AI2010_12_16

2011 Community Campaign gets underway with call to ‘Take Action’ Community volunteers explain why they are inspired to “Connect, Give, Lead” “Take Action: Connect, Give, Lead” is both the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s 2011 Community Campaign theme and an open invitation for every member of the community to play an important role in the success of the campaign in ways that are most meaningful to them. Growing communal needs across most organizational sectors, including human and social services, Jewish education and identity, Israel and Jewish peoplehood and Jewish engagement, mean that there are numerous, multi-faceted opportunities for interest-based individual involvement.

CAMPAIGN on page 19

Northern Hills Synagogue holds Chinese buffet, Shabbat dinner, Dec. 24 What do Jews do on December 24? Eat Chinese food, of course.

Northern Hills Synagogue - Congregation B’nai Avraham will host a kosher Chinese buffet/Shabbat dinner on Friday evening, Dec. 24, at 7 p.m. The dinner will follow Friday evening services, which begin at 6 p.m.

The menu will include soup, egg rolls, chicken, vegetable stir fry, rice, almond cookies and fortune cookies.

The dinner is sponsored by the Northern Hills Synagogue Men’s Club and will be held at the Synagogue.

For more information, including cost, and to RSVP, please contact Northern Hills Synagogue.

JCC adult, teen programs start in three weeks Several new programs, as well as long-running popular classes for adults and teens will begin at the Mayerson Jewish Community Center the week of Sunday, Jan. 9. If you are looking for fun ways to get fit, express creativity through writing or art, learn Israeli dance, or compete with friends in co-ed sports, you’ll find it at the JCC this winter.

On the second and fourth Friday of each month (starting Jan. 14) adults, ages 18 and older, can join the JCC’s new informal writing group, “Write On, Write Now.” This free program is open to all creative writers, poets and journalists who would like to share their stories and ideas, receive helpful feedback or just listen. The class is scheduled to start at 10 a.m., but alternate times may be determined by the group.

The “Write On, Write Now” program will be facilitated

by Andrea Beck, who is a writer with a docorate in English and a former professor at Miami University. “Most writing JCC on page 20

Fire leaves Ein Hod residents American Jews plan relief efforts in wake of Israeli blaze devastated—and angry

By Dina Kraft Jewish Telegraphic Agency EIN HOD, Israel (JTA) — Nomi Verchovsky’s running shoes crunch over the soot-covered shards of ceramic pots and bowls as she walks over the charred remains of her pottery studio and gallery, burned to the ground during the largest fire in Israel’s history.

Until last week, a small bookstore run by her husband crammed with 15,000 books stood next to her studio, but last Friday morning it, too, went up in flames, leaving behind a thick pile of ash.

“You can put your foot down in it and it will sink like snow,” the New York-born Vershovsky said matter-of-factly of the ashes.

She surveyed the damage, which

includes three burned-out rooms in their adjacent home, which housed another 3,000 of her husband’s books — the rarest and most expensive of his collection. The studio and bookstore had been the couple’s livelihoods for years in Eid Hod, an artists’ colony tucked into the hills of the Carmel Mountain range.

The inferno that ravaged the Carmel Forest for four straight days, transforming one of Israel’s most tranquil vistas into a nightmarish scene of firewalls and blinding black smoke, claimed 42 lives, left hundreds homeless and destroyed 10,000 acres of forest. Firefighters brought the blaze to an end Sunday only with the aid of firefighting crews and planes from around the world.

FIRE on page 20

By Jacob Berkman Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK (JTA) — With Israel in desperate need of aid to fight the fire ravaging its north last week, countries from four continents sent help, including those with whom Israel has been at odds lately, such as Turkey.

Now that the fire is out, the question is what will Israel’s close friends, the American Jewish community, do to aid in the recovery process?

Damage estimates are ranging as high as $75 million, and the American Jewish community has opened fundraising mailboxes, started as emergency campaigns while the blaze was still burning.

The national branches of the three largest U.S. Jewish religious denominations launched fire assistance funds and asked their rabbis to

address the topic in their sermons last Shabbat.

Dozens of the country’s largest organizations, including the Jewish federation system, the American Jewish Committee and B’nai B’rith International, also started funds.

The heaviest lifting in the nonprofit world likely will be done by the Jewish National Fund, which since Israel’s founding has been responsible for the forestation of the country.

With some 12,000 acres scorched and an estimated 5 million trees burned, the JNF has launched a $10 million campaign to be split between reforestation and other causes, such as rebuilding tourism in the area. In less than a week, JNF had raised nearly $2 million in cash and pledges. A number of organizations, such as Hadassah, have pledged to help JNF EFFORTS on page 20

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Eye on Iran, Obama pitches Jewish groups on START treaty ratification

With Berlusconi tottering, Israel-Italy ties appear safe

Adath Israel’s Michael M. Levenson Music Program

Sultan’s—Be dazzled by Turkish delight

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010

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Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, Chamber of Commerce visit Israel

By LeeAnne Galioto Assistant Editor In mid-November, a Cincinnati delegation of 30 business leaders, venture capitalists and investors went to Israel for a six-day business development mission spearheaded by Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and Jewish Federation of Cincinnati /Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). The purpose of the trip was to find new businesses and technologies where a partnership would benefit both Cincinnati’s and Israel’s economies.

According to the federation website, the trip increased awareness among Cincinnati businesses and investors of Israel’s economic achievements and potential, created new relationships with Israeli innovators positioned to help improve Cincinnati businesses’ products and profits, and developed mutually beneficial investment strategies in Cincinnati and Israel.

Participant Ellen van der Horst, president and CEO of the chamber, recently said: “The trip was highly successful and exceeded our expectations. Based on our findings, we believe Israel has the potential to be one of our key international markets for economic development. There is much to be learned and shared between the business communities, and the trip will lead to a long-term scope of work to drive relationships, business, innovations and ultimately, jobs.”

Shep Englander, CEO of the Cincinnati’s Jewish Federation, Brian Jaffee, director of JCRC, and Bret Caller, president of the federation’s board of trustees, went on the trip because of their previous experiences in Israel.

The Cincinnati federation acted as a concierge to Israeli businesses and as such, the Cincinnati chamber paid for Englander’s and Jaffee’s trips – their tickets were paid for by an anonymous donor to a private fund. Caller, like the other 27 attendees, paid his own way.

Other attendees were Doug Moorman, the chamber’s vice president of economic development, Steve Shifman, chamber board member, and Gary Heiman, member of the executive committee and board of the Cincinnati chamber.

The 30 attendees represented 11 organizations: P&G, Blue Chip Ventures, LPK, PNC Bank,

“Based on our findings, we believe Israel has the potential to be one of our key international markets for economic development.

There is much to be learned and shared between the business communities, and the trip will lead to a long-term scope of work to drive relationships, business, innovations and ultimately, jobs.”

Ellen van der Horst

Michelman, Inc., Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Standard Textile, University of Cincinnati, CincyTech, the Cincinnati Jewish Federation, and the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce.

The trip itinerary included visits to companies, universities and sightseeing. Sightseeing included Jerusalem, The Israel Museum, and Yad Vashem. Saul Singer, co-author of “Start Up Nation” gave a presentation, and the group also attended a presentation on alternative renewable energy opportunities.

Other visits included Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Hewlett Packard Indigo, Weizmann Institute of Science, Glilot Venture Capital Fund, Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries, Ltd., Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and the P & G Innovation Center in Israel.

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Rockdale honored for going green Rockdale Temple was one of four recipients of Hamilton County’s Go Green Challenge Award and the only religious organization to win a prize out of a field of 157 businesses, institutions and communities.

Rockdale’s environmental program began in 2007. It was inspired by Rabbi Coran’s High Holy Days founding of, what is now, their Mitzvah Palooza tradition.

During the awards ceremony on Nov. 16, Holly Christman, Hamilton County’s solid waste manager noted a number of Rockdale’s many green initiatives.

These included the establishment of a recycling program; replacement of all incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones and implementation of an

Mark Schaengold, board president, with Rockdale Temple Environmental Committee Members, back row: O. J. Cohen, Teresa Ames, Ed Marks; front row: Joanne Gerson, committee chair, and Anita Marks.

electronic-only communications policy.

In addition, guided by their environmental committee, Rockdale has organized lectures on environmental topics and sought pledges to implement green practices individually from congregants.

The example Rockdale sets for other religious organizations was especially important to the committee’s chairperson, Joanne Gerson. Gerson believes that working toward a more environmentally friendly world is best done through religious organizations — not political ones.

The mission of the Go Green Challenge is to encourage organizations to incorporate environmental considerations in their planning and operations.

‘LET THERE BE LIGHT ’ THE OLDEST ENGLISH-JEWISH WEEKLY IN AMERICA FOUNDED JULY 15, 1854

BY ISAAC M. WISE

VOL. 157 • NO. 21 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010 9 TEVET 5771 SHABBAT BEGINS FRIDAY 4:57 PM SHABBAT ENDS SATURDAY 5:56 PM THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE CO., PUBLISHERS 18 WEST NINTH STREET, SUITE 2 CINCINNATI, OHIO 45202-2037 PHONE: (513) 621-3145 FAX: (513) 621-3744 publisher@americanisraelite.com editor@americanisraelite.com articles@americanisraelite.com production@americanisraelite.com THE FIRST THREE EDITORS OF THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE: RABBI ISSAC M. WISE, 1854-1900; LEO WISE, 1900-1928; RABBI JONAH B. WISE, 1928-1930

HENRY C. SEGAL Editor & Publisher 1930-1985

Hillel students attend the GA in New Orleans This past November, four students from the University of Cincinnati Hillel Jewish Student Center traveled to the North American Jewish Federations General Assembly in New Orleans, La. This conference brings together federation professionals, donors and lay leaders as

well as the leadership from JFNA’s partner organizations, which includes Hillels from all over the country.

Hundreds of student leaders and visionaries representing their local Hillel came together to attend forums and workshops that discussed tikkun olam, tzedakah

and Jewish learning. From the opening plenary, where U.S. Vice President Joe Biden urged for the continuation of American-Israeli relations to the many seminars addressing Jewish community engagement, a powerful sense of Jewish ruach enwrapped the city of New Orleans.

National Hillel’s Student Leader Delegation, amongst the largest group of attendees to the GA with over 600 students from universities across North America, participated in unique engagement seminars, a global Jewish day of learning, and a meaningful community service project in a large city park. Meeting with representatives from Jewish communities across the continent, engaging in profound conversation with various Jewish organizations’ leaders, and exchanging ideas amongst other students, the GA inspired and connected all the attendees.

“This was such an amazing experience,” said UC Hillel senior Stephen Lamb. “Not only did I get to meet other student leaders from around the country, but I spent valuable time getting to know Cincinnati community leaders from this city’s own Jewish Federation.”

The message at this year’s GA was clear; in order to continue the success of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, we must continue to engage and immerse students in Israeli programming, Jewish culture and religion.

The GA helped students recognize that what they are doing on their campus can have a lasting and profound impact on the future of the Jewish people. So inspiring was this message that Hillel’s program director, Heather Zucker, said, “Four delegates this year, let’s send 40 next year!”

