Learn of Cincinnati-Israel rescue operation for local teen
The American Remember Yom Israelite website hits HaZikaron with 2,148 unique visitors service at the J and climbing
On Wednesday, May 11 at 7 p.m., the Mayerson JCC will host “Israel to Cincinnati with Love, Bridging the Distance to Save Lives.” This event will celebrate the Cincinnati-Israel rescue operation of Jessica Perrin and will be highlighted by reuniting Perrin with the Israeli doctors and nurse who helped to save her life. During July 2009, while on a teen trip to Israel, Jessica Perrin fell ill from a genetic disorder. She was taken to Hadassah Ein Keren Hospital in Jerusalem, where it was determined she would need a liver transplant. Perrin was then flown to New York, where she received a transplant, and then received continued treatment at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The event will be introduced by Shep Englander of the
Plus this week’s Facebook winner The American Israelite website that launched earlier this year attracts new visitors daily and traffic continues to climb. Since January unique visitors have reached a record 2,148 in April. This is excellent news for advertisers who already advertise online with The American Israelite. A unique visitor is counted only once no matter how many times they have visited a site. This method is measured by a computer’s IP address (Internet Protocol Standard). In other words, it’s the same as your home address, like online fingerprints. Each of these unique visitors, or increasing hits in new readership, span a wide audience from young professionals to families to teens, baby
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Rare Nazi propaganda film showcases Theresienstadt as ‘paradise’ for inmates By Tom Tugend Jewish Telegraphic Agency LOS ANGELES (JTA) — “The Fuehrer Gives the Jews a City” may rank as the oddest film fragment in cinematic history. The 23 minutes of raw, unedited footage is all that has been found of a Nazi propaganda project to prove that the “model” Theresienstadt camp was a veritable paradise for its Jewish inmates. Shot in early 1944, when
Courtesy of Tom Tugend
Kurt Gerron saw a chance to resume his career when he signed on as director of “The Fuehrer Gives the Jews a City.”
On May 9, the service for Yom HaZikaron, which is Israel’s Memorial Day, will begin at 5:30 p.m. to commemorate the soldiers lost during the wars of modern Israeli history. Thirteen community members and rabbis will lead the outdoor service at the Mayerson JCC. The Rockwern Academy and Cincinnati Hebrew Day School choirs will be part of the hour-long service. The wreath laying ceremony will be conducted by Cincinnati women who have served in Israel’s armed forces. The wreath will be laid for the 1948 War of Independence, the 1956 Sinai War, the 1967 Six-Day War, the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the 1982 First Lebanon War, and the 2006 Second Lebanon War. This event is free and open to the public. Cedar Village, which has hosted the service for many years, will also hold a wreath laying at 3 p.m. on May 9.
Bin Laden’s killing raises immediate questions of security By Uriel Heilman Jewish Telegraphic Agency
the horrors of Hitler’s Final Solution finally trickled out to the West, the film was part of an effort to hoodwink a visiting International Red Cross delegation that all was productive work and wholesome recreation in Theresienstadt, and by extension in other concentration camps. During the day, contented workers shoed horses, made pottery and designed handbags. Children played soccer
NEW YORK (JTA) — For years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, many Americans waited in fear for the next strike by alQaeda on U.S. soil. But the ensuing decade has seen no more major terrorist attacks in the United States. Now, with the news that Osama bin Laden has been killed in Pakistan by U.S. forces, the question many American Jews are considering is whether the liquidation of al-Qaeda’s leader makes a follow-up attack more or less likely, and whether Jews could be a target. “More likely,” said Paul Goldenberg, director of the Secure Community Network, the American Jewish community’s security
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Courtesy of Uri Fintzy
Upon hearing the news of Osama bin Laden’s death, jubilant crowds packed New York’s Times Square in the wee hours of May 1, 2011.
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B’nai Tzedek to celebrate life of Dr. Bernard Aron On Sunday, May 15, at 2 p.m. Congregation B’nai Tzedek will host a community wide tribute to Dr. Bernard (Bernie) Aron, who passed away last year. Dr. Aron’s life touched many people and the entire community is invited to attend this program. The content of the program will reflect different facets of Dr. Aron’s life. One part will focus on Dr. Aron’s leadership roles at Congregation B’nai Tzedek. It will include messages from past rabbis and officers of the congregation who worked with Dr. Aron throughout the many years he provided guidance and support to the congregation.
A second part will point out Dr. Aron’s accomplishments in the medical field. Dr. Aron was a nationally and internationally known and respected radiation oncologist. Remembrances will be offered by Barrett Cancer Center colleagues, former students, and co-workers reflecting on his roles as an admired medical educator, skilled clinician and compassionate caregiver. The third part of the program will offer a more personal side of Dr. Aron’s interests, in particular, his enjoyment of music and literature. In this regard, the musical selections, both instrumental and
vocal, will be presented by congregants and friends. Passages from one of his favorite books will also be read. The formal program will conclude with the unveiling of a plaque in Dr. Aron’s memory to be mounted on the base of the stonewall outside the B’nai Tzedek sanctuary. In part, the plaque reads “Bernard S. Aron, M.D., A Pillar in our Congregation; A Care-Giver to All.” A special “Message Book” for attendees to write personal remembrances will be available and presented to the Aron family at the end of the program. Refreshments will follow the program.
Northern Hills to hold Yom Ha-atzmaut service, May 10 Northern Hills Synagogue – Congregation B’nai Avraham will observe Yom Ha-atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, with a special morning service on Tuesday morning, May 10, beginning at 6:45 a.m. The service will follow the liturgy for Yom Ha-atzmaut, including recitation of the Hallel psalms and a Torah reading. This practice is unique to Conservative Judaism. The service will be followed by an Israeli breakfast, for which there is no charge. In holding this service, the congregation follows its own traditions and those of the Conservative
movement. While today, support and connection to Israel characterize virtually the entire Jewish religious spectrum, that was not always the case. In its early decades, the modern Zionist movement was the focus of controversy in Jewish life. Some Jews held that to try to re-establish Jewish communal and national life in the Land of Israel before the coming of the Messiah constituted a revolt against G-d. Others held that for Jews to return to their ancient homeland would detract from their mission to represent ethical monotheism around the world. Of the move-
ments in contemporary Jewish life, the Conservative movement has had the most consistent record of support for Zionism. Solomon Schechter, one of the seminal figures of Conservative Judaism in the United States, wrote in 1906, “I will state here clearly the reasons for my allegiance to Zionism …To me personally, after long hesitation and careful watching, Zionism recommends itself as a great bulwark against assimilation … What I understand by assimilation is loss of identity.”
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Jewish Family Service Passover Delivery delivers connections With the help of over 140 volunteers of all ages, the 13th annual Dr. Samuel S. Rockwern Passover Delivery of Jewish Family Service delivered about 400 boxes filled with Passover meals Sunday, April 17, to families experiencing financial difficulties. Meals were delivered to 30 zip codes throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. “I hate to think of people being hungry; and more importantly I like to help people have their Pesach (Passover) needs met,” said Peggy Shaw, from Lynchburg, who volunteered with her 14-year-old granddaughter, Tori Shaw. Each box contained matzah, matzah ball soup mix, macaroons, gefilte fish, Passover candy, grape juice, nuts, apples, and a chicken dinner. Peggy’s desire to help others was a shared feeling among the
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volunteers. Mark Rogoff of Blue Ash, who delivered with his son Josh, 17, said it is a worthwhile cause, and “the people are so appreciative.” “It’s nice helping out the Jewish
community,” said Alma Rechnitzer, 13, of Blue Ash who volunteered with her brother Leon, 16, and mother Claire. DELIVERY on page 20
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NHS Sisterhood plans magical closing program The Sisterhood of Northern Hills Synagogue — Congregation B’nai Avraham invites the community to help celebrate The Magic of Sisterhood at its closing program for the 2010-2011 year. The event will take place on Sunday, May 15 at 11:30 a.m., and feature the magician Tom
Bemmes, and also a festive luncheon. Bemmes has been performing magic for over 35 years, and does over 200 shows annually. He has performed throughout the TriState, and has appeared on several television programs. Bemmes worked with Nabisco on their
nationwide promotion “Unlock the Magic of Oreo Cookies,” was the opening act for jazz singer and guitarist Leon Redbone, and entertained at the National Governor’s Conference. Bemmes currently appears at Willie’s Sports Cafe in Kenwood every Tuesday night. In addition, he
teaches math at Sycamore Junior High School. The program will take place at the synagogue. There is no charge for Sisterhood members, but there is a nominal luncheon charge for guests. For more information or to make a reservation, please call the synagogue office.
HUC presents SCRJ prize essay winners On Tuesday, May 17 at 2 p.m., the Society for Classical Reform Judaism (SCRJ) Institute at Hebrew Union College will hold a session where the winners of the SCRJ Prize Essay Program will present their essays. The winning rabbinical students and their pieces are: Joshua Leighton – The Union Prayer Book: A treasury of Reform Tradition
Jason Levine – The Reform Movement’s Response to the Clash Between Science and Religion in the 1920s–’30s Maura Linzer – D’var Torah: A Sermon on Parashat Vayishlach – Genesis 35 Michal Loving – A Responsa on Nursing on Infants During Synagogue Worship Ari Plost – The Classical Reform
Tradition of Social Justice in Chicago: 1900-1960 Ari Lorge – Universalism vs. Particularism: An Historic Debate Still With Us There will be an introduction made by Rabbi Kenneth Kanter. While this SCRJ session will be open to members of the community, discussion will be limited to the student body and faculty. Each stu-
dent will have about 15 minutes to present their papers with about 30 minutes of open discussion for all the papers together. On May 16 and 17, HUC of Cincinnati will host the inauguration of the first SCRJ institute. The SCRJ will, in conjunction with the HUC faculty, hold sessions, discussions and more with the rabbinical students of HUC.
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VOL. 157 • NO. 41 THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011 1 IYYAR 5771 SHABBAT BEGINS FRIDAY 8:17 PM SHABBAT ENDS SATURDAY 9:18 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 production@americanisraelite.com RABBI ISSAC M. WISE Editor & Publisher, 1854-1900 LEO WISE Editor & Publisher, 1900-1928 RABBI JONAH B. WISE Editor & Publisher, 1928-1930
Jewish American Heritage Month events continue If you missed out on Neil Sedaka, or can’t go to “A Comical, Culinary History” this evening, it is time to prepare for the future local events of Jewish American Heritage Month. Here are the events occurring from May 12-19. A free Jewish view of the Cincinnati Art Museum will be given on Saturday, May 14 at 1 p.m. A docent led tour will show art from ancient times that relates to Jewish history. The tour will focus on paintings of biblical stories and themes, and works by Jewish
artists. No reservations necessary. For more information, contact the Cincinnati Art Museum. On May 16, at 3 p.m., Cedar Village in Mason will hold a free lecture called “The Nature of Jewish Life in America.” In this talk, Rabbi Matthew Kraus, director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Jewish Studies at the University of Cincinnati will present the impact of the move to the suburbs on Jewish spiritual life—how Jews pray, how Jews practice, and how Jews
relate to the Almighty. This event is open to the public. Also on May 16, at 6:30 p.m., the Jewish Young Professionals will have an ability to learn more about their (sometimes adoptive) hometown with “The History of the JQC (Jewish Queen City) 101,” an interactive discussion with Dr. Gary Zola, director of the AJA, at the campus of Hebrew Union College. There will be a pre-event reception with dinner and drinks starting at 6:30 p.m. Pre- or post-event tour of the AJA’s Jewish Cincinnati exhib-
it is included. This event is open to Young Jewish professionals, ages 21-35, and any non-Jewish significant others are welcome. Reservations are required. For more information, contact Access. On May 18, the Taft Museum of Art will hold a “Taft in 10,” an informal, 10-minute conversation on Pierre Courtey’s “Standing Dish with Samson and the Philistines” at 1:15 p.m. There, learn about the Renaissance enamel whose theme is the biblical story of Samson.
Cinti JAHM moments: The Fechheimer family To help celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month on a local scale, here is the first of four stories on Cincinnati-based innovations, giving an overview of the Fechheimer family. The Fechheimer family originated in Mitzitz, Bavaria, where the family patriarch, Samuel Maier, was a merchant. Many of his 14 children immigrated to the United States in the mid-1800s, and at least three of them settled in Cincinnati. There, they started a clothing busi-
ness that would become the Fechheimer Brothers Company. Samuel Fechheimer was the first owner of the company, which opened in 1842, and it expanded, with branches in Kentucky and Kansas. His children, May and Jacob, were early owners as well, soon joined by their uncle, Marcus. Another brother, Wulf, also settled in Cincinnati and frequently opened his house to other family members arriving as immigrants. The Fechheimer Brothers
Company still exists and its corporate headquarters remain in Cincinnati with union manufacturing plants in Hodgenville, Ky. and Grantsville, Md., with manufacturing partners in Central and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. It sells uniforms to police, fire, military, postal and other service industries. The German-Jewish Fechheimer family has a long and distinguished history in the Cincinnati area. One descendant, A. Lincoln Fechheimer
(1879–1954), became a renowned architect who built the original classroom building and Bernheim Library of Hebrew Union College, the former Wise Center building in Avondale, and the Wilson Auditorium on the Clifton campus of the University of Cincinnati. The architecture firm of Fechheimer, Ihorst & McCoy designed the Dale Park School in Mariemont (1924–1925) and the firm of Fechheimer & Ihorst designed the Ault Park Pavilion in 1930.
