AI2010_11_11

Local group provides NHS welcomes Remembering services, volunteer scholar in residence Ernst Kahn opportunities

By Barbara L. Morgenstern Senior Writer In Jewish tradition, preparing a fellow Jew for burial is one of the greatest mitzvot one can perform, explained Tovah Kirschner, president of the Chevra Kadisha (Burial Society) of Cincinnati. “A Tahara is known as chesed shel emes (act of true kindness) since the deceased cannot repay for the kindness they have received,” she said.

GROUP on page 22

Tovah Kirschner, president of the Chevra Kadisha (Burial Society) of Cincinnati

Northern Hills Synagogue-Congregation B’nai Avraham invites the entire community to participate as it hosts Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson as its scholar in residence the weekend of Nov. 19–21. The weekend is the culminating event in the Conservative congregation’s year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary.

Rabbi Artson is widely regarded as one of the most thoughtful, articulate and dynamic spokesmen for Conservative Judaism.

“Rabbi Artson remains one of the most inviting of modern day teachers of Torah,” observed Rabbi David

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson

Ellenson, president of Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion.

NHS on page 19

GOP sweep makes one Jew a star, unseats, disempowers many others

By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON (JTA) — A historic Republican sweep of the U.S. House of Representatives last Tuesday has propelled Rep. Eric Cantor (RVa.), the minority whip, to the verge of becoming the highest-ranking Jewish lawmaker in U.S. history.

Cantor, however, remains the exception: The fortunes of Jewish politicians in the U.S. rise and fall with the Democrats, and Tuesday night was no exception.

The Republican sweep picked up 60 House seats—and drove at least six Jewish lawmakers out of office, including Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.).

Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore

U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, shown speaking at an October 2010 rally in Kentucky for Senate candidate Rand Paul, on election night was urging new Republican lawmakers to challenge the Republican “establishment.”

Jewish representation in Congress dropped from 44 to 39, with 27 Jews in the House and 12 in the Senate. One Senate loss was Sen. Arlen Specter (DPa.), and also, Sen. Michael Bennet (DColo.), whose mother is Jewish and a Holocaust survivor.

The defeat of five Jewish incumbents, however, just hints at what this election could mean for Jewish access in Washington.

Since a 2006 Democratic sweep, lawmakers with strong ties to the Jewish community had chaired some of the most powerful committees in the House. Committee chairmen, by determining agendas, hold almost unchallengeable power to advance or kill legislation.

Ernst L. Kahn, Yehuda ben Moshe haKohen, passed away, at the age of 90, on October 12, 2010 – the 5th day of Cheshvan, 5771.

Born on July 31, 1920, in Bad Hamburg v.d.h. (near Frankfurt) Germany, he was the only child of Moritz and Else (Neuman) Kahn. At age 16 he came to the United States with his parents, got a special work permit and began to work at U.S. Shoe Corporation, where he continued to work for 54 years until his retirement. In 1947 Ernst met Ruth Eichberg at a Purim party and they were married the following year.

Ernst L. Kahn

Along with Ruth, his bride of 62 years, Mr. Kahn is survived by the couple’s two children, Jeffrey Kahn (Linda Heide) and Emmy (Bob) KAHN on page 20

The Chosen: Jewish members in the 112th U.S. Congress NEW YORK (JTA) — The following is a list of the 39 Jewish members—12 senators and 27 representatives— who are expected to serve in the 112th U.S. Congress, which is set to convene in January: U.S. SENATE Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)*; Barbara Boxer (DCalif.)**; Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.); Dianne Feinstein (DCalif.); Al Franken (D-Minn.); Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.); Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.); Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.); Carl Levin (D-Mich.); Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.); Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)**; Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)**; (Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who is projected to win his reelection bid, does not identify a religion, but notes that his mother is Jewish and a Holocaust survivor.)

CHOSEN on page 19

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2010 4 KISLEV, 5771 CINCINNATI, OHIO LIGHT CANDLES AT 5:09 SHABBAT ENDS 6:08 VOL. 157 • NO. 16 $2.00

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At Tulane, using Jewish studies to grow Jewish life

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Tandoor — A Passage to India

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Sara Y. Rigler presents ‘India to Israel’ Local women of all ages are invited to meet and hear Sara Yoheved Rigler present “India to Israel” on Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 7:45 p.m. at Ohr Chadash, in the Goldsmith Chapel of Congregation Ohav Sholom. Rigler will address the contrast between meditation and mitzvah as well as the profound divide between systems that preach celibacy and Judaism’s profound perception of the sanctity of marriage. Rigler also reveals why, in her words, “Torah is the best guru.”

Rigler traveled a fascinating spiritual journey that crossed continents and faith systems. She spent more than a decade in a Hindu ashram until a surprising encounter led her to investigate a new path–that of her own Jewish her-

itage. A period of learning and investigating the profound wisdom of Judaism followed, and today she lives in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Rigler lectures extensively and runs seminars on spirituality and relationships. She is the author of the best-selling “Holy Woman,” a unique biography that has helped readers worldwide better understand and achieve elements of holiness. Rigler has inspired audiences throughout the world with her selfdeveloped appreciation for Judaism and serves as a powerful resource for those seeking a more profound sense of meaning in their being Jewish.

A donation is suggested. More information can be found on Sarah’s Place Cincy or Ohr Chadash websites.

JCC takes teens to first Maccabi Games, ArtsFest in Israel The JCC Maccabi Experience has been the largest Jewish youth event in the world for almost three decades. In July 2011, the Mayerson Jewish Community Center will bring local teens (ages 14–17 as of July 31, 2011) to the first JCC Maccabi Games® and ArtsFest® to be held in Israel. In preparation for this historic event, the Mayerson JCC will host an informational meeting covering the 2011 JCC Maccabi Experience (as well as try-outs for JCC Maccabi Games®) at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12.

The 2011 JCC Maccabi Experience will be held in cities throughout Israel for 13 days (July 24–Aug. 5). This will be the second time that the Maccabi Games® and ArtsFest® will be held in the same place at the same time. It is the first time that it will be held outside of North America.

The JCC Maccabi Games® celebrate teen sportsmanship, athletic competition and community service. JCC Maccabi ArtsFest® offers creative teens the chance to develop their individuality through the medium of artistic expression. Both programs are designed to help strengthen personal bonds to Jewish heritage and community.

ArtsFest® includes workshops, classes, exhibits, performances, instruction by professional artists in residence, and community service. These programs feature

dance, rock music, culinary arts, digital photography, broadcast journalism, acting/improvisation, visual arts, jazz and vocal music.

The event ends with a collaborative “arts festival” that showcases the creative work produced during the week-long ArtsFest®.

The popular JCC Maccabi Games® also run for an entire week, and feature Olympic-style opening and closing ceremonies with athletic competitions in team and individual sports, as well as social action projects. The 2011 JCC Maccabi Games® try-outs, to be held at the Mayerson JCC at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12, include girls volleyball (ages 16–17), as well as basketball, soccer, table tennis, swimming, and tennis for both genders (in age categories of 14–15 & 16–17).

In addition to their participation in the Maccabi Games® or ArtsFest® activities, the Cincinnati teens will celebrate Shabbat with our P2K sister city, Netanya, Israel. They will also tour several areas of Israel, including Tel Aviv, the Negev and Jerusalem.

Participation in the JCC Maccabi Games® or the JCC Maccabi ArtsFest® is open to all Jewish teens, regardless of JCC membership. J Members, however, pay discounted fees. Financial assistance may be available.

JCC on page 20

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Café Chabad presents an evening of wine, cheese, chocolate Jewish adults in Cincinnati are invited to enjoy the finest in kosher wines, along with Tnuva gourmet cheeses and hand-crafted chocolates at an elegant café-style evening with Café Chabad. The wine, cheese and chocolate event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 20, 8–10 p.m., at Chabad Jewish Center and will offer delights for

the most discriminating palette.

“We are pleased to be able to feature fine kosher wines from around the world,” said Rabbi Berel Cohen.

The cheeses selected for the evening are all manufactured by Tnuva, the premier producer of cheese in Israel for nearly 80 years.

Attendees will also be treated to an array of handcrafted Belgian

chocolates by local chocolatiers Seena and Richard Rubenstein of Chozen Chocolates.

The Rubensteins create confections that are true masterpieces by blending spices, flowers and herbs with Belgian chocolate.

The steadily growing crowd for Café Chabad, now in its third year, attests to its innovative and enjoy-

able programming. “Café Chabad was a great way to incorporate all the fabulous things which we enjoy, in a fun-filled night out: kosher food, entertainment, good friends (and reconnecting with old) in a relaxing atmosphere,” remarked Merle Adams Schreiber.

For reservations and more information visit Chabad’s website.

Wise Temple Sisterhood holds Cincinnati Chocolate Festival On Oct. 24, Isaac M. Wise Temple Sisterhood treated thousands to a community-wide festival, designed for chocolate lovers of all ages at the Mayerson Jewish Community Center. The first annual Cincinnati Chocolate Festival provided chocolate tastings from 30 vendors, children’s entertainment and games, vendor competitions, celebrity chef demonstrations, beautifully decorated raffle baskets and exciting silent auction items, including gourmet dinners, holiday shopping and more.

With over 2,300 in attendance—traffic backed up on Ronald Reagan Highway and lines of attendees snaked around the JCC—the excitement in the air was palpable. The festival atmosphere was fueled by two clowns handing out delicious samples of chocolate

Looking around the room, one could see lavishly decorated tables teeming with chocolate delights of all kinds, from pastries to candies, to brownies to cookies, from cupcakes to coffees to ice-cream to waffles and on and on. candy to those eagerly waiting their turn to enter the festival.

Looking around the room, one could see lavishly decorated tables teeming with chocolate delights of all kinds, from pastries to candies, to brownies to cookies, from cup-

cakes to coffees to ice-cream to waffles and on and on.

One attendee noted, “Everywhere I glanced was chocolate goodness.” In describing the display tables, she added that they “were so beautifully

arranged they were almost too good to eat—almost.”

People attended the festival from the entire Greater Cincinnati area and many could be seen enjoying not only the chocolates, but many of the other activities as well. The children’s activities area provided games, prizes, movies and two concerts.

The proceeds of the festival will benefit the Wise Temple Sisterhood and the various social action and community service projects they perform throughout the year. It took the hard work and dedication of over 120 Sisterhood volunteers to develop, organize and produce such a spectacular and sweet success.

The Sisterhood is planning another chocolate festival for next October.

Cincinnati Hadassah holds its Leading Gifts Pre-Donor Brunch Cincinnati Chapter of Hadassah will hold its Leading Gifts Pre-Donor Brunch on Wednesday, Nov. 17th at 10:30 a.m. at the home of Ghita Sarembock in Amberley Village.

Guest speaker Marc A. Levitt, MD will talk about collaborations between Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem in the areas of clinical care, medical education and research.

Dr. Levitt has been the associate director of the Colorectal Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center since June 2005. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Society.

Dr. Levitt completed his gener-

Courtesy of Cinti Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Marc A. Levitt, MD.

al surgery residency at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York and also served as a clinical and research fellow in pediatric col-

orectal surgery at Schneider Children’s Hospital of the North Shore–Long Island Jewish Health System in New Hyde Park, N.Y. He completed his pediatric surgery fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, and was a pediatric surgical attending there, serving as the clinical director of their Pediatric Miniature Access Surgery Center.

Dr. Levitt visits Israel frequently to perform operations and to teach. He has had a collaboration with Hadassah Medical Center for the past 10 years. The Colorectal Center cares for approximately 15-20 Israeli patients each year, and starting July 1, 2011, will train the first fellow from Hadassah in pediatric colorectal surgery.

