the outfield and recites the Shema, the Jewish prayer declaring the unity of God. Wittels also carries a travel mezuzah, which contains the Shema prayer, and on road trips he brings a copy of the Jewish Wayfarer’s Prayer, according to his mother, Lishka, a member of Miami’s “Jewban,” or Cuban-Jewish community. And, she added, when FIU traveled this spring, he kept as kosher for Passover as he could. “This is a very spiritual house,”
his father, Michael, told JTA. “My wife’s family were Turkish Jews. We have that culture, plus all of the other meshugas” he said, referring to his son’s pregame habits. Superstitions can cut both ways — Wittels’ parents are wary of the media coverage surrounding the streak, citing their fear that others will give their son the “ayin harah,” or evil eye of jealousy, his father said. Even the name Garrett, the father added, is born of kabbalistic philosophy. In English it means strong as an ox, but the name has seven letters — an important number in Jewish mysticism. (His name was supposed to be Nicholas Garrett, but his paternal grandmother nixed that idea as “too goyish.”) As a 20-year-old, Wittels has said that he does not yet consider himself a role model, but his mother said, “the Jewishness plays a very big part
in his life.” “He has said he would marry a Jewish girl and talks about how important it is to carry on the Judaism with his life,” his mother said. “My son is the most spiritual, non-traditional young athlete you will ever meet. He carries his religion in his heart.” Like many young people — Jewish or otherwise — Wittels’ parents are his biggest advocates. Michael Wittels lashed out recently at Dave Winfield after the Hall of Fame outfielder and current baseball analyst downplayed the younger Wittels’ streak when comparing it to DiMaggio’s because college players use metal bats, as opposed to the wooden bats used in the majors. Now his father is calling on the Jewish community to help his son win the ESPY, which would be a first for a Jewish baseball player.
unsatisfactory. Later, according to an article in Israel’s daily Maariv in 2007, the Jewish Agency representative in the Caucasus, Lev Shchegolev, petitioned the Chechen government to let the children leave the country to spend two months in a summer camp in Israel. The request was not approved. Elshanskaya refused to give up. She asked the director of a Jewish asylum in Moscow whether she could take the boy, and for the first time heard a positive answer. So Elshanskaya bought a ticket to Grozny and went to fetch him. First, however, she wanted to speak with him on the phone. Naumkin wasn’t very talkative. “Do you like it where you are now?” Elshanskaya asked. “No,” Naumkin replied. “Do you want me to take you
out of there?” she asked. “Yes,” came the reply. Elshanskaya first saw Naumkin in person about a month ago. She said he appeared downtrodden and neglected, and didn’t look 20 — maybe 14 or 15. Elshanskaya couldn’t say whether he looked Jewish, Russian or Chechen. He just looked unhappy. They spent a night in the orphanage, and Elshanskaya noticed that Naumkin did not take off or change his clothes at night. In the morning they left for the airport. At the Moscow asylum, the staff gave Naumkin a welcome dinner and showed him to his room. Then the director told Elshanskaya, “Now tell me the whole truth.” She wanted to know how Elshanskaya knew he was Jewish. Elshanskaya said she had no proof. Naumkin’s cousin, Emma,
who had been adopted by a family in Chechnya and says she’s happy, said their grandmother used to tell them they were Jews. In the Moscow orphanage they asked Naumkin whether he was circumcised, and according to what tradition, Jewish or Muslim. “Muslim,” he said. Emma, whom Elshanskaya spoke with on the phone, said their grandmother was against circumcision in the Muslim tradition and insisted on the Jewish one. She had even quarreled about it with her son, Naumkin’s father. Naumkin himself doesn’t know who he is. Asked if he is Jewish, Naumkin now says he doesn’t know. In the meantime, he wears a kipah and keeps Shabbat. He also torments Elshanskaya, who comes to see him nearly every day, with the constant refrain “I
want to go home.” “Where’s your home, David?” she asks. “Do you want to go back to Chechnya?” He shakes his head and doesn’t answer. He doesn’t know who he is or where home is. With Elshanskaya’s help, he has learned to eat with a fork and knife, to cross the street and to tell the time on his watch. He can’t read or write, but he attends school. His future is murky. Lawyers say there is a small chance of getting him an apartment on the outskirts of Moscow. (According to Russian law, adults released from an orphanage are given an apartment by the state.) He’ll need time to adjust to an independent life. “Come on, David, talk to us,” Elshanskaya says, bending to catch his eye. Maybe one time out of 10 she manages. Then he smiles.
