JNF Cincinnati Local rabbi named P&A volunteers visit on 50 most influential dinner to benefit Camp Livingston development of Israeli female rabbis list desert community By Elijah Plymesser Assistant Editor
Rabbi Laura Baum
Rabbi Laura Baum, of Congregation Beth Adam in Loveland, has recently been named on a list of the 50 most influential female rabbis in America. The list was sponsored and published in the Jewish Daily Forward. Nominations came from Forward and Lilith editors, as well as Sisterhood contributors, prominent rabbis and congregations from around the country. Prior to being
Givot Bar is a flourishing community located just outside of Be’er Sheva in the expansive rolling hills of Israel’s Negev desert, one of several new planned communities established as part of JNF’s Blueprint Negev campaign, an initiative to develop that Negev desert in a sustainable manner and make it home to the next generation of Israel’s residents. It is also the featured project of Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) Tree of Life Award Dinner in Cincinnati on Nov. 1, 2010. The event will honor Mary Ellen and Tom Cody for their philanthropic contributions and civic achievements in the Cincinnati community and their continued commitment to JNF’s work in Israel. “Just a few years ago, Givot Bar was nothing but sand dunes. But JNF has a vision and a plan,” said dinner co-
Recently, Dr. Henry Fenichel and Micah Max—members of the Jewish Federation’s Planning & Allocations committee’s Jewish Life and Learning Council—visited Camp Livingston
RABBI on page 20
JNF on page 19
P&A on page 20
$7 million fraud at Claims Conference raises questions By Jacob Berkman Jewish Telegraphic Agency
days either to return all the money they had received or appeal the suspension. Some 40 people have responded, with about half saying they wanted to return the money and half asking for appeals, according to the Claims Conference. It is not clear what, if any, criminal charges they will face. “Criminal activity is not a matter for the Claims Conference,” Gregory Schneider, its executive vice president, told JTA. “We reserve the right to go after them in civil court for the return of money.” Claims Conference officials first noticed last November that several claimants had falsified information to receive payments from the Hardship Fund, an account established by
Rachel Deutsch horseback riding at Camp Livingston.
Analysis: Is one-state solution an answer to Greater Israel dreams? By Leslie Susser Jewish Telegraphic Agency
FRAUD on page 21
JERUSALEM (JTA) — In one of the more curious twists in Israeli politics, prominent figures on Israel’s right wing have begun pushing for a one-state solution with Israelis and Palestinians as equal citizens with full voting rights. The one-state solution previously had been the preserve of the post-Zionist left, Palestinian hard-liners and left-leaning European intellectuals who envisioned turning Israel proper, the West Bank and Gaza into a single state in which the Palestinians soon would become the majority and assume the reins of government. For the overwhelming majority of Israelis, the idea has been anathema because it seemed to spell the end of the Zionist
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NEW YORK (JTA) — After discovering $7 million in fraudulent payments, the Claims Conference is facing questions about whether it will recover the money and how extensive the fraud actually was. Officials at the Claims Conference, which acts as a pass-through to distribute more than $400 million per year from Eastern European governments directly to survivors, discovered last year that it had paid out at least $7 million in pension payments dating back as far as 1980 to 202 imposters who used fraudulent documents to file claims for payments. The Claims Conference notified the recipients earlier this month that their payments were being suspended and that they had 90
Gili Yaari / Flash90 / JTA
Among the new proponents of a onestate solution is Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, in white long-sleeved shirt voting at a Likud Party meeting, June 24, 2010.
dream of a sovereign Jewish state. So what has changed? In a word: Gaza. ANALYSIS on page 22
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Cincinnati Reform Jewish High School holds graduation Rabbi Lewis Kamrass, Rabbi Sandford Kopnick, Rabbi Michael Shulman and Rabbi Rick Shapiro who have worked closely with the CRJHS director, Rabbi David Burstein. The high school was the product of an idea visualized by the rabbis from each congregation: Rabbi Alan D. Fuchs of Wise Temple, Rabbi Solomon T. Greenberg of Valley Temple, Rabbi Howard A. Simon of Rockdale Temple, and Rabbi Donald M. Splansky of Temple Sholom. Even though each congregation previously had its own high school program, including Confirmation, the rabbis felt that they would create a more successful program by combining their
resources. They could pull together a stronger faculty, offer a wider variety of topics, and increase their retention rate by offering a social atmosphere to the teenagers. Knowing of no other existing joint high school, the rabbis believed that Cincinnati would serve as an excellent city to model this program. The geography was perfect, with three out of the four congregations located within a block of each other. With the assistance of Rabbi Samuel K. Joseph and Rabbi Gary P. Zola of Hebrew Union College, the congregations were able to make the high school a reality. Members of the synagogues responded positively to the school, and thus began 27 years of successful graduates.
Graduating Class of 2010
Forty-seven senior high school students graduated from the Cincinnati Reform Jewish High School (CRJHS) on Sunday, May 23, 2010. More than 200 family members and friends attended the Siyum held in the sanctuary at Rockdale Temple.
Cohen, Matthew Craig, Molly Cramer, Erica Denham, Rachel Dick, Ryan Ebstein, Emily Ehrle, Grace Elkus, Maddie Elkus, Bonnie Emmer, Jamie Fischer, Alex Goldsmith, Michelle Grosser, Isabel Gruenhagen, Jacob Hatfield, Dani Hopping, Peter
Graduating Class of 2010
The graduates attend 15 different area secular high schools and are members at one of the four Reform congregations that make up the CRJHS – Rockdale Temple, Temple Sholom, Wise Temple and Valley Temple. They all gather together to further their Jewish education at the CRJHS. This year’s CRJHS graduates are Mathew Adams, Josh Brennock, Nancy Cohen, Nikki
Hull, Jake Jackson, Adam Kahan, Erica Katz, Leah Katz, Madeline Kincaid, Norman Klein, Emilee Kraus, Philip LaFrance, Allison Lazarus, Nicole Lefton, Joshua Levine, Matthew McCarrick, Rachel Myers, Max O’Leary, Brianna Pecsok, Ellen Pittman, Gabrielle Schneider, Charlie Schreiber, Hannah Seibert, Maddie Slutsky, Andrew Solomon, Dani Tsevat, Sophia
Wall, Logan Waterman, Emma Weinstein, Alex Ziegler, and Leah Zimmer. Two graduates were recognized in memory of two powerful and active women who dedicated great time and effort to the CRJHS. The Rosalind Kaufman Award for Outstanding Leadership and Commitment to the Jewish People was presented to Ellen Pittman of Wise Temple. The Marlene Swillinger Lev Tahor Award for Personal Growth went to Isabel Gruenhagen of Valley Temple. CRJHS has continued to grow throughout the past 27 years. Even though many aspects of the high school have changed over the years, students and faculty alike remain enthusiastic and excited to learn. Today, approximately 210 Jewish high school students attend the CRJHS. Under the direction of Rabbi David Burstein and administration of Sandee Golden, the school, renamed this year Kulanu: the Cincinnati Reform Jewish High School, continues to provide an environment for Jewish teens from all over the city to learn, to socialize and to share a part of their Jewish experience with each other. This year’s graduates add to the hundreds of previous graduates who received an extraordinary Jewish education due to the cooperation of these four Reform synagogues in Cincinnati. The continuing success of the school can be attributed to the guidance and leadership of Rabbi Ilana Baden, Rabbi Sigma Faye Coran,
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Free week of JCC kids programs starts Sept. 12 CINCINNATI, OH — Due to the Jewish holidays, JCC fall programs start the week of Sunday, Oct. 3. However, everyone in the community is encouraged to try as many JCC classes as they’d like for free during the special “free try it” week, Sept. 12 – 17. A complete list of all classes offered during “free try it” week is available at the JCC or on their website after Aug. 10. Families may register for classes for kids, adults, and seniors as early as Friday, August 13, and advance registration is requested for all of the “free try it” classes. The JCC “free try it” week includes classes for kids (ages 6 months – 17 years) in dance, drama, art, swim lessons, sports, circus skills, science, cooking, and an array of parent/child programs. Beginning this fall, the UC College Conservatory of Music Prep Dept. will run the dance program at the J, featuring new classes like creative movement (ages 3 – 4), ballet and tap (ages 4 – grade
3), beginning ballet (grades 3 – 5), hip hop (grades 3 – 5), and tween/teen ballet (ages 11 – 17), as well as adult classes. “My daughter loved the JCC ballet and tap class last season, so I think she’d enjoy trying the new CCM Prep Department dance classes at the J in September,” said Miriam Peri. “This ‘free try it’ week is a great idea because it gives parents a chance to see if their children really like different programs before paying for the full session.” Playhouse in the Park will offer two kids drama classes at the J: creative dramatics (grades K – 2) and children’s acting (grades 35). Aspiring actors and actresses in grades 4 – 8 can participate in the JCC’s exciting Center Stage Musical Theater Company class which culminates in December with an original musical production performed in front of a live audience at the J. Instructors from Young
Rembrandts, a nationally recognized leader in art education, will run two “free try it” drawing programs (for ages 3 - 6 and ages 6 – 12). Younger children (ages 18 months – 5 years) and their parents or caregivers may also try out the new creativity-based “Wiggles, Giggles, Scribbles and Paint” class. Water babies (and kids of all ages) can try Red Cross certified swim lessons from beginner to more advanced levels, in addition to a broad range of sports programs. These include taekwondo (ages 3 – 5; grades K – 6; and families), t-ball (ages 3- 5), baseball (grades K – 2 and 3 – 6), basketball (ages 3 – 5 and grades K - 2), soccer (ages 3 – 5, 4 – 6, and 8+), girls volleyball (grades 3 – 6), and tennis (ages 3 – 5 and grades K – 2). Parents with young children have three “free try it” enrichment programs to choose from at the J. There’s the new PJ Library’s “Shabbat Babies” music and activity class (ages 12 – 24 months),
Mommy and Me with Mrs. G (ages 18 months – 5 years), and the longrunning popular Music and Motion (ages 6 months – 3 years). Preschoolers (ages 3 – 5) can sample the fun of making their own snacks and stories in the PJ Library Book and Bake class. Elementary school kids (grades K – 2 and 3 – 6) will participate in hands-on experiments in the Mad Science class, and they can learn to juggle, spin plates, and more in the circus skills programs offered by My Nose Turns Red Theatre Company. JCC fall programs officially begin two weeks after the Sept. 12 – 17 “free try it” week, starting Sunday, Oct. 3. That gives everyone plenty of time to register in advance after trying the programs for free. All registrations for fall programs at the J are due by Sunday, Sept. 26. For more information about JCC “free try it” week and/or fall programs, contact the JCC or visit their website.
Legacy Gift will provide special needs educational consultant to area religious schools Gift of the Milton and Frances Schloss Fund will help students with learning disabilities maximize their religious school experiences CINCINNATI — A new Special Needs Education Consulting program (SNEC)— funded by a gift from the Milton and Frances Schloss Fund at the Jewish Federation—has been established to make religious school experiences successful for all students—including those with learning disabilities. Alison Kahn, a certified special education teacher with a focus in learning disabilities, will be the program’s consultant. In that role, she will train religious school educators at participating local congregations to read, interpret and incorporate information from students’ Individual Education Plans (IEPs) into their religious school classrooms. “With this initiative, our congregational schools can further reach our goal of meeting children where they are,” said Rabbi Sissy Coran, president of the Greater Cincinnati Board of Rabbis. “We very much want everyone to find the right doorway into Jewish learning and living. With attention to special needs, all of our
teachers and professionals will be able to acknowledge that everyone learns differently and we all are part of one community.” As the program’s professional consultant, Kahn will help religious school instructors to modify curriculum material for students at their own ability levels. She will also provide resources for educating students in time management, organization and study skills. “I have always been passionate about working with students with learning disabilities and my main goal is to help create the most positive learning experience for each individual child,” said Kahn, who has worked as a private tutor and as a Special Education teacher at both Springer School and Indian Hill Exempted Village School. “I believe that everyone is capable of learning and it is our job as educators to provide a rich and diverse learning environment. I am using my knowledge and passion to support the religious school educators in their efforts to meet the needs of all of their students.” Over 900 students attend reli-
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gious school in the program’s participating congregations which include: Beth Adam, Adath Israel, Tzur Shalom (Rockdale Temple/ Temple Sholom), Isaac M. Wise Temple, Kehilah (Northern Hills/Ohav Shalom), B’nai Tikvah, Valley Temple and Beth Israel in Middletown. The SNEC Program—already underway— is just one of many targeted community programs made possible only through generous donations to the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. Funding for SNEC was granted through the Jewish Federation’s Milton and Frances Schloss Endowment Fund. “The Schloss family’s legacy gift will have a far-reaching impact for our community’s religious school students and their families,” said Shep Englander, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. “It enables the community to support Jewish learning at the individual level, deepening students’ connection to their identity, history, Jewish life and culture. It’s a program we would not have been able to fund without the
generosity of the Schloss family. Much gratitude is due to all those who create Jewish legacies for the benefit of our community’s vital programs and services.” “For many years I have been involved with the education of children who are learning disadvantaged. I have seen the exciting results of those students who receive help from trained, compassionate, professional teachers who are able to provide for individual needs and help them achieve their potential,” said Frances Schloss, funder for the SNEC program. “When the idea was presented to my late husband, Milton Schloss, and myself we were delighted to have the opportunity to set up this significant fund and carry out our desire to provide this unique service to all students attending congregational religious schools. The end result will be that these students will have a far better understanding of their heritage and what it truly means to be Jewish which is so important in these challenging times.”
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The oldest English-Jewish weekly in America Founded July 15, 1854 by Isaac M.Wise VOL. 157 • NO. 2 Thursday, August 5, 2010 25 Av, 5770 Shabbat begins Fri, 8:27 p.m. Shabbat ends Sat, 9:27 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 ELIJAH PLYMESSER NICOLE SIMON 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 JOSEPH D. STANGE Production Manager CHRISTIE HALKO Office Manager
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Mercaz offers Hebrew course for college credit Mercaz is pleased to announce a partnership with UC Department of Judaic Studies to bring a Conversational Hebrew Course for college credit to students. The program will begin on September 12. Students in grades eight through twelve will have the opportunity to take the class. Mercaz has wanted to be able to offer courses for college credit for some time and they were thrilled when Matthew Kraus from UC’s Judaic Studies Department proposed the collaboration. The course will meet at Mercaz on Sunday nights from 6:30-7:30 p.m. during the school year and students will receive 1 credit through UC for each course they take.
