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Cedar Village celebrates grand opening of new rehabilitation...
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Over-the-Rhine Grill Out at the soup kitchen
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A provocateur to some, Michele Bachmann also...
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With consolidation, Canadian Jewish agencies shift to...
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Cedar Village Golf Classic on August 22 Cedar Village Retirement Community is hosting its 12th Annual Golf Classic on Monday, Aug. 22, at Wetherington Golf and Country Club in West Chester. Cedar Village is a not-for-profit retirement community, located in Mason, Ohio that features 105 independent and assisted living apartments and 162 healthcare beds. The Cedar Village Golf Classic features a world-class course at a premier private golf club with many contests and prizes, as well as a range of sponsorship opportunities.
Following the tournament there will be a buffet dinner, raffle prizes will be drawn, and contest and team prizes will be awarded. Serving as co-chairs of this event are Barb Reed and Mark Mayer. Reed said, “Proceeds from this tournament will be used for the renovation and expansion of Cedar Village rehabilitation services.” Mayer said, “From the tournament’s inception in 2000, over $1,100,000 has been raised to benefit the residents of Cedar Village.” Cedar Village is in the midst of a major rehabilitation service expan-
Cedar Village Golf Classic co-chairs, Mark Mayer and Barb Reed
sion — developing significantly expanded, state-of-the-art inpatient and outpatient therapy space and updated patient care areas for shortterm rehabilitation. The new therapy area opens in early July and the overall project will be completed in the fall.
The Cedar Village Golf Classic offers both morning and afternoon golf sessions with a scramble shotgun start. Morning play begins at 8 a.m. and afternoon play begins at 1:15 p.m. There will be contests on every hole. Following the tournament there will be a buffet dinner,
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raffle prizes will be drawn, and contest and team prizes will be awarded. The tournament includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. Golfers can play with their own foursome or Cedar Village will set up teams. For more information, contact Angela Ratliff at Cedar Village.
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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
Cincinnati Jewish Singles have a ‘Szechuan Shabbat’ Join Meetup’s Cincinnati Jewish Singles at the Szechuan House this Friday, July 8, at 7 p.m. to expand your social network within the local Jewish community. “Szechuan Shabbat,”
hosted by the CJS group, will be a way to meet other singles in a casual setting. Enjoy Chinese food and make friends in the process. Remember to RSVP online on
the CJS’s section of the Meetup website. Szechuan House is located in Sharonville and the organizers hope this will be a central location for those attending.
The American Israelite website breaks 3,500 unique visitors in June Plus this week’s Facebook Fan of the Week The American Israelite website received 3,537 unique visitors during the month of June. The upward climb for new users far exceeds expectations since the site launched in January of this year. We appreciate all of our returning users and welcome new users as we continue to serve as Cincinnati’s source for local,
national and international Jewish community news. If you have yet to visit the site, please try it now. In addition, subscribe to our email newsletter the E-sraelite, which you can access by going to the top right corner of the American Israelite site’s homepage and typing in your email address. A unique visitor is counted only once no matter how many times they have visited a site. This method is measured by a comput-
er’s IP address (Internet Protocol Standard), which acts like online fingerprints. Each of these unique visitors span a wide audience from young professionals to families to teens, baby boomers, senior adults and more. Remember to stick with the oldest for what’s new. Also, congratulations to Miriam Raider-Roth, this week’s new Facebook Fan of the Week. Don’t forget to “like” us, for your chance to be the Fan of the Week!
Cedar Village celebrates grand opening of new rehabilitation center Cedar Village will celebrate the grand opening of its new rehabilitation center on Sunday, July 10, at 11:30 a.m. Ohio State Representative Peter Beck will be in attendance to cut the ribbon that opens the newly renovated and expanded 45,000 square foot rehabilitation and therapy center. There will be an Open House from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. The Rehabilitation Center at Cedar Village provides a state-ofthe-art therapy gym that includes inpatient and outpatient areas that
address individual client needs. Patients recuperate and rehabilitate following surgery, illness or injury with highly trained staff and equipment that can adjust for all levels of care. The Cedar Village Rehabilitation Center therapy gym offers the most current equipment available including a medical laser for light therapy, recumbent bikes, resistive knee exercisers, weighted arm pulleys, Biodex balance trainers, rehabilitation treadmills, parallel bars and large
From the desk of a Workum intern By Gabrielle Schneider Guest Writer As school comes to a close, many college students are excited and eager to get out of the classroom and into the sun. This was not the case for 10 unique students who have been given an irreplaceable opportunity to skip the sun and instead intern for the summer. This year’s class of Workum interns provides a distinctive set of skills that will help them when working at the Jewish organizations they were placed carefully with. The Workum interns will each complete a project that will help them to grow as they give back to where they are interning. Molly Cramer is interning for Jewish Vocational Services. Her
main project for the summer will be to help assist in planning a local job fair for both area businesses and potential employers. Molly says, “This internship not only allows me to help others in their quest for employment, but also teaches me invaluable lessons in the art of marketing yourself to future employers.” Interning at the American Jewish Archives of Hebrew Union College is Charlie Schreiber. Charlie’s main project this summer is to work with his supervisor to create a self-guided tour book for HUC. He will also be writing on interesting documents he finds in the archives for the archives’ website. INTERN on page 21
screen Wii-habilitation activities and programs. Therapy is available seven days per week and a full range of therapies are offered including occupational, physical and speech.
Dynamic professionals like you raise the bar for excellence. The Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton is seeking a forward thinking leader to assume the role of Director of the Dayton Area Jewish Senior Services Agency. Our population is aging & we’ve taken the proactive steps to create this unique one-point agency to care for our senior populace including, Outreach, Emergency Services, Transportation/Chore Service and Counseling & Case Management. This cutting-edge thinker will provide vision to develop and implement new programs and services to Jewish seniors in Dayton, Ohio.
The successful candidate will possess: Min. 10 yrs. related exp. & Master’s Degree in Social Work or related field; Exp. in senior services program development & demonstrated understanding of issues affecting senior adults & Jewish communities; History of successful private and public fund procurement; Excellent supervisory, organizational, communication and administrative skills
We offer an excellent benefits & compensation package. Qualified candidates submit resume with cover letter in confidence to:
Larry Skolnick, Executive Vice President Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton lskolnick@jfgd.net
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Learn to cook at JCC Cooking Camp Children can become young chefs at JCC Cooking Camp this summer. They’ll experiment with new recipes, prepare ingredients and learn how to make tasty meals for themselves and their families. JCC Cooking Camp is one of the popular S’More Camps offered by the Mayerson JCC. These specialty one-week camps each focus on a topical theme of fun activities, such as cooking. JCC S’More Camps are open to the general public, and J Members receive a discounted rate. Advance registration is required by calling the J.
Early registration is encouraged as this camp is expected to sell out. JCC Cooking Camp is available for children entering grades K – 6 and starts either August 8 or August 15, depending on age. The first week, August 8 - 12, is for grades K – 2. The second week, August 15 – 19, is for grades 3 – 6. J camps run Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with an extended day program available both before and after camp for an extra fee. During S’More Cooking Camp at the J, kids spend half their day with a professional instructor learn-
ing the ins-and-outs of planning menus, adhering to recipes, and preparing ingredients. The other half-day will be filled with fun camp activities like arts and crafts, field games, and swimming in the J’s heated outdoor pool and indoor waterpark. “Campers will enjoy cooking pizza, ravioli, and desserts, and they’ll really love to eat everything they make,” said Rebecca Plymesser, instructor. “The children have such a sense of accomplishment at the end of each camp day.” The kids will make a recipe
book to take home at the end of the week. This provides a creative outlet and encourages them to continue cooking after camp is over. Additional JCC S’More Camps for children in grades K – 8 run one week each during August 1 – 19. These include soccer, basketball, golf, Sports Adventure, Park-a-Day, and horseback riding (filled). S’More Camp for children ages 18 months to pre-kindergarten is available by the week, August 1 – 12. For more information or to register your child for S’More Camps, visit the J’s website or call the Camp at the J.
WiseUP religious school projects For centuries Jewish teachers have taught us that we are partners with G-d in repairing the world and continuing the work of creation. From our earliest teachings we learn that when G-d created Adam, G-d led him around the Garden of Eden and said to him: “Behold my works! See how beautiful they are, how excellent! All that I have created, for your sake did I create it. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy my world; for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you,” (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13). How does Wise Temple turn this lesson about contributing to the world around us into action? One avenue is their award winning WiseUP program, where congregants are invited to participate in a variety of projects that contribute to
tikkun olam. This is such a core principle in the Jewish community that to be true to the call of tikkun olam we must include our children in this sacred work. Therefore, each religious school student participates in an age appropriate WiseUP project each year within the context of their Religious school experience. Children naturally understand the spirit of doing real work in the world and can quickly sense when they are making a difference. The religious school WiseUp projects are chaired by parent volunteers under the direction of the team leader, Dianne Benmayor. This year’s projects included: — Open Room students prepared Shaloch Manot Baskets (Purim goody baskets) for the elderly
— First Grade students created gifts of welcome for Wise Temple’s Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) guests — Second Grade students shared their lovely voices in song with residents of Cedar Village — Third Grade students collected and wrapped books for needy students through the Bake-a-Wish foundation — Fourth Grade students created beautiful art butterflies for the Cancer Free Kids butterfly walk — Fifth Grade students planted bulbs at the United Jewish Cemetery — Sixth Grade students helped out at the Jewish Federation’s Give a Day in April In addition, Wise Temple’s students collected over $2,100 in
tzedakah this year and they chose 18 organizations and funds to contribute the money to. Through Wise Temple’s WiseUP program and tzedakah commitment the students learn about the Jewish imperative to act with goodness in the world and to love your neighbor as yourself — Vahavta’ l’rayacha. They also come to understand that when we work together we accomplish so much more. “The WiseUP grade level projects are very enjoyable to plan, and there are a wide range of wonderful projects and organizations we work with,” observed Benmayor. “It is a pleasure to see the children engaged in their particular project and to know we are building on their understanding of how important tzedakah and tikkun olam are.”
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The American Israelite “LET THERE BE LIGHT” THE OLDEST ENGLISH-JEWISH WEEKLY IN AMERICA - EST. JULY 15, 1854
VOL. 157 • NO. 50 THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011 5 TAMMUZ 5771 SHABBAT BEGINS FRIDAY 8:49 PM SHABBAT ENDS SATURDAY 9:50 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 Founder, Editor, Publisher, 1854-1900 LEO WISE Editor & Publisher, 1900-1928 RABBI JONAH B. WISE Editor & Publisher, 1928-1930 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
AJC goes green for energy security The American Jewish Committee has placed its first Green Spaces parking signs at the Mayerson JCC, reserving space for “green” high mileage vehicles. AJC volunteers are encouraging synagogues and Jewish agencies to put signs in their parking lots, showing their commitment to reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil by favoring cars which get more than 30 miles per gallon. At the same time, AJC’s national headquarters has won Gold LEED certification. “The Green Spaces initiative educates our community that in a cleaner, greener world oil will not be used as a weapon,” says Melissa Schwartz, chair of AJC’s energy committee. “Today over 60 percent of U.S. oil is imported, leaving our country vulnerable to fluctuations in oil prices and supply. Much of the millions of dollars sent abroad for oil goes to undemocratic and despotic regimes.” The AJC Cleveland office originated the Green Spaces idea, which Cincinnati, New Jersey, and Westchester, N.Y., have now adopted. After reaching out to Jewish institutions first, AJC will bring the parking signs to churches
JANET STEINBERG Travel Editor STEPHANIE DAVIS-NOVAK Fashion Editor SONDRA KATKIN 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
AJC officer Andrew Heldman (left) and parking sign with the Mayerson JCC director of operations Brian Monk and Executive Director Jeff Baden.
and businesses. In addition, AJC has received the distinction of LEED Gold certification for transforming its New York headquarters, built in 1959, into an environmentally friendly, energy-efficient office building. AJC is the first national Jewish organization to achieve LEED certification for its headquarters.
The project, which began in 2006, involved a major overhaul of building systems, controls and operations, including heating, ventilating, air conditioning and lighting. “AJC headquarters already has reduced total power usage by some 45 percent, and water usage by 20 percent,” said Executive Director David A. Harris. “The investments
in more efficient and environmentally friendly machinery and materials already have yielded significant savings.” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wrote in a letter to AJC, “Together, we look forward to AJC’s National Headquarters serving as a green design model for more nonprofits and corporate citizens.”
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 columnists of The American Israelite do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the newspaper.
LOCAL • 5
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
Jewish Family Service annual meeting
President of the JFS Board Michael Schwartz presents Vice President of the Board Andrea Lerner Levenson with the Miriam Dettelbach Award.