HENRY C. SEGAL Editor & Publisher, 1930-1985 PHYLLIS R. SINGER Editor & General Manager, 1985-1999 MILLARD H. MACK Publisher Emeritus NETANEL (TED) DEUTSCH Editor & Publisher BARBARA L. MORGENSTERN Senior Writer NICOLE SIMON RITA TONGPITUK Assistant Editors ALEXIA KADISH Copy Editor JANET STEINBERG Travel Editor STEPHANIE DAVIS-NOVAK Fashion Editor MARILYN GALE Dining Editor MARIANNA BETTMAN NATE BLOOM IRIS PASTOR RABBI A. JAMES RUDIN ZELL SCHULMAN RABBI AVI SHAFRAN PHYLLIS R. SINGER Contributing Columnists LEV LOKSHIN JANE KARLSBERG Staff Photographers JOSEPH D. STANGE Production Manager MICHAEL MAZER Sales ERIN WYENANDT Office Manager
JCC Preschool Concert, Open House, May 19 Families with preschoolers are invited to enjoy a free concert by popular children’s music entertainer, Marc Rossio “The Marvelous Toy.” This performance is hosted by the JCC Early Childhood School, and will be held in the Mayerson JCC gym on Thursday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. The event is open to the public and free of charge. Rossio will entertain preschoolers and their families with interactive songs and singalongs. Parents of preschoolers who
are interested in learning more about the JCC Early Childhood School are encouraged to attend. An Open House directly follows the concert so that prospective families can tour the school facilities, talk to teachers, and learn about JCC educational programs and enrichment activities. At 6:25 p.m. in the JCC gym, before the Rossio concert, there will be a brief dedication ceremony for “Jackie’s Corner” in commemoration of Jackie Sachs, beloved JCC pre-
school teacher and administrator for more than 40 years. Jackie lost her battle with cancer in 2010, but she will always be remembered for her many years of outstanding and dedicated service to the JCC Early Childhood School. Families are invited to see “Jackie’s Corner” at the school Open House following the Rossio concert. Families are encouraged to dedicate new or gently used books to the JCC Early Childhood School in recognition of Jackie’s service.
The JCC Early Childhood School is recognized for its high-quality standards in education and childcare, as well as the experienced staff, modern classrooms, and warm, caring environment. Both full-day and half-day preschool programs are available. For more information about the JCC Early Childhood School and the Mark Rossio Concert and Open House on Thursday evening, May 19, contact the Mayerson JCC.
THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE (USPS 019-320) is published weekly for $44 per year and $2.00 per single copy in Cincinnati and $49 per year and $3.00 per single copy elsewhere in U.S. by The American Israelite Co. 18 West Ninth Street, Suite 2, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-2037. 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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Outstanding student volunteers receive AJC Lazarus awards Rarely do we hear about the deeds of kind-hearted teens, like the 67 students nominated for this year’s 46th annual Simon Lazarus, Jr. Human Relations Award, presented by American Jewish Committee Cincinnati Region (AJC). AJC honored 10 finalists who excel in volunteerism at this year’s awards ceremony, which took place on May 2, at Rockdale Temple. They received award books and savings bonds. Fortysix high schools throughout Greater Cincinnati nominated juniors and seniors for recognition of their contributions to the community. Each nominee received a certificate and each school library received a book. Junior class winner is Kelsey Cramer, of Wyoming H.S., who coordinated events dedicated to eradicating hunger, both through the Free Store locally and through an organization working in Africa. She organized students to put a peanut butter and jelly drive online and set up a walkathon mirroring the walk of African stu-
dents to their school. She convinced her school administration to promote the cause during school time through an assembly on “Hunger: Here, There and Everywhere.” Her recommender showed that she effectively motivates other students and always “makes sure others feel included in the activity.” Senior class winner is Blake Barlow, of St. Henry District H.S. in Erlanger, who volunteered at a pharmacy providing free medication to low-income people. He refurbished a city park shelter, soliciting donations of materials from construction companies and organizing others to complete the project. He is especially proud of making the park accessible to people with disabilities. He also carried out humanitarian aid to people with leprosy in Cuba, an adventure that he shared with others upon his return, to increase local understanding of another culture. His recommender says, “Helping others is not just part of the job for our nominee. His selfless acts inspire everyone who
comes into contact with him.” Junior class finalists are: Grace Bolan, of St. Ursula Academy, whose interest in social justice has led her to fight sex trafficking and to spread awareness of forced labor. Raina Graham, of Clark Montessori, works with homeless adults and kids with disabilities. Katharine Hassey, of Mariemont H.S., organized a canned food drive, raised money to buy a school bus in Haiti, and volunteered at a shelter for single mothers. Emma Lindle, of Seton H.S., works with the homeless and involves other teens in volunteering. Senior class finalists are: Mariel Beausejour, of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, who teaches English as a second language to youngsters, builds awareness of trafficking and slavery, and spends summers at a home for impoverished children in Mexico. Kara Driscoll, of Mt. Notre Dame H.S., whose tutoring experiences and volunteering at an Over-the-Rhine housing agency
have give her understanding of how others feel and inspired her to advocacy. Christina Ingle, of Winton Woods H.S., combats racism through a youth service at her church and cares for a public park near her home. Taylor Ourada, of Lakota West H.S., organized a Halloween food drive, and orients children awaiting surgery and encourages others to volunteer at a hospital. Daniel Westheimer, a junior at SCPA, wrote about his volunteering with Ronald McDonald House, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and as a teacher assistant at Wise Temple. Daniel is the son of Richard and Debbie Westheimer of Batavia. Another nominee was Michael Craig, of Beechwood High School. He participated in a youth leadership program and created a group that feeds the homeless. He is the son of Rob and Trudy Craig of Ft. Mitchell. Five community leaders served as judges to select the winners: Terry Joyner, president and
CEO, Systems Solutions Educational Consulting; Danya Karram, community volunteer; John Lomax, Channel 12 anchor; Mary McCullough-Hudson, president and CEO, ArtsWave; Judge Russell Mock, Hamilton County Municipal Court. “These students have big hearts and helping hands,” noted Marcia Scacchetti, this year’s AJC Awards Committee chair. “Their unselfishness, caring and leadership enrich our community. Jewish tradition teaches that it is according to our deeds that G-d’s presence descends. The students’ actions show they value deeds of loving-kindness, one of Judaism’s guiding principles.” Other committee members included Suzanne Baird, Jennie Berliant, Julie Buckner, Margie Burgin, Jeff Cohen, Dr. Neil Dubin, Wendy Fidler, Suzy Marcus Goldberg, Bess Gordon, Tara Gordon, Linda Grayman, Jann Greenberg, Dr. Daniel Kanter, Geri Kolesar, Barb Levy-Wall, Barb Weinstein-McGrath, Robert Moskowitz, Barry Randman, Seth Schwartz and Ken Weisbacher.
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Celebrate Lag B’Omer with BMX stunt show, picnic Chabad Jewish Center is gearing up for what the organizers hope will be a spectacular Lag B’Omer celebration. In addition to the BMX stunt show, the Lag B’Omer event will feature a delicious barbeque, moon bounce, music and more. “A team of five professional BMX riders are coming to town, ready to wow the crowd with ramps, back flips, twists and more. Lag B’Omer is a holiday that celebrates Jewish unity, and this cookout is an opportune time to
Join Chabad for the BMX bike stunt show and the picnic to celebrate Lag B’Omer.
unite the local Jewish community. Every Jew, regardless of age, affiliation or background, is invited to join,” says Rabbi Berel Cohen, youth and family program director of Chabad Jewish Center. Having outgrown our previous years location at Bob Meyer Park, this year’s Lag B’Omer picnic will be held at the Blue Ash Elementary School. The new venue provides ample space for the stunt show and picnic, as well as an indoor option in the event of rain. Lag B’Omer, which this year
occurs on Sunday, May 22, commemorates the cessation of a tragic plague that occurred over 2,000 years ago during the weeks between Passover and Shavuot, wiping out 24,000 disciples of the great Talmudic sage Rabbi Akiva. The plague was brought about as a result of their lack of respect toward one another. The dying ceased on Lag B’Omer, so on this day Jews get together and emphasize unconditional love and respect of one’s fellow, whoever and wherever they may be.
This day also marks the passing of the great sage and mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who is attributed as the author of the Zohar, the foundational book of Kabalah. On the day of his passing, Rabbi Shimon instructed his disciples to mark the date as “the day of my joy.” Each Lag B’Omer Rabbi Shimon’s life is celebrated, and his teachings continue to this day to be an inspiration to the Jewish People. There is a cost to attend. For more information, call Rabbi Cohen or visit the ChabadBA website.
Alumni, supporters honored at CHDS annual dinner By Miriam Karp Guest Contributor “Great is Torah learning when it leads to good deeds.” At CHDS’ annual dinner, which will take place May 30 at the Mayerson JCC, this year’s honorees—Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Jan Maltinsky, and Dr. Hannah Shonfield—exemplify using Torah learning and values, combined with dedicated hard work, to better our world. They have synthesized Torah and derech eretz (worldly disciplines) to be leading contributors in their fields as well as active members of both the CHDS and broader Jewish community. In addition to our honorees, CHDS will pay tribute to school founder, Mr. Phil Moskowitz, of blessed memory. Among his many quietly done good deeds, we will highlight the commitment of Mr.
Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Jan Maltinsky
Dr. Hannah Shonfield
Mr. Phil Moskowitz
Moskowitz to Jewish continuity, which led him to play a key role in the creation and development of Chofetz Chaim (as the school was then called). Finally, CHDS will recognize
created to give special recognition to those who make a significant multi-year financial commitment to assist CHDS. Jan Shonfield Maltinsky and her sister Dr. Hannah Shonfield attended CHDS/Chofetz Chaim at the school’s former location in Roselawn. They enjoyed learning Torah in a warm, family-like community environment, and the solid foundation they received in secular studies has helped them as each woman has excelled in her chosen field. Today, Jan is an educational specialist at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, working on the “Intervention for Children with Reading and Attention Difficulties” research study. An Amberley Village native, Jan attended CHDS in 7th and 8th grades and graduated from Walnut Hills High School. She earned a B.A. in psychology from Miami University, magna cum laude, and an M.Ed. in Montessori education from Xavier University, summa cum laude. Jan co-founded the Miami Students for Israel group, affiliated with Miami Hillel. She has worked as a reading teacher for 15 years, specializing in teaching students with dyslexia. Jan has supervised teachers in MultiSensory Language Instruction both as an instructor at Miami University and as a master teacher at the Scottish Rite Learning
Centers in Cincinnati and Dayton. Dr. Hannah Shonfield fondly remembers CHDS as “such a positive learning environment.” Hannah laughingly relates that she has been a student most of her life, and credits CHDS with giving her the very positive attitude about learning that has enabled her to persevere and receive her AuD.— doctorate in audiology. Hannah graduated summa cum laude from Yeshiva University Stern College for Women and received her Master of Science degree in Communication Science from Hunter College School of Health Sciences, City University of New York. Hannah earned her AuD. from the Arizona School of Health Sciences. Today she works as a clinical audiologist at Weill Cornell Medical College. Born in Queens, N.Y., Michael Maltinsky was raised in Toledo. He came to the Queen City to study architecture at the University of Cincinnati. Michael received a bachelor’s degree in Architecture and a Certificate of Co-Operative Education from the renowned School of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, while also earning a minor in business administration from the School of Business in 1991. Today he is the managing principal of glaserworks Architecture and Urban Planning.