Students will use the same textbook used in the UC Hebrew courses and will be taught by a member of the UC faculty. This collaboration will allow students that want to continue their Hebrew studies after religious school and at Rockwern Academy to do so at a much higher level than ever before. As they move on to college they will get a jump on, or in some cases, have completed their foreign language requirement. Mercaz is a supplemental Hebrew high school that meets on Sunday nights from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Adath Israel Congregation in Amberley Village. It is open to any Jewish teen in eighth to 12th grade regardless of affiliation.
A Hebrew school where you are family Visit Chabad Hebrew School on a Sunday morning and you will see Rabbi Cohen standing by the front door, welcoming each student and family as they arrive. The joy on the children’s faces as they run to their classrooms, the warmth of the teachers as they greet the classes, all point to one thing: all who join Chabad Hebrew School become part of a special family. For at Chabad Hebrew School, it doesn’t matter what Jewish background or affiliation you grew up with or what level of observance you currently practice. What’s important is the link that unites us as we pass the torch of Judaism on to the next generation. Says parent Orly Segal, “My kids love Chabad! They are always excited to go to Sunday school and love the warm, loving atmosphere while learning so much about Jewish traditions. ” The feeling extends to the family events that are held throughout the year as parents, siblings and extended family are all invited to take part in the learning. Innovative programs abound. Take the first day of school carnival where each booth is staffed by an older student who fills the role of mentor, explaining a Jewish concept to their younger counterparts and family members as the games teach the lessons of the day. Or take Sukkot, when students together with their families join
the greater community as horseled carriages saunter through the streets of Blue Ash, visiting neighborhood sukkahs for holiday activities at the Sukkah Trot. Then there is the mock wedding put on by the Jewish Lifecycles class as students and family members come dressed up to play their role in a traditional Jewish wedding. And of course, there is the yearly Kids Make Shabbat, when the Chabad Hebrew School students come to school on a Thursday evening to cook an elaborate, four course traditional Shabbat meal which they then serve to their parents, grandparents and extended family the following evening as they also lead the services and explain the traditions. “This is our third year here at Chabad Hebrew School, and it is the third year I have gone without my child saying, ‘Do we have to go, it’s boring, just one time can I skip,’” says Cindy Reichman. Sums up Dr. Aaron Fritzhand, “Once being a kid myself, I wish I had a Hebrew school program like this. No matter if you were raised Reform, Conservative or Orthodox we are all one family here at Chabad.” 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.
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Out on a limb at a Jewish genealogy conference By Edmond J. Rodman Jewish Telegraphic Agency LOS ANGELES (JTA) — Even before my ketubah was signed my soon-to-be mother-inlaw, Shirley, calmly but proudly told me, “Edmon, my mother’s family, the Sheinbeins, are descendants of the Vilna Gaon.” Maybe I was marrying into Jewish royalty, of a sort. The Vilna Gaon, who lived from 1720 to 1797, was a Talmudic scholar, author and the major nonChasidic Jewish leader of his age. Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman was so learned a rabbinic authority that he was known as “gaon,” a title meaning genius. Many claim to be his descendants. It’s a common claim of yichus, of lineage, and an uncommonly difficult one to back up. So at the weeklong 30th International Conference on Jewish Genealogy earlier this month in Los Angeles, I was among a thousand Jews who gathered desperately seeking not only Susan but Esther, Yankel and Morris. I went seeking Moishe. Sheinbein, that is, the first person on a family tree created by Shirley’s cousin, Fred Sheinbein,
and his wife, Judy. “It’s a family story passed down from generation to generation,” Fred Sheinbein said of the Vilna Gaon descendancy. “We have a silver kiddish cup that we think belonged to the Gaon that has been passed down in our family from eldest son to eldest son. On Passover we use it as Elijah’s cup.” To begin, I checked out the Gaon’s portrait. Looks can be deceiving, but staring back at me over the centuries were the same eyes, brows and nose familiar to me from our wedding photos of my wife’s grandmother, Sylvia Bierman, nee Sheinbein. The family tree was several generations short of the Gaon’s lifetime. Moishe, also known as Morris, was probably born sometime in the mid-19th century and lived in Osova, Ukraine. He would be my starting point in finding a Gaon connection. When looking for a Jew, consult with the Mormons. While seeking the unbaptized dead in their family trees, they have a branch up on genealogical research. In the conference’s vendor room, I found Dan Schylter, a researcher with the Latter-day Saints research
Edmon J. Rodman
Max Blankfeld of FamilyTree DNA, at the 30th International Conference on Jewish Genealogy in Los Angeles, says “gender doesn’t matter anymore” in DNA testing for ancestry.
website, FamilySearch, who specializes in Jewish genealogy. “Start with researching the generations of your family, and maybe then you’ll bump into someone famous,” Schylter suggested. “Start with the town.” Told Moishe was from Ukraine, Schylter pulled his lip. “We don’t have good records from there,” he said. As I learned, tracing a family’s lineage can depend on many things: readable records, geography, spelling and luck. The conference appeared to be a virtual hotbed of genealogical serendipity. As a result of computer searches, sessions like “Social Networking: New Horizons for Genealogists” and even genetic tests, the conventions foyer was filled with plenty of newly found cousins talking and hugging. “I just found a relative I never knew I had,” said Ellen Mark, the conference’s translator coordinator, who discovered that her maternal grandmother had a sister through a recent translation of a Russian letter she had long kept. She and others suggested I dig deeper into the conference’s resource room. I found a room where every computer was searching for someone—lost in the Holocaust or missing from the family tree. I turned to research expert Ina Getzoff of Delray Beach, Fla., for help. In a search on Ancestry website, I typed in Moishe Sheinbein. The site, an industry leader, was an example of how big a business genealogy had become. In 2009,
Ancestry raised more than $100 million with an IPO. “You never know what you’re going to find,” Gerzoff said as the results of the search came up. Suddenly I was awash in Sheinbeins: Fred and his wife, other family members from the family’s base in the Midwest. Now there were too many Sheinbeins. Adding Osova and a second place from the Sheinbein family tree, Kolki, also in Ukraine, produced nothing further. Computer searches weren’t working. Sheinbein literally means something like “nice bones,” and I didn’t have enough to make a skeleton. Perhaps there was a book. In the vendor room on a table staring me in the face was a huge book titled “Eliyahu’s Branches, The Descendants of the Vilna Gaon,” by Chaim Freedman. Excitedly I flipped to the back and found a cross index of more than 20,000 names of all known descendants. There was a Sheinfeld and a Sheingold, but no Sheinbein. I sought other methods of proof. “With changes in DNA testing and computer technology, Jewish genealogical research is more accessible than ever,” said Andrea Massion, a member of the convention's organizing Los Angeles chapter. Unknowingly, Massion pointed me toward a company that might hold the final chromosome of my search. “All your relative would have to do is a cheek scraping and mail it in,” said Max Blankfeld, partner and vice president of
FamilyTreeDNA. “In four weeks she has her results.” The service, which costs $289, shows the quantity of shared DNA between two people and, using an algorithm, would also show the degree to which they are related, he said. The service provides a match’s name, too. “Then my mother-in-law could look up the known surnames of Gaon relatives for a possible match?” I suggested hopefully. “Yes, that might work, and new names are constantly being added,” Blankfeld said, adding that she could also leave a message on the site with the hope that someone might contact her. I was just one swab away, yet I found myself leaving the conference without having the big-find moment so many others had experienced. Walking down the hotel’s sunlit foyer, I stopped to examine a series of standing displays of early Los Angeles Jewish businessman researched by the Los Angeles Jewish Historical Society. A black-and-white photo of a truck caught my eye. Painted on the truck’s side was the name Hasson — my wife’s Sephardic maiden name. The 1928 vintage photograph showed Victor Hasson seated in a 1920s era open-air flower delivery truck. An e-mail to my wife’s uncle, Lou Hasson, revealed, “Yes, Victor’s a relative, I remember him.” For the moment, the search for the Gaon was gone, replaced with a bouquet from the past.
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ADL downgrades swastika as Jewish hate symbol
Israel tries to lure major banks to expand its R&D
By Adam Dickter New York Jewish Week
NEW YORK (JTA) — If Haim Shani has his way, the titans of Wall Street will start moving more of their business to Dizengoff Street. Shani, the director general of Israel’s Finance Ministry, is in New York this week on a mission to promote Israel as a center for research and development for the financial services industry with a government program that would include tax breaks and subsidies for U.S. companies. Israel already is a global leader in the field of high technology, the site of R&D centers for global behemoths such as Intel, IBM, Motorola, Cisco and HewlettPackard. All told, some 35,000 Israelis are employed in R&D. But financial services R&D — a multibillion-dollar market that includes financial products development, data management, investment mathematics, foreign exchange software, security and more — is virtually nonexistent in Israel. “Israel has the expertise in technology and understands the business of financial services, but there is a mismatch between talent and the demands of the local economy,” Shani told JTA this week during his visit to New York. “Israel, through its human capital,
NEW YORK (New York Jewish Week) — The painting of a swastika—the dark, ubiquitous signature of hateful vandals everywhere— will no longer be automatically considered an act of anti-Semitism under new guidelines for recording attacks against Jews announced by the Anti-Defamation League. The most prominent Jewish defense agency in the country, perhaps the world, announced July 27 that it has revamped its guidelines for recording anti-Semitic incidents in its annual survey for the first time in 30 years, taking a more conservative approach. “We know that the swastika has, for some, lost its meaning as the primary symbol of Nazism and instead become a more generalized symbol of hate,” said Abraham Foxman, the ADL’s national director, in a statement. “So we are being more careful to include graffiti incidents that specifically target Jews or Jewish institutions as we continue the process of re-evaluating and redefining how we measure antiJewish incidents.” Another major change in the survey is that data are being collected in real time throughout the year rather than compiled at year’s end from police reports and complaints to ADL’s regional offices. As a result, incidents can be more thoroughly investigated as they unfold, said Deborah Lauter, the director of ADL’s civil rights division, who is in charge of the audit. As an example, Lauter said that police in Salem County, N.J., recorded an incident last year of swastikas on park benches as antiSemitic vandalism. An ADL investigation surmised that because there was no significant Jewish community in the area, it was more likely an act of general hate and therefore was not included in the audit. “If it appeared on a bench in Lakewood, that would be a different thing,” said Lauter, referring to the heavily haredi Orthodox town in New Jersey that is home to a prominent yeshiva. Lauter said it has become increasingly clear to ADL as it conducts education programs across the United States that young people don’t know the significance of the swastika and its relation to the Holocaust, and that often it is being used to intimidate non-Jews, including African Americans. There were 1,211 anti-Semitic incidents across the United States in
2009, including 209 in New York State, according to the latest ADL audit. Lauter said that had the criteria been unchanged, this year’s statistics would have shown a 10 percent increase over the 1,352 incidents recorded in 2008. Instead, the new system shows a 10 percent decrease. But comparing the two surveys would be akin to comparing apples to oranges because of the varying qualifiers. William Helmreich, a sociology professor at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center, said he understood the reasons for differentiating between swastikas directly targeting Jews and those painted in general locations. But Helmreich said he had “reservations” about omitting the latter category from the report. “I don’t feel they should stop taking note of swastikas in general because they do represent a symbol of hatred,” he said. “Why not just differentiate it in the report, as we do in sociology? Rather than yes or no, there is agree, agree strongly or disagree.” Lauter said information on swastikas not directed at Jews was being preserved, even if excluded from the audit. “We may take a look to see if it warrants a separate report,” she said. “This [system] does enable us to look at these kinds of trends.” Michael Berenbaum, former project director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington and now a consultant, said he agrees with ADL’s decision. “The presence of swastikas in certain contexts is not sufficient to prove anti-Semitism,” he said. “Individual judgments should be made, and ADL has done as good a job as anyone over the years in quantifying anti-Semitism. They have reported declines when it is in their self-interest to have it on the rise [because of fundraising].” A March 2007 story in The Jewish Week noted that the ADL’s presentation of numbers that year was misleading because while there was a drop in the overall number of incidents — including e-mails and verbal harassment — violent attacks on Jews were on the rise, particularly in New York. In stressing the aggregate decrease in incidents, the organization was presenting a picture of greater tolerance and safety when the rising assaults told a different story. At the time, Foxman said the agency was considering changing the way it tracks and documents incidents.
By Uri Heilman Jewish Telegraphic Agency
could be a center for innovation. The financial services sector has the potential to be a major employer.”
Haim Shani, director general of the Israeli Finance Ministry.
The idea is to expand Israel’s financial services sector, whose size correlates with the country’s diminutiveness, and create new jobs and wealth in an industry that now has a dearth of employment opportunities. If successful, the program could help lure to the country new immigrants or expatriate Israelis who work in financial services but cannot find jobs in the Jewish state, Finance Ministry officials say. “We know there are people who would like to return or make aliyah,” Shani said. “It’s part of a
larger strategy of bringing minds back to Israel.” Shani came to the United States to meet with chief technology officers, chief operations officers, chief information officers and other senior executives at banks — none of whom he would identify — in a bid to sell them on the idea of creating R&D centers in Israel. He had made a similar trip to London, and says he is far along in the process with some banks. The pitch is straightforward: Major financial institutions like Fidelity and Goldman Sachs already have R&D centers abroad. For banks considering expanding R&D operations overseas, why not come to Israel, a fully developed country where there is a large pool of talent, a stable workforce, a strong economy, cultural propinquity and time-zone proximity both to eastern markets (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo) and to the markets in London and New York? The most salient draw is the talent element. Shani says the same ingredients that have made Israel a powerhouse in high-tech R&D apply to financial services R&D: out-of-the-box development and implementation of technology. For example, veterans of the Israel Defense Forces intelligence corps have background in security R&D on page 21
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In races for Congress, some Jewish incumbents at risk By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Creative Commons/ Nicholas Beaudro
Lee Fisher
Creative Commons/ Freedom to Marry
Russ Feingold
Creative Commons/ Marcn
Paul Hodes
Creative Commons
Two Democrats with Jewish roots, challenger Andrew Romanoff, left, and incumbent Michael Bennet, are squaring off in a Colorado primary fight for the U.S. Senate.
Creative Commons/ The U.S. Army
Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, right, shown presenting a Senate resolution to Sgt. Juanita Wilson, is seen as being in a close battle to maintain her seat.
