The American Israelite, March 7, 2013

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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013 25 ADAR, 5773

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Jewish Foundation enhances camping grant Recognizing the powerful impact that Jewish camp experiences have on Jewish identity, The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati will provide additional funding to enhance the Jewish Overnight Camping Program, nearly doubling previous first-year incentive grant amounts. For the summer of 2013, the Foundation will fund grants of up to $1,800 for Cincinnati Jewish children attending their first year of an overnight Jewish camp.

These enhanced incentives are being made available for this summer while the Jewish Foundation continues to develop a more comprehensive plan for investing in overnight Jewish camping, the details of which will be announced later this year.

“Numerous studies confirm that overnight Jewish camping powerfully contributes to life-long Jewish identity, Jewish education, leadership development and connection to Israel,” said Jewish Foundation Vice President J. David Rosenberg, who chairs a Jewish Camping sub-committee. “This year’s incentive grants put Cincinnati at the forefront of American Jewish communities encouraging overnight Jewish camping. The Jewish Foundation trustees hope our investment results in increased participation in Jewish camping by our community’s youth.”

Grants are available for all children in the Cincinnati Jewish community, regardless of whether or not they have previously attended a Jewish overnight camp. Grants are offered to first year and second year applicants.

They are not need-based and are not contingent on other scholarship or financial aid dollars. The application deadline is May 1.

This summer the Foundation is providing additional funding to raise the current incentive grant amounts for first-year applicants from up to $1,000 to up to $1,800 for camp sessions of three weeks or more, and from up to $500 to up to $900 for twoweek sessions. Individuals who have already applied for first-year grants in 2013 will be eligible to receive the additional funding. Second-year grants will remain intact, offering up to $1,000 for three-week sessions and up to $500 for two-week sessions. In deciding to offer $1,800 this summer,

the Foundation recognizes that the number 18 has a unique symbolic value in Judaism. It represents “Chai,” which means Life. Young Jewish campers have the time of their lives, and their camp experiences often lead them to make a lifelong commitment to Jewish values and involvement in the Jewish community.

In announcing these increased incentives, as well as its intention to continue developing its more comprehensive overnight Jewish camping plan, the Foundation acknowledged the importance of the existing Jewish Overnight Camping Program, originated by Professor Getzel Cohen and administered by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. “Our community owes a real debt of gratitude to Getzel Cohen for his leadership

and tireless efforts on behalf of Jewish children in Cincinnati,” said Jewish Foundation President Michael R. Oestreicher. “Getzel blazed the trail by developing the original Jewish campership program, raising the initial dollars from generous individuals like Sylvia Shor, Shelly Gerson and others, and coordinating with our congregational rabbis and Jewish Federation. Getzel is a tremendous advocate for this program.” The existing program has also benefited from the guidance of a Rabbinic Advisory Committee, composed of several local congregational rabbis. The incentive grants, funded

by The Jewish Foundation, will continue to be administered by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati.

In addition to the enhanced incen-

tive grants, the Jewish Foundation is working with local congregations and camps to provide needs-based assistance. “For families who are already working hard to cover the costs of Jewish life throughout the year, sending a child to summer camp is often one expense too many,” said Jewish Foundation Executive Director Brian Jaffee.

“Our investment in overnight Jewish camping is consistent with our overall commitment to making engaged Jewish life more affordable and accessible for Cincinnati families.”

For more information about overnight Jewish camp incentive grants and scholarships, please contact your congregational rabbi or Michael Wagner at the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati.

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(Clockwise) Suzette Fisher, Debbie Brant, Marty Hiudt, Shary Levitt, Jay Price, and Abby Schwartz.

2013 Community Campaign going strong The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s 2013 Community Campaign has brought in $3.44 million so far—more than half of the $5.55 million goal and ahead of pace from last year’s fundraising— thanks largely in part to this year’s leadership team: Debbie Brant, Marty Hiudt, Shary Levitt, Jay Price and Abby Schwartz.

“Our Community Campaign leaders, who come from varied backgrounds with a wide range of work and volunteer experience, have one thing in common: Their dedication to Cincinnati’s Jewish community,” said Community Campaign Chair Suzette Fisher.

Debbie Brant is chair of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s Women’s Philanthropy and a vice president on the board, as well as

president of the Mayerson JCC’s board. She is the 2010 winner of the Clara Greller Award for female leaders under 40. Outside of the Jewish community, Debbie is a member of the Cincinnati Ballet board, is a volunteer for Artswave and participated in the Chamber’s WE Lead program.

Marty Hiudt—a recent addition to the Jewish Federation leadership—started his career by opening an automotive parts retail store with his brothers, which they eventually expanded into 14 locations. He then joined another business, where, in his 13 years there, he oversaw various functions of the organization.

Marty is a current Mayerson JCC board member and a previous member of the boards of Crest Hill Country Club and Adath Israel. He

is also a trained facilitator of a “parent to parent” program that helps parents handle drug and alcohol use by their children.

Shary Levitt is a past employee of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, working as director of Donor Cultivation from 2006 to 2010, and also served on the Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy board. She is currently a fundraising consultant to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund in New York. In addition to her current position on the Community Campaign leadership team, Shary sits on the board of JVS Career Services (previously Jewish Vocational Service). She is a past board member of Rockwern Academy.

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Schloss funds JCC Special Needs and Services The Mayerson JCC is proud to announce the formation of the Milton and Frances Schloss Special Needs and Services department for children and adults. The JCC recognizes the importance of serving people of all abilities, and currently provides a variety of programs that accommodate children, teens, young adults and seniors with disabilities. The new Schloss Special Needs and Services will develop and expand programming and services that support and enrich the lives of individuals with special needs and their families, and will continually look for unique, creative and innovative ways to serve all members of the community.

Prior to his death in 2007, Milton Schloss, a distinguished Cincinnati business and civic leader, designated a significant planned gift to the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. Upon receipt of the bequest, his wife, Frances Schloss, a longtime advocate for people with disabilities, in collaboration with the Jewish

Milton and Frances Schloss

Federation, chose to honor the memory of her late husband by establishing the Milton and Frances Schloss Special Needs and Services department at the Mayerson JCC, with a considerable portion of Milt’s endowment to the Jewish Federation.

“The JCC appreciates our longstanding relationship with the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati.

Their support is critical as we continue to enhance our programming and services to the community. This gift from Frances and Milton

Schloss will provide new opportunities for people with disabilities,” said Marc Fisher, interim CEO of the Mayerson JCC. An avid user of the JCC for more than 40 years, Milt was actively involved with the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Special Olympics, Easter Seals and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. In 1995, after his retirement as vicechairman of the Sara Lee Corporation and CEO of E. Kahn and Sons, Milton taught at the University of Cincinnati College of Business, where he was awarded an honorary degree, the highest award bestowed by the university.

Frances has been involved in special education with the Cincinnati Public Schools, specifically focusing on aid to the visually impaired, and with Radio Reading Services for many years. Her interest in patient care advocacy led her to the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing, where she SCHLOSS on page 22

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Gan Kindergarten class learns about G-d thankful to G-d for the Earth!

Students explored different ways to talk and communicate with G-d, such as traditional prayers in a synagogue, or in unusual ways, through music and art. The students enjoyed making crafts for each concept, including Shema nightlights, partnering with G-d to create a delicious, healthy snack, doing hands-on mitzvot and creating their own prayers. The students created personalized Jewish stars that showed

their interpretations of each topic, along with their Hebrew names.

The culmination of their hard work came on Sunday morning, March 3, as the students sang the song “I Am Jewish” in front of their families and the school during Consecration. Afterward, friends and families enjoyed a wonderful dessert reception to celebrate a yearlong achievement.

Our Gan class is led by teacher Debbie Lempert and madrichim, Nina Hayutin and Ben Padnos.

JFS delivers Passover food to families in need

ing food and paying for other necessities such as utilities or medicine.”

Each Passover box contains matzah, matzah ball soup mix,

check-out counters. Customers can present the slip to the cashier who will add the donation to their purchase.

“We are determined that our Jewish friends and neighbors enjoy the Passover holiday – and every day – free from hunger,” says Schwartz. “Unfortunately, the needs continue beyond the holiday throughout the year at Jewish Family Service Food Pantry.”

The food pantry, currently located in space donated by Golf Manor Synagogue, is the only kosher food pantry in the region. The food pantry is transforming into the Barbash Family Vital Support Center to address the entire spectrum of hardships that accompany hunger and poverty – homelessness, fear, isolation, stress and despair.

To donate your time, money or food for the Passover delivery, contact Sandee at Jewish Family Services.

education in America.

“We feel privileged have a speaker of this stature as part of our program which tries to bring significant topics to light for people to hear and discern the deeper and more complex issues in a topic in order to draw their own conclusions. At a time when our country is struggling with the cuttingedge subject of conditions in education, John Stocks will help us discern priorities and concerns,” noted Sandy Spinner, chair of Wise Temple’s

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 ISAAC 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

Critical Topics Committee.

An unmatched drive for social justice and positive change in education has been the signature of John Stocks’ career. He has been recognized by leading national organizations as an agent for progressive change. In 1988, Stocks ran for State Senate in Idaho, defeating a four-term incumbent.

From 1990-2004, he served as assistant executive director for Public Affairs at the Wisconsin Education Association Council.

Stocks became executive director in 2012 after serving as deputy executive director from 2004-2011.

“John Stocks is a leader and innovator on the national stage, who will bring important insights to us on topics that matter so much for our children and grandchildren.

If education is a preeminent Jewish value, then the nature of education and what we want it to be is a critical topic for all of us in shaping the future directions of our society.

We are glad to convene the community around this important topic, and look forward to welcoming him here to Cincinnati and to his thoughts that he will share,” remarked Wise Temple’s Senior Rabbi, Lewis Kamrass.

Sunday Series presents a discussion with the co-directors of the musical Parade On Sunday, March 10, Wise Temple Sunday Series presents a discussion with the co-directors of the musical Parade. The story behind Parade begins in the sweltering intolerance of 1913 Atlanta, when northerner and Jewish factory manager Leo Frank is wrongfully accused of murdering of a 13-year-old girl. As press frenzy and public outrage whip his trial into a referendum, Frank’s only hope lies in a brave crusade by the southern wife he never understood, among a people that never understood him. The 2000 Tony Award winner for “Best Book” and “Best Score,” Parade is a transformational story of a country at odds with its declarations of equality.

Join Ed Cohen and Dee Anne Bryll, the musical’s co-directors, for a discussion of the historical and social context of the play and their approach to directing this timeless and relevant work of theater. The discussion will be at Wise Center beginning at 10 a.m.

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ALEXIA KADISH Copy Editor JANET STEINBERG Travel Editor MARIANNA BETTMAN NATE BLOOM IRIS PASTOR RABBI A. JAMES RUDIN ZELL SCHULMAN RABBI AVI SHAFRAN PHYLLIS R. SINGER Contributing Columnists JOSEPH D. STANGE Production Manager ERIN WYENANDT Office Manager e Oldest Eng Th

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John C. Stocks

VOL. 159 • NO. 33 THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013 25 ADAR 5773 SHABBAT BEGINS FRIDAY 6:19 PM SHABBAT ENDS SATURDAY 7:20 PM

JORY EDLIN MICHAEL SAWAN Assistant Editors

What’s happening at Wise National education figure speaks at community forum John C. Stocks, executive director of the National Education Association (NEA), leader of one of the largest education organizations of teachers, administration and educational staff, will come to Cincinnati specifically to address the local community at a significant program sponsored by the Wise Temple’s Critical Topics Committee. Stocks will speak on Monday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. at Wise Center. Stocks will address “Critical Crossroads of Public Education,” and will offer his thoughts on possible solutions to some of today’s pressing issues including the impact of guns and violence in our schools, and the effect of budget cuts on education.

As executive director, Stocks oversees the day to day operations of the Association, which has 3 million members, a staff of 535, and an annual budget of $371 million.

NEA’s membership includes teachers, education support professionals, higher education faculty and staff, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers. Since 1857, the NEA has worked diligently and effectively for the cause of public

“LET THERE BE LIGHT” THE OLDEST ENGLISH-JEWISH WEEKLY IN AMERICA - EST. JULY 15, 1854

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Every family deserves a kosher Passover.

macaroons, gefilte fish, Passover candy, grape juice, nuts, apples, and a chicken dinner. Cincinnati Hebrew Day School donated the storage and set-up facilities.

Barrels have been set up throughout the community in congregations, Jewish schools, and Jewish agency lobbies to collect non-perishable foods such as matzah, matzah ball soup mix, and macaroons.

A lead sponsorship cash gift from The Rockwern Charitable Foundation, together with donations by individual community members, help purchase fresh produce, chicken meals and additional packaged food to make the Passover meal complete.

A local, kosher grocery store is also accepting cash donations for this cause. Displays with tear-off slips in denominations of $5, $10 and $20 will be available in the kosher food department and at

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You can help over 400 lowincome individuals celebrate Passover this year.

Donations of food, money and time are needed for the 15th annual Dr. Samuel S. Rockwern Passover Delivery of Jewish Family Service (JFS). With the help of over 120 volunteers, boxes filled with Passover food will be hand-delivered Sunday, March 17, to more than 400 Jewish community friends and neighbors who would otherwise be unable to afford to celebrate the holiday. This project was started by a group of dedicated volunteers in 1998.

“The high cost of Kosher for Passover food makes observing the weeklong holiday of Passover difficult for many low-income individuals and families,” says Beth Schwartz, executive director of JFS. “The rising costs of medical care along with rising unemployment force many to choose between buy-

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and Shavuot. Students explored how G-d made the world, but people work with G-d to create things each day. Also, students learned that they can ask G-d for things, but that G-d asks us to do Mitzvot.

They spent time telling each other what they were thankful to G-d for; Sabrina is thankful for her house, Meryl and Aaron are thankful for their Mommies, Tovina is thankful for her baby brother and Joseph for his sister, Noam is thankful for his school and Alex is

r in Am ape er sp i

Sunday morning, Sept. 9, 2012, the Gan Kindergarten class at Adath Israel’s Jarson Education School began their year-long study of G-d. The students began to develop the concept of who and what G-d is, G-d’s role in creating our world, and our relationship with G-d as humans , including how to communicate with G-d.

The students focused on the Shema prayer and monotheism, a theme they revisited while learning about Hanukkah, Purim, Passover

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HUC celebrates vision of founders Each year, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion recommits to its mission by celebrating the vision of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, founder of Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, and Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, founder of the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. This year’s ceremony will be on Thursday, March 21, in the Scheuer Chapel at 11 a.m., followed by a reception.

During the ceremony, the College-Institute will recognize Alvin Lipson as its special honoree.

Lipson is governor emeritus of the HUC-JIR Board of Governors and chair emeritus of the HUC-JIR Central Region Board of Overseers.

His long career in real estate includes serving as president of the Cincinnati Apartment Association

and as a member of the American Institute of Architects, The International Council of Shopping Centers and the City of Cincinnati zoning board. He has also served as co-chair of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s Shomrim Division and as a board member of the Glen Manor Home for the Jewish Aged and the Isaac Mayer Wise Temple.

He and his wife Gloria have three children and reside in Cincinnati.