cal endorsement of Israel’s policies. When Banhart canceled a pair of Tel Aviv performances two days before their mid-June dates, a message posted on the artist’s website read: “We were coming to share a human and not a political message but it seems that we are being used to support views that are not our own. We will be overjoyed to return to Israel on the day that our pres-
ence is perceived and reported on as a cultural event and not a political one.” Asked what the Israeli Sport and Culture Ministry is doing to stem the tide of cancellations, a ministry spokesman said “nothing.” The cultural boycott of Israel has spread beyond the borders of the Jewish state. Last month in Spain, a float sponsored by the Tel Aviv
municipality was banned from Madrid’s gay pride parade. One reason for the withdrawal cited by organizers: Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai had not condemned the Gaza flotilla incident. The same week, a popular Bob Dylan fan site began blocking users inside Israel in what the Danish site operator called a “cultural boycott” in response to the flotilla incident.
Israel has faced similar situations. During the second intifada in the early 2000s, numerous artists canceled appearances in the country due to security concerns. Still, many acts are going through with their scheduled performances. Some, like the British rock group Jethro Tull, are taking pains to draw distinctions between culture and politics.
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OBITUARIES
DEATH NOTICES HILB, Nelly S., age 98, died on July 8, 2010; 26 Tammuz, 5770. POMERANTZ, Ida, age 95 died on July 12, 2010; 2 Av, 5770
IMAGE from page 10 They are not always coordinated. For example, the Foreign Ministry’s quick response team and the IDF spokesman’s office argued over who should present the initial Israeli version of what happened aboard the Mavi Marmara, the Turkish-flagged ship that greeted Israel’s commando raid with violence. As a result, the Israeli account did not come out for about 10 hours after the incident, a lacuna the Turks and other detractors were able to take full advantage of. Israel’s “rebranding” strategy also seems to have had little success. For years, a Foreign Ministry team under Ido Aharoni has been trying to improve Israel’s image by branding it as a fount of “creative energy,” emphasizing Israel’s high-tech and scientific achievements, burgeoning economy, entrepreneurial zeal, energetic lifestyle, and vibrant diversity of opinion and culture. The core idea behind the campaign is that stressing Israel beyond the conflict would deflect attention from its negative image as an occupying power. Not only has the campaign failed to achieve its main goal, but politics has penetrated nonpolitical realms. Musicians such as Elvis Costello, the Pixies and BRIEFS from page 10 A British Foreign Office spokesman said that Guy did not reflect the British government’s view. The blog was removed Friday. Her blog post followed on the heels of the firing of Octavia Nasr, CNN’s senior Middle East editor, who called Fadlallah a “giant” and saying in a Twitter post following his death, “Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah. One of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot.”
indie rocker Devendra Banhart have canceled concerts here, citing politics. The Madrid gay pride parade banned an Israeli float sponsored by the city of Tel Aviv, citing the raid aboard the Mavi Marmara. Earlier this year the Reut Institute, a nonpartisan Tel Avivbased think tank, issued a comprehensive report analyzing Israel’s delegimization problem and the tools needed to combat it. The report argued that the time has come for the government to take the delegitimization challenge as seriously as it does the military threats facing Israel. In its report, presented to the Cabinet in February, Reut pointed to an increasingly effective alliance between Islamist rejectionists and radical left-wing groups in the West whose common goal is to destroy Israel by isolating it politically and economically, ultimately forcing a one-state solution with a Muslim majority. The delegitimizers are particularly active in places like London, Madrid and the California Bay Area, which Reut called hubs, where they form grassroots networks of activists, NGOs and fellow travelers against Israel. The tipping point in their work would be a growing international consensus for a one-state solution, the report said. “Perhaps the existential threat to Israel is not yet around the corner, but as we know from history, state paradigms collapse exponentially,” Eran Shayshon, one of the authors of the Reut paper, told JTA. “Suddenly a few things happen to create an irresistible momentum, as happened with the Soviet Union or with apartheid South Africa.” Jerusalem chosen Africa’s best city; Tel Aviv No. 3 JERUSALEM (JTA) — Jerusalem was voted the No. 1 Best City in Africa and Tel Aviv No. 3 by the readers of Travel+ Leisure magazine. Jerusalem reached the top spot for the first time since 2000. Tel Aviv, which was behind Cape Town, South Africa, made it to the top 3 for the first time. The results are published annually in the magazine’s August issue. “We are thrilled by this result because it underscores the grow-
The unveiling of the monument for
Bernard (Bernie) Rabenstein will be held Sunday, July 25, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. It will be held at the New Hope Cemetery, 5375 Sidney Road, Covedale. Family and friends are welcome.