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Senate could go either way. Hopes are dimmer in the House. And Eric Cantor may at last have company. At least that’s the conventional wisdom on how Jewish lawmakers will do in November. If Jewish candidates sweep all the Senate races in this midterm election year, the Jewish total in the upper chamber would jump from 13 to 18. But with tight races in California and Wisconsin dogging incumbents, the number of Jews in the Senate also could drop to 11. In the U.S. House of Representatives, where all the seats are up for re-election every two years, four of the country’s 31 Jewish representatives could lose their seats—two of them because of Jewish anger over President Obama’s relations with Israel. In any case Cantor (R-Va.), the minority whip, stands a good chance of finally shedding his lonely sobriquet as “the sole Jewish Republican in the House.” Here is a preview of the congressional contests involving Jewish candidates ahead of the November vote. SENATE Colorado: The Aug. 10 Democratic primary is a contest between two Jewish candidates: Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), named to the post in 2009 when President Obama tapped incumbent Ken Salazar to be secretary of the interior, and Andrew Romanoff, a former speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives. Bennet’s mother is a Holocaust survivor, but he did not acknowledge his Jewishness until recently, raising Jewish representation in the U.S. Senate from 13 to 14. Romanoff has not shied away from his Jewishness and until recently was a Wexner fellow. Both candidates are outspoken in their support for Israel and on isolating Iran. Romanoff refuses to take special interest money, which has left him at a disadvantage; Bennet’s ads have been on TV much longer, and Romanoff recently sold his home. ColoradoPols website predicts that Bennet will win the primary, although polls show Romanoff faring better against Republicans in November. Connecticut: The state’s attorney general, Democrat Richard Blumenthal, has overcome questions raised by The New York Times about how he characterized his Vietnam War experience. In some speeches throughout his career, he appeared to describe himself as a veteran of the war’s battles, although his service was on the home front. His campaign pushed
back hard against the Times reports, showing that in other speeches— some delivered on the same day— he made the distinction clear. He is now polling well ahead of Republican Linda McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment whose campaign was peddling Blumenthal’s Vietnam discrepancies. McMahon has had difficulties overcoming her own controversies having to do with a colorful career in wrestling. If Blumenthal succeeds the retiring Chris Dodd, also a Democrat, he will join Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) in making Connecticut’s U.S. Senate representation all Jewish. New Hampshire: U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes’ win in the 2006 Democratic sweep of Congress was seen as a sign that the Granite State was moving from mixed purple to Democratic blue. Now he is seeking the seat of Judd Gregg, the Republican incumbent who is retiring, and is facing an uphill battle: New Hampshire is leaning a redder shade of purple this year, with majorities opposing the health care reform bill passed in March. Hodes faces no real opposition in the Sept. 14 primary, but he trails by substantial margins two of the four candidates running for the GOP nomination. Democratic heavy hitters who helped elect Obama to office already are in the state helping Hodes campaign. Ohio: Lt.-Gov. Lee Fisher, a Democrat, is putting up a battle against Republican Rob Portman in the race to succeed Republican George Voinovich, who is retiring. Portman, a former U.S. trade representative who is close to the state’s Jewish community, has raised substantially more funds than Fisher, but the Democrat remains neck and neck in the polls. Fisher has won statewide office twice—as attorney general and as lieutenant governor in 2006—and nearly took the governorship in 2000 in a year when Republicans were favored. Arizona: For a time during the spring, Democrat Rodney Glassman looked like a contender. Sen. John McCain, the incumbent and Republican presidential candidate in 2008, faced a serious primary challenge from former U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth based on McCain’s earlier backing for immigration reform. Hayworth had the backing of immigration hard-liners and Tea Party insurgents. In recent weeks, however, McCain has pulled well ahead of Hayworth, and pundits see that momentum propelling McCain to a sixth Senate term. Democrats say Glassman, a former Tucson vice mayor, is still worth watching. Only 32, he already has put together an impressive CV: Glassman founded a nonprofit for children’s causes at 23, and serves on a long list of charita-
ble boards; he turned around the family business, an ice skating rink, and sold it for a substantial profit; he has funded much of his own campaign; he’s a reservist in the Air Force Judge Advocate General; as an aide to U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), he worked to bring the Jewish and Latino communities closer together. On the state’s signature immigration issue, Glassman opposes a recent controversial law that expands police power to arrest illegal immigrants. California and Wisconsin: Longtime incumbent Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) face close fights in November, each suffering from the midterm swing against incumbency. Pollsters following Boxer’s race against Republican Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO, have been swinging back and forth, the result of a state rattled by near-bankruptcy and climbing unemployment. Feingold maintains a narrow lead over his opponent, Republican Ron Johnson, a plastics executive, but one-third of the voters have told pollsters that they are undecided. That’s not good news for the incumbent, who is known statewide; Johnson can at least claim that he has yet to make his case. HOUSE INCUMBENTS Of 30 Jewish Democrats running for reelection, four are seen as potentially facing tough races: Republicans still haven’t forgiven Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (DAriz.) for taking what they believe should be a GOP stronghold in her Tucson-area district in 2006. She trounced her opponent in 2008 but is taking no chances this year against whichever of four contenders wins the GOP’s Aug. 24 primary. Giffords has sharpened her criticism of the Obama administration’s immigration enforcement policies and has raised more than $2 million in cash. Democrats still count Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.) as likely to retain his South Florida seat, which he wrested from years of GOP control in 2006. In 2008 he defeated his current opponent, Allen West, by 8.5 percentage points. However, West—a retired Army lieutenant colonel seen as one of the GOP’s best chances to reintroduce a black Republican into Congress—has hammered Klein in this heavily Jewish district by going after President Obama over his recent tensions with Israel over settlements. It might help Klein that he is one of the more hard-line Democrats in Congress when it comes to Israel, and has distanced himself from Obama’s Israel policies. CONGRESS on page 22
ISRAEL
THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2010
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Negev wine farmers claim battle over land is sour grapes By Sue Fishkoff Jewish Telegraphic Agency BEERSHEBA, Israel (JTA) — Moshe Zohar’s hands are rough and callused, his face lined with the dust of the desert he farms half an hour outside this southern Israeli city. Eleven years ago Zohar, his wife, Hilda, and their three children settled on this harsh land to build Nahal Boker Vineyards, one of the first eco-tourism farms on the newly established Negev wine route. They came under a plan initiated in the mid-1990s by the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council, Israel’s Agriculture Ministry and the Israel Lands Authority under which the Zohars and 23 other couples were given land to farm along an ancient trading route, part of a national initiative to settle the Negev. They were told to plant olive trees, wine grapes and other native crops, to raise goats and make cheese. They were given access to the country’s water and power supplies, as long as they kept their doors open for tourism. “There was a vineyard here
1,500 to 2,000 years ago,” said Zohar, noting the connection he felt to Israel’s ancient history when he planted his own wine grapes. “Local archeological ruins show huge wine vats our ancestors used for aging.” But now Zohar and the other wine route farmers face eviction from the very agencies that encouraged them to settle this land. The farmers attribute the about-face to the value they have created through their farms: Now that their little pieces of desert are blooming, rich folks from elsewhere want to swoop in and claim it for themselves. Opponents of the farmers are relying on a law that says citizens are permitted to receive land without going through the usual public tender process only if the land is used for industry, agriculture or tourism — but not for housing. The law, which effectively bars the farmers from living on the land, apparently was ignored when the wine route was established to encourage Jewish settlement of the Negev. Five years ago, when the discrepancy was brought to light, the
Sue Fishkoff
Moshe Zohar, who grew these pomegranate trees on his farm in the Negev, is facing eviction from the same government agencies that granted him the land.
Israel Lands Authority began issuing eviction notices so the farms could be put up for sale. Seven farms, including the Zohars’, have received eviction notices. Both the Housing Ministry and the Israel Lands Authority referred JTA to the Knesset members who sponsored the new bill.
“I put a lot of money into this, and I built it myself,” Zohar said. “If I’d known this would happen, I never would have come.” The wine route farmers are fighting their eviction. They won their first victory July 12 when the Knesset enacted a new law permitting farmers who have contracts
with the lands authority and lived on their land for more than three years to apply for permanent residency and recognition of their ecotourism project. Their applications for permanent residency will be considered by the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee on a case-by-case basis beginning in October, when the appropriate ministerial committee is created. “The new Knesset law does not give carte blanche,” said a spokesman for the Ramat Hanegev Regional Council who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It does not say everyone who is already there may stay.” The farmers also have a petition pending in Israel’s Supreme Court requesting permission for all of them to remain on their land. “The state sent those people there,” said Knesset member Israel Hasson, one of the co-sponsors of the bill that passed last month. “Four Israeli governments thought this method of settling the Negev was important, but the law didn’t allow them to live on their land. I thought such a situation should not exist.”
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Muting singing rabbis, business whizzes, special boot camp By Marcy Oster Jewish Telegraphic Agency JERUSALEM (JTA) — Here are some recent stories out of Israel that you may have missed: Quit the chupah singing, rabbis told Israel’s Chief Rabbinate has ordered rabbis to stop singing under the chupah, saying it “cheapens the Rabbinate.” Ynet reported earlier this month that the Council of the Chief Rabbinate agreed to strip rabbis who incorporate song and musical performance into the marriage ceremony of their authority to officiate at weddings. A similar decision was announced a year ago, but with the recent decision the rule will be enforced more vigilantly, according to Ynet. Officiating rabbis have filed complaints with the Chief Rabbinate about the practice, claiming that they “degraded themselves” during the ceremonies. “We are aware of the fact that a younger generation has arisen that is far from the tradition and is interested in such a chupah so that it is more accepted by those attending,” Rabbi Ratzon Arusi, chairman of the Rabbinate’s Marriage Committee, told Ynet. “However, everything must be in accordance with halachah. If the rabbi is genteel and cordial, we have no opposition. On the contrary, he sanctifies the Heavens. But when he sings and plays music, this is problematic.” Disabled youth go to (boot) camp More than a dozen young
Liron Almog / Flash90 / JTA
Israelis spray each other during a water fight event at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, July 2, 2010.
Israeli men and women with disabilities graduated from an Israeli army boot camp in a special program designed for them. The newly minted soldiers, who suffer from Down syndrome, and developmental and hearing disabilities, are exempt from compulsory military service.
The one-week basic training at the Tzalmon base in northern Israel was the first time that disabled Israeli youth have participated in basic training. The participants, mostly 18 and 19 years old, were incorporated as much as possible into the regular missions, Ynet reported.
A second group will arrive soon for training. “I wanted to make them feel that they are a part of the army and to give them a sort of basic military training,” Maj. Ariel Almog, commander of the Home Front Command base in Ramle, told Ynet. Almog initiated the program and
acquired the necessary approvals. “They experienced the true spirit of the military, with the symbols, the flag and the weapon,” he said. “They followed all the orders and were given help when it was needed.” ISRAEL on page 22
Rape charge for consensual Arab-Jewish sex raises eyebrows By Marcy Oster Jewish Telegraphic Agency JERUSALEM (JTA) — If a woman believes she was deceived by a man she agreed to have sex with, does that constitute rape? It can, according to a Jerusalem District Court. Last week the court ruled on a case involving a woman who said she believed the Arab man with whom she had consensual sex a few minutes after meeting him was a Jewish bachelor interested in a serious relationship. The man, Saber Kushour, a married father of two from eastern Jerusalem, was found guilty of “rape by deception” and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Some Israeli commentators greeted the ruling with incredulity and dismay; some have denounced it as anti-Arab racism.
Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy wrote that Kushour’s only crime was that he “was born Palestinian.” Political analyst Sima Kadmon, in an Op-Ed in the Israeli daily Yediot Achronot, wrote that “If any married man who has ever lied in order to get sex would be charged with rape, there would be no room in our prisons,” “It appears that the court had a problem with Kushour being Arab rather than with him being married.” But Dana Pugach, head of the Noga Center for Victims of Crime, told Ynet that she thought the verdict was appropriate. “We all have different characteristics, and it is a person’s right to have sexual relations with a person knowing the facts about those characteristics,” Pugach said. Kushour does not deny that he had a one-time sexual encounter with the woman, who was identi-
fied as Maya, but he denies that he misrepresented himself as Jewish in order to sleep with her. His lawyers reportedly are planning to appeal the ruling to Israel’s Supreme Court. In an interview with the British Guardian newspaper published Sunday, Kushour — who is known by the Jewish nickname Dudu, a sobriquet for David — said Maya never asked if he was Jewish and did not appear to be looking for a long-term relationship when the encounter took place in 2008. Within 15 minutes of meeting each other, the couple had consensual sex on the top of a nearby building. Kushour left the woman immediately afterward, but not before tapping her phone number into his cell phone. Maya filed a police complaint shortly after the encounter, and when Kushour called her six weeks
later, she had enough contact information to have him picked up by police and confined to house arrest for the past two years. “If she hadn’t thought the accused was a Jewish bachelor interested in a serious romantic relationship, she would not have cooperated,” Judge Zvi Segal wrote in his verdict finding Kushour guilty of rape. “It is incumbent on the court to protect the public interest from sophisticated, smooth, sweet-talking offenders who can mislead naive victims into paying an unbearable price: the sanctity of their bodies and souls.” Haaretz’s Levy wondered, however, “Do the eminent judges understand the social and racist meaning of their florid verdict? Don’t they realize that their verdict has the uncomfortable smell of racial purity, of ‘Don’t touch our daughters?’ That it expresses the
yearning of the extensive segments of society that would like to ban sexual relations between Arabs and Jews?” It was not the first court ruling against a man who used deceit in a sexual context, according to Haaretz. In one case, a man named Eran Ben-Avraham was convicted on three counts of fraud for telling a woman he was a wealthy neurosurgeon in order to maintain a relationship. In another, Zvi Sleiman was convicted of rape by deception for pretending to be a senior Housing Ministry official and making promises of an apartment to keep his girlfriend. That decision was upheld in 2008 by Israel’s Supreme Court. In the United States, California and Tennessee have “rape by fraud” legislation, according to CBS News.