In addition, the College-Institute will present honorary doctorate degrees to alumni who have taught the faith, culture and ethics of Reform Judaism for 25 years. This year, nine alumni will be honored: – Rabbi Gary Joel Robuck, M.A.H.L., Senior Rabbi, North Shore Temple Emanuel, New South Wales, Australia

– Rabbi Susan Miller Rheins, Jewish Community Educator, Chai Mitzvah, Denver Coordinator, Englewood, Colo.

– Rabbi David A. Lipper, M.A.H.L., Interim Rabbi, Congregational B’nai Israel, Little Rock, Ark. – Rabbi Sharyn Henry, Associate Rabbi, Rodef Shalom Congregation, Pittsburgh, Penn.

– Rabbi Janice B. Garfunkel, Former Rabbi, Temple Sholom, Springfield, Ohio – Rabbi Steven W. Engel, Senior Rabbi, Congregation of Reform Judaism, Orlando, Fla. – Rabbi Lucy H.F. Dinner, Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth Or, Raleigh, N.C. – Rabbi Kathy Schwartz Cohen, Temple Emanuel, Roanoke, Va.

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JCC hosts ReelAbilities film festival Founded in 2007 in New York, ReelAbilities is the largest national film festival dedicated to sharing the stories, lives and art of people with disabilities. On Sunday, March 10, at 1 p.m., the Mayerson JCC will present Body and Soul, an uplifting documentary following three young Mozambicans with physical disabilities, who work to help others in their community.

Their daily lives reveal how they see themselves, raising questions of self-acceptance and how to find one’s place in society.

Immediately following the JCC showing of Body and Soul, there will be a discussion to broaden themes raised by the film. April Kerley, paralympian; Jill Gibboney,

Cincinnati-based entrepreneur; and Katie Bachmeyer, Starfire Council, will lead the panel discussion.

In conjunction with the ReelAbilities film festival, a local public service announcement campaign featuring the festival's theme, “Different, Like You” includes videos and print advertisements where local celebrities and non-celebrities alike talk about what makes them “different.” Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris Russell shares that he is color blind. Local actor and double-amputee John Lawson points out that he is also a pilot.

Others share unique quirks and traits that they embrace. It is hoped that this campaign will help

Jewish Foundation, Xavier University send students to Israel Thanks to a generous grant from The Jewish Foundation, Xavier University will take students – both undergraduate and graduate – to study in Israel in May. Information sessions will be held March 6 and 12 at 4 p.m. in Smith Hall room 137.

These are the first trips of this kind offered in this region. The trips are available to MBA and undergraduate students from Greater Cincinnati studying at any University. The trips are also unique in that business and religion are taught together. Israel is the seat of all three Abrahamic religions and No. 1 in the world for innovation and start-up companies.

“Xavier’s goals for this initiative are very well aligned with the Jewish Foundation’s objectives to strengthen Cincinnati’s connection to Israel and attract more Israeli business talent and investment in our region,” said Jewish Foundation

Executive Director Brian Jaffee.

“We have had many successful collaborations with Xavier University in the past and are delighted to be partnering with them in this latest effort. We believe it will enhance our investment in the Cincinnati Chamber’s multi-year initiative to drive local innovation and jobs through economic development partnerships with Israel.”

The graduate course for MBAs, Doing Business in Israel, will be offered from May 1-10. Students will receive briefings from several senior Israeli leaders on the country’s economic, political and cultural environment. They will tour major religious sites and visit several companies, including Star Tau, Ginger Software, Google and Standard Textile. They will be hosted by the president of P&G-Israel, where they will explore the global STUDENTS on page 22

promote the unifying element of the festival – reminding us that we are all different, and can embrace our uniqueness.

Proceeds from the ticket sales of Body and Soul will benefit the Milton and Frances Schloss Special Needs and Services department at the JCC. In addition, the week-long festival will also benefit several other local nonprofit agencies that serve people with disabilities, including: LADD, Visionaries and Voices, the Autism Society, Starfire Council of Greater Cincinnati, Paralyzed Veterans Racing, Greater Cincinnati Down Syndrome Association and Hamilton County Developmental Disability Services, among others.

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Bonobos, chimps and orangutans considered by HaZaK “Bonobos, Chimpanzees, and Orangutans: Our Closest DNA Relatives” will be the topic when the HaZaK group of Northern Hills Synagogue – Congregation B’nai Avraham holds its monthly program on Wednesday, March 13.

Following a delicious lunch, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens volunteer educator Sandra Spitz will discuss the varied physical, intellectual and social characteristics of these magnificent animals. The event will take place at the Synagogue and begin at noon.

This discussion is apart of a series sponsored by the Cincinnati

Zoo concerning conservation programs. The discussion will feature photos and videos of the animals, and place special emphasis on conservation efforts.

Spitz, a member of Northern Hills, has been an educator for over 30 years, teaching at Yavneh Day School (now Rockwern Academy) for 18 of those years. Because of her love of animals, she has held various volunteer roles at the zZoo. She holds B.S. and M.S. degrees with minors in sociology and physical anthropology.

“HaZaK” is an acronym, with the letters standing for the Hebrew

words “Hakhma” (wisdom), “Ziknah” (maturity) and “Kadima” (forward). The HaZaK programs are for adults 55 and older, and are open to the entire community. In addition to members of Northern Hills, many attendees have come from the Jewish Community Center, Cedar Village, Brookwood Retirement Community and throughout Greater Cincinnati.

Come and enjoy an experience that will warm your heart and make you smile. There is no charge for the program and lunch, but donations are greatly appreciated.

Please RSVP to the Synagogue office by Monday, March 11.

JFS and HUC Bikur Cholim Training Workshops connect congregants A visit from a fellow congregant can brighten the day of someone who is homebound or in residential care.

To make it easier for congregants to connect, Jewish Family Service (JFS) and Hebrew Union College (HUC) have teamed up with area congregations to invite the community to a free series of Bikur Cholim/Jewish Visiting Initiative training workshops.

“While learning new things, you could become part of a more thoughtful and intentional caring group that brings the hopeful message, ‘You are remembered by your Jewish community.’ It’s possible that you’ll also learn something about interacting with someone in your own family who is struggling with illness,” said Pat Rosenberg, JFS Bikur Cholim coordinator.

There will be fun activities and thoughtful, practical suggestions offered at all three workshops, which will be taught in March, April and May by HUC rabbinic students Eric Mollo, PJ Schwartz and David Spinrad.

Eric Mollo, David Spinrad, PJ Schwartz

They will cover the topics “Effective Communication Tools: How much Talking? How much Listening?,” “Supporting the Stranger: Jewish Texts & Practical Tips,” and “Residential Care Communities: Thoughtful Suggestions for Visiting.”

You are welcome to attend any or all of the workshops. The first one will be 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Monday, March 18, at Adath Israel

Congregation in Amberley with a simulcast at Beth Israel Synagogue in Hamilton.

“I strongly encourage our congregants to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to train to visit the sick, be with their families and support those in need. These mitzvot are extraordinarily important and immeasurably fulfilling,” said Rabbi Irv Wise from Adath Israel Congregation.

NHS focuses on Israel On Saturday, March 16, Northern Hills Synagogue – Congregation B’nai Avraham will hold another one of its popular series of Chavurat Shabbat programs, enriching the Shabbat morning service with special programming parallel to the regular service. This time, the theme of the program will be “Three Places in Israel.” The program is part of Northern Hills’ participation in the community-wide Israel@65 observance.

The program will explore three Israeli cities: Beersheva, the “capital of the Negev”; Netanya, Cincinnati’s sister city; and Tsefat, the mountain city of mystics and artists. The presenters include Dr. Oded Zmora, a native of Beersheva; Mor Ninio, from Netanya, one of the Israeli youth spending the year in Cincinnati as part of the Chaverim M’Yisrael program; and Bea

Opengart, who will focus on Tsefat.

Each session will deal with the history, geography and demography of the city in question. Since the sessions will be given simultaneously, each one will be repeated, giving participants the chance to learn about two cities. In addition, Maksim Shilkrot, Northern Hills’ Director of Education and Programming, will lead a prayer and study session for children, connecting the week’s Torah portion (Vayikra) with modern Israel.

Following the morning service and programs, an Israeli style lunch will be served, accompanied by the singing of Israeli songs. There is no charge for this program or the luncheon, but reservations are appreciated. For more information about the service or Northern Hills Synagogue, or to make reservations, please call the Synagogue office.

Hadassah Coffee Talk shares Passover recipes Cincinnati Chapter of Hadassah will hold its monthly Coffee Talk program on Monday, March 11, at 9:30 a.m. at the home of Amy Perlman. This month’s topic is the annual “Passover Recipe Exchange,” and participants are encouraged to bring printouts of their favorite Passover recipes and samples to share.

Sample foods must be dairy or parve only, but written recipes can be anything relating to Passover.

Tobe Snow is Coffee Talk chair.

Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, was born from the vision of one woman, Henrietta Szold, who saw a great need and wanted to help. She knew what a powerful force women can be and created Hadassah to heal the world through the education and empowerment of women. In 1912, Hadassah women laid down the foundation of the Hadassah Medical Organization and other

vital health and educational projects in Israel and around the world.

Today, 101 years later, Hadassah members meet, make new friends, have fun, discuss and learn.

Cincinnati Chapter is full of vibrant, intelligent women who look forward to continuing Henrietta Szold’s vision of making a difference.

Coffee Talk is a casual monthly get-together, usually held in a Hadassah member’s home, to discuss issues relevant to Jewish women. Meetings are held the second Monday of the month, alternating between evening and morning times. Upcoming programs include April 8, with guest speaker Heather Stein Russell talking about domestic violence, and May 13, with David Lichtenfield talking about protecting against identity theft. Coffee Talk is open to the public, and there is no charge to attend, but RSVPs are requested.

COMMUNITY NEWS From Loveland to Haiti The spirit of Jewish values and commitment to social justice are alive and well at Loveland Middle School as four dedicated students are assuming leadership roles in a year-long community service project taking place in their French classes. The students of Hillary Pecsok’s 7th and 8th grade classes have chosen to sponsor 15 Haitian children, ranging in age from 9 to 17 years, who have been living in slavery, and have been given the opportunity by the Jean R. Cadet Restavek Organization to attend school for the first time. According to the organization’s website, the foundation “is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to ending child slavery in Haiti. We focus

on raising international awareness, conducting national sensitizing campaigns in Haiti and developing and implementing elementary and secondary school curriculum that empowers Haitian children to work together to end child slavery.”

In order for these Haitian students to attend school, they need sponsorship to cover uniform costs, academic fees, school supplies and one daily hot meal. The LMS French students have set the goal of raising $5,500 by the end of May, as well as collecting school supplies and gently used clothing for the children. For each of the Haitian students, this will be the first time that they have had such attention paid to their personal, emotional and academic needs; up to now,

their lives have been filled with hopelessness, abuse and neglect.

Three of Pecsok’s French students, Alison and Nicole Goret and Molly Shilling, are members of Isaac M. Wise Temple and have recruited the help of their 7th and 8th grade Sunday school classes to bring attention to this tremendous cause. Before Thanksgiving, the girls did a presentation to share the plight of these Haitian children.

Subsequently, the classes took a vote to commit six weeks of their tzedakah money to the cause.

Additionally, the girls dedicated a collection box to gather school supplies and personal care items to donate to the Haitian students.

At the end of the collection period, the girls were overjoyed to

have gathered several boxes full of donations, as well as $223 in tzedakah. Adding to the donation, Rabbi Lewis Kamrass generously matched the students’ tzedakah, bringing the Loveland Middle School total to $3,500 so far!

Loveland Middle School 7th grader, Ethan Kadish, of Rockdale Temple, has also committed to giving to the Restavek Organization by implementing a collection of resources and financial support for his mitzvah project for the remainder of this academic year. After reflecting on how he wanted to give to his community, Kadish decided to reach out to these Haitian children in need. He contacted Mr. Cadet and is accumulating a list of items needed that he

will be sharing in his bar mitzvah invitations to family and friends.

These four students are most certainly living examples of tikkun olam, modeling and encouraging giving within their own community, and looking to reach out to children who so desperately need help.

Each of the four has most certainly honored his or her calling to make the values of their faith a living part of their daily lives.

“It is beautiful to watch these children have such compassion for others and to take action to make a difference. I am so proud of them for honoring who they are as individuals and for modeling for their peers what it means to be a responsible citizen of the world,” said Pecsok.

NATIONAL • 7

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013

Illegal Israeli mall workers What’s missing from this year’s drawing attention from AIPAC conference?

U.S. law enforcement

By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency

By Gil Shefler Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK (JTA) – In 2006, aspiring Israeli singer Rami Feinstein faced a big-time dilemma: Would he sign a 19-year contract with a top talent agent and relinquish 45 percent of his future profits, or take a job selling cosmetics at an American shopping mall?

Feinstein took the job at the mall – and it worked out better than he expected.

Not only did he make enough money to cut an album the following year, he found inspiration in the most unlikely of places. The sales pitch he used on clients at the Minnesota mall became the lyrics of “Something Amazing,” his first single.

“The song is about a bittersweet memory from that period,” Feinstein told JTA by phone from Tel Aviv. “As a musician I wanted to make music. But in order to do that I suddenly found myself having to sell cosmetics to American women at a shopping mall. That conflict gave birth to my song.”

Feinstein is an American citizen, but many if not most of the Israelis who find easy money selling brand-name cosmetics at mall kiosks across the United States are not. And not all of them enjoy Feinstein’s fairy-tale ending.

Last month, 13 Israelis were arrested when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents rounded up salespeople at two shopping malls in Houston.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv has been working to stem

National Briefs Biden: Obama ‘not bluffing’ on Iran WASHINGTON (JTA) – Vice President Joe Biden said President Obama is “not bluffing” when he says he will stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

The U.S. commitment “is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon period, end of discussion, period,” Biden told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference in Washington on Monday.

“Prevent – not contain, prevent,” Biden said. “President Barack Obama is not bluffing.”

Biden said other options should be exhausted before it comes to military action.

WASHINGTON – Next week’s annual AIPAC policy conference in Washington may be as notable for what – and who – is missing as what’s planned.

For the first time in at least seven years, neither the U.S. president nor the Israeli prime minister Courtesy of Creative Commons

Israeli worker demonstrating a beauty product at a mall kiosk.

the flow of illegal workers at the source, producing a video warning would-be Israeli kiosk salespeople that beside the ignominy of being jailed, they face a potential lifetime ban on entering the United States if they are caught.

“It is true that thousands of Israelis have traveled over the past 10 years and worked at these kiosks,” Charles Shannon, an embassy official, says in the video released in June 2011. “The difference is we know about it now.”

In the United States, talk of undocumented workers is more likely to conjure images of sunparched Latino agricultural workers or nannies caring for the children of the affluent rather than pushy Israeli salespeople in airconditioned emporiums hawking eye lotions and hand creams.

But increasingly, the flow of illegal Israeli workers is capturing the attention of American law enforcement, which treats them much as they treat any worker caught working illegally in the United States.

Even so, Israelis continue to flock to U.S. malls, judging the rewards to outweigh the risks.

“If, God forbid, we have to act, it’s important that the rest of the world is with us,” he said.

AIPAC spokesman Marshall Wittmann said the lobby, which attracted 13,000 activists to its conference, was “very pleased”

by Biden’s statement “that the president is not bluffing in his commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”

Barak: Consider unilateral separation from West Bank WASHINGTON (JTA) – Israel should consider unilateral steps to separate itself from the Palestinians should peace talks fail, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.