MILLARD H. MACK Publisher Emeritus NETANEL (TED) DEUTSCH Editor & Publisher BARBARA L. MORGENSTERN Senior Writer LEEANNE GALIOTO NICOLE SIMON Assistant Editors ALEXIA KADISH Copy Editor JANET STEINBERG Travel Editor STEPHANIE DAVIS-NOVAK Fashion Editor MARILYN GALE Dining Editor MARIANNA BETTMAN NATE BLOOM RABBI A. JAMES RUDIN RABBI AVI SHAFRAN Contributing Writers LEV LOKSHIN JANE KARLSBERG Staff Photographers PATTY YOUKILIS Advertising Sales JOSEPH D. STANGE Production Manager ALLISON CHANDLER Office Manager

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Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, OH. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE, 18 West Ninth Street, Suite 2, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-2037.

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

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B’nai Tikvah, Harmony Church partner for service Members of Congregation B’nai Tikvah and Harmony Unitarian Universalist Church joined together on Sunday, Nov. 14, for their first mutual community service project, participating in “Prepare Affair,” the annual People Working Cooperatively event that assists low income, elderly and/or disabled homeowners with a variety of home repair and winterization services.

Congregation B’nai Tikvah and Harmony Unitarian Universalist Church discovered a shared commitment to community service soon after Harmony, a newly formed UU congregation, began meeting at B’nai Tikvah’s Deerfield Township facility last summer. In getting to know each other, the two congregations discovered they share much in common and decided to join together in social service projects that benefit those in the community most in need.

“Prepare Affair” presented itself as the ideal opportunity for the two groups to join in service.

B’nai Tikvah has been participating in “Prepare Affair” for more than 10 years, and members of Harmony have also had experience with the event.

“The goal of ‘Prepare Affair,’” noted Q Benedikt of B’nai Tikvah, “is to assist low income, elderly, disabled and other at-risk homeowners in the Greater Cincinnati area with home repairs, emergency services, accessibility and winteri-

“The seven principles of Unitarian Universalism promote and affirm, among other things, the worth and dignity of every person, compassion and respect for the interdependence of all living beings.

Serving the community, side by side with our friends from B’nai Tikvah, allows us to put those principles into action.”

Kathy Dunsmore

zation services. Participants rake leaves, pick up yard waste, clean gutters, install carbon monoxide detectors, put away lawn furniture, do some minor repairs to storm windows, and other such activities the homeowner might need help with...and always have a good time doing it!

“This year, it was especially enjoyable to be partnering with our new friends from Harmony in doing this meaningful work.”

Kathy Dunsmore, co-president of the Harmony UU board of trustees, concurred that “Prepare Affair” presented a wonderful opportunity for a co-service project. “The seven principles of Unitarian Universalism promote and affirm, among other things,

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the worth and dignity of every person, compassion and respect for the interdependence of all living beings. Serving the community, side by side with our friends from B’nai Tikvah, allows us to put those principles into action.”

B’nai Tikvah is the first, and only, Reconstructionist congregation in Deerfield Township and all of Cincinnati. Harmony is one of only a handful of Unitarian churches in Cincinnati and the only UU congregation in the northeast Cincinnati region.

Sherri Goren Slovin Named Cincinnati Best Family Lawyer of the Year Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, recognizes top lawyers in high profile legal specialties.

CINCINNATI – Sherri Goren Slovin – a leader in the field of Collaborative Divorce – is being recognized as the “Cincinnati Area Best Lawyers Family Law Lawyer of the Year” for 2011. Each year Best Lawyers compiles a list of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. This year Best Lawyers is designating “Lawyers of the Year” in high profile legal specialties, such as divorce and family law, in large legal communities. Only a single lawyer in each specialty is selected for the honor.

President of the Board of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP), a past Chair of the Cincinnati Academy of Collaborative Professionals and has written extensively on the subject of Collaborative Divorce.

“The recognition by my peers demonstrates that the legal community specifically, and the public in general, is beginning to really embrace and understand the benefits of alternative dispute resolution,” she adds.

Ms. Slovin has consistently been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America “This honor is especially and is consistently listed gratifying in that I have

by Super Lawyers in the Sherri Goren Slovin focused the majority of Top 50 Female Lawyers in my professional life on alternatives to the Ohio and the Top 25 Female Lawyers in court system for families,” notes Slovin.

Cincinnati. Additionally, Ms. Slovin receives “While I continue to litigate on a limited the highest Martindale Hubbell rating (AV). basis, I primarily assist clients through the This is a peer review rating which signifies a use of Collaborative Divorce, mediation, and Legal Ability Rating of A “From Very High to settlement negotiation. I believe is it critically Preeminent” and a General Ethical Standards important to provide families in transition Rating of V “Very High.” with a less destructive approach to the end of a marriage.”

Ms. Slovin’s offices are located at 30 Garfield Place, Suite 920 in downtown Cincinnati and Ms. Slovin is a well-known proponent of in the northern suburbs at 8150 Corporate Collaborative Divorce and has trained Park Drive. More information about Ms. lawyers in the process nationally and interSlovin and her services can be found at nationally. She is the immediate past www.slovinlaw.com.

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Eye on Iran, Obama pitches Jewish groups on START treaty ratification

By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON (JTA) — The campaign to curb Iran’s nuclear program just acquired a new deadline: the end of the 111th Congress.

The Obama administration has made a priority of ratifying the START nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia before the Senate’s lame-duck session finishes at year’s end. A number of Republicans, citing what they say are weaknesses in the treaty, are balking.

The treaty, which was approved in September by the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, needs 67 senators for ratification.

President Obama’s overarching consideration in negotiating the treaty has been to keep two of his election promises: to reduce nuclear arms and to “reset” what had been a troubled relationship with Russia.

Another key component of the White House rationale in advancing START is further isolating Iran as a means of getting the Islamic Republic to end its suspected nuclear weapons program.

Vice President Joe Biden hosted a chat last Friday with journalists who reach constituencies that the White House is eager to win over. At the session, to which JTA

Courtesy of White House Photo by Pete Souza

President Obama, seen here with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on their way to a burger joint in Virginia on June 24, 2010, views ratification of the START nuclear arms reduction treaty as critical to “resetting” U.S.-Russian ties and to isolating Iran.

was invited, top national security officials said that ratifying START was vital in keeping Russia on board on Iran.

“Once we finished in Geneva, signed the treaty in April, within a very short time we were working with the Russians on intensive sanctions against Iran in the U.N. Security Council,” said Rose Gottemoeller, the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, who led negotiations with Russia.

Mike McFaul, the special assistant to the president and senior director for Russia, said that Russia not only signed on to the sanctions — the toughest yet passed by the U.N. Security Council — but also suspended the sale of the S-300 anti-missile system to Iran.

“That especially hurts Russia’s economic and geopolitical interests,” he said of the sanctions and the suspension of the S-300 sale.

“Let’s just be blunt about it because [Russian President Dmitry]

Medvedev has been blunt about it,” McFaul said. “He said unlike the START treaty, which he mentioned while we were in Prague was a winwin for the United States and Russia, this sanctions resolutions is asymmetric,” but that the relationship with the United States in the long run is going to be more valuable to Russia than that relationship with Iran.

Making compromises in the Middle East has been especially hard for the Russians, said Michael Adler, a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center who covered Iran for the French news agency AFP. “The Russians have been recalcitrant on Iran for several reasons,” said Adler, speaking from Geneva, where he was attending nuclear talks between Iran and the major powers. “They don’t want to give the United States more power than it has on Middle East.

If things go south with Russia, one of the ways for Russia to express its discontent is on Iran.”

The journalists asked to attend the session with Biden suggested just how focused the White House is on sending its message. There were reporters from newspapers in Illinois, Maine, Ohio and Florida — each with senators who are wavering on whether to ratify.

The White House and top Democratic senators have reached out to Jewish groups to support ratification. In a letter leaked to Politico, Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.)

— both Jewish and invested with credibility on Israel and defense issues — appealed to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to openly support START. “As a leading voice in favor of crippling sanctions on the Iranian regime, AIPAC cannot afford to stand on the sidelines as the Senate debates the New START treaty,” said the letter addressed to AIPAC Executive Director Howard Kohr.

The blunt appeal outraged some conservatives, who argued that it was untoward to pressure the Jewish community on a matter not directly related to Israel.

“Your letter — an effort to pressure an organization to lobby on a matter far outside its expertise and area of concern — is a disgrace,” the Emergency Committee on Israel wrote in a letter to Schumer and Levin. “We’ve rarely seen Senators stoop to this kind of public bullying.”

In fact, pro-Israel leaders said, such give-and-take is par for the course in Washington, and characterized the Bush administration effort in 2002 and 2003 to garner Jewish support for the Iraq War. “Every administration from

time to time with foreign policy has an interest” it wants the Jewish community to support, said Abraham Foxman, the national director of the AntiDefamation League. “It happens from time to time. In this case they called, we said we’d take a look.

We took a look, we agreed.”

While Israel has been silent on START because it does not directly concern the country, Israeli leaders in recent months have expressed relief at the suspension of the S-300 deal. They feared that delivery would substantially inhibit the prospects of any strike aimed at disabling an Iranian nuclear weapons program.

Medvedev’s announcement helped push back Israeli predictions of an imminent Iranian nuclear capability.

While AIPAC remained silent, Patrick Clawson, an Iran analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who is close to the organization, said failure to ratify START posed dangers.

“Lack of ratification of START may well lead to Russian retaliation on a variety of issues,” Clawson told JTA. Ultimately, much of the community was on board for START: In addition to the ADL, the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Reform movement's Religious Action Center, J Street and the National Jewish Democratic Council endorsed ratification, and B’nai B’rith International said it could prove useful in isolating Iran.

The sole unequivocal voice in opposition was the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs.

“We seriously question whether Russia is serious about stopping Iran, with or without New START,” JINSA said in an open letter to the American Jewish community.

“There is no reason why the United States should be required to sacrifice its own defense capabilities to inspire Russia to a greater degree of diplomatic fortitude. If Russia is indeed concerned with a nucleararmed Iran to its immediate south, it should need no extra incentive to take the action necessary to stop it.”

In an interview, JINSA Executive Director Tom Neumann said that the group and its allies — led by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) — are not opposed to the treaty per se, but want the time to consider its provisions, particularly related to modernizing the U.S. stockpile that would remain after its provisions were instituted.

The treaty would cut the U.S. stockpile by about a third, from about 2,200 to slightly more than 1,500.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010

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Big Love, Jewish-Style: one divorce, two marriages, lots of questions

By Josh Nathan-Kazis The Jewish Daily Forward NEW YORK (The Forward) — Yehuda Semel has two wives — at least according to the laws of New York State.

Semel, of Brooklyn, married his second wife in a religious ceremony over the summer. The wedding took place about two years after Semel and his first wife signed a get, or a bill of Jewish divorce. But since civil divorce proceedings are ongoing, Semel didn’t obtain a civil marriage license for his recent wedding.

An Orthodox Jew, Semel sees the second marriage as a religious union without a civil component.

“I’m married in the eyes of God,” he said of his second marriage.

“I’m not married legally.”

But New York State laws don’t recognize such a distinction, making Semel’s second wedding a rare example of an illegal American Jewish religious ceremony. Clergy can be punished with up to a year in prison for performing a marriage for a couple that they know to be ineligible to be wed civilly.

In effect, New York State doesn’t differentiate between a religious marriage and a civil marriage. The result is a situation, illustrated in the Semel case, in which Jewish law and civil law are at odds in a way that some say provides needed safeguards against abuse, and others say is an abrogation of religious freedom.

