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Peter Sagal, the witty host of the popular travelling PBS television show, “Constitution USA,” and “Wait,Wait…Don’t Tell Me” on NPR will speak at the Mayerson JCC on Constitution Day—Tuesday, September 17 at 8 p.m. He will share his colorful commentary on current events and the stories that NPR and PBS wouldn’t or couldn’t broadcast! This uproarious and unforgettable evening will give a behind the scenes look at the making of “Constitution USA.”
Sagal will discuss his meetings with scholars, experts, medical marijuana activists, gun enthusiasts, the plaintiffs in the same sex marriage case before the US Supreme Court, and the day he brought MinnieJean Brown, one of the Little Rock Nine, back to Little Rock Central High School. He'll tell stories of the material PBS wouldn't or couldn't broadcast, and how his opinion of this country and its founding document radically changed during his journey. All that, plus stories from backstage
at “Wait, Wait...” Sagal is known for combining tough issues with humor. On “Wait, Wait…” Sagal mixes oneliners with a kind of endearing pedantry. He jokes with callers and comedian guests about current events and is heard by more than 3 million people every week, broadcast on 620 public radio stations nationwide and via a popular podcast. This hour long show captivates news junkies across the country with its lighthearted approach to current events, and
has become the biggest and most beloved weekend radio phenomenon. Sagal is also a graduate of Harvard University, has worked as a literary manager for a regional theater, has been a stage director, an actor, an extra in a Michael Jackson video, travel writer, an essayist, and a staff writer for a motorcycle magazine. Tickets are now on sale online and by phone for this special one night event.
Happy Rosh Hashanah to you and your family
9555 Main Street, Montgomery OH 45242 • 513-793-0133 • www.jamesfree.com
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Hebrew classes for everyone Have you ever wanted to learn and speak Hebrew, but were worried about the level you were at? Do you know little to no Hebrew? If you’re interested in taking Hebrew classes, there are beginner to advanced classes available. There will be an open house for people interested in joining beginner, intermediate and advanced Hebrew classes on Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Rockwern Academy, 8401 Montgomery Road – Room 138. Starting Oct. 3, Zahava Rendler is teaching beginner, intermediate and advanced
Hebrew classes at Rockwern Academy. This class will happen each Thursday beginning Oct. 3 to Nov. 21; continuing Dec 5 through the 19th (11 classes). Mrs. Rendler has been teaching various Hebrew classes in the Cincinnati Jewish community for over 30 years. She teaches children and adults, anyone who wants to learn Hebrew. The beginners class starts at 7 p.m. and the intermediate class starts at 8 p.m. These classes will end at 9 p.m. It doesn’t matter what level of Hebrew you are at, anyone wanting to learn and speak
Hebrew can join. If there is only one class, the class will last 1 and 1 1/2 hours – 7 to 8:30 p.m. – with a break of 5 minutes in the middle. If there are two classes (one section for beginners and another section for intermediate/advanced), then there will be 1 hour class for each section – 7 to 8 p.m. for the beginners and 8:05 to 9:05 for the intermediate/advanced. Contact Zahava Rendler or the American Israelite for more information.
Alterations of Springdale NOW has a second location! WE CAN DO ALL OF YOUR ALTERATIONS! WEDDING DRESSES, NEW SUIT, OLD SUIT, NEW CLOTHES, LOST WEIGHT, ETC. 10756 Montgomery Rd • 513-429-5612 www.alterationscincinnati.com
ALTERATIONS OF SPRINGDALE
Jay Price to receive AJC award Oct. 9 Jay Price will receive the Community Service Award of American Jewish Committee’s Cincinnati Regional Office at the Initial Gifts Reception on Wednesday, Oct. 9, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Mayerson Jewish Community Center. “We selected Jay Price for this honor because of his outstanding professional and civic accomplishments,” notes Rick Michelman, AJC Cincinnati president. “Jay is devoted to strengthening community organizations, generously providing strategic advice, leadership, and wise counsel to so many agencies.” Sandy Kaltman and Guy Peri are chairing the Tribute Committee for AJC’s annual Appeal for Human Relations. The event benefits AJC’s global advocacy for the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and for the advancement of democratic values for all. Jay Price held various positions in the information technology area during his 36 years at Procter & Gamble, concluding his service as a director in the Health and Beauty Care business. He regularly conducted workshops to train employees in organizational development, team building, leadership, and diversity. Appeal co-chair Guy Peri has known Jay since his days at P&G. He says, “Jay is a transformational leader whose passion to serve is matched only by his dedication to the missions of the agencies he works with. Our Cincinnati Jewish community is in a better place thanks to Jay's leadership.” Jay Price brought his skills to his community work, chairing the Boards of the Cincinnati Hearing, Speech and Deaf Center and the Cedar Village Health Care Center. He has also served as president of AJC Cincinnati, Jewish Family Service, and Valley Temple. He is currently on the boards of Jewish Federation, Hillel, and Jewish Cemeteries, as well as serving on the national board of the Association of Jewish Aging Services. Appeal co-chair Sandy Kaltman
Jay Price
Guy Peri
Dr. Jack A. Hahn, is pleased to announce he is RELOCATING to Blue Ash and is joining The Blue Ash Dental Group. The offices are conveniently located at 4815 Cooper Rd. near the corner of Kenwood Rd., in a brand new State of the Art facility where all of your Implant and other Dental needs will be met. Please call 513-891-8555 to schedule an appointment.
Dr. Hahn and his staff wish everyone a Happy and Sweet New Year.
THE ART OF ROSH HASHANAH Jason Isaacson
Sandy Kaltman
notes, “Jay is the consummate volunteer. He brings his extensive experience and his many contacts in the business world to organizations in our community, and he helps them become the best that they can be. Our community is a better place thanks to Jay’s tireless efforts.” AJC Cincinnati President Rick Michelman explains the importance of the annual Initial Gifts Reception: “Generous donors support our efforts to build international support for Israel, find global opponents to a nuclear Iran, diminish U.S. reliance on imported oil, and reform U.S. immigration policy. Locally, AJC sponsors the Community Intergroup
Seder, Thanksgiving Diversity Lunch, and Simon Lazarus Awards for outstanding high school volunteers.” Keynote speaker Jason Isaacson is AJC’s national director of government and international affairs. He returns to Cincinnati to report on AJC’s recent thoughtful, principled global advocacy with prime ministers, presidents, foreign ministers, and ambassadors, which has earned the respect and attention of international leaders at the highest levels. To make reservations for the Initial Gifts Reception, please contact the AJC Cincinnati office.
2013 Rosh Hashanah Cover Coloring Contest entries can be seen @
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First event for JVS Career Services generates excitement, valuable advice Dozens of Jewish community members learned about career strategies from a best-selling author and traded career-related tips with each other as JVS Career Services launched a series of events for the community. People from various fields mingled and noshed at the historic Carnegie Center, then heard Donald Asher share his secrets about job searching and career advancement. Asher, who speaks about careers around the world, has studied people who are on the fast track in their careers. Those are people who are promoted every 12 to 18 months. He said they get ahead because of their career strategies as well as their job performance. Career strategy is not always based on common sense, he said. For example, he cautioned people about being irreplaceable. The reason: It’s difficult for a company to promote someone who is irreplaceable. How do you know if you’re irreplaceable? “If you go on vacation and nobody covers your work, then you’re irreplaceable.” One strategy to deal with that scenario is to train other people to do your job. Another is document and systematize your job. He also said people need to tell their boss if they want a promotion. “If your boss does not know you want a promotion, you will not be promoted.” Three to 12 months into a new job is a good time to have “The Conversation” with your supervisor. Tell your boss, “I love what I’m
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VOL. 160 • NO. 8 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013 8 TISHREI 5774 SHABBAT BEGINS FRIDAY 7:33 PM SHABBAT ENDS SATURDAY 8:34 PM
Debbie Karmel of Finneytown mingles during the networking portion of the event.
doing but I’m looking down the road….I want to move up here. What do I need to do?” He also said that people need to be flexible if they want promotions. They need to be able to add responsibilities and give them up, as needed. People who are obsessive about holding onto their responsibilities will have trouble with that approach. “You have to change what you pay attention to, quickly and immediately.” Data shows that men and women are different in their approaches to applying for jobs, he said. Most men will apply for jobs even if they don’t meet all of the posted requirements. Women rarely apply for jobs unless they meet all of the requirements. Women need to take more chances, he said. “Don’t wait until you’ve proven yourself. Just say ‘I
Career Guru Donald Asher kicked off “JVS Career Services Presents,” a new series of events for the Jewish community, with an enlightening presentation about career strategies. Dozens of people networked before and after the presentation at the historic Carnegie Center in Columbia Tusculum.
can do it’ and see what happens.” Other advice from Asher about getting promoted: • If you head a team, make sure that when you praise your team in an email, you copy your bosses. “Every time you’re praising your team, you’re praising yourself.” • Don’t be a constant complainer. Negative people don’t get ahead. “If you’re a whiner, stop – now.” • Never go over your boss’s head without your boss’s permission. • If you want to get to know managers in other parts of the company, serve on a committee that spans more than one department. “It gives you the opportunity to talk to people you’re not supposed to be talking to.” Asher also talked about related subjects, such as the hidden job market. Most job openings are not posted, he said, and those that are posted
become extremely competitive. As an experiment, he posted a fake job advertisement. “Hard work. Low pay. Bad boss. Fax your resume.” Seventy-two people applied. He reminded attendees that networking, not filling out online job applications, is the best way to get a job. Asher has a blunt speaking style, offering advice in a clear, direct way. Melanie Blumental, 28, of Symmes Township, who attended the event, said she liked that. “There’s no gray area with him.” When Asher said that “perception is reality,” she continued thinking about that after she left the event. Blumental, a marketing professional, said she’s evaluating how she presents herself so she’s perceived the JVS on page 21
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MAIL: MAIL Send CD to The American Israelite, 18 W 9th St Ste 2, Cincinnati, OH 45202 or E-MAIL: E-MAIL production@americanisraelite.com Please make sure to include a Word doc. that includes the captions, if available, and a short synopsis of the event (date, place, reason, etc.). If sending photos by e-mail, please send them in batches of 3-5 per e-mail (16MB MAX). All photos should be Hi-Res to ensure print quality. THIS IS 100% FREE. For more information, please contact Jennifer at (513) 621-3145. All photos are subject to review before publishing.
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Rockdale Sukkot service to feature Robert Frost sermon As the first official event in the celebration of its 190th anniversary, on Friday, September 20, Rockdale Temple will have a special Sukkot service and dinner. The service, led by Rabbi Sissy Coran, will include excerpts from a sermon delivered by poet Robert Frost at Rockdale in 1946, also during Sukkot. Frost, whose religious life has been described as “something of a mystery,” was a close friend of Victor E. Reichert, Rockdale’s rabbi for more than 60 years of the 20th century. The Reichert’s owned a cottage in Vermont near where Frost lived, and the two
men shared both friendship and philosophies. Any Rockdale congregant during the Reichert era can recall the rabbi often quoting Robert Frost in his sermons. Frost’s visit in 1946 was well-documented, and the sermon has been recovered from the archives for this upcoming occasion. The Sukkot service on September 20 starts at 6:15 p.m., is open to the public, and will include a pot-luck dinner sponsored by Rockdale Temple’s Brotherhood and Women of Reform Judaism. For dinner reservations and more informa-
tion, please call the Temple office. Rockdale Temple (Congregation K.K. Bene Israel) was founded in 1824 and is celebrating “190 Years of Forward Thinking” with a series of special events from now through next summer. The anniversary committee is co-chaired by Jane Garfield and Aaron Herzig. All events and programs throughout the year are open to the public. Please call the temple office for the full listing of programs and activities.
Wise Temple Senior Adults kick off fall events with Sukkot brunch The Isaac M. Wise Temple Senior Adults recently unveiled their plans for the fall of 2013. The calendar is filled with a combination of social, educational, and religious activities. The Wise Temple Senior Adult Committee was formed more than 16 years ago, when several members of the professional and lay-leadership realized how beneficial it would be to have programs specifically available to the older adult population. Since that time, the committee has blossomed into a vibrant and
active group that sponsors monthly events for senior adults. This year, the Senior Adult Committee, led by Kathy and Pete Teitelman, has arranged for a wide array of programming. On Thursday, September 19, members of the committee will help lead the Isaac M. Wise Temple Sukkot Morning Service. Following the service, there will be a special Sukkot brunch, which will feature a talk by Wise Temple Rabbi Karen Thomashow who will speak on the subject of “History of Women in the
The Spirit of Tafari The Boards and Staff of Elementz Urban Arts and Temple Sholom are thrilled to announce the film screening of a trailer for a groundbreaking documentary: The Spirit of Tafari. This collaboration between Elementz and Temple Sholom shows the beauty of the unlikely connection between Tafari McDade, a 22 year-old Cincinnati rapper, and Werner Coppel who, as a Jewish teenager, survived Germany’s infamous Auschwitz during the 1940s. The Spirit of Tafari is a documentary that tells the story of a young hip hop artist pursuing his dreams and redefining his life at Cincinnati's center for urban arts, Elementz. Tafari embodies the story of many inner-city youth: living in an abusive family situation without his biological father, impacted by rampant crime in his neighborhood, eventually he dropped out of high school. Tafari chose to express himself through songwriting: songs of inspiration and insight, about living life in Cincinnati’s rough urban core. He made a conscious effort to find
his voice with the help of Elementz and the community: to make peace with his past, work in the present, and carve a path to a successful future. This compelling story will be narrated by Werner Coppel, who came to Elementz with a group from Temple Sholom to learn about inner city life and the art of documentary film-making. In the process, he met and started filming a short documentary about one of the young innercity artists at Elementz, Tafari McDade. After getting to know Tafari, Mr. Coppel found similarities to his own story of having to heal from a difficult past and find a supportive community to help him through life. Elementz and Temple Sholom cordially invite the community to attend a screening of The Spirit of Tafari trailer on Tuesday September 10th, 7-8 p.m. at Elementz. The screening will include a special presentation by Tafari, Werner Coppel, Elementz Creative Director Abdullah Powell and the film production team for the documentary.