While writing her report for the Jewish Family Service annual meeting, Executive Director Beth Schwartz asked her 6-year-old daughter what she thinks about JFS. “JFS Rocks!” was her daughter’s reply, followed by “because JFS helps people.” “Yes, JFS Rocks. But it doesn’t Roll,” said Beth in her report. “We are a small but mighty agency. We have the will, the ability, and motivation but not enough capacity to
Roll. How much more could we Rock if we had more to Roll with?” That was the focus of the meeting held at Rockdale Temple’s chapel Thursday, June 23, 2011. Beth thanked the board for providing direction and strategy, a clear mission, scope and a voice to others in the community. And she thanked the staff that continues to amaze her. “In 2010, Jewish Family Service strengthened 3,954 indi-
vidual lives. Those are unduplicated numbers. Clients may have been helped more than one time and by more than one part of the agency, but we only count them once no matter how many staff hours were required to meet their needs,” she said. More than 75 percent of the almost 4,000 lives touched by JFS receive ongoing and intense services. Beth joked that she recently heard the Dean of a School of Social Work share that when she tells people about the social work profession others often comment, “I don’t think I could do that kind of work,” and then they ask, “you don’t make very much, do you?” “I’ll tell you what our staff makes,” said Beth speaking directly to the staff. “You make families through adoption where there once was no hope for children. You make women who were battered and abused strong and safe. You make disenfranchised, disconnected people part of a community. You make older people independent and self-determined. You make kids who fear the bully feel empowered and knowledgeable about what to do. You make sure people who are on the verge of homelessness have
a roof over their heads. You make struggling families feel safe and secure with medicine in their hands and food in their bellies. You make broken people whole. You make the community a better place for all to live. You make JFS what it is.” “We Rock. But we don’t Roll. We don’t do enough. We have the will, the know-how, the innovation and motivation…but not enough capacity to Roll. “Over the past years we went lean with staff in order to overcome financial challenges. We have survived. But we are not thriving. Funding has subsided due to the economy, but demand has increased. We don’t have what we
need to invest back into the agency. “We Rock. With the right infusion of resources in our infrastructure, we could do so much more. We could transform our community. We could Rock AND Roll.” Jewish Family Service Board President Michael Schwartz opened the meeting with a review of the strategic planning currently being explored in Aging and Caregiver Services, Family Life Education, and Vital Services. “In the next 12-24 months we will be announcing a new location for the food pantry,” he gave as one example. JFS on page 19
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Hot time in the city for Jewish Young Professionals Hair Do’s and Brews? What do those two things have in common? Nothing, other than one refers to a No Ma’am event, and other to a No Boyz Allowed (NBA) event — each a free program of Access, and each occurring on Thursday, July 14. One is an event in which participants will dredge up the past and get down and dirty to gossip about famous people, among other things, and the other will involve getting together for a change of pace over dinner and drinks! But if you think you’ve figured out which is which…think again! It’s the men who will be getting the dirt on the seedier side of Cincy’s past when they go underground to explore the recently discovered brewery tunnels located beneath the streets of the Gateway District, one time home to more than 130 saloons, bars, beer gardens and theaters! After the guided tour, the guys will head back above ground and grab dinner and some cold brews a few doors down at Lavomatic. And it’s the women who will be learning how to change up their look, fight that frizz, tame those curls or add some bounce back into that ultra-straight style when NBA comes to the rescue with the perfect prescription for fun at Benefit Salon. Guests will get tips and tricks from the experts and learn how to create some of the hottest new hairstyles to take you from the workday to the weekend without all the hassle. Dinner and wine are included.
“We noticed that some of the women whose names we had in our database weren’t coming to our Access events. When we asked why, we learned that a number of them, especially those who were new to town, weren’t comfortable walking into our bigger events all by themselves,” says Rachel Plowden, Access event coordinator. “Instead, they liked the idea of having some girlfriends to come with. That’s when No Boyz Allowed was born. These bimonthly events are only for Jewish women, 21-35 and give them a chance to make meaningful connections with one another,” she adds. “In the past six years since NBA started, numerous friendships have blossomed as a result, and many of the participants say that NBA is responsible for helping them meet the women who are their best friends to this day!” “It wasn’t too long after that that a group of guys requested ‘equal treatment’ and came to us with a proposal to start similar programming just for them,” Rachel explains. “They came up with their own name, No Ma’am: For Jewish Guys who Just want to Hang Loose, and have made this program just as popular with the men as NBA is with the women!” Both programs offer events every other month at a variety of popular venues around town. Some past No Ma’am events have included a Cigar and Brandy Tasting at Montgomery Inn Boathouse, a Paintball party, a private consultation with menswear experts at
Ladies, learn tips and tricks from the Benefit Salon experts on how to change up your look, without all the hassle, then have dinner afterward.
Explore the recently discovered Gateway District brewery tunnels, then grab dinner and some cold brews with the guys.
Nordstrom, lessons at the rifle range and much more. Some past NBA events have included “Chick Lit and Chocolate,” Self Defense 411, “Babes and Bubbies,” an evening with the women of the JCC’s senior adult department, salsa dancing lessons, a tea tasting and much more. In September, NBA will also be hosting a Brewery Tunnel Tour as well. A few times a year, Access also offers opportunities for the NBA and No Ma’am groups to “Meet up” after their respective events for drinks at a nearby club or bar. This takes the worry out of “who am I going to walk in with” right out of the equation since both men and women get to come with an entire group. “I moved to town a year ago and didn’t know a soul,” says Deena Weiser. “Luckily, I met a woman at work who told me about Access and invited me to my first No Boyz Allowed event. The women couldn’t have been nicer and more welcoming to me. In just two weeks I had already met dozens of new people, some of whom are now my best friends!” she adds. No Boyz Allowed and No Ma’am are signature programs of Access, which is an initiative of The Mayerson Foundation for Jewish men and Jewish women, 2135. To RSVP for either of the events, please consult the community directory in the back of this issue and contact Rachel Plowden by July 11.
Over-the-Rhine Grill ‘BuJew’ at the bat: Shawn Green’s Out at the soup kitchen eclectic spiritual journey On June 12, the seventh annual Over-the-Rhine Grill Out was held at the Over-the-Rhine Kitchen. Debbie and John Moffat invest much love, thought, time, resources and effort to coordinate this annual event. Members from several congregations came together to serve grilled burgers, potato salad, baked beans, fruit, cookies and lemonade to the people who stopped by the soup kitchen for meals. The group of individuals who regularly serve
food appreciated their help on Sunday morning in mid June. Members of Wise Temple, Rockdale Temple, Congregation B’nai Tzedek, Ohav Shalom, Northern Hills Synagogue and St. Gertrude’s in Madeira worked together to grill food and prepare and serve all of the other elements of this delicious summer meal. In years past, such as in 2009, 262 meals were served at a single OTR grill out event.
The Over-the-Rhine Grill Out volunteers posed before they started to serve those who stopped by the soup kitchen.
By Ron Kaplan New Jersey Jewish News Hank Greenberg. Al Rosen. Sandy Koufax. Shawn Green. This quartet can be considered the Mt. Rushmore of Jewish Major Leaguers. Green debuted with the Toronto Blue Jays in September 1993. He also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks before retiring at the age of 34 following his 2007 season with the New York Mets. He could have kept playing, earning several more millions and adding to his statistics as one of the top Jewish athletes. But Green decided it was more important to be home for his wife and two young daughters in southern California than to pick up an extra few paychecks. Green has been described as a “BuJew” — a Jew who follows certain tenets of Buddhism, which is the basis of his new memoir, “The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 MPH” (written with Gordon McAlpine, published by
Simon and Schuster). Although he admits he was not brought up in a religiously observant household, Green takes exception to those who would qualify his connections to Judaism. “There’s quite a thread in the American-Jewish heritage to have this close-knit tie to baseball. It’s pretty cool and I’m honored to have been a part of that,” he said in a telephone interview. While proud to be one of the premier Jewish players of all time, Green said, “I think it definitely was more significant [years ago]. There are a lot of great Jewish ballplayers now, but the game is so much different than it was. “We’ve become such a global sport…that being a Jewish player is still significant, but it’s become run-of-the-mill with all these other players coming from other countries as well,” said Green. He recalled a bus ride when he was with the Dodgers: “We had seven different languages going when you throw in [FrenchCanadian] Eric Gagne. We had a Taiwanese player, a Japanese play-
er, a Chinese player, obviously a lot of Latin players, English…It was pretty crazy.” “When I started playing in Toronto, there was a strong Jewish community there, very tight-knit. They really took me in. That was my first real taste of being a Jewish role model.” Green appreciated that the Canadian city “wasn’t overwhelming. That kind of got me through my initiation period, so to speak.” Green attended synagogue on the High Holy Days with Dr. Glenn Copeland, the Blue Jays’ team physician. “I started to embrace not only my heritage, but my responsibility as a Jewish athlete.” He admitted to being “a little scared” at the prospect of playing in American cities with large Jewish populations. “Had I gone [to New York] with a big contract and a lot of responsibilities on the playing field, I think it would have been difficult, knowing my personality as a more reserved person, to also carry the load of being ‘the guy’ from the Jewish perspective. GREEN on page 19
NATIONAL • 7
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
National Briefs
A provocateur to some, Michele Bachmann also offers Jewish voters common cause By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Strauss-Kahn released from house arrest (JTA) — Dominique StraussKahn was released from house arrest after prosecutors said the hotel maid who accused the former director of the International Monetary Fund of rape lied to a grand jury. With his July 1 release by a judge from his house arrest in New York, Strauss-Kahn may now travel anywhere in the United States. He has a home in Washington D.C., where the IMF is located. Strauss-Kahn resigned as head of the IMF after he was jailed on charges of sexually assaulting a housekeeper at New York’s Sofitel hotel on May 14. He still faces charges of raping the maid, who reportedly lied to the grand jury about the sequence of events after the alleged attack. The maid also allegedly lied on tax and immigration documents. Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers have called for all charges against their client to be dropped. They do not deny there was a sexual encounter. Strauss-Kahn, 62, had been considered a front-runner for the French presidency, the first Jew to hold such a position since World War II. Obama campaign preparing to counter critics on Israel stance (JTA) — The Obama re-election campaign reportedly is assembling a team to fight back against conservative critics of the president’s position on Israel. The campaign is assembling a group of high-profile figures who are respected in the Jewish community to counter criticism against Obama and to push back against attacks, Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent reported Saturday in his The Plum Line blog. The plan comes as the campaign acknowledges that Jewish voters and donors have defected to the Republican Party following conservative attacks on Obama’s Israel stance, Sargent said. Senior Obama adviser David Axelrod reportedly has led discussions with Jewish leaders on how to respond to the criticism. “We will have highly credible spokespeople and surrogates speak out in a general manner in support of what this administration has done, and articulate it in a way that we think will resonate with voters who care about this issue,” Alan Solow, the former head of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, told Sargent in an interview. “We will meet with supporters who have expressed concerns or want to be briefed on these issues on a one-on-one basis.”
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Michele Bachmann in a bathroom confronted by two lesbians and screaming for help, or Bachmann at the Western Wall surrounded by Jews and weeping with joy. Where your politics are likely will determine which incident involving Bachmann you’d highlight. But supporters of Bachmann, a presidential aspirant from the Republican Party, acknowledge that both incidents have their root in the same characteristics: a woman unafraid of letting her deepest convictions rise unfiltered to the surface. “When Michele speaks one on one, there is nothing fake about her,” said Danny Rosen, a Minnesota lawyer who is a longtime supporter of Bachmann. “You can sense that she is revealing the real Michele. That can be a disarming quality.” It’s been a problem in the past for the congresswoman from eastern Minnesota. Bachmann, 55, acknowledges that her tendency to speak off the cuff can get her into trouble. “People can make mistakes, and I wish I could be perfect every time I say something, but I can’t,” she told CNN this week. Bachmann’s impressive performance in the first major GOP debate earlier this month has vaulted her to the forefront of a crowded Republican field. Her capacity for self-deprecation helped her ace the June 13 forum on CNN. Other candidates stalled or looked embarrassed when the moderator posed quirky “either-or” pop culture questions. Bachmann said she liked both Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, then delivered a full-throated laugh at her own inability to decide. She also displayed command of the issues, particularly those relating to her fiscal conservatism. Bachmann, trained as a lawyer, at the tip of her fingers had analyses that she used to attack President Obama’s economic policies, citing a study that she said showed an 800,000 job loss figure as a result of health care reform. Many of her pro-Israel supporters said they were especially impressed by her command of Middle East issues, pointing in particular to a recent video on Israel posted by her campaign. The video showcases Bachmann’s understanding of how Israelis view their alliance with the United States as nuanced, emotive and consistent with her pronounced Christian identity.
Courtesy of Rep. Michele Bachmann
Republican presidential hopeful Rep. Michele Bachmann is criticizing President Obama over his policies toward Israel.