Dr. Levitt lives in Montgomery with his wife Shary and their three children.

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by Isaac M.Wise VOL. 157 • NO. 16 Thursday, November 11, 2010 4 Kislev 5771 Shabbat begins Fri, 5:09 p.m.

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There is no charge for the brunch, but a minimum pledge to the Hadassah Annual Donor Campaign is required to attend.

Pledges should be paid to the Cincinnati Hadassah office by May 31, 2011. Contributions are fully tax-deductible and will benefit Hadassah Medical Organization and other Hadassah projects. Please contact the Hadassah office to attend.

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Whither the Jewish baby boomers?

By Sue Fishkoff Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW ORLEANS, La. (JTA) — As America’s 77 million baby boomers retire, they will place an unprecedented burden on the Jewish community’s infrastructure.

They will need more services, and many will want to become involved in a community that isn’t making room for them.

The federation system in particular needs to meet the challenge — and now, as the oldest boomers turn 65 next year — or face losing the wealthiest and most highly educated generation in American Jewish history.

Those are two salient results of a study presented Monday at the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America titled “Baby Boomers, Public Service and Minority Communities: A Case Study of the Jewish Community in the United States.”

The report, a joint effort by New York University’s Berman Jewish Policy Archive and the university’s Research Center for Leadership in Action, analyzed a national survey of more than 6,500 Jewish baby boomers — those born between 1948 and 1964 — in 34 U.S. communities.

Jewish baby boomers expect to work after retirement age, want that work to be meaningful and want it to help others, but are not necessarily committed to working within the Jewish community, the report found. Boomers represent 50 percent of affiliated Jews in the United States — a major loss if they disappear.

“Even affiliated and involved Jews will look elsewhere if the meaning they seek is not available within the Jewish community,” said David Elcott, the Taub professor of public service at NYU’s graduate school and author of the report.

While most Jewish boomers plan to work or volunteer in an “encore” career after retiring, the survey showed that 35 percent aren’t sure what kind of work they want to do, and 42 percent expect to get paid for it. The Jewish community is used to relying on its

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older population to volunteer, Elcott said.

Not only that, but just over a third of boomers surveyed said they “want to help other Jews” in their encore career, and just 14 percent look at the new career as a way of expressing their Jewish identity.

Nearly 86 percent of those hoping to perform public service work would like to work through a Jewish organization, the survey showed, but that does not mean they are committed to helping Jews, Elcott noted. They could just as well be building homes in New Orleans or doing literacy training in inner cities.

If Jewish organizations cannot provide meaningful outlets, Elcott cautioned, they will look elsewhere.

“This is the first generation for whom it will be as natural to work with the YMCA as with a Jewish organization,” he said. “We are not prepared for that. We’re prepared for it from our 30-year-olds, but not from this middle generation.”

The federation system and other Jewish communal structures have been putting much of their funding and emphasis into programs for Jewish youth and children, with some attention to the very elderly. But for the most part they have ignored or taken for granted the needs of the generation in its mid-40s to early 60s.

Some federations are beginning to reach out to boomers in a concerted way.

JBoomers, a grass-roots nonprofit created to advocate for boomers within the Jewish community, plans to launch Nov. 21.

Linda Blumberg, planning director for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, told the GA audience that her federation and Jewish Family Services agency are seeing increased numbers of boomers seeking their help.

American Jews over age 50 are losing their jobs and coming to the federation for help paying mortgages, accessing health care and training for jobs in new sectors, she said. Blumberg noted that many were former donors who are no longer able or willing to give — at least not at previous levels.

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“Federations are certainly interested in increasing their donor base, and are looking for ways to engage baby boomers as volunteers, too,” Blumberg said, noting that a number of boomers have been recruited to serve on committees, plan these initiatives and even provide the pro-bono professional services that their colleagues now need to access, from medical care to legal advice.

It is well known that federations are trying to engage and train young leaders, but this year for the first time the Detroit federation started a leadership training program for boomers to bring them into the federation system as planners and other agency personnel.

“We are looking for opportunities that speak to them, where they can give back to the community and make a difference,” Blumberg said.

“Federations around the country haven’t really developed a comprehensive approach” to the problem.

“If we lose this generation,” she said, “we lose their children and grandchildren.”

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Jewish institutions reassessing security following bomb attempt

By Sue Fishkoff Jewish Telegraphic Agency SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) –

Jewish institutions throughout the United States are reassessing their security following the recent mail bomb threat of two Jewish institu-

tions in Chicago.

On Tuesday, some 200 representatives of Jewish community institutions took part in a confer-

ence call with FBI experts on security measures.

“The situation with bombs this weekend certainly reminded us that all our institutions can be vulnerable to threats of this type,” said Bonnie Michelman, the community security chairwoman of the Anti-Defamation League, which organized the call.

Michelman, the security director at Massachusetts General Hospital, went on to outline specific signs that people should look for to identify suspicious packages.

The FBI announced Tuesday that no synagogues exist at the addresses on the two bomb packages but urged the need for continued community vigilance.

“Terrorists will continue and diversify their attacks,” a representative from the FBI’s Washington field office said during the conference call.

Senior leadership from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security were set to begin holding teleconferences on the same topic with senior Jewish organizational leaders across the country beginning Wednesday afternoon.

Security experts are still trying to determine the actual targets of the two explosive-packed printer cartridges intercepted last Friday.

It was unclear whether they were meant for the planes carrying the packages or the Jewish institutions to which the packages were addressed. U.S. authorities have refused to confirm the identities of the institutions targeted.

One of the packages was intercepted in Dubai and another in London. Al-Qaida is believed to be behind the two bombs.

After the bombs were discovered, a Homeland Security team arrived Sunday in Chicago, according to Paul Goldenberg, national director of the Secure Community Network, the national agency for Jewish communal security. SCN operates under the auspices of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

The Homeland Security representatives are contacting Chicago Jewish institutions for security training in conjunction with the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. SCN will notify other communities in advance of the Homeland Security calls, which will extend through the week.

“They’re providing training and resources to ensure the community feels safe and has the tools it needs,” Goldenberg said.

Of particular concern in this case, Goldenberg noted, is that the package bombs were addressed to American Jewish institutions, indicating that terrorists are treating them as proxies for Israel and

thus legitimate targets.

“We don’t know when the bombs were intended to go off, but the fact remains they were going after American Jews, not Israeli consulates,” he said. “They targeted American synagogues.

That was the message.”

Last Friday, SCN sent out two e-mail notifications to its national network outlining how to handle suspicious packages and alerting people to key addresses and other signs of a potential terrorist mail threat. The Orthodox Union, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and Union for Reform Judaism also sent out security alerts to their member congregations.

The SCN notification advised Jewish organizations to watch for large packages, particularly coming from abroad.

“Organizations that believe they have received a suspicious package should not open it, [should] evacuate the area and call 911 immediately,” it said.

Steve Sheinberg, who oversees the ADL’s Jewish community security program, said now that the first wave of emergency information has gone out, it’s time to regroup and engage in a careful, ongoing reassessment of each institution’s security measures.

“Our security messages are very measured,” he said. “Our goal is to inform, not panic. There is no need for panic. This is an occasion to look at security measures in place, make adjustments as necessary and move forward.”

In Chicago, Jews are calm but wary following the bomb threat.

“The schools are all being very vigilant, without getting everyone nervous,” said Rolly Cohen, education director of the Board of Jewish Education of Metropolitan Chicago. “They’re stepping things up a bit, making sure doors are locked, checking to see who’s there before opening them, putting security measures back in places they might have become more lax about.”

“The need to take security precautions is not new,” said JUF Executive Vice President Michael Kotzin, who praised national and local security agencies for their professionalism and alacrity in responding to this incident. “This was a very dramatic example of that. There’s generally been a sense of calm, not fear and panic but a kind of resignation that we need to be alert—as Americans, and as Jews in particular.”

The Chicago federation and the ADL scheduled a security conference for Thursday in Chicago bringing together heads of local Jewish institutions with representatives of Homeland Security, the U.S. Postal Service and local law enforcement.

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At Tulane, using Jewish studies to grow Jewish life

Courtesy of Michael Cohen

Jewish film and sushi nights are one of the more popular Jewish programs at Tulane University organized in conjunction with the school’s growing Jewish studies program.

By Jacob Berkman Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK (JTA) — Three years ago, Tulane University seemed like fertile ground to grow a more robust Jewish studies program.

Approximately one-third of the school’s 6,000 undergraduates are Jews, Tulane was in the early stages of an ambitious project to construct a new building for its Hillel center and New Orleans was becoming a draw for young Jews involved in rebuilding projects after Hurricane Katrina.

Yet Tulane offered fewer than 10 courses in Jewish studies and had only about 150 students enrolled in them.

The potential, though, made Tulane one of six universities to receive a grant to hire a full-time post-doctoral teaching fellow to expand the Jewish studies program and raise its profile through cultural programs and other campus activities.

Enter Michael Cohen, who had just earned a doctorate in American Jewish history from Brandeis University.

More than two years later, his hire is yielding fruit: The university now offers 12 Jewish studies classes with more than 350 students enrolled. Cohen teaches two courses in American Jewish history that each have 70 students. Tulane also has 90 students enrolled in Hebrew classes, including 20 in third-year Hebrew.

“It used to be that they would take Hebrew for a semester just to fulfill their language requirement,” Cohen said. “Now we are finding more and more students who are interested.”

Cohen attributes the budding

interest in Jewish studies to a holistic approach that seeks to draw Jewish students not just to the classes, but also to opportunities for Jewish community and other experiences outside the classroom. Tulane’s Jewish studies department, which Cohen temporarily chairs, is working with Hillel and the Jewish Student Union to create programs to generate interest in Jewish culture and history.

Their most successful project is one devised with the Foundation for Jewish Culture that screens highquality Jewish films — often including appearances by the filmmakers for Q & A sessions — and offers a free sushi dinner after the movie. Last year Tulane held five such events, which drew audiences of 175 to 225 per viewing.

The excitement about Jewish life in general at Tulane has led students to learn more in the classroom, Cohen says.

“We have been able to build off of it and tap into the energy,” he said. “Taking Jewish studies courses has become the thing to do. We have a good buzz. Now it is a cool thing to do and not a shame thing.”

Cohen also has tried to involve the broader New Orleans community in the Jewish growth on campus, offering students service opportunities in the local Jewish community and arranging for Tulane professors to speak at local synagogues.

With only two professors dedicated to Jewish studies, the department has had to rely on professors from other departments to pitch in. For instance, next semester an English professor will teach a class on contemporary American Jewish literature.

The funding of Cohen’s position

was part of a larger project called the Jewish Studies Expansion Program.

Funded by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation and administered by the Foundation for Jewish Culture, it gave six schools — Tulane, American University, Ohio University, the University of Delaware, Northeastern University and Towson State University — $80,000 over two years that each had to match to make a Jewish studies hire.

The grant at Tulane expired after last semester, but Cohen has been retained by the university and is now on a tenure track. Two of the other universities involved in the grant project also have retained their professors, according to Paul Zakrzewski, the director of the Jewish Studies Expansion Program.

Now a second cohort of six schools are receiving two-year grants from the program: the University of California, Santa Cruz; Oberlin College; Syracuse University; Colgate University; Portland State University; and the University of Arizona.

“The idea behind the grant is that there is research showing that Jewish studies is a really potent way of reaching Jewish and non-Jewish students interested in Jewish culture,” Zakrzewski said, “but not interested in obvious Jewish outlets on campus like Hillel or Chabad.”