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2010-2011 SCHOOL LISTINGS Listed are the various programs: Hebrew schools, early-childhood schools etc. offered by the Jewish community of Cincinnati this year. The groupings are broken down into Day Schools, Congregational Schools, Pre-Schools and also offers a few listings of additional programing. Day Schools Bnos Rochel Pesia Fruma High School (Regional Institute for Torah and Secular Studies – RITSS) 2209 Losantiville Ave Cincinnati, OH 45237 Contact:: Rabbi Ezriel Dzialoszynski, Dean Phone: 513-631-0083 Grades: (Girls) 9 -12 Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Classes begin: Aug. 24 Affiliation: Unaffiliated RITSS has a college preparatory program of both Jewish and secular studies with a wide range of extracurricular activities. Boarding facilities are available, and there is a low teacher-student ratio. All Jewish girls are welcome, regardless of affiliation. Cincinnati Hebrew Day School (CHDS) 2222 Losantiville Road Cincinnati, OH 45237 Contact: Rabbi Yuval Kernerman, Principal; Susan Shapiro, Assistant Principal Phone: 513-351-7777 Fax: 513-351-7794 Grades: Preschool-Grade 8 Hours: 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Classes begin: Wednesday, Aug. 25 Affiliation: Torah Umesorah CHDS provides both Judaic and secular studies; CHDS has an intensive Judaic studies program with an emphasis on textual learning and religious practice. Other features include a rigorous general studies program; state certified personnel; proficiency testing; a fully equipped science lab; art and music rooms; a new computer lab with Internet facilities; and a new state-of-the-art gym for physical education classes. Remedial Judaica programs are provided to assist students with limited Judaic exposure. Rockwern Academy 8401 Montgomery Road Cincinnati, OH 45236 Contact: Peter Cline, Head of School, Gail Sperling, Director of Admissions Phone: 513-984-3770 Fax: 513-984-3787 Grades: Preschool (age 2) - Grade 6 Hours: 8:10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. with flexible options for preschool
Classes begin: Aug. 23 Affiliation: Community Day School Founded in 1952, Rockwern Academy is an independent Jewish Day School in the Cincinnati/Kenwood area for more than 300 students in preschoolgrade 6. Rockwern offers an academically rigorous program, enriched by a nurturing environment. Students learn in a safe, supportive community that reinforces their Jewish identity and values and builds on their self esteem. A Rockwern education ensures that every student achieves high academic standards, knowledge, skills and qualities required to become a confident, productive citizen in a changing, diverse world. Students may enter at any grade. Flexible tuition is available. Congregational Schools Adath Israel Congregation – Jarson Education Center 3201 E. Galbraith Road Cincinnati, OH 45236 Contact: Sharon Wasserberg, Director of Education Phone: 513-792-5082 Fax: 513-792-5085 Grades: Kindergarten-Grade 7; Grades 8-12 encouraged to attend Mercaz High School Hours: Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-noon; (Grades K-7) Monday, 4:15-6 p.m.; (Grades 3-7) Wednesday, 4:15-6 p.m.; (Grades 2-7); (Grades 8 - 12) Sunday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.at Mercaz Classes begin: Sunday, Sept. 19 Affiliation: Conservative Adath Israel incorporates the study of Hebrew, Bible, prayer, Jewish values, traditions, history, music, and bar/bat mitzvah preparations into its curriculum. Beth Adam Religious School 10001 Loveland-Madeira Road, Loveland, OH 45140 Contact: Roberta Veleta Phone: 513-985-0400 Grades: Preschool to Teen Program Hours: Sunday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.; Mid-week Bar Bat/Mitzvah classes for 6th and 7th graders, Wednesday, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Classes begin: Sunday, Sept. 12th Affiliation: Humanistic Beth Adam's Religious School is a vibrant and welcoming community. Our experienced teachers use dynamic and age-appropriate methods to expose our students to a range of topics. Our curriculum includes Jewish history, live cycle events, holidays, texts, values and ethics, and theology. We encourage questioning. Most important to us is that students enjoy their Jewish experiences so that they continue to feel connected to the Jewish community for years. Our approach is contemporary and promotes per-
sonal responsibility and critical thinking. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah program is a two-year course of study during which students learn to read Hebrew and complete a research paper related to the theme of their Torah portion. We are more than a school—we build Jewish connections and community. Beth Israel Religious School 50 N. Sixth Street Hamilton, OH 45011 Contact: Phyllis Binik-Thomas, Director Phone: 513-868-2049 Fax: 513-868-2069 Grades: Preschool-Grade 12 Hours: Sunday, 9:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. (Grades 5-7 Hebrew) Wednesday, between 2-6pmdepending on the grade level. Affiliation: Conservative A Sunday morning breakfast for parents and students is held, followed by services. Hebrew is taught on Sundays, and mid-week classes are available as well. Beth Israel focuses on Torah, Tefillah, Jewish values, Jewish history, Mitzvot, holidays and current events in the Jewish community; hands-on activities supplement book learning. All grades focus on the relevance of Torah and Judaism in their lives. In addition, post bar/bat mitzvah students are eligible to become teacher’s assistants. This year’s theme: Midot Jewish Values. B’nai Tikvah Religious School 8596 Lake Chetac Cincinnati, Ohio 45241 Contact: Rabbi Donna G. Adler, Educational Director Phone: 513-336-6233 Grades: preschool-bar/bat mitzvah Hours: Sundays Classes begin: Sunday, Sept. 12 Affiliation: Reconstructionist Congregation B’nai Tikvah’s Religious School’s curriculum reflects its philosophy of “Living Judaism.” Learned age appropriately, Torah, prayers, Hebrew, Israel, Jewish History and Ethics are taught in advancing levels of sophistication. Throughout the year there are numerous opportunities for tikkun olam (to repair the world). A weekly student-led worship service helps to prepare students for their bar/bat mitzvah. Creative and innovative experiential programs not only augment the students’ studies, but offer occasions for family and community education. Through “God Talk” students are offered a spiritual faith consistent with a belief in the goodness of the universe and which motivates ethical living. Built into the curriculum is ongoing family involvement through shared projects, field trips and community service. LISTINGS on page 12
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NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS The Regional Institute for Torah and Secular Studies (RITSS) admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
Kehilla School for Creative Jewish Education
Combined Religious School Northern Hills Synagogue & Congregation Ohav Shalom Grades Pre-K–7 Open to non-members Wednesday afternoons & Sunday mornings Call Tracy Weisberger, Education Director at 931-6040 or visit our website at
www.kehilla-cincy.com
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LISTINGS from page 11 Kehilla — Joint School of Northern Hills and Ohav Shalom 5714 Fields Ertel Road Cincinnati, OH 45249 8100 Cornell Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45249 Contact: Tracy Weisberger, Director of Education and Programming Phone: 513-931-6040 Fax: 513-530-2002 Grades: Preschool-Grade 7 Hours: Sunday, 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 4:30-6:15 p.m. Classes begin: Sunday, Sept. 12; Parents Open House, Aug. 29th; 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Congregation Ohav Shalom Affiliation: Conservative The Joint School of Northern Hills and Ohav Shalom is a creative, family-oriented and individualized program that provides a full array of innovative educational, religious and social opportunities from preschool through grade 7. It offers the study of the Bible, history, prophets, Israel, prayer, Hebrew and current events. Enrollment is open to unaffiliated students. The School also offers an award-winning preschool family education program once a month. Temple Beth Sholom Religious School 610 Gladys Drive Middletown, OH 45044 Contact: Rabbi Haviva Horvitz Phone: 513-422-8313 Grades: Preschool-High School Hours: Sunday, 9:30-noon. Affiliation: Reform Temple Beth Sholom takes pride in their small student-teacher ratio and individualized attention to each child’s learning capacities and desires. Their desire to provide their students with a strong foundation in Judaism reflects their congregational mission. Founded in 1903, Temple Beth Sholom is a Reform congregation committed to prayer, worship and study of G-d and Torah within the framework of liberal Judaism. They have the expressed purpose of helping their membership apply the principles of Judaism to personal conduct, family life and communal living. They value the role of women and men as equal participants in community leadership and worship. As a smaller congregation, Temple Beth Sholom cherishes the opportunity to create and nurture their “Temple family” of Jews in Middletown and the surrounding community. Tzur Shalom – A Combined Religious School for the Children of Rockdale Temple and Temple Sholom 3100 Longmeadow Lane
Cincinnati, OH 45236 8501 Ridge Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45236 Contact Information (Rockdale Temple): Contact: Margaret FriedmanVaughan, Director of Education Phone: 513-891-9900 Contact Information (Temple Sholom): Contact: Valerie Habib, Principal Phone: 513-791-1330 Grades: Preschool-Grade 8; Grades 9-12 participate in Kulanu: The Cincinnati Reform Jewish High School Hours: Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-noon; Tuesday, 4:30-6 p.m. (Rockdale Temple Hebrew School – 8501 Ridge Rd); Wednesday, 4:30-6 p.m. (Temple Sholom Hebrew School – 3100 Longmeadow Ln) Classes begin: Sunday, Sept. 12; Open House Sunday, Aug. 22, 11 a.m. Tzur Shalom offers a Hebrew and Judaic curriculum for students in preschool through 8th grade. Special programs throughout the year include family holiday and education programs, music, art, Israeli dance, and library visits. Students also participate in mitzvah programs that promote responsibility and caring for others. Students take an active role in tefilah (worship) and learn many traditional and new ways to sing the prayers in the service. Interfaith , LGBT, and single parent families are all welcome and supported in their desire to explore Jewish learning. Temple Sholom and Rockdale Temple also offer comprehensive Hebrew programs during the week; Rockdale on Tuesday and Temple Sholom on Wednesday. Families are encouraged to participate in Religious School programs and activities and to take an active role in their children’s Jewish education. Students in grades 4-12 from both congregations participate in age-appropriate youth groups. Club 456 is for students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades; Yeshivat Noar is for students in 7th and 8th grades; and each congregation has a Senior Youth Group—YGOR, The Youth Group of Rockdale, and YGOTS, The Youth Group of Temple Sholom. Valley Temple Religious School 145 Springfield Pike Wyoming, OH 45215 Contact: Alison Weikel, Director Phone: 513-761-3555 Grades: Preschool-Grade 12 Hours: (Preschool-Grade 8) Sunday, 9:45 a.m.-noon; (Grades 4-6 - Hebrew) Tuesday 6:30-7:30 p.m.; (Grades 9-12) Sunday 78:45 p.m. at the Cincinnati Reform Jewish High School. Classes begin: Sunday, Sept. 13 Affiliation: Reform Valley Temple’s classes have
a strong emphasis on Torah, Israel, holidays, traditions and values. Highly skilled and experienced faculty along with specialists in music and dance nurture the students and help them develop their Jewish identities. Valley Temple also offers family education for all grades and a Hebrew program for grades 4-5-6. Families must be temple members to enroll students. Isaac M. Wise Temple Religious School 8329 Ridge Road Cincinnati, OH 45236 Contact: Barbara Dragul, Director of Education and Lifelong Learning Phone: 513-793-2997 Grades: Pre-K - Grade 8 (Sunday School); Grades 4-6 (Midweek Hebrew School) Hours: (Sunday School) Sunday, 9:15-11:45 a.m.; (Midweek Hebrew School) Wednesday, 4:306 p.m. Classes begin: Sunday, Sept. 26 and Wednesday, Sept. 22 Affiliation: Reform Wise Temple offers many programs such as Gesher (a parent parallel education program); after school youth activities for grades 1-4; three separate youth groups for grades 1-8; a youth choir; grade level retreats; and a thriving Madrikhim (teenage teaching assistants) program. The Wise Temple Religious School is fully accredited by the National Association of Temple Educators. Classes are conducted in a beautiful facility. The open room (Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten) has a curriculum built around the senses, where students rotate through four different stations. Students in grades 7 and 8 may choose from a number of elective offerings including The Holocaust, Conversational Hebrew, Comparative Religion, American Jewish History, and Jewish Film. Art, music (including the youth choir), mitzvah projects and special programs supplement the curriculum in all grades. Students may attend for one year as a non-member. KULANU -Cincinnati Reform Jewish High School c/o 49 Sheffield Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45240 Contact: Sandee Golden, Administrator Rabbi David Burstein, Director Phone: 513-772-3224 Grades: 9-12 Hours: Sunday, 7-8:45 p.m. Classes begin: Sunday, Sept. 12 Affiliation: Reform In 1982, 184 Jewish teenagers entered one of Cincinnati’s Reform congregations to attend what was the first session of the Cincinnati Reform Jewish High School (CRJHS). These students
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2010
would be the first of hundreds to receive a Jewish education due to the cooperation of the four Reform synagogues in Cincinnati: Isaac M. Wise Temple, Valley Temple, Rockdale Temple and Temple Sholom.The CRJHS has continued to grow throughout the past 25 years. Today, called KULANU, the school has close to 200 Jewish high school students. They represent over 35 area high schools. KULANU will continue to provide a safe place for Jewish teens from all over the city to learn, to socialize, and to share a part of their Jewish experience with each other. Mercaz Conservative Hebrew High School 3201 E. Galbraith Road Cincinnati, OH 45236 Contact: Dara Wood, Director Phone: 513-792-5082 ext. 104 Grades: 8-12 Hours: Sunday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Classes begin: Sunday, Sept. 12 Affiliation: Conservative, however open to all students regardless of affiliation Mercaz offers hands-on, innovative and discussion-based classes designed to entice a variety of Jewish teens. Classes at Mercaz aim to teach Jewish texts, ethics and history in a way that appeals to today’s Jewish teens. We offer Experiential Jewish Education through the Arts courses, Conversational Hebrew for College Credit and Adult Hebrew courses. Preschools Chai Tots Early Childhood Center Contact: Rochel Kalmanson, Education Director Phone: 513-234-0600 Ages: 6 weeks-6 years Hours: Flexible hours from 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Classes begin: Wednesday, Aug. 18 Affiliation: Entire Jewish community The Chai Tots Early Childhood Center is a Jewish community school, serving the entire Jewish community in the Mason/Deerfield/West Chester area. Chai Tots is the only Jewish Montessori school in Ohio and offers infant care, toddler and preschool programs, and Kindergarten. Chai Tots brings together children of all backgrounds and affiliations. A “Montessori school of Jewish living,” Chai Tots introduce each child to the joys of Judaism and meaningful spirituality through a blend Montessori and traditional Jewish education. Chai Tots instills Jewish pride by teaching children the culture and traditions of Judaism in a fun-filled, warm and
loving environment, while developing their creativity skills and promoting independence, in a solid academic environment. Its personalized teaching methods allow its curriculum to be tailored for your child’s unique abilities and personality, providing your child the inner-confidence to identify and fulfill his/her unique purpose in the world, by being all s/he can be. Ongoing activities include Music and Movement, Tumbling, Child Yoga, Shabbat Party and many extra-curricular activities. Numerous family-oriented programs offered, as well. The school’s flexible schedule allows parents to choose the morning, afternoon, or all day program. Chai Tots also provides before and after extended care. Cincinnati Hebrew Day School Early Childhood School 2222 Losantiville Road
Cincinnati, OH 45237 Contact: Rabbi Yuval Kernerman, Principal; Susan Shapiro, Assistant Principal Phone: 513-351-7777 Fax: 513-351-7794 Ages: 3-5 years Hours: 3-year-olds, 8:30 a.m.12:45 p.m. (extended care options until 2:30 or 4:00 p.m); 4- and 5year-olds, 8:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m. or 8:45 - 4 p.m. Classes begin: Wednesday, Aug. 25 Affiliation: Torah Umesorah CHDS Early Childhood School is licensed by the State of Ohio. CHDS provides a quality educational program for young children in a newly renovated, state-of-theart facility. A curriculum is provided that enhances the social, cognitive, physical and emotional development of each child.