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
Richard Milnes / Creative Commons
More post-flotilla criticism: Theresa McDermott, an Edinburgh postal worker who was a member of the Free Gaza Movement flotilla, speaks at a Boycott Israel demonstration in Edinburgh, June 5, 2010.
In order to meet the challenge, Reut proposes a complete overhaul of Israel’s foreign service. It argues that instead of an outmoded diplomacy geared toward handling states and continents, the new focus should be on the hubs where the delegitimizers are particularly active and where dozens of additional diplomats should be deployed to engage as many people as possible among the decision-making elites. In addition, Reut recommends building anti-delegitimization networks worldwide based on Jewish and Israeli groups abroad, including NGOs. The main goal of the multifaceted campaign would be to
prevent delegitimization spreading from the fringes to the mainstream. According to the Reut paper, the aim is to drive a wedge between bona fide critics of specific Israeli policies and promoters of delegitimacy, thereby winning over the nonpartisan political center and creating a “political firewall around Israel.” So far, there is no sign the government intends to adopt any of this. While pro-Israel NGOs from Jerusalem to New York are involved in trying to diffuse deligitimization campaigns against Israel, some PR experts argue that the problem is more a question of government policy
than organizational structures or efforts. Israel will continue to suffer on the PR front unless it launches a major peace initiative, this school of thought says. That is one of the reasons Barak has been urging Netanyahu to come out with a new peace initiative, carefully coordinated with and backed by the Americans. Such an initiative almost certainly would not impress the delegitimizers, but it probably would give Israel a better chance of stopping the erosion of its international standing by driving a wedge between them and the rest of the international community.
ing realization by sophisticated travelers that our two main cities are unique and extraordinary places to visit,” said Arie Sommer, Israel’s tourism commissioner for North and South America.
gious movement, and became its leader when it became a political party in 1999. He served as a minister without portfolio for one year under Prime Minister Shimon Peres following the November 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The rabbi stepped down as head of the yeshiva in 2008. Amital, a Romania native, survived the Holocaust after working for eight months in a labor camp. He came to Mandatory Palestine in 1944, when he changed his surname from Klein. He served in the Haganah during Israel’s War of Independence.
Polytechnic State University, the University of South Carolina, Oregon State University and San Jose State University, were in Israel July 5-11 under the auspices of Project Interchange, an educational institute of the American Jewish Committee, July 5-11. The university chiefs received in-depth briefings on state-of-theart research initiatives, and they discussed opportunities for academic collaboration and exchange at the undergraduate, graduate and faculty levels. They also met with senior government officials, including Israeli President Shimon Peres, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and U.S. Ambassador to Israel James Cunningham. Aharon Barak, the former president of Israel’s Supreme Court, and Daniel Reisner, the exhead of the International Law Department of the Israel Defense Forces, led discussions on various legal topics, including human rights and international law.
Rabbi Yehuda Amital, yeshiva founder and Zionist leader, dies JERUSALEM (JTA) — Thousands came to mourn Rabbi Yehuda Amital, a revered yeshiva head and leader of the moderate camp of religious Zionism. Amital, the founder and a leader of the Har Etzion hesder yeshiva, died early last Friday at his home in Jerusalem following a long illness. He was 86. Students and former students of the yeshiva, rabbis, lawmakers and followers of religious Zionism were among those who attended Amital’s funeral last Friday afternoon. With his co-head of the yeshiva, Rabbi Aaron Lichtenstein, Amital formed the Meimad political movement, a left-wing reli-
American university heads visit Israel JERUSALEM (JTA) — A delegation of American university presidents visiting Israel met with their Israeli counterparts and discussed opportunities for academic collaboration. The 13 presidents, including the heads of Cornell University, the University of Miami, California