The American Israelite, March 22, 2012

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Helping on Chai at Cedar Village p.13

CINCINNATI, OH Candle Lighting Times Shabbat begins Fri 7:35p Shabbat ends Sat 8:36p

VOL. 158 • NO. 35

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The Mayerson JCC announces search committee formation

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AJC presents National Human Relations Award to Father...

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Attack leaves French Jewish community shaken

DINING OUT

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Bella Luna: Manhattan-Italian quality, Cincinnati...

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John Demjanjuk, convicted of war crimes, dies stateless, in limbo

The vision of Cincinnati Hillel The vision of Cincinnati Hillel is to attract and retain young Jewish adults, to encourage students to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, to bring more meaning to the college experience of Jewish students and to educate the university at large about Judaism. The first half of the academic year has been full of growth and excitement at Cincinnati Hillel. The board of directors, led by Chase Kohn, the staff, led by Rabbi Elana Dellal, and the student leaders are proud of the new energy that has infused the collegeaged community.

Along with Hillel’s three to five programs a week at no cost to students, Heather Zucker, programming director, and Sarah Ganson, engagement professional, have prioritized outreach this year, engaging new freshmen and uninvolved students.

First Year Students at Hillel (FYSH) has doubled in numbers this year with programs every other week.

FYSH helps to acclimate new freshmen to college life and introduces them to Hillel, a home away from home in a new stage of life. Hillel has had programs in almost every dorm on campus, including a graham cracker sukkah making contest, a home-made hamentaschen event and a dreidel tournament. Additionally, Hillel has had high profile tabling initiatives on campus including passing out badges with broken glass on Krystallnacht. Over 400 students wore the badge, educating the university about the Holocaust.

Cincinnati Hillel is increasing our presence on campus and our involvement with the wider university. In the first six months, Hillel has collaborated on programming with Women’s Center, Judaic Studies, College Democrats, College Republicans, African American Culture Research Center, Political Science Department, Campus Ministries Association and the LGBTQ center. The university

administration has recognized the growth of Hillel’s presence this year.

Cincinnati Hillel is playing a role in the large university events, including the Wellness Fair, WorldFest and the Homecoming Parade.

last year. Additionally, for the first time in at least five years, Cincinnati Hillel is hosting two birthright trips this year. This quarter Hillel started an Israel Out Loud advocacy training program and has had numerous

“This has been a year of development for Hillel, reaching out to previously unengaged students with innovative programming while also being a safe haven on campus.”

Sam Fisher Israel programming and outreach has also seen great growth. This year over 20 students will travel to Israel from Cincinnati Hillel on birthright.

This is a 400 percent increase from

programs encouraging open dialogue and Israel education, including a discussion on the release of Gilad Shalit. Yair Cohen, the shaliach of Cincinnati, along with the

chaverim, have become a known presence on campus.

Cincinnati Hillel is working to facilitate internship and professional opportunities for skilled Jewish students. In this last year, Cincinnati students have interned at The Mayerson Foundation, The Jewish Foundation, the Jewish Community Center, The Jewish Federation, and Midland Atlantic. This coming summer Cincinnati Hillel has helped to place students at the Jewish Community Center’s camp and Camp Livingston.

In the first six months of the school year, 250 Jewish students have attended Hillel programs, and the majority of the UC students of have encountered Hillel through programming on campus.

“This has been a year of development for Hillel, reaching out to previously unengaged students with innovative programming while also being a safe haven on campus,” reflected fourth year student, Sam Fisher.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

The Mayerson JCC announces search committee formation The Mayerson JCC has actively begun the process to hire a CEO, a new position as part of a recent restructuring. Debbie Brant, cochair of the search committee, explained, “After careful consideration, we are pleased to announce the formation of a search committee made up of professionals and volunteers dedicated to supporting the J’s mission to serve as Cincinnati’s central gathering place where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to exercise, learn, relax, share and celebrate. To assist with the search, we have engaged the services of DRG, one of the nation’s top recruiting firms for the nonprofit sector.”

“The J is the pride of the Cincinnati Jewish community, with a full-service fitness center, indoor

waterpark, Early Childhood School, summer and school break camps, and many programs for people of all ages,” said search committee member Carrie Barron, an employment law attorney at the Cincinnati firm Freking and Betz.

“We know how important this position is to our entire community.

Therefore, we want to conduct the search process with as much transparency as possible. As the first step, DRG will work on understanding our needs and develop a detailed job description.”

DRG is currently meeting with over 50 community members, including staff of the J and other partner agencies, congregational rabbis, and many community volunteers. Once the job description is created, the J intends to make it

available to the public.

“While we do not yet have a formal job description,” Barron added, “we do know that in order to maintain the J’s programs and services in an ever-changing and often challenging financial climate, we need to secure a highly experienced leader with a varied skill set that will allow him or her to be ultimately accountable for all aspects of running the J. This includes providing leadership for human resources, financial planning and spending, programming, membership, fundraising, institutional partnerships, facility maintenance, security, communications, organizational development, Board and community relations, and much more!”

JCC on page 19

Celebrate Passover at Cedar Village without preparation Preparation for Passover can take hours and hours. For seniors who no longer want to do the extra cooking and cleaning, Cedar Village Retirement Community has a solution.

They can rent one of Cedar Village’s assisted-living apartments for Passover. Anyone renting a one-bedroom Oak View apartment can participate in all of the activities—and use all of the services—that Cedar Village offers its apartment residents.

That includes the Cedar Village Passover seders.

“This is a great way to find out why we say ‘life begins at Cedar Village,’ ” said Cedar Village CEO and president, Carol Elliott.

The seders include: The Community Seder, which appeals to liberal Jews and includes a band playing Passover music. Reform Rabbi Gerry Walter, Cedar Village’s director of pastoral care, will lead that seder; Traditional seders for Orthodox and Conservative Jews, led by an Orthodox rabbi; An intergenerational seder with students from Rockwern Academy; and in an effort at light-hearted humor, Cedar Village will hold its annual Chocolate Seder, which spoofs some seder traditions.

For example, instead of four cups of wine, the seder will feature four cups of chocolate milk. There will also be chocolate-covered matzah and a seder plate made out of chocolate.

Relatives of seniors staying at Oak View are welcome at the seders. In addition to the seders, religious services will be held every day during Passover.

Kosher for Passover lunches and dinners will be provided in the Garden Dining Room. So will the usual Cedar Village transportation

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for shopping, doctors’ appointments and other needs. Additionally, the Cedar Village deli, beauty shop, gift shop, convenience store, fitness center and library with Internet access are onsite.

Celebrating Passover at Cedar Village would be a great opportunity for Cincinnati area seniors who live alone most of the year but do not want the extra strain of

preparing for the holiday. Out-oftown seniors might want to stay at Cedar Village while visiting Greater Cincinnati relatives.

While at the retirement community for the holiday, seniors can discover whether Cedar Village is the right place to spend their retirement years.

CELEBRATE on page 19

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to the story of the Exodus. Readings from various female scholars are incorporated into the story, as well as both music and dance. The evening is open to the women of Wise and their guests age 10 and older. This has been a beautiful multi-generational experience for the women who have attended in past years, and is sure to be so again this year.

Chabad Jewish Center offers Passover Seder For over 3,300 years, Jewish families the world over have gathered around the festive table on the eve of Passover to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt and celebrate the seder feast.

This is no ordinary meal; the Passover Seder—which actually means order—incorporates 15 multi-sensory steps which reach deep into the human psyche in every way possible and all at once. Rich melodies, dynamic visuals, prayers and stories, even the visceral senses

of taste, smell and touch are part of the interminable tradition.

The seder is a time to retell the story of the Exodus and the history of our nation’s birth, but also much more. The observances at the seder table allow one to actually re-experience a modern-day Exodus; facilitating one’s own spiritual rebirth and enabling him or her to forge a new path toward a life of holiness and spiritual meaning. The seder is a whole-person experience, empowering each man, woman and child with

a renewed sense of inner freedom and spiritual resolve.

The Passover Haggadah, which records the seder’s narrative, says that in each generation man must see himself as if he had personally gone out of Egypt. Judaism teaches that Egypt and its nefarious Pharaoh symbolize the negative forces that constrict man. The slavery in Egypt represents the emotional and psychological shackles that confine and enslave the human spirit, constraining one’s ability to live up to his or

her fullest spiritual potential.

Each year on Passover, as nature experiences its own season of springtime renewal, we participate in the seder tradition and experience our own renewal and rebirth. At the table we commemorate the Exodus from Egypt and the birth of the Jewish nation over three millennia ago—and at the same time embark on a modern-day journey to spiritual freedom.

CHABAD on page 19

AJC presents National Human Relations Award to Father Michael J. Graham American Jewish Committee Cincinnati Regional Office will present its 2012 National Human Relations Award to Michael J. Graham, S.J., president of Xavier University, at a tribute dinner on Tuesday, April 3. “The award recognizes Fr. Graham’s outstanding professional achievements, generosity of spirit and vision of excellence,” said AJC Cincinnati president, John M. Stein.

The dinner at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Pavilion Ballroom salutes Fr. Graham, an outstanding priest and educator, leader and builder. At the same time, the event raises funds for the global advocacy and human rights work of AJC, which advances freedom, liberty, tolerance and mutual respect worldwide.

Father Michael J. Graham

Co-chairs of the event are Thomas G. Cody, retired vice chairman of Macy’s; Mary Ellen Cody, community volunteer; and James A. Miller, chairman of Bartlett & Co. Keynote speaker is Robert A. McDonald, chairman and CEO of Procter and Gamble.

As president of Xavier, Fr. Graham has earned a sterling reputation by focusing on academic excellence and on partnering with the community. Xavier now attracts students from the entire nation, while reaching out to its neighborhood and to diverse friends across the city.

After civil disturbances in 2001, Fr. Graham was invited to co-chair the task force on Police and Community Relations of CincinnatiCAN. This collaboration

left a legacy of improved policecommunity relations.

Fr. Graham continues to make Cincinnati strong by serving on the boards of St. Xavier High School, Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, and the Cincinnati Community Police Partnering Center. He also is a board member of Loyola University of Chicago and Gonzaga University, and heads the Atlantic 10 Council of Presidents.

Over the course of its 106-year history, AJC has worked to safeguard minorities, fight terrorism, anti-Semitism, hatred, and bigotry, support Israel’s right to exist in peace and security, defend religious freedom and provide humanitarian relief to those in need.

Cincinnatians travel to Israel for Partnership2Gether Netanyans of every generation. The goal of the partnership is to enhance relationships between individuals through specific interests, professions, age groups, organizations, congregations, etc.

The remaining three days of the trip will be spent with Netanya peers, sightseeing in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, touring a student village in Dimona and an Arika Bedouin village, visiting an agricultural experimental farm and staying at a Kibbutz in the northern Negev desert.

Current programs that connect Cincinnatians to Israel through our partnership with Netanya include: The Chaverim m’Israel program, which brings two Israeli young adults from Netanya to live

in Cincinnati for a year and teach local youth and families about contemporary Israel.

Another program that brings Tzofim (Israeli Boy and Girl Scouts from Netanya) to spend time with local American scouts at Camp Friedlander in Loveland, Ohio.

JQuest, a summer high school trip for Cincinnati teens and their Israeli peers from Netanya that includes enjoying home hospitality, touring Israel and, this year, experiencing Jewish life—past and present—in Berlin and Prague.

March of the Living, which takes Cincinnati teens to Poland and Israel to celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut and commemorate Yom HaZikaron in Netanya.

Reach for the Stars, a Holocaust education program for b’nai mitzvah students that includes a shared curriculum and a video conference between Cincinnati students and Netanya students from Sharet High School.

The P2G delegation comprises nine Cincinnati Jewish community members: co-chairs Alan Brown and Scott Joseph, P2G committee members Malcolm Bernstein, Sonia Milrod and Susan Willis, along with Linda Kean, director of Family Life Education at Jewish Family Service; Professor Gila Safran Naveh, head of the Judaic Studies department at the University of Cincinnati; and Etti Scheier, a Rockwern Academy teacher.

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

VOL. 158 • NO. 35 THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012 28 ADAR 5772 SHABBAT BEGINS FRIDAY 7:35 PM SHABBAT ENDS SATURDAY 8:36 PM THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE CO., PUBLISHERS 18 WEST NINTH STREET, SUITE 2 CINCINNATI, OHIO 45202-2037 Phone: (513) 621-3145 Fax: (513) 621-3744 publisher@americanisraelite.com editor@americanisraelite.com production@americanisraelite.com RABBI ISSAC M. WISE Founder, Editor, Publisher, 1854-1900 LEO WISE Editor & Publisher, 1900-1928 RABBI JONAH B. WISE Editor & Publisher, 1928-1930 HENRY C. SEGAL Editor & Publisher, 1930-1985 PHYLLIS R. SINGER Editor & General Manager, 1985-1999 MILLARD H. MACK Publisher Emeritus NETANEL (TED) DEUTSCH Editor & Publisher BARBARA L. MORGENSTERN Senior Writer YEHOSHUA MIZRACHI NICOLE SIMON Assistant Editors ALEXIA KADISH Copy Editor JANET STEINBERG Travel Editor SONDRA KATKIN Dining Editor MARIANNA BETTMAN NATE BLOOM IRIS PASTOR RABBI A. JAMES RUDIN ZELL SCHULMAN RABBI AVI SHAFRAN PHYLLIS R. SINGER Contributing Columnists LEV LOKSHIN JANE KARLSBERG Staff Photographers JOSEPH D. STANGE Production Manager MICHAEL MAZER Sales ERIN WYENANDT Office Manager e Oldest Eng Th

ewish N h-J ew lis

On March 25, a delegation of Cincinnatians will travel to Israel through Partnership2Gether (P2G), a program of the Jewish Agency for Israel that pairs cities in the Diaspora with cities in Israel. Cincinnati’s partnership city of 12 years is Netanya, a resort town located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the center of Israel.

Delegates will spend three days in Netanya, touring the city and then meeting with their Israeli counterparts to develop the partnership’s budget and to decide on which of many possible projects will be implemented in the next year. Projects that take priority are those that form connections between Cincinnatians and

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way to celebrate Shabbat.