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Getting over post-World Series blues Sue Fishkoff explains: — Jews and baseball, a love story How America came to think ‘K’ Is OK

By Edmon J. Rodman Jewish Telegraphic Agency

LOS ANGELES (JTA) — Sure, San Francisco Giants fans are happy. But what about everyone else — how are they supposed to ease the heartbreak between now and spring training?

To revive your spirits (or, if you’re Giants fans, to keep the good times rolling), check out “Jews and Baseball, An American Love Story,” a new documentary in special engagements across the country that at its heart is a relationship film — about Jews and the game.

Narrated by the Academy Award-winning actor Dustin Hoffman, the feature-length production combines archival footage and more recent interviews to supply a decade-by-decade look at the contributions of Jewish players, coaches and owners, as well as the game-changing players’ union president Marvin Miller.

Highlights include a rare interview with Sandy Koufax, the greatest Jewish hurler of all time, and interviews with celebrities like talk show host Larry King and director Ron Howard.

Generations of immigrant Jews struggling with their

American identity is an underlying theme of the film. Sportswriter Maury Allen sums it up best when he observes that “baseball was the American game … and you identified yourself as an American by your intensity of the love of baseball.”

Moving beyond a story of generational assimilation to that of multi-level integration, the major league season that ended with the Giants’ victory over the Rangers in the World Series added more chapters to the Jews and baseball story. They include the outstanding postseason play of the Rangers’ Ian Kinsler and, on the business side, the Rangers’ Jewish owner, Chuck Greenberg, and the Giants’ Jewish president, Lawrence Baer.

College baseball had its moments, too; notably the 56game hitting streak by Garrett Wittels, a Florida International University infielder who needs to hit in three straight games to start his junior season to break the NCAA Div. I mark.

Many ballparks today have institutionalized a day celebrating the Jewish community or heritage, and the film directed by Peter Miller and written by Ira Berkow shows the historic Jewish fans’

attachment to their home teams.

The film makes the point, especially in the segment about the Dodgers abandoning Brooklyn, that the story of Jews and baseball is not just about the players, like Koufax, Hank Greenberg, Mo Berg and Al Rosen, or those who made their mark in the front office or owner’s suite. It’s also about generations of lovestruck Jewish fans.

“Jews and Baseball” producer Will Hechter is such a fan.

“I wanted a project that I felt a strong passion about,” he answered when asked how he decided on his first film project.

Fans apparently are responding to his passion — Hechter says the film “is doing better than I expected.”

“It was held over in Montreal for three weeks,” he said. “And it will be on Public TV in late 2011.”

Asked if he identified with the stories of any of the Jewish ballplayers interviewed in the film, Hechter responded, “I can’t identify with their skills, but I can with their pride.”

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

Courtesy of Erika Gosser

Sue Fishkoff, author of “Kosher Nation”

By Leah Koenig The Jewish Daily Forward NEW YORK (Forward) — How did kosher certification grow so popular so fast?

With Jews making up less than 2 percent of the country’s population, it seems certain that the answer is rooted in something other than increased religious observance.

In her new book “Kosher Nation: Why More and More of America’s Food Answers to a Higher Authority,” author Sue Fishkoff explores this gastro-religious phenomenon and its implications for the way we eat.

The first hekhsher, Fishkoff writes, was pioneered in 1923, when a then-fledgling organization called the Orthodox Union convinced the H.J. Heinz Company to carry certification on its vegetarian beans. Half a century later, the industry had made modest gains but was still largely confined to the Jewish market.

Then, in 1972, Fishkoff writes, “Hebrew National launched a television ad campaign (for their hot dogs) that forever changed the way Americans look at kosher food.”

The ad, which introduced the notion that kosher food “answers to a higher authority,” resonated with American consumers living in the anti-authority swirl of the 1970s and looking for reassurance that their food was clean and safe.

“The government may not protect you (from unsavory artificial ingredients and additives), the ad suggests, but Jewish law will,” Fishkoff writes.

Consumers took note, usher-

ing in an age of unparalleled growth for kosher food.

In the four decades following Hebrew National’s initial marketing triumph, the American food system has grown increasingly less personal and more industrialized, bringing with it high-profile food scares from salmonella outbreaks to E. coli recalls. Over that time, the hekhsher has come to symbolize an extra set of discerning eyes watching over food production.

So it is no surprise that the majority of today’s kosher consumers — “86 percent of the nation’s 11.2 million,” Fishkoff reports — shop with health and food safety rather than halacha, or Jewish law, in mind.

The underlying question that drives “Kosher Nation” — namely “How and why is kosher food so popular?” — is compelling, but it is hardly the book’s only focus.

As a veteran journalist of the Jewish press and author of “The Rebbe’s Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch” (Schocken Books, 2003), Fishkoff has made a career out of asking questions that delve into the heart of contemporary Jewish life. To that end, she spends the majority of “Kosher Nation” exploring how the rapidly expanding kosher marketplace affects the 14 percent of consumers for whom kashrut is indeed a rule of life.

The resulting chapters offer a broad snapshot of kashrut in America today, covering the globalization of kosher food production, the laws behind kosher meat, the increasing availability of “good” kosher wine and the surprising resurgence of kosher interest within the Reform movement.

Fishkoff devotes a chapter to the busy life of a mashgiach, or kosher supervisor, another to the dwindling Jewish deli and another to the rise of nontraditional foods, like sushi, in such traditional settings as the Jewish wedding.

Some readers might balk at this breadth-over-depth approach, but Fishkoff sees “Kosher Nation” as an introduction to its vast and constantly evolving subject rather than a definitive chronicle of the topic.

“I look at this book as a conversation starter,” she wrote in an e-mail to the Forward: Think American Kashrut 101. To that end, “Kosher Nation” will likely find a home in college classrooms, book groups or any place where discussing and exploring the subject at greater length is encouraged.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2010

INTERNATIONAL

9

Like NBAs Nets, European Jewish group gets an oligarch, but some see Soviet-style takeover

Courtesy of Berlin Chabad

Ukrainian billionaire and Jewish philanthropist Igor Kolomoisky, left, raises a vodka toast with Israeli Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, drinking, at Berlins Chabad center during a conference of the European Council of Jewish Communities, Oct. 25, 2010.

By Uriel Heilman Jewish Telegraphic Agency BERLIN (JTA) — Two Jewish billionaires who came to Berlin from Ukraine last week for a conference on European Jewish life skipped out on the gathering during a session on the global financial crisis.

Instead they were downing vodka shots with Israel’s chief rabbi in the basement of Berlin’s gleaming Chabad center.

One of the two billionaires, banking magnate Igor Kolomoisky, who with $2 billion in assets ranks No. 488 on Forbes magazine’s 2010 list of the world’s richest people, had just been named the new president of the host organization, the European Council of Jewish Communities. He was awarded the position after committing to give the organization an annual multimillion-euro gift for five years — at least $14 million.

Depending on whom one talked to, the appointment was either a generous lifeline to a cashstrapped organization focused on social welfare and education or a hostile takeover of a group with an important-sounding name.

The problem was that Kolomoisky had not been elected but appointed unilaterally by the organization’s outgoing president, Jonathan Joseph, who had met Kolomoisky for the first time earlier that day. Joseph defended his sudden decision as justified by the size of Kolomoisky’s gift — and by the need to respond to a man who might not be inclined to wait for an official vote from the board of directors.

“If we were going to do business together, we had to do business

now,” Joseph told JTA, explaining why he skipped the “niceties of the procedures of the ECJC.” Joseph said, “It’s a good opportunity for him; it’s a good opportunity for us.”

The appointment was celebrated with a dinner of foie gras and braised duck for some 150 people at Berlin’s swankiest hotel, the Adlon — paid for by Kolomoisky, according to Joseph.

But the few board members from the social welfare organization who were present at the dinner found the turn of events jarring.

“This is not a democratic process,” Arturo Tedeschi, an EJCJ board member from Italy, told JTA. “It took place like a Soviet-style takeover.”

Tedeschi and four other board members subsequently resigned.

Days later the Italian Union of Jewish Communities withdrew from ECJC. It wasn’t just the undemocratic nature of the appointment that rankled board members and raised eyebrows here. The appointment also touched the nerve of East-West tensions simmering just beneath the surface of European Jewish life.

For decades, Eastern European and Russian Jewish communities were beneficiaries of the West’s largesse, and in the early years of post-Communist life they were rebuilt by American, Israeli and Western European Jews who did everything from pay for their meals to show them how to pray in synagogue.

Now, two decades since the fall of communism and with Western Jewish institutions mired in financial woes, Jews from the former Soviet Union — oligarchs who made their fortunes as capitalism emerged from the Soviet

collapse — are swooping in to take over the leadership of several key European Jewish organizations.

Some view this as a positive development, a rescue from the East. While Western Jewish donors are tired and overextended, the philanthropists from the East are energetic and looking to give, Joseph said.

“They may dress funny and drink too much, but they’re sharp,” Joseph said. “They haven’t been rubbed down and made dull yet.”

Others view the changes more ominously, questioning the motives of the philanthropists from the East — businessmen for whom political connections come in handy.

“Now they have a little toy with which they can go around and say this is the opinion of European Jews,” said Bianca Tedeschi, who came to the conference from Italy with her husband, Arturo. “It’s very scary.”

Joseph defended Kolomoisky.

“His reputation, which we checked out, is a very, very good one,” Joseph said. “Yes, he has commercial disputes, but so does every businessman. His integrity is excellent.”

The ECJC is hardly the first such organization to become the pet project of a Russian-speaking oligarch.

In 2007, computer and agrochemical giant Moshe Kantor, No. 773 on the Forbes list with a net worth of $1.3 billion, was elected president of the European Jewish Congress. Alexander Mashkevitch, a Kazakh who has appeared on Forbes’ lists and is in the metals and gas businesses, heads the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.

Ukrainian Vadim Rabinovitch, another oligarch and media mogul, is a vice president of the ECJC. It’s not just happening in the Jewish world. Russian Jewish tycoon Roman Abramovitch bought Britain’s venerated Chelsea soccer team in 2003. Last year, Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov purchased the NBA’s New Jersey Nets.

But while Prokhorov’s purchase of the Nets was widely applauded (the basketball team, which last year nearly compiled the worst record in NBA history, could use some cash and a change of direction), the infusion of Easterners into Western Jewish organizations has not been universally cheered.

“We will not be colonized by a Ukrainian, that’s for sure,” one ECJC board member said at the parley in Berlin.

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Bibi's wheels, two ladies dancing, popping the question

By Marcy Oster Jewish Telegraphic Agency JERUSALEM (JTA) — Here are some recent stories from Israel that you may have missed: Bibi’s million-dollar ride Few luxury cars come with an anti-grenade defense system or bulletproof tires, nor other serious security features such as a bulletproof armored cabin and an automated fire extinguishing system.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new official car, an Audi A8, has all of them, plus one more thing: a $1 million price tag.

The car also has a wide-screen DVD screen, a refrigerator and a humidor for cigars, according to reports, plus more mundane luxury items like a sun roof and leather interior.

Its 12-cylinder, 6-liter engine, with 450 horsepower, is the largest made by Audi for the A8. The car weighs in at nearly three tons.

Two more of the cars have been ordered to round out the prime minister’s convoy.

Netanyahu’s current convoy includes armored Toyota Land Cruisers and Chevrolet Suburbans.

‘Dancing’ takes a step Israel’s “Dancing with the Stars” is kicking up its heels for a fifth season with same-sex partners for the first time.