the founding members of its new Sarei Alaphim society. In the Torah the Sarei Alaphim were officers set up to assist Moses in judging the Jewish people in the desert. In a similar vein, the society was
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Healing powers of chocolate from Wise Temple Sisterhood Wise Temple Sisterhood has donated funds raised from its successful Chocolate Festival to support agencies that care for the needs of women and children. In addition to funding, Sisterhood plans to partner with these agencies through hands-on Social Action Projects where Sisterhood members interact with recipients and experience the joy of helping those in need. “The Chocolate Festival has shown us that there are healing powers in chocolate,” noted Susan Melowsky, chairperson for the Chocolate Festival and Wise Temple Sisterhood board member. Wise Temple Sisterhood is so proud that this event has so directly helped so many women and children in our Cincinnati Community.” The following organizations were the recipients, each carefully evaluated and chosen by Sisterhood members:
The Cinderella Project: The donation was given in early March. Donations of money, quality new and “gently used” formal dresses and gowns as well accessories allow young women to attend their high school formal occasions without worrying about the financial burden associated with attending such events. ProKids: A donation was given in April. ProKids is a nonprofit agency that provides outstanding volunteer advocacy for children in Hamilton County who have been abused and neglected and, through no fault of their own, are in the foster care and court system. ProKids recruits, trains, and supports community volunteers known as CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteers to provide a powerful voice for these kids. CHOCOLATE on page 21
2011 March of the Living delegation journey together Twenty-four Jewish high school seniors from Cincinnati left recently as carefree teenagers. When they return home in two weeks time, they will have been transformed into very different people as a result of an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience as part of the 2011 March of the Living delegation. On Wednesday, April 27, these students and their four chaperones left for Poland to join with a group of 10,000 other Jewish teens from 40 countries around the world. Spending their first week visiting concentration camps, former Jewish villages and shetls, and other places of note, their experience in Poland was to culminate with a three kilometer march from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the largest concentration camp complex built by the Nazis during World War II. The “March,” which took place on Yom Hashoah—Holocaust Remembrance Day—retraced the steps of the “March of Death,” the actual route in which countless numbers of Jewish people were forced to take on their way to the gas chambers at Birkenau. This allowed participants to experience history where it was made; however, this time, it was the March of the Living, where thousands of Jewish young adults marched shoulder to
shoulder, profoundly illustrating that Hitler’s plan to destroy the Jewish people did not succeed, and sending an unmistakable message of “Never Again.” This very difficult and meaningful week will be followed by an equally meaningful visit to Israel to feel firsthand the vital and vibrant living history of the homeland of the Jewish people. Participants will have the chance to join together with all of Israel to commemorate their fallen soldiers and the victims of terror during Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Day of Remembrance, and then, on Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, they will celebrate with another march through the streets of Jerusalem—this time, however, it will be one filled with hope and jubilation. The four adult members of the Cincinnati delegation include Danny Meisterman, the Mayerson JCC’s youth and teen coordinator and March of the Living delegation head; Sarah Singer Nourie; Rabbi Shena Potter Jaffee, director of Jewish Life and Learning at the Mayerson JCC; and her father, Sam Potter, a refugee of the Holocaust who escaped in August 1939, one MARCH on page 21
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Israel taking Holocaust restitution Israeli leaders, U.S. into its own hands Jewish groups hail killing of bin Laden By Uriel Heilman Jewish Telegraphic Agency
NEW YORK (JTA) — The Israeli government is firing a new salvo in the turf war over Holocaust restitution. Following years of complaints by survivors about opacity and unjust allocation decisions by the Claims Conference, and after two decades of what critics deride as scant tangible successes by the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO), a new Israeli restitution organization is amassing hundreds of thousands of new claims for survivors and their heirs. Called Project Heart, an acronym for Holocaust Era Asset Restitution Taskforce, the initiative comes at the behest of the Israeli government and aims to compile claims relating to assets stolen, confiscated or looted throughout Europe. Project Heart says it has collected information relating to some 500,000 stolen assets — from real estate, bank accounts, businesses and insurance policies to art and jewelry — and has handled 30,000 inquiries from survivors or heirs. However, there are no agreements in place with any European countries to offer compensation for the stolen Jewish property. “I certainly hope that the people that are responding affirmatively to the request for information by Project Heart aren’t building up their hopes for immediate results,” said Julius Berman, the chairman of the Claims Conference, which also is an organizational board member of the WJRO. The project is one of two major restitution efforts being spearheaded by the Israeli government. The other, Hashava, a program to restitute Israeli assets purchased in prestate Palestine by Jews who perished in the Holocaust, already has disbursed some $115 million. The establishment of Project Heart is an implicit indictment of the WJRO, which is charged with recouping restitution from European countries other than Germany and Austria but which has made little headway, particularly in the area of private property restitution. It’s also a signal that the Israeli government, which is funding Project Heart with some $2.4 million annually for three years, is going on its own in seeking restitution rather than working through existing Diaspora-led organizations. Israelis long had claimed that they were underrepresented on the Claims Conference board, and even though the WJRO is based in Israel, its board and executive committee are dominated by Diaspora members. So far, there are no plans for
By Ron Kampeas and Marcy Oster Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Courtesy of N.Y. Museum of Jewish Heritage
The Kurt Lindenfeld store in Chemnitz, Germany, seen here in the 1920s, was one of thousands of German Jewish businesses that vanished during the Nazi era.
collaboration between Project Heart and the Claims Conference or WJRO, even though they share a sponsor in the Jewish Agency for Israel. That has rankled officials like Berman. “I really don’t understand why this type of endeavor was not presented to the WJRO,” he told JTA. The initiative for Project Heart came from an Israeli government decision in February 2007 following strong pressure by the Pensioners’ Party, which at the time controlled seven seats in the Israeli legislature. It took two more years for the project to become formalized. The chairman of Project Heart’s advisory committee is the former head of the largely defunct Pensioners’ Party, Rafael Eitan. The project’s establishment will be announced formally in Jerusalem on May 1, the eve of Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. With nearly $8 million to spend over three years, Project Heart dwarfs the WJRO, which has a $600,000 annual budget funded by the Claims Conference, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Jewish Agency. The ad spending alone for Project Heart, which receives 92.5 percent of its funding from the Israeli government and the balance from the Jewish Agency, exceeds $500,000. Thanks to an anonymous donor, the ads include an electronic billboard commercial that appears in New York’s Times Square for 30 seconds every hour. With its focus on countries that have not yet restituted prewar Jewish properties, Project Heart is yet another sign that the battle for restitution will not die with the survivors. “To a large extent, we are empowering the next generation,” said Bobby Brown, director of Project Heart and a veteran of
numerous restitution efforts. The idea, he said, is to “record whatever we can from this generation” of survivors and their children before their knowledge about prewar Jewish assets are taken to the grave. The information is being collected and organized for Project Heart by A.B. Data, a Milwaukee-based data management company that has been involved in other classaction Holocaust restitution settlements. The company has set up a 24-hour call center for Project Heart with operators able to handle inquiries in 17 languages, and it’s mining newly available archives in Europe and elsewhere for information that might help substantiate Jewish claims. Once the database of stolen assets is compiled, Project Heart plans to use the information to pressure European countries to pay up or reach a settlement with Jewish heirs. “We received tens of thousands of phone calls and hundreds of emails thanking us for continuing the legacy of survivors who have passed on and told their children not to give up, not to forget,” said Anya Verkhovskaya, Project Heart’s administrative director. “They said we’re giving their parents and grandparents a voice and an opportunity to continue the fight.” But Renee Firestone, 87, a survivor who lives in Beverly Hills, Calif., and filed a claim with Project Heart related to her father’s home and textile business in prewar Czechoslovakia, says she is skeptical that the new effort will result in any success. “I will be very surprised if anything will really happen, if they will come up with some resolution,” Firestone said of Project Heart. “But I will get involved in anything that gives us some hope. We have to fight for everything.”
(JTA) — Jewish and Israeli leaders welcomed the news that Osama bin Laden is dead after being killed in a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan. The body of bin Laden, head of the terrorist group al-Qaeda and the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2011 attacks on New York and Washington, was taken by U.S. forces and reportedly was buried at sea, presumably to prevent his grave from becoming a shrine, The New York Times reported. The body was buried within 24 hours of his death, reportedly in respect of Muslim tradition, according to the Times. “The State of Israel joins the American people on this historic day in celebrating the elimination of Osama bin Laden,” read a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “This is a resounding victory for justice, freedom and the common values of all democracies that are resolutely fighting shoulder to shoulder against terrorism.” The American Jewish Committee hailed the news of the successful U.S. operation against bin Laden, at his compound. “We express our heartfelt admiration and appreciation to the United States government for the relentless pursuit of bin Laden, who had the blood of thousands on his hands,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris. “This is an extraordinary moment for all concerned about the fight against international terrorism. It sends an unmistakably powerful message of American resolve to go after those who would wreak human havoc in the name of their perverted hatred packaged as fanatical faith.” “We should take this moment to reflect on the successful pursuit of a mass murderer, who was responsible for such devastating loss of life in the United States and in so many places around the globe,” B’nai Brith International said in a statement. The organization said that it “welcomes the message this action sends to terrorists: that the United States will relentlessly protect its people.” The Republican Jewish Committee offered its congratulations to “the Obama administration,the intelligence community, and the military on a job well done. This closes a painful chapter in American history and should give comfort to the families of those
killed by al-Qaeda. But we must remain vigilant against the continued threats from the forces of radical Islam and from those around the world who wish to do us harm.” A number of U.S. media outlets reported the death of bin Laden late Sunday night, subsequent to a notice that President Obama was to deliver a major announcement from the White House. “I can confirm to the world that the United States conducted a mission that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden,” Obama said at about 11:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern time. Obama said bin Laden was killed Sunday after a months-long operation in a firefight in Abbottabad, in northeastern Pakistan. Bin Laden did not cite Israel as a motive when he first emerged in the 1990s, but in the last decade he began to routinely cite U.S. support for the Jewish state as a grievance. Affiliates of the al-Qaeda terrorist movement he founded have emerged in recent years in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak congratulated Obama, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, the Pentagon leadership and the heads of the U.S. armed forces on the operation to eliminate bin Laden. “This is an important achievement for the U.S. in the global war against terrorism,” Barak said. “In this operation, the U.S. has shown determination and operational daring. We have again seen that the leading democracies of the world have a common struggle against terrorism, which will be decided by a multifaceted joint effort that is far from over.” Hamas, which controls Gaza, condemned the killing. “We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood,” Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas prime minister in the Gaza Strip, told reporters, calling bin Laden “an Arab holy warrior.” But the Palestinian Authority, which recently agreed to form a unity government with Hamas, said the killing of bin Laden would be “good for the cause of peace.” “Getting rid of bin Laden is good for the cause of peace worldwide, but what counts is to overcome the discourse and the methods — the violent methods — that were created and encouraged by bin Laden and others in the world,” PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib said shortly after the Obama announcement, according to Reuters.
NATIONAL
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011
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Reform defends Richard Jacobs as critics attack his Israel positions By Sue Fishkoff Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Courtesy of Missouri News Horizon / Creative Commons
John Chasnoff of the American Civil Liberties Union and Gail Wechsler of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis join Muslims in Jefferson City, Mo. on April 12, 2011 to protest a proposed law banning sharia.
Anti-sharia laws stir concerns that halachah could be next By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON (JTA) — With conservative lawmakers across the United States trying to outlaw sharia, or Islamic religious law, Jewish organizations are concerned that halachah could be next. If the state legislative initiatives targeting sharia are successful, they would gut a central tenet of American Jewish religious communal life: The ability under U.S. law to resolve differences according to halachah, or Jewish religious law. “The laws are not identical, but as a general rule they could be interpreted broadly to prevent two Jewish litigants from going to a beit din,” a Jewish religious court, said Abba Cohen, the Washington director of Agudath Israel of America, an Orthodox umbrella group. “That would be a terrible infringement on our religious freedom.” A number of recent beit din arbitrations that were taken by litigants to civil courts — on whether a batch of etrogim met kosher standards; on whether a teacher at a yeshiva was rightfully dismissed; and on the ownership of Torah scrolls — would have no standing under the proposed laws. Cohen added that a New York State law requiring parties in a divorce to cut all ties immediately would be affected by the passage of anti-sharia legislation; the law protects divorced Jewish women from becoming “agunot,” chained to a recalcitrant husband through his refusal to grant a religious divorce. Federal laws protecting religious expression in the workplace — for instance, wearing head coverings or asking for certain holidays off — also could be affected, he said. The threats posed by the anti-
sharia laws — passed by referendum in Oklahoma and under consideration in 13 other states, according to a study by the liberal Center for American Progress — led Agudah and the Orthodox Union to join in an American Jewish Committee-spearheaded letter to state legislatures urging them to reject such laws. “The impact of this legislation goes well beyond prohibiting religious tribunal resolution of monetary or ministerial disputes,” says one of the letters, to the Arizona state Senate. “It would apparently prohibit the courts from looking to key documents of church, synagogue or mosque governance — religious law — to resolve disputes about the ownership of a house of worship, selection and discipline of ministers, and church governance.” The unlikely combination of signatories, which also include the American Civil Liberties Union, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, signal the breadth of opposition to the legislation targeting Islamic law. But there are also Jews supportive of the anti-sharia laws, such as David Yerushalmi, an Orthodox lawyer who has written extensively on the topic and testified on the matter as some legislatures consider the proposed laws. Yerushalmi argues that sharia differs from halachah or Christian canon law because it sanctions jihad, which he says amounts to sedition through seeking the overthrow of governments through nonviolent and violent means. “Because Jihad necessarily advocates violence and the destruction of ASSETS on page 22
SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — An angry exchange over the Zionist credentials of the incoming president of the Reform movement has intensified and exploded onto the public stage. The conflict pits the movement’s leadership against a group of dissidents who say they represent a growing number of Reform Jews upset by the movement’s “leftward shift.” Last week the dissident group, which calls itself Jews Against Divisive Leadership and is led by Washington-area Zionist activist Carol Greenwald, placed an ad in a number of Jewish newspapers criticizing the recent appointment of Rabbi Richard Jacobs as the next president of the Union for Reform Judaism. Greenwald, who is chairman of Holocaust Museum Watch, a group that its website says is “Monitoring the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Failure to Expose Arab AntiSemitism and to Chronicle its Dangers to World Jewry,” and a board member of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, or CAMERA, also has an Op-Ed in JTA slamming Jacobs. The ad, signed by some three dozen members of U.S. Reform
Courtesy of RAC
Rabbi Richard Jacobs, in blue tie next to Rabbi Eric Yoffie, whom Jacobs is nominated to succeed as president of the Union for Reform Judaism, defended his record on Israel in a speech at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, May 2, 2011.
congregations, suggested that Jacobs is not sufficiently pro-Israel to head their religious denomination. It notes that he is on the rabbinic cabinet of J Street and the board of the New Israel Fund, two organizations that promote leftwing causes related to Israel. The ad calls upon the Union for Reform Judaism to reconsider Jacobs’ appointment or risk driving “mainstream Zionists” out of the Reform movement. Stuart Weil, a citrus grower in
Fresno, California, and a lifelong member of the Reform movement who signed the ad, said he is outraged by “the leftist agenda of the Reform movement,” which he says has intensified in recent years. “Yoffie and Saperstein have turned the Reform movement into an affiliate of the Democratic Party,” he told JTA, referring to current URJ President Rabbi Eric Yoffie and Rabbi David Saperstein, head of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.