Such steps would include dismantling settlements beyond the separation barrier and maintaining a military presence in the Jordan Valley along the West BankJordan border, Barak said Sunday at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference in Washington.

will attend. In addition, for the second year in a row, no mention of the Palestinians, negative or positive, appears on the conference’s legislative agenda.

Instead, the agenda will focus on the Congress enacting legislation that would designate Israel a “major strategic ally” of the United States – a relationship not enjoyed by any other nation – and

on facilitating a U.S. green light should Israel decide to strike Iran.

Should the measures being considered by the Senate and the House of Representatives pass, it would constitute the most explicit congressional sanction for military action against Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons program.

AIPAC on page 19

For Chabad misfits, a place to call home

By Chavie Lieber Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK – On a freezing Friday night in Brooklyn, a group of 18 Crown Heights residents scurry through the crowds of Jews leaving synagogue and make their way to a second-story apartment on Rogers Avenue for Shabbat dinner.

Inside, hippie art and vintage John Lennon photos share wall space with drawings of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the late leader of the Chabad hasidic sect, and a yellow “Moshiach” flag, the symbol of the movement’s messianic wing. A large glass table holds the evening’s spread: sauteed vegetables, kale salad, vegan cholent and a challah so perfect, attendees say, “only a gay man could have baked it.”

After a ceremonial blessing over wine and bread, the guests get to talking. A disc jockey,

Courtesy of Chevra Ahavas Yisroel

Chevra Ahavas Yisroel, a new synagogue in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn shown here celebrating 2013 Purim, is breaking down stereotypes within the Chabad community.

graphic artist and rabbi are having a heated discussion about Chabad’s influence on Indian meditation, while a photographer is explaining to a pregnant lady why Mitzvah Tanks, Chabad’s outreach vehicles, are the most brilliant thing to happen to planet Earth since Miles Davis.

This is not your typical Shabbat dinner in Crown Heights, the worldwide headquarters of the Chabad movement.

While nearly all the participants were raised in hasidic homes, most have strayed from strict religious practice. Yet rather than flee the neighborhood, they have chosen to remain in the heart of the Chabad community.

“The way I grew up, you had to either be 100 percent committed to religion or you’re out. There was no picking and choosing,” said Shmuley Toron, the 25-yearold gay man from Cincinnati responsible for the perfect challah.

“But there are parts of the religion that I love, which is why we’re still here in Crown Heights. And I know I can be as religious as I want to be without having to leave completely.”

MISFITS on page 19

8 • NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL

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Hagel and Israel: Looking back, looking ahead

By Maxine Dovere JointMedia News Service WASHINGTON, DC – For former Nebraska senator Chuck Hagel, who came under heavy criticism from some Jewish groups and from legislators on both sides of the political spectrum for his record on Israel during a historically tight battle for confirmation, an official security relationship with the Jewish state now begins.

Despite an attempted filibuster by members of his own Republican party, Hagel garnered enough bipartisan support to be confirmed as Secretary of Defense in a 58-41 Senate vote last week.

No previous defense secretary, however, had been confirmed with more than 11 opposing votes.

Criticized for saying “the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people” in Washington, DC in an

Courtesy of Monica A. King

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel

interview with former Middle East peace negotiator Aaron David Miller for Miller’s 2008 book, The Much Too Promised Land, Hagel apologized for that comment in a letter to U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA). The National Jewish

Democratic Council (NJDC), which had been critical of Hagel when he was being considered for the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board in 2009, accepted his apology as sincere.

Miller told JNS – that he did not expect the ensuing controversy when Hagel referenced the “Jewish lobby” during their interview, because he knew Hagel “was one of the more honest, outspoken members of Congress.”

“And that kind of clarity and honesty – and I interviewed many members of Congress for that book – you just don’t find,” Miller said Sunday at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference. “So what struck me about that, it was Hagel’s honesty. And he regrets now using the word ‘Jewish lobby.’ I don’t use it because it’s an exact, and it shuts people down,

and since my job is about addition rather than subtraction, I’m not interested in not having people listen to me.”

“But no, I didn’t think, ‘Whoa, this is some sort of extraordinary hot scoop [when Hagel made his comment],’” Miller added.

Some of Hagel’s critics call him “soft” on Iran, interpreting his position on the Islamic Republic as inherently dangerous both to the United States and Israel as Iran moves closer to attaining nuclear capability. In his Senate confirmation hearing, Hagel mistakenly supported a U.S. Iran policy of “containment,” and the Atlantic Council think tank he chaired last December published a policy paper predicting that Iran “should be viewed as a potential natural partner” for the U.S. HAGEL on page 21

Renowned Yiddish journal editor Friedenson dies at 93

By Maxine Dovere JointMedia News Service Joseph (Yossel) Friedenson carried the title of “rabbi,” but his “pulpit” was far wider than any within four walls.

Friedenson, longtime editor of the monthly Yiddish-language Dos Yiddishe Vort (which means “The Jewish Word”) journal published

by Agudath Israel of America, died Feb. 23 in New York at the age of 93. For close to 60 years, his writing gave voice to the thinking and concerns of the post-Holocaust Eastern European Orthodox Jewish community. He was married to his wife Gitele, who died in 2006, for 64 years. They were married in November 1941 in the Warsaw Ghetto.

A survivor of six concentration camps during the Holocaust, Friedenson was finally liberated

from Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27, 1945. He was not a proponent of “Holocaust remembrance” memorials or museums.

Writing in the Jewish World Review in August 1998, he complained that remembering has become “the new Jewish religion.”

At the age of 90, the dedicated editor was still reading seven-point type and still devoted to his audience, albeit, dwindling. He remained an active voice for Torahobservant Jewry until his last days.

In August 2012, writing for Agudath Israel of America, Friedenson discussed the celebration of the 12th Siyum HaShas, the completion of the cycle of the Talmud, as “a day of great victory… a day that testifies loudly and clearly that we Jews are an eternal people, indestructible and everlasting…

The day of the Siyum HaShas is my day of victory, the day of victory for

all survivors and the day of victory of every ‘Talmud Jew.’” Jeanette Friedman – author, advocate and one of the founders of the International Network of Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, recalled Friedenson as “a brilliant man, entirely dedicated.”

“He loved his job so much that he worked at it until he could not work anymore,” she told JNS.org.

“Even after a stroke, he was still editing the paper.”

Together with Volvie Friedman (Jeanette’s father) and Moshe Sherer, Friedenson was one of the founders of the post-war Agudath Israel movement. In addition to his position as editor of Dos Yiddishe Vort, he served as the movement’s Secretary General.

Dos Yiddishe Vort, a 64-page Yiddish journal, is printed in black and white and “dedicated to the problems of Torah Judaism… the

mouthpiece for the dwindling Yiddish-speaking contingent” of the Agudath Israel movement. The journal began in the postHolocaust displaced persons (DP) camps, and its first two issues were printed in transliteration in Latin letters because Yiddish type was not available.

“Friedenson was Dos Yiddish Vort,” Friedman told JNS.org, expressing fear that the magazine “dies with him.” Friedenson, she said, had not missed a deadline in 54 years.

In 2007, Toby Appleton Perl, Friedenson’s niece, wrote in the Forward newspaper about her uncle’s continuity and diligence, noting that he “has been editing this Yiddish monthly almost singlehandedly since 1945, [counting] the first editions he put out in the Feldafing and Landesberg displaced persons camps in Germany.”

On its 10th anniversary, Lauder Business School looking West for new students

By Cnaan Liphshiz Jewish Telegraphic Agency VIENNA – With more than 250 students living, studying or partying on its campus, quiet moments are rare at the Lauder Business School. But when a lull does occur, it reminds managing director Alex Zirkler of this Jewish university’s opening 10 years ago, when it had only seven students, 15 lecturers and many silent hallways.

“I don’t like to remember those absurd times,” said Zirkler, a Vienna native who has been with the institution ever since the American cosmetics magnate and Jewish philanthropist Ronald Lauder envisaged opening a first-rate business university for young Jews from across

Europe and beyond.

The school’s rapid growth owes largely to an influx of students from the former Soviet bloc, who make up 70 percent of current enrollees. With its ample scholarships and reputation as a boutique university, the school offers them a rare shot at a Western education.

LBS offers an English-language bachelor’s program in international business administration and a master’s in international management and leadership. With a scholarship, students from outside the European Union pay about $7,000 annually – a fee that includes housing and three kosher meals a day, as well as compulsory courses in Hebrew and Jewish studies.

But as LBS marks its 10th

anniversary this year, the school’0s directors are striving for a more equal balance between East and West that they say will enhance academic performance and fulfill the school’s mission as a rare melting pot for Jewish European academics.

“People come here to network with fellow students in a Jewish, international setting,” said Jacob Biderman, an Israeli-born Chabad rabbi and the LBS chairman. “It is in their interest that the school facilitate cross-fertilization: Our students are not looking to study with only French people or only Ukrainian people, or they would not have come here in the first place.”

Biderman acknowledges it will be a challenge. Given the attractive

pricing, students from the East are “obvious, natural clients,” he says.

But Biderman believes LBS has the potential to attract many Western European Jews who are seeking an institution that combines a top-rate secular education with Jewish studies – similar to what Yeshiva University and Brandeis offer in the United States. For students from the East, LBS offers more than just an education, but an opportunity to gain a toehold on new lives in more affluent central and Eastern European countries.

Gabor Solt came from Budapest to study at LBS in 2005. He now works in the banking industry in Vienna.

LBS on page 20

International Briefs Irish broadcaster censured for calling Israel a ‘cancer’ (JTA) – A popular Irish broadcaster and columnist was censured by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland for calling Israel “the cancer in foreign affairs” on his television program.

The censure last week of Vincent Browne for his remarks last October were spurred by a complaint filed by the Israeli Embassy in Ireland. The broadcasting authority ordered the station to air a live apology to the State of Israel within three weeks.

Browne’s remarks on “Tonight with Vincent Browne” on the TV3 channel “failed to meet the requirement for fair, objective and impartial treatment of news and current affairs,” the authority said, according to the Irish Independent.

“What I resent is the suggestion that because you’re critical of Israel, you’re automatically antiSemitic. I don’t think that’s acceptable,” he told the newspaper.

On the show, Browne said, “Israel is the cancer in foreign affairs. It polarizes the Islamic community of the world against the rest of the world.

Hungarian Jews set up ADLinspired watchdog group BUDAPEST, Hungary (JTA) – Hungary’s Jewish communities created a watchdog organization on anti-Semitism modeled after the Anti-Defamation League.

The Budapest-based, nongovernmental entity was registered recently in Hungary as Action and Protection Foundation, or TEV by its Hungarian-language acronym, and is set to have six employees and about 20 volunteers by June, according to Daniel Bodnar, chairman of the organization’s board.

Bodnar said TEV is made up of delegates from the major organizations representing Hungarian Jews.

Amsterdam Jewish community gets back former synagogue THE HAGUE (JTA) – An ancient synagogue in Amsterdam that was sold after World War II was returned to the Dutch Jewish community.

The city of Amsterdam signed over the Uilenburger Synagogue in the eastern part of the city center to a registered association set up by the Jewish community, according to a report last week in the Dutch Jewish weekly Nieuw Israelietisch Weekblad.

The institutions of Holland’s decimated post-Holocaust Jewish community sold the synagogue, which opened in 1766, to the city in 1954 due to lack of use. The building stood vacant for many years before it was rented out as a storage place, NIW reported.

ISRAEL • 9

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013

As Syrian conflict rages, As world’s largest exporter of drones, Druze loyalty to Assad persists Israel looks to transform battlefield

By Ben Sales Jewish Telegraphic Agency MAJDAL SHAMS, Israel – At first glance, the identification cards of young Druze men looked identical to those of any Israeli, with a number, photo, name and address.

The only difference is the citizenship line: Instead of listing “Israeli,” most of the Druze cards are blank.

“If someone takes citizenship, he’s labeled as an extremist,” said Wafa Abusela, 19, sitting with his friends in a cafe in Majdal Shams, a Druze city in the northwest corner of the Golan Heights. “People won’t talk to him.”

A secretive offshoot of Islam, the Druze community spans the territory of Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, and their allegiances are similarly fragmented. Druze who live in the Galilee are citizens

of the Jewish state, but the Golan Druze rejected offers of citizenship after Israel annexed the territory in 1981, retaining their loyalty to Syria. Of the 20,000 Druze living on the Golan, only a small fraction hold Israeli citizenship.

There’s little evidence to show this is changing. According to Interior Ministry figures, 20 Golan Druze requested Israeli citizenship in 2012 – a substantial jump over the two to five that did so annually in previous years, but still a minuscule percentage of the total population.

But as the Syrian civil war continues to rage just over the border, the Golan Druze say they are grateful for the stability and security that Israel affords – even as they still eschew the idea of becoming citizens, citing pressure from their parents and the fear of reprisals should the Golan ever revert to Syrian control.

A third intifada?

By Alex Traiman JointMedia News Service An increase in Palestinian violence against Israel Defense Forces soldiers and Jewish civilians throughout the West Bank, following the death of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail, is evoking similarities to the start of the second intifada.

“There is a serious increase in the number of attacks against Jews,” Marc Provisor, Director of Security Projects at the One Israel Fund nonprofit, told JNS. “Massive stoning attacks are occurring everyday. In addition to the stonings, Palestinians are

throwing Molotov cocktails and even improvised grenades.”

Multiple clashes have been reported, including violence near the Tomb of Rachel in the Biblical city of Bethlehem, in which Palestinians were shot after throwing explosives in the direction of Jewish worshippers.

Additionally, it was reported this past week that multiple attempts have been made to kidnap IDF soldiers in the past several months, and a sophisticated Grad Rocket was fired from Gaza at the Israeli town of Ashkelon, the first time a rocket was fired since Operation Pillar of Defense in November.

Ethiopian-Israeli wins Miss Israel pageant for first time

By JTA Staff Jewish Telegraphic Agency Yityish Aynaw, a former Israeli army officer, became the first Ethiopian-Israeli to win the Miss Israel pageant.

A panel of judges awarded the title to Aynaw, a 21-year-old model who came to Israel about a decade ago, at the International Convention Center Haifa on Wednesday.

“It’s important that a member of the Ethiopian community wins the competition for the first time,” she was quoted by Israeli media as telling the judges in response to a question. “There are many different communities of many different colors in Israel, and it’s important to show that to the world.”

Aynaw came to Israel with her family when she was 12. Acclimating to Israel was difficult at first, Aynaw said, but she picked up the language quickly with the help of a friend.

Courtesy of Avishag Shar Yashuv/Flash90/JTA

Yityish Aynaw, a 21-year-old Ethiopian-Israeli, being crowned as Miss Israel, Feb. 27, 2013.

She has been working as a saleswoman at a clothing store since her army discharge.

During the competition, Aynaw cited the slain American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. as one of her heroes.

“He fought for justice and equality, and that’s one of the reasons I’m here: I want to show that my community has many pretty qualities that aren’t always represented in the media,” she said.

By Ben Sales Jewish Telegraphic Agency AIRPORT CITY, Israel (JTA) – An Israeli soldier sits in an office chair in an air-conditioned metal chamber staring at two screens side by side. One shows a map with a moving dot. The other displays a video feed. Next to the soldier are three more identical stations.

The soldier isn’t an air traffic controller but a pilot, and his aircraft is called an unmanned aerial system, more commonly known as a drone.