Television sportscaster Gili Shem Tov, a lesbian married to a woman with whom she has a son, is paired with professional dancer Dorit Milman, who wasn’t aware that she had a female partner until

Israel Briefs Netanyahu in U.S. to meet with Jewish leaders, administration officials JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the United States to address Jewish leaders and meet with U.S. administration officials.

Netanyahu landed in New Orleans Sunday morning after leaving Israel the previous night on an El Al charter flight with his wife, Sara, and their son Yair, who is on an authorized leave from his army posting in the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Office.

Netanyahu will speak Monday at the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly in New Orleans. Prior to his speech,

Courtedy of Flash90

Pamela Anderson, in Israel to promote her anti-fur campaign and to guest judge on the Israeli version of “Dancing With The Stars,” visiting the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 2010.

Shem Tov walked into the studio for their first meeting.

“Because I share my life with a woman and have a family with

her, to me this is the most natural thing to do,” Shem Tov said during the introductory show last week.

he is scheduled to meet with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden there.

The prime minister also is scheduled to meet in New York with United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon on Monday, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice on Wednesday and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday.

“I hope that on this visit, we and the U.S. administration will find the way to advance the diplomatic process while maintaining Israel’s national and security interests,” Netanyahu said upon his departure from Israel.

Netanyahu will not meet with President Obama, who is on a state visit to India.

While in New York, Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with leading media figures and senior Wall Street economists.

The flight’s cost to the Israeli government of more than $1 million has caused an uproar in Israel because El Al was chosen without

a bidding process. Also, the fact that Yair Netanyahu was allowed to take a leave from the army has irritated Israelis.

Netanyahu is paying for his son’s portion of the trip because he is not part of the official entourage.

Theater revival: Call to boycott Ariel center is back JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli artists and academics revived their call for actors to boycott a new theater in a West Bank town.

Three days before the Ariel Cultural Center was set to open Sunday, dozens of artists and academics published an open letter directed at the Beersheva Theater actors who will present the opening show urging them to boycott the center.

Ariel was built on occupied Palestinian land, the letter said, and that “just several kilometers from the thriving and flourishing Ariel, Palestinians live in refugee camps, in harsh living conditions and with-

“Dancing with the Stars,” based on the British “Strictly Come Dancing” show, is the first of 35 versions broadcast in countries around the world to have same-sex partners.

So who will lead? The women said on the first show that they would take turns.

Meanwhile, former “Baywatch” star Pamela Anderson landed Sunday in Israel to serve as a guest judge.

Anderson has asked Israeli politicians to support a bill that would ban the use of animal fur to make clothing in Israel. The bill has angered the haredi Orthodox parties, since many of their adherents wear the streimel, a sabletrimmed hat.

Anderson has called on the politicians to view a graphic People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals video.

I do, I do A physics student here may have created the world’s smallest marriage proposal — and he wants it documented as a record.

Elad Dekel, 25, who attends the Israel Institute of Technology, is trying to get his proposal, written on the back of a one-squarecentimeter, gold-coated silicone chip, included in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest marriage proposal in the world.

Created at a nanotechnology research center in Dresden, Germany, where Dekel went as part of an exchange program, the proposal was in Hebrew and German, and included a picture of the couple, Ynet reported.

Dekel showed his girlfriend, Chen Mendelowitz, the proposal under a microscope when she came to Dresden for a visit.

She said yes.

The pot is on the government A Health Ministry committee has recommended that medical marijuana be included in the country’s national health basket.

The committee cited the steep increase in the price of medical marijuana that unchecked could rise further if it does not join the list of included medicines.

The panel also recommended adding more Israeli doctors allowed to prescribe medical marijuana.

About 5,000 prescriptions for marijuana are expected to be written during 2010, according to Haaretz. The number of patients using medical marijuana could rise to 50,000 if the committee’s recommendations are accepted.

Got milk?

The milk of human kindness?

Not here.

Fake posters listing the dangers of milk consumption bearing the logo of Israel’s Health Ministry were hung in cities throughout Israel, including outside of a child’s day care in Tel Aviv.

In addition to listing the health dangers with which milk is associated, the poster included suggestions for milk substitutes, including whole grain sesame, whole grain tahina, nuts, almonds, hummus, green leaves, soybeans, broccoli and beans.

Who put up the posters is a mystery; the Health Ministry wants the police to look into the matter.

out any basic human right. Not only are they not entitled to see performances in Ariel, some of them have no access to running water.”

Ariel “was founded for only one purpose: to prevent Palestinians from being able to build an independent state, and by extension, preventing us, citizens of Israel, from having the chance to live in peace in this region,” the letter also said.

The letter follows a petition, signed by more than 50 artists in August, urging a boycott of the cultural center. Days later the petition was followed by a letter of support for the boycott signed by more than 150 Israeli academics.

On Sunday, the Yisrael Beiteinu Party said it would work to halt government funding to theater professionals who call for a boycott of the Ariel cultural center.

“These artists have a right to free speech but not to the taxpayers’ money,” party chairman Avigdor Lieberman said. “Those

who call Israel an apartheid state shouldn’t enjoy the fruits of Israel’s labor. The show must go on, but the incitement against the state must stop.”

Israel launches airstrikes on Gaza JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Air Force struck what the military is describing as two “terrorlinked” sites in southern Gaza in response to rocket fire on Israel.

The Saturday night airstrikes reportedly included an abandoned olive farm near Khan Younis and a Hamas smuggling tunnel to Egypt.

No injuries or casualties were reported.

The strikes were in response to a Kassam rocket fired on southern Israel from Gaza earlier in the day.

Since the beginning of the year, about 180 Grad missiles, Kassam rockets and mortar shells fired from the Gaza Strip have landed in Israeli territory, according to Israel’s military.

SOCIAL LIFE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2010

11

MERCAZ CONSERVATIVE HEBREW HIGH SCHOOL On Sept. 12 Mercaz Conservative Hebrew High School began classes. The year kicked off with many exciting new class options. The first “Experiencing Jewish Education through the Arts” course began with the documentary filmmaking class. Students will develop a documentary working with experts in the field and equipment the professionals use. Another exciting new class is Conversational Hebrew for College Credit in cooperation with the University of Cincinnati. There are monthly dinners, which are a great way for the teens to catch up with their friends and to make new ones! There are many new exciting things going on at Mercaz this year – check them out! YOU AT MERCAZ. JUST PICTURE IT.

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PLACE YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE. E-MAIL: articles@americanisraelite.com with “Announcement” in the Subject Line

Becca shares her thoughts on her Jewish identity and what she thinks has helped her to form it during the Documentary Film Making course. Filming is already gong on so the students have plenty of footage as they develop their documentary.

Learning Hebrew doesn’t stop after Hebrew High School…Adults from the community come together at Mercaz to improve their Conversational Hebrew skills. Mercaz offers a Beginner and an Intermediate course for adults throughout the school year.

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

Mel Fisher Moshe ben Hinda

Roma Kaltman Ruchama bat Perl

Daniel Eliyahu Daniel ben Tikvah

Edith Kaffeman Yehudit bat B’racha

Pepa Kaufman Perel Tova bat Sima Sora

Murray Kirschner Chaim Meir ben Basha Ravid Sulam Ravid Chaya bat Ayelet

Edward Ziv Raphael Eliezer Aharon ben Esther Enya

12

CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE

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MERCAZ CONSERVATIVE HEBREW HIGH SCHOOL

In the Holocaust class, taught by Sharon Wasserberg, students do an activity to show how one person’s action effects others.

Mercaz’s first course for College Credit! Students in the Advanced Conversational Hebrew course not only maintain their Hebrew skills but also continue to improve them while earning credit with the University of Cincinnati.

Phyllis Binik-Thomas’ Creating Prayer class does an ice-breaker so the students can get to know each other before learning more about what makes a prayer.

Training our future religious school teachers! Stephanie Kogan teaches the Madrichim training course, helping our students to learn how to be teaching assistants in the religious school classroom.

Adam takes part in an activity with his classmates in the Creating Prayer class.

The Art and Ethics class will look at artwork by Jewish and Israeli artists that make a statement on an ethical issue and then create pieces of art themselves that make their own ethical statement.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2010

CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE

13

Anna and Becca take part in the Documentary Film Making course. They put together their camera and microphone so they can start filming.

Creating Prayer students work with their teacher to examine a prayer.

Students in the 8th grade seminar study tzedakah and then make sandwiches to donate.

Seniors enjoy catching up with each other and their freinds at the dinner and social.

Students in the Documentary film making course will explore their own Jewish identity through a variety of activities and interviews with each other and others in their lives and community and put it all together to create their documentary film.

Students enjoy a monthly pre-Mercaz dinner and social before classes. Meals are homemade and this week we watched football on the big screen!

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Tandoor — A Passage to India

By Marilyn Gale Dining Editor I don’t think I had my first Indian meal until I was a young adult. Then, I was mesmerized by the exotic flavors. Sure, I had eaten an occasional curry, usually in chicken salad with grapes, where the yellow mustard color added a twinge of contrast to other bland picnic food combinations. Sometimes, I allowed my inexperienced taste buds to try curry in Asian food, which was full of sliced, savory cooked onions which often overpowered the potency of the spice. But my palate got a wake up call with cuisine from India.

Vegetables never tasted better made in this ethnic style, simmered with turmeric, coriander and cardamom.

Lentils became more than a soup, served spicy and hot on top of Basmati rice. The bread, fragrant naan stuffed with onions, garlic, potatoes and peas, was easily a divine meal when accompanied by robust Kingfisher beer.

India is famous for its exotic cuisine prepared with artful and exquisite combinations of spices. At Tandoor Indian restaurant in Cincinnati, the chef creates and provides diners with the authentic cuisine from Northern India, famous for its aromatic clay oven dishes and out-of-the-ordinary curries.

Naren and Varsha Patel are owner and manager of this restaurant which has been in existence for over 25 years in the Queen City, located in the Marketplace on Montgomery Road. “The secret to the success,” said Varsha Patel, “is working hard, all the time, six days per week, serving lunch and dinner.” Sounds simple as well as strenuous but the pay off has been award-winning ethnic cuisine.

The igloo-shaped clay oven, known as the tandoor, is most closely identified with Indian cooking. This is an excellent method of baking meats, poultry, fish and bread. This method of cooking originated in Afghanistan and was brought to India by Mogul rulers close to 5,000 years ago. The meat, poultry or fish is first marinated in a rose colored spice mixture, then impaled on long skewers that are lowered into the tandoor.

Sheets of a bread dough, called Naan, are also slapped against the sides of the oven and peeled off when crisply charred and blistered.

Tandoor India has made a specialty of this lean, pungent method of cooking. You certainly don’t miss the crunch of poultry skin when you bite into aromatic tandoori chicken.

Multiple health benefits of Indian cuisine are additional bonuses to this fragrant cooking. Say “Indian food,” and you probably think of its aromatic spices, such as turmeric, ginger, red chilies and

Varsha (top) and Naren (right) Patel are your hosts at Tandoor; Spicy cabbage is one of the many delicious and hearty vegetarian entrees offered at Tandoor.

garam masala (a mixture of cumin, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, coriander and other spices). But these distinctive flavors do more than perk up your favorite curry: They may actually protect against some cancers. According to recent studies, turmeric and ginger help fight Alzheimer’s. Researchers point to the fact that rates of Alzheimer’s in India are four times lower than in America, perhaps because people there typically eat 100 to 200 milligrams of curry every day.

Turmeric, a main ingredient in curry, may have anti-inflammatory and healing properties; its benefits are now being studied at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Other good-news ingredients in Indian cuisine include yogurt and lentils, a fiber all-star that has significant amounts of folate and magnesium, and may help stabilize blood sugar. Lentils are often combined with Indian spices to make dal, usually served as a side dish.