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International Briefs Pope John Paul II, proponent of Jewish-Catholic relations, is beatified ROME (JTA) — Pope John Paul II, who made fostering Catholic-Jewish relations and remembering the Holocaust cornerstones of his papacy, was beatified at the Vatican. John Paul’s successor, Pope Benedict XVI, officiated at Sunday’s ceremony — the last step before canonization, or sainthood — before an estimated 1 million faithful and a live broadcast audience of millions more around the world. The ceremony took place just hours before Yom Hashoah, when Jews around the world remember the Holocaust in prayer and ceremonies. The Polish-born John Paul, who died in April 2005, served as pontiff for more than 26 years. Born in 1920, John Paul had Jewish friends growing up and witnessed destruction during the Holocaust. Throughout his papacy, he reached out to Jews and met frequently with Jewish representatives, including Holocaust survivors, and repeatedly condemned anti-Semitism. In 1986 he became the first pope to visit a synagogue when he visited Rome’s main synagogue, where he embraced the Rome chief rabbi and referred to Jews as Christianity’s “elder brothers in faith.” During his reign, Israel and the Vatican established formal relations, and he made a pilgrimage to Israel in 2000, during which he prayed at the Western Wall. “On this day of his beatification, it is only appropriate that we celebrate this leader who made a revolutionary impact in Catholic-Jewish relations within our lifetime, and that we of all faiths continue to learn from him,” Rabbi Jack Bemporad, director of the Center for Interreligious Understanding in New Jersey and the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue in Rome, wrote in the Huffington Post. At John Paul’s funeral, crowds called for him to be made a saint immediately. But Pope Benedict has come under criticism from some quarters for fast-tracking the sainthood process, waiving the usual five-year waiting period before it can begin. Some critics also have called into question John Paul’s handling of the widespread sex abuse scandal involving priests and children that erupted during his reign.
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Palestinian unity presents Israel with choice: Go for broke or shun at all costs By Leslie Susser Jewish Telegraphic Agency JERUSALEM (JTA) — Skeptics and optimists in Israel are squaring off following the surprise reconciliation between the two rival Palestinian factions. The skeptics argue that by mending fences with Hamas, a terrorist organization that denies Israel’s right to exist, the secular Fatah party led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has shown it’s not genuinely committed to peace with Israel. The optimists contend that a unified Palestinian leadership presents Israel with a rare opportunity to make peace with the entire Palestinian people — religious and secular, in Gaza and the West Bank. In the near term, Israel is trying to sort out the possible security headaches of the Palestinian rapprochement. For instance, how will the Israeli military be able to continue its close security coordination with PA forces if Hamas, the target of much of the intelligence that changes hands, is part of the Palestinian Authority’s security set-up? Also, the Palestinian Authority’s release of hundreds of Hamas prisoners — one of the provisions of the agreement — would create new security complications. Furthermore, the new Egyptian regime now says it will be opening the Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza, which could translate into an accelerated flow of arms for Hamas, not to mention construction materials that the terrorist group could use to build fortifications. But some senior Israeli Defense Ministry officials counter that opening the Rafah crossing point actually could help Israeli diplomacy because it would make it clear to the outside world that Gaza is not under siege. What’s more, they say, the reunification of Gaza with Egypt could have long-term strategic benefits for Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made his views clear: He sees any Fatah-Hamas partnership as a threat. “The Palestinian Authority must choose between peace with Israel or peace with Hamas,” Netanyahu said last week. “Peace with both of them is impossible because Hamas aspires to destroy the State of Israel and says so openly. It fires missiles on our cities. It fires anti-tank missiles at our children.” Defense Minister Ehud Barak disassociated himself from Netanyahu’s quick rejection of
Courtesy of Ruben Salvadori/Flash 90/JTA
Thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank city of Ramallah hold a rally advocating Fatah-Hamas reconciliation, March 15, 2011. A reconciliation deal was announced in late April.
talks with a unified Palestinian leadership. Barak argues that the government can’t have it both ways, saying that any agreement with Abbas would be limited because he can’t deliver Gaza but then rejecting negotiations with a Palestinian leadership that includes the Gaza-controlling Hamas. Proponents of peace talks with the Palestinian leadership go further. They say the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation should be seen in the context of the anticipated Palestinian request for acceptance as a U.N. member state in September, and that the only way to pre-empt what could prove to be a serious threat to Israel is through peace talks with the unified Palestinian leadership. Shaul Arieli, one of the leaders of the Geneva Initiative peace proposal, contends that if Palestine is accepted as a U.N. member state, Israel could be forced to withdraw from the West Bank empty-handed. “In negotiations so far, the Palestinians have shown flexibility on things like land swaps and demilitarization,” Arieli told JTA. “But after September, the international community could pressure Israel to leave without having secured any of its vital interests.” Netanyahu, insiders say, intends to take the opposite tack. Rather than negotiate with the Palestinians, he will attempt to scuttle their U.N. membership application. Pointing to the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation, he will try to persuade as many countries as possible that the United Nations should not accept a state with a terrorist presence in its government. Netanyahu's critics on the left accuse him of exploiting the FatahHamas situation to back away from a peacemaking process he doesn’t
really believe in. Journalist Aluf Benn, writing in the Israeli daily Haaretz, called it “a bonanza for Bibi” because he won’t have to offer concessions to the Palestinians. For his part, Abbas argues that it is the PLO, not the Palestinian government, that conducts negotiations with Israel, and as PLO chairman he would be fully in charge and Hamas would have no say. Therefore, Abbas says, Netanyahu has no reason to refuse to engage. Abbas warns that if Netanyahu does not make a serious peace offer, nothing will stop him from going ahead with his U.N. gambit. For Abbas, it is vitally important to approach the United Nations as the leader of all the Palestinians, not just the West Bank. The rapprochement deal gives him that, at least formally. As for Hamas, after resisting unity deals over four years, it finally agreed in part due to the recent far-reaching changes in the Arab world. The so-called Arab Spring has left Hamas’ main backer, Syria, in turmoil, while making Egypt, Fatah’s patron and the mediator between Fatah and Hamas, more even-handed. Hamas also faced domestic pressure — murmurings in Gaza that it, too, was a despotic Arab regime. The reconciliation agreement provides for a government of technocrats, chosen jointly by Fatah and Hamas, to prepare elections for parliament, the president and the Palestine National Council, the legislative body of the PLO, within a year. In the long run, Fatah and Hamas remain with diametrically opposed visions of the Palestinian future and on different sides of the old Middle East divide between moderates and extremists.
Israel Briefs Katsav appeals rape conviction JERUSALEM (JTA) — Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav has appealed his conviction on rape and sexual assault charges and requested a delay of his prison sentence. Katsav is scheduled to enter prison next week to serve a seven-year sentence. His appeal was filed Monday with the Israeli Supreme Court; his attorneys requested that the former Israeli president’s imprisonment be delayed pending a final decision on the appeal. The conviction and sentence was handed down in the Tel Aviv District Court. Katsav also was ordered to pay more than $28,000 to the rape victim and about $7,000 to the sexual assault victim. He will serve two years of probation after he is released from prison. The 300-page appeal suggests that it would be undignified for Katsav to show up at the Supreme Court for his appeal in handcuffs, according to reports. The appeal also asks that “weighty consideration should be given to the fact that Katsav served as the president of the State and Israel’s official representative at home and abroad.” The yearlong trial, which was closed to the public, ended with a guilty verdict on Dec. 30. Two years before the verdict was handed down, Katsav declined what was seen as a lenient plea bargain — one that dropped the rape charges for lesser charges and likely would have left him with a suspended sentence — saying that he wanted to clear his name in court. Katsav, who immigrated to Israel from Iran in 1951, was elected president by the Knesset in 2000 in an upset of Shimon Peres. In 2007, Peres assumed the post following Katsav’s resignation in the wake of the allegations shortly before the end of his term. Barenboim to conduct orchestra in Gaza JERUSALEM (JTA) — Renowned Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim will present a “peace concert” in the Gaza Strip. Barenboim, a Palestinian activist, will direct an organization of 25 European musicians on Tuesday, the French news agency AFP reported. The so-called “Orchestra for Gaza” was announced Monday by the United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.
SOCIAL LIFE
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011
FUSION FAMILY Being part of a blended family can have its share of challenges. That’s why Fusion Family offers free events throughout the year for families in which one partner was born Jewish, and the other either converted to Judaism, is considering it, or is comfortable with the way things are. An initiative of The Mayerson Foundation, Fusion Family is a “no strings attached” way for young families to meet others just like themselves, learn a little bit—or a little bit more—about Jewish customs, rituals and traditions, socialize with one another, and have a great time! To find out more about Fusion Family, consult the Community Directory in the back of this issue. Below are photos from some past Fusion Family events. PASSOVER POTTERY & PUPPET PAR TY
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Nearly 150 people attended The Passover Pottery and Puppet Party where children got the chance to learn about Passover and create their own seder plates, Kiddush cups and other items to help celebrate the upcoming holiday!
SUNDAY IN THE SUKKAH
SUNDAY UNDER THE SEA
A family fun day for nature nuts, this event gave guests a chance to learn about the holiday of Sukkot, decorate a sukkah on the grounds of Lake Isabella Lodge in Loveland and meet an armadillo and other critters from the Cincinnati Zoo.
More than 120 parents and children enjoyed a private party at the Newport Aquarium where they got to see and pet live penguins, learn about the concept of tzedakah, and make their own Under the Sea Tzedakah Boxes to take home. The event included a free visit to the Aquarium for all the families.
SPLISH SPLASH BEACH BASH
SUPER HERO HANUKAH
There may not be a sea in Cincinnati, but you would never have known that this past summer when hundreds of people participated in Shalom Family’s private Splish Splash Beach Bash Party at Grand Sands in Loveland! Children enjoyed giant inflatable water slides, a mechanical surfboard and digging in the 20,000 square feet of white sand while moms and dads relaxed and socialized in the summer sun knowing their kids were having fun!
Hundreds of caped crusaders from all over Cincinnati celebrated the festival of lights at Shalom Family’s Super Hero Hanukah Party at Performance Lexus in Mason. They got to see a replica of the Batmobile, jump on giant inflatables, ride in bumper cars and have their picture taken in front of a green screen to appear as though they were superheroes flying high above the Cincinnati skyline!
At Shalom Family’s Park-n-Play event, dads and kids fed the ducks and enjoyed a picnic lunch and interactive storytelling at one of Cincinnati’s most family-friendly parks. Then, they made surprise gifts to give their moms on Mother’s Day.
SENSORY SUNDAY
FUNNUKAH HANUKKAH PAR TY
Twice a month, families in the Jewish community, with babies 18 months and younger, get together for private, interactive play-dates at Gymboree in Mason. These FREE playgroups are sponsored by Shalom Family and the Mayerson JCC, and feature the popular Miss Melissa who keeps even the youngest of participants entertained and occupied with her stories and songs.
At Shalom Family’s Funnukah event in 2008, bumper cars were a popular attraction at the annual Hanukah celebration which brings Jewish families from all over Cincinnati together in celebration of this festive holiday.
PIRATE, PRINCESS, & POTATO PANCAKE PAR TY
Nearly 500 people attended Shalom Family’s Pirate, Princess & Potato Pancake Party where they got to jump in a life-sized pirate ship, visit the Pretty Princess Salon or Pirate Pete’s Tattoo Parlor, make their own treasure chests and much more.
PARK-N-PLAY: LUNCH AND GIFT-MAKING FOR MOTHER’S DAY
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011
SHALOM FAMILY Shalom Family puts on some of the biggest events in the Jewish community for young families at the most popular kid-friendly venues in town. These events offer a great opportunity for grown-ups to socialize and get to know one another while their kids work the wiggles out in a fun and safe environment. To find out more about Shalom Family, consult the Community Directory in the back of this issue. The photos on page 12 are from some past Shalom Family events.
CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE
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DINING OUT
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VIEW – Full circle, a feast for the eyes and the palate By Marilyn Gale Dining Editor Years ago, when I was contemplating where to relocate with my newly earned master’s degree, idealism, and wide open eyes, I saw an interesting social worker job advertised in Cincinnati. At that point, the only thing that I associated with this city was the Big Red Machine. When I talked to people about this city, a few mentioned the wonderful parks that were prominent here. Parks, hmm, something that was of questionable repute for a young single girl. Yet, when I arrived in early spring more than 35 years ago, I was indeed pleased with the lovely park settings and found myself particularly enthralled with the overlooks where one could see for miles the creeping lazy Ohio River and the banks of Kentucky across the water. The view was heavenly. Gay Stephens, owner with her husband Harry Stephens—the proprietor of the charming Bella Luna—has harnessed the power of this vision. VIEW takes advantage of being perched on top of a hill in Eden Park. But there is more to this destination restaurant than a dynamite window seat. Food, glorious food prepared with attention to local ingredients awaits you. Full circle, the new chef, an old soul in the Cincinnati Independent restaurant field, Brad Bernstein. If the last name has a familiar ring, you are correct; Bernstein, B&B riverboats, the currently docked Mike Fink, family business. Bernstein is from that restaurant family, cooking is in his blood. But age is also taking me full circle, this Bernstein knew my young adult daughters; in fact, my oldest, Rebecca, informed me that Brad had been at her Bat Mitzvah. “We were in every class together in 7th grade at Walnut Hills,” she said. As I sat listening to Bernstein talk about his love of food, he shared the wisdom of his grandmother, who was his first culinary mentor. At age 5, he had his first job at Mike Fink’s, passing around cinnamon toast to happy diners who no doubt smiled at this enthusiastic lad. His wise grandma gave him five dollars at the time. “My grandparents made this business look glorious,” said Bernstein and I caught a glimpse of the face of that young boy transfixed by a culinary magic. Bernstein received his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America, in upstate New York and Napa Valley. I find myself marveling at time passing, where the young learn the lessons from the old, and transform them into a tasty and lovely gastronomical collage of food and drink. VIEW’s menu is an interesting
interpretation of American Cuisine — lots of culturally diverse foods. Japanese food is paired with local vegetables. Lots of spring mushrooms, a combination of roasted fennel and asparagus risotto, French and Italian twist, and then a sautéed wild salmon are featured entrees. Or a quinoa stuffed eggplant with avocado, corn, scallion and cilantro — evidence of a Spanish and vegan new age partnership. To honor our love of pastas, VIEW has devoted an entire section of the menu to these tasty treats. Goat cheese ravioli blanketed in aged parmesan cheese would certainly provide comfort food any time of the year. Prices are reasonable for these creative culinary delights, with vegetarian and pasta choices under $20. Now that warmer weather is on the horizon, Sunday Brunch on the patio has returned. Enjoy delicacies from the Tristate area while sipping fresh brewed coffee, or perhaps a Mimosa or Bloody Mary. Findlay Market fans will recognize the crispy “Taste of Belgium” waffle and “Eckerlins” Goetta omelet. Red eye gravy, grits and Bananas Foster French Toast—American cuisine with continental flair—are on the brunch menu. Our love for salmon is prominent, too. Try the beet cured salmon salad or the intriguing hibiscus poached pear; candied pecans, aged goat cheese, baby greens and maple vinaigrette. The ordinary becomes extraordinary at VIEW. Wine tasting and dinner happen every third Thursday of the month. The next one is on May 19, 2011. “ABC (Anything but Chardonnay)” is the theme. Food combinations will be paired wine, like Blue Slate Rieslng with blue cheese stuffed apricot, Vermentino from Argentina—similar to a Pinot Grigio—served with foie gras crème brulee. The savory choice is a light red from France and veal Capri, a cutlet prepared with a caper butter sauce. April had the clever theme of “Life as a Cabernet.” Reservations are required for this intimate dining experience. VIEW has a party room for family and business celebrations. Some catering is also available. Live music is offered on the weekends. So travel to this lovely restaurant destination. Urban professionals, Sunday morning joggers, and early Playhouse in the Park patrons will find a delightful dining experience here. Enjoy the culinary magic of Brad Bernstein and the hands on hospitality of Gay Stephens. Feast upon fine wine, a gourmet menu and the VIEW.
(Clockwise) Brad Bernstein joins team at VIEW as executive chef; Food is a work of art at VIEW; Magnificent views make dining a pleasure.
VIEW 2200 Victory Parkway Cincinnati, OH 45206 513-751-8439
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011
DINING OUT
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DINING OUT 20 Brix 101 Main St Historic Milford 831-Brix (2749)
Ferrari’s Little Italy & Bakery 7677 Goff Terrace Madeira 272-2220
Ambar India Restaurant 350 Ludlow Ave Cincinnati 281-7000
Gabby’s Cafe 515 Wyoming Ave Wyoming 821-6040
Andy’s Mediterranean Grille At Gilbert & Nassau 2 blocks North of Eden Park 281-9791 Aroma Restaurant & Sushi 7875 Montgomery Rd Kenwood 791-0950 Baba India Restaurant 3120 Madison Rd Cincinnati 321-1600 Bangkok Terrace 4858 Hunt Rd Blue Ash 891-8900 • 834-8012 (fx) Blue Elephant 2912 Wasson Rd Cincinnati 351-0123 Carlo & Johnny 9769 Montgomery Rd Cincinnati 936-8600 CUMIN 3520 Erie Ave Hyde Park 871-8714 Dingle House 9102 Towne Centre Dr West Chester 874-PINT (7468)
Izzy’s 800 Elm St • 721-4241 612 Main St • 241-6246 5098B Glencrossing Way 347-9699 1198 Smiley Ave • 825-3888 300 Madison Ave Covington • 859-292-0065
THAI, SUSHI & PASTA
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16
OPINION
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Point of View Have something on your mind? By Rabbi James A. Rudin
NEW YORK (RNS) The heady days of American congregational expansion are over. The nation’s largest Jewish group, the 1.5 million-member Union for Reform Judaism, is now confronting the same stagnant or even declining membership trends that have become routine for Catholic, mainline Protestant and even some evangelical churches.
Jacobs’ brand of outside-the-box thinking and willingness to experiment and ditch old ways are needed now more than ever.
So when the URJ recently tapped Rabbi Richard Jacobs as only its fourth chief executive since 1943, it reflected a shift from the stability and continuity that’s deeply embedded in the Reform movement’s DNA. Jacobs has led Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, N.Y., for the past two decades, building the suburban congregation into one of the nation’s most vibrant and innovative synagogues. Jacobs’ brand of outside-the-box thinking and willingness to experiment and ditch old ways are
Rabbi A. James Rudin is senior interreligious adviser of the American Jewish Committee.
Write a letter to the editor and let your voice be heard. Send your letter to editor@americanisraelite.com
T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: EMOR (VAYIKRA 21:1—24:30) 1. Can a physical defect disqualify an animal for sacrifice? a.) Yes b.) No
b.) Seven c.) Eight 4. What is the name of the holiday of Passover? a.) Holiday of Passover b.) Holiday of Matzot c.) Time of our Freedom
2. Where is the mitzvah to sanctify Hashem's name in the Parsha? a.) Laws of Yom Kippur b.) With the prohibition of blasphemy c.) Commandment of sacrifices 3. How many days is there a mitzvah to sit in a Succah? a.) One
C O R R E C T I O N: can fix a negative commandment by fulfilling a positive one. 3. B 23:42 4. B 23:6 5. B 23:22
In last week’s issue, the Death Notices section noting the passing of Rabbi Jack Stern had the rabbi’s name misspelled. We apologize for this error.
5. Where does the Torah mention the mitzvot of leaving grain in the field for the poor? a.) Passover b.) Shavout c.) Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur ANSWERS 1. A—22:19-24. 2. C 22:32 It is a desecration of Hashem's name to sacrifice an animal unfit for sacrifice. The positive mitzvah of sanctifying Hashem's name is written with the negative of desecrating his name. This teaches that one
A new leader for challenging times
needed now more than ever. Jacobs will be tasked with devoting much of his time, talent and energy to the complex tasks of building and sustaining congregational life in these financially difficult times. It’s a far different challenge than Jacobs’ three predecessors faced when they were first selected. The three men who preceded Jacobs — Rabbis Maurice Eisendrath, Alexander Schindler and, for the past 15 years, Eric Yoffie — had the luxury of stressing “big” national and international issues as the number of Reform congregations grew on their watch. In recent years, Yoffie’s had a tougher go of things as membership and income plateaued or declined. Also unlike his predecessors, who were well-established senior staff when they took the helm, Jacobs is much more of an outsider, even though he is widely respected among other rabbis for his track record in Westchester. For nearly 70 years, the URJ has been in the forefront on a myriad of religious and political issues: opposition to the Vietnam War, a commitment to civil and human rights, religious pluralism, the environment and church-state separation. For the past 50 years, the URJ’s Religious Action Center in Washington has been at the forefront of progressive social causes. There’s little doubt that Jacobs will continue the URJ’s long tradition of progressive social advocacy. But he won’t have Eisendrath’s (1943-1973) postwar boom, or the maturation of the movement overseen by Schindler (1973-1995), or even Yoffie’s national staff and organizational budget. Jacobs’ tenure will be judged mainly on his ability to strengthen and enhance rank-and-file congregations. While Jacobs follows three outstanding presidents, leaders in all areas of human endeavor never step into the same river as their predecessors. Jacobs’ main task is to make certain that URJ synagogues do not drown in the current raging river of poor economics and religious indifference.
Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise
JEWISH LIFE
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011
17
Sedra of the Week By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
SHABBAT SHALOM: PARSHAT EMOR • LEVITICUS: 21:1-24:23
Efrat, Israel - “And he [the Kohen] shall be sanctified…” (Leviticus 21: 8). I have long been fascinated by the blessing recited by the kohenpriests as they call upon G-d to bless the Jewish people: “Blessed art thou O Lord our G-d, who has sanctified us with the sanctity of Aaron and commanded us to bless His nation Israel with love.” Does this introduction to the Priestly Benediction imply that the kohen must discharge his blessing with love in his heart for every single Jew, or at least for every Jew in the congregation? Should we then test the kohenpriest before he stands in front of the Holy Ark to bless us, asking him whether, indeed, he loves everyone? I have suggested that the words “with love” do not refer to the person of the kohen-priest who is giving the blessing, but rather to the content of the blessing itself. The kohen-priest is asking the Almighty to grant His nation material success (“May He bless you and preserve you”), Divine forgiveness and grace (“May He lift His face upon you and be gracious to you”), and — as the climax — love of every Jew by every Jew (“And grant you peace”). Peace in this context refers to internal peace, like the freely given love between siblings (ahavat hinam) rather than the freely given hatred (sinat hinam) which leads to the internal strife which has constantly plagued our nation. However, since the word in the blessing is “peace” rather than “love,” it would seem that the benediction is concluding with peace from our enemies rather than a cessation of internal squabbling. To understand this introduction to the benediction, it is necessary to understand the precise function of the kohen-priests. Yes, they ministered in the Temple, but that was only for two weeks a year. Since they did not own any land in Israel and lived off the sacrificial and tithe offerings of the nation, what did this elite class do the rest of the time? Just before his death, in Moses’
The greatest blessing which G-d has given us is the Torah, which defines our national mission and is the secret of our eternity. The kohen-priest was the source of this Torah blessing, the communicator of the Torah message during Temple times. Undoubtedly, a nation imbued with Torah will be eternally strong and illuminating. However, that Torah must be a Torah of love, a Torah which expresses the will of G-d who is a “force of compassion, freely given love, long-suffering, filled with loving kindness and truth.”
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W W W . S H A A R E I T O R A H C I N C Y. O R G final benediction to the nation, he blessed the tribe of Levi, which included the kohen-priests as its most prominent constituency: “They shall teach Your laws to Jacob and Your Torah to Israel” (Deuteronomy 33:10). In this week’s haftara, Ezekiel further defines the priestly function: “And they shall teach My nation the difference between the holy and the profane, and inform them as to what is ritually impure and what is pure. And in a controversy, they shall stand in judgment; they shall judge in accordance with My laws, and they shall safeguard My teachings and My statutes and all of My festival days of meeting, and they shall sanctify my Sabbaths” (Ezekiel 44:23, 24). The kohen-priest, therefore, was responsible for safeguarding the Torah. He served as the educator and religio-legal judge. It is for this reason that he had no other responsibilities such as working the land or providing for his family. His task was to be a teacher and judge, ensuring that Torah observance remains the hallmark of the Jewish people. The greatest blessing which G-d has given us is the Torah, which defines our national mission and is the secret of our eternity. The
kohen-priest was the source of this Torah blessing, the communicator of the Torah message during Temple times. Undoubtedly, a nation imbued with Torah will be eternally strong and illuminating. However, that Torah must be a Torah of love, a Torah which expresses the will of G-d who is a “force of compassion, freely given love, long-suffering, filled with loving kindness and truth.” This is why the kohen-priest must teach Torah and make religio-legal judgments which define Torah with love. A Torah which worries exclusively about the purity of Israel while disregarding the hapless aguna, a woman chained to an impossible marriage; a Torah which sets up picayune road blocks to the convert, totally oblivious to the fundamental command “And you shall love the proselyte,” displays the very antithesis of that love with which the kohen must bless his people. Hence, the most important phrase in the introduction to the priestly benediction is indeed the words “with love.”