“We even share the same exceptional mission, to be a light to the nations,” she says in the clip. “After all, the image of America as a shining city on the hill was taken from the book of Isaiah.” The video, which is dedicated to Israel, also blasts Obama for what she says was the president’s call for Israel to “give up its right to defensible borders.” (Obama in fact has said that secure borders must be an outcome of negotia-
tions.) Caroline Glick, the conservative Jerusalem Post columnist, called the Bachmann video the most cogent explanation of the U.S.-Israel relationship she had ever heard. “And this speech came out of nowhere,” Glick said. “She’s not pandering for votes. No one asked her to say this. She just decided that she had to make a statement.” Bachmann held a reception
after the most recent American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in May at the same time as receptions hosted by former U.S. House of Representatives speaker Newt Gingrich, who is also running for the GOP presidential nod, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. Bachmann easily attracted the biggest crowd, and she cut short her remarks to accommodate a line of photo-seekers snaking outside the hall. Bachmann, the wife of a psychological counselor who runs a Christian-themed practice, told the crowd that she and her family make sure each year to have at least one Jewish event, attending a Jewish-themed play or movie. Her formal candidacy announcement also included a reference to Israel. “We can’t afford four more years of a foreign policy that leads from behind and doesn’t stand up for our friends, like Israel, and too often fails to stand up to our enemies,” she said in Iowa. Bachmann’s dedication to the Jewish state dates back to 1974, when she was selected at age 17 to join a group of Minnesota teens to spend a summer in Israel. Working on Kibbutz Be’eri in the Negev left an impression. “We were always accompanied by soldiers with machine guns,” she said a year ago in an interview with TCJewFolk, a clearinghouse for young Jewish bloggers in Minnesota. “While we were working, the soldiers were walking around looking for land mines.” BACHMANN on page 20
8 • NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL
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Beyond canned food drives: Jewish food gardens donate bounty By Sue Fishkoff Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Courtesy of Adam Berman
Food Network, a nonprofit working to provide underserved populations access to healthy, sustainably grown food. He noted that 8,000 farm-toschool programs now operate in the United States, up from just four in 2003. People want fresh produce and healthy food, he said, but in many low-income neighborhoods without supermarkets or farmers markets it simply is not available. These are called “food deserts.” “The No. 1 barrier is not knowledge, but access,” he said. That’s what these Jewish gardens are trying to change. Urban Adamah, built on the site of a former printing press on land used most recently as a parking lot, planted its first crops this spring and officially opened in mid-June. Most of the work is done by a dozen post-college residential fellows who spend three months working the land and learning about farming and the Jewish values related to food and agriculture. The program was developed by Adam Berman, Urban Adamah’s executive director, based on a similar program he created at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Connecticut that produced a cadre of young Jewish farmers and farm educators now in charge of their own projects around the country. They include Kayam Farms in Reistertown, Md., and the Jewish Farm School at Eden Village Camp, N.Y. In Denver, Ekar Farm was launched 20 months ago on unused land belonging to the Denver Academy of Torah, a Modern Orthodox day school. (Watch JTA’s video on Ekar Farm.) Last year, the farm grew 8,000 pounds of produce and gave 6,500 pounds of it to the Jewish Family Service Food Pantry. The Ekar staff has helped other local synagogues start their own food gardens. “It’s a wonderful community activity,” said Ekar’s volunteer coordinator Aaron Ney. “Spending time in the field, turning the earth together, harvesting together, is a great way to get to know each other and build community.” As momentum builds, more and more synagogues, schools, camps and JCCs are getting into the act. Rachel Cohen, sustainability program coordinator for the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, says all 13 Reform movement summer camps and more than 20 congregations are doing some kind of food justice work. Some of them are growing and donating food, or leaving the corners of their fields for the poor to come and take what they need — something the Torah instructs.
Rebecca Geunoun, left, and Molly Fischman plant tomatoes at the Urban Adamah Farm in Berkeley, Calif., July 1, 2011.
FOOD on page 21
BERKELEY, Calif. (JTA) — Tali Weinberg walks along the rows of leafy green vegetables poking out of neatly raised beds of soil at Urban Adamah, a newly launched Jewish garden project in this university town. “We’re growing chard, kale, lettuce, summer squash, cucumbers, beans, basil, fennel, dill, tatsoi, broccoli, cabbage,” she said, surveying the garden. Later in the summer, they will add peppers, tomatoes and eggplants. Almost all of it will be donated to two local agencies that feed the poor: a low-income medical clinic and a neighboring church. “We gave our first donation this morning,” Weinberg said on June 27. “It felt really good to me to partner with a health clinic, because food is about medicine. They see a lot of people with health problems due to poor nutrition, a lot of heart conditions and diabetes. Sure, food is about celebration, but for many people it literally saves lives.”
Urban Adamah is on the cutting edge of a fast-growing phenomenon. As general interest in food justice and healthy eating intersects with the longstanding Jewish commitment to tzedakah — particularly the commandment to care for the poor and needy — growing numbers of synagogues, Jewish schools, camps, community centers and freestanding Jewish farm projects are planting gardens and donating the produce. And they’re doing so in conscious fulfillment of Jewish values. The Jewish community has a long history of helping the hungry. That used to be centered mostly around holding canned-food drives, giving out free meals, running agencies that help the needy and engaging in political advocacy. But now Jewish groups are also maintaining food gardens and giving away the bounty, reflecting many people’s desire for more hands-on involvement. “Food justice is the cause of this generation,” said agronomist Oran Hesterman, author of “Fair Food” and founder of the Fair
Courtesy of New Roots
Fresh Stop Onions: A patron selects her own scallions at a community-supported agriculture project run by New Roots, a Jewish food project in Louisville, Ky.
Courtesy of Karl Baron via CC
Canada’s leading Jewish communal groups are consolidating to form a new umbrella agency for Jewish and Israel advocacy. Pictured here is Canada’s parliament building in Ottawa.
With consolidation, Canadian Jewish agencies shift to new model By Ron Csillag Jewish Telegraphic Agency TORONTO (JTA) — It’s an age-old question in the organized Jewish world: With so many similar-sounding organizations doing so much similar-sounding work, is there any way to streamline things and eliminate unnecessary duplication by consolidating like-minded agencies? While American Jewish organizations have rarely gone that route, in Canada some of the country’s main Jewish groups are undergoing a major overhaul that will transform the governing agencies of Canadian Jewry. In early June, after 18 months of talks, the boards of the Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy, or CIJA, and United Israel Appeal Federations Canada approved a major restructuring of community agencies. Since its birth in 2004, CIJA had overseen and coordinated the advocacy work of the Canadian Jewish Congress, the CanadaIsrael Committee, Quebec-Israel Committee, National Jewish Campus Life and the University Outreach Committee. Starting July 1, those organizations will be folded into a new Canadian umbrella agency for Jewish and Israel advocacy. The agency has yet to get its formal name. Shimon Fogel, CEO of the temporarily named CIJA 2.0, has said it’s possible the new agency will be named the Canadian Jewish Congress. The traditional CJC, founded in 1919, endured a round of layoffs concurrent with the consolidation decision. The new organization “will continue the work of all the agencies that it is succeeding or that are being folded into it, including the whole range of traditional
Congress activities,” Fogel told JTA. Noting that Canadian Jewish Congress leaders were involved in the process, he added, “This isn’t a hostile takeover.” Fogel has said that the need for a reorganization stemmed from the belief that the lines between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism have become almost indistinguishable. “The lines and distinctions between what they used to call the domestic agenda and the Israel agenda have blurred so much that it’s impossible really to tell one from the other,” he told the Canadian Jewish News. “This isn’t about changing the agenda. This is about delivering on that agenda in a more efficient and effective way. Nobody’s abandoning any of the elements of one organizational agenda in favor of another,” he said. “We had an opportunity to integrate and consolidate all the thematic agendas — campus, antisemitism, Israel relations, social policy agenda at the local community level — all of those things could be brought into one, holistic institution.” Fogel said the new entity will transform the relationship with local Jewish federations. “It represents an opportunity for the federations to engage more directly in the advocacy process,” he said. The new organization will have a national 21-member board and local committees, according to Moshe Ronen, a former CJC president and current chair of the Canada-Israel Committee. The nuts and bolts will be implemented over the next month or so, he said. A branding study to come up with a name is nearly complete, he added. CANADIAN on page 22
INTERNATIONAL • 9
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
Royal wedding
Sachsenhausen’s new fee raises questions about concentration camp tours
By Julia Ioffe Tablet Magazine MOSCOW (Tablet) — Blumi Lazar’s wedding was not an intimate affair. A thick white dek tichel completely covering her face, Blumi stood under a massive raised chuppah of indigo velvet and gold fringe, swaying ever so slightly next to her groom, Isaac Rosenfeld, before some 1,500 invited guests. Among the sea of black hats and sheitels gathered in Moscow last week were Jews of all stripes: Israeli expats, American expats, wealthy Jews, less-wealthy Jews, secular Jews, half Jews, Jews who had never left Moscow and Jews who had left and come back. There were even non-Jews. They were all there because Blumi’s father, Berel Lazar, is the chief rabbi of the Russian Federation, and because right up until the minute before Blumi was born, just a week shy of 20 years ago, such a gathering — a cruiseship-sized celebration of a religious Jewish wedding in a park that once was the czar’s falconry grounds — would have been impossible. “She was born just before the revolution, in June 1991,” Rabbi Lazar told me after the ceremony as he, his wife and their new machetunim paced nervously outside the yichud room, where the bride and groom go to spend a few minutes alone. “Before that, people were walking with their heads down, hiding their Jewishness,” he said. “To talk about a wedding in the street, it was unheard of. We feel that these 20 years with her, they’ve been a rebirth.” Berel Lazar was the midwife of this change. Born in postwar Milan, Italy, to parents who were among the first of the Lubavitcher rebbe’s emissaries to the backwoods of Judaism — “There was no kosher even,” his sister Chani told me — Lazar found the next frontier when he came of age: the Soviet Union. He traveled to the slowly imploding empire in 1987 as a rabbinical student, and worked to establish underground yeshivas and help refuseniks make contact with the outside world. By 1989, Lazar had helped open a Jewish school in Moscow. Unfortunately, after the revolution, most of its hoped-for students soon abandoned Moscow and the Soviet Union, their parents deciding against staying in a country that had singled them out — and held them back — for being Jewish. WEDDING on page 20
Wikipedia Commons
The administrators of the site of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Germany recently started charging commercial tour guides to visit. The inside of the barracks at the camp are pictured here.
By Toby Axelrod Jewish Telegraphic Agency BERLIN (JTA) — In the places where Jews practiced slave labor and died by the millions, should guided tours be free? The recent decision by the Sachsenhausen concentration camp memorial to levy a fee on commercial tour guides prompted passionate arguments on both sides. Elan Steinberg, vice president of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants, said Holocaust survivors were “deeply disturbed and disappointed” by the decision. He wrote: “Charging any fees on visitors to the site undermines the present-day German consensus that no barriers should exist for the public to learn and reflect on the meaning and history of these places of persecution.” But a wide variety of other Jewish leaders and survivor representatives expressed support for the new fees, saying they would help ensure that guided tours of the concentration camp are historically accurate. “Survivors found that some of these guides from the tourism firms were not educated and did not really know their history — the history of survivors,” Sonja Reichert, general secretary of the International Sachsenhausen Committee, told JTA in a telephone interview from her home in Luxembourg. The Paris-based organization played an advisory role in Sachsenhausen’s decision to start charging for tours, she said.
Starting June 1, private guides who visit the site of the camp in eastern Germany, near Berlin, have been required to undergo training and obtain certification that costs about $108 annually. In addition, the guides are now charged a fee of about $1.45 for each tourist they bring to the site, according to Horst Seferens, spokesman for the Brandenburg Memorial Foundation, which administers the Sachsenhausen
concentration camp memorial. The decision, made in January, was based in part on feedback from survivor groups and Jewish leaders, Seferens told JTA. Stephan Kramer, general secretary of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said his council also supported the memorial’s decision to require that private tour guides be trained. The council, too, was represented on the advisory board behind the decision. “Some outsiders commercialize the tours without really delivering quality education,” Kramer said in a text message to JTA. “We need to charge them.” The goal of the fees, Seferens said, is to raise the quality of private tours at the site and to raise funds to support the pedagogical work of the memorial. Seferens said that numerous private tour guides working for a handful of commercial firms in Berlin have been charging significant fees to individual visitors. “There had been complaints about the quality of the tours,” he said. “Guides talked about Sachsenhausen as if it were Auschwitz. There is a tour on YouTube that would raise your hair on end” for all its historical errors, he said. “We decided to raise these tours to the standard of our own tours,” he added. No fees are charged to school groups and volunteer guides, and no individuals are charged an entry fee, Seferens noted.
The memorial at Sachsenhausen offers its own, non-commercial guided tours at a cost of about $20 for up to 15 people. An extra fee is charged for tours in languages other than German. The debate about whether to charge fees at such sites is not a new one. In 2007, Dutch survivor Pieter Dietz de Loos, head of the Paris-based International Dachau Committee, angered survivors and memorial directors in Germany by calling for an entrance fee to the Dachau memorial to help pay for educational programs. The suggestion was rejected. The Nazis established the Sachsenhausen camp in 1936, at first primarily for political prisoners and accused criminals, but it came to hold many other types of prisoners. During the 1938 Kristallnacht pogroms some 6,000 Jews who were arrested were sent to Sachsenhausen. Ultimately, some 200,000 people would be interned there at various times through 1945, and about half of them died or were killed there. The site was later used by the Soviets as an internment camp. Some 400,000 people visit the Sachsenhausen memorial per year. The annual budget for Sachsenhausen and four other sites in the state of Brandenburg, including the memorial at Ravensbruck, was about $8 million, Seferens said. The funds come from the state and federal governments.