Rabbinate.” Other highlights of the fall season include a trip to the American Sign Museum, a talk on Jews in the Military, and a Chanukah party. All of these programs are sponsored by the Wise Temple Senior Adults, but are open to everyone, regardless of age. If you wish to learn more about the Wise Temple Senior Adults and their other upcoming events, please contact Wise Temple.
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As new year approaches, N.Y. community devastated by Hurricane Sandy still rebuilding By Talia Lavin Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK – Nine months ago, Natalia Demidova crouched on the second floor of her Staten Island home and watched her neighbor’s SUV race a 10-foot wave down the street. The wave crashed through Demidova’s quiet residential block in the South Beach neighborhood and flooded her home with more than two feet of water. Demidova is among the many residents of South Beach still struggling to restore the life she had before Hurricane Sandy hit the northeastern United States last October. For most of the past year,
she has been living with her family in a hotel while working to repair her severely damaged home. She had hoped to be able to move back last week, but instead will be spending the High Holidays in the hotel. “My 6-year-old, sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night asking, will it happen again? Will there be another storm?” Demidova told JTA. Like so many communities devastated by the superstorm, the Jewish community of South Beach has spent nearly a year rebuilding. Still, much remains to be done. Last week, the Jewish Russian Learning Center, a Chabad-affiliated synagogue that opened in the
neighborhood less than a year before Sandy, held an information session that aimed to guide homeowners through the maze of funds, tax breaks and remunerative opportunities available to the storm’s victims. The center also held a benefit concert in early August for itself. “In the beginning, we gave out clothing and tried to help with emergency efforts,” said Esther Kushnirsky, who founded the center in Staten Island, a New York City borough, with her husband, Zeev. “Now there are different things to consider, like debt and trauma. Everyone is just trying to manage.” Since the storm, Kushnirsky and his wife have found themselves
serving many roles in the community’s revitalization, from emergency response to guiding families through the financial challenges of rebuilding. Children’s events at the center have featured counseling from Project Hope, a program of Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services that helps children heal from the trauma of the storm. Shlomi Yagur, a South Beach resident and tugboat operator who worked in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and during the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, said the damage to his neighborhood “was one of the worst things I have ever seen.” Yagur said the Kushnirskys have
been very helpful in the aftermath of Sandy. He and his neighbors continue to rebuild and renovate after the storm, doing everything from replanting destroyed gardens to ripping up and rebuilding water-ravaged basements. The Jewish Russian Learning Center, he says, has helped his community come together. The Kushnirskys are making accommodations for a community saddled with the crushing debt associated with Sandy, offering many programs for free or at a steep discount for storm victims, Esther Kushnirsky said. They include a Hebrew school program to begin after Rosh Hashanah.
Jewish groups back Obama on Syria, but downplay Israel angle By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON – Jewish groups backing President Obama’s call to strike Syria militarily are citing moral outrage and U.S. national security as primary considerations, but concern for Israel – however muted – also looms large in their thinking. A lingering sensitivity over misrepresentations of the role of the proIsrael community in the lead-up to the Iraq War in 2003 kept Jewish groups from weighing in on Syria until it was clear that President Obama was determined to strike. Now that same sensitivity is leading
National Briefs Ron Paul condemned over speaking engagement for anti-Semitic fringe Catholic group (JNS) Ron Paul, a former Texas congressman and Republican presidential candidate, has been condemned for plans to speak at a conference hosted by the Fatima Center, an anti-Semitic fringe Catholic group. “For Ron Paul to associate himself with such a disreputable, hateful religious movement is simply beyond comprehension,” American Jewish Committee (AJC) Executive Director David Harris said in a statement. According to AJC, the Fatima Center is a fringe Catholic group led by Father Nicholar Grunner, who was suspended by the Catholic Church in 1996. Grunner rejects Nostra Aetate, a Second Vatican Council ruling that disavowed antiSemitism and ushered in a new era of positive Jewish-Catholic relations.
them to downplay any mention of Israel. Officials of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, finishing up a conference call Tuesday afternoon with top security advisers to Obama, waited until the White House staffers were off the call before urging constituent organizations not to make their statements “Israel-centric.” Notably, Israel was not mentioned in any of the three statements that emerged immediately following the conference call, which was convened to solidify support for Obama’s call for a strike. The statements – from the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee and the Anti-Defamation League as well as the Presidents Conference – only alluded to Israel. “America’s allies and adversaries are closely watching the outcome of this momentous vote,” the AIPAC statement said. “This critical decision comes at a time when Iran is racing toward obtaining nuclear capability. Failure to approve this resolution would weaken our country’s credibility to prevent the use and proliferation of unconventional weapons and thereby greatly endanger our country’s security and interests and those of our regional allies.” The statements focused on the need to contain a nation that has
crossed a red line by using chemical weapons against its citizens. “Those who perpetuate such acts of wanton murder must know that they cannot do so with impunity,” the Presidents Conference statement said. “Those who possess or seek weapons of mass destruction, particularly Iran and Hezbollah, must see that there is accountability.” Israel nonetheless loomed large in an off-the-record conference call between Jewish officials and two of Obama’s top national security advisers. One Jewish official asked whether the United States would assist militarily should Syria attack Israel. (The answer: Yes, but it is the U.S. assessment that Syrian
President Bashar Assad is not that reckless.) One of the White House officials repeatedly emphasized that acting to keep Syria from using chemical weapons was a critical step to keeping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The vocal support of American Jews comes as Obama ramps up efforts to win congressional support for a military strike. On Tuesday, the president met with top congressional officials and repeated his appeal to support limited strikes on Syria to degrade its chemical weapons capability. Over the weekend, Obama
Paul, who planned to deliver the keynote address at the Fatima Center gala dinner on Sept. 11, is known for his staunch libertarian and isolationist views, including reducing American military aid to Israel.
alleged Islamist ties (JNS) A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed on the Syrian civil war that argues “moderate opposition forces” are leading the fight against the Assad regime was penned by an author who works for a group with alleged Islamist ties. Elizabeth O’Bagy, identified by the Wall Street Journal as senior analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, wrote in her op-ed that the Syrian civil war “is not being waged entirely, or even predominantly, by dangerous Islamists and al Qaeda die-hards.” But Daniel Greenfield wrote Sept. 4 for FrontPage Magazine that the Wall Street Journal op-ed did not disclose that O’Bagy is also the political director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force—making her an advocate, not just an analyst, on the issue she wrote about. The task force’s board of directors includes officials of the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Muslim American Society, the Hamaslinked Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center mosque, and the Council of Islamic Organizations of Chicago, which advocates for a boycott of Israel.
(JNS) A developer who in 2008 created a video game based on the Holocaust that was rejected by Nintendo said he will raise funds online and release the game for smartphone users next year. Luc Bernard, 26, designed a game called “Imagination is the Only Escape” about a Jewish boy named Samuel, who in France in 1942 hides in the forest and creates a fantasy world to escape the deportation to death camps transpiring around him. Most of the game takes place inside Samuel’s fantasy world, and “every time reality comes back, it sort of just slaps you in the face,” Bernard said. Bernard’s mother is Jewish, and his British grandmother took care of Jewish orphans after the war, the New York Times reported. Nintendo originally rejected the game, deeming it unfit for children, but the goal of the game was to inspire children to learn about the Holocaust, Bernard said, according to the World Jewish Congress.
alleged use of chemical weapons. Meanwhile, Assad said in an interview that he did not use chemical weapons against his citizens, CBS reported Sunday. “There has been no evidence that I used chemical weapons against my own people,” Assad said in the interview conducted in Damascus, according to the network's news program “Face the Nation” announcing the interview a day before its airing.
Washington-Idaho line ad from StandWithUs counters call to end U.S. aid to Israel (JNS) A billboard initiated by the pro-Israel education group StandWithUs went up Sept. 10 on the Washington-Idaho state line and will be posted for one month, countering an advertisement that calls for an end to U.S. aid to Israel. The pro-Israel billboard on the border of the cities of Spokane (Washington) and Coeur d’Alene (Idaho), organized by StandWithUs in partnership with the Spokane Coalition for Israel, includes the text “America & Israel. Shared Values— Defending Freedom.” The antiIsrael ad, erected by Spokane Veterans for Peace (SVP), leaves out “context and pertinent facts,” StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein said. WSJ op-ed depicting Syrian rebels as moderate written by author from group with
Holocaust video game to be released next year
AIPAC to lobby lawmakers for limited Syria strike (JTA) – AIPAC officials reportedly said the pro-Israel group will lobby U.S. lawmakers to authorize a retaliatory strike on Syria for its
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Ex-camp counselor at yeshiva-run camp withdrawing guilty plea in abuse case (JTA) A former counselor at a summer camp run by a yeshiva in Lakewood, N.J., wants to withdraw his guilty plea on charges of sexually abusing a male camper. Yosef Kolko, 39, pleaded guilty in May, on the third day of his trial, to aggravated sexual assault, attempted aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and child endangerment while he was a counselor at a camp run by the Yeshiva Bais Hatorah School. Kolko’s attorney filed a motion last week to withdraw his guilty plea, saying he had been pressured by his Orthodox Jewish community to enter the plea.
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At Sukkot, turning oy into the season of joy By Edmon J. Rodman Jewish Telegraphic Agency LOS ANGELES – In open opposition to Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), which tells us on Sukkot “there is nothing new under the sun,” I decided to build a solar sukkah this fall. To energize my plan, I went to the 99 Cent Store to buy some solar yard lights to adapt for use on the roof. However, while driving home and accessing the construction work required for the upcoming holiday, I realized that my sukkah was not the only thing that was low energy. I had put up our sukkah umpteen years in a row, and this year I was thinking about giving the shack building a rest. The solar idea was nice, but in the end it wasn’t enough – just an artificial way of rekindling my interest in what had become an annual task. Couldn’t we just manage an invite from a couple of the families we had invited into our sukkah in previous years? Not an option: Among our friends there was a sukkah shortage. Over time, it seems, people get so used to visiting your sukkah that they lose touch with building their own. Sukkot is supposed to be “the season of our joy,” but after the chest pounding, shofar blowing and pleading for my life, the joy this year was hard to find. Was there a way to reset my spiritual clock and get my sukkah built? Psychology tells us that motiva-
tion comes in two forms: “intrinsic,” an internal desire to perform a particular task that gives us pleasure, like knowing that putting up a sukkah is a mitzvah, and “extrinsic,” factors external and unrelated to a particular task, but a kind of reward, like praise from friends for putting up a sukkah. Searching for motivation, I read where a college rabbi at Duke had run a program called “Sex and the Sukkah.” It certainly piqued my interest (though I was confused as to whether the motivation was extrinsic or intrinsic). Apparently sex is part of the mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah. But we don’t even sleep out there, and my wife wondered nervously about the neighbors. With our children in their 20s, the motivation of putting up the sukkah for them was missing, too. Balancing on a ladder in our shaky shack just so we could hang the decorations they made in school was no longer a starter. Hanging signs of their more recent achievements – term papers, pay stubs and renderings (one of them is studying to be an architect) – was an interesting updating of the tradition, but I didn’t think the public display would be appreciated. Since with each day the pile of weathered boards and rolls of bamboo seemed to be receding farther and farther into the depths of my garage, and wondering if others might be having a similar problem, I sat down to interview a psychologist. “A lack of motivation and apathy
Brooklyn’s ‘crazy chicken lady’ making progress in fighting kapparot ritual By Orli Santo NEW YORK (JTA) – For years, Rina Deych was treated like she was crazy. Fighting the Yom Kippur ritual of kapparot, she was told things had always been this way and if she kept up the battle, she would only incite antiSemitism. Year after year, people would kindly suggest she find another hobby. Cats, maybe. But today, the Brooklyn nurse and animal rights activist believes the tide is finally turning. “I’m not an optimist by nature,” Deych told JTA. “But I believe that I will live to see the day when chickens are no longer used for kapparot.” Animal rights groups long have protested kapparot, an ancient ritual in which a chicken is swung over the head and then slaughtered in a symbolic transference of a person’s sins in advance of the Jewish Day of Atonement. The protests had little effect. In recent years, however, a small
but growing number of rabbis have spoken out against a ritual that continues to be practiced by tens of thousands of mostly Orthodox Jews around the world. Last week, the recently elected Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, David Lau, warned kapparot organizers that the failure to treat animals decently is a violation of religious law. And a number of other prominent rabbis have expressed concern that the ritual, in which chickens are hauled into dense urban centers by the truckload, makes it virtually impossible to adhere to the principle of “tzaar baalei chayim,” which prohibits inflicting suffering on animals. “People are starting to think twice about the whole thing,” Deych said. While many Jews perform kapparot with money or fish, some prefer the live chicken – the meat is donated to charity after slaughter. Many hasidic groups believe the slaughter is what delivers the necessary spiritual punch in advance of the day when tradition says one’s destiny in the year ahead is sealed.
could be a sign of depression,” said Rae Freed, a clinical social worker in private practice in Los Angeles who sees patients of all ages. Depression could show itself through “a lack of energy, fatigue, in difficulty in making a decision or lack of focus.” As we talked about the social component of the sukkah – inviting over guests – Freed suggested that potential sukkah builders might think the effort requires “too much energy to participate in a social interaction.” “That sounded about right,” I thought, thinking of the effort it took in past years to call people to negotiate the “right” night. Freed also spoke about seasonal depression that comes with the shortening of days from a Jewish point of view. “You build up to the High Holy Days, spending time with family, and afterwards feel the loss,” she said. “Especially when they live on the other side of the county or have passed away,” I thought. Over time, “age and strength” become factors as well, Freed said. “Yeah, that too,” I thought, then asked, “How do you get over it?” For Freed, simply pretending and putting on a “mask of joy” was not going to cover it. She countered my question with questions: “Ask yourself, how did you feel in the past when you did that? Was it positive?” “Having guests over did make me feel good,” I thought. Explaining further, Freed suggested that even if you don’t feel like
doing something, it might be motivating to remember the pleasure the activity brought, especially the communal associations. Recall the “memories of earlier Sukkots,” said Freed, who pleasantly recalled that she had spent her teen years living in an art deco hotel run by her father that catered to vacationing Jews in south Miami Beach, Fla. I remembered having in several groups of people the previous year. It was kind of like running a sukkah hotel – tons of work, yet they sang, played instruments and filled our
evenings with camaraderie. “People feel alone and isolated if they are not surrounded by family,” Freed said, and suggesting the sukkah is a way of “bringing together a temporary family.” “A temporary structure for a temporary family,” I thought. Later, thinking over Freed’s words, my low energy thoughts dissipated. Going into the recesses of my garage, I found what it would take to build my sukkah.