Welcome to the next generation of the Israeli Air Force.

Israel long has relied on superior air capability to maintain a military edge in the Middle East, and its pilots are among the most respected soldiers in the county.

Now Israel’s drone industry is booming, and experts predict that within decades, manned flight largely will be a thing of the past – especially in risky combat missions. During Israel’s Pillar of Defense operation in Gaza last year, Israeli drones reportedly played a key role on the battlefield.

“Already today we see that the technology can work faster and better than our five senses, which are limited,” Tzvi Kalron, a marketing manager for Israel Aerospace Industries told JTA in an interview during a recent tour of an Israeli drone facility. “When you take away the human factor in

Courtesy of Ben Sales

The Heron TP, Israel Aerospace Industries’ largest drone, weighs five tons and can fly for 50 consecutive hours.

battle and send tools that know how to do it better, it’s easier.”

With two large drone manufacturers – Israel Aerospace Industries, a government company, and Elbit Systems – Israel is the world’s second-largest producer of drones, behind the United States, and the world’s largest exporter of drones.

IAI began manufacturing drones in 1974, employs 1,000 people in its drone division and sells about $400 million worth of drones per year. The company exports to 49 countries, including NATO allies fighting in Afghanistan, such as Canada and Australia. The client list also reportedly includes some U.S. rivals, such as Russia, and developing countries like Nigeria.

About one-fifth of IAI’s drones stay in Israel. They range from the 5-ton Heron TP, which can fly as

high as 45,000 feet and stay in the air for 52 hours, to the handheld Mosquito micro-drone, which weighs less than a pound and travels nearly a mile. The Heron looks like an oversized, gray remote-control airplane, with a radar sticking out of its top and, of course, no space for a pilot.

Along with Air Force drones, the Israel Defense Forces plans to incorporate drones in infantry units. Soldiers may carry a disassembled mini-drone in two backpacks and, when patrolling cities, assemble the drone, launch it by slingshot and monitor it by remote control. The Ghost, as this drone is known, weighs nine pounds and can help the unit eliminate blind spots and, according to IDF spokesman Eytan Buchman, overcome the “fog of war.”

DRONES on page 21

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LANE’S CATERING Lane’s Catering has been serving the Jewish community of Cincinnati for over 25 years. They cater to all types of special events.

They can do a custom menu geared specifically toward your wedding theme. They can set up and work at any location of your choosing. They’ve worked with all major synagogues as well as under the Vaad of Cincinnati.

They have also catered for the Prime Minister of Israel while he was in town and presidents of the United States. They’ve even catered an event for over 4,000 people in Israel.

Lane’s Catering has the experience, service, quality and creativity to work with you and to make your wedding unforgettable.

OASIS CONFERENCE CENTER While others might be content

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Whether you’re hosting 20 or 2,000, Oasis Conference Center, located in Northeast Cincinnati, offers an unbeatable combination of spectacular surroundings, incredible service and abundant, flexible space. Our unique facilities can be transformed to fit your every need, whether you’re hosting an intimate executive retreat, an important teleconference or a massive industry trade show.

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OASIS FLORIST Oasis Florist proudly serves the Cincinnati area. They are a family owned and operated business. You couldn’t ask for a more committed florist. They offer only the finest floral arrangements and gifts, backed by service that is friendly and prompt. They have a dedicated staff of professionals who are there to help you. At Oasis Florist they know that the customers’ needs are the most important.

They will always go the extra mile to make your floral gift perfect.

PARTY IN A PACKAGE Party in a Package is a full service planning company. With experience in weddings, rehearsal dinners, bachelor/bachelorette parites and brunches, we offer experienced professionals to execute the details of your wedding. The team of consultants present with a variety of experience to provide you the best team that will create your big day.

Our relationship begins once you step into our offices. We provide a listening ear as you begin to share your wedding day style, passions, likes and dislikes. By knowing what is expected in the end, we work on creating the team of vendors to make the day a success. We offer a host of packages and services specifically tailored to the needs of each couple.

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selves. Focusing on service and making sure your day is fun and stress free is the forefront of Party in a Package’s commitment to excellence.

THE PHOENIX The Phoenix was built in 1893 and provides an elegant and incomparable turn-of-the-century ambiance. They also have wedding specialists to help you plan the perfect wedding. From traditional to Star Wars Lightsabers, The Phoenix works for you.

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POWERHOUSE MUSIC For over 20 years, Powerhouse Music has been bringing the “bump” to Cincinnati weddings, reunions, B’nai Mitzvahs, birthday parties and more. You name it, Fabulous Freddie and his array of feel good tunes (20,000 in total!) has been a hit with with all ages and tastes.

From the biggest ballrooms to the most intimate of family get togethers, Powerhouse Music will suit the mood. “At Ceder Village I didn’t play any rap music,” jokes Fabulous Freddie.

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VICTORIA TRAVEL The Victoria Travel staff has a combined total of 250 years of travel experience. Since 1960 they have assisted clients with their travel needs; they can assist you in completing a well-planned, best value travel experience. Their association with a consortium of independent travel agencies allows them to offer exclusive amenities, not available to other agencies, when you book cruises, tours and hotels.

Vicky Mary, the owner of Victoria Travel, has seen hundreds of hotels in cities and villages all over the world and it is her firsthand knowledge which will assist you in planning a tailored vacation or business trip. She has comprehensive knowledge of hotels, restaurants and things to see and do. From an island getaway to a tour of Europe, her imagination can transform your vacation or honeymoon into reality.

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12 • WONDERFUL WEDDINGS

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By Lisë Stern JointMedia News Service Picture a wedding in an ancient Roman amphitheater on the shores of the Mediterranean. Or in the mystical city of Safed, the sun setting over the Galilean Hills. Or in the multi-level garden by the Tower of David in Jerusalem. All these are possible options for destination weddings in Israel, a growing industry.

“It is estimated that there are over a thousand weddings annually of people from abroad coming to get married in Israel,” says Lian Matias, who operates a business with Tracey Goldstein. Their two-year-old organization, described as “The English speaker’s guide to planning a wedding in Israel,” acts as a clearinghouse of details on the wedding industry, with links to planners, venues, photographers and more.

“Weddings held by foreigners in Israel differ somewhat from native Israeli weddings,” says planner Naomi Tabor. A native of France, she started planning weddings in Israel six years ago when she married an Israeli. Tabor notes that Israeli-style weddings are generally quite different from those of out-of-staters.

“Most Israelis dress down for weddings, while Americans and others dress up. Israelis are very relaxed, with no speeches,” she says. “Most of my clients have a more intricate plan, a precise sequence of events. For the meal,

Courtesy of Nikki Fenton

A chuppah in Jerusalem.

most Israelis do a buffet.” The sitdown meal approach is now called “American style” in Israel. And then there’s the invitation – because of the nature of the wedding (namely the fact that travel plans are needed), many couples send out invitations or “save the date” notifications six to 12 months in advance—compare to the two weeks’ notice or so for Israeli weddings.

Israeli weddings also tend to be huge, with 400-600 people and more (the traditional gift for such nuptials is almost exclusively cash). Destination weddings can be that large, but the average is closer to 150-200, and some are as small as 20-50.

Wedding planner Nikki Fenton made aliyah from England in 2007, and has been planning destination weddings in the Jewish homeland ever since. “The energy of weddings in Israel is unexplainable,” she says. “Many of the guests are on holiday and have come because they love the couple and their families and the couples chose Israel because they love the country – therefore the energy in the wedding is electric and has a whole lot of soul. I wouldn’t want to work on weddings anywhere else because they are so special and beautiful here.”

Matias agrees. “Because Israel is so unique and diverse, it abounds in wonderful locations and venues for weddings.”

Tel Aviv-Jaffa is the most popular location, followed by Caesarea, Jerusalem, and the Galilee. Venues include hotels, each with their own character. The 24-story David Intercontinental in Tel Aviv is good for larger groups who want the backdrop of modern Tel Aviv. The boutique-style modern-meets ancient Mamilla Hotel outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem has a rooftop space and a fashionable elegance.

But hotels and event halls aren’t the only options. “Many weddings

are held in private homes,” says photographer-turned-planner Danny Marx. “We planned an amazing wedding of two days in the desert for a couple from New York – 200 guests stayed the night and enjoyed the experience of a special desert breakfast and camel tour.”

Some weddings may have a theme revolving around the food, a favorite color, or a movie. “I planned a wedding where the theme was entirely Alice in Wonderland,” Fenton recalls. “We even made the aisle to the chuppah multi-colored stripes to match the theme.”

Outdoor weddings in Israel are especially popular, with sites in the desert, by the water (Red Sea, Dead Sea, Mediterranean, Lake Tiberias), on farms, at vineyards, or in forests. “You absolutely know from May to September you’re not going to have rain,” says Tabor.

“You can choose your dates in peace.” And if you want a winter wedding, head way south. “It’s amazing to get married in Eilat in January – it feels like June or July.”

Given the logistics of arranging a wedding from afar, a wedding planner seems almost a necessity, though a wedding can be arranged without one. There are so many components to coordinate: venue, menu, drinks, table décor, flowers, band, photographer, ceremony, the rabbi and more. “I think it’s very, very hard, aside from it being my business,” Tabor says. “One reason that gets overlooked is that I will get better prices than a foreigner who picks up the phone and calls the venue speaking only English – they’re going to get the ‘tourist’ price.”

“Planners are highly skilled and experienced people in the wedding field here that will make your wedding day dreams come true and will be able to do all that through longdistance planning,” Matias says.

Tabor says the popularity of Israel as a wedding destination has almost tripled since she started.

WONDERFUL WEDDINGS • 13

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013

Coffee date chronicles: the path to a Jewish wedding

By Jacob Kamras JointMedia News Service What turns a simple coffee or dinner date night into the evening you find your life partner, or being a bit less ambitious, into a relationship, or even into a second date? I got married on Jan. 20, but not too long ago I was asking myself just those questions.

For those in their mid-to-late 20s and beyond, first dates can feel repetitive and mind numbing – same food, same conversation, same result. They often feel like a job interview. Previously accustomed to the comfort of “friends first” relationships from high school, summer camp, or college, we’re suddenly dating strangers.

As my fiancé Megan puts it, we feel “stranger danger.”

Being a single young adult, in my estimation, is even more stressful in the Orthodox Jewish community, where your friends have often already gotten married while you were in college and are now perhaps even having kids – but you’re still having coffee. You feel a few steps behind in life, and self-doubt settles in. “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I settle down?”

Looking through my cell phone contacts, it seems that I went on dates with around 20 to 25 people before meeting Megan. I have some typical first-date “horror stories” – we all do – but for me, it was more an issue of boredom than trauma.

Worst of all was the dreaded pre-date phone call – even more superficial than the date itself.

That was actually by design, as my strategy was to limit the calls to five minutes and not talk about anything too deep, so that I wouldn’t waste any good conversation topics before the date itself. But then, if we get to a second date, what do we talk about? That seemed why I usually never got beyond two dates, either by my choosing or by hers.

To ignite something other than boredom in dating life, many modern Orthodox 20-somethings seek out the thrills of the Manhattan Upper West Side singles “scene” (or the slightly-less-hyped Washington Heights scene).

Meeting young people organically was a challenge for me when I lived in largely suburban New Jersey for two-and-a-half years after college, except on a few occasions I ventured out to the “scene” for Shabbat. Here’s a taste of Simchat Torah on the Upper West Side, from a singles column I wrote for The Jewish State newspaper in 2009: “At Yom Tov meals, not-sointimate gatherings of about 20somethings filled apartments for

Jacob Kamras with his wife Megan Marcus.

buffet-style lunches and dinners, with chairs arranged in amoebalike formations rather than around circular or square tables. Not knowing many people beside some high school and college friends I hadn’t kept in touch with, I found myself asking the typical questions: ‘Do you live around here, or are you visiting?’; ‘What do you do for a living?’; ‘Where did you go to college?’; ‘So, who do you know at this meal?’ I would’ve saved some trouble by preparing index cards with the appropriate answers, to hand out to people who asked me the same things.”

Sounds like a larger, more intimidating version of a superficial first date, doesn’t it?

As a Brooklyn native, I was also part of some old-school matchmaking. Usually it would be fairly simple: 1. My mother tells me about a single girl in the community she discovered from one of her friends.

2. I tell my mother I’d be willing to go on a date.

3. My mother gets her friend to ask the girl to approve me.

4. I pick up the phone for the pre-date call.

5. Rinse, wash, repeat.

There were also more sophisticated matchmaking tactics, one of which I dubbed “shidduch listings” (shidduch is the Hebrew/Yiddish term for the Orthodox matchmaking system).

In January 2010 I entered the “L’Chaim Shidduch Booklet.”

This was an annual pamphlet of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, containing lists of eligible Orthodox males and females in age order. Outside of the online submission system, local mothers also conduct actual “shidduch meetings” – group discussions on single people in the community – after which similar Excel sheets are compiled.

Besides the listings, I even had a “shidduch resume” – typed up in

the same format as a professional resume, with references.

These old-school tactics didn’t work for me, as most of the other singles using them were not as “modern” Orthodox as I am. So, after several years of resistance, I finally agreed to go the online dating route – which I had shunned before because I thought it would be even more impersonal than the coffee shop circuit. But my mother the matchmaker became a volunteer for a dating site mainly for the Orthodox community in which you are set up by virtual matchmakers, rather than browsing other daters’ profiles yourself.

Lo and behold, my first date through this method – set up by my mother herself – was with Megan, my wife-to-be. Our first date was mundane, like many I had previously been on, but the second time was the charm. When I arrived home from the date, I had finally answered that burning question: “What turns a simple cup of coffee, or a dinner, into the night you find your life partner?”

At one point during that second date, I simply committed to breaking the mold that had haunted me for years, and engaged in serious conversation – revealing myself, rather than going through those typical “interview” questions. It helped, of course, that Megan came with me on that journey and initiated much of the deep conversation herself. We even talked about spirituality, which was unheard of for me on an early date.

About seven months after that date, we were engaged. I suppose the old cliché is actually true: “When you know, you know.”

Now that I’ve “graduated” from the Jewish single life, I’d encourage singles to be fully aware that the dating process can be arduous, but at the same time to embrace that process. To use another cliché, there’s “light at the end of the tunnel,” and the darkness of the tunnel itself builds within you the character to get out.

14 • DINING OUT

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Ferrari’s Little Italy—17 years of change

By Michael Sawan Assistant Editor Ferrari’s Little Italy has celebrated 17 years of business. Recently, the restaurant/bakery held a weeklong special to commemorate the event.

Patty Bassano, the owner of Ferrari’s, noted a “Great response” to the celebration. “One customer sent us some flowers, just a mixed bouquet, it was really nice.”

Bassano is also taken aback by the number of familiar faces as the restaurant. “I’m just amazed at how many people have been coming here for almost the whole 17 years. It’s pretty amazing. Lot’s of familiar faces, so many people that I met through Ferrari’s that we’ve become great friends with.”

Other members of Ferrari’s staff noticed the same continuity.

Shelly Glass, who has been a server in the restaurant for its entire existence, spoke as though she was responding to the easiest question in the world: “Oh yeah, we see a lot of familiar faces over and over again. There’s great people, great clientele.”