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18
JEWZ IN THE NEWZ
Jewz in the Newz By Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist THOR THUNDERS “Thor” opens in theaters on Friday, May 6. It is based on the Marvel comic book “Thor” series created and written by STAN LEE, 88, and his brother, LARRY LIEBER, 79. They were “lightly” inspired by the myths about the old Norse god, Thor. But the comic book/movie Thor is mostly a Lieber brothers’ creation and if they have no problem with a black actor (Idris Elba) playing a Norse god in this movie — then nobody else should object. The Liebers created virtually the whole fictional “Thor universe” and they can people it with any racial groups they want. Nonetheless, some people, mostly racists, have made the laughable complaint that Elba is “inauthentic” in his role. The movie’s plot is very complex. Suffice it to say that Thor, the thunder god (Chris Hemsworth), annoys his father, Odin, the king of the gods, (Anthony Hopkins) and is exiled to modern day New Mexico. There he is discovered by a beautiful scientist (NATALIE PORTMAN, 29). They fall in love and battle bad gods and nefarious government agents. Director Kenneth Branagh signed Portman even before there was a finished script, telling her that he would emphasize character over special effects and that she could have a big hand in shaping her own character. To that end, Portman says she read biographies of famous female scientists, including one about ROSALIND FRANKLIN (1920-58), a brilliant British Jew who was the co-discoverer of DNA. Playing Portman’s perky assistant is KAT DENNINGS, 24 (“Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”). GOODWIN’S STAR TURN “Something Borrowed,” a romantic comedy/drama, stars GINNIFER GOODWIN, 32 (“Big Love”) as an unhappy and unmarried attorney at a top NYC law firm. She drinks too much one night and goes to bed with the fiancé of her best friend (KATE HUDSON, 32). John Krasinksi (“The Office”) plays Rachel’s stalwart best friend. (Opens Friday) Goodwin, who was a bat mitzvah, is at a critical juncture in her career. Her breakthrough role was in the hit HBO series “Big Love,” playing the youngest of three wives of a polygamist Mormon. “Big Love” ended, for good, in January. In 2009, Goodwin was one of eight lead actors in the ensemble romantic comedy film hit, “He’s Just Not That Into You.” “Something” is the
first film in which Goodwin’s “solo” appeal to audiences will be tested. If it’s a hit, she’s on her way. If it really flops, she may find it hard to get other movie lead roles. PHOEBE SNOW IS GONE Last week, pop/jazz singer PHOEBE SNOW, born Phoebe Laub, died at age 60 of complications following a cerebral hemorrhage. Unlike most showbiz figures, Snow’s Jewish background was mentioned in most obits — mostly because Snow’s “Jewfro” haircut and dark skin tone led many people to assume she was African-American (something she never claimed). Her relatively young death sadly fit into a life story that author SCOTT BENARDE compared to the biblical story of Job. Benarde’s collection of profiles of famous Jewish pop/rock stars, “Stars of David” (2003), includes Snow and he covers her Jewish background in-depth. He begins, as most obits did, with the high points of her career — her top five single, “Poetry Man” (1974); her 1975 duet with PAUL SIMON; the fact that her first two albums (1974 and ’76) each sold a half-million copies. Snow was riding a huge wave of popular and critical success when her daughter, VALERIE, was born in late 1975 with severe disabilities. Benarde writes: “Snow began the Herculean task of caring for Valerie at home. The time, money and energy that feat required, compounded by the shock and anger that consumed Snow, along with a divorce, sent the singer into a tailspin..[Around the same time her mother died of cancer]…’I was in shock for twenty-three years. I walked around in a daze,’ Snow says.”’ (Valerie died in 2007.) Snow grew-up just outside Teaneck, N.J. Her paternal grandfather was a burlesque comedian. Her father was a teacher. Her mother was a former Martha Graham dancer. Her parents very briefly sent her to Hebrew school — and except for Passover, there was little formal religious practice in her house. After her daughter’s birth, Benarde writes, Snow tried to find comfort in Judaism and developed and maintained a strong interest in Jewish music. But religious practice, he adds, never quite brought real solace to her troubled soul and her practice was spotty at best. Nonetheless, Benarde writes, Snow said that one thing that got her through each day was a card she carried in her wallet that had this passage from Isaiah: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine.”
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FROM THE PAGES 100 Years Ago Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Freiberg and their daughter, Miss Leah, left the city Tuesday for New York, from where they sail on the George Washington, May 4, for a 6 months’ trip in Europe. Leo H. Dahlman, whose untimely death is mourned by a large circle of friends, was buried from his late residence, corner Woodburn and Myrtle Avenue, Walnut Hills, Sunday afternoon, Dr. Phillipson officiating. It is reported that an attempt is being
made to establish a branch of the Alliance Israelite Universelle in Cincinnati. Should it be successful the Israelite would regard it as most unfortunate from all points of view. In fact, the Jewish community of every city in the United States is quite capable of attending to its own affairs and the meddling in them of Alliance and its American agents can only be productive of harm. It should also be borne in mind that the Alliance in spite of its name is what might be designated as a
very close corporation and is completely managed by a board which is self perpetuating and on which none but Frenchmen, least of all Americans, are ever appointed. That the Alliance has done good work and is now doing it in the Orient is not questioned, nor its right to collect money in any part of the world. It is only its establishment of branches in the United Sates, where it never spends a dollar, and probably never expects to, which is objected to. — May 4, 1911
75 Years Ago Mrs. Elkan C. Voorsanger and daughters, of Chicago, have arrived in Cincinnati to join Mr. Voorsanger and family now is at home at 881 Clinton Springs Avenue. The Parents Association of Avondale Talmud Torah has elected Mesdames Aaron Horwitz, president; Nathan Blackman and Jacob Weinberg, vice presidents; John Glickman, recording secretary;
Joseph Weinberg, financial secretary; Julius Grusd, corresponding secretary; and Messrs. Louis Armstrong, treasurer; Sam Rassell, auditor. Several hundred friends of Mr. and Mrs. Lester A. Jaffe called Sunday afternoon, May 3rd, when the latter were at home in their new residence on Section Road. Mr. and Mrs. Irvine Westheimer are enjoying a trip through Yosemite
National Park in California, planning to go on to Los Angeles and other points of interest in the West before returning to the city. Jacob Kabakoff, 71, passed away Monday, April 27th. Servives were held at the residence, 626 Rockdale Avenue. He leaves his widow, Mrs. Brine Kabakoff, two sons, Abe and Harry, and two daughters, Mrs. M. Lucas and Miss Rebecca Kabakoff. — May 7, 1936
50 Years Ago “The Future of North Avondale” will be discussed at the first annual meeting NANA (North Avondale Neighborhoods Association) Tuesday, May 9 at 8 p.m. in North Avondale School. The program will consist of a panel moderated by Charles Messer and election of officers. Panel participants will be Father David McCarthy, Xavier University; Geroge Redfern, assistant superintendent of public schools; and former Vice Mayer, Theodore M. Berry. Arrangements for the meeting are
being made by John Goldman, assisted by Dr. Murray Tieger and Wynn Newman. Nominees presented by the nominating committee are Carl Gutman, chairman; Dr. Louis Brown, first vice chairman; Robert Levy, second vice chairman; Mrs. Riley Matthews, secretary; A. Edgar Aub, Jr., treasurer. Dr. Kennth Koch, a professor at Columbia, has been awarded a Guggenheim grant, a year of research and creative writing. Dr. Koch returned recently after a
lecture tour interpreted his own poetry at eastern colleges. He also presented special lectures in the creative arts at Columbia. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart J. Koch of Cincinnati. Max Safer, 4525 Paddock Road, passed away Wednesday, April 6. Survivors include his wife, Mollie; two brothers, Louis and David Safer of Los Angeles; a sister, Anna Safer of Cincinnati; two sons, Dr. Bernard Safer and Dr. Louis Safer of Cincinnati and four grandchildren. — May 4, 1961
25 Years Ago Benjamin Gettler was named chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Jewish Hospital at the annual meeting on May 1. He is former president of the Jewish Community Relations Council, former chairman of Bonds for Israel and national chairman for the Israel Commission of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council. The Jewish Hospital also
announced the following new officers of the Board of Trustees: Thomas S. Heldman, vice chairman; Joe Mendelsohn 3rd, vice chairman; Warren C. Falberg, president; William J. Ryan, treasurer; and M. Jonada Adams, secretary. William J. Keating, chief executive officer of The Detroit Newspaper Agency and chairman-elect of The Associated Press, Charles S. Mechem, Jr., chairman of the board of the Taft
Broadcasting Company, and Joseph S. Stern, Jr., professor of Business Administration at the University of Cincinnati and former chairman of the U.S. Shoe Corporation, will be honored at the 36th National Conference of Christians and Jews, Inc. (NCCJ). The announcement made by the local NCCJ co-chairmen, Dr. Lawrence C. Hawkins, Joyce J. Salinger and Thomas E. Westerfield. — May 8, 1986
10 Years Ago Morton Harshman has been named to the board of trustees at Bethesda Foundation, Inc. A member of Bethesda’s medical staff since 1960 and retired association medical director for Western Southern Insurance, Harshman served as a family practitioner in private practice until 1992. He is also past president of the Bethesda medical staff and served terms on the Bethesda Hospital board in the 1970s and 1990s. “Bethesda has been a major part of my life for 40 years,” Harshman says. “I want to help the Foundation raise money for projects that the
hospital would not otherwise be able to take on. Allocations from the Foundation are vital to keeping Bethesda Hospital competitive and of value to the community.” Dr. June Oettinger Starr, 66, passed away at her Long Island home April 27, 2001. Dr. Starr was born in Cincinnati, the daughter of the late Jane (Rauh) and M. Herbert Oettinger. Dr. Starr is survived by a son and a daughter-in-law, Stephen Z. and Vildan Starr, and a grandson, Daniel. Sam Zipperstein, a longtime resident of Cincinnati prior to retiring to Boca Raton, FL., passed away April
19, 2001. He is survived by his wife, Geraldine (nee Kantor) Zipperstein, and his children, Mary Ann and Arthur of Blue Creek, Ohio and Susan and David Galinka of baton Rouge, La. Also surviving Mr. Zippenstein are his grandchildren, Cassie Glazer, M.D., James Glazer, M.D., and Phoebe Glazer. Mr. Zipperstein is also survived by his siblings and their spouses, Mary and Hal Schneider, M.D. and Irvine and Sandy Zipperstein of Dayton, Ohio, and his sister-in-law, Doris Zipperstein. He was predeceased by his brothers, Maurice and Abe Zipperstein. — May 3, 2001
CLASSIFIEDS
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011
19
COMMUNITY DIRECTORY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Access (513) 373-0300 • www.jypaccess.org 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 Fusion Family (53) 703-3343 • www.fusionnati.org 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 Shalom Family (513) 703-3343 • www.myshalomfamily.org The Center for Holocaust & Humanity Education (513) 487-3055 • holocaustandhumanity.org Vaad Hoier (513) 731-4671 Workum Fund (513) 899-1836 • workum.org YPs at the JCC (513) 761-7500 • mayersonjcc.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 Congregation Sha’arei Torah shaareitorahcincy.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 Chai Tots Early Childhood Center 513.234.0600 • chaitots.com Chabad Blue Ash (513) 793-5200 • chabadba.com Cincinnati Hebrew Day School (513) 351-7777 • chds.shul.net HUC-JIR (513) 221-1875 • huc.edu JCC Early Childhood School (513) 793-2122 • mayersonjcc.org Kehilla - School for Creative Jewish Education (513) 489-3399 • kehilla-cincy.com Mercaz High School (513) 792-5082 x104 • mercazhs.org Reform Jewish High School (513) 469-6406 • crjhs.org Regional Institute Torah & Secular Studies (513) 631-0083 Rockwern Academy (513) 984-3770 • rockwernacademy.org
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OPERATION from page 1 Federation. A video documenting Perrin’s story will then be shown. Bonnie Ullner, Perrin’s mother, will then speak. Dr. Marc Levitt of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, the man responsible for creating the event, will hold a Q & A with the two doctors and nurse from Israel, who flew with Perrin from HITS from page 1 boomers, senior adults and more — representing the various segments advertisers want to reach online to promote their products and services. SERVICE from page 3 Northern Hills Synagogue has had a special connection with Israel. Two of its past rabbis, Henry Barneis and Ephraim Rubinger, left the congregation to move to Israel. The congregation has organized only one congregational trip to Israel, in 1990. However, one of the reasons for that fact is that so many members of the congregation visit Israel as part of other groups or on their own. Since 1995, on the pilgrimage festival of Sukkot, the synagogue has recognized all members of the congregation who have visited Israel during the previous year. On average, around 40 members— about 10 percent of the total con-
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(513) 531-9600 Hadassah to ColumbiaPresbyterian in New York. To conclude, Michael Fisher, CEO of Children’s, will speak about the benefits to our community from ongoing exchanges of doctors, technology and research. “She’s symbolic of what can happen when these organizations work in concert with each other,” noted Ullner. Also, congratulations to Elliot Spieler, this week’s “like” us on Facebook contest winner. Elliot has won a $50 gift certificate to Embers Restaurant. Don’t forget to “like” us, for your chance to win! gregational membership—visit Israel each year, with a high of 65 members who visited Israel in 2006-2007. Rabbi Gershom Barnard noted, “One of the core values of our congregation is active support for Israel, and I want to express that value in our congregational calendar. Our Sukkot recognition is one thing, but a few years ago, we added Yom Ha-atzmaut to our schedule of services. Those of us who have attended the service feel very proud of our congregation and the Conservative movement, and we feel privileged to live at a time in Jewish history when we can celebrate the independence of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel.”