Tandoor’s menu is an Indian banquet. There are no less than 13 breads (naan) to choose from. For the whole grain eaters, the vegetarian paratha, unleavened whole wheat bread filled with a medley

of hearty vegetables baked in the tandoor sounds alluring. There is bread that is not made from wheat, and can be easily digested by folks who need gluten free diets. It is called papadum and is made from lentil and chick pea flour.

Vegetarian specialties are many – I counted 16. Pureed, steamed, simmering in cheese, curry and cream sauces—spinach never tasted better than in sag paneer.

Cauliflower paired with potatoes adds a new dimension to cruciferous taste. A dish of peas and mushrooms oozes with tender flavor, eggplants cooked on skewers then chopped and mixed with tomatoes and onions are simply fabulous. The vegetarian entrees are all delicious, and cooked in sauces that sparkle with rare spice and fragrance.

Tandoor has an all-you-can-eat buffet, Monday through Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Awardwinning mulligatawny soup, a south India creation made with lentils, tomatoes and a dash of specially blended spices and herbs lures diners from all over the Queen City.

The chef, which is frequently Varsha Partel, encourages adventuresome tasters to try soy ribs cooked in chunky tomato sauce and

herbs and spices. Or the meat eaters can feast upon prize-winning lamb vindaloo, cooked with potatoes in a thick and hot curry sauce.

Coupons for meals are on the website. Although the expiration date has passed, Varsha Partel assures me they will still be honored. Prices for these interesting meals are extremely reasonable, most entrees in the $12 - $15 range.

Early bird specials, from 5 - 7 p.m., offering 20 to 50 percent reduction on special menu items, continue through the end of December.

Catering is also available.

Important note for more delicate taste buds—spice levels are under the diner’s control, ranging from bland to extremely hot.

Tandoor also has a full bar to quench your thirst. Partel is working on expanding the wine list.

Currently, 24 choices sold by the glass are on the menu.

An exotic taste excursion awaits you at Tandoor. Travel to the Marketplace in Montgomery and experience a brief passage to India.

Tandoor 8702 Market Place Lane Cincinnati 513-793-2199

DINING OUT

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2010

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Gotta serve somebody Most people will be forgiven for not imagining that the late Theodore Sorensen, President John F. Kennedy’s close confidant and speechwriter, born in Nebraska to a father whose first name was Christian, might be Jewish. But in the eyes of halacha he probably was.

Mr. Sorensen, who died on Oct. 31 at the age of 82, was born to a Russian-Jewish mother, Annis Chaiken, although he was raised as a Unitarian. He was responsible for much of the soaring oratory associated with President Kennedy, who once called the celebrated speechwriter his “intellectual blood bank.” Sorensen had an extensive role (some say a fullfledged ghostwriting one) in producing Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prizewinning book “Profiles in Courage,” and the president included him in important foreign policy discussions, including those revolving around the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, a truly hot point in the Cold War. Although Sorensen was not a self-promoter, his death brought focus to the considerable role he played in the Kennedy White House and, thus, in American history. And, for those who take pleasure in (or are suspicious about, or just find curious) the influence that Jews – recognizable as such or not – have come to wield on world affairs over the ages, he was but another good example.

As he was an example of the particular prominence of Jews in progressive causes. In his teens, Sorensen registered with the military as a conscientious objector and in his later years he relentlessly championed liberal ideas and ideals, working with Nelson Mandela on voter registration in South Africa and with President Obama’s presidential campaign. He served, too, as a board member of the International Center for Transitional Justice, which seeks to pursue accountability for human rights abuses.

Such activities well fit the stereotype of the American liberal Jewish activist, which engenders pride or disdain depending on the observer. What is striking, though, is how noticeable Jews are on the other side of the American political spectrum as well. The Kristols and Podhoretzes, peres et fils, are examples that most readily come to mind. But there are many others.

New York Times columnist David Brooks famously observed that for some people, “con” in the word “neocon,” is “short for ‘conservative,’ and neo is short for ‘Jewish’.”

So how exactly does one make sense of the fact that Jews, presumably channeling some deeplyingrained ethnic inclination, end up moving and shaking both ends

of the political seesaw?

One approach is to simply note that Jews tend to be cerebral (a generalization, to be sure; many of us don’t seem to do much thinking at all) and so there will always be a good sized pool of bright and motivated Jews from which influential political players and activists of varied stripes will emerge.

But there is something else at work here, and it has less to do with brainpower than with a sense of Jewish mission, of wanting to better society. To effect, in the phrase fashionable these days in some Jewish circles, “tikkun olam” – the “perfection of the world.”

And that drive, holy at its roots if not always in its fruit, has long taken Jews in different, sometimes diametric, directions. Wherever on the political/social spectrum they may end up, though, what drives them there – often without their realization – is sourced in a desire… to serve G-d.

Yes, G-d. The Torah makes clear that the Jew is intended to be an instrument of the Divine, to help bring the rest of the world to recognition of His glory. That is true tikkun olam, as the phrase is used in the Aleinu prayer. Every Jew is hard-wired to want to do the will of the Creator.

The shame lies in the obliviousness of most Jews to how, in fact, they can create a better world. To be sure, Jewish tradition requires empathy and charity; as it does personal responsibility and morality – “liberal” and “conservative” ideals alike. But the Torah’s bottom line is that the observance and study of its laws comprise the ultimate path to perfection – our own personal perfection and that of the entire world.

Many Jews would – and do – scoff at that contention. G-d, if they think of Him at all, is there to be beseeched for sustenance, health and success. But making a better world, they insist, requires political or social activism; observing often challenging or arcane laws and studying ancient texts could not possibly lead to world peace, security and human welfare. Of course, the scoffers will happily use their computers without a thought to how this or that click here or there manages to yield this or that effect. But to imagine that the Engineer of the universe may have programmed His creation to respond to Jews’ observance of the Torah’s laws somehow taxes their imagination.

And yet, the seed of that truth lies waiting somewhere in every Jew’s soul. Sought out and nourished, it will grow.

The nourishment might be said to lie in a paraphrase of a thought often associated with Theodore Sorensen (although he insisted the words were those of his boss, the 35th president): Ask not what your Creator can do for you. Ask what you can do for your Creator.

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

Dear Editor, Since the Second Intifada in Israel I have been toying with canceling my membership to National Public Radio. During that time, the NPR reporter Mary McCarthy had a knack for biasing the news, favoring the Palestinians and painting the Israeli “Jews” as evil. Indeed, I was struck how she was brought to tears during the funeral of Yasir Arafat and could never criticize the corrupt Palestinian leadership who lined their pockets with foreign aide (mostly U.S.). Nonetheless, I ignored those who would refer to NPR as National Palestinian Radio.

With the recent dismissal of

Juan Williams, a true voice of reason, from NPR, I can no longer be silent and no longer support NPR. It is very strange that NPR cited Mr. Williams’ racial bias that was “validated” by a complaint from the Council on American Islamic Relations or CAIR. The belief that Mr. Williams is racially biased is patently false. A simple examination of his broadcast clearly shows his defense of people of Muslim faith.

On the other hand, it is well known that CAIR is an apologist of the most egregious Islamic practices, defends Islamic terrorist organizations, and according to the Anti-Defamation League, is among the most active antiIsrael groups in the U.S. Mr.

Williams’ simple illustration was that since virtually all terrorist activity on American soil since 9/11 has been perpetrated by Islamic terrorists, most Americans are naturally fearful of those who are most outwardly expressive of their Moslem faith.

Although we must be on guard to protect the liberties of all Americans, as Mr. Williams noted, what we see is a simple human behaviorial reaction to ongoing Islamic terrorist activity on American soil. By firing Mr. Williams, NPR together with their CAIR soulmate mistakenly believes it can change reality.

Ray Warren Amberley Village

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T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: VAYETZEI (BRAISHITH 28:10—32:3) 1. What did Ya'akov do first when he got to Charan? a.) Pray b.) Run straight to Laban's house c.) Remove a stone off the top of a well 2. What was Laban's reaction to Jacob wanting to marry his daughter? a.) Overjoyed b.) Refused c.) Agreed halfheartedly 3. Did Laban make a wedding feast? a gift because there was nobody else at the time. Leaving open the possibility he could switch the deal later. Or Hachaim 3. A 29:22 4. A 31:4 5. A 31:18

By Rabbi Avi Shafran Contributing Columnist

a.) Yes b.) No 4. Does Jacob communicate with Rachel and Leah together? a.) Yes b.) No 5. Which direction does Jacob travel after he leaves Laban? a.) Israel b.) Esau c.) He roamed around looking for a place ANSWERS 1. C 29:1-10 According to the Midrash, Jacob went to Charan, but realized he did not pray at Mount Moriah. He immeadiatly returned there to pray 2. C 29:19 Laban meant that he was only marrying Rachel off to Jacob as

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Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2010

JEWISH LIFE

17

Sedra of the Week

by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin

SHABBAT SHALOM: PARSHAT VAYETZE • GENESIS 28: 10-32:3

Efrat, Israel - “And Jacob took fresh rods of poplar laying bare the white of the rods.” (Genesis 30:37) This week’s biblical portion includes a fascinating incident in which our father Jacob outwits his scheming uncle Laban, using poplar rods to influence the color of the flocks and to recover his lost wages. The story is puzzling to us since it doesn’t seem to match modern scientific thought. I would like to offer an interpretation which will explain the story as a metaphor for what transpired within Jacob from the moment he received his father’s blessings until the end of his sojourn with his uncle.

Jacob leaves his ancestral home in Israel to escape from his brother Esau and find a wife. He travels to his mother’s family in Aram Naharayim (Syria), where he becomes the victim of several deceptions perpetrated by his uncle Laban. First, he is tricked into marrying Leah instead of his beloved Rachel. Then, he finds himself forced to work for 14 years as an unpaid laborer in order to pay off the double dowry.

Somehow, Jacob manages to adapt to this difficult life; “So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.” (Gen. 29: 20) Jacob looks after the flocks, continuing to draw his subsistence wage while Laban becomes increasingly wealthy. As time goes on, Jacob settles into this routine, raising a family and working for his uncle. But Jacob’s willingness to live in exile under these conditions comes to an abrupt end when his beloved wife Rachel gives birth to her firstborn son, Joseph. Jacob believes that this most-favored son must be brought up in the Promised Land, and in a healthier moral environment. He realizes that the time has come for him to bring his family home (Gen. 30:25).

Jacob’s imminent departure threatens his uncle’s growing prosperity, so after years of abusing his nephew, Laban is willing to strike any deal that will keep Jacob at his side. Jacob offers a fair pact; he will continue to work

The reader will immediately be puzzled by the method employed by Jacob.

In our times, we have a very different understanding of the way genes are transferred, so what is the point of this Biblical tale? I would suggest that Jacob’s success was not the result of a scientific ruse, but a Divine miracle.

God wanted him to leave the foreign land where he had been persecuted. as a shepherd, and in return will receive any spotted or speckled lambs and goats that are born.

Laban agrees to the deal, but immediately embarks on his next act of deceit; hiding all the spotted and speckled livestock to prevent them from breeding offspring for his nephew. So Jacob is forced to find a way to recuperate the hardearned wages coming to him. He waits until the mating season, and then he prepares fresh rods of poplar, hazel and chestnut, peeling white streaks in them to lay bare the inner white (lavan) of the rods.