10 • INTERNATIONAL / ISRAEL
International Briefs
Six years on, lessons of Gaza withdrawal resonate for West Bank By Linda Gradstein Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Bolivia’s Morales reportedly apologized for meeting with Iranian official BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — Bolivian President Evo Morales apologized for and called a “mistake” his meeting with Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi. Aldo Donzis, head of the DAIA Jewish political umbrella in Argentina, said Morales made the apology when they met July 1 in Buenos Aires. Morales called the meeting with Ahmad Vahidi “a mistake,” according to Donzis. Argentina has accused Vahidi of planning the July 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and wounded hundreds. The Argentina Justice Department had called on Interpol to detain Vahidi, who has had an international arrest warrant issued against him since 2007. Donzis met with Morales to protest the meeting on behalf of the Argentine Jewish community and the victims of the AMIA attack. Six Bolivian citizens who were working at the AMIA building were killed in the attack. “I have to honestly say that this was a mistake and I express my deep and sincere apologies,” Morales said, Donzis told journalists after the meeting. Morales’ office has not confirmed the apology. Donzis said “it is not easy to find a president who clearly admits that he has made a mistake.” During the meeting, the DAIA and Bolivian government agreed to “work together” on issues of immigration and discrimination. Vahidi left Bolivia on May 31 after arriving the previous day on an official visit to attend a military ceremony led by Morales. Donzis described his meeting with the Bolivian president as “very positive.” Bolivian government minister Sergio Solis Llorenti and that country’s ambassador in Argentina, Leonor Arauco Lemaitre, also attended the meeting. While in Bolivia, Vahidi attended a ceremony marking the 59th anniversary of the Colmilav Military Aviation School. Diplomats from Cuba and Venezuela also attended. In September 2009, the Iranian parliament unanimously approved Vahidi’s nomination to be the country’s defense minister. Vahidi declared that his appointment was “testimony to the antiZionist spirit of the Iranian Parliament and Iranian people.”
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SHILOH, West Bank (JTA) — Yisrael Medad remembers when just eight families lived in the redroofed homes in this Jewish settlement deep in the hills of the West Bank. Now some 2,500 Israelis live here, and Shiloh has playgrounds, schools and a yeshiva. The redroofed homes sprawl over several hills, and new homes continue to be built. At the bottom of the hill is the archaeological excavation of the biblical Shiloh, where the tabernacle is believed to have been built. Shiloh is often cited as one of the settlements likely to be uprooted under any final peace deal with the Palestinians. It is relatively isolated, about 28 miles north of Jerusalem, and halfway between the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Nablus. But with little movement in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Shiloh is not likely to disappear anytime soon. And even in the long term, any discussion of dismantling Jewish settlements in the West Bank is haunted by Israel’s experience six years ago this summer, when the removal of some 9,000 settlers from their homes in the Gaza Strip was followed by a Hamas takeover of Gaza and rocket attacks against Israel. “The expulsion from Gaza should serve as a warning for any withdrawal from Judea and Samaria,” said Hamutal Cohen of the Committee for the Residents of Gush Katif, which was the largest bloc of Jewish settlements in Gaza. “The government totally failed with 9,000 settlers. How can they manage with tens of thousands?” Only 20 percent of the 1,700 families forced to leave Gaza have moved into permanent homes, according to the committee. Many, especially farmers, have not been able to find work. “You can’t fix the trauma and crisis these people are still suffering six years later,” Danny Danon, a Knesset member from the Likud Party, told JTA. “Marriages have broken up and a lot of kids dropped out of school. People still live like refugees.” There is great debate in Israel over whether the withdrawal from Gaza, which then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon carried out in August 2005, was a strategic failure or success. On the one hand, Israel no longer had to deal with the daily security threats and headache of protecting 9,000 Jews in Gaza. And on the diplomatic front, Israel’s withdrawal ended Israel’s formal occupation of the coastal strip, which it had captured from Egypt in 1967 but never incorporated into
“If a Palestinian state is created and my security could be ensured, I would definitely choose to stay.” Medad of Shiloh
Israel proper. On the other hand, a year after the Israeli withdrawal, Hamas seized control of Gaza, and rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel increased dramatically. At the end of 2008, Israel launched a threeweek war to stem the rocket fire, drawing international condemnation for its military actions. Over the last few years, Palestinian advocates also have argued that Israel’s blockade of Gaza, which has loosened recently, constituted a de facto continuation of the occupation. Danon says the Gaza withdrawal was clearly a mistake and a West Bank pullback would be an even bigger mistake. Citing the rocket threat, he noted that an Israeli withdrawal even from part of the West Bank would leave central Israel — including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ben Gurion Airport — well within Palestinian rocket range. “People in Israel were willing to pay a heavy price in exchange for a real peace, but now they feel betrayed,” Danon said. “They feel like it was all for nothing.” Then there’s the military challenge inherent in any West Bank withdrawal. During the pullout from Gaza, many in Israel speculated that pro-settler soldiers and officers would disobey orders to evacuate the Gaza settlers. That did not happen and most soldiers did their jobs. The few who in good conscience felt they could not perform this duty were quietly excused. But a withdrawal from the West Bank could be different. For one thing, the number of settlers whose communities would not be annexed to Israel could exceed 80,000 (an estimated 320,000 Jews are living in West Bank settlements, not including eastern Jerusalem, which Israel annexed). Yossi Klein Halevi, a journalist and a fellow at Jerusalem’s Shalom Hartman Institute, says support for Jewish settlers in the West Bank has gone mainstream in a way that support for settlements in Gaza never did. “Two generations have grown up in Israel who see the settlements not only as part of Israel but as the heart of Israel,” Halevi told JTA. “Any withdrawal from the West Bank would involve mass refusal of soldiers to follow orders, and I am
deeply worried about the ability of the army to continue to be an effective fighting force.” Halevi estimates that Jewish settlers and their supporters make up 40 percent of some combat units; an Israeli army spokesman said the IDF does not release figures “on such a sensitive subject.” Orthodox men, who constitute a wellspring of support for the settlements, continue to volunteer for combat units in large numbers. These Orthodox youth also are fiercely loyal to their rabbis. When Israeli police recently detained Rabbi Dov Lior of the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba to question him on charges of incitement and racism, hundreds of Orthodox youth in Jerusalem blocked streets and clashed with police. If Lior issued a ruling that it is forbidden to force Jews to leave Jewish settlements in the West Bank, many Orthodox Jewish soldiers might find themselves torn. Gershon Baskin of the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information says such fears are overstated and that most religious soldiers would follow the orders of the army, not their rabbis. “Israel is a state where the rule of law works,” Baskin told JTA. “If there’s a democratic decision which is seen as legitimate, supported by Knesset and perhaps backed by a referendum, the public will not be behind any settlers who will take the law into their own hands and use violence.” “It will be much more traumatic than the Gaza withdrawal. But if people are convinced that peace is going to be real and settlement withdrawal would be gradual and incremental over time,” they would support it, he said. It’s not clear whether Jews who live in settlements like Shiloh would have the option of staying on under Palestinian sovereignty or whether they would want to remain. Some Palestinian officials, including Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, have welcomed the idea, but PA President Mahmoud Abbas has expressed reservations. “If a Palestinian state is created and my security could be ensured, I would definitely choose to stay,” said Medad of Shiloh, who has lived in the settlement since 1981.
Israel Briefs Gas pipeline to Israel from Egypt blown up again JERUSALEM (JTA) — Terrorists blew up a section of the pipeline that carries gas from Egypt to Israel and Jordan. Monday morning’s attack marked the third time that the pipeline has been sabotaged in the last six months. Armed men forced guards to leave a pumping station in the northern Sinai and then laid explosive charges, which they detonated remotely. Egypt supplies Israel with more than 40 percent of its natural gas needs to produce electricity. The supply of gas from Egypt was shut off for a month and never returned to full levels after terrorists in the Sinai blew up a section of the pipeline in February during the uprisings against deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In March, explosives failed to detonate in a second attempt by terrorists to bomb the pipeline. Another attack on April 27 blew up part of the pipeline in El-Arish, again halting the gas supply. Selling gas to Israel has been unpopular on the Egyptian street since the opening of the pipeline in 2008. Mubarak has been accused of giving Israel a sweetheart deal on the gas, since Egypt lost more than $714 million on the agreement. Activists planning pro-Palestinian protest at Ben Gurion JERUSALEM (JTA) — Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists reportedly are planning to fly to Ben Gurion Airport in Israel to protest the country’s policies toward the Palestinians. Activists hope the “fly-in,” scheduled for July 8, will disrupt airport operations, including departing and arriving flights. Most of the activists are from Europe, The Jerusalem Post reported. The activists plan to declare “Palestine” as their destination once they land in Israel, according to reports. They face being denied entry to Israel and deportation. They reportedly will demonstrate if denied entry. Meanwhile, leaders of the Gaza-bound flotilla rejected an offer late Sunday by Greece to deliver aid from the ships stuck in Greek harbors to the coastal strip either through Egypt or Israel. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly had agreed to the deal.
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
SOCIAL LIFE • 11
ANNUAL WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY LION OF JUDAH ‘THANK YOU’ LUNCHEON The Cincinnati Lions gathered for the annual Women’s Philanthropy Lion of Judah “Thank You” Luncheon on May 4 at the Mayerson JCC. The program featured Joan Nathan, author of numerous cookbooks and a frequent contributor to the New York Times. The luncheon was co-chaired by Suzi Brant, Susan Brenner and Amy Diamond.
Lion of Judah luncheon co-chairs Suzi Brant, Amy Diamond and Susan Brenner with speaker/author Joan Nathan, second from left.
Joan Nathan and Fran Coleman (Women’s Philanthropy chair)
Marilyn Zemboch, Sally Hiudt, Miriam Cohen, Leslie Miller
Stacey Fisher, Sarah Wise, Robyn Miller, Stacy Schimberg, Shary Levitt
Susan Brenner, Julie Shifman, Linda Greenberg
New Lion of Judah (Endowed Lion) Ronna Schneider
12 • CINCINNATI SOCIAL LIFE
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Rockwern Academy’s ‘Right to Read Week’ Rockwern Academy’s theme this year for the “Right to Read Week” was trees, to complement the students’ fundraising efforts to help JNF replant trees in Haifa. As students finished reading books, they added a leaf, bird or a flower to a large painting of a tree. At the beginning of the week, the tree was bare. By week’s end, the reading tree was in full bloom. As part of the “Right to Read Week” celebration, Rockwern’s older students read aloud to preschoolers in the school library. The tree, leaves, birds and flowers were designed and painted by Stephanie Rockwern Amlung.
Older students reading to preschoolers in the library.
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE • 13
Fourth grade students reading to the preschoolers in the school library.
The Reading Tree at the beginning and end of the week.
14 • DINING OUT
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Maggiano’s — Gastronomic treasures from the South of Italy By Sondra Katkin Dining Editor Maggiano’s Little Italy is more than a respite for the weary mall shopper. It’s a bakery, a banquet facility and a wonderful Italian restaurant. Kristen Lykens, banquet sales manager, “fell in love” with her job while still at Indiana University and couldn’t help singing its praises. Starting as a waitress, she was asked to help out with banquet sales and was so impressed, she chose it for her career. She found the Maggiano’s family style of serving food very appealing. She praised the banquet staff for “creating a warm, friendly, homelike environment, a real advantage for a rehearsal dinner, a bar or bat mitzvah party, or other traditional lifecycle events where relatives from all over come together and renew old ties in celebration.” The facility hosts a wide variety of other catered affairs, such as cocktail receptions, holiday parties, corporate meetings and breakfasts. The beautiful banquet rooms accommodate up to 120 guests with large, attractive area rugs, acoustic tiles, chandeliers, elegant table settings and a full service bar. In addition, another available party choice, the patio, is reminiscent of an elegant European courtyard, with live plants, lovely decor and a picturesque fountain. Maggiano’s banquet customers will discover that there are many choices and price ranges available. My introduction to Maggiano’s style of dining began when Karl Lenz, the executive chef stopped by our table to check out my husband’s gluten intolerance and explain the different choices available to him. He and General Manager Nelson Castillo are part of an international staff who believe in the old fashioned “mom and pop” atmosphere. According to Lykens, “They are captivating and charismatic, they know their customers by name, and
(Clockwise) Chicken Piccata, Crispy Potatoes, and Green Beans; Kristin Lykens, Banquet Sales Manager in the Large Banquet Room; The Beautiful Patio
make this huge place seem like a family dining experience. They have high standards and don’t even have a microwave; everything is from scratch.” They roast their own chickens, make their own soups, sauces and desserts. She informed me that a separate banquet kitchen insures that patrons won’t be affected when the main dining room is full. Maggiano’s will also bring their terrific “Little Italy” style dining to your home or the place of your choice. Set up, serving equipment and wait staff are available to facilitate the event. Lykens described Catering and Sales Coordinator, Jody Goode’s expertise with admiration. She said that “she’s really great at helping to plan an event. She makes sure the dishes are beautiful and tasty, your
place or ours.” Banquet guests may choose from a wide array of appetizers including stuffed mushrooms, Barb’s spinach and artichoke al forno, or Lykens’ favorite, crispy zucchini fritte, which she says is “life changing.” It’s breaded with panko bread crumbs, flash fried, and served with lemon aioli. Famous for their Italian salad with homemade dressing, the crisp, fresh romaine, kalamata olives, tomatoes and pepperoncini go perfectly with the oven fresh ciabatta. The bread’s center is so perfectly chewy you don’t need to dip it in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar accompanying it. For a second course, there is an extensive selection of pastas. My attention was drawn to the farfalle aglio with herbed chicken, spinach, sun-dried
tomatoes and asparagus. Brought back due to popular demand, it is a nostalgic dish of bow ties minus the kasha, but with added gourmet touches. One of their most popular entrees is chicken piccata. My husband and I sampled this amazing dish and found the chicken moist and lemony, with a white wine vinaigrette base, finished with capers. We have also enjoyed their grilled chicken with fresh tomatoes and basil, and I love their fresh salmon. Lykens told me that in the morning the air is redolent with fresh baking aromas. She is very partial to their New York cheesecake. Seconding her choice, Lance Rohman, banquet manager, stopped by and insisted I taste a generous wedge served with large, fresh strawberries, strawberry sauce and whipped cream. He told me he is a cheesecake expert, tasting it wherever he goes, and Maggiano’s is best. That’s enthusiasm I could share. I’m no cheesecake ingenue myself. Hailing from Philadelphia, I know New York cheesecake at its best. He was right. I brought some home to share with my husband, and we devoured it. The taste was dense, not too sweet, and incredibly rich. We experienced dessert euphoria, slouching in our chairs like bloated, contented ticks. Other desserts include delicious homemade spumoni that has no relationship to something you’ve bought in a store. Again, I was reminded of Philadelphia where the Italian restaurants made their own. Lykens is also partial to toasted Nonna’s pound cake, a buttery confection served with ice cream, chocolate shavings and on the side, hot fudge and caramelized bananas. She says the trick is to get a little of each flavor on the fork for the perfect bite.