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 Discovery Center (513) 234.0777 • jdiscovery.com 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
ALUMNI from page 6 The firm specializes in singular, specialized projects of complex design, managing large and multidivisional stakeholders, and works on buildings of historic importance. He has had the great pleasure to manage projects at the Cincinnati Zoo, the Cincinnati Museum Center, University of Cincinnati, Miami University, Playhouse in the Park, the Cincinnati Recreation Department, and most recently at the University of Virginia. Throughout his career he has received numerous city, state and national awards from the American Institute of Architects. Jan and Michael’s three children, Joseph, Shayna and Avi, are CHDS students, in the 6th, 2nd and pre-K grades. The Maltinskys have invested much time and energy into supporting and enhancing CHDS with their abundant talents—
including playing an integral role in the school’s redesign a number of years ago. They feel their children are receiving a unique and very special education. “We can’t say enough about the personal care, attention, and love that has been extended by each and every one of our childrens’ teachers and administrators,” commented the Maltinskys. “We have repeatedly seen relationships form that are comparable to that of surrogate parents. The teachers at CHDS know our children’s needs intimately and work to meet their individual needs with sincere caring and devotion.” The manifold contributions of our honorees are an exciting example of active community service, fueled by Torah values. The CHDS parents, staff and supporters look forward to saluting all of them. For further information about the dinner please contact the CHDS office.
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LEGAL
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Confronting Your Accuser Legally Speaking
By Marianna Bettman Contributing Columnist Oh-oh. A 6-2 decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, and I agree with dissenting Justice Antonin Scalia (the content of what he says, but absolutely not his tone!). I agree with him most infrequently. And in this case, even Justice Clarence Thomas, who almost always agrees with him, didn’t. I’d be really worried if Justice Scalia was the sole dissenter, but luckily Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg agreed with him too. And Justice Elena Kagan had to sit this one out, which is why there are only eight votes. The majority decision was an important one by Justice Sonya Sotomayor, whose decisions and questioning from the bench have impressed me mightily. In this case she found herself mostly in the company of the conservative wing of the Court, while Justice Scalia was on the side of greater protection for the rights of the accused. Go figure. Imagine this scenario. The police come upon a dying murder victim. A drug deal gone sour. The man tells the police who shot him. Then he dies. Can the police testify at the trial of the accused about what the victim said? That is DELIVERY from page 3 Irina Kanter of Mason, who delivered meals with her husband Jeremy and her in-laws Fred and Kathy Kanter of Montgomery, said “My grandma in Russia used to get packages to help her celebrate Passover so I wanted to give back to my new community.” The Dr. Samuel S. Rockwern Passover Delivery of Jewish Family Service involves more than FILM from page 1 or gorged themselves on sandwiches. In the evenings, well-dressed men and women attended concerts and lectures. All this to the incongruous background music of Offenbach’s “Gaite Parisienne” or a jazzy “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen.” The director of this curiosity was a mountainous Jewish inmate, Kurt Gerron, whose strange story of pride and self-deception is documented in a companion film, “Kurt
exactly the issue before the high court in Michigan v. Bryant. Here’s what happened. At about 3:30 in the morning, Detroit police responded to a radio call that a man had been shot. Responding to the scene, the police found Anthony Covington lying on the ground next to his car in a gas station parking lot with a gunshot wound to the gut. When the police asked him what happened, Covington told them Richard Bryant had shot him about a half hour earlier, through the back door of Bryant’s house. Covington was taken to the hospital by EMTs. He died a short time later. Bryant was arrested a year later in California. The Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment provides “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to be confronted with the witnesses against him.” But Covington was dead. At Bryant’s trial, police officers who had spoken with Covington told the jury what Covington had told them. Was it proper for the jury, which convicted Byrant of seconddegree murder, to hear what Covington said when Bryant never had the chance to cross examine Covington? Simple question. Complicated answer. The U.S. Supreme Court accepted the case to decide if the admission of Covington’s statements violated the Confrontation Clause. The Supreme Court of Michigan had held that they did. The U.S. Supreme Court disagreed, and reversed. In 2004, in Crawford v. Washington, a landmark opinion of the Court authored by Justice Scalia, the Court held that to meet
the requirements of the Confrontation Clause, certain kinds of out-of-court statements labeled “testimonial statements” could not be used at trial unless the person who made the statements (known in lawspeak as the declarant) was available to be cross-examined. While it gave some examples, the high Court did not define “testimonial” at the time, choosing to leave that issue for future development. In 2006, in a pair of domestic violence case opinions also authored by Justice Scalia, the high court developed the primary purpose test to help determine if a statement is testimonial or not. It’s important to remember that if a statement is found to be nontestimonial, it can be admitted at trial and used against the accused even if the declarant isn’t at the trial and hasn’t been cross-examined. So this is a very key test. Under the primary purpose test, statements are nontestimonial (and thus admissible) when the primary purpose of any questioning is to help police meet an ongoing emergency. So, even though the victim of domestic violence in the first case didn’t show up at the trial of the alleged perpetrator, the Court allowed into evidence the tape of a 911 call in which the victim was crying for help during the incident while it was going on. But statements are testimonial (and thus not admissible) if the primary purpose of any questioning is to help the police prove past events to help with the later prosecution of the offender. In the second of the two domestic violence cases, where the victim also did not show up at trial, the Court refused to allow the vic-
tim’s statements to police to be used against the alleged perpetrator, because when the police arrived the incident was already over, and the primary purpose of any questioning was to help the police prosecute the offender. So, in what category were the statements of the dying murder victim in this case? To answer this question the Court first had to decide from whose perspective — police or declarant — to apply the primary purpose test, and muddied the waters in my view by deciding that it should be from both perspectives. Then the majority significantly expanded the concept of an “ongoing emergency” emphasizing that context matters greatly. Unlike the domestic violence cases, this case involved the use of a gun and a perpetrator who was still at large. Key factors the Court found highly important were the victim’s medical condition (clearly urgent here), the threat to the public of a shooter on the lam, and the lack of formality of the police questioning (disorganized and informal, suggesting that the police weren’t spending time building their case; formality of questioning at the police station is much more suggestive of a primary purpose to prosecute the offender). Putting all this together the majority found the primary purpose of the questioning was to meet an ongoing emergency. The Court held that Covington’s dying statements in answer to police questions should have been admitted in the case and heard by the jury. Justice Thomas concurred separately to express his dislike for the primary purpose test. But he
agreed that the statements did not violate the Confrontation Clause mostly because of the lack of formality of the police questioning. Justice Scalia was scathing in dissent, even more than usual. He wrote, “today’s tale — a story of five officers conducting successive examinations of a dying man with the primary purpose, not of obtaining and preserving his testimony regarding his killer, but of protecting him, them, and others from a murderer somewhere on the loose — is so transparently false that professing to believe it demeans this institution. But reaching a patently incorrect conclusion on the facts is a relatively benign judicial mischief; it affects, after all, only the case at hand. In its vain attempt to make the incredible plausible, however — or perhaps as an intended second goal — today’s opinion distorts our Confrontation Clause jurisprudence and leaves it in a shambles.” And that’s just the first paragraph. The entire opinion goes off in this vein. Justice Scalia believes that the primary purpose test should be evaluated solely from the point of view of the declarant, not the declarant and the police. Applying the test, he finds this “an absurdly easy case” — the dying victim made his statements to the police so they could catch Bryant, arrest and prosecute him. Justice Ginsburg agreed with him in a short paragraph of her own. Add a few paragraphs more from me, and a vote with the dissent.
just delivering food; it connects the volunteers with families who enjoy having visitors. “We do it because of the people,” said Emma Shapiro of Symmes Township, “When we deliver this food and get into their homes, they share their stories. They want you to stay and chat with them. We love it.” She and her husband Ron have volunteered with this Passover project for 10 years.
Although most of the volunteers were families, about 20 young professionals, who were organized through the Mayerson JCC, divided into groups to share the volunteer experience. And Motorcycle Mentshen, which is a Jewish motorcycling and scootering group, tied the Passover boxes on the back of their motorcycles to deliver the meals. “This is an opportunity to do two things I love; having fun on
two wheels and making the world a better place,” said Bruce Ente of Loveland. This Passover delivery project was started by a group of dedicated volunteers in 1998 and continues to be embraced by the community. Cincinnati Hebrew Day School donated the storage and set-up facilities. Area congregations, organizations and businesses collected the nonperishable, boxed
food. The balance was purchased with monetary donations from The Rockwern Charitable Foundation and individual community donors. No donations went to waste as the need for food continues throughout the year at Jewish Family Service Food Pantry, which feeds an average of 120 people each month. It is the only kosher food pantry in the region and is located in space donated by Golf Manor Synagogue.
Gerron’s Karussel (Carousel).” Gerron, a native Berliner born Kurt Gerson, was a towering figure both in girth and as a leading impresario in the swinging Berlin cabaret scene of the 1920s. He also was a successful actor, playing the nightclub owner in “The Blue Angel” opposite Marlene Dietrich, and was featured in the world premiere cast of “The Three Penny Opera.” Though banned from the German stage in 1933, Gerron persisted in
the self-delusion that his talent and charm would triumph in the end. When Peter Lorre and other German expatriates in Hollywood arranged for Gerron to join them and even pay the travel expenses for the impresario and his family, Gerron refused on the grounds that the proffered ship accommodations were not first class. Gerron did establish a temporary second career in France and Holland, but the Nazis caught up with him and deported him to Theresienstadt.
When “The Fuehrer Gives the Jews a City” project came along, Gerron saw a chance to resume his career and signed on as director. He also swallowed the “word of honor” of the German camp commandant that his life would be spared after he completed the film. Instead, Gerron was sent to Auschwitz in October 1944 and killed one day before SS chief Heinrich Himmler gave the order to shut down the gas chambers for good.
“Karussel” director Ilona Ziok combines footage of Gerron’s halcyon days in Berlin with testimony of surviving Jewish camp prisoners to draw a picture of Gerron as a tragic, self-deluded figure — “a big, strong man with the mind of a child,” in the words of a fellow Theresienstadt prisoner. “Kurt Gerron’s Karussel” is available as a DVD, but distribution of “The Fuehrer Gives the Jews a City” has been sharply limited by the distributor.
Marianna Bettman is a professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
FIRST PERSON
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011
21
This Year in Jeruselum Singer Says
By Phyllis R. Singer Contributing Columnist The Hebrew months of Nisan and Iyar, corresponding this year to April and May, bring joy and sadness – the highs and lows of the Jewish experience. The 15th of Nisan brings Passover, the holiday of freedom, when we celebrate the Jewish people’s exodus from Egypt, our flight from slavery to freedom. Certainly a holiday of joy – a high in the Jewish experience. But only a week after the end of Passover – on the 27th of Nisan – comes Yom HaShoah v’Hagevurah, the Day of Remembrance for the Holocaust and Heroism, commonly known in Israel and the Diaspora as Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Certainly a day of sadness – a low in the Jewish experience. MARCH from page 7 month before the start of WWII. Mr. Potter, along with the rest of the group, will be returning to his hometown of Sompolno, Poland for the first time since he and his family fled from there when he was 3 years old. CHOCOLATE from page 7 The Lincoln Heights Health Center: Since 1967 many families have relied on relied on Lincoln Heights Health Center to care for expectant mothers, newborns, teenagers, KILLING from page 1 organization known by the acronym SCAN. “We know of no imminent threat as of today as a direct result of the death of bin Laden,” Goldenberg told JTA on Monday morning, when much of the world woke up to the news of bin Laden’s death. “However, the community should remain extremely vigilant because there are lone wolves, and other terrorist groups have used incidents like this to launch revenge attacks.” Last October, a pair of mail bombs from Yemen were sent to Chicago synagogues but were intercepted by law enforcement
One week later, on the 4th of Iyar, we commemorate Yom Hazikaron, Israel Memorial Day, remembering those who died in Israel’s wars. Another day of sadness, another low in the Jewish experience. But then the cycle continues on the next day, the 5th of Iyar, with a day of joy – a high in the Jewish experience – Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, marking the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948. The month of Iyar ends with Yom Yerushalayim on the 28th, celebrating the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 and remembering the special significance of Ir Hakodesh – the holy city – to the Jewish people. Another day of joy, another high in the Jewish experience. This year, as every year since we made aliyah, we celebrated the Passover Seder with our family – Hanan (formerly Howie), Judy, and their three daughters – on Kibbutz Merav. Our first Seder here in 2000, the girls were little: Sivan was 5, and the twins Keren and Zohar were 3. Now they are all teenagers. Hanan and Judy like to have everyone participate at the Seder in a creative way – perhaps telling a story, perhaps giving a d’var Torah, perhaps making up an appropriate game.