While reflecting on the history of Ferrari’s, Bassano recalled an amusing detail: “And you know, I was actually just supposed to be a part of the opening crew, I was just supposed to be here the first month.” And 17 years later? “Here I am,” she says with a laugh.

Bassano also recalled many of the other changes at Ferrari’s, beginning with its founding.

“Originally is was a Cork and Clever,” explains Bassano. “But then it was probably five or six places inbetween. It was Lloyd’s, it was Devakas, it was Cactus Pear, it was Indios when we took over.”

The space had to be renovated completely, so that Ferrari’s now has its distinct, Southern Italian influenced surroundings.

The chef at Ferrari’s, Coby Lowry, recalled that there was once a picture hanging in Ferrari’s of the space, pre-renovation.

“Do we still have that picture hanging out there?” he asked Bassano.

“No, I took it home,” she said with a pinch of disdain.

“It was pretty dilapidated,” continued Bassano. “There was no bakery here.”

This detail alone is telling.

Ferrari’s places as much emphasis on its bakery as it does its restaurant, producing fresh breads and baked goods every day of the week except Sunday.

“I don’t know what this space [the current bakery] really was,” Bassano explains, thinking back carefully. “I don’t think it was added on... It must have been part of the dining room.

“And you can also say, if you want to mention it, the cooks do a fabulous job because the kitchen

Courtesy of Michael Sawan

(Clockwise) Several of the fresh baked breads offered by the 17 year old establishment; Assorted items for Italian cooking; The main entry of Ferrari's Little Italy; Head Chef Coby Lowry.

here is really teeny-tiny and what they can put out is really amazing.

And there are people here like Coby who have been here 16 1/2 years.”

“Yeah, gosh,” says Lowry. “I was just a young pup then, huh?”

“Weren’t we all,” adds Bassano.

Lowry’s involvement with Ferrari’s, like so many opportunities in life, started with “who you know.”

“My friends helped open this place, then after they did they said I needed to leave my job and come here. “[Ferrari’s] sous chef and I were already running another kitchen. My friends Tony Sigmund and Aaron Carter asked us to leave there and come here because at the time they were going through a couple of different chefs.”

“Right, in the beginning,” recalls Bassano.

“So we came, and we just never left.”

Such dedication seems more and more rare these days. What’s at the root of it?

“Oh, I love this lady,” says Lowry, of Bassano, good humoredly. “We’re all like family.

After so long it just becomes that way. Her husband was really good to me, like a father.”

Keeping things fresh after 17 years has been a labor of love, too.

“We just go with the flow, constantly making stuff,” explains Lowry. “I mean, we have to make up something new every night, for specials. If we run something too often she’ll give us the look.”

“I do, I do,” jokes Bassano.

“Then we know to make something new.”

Through it all the changes continue.

“You know, Sandy just took over as the general manager, with the advertisement she just did,” says Lowry. “She was also trying to get her online process out, kind of fighting with that. So then I think she finally made some headway. I mean, there were a lot of people who took advantage of [the anniversary] special.”

Bassano was also proud of Sandy’s recent promotion. “She is just a very positive addition, she’s the right fit. She’s been doing a lot of promotions and so forth.”

The future holds yet more new frontiers for the restaurant/bakery.

“Actually, we are gonna be involved in a March Madness online [competition] for the Best Pizza in the city,” explains Bassano.

“They actually solicited us because we did get an award last year for best pizza in the city, we were in the

top 10 or something. And the only way you can vote is online, and people can vote as many times as they want.”

The competition is literally like a March Madness NCAA playoff.

“There are brackets, just like they set up the March Madness scenario. It starts March the fourth.”

And, with spring once again on the way? “We’ll be opening the patio just as soon as the weather breaks, which is always nice.”

Ferrari’s is open for lunch Monday – Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Their dinner hours are Monday – Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m.

Ferrari’s Little Italy 7677 Goff Terrace Madeira, OH 45243 513-272-2220

DINING OUT • 15

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013

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16 • OPINION

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Lies, statistics and news reports

By Rabbi Avi Shafran Contributing Columnist It’s rare for light to be cast on the origins of a rumor. But a recent revelation about a charge made against Chuck Hagel before his confirmation as Secretary of Defense does that – and might provide us all some illumination too.

(Contrary to what some have surmised, I didn’t and don’t feel there is enough hard information about the now confirmed Defense Secretary on which to make a judgment of his attitude toward Israel.

As attacks mounted on nominee Hagel, though, I suggested that Jews should think twice and thrice before attacking a public figure for animus to the Jewish state on the basis of pickings as slim as those gathered to criticize him.

True objectivity and fair-minded discussion are as rare as Yangtze River dolphins.

Several people, including some pseudonymic letter-writers to a magazine that published my article, took my suggestion that bandwagons are best inspected before being leaped onto as support of Mr. Hagel. I explicitly wrote, however, that he might well not make a good Defense Secretary, and that I can’t claim to know one way or the other. All that I pointed out was that, despite a maladroit phrase Mr. Hagel once used – for which he apologized – and unsubstantiated claims of a similar sin, there was no actual evidence for the charge made by some that the man is “anti-Israel” or “anti-Semitic.” I pointed out, too, that a Secretary of Defense does not make U.S. foreign policy, and that it behooves us American Jews, in a world containing all too many all too real enemies of Jews, to not imagine, or inadvertently create, new ones.)

An edifying postscript to the Hagel hubbub emerged this week.

In the midst of all the sturm und drang over the nomination, a conservative website (a “news source,” as it happens, that the angry letters to the editor suggested I consult for my education) reported suspicions that Mr. Hagel had received foreign funding from a group called “Friends of Hamas.”

The story, of course, spread across the blogosphere with the speed of a brazen lie, which is precisely what

it was. There is no such group.

And this week, the tale of how the charge came about was told – by the fellow who originated it, albeit unwittingly.

New York Daily News reporter Dan Friedman explained how, digging for a story, he had asked a Republican aide on Capitol Hill if Mr. Hagel’s Senate critics knew of any controversial groups that he may have addressed. Had the nominee perhaps “given a speech to, say, the ‘Junior League of Hezbollah’… or the ‘Friends of Hamas’?” the journalist jocularly queried.

Not realizing that politicians and their aides can be humorimpaired, Mr. Friedman compounded his little pre-Purim joke with a follow-up e-mail to the aide, asking if anything had turned up about that “$25K speaking fee from Friends of Hamas?”

Before Mr. Friedman could say mishenichnas Adar, the website had its scoop.

“Senate sources told Breitbart News exclusively,” the report, by one Ben Shapiro, informed its readers, “that they have been informed one of the reasons that President Barack Obama’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, has not turned over requested documents on his sources of foreign funding is that one of the names listed is a group purportedly called ‘Friends of Hamas.’”

And so, other websites immediately ran with the fiction. For good measure, Mr. Shapiro tweeted the link to his nearly 40,000 Twitter followers. Countless inboxes welcomed the “news”; countless heads nodded knowingly.

Whether or not Mr. Hagel turns out to be a happy surprise or great disappointment, one thing is undeniable: Anyone who values truth – the “signature” of the Divine, in the Talmud’s description – must make painstaking efforts to be objective, and eschew the siren-call (to mangle a metaphor) of the bandwagon.

Lies, overt and subtle, large and small, are, unfortunately, the fertilizer (in both senses of the word) of politics today. They are regularly foisted upon us all from every political corner and by both major parties’ “activists.” We are being gently misled and manipulated whether our source of information is right-wing talk radio or NPR, Rush Limbaugh or Diane Rehm. True objectivity and fairminded discussion are as rare as Yangtze River dolphins.

And so, if we really insist on having opinions about political matters, we do well to absorb different perspectives, to weigh them fairly and to realize, constantly and deeply, that not everything portrayed as obvious or fact is necessarily either.

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

Dear Editor, It was heartening to read that the Jewish Foundation is funding open doors to Jewish education.

However, as I read the article, the money is going only to Rockwern Academy, Yavneh to old timers.

We are fortunate in Cincinnati to have two Jewish day schools, Cincinnati Hebrew Day School being the other. CHDS has its own funding problems as has Rockwern. I fail to see any good reason why CHDS was bypassed.

After all, the Jewish Foundation is purported to belong to the entire Jewish community of Cincinnati.

The only reason that I can imagine is that CHDS is geared more to traditionally observant Jews, and this appears, to me at any rate, to be an open discrimination against more traditionally observant Jews.

I hope to be proven wrong by seeing more aid to parents of CHDS students. I know how expensive a Jewish day school education is, and the sacrifices that must be made, as my own sons went to Yavneh many years ago.

Sincerely, Jerome C. Liner Cincinnati, OH Dear Editor, This week, I got home after work, opened my mailbox, found

my Israelite, and plopped down on my chair in the family room.

I began to page through.

I did not notice the subtle change in typeface, the change in color of the header, or the other stories on topics like mud wrestling.

All I saw was the picture of Golf Manor Synagogue.

And the words “for sale.”

I did not read the fine print about Herbalife.

I saw the name “Moneyman” but it did not register as a comedic aberration.

Instead, I started speed dialing a number of people in a panic to find out what was up.

Someone called back shortly thereafter, told me to calm down, and read the whole Purim page.

I like a joke as much as the next guy.

(I probably have a couple of “endowed chairs” in several principals’ offices.)

But this is a sensitive subject for me, and I am sure for many in the community.

No matter where you stand on the issues leading up to the schism (can you use the word “schism” in a sentence about Jews and Synagogues?) and the sequelae following it, the situation stills leaves me with a singular feeling, of sadness. Jews being together with other Jews is always the best.

Jews not being together is not.

Did we not learn anything from

the lost of the second Bais HaMikdosh?

New directions and possibilities are taking hold and holding promise for those involved.

But, no matter how diplomatically the situation has been handled, the outcome does not represent the finest hour in the history of the Cincinnati Jewish Community.

Similarly, the ad in the recent addition of your newspaper does not represent the finest hour of The American Israelite.

Sincerely, Ben Signer Cincinnati, OH Dear Consul General Yildiz, We write to express our shock and dismay over the latest outrageous rhetorical attack by Prime Minister Erdoan on Israel – and on the right of the Jewish people to live in peace and security in their national homeland.

The Prime Minister s statement in Vienna, at a United Nationssponsored conference, equating Zionism – the foundation of the Jewish state and the movement for Jewish self-determination – with fascism and anti-Semitism, and labeling it a crime against humanity reveals an appalling historical ignorance and a distressing intolerance.

LETTERS on page 22

Early retirement?

By Dr. Erica Brown JointMedia News Service How old do you think you will be when you retire?

Pope Benedict XVI retired Feb. 28. I am not sure if they are throwing him a retirement party at the Vatican and if he will get a gold watch, but I sure hope he has a good pension plan.

It is remarkable that it’s been over 600 years since the last pope retired, but it must be a hard job—even if you are infallible—and he is not a young man. He tweeted a message after his last official public address and asked people to pray for him. It is a small request for a man who has spent decades praying on behalf of others.

In these difficult days for the Catholics, he also said that he was not abandoning the church, even though he was stepping down from his position and apparently must trade his red shoes for brown. The word “abandon” is a strong word and made me think of a verse from psalms that points to what often happens as retirement approaches: “Do not abandon me in old age; do not forsake me when my strength has weakened” (71:9). In the Jewish tradition, old age

is associated with wisdom; a “zaken” in Hebrew is a senior but is also a scholar. The psalmist, however, understood that sometimes with a decrease in energy and ability, those who are aging need help and feel their independence compromised.

When they are old, we must be strong for them and support them. We cannot cast them off.

Ben Sira has a more utilitarian view, advising the following: “Dishonor not the old; we shall all be numbered among them.” Beware of dishonoring the old because it will eventually hurt you. We are all aging, every day. If we create a culture that loves youth and does not revere the aged then we will be victims of such a society when our turn comes. Ben Sira is a collection of wisdom likely written by Yeshua ben Sira around 180 BCE that was never included in the biblical canon but makes episodic appearances in the Talmud and other rabbinic literature. It is full of wise sayings; perhaps Ben Sira was himself an old man when he wrote it since another of his famous sayings is also about this time of life: “Much experience is the crown of the aged.”

When you are deeply immersed in work, it is hard to ever imagine a time when you will retire. For many, the thought or reality of it can be depressing and frightening. Yet the average age of retirement is 62 in America, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The average time in retirement is 18 years. The first number has been shrinking over the century, and the second number has been growing as people live longer. This means that many people can spend many more years pursuing other activities. But many people today are retiring later and later because they do not have the financial savings to stop, even if their health demands it.

The statistics are likely to change.

The Pope’s retirement has made me think about a Jewish approach to retirement. We probably should make a blessing upon retiring for being able to reach the stage of life when working takes second fiddle to living. We are grateful for the blessing of having worked and contributed to society and for the blessing that we have reached the age of retirement and can work in other creative ways.

RETIREMENT on page 22

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013

JEWISH LIFE • 17

Sedra of the Week

SHABBAT SHALOM: PARSHAT VAYAKHEL PEKUDEI • EXODUS 35:1- 40: 3

complained, his rebbe gave him the following advice; “Next year, be sure to invite poor people to your home for the seder. Have special concentration when the door is opened for Elijah and you will surely experience him! Once again, the hasid followed the rabbi’s advice, certain that at the seder he would witness the great prophet. Alas, once again, he was doomed to disappointment. This time, he angrily confronted his rebbe, the rebbe took his hand, “But of course you experienced Elijah; when you invited ten paupers you became Elijah the Prophet.”

This is the point of the Biblical text. When we express G-d’s will with our every act and word, we becomes G-dlike. G-d becomes manifest in the world through such individuals.

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

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T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: VAYKHEL-PEKUDEI (SHMOT 35:1—40:30) 1. Who was filled with the “spirit of G-d”? a.) Bezalel b.) Calev c.) Chur 2. What happened when they collected enough material to build the Mishkan? a.) People stopped giving b.) Continued to give c.) Moshe announced they did not need any more materials 3. What were the silver half shekels used for? a.) General fund to pay for upkeep of the Mishkan 3. B 38:27,28 The silver was melted to make sockets for the beams of the Mishkan and hooks for the posts.

4. D 39:8 the “choshen” was woven fabric, including gold thread, with settings for precious stones 5. B 39:10

ting of the Reed sea, the drowning of the Egyptians and the salvation of the Jews. The Hebrews then sang, “G-d had become for me salvation; this is my G-d ‘ve’anvehu’” (Exodus 15: 4).

The last word of this verse is difficult to translate, Targum renders it to mean “I shall make a house for Him” and since the Hebrew word naveh means a house; here the verse means, “This is my G-d and I shall build him a Sanctuary” – presumably in which He will dwell on earth (a notion which we have already rejected). Rashi (ad loc) maintains that the root word in ve’anvehu is ‘noy’ which means beautiful: “This is my G-d and I shall beautify Him with my melodic prayers”, or as others would rather have it – “I shall beautify Him by beautifying His commandments”; by wearing the most beautiful tallit and teffilin, by decorating His sukkah with the finest adornments.

A Talmudic sage ingeniously splits the difficult word in two, ‘ani vehu’ – He and I: “This is my G-d, and I shall do what He does, as it were: just as He feeds the hungry, so shall I, and just as He clothes the naked, so shall I”. Perhaps the one who interprets this best is Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch who renders the verse, “This is my G-d and I shall become His house; I shall attempt to express His will in every word I utter and every action I perform.”