8 • INTERNATIONAL
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U.S.-Israel missile test rebuked by Russia
Russia’s Syria chemical weapons plan draws skepticism from Israel
By Staff
By JNS Staff JNS
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS) – Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov summoned the Israeli and American military attaches in Moscow to rebuke them for last week’s U.S.-Israel missile test, voicing his displeasure with the fact that Israel and the U.S. did not notify Russia about the test, the news agency RIA Novosti reported. “I don’t completely understand how someone could play with arms and missiles in that region today,” Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said during a press conference. Israel’s Homa Administration in the Defense Ministry’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure (MAFAT), in cooperation with the U.S.
(JNS) – Israeli officials reacted with skepticism to the plan proposed by Russia on Monday to transfer Syria’s chemical weapons to international supervision. Army Radio reported that Israeli leaders believe the proposed deal by Russia, Syria’s ally, should be approached with caution because it may be a manipulative tactic meant only to avert a U.S. strike. The deal – which Russia proposed after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry suggested, in comments later described by the State Department as “rhetorical,” that Syrian President Bashar alAssad could avoid a military strike by surrendering his chemical weapons – does not punish Syria for using chemical weapons against civilians. Israeli President Shimon Peres warned that the Syrians,
International Briefs Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations have nine-month timetable, U.S. reiterates (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS) Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) should strive to strike a permanent peace agreement within nine months, a statement by the U.S. State Department said Sunday, reiterating the original timetable for Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations that the Obama administration established in July. The statement was released shortly after Secretary of State John Kerry met in Paris with a ministerial delegation assigned by the Arab League’s Peace Initiative Committee. The delegation included the foreign ministers and permanent Arab League representatives of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and was chaired by Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby. Pro-Syria hackers publish 165,000 Israelis’ information (JNS) A pro-Syrian hacking group breached Israeli and American websites and released the personal information of more than 165,000 Israelis. The largest breached website in the organized cyberattack was a site
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov (right) rebuked the U.S. and Israel for its Sparrow target missile test.
Missile Defense Agency, last week successfully tested the Sparrow target missile used in anti-missile defense systems. Regarding Russia’s rebuke of the test, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said it “refuses to comment on internal dialogue over military diplomatic channels.”
that offered Web hosting services. The breached site provided all information on its users, including names, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses and passwords. More than 40,000 of the compromised records were reviewed and verified as real by the Internet security firm Maglan. Some of those whose information was released, however, told Israel Hayom that the leaked passwords were not up to date and had been changed a long time ago. The attacks bear the marks of pro-Syrian hackers from Spain, Canada and Brazil. Aside from placing pro-Syrian slogans on the websites, the hackers repeatedly tried to access and damage important databases. One of the compromised websites, Yamit 2000, would not prompt suspicion for the casual user, as the hackers left no footprint on the actual pages. Deep inside the website’s code, however, hacker group AnonGhost left a note threatening a massive attack on Sept. 11. Abbas awards $6,000 to dance group named for terrorist behind bus attack that killed 37 Israelis (JNS) In the midst of renewed Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas awarded a $6,000 award to the Dalal Group for Popular Arts, a dance group named after Dalal Mughrabi, a Palestinian terrorist who was behind a bus attack in which 37 Israeli civilians died, Palestinian Media Watch
reported Sept. 8. The official Palestinian Authority newspaper, Al-Hayat AlJadida, reported on Abbas’s “Presidential Grant” to the dance group last month. Additionally, “The Lion Cubs and Flowers,” a youth group for boys and girls run by Abbas’s Fatah party, named a class after Mughrabi. Twelve of the 37 Israelis who died in the 1978 bus attack orchestrated by Mughrabi were children. Iran dismisses reports of president Rouhani's Rosh Hashanah greeting to Jews (JNS) The Iranian media has denied that the country's president, Hassan Rouhani, sent a Rosh Hashanah greeting to Jews. A Sept. 4 message from the Twitter handle @HassanRouhani had stated, “As the sun is about to set here in Tehran, I wish all Jews, especially Iranian Jews, a blessed Rosh Hashanah.” Major media outlets picked up on the tweet, including CNN, whose headline was “Iranian president's surprising message to Jews.” CNN wrote that Rouhani's message marked “a sharp shift from his Holocaust-denying predecessor,” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But Rouhani's presidential advisor, Mohammad Reza Sadeq, told Fars News Agency that the tweet was falsely reported because Rouhani “does not have a Twitter account.” Jordan's King Abdullah invokes 'duty' to protect Mideast Christians
who welcomed the Russian proposal, have “proved they are not credible and that their integrity should not be trusted.” Member of Knesset Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu) stressed that the details of the Russian proposal are unclear, and that Israel should remain uninvolved in the Syrian civil war. “Assad must understand that he and his associates will become a legitimate target, if he drags Israel into the conflict,” Lieberman said. A senior Israeli diplomatic official told Army Radio regarding the Russian proposal that it is “not yet time to pop the champagne.”
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (pictured) could avoid a U.S. strike by surrendering Syria chemical weapons, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday in comments later backtracked by the State Department.
(JNS) Jordan's King Abdullah, speaking at a two-day conference on the plight of Middle East Christians, declared that it is a Muslim's “duty” to protect Christians. The two-day conference in Amman on “The Challenges Facing Arab Christians” brought together more than 70 high-ranking representatives of Middle Eastern churches. The conference follows a visit to the Vatican last week by King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan, who both met with Pope Francis.
Calimani, an author and historian who had been elected four months ago, did not offer a reason for his resignation on the evening of Sept. 4 during services at the centuries-old Spanish synagogue in the historic Venice Ghetto. But local news reports over the weekend said that during a pre-Rosh Hashanah inspection of the community’s home for seniors Carabinieri Police found and confiscated 130 pounds of meat that had been improperly frozen and whose expiration date had passed.
Tony Abbott, staunch Israel backer, wins Australian premiership SYDNEY (JTA) – Tony Abbott, a staunch supporter of Israel, was elected the country’s new prime minister of Australia. Abbott’s conservative Liberal Party won a convincing and expected victory on Saturday, sweeping the Labor government from its sixyear term leading the government. Kevin Rudd conceded defeat late Saturday. The three Jewish lawmakers in federal parliament were returned to the government, with Joshua Frydenberg becoming the first Liberal Jewish member of Parliament since Peter Baume in the early 1980s.
Navalny misses runoff in Moscow mayoral race, seeking recount (JTA) – Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny called for a recount in Moscow’s mayoral election after missing the runoff vote cutoff by one percentage point. Incumbent Sergei Sobyanin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, garnered just over 51 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election to 27 percent for Navalny. Four others also ran to unseat Sobyanin, a former Kremlin chief of staff. Navalny’s candidacy, which was managed by a pair of tech-savvy Jews, Leonid Volkov and Maksim Kats, had divided Russian Jews. They were torn between the candidate of an establishment that mostly has been good for the Jews and an opposition leader with nationalist associations some found troubling who nevertheless promised to restore democracy and good governance.
Head of Venice Jewish community resigns abruptly ROME (JTA) – Venice Jewish community president Riccardo Calimani abruptly announced his resignation during Rosh Hashanah services.
ISRAEL • 9
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
Michael Oren: U.S. becoming more isolationist, but support for Israel higher than ever By Shlomo Cesana (JNS) – During his term as Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren found himself faced with a rapidly changing America, a Middle East on fire, and an Israel that had to deftly navigate between the seismic changes taking place in both locations. But looking at the polls, which continuously show high support for Israel among Americans, Oren is satisfied, saying they show that support for Israel in American public opinion is “the highest it’s ever been.” “At a time when the Middle East is turbulent, Israel is an island of stability,” Oren says. Oren says his greatest challenge as ambassador was “dealing with the new situation in which everything is dynamic, where circumstances change significantly and very quickly, both in the U.S. as well as the Middle East.” The outgoing ambas-
sador, whose successor is Ron Dermer, elaborates on those dynamics in the following interview. Israel Hayom:Are American citizens apathetic toward the Middle East and Israel? Michael Oren: “Israel always interests the American citizen, but there is a weariness over the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. The economic crisis has led America toward a deepening isolationism. Still, this has not had an effect on our longstanding, deep strategic alliance with the U.S. We’re talking about a special relationship in all of its aspects, beyond the strategic ties.” IH: How are the changes in the U.S. affecting the political scene? MO: “The results of the 2012 elections are more significant than the results of the 2008 elections. There
is a new political reality in the U.S. different than what we knew some 30 years ago. The changes are happening, but the support for Israel within American society remains strong. This attests to our success in reading the changing winds there and acting accordingly. This has huge significance as it has direct influence on the administration’s support for protecting Israel, including diplomatic support at the United Nations and other international forums. “Israel enjoys bipartisan support in Congress and this allows us to achieve many things, for instance, in American influence on the Europeans to include Hezbollah on their list of terror organizations, as well as what I consider one of the most significant achievements of my term as ambassador here: The American decision to assist in funding the Iron Dome system to the tune of about $1.5 billion over the past
IH: What is your take on the criticism against President Barack Obama that he has acted mistakenly and hesitatingly in the Middle East, directly weakening the West’s clout in the region?
Courtesy of Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, arrives to a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on March 17, 2013.
four years. This decision came after many hours of meetings with senior Congressmen and women as well as opinion pieces in the American media.”
MO: “The changes that have rocked the Middle East over the past few years are very fluid, and very flammable. Nobody has a monopoly on an error-free term in office. It’s very hard to chart a policy that buffers against all the changing variables in the Middle East. I think that in general, with regard to Egypt and Syria, our positions were very close to those of the U.S. It is clear to the Americans that, in Egypt, it is important to safeguard the peace agreement [with Israel]. On Syria, the Israeli position is crystal clear: Israel is not interfering in the civil OREN on page 19
New satellite will be Israel’s ‘eye’ in the sky By Judie Jacobson
Courtesy of NASA/Chris Hadfield
The border between Israel and Egypt as seen from the International Space Station. The “pico-satellite” developed by scientists at Ben-Gurion University will be Israel’s “eye on everything that’s going on below” as well as “an important tool in the fight against terrorism,” says Max Javit.
(JNS) – Rachel and Max Javit love Israel. And because they do, they are helping to boost the Jewish state’s ability to keep an “eye” in the sky that will go a long way toward keeping the country, and its citizens, safe. “Israel’s survival is imperative for the continuity of the Jewish people,” says Max Javit, who along with Rachel, his wife, splits time between homes in West Hartford, Conn., and Florida. “Can you imagine, God forbid, if Israel wasn’t here?” The Javits can’t. And so, when Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) proposed the establishment
of a space research program as part of its highly regarded Homeland Security Institute, with the development of a very small satellite-known as a “pico-satellite” – at its core, the Javits responded to the call. Now, with a significant gift from the Connecticut couple, BGU scientists have developed BGUSAT – a custom-designed pico-satellite that weighs less than three kilograms and measures 4x4x12 inches – small enough to be held in a hand. BGUSAT carries a two-camera imaging system that interacts and communicates with a ground receiving station that was also developed at BGU with funding provided by the Javits’ gift.