“When there is this other family competing for the resources, it’s a clear breeding ground for abuses and exploitation of the existing family’s rights,” said Joyce Semel, Yehuda’s first wife. “It just complicates things exponentially.”

Legal experts say that the New York State law that was broken by the rabbi who performed the marriage between Yehuda Semel and Rivky Jodlo is not enforced. And while lawyers differed on whether Semel could technically be charged with bigamy, which carries a penalty of up to four years in prison, it remains highly unlikely that a prosecutor would pursue a bigamy charge in a case like this one.

But the fact that performing a religious marriage ceremony can be illegal in New York State does not sit easily with Rabbi J. David Bleich, a professor of Jewish law and ethics at Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and a rosh yeshiva, or academic head, at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, Yeshiva University’s rabbinical school.

“I think it’s a violation of the First Amendment,” Bleich said.

“If the state’s telling me that I can’t make a brucha” — or a blessing — “then something

strange is going on here.”

“I call that a violation of religious freedom, a violation of the religious exercise clause,” he said, referring to the clause in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that guarantees free exercise of religion. He said that he would perform a marriage like the one between Semel and Jodlo, calling it an act of civil disobedience.

Divorce proceedings between Joyce and Yehuda Semel began in 2005. Joyce initially declined to sign a get, leading rabbis representing Yehuda to threaten in 2006 to prepare a heter meah rabbonim, a Jewish legal document that requires the signature of 100 rabbis and replaces a get in instances when a wife cannot or will not sign.

Instead, the couple consented in September 2008 to sign a Jewish divorce agreement. But civil divorce proceedings continue, and the couple is still married, according to state law.

The religious ceremony that united Semel and Jodlo took place at the Queens, N.Y., home of Rabbi Ephraim Bryks. A controversial figure who resigned in 2003 from the Rabbinical Council of America, Modern Orthodoxy’s rabbinic umbrella group, Bryks had been advising Yehuda Semel on his divorce. Yehuda Semel said that a different rabbi officiated at the ceremony, though he wouldn’t provide a name.

Bryks would not comment for this story.

Semel, whose faith prohibits him from cohabitating with a woman prior to marriage, said that he had no choice but to marry Jodlo. “I’m 52 years old,” he said.

“What am I supposed to do with my life? I met a girl whose biological clock is ticking.”

His estranged wife disagrees.

“We have an existing situation that needs to be resolved first,” Joyce Semel said.

She said she’s worried about money that might go to her and her children being diverted to support Semel’s new family. “We have children that are existing,” she said.

The religious marriage set off a controversy within the Semels’ community. The Yavneh Minyan of Flatbush, of which Yehuda Semel is a member, published an announcement of the Semel-Jodlo marriage in its newsletter — a decision the synagogue president says that he now regrets.

Rabbi Moshe Sokol, rabbi of the congregation and dean of the Lander College for Men at Touro College, wrote in an e-mail to the Forward that he opposed religious marriage ceremonies for those without a civil divorce, and that he had advised Yehuda Semel against

the second marriage. He said that since the question of announcing the marriage in the synagogue newsletter was not a matter of religious law, he left it up to the board.

Joyce Semel provided an e-mail to the Forward that she had sent to the RCA in July, complaining about the Yavneh Minyan’s announcement of the marriage.

At press time, RCA officials said they did not know whether any specific action had been taken on the complaint.

But Rabbi Moshe Kletenik, president of the RCA, condemned the practice of remarrying in a religious ceremony before a civil divorce has been granted. “It’s a given that rabbis are expected to abide by the law of the land,” he said.

Instances analogous to the Semel case are apparently rare, but not unheard of, in the Orthodox community. According to one rabbi, such religious ceremonies were common before a 1983 amendment to the Social Security Act preserved benefits for widows who remarried. Previously, widows would marry in religious ceremonies without civil marriage licenses, so that they could protect Social Security payments. The ceremonies were called shtile chupa — a Yiddish phrase that translates to “a quiet marriage.”

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New ‘liberal halachic’ rabbinical Shabbat opening school takes shape in Toronto on Christmas Eve

By Sue Fishkoff Jewish Telegraphic Agency

By Edmon J. Rodman Jewish Telegraphic Agency

SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — When the opening of a new rabbinical school is announced, the obvious first question for many is: What denomination is it?

In the case of a new yeshiva and rabbinical seminary planned for Toronto, the answer isn’t quite clear.

For now, the plan is for the Canadian Yeshiva and Rabbinical School, which calls itself “traditional yet modern,” to open fully by 2012.

The idea of opening the rabbinical seminary is to train liberal halachic rabbis who will be well suited to meet the needs of Canadian Jewry. Organizers say they are aiming at a middle ground between Conservative Judaism and what they describe as an increasingly rigid Orthodox movement.

“I’m somewhat disenchanted with what’s happening in the rabbinic establishment in the United States, especially the direction Yeshiva University has taken, which has moved to the right,” said

LOS ANGELES (JTA) — As quietly as rising challah, Jews prepare for Christmas.

Slipping a favorite DVD into the player, then popping open a take-out carton or two of Kung Pao something, we make ready for a quiet December’s eve.

But before you get shluffy from all that MSG, let me recommend a film to consider for a Christmas Eve from my personal collection. It’s called “When Malka Meets Santa.”

I know, I know: It sounds like a direct-to-cable holiday movie even more suspect than “Santa Conquers the Martians.” Nonetheless, it’s a film that could be playing near you soon, opening Dec. 24, when Christmas Eve lands on Shabbat.

The two stars of this soon-to-be released film — A-listers Shabbat HaMalka, the Sabbath Queen, and Santa Claus — rarely perform together. But when they do, they offer the Jewish audience a peak into a story of religious conflict and

Courtesy of Frost Photographic

Randall Starr, board chair (left) and Rabbi Roy Tanenbaum (middle) discuss the new Canadian Yeshiva and Rabbinical School with Archbishop Tom Collins in Toronto, May 2009.

Rabbi Daniel Sperber, Talmud professor at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University and 1992 winner of the Israel Prize.

Sperber, an outspoken rabbi on the left edge of Orthodoxy, has agreed to serve as the new yeshiva’s chancellor.

It will be the first rabbinical

school in Canada, a country with more than 350,000 Jews and some 250 synagogues. The institution already has a board of governors, trustees, some 40 faculty members and a list of potential students.

SCHOOL on page 22

Courtesy of Benzi Rodman

Taken outside of a tourist shop in Safed, this re-purposed Santa anticipates the clash of cultural symbols that happen when Shabbat falls on Christmas Eve.

tension beyond the usual December dilemma fare. A critic might wonder: Do these two really need to share screen time? Don’t they appeal to different audiences?

SHABBAT on page 22

NATIONAL

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010

9

Barriers broken, female rabbis look to broader influence

By Penny Schwartz Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEWTON, Mass. (JTA) — Lynne Kern knew at 13 that she wanted to be a rabbi, even though in 1970 there were no female rabbis to act as role models.

So Kern became a writer, eventually winning a Pulitzer Prize for journalism.

But she never forgot her passion, and in 2001 she completed her rabbinic studies and was ordained as a Conservative rabbi at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles.

Now, four decades since her bat mitzvah, Kern is working with filmmaker Ronda Spinak on a documentary about female rabbis.

Kern was behind the camera in Boston last week filming a panel discussion by the first four women to become rabbis in their respective denominations.

The latest addition to the group was Rabba Sara Hurwitz, who had the title, a feminized version of “rabbi,” conferred upon her about a year ago by a Modern Orthodox rabbi, Avi Weiss.

The Dec. 6 event was the first time that the four women— Hurwitz, Reform Rabbi Sally Priesand, Reconstructionist Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso and Conservative Rabbi Amy Eilberg – had ever appeared together.

An audience of 600, men and women, packed the sanctuary at Temple Reyim, outside of Boston, for the program.

“These women were part of my narrative, part of my story that I tell,” Hurwitz told JTA. “To be standing in front of these real pioneers, it was an overwhelming sense of awe.”

The Dec. 6 program, titled “Raising Up the Light,” was sponsored by the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts. In a stirring tribute, 50 female rabbis from around the region who were in the audience were called up to the bimah to join the panelists at one point during the event.

“When I started, there was no one. I was alone,” Eisenberg Sasso said. “Now I wasn’t alone anymore.”

Priesand was the first woman to break the rabbinate barrier when she was ordained by the Reform movement in 1972.

The Reconstructinist’s Eisenberg Sasso followed a year later. It was more than a decade before Eilberg’s ordination in 1985 by the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Today there are 167 female Reconstructionist rabbis—approximately half of the rabbis ordained by the movement since 1974. The

Conservative movement has 273 female rabbis worldwide among the total of 1,648. The Reform movement says it has 575 female rabbis in North America.

Hurwitz is the only Orthodox woman with the title of rabba; Weiss has said he will not bestow the title upon future female graduates of the institute he is launching to train women. The main Modern Orthodox rabbinical association, the Rabbinical Council of America, has ruled against the ordination of women as rabbis.

With the barriers in the nonOrthodox movements long broken, some female rabbis say it’s time to move beyond talk of how they were pioneers to discuss how they are influencing the general Jewish community.

“It’s time we got beyond how innovative it is to have women rabbis,” Rabbi Barbara Penzner, who was ordained in 1987 at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia, told JTA. “These are women who’ve made significant contributions to Jewish life.”

When Priesand started out, she was the only female student at Hebrew Union College. Now she’s the rabbi emeritus at Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls, N.J., where she served as the spiritual leader for 25 years. Priesand credits women not only with pushing their way into the rabbinate, but also with changing the way men practice the trade, making male rabbis more open and nurturing.

Eilberg’s rabbinic work has been focused largely in pastoral care through hospice, spiritual direction and conflict resolution.

She also directs an interfaith dialogue program in Minneapolis.

While these are areas not exclusive to women, Eilberg said in an interview, the responsibilities require deep listening skills—skills with a strong resonance among women of her generation.

In interviews for her documentary with more than 25 female rabbis, Kern found a common thread in their pursuit of creating community through prayer while engaging in social action.

Anita Diamant, founder of a Boston-area mikvah called Mayyim Hayyim and author of the best-selling novel “The Red Tent,” said that many of the ceremonies observed at the mikvah by women and men owe a great deal to the insights and efforts of female rabbis who were ordained in the last 30 years.

Hurwitz, whose ordination was met with a sharp rebuke in some Orthodox circles, is the only one of the four first female rabbis who does not embrace full egalitarian-

ism. Women cannot perform some ritual roles in Orthodoxy, she said, such as leading certain parts of the prayer services. But, she noted, women can serve in significant rituals and lifecycle events, such as officiating at weddings and funerals.

Hurwitz is now the dean of Yeshivat Maharat, which trains Orthodox women to become spiritual leaders, and a member of the rabbinic staff of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, where Weiss is the spiritual leader.

Jonathan Sarna, a professor of

American Jewish history at Brandeis University, does not believe that Hurwitz’s breach of the Orthodox line on female rabbis will lead to a shift within that community on the ordination of women. And outside the Orthodox community, he said, some congregations have concerns that the rabbinate is becoming feminized and, as a result, men are retreating from synagogue life.

Synagogues increasingly are being perceived as women’s prayer spaces and not male-friendly,

Brandeis professor Sylvia Barack Fishman found in a 2008 report published by the Hadassah Brandeis Institute.