The second event is the annual Wise Temple Sisterhood Women’s Passover Seder and Dinner on Monday, April 9, at 6 p.m., at Wise Center. The Haggadah used at the seder was written by members of the Sisterhood specifically for this annual program. The Haggadah brings the perspective of contemporary women

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Wise Temple member, Dr. Jim Greenberg. This year, Greenberg’s presentation and the wines to be explored will focus on Israeli “boutique” wines. In recent years, Israel has enjoyed a growing reputation for producing quality wines, and Greenberg will compare some of these wines. This is one of the most popular events of the year and a fun

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Wise Temple members have two great events to look forward to in the coming weeks.

First is the Fifth Annual Shabbat Dinner and Wine Tasting at Wise Center on Friday, March 30.

Immediately following Shabbat services, congregants will enjoy a delicious dinner, which will include wine tasting and a presentation by

r in Am ape er sp i

Wise Temple events—Israeli wines, seder

THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE (USPS 019-320) is published weekly for $44 per year and $2.00 per single copy in Cincinnati and $49 per year and $3.00 per single copy elsewhere in U.S. by The American Israelite Co. 18 West Ninth Street, Suite 2, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-2037. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, OH. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE, 18 West Ninth Street, Suite 2, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-2037.

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

LOCAL • 5

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Free ‘Fit-Fun Day at the J’ for kids this Sunday, March 25 Where can kids play, compete in their own “TRY-athlon,” see a Sesame Street movie, fire truck, and romp on a few inflatables at no cost to parents? Only “Fit-Fun Day at the J” on Sunday, March 25, at the Mayerson JCC. Fit-Fun Day at the J is open to everyone!

There will be lots of fun and free activities for all age groups throughout the J from 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. But hurry! “Fit-Fun Day at the J” is Sunday, March 25, and kids ages 6 – 12 should register in advance to participate in the kids’ “TRY-athlon” in the gym, where they will run, participate in a scooter slalom, and a biceps curl station.

There will also be several free inflatables (some for little kids, others for ages 6 – 12), an Amberley Village fire truck in the JCC Early Childhood School parking lot, stilt walker and juggler, and a kids’ party with DJ Toad! For ages 6 and younger, PJ

Library presents the free Shalom Sesame movie, “It’s Passover, Grover,” at 11 a.m.

Before Fit-Fun Day at the J begins, adults can test their endurance in the Indoor Triathlon (ages 16 and older), which begins at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 25.

In this challenge you will swim 200 yards, bike 10 miles, and run three miles. Triathletes will race against the clock and set their own pace. All fitness levels are welcome, so invite your friends! Stay around after the Indoor Triathlon and watch exercise demonstrations, join in a free Tabata class, cheer on the men’s 3-on-3 basketball tournament (ages 18 – 35 and 36 and older), purchase a picnic lunch, enjoy free mini Spa services and lots of giveaways!

Registration in advance is requested for the adult Indoor Triathlon, 3-on-3 men’s basketball tournament and kids’ “TRYathlon” (ages 6 – 12).

Ceremony Sunday at Adath Israel On Sunday, Feb. 26, Adath Israel Congregation recognized students in kindergarten, third and fourth grade. The youngest were Consecrated, signifying they have begun their formal religious school education. The third graders took part in Siddur Dedication and were recognized for their ability to actively participate in Shabbat services. The fourth graders participated in Torah Induction, showing their readiness to learn, as well as their emerging skills of Torah study.

Parents gathered in the main sanctuary and the ceremony began with Mitch Cohen, Music Teacher, leading everyone in Modeh Ani. Then the kindergarteners, led by their teacher Debbie Lempert and teaching assistant Angela Reiser, sang an original song called “I am Jewish.” Each child received a miniature Torah to explore and their Certificate of Consecration.

Third grade, led by their teacher Zahava Rendler and teaching assistant Allison Nemoff, shared several prayers they had

learned from the Siddur. They received Siddur ShemaYisrael, the same book used for tefillah twice weekly at school so they have their own prayerbook to practice from and discover at home.

The fourth grade class, led by Idit Moss and teaching assistant Eli Seidman-Deutsch, performed an original play based on Parsha Tetzaveh. They were each presented with the book, “Torah, the Growing Gift.” This book is meant for the students to use with their parents to learn actively together about the Parshot. While learning about Judaism can be complicated for children, they showed that they can study prayer and Torah and it can be fun to learn and fun to act out as the fourth graders did at the ceremony.

Dara Wood, director of education, spoke about the role that parents and teachers have in the lives of these children to serve as role models and what a wonderful statement it makes to our children when parents come in the door with them for religious school to take classes, instead of just drop-

ping them off. Rabbi Irvin Wise, Jill Segerman-Timmerman, Religious School Board chairperson, and Debbie Lempert, vice president of education, were on hand to help present the certificates and gifts to the students. “To say it is a source of great nachus to see all of these little children participate so significantly and joyfully in these ceremonies would be an understatement. To look upon the faces of their parents and grandparents is also wonderful. With everything going on in our world, these ceremonies are a source of great hope and light,” said Rabbi Wise. The program concluded with the third through fifth graders, led by Mitch Cohen, sharing a taste of their Carlebach Kids program that will be held on April 20 at 5:30 p.m. The third through fifth graders will help lead the Kabbalat Shabbat service that evening, which is a lively prayer service full of song and dance.

The students will also play several pieces they have learned on their recorders.

Dementia expert speaks at Cedar Village To educate audiences, Teepa Snow portrays people with dementia and their caregivers As the number of people with dementia grows, an expert on dementia care will give a free presentation in Warren County to help the public deal with the condition.

Teepa Snow

Teepa Snow, who teaches dementia care across the nation, will act out the roles of a person with dementia and their caregiver when she gives her presentation on Wednesday, March 28 at Cedar Village Retirement Community in Mason. It’s an effective way to help people recognize the symptoms and learn how to care for someone with dementia.

People who are unsure whether

a parent has dementia leave Snow’s presentations saying, “That’s exactly what mom is doing.” The presentation will help families get a clearer picture of whether a loved one is simply forgetful or has a serious problem such as dementia.

Her presentation is called, “Something’s Changing with My Loved One: What’s Happening and What Can I Do About It?” The hour-long community education program beginst at 7:15 p.m. A dessert reception will precede the program at 6:45 p.m.

One in five families is dealing with a relative who has dementia.

According to population projections, one in two families will soon be affected as people live longer and dementia afflicts the Baby Boomer generation.

“It’s the front end of the Tsunami,” Snow says. “We are about to be hit by this huge wave.

“We’re going to be overwhelmed by it if we don’t have some strategies.”

The good news is that one form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, is easier to diagnose than it used to be. Previously, doctors needed to rule out other conditions to conclude that someone had Alzheimer’s disease, explains Snow. Now, it has its own criteria.

Snow emphasizes that earlier detection of dementia is crucial.

More accurate diagnoses are needed because so many other health problems seem like dementia.

Better education about dementia is needed for families and caregivers.

Dementia is a condition affecting intellectual abilities severely enough that it can interfere with routine functioning. Common symptoms include impaired memory and language.

People rarely have dementia before age 60. But after age 85, up to half of all adults have it.

Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia.

Snow, who is based in North Carolina, has taken care of two family members with dementing illnesses.

Her programs are designed for various audiences, including the general public, family caregivers,

social services providers, health care professionals, clergy and emergency responders. She has clinical appointments with Duke University’s School of Nursing and UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine.

DEMENTIA on page 20

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The evolution of the bat mitzvah

By Michele Alperin JointMedia News Service NEW YORK, NY (JNS) — In the 90 years since Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan’s oldest daughter, Judith, became the first American girl to mark her Jewish coming-of-age in a synagogue, the bat mitzvah celebration has become an accepted practice in many synagogues.

Honoring this history, the National Museum of American Jewish History and the Moving Traditions non-profit have collaborated on a new traveling exhibition, “Bat Mitzvah Comes of Age,” which is on display through April 27 at The Laurie M. Tisch Gallery at The JCC in Manhattan.

“In less than a century bat mitzvah has gone from being so radical to so mainstream — so much so that my own daughter, when told that her grandmother could not have a bat mitzvah and that I could have one only on Friday night, said, ‘That is so weird!’” said Deborah Meyer, executive director of Moving Traditions.

The exhibition grew out of a project initiated by Moving Traditions board chair Sally Gottesman to collect personal stories called “Bat Mitzvah Firsts” through an Internet survey. This meshed well with the organization’s goals.

“At Moving Traditions, we look at how Judaism needs to continue to change in each generation to reflect how women and men live their lives today and how we want to live our lives going into the future,” Meyer said.

The new tradition of bat mitzvah was propelled by a generation of enterprising young women, supported by their parents, rabbis and synagogue ritual committees. “In some ways, it is a forward trajectory when you stand back,” said Meyer. “But when you look up close it is not exactly linear. It is in fits and starts as Jewish life changes over time.” For example, the young women who had the first Saturday morning bat mitzvahs were often not permitted to

Courtesy of Archives, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

Judith Kaplan Eisenstein at the 70th anniversary of her bat mitzvah, 1992.

Courtesy of Judith Ginsberg

Judith Ginsberg and Adele Wall Ginsberg, open Judith’s bat mitzvah gifts in Larchmont, N.Y., on Sept. 19, 1959.

return the next week to the same bimah for an aliyah.

Many of the early bat mitzvahs were held on Friday nights, when there is no Torah reading, whereas today in most Conservative and Reform congregations, bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies are virtually identical. In traditional congregations, a girl often delivers a talk, or she may chant Torah in the presence of women only; others in Orthodox circles either just hold a party for the bat mitzvah girl that is not connected to Shabbat, or do not celebrate the bat mitzvah at all.

To create an exhibit, Meyer and Gottesman sought advice from staff at the Philadelphia-based National Museum of American Jewish History, and the museum agreed to partner with them. As the idea grew and developed, they decided to expand the survey data by recording 11 oral histories, under the guidance of documentarian and Moving Traditions board member Lori Perlow, who co-curated the exhibit with Josh Perelman, a historian at the museum, and Rabbi Carole Balin, professor of Jewish history at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

“Bat Mitzvah Comes of Age” is not only about a coming-of-age ceremony for girls, but more broadly treats the process by which individuals help shape and change ritual.

“It’s an amazing story of how Jewish

life changes and how gender is often at the center of change in Jewish life,” said Meyer.

As the exhibit came together, the curators learned that the development of bat mitzvah was parallel to progress in the women’s movement.

Judith Kaplan’s bat mitzvah came two years after women got the right to vote, and the real flourishing of the bat mitzvah across denominations came in the 60s, 70s and 80s, along with the development of feminism.

Another unexpectedly surprising tidbit arose in the personal stories contributed through the survey.

“There is some kind of correlation between women pushing for a bat mitzvah and becoming important figures in American life,” says Ivy Weingram, who managed the exhibit for the museum, citing Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and many rabbis as examples.

For Meyer, one of the most moving personal stories was that of Marjorie Lehman, now associate professor of Talmud and rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary, who observed her bat mitzvah in 1976 in Hewlett, N.Y. Meyer said, “She writes about her longing to kiss the Torah and touch and hold it the way boys could. She was so invested in Jewish life, but was not allowed to have a bat mitzvah.”

BAT MITZVAH on page 20

National Briefs Biden’s national security adviser to address J Street WASHINGTON (JTA) — Tony Blinken, Vice President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, will address this year’s J Street conference.

Blinken will address a session on the U.S. role in resolving the Arab-Israel conflict and join a panel afterward discussing his remarks.

Obama administration officials at previous conferences of the dovish pro-Israel group have included James Jones, the national security adviser at the time of the 2009 conference, and Dennis Ross, the architect of President Obama’s Iran policies, at the 2011 conference.

Keynoters at the conference include Amos Oz, the Israeli novelist and peace activist; Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli prime minister; Anat Hoffman, a secular and women’s rights leader in Israel; and Peter Beinart, whose book “The Crisis of Zionism” will be unveiled during the March 24-27 conference.

Right-wing groups and activists since J Street’s inception have lobbied mainstream political figures not to associate with the group.

Obama appeals directly to Iranian people in holiday message WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Obama, in his message for the Persian New Year, appealed directly to the Iranian people’s aspirations for freedom.

“I want the Iranian people to know that America seeks a dialogue to hear your views and understand your aspirations,” Obama said in his message for Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which was marked Tuesday.

It was a departure from a message in 2009 that reached out to the Iranian leadership.

In this year’s message, Obama described an “electronic curtain” imposed by the Iranian regime on its people. “That’s why we set up a Virtual Embassy, so you can see for yourselves what the United States is saying and doing. We’re using Farsi on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus,” Obama said.

“And even as we’ve imposed sanctions on the Iranian government, today my administration is issuing new guidelines to make it easier for American businesses to provide software and services into Iran that will make it easier for the Iranian people to use the

Internet.”

Conservatives had slammed Obama’s 2009 Nowruz message, issued soon after he assumed the presidency, as naive in reaching out to Iran’s leaders to negotiate nuclear transparency, although he was already making it clear at the time that he was ready to impose tough sanctions and other measures to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

In that message, Obama spoke to “you, the people and leaders of Iran” and said he wanted “the Islamic Republic of Iran” to assume its rightful place among nations.

In Tuesday’s message, he did not address the Iranian government directly, and there was no mention of its preferred nomenclature, “the Islamic Republic.”

Israeli President Shimon Peres, in his own Nowruz message, called on Iranians to remove the regime.

“I call on the Iranian people,” he said. “It is still not too late to change the corrupt regime and return to your glorious Persian heritage.”

House passes Israeli visa bill WASHINGTON (JTA) — The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that would add Israel to the list of countries eligible for non-immigrant investor visas in the United States.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and approved 371-0 Monday, would grant Israelis the ability to acquire the E-2 visa if similarly situated U.S. nationals are eligible for non-immigrant visas in Israel.

The E-2 visa permits Israeli investors to live and work in the U.S. in order to be closer to their investments.

“With passage of this bill, Israeli investors are one step closer to expanding their businesses to the United States and creating jobs for hard-working American workers,” Berman, the senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in remarks on the floor.

He thanked his co-sponsor, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the chairman of the House Judiciary committee, for expediting the bill’s consideration.

Smith said its outcome would be to “create jobs and strengthen the already strong friendship between Israel and the United States.”