The innovative new satellite will enable BGU scientists to expand Israel’s space research and security program, which will culminate in the launch of BGUSAT, carrying imaging, communication and GPS technologies. “This satellite is Israel’s eye on everything that’s going on below. It is an important tool in the fight against terrorism,” explains Javit, who sits on the Board of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU). “Israel,” he notes, “is one of only nine countries in the world with the capabilities to independently develop, build and SATELLITE on page 22
Israeli Knesset members get an education in American Jewry By Rachel Marder (JNS) – Israeli Member of Knesset Nachman Shai (Labor), who studied and worked in the U.S. for years, says he had no idea how much the 25-year-old prayer rights group Women of the Wall mattered to North American Jews – until he went there on a recent outreach trip. “We were shocked to see how important women praying at the Kotel was,” Shai says in an interview with JNS. “For average Israelis it’s not such a big issue.” “Wherever we went [in North America] we heard about the Kotel as if it was the center of the world,” he adds. The Labor lawmaker is now chairing a caucus in the Knesset to strengthen ties between U.S. and Israeli Jews, and between American and Israeli lawmakers. He says he now realizes the misconceptions Israelis have about American Jews,
the changing perceptions Americans have of Israel, and the harm that both factors can have on the countries’ relationship. The caucus, launched in June, is working to recruit a cohort of Members of Knesset (MKs) to participate in its third delegation to the U.S., a five-day trip to Boston and New York City in March sponsored by the Ruderman Family Foundation and Brandeis University. The trips, which previously took place in 2011 and 2012, are designed to give MKs a crash course in American Jews and their relationship to Israel, and to strengthen Congress’s ties to the Jewish state. Previous visits have included meetings with politicians like Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, members of Congress, Brandeis academics, rabbis from across the denominational spectrum, and American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and J Street
leaders. In previous trips, MKs have discussed such thorny subjects with American lawmakers as whether the $3 billion in aid Israel receives from the U.S. each year is always guaranteed. The idea behind the initiative, Ruderman Family Foundation President Jay Ruderman says, is to show Israelis the diversity that exists in American Jewry and that community’s unique challenges when it comes to issues like intermarriage, conversion, and creating space for both criticizing and supporting Israel. In particular, Israelis, Ruderman says, should learn how to connect with this conflicted generation of American Jews, which is different from previous ones. “If Israel turns off that community, strategically they’re going to be in real tough shape,” says Ruderman, a former deputy director of AIPAC who made aliyah in 2005.
“When I moved to Israel and I worked for AIPAC here, I got to know MKs and ministers personally. I realized that they did not have not only the same understanding of the American Jewish community and its role, but they didn’t really have an interest in it,” he says. Shai, who served as press secretary for the Israeli delegation to the U.N. in 1979 and was named press consultant to the Israeli Embassy in Washington in 1981, says the U.S.Israel relationship cannot be taken for granted. He hopes the Knesset caucus will create a bridge between Congress and the Israeli legislature, since no official parliamentary friendship group for dialogue between the two bodies exists, as it does for 100 other nations and Congress. The caucus opened in June in conjunction with the release of poll ISRAELI on page 22
Courtesy of Yissachar Ruas
Ruderman Family Foundation President Jay Ruderman (left) and Member of Knesset Nachman Shai, a member of the Labor party, are pictured on June 18, the day a new Israeli Knesset caucus was launched with the goal of enhancing U.S.Israel relations. Shai chairs the caucus and partners with the Ruderman foundation on the initiative.
10 • ISRAEL
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Ethiopian immigration is over, but integration obstacles persist By Ben Sales Jewish Telegraphic Agency LOD, Israel – The airplane landed on the tarmac, “Ethiopia” emblazoned in red on its side. A few government officials trickled down the airplane’s steps. They were followed by groups of Ethiopian Jews descending to the runway, some falling to their knees and kissing the ground. Inside the terminal building, shouts in Amharic greeted the new arrivals as friends and relatives, some separated from the immigrants for years, welcomed them to their new home. “We are finishing an exile of 2,500 years,” Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel told the crowd. “But the work is not over. Now we have to make sure these new immigrants integrate into Israeli society, learning from the mistakes that were made in the past.” Three decades of Ethiopian immigration to Israel culminated with the arrival of two planes at Ben Gurion Airport on Aug. 28, the 450 immigrants on board representing the last of more than 125,000 Ethiopians who have come during that period. Ethiopian immigrants have been celebrated in Israel since the first waves began arriving in the
Israel Briefs Syrian teen gets prosthetic leg in Israel hospital (JNS) A Syrian teenager who was seriously wounded in the Syrian civil war was released from the Ziv Medical Center in Israel’s northern city of Safed last week, after more than a month of surgery and rehabilitation. The 15-year-old girl was brought to the hospital by the Israel Defense Forces with serious shrapnel injuries to her left leg and stomach, after Syrian field medics amputated her right leg. Israeli doctors succeeded in saving her left leg and found a donor to cover the costs of getting a prosthetic leg for her. She was released Sept. 3 in good condition. “I wish the Israeli people a happy new year and I hope there will be peace and we will be able to meet again in a more sane Middle East,” the girl’s mother said, according to Israel Hayom. The two will return to their homes in the Daraa region. In another concession, Israel gives PA 5,000 work permits (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to
early 1980s, and government ministers and dignitaries gathered in force to welcome the final arrivals. But while the crowd was mostly Ethiopians, all but one of the speakers at the welcoming ceremony was either Russian or Ashkenazi. The split illustrates the challenge that Israel has faced in absorbing the Ethiopians, who have faced a range of integration obstacles. Ethiopians lag native Jewish Israelis in a wide range of socioeconomic metrics that have remained largely resistant to government efforts at budging them. Earlier this year, the government parried allegations that it coerced Ethiopian women into receiving a long-term contraceptive injection. “In terms of how we’re integrated, we’re far from satisfied,” Shimon Solomon, one of Israel’s two Ethiopian members of Knesset, told JTA. “In education, work and society we’re at the bottom of the bottom. We dreamed of coming to Israel. We didn’t dream of coming here and being at the bottom of the ladder.” According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, only 43 percent of Ethiopian students passed their high school matriculation exams in 2011; only 22 percent scored high enough to go to college. Among all Jewish Israeli stu-
dents, those numbers are 58 and 50 percent, respectively. Ziva Mekonen-Degu, who directs the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews, says that many Ethiopian parents are themselves uneducated and have little means. “The parents can’t give the help that other parents can,” MekonenDegu said. “Ethiopian parents aren’t involved or influential enough.” The problems continue into the army. Although Ethiopians have an above-average enlistment rate, they’re also more likely to end up in military prison or to drop out early. Ethiopians comprise 2 percent of Israel’s population but made up only 1 percent of Israeli college students in 2011. The average annual salary for an Ethiopian in 2009 was $23,000; the average Israeli earned $34,000. In addition, virtually all Jews born in Ethiopia are ineligible for vocational training programs offered by the Economics Ministry because nearly no one has a formal education. Instead, the absorption centers where Ethiopians live after immigration often connect them with service jobs such as cleaning or factory work. Those jobs, in turn, make it harder for Ethiopians to purchase
homes. As of 2010, Ethiopian homes were worth half that of the average Israeli home. “Many of them were illiterate in Ethiopia,” said Jack Habib, director of the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, a government-funded think tank that studies Ethiopian Israelis. “You’re not going to take people like that and get them into higher-level jobs. You can’t elevate the quality of jobs unless you equalize educational distribution.” The Israeli government, along with several nonprofit organizations, provides a range of services and benefits to Ethiopian Israelis. The Absorption Ministry offers free college tuition, tutoring, loans and lower mortgage rates to Ethiopians. Solomon is pushing to enforce a law mandating that Ethiopians comprise 1.5 percent of all government employees. And MekonenDegu is lobbying the government to provide stipends for Ethiopians who enter vocational training programs. “If I give [students] tools to deal with issues, they’ll succeed,” said Roni Akale, director-general of the Ethiopian National Project, a program that provided tutoring and youth activities for 4,500 Ethiopian teens last year. “What I can do is make them feel confident academically and socially.”
Government projects for Ethiopians, though, have a mixed record. Homesh, a $230 million program for Ethiopian advancement run by five government ministries, was declared a “failure” by an official report earlier this year. According to the report, the program was disorganized, lacked accountability and failed to formulate a workable budget. The answer to Ethiopian woes, says Solomon, lies not in government subsidies but in combating racism. According to Myers-JDCBrookdale, about one in three Ethiopians has experienced discrimination. “This has to come from the top; it has to be a clear message,” Solomon said. “The government needs to pass laws and place heavy punishments so that racism won’t happen.” Even with the obstacles, a sense of optimism prevailed at the welcoming ceremony last month. Some veteran Ethiopian immigrants said that despite hardships they face in Israel, there’s no place they’d rather be. “I found what I was looking for here,” said Ezra Eschale, who moved to Israel three years ago. “We were like this once. Everything will work out.”
JNS) After previously agreeing to release 104 Palestinian terrorist prisoners for the restarting of IsraeliPalestinian conflict negotiations, Israel on Sunday made another concession to the Palestinian Authority (PA), issuing 5,000 new work permits to allow residents of PA territories to work in Israel. A senior Palestinian source told The Associated Press that the Palestinian team in IsraeliPalestinian conflict talks has rejected an Israeli proposal for a Palestinian state under provisional borders, saying that the PA fears that the provisional borders would become permanent. “Israel is using the issue of security to take land,” he said.
Gas mask distribution resumes in Israel as precaution for possible Syria retaliation (JNS) The Israel Defense Forces’ Homefront Command resumed its distribution of gas mask kits to the public on Sunday, as the possibility of a U.S. attack on Syriaand of subsequent Syrian retaliation against Israel-remained ambiguous. Thousands of Israelis recently descended on gas mask distribution centers, many of which had to close their doors after running out of kits.
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS) Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon met Sept. 3 with the leaders of the Judea and Samaria communities and said that a future agreement with the Palestinians was unlikely to include the eviction of Jewish communities beyond the 1967 lines. He added that Israel should focus on “creating deterrence, not peace deals.” “We have somehow become accustomed to the fact that just hearing the word ‘peace,’ just hearing it, instinctively spells ceding territory,” Ya’alon was quoted by the Walla news website as saying during the gathering, which was held in the Shomron Regional Council community of Barkan.
“The 36 gold coins can be dated to the reigns of different Byzantine emperors, ranging from the middle of the 4th century CE to the early 7th century CE,” archeologist Lior Sandberg said, the Jerusalem Post reported.
30 Arabs arrested in Rosh Hashanah riots on Temple Mount (JNS) About 30 Arabs were arrested over Rosh Hashanah weekend, following several riots that broke out in and around the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem. Last week, the Jerusalem Police issued a statement detailing security arrangements for visits to the Temple Mount by Jewish worshippers during Rosh Hashanah. The statement provoked a call by Islamic Movement head Sheikh Raed Salah urging followers to thwart any such visits.
Israel’s tourism minister plans Birthright-style program for Christians (JNS) Israeli Tourism Minister Uzi Landau says that he hopes to create a program modeled after Taglit-Birthright Israel trips for young Evangelical Christians, as part of an effort to increase Christian tourism in the Jewish state. “The Christians have a problem with their next generation too,” Landau said, Ynet reported. “We are looking to get closer to this public in order to generate tourism and support for Israel when they return to their homeland, become our ambassadors and view Israel not through CNN’s eyes.” Defense Minister Ya’alon: Israel should focus on deterrence, not peace deals
Temple Mount area is site of archaeologists’ discovery of Christian-era gold and silver coins (JNS) Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeologists unveiled a collection of three-dozen gold and silver coins found near the Temple Mount’s southern wall. The coins date back to 4th-6th century CE, when Jerusalem was under control of the Christian Byzantine Empire. Dubbed the “Ophel Treasure” after the biblical term for the elevated City of David in Jerusalem, the collection included a large 10-centimeter gold medallion that featured a menorah, shofar and Torah scroll.
Yom Kippur overlap with Christian Feast of the Cross prompts Haifa authorities to coordinate (JNS) Authorities in the northern Israeli city of Haifa are preparing for possible conflicts resulting from the fact that Yom Kippur, which begins at sundown on Friday, coincides this year with the Eastern Orthodox Feast of the Cross. Haifa is known for its multi-religious population, with several Jewish, Muslim and Christian neighborhoods existing in close proximity. The shrine and world center of the Bahá’í faith is also located in Haifa. Though Yom Kippur for Jews is a solemn day of fasting and prayer, Christians celebrate the Feast of the Cross with parades, fireworks, and carnivals. Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav met with Archbishop Elias Chacour about Yom Kippur and the Feast of the Cross falling on the same day, and Christian leaders are also coordinating with Haifa police to maintain security during both religious observances, reported Maariv and the Times of Israel.
SOCIAL LIFE • 11
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
ABRAHAM MOSS SOCIETY EVENT
ANNOUNCEMENTS SOCIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Over 100 people attended the Abraham Moss Society Appreciation Reception The event, hosted by Lynne and Bob Kanter and Mona and Dick Kerstine, featured Dr. John Ruskay, CEO, UJA Federation of New York, speaking on "Giving that Gratifies".
L-R: Bob and Lynne Kanter, Mona and Dick Kerstine
aniel Brook, son of Julie and Dr. Barry Brook of Blue Ash, Ohio, has been named a 2013 Undergraduate Pelotonia Fellow at Ohio State University. Brook, a biomedical science major, received the award for his cancer research, “The Effect of MLL-WT on the Development of MLL-PTD+ Acute Myeloid Leukemia.” Brook plans to graduate OSU in 2015 with a bachelor of science. He is a 2011 graduate of Sycamore High School.
D
on June 10 at the Taft Museum of Art.
L-R: Cathy Heldman, Andy Berman, Nancy Wolf
Neal Mayerson and Rhoda Mayerson
Bob Kanter, Michael Fisher
Bob and Lynne Kanter, Michael Fisher
Karen Abel, Ronnie Shore, Maddy Gordon
New Moss Society members Judy Roth, James Markley and Chrissie Blatt with Bob Brant, VP Planned Giving and Endowment
12 • CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE
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JFS ANNUAL MEETING At the Jewish Family Service annual meeting on June 25 at the Mayerson JCC, they showed their successful marketing campaign and highlights from the past year. The meeting began with a complimentary kosher dessert reception and then the installation of new officers and board members, highlights of the past year, a look toward the future, and the presentaTianna Woodford, Scott Slovin
tion of awards. Danny Lipson and Larry Juran were the recipients of the Miriam Dettelbach Award, which is given in honor of the first executive director of Jewish Family Service as recognition of exceptional volunteer service to the agency. New JFS President Mark Miller and his wife Robin
Max Yamson, Jeff Blumental
Beth Schwartz, John Youkilis, Gary Smith, Mark Miller
Kim and Larry Juran, Michael Schwartz
John Youkilis, Barbara Rabkin Alyce Ellison, Tom Smith, Joni Burton, Michael Sutter
Jay Price, Jan Cobb
Dennis Mitman
April Davidow, Danny Lipson
CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE • 13
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
Irv and Ida Schwartz
Attendees drawing how they Give A...