Hence the Bible never means to teach that G-d assumes physical form, G-d forbid; the Bible is merely conveying that when a human being or a nation entire expresses the will of the Divine, that it is tantamount to having the Divine presence living amongst us, to having G-d truly in our midst.

A beloved mentor and friend, Reb Aharon Landau once told me of a hasid who purchased a magnificent kiddush cup for his rebbe.

Handing over the gift, he requested from his rebbe, “Pray that Elijah the prophet reveal himself to me at my seder this year”. The hasid lived in anxious expectation, but he had no revelation of Elijah at his seder.

When the disgruntled hasid

b.) To make sockets for the beams of the Mishkan c.) To make silver pots for the Mishkan 4. What was the “choshen” made from? a.) Fabrics: Linen, wool b.) Gems c.) Gold d.) All of the above 5.How did the stones on the “choshen” appear? a.) In a circle b.) In 4 rows of three c.) In a straight line

ing the golden calf. Daat Zekanim 2. C 36:6 The verse praises Bnei Yisroel because they were forced not to bring and the leaders because they did not want more than was necessary. Ramban

EFRAT, Israel – They shall make a Sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell in their midst (Exodus 25: 8).

The details of the construction of the Sanctuary together with all of its furnishings and the garments of the Priest-Kohanim are painstakingly and exquisitely described when G-d issues the commandment (in the Portions of Terumah and Tetzaveh) and again when the Israelites carry out this G-d given task (in the portion of Vayakhel Pekudei). If the construction of the Sanctuary merited such repetition, it must have been of supreme importance. Why? Conventional wisdom would have it that and all ancient and even modern religions would concur – that if, indeed, G-d created a world in which we may dwell, the least we can do is to return the compliment and create a Sanctuary in which the Divine Presence may dwell at least here on earth. The Yom Kippur drama for forgiveness would certainly suggest that the High Priest “meets” (as it were) the Divine in the Holy of Holies once a year on the fast day which the Hassidic world calls The Day of Holiness (Yom Hakadosh) just for that purpose.

However, the Biblical passage at the conclusion of the portion of Tetzave would imply otherwise: “I shall set my meeting there (at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting) with the Children of Israel, and it shall be sanctified with my glory. I shall sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the Altar; and I shall sanctify Aaron and his sons to minister to Me. I shall dwell among the children of Israel and I shall be their Gd, who took them out of the Land of Egypt in order that I may dwell in their midst; I am the Lord their Gd” (Exodus 29: 43-46).

Note that here; G-d’s dwelling place is within the Jewish people – and not within the sanctuary. This is precisely what the introductory verse of the last five chapters of the Book of Exodus was telling us: “They shall make for Me a Sanctuary so that I may dwell in their midst” (Exodus 25: 8). But what does this really mean? Can Gd enter a physical human being and reside within human physicality?

Does G-d “incorporealize” within the Jewish nation? Is this not dangerously close to Christianity and a notion of G-d-in-man which Judaism considers heretical?

Let us go back to the great song at the time of the miraculous split-

Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise

ANSWERS 1. A 35:30,31 Bnei Yisroel had complaints that Moshe gave Bezalel his relative to head the building of the Mishkan. But he merited it because his grandfather Chur was killed trying to stop build-

by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin

...the Bible is merely conveying that when a human being or a nation entire expresses the will of the Divine, that it is tantamount to having the Divine presence living amongst us, to having G-d truly in our midst.

18 • JEWZ IN THE NEWZ

JEWZ

IN THE

By Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist ANOTHER OZ TALE Opening on Friday, March 8, is “Oz The Great and Powerful.”

Inspired by the “Oz” stories written by L. Frank Baum, it imagines the origins of the Wizard character. JAMES FRANCO, 34, plays Oscar Diggs, a shady circus magician who is magically transported from Kansas to the Land of Oz. The people of Oz think he is the great wizard they were expecting and shower him with honors and riches. But three witches, played by MILA KUNIS, 29, RACHEL WEISZ, 42, and Michelle Williams, aren’t taken-in by Diggs. Things come to a head when Diggs must save the people of Oz via any tricks he can conjure-up and prove that he’s really a Wiz. The film is directed by SAM RAIMI, 53. He previously directed Franco, whose mother is Jewish, in the “Spider-Man” movies.

ZACH BRAFF, 37, does the voice of Diggs’ flying monkey assistant (the monkey you actually see on the screen is computer created).

Williams, by the way, just broke-up with actor JASON SEGEL, 33. They had been living together in Brooklyn for about a year. Their publicist says that “geography” was a major factor in the break-up: Segel has to be in Los Angeles much of the time to make movies and film “How I Met Your Mother.”

Meanwhile, Kunis has just signed to be a spokesperson for Gemfields, a UK-based luxury jewelry company with a good ethical reputation. Before she would agree to be their spokesperson, Kunis insisted on touring the company’s African mines and meeting with the company’s onsite staff. She told “Entertainment Tonight”: “They [Gemfields] take so much pride in their work and they take such good care of their employees…They take care of their community, they put up schools, and they teach the people how to farm vegetables. They really do what they say they do.”

MAYBE WORTH A LOOK The new ABC series, “Red Widow,” started last Sunday, March 3, at 9PM (You can catch the pilot episode online). It was created by, and is mostly written

by MELISSA ROSENBERG, 50 (who wrote the screenplays for the “Twilight” films). The series stars Radha Mitchell as a California woman whose late husband was in the Russian

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

NEWZ

Mafia. After he is murdered, she has to agree to work for the Mob to save her life and the lives of her children. Pretty redhead JAMIE RAY NEWMAN, 34, who went to a Detroit-area Hillel Day School for her primary school education, and has been in several short-lived TV shows, has a supporting role (“Katrina”).

REALLY GRACEFUL JEWS As you might have already heard, ALY RAISMAN, 18, who won two gold medals and a bronze medal in gymnastics at the 2012 Olympic Games, will be one of the celebrities competing on the upcoming season of “Dancing with the Stars.” The 16th season begins on March 18.

Raisman competed (in the floor exercise) to the music of “Hava Nagila.” Can the music of Hava Nagila be adapted to a couple’s dance? Maybe – and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them try.

Meanwhile, professional dancer and audience favorite MAXIM CHMERKOVSKIY, 33, says he will not return this season. The “hunky” Ukraine native, who is the secular son of a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother, joined “DWTS” in its second season. He has a lot of other interests, including running four dance studios he owns in the NY metro area.

The World Figure Skating Championship takes place this year (March 11-18) in Ontario, Canada. Sadly, it won’t be televised in the United States. Two members of the U.S. team are Jewish. Look for their names in news reports through March 16.

It’s likely they will be on TV in the near future. It’s also likely that they will be at the 2014 Olympics Games and, quite possibly, medal.

MAX AARON, 20, an Arizona native, won the U.S. Men’s Individual Championship last month. Aaron, who was raised in a Conservative Jewish home, recently told the Jewish Telegraph Agency that he was inspired by Jewish athletes growing-up. Aly Raisman, he added, was a recent role model.

Also on the American team is pairs skater SIMON SHNAPIR, 25. He was born in Moscow and moved, with his parents, to the States when he was 16 months old. Shnapir, an Emerson (Mass.) college student, stands 6’4” and towers over his five-foot partner, Marissa Castelli, 22. Even so, they “make it work” and last month the duo won their first United States Pairs National Championship.

FROM THE PAGES 150 Y EARS A GO The Florences have been nightly received with overflowing houses; the management has succeeded in prolonging their stay another week. The “Colleen Bawn” with all its beautiful scenery and appointments has been the attraction. The numerous characters sustained by Mrs. Florence has been a source of wonder to many, as she frequently assumes no less than six or eight characters in one evening with astonishing correctenss and precision. All who wish to spend a pleasant and delightful evening should not fail to see the Florences. A beautiful new Play in active preparation, will be shortly produced.

Miss Charlotte Thompson the accomplished young actress, will tomorrow evening conclude a very successful engagement at this establishment. A new play translated expressly for her has been performed every evening. Saturday afternoon a new Fairy Burlesque, entitled “Kate Kearney, of The Fairy of the Lake,” with new scenery, dresses and appointments.

On Monday next the renowned Cubas and Troupe will commence a short engagement. - March 20, 1863

125 Y EARS A GO Mr. Harry Bohm, of Mt. Auburn, royally entertained some of his friends last Saturday evening, the occasion being his twenty first birthday anniversary.

Those present were: Messrs.

Edward Bohm, Sol. Stix, Max Sturm, Louis Stix, Louis Rauh, Max Stern, Henry Wise, Arnold Keichen, Jacob Wildberg, Sam Oppenheimer, Ned Sturm, Isadore Rauh, Harry Bohm, William Friedman and Max Wolf.

Mr. and Mrs. Louis Newburgh, last evening, celebrated the twentyfifth anniversary of their wedding; the family and invited freinds being present at their home on Crescent Place, Walnut Hills. It is needless to say that numerous presents served to remind that it was a “silver wedding” observance. After being entertained by a parlor theatrical, the guests adjourned to an elegant collation servered by the St. Nicholas, and good health and long years of prosperity were wished the host and hostess in many toasts.

Dancing until a late hour concluded the joyful observance of a joyful event. – March 9, 1888

100 Y EARS A GO A Berlin Magazine devoted to the interests of “The Pestalozzi Froebel House,” makes complimentary comment on an address made by Miss Carrie Goldsmith of Cincinnati, before the Alumni Society of that institute, on the

“Methods of Teaching the Domestic Science in America.”

Miss Goldsmith has been in Berlin during the past year for the purpose of investigating and studying the improved methods of “Hygienic and diet cooking for the sick and the convalescent.” On her return to Cincinnati this spring Miss Goldsmith will devote her time to the introduction of the systems employed in the Froebel institutes in the hospitals here.

Mr. and Mrs. S. A. Waxman of the Vernon apartments Mt. Auburn, entertained last Saturday afternoon in honor of their son Adner’s fifth birthday. There were present 24 children all accompanied by their mothers. – March 6, 1913

75 Y EARS A GO Orchids to Francis Rosenthal, Stuart Safdi, Paul Weinstein and Henry Winkler, on their election to Phi Beta Kappa, national honorary scholastic fraternity. They together with 15 other U.C. students, were honored for having the highest averages throughout their U.C. careers.

Credit must be given to Marian Myers, secretary of Sigma Delta Tau, for having her sculpture of a baby’s head, her first sculputre work by the way, accepted for display in the Art Museum in the recent Jury Competitions.

Elaine Schifrin has been appointed publicity secretary of the Co-Op Day, April 2nd.

Rosalyn Litwack is a member of her committee... Seen at the Florentine Room last Friday evening: the Sammies in full force, bidding farewell to Brother Schiff who left the following morning for Sprinfield, Ill... Dave Wolf, on the business staff of the News Record, came down after the Hughes High School Play. He said it was fine... Delta Phi Epsilon is having a Founder’s Day Program tomorrow night. The alumnae are expected to turn out with a bang... – March 17, 1938

50 Y EARS A GO Mrs. John S. Stark and Mrs. Randolph Trager, co-chairmen of the annual meeting of the Jewish Family Service Bureau, announce that the meeting will be held Thursday, March 28, at 12 noon, at the Terrace Hilton.

Mrs. Mack is in charge of arrangements.

A Panel will discuss “Today’s Children—Their Needs, Our Challenge.”

Rabbi Robert L. Katz, professor of Human Relations at HUC-JIR will discuss the moral, ethical and religious needs of children. Dr. Janet Newman, a psychiatrist at

Child Guidance Home, will comment on the gifted child and the child who underachieves in school.

Mrs. Joseph Wolf, a board member of the Bureau, will present unmet needs of children in the Jewish community.

Henry H. Hersch, Bureau president, will be moderator.

Reservations may be made by calling Nrs. Mary Lou Lounsbery. – March 7, 1963

25 Y EARS A GO Dr. Evelyn Handler will be the spring Scholar-in-Residence for the Isaac M. Wise Temple said members of the temple’s adult education committee.

Handler, as president of Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. is a leader in liberal education. During the weekend of March 18-20, Handler will discuss “The State of the University: The Student in the 80s.” On Sunday, she will join Dr. Henry Winkler, past president of the University of Cincinnati, for a panel discussion.

Rabbi Alan D. Fuchs will moderate.

Zelda Wolf Jacobes has been nominated as a national vice president of the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, the parent body of women’s groups of Conservative synagogues, representing 200,000 women in its 800 affiliates. She will be installed at the national convention in November.

Richard Weiland has been appointed to a one-year term on Policy Advisory Group of the Ohio Department of Youth Services. The PAG works to improve Ohio’s juvenile justice system during periods of detention and follow-up care. – March 10, 1988

10 Y EARS A GO Sam and Maxine Potter announce the engagement of their daughter, Shena, to Brian Jaffee, son of Mark and Kathy Jaffee of Oberlin, OH. A graduate of Walnut Hills High School and Washington University, Rabbi Shena Potter received her ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. Rabbi Potter is currently the assistant director of the University of Michigan Hillel.

Diane L. Slovin, president of the Camp Livingston board of directors, announced March 6 the committment of a $250,000 gift to Camp Livingston by Neil S. Hirsch of Wellington, Fla. Hirsch is the uncle of B. Andrew Brown, Camp Livingston director. The gift, in memory of Brown’s mother and Hirsch’s sister, the late Jacqueline Hirsch Brown, will be used for a new equestrian center at the camp. – March 13, 2003

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013

CLASSIFIEDS • 19

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(513) 761-3200 • bigbrobigsis.org Camp Ashreinu (513) 702-1513 Camp at the J (513) 722-7258 • mayersonjcc.org Camp Chabad (513) 731-5111 • campchabad.org Camp Livingston (513) 793-5554 • camplivingston.com Cedar Village (513) 754-3100 • cedarvillage.org Chevra Kadisha (513) 396-6426 Cincinnati Community Kollel (513) 631-1118 • kollel.shul.net Cincinnati Community Mikveh (513) 351-0609 • cincinnatimikveh.org Eruv Hotline (513) 351-3788 Fusion Family (513) 703-3343 • fusionnati.org Halom House (513) 791-2912 • halomhouse.com Hillel Jewish Student Center (Miami) (513) 523-5190 • muhillel.org Hillel Jewish Student Center (UC) (513) 221-6728 • hillelcincinnati.org Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati 513-961-0178 • jcemcin.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) 214-1200 Jewish Information Network (513) 985-1514 JVS Career Services (513) 985-0515 • jvscinti.org Kesher (513) 766-3348 Plum Street Temple Historic Preservation Fund (513) 793-2556 Shalom Family (513) 703-3343 • 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 • btzbc.com Beth Israel Congregation (513) 868-2049 • bethisraelcongregation.net Congregation Beth Adam (513) 985-0400 • bethadam.org Congregation B’nai Tzedek (513) 984-3393 • btzbc.com Congregation Ohav Shalom (513) 489-3399 • ohavshalom.org

Congregation Ohr Chadash (513) 252-7267 • ohrchadashcincinnati.com Congregation Sha’arei Torah shaareitorahcincy.org Congregation Zichron Eliezer 513-631-4900 • czecincinnati.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 Kulanu (Reform Jewish High School) 513-262-8849 • kulanucincy.org Regional Institute Torah & Secular Studies (513) 631-0083 Rockwern Academy (513) 984-3770 • rockwernacademy.org Sarah’s Place (513) 531-3151 • sarahsplacecincy.com

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 BBYO (513) 722-7244 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

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AIPAC from page 7 An official with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who spoke on condition of anonymity said the thinking behind this year’s theme is the twin urgencies of what appears to be an accelerated Iranian nuclear program and turbulence in Syria and Egypt, both Israel’s neighbors. The official also said AIPAC remains as committed as ever to advancing the two-state solution and noted that the peace process did not feature on the legislative agenda of last year’s conference, either.