Once this is done, he places the rods near the water troughs, so that when the sturdiest flocks come to drink, they face the striped poplar rods, cohabit, and produce young that are striped and speckled. In this way, Jacob recovers the wages that had been denied him and becomes the wealthy owner of prolific livestock! (Gen. 30:43) The reader will immediately be puzzled by the method employed by Jacob. In our times, we have a very different understanding of the way genes are transferred, so what is the point of this Biblical tale? I would suggest that Jacob’s success was not the result of a scientific ruse, but a Divine miracle. God wanted him to leave the foreign land where he had been persecuted. But the Almighty did not want him to depart as an impoverished laborer, cheated of his earnings. Rather,

God determined that Jacob would leave “with great wealth.” (Gen. 15:13,14) The story of the poplar rods actually has a deep and significant moral message. The poplar rods are symbols of Jacob’s internal moral and ethical journey. Jacob began his life as “a wholehearted man, a dweller in tents.” As his father lay dying, Jacob’s mother persuaded him to dress in Esau’s garb in order to obtain the birthright which was rightfully his. This clothing was only external garb—a momentary veneer which enabled him to pose as the wily Esau. But after 22 years of exposure to Laban’s deceit, Jacob stood in danger of actually becoming like Laban and Esau. This is the danger of any masquerade, and now as: “Jacob peeled [the fresh poplar rods—he in effect, peeled away his own outer skin] revealing white streaks, laying bare the [inner] Laban [halavan] which was now on the rods.”

(Gen. 30:37) Jacob recognized that he was absorbing the inner qualities of Laban and Esau. To become fully worthy of his birthright and bring up his children in the way he wished, he knew that he had to leave his uncle’s home, exorcising this evil from within himself.

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

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JEWZ IN THE NEWZ

Jewz in the Newz

By Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist HERE THEY COME AGAIN! You know, when DEAN DEVLIN (yes, he is Jewish) cowrote the 1996 mega-hit “Independence Day,” it seemed like Hollywood was justified in making evil space aliens the villains in an action film. Think back to 1996: the Cold War was over; the country was on an upward financial swing; there was relative international peace and even the Arab-Israeli conflict was at one of its low ebbs.

Today, you could make tons of films about scads of real life wars and economic problems. But, instead, Hollywood has chosen to still turn out a lot of films about mythical threatening creatures like vampires and extraterrestrials. Part of the reason is obvious—there are not a lot of vampires or Martians who will protest how they are depicted onscreen or refuse to go see a movie in which they are villains.

The latest “E.T.” as a bad guy movie is called “Skyline.” (Opens Friday, Nov. 12) The publicity release describes it this way: “Strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where a space alien force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the earth.”

I gather that once exposed to these lights, people vanish. It is not clear whether they are swallowed in the sense of being eaten. If they are being eaten, then the plot is a bit like that of a famous old “Twilight Zone” episode (written

by ROD SERLING) in which aliens land on Earth and induce Earthlings to get on spaceships to their alien home planet, where they will be eaten. It’s revealed at the end of the episode that a book the space alien leader is often seen holding—entitled “How to Serve Man”—is actually a cook book.

“Skyline” stars ERIC BALFOUR, 33, a constantly working TV and film actor. I remember him best from his breakthrough role as Lauren Ambrose’s delinquent boyfriend on HBO’s “Six Feet Under.” My research just uncovered that Eric’s paternal grandparents were Jewish and “Balfour” was originally “Begelfer.” Eric’s maternal grandmother was Jewish, too—but his paternal grandfather was probably a Lakota (Sioux) Indian! The thought occurred to me that there may be a simple explanation why Balfour is able to heroically resist the space aliens— maybe the aliens have no appetite for members of the tribe.

TV NOTES Airing at 10PM, Wednesday, Nov. 17, on ABC, is the special “25 Years of Sexy: People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive.”

This year’s “hottest hunk” will be announced during the special.

Actor HARRISON FORD, 68, whose late mother was Jewish, is the only Hebrew hottie who won in the past quarter century (1998).

Something tells me that the TV special will not linger long on the first winner (1985). It was Mel Gibson. A lot of colorful terms have been used to describe Gibson in the last five years or so, but “sexiest man alive” is not one of them.

You cannot say something like “How the mighty have fallen,” because a co-starring role in a TV soap that went off the air a decade ago and a good showing on “Dancing with the Stars” does not constitute a mighty career. Still, it’s a bit sad to see former “Beverly Hills, 90210” star IAN ZIERING, 46, hitting New Jersey beauty shops on behalf of an unknown and dubious sounding line of cosmetics—and that’s what he was doing last month. But, you have to give Ziering this—he’s aged incredibly well and that’s a real help as he pushes his wrinkle creams.

APATOW AND THE AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE It may be the most unconventional public service announcement (PSA) ever made.

Director/writer JUDD APATOW, 42, has created a plea for donations for the American Jewish World Service (which helps people of every faith). The PSA features a pitch for donations to the American Jewish World Service by a raft of Jewish and non-Jewish celebrities. There is a lot of humor in the announcement—and, be warned, some of the humor is a lot more edgy than that usually found in most similar ads for charities. It was created for the irreverent humor website, Funny or Die, and it should appeal to their audience and earn some shekels for this worthy organization.

The Jewish celebs in the ad include: SARAH SILVERMAN, GILBERT GOTTFRIED, JERRY SEINFELD, ROBERT SMIGEL (As Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog), LISA EDELSTEIN, ANDY SAMBERG and BEN STILLER. The non-Jewish celebs include: Don Johnson, Lindsay Lohan, Patrick Stewart, Tracey Morgan and Tom Brokaw.

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FROM THE PAGES 100 Years Ago The engagement of Kate Alexander, of Fairfield Avenue, to Mr. Henry G. Mosler, of Reading Road, has been announced.

Mrs. Gabriel S. Weil (Theresa Jacobs), aged 37 years, died on November 2, at Los Angeles, Cal. Mrs. Weil was suffering from a nervous breakdown, and went to Los Angeles, in August, with her husband, and two sons, to visit her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Jacobs. As she seemed to be improving, her sons

returned to Cincinnati to resume their studies, and were prostrated with grief when word was received of their mother’s sudden death. After being cremated, the remains were brought to Cincinnati, and, after funeral services, were buried in the Walnut Hills Jewish Cemetery. Dr. Philipson preached the sermon.

The unusual distinction was conferred on Dr. David Philipson of being the first Cincinnatian to be invited to speak in the fine auditorium

of the superb new Hughes High School. He addressed an audience of fourteen hundred pupils and teachers on the subject, “Opportunities of Young America Today.” In introducing him, Principal Coy said that it was very appropriate that Dr. Philipson should be the first Cincinnatian to speak in the auditorium, since he was largely instrumental in inducing the Board of Education to place the new school in its present unrivaled location. — November 10, 1910

75 Years Ago Drs. Abraham Franzblau, Maurice Levine, E. B. Tietz, Louis A. Lurie and Samuel Goldblatt are among the leaders in charge of a series of lectures designed to give scientific background for solution of problems of marriage. The course opened at the Hotel Alms last week.

Mr. Vladimir Bakaleinikoff, assistant conductor of the Symphony Orchestra, is musical director of the six chamber music concerts to open Sunday, Nov. 17.

He and Raymond Walters, president of UC planned the project.

Among those having exhibits in the juryless exhibition of work at the Cincinnati Art Museum in Eden Park are Mr. Myer Abel, former Senator Benjamin F. Berman, Miss Betty Feldman, Miss Ruthie Guttman, Mr. Max Rikin, Miss Marion Ronsheim, Mr. D. Rosenthal, Mr. Albert Sway, and Mr. G. Joseph Prager.

Mrs. Tillie F. Seinsheimer, wife

of Samuel Seinsheimer, passed away Sunday, Nov. 10th, at her residence, 4020 Beechwood Avenue.

Mrs. Seinsheimer leaves besides her husband, a daughter, Mrs. Norvin J. Heldman; five sisters, Mrs. A. H. Whitlock, Mrs. Henry S. Rosenthal, Mrs. Bernard Plaut, all of Cincinnati, Mrs. Ezekiel Newburger, Louisville, and Mrs. Jack Ullman, San Antonio, Texas.

Services were held Monday. — November 14, 1935

50 Years Ago Harold Raab is the nominee for presidency of the Cincinnati Jewish Community Center.

He was nominated to succeed Marvin L. Warner, who is completing constitutional maximum period of three 1-year terms.

The nominating committee also made the following recommendations to the center board: Kartan M. Mailender, first vice president; Albert J. Butchkes, second vice president; Charles B. Levinson,

third vice president; Mrs. Robert Grayman, secretary; Emil Hirschfeld, treasurer.

Dr. and Mrs. Gerson Lowenthal announce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Alice Rita Lowenthal, to Mr. Stephen Strauss Shapiro, son of Mr. and Mrs. Mortimer J. Shapiro of West Orange, N. J. Miss Lowenthal is a graduate of Walnut Hills High School and graduated cum laude from Bryn Mawr College in 1960. Mr.

Shapiro graduated from Riverside Community School and is a 1960 graduate of Haverford College, where he was elected to the Founder’s Club and was captain of the golf team.

Both Miss Lowenthal and Mr. Shapiro are studying in the graduate school of education at Harvard University, where they will receive Master of Arts in teaching degrees in June 1961. A February wedding is planned. — November 10, 1960

25 Years Ago The Szold Group of Hadassah will hear a presentation by Abby Schwartz, museum docent, on “Jewish Art Through the Ages” on Monday, Dec. 2 at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Colored slides will be used to show Jewish Art from ancient times to the present, including some of the painting at the Hadassah Hospital.

The top five concerns facing senior adults in the Jewish community

today are housing, health insurance, transportation, medical care and crime prevention and safety. These five issues surfaced as the areas of greatest concern at the Senior Adult Town Meeting held Nov. 2 at the Jewish Commuity Center.

“There is a crying need to provide an opportunity for seniors to air their concerns. . .and for agencies that serve seniors to hear these concerns so that they can plan accordingly,” said Ros Schickler,

director of the Senior Adult Department at the JCC. The town meeting was designed to provide a forum for the seniors to air their concerns so that the community could find out what the questions are and in which areas the agencies need to direct their services. It was an opportunity for senior adults “to speak their mind about their concerns on growing older,” Schickler said. — November 14, 1985

10 Years Ago Manuel D. Mayerson was honored at Children’s Hospital Medical Center at the Second Annual Circle of Life Awards Dinner Oct. 5 for his work helping p[eople with disabilities.

Nearly 500 people, including Governor Bob Taft, recognized Mayerson for his support of programs at CHMC. Among Mayerson’s contributions are initiating the Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children and funding

the establishment of the Cincinnati Children’s Treatment Center of hematology and oncology. He also established the Inclusion Network and other service programs to help people succeed despite limitations.

Reva Perelstein, 77, passed away October 26, 2000. Mrs. Perelstein was born in Vilna. She was the daughter of the late Hannah and Leon Melamed. Mrs. Perelstein was the wife of the late Abram Perelstein, who predeceased her July 23, 1997.

She is survived by her children: Libby Champion of Chicago and Harold (Chris) Perelstein; grandchildren, Margie, Angie and Tony Champion, all of Chicago; and Sara, Rachel and Daniel Perelstein.

Both Mrs. Perelstein and her husband were Holocaust survivors who came to this country in 1950. In Cincinnati, Mrs. Perelstein became active in the catering business in association with the late Tillie Nebolsky.— November 9, 2000

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2010

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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 Fund (513) 899-1836 • 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 EDUCATION Cincinnati Hebrew Day School (513) 351-7777 • chds.shul.net 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

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NHS from page 1 Rabbi Artson holds the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean’s Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles.