Edie Dine, Ruth Moeddel, Fran Gafvert, Dora Baehner
Angie Bowling, Erin McNew, Beth Schwartz, Sue Warm
Shep Englander
14 • DINING OUT
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Gutierrez Restaurante features Mexican dishes, south-of-the-border style By Bob Wilhelmy Dining Editor So have you ever noticed how many “Mexican” entrée dishes have a similar appearance and taste? There are the obligatory refried beans, the melted cheese, the sour cream, the shredded lettuce, and a cardboard hothouse tomato-slice to garnish. It’s practically formulaic. You’ll find a different Mexican dining experience if you go off the beaten path to Gutiérrez Restaurante, tucked in a corner of Sycamore Center on Montgomery Road a bit south of Fields Ertel Road. First, you will find Manny Gutiérrez, owner, proprietor and chef. Manny says that stuff passing for Mexican fare is anything but. True Mexican cuisine is different from the formula dishes found in the vast majority of “Mexican” restaurants in this city and its hinterland. “Real Mexican (food) is different, and the way you make it, the way you combine the ingredients to get the flavors of Mexico—all that is way different than what you get at those other places,” Manny Gutiérrez claims. To amplify the point, Manny brought out a hand-made, homemade corn tortilla shell (similar to a pastry shell) about four inches in diameter, as yet uncooked. The shell is the foundation item in sopes, which are found all over Mexico, but not around here, he says. “We deep fry the shell, and then add the beans, cabbage or lettuce and choice of meat (steak or chorizo sausage with potatoes in it). An order includes two shells or a lot of food for the price. All the sopes ingredients are made in Gutiérrez’s kitchen, and the cooking process begins when you order the item. Sopes are deep fried and assembled when the customer places the order, and not before. “We could fry up the shells in advance, but we don’t do that because it would ruin the sopes,” he said. In Mexican cities, street vendors turn out sopes all day long, I gather. Another example of this inour-kitchen approach is the “real” red pepper sauce used to flavor and spice up the dishes coming from the kitchen. “We make our own: take the (dried) red peppers, put them in a blender with water and salt (and other ingredients) and blend them from scratch. It’s fresh; it’s better.” Tacos Michoacanos also are on the menu. What kind of tacos,
Manny Gutiérrez standing in the midst of his open kitchen, where meals are prepared from scratch in the traditions of Old Mexico.
The dining area that faces an open kitchen
again? Michoacanos is the place Manny is from in Mexico, and the tacos are the type made in his native area. You’ll be treated to six of them, with your choice of chicken, shredded beef or Mexican sausage as the protein. These tacos feature guacamole as
one of the stuffers. Another entrée you’ll not likely find in other Mexican eateries here is the chilaquiles Mexicanos. These are tortilla slices cooked in either red or green salsa, with cheese, sour cream and onions, and topped with a fried egg.
The outdoor signage over the entrance to Gutiérrez Restaurante.
Of course, there are some of the standards that come from the Tex-Mex styles of cuisine that dot the American southwest. These include burritos, fajitas, tostadas, nachos, quesadillas and the like. Then again, there is bisteck
asado, which is steak grilled with onions and served with rice and beans. Also, you may want to try bisteck con pimiento, a steak sandwich with grilled onions and bell peppers, with a side of lettuce and tomatoes. Gutiérrez Restaurante features a cooler full of soft drinks that are imported from Mexico, and made with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. The eatery carries the Mexican Jarrito brand of soft and fruit drinks as well as major brand labels. “The real tastes of Mexico we have here, and you will not find them at other places,” Manny Gutiérrez stated. “That’s why people should come here.” See you at Manny’s place. Gutierrez Restaurante Mexican Grill 1191 Montgomery Rd. 583 – 1741
DINING OUT • 15
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
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16 • OPINION
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Who still thinks Israel could have left the Golan?
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Do you have something to say? E-mail your letter to editor@americanisraelite.com
By Dror Eydar JNS The barbarians didn’t appear out of thin air; they have always been around. They have been operating in sleeper cells within the mock civilization that was left behind by the European colonialists as the First World War drew to a close in the Middle East. With Syria’s lid blown off, President Bashar al-Assad’s tribe and its various affiliates have been fighting the Sunni tribes that were in power before November 1970, when Assad’s father staged a coup and had his loyalists appointed to senior positions in the military and the government. Do the various tribes in Syria have anything in common? My heart goes out to the average Syrian who has found himself in the crossfire, a victim of a war among the barbarians. That said, Israel should not get involved. Its help should be limited to humanitarian aid. We must not accept the simplistic narrative that there are good guys vs. bad guys in Syria. Each side in this conflict is just as barbaric as the other. Perhaps even more so. Those who eat their opponent’s heart (I am not making this up) and then rationalize this cannibalistic act, could ultimately use weapons of mass destruction. They are no different from Assad and his allies, Hezbollah and Iran. There is one area where there is no daylight between the two warring factions: they both have an unlimited supply of hatred toward Israel. If those sides see an opening, they might try to increase the number of incidents that encroach on Israeli territory. We have no dog in this race. Should Israel decide to back one side or another, it will have provided the Arabs in the Middle East and leftists all over the world with what they had been searching for all along (where it was most convenient): a way to blame Israel for the Syrian civil war. The Bible tells us, “He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears” (Proverbs 26:17). According to the biblical commentator Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki), this is akin to making a dog bite you for nothing. In other words, the Syrians will tell us, “This is none of your business; we are now going to
combine forces against you.” But despite all that, you cannot just ignore the helpless victims. So we can intervene through nonmilitary methods, like conveying to the Russian Embassy our displeasure with the Kremlin’s support of the evil Syrian regime. The Russians are very sensitive when it comes to the way they are perceived; international pressure on Russian embassies around the world could make Russian President Vladimir Putin pressure Assad and he, in turn, would scale back some of his actions. Despite all of what has been described above, there are some wise Israelis who have already decided that Israel is the culprit. One of them is Yedioth Ahronoth analyst Shimon Shiffer, whose column on Sunday defended U.S. President Barack Obama’s wavering on Syria and continued deliberations on the matter. Towards the end of the column, Shiffer inserted a passage that matches the rhetoric of those advocating territorial concessions, the same people who have until recently wanted Israel to hand the Golan Heights over to the Assad family, who would in turn provide for Israel’s security needs. “I dare to assume,” Shiffer wrote, “that had the two parties [Israel and Syria] reached an accord, we would not have witnessed this civil war, whose outcome is anyone’s guess.” Eureka! The Syrian conflict is Israel’s fault. Why didn’t we pursue the path Shiffer and his friends had advocated? Why didn’t we let the Golan Heights come under the control of the Assad family and forsake our security? Had a deal been signed with Assad, the bloody encounters of the Syrian civil war would have taken place right above the Sea of Galilee; no Israeli/Jewish community would have been safe. Pro-Syrian sleeper cells would become active, too. This is all just common sense. But the Left’s orthodoxy is still wedded to the dogma that the conflict with our enemies is mainly about territory. There are still many among us who accept this folly; they are awarded airtime and column inches. Jews have always had a knack for being the devil’s advocate. This column first appeared in Israel Hayom, whose English-language content is distributed exclusively by JNS.
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Syria debate shows our moral decline By Ben Cohen JNS “Terraced thousands died, shaking scythes at cannon/The hillside blushed, soaked in our broken wave/They buried us without shroud or coffin/And in August the barley grew up out of our grave.” These lines are from the poem “Requiem for the Croppies,” by the great Irish poet Seamus Heaney, who died last week. They were pointed out to me by a dear friend of mine, also an Irishman, who instructively observed how Heaney’s verse-which commemorated the merciless British crushing of an Irish uprising in 1798eerily conjures up the terrible reality of Syria in our own time. Let’s recall a few basic facts. Firstly, by the time the Western powers began to seriously consider intervention in Syria, more than 120,000 people had already been killed. Secondly, the use of chemical weapons by Bashar al-Assad’s regime at the end of August was decidedly not the first time these had been deployed. Back in June, as I and others reported, the French government declared it had “no doubt” that “the regime and its accomplices”-which include the Islamist terrorist organization Hezbollah-had engaged in chemical attacks against civilian centers. Thirdly-and this is what I want to focus on here-when presented with devastating and credible evidence of chemical weapons use, the response of many Western politicians has been to equivocate and demand further evidence, as though obtaining such proof in Syria’s killing fields is a mere walk in the park. The insistence upon further evidence has been accompanied by other rationalizations for not getting involved, all of them constructed from myth rather than fact. To begin with, there’s the view pushed by both leftwing and right-wing isolationists that
Syria’s warring groups are all as bad as each other, and that the end of the Assad regime will usher in an AlQaeda one. That view was comprehensively debunked in recent days by the journalist Elizabeth O’Bagy, one of the few foreign correspondents to have spent lengthy periods of time in Syria, who provided an eyewitness account of politically moderate Syrian rebels defending Christian and Alawi villages from both the regime and from Islamist extremists. As little as a month ago, O’Bagy said, she saw “daily protests by thousands of citizens” against Islamists in the north of the country. Her conclusion? “Moderate opposition forces-a collection of groups known as the Free Syrian Army- continue to lead the fight against the Syrian regime.” Then there’s the slippery slope argument-the idea that we are going to get dragged into a ground war in Syria, just as we did in Afghanistan and Iraq. Given that the operation being discussed is an extremely limited one that will be prosecuted from the air-so limited in fact, that it may not have the desired effect of “degrading,” as the Obama Administration puts it, Assad’s military capacity-this objection is plainly misleading and a deliberate falsehood. Why are we so determined to remain indifferent in the face of men, women and children convulsing to death from Sarin gas? I have no satisfactory answer, but during this period of the High Holy Days, we are obliged, in my view, to confront this question as we reflect on our moral health. After all, we Jews have spent the last seven decades asking whether more could have been done to avert the Holocaust. Could we not have bombed the railway lines to the concentration camps? Could we not have smuggled more weapons to resistance fighters, both Jewish and non-Jewish? Well, yes, we could have done much more, but we also could have done a
lot less. Imagine if the current crop of politicians currently dominating the Syrian debate, from U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to the leader of the British Labor Party, Ed Miliband, had been in office instead of Roosevelt and Churchill. (On second thought, don’t.) Next week, all eyes will be on the U.S. Congress as it considers the White House’s request to strike at specific military targets controlled by the Syrian regime. Already, this is shaping up to be a depressing story of weak leadership and moral failure. President Barack Obama didn’t have to refer the matter to Congress, just as British Prime Minister David Cameron wasn’t obliged to take the matter to parliament, but both have been overwhelmed by the isolationist mood in their respective legislatures. Now, sadly, there are reasons to expect that the vote in Washington will falter along similar lines as the vote in London. As the Washington Post pointed out, both House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) are portraying the vote as one based upon “conscience.” And when it comes to Syria, there is precious little conscience around these days. I began this article by quoting an Irish writer, and I’d like to end by quoting a Jewish one. In his searing poem “Shema,” Primo Levi, the literary titan who survived Auschwitz, addressed “You who live secure/In your warm houses”: I commend these words to you. Engrave them on your hearts When you are in your house, when you walk on your way, When you go to bed, when you rise. Repeat them to your children. Or may your house crumble, Disease render you powerless, Your offspring avert their faces from you.