Sam Rose
LISTINGS on page 21
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DINING OUT
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
Parker’s Blue Ash Grill – On Your Mark, Get Set, Go! By Marilyn Gale Dining Editor A fine cocktail restaurant is lying right in the middle of the lovely suburb of Blue Ash. With Raymond Walter’s College near by, it is the perfect spot for a weekday collegial lunch or the ideal family activity for an elegant Sunday brunch. Enter into the serene setting, and although located on the busy corner on Reed Hartman and
stop in for a few drinks. Half-off beer on tap, one dollar off premium liquors and imported bottled beer, plus $2 off wine by the glass. If you choose to sit in the jockey lounge—a wood paneled room lined with wide booths, filled in the middle with a few widely spaced tables—you can order from the specially priced jockey lounge menu during the happy hour time period. It is a good bet that this happy hour celebration of
Pretty as a picture, Parker’s makes all occasions festive.
Cooper roads, the landscape, newly paved outdoor patio and spacious interior convey a sense of Southern elegance that can only be found in horse lover’s country. I met with Jim Brewster, general manager of Parker’s Blue Ash Grill for the past two years. He described himself as a hospitality veteran with over 26 years experience. Starting as a busboy washing dishes, he climbed up the restaurant business ladder to general manager. Brewster added that he can cook, too. As a knowledgeable person in the industry, he summed up Parker’s attributes. “High quality foods, succulent, melt in your mouth prime rib, desserts and sauces prepared on the premises, good prices for the quality of menu items, entertainment on the weekend. Clientele is a mix of professionals and neighborhood residents. Large portions, pleasant staff and a spectacular happy hour,” said Brewster. Happy hour, every Monday through Saturday, from 4 - 7 p.m., beckons one to gather friends and
LUNCH - DINNER COCKTAILS COCKTAILS - CARRYOUT CARRYOUT
summer might spill into the cooler days of fall. Bravo to Parker’s in its quest to combat the economy blues. Classic rock and jazz on Friday and Saturday nights in the jockey lounge provide festive end-of-theweek entertainment. I would be remiss in this review without highlighting Parker’s famous Champagne Brunch. Ask people from the neighborhood and you’ll get them shaking their heads, almost in disbelief, and saying how terrific it is. Every Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Parker’s offers gastronomical opulence which includes their famous prime rib, country fried chicken, French toast casserole, smoked salmon, omelet and pasta station, 10 rectangular chafing dishes, multiple desserts plus one complimentary glass of Champagne, mimosa, Bloody Mary or screwdriver for the special promotional price of $19.95 per person; child’s price for ages 5-10, $8.95, and under 4 is free. Parker’s Blue Ash Grill is great for celebrations as there are two
private rooms, one serves up to 60 adults, the other can seat 40 comfortably. A convenient place for bar and bat mitzvah parties, wedding rehearsal and corporate business dinners as well as for a significant birthday, graduation or anniversary, Parker’s congenial atmosphere ensures a successful occasion every time. For newcomers to this eatery, Brewster recommends the classic prime rib, the house specialty; slow roasted for tenderness, with organic, cornucopia horseradish served upon request. This choice cut is available in three sizes: regular, 10 oz. for $26, Blue Ash cut, 14 oz. at $32 and the Parker’s cut, 18 oz., a meat lover’s dream for $37. Seasonal vegetables and choice of potato accompany this juicy entrée. Be sure to check with the waiter for half-priced red and white wine by the bottle on the weekend special. For more modest appetites, the jockey lounge menu offers sandwiches, salads and make your own pizza combinations. Cedar planked salmon and chopped Caesar salad promise to be a flavorful yet light supper for $14.50. A house made veggie burger nestled in a toasted brioche bun, blanketed by jalapeno pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayo, priced at $10.25 is another option for the lunch bunch or late night snacker. All sandwiches are served with your choice of French fries, cole slaw or house made Yukon gold potato chips. Save room for the Photo Finish, translated into desserts, specialty coffees, sweet wines and cognacs. My pick three would be #1. Godiva Chocolate Ganache Cake, served with toasted almonds, berry coulis and whipped cream, #2. the café Parker’s specialty coffee, Bailey’s, Frangelico, Kahlua, blended with fresh coffee and topped with whipped cream and for a final nightcap,#3. a cognac, Martell V.S. or perhaps a Buller tawny port wine. Treat yourself and your family to a robust meal. Every patron gets a winning ticket when dining at Parker’s Blue Ash Grill. Parker’s Blue Ash Grill 4200 Cooper Road Blue Ash 513-891-8300
Jim Brewster, general manager, invites you to wine and dine at Parker’s Blue Ash Grill.
Enjoy Happy Hour with friends and co-workers in the comfortable jockey lounge.
Treat you and your family to relaxed and elegant dining.
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The American Israelite can not guarantee the kashrus of any establishment.
DINING OUT
THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2010
15 Dine-In / Take-Out / Delivery
DINING OUT Andy’s Mediterranean Grille At Gilbert & Nassau 2 blocks North of Eden Park 281-9791
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Apsara 4785 Lake Forest Dr Blue Ash 554-1040
K.T.’s Barbecue & Deli 8501 Reading Rd Reading 761-0200
Stone Creek Dining Co. 9386 Montgomery Rd Montgomery 489-1444
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Kanak India Restaurant 10040B Montgomery Rd Montgomery 793-6800
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MEI Japanese Restaurant 8608 Market Place Ln Montgomery 891-6880
the Palace 601 Vine St Downtown Cincinnati (in the Cincinnatian Hotel) 381-3000
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Noce’s Pizzeria 9797 Montgomery Rd Cincinnati 791-0900
Gabby’s Cafe 515 Wyoming Ave Wyoming 821-6040
Oriental Wok 2444 Madison Rd Hyde Park 871-6888
Izzy’s 800 Elm St • 721-4241 612 Main St • 241-6246 5098B Glencrossing Way 347-9699 1198 Smiley Ave • 825-3888 300 Madison Ave Covington • 859-292-0065
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16
OPINION
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
The real road to Jewish unity ently taken the disturbing step of asking members of Congress to interfere in another sovereign state’s internal consideration of a piece of legislation. Thought Experiment: Imagine Israel embracing a multiplicity of standards regarding conversion. In a generation or two, the Jewishness of every convert and convert’s child in the country would be suspect to all halacharespecting Jews. What is more, and more tragic, descendants of non-halachically converted women in Israel who became observant (it has happened, you know) would painfully come to
discover that they are suddenly not Jewish by the measure of their own beliefs. They (and, if they are themselves women, any children they may have had in the interim) would have to undergo a halachically valid conversion. Worse still, women among them engaged to cohanim would discover that they cannot halachically marry their fiancés. Even greater soul-wrenching challenges would result from multiple standards in other Jewish personal status issues. All of that, sadly, is already happening here in the United States and elsewhere. Orthodox Jews can no longer assume the
halachic Jewishness of those presenting themselves as nonOrthodox Jews. And newly Orthodox young people have discovered that their parents’ or grandparents’ choices have inadvertently left them in terrible straits. Whatever one thinks of the Rotem Bill, it raises an important, if uncomfortable, question: Is exporting American Jewish chaos to Israel really a road to Jewish unity? (Rabbi Shafran is director of public affairs for Agudath Israel of America.)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Do you have something to say? E-mail your letter to editor@americanisraelite.com
Dear Editor, Unlike many Muslim countries, where it can be difficult, if not impossible, to get a building permit for non-Muslim houses of worship, in America we celebrate our tradition of freedom of worship and seek to set an example for others. While intolerance is rapidly growing in some European countries – witness the recent referendum in Switzerland to ban the construction of minarets – we reject that kind of narrow-mindedness and the fear it bespeaks. We hope the Cordoba Center
will fulfill the lofty mission its founders have articulated. They have set the bar high, describing it as a Muslim-inspired institution similar to the 92nd Street Y (a well-known Jewish community center in Manhattan). If so, it means a facility truly open to the entire community – and to a wide spectrum of ideas based on peace and coexistence. Once up and running, it won’t be long before we know if the founders have delivered on their promise. If so, New York and America will be enriched. If not, the center should be shunned. In addition, Harris urged the
leaders of the proposed center to fully reveal their sources of funding and to unconditionally condemn terrorism inspired by Islamist ideology. If these concerns can be addressed, we will join in welcoming the Cordoba Center to New York. In doing so, we would wish to reaffirm the noble values for which our country stands – the very values so detested by the perpetrators of the September 11th attacks. Barbara Glueck Director AJC Cincinnati Region
T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: REAH (DEVARIM 11:26—16:16) 1. What prohibition is known as a “nevaila” a.) The prohibition of Eating b.) The prohibition of Selling c.) The prohibition of Cooking d.) The prohibition of Making shoes 2. “You should be a holy people to Hashem, precedes which mitzvah? a.) Shabbat b.) The festivals c.) Avoiding idols d.) Cooking or eating meat and milk together
b.) Bread of affliction c.) Bread of Passover 4. For what sin(s) is a wayward city destroyed? a.) Idolatry b.) Murder c.) Adultery d.) Thievery
3. How does the Torah describe Matzot? a.) Bread of Freedom
5. Which character trait is mentioned along with the prohibition of blood? a.) Compassion b.) Trust in Hashem c.) Straightness d.) Modesty
using that which is permitted. Rashi 3. B 16:13 4. A 13:14 5. C 12:25 One can have a desire to drink blood, but refrains because Hashem forbade it. “Straight” means for the love of Hashem and no other reason. Sforno
The proposed Israeli conversion-reform legislation known as the Rotem Bill – now on hold for several months – became a sort of Rorschach test for many Jews’ fears. The bill was introduced by Yisrael Beiteinu, a nationalistic and not infrequently anti-religious political party representing a largely secular immigrant constituency. The legislation’s essential aim is to ease the conversion process for non-Jewish Israelis – like thousands of immigrants from the former Soviet Union – allowing them greater choice of religious courts than they currently have. To advance the bill, Yisrael Beiteinu garnered the support of Israel’s haredi, or so-called “UltraOrthodox,” parties. What allowed the religious parties to back the conversion reforms was the bill’s formalization of part of the decades-old religious status quo, placing conversion in Israel under the auspices of the country’s official Chief Rabbinate. That, the religious parties reasoned, would ensure that the bill’s reforms would not result in a conversion free-for-all. When the bill passed its first procedural hurdle, a hue and cry rose up from Reform and Conservative leaders in America, who contended that it could potentially lead to a change in the definition of “Jewish” regarding qualification for automatic citizenship under the Law of Return. (Currently, any convert to any Jewish religious movement is registered as Jewish for civil purposes.) The bill’s sponsors vehemently deny that any such change could be effected by the legislation. The lion’s share of fear-mongering, as usual, has the haredim themselves as the bogeymen. Rabbi David Stav, the head of a liberal Orthodox group in Israel, strongly supports the bill, and warns that non-Orthodox opposition to it, in the words of the Jerusalem Post, “plays directly into the hands of the haredi political leadership.” Even as he touts the legislation, he sees a haredi plot: The dastardly haredim crafted parts of the bill “as a means to incite the anger of the Reform and Conservative communities.” Once again, it seems, the haredim are the Jews’ Jews. At least he doesn’t accuse us of poisoning the Knesset water supply. And on July 16, the New York Times featured an op-ed that began with the baseless image of a “small group of ultra-Orthodox, or haredi, rabbis” deciding that
“almost no one” is Jewish; smeared haredi religious authorities by associating them with a disgraced rabbi; called unnamed haredi rabbis “demonstrably corrupt”; and fantasized how, should the Rotem bill become law, a Jewish Israeli walking down the street could be suddenly summoned to a court and have his Jewishness revoked. Vying a few days later for the Best Insult Award was a respected Jewish columnist for the Forward, who characterized Israeli religious courts as a “rabble of rabbis… a counterfeit product, pretenders to a piety they daily demean.” And that’s before he even got to the “arrogant hypocrisy” part. Both writers are personal friends of mine (something I know will be true even beyond this writing). But their harsh words made my recent Tisha B’Av – when Jews mourn the toll taken by intraJewish ill will – particularly, painfully poignant. My friends, of course, would defend their hysterics by claiming that the heat emanates from a deep desire for Jewish unity, a concept they seem to understand as requiring the Orthodox to sit back and watch quietly as the Jewish People becomes a gaggle of “Jewish Peoples.” They fail to perceive Jewish unity’s real mandate here. What most violates the ultimate oneness of the Jewish People are multiple definitions of the word “Jew” – what results from a smorgasbord of conversion standards. When the heterodox Jewish movements first appeared on the scene, Jews who remained stubbornly faithful to the entirety of the Jewish religious heritage decried the abandonment of the Jewish mission and warned of the dreadful toll that would result from “conversions” lacking halachic validity. The decrying was roundly condemned as impolite (or worse) and the warning dismissed as the death rattle of an expiring obsoleteness. But commitment to Jewish religious law hasn’t gone away, and it won’t ever. What is more, in Israel, polls have shown that the majority of G-d-believing Jews in Israel – haredi, Modern Orthodox and merely “traditional” alike – consider halacha to be the arbiter of Jewish personal status issues like conversion. That is why, for all their prodigious efforts and funding, the heterodox movements have not really taken hold in the Holy Land. Which fact fuels the frustration and even anger in parts of the nonOrthodox world? So apoplectic are some at the prospect of halacha continuing to govern conversion in Israel, they have appar-
ANSWERS 1. A 14:21 Neveila is an animal that was not ritually slaughtered. It can be given or sold to a non Jew. 2. D 14:21 “to be a holy nation” is written between the prohibition of eating non ritually slaughtered meat and the prohibition of eating meat and milk. These foods that are fit for people, however a Jew sanctifies himself by not
By Rabbi Avi Shafran Contributing Columnist
Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise
THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2010
JEWISH LIFE
17
Sedra of the Week by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
SHABBAT SHALOM: PARASHAT RE’EH DEUTERONOMY 11:26-16:17
“It isn’t what we have, it’s what we do with it.” The biblical portion of Re-eh contains many laws—ritual and ethical—but with a marked emphasis on the ethical, especially in terms of interpersonal relationships and finances. In this context, our portion includes the law of the Sabbatical year requiring the Israelites to leave their land fallow every seventh year, neither sowing nor pruning nor reaping nor harvesting. The land is allowed to rest and restore itself, fruits and vegetables are left “free for all takers” and the clear lesson is that “no land may be sold [or owned] in perpetuity, for the land [even land which God gave to Israel] is Mine [God’s]; you [human occupants] are merely strangers and residents with Me [on My land]” (Lev. 25:23). Our portion of Re’eh adds one critical nuance to this law: Not only must each landowner relinquish (Hebrew shmita) his ownership of the land by not “working”it and by allowing every passerby to benefit from its produce, but they must likewise release their debtors from repaying their loans at the end of this seventh year. “This is the matter of the remission: every creditor must remit his authority over what he has lent his fellow; he may not press his fellow or his brother for repayment, since a remission [shmita] has been proclaimed for the Lord” (Deuteronomy 15:2). Many modern biblical scholars maintain that the Bible is merely calling for an extension, and not a cancellation, of the loan; after all, if the farmer cannot harvest and sell his excess produce, how can he be expected to repay a loan? Therefore, the creditor must wait until the end of the eighth year, after the following harvest, to press for repayment. However, the sages did not interpret shmita as merely a temporary suspension of the loan, but rather as a complete cancellation, an opportunity for every debtor to start afresh, to gain a new lease on life, emerging from the sabbatical year with a clean slate. Indeed, the very next passage enjoins the Israelite to open his hand to his destitute