A similar bill is under consideration in the U.S. Senate.

Seventy-nine countries, from Britain to Montenegro to Iran, are party to long-standing treaties with the United States that allow their citizens to apply for E-2 status.

NATIONAL • 7

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Segel’s starry-eyed man- Parents find new benefit to Jewish child is amusing, moving camp: Freedom from themselves

By Naomi Pfefferman Jewish Journal

By Jason Miller Jewish Telegraphic Agency

LOS ANGELES (Jewish Journal) — Jason Segel folded his 6-foot-4-inch frame compactly onto a couch at the Four Seasons Hotel and placed his hand upon his chin. Quirky and thoughtful in conversation, the star and co-writer of such comic hits as “The Muppets” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” spoke eloquently on topics ranging from the works of Joseph Campbell to his own gothic mansion in the West Hollywood hills, where he lives surrounded by puppets and other artifacts that reveal his penchant for the macabre (think Edward Gorey and Tim Burton).

On this sunny morning he’s wearing pinstriped suit pants and a checked button-down shirt, and his curly hair is slicked practically straight up, giving him the appearance of a fetching Burton character himself. His size comes up often: “I’m terrified of having kids; I’m afraid I’ll crush them like Lennie from ‘Of Mice and Men,’ ” he said.

And of the 19th century Gothic author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley: “Frankenstein is the most tragic of all the monsters,” he opined, shaking his head sadly.

“He just wants Dr. Frankenstein to love him, and actually speaks very articulately in a beautiful monologue — very much like, ‘I didn’t ask for any of this.’ ” Segel has used his own gentlegiant melancholy to comic advantage from his early career in the television shows of Judd Apatow to the more recent bromance “I Love You, Man.” It is perhaps even more effective in his latest turn as the overgrown man-child at the heart of “Jeff, Who Lives at Home,” the comic drama by the independent film darlings Mark and Jay Duplass (“The Puffy Chair,” “Cyrus”).

The eponymous Jeff does live at home, specifically in his mother’s basement, where he looks for signs on TV and in random telephone calls that will lead him off the couch to find his destiny. When his exasperated mother (played with feisty aplomb by Susan Sarandon) finally gets him out of the house to pursue a mundane household errand, Jeff resolutely follows what he perceives as “signs” (others would say, coincidences) that lead him on a series of misadventures around town.

Along the way he gets mugged, hooks up with his tool of a brother (Ed Helms), embarks upon a mission to see whether his sister-inlaw is having an affair, and crosses paths with family members in the strangest of circumstances and locales. In the end he proves to all that sometimes being true to your convictions, odd as they seem, can

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (JTA) — When she took the stage recently before an audience of 400 Jewish camping enthusiasts, Lenore Skenazy wasted no time in addressing why she is known as “America’s Worst Mom.” The author of a 2008 column in The New York Times describing how she let her 9-year-old son ride the subway home alone just to see if he could do it, Skenazy has been the subject of sharp criticism for her parenting philosophy. But Skenazy is fighting back, waging war against what she describes as overzealous and anxiety-ridden helicopter parents who hover over their children rather than letting them be “free-range kids,” affording them the freedom to make mistakes.

She even wrote a book on the subject: “Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry.”

“Sending your kids to camp is a fantastic way to give kids back their freedom,” Skenazy said at the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s recent Leaders Assembly in this central New Jersey city.

“Homesickness is a good thing. It shows they appreciate their home.

So, thank God for camp.”

Summer camp has emerged as one of the most promising tools in

Courtesy of Eva Rinaldi via CC

Jason Segel

pay off on a universal scale.

Segel, a Hollywood A-lister at 32, may seem far removed from Jeff and his basement, but the actor sees similarities.

“He reminds me of me during my out-of-work period,” the actor said. “There was a time, from 21 to 25, when I was very much like Jeff: I was smoking a ton of pot, and I’d been on [TV’s] ‘Freaks and Geeks,’ but now I was just sitting there, without a college education, so I thought I was going to have to live with my parents for the rest of my life. And I was just waiting for the ‘sign,’ which for me would have been to be cast in a movie. I was going on auditions, but nobody cared, because I was this gangly kid who looked like Shaggy from ‘Scooby Doo.’ ” A terrific depression ensued: “There’s a context now because I made ‘The Muppets,’ but back then I was just the dude alone in a onebedroom apartment playing with my puppets,” he said. I’d talk to them and stuff — what about you don’t want to know — deep, deep, sad conversations.” Worse, Segel said, he was in the process of writing a musical about Dracula — “without a sense of irony.”

If the fictional Jeff’s victory is the moment when everyone realizes that his ideas, in fact, are not daft, Segel had such a moment when he turned his Dracula musical into the finale of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” which was inspired by a true-life girlfriend who broke up with him while he was naked. The film made Segel a movie star.

“But before it came out, I was terrified,” he said. “I knew it had the weirdest ending to a movie of all time.”

Nick Stoller, Segel’s writing partner for years, says in a phone interview that “When you look in Jason’s eyes, he looks hurt, but he’s actually not a morose person. But he does have that quality where it’s hilarious to watch him suffer.”

the struggle to ensure Jewish continuity in an era when Jews face more choice and fewer barriers to assimilation. A recent study by the sociologist Steven M. Cohen commissioned by the FJC shows that campers grow up to be connected to Jewish life and identify proudly within the Jewish community as adults.

“The analysis indicates that they bring, first of all, an increased inclination to practice Jewish behaviors in their lives, from Shabbat candle lighting to using Jewish websites, and to appreciate the value of Jewish charity,” Cohen concludes in the study. “Secondly, they bring an increased inclination to value and seek out the experience of Jewish community, whether in the immediate sense of joining other Jews in prayer or in the more abstract sense of identifying with fellow Jews in Israel.”

Since its launch 13 years ago, the foundation has raised approximately $90 million to strengthen Jewish camps and, more recently, to encourage the growth of socalled Jewish specialty camps — those that focus on sports, art or outdoor adventures — in an attempt to siphon off some of the Jewish campers who might be drawn to non-Jewish camps focusing on specialty areas.

But the focus on identity building has obscured what some say is

another, less-touted benefit of the camp experience that should also be a draw for Jewish parents: affording their kids a measure of freedom from intensive parenting.

“Kids go to camp and gain independence,” said Nancy Lublin, the founder of the nonprofits Dress for Success and DoSomething, and another speaker at the conference. “That’s why we need camp. It’s about the fun, tradition and independence. Go get dirty, get lice, sprain something. Parents will see that they don’t come home with their nose pierced, purple hair or worshiping the devil. It’s OK.” Helicopter parenting, a term used to refer to parents that hover over their children and pay exceedingly close attention to their every activity — sometimes to a degree that borders on smothering — is hardly a Jewish phenomenon. It has been the subject of numerous books and articles, and of late has sparked its own backlash. But Jewish parents, and particularly the much-maligned stereotypical Jewish mother, may be more susceptible to such impulses than most.

“We Jewish parents are definitely overprotective of our kids, and it’s tough to send them to overnight camp,” Lublin said.

“But we all know it’s the right thing to do. It’s just what Jews do.”

8 • NATIONAL

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

Mixed emotions, clarity of mission After Bibi’s U.S. visit, question remains: What’s characterize 2012 IDF gala

Israel’s next step on Iran?

By Maxine Dovere JointMedia News Service NEW YORK, NY (JNS) — The face of an IDF soldier from Long Island, N.Y. beamed as he greeted his parents, who smiled back at the annual Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) national gala March 13.

Those parents, whose son is considered a “Lone Soldier,” serving in the army of Israel without parents or family residing in Israel during his military service, cried tears of happiness — or perhaps relief — as they watched him, camouflaged and smiling, crowded among a group of his comrades.

On the same night, Mir Hadassi was tasked with a different mission.

As she memorialized her late son Yonatan — a member of Maglan, the IDF Special Forces — images of him as a child, then as a young man, and finally, as a young soldier were projected on screens. Hers were tears of inconsolable grief. Mir recalled the joys of Yonatan’s days and the love in their last conversation the night before he was killed, during the start of the Second Lebanon War.

Courtesy of IDF

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

These were some of the deeply mixed emotions that characterized this year’s FIDF gala at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Pride in the young soldiers of Israel’s army, concern about the active dangers against the civilian population, and determination to aid the programs that assist IDF members during and after their service ran strong.

A crowd of 1,300 people attended, and more than $26 million was raised to benefit the soldiers who keep the Jewish state strong and secure. The gala drew business leaders and philanthropists, current and former American and Israeli military officials, and representatives of diverse Jewish communities from around the world.

The crisis in Israel’s south kept IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, scheduled to be the event’s keynote speaker, at home. He joined the gala via satellite. Standing near an

By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Courtesy of Maxine Dovere.

The honor guards of the U.S. Marines and the Israel Defense Forces present colors at the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces 2012 Gala in New York City, March 12.

anti-missile battery near Ashdod — close to Israel’s border with Gaza — Gantz spoke across thousands of miles, charming and educating his audience about events and about Israel’s military response.

“So far,” assured the general, “it’s staying quiet. Everything is safe and quiet, but it is frightening to see missiles.” Upon announcing that Israel had “succeeded to hunt down 23 terrorist in three days,” Gantz received a strong round of applause.

“The balance between defensive capabilities and offensive capabilities is very important to us,” said the general. “The Iron Dome and active defense systems that we have now are a serious and historical milestone. I think we did right and we will do it in the future as well.”

Thanking the FIDF supporters, he added, “This is very important for us to know that we are not alone.”

Gantz noted the presence of several IDF members in the audience.

The introduction of “Captain Shira,” a veteran IAF pilot, generated enthusiastic applause. On the other side of the ballroom was Captain Seva, who — though he suffered injuries so severe that he is wheelchair bound — continues his active IDF service.

Greetings from Netanyahu and Shalit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in live remarks via satellite, assured, “The Jewish State has the capacity to resist attacks.

The Israeli army is the guarantor of our future.”

A free and healthy looking Gilad Shalit — who also spoke to the FIDF crowd via satellite — brought universal joy throughout the room. For five years, efforts to secure the release of Gilad Shalit from Hamas captivity went unanswered. This year, Shalit, home in Israel, had the opportunity to express his gratitude for the support he had received during his captivity.

Record-setting fundraising As is the tradition of the FIDF

gala, announcements of contributions to programs benefiting the soldiers of the IDF concluded the event.

Whether the donation was for $180 from a wounded soldier or $1,000 from a teenager offering his bar mitzvah gifts, Dinner Chairman Benny Shabtai acknowledged each one with gratitude and appreciation.

The $1.1 million pledged by the FIDF Young Leadership Division and the record-setting $9.25 million pledged by International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) President and Founder Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, helped the 2012 event raise an unprecedented $26 million.

FIDF’s work for soldiers Many of the soldiers FIDF assists are alone in Israel — some distanced from families that are outside of the country, others alone because of family estrangement. At the gala, FIDF traditionally seats active IDF soldiers throughout the room — giving donors a unique opportunity to meet the young people directly benefiting from their support — and 2012 was no exception.

Lieutenant Jacob Smith, a platoon commander in the Givati Brigade, exemplifies the value of FIDF work.

A sabra with a South African background, he traveled independently around Europe as a young teen and then returned to Israel to join the IDF, where he said his service “has been very challenging,” involving significant interaction with Arab civilians. A “lone soldier,” Smith is helped by an adoptive family and the FIDF “Dignity Program.”

Captain Liron Golan is commander of Medical Corps training for the IDF. This Netanya native completed her BA in Emergency Medicine at Ben Gurion University while serving in the IDF, and then entered the officer’s course. Her work has included responsibility for all IDF paramedics, from training through placement. Golan was part of the IDF delegations in Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquake.

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is waiting and watching when it comes to Iran — although for how long, no one knows.

Analysts and Jewish organizational officials who speak with Israeli and U.S. governments say Netanyahu came away from his meeting last week with President Obama feeling that he has a strategic partner in seeking to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

But, they say, he has yet to decide whether Obama’s tactics will do the job or if Israel must strike.

Critical Israeli conclusions from Netanyahu’s meeting with Obama have yet to be revealed in part because Israeli officials may still be considering their course of action, suggested Jason Isaacson, international relations director for the American Jewish Committee.

“We don’t yet know the crucial decisions,” or if there are any, he said.

“It was a worthwhile visit,” Isaacson said. “There is greater understanding than existed before, and there had been pretty considerable understanding before.”

David Makovsky, a senior analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, outlined a number of theories that have cropped up in the wake of the meeting: That Netanyahu will wait until after European oil sanctions kick in this summer to decide on a course of action, or that he would launch a strike before the American elections in order not to be locked in by the powers of a newly elected president to set an international agenda. Or that he would not act at all.

“There were a lot of convergences between the president and the prime minister, but timing wasn’t one of them,” Makovsky said. “Obama said we have plenty of time in his speech” to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, “and that is not the Israeli perception.”

It was hard to pin down how much time Israel believes it has, in part because its calculations are based on Western intelligence, which may not be entirely reliable. A key factor, Makovsky said, was when and whether Iran developed the capability to enrich uranium to weapons grade levels, 93 percent.

“Israel has two questions: Will conversion to highly enriched uranium be detected in real time, and will the United States be able to

act in real time?” he said.

A consensus is that the main takeaway of the meeting last week between the two leaders is that they had moved toward one another: Obama in making explicit the possibility of a U.S. military strike on Iran, in underscoring Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself, and in rejecting a strategy of containing Iran; and Netanyahu in ratcheting down threats of military action.

“For now the chances of an Israeli attack against Iran have receded,” said Alireza Nader, an expert on Iran-Israel relations at the Rand Corp., an independent think tank that often consults with the U.S. government. “I wouldn’t say the military option is off the table. We’ll have to see what Netanyahu says in the next few days or weeks.”

What precisely is the time frame for a make-or-break decision by Netanyahu on whether to strike is a matter of conjecture.

Some suggest that Netanyahu cannot act before the consequences are clear of tough oil sanctions that the European Union is set to impose on Iran, if only because Netanyahu has pressed so hard for the sanctions. The sanctions are set to kick in on June 1, and it will take weeks to see if they have had an effect on Iran’s considerations of whether to advance its suspected nuclear program.