JEWISH LIFE • 17
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
SHABBAT SHALOM: YOM KIPPUR
WHAT’S
“I am the God who loves you before you sin and I am the God who loves you after you sin” Rashi to Exodus 34: 6). The first Havaya explains that since God’s essence is love, His first human emanation, the human being, also has most fundamentally the transcendent power to love another and thereby to perfect himself and the world. The second Havaya explains that although the human being will fail and will sin along the way, God will always be ready to forgive us as long as we seek forgiveness. And God goes one step further. Yes, in our imperfect and incomplete world, it is often difficult to find God, to sense His presence and recognize His concern. It is even more difficult to bring the Divine Majesty to this often corrupt and evil world. But once a year, God will seek us, God will “come down” to us in His cloud of glory, God will knock on our door with His gift of unconditional forgiveness. All we need do is open the door for Him and let Him in – into our hearts, where He can already be found and into our homes and our families. This is the magical gift of Yom Kippur, the day of consummate love. Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Chancellor Ohr Torah Stone Chief Rabbi – Efrat Israel
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T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: YOM KIPPUR BOOK OF YONA 1. What did Yonah do in Jaffa? a.) Receive a prophecy from Hashem b.) Get on a boat at Jaffa c.) Fish spat him out at Jaffa
c.) Ninveh
2. What was Tarshish? a.) Destination of the boat Jonah took b.) City he was told to prophesize about c.) Name of the fish who swallowed Jonah 3. What was Jonah's ultimate destination? a.) Egypt b.) Babylon destroy Ninveh, Jonah thought they might be punished to a lesser degree. Malbim 5. A The Midrash says Jonah was the son the woman who supported Eliyahu and was resurrected by him. Kings I
EFRAT, Israel – And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel: “Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it”’ (Deuteronomy 31:7). In last week’s commentary on Rosh Hashana, the anniversary of the day on which the world was conceived, I explained the sighingsobbing sounds of the shofar as the natural response of the Jew to an incomplete, imperfect world of evil as well as good, of chaos as well as order. We are entrusted with the mission of bringing down the Divine attributes of loving kindness and courage, of compassionate righteousness and moral justice, to suffuse society with freedom and peace in order to perfect and complete the world in the Kingship of the Divine. This is the message of the firm, exultant and victorious tekiya sound of the shofar, when we crown God as King of the Universe. This task is not a simple one; it requires our becoming a holy nation and a kingdom whose every citizen is a successful teacher of morality to the world. Hence, Rosh Hashana begins a period of teshuva, or repentance, which must continue until it succeeds – however long that may take. It will require the cumulative commitment of many generations to the retelling and then reliving of the biblical narrative and to scrupulous observance of God’s will. Rosh Hashana is a joyous festival because we have God’s biblical promise that we will eventually succeed. We recite those verses of our success again and again in our Yom Kippur liturgy. But there is a second significance to the broken, crying sound of the shofar. It is the existential sound of the individual who is living life within a vale of tears, who often doubts that this world will ever be perfected in the Kingship of the Divine, who always doubts that he will have the strength of will and character to make the world any better and who even doubts that the world had a Creator in the first place. Although such a train of
thought may initially release the questioner from certain ethical and ritual responsibilities, it can only lead to a dead end. If life is merely a “tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing,” (Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5) why go through the struggle? The specter of a Sartrian world to which there is No Exit other than suicide hardly leaves one with a life worth living or worth reproducing. It only leaves one trembling in fear before a dark, black hole of nothingness. These questions plagued the children of Israel in the wake of the sin of the Golden Calf. Having experienced the concern, the miracles and wonders of the Lord during the Exodus, as well as the riveting Revelation at Sinai at which they actually heard the Word of the Divine, how could they possibly have fallen prey to the orgiastic abandon of wild Dionysian debauchery? Moses, the source of their connection to God, had seemingly disappeared; they felt bereft and abandoned and so they lost themselves in a momentary “escape from freedom” and responsibility.” Moses is so frustrated that he smashes the sacred tablets. He beseeches God first to forgive Israel and then to teach the next generations how to deal with probable recurrences in the future. He says, “Make Your ways known to me,” now the Israelites must act to find favor in your eyes, and “Show me Your glory in this world – what truly characterizes You and Your relationship to us.” God then tells Moses to stand in the cleft of a rock in the mountain range of Sinai, to ready himself for the second Revelation, the continuation of the Ten Commandments; God will reveal to Moses His Name, His face, as it were, the aspect of God that may be grasped by the human mind. And this is the Divine Revelation on the 10th day of Tishrei, Yom Kippur: “Havaya Havaya…” the Ineffable Name of God, of Havaya, which means literally “to bring into being, to create,” and which the Talmudic sages identify as the God of infinite and unconditional love. The name is repeated twice, which our Sages interpret as, “I am the God who loves you before you sin and I am the God who loves you after you sin” – unconditional love (see
SYNAGOGUE?
4. Where did Jonah go after he completed his mission from Hashem? a.) Israel b.) Stayed nearby c.) Tarshish 5. Is another prophet mentioned in the Book of Jonah? a.) Yes b.) No
Hashem, however Hashem sent a storm and a big fish to catch him. Rashi 3. C 1:2 Jonah was afraid that if Ninveh repented, Hashem could ask why the Children of Israel did not repent. Rashi 4. B 4:5 Even though Hashem would not
by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
HAPPENING @ YOUR
Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise
ANSWERS 1. B 1:3 Jonah received a prophecy from Hashem about Ninveh. He took a boat from Jaffa to leave Israel because Hashem only communicates prophecy in Israel. Malbim 2. A 1:3 Jonah thought he was escaping from
Sedra of the Week
18 • JEWZ IN THE NEWZ
JEWZ
IN THE
By Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist Rosh Hashanah: Fashion Week Conflict Last week, the on-line Jewish magazine, the Tablet covered a celebrity angle to the Jewish New Year. The focus of the Tablet piece was the unfortunate fact that the first three days (Sept. 4-6) of the American fashion industry’s biggest showcase, “Fashion Week” (in New York), overlap with the Jewish New Year. During Fashion Week, designers big and small put on runway and other shows. As the Tablet put it: “In the fishbowl of fashion, Fashion Week is where trends are unveiled, stars are born, and careers are made.” The Council of Fashion Designers of America, which runs Fashion Week, and whose current president is DIANE VON FURSTENBERG, 66, and whose current vice is MICHAEL KORS, 54, issued a statement recognizing the importance of the holiday, but noting its hands were tied because the European equivalents of Fashion Week are staged right after New York and the Council does not have the option to switch the date. A number of Jewish style directors, fashion directors, and fashion journalists noted that they planned to observe the holiday. Here are some of their comments about the “overlap”: “I do feel guilty about being completely unavailable for a full two and a half days, but if I’m going to piss someone off, better the fashion gods than God, you know?”; and “The overlap did really bother me. I’m relatively observant – obviously I’m going to pick the ram’s horn over the showing of tortoiseshell”; and “It’s like being an entertainment writer and taking off the Oscars.” Other Jews in the fashion industry admitted they will attend some Fashion Week events during Rosh Hashanah. Some said they will also try to observe the holiday as they can (mostly by going to services in the morning and going to afternoon shows). Some big name designers (like MAX AZRIA, 64) didn’t respond to inquiries, but the Tablet reporter ferreted-out that they apparently would go ahead with their regular shows. In my next column: some notes about celebs celebrating the High Holidays in Hollywood At the Movies Opening in September is “Insidious 2”. It is a horror/fantasy, like the first “Insidious” (2011), which garnered generally good reviews and was the most
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NEWZ
profitable film of the year (cost $1.5 mil; made $95 mil). Once again, Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne play a couple who battle demons from “The Further” who want to take over Wilson’s soul or the souls of their kids. BARBARA HERSHEY, 65, reprises her role as Wilson’s mother, with LIN SHAYE, 69, returning as Elise, a family friend and paranormal expert. Elise, by the way, was killed near the end of the original film – but, you know, fantasy/horror films have tons of plot devices to “revive” a dead character. Shaye’s best known role is Magda, the friend and neighbor of Mary (Cameron Diaz) in the comedy hit “There’s Something About Mary.” If you’ve seen the film, you’ll recall that Magda was incredibly overtanned and that she had a little dog which caused big problems for Mary’s suitor, Ted (BEN STILLER). Sergey Brin’s Break-Up and New Girlfriend Last Thursday, Aug. 29, the news broke that Google cofounder SERGEY BRIN, 40, had separated from his wife, ANNE WOJCICKI, 40, and that he had a new girlfriend, AMANDA ROSENBERG, 27, a marketing director for Google Glass. Brin’s Jewish parents left the former Soviet Union in 1979, tired of the anti-Semitism which had impeded their respective academic careers and despairing of the prospects for their son. Brin wed biologist Wojcicki in 2007 and the couple now have two children. Neither Brin nor Wojcicki (whose mother is Jewish) are religious, but they did have some Jewish touches at their secular wedding: a chuppah – and Brin stepped on a glass. Anne’s sister, SUSAN, 45, is an important Google executive who has known Brin since Google was founded in 1998. There’s much speculation on how the break-down of Brin’s marriage will affect Susan and Google, generally. As I write this, most sources say that Brin separated from Anne before he began dating Rosenberg. Here’s part of what the Daily Telegraph, a UK paper, wrote about Rosenberg on Aug. 30: “She initially worked for [Google] in London before last year moving to San Francisco to work at its Silicon Valley nerve centre. Rosenberg wrote an online blog soon after she arrived – “I’m part of the master race that is the Chinese Jew or Chew, if you will. Born in Hong Kong but bred in the UK..” Rosenberg is understood to have an English father and a Hong Kong Chinese mother who worked as an investment banker.”
FROM THE PAGES 150 Y EARS A GO WANTED– As Superintendent of the Jewish Orphan Asylum of the city of New York, a person capable of advancing the moral and intellectual development of from from one to two hundred children. A thorough master of the English and Hebrew languages, one possessing all other necessary qualifications for the position, is required. No one need apply unless having recommendations, establishing his unexceptionable character. To a comptent person free board and lodging at the Asylum will be given and a liberal salary paid. G.M. LEVENTRITT, SELIGMAN ADLER, N. ROSSMAN, Applications to be addressed to G.M. LEVENTRITT, Esq., No. 8 Murray St., N.Y. – October 7, 1863
125 Y EARS A GO The railroad line from Cincinnati to Chicago, long known as the C., H. & D. and Pan-Handle Route, was abandoned on August 19th and a new through line opened under the exclusive management and control of the Pennsylvania System. The Chicago, St. Louis & Pittsburg Railroad Co. – PanHandle Route – built a new road from Cincinnati to Hamilton, purchased that portion of the C., H. & D. R. R. between Hamilton and Richmond, thereby connecting with its old established line from Richmond to Chicago and securing a through line from Cincinnati to Chicago, which is just three hundred miles long, six miles shorter than any other line in operation. Morning and evening express trains are run between these cities, solid via the new route; the day trains have comfortable coaches and the night trains coaches and Pullman sleeping cars. These trains leave Cincinnati from the Pennsylvania Station, Pearl and Butler Streets, and arrive in the Union Passenger Station, Chicago, on Canal between Madison and Adams Streets, where connection is made with outbound trains for all points in the West and Northwest. A railroad between commercial centers operated entirely under one management presents advantages over a through line formed of two or more independent roads. – September 14, 1888
100 Y EARS A GO The silver wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Max D. May was observed in an elaborate manner at the home of the happy couple, 643 Rockdale avenue, Avondale, on Tuesday evening, September 2, in the presence of the assembled fami-
ly and a large number of guests. Mr. and Mrs. May were married in this city by the late Rev. Dr. Raphael Benjamin, in the absence of the late Dr. Wise. There are four children, one daughter Miss Henrietta and three sons, Melville, Lewis and Alfred, all in this city. Numerous letters and telegrams of congratulation were received from different localities and many handsome gifts came from relatives and friends. Mr. May, who has for many years been prominent in the fraternal societies was handsomely remembered by the Montefiore Society. – September 11, 1913
75 Y EARS A GO Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hauser, 308 Northern Avenue, announce the engagement of their daughter, Marion, to Richard Cohen, son of Mrs. Sara Cohen, 333 Northern Avenue. Mrs. Dena Roth, 641 Glenwood Avenue, announces the coming marriage of her daughter, Elsie, to Mr. Saul H. Lehman Saturday, Oct. 15th. Mr. Isadore Roodine of Harlan, Ky., announces the engagement of his daughter, Ethel, to Mr. Leo Koenigsberg, son of Mrs. Samuel Koenigsberg, 1937 Central Avenue. Mr. and Mrs. Isador Maslov of Ardmore Avenue announce the engagement of their daughter, Florence, to Mr. Samuel H. Kaufman of Wapakoneta, O., son of Mrs. Ida Kaufman, of Wilmington, O., and the late Mr. Isidor Kaufman. Miss Maslov studied at the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati College of Music. Mr. Kaufman is a graduate of Ohio State University and the University of Michigan College of Law, and is a member of Zeta Beta Tau. The wedding will be an event of late October. Mr. and Mrs. Leon H. Joseph (Estelle Miller), 1942 Catalina Avenue, Bond Hill, are the parents of a daughter, Barbara, born Saturday, Sept. 17th. – September 22, 1938
50 Y EARS A GO The marriage of Miss Carolyn Nudell, daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. David Nudell, to Mr. Michael Oppenheimer, son of Mrs. Herta Oppenheimer of Chicago and the late Mr. Arthur Oppenheimer, was solemnized Sunday, Aug. 4, at Wise Center. Rabbis Samuel Jarff of Chicago and Albert A. Goldman performed the ceremony. Mrs. Jospeh Linker was her niece’s matron of honor. Other attendants were Miss Reggie Berg, Mrs. Max Cohen and Mrs. Paul Davis.