Keren read an excerpt she translated from the Israeli Haggadah Halayla Hazeh – Haggadah Yisraelit by Mishael Tzion and Noam Tzion, known in English as A Night To Remember. In addition to the traditional Haggadah text, the book contains stories, activities, reflections, discussions and more. Keren chose a reading I would like to share with readers of The Israelite, a reading that bridges the Passover experience with Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut, an excerpt from the diary of Pinchas “Pini” Nahmani: “On Thursday, 2nd of April 1970, an Israeli army plane was shot down over Damascus. The crewmembers parachuted out before the plane crashed. Those were the first Israeli captives since the Six Day War. One of the captives, Pini Nachmani, wrote a secret diary on toilet paper, about 300 pages. Four times he celebrated Seder night in his cell; on the second one he wrote this: “‘Pesach is over, our national holiday, and we were among the few who cannot celebrate with our family. It’s hard to describe the holiday spirit here: In the morning we cleaned our cell. On a piece of a cardboard we drew the Seder plate and in the center a Magen-David. “‘In the afternoon we managed
to take a shower with ice cold water and then we dressed in our best clothes. It was very hard thinking of home, to try and feel the holiday there, to know that every house in Israel is dressed in white and that your children and wife are waiting and you are still here. Two Haggadot of Pesach and matzah crumbs that came from the chief rabbi of Zurich really gave a holiday spirit. The Seder started, and when Boaz, the youngest among us, sang the four questions, tears came in my eyes but right after came happy singing. “‘It was so strange, in an enemy country, in the most secure prison are sitting three Israeli guys and singing about freedom. While we were singing and reading the Haggadah, guards came and demanded us to stop. In the cell next to us was the former president of Syria who imprisoned us and said that he hoped that Israeli pilots would grow old in prison. Afterward he was deposed by Hafez El Assad, and now he was in the same boat as we were. I guess our singing bothered him, and he asked the guards to shut us up. We didn’t stop even when they threatened to throw us in solitary confinement, but the sound of freedom couldn’t be shut up. We finished the Haggadah with ‘Hagadya,’ and
we continued with other songs that have nothing to do with Pesach, anything to continue the celebration and to have our little revenge. I’ve never been at a longer Seder. We had to be taken prisoner in order to fulfill the mitzvah of talking about the exodus all night.’” The War of Attrition (1968–1970) between Israel and Egypt and Israel and Syria was another time of sadness, another low in Israel’s history. But it was followed by a day of joy: On June 3, 1973, the three Israeli pilots, Captain Gideon Magen, Captain Pinchas Nahmani and Lieutenant Boaz Eitan were returned after three years of captivity in Syria. In exchange, Israel returned 46 Syrian prisoners. At the end of April we celebrated Passover. This week we commemorate Yom HaShoah. Next week, Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut. And then Yom Yerushalayim. From joy to sadness, from sadness to joy. The yearly cycle continues.
Although she is not joining the delegation on the trip, Sarah Weiss, director of the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education, worked closely with the participants for about six weeks prior to their departure to help prepare them for what they would be experiencing. “I was
genuinely impressed by every student in this group. Our training sessions sparked thoughtful dialogue and reflection and I look forward to witnessing the accomplishments of these teenagers in the coming years,” she explains. “Through the knowledge they gained during the training pro-
gram at CHHE, and the sights they will witness while on the trip, I am proud to know that the students in this group will be the ambassadors of these memories and of this legacy.” More than 150,000 young people from all corners of the world have participated in the March of
the Living, an international, educational program that began in 1988. For the very first time, the March in Poland on Yom Hashoah on May 2 was broadcast live on Jewish Life Television (JLTV). In addition, students on the trip are contributing to a daily blog, chronicling their experiences.
adults and elderly. It’s not unusual for multiple generations of the same family to receive care at Lincoln Heights. This donation will go specifically to women in need of prenatal care and follow up. Assistance League of Greater
Cincinnati: A donation was given to this agency, which benefits a wide array of needs of women and children of this city. Some of its programs include New Beginnings, where essential new household items such as dishes, pots and pans, bedding and
small appliances are delivered to several local women’s shelters for distribution to victims of domestic violence who are establishing a household away from their abuser. Assistance League also provides Assault Survivor and Domestic Violence Kits, which contain clothing
and personal care items to hospitals and shelters in Greater Cincinnati. The 2011 Chocolate Festival is schedule for October 23, 2011. It will take place at the Cintas Center to accommodate the large number of people who share a love of chocolate and giving.
officials before they reached their targets. A year ago, on May 1, 2010, a Pakistani-born man tried and failed to detonate a car bomb in New York’s Times Square. Neither event was linked to a specific American action, but both resulted in raised states of alert at many Jewish institutions. In Israel’s experience, assassinations of senior terrorist figures have been followed up months or even years later by revenge attacks. Hamas and Hezbollah often have ascribed their terrorist attacks on Israel to Israeli military actions. But some security experts are warning against interpreting terrorist attacks as acts of revenge,
saying it fuels the mistaken notion that somehow the actions of the West are to blame for terrorism. “When you focus on this sort of causality, we accept the terrorists’ framing,” Bruce Hoffman, director of Georgetown University’s Center for Peace and Security Studies, told The Atlantic blogger Jeffrey Goldberg a year ago. “They see themselves as reluctant fighters, always retaliating, never initiating,” Hoffman said. “The media can make it look as if the terror groups are simply defending themselves from some provocation. The question is one of original provocation.” More concerning now, say security experts, is the possibility that
a lone wolf will be motivated by bin Laden’s killing to attack a U.S. target. While law enforcement officials are adept at tracking terrorist activity and planning — just last week, German officials arrested three suspected al-Qaeda members for planning an imminent terrorist attack — it’s much harder to stop a lone person acting spontaneously or with little coordination. “The concern is that a lone wolf that sits in front of his or her television screen sees this, becomes furious at what occurred and with no real planning, on their own or in a small group, will make an effort to go out and execute an attack,” Goldenberg said. “Those in law enforcement have a very
tough time keeping track of the lone wolf.” That’s the scenario that took place in March 1994, when a Lebanese cab driver in New York, incensed at the massacre of 29 Arabs in Hebron by Baruch Goldstein, opened fire on a van full of Chasidic youths on the Brooklyn Bridge, killing 16-yearold Ari Halberstam. The response in the Muslim world to bin Laden’s death has been mixed. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh condemned the killing, saying that “We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood.”
Phyllis Singer, former editor/general manager of The American Israelite, and her husband, Allen, can be reached at apsinger@netvision.net.il. They always enjoy hearing from Cincinnatians visiting Israel.
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OBITUARIES
DEATH NOTICES WACHOLDER, Rabbi Ben Zion, age 88, died on March 29, 2011; 23 Adar II, 5771. SCHNEIDER, Morris Isaac, age 79, died on April 26, 2011; 22 Nissan, 5771. ZIMMERMAN, Irma Tess Euster, age 87, died on May 1, 2011; 28 Nisan, 5771. SACHS, Penina C., age 56, died on May 2, 2011; 28 Nisan, 5771.
OBITUARIES HALL, Doris Rose (Leiser) Doris Rose (Leiser) Hall, age 83, passed away on February 18, 2011 — the 14th day of Adar I, 5771. Born in Benton Harbor, Mich., she was a daughter of the late Allie and Ethel Hatosky. Growing up in Michigan, Mrs. Hall attended Benton Harbor High School, and as an honor student was known as “Straight A’s ASSETS from page 9 our representative, constitutionbased government, the advocacy of jihad by a sharia authority presents a real and present danger,” he wrote recently on a conservative website. “This is sedition when advocated from within our borders; an act of war when directed at us from foreign soil.” Scholars of Islam say such char-
Hatosky.” She received a degree in Literature, Science and the Arts, with an emphasis on the Spanish language from the University of Michigan. It was there that she met the father of her children. Following college, Mrs. Hall lived in New York City for 10 years before moving to Cincinnati to raise her two sons. A devoted mother, she made it a priority that her sons received good values to become productive citizens and great parents to their own children. A long-time executive secretary at U.S. Shoe Corporation, she retired in 1988. It was in that year when she wed William (Bill) Hall, with whom she found true happiness and companionship in life. While dating Bill and during their married life they shared their combined interests of traveling—with trips to the Rocky Mountains, Canada, the Caribbean and England—as well as square dancing, board games and just enjoying each other’s friendship. After Bill’s death in 1991 Mrs. Hall pursued her passion with the Spanish language, opera and clasacterizations of sharia are distorted. And those opposing the legislation say many of the laws as proposed are unconstitutional and likely would not survive their first judicial test. “It’s violation of the right to free exercise,” said Rabbi David Saperstein, who directs the Reform movement's Religious Action Center and teaches church-state law at Georgetown University. “It’s a violation of the establishment
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appreciate memorial contributions to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati, through Jewish Family Service. There will be a graveside memorial service for Mrs. Hall on Monday, May 23, 2011, at 12 p.m., at Spring Grove Cemetery.
sical music. She organized Spanish language clubs, ushered for the Cincinnati Playhouse and collected recordings of the great operas and classical repertories. She loved, and was deeply loved, by her sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren. She was a strong woman and a great example. Surviving relatives include her sons, Todd (Holly) Leiser, of Safety Harbor, Fla., and Randy (Joyce) Leiser, of Dallas, Texas;
her grandchildren, Justin Leiser, Casey and Amy Leiser; and her sisters, Beverly Liscow, of Cincinnati, and Barbara Bullock, of Indianapolis. Mrs. Hall was a contributor to many local charities, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati, American Heart Association, American Red Cross, Arthritis Foundation, Alzheimers Assocation, Hillel, Hospice of Cincinnati, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Service, The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, MakeA-Wish Foundation, and National Wildlife Federation. She was a member of Wise Temple. Mrs. Hall lived by the following quote: “G-d grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change those I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” Both of Mrs. Hall’s sons had Big Brothers who not only provided them with a greater sense of being part of the Jewish community but also gave them male role models who had positive influences on their development. Because of this, the family would
clause, giving pre-eminence of one religion over another.” A federal judge cited the establishment clause in her decision to indefinitely hold the Oklahoma law in abeyance while she considers a lawsuit. Still, the tide of proposed laws has stoked enough concern that the groups are taking action. Cohen, Saperstein and the Orthodox Union’s Nathan Diament all said their organizations are urging constituent synagogues to take up the matter in states where laws are under consideration. Jewish officials in Nashville, Tenn., have spoken out against a proposed sharia ban that has evolved into a bill that would grant the state attorney general broad powers to name any group a terrorist group. “I have been on a local morning
TV show about the issue,” said Judy Saks, the community relations director for the local federation. “I said, as Jews, we’ve been persecuted throughout the ages, and to stand by and watch this broad brush being used against another community — we really can’t.” Diament expressed concerns about proposed laws in places like Nebraska and South Dakota that might circumvent constitutional bans by targeting “foreign law” and “religious code” and not naming sharia or Islam. Such laws “are problematic particularly from the perspective of the Orthodox community — we have a beit din system, Jews have disputes resolved according to halachah,” Diament said. “We don’t have our own police force, and the mecha-
nism for having those decisions enforced if they need to be enforced is the way any private arbitration is enforced” — through contract law in the secular court system. Marc Stern, the AJC’s associate general counsel who drafted the letter to the state legislatures, said the greatest threat presented by the proposed laws is to America’s delicate relations with Muslims across the world. “The key point here for us is that it makes all Muslims who take their religion seriously a threat,” he said, adding that the laws could alienate Muslim moderates who otherwise seek accommodation with the West. “It’s a strategic error of gigantic proportions,” Stern said. Saks recalled that when she heard that vandals had defaced a mosque in Nashville in February 2010 with crosses and “Muslims go home” graffiti, she joined a clean-up effort — and forged new alliances. “When they found out I was Jewish, there was a kind of astonishment, and then they were grateful,” she said of the mostly Somali congregation. Abed Awad, a New Jersey-based lawyer who is an expert on Islamic law, said the application of the proposed laws would have an impact not only on domestic family court agreements and contracts between members of the same religious community, but on contracts made overseas. Awad noted that a number of Muslim states and Israel use religious law in divorce cases, for example. An American judge addressing the divorce of a couple now must take into account the sums agreed upon in those contracts; the proposed laws would ban such considerations.
Doris Rose Hall
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SCHNEIDER, Morris Isaac Morris Isaac Schneider, 79, a retired United States Postal Service and Navy Veteran of Korean War, of Las Vegas, passed away April 26, 2011. He was born Sept. 21, 1931 in Cincinnati, and resided in Las Vegas for 21 years. He was preceded in death by his parents Abraham and Sarah Schneider and sister Louise “Tubie” Skurow. Mr. Schneider is survived by his sons Charles and David Schneider and daughters Becky Snow and Rosalyn Krug, five grandchildren, seven greatgrandchildren, and sister Harlene “Butzy” Cohen of Cincinnati. Mr. Schneider loved being with his grandchildren because he was always a kid at heart. Donations in his name may be made to Alzheimer's Association.