“More than ever the idea that the sanctions could lead to a change in behavior of the Iranians is guiding us,” a senior European diplomat said, speaking of the mood on the continent.

Abraham Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said it was his impression that Netanyahu would not decide to act at least until the American elections in November. The backlash of a strike before then would not serve Israel well, he said, noting the uncertainty it would inject into the American political sphere and economy, particularly regarding oil prices.

“Israel will not act for the time being, from my perspective, until the elections because of the unforeseen consequences, the impact on the economy,” he said.

Meir Javedanfar, an Iranianborn Israeli analyst, says the chances of a unilateral Israeli attack against American wishes are “tiny.”

“If Americans are dragged into war and oil shoots up, it would damage our position,” he said.

“Our relationship with the United States is a very valuable strategic asset.”

INTERNATIONAL / ISRAEL • 9

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Four killed in Jewish school shooting in France

By JNS Staff JointMedia News Service Four people were killed at a Jewish school shooting on Monday in Toulouse, France, sending shockwaves throughout the global Jewish community.

An anonymous, black-clad gunman on a motorcycle stopped near Ozar Hatorah Jewish day school as students were entering around 8 a.m., and opened fire on them with an automatic rifle. He did not stop shooting until his weapon jammed, and then he replaced it with a revolver.

Toulouse prosecutor Michel Valet said the man “shot at everything that moved,” chasing down some of the children and even grabbing a little girl by the hair and executing her. Soon afterward the shooter got back onto his motorcycle, believed to be a Yamaha, and fled the scene. A school employee who gave his name as Elhanan told Israel Radio that, “The attacker knew exactly who he was shooting at.”

The victims were Yonatan Sandler, 30, from the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood of Jerusalem, along with his two sons Aryeh, 3, and Gavriel Yissacher, 6, and Miriam Monsonego, the 8-year-old daughter of the school’s principal.

Israeli Foreign Ministry

A primary piece of evidence that could indicate a link between the incidents is that a .45-caliber handgun was used in all three attacks. In addition, the same model of motorcycle used in Monday’s shooting, a Yamaha TMAX, was used in the other incidents.

Courtesy of EPA/MAXPPP/Xavier de Fenoyl

Distressed teenagers walk away from the Ozar Hatorah Jewish school in Toulouse, France, March 19, 2012, where a man opened fire and killed a 30-year-old teacher and three children aged 6, 3 and 8.

Spokesman Yigal Palmor said the victims are being buried in Israel.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday that the attack was an “abominable drama” and a “frightening tragedy.”

According to police, three former French paratroopers are suspected of the crime and a search is underway to find them. The three were reportedly discharged from the military after the discovery of a photo showing them posing with a Nazi flag and with their arms

raised in a Nazi salute.

The suspects were also said to have a possible connection with two previous attacks. On March 11, a French paratrooper was murdered in Toulouse by a man who allegedly offered to buy a motorcycle the soldier was looking to sell. Four days later, two other paratroopers were murdered and a third was seriously wounded as they were withdrawing money from an automated teller machine in the city of Montauban.

World Jewish leaders react Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, called on French authorities “to take all steps to ensure that the perpetrator of this act is found and brought to justice,” adding that the shooting “is indicative of a society where intolerance is allowed to fester.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a “strong murderous anti-Semitic motive” for the attack cannot be ruled out, adding that Israel “will do everything” to help Sarkozy and his government find the killer.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) dispatched extra patrols to more than 50 locations around New York City following the news of the school shooting in France, the Associated Press reported. Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, SHOOTING on page 22

Attack leaves French Jewish community shaken

By Dana Kennedy Jewish Telegraphic Agency PARIS (JTA) — When Arié Bensemhoun, a Jewish community leader in Toulouse, woke up Tuesday morning, he thought for a moment that the horrific shooting of three children and a rabbi at a local Jewish school might have been just a bad dream.

Like others in the close-knit Jewish community in the southern French city, Bensemhoun said he couldn’t bear knowing that the worst anti-Semitic attack on French soil in decades had taken place just 24 hours before in his own backyard.

“Then the reality hit and I knew it was true and it had really happened,” Bensemhoun told JTA. “We are living a nightmare.

It’s hard to describe the shock felt by our whole community. It’s worse than you can imagine. How can this be happening in the 21st century?”

Southwestern France went to a scarlet terror alert, the highest possible, shortly after the shooting, which occurred just after 8 a.m. Monday at the Ozar Hatorah school in Toulouse.

A manhunt involving dozens of French police and anti-terrorism investigators was underway Tuesday for a gunman with a

Courtesy of Flash90/JTA

Protesters raising a banner reading “In France, we kill Blacks, Jews, and Arabs” during a silent demonstration in Paris, March 20, 2012.

video camera around his neck who pulled up on a black motorbike and fatally shot three Jewish children and a teacher.

The bodies of at least three of the victims were flown to Israel for burial Tuesday while school children all over France stood and paused for a moment of silence Tuesday morning to remember them.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who suspended his presidential campaign until Wednesday and flew to Toulouse after the attack, called the tragedy “obviously anti-Semitic,” and the interior minister called for height-

ened security at all Jewish schools and institutions in France. France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish community, has an estimated 600,000 Jews.

On Monday night, thousands of Jews and non-Jews, including politicians, gathered in Paris for a silent demonstration organized by the French Union of Jewish Students. One banner among the many French flags held aloft by the marchers read, “In France, Blacks, Jews and Arabs are killed.”

“It could have been anyone’s child,” said Jacques Benichou, the executive director of the Fonds Social Juif Unifié, the main

French Jewish welfare organization, in a phone interview as he was boarding a plane for Paris Monday night after spending a large part of Monday with Jewish leaders in Toulouse. “Even if the killer was targeting other minorities, there’s no escaping that he targeted Jewish children as well.

We all feel deeply sad and very alarmed.”

Nicole Yardeni, one of the leaders of the Toulouse area branch of the CRIF, France’s main Jewish umbrella organization, said she was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support after the shooting.

“What I’m focusing on is how we feel about the outpouring of support from our neighbors, the country and beyond the country that came so quickly,” she said on Tuesday. “Even the Jewish community of Istanbul has called us.

And not just Jews. Many people all over the world have reached out. It has been such a great help.

We never expected such an outpouring of support.”

Yardeni’s son attended Ozar Hatorah a few years ago and she, like many in the roughly 20,000 to 30,000-strong Jewish community in Toulouse, knew parents and teachers at the school.

COMMUNITY on page 22

Israel Briefs Toulouse victims to be buried in Israel JERUSALEM (JTA) — The four victims of the attack at a Jewish school in France will be buried in Israel.

The burials in Jerusalem are scheduled for Wednesday. The bodies will be flown from Toulouse to Paris by the French Air Force, and then to Israel by El Al Airlines.

A man riding a motorbike opened fire Monday outside the Ozar Hatorah School in Toulouse, where students were waiting to enter the building at the start of the school day, before fleeing.

Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, 30, and his 3- and 6-year-old sons, Gabriel and Arieh, as well as the 8-year-old daughter of the school’s principal, were killed in the attack.

Sandler is reported to be a French citizen, though he studied in yeshivain Jerusalem for many years. His wife and children are dual French-Israeli citizens, according to reports.

The Sandler family reportedly moved to France from Israel last year to serve as emissaries for two years on behalf of the Kollel Zichron Shimon, where Sandler worked and studied, preparing French students to become Jewish studies teachers and rabbis, according to Haaretz.

France’s ambassador to Israel, Kristoff Bigot, said Tuesday in the Knesset that “This is not just a case of crimes against the victims. This is a crime against democracy and against Israel’s and France’s shared values.”

Bigot said there is a “great deal of shock in France” in the wake of the “barbaric attack.”

Israeli leaders slam EU’s Ashton on Toulouse comparison JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli leaders condemned remarks by European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton that appeared to compare the Toulouse victims to deaths in Gaza, while Ashton said her words were “grossly distorted.”

At a conference Monday in Brussels on Palestinian refugees, Ashton reportedly said, “When we think about what happened today in Toulouse, we remember what happened in Norway last year, we know what is happening in Syria, and we see what is happening in Gaza and other places.”

10 • ISRAEL

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

Beersheva under attack, reporter on the ground

By Andy Altman-Ohr j weekly BEERSHEVA, Israel (j weekly) — A bus carrying eight American journalists drove smack dab into the throes of rocket attacks from Gaza. And it wasn’t because of a wrong turn. The journalists, including this reporter, agreed to go willingly.

The group was on a scienceand agriculture-focused media tour of southern Israel, and the itinerary included a March 12 stop at the Beersheva campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, which was in the midst of a three-day shutdown due to security concerns.

Beersheva, Israel’s seventhlargest city with a population of 194,000, is 25 miles from Gaza. It was one of the main targets of some 300 missiles fired into the Negev region between March 9 and 12.

By the time the journalists arrived in the late afternoon of March 12, Islamic Jihad reportedly had already fired some 40 missiles toward the Negev that day, and airraid sirens had sent residents scrambling into safe rooms four times.

One of those sirens sounded at 3 a.m., waking 26-year-old BenGurion student Ayala Boehm with

By Hillel Kuttler Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Courtesy of Dani Machlis/BGU

A sign on the campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in Beersheva, directs people to safe rooms in the event of rocket attacks.

a jolt and sending her into the safe room inside her apartment. Twenty minutes later, another siren sent her right back in again.

“There are sirens all over the city, so you’ll definitely hear it,” she told a reporter. “There’s no way you will miss it.”

Though Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted about 70 percent of the incoming projectiles, and others exploded in remote areas, some 1 million Israelis were under threat of rocket

fire, according to reports.

“It’s frightening and shocking, especially if you didn’t grow up with it,” said Liora Malinek, 25, a student affairs director at the BGU Medical School for International Health. A Los Angeles native, Malinek lived in Berkeley and Oakland, Calif., from 2005 to 2009 while earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley.

BEERSHEVA on page 22

John Demjanjuk, convicted of war crimes, dies stateless, in limbo

By Marcy Oster Jewish Telegraphic Agency JERUSALEM (JTA) — Though the death last weekend of John Demjanjuk brought a close to the seemingly never-ending quest for justice in the case of a man long accused of being a Nazi war criminal, it also brought a premature end to the legal battle over his legacy.

Though Demjanjuk, 91, was convicted by a German court of being an accessory to the murder of 27,900 Jews in the Sobibor concentration camp, he was living freely in a German nursing home pending appeal. His son said Demjanjuk’s death before the legal process was exhausted meant he had died an innocent man. But the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Jewish leaders said he should be remembered as being guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Demjanjuk died Saturday at an old-age home in southern Germany, where he was free while he appealed his conviction last year for his role in the murder of 28,060 people at the Sobibor death camp in Poland.

“My father fell asleep with the Lord today as both a victim and

Ethiopian immigrant is top Jewish finisher in Jerusalem Marathon

survivor of Soviet and German brutality from childhood till death,” Demjanjuk’s son, John Demjanjuk Jr., said in a statement from his home in Seven Hills, a Cleveland suburb.

The elder Demjanjuk, who was born and raised in Ukraine, moved to suburban Cleveland after immigrating to the United States following World War II. In 1952, living in the U.S., he changed his first name to John from Ivan. He died stateless, in the process of trying to regain his U.S. citizenship.

“Ivan Demjanjuk died guilty of his service in the Sobibor death camp and that is how he should be remembered, not as a person falsely accused, but as an individual who volunteered to serve in the SS, and who at the height of his physical powers spent months helping to mass murder innocent Jews deported to that death camp,” said Efraim Zuroff, the Jerusalembased chief Nazi hunter for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, in a statement following the announcement of Demjanjuk’s death.

“Justice was unfortunately delayed in this case, and hindered by complicating factors, but was ultimately achieved to the credit of the prosecutors in the U.S. and

Germany who handled the case.”

Following Demjanjuk’s conviction by a German court in May 2010, Zuroff reopened “Operation Last Chance,” a last-ditch effort to track down Nazi war criminals.

“Previously the German prosecutors only brought cases in which they could find evidence of a specific crime with a specific victim, but in the wake of the Demjanjuk conviction, that no longer had to be the case,” Zuroff told JTA last October.

Many have called Demjanjuk’s German trial the last big Nazi trial.

Demjanjuk was convicted on May 12, 2011and later sentenced by a Munich court to five years in prison, but was released to a nursing home pending his appeal.

Munich state prosecutors appealed the court’s decision to free Demjanjuk and also sought a longer sentence, saying the five years was too lenient.

Demjanjuk in the 1970s had been identified as “Ivan the Terrible,” a notoriously sadistic guard at the Treblinka death camp.

Holocaust survivors had identified his photo during a photo spread as part of the investigation of Treblinka concentration camp guard Feodor Fedorenko.

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Ashrat “Assaf” Mamo is such a common sight when he pounds the pavement in Jerusalem that he’s on a firstname basis with city bus drivers, who he says always “ask me about the marathon and encourage me.”

Mamo, a 27-year-old immigrant from Ethiopia, became the first Israeli to cross the finish line in this year’s Jerusalem Marathon, finishing 11th with a time of 2:33:12.

David Cherono Toniok of Kenya won Friday’s race in 2:19:52, breaking the course record.

Ethiopian Mihiret Anamo Antonios was the female winner with a time of 2:48:38. Moran Shabtai was the top Israeli female finisher in 3:38:35.

In an interview at the finish line in Sacher Park, Mamo told JTA that he had expected to do better after completing a personal best time two months ago of 2:22:32 in the Tiberias Marathon in northern Israel. But Mamo, wrapped in warming foil, appeared happy to have been Israel’s top finisher even though the country’s best marathoners did not participate.

“Jerusalem is the holy city,” Mamo said. “It is my home court.”

More than 14,000 runners from 52 countries competed in the event, which was launched last year. The route takes runners through the walled Old City, past the presi-

Courtesy of Hillel Kuttler

David Cherono Toniok of Kenya is the winner of the 2012 Jerusalem Marathon, which took place Mar. 16.

dent’s residence and up to the Hebrew University campus on Mount Scopus. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and a 77-year-old Holocaust survivor, Hanoch Shahar, participated in shorter versions of the race’s 26-mile course.