Both emphases dovetail with recent signals from the Israeli government that talks with the Palestinians are not going anywhere soon, and that Iran is the largest looming threat in the region.

The absence of both President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be due to external circumstances more than anything else.

Despite the absences, AIPAC expects 13,000 activists, including 2,000 students, to attend the conference – a number commensurate with last year’s record-breaker.

AIPAC officials say the number is more remarkable in 2013 because it’s not an election year.

The AIPAC official interviewed by JTA said that part of what motivates the push to name Israel a major strategic ally is an appeal to maintain defense assistance funding, averaging more than $3 billion annually, at a time when both parties are seeking ways to drastically cut spending.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wrote congressional appropriators last week to warn that MISFITS from page 7 Toron and his friends are part of a community of Chabad misfits who, while not fully embraced by the Crown Heights mainstream, are beginning to find a place for themselves in an outwardly conformist community. His apartment has gained a reputation as the place people go to party, relax or escape the neighborhood’s rigid social norms – a situation that is virtually unthinkable in other hasidic communities, which are more likely to

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(513) 531-9600 across-the-board “sequestration” cuts due to kick in Friday – unless the White House and Congress achieve a compromise – will hit Israel funding, among other things.

“This is no time to cut aid to an ally,” the AIPAC official said.

Conferring major strategic ally upon Israel “would mean that the United States and Israel would work together on a cooperative basis on missile defense, homeland security, energy independence, medical research and innovation and military technology,” the official said.

The push to name Israel a major strategic ally comports with a longstanding preference among some leading Republicans to tweak apart assistance for Israel from other foreign aid, which the conservative wing of the party advocates slashing.

The overriding consideration in such a designation, however, was Israel’s increasingly close security ties with the United States, in the Middle East and across the globe, where the two nations have collaborated on cyber-security issues, the AIPAC official said. The major strategic ally legislation will be introduced in the House and Senate in the coming days.

Separately, a nonbinding resolution that would call on the president to support Israel “if it is compelled to act against the Iranian nuclear threat” will be introduced in the Senate. The House will consider legislation that would authorize the president to sanction any entity that trades with Iran.

The conference runs March 35, ending with the annual AIPAC lobbying blitz on Capitol Hill next Tuesday. shun members that don’t fully abide by communal standards.

“The acceptance fringe members see in Crown Heights is really rare to that community, and it wouldn’t happen anywhere else,” said Hella Winston, a sociologist and author of the 2006 book “Unchosen: The Hidden Lives of Hasidic Rebels.” “Crown Heights is a type of place that is much more tolerant than most insular, hasidic communities. And their attitude is that they will mostly meet you where you are.”

20 • LEGAL

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

Religion and intelligent design in science class?

Legally Speaking

by Marianna Bettman The Ohio Supreme Court heard a case February 27 that should be of particular interest to readers of this column. A teacher in the Mt. Vernon School District, a public school district in Knox County, Ohio, was fired, he says for exercising his right to academic freedom; the school board says for insubordination and inappropriately injecting his Christian beliefs into his science classes.

Here’s the story.

John Freshwater was hired in 1987 by the Mount Vernon Board of Education to teach eighth grade science. Beginning in 1994, Freshwater was asked by the Board to stop distributing pamphlets and brochures to students denying evolution and promoting the Christian teaching of intelligent design and creationism. Each time Freshwater was asked to stop using inappropriate handouts, he would find another to use. In 2003, Freshwater petitioned the Board to adopt a policy permitting teaching creationism and intelligent design in classrooms. His request was denied. Freshwater began to supplement his curriculum with religious handouts.

Freshwater’s classroom contained a number of religious items, LBS from page 8 “Graduating in Austria is pretty powerful when applying and makes it much easier to find work,” Solt said.

Tatyana Belousova came to LBS from Vladimir, a town east of Moscow, and secured a job in Germany even before she graduated last year.

“An opportunity of getting higher education in Europe and living a Jewish life with no compromises was a decisive factor,” she said of her decision to enroll in LBS at the age of 17.

Some 300 to 400 students apply for admission each year, of which approximately 100 are accepted.

Applicants are evaluated by the LBS academic committee on the basis of their grades, but to receive a scholarship and housing, they must apply to the Jewish Heritage Fund, a separate body that is comprised of several private donors and charities.

including posters with religious quotes. Freshwater kept a Bible on his desk, and would display it to the class when discussing his beliefs. Freshwater was directed to remove the religious objects; instead, he added another Bible and religious book to his classroom.

Freshwater consistently made statements about the validity of evolution and regularly injected religious statements and teachings into his curriculum. On at least three occasions, Freshwater was warned to cease his religious teaching methods.

Things came to a head in April 2008, when the parents of one of Freshwater’s students complained to the Board about a demonstration in Freshwater’s classroom with a Tesla coil, which left a mark that appeared to be a cross on their son’s arm. This led to an investigation, and ultimately to the hiring of a referee to conduct hearings to determine if the Board had grounds for firing Freshwater.

Under Ohio law, a teacher can be fired for good and just cause.

After a hearing that spanned 38 days over almost two years, with testimony of 80 witnesses and 350 exhibits, the referee recommended that Freshwater be terminated for violating school district policies prohibiting teachings that advanced a particular religion, and requiring teachers to follow the mandated curriculum, and alternatively, that he be terminated for insubordination. The findings show Freshwater failed to adhere to established curriculum and was determined to inject his religious beliefs into his teaching plans, contrary to the Board’s by-laws and policies. Further, Freshwater disobeyed orders from the Board to remove religious displays in his

classroom. The Board adopted the recommendation and fired Freshwater.

Freshwater appealed his termination to the trial court and the court of appeals, both of which upheld the termination. The Ohio Supreme Court accepted the case, and heard argument on it last week.

Freshwater takes the position he was fired because of his viewpoint, in violation of his First Amendment right to academic freedom. He argues that his teachings were within Board standards.

He sought to encourage critical thinking and to challenge and evaluate theories. The Board allows the teaching of controversial issues so long as their use is related to instructional goals, does not indoctrinate students, and encourages open mindedness. Board policy prohibits the advancement or restriction of any particular religion. Freshwater was not violating this policy by discussing widely known origins of life to explore its scientific value. Students should receive an unbiased education – which is exactly what Freshwater was attempting to do.

Furthermore, Freshwater argues that his termination is a form of government censorship and violates rights to academic freedom. The Board has undertaken official suppression of ideas, an action utterly repugnant to the First Amendment. A state may not censor ideas from the classroom – government officials may not mandate or prohibit, for ideological reasons, the intellectual pursuit of a particular academic theory.

Additionally, Freshwater argues his termination violated the Establishment Clause because it shows hostility to major world religions. The record is devoid of

any evidence showing Freshwater’s academic teaching of creationism and intelligent design were used in a way to indoctrinate students. The Board’s apparent belief that teaching these theories has no scientific value cannot be accepted. Action of a government official does not violate the Establishment Clause simply because the action coincides with tenets of some religion. Censoring science solely on its consistency with major world religions demonstrates hostility towards religion and shows favoritism towards the religion of “secular humanism.”

The Board argues that Freshwater’s claim that his termination violated the First Amendment right to academic freedom is wrong. Freshwater is not invoking a right to academic freedom, but rather a right to free speech, which as a public employee in a secondary school, is not unlimited. Because Freshwater’s speech was made pursuant to his employment as public school teacher, he was not speaking for himself as a private citizen, but rather as a public employee. The Board has the obligation to assure that its speech, through its teachers, does not violate the Establishment Clause.

Furthermore, the Board argues, Freshwater did not have an academic freedom right to teach creation and intelligent design. Case law upholding a right to academic freedom has only been applied in the context of higher education.

Freshwater is asking the Court to misapply this precedent and allow Freshwater to teach his religious beliefs to a captive audience of children, where attendance is mandatory. Even if Freshwater had an academic freedom to teach the material, he is not excused from

Board oversight. Freshwater submitted a proposal to the Board for permission to teach creation and intelligent design and was denied the request. Finally, Freshwater’s teaching was not in compliance with Board standards.

Controversial issues may only be taught with Board permission.

Freshwater sought approval and it was denied. Teachers were directed to limit their discussion of religion to an age-appropriate, objective lesson. Freshwater’s teaching was not in furtherance of an objective lesson about science and subjectively advocated his religious position. His decision to teach creationism and intelligent design was specifically contrary to the Academic Content Standard for science in grades six through eight.

And it was contrary to a number of specific Board policies.

Freshwater was insubordinate for failing to comply with the Board’s orders to remain neutral.

The Board did not violate the First Amendment or the Establishment Clause by terminating Freshwater for failing to take down religious material. As with his teaching, Freshwater did not have an academic freedom right to override a decision by the Board as to its curriculum. His termination was both lawful and justified.

Freshwater is being represented by an attorney from the Rutherford Institute. On the other side, a number of organizations including the Anti-Defamation League and the National Center for Science Education, have filed friend of the court briefs in support of the school board.

It will probably take six months or longer before this case is decided. I’ll write another column when it is.

The fund assesses the “compatibility” of applicants in deciding whether to offer them a spot in the dormitories and up to 80 percent of their tuition. A major part of assessing compatibility, Biderman said, is whether a student is Jewish according to religious law.

The separation between the school and its dorms permits LBS to qualify for funding from the government of Austria, which otherwise would not be allowed to support a school that considers religion in admissions decisions.

About one-quarter of the $3.2 million LBS budget comes from the Austrian government. LBS gets significant additional help from public authorities in Austria. The government made an exception to its rule requiring publicly funded schools to admit anyone with a high school diploma, a regulation that would have undercut LBS aspirations to admit only the best.

Austria also helped LBS work around a European rule requiring

universities to have at least 2,000 students to be accredited independ-

ently. The school’s entire campus, an 18th century palace that once was home to Princess Maria Theresa, was donated by the Vienna municipality. The five buildings have more than 100,000 square feet of floor space, and are arranged around a 54,000 square foot courtyard. Lauder spent $8 million renovating the campus, to which the school has title for 60 years.

Such favorable treatment is part of the reason LBS elected to operate in Austria, where Lauder made many close contacts during his tenure as U.S. ambassador from 1986 to 1987.

“The fact that Ronald Lauder is the institution’s president adds much to our stature in Austria and elsewhere,” Biderman said, though he dismissed the notion that LBS enjoys special dispensations solely on this account.

Austria is keen “to re-establish Vienna as the seat of Jewish intelligentsia,” Biderman said. “They

understand we can’t put together the numbers because of the Holocaust.”

On campus, the ancient palace facade creates a jarring juxtaposition with the modern, high-tech classroom interiors, complete with projectors, sound systems and new furniture. Enhancing the mix of old and new is the large metal-andglass auditorium planted at the center of the ancient interior yard between the classrooms and dorms.

Every year, a few graduates end up staying in Vienna and marrying Viennese Jewish spouses, according to Biderman. In total, the school has learned of 30 weddings of former students who met on campus. The institution even has a photo album with a picture from each wedding.

“We recently received a postcard from Israel with a picture of a baby born to two of our graduates who made aliyah after meeting here,” Biderman said. “We call them LBS babies.”

Courtesy of Cnaan Liphshiz

Alex Zirkler, left, managing director of the Lauder Business School, and intercultural business administration studies director Julius Dem on the LBS campus in Vienna, Feb. 19, 2013.

FIRST PERSON • 21

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013

This Year in Jerusalem This Year in Jerusalem

by Phyllis Singer Is Purim a month-long holiday in Israel? No; it just seems that way. Or maybe Israel has become a sister country to Sholom Aleichem’s Chelm.

Purim was celebrated Saturday night, Feb. 23, and Sunday, Feb. 24, in most of Israel, in Cincinnati and in Jewish communities around the world. Purim is celebrated annually on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar, the day following the Jews’ victory over their enemies. But since fighting in the walled city of Shushan continued through the 14th, cities that were protected by a wall at the time of Joshua celebrate Purim on the 15th of Adar. That day is known as Shushan Purim. Since Jerusalem was a walled city, Jerusalemites celebrate Purim on the 15th, this year Sunday night, Feb. 24, and Monday, Feb. 25.

But it seems that for the past HAGEL from page 8 JNS spoke with several proIsrael leaders who looked back on the Hagel confirmation fight and ahead to his tenure as Secretary of Defense, and what that tenure might mean for the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Christians United for Israel (CUFI) had brought more than 400 activists to Capitol Hill to lobby against Hagel’s confirmation.

“It was an uphill battle, one we were likely to lose,” David Brog, CUFI’s executive director, told DRONES from page 9 “You can’t see around the corner, you don’t know what’s on the other side of the hill,” Buchman said. “It’s definitely helpful when you’re facing guerrilla opponents and rely heavily on the element of surprise.”

He added that drones help save civilian lives by identifying civilians near a bomb’s target and helping reroute the bomb to avoid them.

The Ghost’s only protruding feature is its most expensive part: a small, round camera that sticks out of the drone’s underbelly. To protect the camera, the Ghost flips upside-down before it lands.

Kalron said IAI hopes to expand its drone options in the

month a Purim shpiel has been taking place in the country. First of all, there was the case against Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister’s wife. The media in Israel do not like Sara, and every chance they have, they try to lambast her. Swearing in of the new Knesset took place on February 5. More important than the ceremony for the media was the dress that Sara Netanyahu wore. It was a black lace dress with a partially see-through top (so the media thought). The newspapers and TV stations focused on Sara’s dress, which many called “ugly” and “inappropriate.” It turns out that the dress just looked see-through.

According to a reporter from The Jerusalem Post, whom I know, the top had a flesh-colored lining. No see-through top. But the media didn’t back off. That story could have made a funny Purim shpiel.

And next we had another chapter for a Purim shpiel – Bibi’s ice cream escapades. It seems that Mr. Prime Minister likes ice cream and frequently sends a security guard down to a nearby ice cream parlor to pick up a few kilos of his favorites.

Somehow, news broke that the Prime Minister’s Residence submitted a budget request for 10,000 NIS (approximately $2,700) for ice cream. That’s a lot of ice cream, but according to reports, the staff served Bibi’s favorite confectionary to high level officials visiting the prime minister. The day after the story broke,

Netanyahu allegedly cancelled the order, calling the contract “excessive and unacceptable.” So who is going to pay for the ice cream now?

According to the ice cream store, Netanyahu’s favorite flavor is pistachio. For a while, the vat of pistachio in the store’s case carried a sign in Hebrew “Bibi’s pistachio.”

Even the serious happenings in the country seem to be part of a Purim shpiel. For example, coalition negotiations. So far (at least as of March 3), Netanyahu has been unable to put together a coalition to form a new government. He had 28 days after President Shimon Peres gave him the mandate at the end of January. Saturday night, March 2, Netanyahu asked Peres for an extension. The extension will expire March 16. If Netanyahu cannot put together a government, then Peres can ask someone else to try to do so. And the horse trading would begin anew.