Mr. Robert Smith of Chicago was best man. Ushers were the Messrs. Marbin Nudell, Fred Pomerantz and Sheldon Lewis. After a brief wedding trip the couple will reside in Cincinnati where Mr. Oppenheimer will continue his studies at Hebrew Union College. – September 12, 1963
25 Y EARS A GO The wedding of Shelly Ross and Gary Dragul took place Aug. 7 at Temple Sinai in Denver. Rabbis Joe Newman of Congregation Rodef Shalom and Ray Zwerin officiated. Dinner and dancing followed. The bride is the daughter of Audrey Ross and Stephen Ross and the granddaughter of Ethel and Bert Meer. The bridegroom is the son of Dr. Paul and Paulette Dragul. Lisa Ross, sister of the bride, was maid of honor. Sheri Hustana, sister of the bride, was matron of honor. David Dragul, brother of the bridegroom, was best man. Other attendants were Scott Friedman, Mark Rosenberg, Scott Robinson, David Rosenbaum, Cary Fishman, Rob Kaufman, Andy Silverman, Dan Levin, Terry Hustana, Michael Green and Gary Green. The bridal party included Tamy Fishman, Lisa Dillon, Jill Segal, Debbie King, Pam Lofthousem, Muriel Leff, Ann Herrell, Kathy Hirschman and Julie Kaufman. Following a honeymoon sailing in the South Pacific, the couple reside in Denver. The wedding of Marvin Ezer and Susanne L. Frank took place Sept. 4 at Rockdale Temple Rabbi Mark N. Goldman officiated Rosalie E. Young of Dumfries, Va., niece of the bride, was maid of honor. – September 22, 1988
10 Y EARS A GO Dr. Dena Mason–Zied and Eric Zied of Clayton, OH announce the birth of their twins, Ethan Philip Zied and Kayla Miriam Zied, born Aug. 1, 2003. The twins have a 22 month-old sister, Abigail Hannah Zied. The maternal grandparents are Renee and Howard Mason of Montgomery, OH. The maternal great-grandmothers are Freda Lesser and Ellen Mason of Mason, OH. The paternal grandparents are Marcia and Ernest Zied of Canton, GA. The paternal great-grandmother is Bernice Zied of Delray Beach, FL. Ethan Philip was named for his maternal great-grandfather, Philipp Leeserm and his paternal greatgrandfather Philip Birner. Kayla Miriam was named for her paternal great-grandmother, Katherine Birner. – September 18, 2003
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
COMMUNITY CALENDAR September 12 5:30 p.m. - Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education Annual Meeting Rockwern Academy 8401 Montgomery Rd. (513) 487 - 3055 September 17 8 p.m. - Peter Sagal Mayerson JCC 8485 Ridge Rd. (513) 722 -7226 September 23 5:30 p.m. – Sukkah City Sunday Schoolhouse Restaurant Camp Dennison 8031 Glendale Milford Rd. (513) 703 - 3343
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OREN from page 9 war in Syria and we do not interfere with the decisions that the Americans take regarding action there. “[During my time as ambassador] there were friendly and open meetings between Obama and [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, and sometimes there was even humor in them. There were good discussions between two pragmatic leaders. Both very educated and intelligent, and spent a lot of hours together discussing fateful issues. “However, there were disagreements and there was criticism of Israel, but this was essentially over tactics. The disagreements are over two central issues: the way to achieve a permanent solution with the Palestinians, and what is to be done to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Looking back, the gaps between the two sides have been significantly reduced. On the negotiations with the Palestinians, the Americans have dropped their demand for a settlement freeze over the Green Line, and today there are negotiations whose beginning was made possible without preconditions.” IH: What other issues of disagreement did you have to deal with during your term?
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(513) 531-9600 defines itself as pro-Israel. I appeared before the group and the question that came up again and again is why are we demanding that the Palestinians recognize us as a Jewish state, because the Left in the U.S. perceives this to be a tactical demand, an attempt to place obstacles in the path of the peace process. I explained to them that this is actually the foundation of any peace deal. The mutual recognition of both sides of the national identity of the other. There is no peace without the recognition of the other. It was supremely important to lay out our position and explain that we are sincere and serious about wanting to reach a peace deal.” “In his 2009 Cairo speech, President Obama drew a link between the establishment of the state of Israel and the Holocaust, a link that is closer to the Arab narrative. Over the years he has corrected this narrative. During his recent visit to Israel, he spoke about a 3,000year-old connection between the Jewish nation and the Land of Israel, about the roots of the Jewish state, and about Israel as a Jewish state. This is the official position of the administration today. The fact that the Americans accept our version is extremely significant.” This story was originally published by Israel Hayom, whose English-language content is distributed exclusively by JNS.
MO: “Our relationship with J Street, a left-wing Jewish group that
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This year in Jerusalem This Year in Jerusalem
by Phyllis Singer This year in Jerusalem I am having trouble with cats. The cat came back! Well, not exactly. The cat that I wrote about last month died, but a new cat found my apartment! During my current visit to the States, many relatives and friends told me that they enjoyed my column about the cat—more than my articles about current events in Israel. So I decided to write a sequel. Hopefully, Israel is not under attack this week, so another light-hearted column won’t seem out of place. As I explained last month, Jerusalem has an abundance of feral cats. Somehow or other, numerous ones have found their way to the yard around our apartment building. And two have found their way to my apartment. One evening during the week of Aug. 4, the second cat invaded my privacy. Once again I was working at the computer when I heard a noise in the kitchen. I got up to investigate—fearing what it might be. A cat ran out of the kitchen and turned to the left, toward my bedroom—not the same way the first cat had entered the apartment. I yelled, grabbed a broom and chased the cat. By the time I reached my bedroom, the cat had disappeared. Since I have a small apartment, it only took me a few seconds to reach the bedroom, but that cat was speedy! And I was worried. Where had the cat gone? Was it still in the apartment, or had it gone out? And if so, how? For a while I was really nervous. Where was the cat? My bedroom has an en suite bathroom, and the bathroom leads to the laundry room. And both doors were open. I quickly closed both doors and cautiously began to search the bedroom, swiping under the bed and free-standing cabinets with the broom handle. Then I ventured into the living room. Perhaps while I was searching under a bed, the cat had run into the living room. So again I swiped under all the furniture and found nothing. Then I ventured into the bath-
room and the laundry room. Once again, I found nothing. But my suspicions were aroused. I keep part of a window in the laundry room slightly open for the vent from the dryer. Could a cat have squeezed in and out of that opening? To make certain, I took out the vent and closed the window. Satisfied at this point that the cat was not in the apartment, I went to sleep—still nervous that the cat could have outsmarted me. The next morning, I searched the apartment again to reassure myself that the cat was not inside. I threw in a load of laundry and a while later put it in the dryer, reinserting the vent through a slightly opened window. I closed the laundry room door and the bathroom door tightly—just to make certain no uninvited guest entered the apartment that way. An hour later, I went to empty the dryer. Lo and behold, there was the cat—probably the same one from the night before—trying to squeeze through the window opening with the dryer vent. I yelled, and the cat jumped away. There are two mysteries: First, how did the cat find that window opening, and second, how did it climb up there? As I explained in the last article, I live on what Americans consider the second floor. (Israelis call it “the first floor,” since they begin numbering floors with “ground floor.”) Perhaps the cat jumped from a tree in the yard onto the air conditioner compressor that is directly below my laundry room, and from the compressor, it jumped onto the ledge outside the laundry room window. Or perhaps it climbed up to my back porch from a grate below the porch and then jumped from the porch onto the compressor and then onto the ledge. Either way, it was a pretty complicated maneuver, and it’s a mystery I’m not trying to solve. I sprayed the laundry room windowsill with cat repellent, and from that time until I left for my trip, I did not see the cat again. Hopefully, I never will! That’s one of my wishes for the New Year. My other wishes—the more important ones—are for health and happiness for all of us in the coming year. Shana Tova U’metuka!
Travel melds the bitter with the sweet Wandering Jew
by Janet Steinberg “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana Happily, I’ve never become jaded. As I look back on 35 years of travel writing, I am still in awe of the fantastic experiences that the magic carpet of travel swept me to. Yes, it’s been a great ride! I spent a weekend in Monte Carlo partying with the Royal Family of Monaco… met a bevy of movie stars, astronauts, royalty and politicians… flew at Mach 2 on both the British and French Concordes… sailed some 140 cruises… circumnavigated the world on a romantic honeymoon... visited the Arctic and Antarctic… ingested numerous kilos of caviar… and drank enough champagne to fill an Olympic swimming pool. However, with that being said, the memories most etched in my mind are not those sybaritic, hedonistic ones that brought me undeniable pleasure. The trips that carved a permanent place in my heart and my mind are the ones that inevitably brought tears to my eyes. The following are a few of those sad and sobering experiences that make this business of travel even more meaningful. CONCENTRATION CAMPS Terezin, just outside of Prague, was not considered an official “death camp”, yet more than 35,000 prisoners died in this camp due to torture, starvation, and disease. The fortress of Terezin (Theresienstadt), named after Empress Maria Theresa, never saw battle but became a political prison for enemies of the Habsburgs in the 19th century. At the end of November 1941, a ghetto was established in the fortress for the Jewish population from Bohemia and Moravia. It served as a collecting and transit camp. From here, transports left for the extermination camps in the East. A visit to Terezin is not for everyone. A visit to Terezin is for people who cannot pass through their lifetime in a state of denial or indifference. It is for people who want to dispel what may be the biggest hoax of the twentieth century… the belief that the Holocaust never existed. Auschwitz is a place that says “Remember!” “Arbeit macht frei. “How many
innocent souls were deceived as they passed beneath those words forged from steel? “Arbeit macht frei.” How many false hopes were raised as millions walked under those entrancegate words? “Arbeit macht frei.” “Work Makes Freedom”, that hideous Nazi sign dared to scream out its lie. It is difficult to imagine a more cynical mockery. No guns poked from the wooden watchtowers... no heel-clicking SS officers changed the guard. Where thousands of emaciated prisoners once struggled for survival, thousands of tourists now struggled to understand... to feel... to gain a deeper meaning to the words of survivors like Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. What we all had in common was our own personal desire to make our assessment of the enormity of the bestial Nazi crimes against humanity.
Courtesy of Janet Steinberg
Sun bathers reflect on the memorial commemorating the bloody battle at Omaha Beach.
WAR SITES Vietnam’s Cu Chi Tunnels, located approximately 25 miles northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, is an amazing network of tunnels that enabled us to view the claustrophobic life experienced by Vietnamese villagers and guerrillas in the subterranean passages in which they lived during the war. This elaborate125 mile network of tunnels, spread beneath the ground like a cobweb, is a chilling reminder of the struggle our soldiers encountered fighting an invisible enemy. Viet Cong guerrillas used the tunnels as hiding spots during combat. Today, tunnels at Cu Chi are a war memorial park. Normandy Beaches were the sites where, members of “The Greatest Generation”, landed on June 6, 1944. The men who landed at Normandy on D-Day made up the largest military invasion from the sea in the history of the world. The code name for the landing was “Operation Neptune”. Omaha Beach was the bloodiest of the D-Day landings. The American Cemetery, located on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, contains the remains of 9,387 American military dead. MEMORIALS The Hungarian Holocaust Victims and Heroes Memorial unveiled behind the Great
Synagogue in 1991 pays tribute to Hungarian Holocaust victims who were exterminated by the Nazis in WW II. This Weeping Willow sculpture, funded by the late actor Tony Curtis, is in loving memory of his Hungarian-born parents Mr. and Mrs. Emanuel Schwartz. In Tony Curtis’s words, the Holocaust Memorial is “dedicated to the 600,000 Hungarian Jews who perished in the Holocaust and to the many valiant heroes of all faiths who risked their lives to save untold numbers of Jewish men, women and children from certain death.” Among the poignant plaques at the base of the memorial was that of the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation which read: “We may never understand why or how it happened, but we must never forget it happened.” Edgar Bronfman’s plaque was inscribed, “Evil shall be vanquished by memory”. The Homomonument, located in the center of Amsterdam, commemorates all gay men and lesbians who have been subjected to persecution because of their homosexuality. Opened on September 5, 1987, it takes the form of three large pink triangles made of granite, set into the ground so as to form a larger triangle. The Homomonument was designed to “inspire and support lesbians and gays in their struggle against denial, oppression and discrimination.” It was the first monument in the world to commemorate gays and lesbians who were killed by the Nazis. MISSION OF MERCY Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland, is Finland’s Arctic playground. It is the magical home of Santa Claus, his elves, and his reindeer. It is a snowy wonderland that enchants hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world who come to meet Santa Claus and his elves every day of the year. During my visit, I met a remarkable group of unforgettable kids… cancer-stricken kids brought to Santa Claus Village by a Ronald McDonald House in California. Accompanied by doctors and nurses, these kids were experiencing a place where the fairytale became true. Smiles came across pale faces; gaunt eyes looked in wonder at living elves; a limbless boy was carried to sit on Santa’s lap; little Nadia told me she would not remove her hat because she had no hair. She also told me she wanted some new clothes for Christmas. When I got home, I sent Nadia a box of pretty new clothes. Sadly, I received a note saying Nadia was thrilled with the clothes, but had passed away before she was able to wear them. Sad as the above travel experiences were, I wouldn’t trade them for the grandest trips in the world. My heart ached, my breath ceased; yet those experiences are a big part of who I am today.
FOOD / AUTOS • 21
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
All about food – New beginnings Zell’s Bites
by Zell Schulman Last Thursday was a day of welcoming in a new year and a time for reflection and hope. Being an American the best gift of all. My late father, Harry Sharff of blessed memory also felt this way. I can’t count the times he would say to me, “Remember Zelma, The best gift we have is this country called ‘America,’ where we have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and if one knows the right people and has enough money they can even become President of this United States.” My father came to this country from Russia, in his mid-twenties. He never did learn to spell the word Wednesday because his accent didn’t allow him to pronounce it correctly. It wasn’t that important because he never knew an enemy and was loved by his fellow workers and many, many friends, both Jewish and nonJewish. I am always asked, “How did you get into the culinary world?” They didn’t have Harry Sharff as a father. He loved to cook. His first job when he arrived in America, was in a restaurant in New York. His cousin, Sam Greenberg, owned The Modern Furniture Company, a furniture store in Covington, Kentucky and brought my dad to work with him in the store. Being a furniture salesman wasn’t his cup of tea so he got a job selling life insurance for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company where he was the company’s number one salesman in the whole United States in 1950. He
JVS from page 4 way she wants to be perceived. “If people perceive something about you, that’s what they believe.” Because she works from home, she liked meeting people professionally at the event. That helped her learn more about the Cincinnati business community. “It’s just nice to connect with other people and learn what they do.” Ariel Cohen, 29, of Finneytown, said he liked that other guests felt comfortable offering him feedback about where his career is headed. Cohen, who studied political science and counter-terrorism in college, then served in the Israel Defense Forces, likened the night to a “brainstorming event.” He said, “The event promoted
spent the rest of his life in Covington, Kentucky. I was his and Henrietta Jacobs only child. He had a Russian accent and I developed a Southern accent. I learned wonderful life lessons from both of them. The love of the arts from my mother and the love of cooking from my father. As a small child, he would take me to the farmer’s market in Covington, Kentucky where I lived and grew up until I got married and crossed the Suspension bridge to spend my married life in Cincinnati with my late husband of 50 years. He loved to cook and after I was married he would drop by without notice, just when I was in the middle of preparing dinner, lift up the lids on my pots, and advised me, “This needs more salt. You’re cooking this on too high a heat. This needs a little more flavor, add some ketchup.” I never did learn to make gefilte fish as good as his. My husband Mel has been gone 10 years, and I still haven’t learned “Cooking for One.” This is the title of one of the many cookbooks I have gathered over the years. Even the book didn’t help. Who’s going to spend time over a hot stove just to cook for one person? Thank god for restaurants. Although I must admit I prefer my cooking to going out, even if it is only a cup of homemade soup and a salad. I have learned to cook ahead. This means taking one day a month for cooking soups and casseroles and another day for baking sweets. I am a true “Cookie Monster.” I like trying and developing new recipes. It is always a challenge. At this point in my life, I have quite a collection. I always make something sweet for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. This week I turned out six dozen pieces of strudel and six honey cakes. I used to make taiglach but I turned that over to my daughter, Karen. No cooking on Rosh Hashanah, I was in Cynthiana, Kentucky on our way to the temple in Lexington, Kentucky to reflect and pray for a healthy, joyful, and good New Year. “L’SHANA TOVA” to all. dialogue among the people who were there, whether they were in the same fields or different fields.” Peter M. Bloch, President and CEO of JVS Career Services, observed that the networking portions of the event generated a buzz. People were deeply engaged in conversations. The large crowd consisted of a broad range of people at various stages of their careers and from various fields. “The event confirmed that people are thirsty for career advice and networking opportunities,” Bloch said. Bloch promised that the series, called JVS Career Services Presents, will address diverse career needs, ranging from how to find your first job to how to transition to retirement.