He received a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Hebrew Letters from HUC-JIR. Prior to becoming dean of the Ziegler School, he served as rabbi of a southern California congregation, which experienced rapid growth under his leadership.

Through his Introduction to Judaism program, he has helped over 200 people convert to Judaism.

In 2008, he participated in a Beth Din in Uganda which assisted over 250 members of the Abayudaya tribe convert to Judaism. Rabbi Artson is also the author of seven books, 180 published articles and numerous columns on a wide variety of topics relating to Jewish practice and thought.

The weekend will begin on Friday, Nov. 19, with Shabbat services at 8 p.m. As part of the service, Rabbi Artson will speak on “Almighty? No Way! Learning to Acknowledge the God We Already Love.” A deluxe Oneg Shabbat will follow services.

On Saturday, Nov. 20, morning services will begin at 9:30 a.m.

Rabbi Artson will speak on “Jacob Who Loves the Sabbath,” a personal reflection on his son’s autism and what this has taught him about living a meaningful,

CHOSEN from page 1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.); Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.); Howard Berman (D-Calif.); Eric Cantor (R-Va.); David Cicilline (D-R.I.)*; Stephen Cohen (DTenn.); Susan Davis (D-Calif.); Ted Deutch (D-Fla.); Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.); Bob Filner (D-Calif.); Barney Frank (D-Mass.); Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.); Jane Harman (D-Calif.); Steve Israel

joyous life. Lunch will follow services. Following lunch, Rabbi Artson will discuss the “Temple of Your Soul.” This presentation relates to a passage from Rav Saadia Gaon’s book that considers how to find the sacred in ourselves during difficult times.

Saturday evening will feature a social and discussion at 7:30 p.m. at the home of David and Cheryl Bernstein. Rabbi Artson will talk about Judaism in Uganda, and his experiences there while installing Sub-Saharan Africa’s first chief rabbi.

All events on Friday and Saturday, including the Oneg Shabbat, lunch and social, are free and open to the public.

On Sunday, Nov. 21, Rabbi Artson will hold a special session for fifth, sixth and seventh grade students at the Kehilla School for Creative Jewish Education.

Kehilla is the joint religious school operated by NHS and Congregation Ohav Shalom.

“Rabbi Artson is noted as one of the most insightful and articulate rabbis of his generation. A previous scholar in residence defined being a good Jew as being a Jew who studies to become a better Jew. Rabbi Artson will push our thinking about contemporary Judaism, thus challenging us all to become better Jews. We are excited to have him teach us as our scholar in residence,” commented Karroll Miller, president of NHS. For more information, or to make reservations, please contact Northern Hills Synagogue.

(D-N.Y.); Sander Levin (DMich.); Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.); Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.); Jared Polis (D-Colo.); Steve Rothman (D-N.J.); Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.); Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.); Adam Schiff (D-Calif.); Brad Sherman (D-Calif.); Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.); Henry Waxman (D-Calif.); Anthony Weiner (DN.Y.); John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) * Elected to House or Senate for the first time in 2010 midterms; ** Senators who were re-elected in 2010 midterms

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Peter Max comes to Cincinnati, Nov. 20, 21 Peter Max, renowned artist, best known for his “Cosmic 60s” art, will be coming to Cincinnati later this month for a major exhibition at the Malton Gallery. In addition, an impressive and unparalled collection by the artist will be available

for viewing and acquisition at the gallery located in Hyde Park.

With paintings on display in hundreds of museums and galleries worldwide, Peter Max (born Peter Max Finkelstein) and his vibrant paintings have become

part of the fabric of contemporary culture. Born in Germany, this Jewish-American artist, known for his psychedelic style in the 1960s, has been called a Pop Icon, Neo Fauvist, Abstract Expressionist and the United

States’ “Painter Laureate.”

Previews for the exhibit begin Nov. 13, and the exhibition extends through Sunday, Nov. 21.

Artwork is available for purchase and all appearances are open to the public, with Meet-the-Artist

receptions on Saturday, Nov. 20, 6-9 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 21, 1-4 p.m. Please call the gallery if you would like to attend either of the Meet-the-Artist receptions.

For more information about Peter Max, visit his website.

Israeli cellist Amit Peled debuts at Matinee Musicale Israeli cellist Amit Peled’s Cincinnati debut will be Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010, 11 a.m. at Anderson Center at the 98th Matinee Musicale Concert Series.

From the United States to Europe to the Middle East and Asia, Peled, a musician of profound artistry and charismatic stage presence, is acclaimed as one of the most exciting instrumentalists on the concert stage today. He has performed as a soloist with many orchestras and in the world’s major

concert halls from Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York; to Salle Gaveau, Paris; Wigmore Hall, London; Konzerthaus, Berlin; and Tel Aviv’s Mann Auditorium.

The American Record Guide describes Peled as “having the flair of the young Rostropovich.”

Peled is also a frequent guest artist, performing and giving master classes at prestigious summer music festivals such as the Marlboro, Newport, & Seattle Chamber in the U.S., and festivals in Germany,

Sweden, Prussia, England, Spain and Israel. One of the most sought after cello pedagogues in the world, Peled is a professor at the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University.

As a recording artist, he released in 2009 two critically acclaimed CDs: “The Jewish Soul” and “Cellobration” under the Centaur Records Label.

Israeli pianist Eli Kalman, who collaborates with Peled on this November Matinee Musicale

Recital, was also the pianist on Peled’s CDs. Since 2006, Kalman has served as professor of piano at University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. He has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician in Romania, Israel, Germany, Hungary, Japan, United States and Canada.

In their Cincinnati debut, Peled and Kalman will perform Schumann’s Fantasy Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 73; Ernest Bloch’s “From Jewish Life” for Cello and

Piano; Beethoven’s Sonata No. 3 for Cello and Piano, Op.69; and Five Pieces on Folk Themes for cello and piano by Sulkhan Tsintsadze. Peled plays a rare Andrea Guarneri cello, circa 1689.

The program lasts about 70 minutes with no intermission, and the audience can meet the artists after the concert.

Anderson Center is located in Anderson Township. For more information and tickets go to Matinee Musicale Cincinnati’s website.

Mel Brooks discusses ‘Young Frankenstein’

By Nicole Simon Assistant Editor “We’re coming to Cincinnati!” exclaimed Mel Brooks, in his native Brooklyn accent into the phone. The television, film and Broadway legend expressed his excitement about his new musical version of Young Frankenstein, which is based on his 1974 movie.

The musical is in Cincinnati this month, for which Brooks (born Melvin Kaminsky), played the roles of lyricist, book writer, composer and producer.

“I love the people, the food, and the theater was great!” the 84- yearold comedian noted about the Queen City. Brooks will not be in Cincinnati for the production; he KAHN from page 1 Friedenberg; and grandchildren Zack and Nick Kahn, David and Laura Friedenberg and Dylan Heide.

Mr. Kahn’s involvement in Jewish activities, both religious and organizational, was a constant in his life. Fleeing Hitler’s Germany and settling in Cincinnati in the late 1930s, he was active in the local Jewish community. Mr. Kahn was involved in New Hope Synagogue from its inception in 1938 until it folded; in the 1950s he played a critical role in the leadership of New Hope Congregation. In 1957, when his father passed away, Mr. Kahn took over his father’s duties as hazzan. In 1958 he was instrumental in organizing daily morning and JCC from page 3 Joey Slovin, a teen athlete from the Mayerson JCC, won a bronze

was last in town for the touring production of his previous musical, “The Producers” but noted, “I hope the return engagement will be great!”

According to Brooks, his currently touring musical is “a wonderful evening of theater” and has been receiving standing ovations so far.

“I can’t knock movies, I’ve made a living from them, but one gets an immediate payment; the audience response, from a live show,” said Brooks. He also said he enjoyed hearing the audiences who are familiar with the original movie, and listening to them joining in on the material’s jokes which have been transplanted into the production. Brooks himself neighed after mentioning the character Frau

Blücher during the interview.

The famed Emmy, Oscar, Grammy and Tony award-winning writer/director/producer/actor’s journey to Broadway began, according to Brooks, in kindergarten. When his teacher, Mrs. Litenin, struck a rowdy classmate, Brooks piped in with, “Litenin strikes,” and got a laugh. “I knew then that I wanted to be in show business.”

The desire to work on Broadway began when he saw Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” at the Alvin Theater (now the Neil Simon Theatre) in New York. “Ethel Merman’s voice reached me in the back row without the aid of microphone, she didn’t need one,” and from there, the then 8-year-old

Brooks was in love with Broadway and began working on a career in show business.

When he was a teenager, he worked in the Borscht Belt resorts in the Catskill Mountains as a tummler—a comedic attention getter. One act of his included falling off the pool’s diving board, fully clothed and carrying suitcases while people were relaxing poolside.

While in the Catskills, he met Sid Caesar, for whom Brooks would work on the 1950s variety show starring Caesar called “Your Show of Shows,” along with upcoming writers such as Neil Simon and Carl Reiner. Reiner, who became Brooks’s best friend, would later collaborate with him on

their “2,000 Year Old Man” piece.

In 1968, Brooks won a best original screenplay Oscar for “The Producers,” which was originally entitled “Springtime for Hitler.” “I enjoyed directing it, but not as much as writing a score for it,” which he did by writing the songs “Springtime for Hitler” and “Prisoners of Love” for the movie.

He returned to songwriting again for the transferring of the movie to the Broadway stage, as more songs were called for.

After more than 60 years, his dream was realized and Mel Brooks was finally on The Great White Way. A feat he has recently returned to with “Young Frankenstein,” and hinted at possibly returning to again with “Blazing Saddles.”

evening minyanim. Over the years he held many positions on the synagogue board, including that of president for several years.

In 2003, at age 83, Mr. Kahn celebrated his second Bar Mitzvah. He cherished participating in a leadership role at services. He was a treasure trove of melodies, many of which he remembered from his youth in Germany. Through sharing these melodies with his family and his fellow congregants, he kept alive a musical/cultural/religious tradition that could have otherwise perished in the Holocaust.

In the words of a longtime friend, Mr. Kahn was a very spiritual tzadik. He believed that the practice of Judaism was an everyday obligation. Whether at New

Hope Congregation, Roselawn Synagogue, B’nai Tzedek or Adath Israel, Mr. Kahn, in his quiet and unassuming manner, was always there to daven, lead the service, make the minyan and do the mitzvot necessary to fulfill a religiously imbued life for himself and those around him. And yet with all this seriousness, he always had a smiling face and a gentle word, he was a very wonderful, kind soul.

In the mid 1970s, inspired and encouraged by an aunt, Mr. Kahn started a local chapter of the American Red Magen David for Israel (ARMDI), which supports Magen David Adom by providing all of Israel’s pre-hospital emergency needs, including medical, disaster, ambulance and blood serv-

ices.

Cincinnati’s Humanity Chapter of ARMDI was given its charter in 1976 with 25 members.

In the 30 plus years of its existence, the chapter has seen its membership grow to almost 300 paid members, many of whom, like Mr. Kahn, have become International Lifetime Members. Six fully equipped ambulances have been purchased and sent to Israel through the Humanity Chapter and the chapter continues to send money regularly to the national ARMDI office to be used as needed. In recognition of his long years of service, Mr. Kahn received numerous awards for his ongoing commitment to the wellbeing of the people of Israel. His actions were a reflection of his selflessness in serving others and his

devotion to humanitarianism.

First and foremost, Mr. Kahn was a devoted family man. For 62 years, Ernst and Ruth Kahn were as one. Even in poor health, they were inseparable. His children feel very fortunate to have been raised in such a loving and nurturing family.