brother, to freely lend him whatever he requires and to beware “lest there be a malevolent thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the debtorrelease year, is approaching,’ and you will look meanly upon your destitute and you will not give him a loan; he may then appeal against you before the Lord, and it will be accounted to you as a sin. You must give, yes give him... and, in return, God will bless you in all your deeds and in your every undertaking” (ibid 15:9,10). But is this really fair? Can the Bible legitimately expect creditors to wipe out their IOU receivables in the sabbatical year? And the fact is that when society changed from an agrarian to an industrial system, and individuals began making business rather than personal loans, the sages allowed for a prozbul, wherein loans were to be made through the religious court and therefore would not have to be rescinded on the seventh year (B.T. Gittin 36, 37). Nevertheless, the biblical law would certainly require, even today, well-to-do creditors to cancel personal loans, especially to indigent debtors. What is the basis for this requirement? I believe the answer is to be found in a literal reading of the passage which forbids taking interest on loans: “If you [have surplus funds, and therefore are in a position to] lend [money] to My nation, [understand that] God has given the money which should have gone to the poor to you [in trust, as a test]; do not press him in an overbearing way, and do not charge him interest [since you are only returning to him what should have gone to him in the first place]” (Exodus 22:24, in accordance with the interpretation of the Ohr Hahaim, R. Haim ben Attar). Hence not only our land but also our funds really belong to God, and He expects us
to distribute those funds fairly! It is not what we have which is significant, but who we are; and who we are depends in great measure on what we give—to others, to society. I heard a beautiful story from a very special Jew, Victor Alhadeff, who—together with his gracious wife Suzie—is a leader of the Seattle and world Jewish community. Eight extremely wealthy, but nonobservant Jews took a trip together to Israel for the first time. As was to be expected, they were hounded by donation seekers, all of whom left them unimpressed. And then they were taken to a haredi yeshiva, whose representative promised that they would be taught Torah in the central study hall for only one hour by Englishspeaking students—and there would be no appeal for funds. After a fascinating hour, the elderly yeshiva head, stricken with Parkinson’s, rose to address them: “I am old, and have lived my life; you are young and have much to accomplish. I know you are busy, and have no patience for long speeches. You have visited our yeshiva and studied with our students—all very dedicated, all very poor, and living literally from hand to mouth. “Permit me to leave you with one thought. I spent the Holocaust in a concentration camp. We were eight people in one bunk who were cruelly pushed to work with rigor and almost without food for 16 hours a day. We came back at night to a freezing room with only one blanket. What did we, what could we do? We shared!” The old yeshiva head sat down. His lesson was clear, as is the lesson of the Bible. We must all share! Shabbat Shalom Shlomo Riskin Chancellor Ohr Torah Stone Chief Rabbi - Efrat Israel
Over 125 years in Cincinnati and 10 years at Cornell. Egalitarian • 8100 Cornell Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45249 (513) 489-3399 • www.ohavshalom.org
MODERN ORTHODOX SERVICE Daily Minyan for Shacharit, Mincha, Maariv, Shabbat Morning Service and Shalosh Seudas. Kiddush follows Shabbat Morning Services
RABBI HANAN BALK & ASSISTANT RABBI STUART LAVENDA
6442 Stover Ave • 531-6654 • golfmanorsynagogue.org
3100 LONGMEADOW LANE • CINCINNATI, OH 45236 791-1330 • www.templesholom.net Miriam Terlinchamp, Rabbi Marcy Ziek, President Gerry H. Walter, Rabbi Emeritus August 6 6:00 pm Shabbat Nosh 6:30 pm Shabbat Evening Service Klezmer Shabbat
August 13 6:00 pm Shabbat Nosh 6:30 pm Shabbat Evening Service
August 7 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service
August 14 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service
18
JEWZ IN THE NEWZ
Jewz in the Newz By Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist STILL THE NET’S BIGGEST MONEY MAKER “Middle Men” takes us back to 1995, when a mass audience was just starting to use the internet. Luke Wilson stars as Jack Wilson, a businessman, with a nice family, who has a successful career fixing troubled businesses. Enter two smart guys, played by Giovanni Ribisi and GABRIEL MACHT, who have invented a way to sell “adult entertainment” over the Net. Wilson agrees to help steer their company. The adult entertainment biz makes Wilson rich, but it comes with a lot of unpleasant complications. (Opens Friday, August 6.) JAMES CAAN, 70, has a smallish supporting role—and look for MARTIN KOVE, 63, playing a U.S. Senator in a couple of scenes. Kove is best known for playing the buffed-up head of the “evil” karate school in the original “Karate Kid” movies. (Bet you didn’t know he was Jewish!) By the way, the handsome Macht, 38, has just been cast as the star of a USA cable station lawyer show that has a good chance of making the regular schedule. HOPE FOR THE BEST, GENETICALLY AND OTHERWISE The History Channel premieres “Stan Lee’s Superhumans” on Thursday, August, 5, at 10PM. STAN LEE, 87, is the co-founder of Marvel Comics and the co-creator of literally a score of iconic comic book characters, including the X-Men and Spider-Man. “Superhumans,” co-hosted by Lee, begins with the basic Darwinian premise that humans have evolved through genetic “mistakes” that produced physical changes and abilities which have advanced our species. The series’ “hook” is that this process is still happening today and can be observed through examples of real living people who have “remarkable powers” due to genetic differences. Frankly, I’m very dubious about how “remarkable” or even real these powers will be. I think it’s even money that “Superhumans” will be mindless dreck about phony psychics and the like. The History Channel has been “dumbing down” in an effort to grab a younger audience that really doesn’t want to learn much “real” history. History Channel reality shows about truckers, antique pickers, and pawnbrokers have only the most tenuous connection to history—but they get bigger ratings than the almost PBSquality traditional history shows the
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channel used to exclusively run. “THE TALK” CBS is replacing the long-running soap, “As the World Turns,” with a women-oriented talk show this October, called “The Talk.” CBS clearly hopes to have as big a hit as ABC’s “The View.” “Talk” has been put together with the express aim of appealing to the large “young mommy” audience: all its co-hosts, but one, are 40 or younger and the mothers of young kids. The series is produced and cohosted by actress SARA GILBERT, 35. She became famous playing the younger daughter on the hit TV sit-com “Roseanne.” In a news conference last week, Gilbert confirmed what “everybody” knew—that she’s gay and that her life partner is TV producer Alison Adler (who I believe is Jewish). Adler and Gilbert have two young kids (Adler is the birth mother of their son and Gilbert gave birth to their daughter). Another “Talk” co-host, actress MARISSA JARET WINOKUR, 37, has a more traditional family— but another “interesting” childbirth story. Winokur, who won a Tony for her performance in “Hairspray,” is a cervical cancer survivor, so she and her husband, comedy writer JUDAH MILLER, had to use a surrogate mother to carry their biological child. Their son was born in 2008. The other co-hosts are AfricanAmerican actress Holly Robinson Peete; actress Leah Remini of “King of Queens” fame; TV journalist/reality show host Julie Chen; and Sharon Osbourne, 57, the reality show star and wife of aging rocker Ozzy Osbourne. Remini, 40, is the daughter of a Jewish mother and an Italian Catholic father. She was raised secular, but has been a totally devout Scientologist for decades; Osbourne’s late mother wasn’t Jewish. Her late father was Jewish, and after many years of bad blood, they reconciled not long before his death. Sharon isn’t religious, but adorns her home with so many crosses that Ozzie once kvetched that the place “looks like the Vatican”; the very pretty Julie Chen, 40, is married to LES MOONVES, 60, the head of CBS. Moonves began an affair with Chen while still married to his first (Jewish) wife, who is the mother of his three older children. Moonves and Chen wed in 2004 and have a young child. Moonves, by the way, is the great nephew of DAVID BEN-GURION. His paternal grandmother’s sister was BenGurion’s wife.
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100 Years Ago Isadore Trager, president of the I. Trager Company, one of the most prominent merchants in the city, died at his home in Rose Hill on July 28, of heart failure. Mr. Trager had long been a sufferer with his heart. Last summer he made a trip to Europe with Mrs. Trager and his daughter for the benefit of his health. Since his return home, however, his condition gradually grew worse. While the end had been expected by the family, just at the time of the demise it was not looked for. Mr. Trager came to this country from Elberfield, Germany, where he was
born, February 7, 1845. He went to Louisville, where he engaged in business. When he came to Cincinnati he connected with the house of A. Senior & Sons. In 1886 he embarked in business for himself here and met with success. Mr. Trager is survived by a widow, two sons- I. Newton and J. Garfield Trager- and three daughters Mrs. Ethel Trager Kramer, of St. Louis; Mrs. Blanche Trager Guggenheim and Miss Alma Trager. The deceased devoted much time and money to charitable work and institutions, he being a trustee of the United Jewish Charities, a
trustee of the Cleveland Orphan Asylum and a trustee of the congregation of Bene Israel. He had been a member of the Chamber of Commerce for nearly 30 years and was a director in the People’s Savings bank. He was also a member of the Shrine of Elks and of the B’nai Brith. The funeral occured at the United Jewish cemetery, on Sunday morning, and was largely attended. Dr. Phillipson returned to the city to conduct the services, and Rabbi Mielziner, as president of Cincinnati Lodge, read the B’nai Brith ceremonies. — August 4, 1910
75 Years Ago Mr. and Mrs. Manischewitz and family, of Belvedere, left last week for the East, where they will make their permanent home in New York. The Manischewitz Company factory will operate from Jersey City, with only office and warehouse in Cincinnati in the future. Mr. D. Beryl Manischewitz is still residing in Cincinnati, but will depart after Sept. 1st, also taking up his residence in New York. Mr. Manuel Rosenberg, of
Bogart Avenue, editor of The Advertiser, a national trade publication, has returned from a month of travels across the continent. While in the West he visited San Francisco, and there met his brother, Mr. Abe Rosenberg, whom he had not seen since 1917. Mr. Manuel Rosenberg left Cincinnati the last part of June and covered 8,000 miles by airplane, train and steamship when he arrived back in this city. The following were among
those who passed the Ohio State Bar examination last week: Sidney G. Brant, Forest Avenue; Stanley Paul Fleischer, Burton Woods Lane; Norman Foreman, Hale Avenue; George Johnson, son of attorney Simeon Johnson; Sidney J. Kahn, Glenwood Avenue; Alfred B. Katz, Rockdale Avenue; Bernard E. Levin, E. Ridgeway Avenue; Jerome A. Lischkoff, Gholson Avenue; and Joseph Rauh, Jr., Marion Avenue. — August 8, 1935
50 Years Ago Affiliation of May Institute for Medical research, a division of the Jewish Hospital, as a constituent of the Heart Association of Greater Cincinnati, was announced today by Robert F. Alsfelder, chairman of the association’s Board of Trustees. May Institute has been allocated funds for research work in cardiovascular diseases for July 1, 1960- June 30, 1961 Medical research scientists at May Institute who have been award-
ed fellowship by the American Heart Association, and who work in collaboration with Dr. Benjamin F. Miller, May Institute director, are: Drs. Bernard C. Wexler and Paul Nathan, advanced research fellows; and Drs. Earnest C. Foulkes and Irwin Hanenson, established investigators. Isadore Friedman, 775 N. Crescent Avenue, passed away Saturday, July 30. He was a member of Wise Temple Brotherhood and had been chairman of the
board of Harper Furniture &Woodworking Co. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Sylvia Shapiro Friedman; a daughter, Mrs. Irwin C. Weinberg; three sons, Justin and Fred Friedman and David Seligman; three sisters, Mrs. Fannie Goldman, Mrs. I. A. Berg and Miss Ruth Friedman, all of Cincinnati; three brothers, Howard and Charles, of Cincinnati and Harry G. Friedman, of New York City; and six grandchildren. — August 4, 1960
25 Years Ago Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institue of Religion has filed a memorandum and affidavit opposing the proposed out-of-court settlement reached July 16 in the Sotheby’s/Guttman case. According to the materials filed July 31 in the New York State Supreme Court, HUC-JIR wants the matter to go to trial to prove its claim that Professor and Mrs. Alexander Guttman of Cincinnati did not own the books and manuscripts consigned to Sotheby’s
auction house and therefore did not have the right to sell them. HUC also wants the books to be placed in a conservancy trust jointly administered by appropriate institutions of higher Jewish learning. Marguerite Gersenfish of Glen Manor Home for the Jewish Aged passed away Aug. 1. She was 75. A philanthropic leader in the Jewish community, Mrs. Gersenfish was past president of the Jewish War
Veterans Auxiliary and a past president and Woman of the Year of Hadassah. Mrs. Gersenfish is survived by her daughter, Estelle Laibson of Cincinnati; two sisters, Sarah Dombar of Cincinnati and Ernestine Block of Palm Springs, Calif.; a brother, David Varon of Sunrise, Fla.; two grandchildren, one great grandchild and several nieces and nephews. She was the wife of the late Harry Gersenfish. — August 8, 1985
10 Years Ago The John H. Straus Distinguished Service Award was presented to Mauri Willis on June 16 during Shabbat evening services at Temple Sholom. The Award is presented to members who have given an exceptionally high level of service to the congregation in several capacities over the course of many years. Mauri Willis is a past president of Temple Sholom and served as a member of the board and Temple committess for almost two decades. She served the Temple as volunteer
interim administrator in 1996 for over two months. In addition, she was the president of the National Council of Jewish Women and is currently a member of the board of the Midwest Council of the UAHC. She is widely recognized in the Cincinnati community for her volunteer work with many organizations, including the United Way and Community Chest. Anna Belle Delegator, 85, passed away on July 28, 2000. Mrs. Delegator was born in Dayton, Ohio,
to the late Harry and Rose Weinberg. She was the wife of the late Maurice Delegator, who predeceased her in 1986. She is survived by a son, David Delegator, and his spouse Terri Upshaw. Mrs. Delegator was the sister of Ida Leistner and her husband, Jerry, both of Cincinnati, who survive her. Mrs. Delegator also was the sister of the late Nelson and Dr. Norman Weinberg, both formerly of this city. Mrs. Delegator is also survived by a sister-in-law, Mrs. Esther Weinberg. — August 3, 2000
CLASSIFIEDS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 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 Kehilas B’nai Israel (513) 761-0769 Northern Hills Synagogue (513) 931-6038 • nhs-cba.org Rockdale Temple (513) 891-9900 • rockdaletemple.org Temple Beth Shalom (513) 422-8313 • tbsohio.org Temple Sholom (513) 791-1330 • templesholom.net The Valley Temple (513) 761-3555 • valleytemple.com
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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 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 Jewish War Veterans (513) 459-0111 • jwv.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
JNF from page 1 chair Nina Paul. “We are raising funds for a park and playground at Givot Bar that will be inclusive and accessible to all. Soon the shouts of children’s laughter will be heard coming from the park and it will serve to unite the community in a green and happy way.” Construction is underway on the Givot Bar Central Park, a 12acre central park that will run through the middle of the community and feature lots of greenspace and play areas. The park will feature an amphitheater that will serve as a flagship center of the region for shows and cultural events. There will be a walking path for pedestrians and a bicycling path, as well as a playground and skating area. The concept of the park is one of nature and of connecting the public areas of the park to the surrounding neighborhoods. From its beginnings of 25 families, the community has grown to 45 permanent homes and 27 temporary ones, with a daycare center, entranceway, kindergarten, synagogue, community center and playground. But back in 2004, the first settlers of this secular community were pioneers, living in mobile homes and dealing with the difficulties and challenges of creating a community out of nothing. “During the first year, we had quite a few doubts, debating whether we had done the right thing,” said Danny Dillion, who, with his wife Hadass and children, was among the first to settle in Givot Bar. “But we were determined to stick to it and make it. Today we can safely say that we
Children playing in the desert town of Givot Bar.