The difficulty seems to lie in an agreement that Yesh Atid, the new party led by Yair Lapid, which won 19 seats in the election, made with HaBayit HaYehudi (the Jewish Home), led by newcomer Naftali Bennett. The two agreed either to enter the coalition together or sit in the opposition together. Lapid has been refusing to sit in a coalition with the Haredi parties because of the issue of universal military service, which the Haredi parties oppose. So far, negotiators for

Netanyahu’s party, Likud-Beteinu, have been unable to break that pact.

Every day there are new reports.

Right now, Israel has a new Knesset and an old (lame duck) government. Stay tuned for the next act (of the Purim shpiel) to see what happens.

A Cincinnati teacher was included in an article in The Jerusalem Post magazine on Feb. 23. Reba Sharfstein, who taught nursery school and kindergarten at Cincinnati Hebrew Day School for 50 years, made a presentation about using Montessori methods in a Jewish nursery school at the annual International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Shluchos held in Brooklyn in early February.

Barbara Sofer, a columnist for The Jerusalem Post magazine, covered the conference and interviewed Sharfstein and her granddaughter: “In 1955, the rebbe spoke about the importance of women learning Torah and becoming wellversed in Judaism, particularly the areas that impacted their lives. “‘I’d heard about the speech,’ says Rivka [Reba] Sharfstein, now aged 81, ‘but a Lubavitch rabbi, visiting from London, repeated the rebbe’s teaching to me. He wanted to know what I was doing about it.

I’d only been in Cincinnati a short time, but he sat by the phone while I called five acquaintances and suggested we start a study group. I studied first with my husband, and

kept one chapter ahead. There were very few advanced women teachers back then.’

“In addition to her personal study and teaching, Sharfstein and her husband ran a school, created a preschool with progressive ideas from the child-oriented Montessori system, and worked with students on the Cincinnati campuses, including a group of Reform rabbinical students from Hebrew Union College, who met at their home, with the encouragement of the rebbe.

“Attending the Kinus with Sharfstein was her granddaughter Freida Raskin, 24, an emissary in Aspen Hill, Md. One of the great successes of Chabad is the ability to create the next generation of Jewish leadership within their own families. The fifth of six children, Raskin said she always wanted to serve the Jewish people.

But unlike many of the outgoing and charismatic emissaries, Raskin is shy. “‘I could never see myself speaking at one of these sessions or running a campus Chabad house. I’m glad there are different models of service,’ she says.

“Her husband offers traveling holiday workshops, among them on how to make your own shofar.

Raskin handles the logistics, including jobs like ordering stuffed sheep heads on eBay.” Best wishes for a Happy Passover.

JNS. “We thought it worth fighting because we believed the effort would have an influence by drawing a line, brightly and clearly, regarding what is acceptable and what is unacceptable.”

Brog said “those lines are now drawn both for the Secretary of Defense and the administration and for Congress as well.”

“The brighter the lines, the easier it will be to recognize if they are ever crossed,” he said. “Everyone is on notice in DC and ready and watching.”

Is Brog concerned that the

efforts of CUFI and other proIsrael groups to oppose Hagel’s confirmation will negatively impact the U.S.-Israel relationship? He responded with another question.

“Is Hagel willing to subvert the best interest of his country with a personal vendetta?” Brog asked.

“I have no reason to believe he would be so petty as to dismiss the greater interest of his country…

CUFI debated only about policy,” he said. “We never called out his personal beliefs: it was an exercise of freedom of speech, well within

the American tradition… There is a difference between CUFI’s principled opposition and the opposition of others who went further than evidence permitted.”

Kenneth Bialkin, chairman of the America Israel Friendship League (AIFL), told JNS that political commentary is “not a subject of the AIFL mission,” and instead offered his personal point of view on Hagel.

“We move on and hope for the best,” he said.

Bialkin noted that the friendship between the U.S. and Israel “is

grounded on solid principles.”

“We have a long history of shared interests, [the relationship] has great depth and a common philosophy,” he said. “I think we have to look forward toward a continuation of that and should do everything we can to deepen and strengthen that relationship.”

Asked if he expected policy changes amid Hagel’s confirmation, Bialkin responded, “Both the President and the new Secretary of Defense have assured everyone that nothing will change. There is no reason to expect otherwise.”

coming years, developing stealth drones that are harder to see and hear, and working on a micro-drone with wings that flap like a butterfly – a concept known as biomimicry.

IAI also is expanding drones’ civilian uses, like surveillance of large crowds and stadiums.

IAI’s drones conduct surveillance, take photographs, and record audio and video, according to Kalron. He would not discuss the drones’ combat capabilities; IAI’s website includes the payload limits for drones.

Drone expert Arie Egozi of the online publication Israel Homeland Security told JTA that “from a technological standpoint, every drone” can shoot missiles. “You put bombs under the wings and it shoots

them,” Egozi said.

Some critics argue that the use of drones raises serious moral and legal problems. The debate has been particularly heated on the American use of unmanned vehicles for targeted killings in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

While drones are not without their Israeli critics, they have provoked far less controversy here than in the United States. For many Israelis, a future where planes fly unmanned and pilots are at less risk of death or capture is a welcome development.

“If you can take the pilots out of danger, of course it’s better,” said Uri Aviv, a civilian flight instructor who spent 15 years in the Israeli Air Force. “The moral question is about

hitting the target, not the type of weapon. It doesn’t matter if you use a cannon, a tank, a plane or a drone.

A pilot can’t see who he’s hitting – it’s the same thing with a drone.”

The biggest concern raised by drones, says Hebrew University philosophy professor Moshe Halbertal, is that their pinpoint accuracy raises the bar for the soldiers operating them. Freed from the stress and uncertainty of flying a plane, Halbertal said, soldiers must take more time to “identify who is a legitimate target” and review the decision before launching a strike.

Halbertal said he doubts that “those who operate drones will be much quicker in using weapons” than traditional pilots.

Egozi said the bigger question

for Israel is about the efficacy of exporting to countries such as Russia, which has provided technology to Israeli adversaries like Iran and Syria. Israel’s agreements with Russia have required pledges that Russia not sell certain missile technology to Iran.

Every IAI export deal must receive Israeli Defense Ministry approval before being finalized, according to Kalron.

He said he looks forward to a day when 95 percent of army aviation is unmanned and the Israeli Air Force is not needed.

“In 20 or 30 years they’ll fly drones on commercial flights,” Kalron said. “It’s a trend that’s developing quickly. Technology is superior than all human abilities.”

22 • OBITUARIES D EATH N OTICES ORCHIN, Milton, age 98, died February 14, 2013; 4 Adar, 5773.

SKUROW, Michael A., age 68, died February 24, 2013; 14 Adar, 5773.

LAZARUS, Gladys Kleeman, age 99, died February 28, 2013, 18 Adar, 5773.

EPSTEIN, Annice, age 92, died March 1, 2013; 19 Adar, 5773.

CLAYTON, Muriel, age 86, died March 4, 2013; 22 Adar, 5773.

LETTERS from page 16 It is beyond our comprehension how the head of state of a nation that recognized the State of Israel 64 years ago – and was the first Muslim-majority country to do so – can hold and express such beliefs. And it is particularly distressing that he would choose to give voice to such animosity at a conclave, the fifth global forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, founded for the very purpose of fostering understanding among faiths and peoples.

With full appreciation for the long history of interfaith friendship and cooperation in Turkey, we urge you to convey to Ankara our revulsion over this base attack on the fundamental national rights of the Jewish people.

Thank you for the consideration and transmission of our views on this urgent matter.

Respectfully, Jon Schweitzer, AJC Chicago, Acting Director; Barbara Glueck, AJC Cincinnati, Director; Lee C. Shapiro, AJC Cleveland, Director; Kari Alterman, AJC Detroit, Director; Nancy Lisker, AJC St. Louis, Director RETIREMENT from page 16 The first chapter of Genesis mandates that we work for six days and rest on the seventh.

Work is regarded as an important way we find purpose and meaning in the world. But perhaps we can also stretch this view of the week into the lifespan. We work and work and work and then we must rest so that our senior years become, in effect, a form of Shabbat. Shabbat is not a time when we do nothing. It is a time when we reflect on all that we have created and all that God has created for us. It is a time of sleeping and eating and singing and spending time with the people who matter most. It is a time to count blessings and savor and sanctify time rather than rush through it.

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

CAMPAIGN from page 3 Jay Price retired in 2004, after 36 years as an IT professional.

Since retiring, he has devoted much of his time to volunteer work in the Jewish community. He is the immediate past chairman of the board of Cedar Village and sits on the boards of the Jewish Federation, the Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati and Cincinnati Hillel. Price is past president of the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Jewish SCHLOSS from page 3 serves as a member of their Board of Advisors. In 2008, Frances received the Caring Award from the Visiting Nurse Association.

Combining their two passions, it was evident to Frances that supporting children and adults with disabilities at the JCC was a perfect tribute and a great fit for their philanthropic vision.

“Milt was a remarkable man with broad interests and he felt WISE from page 4 Brotherhood hosts dinner Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! Psalms 133:1 On Saturday, March 9, the Wise Temple Brotherhood will be experiencing just that as they celebrate their winter dinner together.

If you’re looking for laughs, good conversation, a great meal and bonding among other Jewish men of all ages from Wise Temple, contact the brotherhood through the main office.

The Wise Temple Brothers welcome new faces and the “regulars” at Parker’s in Blue Ash. So find out on March 9 how “good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”

STUDENTS from page 5 innovation center. They will meet with their MBA counterparts at the Tel Aviv University to compare notes. When the students return, they will prepare a business plan for bringing an Israeli company to Cincinnati or helping a Cincinnati business establish itself in Israel.

These will be presented to business leaders in the community.

Participants will pay the tuition cost, but the Jewish Foundation grant will help subsidize what each student pays for the trip.

The trip will be led by Art Shriberg, professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at Xavier.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to go to the start-up nation, as Israel is known, and experience how Israel’s rich culture and tradition interact with a vital business community,” says Shriberg.

The undergraduate courses, “Interfaith in Israel: Abrahamic

Committee, Jewish Family Service and Valley Temple and a past board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council.

Abby Schwartz was curator of education for the Taft Museum of Art for 16 years and now works as an arts education and development consultant. She is a devoted volunteer for the Jewish community, currently serving on the Skirball Museum executive committee, the Jewish Federation board and a Planning & Allocations council, in addition to the Community

Campaign leadership team. Abby is a past board member of Cincinnati Hillel and Rockdale Temple. She is currently senior consultant to Jewish American Heritage Month, where she served as National Coordinator from 2009 to 2011.

“We are exceeding our goals so far for this year’s Campaign, and so much of that is due to our fantastic volunteer leaders and solicitors!” said Danielle V. Minson, Jewish Federation chief development officer. “I also want to recog-

nize the Jewish Foundation for the generous matching grant they are offering. It is again this year achieving its objective of encouraging individual donations.”

Donations to the annual Campaign go to programs that change lives in Cincinnati, in Israel and around the world. Any new gift or increase to the 2013 Community Campaign will be matched 2:1 by The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati (gift commitments must be made by May 31, 2013).

strongly about providing opportunities that help people of all abilities,” stated Frances. “Schloss Special Needs and Services at the JCC will broaden the horizons of children and adults with disabilities in our community and will allow the participants to keep pace with the growing needs of their future.”

Schloss Special Needs and Services will provide open and adaptive programming for individuals with special needs, including those with physical, cognitive and

developmental disabilities. The new services will be devoted to working with individuals to enhance their social support, independence and mastery of new skills, as well as creating an environment where every child, teen and adult with special needs can reach their fullest potential, both developmentally and interpersonally.

With the support of the JCC’s new disabilities coordinator, people with special needs will have access to the same wonderful opportuni-

ties as their typical peers. Programs such as adaptive aquatics, modified sports and fitness classes, and day camp will be offered. Support programs for parents of children and young adults with disabilities to discuss such topics as education, housing, relationships, estate planning and vocational opportunities, as well as mentoring and teen transition programs, are being planned.

The JCC staff will work with families to ensure proper accommodations are made when possible.

Filmmaker Ruth Goldman speaks at temple Wise Temple Senior Adults will not only get the privilege of viewing the documentary, “And These Are Jews,” they will also get the opportunity to meet and talk with the film’s producer, Ruth Goldman on Tuesday, March 12 at 1:30 p.m.

The documentary tells the story of the descendants of one of the most established and influential Jewish-American communities in the 19th and early 20th century: the German Jews of Cincinnati.

Christmas tree trimming, ham on Passover, yarmulkes forbidden in the synagogue – and these were Jews? Through engaging, sometimes shocking and often humorous stories about prejudice, assimilation, religious practices, and

identity, And These are Jews presents a provocative journey into a fascinating chapter of JewishAmerican history.

After the film, Goldman will answer questions about her documentary and how its screening to diverse audiences has confirmed that our story shares common themes with many other immigrant communities.

“Ruth has said to me how the making of this film helped her understand her own Jewish identity as well as to more fully appreciate the complicated history of the Jewish community in the U.S.,” shares program co-chair, Sue Ransohoff. “I’m sure we will all be able to relate to the stories depicted in the film and to the personal stories Ruth shares as well.”

Program co-chair Elaine Singer

says, “In light of Ruth’s impressive schedule, we’re pleased that she’s eager to spend time talking with us.

She’s currently working as a freelance editor on three other documentary film projects and writing her dissertation.” Goldman has an M.A. in American Studies and a MFA in Film and Video Production. She is completing her PhD in American Studies.

Join the Wise Temple Senior Adults as they are entertained and educated by this fascinating film and by the discussions with Ruth that will prove to be both informative and touching.

For more information on this and other programs at Isaac M. Wise Temple, please contact the temple office. All programs are free, unless otherwise noted.

Religions Past and Present” and “Doing Business in the Middle East: Israel,” are taught from May 13-29. They are open to college sophomore – senior level students who meet the requirements.

Students from institutions other than Xavier are welcome to apply as long as they are accepted for admission in Xavier’s summer program and chosen for the trip.

Students will explore social, political and economic realities of modern Israel and observe how people with distinct beliefs coexist. They will attend pre-trip sessions to learn more about Israel’s religious history and business environment. They will travel to Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Haifa and Jerusalem, visiting businesses and seeing holy sites. In Netanya, Cincinnati’s sister city in Israel, students will work on a service project. When they return they will participate in an initiative with Cincinnati USA Regional

Chamber to further Cincinnati’s business ties with Israel. Again, thanks to the Jewish Foundation grant, each student’s trip cost will be partially subsidized.

The business course will be taught by Shriberg and the religion course by Rabbi Abie Ingber, executive director of Xavier’s Center for Interfaith Community Engagement.

“Israel is a land of stark contrasts from the footsteps of Jesus to the Night Journey of Mohammad; from high tech to biblical archaeology,” says Ingber. “It is a land steeped in history and fraught with the clash of civilizations. In the Middle East it has been an epicenter of conflict and a laboratory for what can be done to bring resolution. To journey through Israel is to journey through Jewish history and to celebrate the rebirth of the Jewish people in their own land. Xavier students will enter into the mix and experience the Abrahamic religions in situ in the Holy Land and meet with interfaith leaders who are trying to keep it holy. There is no other place in the world comparable in experiences of the past and the future relative to the dialogue among religions.”

There is no other place in the world comparable in experiences of the past and the future relative to the dialogue among religions.”

Rabbi Abie Ingber