Sasso Eisenberg, who yearned for the company of women during her student days and early years as a rabbi, said a sense of sisterhood is very important to her. But she also feels strongly that women should not focus on setting a separate table.

“Ultimately what we want to do is bring women’s voices and stories to the traditional table of Jewish life,” Sasso Eisenberg said.

10

INTERNATIONAL

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With Berlusconi tottering, Israel-Italy ties appear safe

By Ruth Ellen Gruber Jewish Telegraphic Agency ROME (JTA) — Dogged by sex and corruption scandals, a revolt by former political allies, and WikiLeaks’ revelations that U.S. diplomats consider him “feckless” and a mouthpiece for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is fighting for his political life.

A parliamentary confidence vote Dec. 14 may bring down the three-time prime minister’s fractious center-right coalition and oust one of Israel’s closest friends in Europe.

A collapse of the government next week should not have any immediate impact on relations between Italy and Israel, however.

The two countries cooperate close-

ly in a variety of fields, and Italy is among Israel’s top economic partners in Europe. Any significant change in foreign policy would depend on whether early elections are called for the spring, and if so, what the outcome would be.

Berlusconi, 74, has a checkered record when it comes to Jewish issues. On the one hand, he’s been a strong supporter of Israel.

Berlusconi has gone so far as to state that he “feels Israeli” and has called for Israel’s inclusion in the European Union.

“Israel’s security within its borders, as well as its right to exist as a Jewish state, is the ethical choice for Italians and a moral obligation against anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial,” he said in a message to a pro-Israel rally in Rome in October.

At the same time, however, the prime minister is known for tasteless Holocaust-related gaffes. He was filmed this fall telling a joke about a Jew charging another Jew about $4,000 a day for hiding him during World War II. The punchline: “The Jew says, ‘The question now is whether we should tell him Hitler is dead and the war is over.’ ” In 2003, he angered local Jews with remarks that appeared to minimize the brutality of Italy’s wartime fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. But just days later, the Anti-Defamation League went ahead with a planned event honoring Berlusconi with its Distinguished Statesman Award.

“A friend is a friend even though he is flawed,” ADL National Director Abraham Foxman told JTA at the time.

A billionaire media mogul who has dominated Italian politics since the mid-1990s, Berlusconi won a landslide victory in 2008 at the head of a center-right coalition that includes his center-right People of Freedom Party as well as the notoriously anti-immigrant Northern League.

With Berlusconi’s approval ratings now at an all-time low, he is battling opposition from the left and the right. His biggest immediate challenge comes from former ally Gianfranco Fini, 58, the speaker of the lower house of parliament, who is fighting Berlusconi in a bitter contest for leadership of the

Courtesy of Miriam Alster/FLASH90/JTA

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, left, toasts with Israeli President Shimon Peres during a lunch held in Berlusconi’s honor at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, Feb. 03, 2010.

right wing.

Fini, also a staunch supporter of Israel, split with Berlusconi this summer, accusing him of corruption and anti-democratic party policies. Last month, Fini launched his own political party, Future and Freedom.

Fini, too, has a checkered past on Jewish issues. He is a former leader of the neo-fascist movement.

But he broke with the far right a decade-and-a-half ago and since then has cultivated relations with

Jews, visited Holocaust sites, publicly condemned fascism and even donned a kipah during his first trip to Israel in 2003.

“It is undeniable that Fini made big and probably sincere changes,” said Annie Sacerdoti, the former editor of the Milan Jewish monthly Il Bollettino. But for some Jews, she said, “his past weighs on him.”

Italy is a highly polarized country, and to a large degree attitudes toward Berlusconi among Italy’s 30,000 Jews are emblematic of general right-left political divisions.

Postwar Italian Jews tended to support the left. But in recent years the strong pro-Palestinian — and in some cases virulently anti-Israel — bent of much of the left has alienated growing numbers of Jews. This has translated into more support for Berlusconi and his right-wing allies at the ballot box.

“For some in the Jewish world, Berlusconi’s unconditional support of Israel represents a guarantee that others do not give,” Sacerdoti said.

“He says he is a friend of Israel — no ifs, ands or buts — and this makes him credible to a part of the Jewish world.”

Yet many Italian Jews firmly oppose Berlusconi’s overall politics. Some prominent Jews, including the left-wing member of parliament Emanuele Fiano, are active in an association called The Left for Israel, a group of politicians and others who support the Jewish state from a left-wing perspective.

Letter from Bahrain: A Jew at the Arab table

By Shai Franklin Jewish Telegraphic Agency MANAMA, Bahrain (JTA) — It’s not often an observant Jew like me, living in New York, gets to spend Chanukah with a bunch of Arab diplomats in the Persian Gulf.

But I found myself warmly welcomed when I showed up for the recent Manama Dialogue, a conference sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies and hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Mindful of Shabbat, my hosts had arranged for me to stay at a hotel within walking distance of the main conference site. At the front desk, clerks appended a note to my room’s electronic key card: “Please assist him to open the door [tradition].”

After watching the sun set on the Friday I was in Bahrain, knowing that Israel was hundreds of miles to the west across the Arabian deserts, I prayed, recited Kiddush and ate my LaBriute instant-warming kosher dinner. Then I emptied my pockets — no eruvs in Bahrain,

at least for now — and headed outside past heavily armed Bahrain security forces and into the conference to hear U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton address the opening dinner. When I met Sheik Khalid, the foreign minister, he greeted me with a jolly “Happy Chanukah!”

I had come to Bahrain as a representative of the American Council for World Jewry to hear Arab policymakers talk about what’s on their minds, and I learned a few things while getting to watch some interesting interactions.

On Friday night, both Iran’s foreign minister and the U.S. secretary of state shared a ballroom, though their eyes did not meet. With the VIP table positioned perpendicular to the dais, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was able to avoid looking at Clinton during or after her speech, though she repeatedly tried to catch his glance.

Mottaki sat through her remarks and the question-and-answer without ever turning his head or displaying any expression. His aides,

however, took diligent notes.

When Mottaki spoke the next morning, I asked one of the technicians to “show me” how the electronic translation device works, so I could listen to a translation of his remarks without overtly violating the Sabbath by handling the device myself.

It wasn’t as if I was the only Jew in the kingdom; Bahrain has been home to a small but active Jewish community for more than a century. The kingdom has a newly appointed member of parliament who is Jewish; its U.S. ambassador is Jewish, too. Both are women. On my next visit to Bahrain, I hope to visit the synagogue.

Its geographic proximity to Iran makes Bahrain, like many Persian Gulf states, nervous about the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. Jordan’s King Abdullah avoided all reference to — and reportedly all contact with — the Iranian delegates.

BAHRAIN on page 22

SOCIAL LIFE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010

ADATH ISRAEL’S MICHAEL M. LEVENSON MUSIC PROGRAM WITH LINDA HIRSCHHORN & VOCOLOT PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PG.12

11

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

Pepa Kaufman Perel Tova bat Sima Sora

Daniel Eliyahu Daniel ben Tikvah

Murray Kirschner Chaim Meir ben Basha

Edith Kaffeman Yehudit bat B’racha

Ravid Sulam Ravid Chaya bat Ayelet

Roma Kaltman Ruchama bat Perl

Edward Ziv Raphael Eliezer Aharon ben Esther Enya

ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE 100% FREE PLACE YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE. E-MAIL: articles@americanisraelite.com with “Announcement” in the Subject Line Cantor Linda Hirschhorn talks about one of her original pieces to the audience.

12

CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE

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ADATH ISRAEL’S MICHAEL M. LEVENSON MUSIC PROGRAM WITH LINDA HIRSCHHORN & VOCOLOT Adath Israel held its first Michael M. Levenson Music Program the week of October 18-24. Cantor Linda Hirschhorn was artist-in-residence for the week teaching 12 of her original pieces to a newly formed Community Chorus. The week culminated with a concert on Sunday with over 250 in attendance. Cantor Linda Hirschhorn directed the chorus and her women’s a cappella ensemble VOCOLOT performed.

The Community Chorus sings with Linda’s original L’cha Dodi.

Linda Hirschhorn with Adath Israel Music Program Chair Mitch Cohen

VOCOLOT gets the crowd going with their amazing harmonies and rhythms.

Cantor Hirschhorn shows her intensity as the Chorus responds singing her original Maariv Aravim.

Members of the Community Chorus prepare before the concert.

Community Chorus Members Michael Sullivan, LeeAnne Galioto, and Tom Schiffer

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010

CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE

13

Community Chorus member Karen Schiffer with Barbara Solomon at the reception.

This was the first Michael M. Levenson Music program, sponsored by the Levenson family with Andi Levenson and her children Alex and Aaron.

Also pictured are Rabbi Wise, Mitch Cohen, and members of VOCOLOT: Shana Levy, Linda Hirschhorn, Julia Bordenaro, and Liz Stuart.

Linda runs a workshop with Community Chorus members in the Gershuny Music Room.

Zach Lempert and his mom Debbie Lempert sing a beautiful Mi Chamocha, that was debuted at the concert.

Vocolot member Julia Bordenaro rehearses with Chorus member Kathy Wise before the concert.

A complimentary reception sponsored by the Sol and Lena Wise Memorial Fund was held after the concert.

14

DINING OUT

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Sultan’s—Be dazzled by Turkish delight

By Marilyn Gale Dining Editor Sultan’s Mediterranean Cuisine is located in West Chester, off of Tylersville Road (exit 22), right off I-75. A new arrival to the area, it has only been open for seven months, although both partners, Moustafa Koylu and Mehmet Coskun have years of combined experience in the hospitality industry. Koylu was the first chef at Café Istanbul in Newport, which was the first Turkish Mediterranean restaurant in the Tristate and the first to intrigue Queen city residents with cuisine from the Ottoman Empire.

As I entered Sultan’s, I was dazzled by the colors. What is it? I asked, intrigued by the rich mixture of burgundy, mauve and rose.

“It is called Mediterranean sun,” said Coskun, a soft-spoken man whose polite demeanor increased the elegance of the surroundings.

Indeed, the tablecloths matched the color of the walls and the paintings were abstracts of what appeared to be lush desert landscapes.

“Kosher meat,” said Coskun, “is the main ingredient of the food choices at Sultan’s.” I learned about dhabiha, the prescribed Islamic method of ritual slaughter of animals, which results in a more humane method of slaughter.

The similarity between kashrut and dhabiha is obvious and Sultan’s fulfills such obligation by purchasing and preparing kosher meats. I was offered a lamb kabob and, tasting the chunks of tender lamb grilled and seasoned in a unique Mediterranean style, I enjoyed the blissful bounty of the divine. The succulent meat seemed to dissolve in my mouth. This was the lamb that my childhood taste buds remembered, and paired with a pan seared tomato and grilled green pepper, I dined pleasantly inside the Ottomon Kingdom.

Frequently used ingredients in Turkish specialities include: meat, eggplants, green peppers, onions,

(Clockwise) Chicken kebab tastes as good as it looks; Mustafa Koylu and Mehmet Coskun are your gracious hosts; Dine in a lovely setting at Sultan’s.

garlic, lentils, beans and tomatoes.

Nuts, especially pistachios, chestnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts, together with spices, have a special place in Turkish cuisine.

Preferred spices and herbs include parsley, cumin, black pepper, paprika, mint, oregano and thyme.