did the right thing.” There are further plans to grow the community, with the construction of 400 additional housing sites – 200 homes are currently under construction – that will be completed by 2011. With more than 400 families on the waiting list, people are eager to take the step of settling in the Negev. Givot Bar is expected to grow to 500 families by 2011. It’s a young community where the average age of adults is 35 and it is home to 80 children. People looking to escape the city are finding what they are looking for in these new Negev communities: an upgrade in the quality of life and a deeper connection to the land of Israel. “The peace and quiet, the nature, the unique human fabric of our community, is very special,” said Hadass Dillion. “We have achieved a lot in such a short time. The community is developing at an impressive rate, and much of it is due to JNF and the OR Movement.”
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LEGAL
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Reclassifying Sex Offenders Legally Speaking
By Marianna Bettman Contributing Columnist A recent headline in the Cincinnati Enquirer shouted “Sexual Offenders Get Court Break.” If the purpose of this headline was to sell more newspapers, I’m sure it did. Let’s take a look at what happened in the case, State v. Bodyke, decided by the Ohio Supreme Court in June. First, some background. In 1994, a convicted sex offender from New Jersey raped and killed a neighbor’s child, Megan Kanka. New Jersey became the first state to pass a law requiring convicted sex offenders to register with law enforcement and community notification of the presences of these offenders. That law became known as Megan’s Law. The following year, Congress passed its own version of Megan’s law, called the Jacob Wetterling Act. This federal Megan’s law RABBI from page 1 named on the list, Rabbi Baum was unaware she had been nominated. Rabbi Baum is the youngest member on the list, which includes such notable women as Sally Priesand and Jill Jacobs, both monumental figures in American Jewry. Baum is originally from Connecticut, but has been living in Cincinnati for six years. She was ordained at the Hebrew Union College in 2008. The list is titled “The Sisterhood 50—America’s Influential Rabbis” and was published on July 21 online. The deciP&A from page 1 in Bennington, Ind. to take a firsthand look at how Jewish camping helps to shape and fortify Jewish identity. Site visits to partner agencies —part of the multi-tiered Planning and Allocations process—provide opportunities to conduct in-depth reviews of an agency’s programs, funding applications and program performance so they can make highly informed recommendations to the Planning and Allocations Committee. Fenichel and Max spent the
required states to adopt registration and notification provisions for sex offenders, or lose federal crime control funds. In 1996, Ohio passed its version of Megan’s law. The law established three categories of sex offenders, with different registration and notification requirements. The category was determined by the trial judge at a classification hearing. Sexually oriented offenders were those who committed the least serious sex offenses, followed by habitual sex offenders. The most serious category was reserved for sexual predators. Sexually oriented offenders had to verify their home address once a year with their local sheriff for 10 years; habitual sex offenders for 20. Sexual predators had to register and verify their residential address every 90 days for life. Failure to register is a separate crime. Each category of offender carried different community notification requirements. No community notification was required for sexually oriented offenders. Community notification was required for only those habitual sex offenders the judge deemed necessary, and for all sexual predators. Subsequent amendments to Ohio’s original Megan’s law made registration and community notification requirements more demanding and extensive.
In 2006, the U.S. Congress passed the Adam Walsh Act, which created national standards for sexoffender registration, community notification and classification. Sex offenders are divided into three categories known as Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III, based strictly on the crime committed. No judicial hearing occurs to set a category. The length of time offenders must update their registry information depends on the category the offender is in. As with Megan’s Law, Congress mandated that states that did not adopt their own version of the Adam Walsh Act could lose 10 percent of certain federal crime-control funds. Interestingly, many states decided it cost more to comply with the Act than to lose those funds. But Ohio complied with the mandate, passing its own Adam Walsh Act, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2008. Under Ohio’s new Adam Walsh Act, judges no longer have the discretion to determine which classification fits an offender. Offenders are classified as Tier I, II, or III based strictly on the offense committed, with Tier I being the least harmful, and Tier III the most. The new law directed Ohio’s Attorney General to reclassify all existing offenders, including those who had registered before the new law went into effect. Tier I offenders must verify their personal information for 15 years instead of 10. Tier II
offenders must now verify their information every 180 days for 25 years, but community notification is eliminated for this group of offenders. Community notification is now limited to Tier III offenders, who must still register every 90 days for life. The scope of community registration is greatly expanded under the Adam Walsh Act, including a ban on all sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school, pre-school, or day care center. The lead plaintiff in this lawsuit, Christian Bodyke, was convicted of sexual battery in 1999. Under Megan’s law, Bodyke had been classified as a sexually-oriented offender—the lowest level offender. He was required to register every year for 10 years. He was not subject to community notification. Five years after he was released from prison, Bodyke was notified that he was subject to reclassification under the Adam Walsh Act. He was automatically re-classified as a Tier III offender, which requires him to personally register with the local sheriff every 90 days for the rest of his life. He is also now subject to community-notification provisions. Bodyke and two other reclassified offenders filed suit, challenging the constitutionality of the Adam Walsh law. Five of the six justices who heard this case (since Chief Justice
Moyer died, many cases have only six justices participating in the decision) agreed that the reclassification provisions of the Adam Walsh Act were unconstitutional on separationof-powers grounds. Only Justice Robert Cupp voted to uphold the reclassifications of the Adam Walsh Act. Justice Maureen O’Connor (who is running to become Chief Justice this year) wrote the majority opinion for the court. Under our tri-partite system of government, the legislature makes the laws, the executive carries them out and the court determines their constitutionality. The high court first held that it is unconstitutional for the Attorney General—a member of the executive branch—to reclassify offenders previously classified by judges. The Court held that the reclassification system wrongly gives the executive branch the power to review judicial decisions, and it wrongly interferes with judicial power by requiring reopening of court judgments that were already final. What happens when parts, but not all, of a law are declared unconstitutional? Like mold on cheese, the bad parts are cut away and the rest remain good. And one last note—when judges think another branch of government is stepping on their turf, liberal and conservative labels fall away, and the judges circle their wagons.
sion to make such a list came after Newsweek’s publication of the 50 Most Influential Rabbi’s in America list, which was sparsely populated with female rabbis. In order to fill the void, Jewish Daily Forward provided readers with a list of female rabbis. According to The Forward, “These women span generations and the denominational spectrum; they are pulpit rabbis, teachers, academics, pastoral caregivers and organizational leaders. All of them have made it their life’s work to put Jewish values into action — and as a result are changing lives in and beyond their communities.
This alphabetical list contains a lot of ‘firsts,’ which is evidence of just how much ground there’s been to break in recent years.” One of such “firsts” just may be Rabbi Baum’s initiatives in reaching Jews via the internet with OurJewishCommunity—the world’s first online synagogue, which this past year had over 3,600 computers logged in for Yom Kippur services. While certainly an unconventional manner of attending High Holiday services, Baum states that the website has “ allowed me to see the potential to build an entirely new Jewish model for the 21st century. So
many of the old models are no longer working, and more than 50 percent of American Jews are unaffiliated. There is a tremendous opportunity to provide a contemporary Jewish experience.” That contemporary Jewish experience that she is referring to is one of a humanistic variety espoused by Congregation Beth Adam, the only humanistic congregation in the region. In the past two years OurJewishCommunity has reached tens of thousands of individuals in countries worldwide. While at HUC Baum received both the Israel Bettan Memorial
Prize for the most creative pulpit presentation as well as the Rabbi Morris H. Youngerman Memorial Prize for the best sermon. Upon being awarded her most recent honor Baum said, “I am truly honored to be listed with such incredible rabbis. Included are many trailblazing women with outstanding accomplishments in their rabbinates. I am especially thrilled with this honor because it speaks to the tremendous progress OurJewishComunity and Congregation Beth Adam have made in using technology to reach tens of thousand of Jews who otherwise would not be reached.”
day touring the camp’s grounds, talking to campers and counselors, and even sampling the camp’s kosher meals. Fenichel said, “I volunteered out of a desire to show my appreciation for all that the community has provided me and my family. I was impressed with the camaraderie and spirit that the youngsters demonstrated in the activities that we witnessed.” As the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s Planning & Allocations committee endeavors to determine how to allocate the Federation’s available dollars
to partner and beneficiary agencies, members of the committee and its various councils have been making dozens of site visits to gain key insights into the community’s many programs and services. Members of the Jewish Life and Learning Council discovered that for a growing number of the community’s families, the lingering effects of the 2008 economic slowdown have made the cost of a Jewish camp experience prohibitive. But by providing financial assistance, the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati is mak-
ing Jewish camping experiences much more accessible to many of the community’s children. Max, who is a former Camp Livingston staff member, recalled that, “Jewish camping made an enormous impact on my life personally, so being involved in creating the opportunity for kids to have the same vital experience is amazing.” Many studies have demonstrated that children who attend Jewish summer camps are much more likely to be involved with their Jewish communities later in life than those who do not. The
studies showed that those with Jewish camping experiences were more likely to travel to Israel, join a Jewish youth group and become involved with Jewish life in college. Camp Livingston, which just celebrated its 90th anniversary this year and currently hosts 160 campers, is a summer home away from home for many of Cincinnati’s Jewish children. Camp Livingston offers a wide array of activities ranging from water sports and arts programming to Jewish-Israeli culture, music and athletics.
NEWS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2010
LISTINGS from page 13 JCC Early Childhood School At the Mayerson JCC in Amberley Village 8485 Ridge Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45236 Contact: Denise Schnur, JCC Early Childhood School Director Phone: 513-793-2122 Website: www.JointheJ.org Ages: 6 weeks – 5 years (full day program); 18 months – age 5 (half day program) Hours: M – F. Full Day: 7am – 6pm; Half Day: 9:15 – 11:45am (Optional Extended Day: 11:45am – 1pm or 11:45am – 3pm) Classes begin: Full Day program runs year-round; Half Day program starts Monday, August 30. Very few spaces remain; call for availability. Affiliation: Not affiliated, but follows the Jewish calendar. The Mayerson JCC offers a full day and half day preschool that has achieved recognition by the state of Ohio for excellence. Optional extended day enrichment available. Innovative academic curriculum includes fitness, music, cooking, art, and pre-K school skills. Jewish holidays and Shabbat are celebrated with songs, stories, art, special foods, and traFRAUD from page 1 the German government to give onetime payments of roughly $3,000 to those who fled the Nazis as they moved east through Germany. A further internal investigation revealed that more fraudulent claimants received payments from the organization’s Article 2 fund, through which the German government gives pension payments of roughly $375 per month to those who spent either six months minimum in a concentration camp or at least 18 months in a Jewish ghetto in hiding or living under a false identity to avoid the Nazis. Conference officials said they immediately notified the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and discussed the matter in meetings with the German government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Claims Conference are continuing to investigate the matter. “We are determined to get to the bottom of this,” Schneider said. “We R&D from page 7 technology that could enable them to develop security products for the financial services sector. Furthermore, with experienced professionals from the financial services industry overseas now living in Israel — native Israelis and immigrants from North America — the country has significant financial industry knowhow.
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ditions. Kids love the extensive on-site facilities and play areas.
Hebrew Union College. Immediate openings are available.