In the lead-up to the race, runners had spoken about the capital’s

Courtesy of Hillel Kuttler

Ashrat “Assaf” Mamo, a 27year-old immigrant from Ethiopia, became the first Israeli to finish the 2012 Jerusalem Marathon, coming in 11th place.

notorious hills as the most likely impediment to posting good times.

But weather conditions for the race — rain and hail fell through the morning, and the the sun only periodically poked through thick clouds — heaped on additional challenges.

Mamo, who was running his eighth marathon, said he blocked out the distractions of familiar neighborhoods and the kaleidoscopic lures of the Old City during the course’s brief foray there, staying focused on his running and continually checking the pace on his running wrist watch.

He lives in the Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood and is unmarried.

Mamo left the northern Ethiopian city of Tigry for Israel in late 2000 along with his father, who has since passed away.

The slight Israeli with silver braces and a winning smile works as a contractor repairing car windshields. He described himself as a traditional Jew who attends synagogue only on the High Holidays.

Toniok said he was thrilled that as a religious Catholic, his first marathon victory came in Jerusalem. He expressed mild disappointment that the event did not start in the Old City, but said he hoped to visit the following day before returning to Kenya on Saturday night. Toniok lives in Eldoret, which is where the country’s legendary long-distance runners also reside and with whom he trains.

“I’m very happy because most Christian people [back home] learn about Israel but don’t have the chance to visit,” he said. “I know about King David. I am King David of Israel because I won the Jerusalem Marathon.”

SOCIAL LIFE • 11

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

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THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

HELPING ON CHAI AT CEDAR VILLAGE Helping on Chai, a social action series sponsored by the Women's Philanthropy Division of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, visited Cedar Village on January 18. Led by team leaders Linda Greenberg and Barbara Reed, volunteers made jewelry with residents.

CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE • 13

14 • DINING OUT

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Bella Luna: Manhattan-Italian quality, Cincinnati locale

By Sondra Katkin Jewish Telegraphic Agency Bella Luna shimmers with bright colors, a festive atmosphere that fires up your expectations of food bursting with equally bright flavors. And they deliver! My husband Steve and I dined there recently, and in the convivial bonhomie of the crowded dining room where voice levels rose and fell, we felt we were on our own island of culinary contentment, totally entertained by the four-course interactive drama we had just completed. Steve was especially pleased since he could eat the dishes usually forbidden in an Italian restaurant for gluten abstainers. Owner Harry Stephens told me that they are developing a unique gluten free menu with choices that allow the restricted to enjoy breaded meats, pastas, breads and desserts — usually unthinkable. He called it a menu where you “select not settle.” While I ate the regular preparations, I sampled Steve’s (the “itsy bitsy” pieces he would allow) and enjoyed his commensurately delicious selections.

Stephens, a former New Yorker whose grandparents were Italian, is a consultant who advises future restauranteurs. He asks them, “What could you offer that’s different?” From the Manhattan quality of his food to his talented chef and professional wait staff, he certainly knows the answer. “We try to do things at Bella Luna that separate us from other Italian restaurants. We are a 100 percent Italian restaurant and we do regional menus. Since the three provinces across the top of Italy were part of the AustroHungarian Empire, and Sicily was invaded so frequently, there are various cuisines we can feature.” He added, “Rome has a large Jewish population and when the menu highlighted that city, I did some significantly Jewish dishes. We’ve had fusion cooking for generations. We were also the first to do half price bottles of wine on Wednesdays.”

He believes that Cincinnati is a terrific city. “I was lured here by Gay, the beautiful red head I married.

The gospel according to Gay is that this is the best place to raise children.” He loves our parks, our world-class museums and the ease of mobility. “I will always be a New Yorker, but Cincinnati is my home,” he noted. His wife manages View in Edgecliff, their other highly regarded restaurant.

Executive chef Alfio Gulisano, who is generous and talented, prepared Steve’s special gluten free meal prior to the unveiling of the new menu and also surprised him with bread pudding, their signature dessert. I couldn’t tell the difference between his and mine, but I could tell that this is a unique and delicious dessert. It combines chocolate chips at their melting point with blueberries firm enough to pop and

(Clockwise) Owner Harry Stephens and executive chef Alfio Gulisano in Bella Luna’s attractive bar; Our attentive server holding awardwinning seafood ravioli and cannelloni; Festive colors and tall booths with soft pillows accent the interior; Eggplant Roulade will roust the most reluctant diners; The Bela Luna salad entices with fruity fulfillment.

meld with the bread, baked to the exact right texture so that its moistness is not mousse, but still retains its smooth texture. Topped by a butter amaretto sauce, it made the dish glow. I was jealous — his portion was larger than mine. However, the chef treated me to three smaller desserts — a fancy flight of festive food — that included the pudding, a meltingly delicious tiramisu and a mascarpone-nutella layered cheesecake, a masterpiece of opulence and creaminess. A guest passing by said, “I wish I had ordered that.”

However, a dining editor can not live by dessert alone. Whatever!

Our other courses also qualified to create envy in other diners. We began sharing a redolent roulatini of thinly sliced eggplant stuffed with cheeses and (gluten free) breadcrumbs, basil and fresh tomato sauce. This portion was enough for an entree. The eggplant roll was tender and custardy with its cheese stuffing giving it just enough body

to barely stay on your fork with minimal chewing effort necessary — tasty work. (Other “antipasti” include bruschetta, eggplant meatballs, baked cheese filled mushroom caps and a choice of three soups.) This was followed by their goat cheese salad — a green spinach canvas painted with strawberries, candied pecans, red onion and sliced apples, resembling red bordered sails floating on a cloud of goat cheese crumbles. A savory vinaigrette of pomegranate and quince gave it a sweet-tart finish.

The bread, a basket of flavorful focaccia, baked every four hours, accompanied by herbed butter was placed on the table wrapped in a red napkin like a gift. I avoid butter because it’s fattening and can disguise the true taste of the bread. In this case, I felt it was obligatory to try it. The sweet butter, combined with salty garlic and ending with the satisfyingly sharp bite of oregano became my focus and

nearly overcame my good intentions to save some appetite for our next course. Beware the butter!

I found my enthusiasm hadn’t waned when I tasted the awardwinning seafood ravioli with saffron sauce and the stuffed cannelloni (both won “Best of Cincinnati”). A classic combination of tender tubes of pasta stuffed with and covered by the freshest cheeses and tangy marinara, it was a perfect rendition of my ideal Italian style food.

Steve’s “breaded” parmegiana entree with (a corn) pasta elicited, “Best I’ve ever had!”

At the conclusion of our dinner, Steve said, “There was a quality to everything that was just terrific; you wouldn’t find better in New York City.” Note to gluten free folks: Call ahead until the new menu is completed. All entrees are served with bread and salad and include award-winning osso buco, trout with truffle, sole Florentina, USDA prime lamb chops, Tuscan

grilled New York Strip and several choices of chicken. Diners also may create their own pasta dishes with the “gravy” of their choice.

Bella Luna features a full service bar. For oenophiles, Stephens said, “We have wines to satisfy everyone’s palate — very food friendly; we want the wine to compliment the food, not overpower it.” Those who linger in the bar area on Friday and Saturday nights will be treated to live music by the Bluebirds accompanied by the host, Harry Stephens crooning his mellow tunes for the crowd of appreciative listeners.

Private party rooms are available.

Their hours are from 4:30 – 9 p.m.

Tuesday and Sunday; 4:30 – 10 p.m.

Wednesday and Thursday; 4:30 – 11p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed on Monday.

Bella Luna 4632 Eastern Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45226 871-5862

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16 • OPINION

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Meat and Murder

We always treated our animals well — buying and feeding the tarantula the live crickets it craved and making sure the mice and hamsters got their exercise and fresh air. (The untimely demise of that one member of the order rodentia left too long in the sun was entirely an accident, Chana; there is no reason to feel bad.) And I try to be careful, as per the Talmud’s exhortation regarding animals, to feed our fish before I sit down to dinner myself.

But my appreciation of all living things is accompanied by the constant realization that human beings are in an entirely different realm from the rest of the biosphere. And that we humans, while we are forbidden to cause unnecessary pain to animals, are permitted to work them and even to kill and eat them (well, we Jews, some of them).

There are, however, those who believe otherwise, that, in the words of PETA’s president Ingrid Newkirk, “A rat is a pig is

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

Dear Editor, AJC expressed full solidarity with the French Jewish community following today’s deadly attack on a Jewish high school in Toulouse. At least three students and one teacher were killed, and five wounded.

“What tragic, awful news. Our prayers are with the grieving school community, as we hope for the full recovery of those injured,” said AJC executive director, David Harris.

“This is a brazen assault on France and French society, and another telling reminder of the dangers that exist for Jewish communities in today’s world,” Harris continued. “We count on French authorities to pursue the investigation vigorously, arrest whoever is involved, and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, as well as review security at Jewish institutions. We have confidence they will.”

AJC Paris, headed by Simone Rodan, has been in close touch with officials and community representatives since the shooting occurred.

Sincerely, Barbara Glueck Cincinnati, OH

T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: VAYIKRA (VAYIKRA 1:1—5:26) 1. Can a woman bring a sacrifice? a) Yes b) No

a) Blood b) Fats c) Wood

2. Which sacrifice is slaughtered at the back of the neck? a) Cow b) Sheep or goat c) Bird

4. Which is the most inexpensive sacrifice? a) Cattle b) Bird c) Flour

3. Which part of the sacrifice is thrown on the altar?

5. Is the English word “sacrifice” accurate for animal sacrifice

it as if he brought his soul. Rashi 5. Korban means more than to give up an animal to Hashem. Through the experience of a “korban”,a person should bring himself closer to Hashem with confession and humility. Sforno

We always treated our animals well — buying and feeding the tarantula the live crickets it craved and making sure the mice and hamsters got their exercise and fresh air.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

with his fingernail. Rashi 3. A 1:5 A person should feel as if his blood should have been split for his sin. Ramban 4. C 2:1, 5:11,12 Normally a poor person brought a flour offering,but Hashem considered

I have an abiding appreciation of animals. My family has shared living space at one point or another over the years with: a small goat, a large iguana, a beautiful tarantula, an assortment of rodents of various sizes, and scores of tropical fish (the latter our only current pets).

We didn’t choose some of those creatures. Several were Purim gifts from talmidim of mine when I served as a rebbe. The boys meant well and I came, in time, to appreciate each present. The only one we didn’t keep very long was the goat, which repeatedly escaped from our back yard to feast on a neighbor’s lawn. (We sold her— the goat, that is—within a few weeks to a girl who lived on a farm.)

a dog is a boy.”

She’s wrong. Only the boy is a boy.

In truth, Ms. Newkirk’s conviction is the unavoidable belief of any consistent atheist, whether or not he chooses to be as blunt about is as she.

For if humanity is a mere offspring of random forces (a timely falsehood — it is the Amalakian credo), then humans are no more inherently worthy than any of chance’s children. Species are species.

And what follows from the proposition that humans are biological accidents is that right and wrong have no more meaning than right and left. To be sure, social contracts can be made but in the end all that really remains is the cold calculus of survival.

Which is not to say that atheists necessarily engage in amoral behavior, only that their belief can present no compelling essential objection to it.

Equating animals with people can easily lead to the devaluing of human life. That contention, selfevident as it might seem, routinely brings wolf-howls of outrage from people like Ms. Newkirk.

They would do well to consider Meredith Lowell, a 27-year-old animal rights activist who once wrote that she sees nothing wrong with “liberating” animals from fur factory farms and laboratories since “soldiers liberated people from Nazi camps in World War II.” She was recently charged in Columbus, Ohio with soliciting a hit man to shoot or slit the throat of a random fur-wearer, according to federal authorities.

The FBI discovered that, under an alias, Ms. Lowell offered money for the killing of a victim of at least 12 years but “preferably 14 years old or older” outside a library near a playground in her hometown. She allegedly emailed her hire, an undercover FBI agent, that “you need to bring a gun that has a silencer on it” or a knife “sharp enough to stab someone and/or slit their throat to kill them.”

According to an affidavit, she told the covert employee that she wanted to be there when the slaying took place so she could distribute “papers” afterward. She hoped to be arrested so she could call attention to her beliefs and to get out of the home she shared with her parents and brothers who eat meat and eggs and use fur, leather and wool, investigators said.

No, most animal rights activists don’t try to kill people.

But many nonetheless proudly subscribe to the credo “meat is murder.”

And those three simple words harbor a most dangerous conceptual seed.

Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise

ANSWERS 1. A 1:2 The word “Adam” teaches that a person should bring a sacrifice to Hashem and not sacrifice another human to Hashem. R Bchai.

2. C 1:15, 5:8 The Kohen slaughtered the bird

By Rabbi Avi Shafran Contributing Columnist

JEWISH LIFE • 17

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Sedra of the Week

SHABBAT SHALOM: PARSHAT VAYIKRA LEVITICUS 1:1- 5:26

When religion becomes a traded political commodity, when rabbis use religion to gain political power, instead by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel - “…An individual who will sacrifice from yourself a sacrificial offering unto the Lord…” (Leviticus 1:2) My teacher and mentor Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik ztz”l would often speak of the two great Biblical mountains, Mt. Moriah where G-d sent Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac, and Mt. Sinai, from which G-d presented His Torah to the Israelites.

Conventional wisdom would maintain that Mt. Sinai should have been the more sacred of the two, since there is nothing on earth more sacred than our Divinely given Torah, the very words of G-d. Nevertheless, the Sages of the Talmud only endowed eternal sanctity to Mt. Moriah, upon which our first two Holy Temples were built and which will be the foundation for the third Holy Temple as well. Mt. Sinai, by contrast, sustained its sanctity only during the period when the Divine Voice emanated from its heights; today it is no longer sacred, and could therefore be given up as part of Israel’s peace agreement with Egypt.

Why does Mt. Moriah have greater sanctity than Mt. Sinai?

Rav Soloveitchik magnificently explains that whereas on Mt. Sinai, G-d presented Israel with the gift of His Torah, on Mt. Moriah, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his beloved son to G-d.

My teacher insisted that sanctity requires sacrifice and the greater the human sacrifice, the higher the degree of Divine sanctity.