What to eat? Now that is the

question, as the choices are many and interesting. You can’t go wrong with kebabs—either the chicken or lamb, tender chunks of poultry or meat, served with colorful salads and grilled vegetables over specialty rice pilaf will satisfy you. Prices start at $7.95 for a 1/2 order and $12.95 for a full size.

Vegetarians do not despair.

Okra stew is an Ottoman favorite, baby okra baked with vegetables can be ordered in half or full size.

There is a Falafel dinner served with hummus and topped with a mixed green salad. Or try something different, the baked casserole, an interesting combination of

eggplant, tomato, string beans, carrots and potatoes baked in a clay pot.

Appetizers are always good options if you want exposure to new ethnic dining. From the familiar stuffed grape leaves to piyaz—a white bean mixture of tomatoes, parsley and red bell peppers served with the chef’s special dressing—to carrot tarator, shredded carrot sautéed with virgin olive oil and mixed with garlic yogurt, the diner’s palate is in for an adventure.

Upon reviewing hot appetizers, the choices continue. Rolled spinach and cheese pies, those cute little flaky pastry tidbits that are popular at parties, are available. Or try the red lentil soup on a chilly winter day.

Save room for homemade dessert. In addition to baklava, there is almond and rice pudding to indulge your sweet tooth. Don’t forget to order Turkish coffee to complete your Ottoman dining experience.

The restaurant boasts special events, like belly dancing and live jazz. A daily happy hour is in the planning stages with tantalizing appetizers to match. “Sultan’s is nice first date, romantic when lights are turned down,” said Coskun. If you want to impress someone new with your fine taste in dining, start at Sultan’s.

Sultan’s is open seven days a week and also has a lunch menu.

Catering is available. Koylu is willing to prepare off-the-menu specialties such as roasted lamb shanks and moussaka, a ground meat and eggplant Mediterranean favorite.

Enjoy the Turkish delight nestled in our own backyard. Dine gracefully with healthy food, and satisfy your palate. We welcome Sultan’s Mediterranean Cuisine to the Queen City.

Sultan’s Mediterranean Cuisine 7305 Tyler’s Corner Drive West Chester, Ohio 45069 (513) 847-1535

The American Israelite can not guarantee the kashrus of any establishment.

DINING OUT

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010

15

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Point of View

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

By Rabbi James A. Rudin

Here are my picks for the top 10 religion stories in 2010: 1. The major controversies that swirled around Islam were the big story of the year. The myriad flashpoints included: — The proposed construction of the Park51 Islamic community center a few blocks away from Ground Zero, the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks — A Florida pastor’s threat to burn copies of the Quran — The escalating war in Afghanistan against the Taliban — Oklahomans’ vote to prohibit state courts from considering Islamic law, and a federal judge’s injunction against the referendum — Turkey, a strategic ally of the U.S. and Israel, moving from 80 years of legally mandated secularism toward Islamic governance.

— Acts of Islamic terrorism, both successful and thwarted, including the botched bomb attempts in New York City’s Times Square, Oregon and Baltimore.

2. The unsuccessful campaign (thus far) to repeal the military’s ban on open gays and lesbians in armed forces split military chaplains and other sectors of American religious life. At year’s end, California’s gay marriage ban was under strong legal attack in federal appellate courts.

3. The fissure in the Episcopal Church and the election of its first lesbian bishop, even as the Anglican Communion’s first openly gay bishop, the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, announced that he will retire in 2013.

4. Personal, professional and financial stress among all clergy increased, a direct result of the economic recession at home and abroad.

Many clergy were underemployed or unemployed while others were over-stretched in their religious duties and responsibilities.

5. The growing number of best-selling books and highly visible public advertising was evidence of a continued assertive

Rabbi Rudin is the American Jewish Committee’s senior interreligious adviser.

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

Dear Editor, I am writing this letter to share with you my experiences at the Rockwern Academy – formerly Yavneh Day School.

Recently, I attended the funeral of the mother of one of our beloved Rockwern teachers.

When I arrived at the funeral home, I (along with many other parents, teachers, board members, and staff) was greeted by the teacher whose mother had passed. When she said, “It means so much to me that all of you came here,” I immediately thought, “Of course we would be here for you. We are a family.”

There are countless experiences that I could share with you. We have been there for each other during simchas and during times of

mourning. We have laughed at our foibles and have supported each other whenever necessary. We love and respect each other’s children, and we constantly learn from one another. We are a family.

The Rockwern teachers, administrators, and staff all know my children. They have watched my family grow from three to four, and they have nurtured all of us along the way. My children have received a stellar education in both secular and Judaic studies.

They are confident young people and they have an innate love for Judaism. Their teachers do not wait for an academic crisis to arise. Instead, they are proactive.

And because of their dedication to all of the students, the teachers work in conjunction with students and parents on a daily basis if

needed. We are a family.

Neither my husband nor I are products of a Jewish day school education, and I always assumed that my children would attend public school. We came to Rockwern in 2002, and we have not looked back. I am proud to be a Rockwern parent, and I am blessed to be part of such an amazing community.

In Cincinnati, we are fortunate to have many choices for our children’s education. We have great public schools and several highly respected private schools, both religious and secular, from which to choose. These are not bad choices, but the best choice may be one you never thought you would consider.

Julie Lewis Torem Cincinnati, Ohio

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Write a letter to the editor and let your voice be heard.

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T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: VAYECHI (BRAISHITH 47:28—50:26) 1. Which city did Yosef get as a gift? a.) Efrat b.) Beth Lechem c.) Shechem 2. What did Jacob and Joseph disagree about? a.) Burial in Canaan b.) Putting Ephraim ahead of Menashe c.) Living in Goshen 3. Which two tribes are described as brothers? descendant Joshua would conquer Israel and teach Torah to the whole nation.

3. A 49:5-7 4. B 50:3 5. A 50:10 At the threshing floor of Atad. The Canaanites and Ishmaelites went to war at that time, but when they saw the crown of Joseph they stopped.

Rashi

The year that was

atheism that sparked a strong blowback from some American Christians.

6. Even as revelations about the Catholic clergy sexual abuse scandals continued in the U.S. and Europe (especially in Ireland), Vatican leadership appeared awkward (at best) or inept (at worst) as it struggled to overcome its embarrassing public relations problems.

The recent confusion and controversy over Pope Benedict XVI’s qualified approval of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV represented the latest example of a pope still laboring to find a consistent leadership groove. During 2010, critics also charged Benedict with attempting to block or rescind some of the major church reforms adopted 45 years ago at the Second Vatican Council.

7. The campaign to impose economic, political, cultural and educational boycotts, divestments and sanctions against Israel waxed and waned within various religious circles. The Presbyterian Church (USA) moved away from a divestment policy toward Israel, but in Europe a public anti-Israel program was frequently fueled by the growing Muslim population.

At the same time, a Gallup Poll reported that American public support for the Jewish state is at an all-time high.

8. There were violent antiBuddhist government actions in Myanmar (formerly called Burma), and religious repression in China continued with no end in sight.

9. Sometimes what didn’t happen is the story. Many predicted a full-throated resurgence of the religious right during the midterm elections. However, the over-riding issue was the economy. It remains an open question whether religious conservatives’ ideology and agenda will become a major factor in American life in the new year.

10. There were many deaths of notable religious leaders in 2010 including some close personal friends. But the suicide of Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old victim of anti-gay cyber-bullying at Rutgers University in New Jersey, was not only shocking, but also a tragic symbol of bigotry, stereotyping and prejudice.

a.) Shimon and Levi b.) Yisachar and Zevulon c.) Joseph and Benjamin 4. Was Jacob buried within three days after his passing? a.) Yes b.) NO 5. Was there a funeral for Jacob before the burial? a.) Yes b.) No Answers 1. C 48:22 Yosef was given Schem as a reward for arranging Jacob's burial in Israel. Yosef himself was buried in Schem when Bnei Yisroel entered Canaan after 40 years in the desert. Rashi 2. B 48:14,17-19 Jacob placed his right hand on top of Ephraim even though Menashe was the first born. Rashi explains because Ephraim's

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Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010

JEWISH LIFE

17

Sedra of the Week

By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin

SHABBAT SHALOM: PARSHAT VAYECHI • GENESIS 47:28-50:26

Efrat, Israel - “And Jacob called to his sons and said, ‘Gather together and I shall tell you what will befall you at the end of days.’” (Genesis 49:1) The captivating Book of Genesis reaches its majestic climax with all the children of Jacob —each a forebear of one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel—standing united around the deathbed of their aged and prescient father, waiting to hear from his lips the final blessing, assessment and legacy he is leaving to each in turn. This deathbed scene is the culmination of all the past Sturm und Drang, the rivalries and the rejections, the sacrifices and the successes, which went into the formation of an incipient Godenthused nation dedicated to the transmission of the message of ethical monotheism, a mission upon which hinges the very future of a world of peace, security and redemption. JacobIsrael’s final will and testament, a bequest of edifying and prophetic words rather than of material objects or lands, contains an outline of the program and the goals which will inform this burgeoning family-nation as it begins to take center stage in the drama of world history.

What is a bit jarring, however, in this consummately crafted final scene, is that Jacob blesses his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 48), before he blesses his own children (Gen. 49). Why? I would argue that the blessings given to the grandchildren are a most fitting introduction to—and even provide an explanation for—the blessings to the children in general and the recipient of the birthright, in particular.

When Jacob blesses Joseph’s children, he insists upon placing his right hand over the head of the younger child, Ephraim, and his left hand over the head of the older boy, Manasseh. He then gives them a joint blessing, although clearly indicating that while the elder will attain greatness, the younger will be greater still, and his seed will encompass a multitude of nations (48:19).

The personalities and goals of each of Joseph’s sons are explained by the midrash cited by Rashi in his commentary.

Manasseh served as Joseph’s interpreter and his right-hand man in his dealings with the many nations who flocked to Egypt to acquire grain (Gen. 42:23, Rashi ad loc). When the aged patriarch Jacob came to Egypt, Ephraim

He then gives them a joint blessing, although clearly indicating that while the elder will attain greatness, the younger will be greater still, and his seed will encompass a multitude of nations (48:19). went to live with his grandfather, to learn from him and to tend to his needs; thus he was the one to inform his father that Jacob was ill (48:1). Manasseh was the linguistpolitician, the competent economist who could handle world affairs; Ephraim was the devoted student of Torah whose life was dedicated to learning about the traditions of his ancestors.

Jacob placed his right hand— the bestowal of the birthright and religious leadership—on the head of Ephraim, and his left hand—the blessings of national prosperity— on the head of Manasseh. He recognized that each of these skills and vocations were important, and therefore he granted the individual blessings to each of them together, stipulating that in the future each Israelite be blessed with the joint blessings of Ephraim and Manasseh together (48:20), as parents bestow on their children every Friday night.

I believe that Jacob then had

an epiphany! Just as he had not rejected the elder son in favor of the younger, but rather gave each his due, so perhaps his mother Rebekah may have been mistaken when she attempted to prevent Esau from receiving his father’s blessing. Perhaps although Isaac had wished to give a blessing to the more materialistic Esau, he had always reserved the birthright of religious leadership for his younger son Jacob, the wholehearted dweller of tents. If this was the case, then Jacob could rest assured that his father had never rejected him completely; indeed he had recognized his spiritual strengths all along. The family never should have been split apart; why couldn’t two sons—and even 12 sons—each receive their own special gift, and cooperate with the other(s) for the ultimate good of the united nation?