There are other tempting desserts to rhapsodize about and some people may want to start the meal with sweets? Nah, couldn’t happen. But do leave room; you’re worth it. Maggiano’s is a community oriented restaurant helping to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation. They offer a special chef features menu, donating part of the proceeds. The cooking classes begun last year to raise money for the group were so popular they will continue this year, and the number of children sponsored by the restaurant has been increased to two. Staff members participate in selling tickets for a raffle to benefit the charity, and the children are also invited to dine at the restaurant. Besides their charitable activities, I have personally experienced the generosity of the wonderful people at Maggiano’s. Lykens and Rohman sent me home with so many plastic clamshells full of “goodies” to sample, the ocean was jealous. Their portions are notable. I have concluded that this is a tough job, but I always step up to the plate. I enjoyed talking to these passionate purveyors of pleasing provenance (forgive me, I can’t resist punning or alliteration, but I guess you noticed). They were enthusiastically committed to serving excellent food and making their guests feel welcome. Maggiano’s is open Monday through Saturday at 11 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with closing at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Sunday hours are 11 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Valet service is available and reservations are taken. Maggiano’s Little Italy 7875 Montgomery Road Cincinnati, OH 45236 (513) 794-0670
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16 • OPINION
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‘Lucky Loser’
All that the investment entailed was sharing some personal and medical information with a government agency. And writing an essay, about why I wanted to travel into space — the prize. The contest, announced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, was open only to teachers, and I hoped that my position teaching Talmud in a Providence, R.I. yeshiva high school qualified me. If not, I would invoke the Jewish History classes I taught too. (And I wondered if the administration might somehow know about my vote for Mr. Reagan in 1980.) I have no clear recollection about what I wrote in my essay but I think it included something about the religious nature of my teaching, my desire to experience the wonders of the universe from a new perspective and relay the same to students, and an appropriate verse or two from Tehillim or Psalms. Whatever. Amid over 11,000 other entries received for the Teacher in Space Program, mine wasn’t likely to be the one selected. And it wasn’t. Despite the long odds, though, I was disappointed. “Was it my essay?” I thought, regretting not
Rabbi Shafran is an editor at large and columnist for Ami Magazine. This column is reproduced with permission from Ami Magazine.
Do you have something to say? E-mail your letter to editor@americanisraelite.com
Dear Editor, Over the last few weeks, we have seen President Obama redefine the MidEast peace process by calling on Israel to return to the 1967 borders with land swaps prior to any refugee settlement. With the exception of some Democratic pols, everyone agrees this represents a seismic shift of the U.S. government’s position toward Israel. Obama would have you believe this represents no change from previous presidents. Although he may repeat this over and over till it sounds true, the fact is, this is simply false! This year represents the 44th anniversary of the Six Day War and the creation of the pivotal Security Council Resolution 242 (SC242) that formed the basis of the ceasefire and resolution to the Israeli-Arab conflict. The U.S. representative to the UN, Arthur Goldberg, under the direction of then President Johnson, created SC242. The two principal sections of SC242 were (a) The Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict and (b) Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in
peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force. The resolution also included language referring to the settlement of the (Arab) refugees. All warring parties with the exception of the PLO accepted SR242, although for many years the Arabs adopted their three “No” stances of No Negotiations, No Recognition (of Israel), and No Peace, unless Israel withdrew from all the territories. In 1993 the PLO finally accepted SR242 as the basis for negotiations with Israel. The first part of SC242 has been the cause of considerable angst. While the U.S. and Israel have always used the English version that left territories as an indefinite (leaving the ‘the’ out), the Arabs have always insisted on the alternate French version (des territories) which can be interpreted as either the definite from the territories (Arab and Obama interpretations) or the indefinite from territories. No president until President Obama referred to a land settlement that used the 1967 borders as a starting point. President Clinton (often misrepresented by Obama supporters) on his departure from the White House in Dec. 2000 was the first president who suggested land swaps but purposefully omitted a ‘67 border reference. All would be left
to a negotiated agreement. Indeed, Clinton never defined what a land swap was. For example, the PLO refers to land swaps of equal “value” versus geographic equivalence. And we know Clinton was terribly disappointed, when at the cusp of an agreement that included a refugee settlement, the PLO launched their suicidal Intifada 2. Indeed, Sec. of State Albright (under Clinton) vetoed Security Council resolutions that referred to the description of the territories occupied by Israel in 1967 as “Occupied Palestinian Territory” as this would imply sovereignty of some sort, that in fact had to be negotiated. Both Presidents Reagan and Bush II as sitting presidents never expected Israel to return all territories or refer to the 1967 borders as the basis for negotiation. And, any settlement would have to include the Arab refugees, a point Obama conveniently omits. Part 2 of SC242 has also fallen by the wayside. How can Israel think of ceding territory while the PLO actively promotes its worldwide delegitimization and seeks unification with Hamas. Is Hamas singing Kumbaya? Throughout his brief presidency and with a slight of hand, Obama is the first president who has taken up the mantle of the LETTERS on page 22
T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEKÅFS PORTION: BALAK(BAMIDBAR 22:2-25:9) 1. Why did Balak fear The Children of Israel? a.) They were a nation of scholars b.) They defeated the Emorites in battle c.) They were fundamentalists 2. How did Balak try to fight Children of Israel? a.) Organize a huge army b.) Economic boycott c.) Curse 3. Did Hashem reveal himself to Bilaam? 4. C. 22-34. This was attempt by Hashem to dissuade Bilaam before he sinned. Rashi 5. B. Bilaam never cursed the Children of Israel. However he did advise that immoral behavior could harm them. Rashi 25:1
“Was it my essay?” I thought, regretting not having secularized it. Maybe the few extra pounds I had confessed to carrying (and carry with me still)?
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
a.) Yes b.) No 4. Who tried to dissuade Bilaam on this mission? a) His wife b) His financial adviser (he was not offered enough money) c) His donkey 5. Was Bilaam successful in his mission? a.) Yes b.) No
3. A. Several times in the Pasha. Normally Hashem would not reveal himself to a wicked individual. However in 22:9 Hashem tried to trick Bilaam to destroy him. Hashem at times will make nations strong in order to destroy them later. R. Bchaya
Contests aren’t really my thing. I don’t buy lottery tickets or wager on sports, or for that matter, even know much about them. Until recently I thought Miami Heat was, well, a straightforward description, with the upper-case “H” a nod to the humidity. Once, though, nearly 30 years ago, I put my name into play for a truly special prize. It was a long shot, I knew, but the payoff was so unusual and so tempting, I figured (as regular gamblers must do regularly) that, hey, it was a minor investment and could bring a huge return.
having secularized it. Maybe the few extra pounds I had confessed to carrying (and carry with me still)? Most likely I just didn’t stand out in any meaningful way from the thousands of other would-be astronauts. So I nursed my wound, such as it was, consoling myself with the words of the Tannaic-era personality Nachum Ish Gamzu, who would regard every travail with joy, verbalizing his reason with the words “This, too,” — the meaning of the words gam zu — “is for the good.” You may know the end of the story — at least the story of the Teacher in Space Program. (The end of my story, I thank Hashem daily, hasn’t yet arrived.) The teacher chosen for the space flight was Christa McAuliffe, and she was one of the seven crew members who perished aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986, when, 73 seconds into its flight, the craft broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean. Arriving for an early afternoon class that day, a student told me the terrible news. Like all Americans, I was dumbfounded and deeply saddened. All I thought of at that point was the tragic loss of seven brave souls; I had long put aside the memory of my bid to be the first teacher in space. Only hours later did it dawn that the ill-fated flight was the one that, two years earlier, I had so wanted to take. From there, it was a short mental hop to the realization that my disappointment at having “lost” my bid to be the first teacher in space had been not only silly and childish but, in retrospect, for the good, at least my good. The truth of “this, too, is for the good” comes most clearly into focus when we come to see it play out in our lives — and if we’re perceptive, we all can see it abundantly. But Nachum Ish Gamzu’s credo applies even when we don’t come to realize how what seemed disappointing or worse was actually for our benefit. We make brachos, blessings, not only on good news but on the opposite as well. The recent final flight of the U.S. Space Shuttle Program is what recalled my quest to slip the surly bonds of earth, reminding me of Nachum Ish Gamzu’s wise attitude. Now comes the harder task of internalizing the reality of its truth even when the “for the best” might never be perceived within those earthly bonds.
Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise
ANSWERS 1. B. 22.2,3. The two nations of the Emorites (Sichon and Og) were defeated at the end of last weekÅfs Parsha. Rashi 2. C. 22:6.
By Rabbi Avi Shafran Contributing Columnist
JEWISH LIFE • 17
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
Sedra of the Week
by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel - “Behold, it is a nation that will dwell in solitude, and will not be reckoned among the nations” (Numbers 23:9). From its context, this prophecy is clearly meant to be a blessing, a vision of Israel in splendid isolation and ideological triumph. Rashi (1040-1105), maintains that the patriarchs and matriarchs bequeathed us a unique set of values and a consecrated lifestyle which prevents assimilation into the venal and licentious practices of the surrounding nations. While every other nation eventually leaves the stage of world history, we alone will emerge victorious. Balak reviles Balaam for this laudatory vision: “What have you done to me? I hired you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed, yes blessed, them” (Numbers 23:11). However, when we look upon the past 2,000 years of Jewish history, the first part of Balaam’s prophecy has indeed been fulfilled — but not as a blessing. Until the establishment of the State of Israel, we were helplessly hounded from pillar to post by the nations of the world — until we truly stood alone in the midst of the Nazis’ attempted genocide. Even now, with the establishment of the state — when we do have the ability to defend ourselves — we (and not the allies of Iran and al-Qaida) have again become the whipping boy not only of the Arab bloc, but also of the European Union, the United Nations and even of the American president. Yes, we stand in isolation — but “stinking” isolation rather than splendid isolation. How can we understand this? Hitler — like his present-day jihadist heirs — sought world domination by the sword. But at the same time he was building military prowess to destroy the free world, he was also waging a diabolical campaign to dehumanize and decimate the Jewish people. Why the Jews? You see, fascist Hitler believed in Aryan supremacy, in “might makes right,” in “to the victor belong the spoils.” And he belonged to the race of “ubermenschen” who had conquered
SHABBAT SHALOM: PARSHAT BALAK NUMBERS 22:2 - 25:9
Hitler wanted to believe that the Jews were “selling” a slave morality based on their own need for the world’s compassion. But he could not deny the fact that they — the most powerless of people — had nevertheless survived the persecutions of Egypt, Persia, Greece, Rome, the Ottoman Empire and the Catholic Church. This gave credence to their claim that they were indeed God’s witnesses, entrusted with the mission of enthroning the God of the Ten Commandments as the world’s only “Leader.”