Biblical Judaism took great pains to ensure that religion—our G-d given values and ideals—be seen as the apex of our communal structure. It should be the national commitment toward which we all aspire and for which the individual must be willing to sacrifice material comforts and even his/her own life. It is because we took the Abraham-Isaac model so seriously that our history is so tear-drenched and blood-stained, from the Hebrew babies in the River Nile at the beginnings of our history to the present day Israeli cemeteries where so many parents have buried their children.

It is also because of this that— paradoxically—we have survived, and largely succeeded in transmitting our sacred faith, until today.

of sacrificing personal benefits for religious values, religious values get sacrificed for the aggrandizement of the individual rabbi-politician.

Apparently, it is only a commitment to G-d where we are willing to put our future at risk that we will secure an eternal future.

But though we must sacrifice our material comforts, and even our professional standing on the altar of our religious ideals; we dare not utilize our religious ideals as the stepping stones to enhance our personal power and prestige. Once that happens, then our religious ideals will become tainted and corrupted, the subjective ego will become the goal, and the still-small voice of G-d will be drowned out by the raucous shouts of political power.

Hence our Bible attempted to separate the religious estate from political power and governmental structure. The priest-teacher Kohanim were meant to minister in the Temple, not in the palace of parliament, and the Prophet was totally independent of the monarch, neither appointed nor supported by any of the king’s agencies.

When, in the Hasmonean period of the Second Commonwealth, the Kohanim became the governmental ruling class, it was tragic for Judaism, and presaged the death-knell of the Second Temple.

(See Ramban, Genesis 49:10) The members of the Sanhedrin were not appointed by the ruling powers; they were totally independent, their office was determined by scholarship and piety alone. Indeed, in the absence of the prophet, the king is to be appointed by the Sanhedrin!

The Bible does not advocate a separation of religion from state (it was the king who Biblically exhorted the Israelites at Hakhel); but it certainly does advocate a separation between religion and politics, a system whereby the religious leadership is completely independent of the ruling power, so that the Chief Rabbinate is a religious and not a political appointment. Only an independent prophet like Nathan—devoid of a seat in parliament, government

office, secretary, car and driver, and driven only by the voice of Gd burning within him could have had the courage to stand before King David with the damning words, “thou art the man.” Only such an independent and truly spiritual personage could have caused the venerated King to descend from his throne, weep uncontrollably and declare, “I have sinned before the Lord.”

When religion becomes a traded political commodity, when rabbis use religion to gain political power, instead of sacrificing personal benefits for religious values, religious values get sacrificed for the aggrandizement of the individual rabbi-politician.

Shame on the “rabbis” who take Torah out of the beit midrash and into hooligan initiated street demonstrations, expressions of political power whose ugly shouts drown out the Biblical directive; “You shall love the stranger, convert.” Shame on the rabbi-politicians who sacrifice the future of our land and country to gain governmental funds for an educational system which trains able-bodied men to live unproductive lives, contrary to objective and truly traditional Torah law (a Torah which was meant to be a prescription for life, not a substitute for life); shame on religious political parties who appoint insensitive judges, impervious to the cries of women hopelessly locked into marital bondage in defiance of the Talmudic directive to be lenient in freeing the agunah.

We must free our Holy Torah from the shackles of petty politics of Torarism—the terrorism of Torah. We must understand that politics corrupts, and religious politics corrupts absolutely. We did not sanctify the political; we politicized the sacred.

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

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18 • JEWZ IN THE NEWZ

JEWZ

IN THE

By Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist PROBABLY NOT “FROM HUNGER” Opening on Friday, March 23, is “The Hunger Games,” a big budget fantasy based on the bestselling young adult novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins.

Collins and director GARY ROSS, 55, co-wrote the screenplay.

The plot: it is a post-apocalyptic world and the countries of North America have been replaced by a new country, “Panem,” which is divided into 12 districts and ruled with an iron fist from the capital city. Each year, a teenage boy and girl from each district are required to go to the capital and fight on TV until only one survivor remains. Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss, a teen from District 12 who has to fight.

ELIZABETH BANKS, 38, has a large supporting role as the chaperone of Katniss.

Ross has a very impressive track record. In 1988, the first screenplay that Ross wrote (that got turned into a film) was the huge comedy hit, “Big,” starring Tom Hanks. “Big” earned Ross, and his co-writer, ANNE SPIELBERG, 62, Oscar nominations for best original screenplay.

(Anne is STEVEN’s sister).

In 1992, Ross got another Oscar nomination for original screenplay for writing the clever political comedy, “Dave.” His directorial debut was “Pleasantville” (1998), a sharp fantasy/comedy that he also wrote. In 2003, he directed the race-horse bio-pic, “Seabiscuit.”

He was Oscar-nominated for best adapted screenplay and the film was nominated for best picture.

In 2003, he told an interviewer that he had been a horse racing fanatic since childhood. Ross added that for his 13th birthday he got a trip to a Santa Anita racetrack in Los Angeles, in lieu of a bar mitzvah, from his not-veryreligious parents.

BENT STARRING PEET By now, most people recognize the pretty and vivacious actress AMANDA PEET, 38.

She’s been in a couple of big budget films, like “2012,” a disaster film that made tons of money despite mixed reviews.

But mostly she has made middlebudget movies, like the hits, “The Whole Nine Yards” (2000) and “Something’s Gotta Give” (2003) — and intelligent indie films, like “Please Give” (2011).

Peet has also co-starred in three TV series—the WB network “young singles” romantic comedy, “Jack and Jill” (1999-

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2001); “Studio 60” (2006-2007), a highly touted “inside showbiz” series that was ultimately an expensive flop; and “Bent,” a romantic comedy that premiered last night on NBC. (You can catch the first two episodes, which aired last night, online.

New episodes air Wednesdays at 8 PM) In “Bent,” Peet plays Alex, a recently divorced lawyer with a 10-year-old daughter. Her ex-husband is in jail for insider trading.

She hires Pete, a contractor (David Walton), to renovate her kitchen. Pete is recovering from a lifetime of promiscuity and gambling and Alex lays down the law that he has to mind his ways.

Veteran JEFFREY TAMBOR, 67, plays Pete’s father.

Peet is the daughter of a Quaker father and a Jewish mother. While raised secular, she wed her husband, screenwriter and novelist DAVID BENIOFF, 40, before a rabbi in 2006 and the couple now have two young daughters. Benioff, whose father was once head of GoldmanSachs, is now busy writing and producing the hit HBO series, “Game of Thrones.”

Benioff is clearly a smart and witty guy — and if you ever get a chance to catch Peet on better talk shows, like “Letterman,” you’ll see she has these same qualities in real life.

PANDERING FLOPS Last week, veteran MSNBC/NBC newsman Chris Matthews commented that all politicians “pander” to various regional and ethnic groups, but that Mitt Romney was the worst at it of any politician he had ever seen. Matthews pointed out how awkward Romney sounded when he said he was “eating cheesy grits” while courting Southern voters.

I suspect Matthews has never heard of one the biggest “pandering gaffes” of all time. It happened in 1972, long before everybody had a camera phone to capture such gaffes. But several reporters witnessed this now 40-year-old faux pas and wrote about it.

In fall 1972, Sen. George McGovern, the Democratic Presidential nominee, was campaigning on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The crowd was heavily Jewish and there was a lot of press around. McGovern stopped at a hot dog cart and ordered a hot dog. The cart-seller said, “Kosher or not kosher?”

Reporters close to McGovern heard an aide say in his ear, “Order kosher.” McGovern then replied to the hot dog seller, “I’ll have a kosher one, with a container of milk.”

FROM THE PAGES 100 Y EARS A GO Miss Clara Goldberg of Cynthiana, Ky., is in this city, the guest of friends.

Mr. and Mrs. M. Marcus have returned from a pleasant trip to Panama and the West Indies. Dr. Grossman has gone to Cleveland to dedicate the new Temple of Rabbi Louis Wolsey’s congregation.

Samuel Ray died suddenly on Saturday morning, March 16, at his residence, 310 Shillito Street. The funeral services were held on Monday afternoon at the Clifton Cemetery. Rabbi Mielziner officiated. Mr. Ray was the warden of congregation Brotherly Love and later congregation Sherith Israel-Ahabath Achim for 34 years. He leaves a wife and seven children.

Charles H. Kaichen, brother of the Messrs. Louis and Arnold Kaichen, and the Madames Phil Krouse and Max Wolf, died Sunday night. The funeral took place Tuesday morning from the residence of Mr. Louis Kaichen, 374 Helen Avenue, Mt. Auburn, the services, being held at the Crematory. There was a large number of people present. Dr. Grossman officiated. The deceased had a large circle of friends. — March 21, 1912

75 Y EARS A GO Government, merchants and residents generally are indignant at certain Bermuda hotels’ policy of barring Jews, according to a correspondent who investigated and reports in The B’nai B’rith Magazine for April.

Bermuda Hotels Association has barred Jews for more than a year.

Elbow Beach Hotel recently adopted that policy.

The Association hotels and respective accommodations are Princess Hotel (800), Inverurie and Cedar Lodge (250), Balmont Manor and Golf Club (150), and Coral Island Club (100).

Friends of Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Marcus, of Bogart Avenue, gave a dinner at Mariemont Inn Thursday, March 18, in honor of their silver wedding anniversary. Guests included Mr. and Mrs. Marcus, Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Klein, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Segal, Mr. and Mrs. David Polasky, Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Sloane, and Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph Benson.

Mr. S. Burnett Jordan, of the Flora Villa, associate director of Camp Osceola, Hendersonville, N.C., accompanied by Messrs. Paul S. Herwitz and David W. Ellis, Jr., left Tuesday, March 23, for a motor trip to that camp, where they will have a reunion with fellow campers from the South and will make plans for the coming season.

Mrs. Jennie Strauss Erman of 965 Burton Avenue, passed away Saturday, March 13.

Mrs. Erman was a native of Cincinnati and had always lived in

the city.

She is survived by four daughters and two sons — Mrs. James M. Levy, Miss Effie Erman and Mrs. Harry M. Price of Cincinnati and Mrs. Stella Ferguson, of Syracuse, N.Y.; and Ira and Walter Erman, of Chicago. — March 25, 1937

50 Y EARS A GO Henry Hersch was elected president of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Family Service Bureau at the Bureau’s annual meeting Wednesday, March 21, at the Terrace Hilton.

Others elected are James L. Magrish, vice president; James A. Rosenthal, treasurer.

Mr. Hersch, a graduate of Princeton, received his legal training at Yale University Law School.

Mr. and Mrs. Burt Gross (Marlene Gelman), 2440 Vera, Golf Manor, announce the birth of their third child, a daughter, Toby Lee, Saturday, March 10. The infant has a brother, Alan, and sister Laurie.

The maternal grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. I. Gelman of Avon, Ohio, and the paternal grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Gross, of Cincinnati.

Dr. Anna Ornstein, assistant professor of child psychiatry in UC College of Medicine and staff psychiatrist at Child Guidance Home, will be commentator at North Avondale PTA Tuesday, March 27, at 2 p.m.

Her presentation will be based on the film “Four Families,” which depicts child rearing in other countries.

Margaret Mead, anthropologist, narrates.

Mrs. Bernard Gillman is chairman of the day.

Mr. and Mrs. Leon Hiudt, 7170 Elbrook Avenue, announce the forthcoming Bar Mitzvah of their son Kenneth Michael, Saturday, March 24, at 9 a.m., at Roselawn Synagogue, 7600 Reading Road.

Relatives and friends are invited to worship with the family and to attend the kiddush following the services.

Kenneth is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Sid Gottlieb and Mr. and Mrs. Isadore Hiudt. — March 22, 1962

25 Y EARS A GO Dr. Malcolm H. Stern, long-recognized as the dean of American Jewish geneologists; and Dr. Gale Peterson, director of the Cincinnati Historical Society, will be featured speakers at an “Ezekiel Family Reunion” to be held in the Scheuer Chapel at Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion, 3101 Clifton Avenue, Sunday March 29, at 3:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the College’s Gallery of Arts and Artifacts in conjunction with its current exhibition “Moses Jacob Ezekiel: Prix de Rome Sculptor.”

Stuart and Carol Ann Schulman

announce the birth of a son, Samson, Feb. 23. Sam has a brother, Max. Maternal grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Smith of Dayton.

Paternal grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Schulman.

Great-grandparents are the late Henrietta and Harry Sharff and the late Rose and Louis Schulman.

Henry S. Eichelberg of 122 Summit East Court passed away March 12.

He is survived by his wife, Helen G. Eichelberg; a son and daughterin-law, Hugo G. and Evelyn Eichelberg; grandchildren, Rena M and Yakir Muszcat and Ethan J. Eichelberg; as well as a niece and nephew and several sisters-in-law.

Services were on March 13 at Weil Funeral Home. Dr. Sheldon H. Blank, a member of the family, and Rev. M. Rabenstein officiated.

Interment was in Yad Charutzim Cemetery. — March 26, 1987

10 Y EARS A GO The Lion of Judah Division of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, Shelly Shor Gerson and Nina Paul, will host a thanks and recognition luncheon in honor of the success of the 2002 campaign April 24 at the home of Lynne Kanter. The Lion of Judah Division is comprised of women who make a gift to the Jewish Federation of $5,000 or more.

“We are very fortunate in our community to be blessed with more than 97 women who contribute generously at the Lion of Judah Level,” said Nina Paul. “We are so proud of these women and are deeply appreciative of their dedication and their leadership. Collectively, our Lion of Judah Division raised $1,048,000.

The commitment they show to our community, Israel and Jews in need overseas is so great,” Paul commented.

Eli Greenfield, 78, the longtime spiritual leader and motivator of the Downtown Synagogue until he retired in 1998, passed away March 6. Prior to his association with the Downtown Synagogue, he had served for a long period as the educational director of Cincinnati Community Hebrew Schools. This was a position similar to ones he occupied in other communities prior to his move to the Queen City.

Mr. Greenfield was born in Dortmund, Germany, in 1923. He was the fifth of seven brothers who were the sons of the late Hermann and Bertha Grunfeld. He was the husband of the late Lillian Gertler Greenfield, to whom he was first introduced while he served as an educational director in Youngstown, Ohio. Mr. Greenfield is survived by his children, Franklin and Margie Greenfield, and his grandchildren Andrew, Joshua and Zachary Greenfield. Also surviving him are his brothers, Henry Grunfeld of England and Isi and Manny Grunfeld of New York. — March 21, 2002

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

CLASSIFIEDS • 19

COMMUNITY DIRECTORY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Access (513) 373-0300 • jypaccess.org Big Brothers/Big Sisters Assoc.