Jacob’s newfound understanding, arising as it had from his experience of blessing his grandchildren, set the stage for the final and most significant act of his life, the blessings he bestowed upon his sons. In addition to the unique legacies he bequeathed to each head of a tribe, he bestowed the major material blessing—the double portion—upon Joseph, the beautiful and successful architect of the Egyptian economy and manager of international politics.

And he bestowed the birthright, the mantle of the righteous and responsible ingatherer of a multitude of nations who will eventually bring ethical monotheism to the world, upon Judah, the sensitive unifier of the family.

The blessing and the birthright can go to two different brothers, without rejecting anyone, as long as the family is united and works together. Thus Patriarch Jacob paved the way for both the Messiah son of Joseph—who will reestablish a Jewish state with an economic structure, and a political system making Israel a nation amongst nations—as well as the Messiah son of Judah, who will rebuild the Temple and perfect the world in the Kingship of the Divine.

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

MODERN ORTHODOX SERVICE Daily Minyan for Shacharit, Mincha, Maariv, Shabbat Morning Service and Shalosh Seudas.

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6442 Stover Ave • 531-6654 • golfmanorsynagogue.org

18

JEWZ IN THE NEWZ

Jewz in the Newz FIGHTER/CAN BROOKS RISE ABOVE THE MEYER? The boxing film, “The Fighter,” and the comedy, “How Do You Know,” open on Friday, Dec. 17.

“Fighter” is based on the true story of Mickey “Irish” Ward, a poor Boston boy who won a welterweight title in 1997 and had some incredible comeback fights. Mark Wahlberg plays Ward. The film is directed by DAVID O. RUSSELL, 52, whose most successful film was “Three Kings” (1999). My favorite Russell film, however, is the 1996 comedy, “Flirting with Disaster,” in which BEN STILLER played the adopted son of a Jewish couple looking for his birth parents.

Russell is the secular son of a Jewish father and an Italian Catholic mother.

For over 40 years, director/writer JAMES L. BROOKS has set the standard for the best in intelligent comedy— although sometimes he doesn’t rise to his own standard. Brooks, 70, began in TV, creating “Room 222,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Rhoda,” “Lou Grant,” and “Taxi.”

In 1987, he made (directed and wrote) his first of his six films to date—three have been huge hits: “Terms of Endearment,” “Broadcast News,” and “As Good as It Gets.” “How Do You Know” is his first film since “Spanglish” (2004), a so/so movie starring ADAM SANDLER. For years, most critics said that director/writer NANCY MEYERS, 61 (“Something’s Gotta Give,” “It’s Complicated”) made “Brooks-like” romantic comedies that were good—but didn’t quite match Brooks’ wit or profundity.

However, in the last decade, Meyers has had four hits in a row and the question, now, is whether Brooks can rise again over “the Meyer.” “How Do You Know” certainly has “hit” star power and we’ll just have to see if it’s a return to form. Reese Witherspoon plays a pro softball player involved in a romantic triangle. Her suitors are a major league pitcher (Owen Wilson) and a corporate exec (PAUL RUDD, 41). Jack Nicholson plays Rudd’s father.

tions. The movie does feature the very handsome ERIC DANE, 38, in a non-singing, “eye candy” role (Dane’s mother is Jewish and he identifies as Jewish).

Right after the film opened, I caught a reference to the fact that STEVE ANTIN, 52, the film’s openly gay director/screenwriter, is the brother of (straight) celebrity hairstylist JONATHAN ANTIN, 43, the star of the “Bravo” reality series, “Blow-Out.” Their sister, ROBIN ANTIN, 49, is a choreographer who created the Pussycat Dolls burlesque/dance/rock group.

Years ago, Jonathan was identified as Jewish in a newspaper profile.

I was surprised, therefore, when I saw Steve Antin described as “not Jewish” on Wikipedia, the popular, user-creator online encyclopedia. I figured out that this error was a result of someone completely misreading a passage in a print biography of billionaire record/film producer DAVID GEFFEN, 72.

Here’s what the book really says: Geffen, a bi-sexual, was once engaged to Cher. But he decided to only date men around 1982. Steve Antin, whom he was involved with from 1982-83, was Geffen’s first public gay boyfriend. Antin, then an actor (“Goonies”), was a very cute blond who didn’t look stereotypically Jewish.

When Antin first met Geffen’s Russian-born mother, BATYA, she looked at Antin and said, “He’s not Jewish.” Geffen said he was. Batya then took a closer look at Antin, like a diamond merchant checking wares, and declared, “You are not Jewish!” Antin replied: “I’m Jewish. I promise you, I’m Jewish.”

Cinematographer NEIL ANTIN, another sibling, writes on his website that his parents were “almost Orthodox” English Jews who came to America in the ‘50s.

Wikipedia, by the way, is now silent on Antin’s religion—“the not Jewish” line was edited out on Dec.1, after being up for two years.

Celebs “mysteriously change” religion on that site all the time.

“Burlesque” got mixed reviews and is carried by its musical stars, Cher and Christina Aguilera. But when you know the Steve Antin “back-story” you can see why a burlesque-themed musical, starring Cher, was right up his alley.

BURLESQUE BITS I didn’t cover the film musical, “Burlesque,” when it opened in late November because it didn’t seem to have many Jewish connections and, frankly, I was weirded-out by seeing Cher, the film’s co-star, on TV talking about the movie. I like Cher, but her overuse of plastic surgery is reaching creepy propor-

PALTROW ON “E” Actress and part-time singer GWYNETH PALTROW, 38, is the subject of an “E” cable station “True Hollywood Story” premiering Wednesday, Dec. 22, at 10PM. Her new film, “Country Strong,” opens in very limited release the same day. It opens “wide” on Jan. 7.

By Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

FROM THE PAGES 100 Years Ago Burt, son of Mr. and Mrs. I.A. Weil, 820 Hutchins Avenue, Avondale, will be Bar Mitzva, Saturday, December 17, at Reading Road Temple. At their home Saturday and Sunday.

The engagement of Miss Sadie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L. Rosenberg, of 500 Hale Avenue to Mr. H. Benjamin Marks, of Indianapolis, Ind. Mr. and Mrs. Rosenberg will receive on Sunday, January 1, in honor of the engagement.

By a collision between the auto-

mobile in which they were riding and a streetcar, last Tuesday evening, Harry M. Levy, the distiller, and Sydney M. Stricker, the attorney, were severely but not dangerously hurt.

They are both on the road to recovery.

Among the box and seat holders for the Children’s Theater Matinee at the Grand Opera House on Friday afternoon, December 30, when Miss Mannheimer will present 45 children of the juvenile classes of the Cincinnati School of Expression in Frances Hodgeson Burnett’s “A Little

Princess” and Constance Mackaye’s “The House of the Heart,” are Mrs. Adolph Dryer, Mrs. Emil Pollak, Mrs. Joseph L. Rauh, Mrs. L. S. Fechheimer, Mrs. Leonard Weiler, Mrs. I. H. Weinstock, Mrs. Walter J. Friedlander, Mrs. D. I. Johnson, Mrs. H. C. Davis, Mrs. Edgar J. Mack and Mrs. I. M. Wise. “A Little Princess” is the dramatization of the charming and popular story “Sarah Crewe” and “The House of the Heart” is a quaint seventeenth century morality. — December 15, 1910

75 Years Ago Avon Lodge No. 542, F and A. M., inaugurated its 51st year of existence last week, installing Mr. Bernard Kluber as worshipful master. Other officers installed were the Messrs.

Frederick T. Pitts, senior warden; Mumford F. Platt, treasurer; Carl E. Basler, secretary; Charlton M. Mason, senior deacon; J. Louis Warm, junior deacon; Albert R. Posey; Thurman G. Posey, senior steward; William V. Misrach, junior steward; Edwad H.

Morgan, chaplain; Leo A. Paalz, organist, and Jerome R. Newman, trustee.

Dr. and Mrs. Albert Brown are enjoying a two-week vacation at Miami Beach, Fla. Mrs. Oscar Stark and grandson, Gordon Weil Jr., will sail Friday, Dec. 20th, for a cruise to the West Indies.

Dr. J. Victor Greenbaum was chairman of the dinner celebrating the 25th anniversary of the babies’ Milk

Fund Association Wednesday, Dec. 11th, at the Queen City Club.

President Roger K. Rogan, Dr. Alfred Friedlander, Dr. A. Graeme Mitchell, Mr. Charles J. Livingood, and Mrs. Ada Stokes spoke.

Sigma Theta Phi is giving a closed dance at Hillcrest Country Club on Dec. 21st. Arranging this affair are the Misses Dorothy Meiss, Davira Libson, Jane Bloch, and Claire Reins.

— December 19, 1935

50 Years Ago Philip T. Cohen was elected chairman of the board of Camp Livingston at the camp’s annual meeting Wednesday evening, Dec. 7, at Losantiville Country Club. He succeeds Robert L. Steiner.

Robert Kaplan, assistant professor of physical education and the fencing coach at Ohio State University, was re-appointed camp director.

Elected, in addition to Mr. Cohen, are: first vice president, Robert E.

Levinson; second vice president, Randolph Trager; third vice president, John Tobias.

New board members for three years are Mrs. John Iglauer, Mrs. Bernard Reckseit, Stanley Goodman, Morris Barron, Joe Gollusch.

Mrs. Pauline Wise, 3540 Arborcrest Court, passed away Monday, Dec. 5.

Funeral services were held at the Weil Funeral Home Wednesday, Dec. 7, Dr. Victor E. Reichert officiating.

Interment was in United Jewish Cemetery, Walnut Hills.

Survivors include her husband, Nathan; her daughter, Rochelle; and her mother, Mrs. Betty Wise of Miami. Mr. Wise is head of the Wise Advertising & Publicity Agency.

Mrs. Wise was known nationally as a breeder and judge of dogs, having served as a judge in important shows from Los Angeles to the Westminster Show at Madison Square Garden. — December 15, 1960

25 Years Ago Dr. Alfred Gottschalk, president of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, installed three new members of the Board of Overseers for the Cincinnati school.

They are: Peter Levin of Cincinnati, Ohio; Shirley Fink of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; and William S. Weprin of Dayton. The installation took place during a service at the Scheuer Chapel on the Clifton campus.

Mrs. Carolyn L. Dunkelman of 2324 Madison Road passed away Dec. 11.

Mrs. Dunkelman is survived by

her husband, Melville J. Dunkelman; two sons and daughters-in-law, David and Martha Dunkelman of Buffalo, N.Y.; Jay and Dianne Dunkelman of Cincinnati; a son, John H. Dunkelman of Boulder, Colo.; a brother David Liebschutz, of Naples, Fla.; and four grandchildren, Phoebe, Joshua, Marc and Anna Carolyn.

Services were on Dec. 13 at Plum Street Temple. Rabbis Alan Fuchs and Robert Katz officiated. Interment was in the United Jewish Cemetery, Walnut Hills.

Dr. Meyer N. Margolis of 3543

Amber Acres Drive passed away Dec. 15.

He is survived by his wife, Bea; a daughter and son-in-law, Diana and Edwin Ruthman of Chicago; a son and daughter-in-law, Randall and Gunilla Margolis of Boston; a son, Thomas of Muncie, Ind.; and a daughter, Kim of Detroit; a sister, Florence Abend of Hollywood, Fla.; two brothers, Philip and Sam Margolis of Cincinnati; three grandchildren, Mark Ruthman and Martin and Benjamin Margolis; and many nieces and nephews. — December 19, 1985

10 Years Ago The morning after Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion celebrated its 125th anniversary, its president, Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman, surprised the community by offering his resignation to HUCJIR’s Board of Governors.