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Germany and would conquer the world. But there was one fly in his ointment: the Jews. The Jews believed in a principle deriving from their patriarch Abraham 4,000 years ago that “compassionate righteousness and moral justice” would take over the world (Genesis 18:19); that through them, the world would be blessed with peace and freedom. Hitler wanted to believe that the Jews were “selling” a slave morality based on their own need for the world’s compassion. But he could not deny the fact that they — the most powerless of people — had nevertheless survived the persecutions of Egypt, Persia, Greece, Rome, the Ottoman Empire and the Catholic Church. This gave credence to their claim that they were indeed God’s witnesses, entrusted with the mission of enthroning the God of the Ten Commandments as the world’s only “Leader.” And so he became obsessed with the Jews, and was hell-bent on obliterating Judaism — and its message of love, compassion and morality. The Talmudic tractate Pesahim (our festival of freedom and redemption) was among the few personal effects Hitler brought with him into the bunker where he committed suicide. It was given to Rabbi Isaac Halevi Herzog, then Chief Rabbi of Israel. The failed Fuehrer probably believed he was
burying the Talmud; instead, the Talmud buried him. But the world is still not ready to accept our morality, hypocritically siding with those who send out suicide bombers and target innocent civilians, with those who repress the rights of their own citizens (women, Christians, Kurds and Jews). They would rather revile Israel as an apartheid and terrorist state. Yet Israel enables enemy Arab voices to be heard in its parliament; Israel avoids aerial bombing to prevent the death of innocents whenever possible, even at the risk of its own soldiers. Israel alone in the world is standing up to the scourge of terrorism. And so the words of Balaam remain as a promise and a challenge. At the conclusion of this portion, Balaam understands that no external force can vanquish Israel; we can only vanquish ourselves if we fall sway to the surrounding immorality. But if indeed we continually measure our morality not only against the perverted standards of our enemies but also against the majesty of the Ten Commandments, we are guaranteed that not only will we survive but we will prevail. Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Chancellor Ohr Torah Stone Chief Rabbi - Efrat Israel
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18 • JEWZ IN THE NEWZ
JEWZ
IN THE
By Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist ANOTHER MULTITALENTED “GEEK” Opening on Friday, July 8, is the black comedy “Horrible Bosses.” Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day play three buddies who would like to get rid of their terrible bosses (Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston). They cannot quit their jobs, so after drinking too much, they seek advice from a hustling ex-con (Jamie Foxx). Together, the quartet devises a complex, but seemingly foolproof plan to get rid of the bosses “permanently” (as in deceased). But things don’t quite go as planned. The pretty actress LINDSAY SLOANE, 33, has a supporting role as Stacy. The script was co-written by JOHN FRANCIS DALEY, 26, who is now best known for his costarring role as psychologist Lance Sweets on the hit Fox TV series, “Bones.” Daley has written some short films, but “Bosses” is the first feature he has penned. He says, “When I’m not acting, I’m writing screenplays.” Daley began as a teen actor. Before “Bones,” he was best known for playing the lead character Sam Weir, on the teen-oriented comedy series “Freaks and Geeks” (1999-2000). Although the show was cancelled quickly for anemic ratings, it went on to be a cult hit and it is currently being aired by two cable networks (IFC and TeenNick). “Freaks” co-creator JUDD APATOW, 42, went on to be a famous director/writer/producer. Two of Daley’s co-stars, SETH ROGEN, 29, and JAMES FRANCO, 33, have made their marks as actors and writers. Daley’s Irish Catholic father, R.F. Daley, is mostly a stage actor. His Jewish mother, NANCY DALEY, is a piano teacher. Years ago, I caught a “shaky” reference to the younger Daley being raised Jewish. But my sense is that he is now secular. VISITING ISRAEL On June 27, actor JOSH CHARLES, 39, the star of the CBS TV series, “The Good Wife,” arrived in Israel as a guest of El Al Airlines. He is now touring the country and visiting with relatives who live in Israel. This is Charles’ first visit to Israel. He, too, began as a teen actor — his first notable role was in “The Dead Poet’s
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Society” (1989). The Baltimore native went on to showcase his talent in a variety of roles, but stardom eluded him until “The Good Wife” began in 2009. The series is now a solid critical and ratings hit and is often called the smartest drama on broadcast TV. A re-broadcast of the episode of the A&E network reality show, “Family Jewels,” in which series’ star GENE SIMMONS, of “KISS” rock group fame, visits Israel, airs on Tuesday, July 12 at 10 p.m. and on July 13, at 2 a.m. This episode has been on the show’s website since it first aired on June 29 and I watched it there. Simmons was born (1949) Chaim Wit” in Israel and moved to America, with his mother, a Holocaust survivor, in 1956. His father remained in Israel and remarried. Simmons’ now very elderly mother is seen early in the episode. You don’t see much of Israel — mostly just places (a house, a café) that were connected to Simmons’ childhood. Highlights include Simmons accepting a “successful native son” award from the city of Haifa and his first meeting, ever, with his half-brother and two half-sisters. They are the adult (Israeli) children of his (late) father’s second marriage. I’ve long viewed Simmons as a pretty nasty materialistic narcissist and this program confirmed that view. The episode is all about Simmons and very little about Israel. Early on, he says he didn’t see his father (ever again) after he left Israel or contact his half-siblings because of “painful memories of how my father abandoned me.” But, if you watch carefully, you can piece together that everybody (including his mother!) knew his father didn’t “abandon him.” His father was, I gather, a “lazy bones” and Gene’s mother sent him away from their Haifa home to find work elsewhere in Israel. Finally, she gave up on him and moved to America. Simmons’ half siblings are gracious, successful people who clearly loved their father — and they tell Gene that their mother, too, had to prod their father to keep steadily working. My gut: Simmons didn’t contact his father because he viewed him as a “loser” who might ask Gene for something. I also believe that the main spur behind him consenting to finally meet his half-siblings was monetary — the meeting was a juicy reality TV dramatic moment and that helps TV ratings.
FROM THE PAGES 100 Y EARS A GO Mr. and Mrs. Leo Wise left yesterday to spend the summer on Les Cheneaux and the Georgian Bar region. Misses Annatte and Rose Rothstein, of 2531 Park Avenue, Walnut Hills, are spending their vacation in Chicago with their brother, Rabbi J. L. Rothstein, of Alexandria, La. The engagement of Ida Lea, daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Albert, of 309 Rockdale Avenue, Avondale, to Mr. Samuel H. Blachschlager has been announced. They will be at home on Sunday, July 9th. Sam Ruben, of Kemper Lane and McMillan Street, a cloakmaker in the employ of the Bischof, Sterne & Stein Company, Fourth Avenue and Pike Street, who died June 26, was accorded a funeral yesterday that falls to the lot of only a few. Nearly every union tailor, cutter, presser and finisher in the Cincinnati factories ceased work to attend the funeral. The firm he worked for closed for the day. A procession made up of 1,200 men and 600 women took up station behind the funeral cortege and walked from Ruben’s late home to downtown, where special cars were in waiting to take them to the cemetery. A party of Avondale people composed of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Seinsheimer, Mr. and Mrs. Sam Seinsheimer, Mr. and Mrs. T. M. Stern, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Wildberg, Mr. and Mrs. Dave Wolf, Mr. and Mrs. Rosenthal, Mr. Sam Strauss, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Nusbaum and Mrs. Nusbaum’s sister, Mrs. Morris Leibman, of Dallas, Tex., went up to the Laughery Club on Saturday to remain over the Fourth. Beginning in September it is the intention of the members of the club to entertain each other at their homes once a month. Mr. and Mrs. Ben Brown will be the first hosts. — July 6, 1911
75 Y EARS A GO Mr. and Thomas C. Adler entertained with a family party Sunday evening, July 5th, in farewell to their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Adler, who left the following day for Santa Barbara, Cal., and other interesting places along the Pacific Coast. In town to bid au revoir to their parents were Mr. and Mrs. Harry Aloe (Emma Margaret Adler), of St. Louis. New officers of the Home Gardener’s Club are Mrs. Arthur Hoffheimer, president; Mrs. Robert P. Goldman and Mrs. Myron Shiffer, program committee; Mrs. Chester Martin, membership; Mrs. Albert Jonap, civic committee; and Mrs. Ferdinand Brown, publicity. Mr. and Mrs. Alex Frieder and their three daughters, Edna Jane,
Louise and Alice, have just returned from Manila, Philippine Islands. They were gone for two years. They are residing at their home on Rose Hill, Avondale. Mrs. Arnold Mann and her twin daughters, Nancy and Susan, will leave next week for Atlantic City, where they will spend a month at the Shelbourne with Mrs. Mann’s mother, Mrs. Hannah Strousse, and sister, Miss Rita Strousse, of Philadelphia. Mrs. Yetta Guttman, of 541 Carplin Place, announces the engagement of their daughter, Miss Ruthe, to Dr. H. Albert Pearlman, son of Mr. M. H. Pearlman, of Pittsburg. Miss Guttman is widely known in painting circles in this city, having been graduated from the Cincinnati Art Academy. Dr. Pearlman, formerly of Pittsburgh, resides in Cincinnati, where he is established in the practice of surgery. He is a graduate of the College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati. — July 9, 1936
50 Y EARS A GO Mrs. David W. Klau of New York City has been elected a member of the Board of Governors of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Dr. Nelson Glueck, College-Institute president, announced. Mrs. Klau is active in New York philanthropic and welfare endeavors. She is a past president of the Sunshine Nurseries, which sponsors and operates New York day care centers. She is a trustee of New York’s Montefiore Hospital and a member of Montefiore’s Auxiliary board. She is also a member of the board of the Montefiore-Mosholu Community Center. Her husband, the late David W. Klau, who passed away March 12, was HUC vice chairman. The recently dedicated HUCJIR library is named for Mr. Klau. Mrs. Arthur Hays Sulzberger, Mrs. Alfred I. Bachrach and Mrs. Klau, all of New York City, are the only women members of the board. Mrs. Charles M. Siegel announces the engagement of her daughter, Miss Mary M. Siegel, to Mr. George Croog, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John F. Croog, of New Haven, Conn. She is the daughter of the late Dr. Charles M. Siegel. Miss Siegel is a graduate of Walnut Hills High School and Rockford College, Rockford, Ill. Mr. Croog is a graduate of Yale University and attended the University of Michigan Law School. — July 6, 1961
25 Y EARS A GO Cincinnati resident Dr. Kenneth Kreines was recently named president of the state level Ohio affiliate of the American Diabetes
Association at their three-day annual meeting in Akron. As president of the Ohio Affiliate, Dr. Kreines will head a statewide network of over 30 local chapters of ADA. Nationally, Dr. Kreines served as director of ADA from 1980-85. The core of Dr. Kreines’ involvement with diabetes, however, is his private practice of diabetes and endocrinology. Dr. Kreines’ research focuses mainly on clinical aspects of diabetes complications and he has contributed numerous articles and chapters dealing with diabetes and endocrinology. Mrs. Divira Libson Fisher of 987 Riverview Place passed away July 6. She is survived by her husband, Junius J.; two sons, Craig Harris Fisher and Jay Libson Fisher; a daughter, Regina Solomon; and two grandchildren, Todd and Lisa Solomon. Mrs. Fisher was a renowned local painter who exhibited internationally. She specialized in Cincinnati scenes, particularly Mt. Adams. She also did color woodcuts. Alvin Youkilis, of 7126 Hirsch Drive, passed away July 3. He is survived by a brother, Victor; three sons, Edward Youkilis of Rome, Italy, Mike and Tom Youkilis of Cincinnati; and five grandchildren, Scott, Kevin, Aaron, Kara and Ashley. Mr. Youkilis was the brother of the late Morris, Paul, Ben, Jack, Joe, Rudolph, Esther, Jean and Sonia Youkilis. — July 10, 1986
10 Y EARS A GO “It’s the story of my life!” That exclamation explains Rick Steiner’s involvement in the awardwinning musical, The Producers, a theatrical version of the 1968 musical comedy film. But Steiner’s involvement in theatre goes back further than this one hit. It began with an idea spawned in a conversation with a friend and partner Rocco Landesman. After Steiner, Landesman and Landesman’s wife had met the singer/songwriter/comedian Roger Miller, Landesman’s wife wondered aloud about what it would be like to bring Miller and his humor together with Mark Twain. Albert Klayman, 74, passed away June 20, 2001. Mr. Klayman was born in Cincinnati, the son of the late Benjamin and Sarah (Waldman) Klayman. Mr. Klayman is survived by his wife, Dorothy Klayman, and his children: Laurie (Klayman) and Larry Schloss of New York, Benjamin and Lauren Klayman of Indianapolis and Robin Klayman. Mr. Klayman is also survived by two grandchildren, Rachel and Nicole Schloss. Mr. Klayman was the brother of Louis Klayman of New York, who, with his family, also survives him. — July 5, 2001
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
CLASSIFIEDS • 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 (513) 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 Ohr Chadash (513) 252-7267 • ohrchadashcincinnati.com 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
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
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JFS from page 5 Michael’s primary goal for his upcoming year as board president is to establish deeper connections between individuals and the JFS mission. “We have a compelling message to share,” he said. Following a nominating report by Scott Slovin, the new Board of Directors was installed. The 20112012 Officers of the Board are Michael Schwartz, president; Andrea Lerner Levenson, vice president; Danny Lipson, vice president; Mark Miller, co-treasurer; Pam Sacherman, co-treasurer; and Bruce Baker, immediate past president. Tzipi Dahan, Steve Halper, Steve Holman, Larry Juran and Scott Slovin were installed as new board members to serve a threeyear term. Leslie Miller was reGREEN from page 6 “Everywhere you go as a Jewish athlete — especially when there weren’t that many at the time — every city you go, the Jewish newspapers, the JCC, the synagogues want you to do stuff and it’s hard to say no; you want to do what you can. Playing in New York at that time, as a key player on the team, would have been tough.” Almost every season, when the schedule falls just so, the media and fans wonder what the Jewish players will do about the “Yom Kippur dilemma.” Koufax’s decision to forgo his turn for Game One of the 1965 World Series was the stuff of legend and set a standard subsequent Jewish players have found tough to live up to. Green had to make such a decision three times during his career. Perhaps the most difficult came in 2001 when he was a member of the Dodgers, who were vying for the NL Western Division crown. Add to the drama the fact that Green had a consecutive game streak of 415 and was also two home runs shy of 50. “Wearing a Dodgers uniform and seeing Sandy Koufax every spring and going out to dinner with him and talking about why he made the decisions he made, I felt the right thing was to sit out,” said Green, who finished the season with 49 homers. Three years later, the Dodgers were scheduled to play games on
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(513) 531-9600 elected to a second three-year term. Resigning from the board were Marcie Bachrach, Mark Kanter, Mike Kernish and Greg Miller. Board members continuing their term on the board are Bruce Ente, Gail Friedman, Suzy Marcus Goldberg, Jeff Harris, Elaine Kaplan, Amy Peskovitz, Bonnie Rabin, Lauren Scharf, Susan Shorr, Gary Smith, Max Yamson and John Youkilis. Andrea Lerner Levenson was presented with the Miriam Dettelbach Award. This award is given in honor of the first executive director of Jewish Family Service as recognition of exceptional volunteer service to the agency. Two staff members received Longevity Awards; Linda Kean for 10 years and Natalie Hurley for five years. erev Yom Kippur as well as the next day. “We were two or three games up on the Giants. I did a lot of soul-searching. It became kind of a national topic; even nonsports talk shows were discussing what the right decision would be.” Green chose to play on Yom Kippur eve and sit out the following game. “A lot of people thought I was hypocritical, but I got good advice which was most consistent with my beliefs. As someone who wasn’t raised particularly religiously, I felt I wanted to ‘represent’ [for] Jewish kids [and] acknowledge my respect for being a Jew. But I also felt I had to be there for my teammates and the fans because I thought it would be hypocritical to sit out both games.” Green hit a two-run homer on erev Yom Kippur, which made the difference in the Dodgers’ 3-2 win. Coincidentally, in 1934 Hank Greenberg had wrestled with a similar problem when his Detroit Tigers were in the thick of a pennant race with the New York Yankees. He decided to stay away from the ballpark on Yom Kippur but played on Rosh Hashana. He hit two homers to account for both of his team’s runs in their 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox. Green appreciated the connection. “Not that hitting a home run to win a game means all that much in the grand scale of things, but in my little world it kind of justified my decision.”