2014 Audi A4 Premium Sedan – beauty is in the details The Audi A4 sedan offers a combination of style and substance that keeps it highly competitive within its class. It is available with Audi’s legendary quattro all-wheel drive system, or FrontTrak front-wheel drive. The 2014 Audi A4 is impeccably engineered for driving. It has a dynamic design, enhanced by available Audi S line exterior appearance, a leather appointed interior, and a light yet responsive 220 hp 2.0-liter TFSI engine for agility and efficiency. Add to this with available features like xenon headlights, sport seats, and Audi connect with Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity, and you have a car that meets your needs and desires. Punch the accelerator and feel the potency of the 2.0-liter TFSI engine. The secret to its performance is efficient design. By utilizing direct injection and turbocharging, this advanced engine produces 220 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, all while providing great fuel economy. EPAestimated fuel economy is 24 mpg city/32 mpg highway. Making the A4 thirst for the road and not for gas. As you approach the Audi A4, your eyes register a perfectly balanced, powerful-looking sedan that’s emphatically punctuated by the distinctive Audi Singleframe grille and available Audi S line exterior appearance. Inside, the intuitive controls and sophisticated design
2014 Audi A4 Premium Sedan
surround you, including finely crafted decorative inlays, rich textures and materials, and a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel. Hairpin turns and inclement weather are no longer a challenge. They’re an opportunity. Available Audi quattro all-wheel drive helps provide confidence inspiring handling with 40:60 rear-biased power distribution. When conditions are challenging, power is transferred to the appropriate wheels for unequaled grip and control. Standard features for the Premium include 17-inch wheels; automatic headlights; front and rear foglights; automatic wipers; a sunroof; cruise control; automatic climate control; a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel; eight-way power front seats with four-way driver lumbar adjustment; leather upholstery; a dash-mounted Multi Media
Interface, or MMI; Bluetooth phone connectivity; and a 10-speaker sound system with a CD player, an auxiliary audio jack, an iPod interface and satellite radio. Options include a navigation system (with voice controls and console-mounted MMI), a Cold Weather package (heated front seats and a 60/40-split folding rear seat) and an S line style package, which adds 18-inch wheels, xenon headlights and sportier exterior trim. The 2014 Audi A4 comes standard with antilock brakes, stability and traction control, front side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. Front and rear parking sensors and a rearview camera are optional as well. The interplay yields an aerodynamic brilliance that’s as pleasurable tearing down an open stretch of road as it is staring at it in the driveway.
22 • OBITUARIES D EATH N OTICES COHEN, Ruth B. age 101 died on August 25, 2013; 19 Elul, 5773. MANUEL, Diana age 61 died on August 30, 2013; 24 Elul, 5773. DONNY, Hershel B. age 63 died on September 5, 2013; 1 Tishrei, 5774.
O BITUARIES COHEN, Ruth B. Ruth B. Cohen died on August 25, 2013. She was 101. Mrs. Cohen died at the Courtyard at the Seasons in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mrs. Cohen was the loving and devoted wife of Sigmund M. Cohen who predeceased her in death in 1991 and caring mother to Sigmund Cohen (Susan), Washington, D.C., and Nancy L. Cohen (Roger McGary), Takoma Park, Md., two grandchildren, Eric Cohen, San Diego, Calif. and Risa Cohen, Minneapolis, Minn. She is also survived by three great grandchildren and one great great grandchild. Born in Hamilton, Ohio, on August 17, 1912, Mrs. Cohen was the daughter of Elsa and Harry Blumenthal. She was predeceased in death by her brother, Jack Blumenthal and sister, Harriet Warm. Mrs. Cohen attended the University of Cincinnati, Miami University (Oxford, Ohio), the University of Oklahoma and the College – Conservatory of Music (Cincinnati). ISRAELI from page 9 results in which 31.9 percent of Israeli respondents said their leaders should not take into account the positions of American Jews on the peace process at all, while 33.6 percent said U.S. Jewry’s views should be considered to a small extent. Only 21.6 percent called for those views to be taken into account to a great extent, and 9.4 percent said the views should be considered to a very great extent. The poll was conducted by Teleseker and commissioned by the Ruderman Foundation. Regarding conversion and the Israeli government’s relationship with the Conservative and Reform movements, 24 percent of Israelis opposed taking U.S. Jewry’s positions into account, while 30.6 percent said they should be considered to a small extent. Meanwhile, 25.1 percent supported the government considering U.S. Jewry’s views to a great extent. Israeli Jews still value the lobbying efforts by American Jews on behalf of Israel, according to the poll, which found that 66.3 percent see the Jewish community in the
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She held numerous positions including working in the family business, Blumenthal Printing Company (1930-1934), as Special Activities Coordinator at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (1961 – 1964), Director of Volunteers at the John F. Kennedy Hospital in Philadelphia (1966), Volunteer Services Coordinator at the Philadelphia Civic Center (1967) and Blood Drive Coordinator at the American Red Cross in Philadelphia (1969 – 1977). Mrs. Cohen had a lifelong commitment of service to the community and contributed by volunteering and holding leadership positions in numerous organizations. She was president of the Isaac M. Wise Temple Sisterhood, Vice-Chair of the Women’s Division of the Jewish Welfare Fund, Chair of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Girl Scout Cookie Sale, on the boards of Council of Jewish Women, Camp Joy, Child Guidance Home, Fellowship House, Jewish Care and Relief, Girl Scout of Cincinnati, and National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods. More recently, she was a devoted volunteer at the Jewish Hospital (over 1500 hours) and Crayons to Computers. A memorial service will be conducted at the Isaac M. Wise Temple on October 20, 2013 at 1 p.m. Memorial contributions can be made to the Isaac M. Wise Temple, 8329 Ridge Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236 and Crayons to Computers, 1350 Tennessee Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229. U.S. as having a very or somewhat positive influence on Israel’s national security. Unlike Shai and Ruderman, who say American Jewry’s support for Israel is changing and in need of work, 76 percent of Israelis polled believe support for Israel in the future will remain at the level it is today or even grow stronger. But they are not optimistic about U.S. Jewry’s personal connection to the Jewish state, with 51 percent responding that half or less than half of U.S. Jews feel a meaningful connection. Prof. Steven Cohen, a researcher of Jewish social policy at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, believes the poll “speaks to the lack of understanding by Israelis of American Jews, but it’s an understandable lack of understanding.” “Those Israelis who reject American Jewish participation in various decisions of national importance tend to believe that such decisions are best left in the hands of Israelis alone – either Israelis have exclusive standing, or they have better information,” Cohen writes in an email to JNS.
GROUPS from page 6 said he would seek approval of Congress before ordering a strike. “This is a limited, proportional step that will send a clear message not only to the Assad regime, but also to other countries that may be interested in testing some of these international norms, that there are consequences,” Obama said before the meeting. Until Obama declared his readiness to strike Syria on Saturday, Jewish groups had been reluctant to weigh in – in part because of the hangover from unwarranted attacks blaming Jewish lobbying for the Iraq War. But in the wake of Obama’s declaration over the weekend, those fears seemed to evaporate. “The president has made his decision and we’re not ahead of it,” Abraham Foxman, the ADL’s national director, told JTA. “He’s not doing this for Israel. This may have serious ramifications for Israel which are negative.” U.S. administrations have traditionally sought Jewish support for foreign policy initiatives, but in this case, congressional insiders say the influence of AIPAC and other Jewish groups may be checked by the emergence of other foreign policy constituencies. SATELLITE from page 9 launch a satellite.” Indeed, researchers expect to garner important findings through this research – from the design and production of the satellites and the development of the new technologies to be carried by them, to the factors surrounding their launch, and their role in space and in the defense of Israel. “Our objective is to learn what can be done with the satellite – how to miniaturize space components, apply our robotics knowledge, study the communication issues related to transmitting data both ways, operate solar panels in space, and more,” says Prof. Dan Blumberg, director of BGU’s Homeland Security Institute. “So, the satellite is itself important because of its impact on future projects and Israel’s foothold in space.” What’s more, all that knowledge will be of benefits to the world beyond Israel’s doorstep. It will position Israel as an important player in the burgeoning international market that surrounds the field of homeland security, as the Jewish state exports its innovative technology to the U.S. and other allies. For a long time, the direct study of satellites was out of the reach of universities. Then along came the creation of the CubeSat – inexpensive pico-satellites composed of commercial, off-the-shelf components – and the study of satellites suddenly became accessible to university students and researchers. What set the CubeSat apart and
Since the 2010 midterms, the Tea Party caucus among Republicans, which has a prominent isolationist streak, has resisted AIPAC pressure to back a robust foreign assistance program. Among Democrats, the insiders said, progressives wary of another foreign war are likelier to heed anti-war voices than the pro-Israel lobby. Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), who is Jewish and has been a proIsrael and progressive stalwart, has been a leading voice of skepticism about a strike. Other Jewish lawmakers have robustly backed a strike, preeminent among them Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee and one of the highest profile Jewish lawmakers. Wasserman Schultz invoked the Holocaust in making her case. “As a Jew, the concept of ‘Never again’ has to mean something,” she told CNN over the weekend. Some groups have been lobbying for weeks. An official in the office of Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said the office has been flooded with calls and emails from Jewish federations and constituents urging the lawmaker to back Obama’s plan. Obama already has won backing
from several prominent Republicans, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), as well as the House Republican leadership, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (RVa.), the most senior Jewish member of Congress. Cantor cited a key Israeli concern – that an Assad unscathed after using of weapons of mass destruction would embolden Iran – in explaining his support for the president. “America has a compelling national security interest to prevent and respond to the use of weapons of mass destruction, especially by a terrorist state such as Syria, and to prevent further instability in a region of vital interest to the United States,” he said in a statement. The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained silent on the Syria matter in part, its officials said, because it sees no good outcome. Such a posture is markedly different from late 2005, when Israeli officials urged U.S. Jewish groups to talk President George W. Bush out of considering regime change in Syria. The Israelis argued that as bad as Assad’s government was, the alternatives were worse.
made it so appealing was its ability to be produced in a short amount of time, and to be easily stored and ready for deployment as needed, using a common deployment mechanism. In addition, because of their small size and weight, a network of these satellites can be launched at a fraction of the cost of deploying one large satellite. To put that savings in perspective, the price tag on the picosatellite’s standard-size big brother is in the neighborhood of $1 billion; one BGUSAT costs approximately $500,000 to produce. The CubeSat, says Blumberg, has opened up new horizons. They bring space beyond the sole province of government and the defense industry, he says, and new thinking about how to use it must result. While the CubeSat model provided the basis for the design of BGUSAT, the university’s research team custom-designed its pico-satellite along with a deployment mechanism that are even lighter and smaller-and reflect Israel’s unique security needs. In addition, the CubeSat model provides a cost-effective method of getting a payload into orbit, but it is the payload’s technology that is a key element of research efforts. Israel’s security needs are integral to the project and are reflected in BGUSAT’s payload, consisting of a two-camera imaging system utilizing wavelengths in the visible and short wave infrared spectrums. BGUSAT is expected to generate important data that will be used to learn more
about low resolution imaging from space, as well as to develop an experimental imaged-based global positioning system. The Javits’ gift also made possible the design and development by the research team of a ground receiving station, enabling BGUSAT to communicate with the ground and a second pico-satellite. Within the context of a world with increasingly dangerous threats to cyber-security, this technology takes into account specific communication and control needs and provides for the safe transmission and receipt of data. Still under construction is a testing facility equipped with a simulation lab within which the research team can conduct a pre-launch test of BGUSAT, as well as evaluate and test each element of the project, including interaction of the satellites with each other and with the ground control station. BGU students are also collaborating with Israel Aerospace Industries to develop another satellite that will interact with BGUSAT and also carry a payload of communication and GPS technology. Of course, there is still left the matter of getting the BGUSAT into space. Once launched, it is envisioned that the BGUSAT will orbit the earth and serve as a platform for a series of research projects into the future. The data collection and transmission process will be evaluated, as data is collected by the camera’s imaging technology and transmitted to the ground receiving station.