Jewish Early Learning Cooperative (JELC) 3101 Clifton Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45220 Contact: Janella Johnson Phone: 513-221-1979 Ages: 3 months-3 years Hours: 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Classes begin: Year-round classes Affiliation: Unaffiliated The Jewish Early Learning Cooperative’s (JELC) mission is to provide high quality, cooperative childcare and stimulating activities for infants and toddlers in a Jewish environment. The goal of JELC is to maintain excellent child to adult ratios in a developmentally appropriate, nurturing atmosphere. JELC’s ratios are 3 to 1 for infants and 4 to 1 for toddlers. Licensing capacity allows for 10 infants and 15 toddlers. All Jewish holidays are celebrated through activities, art, cooking projects, parades and prayers. Every Friday, Shabbat activities take place which include lighting the candles, singing, saying the prayers and eating challah. JELC is located in the back of
Kehilla (Combined school of Northern Hills Synagogue and Ohav Shalom Gan Mishpacha Preschool Program) 5714 Fields Ertel Road Cincinnati, OH 45249 8100 Cornell Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45249 Contact: Tracy Weisberger, Director of Education and Programming Phone: 513-931-6040 Classes Begin: September 26th The Gan Mishpacha Preschool Program is a once a month parent and child hands-on approach to Jewish education. This award-winning program is family oriented and content is based on holiday themes. Judaism is introduced on multiple levels using a wide variety of media. Enrollment is open to non-affiliated students, and children with special needs are accommodated. Rockwern Academy Preschool Program 8401 Montgomery Road Cincinnati, OH 45236 Contact: Gail Sperling, Director of Admissions Phone: 513-984-3770
Florence Melton Adult MiniSchool at the JCC At the Mayerson JCC in Amberley
Village 8485 Ridge Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45236 Contact: Elizabeth Woosley, JCC Community Educator Phone: 513-985-1539 Website: www.JointheJ.org E-mail: ewoosley@mayersonjcc.org Ages: Open to the public, ages 18 and older Hours: All classes begin the week of Oct. 4 (free trial class Sept. 15): Mini School classes, “Rhythms of Jewish Living” and “Purposes of Jewish Living” are held 2 hours/week for 30 weeks. Scholar classes, “Shivim Panim: Seventy Faces of Wisom – Bereshit I” and/or “Jewish Denominations: Addressing the Challenges of Modernity” are held 90mins./week for 10 weeks. Classes begin: Advance registration is required by September 26. Affiliation: All denominations. The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School at the JCC offers a formal, written curriculum of Jewish literacy developed by a team of scholars and educators at the Melton Centre for Jewish Education of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and based upon the study of major Jewish texts in English translation.
have worked very closely with law enforcement, and on a regular basis they are in touch with us.” In total, the Claims Conference has made pension payments to more than 160,000 people in 78 countries on behalf of the Germans since the start of the Hardship Fund in 1980 and the Article 2 fund in 1995. The organization now is reviewing each of the recipients, comparing the information it has from the fraudulent claims, such as where the claims were made, to all other claims, going case by case through all their case histories. The 202 suspects come from reviewing “thousands” of recipients, according to a Claims Conference official, but it expects to find more as the organization reviews the entire caseload. Payments are made from Claims Conference’s offices in Frankfurt, Tel Aviv and New York, but thus far all the suspected fraud was processed through the New York office. The discovery led to the firing of two case
workers and one supervisor in that office. Schneider would not comment on whether the employees were under criminal investigation. The fraud was reported in the New York Jewish Week just before the Claims Conference board of directors held their annual meetings in New York two weeks ago. At the meetings, the board approved a $500,000 reserve fund “as a contingency to cover potential expenses associated with investigating the fraud and recovering the funds,” according to a spokesperson for the Claims Conference. The board also has spent some money on public relations services from the high-profile firm Howard Rubenstein; Claims Conference Chairman Julius Berman described the sum as “minimal.” The Claims Conference makes several kinds of payments. Most of the money it handles are passthrough payments from the German government to Nazi victims. The organization handled about $418
million in such payouts in 2009, and some $4 billion since 1980 from agreements negotiated between the German government and the Claims Conference acting as the representative of Nazi victims and the Jewish people. This is where the $7 million fraud was discovered. In addition, the Claims Conference decides on how to distribute money each year from the sale of heirless Jewish property in the former East Germany. That money is distributed using a formula in which 80 percent goes to organizations that aid survivors and 20 percent to programs involved in Holocaust education, documentation and commemoration. Over the past few years, however, as the Claims Conference upped the payouts from this fund—in 2010, the organization is set to distribute $136 million—the Holocaust education portion was capped at $18 million. The Claims Conference has about $1.16 billion from this fund earmarked for future payments.
The organization also distributes other monies negotiated from European governments for such issues as home care for needy and ailing survivors. The Claims Conference will distribute about $80 million in such funds this year, officials said. “The Claims Conference has a 59-year history of working with the German government,” Schneider said. “During this time, the Claims Conference has continuously negotiated for the rights of Holocaust victims, establishing compensation funds and obtaining expansions of existing programs.” He added, “While all understand that money can never truly compensate Holocaust victims for their suffering, the German government has assumed responsibility throughout the decades and acknowledged its obligation to survivors. The Claims Conference believes that the German government will continue to honor this obligation as long as Nazi victims remain alive.”
“We’re not asking for favors here,” Shani said. “From a pure business perspective, there’s a proven track record of development coming out of Israel.” As an incentive, Israel would offer certain tax breaks and subsidize some labor costs for up to five years. The Israeli government would kick in between 30 percent and 50 percent of an employee’s paycheck for that period, depending on several conditions. For
example, employers located outside Israel’s densely populated central region would be eligible for larger subsidies. The government budget for the program is $10 million to $15 million. Several major U.S. banks already have offices in Israel, but they tend to be quite small and their activities limited to seeking investment opportunities in Israel or as a locale from which American immigrants can
telecommute to their old jobs in New York. Shani’s plan imagines something much different. A veteran of the technology industry whose clients came largely from the financial services sector, Shani is new to government work. Most recently he worked for nine years as CEO of NICE Systems, a NASDAQ-listed company that provides security solutions and helps companies monitor compliance. That followed
stints at IBM, Unitronics, Orbotech and Applied Materials. But last fall, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz called asking Shani to be the ministry’s professional head, and Shani says he felt it was time to serve his country. “There’s a growing gap between the private sector and the government in Israel,” Shani said. “I felt my experience could potentially be used in a meaningful way within government.”
Ages: 2 — pre-K Hours: Vary by program Classes begin: Aug. 23 Affiliation: Community Day School Serving children from age 2 to 4, our preschool provides a warm, nurturing environment until the children are ready for kindergarten. The curriculum recognizes that a child's primary method of learning is through play. The foundation for learning Jewish values and traditions begins at this earliest level. The developmentally appropriate curriculum emphasizes both academic and personal growth, including Jewish identity and Hebrew language. Additional curricular features include development of socialization skills,academic orientation through math, literacy, reading readiness, and fine motor skill activities. A well-equipped, safe playground designed exclusively for preschool use fosters large muscle coordination, and there are additional opportunities for Gym, Music and Hebrew enrichment. Additional Programs
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OBITUARIES
DEATH NOTICES GREENBERG, David B., age 81, died on July 25, 2010; 14 Av, 5770. BERGER, Boris, age 85, died on July 29, 2010; 19 Av, 5770. NOCHE, Belle, age 96, died on July 30, 2010; 20 Av, 5770. DOMBAR, Abrom, age 98, died on August 2, 2010; 22 Av, 5770.
OBITUARIES
David B. Greenberg
GREENBERG, David B. David B. Greenberg, professor emeritus of chemical engineering at University of Cincinnati, died July 25, 2010, of lymphoma. He was 81. A native of Baltimore, Md., Dr. Greenberg was an educator and researcher at the U.S. Naval Academy, Johns Hopkins University, and Louisiana State University prior to joining University of Cincinnati as head of the Chemical Engineering Department in 1974. His research spanned the use of lasers in biomedical applications, hazardous
waste treatment, and mathematical modeling and simulation of processes. After graduating from Baltimore Polytechnic High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon, in 1952. He received a master’s in Chemical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 1959 and completed a National Science Foundation Fellowship at the Stanford University Department of Aeronautical Engineering in 1961. He earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Louisiana State University in 1964 and served on the faculty there for 10 years. Dr. Greenberg was an active duty U.S. Navy pilot from 1947 through 1949 and served as an assistant professor at the U.S. Naval Academy from 1958 through 1961. In addition to his career in engineering research and education, Dr. Greenberg was fascinated throughout his life by the mysteries of outer space and the potential for life elsewhere in the universe. He applied for the Apollo astronaut program, and served as an expert consultant to NASA during the Apollo 13 crisis. In recent years, he taught courses on space exploration at the University of Cincinnati’s Osher Institute for Learning in Retirement. He is survived by daughters Lisa Akchin (Don) of Baltimore, Jan Evans (Ross) of Cincinnati, and Jill Greenberg of Baltimore as well as his grandchildren Jonathan Akchin, Jennifer Akchin, Jordan Evans, Mitchell Evans, and Morgan Evans. Services were held July 28, 2010 in Baltimore. A Memorial Service in Cincinnati is being planned for the fall. Contributions may be made to the David B. Greenberg Endowment Fund at the University of Cincinnati, P.O. Box 19970, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219.
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ANALYSIS from page 1 For the new Greater Israel proponents of a one-state solution, the 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, which they opposed vehemently, suddenly has become a strategic gamechanger. The single state they envision includes only Israel and the West Bank -- an area of about 5.8 million Jews and 3.8 million Arabs. Without Gaza's estimated 1.5 million Palestinians, the Jews would constitute a 60 percent majority in that territory -- enough to preserve an enlarged Israel as a Jewish majority state for the foreseeable future. As these proponents see it, there are several advantages to this solution: The settler movement would be able to keep intact its West Bank settlements; Israel would not have to withdraw from territory and expose itself to the sort of rocket fire it has seen from CONGRESS from page 8 U.S. Rep. John Adler (D-N.J.) faces similar challenges in his southern New Jersey district, but without Klein’s advantage of not being close to Obama. Adler in 2008 was one of the first candidates in his campaign to endorse Obama as a presidential candidate. Insiders say that’s hurting him in a district that includes a heavy Orthodox Jewish representation in towns like Cherry Hill. Some Democrats have described Adler as facing “Jewish tea parties” when he speaks at synagogues. GOP insiders, however, are not so sanguine that their candidate, Jon Runyan, a former offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, is mounting a credible challenge; Runyan has lagged in fundraising, they say. Like Giffords and Klein, Rep.
Gaza; and the international community would not be able to paint Israel as an apartheid state because the annexation of the West Bank would grant full citizenship and voting rights to West Bank Palestinians, perhaps putting Israel out of its international isolation in a single stroke. While support in the Knesset for the one-state idea is limited, if Israeli-Palestinian negotiations make headway over the next few months, the one-state model could surface as a ploy to torpedo Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and the dismantling of dozens of Jewish settlements. For now its most outspoken advocates in the Knesset are Speaker Reuven Rivlin and newcomer Tzipi Hotovely, both of the Likud Party. "I would prefer the Palestinians become citizens of the state than for us to divide the country," Rivlin declared in a recent meeting with the Greek
ambassador in Jerusalem. The one-state idea gained currency two months ago when Moshe Arens, a former defense minister and foreign minister from Likud, penned a column in Israel’s daily Haaretz asking "Is There Another Option?" Arens argued that it is patently obvious that there will be no twostate solution with the current Palestinian leadership and that the Jordanian option -- returning the West Bank to Jordan -- no longer exists. "Therefore, I say we can look at another option: for Israel to apply its law to Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] and grant citizenship to 1.5 million Palestinians," he wrote. Israel already is a binational state, with an Arab minority of approximately 20 percent, Arens wrote. Therefore, in his view, Israel could have an Arab minority of 40 percent and continue to function as a Jewish state.
Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) is a target because his Orlando-area district is seen as naturally Republican—but put Grayson under the “more so” column. He has become a lead Democratic bomb-thrower, calling Republicans “Neanderthals,” describing the GOP health care plan as “dying quickly” and calling the health care crisis a “holocaust.” (He later said he regretted the Holocaust allusion.) Grayson is a favorite of the party’s “net roots” and has raised $1.4 million, much of it from small donors. Similarly, whichever of six candidates running in the Aug. 24 GOP primary is likely to mine Republicans eager to send Grayson home.
for the same seat. Randy Altschuler, an electronics recycler, has outraised incumbent Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.), $2.8 million to $1.1 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, making him competitive in November in the district that covers Long Island’s eastern tip. “He’s a terrific candidate and a real rising star,” said Matt Brooks, who directs the Republican Jewish Coalition. “I look forward to him joining Eric Cantor,” the minority whip who has long been the House’s only Jewish member. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) is retiring, and two of the four candidates running in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary are Jewish: David Segal, a state representative, and Providence Mayor David Cicilline. The seat is considered a Democratic shoo-in.
HOUSE CHALLENGERS Three Jewish challengers are seen as competitive in November: one Republican, and two running
ISRAEL from page 10
year as a Fulbright scholar, at Brandeis University.
Top U.S. schools eye future business leaders Recruiters from top American MBA programs visited Israel recently to persuade Israeli students to attend their institutions. The U.S.-Israel Educational Foundation, which is responsible for the administration of Israel’s participation in the Fulbright Program, organized the sixth annual MBA conference in Tel Aviv for students and recruiters to meet, the Israeli business daily Globes reported. Among the schools represented were Stanford, Yale, New York University, Columbia University, the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard. More than 150 Israeli students will study at U.S. master’s programs in business adminstration beginning this fall, according to Globes. An Ethiopian-Israeli student for the first time was accepted this
Marketing Tel Aviv for GLBT travel An international marketing campaign will brand Tel Aviv as a travel destination for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. The $88.1 million campaign, including ads on gay websites and in magazines, will target England and Germany, which both have sizable GLBT communities. The Tourism Ministry and Tel Aviv Municipality each invested about $44 million in the project. “Tel Aviv is known as one of the world’s finest and friendliest GLBT travel destinations,” the new Gay Tel Aviv guide website’s home page reads. “Come experience Israel, where you can express yourself, indulge yourself, or just be yourself in cosmopolitan gayfriendly cities and resort towns.”
The Tel Aviv Municipality has submitted an official application to host the International Gay Pride Parade in 2012. Water fight spreads the word on shortage Tel Aviv’s annual water fight in Rabin Square drew attention to Israel’s national water shortage. The water fight, which used only water from the square’s water fountain and is not fit for drinking, was held under the theme of “Fighting for Every Drop.” No external water sources were permitted during the water battle, which lasted throughout the night. Thousands of people participated in the sixth annual event earlier this month using water guns and bags full of water. The event was organized in cooperation with the group Consensus, which works to increase awareness of the need to save water.
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