Burton Lehman, chairman of HUC-JIR’s Board of Governors, issued the following statement Dec. 4: With profound regret, the Board of Governors of Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion announces

that the president of the CollegeInstitute, Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman, has submitted his resignation, effective immediately.

William T. Mathews, 91, passed away November 30, 2000. Mr. Mathews was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of the late Maude (Simon) and Lee Mathews. Mr. Mathews is survived by his wife, Martha W. Mathews, and his children, H. Lee and Patti Mathews of Columbus, Ohio; James W. and Lynne Mathews of

Beverly Hills, Mich.; and Mary-Bob and Jack Rubenstein. Surviving grandchildren are Sarah Roesch; Martha Elizabeth Caudill; Colin, Alix, Andrew, Richard and Lori Mathews; and Brett, Scott and Billie Rubenstein.

Mr. Mathews is also survived by his great-grandchildren, Cole and Brock Caudill, Brandy and Owen Roesch and William Mathews. Mr. Mathews was the brother of Susan Louer of Chicago, who also survives him. — December 14, 2000

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010

CLASSIFIEDS

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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) 754-3100 • cedarvillage.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) 984-3393 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) 204-5594 • 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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CAMPAIGN from page 1 “There are people in need in our community and programs to support them, but unfortunately during these uncertain economic times, there can be shortfalls in resources,” said Ed Kuresman, who serves on the Jewish Federation’s Planning and Allocations Committee. “As a young adult, I wanted to take the initiative to get involved and become part of the solution to ensure that all of our community’s needs are met by both getting involved and giving to the annual campaign.”

Through the work of the Jewish Federation, its partner agencies, and hundreds of volunteers, thousands enjoy an enhanced quality of life in Cincinnati’s Jewish community.

Jewish Family Service’s vital services program provides over 200 community members with access to food, emergency funds, clothing and case management.

Three hundred Jewish seniors who might otherwise become isolated participate in group programs at the Mayerson Jewish Community Center. Identity enrichment and Jewish education activities at Hillel centers, religious schools and congregations impact the lives of thousands.

“Jewish Family Service enabled me to reconnect to my community,” said Margi Knodle.

“They assisted me with everything from utility bills to shoes, clothing, food, and the caring, consistent help from my case manager who treated me with respect and kindness.”

“When you have opportunities and you have a little time available, you find ways of giving back,” said Mark Miller, who participates as a volunteer for Jewish Family Service and the Kosher Food Pantry. “As human beings, it’s what we should be doing. It’s a way of helping others and giving back to those who are less fortunate…and it’s easy to do.”

From delivering kosher Meals on Wheels or serving on an event committee to participating in “Give a Day” or making a firstever campaign contribution, com-

munity volunteers say that any level of involvement essentially becomes a significant investment in the vibrancy of the community.

“To me, the most meaningful way to support our community is by donating, and that can be time. It does not have to be money,” said Debbie Brant, who serves as a board member for the JCC, the Jewish Federation and Women’s Philanthropy. “I think everyone has some passion, some creativity, some inspiration that they can lend to whatever facet of the community they have a tie to. It is really just that simple.”

Strategic collaborative partnerships between the Jewish Federation and the community’s agencies and organizations work to ensure that all available dollars are utilized for the greatest community benefit. “What keeps us connected to the Federation is the collaboration,” explained Ben and Dr. Ronna Schneider who both serve on the National Young Leadership Cabinet. “They are the central organization for collaboration amongst all the agencies; and with each agency playing a unique role in the community, so many different needs among many populations can be efficiently met.”

“I got involved through Federation’s LEAD program.

There, I learned that you don’t give to the Federation but through the Federation,” added Kuresman, who also serves on the Young Adult Division (YAD). “And now, it has been fascinating to be part of the planning and allocations process that ensures that every dollar is placed where it is best utilized, but there are a plethora of opportunities out there for anyone to get involved in any aspect of community life. You just have to know that getting involved is easy and it’s really a lot of fun.”

“In our community, we seek to provide diverse opportunities for Jewish learning, identity and engagement while offering a dignified quality of life,” said Nina Paul, 2011 community campaign co-chair. “And we do that by offering a wide array of opportunities for involvement as volunteers, leaders and campaign donors.”

20

NEWS

JCC from page 1 groups are held in the evening, which makes it very hard for parents with young children to attend,” said Beck. “This new JCC program accommodates parents’ schedules and it gives us a place to grow as a community of writers.

When you’re trying to publish something, you need feedback, and this group creates the perfect environment for that!”

Creative adults and teens, ages 16 and older, can also explore dif-

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ferent art media in the popular jewelry making workshops at the JCC. Professional artist and educator, Judy Workman, will teach participants how to create necklaces with semi-precious stones and beads, as well as bracelets or earrings to complete the set. This two-class program will be held at the J on Wednesdays, Jan. 12 and 19 at 7 p.m.

The JCC will continue to offer many popular dance and fitness programs again this winter. This includes Tuesday evening activi-

ties like the Israeli Dance class at 7 p.m. and co-ed pick-up soccer at 8 p.m. Both programs are free for J Members and are available to the public for a nominal fee.

J Members can also participate in several programs for getting in shape this winter. Personal training, small group training, and Pilates Reformer training are available to members at the J on a daily basis with multi-session discounts.

Even if you’re not a J Member, you can fine tune your fitness regimen with JCC programs like “First

Wave,” an extensive swim improvement class. Kathy Cunningham, owner of Athlete Inside and USATcertified triathlon coach, will lead this eight-session training series on Mondays at noon (starting Jan. 10).

The program includes swim time in the pool, an underwater video analysis, and individualized feedback and development techniques.

The First Wave swim class, as well as personal training sessions, are excellent ways to prepare for the winter indoor triathlon at the J on Sunday, March 6 at 8 a.m. JCC

triathlon participants, ages 16 and older, will race against the clock as they swim 200 yards, bike 10 miles, and run a 5K race.

Details about all winter programs and events at the J can be found on their website and in their Winter 2011 update program guide.

Most JCC winter programs start between Jan. 9 and 16. Programs are available to the public, and open enrollment has already begun. All class registrations are due to the JCC by Sunday, Jan. 3. For more information, call or stop by the JCC.

Nomi Verchovsky stands in front of her home, which was partially damaged by the Carmel Forest fire that engulfed the artists’ village of Ein Hod, Dec. 7, 2010.

failed even though the writing was on the wall.’ ” Chamizer noted that in 1998 a large forest fire also burned several homes in Ein Hod and caused significant damage in the Carmel Forest, but official recommendations to strengthen the firefighting services were never implemented.

Like other Ein Hod residents, he is angry that the police evacuated the village when some homeowners who know the terrain well wanted to stay behind to assist the firefighters.

Several snuck back into the village after being evacuated.

Chamizer credited their return as the reason they were able to rescue their homes.

Ein Hod’s crooked streets and courtyards are now full of workers from the electric and phone companies repairing infrastructure damage, laying new underground cables and fixing telecommunication lines.

Across a two-lane road on the opposite hill sits the Yemin Orde Youth Village, which lost about a dozen buildings to the fire, including a section that housed orphans from the former Soviet Union. The village, which specializes as a home for adolescent survivors of trauma and displacement, dates back to the early years of the state, when it helped provide psychological support and a home to Jewish children who survived the Holocaust but were left orphans.

Yemin Orde has turned to the public for donations of money, clothes, school supplies and other materials lost to the fire, including home appliances and furniture.

Further up the winding road just

outside of Kibbutz Nir Etzion, at a viewing spot overlooking a scorched section of forest, rangers and officials from the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund discuss plans to rehabilitate the Carmel.

“It will take time, a long time, but the KKL-JNF staff have experience in rehabilitating forests and we will bring the green back to the Carmel,” Efi Stenzler, world chairman of KKL-JNF, told JTA, quoting from a slogan for a new fundraising campaign launched by the organization in wake of the fire.

Stenzler rejected criticism of JNF’s planting the forest and others throughout the country with nonnative pine trees, known for growing quickly but also catching fire quickly.

“This was not the reason for the fire,” he said, noting that most of the forest that burned was made up of native trees.

Stenzler and other officials said most of the rehabilitation efforts would be about rebuilding infrastructure like hiking trails, not about replanting trees. Instead, the forest for the most part will be allowed to restore itself naturally. Where replanting is deemed necessary, plans are to plant native broadleaf trees such as oak and carob in order to increase the area’s biodiversity.

Back in Ein Hod, a carpet of black ash is the only sign of a wooden house that once stood on a square plot just off a road that leads out of the village. Along its perimeter are the clay sculptures of round bellied female figures who survived the fire, silent witnesses to a home that no longer exists.

police cadets from the Israeli Prisons Service— killed in the wildfire.

B’nai B’rith International, which

by Tuesday had collected $12,000, will use the money to address unmet needs, according to its vice president of programming, Rhonda Love.

Last week, Magen David Adom, Israel’s version of the Red Cross, deployed hundreds of medics, paramedics, emergency vehicles and volunteers to the scene of the fire. Its American fundraising arm, the American Friends of the Magen David Adom, had raised about $150,000 online since the fire broke out, according to its director

Joint Distribution Committee helped out in the evacuation of residents and supplied emergency needs such as food and blankets. Now the JDC is planning to provide programs for the disabled, psycho-social support and emergency preparedness, according to spokesman Michael Geller.

The Jewish Agency brought hundreds of children from the stricken area to Tel Aviv for respite, and planned to bring 4,000 by the end of Chanukah.

JDC and the Jewish Agency also are working on coordinating youth volunteers. In the long term, the fire could provide the Jewish

Agency with an opportunity to test the value of a new strategic plan that places more emphasis on creating volunteer opportunities in Israel.

The agency has proposed a plan to focus volunteer mentors on the Druze town of Tirat HaCarmel, a development town near Haifa that was evacuated during the fire. Agency officials also have talked to the Jewish Federations of North America about creating through the agency’s MASA program a project to bring Diaspora Jews to help in rehabilitating the animal wildlife in Israel’s north, according to Jewish Agency director general Alan Hoffmann.

FIRE from page 1 “I want to thank all of you and each of you for coming so courageously, so promptly, to save lives and save land,” Israeli President Shimon Peres told an audience of foreign rescue crews Tuesday.

“Many times Israel has sent its people to aid countries that suffered earthquakes or fires. This is the first time that we have needed assistance from others.”

As the area’s residents now turn to rebuilding, a sense of anger and blame is mounting. Israelis are asking how their high-tech, defensedriven nation could have been left so unprepared to deal with this sort of crisis despite repeated warnings that the Israeli firefighting corps was dangerously underfunded, underequipped and understaffed.

On Tuesday, Dan Chamizer stood outside of the small grocery store in Ein Hod where neighbors exchanged news of how some homes rung by fire miraculously were spared. The less fortunate, those whose homes were destroyed, came to the store to pick up blankets and bundles of clothes and supplies delivered by volunteers. About 20 homes in the village were destroyed or damaged by the fire.

“This was not a natural disaster but a disaster created by people who disdain nature,” Chamizer said, looking out at the black stain of burnt forest across a nearby clearing.