(513) 761-3200 • bigbrobigsis.org Camp Ashreinu (513) 702-1513 Camp at the J (513) 722-7258 • mayersonjcc.org Camp Livingston (513) 793-5554 • camplivingston.com Cedar Village (513) 754-3100 • cedarvillage.org Chevra Kadisha (513) 396-6426 Cincinnati Community Mikveh 513-351-0609 • cincinnatimikveh.org Fusion Family (513) 703-3343 • fusionnati.org Halom House (513) 791-2912 • halomhouse.com Hillel Jewish Student Center (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) 514-1200 Jewish Information Network (513) 985-1514 Jewish Vocational Service (513) 985-0515 • jvscinti.org Kesher (513) 766-3348 Plum Street Temple Historic Preservation Fund (513) 793-2556 Shalom Family (513) 703-3343 • myshalomfamily.org The Center for Holocaust & Humanity Education (513) 487-3055 • holocaustandhumanity.org Vaad Hoier (513) 731-4671 Workum Fund (513) 899-1836 • workum.org YPs at the JCC (513) 761-7500 • mayersonjcc.org

CONGREGATIONS Adath Israel Congregation (513) 793-1800 • adath-israel.org Beit Chaverim (513) 984-3393 Beth Israel Congregation (513) 868-2049 • bethisraelcongregation.net Congregation Beth Adam (513) 985-0400 • bethadam.org Congregation B’nai Tikvah (513) 759-5356 • bnai-tikvah.org Congregation B’nai Tzedek (513) 984-3393 • bnaitzedek.us Congregation Ohav Shalom (513) 489-3399 • ohavshalom.org

Congregation Ohr Chadash (513) 252-7267 • ohrchadashcincinnati.com Congregation Sha’arei Torah shaareitorahcincy.org 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

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.org

DO YOU WANT TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED? Send an e-mail including what you would like in your classified & your contact information to

production@ americanisraelite.com JCC from page 3 The Mayerson JCC opened in 2008. It has since grown into a complex organization with over 300 employees, more than 8,000 members, and roughly 350 programs each year. The annual operating budget has grown to approximately $8.5 million.

“As a Board, we have been trusted with responsible stewardship of this treasured institution,” said search committee co-chair, Marc Fisher. “We are delighted with the growth and vitality of the J, but with growth comes challenges. In these first years of operation, we invested heavily in programming, with programming expenses exceeding programming revenue.

Now that we have established ourselves as a key institution in the city, we need to think long-term in order to preserve and continue to grow our programs and services, which directly benefit this community.

The reality is that we need to move into the next stage of the institution’s life, from one of investing in CELEBRATE from page 3 Passover starts the night of Friday, April 6. The Oak View apartments are available from April 1 – 15. The apartments have full kitchens and full bathrooms.

They are beautifully decorated and furnished with all the amenities of home. The refrigerators CHABAD from page 4 This year, the Chabad Jewish Center is opening its doors once again for their community-wide family Passover Seder. This special event is open to all members of the Jewish community, regardless of affiliation, synagogue membership or financial means. The evening will be integrated with Chassidic tales, spiritual insights and Jewish humor and an inviting atmosphere of warmth and acceptance.

“As in past years’ seders, guests will come away from the seder with a profound sense of history, of where they’re coming from, who they are. We will make it more than just a token religious observance, and people really respond,” said Rabbi Yisroel Mangel.

Held Friday, April 6, at the Chabad Jewish Center, the unique seder experience will be led by Rabbi Mangel and will feature

SENIOR SERVICES

• • • • •

Up to 24 hour care Meal Preparation Errands/Shopping Hygiene Assistance Light Housekeeping

(513) 531-9600 growth to one of sustainability. We understand that these transitions are not often easy and must be strategically and thoughtfully undertaken.”

Dori Denelle, vice president and community consultant for the national Jewish Community Centers Association (JCCA), added this insight, “For the last seven years, the JCCA’s Benchmarking Project has highlighted the complex nature of JCC management. These findings validate the need for JCC leaders to have a varied skill set that includes solid business management. This directly benefits the Mayerson JCC and the Cincinnati Jewish community.”

Fisher added, “On behalf of the search committee, it is a great honor for all of us to serve the Cincinnati Jewish community in this capacity and we thank everyone for their ongoing support during this transition.”

Members of the CEO search committee are: Debbie Brant, Marc Fisher, Steve Shifman, Carrie Barron, Jack Rubin, Bret Caller and Brian Jaffee. will contain kosher for Passover snacks and breakfast foods. The apartments are secure and served by housekeeping with access to laundry facilities.

To find out cost, more information and to reserve your apartment, call Cedar Village and ask for Rita Postolski, Cedar Village’s manager of assisted living. explanations and commentaries based on mystical and Kabbalistic insights, humor and song. A sumptuous four-course holiday dinner will be served with hand-baked matzah and choice of wine.

“The seder is the most opportune and exciting time to bring unity to the community, to get people to meet each other and enjoy great food, and to enjoy each other’s company,” said co-director Chana Mangel. “The seder has kept families and communities together for thousands of years.

The seder meal will be interactive, warm and vibrant, interspersed with lively discussion through group participation as well as individual involvement,” she added.

Part of the evening will include a special children’s seder, led by Rabbi and Mrs. Berel and Tziporah Cohen, Chabad Jewish Center’s family and youth programming directors.

20 • FINANCE / BUSINESS

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

How much ‘nest egg’ do you need?

UC profs. write biography of Israel’s nuclear program founder

By Pamela F. Schmitt, CFA, CDFA

Three professors emeriti at the University of Cincinnati have just published the first full-length biography of a noted Israeli scientist: “Scientist in The Service of Israel: The Life and Times of Ernst David Bergmann, (1903-75).” Bergmann is widely considered to be the founder of Israel’s nuclear program.

In a comment on the book, Israel President Shimon Peres wrote: “Bergmann … a man of passionate scientific vision … a visionary who sought to change and enrich the world. His voice and achievements will echo not only in our generation, but … in future generations too.”

Born in Germany in 1903, the son of a prominent Berlin rabbi, Bergmann fled Germany in 1933 when Hitler came to power. Turning down a position at Oxford, he chose instead to immigrate to Palestine where, first as head of the Sieff Institute and later of the Weizmann Institute, he became, over the next 18 years, a close friend and scientific collaborator of Chaim Weizmann and privy to Weizmann’s dream of providing Israel with a viable biochemical technology based on renewable plant resources rather than on either coal or oil. Also described is Bergmann’s tragic falling out with Weizmann over the role of science in defense research, leading to his subsequent 18-year association with David Ben-Gurion as both his personal science advisor and as Head of Scientific Research for the Israeli

Retirement nest eggs everywhere shrank with the market decline in 2008. It was a frightening time for all, but those who stayed the course or even invested further were fortunate enough to see their portfolios recover. On the other hand, many close to retirement panicked and sold their stocks for fear of losing more, thereby cutting off their potential to recover these losses when the market snapped back. For these individuals, what may have once been a clear path to retirement has now become a bumpy, uncertain road.

Whether or not you fall into this camp, you may be wondering how you will get to the point where you can retire comfortably. What does that even mean? How much do you need in your nest egg to make sure it lasts longer than you do, regardless of how long you live? Here is a simple rule of thumb: For a “moderately” invested portfolio (i.e. mix of both stocks and bonds), the simple rule is that up to 5 percent can be withdrawn each year without depleting the portfolio over time.

To determine your “nest egg” required by this rule, follow these guidelines: 1. Estimate your annual budget in retirement. How much income will you need to live comfortably?

Remember that expenses will likely change from what they are now.

For example, you may finish paying off your mortgage, but have higher expenses for traveling.

2. Estimate the income you expect to receive from other sources each year, such as pensions or social security. Then subtract this from your expense budget in #1 for the net amount of income DEMENTIA from page 5 Snow visits Cedar Village four times a year, training staff to become dementia care specialists.

Cedar Village specializes in caring for people with dementia. It has a dementia unit and it provides special programming for people with dementia, including art therapy and supervised community outings.

“As more and more of our senBAT MITZVAH from page 6 When their synagogue refused to allow the bat mitzvah, her family supported her by borrowing a Torah, and she had her aliyah in her backyard.

The exhibit has no actual artifacts, but rather images of artifacts and graphics from the women who completed the survey and some from the museum’s collection. One of Weingram’s favorite museum

you will need to take from your retirement nest egg each year.

3. This net amount of income is what should be less than 5 percent of your nest egg. Divide your net income number by 0.05 to determine the minimum portfolio that you should aim to have by the time you retire.

For example, if your calculation showed a need for $100,000 from your nest egg each year, then you will need to have at least $2,000,000 before you can retire comfortably. So what if you want to retire but don’t have this much in savings? While $100,000 may not sound like too much to pull from a $1,000,000 portfolio, in reality it is 10 percent of the portfolio in the first year, and even if you earn a steady annual 6 percent investment return, your withdrawal would be taking out more than 20 percent of the portfolio by the ninth year and would completely wipe it out in less than 14 years.

Like any other mismatch between income and expenses, close examination of both is required. Find ways to reduce expenses, take on a part-time job, or delay retirement by a few years.

Because of the power of compounding, all financial changes will have the greatest impact when implemented as early as possible.

Remember that your retirement nest egg should be invested in a manner best suited to your own needs. For most people, that means a mix of bonds, stocks and alternative investments, in proportions determined with your investment advisor.

Ms. Schmitt is a Senior Portfolio Manager with RiverPoint Capital Management, a $1.2 billion investment advisory firm in Cincinnati. iors develop some form of dementia, family caregivers and others need to be prepared with the latest information about dementia,” said Carol Silver Elliott, Cedar Village CEO and president. “Teepa Snow has helped Cedar Village become a leader in caring for people with dementia, so we are thrilled to share her with the public—to help educate more members of the community.” artifacts from the exhibit is a letter Mordecai Kaplan sent to Abraham Joshua Heschel, congratulating Heschel on his daughter Susannah’s bat mitzvah and alluding to Kaplan’s other three daughters: “You probably know, Dr. Heschel, that I inaugurated the Bat-Mitzvah celebration with my oldest daughter Judith in April 1922. She was the first of the four reasons for my doing that, the other three also being girls.”

Defense Ministry. For the last 23 years of his life Bergmann also served as Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Hebrew University, where he trained a generation of Israeli chemists, as well as playing a key role in the organization of virtually every aspect of the present-day Israeli scientific community.

The three authors are faculty members of the University of Cincinnati. Professor William Jensen is an award-winning historian of chemistry and curator of the Oesper Collections of the History of Chemistry. Professor Henry Fenichel is a member of the Physics Department, a Holocaust survivor, and received his early education in Israel. Professor Milton Orchin is Distinguished Service Professor of Chemistry, who first met Bergmann in 1947 while working as a Guggenheim Fellow at the Sieff Institute — an event which also allowed him to witness the birth of Israel firsthand and to personally meet both BenGurion and Weizmann.

The book is based on three years of research, including an extensive correspondence conducted by Orchin with former colleagues and students of Bergmann, as well as surviving family members; three trips to Israel by coauthor Fenichel and his wife Diana to search archives and conduct personal interviews, including those with current President Shimon Peres and former

(now deceased) President Ephraim Katzir; and use of the extensive resources of the Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati by Jensen in order to provide the necessary historical background to Bergmann’s career as a chemist in both Germany and Israel.

In a review of the book, the Cornell University Nobel Laureate and writer Roald Hoffmann wrote this: “‘Scientist in the Service of Israel’ is so much more than the very much needed biography of the chemist who played a pivotal role in Israel’s still veiled atomic weapon program. Readable and meticulously researched, this book is also a story of how science, politics, and personal life intertwined in mid-20th century. We follow Ernst David Bergmann’s journey from an ascending chemistry career in prewar Germany, through his pivotal role in the development of the Weizmann Institute, to the years when he served as a most influential science advisor to David Ben-Gurion. The growth of Bergmann’s friendship with Chaim Weizmann and its sad deterioration provide counterpoint. Good chemistry, the great chemists of the century, make an appearance on every page. And the special exile of German Jews, and the perilous days of early Israel are beautifully evoked in this excellent personal and scientific biography.”

The Arc Southwest Ohio closes The Arc Southwest Ohio announced that it will cease operating on March 23 after more than 65 years. The Arc Southwest Ohio, a non-profit human rights organization that has been promoting equal opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), was founded in 1947. The organization was one of the first such chapters in the United States and has, as an independent organization, long been at the forefront of the struggle for the deinstitutionalization of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and for their full participation in our communities.

From its beginning, The Arc has been a grassroots movement. Three women from Bond Hil—Dorothy Moss, Edith Torf and Mollie Riggs —met by chance and embarked on a crusade to redirect public policy/resources to create opportunities for their children with disabilities within this community. Until that time, almost all public resources were directed to a few segregated institutions located far from the city. To secure care for a child, families were splintered and children with disabilities were often isolated and raised outside of their family’s

home.

Those three families formed the Hamilton County Council for Retarded Children (HCCRC), later known as The Association for Retarded Citizens, The Arc Hamilton County and today, The Arc Southwest Ohio.

One of the first things the group did was visit the Cincinnati Board of Education to ask for special classes for children previously excluded from public schools by law due to IQ scores below 50. After much negotiation, The Board agreed to create two “experimental classes” locally. These efforts were the earliest examples of the organization’s capacity to advocate/impact public policy change.

The parents agreed to pay $4,500 for transportation, no small sum in those days. HCCRC’s first development task was to raise the $500 a month it had promised The Board of Education. The group scrambled for every penny, holding paper drives, candy and rummage sales, card parties, bingo, and recycling nylons.

Later, the organization approached the medical community. With the assistance of Drs. Josef Warkany and Jack Rubinstein at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, a

Diagnostic Clinic was established.

From the chance meeting of three mothers and out of those modest beginnings grew the disabilities movement in this community as it exists today.