20 • LEGAL
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
Should a ‘Deadbeat Dad’ get a court-appointed lawyer before being jailed for non-support? Legally Speaking
by Marianna Bettman The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides that in a criminal trial the accused has the right to the assistance of a lawyer. And we all know from listening to the Miranda warnings on TV cop shows that if the accused can’t afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for that person at state expense. But what about cases that aren’t criminal cases? Is there ever a right to an attorney there? The U.S. Supreme Court recently tackled this question in an interesting context — a civil contempt hearing involving the nonpayment of child support. The result was a 5-4 decision authored by Justice Stephen Breyer. The BACHMANN from page 7 Bachmann came across as knowledgeable and informed about the region, said Jenna Mitelman, who had interviewed her for TCJewFolk at the 2010 AIPAC policy conference. “She was informed on the minor details of what’s going on,” WEDDING from page 9 Ironically, those who left assimilated abroad, and those who stayed — often intermarried couples — soon found more and more opportunities to be Jewish and live Jewishly in a country that also was undergoing a Christian revival. (Also, the target of nationalist discrimination shifted from the Jews, most of whom had left, to migrants from the Caucasus and Central Asia.) Moscow now has three large and flourishing synagogues, not all of which are Chabad-sponsored, as well as Chabad-sponsored Jewish schools and kindergartens, an annual Yiddish Fest to celebrate Purim in a hip, young way, and Chabad representatives in nearly 50 cities across Russia in strange, small places like Barnaul and Dzerzhinsk and Lenin’s birthplace, Ulyanovsk. And that’s not even counting the missions in the broader former Soviet Union. And so when it was time for the sheva brachot, the seven blessings, at Blumi Lazar’s wedding, the
case is Turner v. Rogers. In June 2003, Michael Turner was ordered to pay $51.73 a week to Rebecca Rogers for the support of their child. Over the next three years, he repeatedly failed to do so. He was held in contempt of court five times. The first four times he was sentenced to 90 days in jail, but he usually paid what was owed, either without going to jail at all or after a few days in jail. The fifth time he did not pay and served the full six months of his jail sentence. When he got out, he still owed back support. So another civil contempt hearing was set for January 2008. Turner and Rogers were both there. Neither had a lawyer. Turner was found in contempt of court, and sentenced to one year in jail. The judge made no determination about whether Turner had the ability to pay, although the judge is supposed to do so. This proved to be highly significant. While he was in jail, Turner filed an appeal arguing that his contempt hearing violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution because he was not provided appointed counsel at that hearing. After the South Carolina Supreme Court rejected this argu-
ment, the U.S. Supreme Court took his case. Civil contempt proceedings are one way in which many states have chosen to collect child support payments from non-complying parents. Sometimes the payments are owed to the custodial parent; other times payments are due to the government as reimbursement for funds it has paid to the custodial parent. In the former, the parent sues the non-paying parent directly. In the latter, the government brings the action. Turner’s case involved the first kind of proceeding — one brought directly by the mother of his child, not by the state. Civil contempt is different from criminal contempt. A person can be jailed in either kind of contempt. But in a civil contempt proceeding, a person cannot be held in contempt if that person is unable to comply with the court’s order. So a parent truly unable to pay child support cannot be jailed. All nine justices agreed that Turner was not constitutionally entitled to appointed counsel in this case. A key factor in the majority decision on this point was that it was the mother, not the government, trying to collect sup-
port in this case, and the mother had no lawyer. In Justice Breyer’s view mandating a lawyer for the father in this situation would create an “asymmetry of representation,” imposing formality and causing delay when the opposite was needed. But this did not end the majority’s analysis. Despite holding that Turner’s due process rights were not violated by failing to provide him with a state-appointed lawyer, the majority found that Turner’s due process rights were violated in this case because the state had failed to provide him with alternative procedural safeguards it held were necessary to meet due process. The key to this holding was the fact that no one can be sent to jail who really cannot pay support, and the judge did not make that determination in Turner’s case. So the safeguards required in these circumstances to meet due process are clear notice that ability to pay is the crucial issue at the contempt hearing, a form or an equivalent way to establish information about the non-payor’s financial condition, the opportunity for the nonpayor to respond to the information presented, and a judicial determination that the non-payor
has the ability to pay. The case was sent back for further proceedings, presumably to implement the procedural safeguards required by the majority opinion. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a heated dissent. To him, the only issue properly before the Court in this case was whether the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment created the right to appointed counsel for all indigent defendants facing jail time in a civil contempt hearing. To him, the answer to that question is a simple “no.” Under longstanding precedent, that right attaches only in criminal proceedings in which the Sixth Amendment is implicated. To Thomas, the whole issue of alternative procedural safeguards should never have been addressed by the Court, since the parties did not raise it. That issue was raised only by the U.S. government, in a friend-of-the-court brief filed in the case. Justices Scalia, Alito, and Chief Justice Roberts joined Thomas in dissent on these points.
said Mitelman, a political independent. Bachmann reached out to Jewish backers in 2005 as soon as she sought the seat in the 6th District when Rep. Mark Kennedy, the Republican incumbent, launched an ultimately unsuccessful Senate bid. She had served in the state Senate since
2001. Her career, launched out of frustration with her local school board — she is the mother of five and has been a foster parent for 23 children — has flourished as speeches calling for a return to what she said were the founders’ intentions have drawn conservative interest.
While Bachmann’s district includes two small Jewish communities, her interest in Israel and in Jews stems more from her upbringing and her beliefs than anything else, her supporters say. She has made fast friends among conservative Jews, attending their lifecycle events and sharing Friday-night dinners.
“She is a compassionate person and substantive person despite caricatures,” said Mark Miller, who founded the local Republican Jewish Coalition chapter. “She never met my mom, but shortly after she died I got a handwritten letter of condolences. She has real ‘rachmones,’” he said, using the Yiddish term for mercy.
guests who came up to read them and their translations were not personal friends or friends of the bride and groom but allies in Rabbi Lazar’s fight to resuscitate Jewish life in Russia. But the bride had been the guinea pig in that fight, pointed out Riva Zaklos, the wife of the rabbi of Bryansk, a city in western Russia on the border with Ukraine. (“No one comes to Bryansk,” Zaklos, a native of Israel, told me in Russian. “Every time someone comes, I say, ‘What did you lose here?’ ” She and her husband have scraped together 5,000 Jews there and started a preschool that serves kosher food. There have even been some Jewish weddings.) “Blumi was the first one to go to Jewish preschool, the first one to go to Jewish school here, and everyone watched her, watched how she did,” Zaklos said, nursing a virgin raspberry mojito. Waitresses circled with hors d’oeuvres, mixing with beautiful women in long, sparkling dresses
and a dazzling array of sheitels, wigs, that looked like they were from shampoo commercials. (The men were separated from us by a wall, a mechitzah.) Blumi’s sisters wore salad-green princess dresses; Isaac’s wore navy with beaded accents. “You always need two colors — one for the bride’s sisters and one for the groom’s,” Zaklos explained. “Otherwise, how can you tell?” The dresses presented another issue: With so many children in each family, there were that many weddings, and you couldn’t, of course, wear the same dress to too many weddings, especially not contiguous ones. “So we just swap dresses,” Zaklos said. Behind her, women were discussing complicated fusions of family trees — “No, no, no, Chani’s dad is Berel’s brother-in-law!” — while others carried babies who were either their children or their grandchildren. The mother of the bride, Chani
Lazar, nee Deren, seemed done with that after 12 children. But even after all those kids, she has not lost her girlish figure, hemmed in by a lush mustard-green gown with a fluffy hem that resembled the mouth of a tuba. Her eyes red and moist, she said, “Every mother should be so happy,” and went back to chirping with her friends and micromanaging the proceedings. It was through Chani Lazar that Blumi found her groom: Chani’s sister, also a Blumi, married a man named Yisroel Rosenfeld, and the families became extremely close. In her youth, Chani Lazar used to spend lots of time at the Rosenfeld house. Then one day, Blumi suggested that she had someone in mind for Blumi Lazar: her nephew, the son of the Chabad emissary to Bogota, Colombia. After a period of discovery and due diligence on each other — “research,” those in the community call it — Isaac flew to Moscow in the dead of the Russian winter to
meet Blumi and, after a few meetings, they became engaged. At their wedding 4-1/2 months later, the two were lost in the swells of infinite family members and friends from around the world, members of the Russian Jewish community, people who were their parents’ friends and allies in Moscow and Bogota, people whom they probably hadn’t even met. On the jumbo screens in the reception hall, where there was not nearly enough seats for the women, you could see them: Isaac’s black hat lost in a mosh pit of hundreds of dancing black hats; Blumi’s veil over her long blond hair bobbing through the roundelays of women, circling her and cheering. The innermost circle, though, was a group of teenage girls who danced around the placidly happy Blumi. They were her students at the Jewish school, where she has taught Jewish studies for the last two years.
Marianna Bettman is a professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Other articles by Ms. Bettman can be found in her Legally Speaking Ohio website.
Julia Ioffe is Foreign Policy’s Moscow correspondent.