He had harsh words for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who Chamizer said “acts as if he’s manager of one big air show. It’s all spin.

As if he stopped this fire instead of saying, ‘I head a government that EFFORTS from page 1 pay for more trees.

Reforesting the area will be a slow process, according to the JNF’s director of forestry for the northern region, Omri Bonneh. For the first year, JNF says it won’t plant any trees, allowing the land to replenish itself.

It’s not clear how much the American Jewish organizations’ total campaign will be; in some cases it’s not yet clear where the money will go.

The American Jewish Committee pledged $100,000 for reforestation, saying it will plant 10,000 trees to commemorate the 42 people—mostly

Courtesy of Dina Kraft

of marketing, Robert Kern.

A number of organizations are focusing on helping Yemin Orde, a youth village for immigrants to Israel where 40 percent was destroyed in the fire.

Hadassah is providing space for 500 families dislocated by the fire by opening several youth villages with which it is associated. The Jewish Agency for Israel has made space in its facilities for Yemin Orde to continue operating.

The two overseas arms of the North American federation system have been on the ground since the fire began. The American Jewish

AUTOS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010

21

2010 Range Rover Sport holds its own The 2010 Range Rover Sport can take on remote trails off-road, and around town, it drives like a car and delivers a sporty experience while looking good. The Range Rover Sport is available in HSE and Supercharged trims.

The 2010 model got an engine upgrade and now has the same engines as the Range Rover. It also shares a platform with the Land Rover LR4. Despite sharing parts with other models, it’s still completely its own car. It’s ruggedly capable off the road, and can also provide near-sports-car performance on the road, plus the cabin would be at home in an expensive, luxury car.

Both trims come with 5.0-liter, normally aspirated V8s. The base V8 is rated at 375 horsepower and 375 pound-feet of torque, and the Supercharged V8 delivers a whopping 510 hp and 461 poundfeet of torque.

The HSE model accelerates from 0–60 mph in 7.2 seconds, and the Supercharged achieves this feat in 5.9 seconds. The base model 2010 Sport gets 13 miles per gallon in the city and 18-mpg on the highway. The figures for the Supercharged model are 12mpg in the city and 17-mpg on the highway.

Standard on both models is a six-speed automatic transmission with manual mode, and the Supercharged also has steeringwheel-mounted shift paddles. The transmission can learn your driving style and hold gears longer or shorter depending on how you drive.

All Range Rover Sport models come with a permanent 4WD system with a two-speed transfer case and the Terrain Response system.

This system adjusts the powertrain, suspension and electronics systems for increased traction based on five different settings: general, mud and ruts, grass/gravel/snow, sand and rock crawl. When properly equipped, Range Rover Sport models can tow up to 7,700 pounds.

The combination of rich leather and wood accents creates an interior luxury that some competitors have trouble matching.

The technology in the cabin is abundant, and a long list of optional features is sure to keep drivers and passengers happy.

The seating for five is comfortable, and the backseat is even spacious enough for most adults.

Optional adjustable side bolsters help the front seats fit drivers of all sizes.

The driver can configure an LCD screen, placed between the speedometer and tachometer, plus all Range Rover Sports have a touch-screen interface for control-

2010 Range Rover Sport

ling the entertainment and climate systems. A navigation system, Satellite and HD radio are optional. An iPod connector is a no-cost option on all models. Bluetooth and a rearview camera are standard across the board.

The HSE comes standard with 19-inch wheels, a sunroof, bixenon headlights, fog lights, autodimming rearview mirrors, an adjustable air suspension and adaptive damping, keyless entry/ignition, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, power front seats, driver memory settings, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering column, leather upholstery, wood interior trim, dual-zone automatic climate control, a navigation system with off-road tracking, and a 14-speaker Harman Kardon Logic 7 stereo with a six-CD changer, an auxiliary audio jack, and USB port.

An optional Luxury package adds 20-inch wheels, adaptive headlights, a heated windshield, heated washer jets, heated front and rear seats, available pianoblack trim, premium leather upholstery, additional driver seat adjustments and a cooler box. The Supercharged model includes all of the above plus Brembo front brakes, a Dynamic Response suspension system (enhances on-road and off-road handling), a unique grille and upholstery, satellite radio, and automatic high beams.

The high beams automatically turn off when another car approaches and turn back on again when the coast is clear.

Stand-alone options for all models include a rear differential lock, various wheel styles, upgraded leather upholstery, a 360-degree parking assist camera, satellite radio and a rear-seat entertainment system with LCD screens mounted in the front headrests. Adaptive cruise control is optional on the Supercharged only.

The 2010 Range Rover Sport starting price is around $60,000.

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OBITUARIES

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DEATH NOTICES

OBITUARIES

FRIEDMAN, Ruth, age 89, died on December 8, 2010; 1 Tevet, 5771.

CALLER (ABEL), Gladys L.

HERMAN, Carol H., age 88, died on December 10, 2010; 3 Tevet, 5771.

NEWBURGER, Larry D., age 70, died on December 13, 2010; 6 Tevet, 5771.

SCHOOL from page 8 Sperber says he was drawn to the institution’s vision of “a more liberal, more friendly approach to

Gladys L. Caller, (nee Long), age 95, of Baltimore, Md., passed away Tuesday, December 7, 2010. She was preceded in death by husbands Joel Caller and Armand Abel, and granddaughter Amanda Morris. She is survived by her loving children, Sally and Charles Neustadt of Baltimore, Md., Fred and Karen Abel, and Pessa Brody of Knoxville, Tenn.; halachah,” or Jewish law.

The school will not be affiliated with any existing synagogue movement.

“We’ve shied away from termi-

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her grandchildren, Steven Morris, Pamela and Daniel Blumenthal, Kevin and Carrie Neustadt, John and Romi Neustadt, Andrew and Dara Abel, Allison and Eric Kahn, Marla Brody and Bart Brody; and also by numerous great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held in Columbus on December 9, 2010.

There will be no visitation in Cincinnati.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati or to the charity of your choice. There

is an online guestbook at www.epsteinmemorial.com.

Ruth Friedman, nee Resnick, age 89, passed away December 8, 2010. She was the loving daughter of the late Barney and Bertha Resnick; the beloved wife of the late Harold E. Friedman; the devoted mother of Penny Friedman Meyer and Ron Meyer, and Mark Friedman and Veronique Bogliolo Friedman of

Lausanne, Switzerland; the dear sister of the late Sarah Pallik and Marvin Resnick; and the loving grandmother of Rachel and Leah Hoffheimer.

Services were held at Weil Funeral Home on Thursday, December 9, with interment at Beth Israel Cemetery in Washington, Penn.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Harold and Ruth Friedman Camp Scholarship Fund, c/o Beth Israel-The West Temple, 14308 Triskett Rd., Cleveland, Ohio 44111.

nology,” said Rabbi Roy Tanenbaum, the driving force behind the new yeshiva and past president of the Canadian region of the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Association. Saying that the program “is not for everyone,” Tanenbaum described its worldview as “totally halachic and particularly Canadian.”

Canada’s synagogues are served now by rabbis trained in the United States or overseas. Tanenbaum says they often are unfamiliar with the Canadian scene and “look toward Washington instead of Ottawa.”

Canadian Jewry is more traditional than its U.S. counterpart. A number of Conservative congregations recently left the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism to join the Canadian Council of Conservative Synagogues, and several of the new

yeshiva’s leaders have been affiliated with the Union for Traditional Judaism, which split off from the Conservative movement decades ago and is based in Teaneck, N.J. The Canadian Yeshiva and Rabbinical School has been invited to join the Toronto School of Theology, a consortium of seven Christian seminaries connected with the University of Toronto. If the deal goes through, the school will be able to grant advanced degrees jointly with the university, a bonus Tanenbaum hopes will attract students, faculty and funding. The school will be housed on the university campus.

The new institution has not yet launched fundraising or recruitment campaigns, and needs approximately $7 million to open, according to Tanenbaum. Full-time rabbinic students will receive free tuition and

residence.

“We won’t open until we can guarantee that a student who begins will be able to finish,” he said.

Sperber, who is on the advisory board of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, a liberal Orthodox rabbinical school in New York founded by Rabbi Avi Weiss, says the major hurdle will be attracting more Orthodox faculty. If the new school becomes identified as a Conservative institution — a possibility, given that most of its leadership is Conservative — Sperber said he will withdraw.

Noting that the Rabbinical Association of America, the main body representing Modern Orthodox rabbis in North America, does not accept graduates of Chovevei Torah, Sperber said, “It is precisely for that sort of reason that one has to support [halachic] institutions of a more liberal nature.”

SHABBAT from page 8

HaMalka’s, “L’Cha Dodi,” found on her “Kabbalat Shabbat” soundtrack and everybody’s mix list, doesn’t rely on red-nose reindeers in white Christmas dreams for flavor.

She prefers a more regal approach: “Come my beloved, with chorus of praise” begins the song that introduces her presence to her worldwide audience.

As to audience, each has a different approach to treating their fans.

Once a year, Santa makes the rounds offering his loyal base a reward. His “naughty or nice” list is a major theme.

HaMalka makes the rounds once a week, every week. She visits without spotlights or outdoor dis-

plays, or making judgments. You can’t sit on her lap. And she travels light, preferring a less materialistic approach. HaMalka brings only, as her song goes, an idealistic “new light.”

Santa, of course, is known for his big reveal, the audience giveaway — the fancy wrapping and tantalizingly large package under the tree. It’s a broad performance that fills one with wonder: Is the packaging more intriguing than the contents?

HaMalka, according to her fans, is the total package. Not to sound like her publicist, but she’s a peaceful Shabbat guest host whose easy feeling performances bring her fans through the week.

off-the-record sessions on Iraq and Yemen, generals and ministers spoke candidly. In his public keynote address, King Abdullah told his fellow Arabs that they must do more to show Israelis what peace would look like before time runs out.

In the Abu Dhabi airport on my way back home, I picked up The National, a newspaper published in the United Arab Emirates that carried an Associated Press report on the international effort to extinguish the Carmel forest fire in Israel.

Innocuous talk of Israel is not so

remarkable here, where pragmatism and economics often trump ideology and religion.

The same goes for us. If Iran’s foreign minister can sit in on a speech by Clinton, we as Jews can afford to be in the same room and maybe hold the door open for them.

Even on Shabbat, and maybe especially on Chanukah.

Just look at their conflicting styles.

Santa, whose late-night performances are known to millions, likes to clandestinely drop into homes through the chimney. He hails from the North Pole.

On the other hand HaMalka, the shechina, the feminine presence that Jews welcome into their households and synagogues every Friday night, doesn’t need a chimney to enter a scene. Like Elijah, she’s more of a front-door type. And HaMalka hails from a more mystical background.

The accidental co-stars do have something in common; both have theme music written by Jews. But BAHRAIN from page 10 For their part, some of the Iranian delegates privately expressed satisfaction with an American empire that is overextended and compromised as a result of its overseas adventures.

“Thank you for invading Iraq,” one said.

Most of the Arabs on hand treated the notion that Iran’s nuclear program is intended only for peaceful purposes as an obvious joke.

The conversations at the conference weren’t only about Iran. In

FRIEDMAN, Ruth (Resnick)

Shai Franklin, policy director of the American Council for World Jewry, attended the Manama Dialogue as a guest of the Bahrain Foreign Ministry.

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