“The Arc has a long and proud history,” said Mark Shannon, executive director of The Arc. “Every organization in this community— including Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services, the organizations dedicated to individual diagnoses, the specialized recreation programs, and the career exploration/job training initiatives— trace their roots to The Arc movement and the vision of its founders.

“There is much for which all can be proud. Lives have been both extended and enriched. Those that once were not included may now be recognized as valued friends and neighbors with much to contribute. The Arc is grateful to all who have supported its efforts with their time, talent and/or treasure.

“The Arc challenges the community to continue to recognize/celebrate its own diversity and include individuals with I/DD as it plans for its future and dedicates its resources.”

FOOD / AUTOS • 21

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Zell’s seder tips Zell’s Bites

by Zell Schulman Spring is in the air, and thoughts of spring cleaning come to mind. It’s time to update my kitchen pantry. Looking at my calendar, I realize the first Passover seder begins at sundown Friday, April 6. I’m not sure I’m ready to even think about Passover and all of its preparations. The past few years, I’ve celebrated Passover in Cynthiana, Ky. with my daughter, Karen and her husband, Avi. All I had to bring was myself and the Sephardic haroset. Earlier in the week I received a call from her, to let me know she and her family were invited for the first seder by close friends in Lexington, Ky.

The most important part of a seder is telling the story of the Exodus and making sure the children understand.

With the help of my Passover cookbook, “Passover Seders Made Simple,” I’ll prepare seder the first night for my son and his family and we’ll drive to Kentucky for the second seder.

The most important part of a seder is telling the story of the Exodus and making sure the children understand. The following list may be helpful in planning and shopping for the seder. Don’t push the panic button! These tips may take away the last minute stress.

FOR THE COOK Make a master list of cooking

ingredients and beverages.

Include several bottles of sparkling grape juice.

On a separate sheet, write down recipes and cookbook pages you will be using and post it where you will see it.

Check your menu. Determine the cookware, serving pieces and storage containers you’ll need.

Check items you need to rent or borrow well in advance.

Prepare the “Do-Ahead” and freezer recipes first.

Check delis and specialty stores carrying Passover products for carry-out entrées, side dishes, cakes, cookies and desserts which may be available.

Create checklists for ceremonial items and table-setting needs.

Make sure all your appliances are in good working order.

Make name tags for each item on your menu. Place them on your serving pieces, so you or anyone helping you knows how each piece is to be filled.

Contact a college, high school or church near you to find someone to hire that can help with the dishes or keep the children happy.

Make a “Pick-up” list which may include specialty shops, a caterer, or items not prepared at home.

Empty ice cubes trays into plastic bags and keep in the freezer. If serving more than eight, purchase a bag of ice.

CEREMONIAL PORTION OF THE SEDER Read through the Haggadah you plan to use to familiarize yourself with the story.

Give each person a chance to read.

Choose those prayers and songs which appeal to you.

Children’s participation is very important at the seder. Assign the children their parts in advance so they will feel comfortable reading them.

Using pretty paper or plastic plates and small glasses for the ceremonial portion of the Seder is fine. There will be fewer dishes to wash and the wine may not get spilled on the tablecloth.

Since Passover is the holiday of religious freedom, invite participation by your guests. Ask each one to share a short thought on “What being free means to me.”

Try to include a newcomer to the community, widow or widower, or a college student to share your seder with you.

2013 Lexus GS—The new face of Lexus It seems luxury automobile makers Audi, Acura, BMW, Infinity, Mercedes and the recent emergent Hyundai have left Lexus in the dust. Think again!

Introducing the new 2013 GS line, the new face of Lexus. The all-new GS was engineered from the ground up to provide performance and handling that invigorates, next-generation technology that empowers you to do more, and unforgettable styling inside and out. From this car forward, Lexus will never be the same.

Do you remember the Michael Jackson video Billie Jean?

Remember how every step Michael took the ground would light up? With this Lexus GS you get that experience. You feel like you are turning on a space ship.

As you approach, the ground is illuminated in soft white light from the side mirrors. The new LED dome and rear lamps begin to glow, inviting you in. As you unlock the doors, the analog LED clock and ambient lights in the door trim and foot wells come to life. Press the ignition button and the base of the Remote Touch* device glows, the display animation begins and the gauge clusters are revealed. The welcoming sequence culminates with the shift lever being lit from above.

The driver truly gets the most fun. You can choose your own level of driver intensity with three modes that not only effect the car’s driving, but the atmosphere within.

ECO mode, a calming blue

www.lexus.com

2013 Lexus GS 350

light, surrounds the gauge cluster while the throttle response and engine power output are moderated for increased fuel efficiency.

The climate settings are also optimized by periodically switching to recirculation mode to reduce ventilation loss and even using the heated seat function for more efficient warming.

The Sport S mode changes the gauge cluster lighting to a fiery red and alters the powertrain for faster gear changes and more dynamic throttle mapping. Available Sport S+ mode goes a step further by also tightening the suspension and increasing steering response. In both modes, the transmission’s shift points are automatically altered coming into and out of corners for sharper acceleration.

While other companies were

worried about the luxury within, Lexus was worried about the luxury of one’s life. While an ordinary crash test dummy can provide 119 data points, Lexus uses digital models comprised of millions. The result of such an innovative approach to safety: The GS is equipped with a class-leading 10-airbag system that includes an all-new side airbag design to help provide additional support for the rib cage and upper arm. And, to help decrease the severity of whiplash-type injuries, new Whiplash Injury Lessening (WIL) front seats are designed to absorb some of the force of the impact by pushing backward in certain rear collisions.

The MSRP of the GS350 is $46,900 and $52,590 for the GS350 F Sport.

Remember as you clean for Passover, Performace Lexus offers your Lexus Free Lifetime Car Washes.

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22 • OBITUARIES D EATH N OTICES MARKOV, Alex, age 85, died on March 14, 2012; 20 Adar, 5772.

GOTTSCHALK, Deanna Zeff, age 73, died on March 16, 2012; 23 Adar, 5772.

SHOOTING from page 9 told JointMedia News Service that the Jewish community’s relationship with the NYPD “is extremely strong.”

“Synagogues could not have better protection,” he said.

COMMUNITY from page 9 She said that the Paris-born rabbi killed in the attack, Jonathan Sandler, 30, was an enormously well-liked teacher who had just begun work at the school in July.

Not everyone knew that he was an alumnus of Ozar Hatorah and, after 10 years of study and training in Israel, had decided to return.

“He wanted to give back to this school who had given him so much,” Yardeni said.

She spoke to reporters through tears on Monday after viewing the surveillance tape of the shooting.

Witnesses described the gunman as “calm” and “determined” as he pulled up to the school, dismounted without taking off his helmet, and started shooting. He first shot Sandler along with his two sons, Aryeh, 6, and Gavriel, 3, as they waited for a minibus to take them to their nursery.

When the first of the killer’s two BEERSHEVA from page 10 “But it becomes standard and you get used to it awfully quick, which is sad, but it’s reality,” she added.

“During this whole period, your daily life is on hold,” said Barbara Shuker, who made aliyah in 1983 after graduating from Stanford University. She works in Beersheva and lives 20 miles away in Meitar.

A supervisor of occupational therapists with the Ministry of Education, her nerves were tested on March 11, the third day of the incoming missiles, when she was leaving her office.

“I was on my way to my car when the siren sounded. I was caught between not being in a building and not close enough to get back into one,” she said. “The next step is you’re taught to crouch down next to a building. So I stood next to one of the buildings with some other people. You don’t know what to do. It’s not the best feeling or experience.”

Shuker, a New Orleans native, said she was more than happy to stay home from work the next two days.

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

Potasnik said the New York Board of Rabbis sought an immediate meeting with French officials to express its “outrage.”

Speaking on behalf of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, President Richard Stone and Executive Vice Chairman Malcolm Hoenlein said, “We are outraged at this savage act against schoolchildren who were waiting outside their school building at the beginning of the day. Not only did the shooter attack children at the entrance to the building but he also chased them inside…. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community of Toulouse and the entire Jewish community of France.”

The Orthodox Union (OU) also expressed solidarity with the

French Jewish community, saying, “All Jews feel responsible for each other, and never more keenly when any of our brethren come under attack for no reason except that they are Jews. The horrific murders today of four Jews in Toulouse, France, were an attack on all Jews everywhere. “ In an interview with JointMedia News Service, OU Managing Director Rabbi Stephen Burg said, “To see something so cold-hearted done to children scares us. It makes you realize that there are those capable of doing something like this. Nothing is off limits.”

Burg said all OU-associated synagogues and schools have safety protocols in place. The greatest threat, he said, is that of “copycats.”

“It is the greatest fear in the world,” he said. “The lone wolf is the most dangerous — anyone can pick up a gun.”

Security in Toulouse The Jews of Toulouse in southern France had so little to fear that six months ago, they decided they did not need a guard at the entrance to the Ozar Hatorah Jewish day school, where Monday’s shooting took place.

“Everyone thought the security cameras and the iron door were enough,” a Jewish resident of the city told Israel Hayom on Monday.

“A little after 8 a.m. that day, their confidence turned out to be exaggerated, and gave way to deep shock.”

The OU’s Burg cautioned that,

guns jammed, he reached for a second and continued shooting as he chased pupils into the schoolyard, witnesses said. He cornered 8-yearold Miriam Monsonego, the daughter of school principal Yaacov Monsonego, and shot her in the head. He also shot a 17-year-old boy who remained hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday.

Police say the killer used the same weapon used in the shooting last week of the three French paratroopers of North African and Caribbean origin in the Toulouse area.

France’s Interior Minister said Tuesday that surveillance tapes at the school showed the killer wore a video camera around his neck but said they do not yet know if he was recording his own carnage.

Official reaction around the world to the attack was swift. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack had a “strong, murderous anti-Semitic motive.” The

Vatican called it a “heinous” crime, and the White House called it “outrageous and unprovoked.”

However, remarks by European Commission Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton about the attack in

Other people felt the same stress. With all but one school and many businesses closed in the city, some residents evacuated to safer areas, and Boehm said probably half of BGU’s 19,000 students on the Beersheva campus returned to their family homes in Tel Aviv and central Israel.

Several bombs did hit, including one at an elementary school that was closed and one in a suburb. Some Thai workers who opted to keep playing basketball rather than seek shelter were injured, according to reports. After an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire March 13, the rocket attacks resumed.

En route to Beersheva, the visiting journalists were given instructions from the BGU security department about what to do when a siren sounds.

“I will tell you that the safest place to be in Beersheva is on the Ben-Gurion University campus; there is always a safe room right around the corner, or even closer,” said Faye Bittker, BGU’s director of communications. The group stayed in a four-story guesthouse

on campus, with a bomb shelter on ground level next door.

Earlier that day, Bittker was caught in what missile-savvy Israelis know is one of the worst places to be during an air-raid siren: in your car driving. It sounded when she was two miles from campus and about 150 yards from the spot where a Gaza-launched missile during Operation Cast Lead severely injured three people, including a 7-year-old boy.

“I had a mini nervous breakdown,” said Bittker, who got out of her car but didn’t follow procedure by lying down on the road (“I was wearing dry-clean-only pants,” she said).

Malinek was on the road a lot during the scare, as she worked during the three days classes were canceled and has a 30-mile commute each way. When she drives home from BGU, she actually heads toward Gaza.

“I was very nervous,” she said.

“I drove with the window down a bit so I could hear the siren.”

Rivka Carmi, the president of Ben-Gurion University, met with the touring journalists on March 12,

ostensibly to talk about the university’s growth and achievements in science and technology. But during the interview she constantly checked her phone for updates from the Home Front Command, as the decision to cancel classes for a third straight day was looming.

“I really hope you feel safe here,” she told the group. “Up until now the statistics work very beautifully for us: There has never been a hit on campus.”

Carmi said the missile scares “portray real life in Israel in general, and here in the Negev in particular.”

The university was scheduled March 11 to start a new semester, which in Israel also entails a round of “second-chance” exams from the previous semester. Seventy exams had to be canceled that day, as did a big Purim party. Only a few students could be seen on what should have been a bustling campus.

Carmi, a celebrated geneticist who did groundbreaking research on the Negev’s Arab-Bedouin population, said “one-third of the population is in some kind of post-traumatic situation. You can hear it over

Courtesy of Flash90/JTA

Rabbi Jonathan Sandler and his two sons, Arieh, left, and Gabriel, were killed in the shooting at the Ozar Hatorah School in Toulouse, France. The rabbi’s wife is holding their daughter.

“People need to be vigilant and to know what security measures are in place. Keep asking: What are we doing to keep our communities safe?”

In that vein, the Jewish Federations of North America-affiliated Secure Community Network (SCN) — which partners with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and 56 major Jewish organizations — provides free security training at their website.

SCN’s 24/7 online training includes information on how to respond to an active shooter, security awareness, how to handle a suspicious package, and how to answer a bomb call.

This article was written by Maxine Dovere and Israel Hayom.

Toulouse angered some.

“The days when we remember young people who have been killed in all sorts of terrible circumstances — the Belgian children having lost their lives in a terrible tragedy and when we think of what happened in Toulouse today, when we remember what happened in Norway a year ago, when we know what is happening in Syria, when we see what is happening in Gaza and Sderot and in different parts of the world – we remember young people and children who lose their lives.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called the statements “inappropriate” and asked Ashton to reexamine and retract them.

Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak also criticized Ashton.

Ashton said her remarks had been “distorted” and that she drew “no parallel, no parallel whatsoever between the circumstances of the Toulouse attack and the situation in Gaza.” the TV that people are scared, young people. It affects the whole psyche. It’s not just about going to a class; the effect is not being able to study in a comfortable environment and not sleeping well.”

Boehm wasn’t one of the scared ones. She opted to stay in Beersheva rather than return to her parents’ home in Omer, which is a safer distance from Gaza.

“Most parents would prefer that their kids come home,” she said.

“But I won’t leave. People really come together in such a crisis. They volunteer, they are nicer to each other. There’s a real spirit.”

“Israelis are very trained how to cope, and that’s my biggest message to you today,” said Bittker.

“My message to you is not to panic.

Nobody who has followed commands to go into a safe center has been hurt. Always know where your closest shelter is.”

Andy Altman-Ohr, managing editor at j., was on the Murray Fromson Media Mission of the American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, from March 10 to 15.

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