FIRST PERSON • 21
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011
This year in Jerusalem Singer Says
by Phyllis Singer For a few days last month, I reverted to my previous identity: Once again, not only was I an editor, but I also was a reporter, covering Facing Tomorrow 2011, the third conference under the auspices of Shimon Peres, president of Israel. The conference took place in Jerusalem from June 21-23. The main difference in my covering this event compared to conferences and events I used to cover in Cincinnati as editor of The American Israelite is nobody knew me here, and I hardly knew INTERN from page 3 Becca Wood is interning at Wise Congregation this summer. Her main project is to “create a more complete walking tour of Plum Street Temple.” Becca has learned a lot so far this summer. She says, “Everyone I talk to has a story about how Plum Street Temple has affected their lives and the congregation.” Gabrielle Schneider is interning at Cincinnati’s Hillel this summer. Her main project this summer is working on outreach and marketing toward incoming students during the University of Cincinnati’s freshman orientation. Gabrielle will also be working on smaller tasks such as updating and refreshing older flyers and outreach projects in order to give them a vibrant new look. Gabrielle says, “This internship has allowed me to work in the behind the scenes setting of a business, allowing me to develop skills that I will benefit from in the business world in the future.” Josh Zimmerman is interning FOOD from page 8 “It’s becoming increasingly integrated into how we think about food justice in general,” Cohen said. Temple Shalom, a Reform congregation in Aberdeen, N.J., started Gan Tikvah, the “garden of hope,” in January 2010. Partnering with Conservative Temple Beth Ahm, volunteers broke ground that May, harvested their first crop in the summer and eventually donated 400 pounds of vegetables to the
anybody. When I attended similar events in Cincinnati, I knew many people, and many of them knew me. Such is life: Time marches on, and nothing stays the same. The conference attracted bigwigs from around the world and featured plenary sessions, panel discussions and one-on-one interview sessions with Israeli journalists. There were way too many sessions for any one person to attend, but I guess organizers feel that when people from around the world attend a conference like this, they want to have lots of choices – either to speak or to hear what others have to say. Although many of the participants, such as Tony Blair, Middle East envoy for the Quartet; Dennis Ross, special assistant to President Obama; James Wolfensohn, former president of the World Bank; Stanley Fischer, governor of the Bank of Israel; Prime Minister Netanyahu; Jewish Agency head Natan Sharansky and President Peres himself could be characterized as “elder statesmen,” there were some younger people
involved: among others, Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia; David Fischer, vice president of Facebook (and the son of Stanley Fischer); comedian and actress Sarah Silverman; reggae singer Matisyahu; and pop sensation Shakira, who serves as a UNICEF ambassador. Wales, who was participating in the conference for a second time, highlighted the importance of giving the young generation a voice; educating them and ensuring that freedom prevails. “It is essential that we harness technology for that purpose, so that we can spread it through the Internet and through the culture to ensure that real change is made. Social and technical innovations must always work together to ensure a better future.” In her remarks, Silverman said that her “recipe for a better tomorrow would be to raise an entire generation without hate...The solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a simple ‘buddy movie formula.’ If you have these two hostile entities, find a common
goal, and work together to fulfill it; in the end they will realize that they have much in common.” She suggested that Israelis and Palestinians could work together on a solar energy project (an idea she perhaps got from her brotherin-law Yossi Abramowitz, who founded a solar energy project at Kibbutz Ketura in the Arava). Matisyahu did not have much to say but emphasized that Israelis and Jews around the world unite when they are under attack. Among the young participants, the most popular seemed to be Shakira, who emphasized in her remarks her interest in education. “It is important to educate our children today, to raise them for a better tomorrow,” she said. “The best decisions we can make for a better tomorrow are those for educating and caring for our children.” While in Jerusalem, she visited a school that is attended by Jewish and Arab children. This was Shakira’s first visit to Israel, and she had been urged by thousands on her Facebook page not to come.
Peres praised her as bringing a message of peace for a better world, noting that artists of all kinds are the ones that bring the best messages to the young people of today. Peres urged all participants “not just to guess what tomorrow will look like, but to pave the way for its arrival.” Attended by some 4,000 people from around the world, and dedicated to designing a better tomorrow, the conference focused on issues, initiatives and decisions that must be implemented today in order to guarantee a better tomorrow for the world, the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Sessions focused on politics, government, the economy and the new media, among other topics.
at Cedar Village this summer. Josh’s main project is to interview and get to know the residents in order to document their stories. He intends to produce a slideshow presentation of his findings for the residents, their families and their caregivers. Josh has learned many things while working so far, such as how a simple smile can “alter someone’s day for the better.” Maddie Slutsky is interning at the Jewish Federation in the planning and allocations department. She is focusing on making site visits to different organizations around Cincinnati that apply for grant money. She explains, “From JVS to Hillel all Cincinnati agencies provide extremely different and important programs. It is very challenging having to evaluate each program especially when they are so different from each other.” Daniel Makutonin is interning at Jewish Family Services in the Aging and Caregiver Services department. He mostly assists Holocaust survivors in a variety of activities from setting up a tele-
phone in someone’s house, to translating for Russian speakers. Daniel says his “most important realization was the sheer number of [Holocaust] survivors living in Cincinnati and how each one’s story is unique.” Interning at the Jewish Community Relations Council is Brianna Pecsok. Brianna is working this summer on updating events on the JCRC’s website, updating the JCRC mailing list of over 2,000 contacts and doing research to find out the elected officials in Cincinnati and the greater Cincinnati area and identifying which of those officials are Jewish. Melanie Greenberg is interning this summer at the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education. This summer her main project has been working on the archives. Presently she is working on the liberators of the Holocaust, documenting every artifact the CHHE has from these people. In her upcoming weeks, she will be helping with Holocaust Awareness Week. Melanie has gained and
learned so much from her experience at CHHE. She says, “Even through I thought I knew a lot about the Holocaust and the time period, I still have so much to learn.” Melanie has come to realize how beneficial her past efforts to learn and explore the Holocaust have been and strongly believes that “it is my responsibility and everyone else’s responsibility to never let the stories of the Holocaust individuals be forgotten.” Interning for the Jewish Community Center’s Marketing Department is Elise Gelwicks. Elise’s main project this summer is to work on a marketing campaign for Reel Abilities, a film festival in the fall that showcases people with disabilities. Elise is also working with the JCC Day Camp to write weekly press releases. Elise says, “This internship has already taught me so much about not only marketing specifically, but the business world in general and how to interact with others in an office envi-
ronment.” These interns will work a total of eight weeks this summer developing relationships with their employers and growing as young adults in the Jewish community. With the help of the Workum Fund, the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and private donors, these college-aged students will experience a summer they will never forget. These summer interns are part of the Workum Summer Internship Program and have been chosen and placed into 10 different Jewish organizations across Cincinnati. The Workum Fund was founded in 1917 to provide scholarships for young adults to be able to afford higher education. Over the years, the Workum Fund has changed its purpose to adapt to the needs of the young Jewish adults in the Cincinnati Jewish community. Today, the Workum Fund works with Jewish organizations in Cincinnati to provide summer internship opportunities to college students from the Cincinnati area.
Matawan United Methodist Church to be consumed by the poor. Organizer Lenore Robinson says it’s the first time the three institutions have worked together. “We’ve created a real community that we never had before,” she said. In Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation planted its first food garden in 2009 and now grows organic produce on 2,500 square feet of what used to be the synagogue lawn. Last year, they delivered more than 1,200 pounds of
food to two soup kitchens and a shelter for women and children. This spring, the synagogue’s social justice committee used a grant from One Chicago, One Nation, a community organizing group, to plant a 1,000 square-foot garden at a nearby church in this largely impoverished neighborhood, says committee chair Robert Nevel. A second garden at another church will follow, and the synagogue is developing a model to help other shuls set up their own urban gardens.
“To be able to say we harvested and donated more than 1,200 pounds of food last year is a lot different than me going around the South Side and talking about the lack of food access,” Nevel said. “And to help them establish food gardens to grow their own food is a powerful thing.” The phenomenon is still new, but it’s answering a need expressed by the emergency food system itself, said Mia Hubbard, grants director for Mazon, a national Jewish nonprofit dedicated to alle-
viating hunger. Until recently, she said, agencies focused mainly on getting food into people’s mouths. But over the past five years, as awareness of childhood obesity and the connection between nutrition and health care costs has grown, food banks and soup kitchens have been paying more attention to the nutritional aspects of the food they give out. “There’s been a significant interest in and commitment to increasing the availability of healthy food,” Hubbard said.
Phyllis Singer, former editor/general manager of The American Israelite, and her husband, Allen, can be reached by e-mail apsinger@netvision.net.il. She and Allen always enjoy hearing from Cincinnatians visiting Israel.
22 • OBITUARIES D EATH N OTICES ALTMAN, Sylvia “Sukey”, age 84, died on June 27, 2011; 26 Sivan, 5771. IPP, B. June, age 82, June 28, 2011; 26 Sivan 5771. ENGEL, Benjamin, age 90, June 29, 2011, 27 Sivan 5771. STECKL, Frank, age 96, July 1, 2011, 29 Sivan, 5771.
LETTERS from page 16 PLO. He believes in the moral equivalence between Israel and the PLO. Israel is the Palestinian slave driver. He believes all settlement activity including Jerusalem is illegal. He has raised the diplomatic status of the PLO. All this, without the PLO doing anything but promote the delegitimization of Israel and Hamas acting the beligerent. The PLO has gotten more than a free ride (add $500 million U.S. taxpayer dollars, annually) thanks to our man in the White House. Revising history is certainly easier than sticking to facts, but in so doing Obama sets false expectations. After all, if the parties fail to negotiate (current PLO position and especially without a refugee settlement requirement), Obama (and the PLO with UN support) will have his fallback position of the 1967 Auschwitz borders. While this may be good Chicago politics, all this is a recipe for future conflict. Ray Warren Amberley Village
Dear Editor, Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati, the Lubavitch yeshiva of Cincinnati — isn’t that an oxymoron? Lubavitch, also known as Chabad, is the large Chassidic outreach oriented group centered in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. And yeshivas — rabbinical academies — are generally found in places like Brookyn, New Jersey, Jerusalem and other large Jewish centers. YLC, as it is known, is a unique place for many reasons; one being its location here in the Queen City. This fall, the groundbreaking yeshiva for young men ages 1418, will be starting its sixth year. It has won acclaim and is growing, with requests coming in from parents all over the world who want their sons to receive an excellent yeshiva education, warmth and personal caring, a
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CANADIAN from page 8 “We haven’t received its report yet. There is no name yet,” Ronen said. In the meantime, “everybody is trying to deal with whatever we have to do very fairly” in dealing with CJC staff dismissals, he said. Earlier this month, six senior CJC employees received termination notices in the wake of the restructuring, including the acting CEO and one employee who moderately sized student body, and a staff that understands today’s kids. Starting with 24 students in 2006, this year it will be burgeoning at 60. The dean, or Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Gershon Avtzon comes from a family of innovative and dedicated innovators in Jewish education. Rabbi Avtzon, or Gershy, as he is affectionately known, was only 28 when he started the yeshiva. His students know him for his witty puns as well as his Talmudic acumen. Parents appreciate Rabbi Avtzon’s ability to understand his students’ growing pains as well as their questions on the text. One mother, Sara K., relates, “I am thrilled with the wise way Rabbi Avtzon handled my son’s limit testing and small misdemeanors. Being in loco parentis, acting as a parent figure, he has to be firm. Nonetheless, he didn’t lose sight of the overall picture, which was positive, and engaged my son directly, making him feel empowered and trusted to make the right decisions. I feel Rabbi Avtzon and YLC are very concerned with the whole child.” The other teachers, Rabbi Eli Simpson and Rabbi Zalman Baras, are also young scholars and fine men. They are role models and relate well with the boys, inside and outside of the classroom. Cincinnati provides a pleasant small town atmosphere that the boys enjoy. They can often be seen enjoying healthy recreation at Gibson Field, French Park, Losantiville School baseball field and other area parks. Part of the boys’ curriculum is regular community service, giving back to the Jewish community, and Cincinnati’s midsize community and Midwestern pace and friendliness make that a doable task. Rabbi Avtzon explains, “Lubavitch, the town in Russia that our movement started in, means City of Brotherly Love. That is the core of the ChabadLubavitch philosophy. We don’t just say the words ‘love your fel-
worked in the Ottawa office for 24 years. Community officials are not ruling out more dismissals as the new agency takes shape. “It’s impossible for anybody to be happy when other people are losing their jobs,” said Ottawa Rabbi Reuven Bulka, a former copresident of the CJC. “It’s impossible to say it doesn't hurt.” But Bulka said he hopes “that whatever comes out of this will be something positive for the community. If it works, it works.” low,’ we put them into action. A critical part of the training of these young men is in community service. We don’t view them as too young, and leave outreach to the professionals. The Chabad approach is, if you know alef, find someone who doesn’t and teach it to them. Whatever we have, we share; our mission is to enrich every Jew and thereby strengthen the entire Jewish people.” “Many of these boys may grow up to become shluchimemissaries in far flung places. We help them gain confidence and people skills, and see themselves as responsible for enriching Jewish life wherever they are.” The students help develop and run the yearly Lag B’Omer parade and children’s rally in Amberley Village, the Chanukah car menorah and lighting in Fountain Square. They work with children in the community, tutoring, being mentors and organizing sports and Shabbos get-togethers for them. Many also regularly visit senior citizens and nursing homes, and go on mitzvoyim-outreach. They visit different stores and offices, bringing holiday treats and mitzvah opportunities, such as shalach manos, menorahs, lulavim and esrogrim, and the like. Character development takes place in many forms. Along with Talmudic analysis and Jewish law, are classes on this critical topic, flavored with Chassidic insight and warmth. Farbrengens are part of the schedule; informal gatherings where personal stories and struggles are shared, with songs, insights and inspiration. And older yeshiva students, in their early 20s are part of the staff. Working as dorm counselors and mentors, they make sure every student is engaged and personally cared for. Casual interactions, field trips and Shabbatons in neighboring cities offer plenty of opportunity for fun and to develop bonds with role models. Rabbi Gershon Avtzon, Cincinnati, Ohio
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