His love for his grandchildren, David and Laura, was experienced weekly at Shabbat dinners, and across the miles to Zack, Nick and Dylan with frequent visits to California. His son Jeff said that when looking up the word tzadik in the dictionary, one could find the name, Ernst Kahn. He lived a life of doing the right thing by others, caring for his family and community, and keeping alive the traditions which so deeply infused his youth.

medal in table tennis at the 2010 JCC Maccabi Games® held in Baltimore, Md. “This was my first year attending the JCC Maccabi Experience and it

was amazing! The opening and closing ceremonies were like the ones you see at the Olympics. It was great to meet so many new people, and I real-

ly hope I can go to Israel next year!”

For more information about the Dec. 12 JCC Maccabi Experience information meeting for parents and

teens, as well as the JCC Maccabi Games® try-outs, contact Mike Creemer or Courtney Cummings at the JCC.

AUTOS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2010

21

2011 Audi A8 boasts handling, technology

2011 Audi A8L

The 2011 Audi A8 is an exceptional luxury sedan that handles like a sports car. The look gets an update from previous models and the car is packed with technological advancements both inside and out.

The drive experience can be customized with Audi drive select system, which sets steering, suspension, throttle response, and transmission between comfort, automatic, dynamic and individual modes. The A8 has an eight-speed transmission and paddle shifters attached to the steering wheel spokes. Thanks to the transmission, it can maintain a low-engine speed, just under 2,000 rpm, while cruising close to 80 mph.

The 2011 Audi A8 comes equipped with technology for great performance. The adaptive suspension, all-wheel-drive system, and sport differential all make for a car that loves to drive like a sports car on winding roads.

The interior also features the latest in technology with an innovative cabin tech interface, LED headlights, lots of driver assistance features, and integration between Google and its navigation system.

The cabin tech interface includes a revolutionary touch pad for tracing letters and dedicated buttons can be programmed for commonly used controls. There is also voice control for navigation and telephone functions. The MMI Navigation has a 40-GB hard drive, NVIDIA processor and features HD radio. The navigation system incorporates beautifully detailed 3D maps including imaging of buildings in many cities.

In the spring, navigation will be integrated with Google maps.

Satellite imagery from Google maps will fill in the navigation system’s own maps, showing much more realistic detail of the car’s surroundings. More importantly, the system will allow local search through Google, making it easy to find points of interest using general search terms, rather than the specific terms currently required.

The inside is luxurious and features ambient LED interior lighting. The lighting is in carefully chosen places in soft strips. The driver can change the colors with settings like “Ruby” and “Polar”

and select the brightness for four distinct interior areas. The lighting gives an elegant, never tacky, feel.

The A8L features rear seat packages that can give passengers the ultimate comfort experience.

The rear seats are full adjustable and have a memory function and can be heated or vented. Both models have a power rear window sunshade and the A8L has additional sunshades on the rear sides. The packages also include a massage feature. The two climate zones in the back come with a separate air conditioner. Of course, LCD monitors are also available.

The 1,400-watt 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system is another posh upgrade that will enhance the Audi A8. When the stereo is turned on, Bang & Olufsen’s acoustic lenses rise up from the dashboard. The acoustic lenses spread high-frequency sounds evenly around the cabin and together with the door speakers produce well-balanced, exceptional quality sound.

The A8 comes with power door close assist and a power trunk standard on the A8L, but part of the A8 convenience package. The package also includes the Audi parking system with rearview camera that allows for real-time viewing of the parking area.

Additionally, front and rear ultrasonic parking sensors measure the distance to the nearest object and make a sound when the distance becomes unsafe. Keyless entry allows the driver to unlock and start the vehicle without removing the key from a pocket or purse.

The 2011 Audi A8 is built on an aluminum space frame to reduce weight and increase rigidity. The A8 weighs about 350 pounds less than its previous model and totals around 4,050 pounds.

The direct-injection 4.2-liter V-8 cranks out 372 horsepower and 328 pound-feet of torque, 22 horsepower and 3 more poundfeet of torque over the previous generation A8. The car gets to 62 mph in 5.7 seconds and the fuel economy is 17 miles per gallon city and 27 mpg highway.

The 2011 comes in the A8 or A8L models and starts around $80,000.

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OBITUARIES

DEATH NOTICES OBITUARIES ROTHFELD, Shirley Ann, age 86, died on November 2, 2010; 25 Cheshvan, 5771.

FESMAN, Sonia G., age 68, died on November 5, 2010; 28 Cheshvan, 5771.

KANTER, Jerry, age 81, died on November 5, 2010; 28 Cheshvan, 5771.

KICHLER, Mildred, age 85, died on November 8, 2010; 1 Kislev, 5771.

GROUP from page 1 At its website, the National Association of Chevra Kadisha provides a free Living Will form that conforms to Jewish custom (halacha) on medical and postdeath decisions. The association also offers free registration on a website, so the Living Will is available 24-hours a day.

In Cincinnati, Weil Funeral Home has a special room for the Burial Society to conduct the

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Jerry Kanter, age 81, a resident of Wellesley, Mass., since 1960, died peacefully in the company of family and friends on November 5, 2010, at Mary Ann Morse Nursing and Rehabilitation in Natick, Mass.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on January 5, 1929, he was the son of the late Ann (Frankel) and Henry Kanter. Mr. Kanter excelled as a student, academically and athletically and holds a place in Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills High School Hall of Fame. He continued playing football and competing in track events at Harvard University while earning

a degree in psychology. He continued his education at Harvard Business School. During his time at Harvard, he met and dated Carolyn Goodell, a student at Simmons College, and they were married in June 1951.

Mr. Kanter served in the Navy for three years in Rhode Island during the Korean War. He then worked for several years for Kroger in Cincinnati prior to being hired by Honeywell in Massachusetts in 1960. During his 30 years with Honeywell, Mr. Kanter authored nine books on computers and information technology, several of which were translated to a variety of languages and used regularly as college textbooks. In 1990, he decided to move on to Babson College, where he had been

teaching on a part time basis. Mr. Kanter was a co-founder of Babson’s C.I.M.S (Center for Information Management Studies) and fostered its success during his tenure at the school.

A great believer in “giving back,” Mr. Kanter was an active Harvard alumnus and headed the Friends of Harvard Track–an award for most improved performance bears his name. He was a past president and board member of the Walker School in Needham. Babson College presented Mr. Kanter with the prestigious Carpenter Award in recognition of his outstanding school and community contributions.

Throughout his life, Mr. Kanter believed in loyalty, commitment, strong work ethic, volunteerism and a sense of humor. He and his

family enjoyed extensive travel and spending summers on Cape Cod and Nantucket. He loved dogs and ran regularly, completing a number of Boston Marathons.

Predeceased by his wife Carolyn in 2008, he is survived by a son, Henry Kanter of Medfield; a daughter, Susan (Peter) Richards of Jericho, Vt.; and three grandchildren, Aaron, EmmaJane, and Parker. He was also the brother of the late Jane Marcus.

Donations may be made in Mr. Kanter’s memory to the Walker School, 1968 Central Avenue, Needham MA 024921499; http://walkerschool.org or Walnut Hills High School Alumni Foundation, 3250 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207.

Tahara. Families who choose this religious option may direct the funeral home to contact the Chevra Kadisha.

The Chevra Kadisha assists families with the following Jewish customs, according to the national association: The Vigil (Shmira): From the moment of death to the moment of burial, the body never is left alone out of respect for the soul, which is said to be present.

Arrangements for a shomer, or

guard, should be made.

The Preparation (Tahara): This custom involves a complete cleansing of the body with purifying water and dressing of the body.

Women prepare women and men prepare men. Prayers asking for the forgiveness of the deceased and the soul’s eternal peace are offered. Embalming or cosmetizing are contrary to Jewish law.

Regardless of affiliation, each Jewish person can have a Tahara.

The Shroud (Tachrichim):

Clothes don’t matter—good deeds do. That is why each Jew is buried exactly alike, in a handmade, simple, perfectly clean, white linen shroud.

The Casket (Aron): “For dust you are and to dust you shall return,” according to biblical teachings. Therefore, metal caskets are not permitted. Wood is the only material allowed and several holes are opened.

In-Ground Burial (Kvura BiKarka): Mausoleums are for-

bidden as they delay the process of returning to the earth.

Cremation is considered an “indignity.” The only acceptable burial is directly in the ground, with family members and friends helping to fill the grave completely until a mound is formed.

Individuals interested in learning more can contact Kirschner.

They first may observe the team of four members perform the Tahara, the preparation of a body for burial, before deciding to volunteer.

KANTER, Jerry

Burial Society customs stir spiritual awakening

By Barbara L. Morgenstern Senior Writer While on a 1991 Jewish Federation-sponsored mission to Israel, Barbara Miller’s mother unexpectedly died in her sleep in a Jerusalem hotel.

Just six hours after learning of her mother’s death, Miller found herself watching a fellow Jew—a stranger until that moment—gently

ease her mother’s body into a grave.

In those few hours, her mother’s body had been prepared according to ancient Jewish custom by the Chevra Kadisha, the Burial Society in Jerusalem, which the hotel management immediately had notified.

A group of women cleansed her mother’s body in purifying water and dressed her in an immaculate white linen shroud, while saying psalms and prayers related to the theme of purification. Finally, a cover of royal blue velvet material embroidered with a white Jewish star was placed over her body.

“When I came to Israel, I had my mom, but I never really

believed in God,” said Miller in a memoir of the mission with her mother, Violet Malevan, and sister Gail LeBauer of Greensboro, N.C. “I leave Israel without my mom, but I leave knowing that I have been placed in the hands of God.” When she returned from the mission in 1991, the profound religious experience surrounding her mother’s death led Miller to join at that time Cincinnati’s Chevra Kadisha, an all-volunteer organization whose members carry out the burial preparations that were so life changing for her. Called a “Tahara,” the religious preparation is available to all Jews regardless of affiliation and serves

as an alternative to embalming, which is outside the tradition.

Tovah Kirschner, a nurse practitioner with a master’s degree, has served as president of the Cincinnati society for 15 years and also serves as secretary of the National Association of Chevra Kadisha, based in Queens, N.Y. She is on call 24 hours a day to assemble a team of four volunteers, women caring for women and men for men. Because of her medical background, Kirschner said she has insight into the difficulty involved and assembles the teams accordingly.

She describes participating in a Tahara as “the ultimate kindness.”

“The soul is connected to the body like an umbilical cord,” explained Kirschner, 42, whose husband, Moshe Kirschner, works for Procter & Gamble as an information technology manager and also performs Taharas. Their children are Yosef, 17; twins Basya and Akiva, 14; and 15-month-old Tuvia. “The soul is not put to rest until the body is.”

Kirschner said she sees much depression among her patients and traces significant distress to the fear of mortality. “Death itself is a journey to another type of existence,” she said. Understanding Jewish customs surrounding death and knowing that “no matter who you are, you are going to be treated with the same level of respect

Barbara Miller

and dignity” is comforting during anxious times, Kirschner explained.

The Chevra Kadisha also provides practical assistance to support Jewish families, such as preparing the Shiva house with traditional foods and covering mirrors.

Miller explained that her father died when she was 10 years old, causing her child’s heart to harden against a belief in God. This was reinforced by images of Jacqueline Kennedy and her children stoically participating in the funeral of President Kennedy, not crying. “I didn’t know how to share my feelings,” she recalled. “I didn’t want to burden my mother.”

Twenty-six years later, it took the sudden death of her mother in Jerusalem and the kindnesses of the Chevra Kadisha to transform her spirituality.

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